Chapter 84
the poetical garland of julia hewitt has given a charming description of a present made by a lover to his mistress a gift which romance has seldom equalled for its gallantry ingenuity and novelty it was called the garland of julia To understand the nature of this gift, it will be necessary to give the history of the parties. The beautiful Julia d'Angene was in the flower of her youth and fame when the celebrated Gustavus, king of Sweden, was making war in Germany with the most splendid success. Julia expressed her warm admiration of this hero. She had his portrait placed on her toilette and took pleasure in declaring that she would have no other lover than Gustavus.
The Duke de Montausier was, however, her avowed and ardent admirer. A short time after the death of Gustavus, he sent her, as a New Year's gift, the poetical garland, of which the following is a description. The most beautiful flowers were painted in miniature by an eminent artist, Juan Robert, on pieces of vellum all of equal dimensions. Under every flower a space was left open for a madrigal on the subject of the flower there painted. The duke solicited the wits of the
time to assist in the composition of these little poems, reserving a considerable number for the effusions of his own amorous muse. Under every flower he had its madrigal written by Anne du Jarry, celebrated for his beautiful calligraphy. A decorated frontispiece offered a splendid garland composed of all these twenty-nine flowers, and on turning the page a cupid is painted to the life. These were magnificently bound and enclosed in a bag of rich Spanish leather. When Julia awoke
on New Year's Day, she found this lover's gift lying on her toilette. It was one quite to her taste and successful to the donor's hopes. Of this poetical garland, thus formed by the hands of wit and love, Hewitt says, as I had long heard of it, I frequently expressed a wish to see it. At length, the Duchess of You says, gratified me with the sight. She locked me in her cabinet one afternoon with this garland. She then went to the Queen, and at the close of the evening,
liberated me. I never passed a more agreeable afternoon. One of the prettiest inscriptions of these flowers is the following composed for the violet modeste en ma couleur, modeste en mon séjour, franche d'ambition, je me cache sous l'herbe, mais celui sous votre frange, puis me vois un jour, la plus humble des fleurs sera la plus superbe. Modest my color, modest is my place, pleased in the grass my lowly form to hide. But mid your tresses might I wind with grace,
the humblest flower would feel the loftiest pride. The following is some additional information respecting the poetical garland of Julia. At the sale of the library of the Duc de la Valliere in 1784, among its numerous literary curiosities, this garland appeared. It was actually sold for the extravagant sum of 14,510 livres, though in 1770 at Gagnat's sale it only cost 780 livres. It is described to be a manuscript on vellum composed of 29 flowers painted by one
Robert, under which are inserted madrigals by various authors. But the Abbé Rive, the superintendent of the Valliere Library, published in 1779, an inflammatory notice of this garland, and as he and the Duke had the art of appreciating, and it has been said, making spurious literary curiosities, this notice was no doubt the occasion of the maniacal price. In the great French Revolution, this literary curiosity found its passage into this country. A bookseller offered it for sale
at the enormous price of 500 pounds sterling, no curious collector has been discovered to have purchased this unique, which is most remarkable for the extreme folly of the purchaser who gave the 14,510 livres for poetry and painting not always exquisite. The history of the Garland of Jouy is a child's lesson for certain rash and inexperienced collectors who may here learn to do well by others harm.
