CORNEILLE (Pierre). LaMort de Pompee. Tragedie. AParis, chez - Lot 31

CORNEILLE (Pierre). LaMort de Pompee. Tragedie. AParis, chez Antoine de Sommaville et Augustin Courbé, 1644. Small in-12, (24including the first 2 and the fourth blank)-71-(one blank)pp. tan basane, smooth spine, double gilt fillet framing spine and boards, edges formerly speckled with red; spine faded; angular loss to 2feuillets (modern binding). First in-12 edition, printed a few days after the original in-4. Although its "achevé d'imprimer" reproduces the date of the original (February 16, 1644), Alain Riffaud has shown that it was still being printed on February 25, 1644 in Denis Houssaye's workshop. An episode from the Roman civil wars, which fueled the denunciation of the raison d'état after Richelieu's death. After his defeat at Pharsalus, Pompey took refuge in Egypt with Ptolemy, who had him assassinated to save his power, threatened by the fact that his sister Cleopatra had become Caesar's mistress. Ptolemy was then killed during a revolt by the Egyptian people against the Romans. LaMort de Pompée (The Death of Pompey), still marked by the debating style that had flourished in Richelieu's time, was brought to the stage during the 1643-1644 season, i.e. in the period of reaction that followed the death of the cardinal and LouisXIII: the king was then considered, like Ptolemy, to have been influenced by violent ministers of low extraction such as Richelieu, and, like Caesar, to have given in to the excesses of discretionary power. The preface, however, was openly favorable to Mazarin.