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21 - Women of Versailles- the Court of Louis XIV by Arthur-Leon Imbert de Saint-Amand · Women of Versailles- the Court of Louis XIV

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty one of Women of Versailles. The Court of
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  Speaker 1: Louis the fourteenth by our tour Leon Ambert de Saint Ammo,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Elizabeth Gilbert Martin. This librovox recording is in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. Read by Pamela and Agami. Chapter sixteen,
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  Speaker 1: The Duchess of Burgundy, Part one. The court was all
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  Speaker 1: agog because a little girl of eleven years had just
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  Speaker 1: arrived in France. This child was Maria a Delide, future
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  Speaker 1: Duchess of Burgundy, daughter of Victor Amadeus, the second Duke
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  Speaker 1: of Savoy. On Sunday, November fourth, sixteen ninety six, the
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  Speaker 1: town of Montargi was all fete. The bells were ringing
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  Speaker 1: with all their might. Louis the fourteenth, leaving Fontainebleau in
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  Speaker 1: the morning, had come to meet the young princess destined
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  Speaker 1: to his spouse's grandson, and all eyes were bent on
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  Speaker 1: the first interview between her and the son King. He
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  Speaker 1: received her as she was alighting from the carriage and
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  Speaker 1: said to donjo will you allow me to fill your
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  Speaker 1: post for to day? Donjou with chevalier of honor to
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  Speaker 1: the princess. The newcomer charmed the king from the first moment.
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  Speaker 1: By the distinction of her manners, her native prettiness, her
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  Speaker 1: little responses full of grace and spirit. Louis the fourteenth
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  Speaker 1: embraced her in the carriage. She kissed his hand several
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  Speaker 1: times while ascending the staircase that led to the apartment
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  Speaker 1: she was to occupy. When the king returned to his chamber,
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  Speaker 1: Doanjo took the liberty of asking him whether he was
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  Speaker 1: contented with the princess. I am too much, so I
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  Speaker 1: can scarcely contain my joy. Then, turning toward Monsieur, he added,
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  Speaker 1: how I wish that his poor mother could be here
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  Speaker 1: a few moments to witness the joy we are having.
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  Speaker 1: He wrote afterwards to Madame de Mantineau. She let me
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  Speaker 1: speak first, and afterwards she answered me very well, but
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  Speaker 1: with a little embarrassment that would have pleased you. I
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  Speaker 1: led her to her chamber through the crowd, letting them
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  Speaker 1: see her from time to time by bringing the torches
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  Speaker 1: near her face. She stood this walk and the lights
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  Speaker 1: with grace and modesty. She has the best grace and
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  Speaker 1: the most beautiful shape that I ever saw, dressed fit
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  Speaker 1: to be painted, and her hair also very bright and
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  Speaker 1: beautiful eyes with admirable black lashes, complexion very smooth, white
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  Speaker 1: and red as one could wish, and the great quantity
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  Speaker 1: of the finest fair hair that one ever saw. She
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  Speaker 1: has failed in nothing, and has conducted herself as you
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  Speaker 1: might have done through her mother. Marie Ada Laide, was
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  Speaker 1: the granddaughter of that beautiful Henrietta of England, whose life
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  Speaker 1: and death have been immortalized by Bassuet in her funeral oration.
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  Speaker 1: She was about to revive the charm of this greatly
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  Speaker 1: regretted princess, and her presence at Versailles renewed the joy
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  Speaker 1: and animation of happier days. She was installed immediately on
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  Speaker 1: her arrival in the chamber formerly occupied by the Queen
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  Speaker 1: and afterwards by the Bavarian Dauphiness. The King made her
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  Speaker 1: a present of the beautiful Menagerie of Versailles, which is
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  Speaker 1: opposite the Trianon Palace. Never was a grandfather more tenderly
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  Speaker 1: affectionate toward his granddaughter. He took pains to contrive amusements
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  Speaker 1: and recreations for her. Madame the Princess Palatine wrote November eighth,
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  Speaker 1: sixteen ninety six, everyone is becoming a child again. The
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  Speaker 1: process d'arcour and Madame de Pontchartrain played at blind Man's
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  Speaker 1: buff day before yesterday with the Princess and Monsieur de Dauphin.
