51 J 



NITHARa 



NODIER, CHARLES. 



work OB th origin and hittory of the Scan linaviau races. Hit 

 reeeardiM bar* extended to the extinct raoea of animals, and ha hiw 

 published several papen ou tha inbjeots of geology and paleontology. 



NITHAK1), born in 790, was aon of Angilbertus, and of Bertha, 

 daughter of Cliarlamagne. He lived at the court of Charles the Bald, 

 grandaoo of that princ , fought in his service, and died of wounds 

 reeeired in it, about 859. Nithard wrote in Latin a history of the 

 wan between Charles the Bald and hia brother*, which is inserted in 

 Ducbfane'i collection, ' HUtoriao Franoorum Scriptores.' In hia history 

 NiUiard gives the text of the treaty between Clurles the Bald and hia 

 brother Louu the Germanic, which waa sworn to by them at Stras- 

 bourg, and ia dated on the l(5th kalends of March 842. This treaty 

 waa written both in the Latin and Romance languages, and is the 

 oldest existing monument of the latter. It has been often quoted as 

 an interesting document for the history of tha modern languages which 

 were formed in Western and Southern Europe after the fall of the 

 Roman empire. The Romance text begins thus : " Pro Deo amur, 

 et pro Christian poplo et nostro common aalvamcnt, dial di avant, iu 

 qnant Dens aarir et podir me duuat, si aalvarai, io eUt meon fradro 

 Karlo," to. 



NOAILLES, DE, the title of an old and illustrious family of the 

 French nobility, which originally belonged to the province of Limousin, 

 where it bad a chateau and hereditary domain not far from Brives. 

 Mention is made of the lords of Noaillea in old documents as far 

 back as the beginning of the llth century. Moreri (' Oictionnaire 

 Historique ') gives the genealogy of the lords of Noaillea, beginning 

 with Hugnes, who lived in the firt part of the 13th century, ami who 

 went to the Holy Land with Louis IX. and died on the journey. 

 Many individual* of this family figure in the history of France as 

 filling lii.h offices, both civil and military. The most distinguished 

 are 1. Anne Jules, duke of Noailles, peer and marshal of France, 

 who served in the armits of Louis XIV., and died in 1708. 2. Adrien 

 Maurice, duke of Noailles, aon of the preceding. He distinguished 

 himself in the Spanish campaigns during tho war of the Succession, 

 took the strong fortress of Gerona in Catalouia, was ma le grandee of 

 Spain by Philip V., and minister under the regent D'Orle'ans. He 

 afterwards commanded tha French armies in Germany and Italy iu 

 1733-35, and again in 1741-43. Ho died at Paris in 1766. His wife 

 was Francoise d'Aubigne", nicoe of Madame de Maiutenon. Millot 

 published after his death 'Memoires Politiquea et Miliuiires pour 

 servir a 1'Iiistoire de Louis XIV. et Louis XV., compose-) sur les 

 Pieces Originates recueillies par Adrien Maurice, due de Noaillea.' 

 These memoirs contain many interesting particulars. 3. Louis 

 Antoine, cardinal de Noailles, uncle of the preceding, waa made arch- 

 bishop of Paris in 1695. He became involve! in the wearisome 

 disputes between the JansenUU and the Jesuits, displeas-.-d both 

 parties, and at last incurred the displeasure of Louis XIV. on tho 

 subji-ct of the famous papal bull ' Unigenitna.' [Cl-KiiEST XL] After 

 the death of Louis XIV. the regent recalled Cardinal de Noailles to 

 court and showed him great favour. The cardinal died at Paris in 

 1726, highly esteemed for his learning and regretted for his sincere 

 piety and hit great charitableness. 4. Louis, viscount of Noaillea, 

 was returned in 17a9 to the States-General for tho order of nobility 

 by the bailliage of Nemours, and, like several others of his order, 

 cordially adopted the principles of the revolution. On the memorable 

 night-sitting of the 4th of August, No lilies proposed and carried the 

 suppression of feudal rights, and of all other privileges enjoyed by 

 the nobility and clergy, and on the 19th of September he moved for 

 the suppression of all titles of nobility, which motion was also carried. 

 After the end of the session of the National Assembly he repaired to 

 the army on the Rhine, but when the Jacobin party obtained the 

 ascendancy ha migrated. He returned under the consulate, was sent 

 by Bonaparte to St. Domingo as general of brigade, and was killed, in 

 1803, iu a sea-fight against the English. 



NODIER, CHARLES, was born at Besanjon in Franco, on tho 

 29th of April 17SO. Under the care of his father, a man of stem 

 principles and of a cultivated mind, be evinced in early life a consider- 

 able disposition for the acquirement of knowledge. At the age of 

 twelve he entered on a course of classical study, which was however 

 soon interrupted by the events of the revolution, the principles of 

 which his father, at that time mayor oT Bcsancon, warmly espoused. 

 Daring the Reign of Terror young Nodier employed himself iu writing 

 poetry and composing tragedies on classical subjects. These early 

 compositions be was accustomed to read to an aged friend, who advised 

 him to devote himself to more serious pursuits. The beneficial con- 

 sequence of his advice became manifest, when five years after he 

 published a work of connidcrable research and great critical acumen, 

 entitled ' L Dictionn.ire do* Onomatopeee,' that is, a dictionary of 

 words which derive their signification directly from the action which 

 they represent (&wp, 'a name,' and <, to make '), as the verb ' to 

 hiss ' in our language, and 'siffler' in French. At the suggestion of 

 Funrcruy [FouacROTJ, it was used as a class-book throughout France, 

 and a copy of it, by order of government, was placed in the library of 

 venr Lyceum or public school During the same period of the Reign 

 of Terror he formed an acquaintance which terminated in the most 

 intimate friendship with M. de Chantrans. a Royalist officer, who was 

 compelled to seek for safety in a retired country life; through him 

 Nodier acquired a taste for tho study of natural history, to which be 



afterwards devoted a considerable portion of his time ; it was espe- 

 cially to the minute examination of insect* and flowers that he attached 

 himself, and his taste for them is strongly marked iu all hia after- 

 productions. He published in 1798 the result of his studies in a 

 dissertation on the organs of hearing ia insect), and in 1801 ia a 

 small work entitled ' liibliothoque Kntouiologique.' 



