r; but he soon found that she
was too fond of admiration to make him happy. She was coquettish, and
without principle, and though Moliere bore with her long, they at length
separated. He said: "There is but one sort of love, and those who are
more easily satisfied, do not know what true love is."

Moliere went on with the management of his theater, and writing and
bringing out new plays. One of them--"_L'Ecole des Femmes_"--was
translated and amended into the English by Wycherly, and was altogether
more licentious in plot than in the original language. It was very
popular in England, but not so much so in France.

The next piece of Moliere's was entitled "_Impromptu de Versailles_,"
and was written at the command of the king. The king and his courtiers
were accustomed to take parts in the ballets in those days, and Louis
and his court took parts in the ballets of Moliere's construction. The
soldiers who guarded the king were accustomed to go into the theater
free. They took up a large space, and Moliere represented his loss to
the king, who abolished the privilege. The soldiers were very angry, and
the next night they cut the door-keeper to pieces with their swords, and
forced their way into the house. Moliere made them a speech, and peace
was restored. The king offered to punish with severity the lawless
soldiery, but Moliere requested him not to do so, and the new order was
ever after obeyed without trouble.

One of his next acts was to hold up to ridicule, in a comedy, the
medical faculty. The condition of the medical art at that time was such
that it richly deserved ridicule. But no man can thus attack great
bodies of men without making enemies, and Moliere had them without
number.

The comedian was now at the height of his prosperity, and still he was
unhappy. Separated from his wife, whose conduct was now shameful, he had
no domestic happiness. He spent much of his time at his country-house at
Antenil, where an apartment was always kept for his old school-fellow,
Chapelle, for whom he always retained a warm affection. He was often
alone, and preferred solitude, shutting himself away from society. A
supper was once given by him to all his brother wits. He alone was
indisposed, and as he took no wine or animal food, he went early to bed,
leaving his friends merry over their wine. At last they grew so affected
by the wine they had drank, that they were ready to follow a leader into
any absurdity. Chapelle was, wh