An interesting supplementary paper could be added to this program on The Art of Warfare in the Seventeenth Century; describe the formation of the army lines for battle; the equipment of the soldiers, the discipline, the tents, the commissariat, the cannon, swords, and other arms; the pay of the soldiers; their manners and morals; the relation of the officers to the men. Some one battle may be described in detail to illustrate the methods employed on the field.
V—LITERATURE (PART I)
1. The Academy—Unofficial founding by Conrart in 1629. Official standing six years later. Relation of Richelieu to it. Its dictionary. Total effect of this distinguished society on French literature.
2. Romances of Chivalry—Give an account of Madame de Scudéry and a description of Clélie and the Grand Cyrus. Discuss also Honore d'Urfé and the Astrée. Note the probable influence of the English writer, Lyly.
3. Moralists—La Fontaine. Saint Evremond. La Rochefoucauld. La Bruyère.
4. Philosophers—Descartes. Pascal. Malebranche. Bayle. Readings from Pascal's Pensées. (Many translations.)
5. Great Preachers—Bossuet. Fenelon. Massillon. Bourdaloue. Readings from translations, especially the famous introduction to Massillon's funeral oration on Louis XIV.
Books to Consult—Brunctière: Manual of French Literature. Dowden: History of French Literature. Van Laun: History of French Literature.
The material for this meeting is very great, especially on the biographical side. Interesting brief papers might be prepared on any of the names mentioned. Sainte-Beuve, considered by many to be the greatest of critics, has essays on all of the writers named, and readings from his Causeries de Lundi (translated now) would be delightful.