amidst those attacks, in the commerce of the literary and great world. Many anecdotes have appeared of this great man, fome of which we fhall lay before our readers. Santeuil one day compofed fome verfes for a scholar, who afking to whom he was indebted for the obligation, the poet replied, "If you are asked who made thefe, you need only reply, it was the devil." The fubject of the fcholar's poem was, "A youth in a fit of paffion, took up a knife and cut his younger brother's throat; the mother in a rage, threw the culprit into a copper of boiling water; diflracted at what he had done, the hung herfelf, and the father was fhocked at the horrid fpectacle." The point was to reduce thefe accidents into a fhort compass, and Santeuil rendered them thus, "Alter cum puero mater con"juncta marito "Cutello, limphâ, fune, dolore ❝ cadunt." ThoughSanteuil was often preffed to qualify himself for prieft's orders, he never was but in deacon's. This did not, however, prevent his preaching in a village, on a day that the priest could not be found. Scarce had he mounted the pulpit, before he forgot himself, and was confufed; he retired, faying, "I had a great many more things to fay to you; but it is needlefs to preach any more; you would not be the better for it." A priest of St. Victor fhewed Santeuil fome verses in which was the word quoniam, which is an expreffion entirely profaic. Santeuil, in order to rally him, repeated a whole pfalm, in which the word quoniam occurred twenty times. "Confitemini domino quoniam bonus; qumiam mifericordia ejus; quoniam falutare, tuum, &c." The prieft, piqued at this, immediately replied in the words of Virgil, "Infanire libet quoniam tibe." Santeuil faid, that though there was no falvation out of the church for any one, he was an exception to the rule, as he was obliged to withdraw from it to work his own, as whilft he ftaid there, he could not help liftening with too much felf-applaufe to his own hymns. Being at Port-Royal, where his hymns were finging, a peasant by the fide of him bellowed out in fuch an outrageous manner, that the poet could not refrain saying, "Be filent, thou brute, and let thofe angels fing." Whenever he took an enmity to any one, he never could be afterwards reconciled to him. He was one day talking to the duchefs Dumaine, of the bad conduct of a prior of the abbey of St. Victor; and as he began to be quite out of temper upon the occafion, the duchefs, who imagined he was talking of the prior then living, faid Santeuil was quite in the ri ht, and that he fhould be turned out.— "Heaven has fettled this matter (faid he), for he has been dead thefe hundred years." He was prevailed upon, by a friend, to be a fpectator at a private dramatic representation. The piece was far advanced, when he jumped up in the middle of an interefting fcene, and violently clapped his hands, crying, "What an amazing fool I am!" "What is the matter?" faid his friend; "Why, I have forgot to get my dinner." A Parifian husband was lamenting to Santeuil the infidelities of his wife: "A mere flea-bite," faid the poet," or lefs, as it is only an imaginary complaint; few die of it, and many live with it." An agreeable woman, to whom Santeuil owed fome money, meeting him one day at a private house, afked him the reafon fhe had not feen him fo long: "Is it because you owe me fomething?" "No, madam," replied the poet; "that is not what prevents my vifiting, and you are the caufe that you are not paid." "How fo?" faid the lady; "Because," faid he, "whenever I fee you, I forget every thing." Santeuil having a confeffional drefs on, either to fay vefpers, or to mufe upon fome production, a lady who took him for a confeffor, threw herself upon her knees, and recounted all her fins. The poet muttered fomething to himself, and the good penitent thinking he was reproaching her for her wickednefs, haft ned the conclufion of her confeffron when the found the confeffor quite filent, fhe then afked him for abfolution. "What, do you take me for a prieft?" faid Santeuil. "Why then," faid the lady, quite alarmed, "did you liften to me?" "And why," replied Santeuil," did you speak to me?" "I'll this inftant go and complain of you to your prior," faid the enraged female. "And I," faid the poet, am going to your husband, to give him a full account of your conduct." In a chapter held at St. Victor, to admit Santeuil's hymns, a prieft faid, that it was improper to fing in a church, the hymns of a man who was foirregular in his condu&. Santeuil inftantly replied, "Do not confider the workman, but the work: the tabernacle of our altar is fine; you received it, and praised it; it is, nevertheless, the production of a proteftant: the cafe is the fame with regard to my hymns." A certain preacher held forth at St. Mary, without giving his auditory any fatisfaction. Santeuil, who was prefent, faid, "He did better laft year." A bye-ftander afferted he must be mistaken; for the prefent pulpit-thumper had not preached last year. "That is the very reafon," faid Santevil. He was the first who let fly the fhafts of fatire against the monks. A Provençal gentleman complained, to an attorney at Paris, that he had been cheated by a monk, "What, Sir," faid Santeuil, who was prefent, "a man of your years not to know the monks!