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Chapelain Décoiffé: A Battle of Parodies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2021

Gustave L. van Roosbroeck
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Extract

When, at the end of 1664, the second list of donations to authors and wits appeared—awarded by Colbert upon the recommendation of Chapelain,—it presented again, like the one of the preceding year, a mixture of feeble and profuse poetasters and of writers of outstanding value. Corneille, Racine and Molière contrasted oddly with Benserade, Cassagne, or Cotin. As in 1663, some of the most quarrelsome watchdogs of contemporary literature—La Serre, Furetière, and the brothers Boileau,—had been forgotten, intentionally or not. Chapelain, always over-anxious to please everybody and the minister, had committed a tactical mistake in excluding these satiric wits. That they would attack him at once was quite consistent with the literary customs of the time and with the habits of the Genus irritabile of all centuries. Moreover, his name was a symbol of a passing generation in literature, against which the New School was arrayed in battle. The first epigrams against Pucelain were coined, no doubt, during the gay after-dinner hours in one of the renowned Cabarets, or during an animated discussion in one of the literary drawing-rooms. When their authors or the listeners took the pains of noting them down, they were circulated in more or less reliable manuscripts and generally attributed to several among the literati. There can be no doubt that the greater number of these ephemeral satires, parodies, vaudevilles, and the like, have perished; others have remained unpublished. The best known among these satires is the celebrated Cid parody, Chapelain décoiffé, which, composed glass in hand at a riotous feast, was soon recited everywhere and handed around in numerous copies—to the lasting dishonor of Chapelain's venerable wig and of the mediocrities he steadfastly protected.

Type
Research Article
Information
PMLA , Volume 39 , Issue 4 , December 1924 , pp. 872 - 896
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1924

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References

Notes

1 The first list of donations was made up in the early months of 1663. Cf G. Collas, J. Chapelain, pp. 390-95. They were generally known about the beginning of June of that year. A list of the beneficiaries of 1663 has been given by Clément in the Histoire de Colbert, 1846, p. 187, where he follows Peignot's Documents authentiques et détails curieux sur les dépenses de Louis XIV. It is also found in La Place, Pièces intéressantes et peu connues, 1, p. 197. These lists are incomplete for the Frenchmen and omit the names of the foreign savants. The Comptes des Bâtiments du Roi, publ. by M. Guiffrey (1881-1901, 5 vol.) begin only with 1664, but give the complete list of the beneficiaries of that year.

2 Cf. A. Fabre—Les Ennemis de Chapelain, p. 174; Lettres de Chap., year 1661, and Lair,—Nicolas Fouquet, II, p. 87.

3 The first of these Mss. is dated 1664.

4 Chatelain, Le Surintendant Nicolas Fouquet, p. 523, indicates some other similar pieces in defense of Fouquet. He reads the title of the Colbert Enragé as Cid Enragé. This error is explained by the fact that some copies bear the title C . . . . Enragé. This C . . . has been interpreted as Cid, instead of Colbert, because it is a parody of Corneille's Cid.

5 E. Lair, Fouquet, 2 vols.; A. Fabre, Les Ennemis de Chapelain.

6 The chancellor Séguier was president of the “Chambre de Justice” before which Fouquet appeared. He voted for the death penalty and was violently disturbed about his condemnation to imprisonment: “Séguier, bien qu'il eut fait de son mieux, ne pouvoit se consoler . . . Dans un accès de colère, il jeta au feu tout un paquet de cent soixante douze arrêts qu'on eut grand'peine à réexpédier.” J. Lair, Nic. Fouquet, p. 406; Cf. Ormesson,—Journal, II, 290.

7 Denis Talon, son of Orner Talon, “Procureur général de la Chambre de Justice.”

8 Chamillart, “maître des requêtes,” who, in December 1663, replaced Denis Talon, who had become less active since he fell in love with Mme de l'Hôpital, it is said. Chamillart was entirely submissive to Berryer, a suspect agent of Colbert.

9 Olivier Lefèvre d'Ormesson, rapporteur, favorable to Fouquet. He asked that he would be banished, but not condemned to death or imprisonment. He left important Memoirs on the affair Fouquet.

