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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/3876.txt b/3876.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f31fa86 --- /dev/null +++ b/3876.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2337 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Memoirs of Louis XV. and XVI., Volume 1 +by Madame du Hausset, and of an Unknown English Girl and the Princess Lamballe + +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 XV. and XVI., Volume 1 + Being Secret Memoirs of Madame du Hausset, Lady's Maid to Madame de + Pompadour, and of an Unknown English Girl and The Princess Lamballe + + +Author: Madame du Hausset, and of an Unknown English Girl and the Princess Lamballe + +Release Date: December 3, 2004 [EBook #3876] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOUIS XV. AND XVI. *** + + + + +Produced by David Widger + + + + + +MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XV. AND XVI. + +Being Secret Memoirs of Madame du Hausset, +Lady's Maid to Madame de Pompadour, +and of an unknown English Girl +and the Princess Lamballe + + + +LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + +Louis the Fifteenth + +"It Was an Indigestion + +Madame du Hausset + +Madame de Pompadour + +Madame Adelaide + +Madame Sophie + +Madame Elizabeth + +Mirabeau and the Queen + +Princess de Lamballe + +Marie Antoinette in the Temple + +Interviewing Little Louis + +Marie Antoinette to the Guillotine + + + + + +ADVERTISEMENT. + +[FROM THE LONDON MAGAZINE, NO. III. NEW SERIES P. 439.] + +We were obliged by circumstances, at one time, to read all the published +memoirs relative to the reign of Louis XV., and had the opportunity of +reading many others which may not see the light for a long time yet to +come, as their publication at present would materially militate against +the interest of the descendants of the writers; and we have no hesitation +in saying that the Memoirs of Madame du Hausset are the only perfectly +sincere ones amongst all those we know. Sometimes, Madame du Hausset +mistakes, through ignorance, but never does she wilfully mislead, like +Madame Campan, nor keep back a secret, like Madame Roland, and MM. +Bezenval and Ferreires; nor is she ever betrayed by her vanity to invent, +like the Due de Lauzun, MM. Talleyrand, Bertrand de Moleville, Marmontel, +Madame d'Epinay, etc. When Madame du Hausset is found in contradiction +with other memoirs of the same period, we should never hesitate to give +her account the preference. Whoever is desirous of accurately knowing +the reign of Louis XV. should run over the very wretched history of +Lacretelle, merely for the, dates, and afterwards read the two hundred +pages of the naive du Hausset, who, in every half page, overturns half a +dozen misstatements of this hollow rhetorician. Madame du Hausset was +often separated from the little and obscure chamber in the Palace of +Versailles, where resided the supreme power, only by a slight door or +curtain, which permitted her to hear all that was said there. She had +for a 'cher ami' the greatest practical philosopher of that period, Dr. +Quesnay, the founder of political economy. He was physician to Madame de +Pompadour, and one of the sincerest and most single-hearted of men +probably in Paris at the time. He explained to Madame du Hausset many +things that, but for his assistance, she would have witnessed without +understanding. + + + + +INTRODUCTION. + +A friend of M. de Marigny (the brother of Madame de Pompadour) called on +him one day and found him burning papers. Taking up a large packet which +he was going to throw into the fire "This," said he, "is the journal of a +waiting-woman of my sister's. She was a very estimable person, but it is +all gossip; to the fire with it!" He stopped, and added, "Don't you +think I am a little like the curate and the barber burning Don Quixote's +romances?"--"I beg for mercy on this," said his friend. "I am fond of +anecdotes, and I shall be sure to find some here which will interest me." +"Take it, then," said M. de Marigny, and gave it him. + +The handwriting and the spelling of this journal are very bad. It +abounds in tautology and repetitions. Facts are sometimes inverted in +the order of time; but to remedy all these defects it would have been +necessary to recast the whole, which would have completely changed the +character of the work. The spelling and punctuation were, however, +corrected in the original, and some explanatory notes added. + +Madame de Pompadour had two waiting-women of good family. The one, +Madame du Hausset, who did not change her name; and another, who assumed +a name, and did not publicly announce her quality. This journal is +evidently the production of the former. + +The amours of Louis XV. were, for a long time, covered with the veil of +mystery. The public talked of the Parc-aux-Cerfs, but were acquainted +with none of its details. Louis XIV., who, in the early part of his +reign, had endeavoured to conceal his attachments, towards the close of +it gave them a publicity which in one way increased the scandal; but his +mistresses were all women of quality, entitled by their birth to be +received at Court. Nothing can better describe the spirit of the time +and the character of the Monarch than these words of Madame de Montespan: + +"He does not love me," said she, "but he thinks he owes it to his +subjects and to his own greatness to have the most beautiful woman in his +kingdom as his mistress." + + + + + + +SECRET MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XV., +AND MEMOIRS OF MADAME DU HAUSSET. + + +An early friend of mine, who married well at Paris, and who has the +reputation of being a very clever woman, has often asked me to write down +what daily passed under my notice; to please her, I made little notes, of +three or four lines each, to recall to my memory the most singular or +interesting facts; as, for instance--attempt to assassinate the King; he +orders Madame de Pompadour to leave the Court; M. de Machaudt's +ingratitude, etc.--I always promised my friend that I would, some time or +other, reduce all these materials into the form of a regular narrative. +She mentioned the "Recollections of Madame de Caylus," which were, +however, not then printed; and pressed me so much to produce a similar +work, that I have taken advantage of a few leisure moments to write this, +which I intend to give her, in order that she may arrange it and correct +the style. I was for a long time about the person of Madame de +Pompadour, and my birth procured for me respectful treatment from +herself, and from some distinguished persons who conceived a regard for +me. I soon became the intimate friend of Doctor Quesnay, who frequently +came to pass two or three hours with me. + +His house was frequented by people of all parties, but the number was +small, and restricted to those who were on terms of greatest intimacy +with him. All subjects were handled with the utmost freedom, and it is +infinitely to his honour and theirs that nothing was ever repeated. + +The Countess D----- also visited me. She was a frank and lively woman, +and much liked by Madame de Pompadour. The Baschi family paid me great +attention. M. de Marigny had received some little services from me, in +the course of the frequent quarrels between him and his sister, and he +had a great friendship for me. The King was in the constant habit of +seeing me; and an accident, which I shall have occasion to relate, +rendered him very familiar with me. He talked without any constraint +when I was in the room. During Madame de Pompadour's illness I scarcely +ever left her chamber, and passed the night there. Sometimes, though +rarely, I accompanied her in her carriage with Doctor Quesnay, to whom +she scarcely spoke a word, though he was--a man of great talents. When I +was alone with her, she talked of many affairs which nearly concerned +her, and she once said to me, "The King and I have such implicit +confidence in you, that we look upon you as a cat, or a dog, and go on +talking as if you were not there." There was a little nook, adjoining +her chamber, which has since been altered, where she knew I usually sat +when I was alone, and where I heard everything that was said in the room, +unless it was spoken in a low voice. But when the King wanted to speak +to her in private, or in the presence of any of his Ministers, he went +with her into a closet, by the side of the chamber, whither she also +retired when she had secret business with the Ministers, or with other +important persons; as, for instance, the Lieutenant of Police, the +Postmaster-General, etc. All these circumstances brought to my knowledge +a great many things which probity will neither allow me to tell or to +record. I generally wrote without order of time, so that a fact may be +related before others which preceded it. Madame de Pompadour had a great +friendship for three Ministers; the first was M. de Machault, to whom she +was indebted for the regulation of her income, and the payment of her +debts. She gave him the seals, and he retained the first place in her +regard till the attempt to assassinate the King. Many people said that +his conduct on that occasion was not attributable to bad intentions; that +he thought it his duty to obey the King without making himself in any way +a party to the affair, and that his cold manners gave him the appearance +of an indifference which he did not feel. Madame de Pompadour regarded +him in the light of a faithless friend; and, perhaps, there was some +justice on both sides. But for the Abbe de Bernis; M. de Machault might, +probably, have retained his place. + +The second Minister, whom Madame de Pompadour liked, was the Abbe de +Bernis. She was soon disgusted with him when she saw the absurdity of +his conduct. He gave a singular specimen of this on the very day of his +dismissal. He had invited a great many people of distinction to a +splendid entertainment, which was to have taken place on the very day +when he received his order of banishment, and had written in the notes of +invitation--M. Le Comte de Lusace will be there. This Count was the +brother of the Dauphine, and this mention of him was deservedly thought +impertinent. The King said, wittily enough, "Lambert and Moliere will be +there." She scarcely ever spoke of the Cardinal de Bernis after his +dismissal from the Court. + +He was extremely ridiculous, but he was a good sort of man. Madame, the +Infanta, died a little time before, and, by the way, of such a +complication of putrid and malignant diseases, that the Capuchins who +bore the body, and the men who committed it to the grave, were overcome +by the effluvia. Her papers appeared no less impure in the eyes of the +King. He discovered that the Abbe de Bernis had been intriguing with +her, and that they had deceived him, and had obtained the Cardinal's hat +by making use of his name. The King was so indignant that he was very +near refusing him the barrette. He did grant it--but just as he would +have thrown a bone to a dog. The Abbe had always the air of a protege +when he was in the company of Madame de Pompadour. She had known him in +positive distress. The Due de Choiseul was very differently situated; +his birth, his air, his manners, gave him claims to consideration, and he +far exceeded every other man in the art of ingratiating himself with +Madame de Pompadour. She looked upon him as one of the most illustrious +nobles of the Court, as the most able Minister, and the most agreeable +man. M. de Choiseul had a sister and a wife, whom he had introduced to +her, and who sedulously cultivated her favourable sentiments towards him. +From the time he was Minister, she saw only with his eyes; he had the +talent of amusing her, and his manners to women, generally, were +extremely agreeable. + +Two persons--the Lieutenant of Police and the Postmaster-General--were +very much in Madame de Pompadour's confidence; the latter, however, +became less necessary to her from the time that the King communicated to +M. de Choiseul the secret of the post-office, that is to say, the system +of opening letters and extracting matter from them: this had never been +imparted to M. d'Argenson, in spite of the high favour he enjoyed. I have +heard that M. de Choiseul abused the confidence reposed in him, and +related to his friends the ludicrous stories, and the love affairs, +contained in the letters which were broken open. The plan they pursued, +as I have heard, was very simple. Six or seven clerks of the post-office +picked out the letters they were ordered to break open, and took the +impression of the seals with a ball of quicksilver. Then they put each +letter, with the seal downwards, over a glass of hot water, which melted +the wax without injuring the paper. It was then opened, the desired +matter extracted, and it was sealed again, by means of the impression. +This is the account of the matter I have heard. The Postmaster-General +carried the extracts to the King on Sundays. He was seen coming and +going on this noble errand as openly as the Ministers. Doctor Quesnay +often, in my presence, flew in such a rage about that infamous Minister, +as he called him, that he foamed at the mouth. "I would as soon dine +with the hangman as with the Postmaster-General," said the Doctor. It +must be acknowledged that this was astonishing language to be uttered in +the apartments of the King's mistress; yet it went on for twenty years +without being talked of. "It was probity speaking with earnestness," +said M. de Marigny, "and not a mere burst of spite or malignity." + +The Duc de Gontaut was the brother-in-law and friend of M. de Choiseul, +and was assiduous in his attendance on Madame de Pompadour. The sister +of M. de Choiseul, Madame de Grammont, and his wife were equally constant +in their attentions. This will sufficiently account for the ascendency +of M. de Choiseul, whom nobody would have ventured to attack. Chance, +however, discovered to me a secret correspondence of the King, with a man +in a very obscure station. This man, who had a place in the Farmers +General, of from two to three hundred a year, was related to one of the +young ladies of the Parc-aux-cerfs, by whom he was recommended to the +King. He was also connected in some way with M. de Broglie, in whom the +King placed great confidence. Wearied with finding that this +correspondence procured him no advancement, he took the resolution of +writing to me, and requesting an interview, which I granted, after +acquainting Madame de Pompadour with the circumstance. After a great +deal of preamble and of flattery, he said to me, "Can you give me your +word of honour, and that of Madame de Pompadour, that no mention whatever +of what I am going to tell you will be made to the King?"--"I think I can +assure you that, if you require such a promise from Madame de Pompadour, +and if it can produce no ill consequence to the King's service, she will +give it you." He gave me his word that what he requested would have no +bad effect; upon which I listened to what he had to say. He shewed me +several memorials, containing accusations of M. de Choiseul, and revealed +some curious circumstances relative to the secret functions of the Comte +de Broglie. These, however, led rather to conjectures than to certainty, +as to the nature of the services he rendered to the King. Lastly, he +shewed me several letters in the King's handwriting. "I request," said +he, "that the Marquise de Pompadour will procure for me the place of +Receiver-General of Finances; I will give her information of whatever I +send the King; I will write according to her instructions, and I will +send her his answers." As I did not choose to take liberties with the +King's papers, I only undertook to deliver the memorials. Madame de +Pompadour having given me her word according to the conditions on which I +had received the communication, I revealed to her everything I had heard. +She sent the memorials to M. de Choiseul, who thought them very +maliciously and very cleverly written. Madame de Pompadour and he had a +long conference as to the reply that was to be given to the person by +whom those disclosures were made. What I was commissioned to say was +this: that the place of Receiver-General was at present too important, +and would occasion too much surprise and speculation; that it would not +do to go beyond a place worth fifteen thousand to twenty thousand francs +a year; that they had no desire to pry into the King's secrets; and that +his correspondence ought not to be communicated to any one; that this did +not apply to papers like those of which I was the bearer, which might +fall into his hands; that he would confer an obligation by communicating +them, in order that blows aimed in the dark, and directed by malignity +and imposture, might be parried. The answer was respectful and proper, +in what related to the King; it was, however, calculated to counteract +the schemes of the Comte de Broglie, by making M. de Choiseul acquainted +with his attacks, and with the nature of the weapons he employed. It was +from the Count that he received statements relating to the war and to the +navy; but he had no communication with him concerning foreign affairs, +which the Count, as it was said, transacted immediately with the King. +The Duc de Choiseul got the man who spoke to me recommended to the +Controller-General, without his appearing in the business; he had the +place which was agreed upon, and the hope of a still better, and he +entrusted to me the King's correspondence, which I told him I should not +mention to Madame de Pompadour, according to her injunctions. He sent +several memorials to M. de Choiseul, containing accusations of him, +addressed to the King. This timely information enabled him to refute +them triumphantly. + +The King was very fond of having little private correspondences, very +often unknown to Madame de Pompadour: she knew, however, of the existence +of some, for he passed part of his mornings in writing to his family, to +the King of Spain, to Cardinal Tencin, to the Abbe de Broglie, and also +to some obscure persons. "It is, doubtless, from such people as these," +said she to me, one day, "that the King learns expressions which +perfectly surprise me. For instance, he said to me yesterday, when he +saw a man pass with an old coat on, 'il y a la un habit bien examine.' He +once said to me, when he meant to express that a thing was probable, 'il +y a gros'; I am told this is a saying of the common people, meaning, 'il +y a gros a parier'." I took the liberty to say, "But is it not more +likely from his young ladies at the Parc, that he learns these elegant +expressions? "She laughed, and said, "You are right; 'il y a gros'." The +King, however, used these expressions designedly, and with a laugh. + +The King knew a great many anecdotes, and there were people enough who +furnished him with such as were likely to mortify the self-love of +others. One day, at Choisy, he went into a room where some people were +employed about embroidered furniture, to see how they were going on; and +looking out of the window, he saw at the end of a long avenue two men in +the Choisy uniform. "Who are those two noblemen?" said he. Madame de +Pompadour took up her glass, and said, "They are the Duc d'Aumont, and +------" "Ah!" said the King; "the Duc d'Aumont's grandfather would be +greatly astonished if he could see his grandson arm in arm with the +grandson of his valet de chambre, L------, in a dress which may be called +a patent of nobility!" He went on to tell Madame de Pompadour a long +history, to prove the truth of what he said. The King went out to +accompany her into the garden; and, soon after, Quesnay and M. de Marigny +came in. I spoke with contempt of some one who was very fond of money. +At this the Doctor laughed, and said, "I had a curious dream last night: +I was in the country of the ancient Germans; I had a large house, stacks +of corn, herds of cattle, a great number of horses, and huge barrels of +ale; but I suffered dreadfully from rheumatism, and knew not how to +manage to go to a fountain, at fifty leagues' distance, the waters of +which would cure me. I was to go among a strange people. An enchanter +appeared before me, and said to me, 'I pity your distress; here, I will +give you a little packet of the powder of "prelinpinpin"; whoever +receives a little of this from you will lodge you, feed you, and pay you +all sorts of civilities.' I took the powder, and thanked him." "Ah!" +said I, "how I should like to have some powder of prelinpinpin! I wish I +had a chest full."--"Well," said the Doctor, "that powder is money, for +which you have so great a contempt. Tell me who, of all the men who come +hither, receives the greatest attentions?"--"I do not know," said I. +"Why," said he, "it is M. de Monmartel, who comes four or five times a +year."--"Why does he enjoy so much consideration?"--"Because his coffers +are full of the powder of prelinpinpin. Everything in existence," said +he, taking a handful of Louis from his pocket, "is contained in these +little pieces of metal, which will convey you commodiously from one end +of the world to the other. All men obey those who possess this powder, +and eagerly tender them their services. To despise money, is to despise +happiness, liberty, in short, enjoyments of every kind." A cordon bleu +passed under the window. "That nobleman," said I, "is much more +delighted with his cordon bleu than he would be with ten thousand of your +pieces of metal."--"When I ask the King for a pension," replied Quesnay, +"I say to him, 'Give me the means of having a better dinner, a warmer +coat, a carriage to shelter me from the weather, and to transport me from +place to place without fatigue.' But the man who asks him for that fine +blue ribbon would say, if he had the courage and the honesty to speak as +he feels, 'I am vain, and it will give me great satisfaction to see +people look at me, as I pass, with an eye of stupid admiration, and make +way, for me; I wish, when I enter a room, to produce an effect, and to +excite the attention of those who may, perhaps, laugh at me when I am +gone; I wish to be called Monseigneur by the multitude.' Is not all this +mere empty air? In scarcely any country will this ribbon be of the +slightest use to him; it will give him no power. My pieces of metal will +give me the power of assisting the unfortunate everywhere. Long live the +omnipotent powder of prelinpinpin!" At these last words, we heard a +burst of laughter from the adjoining room, which was only separated by a +door from the one we were in. The door opened, and in came the King, +Madame de Pompadour, and M. de Gontaut. "Long live the powder of +prelinpinpin!" said the King. "Doctor, can you get me any of it?" It +happened that, when the King returned from his walk, he was struck with a +fancy to listen to our conversation. Madame de Pompadour was extremely +kind to the Doctor, and the King went out laughing, and talking with +great admiration of the powder. I went away, and so did the Doctor. I +immediately sat down to commit this conversation to writing. I was +afterwards told that M. Quesnay was very learned in certain matters +relating to finance, and that he was a great 'economiste'. But I do not +know very well what that means. What I do know for certain is, that he +was very clever, very gay and witty, and a very able physician. + +The illness of the little Duke of Burgundy, whose intelligence was much +talked of, for a long time occupied the attention of the Court. Great +endeavours were made to find out the cause of his malady, and ill-nature +went so far as to assert that his nurse, who had an excellent situation +at Versailles, had communicated to him a nasty disease. The King shewed +Madame de Pompadour the information he had procured from the province she +came from, as to her conduct. A silly Bishop thought proper to say she +had been very licentious in her youth. The poor nurse was told of this, +and begged that he might be made to explain himself. The Bishop replied, +that she had been at several balls in the town in which she lived, and +that she had gone with her neck uncovered. The poor man actually thought +this the height of licentiousness. The King, who had been at first +uneasy, when he came to this, called out, "What a fool!" After having +long been a source of anxiety to the Court, the Duke died. Nothing +produces a stronger impression upon Princes, than the spectacle of their +equals dying. Everybody is occupied about them while ill--but as soon as +they are dead, nobody mentions them. The King frequently talked about +death--and about funerals, and places of burial. Nobody could be of a +more melancholy temperament. Madame de Pompadour once told me that he +experienced a painful sensation whenever he was forced to laugh, and that +he had often begged her to break off a droll story. He smiled, and that +was all. In general, he had the most gloomy ideas concerning almost all +events. When there was a new Minister, he used to say, "He displays his +wares like all the rest, and promises the finest things in the world, not +one of which will be fulfilled. He does not know this country--he will +see." When new projects for reinforcing the navy were laid before him, +he said, "This is the twentieth time I have heard this talked of--France +never will have a navy, I think." This I heard from M. de Marigny. + +I never saw Madame de Pompadour so rejoiced as at the taking of Mahon. +The King was very glad, too, but he had no belief in the merit of his +courtiers--he looked upon their success as the effect of chance. Marechal +Saxe was, as I have been told, the only man who inspired him with great +esteem. But he had scarcely ever seen him in his closet, or playing the +courtier. + +M. d'Argenson picked a quarrel with M. de Richelieu, after his victory, +about his return to Paris. This was intended to prevent his coming to +enjoy his triumph. He tried to throw the thing upon Madame de Pompadour, +who was enthusiastic about him, and called him by no other name than the +"Minorcan." The Chevalier de Montaign was the favourite of the Dauphin, +and much beloved by him for his great devotion. He fell ill, and +underwent an operation called 'l'empieme', which is performed by making +an incision between the ribs, in order to let out the pus; it had, to all +appearance, a favourable result, but the patient grew worse, and could +not breathe. His medical attendants could not conceive what occasioned +this accident and retarded his cure. He died almost in the arms of the +Dauphin, who went every day to see him. The singularity of his disease +determined the surgeons to open the body, and they found, in his chest, +part of the leaden syringe with which decoctions had, as was usual, been +injected into the part in a state of suppuration. The surgeon, who +committed this act of negligence, took care not to boast of his feat, and +his patient was the victim. This incident was much talked of by the +King, who related it, I believe, not less than thirty times, according to +his custom; but what occasioned still more conversation about the +Chevalier de Montaign, was a box, found by his bed's side, containing +haircloths, and shirts, and whips, stained with blood. This circumstance +was spoken of one evening at supper, at Madame de Pompadour's, and not +one of the guests seemed at all tempted to imitate the Chevalier. Eight +or ten days afterwards, the following tale was sent to the King, to +Madame de Pompadour, to the Baschi, and to the Duc d'Ayen. At first +nobody could understand to what it referred: at last, the Duc d'Ayen +exclaimed, "How stupid we are; this is a joke on the austerities of the +Chevalier de Montaign!" This appeared clear enough--so much the more so, +as the copies were sent to the Dauphin, the Dauphine, the Abbe de St. +Cyr, and to the Duc de V---. The latter had the character of a pretender +to devotion, and, in his copy, there was this addition, "You would not be +such a fool, my dear Duke, as to be a 'faquir'--confess that you would be +very glad to be one of those good monks who lead such a jolly life." The +Duc de Richelieu was suspected of having employed one of his wits to +write the story. The King was scandalised at it, and ordered the +Lieutenant of Police to endeavour to find out the author, but either he +could not succeed or he would not betray him. + +Japanese Tale. + +At a distance of three leagues from the capital of Japan, there is a +temple celebrated for the concourse of persons, of both sexes, and of all +ranks, who crowd thither to worship an idol believed to work miracles. +Three hundred men consecrated to the service of religion, and who can +give proofs of ancient and illustrious descent, serve this temple, and +present to the idol the offerings which are brought from all the +provinces of the empire. They inhabit a vast and magnificent edifice, +belonging to the temple, and surrounded with gardens where art has +combined with nature to produce enchantment. I obtained permission to +see the temple, and to walk in the gardens. A monk advanced in years, +but still full of vigour and vivacity, accompanied me. I saw several +others, of different ages, who were walking there. But what surprised me +was to see a great many of them amusing themselves by various agreeable +and sportive games with young girls elegantly dressed, listening to their +songs, and joining in their dances. The monk, who accompanied me, +listened with great civility and kindness to the questions I put to him +concerning his order. The following is the sum of his answers to my +numerous interrogations. The God Faraki, whom we worship, is so called +from a word which signifies the fabricator. He made all that we +behold--the earth, the stars, the sun, etc. He has endowed men with +senses, which are so many sources of pleasure, and we think the only way +of shewing our gratitude is to use them. This opinion will, doubtless, +appear to you much more rational than that of the faquirs of India, who +pass their lives in thwarting nature, and who inflict upon themselves the +most melancholy privations and the most severe sufferings. + +As soon as the sun rises, we repair to the mountain you see before us, at +the foot of which flows a stream of the most limpid water, which meanders +in graceful windings through that meadow-enamelled with the loveliest +flowers. We gather the most fragrant of them, which we carry and lay +upon the altar, together with various fruits, which we receive from the +bounty of Faraki. We then sing his praises, and execute dances +expressive of our thankfulness, and of all the enjoyments we owe to this +beneficent deity. The highest of these is that which love produces, and +we testify our ardent gratitude by the manner in which we avail ourselves +of this inestimable gift of Faraki. Having left the temple, we go into +several shady thickets, where we take a light repast; after which, each +of us employs himself in some unoppressive labour. Some embroider, +others apply themselves to painting, others cultivate flowers or fruits, +others turn little implements for our use. Many of these little works +are sold to the people, who purchase them with eagerness. The money +arising from this sale forms a