auquel Lucain a comparé le grand Pompée. The

référence is to the following passage in Lucan's Pharsalia,

book i, 11. 129-43, in which the poet makes a comparison

between Pompey and Caesar : —

\ec colère pares : alter vergentibus annis In seniiim longoque togae tranquillior usu Dedidicit iam pace ducem, famaeque petitor Multa dare in volgus, totiis popularibus auris Inpelli, plausuque su! gaudere theatri, Xec reparare novas vires, multumqiie priori Credere tbrtunae. Stat magni nominis umbra ; Qualis frugifero quercus subUmis in agro Exuvias veteris popiili sacrataque gestans Dona ducum nec iam validis radicibus haerens Pondère fixa sue est, nudosque per aéra ramos EfFundens trunco, non tVondibus, efficit umbram : Et quamvis primo nutet casura sub euro, Tôt circum silvae firmo se robore toiJant, Sola tamen colitur.

Page 74. 1. 8. On La Rochefoucauld, see note to p. 50,

De Retz. Cardinal de Retz (1614-79) took an active part in the movement against Cardinal Mazarin. He was imprisoned at Vincennes, but made good his escape and travelled abroad till INIazarin's death, when he returned to France. He left Mémoires which are of great value as a contribution to the history of the civil life and doings of his day.

Madame de Sévigné, the famous letter-writer, was a staunch admirer of Corneille, and was even, in her admiration for the latter, very unfair to Racine. When the genius of Corneille began to fail visibly, she exclaimed — and her judgment is that of posterity : ' Vive notre vieil ami Corneille ! Pardonnons-lui de méchants vers en faveur des divines et sublimes beautés qui vous transportent, ce sont des traits de maître qui sont inimitables.'

1. 13. In Les Plaideurs (Act I, Scène v), L'Intimé, speaking to Léandre, who is looking for

quelque honnête faussaire

Qui servît ses amis, en le payant, s'entend,

Quelque sergent zélé . . , , says that his father would hâve been the right man for the post ;

T^6 IROI^ PORTRAITS I.TTTKRAIRES

Ah Monsieur, si feu mon pauvre pc-re

Était encore vivant, c'i'lait bien votre aifaire.

Il gagnait en un join- jjIus qu'un autre en six mois:

Ses rides sur son front gravaient tous ses exploits.

11 vous efit arrêté le carrosse d'un prince;

11 vous l'efit pris lui-même .. .

i. 2 1. il je coffipare au l'ittix Sophocle accusé tie clémence. Sophocles is said to hâve been accused of madness by one of his sons, lophon, who wishcd to obtain the management of his father's pro]KM-ty. He defended himself by saying, ' If I am Sophocles 1 am nol mad, and if I am mad I am not Sophocles,' and he recited the beautiful chorus in praise of C'.olonos in the last play probabjy that he wrote, Oedipus Coloneus.

1. 31. Chevreau (161 3-1 701), a French writer of whom his contemporaries had a high opinion, but whose works are now almost entirely forgotten. He wrote several tragédies and comédies, one of them being entitled : La Suite et le Mariage cIuCid{j6s8).

1. 36. On sait la noble conduite de Boileau. In 1683, Coi"neille was in rather straitened circumstances. He had lost first one son in war, and thcn another. He had to pay for the éducation of his daughter \vho was at the Couvent des Dcininicairies. He had to sel! the house which he owned at Rouen (Rue de la Pie), which brought him 4,000 ' livres', 3,000 of which had to go at once to pay for his daughter's schooling. Boileau kncw of thèse circumstances, went to the king, and asked that he might give up his own pension for a time so as to help the aged Corneille who had not received a ' sol' for months. The king at once sent 200 'livres' to Corneille, who died shortly afterwards (September 30, 1684).

1. 38. Charlotte Corday (1768-93), a famous French heroine, who assassinated Marat, the Terrorist leader, on July 13, 1793, and was accordingly guillotincd.

PagK 75. I. 9. Ho)?ière, Pindare, Eschyle, Dante. On thc 'primitive poets,' as opposed to the more 'studious, polite, and perfect,' of which Horace, Virgil, and Tasso are représentatives: sce beginning of the portrait of Molière, and corresponding notes.

Page 76. 1. 32. Père ■Toiirnemine (1661-1739), a learned jesuit, editor of tiie Journal de Tréi'oux- trom 1701 to 1718. He contributed many scientific and literary cssays to that well-known paper, tiie foilowing being the niost interesting ; Projet d'un owvrage sur l'origine des fables (1702); Défense de Corneille contre te commentateur des cewvres de Boileau (1717).

I, 38. les Cordillères. The Cordilleras, or in Spanish 'las Cordilleras de los Andes,' is the name given to the Andes of South America.

Page 77. 1. 8. la colombe de l'arche. See Genesis, viii. 8-11.

!. 29. Montlhéry, a small locality in the southern neighbourhood of Paris, the site of a feudal castle, thc ruined lowcr of which is still standing on the summit of a ' rock,' commanding the village which it used to protect and terrify. A décisive battle was fought undcr its walls at the beginning of Louis XI's reign, which assured the pre-eminence of thc latter over thc Barons who had endeavoured to limit his powers.

