Attaignant, Gabriel Charles De L'

, a French poet, was born at Paris in 1697, educated for the church, and made a canon of Rheims. He passed his iife, however, in Paris, keeping all sorts of company, good and bad, and rendering himself universally agreeable by his impromptus, his songs, and madrigals, some of which were of the satirical kind, and occasionally involved him in quarrels. Towards the close of his life, he renounced the world, and was made a convert to piety by the abbe Gautier, who was afterwards the confessor of Voltaire. The Parisian wits observed that such an attempt was worthy of Gautier, as he was chaplain to the hospital of incurables. The abbe Attaignant died at Paris Jan. 10, 1779. He published

1. “Pieces derobées a un ami,” 1750, 2 vols. 12mo, published by Meunier de Querlon, who dedicated them to the author himself. All the pieces which form this collection were reprinted in his next publication. 2. “Poesies de l’abbé de FAttaignant,” 174*7, 4 vols. 12mo. In 1779 a fifth volume appeared under the title of “Chansons et poesies fugitives deFabbe” de FAttaignant.“S.” Epitre a M. L. P. sur ma retraite,“1769, 8vo. 4. tc Reflexions nocturnes,” 1679, 8vo. It would appear that this abbe lost the reputation he gained as an extempore composer and singer, by turning author, his countrymen being of opinion that very few of his printed works will bear the test of criticism. ¹