His poems were collected and published in two volumes under the title: “_Mes Passe-Temps: Chansons, suivies de l’Art de la Danse, poème en quatre chants, calqué sur l’Art Poétique de Boileau Despréaux._” They were “adorned” with engravings after the design of Moreau Junior, and the music of the songs appears at the end of the second volume. The work was published after the Revolution fever had subsided, in 1806, and perhaps the very strangest comment on the Revolution is implied in Despréaux’s preface, which calmly opens with the following: “In 1794 I suggested to a number of friends that we should meet once or twice a month to dine together, under the condition that politics should never be mentioned, and that each should bring a song composed upon a given word. My proposition was taken up; we decided that the words should be drawn by lot, after being submitted to the judgment of the gathering, in order to eliminate subjects which might only present needless difficulties.” And so the year 1794, being one of the worst of all those red years of Revolution, this little centre went placidly through it, dining and wining and rhyming, as if there were nothing worse than a sham fight raging round the distant horizon. It positively makes one wonder if there _was_ a French Revolution after all. But no, there evidently was, for our author had a nice little library, and in the following year, owing to monetary losses occasioned by the general _débâcle_, had to sell many of his beloved volumes. Of course he made song about it--“Ma Bibliothèque, ou Le Cauchemar”--in which he pictures the spectre of want asking him what he will do, and urging him to sell his books for food. “Que feras-tu, Despréaux?” the nightmare questions: “Ni bois ni vin dans ta cave De chandelle pas un bout: Faussement on fait le brave Lorsque l’on manque de tout! * * * Une tartine de beurre Vaut plus que jadis un bœuf Dans un mois, à pareille heure Quel sera le prix d’un œuf? Par décade mille livres Ne peuvent payer ton pain Mon ami, _mange tes livres_ _Pour ne pas mourir de faim_.”