1. French Revolution - Terror against the 'Exaggerators'. Proclamation of the National Convention, on the Conspiracy read, to the French people, presented by the Comité de Salut Public, 2 Germinal An 2.
Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, 1794
Small 4tol. 230x177 mm. Pp. 8. Slight traces of wear, good condition
Rare first edition. Document of the National Convention of March 22, 1794 accusing Hebert and his followers of having hatched a conspiracy against the Revolution. All the leaders of the movement were tried between 21 and 24 March and guillotined.
2. Beginning of the French Revolution. [GUILLOTIN, Joseph Ignace]. Petitions from citizens domiciled in Paris, 8 December 1788.
Paris, chez Clousier, Imprimeur du Roi, & des Six-Corps, rue de Sorbonne, 1788
Small folio. 262 x 210 mm. Pages: 1 blank, [1], 20, 2 blank. Illustrated headpiece with French lilies and a military triumph. Slight foxing.
Rare first edition. This petition asks the king to ensure that the Estates General vote per capita rather than per estate, and that the number of deputies from the Third Estate be at least equal to that of the other two. The petition was adopted by the Six Corps, the association of Parisian merchants, which oversaw its printing and distribution. The Avertissement prima de testo states: “Les six corps des marchands de la ville de Paris ont, par de´libe´ration du 10 de´cembre 1788, adopte´ & signe´ la pre´sente Pe´tition.” This is one of Guillotin's first political acts. 1738-1814, who later also signed the Tennis Court Oath. In October 1789, he proposed to the National Assembly the use of the guillotine for capital punishment. The machine named after him went into operation on April 25, 1792.
Martin & Walter. French Revolution, II, 16125.
See National Library of Australia, Bib ID: 3799982, online https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/3799982
3. Revolt against Turgot. Joly de Fleury. Extract from the Minutes of the Law Court Held by the King at the Château de Versailles on Tuesday, March 22, 1776.
Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1776
Folio. 270 x 210 mm. Pp. 95, including title page, 1 blank. Vignette with the French fleur-de-lis surmounted by the Royal Crown on the title page. Traces of wear and damp stains.
Rare first edition. A frontal attack against the edicts presented by Turgot in January. The parliamentary revolt led by Joly de Fleury and the noble opposition led by the Prince of Conti were commensurate with the scope of Turgot's proposed reform. Conchon: “During the lit de justice held at the Palace of Versailles on March 12, 1776, the Attorney General, on behalf of the parliamentary nobility, contested the principle of a tax on landowners that violated the privileges of the nobility. 9 With a rhetoric honed during the protests against the monarchy's tax measures, the Parliament of Paris denounced the claims of an operation that, by fueling a "struggle between rich and poor" undermined noble privileges and the political order.” The hostility of the Parisian Parliament, combined with the distrust of the court nobility, got the better of the reformist tendencies of Turgot, who was forced to resign in May 1776.
Conchon, Anne. The corvée des grands chemins au 18th century. Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2016, https://doi.org/10.4000/books.pur.45591 ; Chapter VII. Find an alternative to the corvée, p. 229-276.
See Anne Conchon, « Le travail entre labeur et valeur : la corvée royale au XVIIIe siècle», Cahiers d’histoire. Revue d'histoire critique, 110 | 2009, 39-51.