Danker 1244 JUL 21 47 NDERY 944.037 PREFACE. I was led to undertake the following Narrative by the perusal of a work, lately published at Paris, entitled "Histoire de l'Homme au Masque de Fer, par J. Delort ;" in which the name of that state prisoner is most clearly and satisfactorily ascertained, by means of authentic documents. Under these circumstances, it may be asked why I was not contented to leave the question, thus set at rest, in the hands of M. Delort, who had the original merit of the discovery :—to this I would answer, that M. Delort's part of the book struck me as peculiarly ill arranged and confused; besides being unnecessarily filled with the most fulsome flattery of Lewis the Fourteenth, never, cer 1050576 |