The Revolt of the Angels · Chapter
Wherein Père Sariette discovers his missing treasures explained
Monsieur Sariette discovers that a very old manuscript of Flavius Josephus, sixty volumes, a Lucretius with Voltaire's notes, a manuscript of Richard Simon, and Gassendi's correspondence with Gabriel Naudé have disappeared from the library.
What happens
Monsieur Sariette discovers that a very old manuscript of Flavius Josephus, sixty volumes, a Lucretius with Voltaire's notes, a manuscript of Richard Simon, and Gassendi's correspondence with Gabriel Naudé have disappeared from the library. Monsieur René d'Esparvieu rebukes him harshly, fearing the loss of these treasures to foreign scholars. Later, Maurice tells Sariette that books are cluttering his garden-house, and Sariette finds all the missing items there, weeping and laughing with relief as he restores them.
Themes in this chapter
Knowledge and Enlightenment
The missing Gassendi correspondence, containing libertine ideas, represents the tension between preserving dangerous knowledge and the desire for scholarly publication.
Class and Hierarchy
René d'Esparvieu's harsh treatment of Sariette underscores the power imbalance between the wealthy owner and his dependent librarian.
Characters to notice
- Monsieur Julien Sariette
Discovers the theft of precious books and manuscripts, is bitterly reproached by René, and later finds the items in Maurice's garden-house.
- René d'Esparvieu
Alarmed by the theft, he interrogates Sariette and expresses fear that the Gassendi correspondence might be sold to Germany.
- Maurice d'Esparvieu
Informs Sariette about the books in his garden-house, leading to the recovery of the missing items.
- Hippolyte Flandrin
The manservant who helps carry the recovered books back to the library.
Key passages
“How can you have allowed yourself to be robbed of such a treasure?”
René d'Esparvieu angrily demands how Sariette could let the precious items be stolen.
Highlights René's fury and the gravity of the loss.
“He laughed, he cried, he kissed the morocco, the calf, the parchment, and vellum, even the wooden boards studded with nails.”
Sariette's emotional reaction upon finding the recovered books, embracing them with joy and relief.
Shows the librarian's deep attachment to the books and his overwhelming relief.