The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-26
. ..s
SOME e o
,,s.. Tho sainusimon Memoir..

"'1"!'' The saintsSimon Memoirs.
In four volumes. collectively comprising
aHoth 1900 pngc,. K%ArHARINE PREscoTr
wGFME1fT Inns gIvcr us an abridged ]transla-
ti6n Of the well.krown Memoirs 81 the Uuc lie
So ftp- Simon Boston Hardy. Pratt & Coz. The
ffench edition from which this translation IL
made has been collat"d with the original man.
uscrfrt. II is published in twenty volumes.
and ~ronfainS four times rs much matter as IL
here presented by the translator. The book
before ns should, therefore. be described rather
as a selection than ne an ahridginnnt. aud n
selection is Just what was needed. for the origi-
nil memoirs, If read cuusccu'ively, would DO
found prolix and tedious. although they un-
doubtediy include many enjoyable passages.
The outcome NJ the eclectic process fol-
lowed In this Version IL that VS. have an
spitur1p 81 Saint.Simon's career; n gallery OF
aucff Biographical portraits az will be scanned
With Interest by the general reader; a humble
ofimportart historical scrnrs. and "A good many
references 10 court gossip and intrigue. Tho
translator has wisely brought together. in
s6fne cases. tho scattered paragraphs relating
70 one parsonage or topic. No attempt has been
made 10 remedy the defects Of Saint-Simon's
style. which does not pretend to possess any
literary quality. The mistakes in French gram
mar. however. have not been reproduced. and
the construction Of sentences has been slight
ly altered whore some amendment was needed
to'fender them intclligihlr.
Louis de Rouvrot. Due de Saint Simon.
was born Jan. III. 1915; he was the
son OF Claude de Saint-Simon, who wns Gre
ated a duke and peer by Louis MIL, and
who. at the age NJ o.. married Charlotte do
rAnAestine. by whom he had ;hc author ot
these memoirs. Tho family Of Saiut-Simon was
abletbtrncc its descent from the second son OF
Charlen aene. The memoirs before us. which
were not published in full until 1922. wcr" be-
gun by their author in July. 1894. a year after
his accession to the dukcdon. He was then
Colonel Of a regiment ~ cavalry in the army
serving on the Rhine. and commanded by the
Marfchal Due lie Iorgcs. one ii whose daugh-
tors he subsequently, married. He WAS melted
10 begin an autobiography. h" tolls us. Ivy
the pleasure he took in reading the remi-
niscences ~ tho Mardchul de B~assompierre.
Alter the reap nf Ryswirk the regiment
which SAINTS. mon commanded was reformed.
and ne was left unattached. When the
war q the Spanish Succession began 1902.
he sent in his resignation. and thereby
lost the favor of Louis NV. who remarked.
sonn afterward' IT is a strange thing that,
ever since he quilted the service. VI. de Saint
Simon thinks Of nothing but studying prece-
dence and picking d%uarrels with everybody"
About the same time Nine. d" Maintenon said
or him that he was arrogant. faultlnding
and full Of views There was. however. one
brfet period of sunshine in his career at court
under Louis NV. namely. the interval which
elapsed between the death of Monseigneur
tthe Kings SOM. which occurred in April. III.
and that 81 the Due lie Bourgogre the Kings
grandson. which took place IN February. lT12.
a space of Ten months. during which the latter
was 'DauPhin and ~rresumptive heir to the
throne. Th" author ~ these emcirs worked