MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XIV AND HIS COURT AND OF THE REGENCY

 BY THE DUKE OF SAINT-SIMON

VOLUME 11. 

CHAPTER LXXVIII

After having thus described with truth and the most exact fidelity allthat has come to my knowledge through my own experience, or othersqualified to speak of Louis XIV. During the last twenty-two years of hislife: and after having shown him such as he was, without prejudice(although I have permitted myself to use the arguments naturallyresulting from things), nothing remains but to describe the outside lifeof this monarch, during my residence at the Court. 

However insipid and perhaps superfluous details so well known may appearafter what has been already given, lessons will be found therein forkings who may wish to make themselves respected, and who may wish torespect themselves. What determines me still more is, that detailswearying, nay annoying, to instructed readers, who had been witnesses ofwhat I relate, soon escape the knowledge of posterity; and thatexperience shows us how much we regret that no one takes upon himself alabour, in his own time so ungrateful, but in future years sointeresting, and by which princes, who have made quite as much stir asthe one in question, are characterise. Although it may be difficult tosteer clear of repetitions, I will do my best to avoid them. 

I will not speak much of the King's manner of living when with the army. His hours were determined by what was to be done, though he held hiscouncils regularly; I will simply say, that morning and evening he atewith people privileged to have that honour. When any one wished to claimit, the first gentleman of the chamber on duty was appealed to. He gavethe answer, and if favourable you presented yourself the next day to theKing, who said to you, "Monsieur, seat yourself at table. " That beingdone, all was done. Ever afterwards you were at liberty to take a placeat the King's table, but with discretion. The number of the persons fromwhom a choice was made was, however, very limited. Even very highmilitary rank did not suffice. M. De Vauban, at the siege of Namur, wasoverwhelmed by the distinction. The King did the same honour at Namur tothe Abbe de Grancey, who exposed himself everywhere to confess thewounded and encourage the troops. No other Abbe was ever sodistinguished. All the clergy were excluded save the cardinals, and thebishops, piers, or the ecclesiastics who held the rank of foreignprinces. 

At these repasts everybody was covered; it would have been a want ofrespect, of which you would have been immediately informed, if you hadnot kept your hat on your head. The King alone was uncovered. When theKing wished to speak to you, or you had occasion to speak to him, youuncovered. You uncovered, also, when Monseigneur or Monsieur spoke toyou, or you to them. For Princes of the blood you merely put your handto your hat. The King alone had an armchair. All the rest of thecompany, Monseigneur included, had seats, with backs of black moroccoleather, which could be folded up to be carried, and which were called"parrots. " Except at the army, the King never ate with any man, underwhatever circumstances; not even with the Princes of the Blood, savesometimes at their wedding feasts. 

Let us return now to the Court. 

At eight o'clock the chief valet de chambre on duty, who alone had sleptin the royal chamber, and who had dressed himself, awoke the King. Thechief physician, the chief surgeon, and the nurse (as long as she lived), entered at the same time; the latter kissed the King; the others rubbedand often changed his shirt, because he was in the habit of sweating agreat deal. At the quarter, the grand chamberlain was called (or, in hisabsence, the first gentleman of the chamber), and those who had what wascalled the 'grandes entrees'. The chamberlain (or chief gentleman) drewback the curtains which had been closed again; and presented the holy-water from the vase, at the head of the bed. These gentlemen stayed buta moment, and that was the time to speak to the King, if any one hadanything to ask of him; in which case the rest stood aside. When, contrary to custom, nobody had ought to say, they were there but for afew moments. He who had opened the curtains and presented the holy-water, presented also a prayer-book. Then all passed into the cabinet ofthe council. A very short religious service being over, the King called, they re-entered, The same officer gave him his dressing-gown; immediatelyafter, other privileged courtiers entered, and then everybody, in time tofind the King putting on his shoes and stockings, for he did almosteverything himself and with address and grace. Every other day we sawhim shave himself; and he had a little short wig in which he alwaysappeared, even in bed, and on medicine days. He often spoke of thechase, and sometimes said a-word to somebody. No toilette table was nearhim; he had simply a mirror held before him. 

As soon as he was dressed, he prayed to God, at the side of his bed, where all the clergy present knelt, the cardinals without cushions, allthe laity remaining standing; and the captain of the guards came to thebalustrade during the prayer, after which the King passed into hiscabinet. 

He found there, or was followed by all who had the entree, a verynumerous company, for it included everybody in any office. He gaveorders to each for the day; thus within a half a quarter of an hour itwas known what he meant to do; and then all this crowd left directly. The bastards, a few favourites; and the valets alone were left. It wasthen a good opportunity for talking with the King; for example, aboutplans of gardens and buildings; and conversation lasted more or lessaccording to the person engaged in it. 

All the Court meantime waited for the King in the gallery, the captain ofthe guard being alone in the chamber seated at the door of the cabinet. At morning the Court awaited in the saloon; at Trianon in the front roomsas at Meudon; at Fontainebleau in the chamber and ante-chamber. Duringthis pause the King gave audiences when he wished to accord any; spokewith whoever he might wish to speak secretly to, and gave secretinterviews to foreign ministers in presence of Torcy. They were called"secret" simply to distinguish them from the uncommon ones by thebedsides. 

The King went to mass, where his musicians always sang an anthem. He didnot go below--except on grand fetes or at ceremonies. Whilst he wasgoing to and returning from mass, everybody spoke to him who wished, after apprising the captain of the guard, if they were not distinguished;and he came and went by the door of the cabinet into the gallery. Duringthe mass the ministers assembled in the King's chamber, wheredistinguished people could go and speak or chat with them. The Kingamused himself a little upon returning from mass and asked almostimmediately for the council. Then the morning was finished. 

On Sunday, and often on Monday, there was a council of state; on Tuesdaya finance council; on Wednesday council of state; on Saturday financecouncil: rarely were two held in one day or any on Thursday or Friday. Once or twice a month there was a council of despatches on Mondaymorning; but the order that the Secretaries of State took every morningbetween the King's rising and his mass, much abridged this kind ofbusiness. All the ministers were seated accordingly to rank, except atthe council of despatches, where all stood except the sons of France, theChancellor, and the Duc de Beauvilliers. 

Thursday morning was almost always blank. It was the day for audiencesthat the King wished to give--often unknown to any--back-stair audiences. It was also the grand day taken advantage of by the bastards, the valets, etc. , because the King had nothing to do. On Friday after the mass theKing was with his confessor, and the length of their audiences waslimited by nothing, and might last until dinner. At Fontainebleau on themornings when there was no council, the King usually passed from mass toMadame de Maintenon's, and so at Trianon and Marly. It was the time fortheir tete-a-tete without interruption. Often on the days when there wasno council the dinner hour was advanced, more or less for the chase orthe promenade. The ordinary hour was one o'clock; if the council stilllasted, then the dinner waited and nothing was said to the King. 

The dinner was always 'au petit couvert', that is, the King ate byhimself in his chamber upon a square table in front of the middle window. It was more or less abundant, for he ordered in the morning whether itwas to be "a little, " or "very little" service. But even at this last, there were always many dishes, and three courses without counting thefruit. The dinner being ready, the principal courtiers entered; then allwho were known; and the gentleman of the chamber on duty informed theKing. 

I have seen, but very rarely, Monseigneur and his sons standing at theirdinners, the King not offering them a seat. I have continually seenthere the Princes of the blood and the cardinals. I have often seenthere also Monsieur, either on arriving from Saint-Cloud to see the King, or arriving from the council of despatches (the only one he entered), give the King his napkin and remain standing. A little while afterwards, the King, seeing that he did not go away, asked him if he would not sitdown; he bowed, and the King ordered a seat to be brought for him. Astool was put behind him. Some moments after the King said, "Nay then, sit down, my brother. " Monsieur bowed and seated himself until the endof the dinner, when he presented the napkin. 

At other times when he came from Saint-Cloud, the King, on arriving atthe table, asked for a plate for Monsieur, or asked him if he would dine. If he refused, he went away a moment after, and there was no mention of aseat; if he accepted, the King asked for a plate for him. The table wassquare, he placed himself at one end, his back to the cabinet. Then theGrand Chamberlain (or the first gentleman of the chamber) gave him drinkand plates, taking them from him as he finished with them, exactly as heserved the King; but Monsieur received all this attention with stronglymarked politeness. When he dined thus with the King he much enlivenedthe conversation. The King ordinarily spoke little at table unless somefamily favourite was near. It was the same at hid rising. Ladiesscarcely ever were seen at these little dinners. 

I have, however, seen the Marechale de la Mothe, who came in because shehad been used to do so as governess to the children of France, and whoreceived a seat, because she was a Duchess. Grand dinners were veryrare, and only took place on grand occasions, and then ladies werepresent. 

Upon leaving the table the King immediately entered his cabinet. Thatwas the time for distinguished people to speak to him. He stopped at thedoor a moment to listen, then entered; very rarely did any one followhim, never without asking him for permission to do so; and for this fewhad the courage. If followed he placed himself in the embrasure of thewindow nearest to the door of the cabinet, which immediately closed ofitself, and which you were obliged to open yourself on quitting the King. This also was the time for the bastards and the valets. 

The King amused himself by feeding his dogs, and remained with them moreor less time, then asked for his wardrobe, changed before the very fewdistinguished people it pleased the first gentleman of the chamber toadmit there, and immediately went out by the back stairs into the courtof marble to get into his coach. From the bottom of that staircase tothe coach, any one spoke to him who wished. 

The King was fond of air, and when deprived of it his health suffered; hehad headaches and vapours caused by the undue use he had formerly made ofperfumes, so that for many years he could not endure any, except theodour of orange flowers; therefore if you had to approach anywhere nearhim you did well not to carry them. 

As he was but little sensitive to heat or cold, or even to rain, theweather was seldom sufficiently bad to prevent his going abroad. He wentout for three objects: stag-hunting, once or more each week; shooting inhis parks (and no man handled a gun with more grace or skill), once ortwice each week; and walking in his gardens for exercise, and to see hisworkmen. Sometimes he made picnics with ladies, in the forest at Marlyor at Fontainebleau, and in this last place, promenades with all theCourt around the canal, which was a magnificent spectacle. Nobodyfollowed him in his other promenades but those who held principaloffices, except at Versailles or in the gardens of Trianon. Marly had aprivilege unknown to the other places. On going out from the chateau, the King said aloud, "Your hats, gentlemen, " and immediately courtiers, officers of the guard, everybody, in fact, covered their heads, as hewould have been much displeased had they not done so; and this lasted allthe promenade, that is four or five hours in summer, or in other seasons, when he dined early at Versailles to go and walk at Marly, and not sleepthere. 

The stag-hunting parties were on an extensive scale. At Fontainebleauevery one went who wished; elsewhere only those were allowed to go whohad obtained the permission once for all, and those who had obtainedleave to wear the justau-corps, which was a blue uniform with silver andgold lace, lined with red. The King did not like too many people atthese parties. He did not care for you to go if you were not fond of thechase. He thought that ridiculous, and never bore ill-will to those whostopped away altogether. 

It was the same with the play-table, which he liked to see always wellfrequented--with high stakes--in the saloon at Marly, for lansquenet andother games. He amused himself at Fontainebleau during bad weather byseeing good players at tennis, in which he had formerly excelled; and atMarly by seeing mall played, in which he had also been skilful. Sometimes when there was no council, he would make presents of stuff, orof silverware, or jewels, to the ladies, by means of a lottery, for thetickets of which they paid nothing. Madame de Maintenon drew lots withthe others, and almost always gave at once what she gained. The Kingtook no ticket. 

Upon returning home from walks or drives, anybody, as I have said, mightspeak to the King from the moment he left his coach till he reached thefoot of his staircase. He changed his dress again, and rested in hiscabinet an hour or more, then went to Madame de Maintenon's, and on theway any one who wished might speak to him. 

At ten o'clock his supper was served. The captain of the guard announcedthis to him. A quarter of an hour after the King came to supper, andfrom the antechamber of Madame de Maintenon to the table--again, any onespoke to him who wished. This supper was always on a grand scale, theroyal household (that is, the sons and daughters of France) at table, anda large number of courtiers and ladies present, sitting or standing, andon the evening before the journey to Marly all those ladies who wished totake part in it. That was called presenting yourself for Marly. Menasked in the morning, simply saying to the King, "Sire, Marly. " In lateryears the King grew tired of this, and a valet wrote up in the gallerythe names of those who asked. The ladies continued to presentthemselves. 

After supper the King stood some moments, his back to the balustrade ofthe foot of his bed, encircled by all his Court; then, with bows to theladies, passed into his cabinet, where, on arriving, he gave his orders. 

He passed a little less than an hour there, seated in an armchair, withhis legitimate children and bastards, his grandchildren, legitimate andotherwise, and their husbands or wives. Monsieur in another armchair;the Princesses upon stools, Monseigneur and all the other Princesstanding. 

The King, wishing to retire, went and fed his dogs; then said good night, passed into his chamber to the 'ruelle' of his bed, where he said hisprayers, as in the morning, then undressed. He said good night with aninclination of the head, and whilst everybody was leaving the room stoodat the corner of the mantelpiece, where he gave the order to the colonelof the guards alone. Then commenced what was called the 'petit coucher', at which only the specially privileged remained. That was short. Theydid not leave until be got into bed. It was a moment to speak to him. Then all left if they saw any one buckle to the King. For ten or twelveyears before he died the 'petit coucher' ceased, in consequence of a longattack of gout be had had; so that the Court was finished at the risingfrom supper. 

On medicine days, which occurred about once a month, the King remained inbed, then heard mass. The royal household came to see him for a moment, and Madame de Maintenon seated herself in the armchair at the head of hisbed. The King dined in bed about three o'clock, everybody being allowedto enter the room, then rose, and the privileged alone remained. Hepassed afterwards into his cabinet, where he held a council, andafterwards went, as usual, to Madame de Maintenon's and supped at teno'clock, according to custom. 

During all his life, the King failed only once in his attendance at mass, It was with the army, during a forced march; he missed no fast day, unless really indisposed. Some days before Lent, he publicly declaredthat he should be very much displeased if any one ate meat or gave it toothers, under any pretext. He ordered the grand prevot to look to this, and report all cases of disobedience. But no one dared to disobey hiscommands, for they would soon have found out the cost. They extendedeven to Paris, where the lieutenant of police kept watch and reported. For twelve or fifteen years he had himself not observed Lent, however. At church he was very respectful. During his mass everybody was obligedto kneel at the Sanctus, and to remain so until after the communion ofthe priest; and if he heard the least noise, or saw anybody talkingduring the mass, he was much displeased. He took the communion fivetimes a year, in the collar of the Order, band, and cloak. On HolyThursday, he served the poor at dinner; at the mass he said his chaplet(he knew no more), always kneeling, except at the Gospel. 

He was always clad in dresses more or less brown, lightly embroidered, but never at the edges, sometimes with nothing but a gold button, sometimes black velvet. He wore always a vest of cloth, or of red, blue, or green satin, much embroidered. He used no ring; and no jewels, exceptin the buckles of his shoes, garters, and hat, the latter always trimmedwith Spanish point, with a white feather. He had always the cordon bleuoutside, except at fetes, when he wore it inside, with eight or tenmillions of precious stones attached. 

Rarely a fortnight passed that the King did not go to Saint-Germain, evenafter the death of King James the Second. The Court of Saint-Germaincame also to Versailles, but oftener to Marly, and frequently to supthere; and no fete or ceremony took place to which they were not invited, and at which they were not received with all honours. Nothing couldcompare with the politeness of the King for this Court, or with the airof gallantry and of majesty with which he received it at any time. Birthdays, or the fete days of the King and his family, so observed in thecourts of Europe, were always unknown in that of the King; so that therenever was the slightest mention of them, or any difference made on theiraccount. 

The King was but little regretted. His valets and a few other peoplefelt his loss, scarcely anybody else. His successor was not yet oldenough to feel anything. Madame entertained for him only fear andconsiderate respect. Madame la Duchesse de Berry did not like him, andcounted now upon reigning undisturbed. M. Le Duc d'Orleans couldscarcely be expected to feel much grief for him. And those who may havebeen expected did not consider it necessary to do their duty. Madame deMaintenon was wearied with him ever since the death of the Dauphine; sheknew not what to do, or with what to amuse him; her constraint wastripled because he was much more with her than before. She had often, too, experienced much ill-humour from him. She had attained all shewished, so whatever she might lose in losing him, she felt herselfrelieved, and was capable of no other sentiment at first. The ennui andemptiness of her life afterwards made her feel regret. As for M. DuMaine, the barbarous indecency of his joy need not be dwelt upon. Theicy tranquillity of his brother, the Comte de Toulouse, neither increasednor diminished. Madame la Duchesse d'Orleans surprised me. I hadexpected some grief, I perceived only a few tears, which upon alloccasions flowed very readily from her eyes, and which were soon driedup. Her bed, which she was very fond of, supplied what was wantingduring several days, amidst obscurity which she by no means disliked. 

But the window curtains were soon withdrawn and grief disappeared. 

As for the Court, it was divided into two grand parties, the men hopingto figure, to obtain employ, to introduce themselves: and they wereravished to see the end of a reign under which they had nothing to hopefor; the others; fatigued with a heavy yoke, always overwhelming, and ofthe ministers much more than of the King, were charmed to find themselvesat liberty. Thus all, generally speaking, were glad to be delivered fromcontinual restraint, and were eager for change. 

