Sully

1638 · 175404 — Amsterdam i.e. Sully-sur-Loire: Alethinosgraphe de Clearetimelee; Paris: Chez Augustin Courbé 1638; 1662. An eyewitness account of the reign of Henri le Grand First editions including the scarce privately printed editions of the first two volumes. The memoirs of Henry IV's chief minister known to history as the Économies royales are among the most comprehensive and influential sources for his reign. This is the Chatsworth House copy in the handsome binding of the 6th Duke of Devonshire 1790-1858. From the mid-1590s to 1610 Maximilien de Béthune Duke de Sully 1560-1641 was among the most powerful figures at the French court. He served in many of the highest offices including superintendent of finances and grand master of artillery. He thus became a crucial figure in the reconstruction following the French Wars of Religion effectively controlling royal finances and sponsoring massive infrastructure projects. Schumpeter judged him a "much greater and especially stronger man" than Colbert p. 169. Sully resigned the year after Henry's assassination in 1610 retiring to write the Économies at Sully-sur-Loire. Drawing on his extensive archive of official papers the work spans four volumes. The first two covering events up to 1605 were privately printed at his château in 1638. In this Sully was partially motivated by the publication of a rival history of Henry IV which barely mentioned him. He died in 1641 and it was not until 1662 that the final two volumes culminating with the assassination were published with the royal privilege in Paris. Brunet notes that the first impressions of Sully's original 1638 volumes are distinguished by printing the "Paralelles de Cesar et de Henry Le Grand" in roman type not italic. This copy prints the "Paralelles" in roman type although as with many other copies they are not exactly where Brunet places them - here they are at pp. 605-618 not pp. 469-476. William Cavendish 6th Duke of Devonshire was a prolific contributor to the Chatsworth House Library making many significant purchases from the collections of Thomas Dampier and the Duke of Roxburghe whose 1812 auction catalogue lists copies of the 1662 volumes. Cavendish's gilt armorial crest is on the front and rear covers of each volume while his "WSD" monogram is on the spines and the Chatsworth bookplate is on the front pastedowns. These volumes are recorded in the Chatsworth catalogue of 1879. 4 vols bound in 3 folio 336 x 221 mm. Title pages with woodcut device vols I & II title pages printed in red and black and with engraved vignette vols III & IV woodcut initials head- and tailpieces. Mid-19th-century red morocco spines ruled lettered and decorated in gilt covers with central armorial crests embossed in gilt turn-ins gilt light yellow coated endpapers edges gilt. Infrequent contemporary ink annotations and sidelining. Light wear to extremities faint toning to spines minor browning and foxing to contents a handful of repaired tears: a very good set indeed. Brunet V p. 589; Catalogue of the Library at Chatsworth I p. 164; Goldsmiths' 686; Kress 537; USTC 1511331. Joseph Schumpeter History of Economic Analysis 1954. unknown