The Anglo-French Entente In The Seventeenth Century Part 8

If anglomania was unknown to France in the seventeenth century, yet Frenchmen were found who appreciated England. Some lived at Court, during Louis XIV.'s minority and later, when the King of England was in the pay of his cousin, the Grand Monarch. No doubt English literature did not profit by those good dispositions, for the simple reason that none of those Frenchmen knew English.

Both Cardinal Mazarin and the Grande Mademoiselle caused horses to be imported from England, but Colbert found them rather expensive. When he received instructions to build Versailles, the minister had to be resigned to extravagance. Henrietta of England stood in high favour with the King, and all that came from England proved acceptable; overwhelmed with work, responsible for the national finances, the navy and public prosperity, the great minister was compelled to discuss trivial details; the same year as the Treaty of Dover was signed, he corresponded with Amba.s.sador Colbert de Croissy about the purchase for the ca.n.a.l at Versailles of two "small yachts." The boats were built in Chatham dockyard, sent to France, and workmen were dispatched to carve and gild the figure-heads.[137]

[Ill.u.s.tration: POPULAR REPRESENTATON OF AN ENGLISHMAN

_After Bonnart_]

When Locke visited Paris in 1679, he found some admirers of England. He was told that Prince de Conti, then aged seventeen, proposed to learn English.[138] No wonder the princes of the blood were anxious to know all about the allies of France. The King himself had shown as much curiosity as his exalted station allowed. He had asked his envoys to forward him reports on the government and inst.i.tutions of the newly-discovered land, on the state of arts and sciences there, on the latest Court scandals. In the Colbert papers may be found reports on the state of the English navy, by superintendent Arnoul, a learned disquisition on the origin of Parliaments, and amusing bits of information, such as the following, about Charles II.'s Queen: "She is extremely clean and takes a bath once every six weeks, winter and summer. n.o.body ever sees her in her bath, not even her maids, curtains being drawn around."

When Gilbert Burnet visited Paris in 1685, he was asked on behalf of the Archbishop if he would write in English a memoir of Louis XIV. From which significant fact it may be inferred that in official circles the state of public opinion in England was beginning to be taken into account.[139]

In all these manifestations of gallomania and incipient anglomania, there is ample matter for ridicule. We should gladly give up the imitation of French fas.h.i.+ons and French cooking and the pa.s.sion for English horses and yachts, just to have once more an instance of the n.o.ble spirit of rivalry that Spenser showed when, after reading Du Bellay's poems, he exclaimed:--

"France, fruitful of brave wits."

Yet efforts were being made during the whole seventeenth century to bring about an understanding between the two neighbouring nations. Unluckily the methods pursued were calculated to make France most unpopular with the larger section of the English public.

FOOTNOTES:

[106] See on the subject Sir Sidney Lee, _French Renaissance in England_; Upham, _French Influence in English Literature_, Charlanne, _L'influence francaise en Angleterre au XVIIe Siecle_.

[107] _Scornful Lady_, Act I. Sc. 1.

[108] Chalmers, _English Poets_, v. p. 506.

[109]

"Et Gallice linguam sonat Britannicam, Et Gallice omnem, praeter unam Gallicam, Nam Gallicam solam sonat Britannice."

_Thomae Mori Lucubrationes_ (Basil, 1563), p. 209.

[110] _Dialogues de l'orthografe_, p. 60 (1550).

[111] _State Papers, Dom._, Eliz. xix. No. 35; see also _The Travels of Nicander Nucius_ (Camden Soc.), p. 13; Paul Jove, _Descriptio Britanniae_, Venice, 1548. "Aulae et foro Gallicus sermo familiaris."

[112] _The c.o.xcomb_, Act IV. Sc. 1 (1610)

[113] _Six Court Comedies_, 1632.

[114] Mauger, _French Grammar_, pp. 189, 217, 234.

[115] Butler, _On our Ridiculous Imitation of the French_.

[116] _Bury Fair_, Act II. Sc. 1.

[117] _Marriage a la Mode_, Act III. Sc. 1.

[118] Etheredge, _Man of Mode_, Act II. Sc. 1.

[119] _Virtuoso_, Act I. Sc. 1.

[120] _True Widow_, Act II. Sc. 1.

[121] _Eastward Hoe_, Act II. Sc. 1 (1605).

[122] _City Madam_, Act I. Sc. 1 (1632).

[123] _Characters_, p. 144 (1614).

[124] _State Papers, Dom._, 1665-1666, p. 481.

[125] Butler, _op. cit._

[126] _Spectator_, No. 277.

[127] _Hudibras_, iii. 923.

[128] "Put about a cup of ale, is this not better than your foolish French kickshaw claret."--Shadwell, _Epsom-Wells_, Act I. Sc. 1.

[129] _True Widow_, Act I. Sc. 1.

[130] "How can you breathe in a room where there's grease frying? Advise My Lady to burn wax lights."--_Man of Mode_, Act IV. Sc. 1.

[131] _Characters_, pp. 419, 424, 469.

[132] See Evelyn, _Diary_, 18th-30th October 1666; Pepys, _Diary_, 15th-17th October, 22nd November 1666; Miege, _New State of England_, ii.

p. 38; _State Papers, Dom._, 1666, p. 191.

[133] Ascham, _The Schole-master_, 1570, pp. 26 _ssq._; Nash, _The Unfortunate Traveller_, 1587 (_Works_, ii. p. 300)

[134] Beaumont and Fletcher, _Little French Lawyer_, Act I. Sc. 1.

[135] _Savile Correspondence_, p. 143.

[136] Etheredge, _Man of Mode_, Act IV. Sc. 2.

[137] _Lettres, Memoires et Instructions de Colbert_, v. p. 322.

[138] King, _Life and Letters of Locke_, p. 83.

[139] Clarke and Foxcroft, _Life of Burnet_, p. 210.

CHAPTER V

HUGUENOT THOUGHT IN ENGLAND