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FRANCE. (LITERATURE). 



only a part has been published. La Navigation, by 

 lisinenard, L" Astronomic, by Guidin, Le Merite des 

 famines, by Legouve, Le Genie de I' Homme, by Che- 

 nedolle, Les Trots Ages, by Roux, are of superior 

 merit. The last great work of Delille, Les Trois 

 Regnes de la Nature, abounds in beauties. Lanuir- 

 tine is also distinguished in this department of poetry. 

 Dramatic Poetry. The principal work on the 

 French drama and stage is the Histoire du The- 

 atre Francois depuis son Origine jusqu'd present 

 (Paris, 1734 and 1756), in fifteen volumes, by the 

 brothers Fr. and Cl. Parfait, who also published 

 a Dictionnaire des Theatres de Paris, contenant 

 toutes les Pieces qui ont etc representees jusqu 

 d present, des Fails Anecd. sur let Auteurs, Ac- 

 'eurs, Actrices, Danseurs, Danseusts, Compositettrs 

 de Ballets, &c. (Paris, 1756 and 1758, seven vo- 

 lumes). The treatises of Fontenelle, Suard (in his 

 Melanges de Litterature), La Harpe, Lemercier, 

 and A. W. von Schlegel (Lectures on Dramatic 

 Literature) should also be consulted. The French 

 themselves admit that it is difficult to give a con- 

 nected history of their theatre. The earliest period 

 to which the origin of the French theatre can be 

 referred is the reign of Charlemagne, when we find 

 the first mention of histriones, or clowns, jesters, 

 r<>] e-dancers, and jugglers. Charlemagne banished 

 tl;em on account of their licentiousness ; and, under 

 his successors, no traces of them are to be found. 

 The people, however, did not lose their taste for 

 public spectacles, and thus originated the feast of 

 fools. (See Fools, Feast of.) The Troubadours, the 

 creators of French poetry, also presented their 

 songs in the form of dialogues, and first received 

 the name les comiques, or comediens. Among the 

 dramatic Troubadours was Faydit. But these per- 

 formances were so rude that the origin of the true 

 theatre in France, as in the rest of Europe, must be 

 dated from the fourteenth and the beginning of the 

 fifteenth century, with the introduction of the mys- 

 teries. In modern as in ancient times, the drama 

 had a religious origin. Towards the end of the 

 reign of Charles V., the songs which the pilgrims 

 used to sing on their return from their pilgrimages, 

 gave the first idea of that kind of dramatic poetry 

 which was called mystery. The performers received 

 the title of brethren of the passion (confrerie de la 

 passion), by letters patent from Charles V., because 

 they represented the passion of our Lord ; and, 

 during the reigns of Charles VI., Charles VII., and 

 Louis IX., the drama made a rapid progress, not- 

 withstanding the civil wars and the distracted state 

 of France. At first the mysteries, which always re- 

 presented some biblical or legendary history, were 

 considered rather as acts of devotion than as an 

 amusement ; and the religious services in the 

 churches were shortened to give the people time to 

 attend them. But they soon degenerated into mere 

 travesties of the most sacred subjects. The frater- 

 nity at first performed their plays in the streets, in 

 the open air ; afterwards, in a hall, in the hospital 

 of the Trinity, and, at a later period, in the hotel de 

 Bourgogne. The spectators were seated as at pre- 

 sent, in rows of seats, rising one above another 

 (etablies), the highest of which was called paradise, 

 the others, the palace of Herod, &c. God the Father 

 was represented in a long robe, surrounded by 

 angels, seated upon a staging. In the middle of 

 the stage was hell, in the form of a dragon, whose 

 mouth opened to let in and out the devils which 

 appeared during the play. The rest of the stage 

 represented the world. An alcove with a curtain 

 belonged to the theatre, in which every thing was 

 supposed to happen which could not be exhibited 

 to the spectators ; as the delivery of the v'.rgin, cir- 



cumcisions, &c. On both sides of the stage were 

 benches, upon which the actors sat in the intervals 

 of their performance, as they never left the stage 

 until they liad finished their parts. The mysteries 

 were not divided into acts, but days (journees). A 

 performance lasted as many days as it had such divi- 

 sions, which were generally so long that the play was 

 interrupted for some hours, merely to give the play- 

 ers time to eat. The mysteries were, in fact, long 

 dramatized histories, in which the whole course of a 

 person's life was represented. Historical truth was 

 not much regarded in them. Thus Herod, for 

 instance, was represented as a pagan, and the 

 Roman governor of Judea as a Mohammedan. The 

 tragic and comic were mixed together, in the most 

 ridiculous way. The crucifixion of the Saviour, or 

 the martyrdom of a saint, was succeeded by the 

 buffooneries of the clown. Parts of the play were 

 sung, some even in choruses. The verses were 

 principally iambic lines of different length. Such 

 was the infancy of the art. By the side of the mys- 

 teries sprung up the plays of the Bazoche an old 

 corporation of legal and judicial officers, which had 

 the privilege of superintending public festivals. In 

 the reign of Philip the Fair, they had received per- 

 mission to receive pupils to assist them in their 

 duties. These clerks afterwards formed a corpora- 

 tion, the head of which was called the roi de la Ba- 

 zoche ; and, excited by the success of the mysteries, 

 they invented a new species of plays the moralities 

 and farces, which they performed under the name of 

 clercs de la Bazoche. They performed, at first, in 

 private houses ; but a theatre was afterwards given 

 them in the royal palace. Some of the pieces dis- 

 played much wit and humour, as appears from some 

 remains which have come down to us. The farces, 

 which served as afterpieces to the moralities, were 

 of different kinds, historical, fabulous, comic, &c., 

 and consisted of short lays, in verse, representing 

 characters drawn from real life, with much satirical 

 license and comic power. The most celebrated 

 among them is the witty farce of the Avocat Patelin 

 (probably first represented about 1480), which still 

 maintains itself npon the French stage (as remodel- 

 led by Brueys and Palaprat), and which has had a 

 decided influence upon the comic drama of the 

 French. Pierre Blanchet is said to have been the 

 author. The piece is rude as a whole, but the dia- 

 logue has a spirit and ease which have ever since 

 characterized the French comedy. The Bazoche plays 

 maintained themselves in favour at Paris for two 

 centuries ; but their indecency and personalities 

 became a public scandal. The parliament repeat- 

 edly caused the theatres to be shut. In 1542, the 

 actors were all thrown into prison ; and, in 1545, the 

 society was abolished. About the same time with 

 this, a third society was formed, called the children 

 without care (enfans sans souci). Its members were 

 young men of good families ; their president was 

 called the. prince of fools (prince des sots), and their 

 performances were called follies (soties). They 

 were satirical plays, having no other object than to 

 lash fools, and to ridicule individuals or bodies of 

 persons in high life. For this purpose, allegorical 

 personification was used, and the children of Folly 

 and their grandmamma, Stupidity, who brings them 

 into the service of the world, &c., appeared as acting 

 persons. These soties, performed on stages in pub- 

 lic places, were received with great applause, so 

 that the Bazoche exchanged their moralities for 

 them. As early as the time of Charles VI., this gay 

 company received a privilege. But they assumed 

 such a license, that their plays were subjected to 

 the censorship of the parliament, in the reign of 

 Francis I.; and as they evaded the censorship 



