Marie Jacinthe de Botidoux to Martha Jefferson (Randolph)
editorial note
The text that follows is part of what Botidoux referred to as one of her “journal” letters. The Editors have broken this manuscript, which spans nearly three months, into sections dated as Botidoux dated them, and grouped each transcription together with its translation. Unless otherwise noted, Botidoux’s original punctuation and spelling have been retained. Links to navigate from one dated section to another appear below.
To “journal” beginning 4 Nov. 1789To previous “journal” entry 13 Jan. 1790To next “journal” entry 20 Jan. 1790
Vendredi 15e [January 1790]
Le Charmant signor Shurt n’est pas encore venu Ce qui me desespere Car j’avois Compté Lui faire Mil questions sur toi, et actuellement j’ai peur qu’il ne M’envoye un domestique chercher mes Lettres=Le Duc D’aiguillon L’ Avoit dit L’autre jour des choses piquantes à L’abbé Maury à L’assemblée, Ce dernier en sortant Lui proposa de se battre au pistolet, Le Duc D’aiguillon a répondu qu’il n’etoit pas fait pour rendre raison à un polisson, Le Cte De Medavis ami de L’abbé qui s’est trouvé La a pris son parti et s’est battu a L’eppée avec Le Duc qui L’a blessé lui a donné Cinq Coups D’épée dont un dangereux. [. . .] je t’écris Cette histoire sous La dictée de La Charmante Descahaux qui vient de Lire Les Confidences que je te faisois sur elle et qui en est toute glorieuse, je fais mon possible pour L’engager a te dire t’ecrire quelque chose, mais elle ne Le Veut pas pretendant ne te pas Connoître assez, elle se Contente de regarder Ce que j’ecris et de me Corriger quand je reppette deux fois Les mêmes mots, tu t’en appercevras à L’histoire de L’abbé ou elle M’a fait effacer, que Ces Mrs s’etoient battus à Leppée L’épée a Cause que j’avois répété Ce Mot 2 Lignes plus Bas Si je [. . .] Cependant elle dit quelle t’aime à La folie, et quelle te plaint d’avoir a dechifrer un barbouillage semblable au Mien
editors’ translation
Friday the 15th [January 1790]
The charming Signor Short has not come yet, which upsets me, since I had intended to ask him a thousand questions about you, and now I fear that he will send a servant to get my letters==The other day in the Assembly, the Duc d’Aiguillon said some sharp things to the Abbé Maury, who, as he was coming out, proposed that they fight with pistols. The Duc d’Aiguillon answered that he was not the type who gives satisfaction to a rascal. The comte de Medavis, a friend of the abbé who happened to be there, sided with him and fought with the duc, who wounded him five times with his sword, once gravely. I write you this story under the dictation of the charming Descahaux, who just read what I confided to you about her and is very proud of it. I do everything I can to convince her to write you a few words, but she does not want to, claiming that she does not know you well enough. She satisfies herself with reading what I write and correcting me when I use the same words twice. You will notice it in my story about the abbé, where she had me erase that these gentlemen had fought with swords, because I repeated that word two lines below. She says, however, that she loves you madly and that she pities you for having to decipher scribbling such as mine
To next “journal” entry 20 Jan. 1790