132 



FABLE FABRETTI. 



is justly considered a species of didactic composition, 

 mid is a kind of allegory. It may be described as a 

 method of inculcating practicable rules of worldly 

 prudence or wisdom, by imaginary representations 

 dmwn from the physical or external world. It con- 

 sists, properly, of two parts : the symbolical repre- 

 sentation, and the application, or the instruction in- 

 tended to be deduced from it, which latter is called 

 the moral of the tale, and must be apparent in the 

 fible itself, in order to render it poetical. On ac- 

 count of its aim, it lies upon the borders of poetry 

 and prose : is rarely in true poetic spirit, and pleases 

 independently of its object. The satisfaction which 

 we derive from fables does not lie wholly in the 

 pleasure that we receive from the symbolical repre- 

 sentation, but lies deeper, in the feeling that the 

 order of nature is the same in the spiritual and the 

 material worlds. In the material world, the eternal 

 forms of laws and qualities are more uniform and per- 

 ceptible, than in the moral world, and, for this 

 reason, the fabulist (whose object is not merely to 

 render a truth perceptible by means of a fictitious ac- 

 tion, for a. parable would do this) chooses his charac- 

 ters from the brute creation. 



A German writer (Herder), divides fables into 

 1. Theoretic, intended to form the understanding ; 

 thus a phenomenon of nature, as illustrative of the 

 laws of the universe, is used to exercise the under- 

 standing. For example, when the dog, with a mouth- 

 ful, snaps at a shadow in the water ; when the sheep 

 contends with the wolf, or the hare hunts with the 

 lion. 2. Moral, which contain rules for the regula- 

 tion of the will. We do not learn morality from the 

 brutes, but view the great family of nature, and ob- 

 serve that she has connected the happiness of all 

 living creatures with the unchangeable, eternal law 

 of effort, and take example from the observance of 

 this law by the lower orders of creation ; as, for 

 example, " Go to the ant, thou sluggard !" 3. 

 Fables of fate or destiny. It cannot always be made 

 evident how one thing follows as a necessary conse- 

 quence from another ; here, then, comes in play that 

 connexion of events which we call Jate, or chance, 

 and which shows that things follow, at least after, 

 if not from one another, by an order from above. 

 Thus the eagle carries, with her plunder, a coal from 

 the altar, which sets fire to her nest, and thus her 

 unfledged brood becomes the prey of animals which 

 she has already robbed of their young. The plan of 

 the fables is regulated by this threefold division of 

 the subject and character. In general, it must pos- 

 sess unity, that the whole tenor of it may be easily 

 seen ; and dignity, since the subject has a certain 

 degree of importance. But this does not exclude 

 gayety nor satire. 



Some fables are founded upon irony ; some are 

 pathetic ; and some even aspire to the sublime. 

 The writers of ancient fables were simple, calm, and 

 earnest. The oldest fables are supposed to be the 

 Oriental ; among these, the Indian fables of Pilpay 

 (Billpai or Bilpai), and the fables of the Arabian 

 Lockman, are celebrated. (See those articles.) ^Esop 

 is well known among the Greeks, and was imitated 

 by Phaedrus among the Latin writers. Bodmer lias 

 published German fables of the time of the Minne- 

 singer. Boner, who lived at the close of the 14th 

 century, shows, in his Edelstein, that he possessed 

 the true spirit of fable. The author of Reynard the 

 Fox wrote a collection of serious fables. Burkard 

 W'aldis may be mentioned, in the 16th century. In 

 the 17th, Gay among the English, and La Fontaine 

 among the French, were distinguished. The writer 

 last named made fable the vehicle of wit, and spoke 

 the language of society. Fables may have the form 

 of narrative or dialogue. 



FABRE D'EGLANTINE, PHILIPPE FRANCOIS Ni. 

 ZAIRE, a French dramatic writer, was born at Carcas- 

 sonne, in 1755. In his youth he was much addicted 

 to excess, and became, successively, a soldier and an 

 actor. He played in Geneva, Lyons, and Brussels, 

 without much success. His accomplishments and 

 poetical talent rendered him more successful in 

 society. As early as his 16th year, he wrote a poem 

 (L' Etude de la Nature) for the prize offered by the 

 French academy, 1771. Having afterwards gained 

 the prize of the Eglantine at the Floreal games in 

 Toulouse, he assumed the name of that flower as 

 a surname. He now wrote several theatrical pieces, 

 of which, however, only two, L'Intrigue epistolaire 

 and the Philinte de Moliere were successful. The 

 latter is still considered one of the best character- 

 pieces of the modern French stage. Of an ambitious 

 spirit, he engaged with ardour in the revolution, 

 acting with Danton, Lacroix, and Camille Des- 

 moulins, wrote several revolutionary pamphlets, and 

 was active on the 10th of August. Having been 

 chosen deputy from Paris to the national convention, 

 he at first supported moderate principles, but after- 

 wards voted for the death ot'Louis XVI., without ap- 

 peal, and was chosen a member of the committee of 

 public safety. He attacked Brissot and the Giron- 

 dists, and made a report on the introduction of the 

 republican calendar, on which occasion he betrayed 

 a great ignorance of astronomy. He afterwards be- 

 came suspected by the Jacobins, was accused of 

 being a royalist, and condemned to death, April 5, 

 1794. 



FABRETTI, RAPHAEL, one of the most learned 

 antiquarians of modern times, was born in 1618, at 

 Urbino, in the papal dominions, and devoted himself to 

 the study of law in the school at Cagli, where he re- 

 ceived a doctor's degree in the 18th year of his 

 age. He then went to Rome, where his elder 

 brother, Stephen, a respectable lawyer, was residing. 

 On this classic ground, covered with the remains of 

 antiquity, he conceived a fondness for the study of 

 antiquity, in which he gained so much fame by his 

 profound researches, his penetration, and ingenuity. 

 He found powerful patrons in his professional career. 

 He was sent to Spain by the cardinal Lorenzo Im- 

 periali, with an important public commission ; after 

 the successful termination of which he was made 

 papal treasurer by Alexander VII., and, soon after, 

 auditor of the papal legation at the court of Madrid. 

 The leisure which these posts secured to him for 

 thirteen years was employed in archaeological 

 studies. He was afterwards enabled to examine the 

 antiquities of Rome on the spot, by the return of the 

 nuncio, Carlo Bonelli, who, being appointed cardinal, 

 took Fabretti back with him to Rome. On the 

 journey through France and Upper Italy, he exam- 

 ined all the monuments of antiquity that fell in his 

 way, and formed an acquaintance with the most cele- 

 brated antiquarians Menage, Mabillon, Hardouin, 

 and Montfaucon. On his arrival in Rome, he was 

 promoted to the office of counsellor of appeals, in the 

 Capitoline court of justice an office which afforded 

 him sufficient leisure to prosecute his favourite studies 

 with indefatigable industry. The confidence of car- 

 dinal Cesi, however, soon called him to a different 

 occupation. He was obliged to accompany the car- 

 dinal, who was appointed legate of Urbino, in the 

 capacity of legal counsellor, and, in this situation, 

 had an opportunity of serving his native city in 

 various ways. He returned, after three years, to 

 Rome, where he resided till his death, and found 

 a powerful patron in the vicar of Innocent XI., car- 

 dinal Gasparo Carpegna. 



From that time, he devoted himself wholly to an- 

 tiquarian researches. His first works on this sul>- 



