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273 ¦¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ '¦ . ¦ . ' . ¦ ¦ . THE VL^...
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MEN" AND WOMEN OF FRANCE. Men and Women ...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Nijebuhr's Life And Letters. , The Infe ...
could accept a professorship in Kiel without a blush , and discharge its duties without disgracing or overworking myself / ' _ . ; TSTiebuhr was essentially a scholar—a bookworm ; and he carried his fpelinffs thoroughly with him in his studies . There wasa certain stiffness of opinion about him , an intellectual narrowness which has repelled many , curiously illustrated in this passage : — "My acquaintance with M . has been put a stop to by the difference of our principles ; and- what is strange , not in politics , but p hilosophy . He denies the freedom of the will , and the moral law ; is a fatalist and indifferentist : I subscribe to Kant ' s principles with all my heart . I have broken with M ., not from any dispute we have had , but on account of the detestable conclnsipns which necessarily follow from hie opinions , —conclusions that absolutely annihilate all morality . I really loved him notwithstanding , but with such principles I could not be his
friend . " . # ... x ,,. Yet , lest this should leave an unpleasant impression , we will quote tne following , wherein his moral nature finds expression :- — " Manly worth , elevation of intellect , and enthusiasm , are to me the noblest things on earth , superhuman , and the best pledge of our higher destination , heavenly origin , and divine illumination . I cannot worship the abstractions of virtue , —she only charms me when she addresses herself to my heart , speaks through the love from which she springs . " Or , this beautiful aphorism—** To be strong in love is the only way to become noble , and all softening through education , which is not based on love , is merely pernicious . "
We must reserve many other extracts , to be quoted elsewherefrom time to time , and conclude this notice by an emphatic recommendation to all our studious readers to possess themselves of the work .
273 ¦¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ '¦ . ¦ . ' . ¦ ¦ . The Vl^...
273 ¦¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ ' ¦ . ¦ . ' . ¦ ¦ . THE VL ^ j ^ X # ^ g-: ; / ,. ' : .: ;¦/ ' ^ ^^^^^ J ^ '
Men" And Women Of France. Men And Women ...
MEN" AND WOMEN OF FRANCE . Men and Women of Trance during the Last Century * In Three Volumes . Bentley . If Mr . Bentley accepted this work in the belief that it was original , we venture to say that he has been grossly deceived . It is French from the first page to the last . We have no time to hunt up the originals , but the internal evidence is conclusive as to these sketches being translationsand we will add , very indifferent translations ; an opinion the following samples will prove . The common French idiom , prendre la chef des champs betrays a translator , and a bad one , for he has rendered it literally , "Ah , sire , is it not enough for to-day to have given me the hey of the fields ? " By way of literalness also read this : " She is rehearsing her part with that animal Lafontaine , who makes half my pieces . " " JETdmme d'esjprit" is translated " a man of spirit ; " and for a sentence to puzzle the English reader take this : "As soon as Fontenelle presented himself at the Academy the old satirist took the field against him . Every ¦> where after the visit of Fontenelle followed that of Boileau . " Who would imagine that this-meant to describe how Fontenelle wanted to be elected as a Member of the Academy , and that every visit he paid to the members to solicit their votes was succeeded by a . visit from Boileau P Indeed , the whole style of this work is not only transparently Gallic , but is , as we said , a very indifferent translation , xet no name is on the titlepage ; no hint is given in the preface ( which is dated February , 1852 , ) that tlie work is a translation ; and we began it under the bona-fide impression that some English author had produced a companion work to Miss Kavanagh's Women of France . - Nevertheless the book is extremely amusing . It was worth translating for the gay picture it presents of literary and artistic France during that wonderful epoch . It is a portrait gallery wherein every head has a family
resemblance with the rest , and all arrest the eye , The author has studied history from its anecdotical side , and he sketches Dufresny , Fontenelle , Marivaux , Piron , Prevost , Gentil Bernard , Florian , Boufflers , Bivarol , La Clos Gretry , Diderot , Boucher , Lantara , Louis XV ., Camargo , Guimard , Sophie Arnould , Crcbillon , Lamotte , Buffon , Bernis , Vade " , Dorat , Trublet , Watteau , Lancret , Vanloo , Greuze , Madame de Pompadour , Dancourt , and Mdllo . Clairon , in the liveliest colours . One must not look in it for profound appreciation of character , or for justness of criticism ; but for anecdote , piquant biography , and pleasant pictures of the atelier , the court , the theatre , and the salon of the eighteenth century . It is no more like the true life of that epoch than novels are like reality ; but it is as amusing as the most brilliant of novels , and cannot be set down unread . Such an omelette sauffle ' e of literature it would be pedantry to criticise , so wo will content ourselves with this brief indication of its nature , and select an extract or so .