Page 78. 1. 5. la Ferté-Milon, a small town in thc arron* dissement of Soissons (Aisne).

1. 7. Villers-Cotterets, another small town, a few miles north of la Ferté-INIilon, where Francis I issued in 1539 ^ famous Edict, which made the use of French compulsory in ail public acts.

contrôleur du grenier à sel. It must be remembered that under the ancient French Monarchy the sait tax, the ' gabelle,' was as gênerai as it was detestcd. There werc variations in the taxes according to the différent provinces, but throughout the largest part of the kingdom people had to

pay a heavy ' impôt' on sait, and were compellcd to purchase a certain quantity, oftlcially fixed. Hcncc minute régulations and vexatious tornialitics ; hcnce too thc l'ormation of superintended 'greniers à sel,' where people had to go and supply themselves with sait.

1. II. BcauTois, an important cathedral town, now thc ' chef-lieu ' of the Department of the Oise.

1. 12. Port-Royal-dei-Champi, ii. Jansenist monastery and educational centre, situated by thc side of the Yvette, a prctty river flowing near Chevreuse, one of thc most picturesque and wildest spots in the neighbourhood of Paris. It was called Port-Royal-des-Champs to distinguish it from another Jansenist settlement in Paris itself.

1. 15. Antoine Le Maître (1608-58), the grandson of Antoine Arnauld and nephew of the 'grand Arnauld,' two well-known Jansenists. He was only twenty-ninc when he retired to Port- Royal (1637). Hc had a grcat influence on his austère fellows and was called ' Le Père des Solitaires.' He coliaborated in many of thcir works, particularly in thc translation of the New Testament by his brother, Le IMaistrc de Sacy. Hc wrote himself Za Vie de laint Bernard (1648), L'Histoire des Martyrs de Lyon, &c., and gave Pascal materials for some of his Pro-viticiales.

1.20. Saint Cbrysostotiie (347 .'-407J, the fanious Kathcr of the Greek Church, author of a grcat numbcr of theological and cthical works, c. g. On Firginity, The Monastic Life, Pro^'idence, The Divinity of Jésus Christ, &c. ; of Commentaries on the Old and New Testament ; of sermons, religious letters, &c.

1, 23. Plutarque (A.D. 50?-A.D. 139). Plutarch, thc famous Greek biographer and moralist, author of the Parallcl Lii'es.

Platon (430 b.c.?- 347 B.c.). Plato, the illustrious disciple of Socrates, author of famous Dialogues, such as the Symposium, hère referred to.

Saint Basile (329-379), a F^ather of the Greek Church, like Saint Chrysostom, and author of highly appreciated homilies on The six days of the Création, The Psalms, &c., and cssays on Christian ethics and doctrines.

1. 24. Pindare (122 B.C. ?-442 B.C. ?), the immortal Greek lyric poet, author of hymns, and Olympian, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian odes.

Théogètie et C6ar;c/^é',Theagenes and Charicleia, a famous novel by Heliodorus, a Greek of the fourteenth century. Racine used to read it in the Greek text, and was so fond of it that hc Icarncd it almost by hcart and madc it the subjcct

of his first tragedy, a tragedy which, on Molière's advice, he threw into the tire soon after writing it.

Page 70. I. 29. les comédiens du Marais. See note to p. 17, 1. 27.

1. 31. Son ode aux Nymphes de la Seine was composed in 1660 on the occasion of the inarriage of the King. It brought Racine a pension of 600 livres and made his name known.

1. 32. Chapelain (1595-1674), one of the best prose writers of the time, an excellent grammarian, and profound Greek and Latin scholar. He e»joyed an immense réputation and was for a long period the first literary critic in France. Unfortunately he considered himself a poct, and promised his contemporaries a great epic poem on Joan of Arc, which was eagerly expected for twenty years. When at last La Pucelle appeared in 1659 the disappointment was great, and the author's renown was speediiy eclipsed.

1. 35. Tritons. Triton was the son of Poséidon and of Amphitrite. He dwelt with his father in a golden palace at the bottom of the sea. In the later mythology Tritons appear as a race of subordinate sea deities.

1. 38. Colbert (1619-83), a noted French statesman. Hc was the son of a mcrchant of Rheims, entered the sersice of Cardinal Mazarin in 1648, and in 1661, on the death of Mazarin, became Rlinister of Finance, a post which he held till his death. He introduced extensive fiscal reforms, as the resuit of which the income of the Government was nearly trebled, and encouraged commerce and industry by the imposition of a protectivc tariff, the construction of canals, and the founding of colonies.

1. 39. Cbei'reuse, the site of an old castle in the southern ncighbourhood of Paris. (See note to p. 78, 1. 12.)

Page 80. 1. 7. yJrioste (Ludovico Ariosto) (1474-1533), a famous Italian poet, author of Orlando Furioso.

1. 12. Vzès, now Sous-Préfecture of the Gard, a few miles north of the river to which the Department owes its name.

1. 15. tout en noir de la tête aux pieds, i. e. owing to his monastic dress.