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur the process de Comte, Madame de Vntardeur, my two
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  Speaker 1: other ladies and myself played it yesterday naturally. Madame de
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  Speaker 1: Mantinan was charged with finishing the education of the little Princess.
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  Speaker 1: The first time she took her to Saint Cyr, she
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  Speaker 1: had her received with great ceremony. The superior complimented her.
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  Speaker 1: The community in long mantles awaited her at the door
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  Speaker 1: of the cloister. All the pupils were ranged in double lines,
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  Speaker 1: through which she passed on her way to the church.
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  Speaker 1: Little girls of her own age recited a dialogue tinctured
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  Speaker 1: with delicate praise. The Princess was delighted and asked to
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  Speaker 1: come again. Afterwards. Madame de Mantinan took her regularly to
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  Speaker 1: Saint Cyr, two or three times a week, to spend
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  Speaker 1: the entire day and follow the lessons of the Red class.
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  Speaker 1: There was no more etiquette. Marie A de l'aide wore
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  Speaker 1: the same uniform as the pupils, and was called Mademoiselle
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  Speaker 1: de lastique. She was good, affable, gracious to everybody, occupying
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  Speaker 1: herself with the different affairs of the ladies and with
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  Speaker 1: all the works and studies of the pupils, subjecting herself
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  Speaker 1: frankly to all the practices of the house, even to silence,
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  Speaker 1: running and playing with the reds in the long alleys
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  Speaker 1: of the garden, going with them to choir, confession and catechism.
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  Speaker 1: At other times she put on the habit of the
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  Speaker 1: ladies and did the honors of the house to some
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  Speaker 1: illustrious visitor, notably the Queen of England. Readers note Mary
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  Speaker 1: of Modina, wife of James the Second back to main text.
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  Speaker 1: Louis the fourteenth, charmed with the princess, decided that she
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  Speaker 1: should be married the very day she was twelve years old,
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  Speaker 1: December seventh, seventeen ninety seven. She espoused Louis of France,
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  Speaker 1: Duke of Burgundy, who was fifteen and a half years old.
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  Speaker 1: The bridegroom wore a black mantle embroidered with gold and
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  Speaker 1: a white doublet with diamond buttons. The mantle was lined
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  Speaker 1: with rose satin. The bride had a robe and under
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  Speaker 1: petticoat of cloth of silver bordered with precious stones, and
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  Speaker 1: she wore the crowned diamonds. Cardinal de Coislin gave the
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  Speaker 1: young couple the nuptial benediction in the Chapel of Versailles.
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  Speaker 1: After Mass, there was a grand banquet for the royal
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  Speaker 1: family in the room known as the anti chamber of
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  Speaker 1: the Queen's apartment. In the evening, the court assembled in
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  Speaker 1: the Salon of Peace to witness the fireworks set off
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  Speaker 1: at the end of the Swiss Lake, and then to
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  Speaker 1: take the supper, served like the banquet in the anti
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  Speaker 1: chamber of the Queen's apartment. After supper, they passed on
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  Speaker 1: into the sleeping chamber of the Duchess, where there was
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  Speaker 1: a bed of green velvet embroidered with gold and silver,
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  Speaker 1: which was blessed by Cardinal to Quaislin. A moment later,
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  Speaker 1: the king sent all the men out of the room.
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  Speaker 1: The Duke of Burgundy disrobed before the ladies, and the
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  Speaker 1: Queen of England handed him his shirt. As soon as
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  Speaker 1: the couple had been put to bed, Louis the fourteenth
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  Speaker 1: summoned the ambassador of Savoy and showed him that they
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  Speaker 1: were lying down. The ambassador immediately sent a gentleman to
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  Speaker 1: carry this news to Victor Amadeus. Nevertheless, this marriage concluded
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  Speaker 1: amidst so many splendors, was as yet merely for form's sake.
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  Speaker 1: Seeing that the pair were so extremely youthful, the king
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  Speaker 1: would not permit his grandson to kiss even the tip
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  Speaker 1: of the duchess's finger until they should actually come together. Hence,
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  Speaker 1: the young Duke rose again at the end of fifteen minutes,
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  Speaker 1: dressed himself in the chamber, and returned to his own
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  Speaker 1: room through the hall of the guards. There was a
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  Speaker 1: grand ball in the gallery of mirrors December eleventh. The
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  Speaker 1: pyramids of candles glittered eas even more than the lusters
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  Speaker 1: and girandole. Louis the fourteenth had said that he would
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  Speaker 1: be pleased to have the court display great luxury, and himself,
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  Speaker 1: though for a long while he had worn none but
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  Speaker 1: very simple costumes, had put on a superb one. It
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  Speaker 1: was who should surpass the others in richness and invention.