Paris, tired of a dependence which had enslaved everything, breathedagain in the hope of liberty, and with joy at seeing at an end theauthority of so many people who abused it. The provinces in despair attheir ruin and their annihilation breathed again and leaped for joy; andthe Parliament and the robe destroyed by edicts and by revolutions, flattered themselves the first that they should figure, the other thatthey should find themselves free. The people ruined, overwhelmed, desperate, gave thanks to God, with a scandalous eclat, for adeliverance, their most ardent desires had not anticipated. 

Foreigners delighted to be at last, after so many years, quit of amonarch who had so long imposed his law upon them, and who had escapedfrom them by a species of miracle at the very moment in which theycounted upon having subjugated him, contained themselves with much moredecency than the French. The marvels of the first three quarters of thisreign of more than seventy years, and the personal magnanimity of thisKing until then so successful, and so abandoned afterwards by fortuneduring the last quarter of his reign--had justly dazzled them. They madeit a point of honour to render to him after his death what they hadconstantly refused him during life. No foreign Court exulted: all plumedthemselves upon praising and honouring his memory. The Emperor woremourning as for a father, and although four or five months elapsedbetween the death of the King and the Carnival, all kinds of amusementswere prohibited at Vienna during the Carnival, and the prohibition wasstrictly observed. A monstrous fact was, that towards the end of thisperiod there was a single ball and a kind of fete that the Comte du Lucour own ambassador, was not ashamed to give to the ladies, who seducedhim by the ennui of so dull a Carnival. This complaisance did not raisehim in estimation at Vienna or elsewhere. In France people werecontented with ignoring it. 

As for our ministry and the intendants of the provinces, the financiersand what may be called the canaille, they felt all the extent of theirloss. We shall see if the realm was right or wrong in the sentiments itheld, and whether it found soon after that it had gained or lost. 

To finish at once all that regards the King, let me here say, that hisentrails were taken to Notre Dame, on the 4th of September, without anyceremony, by two almoners of the King, without accompaniment. On Friday, the 6th of September, the Cardinal de Rohan carried the heart to theGrand Jesuits, with very little accompaniment or pomp. Except thepersons necessary for the ceremony, not half a dozen courtiers werepresent. It is not for me to comment upon this prompt ingratitude, I, who for fifty-two years have never once missed going to Saint-Denis onthe anniversary of the death of Louis XIII. , and have never seen a singleperson there on the same errand. On the 9th of September, the body ofthe late King was buried at Saint-Denis. The Bishop of Aleth pronouncedthe oration. Very little expense was gone to; and nobody was found whocared sufficiently for the late King to murmur at the economy. OnFriday, the 25th of October, his solemn obsequies took place at Saint-Denis in a confusion, as to rank and precedence, without example. OnThursday, the 28th of November, the solemn obsequies were againperformed, this time at Notre Dame, and with the usual ceremonies. 

CHAPTER LXXIX

The death of the King surprised M. Le Duc d'Orleans in the midst of hisidleness as though it had not been foreseen. He had made no progress innumberless arrangements, which I had suggested he should carry out;accordingly he was overwhelmed with orders to give, with things tosettle, each more petty than the other, but all so provisional and sourgent that it happened as I had predicted, he had no time to think ofanything important. 

I learnt the death of the King upon awaking. Immediately after, I wentto pay my respects to the new monarch. The first blood had alreadypassed. I found myself almost alone. I went thence to M. Le Ducd'Orleans, whom I found shut in, but all his apartments so full that apin could not have fallen to the ground. I talked of the Convocation ofthe States-General, and reminded him of a promise he had given me, thathe would allow the Dukes to keep their hats on when their votes wereasked for; and I also mentioned various other promises he had made. AllI could obtain from him was another promise, that when the public affairsof pressing moment awaiting attention were disposed of, we should haveall we required. Several of the Dukes who had been witnesses of theengagement M. Le Duc d'Orleans had made, were much vexed at this; butultimately it was agreed that for the moment we would sacrifice our ownparticular interests to those of the State. 

Between five and six the next morning a number of us met at the house ofthe Archbishop of Rheims at the end of the Pont Royal, behind the Hotelde Mailly, and there, in accordance with a resolution previously agreedupon, it was arranged that I should make a protest to the Parliamentbefore the opening of the King's will there, against certain otherusurpations, and state that it was solely because M. Le Duc d'Orleans hadgiven us his word that our complaints should be attended to as soon asthe public affairs of the government were settled, that we postponedfurther measures upon this subject. It was past seven before our debateended, and then we went straight to the Parliament. 

We found it already assembled, and a few Dukes who had not attended ourmeeting, but had promised to be guided by us, were also present; and thena quarter of an hour after we were seated the bastards arrived. M. DuMaine was bursting with joy; the term is strange, but his bearing cannototherwise be described. The smiling and satisfied air prevailed overthat of audacity and of confidence, which shone, nevertheless, and overpoliteness which seemed to struggle with them. He saluted right andleft, and pierced everybody with his looks. His salutation to thePresidents had an air of rejoicing. To the peers he was serious, nay, respectful; the slowness, the lowness of his inclination, was eloquent. His head remained lowered even when he rose, so heavy is the weight ofcrime, even at the moment when nothing but triumph is expected. Irigidly followed him everywhere with my eyes, and I remarked that hissalute was returned by the peers in a very dry and cold manner. 

Scarcely were we re-seated than M. Le Duc arrived, and the instant afterM. Le Duc d'Orleans. I allowed the stir that accompanied his appearanceto subside a little, and then, seeing that the, Chief-President was aboutto speak, I forestalled him, uncovered my head, and then covered it, andmade my speech in the terms agreed upon. I concluded by appealing to M. Le Duc d'Orleans to verify the truth of what I had said, in so far as itaffected him. 

The profound silence with which I was listened to showed the surprise ofall present. M. Le Duc d'Orleans uncovered himself, and in a low tone, and with an embarrassed manner, confirmed what I had said, then coveredhimself again. 

Immediately afterwards I looked at M. Du Maine, who appeared, to be wellcontent at being let off so easily, and who, my neighbours said to me, appeared much troubled at my commencement. 

A very short silence followed my protest, after which I saw the Chief-President say something in a low tone to M. Le Duc d'Orleans, thenarrange a deputation of the Parliament to go in search of the King'swill, and its codicil, which had been put in the same place. Silencecontinued during this great and short period of expectation; every onelooked at his neighbour without stirring. We were all upon the lowerseats, the doors were supposed to be closed, but the grand chamber wasfilled with a large and inquisitive crowd. The regiment of guards hadsecretly occupied all the avenues, commanded by the Duc de Guiche, whogot six hundred thousand francs out of the Duc d'Orleans for thisservice, which was quite unnecessary. 

The deputation was not long in returning. It placed the will and thecodicil in the hands of the Chief-President, who presented them, withoutparting with them, to M. Le Duc d'Orleans, then passed them from hand tohand to Dreux, 'conseiller' of the Parliament, and father of the grandmaster of the ceremonies, saying that he read well, and in a loud voicethat would he well heard by everybody. It may be imagined with whatsilence he was listened to, and how all eyes? and ears were turnedtowards him. Through all his; joy the Duc du Maine showed that his soulwas, troubled, as though about to undergo an operation that he mustsubmit to. M. Le Duc d'Orleans showed only a tranquil attention. 

I will not dwell upon these two documents, in which nothing is providedbut the grandeur and the power of the bastards, Madame de Maintenon andSaint-Cyr, the choice of the King's education and of the council of theregency, by which M. Le Duc d'Orleans was to be shorn of all authority tothe advantage of M. Le Duc du Maine. 

I remarked a sadness and a kind of indignation which were painted uponall cheeks, as the reading advanced, and which turned into a sort oftranquil fermentation at the reading of the codicil, which was entrustedto the Abbe Menguy, another conseiller. The Duc du Maine felt it andgrew pale, for he was solely occupied in looking at every face, and I infollowing his looks, and in glancing occasionally at M. Le Duc d'Orleans. 

The reading being finished, that prince spoke, casting his eyes upon allthe assembly, uncovering himself, and then covering himself again, andcommencing by a word of praise and of regret for the late King;afterwards raising his voice, he declared that he had only to approveeverything just read respecting the education of the King, and everythingrespecting an establishment so fine and so useful as that of Saint-Cyr;that with respect to the dispositions concerning the government of thestate, he would speak separately of those in the will and those in thecodicil; that he could with difficulty harmonise them with the assurancesthe King, during the last days of his life, had given him; that the Kingcould not have understood the importance of what he had been made to dofor the Duc du Maine since the council of the regency was chosen, and M. Du Maine's authority so established by the will, that the Regent remainedalmost without power; that this injury done to the rights of his birth, to his attachment to the person of the King, to his love and fidelity forthe state, could not be endured if he was to preserve his honour; andthat he hoped sufficiently from the esteem of all present, to persuadehimself that his regency would be declared as it ought to be, that is tosay, complete, independent, and that he should be allowed to choose hisown council, with the members of which he would not discuss publicaffairs, unless they were persons who, being approved by the public, might also have his confidence. This short speech appeared to make agreat impression. 

The Duc du Maine wished to speak. As he was about to do so, M. Le Ducd'Orleans put his head in front of M. Le Duc and said, in a dry tone, "Monsieur, you will speak in your turn. " In one moment the affair turnedaccording to the desires of M. Le Duc d'Orleans. The power of thecouncil of the regency and its composition fell. The choice of thecouncil was awarded to M. Le Duc d'Orleans, with all the authority of theregency, and to the plurality of the votes of the council, the decisionof affairs, the vote of the Regent to be counted as two in the event ofan equal division. Thus all favours and all punishments remained in thehands of M. Le Duc d'Orleans alone. The acclamation was such that theDuc du Maine did not dare to say a word. He reserved himself for thecodicil, which, if adopted, would have annulled all that M. Le Ducd'Orleans had just obtained. 

After some few moments of silence, M. Le Duc d'Orleans spoke again. Hetestified fresh surprise that the dispositions of the will had not beensufficient for those who had suggested them, and that, not content withhaving established themselves as masters of the state, they themselvesshould have thought those dispositions so strange that in order toreassure them, it had been thought necessary to make them masters of theperson of the King, of the Regent, of the Court, and of Paris. He added, that if his honour and all law and rule had been wounded by thedispositions of the will, still more violated were they by those of thecodicil, which left neither his life nor his liberty in safety, andplaced the person of the King in the absolute dependence of those who haddared to profit by the feeble state of a dying monarch, to draw from himconditions he did not understand. He concluded by declaring that theregency was impossible under such conditions, and that he doubted not thewisdom of the assembly would annul a codicil which could not besustained, and the regulations of which would plunge France into thegreatest and most troublesome misfortune. Whilst this prince spoke aprofound and sad silence applauded him without explaining itself. 

The Duc du Maine became of all colours, and began to speak, this timebeing allowed to do so. He said that the education of the King, andconsequently his person, being confided to him, as a natural result, entire authority over his civil and military household followed, withoutwhich he could not properly serve him or answer for his person. Then hevaunted his well-known attachment to the deceased King, who had put allconfidence in him. 

M. Le Duc d'Orleans interrupted him at this word, and commented upon it. M. Du Maine wished to calm him by praising the Marechal de Villeroy, whowas to assist him in his charge. M. Le Duc d'Orleans replied that itwould be strange if the chief and most complete confidence were notplaced in the Regent, and stranger still if he were obliged to live underthe protection and authority of those who had rendered themselves theabsolute masters within and without, and of Paris even, by the regimentof guards. 

The dispute grew warm, broken phrases were thrown from one to the other, when, troubled about the end of an altercation which became indecent andyielding to the proposal that the Duc de la Force had just made me infront of the Duc de la Rochefoucauld, who sat between us, I made a signwith my hand to M. Le Duc d'Orleans to go out and finish this discussionin another room leading out of the grand chamber and where there wasnobody. What led me to this action was that I perceived M. Du Maine grewstronger, that confused murmurs for a division were heard, and that M. LeDuc d'Orleans did not shine to the best advantage since he descended toplead his cause, so to speak, against that of the Duc du Maine. 

M. Le Duc d'Orleans was short-sighted. He was entirely absorbed inattacking and repelling; so that he did not see the sign I made. Somemoments after I increased it, and meeting with no more success, rose, advanced some steps, and said to him, though rather distant, "Monsieur, if you passed into the fourth chamber with M. Du Maine you could speakthere more easily, " and advancing nearer at the same time I pressed himby a sign of the head and the eyes that he could distinguish. He repliedto me with another sign, and scarcely was I reseated than I saw himadvance in front of M. Le Duc to the Duc du Maine, and immediately afterboth rose and went into the chamber I had indicated. I could not see whoof the scattered group around followed them, for all present rose attheir departure, and seated themselves again directly in completesilence. Some time after, M. Le Comte de Toulouse left his place andwent into the Chamber. M. Le Duc followed him in a little while soonagain the Duc de la Force did the same. 

He did not stay long. Returning to the assembly; he passed the Duc de laRochefoucauld and me, put his head between that of the Duc de Sully andmine, because he did not wish to be heard by La Rochefoucauld, and saidto me, "In the name of God go there; things are getting on badly. M. LeDuc d'Orleans gives way; stop the dispute; make M. Le Duc d'Orleans comeback; and, as soon as he is in his place, let him say that it is too lateto finish, that the company had better go to dinner, and return to finishafterwards, and during this interval, " added La Force, "send the King'speople to the Palais Royal, and let doubtful peers be spoken to, and thechiefs among other magistrates. "

The advice appeared to me good and important. I left the assembly andwent to the chamber. I found a large circle of spectators. M. Le Ducd'Orleans and the Duc du Maine stood before the fireplace, looking bothvery excited. I looked at this spectacle some moments; then approachedthe mantelpiece like a man who wishes to speak. "What is this, Monsieur?" said M. Le Duc d'Orleans to me, with an impatient manner. "A pressing word, Monsieur, that I have to say to you, " said I. Hecontinued speaking to the Duc du Maine, I being close by. I redoubled myinstances; he lent me his ear. "No, no, " said I, "not like that, comehere, " and I took him into a, corner by the chimney. The Comte deToulouse, who was there, drew completely back, and all the circle on thatside. The Duc du Maine drew back also from where he was. 

I said to M. Le Duc d'Orleans, in his ear, that he could not hope to gainanything from M. Du Maine, who would not sacrifice the codicil to hisreasonings; that the length of their conference became indecent, useless, dangerous; that he was making a sight of himself to all who entered; thatthe only thing to be done was to return to the assembly, and, when there, dissolve it. "You are right, " said he, "I will do it. "--"But, " said I, "do it immediately, and do not allow yourself to be amused. It is to M. De la Force you owe this advice: he sent me to give it you. " He quittedme without another word, went to M. Du Maine, told him in two words thatit was too late, and that the matter must be finished after dinner. 

I had remained where he left me. I saw the Duc du Maine bow to himimmediately, and the two separated, and retired at the same moment intothe assembly. 

The noise which always accompanies these entrances being appeased, M. LeDuc d'Orleans said it was too late to abuse the patience of the companyany longer; that dinner must be eaten, and the work finished afterwards. He immediately added, he believed it fitting that M. Le Duc should enterthe council of the regency as its chief; and that since the company hadrendered the justice due to his birth and his position as Regent, hewould explain what he thought upon the form to be given to thegovernment, and that meanwhile he profited by the power he had to availhimself of the knowledge and the wisdom of the company, and restored tothem from that time their former liberty of remonstrance. These wordswere followed by striking and general applause, and the assembly wasimmediately adjourned. 

I was invited this day to dine with the Cardinal de Noailles, but I feltthe importance of employing the time so precious and so short, of theinterval of dinner, and of not quitting M. Le Duc d'Orleans, according toa suggestion of M. Le Duc de la Force. I approached M. Le Duc d'Orleans, and said in his ear, "The moments are precious: I will follow you to thePalais Royal, " and went back to my place among the peers. Jumping intomy coach, I sent a gentleman with my excuses to the Cardinal de Noailles, saying, I would tell him the reason of my absence afterwards. Then Iwent to the Palais Royal, where curiosity had gathered together all whowere not at the palace, and even some who had been there. All theacquaintances I met asked me the news with eagerness. I contented myselfwith replying that everything went well, and according to rule, but thatall was not yet finished. 

M. Le Duc d'Orleans had passed into a cabinet, where I found him alonewith Canillac, who had waited for him. We took our measures there, andM. Le Duc d'Orleans sent for the Attorney-General, D'Aguesseau, afterwards Chancellor, and the chief Advocate-General, Joly de Fleury, since Attorney-General. It was nearly two o'clock. A little dinner wasserved, of which Canillac, Conflans, M. Le Duc d'Orleans, and myselfpartook; and I will say this, by the way, I never dined with him but oncesince, namely, at Bagnolet. 

We returned to the Parliament a little before four o'clock. I arrivedthere alone in my carriage, a moment before M. Le Duc d'Orleans, andfound everybody assembled. I was looked at with much curiosity, as itseemed to me. I am not aware if it was known whence I came. I took carethat my bearing should say nothing. I simply said to the Duc de la Forcethat his advice had been salutary, that I had reason to hope all successfrom it, and that I had told M. Le Duc d'Orleans whence it came. ThatPrince arrived, and (the hubbub inseparable from such a numerous suitebeing appeased) he said that matters must be recommenced from the pointwhere they had been broken off in the morning; that it was his duty tosay to the Court that in nothing had he agreed with M. Du Maine and tobring again before all eyes the monstrous clauses of a codicil, drawnfrom a dying prince; clauses much more strange than the dispositions ofthe testament that the Court had not deemed fit to be put in execution, and that the Court could not allow M. Du Maine to be master of the personof the King, of the camp, of Paris, consequently of the State, of theperson, life, and liberty of the Regent, whom he would be in a positionto arrest at any moment as soon as he became the absolute and independentmaster of the civil and military household of the King; that the Courtsaw what must inevitably result from an unheard-of novelty, which placedeverything in the hands of M. Du Maine; and that he left it to theenlightenment, to the prudence, to the wisdom, to the equity of thecompany, and its love for the State, to declare what they thought on thissubject. 

