LETTERS TO THE MARQUIS DE SEVIGNE

Introduction to letters
I—­A Hazardous Undertaking
II—­Why Love Is Dangerous
III—­Why Love Grows Cold
IV—­The Spice of Love
V—­Love and Temper
VI—­Certain Maxims Concerning Love
VII—­Women Expect a Quid Pro Quo from Men
VIII—­The Necessity for Love and Its Primitive Cause
IX—­Love Is a Natural Inclination
X—­The Sensation of Love Forms a Large Part of a Woman’s Nature
XI—­The Distinction Between Love and Friendship
XII—­A Man in Love Is an Amusing Spectacle
XIII—­Vanity Is a Fertile Soil for Love
XIV—­Worth and Merit Are Not Considered in Love
XV—­The Hidden Motives of Love
XVI—­How to Be Victorious in Love
XVII—­Women Understand the Difference Between Real Love and Flirtation
XVIII—­When a Woman Is Loved She Need Not Be Told of It
XIX—­Why a Lover’s Vows Are Untrustworthy
XX—­The Half-way House to Love
XXI—­The Comedy of Contrariness
XXII—­Vanity and Self-Esteem Obstacles to Love
XXIII—­Two Irreconcilable Passions in Woman
XXIV—­An Abuse of Credulity Is Intolerable
XXV—­Why Virtue Is So Often Overcome
XXVI—­Love Demands Freedom of Action
XXVII—­The Heart Needs Constant Employment
XXVIII—­Mere Beauty Is Often of Trifling Importance
XXIX—­The Misfortune of Too Sudden an Avowal
XXX—­When Resistance is Only a Pretence
XXXI—­The Opinion and Advice of Monsieur de la Sabliere
XXXII—­The Advantages of a Knowledge of the Heart
XXXIII—­A Heart Once Wounded No Longer Plays with Love
XXXIV—­Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
XXXV—­The Heart Should Be Played Upon Like the Keys of a Piano
XXXVI—­Mistaken Impressions Common to All Women
XXXVII—­The Allurements of Stage Women
XXXVIII—­Varieties of Resistance Are Essential
XXXIX—­The True Value of Compliments Among Women
XL—­Oratory and Fine Phrases Do Not Breed Love
XLI—­Discretion Is Sometimes the Better Part of Valor
XLII—­Surface Indications in Women Are Not Always Guides
XLIII—­Women Demand Respect
XLIV—­Why Love Grows Weak—­Marshal de Saint-Evremond’s Opinion
XLV—­What Favors Men Consider Faults
XLVI—­Why Inconstancy Is Not Injustice
XLVII—­Cause of Quarrels Among Rivals
XLVIII—­Friendship Must Be Firm
XLIX—­Constancy Is a Virtue Among Narrow Minded
L—­Some Women Are Very Cunning
LI—­The Parts Men and Women Play
LII—­Love Is a Traitor with Sharp Claws
LIII—­Old Age Not a Preventive Against Attack
LIV—­A Shrewd But Not an Unusual Scheme
LV—­A Happy Ending

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CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN LORD SAINT-EVREMOND AND NINON DE L’ENCLOS