Part 37

Mattecoulon, M. de, brother to Montaigne, I. 15.

Maucroix, poet and scholar, I. 154.

Maupertuis, M. de, II. 39. 65. His dissension with Voltaire at Potzdam, 66. "Akakia," a satire by Voltaire on, 66. 67. He challenges Voltaire, who laughs at him, 68.

Maurepas, count de, II. 45. 295. 302.

Mauroy, poetry of, I. 265.

Mazarin, cardinal, succeeds Richelieu, I. 66. Is minister in the regency of Anne of Austria, 66. Imprisons the princes Condé, Conti, and Longueville, 72. Is obliged to fly, 73. Successes of, in the royal cause, 81. Is displaced for a time, for the sake of an accommodation of the civil dissensions, 82. On his return to power he permits de la Rochefoucauld to appear at court, 84.

Mazarin, duchess of, I. 159. 172.

Ménage, instructs Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, I. 216.

Mersenne, le Père, scientific correspondence of, I. 192.

Mirabeau, Gabriel Honoré, marquis of, descended from an Italian family named Arrighetti, II. 195. His grandfather, Jean Antoine, 196. His father, comte Victor de Mirabeau, wrote "L'Ami des Hommes," 197. The comté's marriage, 198. His lady's domestic happiness obstructed by a madame de Pailly, a beautiful woman, who chose to reside with them, 198. The marquis's idea of his own infallibility, 199. He became a persecutor of his son, Gabriel Honoré, the fifth child, 199.; who was born with teeth, and suffered severely from the small-pox, 199. His early talent, 199. Memoirs of Mirabeau, by M. Lucas Montigny, noticed, 200, n. Madame de Pailly cruel to this boy, 201. His early education, 201. Severity of his father, 202. The abbé Choquart, his preceptor, proud of him, 202. Is sent to join the marquis de Lambert's regiment, 202. His subsequent expostulations with his hard-hearted parent, who had imprisoned him in the fortress of the Isle of Rhé, 204. The governor sends him on the expedition to Corsica, 204. His history of that island, and an Itinerary from personal observation, 204. He avows his liking for the military profession, 205. His father praises him on his return, 206. Marries the daughter of the marquis de Marignane, 207. He incurs debts, 207. His father procures a lettre-de-cachet to confine him, 208. He writes an "Essay on Despotism," 208. Becomes jealous of the chevalier de Gassaud, 209. On hearing his explanation, he escapes to forward his projected marriage by pleading for him, 209. Meets a nobleman who had insulted his sister, and gives him a blow, 209. His father hearing of his evasion, shuts him up in a dismal castle, 209. His love adventures, 211. He escapes with Sophie de Ruffey de Monnier, to Holland, 215. Translates for the booksellers of Amsterdam, 215. M. de Monnier proceeds against the fugitives, who are condemned to punishment, 216. He is imprisoned at Vincennes, 217. His letters, 217. Fate of Sophie de Monnier, 222, n. He quits prison on coming to terms with his father, 224. He tries by law to oblige his wife to live with him, 224. Fails in his suit, 224. Is no longer injured by private enemies, 227. Is esteemed, and employed in public services, 228. His impetuous eloquence, 228. He foresees the revolution, 228. Desires to be elected a representative to the states-general, 230. The nobles of Provence exclude him by a vote from their body, 231. The people greet him on his return towards Paris, 232. Allays some outbreaks of the people of Marseilles and of Aix, 233. Is elected deputy from both those places, 234. Takes his seat in the tiers-état, 234. He declares the power of the people to be independent of the crown, 236. His eloquence in the debates, 239. Death of his father, 240. His speeches all-powerful with the assembly, 241. Supports the financial proposition of Necker for a tax on property, 243. His influence preponderates over every other, 245. Accused of being an Orleanist, 246. 247. His negotiations with the court, 248. 249. His speech on the question of the National Convention, 250. His hôtel sumptuously provided, 251. His _treaty_ with the court, in the handwriting of Louis XVIII., 252. He declines in health, 253. His right to stand up as a dictator in the assembly questioned, 254. His policy was to head a moderate party of royalists, and to repress the Jacobins, 248. 250. 254. The king and the people alike anxious for his recovery, 255. His opinion of William Pitt, 256. His death, aged forty-two, in 1791, 256. He was the first buried in the Pantheon, 257. Courageous and warm-hearted, 258. His sayings and bon-mots are on record, 258. His style of oratory, 259. His military talents, 259.

