BOILEAU.

269

sensitive ear of the author was shocked by the mistakesthat crept in, the result of this loose mode of publication,and he at last resolved to bring them out himself. He 1666.published seven satires, preceded by an address to the tal-king, which, however full of praise, could hardly be S0 ‘called flattery, since it echoed the voice of the wholeFrench nation, and had been fairly earned by the sove-reign. Louis then appeared in the brilliant position ofa young monarch labouring for the prosperity and gloryof his people. Cardinal Richelieu and cardinal Maza-rin had disgusted the French with favourites andprime ministers. Louis was his own minister ; un-wearied in his application to business, and never suffer-ing his pleasures to seduce him to idleness. These verypleasures, conducted with magnificence and good taste,dazzled and fascinated his subjects. He established hisinfluence in foreign countries, forcing them to acknow-ledge his superiority. He aided Austria against theTurks ; succoured Portugal ; protected Holland : andwhile, with some arrogance, but more real greatness, hethus rose the sun of the world, he studied to make hiscourt the centre of civilisation and knowledge. Such acourse might well deserve the praises Boileau bestowed,who was also influenced by Colbert to give such a turnto his address as would lead the mind of the active andardent sovereign to take delight in the blessings of peace,instead of the false glories of war. The first editionwas also preceded by a preface, in which he apologisesfor the publication, to which he was solely urged bythe disfigurement of his poems as they were thenprinted. He bids the authors whom he criticises re-member that Parnassus was at all times 3 free country;and that, if he attacked their works, they might revengethemselves by criticising his; and to reflect that, if theirproductions were bad, they deserved censure ; if good,nothing siid in their dispraise would injure them.

In vair. he tried to propitiate authors ; and it mustbe acknowledged that, though some might be found can-did enough to admit the truth of his strictures, no man