o been hostile,
united in its praise. Yet scandal was not silent; for Moliere was
loudly censured, as having, in the person of Alceste, ridiculed the
Duke de Montausier, a man of honor and virtue, but of blunt,
uncourteous manners. The duke, informed that he had been brought on
the stage by Moliere, threatened vengeance; but being persuaded to see
the play, he sought out the author instantly, embraced him repeatedly,
and assured him that if he had really thought of him when composing
the "Misanthrope," he regarded it as an honor which he could never
forget.

But not even the praises paid to the "Misanthrope," though a piece of
a mood much higher than "Le Medecin malgre lui," satisfied Moliere.
"_Vous verrez bien autre chose_," said he to Boileau, when the latter
congratulated him on the success of the chef-d'oeuvre which we have
just named. He anticipated the success of the most remarkable of his
performances, the celebrated "Tartuffe," in which he has unmasked and
branded vice, as in his lighter pieces he has chastised folly. This
piece had been acted before Louis, before his queen, and his mother,
and at the palace of the great Prince of Conde; but the scruples
infused into the king long induced him to hesitate ere he removed the
interdict which prohibited its representation. Neither were these
scruples yet removed. Permission was, indeed, given to represent the
piece, but under the title of the "Impostor," and calling the
principal person Panulphe, for it seems the name of Tartuffe was
particularly offensive. The king, having left Paris for the army, the
president of the parliament of Paris prohibited any further
representation of the obnoxious piece, thus disguised, although
licensed by his majesty. Louis did not resent this interference, and
two compositions of Moliere were interposed betwixt the date of the
suspension which we have noticed, and the final permission to bring
"Tartuffe" on the stage. These were, "Melicerte," a species of heroic
pastoral, in which Moliere certainly did not excel, and "Le Sicilien,
ou L'Amour Peintre," a few lively scenes linked together, so as to
form a pleasing introduction to several of those dances in costume, or
ballets, as they were called, in which Louis himself often assumed a
character.

At length, in August, 1667, "Le Tartuffe," so long suppressed,
appeared on the stage, and in the depth and power of its composition
left all authors of comedy far behind. The art with whic