_M. de Gournay._--The author of the axioms _Laissez faire, laissez
passer_, which are the sum and substance of the free trade principles of
political economy, and perhaps the pithiest and completest exposition of
the doctrine of a particular school ever made, was Jean Claude Marie
Vincent de Gournay, who was born at St. Malo in 1712, and died at Paris
in 1759. In early life he was engaged in trade, and subsequently became
Honorary Councillor of the Grand Council, and Honorary Intendant of
Commerce. He translated, in 1742, Josiah Child's _Considerations on
Commerce and on the Interest on Money_, and Culpepper's treatise
_Against Usury_. He also wrote a good deal on questions of political
economy. He was, in fact, with Dr. Quesnay, the chief of the French
economists of the last century; but he was more liberal than Quesnay in
his doctrines; indeed he is (far more than Adam Smith) the virtual
founder of the modern school of political economy; and yet, perhaps, of
all the economists he is the least known!
The great Turgot was a friend and ardent admirer of M. de Gournay; and
on his death wrote a pompous _Eloge_ on him.
A Man in a Garret.
_Cupid Crying._--"Our readers will remember that some time since
(_antè_, p. 108.) we copied into our columns, from the 'Notes and
Queries,' an epigram of great elegance on the subject of 'Cupid Crying;'
the contributor of which was desirous of finding through that medium,
especially established for such discoveries, the original text and the
name of its author. Subsequently, a correspondent of our own [_antè_, p.
132.] volunteered a translation by himself, in default of the original.
The correspondent of the 'Notes and Queries' has now stumbled on what he
sought, and is desirous that we should transmit it to the author of the
volunteer version, with his thanks. This we take the present means of
doing. Under the signature of 'Rufus,' he writes as follows:--'In a MS.
book, long missing, I find the following copy, with a reference to _Car.
Illust. Poet. Ital._ vol. i. 229, wherein it is ascribed to Antonio
Tebaldeo--
"_De Cupidine._
Cur natum cædit Venus? Arcum perdidit. Arcum
Nunc quis habet? Tusco Flavia nata solo.
Qui factum? Petit hæc, dedit hic; nam lumine formæ
Deceptus, matri se dare crediderat."
"Since printing this communication from 'Rufus' we have received the
same original (with the variation of a single word--_quid_ for _cur_ in
the opening of the epigram) from a German correspondent at Augsburgh.
'You will find it,' he says, 'in the _Anthologia Latina Burmanniana_,
iii. 236, or in the new edition of this _Latin Anthology_, by Henry
Meyer, Lipsiæ, 1835, tom. ii. page 139, No. 1566. The author of the
epigram is doubtful, but the diction appears rather too quaint for a
good ancient writer. Maffei ascribes it to Brenzoni, who lived in the
sixteenth century; others give it to Ant. Tebaldeo, of Ferrara.' Our
readers will perceive that the translator has taken some liberties with
his text. 'Lumine formæ deceptus,' for instance, is not translated by
'she smiled.' But it may be questioned if the suggestion is not even
more delicate and graceful in the translator's version than in the
original."--_The Athenæum_.
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