Étienne Pavillon
Encyclopedia
Étienne Pavillon was a French lawyer and poet.
, he first studied theology before renouncing this to become "avocat général" to the parliament of Metz
. Before having spent ten years in that role, he had a reverse in his fortunes and returned to Paris. Suffering from gout
and pensioned off by Louis XIV
, he set up a salon
to which high society flocked. "She found in him conversation that was fine and witty, clever and polite, instructive without being pedantic". Thus, against La Bruyère
and without having asked for it, he was elected a member of the Académie française
in 1691, then of the Académie des inscriptions
in 1701.
Étienne Pavillon was an author of "vers de circonstance", in stanzas and madrigals, and of letters in verse or prose in the Voiture
genre, gathered together for the first ime in a posthumously-published volume, reissued several times between 1715 and 1750. Voltaire
called him "doux mais faible Pavillon".
Life and work
Grandson of a famous lawyer and nephew of bishop Nicolas PavillonNicolas Pavillon
Nicolas Pavillon was a French bishop of Alet and Jansenist. His attitude against Pope Alexander VII won him the admiration of Port-Royal. Alet became the "Mecca" of the Jansenists...
, he first studied theology before renouncing this to become "avocat général" to the parliament of Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
. Before having spent ten years in that role, he had a reverse in his fortunes and returned to Paris. Suffering from gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
and pensioned off by Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, he set up a salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
to which high society flocked. "She found in him conversation that was fine and witty, clever and polite, instructive without being pedantic". Thus, against La Bruyère
Jean de La Bruyère
Jean de La Bruyère was a French essayist and moralist.-Ancestry:He was born in Paris, not, as was once thought, at Dourdan in 1645...
and without having asked for it, he was elected a member of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
in 1691, then of the Académie des inscriptions
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres is a French learned society devoted to the humanities, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France.-History:...
in 1701.
Étienne Pavillon was an author of "vers de circonstance", in stanzas and madrigals, and of letters in verse or prose in the Voiture
Vincent Voiture
Vincent Voiture , French poet, was the son of a rich merchant of Amiens. He was introduced by a schoolfellow, the count Claude d'Avaux, to Gaston, Duke of Orléans, and accompanied him to Brussels and Lorraine on diplomatic missions.Although a follower of Gaston, he won the favour of Cardinal...
genre, gathered together for the first ime in a posthumously-published volume, reissued several times between 1715 and 1750. Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
called him "doux mais faible Pavillon".
Quotation
À une Dame, sur un mal de tête- Si c'est une vapeur de la Région basse,
- Dont un jeune cerveau souvent est embrasé,
- Peu de chose vous embarasse.
- Ce n'est qu'une chaleur, qui passe ;
- Et le remède en est aisé.
- Accoutumés-vous à l'usage
- D'une prise de Mariage,
- Le soir avant vôtre sommeil.
- Reiteretur au réveil ;
- Et, si le jour encor vous sentés quelque chose,
- Apelés du secours & redoublés la dose.
- Mais tout le monde en vain voudroit vous secourir,
- Si le mal vient du Cœur & vous porte à la Tête.
- Il faut vous résoudre à soufrir ;
- Vous êtes trop fidèle, Iris, pour en guérir.