Old and New Paris: Its History, Its People, and Its Places, v. 2Edwards, H. Sutherland (Henry Sutherland)
History
Old and New Paris: Its History, Its People, and Its Places, v. 2
Edwards, H. Sutherland (Henry Sutherland)
Paris (France) -- Description and travel; Paris (France) -- History
On the left, from No. 73 to No. 85, there is a whole series of
remarkable houses, each associated with some person of distinction. At
No. 73 died, in 1856, Viscount d’Arlincourt, once a popular novelist,
now absolutely forgotten. His family was of ancient origin, and his
father, a Farmer General, was guillotined during the Reign of Terror.
Young D’Arlincourt became one of Napoleon’s chamberlains, and afterwards
held some post in connection with the Council of State. At the
Restoration he wished to attach himself to the service of the Court, but
he was not successful, and returning to his castle in Normandy, gave
himself up entirely to literature, in which, under the Empire, he gained
some reputation. In the year 1825 he gave an entertainment in honour of
the Duchess of Berry, which became celebrated, and was made the subject
of elaborate descriptions in the newspapers. Running through the
viscount’s estate was a winding stream, on which a bark had been
prepared for the reception of the duchess, which was attended by the
ladies of the neighbourhood costumed as shepherdesses. The young people
of the surrounding villages, in arcadian attire, towed the boat with
chains of flowers towards a Greek temple, where ballads of a chivalric
kind were sung in praise of the honoured guests. White flags embroidered
with fleurs de lys were waved in the air; and in the evening, after a
sumptuous banquet, there were illuminations and a grand ballet. More
than a thousand persons took part in these operatic scenes, which were
marked by the same theatrical taste that distinguishes the viscount’s
romances. He had begun, under the Empire, an epic poem, called “The
Caroleid,” on the subject of Charlemagne, in which, beneath the features
of Carolus Magnus, the physiognomy of Napoleon could be recognised.
These passages were, however, marked out when, under the Restoration,
the viscount published the complete work. The most successful of all M.
d’Arlincourt’s books was “Le Solitaire,” which when it first appeared
went through a number of editions, and was translated into many
languages. It may be added that Bellini’s last opera, _I Puritani_, was
based on a novel by M. d’Arlincourt, called “Cavaliers and Roundheads.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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