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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90369	The history of the French Academy, erected at Paris by the late famous Cardinal de Richelieu, and consisting of the most refined wits of that nation. Wherein is set down its original and establishment, its statutes, daies, places, and manner of assemblies, &c. With the names of its members, a character of their persons, and a catalogue of their works. / Written in French, by Mr. Paul Pellison, counseller and secretary of the King of France.; Relation contenant l'histoire de l'Académie française. English	Pellisson-Fontanier, Paul, 1624-1693.; Some, Henry.	1657 (1657)	Wing P1110; Thomason E1595_1; ESTC R203126	122,702	275

Protector and they filled the place of Academicien which he formerly held as I shall tell you in the Article of the Academiciens in particular To make an end of this I conceive I am obliged to relate what divers persons have dedicated addressed or written at several times to the Academy Monsieur de Espeisses Counsellor of Estate was the first that I know which writ any thing in honour of it Reg. June 19. 1634. For June 19. 1634. He presented to it by Messieurs de Cerisy Desmarests some French verses in its praise These two Gentlemen had charge to thank him and to answer his verses with others 'T was about the same time that the eldest of the Messieurs de St. Marthe presented to the Academy by Monsieur Colletet some excellent Latin verses upon the same subject which begin thus Salve perpetuis florens Academia Fastis and were received with all the esteem and civi●ity as they deserved though I do not finde any thing of them in the Registers Le Sieur de la Peyre in the year 1635. Reg. Dec. 3. 1635. dedicated to this Company his Book De l'Esclaircissement des Temps with this Title To the Eminent which makes many believe that it was called the Eminent Academy 'T was order'd that Messieurs de Gomberville and de Malleville should go and thank him for it at his house 'T was in this book that this good man who had many very pleasant fancies caused to be set before his book the Portraicture of the Cardinall in Taille douce with a Crown of rayes about him in each of which was written the name of an Academicien And which is best amongst these Academiciens he put M. de Bautru Cherelles who was none of them And he that made The state of France in the year 1652. being desirous to insert there the Catalogue of the Academiciens taking it perhaps from hence fell into the same errour Le Sieur Belot Advocat dedicated also to the Academy at the same time if I be not deceived a Book which I could never meet with and whereof there is no mention in the Registers intituled An Apology for the Latin Tongue and 't was this which gave occasion to that handsome passage in the Request of the Dictionaries Le pauvre Langue Latiale Alloit estre trousse en male Si le bel Advocat Belot c. Reg. Feb. 1. 1638. Monsieur Frenicle having caused his Paraphrase on 4 Psalms to be printed by Camusat commanded him by a Letter to present a Copy of his Book to each of the Academiciens which was done the first of Febr. 1638. And the Company ordered that thanks should be returned him in their names by the same Camusat Reg. June 28. 1638. Le Sieur de les Fargues a Tolosain now Advocate to the Councel caused first to be presented to the Company A Paraphrase upon the second Psalm by Camusat who printed it and afterwards he was brought into the Company assembled together to present to them his Translation of Seneca's Controversies Jan. ult 1639. which he dedicated to them He caused a Copy thereof to be distributed to each of them The Prefatory Epistle was read in his presence and he was thanked for it by the mouth of the Director 'T was for this reason that in the same Request of the Dictionaries 't is said Et le Seneque fa●soit nargue A vostre Cand dat les Fargue Reg. Nov. 26. 1641. In the year 1641. Father du Bosc a Franciscan Chapelain to the King known to be the Author of The Honest Woman and of many other works having printed a Panegyrique on Cardinal de Richelieu presented himself at the beginning of one of the Conferences of the Academy and gave a Copy of his book to each of them that were then present for which he received commendations and thanks Le Sieur de Taneur Anno 1650. having publisht in the year 1650. a Treatise of Incommensurable quantities with a Translation of the tenth Book of Euclide added thereto a very excellent discourse to the Gentlemen of the French Academy concerning a way to explain the Sciences in French Those of the Body have often presented to the Academy their works before or after the printing of them For example Reg. Feb. 01. 1639. I find that Febr. 21. 