When Crebillon, the French tragic poet, published his Catiline, it was
attended with an honour to literature, which though it is probably
forgotten, for it was only registered, I think, as the news of the day,
it becomes one zealous in the cause of literature to preserve. I give
the circumstance, the petition, and the decree.
At the time Catiline was given to the public, the creditors of the poet
had the cruelty to attach the produce of this piece, as well at the
bookseller's, who had printed the tragedy, as at the theatre where it
was performed. The poet, irritated at these proceedings, addressed a
petition to the king, in which he showed "that it was a thing yet
unknown, that it should be allowed to class amongst seizable effects the
productions of the human mind; that if such a practice was permitted,
those who had consecrated their vigils to the studies of literature, and
who had made the greatest efforts to render themselves, by this means,
useful to their country, would see themselves placed in the cruel
predicament of not venturing to publish works, often precious and
interesting to the state; that the greater part of those who devote
themselves to literature require for the first wants of life those aids
which they have a right to expect from their labours; and that it never
has been suffered in France to seize the fees of lawyers, and other
persons of liberal professions."
In answer to this petition, a decree immediately issued from the King's
council, commanding a replevy of the arrests and seizures of which the
petitioner complained. This honourable decree was dated 21st of May,
1749, and bore the following title:--"Decree of the Council of his
Majesty, in favour of M. Crebillon, author of the tragedy of Catiline,
which declares that the productions of the mind are not amongst seizable
effects."
Louis XV. exhibits the noble example of bestowing a mark of
consideration to the remains of a man of letters. This King not only
testified his esteem of Crebillon by having his works printed at the
Louvre, but also by consecrating to his glory a tomb of marble.