1.16. Saint ThotJias d'Aquin {122 f)--j\). Thomas Aquinas, the famous Italian theologian, author of Summa 'Theologiae, a vast encyclopaedia of scholastic philosophy and religiou? doctrines.

l6o IROIS PORTRAITS LITTÉRAIRES

1. 2.\. tirs baillis. Thcrc wcrc (a) baillis royaux and {b) baillis seigneuriaux. 'Ihc former wcre oflicials of the central govcrnmcnt wliose business it was to adniinistcr justice, command tlic local Icvies, collect taxes, and in fact supervise ail the détails of government : but their powers Mcrc gradually diininishcd and inost of their duties werc handcd over to the other officiais such as the intendant. The baillis seigneuriaux werc deputics of the Seigneurs who adniinistercd justice in their naines.

se comparant à Oi'iele au bore! du Pont-Euxin. It will be remembered that Ovid, the tamous Latin poet, was exiled from Rome to a town on the shores of the Black Sca in A.D. 8 for a reason that has never been clearly elucidated. Used to the luxuries of a refincd life, he suffered very much from constant contact with barbarous people and manners. He died in the tenth year of his exile.

1. 28. Château-Thierry, a town on the Marne in the Department of Aisne. It owes its name to a castle built by Charles iNIartel in 720. It was La Fontaine's native place.

1. 32. un "vrai pays de Cythere. Cythera is an island in the Cretan Sea which was sacred to Venus, who is often called Cytherea (Gk. Kvôepdn).

\. 40, Bénnice, a tragedy founded on the story of Titus and Bérénice, produced Nov. 21, 1670.

Page 82. 1. 19. Je commence ,moti noviciat. ' Par où, selon l'ordre et la sage discipline de l'Eglise, il faut passer avant que de prendre avec la religion un engagement fixe et immuable.' - BOURDALOLE, Pensées, vol. II, p. 383.

1. 25. dans ^Phèdre.' In Phèdre (Jan. i, 1677) Racine portraycd a depth of passionate love which makes the play onc of the most dramatic of the French théâtre. The enemies of Racine censured it as the ' immoral picture of a guilty love.' iSee note to p. 85, 1. 15.)

1. 28. son ode ^ de la Renommée aux Muses.'' The king had been ill in June 1663, and the ode which Racine wrote on his recovery [Sur la Convalescence du Roi) brought the poet a 'gratification' of 600 livres. Shortly afterwards, out of thankfulness for this liberallty, he wrote a new poem, La Renommée aux Muses, on the foundation of the three Académies, for which he again received a substantial sum. The Duke of Saint-Aignan appreciated the pièce, wished to know the author, and, as soon as he had discovered him, introduced him at Court, where he was to succeed so well. Meanwhile Racine, hearing of some remarks which Boileau

had made respecting his ode, felt inclined to make the acquaintance of the young Despréaux. The Abbé Levasseur introduced them to each other, and this introduction gave birth to a strong and iasting Iriendship which vas to hâve a most benehtial influence on the talent of both.

1. 30. La Ihéhdide. See note to p. 78, I. 24. MoHère, after advising Racine to throw his first tragedy, Théa^hie et Chariclée, into the fire, suggested to him another subject and helped him to turn it into a simple play, which was produced in 1664 by the Company of Molière under the title of La Thtbaide ou les Frères ennemis. Some passages from the yJntigone of Rotrou, which werc intercalated in the représentation of the play, but not printed, made the enemies of Racine accuse him of plagiarism.

1. 35. Alexandre (Dec. 4, 1665), the second tragedy of Racine was applaudcd, when produced, almost more than it deserved to be ; some feelings of jealousy prevailed from that time among the admirers of Corneille, who could not resign themseives to the faiiing of their idol's genius. The représentation of Alexandre marks aiso the ori^in of the coolness in the rela ions betwecn Racine and Molière. The Alexandre had becn acted by the company of Molière for a few nights at the ' Palais- Royal,' when Racine, who found that the actors of Molière's company were not so good in tragedy as they wcre in comedy, withdrew the play from them and brought it to the comedians of the * Hôtel de Bourgogne' ; at the same time the best actress of the Palais-Royal, Madame du Parc, left Molière to act the successful play on the rival stage. Molière felt hurt at such proceedings : hence the ' brouille ' to which Sainte-Beuve refers as one of the conséquences of the performance of Alexandre.

1. 37. Hôtel de Bourgogne. The 'Confrères de La Passion' bought in 1548 a part of the site of the ancient palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, and built there a new théâtre, which was the origin of the Théâtre-Français. See notes to p. II, 1. 5, and p. 17, 1. 26.

Page 83. 1. 3. Taxik, a king in India at the time of the fumous expédition of Alexander — one of the chief characters in Alexandre (see note to p. 82, 1. 35). Racine foUowed very closely in that tragedy the historical accounts that are to be found in the biography of Quintus Curtius : — ' It is there that one can see ail that Alexander did when he entered the Indies, the embassies he sent to the kings in that country, the difl^erent réceptions they gave to his envoys, the alliance which Taxiles concluded with him, the pride with which Porus refused the