Marquis de Sade

It may seem odd to many people that TGS HiddenMysteries would bring to print a book such as this. Yet, true to our goal of exploring and publishing those manuscripts that investigate 'Hidden Mysteries' into our planet and our race, this book covers a man and a topic that indeed remains a mystery for most people.

Human sexuality, with all its intrigue and variants is a mystery that has confounded us since time began for mankind. The subject of this book is more of a monster when it comes to crimes against humanity, than any Frankenstein or horror movie. Yet, we toss around his name, not knowing or realizing what this man-monster was all about. Few figures in history rise to the fame as does the Marquis De Sade for being infamous. His crimes were well known during his lifetime -- and the strangest anomaly is that the society of his era accepted these crimes without much ado.

A sexual variant culture has adopted his name 'sadism', though that culture seldom, if ever, advocates the 'true and factual' De Sade philosophy.

We use the term 'sexual variant' to be open minded and not condemning. To define a sexual variant as a sexual perversion or sexual deviant is accepting the mind control teaching of the church and other controlling sectors of society, which we abhor. Further, we don't know enough about the culture personally to accuse or define that preference as anything other than a personal choice.

We don't even define De Sade's sexual escapades as perversion, because some of his exploits are simple pleasure seeking and still others are crimes against humanity-- nothing else-- and to sugar coat his crimes as a perversion is lessening the horror of the crimes he perpetrated.

This biography will shock you - and set the record straight about this man-monster. Yet at the same time the freedom of sex and sexual ideas from this era long ago is an ideal to 'wish' for, since we live under the repressive hypocrisy of the church. The so-called sexual revolution of the sixties (1960s) pales in comparison to the freedom of sex in Europe in the late 1700's.

De Sade had in his possession elixirs, aphrodisiacs, and healing salves that were not preserved for us. Whether he gathered these on his travels, or developed them himself, or both, is not known. Evidently, many of these were considered 'miracle' cures and must have worked, according to witnesses and users.

De Sade claimed to have indulged in every sexual variance possible -- but is that ego speaking? Or did he really do everything he claimed? How much of the philosophy of De Sade is mythology that time has bestowed up on truth and fact? We may never know, but this biography is probably the one written about De Sade closest to his life and times.

The culture that we recognize today as sadism, is more a game of role playing for willing partners. De Sade's philosophy was a way of life, not just for weekends with partners. There are probably true adherents of the monster philosophy of De Sade out in the world even today, but we can't presume on those people using sadism as escapism and role playing as being monsters performing tortures upon society. The sexual variances that enjoys sadism today have every right to indulge in their fantasies and to their full enjoyment. To many people indulging these practices are only a dream fantasy, and their sexuality is repressed.

As the great King Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun." and these sexual indulgences have been ongoing since time immemorial and the church nor any government can stop people from seeking pleasures.

There is more harm to the human psyche in most churches than there is in today's role playing sadism. You have to be a true masochist and the preacher a true sadist to have to endure a long boring sermon filled with mythology, lies, and hypocrisies. All this is to recommend that you read this book with an open mind, being willing to learn, rather than condemn. Remember BSDM or sadism today is not spousal or lover abuse, rather these are consenting and 'joining' adults. In this book, many of the people were not 'forced' into this sex style, but willingly submitted as consenting adults. Others in this book were victims of the monster De Sade and others that adhered to the same philosophies.

We seem to honor the great Casanova in American society as the 'great' lover, but few know that he was an adherent and student of the Marquis de Sade philosophy!

There are many words in this book, presumably English words that are not in modern desktop dictionaries, nor could we find them in dictionaries of the 1700s or 1800s. However, we were able to deduce the meanings of most by their usage in the text or sometimes the author explained what the practice was.

We have included at the end of the text a section with illustrations from De Sade's books and from his time period. These are just drawings and are probably exaggerated in caricature and character from the real thing,-- for some look 'impossible' to perform. There were no images in our original copy of this book.

These we consider 'erotica' -- and not pornography-- but in the 1700 and 1800s they probably were porn.

Live and let live.

