The Teaching and Cultivation of the French Language in England Part 41

Fort grande.

Vous avez l'accent fort pur et net.

De qui apprenes vous?

D'un Francois nouvellement arrive qui est de Blois.

Il est vray que la purete du langage se trouve la, non pas seulement l'accent, mais la vraye phrase.

Tout le monde le dit.

Vostre langue est fort difficile.

Je voudrois parler aussi bien que vous.

There is only one dialogue on a subject usually contained in French manuals--phrases for buying and selling. The vocabulary, which closes the book, is of a more usual kind. It is arranged under headings, beginning with the G.o.dhead and ending with a list of things necessary in a house.

This book of Mauger's enjoyed a greater and longer-lived popularity than any that had yet appeared. Edition followed edition until the end of the first decade of the eighteenth century, and it continued to be plagiarised for another fifty years. Its success can hardly have been due to the scholastic value of its rules, which are few and confused, but rather to its practical nature and lively dialogues. Mauger constantly revised his grammar; of the earliest editions, no two are identical. In each case he wrote new dedications, new addresses to the reader, new dialogues, and varied the form of the grammar rules. The second edition is much more typical than the first. Mauger had been ill in 1653, and had not been able to correct the proofs himself. This task he entrusted to a friend (perhaps Festeau), who "betrayed his expectation, and corrected it not exactly." He was likewise unable to add the English column to the dialogues, a task which was undertaken by the corrector of the press. In the case of the second edition, however, he attended "three times a day at the Presse," that he might correct it according "to the expectation of those who will honour it with their reading." He called it _Mr. Mauger's French Grammar_, and this was the t.i.tle under which it continued to be published.

Mauger dedicated the second edition to Colonel Bullar, mentioning the many favours heaped upon him by that officer. He again addresses French verses to numerous English ladies, his pupils. The grammar rules are much the same; the chief change in this part is the addition of a Latin translation to the English, "for to render it generally useful to strangers" visiting London, "which is this day accounted one of the most glorious cities of the world." That Mauger provided for the teaching of French to foreign visitors to England shows how important a place the study of the language held in our country, and we know that he numbered a few foreigners among his many students of the language. In this second edition he attempted, as Holyband had done before him, to adapt the orthography to the p.r.o.nunciation, but without success. [Header: MAUGER'S FRENCH GRAMMAR] "I had thought," he writes, "for your greater advantage, to have fitted the writing to the p.r.o.nunciation, but having found that I could not do so, without an absolute totall subverting of the foundations of the language, I had rather teach you to read and speak together than to show you how to speak without being able to read, or to read without knowing how to speak. They might say nevertheless that it would prevent many difficultyes if we did write as we speak." Mauger decided to follow the rules of the French Academy, instead of his own _caprichio_ which would "teach you to speak French without being able to read any other book than that I should present you with": for "our language," he said, "which is so highly esteemed by all strangers for its n.o.ble etymologies of Greeke and Latine, will not suffer itself to be so dismembered by the ignorance of those which profess it, not having one letter which doth not distinguish one word from another, the singular number from the plurall, the masculine gender from the foeminine, or which makes not a syllable long or short."

The dialogues are new, but very similar to those of the first edition, the chief change being the introduction of a long and "exact account of the state of France, ecclesiastical, civil, and military as it flourisheth at present under King Louis XIV.," which was brought up to date in each subsequent edition.

In following years the dialogues become more numerous; they number eighty in the sixth edition (1670). Each new issue promises additions, "of the last concern to the reader." A new feature in the sixth and seventh editions is a versified rendering of the grammar rules, ent.i.tled _Le Parterre de la langue francoise_. The verses were written at the request of the Duke of Mecklenburg, his former pupil, and arranged in the form of a dialogue between Mauger and the Duke, who first addresses his master:

Le Langage francois est si plein de merveilles Que ses charmans appas, ravissans nos oreilles, Nous jettent sur vos bords pour gouster ses douceurs, Et pour en admirer les beautez et les fleurs.

Mais, pour nous l'acquerir il faut tant d'artifice, Qu'en ses difficultes il estreint nos delices, Estouffe nos desseins, traverse le plaisir Qui flatoit nostre espoir d'y pouvoir reussir.

Les articles _de la_, _de_, _du_, sont difficiles.