10 Pierre Poncet, “maître des requêtes,” member of the Chambre de Justice, conducted with J. Renard the interrogations of the accused Surintendant. At first he seemed favorable to Fouquet, but later on turned against him, seduced by promises, and voted for death. He was a distant relative of Fouquet and is depicted as a dévot. Cf. Ormesson, Journal II, 11.

11 To report his possible avowals another prisoner was lodged in Fouquet's cell and instructed to win his confidence.

12 Pussort, “conseiller à la Cour des Comptes,” one of the most passionate enemies of Fouquet, was an uncle of Colbert. He tried to find proofs of Fouquet's guilt in the Registers of his expenses.

13 A chateau belonging to Fouquet.

14 The majority of the Chambre de Justice was composed of Provincial Commissaries, open enemies of Fouquet.

15 These names are generally spelled: Ayrault, Nogués and Ferriol. They voted for the death penalty.

16 Voisin, counsellor at the Parlement, influential with the party of the dévots.

17 Le Cormier de Sainte Hélène, Commissary of the Chambre de Justice, voted for death. “C'était un homme en grande réputation au Parlement de Normandie, se croyant désigné pour les premières places à Paris. On eut soin de le confirmer dans cette bonne opinion comme dans cette espérance.” J. Lair, op. cit., II, 380.—Le Livre abominable, II, 110.

18 Concussions = détournement des deniers publics.

19 Berryer, ex-agent of Mazarin and factotum of Colbert, prepared the interogatory of Fouquet. He was convicted of having falsified certain testimonials. Cf. Lair, op. cit. and Gourville, Memoires, p. 536. The Défenses de Fouquet, XV, 138-39 say about his relations with Colbert: “Mais il est arrivé, tout au contraire, que de Berryer est le premier averty, même avant la Chambre; c'est luy de qui on prend les ordres; et ceux qui devoient garder un grand secret à son egard ont esté les premiers à le violer en sa faveur et à prévoriquer à leur charge, par une basse complaisance, pour l'accez que cet homme a auprès du sieur Colbert, que luy, Berryer, se vante de gouverner, par le besoin et la necessité que ledit sieur Colbert a de son industrie.” Berryer was nominated ordinary Counsellor of state, received an abbaye of 6000 livres. Moreover, Colbert promised to ask for special dispensation for the children of this honest man, to enable them to draw before the legal age the income from these churchly possessions.

20 By decree of May, 17, 1664, the rent-shares of Paris were repaid “sur le pied de leur valeur depuis vingt cinq ans.” This was a half bankruptcy. “La consternation et le désespoir estoient dans le coeur de tout le monde” Ormesson, Journal, II, 149.

21 This sonnet has been printed, but the allusions to Fouquet's trial have not heretofore been identified. Cf. Oeuvres de Boileau, Ed. Gidel, III, 106, note 1. It is said that it was shown to Boileau-Despréaux, who replied that he would compose without any meditation a better sonnet on the same subject. This last sonnet is found among the poems attributed to Boileau-Despréaux. Cf. Oeuvres de Boileau, loc. cit. and Tallemant des Réaux, Historiettes, ed. P. Paris and Monmerqué, X, 241.

22 Hist. de Tallemant des Réaux, IX, 38, note.

23 F. I. Revillout, La Légende de Boileau; Lachèvre, Bibl. des Recueils collectifs: A. Bernhard, Die Parodie Chap. dec., etc.

24 The Boileaus descended from Jean Boileau, secretary of the King, ennobled in 1371, but their claim was contested at the time and occasioned law suits in 1697 and 1699.

25 Jean Boileau, “trésorier provincial de l'extraordinaire des guerres,” in Burgundy, grandfather of Gilles and Nicolas Boileau.

26 This line aims at a passage of the early version of the Chapelain décoiffé

D'Archer tu te rendis un Rymeur, et rien plus.
Chapelain..
Tout beau. J'estois Archer, la chose n'est point feinte;
Mais j'estois un Archer à la casaque peinte, etc.

Since the author of the Cinna parody knew undoubtedly the early version of the Chap. déc., this passage constitutes additional proof that the Ms. printed in A. Bernhard, Die Parodie Chapelain déc. 1910, p. 12 sq. is the early draft of this Cid parody. It indicates, moreover, that at the time, Gilles Boileau was considered its author.

