COYER, Gabriel François, abbé.

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Ch****, Histoire Cochinchinoise, qui peut Servir à d'autres Pays. First edition of this political and economic satire, at one point attributed to Voltaire, lambasting the effects of increased taxes on common labourers and peasants. Cochinchina (now Vietnam) acts as an allegory for France under Louis XV, reflecting the growing discontent that would result in the French Revolution.The story opens with Coyer's protagonist living happily as a farmer before he is forced to leave his lands due to high taxes. He attempts to place his children in trades, but they all fail, and by the end he is driven to suicide. The story is often viewed as a counterpart to Voltaire's L'Homme aux Quarante Écus (1768), which tackles similar themes from the perspective of a merchant.Coyer (1707-1782) studied humanities in the Jesuit Order until 1736, after which he became private tutor to the Prince of Turenne. Over his career as an author and cleric he wrote a number of novels, historical studies, and travel accounts, became a member of the Royal Academy, and once visited Voltaire.There are a number of variant editions with only 96 pages and different vignettes on the title page.

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