Read more
Excerpt from France Under the Regency: With a Review of the Administration of Louis XIV
The literature of the time and contemporary me moirs furnish the best idea of the social and intel lectual condition of the period. The newspapers of this era are of little importance; as we understand the institution of the press, it cannot be said to have existed. It is impossible for any one to read all the documents and printed matter which may contain in formation. There is, however, little difficulty in de ciding what is of the most importance, and on what authorities one can safely rely. The views which may be taken of the events and characters of the re geney, and. Of the administration of Louis XIV., will differ; the lessons to be drawn from these periods will be differently interpreted by different writers. So far as the occurrences themselves are concerned, I do not think that any important sources of information will be discovered which will throw new light upon them.
It is manifestly impracticable to give all the author ities which are examined. A statement as to the pur poses of a king or a minister may be based upon the impression produced by reading fifty letters a state ment as to the economical condition of a district may be founded upon as many reports of superintendents and other officials. To refer to them all, still more to cite liberally from them, would make the notes far more voluminous than the text. I have endeavoredto refer always to the most important authorities on which I rely. This is sufficient to serve as a guide to any one who cares to examine critically any passage in the text for the ordinary reader, long lists of ref crenees and numerous citations serve no purpose.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
