262 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

his patrimony, consisting only of a few thousand crowns,seemed to render it imperative that he should followa gainful profession. His desires, however, were mo-derate ; and he contrived to limit his expenses to hisslender income.

Literature and knowledge were at a low ebb in France when Louis XIV . began to reign. The genius of thepeople had, previously to Corneille, displayed itself inno great national poem. Its instincts for poetry, owing,perhaps, to the faulty nature of the language, had con-fined itself to songs and ballads, inimitable for a certaincharming elegant simplicity, but with no pretension tothe praise due to a high order of imagination. Corneille,in his majesty and power, stood alone. Then had comeMoliere , who detected and held up to ridicule the falsetaste of the age. Yet, in spite of his attacks, this falsetaste in part subsisted ; and there were several of thefavourite authors of the day whose works excitedBoileau’s spleen, and roused him to the task of satire.Chapelain may he mentioned as the chief among them.Jean Chapelain was a Parisian , and a member of theFrench academy. He was much patronised by theminister Colbert ; and, under his auspices, the king notonly granted him a pension, but entrusted to his carethe making out a list of the chief literary men of Europe ,towards whom Louis , in a spirit of just munificence,inspired by Colbert, allowed pensions, in token that theirlabours deserved assistance or reward. Jean Chapelain ,an upright, a clever, and a generous man,was thus exaltedto the head of the republic of letters; and was seducedby the voice of praise to write a poem on the subject ofthe Maid of Orleans. The topic was popular : while inprogress, Chapelain enjoyed an anticipated reputation onthe strength of it; and the duke deLongueville allowed hima pension ; but as soon as the “ Pucelle” was published,

Studieux amateur de Perse et d’Horace,

Assez pres (Je Regnier m’asseoir sur le Parnasse. — Epitre X.La famille en palit, et vit en fremissant,

Dans la poudre du greffier un podte naissant.— Epitre V.