Thomas Corneille was born at Rouen on the 20th of August 1625, being nearly twenty years younger than his brother, the great Corneille. His skill in verse-making Seems to have shown itself early, as at the age of fifteen he composed a piece in Latin which was represented by his fellow-pupils at the Jesuits' college of Rouen.
Thomas Corneille's first French play, Les Engagements du hasard, was acted in 1647.
Le Feint Aslrologue, imitated from the Spanish, and imitated by Dryden, came next year.
A complete translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses (he had published six books with the Heroic Epistles some years previously) followed in 1697.
But he did not allow his misfortune to put a stop to his work, and in 1708 produced a large Dictionnaire universel geographique et historique in three volumes folio.
This was his last labour.
It has been the custom to speak of Thomas Corneille as of one who, but for the name he bore, would merit no notice.
But the two were strongly attached to one another, and practically lived in common.
Of his forty- two plays (this is the utmost number assigned to him) the last edition of his complete works contains only thirty-two, but he wrote several in conjunction with other authors.
Two are usually reprinted as his masterpieces at the end of his brother's selected works.
But of Laodice, Camma, Stilico and some other pieces, Pierre Corneille himself said that " he wished he had written them, " and he was not wont to speak lightly.