L. Savage
TGS Publishers

Eighteenth Century in France

De Sade called the eighteenth century "the age of complete corruption" (Justine 1, 2) and in another place had Noirceuil say: "It is dangerous to desire to be virtuous in a corrupt century" (Juliette 1, 261). The consciousness of the general evil of the century was sufficiently impressed upon him as on others. Hegel in his Philosophy of History has the most pertinent expression for this epoch: "The whole state of France at that time was a dissolute aggregation of privileges against idea and reason; in general, a mad state with which, at the same time, was bound the highest depravity of morals and spirit-an empire of injustice with the growing consciousness of that state."

The eighteenth century belongs to that frivolous era, whose essence was masterfully described by a student of Hegel, Kuno Fischer, in his Diotima: "Frivolous times are those which always conclude a moribund era and completely destroy the life of mankind so that it can start afresh." Fichte once called it completed sinfulness." In all great turning points of history the traits of the different ages resemble one another. They are weakened and appear so flabby and impotent, that one despairs of new ones. And in fact, when an era has completely lived itself out, there remains from Ks customary life but the external shell, and this needs artistic charm to excite it again, for the inward power is lacking which alone can bring it forth in its youthful freshness.

"It is unrestrained and yet a feeble life; it is unfettered, and yet dull powers which complete the drama of life. There is no character, no formation in such times; everywhere the prose of selfishness without its power; the impotency of pleasure without its poetry." The world of the Caesars, the age of expiring popery, the French monarchy before the Revolution were all such periods. The second was the complete sinfulness of Catholicism; the last, the complete sinfulness of the monarchy.

Pleasure, a tout prix, was the watchword in the eighteenth century. But the man who wants enjoyment at any cost is the egoist. Never was egoism so prolific in France as in the ancien regime and during the Revolution. The minister Saint Fond, a true copy of a minister under Louis XV, said (Juliette 11,37): "A statesman would be a fool if he did not let his country pay for his pleasures. What matters to us the misery of the people if only our passions arc satisfied? If I thought that gold might flow from the veins of people, I would have them blood-let one after the other, that I might cover myself in their gore."

The eighteenth century was the century of the systematizing of sexual pleasures and pursuits. Paul Moreau distinguished three epochs in the history of sexual debauchery and aberration. The first is the epoch of the Roman Empire; the second embraces those great epidemics de nevropathie de toutes sortes in the middle ages, especially the belief in the existence of the incubus and succubus, the cult of the so-called "Devil's Church" with its horrible sexual monstrosities. The third period falls in the eighteenth century, luminous in its peculiar French individuality by the saturnalias of the regency and Louis XV.

Debauchery! That is the word for the eighteenth century, declare the best savants of that time, Edmond and Jules de Goncourt. "That is its secret, its charm and its soul. Debauchery is the air on which it breathes and lives. It is its atmosphere, its element, its inspiration, its life and its genius. It circulates in its heart, nerves and brain. It gives its own peculiar charm and savor to in customs, morals and works. Debauchery proceeds from the innermost being of the age and speaks from its mouth. From there it flies over this world, takes possession, is its fairy, its muse, the dictator of custom, style and art. And nothing has remained from this time, nothing from this century of woman, which was not created, moved and protected by debauchery."

Excerpt

We possess the following account of the execution of Damiens by an eyewitness, de Croy, which we follow in the main. The same judgment was carried out on Damiens as on the murderer of Henry IV, Francois Ravaillac, on May 27, 1610. On the morning of March 28, 1757 Damiens was put on the rack; with glowing hot forceps his breasts, arms, legs and calves were torn out and in the wounds were poured molten lead, boiling oil, burning pitch mixed with red hot wax and sulphur.

At three o'clock in the afternoon the victim was first brought to Notre Dame and then to the Place de Greve. All the streets that he had to pass by were packed with people who showed "neither hate nor pity." Charles Manselet reported: "Wherever one turns one's eyes one sees only crowds in Rue de la Tannerie! The crowds at the intersection of Rue de I'Epine and Rue de Mouton! The crowds in every part of the Place de Greve. The court itself was a compact mass, consisting of all possible classes, particularly the rabble."

At half past four that dreadful spectacle began. In the middle of the court was a low platform upon which the victim, who showed neither fear nor wonder but asked only for a quick death, was bound fast with iron rings by the six executioners so that his body was completely bound. Thereupon his right hand was extended and was placed in a sulphurous fire; the poor fellow let loose a dreadful outcry. According to Manselet, while his hair was burning, they stood on end.

