With the reign of Francis I. the study of the classics became popular in France, and from that time till the age of Louis XIV. the progress of French literature was rapid and uninterrupted. The six teenth century produced a few great names. Sealiger and Casaubon were re nowned for their scholastic acquirements ; Clement INIarot and Theodore Beza cul tivated poetry under Francis I., whose sis ter, Margaret of Valois, published a col lection of novels, called the Heptameron; Ronsard was the first French poet who showed strong original genius, and, with Regnier, gave the national poetry a freer and more characteristic tone. The drama was improved by Etienne Jodelle, who imitated the Greek tragedians ; Claude de Seyssel wrote the History of Louis XII.; and Erantnine and Agrippa d'Au bigne left behind them many memoirs and historical essays. But the boast of the age is the names of Malherbe, Rabelais and Montaigne. Malherbe, born in 1554, is considered the first French classic, in poetry ; his language is most inflexibly pure and correct. Rabelais was horn in 1483, and his romance of " Gargantua and Pantagruel" was first published in 1533. Notwithstanding its grossness it is one of the most lively, humorous and bril liant books-in the language. It satirizes the clerical and political characters of his time. Montaigne, whose life extended from 1533 to 1592, wrote three volumes of Essays, on moral, political and religious subjects, which on account of their elegant style no less than the treasures of thought they contain, have always held their place among French classics.
The seventeenth century is the glory of French literature. Tinder the auspices of Richelieu, Colbert, and Louis XIV. all departments of letters, science and art reached a height unknown before. The French Academy was founded by Riche lieu in 1635, and the language, at that time unrivalled in clearness, perspicacity and flexibility, gradually became the po lite tongue of Europe. Dramatic poetry, especially, founded on the principles of the Greek theatre, attained a character it has never since reached. Corneille, born in 1606, was the father of the classic French drama,. flis first play, The Cid, belongs rather to the romantic dra ma, but through the influence of the Academy his later works, the most eminent of which are Les Horaces, Cinna, Polyeucte and Mort de Pomp& are strictly classical. Ills dramatic works amount to thiey three. Racine, who was born in 1639, brought the classic drama to perfection. His language is the most elegant and melodious of all French dramatists, while he is inferior to none in his knowledge of nature and his command of the senti ments and passions. Ilis plays, though constructed on the classic model, are not confined strictly to classic subjects. The most celebrated are : Baja zet, 11ZilArldaac, Bather and Atha/ie. After these two authors ranks Moliere, the father and master of French comedy. His Tartuffe has a universal celebrity. He died in 1673. Crebillon, sometimes called the French JEschylus, was a writer of tragedies. Legrand, Reg nard, and Scarron distinguished them selves as dramatists of secondary note. To this age belong Le Sage, the author of Gil Bias; La Fontaine, the greatest fabulist since Esop ; and Boileau, the sat irist and didactic poet, whose Art poeti que and Lutrin or "Battle of the Books" have been made classic. Mademoiselle
de Scudery wrote many chivalrous ro mances, and Perrault's fairy tales soon became household words. Tho Tilima que of Fenclon was also produced during this period. This author, with Bourda lone, Bossuet and Massillon, were cele brated as theological writers and pulpit orators. Madame de Sevignes letters are unsurpassed as specimens of graceful, polished and spirited epistolary writing. As historians, Rollin is the most dis tinguished, but Mezeray, author of the national Chronicles, the Jesuit D'Orleans, author of Histories of Revolutions in Eng land and Spain, and Bossuet's theological histories, are worthy of notice.
During the eighteenth century, when the literature of Spain, Italy and Portu gal were on the decline, and England and Germany remained stationary, France still maintained her supremacy. In 1694 was born Voltaire, who in the course of his life made himself master of nearly every department of literature. His first play, CEdipe, was successfully performed in 1718, though his epic of the Henriade, written at the same time, was not pub lished till 1729. Many of his succeeding plays were unsueecYsful, and his satires and philosophical essaya produced only banishment. I I is principal plays are Zaire, Alzire, Brutus, Oreste, Arahomet and Tanclide. Alter his return from Germany, he settled at Ferney on the Lake of Geneva, where for twenty years he devoted himself to literature. His principal works are: History of Charles Y'II. of Sweden ; History of Russia under Peter the Great ; Pyrrhonisme rte l'his toire, Broils de l'homme and the Diction noire Philosophique. Jean Jaques Rous seau, horn in 1712, exercised scarcely less influence on French literature, than Vol taire. His first work, a dissertation on Modern Music, appeared in Paris in 1743, about which time he wrote several come dies and tragedies and composed an opera. his romance entitled Nouvelle Heloise, was published in 1760. and his Contriit Sou/a/ and Emile in 1762. Ills most re markable work, the Confessions, was com pleted in 1770, and he died in 1778. As bold and independent as Voltaire in his philosophical views, he had nothing of his cynicism. His wonky, the style of which in absolutely fascinating, express a sin cere sympathy with humanity. Montes quieu, whose Spirit of Lairs is a stand ard work on jurisprudence, belongs to the first half of the eighteenth century. Among the historians contemporary with Voltaire were Condorcet. :tuthor of a His tory of Civilization, and Barthelemy, who also wrote the Voyage du jeu (le Anaehar sis. La Bruyere, La Harpe and Madame d'Epinay distinguished themselves by their didactic and epistolary writings. The most noted novelists were Marmon tel, Bernardin de St. Pierre, author of Paul and Virginia, and Lou vet. Mari vaux attained distinction as a writer of comedies, and Beaumarchais as x tlraina List and writer of operas. The well-known Barber of &rifle is from his pen. France prmlneed few lyric poets during the last century. Lebrun, Delille and Joseph Chenier are the most worthy of mention, but the Ma rseillaise of Rouge de Lisle is the finest lyric or the century, if' not of all French literature. Mirabenn, Bar nave, Sieyes and the leaders of the Rev olution gave a new and splendid charac ter to French oratory, towards the close of the century.