1. Sandra Cash
Mailbox 108
This document was written by Saint-Simon. In it he tries to evaluate King Louis XIV. He describes King Louis XIV as
being good and just. He expressed that he could have been a great king, except that he had flaws that he let
control him. Saint-Simon’s presence in Louis’ court complicated his assessment of King Louis XIV, since Louis is a
person who you have to compliment, and yet Saint-Simon also saw the bad side of Louis. This document implies
that absolutist rule can turn a good king slowly into a vain, jealous, who had to be superior.
Saint-Simon describes Louis XIV as being courageous, handsome, and gracious, having a natural charm about him.
He liked to have order, liked regularity and had a grand mien. He goes on to say that he could have been a good
king, maybe even a great king, but a he had a few flaws that kept him from this. These flaws were his vanity,
jealousy, his love of glory, and his need to be superior.
Saint-Simon’s own presence in Louis’ court complicates his assessment of Louis because Louis is a person that you
have to flatter. In order to do this he must also flatter Louis in his writing. Another problem is he sees how Louis
belittles everyone and Saint-Simon must also Due to this it could be easy for him to only notice all Louis’s faults
and hard to see Louis’s strengths.
This document implies that the nature of absolutist rule that even if you start out with a good King, he can turn out
bad later on. There is potential that all the glory given to a good king, goes to their head, making them vain, and
jealous if anyone else gets glory.
Saint-Simon describes Louis XIV as a good king whose evil came from other places. Saint-Simon being in Louis’
court complicates how he describes Louis XIV because one he has to praise the king and on the other hand he sees
all this evil, which would make it hard to see the king’s strengths. This document implies that even a good king, if
ruling too long, can become evil. This is due to the fact he gets too used to being in control, and can become way
too vain.