49 - [VILLAIN (Etienne François)].

[VILLAIN (Etienne François)]. An Attempt at a History of the Parish of Saint Jacques de la Boucherie, in Which the Origin of This Church, Its Antiquities, Nicolas Flamel and His Wife Pernelle, and Several Other Remarkable Matters Are Discussed. Paris, Prault, 1758. In-12, comprising [1] folio errata, iv pp., [2] folios, 326 pp., 5 folding plates. The title page is missing. Marbled half-calf, decorated ribbed spine (contemporary binding). Binding worn; covers likely replaced. First edition illustrated with 5 folding plates, including several maps. An interesting study of the parish of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, discussing the origins of this church, its antiquities, Nicolas Flamel, and Pernelle. The church was almost entirely destroyed after the Revolution; only the Saint-Jacques tower remains today. As parish priest of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, Abbé Villain devoted himself particularly to debunking the alchemical legend of Nicolas Flamel, drawing on historical documents concerning the famous public scribe and his wife, Pernelle. This endeavor would culminate a few years later in his *Critical History of Nicolas Flamel and His Wife Pernelle*. (Caillet III, 75.) [Bound together with:] Letter to M. regarding the one that D. Pernety […] had inserted in one of M. Fréron’s *Feuilles* for the year 1762, against the *Critical History of Nicolas Flamel and Pernelle, His Wife*.*** [Paris, 1762], pp. 407–444. An interesting pairing with Villain’s reply to Dom Antoine-Joseph Pernety, a Benedictine monk, scholar, and fervent defender of alchemy, who had attacked his conclusions in one of Élie Fréron’s issues. In this 1762 letter, Villain vigorously defends his historical interpretation and mocks the proponents of the Hermetic tradition, whom he accuses of artificially exaggerating Flamel’s wealth and endowments.