704 Retrospect of French Literature—Miscellaneous. 
which conferred a good education upon 
him. After the conclusion of his stu- 
dies, he dedicated himself to medicine, 
in which science he made a rapid pro- 
gress; the usual degrees were taken by 
him at Montpellier, whence he travelled 
over Languedoc and Provence, and then 
repaired to Paris, 
At the- death of his father, S. de P, 
was prevailed upon by his friends to 
settle at Sens, where he married Jeane 
Belot, the sister of an advocate, by whom 
he had but one daughter, who died when 
only seven years old. Such was the 
esteem attached to his character by his 
family, that his two brothers actually 
left their native province, to reside in 
the same place with him: the elder fre- 
quented the bar there, and Bartholemy, 
the younger, became a canon in the ca- 
thedral. 
Such was the reputation of Simeon, 
that he soon obtained the rank of phy- 
sician to the king, and was chosen re- 
presentative from the city of Sens to 
the States General. Accordingly at the 
age of seventy, he repaired to Paris, and 
after an illness of three days, died there. 
His body was carried to the city where 
he had exercised his profession upwards 
of forty years, and was interred in the 
cathedral, with an inscription engraved 
in marble, over his tomb. His fellow 
citizens appear to have disputed the ho- 
nour of composing his epitaph, as a 
collection of pieces for that purpose was 
soon after published. 
Manget, in his Bibliotheca Scriptorum 
Medicorum, has made mention of his 
works, under the title of Simeon Pro- 
vencherius Medicus, lingonensimus. He 
translated from the Latin, “ Le prodi- 
gieux enfant pétrifié de la ville de Sens, 
#vec un figure du dit prodige, 1582, 8vo. 
He also published “ Aphorismorum Hip- 
pocratis enarratio poetica, auctore Pro- 
vencherio Medico regio, 1630.” 
Sur le Sculpteur Canova: Concern- 
ing the Sculptor Canova. This artist, 
so celebrated on account of the happy 
efforts of his chisel, was born in Venice, 
and has improved himself greatly by tra- 
vel. He visited the whole of Italy, with 
the Prince Rezzonico, whence le repaired 
to Paris. While there, he frequented 
the Gallery of Antiquities, and always 
considered the Venus in the Salle des 
Athletes, as next in pomt of beauty to 
the Venusde Medicis. Itis well known, 
that he deemed the pretended Alex- 
ender, an Antinous. with a new head, 
but thought that the Minerva was one 
of the most remarkable monuments 
antiquity. i 
General St. Cyr, while in Italy, be- 
friended him greatly. Bonaparte con- 
tinued the pension which he had re- 
céived from the Republic of Venice, and 
he has of late years applied his genius 
chiefly to colossal statues. | 
Notice Biographique sur Beaucousin : 
A Biographical Notice relative to Beau- 
cousin. j . 
Christopher Jean Francois Beaucou- 
sin, a French lawyer, was born at Noyon, 
in the department of Oise, aud repaired 
early in life to Paris, where he was re- 
ceived as an advocate in the parliament, 
BOE, hod Notwithstanding — his 
eminence as a professional man, he em- 
ployed all his leisure hours in satisfying 
his passion for books, and his insatiate 
avidity for literary pursuits. His talents 
as a pleader, obtained for him sufficient 
wealth, to form a numerous and impor- 
tant collection of manuscripts; and had 
not the late revolution entirely deranged 
his affairs, he intended to have published 
the fruit of his own acquisitions, under 
the title of “ Délassemens d’un juriscon- 
sulte”’ This work, on which be labour- 
ed during the whole of his life, would 
have comprised a series of fifteen vo- 
lumes 8vo. and contained a collection of 
interesting researches relative to the 
history of literature, and every species of 
literary composition. It also abounded 
with a variety of extracts relative to 
Cathrinot and Tunerbe. 
The mortification produced not. so 
much by the loss of his fortune, as the 
impossibility of paying his debts, sapped 
the foundation of his health, and con- 
~ 
ducted Beaucousin to the tomb at the ~ 
age of sixty seven, and at the very mos 
ment when he was about to experience 
a better lot, by being nominated librarian 
to the Jate Directory. He however did 
not hear of his appointment until the 
night before his death, when he was 
given at the same time to understand, | 
that his cabinet, which had been formed 
by the labours of forty years, was to be 
incorporated with the collection just 
referred to. . 
This worthy man appeared. to live 
only among, and for his books. Hewas 
always turning them over and atlding 
notes. Amiable, obliging, and replete 
with sensibility, he had many friends, and 
deserved to possess them. His head was 
furnished with @ multitude of interest- 
