To Benjamin Franklin from François-Pierre de Séqueville: Two Court Mourning Notices, [before 20 December 1780]
From François-Pierre de Séqueville: Two Court Mourning Notices3
(I) LS: American Philosophical Society; (II) Printed form signed with manuscript insertions: American Philosophical Society
I.
[before December 20, 1780]
Jusqu’a ce que la Notiffication Soit faite de la mort de l’Imperatrice Reine et que Le Roy ait fixé l’Epoque de Deuil, l’on Se presentera à la Cour, en habit Noir, Bas de Soye noirs, Epeé et Boucles D’Argent
De SEQUEVILLE
secrétaire ordinaire du Roi,
à la conduite de Mrs les Ambassadeurs.
Addressed: a Monsieur / Monsieur francklin, Ministre / Plenipre. des Etats unis / de l’amerique septentrionale / a Passy De sequeville
II.
[before December 20, 1780]
Dear Sir
La Cour prendra le Grand Deuil le Mercredi 20 de ce mois, à l’occasion de la mort de L Imperatrice Reine de hongrie. Sa Majesté le portera …4 jours. Messieurs Les Ambassadeurs et Ministres Etrangers mettent leur Gens en noir, au moins ceux qu’ils amenent a la Cour doivent ils y etre5
De SEQUEVILLE
secrétaire ordinaire du Roi,
à la conduite de Mrs les Ambassadeurs.
Addressed: a Monsieur / Monsieur francklin Ministre / Plenipotentiaire des Etats / unis de l’amerique septentrionale / a Passy ./. De sequeville
3. Louis XVI’s ally and mother-in-law Empress Maria Theresa died on November 29. (She was called the Empress Queen because in addition to being the widow of a Holy Roman Emperor she was Queen of Hungary and Queen of Bohemia.) Document (I) is a preliminary notification that Séqueville sent BF, alerting him to the protocol; he penned it at the top of the standard court mourning form, whose text he lined through. It is the same form as (II), which was distributed when the mourning date had been established.
4. A handwritten dash in this space (which we render as elipses) indicated that the term had not yet been set.
5. BF attended a memorial service on Dec. 26, as he recorded in his journal (published under Dec. 18). He indeed outfitted his servants in full mourning dress, from hats down to stockings, shoes and buckles. All this was paid in early January: Account XXIII (XXIX, 3). One receipt survives, from François, who purchased mourning buckles for BF, Picard the coachman, Arbelot, and himself; it is marked as being paid on Dec. 30 (APS).