From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: A prose drama in five acts.
Almost universally acknowledged as being written with the assistance of de Leuven and Léon Lhérie.
This is quite a good little play and may be regarded as a counterpart to the "Verrou de la Reine." In this we do not really know just what did take place between Antoine and the king, his peasant's caution tying his tongue, but in "Le Verrou de la Reine" we have the precise scene between Ruffé and the monarch.
Its first draft was entitled "François," of which M. Glinel possessed the first three acts in Dumas' holograph. The period is again that of Louis XV.
First performed at the Porte Saint Martin Théâtre on the 18th of November, 1843.
Original edition : Paris. Marchant, 1843, large 8vo. of two columns, forming part of the "Magasin Théâtral," pp. 34.
It now forms part of Vol. VI. of the 15 Vol. series of Calmann-Lévy, and of Vol. VIII. of that in 25 Vols.
References :— Quérard: "Supercheries Littéraires Dévoilées," Vol. I., Column 1077. Parran: "Bibliographie d'Alex. Dumas," page 29. Glinel: "Théâtre Inconnu d'Alex. Dumas."—"Revue Biblio-Iconographique," Year 1899, page 11. Glinel: "Alex. Dumas et Son Œuvre," page 383.