M. Du Maine appeared then as contemptible in the broad open daylight ashe had appeared redoubtable in the obscurity of the cabinets. He had thelook of one condemned, and his face, generally so fresh-coloured, was nowas pale as death. He replied in a very low and scarcely intelligiblevoice, and with an air as respectful and as humble as it had beenaudacious in the morning. 

People opined without listening to him; and tumultuously, but with onevoice, the entire abrogation of the codicil was passed. This waspremature, as the abrogation of the testament had been in the morning--both caused by sudden indignation. D'Aguesseauand Fleury both spoke, thefirst in a few words, the other at greater length, making a very goodspeech. As it exists, in the libraries, I will only say that theconclusions of both orators were in everything favourable to M. Le Ducd'Orleans. 

After they had spoken, the Duc du Maine, seeing himself totally shorn, tried a last resource. He represented, with more force than could havebeen expected from his demeanour at this second sitting, but yet withmeasure, that since he had been stripped of the authority confided to himby the codicil, he asked to be discharged from the responsibility ofanswering for the person of the King, and to be allowed simply topreserve the superintendence of his education. M, le Duc d'Orleansreplied, "With all my heart, Monsieur; nothing more is wanted. "Thereupon the Chief. President formally put the question to the vote. A decree was passed by which all power was taken from the hands of M. DuMaine and placed in those of the Regent, with the right of placing whomhe pleased in the council; of dismissing anybody as it should seem goodto him; and of doing all he might think fit respecting the form to begiven to the government; authority over public affairs, nevertheless, toremain with the council, and decision to be taken by the plurality ofvotes, the vote of the Regent to count double in case of equal division;M. Le Duc to be chief of the council under him, with the right to enterit at once and opine there. 

During all this time, and until the end of the sitting, M. Du Maine hadhis eyes always cast down, looked more dead than alive, and appearedmotionless. His son and his brother gave no sign of taking interest inanything. 

The decree was followed by loud acclamations of the crowd scatteredoutside, and that which filled the rest of the palace replied as soon asthey learnt what had been decided. 

This noise, which lasted some time, being appeased, the Regent thankedthe company in brief, polished, and majestic terms; declared with whatcare he would employ for the good of the state, the authority with whichhe was invested; then said it was time he should inform them what hejudged ought to be established in order to aid him in the administrationof affairs. He added that he did so with the more confidence, becausewhat he proposed was exactly what M. Le Duc de Bourgogne ('twas thus henamed him) had resolved, as shown by papers found in his bureau. Hepassed a short and graceful eulogy upon the enlightenment and intentionsof that prince; then declared that, besides the council of the regency, which would be the supreme centre from which all the affairs of thegovernment would spring, he proposed to establish a council for foreignaffairs, one for war, one for the navy, one for finance, one forecclesiastical matters, and one for home affairs and to choose some ofthe magistrates of the company to enter these last two councils, and aidthem by their knowledge upon the police of the realm, the jurisprudence, and what related to the liberties of the Gallican church. 

The applause of the magistrates burst out at this, and all the crowdreplied to it. The Chief-President concluded the sitting by a very shortcompliment to the Regent, who rose, and at the same time all theassembly, which then broke up. 

On Friday, the 6th of September, 1715, the Regent performed an action ofmost exquisite merit, if it had been actuated by the love of God, butwhich was of the utmost meanness, religion having no connection with it. He went at eight o'clock in the morning to see Madame de Maintenon atSaint-Cyr. He was nearly an hour with this enemy, who had wished to cutoff his head, and who quite recently had sought to deliver him, tied handand foot, to M. Du Maine, by the monstrous dispositions of the King'swill and codicil. 

The Regent assured her during this visit that the four thousand livresthe King had given her every month should be continued, and should bebrought to her the first day of every month by the Duc de Noailles, whohad apparently induced the Prince to pay this visit, and promise thispresent. He said to Madame de Maintenon that if she wished for more shehad only to speak, and assured her he would protect Saint-Cyr. In leavinghe was shown the young girls, all together in classes. 

It must be remembered, that besides the estate of Maintenon, and theother property of this famous and fatal witch, the establishment ofSaint-Cyr, which had more than four hundred thousand livres yearlyincome, and much money in reserve, was obliged by the rules which foundedit, to receive Madame de Maintenon, if she wished to retire there; toobey her in all things, as the absolute and sole superior; to keep herand everybody connected with her, her domestics, her equipages, as shewished, her table, etc. , at the expense of the house, all of which wasvery punctually done until her death. Thus she needed not this generousliberality, by which her pension of forty-eight thousand livres wascontinued to her. It would have been quite enough if M. Le Duc d'Orleanshad forgotten that she was in existence, and had simply left heruntroubled in Saint-Cyr. 

The Regent took good care not to inform me of his visit, before or after;and I took good care not to reproach him with it, or make him ashamed ofit. It made much noise, and was not approved of. The Spanish affair wasnot yet forgotten, and the will and codicil furnished other matter forall conversations. 

CHAPTER LXXX

Saturday, the 7th of September, was the day fixed for the first Bed ofJustice of the King (Louis XV. ); but he caught a cold during the night, and suffered a good deal. The Regent came alone to Paris. TheParliament had assembled, and I went to a door of the palace, where I wasinformed of the countermand which had just arrived. The Chief-Presidentand the King's people were at once sent for to the Palais Royal, and theParliament, which was about to adjourn, was continued for all the rest ofthe month for general business. On the morrow, the Regent, who waswearied with Versailles, --for he liked to live in Paris, where all hispleasures were within easy reach, --and who met with opposition from theCourt doctors, all comfortably lodged at Versailles, to the removal ofthe person of the King to Vincennes, under pretext of a slight cold, fetched other doctors from Paris, who had been sent for to see thedeceased King. These practitioners, who had nothing to gain byrecommending Versailles, laughed at the Court doctors, and upon theiropinion it was resolved to take the King to Vincennes, where all wasready for him on the morrow. 

He set out, then, that day from Versailles, at about two o'clock in theday, in company with the Regent, the Duchesse de Ventadour, the Duc duMaine, and the Marechal de Villeroy, passed round the ramparts of Paris, without entering the city, and arrived at Vincennes about five o'clock, many people and carriages having come out along the road to see him. 

On the day after the arrival of the King at Vincennes, the Regent workedall the morning with all the Secretaries of State separately, whom he hadcharged to bring him the list of all the 'lettres de cachet' issued fromtheir bureaux, and a statement of the reasons for which they weredelivered, as such oftentimes were slight. The majority of the 'lettresde cachet' of exile and of imprisonment had been drawn up againstJansenists, and people who had opposed the constitution; numbers thereasons of which were known only to the deceased King, and to those whohad induced him to grant them; others were of the time of previousministers, and among them were many which had been long forgotten andunknown. The Regent restored everybody to liberty, exiles and prisoners, except those whom he knew to have been arrested for grave crimes, oraffairs of State; and brought down infinite benedictions upon himself bythis act of justice and humanity. 

Many very singular and strange stories were then circulated, which showedthe tyranny of the last reign, and of its ministers, and caused themisfortunes of the prisoners to be deplored. Among those in the Bastillewas a man who had been imprisoned thirty-five years. Arrested the day hearrived in Paris, on a journey from Italy, to which country he belonged. It has never been known why he was arrested, and he had never beenexamined, as was the case with the majority of the others: people werepersuaded a mistake had been made. When his liberty was announced tohim, he sadly asked what it was expected he could do with it. He said hehad not a farthing; that he did not know a soul in Paris, not even asingle street, or a person in all France; that his relatives in Italyhad, doubtless, died since he left; that his property, doubtless, hadbeen divided, so many years having elapsed during which no news had beenreceived from him; that he knew not what to do. He asked to be allowedto remain in the Bastille for the rest of his days, with food andlodging. This was granted, with as much liberty as he wished. 

As for those who were taken from the dungeons where the hatred of theministers; of the Jesuits; and of the Constitution chiefs, had cast them, the horrible state they appeared in terrified everybody, and renderedcredible all the cruel stories which, as soon as they were fully atliberty, they revealed. 

The same day on which this merciful decision was come to, died Madame dela Vieuville, not old, of a cancer in the breast, the existence of whichshe had concealed until two days before her death, and thus deprivedherself of help. 

A few days after, the finances being in such a bad state, the Regent madeCrosat treasurer of the order, in return for which he obtained from him aloan of a million, in bars of silver, and the promise of another twomillion. Previous to this, the hunting establishments of the King hadbeen much reduced. Now another retrenchment was made. There were sevenintendants of the finances, who, for six hundred thousand livres, whichtheir places had cost them, enjoyed eighty thousand livres each perannum. They were all suppressed, and simply the interest of theirpurchase-money paid to them; that is to say, thirty thousand livres each, until that purchase-money could be paid. It was found that there weresixteen hundred thousand francs owing to our ambassadors, and to ouragents in foreign countries, the majority of whom literally had notenough to pay the postage of their letters, having spent all theypossessed. This was a cruel discredit to us, all over Europe. I mightfill a volume in treating upon the state and the arrangements of ourfinances. But this labour is above my strength, and contrary to mytaste. I will simply say that as soon as money could be spared it wassent to our ambassadors abroad. They were dying of hunger, were overhead and ears in debt, had fallen into utter contempt, and our affairswere suffering accordingly. 

The council of the regency, let me say here, was composed of thefollowing persons: M. Le Duc d'Orleans, M. Le Duc, the Duc du Maine, theComte de Toulouse, Voysin the Chancellor, myself--since I must namemyself, --Marechal de Villeroy, Marechal d'Harcourt, Marechal de Besons, the Late Bishop of Troyes, and Torcy, with a right to vote; with LaVrilliere, who kept the register, and Pontchartrain, both without theright to vote. 

I have already alluded to the presence of Lord Stair at this time in ourCourt, as ambassador from England. By means of intrigues he hadsucceeded in ingratiating himself into the favour of the Regent, and inconvincing him that the interests of France and England were identical. One of the reasons--the main one--which he brought forward to show this, was that King George was an usurper; and that if anything happened to ourKing, M. Le Duc d'Orleans would become, in mounting the throne of France, an usurper also, the King of Spain being the real heir to the Frenchmonarchy; that, in consequence of this, France and England ought to marchtogether, protect each other; France assisting England against thePretender, and England assisting France, if need be, against the King ofSpain. M. Le Duc d'Orleans had too much penetration not to see thissnare; but, marvellous as it may seem, the crookedness of this policy, and not the desire of reigning, seduced him. I am quite prepared, ifever these memoirs see the day, to find that this statement will belaughed at; that it will throw discredit on others, and cause me to beregarded as a great ass, if I think to make my readers, believe it; orfor an idiot, if I have believed it myself. Nevertheless, such is thepure truth, to which I sacrifice all, in despite of what my readers maythink of me. However incredible it may be, it is, as I say, the exactverity; and I do not hesitate to advance, that there are many such facts, unknown to history, which would much surprise if known; and which areunknown, only because scarcely any history has been written at firsthand. 

Stair wished, above all, to hinder the Regent from giving any assistanceto the Pretender, and to prevent him passing through the realm in orderto reach a seaport. Now the Regent was between two stools, for he hadpromised the Pretender to wink at his doings, and to favour his passagethrough France, if it were made secretly, and at the same time he hadassented to the demand of Stair. Things had arrived at this pass whenthe troubles increased in England, and the Earl of Mar obtained somesuccess in Scotland. Soon after news came that the Pretender haddeparted from Bar, and was making his way to the coast. Thereupon Stairran in hot haste to M. Le Duc d'Orleans to ask him to keep his promise, and hinder the Pretender's journey. The Regent immediately sent offContade, major in the guards, very intelligent, and in whom he couldtrust, with his brother, a lieutenant in the same regiment, and twosergeants of their choice, to go to Chateau-Thierry, and wait for thePretender, Stair having sure information that he would pass there. Contade set out at night on the 9th of November, well resolved andinstructed to miss the person he was to seek. Stair, who expected asmuch, took also his measures, which were within an inch of succeeding;for this is what happened. 

The Pretender set out disguised from Bar, accompanied by only three orfour persons, and came to Chaillot, where M. De Lauzun had a littlehouse, which he never visited, and which he had kept for mere fancy, although he had a house at Passy, of which he made much use. It was inthis, Chaillot's house, that the Pretender put up, and where he saw theQueen, his mother, who often stopped at the Convent of the Filles deSainte Marie-Therese. Thence he set out in a post-chaise of Torcy's, byway of Alencon, for Brittany, where he meant to embark. 

Stair discovered this scheme, and resolved to leave nothing undone inorder to deliver his party of this, the last of the Stuarts. He quietlydespatched different people by different roads, especially by that fromParis to Alencon. He charged with this duty Colonel Douglas (whobelonged to the Irish (regiments) in the pay of France), who, under theprotection of his name, and by his wit and his intrigues, had insinuatedhimself into many places in Paris since the commencement of the regency;had placed himself on a footing of consideration and of familiarity withthe Regent; and often came to my house. He was good company; had marriedupon the frontier of Metz; was very poor; had politeness and muchexperience of the world; the reputation of distinguished valour; andnothing which could render him suspected of being capable of a crime. 

Douglas got into a post-chaise, accompanied by two horsemen; all threewere well armed, and posted leisurely along this road. Nonancourt is akind of little village upon this route, at nineteen leagues from Paris;between Dreux, three leagues further, and Verneuil au Perche, fourleagues this side. It was at Nonancourt that he alighted, ate a morselat the post-house, inquired with extreme solicitude after a post-chaisewhich he described, as well as the manner in which it would beaccompanied, expressed fear lest it had already passed, and lest he hadnot been answered truly. After infinite inquiries, he left a thirdhorseman, who had just reached him, on guard, with orders to inform himwhen the chaise he was in search of appeared; and added menaces andpromises of recompense to the post people, so as not to be deceived bytheir negligence. 

The post-master was named L'Hospital; he was absent, but his wife was inthe house, and she fortunately was a very honest woman, who had wit, sense, and courage. Nonancourt is only five leagues from La Ferme, andwhen, to save distance, you do not pass there, they send you relays uponthe road. Thus I knew very well this post-mistress, who mixed herselfmore in the business than her husband, and who has herself related to methis adventure more than once. She did all she could, uselessly, toobtain some explanation upon these alarms. All that she could unravelwas that the strangers were Englishmen, and in a violent excitement aboutsomething, that something very important was at stake, --and that theymeditated mischief. She fancied thereupon that the Pretender was inquestion; resolved to save him; mentally arranged her plans, andfortunately enough executed them. 

In order to succeed she devoted herself to the service of thesegentlemen, refused them nothing, appeared quite satisfied, and promisedthat they should infallibly be informed. She persuaded them of this sothoroughly, that Douglas went away without saying where, except to thisthird horseman just arrived, but it was close at hand; so that he mightbe warned in time. He took one of his valets with him; the otherremained with the horseman to wait and watch. 

Another man much embarrassed the post-mistress; nevertheless, she laidher plans. She proposed to the horseman to drink something, because whenhe arrived Douglas had left the table. She served him in her bestmanner, and with her best wine, and kept him at table as long as shecould, anticipating all his orders. She had placed a valet, in whom shecould trust, as guard, with orders simply to appear, without a word, ifhe saw a chaise; and her resolution was to lock up the Englishman and hisservant, and to give their horses to the chaise if it came. But it camenot, and the Englishman grew tired of stopping at table. Then shemanoeuvred so well that she persuaded him to go and lie down, and tocount upon her, her people, and upon the valet Douglas had left. TheEnglishman told this valet not to quit the threshold of the house, and toinform him as soon as the chaise appeared. He then suffered himself tobe led to the back of the house, in order to lie down. The post-mistress, immediately after, goes to one of her friends in a by-street, relates her adventure and her suspicions, makes the friend agree toreceive and secrete in her dwelling the person she expected, sends for anecclesiastic, a relative of them both, and in whom she could reposeconfidence, who came and lent an Abbe's dress and wig to match. Thisdone, Madame L'Hospital returns to her home, finds the English valet atthe door, talks with him, pities his ennui, says he is a good fellow tobe so particular, says that from the door to the house there is but onestep, promises him that he shall be as well informed as by his own eyes, presses him to drink something, and tips the wink to a trusty postilion, who makes him drink until he rolls dead drunk under the table. Duringthis performance, the wary mistress listens at the door of the Englishgentleman's room, gently turns the key and locks him in, and thenestablishes herself upon the threshold of her door. 

Half an hour after comes the trusty valet whom she had put on guard: itwas the expected chaise, which, as well as the three men who accompaniedit, were made, without knowing why, to slacken speed. It was King James. Madame L'Hospital accosts him, says he is expected, and lost if he doesnot take care; but that he may trust in her and follow her. At once theyboth go to her friends. There he learns all that has happened, and theyhide him, and the three men of his suite as well as they could. MadameL'Hospital returns home, sends for the officers of justice, and inconsequence of her suspicions she causes the English gentleman and theEnglish valet, the one drunk, the other asleep, locked in the room whereshe had left him, to be arrested, and immediately after despatches apostilion to Torcy. The officers of justice act, and send theirdeposition to the Court. 

