Chamfort

(Sébastien Roch Nicolas), French man of letters, b. in Auvergne, near Clermont, 1741. He knew no parent but his mother, a peasant girl, to supply whose wants he often denied himself nece aries. At Paris he gained a prize from the Academy for his eulogy on Molière. About 1776 he published a Dramatic Dictionary and wrote several plays. In 1781 he obtained a seat in the Academy, being patronised by Mme. Helvetius. He became a friend of Mirabeau, who called him une tête électrique . In 1790 he commenced a work called Pictures of the Revolution . In the following year he became secretary of the Jacobin Club and National Librarian. Arrested by Robes pierre, he desperately, but vainly, endeavored to commit suicide. He died 13 April, 1794, leaving behind numerous works and a collection of Maxims, Thoughts, Characters, and Anecdotes , which show profound genius and knowledge of human nature.