MAYNARD François (1582-1646)

poet, founding member of the Académie française. autograph manuscript of POEMS and EPIGRAMS; 4 pages on 2 folios in-fol. Very rare manuscript, including a poem to the glory of Mazarin, patron of the Académie. A quatrain is first dedicated to the chancellor SÉGUIER : "Puis que le Grand Seguier fait un si bon accueil Au travail mesuré qui sorti de mon estude"... Then a sonnet is addressed to MAZARIN (with erasure and correction in the 8th verse) : "Jule, puis qu'a l'honneur des filles de Memoire Tu remplis ton palais des escris des scavans Ayme l'Academie, elle seme ta gloire Et tous ses Apollons sont des livres vivans. [...] Couronne nos combats qui domptent lignorance Ou lavenir dira que tu nas pas cognu Les fleurs et les lauriers du Parnasse de France." On the back, after two crossed-out verses, a secretary wrote a new version of the sonnet to Mazarin. Maynard then composed in his own hand a small light poem (2 quatrains) : "I believe that she writes chickens To lass four secretaries"... The other sheet, on ruled paper coming from the same collection as the letter to the president Caminade, presents on the recto several epigrams and thoughts (among which quotations of Cicero) : "These ambitious and farded friendships have some clout on the theatre, but they are of no use in the cabinet. [...] It is necessary to be very filosofe to consider without emotion the public calumnies"... On the back are three epigrams : "Puis quil mesprise Maynard, je luy fairay respondre par Malherbe"... Then Maynard composed a satirical poem on MAZARIN (15 verses) : "In Mazarin one sees only merit And who does not have it is a true Moscovite, [... Light people that a small wind agitates, Monster testu ches which the rage lives, Nas tu pas tort davoir si haut prosné That the council of a refined deceiver Trompe une femme, et qu'Armand [Richelieu] resucite En Mazarin." We join 2 other autograph manuscripts of poems : "Jay trop bien dit, jay trop bien deviné"... (fragment of 13 verses, 1 page in-4) ; a quatrain : "Adieu pompous demoiselles"... (1 page oblong in-8).