Thereupon his body was again attacked with glowing tongs and pieces of flesh were ripped from his bosom, thighs and other parts; molten lead and boiling oil were again spilled on the fresh wounds, the resulting stench (declared Richelieu in his Memoirs), infected the air of the entire court. Then four horses on the four sides of the platforms pulled hard on the heavy cables bound to his arms, shoulders, hands and feet. The horses were spurred on so that they might pull the victim apart. But they were unused to acting as the handmaids of executioners. For more than a hour they were beaten to strain away so that they might tear off the legs or arms of the victim. Only the wailing cries of pain informed the "prodigious number of spectators" of the unbelievable sufferings that a human creature had to endure. The horses now increased to six, were again whipped and forced to jerk away at the cables.

The cries of Damiens increased to a maniacal roaring. And again the horses failed. Finally the executioner received permission from the judges to lighten the horrible task of the horses by cutting off the chains. First the hips were freed. The victim "turned his head to see what was happening," he did not cry but only turned close to the crucifix which was held out to him and kissed it while the two father-confessors spoke to him. At last after one and one-half hours of this "unparalleled suffering" the left leg was torn off. The people clapped their hands in applause! The victim betrayed only "curiosity and indifference." But when the other leg was torn off he started anew his wailing. After the chains on his shoulders had been cut off his right arm was the first to go. His cries became weaker and his head began to totter. When the left arm was ripped off the head fell backwards. So there was only left a trembling rump that was still alive and a head whose hair had suddenly become white. He still lived! As the hair was cut off and his legs and hands collected and dropped into a basket, the father-confessors stepped up to the remainder of Damiens. But Henry Sanson, the executioner, held them back and told them that Damiens had just drawn his last breath. "The fact is" wrote trustworthy Retif, "that I saw the body still move about and the lower jaw move up and down as if he wanted to speak."

The rump still breathed! His eyes turned to the spectators. It is not reported if the people clapped their hands a second time. At any rate during the length of the entire execution none moved from their places in the court or from the windows of adjoining buildings. The remainder of this martyr was burnt at a stake and the ashes strewn to the four winds. "Such was the end of that poor unfortunate who it may well be believed-suffered the greatest tortures that a human being has ever been called upon to endure." So concluded the Duke de Croy, an eyewitness, whose report we have almost literally translated. We will give a few more accounts by eyewitnesses of that fateful day when an entire populace greedily waited through few hours for the most dreadful tortures that the world had ever seen.

"The assemblage of people in Paris at this execution was unbelievable. The citizen. of near and far provinces, even foreigners, came for the festival. The windows, roofs, streets were packed head on head. Most surprising of all was the dreadful impatient curiosity of women who strained for closer views of the torturings." Madame du Hausset tells in her memoirs that gambling went on during the execution and that wagers were made on the length of the duration of the tortures by Damiens.

Casanova, one of those who came from a foreign country to see the execution, reported a scene that was an excellent if terrible example of the theory of de Sade, that the tortures of another spur on real pleasure.

He writes: "On March 28, the day of the Martyrdom of Damiens, I called for the ladies at Lambertini's and since the carriage could scarcely hold us all, I placed my charming friend on my lap without much difficulty and so amused ourselves until we came to the Place de Greve. The three ladies pressed as close to each other as they could so that they could all look through the window. They rested on their arms so we could see over their heads.

"We had the patience to maintain our uncomfortable position for four hours of this horrible spectacle. The execution of Damiens is too well-known for me to write about it. Also because the description would take too long and because nature revolts at such atrocities. During the execution of this sacrifice of the jesuits (his execution was said to have been done by order of the jesuits), I had to turn my eyes and hold my cars so that I might not hear that heart-rending cry when he had but half of his body.

But Lambertini and her old friend made not the slightest movement; was that because of the cruelty of their souls? I had to pretend that I believed them when they said that his crime had prevented them from feeling sympathy for his plight.

The fact is that Tiretta occupied herself during the execution in a most peculiar manner. She lifted her skirt high because, she said, she didn't want it dirtied. And her friend obliged her in the same way. Their hands were busily engaged during all the tortures."