Page:A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields.djvu/370

 NOTES.

Sonnet. Liré, 'a small town in the Department of Maine-et-Loire,' is the birthplace of Du Bellay, who was the author of 'a collection of small pieces called Les Regrets, which have obtained for him the surname of the French Ovid.'

Sonnet.—The Pyrenees. Guillaume de Saluste Seigneur du Bartas, born near Auch, was so celebrated amongst his contemporaries, that in ten years, namely, between 1574 and 1584, his poem of 'The Week; or, the Creation of the World,' divided into seven cantos, corresponding to the seven days of the creation, passed through more than thirty editions. Besides this poem Du Bartas composed 'Judith,' a tragedy; 'The Triumph of Faith,' a poem; and several lyrical works of considerable merit.

To a Certain Marchioness. There is a story not very well authenticated, regarding this piece, which is perhaps worth mention. In the salon of the Duchess de Bouillon a young lady once smilingly asked, amidst a shower of pleasantries, What is the plant that best adorns ruins? Madame de Motteville, the celebrated authoress of the Memoirs, and a friend of Corneille, had ivy in her hair, and all eyes turned naturally towards her. Thereupon Corneille, who was present, wrote the verses on behalf, and as it were in the place, of his friend, and gave them to the young lady on the spot.

Sonnet. Paul Scarron is called by M. Gustave Masson the Homer of grotesque literature. 'His infirmities authorised him to call himself un raccourci des misères humaines.' He was the first husband of Madame Maintenon.

On the Death of a Young Girl. Parny was born in the Isle of Bourbon. He lost his fortune during the French Revolution. Napoleon granted him a pension in 1813. His admirers surnamed him the 'Tibulle Français.' We obtain these facts from M. Gustave Masson's book.