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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/3863.txt b/3863.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5230466 --- /dev/null +++ b/3863.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2866 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Memoirs of Louis XIV., Volume 4 +by Duc de Saint-Simon + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Memoirs of Louis XIV., Volume 4 + And His Court and of The Regency + +Author: Duc de Saint-Simon + +Release Date: December 3, 2004 [EBook #3863] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XIV., *** + + + + +Produced by David Widger + + + + + + MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XIV AND HIS COURT AND OF THE REGENCY + + BY THE DUKE OF SAINT-SIMON + + + + +VOLUME 4. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +Canaples, brother of the Marechal de Crequi, wished to marry Mademoiselle +de Vivonne who was no longer young, but was distinguished by talent, +virtue and high birth; she had not a penny. The Cardinal de Coislin, +thinking Canaples too old to marry, told him so. Canaples said he wanted +to have children. "Children!" exclaimed the Cardinal. "But she is so +virtuous!" Everybody burst out laughing; and the more willingly, as the +Cardinal, very pure in his manners, was still more so in his language. +His saying was verified by the event: the marriage proved sterile. + +The Duc de Coislin died about this time. I have related in its proper +place an adventure that happened to him and his brother, the Chevalier de +Coislin: now I will say something more of the Duke. He was a very little +man, of much humour and virtue, but of a politeness that was unendurable, +and that passed all bounds, though not incompatible with dignity. He had +been lieutenant-general in the army. Upon one occasion, after a battle +in which he had taken part, one of the Rhingraves who had been made +prisoner, fell to his lot. The Duc de Coislin wished to give up to the +other his bed, which consisted indeed of but a mattress. They +complimented each other so much, the one pressing, the other refusing, +that in the end they both slept upon the ground, leaving the mattress +between them. The Rhingrave in due time came to Paris and called on the +Duc de Coislin. When he was going, there was such a profusion of +compliments, and the Duke insisted so much on seeing him out, that the +Rhingrave, as a last resource, ran out of the room, and double locked the +door outside. M. de Coislin was not thus to be outdone. His apartments +were only a few feet above the ground. He opened the window accordingly, +leaped out into the court, and arrived thus at the entrance-door before +the Rhingrave, who thought the devil must have carried him there. The +Duc de Coislin, however, had managed to put his thumb out of joint by +this leap. He called in Felix, chief surgeon of the King, who soon put +the thumb to rights. Soon afterwards Felix made a call upon M. de +Coislin to see how he was, and found that the cure was perfect. As he +was about to leave, M. de Coislin must needs open the door for him. +Felix, with a shower of bows, tried hard to prevent this, and while they +were thus vying in politeness, each with a hand upon the door, the Duke +suddenly drew back; he had put his thumb out of joint again, and Felix +was obliged to attend to it on the spot! It may be imagined what +laughter this story caused the King, and everybody else, when it became +known. + +There was no end to the outrageous civilities of M. de Coislin. On +returning from Fontainebleau one day, we, that is Madame de Saint-Simon +and myself, encountered M. de Coislin and his son, M. de Metz, on foot +upon the pavement of Ponthierry, where their coach had broken down. We +sent word, accordingly, that we should be glad to accommodate them in +ours. But message followed message on both sides; and at last I was +compelled to alight and to walk through the mud, begging them to mount +into my coach. M. de Coislin, yielding to my prayers, consented to this. +M. de Metz was furious with him for his compliments, and at last +prevailed on him. When M. de Coislin had accepted my offer and we had +nothing more to do than to gain the coach, he began to capitulate, and to +protest that he would not displace the two young ladies he saw seated in +the vehicle. I told him that the two young ladies were chambermaids, who +could well afford to wait until the other carriage was mended, and then +continue their journey in that. But he would not hear of this; and at +last all that M. de Metz and I could do was to compromise the matter, by +agreeing to take one of the chambermaids with us. When we arrived at the +coach, they both descended, in order to allow us to mount. During the +compliments that passed--and they were not short--I told the servant who +held the coach-door open, to close it as soon as I was inside, and to +order the coachman to drive on at once. This was done; but M. de Coislin +immediately began to cry aloud that he would jump out if we did not stop +for the young ladies; and he set himself to do so in such an odd manner, +that I had only time to catch hold of the belt of his breeches and hold +him back; but he still, with his head hanging out of the window, +exclaimed that he would leap out, and pulled against me. At this +absurdity I called to the coachman to stop; the Duke with difficulty +recovered himself, and persisted that he would have thrown himself out. +The chambermaid was ordered to mount, and mount she did, all covered with +mud, which daubed us; and she nearly crushed M. de Metz and me in this +carriage fit only for four. + +M. de Coislin could not bear that at parting anybody should give him the +"last touch;" a piece of sport, rarely cared for except in early youth, +and out of which arises a chase by the person touched, in order to catch +him by whom he has been touched. One evening, when the Court was at +Nancy, and just as everybody was going to bed, M. de Longueville spoke a +few words in private to two of his torch-bearers, and then touching the +Duc de Coislin, said he had given him the last touch, and scampered away, +the Duke hotly pursuing him. Once a little in advance, M. de Longueville +hid himself in a doorway, allowed M. de Coislin to pass on, and then went +quietly home to bed. Meanwhile the Duke, lighted by the torch-bearers, +searched for M. de Longueville all over the town, but meeting with no +success, was obliged to give up the chase, and went home all in a sweat. +He was obliged of course to laugh a good deal at this joke, but he +evidently did not like it over much. + +With all his politeness, which was in no way put on, M. de Coislin could, +when he pleased, show a great deal of firmness, and a resolution to +maintain his proper dignity worthy of much praise. At Nancy, on this +same occasion, the Duc de Crequi, not finding apartments provided for him +to his taste on arriving in town, went, in his brutal manner, and seized +upon those allotted to the Duc de Coislin. The Duke, arriving a moment +after, found his servants turned into the street, and soon learned who +had sent them there. M. de Crequi had precedence of him in rank; he said +not a word, therefore, but went to the apartments provided for the +Marechal de Crequi (brother of the other), served him exactly as he +himself had just been served, and took up his quarters there. The +Marechal de Crequi arrived in his turn, learned what had occurred, and +immediately seized upon the apartments of Cavoye, in order to teach him +how to provide quarters in future so as to avoid all disputes. + +On another occasion, M. de Coislin went to the Sorbonne to listen to a +thesis sustained by the second son of M. de Bouillon. When persons of +distinction gave these discourses, it was customary for the Princes of +the blood, and for many of the Court, to go and hear them. M. de Coislin +was at that time almost last in order of precedence among the Dukes. +When he took his seat, therefore, knowing that a number of them would +probably arrive, he left several rows of vacant places in front of him, +and sat himself down. Immediately afterwards, Novion, Chief President of +the Parliament, arrived, and seated himself in front of M. de Coislin. +Astonished at this act of madness, M. de Coislin said not a word, but +took an arm-chair, and, while Novion turned his head to speak to Cardinal +de Bouillon, placed that arm-chair in front of the Chief President in +such a manner that he was as it were imprisoned, and unable to stir. +M. de Coislin then sat down. This was done so rapidly, that nobody saw +it until it was finished. When once it was observed, a great stir arose. +Cardinal de Bouillon tried to intervene. M. de Coislin replied, that +since the Chief President had forgotten his position he must be taught +it, and would not budge. The other presidents were in a fright, and +Novion, enraged by the offence put on him, knew not what to do. It was +in vain that Cardinal de Bouillon on one side, and his brother on the +other, tried to persuade M. de Coislin to give way. He would not listen +to them. They sent a message to him to say that somebody wanted to see +him at the door on most important business. But this had no effect. +"There is no business so important," replied M. de Coislin, "as that of +teaching M. le Premier President what he owes me, and nothing will make +me go from this place unless M. le President, whom you see behind me, +goes away first." + +At last M. le Prince was sent for, and he with much persuasion +endeavoured to induce M. de Coislin to release the Chief President from +his prison. But for some time M. de Coislin would listen as little to M. +le Prince as he had listened to the others, and threatened to keep Novion +thus shut up during all the thesis. At length, he consented to set the +Chief President free, but only on condition that he left the building +immediately; that M. le Prince should guarantee this; and that no +"juggling tricks" (that was the term he made use of), should be played +off to defeat the agreement. M. le Prince at once gave his word that +everything should be as he required, and M. de Coislin then rose, moved +away his arm-chair, and said to the Chief President, "Go away, sir! go +away, sir! "Novion did on the instant go away, in the utmost confusion, +and jumped into his coach. M. de Coislin thereupon took back his chair +to its former position and composed himself to listen again. + +On every side M. de Coislin was praised for the firmness he had shown. +The Princes of the blood called upon him the same evening, and +complimented him for the course he had adopted; and so many other +visitors came during the evening that his house was quite full until a +late hour. On the morrow the King also praised him for his conduct, and +severely blamed the Chief President. Nay more, he commanded the latter +to go to M. de Coislin, at his house, and beg pardon of him. It is easy +to comprehend the shame and despair of Novion at being ordered to take so +humiliating a step, especially after what had already happened to him. +He prevailed upon M. le Coislin, through the mediation of friends, to +spare him this pain, and M. de Coislin had the generosity to do so. He +agreed therefore that when Novion called upon him he would pretend to be +out, and this was done. The King, when he heard of it, praised very +highly the forbearance of the Duke. + +He was not an old man when he died, but was eaten up with the gout, which +he sometimes had in his eyes, in his nose, and in his tongue. When in +this state, his room was filled with the best company. He was very +generally liked, was truth itself in his dealings and his words, and was +one of my friends, as he had been the friend of my father before me. + +The President de Novion, above alluded to, was a man given up to +iniquity, whom money and obscure mistresses alone influenced. Lawyers +complained of his caprices, and pleaders of his injustice. At last, he +went so far as to change decisions of the court when they were given him +to sign, which was not found out for some time, but which led to his +disgrace. He was replaced by Harlay in 1689; and lived in ignominy for +four years more. + +About this time died Petit, a great physician, who had wit, knowledge, +experience, and probity; and yet lived to the last without being ever +brought to admit the circulation of the blood. + +A rather strange novelty was observed at Fontainebleau: Madame publicly +at the play, in the second year of her mourning for Monsieur! She made +some objections at first, but the King persuaded her, saying that what +took place in his palace ought not to be considered as public. + +On Saturday, the 22nd of October of this year (1702), at about ten in the +morning, I had the misfortune to lose my father-in-law, the Marechal de +Lorges, who died from the effects of an unskilful operation performed +upon him for the stone. He had been brought up as a Protestant, and had +practised that religion. But he had consulted on the one hand with +Bossuet, and on the other hand with M. Claude, (Protestant) minister of +Charenton, without acquainting them that he was thus in communication +with both. In the end the arguments of Bossuet so convinced him that he +lost from that time all his doubts, became steadfastly attached to the +Catholic religion, and strove hard to convert to it all the Protestants +with whom he spoke. M. de Turenne, with whom he was intimately allied, +was in a similar state of mind, and, singularly enough, his doubts were +resolved at the same time, and in exactly the same manner, as those of M. +de Lorges. The joy of the two friends, who had both feared they should +be estranged from each other when they announced their conversion, was +very great. The Comtesse de Roye, sister to M. de Lorges, was sorely +affected at this change, and she would not consent to see him except on +condition that he never spoke of it. + +M. de Lorges commanded with great distinction in Holland and elsewhere, +and at the death of M. de Turenne, took for the time, and with great +honour, his place. He was made Marshal of France on the 21st of +February, 1676, not before he had fairly won that distinction. The +remainder of his career showed his capacity in many ways, and acquired +for him the esteem of all. His family were affected beyond measure at +his loss. That house was in truth terrible to see. Never was man so +tenderly or so universally regretted, or so worthy of being so. Besides +my own grief, I had to sustain that of Madame de Saint-Simon, whom many +times I thought I should lose. Nothing was comparable to the attachment +she had for her father, or the tenderness he had for her; nothing more +perfectly alike than their hearts and their dispositions. As for me, I +loved him as a father, and he loved me as a son, with the most entire and +sweetest confidence. + +About the same time died the Duchesse de Gesvres, separated from a +husband who had been the scourge of his family, and had dissipated +millions of her fortune. She was a sort of witch, tall and lean, who +walked like an ostrich. She sometimes came to Court, with the odd look +and famished expression to which her husband had brought her. Virtue, +wit, and dignity distinguished her. I remember that one summer the King +took to going very often in the evening to Trianon, and that once for all +he gave permission to all the Court, men and women, to follow him. There +was a grand collation for the Princesses, his daughters, who took their +friends there, and indeed all the women went to it if they pleased. One +day the Duchesse de Gesvres took it into her head to go to Trianon and +partake of this meal; her age, her rarity at Court, her accoutrements, +and her face, provoked the Princesses to make fun of her in whispers with +their fair visitors. She perceived this, and without being embarrassed, +took them up so sharply, that they were silenced, and looked down. But +this was not all: after the collation she began to talk so freely and yet +so humorously about them that they were frightened, and went and made +their excuses, and very frankly asked for quarter. Madame de Gesvres was +good enough to grant them this, but said it was only on condition that +they learned how to behave. Never afterwards did they venture to look at +her impertinently. Nothing was ever so magnificent as these soirees of +Trianon. All the flowers of the parterres were renewed every day; and I +have seen the King and all the Court obliged to go away because of the +tuberoses, the odour of which perfumed the air, but so powerfully, on +account of their quantity, that nobody could remain in the garden, +although very vast, and stretching like a terrace all along the canal. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + +The Prince d'Harcourt at last obtained permission to wait on the King, +after having never appeared at Court for seventeen years. He had +followed the King in all his conquests in the Low Countries and Franche- +Comte; but he had remained little at the Court since his voyage to Spain, +whither he had accompanied the daughter of Monsieur to the King, Charles +II., her husband. The Prince d'Harcourt took service with Venice, and +fought in the Morea until the Republic made peace with the Turks. He was +tall, well made; and, although he looked like a nobleman and had wit, +reminded one at the same time of a country actor. He was a great liar, +and a libertine in body and mind; a great spendthrift, a great and +impudent swindler, with a tendency to low debauchery, that cursed him all +his life. Having fluttered about a long time after his return, and found +it impossible either to live with his wife--which is not surprising--or +accommodate himself to the Court or to Paris, he set up his rest at Lyons +with wine, street-walkers, a society to match, a pack of hounds, and a +gaming-table to support his extravagance and enable him to live at the +expense of the dupes, the imbeciles, and the sons of fat tradesmen, whom +he could lure into his nets. Thus he spent many years, and seemed to +forget that there existed in the world another country besides Lyons. +At last he got tired, and returned to Paris. The King, who despised him, +let him alone, but would not see him; and it was only after two months of +begging for him by the Lorraines, that he received permission to present +himself. His wife, the Princesse d'Harcourt, was a favourite of Madame +de Maintenon. The origin of their friendship is traced to the fact that +Brancas, the father of the Princess, had been one of the lovers of Madame +de Maintenon. No claim less powerful could have induced the latter to +take into her favour a person who was so little worthy. Like all women +who know nothing but what chance has taught them, and who have long +languished in obscurity before arriving at splendour, Madame de Maintenon +was dazzled by the very name of Princess, even if assumed: as to a real +Princess, nothing equalled her in her opinion. The Princess then tried +hard to get the Prince invited to Marly, but without success. Upon this +she pretended to sulk, in hopes that Madame de Maintenon would exert all +her influence; but in this she was mistaken. The Prince accordingly by +degrees got disgusted with the Court, and retired into the provinces for +a time. + +The Princesse d'Harcourt was a sort of personage whom it is good to make +known, in order better to lay bare a Court which did not scruple to +receive such as she. She had once been beautiful and gay; but though not +old, all her grace and beauty had vanished. The rose had become an ugly +thorn. At the time I speak of she was a tall, fat creature, mightily +brisk in her movements, with a complexion like milk-porridge; great, +ugly, thick lips, and hair like tow, always sticking out and hanging down +in disorder, like all the rest of her fittings out. Dirty, slatternly, +always intriguing, pretending, enterprising, quarrelling--always low as +the grass or high as the rainbow, according to the person with whom she +had to deal: she was a blonde Fury, nay more, a harpy: she had all the +effrontery of one, and the deceit and violence; all the avarice and the +audacity; moreover, all the gluttony, and all the promptitude to relieve +herself from the effects thereof; so that she drove out of their wits +those at whose house she dined; was often a victim of her confidence; and +was many a time sent to the devil by the servants of M. du Maine and M. +le Grand. She, however, was never in the least embarrassed, tucked up +her petticoats and went her way; then returned, saying she had been +unwell. People were accustomed to it. + +Whenever money was to be made by scheming and bribery, she was there to +make it. At play she always cheated, and if found out stormed and raged; +but pocketed what she had won. People looked upon her as they would have +looked upon a fish-fag, and did not like to commit themselves by +quarrelling with her. At the end of every game she used to say that she +gave whatever might have been unfairly gained to those who had gained it, +and hoped that others would do likewise. For she was very devout by +profession, and thought by so doing to put her conscience in safety; +because, she used to add, in play there is always some mistake. She went +to church always, and constantly took the sacrament, very often after +having played until four o'clock in the morning. + +One day, when there was a grand fete at Fontainebleau, Madame la +Marechale de Villeroy persuaded her, out of malice, to sit down and play, +instead of going to evening prayers. She resisted some time, saying that +Madame de Maintenon was going; but the Marechale laughed at her for +believing that her patron could see who was and who was not at the +chapel: so down they sat to play. When the prayers were over, Madame de +Maintenon, by the merest accident--for she scarcely ever visited any one +--went to the apartments of the Marechale de Villeroy. The door was +flung back, and she was announced. This was a thunderbolt for the +Princesse d'Harcourt. "I am ruined," cried she, unable to restrain +herself; "she will see me playing, and I ought to have been at chapel!" +Down fell the cards from her hands, and down fell she all abroad in her +chair. The Marechale laughed most heartily at so complete an adventure. +Madame de Maintenon entered slowly, and found the Princess in this state, +with five or six persons. The Marechale de Villeroy, who was full of +wit, began to say that, whilst doing her a great honour, Madame was the +cause of great disorder; and showed her the Princesse d'Harcourt in her +state of discomfiture. Madame de Maintenon smiled with majestic +kindness, and addressing the Princesse d'Harcourt, "Is this the way," +said she; "that you go to prayers?" Thereupon the Princess flew out of +her half-faint into a sort of fury; said that this was the kind of trick +that was played off upon her; that no doubt the Marechale knew that +Madame de Maintenon was coming, and for that reason had persecuted her to +play. "Persecuted!" exclaimed the Marechale, "I thought I could not +receive you better than by proposing a game; it is true you were for a +moment troubled at missing the chapel, but your tastes carried the day. +--This, Madame, is my whole crime," continued she, addressing Madame de +Maintenon. Upon this, everybody laughed louder than before: Madame de +Maintenon, in order to stop the quarrel; commanded them both to continue +their game; and they continued accordingly, the Princesse d'Harcourt, +still grumbling, quite beside herself, blinded with fury, so as to commit +fresh mistakes every minute. So ridiculous an adventure diverted the +Court for several days; for this beautiful Princess was equally feared, +hated, and despised. + +Monseigneur le Duc and Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne continually played +off pranks upon her. They put, one day, crackers all along the avenue of +the chateau at Marly, that led to the Perspective where she lodged. She +was horribly afraid of everything. The Duke and Duchess bribed two +porters to be ready to take her into the mischief. When she was right in +the middle of the avenue the crackers began to go off; and she to cry +aloud for mercy; the chairman set her down and ran for it. There she +was, then, struggling in her chair, furiously enough to upset it, and +yelling like a demon. At this the company, which had gathered at the +door of the chateau to see the fun, ran to her assistance, in order to +have the pleasure of enjoying the scene more fully. Thereupon she set to +abusing everybody right and left, commencing with Monseigneur and Madame +la Duchesse de Bourgogne. At another time M. de Bourgogne put a cracker +under her chair in the salon, where she was playing at piquet. As he was +about to set fire to this cracker, some charitable soul warned him that +it would maim her, and he desisted. + +Sometimes they used to send about twenty Swiss guards, with drums, into +her chamber, who roused her from her first sleep by their horrid din. +Another time--and these scenes were always at Marly--they waited until +very late for her to go to bed and sleep. She lodged not far from the +post of the captain of the guards, who was at that time the Marechal de +Lorges. It had snowed very hard, and had frozen. Madame la Duchesse de +Bourgogne and her suite gathered snow from the terrace which is on a +level with their lodgings; and, in order to be better supplied, waked up, +to assist them, the Marechal's people, who did not let them want for +ammunition. Then, with a false key, and lights, they gently slipped into +the chamber of the Princesse d'Harcourt; and, suddenly drawing the +curtains of her bed, pelted her amain with snowballs. The filthy +creature, waking up with a start, bruised and stifled in snow, with which +even her ears were filled, with dishevelled hair, yelling at the top of +her voice, and wriggling like an eel, without knowing where to hide, +formed a spectacle that diverted people more than half an hour: so that +at last the nymph swam in her bed, from which the water flowed +everywhere, slushing all the chamber. It was enough to make one die of +laughter. On the morrow she sulked, and was more than ever laughed at +for her pains. + +Her fits of sulkiness came over her either when the tricks played were +too violent, or when M. le Grand abused her. He thought, very properly, +that a person who bore the name of Lorraine should not put herself so +much on the footing of a buffoon; and, as he was a rough speaker, he +sometimes said the most abominable things to her at table; upon which the +Princess would burst out crying, and then, being enraged, would sulk. +The Duchesse de Bourgogne used then to pretend to sulk, too; but the +other did not hold out long, and came crawling back to her, crying, +begging pardon for having sulked, and praying that she might not cease to +be a source of amusement! After some time the Duchess would allow +herself to be melted, and the Princess was more villainously treated than +ever, for the Duchesse de Bourgogne had her own way in everything. +Neither the King nor Madame de Maintenon found fault with what she did, +so that the Princesse d'Harcourt had no resource; she did not even dare +to complain of those who aided in tormenting her; yet it would not have +been prudent in any one to make her an enemy. + +The Princesse d'Harcourt paid her servants so badly that they concocted a +plan, and one fine day drew up on the Pont Neuf. The coachman and +footmen got down, and came and spoke to her at the door, in language she +was not used to hear. Her ladies and chambermaid got down, and went +away, leaving her to shift as she might. Upon this she set herself to +harangue the blackguards who collected, and was only too happy to find a +man, who mounted upon the seat and drove her home. Another time, Madame +de Saint-Simon, returning from Versailles, overtook her, walking in full +dress in the street, and with her train under her arms. Madame de Saint- +Simon stopped, offered her assistance, and found that she had been left +by her servants, as on the Pont Neuf. It was volume the second of that +story; and even when she came back she found her house deserted, every +one having gone away at once by agreement. She was very violent with her +servants, beat them, and changed diem every day. + +Upon one occasion, she took into her service a strong and robust +chambermaid, to whom, from the first day of her arrival, she gave many +slaps and boxes on the ear. The chambermaid said nothing, but after +submitting to this treatment for five or six days, conferred with the +other servants; and one morning, while in her mistress's room, locked the +door without being perceived, said something to bring down punishment +upon her, and at the first box on the ear she received, flew upon the +Princesse d'Harcourt, gave her no end of thumps and slaps, knocked her +down, kicked her, mauled her from her head to her feet, and when she was +tired of this exercise, left her on the ground, all torn and dishevelled, +howling like a devil. The chambermaid then quitted the room, double- +locked the door on the outside, gained the staircase, and fled the house. + +Every day the Princess was fighting, or mixed up in some adventures. +Her neighbours at Marly said they could not sleep for the riot she made +at night; and I remember that, after one of these scenes, everybody went +to see the room of the Duchesse de Villeroy and that of Madame d'Espinoy, +who had put their bed in the middle of their room, and who related their +night vigils to every one. + +Such was this favourite of Madame de Maintenon; so insolent and so +insupportable to every one, but who had favours and preferences for those +who brought her over, and who had raised so many young men, amassed their +wealth, and made herself feared even by the Prince and minister. + + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + +In a previous page I have alluded to the Princesse des Ursins, when she +was appointed 'Camerera Mayor' to the Queen of Spain on her marriage. +As I have now to occupy myself more particularly with her, it may be as +well to give a description of this extraordinary woman, which I omitted +when I first spoke of her. + +Anne Marie de la Tremoille, was daughter of M. de Noirmoutiers, who +figured sufficiently in the troubles of the minority to be made a 'Duc a +brevet'. She first married M. Talleyrand, who called himself Prince de +Chalais, and who was obliged to quit the kingdom for engaging in the +famous duel against Messieurs de la Frette. She followed her husband to +Spain, where he died. Having gone to Rome, she got into favour with the +Cardinals de Bouillon and d'Estrees, first on account of her name and +nation, and afterwards for more tender reasons. In order to detain her +at Rome, these dignitaries thought of obtaining her an establishment. +She had no children, and almost no fortune, they wrote to Court that so +important a man as the Duc de Bracciano, Prince des Ursins, was worth +gaining; and that the way to arrive at this result was to have him +married to Madame de Chalais. The Duke was persuaded by the two +Cardinals that he was in love with Madame de Chalais: and so the affair +was arranged. Madame des Ursins displayed all her wit and charms at +Rome; and soon her palace became a sort of court, where all the best +company assembled. It grew to be the fashion to go there. + +The husband amidst all this counts for not much. There was sometimes a +little disagreement between the two, without open rupture; yet they were +now and then glad to separate. This is why the Duchesse de Bracciano +made two journeys to France: the second time she spent four or five years +there. It was then I knew her, or rather formed a particular friendship +with her. My mother had made her acquaintance during her previous visit. +She lodged near us. Her wit, her grace, her manners enchanted me: she +received me with tenderness and I was always at her house. It was she +who proposed to me a marriage with Mlle. de Royan, which I rejected for +the reason already given. + +When Madame des Ursins was appointed 'Camerera Mayor', she was a widow, +without children. No one could have been better suited for the post. +A lady of our court would not have done: a Spanish lady was not to be +depended on, and might have easily disgusted the Queen. The Princesse +des Ursins appeared to be a middle term. She was French, had been in +Spain, and she passed a great part of her life at Rome, and in Italy. +She was of the house of La Tremoille: her husband was chief of the house +of Ursins, a grandee of Spain, and Prince of the Soglio. She was also on +very good terms with the Duchess of Savoy, and with the Queen of +Portugal. The Cardinal d'Estrees, also, was known to have remained her +friend, after having been something more in their youth; and he gave +information that the Cardinal Portocarrero had been much in love with her +at Rome, and that they were then on very good terms. As it was through +the latter Cardinal that it was necessary to govern everything, this +circumstance was considered very important. + +Age and health were also appropriate; and likewise her appearance. She +was rather tall than otherwise, a brunette, with blue eyes of the most +varied expression, in figure perfect, with a most exquisite bosom; her +face, without being beautiful, was charming; she was extremely noble in +air, very majestic in demeanour, full of graces so natural and so +continual in everything, that I have never seen any one approach her, +either in form or mind. Her wit was copious and of all kinds: she was +flattering, caressing, insinuating, moderate, wishing to please for +pleasing's sake, with charms irresistible when she strove to persuade and +win over; accompanying all this, she had a grandeur that encouraged +instead of frightening; a delicious conversation, inexhaustible and very +amusing, for she had seen many countries and persons; a voice and way of +speaking extremely agreeable, and full of sweetness. She had read much, +and reflected much. She knew how to choose the best society, how to +receive them, and could even have held a court; was polite, +distinguished; and above all was careful never to take a step in advance +without dignity and discretion. She was eminently fitted for intrigue, +in which, from taste; she had passed her time at Rome; with much +ambition, but of that vast kind, far above her sex, and the common run of +men--a desire to occupy a great position and to govern. A love for +gallantry and personal vanity were her foibles, and these clung to her +until her latest day; consequently, she dressed in a way that no longer +became her, and as she advanced in life, removed further from propriety +in this particular. She was an ardent and excellent friend--of a +friendship that time and absence never enfeebled; and, consequently, an +implacable enemy, pursuing her hatred to the infernal regions. While +caring little for the means by which she gained her ends, she tried as +much as possible to reach them by honest means. Secret, not only for +herself, but for her friends, she was yet, of a decorous gaiety, and so +governed her humours, that at all times and in everything she was +mistress of herself. Such was the Princesse des Ursins. + +From the first moment on which she entered the service of the Queen of +Spain, it became her desire to govern not only the Queen, but the King; +and by this means the realm itself. Such a grand project had need of +support from our King, who, at the commencement, ruled the Court of Spain +as much as his own Court, with entire influence over all matters. + +The young Queen of Spain had been not less carefully educated than her +sister, the Duchesse de Bourgogne. She had even when so young much +intelligence and firmness, without being incapable of restraint; and as +time went on, improved still further, and displayed a constancy and +courage which were admirably set off by her meekness and natural graces. +According to everything I have heard said in France and in Spain, she +possessed all qualities that were necessary to make her adored. Indeed +she became a divinity among the Spaniards, and to their affection for +her, Philip V. was more than once indebted for his crown. Lords, ladies, +soldiers, and the people still remember her with tears in their eyes; and +even after the lapse of so many years, are not yet consoled for her loss. + +Madame des Ursins soon managed to obtain the entire confidence of this +Queen; and during the absence of Philip V. in Italy, assisted her in the +administration of all public offices. She even accompanied her to the +junta, it not being thought proper that the Queen should be alone amid +such an assemblage of men. In this way she became acquainted with +everything that was passing, and knew all the affairs of the Government. + +This step gained, it will be imagined that the Princesse des Ursins did +not forget to pay her court most assiduously to our King and to Madame de +Maintenon. She continually sent them an exact account of everything +relating to the Queen--making her appear in the most favourable light +possible. Little by little she introduced into her letters details +respecting public events; without, however, conveying a suspicion of her +own ambition, or that she wished to meddle in these matters. Anchored in +this way, she next began to flatter Madame de Maintenon, and by degrees +to hint that she might rule over Spain, even more firmly than she ruled +over France, if she would entrust her commands to Madame des Ursins. +Madame des Ursins offered, in fact, to be the instrument of Madame de +Maintenon; representing how much better it would be to rule affairs in +this manner, than through the instrumentality of the ministers of either +country. + +Madame de Maintenon, whose passion it was to know everything, to mix +herself in everything, and to govern everything, was, enchanted by the +siren. This method of governing Spain without ministers appeared to her +an admirable idea. She embraced it with avidity, without reflecting that +she would govern only in appearance, since she would know nothing except +through the Princesse des Ursins, see nothing except in the light in +which she presented it. From that time dates the intimate union which +existed between these two important women, the unbounded authority of +Madame des Ursins, the fall of all those who had placed Philip V. upon +the throne, and of all our ministers in Spain who stood in the way of the +new power. + +Such an alliance being made between the two women, it was necessary to +draw the King of Spain into the same net. This was not a very arduous +task. Nature and art indeed had combined to make it easy. + +Younger brother of an excitable, violent, and robust Prince, Philip V, +had been bred up in a submission and dependence that were necessary for +the repose of the Royal family. Until the testament of Charles II., the +Duc d'Anjou was necessarily regarded as destined to be a subject all his +life; and therefore could not be too much abased by education, and +trained to patience and obedience: That supreme law, the reason of state, +demanded this preference, for the safety and happiness of the kingdom, +of the elder over the younger brother. His mind for this reason was +purposely narrowed and beaten down, and his natural docility and +gentleness greatly assisted in the process, He was quite formed to be +led, although he had enough judgment left to choose the better of two +courses proposed to him, and even to express himself in good phrase, when +the slowness, not to say the laziness, of his mind did not prevent him +from speaking at all. His great piety contributed to weaken his mind; +and, being joined to very lively passions, made it disagreeable and even +dangerous for him to be separated from his Queen. It