I 



COUSIN, VICTOR. 



COVE11DALK, MILES. 



COl'SIN. VICTOR, wu bora iu Pari-, November 28, 1792. ll 

 received hit education at the Lyece Charlemagne. Scarcely bad bo 

 entered hi* sixteenth year when the grand prize of buuour wa 

 allotted to him at the annual distribution. The minister Mo 

 who wai present, wa* to itnick by I.U ability u to propoM to youug 

 Couiin to dedicate Linuelf to public buiiuen; but ho declined the 

 alluring otbr. Soon after he wu admitted into the ficole Normale, 

 which bad recently been founded ; here he wai appointed n.'pe'liteur, 

 or prirato teacher, of Greek literature, aud afterwards be obtained a 

 professorship of philosophy. 



In 1811, he attended the lectures of the celebrated LaromiguiiTe, 

 whose theory wu a mixture of Condillao and Descartes, of aensntiou 

 and piriuulism, and who made it bis mission to reconcilo the two 

 systems. Cousin wai at first fascinated by this theory, and still more 

 by Uio elegant phraseology and lucid exposition of the lecturer. 

 From him therefore be may be said to have acquired the art of giving 

 to the mo-t abstruse principles that transparent and palpable form 

 which universally appears in bis style. It wu very probably at the 

 same period, that his great idea first presented itself to his mind, 

 " that each system is true, but incomplete ; aud that by collecting all 

 the systems together a complete philosophy would be obtained." 



Iu 1613 and 1814 he attended the courses of philosophical lectures, 

 rod at the Facultd des Lettre, by Koyer-Collard, whose serious 

 and earnest mind had long distrusted that echool of sensation, which 

 Locke and Condillac had established in the 18th century, and who 

 had sought refuge from tin so doubts in the new doctrines of Reid 

 and Hutcheaou and the other founders of the Scotch system. This 

 new doctrine, wbi h insisted that there were notions in the initnl 

 totally independent of the senses, was instantly and ardently embraced 

 by Cousin, and so clearly and fully did he conceive this theory that 

 when Louis XVIII. appointed the lecturer president of the Com- 

 mission of Public Education, Royer-Collord obtained permission to 

 transfer his chair of philosophy to his young friend, who was his 

 junior by thirty years. Cousin thus became lecturer at the FaculuS 

 des Lettrcs, and began bis famous course of the History of Philosophy, 

 December 7, 1815, being at that time in his twenty-fourth year. He 

 entered upon his public career with a mind richly stored for his 

 task. HU youth heightened the impression he made upon his 

 hearers, and he at once became popular. Damirou aud Jouflroy, who 

 bad been his fellow students under Koyer-Collard, and next to him- 

 self in their master's esteem, now took him for their teacher, mid 

 afterwards continued his disciples. Having learned to doubt from 

 Royer-ColUrd, he resolved to examine in turn all the great philo- 

 sophers, both ancient nnd modern, before he formed bin opinions. 

 He became a universal inquirer. He entered singly and without 

 prejudice upon each philosopher, and in each he believed he had 

 found a system, aud in each system a fragment of truth. As fast 

 u he proceeded in this inquiry he communicated what he had found to 

 the public, sometimes in lectures, at other times iu book>. To eimhlu 

 bis pupil* to judge for themselves, bo published the works of 1'lnto, 

 the inedited works of Proclus, and on edition of Descartes, though 

 the whole dil not appear till after his dismission. His translation of 

 Plato in 13 vols. it considered excellent, and would preserve his name 

 bad he done nothing eke. He also contributed many admirable papers 

 to the ' Journal des Savants,' and the ' Archives Pbilosophiqueav 



Bat in the midst of his intellectual labour* he suddenly met with a 

 severe discouragement ; for having in one of his lectures defined man 

 to be a freely acting force, the Bourbon government became alarmed, 

 and dismissed him from the Kasultc' des L-Uroi in 1821. 



