Maxims published in the final (1678) authorized edition are always cited by La Rochefoucauld’s own numbers (from 1 to 504).
For the other maxims, three alternative numbering systems are now in common use. In the following table, these three systems are identified by the following abbreviations:
GEF |
Œuvres de La Rochefoucauld, tome 1, ed. D. L. Gilbert, Collection des Grands Écrivains de la France (Paris: Hachette, 1868). In this system, maxims never published by La Rochefoucauld are numbered 505 to 562; those published by him but subsequently withdrawn are numbered 563 to 641. |
Truchet |
François de La Rochefoucauld, Maximes suivi des Réflexions diverses, ed. Jacques Truchet, Classiques Garnier (Paris: Garnier, 1967). In this system, maxims never published by La Rochefoucauld are numbered MP 1 to MP 61; those published by him but later withdrawn are numbered MS 1 to MS 74. (Marc Escola’s 2002 revision of Truchet uses the abbreviation ME instead of MP.) |
Lafond |
François de La Rochefoucauld, Maximes et Réflexions diverses, ed. Jean Lafond, Folio (Paris: Gallimard, 1976). In this system, maxims never published by La Rochefoucauld are numbered ME 1 to ME 57; those published by him but later withdrawn are numbered MS 1 to MS 74. |
Truchet criticized the GEF system for combining items from disparate sources into a single numerical sequence. However, both his own system and Lafond’s do the same thing on a more limited scale. Moreover, the use of the abbreviation MS for maxime supprimée (‘withdrawn maxim’) as well as for ‘manuscript’ is unfortunate. All three systems also fail to distinguish maxims of doubtful authenticity from those known to be by La Rochefoucauld. For these reasons, none of the three systems has been used in the present volume.
The following table lists the GEF, Truchet, and Lafond numbers for all maxims other than 1 to 504. The source of each maxim is identified according to the system used in the present volume (the terms Hague, Arsenal, Desmaiseaux, and Segrais designate the items of dubious authenticity on pages 284–6). Each column can be read in numerical sequence by following the entries in bold print.
