L’Esprit de la France et les Maximes de Louïs XIV – Découvertes à l’Europe
À Cologne, chez Pierre Marteau
Annotated and Edited by Juliet Romano-Olsen
Introduction
This clandestine text was published by Pierre Marteau in 1688. The publisher Pierre Marteau was not a real person, but the publishers who used his name assisted in the dissemination of over a hundred French-language texts that were subversive to the French monarchy and state. The full text is 231 pages, and I have decided to translate the introduction section, which comes directly after the title page and before any section titles, spanning pages 3-8 of the original text. The introduction indicates the author’s opinion on the monarchy and nobility in general and provides historical background of the kings of note who have preceded Louis XIV. The author draws connections between the kings of Biblical history, antiquity, and early modern France to demonstrate their grievances against King Louis XIV, the ruler at the time of publication. The year of publication—1688—is significant, coming directly after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. This was a time when anti-Protestant sentiment was running high in the French court. During the reign of Louis XIV, about 150,000 French protestants left for neighboring cities in Prussia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, England, and colonies in South Africa and North America.1 Moreover, French was the lingua franca during the 17th century and the growing literacy rate and expanding middle class provided readership for new material. Combined with the growing ideas of philosophe thinkers and writers, there was a market for and interest in clandestine publications. The Pierre Marteau publishing house was invented by Dutch publishers and was likely not located in Cologne. However, it is not clear where this book was written or by whom. Before 1685, the norm of Marteau books often were explicitly anti-Catholic, exposés on monks, nuns, and the French aristocracy. Since 1685, the principal villain of Marteau’s publications was Louis XIV, a trend demonstrated by this work.2
Note on the transcription and translation
For the transcription I have changed to modern letters, but kept the original spellings, formatting, and capitalizations from the text. I tried to translate fairly directly, but split some sentences and changed some words to avoid confusion. There are a few expressions for which I could not find definitive translations and translated more loosely into modern English; these are explained by endnotes with the original word or phrase and its direct translation. I provided an endnote with a blurb of all the historical and French kings (they’re easy to mix up), but did not for memorable figures we covered in class. Obscure historical figures are also explained in endnotes.
Text
Original edition
L’Esprit de la France et les Maximes de Louïs XIV – Découvertes à l’Europe
à Cologne, chez Pierre Marteau MDCLXXXVIII
La naissance n’est pas ce qui distingue le plus les Princes des autres hommes, mais bien l’esprit. Combien en voions-nous qui ne le possédant que mediocrement ne font figure dans l’Histoire que pour remplir la genealogie, & les jours de leur naissance, & de leur mort font les deux qui font le plus de bruit pour eux dans le monde.
C’est suivant que cet esprit se trouve disposé dans un Souverain qu’il fait le bien ou le malheur des peuples qui lui sont soumis.
Malheur, dit le Sage, à toi terre, quand ton Roi est jeune, & quand tes Princes mangent de matin. O ! bienheureuse toi terre, quand ton Roi est noble en prudence & vertu, & que tes Princes prennent en temps leur refection, & non pour ivrogner.
Le peuple Juif fut heureux sous David & Salomon ; mais Roboam leur Successeur lui dit ces paroles, Mon pere vous a chargé d’un fardeau, mais j’augmenterai vôtre joug, il vous a châtié de verges, mais moi je vous châtierai d’écourgées.
Cesar Auguste fut nommé le pere du peuple Romain ; mais Neron en fut le Boureau. Philipes II naquit d’un pere sage, qui regna avec un aplaudissement general, mais il fut un sanguinataire, qui n’épargna pas son propre sang, & dissipa ce que Charles-Quint avoit conservé avec tant de gloire & de prudence. François Premier fut l’adoration des François, & l’amour de la Noblesse, il s’aquit le titre de Prince clement en paix, victorieux en guerre, le Pere & le restaurateur des bonnes lettres, & des arts libéraux ; mais Charles IX celui de massacreur.
Henri IV fut surnommé le Grand, par ses grandes actions, il étoit l’amour & le pere de son peuple, & son esprit debonnaire & bienfaisant promettoit un regne heureux, si une detestable main n’eut arrété le cours de sa vie.