1639. Monsieur Giry presented to them by Camusat his Translation of the Orations of Symmachus and S. Ambrose concerning the Altar of Victory for which Camusat was charged to thank him Monsieur de Racan when he had composed his Holy Odes which were publisht last year 1651. sent them to the Academy to desire their opinion of them and writ to them that Letter which he has put before his Book The Academy sent him that answer which he has there likewise printed without asking their leave to do it nor the Secretaries that writ it which yet was not ill taken by either of them But of all that has been written or addressed to the Academy there is nothing whose memory deserves better to be preserved than the Letters of Monsieur de Boissat an Academicien wherein he gives them an exact account both of what happen'd to him at the house of the Duke de Lesdiguieres who was then only Count de Sault of the Agreement that was made between them by the mediation of the Nobility of Dauphine assembled in a Body I am not ignorant how delicate and ticklish things of this nature are amongst the French and that there may be found those that will blame me for mentioning this in a work where I have no design to diminish the glory of the Academy or the reputation of any particular member thereof But I do not se why I should suppress any remarkable occurrences which I meet with in my subject that may serve for instruction and for a precedent in the like occasions which may one day perhaps be published quite otherwise then indeed they are and where all things consideted there is not now any thing that may be offensive either to this Illustrious Company which had no part in this difference or to Monsieur de Boissat a Gentleman as every one knows very honourable and deserving I will speak of it then and which is more knowing well that on the one side a matter so curious cannot be unacceptable to you ●nd on the other that in these points of honour they weigh even the least Syllables I will here insert at large not only a Copy of the Agreement which was sent to the Academy by M. de Boissat but also the Letter which came with it and the answer w●ich they made And if I suppresse the first Letter which he writ to this Company wherein was a particular relation of his misfortune and of the things which preceded It is because that I have been told that he himself endeavours to suppress it out of a motion of true generosity not to l●a●e any

did not at all value M. Coeffeteau found fault with almost every thing he saw of his He has verses in many of the printed Collections Letters in the Collection of the year 1637. His principal work is the Translation of justice printed 1627. which he has dedicated after a new and strange manner To the King to the Queen his mother in two dedicatory Epistles There is also of his doing a piece of the first book of Tacitus in French with observations which he printed in the year 1613. I have seen besides a discoursin writing to the Duke of Orleans to perswade him to return into France when he had withdrawn himself in discontent and here it is that he subscribes himself Your most humble servant Oratour I have heard also of a piece which he writ against Judicial Astrologie a Treatise of Soveragnity no doubt he had many others upon the affairs of the times as Letters Apologies c. But in general I here give you notice that I pretend not to forget nothing of what the persons I treat of have written In such a Country as France where they have almost alwaies neglected this kind of Memorialls 't is sufficient that you may take for truth what I say without rejecting as false what I do not say And if I be not deceived we should use the same discretion in reading all sort of writers even the most exact for when all 's done 't is impossible but that many thing● must escape them MONSIEUR DE VAUGELAS CLAVDIUS FAVRE Sieur DE VAUGELAS Baron of Peroges was of Chanberry and sonne of the Illustrious President Favre Author of the Volume which we call Code Fabrien which is of great use in those our Province which are governed by the Civill Law He was the sixt Son and had no more portion then the Baronie of Peroges which was in Bresse and worth but little together with an ill paid pension of two thousand Livres which Henry 4. granted to his Father for him and his heirs for the services he had done the State in the Marriage of Madame of Savoye 'T was this pension which the Cardinal got re-establish upon him when he undertook the Dictionary He came to Court very young and there spent the remainder of his life He was Gentleman in Ordinary and afterward Chamberlain to the Duke of Orleans whom he followed constantly in all his retreats out of the kingdom He was also towards the end of his dayes Governor of the Children of Prince Thomas But although he neglected nothing which might advance his fortune though he were in esteem and reputation at Court and was no way given to debauchery the m●ny voyages he took in following his Master and other troubles made him dye poor so that his estate was not sufficient to satisfie his Creditors He dyed aged about 65. yeares of an Imposthume in the Stomack which was many years