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  Speaker 1: There was hardly silver and gold enough to be had.
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  Speaker 1: The king, who had encouraged all these expenses, said, notwithstanding
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  Speaker 1: that he could not understand how husbands could be foolish
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  Speaker 1: enough to let themselves be ruined by their wives dresses.
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  Speaker 1: Two days after the marriage, the Duchess wanted to show
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  Speaker 1: herself in state dress to her friends at Saint Cyr.
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  Speaker 1: She was all in white, and her robe was so
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  Speaker 1: heavily embroidered with silver that she could hardly bear the
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  Speaker 1: weight of it. The community received the princess in great
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  Speaker 1: pomp and conducted her to the church, where hymns were chanted.
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  Speaker 1: The separation of the young spousest for two years after
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  Speaker 1: the ceremony of their marriage, and according to Donjou's journal,
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  Speaker 1: did not end until toward the close of sixteen ninety nine.
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  Speaker 1: Until then, the Duke of Burgundy came to see the
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  Speaker 1: Duchess every day. They were even allowed to chat together,
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  Speaker 1: but there were always ladies in the room during their interviews.
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  Speaker 1: The amiable Princess is now one of the most attractive
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  Speaker 1: of women. Without her, all would wither at this court,
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  Speaker 1: which would resemble a magnificent convent. The flowers would be
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  Speaker 1: less fair, the fields less gay, the dreams less clear.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks to her seductive charm, everything revives, all lights up
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  Speaker 1: under the rays of a vernal sun. She loves Louis
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  Speaker 1: the fourteenth. Sincerely one cannot approach this exceptional man, for
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  Speaker 1: whom the word prestige would have to be invented if
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  Speaker 1: it did not exist, and who is as affectionate, good
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  Speaker 1: and affle as he is majestic and imposing. The admiration
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  Speaker 1: professed for him by the young Princess is sincere grateful
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  Speaker 1: and flattered by the kindness he shows her. She venerates
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  Speaker 1: him as the most glorious representative of divine right. And
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  Speaker 1: while she venerates, she amuses him. She flings her arms
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  Speaker 1: about his neck at any time she sits down on
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  Speaker 1: his knees. She diverts him by every sort of badinage.
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  Speaker 1: She looks at his papers, she opens and reads his letters.
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  Speaker 1: In his presence, a continual succession of pleasure, parties and
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  Speaker 1: entertainments goes on, followed by a train of women of twenty.
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  Speaker 1: The Princess loves to sail in a gondola on the
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  Speaker 1: Grand Canal of the Park of Versailles, and to remain
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  Speaker 1: there several hours of the night, sometimes until sunrise. Hunt's collations, comedies, serenades, illuminations,
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  Speaker 1: sailing parties, fireworks. Every day a new diversion is organized.
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  Speaker 1: The King wishes that the Duchess of Burgundy should please
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  Speaker 1: herself in this court, of which she is the ornament
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  Speaker 1: and the hope. She must smooth out the wrinkles of
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  Speaker 1: the monarch, who is weary of fame and pleasures. She
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  Speaker 1: must be the good genius, the enchantress of Versailles. The
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  Speaker 1: mirrors of the Great Gallery must reflect her splendid toilets,
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  Speaker 1: her dazzling ornaments. She must appear in the gardens like
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  Speaker 1: an armida, in the forests, like a nymph on the water,
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  Speaker 1: like a siren. In the hall of the Queen's guards.