Louïs XIII fut surnommé le Juste, fondé sans doute sur l’Evangile, qui nous assure que bienheureux sont les simples d’esprit, & que le Roiaume des Cieux leur appartient. Ce fut plutôt l’esprit de Richelieu qui regnoit, que le sien. Louïs XIV ne fit pas connoitre ses inclinations tant qu’il demeura sous la tutelle de la Reine sa mere, & la ferule du Cardinal Mazarin ; mais d’abord que ce dernier fut mort il quitta, comme l’on dit, les chausses de page, & ses flatteurs lui donnerent à l’imitation de son grand pere le nom de Grand, sans pourtant l’avoir encore merité. Il est vrai qu’il est grand d’ambition, & grand usurpateur des terres de son Voisin, grand ennemi du St. Siege & du Pape, & grand persecuteur des Huguenots. Son regne n’est rempli que de grande monopole, & ses Louïs d’or sont le passe-par-tout qui ouvre les portes de ses conquêtes. Il naquit armé, & sa premiere nourriture fut le sang de ses nourices, qu’il tira lui-même. L’esprit ambitieux qui le possede sacrifieroit volontiers une partie de son peuple pour satisfaire à sa passion & à sa grandeur. Malheur à toi terre qui gemis sous le fardeau d’un tel Prince, & au peuple captif sous sa domination. Sous le regne d’Antiochus l’Illustre, le peuple Hebreu crioit souvent à Dieu, qu’il les delivrât de la main de l’oppresseur, pourquoi les François ne peuvent-ils pas faire la même requête, & toute l’Europe même pour se delivrer de la main de l’usurpateur.
Louïs donc le Grand croioit déja tenir à la main le Sceptre de la Monarchie de l’Europe lors que Vienne fut assiegée, & qu’il la vit à deux doigts de sa perte, qu’il croioit inevitable fondé sur les propheties de Drabicius ; mais voiant ce chemain bouché, il a repris ses premieres erreurs & sa premiere route, il attend, avec une grand impatience, ce que produira les lacs qu’il a tendu du temps du mariage de la Reine d’Espagne. L’homme propose, & le Ciel en dispose. Le temps afoiblit l’esprit aussi-bien que le corps, & les Princes sont souvent forcés de laisser à faire à leurs successeurs ce qu’ils n’ont plus que cette divine Providence de qui les Princes dependent, comme le reste des hommes, ne mesure pas ici bas avec l’aune de leur ambition. L’ambitieux pourtant bâtit souvent des châteaux sur un grand de folie, & voudroit volontiers (pour 8 ou 10 piés qu’il lui en faut) posséder toute la terre. Cette demangeaison regne aujourdhui en France, & c’est ce qui occupe entièrement l’esprit de Louïs XIV comme nous verrons dans la suite, & les moiens qu’il emploie pour en venir à bout.
Translation
The Spirit of France and the Maxims of Louis XIV – Discovered to Europe
in Cologne, house of Pierre Marteau 1688
Birth is not what distinguishes Princes from other men, but spirit. How many of them do we see who don’t possess but mediocrity? They do not figure in history except to carry on their line, and their dates of birth and death are the dates that make the most noise in the world.
Whether or not a sovereign possesses this spirit determines the good or bad he does on the people over whom he rules.
Misfortune, says the Sage, on your land, when your King is young, and when the princes eat in the morning.3 O! blessed land, when your King is noble in prudence and virtue, and that the Princes take time to eat4, and not to drink!
The Jewish people were happy under David5 and Solomon;6 but Rehoboam7 their successor said to them these words: My father loaded you with a burden, but I will increase your yoke; he punished you with canes, but I will punish you with whips.8
Cesar Augustus9 was named the father of the Romans, but Nero10 was their executioner. Philip II11 emerged from a wise father, and reigned with general approval, but he was bloodthirsty and didn’t save his own clean blood, and cleared what Charles V12 conserved with so much glory and prudence. François I13 was worshipped by the French, and loved by the nobility. He acquired the title of a king merciful in peace, victorious in war, the father and restorer of humanities and liberal arts; but Charles IX14 was given the title of murderer.
Henry IV15 was named the great for his grand actions, he was the love and the father of his people, and his good-natured and nurturing spirit would have fostered a happy reign, if a foul hand had not stopped the course of his life.
Louis XIII16 was named the just, undoubtedly justified on the Gospel, which assures us that blessed were the poor in spirit, and that the kingdom of the Heavens belongs to them.17 That was not the spirit of Richelieu, who reigned for no one but his family. Louis XIV didn’t know his tendencies as long as he remained under the tutelage of the Queen his mother and the ferule of Cardinal Mazarin; but as soon as the latter died he took charge of his affairs.18 His flatterers gave him in the imitation of his grandfather the name of Great, without him yet having deserved it. It’s true that he has great ambition, and was a successful usurper of countries of his cousin,19 an enemy of the Holy See and the Pope, and a great persecutor of Huguenots. His reign is nothing but a great monopoly, and his Louis of gold are the key which opens the doors of his conquests.20 He was born armed, and his first food was the blood of his nurses, which he drew himself. The ambitious spirit he possesses gladly sacrifices a part of his people to satisfy his passion and grandeur. Misfortune on your land, which whines under the burden of such a Prince, and on the people captive under his domination. Under the reign of Antiochus the Illustrious, the Hebrews cried often to God, that he deliver from the hand of the oppressor.21 Why can’t the French make the same request, and all of Europe the same, to be delivered from the hand of the usurper?
