270 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

could be pleased at being the mark for ridicule. Theoutcry was prodigious, and be endeavoured to appeaseit, and justify himself, in his ninth satire, addressed tohis understanding’(“ a son esprit:’’ the word thusused is very untranslateable ; in former times the term] 667 . wit had very much the same signification). About theiEtat. same time he published his eighth satire on man, while31- he still kept the ninth in manuscript. The king readthe eighth, and admired it exceedingly. M. de SaintMaurice, an officer of the king’s guard, who had a fre-quent opportunity of approaching the monarch, as hewas teaching him to shoot flying, observed that Boileauhad written a still better satire, in which there wasmention of his majesty. “ Mention of me !” cried theking haughtily. “ Yes, sire,” replied Saint Maurice ,“and he speaks with all due respect.” Louis showed adesire to see this new production ; and Boileau gave acopy of it to his friend on condition that he showed itonly to the king. Louis was much pleased : it becameknown at court, copies got abroad, and the poet foundit necessary to publish it.

This was the period of his life when Boileau wasfullest of energy and invention; and his industryequalled the fecundity of his wit. He himself used inafter days to call it his bon temps , and alluded to it atonce with pride and regret. He wrote several of hisepistles, his “Art Po^tique,” and the “ Lutrin .” Havingin his satires held up to ridicule the prevalent faults ofthe literature of his time, he turned his thoughts togiving rules of taste, and was desirous of pointing outthe right path for authors to pursue. He mentionedhis design to M. Patin, who doubted the possibility ofadapting such a subject to French verse. In this hemistook the genius of his language. Narrow as arethe powers of French verse, which was then, indeed, inits infancy, it was, under the master hand of Boileau,admirably fitted for pointed epigrams and sententiousmaxims. He felt this ; and, notwithstanding his friend’scounsels, he began his “ Art Poetiqueand, carrying a