New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

MADAME DE sEyIGNE BY Miss THACKERAT tars
j. b. Lppincott 4 Co.
Among the letter-wrers of the golden age Oh
French letter-writing. Madame de Sevigne hlied a
conspicuous place. and she has kept 1t with pos
terity. Miss Thackeray's book is biography with
considerable illustrations from contemporary
writers and from the letters; and perhaps there 10
no better account of Sevigne for the use OF the
general reader than we have here 1t may do no
harm to remind him that an edition oil the Letters
of Sevigne was published in New-fork In 1896
under the editorial supervision of Mrs. Sarah j.
Hale Madame Sevign6 born in Paris IN
1926 and she died in 1896. She was girl OF
seventeen years when Louis XIV. came To the
throne and she died nineteen years before the
decease of that splendid monarch. She was
contemporary of Corneille and Racine, OF La
Fontaine and La Bruyere, of Boileau, Bossuet and
Fenelon. She had the advantage OF early training
under the of the Able de COulanges. OF whom
everybody speaks well. and who was her maternal
uncle; while Manage taught her Latin. Italian ana
Spanish and Cnapelain overlooked her education
She read Virgil in the original" in all the majesty
of the text" as she herself says. When only
eighteen she was married to the Marquis Henri de
Sevigne. who was rich handsome and witty. lie
was unfathful to her, and neglected her. so thac
she ceased to love or even esteem HIM. He squan-
dered her fortune; and was fortunately Killed III
q duel in 1851. NJ adame de SeVlgne nenceloIIh
lived for her children. son and the daughter 10
whom so many of her letters were written she
was still young, beautiful and charming. Many
distinguished men made love to her, and made love
in vain There was no spot upon her reputation,
though she was of warm and impulslve nature.
Her affection for her daughter, Madame de Grignon,
was the ruling passion of her life. III 1t had Deeh
less or if the mother and daughter had been
oftener together we should have lost great many
delightful letters. Whenever Madame dc Serlgne
came into society, she was overwhelmed with COM
pments and attentions. and MademoseHe lie
Scudery saws of her. "NobOdy else has ever better
known The art of being graceful without afiecta-
ton witty without malice, gay without ioly'
mo1est without constrant and virtuous without
severity"
Madame de S6vigne married her daughter. " the
prettiest girl in France. in 1869 to NJ de Grignon'
whom she calls the most honest man III the Ming
dom" The mother when parted from the daughier
was in despair. Her love redoubled, but Miss
Thackeray says that Madame de Grignon was
cold FLOODED person with an irritable temper and
EXPENSIVE habits husband huge household
whole province to preocrupy her." Inc mothers
love usually met scant return.
There are several letters of Madame de S6vlgne
which everybody remembers, and among THESE Is
that which describes the Tragedy of Natel," the
cook who killed himself because the fish did not
arrive when Louis XIV was entertained at Chan-
lilly. In 1871 the fond mother was back again IN
Paris but the daughter 50 well beloved, was away
from he-, and her son, almost as well beloved
was campaigning. No wonder Madame had
the vapors Writing to Busy she says: AS
for nv lfe you kew it well enough. 1t is passed
with five or six thousand friends whose society
nleases in a thousand duties which one is COM
pelled to attend to, and which are no trhIng
matter But that which vexes me is that in doing
nothing the days pass Oh One grows older-one
dies | find this very evil" In the same letter.
speaking of the death of Turenne, she says; " or
myself who sees Providence in all things, see
that cannon loaded from all eternity" There is
touch in this of the sublime.
Miss Thackeray notes that in 1916 "slgns oil
WEAKNESS begin to appear in the letters; and
Madame herself writes That which do wearies
me that which leave undone wears me" She was
stricken by "a rheumatic fever" and pleasantly
writes: al am sweed in every part-my feet, my
legs nv hands, my arms and this swelling, which
is in truth ny cure, is the cause OF all my lmpa-
thence. aud would be that of my merit if l wore
more good" She went to VIchy for relief, where
they still show the house in the garden in winch
she resided. When she first took the waters she
cried out, "Ah, how nasty they are! But
Madame was cured and went back to court to write
a description of the torture and death OF La
Rr;,villiers the poisoner ana another of the won
derful beauty of Mademosele de MOntespan-"a
triumphant beauty to dazzle all ambassadors"
Madame de S6vgn6s last years were spent III
failing health and in tn. prosecution of plans Tor
her children's welfare. In 1859, Gh"n she was
sixty-three years Old she writes: How foolish 1t
ia not to enjoy the consultations which Cod sen1s
ms after the Affections which He causes us to ieel
There is it seems to me, great wisdom In enduring
storms with resignation, and IN enjoying the calm
when it peases Him to restore to us, Tor TINS is 10
follow the ordinances of Providence. Life Is 100
short to halt too long in on, frame of mind; one
must take the days they come,-and feel that
am of this happy temperament" 1t Is sad that
Madame de S6vlgnGs latest letters are her best
Smallpox had been strangely fatal in the Seyigne
family, and she died of it, April 10, 1886 Miss
Thackeray. IL giving some of the last few letters
saws in words which remind us of her father, that
they seeu Tired, the sentences labor more heavily
the hands have held the pen so many years that 1T
is time for them to lay it down; the sparkling
stream runs slowy--it no longer dances, bubbles,
ripples flashes back the thousand lights and twink
ling points along the shore Has it already met the
salt waters &C the seat is it losing itstlf III the
great waters I"
UNPUBLTSHED POEM BYSIR WALTER SCOTT
From 1he Ahen9um.
Nv late fpther saws correspondent, was n