. Library of the world's best literature, ancient and modern. into an almost mor-bid passion; and it was a kindly Providence that, soon after (1814)led his family to quit the stagnant provinces for that nursery ofambition, Paris. Here he studied under new masters, heard lecturesat the Sorbonne, read in the libraries, and finally, at the desire ofhis practical father, took a three years course in law. He was now at the parting of the ways, and he chose the onenearest his heart. After much discussion, it was settled that heshould not be obliged to return to the provinces with his family, orto en
. Library of the world's best literature, ancient and modern. into an almost mor-bid passion; and it was a kindly Providence that, soon after (1814)led his family to quit the stagnant provinces for that nursery ofambition, Paris. Here he studied under new masters, heard lecturesat the Sorbonne, read in the libraries, and finally, at the desire ofhis practical father, took a three years course in law. He was now at the parting of the ways, and he chose the onenearest his heart. After much discussion, it was settled that heshould not be obliged to return to the provinces with his family, orto enter upon the regular practice of law, but that he might try hisluck as a writer on an allowance purposely fixed low enough to testhis constancy and endurance. Two years was the period of probationallotted, during which time Balzac read still more widely and walkedthe streets studying the. characters he met, all the while endeavoringto grind out verses for a tragedy on Cromwell. This, when com-pleted, was promptly and justly damned by his family, and he was. HONORE DE BALZAC T,-„ temporarily forced to retire from Paris. He did not give up hisaspirations, however, and before long he was back in his attic, thistime supporting himself by his pen. Novels, not tragedies, werewhat the public most wanted, so he labored indefatigably to supplytheir needs and his own necessities; not relinquishing, however, thehope that he might some day watch the performance of one of hisown plays. His perseverance was destined to be rewarded, for helived to write five dramas which fill a volume of his collectedworks; but only one, the posthumous comedy Mercadet,* was evenfairly successful. Yet that Balzac had dramatic genius his maturednovels abundantly prove. The ten romances, however, that he wrote for cheap booksellersbetween 1822 and 1829 displayed so little genius of any sort that hewas afterwards unwilling to cover their deficiencies with his greatname. They have been collected as youthful work
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