may easily be +conceived, therefore, how he loved her; and that he allowed himself to be +guided by her in all things. As the Queen herself was guided in all +things by Madame des Ursins, the influence of this latter was all- +powerful. + +Soon, indeed, the junta became a mere show. Everything was brought +before the King in private, and he gave no decision until the Queen and +Madame des Ursins had passed theirs. This conduct met with no opposition +from our Court, but our ministers at the Court of Spain and the Spanish +ministers here soon began to complain of it. The first to do so were +Cardinals d'Estrees and Portocarrero. Madame de Maintenon laughed at +them, and Madame des Ursins, of whom they were old friends, soon showed +them that she did not mean to abate one jot of her power. She first +endeavoured to bring about a coldness between the two, and this succeeded +so well, that in consequence of the quarrels that resulted, the Spanish +Cardinal, Portocarrero (who, it will be remembered, had played an +important part in bringing Philip to the Spanish throne) wished to quit +the junta. But Madame des Ursins, who thought that the time had not yet +arrived for this step, persuaded him to remain, and endeavoured to +flatter his vanity by an expedient altogether ridiculous. She gave him +the command of a regiment of guards, and he, priest, archbishop, primate +and cardinal, accepted it, and was, of course, well laughed at by +everybody for his pains. The two cardinals soon after became reconciled +to each other, feeling, perhaps, the necessity of uniting against the +common enemy. But they could come to no better understanding with her. +Disagreements continued, so that at last, feeling her position perfectly +secure, the Princesse des Ursins begged permission to retire into Italy, +knowing full well that she would not be taken at her word, and hoping by +this means to deliver herself of these stumbling-blocks in her path. + +Our ministers, who felt they would lose all control over Spanish affairs +if Madame des Ursins was allowed to remain mistress, did all in their +power to support the D'Estrees. But Madame de Maintenon pleaded so well +with the King, representing the good policy of allowing a woman so much +attached to him, and to the Spanish Queen, as was Madame des Ursins, to +remain where she was, that he entirely swallowed the bait; the D'Estrees +were left without support; the French ambassador at Madrid was virtually +deprived of all power: the Spanish ministers were fettered in their every +movement, and the authority of Madame des Ursins became stronger than +ever. All public affairs passed through her hands. The King decided +nothing without conferring with the Queen and her. + +While excluding almost all the ministers from public offices, Madame des +Ursins admitted a few favourites into her confidence. Amongst them was +D'Harcourt, who stood well with Madame de Maintenon, and who cared little +for the means by which he obtained consideration; Orry, who had the +management of the finances; and D'Aubigny, son of a Procureur in Paris. +The last was a tall, handsome fellow, well made, and active in mind and +body; who for many years had been with the Princess, as a sort of squire, +and on very intimate terms with her. One day, when, followed by some of +the ministers, she entered a room in which he was writing, he burst out +into exclamations against her, without being aware that she was not +alone, swore at her, asked her why she could not leave him an hour in +peace, called her by the strangest names, and all this with so much +impetuosity that she had no time to show him who were behind her. When +he found it out, he ran from the room, leaving Madame des Ursins so +confused that the ministers looked for two or three minutes upon the +walls of the room in order to give her time to recover herself. Soon +after this, D'Aubigny had a splendid suite of apartments, that had +formerly been occupied by Maria Theresa (afterwards wife of Louis XIV.), +placed at his disposal, with some rooms added, in despite of the murmurs +that arose at a distinction so strange accorded to this favourite. + +At length, Cardinal d'Estrees, continually in arms against Madame des +Ursins, and continually defeated, could not bear his position any longer, +but asked to be immediately recalled. All that the ministry could do was +to obtain permission for the Abbe d'Estrees (nephew of the Cardinal) to +remain as Ambassador of France at Madrid. As for Portocarrero, seeing +the step his associate had taken, he resolved to quit public business +also, and resigned his place accordingly. Several others who stood in +the way of the Princesse des Ursins were got rid of at the same time, so +that she was now left mistress of the field. She governed absolutely in +all things; the ministers became instruments in her hands; the King and +Queen agents to work out her will. She was at the highest pinnacle of +power. Together with Orry she enjoyed a power such as no one had ever +attained since the time of the Duke of Lerma and of Olivares. + +In the mean time the Archduke was declared King of Spain by the Emperor, +who made no mystery of his intention of attacking Spain by way of +Portugal. The Archduke soon afterwards was recognised by Holland, +England, Portugal, Brandenburg, Savoy, and Hanover, as King of Spain, +under the title of Charles III., and soon after by the other powers of +Europe. The Duke of Savoy had been treacherous to us, had shown that he +was in league with the Emperor. The King accordingly had broken off all +relations with him, and sent an army to invade his territory. It need be +no cause of surprise, therefore, that the Archduke was recognised by +Savoy. While our armies were fighting with varied fortune those of the +Emperor and his allies, in different parts of Europe, notably upon the +Rhine, Madame des Ursins was pressing matters to extremities in Spain. +Dazzled by her success in expelling the two cardinals from public +affairs, and all the ministers who had assisted in placing Philip V. +upon the throne, she committed a blunder of which she soon had cause to +repent. + +I have said, that when Cardinal d'Estrees quitted Spain, the Abbe +d'Estrees was left behind, so that France should not be altogether +unrepresented in an official manner at the Court of Madrid. Madame des +Ursins did not like this arrangement, but as Madame de Maintenon insisted +upon it, she was obliged to accept it with as good grace as possible. +The Abbe, vain of his family and of his position, was not a man much to +be feared as it seemed. Madame des Ursins accordingly laughed at and +despised him. He was admitted to the council, but was quite without +influence there, and when he attempted to make any representations to +Madame des Ursins or to Orry, they listened to him without attending in +the least to what he said. The Princess reigned supreme, and thought of +nothing but getting rid of all who attempted to divide her authority. +At last she obtained such a command over the poor Abbe d'Estrees, so +teased and hampered him, that he consented to the hitherto unheard-of +arrangement, that the Ambassador of France should not write to the King +without first concerting his letter with her, and then show her its +contents before he despatched it. But such restraint as this became, in +a short time, so fettering, that the Abbe determined to break away from +it. He wrote a letter to the King, without showing it to Madame des +Ursins. She soon had scent of what he had done; seized the letter as it +passed through the post, opened it, and, as she expected, found its +contents were not of a kind to give her much satisfaction. But what +piqued her most was, to find details exaggerating the authority of +D'Aubigny, and a statement to the effect that it was generally believed +she had married him. Beside herself with rage and vexation, she wrote +with her own hand upon the margin of the letter, 'Pour mariee non' +("At any rate, not married"), showed it in this state to the King and +Queen of Spain, to a number of other people, always with strange +clamouring, and finally crowned her folly by sending it to the King +(Louis XIV.), with furious complaints against the Abbe for writing it +without her knowledge, and for inflicting upon her such an atrocious +injury as to mention this pretended marriage. Her letter and its +enclosure reached the King at a very inopportune moment. Just before, +he had received a letter, which, taken in connection with this of the +Princesse des Ursins, struck a blow at her power of the most decisive +kind. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + +Some little time previously it had been thought necessary to send an army +to the frontiers of Portugal to oppose the Archduke. A French general +was wanted to command this army. Madame des Ursins, who had been very +intimate with the King of England (James II.) and his Queen, thought she +would please them if she gave this post to the Duke of Berwick, +illegitimate son of King James. She proposed this therefore; and our +King, out of regard for his brother monarch, and from a natural affection +for bastards, consented to the appointment; but as the Duke of Berwick +had never before commanded an army, he stipulated that Pursegur, known to +be a skilful officer, should go with him and assist him with his counsels +and advice. + +Pursegur set out before the Duke of Berwick. From the Pyrenees as far as +Madrid, he found every provision made for the subsistence of the French +troops, and sent a very advantageous account to the King of this +circumstance. Arrived at Madrid, he had interviews with Orry (who, as I +have already mentioned, had the finances under his control, and who was a +mere instrument in the hands of Madame des Ursins), and was assured by +the minister that all the magazines along the line of route to the +frontiers of Portugal were abundantly filled with supplies for the French +troops, that all the money necessary was ready; and that nothing, in +fact, should fail in the course of the campaign. Pursegur, who had found +nothing wanting up to that time, never doubted but that these statements +were perfectly correct; and had no suspicion that a minister would have +the effrontery to show him in detail all these precautions if he had +taken none. Pleased, then, to the utmost degree, he wrote to the King in +praise of Orry, and consequently of Madame des Ursins and her wise +government. Full of these ideas, he set out for the frontier of Portugal +to reconnoitre the ground himself, and arrange everything for the arrival +of the army and its general. What was his surprise, when he found that +from Madrid to the frontier not a single preparation had been made for +the troops, and that in consequence all that Orry had shown him, drawn +out upon paper, was utterly fictitious. His vexation upon finding that +nothing upon which he had reckoned was provided, may be imagined. He at +once wrote to the King, in order to contradict all that he had recently +written. + +This conduct of Orry--his impudence, I may say--in deceiving a man who +immediately after would have under his eyes the proof of his deceit, is a +thing past all comprehension. It is easy to understand that rogues +should steal, but not that they should have the audacity to do so in the +face of facts which so quickly and so easily could prove their villainy. + +It was Pursegur's letter then, detailing this rascality on the part of +Orry, that had reached the King just before that respecting the Abbe +d'Estrees. The two disclosed a state of things that could not be allowed +any longer to exist. Our ministers, who, step by step, had been deprived +of all control over the affairs of Spain, profited by the discontentment +of the King to reclaim their functions. Harcourt and Madame de Maintenon +did all they could to ward off the blow from Madame des Ursins, but +without effect. The King determined to banish her to Rome and to dismiss +Orry from his post. + +It was felt, however, that these steps must be taken cautiously, to avoid +offending too deeply the King and Queen of Spain, who supported their +favourite through every emergency. + +In the first place, then, a simple reprimand was sent to the Princesse +des Ursins for the violation of the respect due to the King, by opening a +letter addressed to him by one of his ambassadors. The Abbe d'Estrees, +who expected that Madame des Ursins would be at once disgraced, and who +had made a great outcry when his letter was opened, fell into such +despair when he saw how lightly she was let off, that he asked for his +dismissal. He was taken at his word; and this was a new triumph for +Madame des Ursins, who thought herself more secure than ever. Her +triumph was of but short duration. The King wrote to Philip, +recommending him to head in person the army for the frontiers of +Portugal, which, in spite of Orry's deception, it was still determined to +send. No sooner was Philip fairly away, separated from the Queen and +Madame des Ursins, and no longer under their influence, than the King +wrote to the Queen of Spain, requesting her, in terms that could not be +disputed, to dismiss at once and for ever her favourite 'Camerera Mayor'. +The Queen, in despair at the idea of losing a friend and adviser to whom +she had been so much attached, believed herself lost. At the same time +that the King wrote to the Queen of Spain, he also wrote to the Princesse +des Ursins, ordering her to quit Madrid immediately, to leave Spain, and +to retire into Italy. + +At this conjuncture of affairs, when the Queen was in despair, Madame des +Ursins did not lose her composure. She opened her eyes to all that had +passed since she had violated D'Estrees' letter, and saw the vanity of +the triumph she had recently enjoyed. She felt at once that for the +present all was lost, that her only hope was to be allowed to remain in +France. She made all her arrangements, therefore, so that affairs might +proceed in her absence as much as possible as though she were present, +and then prepared to set out. Dawdling day by day, she put off her +departure as long as could be, and when at length she left Madrid only +went to Alcala, a few leagues distant. She stopped there under various +pretexts, and at length, after five weeks of delay, set out for Bayonne, +journeying as slowly as she could and stopping as often as she dared. + +She lost no opportunity of demanding an audience at Versailles, in order +to clear herself of the charge which weighed upon her, and her +importunities at length were not without effect. The most terrible +storms at Court soon blow over. The King (Louis XIV.) was satisfied with +the success of his plans. He had been revenged in every way, and had +humbled the pride of the Princesse des Ursins. It was not necessary to +excite the anger of the Queen and King of Spain by too great harshness +against their fallen friend. Madame de Maintenon took advantage of this +change in the temper of the King, and by dint of persuasion and scheming +succeeded in obtaining from him the permission for Madame des Ursins to +remain in France. Toulouse was fixed upon for her residence. It was a +place that just suited her, and from which communication with Spain was +easy. Here accordingly she took up her residence, determined to watch +well the course of events, and to avail herself of every opportunity that +could bring about her complete reconciliation with the King (Louis XIV.), +and obtain for her in consequence the permission to return to Madrid. + +In the mean time, the King and Queen of Spain, distressed beyond measure +at the loss of their favourite, thought only of the best means of +obtaining her recall. They plotted with such ministers as were +favourable to her; they openly quarrelled with and thwarted those who +were her opponents, so that the most important matters perished in their +hands. Nay more, upon the King of Spain's return, the Queen persuaded +him to oppose in all things the wishes of the King (Louis XIV.), his +grandfather, and to neglect his counsels with studied care. Our King +complained of this with bitterness. The aim of it was to tire him out, +and to make him understand that it was only Madame des Ursins, well +treated and sent back, who could restore Spanish affairs to their +original state, and cause his authority to be respected. Madame de +Maintenon, on her side, neglected no opportunity of pressing the King to +allow Madame des Ursins, not to return into Spain--that would have been +to spoil all by asking too much but simply to come to Versailles in order +to have the opportunity of justifying herself for her past conduct. From +other quarters the King was similarly importuned. Tired at last of the +obstinate opposition he met with in Spain from the Queen; who governed +completely her husband, he gave permission to Madame des Ursins to come +to Versailles to plead her own cause. Self-imprisoned as he was in +seclusion, the truth never approached him, and he was the only man in the +two kingdoms who had no suspicion that the arrival of Madame ales Ursins +at the Court was the certain sign of her speedy return to Spain more +powerful than ever. But he was fatigued with the constant resistance he +met with; with the disorder which this occasioned in public affairs at a +time too when, as I will afterwards explain, the closest union was +necessary between the two crowns in order to repel the common enemy, and +these motives induced him, to the astonishment of his ministers, to grant +the favour requested of him. + +However well informed Madame des Ursins might be of all that was being +done on her account, this permission surpassed her hopes. Her joy +accordingly was very great; but it did not at all carry her away. She +saw that her return to Spain would now depend upon herself. She +determined to put on the air of one who is disgraced, but who hopes, and +yet is humiliated. She instructed all her friends to assume the same +manner; took all measures with infinite presence of mind; did not hurry +her departure, and yet set out with sufficient promptness to prevent any +coldness springing up, and to show with what eagerness she profited by +the favour accorded to her, and which she had so much wished. + +No sooner was the courier gone who carried this news to her, than the +rumour of her return was whispered all over the Court, and became +publicly confirmed a few days afterwards. The movement that it produced +at Court was inconceivable. Only the friends of Madame des Ursins were +able to remain in a tolerably tranquil state. Everybody opened his eyes +and comprehended that the return of such an important personage was a +fact that could not be insignificant. People prepared themselves for a +sort of rising sun that was going to change and renew many things in +nature. On every side were seen people who had scarcely ever uttered her +name, and who now boasted of their intimacy with her and of her +friendship for them. Other people were seen, who, although openly allied +with her enemies, had the baseness to affect transports of joy at her +forthcoming return, and to flatter those whom they thought likely to +favour them with her. + +She reached Paris on Sunday, the 4th of January, 1705. The Duc d'Albe +met her several miles out of the city, escorted her to his house, and +gave a fete in her honour there. Several persons of distinction went out +to meet her. Madame des Ursins had reason to be surprised at an entry so +triumphant: she would not, however, stay with the Duc and Duchesse +d'Albe, but took up her quarters with the Comtesse d'Egmont, niece of the +Archbishop of Aix; the said Archbishop having been instrumental in +obtaining her recall. The King was at Marly. I was there with Madame de +Saint-Simon. During the remainder of the stay at Marly everybody flocked +to the house of Madame des Ursins, anxious to pay her their court. +However flattered she may have been by this concourse, she had matters to +occupy her, pleaded want of repose, and shut her door to three people out +of four who called upon her. Curiosity, perhaps fashion, drew this great +crowd to her. The ministers were startled by it. Torcy had orders from +the King to go, and see her: he did so; and from that moment Madame des +Ursins changed her tone. Until then her manner had been modest, +supplicating, nearly timid. She now saw and heard so much that from +defendant, which she had intended to be, she thought herself in a +condition to become accuser; and to demand justice of those who, abusing +the confidence of the King, had drawn upon her such a long and cruel +punishment, and made her a show for the two kingdoms. All that happened +to her surpassed her hopes. Several times when with me she has expressed +her astonishment; and with me has laughed at many people, often of much +consideration, whom she scarcely knew, or who had been strongly opposed +to her, and who basely crouched at her feet. + +The King returned to Versailles on Saturday, the 10th of January. Madame +des Ursins arrived there the same day. I went immediately to see her, +not having been able to do so before, because I could not quit Marly. My +mother had seen a great deal of Madame des Ursins at Paris. I had always +been on good terms with her, and had received on all occasions proofs of +her friendship. She received me very well, spoke with much freedom, and +said she promised herself the pleasure of seeing me again, and of talking +with me more at her ease. On, the morrow, Sunday, she dined at home +alone, dressed herself in grand style, and went to the King, with whom +she remained alone two hours and a half conversing in his cabinet. From +there she went to the Duchesse de Bourgogne, with whom she also conversed +a long time alone. In the evening, the King said, while in Madame de +Maintenon's apartments, that there were still many things upon which he +had not yet spoken to Madame des Ursins. The next day she saw Madame de +Maintenon in private for a long time, and much at her ease. She had an +interview soon after with the King and Madame de Maintenon, which was +also very long. + +A month after this a special courier arrived from the King and Queen of +Spain, to thank the King (Louis XIV.) for his conduct towards the +Princesse des Ursins. From that moment it was announced that she would +remain at Court until the month of April, in order to attend to her +affairs and her health. It was already to have made a grand step to be +mistress enough to announce thus her stay. Nobody in truth doubted of +her return to Spain, but the word was not yet said. She avoided all +explanations, and it may be believed did not have many indiscreet +questions put to her upon the subject. + +So many and such long audiences with the King, followed by so much +serenity, had a great effect upon the world, and the crowd that flocked +to see Madame des Ursins was greater than ever; but under various +pretences she shut herself up and would see only a few intimate friends, +foremost among which were Madame de Saint-Simon and myself. Whilst +triumphant beyond all her hopes in Paris, she was at work in Spain, and +with equal success. Rivas, who had drawn up the will of the late King +Charles II., was disgraced, and never afterwards rose to favour. The Duc +de Grammont, our ambassador at Madrid, was so overwhelmed with annoyance, +that he asked for his recall. Amelot, whom Madame des Ursins favoured, +was appointed in his place, and many who had been disgraced were +reinstated in office; everything was ordered according to her wishes. + +We returned to Marly, where many balls took place. It need not be +doubted that Madame des Ursins was among the invited. Apartments were +given her, and nothing could equal the triumphant air with which she took +possession of them, the continual attentions of the King to her, as +though she were some little foreign queen just arrived at his Court, or +the majestic fashion in which she received them, mingled with grace and +respectful politeness, then almost out of date, and which recalled the +stately old dames of the Queen-mother. She never came without the King, +who appeared to be completely occupied with her, talking with her, +pointing out objects for her inspection, seeking her opinion and her +approbation with an air of gallantry, even of flattery, which never +ceased. The frequent private conversations that she had with him in the +apartment of Madame de Maintenon, and which lasted an hour, and sometimes +double that time; those that she very often had in the morning alone with +Madame de Maintenon, rendered her the divinity of the Court. The +Princesses encircled her the moment she appeared anywhere, and went to +see her in her chamber. Nothing was more surprising than the servile +eagerness with which the greatest people, the highest in power and the +most in favour, clustered around her. Her very glances were counted, and +her words, addressed even to ladies of the highest rank, imprinted upon +them a look of ravishment. + +I went nearly every morning to her house: she always rose very early, +dressed herself at once, so that she was never seen at her toilette. +I was in advance of the hour fixed for the most important visitors, and +we talked with the same liberty as of yore. I learnt from her many +details, and the opinion of the King and of Madame de Maintenon upon many +people. We often used to laugh in concert at the truckling to her of +persons the most considerable, and of the disdain they drew upon +themselves, although she did not testify it to them. We laughed too at +the falsehood of others, who after having done her all the injury in +their power ever since her arrival, lavished upon her all kinds of +flatteries, and boasted of their affection for her and of zeal in her +cause. I was flattered with this confidence of the dictatress of the +Court. It drew upon me a sudden consideration; for people of the +greatest distinction often found me alone with her in the morning, and +the messengers who rained down at that time reported that they had found +me with her, and that they had not been able to speak to her. Oftentimes +in the salon she called me to her, or at other times I went to her and +whispered a word in her ear, with an air of ease and liberty much envied +but little imitated. She never met Madame de Saint-Simon without going +to her, praising her, making her join in the conversation that was +passing around; oftentimes leading her to the glass and adjusting her +head-dress or her robe as she might have done in private to a daughter. +People asked with surprise and much annoyance whence came such a great +friendship which had never been suspected by anybody? What completed the +torment of the majority, was to see Madame des Ursins, as soon as she +quitted the chamber of Madame de Maintenon, go immediately to Madame de +Saint-Simon, lead her aside, and speak to her in a low tone. This opened +the eyes of everybody and drew upon us many civilities. + +A more solid gratification to us were the kind things Madame des Ursins +said in our behalf to the King and Madame de Maintenon. She spoke in the +highest praise of Madame de Saint-Simon, and declared that there was no +woman at Court so fitting as she, so expressly made by her virtue, good +conduct, and ability, to be lady of the Palace, or even lady-of-honour to +Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne, should the post become vacant. Madame +des Ursins did not forget me; but a woman was more susceptible of her +praise. It made, therefore, all the more impression. This kind manner +towards us did not change during all her stay at Court. + +At all the balls which Madame des Ursins attended, she was treated with +much distinction, and at one she obtained permission for the Duc and +Duchesse d'Albe to be present, but with some little trouble. I say with +some little trouble, because no ambassador, no foreigner, had ever, +with one exception, been admitted to Marly. It was a great favour, +therefore, for Madame des Ursins to obtain. The King, too, treated the +Duc and Duchesse d'Albe, throughout the evening with marked respect, and +placed the latter in the most distinguished position, not only in the +ball-room but at supper. When he went to bed, too, he gave the Duc +d'Albe his candlestick; an honour the importance of which I have already +described. + +At the other balls Madame des Ursins seated herself near the Grand +Chamberlain, and looked at everybody with her lorgnette. At every moment +the King turned round to speak to her and Madame de Maintenon, who came +for half an hour or so to these balls, and on her account displaced the +Grand Chamberlain, who put himself behind her. In this manner she joined +Madame des Ursins, and was close to the King--the conversation between +the three being continual. What appeared extremely singular was to see +Madame des Ursins in the salon with a little spaniel in her arms, as +though she had been in her own house. People could not sufficiently +express their astonishment at a familiarity which even Madame la Duchesse +de Bourgogne would not have dared to venture; still less could they do so +when they saw the King caress this little dog over and over again. In +fine, such a high flight has never been seen. People could not accustom +themselves to it, and those who knew the King and his Court are surprised +still, when they think of it, after so many years. There was no longer +any doubt that Madame des Ursins would return into Spain. All her +frequent private conversations with the King and Madame de Maintenon were +upon that country. I will only add here that her return took place in +due time; and that her influence became more paramount than ever. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + +In relating what happened to Madame des Ursins upon her return to Spain, +I have carried the narrative into the year 1705. It is not necessary to +retrace our steps. Towards the end of 1703 Courtin died. He had early +shone at the Council, and had been made Intendant of Picardy. +M. de Chaulnes, whose estates were there, begged him to tax them as +lightly as possible. Courtin, who was a very intimate friend of M. de +Chaulnes, complied with his request; but the next year, in going over his +accounts, he found that to do a good turn to M. de Chaulnes he had done +an ill turn to many others--that is to say, he had relieved M. de +Chaulnes at the expense of other parishes, which he had overcharged. +The trouble this caused him made him search deeply into the matter, and +he found that the wrong he had done amounted to forty thousand francs. +Without a second thought he paid back this money, and asked to be +recalled. As he was much esteemed, his request was not at once complied +with, but he represented so well that he could not pass his life doing +wrong, and unable to serve his friends, that at last what he asked was +granted. He afterwards had several embassies, went to England as +ambassador, and was very successful in that capacity. I cannot quit +Courtin without relating an adventure he had one day with Fieubet, a +Councillor of State like himself. As they were going to Saint Germain +they were stopped by several men and robbed; robbery was common in those +days, and Fieubet lost all he had in his pockets. When the thieves had +left them, and while Fieubet was complaining of his misfortune, Courtin +began to applaud himself for having saved his watch and fifty pistoles +that he had time to slip into his trowsers. Immediately on hearing this, +Fieubet put his head out of the coach window, and called back the +thieves, who came sure enough to see what he wanted. + +"Gentlemen," said he, "you appear to be honest folks in distress; it is +not reasonable that you should be the dupes of this gentleman, who his +swindled you out of fifty pistoles and his watch." And then turning to +Courtin, he smilingly said: "You told me so yourself, monsieur; so give +the things up like a man, without being searched." + +The astonishment and indignation of Courtin were such that he allowed +money and watch to be taken from him without uttering a single word; but +when the thieves were gone away, he would have strangled Fieubet had not +this latter been the stronger of the two. Fieubet only laughed at him; +and upon arriving at Saint Germain told the adventure to everybody he +met. Their friends had all the trouble in the world to reconcile them. + +The year finished with an affair in which I was not a little interested. +During the year there were several grand fetes, at which the King went to +High Mass and vespers. On these occasions a lady of the Court, named by +the Queen, or when there was none, by the Dauphiness, made a collection +for the poor. The house of Lorraine, always anxious to increase its +importance, shirked impudently this duty, in order thereby to give itself +a new distinction, and assimilate its rank to that of the Princes of the +blood. It was a long time before this was perceived. At last the +Duchesse de Noailles, the Duchesse de Guiche, her daughter, the Marechal +de Boufflers, and others, took notice of it; and I was soon after +informed of it. I determined that the matter should be arranged, and +that justice should be done. + +The Duchesse de Lude was first spoken to on the subject; she, weak and +timid, did not dare to do anything; but at last was induced to speak to +Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne, who, wishing to judge for herself as to +the truth of the matter, ordered Madame de Montbazon to make the +collection for the poor at the next fete that took place. Although very +well, Madame de Montbazon pretended to be ill, stopped in bed half a day, +and excused herself on this ground from performing the duty. Madame de +Bourgogne was annoyed, but she did not dare to push matters farther; and, +in consequence of this refusal, none of the Duchesses would make the +collection. Other ladies of quality soon perceived this, and they also +refused to serve; so that the collection fell into all sorts of hands, +and sometimes was not made at all. Matters went on so far, indeed, that +the King at last grew angry, and threatened to make Madame de Bourgogne +herself take this office. But refusals still followed upon refusals, and +the bomb thus at length was ready to burst. + +The King, who at last ordered the daughter of M. le Grand to take the +plate on New Year's Day, 1704., had, it seems, got scent of the part I +was taking in this matter, and expressed himself to Madame de Maintenon, +as I learnt, as very discontented with me and one or two other Dukes. +He said that the Dukes were much less obedient to him than the Princes; +and that although many Duchesses had refused to make the collection, the +moment he had proposed that the daughter of M. le Grand should take it, +M. le Grand consented. On the next day, early in the morning, I saw +Chamillart, who related to me that on the previous evening, before he had +had time to open his business, the King had burst out in anger against +me, saying it was very strange, but that since I had quitted the army I +did nothing but meddle in matters of rank and bring actions against +everybody; finishing, by declaring that if he acted well he should send +me so far away that I should be unable to importune him any more. +Chamillart added, that he had done all in his power to appease the King, +but with little effect. + +After consulting with my friends, I determined to go up to the King and +boldly ask to speak to him in his cabinet, believing that to be the +wisest course I could pursue. He was not yet so reconciled to me as he +afterwards became, and, in fact, was sorely out of humour with me. This +step did not seem, therefore, altogether unattended with danger; but, +as I have said, I resolved to take it. As he passed, therefore, from his +dinner that same day, I asked permission to follow him into his cabinet. +Without replying to me, he made a sign that I might enter, and went into +the embrasure of the window. + +When we were quite alone I explained, at considerable length, my reasons +for acting in this matter, declaring that it was from no disrespect to +his Majesty that I had requested Madame de Saint-Simon and the other +Duchesses to refuse to collect for the poor, but simply to bring those to +account who had claimed without reason to be exempt from this duty. +I added, keeping my eyes fixed upon the King all the time, that I begged +him to believe that none of his subjects were more submissive to his will +or more willing to acknowledge the supremacy of his authority in all +things than the Dukes. Until this his tone and manner had been very +severe; but now they both softened, and he said, with much goodness and +familiarity, that "that was how it was proper to speak and think," and +other remarks equally gracious. I took then the opportunity of +expressing the sorrow I felt at seeing, that while my sole endeavour was +to please him, my enemies did all they could to blacken me in his eyes, +indicating that I suspected M. le Grand, who had never pardoned me for +the part I took in the affair of the Princesse d'Harcourt, was one of the +number. After I had finished the King remained still a moment, as if +ready to hear if I had anything more to say, and then quitted me with a +bow, slight but very gracious, saying it was well, and that he was +pleased with me. + +I learnt afterwards that he said the same thing of me in the evening to +Chamillart, but, nevertheless, that he did not seem at all shaken in his +prejudice in favour of M. le Grand. The King was in fact very easy to +prejudice, difficult to lead back, and most unwilling to seek +enlightenment, or to listen to any explanations, if authority was in the +slightest degree at stake. Whoever had the address to make a question +take this shape, might be assured that the King would throw aside all +consideration of justice, right, and reason, and dismiss all evidence. +It was by playing on this chord that his ministers knew how to manage him +with so much art, and to make themselves despotic masters, causing him to +believe all they wished, while at the same time they rendered him +inaccessible to explanation, and to those who might have explained. + +I have, perhaps, too much expanded an affair which might have been more +compressed. But in addition to the fact that I was mixed up in it, it is +by these little private details, as it seems to me, that the characters +of the Court and King are best made known. + +In the early part of the next year, 1704., the King made La Queue, who +was a captain of cavalry, campmaster. This La Queue was seigneur of the +place of which he bore the name, distant six leagues from Versailles, and +as much from Dreux. He had married a girl that the King had had by a +gardener's wife. Bontems, the confidential valet of the King, had +brought about the marriage without declaring the names of the father or +the mother of the girl; but La Queue knew it, and promised himself a +fortune. The girl herself was tall and strongly resembled the King. +Unfortunately for her, she knew the secret of her birth, and much envied +her three sisters--recognised, and so grandly married. She lived on very +good terms with her husband--always, however, in the greatest privacy-- +and had several children by him. La Queue himself, although by this +marriage son-in-law of the King, seldom appeared at the Court, and, when +there, was on the same footing as the simplest soldier. Bontems did not +fail from time to time to give him money. The wife of La Queue lived +very melancholily for twenty years in her village, never left it, and +scarcely ever went abroad for fear of betraying herself. + +On Wednesday, the 25th of June, Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne had a son +born to him. This event caused great joy to the King and the Court. +The town shared their delight, and carried their enthusiasm almost to +madness, by