RENE LOUIS DE VOYER DE PAULMY, marquis d'Argenson 1757), eldest son of the preceding, was also a lawyer. As intendant of justice, police and finance in Hainaut he was employed in pro visioning the troops, who were suffering from the economic con fusion resulting from Law's system. He returned to the court in 1724 to exercise his functions as councillor of state. He was the friend of Voltaire, and frequented the Club de l'Entresol, the his tory of which he wrote in his memoirs. In May 1744 he was ap pointed member of the council of finance, and in November secre tary of state for foreign affairs, his brother, the Comte d'Argenson being at the same time secretary of state for war. France was then engaged in the War of the Austrian Succession, and the government was virtualy in the hands of the two brothers. The marquis d'Argenson dreamed of a "European Republic," and wished to establish arbitration between nations. But the generals negotiated in opposition to his instructions; his colleagues laid the blame on him ; the intrigues of the courtiers passed unnoticed by him; and the secret diplomacy of the king neutralized his initiative. He concluded the marriage of the dauphin to the daughter of Augustus III., king of Poland, but was unable to pre vent the election of the grand duke of Tuscany as emperor in In 1747 he retired and spent the rest of his life in working at the Academie des Inscriptions, of which he was appointed presi dent by the king in 1747, and in revising his Memoires. Voltaire declared him to be "the best citizen that had ever tasted the ministry." BIBLIOGRAPHY.—His son, Antoine Rene, published his Considerations Bibliography.—His son, Antoine Rene, published his Considerations sur le gouvernement de France (Amsterdam, 1764), and Essais dans le gout de ceux de Montaigne (lb. 1785), republished as Loisirs d'un ministre d'etat (1787) . There are two important editions of the Memoires, the first with some letters not elsewhere published, by the marquis d'Argenson, his great-grand-nephew (1857, et seq.) ; the second, more correct, but less complete, published by J. B. Rathery, for the Societe de 1'Histoire de France 18J9, et seq.) . See Sainte-Beuve, Causeries du lundi (vols. xii. and xiv.) ; Levasseur, "Le Marquis d'Argenson" in the Memoires de l'Academie des Sciences Morales et Politiques (vol. lxxxvii. 1868) ; and, especially, E. Zevort, Le Marquis d'Argenson et le ministere des affaires etrangeres (188o) . See also G. de R. de Flassan, Histoire de la diplomatie francaise (2nd ed., 1811) ; E. Boutaric, Correspondance secrete inedite de Louis XV. (1866) ; E. Champion, "Le Marquis d'Argenson," in the Revolution francaise (vol. xxxvi., 1899) ; Arthur Ogle, The Marquis d'Argenson (1893) ; A. Alem, D'Argenson economiste Other noted members of the family were : MARC PIERRE DE VOYER DE PAULMY, Comte d'Argenson (1696-1764), younger brother of the preceding, who, as secretary of state for war, began the reform of the new armies constituted after the War of the Austrian Succession; his nephew MARC ANTOINE RENE DE VOYER (1722-87) who after being employed as ambassador to Poland (1762-64) and at Venice (1766-70) devoted his time to history, and published Melanges tires d'une grande bibliotheque, 65 vols. (1779-88) ; MARC RENE, marquis de Voyer (1721-82), who fought in the War of the Austrian Succession and in the Seven Years War; and his son MARC RENE, marquis d'Argenson (1771 1842 ), who embraced the revolutionary cause, and later, as an adherent of Napoleon, helped to repel the English invasion of South Beveland and Walcheren (1809).