Produced by Dagny; and John Bickers
Presented for the first time at the
Porte-Saint-Martin Theatre, Paris
March 14, 1840
It is difficult for the playwright to put himself, five days after thefirst presentation of his piece, in the situation in which he felthimself on the morning after the event; but it is still more difficultto write a preface to Vautrin, to which every one has written hisown. The single utterance of the author will infallibly prove inferiorto so vast a number of divergent expressions. The report of a cannonis never so effective as a display of fireworks.
Must the author explain his work? Its only possible commentator is M.
Frederick Lemaitre.
Must he complain of the injunction which delayed the presentation ofhis play? That would be to betray ignorance of his time and country.Petty tyranny is the besetting sin of constitutional governments; itis thus they are disloyal to themselves, and on the other hand, whoare so cruel as the weak? The present government is a spoilt child,and does what it likes, excepting that it fails to secure the publicweal or the public vote.
Must he proceed to prove that Vautrin is as innocent a work as adrama of Berquin's? To inquire into the morality or immorality of thestage would imply servile submission to the stupid Prudhommes whobring the matter in question.
Shall he attack the newspapers? He could do no more than declare thatthey have verified by their conduct all he ever said about them.
Yet in the midst of the disaster which the energy of government hascaused, but which the slightest sagacity in the world might haveprevented, the author has found some compensation in the testimony ofpublic sympathy which has been given him. M. Victor Hugo, amongothers, has shown himself as steadfast in friendship as he ispre-eminent in poetry; and the present writer has the greaterhappiness in publishing the good will of M. Hugo, inasmuch as theenemies of that distinguished man have no hesitation in blackening hischaracter.
Let me conclude by saying that Vautrin is two months old, and in therush of Parisian life a novelty of two months has survived a couple ofcenturies. The real preface to Vautrin will be found in the play,Richard-Coeur-d'Eponge,[*] which the administration permits to beacted in order to save the prolific stage of Porte-Saint-Martin frombeing overrun by children.
[*] A play never enacted or printed.
PARIS, May 1, 1840.
Jacques Collin, known as Vautrin
The Duc de Montsorel
The Marquis Albert de Montsorel, son to Montsorel
Raoul de Frascas
Charles Blondet, known as the Chevalier de Saint-Charles
Francois Cadet, known as the Philosopher
Fil-de-Soie
Buteux
Philippe Boulard, known as Lafouraille
A Police Officer
Joseph Bonnet, footman to the Duchesse de Montsorel
The Duchesse de Montsorel (Louise de Vaudrey)
Mademoiselle de Vaudrey, aunt to the Duchesse de Montsorel
The Duchesse de Christoval
Inez de Christoval, Princesse D'Arjos
Felicite, maid to the Duchesse de