when he tells a Person the King has a Respect for him, he need not despair of carrying any Point. Nevertheless, I question whether such a Compliment could be safely depended on; for, I observ’d, he paid it to a great many People: And, as for my own Part, M. Grimaldo said to me, that the King was so gracious as to esteem me, before I had even the Honour of paying my Duty to his Majesty.
M. de Campo Florido had the Management of the Finances. He was a very polite disinterested Minister; and ’tis certain that he made none of those Purchases which are always the Consequence of a splendid Fortune. But notwithstanding his being so disinterested, this Minister had the same Fate as all that have the Management of the Finances, not to be belov’d: And tho’ when he first came to the Direction of the Finances, he found them in a very bad State, no Allowance was made him upon that Score, but an Account was demanded from him of the Wealth which others had squander’d.
M. de Castelar was Secretary at War, and had been just preferr’d to that Employment as I arriv’d at Madrid. He is the civillest Minister I ever knew: And tho’ he had such a Weight of Affairs upon him, he had an easy Air, which was a Pleasure to all that had any Business with him. He had another Quality, not very common to Gentlemen in the Ministry, which was to keep no body in Suspence; for People very soon knew what they had to trust to: And whether ’twas a Grant or a Refusal, they were equally satisfy’d with the Minister, who gave with Pleasure, and never refus’d a Request but when ’twas not in his Power to grant it.
These, Madame, were the Ministers then employ’d in the several Offices. At that time there was no Prime Minister in Spain; for, after Cardinal Alberoni’s Disgrace, the King manag’d Affairs himself, or rather the Queen govern’d as the real Sovereign. But as great as her Sway was, she had much ado to get the better of the King’s Confessor, who had a great Share in all Affairs. This was the famous Father Daubanton, a Jesuit, who had an Ascendant over the King to such a Degree, that nothing of Moment was transacted without his Opinion. He was therefore, in Reality, the Prime Minister of Spain; at least he only wanted the Title, for he perform’d the Functions of such a one, but without the Wit, the Finesse, and the Policy of the disgrac’d Minister; for he was severe, merciless, and so hard-hearted, that when he saw Officers reduc’d to the last Extremity for want of their Pay, it gave him no Disturbance. To him I apply’d, as every body else did, to beg the Honour of his Protection; and when I came near him, I found him a haughty proud Man, and one that was extremely rigid. ’Tis true, that when he had to do with Persons from whom he expected any Services, all this Stateliness was laid aside; he was then quite another Man: And was so perfect a Matter of the Art of dissembling, that Civility, Good-nature, and Humility seem’d painted so strongly in his Features, as would induce one to think nothing could be more sincere, and that this external Appearance was the pure Expression of his secret Thoughts. The Roman Purple was, they say, the Centre of all his Views; and, being wholly ambitious of this Dignity, he thought every Measure equally right that had a Tendency to a red Hat. Cardinal
Alberoni wheedled him with the Hopes of it one while, just to get some Services of him that he then stood in need of. The Regent of France also gave him a Prospect of it, as a Reward that he might infallibly depend on, if he could prevail on his Catholic Majesty to sign the Treaty of the Quadruple Alliance. This Jesuit set heartily about it, and succeeded; but the Hat, so much aspir’d after, was given to another; and all the Thanks that the Reverend Father had for his Pains, was an Abbey for one pf his Nephews. Something offer’d before I left Spain, which will give me occasion to speak to you of this Cardinal again.
Cardinal Borgia was also in very high Favour, but a wrong Person to apply to for Services; which indeed was owing to his Indolence more than any other Reason; for, as to a friendly Temper, I do not think there ever was a Man who possess’d that Virtue in a more eminent Degree. He was withal very devout, but was reckon’d so unlearned, that I have been assur’d he did not know a word of Latin; and upon this Head I heard the following Story, which I do not retail to you for Gospel. I was told, that when the Duke of St. Aignan, the Ambassador of France, was preparing to make this Cardinal a Visit, he was appris’d that his Eminency did not understand French. The Ambassador thought it would do every whit as well if he convers’d with him in Latin, and therefore he greeted him in that Language; but he found, to his great Surprize, that the Prelate made Answer to him in Spanish, that he did not understand the French Tongue; and somebody, who was present at the Audience, telling the Cardinal, that the Ambassador spoke to him not in French but in
Latin, the Cardinal said, Aye, but I do not understand Latin-French: So that there was a Necessity of carrying on the Conversation by an Interpreter.
Tho’ the Characters of the Ministers and Favourites were so different, there was a Necessity of my conforming to them all, in Hopes that the Steps I had taken would not be in vain. I took great Care therefore to see them all, to desire them to speak in my Favour. Whether they did so, I know not; nor whether the little Ray of Fortune which began to shine upon me, but soon vanish’d, was the Effect of their Recommendations, or to an Impression I had made upon the King’s Heart, by the Narrative I had given him of the State of my Affairs, the Disorder of which had been owing in the first Place to my changing my Religion, which had forc’d me to quit the Service of my Sovereign. Be this as it will, I received a very favourable Answer to the Memorial which I had the Honour of presenting to the King: He granted me a Lieutenant-Colonel’s Commission in the future Regiment of Sicily, together with the Soldo vivo, which amounted to about Sixteen Pistoles a Month. What they call the Soldo vivo in Spain is, when the same Pay is advanc’d as if the Corps was actually on an Establishment or Footing. I thought this very handsome Pay, and that my Affairs were already in a promising way. I found that with such a Sum an Officer might maintain himself very well in his Quarters. I actually form’d Schemes for a Settlement; and, having paid dear for my Folly, I began to talk of House-keeping. I computed, that with what would now be my Income from Spain, and what was to revert to me from my own Family, I
should be able to repair my tatter’d Equipage, and to appear in a decent Manner, till such time as Fortune, which now began to be something kinder than usual, had put me in a Condition to make the Figure I aspir’d to.