141 - LE PELETIER (Claude), 1631–1711.

LE PELETIER (Claude), 1631–1711. An interesting collection of letters exchanged between Claude Le Peletier and Madeleine de SCUDÉRY (1607–1701), reflecting their literary and friendly relationship over nearly fifteen years. A Councilor of State and later Controller-General of Finances, succeeding Colbert, Le Peletier is portrayed here as a close associate of the circle of Scudéry and Pellisson. Despite his official duties, which left him “little leisure to read the finest works,” he received and commented on the writings of the famous woman of letters, repeatedly praising her “brilliant mind” and her “wise virtue.” The correspondence thus blends literary life with more personal reflections: the marriage of his son Louis to Geneviève-Josèphe du Coskaër de Rosanbo in 1688, the birth of his grandson, mentions of Pithou and Pellisson, and invitations to visit his garden in Villeneuve. The letter from February 1688 is particularly interesting for the praise he bestows on his new daughter-in-law: he asserts that he desired this union more for “the virtue and merit of the person” than for her other advantages. The later letters also document Le Peletier’s retirement following his departure from the General Control in 1689. To Scudéry, who praised his work, he replied with characteristic political modesty that his successor “will know how to do much better than I […] in the service of the King and the State”. Until 1692, Scudéry’s books continued to be welcomed into his library at Villeneuve “with all the ceremony that anything coming from you deserves.” A fine collection documenting an ongoing relationship between one of the leading figures of the Grand Siècle’s literary life and Colbert’s successor at the General Control of Finances, enhanced by an envelope bearing his coat-of-arms seal. - L.A.S. “Le Peletier,” from [?, Versailles??], May 17, 1678, 1 p., small 8vo; he will not have time to visit her to thank her for the favor she has shown him, but he praises her virtue and merit. - L.S. “Le Peletier,” Versailles, August 10, 1684, 1 p., small in-4, with 4 handwritten lines; “from Mr. the Comptroller General” inscribed on the reverse; he regrets having “little leisure to read the finest works—which [he would] most enjoy” but has received “with great joy the one that was given [to him] on [her] behalf”; he knows “that there is still much to learn from it.” - L.S. “Le Peletier,” Versailles, May 11, 1686, 1 p., in-8, “Letter from Mr. the Controller General” inscribed on the reverse; he thanks her for her compliment: “[...] Please be assured that if I do not possess the qualities you are kind enough to praise in me, I would very much wish to have them in order to reciprocate the favors with which the King showers me; he rewards, following God’s example, the intentions to serve him well [...] "" - L.S. “Le Peletier,” Versailles, February 4 [or 5?] 1688, 2½ pp., in-8; he thanks her for her good wishes regarding his son’s marriage: “[...] I have just received from Mr. Pelisson a translation of the will of the late Mr. Pithou, which shows me the regard you have for the memory of a man whose integrity I ought to—and would, with all my heart—emulate [...]"", he is touched by her praise of his daughter-in-law: “I know from Mr. de La Bastide the merits of Madame de [Koasker], which lead me to hold her judgment in high regard. I assure you that I desired this marriage more because of my opinion of the virtue and merit of the person than because of all the other advantages that God has willed to be found in it; my only fear is that there may be too much prosperity [...]” Finally, he regrets that he cannot show her his garden at Villeneuve following Mr. de La Bastide’s departure. - L.S. “Le Peletier,” Versailles, July 29, 1688, 1 p. in-8: “I received from Mademoiselle, via Mr. Pelisson, your books, your verses on cinchona, and your kind letter; I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Reading your treatise on morality will give me great pleasure during a few hours in the bath, I cannot help but regret that Mr. de La Bastide did not wish to make the effort to show you my garden at Villeneuve, now that it is fully completed; he would be much better off here with us than in England […].” - L.S. “Le Peletier,” Villeneuve, September 29, 1689, 2 pp. in-8, a lovely letter of thanks for the praise written by his correspondent: ““[…] I would consider myself very fortunate to be praised by a person as worthy of praise as you, for your kind heart and your keen mind in an age when, generally speaking, many people who walk and talk do not realize that they are dead with regard to the essential part that makes them human […] The greatest example lies in the kindness of a Master and a King, which, in my view, surpasses everything I could have hoped for, and I must assure you that the one who succeeds me will do far better than I […] in the service