Publisher's Synopsis
""Maitre Cornelius"" is a novella written by Honore de Balzac, a French novelist and playwright. The story is set in 17th century France and revolves around the character of Maitre Cornelius, a wealthy lawyer and collector of rare books. Maitre Cornelius is also a member of a secret society called the ""Black Penitents"" who are dedicated to protecting the Catholic faith. As the story unfolds, Maitre Cornelius discovers that a valuable book has been stolen from his collection. He suspects that the thief is a member of the Black Penitents and launches an investigation to uncover the culprit. Along the way, he encounters a young woman named Isabella who is also searching for the stolen book. Maitre Cornelius becomes enamored with Isabella and becomes embroiled in a dangerous game of love and betrayal.The novella explores themes of love, loyalty, and betrayal, as well as the corrupting influence of power and wealth. Balzac's vivid descriptions of 17th century France paint a vivid picture of the era, and his characters are complex and multi-dimensional. ""Maitre Cornelius"" is a gripping tale of intrigue and suspense that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.In short, sire, I found myself this morning robbed of those jewels you admired so much. They have been ravished from me, sire! To steal the jewels of the Elector of Bavaria! those scoundrels respect nothing! they'll steal your kingdom if you don't take care. As soon as I missed the jewels I went up to the room of that apprentice, who is, assuredly, a past-master in thieving. This time we don't lack proof.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.