Fouquet
NICOLAS, a French a FOUQUÉ, BARON FRIEDRICH DE LA MOTTE, a German author; born in Brandenburg, Germany, Feb. 12, 1777.
His first contributions to literature were: "Romances from the Vale of Roncesval" (1805); "Story of the Noble Knight Galmy and a Fair Duchess of Brittany" (1806); "Alwin" (1808); followed by the hero-drama "Sigurd the Snake-Killer" (1808); the epic poem, "Bertram du Guesclin" (1821) ; etc. In 1840 he published an autobiography. The work by which he is chiefly fly known to-day is "Undine" (1811) ; "Sintram" is also still familiar. He died in Berlin, Jan. 23, 1843 . statesman; born in Paris in 1615. He was Viscount of Melun and of Vaux, and Marquis of Belle Isle, finance minister under Louis XIV. of France.
Attaching himself closely to Mazarin, he received in 1650 the important appointment of procureur-général to the parliament of Paris, and three years later was advanced to be superintendent of finance. His rapid advance made him ambitious of succeeding Mazarin as first minister, and in order to secure himself friends and a party he distributed money with a lavish hand; but he had a formidable rival in Colbert. Fouquet's plans were, however, brought to naught; for, in the first pla place, Louis himself took the reins of power into his own hands when they slipped from the grasp of the dead cardinal, and, in the second place, instigated thereto by Colbert, he suddenly arrested Fouquet in September, 1661. After a trial extending over three years, Fouquet was sentenced to perpetual exile and the loss of all his property, but the sentence was afterward altered to lifelong imprisonment. He died in the fortress of Pignerol, March 23, 1680.