DUMAS ALEXANDRE Pere: (1802-1870) French Writer whose works include The Three ...

DUMAS ALEXANDRE Pere: (1802-1870) French Writer whose works include The Three Musketeers. A very fine Autograph Manuscript signed twice ` Al Dumas´, in bold ink and unusually cleanly written, six pages, to six sheets, folio, blue paper, n.p., n.d., in French. The present manuscript is part of a series of articles published in the Neapolitan journal L´Indipendente (“The Independent”), under the title Dell´origine del brigantaggio, delle cause della sua esistenza, e del modo di distruggerio (“On the origin of brigandage, causes of its existence, and method to destroy it”) Dumas starts the manuscript explaining ` En verité nous avons Presque honte de revenir sans cesse sur le même sujet mais c´est que ce sujet es tune question de vie et de mort non seulement pour les provinces napolitaines, mais pour l´unité de l´Italie…´ (Translation: “ To be fair, we are almost ashamed of constantly returning to the same matter, but this matter is a question of life and death not only for the Neapolitan provinces, but for the unity of Italy…”) A lengthy and interesting manifesto against brigandage, where Dumas opens subscriptions so that his readers can adhere to the cause. Before concluding this open letter against brigandage, and before signing to the fourth page, Dumas states ` Les mauvais Italiens ne donnent que leur or. Les bons donnent leur or et leur sang´ (“The bad Italians only give their gold. The good ones give their gold and their blood”) To the sixth page, signed at the base, Dumas shows his literary style, stating in part ` Il semble en verité que nous vivons au temps de Suétone, à l´époque où le secretaire d´Avicen racontait qque Néron avait fait tuer sa mère et était revenue après sa mort la regarder nue pour savoir si elle était aussi bien faite qu´on le disait… sans s´indigner ni du parricide ni de l´impiété, et comme s´il racontait la chose du monde la plus simple. Et bien nous l´avouons, nous, si nous nous taisons sur de pareils sujets… c´est que nous ne trouvons pas assez de paroles flétrissantes pour en fouetter sur la place publique, pour en marquer au front des fonctionnaires qui tendent la main aux brigands, non pour leur donner du pain, mais pour recevoir une poignee d´or. Oh plus que jamais monstres, monstres!´ (Translation: “ It really seems that we live in the time of Suetonius, at the time when the secretary of Avicenus said that Nero had had his mother killed and returned after her death to look at her naked to find out if she was as well made as it was said... without being indignant at either the parricide or the impiety, and as if he was telling the simplest thing in the world. Well, we admit it, if we remain silent on such matters... it is because we do not find enough withering words to lash out in the public square, to mark the foreheads of the officials who deal with the bandits, not to give them bread, but to receive a handful of gold. Oh more than ever monsters, monsters!...”) Very small age tone to the edges, otherwise G to VG