"Misanthrope, Le," of Molière, I. 5.

Molière, Jean Baptiste Poquelin, considered by Boileau as the first writer of his day, I. 97. His parentage respectable, 97. Education of, 98. Taught by Gassendi, 99. Does the duty of valet-de-chambre to Louis XIII. for his father, 100. Studies the law at Orléans, 101. Private theatricals with some young friends, 101. Makes the stage his profession, 101. His company of actors, 102. Ill success of his "Thebaid" prevents his writing tragedy, 103. His early comedies, 103. 105. Performs in the provinces, 102. 105. On the restoration of tranquillity at Paris, his company perform in presence of Louis XIV. and the queen-mother, 106. They are styled "Les Comédiens de Monsieur," 107. His success in dramatic satire, 110. His "Ecole des Maris," 111. 112. Account of "Les Fâcheux," a satirical farce, 112. Louis XIV. commands Molière to introduce a sporting character, 113. Anecdotes of the rebuffs experienced by the dramatist as royal valet-de-chambre, 114. Louis protects him, 114. Scandal relative to Molière refuted, 115, n. 118. His marriage, 116. Not productive of Felicity, 117. 131. Writes the "Critique de l'Ecole des Femmes" in reply to his detractors, 131. His "Impromptu de Versailles," 131. Louis XIV. is godfather to Molière's eldest child, 118. Molière performs "Sganarelle," 119. His "Tartuffe," anecdotes as to, 119. 120. Tumult of soldiers at his theatre, 121. The "Misanthrope," 122. "Amphitryon," scene from the, 124. "George Dandin," scene from, 127. "L'Avare," criticised by Schlegel, 127. Success of "Le Tartuffe" on its representation, 129. Molière a favourite of Parisian society, 130. Anecdotes of his circle of friends, 131. His house at Auteuil, 131. His portraiture of himself, 131, n. His "Monsieur de Pourceaugnac," 132. "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme" approved by Louis XIV., 133. "Fourberies de Scapin," 134. "Les Femmes Savantes," scene from, 135. His "Malade Imaginaire," 138. His own malady unfeigned, 139. Death of Molière, aged fifty-one, 139. 147. Mode of his burial because a player, 140. 141. His generosity, 143. Talent as an actor, 144. Criticism of his works, 145. 146. Eloge of, 148. Marriage of his widow, 148.; and of his daughter, 149. His prediction as to "le bon homme" La Fontaine, 160. Molière willing to employ Racine as a young dramatic writer of promise, 304. His quarrel with Racine on the ill-success of "Andromaque," 304. His admiration of Racine's "Les Plaideurs," 311. Further allusions to, 262. 372.

Molina, the jesuit, I. 200.

Molinists, their controversy with the Jansenists, I. 201. Louis XIV.'s predilection for their doctrine, II. 6.

Mondorge, comedian, relieved by Molière when in need, I. 143.

Montaigne, Michel de, born Feb. 8. 1533, in Périgord, I. 1. Pierre Eyquem, seigneur de Montaigne, his father, 1. Education of Michel, 2. Taught to speak Latin from his cradle, 3. Tardiness of his mind in infancy, 4. He loses at school the power of speaking good Latin acquired as a child, 5. Fond of Ovid's "Metamorphoses," 5. Reads Virgil, Terence, and Plautus, 5. Memory defective, 6. His cheerful temper, 6, n. Lively imagination, 6, n. Pourtrays the character of Etienne de la Boétie, 7. Poem of the latter on their friendship, 7. Death of Boétie, 9. He marries, and is a good husband and tender father, 9. He loses his father Pierre Eyquem, 9. Is careful of his paternal inheritance, 10. Domestic habits, 10. Writes his Essays, 7. 10. His travels in France, 10. Visits the court and capital, 10. His moderation in politics, 11. He complains of the religious feuds, and of his being pillaged, 12. Takes no measures for defence of his château of Montaigne, 12. Is surprised by an officer and his party, who refrain from injuring him, 14. His calm composure again preserves him from danger when taken prisoner, 14. Afflicted by painful disorders he resorts to Plombières for the waters, and proceeds to Munich, &c., 15. 16. He visits Venice and Rome, 17. Is well received by the pope, 17. Familiar with Roman history, 17. He prints two books of his Essays, 17. Mode of treating the papal censures, 17. His pleasure on being declared a citizen of Rome by a bull for that purpose, 18. He offers a silver sculptured tablet, at the shrine of Loretto, 18. 19. His wife, and daughter Eléanore, 19. Sojourns at Lucca, 19. Is elected mayor of Bordeaux, crosses Mont Cénis and arrives at his château of Montaigne, 19. Is commanded by the king to till the office of mayor, and is re-elected to the same, 19. His decline and bad state of health, 19. His friendship for mademoiselle Marie de Gournay le Jars, and portrait of that lady, 20, n. His resignation when attacked with a fatal quinsy, 20. His devout behavioural. Dies 13th Sept. 1592., 21. His disposition and vivacity, 21. Descendants of, by his daughter Eléanore, 21, n. Edition of his Essays dedicated to Richelieu, 21. Instructive and entertaining character of the Essays, 22. Their originality, 22.