growing upon him and often times brought upon him a paine in his side which they attributed to the spleen At last in the year 1649. having bin extraordinarily afflicted with this grief for the space of five or six weeks he found some ease and believing he was almost cured he would needs walk abroad to take the Ayre in the Garden of the Hostel de Soiffons where he had lodgings But the next Morning his paine took him again with more violence Of two servants which he had he sent him that was at hand to call for help but before he returned the other coming in found that he had vomited up the Imposthume and all in amazement asking him how he did You see my friend replyde he coldly and without motion what a poor thing man is After these words he spake no more and lived but some few minutes He was a comely man well made in body and minde of a good stature his eyes and hair were black his visage full and well-coloured He was very devout civil and respectfull even to excesse particularly towards Ladyes for whom he had an extreme veneration He alwayes fear'd to offend any one and upon this account he scarce ever durst take part in any controversies or disputes He was very frequent at Rambouillet Hostel His most intimate friends were M. Faret who had bin as 't were his Scholar M. de Chaudebonne M. Voiture and towards his latter end M. Chapelain and M. Conrart But above all he had contracted a most strict acquaintance with the Baron de Foras who is still alive and did also as well as he belong to the Duke of Orleans They called Brothers and were companions in their devotions in which as in their friendship they persevered constantly From his childhood he had very much studied the French Tongue He chiefly imitated Monsieur Coeffetedu and had so great an esteeme of his writings and above all of his Historie of Rome that he could scarce allow of any phrase or expression which was not used there To this purpose Monsieur de Balzac said That in the judgment of Monsieur de Vaugelas there was no salvation out of the Historie of Rome no more then out of the Church of Rome His chief excellency was for Prose As for Poetry he had made some Italian verses which were very well esteemed But he never made any in French unlesse 't were extempore upon a frolick As for example it happen'd that one day passing through Nevers where Princesse Mary now Queen of Poland then was some of her Gentlewomen who were then making a purse for some poor man came into the Inne where he was he could not see them because he had taken Physick but he sent two pistoles with his Epigram Empesché d'un empeschement Dont le nom n'est pas fort honneste Ie n'ay pû d'un seul compliment Honorer au moins vostre queste Pour en obtenir le pardon Vous direz que je fais un don Aussi honteux que mon remede Mais rien ne paroist precieux Aupres de l'Ange qui possede Toutes les richesses des Cieux 'T was the Princesse he meant I have also another Epigram of his made in promptu upon the mistake of a word which a Porter of Rambouillet-Hostel had committed when he delivered a message to him from the Lady Marquisse Tout à ce moment Maistre Isaac Un pen moins disert que Balzac Entre dans ma Chambre m'annonce Que Madame me derenonce Me derenonce Maistre Isaac Oüy Madame vous derenonce Elle m'avoit done renoncé Luy dis-je d'un sourcil froncé Porter luy pour toute réponce Maistre Isaac que qui derenonce Se repent d'avoir renoncé Mais avez-voue lien prononcé These Epigrams might have bin spared but that the least things of great men are precious He had a present wit and made many times very excellent replyes such as that I spake of before which he made to Cardinall Richelieu He left behind him but two works considerable one whereof is

was Monsieur de Racan's Against the Sciences which was printed a little while since with some of his Poems Being absent he sent it from his house to the Academie It was read by Monsieur de Serizay July 23. 1635 The thirteenth was Monsieur de Porcheres Laugier's Of the differences and conformities which are betwixt Love and Friendship The fourteenth was Monsieur Chapelain's Against Love where by ingenious reasons whose grounds are not without solidity he labours to take away from this passion that Divinity which is attributed to it by the Poets The fifteenth Monsieur Desmarests Of the love of soules where he undertakes to shew that if the love which Monsieur Chapelain spoke of ought to be blamed and condemned this is not onely to be esteemed but besides has something of Divinity in it The sixteenth was Monsieur de Boissat Of the love of Bodies were by naturall reasons taken from Sympathies and Antipathies and the conduct of the world he would shew that the love of Bodies is no lesse Divine then that of Soules The seventeenth was sent by the late Monsieur de Meziriac and read in the Assembly by Monsieur de Vaugelas The title of it is Of Translating In this discourse the Author who was esteemed very learned and