La Grande Mademoiselle, 1627-1652 . nts. Mile, de Chantal had been admirably directedby her uncle, the Abbe de Coulanges, and, asidefrom the cares of the profession which now presidesover the education of woman, it is probable that moreefficient means could not be found for the properformation of the character of a girl than it wasMademoiselle de Chantals good fortune to enjoy. Menage and Chapelain had been her guides inrhetoric. She had read Tacitus and Virgil in theoriginal all her life. She was familiar with Italianand with Spanish, and had ancient and modernhistory at her tongues end, — al
La Grande Mademoiselle, 1627-1652 . nts. Mile, de Chantal had been admirably directedby her uncle, the Abbe de Coulanges, and, asidefrom the cares of the profession which now presidesover the education of woman, it is probable that moreefficient means could not be found for the properformation of the character of a girl than it wasMademoiselle de Chantals good fortune to enjoy. Menage and Chapelain had been her guides inrhetoric. She had read Tacitus and Virgil in theoriginal all her life. She was familiar with Italianand with Spanish, and had ancient and modernhistory at her tongues end, — also the moralistsand the religious writers. These serious and well-grounded foundations,which she continually strengthened and reneweduntil death, did not prevent her from adoringpoetry, the drama, and the superior novels,— inshort, all things of enlightenment and worthwherever she found them and under whateverform. She was graceful in the dance; she sangwell,— her contemporaries said that her manner ofsinging was MADAME DE SEVIQNEFROM AN ENGRAVING OF THE PAINTING BY MUNTZ La Grande Mademoiselle 55 The Abbe Coulanges had raised her so carefullythat she was orderly; and, unlike the majority, sheliked to pay her debts. She was a perfect type ofwoman. She even made a few mistakes in ortho-graphy, taking one, or more, letter, or letters, foranother, or for others. In short, she made just thenumber of errors sufficient to permit her to be awriter of eenius without detracting from her air ofdistinguished elegance, or from the obligationsand the quality of her birth. There were others at Court and in the city whoconfirmed their right to enlightenment, thereby just-ifying the theses of Mademoiselle de Scudery. Buta large number of women gave the lie to her theoriesby their resemblance to Damophile. Of these latterwas the worthy Gournay, Montaignes daughterby alliance, who, from the exalted heights of herGreek and Latin, and in a loud, insistent voice,discoursed like
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectmontpen, bookyear1902
