[124] V ... stands for Claude François Vignon (1634-1703), a son of an artist of the same name; C ... is Pascal Colasse, a pupil of Lulli, whose opera, _Achille et Polyxène_, was played a short time before the “Characters” were first published (1687); _Pyrame_, written by Pradon (1632-1698), was acted in 1674; he had brought out several other tragedies before the first appearance of La Bruyèreʼs book. At that time Pierre Mignard (1635-1695), the celebrated artist, and Pierre Corneille (1606-1694) were still alive, and Lulli (1633-1687), the great musician, had only been dead a few months. [125] Desiderius Erasmus (1467-1536), one of the most celebrated scholars and learned men of his time. [126] By this bishop some say was meant M. de Harlay (1625-1695), archbishop of Paris; others think the archbishop of Rheims, Le Tellier (1642-1710), the brother of Louvois, was designated. See also page 141, note 1. [127] The original has _collier dʼordre_, the collar of the order of the Holy Ghost. [128] Trophime, it was supposed, stood for our authorʼs friend Bénigne Bossuet (1627-1704), the eminent theologian, preacher, and bishop of Meaux, but he never became a cardinal. So general was this supposition, that in all editions of the “Characters” published after the authorʼs death the name of “Bénigne” was put instead of “Trophime.” Some “Keys,” however, mention the name of Etienne le Camus (1632-1707), bishop of Grenoble, who became a cardinal in 1686. [129] Lord Stafford is meant here; he was a relative to the Duke of Norfolk, very rich and very eccentric, and married in 1694 a daughter of the Count de Gramont. Some think the Count dʼAubigné, the brother of Mdlle. de Maintenon, is spoken of. [130] La Bruyère adds in a footnote, “an agate.” [131] In the original _il ne se plaint non plus_. _Plaindre_ had sometimes the meaning of “to be sparing,” and Le Sage employs it in _Gil Blas_ in that sense. [132] This is said to apply to a certain M. de Mennevillette, _receveur-général_ of the clergy, whose son married Mdlle. de Harlay. [133] In the original _drap de Hollande_, because the best cloth came from Holland. Colbert induced some Dutch and Flemish weavers to settle in France, where they made a cloth called _Toile Colbertine_, of which Molière wore a doublet as the Marquis in _les Fâcheux_. Colberteen is also mentioned in “The Fopʼs Dictionary” (1690), and in Congreveʼs “The Way of the World.” [134] The _lumen gloriæ_ is, according to Roman Catholic theologians, “The help God affords to the souls of the blessed, to strengthen them that they may be able to see God ‘face to face,’ as St. Paul says (1 Cor. xiii. 12), or by intuition; as they say in the schools; for without such a help they could not bear the immediate presence of God.” [135] A certain preacher, Charles Boileau, was meant; others think it was a canon of Notre-Dame, called Robert.