It was, we have seen, by the ' Cid,' that Corneille first rose into celebrity ; two or three passages of his Medde ' are occasionally quoted, to show the development of a young poet, but as a whole it is forgotten, and probably would never have been cited, had not its author distinguished himself by his subsequent productions. His early comedies have sunk deservedly into oblivion, being dry, tedious pima of declamation, without point, and founded on a false morality; their only :redeeming merit is ingenuity of construction.
If we now peruse the 'Cid,' we shall be at a loss to discover the ranee of that enthusiasm which Its appearance created in France, when, as it is said, all Paris saw Claimants (the heroine) with the eyes of Bodrigue (the hero). But it must be remembered that the French stage was in a wretched state before the appearance of Corneille; the pieces of his predecessors were for the most part dull and heavy, and without the slightest attempt at delineation of character. The chief fault found with the 'Cid' by contemporary critics was the selection of the subject. Don Rodrigue, to roveuge a blow given to his father, kills the father of Chimene, his mistress, in a duel; she at first makes every effort to accomplish his death, but at length, at the request of the king of Spain, marries him. It is the contention between love and duty in the heart of the heroine which is the leading feature of the drama. The Ariatarchus of the 'Acad4inie ' called the lady a monster of filial impiety, and said that she had no right to love Itedrigue at all; the opposite party contended that the preservation of her early love under all circumstances, was perfectly amiable and feminine. This literary battle indeed seemed rather to bs fought for the morals of the heroine than the merits of the play. Those who would wish to read the charge and its answer may turn to the Examen' above referred to, and La Harpe's 'Court de la Littdrature.' The other most celebrated piece of Corneille's is 'Horace,' the last act of ' Cinna' being reckoned a chef-deo:came rather than the whole play. Fontenelles praise of ' Horace,' for the ingenuity of its con struction, is unquestionably just. " Coroeille," says ho, "has but a combat to work upon, that of the Horetii and Curiatii, and out of this scanty subject ho constructs a tragedy." The prospect indeed was but barren, yet the tragedian, by giving Horatitts a sister of the Curiatii to wife, while his own sister is (according to the old story) betrothed to one of these Curintii, and by dwelling on the times immediately preceding and pending the combat, has thrown an interest into his piece which was scarcely to be anticipated. Here indeed his praise
cods, for the last two acts are occupied by the murder of Horatius's sister, and its consequences; hence, as La Harpe justly observes, they form a separate plot, totally unconnected with the preceding part of the play. The father of Horatius, as an illustration of the stern Roman character, is the most commended by the admirers of this tragedy.
The general censure passed on Corneillu's comedies does not extend to 'Le 3Ienteur,' which is one of his later productions, and is an ex cessively humorous and amusing piece. The English know it well from Foote's version, the Liar ; ' but it was introduced into this country long before the time of Foote, an anonymous translation having been acted in 1685, under the name of the 'Mistaken Beauty,' and a subsequent adaptation was written by Sir P.. Steele, called the Lying Lover.' The chief merit which is assigned to Corneille by hie admirers is his dignity : they allow that Racine may be more elegant, more toucliiug, but in a ' noble ferocity' they say that Corneille stands alone. It must be remembered that when Corneille wrote, the French tongue was still in an uncultivated state ; he must not therefore be taken as a model of French style, his verse being often defective, and his language disfigured by barbarisms.
Voltaire, on learning that a greatenicce of Corneille was entirely without fortune and almost without friends, took her into his house at Ferney, where she completed her education, and in a few years was married by Voltaire to a captain of dragoons. Besides giving her • marriage-portion, Voltaire undertook to write a commentary on Corneille, for the benefit of his protagee. The work, which was printed by subscription, and liberally patronised by the French king, the Due de Choiseul, Madame de Pompadour and others, brought in 50,000 francs, as an addition to the young lady's marriage-portion. Voltaire, though a great admirer of Corneille, was not blind to his numerous faults, which be has pointed out at full length in his 'Com mentaries' in two vole., 8vo (vole. xlviii. xlix.). Edition of Lequien, Paris, 1826.