SAINT-EVREMOND, CHARLES DE MARGUETEL DE SAINT-DENIS, SEIGNEUR DE (1610-1703), was born at Saint-Denis-le-Guast, near Coutances, on April 1, 161o. He served through a great part of the Thirty Years' War, distinguishing him self at the siege of Landrecies (1637), when he was made captain. During his campaigns he studied the works of Montaigne and the Spanish and Italian languages. In 1639 he met Gassendi in Paris, and became one of his disciples. He was present at Rocroy, at Nordlingen and at Lerida. For a time he was personally attached to Conde, but offended him by a satirical remark and was deprived of his command in the prince's guards in 1648.
During the Fronde, Saint-Evremond was a steady royalist. The duke of Candale (of whom he has left a very severe portrait) gave him a command in Guienne, and Saint-Evremond, who had reached the grade of marechal de camp, is said to have saved 50,000 livres in less than three years. He was one of the numerous victims involved in the fall of Fouquet. His letter to Marshal Crequi on the peace of the Pyrenees, which is said to have been discovered by Colbert's agents at the seizure of Fouquet's papers, seems a very inadequate cause for his disgrace. Saint-Evremond fled to Holland and to England, where he was kindly received by Charles II. and was pensioned. After James II.'s flight to France
Saint-Evremond was invited to return, but he declined. Hortense Mancini, the most attractive of Mazarin's attractive group of nieces, came to England in 1670, and set up a salon for love making, gambling and witty conversation, and here Saint-Evre mond was for many years at home. He died on Sept. 29, 1703, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Saint-Evremond empowered Des Maizeaux to publish his works after his death, and they were published in London (2 vols., 1705), and often reprinted. His masterpiece in irony is the so called Conversation du marechal d'Hocquincourt avec le pere Canaye (the latter a Jesuit and Saint-Evremond's master at school).
His Oeuvres melees, edited from the MSS. by Silvestre and Des Maizeaux, were printed by Jacob Tonson (London, 1705, 2 vols.; and ed., 3 vols., 1709), with a notice by Des Maizeaux. His corre spondence with Ninon de Lenclos, whose fast friend he was, was published in 1752 ; La Comedic des academistes, written in 1643, was printed in 165o. Modern editions of his works are by Hippeau (Paris, 1852), C. Giraud (Paris, 1865), and a selection (1881) with a notice by M. de Lescure.