27 These two lines repeat the attribution of the Chap. déc. to G. Boileau.

28 Giles and Nicolas Boileau were children of Gilles Boileau, “Greffier de Grand 'Chambre” at Paris.

29 Anne de Nielle, second wife of Gilles Boileau, the father, belonged to a family of law officials.

30 Refers to the quarrel among the Academicians, which burst out on the occasion of the election of Gilles Boileau to the Academy in 1659. See A. Fabre, Les Ennemis de Chapelain, 1888, p. 414, sq.

31 Henri-Louis Habert de Montmort († 1679) defended Gilles Boileau in his struggle with Pellisson and Ménage, when he was elected to the French Acad.

32 César d'Entrées, bishop of Laon, Cardinal in 1671, member of the Academy. (1628-1714) He took Gilles Boileau's side in the fight around his election. Cf. d'Alembert, Hist. des membres de l'Ac. Fr. III, 317—Lettres de Chapelain 11, p. 25, Pellisson et d'Olivet, Hist. de l'Ac. Fr. etc.

33 Mazarin.

34 Gilles Boileau's and Boisrobert's visit to Thoré, the Chateau of the Président de Thoré, son of M. d'Esmery, occasioned no little satire at the time. The President Thoré, according to Tallemant des Réaux, was periodically mentally deranged (Hist. IV, 34) His wife was said to bestow favors upon Gilles Boileau. “A Paris il est encore plus fou qu'à la campagne (le Président Thoré) L'autre jour il pensa attraper le petit Boileau dont il a quelque jalousie.” (Tall. des Reaux, loc. cit.) Somaize in his Dict. des Précieuses, ed. Livet, art. Timarède, gives information about Mme de Thoré and says that Barsamon (Boisrobert) and Bracamon (Gilles Boileau) are her preferred “alcovistes.” Scarron in his Lettre au Surintendant Fouquet, asks Gilles Boileau:

“Avez-vous l'esprit égaré,

De vous estimer du beau monde,

Pour un seul voyage à Thoré?“

In a letter to Séguier, Gilles Boileau defended himself against these accusations: “Je n'ay point esté à Thoré avec M. l'Abbé de Boisrobert, comme dit Scarron; pay esté à Taulay avec Mme la Présidente de Thoré. Je suis persuadé que vous connaissez assez le President de Thoré pour savoir que ce ne fut pas sans me faire bien prier auparavant que je m'embarquay à ce voyage.” Mss. de Conrart, X, f. 993, Bibl. de l'Arsenal Tall. des Reaux, op. cit., IX, 38. Note.

35 In the Recueil de Pièces galantes, 1667, II, is found a sonnet to Colbert by Gilles Boileau: “On a beau murmurer contre le ministère.” Another has already been referred to.

36 Alludes to the amount which Chapelain drew from the list of awards. It is reported in the Chapelain décoiffé as “les trois fois mille francs.”

37 This sonnet “Par quel art merveilleux sais-tu dans l'opulence” is the one reprinted in this article.

38 This Percé is not the Chapel. déc., in which is found a parody of the Stances of the Cid “Percé jusques au fond du coeur,” as has hitherto been held. It refers to the Colbert Enragé. It is on this misunderstanding that Monmerqué, Revillout and Bernhard, op. cit. agreed or disagreed. The context here makes it clear that there is no question of the Chap. déc., since Colbert complains that the Percé depicts him and Berryer as inhuman.

39 This line accuses Boileau-Despreaux of having collaborated with his brother Gilles, not in the Chapelain décoiffé, as has been held, but in the Colbert Enragé.

40 Berryer, factotum of Colbert, is violently attacked in the last part of the Colbert Enragé.

41 On the relations of Gilles Boileau and the Présidente de Thoré, see note 34 of the present publication.

42 Ménage claimed that he wrote, or at least that he furnished the greater part of Gilles Boileau's Vie d'Epictète et l'Euchiridion ou l'Abrégé de sa Philosophie, 1655. The following year, in his Avis à M. Ménage sur son Eglogue intitulée Christine avec un remerciement à M. Costar, 1656, Gilles Boileau referred to this quarrel. He says to Ménage: “Vous avez adopté des livres entiers, . . . . Et c'est pour cela que lorsqu'on me dit que vous vous vantiez d'avoir fait mon Epictète, je répondis seulement:

Ménage, ce pauvre poète,
Dit qu'il a fait mon Epictète:
Ce n'est pas chose estrange en luy
D'adopter les oeuvres d'autruy.
(Hist. de Tall. des Réaux, ed. 1860, IX, 281, sq.)

