ACADEMIE FRANCAISE. - GUIBERT

ACADEMIE FRANCAISE. - GUIBERT Jacques-Antoine-Hippolyte, comte de (1743-1790) officer, tactician and writer.
Autograph manuscripts for his Histoire de la constitution militaire de la France depuis la fondation de la monarchie jusqu'a nos jours, [ca. 1780]; 145 pages in-fol. or in-4.
Important set of manuscripts for his Histoire de la constitution militaire de la France, which remained unfinished.
Of this work, Guibert wrote only the "Preface" and an "Introduction", collected in the ?uvres militaires published by his widow, tome V, ?uvres diverses (Magimel, 1803). The present manuscripts correspond to pages 3 to 176 of this volume. * Preface (title and 26 pages in a folio), heavily crossed out and corrected. In it, Guibert explains the story behind the conception of his work, and his plan to go back to the Gauls and the founding of the French monarchy, to the administration of the Prince of Montbarey (1777-1780). Who am I? A military citizen, these two titles [...] must imply boldness and courage"... Etc. * Introduction. Picture of the decadence of the Roman Empire in the West. Invasion of Gaul. Beginnings of the French monarchy. 5 quires: 2 in-fol. quires numbered "4" and "5", one in-4 quire numbered "2 and 3", plus 2 small in-4 quires, forming a first draft manuscript of 42 in-fol. pages and 77 in-4 pages, abundantly erased and corrected. Sur l'Empire romain, admirable par sa constitution, ses routes, ses monuments, son juste partage entre les autorites civile et militaire, sa legislation, l'universalite de sa langue, son systeme militaire, ses soldats aguerris, disciplines et ayant le sens de l'honneur, qu'en dit Montesquieu... * Plus un dossier de pieces utilises par Guibert pour sa documentation, et de pieces historiques diverses. 2 other autograph manuscripts are enclosed: * Testament militaire d'un vieux officier general, [circa 1789?]; 16-page folio. Draft preface for a military work, with numerous corrections and additions. * Compte rendu a l'assemblee generale par Mrs les commissaires ; 8 pages in-fol. Provenance: Archives of the Comte de GUIBERT (sale October 14, 1993, no. 64, 62 and 68).