DUCLOS, Charles Pineau, a French author of some celebrity, was born at Dinant, in Bretagne, in the year 1704. At an early age he was sent to study at Paris. The imprudence of youth, and his love of pleasure, led him at first to contract certain intimacies which were little .suited to his circumstances; but having afterwards disengaged himself from these, he courted the society of all the wits or his time, by whom he was well received. He became a member of that club, or association of young men, who published their juvenile productions under the titles of Recueil de ces Messieurs, Etrennes de lα St Jean, Oeufs de Pâques, &c. The romance of Acajou and Zir-phile, which was composed after a series of plates which had been engraved for another work, was one of the fruits of this association, and was produced in consequence of a sort of wager amongst its members. The epistolary dedication to the public, which was prefixed to this trifle, gave umbrage to some, in consequence of the flippant tone which the author assumed. Duclos had previously written two other romances, which were more favourably received: The Baroness de Luz, and the Confessions of the Count de ***. His first serious publication was the History of Louis XI. The style of this work is dry and epigrammatical, but the author has displayed in it considerable powers of research, and preserved the character of an impartial historian. The reputation of Duclos as an author was confirmed by the publication of his Considerations sur les Moeurs, a work which is much praised by Laharpe, and not without justice; for although the style, as in most of the writings of this author, is rather stiff and sententious, the book undoubtedly contains a great deal of just and ingenious reflection. It was translated both into English and German. The Mémoires pour servir a l’ Histoire du dix-huitième Siècle, which were intended by the author as a sort of sequel to the preceding work, are nevertheless much inferior both in respect of style and matter, and are, in reality, little better than a kind of romance. In consequence of his History of Louis XL he was appointed historiographer of France, when that place became vacant on Voltaire’s retirement to Prussia. His Secret Memoirs of the Reign of Louis XIV. and Louis XV. and his Considerations on Italy, were not published until after the revolution. The former work is highly spoken of by Chamfort.

Duclos became a member of the Academy of Inscriptions in 1739, and of the French Academy in 1747. Of the latter he was appointed perpetual secretary in 1755. Both of these academies were indebted to him, not only for many valuable contributions, but likewise for several useful regulations and improvements. As a member of the Academy of Inscriptions, he composed several memoirs on the Druids; on the origin and revolutions of the Celtic and French languages; on trial by battle, and proof by ordeal; and on scenic representations, and the ancient drama. As a member of the French Academy, he assisted in compiling the new edition of the Dictionary which was published in 1762; and he made some just and philosophical remarks on the Port Royal Grammar. On several occasions he resolutely supported the honour and prerogatives of the societies to which he belonged, and maintained the respectability of the literary character in general. He used to say of himself, “I shall leave behind me a name dear to literary men.” His fellow-citizens, whose interests he always supported with zeal, appointed him mayor of their town in 1744, although he was resident at Paris. He was afterwards elected deputy from the commons to the assembly of the states of Bretagne; and upon the requisition of this body the king granted him letters of nobility.

In 1766 he was advised to retire from France for some time, in order that the government might have an opportunity of forgetting some opinions which he had hazarded, on the subject of the dispute between the Due d’Aiguillon and M. de la Chalotais, the friend and countryman of Duclos. Accordingly he set out for Italy, and, on his return, he wrote an account of his travels, which is also praised by Chamfort. He died at Paris on the 26th of March 1772, in the sixty-ninth year of his age.
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The'character of Duclos, although it exhibited many singular traits, was still respectable, whether we consider him as a man or as an author. Rousseau described him very laconically as a man, droit et adroit. In his manners he displayed a sort of bluntness in society, which frequently rendered him disagreeable; and his caustic wit on many occasions created enemies. To those who knew him, however, he was a pleasant companion. He was a great lover of anecdotes, and had the talent of relating them in a very agreeable manner. A considerable number of his good sayings have been preserved by his biographers.

A complete edition of the works of Duclos was published by Desessarts, at Paris, in 10 vols. 8vo, 1806. (See Biog. Universelle.')