Montaigu, M., ambassador to Venice, his character, II. 128.

Montauzier, duke of, husband of Julie d'Angennes, I. 128. 263, n. 312.

Montespan, madame de, I. 167. 244, n. 279. 282.

Montfleuri, tragedian, cause of his death, I. 308.

Montpellier, the faculty at, I. 27. Duprat, chancélier, deprives the physicians of their privileges, who are defended by Rabelais, 27.

Montpensier, mademoiselle de, daughter of Gaston d'Orléans, I. 81. Her spirit in the contest before the walls of Paris, 82. Her intercourse with madame de Sévigné, 217.

N.

Nantes, revocation of the edict of, I. 257. 323. II. 79.

Necker, M., minister to Louis XVI. _See_ Staël.

Nemours, duke of, joined by the great Condé, I. 78. Is wounded in the battle of St. Antoine, 81. Killed in a duel by his brother-in-law the duke of Beaufort, 82.

Nevers, duke of, I. 313.

Newcastle, duke of, his "Sir Martin Marplot" an imitation of "L'Etourdi" of Molière, I. 103.

Newton, sir Isaac, II. 18. 24. 25.

Nicole, M., theologian, I. 198. 267. 307. 315.

Ninon de l'Enclos, a trust confided to, I. 120, n. Molière reads his "Tartuffe" to, 120. The marquis de Sévigné her admirer, 217. 230. The marquis de Grignan, 230, n. Ladies of the court friendly to her, 235.

Noailles, de, archbishop of Paris and cardinal, I. 339.

Noyer, madame du, II. 7. 8.

Noyer, mademoiselle du, admiration of Voltaire for, II. 8. She marries the baron de Winterfeld, 9.

O.

"Œdipe," tragedy by Corneille, I. 54.

"Œdipe," Voltaire's, II. 15.

Olivet, l'abbé, observations on La Fontaine by, I. 151. 155.

Orléans, Gaston duke of, I. 66. 81. _See_ Henrietta, duchess of.

Orléans, duke of, regent, I. 363. II. 10. Voltaire suspected of writing the "Philippiques," a satire on the regent, 15.

Ormesson, M. d', I, 223.

P.

"Pantagruel," by Rabelais, I. 31. 32. 34. Editions of, 38. Pantagruelian caricatures, wood-cuts, 38. "Pantagrueline Prognostication, the," I. 37.

Panurge, portraiture by Rabelais, I. 32. 35. 38.

Paris, day of the barricades, I. 68. Blockade of, 70. 217. The troops of the capital despised, 71. Riot and licentiousness, 71. The prince of Condé defeated by Turenne under the walls of, 81. Paris not favourable to stage representations during the civil war, 102. Parisian society ridiculed by Molière in his plays, 107. Parisian society in the time of Voltaire, II. 6. _et seq._ Reception of Voltaire at Paris in 1788, 102. Paris during the Revolution, see vol. II., lives of Mirabeau, &c.