Si vous ne les monstrez par vos reigles utiles, Ils nous font begayer presques a tous momens, Et ternissent l'eclat de nos raisonnemens.

And Mauger answers him with an invitation to take what he will from the "parterre."

Additional matter was introduced in 1673 in the shape of short rules for the p.r.o.nunciation of English, which in the following editions were developed into a short English grammar, written in French dialogues.

Later Mauger modified the arrangement of his French grammar rules, giving them in parallel columns of French and English, in the form of question and answer. The section dealing with the parts of speech is recast in the form of a conversation between a French master and his lady pupil. As to the dialogues, which are all "modish"--there is not a word in them but is "elegant"--they were divided into two categories, one elementary and the other advanced. In the twelfth edition, for instance, we have forty-six dialogues, in the style of those of the earlier editions, and then ten longer and more difficult ones. Mauger made hardly any changes in the issues that followed the twelfth, and in this shape it pa.s.sed down to the eighteenth century. In the course of its development it had grown to nearly twice its original size.

Mauger's popularity as a teacher of French grew apace with his grammar.

The commendatory poems, one by John Busby, which are prefixed to the first two editions, show that even at that early date he was held in high esteem by many influential Englishmen; and each new edition was offered to some new patron.

Mauger also published a collection of letters in French and English, which he considered "a great help to the learner of the French tongue,"

for "those who understand it with the help of the English, are capable of explaining afterwards any French author, being written on several subjects." The _Lettres Francoises et Angloises de Claude Mauger sur Toutes sortes de sujets grands et mediocres_ were dedicated to Sir William Pulteney. They were first issued in 1671, and again in 1676, with the addition of fifty letters. Many are addressed to gentlemen of note who had been his students at Blois, and continued to correspond with him for the purpose of practice in French. "Puisque vous desirez que je continue a vous ecrire des Lettres Francoises," he wrote to the Count of Praghen in 1668, "pour vous exercer en cette langue qui est tant usitee dans toutes les cours de l'Europe, je recois vos ordres avec joye." Others are addressed to pupils in London, including some of his large clientele of ladies. [Header: MAUGER'S FRENCH AND ENGLISH LETTERS]

For instance, he writes to a certain Mrs. Gregorie:

Ayant ou dire que vous estes allee a la campagne pour quinze jours, durant cette belle saison en laquele la nature deploye ce qu'elle a de plus beau, j'ay pris la hardiesse de vous ecrire cette lettre en Francois pour vous exercer en cette langue que vous apprenez avec tant de diligence. Je suis bien aise que vous vous y adonniez si bien, car, comme vous avez la memoire admirable, vous en viendriez bien tost a bout.

He seems to have made a regular practice of exercising his pupils'

French by writing to them in the language.[815] Among his young English pupils was William Penn, the Quaker, to whom he wrote a letter dated 1670:

Je n'entendrois pas bien mes interests si Dieu m'ayant fait si heureux de vous monstrer le Francois que vous apprenez si bien, je n'en temoignois de la joye, en faisant voir a tout le Monde, que l'honneur que vous me faites de vous servir de moy, pour vous l'acquerir est tres grand. En effet monsieur, n'est-ce pas un bon-heur? Car je perdrois mon credit si Dieu ne me suscitoit de tems en tems des personnes comme vous, qui par leur diligence et capacite avec l'aide de ma methode le soutiennent... . J'ay bien de la satisfaction qu'elle [_i.e._ l'Angleterre] scache que vous m'avez choisy pour vous donner la connaissance d'une langue qui vous manquoit, qui est si estimee, et si usitee par toute la Terre.

Terre... .

Whether these letters were ever actually sent to his pupils is a question of some uncertainty, which we are inclined to answer in the affirmative. In any case, they provided him with an excellent opportunity of advertising himself by calling attention to some of his well-known pupils. Many were addressed to friends in France, where he seems to have had a very good connexion. He closes his collection with a short selection of commercial letters.

Mauger was the author of several other short works--a _Livre d'Histoires curieuses du Temps_, destined for his pupils' reading; a _Tableau du jugement universal_ (1675), which sold so well that there were very few copies left at the end of the year; and a Latin poem of one hundred and four lines, ent.i.tled _Oliva Pacis_, celebrating the declaration of peace between Louis X. of France and Philip II.

