De la Liberte et de l'Egalite des Hommes et des Citoyens, Avec des...
Against the Ideals of the French Revolution d'Ayala, Sebastiano [1744-1817]. De la Liberte et de l'Egalite des Hommes et des Citoyens, Avec des Considerations sur Quelques Noveaux Dogmes Politiques. Pavia: Chez Balthasard Comino, 1793. xv, [1], 416 pp. Octavo (8-1/2" x 5-1/4"). Contemporary patterned wrappers, handwritten title label to head of spine, edges untrimmed. Moderate rubbing, spine torn and partially abraded, corners lightly worn. Light toning to interior, occasional light foxing, early ownership inscriptions to inside front wrapper ("C. Ercole Belgiojoso") and verso of front free endpaper ("ex libris Caroli Gola"). $650. * Second edition, one of several imprints published the same year. An extensive critique of the political ideals and moral philosophy undergirding the French Revolution. d'Ayala, a conservative Jesuit writer, politician and diplomat, uses Enlightenment theory to define concepts like liberty and equality in a manner consistent with the existing monarchic order, which he contrasts with the anarchy of Revolutionary French society. The work also attempts to shore up support for European monarchs like the Hapsburgs. The first edition was published in Vienna in 1792. OCLC locates 3 copies of the Pavia edition in North America (Cornell, University of Minnesota, Queens University).
Price: $650.00
Book number 74595