FRANCE. (LITERATURE.) 



289 



future character of rulers. Never, perhaps, was 

 instruction clothed in a more pleasing and noble 

 garb than in this mythological romance. Fern-Ion's 

 Inquiries into the Existence of God, and his Essay 

 on the Education of Females, are likewise distin- 

 guished by a tender, pious dignity. Although Mar- 

 montel's Belisaire, and his Lemons d'un Pere d ses 

 Enfans, do not equal the works just mentioned, yet 

 they imitate them in a manner which does honour to 

 their author. Among didactic writers, we must men- 

 tion the witty St Evremond, one of the ablest epicu- 

 reans, and one of Voltaire's predecessors. As a 

 model of the false eloquence, which was a long time 

 fashionable in France, we cite Fontenelle ; he 

 coquets with learning, and utters poor jests on seri- 

 ous matters, merely for the sake of being entertain- 

 ing; his conversations on astronomy pleased once 

 through this means. At a later period, French 

 literature was indebted to the ingenious widow of 

 Condorcet, for an excellent translation of Smith's 

 Theory of Moral Sentiments, to which she subjoined 

 Letters on Sympathy. The work of Madame de 

 Stael, on the Influence of the Passions upon the 

 Happiness of Individuals and Society, presents, like 

 all the other writings of this remarkable woman, 

 ingenious views, novel turns, and a rare indepen- 

 dency of mind. De Volney's Catechism for the 

 French Citizen, and Saint-Lambert's General Cate- 

 chism, or Principes des Mceurs chez toutes les 

 Nations, deserve notice. At the present day, Droz 

 lias distinguished himself by his work on morals. 

 Degerando's Perfectionnemcnt Morale has much 

 reputation. It has been translated in America (Bos- 

 ton, 1830). The political writers in France com- 

 mence with the venerable chancellor de 1'Hospital. 

 Although at no period the laws were so frequently 

 violated as in the reign of Charles IX., yet the 

 improvement of legislation begins with that epoch. 

 Dumoulin, one of the greatest jurisconsults, contri- 

 buted much to it. Hubert Languet, under the 

 assumed name of Junius Brutus, wrote a remarkable 

 work on the lawful power of a prince. La Boetie, 

 Bodin (Jo. Bodinus), Boisguilbert, Lamoignon, 

 D'Aguesseau, St Pierre, and Melon are celebrated 

 names in this branch of French literature. The 

 Economies royales, by Sully, must not be forgotten 

 here. The first place, however, is due to Montes- 

 quieu, for his great work De /' Esprit des Lois ; he 

 lived from 1689 to 1755. J. J. Rousseau, in his 

 Contrat social, disclosed truths which before had 

 scarcely been suspected. Mably gained reputation 

 by many works, especially by his Entretiens de Pho- 

 cion. Servan, Dupaty, Forbonnais, Turgot, distin- 

 guished themselves in this department ; and Neck- 

 er's writings on finance are well known. Mirabeau 

 will always be celebrated for his bold and powerful 

 productions. No writer, however, in this branch 

 during the revolution, was more distinguished for 

 sagacity and extensive knowledge than Sidyes. 

 Lebrun, Barbe-Marbois, Roederer, Dupont de Ne- 

 mours, Gamier, J. B. Say, Ganilh, and Merlin, Per- 

 reau, Bourguignon, Bexon, Pastoret, and Lacretelle, 

 are able writers on the science of legislation anc 

 jurisprudence. 



Pulpit Eloquence and JVorks on Education. Lin 

 gendes first distinguished himself by his sermons anc 

 funeral discourses, in the reign of Louis XIII. Bos- 

 suet warmed his audience by his noble zeal for trutl 

 and piety no less than by his splendid eloquence 

 which bears the character of the age of Louis XIV. 

