CORNEILLE, PIERRE, was born iu the year 1606, at Bouen, where his father was an advocate. Pierre himself was destined for the bar, and had beguu to practise in that profession, in which how ever he had but little success. Having been taken by one of his friends to see a lady of whom the latter was enamoured, he fell violently in love with her himself, an 'incident which furnished him with the plot of his first comedy, 'Milete,' produced in 1629, which was followed by the dramas of Clitandre," La Veuve,' La Galeria du Palais,' and ' La Place Royale,' all produced between that time and 1636, the year in which Corneille's fame rose at a bound to its height. M. Chalon had recommended him to study the Spanish dramatists, particularly Guillen de Castro ; and it is on the Cid ' of this author that the cele brated 'Cid' of Corneille was principally founded. This piece delighted the Parisians to enthusiasm ; they had seen nothing equal to it, and they looked on it as a complete miracle. The author had before exhibited some tragic power in a work entitled ' Medee; but it is not till the production of the 'Cid' that we must look on him as "le grand Corneille." But the admiration was not unanimous. Cardinal Riche lieu aspired to be the grand arbiter iu matters of dramatic taste, and Corneille had deeply wounded hie seusitiveucss. He had sketched the plan of a comedy, with which Corneille, although a poet patronised by the cardinal, had the hardihood to find fault, and this produced a lasting hostility ou the part of the priest-prime-minister against the dramatist. The French Academy, which was founded by Richelieu, was disposed to abate the general enthusiasm. They (or rather Chape lain) wrote an elaborate critique on the ' Cid,' in which they ventured to point out some defects, while they allowed the poet genius of the highest order, and rather found fault with the subject of the drama than Corneille's manner of treating it. This critique is in most editions of Corneille's works affixed to the tragedy of the 'Cid,' under the title of 'Sentimeus de l'Acaddmie Fraugoise stir In Tragi-Cornedie du Cid.' Corneille felt himself hurt by an imputation cast upon his inventive powers ; it was hinted that he borrowed his plot from the Spanish, because he had not imagination enough to contrive a new one. He
long sought for a subject which should silence these aspersions of his enemies, and at last turned his attention to Roman history, from which he drew the plots of his tragedies ' Horace' and ' Clans,' both produced in 1639. The 'Horaoe ' fully proves his ingenuity in moulding a complicated story out of Beauty materials.
These were followed in 1640 by 'Polyeuete; founded ou the history of the martyr of that name, which by some is reckoned his chef d'ceuvre, and which is by most regarded as the turning-point of his genius. His future was a slow but sure decline. La Mort de Pompee,' and Le Menteur ' (an adaptation of the Spanish comedy 'La Sospechosa Verdad ') succeeded, and were followed by a train of pieces with varying success till the year 1653, when the tragedy of 'Pertharite ' was produced, and was decidedly unsuccessful. This misfmtune disgusted Corneille for a time with the stage; be turned his attention to other kinds of poetry, and began to versify Thomas h Kempia, 'De Imitatione Christi' Six years wore off his disgust, and he returned to the drama : the success of CEdipe,' produced in 1659, encouraged him to go on. He even made an essay at opera-writing, and the • Toison d'Or ' remains a specimen of what he has done in that species of composition. The success of this piece was decided, but it was only the flame of an expiring lamp ; in vain he wrote fresh tragedies, iu vain did his friends laud them to the skies; the publio began to suspect that his genius was worn out, and he had ceased to be popular before the production of his last pieces, Pulcherie ' (1672) and • Surena' (1674). His latter works have sunk entirely into oblivion. He died in the year 1684, at the age of seventy-eight, having been a member of the Academie thirty-seven years. In private life he was a quiet domestic) man, with a bluntness of manners that was almost repnbrive. If we may trust his biographers, ho had a few small faults, but no vice; his whole pleasure was centred iu his own family. He and his brother had married two sisters, and resided together in one house, till death separated them.