considerable part of our revenue. Our +morning is thus devoted to the worship of God and to the exercise of the +sense of Sight, which begins with the first rays of the sun. The sense +of Taste is gratified by our dinner, and we add to it the pleasure of +Smell. The most delicious viands are spread for us in apartments strewed +with flowers. The table is adorned with them, and the most exquisite +wines are handed to us in crystal goblets. When we have glorified God, +by the agreeable use of the palate, and the olfactory nerve, we enjoy a +delightful sleep of two hours, in bowers of orange trees, roses, and +myrtles. Having acquired a fresh store of strength and spirits, we +return to our occupations, that we may thus mingle labour with pleasure, +which would lose its zest by long continuance. After our work, we return +to the temple, to thank God, and to offer him incense. From thence we go +to the most delightful part of the garden, where we find three hundred +young girls, some of whom form lively dances with the younger of our +monks; the others execute serious dances, which require neither strength +nor agility, and which only keep time to the sound of musical +instruments. + +We talk and laugh with our companions, who are dressed in a light gauze, +and whose tresses are adorned with flowers; we press them to partake of +exquisite sherbets, differently prepared. The hour of supper being +arrived, we repair to rooms illuminated with the lustre of a thousand +tapers fragrant with amber. The supper-room is surrounded by three vast +galleries, in which are placed musicians, whose various instruments fill +the mind with the most pleasurable and the softest emotions. The young +girls are seated at table with us, and, towards the conclusion of the +repast, they sing songs, which are hymns in honour of the God who has +endowed us with senses which shed such a charm over existence, and which +promise us new pleasure from every fresh exercise of them. After the +repast is ended, we return to the dance, and, when the hour of repose +arrives, we draw from a kind of lottery, in which every one is sure of a +prize; that is, a young girl as his companion for the night. They are +allotted thus by chance, in order to avoid jealousy, and to prevent +exclusive attachments. Thus ends the day, and gives place to a night of +delights, which we sanctify by enjoying with due relish that sweetest of +all pleasures, which Faraki has so wisely attached to the reproduction of +our species. We reverently admire the wisdom and the goodness of Faraki, +who, desiring to secure to the world a continued population, has +implanted in the sexes an invincible mutual attraction, which constantly +draws them towards each other. Fecundity is the end he proposes, and he +rewards with intoxicating delights those who contribute to the fulfilment +of his designs. What should we say to the favourite of a King from whom +he had received a beautiful house, and fine estates, and who chose to +spoil the house, to let it fall in ruins, to abandon the cultivation of +the land, and let it become sterile, and covered with thorns? Such is +the conduct of the faquirs of India, who condemn themselves to the most +melancholy privations, and to the most severe sufferings. Is not this +insulting Faraki? Is it not saying to him, I despise your gifts? Is it +not misrepresenting him and saying, You are malevolent and cruel, and I +know that I can no otherwise please you than by offering you the +spectacle of my miseries? "I am told," added he, "that you have, in your +country, faquirs not less insane, not less cruel to themselves." I +thought, with some reason, that he meant the fathers of La Trappe. The +recital of the matter afforded me much matter for reflection, and I +admired how strange are the systems to which perverted reason gives +birth. + +The Duc de V----- was a nobleman of high rank and great wealth. He said +to the King one evening at supper, "Your Majesty does me the favour to +treat me with great kindness: I should be inconsolable if I had the +misfortune to fall under your displeasure. If such a calamity were to +befall me, I should endeavour to divert my grief by improving some +beautiful estates of mine in such and such a province;" and he thereupon +gave a description of three or four fine seats. About a month after, +talking of the disgrace of a Minister, he said, "I hope your Majesty will +not withdraw your favour from me; but if I had the misfortune to lose it, +I should be more to be pitied than anybody, for I have no asylum in which +to hide my head." All those present, who had heard the description of +the beautiful country houses, looked at each other and laughed. The King +said to Madame de Pompadour, who sat next to him at table, "People are +very right in saying that a liar ought to have a good memory." + +An event, which made me tremble, as well as Madame, procured me the +familiarity of the King. In the middle of the night, Madame came into my +chamber, en chemise, and in a state of distraction. "Here! Here!" said +she, "the King is dying." My alarm may be easily imagined. I put on a +petticoat, and found the King in her bed, panting. What was to be +done?--it was an indigestion. We threw water upon him, and he came to +himself. I made him swallow some Hoffman's drops, and he said to me, "Do +not make any noise, but go to Quesnay; say that your mistress is ill; and +tell the Doctor's servants to say nothing about it." Quesnay, who lodged +close by, came immediately, and was much astonished to see the King in +that state. He felt his pulse, and said, "The crisis is over; but, if +the King were sixty years old, this might have been serious." He went to +seek some drug, and, on his return, set about inundating the King with +perfumed water. I forget the name of the medicine he made him take, but +the effect was wonderful. I believe it was the drops of General Lamotte. +I called up one of the girls of the wardrobe to make tea, as if for +myself. The King took three cups, put on his robe de chambre and his +stockings, and went to his own room, leaning upon the Doctor. What a +sight it was to see us all three half naked! Madame put on a robe as +soon as possible, and I did the same, and the King changed his clothes +behind the curtains, which were very decently closed. He afterwards +spoke of this short attack, and expressed his sense of the attentions +shown him. An hour after, I felt the greatest possible terror in +thinking that the King might have died in our hands. Happily, he quickly +recovered himself, and none of the domestics perceived what had taken +place. I merely told the girl of the wardrobe to put everything to +rights, and she thought it was Madame who had been indisposed. The King, +the next morning, gave secretly to Quesnay a little note for Madame, in +which he said, 'Ma chere amie' must have had a great fright, but let her +reassure herself--I am now well, which the Doctor will certify to you. +From that moment the King became accustomed to me, and, touched by the +interest I had shown for him, he often gave me one of his peculiarly +gracious glances, and made me little presents, and, on every New Year's +Day, sent me porcelain to the amount of twenty louis d'or. He told +Madame that he looked upon me in the apartment as a picture or statue, +and never put any constraint upon himself on account of my presence. +Doctor Quesnay received a pension of a thousand crowns for his attention +and silence, and the promise of a place for his son. The King gave me an +order upon the Treasury for four thousand francs, and Madame had +presented to her a very handsome chiming-clock and the King's portrait in +a snuffbox. + +The King was habitually melancholy, and liked everything which recalled +the idea of death, in spite of the strongest fears of it. Of this, the +following is an instance: Madame de Pompadour was on her way to Crecy, +when one of the King's grooms made a sign to her coachman to stop, and +told him that the King's carriage had broken down, and that, knowing her +to be at no great distance, His Majesty had sent him forward to beg her +to wait for him. He soon overtook us, and seated himself in Madame de +Pompadour's carriage, in which were, I think, Madame de Chateau-Renaud, +and Madame de Mirepoix. The lords in attendance placed themselves in +some other carriages. I was behind, in a chaise, with Gourbillon, Madame +de Pompadour's valet de chambre. We were surprised in a short time by +the King stopping his carriage. Those which followed, of course stopped +also. The King called a groom, and said to him, "You see that little +eminence; there are crosses; it must certainly be a burying-ground; go +and see whether there are any graves newly dug." The groom galloped up +to it, returned, and said to the King, "There are three quite freshly +made." Madame de Pompadour, as she told me, turned away her head with +horror; and the little Marechale + +[The Marechale de Mirepois died at Brussels in 1791, at a very advanced +age, but preserving her wit and gaiety to the last. The day of her +death, after she had received the Sacrament, the physician told her that +he thought her a good deal better. She replied, "You tell me bad news: +having packed up, I had rather go." She was sister of the Prince de +Beauveau. The Prince de Ligne says, in one of his printed letters: "She +had that enchanting talent which supplies the means of pleasing +everybody. You would have sworn that she had thought of nothing but you +all her life."--En.] + +gaily said, "This is indeed enough to make one's mouth water." Madame de +Pompadour spoke of it when I was undressing her in the evening. "What a +strange pleasure," said she, "to endeavour to fill one's mind with images +which one ought to endeavour to banish, especially when one is surrounded +by so many sources of happiness! But that is the King's way; he loves to +talk about death. He said, some days ago, to M. de Fontanieu, who was, +seized with a bleeding at the nose, at the levee: 'Take care of yourself; +at your age it is a forerunner of apoplexy.' The poor man went home +frightened, and absolutely ill." + +I never saw the King so agitated as during the illness of the Dauphin. +The physicians came incessantly to the apartments of Madame de Pompadour, +where the King interrogated them. There was one from Paris, a very odd +man, called Pousse, who once said to him, "You are a good papa; I like +you for that. But you know we are all your children, and share your +distress. Take courage, however; your son will recover." Everybody's +eyes were upon the Duc d'Orleans, who knew not how to look. He would +have become heir to the crown, the Queen being past the age to have +children. Madame de ----- said to me, one day, when I was expressing my +surprise at the King's grief, "It would annoy him beyond measure to have +a Prince of the blood heir apparent. He does not like them, and looks +upon their relationship to him as so remote, that he would feel +humiliated by it." And, in fact, when his son recovered, he said, "The +King of Spain would have had a fine chance." It was thought that he was +right in this, and that it would have been agreeable to justice; but +that, if the Duc d'Orleans had been supported by a party, he might have +supported his pretensions to the crown. It was, doubtless, to remove +this impression that he gave a magnificent fete at St. Cloud on the +occasion of the Dauphin's recovery. Madame de Pompadour said to Madame +de Brancas, speaking of this fete, "He wishes to make us forget the +chateau en Espagne he has been dreaming of; in Spain, however, they build +them of solider materials." The people did not shew so much joy at the +Dauphin's recovery. They looked upon him as a devotee, who did nothing +but sing psalms. They loved the Duc d'Orleans, who lived in the capital, +and had acquired the name of the King of Paris. These sentiments were +not just; the Dauphin only sang psalms when imitating the tones of one of +the choristers of the chapel. The people afterwards acknowledged their +error, and did justice to his virtues. The Duc d'Orleans paid the most +assiduous court to Madame de Pompadour: the Duchess, on the contrary, +detested her. It is possible that words were put into the Duchess's +mouth which she never uttered; but she, certainly, often said most +cutting things. The King would have sent her into exile, had he listened +only to his resentment; but he feared the eclat of such a proceeding, and +he knew that she would only be the more malicious. The Duc d'Orleans +was, just then, extremely jealous of the Comte de Melfort; and the +Lieutenant of Police told the King he had strong reasons for believing +that the Duke would stick at nothing to rid himself of this gallant, and +that he thought it his duty to give the Count notice, that he ought to be +upon his guard. The King said, "He would not dare to attempt any such +violence as you seem to apprehend; but there is a better way: let him try +to surprise them, and he will find me very well inclined to have his +cursed wife shut up; but if he got rid of this lover, she would have +another to-morrow. + +"Nay, she has others at this moment; for instance, the Chevalier de +Colbert, and the Comte de l'Aigle." Madame de Pompadour, however, told +me these two last affairs were not certain. + +An adventure happened about the same time, which the Lieutenant of Police +reported to the King. The Duchesse d'Orleans had amused herself one +evening, about eight o'clock, with ogling a handsome young Dutchman, whom +she took a fancy to, from a window of the Palais Royal. The young man, +taking her for a woman of the town, wanted to make short work, at which +she was very much shocked. She called a Swiss, and made herself known. +The stranger was arrested; but he defended himself by affirming that she +had talked very loosely to him. He was dismissed, and the Duc d'Orleans +gave his wife a severe reprimand. + +The King (who hated her so much that he spoke of her without the +slightest restraint) one day said to Madame de Pompadour, in my presence, +"Her mother knew what she was, for, before her marriage, she never +suffered her to say more than yes and no. Do you know her joke on the +nomination of Moras? She sent to congratulate him upon it: two minutes +after, she called back the messenger she had sent, and said, before +everybody present, 'Before you speak to him, ask the Swiss if he still +has the place.'" Madame de Pompadour was not vindictive, and, in spite +of the malicious speeches of the Duchesse d'Orleans, she tried to excuse +her conduct. "Almost all women," she said, "have lovers; she has not all +that are imputed to her: but her free manners, and her conversation, +which is beyond all bounds, have brought her into general disrepute." + +My companion came into my room the other day, quite delighted. She had +been with M. de Chenevieres, first Clerk in the War-office, and a +constant correspondent of Voltaire, whom she looks upon as a god. She +was, by the bye, put into a great rage one day, lately, by a print-seller +in the street, who was crying, "Here is Voltaire, the famous Prussian; +here you see him, with a great bear-skin cap, to keep him from the cold! +Here is the famous Prussian, for six sous!"--"What a profanation!" said +she. To return to my story: M. de Chenevieres had shewn her some letters +from Voltaire, and M. Marmontel had read an 'Epistle to his Library'. + +M. Quesnay came in for a moment; she told him all this: and, as he did +not appear to take any great interest in it, she asked him if he did not +admire great poets. "Oh, yes; just as I admire great bilboquet players," +said he, in that tone of his, which rendered everything he said +diverting. "I have written some verses, however," said he, "and I will +repeat them to you; they are upon a certain M. Rodot, an Intendant of the +Marine, who was very fond of abusing medicine and medical men. I made +these verses to revenge AEsculapius and Hippocrates. + +"What do you say to them?" said the Doctor. My companion thought them +very pretty, and the Doctor gave me them in his handwriting, begging me, +at the same time, not to give any copies. + +Madame de Pompadour joked my companion about her 'bel-esprit', but +sometimes she reposed confidence in her. Knowing that she was often +writing, she said to her, "You are writing a novel, which will appear +some day or other; or, perhaps, the age of Louis XV.: I beg you to treat +me well." I have no reason to complain of her. It signifies very little +to me that she can talk more learnedly than I can about prose and verse. + +She never told me her real name; but one day I was malicious enough to +say to her, "Some one was maintaining, yesterday, that the family of +Madame de Mar---- was of more importance than many of good extraction. +They say it is the first in Cadiz. She had very honourable alliances, +and yet she has thought it no degradation to be governess to Madame de +Pompadour's daughter. One day you will see her sons or her nephews +Farmers General, and her granddaughters married to Dukes." I had +remarked that Madame de Pompadour for some days had taken chocolate, 'a +triple vanille et ambre', at her breakfast; and that she ate truffles and +celery soup: finding her in a very heated state, I one day remonstrated +with her about her diet, to which she paid no attention. I then thought +it right to speak to her friend, the Duchesse de Brancas. "I had remarked +the same thing," said she, "and I will speak to her about it before you." +After she was dressed, Madame de Brancas, accordingly, told her she was +uneasy about her health. "I have just been talking to her about it," +said the Duchess, pointing to me, "and she is of my opinion." Madame de +Pompadour seemed a little displeased; at last, she burst into tears. I +immediately went out, shut the door, and returned to my place to listen. +"My dear friend," she said to Madame de Brancas, "I am agitated by the +fear of losing the King's heart by ceasing to be attractive to him. Men, +you know, set great value on certain things, and I have the misfortune to +be of a very cold temperament. I, therefore, determined to adopt a +heating diet, in order to remedy this defect, and for two days this +elixir has been of great service to me, or, at least, I have thought I +felt its good effects." + +The Duchesse de Brancas took the phial which was upon the toilet, and +after having smelt at it, "Fie!" said she, and threw it into the fire. +Madame de Pompadour scolded her, and said, "I don't like to be treated +like a child." She wept again, and said, "You don't know what happened +to me a week ago. The King, under pretext of the heat of the weather, +lay down upon my sofa, and passed half the night there. He will take a +disgust to me and have another mistress."--"You will not avoid that," +replied the Duchess, "by following your new diet, and that diet will kill +you; render your company more and more precious to the King by your +gentleness: do not repulse him in his fond moments, and let time do the +rest; the chains of habit will bind him to you for ever." They then +embraced; Madame de Pompadour recommended secrecy to Madame de Brancas, +and the diet was abandoned. + +A little while after, she said to me, "Our master is better pleased with +me. This is since I spoke to Quesnay, without, however, telling him all. +He told me, that to accomplish my end, I must try to be in good health, +to digest well, and, for that purpose, take exercise. I think the Doctor +is right. I feel quite a different creature. I adore that man (the +King), I wish so earnestly to be agreeable to him! But, alas! sometimes +he says I am a macreuse (a cold-blooded aquatic bird). I would give my +life to please him." + + + + + +One day, the King came in very much heated. I withdrew to my post, where +I listened. "What is the matter?" said Madame de Pompadour. "The long +robes and the clergy," replied he, "are always at drawn daggers, they +distract me by their quarrels. But I detest the long robes the most. My +clergy, on the whole, is attached and faithful to me; the others want to +keep me in a state of tutelage."--"Firmness," said Madame de Pompadour, +"is the only thing that can subdue them."--"Robert Saint Vincent is an +incendiary, whom I wish I could banish, but that would make a terrible +tumult. On the other hand, the Archbishop is an iron-hearted fellow, who +tries to pick quarrels. Happily, there are some in the Parliament upon +whom I can rely, and who affect to be very violent, but can be softened +upon occasion. It costs me a few abbeys, and a few secret pensions, to +accomplish this. There is a certain V--- who serves me very well, while +he appears to be furious on the other side."--"I can tell you some news +of him, Sire," said Madame de Pompadour. "He wrote to me yesterday, +pretending that he is related to me, and begging for an +interview."--"Well," said the King, "let him come. See him; and if he +behaves well, we shall have a pretext for giving him something." M. de +Gontaut came in, and seeing that they were talking seriously, said +nothing. The King walked about in an agitated manner, and suddenly +exclaimed, "The Regent was very wrong in restoring to them the right of +remonstrating; they will end in ruining the State."--"All, Sire," said M. +de Gontaut, "it is too strong to be shaken by a set of petty justices." +"You don't know what they do, nor what they think. They are an assembly +of republicans; however, here is enough of the subject. Things will last +as they are as long as I shall. Talk about this on Sunday, Madame, with +M. Berrien." Madame d'Amblimont and Madame d'Esparbes came in. "Ah! here +come my kittens," said Madame de Pompadour; "all that we are about is +Greek to them; but their gaiety restores my tranquility, and enables me +to attend again to serious affairs. You, Sire, have the chase to divert +you--they answer the same purpose to me." The King then began to talk +about his morning's sport, and Lansmatte. + +[See the "Memoirs of Madame Campan," vol. iii., p. 24. Many traits of +original and amusing bluntness are related of Lansmatte, one of the +King's grooms.] + +It was necessary to let the King go on upon these subjects, and even, +sometimes, to hear the same story three or four times over, if new +persons came into the room. Madame de Pompadour never betrayed the least +ennui. She even sometimes persuaded him to begin his story anew. + +I one day said to her, "It appears to me, Madame, that you are fonder +than ever of the Comtesse d'Amblimont."--"I have reason to be so," said +she. "She is unique, I think, for her fidelity to her friends, and for +her honour. Listen, but tell nobody--four days ago, the King, passing +her to go to supper, approached her, under the pretence of tickling her, +and tried to slip a note into her hand. D'Amblimont, in her madcap way, +put her hands behind her back, and the King was obliged to pick up the +note, which had fallen on the ground. Gontaut was the only person who +saw all this, and, after supper, he went up to the little lady, and said, +'You are an excellent friend.'--'I did my duty,' said she, and +immediately put her finger on her lips to enjoin him to be silent. He, +however, informed me of this act of friendship of the little heroine, who +had not told me of it herself." I admired the Countess's virtue, and +Madame de Pompadour said, "She is giddy and headlong; but she has more +sense and more feeling than a thousand prudes and devotees. D'Esparbes +would not do as much most likely she would meet him more than half-way. +The King appeared disconcerted, but he still pays her great +attentions."--"You will, doubtless, Madame," said I, "show your sense of +such admirable conduct."--"You need not doubt it," said she, "but I don't +wish her to think that I am informed of it." The King, prompted either +by the remains of his liking, or from the suggestions of Madame de +Pompadour, one morning went to call on Madame d'Amblimont, at Choisy, and +threw round her neck a collar of diamonds and emeralds, worth between +fifty thousand and seventy-five thousand francs. This happened a long +time after the circumstance I have just related. + +There was a large sofa in a little room adjoining Madame de Pompadour's, +upon which I often reposed. + +One evening, towards midnight, a bat flew into the apartment where the +Court was; the King immediately cried out, "Where is General Crillon?" +(He had just left the room.) "He is the General to command against the +bats." This set everybody calling out, "Ou etais tu, Crillon?" M. de +Crillon soon after came in, and was told where the enemy was. He +immediately threw off his coat, drew his sword, and commenced an attack +upon the bat, which flew into the closet where I was fast asleep. I +started out of sleep at the noise, and saw the King and all the company +around me. This furnished amusement for the rest of the evening. M. de +Crillon was a very excellent and agreeable man, but he had the fault of +indulging in buffooneries of this kind, which, however, were the result +of his natural gaiety, and not of any subserviency of character. Such, +however, was not the case with another exalted nobleman, a Knight of the +Golden Fleece, whom Madame saw one day shaking hands with her valet de +chambre. As he was one of the vainest men at Court, Madame could not +refrain from telling the circumstance to the King; and, as he had no +employment at Court, the King scarcely ever after named him on the Supper +List. + +I had a cousin at Saint Cyr, who was married. She was greatly distressed +at having a relation waiting woman to Madame de Pompadour, and often +treated me in the most mortifying manner. Madame knew this from Colin, +her steward, and spoke of it to the King. "I am not surprised at it," +said he; "this is a specimen of the silly women of Saint Cyr. Madame de +Maintenon had excellent intentions, but she made a great mistake. These +girls are brought up in such a manner, that, unless they are all made +ladies of the palace, they are unhappy and impertinent." + +Some time after, this relation of mine was at my house. Colin, who knew +her, though she did not know him, came in. He said to me, "Do you know +that the Prince de Chimay has made a violent attack upon the Chevalier +d'Henin for being equerry to the Marquise." At these words, my cousin +looked very much astonished, and said, "Was he not right?"--"I don't mean +to enter into that question," said Colin--"but only to repeat his words, +which were these: 'If you were only a man of moderately good family and +poor, I should not blame you, knowing, as I do, that there are hundreds +such, who would quarrel for your place, as young ladies of family would, +to be about your mistress. But, recollect, that your relations are +princes of the Empire, and that you bear their name."--"What, sir," said +my relation, "the Marquise's equerry of a princely house?"--"Of the house +of Chimay," said he; "they take the name of Alsace "--witness the +Cardinal of that name. Colin went out delighted at what he had said. + +"I cannot get over my surprise at what I have heard," said my relation. +"It is, nevertheless, very true," replied I; "you may see the Chevalier +d'Henin (that is the family name of the Princes de Chimay), with the +cloak of Madame upon his arm, and walking alongside her sedan-chair, in +order that he may be ready, on her getting in, to cover her shoulders +with her cloak, and then remain in the antechamber, if there is no other +room, till her return." + +From that time, my cousin let me alone; nay, she even applied to me to +get a company of horse for her husband, who was very loath to come and +thank me. His wife wished him to thank Madame de Pompadour; but the fear +he had lest she should tell him, that it was in consideration of his +relationship to her waiting-woman that he commanded fifty horse, +prevented him. It was, however, a most surprising thing that a man +belonging to the house of Chimay should be in the service of any lady +whatever; and, the commander of Alsace returned from Malta on purpose to +get him out of Madame de Pompadour's household. He got him a pension of +a hundred louis from his family, and the Marquise gave him a company of +horse. The Chevalier d'Henin had been page to the Marechal de +Luxembourg, and one can hardly imagine how he could have put his relation +in such a situation; for, generally speaking, all great houses keep up +the consequence of their members. M. de Machault, the Keeper of the +Seals, had, at the same time, as equerry, a Knight of St. Louis, and a +man of family--the Chevalier de Peribuse--who carried his portfolio, and +walked by the side of the chair. + +Whether it was from ambition, or from tenderness, Madame de Pompadour had +a regard for her daughter,--[The daughter of Madame de Pompadour and her +husband, M. d'Atioles. She was called Alexandrine.]--which seemed to +proceed from the bottom of her heart. She was brought up like a +Princess, and, like persons of that rank, was called by her Christian +name alone. The first persons at Court had an eye to this alliance, but +her mother had, perhaps, a better project. The King had a son by Madame +de Vintimille, who resembled him in face, gesture, and manners. He was +called the Comte du -----. Madame de Pompadour had him brought: to +Bellevue. Colin, her steward, was employed to find means to persuade his +tutor to bring him thither. They took some refreshment at the house of +the Swiss, and the Marquise, in the course of her walk, appeared to meet +them by accident. She asked the name of the child, and admired his +beauty. Her daughter came up at the same moment, and Madame de Pompadour +led them into a part of the garden where she knew the King would come. He +did come, and asked the child's name. He was told, and looked +embarrassed when Madame, pointing to them, said they would be a beautiful +couple. The King played with the girl, without appearing to take any +notice of the boy, who, while he was eating some figs and cakes which +were brought, his attitudes and gestures were so like those of the King, +that Madame de Pompadour was in the utmost astonishment. "Ah!" said she, +"Sire, look at --------." --"At what?" said he. "Nothing," replied +Madame, "except that one would think one saw his father." + +"I did not know," said the King, smiling, "that you were so intimately +acquainted with the Comte du L------ ."--"You ought to embrace him," said +she, "he is very handsome."