r custom, and in her quick way sat down in the
arm-chair; and at the same time the members seated themselves. The queen
observing that they did not, out of respect to her, approach the table,
desired them to come near; and they accordingly approached it.

During these ceremonious preparations several officers of state had
entered the hall, and stood behind the academicians. The chancellor sat
at the queen's left hand by the fire-side; and at the right was placed
M. de la Chambre, the director; then Boisrobert, Patru, Pelisson, Cotin,
the Abbe Tallemant, and others. M. de Mezeray sat at the bottom of the
table facing the queen, with an inkstand, paper, and the portfolio of
the company lying before him: he occupied the place of the secretary.
When they were all seated the director rose, and the academicians
followed him, all but the chancellor, who remained in his seat. The
director made his complimentary address in a low voice, his body was
quite bent, and no person but the queen and the chancellor could hear
him. She received his address with great satisfaction.

All compliments concluded, they returned to their seats. The director
then told the queen that he had composed a treatise on Pain, to add to
his character of the Passions, and if it was agreeable to her majesty,
he would read the first chapter.--"Very willingly," she answered. Having
read it, he said to her majesty, that he would read no more lest he
should fatigue her. "Not at all," she replied, "for I suppose what
follows is like what I have heard."

M. de Mezeray observed that M. Cotin had some verses, which her majesty
would doubtless find beautiful, and if it was agreeable they should be
read. M. Cotin read them: they were versions of two passages from
Lucretius: the one in which he attacks a Providence, and the other,
where he gives the origin of the world according to the Epicurean
system: to these he added twenty lines of his own, in which he
maintained the existence of a Providence. This done, an abbe rose, and,
without being desired or ordered, read two sonnets, which by courtesy
were allowed to be tolerable. It is remarkable that both the _poets_
read their verses standing, while the rest read their compositions
seated.

After these readings, the director informed the queen that the ordinary
exercise of the company was to labour on the dictionary; and that if her
majesty should not find it disagreeable, they would read a _cahier_.
"Very willingly