 The intensity of this "war of pamphlets" was heightened severely by Corneille's boastful poem Excuse À Ariste, in which he rambled and boasted about his talents, while Corneille claimed no other author could be a rival.These poems and pamphlets were made public, one after the other, as once "esteemed" playwrights traded slanderous blows.At one point, Corneille took several shots at criticizing author Jean Mairet's family and lineage.