Pascal, Blaise, exalted character of, I. 183. His family noble, 184. His parents, 184. Education as proposed by his father Etienne, 185. His companions, men of science, 136. His untutored exertions in mathematics, 187. His father's delight on discovering his studies, 187. Reads Euclid by himself, 188. Writes on conic sections, 188. His sisters, 188. Jacqueline Pascal assists in obtaining their father's recal by Richelieu, 189. He studies languages and metaphysics, 190. Chronical ill-health the result of excessive application, 190. His arithmetical computator, 190. His investigation of the properties of atmospheric air, 191. "On the Equilibrium of Liquids," 194. "On the Weight of the Atmosphere." 194. His early piety, 195. His loss of health, 195. And of his father, 196. An accident in a coach influences his mind, 196. His seclusion from worldly intercourse, 197. His visits to Port Royal, 198. "Lettres Provinciales" by, 199. Success of Pascal, 201. Reputation of his work among the learned for style and eloquence, 202. His adherence to rules of privation, &c. causes chronical maladies, 204. His solution of the problem of the cycloid, and other questions in geometry, 204. His challenge to furnish a solution of these problems accepted by Wallis and Huygens, &c., 205. Pascal's triumph therein, 205. His self-denial and consequent debility, 205. 206. His "Lettres Provinciales" condemned by the parliament of Provence, 207. His communications on his death-bed, 208. His death at thirty-nine years of age, 210. Consideration of his virtues and piety, 210. His "Pensées," 211. His argument against atheism, 211. His genius, 339. Fénélon's opinion of, 362. His "Pensées" arranged and attacked by Condorcet, II. 177.

Pascal, Etienne, indebted to his children's talent for his recal from exile, I. 190. Made intendant at Rouen, 190. His decease, 196.

Pascal, Jacqueline, I. 189. 195. 196. Particulars relative to her death when sub-prioress of the convent of Port Royal, 207.

Paul III., pope, I. 28. Rabelais requests his holiness to excommunicate him, 29.

Pelisson, the abbé, epigram on, I. 175.

Pelletier, poetry of, I. 265.

Père la Chaise, cemetery of, Molière's cenotaph, I. 148.

Perefixe, bishop of Rhodes, I. 120. 147.

Perier, madame (Gilberte Pascal), I. 190. 197. Alleged miraculous cure of her daughter, a nun, at Port Royal, 202. Her life of her brother, Blaise Pascal, 202, n. She blames him for the moroseness of his seclusion and rules of life, 203.

Perrault, Charles, his "Siècle de Louis XIV.," I. 287. Boileau directs his satire against him, 287. his "Mother Goose's Tales," 287, n.

Perrin, translator of the "Æneid," I. 265.

Pintrel, translator of Seneca's Epistles, I. 152.

Piron, ridiculed by Voltaire, II. 45. 50.

Plato, studied by La Fontaine, I. 155. "Plutarch's Lives," I. 155.

Poggius, the "Facetiæ" of, I. 35.

Poison, when innocent, 29. 30. "Polyeucte," tragedy, I. 50.

Pompadour, madame de, II. 55. 57.

Pomponius Lætus, I. 37.

Pont, madame du, poems addressed by Corneille to, I. 43.

Pontanus, ridiculed by F. Rabelais in his romance, I. 37.

Pontverre, M. de, II. 116.

Pope, Alexander, quotation from his works, I. 179.

Port Royal, abbey of, I. 199. Angelica Arnaud, abbess, 198. Learned men who lived in retirement near this cloister, 199. Controversy of the abbé Arnaud with the Sorbonne, 200. Alleged miracle at, regarding the cure of a niece of Pascal, 201. Dispersion of the nuns, 207.

Pradon, satirized by Boileau, I. 266. His "Phèdre," brought out in opposition to Racine's tragedy, 312.

Puy Morin, M. de, a brother of Boileau Despréaux, II. 21. "Précieuses Ridicules, les," satirical comedy of Molière, I. 85. A satire of French manners, affected language, and of the clique of l'Hôtel Rambouillet, 107. 110. "Pucelle d'Orléans" of Chapelain, I. 262, 263, n. "Pucelle d'Orléans," of Voltaire, II. 25. 28. 33.

Puy de Dôme, Pascal's experiment on atmospheric pressure, on the, I. 193, 194.

O.

Quakers, Voltaire describes the, II. 24.

Quesnel, le Père, I. 362.