especially in the Greek after he had extolled the wit paines and Style of Amiot in his translation of Plutarch and as it seems with a great deal of ingenuity pretends to shew that in divers passages which he had taken notice of even to two thousand this Grand Translator hath committed very grosse faults of divers kinds whereof he gives some examples I have been told that all the rest of his Observations together with his own new Translation of Plutarch are in the hands of Madame de Meziriac his widow and likely to be published very shortly When they are we shall be better able to judge whether his pretensions be true or no but if it be so I know not whether this example ought more to deter or encourage those that addict themselves to translate for if on the one side 't is a sad case that so excellent a man as Amiot after all the time and paines which every one knows he bestow'd upon this work could not avoyd slipping in two thousands places on the other side 't is a great Comfort that maugre these 2000. faults he has by a greater number of places in which he has hitt right not fail'd of acquiring to himself an immortall reputation But I return to the Discourses pronounced in the Academie The three last to make up twenty are that of Monsieur Colletet Of imitating the Ancients That of Monsieur the Abbot of Cerizy Against the plurality of languages And that of Monsieur Porcheres d'Arbaud Of the love of the Sciences These discourses were pronounced every week unlesse those that were to make them had a lawful excuse or there interven'd some other kind of businesse They delivered them afterwards to two or three Academiciens appointed by the Assembly who were to make an exact report of them But because this examination took up too much time and was the whole businesse of the Conferences 't was resolv'd that these Commissioners might proceed further to things in which they were agree'd without reporting to the Company any but the mo●t important and such wherein they disagreed I find that three Academiciens fail'd to make these kind of discourses in their turns though they were very able to do it First Monsieur de Serizay Reg. April ult 1635. who desired the Company to con●ent that Monsieur Porcheres Laugier might make a speech in his steed and that 's the reason you will find in the Catalogue I gave you two discourses of this Academicien's The first in the place of Monsieur de Serizay and the second in his own Monsieur de Balzac 'T is at the of the second part 4th book and sixth Letter as it appears by one of his printed Letters did onely send to Monsieur du Chastelet some of his works desiring him to read them in the Academie and to accompany them with somewhat of his own which may serve ●ud he both for the thanks and speech which he owed it M. de S. Amant too de●red and had leave to be exempted Reg. December 14. 1637. on condition he should collect as he himself offered the Comicall part of the Dictionary and the Grotesque terms that is to say as we call them now a dayes Burlesque but the word Burlesque which has been a long time in Italy had not yet past the mountaines and Monsieur Menage observes very well in his Origines that it was first used by Monsieur Sarrazin a long while after Then we may say that it not onely passed in France but that it has overrun it and made strange havock there Is it not plain that for these last yeares we have played at this game where he that wins loses and is it not the opinion of most men that to write well in this kind 't is sufficient to speake things that have neither sense nor reason Every one thinks himself able enough for it of what sex soever from the Ladies and Lords at Court to the Chambermaides and Pages This madnesse of Burlesque which at last we begin to be cured of went so far that the Stationers would meddle with nothing that had not his name in the front that whether out of ignorance or the better to put off their wares they fixt it upon things that were the most serious provided onely that they were short verses whence it was that in the time of the war at Paris in 1639. they printed a piece bad enough in deed but yet serious with this title which strook with horror all those that read no more of it The Passion of our Lord in Burlesque verses and the learned Monsieur Maudaeus who doubtlesse was of this number reckons it amongst the Burlesque-books of our times I beg your pardon for this digression which a just anger against this unsufferable abuse drew from me To returne to my subject The Academie spent all the time of its Conferences in hearing or examining these Discourses This employment was very well liked by some of the Academiciens but most of themwere not well pleas'd with an exercise which when all is done wa too like the declamations of young boyes and the Cardinall also exprest that he look'd for something greater and of more solidity from such a Society They began to talk of the Dictionary and the Grammer when Fortune threw another work upon the Academie which they little expected AS many times one man that is of great Eminence is able to lead the Dance to a whole Kingdom that great love which the Cardinall bore to Dramatique Poems had at this time raised them amongst the French to the highest pitch that they ever were at All that found they had any Genius that way failed not to labour for