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  Speaker 1: There may be seen at present a full length portrait
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  Speaker 1: of the Princess. She is standing dressed in a robe
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  Speaker 1: of cloth of silver, and holds in her left hand
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  Speaker 1: a bouquet of orange flowers. A woman in polish costume
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  Speaker 1: is holding up the train of her lilied mantle. In
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  Speaker 1: front of her, a cupid is holding a cushion on
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  Speaker 1: which flowers are lying. At the back of the picture
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  Speaker 1: one sees a garden and a pedestal, on which is
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  Speaker 1: the signature of the painter Santerre seventeen o nine. What
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  Speaker 1: the artist has done so well with his brush, Sassimon
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  Speaker 1: has done still better with his pen. The sarcastic Duke
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  Speaker 1: and Pierre becomes an enthusiastic admirer a poet when he
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  Speaker 1: describes the charms of the princess, her eyes the most
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  Speaker 1: beautiful and speaking in the world, her gallant, gracious, majestic
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  Speaker 1: pose of the head, her expressive smile, her gait like
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  Speaker 1: that of a goddess on the clouds. He admires her
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  Speaker 1: moral qualities no less, even while finding defects in her.
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  Speaker 1: It pleases him to recognize that she is sweet, accessible, candid,
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  Speaker 1: though with due reserve, compassionate, grieved to cause the least sadness,
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  Speaker 1: full of consideration for all who come near her, gracious
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  Speaker 1: to those about her, kind to her domestics, friendly to
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  Speaker 1: her ladies, and the soul of the court which adores her.
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  Speaker 1: All is lacking to everyone in her absence, all is
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  Speaker 1: replenished by her presence. Her extreme kindness makes her infinitely
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  Speaker 1: depended on, and her manners attach all hearts. Nevertheless, Calumny
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  Speaker 1: does not spare her. People accuse her in a whisper
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  Speaker 1: with certain inconsistencies which Malice brutes about and exaggerates. They
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  Speaker 1: go so far as to pretend that two lovers Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: de mau Levrier denies are extremely well treated by her.
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  Speaker 1: They wish to discover serious faults in what is nothing
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  Speaker 1: but the desire to please natural to all pretty women.
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  Speaker 1: Madame de Queylus says concerning the passion attributed to the
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  Speaker 1: Duchess for Monsieur de Nonges, I am convinced that this
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  Speaker 1: intrigue was carried on by looks, or at most by letters.
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  Speaker 1: I am persuaded of this for two reasons, one that
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  Speaker 1: Madame the Dauphiness was too well guarded, and the other
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  Speaker 1: that none Gjiess was too much in love with another
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  Speaker 1: woman who watched him closely, and who has said to
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  Speaker 1: me that at the times when he was suspected of
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  Speaker 1: being with Madame the Dauphiness, she was very sure that
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  Speaker 1: he was not, because he was with her. It was
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  Speaker 1: much rather a gallantry than a passion. Surrounded by a
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  Speaker 1: court of witty, gossiping and often light young women, the
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  Speaker 1: Duchess of Burgundy must more than once have been attacked
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  Speaker 1: by malevolent insinuations and the little perfidies which the jealousy
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  Speaker 1: inherent in the feminine character allows itself against princesses as
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  Speaker 1: well as against private persons. The Duchess understood it perfectly,
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  Speaker 1: and was moved and afflicted by it. Other causes for
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  Speaker 1: sadness through their shadows over in existence, apparently so fair
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  Speaker 1: and joyous. Victor Amadeus had quarreled with France, and the
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  Speaker 1: House of Savoy was incurring the greatest dangers. The Duchess
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  Speaker 1: of Burgundy was obliged to conceal her sentiments for her
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  Speaker 1: former country in the depths of her heart. But the
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  Speaker 1: more necessary it was to hide them, the more vivacious
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  Speaker 1: they became. What a grief to know that her pregnant mother,
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  Speaker 1: her infirm grandmother, her sick brothers, and the Duke her
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  Speaker 1: father were wandering on the Piedmont Road, threatened with utter
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  Speaker 1: Ruin June twenty first, seventeen o six, she wrote to
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  Speaker 1: her grandmother, the widow of Charles Emmanuel, Judge, what is
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  Speaker 1: my anxiety about all that is happening to you? Loving
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  Speaker 1: you so tenderly and having all the affection possible for
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  Speaker 1: my father, my mother, and my brothers, I cannot see
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  Speaker 1: them in such an unfortunate condition without having tears in
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  Speaker 1: my eyes. I am in a sadness which no amusement
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  Speaker 1: can diminish, and which will not depart. My dear grandmother,
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  Speaker 1: until your sorrows do send me news of all that
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  Speaker 1: is dearest to me in the world. End of section
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  Speaker 1: twenty one