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Maître Jean-Paul RENOUD-GRAPPIN

41 - Henri-Essex EDGEWORTH DE FIRMONT (1745–1807), a priest and t…
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Estimate €400 - €500
Sale commission
Description
Henri-Essex EDGEWORTH DE FIRMONT (1745–1807), a priest and the last confessor to Louis XVI, whom he accompanied to the scaffold; he subsequently served as chaplain to Louis XVIII. Letter from the author, Mittaw in Courland, 20 May 1798, to the Marquis de BELLEFOND in London; 2 pages in-4, addressed. He explains his ‘inconceivable silence’, as he had nothing positive to report. ‘The King is fully aware of the extent and value of your services; indeed, he is deeply grateful for them; and he wishes with all his heart that your request had been made before the new Regulation, which ties his hands. But now that this Regulation has been enacted, he believes he must not break it, even for you’. The only favour he could grant would be a commission as colonel, which ‘would be a very meagre reward’. This letter is not official, ‘since I have not received orders to write it to you; but being on the spot and being fully aware of the King’s views regarding you and your case, I felt I could best repay the trust with which you have honoured me by informing you of everything’. The Marquis is to receive a letter from the Count of La Chapelle, ‘who is concerned with this matter, and who will write to you on the King’s behalf. It is impossible for me to guess exactly how his letter will be worded […] be that as it may, I feel I must warn you that this excellent man, whilst not having the honour of knowing you personally, is entirely at your service, and that if he did not feel his hands were tied, he would place as much value on serving you as I do”…
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About the sale AUTOGRAPHS & MANUSCRIPTS – PENNED BY HISTORY’S GREAT FIGURES
Auction location
Auction time 09/18/2026 at 2:00 PM
Ref. : 226165 - 17
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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