Louis, “the Great,” already believed he held in hand the Scepter of the Monarchy of Europe when Vienna was besieged, that he saw it on the brink of destruction and believed it inevitable, which he founded on prophecies of Drabicius.22 However, seeing this way blocked, he backtracked on his first errors and his first route. Then he waits, with great impatience, what produced this embarrassment,23 and he stretched his time of marriage of the Queen of Spain. His ambitions turned out different than he assumed.24 The weather softens the spirit as well as the body, and the Princes are often forced to let their successors do what they couldn’t do themselves. This divine Providence on which these Princes depend, like the rest of men, does not measure on earth the extent of their ambition. The ambitious, however, often build castles on a seed of folly, and willingly would like to (although he does not need it25) possess all the earth. This desire rules today in France, and it is this which occupies entirely the spirit of Louis XIV as we see in the following, and the means he employs to meet this end.
Sources
Dictionnaires d’Autrefois: Public Access Collection. Provided by University of Chicago Artfl Project. https://artflsrv03-uchicago-edu.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/philologic4/publicdicos/
Jacob, Margaret. The Clandestine Universe of the Early Eighteenth Century. Pierre Marteau, Cologne: Virtual Publisher for over 350 Years. 6 December 2001. Web. http://www.pierre-marteau.com/c/jacob/clandestine.html
Lachenicht, Susanne. “Huguenot Immigrants and the Formation of National Identities, 1548-1787.” The Historical Journal, vol. 50, no. 2, 2007, pp. 309–331. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4140132. Accessed 9 Dec. 2020.
L'esprit De La France Et Les Maximes De Louis XIV Découvertes À L'Europe. A Cologne: Chez Pierre Marteau, 1688. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435017703810&view=1up&seq=12
[l'esprit De La France Et Les Maximes De Louis Xiv Découvertes À L'europe.] the Politicks of the French King, Lewis the Xiv. Discovered: with Respect to Rome, Emperour and Princes of the Empire, Spain, England [and Other Nations] ... with a Short Account of His Religion. Translated from the French. London, 1689. Print. https://books.google.com/books?id=ohxlAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA4&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false
Wikipedia.
Lachenicht 310. Huguenots who left France established strong and often tight-knit communities elsewhere.↩
This and the following information on the Pierre Marteau house is from Jacob.↩
The original phrase is mang[er] de matin. I could not find any translation for this expression, but perhaps the sage is wiser than I.↩
I found three possible translations for refection: a repair, the act of regaining [one’s strength], and a meal. All of them actually would make sense in this context so I went with the food theme that the sage uses in this statement.↩
King David conquered Jerusalem and was most famous for killing Goliath.↩
King Solomon is regarded as the greatest and wisest of Israel’s kings, who built the Temple in Jerusalem.↩
Rehoboam was the king of Israel when it split into north (Israel) and south (Judah) kingdoms.↩
The original wording is écourgées. In the original English translation of this publication, the chosen word is “scorpions,” but it seems like this was lost in translation based on French dictionaries around that time.↩
Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of Rome, known for his love of salads. He is the successor of Julius Caesar and was in power during the time of Jesus, appearing often in the New Testament.↩
Nero was the fifth emperor of Rome, famous for setting fire to Rome, persecuting Christians, and killing his mother. Read the page for parallels to the rule of Louis XIV.↩
I think this refers to Philip II of Spain presided over the height of the Spanish empire, but funded the Catholic League, against Calvinists in France.↩
Charles V was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain during the first half of the 16th century.↩
François I was king of France from 1515-1547 and presided over the French Renaissance and the standardization of the French language.↩
Charles IX presided over the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.↩
Henry IV was the king of Navarre and then first Bourbon king of France.↩
Louis XIII was king during the regency of Catherine de Medici and let Richelieu make governing decisions.↩
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall inherit the earth” comes from the Beatitudes, a collection of affirmations, seen as a follow-up to the Ten Commandments, given by Jesus Christ in a sermon.↩
Chausses de page, the original phrase, is an outdated expression, meaning “page’s hose" that refers to the armored stockings/boots worn by pages, who were generally young and served a member of the Nobility. In this context, I think the author is expressing that Louis XIV was effectively doing the bidding of Cardinal Mazarin, but after he died the young king stepped into his own and took an active role in his administration.↩
Probably a reference to Charles II of Spain, who was of the Hapsburg lineage.↩
Louïs the gold pieces, which were acquired though high taxes and enabled the king’s conquests and lavish lifestyle.↩
Antiochus IV Epiphanies was the ruler of the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE, known for his invasion of Egypt and persecution of Jews in Palestine.↩
Nicolaus Drabicius (Mikuláš Drábik) was a 17th century priest from Czechia, who predicted the fall of the Hapsburg Empire, which the author assumes Louis XIV believed the Siege of Vienna in 1683.↩
The word lacs, colloquially, signified an embarrassment or regretted commitment.↩
The original phrase, l’homme propose, et le Ciel [Dieu] en dispose was a proverb, meaning that one’s predictions often turn out far different than initially thought.↩
The original phrase is pour 8 ou 10 piés qu’il lui en faut, which translates to “for 8 or 10 feet that he needs.”↩