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an old handwritten letter from a man who is writing on a piece of paper
Ader

53 - Julie de LESPINASSE (1732–1776), woman of letters.
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Estimate €2,000 - €2,500
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Description
Julie de LESPINASSE (1732–1776), woman of letters. L.A., Monday 17 January [1763, to Turgot]; 4 pages in-4. A long and interesting political and literary letter. Tired of waiting for Toulouse’s appointment so that she might be the first to write to him with the news, she decides not to delay any longer the pleasure of a conversation with him. She is eager to see him again: ‘I am very sorry to hear what you tell me about your return; you spoke to me of it in such an uncertain manner; perhaps you now know where you stand’... The Abbé de Cucé is going to write to Turgot: ‘No doubt he will tell you that the public has awarded him Condom and that, indeed, the general opinion is that he will get it after all; yet this will not be the case, which, in truth, annoys me more than it does him”, who is delighted not to be condemned to this exile 170 leagues from Paris: “Condom is a real backwater”. The Abbé de Cucé should, however, be appointed shortly, and had the Bishop of Orléans not been ill, the appointment would have taken effect yesterday evening… ‘I imagine you would have been very pleased to meet Mr Hume; well then, Sir, do come quickly, for Madame de Boufflers is expecting him this week and intends to persuade him to return to London with her […] she is going to spend two months in England, and there are at least as many people as she realises who are thinking of nothing else; you see, she knows, she loves all the English people who are here. […] It is said that the final peace treaty between France and England will not be concluded as quickly as was thought, for three reasons: 1° because the English are opposed to our sending a large number of troops to the colonies […] 2° because there are difficulties regarding the evacuation of Wezel, which is currently blockaded by the King of Prussia’s troops and which we had promised to hand over to the Austrians; 3° because France and England have jointly resolved to bring the war in Germany to an end and to work very earnestly towards this end, so that the final treaty leaves no threat of war in Europe’. The Austrians have concluded an armistice with the King of Prussia [Frederick II], who, during his journey to Gotha, was received by the people as a god, even though he arrived with almost no escort and no luggage. He insisted on sleeping in his little camp bed: ‘he told the Princess of Gotha that he was a poor, oppressed man who had come to ask her for some help in the form of recruits’, and appeared cheerful and in good health, though aged… She announces the publication of a journal entitled *La Renommée littéraire* by a certain Lebrun, in which ‘Voltaire, M. de Chabanon and others are treated very harshly, not to mention Fréron; it is said to be very malicious yet of little worth’. She copies out some verses she has recently heard and particularly enjoyed, and continues her scathing comments by taking aim at Collé’s new play: ‘There is a new play at the Comédie Française today, […] the subject is taken from the *Illustres Françoises*—it is *Desronais et Dupuis*—I doubt your literary knowledge extends that far, it is a poor novel of execrable taste and style, but it at least has the merit of possessing warmth and passion, whilst those with which we have long been bombarded are scarcely better written and are as cold as ice’… She concludes by emphasising how much she enjoys corresponding with him, even in writing, and sends him regards from M. d’Alembert, whom she is to see this evening... Certificate of cultural heritage attached.
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About the sale Letters and Autograph Manuscripts – Part I
Auction location
Auction time 10/13/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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