--"I will begin, then, with the young lady," +said the King, and embraced them in a cold, constrained manner. I was +present, having joined Mademoiselle's governess. I remarked to Madame, +in the evening, that the King had not appeared very cordial in his +caresses. "That is his way," said she; "but do not those children appear +made for each other? If it was Louis XIV., he would make a Duc du Maine +of the little boy; I do not ask so much; but a place and a dukedom for +his son is very little; and it is because he is his son that I prefer him +to all the little Dukes of the Court. My grandchildren would blend the +resemblance of their grandfather and grandmother; and this combination, +which I hope to live to see, would, one day, be my greatest delight." The +tears came into her eyes as she spoke. Alas! alas! only six months +elapsed, when her darling daughter, the hope of her advanced years, the +object of her fondest wishes, died suddenly. Madame de Pompadour was +inconsolable, and I must do M. de Marigny the justice to say that he was +deeply afflicted. His niece was beautiful as an angel, and destined to +the highest fortunes, and I always thought that he had formed the design +of marrying her. A dukedom would have given him rank; and that, joined +to his place, and to the wealth which she would have had from her mother, +would have made him a man of great importance. The difference of age was +not sufficient to be a great obstacle. People, as usual, said the young +lady was poisoned; for the unexpected death of persons who command a +large portion of public attention always gives birth to these rumours. +The King shewed great regret, but more for the grief of Madame than on +account of the loss itself, though he had often caressed the child, and +loaded her with presents. I owe it, also, to justice, to say that M. de +Marigny, the heir of all Madame de Pompadour's fortune, after the death +of her daughter, evinced the sincerest and deepest regret every time she +was seriously ill. She, soon after, began to lay plans for his +establishment. Several young ladies of the highest birth were thought +of; and, perhaps, he would have been made a Duke, but his turn of mind +indisposed him for schemes either of marriage or ambition. Ten times he +might have been made Prime Minister, yet he never aspired to it. "That +is a man," said Quesnay to me, one day, "who is very little known; nobody +talks of his talents or acquirements, nor of his zealous and efficient +patronage of the arts: no man, since Colbert, has done so much in his +situation: he is, moreover, an extremely honourable man, but people will +not see in him anything but the brother of the favourite; and, because he +is fat, he is thought dull and heavy." This was all perfectly true. M. +de Marigny had travelled in Italy with very able artists, and had +acquired taste, and much more information than any of his predecessors +had possessed. As for the heaviness of his air, it only came upon him +when he grew fat; before that, he had a delightful face. He was then as +handsome as his sister. He paid court to nobody, had no vanity, and +confined himself to the society of persons with whom he was at his ease. +He went rather more into company at Court after the King had taken him to +ride with him in his carriage, thinking it then his duty to shew himself +among the courtiers. + +Madame called me, one day, into her closet, where the King was walking up +and down in a very serious mood. "You must," said she, "pass some days +in a house in the Avenue de St. Cloud, whither I shall send you. You +will there find a young lady about to lie in." The King said nothing, +and I was mute from astonishment. "You will be mistress of the house, +and preside, like one of the fabulous goddesses, at the accouchement. +Your presence is necessary, in order that everything may pass secretly, +and according to the King's wish. You will be present at the baptism, +and name the father and mother." The King began to laugh, and said, "The +father is a very honest man;" Madame added, "beloved by every one, and +adored by those who know him." Madame then took from a little cupboard a +small box, and drew from it an aigrette of diamonds, at the same time +saying to the King, "I have my reasons for it not being handsomer."--"It +is but too much so," said the King; "how kind you are;" and he then +embraced Madame, who wept with emotion, and, putting her hand upon the +King's heart, said, "This is what I wish to secure." The King's eyes +then filled with tears, and I also began weeping, without knowing why. +Afterwards, the King said, "Guimard will call upon you every day, to +assist you with his advice, and at the critical moment you will send for +him. You will say that you expect the sponsors, and a moment after you +will pretend to have received a letter, stating that they cannot come. +You will, of course, affect to be very much embarrassed; and Guimard will +then say that there is nothing for it but to take the first comers. You +will then appoint as godfather and godmother some beggar, or chairman, +and the servant girl of the house, and to whom you will give but twelve +francs, in order not to attract attention."--"A louis," added Madame, "to +obviate anything singular, on the other hand."--"It is you who make me +economical, under certain circumstances," said the King. "Do you +remember the driver of the fiacre? I wanted to give him a LOUIS, and Duc +d'Ayen said, 'You will be known;' so that I gave him a crown." He was +going to tell the whole story. Madame made a sign to him to be silent, +which he obeyed, not without considerable reluctance. She afterwards +told me that at the time of the fetes given on occasion of the Dauphin's +marriage, the King came to see her at her mother's house in a +hackney-coach. The coachman would not go on, and the King would have +given him a LOUIS. "The police will hear of it, if you do," said the Duc +d'Ayen, "and its spies will make inquiries, which will, perhaps, lead to +a discovery." + +"Guimard," continued the King, "will tell you the names of the father and +mother; he will be present at the ceremony, and make the usual presents. +It is but fair that you also should receive yours;" and, as he said this, +he gave me fifty LOUIS, with that gracious air that he could so well +assume upon certain occasions, and which no person in the kingdom had but +himself. I kissed his hand and wept. "You will take care of the +accouchee, will you not? She is a good creature, who has not invented +gunpowder, and I confide her entirely to your direction; my chancellor +will tell you the rest," he said, turning to Madame, and then quitted the +room. "Well, what think you of the part I am playing?" asked Madame. "It +is that of a superior woman, and an excellent friend," I replied. "It is +his heart I wish to secure," said she; "and all those young girls who +have no education will not run away with it from me. I should not be +equally confident were I to see some fine woman belonging to the Court, +or the city, attempt his conquest." + +I asked Madame, if the young lady knew that the King was the father of +her child? "I do not think she does," replied she; "but, as he appeared +fond of her, there is some reason to fear that those about her might be +too ready to tell her; otherwise," said she, shrugging her shoulders, +"she, and all the others, are told that he is a Polish nobleman, a +relation of the Queen, who has apartments in the castle." This story was +contrived on account of the cordon bleu, which the King has not always +time to lay aside, because, to do that, he must change his coat, and in +order to account for his having a lodging in the castle so near the King. +There were two little rooms by the side of the chapel, whither the King +retired from his apartment, without being seen by anybody but a sentinel, +who had his orders, and who did not know who passed through those rooms. +The King sometimes went to the Parc-aux-cerfs, or received those young +ladies in the apartments I have mentioned. + +I must here interrupt my narrative, to relate a singular adventure, which +is only known to six or seven persons, masters or valets. At the time of +the attempt to assassinate the King, a young girl, whom he had seen +several times, and for whom he had manifested more tenderness than for +most, was distracted at this horrible event. The Mother-Abbess of the +Parc-aux-cerfs perceived her extraordinary grief, and managed so as to +make her confess that she knew the Polish Count was the King of France. +She confessed that she had taken from his pocket two letters, one of +which was from the King of Spain, the other from the Abbe de Brogue. This +was discovered afterwards, for neither she nor the Mother-Abbess knew the +names of the writers. The girl was scolded, and M. Lebel, first valet de +chambre, who had the management of all these affairs, was called; he took +the letters, and carried them to the King, who was very much embarrassed +in what manner to meet a person so well informed of his condition. The +girl in question, having perceived that the King came secretly to see her +companion, while she was neglected, watched his arrival, and, at the +moment he entered with the Abbess, who was about to withdraw, she rushed +distractedly into the room where her rival was. She immediately threw +herself at the King's feet. "Yes," said she, "you are King of all +France; but that would be nothing to me if you were not also monarch of +my heart: do not forsake me, my beloved sovereign; I was nearly mad when +your life was attempted!" The Mother-Abbess cried out, "You are mad +now." The King embraced her, which appeared to restore her to +tranquility. They succeeded in getting her out of the room, and a few +days afterwards the unhappy girl was taken to a madhouse, where she was +treated as if she had been insane, for some days. But she knew well +enough that she was not so, and that the King had really been her lover. +This lamentable affair was related to me by the Mother-Abbess, when I had +some acquaintance with her at the time of the accouchement I have spoken +of, which I never had before, nor since. + +To return to my history: Madame de Pompadour said to me, "Be constantly +with the 'accouchee', to prevent any stranger, or even the people of the +house, from speaking to her. You will always say that he is a very rich +Polish nobleman, who is obliged to conceal himself on account of his +relationship to the Queen, who is very devout. You will find a wet-nurse +in the house, to whom you will deliver the child. Guimard will manage +all the rest. You will go to church as a witness; everything must be +conducted as if for a substantial citizen. The young lady expects to lie +in in five or six days; you will dine with her, and will not leave her +till she is in a state of health to return to the Parc-aux-cerfs, which +she may do in a fortnight, as I imagine, without running any risk." I +went, that same evening, to the Avenue de Saint Cloud, where I found the +Abbess and Guimard, an attendant belonging to the castle, but without his +blue coat. There were, besides, a nurse, a wet-nurse, two old +men-servants, and a girl, who was something between a servant and a +waiting-woman. The young lady was extremely pretty, and dressed very +elegantly, though not too remarkably. I supped with her and the +Mother-Abbess, who was called Madame Bertrand. I had presented the +aigrette Madame de Pompadour gave me before supper, which had greatly +delighted the young lady, and she was in high spirits. + +Madame Bertrand had been housekeeper to M. Lebel, first valet de chambre +to the King. He called her Dominique, and she was entirely in his +confidence. The young lady chatted with us after supper; she appeared to +be very naive. The next day, I talked to her in private. She said to +me, "How is the Count?" (It was the King whom she called by this title.) +"He will be very sorry not to be with me now; but he was obliged to set +off on a long journey." I assented to what she said. "He is very +handsome," said she, "and loves me with all his heart. He promised me an +allowance; but I love him disinterestedly; and, if he would let me, I +would follow him to Poland." She afterwards talked to me about her +parents, and about M. Lebel, whom she knew by the name of Durand. "My +mother," said she, "kept a large grocer's shop, and my father was a man +of some consequence; he belonged to the Six Corps, and that, as everybody +knows, is an excellent thing. He was twice very near being +head-bailiff." Her mother had become bankrupt at her father's death, but +the Count had come to her assistance, and settled upon her fifteen +hundred francs a year, besides giving her six thousand francs down. On +the sixth day, she was brought to bed, and, according to my instructions, +she was told the child was a girl, though in reality it was a boy; she +was soon to be told that it was dead, in order that no trace of its +existence might remain for a certain time. It was eventually to be +restored to its mother. The King gave each of his children about ten +thousand francs a year. They inherited after each other as they died +off, and seven or eight were already dead. I returned to Madame de +Pompadour, to whom I had written every day by Guimard. The next day, the +King sent for me into the room; he did not say a word as to the business +I had been employed upon; but he gave me a large gold snuff-box, +containing two rouleaux of twenty-five louis each. I curtsied to him, +and retired. Madame asked me a great many questions of the young lady, +and laughed heartily at her simplicity, and at all she had said about the +Polish nobleman. "He is disgusted with the Princess, and, I think, will +return to Poland for ever, in two months."--"And the young lady?" said I. +"She will be married in the country," said she, "with a portion of forty +thousand crowns at the most and a few diamonds." This little adventure, +which initiated me into the King's secrets, far from procuring for me +increased marks of kindness from him, seemed to produce a coldness +towards me; probably because he was ashamed of my knowing his obscure +amours. He was also embarrassed by the services Madame de Pompadour had +rendered him on this occasion. + +Besides the little mistresses of the Parc-aux-cerfs, the King had +sometimes intrigues with ladies of the Court, or from Paris, who wrote to +him. There was a Madame de L-----, who, though married to a young and +amiable man, with two hundred thousand francs a year, wished absolutely +to become his mistress. She contrived to have a meeting with him: and +the King, who knew who she was, was persuaded that she was really madly +in love with him. There is no knowing what might have happened, had she +not died. Madame was very much alarmed, and was only relieved by her +death from inquietude. A circumstance took place at this time which +doubled Madame's friendship for me. A rich man, who had a situation in +the Revenue Department, called on me one day very secretly, and told me +that he had something of importance to communicate to Madame la Marquise, +but that he should find himself very much embarrassed in communicating it +to her personally, and that he should prefer acquainting me with it. He +then told me, what I already knew, that he had a very beautiful wife, of +whom he was passionately fond; that having on one occasion perceived her +kissing a little 'porte feuille', he endeavoured to get possession of it, +supposing there was some mystery attached to it. One day that she +suddenly left the room to go upstairs to see her sister, who had been +brought to bed, he took the, opportunity of opening the porte feuille, +and was very much surprised to find in it a portrait of the King, and a +very tender letter written by His Majesty. Of the latter he took a copy, +as also of an unfinished letter of his wife, in which she vehemently +entreated the King to allow her to have the pleasure of an interview--the +means she pointed out. She was to go masked to the public ball at +Versailles, where His Majesty could meet her under favour of a mask. I +assured M. de ------ that I should acquaint Madame with the affair, who +would, no doubt, feel very grateful for the communication. He then added, +"Tell Madame la Marquise that my wife is very clever and very intriguing. +I adore her, and should run distracted were she to be taken from me." I +lost not a moment in acquainting Madame with the affair, and gave her the +letter. She became serious and pensive, and I since learned that she +consulted M. Berrier, Lieutenant of Police, who, by a very simple but +ingeniously conceived plan, put an end to the designs of this lady. He +demanded an audience of the King, and told him that there was a lady in +Paris who was making free with His Majesty's name; that he had been given +the copy of a letter, supposed to have been written by His Majesty to the +lady in question. The copy he put into the King's hands, who read it in +great confusion, and then tore it furiously to pieces. M. Berrier added, +that it was rumoured that this lady was to meet His Majesty at the public +ball, and, at this very moment, it so happened that a letter was put into +the King's hand, which proved to be from the lady, appointing the +meeting; at least, M. Berrier judged so, as the King appeared very much +surprised on reading it, and said, "It must be allowed, M. le Lieutenant +of Police, that you are well informed." M. Berrier added, "I think it my +duty to tell Your Majesty that this lady passes for a very intriguing +person." "I believe," replied the King, "that it is not without +deserving it that she has got that character." + +Madame de Pompadour had many vexations in the midst of all her grandeur. +She often received anonymous letters, threatening her with poison or +assassination: her greatest fear, however, was that of being supplanted +by a rival. I never saw her in a greater agitation than, one evening, on +her return from the drawing-room at Marly. She threw down her cloak and +muff, the instant she came in, with an air of ill-humour, and undressed +herself in a hurried manner. Having dismissed her other women, she said +to me, "I think I never saw anybody so insolent as Madame de Coaslin. I +was seated at the same table with her this evening, at a game of +'brelan', and you cannot imagine what I suffered. The men and women +seemed to come in relays to watch us. Madame de Coaslin said two or +three times, looking at me, 'Va tout', in the most insulting manner. I +thought I should have fainted, when she said, in a triumphant tone, I +have the 'brelan' of kings. I wish you had seen her courtesy to me on +parting."--"Did the King," said I, "show her particular attention?" "You +don't know him," said she; "if he were going to lodge her this very night +in my apartment, he would behave coldly to her before people, and would +treat me with the utmost kindness. This is the effect of his education, +for he is, by nature, kind-hearted and frank." Madame de Pompadour's +alarms lasted for some months, when she, one day, said to me, "That +haughty Marquise has missed her aim; she frightened the King by her grand +airs, and was incessantly teasing him for money. Now you, perhaps, may +not know that the King would sign an order for forty thousand LOUIS +without a thought, and would give a hundred out of his little private +treasury with the greatest reluctance. Lebel, who likes me better than +he would a new mistress in my place, either by chance or design had +brought a charming little sultana to the Parc-aux-cerfs, who has cooled +the King a little towards the haughty Vashti, by giving him occupation, +has received a hundred thousand francs, some jewels, and an estate. +Jannette--[The Intendant of Police.]--has rendered me great service, by +showing the King extracts from the letters broken open at the +post-office, concerning the report that Madame de Coaslin was coming into +favour: The King was much impressed by a letter from an old counsellor of +the Parliament, who wrote to one of his friends as follows: 'It is quite +as reasonable that the King should have a female friend and +confidante--as that we, in our several degrees, should so indulge +ourselves; but it is desirable that he should keep the one he has; she +is gentle, injures nobody, and her fortune is made. The one who is now +talked of will be as haughty as high birth can make her. She must have +an allowance of a million francs a year, since she is said to be +excessively extravagant; her relations must be made Dukes, Governors of +provinces, and Marshals, and, in the end, will surround the King, and +overawe the Ministers.'" + +Madame de Pompadour had this passage, which had been sent to her by M. +Jannette, the Intendant of the Police, who enjoyed the King's entire +confidence. He had carefully watched the King's look, while he read the +letter, and he saw that the arguments of this counsellor, who was not a +disaffected person, made a great impression upon him. Some time +afterwards, Madame de Pompadour said to me, "The haughty Marquise behaved +like Mademoiselle Deschamps, + +[A courtesan, distinguished for her charms, and still more so for an +extraordinary proof of patriotism. At a time when the public Treasury +was exhausted, Mademoiselle Deschamps sent all her plate to the Mint. +Louis XIV. boasted of this act of generous devotion to her country. The +Duc d'Ayen made it the subject of a pleasantry, which detracted nothing +from the merit of the sacrifice--but which is rather too gay for us to +venture upon.] + +and she is turned off." This was not Madame's only subject of alarm. A +relation of Madame d'Estrades, + +[The Comtesse d'Estrades, a relative of M. Normand, and a flatterer of +Madame de Pompadour, who brought her to Court, was secretly in the pay of +the Comte d'Argenson. That Minister, who did not disdain la Fillon, from +whom he extracted useful information, knew all that passed at the Court +of the favourite, by means of Madame d'Estrades, whose ingratitude and +perfidiousness he liberally paid.] + +wife to the Marquis de C----, had made the most pointed advances to the +King, much more than were necessary for a man who justly thought himself +the handsomest man in France, and who was, moreover, a King. He was +perfectly persuaded that every woman would yield to the slightest desire +he might deign to manifest. He, therefore, thought it a mere matter of +course that women fell in love with him. M. de Stainville had a hand in +marring the success of that intrigue; and, soon afterwards, the Marquise +de C-----, who was confined to her apartments at Marly, by her relations, +escaped through a closet to a rendezvous, and was caught with a young man +in a corridor. The Spanish Ambassador, coming out of his apartments with +flambeaux, was the person who witnessed this scene. Madame d'Estrades +affected to know nothing of her cousin's intrigues, and kept up an +appearance of the tenderest attachment to Madame de Pompadour, whom she +was habitually betraying. She acted as spy for M. d'Argenson, in the +cabinets, and in Madame de Pompadour's apartments; and, when she could +discover nothing, she had recourse to her invention, in order that she +might not lose her importance with her lover. This Madame d'Estrades +owed her whole existence to the bounties of Madame, and yet, ugly as she +was, she had tried to get the King away from her. One day, when he, had +got rather drunk at Choisy (I think, the only time that, ever happened to +him), he went on board a beautiful barge, whither Madame, being ill of an +indigestion, could not accompany him. Madame d'Estrades seized this +opportunity. She got into the barge, and, on their return, as it was +dark, she followed the King into a private closet, where he was believed +to be sleeping on a couch, and there went somewhat beyond any ordinary +advances to him. Her account of the matter to Madame was, that she had +gone into the closet upon her own affairs, and that the King, had +followed her, and had tried to ravish her. She was at full liberty to +make what story she pleased, for the King knew neither what he had said, +nor what he had done. I shall finish this subject by a short history +concerning a young lady. I had been, one day, to the theatre at +Compiegne. When I returned, Madame asked me several questions about the +play; whether there was much company, and whether I did not see a very +beautiful girl. I replied, "That there was, indeed, a girl in a box near +mine, who was surrounded by all the young men about the Court." She +smiled, and said, "That is Mademoiselle Dorothee; she went, this evening, +to see the King sup in public, and to-morrow she is to be taken to the +hunt. You are surprised to find me so well informed, but I know a great +deal more about her. She was brought here by a Gascon, named Dubarre or +Dubarri, who is the greatest scoundrel in France. He founds all his +hopes of advancement on Mademoiselle Dorothee's charms, which he thinks +the King cannot resist. She is, really, very beautiful.. She was +pointed out to me in my little garden, whither she was taken to walk on +purpose. She is the daughter of a water-carrier, at Strasbourg, and her +charming lover demands to be sent Minister to Cologne, as a +beginning."--"Is it possible, Madame, that you can have been rendered +uneasy by such a creature as that?"--"Nothing is impossible," replied +she; "though I think the King would scarcely dare to give such a scandal. +Besides, happily, Lebel, to quiet his conscience, told the King that the +beautiful Dorothee's lover is infected with a horrid disease;" and, added +he, "Your Majesty would not get rid of that as you have done of the +scrofula." This was quite enough to keep the young lady at a distance. + +"I pity you sincerely, Madame," said I, "while everybody else envies +you." "Ah!" replied she, "my life is that of the Christian, a perpetual +warfare. This was not the case with the woman who enjoyed the favour of +Louis XIV. Madame de La Valliere suffered herself to be deceived by +Madame de Montespan, but it was her own fault, or, rather, the effect of +her extreme good nature. She was entirely devoid of suspicion at first, +because she could not believe her friend perfidious. Madame de +Montespan's empire was shaken by Madame de Fontanges, and overthrown by +Madame de Maintenon; but her haughtiness, her caprices, had already +alienated the King. He had not, however, such rivals as mine; it is +true, their baseness is my security. I have, in general, little to fear +but casual infidelities, and the chance that they may not all be +sufficiently transitory for my safety. The King likes variety, but he is +also bound by habit; he fears eclats, and detests manoeuvring women. The +little Marechale (de Mirepoig) one day said to me, 'It is your staircase +that the King loves; he is accustomed to go up and down it. But, if he +found another woman to whom he could talk of hunting and business as he +does to you, it would be just the same to him in three days.'" + +I write without plan, order, or date, just as things come into my mind; +and I shall now go to the Abbe de Bernis, whom I liked very much, because +he was good-natured, and treated me kindly. One day, just as Madame de +Pompadour had finished dressing, M. de Noailles asked to speak to her in +private. I, accordingly, retired. The Count looked full of important +business. I heard their conversation, as there was only the door between +us. + +"A circumstance has taken place," said he, "which I think it my duty to +communicate to the King; but I would not do so without first informing +you of it, since it concerns one of your friends for whom I have the +utmost regard and respect. The Abbe de Bernis had a mind to shoot, this +morning, and went, with two or three of his people, armed with guns, into +the little park, where the Dauphin would not venture to shoot without +asking the King's permission. The guards, surprised at hearing the +report of guns, ran to the spot, and were greatly astonished at the sight +of M. de Bernis. They very respectfully asked to see his permission, +when they found, to their astonishment, that he had none. They begged of +him to desist, telling him that, if they did their duty, they should +arrest him; but they must, at all events, instantly acquaint me with the +circumstance, as Ranger of the Park of Versailles. They added, that the +King must have heard the firing, and that they begged of him to retire. +The Abbe apologized, on the score of ignorance, and assured them that he +had my permission. 'The Comte de Noailles,' said they, 'could only grant +permission to shoot in the more remote parts, and in the great park.'" +The Count made a great merit of his eagerness to give the earliest +information to Madame. She told him to leave the task of communicating +it to the King to her, and begged of him to say nothing about the matter. +M. de Marigny, who did not like the Abbe, came to see me in the evening; +and I affected to know nothing of the story, and to hear it for the first +time from him. "He must have been out of his senses," said he, "to shoot +under the King's windows,"--and enlarged much on the airs he gave +himself. Madame de Pompadour gave this affair the best colouring she +could the King was, nevertheless, greatly disgusted at it, and twenty +times, since the Abbe's disgrace, when he passed over that part of the +park, he said, "This is where the Abbe took his pleasure." The King +never liked him; and Madame de Pompadour told me one night, after his +disgrace, when I was sitting up with her in her illness, that she saw, +before he had been Minister a week, that he was not fit for his office. +"If that hypocritical Bishop," said she, speaking of the Bishop of +Mirepoix, "had not prevented the King from granting him a pension of four +hundred louis a year, which he had promised me, he would never have been +appointed Ambassador. I should, afterwards, have been able to give him +an income of eight hundred louis a year, perhaps the place of master of +the chapel. Thus he would have been happier, and I should have had +nothing to regret." I took the liberty of saying that I did not agree +with her. That he had yet remaining advantages, of which he could not be +deprived; that his exile would terminate; and that he would then be a +Cardinal, with an income of eight thousand louis a year. "That is true," +she replied; "but I think of the mortifications he has undergone, and of +the ambition which devours him; and, lastly, I think of myself. I should +have still enjoyed his society, and should have had, in my declining +years, an old and amiable friend, if he had not been Minister." The King +sent him away in anger, and was strongly inclined to refuse him the hat. +M. Quesnay told me, some months afterwards, that the Abbe wanted to be +Prime Minister; that he had drawn up a memorial, setting forth that in +difficult crises the public good required that there should be a central +point (that was his expression), towards which everything should be +directed. Madame de Pompadour would not present the memorial; he +insisted, though she said to him, "You will rain yourself." The King +cast his eyes over it, and said "'central point,'--that is to say +himself, he wants to be Prime Minister." Madame tried to apologize for +him, and said, "That expression might refer to the Marechal de +Belle-Isle."