ieur Despreaux (Nicholas), the celebrated French poet, was born at Paris in 1636. After he had gone through his course of polite literature and philosophy, his relations engaged him to the study of the law, and he was admitted advocate. But though he had all the talents necessary for the bar, yet he could not adapt himself to a science which turns upon continual equivocations, and often obliges those who follow it to clothe falsehood in the garb of truth. He therefore determined to study theology; but he could not long endure the thorns of school divinity. He imagined, that, to allure him more cunningly, chicanery, which he thought to avoid, had only changed her habit; and so he renounced the Sorbonne, betook himself entirely to the belles lettres, and took possession of one of the foremost places in Parnassus. The public gave his works the encomium they deserved; and Lewis XIV., who always loved to encourage the sciences and polite literature, was not only pleased to have Mr Boileau's works read to him constantly as he composed them, but settled a yearly pension of 2000 livres upon him, and gave him the privilege of printing all his works. He was afterwards chosen a member of the French academy, and also of the academy of medals and inscriptions. This great man, who was as remarkable for his integrity, his innocence, and diffusive benevolence, as for the keenness of his satires, died on the 2d of March 1711, in the 75th year of his age. The best edition of his works is that published by Mr Brosette, with his notes and commentary.