CRESSET
29
6REUZE
Gresset, Jean Baptiste, b. 29 August, 1709; d.
16 June, 1777, at Amiens. Having finished his studies
at the college of the Jesuits of his native town, he joined
their order, and after his novitiate, taught literature in
the schools of the Society at Mouhns, Tours, and
Rouen. He was a teacher in the celebrated college
Louis-le-Grand in Paris, when he published his comico-
heroic poem "Vert- Vert" (1734), which created quite
a sensation in literary circles. It is the story of a
parrot, the delight of a convent, who on being sent to
another convent, learns profane expressions on the
way, and shocks the nuns by swearing and bad man-
ners. He is sent back to his abode, repents, and
being too well fed, soon dies. This insignificant sub-
ject is treated in a masterly manner, giving a life-
like picture of innocent convent pastimes. The ten-
syllable line is used with the greatest ability. Other
poems in the same vein followed: Le Careme Im-
promptu", "Le Lutrin Vivant" (1736), and then a
few "Epitres". The publication of "LaChartreu.se",
which was imbued with Epicurean ideas, caused his
dismissal from the Society of Jesus. Thereupon he
wrote " Les Adieu.x aux Jesuites", a splendid testi-
monial of respect and gratitude. On his return to a
secular life Gresset was induced to write for the stage,
and he successively composed " Edouard III", a trag-
edy (1740), "Sidney", a drama (1745), and finally
"Le Mcchant", a comedy (1747). The first and sec-
ond failed, while the last obtained a great success.
It is still regarded as the best comedy in verse that was
produced in the eighteenth century. Besides its merits
of structure and style, it proved to be a strong satire of
the manners of that period. \t a period when wicked-
ness, as Duclos says, "was raised to the dignity of an
art and even took the place of merit with those who
had no other way of distinguishing themselves, and
often gave them reputation", the picture of the scoun-
drel's character was considered as representati\'e of
the time. In fact, " Le Mechant" marks the transi-
tion between the " Petits-Maitres" of Marivaux and
Valmont of the "Liaisons Dangereuses". In 1748 he
was elected to the French .\cademy. It was then that
he was invited by Frederick II, King of Prussia, to go
to Potsdam and join the crowd of French writers who
paid their court to the "Solon of the North", but he
declined the invitation, being afraid of the materialis-
tic doctrines which were professed tlicrc. In 17.')9 he
left Paris and retired to .\miens, where he led for
eighteen years a very austere life, atoning for the
frivolity of his youth. His austerity was regarded as
excessive by Voltaire, who wrote the well-known epi-
gram: "Gresset se trompe, il n'est pas si coupable."
The poet was not dismayed by Voltaire's disapproval
and continued to live in seclusion, and for the rest of
his life left Amiens only on two occasions, to go to the
French Academy and to make a speech at the recep-
tion of D'Alembert and Suard. Before his death he
destroyed all his manuscripts. In 17.50 he foimded
at Amiens an Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts,
which still exists.
Uaire, Vie de Gresset (Paris, 1779); Robespierhe, Eloge de Gresset (Paris, 1785); Campenon, Essai sur la vie et les oiivrages de Gresset (Paris, 1823); Wogue, Gresset (P.aris, 1S94).
Louis N. Delamarre.
Gretser, Jacob, a celebrated Jesuit writer; b. at Markdorf in the Diocese of Constance in 1562; d. at Ingolstadt in 1625. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1578, and nine years later he defended publicly theses covering the whole field of theology. Ingol- stadt was the principal scene of his work; here he taught philosophy for three years, dogmatic theology for fourteen, and moral theology for seven years. He gave at least ten hours a day to his studies, which he protracted, at limes, till late into the night, in order to devote part of the day to works of charity and zeal. He was recognized as one of the best controversialists of his time, and was highly esteemed by Pope Clement
VIII, Emperor Ferdinand II, and Maximilian I of Ba-
varia. Some of the greatest lights of his age, such as
Cardinal Bellarmine and Marcus Welser, corresponded
with him and consulted him in their difficulties. He
edited or explained many works of the patristic and
medieval writers, and composed erudite treatises on
the most diverse subjects. Sommervogel enumerates
two hundred and twenty-nine titles of printed works
and thirty-nine manuscripts attributed to Father Gret-
ser, but for our purpose it will be more convenient tc
follow the grouping of his writings as they are dis-
tributed in the seventeen folios of the complete edi-
tion which appeared in Ratisbon (1734-1741). Vols.
I-III contain archiEological and theological disquisi-
tions concerning the Cross of Christ ; IV-V, a defenc»
of several ecclesiastical feasts and rites; VI-VII, apol-
ogies for several Roman pontiffs; VIII-IX, a defence
of Bellarmine's writings, to which vol. X adds a de-
fence of some lives of the Saints; XI, a defence of the
Society of Jesus ; XII, polemics against the Lutherans
and Waldenses; XIII, polemic miscellanies; XIV-
XV, editions and translations of Greek ecclesiastical
writers; XVI-XVII, philological works, philosophical
and theological disquisitions, and other miscellaneous
addenda. But these general headings hardly give an
idea of the erudition displayed in Father Gretser's
separate works. The first volume, for instance, con-
tains five books treating successively of the Cross on
which Jesus Christ died, of images" of the cross, of
apparitions of the Holy Cross, of the sign of the cross,
and of the spiritual cross. The second volume gives
fifty-seven Grieco- Latin eulogies of the Holy Cross by
Greek writers; the third treats of cross-bearing coins,
of the Crusades, adding also a defence of both the
Crusades and the veneration of the Cross.
ScHKODL in Krch ril J-., s. v.; Hurter, Nomendator; Som- Mt;uv()r.i;L. Bibl. de 1 1 C. d<: J., s. v.
A. J. Maas.
Greuze, Jran-Baptiste, French painter, b. at Tournus in Ardeche, 21 .\ugust, 1725; d. at Paris, 21 March, ISOo. His father, a master-tiler, wished to make liim an architect, but ended by leaving him free
to follow his own
vocation, and sent him to Lyons to study under Gromdon, father- in-law of the mu- sician Gretry. As G r o m d o n was only a contractor and a picture- dealer and agent, it is hard to see what he could have taught his pupil. Greuze, however, hatl al- ready attained some skill when he came to Paris, in 1755, with his picture "Pere de famille expli- quant la Bible a ses enfants" (A father explaining the Bible to his children). His name was at once pro- posed to the Academy by Sylvestre, and he was received as an associate. The picture, which was purchased by the celebrated amateur La Live de JuUy, was exhibited along with a second painting, "L'aveugle trompe" (The blind man cheated), that same year. It was a triumph for Greuze. In one day he had become fa- mous in Paris, though he was only thirty years of age.
Like all artists of his time, he thought it necessary to travel through Italy. He set out towards the end