have heen expressed better and that other This example should be somewhat smoother Whence yet we may gather he examined this work with very much care and attention His judgment in brief was that the substance of it was good But that there wanted for in these termes he exprest himself some handfuls of flowers to be sprinkled here and there But this was onely as 't were the first draught which they were willing to present to him to know whether in grosse he approved of their Sentiments The work was then given to be polisht according to his intention and by the deliberation of the Academie to M. de Serizay Reg. July 17. 1637. de Cerizy de Gombauld and Sirmond Monsieur de Cerizy as I am told couch'd it in writting and M. de Gombauld was nominated by the three others and confirmed by the Academie to have the last reveiwing of the Style The whole was read and examined by the Company in severall Assemblies Ordinary and Extraordinary and given at last to the Printer The Cardinall was then at Charonne Reg. July the last 1637. whither they sent the first sheets to him but they did not satisfie him in the least and whether 't were that he judged rightly of it or that they took him in an ill humour or that he was prejudic'd against M. de Cerisy he found that they had past from one extream to the other that they had given it too many ornaments and flowers and sent away presently in all haste to tell them that they should stop the printing of it He sent then to have M. de Serizay Chapelain and Sirmond come to him that he might the better explain his meaning to them M. de Serisay excused himself for that he was ready to take ho●se to go into Poictou The two others went To hear them he was pleased to be alone in his Chamber except M. de Bautru whom he called for as being of the Academie He talked with them a long time with all civility standing and uncover'd M. de Chapelain as he told me himself endeavour'd to excuse M. de Cerisy the best he could but he soon found that this man would not be contradicted For he saw him grow hot and active in so much that coming to him he took him by the bandstrings and held him so a good while as a man will do not thinking of it when he would speak home to another whom he would convince of something The conclusion was that after he had explained to them in what manner he thought this work should have been written he gave it in charge to M. Sirmond who had indeed a very good Style and that far from all affection But neither did M. Sirmond satifie him at all Mon. Chapelain was therefore to resume all that had been done both by himself and others out of which he compos d the work such as now it is which being approved by the company the Cardinal was publisht soon after very little different from what it was at first when 't was p●esented to him in writing saving that the matter here is a little more amplified and some ornaments added Thus after about 5. moneths travaile came forth THE SENTIMENTS OF THE FRENCH ACADEMIE UPON THE CID Reg. Novem. 23. 1637. In all which time this Grand Minister that had all the affairs of the Kingdom in his hands and all those of Europe in his head was not weary of this Design nor gave any respit to his care for this work It was diversly received by Monsieur de Scudery Mon ieur Corneille and the Publick As for M. Scudery though his Adversary were not condemned in all things and had received very great praises in many he thought that he had gain'd the day and writ a Letter of thanks to the Company with this title To the Gentlemen of the I●lustrious Academie where he returned them thanks with a great deal of submission both for what they had approv'd in his writings and for what they had taught him in correcting him and profest in conclusion that he was entirely satisfied with the justice they had done him The Secretary was commanded to write him an answer The sense of it was that he assur'd him That the Academie had made it their Principal care to hold the ballance right and not to make a matter of Complement or Civility of a serious businesse But that their greatest care after this was to expresse themselves with moderation and to tell their reasons without wronging any one That they were well pleased with the justice he had done them in acknowledging them just that they would hereafter requite his equity and that on all occasions where it would be permitted them to be obliging he should not faile of it As for M. Corneille though he would hardly have summitted to this judgment yet being resolved to comply with the Cardinall herein he exprest at the