Retrospect of French Literature—History and Biography. 639 
having obtained a great number of excel- 
lent books from France, I spent my time 
partly in reading, partly in social inter- 
course. I also took great delight in walk- 
ing along the strand, amidst the solitary 
rocks that surrounded my dwelling, which 
looked towards the sea, and afiorded me 
a full view of that vast and changeable 
element. 
“ I beheld equally unmoved the tem- 
pest and thecalm. I considered that, al- 
though shut up in an island three leagues 
long, and one in breadth, where I was a 
stranger and destitute of any permanent 
property, I might still be more happy, 
provided I exhibited more wisdom than 
those who had occasioned my disgrace. 
I reflected that if I was exiled from the 
place of my birth by their authority, they 
were reduced to the same situation, in re- 
spect to their native country, by their 
good fortune, and that if they spent their 
time with greater splendour, mine passed 
away amidst superior tranquillity. Con- 
siderations of this kind taught me at 
length to know, that my happiness de- 
pended entirely upon myself, and I ac- 
tually spent seven months in. this savage 
spot, without evincing the least desire to 
leave it.” 
He was at length persuaded however, 
by the duke de Vendome, to follow him 
to Italy. On this he landed at Coutances 
in Normandy, and travelled by unfre- 
quented roads to the house of his brother 
the Abbé, where he concealed himself 
during some weeks, After this he set 
out on horseback for Geneva, then re- 
paired to Venice, and rejoined his patron 
at Florence; but he was received with 
great coldness, and after a short stay at 
Rome returned first to France, and then 
to Jersey. Thence he passed over once 
more into Normandy, and remained con- 
cealed at the house of a relation during 
the years 1646 and 1647, without any 
one knowing the place of his retreat, a 
single female servant only excepted. 
At length, thinking that the plot form- 
ed by the Duke de Beaufort was entirely 
forgotten, he married Madeinoiselle Mar- 
tinville in 1648, purchased the estate of 
Boscferei, near to Elbeuf, and was about 
to reside there, when he learned that his 
friend had escaped from Vincennes, On 
this he prepared to rejoin the duke de 
Beaufort; but was cvolly requested by 
that nobleman to return home—and the 
troubles which had originated at Paris, 
having now extended to the.-provinces, 
M. de Campion embraced the party of 
the duke de Longueville, who disputed 
Moxtuty Mac., No, 166, 
the government of that portion of France, 
with the Count de Harcourt Lorraine. 
Having accepted a commission under him 
he advanced witha body of troops to suc= “ 
cour Evreux, and having formally “ ab- 
jured the service of the duke de Beau- 
fort,” he im 1652, obtained the command 
of a regimen’ of infantry from his new 
protetcor. 
During the iiege of Bar le Duc, our 
author was int. duced to the cardinal Ma- 
zarin, who treated him with great distine- 
tion ; and in 1653, he was present at the 
sieges of Chateau Porcien and Vervins. 
We now come to a passage which 
strongly marks the superstition of the age 
of which we at present treat. ‘I had 
time about this period, (1653) to visit my 
own home, (says he) and spend a few 
days with my wife and children, and 
found my eldest daughter so handsome, 
so witty, and above all so intelligent, al- 
though only four years of age, that her 
reason appeared superior to my own, 
I then repaired to Sens, on purpose to 
establish a garrison there, after which 
I returned once more to my own house, 
and passed two months there, with every 
thing around me calculated to add to my 
satisfaction ; and yet I was at the same 
time overwhelmed with an unaccounte 
able degree of melancholy, which was 
but a warning of that extreme affliction 
that Iwas soon unhappily destined to ex 
perience. I hecame greatly alarmed on 
this occasion, knowing that God had con- 
stantly intimated to me all my misfortunes, 
by dreams, presages,or internal admonitions. 
On repairing to Italy, in quest of the Duke 
de Vendome, a weazel crossed my path, 
in the neighbourhoed of Geneva, a cir- 
circumstance which to me has always 
been the forerunner of some sinister 
events. On arriving at Rome, another 
traversed the road in the same manner, 
and the day before my friend Beaupuis 
was arrested, I was informed of that event 
ina dream, as I told him in the course 
af that very forenoon. The self same in- 
cident occurred to me at the capture of 
Ganseville, when a third weazel made its 
appearance. In fine, I experienced a si- 
milar adventure, when I went in search 
of the Duke of Beaufort on his escape 
from prison, 
“‘ | have nothing of superstition in my 
constitution, (he is pleased to add) but 
I believe God possesses so much good- 
ness that he occasivnally inclines to warn 
mankind of the evils which are about: to 
befall them, either that they should be 
enabled to avoid them, or to let them 
42? know, 
