Diabolist of the Restoration by Hilary Grant

Title: Diabolist of the Restoration 

Author: Hilary Grant

Publisher: Adrian Coates (probably)

Source book: Marling Hall by Angela Thirkell 

Hilary Grant spent much of The Brandons (also by Angela Thirkell) trying to tell Mrs Brandon about the book he was writing about little known French poet Jehan le Capet, real name Eugène Duval. But he was hampered by the fact that very little of le Capet’s poetry has survived, the poet was a singularly unsavoury character (he was a satanist and died young of drink), and Mrs Brandon was only pretending to listen to be polite.

At a picnic Hilary was introduced to the successful novelist Laura Morland who suggested that given the lack of source material he should turn his biography into a novel. And here in Marling Hall, we learn that he followed her advice, and discover the title: Diabolist of the Restoration (but I’m not sure this title would do much for sales). Jehan le Capet was known to have at least three mistresses who presumably made it into Hilary’s book; Jehanne de Valois, Mimi la Saloppe, and Angèle Potin known as Nini le Poumon because she had only one lung. Nini died of consumption after destroying most of le Capet’s work.

As an appendix to his novel, Hilary Grant had printed the little collection of verse entitled Belphégor which was the only extant work of the poet.

Geoffrey Harvey, who alerted us to the title of Hilary’s book, is translating Belphégor rather slowly and, hoping to impress his pretty neighbour Lettice Watson, is ill advised enough to quote from a sonnet:

“Maîtresse féconde qui porte dans tes reins                                                                                          Bavants les trop ignobles jumeaux de tes seins.”

He informs Lettice that the sonnet is a glorification of the poet’s mistress (or one of them), in the type of the many breasted goddess. And further, that although he is having difficulty with the translation he “hammered out a couplet yesterday that seemed to be… not without merit. But you shall judge.

“‘Wide-wombèd whore.....’”.

Not unnaturally Lettice has no wish to hear more of this embarrassing style of poetry and prevents him from continuing further. And she sensibly goes on to marry a man who isn’t interested in poetry.

Should you wish to learn anything more about Jehan le Capet I recommend you to read The Brandons.

Mr Harvey has written a novel about Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola, 1463-1494, a real nobleman and philosopher, who died of arsenic poisoning at the age of 31. The book had apparently pleased some critics but we are not told the title.

Hilary’s mother Felicia Grant, who spends much of her life in Italy, has written a book about Calabria. 

Pico della Mirandolla (images borrowed from the internet)