The Teaching and Cultivation of the French Language in England Part 51

[1009] _Cal. State Papers, Dom., 1661-62_, p. 28.

[1010] Two grammars for teaching Portuguese greeted the new queen. One was a _Portuguese Grammar_ in French and English by Mr. La Molliere, a French gentleman, 1662 (_Register of the Company of Stationers_, ii.

307); and the other, J. Howell's _Grammar for the Spanish or Castilian tongue with some special remarks on the Portuguese Dialect_, with a description of Spain and Portugal by way of guide. It was dedicated to the queen.

[1011] Fragment of the Journal of the Convent of Chaillot, in the secret archives of France, Hotel de Soubise. Quoted by Strickland in _Lives of the Queens_, 1888, iv. p. 383.

[1012] Cp. Sedley, _Mulberry Garden_.

[1013] Such as Lady Lurewell of Farquhar's _Constant Couple_; Lady Fanciful in Vanbrugh's _Provoked Wife_; Brome's _Damoiselle_ (1653); or Mrs. Rich in _The Beau Defeated_ (1700?).

[1014] _The Frenchified Lady never in Paris_ was the name given her by Henry Dell in his play, based on Dryden's and printed 1757 and 1761.

[1015] There is a book called _The Art of Affectation_ teaching ladies to speak "in a silly soft tone of voice and use all the foolish French words which will infallibly make your person and conversation charming"

(Etherege, _Sir Fopling Flutter_).

[1016] _The Ladies' Catechism_, 1703?

[1017] _Satire against the French_, 1691, p. 14.

[1018] _Satire on our ridiculous imitation of the French_; Chalmers, _English Poets_, viii. p. 206.

[1019] Cp. Swift, _Poem written in a Lady's Ivory Table Book_ (1698):

"Here you may read, Here in beau-spelling--tru tel deth."

[1020] _Character of the Beau_, 1696.

[1021] Cibber, _Careless Husband_, Act I. Sc. 1.

[1022] Cibber, _Love's last s.h.i.+ft or the Fool in fas.h.i.+on_. Sedley's Sir Charles Everyoung, Ned Estridge, and Harry Modish are all "most accomplished monsieurs," as are Clodis in Cibber's _Love Makes a Man or the Fop's Fortune_; Sir Harry Wildair in Farquhar's play of that name; Lord Foppington of Vanbrugh's _Relapse or Virtue in Danger_; Bull Junior in Dennis's _A Plot and no Plot_; Clencher, senior, the Prentice turned Beau in Farquhar's _Constant Couple_; Mrs. Behn's _Sir Timothy Tawdry_; Crowne's _Sir Courtly Nice_, etc. In 1697 appeared a work called _The Compleat Beau_.

[1023] _Sir Fopling Flutter or the Man of Mode_, 1676. Supposed to be a portrait of the then notorious Beau Hewitt.

[1024] _Satire against the French_, 1691.

[1025] _Character of the Beau_, 1691. Most of the accomplished "monsieurs" frequented the French houses (Sedley, _Mulberry Garden_).

Act II. Sc. 2 of Wycherley's _Love in a Wood_, and Act II. Sc. 2 of his _Gentleman Dancing Master_, both take place in a French house. Cp.

_Character of the Town Gallant_, 1675.

[1026] Vincent, _Young Gallants' Academy_, 1674, p. 44.

[1027] Flecknoe, _Characters_, 1673. The 1665 edition of his _Aenigmatical Characters ..._, 1665, contains a description in French of the _Tour a la Mode_: "... C'est une bataille bien rangee ou l'on ne tire que des coups d'Oeillades, et ou les premiers ayant fait leur descharge, ilz s'en vont pour donner place aux autres" ..., etc. (p.

21).

[1028] Charles II. openly avowed his preference for the French drama.

Dryden wrote his _Essay of Dramatic Poesy_, "to vindicate the Honour of our English writers from the censure of those who unjustly prefer the French before them." Pepys saw many of the French plays acted in English. Cp. H. McAfee, _Pepys on the Restoration Stage ..._, Yale Univ.

Press, 1916.

[1029] A. Beljame, _Le Public et les hommes de lettres au 18e siecle_, Paris, 1897, p. 139.

[1030] As in Etherege's _Comical Revenge or Love in a Tub_, _Sir Fopling Flutter_, and the plays of Cibber, Vanbrugh, Mrs. Behn, Shadwell, Farquhar, Wycherley, etc.; _The French Conjuror_, 1678; _The Beau Defeated_, 1700?, etc.

