RENE DE VOYER

rene de voyer, seigneur d'argenson (1596-1651), french statesman, was born on the 21st of november 1596. he was a lawyer by profession, and became successively _avocat_, councillor at the parlement of paris, _maitre des requetes_, and councillor of state. cardinal richelieu entrusted him with several missions as inspector and intendant of the forces. in 1623 he was appointed intendant of justice, police and finance in auvergne, and in 1632 held similar office in limousin, where he remained till 1637. after the death of louis xiii. (1643) he retained his administrative posts, was intendant of the forces at toulon (1646), commissary of the king at the estates of languedoc (1647), and intendant of guienne (1648), and showed great capacity in defending the authority of the crown against the rebels of the fronde. after his wife's death he took orders (february 1651), but did not cease to take part in affairs of state. in 1651 he was appointed by mazarin ambassador at venice, where he died on the 14th of july 1651. his son, marc rene de voyer, comte d'argenson (1623-1700), was born at blois on the 13th of december 1623. he also was a lawyer, being councillor at the parlement of rouen (1642) and _maitre des requetes_. he attended his father in all his duties and succeeded him at the embassy at venice. in 1655 he returned from his embassy, ruined, and lost favour with mazarin, who removed him from his office of councillor of state. he then gave up public affairs and retired to his estates, where he occupied himself with good works. in september 1656 he entered the company of the holy sacrament, a secret society for the diffusion of the catholic religion. besides writing the _annals_ of the society, he composed many pious works, which were destroyed in the fire at the louvre in 1871. some of his correspondence with the once famous letter-writer, jean louis guez de balzac (1597-1654), has been published. he died in may 1700, leaving two sons, marc rene (see below), and francois elie (1656-1728), who became archbishop of bordeaux. see fr. rabbe, "compagnie du saint-sacrement," in the _revue historique_ (nov. 1899); beaucher-filleau, _les annales de la compagnie_ du saint-sacrement (paris, 1900); r. allier, _la cobalt des devots_ (paris, 1902).