”I slept at last!” is the line in the epitaph of Mr. Nicolas Bourbon. This gentleman suffers from insomnia all year round, so that if someone wants to invite him to a banquet, he must be notified on the same day, otherwise he will not be able to sleep the night before. The same gentleman was usually very anxious and feared that he would be poor—although after his death in 1644, the family found fifteen thousand foals in cash. In the novel “The Three Musketeers”, so much money is enough to buy five king’s royal musketeers for expedition, or to buy two diamonds of the Duke of Buckingham.
Mr. Bourbon is not only rich, but expensive. He was the second able man in history to be admitted to the French Academy and was considered the most outstanding Latin master at that time. Rich and expensive, famous all over the world. So what in the world could make him anxious?
The French Academy was established in 1634 by the famous Cardinal Richelieu of France at that time. The French Cao Cao at that time, the French world’s most outstanding, most resourceful but also the most ruthless statesman. But in private, he is also a self-proclaimed romantic figure.
A legend: Richelieu once had someone forward an article he wrote to Nicolas Bourbon for his review. Bourbon’s response was rather indifferent. He did not know who wrote the article, so in his conscience and taste, he called it “the Latin of the preacher.” This is not polite, although you can’t say “your foreign language is taught by a physical education teacher”, but it is not far off. This is not an open disobedience to Richelieu, but Richelieu is naturally not very happy. So that year, Mr. Bourbon did not receive the allowance the king should have paid him. I guess Mr. Bourbon knew then that he might have said something he shouldn’t have said. If there is a cloud as high as Richelieu’s overhead, no one can sleep well, right? Richelieu died in 1642, and M. Bourbon died two years later. The relieved “I finally fell asleep” is really interesting considering the time.
Another interesting thing. In 1634, the year Cardinal Richelieu established the French Academy, he visited Rouen and was greeted by a 28-year-old young poet chosen by the locality. Richelieu greatly admired him and felt that the poet’s works were excellent, so he arranged him into the “Five Writers Club” – a drama club led by Richelieu himself. He proposed ideas and the writers were responsible for writing plays.
The young playwright should be happy, right?
However, after the first contract expired, the poet-playwright left Paris with a sleeve and returned to Rouen. He felt that Richelieu was demanding, and it was annoying. In 1636, the poet-playwright’s work “Cid” was staged in Paris, causing a sensation in the city and a great success. Yes, this is the legendary author Ko Naiyi.
However, the French Academy under Richelieu was immediately upset, and the Academy pointed out that “Cid” did not follow the Trinity; At war with Spain – and duel again, France at the time, but private fights were forbidden! Probably, under Richelieu’s rule, there was no creative freedom. So Corneille went back to Rouen, and after three years, he returned to Paris and began to write the works of Trinity.
When Richelieu died in 1642, Corneille wrote a poem to the effect: I will not speak whether people say good or bad to the cardinal. He has done a lot of good things to me, and I can’t blame him; he has also done a lot of bad things, and I can’t praise him. Indeed, he was excavated by Richelieu and suppressed by Richelieu. Even after the death of Richelieu. Originally, after Richelieu’s death, the public believed that Corneille should be elected to the French Academy, but that year, the 23-year-old lawyer Villerard was selected to replace him. Corneille himself had to be elected to the French Academy in 1647, five years after Richelieu’s death. By 1660, 24 years after The Cid, Corneille published Three Treatises on Dramatic Poems, defending his dramatic style.
Therefore, many talented leaders are not without taste, but on the contrary: they know very well what a good essay is, so they especially like to manage their heads and feet; poetry, drama, and all arts must serve their general vision. It’s no wonder that such great writers as Bourbon and Corny are helpless.