New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-14
RABELAIS.
THE FIRST GREAT REALIST.
LES GRANDs ECRIvAINs FRANCAS. RABE rdnais :,
Par Rene M!llet. 10 mo. PIP. 2O'. faris' H"'"0'''
ct Gle: New.YOrk: +. ". Christern

LES GRANDs ECRIvAINs FRANCAIS RH Bfd@ai, !,
| Par Rene Millet. ~ mo- PIP: 20, i"'i' ''"N'''
| ct Gle; New-fork: +. W. Chrls'erh'
To understand Rs5eIais II Is impentively necessary
| to understand the times and the conditions IN anu
under which he lived and VI. Millet has undertaken
careful and picturesque OF that sixteenth cen
,urv France which was Rabelas's field OF action The
perIod WINS one OF transition Chivalry was dying
schoo sticism had worn out the worlds patience. The
people were beginning 10 think for themselves feuda
ism had virtually passed away for hough The forms ie
n,,incd the power had departed from the mobiles and
WINS centrng in the crown. Already the strong
castles and ftresses had begun to be divestcd OF Their
grim military aspect and to assume the appearance OF
| peaceful dwellings. Already She people. relieved
from feudnl oppression were expanding under ireer
life. But all these were but the preliminary steps
which made the still surviving abuses evils ana abb
surdites nsupporable, and which sharpehed the
Impotence OF the small minority Of clear and sane
thinkers. among whom was Francois Rabeals eA-moh'
and now doctor OF medicine.
This man Of genius had received a singular education
Ordained for the Church simply because his father was
poor and had a large family, he had been phced IN a
monastery In the Nendee among hero oil course
ignorant supcrstitlous lazy and gluttonous MONKS
whose duness and greedness were alike rcpushaht 10
him. His only consolation lay In access to large
and miscellaneous library lie had already ganged the
educational system OF his time. This had been forced
upon him. according TO nlc and deeply had he ABB
sored the puerucs OF the choOlmen that even to the
last , writings showed It's results At last his uronkish
brethren took fright at his literary pursuits. inc
abbot seized his books II wns beginning to be s's-
pccted that monk who studied so hard and drank so
moderately must be in a bad way perhaps IN DANGER
Of making a compact with the devil Bnt Radicals
was not the man 10 submit to this kind OF discipline
lilo took as he says. "the KEY OF the neids-that Is 10
saw he ran away from the monastery-and having
powerful friends chiefly the Du Belleys both In and
ont OF the Church he not pursued nor Illuminated
against.
After eleven years Of sechison he had much lost
time TO make up and he set ont to soc the world with
keen appetite for novelty. The following wears were
devoted TO observation. He travelled all over Fnnce
and even rs far as Rome his being so valued
for his social qualities that many great personages
were glad to have him road companion Even
then he full OF literary projects but none OF them
Ind the rcrnot.St bearing upon the work which WINS TO
make him famous. lie mcditated grave dissertations
scientific works Pantagrrei. Frar John. Tnnurge and
the rest yet unthought Of His attention was
first turned that cnriously In those DAYS alma
macs were much I'm demand. and once. when short OF
money Rabelais wrote comic almanac. the staple Of
which was the wonderful adventures Of Cnrgantua an
old popular legend hero To his surprise this prffuc-
ton had n quick and large sale H"vlmseh said that
more copies Of II had been sod than ~ Bibles In nine
YEAR. The presumption is that have here the first
idea Of his masterpiece.
or course VI. Mlet had 10 consider the faul's and
vices Of Rabclass great work and what he says Is 10
say the least ingenious Granting TO begin with. that
there Is no excuse for Rabcass obsccnity he insists
upon the conditions under which No wrote. lie wns
representing n very rude time and very coar>o
people. lie was also. In his own person. resent.
FIJI OF the artincal'y and hypccriicA Stiffness OF the
language OF chvay. Ills outbreak q obsccnIiv must
he regarded in part systematic descent 10 the level
OF the people whom ne looked TO or sympathy. and In
part q revolt reaction against svle which had be-
come ntolernblo. Even nobility wns what We should
call exceedingly coarse and barlanc IN thos. dnvs.
VI. Mlllet illustrates this by an snecdotc. ven
cradle great lady who had known Versailles of On was
visiting the palace under tho Restoration. and coming
10 n badly cleaned corner. turned 10 her escort and
said "Ah Monsieur le Due. here is n smcl which re-.
calls 10 me the good old times - And he adds The
work OF Rahelas IS old and fine house from which
II * impossible the dirt because II would be
necessary the time 10 pill down The walls and
the flooring" The biognphcr also puts forward the
consideration that nj this late day Che Is speaking
Of Franco the Language commonly employed by Young
men is not Of a character "a warrant them IL casting
the first stone at Rabelas, and that there Il something
In the Gnldc nature which renders such writing con.
genial 10 II.
Bnt the best argumen. Is that OF n revolt against
a too refined Ideal: defiance Of the nscccism which
had for long condemned the body and all It's needs
and tendencies rs base. gnoblc shameful. Radicals
knew well the enormous hypocrisy which concealed
Itself behind this ecclesiastical doc rinc. and II
well be that he struck at that The boldness
verify OF his satire upon the Church have often provoked
surprise. but II is easily seen that he kept clear Of
everything that savorcd ever little Of the stake.
lilo had ambition for marty tom but he knew that
long the dread word "hcresyr could not be
whispered against him. his powerful doctors would
bear him harmless. Yet he thought much Of his
Pantagfuelist writings. Like many another great
author. he expected Immortality for works which fell
still born. and he his survival 10 what he re-
gardcd chiefly as an cphemeral diversion.
NJ. Millct has, In his chapter the WORK Of RAJ
belais given brilliant study Of the principal charac-
ters. Pantagrel Pnnnrgc and Brother John. Tho
FIRST he thinks was Intended the type OF a great
prince but that this view developed slowly IN the
mind OF the writer. Panurgc and Frlar John are 10
be considered types OF two kinds OF come cutters
men at war with society and the Church. or carrying
on selfish schemes under the cuse Of orthodoxy.
Panurge is the principal vehicle Of his satire but the
typical representatives OF folncs and abuses such as
Thaumart tho rhctorcnn, Grippcmnand. Dndcnaud
etc, equally effective In carrying ont the concep
lions Of the inventor. As regards the fifth book, tho
authenticity Of which has been disputed. and notably
by NJ. BrnctIerc. NJ. Millet is convinced that 1t IL
tho work OF Rabclas and that other man could have
written It. view which he fortifes by illustrations
which appear to us conclusive. The circumstance that
the NTH book drags In interest and contains much
that tedious may be explained by the change which
had occurred in the author The joyolsncss the op-
tImlsm. which characterize the earlier work OF the
great Tourangesn had faded out under advancing
years and the bitter experience Of events The social
and political reforms for which lie had hoped during
youth and maturity were. In his old age, no longer
within the scope OF reasonable expectation Tho
general drift longer forward and dark prospects
opened everywhere. But Notwithstanding this Ra
belas spoke more audsciously than In tho nth
book lie could indeed AFFORD TO do this. for this book
not published during his nfe but the fact tends
To confirm the authenticity OF the work.
VI. Millct concludes with a chapter on the doctrine
and the Influence Of Rabelns. which Is highly Inter.
csng. Rabeais. he holds, stands at the head Of the
Reallsts. Molerc owed almost everything 10 him.
And though literary fashions have changed and