But Saint-Simon recognised that this commonplace and uncritical Journal, with its accurate chronology and its orderly arrangement, could be of great service to anyone who wished to write true memoirs[2]. Accordingly he had a copy made of the work and during the years 1729-1738 busied himself with adding notes. Some of these were of considerable length, such as the original draft of the _tableau_ or long digression on the character of Louis XIV and his reign, and an elaborate portrait of Louvois, which was not inserted in the _Memoirs_. About the year 1739 he began to arrange his materials which consisted of the Journal with the notes, other notes which he had accumulated during the last forty-five years, portraits, detailed descriptions, and various essays on the history and genealogy of certain families. He was now able to begin writing out his _Memoirs_ in full. In 1740 he was dealing with the events of 1701. In 1741 or 1742 he had reached the year 1709. By September, 1745, he had come to the end of the reign of Louis XIV, and the _tableau_ in its final form was written between that date and March, 1746. The whole work, which ends with the death of the Regent, was completed in 1751. [2] XVII. 142. The account of Dangeau and his memoirs which Saint-Simon here gives on the occasion of his death (pp. 134-144) is fuller than the earlier portrait in vol. I. 343-346. La Bruyère’s Pamphile (_Des Grands_) is evidently meant for Dangeau, and Saint-Simon so accepts it. On Saint-Simon’s death his _Memoirs_ with his other papers were claimed by his creditors, but the Government took possession of them, and they were read in manuscript by various persons, including Mme du Deffand, who recognised their remarkable merit. Extracts were printed by the Abbé de Voisnenon, and incomplete editions appeared in 1788, 1791, and 1818. But it was not till 1829-1830 that the first authentic and complete edition was published in 21 volumes by General de Saint-Simon. It was, however, badly edited and in 1856-1858, the manuscript having been sold by the General to MM. Hachette for 100,000 francs, Chéruel published a new edition in 20 volumes. This was followed by another edition under the same editorship, with the assistance of Ad. Régnier _fils_ (23 vols. 1873-1886). Neither of these editions was furnished with notes, and before the later one was completed M. de Boislisle had begun to edit for the same firm a noble annotated edition, which is now in progress. The first volume appeared in 1879 and it has now reached the thirtieth. The twenty-eighth contains the famous _tableau_ of the reign of Louis XIV, and the twenty-ninth (1918) consists of an index to all the previous volumes.