43 The quarrel between Scarron and Gilles Boileau dates from 1659, the year that the election of Gilles Boileau to the Academy brought about a violent disagreement among the members of the Academy. Scarron in his letter AM. Fouquet states that the origin of the dispute were these four verses from his second Epître Chagrine:

Cette année est fertile en grands événemens:

Jules donne à la France une paix affermie,

Et d'Estrée et Montmort par leurs soins véhémens,

Ont enfin mis Boileau dedans l'Académie.

Scarron relates that in reply Boileau wrote an epigram against Mme Scarron, “Scarron ajoute que Boileau montra à l'abbé de Boisrobert cette épigramme, dont il voulut depuis le faire croire Autheur, et que pour parer aux coups dont il estoit menacé, il fit une autre épigramme, qu'il adressa à Madame Scarron sous le nom d'Iris, où il parloit fort mal de son mari. Celui-ci repliqua par quatre épigrammes, qui ne tardèrent pas à être suivies de plusieurs autres et de quelques sonnets, où le fiel le plus amer est répandu avec profusion.” Goujet, Bibl. Fr. XVII, 172, sq. Scarron's letter A Mons. le Surintendant Fouquet (Oeuvres, 1781, pp. 269-79) relates the quarrel and prints the poems.

44 Pic, repic et capot, terms of card games. Cf. Les Précieuses Ridicules.

45 Quimper-Corentin, village in Britany of which the inhabitants are reputed stupid.

46 At the end of the Colbert Enragé, the minister is represented as making arrangements for the poisoning of Fouquet.

47 Boisrobert, who, in 1638, obtained the Abbaye of Châtillon-sur-Seine.

48 Extraordinary prophecy . . . The list of awards for the following year, 1665, grants a pension to Gilles Boileau.

49 1860, IX, 38, note.

50 Revue des Lang. Rom. 1890-91.

51 “Le ministre ou plutôt Chapelain se montre encore plus dur qu'Auguste” op. cit. p. 500

52 Die Parodie Chapelain décoiffé, Münchener Beiträge, 1910.

53 “Monmerqué and P. Paris berufen sich auf die sog. Cinnaparodie welche Gilles Boileau bezichtigt eine Parodie der Cid stanzen ”Percé jusqu'au fond du coeur“ geschrieben zu haben, .. . . Jenes Percé, von dem die Cinnaparodie spricht, ist aber gänzlich verschieden von dem unseren, wie uns ein Blick in die Mss. sofort zeigt. Es kann also Gilles Boileau nicht als Verfasser des Chapelain décoiffé in Betracht kommen.” Op. cit. p. 5.

54 1634-80. On him see, Nouv. Biogr. Didot, —Lachèvre, Bibl. des Rec. Coll. II, 426.—Goujet, Bibl. fr. vol. VIII.—de Marolles, Dénombrement des Autheurs, —Mercure Galant, Avril, 1880.—Somaize, Dict. des Préc.—E. Roy, Le Moliériste, 1887-88, p. 183.

55 Les Satires de Boileau, commentées par lui-même, 1906, p. 26.

56 id. p. 56.

57 Oeuvres de N. Boileau, I, 71.

58 Oeuvres de P. Corneille, Introd. to Cinna, III, 368.

59 Histor. de Chapelain, III, 276-78.

60 Op. cit. pp. 479-80.

61 Such attributions are not infrequent at the time. See, for instance, Le Livre abominable de 1665, political comedy on the Fouquet case attributed to Molière. (Publ. by L. A. Ménand, 1883).

62 This edition has been consulted by Revillout, op. cit. p. 480.

63 Edition Gidel of Oeuvres de Boileau, I, p. 63, note 3. They were suppressed in the edition of 1674, after the death of Gilles Boileau.

64 A. Fabre, op. cit. p. 644, note I.

65 This early version seems to have appeared in print in La Ménagerie, Par M. l'Abbé Cotin. Et quelques autres pièces curieuses, La Haye, 1666, p. 49.

66 Letter of March 3, 1665.

67 See on him, Lachèvre, Bibl. des Rec. coll. and J. Collas, J. Chapelain, p. 455.

68 Mémoires, p. 74.

69 Mss. of La Rochelle, Ms. 672, fol. 246.