Excerpt from Molier On the completion of his studies in 1641, he was required to accompany the king, then Louis the Thirteenth, in his capacity of valet dc chambre (his father being detained in Paris by his infirmi ties), on an excursion to the south of France. This journey afforded him the opportunity of be coming intimately acquainted with the habits of the court, as well as those of the provinces, of which he after-ward so repeatedly availed himself in his comedies. On his return he commenced the study of the law, and had completed it, it would appear, when his old passion for the theate1 revived with increased ardor, and, after some. Hesitation, he determined no longer to withstand the decided impulse of his genius. He associated himself with one of those city companies of players with which Paris had swarmed since the days of Richelieu - a minister who aspired after the same empire in the republic of letters which he had so long maintained over the state, and whose osten. Tatious patronage eminently contributed to develop that taste for dramatic exhibition which has dis tinguished his countrymen ever since. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.