CXVII. The learned ladies of France, are very numerous, because there,
they in general have more opportunities of studying, and more time
allowed them for doing it, than they have in most other countries; I
shall therefore, only recite such of them as were most famous.
CXVIII. _Susana de Hubert_, wife of Charles Jardin, an attendant of
Henry III. understood philosophy and theology, and was well versed in
the writings of the fathers. She had learned the Spanish, Italian,
Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages; but her christian piety, which was
exceedingly exemplary, contributed more to the advancement of her true
glory, than her vast erudition.
CXIX. _Maria de Guernay_, a Parisian of illustrious family, to whom the
learned Dominic Baudio gave the name of the Syren of France, arrived to
such a pitch of glory and fame, for genius and literature, that there
was scarce a learned man of her time, who did not esteem it a great
honour to keep-up a literary correspondence with her; and hence it
was, that there were found in her cabinet when she died, letters, from
the cardinals Richelieu, Bentivolio, and Perron; from San Francisco de
Sales, and other enlightened prelates; from Charles the First, duke of
Mantua, from the Count de Ales, from Erycio Puteano, Justus Lipsius,
Messrs. Balzac, Maynard, Heinsius, Cæsar Capacio, Carlos Pinto, and
many other men, of the most shining parts and learning in that age.
CXX. _Madalena Scuderi_, who was called with great reason the Sappho
of her age, as she equaled that most celebrated Greek lady, in the
elegance of her compositions, and excelled her much, in the purity of
her manners. She was eminent for her learning, but incomparable for
her judgment and discretion, as her many and excellent works testify.
Her Artamenes, or Cyrus the Great, and her Clelia, in which tracts,
in imitation of Barclay’s Argenis, under the figure of novels, much
true history is contained, are pieces of consummate value, and in
my judgment, are preferable to any thing of the kind that has been
written in France, or any other country, the Argenis only excepted.
The nobleness of the thoughts, the harmonious combination of the
narrative, the pathetic efficacy of the persuasion, the liveliness
of the descriptions, and the native purity, majesty, and force of
the style, make a composition, which all together, is admirable and
enchanting; to this we may add, by way of enhancing the value of the
performance, that the amorous passages, are described with all the
delicacy and decency possible, the moral virtues, represented in the
most engaging and attractive light, and the heroic ones, with the most
brilliant splendor. As a proof of the prodigious talents of this woman,
the honour of having her entered as a member of their societies, was
industriously sought after, by all those academies, whose institutions,
allowed of admitting among them persons of her sex. She in the year
1671, gained the prize of eloquence in the French academy, which
amounted to the same thing, as that truly-noble body, having pronounced
her the most eloquent person in all France. The most Christian king,
Lewis XIV. whose attention, no elevated merit escaped, settled on her a
pension of twelve hundred livres a year, and cardinal Mazarine had long
before, by his will, bequeathed her a legacy of the same value, and she
received another donation to about the same amount, from the learned
chancellor of France, Louis de Boucherat; by the help of which, she
was enabled to pass through a regular, glorious, and long life, which
terminated in the year 1701.
CXXI. _Antonieta de la Guardia_, beautiful both in shape and features,
with which bodily perfections, the sweetness of her disposition, and
the charms of her soul corresponded; so that it seemed as if nature
had taken pride, with respect to her, of uniting in one woman, all
the graces of person, and attractions of mind. She was so eminent for
poetry, that, at a time in which this art was much cultivated, and
in high estimation in France, there was not any man whatever in that
extensive kingdom, who excelled her in it. Her works were collected
in two volumes, which I have not seen. She died in 1694, leaving a
daughter, the heir of her genius and accomplishments, who won the prize
for poetry in the French academy.
