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his horse shod by a bargain of forfeit. “ Do youimagine,” said his adviser, M. de Cavoie, “that anarmy always finds blacksmiths ready on their march ?Before you leave Paris, a bargain is made with a smith,who warrants, on penalty of a forfeit, that your horse’sshoes shall remain on for six months.” “ I never heardof that before,” said Racine ; “ iioileau did not tell me;but I do not wonder — he never thinks of anything.”Pie hastened to his friend to reproach him for thisneglect ; Boileau confessed his ignorance ; and theyhurried out to seek the blacksmith most in use for thissort of bargain. The king was duly informed of theirperplexity, and, by his raillery in the evening, unde-ceived them. One day, after a long march, Boileau,whose health was weak, being much fatigued, threwhimself on his bed, supperless, on arriving. M. deCavoie, hearing this, went to him, after the king’ssupper, and said, with an appearance of great uneasi-ness, that he had bad news. “ The king,” hesaid, “ is displeased with you. He remarked a veryblameable act of which you were guilty to-day.”“ What was it ?” asked Boileau in alarm. “ I cannotbring myself to tell you,” replied his tormentor; “ Icannot make up my mind to afflict my friends.” Then,after teazing him for some time, he said, “ Well, if Imust confess it, the king remarked that you were sittingawry on your horse.” “ If that is all,” said Boileau,“let me go to sleep.” On one occasion, during thiscampaign, Louis having so exposed himself that acannon ball passed within perilous vicinity, Boileauaddressed him, saying, “ I beg, sire, in the characterof your historian, that you will not bring your historyto so abrupt a conclusion.”

Boileau’s health prevented him from following anyother campaign ; but Racine accompanied the king inseveral, and wrote long narrations to his brother histo-rian. It has been asserted that, though named his-toriographers, they did not employ themselves in ful-filling the duties of their office; and a fragment of