-There are," continued he, "four things in this world you fhould always guard againft; the face of a woman, the hind part of a mule, the fide of a cart, and a monk on all fides." Santeuil returning one night to St. Victor, at eleven o'clock, the porter refufed opening the door, laying he had pofitive orders to admit no one at that hour. After much altercation, Santeuil flipt half a louis d'or under the door, and he obtained immediate admittance. As foon as he had got in, he pretended he had left a book upon a ftone, upon which he had been fitting while he waited for the door opening. The officious porter, animated with the poet's generofity, ran to get the book, and San. Santeuil fhut the door upon him. Master Peter, who was half naked, knocked in turn, when Santeuil started the fame difficulties, as he had done againft admitting any one at that time of night, and that he would not difobey the prior, "Ay, but Mafter Santeuil," faid the porter, 66 you know I let you in very civilly," "And fo will I you as civilly." faid Santeuil, if you pleafe-You know the price; in or out is the word, and I can dally no longer." The porter finding he was likely to fleep in the street half naked, and run the risk of lofing his place, flipt the piece of gold under the door, faying, "I thought a poet's money would not stay long with me," and purchased his admittance. Santeuil made for Dominique, Harlequin of the Italian comedy, this laconic epitaph: "Caftigat ridendo mores." An anecdote upon this occafion, fhould not be fuppreffed.-Santeuil did not always receive admonition calmly, but fometimes replied with warmth. M. Boffuet having reproached him for fome impropriety of conduct, concluded with faying, "Your life is not very edifying; and if I was your fuperior, I would fend you into fome little cure, to tell your beads, and fay your breviary." "And I," said Santeuil, "if I were king of France, would drive you from your fnug retreat, and fend you to the ifle of Patmos, to make a new Apocalypfe." In 1697, Santeuil accompanied the Duke of Bourbon, governor of Burgundy, to the point of returning to Paris, when he was feized is a celebrated picture by Rubens, reprefenting, in one part, the Virgin Mary fitting with the child Jefus in her lap, and, in another part, feveral faints and fainteffes ftanding. The breaft of one of thefe, St. Sebastian, is faid to have been painted by Vandyck, when he was only a difciple of Rubens. This great mafter being engaged one day abroad, his difciples went into his painting-room, where, after having been fome time employed in admiring his works they began to play or romp in fuch a manner, that the breast of St. Se baftian, which was not yet dry, was brushed away by a hat thrown at random. This accident put an end to their play: they were very anxious to restore it, fearing that, if Rubens difcovered it, they should all be difcarded. At length it was agreed, that Anthony fhould un- * dertake to mend the faint's breast. In fhort, taking his mafter's pallet and brushes, he fucceeded fo well, that his companions imagined that Rubens would overlook it. They were mistaken; for Rubens, at his return,knew immediately that fome one one had touched upon his perform ance calling his difciples, he afked them why any one had dared to meddle with his painting? They were fome time doubtful whether they should confefs or deny the fact. Threats at length prevailed: they owned that Vandyck had thrown his hat upon it. Upon this, clofeting Vandyck, inftead of chiding him, he told him, that it was proper and even neceflary for him to travel into Italy, the only fchool that produced excellent painters; and that, if he would take his advice, he would arrive at the highest perfection." Vandyck replied, that he was very defirous of it, but that his purfe was not equal to fuch a journey, and that he feared he fhould be obliged to fell his hat on the road." Rubens affured him, that that should be his concern; and, accordingly, a few days after he made him a prefent of a purse full of piftoles, and added to that gift a dapple grey horfe, of great beauty, to carry him thither. In return for this, Vandyck painted for his mafter a chimney-piece, and afterwards fet out for Italy, about the year 1621, being then about one or two-and-twenty years of age. It is faid, that Vandyck's mother was paffionately fond of embroidery, that fhe excelled in it, and embroidered several hiftorical fubjects with fuch furprising skill, that they have been efteemed mafterpieces by proficients in that art. Being defirous to have her fon inftructed in the firft rudiments of grammar, he