Jean RACINE recounts the enthusiasms of LOUIS XIV and the Court.

Jean RACINE (1639.1699)

Autograph letter signed to François-Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, Marshal of Luxembourg. 

Four pages in 4° (225 x 165mm)

Paris, August 2 [1693]

« … the story must not lose a syllable…”

Precious autograph letter signed by Racine, poet and historiographer of Louis XIV, in an exalted tone, addressed to the winner of the Battle of Neerwinden, the Marshal of Luxembourg.

With a fluid and modern pen, Racine describes, over these four marvelous pages, the flavors of military triumph and invites us alongside the Sun King, Madame de Maintenon, Nicolas Boileau, Count d'Artagnan, etc. ., in the Court rooms.

It is appropriate to point out here the exceptional rarity of Jean Racine's letters. Beyond the donation made by Louis Racine (his youngest son) to the King's Library in 1756 of a limited set of manuscripts and works by his father (today kept at the BNF), the number of letters from poet that has reached us is one of the smallest. Those, moreover, bearing his signature are exceptional.

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“ While waiting for us to be informed by you yourself of the details of your victory, please, Monseigneur, that I tell you that it is considered here as the greatest and most heroic action that took place in war. You have defeated not only very brave and seasoned enemies, but even enemies who fought in desperation, and who saw themselves in the necessity either of making an extraordinary defense or of seeing their entire army perish. I see clearly that this is what caused this obstinacy with which they disputed their entrenchments with you, and which obliged you to give seven battles for one. But, Monsignor, I have scruples about daring to speak before you about things so lofty above me.

I would do better to simply tell you what I heard the King himself say about it. He didn't talk about anything else all yesterday. He repeated several times that it was a great, glorious action. He seemed to be very grateful to you for having made his enemies respect his Infantry as much as they already respected his Cavalry. He praised extremely and took pleasure in explaining your marches since the capture of Huy, and speaking of the number of dead, he said that these great actions were not carried out without cost to individuals. I even heard him say very heartily: “I would like such news to come to me from Germany”. Finally, he read four times in public the letter that you wrote to him by M. d'Artagnan, as noble in its simplicity as beautiful as the action itself .

Madame de Maintenon, among others, seemed very touched by it, and praised it extremely. I remembered it by heart and I charmed Madame la Princesse de Conti yesterday and today M ^r Despréaux [Nicolas Boileau] who claims like me that history should not lose a syllable. All those who, that day, were at Marly, I even say the most avid praisers, exclaimed as well as his Majesty about the greatness of this action, and I was quite happy to see your enemies defeated as well as those of the King. I am sending you a letter from Mr. ^Count of Toulouse, who did me the honor of choosing me among all your servants to entrust it to me. It is accompanied by that of Mr ^d' Ô, its Governor. M ^r de Cavoye told me to tell you that your victories were becoming too frequent and were exhausting his eloquence, that you had to give him time to breathe and regain his wits.

I forgot to tell you that the King told Mr. ^Prince in front of everyone that you had saved Mr. Duke's life ^by making him take up arms against his will. You can judge that his Majesty has said many other things which I cannot have heard. But, in any case, I can assure you that I have never seen him so happy. He is currently worried about what has happened in Germany, and God grant, as he himself said, that the news is as good from that side as that which came to him from you. Forgive such a long letter for the joy you have caused me, and for the extreme interest I take in your glory which seems to be unable to grow every year and yet grows every year. I am Monsignor your very humble and very obedient servant Racine . In Paris on ^August . »

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François-Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, Duke of Piney-Luxembourg (1628-1695) was made Marshal of France in 1675. Considered one of the most brilliant war leaders of Louis XIV, he also remains in military history under his nickname “Upholsterer of Notre-Dame” (due to the large number of enemy flags taken by his troops on the battlefields and decorating the nave and choir of Paris Cathedral).

Under his command, the French army won, during the War of the League of Augsburg (1688-1697), the victory of Neerwinden, on July 29, 1693, against the armies of the King of England, William III of Orange. -Nassau. It was this last victory, announced to King Louis

Having become ^the historiographer of Louis lose a syllable. ".

The manuscript of his Life of Louis .

The letter presented here is one of three letters from Racine to Marshal de Luxembourg long considered lost.

About these three letters, Jean Lesaulnier writes in his publication of the Correspondence of Jean Racine: “Kept together perhaps in the marshal's family, they were probably put up for sale afterwards. The publication of Eugène Minoret, who revealed them to us in 1884, appears to have been kept under wraps for nearly one hundred and thirty years. Since this date, in fact, the three letters from Racine to Luxembourg have at no time been commented on, nor even listed. ” (pp. 430-431).

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Provenance: Antoine Eugène Minoret (1816-1891) — President Robert Schuman (1886-1963; his sale, Precious autographs composing the collection of President Robert Schuman , Paris, March 4 and 5, 1965, experts Cornuau and Castaing, n° 250, acquired by Pierre Berès for 19,249 francs)

Bibliography: Jean Racine, Correspondance, ed by J. Lesaulnier, Paris, 2017, n° 138 — AE Minoret, Three unpublished letters from Jean Racine (1693), Paris, 1884

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For easier reading, we have transcribed the letter with modern spelling.