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These and other baths which he tried had no effect on his miserable disorder. But a new affliction was added to the catalogue of his griefs. His father, who had hitherto, contributed to his necessities, having joined a party against Cardinal Richelieu, was exiled. This affair was rendered still more unfortunate by his mother-in-law, with her children, at Paris, profiting by the absence of her husband and appropriating the money of the family to her own use.

Hitherto Scarron had had no connection with Cardinal Richelieu. The behaviour of his father had even rendered his name disagreeable to the minister, who was by no means prone to forgiveness. Scarron, however, when he thought his passion softened, ventured to present a petition; and which is considered by the critics as one of his happiest productions. Richelieu permitted it to be read to him, and acknowledged that it af forded him much pleasure; and that it was plea santly dated. This pleasant date is thus given by Scarron.

Fait a Paris dernier jour d'Octobre,

Par moi Scarron, qui malgré moi suis sobre,
L'an que l'on prit le fameux Perpignan,

Et sans canon la Ville de Sedan.

At Paris done, the last day of October,

By me, Scarron, who wanting wine am sober,

The year they took fam'd Perpignan,

* And, without cannon-ball, Sedan,

This was flattering the Minister adroitly in two points very agreeable to him. The poet augured well of the dispositions of the Cardinal, and lost no time to return to the charge, by addressing an ede to him, to which he gave the title of THANKS as if he had already received the favours which he hoped he should receive! But all was lost by the death of the Cardinal. In this ode I think he has caught the leading idea from a hymn of Ronsard; Catherine of Medicis was prodigal of her promises, and for this reason Ronsard dedicated to her the hymn to PROMISE.

When Scarron's father died he brought his mother-in-law into court; and, to complete his misfortunes, lost his suit. The cases which he drew up for the occasion were so extremely burles que, that the world could not easily conceive how a man could amuse himself so pleasantly on a subject on which his existence depended.

The successor of Richelieu, the Cardinal Mazarin, was insensible to his applications. He did nothing for him, although the poet dedicated to him his Typhon, a burlesque poem, in which the author describes the wars of the giants with the gods. Our bard was so irritated at this1 neglect, that he suppressed a sonnet he had written in his favour, and aimed at him several satirical bullets. Scarron, however, consoled himself for this kind of disgrace with those select friends whe

were not inconstant in their visits to him. The Bishop of Mans also, solicited by a friend, gave him a living in his diocese. When Scarron had taken possession of it, he began his Roman Comique, ill translated into English by Comical. Ro-` mance. He made friends by his dedications. Such resources were indeed necessary, for he not only lived well, but had made his house an asylum for his two sisters by his father's first marriage, and who there found refuge from an unfeeling step-mother.

It was about this time that the beautiful and accomplished Mademoiselle D'Aubigné, afterwards so well known by the name of Madame de Maintenon, she who was to be one day the Mistress, if not the Queen of France, formed with Scarron the most romantic connection. She united herself in marriage with one whom she well knew might be a lover, but could not be a husband. It was indeed, that under his direction she began to form her taste, and to embellish with her presence his little residence, where, however, assembled the most polished courtiers and some of the finest geniuses of Paris. Such was the influence this marriage had over Scarron, that it has been observed after this period his writings became more correct and more agreeable than those which he had previously composed. Scarron on his side gave a proof of his attachment to this

deserving lady; for by marrying her he lost his living of Mans. But though without wealth, he was accustomed to say, as is recorded in the Segraisiana, that his wife and he would not live uncomfortably by the produce of his estate and Marquisate of Quinet. It was thus he called the revenue which his compositions produced, and which Quinet his bookseller published.

Scarron has given one of his dedications to his dog, to ridicule those writers who dedicate their works indiscriminately, though no author has been more liberal of dedications than himself; but, as he confessed, he made dedication a kind of business. When he was low in cash he always dedicated to some lord, whom he praised as warmly as his dog, but whom probably he did not esteem so much.

Segrais informs us, that when Scarron was visited, previous to general conversation his friends were taxed with a perusal of whatever he had written since he saw them before. One day Segrais and a friend called on him. Take a chair, said our author, and let me try my Roman Comique. He took some manuscript books of his work and read several pages, and when he observed that they laughed he said, Good, this goes well; my book can't fail of success since it obliges such able persons as yourselves to laugh; he then remained silent to receive their compliments. He

used to call this trying his romance, as a taylor tries his coat. He was agreeable and diverting in all things, even in his complaints and passions. Whatever he conceived he immediately expressed; he was indeed too free in his expressions, but his amiable lady corrected him of this in three months after their marriage.

He petitioned the Queen, in his droll manner, to be permitted the honour of being her patient* by right of office. These verses form a part of his address to her majesty:

Scarron, par la grace de Dieu,

alade indigne de la Reine,
Homme n'ayant ni feu, ni lieu,
Mais bien du mal et de la peine;
Hopital allant et venant,

Des jambes d'autrui cheminant,

Des siennes n'ayant plus l'usage,

Souffrant beaucoup, dormant bien peu,

Et pourtant faisant par courage

Bonne mine et fort mauvais jeų.

"Scarron by the grace of God, an unworthy patient of the Queen; a man without a house, though a moving hospital of disorders; walking only with other people's legs, with great sufferings, but little sleep; and yet, in spite of all, very courageously shewing a hearty countenance, though indeed he plays a losing game."

A friend would translate, " malade de la Reine, the Queen's sick man." I think there is more humour in supposing her majesty to be his physician; in which light Scarron might consider her for the 500 crowns she gave him for a pension.

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