Retrospect of French Literature— History. 
more than ten to perform, seven thou- 
said stadia from the camp to the mmpe- 
al palace. The plan was good, and the 
O77 
execution rapid, well deserving of dis- 
tingu’shed honours; and the bow will be 
soon unstrone, and the war at an end.” 
a rt 
WALF-YRFARLY RETROSPECT OF FRENCH LITER ATURE. 
“ DRECIS Historique sur Enguerande 
de, &c. &c.’’ An Historical Account 
of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, and his 
Chronicles, by T. Du Mersar, which 
obtained the prize from the Society of 
Emulation at Cambray. 
Itis an honourable enterprise to at- 
tempt history, but such an effort de. 
mands many eminent, aud even in- 
dispensable qualities. It is not sufii- 
cient to arrange facts compiled with- 
out inquiry, with some degree of 
taste: it becomes necessary lo add 
to a scrupulous ‘exactness in re- 
spect to dates and events, precision of 
style, clearness of recital and imparti- 
ality in judgment. Above all things, 
the historian must render himself neu- 
tral in respect to the events which he 
recounts, lest he should forget truth, 
and thus deceive posterily to whom he 
addresses his writings. 
Enguerrand de Monstrelet* is the 
person we are indebted for the valuable 
work entitled,‘ Chroniques de? Histoire 
de Frunce depuis 1400 jus qu’en 453.” 
At the time he composed his memoirs 
he resided in Cambray, of which he 
_was governor, and this city maintained 
‘a strict nentrality, in respect to the 
French, English and Burgundians. Its 
inhabitants were consequently stran- 
gers to the cruel factions which then 
tore the bosom of France, while En- 
guerrand becoming an impartial wit- 
ness of this spectacle of war and dis- 
asters, enjoyed all the repose which an 
historian could wish for, and possessed 
no small degree of facility at the same 
time to receive accounts from all parties. 
No détails respecting his private life 
now exist; all we know is, that he 
was Provost of Cambray, and Baille of 
‘Wallincourt ; that he married Jeanne 
de Valboun or Valhoun, by whom 
he had several children, and that he 
‘died in 1453, sixteen days before the 
conclusion of the peace; this is proved 
by the Necrology, or funeral register of 
the Cordeliers of Cambray. ‘The fol- 
lowing is a short extract: ‘* Le ving- 
tieme jour de juillet Pan 1453, ho- 
* A French writer (La Monnaie) has re- 
marked, that we ought ‘to pronounce the 
mame Monrreter, to avoid the egquivoke 
of MONSTRE-LAID. ; 
Moytuiy Mac. Nor 208.. 
norable hoino et noble Encherans, &c. 
Stepassa et elfsit sasepulture aux Corde- 
lois de Cambray, et fut Ja porté en un 
portatoire, enveloppé d’une natte, vétu 
en habit de Cordelois, le visage au nud, 
et trois clierons, (grand cierge) de trois 
quarts chacun autour del bierre, &c.” 
It would appear from a manuscript 
relation left by his friend Jean C. Ro- 
berl, thal he was a bastard, a circum- 
stance which at that epoch had nothing 
dishonourable appertaining to it, his 
contemporary Dunois and many of the 
heroes of the age, being exactly in 
the same predicament. As to his de. 
scent, he may have sprung from Fn- 
guerrand LV. Sire de Coucy, while the 
surname of Monstrelet might have 
arisen from his bemg born at the town 
‘of that name, in Lower Picardy. 
‘* Popliniere accuses him of parti- 
ality, and he was assuredly attached to 
_ the house of Burgundy; but he was 
far less partial than Froissard, whose 
prejudice in favour of the English 
and against the Freach was extreme; 
for Boyle observes, ‘* that a writer less 
prejudiced than him who was greatly 
so, cannot be considered as very faith. 
ful.” He is accused also of being very 
diffuse, as he gives the history of only 
53 years in 2 vols folio. But on the 
other hand, his work abounds with 
public documents, state papers, pro- 
clamations, challenges, &c. so that he 
has erected the solid foundations of a 
great edifice, and left the task of orna- 
menting and embeilishing it to others, 
There are severaleditions of the Chro- 
niyues de Monstrelet, and the Imperial 
Library also possesses a fine manu- 
‘script written on vellum, which forms 
2 vols, adorned with 74 vignettes illus- 
trative of the events, admirably exe- 
cuted, and with ail the capital letters 
finely coloured. The following is the 
‘title of the first edition: ** Le premiere 
volume de’ Enguerran de Monstrelet en 
suyvant Froissart, &c.”’ Here follows 
a brief analysis of the whole. The 
cruel situation of France‘at the time he 
wrote is well known. Charles VI. 
commenced his reign i1a1888 ; his mino- 
rity prepared the misfortunes that en.~ 
sued, while his madness brought them 
toa crisis. The contests on the part 
of his four uncles for the regeney, de- 
45° generated 
