Dans un siècle où l’or seul fut un objet d’envie, De l’or je ne fus point épris. J’aimai le bien public, j’y dévouai ma vie, J’en ai reçu le digne prix: Du plus grand des Héros l’estime peu commune M’a doté de cet écusson; Honneur bien préférable aux dons de la fortune Il m’offre une double leçon. L’agréable est ici figuré par le Cygne, Et l’utile par les Epis: Trop heureux, en effet, qui serait jugé digne De ces emblêmes réunis! O mes livres chéris! conservez cette image, Seul trésor que je laisserai; Et, long temps après moi, rendez encore hommage A la main qui m’a decoré! Ce livre fait partie de la bibliothèque du Senateur Comte de l’Empire, N. FRANÇOIS DE NEUFCHATEAU, Le premier des Présidens du Senat Conservateur, Grand Officier de la Legion d’Honneur, Titulaire de la Sénatorerie de Bruxelles, L’un des quarante de la Classe de l’Institut qui succéde à l’Académie Française, Président de la Société d’Agriculture de Paris pour la sixième fois en 1811, etc.] Contrasting with this schoolboy rhyme is the sad farewell to her children, written by Marie Antoinette in her prayer-book only a few hours before she went to the scaffold: “Ce 16 Octobre, à 4 h. ½ du matin. Mon Dieu! ayez pitié de moi! mes yeux n’ont plus de larmes pour prier pour vous, mes pauvres enfants. Adieu, adieu! “Marie Antoinette.” Scarcely does the world contain a more pathetic document. [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF MARIE-ELISABETH-JOSEPH WEIGEL.] [Illustration] CHAPTER XV. BOOK-PLATES OF SOME FAMOUS MEN. The name of François Rabelais, priest, doctor, wit, satirist, and philanthropist, eclipses all other early French writers. In “Les Portraits de Rabelais” (1880), M. Georges d’Albenas asserted that a certain Professor C. Cavalier possessed an Aldine Plato in which was a piquant ex-libris of the illustrious Rabelais, of undoubted authenticity. It is singular that such an assertion, made so long ago, should have received so little attention. Could it have been verified, the plate would certainly be one of the most precious relics in the world, not only as a personal souvenir of the creator of Gargantua and Pantagruel, but as the very earliest known French ex-libris. As Rabelais died in 1553 his book-plate would necessarily be at least twenty years earlier than that of Alboise of Autun, which is dated 1574, and probably even some years older than that. But in the earlier edition of this treatise, I remarked that it was scarcely credible that such a treasure as this could exist without having become generally known to collectors of literary curios, who would, long ere now, have fully described the book-plate of François Rabelais. This paragraph was noted by several French collectors, and more particularly by Doctor L. Bouland, President of the French Society, who at once put himself in communication with M. Georges d’Albenas.