Letter. M. le Blanc, who had been Secretary at War, and was the Darling of the Officers, was committed to the Bastille; and M. de Breteuil, who had been formerly Master of the Requests, and Intendant of Tours, succeeded him in that Office; which was the Consequence of a Misunderstanding, or rather a Hatred, between two Ladies, who were the Mistresses, the one of the Duke of Bourbon, the other of M. le Blanc. All the Friends of the latter, among whom was M. the Count de Belle-Isle, shared in his Disgrace. The four Brothers of the Name of Paris had the Management of the Finances, of which Brothers two had been Soldiers in the Guards; but they had the Cunning to extricate themselves from that melancholy State, and to render themselves necessary to the Government during the Time of the Regency. M. d’Argenson Keeper of the Seals had been their Patron, and rais’d them upon the Ruins of Mr. John Law, and his System. Whatever was done by these Brothers is foreign to my Purpose: Their rapid Fortune drew Envy upon them, and they soon became the Objects of the public Hatred.
The most remarkable Transactions of the Duke’s Administration, were the sending back of the Infanta, and the Marriage of the King. The Duke, foreseeing the Inconveniencies to which France would be liable, if the King should die without Issue, thought it best to prevent so fatal an Accident, which it had not been possible for him to have done without marrying the King. The Infanta of Spain was a Child, and it would be at least eight Years before they could hope for any Issue from her; whereas by marrying the King to another speedily, there was a Chance of having a Dauphin very soon, who would secure the Tranquillity of the Kingdom. His most Serene Highness therefore propos’d this Affair to the Council, which at first he found very
much divided about it; for they were apprehensive of the Resentment of the King of Spain, and the Duke himself was heartily sorry, that he was under a Necessity of giving their Catholic Majesties just Cause of Disgust for the sake of the public Good: The Council being at last agreed, they pass’d a Resolution unanimously to send back the Infanta. This was accordingly notified to the Court of Spain, where News so unexpected was receiv’d with all the Indignation possible. The Infanta was sent back. The Duchess of Tallard had the Care of conducting her to the Spanish Frontier. All the Honours due to the Daughter of a great King were paid to this Princess, and every thing that could be thought of, was done to soften the Displeasure of their Catholic Majesties for her Return. All France murmur’d in secret at the Departure of this Princess; for she had won the Hearts of all who had seen her, by a Behaviour and a Genius so vastly above one of her Age, that they prognosticated she would one Day be a great Queen. Not long after she was sent away, the King was married to a Princess so happy in Childbearing, that Heaven thereby seems to applaud what the Duke has done, and the People, quite forgetting the Infanta, bless his Name.
The King, after he had been married a few Months, thought it was not convenient for a Prince of the Blood to have the Direction of his Affairs; and therefore he displac’d the Duke of Bourbon from the Post of Prime Minister, and made the late Bishop of Frejus, now the Cardinal de Fleury, the sole Depositary of his Authority. The Duke receiv’d Orders to retire to Chantilly, a Seat he has near Senlis; and there his Friends put it into his Head to marry a second Wife: Several Princesses were propos’d to him, but he determin’d his Choice for Eleonora of Hesse-Rhinfelds, Sister of the Princess
of Piedmont, now Queen of Sardinia[50]; and the Brother of this Princess, having a Proxy sent to him from the Duke, married her at Rotenbourg, in Presence of the Count de Gasse, whom the Duke had sent to assist in his Name at this Ceremony. The young Duchess no sooner arriv’d in France, but her Beauty, and the Charms both of her Person and Mind, made her admir’d by the whole Court, of which she is now one of the principal Ornaments: She is belov’d and respected by all Mankind, and every body pities her, that the Duke has not all that Tenderness for her which she deserves, and which it were to be wish’d he had for the Support of the Conde Family, of which the two only Princes remaining, viz. the Counts de Charolois and Clermont, are not married.