The rage of the English gentleman on finding himself arrested, and unableto execute the duty which led him there, and his fury against the valetwho had allowed himself to be intoxicated, cannot be expressed. As forMadame L'Hospital he would have strangled her if he could; and she for along time was afraid of her life. 

The Englishman could not be induced to confess what brought him there, orwhere was Douglas, whom he named in order to show his importance. Hedeclared he had been sent by the English ambassador, though Stair had notyet officially assumed that title, and exclaimed that that minister wouldnever suffer the affront he had received. They civilly replied to him, that there were no proofs he came from the English ambassador, --none thathe was connected with the minister: that very suspicious designs againstpublic safety on the highway alone were visible; that no harm orannoyance should be caused him, but that he must remain in safety untilorders came, and there upon he was civilly led to prison, as well as theintoxicated valet. 

What became of Douglas at that time was never known, except that he wasrecognised in various places, running, inquiring, crying out with despairthat he had escaped, without mentioning any name. Apparently news cameto him, or he sought it, being tired of receiving none. The report ofwhat had occurred in such a little place as Nonancourt would easily havereached him, close as he was to it; and perhaps it made him set out anewto try and catch his prey. 

But he journeyed in vain. King James had remained hidden at Nonancourt, where, charmed with the attentions of his generous post-mistress, who hadsaved him from his assassins, he admitted to her who he was, and gave hera letter for the Queen, his mother. He remained there three days, toallow the hubbub to pass, and rob those who sought him of all hope; then, disguised as an Abbe, he jumped into a post-chaise that Madame L'Hospitalhad borrowed in the neighbourhood--to confound all identity--andcontinued his journey, during which he was always pursued, but happilywas never recognised, and embarked in Brittany for Scotland. 

Douglas, tired of useless searches, returned to Paris, where Stair kickedup a fine dust about the Nonancourt adventure. This he denominatednothing less than an infraction of the law of nations, with an extremeaudacity and impudence, and Douglas, who could not be ignorant of whatwas said about him, had the hardihood to go about everywhere as usual; toshow himself at the theatre; and to present himself before M. Le Ducd'Orleans. 

This Prince ignored as much as he could a plot so cowardly and sobarbarous, and in respect to him so insolent. He kept silence, said toStair what he judged fitting to make him be silent likewise, but gaveliberty to his English assassins. Douglas, however, fell much in thefavour of the Regent, and many considerable people closed their doors tohim. He vainly tried to force mine. But as for me I was a perfectJacobite, and quite persuaded that it was the interest of France to giveEngland domestic occupation, which would long hinder her from thinking offoreign matters. I then, as may be supposed, could not look upon theodious enterprise with a favourable eye, or pardon its authors. Douglascomplained to me of my disregard for him, but to no purpose. Soon afterhe disappeared from Paris. I know not what became of him afterwards. His wife and his children remained there living by charity. A long timeafter his death beyond the seas, the Abbe de Saint-Simon passed fromNoyan to Metz, where he found his widow in great misery. 

The Queen of England sent for Madame L'Hospital to Saint-Germain, thankedher, caressed her, as she deserved, and gave her her portrait. This wasall; the Regent gave her nothing; a long while after King James wrote toher, and sent her also his portrait. Conclusion: she remained post-mistress of Nonancourt as before, twenty or twenty-five years after, toher death; and her son and her daughter-in-law keep the post now. Shewas a true woman; estimated in her neighbourhood; not a single word thatshe uttered concerning this history has been contradicted by any one. What it cost her can never be said, but she never received a farthing. She never complained, but spoke as she found things, with modesty, andwithout seeking to speak. Such is the indigence of dethroned Kings, andtheir complete forgetfulness of the greatest perils and the most signalservices. 

Many honest people avoided Stair, whose insolent airs made others avoidhim. He filled the cup by the insupportable manner in which he spokeupon that affair, never daring to admit he had directed it, or deigningto disculpate himself. The only annoyance he showed was about his ill-success. 

CHAPTER LXXXI

I must say a few words now of Madame la Duchesse de Berry, who, as may beimagined, began to hold her head very high indeed directly the regency ofMonsieur her father was established. Despite the representations ofMadame de Saint-Simon, she usurped all the honours of a queen; she wentthrough Paris with kettle-drums beating, and all along the quay of theTuileries where the King was. The Marechal de Villeroy complained ofthis next day to M. Le Duc d'Orleans, who promised him that while theKing remained in Paris no kettle-drums should be heard but his. Neverafterwards did Madame la Duchesse de Berry have any, yet when she went tothe theatre she sat upon a raised dais in her box, had four of her guardsupon the stage, and others in the pit; the house was better lighted thanusual, and before the commencement of the performance she was haranguedby the players. This made a strange stir in Paris, and as she did notdare to continue it she gave up her usual place, and took at the opera alittle box where she could scarcely be seen, and where she was almostincognito. As the comedy was played then upon the opera stage forMadame, this little box served for both entertainments. 

The Duchess desired apparently to pass the summer nights in all libertyin the garden of the Luxembourg. She accordingly had all the gateswalled up but one, by which the Faubourg Saint-Germain, which had alwaysenjoyed the privilege of walking there, were much deprived. M. Le Ducthereupon opened the Conti garden to make up to the public for theirloss. As may be imagined, strange things were said about the motiveswhich led to the walling up of the garden. 

As the Princess found new lovers to replace the old ones, she tried topension off the latter at the expense of the public. She had a placecreated expressly for La Haye. She bought, or rather the King for her, a little house at the entry of the Bois de Boulogne, which was pretty, with all the wood in front, and a fine garden behind. It was called LaMuette. 

After many amours she had become smitten with Rion, a younger son of thehouse of Aydic. He was a fat, chubby, pale little fellow, who had somany pimples that he did not ill resemble an abscess. He had good teeth, but had no idea he should cause a passion which in less than no timebecame ungovernable, and which lasted a long while without howeverinterfering with temporary and passing amours. He was not worth a penny, but had many brothers and sisters who had no more than he. He was alieutenant of dragoons, relative of Madame Pons, dame d'atours of Madamela Duchesse de Berry, who sent for him to try and do something for him. Scarcely had he arrived than the passion of the Duchess declared itself, and he became the master of the Luxembourg where she dwelt. M. DeLauzun, who was a distant relative, was delighted, and chuckled inwardly. He thought he saw a repetition of the old times, when Mademoiselle was inher glory; he vouchsafed his advice to Rion. 

Rion was gentle and naturally polished and respectful, a good and honestfellow. He soon felt the power of his charms, which could only havecaptivated the incomprehensible and depraved fantasy of such a princess. He did not abuse this power; made himself liked by everybody; but hetreated Madame la Duchesse de Berry as M. De Lauzun had treatedMademoiselle. He was soon decorated with the most beautiful lace and therichest clothes covered with silver, loaded with snuffboxes, jewels, andprecious stones. He took pleasure in making the Princess long after him, and be jealous; affecting to be still more jealous of her. He often madeher cry. Little by little, he obtained such authority over her that shedid not dare to do anything without his permission, not even the mostindifferent things. If she were ready to go to the opera, he made herstay away; at other times he made her go thither in spite of herself. He made her treat well many ladies she did not like, or of whom she wasjealous, and treat ill persons who pleased her, but of whom he pretendedto be jealous. Even in her finery she had not the slightest liberty. He amused himself by making her disarrange her head-dress, or change herclothes, when she was quite dressed; and that so often and so publicly, that he accustomed her at last to take over night his orders for hermorning's dress and occupation, and on the morrow he would changeeverything, and the Princess wept as much as she could, and more. Atlast she actually sent messages to him by trusty valets, --for he livedclose to the Luxembourg, --several times during her toilet, to know whatribbons she should wear; the same with her gown and other things; andnearly always he made her wear what she did not wish for. If ever shedared to do the least thing without his permission, he treated her like aserving-wench, and her tears lasted sometimes several days. Thisprincess, so haughty, and so fond of showing and exercising the mostunmeasured pride, disgraced herself by joining in repasts with him andobscure people; she, with whom no man could lawfully eat if he were not aprince of the blood!

A Jesuit, named Pere Riglet, whom she had known as a child, and whoseintimacy she had always cultivated since, was admitted to these privaterepasts, without being ashamed thereof, and without Madame la Duchesse deBerry being embarrassed. Madame de Mouchy was the confidante of allthese strange parties she and Rion invited the guests, and chose thedays. La Mouchy often reconciled the Princess to her lover, and wasbetter treated by him than she, without her daring to take notice of it, for fear of an eclat which would have caused her to lose so dear a lover, and a confidante so necessary. This life was public; everybody at theLuxembourg paid court to M. De Rion, who, on his side, took care to be ongood terms with all the world, nay, with an air of respect that herefused, even in public, to his princess. He often gave sharp replies toher in society, which made people lower their eyes, and brought blushesto the cheek of Madame la Duchesse de Berry, who, nevertheless, did notattempt to conceal her submission and passionate manners, even beforeothers. A remarkable fact is, that in the midst of this life, she tookan apartment at the Convent of the Carmelites of the Faubourg Saint-Germain, where she sometimes went in the afternoon, always slept there ongrand religious fete days, and often remained there several days running. She took with her two ladies, rarely three, scarcely a single domestic;she ate with her ladies what the convent could supply for her table;attended the services, was sometimes long in prayer, and rigidly fastedon the appointed days. 

Two Carmelites, of much talent, and who knew the world, were charged toreceive her, and to be near her. One was very beautiful: the other hadbeen so. They were rather young, especially the handsomer; but were veryreligious and holy, and performed the office entrusted to them muchagainst their inclination. When they became more familiar they spokefreely to the Princess, and said to her that if they knew nothing of herbut what they saw, they should admire her as a saint, but, elsewhere, they learnt that she led a strange life, and so public, that they couldnot comprehend why she came to their convent. Madame la Duchesse deBerry laughed at this, and was not angry. Sometimes they lectured her, called people and things by their names, and exhorted her to change soscandalous a life; but it was all in vain. She lived as before, both atthe Luxembourg and at the Carmelites, and caused wonderment by thissurprising conduct. 

Madame la Duchesse de Berry returned with usury to her father, theseverity and the domination she suffered at the hands of Rion--yet thisprince, in his weakness, was not less submissive to her, attentive toher, or afraid of her. He was afflicted with the public reign of Rion, and the scandal of his daughter; but he did not dare to breathe a word, or if he did (after some scene, as ridiculous as it was violent, hadpassed between the lover and the Princess, and become public), he wastreated like a negro, pouted at several days, and did not know how tomake his peace. 

But it is time now to speak of the public and private occupations of theRegent himself, of his conduct, his pleasure parties, and the employmentof his days. 

Up to five o'clock in the evening he devoted himself exclusively topublic business, reception of ministers, councils, etc. , never diningduring the day, but taking chocolate between two and three o'clock, wheneverybody was allowed to enter his room. After the council of the day, that is to say, at about five o'clock, there was no more talk ofbusiness. It was now the time of the Opera or the Luxembourg (if he hadnot been to the latter place before his chocolate), or he went to Madamela Duchesse d'Orleans' apartments, or supped, or went out privately, orreceived company privately; or, in the fine season, he went to Saint-Cloud, or elsewhere out of town, now supping there, or at the Luxembourg, or at home. When Madame was at Paris, he spoke to her for a momentbefore his mass; and when she was at Saint-Cloud he went to see herthere, and always paid her much attention and respect. 

His suppers were always in very strange company. His mistresses, sometimes an opera girl, often Madame la Duchesse de Berry, and a dozenmen whom he called his rows, formed the party. The requisite cheer wasprepared in places made expressly, on the same floor, all the utensilswere of silver; the company often lent a hand to the cooks. It was atthese parties that the character of every one was passed in review, ministers and favourites like the rest, with a liberty which wasunbridled license. The gallantries past and present of the Court and ofthe town; all old stories, disputes, jokes, absurdities were raked up;nobody was spared; M. Le Duc d'Orleans had his say like the rest, butvery rarely did these discourses make the slightest impression upon him. The company drank as much as they could, inflamed themselves, said thefilthiest things without stint, uttered impieties with emulation, andwhen they had made a good deal of noise and were very drunk, they went tobed to recommence the same game the next day. From the moment whensupper was ready, business, no matter of, what importance, no matterwhether private or national, was entirely banished from view. Until thenext morning everybody and everything were compelled to wait. 

The Regent lost then an infinite amount of time in private, inamusements, and debauchery. He lost much also in audiences too long, tooextended, too easily granted, and drowned himself in those same detailswhich during the lifetime of the late King we had both so oftenreproached him with. Questions he might have decided in half an hour heprolonged, sometimes from weakness, sometimes from that miserable desireto set people at loggerheads, and that poisonous maxim which occasionallyescaped him or his favourite, 'divide et impera'; often from his generalmistrust of everybody and everything; nothings became hydras with whichhe himself afterwards was much embarrassed. His familiarity and hisreadiness of access extremely pleased people, but were much abused. Folks sometimes were even wanting in respect to him, which at last was aninconvenience all the more dangerous because he could not, when hewished, reprimand those who embarrassed him; insomuch as they themselvesdid not feel embarrassed. 

What is extraordinary is, neither his mistress nor Madame la Duchesse deBerry, nor his 'roues', could ever draw anything from him, even whendrunk, concerning the affairs of the government, however important. Hepublicly lived with Madame de Parabere; he lived at the same time withothers; he amused himself with the jealousy and vexation of these women;he was not the less on good terms with them all; and the scandal of thispublic seraglio, and that of the daily filthiness and impiety at hissuppers, were extreme and spread everywhere. 

Towards the end of the year (1715) the Chevalier de Bouillon, who sincethe death of the son of the Comte d'Auvergne had taken the name of thePrince d'Auvergne, proposed to the Regent that there should be a publicball, masked and unmasked, in the opera three times a week, people to payupon entering, and the boxes to be thrown open to those who did not careto dance. It was believed that a public ball, guarded as is the opera ondays of performance, would prevent those adventures which happened sooften at the little obscure balls scattered throughout Paris; and indeedclose them altogether. The opera balls were established on a grandscale, and with all possible effect. The proposer of the idea had for itsix thousand livres pension; and a machine admirably invented and of easyand instantaneous application, was made to cover the orchestra, and putthe stage and the pit on the same level. The misfortune was, that theopera was at the Palais Royal, and that M. Le Duc d'Orleans had only onestep to take to reach it after his suppers and show himself there, oftenin a state but little becoming. The Duc de Noailles, who strove to paycourt to him, went there from the commencement so drunk that there was noindecency he did not commit. 

CHAPTER LXXXII

Let me speak now of another matter. 

A Scotchman, I do not know of what family, a great player and combiner, who had gained much in various countries he had been in, had come toParis during the last days of the deceased King. His name was Law; butwhen he became more known, people grew so accustomed to call him Las, that his name of Law disappeared. He was spoken of to M. Le Ducd'Orleans as a man deep in banking and commercial matters, in themovements of the precious metals, in monies and finance: the Regent, fromthis description, was desirous to see him. He conversed with Law sometime, and was so pleased with him, that he spoke of him to Desmarets as aman from whom information was to be drawn. I recollect that the Princespoke of him to me at the same time. Desmarets sent for Law, and was along while with him several times; I know nothing of what passed betweenthem or its results, except that Desmarets was pleased with Law, andformed some esteem for him. 

M. Le Duc d'Orleans, after that, only saw him from time to time; butafter the first rush of affairs, which followed the death of the King, Law, who had formed some subaltern acquaintances at the Palais Royal, andan intimacy with the Abbe Dubois, presented himself anew before M. Le Ducd'Orleans, soon after conversed with him in private, and proposed somefinance plans to him. The Regent made him work with the Duc de Noailles, with Rouille, with Amelot--this last for commercial matters. The firsttwo were afraid of an intruder, favoured by the Regent, in theiradministration; so that Law was a long time tossed about, but was alwaysbacked by the Duc d'Orleans. At last, the bank project pleased thatPrince so much that he wished to carry it out. He spoke in private tothe heads of finance, in whom he found great opposition. He had oftenspoken to me of it, and I had contented myself with listening to him upona matter I never liked, and which, consequently, I never well understood;and the carrying out of which appeared to me distant. When he hadentirely formed his resolution, he summoned a financial and commercialassembly, in which Law explained the whole plan of the bank he wished toestablish (this was on the 24th of October, 1715). He was listened to aslong as he liked to talk. Some, who saw that the Regent was almostdecided, acquiesced; but the majority opposed. 

Law was not disheartened. The majority were spoken to privately in verygood French. Nearly the same assembly was called, in which, the Regentbeing present, Law again explained his project. This time few opposedand feebly. The Duc de Noailles was obliged to give in. The bank beingapproved of in this manner, it had next to be proposed to the regencycouncil. 

M. Le Duc d'Orleans took the trouble to speak in private to each memberof the council, and gently to make them understand that he wished thebank to meet with no opposition. He spoke his mind to me thoroughly:therefore a reply was necessary. I said to him that I did not hide myignorance or my disgust for all finance matters; that, nevertheless, whathe had just explained to me appeared good in itself, that without any newtax, without expense, and without wronging or embarrassing anybody, moneyshould double itself at once by means of the notes of this bank, andbecome transferable with the greatest facility. But along with thisadvantage I found two inconveniences, the first, how to govern the bankwith sufficient foresight and wisdom, so as not to issue more notes thancould be paid whenever presented: the second, that what is excellent in arepublic, or in a monarchy where the finance is entirely popular, as inEngland, is of pernicious use in an absolute monarchy, such as France, where the necessities of a war badly undertaken and ill sustained, theavarice of a first minister, favourite, or mistress, the luxury, the wildexpenses, the prodigality of a King, might soon exhaust a bank, and ruinall the holders of notes, that is to say, overthrow the realm. M. Le Ducd'Orleans agreed to this; but at the same time maintained that a Kingwould have so much interest in never meddling or allowing minister, mistress, or favourite to meddle with the bank, that this capitalinconvenience was never to be feared. Upon that we for a long timedisputed without convincing each other, so that when, some few daysafterwards, he proposed the bank to the regency council, I gave myopinion as I have just explained it, but with more force and at length:and my conclusion was to reject the bank, as a bait the most fatal, in anabsolute country, while in a free country it would be a very good andvery wise establishment. 