Here is a passage about Piron , which contains almost as many jokes , as sentences :- — " In the eighteenth century , the gentlemen of Bcaunc were not all men of wit . Piron found it a barren soil , if not for Bacchus , at least for Apollo . It was a fertile field for epigram ; but a joke , to bo intelligible to them , must needs be broad . Piron dressed up a jackass as an archer , and dragged him by main force to the training-ground . ' Hero , ' says he , ' is ono of the company whom I mot as I camo along . ' The animal began to bray , and the nrchers looked at ono another with vexation , like people whoso secret has been found out . In the evoning , all the archers except the jackass went to the theatre . As the actors spoke somowlmt low , the spectators began to cry , ' Louder , louder j wo can't hoar ! ' ' It is not for want of curs , ' exclaimed Piron . The- indignant audience threw themsolvoH on the
poot , wlio made his escape with the greatest difficulty in the world , exclaiming , « Alone , I could whip thorn all . ' In sober earnest , twenty ruaty swords were drawn upon him . The next day , ns ho returned to Dijon , ho mowed down vigorously all the thiatlcte which ho found along the road . Some of the people of Beauno , meeting him slashing away in this manner , asked , ' What are you about P ' ' Purblcu ! I am at war with the inhabitants of Beauno , and am cutting oft' their provisions V The war lasted a long time ; it was as celebrated as the battle of Fontonoy . To tlu * day the gentlemen of Beauno do not relish pleasantry on the subject . " Here is another , — " At that time , Piron went occasionally into society , dining here and there at a great mwwipu . He knew very well that it was bin wit which was Invited ; a » he
said , ' They hire me on wages / He went everywhere without bending the knee One day , at the house of some marquis , whose name I have forgotten , a nobleman made way for him to enter the dining-room before him . The marquis , obseryine this ceremony , addressed the nobleman : ' Oh , my dear Count , don't be so ceremonious j he is only a poet . ' Piron repelled the insult like a man of spirit . He raised his head proudly , and went in first , saying , . ' ¦ Since . bur titles are known I take my rank . '" „ How pdeta married in the eighteenth century is amusingly illustrated by Dufresny and Piron : —• ¦ ;
DTTFBESNYS WASHERWOMAN . <* ' Dufresny returned to his lddging , thinking that a wife , the first he could get would be a treasure to him in his misery . With a wife he would be sure of a home and of his daily bread ; he had his days of ennui , and a wife' would make them pass pleasantly . A letter from Biancoletti came to dissipate this odd reverie Biancoletti invoked the aid of his humour to give the finishing touch to a piece he had in hand . Dufresny mended his pen , and sat down to answer the letter . He had not written three lines , when a woman , without any previous notice * walked into his room . ' Alas I' said he , ' people formerly took the trouble to wait hi the ante-chamber ; this is the inconvenience of being no longer a fine gentleman , and particularly of not having an ante-chamber . ' The woman , who had heard Dufresny ' s remark , quietly said to him , I went through all your other rooms without meeting a single valet , otherwise I should have had myself announced / Dufresny , recognising the voice , turned with a merry smile , * Ah , is it you , Angelique ? I am glad of it . I was waiting with impatience for my ruffles / ' That is all very well , Monsieur Dufresny ; but you have had no raffles in the wash this
longtime . " This woman was Dufresny ' s washerwoman , a fine girl , pleasant and fair-complexioned , and dressed coquettishly . ' Do you know , Angelique / continued the poet , resuming his letter , « that you are a very pretty girl ? ' . ' That is possible , Monsieur Dufresny ; but ! am not to be paid with that kind of money to-day . You have owed me eighty livres this long time . I beg you to remember me , for I am going to be married / « What is that ? youTare going to be . married '! ' cried Dufresny , suddenly starting from his chair . ' And why not , if you please ? Am I not old enough ?* " Dufresny had become thoughtful . ' With whom and with what ? ' ' With a valet-de-chambre of the Due D'Harcourt , and with twelve hundred livres which