the excess of their demonstration and their fetes. The King +gave a fete at Marly, and made the most magnificent presents to Madame la +Duchesse de Bourgogne when she left her bed. But we soon had reason to +repent of so much joy, for the child died in less than a year--and of so +much money unwisely spent, in fetes when it was wanted for more pressing +purposes. Even while these rejoicings were being celebrated, news +reached us which spread consternation in every family, and cast a gloom +over the whole city. + +I have already said that a grand alliance, with the Emperor at its head, +had been formed against France, and that our troops were opposing the +Allies in various parts of Europe. The Elector of Bavaria had joined his +forces to ours, and had already done us some service. On the 12th of +August he led his men into the plain of Hochstedt, where, during the +previous year, he had gained a victory over the Imperialists. In this +plain he was joined by our troops, who took up positions right and left +of him, under the command of Tallard and Marsin. The Elector himself had +command of all. Soon after their arrival at Hochstedt, they received +intelligence that Prince Eugene, with the Imperialist forces, and the +Duke of Marlborough with the English were coming to meet them. Our +generals had, however, all the day before them to choose their ground, +and to make their dispositions. It would have been difficult to succeed +worse, both with the one and the other. A brook, by no means of a miry +kind, ran parallel to our army; and in front of it a spring, which formed +a long and large quagmire, nearly separated the two lines of Marshal +Tallard. It was a strange situation for a general to take up, who is +master of a vast plain; and it became, as will be seen, a very sad one. +At his extreme right was the large village of Blenheim, in which, by a +blindness without example, he had placed twenty-six battalions of +infantry, six regiments of dragoons, and a brigade of cavalry. It was an +entire army merely for the purpose of holding this village, and +supporting his right, and of course he had all these troops the less to +aid him in the battle which took place. The first battle of Hochstedt +afforded a lesson which ought to have been studied on this occasion. +There were many officers present, too, who had been at that battle; but +they were not consulted. One of two courses was open, either to take up +a position behind the brook, and parallel to it, so as to dispute its +passage with the enemies, or to take advantage of the disorder they would +be thrown into in crossing it by attacking them then. Both these plans +were good; the second was the better; but neither was adopted. What was +done was, to leave a large space between our troops and the brook, that +the enemy might pass at their ease, and be overthrown afterwards, as was +said. With such dispositions it is impossible to doubt but that our +chiefs were struck with blindness. The Danube flowed near enough to +Blenheim to be of sufficient support to our right, better indeed than +that village, which consequently there was no necessity to hold. + +The enemies arrived on the 13th of August at the dawn, and at once took +up their position on the banks of the brook. Their surprise must have +been great to see our army so far off, drawn up in battle array. They +profited by the extent of ground left to them, crossed the brook at +nearly every point, formed themselves in several lines on the side to +which they crossed, and then extended themselves at their ease, without +receiving the slightest opposition. This is exact truth, but without any +appearance of being so; and posterity will with difficulty believe it. +It was nearly eight o'clock before all these dispositions, which our +troops saw made without moving, were completed. Prince Eugene with his +army had the right; the Duke of Marlborough the left. The latter thus +opposed to the forces of Tallard, and Prince Eugene to those of Marsin. + +The battle commenced; and in one part was so far favourable to us that +the attack of Prince Eugene was repulsed by Marsin, who might have +profited by this circumstance but for the unfortunate position of our +right. Two things contributed to place us at a disadvantage. The second +line, separated by the quagmire I have alluded to from the first line, +could not sustain it properly; and in consequence of the long bend it was +necessary to make round this quagmire, neither line, after receiving or +making a charge, could retire quickly to rally and return again to the +attack. As for the infantry, the twenty-six battalions shut up in +Blenheim left a great gap in it that could not fail to, be felt. The +English, who soon perceived the advantage they might obtain from this +want of infantry, and from the difficulty with which our cavalry of the +right was rallied, profited by these circumstances with the readiness of +people who have plenty of ground at their disposal. They redoubled their +charges, and to say all in one word, they defeated at their first attack +all this army, notwithstanding the efforts of our general officers and of +several regiments to repel them. The army of the Elector, entirely +unsupported, and taken in flank by the English, wavered in its turn. +All the valour of the Bavarians, all the prodigies of the Elector, were +unable to remedy the effects of this wavering. Thus was seen, at one and +the same time, the army of Tallard beaten and thrown into the utmost +disorder; that of the Elector sustaining itself with great intrepidity, +but already in retreat; and that of Marsin charging and gaining ground +upon Prince Eugene. It was not until Marsin learnt of the defeat of +Tallard and of the Elector, that he ceased to pursue his advantages, and +commenced his retreat. This retreat he was able to make without being +pursued. + + +[Illustration: After The Battle of Blenheim--Painted by R. Canton Woodville--354] + +In the mean time the troops in Blenheim had been twice attacked, and had +twice repulsed the enemy. Tallard had given orders to these troops on no +account to leave their positions, nor to allow a single man even to quit +them. Now, seeing his army defeated and in flight, he wished to +countermand these orders. He was riding in hot haste to Blenheim to do +so, with only two attendants, when all three were surrounded, recognised, +and taken prisoners. + +These troops shut up in Blenheim had been left under the command of +Blansac, camp-marshal, and Clerembault, lieutenant-general. During the +battle this latter was missed, and could nowhere be found. It was known +afterwards that, for fear of being killed, he had endeavoured to escape +across the Danube on horseback attended by a single valet. The valet +passed over the river in safety, but his master went to the bottom. +Blansac, thus left alone in command, was much troubled by the disorders +he saw and heard, and by the want which he felt of fresh orders. He sent +a messenger to Tallard for instructions how to act, but his messenger was +stopped on the road, and taken prisoner. I only repeat what Blansac +himself reported in his defence, which was equally ill-received by the +King and the public, but which had no contradictors, for nobody was +witness of what took place at Blenheim except those actually there, and +they all, the principals at least, agreed in their story. What some of +the soldiers said was not of a kind that could altogether be relied upon. + +While Blansac was in this trouble, he saw Denonville, one of our officers +who had been taken prisoner, coming towards the village, accompanied by +an officer who waved a handkerchief in the air and demanded a parley. +Denonville was a young man, very handsome and well made, who being a +great favourite with Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne had become +presumptuous and somewhat audacious. Instead of speaking in private to +Blansac and the other principal officers--since he had undertaken so +strange a mission--Denonville, who had some intellect, plenty of fine +talk, and a mighty opinion of himself, set to work haranguing the troops, +trying to persuade them to surrender themselves prisoners of war, so that +they might preserve themselves for the service of the King. Blansac, who +saw the wavering this caused among the troops, sharply told Denonville to +hold his tongue, and began himself to harangue the troops in a contrary +spirit. But it was to late. The mischief was done. Only one regiment, +that of Navarre, applauded him, all the rest maintained a dull silence. +I remind my readers that it is Blansac's version of the story I am +giving. + +Soon after Denonville and his companion had returned to the enemy, an +English lord came, demanding a parley with the commandant. He was +admitted to Blansac, to whom he said that the Duke of Marlborough had +sent him to say that he had forty battalions and sixty pieces of cannon +at his disposal, with reinforcements to any extent at command; that he +should surround the village on all sides; that the army of Tallard was in +flight, and the remains of that of the Elector in retreat; that Tallard +and many general officers were prisoners; that Blansac could hope for no +reinforcements; and that, therefore, he had better at once make an +honourable capitulation, and surrender, himself with all his men +prisoners of war, than attempt a struggle in which he was sure to be +worsted with great loss. Blansac wanted to dismiss this messenger at +once, but the Englishman pressed him to advance a few steps out of the +village, and see with his own eyes the defeat of the Electoral army, and +the preparations that were made on the other side to continue the battle. +Blansac accordingly, attended by one of his officers, followed this lord, +and was astounded to see with his own eyes that all he had just heard was +true. Returned into Bleinheim, Blansac assembled all his principal +officers, made them acquainted with the proposition that had been made, +and told them what he had himself seen. Every one comprehended what a +frightful shock it would be for the country when it learnt that they had +surrendered themselves prisoners of war; but all things well considered, +it was thought best to accept these terms, and so preserve to the King +the twenty-six battalions and the twelve squadrons of dragoons who were +there. This terrible capitulation was at once, therefore, drawn up and +signed by Blansac, the general officers, and the heads of every corps +except that of Navarre, which was thus the sole one which refused. + +The number of prisoners that fell to the enemy in this battle was +infinite. The Duke of Marlborough took charge of the most distinguished, +until he could carry them away to England, to grace his triumph there. +He treated them all, even the humblest, with the utmost attention, +consideration, and politeness, and with a modesty that did him even more +honour than his victory. Those that came under the charge of Prince +Louis of Baden were much less kindly treated. + +The King received the cruel news of this battle on the 21st of August, by +a courier from the Marechal de Villeroy. By this courier the King learnt +that a battle had taken place on the 13th; had lasted from eight o'clock +in the morning until evening; that the entire army of Tallard was killed +or taken prisoners; that it was not known what had become of Tallard +himself, or whether the Elector and Marsin had been at the action. The +private letters that arrived were all opened to see what news they +contained, but no fresh information could be got from them. For six days +the King remained in this uncertainty as to the real losses that had been +sustained. Everybody was afraid to write bad news; all the letters which +from time to time arrived, gave, therefore, but an unsatisfactory account +of what had taken place. The King used every means in his power to +obtain some news. Every post that came in was examined by him, but there +was little found to satisfy him. Neither the King nor anybody else could +understand, from what had reached them, how it was that an entire army +had been placed inside a village, and had surrendered itself by a signed +capitulation. It puzzled every brain. At last the details, that had +oozed out little by little, augmented to a perfect stream, by the, +arrival of one of our officers, who, taken prisoner, had been allowed by +the Duke of Marlborough to go to Paris to relate to the King the +misfortune that had happened to him. + +We were not accustomed to misfortunes. This one, very reasonably, was +utterly unexpected. It seemed in every way the result of bad +generalship, of an unjustifiable disposition of troops, and of a series +of gross and incredible errors. The commotion was general. There was +scarcely an illustrious family that had not had one of its members +killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. Other families were in the same +case. The public sorrow and indignation burst out without restraint. +Nobody who had taken part in this humiliation was spared; the generals +and the private soldiers alike came in for blame. Denonville was +ignominiously broken for the speech he had made at Blenheim. The +generals, however, were entirely let off. All the punishment fell upon +certain regiments, which were broken, and upon certain unimportant +officers--the guilty and innocent mixed together. The outcry was +universal. The grief of the King at this ignominy and this loss, at the +moment when he imagined that the fate of the Emperor was in his hands, +may be imagined. At a time when he might have counted upon striking a +decisive blow, he saw himself reduced to act simply on the defensive, in +order to preserve his troops; and had to repair the loss of an entire +army, killed or taken prisoners. The sequel showed not less that the +hand of God was weighty upon us. All judgment was lost. We trembled +even in the midst of Alsace. + +In the midst of all this public sorrow, the rejoicing and the fetes for +the birth of the Duc de Bretagne son of Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne, +were not discontinued. The city gave a firework fete upon the river, +that Monseigneur, the Princes, his sons, and Madame la Duchesse de +Bourgogne, with many ladies and courtiers, came to see from the windows +of the Louvre, magnificent cheer and refreshments being provided for +them. This was a contrast which irritated the people, who would not +understand that it was meant for magnanimity. A few days afterwards the +King gave an illumination and a fete at Marly, to which the Court of +Saint Germain was invited; and which was all in honour of Madame la +Duchesse de Bourgogne. He thanked the Prevot des Marchand for the +fireworks upon the river, and said that Monseigneur and Madame had found +them very beautiful. + +Shortly after this, I received a letter from one of my friends, the Duc +de Montfort, who had always been in the army of the Marechal de Villeroy. +He sent word to me, that upon his return he intended to break his sword, +and retire from the army. His letter was written in such a despairing +tone that, fearing lest with his burning courage he might commit some +martial folly, I conjured him not to throw himself into danger for the +sake of being killed. It seemed that I had anticipated his intentions. +A convoy of money was to be sent to Landau. Twice he asked to be allowed +to take charge of this convoy, and twice he was told it was too +insignificant a charge for a camp-marshal to undertake. The third time +that he asked this favour, he obtained it by pure importunity. He +carried the money safely into Landau, without meeting with any obstacle. +On his return he saw some hussars roving about. Without a moment's +hesitation he resolved to give chase to them. He was with difficulty +restrained for some time, and a last, breaking away, he set off to attack +them, followed by only two officers. The hussars dispersed themselves, +and retreated; the Duc de Montfort followed them, rode into the midst of +them, was surrounded on all sides, and soon received a blow which +overturned him. In a few moments after, being carried off by his men, he +died, having only had time to confess himself, and to arrive at his +quarters. He was infinitely regretted by everybody who had known him. +The grief of his family may be imagined. + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + +The King did not long remain without some consolation for the loss of the +battle of Hochstedt (Blenheim). The Comte de Toulouse--very different in +every respect from his brother, the Duc du Maine--was wearied with +cruising in the Mediterranean, without daring to attack enemies that were +too strong for him. He had, therefore, obtained reinforcements this +year, so that he was in a state to measure his forces with any opponent. +The English fleet was under the command of Admiral Rooks. The Comte de +Toulouse wished above all things to attack. He asked permission to do +so, and, the permission being granted, he set about his enterprise. He +met the fleet of Admiral Rooks near Malaga, on the 24th of September of +this year, and fought with it from ten o'clock in the morning until eight +o'clock in the evening. The fleets, as far as the number of vessels was +concerned, were nearly equal. So furious or so obstinate a sea-fight had +not been seen for a long time. They had always the wind upon our fleet, +yet all the advantage was on the side of the Comte de Toulouse, who could +boast that he had obtained the victory, and whose vessel fought that of +Rooks, dismasted it, and pursued it all next day towards the coast of +Barbary, where the Admiral retired. The enemy lost six thousand men; the +ship of the Dutch Vice-Admiral was blown up; several others were sunk, +and some dismasted. Our fleet lost neither ship nor mast, but the +victory cost the lives of many distinguished people, in addition to those +of fifteen hundred soldiers or sailors killed or wounded. + +Towards evening on the 25th, by dint of maneuvers, aided by the wind, our +fleet came up again with that of Rooks. The Comte de Toulouse was for +attacking it again on the morrow, and showed that if the attack were +successful, Gibraltar would be the first result of the victory. That +famous place, which commands the important strait of the same name, had +been allowed to fall into neglect, and was defended by a miserable +garrison of forty men. In this state it had of course easily fallen into +the hands of the enemies. But they had not yet had time to man it with a +much superior force, and Admiral Rooks once defeated, it must have +surrendered to us. + +The Comte de Toulouse urged his advice with all the energy of which he +was capable, and he was supported in opinion by others of more experience +than himself. But D'O, the mentor of the fleet, against whose counsel he +had been expressly ordered by the King never to act, opposed the project +of another attack with such disdainful determination, that the Comte had +no course open but to give way. The annoyance which this caused +throughout the fleet was very great. It soon was known what would have +become of the enemy's fleet had it been attacked, and that Gibraltar +would have been found in exactly the same state as when abandoned. The +Comte de Toulouse acquired great honour in this campaign, and his stupid +teacher lost little, because he had little to lose. + +M. de Mantua having surrendered his state to the King, thereby rendering +us a most important service in Italy, found himself ill at ease in his +territory, which had become the theatre of war, and had come incognito to +Paris. He had apartments provided for him in the Luxembourg, furnished +magnificently with the Crown furniture, and was very graciously received +by the King. The principal object of his journey was to marry some +French lady; and as he made no secret of this intention, more than one +plot was laid in order to provide him with a wife. M. de Vaudemont, +intent upon aggrandizing the house of Lorraine, wished. M de Mantua to +marry a member of that family, and fixed upon Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf for +his bride. The Lorraines did all in their power to induce M. de Mantua +to accept her. But M. le Prince had also his designs in this matter. He +had a daughter; whom he knew not how to get off his hands, and he thought +that in more ways than one it would be to his advantage to marry her to +the Duke of Mantua. He explained his views to the King, who gave him +permission to follow them out, and promised to serve him with all his +protection. But when the subject was broached to M. de Mantua, he +declined this match in such a respectful, yet firm, manner that M. le +Prince felt he must abandon all hope of carrying it out. The Lorraines +were not more successful in their designs. When M. de Vaudemont had +first spoken of Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf, M. de Mantua had appeared to +listen favourably. This was in Italy. Now that he was in Paris he acted +very differently. It was in vain that Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf was thrust +in his way, as though by chance, at the promenades, in the churches; her +beauty, which might have touched many others, made no impression upon +him. The fact was that M. de Mantua, even long before leaving his state, +had fixed upon a wife. + +Supping one evening with the Duc de Lesdiguieres, a little before the +death of the latter, he saw a ring with a portrait in it; upon the Duke's +finger. He begged to be allowed to look at the portrait, was charmed +with it, and said he should be very happy to have such a beautiful +mistress. The Duke at this burst out laughing, and said it was the +portrait of his wife. As soon as the Duc de Lesdiguieres was dead, +de Mantua thought only of marrying the young widowed Duchess. He sought +her everywhere when he arrived in Paris, but without being able to find +her; because she was in the first year of her widowhood. He therefore +unbosomed himself to Torcy, who reported the matter to the King. The +King approved of the design of M. de Mantua, and charged the Marechal de +Duras to speak to the Duchesse de Lesdiguieres, who was his daughter. +The Duchess was equally surprised and afflicted when she learned what was +in progress. She testified to her father her repugnance to abandon +herself to the caprices and the jealousy of an old Italian 'debauche' the +horror she felt at the idea of being left alone with him in Italy; and +the reasonable fear she had of her health, with a man whose own could not +be good. + +I was promptly made acquainted with this affair; for Madame de +Lesdiguieres and Madame de Saint-Simon were on the most intimate terms. +I did everything in my power to persuade Madame de Lesdirguieres to +content to the match, insisting at once on her family position, on the +reason of state, and on the pleasure of ousting Madame d'Elboeuf,--but it +was all in vain. I never saw such firmness. Pontchartrain, who came and +reasoned with her, was even less successful than I, for he excited her by +threats and menaces. M. le Prince himself supported us--having no longer +any hope for himself, and fearing, above all things, M. de Mantua's +marriage with a Lorraine--and did all he could to persuade Madame de +Lesdiguieres to give in. I renewed my efforts in the same direction, but +with no better success than before. Nevertheless, M. de Mantua, +irritated by not being able to see Madame de Lesdirguieres, resolved to +go and wait for her on a Sunday at the Minimes. He found her shut up in +a chapel, and drew near the door in order to see her as she went out. He +was not much gratified; her thick crape veil was lowered; it was with +difficulty he could get a glance at her. Resolved to succeed, he spoke +to Torcy, intimating that Madame de Lesdiguieres ought not to refuse such +a slight favour as to allow herself to be seen in a church. Torcy +communicated this to the King, who sent word to Madame de Lesdiguieres +that she must consent to the favour M. de Mantua demanded. She could not +refuse after this. M. de Mantua went accordingly, and waited for her in +the same place, where he had once already so badly seen her. He found +her, in the chapel, and drew near the door, as before. She came out, her +veil raised, passed lightly before him, made him a sliding courtesy as +she glided by, in reply to his bow, and reached her coach. + +M. de Mantua was charmed; he redoubled his efforts with the King and M. +de Duras; the matter was discussed in full council, like an affair of +state--indeed it was one; and it was resolved to amuse M. de Mantua, and +yet at the same time to do everything to vanquish this resistance of +Madame de Lesdiguieres, except employing the full authority of the King, +which the King himself did not wish to exert. Everything was promised to +her on the part of the King: that it should be his Majesty who would make +the stipulations of the marriage contract; that it should be his Majesty +who would give her a dowry, and would guarantee her return to France if +she became a widow, and assure her his protection while she remained a +wife; in one word, everything was tried, and in the gentlest and most +honourable manner, to persuade her. Her mother lent us her house one +afternoon, in order that we might speak more at length and more at our +ease there to Madame de Lesdiguieres than we could at the Hotel de Duras. +We only gained a torrent of tears for our pains. + +A few days after this, I was very much astonished to hear Chamillart +relate to me all that had passed at this interview. I learnt afterwards +that Madame de Lesdiguieres, fearing that if, entirely unsupported, she +persisted in her refusal, it might draw upon her the anger of the King, +had begged Chamillart to implore his Majesty not to insist upon this +marriage. M. de Mantua hearing this, turned his thoughts elsewhere; and +she was at last delivered of a pursuit which had become a painful +persecution to her. Chamillart served her so well that the affair came +to an end; and the King, flattered perhaps by the desire this young +Duchess showed to remain his subject instead of becoming a sovereign, +passed a eulogium upon her the same evening in his cabinet to his family +and to the Princesses, by whom it was spread abroad through society. + +I may as well finish this matter at once. The Lorraines, who had watched +very closely the affair up to this point, took hope again directly they +heard of the resolution M. de Mantua had formed to abandon his pursuit of +Madame de Lesdiguieres. They, in their turn, were closely watched by +M. le Prince, who so excited the King against them, that Madame d'Elboeuf +received orders from him not to continue pressing her suit upon M. de +Mantua. That did not stop them. They felt that the King would not +interfere with them by an express prohibition, and sure, by past +experience, of being on better terms with him afterwards than before, +they pursued their object with obstinacy. By dint of much plotting and +scheming, and by the aid of their creatures, they contrived to overcome +the repugnance of M. de Mantua to Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf, which at bottom +could be only caprice--her beauty, her figure, and her birth taken into +account. But Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf, in her turn, was as opposed to +marriage with M. de Mantua as Madame de Lesdiguieres had been. She was, +however, brought round ere long, and then the consent of the King was the +only thing left to be obtained. The Lorraines made use of their usual +suppleness in order to gain that. They represented the impolicy of +interfering with the selection of a sovereign who was the ally of France, +and who wished to select a wife from among her subjects, and succeeded so +well, that the King determined to become neutral; that is to say, neither +to prohibit nor to sanction this match. M. le Prince was instrumental in +inducing the King to take this neutral position; and he furthermore +caused the stipulation to be made, that it should not be celebrated in +France, but at Mantua. + +After parting with the King, M. de Mantua, on the 21st of September, went +to Nemours, slept there, and then set out for Italy. At the same time +Madame and Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf, with Madame de Pompadour, sister of +the former, passed through Fontainebleau without going to see a soul, and +followed their prey lest he should change his mind and escape them until +the road he was to take branched off from that they were to go by; he in +fact intending to travel by sea and they by land. On the way their fears +redoubled. Arrived at Nevers, and lodged in a hostelrie, they thought it +would not be well to commit themselves further without more certain +security: Madame de Pompadour therefore proposed to M. de Mantua not to +delay his happiness any longer, but to celebrate his marriage at once. +He defended himself as well as he could, but was at last obliged to give +in. During this indecent dispute, the Bishop was sent to. He had just +died, and the Grand Vicar, not knowing what might be the wishes of the +King upon this marriage, refused to celebrate it. The chaplain was +therefore appealed to, and he at once married Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf to +M. de Mantua in the hotel. As soon as the ceremony was over, Madame +d'Elboeuf wished to leave her daughter alone with M. de Mantua, and +although he strongly objected to this, everybody quitted the room, +leaving only the newly married couple there, and Madame de Pompadour +outside upon the step listening to what passed between them. But finding +after a while that both were very much embarrassed, and that M. de Mantua +did little but cry out for the company to return, she conferred with her +sister, and they agreed to give him his liberty. Immediately he had +obtained it, he mounted his horse, though it was not early, and did not +see them again until they reached Italy--though all went the same road as +far as Lyons. The news of this strange celebration of marriage was soon +spread abroad with all the ridicule which attached to it. + +The King was very much annoyed when he learnt that his orders had been +thus disobeyed. The Lorraines plastered over the affair by representing +that they feared an affront from M. de Mantua, and indeed it did not seem +at all unlikely that M. de Mantua, forced as it were into compliance with +their wishes, might have liked nothing better than to reach Italy and +then laugh at them. Meanwhile, Madame d'Elboeuf and her daughter +embarked on board the royal galleys and started for Italy. On the way +they were fiercely chased by some African corsairs, and it is a great +pity they were not taken to finish the romance. + +However, upon arriving in Italy, the marriage was again celebrated, this +time with all the forms necessary for the occasion. But Madame d'Elboeuf +had no cause to rejoice that she had succeeded in thus disposing of her +daughter. The new Duchesse de Mantua was guarded by her husband with the +utmost jealousy. She was not allowed to see anybody except her mother, +and that only for an hour each day. Her women entered her apartment only +to dress and undress her. The Duke walled up very high all the windows +of his house, and caused his wife to, be guarded by old women. She +passed her days thus in a cruel prison. This treatment, which I did not +expect, and the little consideration, not to say contempt, shown here for +M. de Mantua since his departure, consoled me much for the invincible +obstinacy of Madame de Lesdiguieres. Six months after, Madame d'Elboeuf +returned, beside herself with vexation, but too vain to show it. She +disguised the misfortune of her daughter, and appeared to be offended if +it was spoken of; but all our letters from the army showed that the news +was true. The strangest thing of all is, that the Lorraines after this +journey were as well treated by the King as if they had never undertaken +it; a fact which shows their art and ascendency. + +I have dwelt too long perhaps upon this matter. It appeared to me to +merit attention by its singularity, and still more so because it is by +facts of this sort that is shown what was the composition of the Court of +the King. + +About this time the Comtesse d'Auvergne finished a short life by an +illness very strange and uncommon. When she married the Comte d'Auvergne +she was a Huguenot, and he much wanted to make her turn Catholic. +A famous advocate of that time, who was named Chardon, had been a +Huguenot, and his wife also; they had made a semblance, however, of +abjuring, but made no open profession of Catholicism. Chardon was +sustained by his great reputation, and by the number of protectors he had +made for himself. + +One morning he and his wife were in their coach before the Hotel-Dieu, +waiting for a reply that their lackey was a very long time in bringing +them. Madame Chardon glanced by chance upon the grand portal of Notre +Dame, and little by little fell into a profound reverie, which might be +better called reflection. Her husband, who at last perceived this, asked +her what had sent her into such deep thought, and pushed her elbow even +to draw a reply from her. She told him then what she was thinking about. +Pointing to Notre Dame, she said that it was many centuries before Luther +and Calvin that those images of saints had been sculptured over that +portal; that this proved that saints had long since been invoked; the +opposition of the reformers to this ancient opinion was a novelty; that +this novelty rendered suspicious other dogmas against the antiquity of +Catholicism that they taught; that these reflections, which she had never +before made, gave her much disquietude, and made her form the resolution +to seek to enlighten herself. + +Chardon thought his wife right, and from that day they laid themselves +out to seek the truth, then to consult, then to be instructed. This +lasted a year, and then they made a new abjuration, and both ever +afterwards passed their lives in zeal and good works. Madame Chardon +converted many Huguenots. The Comte d'Auvergne took his wife to her. +The Countess was converted by her, and became a very good Catholic. When +she died she was extremely regretted by all the relatives of her husband, +although at first they had looked upon her coldly. + +In the month of this September, a strange attempt at assassination +occurred. Vervins had been forced into many suits against his relatives, +and was upon the point of gaining them all, when one of his cousins- +german, who called himself the Abbe de Pre, caused him to be attacked as +he passed in his coach along the Quai de la Tournelle, before the +community of Madame de Miramion. Vervins was wounded with several sword +cuts, and also his coachman, who wished to defend him. In consequence of +the complaint Vervins made, the Abbe escaped abroad, whence he never +returned, and soon after, his crime being proved, was condemned to be +broken alive on the wheel. Vervins had long been menaced with an attack +by the Abbe. Vervins was an agreeable, well-made man, but very idle. +He had entered the army; but quitted it soon, and retired to his estates +in Picardy. There he shut himself up without any cause of disgust or of +displeasure, without being in any embarrassment, for on the contrary he +was well to do, and all his affairs were in good order, and he never +married; without motives of piety, for piety was not at all in his vein; +without being in bad health, for his health was always perfect; without a +taste for improvement, for no workmen were ever seen in his house; still +less on account of the chase, for he never went to it. Yet he stayed in +his house for several years, without intercourse with a soul, and, what +is most incomprehensible, without budging from his bed, except to allow +it to be made. He dined there, and often all alone; he transacted what +little business he had to do there, and received while there the few +people he could not refuse admission to; and each day, from the moment he +opened his eyes until he closed them again, worked at tapestry, or read a +little; he persevered until his death in this strange fashion of +existence; so uniquely singular, that I have wished to describe it. