Madame SCARRON (1635-1719) L.A.S. (initials)... Lot 418

Madame SCARRON (1635-1719) L.A.S. (initials) addressed to the marshal of Albret (1614- 1676), 1 leaf, three pages, black wax seal with crowned cipher on pink silk lakes.interesting mail, among the very first known letters of Madame de Maintenon, giving news and echoes from the Court to the new governor of Guyenne. September 3, 1671 "I missed to write you these last three ordinary because I did not take me time to make you a long letter, but as my occupations increase by the return of the Court, it is better to write you only one word than not to write you at all. Mr. de Lionne is dead and it is not yet known who will be in charge of foreign affairs. The Archbishop of Toulouse [Pierre de Bonzi (1631-1703)] had been very much named, but it is said that the ministers do not want to put him in charge and that they would rather take on the deceased's employee. It is believed that Mr. de Berni [son of Lionne] will keep the office, which is a great loss for the house of Estrée. The King has however written and spoken strongly for Mr. de Laon [César d'Estrées (1628-1714)] and I believe that he will want to be a cardinal. Mme de Lionne has a very nice process she mourns her husband and does not want to leave her convent many people believe that this does not depend on her and that her family wants her to stay there. Your countess of Castres has been very busy at court and our beautiful friend has been to see her. I have not yet seen her, she is in Versailles and I am not going there. They had said a lot of nonsense about her which is very wrong, the courtiers believe that our little man has gone down for me, I judge by what I have seen that nothing has changed. There are many sick people here, Rouville Troiville, the Marquis de Chavault, the Grand Maistre and several others whom I have forgotten. The pleasure that I have in the trade of our friend prevents me from becoming impatient but when I am without her I have little left to console me." Provenance: - ALDE, Paris, June 26, 2018, no. 211 Bibliography: Lettres de Madame de Maintenon (ed. H. Bots and E. Bots-Estourgie, Champion, 2009), vol. I, letter19