But the Frenchman
betrayed him to his foes, and poor Pallavicino paid the penalty of his
rashness by a cruel death in the Papal Palace at Avignon at the early age
of twenty-nine years. His strictures on Urban and his family were well
deserved. The Pope heaped riches and favours on his relations. He made
three of his nephews cardinals, and the fourth was appointed General of
the Papal troops. So odious did the family make themselves by their
exactions that on the death of Urban they were forced to leave Rome and
take refuge in France. Pallavicino had certainly fitting subjects for his
satirical verses.
Francois Gacon, a French poet and satirist of the eighteenth century,
suffered imprisonment on account of his poems, entitled _Le Poete sans
fard, ou Discours satyriques sur toutes sortes de sujets_ (Paris, 2 vols.,
in-12). His satire was very biting and not a little scurrilous, and was
famous for the quantity rather than the quality of his poetical effusions.
We give the following example of his skill, in which he discourses upon
the different effects which age produces on wine and women:--
"Une beaute, quand elle avance en age,
A ses amans inspire du degout;
Mais, pour le vin, il a cet avantage,
Plus il vieillit, plus il flatte le gout."
The literary world of Paris in 1708 was very much disturbed by certain
satirical verses which seemed to come from an unknown hand and empty cafes
as if with the magic of a bomb.
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