The Venetian Ambassador wrote the other day to the Vicegerent (substitute of the Cardinal-Vicar), requesting him to make inquiries about a young couple who had run away from Venice, and who, the Senate informed him, were concealed in Rome. The Vicegerent sent back the Ambassador’s letter with these words at the bottom of it: “Si burla di me il Signore Ambasciadore” (Monsieur l’Ambassadeur se moque de moi). The latter again wrote to the Vicegerent, and more urgently than before, but received only the same answer. Whereupon he called in person upon the prelate, who told him that the young couple were in the palace at Venice.
The Count d’Artois carried his little son, the Duke d’Angoulême, to see the young Dauphin. The child, expecting to see something extraordinary, looked disappointed, and exclaimed: “Mon papa, comme il est petit!” “Tu le trouveras un jour beaucoup trop grand,” replied the Count.
The Père Procureur of the Order of Doctrinaires came to make us a visit, and said that he was trying to get the founder of his order canonised, provided it did not cost too much. He had already expended six hundred crowns on the congregations before whom the question has to be laid. These are composed of prelates, heads of orders, and cardinals; but he believes the last do not receive anything. Every congregation costs a hundred and fifty crowns in chocolate; the lawyer gets twenty more for his carriage and other expenses; and the rest goes in mancias to the servants. The Prelate Promoter of the Faith is usually styled “Avvocato del Diavolo,” his business being to raise objections to the proposed saint. The present candidate for canonisation is of an ancient family of Avignon. His brother was a “chef d’escadre,” and he himself was in the army of Henri IV. At that time he used to make verses to the ladies, and was a man of the world; but he afterwards turned abbé, and founded an order for the instruction of children. His name was César de Busse. They are now trying to prove his virtues to “an heroic degree,” and afterwards they will come to his miracles, without which he cannot be beatified. It is somewhat difficult to find proofs of these, but they hope to succeed, provided the order in France find money enough; but there seems to be some reluctance to spend much for these purposes. Connected with this, the Père Procureur related to us an anecdote of one of the Boromeo family, who told us his son need not give himself so much trouble, for they would never try to make a saint of him, as his uncle’s canonisation had already ruined them. The feast of a beatified saint is not observed by the Church in general, but only by his own order.
When Marshal Richelieu went to Bordeaux he was tired out with harangues from all sorts of people. At last they told him that the Gardien of the Capucins wanted to address him, but the Marshal vowed he would hear no more. Being prevailed on, however, by the people about him not to mortify the poor man, he said he would receive him provided his discourse were brief. The Capucin, then entering, said: “Monsieur le Maréchal, nous vous souhaitons autant de bien dans l’autre monde que vous en avez eu dans celui-ci.”
When Marshal Villars was going to give battle to the allied army, he looked at his troops, whose uniforms had become very shabby, and said to them, pointing to the new regimentals of the enemy: “Habillez-vous, mes amis.”