Quietism, account of, I. 350. II. 87. "Quinquina, le," poem by la Fontaine on bark or, I. 163. 178.

R.

Rabelais, Francis, designated a great jester by lord Bacon, I. 23. Born about 1483 at Chinon, in Touraine, 23. Parentage of, and reputed propensity to wine, 23. Educated in a monastery, 24. Takes the habit of the order of St. Francis, 24. Envy at his preaching, 24. Malice of the Franciscans at, 24. Budæus laments it, 24. Alleged reasons for confining him on short commons, 25. Personates St. Francis and laughs at devotees, 25. For which he is whipt, 25. Relieved by gaiety and learning, 25. Joins the order of St. Benedict, 25. He next studies medicine at Montpellier, 26. Lectures on Hippocrates and Galen, 26. Defends the privileges of the faculty of Montpellier, 27. His scarlet gown, 27. How diminished, 27. 28. He practises at Lyons, 27. 28. Accompanies cardinal du Bellay to Rome, 27. 28. In what character, 27. 28. His epistolary correspondence, 27. 28. Interview with Paul III., 29. His notion as to excommunication, 29. _Bruits_ as to the method of his return to Lyons and journey to Paris, 29. Takes his own supposititious poison, 30. Is librarian, &c. to Du Bellay, 30. His "Lives of the Giants Gargantua and of Pantagruel," 31. Privilege of publication by king Francis, 31. Aristotelian controversy ensuing thereon, 31. His work condemned by the Sorbonne, 31. He attacked the popes and clergy of Rome, and the monastic orders, 31. Account of his book, 32. And of his religious principles, 33. De Thou's account of, 33. La Bruyère, La Fontaine, favourable opinions of, 34. Bayle and Voltaire contemn him, 34. Exposition of his views, 34. Imitators of, 36. Various writings of specified, 37. "Letters from Italy," 37. Poetry of, 37. Parallel of Swift and Rabelais, 36. 37. Editions of his "Giants Gargantua and Pantagruel," 38. The "Rabelæsiana," 38. His acquisitions as an universal linguist, 38. Also in science, 38. His noble carriage and expressive physiognomy, 38. His fulfilment of duties as curé de Meudon, 39. Death aged seventy, 39. His death-bed, 39. Epitaphs for, 39. Further allusions to, 154. 170.

Rabutin, family of, I. 214.

Rabutin, Bussy, count de, cousin of madame de Sévigné, I. 217. _See_ Bussy-Rabutin.

Racine, Jean, a rival of the great Corneille, I. 57. His comedy of "Les Plaideurs," 58. Pathos of his tragedy of "Bérénice," 58. His "Britannicus," 118. His daughter describes the demeanour of La Fontaine, 181. Is received at the court of Louis XIV., 279. Historiographer together with Boileau, 279. 316. They accompany the king to the siege of Gaud, 280. Racine makes several campaigns, 281. 289. 317. They read their history to the king, 282. Affair of his and Boileau's pensions, 289. His parents respectable; left Racine and his sister, orphans, 297. His education at Beauvais, 297. His predilection for the Greek tragedy, 299. His studies at Port Royal, 299. Removes to the university of Paris, 300. His ode entitled "Nymphes de la Seine," 301. Colbert rewards his early genius. 301. His ambition excited, 301. Visits his uncle, le Père Sconin, at Uzès in Provence, 302. His letters at that time, 302. His dislike of the patois of Provence, 303. His study of Virgil and St. Thomas Aquinas, 303. His "Bath of Venus," a poem, 304. Begins a play of "Theagines and Charicles," 304. He returns to Paris, occupied with poetry and the drama, 304. He writes for Molière, 304. His "Alexandre," 305. It occasions a quarrel betwixt Molière and the aspirant for fame, 306. Racine teaches la Champmélé to recite, 307. Critics attack him keenly, 307. His reply to M. Nicole of Port Royal, 307. 308. Writes his great tragedies, "Britannicus," "Bajazet," "Iphigénie," "Mithridates," "Phèdre," &c., 308-312. Writes "Bérénice" in rivalry with Corneille's tragedy of, 308. His comedy of "Les Plaideurs" the result of a lawsuit in which he had been tired out and foiled, 310. Humour of this comedy, 311. Takes his seat in the French Academy, 312. His "Phèdre" brings him into disputes, which produce desire to lay down his pen, 312. 313. His religious principles, 313. His marriage, 314. Madame Racine's ignorance of poetry, 314. His daughters take the veil, 314. His new mode of life induces him to seek reconciliation with the abbé Arnaud, 315. Succeeds therein, 315. Writes "Athalie," 320. His "Esther," 251. 320. His conversations with Louis XIV. and madame de Maintenon, 320. 323. 325. Dies of an abscess, 326. Displayed the force of friendship in his last parting with Boileau, 326. Critique, 327. "Phèdre" and "Athalie," his best tragedies; "Bérénice" and "Britannicus" the most pleasing, 328.

