The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-04
Pierre du Ryer.

Little as may be known of Shake
speares personality we have such in
formation concerning his contempor-
aries in the playwrights' trade as TO
present us II picture of the life OF those
who built up the art of the stage to
such a structure that Shakespeare could
complete II. They We're dependent on
noble patrons: when in favor they had
days Of the prosperity Of fine garb and
ruffied with the best in the company OF
their lords rotainers. When out Of
favor they were down to a crust. lack
ing the guard Of the men at arms they
leaped into the seciusion of .Alsat!a IL.
Backfriars. In either event theirs was
the JOY of life; they lived the life Of their
time they fioated happy bubbles on the
stream of that life. In Alsatia they
may have been. the records of their
lives show that often they We're indeed
reduced To- "A crust; but IL was never a
dry crust. sack there always in some
mysterious fashion and malmsey, and
always the tdpsters cry, Anon. sir" The
moralist may condemn, but such life
suited stout men-their art reflects it,
Across the Channel there was an
equal need of new art of the stage
The need was 10 certain extent
greater because the medieval drama
the mystery and the miracle play of the
monastery had reached a stage of de-
velopmcnt, distorted though We now
find it 10 be, far beyond the wagon play
OF the English stroller. the sturdy vaga-
bond who had no rights at law Bu,
when We look into the lives of the men
yhn ~ fnI in 10 n.r Ia
classic drama of the stage We Ind q
difference in the social condition. 1t IL
not without significance In the evolution
| OF dramatic art.
Corneille, son of magistrate was
himself an advocate and officer Of tn,
| courts, serious in his turn of thought
! stern in temper, rugged in demeanor
Moiere was the son of a prosperous bust
ness man. he was educated at n famous
college and became a student either q
law or theology. Racine was alway'
| associated with the almost Puritanica
wing OF the church in France, the Jan
ST nists OF Port Royal, and from their in
fiuence he passed to II social sphere IA
the court. Tho briefest mention, "A scan
score OF words for each of three mas
ters of the classical drama of France, 4
| sufficient to set forth the immense so
cial difference between the two shore
Of the Channel.
| II ii he argued that these were mel
whose position was assured, who wer
in secure possession of the prizes the
had won, that In the record there |
nothing fifty comparable with the recl<
less but always happy vagabondlsm q
their English contemporaries, yet W
are not without material to continue tn
study into more comparable situation:
This We find in the life of Pierre d
Ryer, contemporary of these men, i
some respects the pioneer of those grea
principles OF dramatic art for which tn
credit Is most commonly given To then
II Is for this reason that students L
the literature Of the stage will welcom
the extremely important monogram
Pierre du Ryer. Drdmotisi. by HENRI
CARRINGToN LANCASTER. professor Of tn
romance languages In Amherst 9th
Carnegie Institution of Washington).
Du Ryer was frequently sunk in tn
depths Of poverty, year upon year h
vas In dire straits; 1t was 80 we'll under
stood that his friend Menage could writ
of him "fami magis guam famn in
| ScTNleDdt. let as we open the sCant
memorials of the life Of this great, Tn
brilliant yet now almost wholly forgo
ten, master of the tragic stage We fin
In the bitter lack Of cakes an equal lac
of that ale which never failed Mario
and Jonson. or even Skakespeare's Sc
II the Baconians will grant him Il
/, physical capacity for yard or so OF al
In his poverty were no Alsatian d.
lights, no rollicking nights carefr,
from the court apparitor. We have II
! record Of the arduous labor Of the tran
lator Of the classics for ambitious bool
sellers. 1t has been said. also It h,
. been disproved. that Du Ryer sold h