--"Is he not just about to be made Cardinal?" said the King. +"This is a fine manoeuvre; he knows well enough that, by means of that +dignity, he would compel the Ministers to assemble at his house, and then +M. l'Abbe would be the central point. Wherever there is a Cardinal in +the council, he is sure, in the end, to take the lead. Louis XIV., for +this reason, did not choose to admit the Cardinal de Janson into the +council, in spite of his great esteem for him. The Cardinal de Fleury +told me the same thing. He had some desire that the Cardinal de Tencin +should succeed him; but his sister was such an intrigante that Cardinal +de Fleury advised me to have nothing to do with the matter, and I behaved +so as to destroy all his hopes, and to undeceive others. M. d'Argenson +has strongly impressed me with the same opinion, and has succeeded in +destroying all my respect for him." This is what the King said, +according to my friend Quesnay, who, by the bye, was a great genius, as +everybody said, and a very lively, agreeable man. He liked to chat with +me about the country. I had been bred up there, and he used to set me a +talking about the meadows of Normandy and Poitou, the wealth of the +farmers, and the modes of culture. He was the best-natured man in the +world, and the farthest removed from petty intrigue. While he lived at +Court, he was much more occupied with the best manner of cultivating land +than with anything that passed around him. The man whom he esteemed the +most was M. de la Riviere, a Counsellor of Parliament, who was also +Intendant of Martinique; he looked upon him as a man of the greatest +genius, and thought him the only person fit for the financial department +of administration. + +The Comtesse d'Estrades, who owed everything to Madame de Pompadour, was +incessantly intriguing against her. She was clever enough to destroy all +proofs of her manoeuvres, but she could not so easily prevent suspicion. +Her intimate connection with M. d'Argenson gave offence to Madame, and, +for some time, she was more reserved with her. She, afterwards, did a +thing which justly irritated the King and Madame. The King, who wrote a +great deal, had written to Madame de Pompadour a long letter concerning +an assembly of the Chambers of Parliament, and had enclosed a letter of +M. Berrien. Madame was ill, and laid those letters on a little table by +her bedside. M. de Gontaut came in, and gossipped about trifles, as +usual. Madame d'Amblimont also came, and stayed but very little time. +Just as I was going to resume a book which I had been reading to Madame, +the Comtesse d'Estrades entered, placed herself near Madame's bed, and +talked to her for some time. As soon as she was gone, Madame called me, +asked what was o'clock, and said, "Order my door to be shut, the King +will soon be here." I gave the order, and returned; and Madame told me +to give her the King's letter, which was on the table with some other +papers. I gave her the papers, and told her there was nothing else. She +was very uneasy at not finding the letter, and, after enumerating the +persons who had been in the room, she said, "It cannot be the little +Countess, nor Gontaut, who has taken this letter. It can only be the +Comtesse d'Estrades;--and that is too bad." The King came, and was +extremely angry, as Madame told me. Two days afterwards, he sent Madame +d'Estrades into exile. There was no doubt that she took the letter; the +King's handwriting had probably awakened her curiosity. This occurrence +gave great pain to M. d'Argenson, who was bound to her, as Madame de +Pompadour said, by his love of intrigue. This redoubled his hatred of +Madame, and she accused him of favouring the publication of a libel, in +which she was represented as a worn-out mistress, reduced to the vile +occupation of providing new objects to please her lover's appetite. She +was characterised as superintendent of the Parc-aux-cerfs, which was said +to cost hundreds of thousands of louis a year. Madame de Pompadour did, +indeed, try to conceal some of the King's weaknesses, but she never knew +one of the sultanas of that seraglio. There were, however, scarcely ever +more than two at once, and often only one. When they married, they +received some jewels, and four thousand louis. The Parc-aux-cerfs was +sometimes vacant for five or six months. I was surprised, some time +after, at seeing the Duchesse de Luynes, Lady of Honour to the Queen, +come privately to see Madame de Pompadour. She afterwards came openly. +One evening, after Madame was in bed, she called me, and said, "My dear, +you will be delighted; the Queen has given me the place of Lady of the +Palace; tomorrow I am to be presented to her: you must make me look +well." I knew that the King was not so well pleased at this as she was; +he was afraid that it would give rise to scandal, and that it might be +thought he had forced this nomination upon the Queen. He had, however, +done no such thing. It had been represented to the Queen that it was an +act of heroism on her part to forget the past; that all scandal would be +obliterated when Madame de Pompadour was seen to belong to the Court in +an honourable manner; and that it would be the best proof that nothing +more than friendship now subsisted between the King and the favourite. +The Queen received her very graciously. The devotees flattered +themselves they should be protected by Madame, and, for some time, were +full of her praises. Several of the Dauphin's friends came in private to +see her, and some obtained promotion. The Chevalier du Muy, however, +refused to come. The King had the greatest possible contempt for them, +and granted them nothing with a good grace. He, one day, said of a man +of great family, who wished to be made Captain of the Guards, "He is a +double spy, who wants to be paid on both sides." This was the moment at +which Madame de Pompadour seemed to me to enjoy the most complete +satisfaction. The devotees came to visit her without scruple, and did +not forget to make use of every opportunity of serving themselves. Madame +de Lu----- had set them the example. The Doctor laughed at this change +in affairs, and was very merry at the expense of the saints. "You must +allow, however, that they are consistent," said I, "and may be sincere." +"Yes," said he; "but then they should not ask for anything." + +One day, I was at Doctor Quesnay's, whilst Madame de Pompadour was at the +theatre. The Marquis de Mirabeau + +[The author of "L'Ami des Hommes," one of the leaders of the sect of +Economistes, and father of the celebrated Mirabeau. After the death of +Quesnay, the Grand Master of the Order, the Marquis de Mirabeau was +unanimously elected his successor. Mirabeau was not deficient in a +certain enlargement of mind, nor in acquirements, nor even in patriotism; +but his writings are enthusiastical, and show that he had little more +than glimpses of the truth. The Friend of Man was the enemy of all his +family. He beat his servants, and did not pay them. The reports of the +lawsuit with his wife, in 1775, prove that this philosopher possessed, in +the highest possible degree, all the anti-conjugal qualities. It is said +that his eldest son wrote two contradictory depositions, and was paid by +both sides.] + +came in, and the conversation was, for some time, extremely tedious to +me, running entirely on 'net produce'; at length, they talked of other +things. + +Mirabeau said, "I think the King looks ill, he grows old."--"So much the +worse, a thousand times so much the worse," said Quesnay; "it would be +the greatest possible loss to France if he died;" and he raised his +hands, and sighed deeply. "I do not doubt that you are attached to the +King, and with reason," said Mirabeau: "I am attached to him too; but I +never saw you so much moved."--"Ah!" said Quesnay, "I think of what would +follow."--"Well, the Dauphin is virtuous."--"Yes; and full of good +intentions; nor is he deficient in understanding; but canting hypocrites +would possess an absolute empire over a Prince who regards them as +oracles. The Jesuits would govern the kingdom, as they did at the end of +Louis XIV.'s reign: and you would see the fanatical Bishop of Verdun +Prime Minister, and La Vauguyon all-powerful under some other title. The +Parliaments must then mind how they behave; they will not be better +treated than my friends the philosophers."--"But they go too far," said +Mirabeau; "why openly attack religion?"--"I allow that," replied the +Doctor; "but how is it possible not to be rendered indignant by the +fanaticism of others, and by recollecting all the blood that has flowed +during the last two hundred years? You must not then again irritate +them, and revive in France the time of Mary in England. But what is done +is done, and I often exhort them to be moderate; I wish they would follow +the example of our friend Duclos."--"You are right," replied Mirabeau; +"he said to me a few days ago, 'These philosophers are going on at such a +rate that they will force me to go to vespers and high mass;' but, in +fine, the Dauphin is virtuous, well-informed, and intellectual."--"It is +the commencement of his reign, I fear," said Quesnay, "when the imprudent +proceedings of our friends will be represented to him in the most +unfavourable point of view; when the Jansenists and Molinists will make +common cause, and be strongly supported by the Dauphine. I thought that +M. de Muy was moderate, and that he would temper the headlong fury of the +others; but I heard him say that Voltaire merited condign punishment. Be +assured, sir, that the times of John Huss and Jerome of Prague will +return; but I hope not to live to see it. I approve of Voltaire having +hunted down the Pompignans: were it not for the ridicule with which he +covered them, that bourgeois Marquis would have been preceptor to the +young Princes, and, aided by his brother, would have succeeded in again +lighting the faggots of persecution."--"What ought to give you confidence +in the Dauphin," said Mirabeau, "is, that, notwithstanding the devotion +of Pompignan, he turns him into ridicule. A short time back, seeing him +strutting about with an air of inflated pride, he said to a person, who +told it to me, 'Our friend Pompignan thinks that he is something.'" On +returning home, I wrote down this conversation. + +I, one day, found Quesnay in great distress. "Mirabeau," said he, "is +sent to Vincennes, for his work on taxation. The Farmers General have +denounced him, and procured his arrest; his wife is going to throw +herself at the feet of Madame de Pompadour to-day." A few minutes +afterwards, I went into Madame's apartment, to assist at her toilet, and +the Doctor came in. Madame said to him, "You must be much concerned at +the disgrace of your friend Mirabeau. I am sorry for it too, for I like +his brother." Quesnay replied, "I am very far from believing him to be +actuated by bad intentions, Madame; he loves the King and the people." +"Yes," said she; "his 'Ami des Hommes' did him great honour." At this +moment the Lieutenant of Police entered, and Madame said to him, "Have +you seen M. de Mirabeau's book?"--"Yes, Madame; but it was not I who +denounced it?"--"What do you think of it?"--"I think he might have said +almost all it contains with impunity, if he had been more circumspect as +to the manner; there is, among other objectionable passages, this, which +occurs at the beginning: Your Majesty has about twenty millions of +subjects; it is only by means of money that you can obtain their +services, and there is no money."--"What, is there really that, Doctor?" +said Madame. "It is true, they are the first lines in the book, and I +confess that they are imprudent; but, in reading the work, it is clear +that he laments that patriotism is extinct in the hearts of his +fellow-citizens, and that he desires to rekindle it." The King entered: +we went out, and I wrote down on Quesnay's table what I had just heard. +I them returned to finish dressing Madame de Pompadour: she said to me, +"The King is extremely angry with Mirabeau; but I tried to soften him, +and so did the Lieutenant of Police. This will increase Quesnay's fears. +Do you know what he said to me to-day? The King had been talking to him +in my room, and the Doctor appeared timid and agitated. After the King +was gone, I said to him, 'You always seem so embarrassed in the King's +presence, and yet he is so good-natured.'--'I Madame,' said he, 'I left +my native village at the age of forty, and I have very little experience +of the world, nor can I accustom myself to its usages without great +difficulty. When I am in a room with the King, I say to myself, This is +a man who can order my head to be cut off; and that idea embarrasses +me.'--'But do not the King's justice and kindness set you at +ease?'--'That is very true in reasoning,' said he; 'but the sentiment is +more prompt, and inspires me with fear before I have time to say to +myself all that is calculated to allay it.'" + +I got her to repeat this conversation, and wrote it down immediately, +that I might not forget it. + +An anonymous letter was addressed to the King and Madame de Pompadour; +and, as the author was very anxious that it should not miscarry, he sent +copies to the Lieutenant of Police, sealed and directed to the King, to +Madame de Pompadour, and to M. de Marigny. This letter produced a strong +impression on Madame, and on the King, and still more, I believe, on the +Duc de Choiseul, who had received a similar one. I went on my knees to +M. de Marigny, to prevail on him to allow me to copy it, that I might +show it to the Doctor. It is as follows: + +"Sire--It is a zealous servant who writes to Your Majesty. Truth is +always better, particularly to Kings; habituated to flattery, they see +objects only under those colours most likely to please them. I have +reflected, and read much; and here is what my meditations have suggested +to me to lay before Your Majesty. They have accustomed you to be +invisible, and inspired you with a timidity which prevents you from +speaking; thus all direct communication is cut off between the master and +his subjects. Shut up in the interior of your palace, you are becoming +every day like the Emperors of the East; but see, Sire, their fate! 'I +have troops,' Your Majesty will say; such, also, is their support: but, +when the only security of a King rests upon his troops; when he is only, +as one may say, a King of the soldiers, these latter feel their own +strength, and abuse it. Your finances are in the greatest disorder, and +the great majority of states have perished through this cause. A +patriotic spirit sustained the ancient states, and united all classes for +the safety of their country. In the present times, money has taken the +place of this spirit; it has become the universal lever, and you are in +want of it. A spirit of finance affects every department of the state; +it reigns triumphant at Court; all have become venal; and all distinction +of rank is broken up. Your Ministers are without genius and capacity +since the dismissal of MM. d'Argenson and de Machault. You alone cannot +judge of their incapacity, because they lay before you what has been +prepared by skilful clerks, but which they pass as their own. They +provide only for the necessity of the day, but there is no spirit of +government in their acts. The military changes that have taken place +disgust the troops, and cause the most deserving officers to resign; a +seditious flame has sprung up in the very bosom of the Parliaments; you +seek to corrupt them, and the remedy is worse than the disease. It is +introducing vice into the sanctuary of justice, and gangrene into the +vital parts of the commonwealth. Would a corrupted Parliament have +braved the fury of the League, in order to preserve the crown for the +legitimate sovereign? Forgetting the maxims of Louis XIV., who well +understood the danger of confiding the administration to noblemen, you +have chosen M. de Choiseul, and even given him three departments; which +is a much heavier burden than that which he would have to support as +Prime Minister, because the latter has only to oversee the details +executed by the Secretaries of State. The public fully appreciate this +dazzling Minister. He is nothing more than a 'petit-maitre', without +talents or information, who has a little phosphorus in his mind. There +is a thing well worthy of remark, Sire; that is, the open war carried on +against religion. Henceforward there can spring up no new sects, because +the general belief has been shaken, that no one feels inclined to occupy +himself with difference of sentiment upon some of the articles. The +Encyclopedists, under pretence of enlightening mankind, are sapping the +foundations of religion. All the different kinds of liberty are +connected; the Philosophers and the Protestants tend towards +republicanism, as well as the Jansenists. The Philosophers strike at the +root, the others lop the branches; and their efforts, without being +concerted, will one day lay the tree low. Add to these the Economists; +whose object is political liberty, as that of the others is liberty of +worship, and the Government may find itself, in twenty or thirty years, +undermined in every direction, and will then fall with a crash. If Your +Majesty, struck by this picture, but too true, should ask me for a +remedy, I should say, that it is necessary to bring back the Government +to its principles, and, above all, to lose no time in restoring order to +the state of the finances, because the embarrassments incident to a +country in a state of debt necessitate fresh taxes, which, after grinding +the people, induce them towards revolt. It is my opinion that Your +Majesty would do well to appear more among your people; to shew your +approbation of useful services, and your displeasure of errors and +prevarications, and neglect of duty: in a word, to let it be seen that +rewards and punishments, appointments and dismissals, proceed from +yourself. You will then inspire gratitude by your favours, and fear by +your reproaches; you will then be the object of immediate and personal +attachment, instead of which, everything is now referred to your +Ministers. The confidence in the King, which is habitual to your people, +is shewn by the exclamation, so common among them, 'Ah! if the King knew +it' They love to believe that the King would remedy all their evils, if +he knew of them. But, on the other hand, what sort of ideas must they +form of kings, whose duty it is to be informed of everything, and to +superintend everything, that concerns the public, but who are, +nevertheless, ignorant of everything which the discharge of their +functions requires them to know? 'Rex, roi, regere, regar, conduire'--to +rule, to conduct--these words sufficiently denote their duties. What +would be said of a father who got rid of the charge of his children as of +a burthen? + +"A time will come, Sire, when the people shall be enlightened--and that +time is probably approaching. Resume the reins of government, hold them +with a firm hand, and act, so that it cannot be said of you, 'Faeminas et +scorta volvit ammo et haec principatus praemia putat':--Sire, if I see +that my sincere advice should have produced any change, I shall continue +it, and enter into more details; if not, I shall remain silent." + +Now that I am upon the subject of anonymous letters to the King, I must +just mention that it is impossible to conceive how frequent they were. +People were extremely assiduous in telling either unpleasant truths, or +alarming lies, with a view to injure others. As an instance, I shall +transcribe one concerning Voltaire, who paid great court to Madame de +Pompadour when he was in France. This letter was written long after the +former. + +"Madame--M. de Voltaire has just dedicated his tragedy of Tancred to you; +this ought to be an offering of respect and gratitude; but it is, in +fact, an insult, and you will form the same opinion of it as the public +has done if you read it with attention. You will see that this +distinguished writer appears to betray a consciousness that the subject +of his encomiums is not worthy of them, and to endeavour to excuse +himself for them to the public. These are his words: 'I have seen your +graces and talents unfold themselves from your infancy. At all periods +of your life I have received proofs of your uniform and unchanging +kindness. If any critic be found to censure the homage I pay you, he +must have a heart formed for ingratitude. I am under great obligations +to you, Madame, and these obligations it is my duty to proclaim.' + +"What do these words really signify, unless that Voltaire feels it may be +thought extraordinary that he should dedicate his work to a woman who +possesses but a small share of the public esteem, and that the sentiment +of gratitude must plead his excuse? Why should he suppose that the +homage he pays you will be censured, whilst we daily see dedications +addressed to silly gossips who have neither rank nor celebrity, or to +women of exceptional conduct, without any censure being attracted by it?" + +M. de Marigny, and Colin, Madame de Pompadour's steward, were of the same +opinion as Quesnay, that the author of this letter was extremely +malicious; that he insulted Madame, and tried to injure Voltaire; but +that he was, in fact, right. Voltaire, from that moment, was entirely +out of favour with Madame, and with the King, and he certainly never +discovered the cause. + +The King, who admired everything of the age of Louis XIV., and +recollected that the Boileaus and Racines had been protected by that +monarch, who was indebted to them, in part, for the lustre of his reign, +was flattered at having such a man as Voltaire among his subjects. But +still he feared him, and had but little esteem for him. He could not +help saying, "Moreover, I have treated him as well as Louis XIV. treated +Racine and Boileau. I have given him, as Louis XIV. gave to Racine, some +pensions, and a place of gentleman in ordinary. It is not my fault if he +has committed absurdities, and has had the pretension to become a +chamberlain, to wear an order, and sup with a King. It is not the +fashion in France; and, as there are here a few more men of wit and +noblemen than in Prussia, it would require that I should have a very +large table to assemble them all at it." And then he reckoned upon his +fingers, Maupertuis, Fontenelle, La Mothe, Voltaire, Piron, Destouches, +Montesquieu, the Cardinal Polignac. "Your Majesty forgets," said some +one, "D'Alembert and Clairaut."--"And Crebillon," said he. "And la +Chaussee, and the younger Crebillon," said some one. "He ought to be +more agreeable than his father."--"And there are also the Abbes Prevot +and d'Olivet."--"Pretty well," said the King; "and for the last twenty +years all that (tout cela) would have dined and supped at my table." + +Madame de Pompadour repeated to me this conversation, which I wrote down +the same evening. M. de Marigny, also, talked to me about it. +"Voltaire," said he, "has always had a fancy for being Ambassador, and he +did all he could to make the people believe that he was charged with some +political mission, the first time he visited Prussia." + +The people heard of the attempt on the King's life with transports of +fury, and with the greatest distress. Their cries were heard under the +windows of Madame de Pompadour's apartment. Mobs were collected, and +Madame feared the fate of Madame de Chateauroux. Her friends came in, +every minute, to give her intelligence. Her room was, at all times, like +a church; everybody seemed to claim a right to go in and out when he +chose. Some came, under pretence of sympathising, to observe her +countenance and manner. She did nothing but weep and faint away. Doctor +Quesnay never left her, nor did I. M. de St. Florentin came to see her +several times, so did the Comptroller-General, and M. Rouilld; but M. de +Machault did not come. The Duchesse de Brancas came very frequently. The +Abbe de Bernis never left us, except to go to enquire for the King. The +tears came in his eyes whenever he looked at Madame. Doctor Quesnay saw +the King five or six times a day. "There is nothing to fear," said he to +Madame. "If it were anybody else, he might go to a ball." My son went +the next day, as he had done the day the event occurred, to see what was +going on at the Castle. He told us, on his return, that the Keeper of +the Seals was with the King. I sent him back, to see what course he took +on leaving the King. He came running back in half an hour, to tell me +that the Keeper of the Seals had gone to his own house, followed by a +crowd of people. When I told this to Madame, she burst into tears, and +said, "Is that a friend?" The Abbe de Bernis said, "You must not judge +him hastily, in such a moment as this." I returned into the drawing-room +about an hour after, when the Keeper of the Seals entered. He passed me, +with his usual cold and severe look. "How is Madame de Pompadour?" said +he. "Alas!" replied I, "as you may imagine!" He passed on to her +closet. Everybody retired, and he remained for half an hour. The Abbe +returned and Madame rang. I went into her room, the Abbe following me. +She was in tears. "I must go, my dear Abbe," said she. I made her take +some orange-flower water, in a silver goblet, for her teeth chattered. +She then told me to call her equerry. He came in, and she calmly gave +him her orders, to have everything prepared at her hotel, in Paris; to +tell all her people to get ready to go; and to desire her coachman not to +be out of the way. She then shut herself up, to confer with the Abbe de +Bernis, who left her, to go to the Council. Her door was then shut, +except to the ladies with whom she was particularly intimate, M. de +Soubise, M. de Gontaut, the Ministers, and some others. Several ladies, +in the greatest distress, came to talk to me in my room: they compared +the conduct of M. de Machault with that of M. de Richelieu, at Metz. +Madame had related to them the circumstances extremely to the honour of +the Duke, and, by contrast, the severest satire on the Keeper of the +Seals. "He thinks, or pretends to think," said she, "that the priests +will be clamorous for my dismissal; but Quesnay and all the physicians +declare that there is not the slightest danger." Madame having sent for +me, I saw the Marechale de Mirepoix coming in. While she was at the +door, she cried out, "What are all those trunks, Madame? Your people +tell me you are going."--"Alas! my dear friend, such is our Master's +desire, as M. de Machault tells me."--"And what does he advise?" said +the Marechale. "That I should go without delay." During this +conversation, I was undressing Madame, who wished to be at her ease on +her chaise-longue. "Your Beeper of the Seals wants to get the power into +his own hands, and betrays you; he who quits the field loses it." I went +out. M. de Soubise entered, then the Abbe and M. de Marigny. The +latter, who was very kind to me, came into my room an hour afterwards. I +was alone. "She will remain," said he; "but, hush!--she will make an +appearance of going, in order not to set her enemies at work. It is the +little Marechale who prevailed upon her to stay: her keeper (so she +called M. de Machault) will pay for it." Quesnay came in, and, having +heard what was said, with his monkey airs, began to relate a fable of a +fox, who, being at dinner with other beasts, persuaded one of them that +his enemies were seeking him, in order that he might get possession of +his share in his absence. I did not see Madame again till very late, at +her going to bed. She was more calm. Things improved, from day to day, +and de Machault, the faithless friend, was dismissed. The King returned +to Madame de Pompadour, as usual. I learnt, by M. de Marigny, that the +Abbe had been, one day, with M. d'Argenson, to endeavour to persuade him +to live on friendly terms with Madame, and that he had been very coldly +received. "He is the more arrogant," said he, "on account of Machault's +dismissal, which leaves the field clear for him, who has more experience, +and more talent; and I fear that he will, therefore, be disposed to +declare war till death." The next day, Madame having ordered her chaise, +I was curious to know where she was going, for she went out but little, +except to church, and to the houses of the Ministers. I was told that +she was gone to visit M. d'Argenson. She returned in an hour, at +farthest, and seemed very much out of spirits. She leaned on the +chimneypiece, with her eyes fixed on the border of it. M. de Bernis +entered. I waited for her to take off her cloak and gloves. She had her +hands in her muff. The Abbe stood looking at her for some minutes; at +last he said, "You look like a sheep in a reflecting mood." She awoke +from her reverie, and, throwing her muff on the easy-chair, replied, "It +is a wolf who makes the sheep reflect." I went out: the King entered +shortly after, and I heard Madame de Pompadour sobbing. The Abbe came +into my room, and told me to bring some Hoffman's drops: the King himself +mixed the draught with sugar, and presented it to her in the kindest +manner possible. She smiled, and kissed the King's hands. I left the +room. Two days after, very early in the morning, I heard of M. +d'Argenson's exile. It was her doing, and was, indeed, the strongest +proof of her influence that could be given. The King was much attached +to M. d'Argenson, and the war, then carrying on, both by sea and land, +rendered the dismissal of two such Ministers extremely imprudent. This +was the universal opinion at the time. + +Many people talk of the letter of the Comte d'Argenson to Madame +d'Esparbes. I give it, according to the most correct version: + +"The doubtful is, at length, decided. The Keeper of the Seals is +dismissed. You will be recalled, my dear Countess, and we shall be +masters of the field." + +It is much less generally known that Arboulin, whom Madame calls Bou-bou, +was supposed to be the person who, on the very day of the dismissal of +the Keeper of the Seals, bribed the Count's confidential courier, who +gave him this letter. Is this report founded on truth? I cannot swear +that it is; but it is asserted that the letter is written in the Count's +style. Besides, who could so immediately have invented it? It, however, +appeared certain, from the extreme displeasure of the King, that he had +some other subject of complaint against M. d'Argenson, besides his +refusing to be reconciled with Madame. Nobody dares to show the +slightest attachment to the disgraced Minister. I asked the ladies who +were most intimate with Madame de Pompadour, as well as my own friends, +what they knew of the matter; but they knew nothing. I can understand +why Madame did not let them into her confidence at that moment. She will +be less reserved in time. I care very little about it, since I see that +she is well, and appears happy. + +The King said a thing, which did him honour, to a person whose name +Madame withheld from me. A nobleman, who had been a most assiduous +courtier of the Count, said, rubbing his hands with an air of great joy, +"I have just seen the Comte d'Argenson's baggage set out." When the King +heard him, he went up to Madame, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "And +immediately the cock crew." + +"I believe this is taken from Scripture, where Peter denies Our Lord. I +confess, this circumstance gave me great pleasure. It showed that the +King is not the dupe of those around him, and that he hates treachery and +ingratitude." + + + + +ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: + +A liar ought to have a good memory +Because he is fat, he is thought dull and heavy +Danger of confiding the administration to noblemen +Do not repulse him in his fond moments +He who quits the field loses it +Money the universal lever, and you are in want of it +Offering you the spectacle of my miseries +Sentiment is more prompt, and inspires me with fear +Sworn that she had thought of nothing but you all her life +To despise money, is to despise happiness, liberty... +We look upon you as a cat, or a dog, and go on talking +When the only security of a King rests upon his troops +You tell me bad news: having packed up, I had rather go + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Memoirs of Louis XV. and XVI., +Volume 1, by Madame du Hausset, and of an Unknown English Girl and the Princess Lamballe + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOUIS XV. 