Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-02-19

crazy shrieks of Bscchants- M
| "Yach, ZACH, ia, ha"
sin ROnssrd may Justly claim the title that was~ward
ed TO him by his contemporaries Of Prince OF
france that sfor he rich in lofty imagery and that
elevated eAnressoa hich bespeak the great poet But
I'm Baras and Others who sought 10 this learned
, ,,,o eto as the Spanish called it, only suc0os
= writing the most unmitigated jargon and the purest
ba,derdssh reaction, Of course, soon followed, and
this reaction continued until the present day, when
the French language has become as Voltaire himself
confesses multitudnous collection of frivolous words
at only to be used in ordinary chat-an empty hudde
Tun vain ramas OF familiar phrases and expressions"
1t is this unfortunate abundance Che adds which i'm
poverishes us"
When, however, La Bruyere afterwards said, Ron
sar seemed likely to "run the Frenchlanguage forever
Malsherbe appeared and set himself work. he him
selfsad to gascoaise the Court for Masherbe was
the Court poet of his time and sacrificed the MUSES.
instead of sacrificing them He was, in truth verita
bic ycophant and would be respectable in our eyes
as poet il he had not been contemplate as man.
He was nearly the contemporary of Milton. The French
still deem him Of their grand Illustrations, consd
ering the time in which he lived but how immense is the
interval between him and great poet! But where
there is no likeness there be no comparison.
Malsherbe and his mitators in the reaction to which
have alluded succeeded in restoring the sonnet to the
winch III had regime
Ronsard The poets began again to affect this small
change in literature The value which has subsequent
y been attached in France to this species of is u
cienty attcsed by the oftquoted line of Boleau, the
French Aristarchus who pronounces g fauess sonnet
worth by itself long poem" The literature Of France
began to be overrun by avery mob Of ballads rom
deaux sonnets epigrams, and little songs-pecemeal
literature NJ Guizot calls it, and, the WHOLE speaks
approvingly of it, The effect of such literary actvi-
ty is well described by Moliere, in his comedy of the
| g Precieuses Ridcues:"
'We learn thereby, every day, the latest galantres
and the prettiest novelties in prose and
told just in the nick of tme that such has COM
posed the prettiest piece in the world such subject
that else has written words to such air. that
| this person has made madrigal enjoyment, and
that his friend has composed some stonzas upon an inf
deity that Mr. So-and-so sent sirdin yesterday
ing to Miss Such-an dsuch and that she sent back
answer at s o'clock this morning. &c.
Thus, says Madden, of the precuses ridcule,
we learn thousand things whichit is absolutely
say to know and which of the essence of beler ~
tbs easy to how, in such state of society, the
Hotel de Rambouinet became Of the estates Of the
realm. Perpetual aectation and pedantic galanry held
here their headquarters the estocng widow and her
Incompatible daughter became the centre of power
full literary coterie who in judgment the tera-
ure Of the time The finest wits and the most honorable
persons Of the court sought admission the salon of
/
satetes-a literary christening for which Mademoisee
Scuderi responsible During the early quarter of
the seventeenth century the Hotel de Rambouet regned
supreme. Whether uscadin n,ucardns was the cor
rect photography furnished sabect of debate which
lasted almost long the courshp OF Arthence !"
and the Duke de Montanserthat is twelve years I'm
fortunately Mile. Scuderi authority in spelling
but it required twelve years get heroine married
In one OF her nterminable romances, this period
| deemed by Julie the legitimate length Of romantic
courtshp" We do invent history Twelve
years became as necessary to carry courtshp
dun drtemthat is after the fashion or the ronances-as
were the unities Of time place. and action in conduct
the people whom Nnon de Enclos called the Jansensts
Of love-" They kept constantly cooling and warbing
after all, says Menage, lit only gaantry there
lore" The poetry Of such period we need not
say, full Of all manner Of Alterations and conces
II was HdriniSa in sentiment, Ronsards style was
hdrsr in language, and the last end Of this Adrinsn
was worse than the first But the rgidty of virtue which
had be assumed in order keep up this literary fash
ion relaxed SEARCHED propriety gradually gave
easy license and while yet the existed side
by side poetry What could have arisen so
appropriately the buresque What could be more
ridiculous than prim prudery strutng by the side of
loose and vagrant kgex7 If Scarron had been found
he would have been invented but Scarron-poor cripple
that he was-came of himself Virgil was travestied az
only Virgil could be ravested and only Scarron could
do it, and only Prenchmen could relish il when done
in like manner long poem entitled the Passion of our
Lord published /" in buresque verses" The thing
was awfuy impious, it true but it was fashion,
and that was the important consideration. poem in
those days was nothing if not buresque.
Such was French poetry, in its shifting phases before
Corneie appeared II have delayed too long on its
antecedsnt history has been in order the better to
precate his merits by exhibiting him bold relief against
the medocrity the aectation and the buoonery which
preceded his advent.
Pierre Corneie born Rouen on the 9th Of June
1905 and educated for the bar though his genius eary
inclined him the with which he has forever blend
ed his name His early rhymes inspired Nv love
whether by real or an imaginary passion is Of little coz
sequence His first drama, "Melte, played in 1929
to which succeeded with interval between each Of
about year. FIVE comedies which laid the basis OF his
subsequent reputation but it until 1886 that hi
Medee" appeared Of the opening scenes Of which
Voltare remarks contain that announce the
advent Of Corneile" This in fact the first French
tragedy. In 1886 he published his Cid IN composing
which he drew his inspiration from the literature of SPAIN
a. in his Medee" he was indebted to that Of Rome
the former being initiated chiefly from the Spanish Of
Gulermo de Castro while the latter borrowed from
Seneca At this period readers will remember the
Spanish language the Court dialect at Vienna at
Munich at Brussels Naples, and at Milan. The wars
Of the league by its Spanish alliances had frs, introduced
il into France, but the marriage Of Louis Kill with the
daughter Of Philip H. rendered the "pure Castlisn
fanhsn l1a fl.ss o n 81