GINGUENR, PIERRE-LOUIS, born at Rennes in Brittany, In 1748, early applied himself to the study of literature and of foreign languages. Holing removed to Paris he made himself known by several works, especially by his poem on the death of the young Prince Leopold of Brunswick, who was drowned in the Oder whilst trying to save some poor people who 'were in danger of perishing in the flood. In his (Lettres sur les Confessions de J. J. Rousseau,' he undertook to defend the memory of that highly-gifted but wayward man. When the Revolution broke out, Ginguen6 embraced its cause, bat did not advocate its excesses; he wrote in several journals of the time, and edited the 'Decade Philoaophique Litt6raire et Politique,' from 1794 to 1S07. On being made a member of the Institute, he was placed at the bead of the department of public instruction. He was afterwards sent by the Directory in 1798 as ambassador to the king of Sardinia, where he had a most difficult task to perform, that of reconciling his conscience, naturally honest and candid, with the crooked and ungenerous policy of his mestere towards a forced ally, whom they tried to vex and insult in every possible manner, with the view of seizing a favourable opportunity to dethrone him. Botta, who knew and esteemed Gingueu6, gives in his ' History of Italy' a full account of the disgraceful and calamitous scenes that took place in Piedmont at the time. Oinguen6 seems to have felt the unplea santness of his position, for after seven months lie resigned his embassy and returned to Paris, whore he had a seat in the legislative body. After Bonaparte became first consul in 1799, Oinguen6 was chosen member of the tribunate, but owing to his opposition to the encroachments of the executive he was one of those who were ejected by a Senatus Consultum in 1302. He withdrew into private life, and applied himself chiefly to the composition of a work which ho made the business of the remainder of his life—the 'Histoire Litt6raire d'Italie,' 9 vols. 8vo, 1811-19.
Ile had always been very partial to Italian literature, and perceiving that his countrymen had no aceurath notion of its riches, and bad imbibed several vulgar prejudices against it, he undertook the arduous task of classing the numerous productions of Italy under each respective department of literature and according to the order of time, thus presenting the reader with so many sketches of the intel lectual state of Italy in each century. His history begins, properly speaking, with the 13th century, when the first lays of the Italian muse began to be heard. In the first three volumes he follows the progress of literature through the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries, after which he devotes six more volumes to the 1Gth century, the Augustan age of modern Italy. He died at Paris, in November 1816, without completing his work, which has since beeu continued by SalA to the close of the 17th century. It is an important and useful work, and in some respects preferable, because more critical and more freely written, to Tiraboschre more ample and classical work, 'Rorie della Lettcmtura Italians,' from which Ginguen6 borrowed largely. Gin guen6 writes impartially, and as accurately as could be expected from a foreigner who had not lived in Italy, except during the seven stormy months which ho spent at Turin, merely on the threshhold of that country. Ilia minuteness is sometimes fatiguing, and his style rather tame for the subject. The Italians have felt grateful to him for the honour which ho has done to their great men, but have observed that he has been lavish of praieo to many writers who are utterly forgotten in their own country. (Ugoni, Preface to the 'Stoma della Letteratura Italians ) Ginguen6 wrote also many articles for the `Biographic, lJniverselle; and was a contributor to the ' Ilistoire Litt6raire de Franco,' and other compilations. Sala gives at the end of the first volume of his continuation, which is numbered the tenth of the ' Ilistoire Litt6raire d'Italie; an 'Eloge ' of Ginguen6.