Besides many influential friends, he seems to have had several relatives in London.[816] One of these was a Master Keyser, his brother-in-law, a Dutch gentleman and painter, who lived in "Long Aker between the Maidenhead and the Three Tuns Tavern," and acted as a sort of agent for Claude. Mauger himself lived "in Great Queen Street, over against Well's Street, next door to the strong water shop," in 1670. Before 1673 he had moved to "within two doors of Master Longland, a Farrier in Little Queen St., over against the Guy of Warwick near the King's Gate in Holborn"; and in 1676 to "Shandois Street, over against the Three Elmes, at Master Saint Andre's." It was probably about the year 1670 that he began to teach English to foreigners visiting England. He had the honour "of helping a little to the English tongue both the French amba.s.sadors, Ladyes, amba.s.sadresses and several great Lords, who come daily from the court of France to the court of England." With many of these he had much familiar intercourse, and it was at their request that he wrote his rules for the English language. One of his letters is addressed to the sharp-witted Courtin, and others to the Marquis de Sande and Monseigneur Colbert's surgeon. Some of the numerous French n.o.bility, "who come daily from the court of France to the court of England," attracted by the gay and Frenchified court of Charles II., also studied English under Mauger.

He describes his method of teaching as discursive, "avec raisonnement."

Practice and reading are the chief exercises. In one of his dialogues a lady pupil describes her French lesson;[817] it consisted in reading, with special attention to the p.r.o.nunciation, and telling a story in French, no doubt a repet.i.tion of the matter read. For the p.r.o.nunciation, Mauger considered "the living voice of a master better than all that can be set down in writing"; but none the less he provided rules for acquiring the true accent of Blois. He took little interest in grammar, but fully realized the necessity of guiding rules; "some man perhaps,"

he writes, "will answer me that he speaketh his naturall tongue well enough, without all these rules. I confesse he may speak reasonably well, because it is a natural thing for him to do. But you needs must confesse that a Latine schollar, who hath been acquainted with all such rules of grammar, speaketh better than such a one." Mauger would have the student first master his rules, and then begin "by all means" to read, "pour joindre la pratique a la speculation des regles." [Header: MAUGER'S METHOD OF TEACHING] He no doubt intended the student to attempt to speak at the outset with the guidance of a French master, whom he held absolutely indispensable. The following talk between two students throws light on the practical methods advocated:

Apprenez-vous encore le francois? Do you learn French still?

Ouy, je n'y suis pas encore parfait. Yes, I am not yet perfect in it.

Et moi je continue aussi. And I continue also.

Je commence a l'entendre. I begin to understand it.

J'entens tout ce que je lis. I understand all I read.

Avez vous un valet de pie francois? Have you a French foot boy?

Ouy, monsieur. Yes, Sir.

L'entendez-vous bien? Do you understand him well?

Fort bien. Very well.

Quel Autheur lisez vous? What author do you read?

Je lis l'_Histoire de France_. I read the _French History_.

L'avez-vous leue? Have you read it?

Je l'ay leue en Anglois. I have read it in English.

Je l'acheteray. I will buy it.

Ou la pourray-je trouver? Where shall I find it?

Partout. Everywhere.

Avez-vous leue l'_Ill.u.s.tre Have you read the _Ill.u.s.trious Parisienne_? Parisien_?

Allez-vous au sermon? Do you go to sermon?

Ouy, Monsieur. Yes, Sir.

Qui est-ce qui preche? Who preaches?

C'est un habile homme. 'Tis an able man.

Avez-vous le Dictionnaire de Miege?[818] Have you Miege's Dictionary?

Ouy, je l'ay. Yes, I have it.

Voulez-vous me le preter? Will you lend it me?

Il est a votre service. It is at your service.

Je vous remercie. I thank you.

La langue francoise n'est-elle pas Is not the French tongue belle? fine?

Je l'aime fort. I love it extreamly.

Elle est fort a la mode. 'Tis very modish.

