“Upon the conduct of M. Fouquet.”
“I think, sire, that M. Fouquet, not satisfied with attracting all the money to himself, as M. Mazarin did, and by that means depriving your majesty of one part of your power, still wishes to attract to himself all the friends of easy life and pleasure—of what idlers call poetry, and politicians, corruption. I think that, by holding the subjects of your majesty in pay, he trespasses upon the royal prerogative, and cannot, if this continues so, be long in placing your majesty among the weak and the obscure.”
“How would you qualify all these projects, M. Colbert?”
“The projects of M. Fouquet, sire?”
“Yes.”
“They are called crimes of lese majeste.”
“And what is done to criminals guilty of lese majeste?”
“They are arrested, tried, and punished.”
“You are quite certain that M. Fouquet has conceived the idea of the crime you impute to him?”
“I can say more, sire; there is even a commencement of the execution of it.”