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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.] + + + + + +BOOK 1. + + +MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XV. AND XVI. + +Being Secret Memoirs of Madame du Hausset, Lady's Maid to Madame +de Pompadour, and of an unknown English Girl and the Princess Lamballe + + + + + ADVERTISEMENT. + +[FROM THE LONDON MAGAZINE, NO. III. NEW SERIES P. 439.] + +We were obliged by circumstances, at one time, to read all the published +memoirs relative to the reign of Louis XV., and had the opportunity of +reading many others which may not see the light for a long time yet to +come, as their publication at present would materially militate against +the interest of the descendants of the writers; and we have no hesitation +in saying that the Memoirs of Madame du Hausset are the only perfectly +sincere ones amongst all those we know. Sometimes, Madame du Hausset +mistakes, through ignorance, but never does she wilfully mislead, like +Madame Campan, nor keep back a secret, like Madame Roland, and MM. +Bezenval and Ferreires; nor is she ever betrayed by her vanity to invent, +like the Due de Lauzun, MM. Talleyrand, Bertrand de Moleville, Marmontel, +Madame d'Epinay, etc. When Madame du Hausset is found in contradiction +with other memoirs of the same period, we should never hesitate to give +her account the preference. Whoever is desirous of accurately knowing +the reign of Louis XV. should run over the very wretched history of +Lacretelle, merely for the, dates, and afterwards read the two hundred +pages of the naive du Hausset, who, in every half page, overturns half a +dozen misstatements of this hollow rhetorician. Madame du Hausset was +often separated from the little and obscure chamber in the Palace of +Versailles, where resided the supreme power, only by a slight door or +curtain, which permitted her to hear all that was said there. She had +for a 'cher ami' the greatest practical philosopher of that period, Dr. +Quesnay, the founder of political economy. He was physician to Madame de +Pompadour, and one of the sincerest and most single-hearted of men +probably in Paris at the time. He explained to Madame du Hausset many +things that, but for his assistance, she would have witnessed without +understanding. + + + + + + INTRODUCTION. + +A friend of M. de Marigny (the brother of Madame de Pompadour) called on +him one day and found him burning papers. Taking up a large packet which +he was going to throw into the fire "This," said he, "is the journal of a +waiting-woman of my sister's. She was a very estimable person, but it is +all gossip; to the fire with it!" He stopped, and added, "Don't you +think I am a little like the curate and the barber burning Don Quixote's +romances?"--"I beg for mercy on this," said his friend. "I am fond of +anecdotes, and I shall be sure to find some here which will interest me." +"Take it, then," said M. de Marigny, and gave it him. + +The handwriting and the spelling of this journal are very bad. It +abounds in tautology and repetitions. Facts are sometimes inverted in +the order of time; but to remedy all these defects it would have been +necessary to recast the whole, which would have completely changed the +character of the work. The spelling and punctuation were, however, +corrected in the original, and some explanatory notes added. + +Madame de Pompadour had two waiting-women of good family. The one, +Madame du Hausset, who did not change her name; and another, who assumed +a name, and did not publicly announce her quality. This journal is +evidently the production of the former. + +The amours of Louis XV. were, for a long time, covered with the veil of +mystery. The public talked of the Parc-aux-Cerfs, but were acquainted +with none of its details. Louis XIV., who, in the early part of his +reign, had endeavoured to conceal his attachments, towards the close of +it gave them a publicity which in one way increased the scandal; but his +mistresses were all women of quality, entitled by their birth to be +received at Court. Nothing can better describe the spirit of the time +and the character of the Monarch than these words of Madame de Montespan: + +"He does not love me," said she, "but he thinks he owes it to his +subjects and to his own greatness to have the most beautiful woman in his +kingdom as his mistress." + + + + + + +BOOK 1. + + +SECRET MEMOIRS OF LOUIS XV., AND MEMOIRS OF MADAME DU HAUSSET. + +An early friend of mine, who married well at Paris, and who has the +reputation of being a very clever woman, has often asked me to write down +what daily passed under my notice; to please her, I made little notes, +of three or four lines each, to recall to my memory the most singular or +interesting facts; as, for instance--attempt to assassinate the King; he +orders Madame de Pompadour to leave the Court; M. de Machaudt's +ingratitude, etc.--I always promised my friend that I would, some time +or other, reduce all these materials into the form of a regular +narrative. She mentioned the "Recollections of Madame de Caylus," which +were, however, not then printed; and pressed me so much to produce a +similar work, that I have taken advantage of a few leisure moments to +write this, which I intend to give her, in order that she may arrange it +and correct the style. I was for a long time about the person of Madame +de Pompadour, and my birth procured for me respectful treatment from +herself, and from some distinguished persons who conceived a regard for +me. I soon became the intimate friend of Doctor Quesnay, who frequently +came to pass two or three hours with me. + +His house was frequented by people of all parties, but the number was +small, and restricted to those who were on terms of greatest intimacy +with him. All subjects were handled with the utmost freedom, and it is +infinitely to his honour and theirs that nothing was ever repeated. + +The Countess D----- also visited me. She was a frank and lively woman, +and much liked by Madame de Pompadour. The Baschi family paid me great +attention. M. de Marigny had received some little services from me, in +the course of the frequent quarrels between him and his sister, and he +had a great friendship for me. The King was in the constant habit of +seeing me; and an accident, which I shall have occasion to relate, +rendered him very familiar with me. He talked without any constraint +when I was in the room. During Madame de Pompadour's illness I scarcely +ever left her chamber, and passed the night there. Sometimes, though +rarely, I accompanied her in her carriage with Doctor Quesnay, to whom +she scarcely spoke a word, though he was--a man of great talents. When I +was alone with her, she talked of many affairs which nearly concerned +her, and she once said to me, "The King and I have such implicit +confidence in you, that we look upon you as a cat, or a dog, and go on +talking as if you were not there." There was a little nook, adjoining +her chamber, which has since been altered, where she knew I usually sat +when I was alone, and where I heard everything that was said in the room, +unless it was spoken in a low voice. But when the King wanted to speak +to her in private, or in the presence of any of his Ministers, he went +with her into a closet, by the side of the chamber, whither she also +retired when she had secret business with the Ministers, or with other +important persons; as, for instance, the Lieutenant of Police, the +Postmaster-General, etc. All these circumstances brought to my knowledge +a great many things which probity will neither allow me to tell or to +record. I generally wrote without order of time, so that a fact may be +related before others which preceded it. Madame de Pompadour had a great +friendship for three Ministers; the first was M. de Machault, to whom she +was indebted for the regulation of her income, and the payment of her +debts. She gave him the seals, and he retained the first place in her +regard till the attempt to assassinate the King. Many people said that +his conduct on that occasion was not attributable to bad intentions; that +he thought it his duty to obey the King without making himself in any way +a party to the affair, and that his cold manners gave him the appearance +of an indifference which he did not feel. Madame de Pompadour regarded +him in the light of a faithless friend; and, perhaps, there was some +justice on both sides. But for the Abbe de Bernis; M. de Machault might, +probably, have retained his place. + +The second Minister, whom Madame de Pompadour liked, was the Abbe de +Bernis. She was soon disgusted with him when she saw the absurdity of +his conduct. He gave a singular specimen of this on the very day of his +dismissal. He had invited a great many people of distinction to a +splendid entertainment, which was to have taken place on the very day +when he received his order of banishment, and had written in the notes of +invitation--M. Le Comte de Lusace will be there. This Count was the +brother of the Dauphine, and this mention of him was deservedly thought +impertinent. The King said, wittily enough, "Lambert and Moliere will be +there." She scarcely ever spoke of the Cardinal de Bernis after his +dismissal from the Court. + +He was extremely ridiculous, but he was a good sort of man. Madame, +the Infanta, died a little time before, and, by the way, of such a +complication of putrid and malignant diseases, that the Capuchins +who bore the body, and the men who committed it to the grave, were +overcome by the effluvia. Her papers appeared no less impure in the eyes +of the King. He discovered that the Abbe de Bernis had been intriguing +with her, and that they had deceived him, and had obtained the Cardinal's +hat by making use of his name. The King was so indignant that he was +very near refusing him the barrette. He did grant it--but just as he +would have thrown a bone to a dog. The Abbe had always the air of a +protege when he was in the company of Madame de Pompadour. She had known +him in positive distress. The Due de Choiseul was very differently +situated; his birth, his air, his manners, gave him claims to +consideration, and he far exceeded every other man in the art of +ingratiating himself with Madame de Pompadour. She looked upon him as +one of the most illustrious nobles of the Court, as the most able +Minister, and the most agreeable man. M. de Choiseul had a sister and a +wife, whom he had introduced to her, and who sedulously cultivated her +favourable sentiments towards him. From the time he was Minister, she +saw only with his eyes; he had the talent of amusing her, and his manners +to women, generally, were extremely agreeable. + +Two persons--the Lieutenant of Police and the Postmaster-General--were +very much in Madame de Pompadour's confidence; the latter, however, +became less necessary to her from the time that the King communicated to +M. de Choiseul the secret of the post-office, that is to say, the system +of opening letters and extracting matter from them: this had never been +imparted to M. d'Argenson, in spite of the high favour he enjoyed. +I have heard that M. de Choiseul abused the confidence reposed in him, +and related to his friends the ludicrous stories, and the love affairs, +contained in the letters which were broken open. The plan they pursued, +as I have heard, was very simple. Six or seven clerks of the post-office +picked out the letters they were ordered to break open, and took the +impression of the seals with a ball of quicksilver. Then they put each +letter, with the seal downwards, over a glass of hot water, which melted +the wax without injuring the paper. It was then opened, the desired +matter extracted, and it was sealed again, by means of the impression. +This is the account of the matter I have heard. The Postmaster-General +carried the extracts to the King on Sundays. He was seen coming and +going on this noble errand as openly as the Ministers. Doctor Quesnay +often, in my presence, flew in such a rage about that infamous Minister, +as he called him, that he foamed at the mouth. "I would as soon dine +with the hangman as with the Postmaster-General," said the Doctor. It +must be acknowledged that this was astonishing language to be uttered in +the apartments of the King's mistress; yet it went on for twenty years +without being talked of. "It was probity speaking with earnestness," +said M. de Marigny, "and not a mere burst of spite or malignity." + +The Duc de Gontaut was the brother-in-law and friend of M. de Choiseul, +and was assiduous in his attendance on Madame de Pompadour. The sister +of M. de Choiseul, Madame de Grammont, and his wife were equally constant +in their attentions. This will sufficiently account for the ascendency +of M. de Choiseul, whom nobody would have ventured to attack. Chance, +however, discovered to me a secret correspondence of the King, with a man +in a very obscure station. This man, who had a place in the Farmers +General, of from two to three hundred a year, was related to one of the +young ladies of the Parc-aux-cerfs, by whom he was recommended to the +King. He was also connected in some way with M. de Broglie, in whom the +King placed great confidence. Wearied with finding that this +correspondence procured him no advancement, he took the resolution of +writing to me, and requesting an interview, which I granted, after +acquainting Madame de Pompadour with the circumstance. After a great +deal of preamble and of flattery, he said to me, "Can you give me your +word of honour, and that of Madame de Pompadour, that no mention whatever +of what I am going to tell you will be made to the King?"--"I think I can +assure you that, if you require such a promise from Madame de Pompadour, +and if it can produce no ill consequence to the King's service, she will +give it you." He gave me his word that what he requested would have no +bad effect; upon which I listened to what he had to say. He shewed me +several memorials, containing accusations of M. de Choiseul, and revealed +some curious circumstances relative to the secret functions of the Comte +de Broglie. These, however, led rather to conjectures than to certainty, +as to the nature of the services he rendered to the King. Lastly, he +shewed me several letters in the King's handwriting. "I request," said +he, "that the Marquise de Pompadour will procure for me the place of +Receiver-General of Finances; I will give her information of whatever I +send the King; I will write according to her instructions, and I will +send her his answers." As I did not choose to take liberties with the +King's papers, I only undertook to deliver the memorials. Madame de +Pompadour having given me her word according to the conditions on which I +had received the communication, I revealed to her everything I had heard. +She sent the memorials to M. de Choiseul, who thought them very +maliciously and very cleverly written. Madame de Pompadour and he had a +long conference as to the reply that was to be given to the person by +whom those disclosures were made. What I was commissioned to say was +this: that the place of Receiver-General was at present too important, +and would occasion too much surprise and speculation; that it would not +do to go beyond a place worth fifteen thousand to twenty thousand francs +a year; that they had no desire to pry into the King's secrets; and that +his correspondence ought not to be communicated to any one; that this did +not apply to papers like those of which I was the bearer, which might +fall into his hands; that he would confer an obligation by communicating +them, in order that blows aimed in the dark, and directed by malignity +and imposture, might be parried. The answer was respectful and proper, +in what related to the King; it was, however, calculated to counteract +the schemes of the Comte de Broglie, by making M. de Choiseul acquainted +with his attacks, and with the nature of the weapons he employed. It was +from the Count that he received statements relating to the war and to the +navy; but he had no communication with him concerning foreign affairs, +which the Count, as it was said, transacted immediately with the King. +The Duc de Choiseul got the man who spoke to me recommended to the +Controller-General, without his appearing in the business; he had the +place which was agreed upon, and the hope of a still better, and he +entrusted to me the King's correspondence, which I told him I should not +mention to Madame de Pompadour, according to her injunctions. He sent +several memorials to M. de Choiseul, containing accusations of him, +addressed to the King. This timely information enabled him to refute +them triumphantly. + +The King was very fond of having little private correspondences, very +often unknown to Madame de Pompadour: she knew, however, of the existence +of some, for he passed part of his mornings in writing to his family, to +the King of Spain, to Cardinal Tencin, to the Abbe de Broglie, and also +to some obscure persons. "It is, doubtless, from such people as these," +said she to me, one day, "that the King learns expressions which +perfectly surprise me. For instance, he said to me yesterday, when he +saw a man pass with an old coat on, 'il y a la un habit bien examine.' +He once said to me, when he meant to express that a thing was probable, +'il y a gros'; I am told this is a saying of the common people, meaning, +'il y a gros a parier'." I took the liberty to say, "But is it not more +likely from his young ladies at the Parc, that he learns these elegant +expressions? "She laughed, and said, "You are right; 'il y a gros'." +The King, however, used these expressions designedly, and with a laugh. + +The King knew a great many anecdotes, and there were people enough who +furnished him with such as were likely to mortify the self-love of +others. One day, at Choisy, he went into a room where some people were +employed about embroidered furniture, to see how they were going on; and +looking out of the window, he saw at the end of a long avenue two men in +the Choisy uniform. "Who are those two noblemen?" said he. Madame de +Pompadour took up her glass, and said, "They are the Duc d'Aumont, and +------" "Ah!" said the King; "the Duc d'Aumont's grandfather would be +greatly astonished if he could see his grandson arm in arm with the +grandson of his valet de chambre, L------, in a dress which may be called +a patent of nobility!" He went on to tell Madame de Pompadour a long +history, to prove the truth of what he said. The King went out to +accompany her into the garden; and, soon after, Quesnay and M. de Marigny +came in. I spoke with contempt of some one who was very fond of money. +At this the Doctor laughed, and said, "I had a curious dream last night: +I was in the country of the ancient Germans; I had a large house, stacks +of corn, herds of cattle, a great number of horses, and huge barrels of +ale; but I suffered dreadfully from rheumatism, and knew not how to +manage to go to a fountain, at fifty leagues' distance, the waters of +which would cure me. I was to go among a strange people. An enchanter +appeared before me, and said to me, 'I pity your distress; here, I will +give you a little packet of the powder of "prelinpinpin"; whoever +receives a little of this from you will lodge you, feed you, and pay you +all sorts of civilities.' I took the powder, and thanked him." +"Ah!" said I, "how I should like to have some powder of prelinpinpin! I +wish I had a chest full."--"Well," said the Doctor, "that powder is +money, for which you have so great a contempt. Tell me who, of all the +men who come hither, receives the greatest attentions?"--"I do not know," +said I. "Why," said he, "it is M. de Monmartel, who comes four or five +times a year."--"Why does he enjoy so much consideration?"--"Because his +coffers are full of the powder of prelinpinpin. Everything in +existence," said he, taking a handful of Louis from his pocket, "is +contained in these little pieces of metal, which will convey you +commodiously from one end of the world to the other. All men obey those +who possess this powder, and eagerly tender them their services. To +despise money, is to despise happiness, liberty, in short, enjoyments of +every kind." A cordon bleu passed under the window. "That nobleman," +said I, "is much more delighted with his cordon bleu than he would be +with ten thousand of your pieces of metal."--"When I ask the King for a +pension," replied Quesnay, "I say to him, 'Give me the means of having a +better dinner, a warmer coat, a carriage to shelter me from the weather, +and to transport me from place to place without fatigue.' But the man +who asks him for that fine blue ribbon would say, if he had the courage +and the honesty to speak as he feels, 'I am vain, and it will give me +great satisfaction to see people look at me, as I pass, with an eye of +stupid admiration, and make way, for me; I wish, when I enter a room, to +produce an effect, and to excite the attention of those who may, perhaps, +laugh at me when I am gone; I wish to be called Monseigneur by the +multitude.' Is not all this mere empty air? In scarcely any country +will this ribbon be of the slightest use to him; it will give him no +power. My pieces of metal will give me the power of assisting the +unfortunate everywhere. Long live the omnipotent powder of +prelinpinpin!" At these last words, we heard a burst of laughter from +the adjoining room, which was only separated by a door from the one we +were in. The door opened, and in came the King, Madame de Pompadour, and +M. de Gontaut. "Long live the powder of prelinpinpin!" said the King. +"Doctor, can you get me any of it?" It happened that, when the King +returned from his walk, he was struck with a fancy to listen to our +conversation. Madame de Pompadour was extremely kind to the Doctor, and +the King went out laughing, and talking with great admiration of the +powder. I went away, and so did the Doctor. I immediately sat down to +commit this conversation to writing. I was afterwards told that M. +Quesnay was very learned in certain matters relating to finance, and that +he was a great 'economiste'. But I do not know very well what that +means. What I do know for certain is, that he was very clever, very gay +and witty, and a very able physician. + +The illness of the little Duke of Burgundy, whose intelligence was much +talked of, for a long time occupied the attention of the Court. Great +endeavours were made to find out the cause of his malady, and ill-nature +went so far as to assert that his nurse, who had an excellent situation +at Versailles, had communicated to him a nasty disease. The King shewed +Madame de Pompadour the information he had procured from the province she +came from, as to her conduct. A silly Bishop thought proper to say she +had been very licentious in her youth. The poor nurse was told of this, +and begged that he might be made to explain himself. The Bishop replied, +that she had been at several balls in the town in which she lived, and +that she had gone with her neck uncovered. The poor man actually thought +this the height of licentiousness. The King, who had been at first +uneasy, when he came to this, called out, "What a fool!" After having +long been a source of anxiety to the Court, the Duke died. Nothing +produces a stronger impression upon Princes, than the spectacle of their +equals dying. Everybody is occupied about them while ill--but as soon as +they are dead, nobody mentions them. The King frequently talked about +death--and about funerals, and places of burial. Nobody could be of a +more melancholy temperament. Madame de Pompadour once told me that he +experienced a painful sensation whenever he was forced to laugh, and that +he had often begged her to break off a droll story. He smiled, and that +was all. In general, he had the most gloomy ideas concerning almost all +events. When there was a new Minister, he used to say, "He displays his +wares like all the rest, and promises the finest things in the world, not +one of which will be fulfilled. He does not know this country--he will +see." When new projects for reinforcing the navy were laid before him, +he said, "This is the twentieth time I have heard this talked of--France +never will have a navy, I think." This I heard from M. de Marigny. + +I never saw Madame de Pompadour so rejoiced as at the taking of Mahon. +The King was very glad, too, but he had no belief in the merit of his +courtiers--he looked upon their success as the effect of chance. +Marechal Saxe was, as I have been told, the only man who inspired him +with great esteem. But he had scarcely ever seen him in his closet, or +playing the courtier. + +M. d'Argenson picked a quarrel with M. de Richelieu, after his victory, +about his return to Paris. This was intended to prevent his coming to +enjoy his triumph. He tried to throw the thing upon Madame de Pompadour, +who was enthusiastic about him, and called him by no other name than the +"Minorcan." The Chevalier de Montaign was the favourite of the Dauphin, +and much beloved by him for his great devotion. He fell ill, and +underwent an operation called 'l'empieme', which is performed by making +an incision between the ribs, in order to let out the pus; it had, to all +appearance, a favourable result, but the patient grew worse, and could +not breathe. His medical attendants could not conceive what occasioned +this accident and retarded his cure. He died almost in the arms of the +Dauphin, who went every day to see him. The singularity of his disease +determined the surgeons to open the body, and they found, in his chest, +part of the leaden syringe with which decoctions had, as was usual, been +injected into the part in a state of suppuration. The surgeon, who +committed this act of negligence, took care not to boast of his feat, +and his patient was the victim. This incident was much talked of by the +King, who related it, I believe, not less than thirty times, according to +his custom; but what occasioned still more conversation about the +Chevalier de Montaign, was a box, found by his bed's side, containing +haircloths, and shirts, and whips, stained with blood. This circumstance +was spoken of one evening at supper, at Madame de Pompadour's, and not +one of the guests seemed at all tempted to imitate the Chevalier. Eight +or ten days afterwards, the following tale was sent to the King, to +Madame de Pompadour, to the Baschi, and to the Duc d'Ayen. At first +nobody could understand to what it referred: at last, the Duc d'Ayen +exclaimed, "How stupid we are; this is a joke on the austerities of the +Chevalier de Montaign!" This appeared clear enough--so much the more so, +as the copies were sent to the Dauphin, the Dauphine, the Abbe de St. +Cyr, and to the Duc de V---. The latter had the character of a pretender +to devotion, and, in his copy, there was this addition, "You would not be +such a fool, my dear Duke, as to be a 'faquir'--confess that you would be +very glad to be one of those good monks who lead such a jolly life." +The Duc de Richelieu was suspected of having employed one of his wits to +write the story. The King was scandalised at it, and ordered the +Lieutenant of Police to endeavour to find out the author, but either he +could not succeed or he would not betray him. + + + Japanese Tale. + +At a distance of three leagues from the capital of Japan, there is a +temple celebrated for the concourse of persons, of both sexes, and of all +ranks, who crowd thither to worship an idol believed to work miracles. +Three hundred men consecrated to the service of religion, and who can +give proofs of ancient and illustrious descent, serve this temple, and +present to the idol the offerings which are brought from all the +provinces of the empire. They inhabit a vast and magnificent edifice, +belonging to the temple, and surrounded with gardens where art has +combined with nature to produce enchantment. I obtained permission to +see the temple, and to walk in the gardens. A monk advanced in years, +but still full of vigour and vivacity, accompanied me. I saw several +others, of different ages, who were walking there. But what surprised me +was to see a great many of them amusing themselves by various agreeable +and sportive games with young girls elegantly dressed, listening to their +songs, and joining in their dances. The monk, who accompanied me, +listened with great civility and kindness to the questions I put to him +concerning his order. The following is the sum of his answers to my +numerous interrogations. The God Faraki, whom we worship, is so called +from a word which signifies the fabricator. He made all that we behold-- +the earth, the stars, the sun, etc. He has endowed men with senses, +which are so many sources of pleasure, and we think the only way of +shewing our gratitude is to use them. This opinion will, doubtless, +appear to you much more rational than that of the faquirs of India, +who pass their lives in thwarting nature, and who inflict upon themselves +the most melancholy privations and the most severe sufferings. + +As soon as the sun rises, we repair to the mountain you see before us, at +the foot of which flows a stream of the most limpid water, which meanders +in graceful windings through that meadow-enamelled with the loveliest +flowers. We gather the most fragrant of them, which we carry and lay +upon the altar, together with various fruits, which we receive from the +bounty of Faraki. We then sing his praises, and execute dances +expressive of our thankfulness, and of all the enjoyments we owe to this +beneficent deity. The highest of these is that which love produces, and +we testify our ardent gratitude by the manner in which we avail ourselves +of this inestimable gift of Faraki. Having left the temple, we go into +several shady thickets, where we take a light repast; after which, each +of us employs himself in some unoppressive labour. Some embroider, +others apply themselves to painting, others cultivate flowers or fruits, +others turn little implements for our use. Many of these little works +are sold to the people, who purchase them with eagerness. The money +arising from this sale forms a considerable part of our revenue. Our +morning is thus devoted to the worship of God and to the exercise of the +sense of Sight, which begins with the first rays of the sun. The sense +of Taste is gratified by our dinner, and we add to it the pleasure of +Smell. The most delicious viands are spread for us in apartments strewed +with flowers. The table is adorned with them, and the most exquisite +wines are handed to us in crystal goblets. When we have glorified God, +by the agreeable use of the palate, and the olfactory nerve, we enjoy a +delightful sleep of two hours, in bowers of orange trees, roses, and +myrtles. Having acquired a fresh store of strength and spirits, we +return to