The record., 1912-08-22

shrOuded I'm mystery. 1t Is the story
Of an angel-devil, an inspired black
guard, slum-hero, n pickpOcket-poet,
thief and murderer whose poctical
genius was scarce short of sublime.
In the low taverns of Paris, about
the middle of the fifteenth century.
the riff-raff of the local underworld
raised for themselves an idol. in the
shape of a brilliant youth of high edu.
cation. who preferred to choose his
chums from the sordid criminal class
rather than from among his equals.
He fought. stole, caroused and killed
with ruflians, then wrote wondrous
poems that were so musical that even
his besotted comrades loved them.
The slang of the Thieves Kitchens
was his. SO was flow Of the most
beautiful language known to man.
This youth was variously known by
a string of aliases. Among those
corbier, Des Leges, Corbeuil and Fran
co.'s Villon. Which, If any, Of t'e
names was really his own is uaccr-
tain. It was almost surely net "Eil.
lon" Yet by that alone he is known
to history. Some say he borrowed
the name "Villon" from his rich
guardian, Guillaume de Villon. Others
claim that it was merely nickname.
and that ii was whimsically chosen
by him because 1t was a French term
for crook" or "blackguard"
. Villon had wealthy. influential
friends. First and last, he needed all
their influence and appropriated net
little ~ their wealth. His earliest
1855. when Ia was twenty-four years
old. He was at that time n college
graduate and a master Of arts. Re.
turning from a drunken revel Ole
night he met priest. A quarrel on.
sued and Villon stabbed the priest to
death. Then he fled to some kindly
shelter in the slums where the laws
grip could not reach him. and MD
among his criminal admirers uHtil
family influence could win a pardon
for him.
A year or two later he was In trou-
bic again. This time it was n tavern
brawl. Villon did not figure very
favorab'y in the affair. In fact. after
a severe beating he ran away from
Paris: more to avoid ridicule than to
escape punishment. In the early
spring Of 1856 he became n student
at the College of Navarro, near An
gers. France A few weeks later the
treasure chest in the college chapel
was robbed. A band Of student thieves
was arrested. One of them confessed
that Villon was the ringleader of the
gang who had broken into the chapel.
and that the poet was even then plan.
ming new robberies.
Villon was put to the torture and
then sentenced to be hanged. As lie
lay in prison, waiting for execution.
he wrote one of his greatest poems;
grim, wonderful bit of verse, en-
titled, "Ballade of the Hanged" Again
his friends influence, coupled with his
own wit came to the poets aid His
death sentence was commuted to BAN
ishment.
Villon then drifted from one Euro
pean capital to another; sometimes
living in doubtful fashion by his wits.
sometimes hobnobbing with such
, princes and mobiles as could appreciate
his rare genius. OF his life during
these wanderings little is known. But.
four years later, he was cast into
prison once more. This time. 1t Is
said, for the crime of sacrilege. He
spent the summer Of 14G1 in a cell.
but was set free in general Jail de-
livery in October Of that year.
His old spirit of wild, reckless ad-
venture seemed gone. Soon afterward
he wrote his famous Grand Testa-
! ment," a work that breathes of weari.
Broken by prison and by dissipation.
, he is said to have died of consumption
nt the age of thirty. Zone or two his
torians believe he lived to be an old
man; but, from his thirtleth year no
no record of him can be found.
villon's poetic genius stands out
like gem in a mire. The strange
twist of brain that made him a GRIM
inal also enabled him to write such
verse as no man of his time had at
tempted. His poetry has served as
example for many a later bard and
has found hosts of-usually unsuccess.
tul-imitators.
OF the man himself. nothing good
can 10 said Ills writings live in spite
Of his personal career.