107 - SÉVIGNÉ Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de [Paris, 1626 – Château de Grignan, Drôme, 1696], French woman of letters.

SÉVIGNÉ Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de [Paris, 1626 – Château de Grignan, Drôme, 1696], French woman of letters. Autograph letter signed “la M de Sévigné” addressed to Moulceau. Grignan, “Tuesday,” [10] January [1696]; 5 pages, in-4°. In it, she discusses her granddaughter’s marriage and her pride. “I have accepted on my own behalf the compliments due to me, sir, regarding the marriage of Madame de Simiane, which really amount to nothing more than expressing great approval of what my daughter arranged with her sound judgment a very long time ago. […] It is entirely noble, convenient, and advantageous for a daughter of the House of Grignan, who has found a man and a family that count her person and her name as their sole merit—and not at all her wealth—and that is precisely what matters in all other countries. ” She expresses her deep affection for Moulceau: “You have made the same deep impression on our hearts as you say we have made on you. This mutual feeling is truly fortunate; it’s a pity we don’t show it to one another more often. ” She reflects with subtlety on the effects of the passing of time: “As for me, I am no longer good for anything; I have played my part, and, for my part, I would never wish for such a long life; it is rare that the end of a life is not humiliating, but we are fortunate that it is God’s will that governs it; as with all things in this world, everything is better in His hands than in ours.” Enclosed is a contemporary copy.