SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL: (1581-1660) French Catholic Priest. Venerated both in the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. Canonized in 1737 by Pope Clement XII. Vincent de Paul is known for his humility and for serving the poor. Extremely rare and lengthy L.S., `Vincent de Paul I.[ndigne] P.[retre] d[e] l[a] M[ission]´, (''Vincent de Paul, Unworthy Priest of the Mission''), with five lines in his hand, three pages, 4to, Paris, 7<sup>th</sup> June 1658, to Firmin Get, in French. Saint Vincent de Paul commences referring to his correspondent´s letter and to Knight Paul who has accepted to go to Barbaria, stating in part `La grace de Notre Seigneur soit avec vous pour jamais. J´ai été fort console de votre lettre qui m´apprend votre voyage de Toulon et ce que vous avez négocié avec Mr. le Commandeur Paul. Il me semble que vous ne pourriez agir avec plus de discrétion ni de succes… j´ai mis en déliberation si je devais me donner l´honneur de lui écrire pour l´en remercier, mais je m´en suis trouvé indigne pour n´avoir des paroles répondantes à l´honneur de son affection et a la grandeur de son courage. Je me propose seulement de célébrer la Sainte Messe en action de grace a Dieu....´ (“The grace of Our Lord be with you forever. I was very consoled by your letter which tells me about your trip to Toulon and what you have negotiated with Commander Paul. It seems to me that you could not act with more discretion or success… I have been deliberating whether I should give myself the honour of writing to him to thank him for it, but I found myself unworthy for not having words responding to the honour of his affection and the greatness of his courage. I do only intend to celebrate Holy Mass in thanksgiving to God…”) Saint Vincent de Paul further comments on what he considered cannot be expected at this stage from the King, mentioning the Dunkerke siege and saying `.. Et pour vous dire ma pensée a vous, s´ils refusent l´entretien de l´armée pendant les deux mois, je n´estime pas qu´il faille attendre du Roy a cause du siege important de la ville Dunkerke par mer et par terre….´ (“And to tell you my thought, if they refuse the maintenance of the army during the two months, I do not consider that it is necessary to wait for the King because of the important siege of the Dunkirk city by sea and by earth he is involved with..”) Further again Saint Vincent comments the possibility of sending Philippe Le Vacher to Alger, refers to Le Vacher´s proposals regarding the Turkish and to his return to Marseille and Paris, saying `Il faut envoyer quelqu´un en Alger pour négocier avec le Pasha…  les Turcs lui pourront faire quelques avances, mais j´ai peine a le croire… Mr. le Vacher partira pour Marseille dans dix ou douze jous… il a beaucoup travaillé´ (“We have to send someone to Algiers to negotiate with the Pasha… the Turks could make some advances to him, but I find it hard to believe… Mr. le Vacher will leave for Marseille in ten or twelve days… he has worked a lot“) Referring to the funds he has forwarded to Firmin Get, Saint Vincent de Paul is very much concerned, and states in part `Je suis en peine du lieu où vous garderez cet argent. Je crains qu´il ne soit pas en sureté chez vous qui logez hors de la ville, et la pensé m´est venue si vous ne feriez pas bien de le mettre aux Carmélites, où il n´y aurait rien a craindre en y faisant porter votre coffre-fort a deux serrures… Priez Mr. Napollon de ne point dire que vous l´avez, de crainte que la nouvelle n´aille jusqu´a Alger…´ (“I am worried about where you will keep this money. I fear it is not safe with you lodging outside the town, and a thought has occurred to me, and that is if you would not do well to leave it with the Carmelites, where there would be nothing to fear, sending to them your safe with two locks… Please ask Mr. Napollon not to say that you have it, lest the news reach Algiers… ”) Before concluding he says that nothing else should be sent to the Consul `Il ne faut plus rien envoyer au Consul, qu´on lui envoi tout et qu´on ne sache a quoi il emploi l´argent..´ (“We must not send anything more to the Consul, we send everything to him and we do not know what he uses the money for..”) To the inside pages borders, in vertical, Saint Vincent adds five lines in his hand, boldly written, in his difficult writing, and informs his correspondent that he is sending two letters for the Commandant Paul, one from the King and one from Mazarin. Overall age wear and creasing, with small professional repair to the last addressee page, otherwise about G

 

Saint Vincent de Paul refers to Louis XIV (1638-1715) King of France. The Dunkirk siege in 1658 was a military operation by the allied forces of France and Commonwealth England intended to take the fortified port city of Dunkirk, an important Spanish base at the time. Dunkirk (Dutch for 'Church in the dunes') was a strategic port on the southern coast of the English Channel in the Spanish Netherlands. The French and their English Commonwealth allies were commanded by Turenne, Marshal of France. The siege would last a month and featured numerous sorties by the garrison and a determined relief attempt by the Spanish army under the command of Don Juan de Austria and his confederate English royalists under Duke of York and rebels of the French Fronde under the Great Condé that resulted in the battle of the Dunes.

Cardinal Mazarin (1602-1661) Italian Cardinal, Diplomat and chief of Minister to Kings Louis XIII and Louis XVI