LATUDE JEAN HENRI: (1725-1805) Latude reports on his imprisonment at la Bastille to the King of Portugal

LATUDE JEAN HENRI: (1725-1805) Latude reports on his imprisonment at la Bastille to the King of Portugal

LATUDE JEAN HENRI: (1725-1805) also known as Danry or Masers de Latude. French Writer, famous for his repeated escapes from his lengthy confinements in the prisons of Bastille as well as Vincennes. During close to 35 years, Latude was arrested and imprisoned on five occasions, managing to escape four times. While in prison Latude composed military and financial projects. An excellent content L.S., `Latude´, three pages, folio, Paris, [1780], to His Majesty the King of Portugal, in French. Latude presents himself as an engineer and offers his military projects, knowledge and advice to the King of Portugal, and uses his abilty to present himself as a victim, unfairly imprisoned, stating in part `Je suis Latude ingénieur, j´ai été enfermé pendant trente cinq années dans les cachots de La Bastille, et le premier qui ait échappé de cette terrible prison, et après le Duc de Beaufort, je suis le second prisonnier qui parvint à me sauver deux fois de la Tour de Vincennes. Pendant que je gémissais dans les cachots de ces deux prisons, je fis des observations sur tous les objets qui se présentèrent à mon imagination et je fixai mon esprit sur l´objet le plus noble, c´est à dire sur les armées qui décident du sort de toutes les nations...´ (Translation: "I am the engineer Latude, I was imprisoned for thirty-five years in the dungeons of the Bastille, and was the first to escape from that terrible prison, and after the Duke of Beaufort, I am the second prisoner who managed to escape twice from the Tower of Vincennes. While I was groaning in the dungeons of these two prisons, I made observations on all the objects that presented themselves to my imagination and I fixed my mind on the noblest object, that is to say on the armies that decide the fate of all nations...") Further Latude explains the difficulty he had to build up his military project and tries to tempt the King by saying that it has been put in practice already by some powerful monarchs, stating in part `En 1758 j´étais dans un cachot de La Bastille avec les fers aux pieds et aux mains et il m´était impossible d´obtenir de mes persécuteurs, du papier de plume et d´encre, il fallut que je devinsse créateur, de la mie de mon pain pêtrie avec ma salive, je fis des tablettes de six pouces carrées, qui me servirent de papier et de l´arrête triangulaire que les carpes ont sous le ventre, j´en fisune plume, et à défaut d´encre, je me servis de mon sang. Mon mémoire fini, je demande un confesseur; le gouverneur m´envoya le père Griffet, jésuite, qui, à ma prière prit mon projet sous sa protection. Depuis ce moment, il me fut impossible de revoir ce confesseur. A ma sortie de prison, j´appris que plusieurs potentâts de l´Europe avaient mis mon projet à exécution...´ (Translation: "In 1758 I was in a dungeon in the Bastille with irons on my feet and hands and it was impossible for me to obtain from my persecutors, paper, pen and ink. I had to become creator, from the crumb of my bread kneaded with my saliva, I made six-inch square tablets, which served as paper and from the triangular ridge that carp have under their belly, I made a pen, and as ink, I used my own blood. My memoir finished, I asked for a confessor; the Governor sent me Father Griffet, a Jesuit, who, at my request, took my project under his protection. From that moment on, it was impossible for me to see this confessor again. When I left prison, I learned that several potentates of Europe had put my project into execution...") Very small creasing to edges, otherwise G to VG

Latude wrote multiple essays but his principal work is the account of his imprisonment, entitled Le Despotisme dévoilé, ou Mémoires de Henri Masers de la Tude, détenu pendant trente-cinq ans dans les diverses prisons d'état. ("Despotism Unveiled: or the Memoirs of Latude, Detained for Thirty-five Years in the Various Prisons of the State")

It has been reported that Latude led a dissipated life and endeavoured to curry favor with the official mistress and favourite of King Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour (1721-1764). Latude secretly sent her a box of poison, but informed her of the supposed plot against her life, hoping that he could obtain a reward for warning her. The ruse was discovered and Mme de Pompadour had Latude put in the Bastille on 1st of May 1749.

Latude´s ability and intrigue were evidenced throughout his long captivity; he posed as a brave military officer, a son of a non-existent Marquis de La Tude, and as a victim of Pompadour's intrigues. He was lauded and pensioned during the Revolution, and, in 1793 the Convention compelled the heirs of Madame de Pompadour to pay him 60,000 francs in damages.