Eminent literary and scientific men of France.

Date:
1838-1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Eminent literary and scientific men of France. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    70/394 (page 56)
    1662. iEtat. 56. Thomas Corneille was twenty years the junior. The brothers had married two sisters of the name of De Lamperiere, between whom existed the same differ- ence of age. The family was united by all the bonds of affection and virtue. Their property, even, was in common; and it was not until after Corneille’s death that the inheritance of their wives was divided, and that each sister received her share. The brothers were fondly attached, and lived under the same roof. We are told that Thomas wrote verses with much greater facility than Pierre, and he well might, considering what his verses are ; and, when Pierre wanted a rhyme, he opened a trap door communicating with his brother’s room, and asked him to give one. Nor was Pierre less attached to his sister, to whom he was accustomed to read his pieces when written. She had good taste and an enlightened judgment, and was worthy of her relationship to the poet. Thomas Corneille had lately met with success in the same career as his brother. His play of “ Timocrates” was acted for six months together; and the king went to the unfashionable theatre of the Marais, at which it was brought out, for the purpose of seeing it. Nothing could be more dissimilar than the productions of the brothers. Thomas Corneille had merit, and one or two of his plays (c< Le Comte d’Essex” in particular) kept possession of the stage : he had, however, knack instead of genius. He could contrive interesting situations to amuse the audience; but his verses are tame, his dia- logue trivial, his conceptions altogether mediocre. Still, in its day, success is success, and, under its influence, the younger Corneille aspired to the delights of a bril- liant career in the capital. The establishment of the family in Paris is ascer- tained by a procuration or power of attorney given by the brothers, empowering a cousin to manage their affairs at Rouen. Corneille seemed to feel the change as a new spur to exertion ; but, unfortunately, invention no longer waited on industry, as of old. Considering it