began by fending him to fchool to learn reading and writing. As he had ink, paper, and pens at command, he amufed himfelf more with drawing figures, and other flight sketches, than with making letters. One day his mafter having threatened to whip one of his fchool-fellows, Vandyck po. fitively affured him, that he need not fear his master's threats, as he would take care to prevent his receiving the threatened correction. -"How fo?" replied his fchoolfellow. "I'll paint," replied andyck, "a face on your pofteriors;" which he did with fuch kill, that, when the inafter drew up the curtain, he laughed fo immoderately, that he forgave the culprit. It is pretended, that Rubens painted the defcent from the cross at the altar of the Fufileers at Antwerp, in return for a small part of their garden, which they had given him for the embellishment and enla gement of the house which he was then building. This houfe is ftill in being, and, together with the street, bears the name of Ru bens. While the painter was finishing this picture, he received a vifit from the fuperiors; and, as the foldingdoors, which were to inclofe it, were open, they were furprifed at not feeing their patron-faint, St. Chriftopher. Rubens well knew their embarraffment, and faid, "I will let you into the defign of the fubject I am now painting: Chrifophorus fignifies Chriftum ferre, or to carry Chrift; the figures in this picture lend their hands to take down Chrift from the cross, and to carry him. St. Simeon, who has Chrift in his arms, carries him, confequently he is Chriftopboru. The bleffed Virgin,when pregnant, carried Chrift."He was going on, when he perceived, by the fo lemn filence of thofe gentlemen, that they defired fomething more than than metaphors; in proportion, therefore, as he closed the doors of his picture, and as they faw, by degrees, their good patron appear, their sadness was converted into the greatest joy; especially, when they faw him in his full dimenfions, and of a wonderful fize, they stood as if they were thunder-ftruck: in a word, thoroughly fatisfied with that gigantic figure, without giving Rubens time to enter into a difcuffion of his work, they withdrew, and left him aftonished at their ftupid ignorance. At the fame inftant, therefore, he added in the fame picture two other figures, viz. an owi in the sky, and a turbot in the water thefe were the fymbols which he thought suitable to connoiffeurs of that ftamp. They are ftill in being, and may be feen in the piture, which is a mafter-piece both in colouring and defign. While Rubens was drawing the picture of the Rector of St. Wurburge in Antwerp, the daughter of one of the fuperiors of the church came to make him a vifit; and, as fhe ftaid with him till his fketch was finished, Rubens, who was a gallant man, begged her to do him the honour to be prefent again at his work the next day; to which fhe agreed. Rubens, on whom the beauty of the young lady had made an impresion, defired the rector to allow him to draw her picture at the fame time that he was drawing his, which was readily granted; for this purpose, he placed a cloth ready primed behind the rector's picture, and the next day, when the priest and the lady were affembled at his house, he drew the picture of the fair-one, without her perceiving it; he was, therefore, aftonished, when she faw a friking likenefs of herself, together with that of the rector. She recovered, however, from her furprize; and, in the most graceful manner,feeing herfelf fo finely painted, the returned her acknowledgements to Rubens. Some days after, the rector shewed the lady's father the two pictures, and afked him if he knew them? He, in the utmost astonishment, agreed that it was his daughter's picture; at length, the unravelling of this fcene of gallantry, was the procuring leave for Rubens to vifit the fair one, and the settling with the rector and the father of the lady, the price of that famous piece of the elevation of the cross, which, being placed in that church, was criticifed, and the painter treated as a dauber. The lady for fome time difcontinued her vifits, on account of fome flight difagreement between her and Rubens. At length, indifference yielding to merit, he became, with the confent of her father, the hufband of that fair-one, whose character he retrieved, which the seemed, in fome measure, to have fullied by the vifits too often repeated, which the made him at the beginning of their acquaintance. Roofe, who had been a difciple of Rubens, being in bad circumftances, Rubens, having found him ina garret where he lodged,ftrongly urged him to go to Antwerp, with an offer of an handsome house, and employment for his life; but Roofe politely declined it. However, after this vifit, availing himself of fome inftructions that Rubens had given him, he made better use of his talents, and lived comfortably. It is faid, that, when the inhabitants of Ghent defired Rubens to paint |