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI + +There presents itself to my memory an anecdote which it would be very +prudent perhaps to be silent upon, and which is very curious for anybody +who has seen things so closely as I have, to describe. What determines +me to relate it is that the fact is not altogether unknown, and that +every Court swarms with similar adventures. Must it be said then? We +had amongst us a charming young Princess who, by her graces, her +attentions, and her original manners, had taken possession of the hearts +of the King, of Madame de Maintenon, and of her husband, Monseigneur le +Duc de Bourgogne. The extreme discontent so justly felt against her +father, M. de Savoie, had not made the slightest alteration in their +tenderness for her. The King, who hid nothing from her, who worked with +his ministers in her presence whenever she liked to enter, took care not +to say a word in her hearing against her father. In private, she clasped +the King round the neck at all hours, jumped upon his knees, tormented +him with all sorts of sportiveness, rummaged among his papers, opened his +letters end read them in his presence, sometimes in spite of him; and +acted in the same manner with Madame de Maintenon. Despite this extreme +liberty, she never spoke against any one: gracious to all, she +endeavoured to ward off blows from all whenever she could; was attentive +to the private comforts of the King, even the humblest: kind to all who +served her, and living with her ladies, as with friends, in complete +liberty, old and young; she was the darling of the Court, adored by all; +everybody, great and small, was anxious to please her; everybody missed +her when she was away; when she reappeared the void was filled up; in a +word, she had attached all hearts to her; but while in this brilliant +situation she lost her own. + +Nangis, now a very commonplace Marshal of France, was at that time in +full bloom. He had an agreeable but not an uncommon face; was well made, +without anything marvellous; and had been educated in intrigue by the +Marechale de Rochefort, his grandmother, and Madame de Blansac, his +mother, who were skilled mistresses of that art. Early introduced by +them into the great world of which they were, so to speak, the centre, +he had no talent but that of pleasing women, of speaking their language, +and of monopolising the most desirable by a discretion beyond his years, +and which did not belong to his time. Nobody was more in vogue than he. +He had had the command of a regiment when he was quite a child. He had +shown firmness, application, and brilliant valour in war, that the ladies +had made the most of, and they sufficed at his age; he was of the Court +of Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne, about the same age, and well treated +by him. + +The Duc de Bourgogne, passionately in love with his wife, was not so well +made as Nangis; but the Princess reciprocated his ardor so perfectly that +up to his death he never suspected that her glances had wandered to any +one else. They fell, however, upon Nangis, and soon redoubled. Nangis +was not ungrateful, but he feared the thunderbolt; and his heart, too, +was already engaged. Madame de la Vrilliere, who, without beauty, was +pretty and grateful as Love, had made this conquest. She was, as I have +said, daughter of Madame de Mailly, Dame d'Atours of Madame la Duchesse +de Bourgogne; and was always near her. Jealousy soon enlightened her as +to what was taking place. Far from yielding her conquest to the Duchess; +she made a point of preserving it, of disputing its possession, and +carrying it off. This struggle threw Nangis into a terrible +embarrassment. He feared the fury of Madame de la Vrilliere, who +affected to be more ready to break out than in reality she was. Besides +his love for her, he feared the result of an outburst, and already saw +his fortune lost. On the other hand, any reserve of his towards the +Duchess, who had so much power in her hands--and seemed destined to have +more--and who he knew was not likely to suffer a rival +--might, he felt, be his ruin. This perplexity, for those who were aware +of it, gave rise to continual scenes. I was then a constant visitor of +Madame de Blansac, at Paris, and of the Marechale de Rochefort, at +Versailles; and, through them and several other ladies of the Court, with +whom I was intimate, I learnt, day by day, everything that passed. In +addition to the fact that nothing diverted me more, the results of this +affair might be great; and it was my especial ambition to be well +informed of everything. At length, all members of the Court who were +assiduous and enlightened understood the state of affairs; but either +through fear or from love to the Duchess, the whole Court was silent, saw +everything, whispered discreetly, and actually kept the secret that was +not entrusted to it. The struggle between the two ladies, not without +bitterness, and sometimes insolence on the part of Madame de la +Vrilliere, nor without suffering and displeasure gently manifested on the +part of Madame de Bourgogne, was for a long time a singular sight. + +Whether Nangis, too faithful to his first love, needed some grains of +jealousy to excite him, or whether things fell out naturally, it happened +that he found a rival. Maulevrier, son of a brother of Colbert who had +died of grief at not being named Marshal of France, was this rival. He +had married a daughter of the Marechal de Tesse, and was not very +agreeable in appearance--his face, indeed, was very commonplace. He was +by no means framed for gallantry; but he had wit, and a mind fertile in +intrigues, with a measureless ambition that was sometimes pushed to +madness. His wife was pretty, not clever, quarrelsome, and under a +virginal appearance; mischievous to the last degree. As daughter of a +man for whom Madame de Bourgogne had much gratitude for the part he had +taken in negotiating her marriage, and the Peace of Savoy, she was easily +enabled to make her way at Court, and her husband with her. He soon +sniffed what was passing in respect to Nangis, and obtained means of +access to Madame de Bourgogne, through the influence of his father-in- +law; was assiduous in his attentions; and at length, excited by example, +dared to sigh. Tired of not being understood, he ventured to write. It +is pretended that he sent his letters through one of the Court ladies, +who thought they came from Tesse, delivered them, and handed him back the +answers, as though for delivery by him. I will not add what more was +believed. I will simply say that this affair was as soon perceived as +had been the other, and was treated, with the same silence. + +Under pretext of friendship, Madame de Bourgogne went more than once--on +account of the speedy departure of her husband (for the army), attended +some, times by La Maintenon,--to the house of Madame de Maulevrier, to +weep with her. The Court smiled. Whether the tears were for Madame de +Maulevrier or for Nangis, was doubtful. But Nangis, nevertheless, +aroused by this rivalry, threw Madame de la Vrilliere into terrible +grief, and into a humour over which she was not mistress. + +This tocsin made itself heard by Maulevrier. What will not a man think +of doing when possessed to excess by love or ambition? He pretended to +have something the matter with his chest, put himself on a milk diet, +made believe that he had lost his voice, and was sufficiently master of +himself to refrain from uttering an intelligible word during a whole +year; by these means evading the campaign and remaining at the Court. +He was mad enough to relate this project, and many others, to his friend +the Duc de Lorges, from whom, in turn, I learnt it. The fact was, that +bringing himself thus to the necessity of never speaking to anybody +except in their ear, he had the liberty of speaking low to--Madame la +Duchesse de Bourgogne before all the Court without impropriety and +without suspicion. In this manner he said to her whatever he wished day +by day, and was never overheard. He also contrived to say things the +short answers to which were equally unheard. He so accustomed people to +this manner of speaking that they took no more notice of it than was +expressed in pity for such a sad state; but it happened that those who +approached the nearest to Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne when Maulevrier +was at her side, soon knew enough not to be eager to draw near her again +when she was thus situated. This trick lasted more than a year: his +conversation was principally composed of reproaches--but reproaches +rarely succeed in love. Maulevrier, judging by the ill-humour of Madame +de la Vrilliere, believed Nangis to be happy. Jealousy and rage +transported him at last to the extremity of folly. + +One day, as Madame de Bourgogne was coming from mass and he knew that +Dangeau, her chevalier d'honneur, was absent, he gave her his hand. The +attendants had accustomed themselves to let him have this honour, on +account of his distinguished voice, so as to allow him to speak by the +way, and retired respectfully so as not to hear what he said. The ladies +always followed far behind, so that, in the midst of all the Court, he +had, from the chapel to the apartments of Madame de Bourgogne, the full +advantages of a private interview--advantages that he had availed himself +of several times. On this day he railed against Nangis to Madame de +Bourgogne, called him by all sorts of names, threatened to tell +everything to the King and to Madame de Maintenon, and to the Duc de +Bourgogne, squeezed her fingers as if he would break them, and led her in +this manner, like a madman as he was, to her apartments. Upon entering +them she was ready to swoon. Trembling all over she entered her +wardrobe, called one of her favourite ladies, Madame de Nogaret, to her, +related what had occurred, saying she knew not how she had reached her +rooms, or how it was she had not sunk beneath the floor, or died. She +had never been so dismayed. The same day Madame de Nogaret related this +to Madame de Saint-Simon and to me, in the strictest confidence. She +counselled the Duchess to behave gently with such a dangerous madman, and +to avoid committing herself in any way with him. The worst was, that +after this he threatened and said many things against Nangis, as a man +with whom he was deeply offended, and whom he meant to call to account. +Although he gave no reason for this, the reason was only too evident. +The fear of Madame de Bourgogne at this may be imagined, and also that of +Nangis. He was brave and cared for nobody; but to be mixed up in such an +affair as this made him quake with fright. He beheld his fortune and his +happiness in the hands of a furious madman. He shunned Maulevrier from +that time as much as possible, showed himself but little, and held his +peace. + +For six weeks Madame de Bourgogne lived in the most measured manner, and +in mortal tremors of fear, without, however, anything happening. I know +not who warned Tesse of what was going on. But when he learnt it he +acted like a man of ability. He persuaded his son-in-law, Maulevrier, to +follow him to Spain, as to a place where his fortune was assured to him. +He spoke to Fagon, who saw all and knew all. He understood matters in a +moment, and at once said, that as so many remedies had been tried +ineffectually for Maulevrier, he must go to a warmer climate, as a winter +in France would inevitably kill him. It was then as a remedy, and as +people go to the waters, that he went to Spain. The King and all the +Court believed this, and neither the King nor Madame de Maintenon offered +any objections. As soon as Tesse knew this he hurried his son-in-law out +of the realm, and so put a stop to his follies and the mortal fear they +had caused. To finish this adventure at once, although it will lead me +far beyond the date of other matters to be spoken of after, let me say +what became of Maulevrier after this point of the narrative. + +He went first to Spain with Tesse. On the way they had an interview with +Madame des Ursins, and succeeded in gaining her favour so completely, +that, upon arriving at Madrid, the King and Queen of Spain, informed of +this, welcomed them with much cordiality. Maulevrier soon became a great +favourite with the Queen of Spain. It has been said, that he wished to +please her, and that he succeeded. At all events he often had long +interviews with her in private, and these made people think and talk. + +Maulevrier began to believe it time to reap after having so well sown. +He counted upon nothing less than being made grandee of Spain, and would +have obtained this favour but for his indiscretion. News of what was in +store for him was noised abroad. The Duc de Grammont, then our +ambassador at Madrid, wrote word to the King of the rumours that were in +circulation of Maulevrier's audacious conduct towards the Queen of Spain, +and of the reward it was to meet with. The King at once sent a very +strong letter to the King of Spain about Maulevrier, who, by the same +courier, was prohibited from accepting any favour that might be offered +him. He was ordered at the same time to join Tesse at Gibraltar. He had +already done so at the instance of Tesse himself; so the courier went +from Madrid to Gibraltar to find him. His rage and vexation upon seeing +himself deprived of the recompense he had considered certain were very +great. But they yielded in time to the hopes he formed of success, and +he determined to set off for Madrid and thence to Versailles. His +father-in-law tried to retain him at the siege, but in vain. His +representations and his authority were alike useless. Maulevrier hoped +to gain over the King and Queen of Spain so completely, that our King +would be forced, as it were, to range himself on their side; but the Duc +de Grammont at once wrote word that Maulevrier had left the siege of +Gibraltar and returned to Madrid. This disobedience was at once +chastised. A courier was immediately despatched to Maulevrier, +commanding him to set out for France. He took leave of the King and +Queen of Spain like a man without hope, and left Spain. The most +remarkable thing is, that upon arriving at Paris, and finding the Court +at Marly, and his wife there also, he asked permission to go too, the +husbands being allowed by right to accompany their wives there, and the +King, to avoid a disturbance, did not refuse him. + +At first everything seemed to smile upon Maulervrier. He had, as I have +said, made friends with Madame des Ursins when he was on the road to +Spain. He had done so chiefly by vaunting his intimacy with Madame de +Bourgogne, and by showing to Madame des Ursins that he was in many of the +secrets of the Court. Accordingly, upon his return, she took him by the +hand and showed a disposition towards him which could not fail to +reinstate him in favour. She spoke well of him to Madame de Maintenon, +who, always much smitten with new friends, received him well, and often +had conversations with him which lasted more than three hours. Madame de +Maintenon mentioned him to the King, and Maulevrier, who had returned out +of all hope, now saw himself in a more favourable position than ever. + +But the old cause of trouble still existed, and with fresh complications. +Nangis was still in favour, and his appearance made Maulevrier miserable. +There was a new rival too in the field, the Abbe de Polignac. + +Pleasing, nay most fascinating in manner, the Abbe was a man to gain all +hearts. He stopped at no flattery to succeed in this. One day when +following the King through the gardens of Marly, it came on to rain. +The King considerately noticed the Abbe's dress, little calculated to +keep off rain. "It is no matter, Sire," said De Polignac, "the rain of +Marly does not wet." People laughed much at this, and these words were a +standing reproach to the soft-spoken Abbe. + +One of the means by which the Abbe gained the favour of the King was by +being the lover of Madame du Maine. His success at length was great in +every direction. He even envied the situations of Nangis and Maulevrier; +and sought to participate in the same happiness. He took the same road. +Madame d'O and the Marechale de Coeuvres became his friends. + +He sought to be heard, and was heard. At last he faced the danger of the +Swiss, and on fine nights was seen with the Duchess in the gardens. +Nangis diminished in favour. Maulevrier on his return increased in fury. +The Abbe met with the same fate as they: everything was perceived: people +talked about the matter in whispers, but silence was kept. This triumph, +in spite of his age, did not satisfy the Abbe: he aimed at something more +solid. He wished to arrive at the cardinalship, and to further his views +he thought it advisable to ingratiate himself into the favour of Monsieur +de Bourgogne. He sought introduction to them through friends of mine, +whom I warned against him as a man without scruple, and intent only upon +advancing himself. My warnings were in vain. My friends would not heed +me, and the Abbe de Polignac succeeded in gaining the confidence of +Monsieur de Bourgogne, as well as the favour of Madame de Bourgogne. + +Maulevrier had thus two sources of annoyance--the Abbe de Polignac and +Nangis. Of the latter he showed himself so jealous, that Madame de +Maulevrier, out of pique, made advances to him. Nangis, to screen +himself the better, replied to her. Maulevrier perceived this. He knew +his wife to be sufficiently wicked to make him fear her. So many +troubles of heart and brain transported him. He lost his head. + +One day the Marechale de Coeuvres came to see him, apparently on some +message of reconciliation. He shut the door upon her; barricaded her +within, and through the door quarrelled with her, even to abuse, for an +hour, during which she had the patience to remain there without being +able to see him. After this he went rarely to Court, but generally kept +himself shut up at home. + +Sometimes he would go out all alone at the strangest hours, take a fiacre +and drive away to the back of the Chartreux or to other remote spots. +Alighting there, he would whistle, and a grey-headed old man would +advance and give him a packet, or one would be thrown to him from a +window, or he would pick up a box filled with despatches, hidden behind a +post. I heard of these mysterious doings from people to whom he was vain +and indiscreet enough to boast of them. He continually wrote letters to +Madame de Bourgogne, and to Madame de Maintenon, but more frequently to +the former. Madame Cantin was their agent; and I know people who have +seen letters of hers in which she assured Maulevrier, in the strongest +terms, that he might ever reckon on the Duchess. + +He made a last journey to Versailles, where he saw his mistress in +private, and quarrelled with her cruelly. After dining with Torcy he +returned to Paris. There, torn by a thousand storms of love, of +jealousy, of ambition, his head was so troubled that doctors were obliged +to be called in, and he was forbidden to see any but the most +indispensable persons, and those at the hours when he was least ill. +A hundred visions passed through his brain. Now like a madman he would +speak only of Spain, of Madame de Bourgogne, of Nangis, whom he wished to +kill or to have assassinated; now full of remorse towards M. de +Bourgogne, he made reflections so curious to hear, that no one dared to +remain with him, and he was left alone. At other times, recalling his +early days, he had nothing but ideas of retreat and penitence. Then a +confession was necessary in order to banish his despair as to the mercy +of God. Often he thought himself very ill and upon the point of death. + +The world, however, and even his nearest friends persuaded themselves +that he was only playing a part; and hoping to put an end to it, they +declared to him that he passed for mad in society, and that it behoved +him to rise out of such a strange state and show himself. This was the +last blow and it overwhelmed him. Furious at finding that this opinion +was ruining all the designs of his ambition, he delivered himself up to +despair. Although watched with extreme care by his wife, by particular +friends, and by his servants, he took his measures so well, that on the +Good Friday of the year 1706, at about eight o'clock in the morning, he +slipped away from them all, entered a passage behind his room, opened the +window, threw himself into the court below, and dashed out his brains +upon the pavement. Such was the end of an ambitious man, who, by his +wild and dangerous passions, lost his wits, and then his life, a tragic +victim of himself. + +Madame de Bourgogne learnt the news at night. In public she showed no +emotion, but in private some tears escaped her. They might have been of +pity, but were not so charitably interpreted. Soon after, it was noticed +that Madame de Maintenon seemed embarrassed and harsh towards Madame de +Bourgogne. It was no longer doubted that Madame de Maintenon had heard +the whole story. She often had long interviews with Madame de Bourgogne, +who always left them in tears. Her sadness grew so much, and her eyes +were so often red, that Monsieur de Bourgogne at last became alarmed. +But he had no suspicion of the truth, and was easily satisfied with the +explanation he received. Madame de Bourgogne felt the necessity, +however, of appearing gayer, and showed herself so. As for the Abbe de +Polignac, it was felt that that dangerous person was best away. He +received therefore a post which called him away, as it were, into exile; +and though he delayed his departure as long as possible, was at length +obliged to go. Madame de Bourgogne took leave of him in a manner that +showed how much she was affected. Some rather insolent verses were +written upon this event; and were found written on a balustrade by +Madame, who was not discreet enough or good enough to forget them. But +they made little noise; everybody loved Madame de Bourgogne, and hid +these verses as much as possible. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXII + +At the beginning of October, news reached the Court, which was at +Fontainebleau, that M. de Duras was at the point of death. Upon hearing +this, Madame de Saint-Simon and Madame de Lauzun, who were both related +to M. Duras, wished to absent themselves from the Court performances that +were to take place in the palace that evening. They expressed this wish +to Madame de Bourgogne, who approved of it, but said she was afraid the +King would not do the same. He had been very angry lately because the +ladies had neglected to go full dressed to the Court performances. A few +words he had spoken made everybody take good care not to rouse his anger +on this point again. He expected so much accordingly from everybody who +attended the Court, that Madame de Bourgogne was afraid he would not +consent to dispense with the attendance of Madame de Saint-Simon and +Madame de Lauzun on this occasion. They compromised the matter, +therefore, by dressing themselves, going to the room where the +performance was held, and, under pretext of not finding places, going +away; Madame de Bourgogne agreeing to explain their absence in this way +to the King. I notice this very insignificant bagatelle to show how the +King thought only of himself, and how much he wished to be obeyed; and +that that which would not have been pardoned to the nieces of a dying +man, except at the Court, was a duty there, and one which it needed great +address to escape from, without seriously infringing the etiquette +established. + +After the return of the Court from Fontainebleau this year, Puysieux came +back from Switzerland, having been sent there as ambassador. Puysieux +was a little fat man, very agreeable, pleasant, and witty, one of the +best fellows in the world, in fact. As he had much wit, and thoroughly +knew the King, he bethought himself of making the best of his position; +and as his Majesty testified much friendship for him on his return, and +declared himself satisfied with his mission in Switzerland, Puysieux +asked if what he heard was not mere compliment, and whether he could +count upon it. As the King assured him that he might do so, Puysieux +assumed a brisk air, and said that he was not so sure of that, and that +he was not pleased with his Majesty. + +"And why not?" said the King. + +"Why not?" replied Puysieux; "why, because although the most honest man +in your realm, you have not kept to a promise you made me more than fifty +years ago." + +"What promise?" asked the King. + +"What promise, Sire?" said Puysieux; "you have a good memory, you cannot +have forgotten it. Does not your Majesty remember that one day, having +the honour to play at blindman's buff with you at my grandmother's, you +put your cordon bleu on my back, the better to hide yourself; and that +when, after the game, I restored it to you, you promised to give it me +when you became master; you have long been so, thoroughly master, and +nevertheless that cordon bleu is still to come." + +The King, who recollected the circumstance, here burst out laughing, and +told Puysieux he was in the right, and that a chapter should be held on +the first day of the new year expressly for the purpose of receiving him +into the order. And so in fact it was, and Puysieux received the cordon +bleu on the day the King had named. This fact is not important, but it +is amusing. It is altogether singular in connection with a prince as +serious and as imposing as Louis XIV.; and it is one of those little +Court anecdotes which are curious. + +Here is another more important fact, the consequences of which are still +felt by the State. Pontchartrain, Secretary of State for the Navy, was +the plague of it, as of all those who were under his cruel dependence. +He was a man who, with some-amount of ability, was disagreeable and +pedantic to an excess; who loved evil for its own sake; who was jealous +even of his father; who was a cruel tyrant towards his wife, a woman all +docility and goodness; who was in one word a monster, whom the King kept +in office only because he feared him. An admiral was the abhorrence of +Pontchartrain, and an admiral who was an illegitimate son of the King, +he loathed. There was nothing, therefore, that he had not done during +the war to thwart the Comte de Toulouse; he laid some obstacles +everywhere in his path; he had tried to keep him out of the command of +the fleet, and failing this, had done everything to render the fleet +useless. + +These were bold strokes against a person the King so much loved, but +Pontchartrain knew the weak side of the King; he knew how to balance the, +father against the master, to bring forward the admiral and set aside the +son. In this manner the Secretary of State was able to put obstacles in +the way of the Comte de Toulouse that threw him almost into despair, and +the Count could do little to defend himself. It was a well-known fact at +sea and in the ports where the ships touched, and it angered all the +fleet. Pontchartrain accordingly was abhorred there, while the Comte de +Toulouse, by his amiability and other good qualities, was adored. + +At last, the annoyance he caused became so unendurable, that the Comte de +Toulouse, at the end of his cruise in the Mediterranean, returned to +Court and determined to expose the doings of Pontchartrain to the King. + +The very day he had made up his mind to do this, and just before he +intended to have his interview with the King, Madame Pontchartrain, +casting aside her natural timidity and modesty, came to him, and with +tears in her eyes begged him not to bring about the ruin of her husband. +The Comte de Toulouse was softened. He admitted afterwards that he could +not resist the sweetness and sorrow of Madame de Pontchartrain, and that +all his resolutions, his weapons, fell from his hands at the thought of +the sorrow which the poor woman would undergo, after the fall of her +brutal husband, left entirely in the hands of such a furious Cyclops. +In this manner Pontchartrain was saved, but it cost dear to the State. +The fear he was in of succumbing under the glory or under the vengeance +of an admiral who was son of the King determined him to ruin the fleet +itself, so as to render it incapable of receiving the admiral again. +He determined to do this, and kept to his word, as was afterwards only +too clearly verified by the facts. The Comte de Toulouse saw no more +either ports or vessels, and from that time only very feeble squadrons +went out, and even those very seldom. Pontchartrain, had the impudence +to boast of this before my face. + +When I last spoke of Madame des Ursins, I described her as living in the +midst of the Court, flattered and caressed by all, and on the highest +terms of favour with the King and Madame de Maintenon. She found her +position, indeed, so far above her hopes, that she began to waver in her +intention of returning to Spain. The age and the health of Madame de +Maintenon tempted her. She would have preferred to govern here rather +than in Spain. Flattered by the attentions paid her, she thought those +attentions, or, I may say, rather those servile adorations, would +continue for ever, and that in time she might arrive at the highest point +of power. The Archbishop of Aix and her brother divined her thoughts, +for she did not dare to avow them, and showed her in the clearest way +that those thoughts were calculated to lead her astray. They explained +to her that the only interest Madame de Maintenon had in favouring her +was on account of Spain. Madame des Ursins--once back in that country, +Madame de Maintenon looked forward to a recommencement of those relations +which had formerly existed between them, by which the government of Spain +in appearance, if not in reality, passed through her hands. They +therefore advised Madame des Ursins on no account to think of remaining +in France, at the same time suggesting that it would not be amiss to stop +there long enough to cause some inquietude to Madame de Maintenon, so as +to gain as much advantage as possible from it. + +The solidity of these reasons persuaded Madame des Ursins to follow the +advice given her. She resolved to depart, but not until after a delay by +which she meant to profit to the utmost. We shall soon see what success +attended her schemes. The terms upon which I stood with her enabled me +to have knowledge of all the sentiments that had passed through her mind: +her extreme desire, upon arriving in Paris, to return to Spain; the +intoxication which seized her in consequence of the treatment she +received, and which made her balance this desire; and her final +resolution. It was not until afterwards, however, that I learnt all the +details I have just related. + +It was not long before Madame de Maintenon began to feel impatient at the +long-delayed departure of Madame des Ursins. She spoke at last upon the +subject, and pressed Madame des Ursins to set out for Spain. This was +just what the other wanted. She said that as she had been driven out of +Spain like a criminal, she must go back with honour, if Madame de +Maintenon wished her to gain the confidence and esteem of the Spaniards. +That although she had been treated by the King with every consideration +and goodness, many people in Spain were, and would be, ignorant of it, +and that, therefore, her return to favour ought to be made known in as +public and convincing a manner as was her disgrace. This was said with +all that eloquence and persuasiveness for which Madame des Ursins was +remarkable. The effect of it exceeded her hopes. + +The favours she obtained were prodigious. Twenty thousand livres by way +of annual pension, and thirty thousand for her journey. One of her +brothers, M. de Noirmoutiers, blind since the age of eighteen or twenty, +was made hereditary duke; another, the Abbe de la Tremoille, of exceeding +bad life, and much despised in Rome, where he lived, was made cardinal. +What a success was this! How many obstacles had to be overcome in order +to attain it! Yet this was what Madame des Ursins obtained, so anxious +was Madame de Maintenon to get rid of her and to send her to reign in +Spain, that she might reign there herself. Pleased and loaded with +favour as never subject was before, Madame des Ursins set out towards the +middle of July, and was nearly a month on the road. It may be imagined +what sort of a reception awaited her in Spain. The King and the Queen +went a day's journey out of Madrid to meet her. Here, then, we see again +at the height of power this woman, whose fall the King but a short time +since had so ardently desired, and whose separation from the King and +Queen of Spain he had applauded himself for bringing about with so much +tact. What a change in a few months! + +The war continued this year, but without bringing any great success to +our arms. Villars, at Circk, outmanoeuvred Marlborough in a manner that +would have done credit to the greatest general. Marlborough, compelled +to change the plan of campaign he had determined on, returned into +Flanders, where the Marechal de Villeroy was stationed with his forces. +Nothing of importance occurred during the campaign, and the two armies +went into winter quarters at the end of October. + +I cannot quit Flanders without relating another instance of the pleasant +malignity of M. de Lauzun. In marrying a daughter of the Marechal de +Lorges, he had hoped, as I have already said, to return into the +confidence of the King by means of the Marechal, and so be again +entrusted with military command. Finding these hopes frustrated, he +thought of another means of reinstating himself in favour. He determined +to go to the waters of Aix-la-Chapelle, not, as may be believed, for his +health, but in order to ingratiate himself with the important foreigners +whom he thought to find there, learn some of the enemy's plans, and come +back with an account of them to the King, who would, no doubt, reward him +for his zeal. But he was deceived in his calculation. Aix-la-Chapelle, +generally so full of foreigners of rank, was this year, owing to the war, +almost empty. M. de Lauzun found, therefore, nobody of consequence from +whom he could obtain any useful information. Before his return, he +visited the Marechal de Villeroy, who received him with all military +honours, and conducted him all over the army, pointing out to him the +enemy's post; for the two armies were then quite close to each other. +His extreme anxiety, however, to get information, and the multitude of +his questions, irritated the officers who were ordered to do the honours +to him; and, in going about, they actually, at their own risk, exposed +him often to be shot or taken. They did not know that his courage was +extreme; and were quite taken aback by his calmness, and, his evident +readiness to push on even farther than they chose to venture. + +On returning to Court, M. de Lauzun was of course pressed by everybody to +relate all he knew of the position of the two armies. But he held +himself aloof from all questioners, and would not answer. On the day +after his arrival he went to pay his court to Monseigneur, who did not +like him, but who also was no friend to the Marechal de Villeroy. +Monseigneur put many questions to him upon the situation of the two +armies, and upon the reasons which had prevented them from engaging each +other. M. de Lauzun shirked reply, like a man who wished to be pressed; +did not deny that he had well inspected the position of the two armies, +but instead of answering Monseigneur, dwelt upon the beauty of our +troops, their gaiety at finding themselves so near an enemy, and their +eagerness to fight. Pushed at last to the point at which he wished to +arrive, "I will tell you, Monseigneur," said he, "since you absolutely +command me; I scanned most minutely the front of the two armies to the +right and to the left, and all the ground between them. It is true there +is no brook, and that I saw; neither are there any ravines, nor hollow +roads ascending or descending; but it is true that there were other +hindrances which I particularly remarked." + +"But what hindrance could there be," said Monseigneur, "since there was +nothing between the two armies?" + +M. de Lauzun allowed himself to be pressed upon this point, constantly +repeating the list of hindrances that did not exist, but keeping silent +upon the others. At last, driven into a corner, he took his snuff-box +from his pocket. + +"You see," said he, to Monseigneur, "there is one thing which much +embarrasses the feet, the furze that grows upon the ground, where M. le +Marechal de Villeroy is encamped. The furze, it is true, is not mixed +with any other plant, either hard or thorny; but it is a high furze, as +high, as high, let me see, what shall I say?"--and he looked all around +to find some object of comparison--"as high, I assure you, as this +snuffbox!" + +Monseigneur burst out laughing at this sally, and all the company +followed his example, in the midst of which M. de Lauzun turned on his +heel and left the room. His joke soon spread all over the Court and the +town, and in the evening was told to the King. This was all the thanks +M. de Villeroy obtained from M. de Lauzun for the honours he had paid +him; and this was M. de Lauzun's consolation for his ill-success at Aix- +la-Chapelle. + +In Italy our armies were not more successful than elsewhere. From time +to time, M. de Vendome attacked some unimportant post, and, having +carried it, despatched couriers to the King, magnifying the importance +of the exploit. But the fact was, all these successes led to nothing. +On one occasion, at Cassano, M. de Vendome was so vigorously attacked by +Prince Louis of Baden that, in spite of his contempt and his audacity, +he gave himself up for lost. When danger was most imminent, instead of +remaining at his post, he retired from the field of battle to a distant +country-house, and began to consider how a retreat might be managed. +The Grand Prieur, his brother, was in command under him, and was ordered +to remain upon the field; but he was more intent upon saving his skin +than on obeying orders, and so, at the very outset of the fight, ran away +to a country-house hard by. M. de Vendome strangely enough had sat down +to eat at the country-house whither he had retired, and was in the midst +of his meal when news was brought him that, owing to the prodigies +performed by one of his officers, Le Guerchois, the fortunes of the day +had changed, and Prince Louis of Baden was retiring. M. Vendome had +great difficulty to believe this, but ordered his horse, mounted, and, +pushing on, concluded the combat gloriously. He did not fail, of course, +to claim all the honours of this victory, which in reality was a barren +one; and sent word of his triumph to the King. He dared to say that the +loss of the enemy was more than thirteen thousand; and our loss less than +three thousand--whereas, the loss was at least equal. This exploit, +nevertheless, resounded at the Court and through the town as an advantage +the most complete and the most decisive, and due entirely to the +vigilance, valour, and capacity of Vendome. Not a word was said of his +country-house, or the interrupted meal. These facts were only known +after the return of the general officers. As for the Grand Prieur, his +poltroonery had been so public, his flight so disgraceful--for he had +taken troops with him to protect the country-house in which he sought +shelter--that he could not be pardoned. The two brothers quarrelled upon +these points, and in the end the Grand Prieur was obliged to give up his +command. He retired to his house at Clichy, near Paris; but, tiring of +that place, he went to Rome, made the acquaintance there of the Marquise +de Richelieu, a wanderer like himself, and passed some time with her at +Genoa. Leaving that city, he went to Chalons-sur-Saone, which had been +fixed upon as the place of his a exile, and there gave himself up to the +debaucheries in which he usually lived. From this time until the Regency +we shall see nothing more of him. I shall only add, therefore, that he +never went sober to bed during thirty years, but was always carried +thither dead drunk: was a liar, swindler, and thief; a rogue to the +marrow of his bones, rotted with vile diseases; the most contemptible and +yet most dangerous fellow in the world. + + +One day-I am speaking of a time many years previous to the date of the +occurrences just related-one day there was a great hunting party at Saint +Germain. The chase was pursued so long, that the King gave up, and +returned to Saint Germain. A number of courtiers, among whom was M. de +Lauzun, who related this story to me, continued their sport; and just as +darkness was coming on, discovered that they had lost their way. After a +time, they espied a light, by which they guided their steps, and at +length reached the door of a kind of castle. They knocked, they called +aloud, they named themselves, and asked for hospitality. It was then +between ten and eleven at night, and towards the end of autumn. The door +was opened to them. The master of the house came forth. He made them +take their boots off, and warm themselves; he put their horses into his +stables; and at the same time had a supper prepared for his guests, who +stood much in need of it. They did not wait long for the meal; yet when +served it proved excellent; the wines served with it, too, were of +several kinds, and excellent likewise: as for the master of the house, he +was so polite and respectful, yet without being ceremonious or eager, + + + + +ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: + +His great piety contributed to weaken his mind +Of a politeness that was unendurable +Reproaches rarely succeed in love +Spoil all by asking too much +Teacher lost little, because he had little to lose +There was no end to the outrageous civilities of M. de Coislin + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Memoirs of Louis XIV., Volume 4 +by Duc de Saint-Simon + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XIV., *** + +***** This file should be named 3863.txt or 3863.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/8/6/3863/ + +Produced by David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.06/12/01*END* +[Portions of this header are copyright (C) 2001 by Michael S. Hart +and may be reprinted only when these Etexts are free of all fees.] +[Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be used in any sales +of Project Gutenberg Etexts or other materials be they hardware or +software or any other related product without express permission.] + + + + + +This etext was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net> + + + + + +[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of the +file for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making an +entire meal of them. D.W.] + + + + + MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XIV AND HIS COURT AND OF THE REGENCY + + BY THE DUKE OF SAINT-SIMON + + + VOLUME 4. + +CHAPTER XXV + +Anecdote of Canaples.--Death of the Duc de Coislin.--Anecdotes of His +Unbearable Politeness.--Eccentric Character.--President de Novion.-- +Death of M. de Lorges.--Death of the Duchesse de Gesvres. + + +CHAPTER XXVI + +The Prince d'Harcourt.--His Character and That of His Wife.--Odd Court +Lady.--She Cheats at Play.--Scene at Fontainebleau.--Crackers at Marly.