Seven quotations in English and French from Madame Ninion de l'Enclos, transcribed by Robert Burns

Mme Ninon de l'Enclos was a French writer of the romantic period whom Burns admired both for her beauty and literary talents. He had taken the trouble to copy some of her motes juste into a notebook for future reference and he makes reference to her in one of his letters to Clarinda. (letter no 191)

On the first page Burns has noted two quotations, one is attributed to Mme de L'Enclos and the second which describes the "warfare of Coquetry" may have been an extract from one of her writings.

In this second page Burns has recorded quotations from Mme de l'Enclos in French which Burns from his early schooling was clearly able to translate comfortably and he would on occasion include a French saying in his letters.

Robert Burns was widely read using this experience to develop his own talents and was frequently found to copy or manipulate quotations from other writers to illuminate his own letters.