beginning that he attended the event of it with a great deale of deference To this purpose he writ to Monsieur de Boisrobert in a Letter of the 15th of November 1637. I expect with a great deal of impatience the Sentiments of the Academie that I may learn from hence forward what I must follow till then I cannot write but with distrust nor dare I confidently make use of any word And in another of the third of December I prepare my self not to have any thing to answer to the Academie but thanks But when the sentiments upon the Cid were almost quite printed having understood by some meanes that this judgment would not be so favourable to him as he hoped he could not refrain from expressing some resentment of it writing in another Letter of which I have seen onely a Copie without date or Subscription I am resolved since you will have it so to suffer my self to be condemned by our Illustrious Academie if it meddles onely with one half of the Cid the other will remaine unto me whole and entire But I beseech you to consider that it proceeds against me with so much violence and that it makes use of so soveregin an Authority to shut my mouth that those who shall know its proceedings will have reason to think that I should never have been found guilty if I might have been permitted to shew my Innocence He complaines afterwards as if they had denyed to hear the defence he would have made of his book vivâ voce and in the presence of his judges whereof yet I have not found any footsteps either in the Registers or in the memory of the Academiciens whom I have consulted He adds to this After all behold what is my satisfaction I assure my self this famous work which so many gallant witts have been these six months ●● travaile with may well be esteemed the Sentiments or opinion of the French Academie but perhaps 't will never be the opinion of the rest of Paris at least I have my sentence before them

and forty years old when he dyed He left Children and many works of all sorts There is of his a little book of Italian Poems where there are imitations of the best Comparisons that are in the eight first books of the Aenieds Another Book of Lat●n Poems Many Poems in French They are in the Collection of 1621. which is called The delights of the French Poesie and in that of the year 1627. One Volume which containes part of Ovids Epistles translated into French Verse with very learned Commentaries There is one of them which he sayes was translated twenty yeares before by his Elder Brother William Bachet The true life of Aesop in French I say the true life because that by Planudes is by the learned accounted fabulous Diophantes translated out of the Greek into Latin with Commentaries which our friend Monsieur de Fermat and all that understand the Algebra highly esteem He said himself that he wondred how he was able to do it and that he should never have finisht it had it not bin for that Melancholie and obstinate humor which was brought upon him by a quartan ague he then had A Book of Arithmeticall Recreations dedicated to Monsieur de Tournon wherein he teaches all the tricks that may be done in play by number and out of this they have taken part of the Mathematicall Recreations A treatise of Affection translated out of Cacciaguerra's Italian His great work was the translation of Plutarch which he undertook in emulation of Amiot's in which he pretended as I told you before that he had found an infinite number of faults This work was almost finisht when he dyed and 't is hoped we shall one day see it publisht He cites often in his work A Commentarie on Apollodorus which appears not and very likely 't is also amongst his papers Of all the things he was skilled in there was nothing he knew more throughly and absolutely then the Fabulous Historie in which he was accounted amongst the learned the prime man of his age M. de PORCHERES D'ARBAUD If I have been too long in the life M. de Meziriac I shall be very brief in this whereof I know but very little FRANCIS DE PORCHERES D'ARBAUD was of Provence and was said to be descended of that ancient house of PORCHERES which Monsieur de Porcheres Laugier was also said to be of although they never acknowledged one another for kinsmen He had been the disciple and follower of Malherbe and imitated him very much in his manner of Versifying He was Governour of a Son of Monsieur de Chenoise's and since that of a Son of the Count of S. Heran's Monsieur de Boisrobert of whom every one gives this Testimony that never any man that was in favour delighted more in doing good procured him a pension of six hundred Livers from the Cardinall de Richelieu He retired himself into Bourgogne where he maried and dyed He made many verses which have never been printed some are as The Psalms of degrees and some others which never came to my hands Monsieur BOURBON NICOLAS BOURBON famous in this age for Latin Poetry was a Native of Bar upon Aube the Son of a Physitian and grand