The Compère Matthieu – 1732 – At The Expenses Of The Company

Or The Variations of the Human Mind. In London, At the expense of the company
M.DCC.XXXII.
Collated Complete.

“The Townswoman is nothing less than a witch. The gallantry with which she honored you is what gentlemen of the Faculty call Verolic Virus (…) hence a relaxation in the lower part of the tip of the Penis. » (Volume 1)

This very amusing story, even funny for an 18th century writing, comes from Abbot Henri-Joseph Dulaurens (but anonymous publication).
Compère Matthieu and his friends leave their Normandy region, Domfront, for a virtuous and initiatory journey of an average man (like a journey of Candide or Don Quixote) towards Paris, or Holland.
It is about Religion, Science and Pox (great scourge of the century), Freemasonry, “Change of matter”, The Other World and Resurrection, Shipwrecks and other absurd adventures of the characters.
Numerous footnotes pepper these volumes.

3 Volumes in 3 volumes: T.1: Editor's Opinion + 320 pages / T.2: 338 pages / T. 3: 380 pages.
Format in-12 (11 x 18 cm)

The state of use is that of amused and repeated reading for nearly 300 years: Calfskin bindings with smooth back, title piece in red and gold Moroccan, triple fillets on the boards, red edges of the pages. Blunt corners, rubbed boards, solid and present caps, cracked jaws but the work is easy to handle and pages well sewn, despite the great age of the works.
Some scattered foxing from time, but fresh interior, especially that of the 3rd volume (the least read?).
Small defects of worm galleries on the binding and rare in the margins of a few pages.

Beautiful works for a funny story which seems to come from the brains of the 20th century (like Audiard, Blanche, Dac…).