CXXII. Lady _Maria Madalena Gabriela de Montemar_, daughter of the duke
de Montemar, and a Benedictine nun, who was born with all the natural
qualifications or dispositions, necessary for attaining the most
abstracted, and difficult sciences, for she was endowed with a happy
memory, a subtile ingenuity, and a right judgment. In her early time of
life, she learned the Spanish, Italian, Latin, and Greek languages;
and at fifteen years old, being presented to Maria Teresa of Austria,
queen of France, just at her first arrival in that kingdom, she amazed
all the court, to hear her speak the Spanish language with elegance
and propriety. She acquired a knowledge of all that is now understood,
both of the antient, and new philosophy, and was consummately versed
in scholastic, dogmatic, expositive, and mystic theology. She made
some translations, the most admired of which, were the first books
of the Iliad. She wrote upon various subjects, and discussed points
of morality, criticism, and such as related to academic matters. Her
letters were held in the highest esteem, and Louis XIV. received and
read them with great pleasure. She composed admirable verses, though
they were but few in number, and those, after once reading them, she
used to throw into the fire; which was a sacrifice, her humility
induced her to make of many other of her works; and she would have
made it of all of them, if by friendly interposition, she had not
been prevented from following the dictates of her own inclination.
Her piety, and talent for governing, shone forth in equal proportion
to her learning; and in consideration of these eminent qualities, she
was elected abbess of the congregation of Fontevrauld, of the order
of St. Benedict, which has this peculiarity belonging to it, that
although it is composed of a great number of monasteries of both
sexes, which are scattered about in four provinces, that they all
acknowledge as their universal prelate, the abbess of Fontevrauld, a
distinguished monastery, which is no less famous for being the theatre
of nobility, than of virtue; for they reckon among their prelates,
fourteen princesses, five of whom were of the royal house of Bourbon.
Lady Montemar filled this high employment, much to the satisfaction,
and edification of the world, and also to the benefit and increase of
her congregation, exhibiting a woman, commanding the men with dignity,
and who in the opinion of those who were under her direction, if she
was not superior, was at least equal in point of understanding to the
wisest man living. She died in 1704, full of merit and much esteemed.
CXXIII. _Maria Jacquelina de Blemur_, a Benedictine nun, who the most
learned Mabillon, in Estud. Monostic. Bibliot. Ecclesiast. Sect. 12,
tells us, composed a work, called the Benedictine Year, of seven
volumes in quarto; and another, intitled Eulogiums on many illustrious
Persons of the Order of Saint Benedict, of two volumes in quarto.
CXXIV. _Anna la Fevre_, commonly known by the name _Madam Dacier_,
daughter of the most learned Tanaquildo le Fevre, proved equal to her
father in erudition, and superior to him in eloquence; and also in
the faculty of writing with elegance and delicacy, her own language.
She was a critic of the first rate, so that in this particular, at
least with respect to profane authors, there was not a man of her
time, neither in France nor out of it, who excelled her. She made
many translations from Greek authors, which she illustrated with a
variety of comments. Her passion for Homer, excited her to write many
dissertations, the object of which was maintaining the superiority
of the Greek poet Homer, over the Latin one Virgil, in which, the
vivacity of her genius, and the rectitude of her judgment, shone
forth with equal splendor; she was chiefly stimulated to do this,
from a desire of replying to, and confronting Mons. La Mote, who was
a member of the French Academy, and of a contrary opinion; this she
did so well, that some partizans of the Latin poet, who had sided
with Mons. la Mote, could not deny, that his judgment in comparison
of her’s, had but little weight, for want of his having a competent
knowledge of Greek, the language Homer wrote in, which his opponent
understood to perfection. With regard to the merits of the case,
it should be observed, that there are only some Latin authors who
give the preference to Virgil, but that there is not a single Greek
one, who will allow him to be superior, or even equal to Homer. The
circumstance of this last, having in his favour all the Greeks, and
many Latins, among whom, one of the most conspicuous is the celebrated
historian Velleius Paterculus, who bestows on him the high eulogium,
that there never yet was any one who could imitate him; and declares
further, that, in his opinion, there never will be any one capable of
doing it in time to come: I say, when all this is considered, it should
have great weight in determining the question in Homer’s favour. Anna
le Fevre, I think, has been dead but a few years.