-- +Snowballing a Princess.--Strange Manners of Madame d'Harcourt.-- +Rebellion among Her Servants.--A Vigorous Chambermaid. + + +CHAPTER XXVII + +Madame des Ursins.--Her Marriage and Character.--The Queen of Spain.-- +Ambition of Madame de Maintenon.--Coronation of Philip V.--A Cardinal +Made Colonel.--Favourites of Madame des Ursins.--Her Complete Triumph.-- +A Mistake.--A Despatch Violated.--Madame des Ursins in Disgrace. + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + +Appointment of the Duke of Berwick.--Deception Practised by Orry.--Anger +of Louis XIV.--Dismissal of Madame des Ursins.--Her Intrigues to Return. +--Annoyance of the King and Queen of Spain.--Intrigues at Versailles.-- +Triumphant Return of Madame des Ursins to Court.--Baseness of the +Courtiers.--Her Return to Spain Resolved On. + + +CHAPTER XXIX + +An Honest Courtier.--Robbery of Courtin and Fieubet.--An Important +Affair.--My Interview with the King.--His Jealousy of His Authority.-- +Madame La Queue, the King's Daughter.--Battle of Blenheim or Hochstedt.-- +Our Defeat.--Effect of the News on the King.--Public Grief and Public +Rejoicing.--Death of My Friend Montfort. + + +CHAPTER XXX + +Naval Battle of Malaga.--Danger of Gibraltar.--Duke of Mantua in Search +of a Wife.--Duchesse de Lesdiguieres.--Strange Intrigues.--Mademoiselle +d'Elboeuf Carries off the Prize.--A Curious Marriage.--Its Result.-- +History of a Conversion to Catholicism.--Attempted Assassination. -- +Singular Seclusion + + +CHAPTER XXXI + +Fascination of the Duchesse de Bourgogne.--Fortunes of Nangis.--He Is +Loved by the Duchesse and Her Dame d'Atours.--Discretion of the Court.-- +Maulevrier.--His Courtship of the Duchess.--Singular Trick.--Its Strange +Success.--Mad Conduct of Maulevrier--He Is Sent to Spain.--His Adventures +There.--His Return and Tragical Catastrophe. + + +CHAPTER XXXII + +Death of M. de Duras.--Selfishness of the King.--Anecdote of Puysieux.-- +Character of Pontchartrain.--Why He Ruined the French Fleet.--Madame des +Ursins at Last Resolves to Return to Spain.--Favours Heaped upon Her.-- +M. de Lauzun at the Army.--His bon mot.--Conduct of M. de Vendome.-- +Disgrace and Character of the Grand Prieur. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +Canaples, brother of the Marechal de Crequi, wished to marry Mademoiselle +de Vivonne who was no longer young, but was distinguished by talent, +virtue and high birth; she had not a penny. The Cardinal de Coislin, +thinking Canaples too old to marry, told him so. Canaples said he wanted +to have children. "Children!" exclaimed the Cardinal. "But she is so +virtuous!" Everybody burst out laughing; and the more willingly, as the +Cardinal, very pure in his manners, was still more so in his language. +His saying was verified by the event: the marriage proved sterile. + +The Duc de Coislin died about this time. I have related in its proper +place an adventure that happened to him and his brother, the Chevalier de +Coislin: now I will say something more of the Duke. He was a very little +man, of much humour and virtue, but of a politeness that was unendurable, +and that passed all bounds, though not incompatible with dignity. He had +been lieutenant-general in the army. Upon one occasion, after a battle +in which he had taken part, one of the Rhingraves who had been made +prisoner, fell to his lot. The Duc de Coislin wished to give up to the +other his bed, which consisted indeed of but a mattress. They +complimented each other so much, the one pressing, the other refusing, +that in the end they both slept upon the ground, leaving the mattress +between them. The Rhingrave in due time came to Paris and called on the +Duc de Coislin. When he was going, there was such a profusion of +compliments, and the Duke insisted so much on seeing him out, that the +Rhingrave, as a last resource, ran out of the room, and double locked the +door outside. M. de Coislin was not thus to be outdone. His apartments +were only a few feet above the ground. He opened the window accordingly, +leaped out into the court, and arrived thus at the entrance-door before +the Rhingrave, who thought the devil must have carried him there. The +Duc de Coislin, however, had managed to put his thumb out of joint by +this leap. He called in Felix, chief surgeon of the King, who soon put +the thumb to rights. Soon afterwards Felix made a call upon M. de +Coislin to see how he was, and found that the cure was perfect. As he +was about to leave, M. de Coislin must needs open the door for him. +Felix, with a shower of bows, tried hard to prevent this, and while they +were thus vying in politeness, each with a hand upon the door, the Duke +suddenly drew back; he had put his thumb out of joint again, and Felix +was obliged to attend to it on the spot! It may be imagined what +laughter this story caused the King, and everybody else, when it became +known. + +There was no end to the outrageous civilities of M. de Coislin. On +returning from Fontainebleau one day, we, that is Madame de Saint-Simon +and myself, encountered M. de Coislin and his son, M. de Metz, on foot +upon the pavement of Ponthierry, where their coach had broken down. We +sent word, accordingly, that we should be glad to accommodate them in +ours. But message followed message on both sides; and at last I was +compelled to alight and to walk through the mud, begging them to mount +into my coach. M. de Coislin, yielding to my prayers, consented to this. +M. de Metz was furious with him for his compliments, and at last +prevailed on him. When M. de Coislin had accepted my offer and we had +nothing more to do than to gain the coach, he began to capitulate, and to +protest that he would not displace the two young ladies he saw seated in +the vehicle. I told him that the two young ladies were chambermaids, who +could well afford to wait until the other carriage was mended, and then +continue their journey in that. But he would not hear of this; and at +last all that M. de Metz and I could do was to compromise the matter, by +agreeing to take one of the chambermaids with us. When we arrived at the +coach, they both descended, in order to allow us to mount. During the +compliments that passed--and they were not short--I told the servant who +held the coach-door open, to close it as soon as I was inside, and to +order the coachman to drive on at once. This was done; but M. de Coislin +immediately began to cry aloud that he would jump out if we did not stop +for the young ladies; and he set himself to do so in such an odd manner, +that I had only time to catch hold of the belt of his breeches and hold +him back; but he still, with his head hanging out of the window, +exclaimed that he would leap out, and pulled against me. At this +absurdity I called to the coachman to stop; the Duke with difficulty +recovered himself, and persisted that he would have thrown himself out. +The chambermaid was ordered to mount, and mount she did, all covered with +mud, which daubed us; and she nearly crushed M. de Metz and me in this +carriage fit only for four. + +M. de Coislin could not bear that at parting anybody should give him the +"last touch;" a piece of sport, rarely cared for except in early youth, +and out of which arises a chase by the person touched, in order to catch +him by whom he has been touched. One evening, when the Court was at +Nancy, and just as everybody was going to bed, M. de Longueville spoke a +few words in private to two of his torch-bearers, and then touching the +Duc de Coislin, said he had given him the last touch, and scampered away, +the Duke hotly pursuing him. Once a little in advance, M. de Longueville +hid himself in a doorway, allowed M. de Coislin to pass on, and then went +quietly home to bed. Meanwhile the Duke, lighted by the torch-bearers, +searched for M. de Longueville all over the town, but meeting with no +success, was obliged to give up the chase, and went home all in a sweat. +He was obliged of course to laugh a good deal at this joke, but he +evidently did not like it over much. + +With all his politeness, which was in no way put on, M. de Coislin could, +when he pleased, show a great deal of firmness, and a resolution to +maintain his proper dignity worthy of much praise. At Nancy, on this +same occasion, the Duc de Crequi, not finding apartments provided for him +to his taste on arriving in town, went, in his brutal manner, and seized +upon those allotted to the Duc de Coislin. The Duke, arriving a moment +after, found his servants turned into the street, and soon learned who +had sent them there. M. de Crequi had precedence of him in rank; he said +not a word, therefore, but went to the apartments provided for the +Marechal de Crequi (brother of the other), served him exactly as he +himself had just been served, and took up his quarters there. The +Marechal de Crequi arrived in his turn, learned what had occurred, and +immediately seized upon the apartments of Cavoye, in order to teach him +how to provide quarters in future so as to avoid all disputes. + +On another occasion, M. de Coislin went to the Sorbonne to listen to a +thesis sustained by the second son of M. de Bouillon. When persons of +distinction gave these discourses, it was customary for the Princes of +the blood, and for many of the Court, to go and hear them. M. de Coislin +was at that time almost last in order of precedence among the Dukes. +When he took his seat, therefore, knowing that a number of them would +probably arrive, he left several rows of vacant places in front of him, +and sat himself down. Immediately afterwards, Novion, Chief President of +the Parliament, arrived, and seated himself in front of M. de Coislin. +Astonished at this act of madness, M. de Coislin said not a word, but +took an arm-chair, and, while Novion turned his head to speak to Cardinal +de Bouillon, placed that arm-chair in front of the Chief President in +such a manner that he was as it were imprisoned, and unable to stir. +M. de Coislin then sat down. This was done so rapidly, that nobody saw +it until it was finished. When once it was observed, a great stir arose. +Cardinal de Bouillon tried to intervene. M. de Coislin replied, that +since the Chief President had forgotten his position he must be taught +it, and would not budge. The other presidents were in a fright, and +Novion, enraged by the offence put on him, knew not what to do. It was +in vain that Cardinal de Bouillon on one side, and his brother on the +other, tried to persuade M. de Coislin to give way. He would not listen +to them. They sent a message to him to say that somebody wanted to see +him at the door on most important business. But this had no effect. +"There is no business so important," replied M. de Coislin, "as that of +teaching M. le Premier President what he owes me, and nothing will make +me go from this place unless M. le President, whom you see behind me, +goes away first." + +At last M. le Prince was sent for, and he with much persuasion +endeavoured to induce M. de Coislin to release the Chief President from +his prison. But for some time M. de Coislin would listen as little to M. +le Prince as he had listened to the others, and threatened to keep Novion +thus shut up during all the thesis. At length, he consented to set the +Chief President free, but only on condition that he left the building +immediately; that M. le Prince should guarantee this; and that no +"juggling tricks" (that was the term he made use of), should be played +off to defeat the agreement. M. le Prince at once gave his word that +everything should be as he required, and M. de Coislin then rose, moved +away his arm-chair, and said to the Chief President, "Go away, sir! go +away, sir! "Novion did on the instant go away, in the utmost confusion, +and jumped into his coach. M. de Coislin thereupon took back his chair +to its former position and composed himself to listen again. + +On every side M. de Coislin was praised for the firmness he had shown. +The Princes of the blood called upon him the same evening, and +complimented him for the course he had adopted; and so many other +visitors came during the evening that his house was quite full until a +late hour. On the morrow the King also praised him for his conduct, and +severely blamed the Chief President. Nay more, he commanded the latter +to go to M. de Coislin, at his house, and beg pardon of him. It is easy +to comprehend the shame and despair of Novion at being ordered to take so +humiliating a step, especially after what had already happened to him. +He prevailed upon M. le Coislin, through the mediation of friends, to +spare him this pain, and M. de Coislin had the generosity to do so. He +agreed therefore that when Novion called upon him he would pretend to be +out, and this was done. The King, when he heard of it, praised very +highly the forbearance of the Duke. + +He was not an old man when he died, but was eaten up with the gout, which +he sometimes had in his eyes, in his nose, and in his tongue. When in +this state, his room was filled with the best company. He was very +generally liked, was truth itself in his dealings and his words, and was +one of my friends, as he had been the friend of my father before me. + +The President de Novion, above alluded to, was a man given up to +iniquity, whom money and obscure mistresses alone influenced. Lawyers +complained of his caprices, and pleaders of his injustice. At last, he +went so far as to change decisions of the court when they were given him +to sign, which was not found out for some time, but which led to his +disgrace. He was replaced by Harlay in 1689; and lived in ignominy for +four years more. + +About this time died Petit, a great physician, who had wit, knowledge, +experience, and probity; and yet lived to the last without being ever +brought to admit the circulation of the blood. + +A rather strange novelty was observed at Fontainebleau: Madame publicly +at the play, in the second year of her mourning for Monsieur! She made +some objections at first, but the King persuaded her, saying that what +took place in his palace ought not to be considered as public. + +On Saturday, the 22nd of October of this year (1702), at about ten in the +morning, I had the misfortune to lose my father-in-law, the Marechal de +Lorges, who died from the effects of an unskilful operation performed +upon him for the stone. He had been brought up as a Protestant, and had +practised that religion. But he had consulted on the one hand with +Bossuet, and on the other hand with M. Claude, (Protestant) minister of +Charenton, without acquainting them that he was thus in communication +with both. In the end the arguments of Bossuet so convinced him that he +lost from that time all his doubts, became steadfastly attached to the +Catholic religion, and strove hard to convert to it all the Protestants +with whom he spoke. M. de Turenne, with whom he was intimately allied, +was in a similar state of mind, and, singularly enough, his doubts were +resolved at the same time, and in exactly the same manner, as those of M. +de Lorges. The joy of the two friends, who had both feared they should +be estranged from each other when they announced their conversion, was +very great. The Comtesse de Roye, sister to M. de Lorges, was sorely +affected at this change, and she would not consent to see him except on +condition that he never spoke of it. + +M. de Lorges commanded with great distinction in Holland and elsewhere, +and at the death of M. de Turenne, took for the time, and with great +honour, his place. He was made Marshal of France on the 21st of +February, 1676, not before he had fairly won that distinction. The +remainder of his career showed his capacity in many ways, and acquired +for him the esteem of all. His family were affected beyond measure at +his loss. That house was in truth terrible to see. Never was man so +tenderly or so universally regretted, or so worthy of being so. Besides +my own grief, I had to sustain that of Madame de Saint-Simon, whom many +times I thought I should lose. Nothing was comparable to the attachment +she had for her father, or the tenderness he had for her; nothing more +perfectly alike than their hearts and their dispositions. As for me, I +loved him as a father, and he loved me as a son, with the most entire and +sweetest confidence. + +About the same time died the Duchesse de Gesvres, separated from a +husband who had been the scourge of his family, and had dissipated +millions of her fortune. She was a sort of witch, tall and lean, who +walked like an ostrich. She sometimes came to Court, with the odd look +and famished expression to which her husband had brought her. Virtue, +wit, and dignity distinguished her. I remember that one summer the King +took to going very often in the evening to Trianon, and that once for all +he gave permission to all the Court, men and women, to follow him. There +was a grand collation for the Princesses, his daughters, who took their +friends there, and indeed all the women went to it if they pleased. One +day the Duchesse de Gesvres took it into her head to go to Trianon and +partake of this meal; her age, her rarity at Court, her accoutrements, +and her face, provoked the Princesses to make fun of her in whispers with +their fair visitors. She perceived this, and without being embarrassed, +took them up so sharply, that they were silenced, and looked down. But +this was not all: after the collation she began to talk so freely and yet +so humorously about them that they were frightened, and went and made +their excuses, and very frankly asked for quarter. Madame de Gesvres was +good enough to grant them this, but said it was only on condition that +they learned how to behave. Never afterwards did they venture to look at +her impertinently. Nothing was ever so magnificent as these soirees of +Trianon. All the flowers of the parterres were renewed every day; and I +have seen the King and all the Court obliged to go away because of the +tuberoses, the odour of which perfumed the air, but so powerfully, on +account of their quantity, that nobody could remain in the garden, +although very vast, and stretching like a terrace all along the canal. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + +The Prince d'Harcourt at last obtained permission to wait on the King, +after having never appeared at Court for seventeen years. He had +followed the King in all his conquests in the Low Countries and Franche- +Comte; but he had remained little at the Court since his voyage to Spain, +whither he had accompanied the daughter of Monsieur to the King, Charles +II., her husband. The Prince d'Harcourt took service with Venice, and +fought in the Morea until the Republic made peace with the Turks. He was +tall, well made; and, although he looked like a nobleman and had wit, +reminded one at the same time of a country actor. He was a great liar, +and a libertine in body and mind; a great spendthrift, a great and +impudent swindler, with a tendency to low debauchery, that cursed him all +his life. Having fluttered about a long time after his return, and found +it impossible either to live with his wife--which is not surprising--or +accommodate himself to the Court or to Paris, he set up his rest at Lyons +with wine, street-walkers, a society to match, a pack of hounds, and a +gaming-table to support his extravagance and enable him to live at the +expense of the dupes, the imbeciles, and the sons of fat tradesmen, whom +he could lure into his nets. Thus he spent many years, and seemed to +forget that there existed in the world another country besides Lyons. +At last he got tired, and returned to Paris. The King, who despised him, +let him alone, but would not see him; and it was only after two months of +begging for him by the Lorraines, that he received permission to present +himself. His wife, the Princesse d'Harcourt, was a favourite of Madame +de Maintenon. The origin of their friendship is traced to the fact that +Brancas, the father of the Princess, had been one of the lovers of Madame +de Maintenon. No claim less powerful could have induced the latter to +take into her favour a person who was so little worthy. Like all women +who know nothing but what chance has taught them, and who have long +languished in obscurity before arriving at splendour, Madame de Maintenon +was dazzled by the very name of Princess, even if assumed: as to a real +Princess, nothing equalled her in her opinion. The Princess then tried +hard to get the Prince invited to Marly, but without success. Upon this +she pretended to sulk, in hopes that Madame de Maintenon would exert all +her influence; but in this she was mistaken. The Prince accordingly by +degrees got disgusted with the Court, and retired into the provinces for +a time. + +The Princesse d'Harcourt was a sort of personage whom it is good to make +known, in order better to lay bare a Court which did not scruple to +receive such as she. She had once been beautiful and gay; but though not +old, all her grace and beauty had vanished. The rose had become an ugly +thorn. At the time I speak of she was a tall, fat creature, mightily +brisk in her movements, with a complexion like milk-porridge; great, +ugly, thick lips, and hair like tow, always sticking out and hanging down +in disorder, like all the rest of her fittings out. Dirty, slatternly, +always intriguing, pretending, enterprising, quarrelling--always low as +the grass or high as the rainbow, according to the person with whom she +had to deal: she was a blonde Fury, nay more, a harpy: she had all the +effrontery of one, and the deceit and violence; all the avarice and the +audacity; moreover, all the gluttony, and all the promptitude to relieve +herself from the effects thereof; so that she drove out of their wits +those at whose house she dined; was often a victim of her confidence; and +was many a time sent to the devil by the servants of M. du Maine and M. +le Grand. She, however, was never in the least embarrassed, tucked up +her petticoats and went her way; then returned, saying she had been +unwell. People were accustomed to it. + +Whenever money was to be made by scheming and bribery, she was there to +make it. At play she always cheated, and if found out stormed and raged; +but pocketed what she had won. People looked upon her as they would have +looked upon a fish-fag, and did not like to commit themselves by +quarrelling with her. At the end of every game she used to say that she +gave whatever might have been unfairly gained to those who had gained it, +and hoped that others would do likewise. For she was very devout by +profession, and thought by so doing to put her conscience in safety; +because, she used to add, in play there is always some mistake. She went +to church always, and constantly took the sacrament, very often after +having played until four o'clock in the morning. + +One day, when there was a grand fete at Fontainebleau, Madame la +Marechale de Villeroy persuaded her, out of malice, to sit down and play, +instead of going to evening prayers. She resisted some time, saying that +Madame de Maintenon was going; but the Marechale laughed at her for +believing that her patron could see who was and who was not at the +chapel: so down they sat to play. When the prayers were over, Madame de +Maintenon, by the merest accident--for she scarcely ever visited any one +--went to the apartments of the Marechale de Villeroy. The door was +flung back, and she was announced. This was a thunderbolt for the +Princesse d'Harcourt. "I am ruined," cried she, unable to restrain +herself; "she will see me playing, and I ought to have been at chapel!" +Down fell the cards from her hands, and down fell she all abroad in her +chair. The Marechale laughed most heartily at so complete an adventure. +Madame de Maintenon entered slowly, and found the Princess in this state, +with five or six persons. The Marechale de Villeroy, who was full of +wit, began to say that, whilst doing her a great honour, Madame was the +cause of great disorder; and showed her the Princesse d'Harcourt in her +state of discomfiture. Madame de Maintenon smiled with majestic +kindness, and addressing the Princesse d'Harcourt, "Is this the way," +said she; "that you go to prayers?" Thereupon the Princess flew out of +her half-faint into a sort of fury; said that this was the kind of trick +that was played off upon her; that no doubt the Marechale knew that +Madame de Maintenon was coming, and for that reason had persecuted her to +play. "Persecuted!" exclaimed the Marechale, "I thought I could not +receive you better than by proposing a game; it is true you were for a +moment troubled at missing the chapel, but your tastes carried the day. +--This, Madame, is my whole crime," continued she, addressing Madame de +Maintenon. Upon this, everybody laughed louder than before: Madame de +Maintenon, in order to stop the quarrel; commanded them both to continue +their game; and they continued accordingly, the Princesse d'Harcourt, +still grumbling, quite beside herself, blinded with fury, so as to commit +fresh mistakes every minute. So ridiculous an adventure diverted the +Court for several days; for this beautiful Princess was equally feared, +hated, and despised. + +Monseigneur le Duc and Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne continually played +off pranks upon her. They put, one day, crackers all along the avenue of +the chateau at Marly, that led to the Perspective where she lodged. She +was horribly afraid of everything. The Duke and Duchess bribed two +porters to be ready to take her into the mischief. When she was right in +the middle of the avenue the crackers began to go off; and she to cry +aloud for mercy; the chairman set her down and ran for it. There she +was, then, struggling in her chair, furiously enough to upset it, and +yelling like a demon. At this the company, which had gathered at the +door of the chateau to see the fun, ran to her assistance, in order to +have the pleasure of enjoying the scene more fully. Thereupon she set to +abusing everybody right and left, commencing with Monseigneur and Madame +la Duchesse de Bourgogne. At another time M. de Bourgogne put a cracker +under her chair in the salon, where she was playing at piquet. As he was +about to set fire to this cracker, some charitable soul warned him that +it would maim her, and he desisted. + +Sometimes they used to send about twenty Swiss guards, with drums, into +her chamber, who roused her from her first sleep by their horrid din. +Another time--and these scenes were always at Marly--they waited until +very late for her to go to bed and sleep. She lodged not far from the +post of the captain of the guards, who was at that time the Marechal de +Lorges. It had snowed very hard, and had frozen. Madame la Duchesse de +Bourgogne and her suite gathered snow from the terrace which is on a +level with their lodgings; and, in order to be better supplied, waked up, +to assist them, the Marechal's people, who did not let them want for +ammunition. Then, with a false key, and lights, they gently slipped into +the chamber of the Princesse d'Harcourt; and, suddenly drawing the +curtains of her bed, pelted her amain with snowballs. The filthy +creature, waking up with a start, bruised and stifled in snow, with which +even her ears were filled, with dishevelled hair, yelling at the top of +her voice, and wriggling like an eel, without knowing where to hide, +formed a spectacle that diverted people more than half an hour: so that +at last the nymph swam in her bed, from which the water flowed +everywhere, slushing all the chamber. It was enough to make one die of +laughter. On the morrow she sulked, and was more than ever laughed at +for her pains. + +Her fits of sulkiness came over her either when the tricks played were +too violent, or when M. le Grand abused her. He thought, very properly, +that a person who bore the name of Lorraine should not put herself so +much on the footing of a buffoon; and, as he was a rough speaker, he +sometimes said the most abominable things to her at table; upon which the +Princess would burst out crying, and then, being enraged, would sulk. +The Duchesse de Bourgogne used then to pretend to sulk, too; but the +other did not hold out long, and came crawling back to her, crying, +begging pardon for having sulked, and praying that she might not cease to +be a source of amusement! After some time the Duchess would allow +herself to be melted, and the Princess was more villainously treated than +ever, for the Duchesse de Bourgogne had her own way in everything. +Neither the King nor Madame de Maintenon found fault with what she did, +so that the Princesse d'Harcourt had no resource; she did not even dare +to complain of those who aided in tormenting her; yet it would not have +been prudent in any one to make her an enemy. + +The Princesse d'Harcourt paid her servants so badly that they concocted a +plan, and one fine day drew up on the Pont Neuf. The coachman and +footmen got down, and came and spoke to her at the door, in language she +was not used to hear. Her ladies and chambermaid got down, and went +away, leaving her to shift as she might. Upon this she set herself to +harangue the blackguards who collected, and was only too happy to find a +man, who mounted upon the seat and drove her home. Another time, Madame +de Saint-Simon, returning from Versailles, overtook her, walking in full +dress in the street, and with her train under her arms. Madame de Saint- +Simon stopped, offered her assistance, and found that she had been left +by her servants, as on the Pont Neuf. It was volume the second of that +story; and even when she came back she found her house deserted, every +one having gone away at once by agreement. She was very violent with her +servants, beat them, and changed diem every day. + +Upon one occasion, she took into her service a strong and robust +chambermaid, to whom, from the first day of her arrival, she gave many +slaps and boxes on the ear. The chambermaid said nothing, but after +submitting to this treatment for five or six days, conferred with the +other servants; and one morning, while in her mistress's room, locked the +door without being perceived, said something to bring down punishment +upon her, and at the first box on the ear she received, flew upon the +Princesse d'Harcourt, gave her no end of thumps and slaps, knocked her +down, kicked her, mauled her from her head to her feet, and when she was +tired of this exercise, left her on the ground, all torn and dishevelled, +howling like a devil. The chambermaid then quitted the room, double- +locked the door on the outside, gained the staircase, and fled the house. + +Every day the Princess was fighting, or mixed up in some adventures. +Her neighbours at Marly said they could not sleep for the riot she made +at night; and I remember that, after one of these scenes, everybody went +to see the room of the Duchesse de Villeroy and that of Madame d'Espinoy, +who had put their bed in the middle of their room, and who related their +night vigils to every one. + +Such was this favourite of Madame de Maintenon; so insolent and so +insupportable to every one, but who had favours and preferences for those +who brought her over, and who had raised so many young men, amassed their +wealth, and made herself feared even by the Prince and minister. + + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + +In a previous page I have alluded to the Princesse des Ursins, when she +was appointed 'Camerera Mayor' to the Queen of Spain on her marriage. +As I have now to occupy myself more particularly with her, it may be as +well to give a description of this extraordinary woman, which I omitted +when I first spoke of her. + +Anne Marie de la Tremoille, was daughter of M. de Noirmoutiers, who +figured sufficiently in the troubles of the minority to be made a 'Duc a +brevet'. She first married M. Talleyrand, who called himself Prince de +Chalais, and who was obliged to quit the kingdom for engaging in the +famous duel against Messieurs de la Frette. She followed her husband to +Spain, where he died. Having gone to Rome, she got into favour with the +Cardinals de Bouillon and d'Estrees, first on account of her name and +nation, and afterwards for more tender reasons. In order to detain her +at Rome, these dignitaries thought of obtaining her an establishment. +She had no children, and almost no fortune, they wrote to Court that so +important a man as the Duc de Bracciano, Prince des Ursins, was worth +gaining; and that the way to arrive at this result was to have him +married to Madame de Chalais. The Duke was persuaded by the two +Cardinals that he was in love with Madame de Chalais: and so the affair +was arranged. Madame des Ursins displayed all her wit and charms at +Rome; and soon her palace became a sort of court, where all the best +company assembled. It grew to be the fashion to go there. + +The husband amidst all this counts for not much. There was sometimes a +little disagreement between the two, without open rupture; yet they were +now and then glad to separate. This is why the Duchesse de Bracciano +made two journeys to France: the second time she spent four or five years +there. It was then I knew her, or rather formed a particular friendship +with her. My mother had made her acquaintance during her previous visit. +She lodged near us. Her wit, her grace, her manners enchanted me: she +received me with tenderness and I was always at her house. It was she +who proposed to me a marriage with Mlle. de Royan, which I rejected for +the reason already given. + +When Madame des Ursins was appointed 'Camerera Mayor', she was a widow, +without children. No one could have been better suited for the post. +A lady of our court would not have done: a Spanish lady was not to be +depended on, and might have easily disgusted the Queen. The Princesse +des Ursins appeared to be a middle term. She was French, had been in +Spain, and she passed a great part of her life at Rome, and in Italy. +She was of the house of La Tremoille: her husband was chief of the house +of Ursins, a grandee of Spain, and Prince of the Soglio. She was also on +very good terms with the Duchess of Savoy, and with the Queen of +Portugal. The Cardinal d'Estrees, also, was known to have remained her +friend, after having been something more in their youth; and he gave +information that the Cardinal Portocarrero had been much in love with her +at Rome, and that they were then on very good terms. As it was through +the latter Cardinal that it was necessary to govern everything, this +circumstance was considered very important. + +Age and health were also appropriate; and likewise her appearance. She +was rather tall than otherwise, a brunette, with blue eyes of the most +varied expression, in figure perfect, with a most exquisite bosom; her +face, without being beautiful, was charming; she was extremely noble in +air, very majestic in demeanour, full of graces so natural and so +continual in everything, that I have never seen any one approach her, +either in form or mind. Her wit was copious and of all kinds: she was +flattering, caressing, insinuating, moderate, wishing to please for +pleasing's sake, with charms irresistible when she strove to persuade and +win over; accompanying all this, she had a grandeur that encouraged +instead of frightening; a delicious conversation, inexhaustible and very +amusing, for she had seen many countries and persons; a voice and way of +speaking extremely agreeable, and full of sweetness. She had read much, +and reflected much. She knew how to choose the best society, how to +receive them, and could even have held a court; was polite, +distinguished; and above all was careful never to take a step in advance +without dignity and discretion. She was eminently fitted for intrigue, +in which, from taste; she had passed her time at Rome; with much +ambition, but of that vast kind, far above her sex, and the common run of +men--a desire to occupy a great position and to govern. A love for +gallantry and personal vanity were her foibles, and these clung to her +until her latest day; consequently, she dressed in a way that no longer +became her, and as she advanced in life, removed further from propriety +in this particular. She was an ardent and excellent friend--of a +friendship that time and absence never enfeebled; and, consequently, an +implacable enemy, pursuing her hatred to the infernal regions. While +caring little for the means by which she gained her ends, she tried as +much as possible to reach them by honest means. Secret, not only for +herself, but for her friends, she was yet, of a decorous gaiety, and so +governed her humours, that at all times and in everything she was +mistress of herself. Such was the Princesse des Ursins. + +From the first moment on which she entered the service of the Queen of +Spain, it became her desire to govern not only the Queen, but the King; +and by this means the realm itself. Such a grand project had need of +support from our King, who, at the commencement, ruled the Court of Spain +as much as his own Court, with entire influence over all matters. + +The young Queen of Spain had been not less carefully educated than her +sister, the Duchesse de Bourgogne. She had even when so young much +intelligence and firmness, without being incapable of restraint; and as +time went on, improved still further, and displayed a constancy and +courage which were admirably set off by her meekness and natural graces. +According to everything I have heard said in France and in Spain, she +possessed all qualities that were necessary to make her adored. Indeed +she became a divinity among the Spaniards, and to their affection for +her, Philip V. was more than once indebted for his crown. Lords, ladies, +soldiers, and the people still remember her with tears in their eyes; and +even after the lapse of so many years, are not yet consoled for her loss. + +Madame des Ursins soon managed to obtain the entire confidence of this +Queen; and during the absence of Philip V. in Italy, assisted her in the +administration of all public offices. She even accompanied her to the +junta, it not being thought proper that the Queen should be alone amid +such an assemblage of men. In this way she became acquainted with +everything that was passing, and knew all the affairs of the Government. + +This step gained, it will be imagined that the Princesse des Ursins did +not forget to pay her court most assiduously to our King and to Madame de +Maintenon. She continually sent them an exact account of everything +relating to the Queen--making her appear in the most favourable light +possible. Little by little she introduced into her letters details +respecting public events; without, however, conveying a suspicion of her +own ambition, or that she wished to meddle in these matters. Anchored in +this way, she next began to flatter Madame de Maintenon, and by degrees +to hint that she might rule over Spain, even more firmly than she ruled +over France, if she would entrust her commands to Madame des Ursins. +Madame des Ursins offered, in fact, to be the instrument of Madame de +Maintenon; representing how much better it would be to rule affairs in +this manner, than through the instrumentality of the ministers of either +country. + +Madame de Maintenon, whose passion it was to know everything, to mix +herself in everything, and to govern everything, was, enchanted by the +siren. This method of governing Spain without ministers appeared to her +an admirable idea. She embraced it with avidity, without reflecting that +she would govern only in appearance, since she would know nothing except +through the Princesse des Ursins, see nothing except in the light in +which she presented it. From that time dates the intimate union which +existed between these two important women, the unbounded authority of +Madame des Ursins, the fall of all those who had placed Philip V. upon +the throne, and of all our ministers in Spain