Alfred de VIGNY - Signed autograph letter.

Alfred de VIGNY (1797.1863)

Autograph letter signed to his friend Doctor Montalembert.

Four pages in-8°. Typographer's inscription on the 4th ^leaf .

[Maine-Giraud] October 23, 1848.

“I refuse to always begin by thanking you, dear Doctor, because that would be continuous as your good grace is in everything. My dear patient is no longer ill. The lemonade served its purpose perfectly. We also had a singular surprise; you left us a small vase in which you thought ten leeches were resting limply. Lydia had violent heartbeats and choking; Mr. Delafones considers it useful to use them, we open, there are three – Fortunately we had others left. The Manuel, according to his custom, delivered to my house everything that was superfluous, but for what was necessary, he kept it well and only gave us the well-prepared plaster the day after the day on which it was useful. No matter, all this is forgotten and all that remains for Lydia is the extreme weakness which prevents her from staying out of bed for more than an hour. She still has pain in her liver and I am impatiently waiting for the Vichy water that you kindly asked for. In the meantime please send me six more bottles of Seltzer Water for myself. Do you believe that there is a smoker in Angoulême capable of remedying the suffering that the chimney in my office causes me? The pipes and bricks were useless, the Blanzac earthenware is exhausted and I would like to avoid coming to the stoves. Don't be discouraged by the tapestries. If you find me one I will give you my vote to be President of the Republic (…) Please thank your kind friend for sending me these two Machiavelli – I would like to know from him, through you, if he has in his possession in the library the letters from Washington published by M. Guizot a few years ago, it is a translation that he had done with quite care. I wish I had it here. I put the books lent to me in a private library and you can be sure of the perfect state of conservation in which I will return them….”

The Manoir de Maine-Giraud dates from the 16th century. It belonged to Alfred de Vigny from 1827 until his death