nephew of another Nicolas Bourbon a Latin Poet in the dayes of our Fathers whose Elogie is to be seen in Paulus Jovius and Sanmarthanus and who being a smiths Son among his other works made a description of a Smiths forge in a Book which he calls Nugae and by the way t is this Book on which du Bellay made this merry Epigram Paule tuum inscribis Nugarum nomine librum In toto Libro nil melius Titulo This of whom I have to speak was in his youth instructed in human Learning by Passeratius His first publike employment was to teach Rhetorique in the College des Grassins and afterwards in that de Calvy and then in that de Harcour But as he withdrew himse●f from this last to live privately Card. du Perron who was grand Almoner of France having seen some verses of his making upon the death of Henry the great nominated him to the place of Professor of Greek eloquence in the Kings College in Critton's room He was also Canon of Langres and in his old age finding himself no longer able to take pains by reason of his sicklinesse and particularly of an almost perpetuall want of sleep which he was troubled with he retired himself to the Company of the Fathers of the Oratorie but he would not be obliged to any of the duties nor so much as permit them to call him Father Yet he wore the same habit as the rest did onely he went alone with a secular servant Whilst he belong'd to one of the Colleges he was imprisoned for having made a Latin Satyre intituled Indignatio Valeriana against an Arrest of Parlement which had supprest a certain piece of money called Droit de landy which Professors took of their Scholars You may see this more at large in the Origines of Monsieur Menage upon the word Landy He earnestly desired to be of the Academie and was constantly there although he made as 't were another Academie at his own house through the concourse of severall persons of all sorts which his Learning and worth drew thither The Cardinall de Richelieu gave him a pension and towards the end of his dayes the last Bishop of Beauvais of the House of Potier who had bin his Scholar and was an Attendant of the Queen Regent's Anne of Austria setled another pension on him But he enjoy'd it not long for he dyed very shortly after I have heard him accus'd by many of being a little too much addicted to money and that although he had forty or fifty thousand Livers of ready money which they found in a Chest of his after his death yet he seem'd to be afraid of nothing so much as poverty which was caused perhaps either from his old age or from some considerable losses he had sustain'd He was in his youth a great friend of Regnier He is commended for an excellent memory and 't is said among other things that he could say almost by heart all Thuanus his Historie and all the Elogies of Paulus Jovius He was very courteous a great approver of other mens works in the presence of the Authors but sometimes too as I am told a little pettish and omething too sensible of injuries which he imagin'd had bin done him He was at odds with Monsieur de Balzac and wrote against him a Latin Letter Andradae that is to Monsieur Guyet Prior of S. Andrade neer Bourdeaux M. de Balzac answered him in another Letter in French addressed to the same M. Guyet and printed in one of his Volums There 't is that he makes this prety allusion upon the qualitie of his adversatie who was accounted one of the Fathers of the Oratorie and the great Poet. Heu vatem insanae mentis quid vota furentem Quid delubra juvant

a quite peculiar manner with an ingenious livelynesse Although he never printed any thing yet was he in great repute not only in France but also in forrein Countrys for the excellency of his wit the Academy of the Humor●sts at Rome sent him Letters whereby they made him one of their Academy His works were published after his death in one Volume which was received by the pub●icke with so much approbation that they were forced to make two Editions of it in six Months His Prose is more correct and exact it has a certain Air of gallantry which is not found any where else and something so naturall and so exact both together that the reading thereof is infinitely taking His Verses perhaps are no lesse curious although more neglected He many times slighted Rules but like a Master as a man that thought himself far above them and that scorned to bind himself to observe them That which is most to be commended in all his writings is that they are not Copies but Originals and that by reading the ancients and the moderns Cicero Terence Ariosto Marot and many others he made a certain new Character wherein he imitated no man and scarce any man can imitate him He had written the beginning of a Romance in prose which he called Alcidalis the subject whereof was given him by Madame the Marques of Montausieur who was then Mademoiselle de Rambouïllet Julie d'Angenes But since his death this beginning having fallen into the hands of this Lady was never seen and perhaps never shall To conclude 't was he that brought again into the fashion in our age the Rondeaux or sonnets that end as they begin which have bin quite out of use ever since Marot's time I have amongst my papers one thing which justifies what I now said T is a Letter of his which was never printed written to Monsieur de la Jonquiere Father to Monsieur de Paillerols my Cousin 'T is dated January 8. 