Few dared to be of this opinion: the bank passed. Duc d'Orleans castupon me some little reproaches, but gentle, for having spoken at suchlength. I based my excuses upon my belief that by duty, honour, andconscience, I ought to speak according to my persuasion, after havingwell thought over the matter, and explained myself sufficiently to makemy opinion well understood, and the reason I had for forming it. Immediately after, the edict was registered without difficulty at theParliament. This assembly sometimes knew how to please the Regent withgood grace in order to turn the cold shoulder to him afterwards with moreefficacy. 

Some time after, to relate all at once, M. Le Duc d'Orleans wished me tosee Law in order that he might explain to me his plans, and asked me todo so as a favour. I represented to him my unskilfulness in all financematters; that Law would in vain speak a language to me of which Iunderstood nothing, that we should both lose our time very uselessly. I tried to back out thus, as well as I could. The Regent several timesreverted to the charge, and at last demanded my submission. Law camethen to my house. Though there was much of the foreigner in his bearing, in his expressions, and in his accent, he expressed himself in very goodterms, with much clearness and precision. He conversed with me a longwhile upon his bank, which, indeed, was an excellent thing in itself, butfor another country rather than for France, and with a prince less easythan the Regent. Law had no other solutions to give me, of my twoobjections, than those the Regent himself had given, which did notsatisfy me. But as the affair had passed, and there was nothing now todo but well direct it, principally upon that did our conversation turn. I made him feel as much as I could the importance of not showing suchfacility, that it might be abused, with a Regent so good, so easy, soopen, so surrounded. I masked as well as I could what I wished to makehim understand thereupon; and I dwelt especially upon the necessity ofbeing prepared to satisfy instantly all bearers of notes, who shoulddemand payment: for upon this depended the credit or the overthrow of thebank. Law, on going out, begged me to permit him to come sometimes andtalk with me; we separated mutually satisfied, at which the Regent wasstill more so. 

Law came several other times to my house, and showed much desire to growintimate with me. I kept to civilities, because finance entered not intomy head, and I regarded as lost time all these conversations. Some timeafter, the Regent, who spoke to me tolerably often of Law with greatprepossession, said that he had to ask of me, nay to demand of me, afavour; it was, to receive a visit from Law regularly every week. Irepresented to him the perfect inutility of these conversations, in whichI was incapable of learning anything, and still more so of enlighteningLaw upon subjects he possessed, and of which I knew naught. It was invain; the Regent wished it; obedience was necessary. Law, informed ofthis by the Regent, came then to my house. He admitted to me with goodgrace, that it was he who had asked the Regent to ask me, not daring todo so himself. Many compliments followed on both sides, and we agreedthat he should come to my house every Tuesday morning about ten o'clock, and that my door should be closed to everybody while he remained. Thisfirst visit was not given to business. On the following Tuesday morninghe came to keep his appointment, and punctually came until hisdiscomfiture. An hour-and-a-half, very often two hours, was the ordinarytime for our conversations. He always took care to inform me of thefavour his bank was obtaining in France and foreign countries, of itsproducts, of his views, of his conduct, of the opposition he met withfrom the heads of finance and the magistracy, of his reasons, andespecially of his balance sheet, to convince me that he was more thanprepared to face all holders of notes whatever sums they had to ask for. 

I soon knew that if Law had desired these regular visits at my house, itwas not because he expected to make me a skilful financier; but because, like a man of sense--and he had a good deal--he wished to draw near aservitor of the Regent who had the best post in his confidence, and wholong since had been in a position to speak to him of everything and ofeverybody with the greatest freedom and the most complete liberty; to tryby this frequent intercourse to gain my friendship; inform himself by meof the intrinsic qualities of those of whom he only saw the outside; andby degrees to come to the Council, through me, to represent theannoyances he experienced, the people with whom he had to do; and lastly, to profit by my dislike to the Duc de Noailles, who, whilst embracing himevery day, was dying of jealousy and vexation, and raised in his path, under-hand, all the obstacles and embarrassments possible, and would haveliked to stifle him. The bank being in action and flourishing, I believed it my duty to sustain it. I lent myself, therefore, to theinstructions Law proposed, and soon we spoke to each other with aconfidence I never have had reason to repent. I will not enter into thedetails of this bank, the other schemes which followed it, or theoperations made in consequence. This subject of finance would fillseveral volumes. I will speak of it only as it affects the history ofthe time, or what concerns me in particular. It is the history of mytime I have wished to write; I should have been too much turned from ithad I entered into the immense details respecting finance. I might addhere what Law was. I defer it to a time when this curiosity will be morein place. 

Arouet, son of a notary, who was employed by my father and me until hisdeath, was exiled and sent to Tulle at this time (the early part of1716), for some verses very satirical and very impudent. 

I should not amuse myself by writing down such a trifle, if this sameArouet, having become a great poet and academician under the name ofVoltaire, had not also become--after many tragical adventures--a mannerof personage in the republic of letters, and even achieved a sort ofimportance among certain people. 

CHAPTER LXXXIII

I have elsewhere alluded to Alberoni, and shown what filthy baseness hestooped to in order to curry favour with the infamous Duc de Vendome. I have also shown that he accompanied the new Queen of Spain from Parmato Madrid, after she had been married, by procuration, to Philip V. Hearrived at the Court of Spain at a most opportune moment for his fortune. Madame des Ursins had just been disgraced; there was no one to take herplace. Alberoni saw his opportunity and was not slow to avail himself ofit. During the journey with the new Queen, he had contrived toingratiate himself so completely into her favour, that she was, in ameasure, prepared to see only with his eyes. The King had grown soaccustomed to be shut out from all the world, and to be ruled by others, that he easily adapted himself to his new chains. The Queen andAlberoni, then, in a short time had him as completely under their thumb, as he had before been under that of Madame des Ursins. 

Alberoni, unscrupulous and ambitious, stopped at nothing in order toconsolidate his power and pave the way for his future greatness. Havingbecome prime minister, he kept the King as completely inaccessible to thecourtiers as to the world; would allow no one to approach him whoseinfluence he had in any way feared. He had Philip completely in his ownhands by means of the Queen, and was always on his guard to keep himthere. 

Ever since the Regent's accession to power an intimacy had gradually beengrowing up between the two governments of France and England. This wasmainly owing to the intrigues of the Abbe Dubois, who had sold himself tothe English Court, from which he secretly received an enormous pension. He was, therefore, devoted heart and soul--if such a despicable personagecan be said to have the one or the other--to the interests of KingGeorge, and tried to serve them in every way. He had but littledifficulty--comparatively speaking--in inducing M. Le Duc d'Orleans tofall into his nets, and to declare himself in favour of an Englishalliance. Negotiations with this end in view were, in fact, set on foot, had been for some time; and about the month of September of this year(1716), assumed a more smiling face than they had yet displayed. 

Both France and England, from different motives, wished to draw Spaininto this alliance. The Regent, therefore, in order to further thisdesire, obtained from England a promise that she would give up Gibraltarto its former owners, the Spaniards. The King of England consented to doso, but on one condition: it was, that in order not to expose himself tothe cries of the party opposed to him, this arrangement should be keptprofoundly secret until executed. In order that this secrecy might besecured, he stipulated that the negotiation should not in any way passthrough the hands of Alberoni, or any Spanish minister, but be treateddirectly between the Regent and the King of Spain, through a confidentialagent chosen by the former. 

This confidential agent was to take a letter respecting the treaty to theKing of Spain, a letter full of insignificant trifles, and at the sametime a positive order from the King of England, written and signed by hishand, to the Governor of Gibraltar, commanding him to surrender the placeto the King of Spain the very moment he received this order, and toretire with his garrison, etc. , to Tangiers. In order to execute this aSpanish general was suddenly to march to Gibraltar, under pretence ofrepressing the incursions of its garrison, --summon the Governor toappear, deliver to him the King of England's order, and enter intopossession of the place. All this was very weakly contrived; but thisconcerned the King of England, not us. 

I must not be proud; and must admit that I knew nothing of all this, saveat second-hand. If I had, without pretending to be very clever, I mustsay that I should have mistrusted this fine scheme. The King of Englandcould not be ignorant with what care and with what jealousy the Queen andAlberoni kept the King of Spain locked up, inaccessible to everybody--andthat the certain way to fail, was to try to speak to him without theirknowledge, in spite of them, or unaided by them. However, my opinionupon this point was not asked, and accordingly was not given. 

Louville was the secret agent whom the Regent determined to send. He hadalready been in Spain, had gained the confidence of the King, and knewhim better than any other person who could have been chosen. Preciselybecause of all these reasons, I thought him the most unfit person to becharged with this commission. The more intimate he had been with theKing of Spain, the more firm in his confidence, the more would he befeared by the Queen and Alberoni; and the more would they do to cover hisembassy with failure, so as to guard their credit and their authority. I represented my views on this subject to Louville, who acknowledgedthere was truth in them, but contented himself with saying, that he hadnot in his surprise dared to refuse the mission offered to him; and thatif he succeeded in it, the restitution to Spain of such an importantplace as Gibraltar, would doubtless be the means of securing to him largearrears of pensions due to him from Philip the First: an object of nosmall importance in his eyes. Louville, therefore, in due time departedto Madrid, on his strange and secret embassy. 

Upon arriving he went straight to the house of the Duc de Saint-Aignan, our ambassador, and took up his quarters there. Saint-Aignan who hadreceived not the slightest information of his arriving, was surprisedbeyond measure at it. Alberoni was something more than surprised. As fortune would have it, Louville when at some distance from Madrid wasseen by a courier, who straightway told Alberoni of the circumstance. As may be imagined, tormented as Alberoni was by jealousy and suspicion, this caused him infinite alarm. He was quite aware who Louville was;the credit he had attained with the King of Spain; the trouble Madamedes Ursins and the deceased Queen had had to get him out of their way;the fear, therefore, that he conceived on account of this unexpectedarrival, was so great that he passed all bounds, in order to free himselffrom it. 

He instantly despatched a courier to meet Louville with an orderprohibiting him to approach any nearer to Madrid. The courier missedLouville, but a quarter of an hour after this latter had alighted atSaint-Aignan's, he received a note from Grimaldo inclosing an order fromthe King of Spain, commanding him to leave the city that instant!Louville replied that he was charged with a confidential letter from theKing of France, and with another from M. Le Duc d'Orleans, for the Kingof Spain; and with a commission for his Catholic Majesty which would notpermit him to leave until he had executed it. In consequence of thisreply, a courier was at once despatched to the Prince de Cellamare, Spanish ambassador at Paris, ordering him to ask for the recall ofLouville, and to declare that the King of Spain so disliked his personthat he would neither see him, nor allow him to treat with any of theministers!

Meanwhile the fatigue of the journey followed by such a reception soaffected Louville, that during the night he had an attack of a disease towhich he was subject, so that he had a bath prepared for him, into whichhe got towards the end of the morning. 

Alberoni, not satisfied with what he had already done, came himself tothe Duc de Saint-Aignan's, in order to persuade Louville to depart atonce. Despite the representations made to him, he insisted uponpenetrating to the sick-chamber. There he saw Louville in his bath. Nothing could be more civil than the words of Alberoni, but nothing couldbe more dry, more negative, or more absolute than their signification. He pitied the other's illness and the fatigue of his journey; would havewished to have known of this journey beforehand, so as to have preventedit; and had hoped to be able to overcome the repugnance of the King ofSpain to see him, or at least to obtain permission for him to remain somedays in Madrid. He added that he had been unable to shake his Majesty inany way, or to avoid obeying the very express order he had received fromhim, to see that he (Louville) departed at once. 

Louville, however, was in a condition which rendered his departureimpossible. Alberoni admitted this, but warned him that his stay mustonly last as long as his illness, and that the attack once over, he mustaway. Louville insisted upon the confidential letters, of which he wasthe bearer, and which gave him an official character, instructed as hewas to execute an important commission from the King of France, nephew ofthe King of Spain, such as his Majesty could not refuse to hear directfrom his mouth, and such as he would regret not having listened to. The dispute was long and warm, despite the illness of Louville, who couldgain nothing. He did not fail to remain five or six days with the Duc deSaint-Aignan, and to make him act as ambassador in order to obtain anaudience of the King, although Saint-Aignan was hurt at being keptignorant of the object of the other's mission. 

Louville did not dare to call upon a soul, for fear of committinghimself, and nobody dared to call upon him. He hazarded, however, forcuriosity, to go and see the King of Spain pass through a street, andascertain if, on espying him, he would not be tempted to hear him, incase his arrival, as was very possible, had been kept a secret. ButAlberoni had anticipated everything. Louville saw the King pass, certainly, but found it was impossible to make himself perceived by hisMajesty. Grimaldo came afterwards to intimate to Louville an absoluteorder to depart, and to inform the Duc de Saint-Aignan that the King ofSpain was so angry with the obstinacy of this delay, that he would notsay what might happen if the stay of Louville was protracted; but that hefeared the respect due to a representative minister, and above all anambassador of France, would be disregarded. 

Both Louville and Saint-Aignan clearly saw that all audience wasimpossible, and that in consequence a longer stay could only lead todisturbances which might embroil the two crowns; so that, at the end ofseven or eight days, Louville departed, returning as he came. Alberonibegan then to breathe again after the extreme fear he had had. He wasconsoled by this proof of his power, which showed he need no longer fearthat any one could approach the King without his aid, or that anybusiness could be conducted without him. Thus Spain lost Gibraltar, andshe has never been able to recover it since. 

Such is the utility of prime ministers!

Alberoni spread the report in Spain and in France, that Philip V. Hadtaken a mortal aversion against Louville, since he had driven him out ofthe country for his insolence and his scheming; that he would never seehim, and was offended because he had passed the Pyrenees; that Louvillehad no proposition to make, or commission to execute; that he haddeceived the Regent, in making him believe that if once he found apretext for appearing before the King of Spain, knowing him so well as hedid, that prince would be ravished by the memory of his former affection, would reinstate him in his former credit, and thus France would be ableto make Spain do all she wished. In a word, Alberoni declared thatLouville had only come into the country to try and obtain some of thepensions he had been promised on quitting the King of Spain, but that hehad not gone the right way to work to be so soon paid. 

Nothing short of the effrontery of Alberoni would have been enough forthe purpose of spreading these impostures. No one had forgotten in Spainwhat Madame des Ursins had done to get rid of Louville, how the King ofSpain had resisted; that she was not able to succeed without the aid ofFrance and her intrigues with Madame de Maintenon; and that the King, afflicted to the utmost, yielding to the orders given by France toLouville, had doubled the pensions which had for a long time been paid tohim, given him a sum of money in addition, and the government ofCourtray, which he lost only by the misfortune of the war that followedthe loss of the battle of Ramillies. With respect to the commission, todeny it was an extreme piece of impudence, a man being concerned so wellknown as Louville, who descends at the house of the ambassador of France, says he has letters of trust from the King and the Regent, and animportant mission which he can only confide to the King of Spain, theself-same ambassador striving to obtain an audience for him. Nothing wasso easy as to cover Louville with confusion, if he had spoken falsely, by making him show his letters; if he had none he would have been struckdumb, and having no official character, Alberoni would have been free topunish him. Even if with confidential letters, he had only a complaintto utter in order to introduce himself and to solicit his pay, Alberoniwould very easily have been able to dishonour him, because he had nocommission after having roundly asserted that he was charged with one ofgreat importance. But omnipotence says and does with impunity whateverit pleases. 

Louville having returned, it was necessary to send word to the King ofEngland of all he had done in Spain; and this business came to nothing, except that it set Alberoni against the Regent for trying to execute asecret commission without his knowledge; and that it set the Regentagainst Alberoni for frustrating a project so openly, and for showing thefull force of his power. Neither of the two ever forgot this matter; andthe dislike of Alberoni to the Regent led, as will be seen, to somestrange results. 

I will add here, that the treaty of alliance between France and Englandwas signed a short time after this event. I did my utmost to prevent it, representing to the Regent that his best policy was to favour the causeof the Pretender, and thus by keeping the attention of Great Britaincontinually fixed upon her domestic concerns, he would effectuallyprevent her from influencing the affairs of the continent, and long werethe conversations I had with him, insisting upon this point. Butalthough, while he was with me, my arguments might appear to have someweight with him, they were forgotten, clean swept from his mind, directlythe Abbe Dubois, who had begun to obtain a most complete and perniciousinfluence over him, brought his persuasiveness to bear. Dubois' palm hadbeen so well greased by the English that he was afraid of nothing. He succeeded then in inducing the Regent to sign a treaty with England, in every way, it may safely be said, advantageous to that power, and inno way advantageous to France. Amongst other conditions, the Regentagreed to send the so-called Pretender out of the realm, and to force himto seek an asylum in Italy. This was, in fact, executed to the letter. King James, who for some time had retired to Avignon, crossed the Alpsand settled in Rome, where he lived ever afterwards. I could not butdeplore the adoption of a policy so contrary to the true interests ofFrance; but the business being done I held my peace, and let matters taketheir course. It was the only course of conduct open to me. 