our occupations, that we may thus mingle labour with pleasure, +which would lose its zest by long continuance. After our work, we return +to the temple, to thank God, and to offer him incense. From thence we go +to the most delightful part of the garden, where we find three hundred +young girls, some of whom form lively dances with the younger of our +monks; the others execute serious dances, which require neither strength +nor agility, and which only keep time to the sound of musical +instruments. + +We talk and laugh with our companions, who are dressed in a light gauze, +and whose tresses are adorned with flowers; we press them to partake of +exquisite sherbets, differently prepared. The hour of supper being +arrived, we repair to rooms illuminated with the lustre of a thousand +tapers fragrant with amber. The supper-room is surrounded by three vast +galleries, in which are placed musicians, whose various instruments fill +the mind with the most pleasurable and the softest emotions. The young +girls are seated at table with us, and, towards the conclusion of the +repast, they sing songs, which are hymns in honour of the God who has +endowed us with senses which shed such a charm over existence, and which +promise us new pleasure from every fresh exercise of them. After the +repast is ended, we return to the dance, and, when the hour of repose +arrives, we draw from a kind of lottery, in which every one is sure of a +prize; that is, a young girl as his companion for the night. They are +allotted thus by chance, in order to avoid jealousy, and to prevent +exclusive attachments. Thus ends the day, and gives place to a night of +delights, which we sanctify by enjoying with due relish that sweetest of +all pleasures, which Faraki has so wisely attached to the reproduction of +our species. We reverently admire the wisdom and the goodness of Faraki, +who, desiring to secure to the world a continued population, has +implanted in the sexes an invincible mutual attraction, which constantly +draws them towards each other. Fecundity is the end he proposes, and he +rewards with intoxicating delights those who contribute to the fulfilment +of his designs. What should we say to the favourite of a King from whom +he had received a beautiful house, and fine estates, and who chose to +spoil the house, to let it fall in ruins, to abandon the cultivation of +the land, and let it become sterile, and covered with thorns? Such is +the conduct of the faquirs of India, who condemn themselves to the most +melancholy privations, and to the most severe sufferings. Is not this +insulting Faraki? Is it not saying to him, I despise your gifts? Is it +not misrepresenting him and saying, You are malevolent and cruel, and +I know that I can no otherwise please you than by offering you the +spectacle of my miseries? "I am told," added he, "that you have, in your +country, faquirs not less insane, not less cruel to themselves." +I thought, with some reason, that he meant the fathers of La Trappe. +The recital of the matter afforded me much matter for reflection, and +I admired how strange are the systems to which perverted reason gives +birth. + + +The Duc de V----- was a nobleman of high rank and great wealth. He said +to the King one evening at supper, "Your Majesty does me the favour to +treat me with great kindness: I should be inconsolable if I had the +misfortune to fall under your displeasure. If such a calamity were to +befall me, I should endeavour to divert my grief by improving some +beautiful estates of mine in such and such a province;" and he thereupon +gave a description of three or four fine seats. About a month after, +talking of the disgrace of a Minister, he said, "I hope your Majesty will +not withdraw your favour from me; but if I had the misfortune to lose it, +I should be more to be pitied than anybody, for I have no asylum in which +to hide my head." All those present, who had heard the description of +the beautiful country houses, looked at each other and laughed. The King +said to Madame de Pompadour, who sat next to him at table, "People are +very right in saying that a liar ought to have a good memory." + +An event, which made me tremble, as well as Madame, procured me the +familiarity of the King. In the middle of the night, Madame came into my +chamber, en chemise, and in a state of distraction. "Here! Here!" said +she, "the King is dying." My alarm may be easily imagined. I put on a +petticoat, and found the King in her bed, panting. What was to be done? +--it was an indigestion. We threw water upon him, and he came to +himself. I made him swallow some Hoffman's drops, and he said to me, +"Do not make any noise, but go to Quesnay; say that your mistress is ill; +and tell the Doctor's servants to say nothing about it." Quesnay, who +lodged close by, came immediately, and was much astonished to see the +King in that state. He felt his pulse, and said, "The crisis is over; +but, if the King were sixty years old, this might have been serious." +He went to seek some drug, and, on his return, set about inundating the +King with perfumed water. I forget the name of the medicine he made him +take, but the effect was wonderful. I believe it was the drops of +General Lamotte. I called up one of the girls of the wardrobe to make +tea, as if for myself. The King took three cups, put on his robe de +chambre and his stockings, and went to his own room, leaning upon the +Doctor. What a sight it was to see us all three half naked! Madame put +on a robe as soon as possible, and I did the same, and the King changed +his clothes behind the curtains, which were very decently closed. He +afterwards spoke of this short attack, and expressed his sense of the +attentions shown him. An hour after, I felt the greatest possible terror +in thinking that the King might have died in our hands. Happily, he +quickly recovered himself, and none of the domestics perceived what had +taken place. I merely told the girl of the wardrobe to put everything to +rights, and she thought it was Madame who had been indisposed. The King, +the next morning, gave secretly to Quesnay a little note for Madame, in +which he said, 'Ma chere amie' must have had a great fright, but let her +reassure herself--I am now well, which the Doctor will certify to you. +From that moment the King became accustomed to me, and, touched by the +interest I had shown for him, he often gave me one of his peculiarly +gracious glances, and made me little presents, and, on every New Year's +Day, sent me porcelain to the amount of twenty louis d'or. He told +Madame that he looked upon me in the apartment as a picture or statue, +and never put any constraint upon himself on account of my presence. +Doctor Quesnay received a pension of a thousand crowns for his attention +and silence, and the promise of a place for his son. The King gave me an +order upon the Treasury for four thousand francs, and Madame had +presented to her a very handsome chiming-clock and the King's portrait in +a snuffbox. + +The King was habitually melancholy, and liked everything which recalled +the idea of death, in spite of the strongest fears of it. Of this, the +following is an instance: Madame de Pompadour was on her way to Crecy, +when one of the King's grooms made a sign to her coachman to stop, and +told him that the King's carriage had broken down, and that, knowing her +to be at no great distance, His Majesty had sent him forward to beg her +to wait for him. He soon overtook us, and seated himself in Madame de +Pompadour's carriage, in which were, I think, Madame de Chateau-Renaud, +and Madame de Mirepoix. The lords in attendance placed themselves in +some other carriages. I was behind, in a chaise, with Gourbillon, Madame +de Pompadour's valet de chambre. We were surprised in a short time by +the King stopping his carriage. Those which followed, of course stopped +also. The King called a groom, and said to him, "You see that little +eminence; there are crosses; it must certainly be a burying-ground; go +and see whether there are any graves newly dug." The groom galloped up +to it, returned, and said to the King, "There are three quite freshly +made." Madame de Pompadour, as she told me, turned away her head with +horror; and the little Marechale + + [The Marechale de Mirepois died at Brussels in 1791, at a very + advanced age, but preserving her wit and gaiety to the last. The + day of her death, after she had received the Sacrament, the + physician told her that he thought her a good deal better. She + replied, "You tell me bad news: having packed up, I had rather go." + She was sister of the Prince de Beauveau. The Prince de Ligne says, + in one of his printed letters: "She had that enchanting talent which + supplies the means of pleasing everybody. You would have sworn that + she had thought of nothing but you all her life."--En.] + +gaily said, "This is indeed enough to make one's mouth water." Madame de +Pompadour spoke of it when I was undressing her in the evening. "What a +strange pleasure," said she, "to endeavour to fill one's mind with images +which one ought to endeavour to banish, especially when one is surrounded +by so many sources of happiness! But that is the King's way; he loves to +talk about death. He said, some days ago, to M. de Fontanieu, who was, +seized with a bleeding at the nose, at the levee: 'Take care of yourself; +at your age it is a forerunner of apoplexy.' The poor man went home +frightened, and absolutely ill." + +I never saw the King so agitated as during the illness of the Dauphin. +The physicians came incessantly to the apartments of Madame de Pompadour, +where the King interrogated them. There was one from Paris, a very odd +man, called Pousse, who once said to him, "You are a good papa; I like +you for that. But you know we are all your children, and share your +distress. Take courage, however; your son will recover." Everybody's +eyes were upon the Duc d'Orleans, who knew not how to look. He would +have become heir to the crown, the Queen being past the age to have +children. Madame de ----- said to me, one day, when I was expressing my +surprise at the King's grief, "It would annoy him beyond measure to have +a Prince of the blood heir apparent. He does not like them, and looks +upon their relationship to him as so remote, that he would feel +humiliated by it." And, in fact, when his son recovered, he said, "The +King of Spain would have had a fine chance." It was thought that he was +right in this, and that it would have been agreeable to justice; but +that, if the Duc d'Orleans had been supported by a party, he might have +supported his pretensions to the crown. It was, doubtless, to remove +this impression that he gave a magnificent fete at St. Cloud on the +occasion of the Dauphin's recovery. Madame de Pompadour said to Madame +de Brancas, speaking of this fete, "He wishes to make us forget the +chateau en Espagne he has been dreaming of; in Spain, however, they build +them of solider materials." The people did not shew so much joy at the +Dauphin's recovery. They looked upon him as a devotee, who did nothing +but sing psalms. They loved the Duc d'Orleans, who lived in the capital, +and had acquired the name of the King of Paris. These sentiments were +not just; the Dauphin only sang psalms when imitating the tones of one of +the choristers of the chapel. The people afterwards acknowledged their +error, and did justice to his virtues. The Duc d'Orleans paid the most +assiduous court to Madame de Pompadour: the Duchess, on the contrary, +detested her. It is possible that words were put into the Duchess's +mouth which she never uttered; but she, certainly, often said most +cutting things. The King would have sent her into exile, had he listened +only to his resentment; but he feared the eclat of such a proceeding, and +he knew that she would only be the more malicious. The Duc d'Orleans +was, just then, extremely jealous of the Comte de Melfort; and the +Lieutenant of Police told the King he had strong reasons for believing +that the Duke would stick at nothing to rid himself of this gallant, and +that he thought it his duty to give the Count notice, that he ought to be +upon his guard. The King said, "He would not dare to attempt any such +violence as you seem to apprehend; but there is a better way: let him try +to surprise them, and he will find me very well inclined to have his +cursed wife shut up; but if he got rid of this lover, she would have +another to-morrow. + +"Nay, she has others at this moment; for instance, the Chevalier de +Colbert, and the Comte de l'Aigle." Madame de Pompadour, however, told +me these two last affairs were not certain. + +An adventure happened about the same time, which the Lieutenant of Police +reported to the King. The Duchesse d'Orleans had amused herself one +evening, about eight o'clock, with ogling a handsome young Dutchman, whom +she took a fancy to, from a window of the Palais Royal. The young man, +taking her for a woman of the town, wanted to make short work, at which +she was very much shocked. She called a Swiss, and made herself known. +The stranger was arrested; but he defended himself by affirming that she +had talked very loosely to him. He was dismissed, and the Duc d'Orleans +gave his wife a severe reprimand. + +The King (who hated her so much that he spoke of her without the +slightest restraint) one day said to Madame de Pompadour, in my presence, +"Her mother knew what she was, for, before her marriage, she never +suffered her to say more than yes and no. Do you know her joke on the +nomination of Moras? She sent to congratulate him upon it: two minutes +after, she called back the messenger she had sent, and said, before +everybody present, 'Before you speak to him, ask the Swiss if he still +has the place.'" Madame de Pompadour was not vindictive, and, in spite +of the malicious speeches of the Duchesse d'Orleans, she tried to excuse +her conduct. "Almost all women," she said, "have lovers; she has not all +that are imputed to her: but her free manners, and her conversation, +which is beyond all bounds, have brought her into general disrepute." + +My companion came into my room the other day, quite delighted. She had +been with M. de Chenevieres, first Clerk in the War-office, and a +constant correspondent of Voltaire, whom she looks upon as a god. She +was, by the bye, put into a great rage one day, lately, by a print-seller +in the street, who was crying, "Here is Voltaire, the famous Prussian; +here you see him, with a great bear-skin cap, to keep him from the cold! +Here is the famous Prussian, for six sous!"--"What a profanation!" said +she. To return to my story: M. de Chenevieres had shewn her some letters +from Voltaire, and M. Marmontel had read an 'Epistle to his Library'. + +M. Quesnay came in for a moment; she told him all this: and, as he did +not appear to take any great interest in it, she asked him if he did not +admire great poets. "Oh, yes; just as I admire great bilboquet players," +said he, in that tone of his, which rendered everything he said +diverting. "I have written some verses, however," said he, "and I will +repeat them to you; they are upon a certain M. Rodot, an Intendant of the +Marine, who was very fond of abusing medicine and medical men. I made +these verses to revenge AEsculapius and Hippocrates. + +"What do you say to them?" said the Doctor. My companion thought them +very pretty, and the Doctor gave me them in his handwriting, begging me, +at the same time, not to give any copies. + +Madame de Pompadour joked my companion about her 'bel-esprit', but +sometimes she reposed confidence in her. Knowing that she was often +writing, she said to her, "You are writing a novel, which will appear +some day or other; or, perhaps, the age of Louis XV.: I beg you to treat +me well." I have no reason to complain of her. It signifies very little +to me that she can talk more learnedly than I can about prose and verse. + +She never told me her real name; but one day I was malicious enough to +say to her, "Some one was maintaining, yesterday, that the family of +Madame de Mar---- was of more importance than many of good extraction. +They say it is the first in Cadiz. She had very honourable alliances, +and yet she has thought it no degradation to be governess to Madame de +Pompadour's daughter. One day you will see her sons or her nephews +Farmers General, and her granddaughters married to Dukes." I had +remarked that Madame de Pompadour for some days had taken chocolate, +'a triple vanille et ambre', at her breakfast; and that she ate truffles +and celery soup: finding her in a very heated state, I one day +remonstrated with her about her diet, to which she paid no attention. +I then thought it right to speak to her friend, the Duchesse de Brancas. +"I had remarked the same thing," said she, "and I will speak to her about +it before you." After she was dressed, Madame de Brancas, accordingly, +told her she was uneasy about her health. "I have just been talking to +her about it," said the Duchess, pointing to me, "and she is of my +opinion." Madame de Pompadour seemed a little displeased; at last, she +burst into tears. I immediately went out, shut the door, and returned to +my place to listen. "My dear friend," she said to Madame de Brancas, +"I am agitated by the fear of losing the King's heart by ceasing to be +attractive to him. Men, you know, set great value on certain things, and +I have the misfortune to be of a very cold temperament. I, therefore, +determined to adopt a heating diet, in order to remedy this defect, and +for two days this elixir has been of great service to me, or, at least, I +have thought I felt its good effects." + +The Duchesse de Brancas took the phial which was upon the toilet, and +after having smelt at it, "Fie!" said she, and threw it into the fire. +Madame de Pompadour scolded her, and said, "I don't like to be treated +like a child." She wept again, and said, "You don't know what happened +to me a week ago. The King, under pretext of the heat of the weather, +lay down upon my sofa, and passed half the night there. He will take a +disgust to me and have another mistress."--"You will not avoid that," +replied the Duchess, "by following your new diet, and that diet will kill +you; render your company more and more precious to the King by your +gentleness: do not repulse him in his fond moments, and let time do the +rest; the chains of habit will bind him to you for ever." They then +embraced; Madame de Pompadour recommended secrecy to Madame de Brancas, +and the diet was abandoned. + +A little while after, she said to me, "Our master is better pleased with +me. This is since I spoke to Quesnay, without, however, telling him all. +He told me, that to accomplish my end, I must try to be in good health, +to digest well, and, for that purpose, take exercise. I think the Doctor +is right. I feel quite a different creature. I adore that man (the +King), I wish so earnestly to be agreeable to him! But, alas! sometimes +he says I am a macreuse (a cold-blooded aquatic bird). I would give my +life to please him." + +One day, the King came in very much heated. I withdrew to my post, where +I listened. "What is the matter?" said Madame de Pompadour. "The long +robes and the clergy," replied he, "are always at drawn daggers, they +distract me by their quarrels. But I detest the long robes the most. +My clergy, on the whole, is attached and faithful to me; the others want +to keep me in a state of tutelage."--"Firmness," said Madame de +Pompadour, "is the only thing that can subdue them."--"Robert Saint +Vincent is an incendiary, whom I wish I could banish, but that would make +a terrible tumult. On the other hand, the Archbishop is an iron-hearted +fellow, who tries to pick quarrels. Happily, there are some in the +Parliament upon whom I can rely, and who affect to be very violent, +but can be softened upon occasion. It costs me a few abbeys, and a few +secret pensions, to accomplish this. There is a certain V--- who serves +me very well, while he appears to be furious on the other side."--"I can +tell you some news of him, Sire," said Madame de Pompadour. "He wrote to +me yesterday, pretending that he is related to me, and begging for an +interview."--"Well," said the King, "let him come. See him; and if he +behaves well, we shall have a pretext for giving him something." M. de +Gontaut came in, and seeing that they were talking seriously, said +nothing. The King walked about in an agitated manner, and suddenly +exclaimed, "The Regent was very wrong in restoring to them the right of +remonstrating; they will end in ruining the State."--"All, Sire," said M. +de Gontaut, "it is too strong to be shaken by a set of petty justices." +"You don't know what they do, nor what they think. They are an assembly +of republicans; however, here is enough of the subject. Things will last +as they are as long as I shall. Talk about this on Sunday, Madame, with +M. Berrien." Madame d'Amblimont and Madame d'Esparbes came in. +"Ah! here come my kittens," said Madame de Pompadour; "all that we are +about is Greek to them; but their gaiety restores my tranquility, and +enables me to attend again to serious affairs. You, Sire, have the chase +to divert you--they answer the same purpose to me." The King then began +to talk about his morning's sport, and Lansmatte. + + [See the "Memoirs of Madame Campan," vol. iii., p. 24. Many + traits of original and amusing bluntness are related of Lansmatte, + one of the King's grooms.] + +It was necessary to let the King go on upon these subjects, and even, +sometimes, to hear the same story three or four times over, if new +persons came into the room. Madame de Pompadour never betrayed the least +ennui. She even sometimes persuaded him to begin his story anew. + +I one day said to her, "It appears to me, Madame, that you are fonder +than ever of the Comtesse d'Amblimont."--"I have reason to be so," said +she. "She is unique, I think, for her fidelity to her friends, and for +her honour. Listen, but tell nobody--four days ago, the King, passing +her to go to supper, approached her, under the pretence of tickling her, +and tried to slip a note into her hand. D'Amblimont, in her madcap way, +put her hands behind her back, and the King was obliged to pick up the +note, which had fallen on the ground. Gontaut was the only person who +saw all this, and, after supper, he went up to the little lady, and said, +'You are an excellent friend.'--'I did my duty,' said she, and +immediately put her finger on her lips to enjoin him to be silent. +He, however, informed me of this act of friendship of the little heroine, +who had not told me of it herself." I admired the Countess's virtue, and +Madame de Pompadour said, "She is giddy and headlong; but she has more +sense and more feeling than a thousand prudes and devotees. D'Esparbes +would not do as much most likely she would meet him more than half-way. +The King appeared disconcerted, but he still pays her great attentions." +--"You will, doubtless, Madame," said I, "show your sense of such +admirable conduct."--"You need not doubt it," said she, "but I don't wish +her to think that I am informed of it." The King, prompted either by the +remains of his liking, or from the suggestions of Madame de Pompadour, +one morning went to call on Madame d'Amblimont, at Choisy, and threw +round her neck a collar of diamonds and emeralds, worth between fifty +thousand and seventy-five thousand francs. This happened a long time +after the circumstance I have just related. + +There was a large sofa in a little room adjoining Madame de Pompadour's, +upon which I often reposed. + +One evening, towards midnight, a bat flew into the apartment where the +Court was; the King immediately cried out, "Where is General Crillon?" +(He had just left the room.) "He is the General to command against the +bats." This set everybody calling out, "Ou etais tu, Crillon?" M. de +Crillon soon after came in, and was told where the enemy was. He +immediately threw off his coat, drew his sword, and commenced an attack +upon the bat, which flew into the closet where I was fast asleep. I +started out of sleep at the noise, and saw the King and all the company +around me. This furnished amusement for the rest of the evening. M. de +Crillon was a very excellent and agreeable man, but he had the fault of +indulging in buffooneries of this kind, which, however, were the result +of his natural gaiety, and not of any subserviency of character. Such, +however, was not the case with another exalted nobleman, a Knight of the +Golden Fleece, whom Madame saw one day shaking hands with her valet de +chambre. As he was one of the vainest men at Court, Madame could not +refrain from telling the circumstance to the King; and, as he had no +employment at Court, the King scarcely ever after named him on the Supper +List. + +I had a cousin at Saint Cyr, who was married. She was greatly distressed +at having a relation waiting woman to Madame de Pompadour, and often +treated me in the most mortifying manner. Madame knew this from Colin, +her steward, and spoke of it to the King. "I am not surprised at it," +said he; "this is a specimen of the silly women of Saint Cyr. Madame de +Maintenon had excellent intentions, but she made a great mistake. These +girls are brought up in such a manner, that, unless they are all made +ladies of the palace, they are unhappy and impertinent." + +Some time after, this relation of mine was at my house. Colin, who knew +her, though she did not know him, came in. He said to me, "Do you know +that the Prince de Chimay has made a violent attack upon the Chevalier +d'Henin for being equerry to the Marquise." At these words, my cousin +looked very much astonished, and said, "Was he not right?"--"I don't mean +to enter into that question," said Colin--"but only to repeat his words, +which were these: 'If you were only a man of moderately good family and +poor, I should not blame you, knowing, as I do, that there are hundreds +such, who would quarrel for your place, as young ladies of family would, +to be about your mistress. But, recollect, that your relations are +princes of the Empire, and that you bear their name."--"What, sir," said +my relation, "the Marquise's equerry of a princely house?"--"Of the house +of Chimay," said he; "they take the name of Alsace "--witness the +Cardinal of that name. Colin went out delighted at what he had said. + +"I cannot get over my surprise at what I have heard," said my relation. +"It is, nevertheless, very true," replied I; "you may see the Chevalier +d'Henin (that is the family name of the Princes de Chimay), with the +cloak of Madame upon his arm, and walking alongside her sedan-chair, in +order that he may be ready, on her getting in, to cover her shoulders +with her cloak, and then remain in the antechamber, if there is no other +room, till her return." + +From that time, my cousin let me alone; nay, she even applied to me to +get a company of horse for her husband, who was very loath to come and +thank me. His wife wished him to thank Madame de Pompadour; but the fear +he had lest she should tell him, that it was in consideration of his +relationship to her waiting-woman that he commanded fifty horse, +prevented him. It was, however, a most surprising thing that a man +belonging to the house of Chimay should be in the service of any lady +whatever; and, the commander of Alsace returned from Malta on purpose to +get him out of Madame de Pompadour's household. He got him a pension of +a hundred louis from his family, and the Marquise gave him a company of +horse. The Chevalier d'Henin had been page to the Marechal de +Luxembourg, and one can hardly imagine how he could have put his relation +in such a situation; for, generally speaking, all great houses keep up +the consequence of their members. M. de Machault, the Keeper of the +Seals, had, at the same time, as equerry, a Knight of St. Louis, and a +man of family--the Chevalier de Peribuse--who carried his portfolio, and +walked by the side of the chair. + +Whether it was from ambition, or from tenderness, Madame de Pompadour had +a regard for her daughter,--[The daughter of Madame de Pompadour and her +husband, M. d'Atioles. She was called Alexandrine.]--which seemed to +proceed from the bottom of her heart. She was brought up like a +Princess, and, like persons of that rank, was called by her Christian +name alone. The first persons at Court had an eye to this alliance, but +her mother had, perhaps, a better project. The King had a son by Madame +de Vintimille, who resembled him in face, gesture, and manners. He was +called the Comte du -----. Madame de Pompadour had him brought: to +Bellevue. Colin, her steward, was employed to find means to persuade his +tutor to bring him thither. They took some refreshment at the house of +the Swiss, and the Marquise, in the course of her walk, appeared to meet +them by accident. She asked the name of the child, and admired his +beauty. Her daughter came up at the same moment, and Madame de Pompadour +led them into a part of the garden where she knew the King would come. +He did come, and asked the child's name. He was told, and looked +embarrassed when Madame, pointing to them, said they would be a beautiful +couple. The King played with the girl, without appearing to take any +notice of the boy, who, while he was eating some figs and cakes which +were brought, his attitudes and gestures were so like those of the King, +that Madame de Pompadour was in the utmost astonishment. "Ah!" said she, +"Sire, look at --------." --"At what?" said he. "Nothing," replied +Madame, "except that one would think one saw his father." + +"I did not know," said the King, smiling, "that you were so intimately +acquainted with the Comte du L------ ."--"You ought to embrace him," said +she, "he is very handsome."