Trésor des Trésors de France: vollé à la Couronne par les incogneuës faussetez, artifices & suppositions commises par les principaux officiers de finance/ Descouvert ey présenté au Roy Louis XIII. en l'assamblé de ses États généraux tenus à Paris l'an 1615. Par Iean de Beafo

[Paris?], 1615. Extremely Rare Quarto Edition in Royal Binding for Louis XIII

BEAUFORT, J[ean] de. Le Trésor des Trésors de France, vollé à la Couronne par les incogneuës faussetez, artifices & suppositions commises par les principaux officiers de finance. Descouvert ey présenté au Roy Louis XIII. en l'assemblé de ses États généraux tenus à Paris l'an 1615. Par Iean de Beaufort parisien. Avec les moyens d'en retirer plusiers millions d'or, & soulager son peuple à l'advenir. [Paris?]: 1615.

First edition, in the extremely rare quarto format. [2], 140 (misnumbered 144) 28, 3, [1]pp.

This is the copy dedicated to King Louis XIII and specially bound for him in full vellum entirely covered with gilt stamped fleurs-de-lys on both covers, with a gilt heart within a larger central fleur-de-lys, triple fillet gilt borders, gilt floral corner ornaments, and fleurs-de-lys on spine. This copy entirely "fleur-de-lysée." Housed in a custom brown calf clamshell, stamped with fleurs-de-lys on front and back, gilt-stamped on spine.

Of these special bindings, only very few are known, and were released from the library because they were duplicates; sometimes books were offered to and bound for not only the King but also the Queen. We know of two other books in similar bindings: a copy of Grotius in the University Library in Amsterdam and a copy of Montchrétien's Traitté de l'économie politique in the Waseda University Library in Tokyo.

"Pamphlet terrible par les précisions qu'il apporte" (Bourgeois & André). Beaufort had denounced three senior officials of the royal treasury - Garrault, Du Tremblay, and Puget - to the King, Henry IV, on the charge that they had embezzled half a million écus by issuing false receipts. The three were prosecuted in 1607 but were granted amnesty at the accession of Louis XIII. Beaufort used the meeting of the Estates-General in 1614 to re-launch his campaign.

Henry IV of Navarre was King of France from 1589-1610; his son Louis XIII was King of France from 1610-1643.

Bourgeois & André 2127. BM STC French Books, 1601-1700. Brunet I, 715. Einuadi 371. Goldsmiths' 442. Graesse I, p. 315. Kress 338. (All citing only the two octavo editions of the same year.)

HBS 66471.

$20,000.