RANGOUZE, Pierre de

Panegyric letters to the heroes of France by the sieur de Rangouze Printed at the expense of the author in Paris, with royal privilege 1648. In-12, full morocco à la Du Seuil. Boards stamped in their center with the mosaic arms of Mazarin - Azure, an axe of arms argent, in a bundle of arms or bound argent in pale, and a fess of gules on the whole, charged with 3 stars or. Spine ribbed, caissons decorated with the figure of Mazarin with laurel and two stars, framed by a double fillet. Ornate cuts, interior roulette. Gold edges. Joints rubbed. Binding with the arms of Mazarin. However, it is not under the cardinal's hat, but under that of prince-bishop that his arms appear. This allows us to place the binding in the first part of the 1650's. Indeed, if he was appointed cardinal in 1641, it is only in 1652 that he became prince-bishop of Metz. Curious collection of letters that the author addressed to important people in order to obtain favors and gratifications. Printed without signature, nor pagination, they allowed to invert the order of the letters and, thus, to offer the most flattering copy to the personalities approached to receive it. 35 letters make up the first part of the collection. In the protocol order, they are addressed to the following personalities: 1) King, 2) Regent, 3) King's only brother, 4) the Prince, 5) Duke of Angouleme, 6) Duke of Guise, 7) Duke of Chevreuse, 8) Duke of Elbeuf, 9) Count of Alais, 10) Duke of Montbazon, 11) duke of Lesdiguières, 12) commander of la Porte, 13) duke of Bellegarde, 14) marshal of Chatillon (small tear), 15) marshal of Bassompierre, 16) marshal of Guébriant, 17)marshal de Gassion. Front page - Panegyric letters to the heroes of France by the sieur de Rangouze. Second part Printed at the expense of the author in Paris, with privilege of the king, 1648. 18) His royal highness (not specified) 19) prince of Wales, 20) duke of Joyeuse, 21) knight of Guise, 22) count of Harcourt, 23) prince Thomas of Savoy, 24) duke of Nemours, 25) duke of Espernon, 26) duke of Chaunes, 27) duke of La Force, 28) mareschal of Estrée, 29) mareschal of Brézé, 30) mareschal of l'Hospital. Front page - Panegyric letters to the heroes of France by the sieur de Rangouze. Third part Printed at the expense of the author in Paris, with privilege of the king, 1648. 31) prince (not specified), 32) duke of Longueville, 33) Landgrave of Hesse, 34) prince of Monaco, duke of Valentinois, 35) monseigneur of Schomberg, 36) mareschal of La Melleraye, 37) marechal of Gramont, 38) mareschal of Turenne, 39) mareschal of Rantzav, 40) mareschal of Villeroy, 41) duke of Ampville, duke of Brion, 42) two medallions stuck without arms, viscount of Arpajon, 43) count of saint Aignan, 44) gentleman of Belinguan. Front page - Panegyric letters to the princes and prelates of the Church by the lord of Rangouze. Printed at the expense of the author in Paris, with privilege of the king, 1648. 45) cardinal de Mazarin without arms, notice to the reader, 46) prince de Conti, 47) cardinal Barberin, 48) monseigneur le cardinal de Mazarin before dying to monseigneur le cardinal de Mazarin, 49) cardinal Anthonio Barberin (for the second time, that is to say two portraits and two different texts), 50) cardinal of Lyon 51) cardinal of saint Cécile, viceroy of Catalonia, with only the arms under hat, 52) bishop of Mets, prince of the Holy Empire, 53) duke of Aumale, abbot of Saint Rémy of Reims, 54) archbishop of Rouen, primate of Normandy, 55) monsignor of Montchal, archbishop of Tholoze, 56) archbishop of Corinth, 56) abbot of La Riviere. Front page - Panegyric letters to the ministers of the state, ambassadors and other illustrious persons by the sieur de Rangouze Printed at the expense of the author in Paris, with privilege of the king, 1648. To the reader, 57) chancellor (Pierre Séguier, 1588- 1672), 58) first president, 59) count d'Avaux 60) monseigneur du Plessis, 61) president de Bailleul, without his portrait, 62) monseigneur de La Vrillière, 63) monseigneur de Bouthillier, 64) count de Chavigny, 65) monseigneur Le Tellier, privilege of the king. Rangouze in his kind, was a celebrity. G. Guéret, in his Parnasse réformé writes: "Isn't there a way to get rid of the ridiculous vanity of certain great Lords who look for incense everywhere... they pay them [their panegyrists] better than their creditors and they wouldn't want Rangouze to forget them in his letters for 100 pistols. Since the dedicatory epistles became panegyrics, there has been no Farmer of the five large Farms, no small Abbot, no State Councillor