--"I will begin, then, with the young lady," +said the King, and embraced them in a cold, constrained manner. I was +present, having joined Mademoiselle's governess. I remarked to Madame, +in the evening, that the King had not appeared very cordial in his +caresses. "That is his way," said she; "but do not those children appear +made for each other? If it was Louis XIV., he would make a Duc du Maine +of the little boy; I do not ask so much; but a place and a dukedom for +his son is very little; and it is because he is his son that I prefer him +to all the little Dukes of the Court. My grandchildren would blend the +resemblance of their grandfather and grandmother; and this combination, +which I hope to live to see, would, one day, be my greatest delight." +The tears came into her eyes as she spoke. Alas! alas! only six months +elapsed, when her darling daughter, the hope of her advanced years, the +object of her fondest wishes, died suddenly. Madame de Pompadour was +inconsolable, and I must do M. de Marigny the justice to say that he was +deeply afflicted. His niece was beautiful as an angel, and destined to +the highest fortunes, and I always thought that he had formed the design +of marrying her. A dukedom would have given him rank; and that, joined +to his place, and to the wealth which she would have had from her mother, +would have made him a man of great importance. The difference of age was +not sufficient to be a great obstacle. People, as usual, said the young +lady was poisoned; for the unexpected death of persons who command a +large portion of public attention always gives birth to these rumours. +The King shewed great regret, but more for the grief of Madame than on +account of the loss itself, though he had often caressed the child, and +loaded her with presents. I owe it, also, to justice, to say that M. de +Marigny, the heir of all Madame de Pompadour's fortune, after the death +of her daughter, evinced the sincerest and deepest regret every time she +was seriously ill. She, soon after, began to lay plans for his +establishment. Several young ladies of the highest birth were thought +of; and, perhaps, he would have been made a Duke, but his turn of mind +indisposed him for schemes either of marriage or ambition. Ten times he +might have been made Prime Minister, yet he never aspired to it. "That +is a man," said Quesnay to me, one day, "who is very little known; nobody +talks of his talents or acquirements, nor of his zealous and efficient +patronage of the arts: no man, since Colbert, has done so much in his +situation: he is, moreover, an extremely honourable man, but people will +not see in him anything but the brother of the favourite; and, because he +is fat, he is thought dull and heavy." This was all perfectly true. +M. de Marigny had travelled in Italy with very able artists, and had +acquired taste, and much more information than any of his predecessors +had possessed. As for the heaviness of his air, it only came upon him +when he grew fat; before that, he had a delightful face. He was then as +handsome as his sister. He paid court to nobody, had no vanity, and +confined himself to the society of persons with whom he was at his ease. +He went rather more into company at Court after the King had taken him to +ride with him in his carriage, thinking it then his duty to shew himself +among the courtiers. + +Madame called me, one day, into her closet, where the King was walking up +and down in a very serious mood. "You must," said she, "pass some days +in a house in the Avenue de St. Cloud, whither I shall send you. You +will there find a young lady about to lie in." The King said nothing, +and I was mute from astonishment. "You will be mistress of the house, +and preside, like one of the fabulous goddesses, at the accouchement. +Your presence is necessary, in order that everything may pass secretly, +and according to the King's wish. You will be present at the baptism, +and name the father and mother." The King began to laugh, and said, "The +father is a very honest man;" Madame added, "beloved by every one, and +adored by those who know him." Madame then took from a little cupboard a +small box, and drew from it an aigrette of diamonds, at the same time +saying to the King, "I have my reasons for it not being handsomer."-- +"It is but too much so," said the King; "how kind you are;" and he then +embraced Madame, who wept with emotion, and, putting her hand upon the +King's heart, said, "This is what I wish to secure." The King's eyes +then filled with tears, and I also began weeping, without knowing why. +Afterwards, the King said, "Guimard will call upon you every day, to +assist you with his advice, and at the critical moment you will send for +him. You will say that you expect the sponsors, and a moment after you +will pretend to have received a letter, stating that they cannot come. +You will, of course, affect to be very much embarrassed; and Guimard will +then say that there is nothing for it but to take the first comers. You +will then appoint as godfather and godmother some beggar, or chairman, +and the servant girl of the house, and to whom you will give but twelve +francs, in order not to attract attention."--"A louis," added Madame, +"to obviate anything singular, on the other hand."--"It is you who make +me economical, under certain circumstances," said the King. "Do you +remember the driver of the fiacre? I wanted to give him a LOUIS, and Duc +d'Ayen said, 'You will be known;' so that I gave him a crown." He was +going to tell the whole story. Madame made a sign to him to be silent, +which he obeyed, not without considerable reluctance. She afterwards +told me that at the time of the fetes given on occasion of the Dauphin's +marriage, the King came to see her at her mother's house in a hackney- +coach. The coachman would not go on, and the King would have given him a +LOUIS. "The police will hear of it, if you do," said the Duc d'Ayen, +"and its spies will make inquiries, which will, perhaps, lead to a +discovery." + +"Guimard," continued the King, "will tell you the names of the father and +mother; he will be present at the ceremony, and make the usual presents. +It is but fair that you also should receive yours;" and, as he said this, +he gave me fifty LOUIS, with that gracious air that he could so well +assume upon certain occasions, and which no person in the kingdom had but +himself. I kissed his hand and wept. "You will take care of the +accouchee, will you not? She is a good creature, who has not invented +gunpowder, and I confide her entirely to your direction; my chancellor +will tell you the rest," he said, turning to Madame, and then quitted the +room. "Well, what think you of the part I am playing?" asked Madame. +"It is that of a superior woman, and an excellent friend," I replied. +"It is his heart I wish to secure," said she; "and all those young girls +who have no education will not run away with it from me. I should not be +equally confident were I to see some fine woman belonging to the Court, +or the city, attempt his conquest." + +I asked Madame, if the young lady knew that the King was the father of +her child? "I do not think she does," replied she; "but, as he appeared +fond of her, there is some reason to fear that those about her might be +too ready to tell her; otherwise," said she, shrugging her shoulders, +"she, and all the others, are told that he is a Polish nobleman, a +relation of the Queen, who has apartments in the castle." This story was +contrived on account of the cordon bleu, which the King has not always +time to lay aside, because, to do that, he must change his coat, and in +order to account for his having a lodging in the castle so near the King. +There were two little rooms by the side of the chapel, whither the King +retired from his apartment, without being seen by anybody but a sentinel, +who had his orders, and who did not know who passed through those rooms. +The King sometimes went to the Parc-aux-cerfs, or received those young +ladies in the apartments I have mentioned. + +I must here interrupt my narrative, to relate a singular adventure, which +is only known to six or seven persons, masters or valets. At the time of +the attempt to assassinate the King, a young girl, whom he had seen +several times, and for whom he had manifested more tenderness than for +most, was distracted at this horrible event. The Mother-Abbess of the +Parc-aux-cerfs perceived her extraordinary grief, and managed so as to +make her confess that she knew the Polish Count was the King of France. +She confessed that she had taken from his pocket two letters, one of +which was from the King of Spain, the other from the Abbe de Brogue. +This was discovered afterwards, for neither she nor the Mother-Abbess +knew the names of the writers. The girl was scolded, and M. Lebel, +first valet de chambre, who had the management of all these affairs, +was called; he took the letters, and carried them to the King, who was +very much embarrassed in what manner to meet a person so well informed of +his condition. The girl in question, having perceived that the King came +secretly to see her companion, while she was neglected, watched his +arrival, and, at the moment he entered with the Abbess, who was about +to withdraw, she rushed distractedly into the room where her rival was. +She immediately threw herself at the King's feet. "Yes," said she, "you +are King of all France; but that would be nothing to me if you were not +also monarch of my heart: do not forsake me, my beloved sovereign; I was +nearly mad when your life was attempted!" The Mother-Abbess cried out, +"You are mad now." The King embraced her, which appeared to restore her +to tranquility. They succeeded in getting her out of the room, and a few +days afterwards the unhappy girl was taken to a madhouse, where she was +treated as if she had been insane, for some days. But she knew well +enough that she was not so, and that the King had really been her lover. +This lamentable affair was related to me by the Mother-Abbess, when I had +some acquaintance with her at the time of the accouchement I have spoken +of, which I never had before, nor since. + +To return to my history: Madame de Pompadour said to me, "Be constantly +with the 'accouchee', to prevent any stranger, or even the people of the +house, from speaking to her. You will always say that he is a very rich +Polish nobleman, who is obliged to conceal himself on account of his +relationship to the Queen, who is very devout. You will find a wet-nurse +in the house, to whom you will deliver the child. Guimard will manage +all the rest. You will go to church as a witness; everything must be +conducted as if for a substantial citizen. The young lady expects to lie +in in five or six days; you will dine with her, and will not leave her +till she is in a state of health to return to the Parc-aux-cerfs, which +she may do in a fortnight, as I imagine, without running any risk." I +went, that same evening, to the Avenue de Saint Cloud, where I found the +Abbess and Guimard, an attendant belonging to the castle, but without his +blue coat. There were, besides, a nurse, a wet-nurse, two old men- +servants, and a girl, who was something between a servant and a waiting- +woman. The young lady was extremely pretty, and dressed very elegantly, +though not too remarkably. I supped with her and the Mother-Abbess, who +was called Madame Bertrand. I had presented the aigrette Madame de +Pompadour gave me before supper, which had greatly delighted the young +lady, and she was in high spirits. + +Madame Bertrand had been housekeeper to M. Lebel, first valet de chambre +to the King. He called her Dominique, and she was entirely in his +confidence. The young lady chatted with us after supper; she appeared to +be very naive. The next day, I talked to her in private. She said to +me, "How is the Count?" (It was the King whom she called by this title.) +"He will be very sorry not to be with me now; but he was obliged to set +off on a long journey." I assented to what she said. "He is very +handsome," said she, "and loves me with all his heart. He promised me an +allowance; but I love him disinterestedly; and, if he would let me, I +would follow him to Poland." She afterwards talked to me about her +parents, and about M. Lebel, whom she knew by the name of Durand. "My +mother," said she, "kept a large grocer's shop, and my father was a man +of some consequence; he belonged to the Six Corps, and that, as everybody +knows, is an excellent thing. He was twice very near being head- +bailiff." Her mother had become bankrupt at her father's death, but the +Count had come to her assistance, and settled upon her fifteen hundred +francs a year, besides giving her six thousand francs down. On the sixth +day, she was brought to bed, and, according to my instructions, she was +told the child was a girl, though in reality it was a boy; she was soon +to be told that it was dead, in order that no trace of its existence +might remain for a certain time. It was eventually to be restored to its +mother. The King gave each of his children about ten thousand francs a +year. They inherited after each other as they died off, and seven or +eight were already dead. I returned to Madame de Pompadour, to whom I +had written every day by Guimard. The next day, the King sent for me +into the room; he did not say a word as to the business I had been +employed upon; but he gave me a large gold snuff-box, containing two +rouleaux of twenty-five louis each. I curtsied to him, and retired. +Madame asked me a great many questions of the young lady, and laughed +heartily at her simplicity, and at all she had said about the Polish +nobleman. "He is disgusted with the Princess, and, I think, will return +to Poland for ever, in two months."--"And the young lady?" said I. +"She will be married in the country," said she, "with a portion of forty +thousand crowns at the most and a few diamonds." This little adventure, +which initiated me into the King's secrets, far from procuring for me +increased marks of kindness from him, seemed to produce a coldness +towards me; probably because he was ashamed of my knowing his obscure +amours. He was also embarrassed by the services Madame de Pompadour had +rendered him on this occasion. + +Besides the little mistresses of the Parc-aux-cerfs, the King had +sometimes intrigues with ladies of the Court, or from Paris, who wrote to +him. There was a Madame de L-----, who, though married to a young and +amiable man, with two hundred thousand francs a year, wished absolutely +to become his mistress. She contrived to have a meeting with him: and +the King, who knew who she was, was persuaded that she was really madly +in love with him. There is no knowing what might have happened, had she +not died. Madame was very much alarmed, and was only relieved by her +death from inquietude. A circumstance took place at this time which +doubled Madame's friendship for me. A rich man, who had a situation in +the Revenue Department, called on me one day very secretly, and told me +that he had something of importance to communicate to Madame la Marquise, +but that he should find himself very much embarrassed in communicating it +to her personally, and that he should prefer acquainting me with it. +He then told me, what I already knew, that he had a very beautiful wife, +of whom he was passionately fond; that having on one occasion perceived +her kissing a little 'porte feuille', he endeavoured to get possession of +it, supposing there was some mystery attached to it. One day that she +suddenly left the room to go upstairs to see her sister, who had been +brought to bed, he took the, opportunity of opening the porte feuille, +and was very much surprised to find in it a portrait of the King, and a +very tender letter written by His Majesty. Of the latter he took a copy, +as also of an unfinished letter of his wife, in which she vehemently +entreated the King to allow her to have the pleasure of an interview-- +the means she pointed out. She was to go masked to the public ball at +Versailles, where His Majesty could meet her under favour of a mask. +I assured M. de ------ that I should acquaint Madame with the affair, +who would, no doubt, feel very grateful for the communication. He then +added, "Tell Madame la Marquise that my wife is very clever and very +intriguing. I adore her, and should run distracted were she to be taken +from me." I lost not a moment in acquainting Madame with the affair, +and gave her the letter. She became serious and pensive, and I since +learned that she consulted M. Berrier, Lieutenant of Police, who, by a +very simple but ingeniously conceived plan, put an end to the designs of +this lady. He demanded an audience of the King, and told him that there +was a lady in Paris who was making free with His Majesty's name; that he +had been given the copy of a letter, supposed to have been written by His +Majesty to the lady in question. The copy he put into the King's hands, +who read it in great confusion, and then tore it furiously to pieces. +M. Berrier added, that it was rumoured that this lady was to meet His +Majesty at the public ball, and, at this very moment, it so happened that +a letter was put into the King's hand, which proved to be from the lady, +appointing the meeting; at least, M. Berrier judged so, as the King +appeared very much surprised on reading it, and said, "It must be +allowed, M. le Lieutenant of Police, that you are well informed." +M. Berrier added, "I think it my duty to tell Your Majesty that this lady +passes for a very intriguing person." "I believe," replied the King, +"that it is not without deserving it that she has got that character." + +Madame de Pompadour had many vexations in the midst of all her grandeur. +She often received anonymous letters, threatening her with poison or +assassination: her greatest fear, however, was that of being supplanted +by a rival. I never saw her in a greater agitation than, one evening, on +her return from the drawing-room at Marly. She threw down her cloak and +muff, the instant she came in, with an air of ill-humour, and undressed +herself in a hurried manner. Having dismissed her other women, she said +to me, "I think I never saw anybody so insolent as Madame de Coaslin. +I was seated at the same table with her this evening, at a game of +'brelan', and you cannot imagine what I suffered. The men and women +seemed to come in relays to watch us. Madame de Coaslin said two or +three times, looking at me, 'Va tout', in the most insulting manner. I +thought I should have fainted, when she said, in a triumphant tone, I +have the 'brelan' of kings. I wish you had seen her courtesy to me on +parting."--"Did the King," said I, "show her particular attention?" +"You don't know him," said she; "if he were going to lodge her this very +night in my apartment, he would behave coldly to her before people, and +would treat me with the utmost kindness. This is the effect of his +education, for he is, by nature, kind-hearted and frank." Madame de +Pompadour's alarms lasted for some months, when she, one day, said to me, +"That haughty Marquise has missed her aim; she frightened the King by her +grand airs, and was incessantly teasing him for money. Now you, perhaps, +may not know that the King would sign an order for forty thousand LOUIS +without a thought, and would give a hundred out of his little private +treasury with the greatest reluctance. Lebel, who likes me better than +he would a new mistress in my place, either by chance or design had +brought a charming little sultana to the Parc-aux-cerfs, who has cooled +the King a little towards the haughty Vashti, by giving him occupation, +has received a hundred thousand francs, some jewels, and an estate. +Jannette--[The Intendant of Police.]--has rendered me great service, by +showing the King extracts from the letters broken open at the post- +office, concerning the report that Madame de Coaslin was coming into +favour: The King was much impressed by a letter from an old counsellor of +the Parliament, who wrote to one of his friends as follows: 'It is quite +as reasonable that the King should have a female friend and confidante-- +as that we, in our several degrees, should so indulge ourselves; but it +is desirable that he should keep the one he has; she is gentle, injures +nobody, and her fortune is made. The one who is now talked of will be as +haughty as high birth can make her. She must have an allowance of a +million francs a year, since she is said to be excessively extravagant; +her relations must be made Dukes, Governors of provinces, and Marshals, +and, in the end, will surround the King, and overawe the Ministers.'" + +Madame de Pompadour had this passage, which had been sent to her by M. +Jannette, the Intendant of the Police, who enjoyed the King's entire +confidence. He had carefully watched the King's look, while he read the +letter, and he saw that the arguments of this counsellor, who was not a +disaffected person, made a great impression upon him. Some time +afterwards, Madame de Pompadour said to me, "The haughty Marquise behaved +like Mademoiselle Deschamps, + + [A courtesan, distinguished for her charms, and still more so for an + extraordinary proof of patriotism. At a time when the public + Treasury was exhausted, Mademoiselle Deschamps sent all her plate to + the Mint. Louis XIV. boasted of this act of generous devotion to + her country. The Duc d'Ayen made it the subject of a pleasantry, + which detracted nothing from the merit of the sacrifice--but which + is rather too gai for us to venture upon.] + +and she is turned off." This was not Madame's only subject of alarm. A +relation of Madame d'Estrades, + + [The Comtesse d'Estrades, a relative of M. Normand, and a flatterer + of Madame de Pompadour, who brought her to Court, was secretly in + the pay of the Comte d'Argenson. That Minister, who did not disdain + la Fillon, from whom he extracted useful information, knew all that + passed at the Court of the favourite, by means of Madame d'Estrades, + whose ingratitude and perfidiousness he liberally paid.] + +wife to the Marquis de C----, had made the most pointed advances to the +King, much more than were necessary for a man who justly thought himself +the handsomest man in France, and who was, moreover, a King. He was +perfectly persuaded that every woman would yield to the slightest desire +he might deign to manifest. He, therefore, thought it a mere matter of +course that women fell in love with him. M. de Stainville had a hand in +marring the success of that intrigue; and, soon afterwards, the Marquise +de C-----, who was confined to her apartments at Marly, by her relations, +escaped through a closet to a rendezvous, and was caught with a young man +in a corridor. The Spanish Ambassador, coming out of his apartments with +flambeaux, was the person who witnessed this scene. Madame d'Estrades +affected to know nothing of her cousin's intrigues, and kept up an +appearance of the tenderest attachment to Madame de Pompadour, whom she +was habitually betraying. She acted as spy for M. d'Argenson, in the +cabinets, and in Madame de Pompadour's apartments; and, when she could +discover nothing, she had recourse to her invention, in order that she +might not lose her importance with her lover. This Madame d'Estrades +owed her whole existence to the bounties of Madame, and yet, ugly as she +was, she had tried to get the King away from her. One day, when he, had +got rather drunk at Choisy (I think, the only time that, ever happened to +him), he went on board a beautiful barge, whither Madame, being ill of an +indigestion, could not accompany him. Madame d'Estrades seized this +opportunity. She got into the barge, and, on their return, as it was +dark, she followed the King into a private closet, where he was believed +to be sleeping on a couch, and there went somewhat beyond any ordinary +advances to him. Her account of the matter to Madame was, that she had +gone into the closet upon her own affairs, and that the King, had +followed her, and had tried to ravish her. She was at full liberty to +make what story she pleased, for the King knew neither what he had said, +nor what he had done. I shall finish this subject by a short history +concerning a young lady. I had been, one day, to the theatre at +Compiegne. When I returned, Madame asked me several questions about the +play; whether there was much company, and whether I did not see a very +beautiful girl. I replied, "That there was, indeed, a girl in a box near +mine, who was surrounded by all the young men about the Court." She +smiled, and said, "That is Mademoiselle Dorothee; she went, this evening, +to see the King sup in public, and to-morrow she is to be taken to the +hunt. You are surprised to find me so well informed, but I know a great +deal more about her. She was brought here by a Gascon, named Dubarre or +Dubarri, who is the greatest scoundrel in France. He founds all his +hopes of advancement on Mademoiselle Dorothee's charms, which he thinks +the King cannot resist. She is, really, very beautiful.. She was +pointed out to me in my little garden, whither she was taken to walk on +purpose. She is the daughter of a water-carrier, at Strasbourg, and her +charming lover demands to be sent Minister to Cologne, as a beginning."-- +"Is it possible, Madame, that you can have been rendered uneasy by such a +creature as that?"--"Nothing is impossible," replied she; "though I think +the King would scarcely dare to give such a scandal. Besides, happily, +Lebel, to quiet his conscience, told the King that the beautiful +Dorothee's lover is infected with a horrid disease;" and, added he, "Your +Majesty would not get rid of that as you have done of the scrofula." +This was quite enough to keep the young lady at a distance. + +"I pity you sincerely, Madame," said I, "while everybody else envies +you." "Ah!" replied she, "my life is that of the Christian, a perpetual +warfare. This was not the case with the woman who enjoyed the favour of +Louis XIV. Madame de La Valliere suffered herself to be deceived by +Madame de Montespan, but it was her own fault, or, rather, the effect of +her extreme good nature. She was entirely devoid of suspicion at first, +because she could not believe her friend perfidious. Madame de +Montespan's empire was shaken by Madame de Fontanges, and overthrown by +Madame de Maintenon; but her haughtiness, her caprices, had already +alienated the King. He had not, however, such rivals as mine; it is +true, their baseness is my security. I have, in general, little to fear +but casual infidelities, and the chance that they may not all be +sufficiently transitory for my safety. The King likes variety, but he is +also bound by habit; he fears eclats, and detests manoeuvring women. The +little Marechale (de Mirepoig) one day said to me, 'It is your staircase +that the King loves; he is accustomed to go up and down it. But, if he +found another woman to whom he could talk of hunting and business as he +does to you, it would be just the same to him in three days.'" + +I write without plan, order, or date, just as things come into my mind; +and I shall now go to the Abbe de Bernis, whom I liked very much, because +he was good-natured, and treated me kindly. One day, just as Madame de +Pompadour had finished dressing, M. de Noailles asked to speak to her in +private. I, accordingly, retired. The Count looked full of important +business. I heard their conversation, as there was only the door between +us. + +"A circumstance has taken place," said he, "which I think it my duty to +communicate to the King; but I would not do so without first informing +you of it, since it concerns one of your friends for whom I have the +utmost regard and respect. The Abbe de Bernis had a mind to shoot, this +morning, and went, with two or three of his people, armed with guns, into +the little park, where the Dauphin would not venture to shoot without +asking the King's permission. The guards, surprised at hearing the +report of guns, ran to the spot, and were greatly astonished at the sight +of M. de Bernis. They very respectfully asked to see his permission, +when they found, to their astonishment, that he had none. They begged of +him to desist, telling him that, if they did their duty, they should +arrest him; but they must, at all events, instantly acquaint me with the +circumstance, as Ranger of the Park of Versailles. They added, that the +King must have heard the firing, and that they begged of him to retire. +The Abbe apologized, on the score of ignorance, and assured them that he +had my permission. 'The Comte de Noailles,' said they, 'could only grant +permission to shoot in the more remote parts, and in the great park.'" +The Count made a great merit of his eagerness to give the earliest +information to Madame. She told him to leave the task of communicating +it to the King to her, and begged of him to say nothing about the matter. +M. de Marigny, who did not like the Abbe, came to see me in the evening; +and I affected to know nothing of the story, and to hear it for the first +time from him. "He must have been out of his senses," said he, "to shoot +under the King's windows,"--and enlarged much on the airs he gave +himself. Madame de Pompadour gave this affair the best colouring she +could the King was, nevertheless, greatly disgusted at it, and twenty +times, since the Abbe's disgrace, when he passed over that part of the +park, he said, "This is where the Abbe took his pleasure." The King +never liked him; and Madame de Pompadour told me one night, after his +disgrace, when I was sitting up with her in her illness, that she saw, +before he had been Minister a week, that he was not fit for his office. +"If that hypocritical Bishop," said she, speaking of the Bishop of +Mirepoix, "had not prevented the King from granting him a pension of four +hundred louis a year, which he had promised me, he would never have been +appointed Ambassador. I should, afterwards, have been able to give him +an income of eight hundred louis a year, perhaps the place of master of +the chapel. Thus he would have been happier, and I should have had +nothing to regret." I took the liberty of saying that I did not agree +with her. That he had yet remaining advantages, of which he could not be +deprived; that his exile would terminate; and that he would then be a +Cardinal, with an income of eight thousand louis a year. "That is true," +she replied; "but I think of the mortifications he has undergone, and of +the ambition which devours him; and, lastly, I think of myself. I should +have still enjoyed his society, and should have had, in my declining +years, an old and amiable friend, if he had not been Minister." The King +sent him away in anger, and was strongly inclined to refuse him the hat. +M. Quesnay told me, some months afterwards, that the Abbe wanted to be +Prime Minister; that he had drawn up a memorial, setting forth that in +difficult crises the public good required that there should be a central +point (that was his expression), towards which everything should be +directed. Madame de Pompadour would not present the memorial; he +insisted, though she said to him, "You will rain yourself." The King +cast his eyes over it, and said "'central point,'--that is to say +himself, he wants to be Prime Minister." Madame tried to apologize for +him, and said, "That expression might refer to the Marechal de Belle- +Isle."