who stood in the way of the +new power. + +Such an alliance being made between the two women, it was necessary to +draw the King of Spain into the same net. This was not a very arduous +task. Nature and art indeed had combined to make it easy. + +Younger brother of an excitable, violent, and robust Prince, Philip V, +had been bred up in a submission and dependence that were necessary for +the repose of the Royal family. Until the testament of Charles II., the +Duc d'Anjou was necessarily regarded as destined to be a subject all his +life; and therefore could not be too much abased by education, and +trained to patience and obedience: That supreme law, the reason of state, +demanded this preference, for the safety and happiness of the kingdom, +of the elder over the younger brother. His mind for this reason was +purposely narrowed and beaten down, and his natural docility and +gentleness greatly assisted in the process, He was quite formed to be +led, although he had enough judgment left to choose the better of two +courses proposed to him, and even to express himself in good phrase, when +the slowness, not to say the laziness, of his mind did not prevent him +from speaking at all. His great piety contributed to weaken his mind; +and, being joined to very lively passions, made it disagreeable and even +dangerous for him to be separated from his Queen. It may easily be +conceived, therefore, how he loved her; and that he allowed himself to be +guided by her in all things. As the Queen herself was guided in all +things by Madame des Ursins, the influence of this latter was all- +powerful. + +Soon, indeed, the junta became a mere show. Everything was brought +before the King in private, and he gave no decision until the Queen and +Madame des Ursins had passed theirs. This conduct met with no opposition +from our Court, but our ministers at the Court of Spain and the Spanish +ministers here soon began to complain of it. The first to do so were +Cardinals d'Estrees and Portocarrero. Madame de Maintenon laughed at +them, and Madame des Ursins, of whom they were old friends, soon showed +them that she did not mean to abate one jot of her power. She first +endeavoured to bring about a coldness between the two, and this succeeded +so well, that in consequence of the quarrels that resulted, the Spanish +Cardinal, Portocarrero (who, it will be remembered, had played an +important part in bringing Philip to the Spanish throne) wished to quit +the junta. But Madame des Ursins, who thought that the time had not yet +arrived for this step, persuaded him to remain, and endeavoured to +flatter his vanity by an expedient altogether ridiculous. She gave him +the command of a regiment of guards, and he, priest, archbishop, primate +and cardinal, accepted it, and was, of course, well laughed at by +everybody for his pains. The two cardinals soon after became reconciled +to each other, feeling, perhaps, the necessity of uniting against the +common enemy. But they could come to no better understanding with her. +Disagreements continued, so that at last, feeling her position perfectly +secure, the Princesse des Ursins begged permission to retire into Italy, +knowing full well that she would not be taken at her word, and hoping by +this means to deliver herself of these stumbling-blocks in her path. + +Our ministers, who felt they would lose all control over Spanish affairs +if Madame des Ursins was allowed to remain mistress, did all in their +power to support the D'Estrees. But Madame de Maintenon pleaded so well +with the King, representing the good policy of allowing a woman so much +attached to him, and to the Spanish Queen, as was Madame des Ursins, to +remain where she was, that he entirely swallowed the bait; the D'Estrees +were left without support; the French ambassador at Madrid was virtually +deprived of all power: the Spanish ministers were fettered in their every +movement, and the authority of Madame des Ursins became stronger than +ever. All public affairs passed through her hands. The King decided +nothing without conferring with the Queen and her. + +While excluding almost all the ministers from public offices, Madame des +Ursins admitted a few favourites into her confidence. Amongst them was +D'Harcourt, who stood well with Madame de Maintenon, and who cared little +for the means by which he obtained consideration; Orry, who had the +management of the finances; and D'Aubigny, son of a Procureur in Paris. +The last was a tall, handsome fellow, well made, and active in mind and +body; who for many years had been with the Princess, as a sort of squire, +and on very intimate terms with her. One day, when, followed by some of +the ministers, she entered a room in which he was writing, he burst out +into exclamations against her, without being aware that she was not +alone, swore at her, asked her why she could not leave him an hour in +peace, called her by the strangest names, and all this with so much +impetuosity that she had no time to show him who were behind her. When +he found it out, he ran from the room, leaving Madame des Ursins so +confused that the ministers looked for two or three minutes upon the +walls of the room in order to give her time to recover herself. Soon +after this, D'Aubigny had a splendid suite of apartments, that had +formerly been occupied by Maria Theresa (afterwards wife of Louis XIV.), +placed at his disposal, with some rooms added, in despite of the murmurs +that arose at a distinction so strange accorded to this favourite. + +At length, Cardinal d'Estrees, continually in arms against Madame des +Ursins, and continually defeated, could not bear his position any longer, +but asked to be immediately recalled. All that the ministry could do was +to obtain permission for the Abbe d'Estrees (nephew of the Cardinal) to +remain as Ambassador of France at Madrid. As for Portocarrero, seeing +the step his associate had taken, he resolved to quit public business +also, and resigned his place accordingly. Several others who stood in +the way of the Princesse des Ursins were got rid of at the same time, so +that she was now left mistress of the field. She governed absolutely in +all things; the ministers became instruments in her hands; the King and +Queen agents to work out her will. She was at the highest pinnacle of +power. Together with Orry she enjoyed a power such as no one had ever +attained since the time of the Duke of Lerma and of Olivares. + +In the mean time the Archduke was declared King of Spain by the Emperor, +who made no mystery of his intention of attacking Spain by way of +Portugal. The Archduke soon afterwards was recognised by Holland, +England, Portugal, Brandenburg, Savoy, and Hanover, as King of Spain, +under the title of Charles III., and soon after by the other powers of +Europe. The Duke of Savoy had been treacherous to us, had shown that he +was in league with the Emperor. The King accordingly had broken off all +relations with him, and sent an army to invade his territory. It need be +no cause of surprise, therefore, that the Archduke was recognised by +Savoy. While our armies were fighting with varied fortune those of the +Emperor and his allies, in different parts of Europe, notably upon the +Rhine, Madame des Ursins was pressing matters to extremities in Spain. +Dazzled by her success in expelling the two cardinals from public +affairs, and all the ministers who had assisted in placing Philip V. +upon the throne, she committed a blunder of which she soon had cause to +repent. + +I have said, that when Cardinal d'Estrees quitted Spain, the Abbe +d'Estrees was left behind, so that France should not be altogether +unrepresented in an official manner at the Court of Madrid. Madame des +Ursins did not like this arrangement, but as Madame de Maintenon insisted +upon it, she was obliged to accept it with as good grace as possible. +The Abbe, vain of his family and of his position, was not a man much to +be feared as it seemed. Madame des Ursins accordingly laughed at and +despised him. He was admitted to the council, but was quite without +influence there, and when he attempted to make any representations to +Madame des Ursins or to Orry, they listened to him without attending in +the least to what he said. The Princess reigned supreme, and thought of +nothing but getting rid of all who attempted to divide her authority. +At last she obtained such a command over the poor Abbe d'Estrees, so +teased and hampered him, that he consented to the hitherto unheard-of +arrangement, that the Ambassador of France should not write to the King +without first concerting his letter with her, and then show her its +contents before he despatched it. But such restraint as this became, in +a short time, so fettering, that the Abbe determined to break away from +it. He wrote a letter to the King, without showing it to Madame des +Ursins. She soon had scent of what he had done; seized the letter as it +passed through the post, opened it, and, as she expected, found its +contents were not of a kind to give her much satisfaction. But what +piqued her most was, to find details exaggerating the authority of +D'Aubigny, and a statement to the effect that it was generally believed +she had married him. Beside herself with rage and vexation, she wrote +with her own hand upon the margin of the letter, 'Pour mariee non' +("At any rate, not married"), showed it in this state to the King and +Queen of Spain, to a number of other people, always with strange +clamouring, and finally crowned her folly by sending it to the King +(Louis XIV.), with furious complaints against the Abbe for writing it +without her knowledge, and for inflicting upon her such an atrocious +injury as to mention this pretended marriage. Her letter and its +enclosure reached the King at a very inopportune moment. Just before, +he had received a letter, which, taken in connection with this of the +Princesse des Ursins, struck a blow at her power of the most decisive +kind. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + +Some little time previously it had been thought necessary to send an army +to the frontiers of Portugal to oppose the Archduke. A French general +was wanted to command this army. Madame des Ursins, who had been very +intimate with the King of England (James II.) and his Queen, thought she +would please them if she gave this post to the Duke of Berwick, +illegitimate son of King James. She proposed this therefore; and our +King, out of regard for his brother monarch, and from a natural affection +for bastards, consented to the appointment; but as the Duke of Berwick +had never before commanded an army, he stipulated that Pursegur, known to +be a skilful officer, should go with him and assist him with his counsels +and advice. + +Pursegur set out before the Duke of Berwick. From the Pyrenees as far as +Madrid, he found every provision made for the subsistence of the French +troops, and sent a very advantageous account to the King of this +circumstance. Arrived at Madrid, he had interviews with Orry (who, as I +have already mentioned, had the finances under his control, and who was a +mere instrument in the hands of Madame des Ursins), and was assured by +the minister that all the magazines along the line of route to the +frontiers of Portugal were abundantly filled with supplies for the French +troops, that all the money necessary was ready; and that nothing, in +fact, should fail in the course of the campaign. Pursegur, who had found +nothing wanting up to that time, never doubted but that these statements +were perfectly correct; and had no suspicion that a minister would have +the effrontery to show him in detail all these precautions if he had +taken none. Pleased, then, to the utmost degree, he wrote to the King in +praise of Orry, and consequently of Madame des Ursins and her wise +government. Full of these ideas, he set out for the frontier of Portugal +to reconnoitre the ground himself, and arrange everything for the arrival +of the army and its general. What was his surprise, when he found that +from Madrid to the frontier not a single preparation had been made for +the troops, and that in consequence all that Orry had shown him, drawn +out upon paper, was utterly fictitious. His vexation upon finding that +nothing upon which he had reckoned was provided, may be imagined. He at +once wrote to the King, in order to contradict all that he had recently +written. + +This conduct of Orry--his impudence, I may say--in deceiving a man who +immediately after would have under his eyes the proof of his deceit, is a +thing past all comprehension. It is easy to understand that rogues +should steal, but not that they should have the audacity to do so in the +face of facts which so quickly and so easily could prove their villainy. + +It was Pursegur's letter then, detailing this rascality on the part of +Orry, that had reached the King just before that respecting the Abbe +d'Estrees. The two disclosed a state of things that could not be allowed +any longer to exist. Our ministers, who, step by step, had been deprived +of all control over the affairs of Spain, profited by the discontentment +of the King to reclaim their functions. Harcourt and Madame de Maintenon +did all they could to ward off the blow from Madame des Ursins, but +without effect. The King determined to banish her to Rome and to dismiss +Orry from his post. + +It was felt, however, that these steps must be taken cautiously, to avoid +offending too deeply the King and Queen of Spain, who supported their +favourite through every emergency. + +In the first place, then, a simple reprimand was sent to the Princesse +des Ursins for the violation of the respect due to the King, by opening a +letter addressed to him by one of his ambassadors. The Abbe d'Estrees, +who expected that Madame des Ursins would be at once disgraced, and who +had made a great outcry when his letter was opened, fell into such +despair when he saw how lightly she was let off, that he asked for his +dismissal. He was taken at his word; and this was a new triumph for +Madame des Ursins, who thought herself more secure than ever. Her +triumph was of but short duration. The King wrote to Philip, +recommending him to head in person the army for the frontiers of +Portugal, which, in spite of Orry's deception, it was still determined to +send. No sooner was Philip fairly away, separated from the Queen and +Madame des Ursins, and no longer under their influence, than the King +wrote to the Queen of Spain, requesting her, in terms that could not be +disputed, to dismiss at once and for ever her favourite 'Camerera Mayor'. +The Queen, in despair at the idea of losing a friend and adviser to whom +she had been so much attached, believed herself lost. At the same time +that the King wrote to the Queen of Spain, he also wrote to the Princesse +des Ursins, ordering her to quit Madrid immediately, to leave Spain, and +to retire into Italy. + +At this conjuncture of affairs, when the Queen was in despair, Madame des +Ursins did not lose her composure. She opened her eyes to all that had +passed since she had violated D'Estrees' letter, and saw the vanity of +the triumph she had recently enjoyed. She felt at once that for the +present all was lost, that her only hope was to be allowed to remain in +France. She made all her arrangements, therefore, so that affairs might +proceed in her absence as much as possible as though she were present, +and then prepared to set out. Dawdling day by day, she put off her +departure as long as could be, and when at length she left Madrid only +went to Alcala, a few leagues distant. She stopped there under various +pretexts, and at length, after five weeks of delay, set out for Bayonne, +journeying as slowly as she could and stopping as often as she dared. + +She lost no opportunity of demanding an audience at Versailles, in order +to clear herself of the charge which weighed upon her, and her +importunities at length were not without effect. The most terrible +storms at Court soon blow over. The King (Louis XIV.) was satisfied with +the success of his plans. He had been revenged in every way, and had +humbled the pride of the Princesse des Ursins. It was not necessary to +excite the anger of the Queen and King of Spain by too great harshness +against their fallen friend. Madame de Maintenon took advantage of this +change in the temper of the King, and by dint of persuasion and scheming +succeeded in obtaining from him the permission for Madame des Ursins to +remain in France. Toulouse was fixed upon for her residence. It was a +place that just suited her, and from which communication with Spain was +easy. Here accordingly she took up her residence, determined to watch +well the course of events, and to avail herself of every opportunity that +could bring about her complete reconciliation with the King (Louis XIV.), +and obtain for her in consequence the permission to return to Madrid. + +In the mean time, the King and Queen of Spain, distressed beyond measure +at the loss of their favourite, thought only of the best means of +obtaining her recall. They plotted with such ministers as were +favourable to her; they openly quarrelled with and thwarted those who +were her opponents, so that the most important matters perished in their +hands. Nay more, upon the King of Spain's return, the Queen persuaded +him to oppose in all things the wishes of the King (Louis XIV.), his +grandfather, and to neglect his counsels with studied care. Our King +complained of this with bitterness. The aim of it was to tire him out, +and to make him understand that it was only Madame des Ursins, well +treated and sent back, who could restore Spanish affairs to their +original state, and cause his authority to be respected. Madame de +Maintenon, on her side, neglected no opportunity of pressing the King to +allow Madame des Ursins, not to return into Spain--that would have been +to spoil all by asking too much but simply to come to Versailles in order +to have the opportunity of justifying herself for her past conduct. From +other quarters the King was similarly importuned. Tired at last of the +obstinate opposition he met with in Spain from the Queen; who governed +completely her husband, he gave permission to Madame des Ursins to come +to Versailles to plead her own cause. Self-imprisoned as he was in +seclusion, the truth never approached him, and he was the only man in the +two kingdoms who had no suspicion that the arrival of Madame ales Ursins +at the Court was the certain sign of her speedy return to Spain more +powerful than ever. But he was fatigued with the constant resistance he +met with; with the disorder which this occasioned in public affairs at a +time too when, as I will afterwards explain, the closest union was +necessary between the two crowns in order to repel the common enemy, and +these motives induced him, to the astonishment of his ministers, to grant +the favour requested of him. + +However well informed Madame des Ursins might be of all that was being +done on her account, this permission surpassed her hopes. Her joy +accordingly was very great; but it did not at all carry her away. She +saw that her return to Spain would now depend upon herself. She +determined to put on the air of one who is disgraced, but who hopes, and +yet is humiliated. She instructed all her friends to assume the same +manner; took all measures with infinite presence of mind; did not hurry +her departure, and yet set out with sufficient promptness to prevent any +coldness springing up, and to show with what eagerness she profited by +the favour accorded to her, and which she had so much wished. + +No sooner was the courier gone who carried this news to her, than the +rumour of her return was whispered all over the Court, and became +publicly confirmed a few days afterwards. The movement that it produced +at Court was inconceivable. Only the friends of Madame des Ursins were +able to remain in a tolerably tranquil state. Everybody opened his eyes +and comprehended that the return of such an important personage was a +fact that could not be insignificant. People prepared themselves for a +sort of rising sun that was going to change and renew many things in +nature. On every side were seen people who had scarcely ever uttered her +name, and who now boasted of their intimacy with her and of her +friendship for them. Other people were seen, who, although openly allied +with her enemies, had the baseness to affect transports of joy at her +forthcoming return, and to flatter those whom they thought likely to +favour them with her. + +She reached Paris on Sunday, the 4th of January, 1705. The Duc d'Albe +met her several miles out of the city, escorted her to his house, and +gave a fete in her honour there. Several persons of distinction went out +to meet her. Madame des Ursins had reason to be surprised at an entry so +triumphant: she would not, however, stay with the Duc and Duchesse +d'Albe, but took up her quarters with the Comtesse d'Egmont, niece of the +Archbishop of Aix; the said Archbishop having been instrumental in +obtaining her recall. The King was at Marly. I was there with Madame de +Saint-Simon. During the remainder of the stay at Marly everybody flocked +to the house of Madame des Ursins, anxious to pay her their court. +However flattered she may have been by this concourse, she had matters to +occupy her, pleaded want of repose, and shut her door to three people out +of four who called upon her. Curiosity, perhaps fashion, drew this great +crowd to her. The ministers were startled by it. Torcy had orders from +the King to go, and see her: he did so; and from that moment Madame des +Ursins changed her tone. Until then her manner had been modest, +supplicating, nearly timid. She now saw and heard so much that from +defendant, which she had intended to be, she thought herself in a +condition to become accuser; and to demand justice of those who, abusing +the confidence of the King, had drawn upon her such a long and cruel +punishment, and made her a show for the two kingdoms. All that happened +to her surpassed her hopes. Several times when with me she has expressed +her astonishment; and with me has laughed at many people, often of much +consideration, whom she scarcely knew, or who had been strongly opposed +to her, and who basely crouched at her feet. + +The King returned to Versailles on Saturday, the 10th of January. Madame +des Ursins arrived there the same day. I went immediately to see her, +not having been able to do so before, because I could not quit Marly. My +mother had seen a great deal of Madame des Ursins at Paris. I had always +been on good terms with her, and had received on all occasions proofs of +her friendship. She received me very well, spoke with much freedom, and +said she promised herself the pleasure of seeing me again, and of talking +with me more at her ease. On, the morrow, Sunday, she dined at home +alone, dressed herself in grand style, and went to the King, with whom +she remained alone two hours and a half conversing in his cabinet. From +there she went to the Duchesse de Bourgogne, with whom she also conversed +a long time alone. In the evening, the King said, while in Madame de +Maintenon's apartments, that there were still many things upon which he +had not yet spoken to Madame des Ursins. The next day she saw Madame de +Maintenon in private for a long time, and much at her ease. She had an +interview soon after with the King and Madame de Maintenon, which was +also very long. + +A month after this a special courier arrived from the King and Queen of +Spain, to thank the King (Louis XIV.) for his conduct towards the +Princesse des Ursins. From that moment it was announced that she would +remain at Court until the month of April, in order to attend to her +affairs and her health. It was already to have made a grand step to be +mistress enough to announce thus her stay. Nobody in truth doubted of +her return to Spain, but the word was not yet said. She avoided all +explanations, and it may be believed did not have many indiscreet +questions put to her upon the subject. + +So many and such long audiences with the King, followed by so much +serenity, had a great effect upon the world, and the crowd that flocked +to see Madame des Ursins was greater than ever; but under various +pretences she shut herself up and would see only a few intimate friends, +foremost among which were Madame de Saint-Simon and myself. Whilst +triumphant beyond all her hopes in Paris, she was at work in Spain, and +with equal success. Rivas, who had drawn up the will of the late King +Charles II., was disgraced, and never afterwards rose to favour. The Duc +de Grammont, our ambassador at Madrid, was so overwhelmed with annoyance, +that he asked for his recall. Amelot, whom Madame des Ursins favoured, +was appointed in his place, and many who had been disgraced were +reinstated in office; everything was ordered according to her wishes. + +We returned to Marly, where many balls took place. It need not be +doubted that Madame des Ursins was among the invited. Apartments were +given her, and nothing could equal the triumphant air with which she took +possession of them, the continual attentions of the King to her, as +though she were some little foreign queen just arrived at his Court, or +the majestic fashion in which she received them, mingled with grace and +respectful politeness, then almost out of date, and which recalled the +stately old dames of the Queen-mother. She never came without the King, +who appeared to be completely occupied with her, talking with her, +pointing out objects for her inspection, seeking her opinion and her +approbation with an air of gallantry, even of flattery, which never +ceased. The frequent private conversations that she had with him in the +apartment of Madame de Maintenon, and which lasted an hour, and sometimes +double that time; those that she very often had in the morning alone with +Madame de Maintenon, rendered her the divinity of the Court. The +Princesses encircled her the moment she appeared anywhere, and went to +see her in her chamber. Nothing was more surprising than the servile +eagerness with which the greatest people, the highest in power and the +most in favour, clustered around her. Her very glances were counted, and +her words, addressed even to ladies of the highest rank, imprinted upon +them a look of ravishment. + +I went nearly every morning to her house: she always rose very early, +dressed herself at once, so that she was never seen at her toilette. +I was in advance of the hour fixed for the most important visitors, and +we talked with the same liberty as of yore. I learnt from her many +details, and the opinion of the King and of Madame de Maintenon upon many +people. We often used to laugh in concert at the truckling to her of +persons the most considerable, and of the disdain they drew upon +themselves, although she did not testify it to them. We laughed too at +the falsehood of others, who after having done her all the injury in +their power ever since her arrival, lavished upon her all kinds of +flatteries, and boasted of their affection for her and of zeal in her +cause. I was flattered with this confidence of the dictatress of the +Court. It drew upon me a sudden consideration; for people of the +greatest distinction often found me alone with her in the morning, and +the messengers who rained down at that time reported that they had found +me with her, and that they had not been able to speak to her. Oftentimes +in the salon she called me to her, or at other times I went to her and +whispered a word in her ear, with an air of ease and liberty much envied +but little imitated. She never met Madame de Saint-Simon without going +to her, praising her, making her join in the conversation that was +passing around; oftentimes leading her to the glass and adjusting her +head-dress or her robe as she might have done in private to a daughter. +People asked with surprise and much annoyance whence came such a great +friendship which had never been suspected by anybody? What completed the +torment of the majority, was to see Madame des Ursins, as soon as she +quitted the chamber of Madame de Maintenon, go immediately to Madame de +Saint-Simon, lead her aside, and speak to her in a low tone. This opened +the eyes of everybody and drew upon us many civilities. + +A more solid gratification to us were the kind things Madame des Ursins +said in our behalf to the King and Madame de Maintenon. She spoke in the +highest praise of Madame de Saint-Simon, and declared that there was no +woman at Court so fitting as she, so expressly made by her virtue, good +conduct, and ability, to be lady of the Palace, or even lady-of-honour to +Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne, should the post become vacant. Madame +des Ursins did not forget me; but a woman was more susceptible of her +praise. It made, therefore, all the more impression. This kind manner +towards us did not change during all her stay at Court. + +At all the balls which Madame des Ursins attended, she was treated with +much distinction, and at one she obtained permission for the Duc and +Duchesse d'Albe to be present, but with some little trouble. I say with +some little trouble, because no ambassador, no foreigner, had ever, +with one exception, been admitted to Marly. It was a great favour, +therefore, for Madame des Ursins to obtain. The King, too, treated the +Duc and Duchesse d'Albe, throughout the evening with marked respect, and +placed the latter in the most distinguished position, not only in the +ball-room but at supper. When he went to bed, too, he gave the Duc +d'Albe his candlestick; an honour the importance of which I have already +described. + +At the other balls Madame des Ursins seated herself near the Grand +Chamberlain, and looked at everybody with her lorgnette. At every moment +the King turned round to speak to her and Madame de Maintenon, who came +for half an hour or so to these balls, and on her account displaced the +Grand Chamberlain, who put himself behind her. In this manner she joined +Madame des Ursins, and was close to the King--the conversation between +the three being continual. What appeared extremely singular was to see +Madame des Ursins in the salon with a little spaniel in her arms, as +though she had been in her own house. People could not sufficiently +express their astonishment at a familiarity which even Madame la Duchesse +de Bourgogne would not have dared to venture; still less could they do so +when they saw the King caress this little dog over and over again. In +fine, such a high flight has never been seen. People could not accustom +themselves to it, and those who knew the King and his Court are surprised +still, when they think of it, after so many years. There was no longer +any doubt that Madame des Ursins would return into Spain. All her +frequent private conversations with the King and Madame de Maintenon were +upon that country. I will only add here that her return took place in +due time; and that her influence became more paramount than ever. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + +In relating what happened to Madame des Ursins upon her return to Spain, +I have carried the narrative into the year 1705. It is not necessary to +retrace our steps. Towards the end of 1703 Courtin died. He had early +shone at the Council, and had been made Intendant of Picardy. +M. de Chaulnes, whose estates were there, begged him to tax them as +lightly as possible. Courtin, who was a very intimate friend of M. de +Chaulnes, complied with his request; but the next year, in going over his +accounts, he found that to do a good turn to M. de Chaulnes he had done +an ill turn to many others--that is to say, he had relieved M. de +Chaulnes at the expense of other parishes, which he had overcharged. +The trouble this caused him made him search deeply into the matter, and +he found that the wrong he had done amounted to forty thousand francs. +Without a second thought he paid back this money, and asked to be +recalled. As he was much esteemed, his request was not at once complied +with, but he represented so well that he could not pass his life doing +wrong, and unable to serve his friends, that at last what he asked was +granted. He afterwards had several embassies, went to England as +ambassador, and was very successful in that capacity. I cannot quit +Courtin without relating an adventure he had one day with Fieubet, a +Councillor of State like himself. As they were going to Saint Germain +they were stopped by several men and robbed; robbery was common in those +days, and Fieubet lost all he had in his pockets. When the thieves had +left them, and while Fieubet was complaining of his misfortune, Courtin +began to applaud himself for having saved his watch and fifty pistoles +that he had time to slip into his trowsers. Immediately on hearing this, +Fieubet put his head out of the coach window, and called back the +thieves, who came sure enough to see what he wanted. + +"Gentlemen," said he, "you appear to be honest folks in distress; it is +not reasonable that you should be the dupes of this gentleman, who his +swindled you out of fifty pistoles and his watch." And then turning to +Courtin, he smilingly said: "You told me so yourself, monsieur; so give +the things up like a man, without being searched." + +The astonishment and indignation of Courtin were such that he allowed +money and watch to be taken from him without uttering a single word; but +when the thieves were gone away, he would have strangled Fieubet had not +this latter been the stronger of the two. Fieubet only laughed at him; +and upon arriving at Saint Germain told the adventure to everybody he +met. Their friends had all the trouble in the world to reconcile them. + +The year finished with an affair in which I was not a little interested. +During the year there were several grand fetes, at which the King went to +High Mass and vespers. On these occasions a lady of the Court, named by +the Queen, or when there was none, by the Dauphiness, made a collection +for the poor. The house of Lorraine, always anxious to increase its +importance, shirked impudently this duty, in order thereby to give itself +a new distinction, and assimilate its rank to that of the Princes of the +blood. It was a long time before this was perceived. At last the +Duchesse de Noailles, the Duchesse de Guiche, her daughter, the Marechal +de Boufflers, and others, took notice of it; and I was soon after +informed of it. I determined that the matter should be arranged, and +that justice should be done. + +The Duchesse de Lude was first spoken to on the subject; she, weak and +timid, did not dare to do anything; but at last was induced to speak to +Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne, who, wishing to judge for herself as to +the truth of the matter, ordered Madame de Montbazon to make the +collection for the poor at the next fete that took place. Although very +well, Madame de Montbazon pretended to be ill, stopped in bed half a day, +and excused herself on this ground from performing the duty. Madame de +Bourgogne was annoyed, but she did not dare to push matters farther; and, +in consequence of this refusal, none of the Duchesses would make the +collection. Other ladies of quality soon perceived this, and they also +refused to serve; so that the collection fell into all sorts of hands, +and sometimes was not made at all. Matters went on so far, indeed, that +the King at last grew angry, and threatened to make Madame de Bourgogne +herself take this office. But refusals still followed upon refusals, and +the bomb thus at length was ready to burst. + +The King, who at last ordered the daughter of M. le Grand to take the +plate on New Year's Day, 1704., had, it seems, got scent of the part I +was taking in this matter, and expressed himself to Madame de Maintenon, +as I learnt, as very discontented with me and one or two other Dukes. +He said that the Dukes were much less obedient to him than the Princes; +and that although many Duchesses had refused to make the collection, the +moment he had proposed that the daughter of M. le Grand should take it, +M. le Grand consented. On the next day, early in the morning, I saw +Chamillart, who related to me that on the previous evening, before he had +had time to open his business, the King had burst out in anger against +me, saying it was very strange, but that since I had quitted the army I +did nothing but meddle in matters of rank and bring actions against +everybody; finishing, by declaring that if he acted well he should send +me so far away that I should be unable to importune him any more. +Chamillart added, that he had done all in his power to appease the King, +but with little effect. + +After consulting with my friends, I determined to go up to the King and +boldly ask to speak to him in his cabinet, believing that to be the +wisest course I could pursue. He was not yet so reconciled to me as he +afterwards became, and, in fact, was sorely out of humour with me. This +step did not seem, therefore, altogether unattended with danger; but, +as I have said, I resolved to take it. As he passed, therefore, from his +dinner that same day, I asked permission to follow him into his cabinet. +Without replying to me, he made a sign that I might enter, and went into +the embrasure of the window. + +When we were quite alone I explained, at considerable length, my reasons +for acting in this matter, declaring that it was from no disrespect to +his Majesty that I had requested Madame de Saint-Simon and the other +Duchesses to refuse to collect for the poor, but simply to bring those to +account who had claimed without reason to be exempt from this duty. +I added, keeping my eyes fixed upon the King all the time, that I begged +him to believe that none of his subjects were more submissive to his will +or more willing to acknowledge the supremacy of his authority in all +things than the Dukes. Until this his tone and manner had been very +severe; but now they both softened, and he said, with much goodness and +familiarity, that "that was how it was proper to speak and think," and +other remarks equally gracious. I took then the opportunity of +expressing the sorrow I felt at seeing, that while my sole endeavour was +to please him, my enemies did all they could to blacken me in his eyes, +indicating that I suspected M. le Grand, who had never pardoned me for +the part I took in the affair of the Princesse d'Harcourt, was one of the +number. After I had finished the King remained still a moment, as if +ready to hear if I had anything more to say, and then quitted me with a +bow, slight but very gracious, saying it was well, and that he was +pleased with me. + +I learnt afterwards that he said the same thing of me in the evening to +Chamillart, but, nevertheless, that he did not seem at all shaken in his +prejudice in favour of M. le Grand. The King was in fact very easy to +prejudice, difficult to lead back, and most unwilling to seek +enlightenment, or to listen to any explanations, if authority was in the +slightest degree at stake. Whoever had the address to make a question +take this shape, might be assured that the King would throw aside all +consideration of justice, right, and reason, and dismiss all evidence. +It was by playing on this chord that his ministers knew how to manage him +with so much art, and to make themselves despotic masters, causing him to +believe all they wished, while at the same time they rendered him +inaccessible to explanation, and to those who might have explained. + +I have, perhaps, too much expanded an affair which might have been more +compressed. But in addition to the fact that I was mixed up in it, it is +by these little private details, as it seems to me, that the characters +of the Court and King are best made known. + +In the early part of the next year, 1704., the King made La Queue, who +was a captain