[1031] A. Beljame, _Quae e Gallicis verbis in Anglicam linguam Johannes Dryden introduxerit_, Paris, 1881. On French influence in Restoration Drama, see Charlanne, _L'Influence francaise en Angleterre_, pp. 64 _sqq._

[1032] _Lettre a M. de la Chaussee_: _Lettres_, 1745, ii. p. 240.

[1033] _Narrative of her Life, written by Herself_, pub. in series of Autobiographies, London, 1826, vol. vii. p. 12. Most of the writers of the time were able to write some French. Flecknoe, for instance, wrote some of his _Characters_ in the language, and wrote a French dedication of his Poems (1652), "a la plus excellente de son s.e.xe."

[1034] Dryden, "Prologue spoken at the opening of the new house, 26 March, 1674," _Works_, ed. Scott and Saintsbury, x. p. 320.

[1035] "Prologue to Arviragus and Phihera by L. Carlell, revival,"

_Works_, x. 405.

[1036] Shaw, _Calendar of Treasury Books, 1660-67_, p. 311.

[1037] _Ibid., 1672-75_, pp. 14, 24, 29, etc.; _1677-78_ (vol. v.), pp.

692, 803; _1684_ (vol. vii.), p. 1444.

[1038] Charles had granted two privileges: one to Henry Killigrew, who directed the King's company acting at Drury Lane, and the other to Sir William Davenant, who directed the Duke's company. The rival companies united in 1682.

[1039] Chardon, _La troupe du roman comique devoilee et les comediens de la campagne au 17e siecle_, Le Mans, 1876, p. 47.

[1040] Chardon, _op. cit._ p. 98.

[1041] _Revue Historique_, xxix., Sept.-Oct. 1858, p. 23.

[1042] _Historical MSS. Commission Reports_, v. p. 186. French dancers and singers also attracted the English from the performances of their own actors; cp. Cibber, Epilogue to _The Careless Husband_, and Farquhar, Preface to _The Inconstant_.

CHAPTER VII

THE TEACHING OF FRENCH AND ITS POPULARITY AFTER THE RESTORATION

In the meantime French grammars were being published in England in considerable numbers.[1043] So plentiful were they that there was "scarce anything to be seen anywhere but French grammars." The manuals of Mauger and Festeau were still in vogue, and that of Mauger was frequently reedited. Among new grammarians figures the tutor to the children of the Duke of York (James II.), Pierre de Laine, who may possibly have been identical with the Pierre Laine who published a grammar in 1655.[1044] His French grammar, written in the first place for the Lady Mary (afterwards Mary II.), was published in 1667,[1045]

when the princess was about five years old. It was subsequently placed at the service of the Lady Anne, afterwards queen, and a second edition appeared in 1677, with the t.i.tle: _The Princely Way to the French Tongue as it was first compiled for the use of her Highness the Lady Mary and since taught her royal sister the Lady Anne etc. by P. D. L. Tutor for the French to both their Highnesses_.[1046]

"Before you begin anything of Letters or rules," says Laine, "you may Learn how to call in French these few things following.

Ma Tete, say maw tate my Head Mes Cheveuz, say maysheveu my Hair,"

and so on for the parts of the body, the numbers, days, and months, with similar guides to p.r.o.nunciation. He then proceeds to treat of the sounds of letters and syllables, based on comparison with English. These rules occupy less than a fifth of the book; the remainder contains practical exercises. First come familiar phrases and dialogues, strongly religious in tone, including prayers, the catechism, commandments, etc., and conversation specially suited to royal princesses. A chronological abridgement of the sacred scriptures by way of dialogue is followed by rules of grammar, likewise in dialogue form. Lastly come the _Fables_ of Aesop put into "burlesque French" for the use of her Highness the Lady Mary when a child, and models of letters suitable for children, and accompanied by answers.

In later years Laine spent some time at Paris as secretary[1047] to Sir Henry Savile, the English envoy at the French Court, who did so much to prepare a favourable reception in England for the refugees at the time of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes.[1048] Laine was the first teacher to receive a grant of letters of denization under the Order in Council of the 28th July 1681.[1049] Shortly afterwards the same privilege was bestowed on Francis Cheneau, whose _French Grammar, enrich'd with a compendious and easie way to learne the French tongue in a short time_, was licensed for printing in 1684.[1050] For many years Cheneau continued to teach French, and in time added Latin, English, and Italian to his repertory. He describes himself as a native of Paris, "formerly slave and Governor of the Isles of Nacsia and Paros in the Archipelago." At the time of the appearance of his second work on the French language, in 1716, he was "living in his House in Old Fish St.

next door to the Faulcon in London," where could be seen his short grammars for Latin, Italian, and English.