quarrel of the linen dealer and
the cabman in _Marianne_, of which Grimm writes as follows: "On est
excede, par exemple, de cette querelle de la lingere et du fiacre, dans la
_Marianne_ de M. de Marivaux: rien n'est mieux rendu d'apres nature, et
d'un gout plus detestable que le tableau que je cite."[95]

Another trait common to _Marianne_ and _le Paysan parvenu_, and indeed in
a degree to all of his writings, is his detestation of false piety and his
attack upon hypocrisy in all its forms, whether in the person of M. de
Climal, M. Doucin or Mlle. Habert ainee; but, while false devotion was
constantly the object of his most bitter hatred, his attitude toward true
religion was noteworthy, especially for the time in which he lived. "A
Dieu ne plaise qu'on me soupconne d'avoir, un seul instant de ma vie,
doute de ce que nous dit cette religion,"[96] he exclaims through the lips
of one of his characters.

His whole nature, his kindliness, his compassion for human suffering, his
hope for the ultimate welfare of all, inclined him to a kindly dogmatism,
which included even those unbelievers "qui ont beau faire, pour s'etourdir
sur l'autre monde, et qui finiront par etre sauves malgre eux."[97] "La
religion, disait-il, est la ressource du malheureux, quelquefois meme
celle du philosophe; n'enlevons pas a la pauvre espece humaine cette
consolation, que la Providence divine lui a menagee."[98] He had a
distinct dislike for philosophical arguments in refutation of things
spiritual, and one day on being asked as to what he considered the nature
of the soul, he replied, "Je sais qu'elle est spirituelle et immortelle,
et je n'en sais rien de plus "; and when it was suggested to refer the
discussion to Fontenelle, with his characteristic readiness of speech
retorted, "Il a trop d'esprit pour en savoir la-dessus plus que moi."[99]

If Marivaux was preeminently admired in England for his _Spectateur_, he
was scarcely less so for his novels; there is no doubt that _Marianne_
inspired Richardson's _Pamela_ and _Clarissa Harlowe_, and that _le Paysan
parvenu_ had its influence upon Fielding's _Joseph Andrews_ and _Tom
Jones_.[100]

Opinions differ greatly as to the comparative merits of Marivaux the
novelist and Marivaux the dramatist. His contemporaries[101] considered
him superior in the former capacity. Larroumet classes him in the "small
number of those who have shown themselves equally fitted for the drama and
the novel,"[102] whil