"My dialogues," writes Mauger, "are so useful and so fit to learn to speak, that one may easily attain the French tongue by the a.s.sistance of a Master, if he will take a little pains on his side." He also advises his pupils to read the lengthy heroical romances so popular at the time--_L'Astree_, and the enormous folios of De Gomberville, La Calprenede, Mlle. de Scudery, and other romances of the same type--as well as the works of Corneille, Balzac, and Le Grand. With Antoine le Grand, Mauger claims personal acquaintance, and recommends his works with special emphasis, giving his pupils notice of a book newly published by him: "There is a French book newly printed at Paris called _L'Epicure spirituel_, written in good French by M. Antony le Grand, Author of _L'Homme sans pa.s.sions_. You may have it at Mr. Martyn's shop [Mauger's publisher] at the sign of the Bell in St. Paul's Churchyard."

He also advocates, for purposes of translation, the reading of the Bible and Common Prayers in French, books specially suitable owing to the ease with which English renderings could be found; and adds further that "at Mr. Bentley's shop, in Russel St. in Covent Garden, you may be furnished with French Bibles, French Common Prayers, French Testaments, and French Psalms." These would be of special use to his own students, as he encouraged them to frequent the French Church for the benefit of hearing the language. As for Mauger himself, although he appears to have professed the Protestant religion and to have come first to England as a refugee for the sake of his principles, he does not seem to have given much attention to religious matters. Neither does he manifest any particular interest in the French Church,[819] other than as an excellent place for his pupils to accustom themselves to the sounds of the French language.

After he had spent some thirty years in England we find him moving to Paris, where he was constantly with "some of the ablest gentlemen of Port Royal," who a.s.sured him that his French Grammar and his Letters in French and English were in their library. This break in Mauger's long teaching career in England occurred some time about 1680, after the appearance of the eighth edition of his grammar in 1679. He now took up his residence in the fas.h.i.+onable quarter of Paris, usually frequented by foreigners, the Faubourg St. Germain, where he taught French to English travellers, and English to any one wis.h.i.+ng to learn it. This change of abode modified his exclusive att.i.tude towards the Blois accent. At an earlier date he had acknowledged that "after Blois the best p.r.o.nunciation is got at Orleans, Saumur, Tours, and the Court," and in 1676 he writes, "Je suys exactement le plus beau stile de la Cour," and tells us that he had daily intercourse with French courtiers "tant amba.s.sadeurs qu'autres grands seigneurs, a qui j'ay aussi l'honneur de monstrer la langue angloise." He also read all the latest books, and carried on a correspondence with learned men in Paris, among others Antoine le Grand. But in the same year that he was praising the French of Paris, he wrote, encouraging a n.o.ble Englishman to take up the study of French in England: [Header: MAUGER IN PARIS] "Si vos affaires ne vous permettent pas d'aller a Paris, pour vous y adonner, de quoy vous souciez-vous si vous avez Blois dans Londres qui est la source? En effet sa p.r.o.nonciation ne change jamais: de plus a cause du commerce qu'il y a entre les deux cours, l'une communique a l'autre sa purete. Et je dy a.s.surement qu'il y a icy quant.i.te de personnes qui parlent aussi bien a la mode qu'au Faubourg Saint Germain. Et comme les fonteines font couler leurs eaux bien loin par de bons canaux sans se corrompre, vous trouverez des Maitres en cette ville qui vous enseigneront aussi purement que sur les lieux." However, when he had himself spent two years in Paris, he gave up praising the merits of Blois, and always describes himself as "late professor of languages at Paris," which he now called "the centre of the purity of the French Tongue, where the true French phrase is to be found." From this time on his grammar claims to contain everything that can be desired in order to learn French as spoken at the Court of France, and "all the improvements of that Famous Language as it is now flouris.h.i.+ng at the Court of France."

During his stay at Paris, which extended from about 1680 to 1688, the popularity of his grammar in England did not diminish. Four editions were printed in London after having been corrected by himself at Paris--the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth. The last was dedicated to the young Earl of Salisbury, who had studied French with Mauger when on the usual continental tour.

Three motives, he states, induced him to return to England, "after having gathered the finest flowers of the French tongue at Paris to enrich my workes withall for the better satisfaction of those that learn it: The first the extream love which I bear to this generous country,[820] that has obliged me so much as to approve so generally of my books, that for her sake they are received very well beyond Sea, and especially in France. The second, to correct the thirteenth edition my self exactly, many faults of printing having crept into the four last editions which were Printed here in my absence though I corrected them at Paris. The third to see my relations and friends."