Public-domain ebook
by Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de
Language: en7,170 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Biographies·History - European·History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #3875.
The work is a sprawling memoir that blends political chronicle with intimate family recollection. It opens on 3 May 1693, when Louis XIV announces a campaign in Flanders, and immediately pivots to the narrator’s personal loss: the death of his eighty‑seven‑year‑old father. Saint‑Simon details the funeral rites, the king’s gracious promises of office, and then launches into a lengthy portrait of his father’s rise from impoverished page to duke, peer, and trusted officer under Louis XIII, Richelieu, and Mazarin. The passage we have traces the father’s service, his occasional rebukes from the king, and the intrigues that eventually curtail his career, setting the stage for a broader account of court life, wars, and the shifting fortunes of the French aristocracy.
Written in the first‑person, the memoirs retain the baroque, highly ornate prose of a 17th‑century nobleman, marked by long sentences, digressive anecdotes, and a keen eye for ceremony and patronage. Readers who relish dense, detail‑rich narratives of early modern politics, the inner workings of Versailles, and the personal dramas of its courtiers will find Saint‑Simon’s perspective rewarding, while those preferring brisk, plot‑driven histories may find the style demanding.
Duke of Saint-Simon CHAPTER III On May 3d 1693, the King announced his intention of placing himself at the head of his army in Flanders, and, having made certain alterations in the rule of precedence of the marechale of France, soon after began the campaign. I have here, however, to draw attention to my private affairs, for on the above-mentioned day, at ten o’clock in the morning, I had the misfortune to lose my father. He was eighty-seven years of age, and had been in bad health for some time, with a touch of gout during the last three weeks. On the day in question he had dined as usual with his friends, had retired to bed, and, while talking to those around him there, all at once gave three violent sighs. He was dead almost before it was perceived that he was ill; there was no more oil in the lamp. …
Keep reading free · start reading with no account
New illustrated classics
Once or twice a month: the latest books to get full character casts, scene art, and free comic editions. No account needed.