come to me from my family / * Indeed ! the miserable fellow is not to be pitied ; a good match in faith ! Has anything yet—— " ' What do you take me for , Monsieur Dufresny V * For a fine girl who desires only to become a fiiie . wife / ' That is all very well > Monsieur Dufresny , but you are making me lose my time with all your fine talk . Come , be kind enough to settle our little bill / ' I have a horror of figures . See here : to finish this matter , I will marry you , and we ghaU be . quits / ' You are joking ! A gentleman—If I take you at your word ' ;•' - ' ' That is what I wish . But what will your other friend say ? ' ' Say no more about him / ' Are you sure he has had nothing on account from your twelve hundred livres or from yourself ? ' ' I should have liked to have seen him try it ! It is only to you that people give anything on account / ' Well , embrace me , and let us be off to the next tavern . What a pretty wife I am going to have ! By ; the-by , have you a little money about you ? ' 'Do you know that you do mo a
great deal of honour ? A man of your rank and of your talents to marry a poor girl incapable of playing the part of a duchess / ' It is you who will be the dupe ; look at the matter twice ; see to what a state I have arrived , with all my talent and my forty-five years . ' Angelique , weeping , embraced him . ' To-morrow / said she , with charming simplicity , ' I will make you look as well as I have seen you formerly . But , first and foremost , you must ask me in marriage of my aunt Durand , for form ' s sake : it is not far—Quai des Tournelles . She is a good woman , and besides—she keeps my money for me / ' Let us go instanter ; wo should never put off anything to the morrow . If you will take my advice , wo will af terwards say a short prayer together at Notre-Dame , and it will bo nil over . ? So , this is the style in which you wish to marry me ! Thank Heaven , I do not agree with you ! ' ' Oh , I am willing to marry you in any style you wish . I will not even object to the marriage contract , though all such things are superfluous .
" Three weeks afterwards , the marriage took place rather privately , oucii w « s the manner in which Dufresny married his washerwoman . Nothing was over more reasonable or more natural than this marriage , which caused ' so much scandal . But what mattered the vain sutires of the world to Dufresny ? Ho had a y oung and handsome wife who loved him , so he said those who pitied him were jealous .
piron ' s wife . " One evening after supper , Piron was ruminating on I know not what in Gallet a shop ( Gallet , the gay song-writer , the merry tippler , was , besides and above all , a grocer ) , when a damsel entered , who asks for coffee and matches . Gallet J " IVI 11 J gone out , Piron undertook to servo the lady . ' Is that all you want P' Galley entering at that moment , laughingly said , * Mademoiselle ought to have a husbanu in the bargain / ' Excellent / said Piron , 'if tho damsel will take up with nny kind of wood for her arrow / The lady blushed , and dopartod without saying a word .
" Tho next morning , Piron had scarcely risen when bIio entered his chamber ' Monsieur / said she , all in a tremor , ' wo are two children of Burgundy . 1 " ^ long wanted to neo a man of ho much wit , and having learned yesterday tna was you with whom I had to do in M . Gallet ' a shop , I have como to-day unceremoniously to pay you a visit . Oh , monsieur , how weary you must grow nero . was very much afraid of finding some handsome lady from tho theatre hero ; W > Heaven be praised ! you live liko a Tmppist . Have you never thought of milking an end of this , Monsieur Piron ? ' Piron , completely stunned by this talk , answeret , AlH « ,, madoinoisollc , I leavo tho care of that fo Id Camarde s but , if you V ^ 5 what do you mean by that ? ' < I wish to nay , have you ever ^ boug ht of nl r nma ? > t ' Not muchi mademoiselle ; pray sit down whilo I light the fire / ' aou know , Monsieur Piron P it will mako you laugh : so much tho worse : ) r < J speak plainly . If your heart hun tho earno sentiments as mine . . . / ^ llOn ' p- and more astonished , looked at tho lady in silence . ' In a word , Monsiour A »» I come to offer you my heart and hand , not forgotting my life annuity ot
thousand livros / . f a " Piron , contrary to his custom , took all this seriously ; he was touched to ^ i ^ t at laat a compassionate houI ; tho woman had tears in her eyes ; ho embracw with warmth . < I leave to you , ' said ho to her , all tho preparations foi-tlio w ding . Gallet wlU write our opith « lamium / ' You make me , Monsieur A iron ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 20, 1852, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_20031852/page/18/
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