Great men and famous women : a series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in history Volume 7 . E Extracts from Moliere, by Sir Walter Scott(1622-1673) Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was christened atParis, January 15, 1622. His family con-sisted of decent burghers, who had for two orthree generations followed the business of man-ufacturers of tapestry, or dealers in that com-modity. Jean Poquelin, the father of the poet,also enjoyed the office of valet-de-chambre inthe royal household. He endeavored to bringhis son up to the same business, but fin
Great men and famous women : a series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in history Volume 7 . E Extracts from Moliere, by Sir Walter Scott(1622-1673) Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was christened atParis, January 15, 1622. His family con-sisted of decent burghers, who had for two orthree generations followed the business of man-ufacturers of tapestry, or dealers in that com-modity. Jean Poquelin, the father of the poet,also enjoyed the office of valet-de-chambre inthe royal household. He endeavored to bringhis son up to the same business, but finding thatit was totally inconsistent with the taste andtemper of the young Jean-Baptiste, he placedhim at the Jesuits College of Clermont, nowthe College of Louis-le-Grand. Young Poque-lin had scarcely terminated his course of philos-ophy when, having obtained the situation of assistant and successor to his father,in his post of valet-de-chambre to the king, he was called on to attend LouisXHL m a tour to Narbonne, which lasted nearly a year. Doubtless, the oppor-tunities which this journey afforded him, of comparing the manners and follies of. MOLIERE 51 the royal court and of the city of Paris, with those which he found still existingin the provincial towns and among the rural noblesse, were not lost upon thepoet by whose satirical power they were destined to be immortalized. On his return to Paris, young Poquelin commenced the study of the law;nay, it appears probable that he was actually admitted an advocate. But thename of Moliere must be added to the long list of those who have become con-spicuous for success in the fine arts, having first adopted the pursuit of them incontradiction to the will of their parents ; and in whom, according to Voltaire,nature has proved stronger than education. Instead of frequenting the courts, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was an assiduousattendant upon such companies of players as then amused the metropolis, and atlength placed himself at the head
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbiography, bookyear18
