Partly autograph draft of a passage of Siècle de Louis XIV concerning court politics
Identifiers
CMV:
CMV32920
Repository:
Shelfmark:
MS 6, ‘Siècle de Louis XIV’
Title:
Partly autograph draft of a passage of Siècle de Louis XIV concerning court politics
Collection(s):
Link to Archive Catalogue:
Link to Digital Resource:
OCLC Number:
Reproductions:
Content
People:
Incipit Diplomatic:
On emploia ^de tous cotés^ des moiens aussi bas qu’odieux. Joly conseiller au chatelet, depuis secretaire du cardinal de Retz, imagina de se faire une incision au bras et de se faire tirer un coup de pistolet dans son carosse, pour faire acroire que la cour avait voulu l’assassiner.
Incipit Modernised:
Language(s):
In Own Hand:
Brief Summary:
Partly authograph draft of the passage at OCV, vol.13A, ch.4, l.436-80, p.72.
Detailed Summary:
F.1 is a draft of the Siécle de Louis XIV in the hand of Wagnière. recounting the low and odious means employed by all factions at the royal court. The text is interrupted by Voltaire’s symbol at the end of the sentence reading: ‘Condé ne les aimait ni tres les estimait’. The text to be inserted at this point is introduced on f.2 and 3 by the same symbol, beginning: ‘le coadjuteur de larcheveché de paris voulait etre cardinal par la nomination de la Reine et il se devouait alors a elle pour obtenir cette dignité etrangere qui ne donnait aucune autorité mais un grand relief.’ F.3 ends with the phrase: ‘le prince de condé eut pu gouverner.’ The remaining text on fol.1v is split into three sections. The first section, in Wagnière’s hand, continues the text from the recto side which appears to have been cut by Voltaire from the printed edition. The second section, also in Wagnière’s hand beginning ‘ce qui montre encore combien les évênements trompent les hommes, c’est que cette prison des trois princes qui semblait devoir assoupir toutes les factions, fut ce qui les releva’, provides a section that was eventually added to ch.4 of the Siècle (OCV, vol.13A, pp.74-5, ll.495-510). The final section in Collini’s hand, beginning ‘Toute la France redemandait le grand condé’ continues the second section of text on f.1v.
Genre(s):
Physical Description
Material(s):
Extent:
3 ff.
Format:
Dimensions:
193 x 153 mm; 190 x 117 mm; 73 x 125 mm (stuck together with sealing wax)
Hands:
2
Watermark:
F.1 features half of a watermark depicting the Lion of Orange [Willem the Stadtholder of Holland] beside the allegorical embodiment of Holland as a female figure seated and holding a spear topped with the Cap of Liberty. The pair are defending a space surrounded by a palisade. This watermark suggests that the paper was made by the Dutch papermaker Pieter van der Ley (1665-1765) who set up a papermill in Zaandijk, Holland in 1665. There is a partial watermark of a crown on f.2, and f.3 is watermarked with indistinguishable text.
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Binding:
Additional Comments:
F.1 features a small hole next to an area of discolouration in the left-hand margin suggesting that it had been part of a bound collection at one time. The paper has been folded to create a left-hand margin on f.1r. F.2 is attached to f.1 with orange wax in a way that covers the final two lines of text on f.1. F.3 has also been attached to f.2 with orange wax, though no text is covered by this joining of fols.2 and 3. There is a small tear to fol.3 on the right-hand side, possibly caused by a wax seal.
Materiality Keywords:
Decorations:
Undecorated
Additions:
The text features a few revisions by Voltaire. He has also added the descriptor ‘Tome 6 page 56’ to the top of fol.1. This corresponds to ‘EM61’ in OCV, vol.11B, p.74. F.2 and 3 are in Voltaire’s hand and are an additional comment on the text of f.1. They are linked to f.1 by the use of corresponding symbols.
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History
Date:
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Origin:
Provenance:
Bibliography
Bibliography:
J. Vidal-Mégret, Collection d’autographes littéraires, lettres et manuscrits des XVIIe, XVIIIe, XIXe et XXe siècles. 2ème partie. Catalogue de la vente aux enchères du 26 février 1969 à l’Hôtel Drouot (Paris, 1969), no.156 (2).
OCV Reference:
OCV Manuscript Reference: