SADE MARQUIS DE : (1740-1814) Donatien Alphonse François de Sade. French Writer and Philosopher.

Rare A.N., unsigned, two pages, 8vo, n.p., n.d. (1771), in French. De Sade's note appears at the foot of a brief set of accounts (also in his hand) relating to Paulet [Thomas Paulet, Mayor of the village of Lacoste and a trusted friend of De Sade] and totalling 400 florins. The list of expenses includes payments for wood, jars of oil and for the builders of a park. De Sade's note states, in part, 'As you can see, it wasn´t worth making this unnecessary action for the poor man of the chapel, that is a mocking on people just for the pleasure of mocking, and this is a discredit….', further remarking `If he would have been someone who could afford to pay…you wouldn´t have proceeded this way, am I right?' Some very light, extremely minor age wear, VGThe present note was written by Sade and given to Jean Antoine Fage, a French lawyer who served as De Sade's financial administrator. In 1774 Fage was dismissed for connivance with Mme de Montreuil, De Sade's mother-in-law, in organising the police raid of 6th January at the Lacoste Castle.De Sade, the French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer, remains infamous for his libertine sexuality and is best known for his erotic works depicting sexual fantasies with an emphasis on violence and blasphemy against the Catholic Church. Incarcerated in various prisons and an insane asylum for over 30 years of his life, many of De Sade's works were written in prison. The words sadism and sadist are derived from his name.