CHAPTER LXXXIV

I have already shown in these memoirs, that the late King had made of thelieutenant of police a species of secret and confidential minister; asort of inquisitor, with important powers that brought him in constantrelation with the King. The Regent, with less authority than thedeceased monarch, and with more reasons than he to be well informed ofeverything passing, intrigues included, found occupying this office oflieutenant of police, Argenson, who had gained his good graces chiefly, I fancy, when the affair of the cordelier was on the carpet, as shown inits place. Argenson, who had much intelligence, and who had desired thispost as the entry, the basis, and the road of his fortune, filled it in avery superior manner, and the Regent made use of him with much liberty. The Parliament, very ready to show the extent of its authorityeverywhere, at the least as though in competition with that of theRegent, suffered impatiently what it called the encroachments of theCourt. It wished to indemnify itself for the silence it had beencompelled to keep thereon under the last reign, and to re-obtain at theexpense of the Regent all it had lost of its authority over the police, of which it is the head. The lieutenant of police is answerable to thisbody--even receives his orders from it, and its reprimands (in publicaudiences, standing uncovered at the bar of the Parliament) from themouth of the Chief-President, or of him who presides, and who calls himneither Master nor Monsieur, but nakedly by his name, although thelieutenant of police might have claimed these titles, being thenCouncillor of State. 

The Parliament wished, then, to humiliate Argenson (whom it hated duringthe time of the deceased King); to give a disagreeable lesson to theRegent; to prepare worse treatment still for his lieutenant of police; tomake parade of its power, to terrify thus the public, and arrogate toitself the right of limiting the authority of the Regent. 

Argenson had often during the late reign, and sometimes since, made useof an intelligent and clever fellow, just suited to him, and namedPomereu, to make discoveries, arrest people, and occasionally keep them ashort time in his own house. The Parliament believed, and rightly, thatin arresting this man under other pretexts, it would find the thread ofmany curious and secret tortuosities, which would aid its design, andthat it might plume itself upon protecting the public safety against thetyranny of secret arrests and private imprisonments. To carry out itsaim it made use of the Chamber of justice, so as to appear as little aspossible in the matter. This Chamber hastened on so well theproceedings, for fear of being stopped on the road, that the first hintpeople had of them was on learning that Pomereu was, by decree of thisChamber, in the prisons of the Conciergerie, which are those of theParliament. Argenson, who was informed of this imprisonment immediatelyit took place, instantly went to the Regent, who that very moment sent a'lettre de cachet', ordering Pomereu to be taken from prison by force ifthe gaoler made the slightest difficulty in giving him up to the bearersof the 'lettre de cachet'; but that gentleman did not dare to make any. The execution was so prompt that this man was not an hour in prison, andthey who had sent him there had not time to seize upon a box of paperswhich had been transported with him to the Conciergerie, and which wasvery carefully carried away with him. At the same time, everything inany way bearing upon Pomereu, or upon the things in which he had beenemployed, was carefully removed and secreted. 

The vexation of the Parliament upon seeing its prey, which it hadreckoned upon making such a grand use of, carried off before its eyes, may be imagined. It left nothing undone in order to move the public byits complaints, and by its cries against such an attack upon law. TheChamber of justice sent a deputation to the Regent, who made, fun of it, by gravely giving permission to the deputies to re-take their prisoner, but without saying a single word to them upon his escape from gaol. Hewas in Paris, in a place where he feared nobody. The Chamber of justicefelt the derisiveness of the Regent's permission, and ceased to transactbusiness. It thought to embarrass the Regent thus, but 'twould have beenat its own expense. This lasted only a day or two. The Duc de Noaillesspoke to the Chamber; the members felt they could gain nothing by theirstrike, and that if they were obstinate they would be dispensed with, andothers found to perform their duties. They recommenced their laboursthen, and the Parliament gained nothing by its attack, but only showedits ill-will, and at the same time its powerlessness. 

I have forgotten something which, from its singularity, deservesrecollection, and I will relate it now lest it should escape me again. 

One afternoon, as we were about to take our places at the regencycouncil, the Marechal de Villars drew me aside and asked me if I knewthat Marly was going to be destroyed. I replied, "No;" indeed, I had notheard speak of it; and I added that I could not believe it. "You do notapprove of it?" said the Marechal. I assured him I was far from doingso. He repeated that the destruction was resolved on, that he knew itbeyond all doubt, and that if I wished to hinder it, I had not a momentto lose. I replied that when we took our places I would speak to M. LeDuc d'Orleans. "Immediately, " quickly replied the Marechal; "speak tohim this instant, for the order is perhaps already given. "

As all the council were already seated I went behind to M. Le Ducd'Orleans, and whispered in his ear what I had just learnt without namingfrom whom, and begged him, if my information was right, to suspendexecution of his project until I had spoken to him, adding that I wouldjoin him at the Palais Royal after the council. He stammered a little, as if sorry at being discovered, but nevertheless agreed to wait for me:I said so in leaving to the Marechal de Villars, and went to the PalaisRoyal, where M. Le Duc d'Orleans admitted the truth of the news I hadheard. I said I would not ask who had given such a pernicious counsel. He tried to show it was good by pointing to the saving in keeping up thatwould be obtained; to the gain that would accrue from the sale of so manywater-conduits and materials; to the unpleasant situation of a place towhich the King would not be able to go for several years; and to theexpense the King was put to in keeping up so many other beautiful houses, not one of which admitted of pulling down. 

I replied to him, that these were the reasons of the guardian of aprivate gentleman that had been presented to him, the conduct of whomcould in no way resemble that of the guardian of a King of France; thatthe expenses incurred in keeping up Marly were necessary, and that, compared with the total of those of the King, they were but as drops inthe ocean. I begged him to get rid of the idea that the sale of thematerials would yield any profit, --all the receipts would go in gifts andpillage, I said; and also that it was not these petty objects he ought toregard, but that he should consider how many millions had been buried inthis ancient sewer, to transform it into a fairy palace, unique as toform in all Europe--unique by the beauty of its fountains, unique also bythe reputation that the deceased King had given to it; and that it was anobject of curiosity to strangers of every rank who came to France; thatits destruction would resound throughout Europe with censure; that thesemean reasons of petty economy would not prevent all France from beingindignant at seeing so distinguished an ornament swept away; thatalthough neither he nor I might be very delicate upon what had been thetaste and the favourite work of the late King, the Regent ought to avoidwounding his memory, --which by such a long reign, so many brilliantyears, so many grand reverses so heroically sustained, and escaped fromin so unhoped-for a manner--had left the entire world in veneration ofhis person: in fine, that he might reckon all the discontented, all theneutral even, would join in chorus with the Ancient Court, and crymurder; that the Duc du Maine, Madame de Ventadour, the Marechal deVilleroy would not hesitate to look upon the destruction of Marly as acrime against the King, --a crime they would not fail to make the best offor their own purposes during all the regency, and even after it was atan end. I clearly saw that M. Le Duc d'Orleans had not in the leastreflected upon all this. He agreed that I was right: promised that Marlyshould not be touched, that it should continue to be kept up, and thankedme for preserving him from this fault. 

When I was well assured of him, "Admit, " said I, "that the King, in theother world, would be much astonished if he could know that the Duc deNoailles had made you order the destruction of Marly, and that it was whohindered it. "

"Oh! as to that, " he quickly replied, "it is true he could not believeit. " In effect Marly was preserved and kept up; and it is the CardinalFleury, with his collegiate proctor's avarice, who has stripped it of itsriver, which was its most superb charm. 

I hastened to relate this good resolve to the Marechal de Villars. The Duc de Noailles, who, for his own private reasons, had wished thedestruction of Marly, was furious when he saw his proposal fail. To indemnify himself in some degree for his vexation, he made the Regentagree, in the utmost secrecy, for fear of another failure, that all thefurniture, linen, etc. , should be sold. He persuaded M. Le Duc d'Orleansthat all these things would be spoiled and lost by the time the King wasold enough to use them; that in selling them a large sum would be gainedto relieve expenses; and that in future years the King could furnishMarly as he pleased. There was an immense quantity of things sold, butowing to favour and pillage they brought very little; and to replace themafterwards, millions were spent. I did not know of this sale, at whichanybody bought who wished, and at very low prices, until it hadcommenced; therefore I was unable to hinder this very damagingparsimoniousness. 

The Regent just about this time was bestowing his favours right and leftwith a very prodigal hand; I thought, therefore, I was fully entitled toask him for one, which, during the previous reign, had been so rare, souseful, and accordingly so difficult to obtain; I mean the right ofentering the King's room--the 'grandes entrees'--as it was called, and Iattained it at once. 

Since the occasion offers, I may as well explain what are the differentsorts of entrees. The most precious are called the "grand, " which givethe right to enter into all the retired places of the King's apartments, whenever the grand chamberlain and the chief gentlemen of the chamberenter. The importance of this privilege under a King who grantsaudiences with difficulty, need not be insisted on. Enjoying it, you canspeak with him, tete-a-tete, whenever you please, without asking hispermission, and without the knowledge of others; you obtain afamiliarity, too, with him by being able to see him thus in private. 

The offices which give this right are, those of grand chamberlain, offirst gentleman of the chamber, and of grand master of the wardrobe onannual duty; the children, legitimate and illegitimate, of the King, andthe wives and husbands of the latter enjoy the same right. As forMonsieur and M. Le Duc d'Orleans they always had these entrees, and assons of France, were at liberty to enter and see the King at all hours, but they did not abuse this privilege. The Duc du Maine and the Comte deToulouse had the same, which they availed themselves of unceasingly, butby the back stairs. 

The second entrees, simply called entrees, were purely personal; noappointment or change gave them. They conferred the right to see theKing at his rising, after the grandes, and also to see him, but underdifficulties, during all the day and evening. 

The last entrees are those called chamber entrees. They also give theright to see the King at his rising, before the distinguished courtiers;but no other privilege except to be present at the booting of the King. This was the name employed when the King changed his coat, in going orreturning from hunting or a walk. At Marly, all who were staying thereby invitation, entered to see this ceremony without asking; elsewhere, those who had not the entree were excluded. The first gentleman of thechamber had the right, and used it sometimes, to admit four or fivepersons at the most, to the "booting, " if they asked, and provided theywere people of quality, or of some distinction. 

Lastly, there were the entrees of the cabinet which gave you the right towait for the King there when he entered after rising, until he had givenorders for the day, and to pay your court to him, and to enter there whenhe entered to change his coat. Beyond this, the privilege attached tothese admissions did not extend. The Cardinals and the Princes of theblood had the entrees of the chamber and those of the cabinet, so had allthe chief officials. 

I was the first who had the 'grandes entrees' from the Regent. D'Antinasked for them next. Soon after, upon this example, they were accordedto D'O. M. Le Prince de Conti, the sole prince of the blood who had themnot, because he was the sole prince of the blood who did not come fromMadame de Montespan, received them next, and little by little theprivilege was completely prostituted as so many others were. 

By extremely rare good fortune a servant employed in the diamond mines ofthe Great Mogul found means to secrete about his person a diamond ofprodigious size, and what is more marvellous, to gain the seashore andembark without being subjected to the rigid and not very delicate ordeal, that all persons not above suspicion by their name or their occupation, are compelled to submit to, ere leaving the country. He played his cardsso well, apparently, that he was not suspected of having been near themines, or of having had anything to do with the jewel trade. To completehis good fortune he safely arrived in Europe with his diamond. He showedit to several princes, none of whom were rich enough to buy, and carriedit at last to England, where the King admired it, but could not resolveto purchase it. A model of it in crystal was made in England, and theman, the diamond, and the model (perfectly resembling the original) wereintroduced to Law, who proposed to the Regent that he should purchase thejewel for the King. The price dismayed the Regent, who refused to buy. 

Law, who had in many things much grandour of sentiment, came dispiritedto me, bringing the model. I thought, with him, that it was notconsistent with the greatness of a King of France to be repelled from thepurchase of an inestimable jewel, unique of its kind in the world, by themere consideration of price, and that the greater the number ofpotentates who had not dared to think of it, the greater ought to be hiscare not to let it escape him. Law, ravished to find me think in thismanner, begged me to speak to M. Le Duc d'Orleans. The state of thefinances was an obstacle upon which the Regent much insisted. He fearedblame for making so considerable a purchase, while the most pressingnecessities could only be provided for with much trouble, and so manypeople were of necessity kept in distress. I praised this sentiment, but I said that he ought not to regard the greatest King of Europe as hewould a private gentleman, who would be very reprehensible if he threwaway 100, 000 livres upon a fine diamond, while he owed many debts whichhe could not pay: that he must consider the honour of the crown, and notlose the occasion of obtaining, a priceless diamond which would effacethe lustre of all others in Europe: that it was a glory for his regencywhich would last for ever; that whatever might be the state of thefinances the saving obtained by a refusal of the jewel would not muchrelieve them, for it would be scarcely perceptible; in fact I did notquit M. Le Duc d'Orleans until he had promised that the diamond should bebought. 

Law, before speaking to me, had so strongly represented to the dealer theimpossibility of selling his diamond at the price he hoped for, and theloss he would suffer in cutting it into different pieces, that at last hemade him reduce the price to two millions, with the scrapings, which mustnecessarily be made in polishing, given in. The bargain was concluded onthese terms. The interest upon the two millions was paid to the dealeruntil the principal could be given to him, and in the meanwhile twomillions' worth of jewels were handed to him as security. 

M. Le Duc d'Orleans was agreeably deceived by the applause that thepublic gave to an acquisition so beautiful and so unique. This diamondwas called the "Regent. " It is of the size of a greengage plum, nearlyround, of a thickness which corresponds with its volume, perfectly white, free from all spot, speck, or blemish, of admirable water, and weighsmore than 500 grains. I much applauded myself for having induced theRegent to make so illustrious a purchase. 

CHAPTER LXXXV

In 1716 the Duchesse de Lesdiguieres died at Paris in her fine hotel. She was not old, but had been long a widow, and had lost her only son. She was the last relic of the Gondi who were brought into France byCatherine de' Medici, and who made so prodigious a fortune. She leftgreat wealth. She was a sort of fairy, who, though endowed with muchwit, would see scarcely anybody, still less give dinners to the fewpeople she did see. She never went to Court, and seldom went out of herhouse. The door of her house was always thrown back, disclosing agrating, through which could be perceived a true fairy palace, such asis sometimes described in romances. Inside it was nearly desert, but ofconsummate magnificence, and all this confirmed the first impression, assisted by the singularity of everything, her followers, her livery, the yellow hangings of her carriage, and the two great Moors who alwaysfollowed her. She left much to her servants, and for pious purposes, butnothing to her daughter-in-law, though poor and respectful to her. Othersgot magnificent legacies. 

Cavoye died about the same time. I have said enough about him and hiswife to have nothing to add. Cavoye, away from Court, was like a fishout of water; and he could not stand it long. If romances have rarelyproduced conduct like that of his wife towards him, they would with stillgreater difficulty describe the courage with which her lasting love forher husband sustained her in her attendance on his last illness, and theentombment to which she condemned herself afterwards. She preserved herfirst mourning all her life, never slept away from the house where hedied, or went out, except to go twice a day to Saint-Sulpice to pray inthe chapel where he was buried. She would never see any other personsbesides those she had seen during the last moments of her husband, andoccupied herself with good works also, consuming herself thus in a fewyears without a single sign of hesitation. A vehemence so equal and somaintained is perhaps an example, great, unique, and assuredly veryrespectable. 

Peter I. , Czar of Muscovy, has made for himself, and justly, such a greatname, in his own country, in all Europe, and in Asia, that I will notundertake to describe so grand, so illustrious a prince--comparable tothe greatest men of antiquity--who has been the admiration of his age, who will be that of years to come, and whom all Europe has been so muchoccupied in studying. The singularity of the journey into France of soextraordinary a prince, has appeared to me to deserve a completedescription in an unbroken narrative. It is for this reason that I placemy account of it here a little late, according to the order of time, butwith dates that will rectify this fault. 

Various things relating to this monarch have been seen in their place;his various journeys to Holland, Germany, Vienna, England, and to severalparts of the North; the object of those journeys, with some account ofhis military actions, his policy, his family. It has been shown that hewished to come into France during the time of the late King, who civillyrefused to receive him. There being no longer this obstacle, he wishedto satisfy his curiosity, and he informed the Regent through PrinceKourakin, his ambassador at Paris, that he was going to quit the LowCountries, and come and see the King. 

There was nothing for it but to appear very pleased, although the Regentwould gladly have dispensed with this visit. The expenses to be defrayedwere great; the trouble would be not less great with a prince so powerfuland so clear-sighted, but full of whims, with a remnant of barbarousmanners, and a grand suite of people, of behaviour very different fromthat common in these countries, full of caprices and of strange fashions, and both they and their master very touchy and very positive upon whatthey claimed to be due or permitted to them. 

Moreover the Czar was at daggers drawn with the King of England, theenmity between them passing all decent limits, and being the more bitterbecause personal. This troubled not a little the Regent, whose intimacywith the King of England was public, the private interest of Duboiscarrying it even to dependence. The dominant passion of the Czar was torender his territories flourishing by commerce; he had made a number ofcanals in order to facilitate it; there was one for which he needed theconcurrence of the King of England, because it traversed a little cornerof his German dominions. From jealousy George would not consent to it. Peter, engaged in the war with Poland, then in that of the North, inwhich George was also engaged, negotiated in vain. He was all the moreirritated, because he was in no condition to employ force; and thiscanal, much advanced, could not be continued. Such was the source ofthat hatred which lasted all the lives of these monarchs, and with theutmost bitterness. 

