614 Corneille ; his Life mid Writings. [[Dec 



wliich IMairet, Du Ryer, and Tristan, were the most distinguished pro- 

 fessorSj he proceeds : — 



" La scene s'ouvre, quelle surprise, quelle ravissement ! Nous voyons 

 pour la premiere fois une intrigue noble et touchante, dont les ressorts 

 balances avec art serrent le noeud de scene en scene, et preparent sans 

 effort un adroit denouement ; nous admirons cet equilibre des moyens 

 dramatiques qui, reglant la marche toujours croissante de Taction, tient 

 le spectateur incertain entre la crainte et I'esperance, en variant et en 

 augmentant sans cesse, un interet unique et toujours nouveau ; cette 

 opposition si theatrale des sentimens les plus chers, et des devoirs les 

 plus sacres ; ces combats, ou, d'un cote luttent le prejuge, I'honneur, le 

 brulant amour, que la nature respectee ne pevit vaincre, et que le devoir 

 surmonte sans I'aifoiblir. Subjugue par la force de cette situation, je 

 vois tout le parterre en silence, etonne du charme qu'il eprouve, et de 

 ces emotions delicieuses que le theatre n'avoit point encore du reveiller 

 au fond des coeurs. Mais dans ces scenes passionnees ou devient plus 

 vive et plus pressante cette lutte si douloureuse de riiero'isme de I'hon- 

 neur, et de I'heroisme de Tamour; lorsque dans les developpemens de 

 I'intrigue, redoublent de violence ces combats, ces orages des sentimens 

 opposes, par lesquels Taction theatrale se passe dans Tame des persbn- 

 nages, et se reproduit dans Tame des spectateurs — alors, au sein 

 de ce profond silence, je vois naitre un soudain fremissement ; les coeurs 

 se serrent, les larmes coulent ; et parmi les larmes et les sanglots s'eleve 

 un cri unanime d'admiration, un cri qui revele a la France que la tragedie 

 est ti'ouvee !" 



The success Lc Cid met with was equal to its distinguished merit. 

 Not only the public hailed it with enthusiastic applause ; but the king, 

 the queen, and the whole of their court, complimented and congratu- 

 lated the poet; it was played three times at the Louvre; the cardinal 

 had it acted twice at his own hotel ; and, as if to conceal the plan he had 

 formed for depriving the author of his fair fame, he granted, at the 

 request of the queen, letters of nobility to Corneille's father, in conside- 

 ration of his services, as the patent expressed it, but, as the truth was, 

 at the instance and by means of the influence of his son. The envy of 

 his fellow-poets, and the displeasure of the cardinal, who was piqued that 

 his pensioner should have gained such distinguished honours, prepared 

 for him a crowd of mortifications which embittered his triumph. The 

 fire was opened by the Obscrvcdions sur le Cid, of Scuderi, a solemn 

 coxcomb, of whom, if he were not damned to everlasting fame as the 

 antagonist of Corneille, the very name would be forgotten. Other 

 enemies followed on the same track, the cardinal secretly but powerfully 

 favouring the cabal against Corneille. The matter was referred to the 

 Academy, who extricated themselves from the difficulty in which they 

 were placed, rather adroitly than honourably, by mixing as much blame 

 as pacified their sovereign master, the cardinal, v.ith at least so much 

 praise of Corneille as their own credit, not less than the merit of the 

 poet, and the vmanimous public voice, demanded. As critical curiosities, 

 the various productions to which this dispute gave rise are not without 

 their interest ; but the rank to which Le Cid, as the first French 

 tragedy, and as a grand and noble production in every respect, is 

 intitled, has long ago been settled. Corneille was by no means satisfied 

 with the opinions of the Academy, and had expressed a determination of 

 replying to them, from which he was diverted by an intimation from the 



