Secret Memoirs of Robert, Count de Paradès, Written by Himself, on Coming out of the Bastile. . . and Containing an Account of his Successful Transactions, as a Spy in England, With the Real Causes of the Failure of the Ever Memorable Expedition Against Plymouth, in 1779
London: Printed for R. Baldwin, Pater-Noster Row, 1791. A purported autobiographical account of Paradès’s service as a spy to the French in England, where he allegedly travelled repeatedly, visiting ports and fortified towns to gather information, though eventually he fell under the suspicion of French authorities and was sent to the Bastille where he wrote his memoirs. Paradès further denounces the alleged corruption of ministers who wrongly accused him of treason after the failure of the 1779 Franco-Spanish expedition against Plymouth. Of course, it is unclear as to whether all or any of the work is true.
[Bound with:] Blair, Robert. The Grave . . . to Which is Added Gray’s Elegy in a Country Church Yard. With Notes Moral, Critical, and Explanatory. London: Printed [at the Cicero Press, by Henry Fry] for Scatcherd, & Whitaker, No. 12 Ave Maria Lane, [1787].
8vo. [iii, bound without half-title]-xii, 155pp.; [2], 51pp., [1]. ESTC T47409; ESTC T74312. English translation of Sabin 58506. Uncommon in commerce with the last sale on RBH in 1937. Good in contemporary leather, which is rubbed and bumped, hinges cracked, moderate age toning, scattered foxing, library plate and stamp and prior owner signature to title page. Item #258
Price: $175.00