Kourakin was of a branch of that ancient family of the Jagellons, whichhad long worn the crowns of Poland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. He wasa tall, well-made man, who felt all the grandeur of his origin; had muchintelligence, knowledge of the way of managing men, and instruction. Hespoke French and several languages very fairly; he had travelled much, served in war, then been employed in different courts. He was Russian tothe backbone, and his extreme avarice much damaged his talents. The Czarand he had married two sisters, and each had a son. The Czarina had beenrepudiated and put into a convent near Moscow; Kourakin in no waysuffered from this disgrace; he perfectly knew his master, with whom hekept on very free terms, and by whom he was treated with confidence andconsideration. His last mission had been to Rome, where he remainedthree years; thence he came as ambassador to Paris. At Rome he waswithout official character, and without business except a secret one, with which the Czar had entrusted him, as to a sure and enlightened man. 

This monarch, who wished to raise himself and his country from barbarism, and extend his power by conquests and treaties, had felt the necessity ofmarriages, in order to ally himself with the chief potentates of Europe. But to form such marriages he must be of the Catholic religion, fromwhich the Greeks were separated by such a little distance, that hethought his project would easily be received in his dominions, if heallowed liberty of conscience there. But this prince was sufficientlysagacious to seek enlightenment beforehand upon Romish pretensions. Hehad sent for that purpose to Rome a man of no mark, but capable of wellfulfilling his mission, who remained there five or six months, and whobrought back no very satisfactory report. Later he opened his heart inHolland to King William, who dissuaded him from his design, and whocounselled him even to imitate England, and to make himself the chief ofhis religion, without which he would never be really master in his owncountry. This counsel pleased the Czar all the more, because it was bythe wealth and by the authority of the patriarchs of Moscow, hisgrandfathers, and great-grandfathers, that his father had attained thecrown, although only of ordinary rank among the Russian nobility. 

These patriarchs were dependent upon those of the Greek rite ofConstantinople but very slightly. They had obtained such great power, and such prodigious rank, that at their entry into Moscow the Czar heldtheir stirrups, and, on foot, led their horse by the bridle: Since thegrandfather of Peter, there had been no patriarch at Moscow. Peter I. , who had reigned some time with his elder brother, incapable of affairs, long since dead, leaving no son, had, like his father, never consented tohave a patriarch there. The archbishops of Novgorod supplied their placein certain things, as occupying the chief see after that of Moscow, butwith scarcely any authority that the Czar did not entirely usurp, andmore carefully still after King William had given him the counsel beforealluded to; so that by degrees he had become the real religious chief ofhis vast dominions. 

Nevertheless, the passionate desire he had to give to his posterity theprivilege of marrying with Catholic princes, the wish he had, above all, for the honour of alliances with the house of France, and that ofAustria, made him return to his first project. He tried to persuadehimself that the man whom he had secretly sent to Rome had not been wellinformed, or had ill understood; he resolved, therefore, to fathom hisdoubts, so that he should no longer have any as to the course he ought toadopt. 

It was with this design that he chose Prince Kourakin, whose knowledgeand intelligence were known to him, and sent him to Rome under pretenceof curiosity, feeling that a nobleman of his rank would find the best, the most important, and the most distinguished society there ready toreceive him; and that by remaining there, under pretext of liking thelife he led, and of wishing to see and admire at his ease all the marvelsof so many different kinds collected there, he should have leisure andmeans to return perfectly instructed upon everything he wished to know. Kourakin, in fact, remained in Rome three years, associating with thesavans on the one hand and the best company on the other, whence bydegrees he obtained all he wished to know; all the more readily becausethis Court boasts of its temporal pretensions and of its conquests ofthis kind, instead of keeping them secret. In consequence of the longand faithful report that Kourakin made to the Czar, that prince heaved asigh, saying that he must be master in his own country, and could notplace there anybody greater than himself; and never afterwards did hethink of turning Catholic. 

This fact respecting the Czars and Rome, Prince Kourakin did not hide. Everybody who knew him has heard him relate it. I have eaten with himand he with me, and I have talked a good deal with him, and heard himtalk, with pleasure, upon many things. 

The Regent, informed by him of the forthcoming arrival in France of theCzar by sea, sent the King's equipages; horses, coaches, vehicles, waggons, and tables and chambers with Du Libois, one of the King'sgentlemen in ordinary, to go and wait for the Czar at Dunkerque, pay theexpenses incurred by him and his suite on the way to Paris, andeverywhere render him the same honour as to the King. The Czar proposedto allot a hundred days to his journey. The apartment of the Queen-mother at the Louvre was furnished for him, the councils usually heldthere taking place in the houses of the chiefs of these councils. 

M. Le Duc d'Orleans discussing with me as to the nobleman best fitted tobe appointed to wait upon the Czar during his stay, I recommended theMarechal de Tesse, as a man without occupation, who well knew thelanguage and usages of society, who was accustomed to foreigners by hisjourneys and negotiations in Spain, Turin, Rome, and in other courts ofItaly, and who, gentle and polite, was sure to perform his duties well. M. Le Duc d'Orleans agreed with me, and the next day sent for him andgave him his orders. 

When it was known that the Czar was near Dunkerque, the Regent sent theMarquis de Neelle to receive him at Calais, and accompany him until theymet the Marechal de Tesse, who was not to go beyond Beaumont to wait forhim. At the same time the Hotel de Lesdiguieres was prepared for theCzar and his suite, under the idea that he might prefer a private house, with all his people around him, to the Louvre. The Hotel de Lesdiguiereswas large and handsome, as I have said at the commencement of thischapter, adjoined the arsenal, and belonged by succession to the Marechalde Villeroy, who lodged at the Tuileries. Thus the house was empty, because the Duc de Villeroy, who was not a man fond of display, had foundit too distant to live in. It was entirely refurnished, and verymagnificently, with the furniture of the King. 

The Czar arrived at Beaumont on Friday, the 7th of May, 1717, about mid-day. Tesse made his reverences to him as he descended from his coach, had the honour of dining with him, and of escorting him that very day toParis. 

The Czar entered the city in one of Tesse's coaches, with three of hissuite with him, but not Tesse himself. The Marechal followed in anothercoach. The Czar alighted at nine o'clock in the evening at the Louvre, and walked all through the apartments of the Queen-mother. He consideredthem to be too magnificently hung and lighted, jumped into his coachagain, and went to the Hotel de Lesdiguieres, where he wished to lodge. He thought the apartment destined for him too fine also, and had hiscamp-bed immediately spread out in a wardrobe. The Marechal de Tesse, who was to do the honours of his house and of his table, to accompany himeverywhere, and not quit the place where he might be, lodged in anapartment of the Hotel de Lesdiguieres, and had enough to do in followingand sometimes running after him. Verton, one of the King's maitresd'hotel, was charged with serving him and all the tables of the Czar andhis suite. The suite consisted of forty persons of all sorts, twelve orfifteen of whom were considerable people in themselves, or by theirappointments; they all ate with the Czar. 

Verton was a clever lad, strong in certain company, fond of good cheerand of gaming, and served the Czar with so much order, and conductedhimself so well, that this monarch and all the suite conceived a singularfriendship for him. 

The Czar excited admiration by his extreme curiosity, always bearing uponhis views of government, trade, instruction, police, and this curiosityembraced everything, disdained nothing in the smallest degree useful;it was marked and enlightened, esteeming only what merited to beesteemed, and exhibited in a clear light the intelligence, justness, ready appreciation of his mind. Everything showed in the Czar the vastextent of his knowledge, and a sort of logical harmony of ideas. Heallied in the most surprising manner the highest, the proudest, the mostdelicate, the most sustained, and at the same time the least embarrassingmajesty, when he had established it in all its safety with a markedpoliteness. Yet he was always and with everybody the master everywhere, but with gradations, according to the persons he was with. He had a kindof familiarity which sprang from liberty, but he was not without a strongdash of that ancient barbarism of his country, which rendered all hisactions rapid; nay, precipitous, his will uncertain, and not to beconstrained or contradicted in anything. Often his table was but littledecent, much less so were the attendants who served, often too with anopenness of kingly audacity everywhere. What he proposed to see or dowas entirely independent of means; they were to be bent to his pleasureand command. His desire for liberty, his dislike to be made a show of, his free and easy habits, often made him prefer hired coaches, commoncabs even; nay, the first which he could lay his hands on, thoughbelonging to people below him of whom he knew nothing. He jumped in, andhad himself driven all over the city, and outside it. On one occasion heseized hold of the coach of Madame de Mattignon, who had come to gape athim, drove off with it to Boulogne and other country places near Paris. The owner was much astonished to find she must journey back on foot. Onsuch occasions the Marechal de Tesse and his suite had often hard work tofind the Czar, who had thus escaped them. 

CHAPTER LXXXVI

The Czar was a very tall man, exceedingly well made; rather thin, hisface somewhat round, a high forehead, good eyebrows, a rather short nose, but not too short, and large at the end, rather thick lips, complexionreddish brown, good black eyes, large, bright, piercing, and well open;his look majestic and gracious when he liked, but when otherwise, severeand stern, with a twitching of the face, not often occurring, but whichappeared to contort his eyes and all his physiognomy, and was frightfulto see; it lasted a moment, gave him a wild and terrible air, and passedaway. All his bearing showed his intellect, his reflectiveness, and hisgreatness, and was not devoid of a certain grace. He wore a linencollar, a round-brown wig, as though without powder, and which did notreach to his shoulders; a brown coat tight to the body, even, and withgold buttons; vest, breeches, stockings, no gloves or ruffles, the starof his order over his coat, and the cordon under it, the coat itselfbeing frequently quite unbuttoned, his hat upon the table, but never uponhis head, even out of doors. With this simplicity ill-accompanied or illmounted as he might be, the air of greatness natural to him could not bemistaken. 

What he ate and drank at his two regular meals is inconceivable, withoutreckoning the beer, lemonade, and other drinks he swallowed between theserepasts, his suite following his example; a bottle or two of beer, asmany more of wine, and occasionally, liqueurs afterwards; at the end ofthe meal strong drinks, such as brandy, as much sometimes as a quart. This was about the usual quantity at each meal. His suite at his tabledrank more and ate in proportion, at eleven o'clock in the morning and ateight at night. There was a chaplain who ate at the table of the Czar, who consumed half as much again as the rest, and with whom the monarch, who was fond of him, much amused himself. Prince Kourakin went every dayto the Hotel de Lesdiguieres, but lodged elsewhere. 

The Czar well understood French, and I think could have spoken it, if hehad wished, but for greatness' sake he always had an interpreter. Latinand many other languages he spoke very well. There was a detachment ofguards in his house, but he would scarcely ever allow himself to befollowed by them. He would not set foot outside the Hotel deLesdiguieres, whatever curiosity he might feel, or give any signs oflife, until he had received a visit from the King. 

On Saturday, the day after his arrival, the Regent went in the morning tosee the Czar. This monarch left his cabinet, advanced a few paces, embraced Monsieur d'Orleans with an air of great superiority, pointed tothe door of the cabinet, and instantly turning on his heel, without theslightest compliment, entered there. The Regent followed, and PrinceKourakin after him to serve as interpreter. They found two armchairsfacing each other, the Czar seated himself in the upper, the Regent inthe other. The conversation lasted nearly an hour without public affairsbeing mentioned, after which the Czar left his cabinet; the Regentfollowed him, made him a profound reverence, but slightly returned, andleft him in the same place as he had found him on entering. 

On Monday, the 10th of May, the King went to see the Czar, who receivedhim at the door, saw him alight from his coach, walked with him at hisleft into his chamber, where they found two armchairs equally placed. The King sat down in the right-hand one, the Czar in the other, PrinceKourakin served as interpreter. It was astonishing to see the Czar takethe King under both arms, hoist him up to his level, embrace him thus inthe air; and the King, young as he was, show no fear, although he couldnot possibly have been prepared for such a reception. It was striking, too, to see the grace which the Czar displayed before the King, the airof tenderness he assumed towards him, the politeness which flowed as itwere naturally, and which nevertheless was mixed with greatness, withequality of rank, and slightly with superiority of age: for all thesethings made themselves felt. He praised the King, appeared charmed withhim, and persuaded everybody he was. He embraced him again and again. The King paid his brief compliment very prettily; and M. Du Maine, theMarechal de Villeroy, and the distinguished people present, filled up theconversation. The meeting lasted a short quarter of an hour. The Czaraccompanied the King as he had received him, and saw him to his coach. 

On Tuesday, the 11th of May, between four and five o'clock, the Czar wentto see the King. He was received by the King at his carriage door, tookup a position on his right, and was conducted within. All theseceremonies had been agreed on before the King went to see him. The Czarshowed the same affection and the same attentions to the King as before;and his visit was not longer than the one he had received, but the crowdmuch surprised him. 

He had been at eight o'clock in the morning to see the Place Royal, thePlace des Victoires, and the Place de Vendome, and the next day he wentto the Observatoire, the Gobelins, and the King's Garden of Simples. Everywhere he amused himself in examining everything, and in asking manyquestions. 

On Thursday, the 13th of May, he took medicine, but did not refrain afterdinner from calling upon several celebrated artificers. On Friday, the14th, he went at six o'clock in the morning into the grand gallery of theLouvre, to see the plans in relief of all the King's fortified places, Hasfield, with his engineers, doing the honours. The Czar examined allthese plans for a long time; visited many other parts of the Louvre, anddescended afterwards into the Tuileries garden, from which everybody hadbeen excluded. They were working then upon the Pont Tournant. The Czarindustriously examined this work, and remained there a long time. In theafternoon he went to see, at the Palais Royal, Madame, who had sent hercompliments to him by her officer. The armchair excepted, she receivedhim as she would have received the King. M. Le Duc d'Orleans cameafterwards and took him to the Opera, into his grand box, where they satupon the front seat upon a splendid carpet. Sometime after, the Czarasked if there was no beer to be had. Immediately a large goblet of itwas brought to him, on a salver. The Regent rose, took it, and presentedit to the Czar, who with a smile and an inclination of politeness, received the goblet without any ceremony, drank, and put it back on thesalver which the Regent still held. In handing it back, the Regent tooka plate, in which was a napkin, presented it to the Czar, who withoutrising made use of it, at which the house appeared rather astonished. At the fourth act the Czar went away to supper, but did not wish theRegent to leave the box. The next morning he jumped into a hired coach, and went to see a number of curiosities among the workmen. 

On the 16th of May, Whit Sunday, he went to the Invalides, where hewished to see and examine everything. At the refectory he tasted thesoldiers' soup and their wine, drank to their healths, struck them on theshoulders, and called them comrades. He much admired the church, thedispensary, and the infirmary, and appeared much pleased with the orderof the establishment. The Marechal de Villars did the honours; theMarechale went there to look on. The Czar was very civil to her. 

On Monday, the 17th, he dined early with Prince Ragotzi, who had invitedhim, and afterwards went to Meudon, where he found some of the King'shorses to enable him to see the gardens and the park at his ease. PrinceRagotzi accompanied him. 

On Tuesday, the 18th, the Marechal d'Estrees took him, at eight o'clockin the morning, to his house at Issy, gave him a dinner, and much amusedhim during the day with many things shown to him relating to the navy. 

On Monday, the 24th, he went out early to the Tuileries, before the Kingwas up. He entered the rooms of the Marechal de Villeroy, who showed himthe crown jewels. They were more beautiful and more numerous than hesuspected, but he said he was not much of a judge of such things. Hestated that he cared but little for the beauties purely of wealth andimagination, above all for those he could not attain. Thence he wishedto go and see the King, who spared him the trouble by coming. It hadbeen expressly arranged thus, so that his visit should appear one ofchance. They met each other in a cabinet, and remained there. The King, who held a roll of paper in his hand, gave it to him, and said it was themap of his territories. This compliment much pleased the Czar, whosepoliteness and friendly affectionate bearing were the same as before, with much grace and majesty. 

In the afternoon he went to Versailles, where the Marechal de Tesse lefthim to the Duc d'Antin. The apartment of Madame la Dauphine was preparedfor him, and he slept in the room of Monseigneur le Dauphin (the King'sfather), now made into a cabinet for the Queen. 

On Tuesday, the 25th, he had traversed the gardens, and had been upon thecanal early in the morning, before the hour of his appointment withD'Antin. He saw all Versailles, Trianon, and the menagerie. Hisprincipal suite was lodged at the chateau. They took ladies with them, and slept in the apartments Madame de Maintenon had occupied, quite closeto that in which the Czar slept. Bloin, governor of Versailles, wasextremely scandalised to see this temple of prudery thus profaned. Itsgoddess and he formerly would have been less shocked. The Czar and hispeople were not accustomed to restraint. 

The expenses of this Prince amounted to six hundred crowns a day, thoughhe had much diminished his table since the commencement. 

On Sunday, the 30th of May, he set out with Bellegarde, and many relays, to dine at Petit Bourg, with D'Antin, who received him there, and tookhim in the afternoon to see Fontainebleau, where he slept, and the morrowthere was a stag-hunt, at which the Comte de Toulouse did the honours. Fontainebleau did not much please the Czar, and the hunt did not pleasehim at all; for he nearly fell off his horse, not being accustomed tothis exercise, and finding it too violent. When he returned to PetitBourg, the appearance of his carriage showed that he had eaten and drunka good deal in it. 

