Editing Jean Chapelain (section)

==Critic==
Chapelain's reputation as a critic survived, and in 1663 he was employed by Colbert to draw up an account of contemporary men of letters, destined to guide the king in his distribution of pensions. In this pamphlet, as in his letters, he shows to far greater advantage than in his unfortunate epic. His prose is incomparably better than his verse; his criticisms are remarkable for their justice and generosity; his erudition and kindliness are well-attested; the royal attention was directed alike towards the author's firmest friends and bitterest enemies. To him the young [[Jean Racine]] was indebted not only for advice, but also for the pension of six hundred livres which was so useful to him. The catholicity of Chapelain's taste is shown by his ''De la lecture des vieux romans'' (printed 1870), in which he praises the {{Lang|fro|[[chanson de geste]]}}, forgotten by his generation.<ref name=EB1911/>

Chapelain refused many honours, and his disinterestedness makes it necessary to receive with caution the stories of [[Gilles Ménage]] and [[Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux|Tallemant des Réaux]], who claimed that he became a miser, and that a considerable fortune was found hoarded in his apartments when he died.<ref name=EB1911/>