--"Is he not just about to be made Cardinal?" said the King. "This +is a fine manoeuvre; he knows well enough that, by means of that dignity, +he would compel the Ministers to assemble at his house, and then M. +l'Abbe would be the central point. Wherever there is a Cardinal in the +council, he is sure, in the end, to take the lead. Louis XIV., for this +reason, did not choose to admit the Cardinal de Janson into the council, +in spite of his great esteem for him. The Cardinal de Fleury told me the +same thing. He had some desire that the Cardinal de Tencin should +succeed him; but his sister was such an intrigante that Cardinal de +Fleury advised me to have nothing to do with the matter, and I behaved so +as to destroy all his hopes, and to undeceive others. M. d'Argenson has +strongly impressed me with the same opinion, and has succeeded in +destroying all my respect for him." This is what the King said, +according to my friend Quesnay, who, by the bye, was a great genius, as +everybody said, and a very lively, agreeable man. He liked to chat with +me about the country. I had been bred up there, and he used to set me a +talking about the meadows of Normandy and Poitou, the wealth of the +farmers, and the modes of culture. He was the best-natured man in the +world, and the farthest removed from petty intrigue. While he lived at +Court, he was much more occupied with the best manner of cultivating land +than with anything that passed around him. The man whom he esteemed the +most was M. de la Riviere, a Counsellor of Parliament, who was also +Intendant of Martinique; he looked upon him as a man of the greatest +genius, and thought him the only person fit for the financial department +of administration. + +The Comtesse d'Estrades, who owed everything to Madame de Pompadour, was +incessantly intriguing against her. She was clever enough to destroy all +proofs of her manoeuvres, but she could not so easily prevent suspicion. +Her intimate connection with M. d'Argenson gave offence to Madame, and, +for some time, she was more reserved with her. She, afterwards, did a +thing which justly irritated the King and Madame. The King, who wrote a +great deal, had written to Madame de Pompadour a long letter concerning +an assembly of the Chambers of Parliament, and had enclosed a letter of +M. Berrien. Madame was ill, and laid those letters on a little table by +her bedside. M. de Gontaut came in, and gossipped about trifles, as +usual. Madame d'Amblimont also came, and stayed but very little time. +Just as I was going to resume a book which I had been reading to Madame, +the Comtesse d'Estrades entered, placed herself near Madame's bed, and +talked to her for some time. As soon as she was gone, Madame called me, +asked what was o'clock, and said, "Order my door to be shut, the King +will soon be here." I gave the order, and returned; and Madame told me +to give her the King's letter, which was on the table with some other +papers. I gave her the papers, and told her there was nothing else. She +was very uneasy at not finding the letter, and, after enumerating the +persons who had been in the room, she said, "It cannot be the little +Countess, nor Gontaut, who has taken this letter. It can only be the +Comtesse d'Estrades;--and that is too bad." The King came, and was +extremely angry, as Madame told me. Two days afterwards, he sent Madame +d'Estrades into exile. There was no doubt that she took the letter; the +King's handwriting had probably awakened her curiosity. This occurrence +gave great pain to M. d'Argenson, who was bound to her, as Madame de +Pompadour said, by his love of intrigue. This redoubled his hatred of +Madame, and she accused him of favouring the publication of a libel, in +which she was represented as a worn-out mistress, reduced to the vile +occupation of providing new objects to please her lover's appetite. She +was characterised as superintendent of the Parc-aux-cerfs, which was said +to cost hundreds of thousands of louis a year. Madame de Pompadour did, +indeed, try to conceal some of the King's weaknesses, but she never knew +one of the sultanas of that seraglio. There were, however, scarcely ever +more than two at once, and often only one. When they married, they +received some jewels, and four thousand louis. The Parc-aux-cerfs was +sometimes vacant for five or six months. I was surprised, some time +after, at seeing the Duchesse de Luynes, Lady of Honour to the Queen, +come privately to see Madame de Pompadour. She afterwards came openly. +One evening, after Madame was in bed, she called me, and said, "My dear, +you will be delighted; the Queen has given me the place of Lady of the +Palace; tomorrow I am to be presented to her: you must make me look +well." I knew that the King was not so well pleased at this as she was; +he was afraid that it would give rise to scandal, and that it might be +thought he had forced this nomination upon the Queen. He had, however, +done no such thing. It had been represented to the Queen that it was an +act of heroism on her part to forget the past; that all scandal would be +obliterated when Madame de Pompadour was seen to belong to the Court in +an honourable manner; and that it would be the best proof that nothing +more than friendship now subsisted between the King and the favourite. +The Queen received her very graciously. The devotees flattered +themselves they should be protected by Madame, and, for some time, were +full of her praises. Several of the Dauphin's friends came in private to +see her, and some obtained promotion. The Chevalier du Muy, however, +refused to come. The King had the greatest possible contempt for them, +and granted them nothing with a good grace. He, one day, said of a man +of great family, who wished to be made Captain of the Guards, "He is a +double spy, who wants to be paid on both sides." This was the moment at +which Madame de Pompadour seemed to me to enjoy the most complete +satisfaction. The devotees came to visit her without scruple, and did +not forget to make use of every opportunity of serving themselves. +Madame de Lu----- had set them the example. The Doctor laughed at this +change in affairs, and was very merry at the expense of the saints. +"You must allow, however, that they are consistent," said I, "and may be +sincere." "Yes," said he; "but then they should not ask for anything." + +One day, I was at Doctor Quesnay's, whilst Madame de Pompadour was at the +theatre. The Marquis de Mirabeau + + [The author of "L'Ami des Hommes," one of the leaders of the sect of + Economistes, and father of the celebrated Mirabeau. After the death + of Quesnay, the Grand Master of the Order, the Marquis de Mirabeau + was unanimously elected his successor. Mirabeau was not deficient + in a certain enlargement of mind, nor in acquirements, nor even in + patriotism; but his writings are enthusiastical, and show that he + had little more than glimpses of the truth. The Friend of Man was + the enemy of all his family. He beat his servants, and did not pay + them. The reports of the lawsuit with his wife, in 1775, prove that + this philosopher possessed, in the highest possible degree, all the + anti-conjugal qualities. It is said that his eldest son wrote two + contradictory depositions, and was paid by both sides.] + +came in, and the conversation was, for some time, extremely tedious to +me, running entirely on 'net produce'; at length, they talked of other +things. + +Mirabeau said, "I think the King looks ill, he grows old."--"So much the +worse, a thousand times so much the worse," said Quesnay; "it would be +the greatest possible loss to France if he died;" and he raised his +hands, and sighed deeply. "I do not doubt that you are attached to the +King, and with reason," said Mirabeau: "I am attached to him too; but I +never saw you so much moved."--"Ah!" said Quesnay, "I think of what would +follow."--"Well, the Dauphin is virtuous."--"Yes; and full of good +intentions; nor is he deficient in understanding; but canting hypocrites +would possess an absolute empire over a Prince who regards them as +oracles. The Jesuits would govern the kingdom, as they did at the end of +Louis XIV.'s reign: and you would see the fanatical Bishop of Verdun +Prime Minister, and La Vauguyon all-powerful under some other title. +The Parliaments must then mind how they behave; they will not be better +treated than my friends the philosophers."--"But they go too far," said +Mirabeau; "why openly attack religion?"--"I allow that," replied the +Doctor; "but how is it possible not to be rendered indignant by the +fanaticism of others, and by recollecting all the blood that has flowed +during the last two hundred years? You must not then again irritate +them, and revive in France the time of Mary in England. But what is done +is done, and I often exhort them to be moderate; I wish they would follow +the example of our friend Duclos."--"You are right," replied Mirabeau; +"he said to me a few days ago, 'These philosophers are going on at such a +rate that they will force me to go to vespers and high mass;' but, in +fine, the Dauphin is virtuous, well-informed, and intellectual."--"It is +the commencement of his reign, I fear," said Quesnay, "when the imprudent +proceedings of our friends will be represented to him in the most +unfavourable point of view; when the Jansenists and Molinists will make +common cause, and be strongly supported by the Dauphine. I thought that +M. de Muy was moderate, and that he would temper the headlong fury of the +others; but I heard him say that Voltaire merited condign punishment. +Be assured, sir, that the times of John Huss and Jerome of Prague will +return; but I hope not to live to see it. I approve of Voltaire having +hunted down the Pompignans: were it not for the ridicule with which he +covered them, that bourgeois Marquis would have been preceptor to the +young Princes, and, aided by his brother, would have succeeded in again +lighting the faggots of persecution."--"What ought to give you confidence +in the Dauphin," said Mirabeau, "is, that, notwithstanding the devotion +of Pompignan, he turns him into ridicule. A short time back, seeing him +strutting about with an air of inflated pride, he said to a person, who +told it to me, 'Our friend Pompignan thinks that he is something.'" +On returning home, I wrote down this conversation. + +I, one day, found Quesnay in great distress. "Mirabeau," said he, "is +sent to Vincennes, for his work on taxation. The Farmers General have +denounced him, and procured his arrest; his wife is going to throw +herself at the feet of Madame de Pompadour to-day." A few minutes +afterwards, I went into Madame's apartment, to assist at her toilet, +and the Doctor came in. Madame said to him, "You must be much concerned +at the disgrace of your friend Mirabeau. I am sorry for it too, for I +like his brother." Quesnay replied, "I am very far from believing him to +be actuated by bad intentions, Madame; he loves the King and the people." +"Yes," said she; "his 'Ami des Hommes' did him great honour." At this +moment the Lieutenant of Police entered, and Madame said to him, "Have +you seen M. de Mirabeau's book?"--"Yes, Madame; but it was not I who +denounced it?"--"What do you think of it?"--"I think he might have said +almost all it contains with impunity, if he had been more circumspect as +to the manner; there is, among other objectionable passages, this, which +occurs at the beginning: Your Majesty has about twenty millions of +subjects; it is only by means of money that you can obtain their +services, and there is no money."--"What, is there really that, Doctor?" +said Madame. "It is true, they are the first lines in the book, and I +confess that they are imprudent; but, in reading the work, it is clear +that he laments that patriotism is extinct in the hearts of his fellow- +citizens, and that he desires to rekindle it." The King entered: we went +out, and I wrote down on Quesnay's table what I had just heard. I them +returned to finish dressing Madame de Pompadour: she said to me, "The +King is extremely angry with Mirabeau; but I tried to soften him, and so +did the Lieutenant of Police. This will increase Quesnay's fears. Do +you know what he said to me to-day? The King had been talking to him in +my room, and the Doctor appeared timid and agitated. After the King was +gone, I said to him, 'You always seem so embarrassed in the King's +presence, and yet he is so good-natured.'--'I Madame,' said he, 'I left +my native village at the age of forty, and I have very little experience +of the world, nor can I accustom myself to its usages without great +difficulty. When I am in a room with the King, I say to myself, This is +a man who can order my head to be cut off; and that idea embarrasses me.' +--'But do not the King's justice and kindness set you at ease?'--'That is +very true in reasoning,' said he; 'but the sentiment is more prompt, and +inspires me with fear before I have time to say to myself all that is +calculated to allay it.'" + +I got her to repeat this conversation, and wrote it down immediately, +that I might not forget it. + +An anonymous letter was addressed to the King and Madame de Pompadour; +and, as the author was very anxious that it should not miscarry, he sent +copies to the Lieutenant of Police, sealed and directed to the King, to +Madame de Pompadour, and to M. de Marigny. This letter produced a strong +impression on Madame, and on the King, and still more, I believe, on the +Duc de Choiseul, who had received a similar one. I went on my knees to +M. de Marigny, to prevail on him to allow me to copy it, that I might +show it to the Doctor. It is as follows: + + "Sire--It is a zealous servant who writes to Your Majesty. Truth is + always better, particularly to Kings; habituated to flattery, they + see objects only under those colours most likely to please them. I + have reflected, and read much; and here is what my meditations have + suggested to me to lay before Your Majesty. They have accustomed + you to be invisible, and inspired you with a timidity which prevents + you from speaking; thus all direct communication is cut off between + the master and his subjects. Shut up in the interior of your + palace, you are becoming every day like the Emperors of the East; + but see, Sire, their fate! 'I have troops,' Your Majesty will say; + such, also, is their support: but, when the only security of a King + rests upon his troops; when he is only, as one may say, a King of + the soldiers, these latter feel their own strength, and abuse it. + Your finances are in the greatest disorder, and the great majority + of states have perished through this cause. A patriotic spirit + sustained the ancient states, and united all classes for the safety + of their country. In the present times, money has taken the place + of this spirit; it has become the universal lever, and you are in + want of it. A spirit of finance affects every department of the + state; it reigns triumphant at Court; all have become venal; and all + distinction of rank is broken up. Your Ministers are without genius + and capacity since the dismissal of MM. d'Argenson and de Machault. + You alone cannot judge of their incapacity, because they lay before + you what has been prepared by skilful clerks, but which they pass as + their own. They provide only for the necessity of the day, but + there is no spirit of government in their acts. The military + changes that have taken place disgust the troops, and cause the most + deserving officers to resign; a seditious flame has sprung up in the + very bosom of the Parliaments; you seek to corrupt them, and the + remedy is worse than the disease. It is introducing vice into the + sanctuary of justice, and gangrene into the vital parts of the + commonwealth. Would a corrupted Parliament have braved the fury of + the League, in order to preserve the crown for the legitimate + sovereign? Forgetting the maxims of Louis XIV., who well understood + the danger of confiding the administration to noblemen, you have + chosen M. de Choiseul, and even given him three departments; which + is a much heavier burden than that which he would have to support as + Prime Minister, because the latter has only to oversee the details + executed by the Secretaries of State. The public fully appreciate + this dazzling Minister. He is nothing more than a 'petit-maitre', + without talents or information, who has a little phosphorus in his + mind. There is a thing well worthy of remark, Sire; that is, the + open war carried on against religion. Henceforward there can spring + up no new sects, because the general belief has been shaken, that no + one feels inclined to occupy himself with difference of sentiment + upon some of the articles. The Encyclopedists, under pretence of + enlightening mankind, are sapping the foundations of religion. + All the different kinds of liberty are connected; the Philosophers + and the Protestants tend towards republicanism, as well as the + Jansenists. The Philosophers strike at the root, the others lop the + branches; and their efforts, without being concerted, will one day + lay the tree low. Add to these the Economists; whose object is + political liberty, as that of the others is liberty of worship, + and the Government may find itself, in twenty or thirty years, + undermined in every direction, and will then fall with a crash. + If Your Majesty, struck by this picture, but too true, should ask me + for a remedy, I should say, that it is necessary to bring back the + Government to its principles, and, above all, to lose no time in + restoring order to the state of the finances, because the + embarrassments incident to a country in a state of debt necessitate + fresh taxes, which, after grinding the people, induce them towards + revolt. It is my opinion that Your Majesty would do well to appear + more among your people; to shew your approbation of useful services, + and your displeasure of errors and prevarications, and neglect of + duty: in a word, to let it be seen that rewards and punishments, + appointments and dismissals, proceed from yourself. You will then + inspire gratitude by your favours, and fear by your reproaches; + you will then be the object of immediate and personal attachment, + instead of which, everything is now referred to your Ministers. + The confidence in the King, which is habitual to your people, + is shewn by the exclamation, so common among them, 'Ah! if the King + knew it' They love to believe that the King would remedy all their + evils, if he knew of them. But, on the other hand, what sort of + ideas must they form of kings, whose duty it is to be informed of + everything, and to superintend everything, that concerns the public, + but who are, nevertheless, ignorant of everything which the + discharge of their functions requires them to know? 'Rex, roi, + regere, regar, conduire'--to rule, to conduct--these words + sufficiently denote their duties. What would be said of a father + who got rid of the charge of his children as of a burthen? + + "A time will come, Sire, when the people shall be enlightened--and + that time is probably approaching. Resume the reins of government, + hold them with a firm hand, and act, so that it cannot be said of + you, 'Faeminas et scorta volvit ammo et haec principatus praemia + putat':--Sire, if I see that my sincere advice should have produced + any change, I shall continue it, and enter into more details; if + not, I shall remain silent." + + +Now that I am upon the subject of anonymous letters to the King, I must +just mention that it is impossible to conceive how frequent they were. +People were extremely assiduous in telling either unpleasant truths, or +alarming lies, with a view to injure others. As an instance, I shall +transcribe one concerning Voltaire, who paid great court to Madame de +Pompadour when he was in France. This letter was written long after the +former. + + "Madame--M. de Voltaire has just dedicated his tragedy of Tancred to + you; this ought to be an offering of respect and gratitude; but it + is, in fact, an insult, and you will form the same opinion of it as + the public has done if you read it with attention. You will see + that this distinguished writer appears to betray a consciousness + that the subject of his encomiums is not worthy of them, and to + endeavour to excuse himself for them to the public. These are his + words: 'I have seen your graces and talents unfold themselves from + your infancy. At all periods of your life I have received proofs of + your uniform and unchanging kindness. If any critic be found to + censure the homage I pay you, he must have a heart formed for + ingratitude. I am under great obligations to you, Madame, and these + obligations it is my duty to proclaim.' + + "What do these words really signify, unless that Voltaire feels it + may be thought extraordinary that he should dedicate his work to a + woman who possesses but a small share of the public esteem, and that + the sentiment of gratitude must plead his excuse? Why should he + suppose that the homage he pays you will be censured, whilst we + daily see dedications addressed to silly gossips who have neither + rank nor celebrity, or to women of exceptional conduct, without any + censure being attracted by it?" + +M. de Marigny, and Colin, Madame de Pompadour's steward, were of the same +opinion as Quesnay, that the author of this letter was extremely +malicious; that he insulted Madame, and tried to injure Voltaire; but +that he was, in fact, right. Voltaire, from that moment, was entirely +out of favour with Madame, and with the King, and he certainly never +discovered the cause.` + +The King, who admired everything of the age of Louis XIV., and +recollected that the Boileaus and Racines had been protected by that +monarch, who was indebted to them, in part, for the lustre of his reign, +was flattered at having such a man as Voltaire among his subjects. +But still he feared him, and had but little esteem for him. He could not +help saying, "Moreover, I have treated him as well as Louis XIV. treated +Racine and Boileau. I have given him, as Louis XIV. gave to Racine, +some pensions, and a place of gentleman in ordinary. It is not my fault +if he has committed absurdities, and has had the pretension to become a +chamberlain, to wear an order, and sup with a King. It is not the +fashion in France; and, as there are here a few more men of wit and +noblemen than in Prussia, it would require that I should have a very +large table to assemble them all at it." And then he reckoned upon his +fingers, Maupertuis, Fontenelle, La Mothe, Voltaire, Piron, Destouches, +Montesquieu, the Cardinal Polignac. "Your Majesty forgets," said some +one, "D'Alembert and Clairaut."--"And Crebillon," said he. "And la +Chaussee, and the younger Crebillon," said some one. "He ought to be +more agreeable than his father."--"And there are also the Abbes Prevot +and d'Olivet."--"Pretty well," said the King; "and for the last twenty +years all that (tout cela) would have dined and supped at my table." + +Madame de Pompadour repeated to me this conversation, which I wrote down +the same evening. M. de Marigny, also, talked to me about it. +"Voltaire," said he, "has always had a fancy for being Ambassador, and he +did all he could to make the people believe that he was charged with some +political mission, the first time he visited Prussia." + +The people heard of the attempt on the King's life with transports of +fury, and with the greatest distress. Their cries were heard under the +windows of Madame de Pompadour's apartment. Mobs were collected, and +Madame feared the fate of Madame de Chateauroux. Her friends came in, +every minute, to give her intelligence. Her room was, at all times, like +a church; everybody seemed to claim a right to go in and out when he +chose. Some came, under pretence of sympathising, to observe her +countenance and manner. She did nothing but weep and faint away. Doctor +Quesnay never left her, nor did I. M. de St. Florentin came to see her +several times, so did the Comptroller-General, and M. Rouilld; but M. de +Machault did not come. The Duchesse de Brancas came very frequently. +The Abbe de Bernis never left us, except to go to enquire for the King. +The tears came in his eyes whenever he looked at Madame. Doctor Quesnay +saw the King five or six times a day. "There is nothing to fear," said +he to Madame. "If it were anybody else, he might go to a ball." My son +went the next day, as he had done the day the event occurred, to see what +was going on at the Castle. He told us, on his return, that the Keeper +of the Seals was with the King. I sent him back, to see what course he +took on leaving the King. He came running back in half an hour, to tell +me that the Keeper of the Seals had gone to his own house, followed by a +crowd of people. When I told this to Madame, she burst into tears, and +said, "Is that a friend?" The Abbe de Bernis said, "You must not judge +him hastily, in such a moment as this." I returned into the drawing-room +about an hour after, when the Keeper of the Seals entered. He passed me, +with his usual cold and severe look. "How is Madame de Pompadour?" said +he. "Alas!" replied I, "as you may imagine!" He passed on to her +closet. Everybody retired, and he remained for half an hour. The Abbe +returned and Madame rang. I went into her room, the Abbe following me. +She was in tears. "I must go, my dear Abbe," said she. I made her take +some orange-flower water, in a silver goblet, for her teeth chattered. +She then told me to call her equerry. He came in, and she calmly gave +him her orders, to have everything prepared at her hotel, in Paris; to +tell all her people to get ready to go; and to desire her coachman not to +be out of the way. She then shut herself up, to confer with the Abbe de +Bernis, who left her, to go to the Council. Her door was then shut, +except to the ladies with whom she was particularly intimate, M. de +Soubise, M. de Gontaut, the Ministers, and some others. Several ladies, +in the greatest distress, came to talk to me in my room: they compared +the conduct of M. de Machault with that of M. de Richelieu, at Metz. +Madame had related to them the circumstances extremely to the honour of +the Duke, and, by contrast, the severest satire on the Keeper of the +Seals. "He thinks, or pretends to think," said she, "that the priests +will be clamorous for my dismissal; but Quesnay and all the physicians +declare that there is not the slightest danger." Madame having sent for +me, I saw the Marechale de Mirepoix coming in. While she was at the +door, she cried out, "What are all those trunks, Madame? Your people +tell me you are going."--"Alas! my dear friend, such is our Master's +desire, as M. de Machault tells me."--"And what does he advise?" said +the Marechale. "That I should go without delay." During this +conversation, I was undressing Madame, who wished to be at her ease on +her chaise-longue. "Your Beeper of the Seals wants to get the power into +his own hands, and betrays you; he who quits the field loses it." I went +out. M. de Soubise entered, then the Abbe and M. de Marigny. The +latter, who was very kind to me, came into my room an hour afterwards. +I was alone. "She will remain," said he; "but, hush!--she will make an +appearance of going, in order not to set her enemies at work. It is the +little Marechale who prevailed upon her to stay: her keeper (so she +called M. de Machault) will pay for it." Quesnay came in, and, having +heard what was said, with his monkey airs, began to relate a fable of a +fox, who, being at dinner with other beasts, persuaded one of them that +his enemies were seeking him, in order that he might get possession of +his share in his absence. I did not see Madame again till very late, at +her going to bed. She was more calm. Things improved, from day to day, +and de Machault, the faithless friend, was dismissed. The King returned +to Madame de Pompadour, as usual. I learnt, by M. de Marigny, that the +Abbe had been, one day, with M. d'Argenson, to endeavour to persuade him +to live on friendly terms with Madame, and that he had been very coldly +received. "He is the more arrogant," said he, "on account of Machault's +dismissal, which leaves the field clear for him, who has more experience, +and more talent; and I fear that he will, therefore, be disposed to +declare war till death." The next day, Madame having ordered her chaise, +I was curious to know where she was going, for she went out but little, +except to church, and to the houses of the Ministers. I was told that +she was gone to visit M. d'Argenson. She returned in an hour, at +farthest, and seemed very much out of spirits. She leaned on the +chimneypiece, with her eyes fixed on the border of it. M. de Bernis +entered. I waited for her to take off her cloak and gloves. She had her +hands in her muff. The Abbe stood looking at her for some minutes; at +last he said, "You look like a sheep in a reflecting mood." She awoke +from her reverie, and, throwing her muff on the easy-chair, replied, +"It is a wolf who makes the sheep reflect." I went out: the King entered +shortly after, and I heard Madame de Pompadour sobbing. The Abbe came +into my room, and told me to bring some Hoffman's drops: the King himself +mixed the draught with sugar, and presented it to her in the kindest +manner possible. She smiled, and kissed the King's hands. I left the +room. Two days after, very early in the morning, I heard of M. +d'Argenson's exile. It was her doing, and was, indeed, the strongest +proof of her influence that could be given. The King was much attached +to M. d'Argenson, and the war, then carrying on, both by sea and land, +rendered the dismissal of two such Ministers extremely imprudent. This +was the universal opinion at the time. + +Many people talk of the letter of the Comte d'Argenson to Madame +d'Esparbes. I give it, according to the most correct version: + + "The doubtful is, at length, decided. The Keeper of the Seals is + dismissed. You will be recalled, my dear Countess, and we shall be + masters of the field." + +It is much less generally known that Arboulin, whom Madame calls Bou-bou, +was supposed to be the person who, on the very day of the dismissal of +the Keeper of the Seals, bribed the Count's confidential courier, who +gave him this letter. Is this report founded on truth? I cannot swear +that it is; but it is asserted that the letter is written in the Count's +style. Besides, who could so immediately have invented it? It, however, +appeared certain, from the extreme displeasure of the King, that he had +some other subject of complaint against M. d'Argenson, besides his +refusing to be reconciled with Madame. Nobody dares to show the +slightest attachment to the disgraced Minister. I asked the ladies who +were most intimate with Madame de Pompadour, as well as my own friends, +what they knew of the matter; but they knew nothing. I can understand +why Madame did not let them into her confidence at that moment. She will +be less reserved in time. I care very little about it, since I see that +she is well, and appears happy. + +The King said a thing, which did him honour, to a person whose name +Madame withheld from me. A nobleman, who had been a most assiduous +courtier of the Count, said, rubbing his hands with an air of great joy, +"I have just seen the Comte d'Argenson's baggage set out." When the King +heard him, he went up to Madame, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "And +immediately the cock crew." + +"I believe this is taken from Scripture, where Peter denies Our Lord. I +confess, this circumstance gave me great pleasure. It showed that the +King is not the dupe of those around him, and that he hates treachery and +ingratitude." + + + + +ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: + +A liar ought to have a good memory +Because he is fat, he is thought dull and heavy +Danger of confiding the administration to noblemen +Do not repulse him in his fond moments +He who quits the field loses it +Money the universal lever, and you are in want of it +Offering you the spectacle of my miseries +Sentiment is more prompt, and inspires me with fear +Sworn that she had thought of nothing but you all her life +To despise money, is to despise happiness, liberty... +We look upon you as a cat, or a dog, and go on talking +When the only security of a King rests upon his troops +You tell me bad news: having packed up, I had rather go + + + + +End of this Project Gutenberg Etext Memoirs of Louis XV., and XVI., v1 +by Madame du Hausset, and an unknown English girl and Princess Lamballe + diff --git a/old/cm39b10.zip b/old/cm39b10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d0fe5fe --- /dev/null +++ b/old/cm39b10.zip |