Racine, Louis, son of the tragic poet, I. 291. 307.

Rambonet, Prussian councillor of state, II. 39.

Rambouillet, Hôtel de, literary society of the, I. 84. Celebrated authors who frequented it, 85. 220. Molière's "Précieuses Ridicules" designed as a satire on, 85. 107.

Rameau, musical composer, II. 128. 136.

Ramus, Peter, engaged in the controversy on Aristotle, I. 31.

Rennes, in Britany, political affairs at, I. 243. Severe example made, 243.

Retz, cardinal de, ambition of, I. 68. His projects and partisans, 69. Temporary success of the Fronde, 73. His affray with Rochefoucauld in the palace of justice, 75. In danger of violence from the mob of Paris, 76. His intrigues and artifices, 80. 82. A relation of the marquis de Sévigné, 217. His disgrace and imprisonment, 221. He escapes from the citadel of Nantes, 221. He repairs to Spain, 222. Esteem of madame de Sévigné for, 241. His death, 247. His "Memoirs" quoted, I. 77.

Richelieu, cardinal de, Montaigne's Essays dedicated to, I. 21. Policy of, 41. His dramas, 41. 43. 101. The "Comédie des Tuileries," 43. His theatre, 43. He invites the French Academy to criticise the "Cid" of Corneille, 47. He represses the powerful nobles of France, 64. His great authority, 64. His death, 65. His expedition into Rousillon when his death was approaching, with Louis XIII. in the same condition, 100. Execution of Cinq-Mars, and of de Thou, 100. He revived the arts in France, 101.

Richelieu, duke of, II. 53. 107.

Rochefoucauld, de la, François, duke, his experience at court, I. 63. His Maxims declare self-love the chief motive principle, 63. Dignity and ancient power of his family, 63. Obliged to quit the court, 64. Was at first called Prince de Marsillac, 65. His return on the death of Richelieu, 65. Meets the duchess de Chevreuse on her way to Paris, 66. Is wounded at the siege of Mardike, 67. Is governor of Poitou, 67. His attachment for the duchess de Longueville, 69. His gallantry and wounds, 71. Is desirous of the restoration of peace, 71. Succeeds his father as duke de la Rochefoucauld, 73. Raises troops in Guienne, and endeavours to defend Bordeaux, 73. Seizes de Retz in the palace of justice, but refrains from slaying him, 75. Is wounded by an arquebuse in the action of St. Antoine at Paris, 81. He retires to Danvilliers to recover from his wounds, 83. He quits the party of Condé, 84. His active life concludes with the pacification, 84. He gives Gourville an honourable employment in his family, 84. Is an ornament of the literary coterie of the Hôtel Rambouillet, 84. 85. His friendship for the countess de la Fayette, a celebrated novelist, 85. De Retz's character of the duke, 86, n. Rochefoucauld's couplet for the picture of the duchess of Longueville, 83. His portrait of cardinal de Retz, 86, n. Personal and moral qualities of Rochefoucauld, 87. Character of, by his contemporaries, 87. 88. His sons, 88. Madame de Sévigné's account of his last illness, 89. His death, 90. His "Maxims" reviewed, 91-95. His "Memoirs of the Regency of Anne of Austria," 96. Some quotations from his Memoirs, 65. 68. 70, &c.

Roche-Guyon, Mlle. de la, her marriage with the prince de Marsillac, I. 83.

Rochelle, siege of La, I. 214. English descent on the Isle of Rhé for relief of the town, 215.

"Rodogune," tragedy of Corneille, I. 52. Gilbert's tragedy of, 53.