See also F. Brunetière, _Le Roman naturaliste_ (1883); T. Lemaître, _Les Contemporains_ (vols. i. v. vi.); R. Doumic, _Ecrivains d'aujourd'hui_ (1894); an introduction by Henry James to _The Odd Number_ ... (1891); a critical preface by the earl of Crewe to _Pierre and Jean_ (1902); A. Symons, _Studies in Prose and Verse_ (1904). There are many references to Maupassant in the _Journal des Goncourt_, and some correspondence with Marie Bashkirtseff was printed with _Further Memoirs_ of that lady in 1901. (J. F. K.) MAUPEOU, RENÉ NICOLAS CHARLES AUGUSTIN (1714-1792), chancellor of France, was born on the 25th of February 1714, being the eldest son of René Charles de Maupeou (1688-1775), who was president of the parlement of Paris from 1743 to 1757. He married in 1744 a rich heiress, Anne de Roncherolles, a cousin of Madame d'Épinay. Entering public life, he was his father's right hand in the conflicts between the parlement and Christophe de Beaumont, archbishop of Paris, who was supported by the court. Between 1763 and 1768, dates which cover the revision of the case of Jean Calas and the trial of the comte de Lally, Maupeou was himself president of the parlement. In 1768, through the protection of Choiseul, whose fall two years later was in large measure his work, he became chancellor in succession to his father, who had held the office for a few days only. He determined to support the royal authority against the parlement, which in league with the provincial magistratures was seeking to arrogate to itself the functions of the states-general. He allied himself with the duc d'Aiguillon and Madame du Barry, and secured for a creature of his own, the Abbé Terrai, the office of comptroller-general. The struggle came over the trial of the case of the duc d'Aiguillon, ex-governor of Brittany, and of La Chalotais, procureur-général of the province, who had been imprisoned by the governor for accusations against his administration. When the parlement showed signs of hostility against Aiguillon, Maupeou read letters patent from Louis XV. annulling the proceedings. Louis replied to remonstrances from the parlement by a _lit de justice_, in which he demanded the surrender of the minutes of procedure. On the 27th of November 1770 appeared the _Édit de règlement et de discipline_, which was promulgated by the chancellor, forbidding the union of the various branches of the parlement and correspondence with the provincial magistratures. It also made a strike on the part of the parlement punishable by confiscation of goods, and forbade further obstruction to the registration of royal decrees after the royal reply had been given to a first remonstrance. This edict the magistrates refused to register, and it was registered in a _lit de justice_ held at Versailles on the 7th of December, whereupon the parlement suspended its functions. After five summonses to return to their duties, the