In 1821 Con-in w.-nt to O. ninny in the capacity of tutor to the 

 young Duke of Montebello. During his progn-M the frank opinions 

 lie expressed excited tha suspicion of tbc Prussian authorities, who 

 CMsedhiiaU 



.:.' 



I him to be arrested and conveyed to Berlin, where be wu thrown 

 'son u an agitator. He remained in close confinement for six 

 , but the urgent remonstrances of If. de Damas, then French 

 minister of Foreign Affairs, induced the Prussian ministers to recon- 

 sider the ease, and subsequently to grant him his passport* to return 

 to his native country. After his return he published, in 1820, his 

 celebrated 'Pragmens Philosophiquen,' with a remarkable preface, 

 which is still considered the best summary of bis particular doctrine. 

 For BO man can be more entitled Uitho character of an original thinker 

 notwithstanding all be bu done to revive and give circulation to the 

 systems of o many of bis (.Teat predecessors. 



The government of Charles X. restored tba distinguished professor 

 to his chair; and in April 1828 he delivered his famous course of 

 lecture* on Philosophy, at the FaculuS des Lcttres, to a numerous and 

 eotbmiaetie audience. His former lecture had consisted principally 

 of the history of ideal truth, u it had been explained by the great 

 thinkers who bad preceded him. But this time his own theory wu 

 exln'.ited. The first series wu published in 1828 under the title of 

 Cours d'llistoire d* la Phikwopble,' the teoond in 1 2 as Court de 

 Philosophic.' Soon after, the accession of Ixinis Philippe introduced hi* 

 friend* Oulioi and D* Bfoclie to power. He now became a councillor 

 of state, a member of the Hoard of I'uMic Education, an officer of the 

 Legion of Honour, and peer of Franc*, In quick succession In 

 1831 he wa* commissioned by the mini-try to proceed to Oermnny to 

 examine the sUte of rducn< country. The result* were 



given to tb* world In 1832, ' 1N P1 ort sur 1 cut dc VInttruc'ion Pub- 



iit|uo dans quelquen pay* de 1'Allemagne : ' thia wan translated by 

 Mrs. Auitin, and published iu London iu 1>3I. He succeeded Fourier 

 in the Academy, and delivered bis ' /luge.' or reception address, 

 May 5, 1831. He Keldom spoke in the Chamber of Peers, and when 

 he did it was almost invariably on the subject of National Instruction. 

 He published a largo number of works during the reijn of I-ouU 

 Philippe: amongst others, the 'Inedited Works of Abelard,' 18S6; 

 Ari-t .tie's Metaphysics,' 1838; several scries of ' Fragment Philo- 

 sophiques,' 1838-40; the 'History of Moral Philosophy in the 18th 

 Century,' 2 volt. 8vo, 1829; 'Coun de Philosophic Morale,' 5 vols., 

 1840-41. Hi* admirable biography of 'Jacqueline Pascal,' the sister 

 of the great author of ' Les Pensoea,' appeared in 1844. The narrative 

 U a compilation ; but tho observations on the importance of female 

 education, in the introduction, belong to the highest class of moral 

 argument. Sufficient notice has not yet been taken of the plan aud 

 objects of Cousin iu writing ' Jacqueline Pascal,' ' La Jeuncsie de 

 Madame de Longueville,' 1853, and his other biographies of women. 

 A collected edition of bis principal works, iu 22 vols, 18mo, wu pub- 

 lished in 1846-47. 



Since the fall of Louia Philippe, in 1848, this eminent man hu 

 lived in retirement. 



COUSTOU, the name of two very distinguished French sculptor', 

 brothers, of Lyon. 