The Count de Charolois is tall, handsome, and well-set: His Entrance upon the Stage of Action was much taken Notice of; for a Thirst after Glory was the Passion of his Soul, as soon as he came to the Years of Understanding. The War being kindled in Hungary, and Prince Eugene of Savoy having gain’d a Victory near Temiswar, which reviv’d that Hero’s Reputation in France, the Count de Charolois had a mind to learn the Art of War under so great a Master, and to make the Campaign which immediately follow’d that of Temiswar; but he did not dare to discover his Intention, and fearing that he should not obtain the Consent, either of the Duke of Orleans the Regent, the Duchess his Mother, or the Duke his Father, he resolv’d to set out privately, being sure that he should be applauded for his Undertaking, if he could be so happy as to put it in Execution. He imparted his
Design in Confidence to M. de Billy, one of his Gentlemen, and to Renault his first Valet de Chambre, and with these two Attendants he set out from Chantilly on Pretence of Hunting. He travell’d five or six Post-Stages with the very Horses that belonged to the Duke his Father; after which he left them to the Care of the Post-master, and hir’d fresh Horses, with which he reach’d Liege; where he rested some Days, and having provided himself with Linen, went to the Court of the Elector of Cologn, whom he had known in France: His first Visit at Bonn, was at the House of M. de S. Maurice, the Elector’s Prime Minister; but he did not find him at home. M. de Billy thereupon desir’d to speak with his Lady, and told her, that a certain Punctilio of Honour had oblig’d him to come from France with the young Gentleman in his Company; but Madame de S. Maurice, not thinking he was a Prince of the Blood, and taking the Count de Charolois for some petty Officer, gave him a very cold Reception: However, she sent for her Husband, who was then attending the Elector’s Person; and when the Count de S. Maurice came, he presently knew the Count de Charolois, paid him all due Respects, and hasten’d to notify his Arrival to the Elector, who at first was concern’d to hear it, because his Electoral Highness knew not but he might disoblige the Court of France by receiving the Count, who he imagin’d had left the Kingdom upon some Disgust. Nevertheless, after reflecting with himself, that whatever the Count de Charolois might have done, the Court of France could not be angry with him for paying a Regard to his Quality as Prince of the Blood, he sent to invite him to his Palace. The Count went thither accordingly, by the Name of the Count de Dammartin, which he always travell’d With as long as he was absent from the Kingdom.
The Elector receiv’d him With all the Marks of the highest Esteem, kept him several Days at his Court, and then furnish’d him with Money for his Journey to Munich; where he no sooner arriv’d, but he wrote to the Duke his Father to send him Remittances, and the necessary Equipages for the Campaign which he was then going to make.
Tho’ the Count de Charolois did not find the Elector of Bavaria at Munich, yet he was as well receiv’d as if he had been there; and the Electress, tho’ he had not been to see her, no sooner heard of his Arrival, but she order’d all due Honours to be paid to him. When the Elector return’d to Munich, he was overjoy’d to find this Prince there, and offer’d to make his Peace in France, in which he succeeded so far, as to get his Departure out of the Kingdom approv’d by the Duchess and the Regent. When the Count’s Domestics were arriv’d, he set out for Hungary, and pass’d through Vienna without saluting the Emperor, or the Empress Dowager his Cousin German. The Empress Was so offended at it, that she wrote to her Aunt, who was the Prince’s Grandmother, and signified to that Princess, that she did not think it handsome for a Prince of such Descent as the Count de Charolois, to pass through Vienna to serve in the Imperial Army, without having seen the Emperor. The Count’s Relations did not fail to reproach him for his Want of Respect to their Imperial Majesties. He excus’d himself, by saying that he did not know what Treatment he ought to expect; but the Answer he receiv’d, was an Order from the Regent in the King’s Name, to wait on their Imperial Majesties as he return’d from the Campaign.
He signaliz’d himself in it very much, but with so little Care of his Person, that Prince Eugene of Savoy often reproach’d him for it: He took a Pleasure to go up to the very Breast-work of the