1809.] Memoirs of M. Gaillard, the French Historian. 
only daughter of Charles the Bold, and 
wife of Maximilian, first Archduke of 
Austria, and afterwards Emperor of Ger- 
many. ‘This princess, more remarkable 
for her mild and peaceful virtues, than 
for the very brief part which she acted in 
the world, would have occupied ‘at the 
utmost only a few pages in history, had 
it not been obliged to record the reason 
why she was deprived of the duchy of 
Burgundy by Louis XI.-and if her mar- 
riage with Maximilian, by transferring 
the Netherlands to the house of Austria, 
had not been the source of the wars, re- 
kindled almost as soon as extinguished, 
which, for several ages, embroiled that 
house with the rulers of France. 
With the success of the History of 
Mary of Burgundy, the author had every 
reason to be satisfied. It was com- 
mended by the public journals, and those 
whose opinion is in general modelled 
after those publications; and the Aca- 
demy of Belles Lettres, which discovered 
in the work, not only the excellencies of 
style and composition, but also an ex- 
tensive acquaintance with the history of 
the time, and sound judgment, chose the 
new historian to fill the place of the very 
industrious and learned Abbé Lebceuf, 
whom it lost in 1760. 
If M. Gaillard did not, like his preae- 
cessor, enrich-the collection of that aca- 
demy with a great number of profound 
researches on the History of France, it 
cannot be asserted, that he did not ho- 
norably discharge the tribute which. it 
had a right to demand of each of its 
members. ‘Those who refer to that col- 
lection, will there find a victorious vin- 
dication of the ancient historians on the 
- subject of the crimes which tkey have 
imputed to the too celebrated Queen 
Brunehaut, whose conduct certain apo- 
logists have attempted to justify. They 
will likewise find several other points of 
French history very learnedly elucidated, 
and literary subjects treated with equal 
acumen, taste, and ability, They will not 
fail, particularly to notice the luminous 
memoirs in which he dispels the thick 
darkness which had heretofore obscured 
the History of the Lombards, and they 
will regret that he did not bring down 
his labors to the destruction of their mo- 
narchy in 774, by Charlentagne, This 
piece of history would not have been 
destitute of interest, and it would have 
shed some new light on the general bis- 
tary of those ages, 
_ While pursuing thecareer of erudition 
. and history, in which he thus digtinguish- 
Adoxtucy Mae, No, 191; ; 
389 
ed himself, M. Gaillard did not renounce 
any of the branches of literature which 
he had loved and cultivated in his youth. 
He successively, or, more properly, at 
the same time, devoted himself to them 
all, and with nearly equalsuccess. Fully 
sensible of his powers, and a thirst for 
every species of literary glory, he re 
solved to dispute the palm of eloquence; 
he neither numbered nor weighed his 
rivals, nor did he suffer himself to be de. 
terred by the most. celebrated names, 
The French Academy, in 1765, proposed 
the Eulogy of Descartes for the subject 
of a prize. M. Gaillard entered the 
lists; here he had to encounter Thomas, 
whose brows were already encircled with 
academic wreaths ; victory long wavered 
between them; now she inclined to one, 
and now to another; at length, finding 
them both worthy of her, she placed ong 
on either side, and crowned them both 
with the same laurel. This signal tri- 
umph, though M. Gaillard’s modesty led, 
him to think and say that he was in a 
great measure indebted for it to private 
considerations, inflamed him with new 
ardour, and he became a candidate in 
almost ‘ail the competitions opened by 
the different academies of France. 
His Discourse on the Advantages of* 
Peace, which breathes throughout that 
fervent love of humanity which the author 
incessantly displays in all his historical 
works, obtained the second prize, de. 
creed in 1767, by the French Academy, 
and ought to have received the first, if 
its judgment had not been influenced by 
motives stronger than those of impartial 
justice. His Eulogy en Henry IV. and 
that on Pierre Corneille, were crowned, 
soon afterwards, in 1768, the former by 
the Academy of Rochelle, and the latter 
by the Academy of Rouen; and, in 1770, 
he obtained the prize proposed by the 
Academy of Marseilles, for the Hulogy on 
Massillon. s 
The palms of eloquence were not sufa- 
cient to satisfy his love of glory; he was 
desirous of adding to them those of pues - 
try. Several pieces, transmitted by him 
to the French Academy, were honours 
ably distinguished, and very nearly gain- 
ed himthe crown. More successful with 
the Academy of Marseilles, his Ipistle 
on Volcanoes, procured him the honours - 
ofa triumph, in 1769; and his poem on 
the subject of Regulus before the Senate, 
was at the same time judged worthy of 
the second prize. : 
All these successes, in 1771, openeg 
to him the doors of re French Academy, 
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