de BOISGELIN DE CUCÉ, Jean de Dieu-Raymond. Discours sur la Propriété des Biens Ecclésiastiques; par M. l’Archevêque d’Aix.
Paris, G. Desprez, Imprimeur du Roi et du Clergé de France, rue Saint-Jacques, 1789
8vo; 215x150 mm. Pp. 73, (1), 3. Some light staining, but a good copy with margins and beards.
Precious and rare pamphlet by the Archbishop of Aix, Jean de Dieu-Raymond de Boisgelin de Cucé (1732 - 1804), from 1770. A great orator and man of culture, in this exposition he defends the clergy, professing his opposition to the suppression of their property and jointly advocating the abolition of feudal privileges.
Bound with: MAURY, Jean-Siffrein. Opinion of M. L’Abbé Maury, Deputy of Picardy, on the Right to Wage War and to Conclude the Treaties of Peace, Alliance, and Commerce, delivered at the National Assembly on May 18, 1790.
Paris, National Press, 1790
8vo; 220 x 140 mm. 40 pp., 1 blank. A good copy with erasures.
A rare work by Jean-Siffrein Maury, French archbishop and cardinal.
The speech was delivered and published in 1789, a period of heated debate over the financial situation of the state and the role of the clergy. The main topic was the "ownership of ecclesiastical property," that is, the question of whether the Church should continue to own its assets or whether they should be placed at the service of the nation. Abbot Maury, deputy for Picardy, spoke on behalf of the clergy and landowners.