PERRAUD (Adolphe Louis Albert) - Lot 151

PERRAUD (Adolphe Louis Albert) Lyon, February 7, 1828 - Autun, February 10, 1906. Oratorian, bishop of Autun, cardinal and French historian. Very important L.A.S. "Adolphe Perraud", Paris, November 16, 1862; 4 pages in-8 on Oratoire embossed paper. A long, remarkable letter of literary, intellectual and personal reflection, in which Perraud discusses the publication of an article, his editorial projects on Saint Augustine, and an extensive trip to Germany and Central Europe. He begins by warmly thanking his correspondent for devoting time to his work: "I thank you first of all for the time and care you have devoted to my book." Perraud then regrets the disappearance of "l'Anjou", a magazine he held dear, and reflects on the possibilities of publishing an article in the Revue Contemporaine: "I would, for my part, be very happy to see your article published there." Above all, the letter contains a particularly interesting passage on Saint Augustine, a major subject in nineteenth-century religious thought: "Are you still thinking of a work on S. Augustin?" He then describes the long journey he has just made with his friend Heinrich: "I have just made a very long and very interesting journey in the company of Mr. Heinrich, my intimate friend." This is followed by an impressive list of stops: Metz, Luxembourg, Trier, Coblentz, Cassel, Göttingen, Brunswick, Hanover, Hamburg, Lübeck, Wismar, Rostock, Stralsund, the island of Rügen, then Danzig and Prussian Poland, before returning via Dresden, Prague, Bohemia, Munich, Württemberg, Baden and Strasbourg. Perraud emphasizes how much this direct experience of German countries exceeds what books can convey: "How many things have we learned from this journey that books can hardly give an idea of!" The letter closes with personal and family considerations, including the worrying state of his brother Charles's health: "His head is still in bad condition; a three-month course of hydrotherapy has hardly changed his situation." This is a very fine letter, of great interest for the intellectual and religious history of the Second Empire, combining Augustinian erudition, editorial projects and evidence of travel in the German-speaking world at a time when Franco-German intellectual exchanges were playing an essential role in liberal Catholic thought. Full signature: "Adolphe Perraud, Priest of the Oratory of the Immaculate Conception". Beautiful, well-preserved set, with handsome embossed Oratory paper.