href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@2082@[email protected]#id_2HCH0040" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">CHAPTER XL

CHAPTER XLI

CHAPTER XLII

CHAPTER XLIII

CHAPTER XLIV

CHAPTER XLV

CHAPTER XLVI

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:

This delightful (piquant, the comtesse would say) pseudonymous work was in fact written not "by herself" but by Baron Etienne Leon Lamothe-Langon (1786-1864). The persona created is that of a woman who always tells the truth as she sees it, but it is made clear to the reader that what the narrator sees is very seldom exactly the objective truth. The author ends as well as begins in medias res (in the middle of the action), thus creating an illusion of a slice of a journal but simultaneously giving the reader the uneasy feeling that the first and last chapters seem to be missing.

The French-style quotation marks have, for ease in typesetting and use, been changed to American-style quotation marks, and the dot after the name of Louis XV has been removed to conform to American punctuation. Captions of illustrations are omitted because the illustrations themselves cannot be inserted. A few minor editing errors have been silently corrected. No other changes have been made; the irregularity in italicizing or not italicizing, in translating or not translating French words, and in punctuating quotations of letters, is in the text itself.

Notes are identified as coming from author, tr. (translator), editor, or Transcriber.

DETAILED TABLE OF CONTENTS

I

Letter from Lebel—Visit from Lebel—Nothing conclusive—Another visit from Lebel—Invitation to sup with the king—Instructions of the comte Jean to the comtesse

II

A slight preface—Arrival at Versailles—"La toilette"—Portrait of the king—The duc de Richelieu—The marquis de Chauvelin—The duc de la Vauguyon-Supper with the king—The first night—The following day—The curiosity of comte Jean—Presents from the king—How disposed of

III

The king's message—Letter from the countess—A second supper at Versailles—The duc d'Ayen—A short account of M. de Fleury—The duc de Duras—Conversation with the king—The next day—A visit from the duc de Richelieu—Visit from the duc de la Vauguyon—Visit from comte Jean—Visit from the king—A third supper—Favor

IV

The duc d'Aiguillon—The duc de Fronsac—The duchesse de Grammont—The meeting—Sharp words on both sides—The duc de Choiseul—Mesdames d'Aiguillon—Letter from the duc d'Aiguillon—Reply of madame du Barry—Mademoiselle Guimard—The prince de Soubise—Explanation—The Rohans—Madame de Marsan—Court friendships

V

The duc de la Vauguyon and the comtesse du Barry—The marquis de Chauvelin and the comtesse—M. de Montbarrey and the comtesse— Intrigues—Lebel—Arrival of the du Barry family—The comte d'Hargicourt—The demoiselles du Barry—Marriage of the comtesse—The marquis de Bonrepos—Correspondences—The broken glass

VI

Journey to Choisy—The comtesse du Barry and Louis XV—The king of Denmark—The czar Peter—Frederick II—The abbé de la Chapelle—An experiment—New intrigues—Secret agents-The comtesse and Louis XV—Of the presentation—Letter of the comtesse to the duc d'Aiguillon—Reply—Prince de Soubise

VII

The comtesse and the duc d'Aiguillon—M. de Soubise—Louis XV and the duc d'Aiguillon—Letter from the comtesse to the king—Answer of the king-The "Nouvelles a la Main"—The comtesse and Louis XV—The supper—The court ladies mystified—The comtesse and M. de Sartines

VIII

The sieur Ledoux—The lettre de cachet—The duc de la Vrillière— Madame de Langeac—M. de Maupeou—Louis XV—The comte Jean

IX

The king of Denmark—The courtesans of Paris—The duc de Choiseul and the bishop of Orleans—Witty repartees of the king of Denmark—His visit to madame du Barry—"The court of king Petaud," a satire— Letter of the duc d'Aiguillon to Voltaire—The duchesse de Grammont mystified—Unpublished letter of Voltaire's

X

When is the presentation to take place?—Conversation on this subject with the king—M. de Maupeou and M. de la Vauguyon—Conversation on the same subject with the king and the duc de Richelieu—M. de la Vrillière—M. Bertin—-Louis XV and the comtesse—The king's promise—The fire-works, an anecdote—The marquise de Castellane—M. de Maupeou at the duc de Choiseul's—The duchesse de Grammont

XI

A word concerning the duchesse de Choiseul—The apartment of the Comte de Noailles—The Noailles—Intrigues for presentation—The comte de Bearn—M. Morand once more—Visit of the comtesse Bearn to the comtesse du Barry—Conversation—Interested complaisance—The king and the comtesse du Barry—Dispute and reconciliation

XII

The comtesse de Bearn—The supper—Louis XV—Intrigues against my presentation—M. de Roquelaure—The scalded foot—The comtesse d'Aloigny—The duc d'Aiguillon and madame de Bearn—Anger of the king's daughters—Madame Adélaïde and the comtesse du Barry—Dissatisfaction of the king

XIII

Of the presentation—The king and the duc de Richelieu at comtesse du Barry's—M. de la Vauguyon—Conversation—Letter of the duke to the comtesse du Barry—Reply—The countess unites herself with the Jesuit party—Madame Louise—Madame Sophie—M. Bertin—Madame de Bercheny

XIV

The princesses consent to the presentation of madame du Barry— Ingenious artifice employed by the king to offer a present to the duc de la Vauguyon—Madame du Barry's letter respecting it—The duke's reply—The king's letter—The court in despair—Couplets concerning madame du Barry—Her presentation—A change in public opinion—An evening party at the house of the countess—Joy of her partizans—Conversation with the chancellor respecting the lady of the maréchal de Mirepoix

XV

The Comte de la Marche, a prince of the blood—Madame de Beauvoir, his mistress—Madame du Barry complains to the prince de Soubise of the princess de Guémenée—The king consoles the countess for this—The duc de Choiseul—The king speaks to him of madame du Barry—Voltaire writes to her—The opinions of Richelieu and the king concerning Voltaire

XVI

Unpublished letter of Voltaire to madame du Barry—Reply of