418 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 157. 



Analecta veterum poetarum Grmcorvm, vol. iii. 

 p. 286. 



Another good epigram in Burton (^Anat. Mel., 

 16th edit. p. 415.) deserves a few words of com- 

 ment: 



" ' Excess! e vitae aerumnis faeilisque lubensque, 

 Ne pejora ipsa morte dehinc videam.' 

 ' I left this irksome life with all mine heart, 

 Lest worse than death should happen to my part.' 

 Cardinal Brundusinus caused this epitaph in Rome 

 to be inscribed on his tomb, to show his willingness to 

 dye, and taxe those that were so loth to departe." 



This " Cardinal Brundusinus," as Burton styles 

 LIm, was Girolamo Aleandro, a man of great 

 learning and ability, who played a conspicuous 

 part in the Reformation as one of Luther's most 

 titter antagonists. He composed his own epitaph, 

 which concluded with the two Greek verses, the 

 original of Burton's : 



" Kirdavov ovk aeKwv, Sti nravcTOfiai div inifidprvs 

 TloKAwv, wvTrep idiiv aXylov ^v Oavdrov." 



On which Mr. Hallam, in the first edition of his 

 Literary History (vol. i. p. 357.), remarks : 



" His epitaph on himself may be mentioned as the 

 best Greek verses by a Frank that I remember to have 

 read before the middle of the eighteenth century, 

 though the reader may not think much of them." 



This bit of criticism of the learned historian has, I 

 find, been expunged from his second edition, pub- 

 lished in 1843. A. Gkayan. 



FATHEB PBTEE. 



(Vol. vi., p. 362.) 



Your correspondent M. D., "a collateral de- 

 scendant of the celebrated Father Petre," inquires 

 for rhymes concerning him, and will be glad of 

 their publication, even though he (M. D.) " should 

 consider them libellous." The following, as a first 

 instalment in reply to this request, may not be 

 without interest : 



" LE PERE PETRES. 



L'homme de grande entreprise et de peu de succez. ^ 



Si je passe partout pour un mal avise, 

 N'ayant peu convertir I'Angleterre et I'Ecosse, 

 Mon Galles suppose causera du divorse, 

 Et je seray par la un jour canonise." 



These lines are to be found, with a highly sa- 

 tirical, but probably not unfaithful, portrait of 

 Fatlier Petre, in the engraved book entitled Les 

 Hiros de la Ligue^ ou la Procession Monacale, 

 conduitte par Louis XIV., pour la Conversion des 

 Protestans de son Royaume. Large 8vo., " a Paris, 

 chez Pere Peters, a I'Enseigne de Louis le Grand, 

 1691." 



I may be allowed to offer a Note and put a 

 Query respecting this volume, Les Heros de la 



Ligue. It contains twenty-four most spirited and 

 elaborately studied portraits (sometimes carica- 

 tures) of the leading personages who took a part 

 in the Protestant persecutions of the day, in- 

 cluding the bigots who promoted the revocation of 

 the Edict of Nantes. Amongst others figure 

 Louis XIV., Pere la Chaise, James II., William 

 de Furstemberg, the Archbishops of Rheims and 

 Paris, the Chancellor le Telller, Louvols, Brufflers 

 the General of the Dragonnade, &c. &c., down to 

 " Madame de Maintenon, veuve de Scarron," all 

 dressed in appropriate costume, cowl and gown. 

 Each name has its epithet and stanza, and the 

 only additional words of the book are contained in 

 the following verses, engraved at the last page : 

 " Sonnet. 

 Reponse des Refugiez aux Persecuteurs. 



Infames courtisans, laches persecuteurs ; 



Ne triomphez pas tant de votre politique : 



DiEU confondra un jour votre conseil inique, 



Et vous envoira tous au rang des deserteurs. 



Des Edits de Loias soyez executeurs. 



Pour nous calomnier mettez tout en pratique : 



Faites valoir ainsi Satan et sa boutique. 



Puis qu'aussi bien que lui vous estes des menteurs. ; 



Les demons se riront de toutes vos menees. 



DiEu, qui change souvent le cours des destinies, 



Pourroit par sa bonte nous donner du retour. 



Notre Orange est icy, vous s^avez sa coutume; [[ 



Jacque a desja senti qu'elle est son amertume, 



Et Louis pourroit bien en gouster a son tour." 



This sonnet is evidently the production of no 

 ordinary pen or pens. The epigrammatic wit of 

 some other stanzas in the volume is also worthy of 

 notice. The length of this communication will 

 only admit of one example being quoted, viz. the 

 rhymes after the portrait of " Beaumier, Avocat 

 du Roy a la Rochelle. Persecuteur perpetuel." 



" Qu'on ne nous porte point d'envie. 

 Si Ton me voit icy place : 

 Si la mort ne m'eust devance, 

 Je n'aurois pas laisse un huguenot en vie." 



The bibliographical information which I can 

 gather respecting the work Is very scanty. As to 

 former value of the volume, Peignot observes that 

 a copy was sold for eighty-eight livres at the Duke 

 de la Valliere's sale. 



So interesting and ciirlous a volume must have 

 had a secret history worthy of some notice. 

 Query, if the readers of " N. & Q." can commu- 

 mcate anything respecting it, will they be so 

 obliging as to do so ? And it would be desirable 

 to ascertain whether it was printed In France, 

 England, or elsewhere ? To what author or au- 

 thors can it be attributed, and were efforts made 

 to suppress it ? And as a Query of minor Im- 

 portance, will any of your readers who may happen 

 to have a copy, be good enough to say whether it 

 is apparently of the same impression as mine, 