NICOLAS. Cocsrou was born in 1658, and having received some 

 instruction from bis father, who was a carver in wood, went in his 

 nineteenth year to Paris, and became the pupil of his uncle, Antoiue 

 Coygevox, a distinguished sculptor. When only tweuty-three year* 

 of age he obtained the grand Academy prize iu sculpture, and went iu 

 consequence as a pensioner to Home. Iu Rome, where he remained 

 three years, Coustou paid more attention to the modern than the 

 ancient works in sculpture. His favourite masters were Michel Angelo 

 and Algardi, whom he studied for their opposite qualities, endeavour- 

 ing to combine in his own works the merits of each ; to modify the 

 harsh vigour of Michel Angelo by the less evident grace of Algar.!L 



His first great work in Paris wu the colossal group representing 

 the junction of the Seine and Marne, now in the garden of the 

 Tuileriee. There are four other statues by Coustou in the same 

 garden, of which the beat is tho ' Berger Chasseur.' He made also 

 the celebrated group of the ' Tritons ' for the rustic cascade at Ver- 

 sailles. But his work of highest pretensions ii tha ' Descent from the 

 Cross ' in the choir of tho cathedral of Notre Dame, generally called 

 ' Le Voeu de Louis XIII.;' the figures of Louis XIII. and Louis M \ ., 

 which were on each side of it until 1831, when they were destroyed, 

 were by Quillaume Coustou and Coysevox respectively. He executed 

 many other distinguished works at Lyou and at Paris, for wh ich ho 

 was well rewarded by LouU XIV., and a small pension waa settled 

 upon him by the city of Lyon. He enjoyed two pen-ions from the 

 crown, amounting together to 6000 francs. He died iu 1733, having 

 been forty years a member of the French Academy. 



*'.i IU.AUMK Cousion was born in 1 678, and was also the pupil of 

 his uncle Coysovox. He went likewise to Rome u a pensioner of the 

 French government ; but the pension waa irregubrly paid, aud for a 

 maintenance he assisted Lo Gro* on his baa relief of St. Louis of 

 Qonzaga. After hia return to Pane, Giiillaume Coustou executed 

 many excellent works, several of which were for the gardens of Marly, 

 but are now at the Tuileriea ; others are at Versailles : the two cele- 

 brated grooms checking restive horses, somewhat in the actions of the 

 ancient groups of Monte I'avallo, now at the entrance of the Champs 

 KlysoVs, were at Marly until IT'.M. .Still more celebrated works are 

 the statues of the facade of the Chateau d'Kau opposite the Palais 

 Itoyal ; and the more extensive bu reliefs of the principal entrance of 

 the Hotel de* Invalided. Ho executed also the colossal bronze figure 

 of the river Rhone for the monument of Louis XIV. at Lyou; tho 

 corresponding figure of the Saone wu by Nicholas Constou, and they 

 are now both preserved iu the town-hall of Lyon ; the statue of 

 Louis XIV. was destroyed during tho revolution. He died iu 1746, 

 director of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. The French 

 ore not agreed us to the relative merits of these two sculptors, some 

 preferring Nicola?, and others Guillaumo: the stylo of Guillauine 

 varied leu than that of Nicolas from the ancient standard of propor- 

 tion!, but they wer; both more French in their tutes than Greek. 



<ii III.APMK Coi'BTOU the Younger, likewise a distinguished nrti-t, 

 was the son of the elder Guillauuie. Ho wu born at Paris iu 171C, 

 obtained also the grand price of the Academy in sculpture, Hindi, d 

 five year* in Rome, and died treasurer of the Academy in 1 77 1. Id- 

 designed the sculptures of the front of tho church of St. Geneviove, 

 whi, h were removed when that building wu converted into the 

 Pantheon : they were executed by a sculptor of the name of Dupiv. 



(De Fontcnni. J)ictionnaire tla A rlulet, <tc. i D'Argcnville, Viet Jet 

 famrtr Architects et Xcttlptcuri, <t<:.) 



COUTO, DIKGO DK. [IU 



COVEKDAl.K, MILKS, Bishop of Exeter, a native of Yorkshire, wu 

 born in 1 4 87. He wu educated iu the house of the Augustiu friars 

 in Cambridge, of which Dr. Barnes, afterward* one of the Protestant 

 martyr*, waa then prior. Whether he took a degree at tha Univ. r- 

 ity of Cambridge in early life seems uncertain ; but Goodwin says 

 he afterwards received the degree of D.D. from tbe University 

 of Tubingen, and was, though later in life, admitted 'ad euudcin' 