of cavalry, campmaster. This La Queue was seigneur of the +place of which he bore the name, distant six leagues from Versailles, and +as much from Dreux. He had married a girl that the King had had by a +gardener's wife. Bontems, the confidential valet of the King, had +brought about the marriage without declaring the names of the father or +the mother of the girl; but La Queue knew it, and promised himself a +fortune. The girl herself was tall and strongly resembled the King. +Unfortunately for her, she knew the secret of her birth, and much envied +her three sisters--recognised, and so grandly married. She lived on very +good terms with her husband--always, however, in the greatest privacy-- +and had several children by him. La Queue himself, although by this +marriage son-in-law of the King, seldom appeared at the Court, and, when +there, was on the same footing as the simplest soldier. Bontems did not +fail from time to time to give him money. The wife of La Queue lived +very melancholily for twenty years in her village, never left it, and +scarcely ever went abroad for fear of betraying herself. + +On Wednesday, the 25th of June, Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne had a son +born to him. This event caused great joy to the King and the Court. +The town shared their delight, and carried their enthusiasm almost to +madness, by the excess of their demonstration and their fetes. The King +gave a fete at Marly, and made the most magnificent presents to Madame la +Duchesse de Bourgogne when she left her bed. But we soon had reason to +repent of so much joy, for the child died in less than a year--and of so +much money unwisely spent, in fetes when it was wanted for more pressing +purposes. Even while these rejoicings were being celebrated, news +reached us which spread consternation in every family, and cast a gloom +over the whole city. + +I have already said that a grand alliance, with the Emperor at its head, +had been formed against France, and that our troops were opposing the +Allies in various parts of Europe. The Elector of Bavaria had joined his +forces to ours, and had already done us some service. On the 12th of +August he led his men into the plain of Hochstedt, where, during the +previous year, he had gained a victory over the Imperialists. In this +plain he was joined by our troops, who took up positions right and left +of him, under the command of Tallard and Marsin. The Elector himself had +command of all. Soon after their arrival at Hochstedt, they received +intelligence that Prince Eugene, with the Imperialist forces, and the +Duke of Marlborough with the English were coming to meet them. Our +generals had, however, all the day before them to choose their ground, +and to make their dispositions. It would have been difficult to succeed +worse, both with the one and the other. A brook, by no means of a miry +kind, ran parallel to our army; and in front of it a spring, which formed +a long and large quagmire, nearly separated the two lines of Marshal +Tallard. It was a strange situation for a general to take up, who is +master of a vast plain; and it became, as will be seen, a very sad one. +At his extreme right was the large village of Blenheim, in which, by a +blindness without example, he had placed twenty-six battalions of +infantry, six regiments of dragoons, and a brigade of cavalry. It was an +entire army merely for the purpose of holding this village, and +supporting his right, and of course he had all these troops the less to +aid him in the battle which took place. The first battle of Hochstedt +afforded a lesson which ought to have been studied on this occasion. +There were many officers present, too, who had been at that battle; but +they were not consulted. One of two courses was open, either to take up +a position behind the brook, and parallel to it, so as to dispute its +passage with the enemies, or to take advantage of the disorder they would +be thrown into in crossing it by attacking them then. Both these plans +were good; the second was the better; but neither was adopted. What was +done was, to leave a large space between our troops and the brook, that +the enemy might pass at their ease, and be overthrown afterwards, as was +said. With such dispositions it is impossible to doubt but that our +chiefs were struck with blindness. The Danube flowed near enough to +Blenheim to be of sufficient support to our right, better indeed than +that village, which consequently there was no necessity to hold. + +The enemies arrived on the 13th of August at the dawn, and at once took +up their position on the banks of the brook. Their surprise must have +been great to see our army so far off, drawn up in battle array. They +profited by the extent of ground left to them, crossed the brook at +nearly every point, formed themselves in several lines on the side to +which they crossed, and then extended themselves at their ease, without +receiving the slightest opposition. This is exact truth, but without any +appearance of being so; and posterity will with difficulty believe it. +It was nearly eight o'clock before all these dispositions, which our +troops saw made without moving, were completed. Prince Eugene with his +army had the right; the Duke of Marlborough the left. The latter thus +opposed to the forces of Tallard, and Prince Eugene to those of Marsin. + +The battle commenced; and in one part was so far favourable to us that +the attack of Prince Eugene was repulsed by Marsin, who might have +profited by this circumstance but for the unfortunate position of our +right. Two things contributed to place us at a disadvantage. The second +line, separated by the quagmire I have alluded to from the first line, +could not sustain it properly; and in consequence of the long bend it was +necessary to make round this quagmire, neither line, after receiving or +making a charge, could retire quickly to rally and return again to the +attack. As for the infantry, the twenty-six battalions shut up in +Blenheim left a great gap in it that could not fail to, be felt. The +English, who soon perceived the advantage they might obtain from this +want of infantry, and from the difficulty with which our cavalry of the +right was rallied, profited by these circumstances with the readiness of +people who have plenty of ground at their disposal. They redoubled their +charges, and to say all in one word, they defeated at their first attack +all this army, notwithstanding the efforts of our general officers and of +several regiments to repel them. The army of the Elector, entirely +unsupported, and taken in flank by the English, wavered in its turn. +All the valour of the Bavarians, all the prodigies of the Elector, were +unable to remedy the effects of this wavering. Thus was seen, at one and +the same time, the army of Tallard beaten and thrown into the utmost +disorder; that of the Elector sustaining itself with great intrepidity, +but already in retreat; and that of Marsin charging and gaining ground +upon Prince Eugene. It was not until Marsin learnt of the defeat of +Tallard and of the Elector, that he ceased to pursue his advantages, and +commenced his retreat. This retreat he was able to make without being +pursued. + +In the mean time the troops in Blenheim had been twice attacked, and had +twice repulsed the enemy. Tallard had given orders to these troops on no +account to leave their positions, nor to allow a single man even to quit +them. Now, seeing his army defeated and in flight, he wished to +countermand these orders. He was riding in hot haste to Blenheim to do +so, with only two attendants, when all three were surrounded, recognised, +and taken prisoners. + +These troops shut up in Blenheim had been left under the command of +Blansac, camp-marshal, and Clerembault, lieutenant-general. During the +battle this latter was missed, and could nowhere be found. It was known +afterwards that, for fear of being killed, he had endeavoured to escape +across the Danube on horseback attended by a single valet. The valet +passed over the river in safety, but his master went to the bottom. +Blansac, thus left alone in command, was much troubled by the disorders +he saw and heard, and by the want which he felt of fresh orders. He sent +a messenger to Tallard for instructions how to act, but his messenger was +stopped on the road, and taken prisoner. I only repeat what Blansac +himself reported in his defence, which was equally ill-received by the +King and the public, but which had no contradictors, for nobody was +witness of what took place at Blenheim except those actually there, and +they all, the principals at least, agreed in their story. What some of +the soldiers said was not of a kind that could altogether be relied upon. + +While Blansac was in this trouble, he saw Denonville, one of our officers +who had been taken prisoner, coming towards the village, accompanied by +an officer who waved a handkerchief in the air and demanded a parley. +Denonville was a young man, very handsome and well made, who being a +great favourite with Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne had become +presumptuous and somewhat audacious. Instead of speaking in private to +Blansac and the other principal officers--since he had undertaken so +strange a mission--Denonville, who had some intellect, plenty of fine +talk, and a mighty opinion of himself, set to work haranguing the troops, +trying to persuade them to surrender themselves prisoners of war, so that +they might preserve themselves for the service of the King. Blansac, who +saw the wavering this caused among the troops, sharply told Denonville to +hold his tongue, and began himself to harangue the troops in a contrary +spirit. But it was to late. The mischief was done. Only one regiment, +that of Navarre, applauded him, all the rest maintained a dull silence. +I remind my readers that it is Blansac's version of the story I am +giving. + +Soon after Denonville and his companion had returned to the enemy, an +English lord came, demanding a parley with the commandant. He was +admitted to Blansac, to whom he said that the Duke of Marlborough had +sent him to say that he had forty battalions and sixty pieces of cannon +at his disposal, with reinforcements to any extent at command; that he +should surround the village on all sides; that the army of Tallard was in +flight, and the remains of that of the Elector in retreat; that Tallard +and many general officers were prisoners; that Blansac could hope for no +reinforcements; and that, therefore, he had better at once make an +honourable capitulation, and surrender, himself with all his men +prisoners of war, than attempt a struggle in which he was sure to be +worsted with great loss. Blansac wanted to dismiss this messenger at +once, but the Englishman pressed him to advance a few steps out of the +village, and see with his own eyes the defeat of the Electoral army, and +the preparations that were made on the other side to continue the battle. +Blansac accordingly, attended by one of his officers, followed this lord, +and was astounded to see with his own eyes that all he had just heard was +true. Returned into Bleinheim, Blansac assembled all his principal +officers, made them acquainted with the proposition that had been made, +and told them what he had himself seen. Every one comprehended what a +frightful shock it would be for the country when it learnt that they had +surrendered themselves prisoners of war; but all things well considered, +it was thought best to accept these terms, and so preserve to the King +the twenty-six battalions and the twelve squadrons of dragoons who were +there. This terrible capitulation was at once, therefore, drawn up and +signed by Blansac, the general officers, and the heads of every corps +except that of Navarre, which was thus the sole one which refused. + +The number of prisoners that fell to the enemy in this battle was +infinite. The Duke of Marlborough took charge of the most distinguished, +until he could carry them away to England, to grace his triumph there. +He treated them all, even the humblest, with the utmost attention, +consideration, and politeness, and with a modesty that did him even more +honour than his victory. Those that came under the charge of Prince +Louis of Baden were much less kindly treated. + +The King received the cruel news of this battle on the 21st of August, by +a courier from the Marechal de Villeroy. By this courier the King learnt +that a battle had taken place on the 13th; had lasted from eight o'clock +in the morning until evening; that the entire army of Tallard was killed +or taken prisoners; that it was not known what had become of Tallard +himself, or whether the Elector and Marsin had been at the action. The +private letters that arrived were all opened to see what news they +contained, but no fresh information could be got from them. For six days +the King remained in this uncertainty as to the real losses that had been +sustained. Everybody was afraid to write bad news; all the letters which +from time to time arrived, gave, therefore, but an unsatisfactory account +of what had taken place. The King used every means in his power to +obtain some news. Every post that came in was examined by him, but there +was little found to satisfy him. Neither the King nor anybody else could +understand, from what had reached them, how it was that an entire army +had been placed inside a village, and had surrendered itself by a signed +capitulation. It puzzled every brain. At last the details, that had +oozed out little by little, augmented to a perfect stream, by the, +arrival of one of our officers, who, taken prisoner, had been allowed by +the Duke of Marlborough to go to Paris to relate to the King the +misfortune that had happened to him. + +We were not accustomed to misfortunes. This one, very reasonably, was +utterly unexpected. It seemed in every way the result of bad +generalship, of an unjustifiable disposition of troops, and of a series +of gross and incredible errors. The commotion was general. There was +scarcely an illustrious family that had not had one of its members +killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. Other families were in the same +case. The public sorrow and indignation burst out without restraint. +Nobody who had taken part in this humiliation was spared; the generals +and the private soldiers alike came in for blame. Denonville was +ignominiously broken for the speech he had made at Blenheim. The +generals, however, were entirely let off. All the punishment fell upon +certain regiments, which were broken, and upon certain unimportant +officers--the guilty and innocent mixed together. The outcry was +universal. The grief of the King at this ignominy and this loss, at the +moment when he imagined that the fate of the Emperor was in his hands, +may be imagined. At a time when he might have counted upon striking a +decisive blow, he saw himself reduced to act simply on the defensive, in +order to preserve his troops; and had to repair the loss of an entire +army, killed or taken prisoners. The sequel showed not less that the +hand of God was weighty upon us. All judgment was lost. We trembled +even in the midst of Alsace. + +In the midst of all this public sorrow, the rejoicing and the fetes for +the birth of the Duc de Bretagne son of Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne, +were not discontinued. The city gave a firework fete upon the river, +that Monseigneur, the Princes, his sons, and Madame la Duchesse de +Bourgogne, with many ladies and courtiers, came to see from the windows +of the Louvre, magnificent cheer and refreshments being provided for +them. This was a contrast which irritated the people, who would not +understand that it was meant for magnanimity. A few days afterwards the +King gave an illumination and a fete at Marly, to which the Court of +Saint Germain was invited; and which was all in honour of Madame la +Duchesse de Bourgogne. He thanked the Prevot des Marchand for the +fireworks upon the river, and said that Monseigneur and Madame had found +them very beautiful. + +Shortly after this, I received a letter from one of my friends, the Duc +de Montfort, who had always been in the army of the Marechal de Villeroy. +He sent word to me, that upon his return he intended to break his sword, +and retire from the army. His letter was written in such a despairing +tone that, fearing lest with his burning courage he might commit some +martial folly, I conjured him not to throw himself into danger for the +sake of being killed. It seemed that I had anticipated his intentions. +A convoy of money was to be sent to Landau. Twice he asked to be allowed +to take charge of this convoy, and twice he was told it was too +insignificant a charge for a camp-marshal to undertake. The third time +that he asked this favour, he obtained it by pure importunity. He +carried the money safely into Landau, without meeting with any obstacle. +On his return he saw some hussars roving about. Without a moment's +hesitation he resolved to give chase to them. He was with difficulty +restrained for some time, and a last, breaking away, he set off to attack +them, followed by only two officers. The hussars dispersed themselves, +and retreated; the Duc de Montfort followed them, rode into the midst of +them, was surrounded on all sides, and soon received a blow which +overturned him. In a few moments after, being carried off by his men, he +died, having only had time to confess himself, and to arrive at his +quarters. He was infinitely regretted by everybody who had known him. +The grief of his family may be imagined. + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + +The King did not long remain without some consolation for the loss of the +battle of Hochstedt (Blenheim). The Comte de Toulouse--very different in +every respect from his brother, the Duc du Maine--was wearied with +cruising in the Mediterranean, without daring to attack enemies that were +too strong for him. He had, therefore, obtained reinforcements this +year, so that he was in a state to measure his forces with any opponent. +The English fleet was under the command of Admiral Rooks. The Comte de +Toulouse wished above all things to attack. He asked permission to do +so, and, the permission being granted, he set about his enterprise. He +met the fleet of Admiral Rooks near Malaga, on the 24th of September of +this year, and fought with it from ten o'clock in the morning until eight +o'clock in the evening. The fleets, as far as the number of vessels was +concerned, were nearly equal. So furious or so obstinate a sea-fight had +not been seen for a long time. They had always the wind upon our fleet, +yet all the advantage was on the side of the Comte de Toulouse, who could +boast that he had obtained the victory, and whose vessel fought that of +Rooks, dismasted it, and pursued it all next day towards the coast of +Barbary, where the Admiral retired. The enemy lost six thousand men; the +ship of the Dutch Vice-Admiral was blown up; several others were sunk, +and some dismasted. Our fleet lost neither ship nor mast, but the +victory cost the lives of many distinguished people, in addition to those +of fifteen hundred soldiers or sailors killed or wounded. + +Towards evening on the 25th, by dint of maneuvers, aided by the wind, our +fleet came up again with that of Rooks. The Comte de Toulouse was for +attacking it again on the morrow, and showed that if the attack were +successful, Gibraltar would be the first result of the victory. That +famous place, which commands the important strait of the same name, had +been allowed to fall into neglect, and was defended by a miserable +garrison of forty men. In this state it had of course easily fallen into +the hands of the enemies. But they had not yet had time to man it with a +much superior force, and Admiral Rooks once defeated, it must have +surrendered to us. + +The Comte de Toulouse urged his advice with all the energy of which he +was capable, and he was supported in opinion by others of more experience +than himself. But D'O, the mentor of the fleet, against whose counsel he +had been expressly ordered by the King never to act, opposed the project +of another attack with such disdainful determination, that the Comte had +no course open but to give way. The annoyance which this caused +throughout the fleet was very great. It soon was known what would have +become of the enemy's fleet had it been attacked, and that Gibraltar +would have been found in exactly the same state as when abandoned. The +Comte de Toulouse acquired great honour in this campaign, and his stupid +teacher lost little, because he had little to lose. + +M. de Mantua having surrendered his state to the King, thereby rendering +us a most important service in Italy, found himself ill at ease in his +territory, which had become the theatre of war, and had come incognito to +Paris. He had apartments provided for him in the Luxembourg, furnished +magnificently with the Crown furniture, and was very graciously received +by the King. The principal object of his journey was to marry some +French lady; and as he made no secret of this intention, more than one +plot was laid in order to provide him with a wife. M. de Vaudemont, +intent upon aggrandizing the house of Lorraine, wished. M de Mantua to +marry a member of that family, and fixed upon Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf for +his bride. The Lorraines did all in their power to induce M. de Mantua +to accept her. But M. le Prince had also his designs in this matter. He +had a daughter; whom he knew not how to get off his hands, and he thought +that in more ways than one it would be to his advantage to marry her to +the Duke of Mantua. He explained his views to the King, who gave him +permission to follow them out, and promised to serve him with all his +protection. But when the subject was broached to M. de Mantua, he +declined this match in such a respectful, yet firm, manner that M. le +Prince felt he must abandon all hope of carrying it out. The Lorraines +were not more successful in their designs. When M. de Vaudemont had +first spoken of Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf, M. de Mantua had appeared to +listen favourably. This was in Italy. Now that he was in Paris he acted +very differently. It was in vain that Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf was thrust +in his way, as though by chance, at the promenades, in the churches; her +beauty, which might have touched many others, made no impression upon +him. The fact was that M. de Mantua, even long before leaving his state, +had fixed upon a wife. + +Supping one evening with the Duc de Lesdiguieres, a little before the +death of the latter, he saw a ring with a portrait in it; upon the Duke's +finger. He begged to be allowed to look at the portrait, was charmed +with it, and said he should be very happy to have such a beautiful +mistress. The Duke at this burst out laughing, and said it was the +portrait of his wife. As soon as the Duc de Lesdiguieres was dead, +de Mantua thought only of marrying the young widowed Duchess. He sought +her everywhere when he arrived in Paris, but without being able to find +her; because she was in the first year of her widowhood. He therefore +unbosomed himself to Torcy, who reported the matter to the King. The +King approved of the design of M. de Mantua, and charged the Marechal de +Duras to speak to the Duchesse de Lesdiguieres, who was his daughter. +The Duchess was equally surprised and afflicted when she learned what was +in progress. She testified to her father her repugnance to abandon +herself to the caprices and the jealousy of an old Italian 'debauche' the +horror she felt at the idea of being left alone with him in Italy; and +the reasonable fear she had of her health, with a man whose own could not +be good. + +I was promptly made acquainted with this affair; for Madame de +Lesdiguieres and Madame de Saint-Simon were on the most intimate terms. +I did everything in my power to persuade Madame de Lesdirguieres to +content to the match, insisting at once on her family position, on the +reason of state, and on the pleasure of ousting Madame d'Elboeuf,--but it +was all in vain. I never saw such firmness. Pontchartrain, who came and +reasoned with her, was even less successful than I, for he excited her by +threats and menaces. M. le Prince himself supported us--having no longer +any hope for himself, and fearing, above all things, M. de Mantua's +marriage with a Lorraine--and did all he could to persuade Madame de +Lesdiguieres to give in. I renewed my efforts in the same direction, but +with no better success than before. Nevertheless, M. de Mantua, +irritated by not being able to see Madame de Lesdirguieres, resolved to +go and wait for her on a Sunday at the Minimes. He found her shut up in +a chapel, and drew near the door in order to see her as she went out. He +was not much gratified; her thick crape veil was lowered; it was with +difficulty he could get a glance at her. Resolved to succeed, he spoke +to Torcy, intimating that Madame de Lesdiguieres ought not to refuse such +a slight favour as to allow herself to be seen in a church. Torcy +communicated this to the King, who sent word to Madame de Lesdiguieres +that she must consent to the favour M. de Mantua demanded. She could not +refuse after this. M. de Mantua went accordingly, and waited for her in +the same place, where he had once already so badly seen her. He found +her, in the chapel, and drew near the door, as before. She came out, her +veil raised, passed lightly before him, made him a sliding courtesy as +she glided by, in reply to his bow, and reached her coach. + +M. de Mantua was charmed; he redoubled his efforts with the King and M. +de Duras; the matter was discussed in full council, like an affair of +state--indeed it was one; and it was resolved to amuse M. de Mantua, and +yet at the same time to do everything to vanquish this resistance of +Madame de Lesdiguieres, except employing the full authority of the King, +which the King himself did not wish to exert. Everything was promised to +her on the part of the King: that it should be his Majesty who would make +the stipulations of the marriage contract; that it should be his Majesty +who would give her a dowry, and would guarantee her return to France if +she became a widow, and assure her his protection while she remained a +wife; in one word, everything was tried, and in the gentlest and most +honourable manner, to persuade her. Her mother lent us her house one +afternoon, in order that we might speak more at length and more at our +ease there to Madame de Lesdiguieres than we could at the Hotel de Duras. +We only gained a torrent of tears for our pains. + +A few days after this, I was very much astonished to hear Chamillart +relate to me all that had passed at this interview. I learnt afterwards +that Madame de Lesdiguieres, fearing that if, entirely unsupported, she +persisted in her refusal, it might draw upon her the anger of the King, +had begged Chamillart to implore his Majesty not to insist upon this +marriage. M. de Mantua hearing this, turned his thoughts elsewhere; and +she was at last delivered of a pursuit which had become a painful +persecution to her. Chamillart served her so well that the affair came +to an end; and the King, flattered perhaps by the desire this young +Duchess showed to remain his subject instead of becoming a sovereign, +passed a eulogium upon her the same evening in his cabinet to his family +and to the Princesses, by whom it was spread abroad through society. + +I may as well finish this matter at once. The Lorraines, who had watched +very closely the affair up to this point, took hope again directly they +heard of the resolution M. de Mantua had formed to abandon his pursuit of +Madame de Lesdiguieres. They, in their turn, were closely watched by +M. le Prince, who so excited the King against them, that Madame d'Elboeuf +received orders from him not to continue pressing her suit upon M. de +Mantua. That did not stop them. They felt that the King would not +interfere with them by an express prohibition, and sure, by past +experience, of being on better terms with him afterwards than before, +they pursued their object with obstinacy. By dint of much plotting and +scheming, and by the aid of their creatures, they contrived to overcome +the repugnance of M. de Mantua to Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf, which at bottom +could be only caprice--her beauty, her figure, and her birth taken into +account. But Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf, in her turn, was as opposed to +marriage with M. de Mantua as Madame de Lesdiguieres had been. She was, +however, brought round ere long, and then the consent of the King was the +only thing left to be obtained. The Lorraines made use of their usual +suppleness in order to gain that. They represented the impolicy of +interfering with the selection of a sovereign who was the ally of France, +and who wished to select a wife from among her subjects, and succeeded so +well, that the King determined to become neutral; that is to say, neither +to prohibit nor to sanction this match. M. le Prince was instrumental in +inducing the King to take this neutral position; and he furthermore +caused the stipulation to be made, that it should not be celebrated in +France, but at Mantua. + +After parting with the King, M. de Mantua, on the 21st of September, went +to Nemours, slept there, and then set out for Italy. At the same time +Madame and Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf, with Madame de Pompadour, sister of +the former, passed through Fontainebleau without going to see a soul, and +followed their prey lest he should change his mind and escape them until +the road he was to take branched off from that they were to go by; he in +fact intending to travel by sea and they by land. On the way their fears +redoubled. Arrived at Nevers, and lodged in a hostelrie, they thought it +would not be well to commit themselves further without more certain +security: Madame de Pompadour therefore proposed to M. de Mantua not to +delay his happiness any longer, but to celebrate his marriage at once. +He defended himself as well as he could, but was at last obliged to give +in. During this indecent dispute, the Bishop was sent to. He had just +died, and the Grand Vicar, not knowing what might be the wishes of the +King upon this marriage, refused to celebrate it. The chaplain was +therefore appealed to, and he at once married Mademoiselle d'Elboeuf to +M. de Mantua in the hotel. As soon as the ceremony was over, Madame +d'Elboeuf wished to leave her daughter alone with M. de Mantua, and +although he strongly objected to this, everybody quitted the room, +leaving only the newly married couple there, and Madame de Pompadour +outside upon the step listening to what passed between them. But finding +after a while that both were very much embarrassed, and that M. de Mantua +did little but cry out for the company to return, she conferred with her +sister, and they agreed to give him his liberty. Immediately he had +obtained it, he mounted his horse, though it was not early, and did not +see them again until they reached Italy--though all went the same road as +far as Lyons. The news of this strange celebration of marriage was soon +spread abroad with all the ridicule which attached to it. + +The King was very much annoyed when he learnt that his orders had been +thus disobeyed. The Lorraines plastered over the affair by representing +that they feared an affront from M. de Mantua, and indeed it did not seem +at all unlikely that M. de Mantua, forced as it were into compliance with +their wishes, might have liked nothing better than to reach Italy and +then laugh at them. Meanwhile, Madame d'Elboeuf and her daughter +embarked on board the royal galleys and started for Italy. On the way +they were fiercely chased by some African corsairs, and it is a great +pity they were not taken to finish the romance. + +However, upon arriving in Italy, the marriage was again celebrated, this +time with all the forms necessary for the occasion. But Madame d'Elboeuf +had no cause to rejoice that she had succeeded in thus disposing of her +daughter. The new Duchesse de Mantua was guarded by her husband with the +utmost jealousy. She was not allowed to see anybody except her mother, +and that only for an hour each day. Her women entered her apartment only +to dress and undress her. The Duke walled up very high all the windows +of his house, and caused his wife to, be guarded by old women. She +passed her days thus in a cruel prison. This treatment, which I did not +expect, and the little consideration, not to say contempt, shown here for +M. de Mantua since his departure, consoled me much for the invincible +obstinacy of Madame de Lesdiguieres. Six months after, Madame d'Elboeuf +returned, beside herself with vexation, but too vain to show it. She +disguised the misfortune of her daughter, and appeared to be offended if +it was spoken of; but all our letters from the army showed that the news +was true. The strangest thing of all is, that the Lorraines after this +journey were as well treated by the King as if they had never undertaken +it; a fact which shows their art and ascendency. + +I have dwelt too long perhaps upon this matter. It appeared to me to +merit attention by its singularity, and still more so because it is by +facts of this sort that is shown what was the composition of the Court of +the King. + +About this time the Comtesse d'Auvergne finished a short life by an +illness very strange and uncommon. When she married the Comte d'Auvergne +she was a Huguenot, and he much wanted to make her turn Catholic. +A famous advocate of that time, who was named Chardon, had been a +Huguenot, and his wife also; they had made a semblance, however, of +abjuring, but made no open profession of Catholicism. Chardon was +sustained by his great reputation, and by the number of protectors he had +made for himself. + +One morning he and his wife were in their coach before the Hotel-Dieu, +waiting for a reply that their lackey was a very long time in bringing +them. Madame Chardon glanced by chance upon the grand portal of Notre +Dame, and little by little fell into a profound reverie, which might be +better called reflection. Her husband, who at last perceived this, asked +her what had sent her into such deep thought, and pushed her elbow even +to draw a reply from her. She told him then what she was thinking about. +Pointing to Notre Dame, she said that it was many centuries before Luther +and Calvin that those images of saints had been sculptured over that +portal; that this proved that saints had long since been invoked; the +opposition of the reformers to this ancient opinion was a novelty; that +this novelty rendered suspicious other dogmas against the antiquity of +Catholicism that they taught; that these reflections, which she had never +before made, gave her much disquietude, and made her form the resolution +to seek to enlighten herself. + +Chardon thought his wife right, and from that day they laid themselves +out to seek the truth, then to consult, then to be instructed. This +lasted a year, and then they made a new abjuration, and both ever +afterwards passed their lives in zeal and good works. Madame Chardon +converted many Huguenots. The Comte d'Auvergne took his wife to her. +The Countess was converted by her, and became a very good Catholic. When +she died she was extremely regretted by all the relatives of her husband, +although at first they had looked upon her coldly. + +In the month of this September, a strange attempt at assassination +occurred. Vervins had been forced into many suits against his relatives, +and was upon the point of gaining them all, when one of his cousins- +german, who called himself the Abbe de Pre, caused him to be attacked as +he passed in his coach along the Quai de la Tournelle, before the +community of Madame de Miramion. Vervins was wounded with several sword +cuts, and also his coachman, who wished to defend him. In consequence of +the complaint Vervins made, the Abbe escaped abroad, whence he never +returned, and soon after, his crime being proved, was condemned to be +broken alive on the wheel. Vervins had long been menaced with an attack +by the Abbe. Vervins was an agreeable, well-made man, but very idle. +He had entered the army; but quitted it soon, and retired to his estates +in Picardy. There he shut himself up without any cause of disgust or of +displeasure, without being in any embarrassment, for on the contrary he +was well to do, and all his affairs were in good order, and he never +married; without motives of piety, for piety was not at all in his vein; +without being in bad health, for his health was always perfect; without a +taste for improvement, for no workmen were ever seen in his house; still +less on account of the chase, for he never went to it. Yet he stayed in +his house for several years, without intercourse with a soul, and, what +is most incomprehensible, without budging from his bed, except to allow +it to be made. He dined there, and often all alone; he transacted what +little business he had to do there, and received while there the few +people he could not refuse admission to; and each day, from the moment he +opened his eyes until he closed them again, worked at tapestry, or read a +little; he persevered until his death in this strange fashion of +existence; so uniquely singular, that I have wished to describe it. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI + +There presents itself to my memory an anecdote which it would be very +prudent perhaps to be silent upon, and which is very curious for anybody +who has seen things so closely as I have, to describe. What determines +me to relate it is that the fact is not altogether unknown, and that +every Court swarms with similar adventures. Must it be said then? We +had amongst us a charming young Princess who, by her graces, her +attentions, and her original manners, had taken possession of the hearts +of the King, of Madame de Maintenon, and of her husband, Monseigneur le +Duc de Bourgogne. The extreme discontent so justly felt against her +father, M. de Savoie, had not made the slightest alteration in their +tenderness for her. The King, who hid nothing from her, who worked with +his ministers in her presence whenever she liked to enter, took care not +to say a word in her hearing against her father. In private, she clasped +the King round the neck at all hours, jumped upon his knees, tormented +him with all sorts of sportiveness, rummaged among his papers, opened his +letters end read them in his presence, sometimes in spite of him; and +acted in the same manner with Madame de Maintenon. Despite this extreme +liberty, she never spoke against any one: gracious to all, she +endeavoured to ward off blows from all whenever she could; was attentive +to the private comforts of the King, even the humblest: kind to all who +served her, and living with her ladies, as with friends, in complete +liberty, old and young; she was the darling of the Court, adored by all; +everybody, great and small, was anxious to please her; everybody missed +her when she was away; when she reappeared the void was filled up; in a +word, she had attached all hearts to her; but while in this brilliant +situation she lost her own. + +Nangis, now a very commonplace Marshal of France, was at that time in +full bloom. He had an agreeable but not an uncommon face; was well made, +without anything marvellous; and had been educated in intrigue by the +Marechale de Rochefort, his grandmother, and Madame de Blansac, his +mother, who were skilled mistresses of that art. Early introduced by +them into the great world of which they were, so to speak, the centre, +he had no talent but that of pleasing women, of speaking their language, +and of monopolising the most desirable by a discretion beyond his years, +and which did not belong to his time. Nobody was more in vogue than he. +He had had the command of a regiment when he was quite a child. He had +shown firmness, application, and brilliant valour in war, that the ladies +had made the most of, and they sufficed at his age; he was of the Court +of Monseigneur le Duc de Bourgogne, about the same age, and well treated +by him. + +The Duc de Bourgogne, passionately in love with his wife, was not so well +made as Nangis; but the Princess reciprocated his ardor so perfectly that +up to his death he never suspected that her glances had wandered to any +one else. They fell, however, upon Nangis, and soon redoubled. Nangis +was not ungrateful, but he feared the thunderbolt; and his heart, too, +was already engaged. Madame de la Vrilliere, who, without beauty, was +pretty and grateful as Love, had made this conquest. She was, as I have +said, daughter of Madame de Mailly, Dame d'Atours of Madame la Duchesse +de Bourgogne; and was always near her. Jealousy soon enlightened her as +to what was taking place. Far from yielding her conquest to the Duchess; +she made a point of preserving it, of disputing its possession, and +carrying it off. This struggle threw Nangis into a terrible +embarrassment. He feared the fury of Madame de la Vrilliere, who +affected to be more ready to break out than in reality she was. Besides +his love for her, he feared the result of an outburst, and already saw +his fortune lost. On the other hand, any reserve of his towards the +Duchess, who had so much power in her hands--and seemed destined to have +more--and who he knew was not likely to suffer a rival +--might, he felt, be his ruin. This perplexity, for those who were aware +of it, gave rise to continual scenes. I was then a constant visitor of +Madame de Blansac, at Paris, and of the Marechale de Rochefort, at +Versailles; and, through them and several other ladies of the Court, with +whom I was intimate, I learnt, day by day, everything that passed. In +addition to the fact that nothing diverted me more, the results of this +affair might be great; and it was my especial ambition to be well +informed of everything. At length, all members of the Court who were +assiduous and enlightened understood the state of affairs; but either +through fear or from love to the Duchess, the whole Court was silent, saw +everything, whispered discreetly, and actually kept the secret that was +not entrusted to it. The struggle between the two ladies, not without +bitterness, and sometimes insolence on the part of Madame de la +Vrilliere, nor without suffering and displeasure gently manifested on the +part of Madame de Bourgogne, was for a long time a singular sight. + +Whether Nangis, too faithful to his first love, needed some grains of +jealousy to excite him, or whether things fell out naturally, it happened +that he found a rival. Maulevrier, son of a brother of Colbert who had +died of grief at not being named Marshal of France, was this rival. He +had married a daughter of the Marechal de Tesse, and was not very +agreeable in appearance--his face, indeed, was very commonplace. He was +by no means framed for gallantry; but he had wit, and a mind fertile in +intrigues, with a measureless ambition that was sometimes pushed to +madness. His wife was pretty, not clever, quarrelsome, and under a +virginal appearance; mischievous to the last degree. As daughter of a +man for whom Madame de Bourgogne had much gratitude for the part he had +taken in negotiating her marriage, and the Peace of Savoy, she was easily +enabled to make her way at Court, and her husband with her. He soon +sniffed what was passing in respect to Nangis, and obtained means of +access to Madame de Bourgogne, through the influence of his father-in- +law; was assiduous in his attentions; and at length, excited by example, +dared to sigh. Tired of not being understood, he ventured to write. It +is pretended that he sent his letters through one of the Court ladies, +who thought they came from Tesse, delivered them, and handed him back the +answers, as though for delivery by him. I will not add what more was +believed. I will simply say that this affair was as soon perceived as +had been the other, and was treated, with the same silence. + +Under pretext of friendship, Madame de Bourgogne went more than once--on +account of the speedy departure of her husband (for the army), attended +some, times by La Maintenon,--to the house of Madame de Maulevrier, to +weep with her. The Court smiled. Whether the tears were for Madame de +Maulevrier or for Nangis, was doubtful. But Nangis, nevertheless, +aroused by this rivalry, threw Madame de la Vrilliere into terrible +grief, and into a humour over which she was not mistress. + +This tocsin made itself heard by Maulevrier. What will not a man think +of doing when possessed to excess by love or ambition? He pretended to +have something the matter with his chest, put himself on a milk diet, +made believe that he had lost his voice, and was sufficiently master of +himself to refrain from uttering an intelligible word during a whole +year; by these means evading the campaign and remaining at the Court. +He was mad enough to relate this project, and many others, to his friend +the Duc de Lorges, from whom, in turn, I learnt it. The fact was, that +bringing himself thus to the necessity of never speaking to anybody +except in their ear, he had the liberty of speaking low to--Madame la +Duchesse de Bourgogne before all the Court without impropriety and +without suspicion. In this manner he said to her whatever he wished day +by day, and was never overheard. He also contrived to say things the +short answers to which were equally unheard. He so accustomed people to +this manner of speaking that they took no more notice of it than was +expressed in pity for such a sad state; but it happened that those who +approached the nearest to Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne when Maulevrier +was at her side, soon knew enough not to be eager to draw near her again +when she was thus situated. This trick lasted more than a year: his +conversation was principally composed of reproaches--but reproaches +rarely succeed in love. Maulevrier, judging by the ill-humour of Madame +de la Vrilliere, believed Nangis to be happy. Jealousy and rage +transported him at last to the extremity of folly. + +One day, as Madame de Bourgogne was coming from mass and he knew that +Dangeau, her chevalier d'honneur, was absent, he gave her his hand. The +attendants had accustomed themselves to let him have this honour, on +account of his distinguished voice, so as to allow him to speak by the +way, and retired respectfully so as not to hear what he said. The ladies +always followed far behind, so that, in the midst of all the Court, he +had, from the chapel to the apartments of Madame de Bourgogne, the full +advantages of a private interview--advantages that he had availed himself +of several times. On this day he railed against Nangis to Madame de +Bourgogne, called him by all sorts of names, threatened to tell +everything to the King and to Madame de Maintenon, and to the Duc de +Bourgogne, squeezed her fingers as if he would break them, and led her in +this manner, like a madman as he was, to her apartments. Upon entering +them she was ready to swoon. Trembling all over she entered her +wardrobe, called one of her favourite ladies, Madame de Nogaret, to her, +related what had occurred, saying she knew not how she had reached her +rooms, or how it was she had not sunk beneath the floor, or died. She +had never been so dismayed. The same day Madame de Nogaret related this +to Madame de Saint-Simon and to me, in the strictest confidence. She +counselled the Duchess to behave gently with such a dangerous madman, and +to avoid committing herself in any way with him. The worst was, that +after this he threatened and said many things against Nangis, as a man +with whom he was deeply offended, and whom he meant to call to account. +Although he gave no reason for this, the reason was only too evident. +The fear of Madame de Bourgogne at this may be imagined, and also that of +Nangis. He was brave and cared for nobody; but to be mixed up in such an +affair as this made him quake with fright. He beheld his fortune and his +happiness in the hands of a furious madman. He shunned Maulevrier from +that time as much as possible, showed himself but little, and held his +peace. + +For six weeks Madame de Bourgogne lived in the most measured manner, and +in mortal tremors of fear, without, however, anything happening. I know +not who warned Tesse of what was going on. But when he learnt it he +acted like a man of ability. He persuaded his son-in-law, Maulevrier, to +follow him to Spain, as to a place where his fortune was assured to him. +He spoke to Fagon, who saw all and knew all. He understood matters in a +moment, and at once said, that as so many remedies had been tried +ineffectually for Maulevrier, he must go to a warmer climate, as a winter +in France would inevitably kill him. It was then as a remedy, and as +people go to the waters, that he went to Spain. The King and all the +Court believed this, and neither the King nor Madame de Maintenon offered +any objections. As soon as Tesse knew this he hurried his son-in-law out +of the realm, and so put a stop to his follies and the mortal fear they +had caused. To finish this adventure at once, although it will lead me +far beyond the date of other matters to be spoken of after, let me say +what became of Maulevrier after this point of the narrative. + +He went first to Spain with Tesse. On the way they had an interview with +Madame des Ursins, and succeeded in gaining her favour so completely, +that, upon arriving at Madrid, the King and Queen of Spain, informed of +this, welcomed them with much cordiality. Maulevrier soon became a great +favourite with the Queen of Spain. It has been said, that he wished to +please her, and that he succeeded. At all events he often had long +interviews with her in private, and these made people think and talk. + +Maulevrier began to believe it time to reap after having so well sown. +He counted upon nothing less than being made grandee of Spain, and would +have obtained this favour but for his indiscretion. News of what was in +store for him was noised abroad. The Duc de Grammont, then our +ambassador at Madrid, wrote word to the King of the rumours that were in +circulation of Maulevrier's audacious conduct towards the Queen of Spain, +and of the reward it was to meet with. The King at once sent a very +strong letter to the King of Spain about Maulevrier, who, by the same +courier, was prohibited from accepting any favour that might be offered +him. He was ordered at the same time to join Tesse at Gibraltar. He had +already done so at the instance of Tesse himself; so the courier went +from Madrid to Gibraltar to find him. His rage and vexation upon seeing +himself deprived of the recompense he had considered certain were very +great. But they yielded in time to the hopes he formed of success, and +he determined to set off for Madrid and thence to Versailles. His +father-in-law tried to retain him at the siege, but in vain. His +representations and his authority were alike useless. Maulevrier hoped +to gain over the King and Queen of Spain so completely, that our King +would be forced, as it were, to range himself on their side; but the Duc +de Grammont at once wrote word that Maulevrier had left the siege of +Gibraltar and returned to Madrid. This disobedience was at once +chastised. A courier was immediately despatched to Maulevrier, +commanding him to set out for France. He took leave of the King and +Queen of Spain like a man without hope, and left Spain. The most +remarkable thing is, that upon arriving at Paris, and finding the Court +at Marly, and his wife there also, he asked permission to go too, the +husbands being allowed by right to accompany their wives there, and the +King, to avoid a disturbance, did not refuse him. + +At first everything seemed to smile upon Maulervrier. He had, as I have +said, made friends with Madame des Ursins when he was on the road to +Spain. He had done so chiefly by vaunting his intimacy with Madame de +Bourgogne, and by showing to Madame des Ursins that he was in many of the +secrets of the Court. Accordingly, upon his return, she took him by the +hand and showed a disposition towards him which could not fail to +reinstate him in favour. She spoke well of him to Madame de Maintenon, +who, always much smitten with new friends, received him well, and often +had conversations with him which lasted more than three hours. Madame de +Maintenon mentioned him to the King, and Maulevrier, who had returned out +of all hope, now saw himself in a more favourable position than ever. + +But the old cause of trouble still existed, and with fresh complications. +Nangis was still in favour, and his appearance made Maulevrier miserable. +There was a new rival too in the field, the Abbe de Polignac. + +Pleasing, nay most fascinating in manner, the Abbe was a man to gain all +hearts. He stopped at no flattery to succeed in this. One day when +following the King through the gardens of Marly, it came on to rain. +The King considerately noticed the Abbe's dress, little calculated to +keep off rain. "It is no matter, Sire," said De Polignac, "the rain of +Marly does not wet." People laughed much at this, and these words were a +standing reproach to the soft-spoken Abbe. + +One of the means by which the Abbe gained the favour of the King was by +being the lover of Madame du Maine. His success at length was great in +every direction. He even envied the situations of Nangis and Maulevrier; +and sought to participate in the same happiness. He took the same road. +Madame d'O and the Marechale de Coeuvres became his friends. + +He sought to be heard, and was heard. At last he faced the danger of the +Swiss, and on fine nights was seen with the Duchess in the gardens. +Nangis diminished in favour. Maulevrier on his return increased in fury. +The Abbe met with the same fate as they: everything was perceived: people +talked about the matter in whispers, but silence was kept. This triumph, +in spite of his age, did not satisfy the Abbe: he aimed at something more +solid. He wished to arrive at the cardinalship, and to further his views +he thought it advisable to ingratiate himself into the favour of Monsieur +de Bourgogne. He sought introduction to them through friends of mine, +whom I warned against him as a man without scruple, and intent only upon +advancing himself. My warnings were in vain. My friends would not heed +me, and the Abbe de Polignac succeeded in gaining the confidence of +Monsieur de Bourgogne, as well as the favour of Madame de Bourgogne. + +Maulevrier had thus two sources of annoyance--the Abbe de Polignac and +Nangis. Of the latter he showed himself so jealous, that Madame de +Maulevrier, out of pique, made advances to him. Nangis, to screen +himself the better, replied to her. Maulevrier perceived this. He knew +his wife to be sufficiently wicked to make him fear her. So many +troubles of heart and brain transported him. He lost his head. + +One day the Marechale de Coeuvres came to see him, apparently on some +message of reconciliation. He shut the door upon her; barricaded her +within, and through the door quarrelled with her, even to abuse, for an +hour, during which she had the patience to remain there without being +able to see him. After this he went rarely to Court, but generally kept +himself shut up at home. + +Sometimes he would go out all alone at the strangest hours, take a fiacre +and drive away to the back of the Chartreux or to other remote spots. +Alighting there, he would whistle, and a grey-headed old man would +advance and give him a packet, or one would be thrown to him from a +window, or he would pick up a box filled with despatches, hidden behind a +post. I heard of these mysterious doings from people to whom he was vain +and indiscreet enough to boast of them. He continually wrote letters to +Madame de Bourgogne, and to Madame de Maintenon, but more frequently to +the former. Madame Cantin was their agent; and I know people who have +seen letters of hers in which she assured Maulevrier, in the strongest +terms, that he might ever reckon on the Duchess. + +He made a last journey to Versailles, where he saw his mistress in +private, and quarrelled with her cruelly. After dining with Torcy he +returned to Paris. There, torn by a thousand storms of love, of +jealousy, of ambition, his head was so troubled that doctors were obliged +to be called in, and he was forbidden to see any but the most +indispensable persons, and those at the hours when he was least ill. +A hundred visions passed through his brain. Now like a madman he would +speak only of Spain, of Madame de Bourgogne, of Nangis, whom he wished to +kill or to have assassinated; now full of remorse towards M. de +Bourgogne, he made reflections so curious to hear, that no one dared to +remain with him, and he was left alone. At other times, recalling his +early days, he had nothing but ideas of retreat and penitence. Then a +confession was necessary in order to banish his despair as to the mercy +of God. Often he thought himself very ill and upon the point of death. + +The world, however, and even his nearest friends persuaded themselves +that he was only playing a part; and hoping to put an end to it, they +declared to him that he passed for mad in society, and that it behoved +him to rise out of such a strange state and show himself. This was the +last blow and it overwhelmed him. Furious at finding that this opinion +was ruining all the designs of his ambition, he delivered himself up to +despair. Although watched with extreme care by his wife, by particular +friends, and by his servants, he took his measures so well, that on the +Good Friday of the year 1706, at about eight o'clock in the morning, he +slipped away from them all, entered a passage behind his room, opened the +window, threw himself into the court below, and dashed out his brains +upon the pavement. Such was the end of an ambitious man, who, by his +wild and dangerous passions, lost his wits, and then his life, a tragic +victim of himself. + +Madame de Bourgogne learnt the news at night. In public she showed no +emotion, but in private some tears escaped her. They might have been of +pity, but were not so charitably interpreted. Soon after, it was noticed +that Madame de Maintenon seemed embarrassed and harsh towards Madame de +Bourgogne. It was no longer doubted that Madame de Maintenon had heard +the whole story. She often had long interviews with Madame de Bourgogne, +who always left them in tears. Her sadness grew so much, and her eyes +were so often red, that Monsieur de Bourgogne at last became alarmed. +But he had no suspicion of the truth, and was easily satisfied with the +explanation he received. Madame de Bourgogne felt the necessity, +however, of appearing gayer, and showed herself so. As for the Abbe de +Polignac, it was felt that that dangerous person was best away. He +received therefore a post which called him away, as it were, into exile; +and though he delayed his departure as long as possible, was at length +obliged to go. Madame de Bourgogne took leave of him in a manner that +showed how much she was affected. Some rather insolent verses were +written upon this event; and were found written on a balustrade by +Madame, who was not discreet enough or good enough to forget them. But +they made little noise; everybody loved Madame de Bourgogne, and hid +these verses as much as possible. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXII + +At the beginning of October, news reached the Court, which was at +Fontainebleau, that M. de Duras was at the point of death. Upon hearing +this, Madame de Saint-Simon and Madame de Lauzun, who were both related +to M. Duras, wished to absent themselves from the Court performances that +were to take place in the palace that evening. They expressed this wish +to Madame de Bourgogne, who approved of it, but said she was afraid the +King would not do the same. He had been very angry lately because the +ladies had neglected to go full dressed to the Court performances. A few +words he had spoken made everybody take good care not to rouse his anger +on this point again. He expected so much accordingly from everybody who +attended the Court, that Madame de Bourgogne was afraid he would not +consent to dispense with the attendance of Madame de Saint-Simon and +Madame de Lauzun on this occasion. They compromised the matter, +therefore, by dressing themselves, going to the room where the +performance was held, and, under pretext of not finding places, going +away; Madame de Bourgogne agreeing to explain their absence in this way +to the King. I notice this very insignificant bagatelle to show how the +King thought only of himself, and how much he wished to be obeyed; and +that that which would not have been pardoned to the nieces of a dying +man, except at the Court, was a duty there, and one which it needed great +address to escape from, without seriously infringing the etiquette +established. + +After the return of the Court from Fontainebleau this year, Puysieux came +back from Switzerland, having been sent there as ambassador. Puysieux +was a little fat man, very agreeable, pleasant, and witty, one of the +best fellows in the world, in fact. As he had much wit, and thoroughly +knew the King, he bethought himself of making the best of his position; +and as his Majesty testified much friendship for him on his return, and +declared himself satisfied with his mission in Switzerland, Puysieux +asked if what he heard was not mere compliment, and whether he could +count upon it. As the King assured him that he might do so, Puysieux +assumed a brisk air, and said that he was not so sure of that, and that +he was not pleased with his Majesty. + +"And why not?" said the King. + +"Why not?" replied Puysieux; "why, because although the most honest man +in your realm, you have not kept to a promise you made me more than fifty +years ago." + +"What promise?" asked the King. + +"What promise, Sire?" said Puysieux; "you have a good memory, you cannot +have forgotten it. Does not your Majesty remember that one day, having +the honour to play at blindman's buff with you at my grandmother's, you +put your cordon bleu on my back, the better to hide yourself; and that +when, after the game, I restored it to you, you promised to give it me +when you became master; you have long been so, thoroughly master, and +nevertheless that cordon bleu is still to come." + +The King, who recollected the circumstance, here burst out laughing, and +told Puysieux he was in the right, and that a chapter should be held on +the first day of the new year expressly for the purpose of receiving him +into the order. And so in fact it was, and Puysieux received the cordon +bleu on the day the King had named. This fact is not important, but it +is amusing. It is altogether singular in connection with a prince as +serious and as imposing as Louis XIV.; and it is one of those little +Court anecdotes which are curious. + +Here is another more important fact, the consequences of which are still +felt by the State. Pontchartrain, Secretary of State for the Navy, was +the plague of it, as of all those who were under his cruel dependence. +He was a man who, with some-amount of ability, was disagreeable and +pedantic to an excess; who loved evil for its own sake; who was jealous +even of his father; who was a cruel tyrant towards his wife, a woman all +docility and goodness; who was in one word a monster, whom the King kept +in office only because he feared him. An admiral was the abhorrence of +Pontchartrain, and an admiral who was an illegitimate son of the King, +he loathed. There was nothing, therefore, that he had not done during +the war to thwart the Comte de Toulouse; he laid some obstacles +everywhere in his path; he had tried to keep him out of the command of +the fleet, and failing this, had done everything to render the fleet +useless. + +These were bold strokes against a person the King so much loved, but +Pontchartrain knew the weak side of the King; he knew how to balance the, +father against the master, to bring forward the admiral and set aside the +son. In this manner the Secretary of State was able to put obstacles in +the way of the Comte de Toulouse that threw him almost into despair, and +the Count could do little to defend himself. It was a well-known fact at +sea and in the ports where the ships touched, and it angered all the +fleet. Pontchartrain accordingly was abhorred there, while the Comte de +Toulouse, by his amiability and other good qualities, was adored. + +At last, the annoyance he caused became so unendurable, that the Comte de +Toulouse, at the end of his cruise in the Mediterranean, returned to +Court and determined to expose the doings of Pontchartrain to the King. + +The very day he had made up his mind to do this, and just before he +intended to have his interview with the King, Madame Pontchartrain, +casting aside her natural timidity and modesty, came to him, and with +tears in her eyes begged him not to bring about the ruin of her husband. +The Comte de Toulouse was softened. He admitted afterwards that he could +not resist the sweetness and sorrow of Madame de Pontchartrain, and that +all his resolutions, his weapons, fell from his hands at the thought of +the sorrow which the poor woman would undergo, after the fall of her +brutal husband, left entirely in the hands of such a furious Cyclops. +In this manner Pontchartrain was saved, but it cost dear to the State. +The fear he was in of succumbing under the glory or under the vengeance +of an admiral who was son of the King determined him to ruin the fleet +itself, so as to render it incapable of receiving the admiral again. +He determined to do this, and kept to his word, as was afterwards only +too clearly verified by the facts. The Comte de Toulouse saw no more +either ports or vessels, and from that time only very feeble squadrons +went out, and even those very seldom. Pontchartrain, had the impudence +to boast of this before my face. + +When I last spoke of Madame des Ursins, I described her as living in the +midst of the Court, flattered and caressed by all, and on the highest +terms of favour with the King and Madame de Maintenon. She found her +position, indeed, so far above her hopes, that she began to waver in her +intention of returning to Spain. The age and the health of Madame de +Maintenon tempted her. She would have preferred to govern here rather +than in Spain. Flattered by the attentions paid her, she thought those +attentions, or, I may say, rather those servile adorations, would +continue for ever, and that in time she might arrive at the highest point +of power. The Archbishop of Aix and her brother divined her thoughts, +for she did not dare to avow them, and showed her in the clearest way +that those thoughts were calculated to lead her astray. They explained +to her that the only interest Madame de Maintenon had in favouring her +was on account of Spain. Madame des Ursins--once back in that country, +Madame de Maintenon looked forward to a recommencement of those relations +which had formerly existed between them, by which the government of Spain +in appearance, if not in reality, passed through her hands. They +therefore advised Madame des Ursins on no account to think of remaining +in France, at the same time suggesting that it would not be amiss to stop +there long enough to cause some inquietude to Madame de Maintenon, so as +to gain as much advantage as possible from it. + +The solidity of these reasons persuaded Madame des Ursins to follow the +advice given her. She resolved to depart, but not until after a delay by +which she meant to profit to the utmost. We shall soon see what success +attended her schemes. The terms upon which I stood with her enabled me +to have knowledge of all the sentiments that had passed through her mind: +her extreme desire, upon arriving in Paris, to return to Spain; the +intoxication which seized her in consequence of the treatment she +received, and which made her balance this desire; and her final +resolution. It was not until afterwards, however, that I learnt all the +details I have just related. + +It was not long before Madame de Maintenon began to feel impatient at the +long-delayed departure of Madame des Ursins. She spoke at last upon the +subject, and pressed Madame des Ursins to set out for Spain. This was +just what the other wanted. She said that as she had been driven out of +Spain like a criminal, she must go back with honour, if Madame de +Maintenon wished her to gain the confidence and esteem of the Spaniards. +That although she had been treated by the King with every consideration +and goodness, many people in Spain were, and would be, ignorant of it, +and that, therefore, her return to favour ought to be made known in as +public and convincing a manner as was her disgrace. This was said with +all that eloquence and persuasiveness for which Madame des Ursins was +remarkable. The effect of it exceeded her hopes. + +The favours she obtained were prodigious. Twenty thousand livres by way +of annual pension, and thirty thousand for her journey. One of her +brothers, M. de Noirmoutiers, blind since the age of eighteen or twenty, +was made hereditary duke; another, the Abbe de la Tremoille, of exceeding +bad life, and much despised in Rome, where he lived, was made cardinal. +What a success was this! How many obstacles had to be overcome in order +to attain it! Yet this was what Madame des Ursins obtained, so anxious +was Madame de Maintenon to get rid of her and to send her to reign in +Spain, that she might reign there herself. Pleased and loaded with +favour as never subject was before, Madame des Ursins set out towards the +middle of July, and was nearly a month on the road. It may be imagined +what sort of a reception awaited her in Spain. The King and the Queen +went a day's journey out of Madrid to meet her. Here, then, we see again +at the height of power this woman, whose fall the King but a short time +since had so ardently desired, and whose separation from the King and +Queen of Spain he had applauded himself for bringing about with so much +tact. What a change in a few months! + +The war continued this year, but without bringing any great success to +our arms. Villars, at Circk, outmanoeuvred Marlborough in a manner that +would have done credit to the greatest general. Marlborough, compelled +to change the plan of campaign he had determined on, returned into +Flanders, where the Marechal de Villeroy was stationed with his forces. +Nothing of importance occurred during the campaign, and the two armies +went into winter quarters at the end of October. + +I cannot quit Flanders without relating another instance of the pleasant +malignity of M. de Lauzun. In marrying a daughter of the Marechal de +Lorges, he had hoped, as I have already said, to return into the +confidence of the King by means of the Marechal, and so be again +entrusted with military command. Finding these hopes frustrated, he +thought of another means of reinstating himself in favour. He determined +to go to the waters of Aix-la-Chapelle, not, as may be believed, for his +health, but in order to ingratiate himself with the important foreigners +whom he thought to find there, learn some of the enemy's plans, and come +back with an account of them to the King, who would, no doubt, reward him +for his zeal. But he was deceived in his calculation. Aix-la-Chapelle, +generally so full of foreigners of rank, was this year, owing to the war, +almost empty. M. de Lauzun found, therefore, nobody of consequence from +whom he could obtain any useful information. Before his return, he +visited the Marechal de Villeroy, who received him with all military +honours, and conducted him all over the army, pointing out to him the +enemy's post; for the two armies were then quite close to each other. +His extreme anxiety, however, to get information, and the multitude of +his questions, irritated the officers who were ordered to do the honours +to him; and, in going about, they actually, at their own risk, exposed +him often to be shot or taken. They did not know that his courage was +extreme; and were quite taken aback by his calmness, and, his evident +readiness to push on even farther than they chose to venture. + +On returning to Court, M. de Lauzun was of course pressed by everybody to +relate all he knew of the position of the two armies. But he held +himself aloof from all questioners, and would not answer. On the day +after his arrival he went to pay his court to Monseigneur, who did not +like him, but who also was no friend to the Marechal de Villeroy. +Monseigneur put many questions to him upon the situation of the two +armies, and upon the reasons which had prevented them from engaging each +other. M. de Lauzun shirked reply, like a man who wished to be pressed; +did not deny that he had well inspected the position of the two armies, +but instead of answering Monseigneur, dwelt upon the beauty of our +troops, their gaiety at finding themselves so near an enemy, and their +eagerness to fight. Pushed at last to the point at which he wished to +arrive, "I will tell you, Monseigneur," said he, "since you absolutely +command me; I scanned most minutely the front of the two armies to the +right and to the left, and all the ground between them. It is true there +is no brook, and that I saw; neither are there any ravines, nor hollow +roads ascending or descending; but it is true that there were other +hindrances which I particularly remarked." + +"But what hindrance could there be," said Monseigneur, "since there was +nothing between the two armies?" + +M. de Lauzun allowed himself to be pressed upon this point, constantly +repeating the list of hindrances that did not exist, but keeping silent +upon the others. At last, driven into a corner, he took his snuff-box +from his pocket. + +"You see," said he, to Monseigneur, "there is one thing which much +embarrasses the feet, the furze that grows upon the ground, where M. le +Marechal de Villeroy is encamped. The furze, it is true, is not mixed +with any other plant, either hard or thorny; but it is a high furze, as +high, as high, let me see, what shall I say?"--and he looked all around +to find some object of comparison--"as high, I assure you, as this +snuffbox!" + +Monseigneur burst out laughing at this sally, and all the company +followed his example, in the midst of which M. de Lauzun turned on his +heel and left the room. His joke soon spread all over the Court and the +town, and in the evening was told to the King. This was all the thanks +M. de Villeroy obtained from M. de Lauzun for the honours he had paid +him; and this was M. de Lauzun's consolation for his ill-success at Aix- +la-Chapelle. + +In Italy our armies were not more successful than elsewhere. From time +to time, M. de Vendome attacked some unimportant post, and, having +carried it, despatched couriers to the King, magnifying the importance +of the exploit. But the fact was, all these successes led to nothing. +On one occasion, at Cassano, M. de Vendome was so vigorously attacked by +Prince Louis of Baden that, in spite of his contempt and his audacity, +he gave himself up for lost. When danger was most imminent, instead of +remaining at his post, he retired from the field of battle to a distant +country-house, and began to consider how a retreat might be managed. +The Grand Prieur, his brother, was in command under him, and was ordered +to remain upon the field; but he was more intent upon saving his skin +than on obeying orders, and so, at the very outset of the fight, ran away +to a country-house hard by. M. de Vendome strangely enough had sat down +to eat at the country-house whither he had retired, and was in the midst +of his meal when news was brought him that, owing to the prodigies +performed by one of his officers, Le Guerchois, the fortunes of the day +had changed, and Prince Louis of Baden was retiring. M. Vendome had +great difficulty to believe this, but ordered his horse, mounted, and, +pushing on, concluded the combat gloriously. He did not fail, of course, +to claim all the honours of this victory, which in reality was a barren +one; and sent word of his triumph to the King. He dared to say that the +loss of the enemy was more than thirteen thousand; and our loss less than +three thousand--whereas, the loss was at least equal. This exploit, +nevertheless, resounded at the Court and through the town as an advantage +the most complete and the most decisive, and due entirely to the +vigilance, valour, and capacity of Vendome. Not a word was said of his +country-house, or the interrupted meal. These facts were only known +after the return of the general officers. As for the Grand Prieur, his +poltroonery had been so public, his flight so disgraceful--for he had +taken troops with him to protect the country-house in which he sought +shelter--that he could not be pardoned. The two brothers quarrelled upon +these points, and in the end the Grand Prieur was obliged to give up his +command. He retired to his house at Clichy, near Paris; but, tiring of +that place, he went to Rome, made the acquaintance there of the Marquise +de Richelieu, a wanderer like himself, and passed some time with her at +Genoa. Leaving that city, he went to Chalons-sur-Saone, which had been +fixed upon as the place of his a exile, and there gave himself up to the +debaucheries in which he usually lived. From this time until the Regency +we shall see nothing more of him. I shall only add, therefore, that he +never went sober to bed during thirty years, but was always carried +thither dead drunk: was a liar, swindler, and thief; a rogue to the +marrow of his bones, rotted with vile diseases; the most contemptible and +yet most dangerous fellow in the world. + + +One day-I am speaking of a time many years previous to the date of the +occurrences just related-one day there was a great hunting party at Saint +Germain. The chase was pursued so long, that the King gave up, and +returned to Saint Germain. A number of courtiers, among whom was M. de +Lauzun, who related this story to me, continued their sport; and just as +darkness was coming on, discovered that they had lost their way. After a +time, they espied a light, by which they guided their steps, and at +length reached the door of a kind of castle. They knocked, they called +aloud, they named themselves, and asked for hospitality. It was then +between ten and eleven at night, and towards the end of autumn. The door +was opened to them. The master of the house came forth. He made them +take their boots off, and warm themselves; he put their horses into his +stables; and at the same time had a supper prepared for his guests, who +stood much in need of it. They did not wait long for the meal; yet when +served it proved excellent; the wines served with it, too, were of +several kinds, and excellent likewise: as for the master of the house, he +was so polite and respectful, yet without being ceremonious or eager, + + + + +ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: + +His great piety contributed to weaken his mind +Of a politeness that was unendurable +Reproaches rarely succeed in love +Spoil all by asking too much +Teacher lost little, because he had little to lose +There was no end to the outrageous civilities of M. de Coislin + + + + +End of this Project Gutenberg Etext Memoirs of Louis XIV. and The Regency, +v4, by the Duc de Saint-Simon + diff --git a/old/cm26b10.zip b/old/cm26b10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..481cb36 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/cm26b10.zip |