 His celebrated Oraisofu funebres contributed very 

 much to the cultivation of French prose. Bour- 

 daloue was his rival, and was acknowledged to be 

 the first of French preachers ; he lived from 1 632 to 

 1704. Anselme and Fle'chier were popular preachers 



Vlassillon learned much from these great predeces- 

 sors, and touched the heart by the most moving lan- 

 guage of Christian humility. Among Protestant 

 preachers, Saurin is distinguished. In ffwks on 

 Education, the French literature is very rich. Not 

 :o repeat here the works which have been already 

 nentioned, we shall only notice, among the produo 

 -ions of the latest tunes, the works of Mad. Leprince 

 de Beaumont, Mad. de Genlis, De Bouilly, Ber- 

 quin, Ducray-Dumenil, &c., as written in an intelli- 

 gible and pleasing style, and adapted to the tender 

 age for which they are designed. 



History, Biography. The earliest monuments of 

 French eloquence must be looked for in historical 

 writing ; and the first rank among writings of this 

 class is due to the memoires. The French were 

 always happy in their observation of character and 

 manners, in public as well as private life. The 

 study of their numerous memoires is now rendered 

 easy by the valuable Collection universelle de 

 Memoires relutifs d I' Histoire de France, the first 

 twelve volumes of which contain only those from the 

 thirteenth to the close of the fifteenth century. At 

 the head of the authors of valuable memoires stands 

 the chevalier Jean de Joinville, who accompanied St 

 Louis in the crusade to Palestine. The honest, 

 warm-hearted simplicity of this writer has all the 

 charm of romance. He wishes, with an honest zeal, 

 to raise a literary monument to his pious sovereign. 

 Christine de Pisan, daughter of the astrologer at the 

 court of Charles V., comes next to him. Her style 

 is more graceful, without possessing Joinville's 

 strength and cheerful ease. Philippe de Comines 

 has given a striking picture of the gloomy, hypocri- 

 tical Louis XI. He is the most ingenious, and, both 

 in point of style and matter, the first among the 

 writers of French memoirs, from the thirteenth to 

 nearly the beginning of the seventeenth century. 

 Froissart wrote a larger historical work, to which he 

 endeavoured to give an epic character, by the 

 charms of striking narratives. In the memoirs of 

 the life of the chevalier Bayard, are perceived the 

 last traces of the honest simplicity of those old histo- 

 rians and chroniclers. A mixture of this simplicity 

 of former writers, with an assurance that stands 

 unparalleled in historical literature, characterizes the 

 notorious memoirs of Brantome. They describe the 

 times of Charles IX. and Henry III., in which the 

 most revolting licentiousness prevailed. Sully por- 

 trayed his age in an interesting and dignified man- 

 ner. It is to be regretted that the learned De Thou 

 wrote in Latin. Mezerai wrote the history of the 

 French monarchy with independence. Pelisson, in 

 relating the conquest of Franche-Comte, is a pane- 

 gyrist rather than an historian. Varillas filled fifteen 

 volumes in quarto with the history of the period 

 from Louis XI. to the death of Henry III. He is 

 somewhat exaggerated in his manner. St Re'al imi- 

 tated him, but his language is purer. At the same 

 period, Daniel, Joseph d'Orleans, Rapin de Thoyras, 

 and Aubert de Vertot distinguished themselves as 

 historians. The sketch of universal history, by 

 Bossuet, is unique. It contains a comprehensive 

 survey of the great events in the ancient world, in 

 reference to the destiny of man. Cardinal de Retz 

 understood the art of interweaving the most interest- 

 ing anecdotes, in the most ingenious and vivid man- 

 ner, into his narration. Bougeant wrote on the 

 peace of Westphalia. Rollin's works are written for 

 the instruction of youth. They exhibit neither 

 genius nor profoundness of research, but are good 

 for beginners and amateurs. Next in time comes 

 Crevier's history of the emperors, and Lebeau's His- 

 toire. du Bas- Empire (revised and enlarged by 

 Royou, Paris, 1814, 4 vols.) The ecclesiastical 



