Of his Darin, which he says, in the original pre face, was the first attempt of any French writer in heroic comic poetry, four cantos were published in 1671, and two more added in 1683. Boileau at first was anxious to conceal the origin of this mnterly production. In his preface he misled the reader, by a false account of it ' • but, in 1683, he threw off the disguise, and acknowledged that the poem was found ed on a quarrel between the treasurer. and chanter of the Holy Chapel at Paris, about the position of a reading desk. His next publications were the Art of Poetry, and a translation of Longinus, with notes; which exhibir much critical penetration.and sagacity, These works were not only relished but rewarded by Louis, who bestowed a pension on their author, and appointed him jointly with his intimate friend, the celebrated Racint, to write the history of his reign. To improve their qualifications for this duty, the two royal historiographers visited the army in Flan ders, which was then engaged in the siege of Ypres. The duty, however, notwithstanding this pompous preparation, was never executed. It is curious to observe, that the illustration of the military exploits of Marlborough, like those of his royal antagonist, should have been entrusted to two poets (Glover and Mallet), and that in both cases, by an additional co the reward should have been conferred, and the task neglected. In 1683, Boileau was elect ed a member of the Academie Francoise ; and, soon after, of the Academie des Inse‘riptions. To the for mer of these lie published an address of thanks. A bout this time a violent controversy had arisen in Trance respecting the comparative merit of the an. cient and modern authors, in which Boileau took a zealous part, as an advocate for those classical writers, the successful imitation of whom is among his prin cipal merits. His chief opponent was Perrault, and the controversial ardour of the disputants produced many valuable additions to the maxims of criticism, though it was also the unfortunate cause of much personal animosity. 'With Fontenelle the quarrel of Boileau never abated, but with Perrault it termina -ted in a cordial reconciliation, Of which the poet, in the triumph of a benevolent nature, hastened to ap prise the public. Boileau, we have seen, was a suc cessful courtier ; and Louis, who must. have possess ed a part of that taste which he affected, added to his pecuniary favours the personal distinction of re serving•a weekly hour for conversation with the poet. On the death of Racine, however, his friend and col league withdrew from court, and dividing his time between the country and the capital, slid down the descent of life with more enjoyment than is the usual lot of literary genius. Like Pope, whom lie resem bled in his moral as well as in his mental character, hut unlike the majority of other poets, he was ad dicted to no dissipation, and so careful to suit his ex penses to his means, that he even incurred the impu tation of avarice. Pope, by his figure and infirmi ties, and Boileau, as is supposed, by the effects of an accident, in an early operation for the stone, were deterred from certain gross pursuits, which have em bittered and abridged the days of numbers, to whom mankind are indebted for their most refined gratifi cations. After enduring, with patient serenity, the frequent intimations of approaching dissolution, in pain, faintings, and fever, Boileau died of water in the chest, on the 1 1th of March 1711, in his 75th year.
The character of Boileau differed widely from what the circumstances of his life would lead us to expect. In general, when men abandon a profession for the seductions of poetry, this radical irregularity diminishes their dread of Others, and involves them in errors, for which the pleasure derived from their ge nius cannot always purchase our indulgence. 'I he case was otherwise with Boileau, whose conduct was guided by the same good sense and correctness which.
chiefly recommend his compositions. A. lie was not among that elevated order of poets, whose lofti ness occasionally swells into extravagance, neither did his actions exhibit any of that negligent vehemence, by which the former too often defrand themselves of outward respect and inward repose. He had, by his own information, in his fifth epistle, a stifficient patrimony to warrant the indulgence of his peculiar taste; and though lie was certainly too lavish of courtly adulation, with which even his Lutrin is art fully interlarded, yet this proceeded more from the contagion of universal practice, than from a profli gate or parasitical cupidity. The force of mind,
which qualified him to judge for himself, and to op pose the prevailing corruptions in literature, was not . sufficient to make him stand alone, in a hopeless 'ef fort to separate triumph from applause, or to mea sure splendid actions by moral rules, which he knew the loyal vanity of Frenchmen would reject. The esteem which he deserved, appears from the number, the cordiality, and the duration of his friendships ; and from the encomiums which- his worth extorted even from those whose works he had ridiculed. Though his intimacy with Racine was so tender and impassioned, as to make the latter, on his deathbed, rejoice at escaping the misfortune of surviving him, yet such was the benignity of his nature, and such his uniform sympathy with genius, that when Cor neille, the rival of his friend, was about to lose bis. pension, he sued with success to Madame Maintenon for its.continuance, which he offered to purchase by the resignation of his own. From the charge of ava rice lie ought to be absolved, by a fact so decisive,. as well as by his generosity to Patra, (the censor of his works before publication,) whose libra ry he not only purchased at a price much greater than distress would have compelled its possessor to accept, but also allowed him to retain it for life: In the catalogue of poets, it is a relief to the mind to discover one whose virtues we can thus extol ; nor is it. among the slenderest merits of his sovereign, that he was studying the comforts of those who had added to his rational pleasures, while Butler and Otway were amusing a prince who permitted them. to starve.
As a writer, Boileau was more distinguished by rectitude of judgment, than by richness of imagina tion. He was, therefore, less qualified to invent, than to improve the inventions of others; and though. he could seldom create new. materials for poetry, yet of those which were prepared, he could frame a more chaste and beautiful edifice than preceding architects. Though far from deficiency in original thoughts, yet his singular power of giving the gloss of novelty to the ideas of others, suggested to the Journalists of Trevoux a charge of plagiarism, which roused him,, towards the end of his life, to a severe reply, in hii epistle " on Equivocation." Plagiarism was a term by no means applicable to the practice of Boileau,, which is most happily described by Breixere,, when lie says, " Que Dispreaux parozssoit creer les pensees d'autrui ;" and by Dryden, when he ob serves of Jonson,, " he has done his robberies so open ly, that one may see he fears not to be taxed by any law. He invades authors like.a monarch ; and what.
would be theft in other poets, is only victory in him.".
• Boileau appears to have looked with comparative in ' difference on the charms of external nature, and even on human conduct, when modified by lofty passions, or ,Like Pope, he prefer. red the study of man as he appears in ordinary life, or as he is fashioned by local .and accidental habits. His therefore, turned to ethical, didactic, and satirical poetry ; and this circumscription of his ambition left him more at liberty to attend to the minuter decorations of. his art. His familiarity with ancient authors, which, as it was not conspicuous in his youth, must have been owing to the voluntary preference of his maturer years, when he became stu die= amateur et de .Perse et d' Horace, made him anxious to transfuse the classical graces of regularity and smoothness into the versification of his country. Previous to thirperiod, the French and English poets had been inattentive to rhime and measure, and trust ed more to the value of the cargo, than to the beauty of the vehicle. 'Here, therefore, Boileau perceived an opportunity for the exertion of his talents ; and while the wit of Butler was procuring not only par don, but applause, for slovenly and harsh'expression, Boileau was studying the combination of melody with mirth, and exemplifying the precept, which he couch es in the following lines : N'Offros lien au lecteur.que ce qui pent lc plaire ; Ayes pour la cadence one oreille severe— Le rers le miens rempli, la plus noble pensde Ne pent ptaire a !'esprit quand l'oreille est blesses.