On Friday, the 11th of June, he went from Versailles to Saint-Cyr, wherehe saw all the household, and the girls in their classes. He wasreceived there like the King. He wished to see Madame de Maintenon, who, expecting his curiosity, had buried herself in her bed, all the curtainsclosed, except one, which was half-open. The Czar entered her chamber, pulled back the window-curtains upon arriving, then the bed-curtains, took a good long stare at her, said not a word to her, --nor did she openher lips, --and, without making her any kind of reverence, went his way. I knew afterwards that she was much astonished, and still more mortifiedat this; but the King was no more. The Czar returned on Saturday, the12th of June, to Paris. 

On Tuesday, the 15th of June, he went early to D'Antin's Paris house. Working this day with M. Le Duc d'Orleans, I finished in half an hour; hewas surprised, and wished to detain me. I said, I could always have thehonour of finding him, but not the Czar, who was going away; that I hadnot yet seen him, and was going to D'Antin's to stare at my ease. Nobodyentered except those invited, and some ladies with Madame la Duchesse andthe Princesses, her daughters, who wished to stare also. I entered thegarden, where the Czar was walking. The Marechal de Tesse, seeing me ata distance, came up, wishing to present me to the Czar. I begged him todo nothing of the kind, not even to perceive me, but to let me gape at myease, which I could not do if made known. I begged him also to tell thisto D'Antin, and with these precautions I was enabled to satisfy mycuriosity without interruption. I found that the Czar conversedtolerably freely, but always as the master everywhere. He retired into acabinet, where D'Antin showed him various plans and several curiosities, upon which he asked several questions. It was there I saw the convulsionwhich I have noticed. I asked Tesse if it often happened; he replied, "several times a day, especially when he is not on his guard to preventit. " Returning afterwards into the garden, D'Antin made the Czar passthrough the lower apartments, and informed him that Madame la Duchessewas there with some ladies, who had a great desire to see him. He madeno reply, but allowed himself to be conducted. He walked more gently, turned his head towards the apartment where all the ladies were underarms to receive him; looked well at them all, made a slight inclinationof the head to the whole company at once, and passed on haughtily. Ithink, by the manner in which he received other ladies, that he wouldhave shown more politeness to these if Madame la Duchesse had not beenthere, making her visit too pretentious. He affected even not to inquirewhich she was, or to ask the name of any of the others. I was nearly anhour without quitting him, and unceasingly regarding him. At last I sawhe remarked it. This rendered me more discreet, lest he should ask who Iwas. As he was returning, I walked away to the room where the table waslaid. D'Antin, always the same, had found means to have a very goodportrait of the Czarina placed upon the chimney-piece of this room, withverses in her praise, which much pleased and surprised the Czar. He andhis suite thought the portrait very like. 

The King gave the Czar two magnificent pieces of Gobelins tapestry. Hewished to give him also a beautiful sword, ornamented with diamonds, buthe excused himself from accepting it. The Czar, on his side, distributed60, 000 livres to the King's domestics, who had waited upon him; gave toD'Antin, Marechal d'Estrees, and Marechal Tesse, his portrait, adornedwith diamonds, and five gold and eleven silver medals, representing theprincipal actions of his life. He made a friendly present to Verton, whom he begged the Regent to send to him as charge d'affaires of theKing, which the Regent promised. 

On Wednesday, the 16th of June, he attended on horseback a review of thetwo regiments of the guards; gendarmes, light horse, and mousquetaires. There was only M. Le Duc d'Orleans with him; the Czar scarcely looked atthese troops, and they perceived it. He partook of a dinner-supper atSaint Ouen, at the Duc de Tresmes, where he said that the excessive heatand dust, together with the crowd on horseback and on foot, had made himquit the review sooner than he wished. The meal was magnificent; theCzar learnt that the Marquise de Bethune, who was looking on, was thedaughter of the Duc de Tresriles; he begged her to sit at table; she wasthe only lady who did so, among a crowd of noblemen. Several otherladies came to look on, and to these he was very civil when he knew whothey were. 

On Thursday, the 17th, he went for the second time to the Observatoire, and there supped with the Marechal de Villars. 

On Friday, the 18th of June, the Regent went early to the Hotel deLesdiguieres, to say adieu to the Czar, remaining some time with him, with Prince Kourakin present. After this visit the Czar went to saygoodbye to the King at the Tuileries. It had been agreed that thereshould be no more ceremonies between them. It was impossible to displaymore intelligence, grace, and tenderness towards the King than the Czardisplayed on all these occasions; and again on the morrow, when the Kingcame to the Hotel de Lesdiguieres to wish him a pleasant journey, noceremony being observed. 

On Sunday, the 20th of June, the Czar departed, and slept at Ivry, boundstraight for Spa, where he was expected by the Czarina. He would beaccompanied by nobody, not even on leaving Paris. The luxury he remarkedmuch surprised him; he was moved in speaking upon the King and uponFrance, saying, he saw with sorrow that this luxury would soon ruin thecountry. He departed, charmed by the manner in which he had beenreceived, by all he had seen, by the liberty that had been left to him, and extremely desirous to closely unite himself with the King; but theinterests of the Abbe Dubois, and of England, were obstacles which havebeen much deplored since. 

The Czar had an extreme desire to unite himself to France. Nothing wouldhave been more advantageous to our commerce, to our importance in thenorth, in Germany, in all Europe. The Czar kept England in restraint asto her commerce, and King George in fear for his German states. He keptHolland respectful, and the Emperor measured. It cannot be denied thathe made a grand figure in Europe and in Asia, or that France would haveinfinitely profited by close union with him. He did not like theEmperor; he wished to sever us from England, and it was England whichrendered us deaf to his invitations, unbecomingly so, though they lastedafter his departure. Often I vainly pressed the Regent upon thissubject, and gave him reasons of which he felt all the force, and towhich he could not reply. He was bewitched by Dubois, who panted tobecome Cardinal, and who built all his hopes of success upon England. The English saw his ambition, and took advantage of it for their owninterests. Dubois' aim was to make use of the intimacy between the Kingof England and the Emperor, in order that the latter might be induced bythe former to obtain a Cardinalship from the Pope, over whom he had greatpower. It will be seen, in due time, what success has attended theintrigues of the scheming and unscrupulous Abbe. 

CHAPTER LXXXVII

Courson, Intendant, or rather King of Languedoc, exercised his authoritythere so tyrannically that the people suffered the most cruel oppressionsat his hands. He had been Intendant of Rouen, and was so hated that morethan once he thought himself in danger of having his brains beaten outwith stones. He became at last so odious that he was removed; but thecredit of his father saved him, and he was sent as Intendant to Bordeaux. He was internally and externally a very animal, extremely brutal, extremely insolent, his hands by no means clean, as was also the casewith those of his secretaries, who did all his work for him, he beingvery idle and quite unfit for his post. 

Amongst other tyrannic acts he levied very violent and heavy taxes inPerigueux, of his own good will and pleasure, without any edict or decreeof the Council; and seeing that people were not eager to satisfy hisdemands, augmented them, multiplied the expenses, and at last threw intodungeons some sheriffs and other rich citizens. He became so tyrannicalthat they sent a deputation to Paris to complain of him. But thedeputies went in vain the round of all the members of the council of theregency, after having for two months kicked their heels in the ante-chamber of the Duc de Noailles, the minister who ought to have attendedto their representations. 

The Comte de Toulouse, who was a very just man, and who had listened tothem, was annoyed that they could obtain no hearing of the Duc de, Noailles, and spoke to me on the subject. I was as indignant as he. I spoke to M. Le Duc d'Orleans, who only knew the matter superficially. I showed him the necessity of thoroughly examining into complaints ofthis nature; the injustice of allowing these deputies to wear out hope, patience, and life, in the streets of Paris, without giving someaudience; the cruelty of suffering honest citizens to languish indungeons, without knowing why or by what authority they were there. Heagreed with me, and promised to speak to the Duc de Noailles. At thefirst finance council after this, I apprised the Comte de Toulouse, andwe both asked the Duc de Noailles when he meant to bring forward theaffair of these Perigueux people. 

He was utterly unprepared for this question, and wished to put us off. Isaid to him that for a long time some of these people had been in prison, and others had wandered the streets of Paris; that this was shameful, andcould not be longer endured. The Comte de Toulouse spoke very firmly, inthe same sense. M. Le Duc d'Orleans arrived and took his place. 

As the Duc de Noailles opened his bag, I said very loudly to M. Le Ducd'Orleans that M. Le Comte de Toulouse and I had just asked M. DeNoailles when he would bring forward the Perigueux affair; that thesepeople, innocent or guilty, begged only to be heard and tried; and thatit appeared to me the council was in honour bound to keep them in miseryno longer. On finishing, I looked at the Comte de Toulouse, who alsosaid something short but rather strong. M. Le Duc d'Orleans replied thatwe could not have done better. The Duc de Noailles began mutteringsomething about the press of business; that he had not time, and soforth. I interrupted him by saying that he must find time, and that heought to have found it long before; that nothing was so important as tokeep people from ruin, or to extricate others from dungeons they wereremaining in without knowing why. M. Le Duc d'Orleans said a word to thesame effect, and ordered the Duc de Noailles to get himself ready tobring forward the case in a week. 

From excuse to excuse, three weeks passed over. At last I said openly toM. Le Duc d'Orleans that he was being laughed at, and that justice wasbeing trodden under foot. At the next council it appeared that M. Le Ducd'Orleans had already told the Duc de Noailles he would wait no longer. M. Le Comte de Toulouse and I continued to ask him if at last he wouldbring forward the Perigueux affair. We doubted not that it would in theend be brought forward, but artifice was not yet at an end. 

It was on a Tuesday afternoon, when M. Le Duc d'Orleans often abridgedthe council to go to the opera. Knowing this, the Duc de Noailles keptall the council occupied with different matters. I was between him andthe Comte de Toulouse. At the end of each matter I said to him, "And thePerigueux affair?"--"Directly, " he replied, and at once commencedsomething else. At last I perceived his project, and whispered so to theComte de Toulouse, who had already suspected it, and resolved not to beits dupe. When the Duc de Noailles had exhausted his bag, it was fiveo'clock. After putting back his papers he closed his bag, and said to M. Le Duc d'Orleans that there was still the Perigueux affair which he hadordered him to bring forward, but that it would be long and detailed;that he doubtless wished to go to the opera; that it could be attended tonext week; and at once, without waiting for a reply, he rises, pushesback his stool, and turns to go away. I took him by the arm. 

"Gently, " said I. "You must learn his highness's pleasure. Monsieur, "said I to M. Le Duc d'Orleans, still firmly holding the sleeve of the Ducde Noailles, "do you care much to-day for the opera?"

"No, no, " replied he; "let us turn to the Perigueux affair. "

"But without strangling it, " replied I. 

"Yes, " said M. Le Duc d'Orleans: then looking at M. Le Duc, who smiled;"you don't care to go there?"

"No, Monsieur, let us see this business, " replied M. Le Duc. 

"Oh, sit down again then, Monsieur, " said I to the Duc de Noailles in avery firm tone, pulling him sharply; "take your rest, and re-open yourbag. "

Without saying a word he drew forward his stool with a great noise, andthrew himself upon it as though he would smash it. Rage beamed from hiseyes. The Comte de Toulouse smiled; he had said his word, too, upon theopera, and all the company looked at us; nearly every one smiling, butastounded also. 

The Duc de Noailles displayed his papers, and began reading them. Asvarious documents were referred to, I turned them over, and now and thentook him up and corrected him. He did not dare to show anger in hisreplies, yet he was foaming. He passed an eulogy upon Basville (fatherof the Intendant), talked of the consideration he merited; excusedCourson, and babbled thereupon as much as he could to extenuateeverything, and lose sight of the principal points at issue. Seeing thathe did not finish, and that he wished to tire us, and to manage theaffair in his own way, I interrupted him, saying that the father and theson were two people; that the case in point respected the son alone, andthat he had to determine whether an Intendant was authorised or not, byhis office, to tax people at will; to raise imposts in the towns andcountry places of his department, without edicts ordering them, withouteven a decree of council, solely by his own particular ordonnances, andto keep people in prison four or five months, without form or shadow oftrial, because they refused to pay these heavy taxes, rendered still moreheavy by expenses. Then, turning round so as to look hard at him, "It isupon that, Monsieur, " added I, "that we must decide, since your report isover, and not amuse ourselves with a panegyric upon M. De Basville, whois not mixed up in the case. "

The Duc de Noailles, all the more beside himself because he saw theRegent smile, and M. Le Duc, who looked at me do the same, but moreopenly, began to speak, or rather to stammer. He did not dare, however, to decide against the release of the prisoners. 

"And the expenses, and the ordonnance respecting these taxes, what do youdo with them?"

"By setting the prisoners at liberty, " he said, "the ordonnance falls tothe ground. "

I did not wish to push things further just then. The liberation of theprisoners, and the quashing of the ordonnance, were determined on: somevoices were for the reimbursement of the charges at the expense of theIntendant, and for preventing him to do the like again. 

When it was my turn to speak, I expressed the same opinions, but I addedthat it was not enough to recompense people so unjustly ill-treated; thatI thought a sum of money, such as it should please the council toname, ought to be adjudged to them; and that as to an Intendant whoabused the authority of his office so much as to usurp that of the Kingand impose taxes, such as pleased him by his own ordinances, and whothrew people into dungeons as he thought fit by his private authority, pillaging thus a province, I was of opinion that his Royal Highnessshould be asked to make such an example of him that all the otherIntendants might profit by it. 

The majority of those who had spoken before me made signs that I wasright, but did not speak again. Others were against me. M. Le Ducd'Orleans promised the liberation of the prisoners, broke Courson's!, ordonnance, and all which had followed it; said that as for the rest, hewould take care these people should be well recompensed, and Courson wellblamed; that he merited worse, and, but for his father, would havereceived it. As we were about to rise, I said it would be as well todraw up the decree at once, and M. Le Duc d'Orleans approved. Noaillespounced, like a bird of prey, upon paper and ink, and commenced writing. I bent down and read as he wrote. He stopped and boggled at theannulling of the ordonnance, and the prohibition against issuing oneagain without authorisation by edict or decree of council. I dictatedthe clause to him; he looked at the company as though questioning alleyes. 

"Yes, " said I, "it was passed like that--you have only to ask again. "M. Le Duc d Orleans said, "Yes. " Noailles wrote. I took the paper, andread what he had written. He received it back in fury, cast it among thepapers pell-mell into his bag, then shoved his stool almost to the otherend of the room, and went out, bristling like a wild boar, withoutlooking at or saluting anybody--we all laughing. M. Le Duc and severalothers came to me, and with M. Le Comte de Toulouse, were much diverted. M. De Noailles had, in fact, so little command over himself, that, inturning to go out, he struck the table, swearing, and saying he couldendure it no longer. 

I learnt afterwards, by frequenters of the Hotel de Noailles, who told itto my friends, that when he reached home he went to bed: and would notsee a soul; that fever seized him, that the next day he was of afrightful temper, and, that he had been heard to say he could no longerendure the annoyances I caused him. It may be imagined whether or notthis softened me. The Duc de Noailles had, in fact, behaved towards mewith such infamous treachery, and such unmasked impudence, that I tookpleasure at all times and at all places in making him feel, and otherssee, the sovereign disdain I entertained for him. I did not allow myprivate feelings to sway my judgment when public interests were at stake, for when I thought the Duc de Noailles right, and this often occurred, I supported him; but when I knew him to be wrong, or when I caught himneglecting his duties, conniving at injustice, shirking inquiry, orevading the truth, I in no way spared him. The incident just related isan illustration of the treatment he often received at my hands. Fret, fume, stamp, storm, as he might, I cared nothing for him. His anger tome was as indifferent as his friendship. I despised both equally. Occasionally he would imagine, after there had been no storm between usfor some time, that I had become reconciled to him, and would makeadvances to me. But the stern and terrible manner in which I met them, --or rather refused to meet them, taking no more notice of his politenessand his compliments, than as if they made no appeal whatever to my eyesor ears, --soon convinced him of the permanent nature of our quarrel, anddrove him to the most violent rage and despair. 

The history of the affair was, apparently, revealed by somebody to thedeputies of Perigueux (for this very evening it was talked of in Paris), who came and offered me many thanks. Noailles was so afraid of me, thathe did not keep their business unsettled more than two days. 

A few months afterwards Courson was recalled, amid the bonfires of hisprovince. This did not improve him, or hinder him from obtainingafterwards one of the two places of councillor at the Royal Council ofFinance, for he was already Councillor of State at the time of thisaffair of Perigueux. 

An amusement, suited to the King's age, caused a serious quarrel. A sortof tent had been erected for him on the terrace of the Tuileries, beforehis apartments, and on the same level. The diversions of kings alwayshave to do with distinction. He invented some medals to give to thecourtiers of his own age, whom he wished to distinguish, and thosemedals, which were intended to be worn, conferred the right of enteringthis tent without being invited; thus was created the Order of thePavilion. The Marechal de Villeroy gave orders to Lefevre to have themedals made. He obeyed, and brought them to the Marechal, who presentedthem to the King. Lefevre was silversmith to the King's household, andas such under the orders of the first gentleman of the chamber. The Ducde Mortemart, who had previously had some tiff with the Marechal deVilleroy, declared that it devolved upon him to order these medals andpresent them to the King. He flew into a passion because everything hadbeen done without his knowledge; and complained to the Duc d'Orleans. It was a trifle not worth discussing, and in which the three othergentlemen of the chamber took no part. Thus the Duc de Mortemart, opposed alone to the Marechal de Villeroy, stood no chance. M. Le Ducd'Orleans, with his usual love for mezzo termine, said that Lefevre hadnot made these medals, or brought them to the Marechal as silversmith, but as having received through the Marechal the King's order, and thatnothing more must be said. The Duc de Mortemart was indignant, and didnot spare the Marechal. 

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