NATIONAL POETRY. 453 



Ronsard was, beyond all doubt, a poet ; but his writings arc tedious, though 

 here and there lighted up by some trait of vigour and brilliancy. His 

 reputation was a European one, and Mary Stuart, who beguiled the hours 

 of her captivity by reading his works, sent him a Parnassus in solid silver, 

 with the inscription, " A Ronsard, 1'Apollo de la source des Muses." 



The most distinguished poet of the Pleiad was unquestionably Joachim 

 du Bellay, who founded it. " His language," remarks the critic Ge'rusez, 

 " is a perfected imitation of that of Marot, with more attention as to the 

 copying of Latin or Italian." Du Bellay had good taste, which was a point 



Pig. 353. Portrait of Ponthus de Thyard. Reduced Fac-simile of the Engraving of Thomas de 

 Leu. In the Library of M. Ambroise Finnin-Didot, Paris. 



in which Ronsard and the rest of the Pleiad were lacking; and he also 

 possessed sensibility and elevation of feeling, and deserved the surname of 

 the French Ovid. The remainder were very inferior to him : Ba'if was heavy, 

 pretentious, and pedantic ; Remy BeUeau, surnamed the gentil Bellcau, had 

 nothing pedantic about him, and did not attempt to write anything but pretty 

 verses ; Jodelle, who was one of the founders of the Theatre in France, wrote 

 a mixture of French and Greek ; Ponthus de Thyard, who wrote more prose 

 than verse, got a bishopric out of the former ; while Daurat composed only 

 a few French verses, all the rest of his works being in Greek and Latin. 