1638. and has this Postscript I doubt whether you know what Rondeaux are I have of late made three or four of them which have put the Witts in the humor of making them 'T is a kind of writing which is proper for jeasting and raillerie I know not whether you are grown more grave now then you were when you were a Boy I for my part am alwayes in the same humor I was in when we stole the drake If then you love my follies read them but by no meanes let the Ladyes see them whose hands I kisse Rondeau Cinq ou six fois Cette nuit en dormant c. Ou vous savez tromper bien finement c. MONSIEUR SIRMOND IOHN SIRMOND was a native of Rion in Auvergne of a good familie of the Robe he was nephew to Father Sirmond the Jesuite Confessor to K. Lewis 13. and one of the most knowing men of our age He came to Court and by the favour of Cardinal de Richelieu who esteemed him one of the best writters in those daies was made Historiographer to the King with a pension of 1200. crowns He wrote divers pieces for the Cardinall on the affairs of the times but almost all of them under assumed names The Abbot of S. Germain who was the writer one the adverse part treats him extreme ill in the Tract which he called The Chimerique Embassadour He made an answer to it which is in the Collection of Monsieur du Chastelet The Abbot of S. Germain replyed and handled him yet more injuriously whereby he was obliged to write again in his own defence But Card. de Richelieu and King Lewis 13. dyed in the interim and he could never obtain under the Regency a priviledge to print this Book Hereat he was very much troubled and seeing besides that his Enemie was upon his return to Court and that favour would be no longer on his side he retired into Auvergne where he dyed being about threescore yeats Old He left a Son who as they say will print some of his works particularly his Latine verses His Prose shews that he had an excellent Genius for Eloquence his Style is strong and Mascu ine and wants no adornment The pieces which I have seen of his are these whereof the greatest pa t are in the Collect●on of Monsieur du Chastelet The Pourtraicture of the King made of the times of the Constable of Luynes The tr●ck of State of K. Lewis 13. writ in favour of Cardinall de Richelieu The Letter decifred An Advertisement to the Provinces by the Sieur de Cleonville which I have heard accounted his Master-piece L' Homme du Pape and du Roy in answer to the Count de la Rocque Spanish Embassador at Venice who had written a Book against France under the name of Zambeccari The Chimera defeated by Sulpice de Mandrini Sieur de Gazonval The Relation of the Peace of Querasque taken out of a Treatise written by Monsieur Servien He hath made also some Latin verses as I said and that Epigram against Mamurra wherein this Parasite is called Pamphagus is his I will add here by way of acknowlegment that one of his Books was one of the first things that made me relish our Language I was but newly come from Colledge when I met with I know not how many Romances and other new pieces which though I was very young and a mere child I could not endure but run back to my Tully and Terence which I found more rationall At last there came to my hands almost at the same time four Books which were The eight Orations of Tully The trick of State of Monsieur Sirmond The fourth Volume of the Letters of M. de Balzac which were wholly printed and The Memoires of Queen Margaret which I read over twice from the beginning to the end in one and the same night After that I began not onely no longer to contemn the French Language but even passionatly to love it to study it with some care and to believe as I do still even to this day that with a Genius some Time and Pains a man may render it capable of all things MONSIEUR DE COLOMBY FRANCIS DE CAVVIGNY Sieur DE COLOMBY was of Caen in Normandy a kinsman to Malherbe whose Disciple and follower he was He was also of kinne to Monsieur Morant Treasurer de l'Espargne who procured him a pension and saw it paid him He had an office at Court which never any had before or since him for he was Styled Orator to the King in affairs of State and 't was upon this account that he received 1200. crowns a year he received also other favours from the Court and was indeed proud that they were thought to be much greater then they were Towards his latter end he took upon him a religious habit but he was no Priest He dyed at the age of threescore years He was of a great stature very strong of an ambitious humor and resolute in all his actions He