In 1796 Nodier had gone to Paris, where, furnished with numerous 

 recommendation*, he hod been introduced into the beat literary 

 societies of that time. Two years afterwards he retired to hia native 

 town; but soon becoming wearied of the monotony of a provincial 

 life, he sought for novelty in the society of the political prisoners and 

 suspected Royalists, who at that time abounded at Beaancon. His 

 imprudence, however, became the fortunate means of bringing his 

 talents more prominently into notice. The company he was keeping 

 brought him under the suspicious of the government, and his room 

 was oue night forced open and searched by tha police agents, ami hi* 

 papers placed in tho hands of the prefect, Jean Debry, one of the 

 deputies of the. French Republic, who was imprisoned at Rastadt by 

 the Amtriiins. While searching among his papers for some traces of a 

 political plot, Debry met with the manuscript of ' Le Dictionnaire des 

 Onomatope'ea,' and was surprised to discover the deep research and 

 learned disquisitions contained in a work of a young man whose habits 

 were apparently so frivolous. With just discernment he perceived to 

 what important uses might be applied the power of a mind no brilliant 

 in imagination and so persevering in stii'ly. Under his influential 

 auspices the work was published, with the success already mentioned. 



At the revolution which placed Napoleon on the throne, Nodier, 

 who during the most turbulent periods of the Republic had expressed 

 opinions favourable to the Royalist-', became under Napoleon a stern 

 Republican. Indeed, ia the strict acceptation of the turn), he had no 

 political opinions. The disposition of liis mind always prompted him to 

 oppose the prevalent tendencies of the ago. Thus, under the Republic, 

 which discountenanced religion, Nodier professed openly the most 

 religious sentiments; under the Consulate, he was at oue time a 

 Girondist, at another a Y'eudean ; under the Empire, he waa a discon- 

 tented Liberal ; under tho Restoration, he sung the praises of the 

 political party which had brought to the scaffold the brother of the 

 reigning king. 



His iirst poem, ' Napoleone,' is consecrated to the defence of liberty, 

 and appeared in 1800, when military power was assuming the 

 ascendant ; the last lines are a tributj of praise to " the martyred 

 Sidney." Au imprisonment of some months was the result, at the 

 expiration of which he waa sent back to bis native town, and placed 

 under the inspection of the police. Thus secluded from society, he 

 devoted more time to literature, and he especially attached himself to 

 a critical study of his own language. It was during this period that 

 appeared his'Examen critique des Dictiounairea de la Lan^im I'r.in- 

 caine ; ' a work replete with learned and instructive remarks. To this 

 period also is to be assigned his ' Puintre de Saltzbourg,' which lie 

 composed while wandering over the country to avoid tlie watchful 

 persecution of the government agents. After some years spent in this 

 wanner of life, he retired to Dole, where he gave public lectures on 

 French literature, which met with success unprecedented iu a small 

 country-town. It was there that he Iirst became acquainted with 

 Mademoiselle Desire's Charves, a lady of great accomplishments and 

 personal attractions, whom he afterwards marrie 1. 



Nodier spent the first years of bu married life at Quiutigny, near 

 the Jura ; it was amongst the picturesque woods and meadows, which 

 adorn the neighbourhood of that town that most of the poems which 

 have added so much to hu celebrity were composed. 1 he necessity 

 of providing for the subsistence of his family obliged him to abandon 

 the charms of a country life iu order to settle in Paris, he having in 

 vain solicited the vacant situation of public librarian of Dole, to wnich 

 was attached the small salary of 1000 fr., about 40*. a year. ID 1'aris 

 he soon made himself known by his numerous publications, and 

 became a regular contributor to the ' Journal des Debate.' A short 

 interruption to his residence at Paris was caused by tha acceptance of 

 the office of librarian at Lay bach in lllyria, with a salary of 1800 fr., 

 half of which he generously bestowed upon an aged Gorman who hod 

 been his predecessor. The restoration of the Bourbons produced littlu 

 change iu the fortunes of Nodier ; he continued attached to the ' Journal 

 des De'bats,' which paper he afterwards left to undertake the direction 

 of the ' Quotidienne.' This period of N other's life was rich in literary 

 labour ; each successive year he produced a work, which, taken by itself, 

 was sufficient to confer celebrity on the author. Iu 1818 appeared his 

 ' Jean Sbogar,' in which he displays an intimate knowledge of German 

 literature; iu 1819 ' Thoroae Hubert,' a short romance remarkable 

 for the unaffected beauty of its style and the simple development of 

 its plot ; in 1820 'Adele,' another imitation of the German; in 1821 

 ' 8m irr.i,' derived from the writings of Apuleius, and ' Trilby' in 1822. 



Nu'lier was shortly after this nominated to the important situation uf 

 librarian to the Arsenal at Paris. Nodier's rooms at the Arsenal soon 

 became the resort of tho most distinguished literary men of the capital, 

 who wero attracted thither by tho affability of tho librarian, and by 

 tho charms of his brilliant and learned conversation. Among the most 

 constant of his visitors were Victor Hugo, Lamartine, Alexandre 

 Duma*, and Ste. Beuve. It is not the least surprising fact coiim'ctcil 

 with the life of Nodier, that amidst the incessant occupations of hit 



