When the Commissioner gives any public Feast, he must send an Invitation to the Ministers of the Electors and of the Princes Three Days before-hand; and the Table must be plac’d under a Canopy, where the Commissioner has the chief Seat; and the Ministers place themselves on his Right and Left, according to the Rank of their Masters.
I had the Honour to pay my Respects to the Cardinal Commissioner, who receiv’d me with all the Good-nature possible, and talk’d to me in such a manner, as gave me Hopes of Success: The Envoys of the Princes spoke to him also in my Favour, and they thought him well dispos’d to serve me: I remain’d thus Four Months at Ratisbon in continual Hopes, but still without seeing my Affairs settled: I was resolv’d to be
somewhat urgent with him, that I might know without Delay what I had to depend upon: The Cardinal was so good as not to refuse me to my Face, but he sent me Word by one of the Elector’s Envoys, who spoke to me for him, that ’twas in vain for me to stay at Ratisbon; that he could do me no Service; and he said also, without giving any Reason for it, that even tho’ the whole Dyet was to intercede for me, he would do nothing for me: This Expression, which I could not think an ambiguous one, made me cease to sollicit him.
At this same time the Emperor declar’d the Marriage of his Niece the Archduchess with Charles-Albert Cajetan, the Electoral Prince of Bavaria: The Elector of Bavaria had waited for this News a long time, and he receiv’d it almost at the same Instant when he heard that his Third Son the Duke Clement, the Bishop of Munster and Paderborn, had been elected Coadjutor of Cologne, in spite of the Opposition which several Powers had secretly fomented against him in the Chapter. The Cardinal of Saxe had conceiv’d some Hopes of attaining to this Dignity; but he desisted from his Pretensions for a very considerable Sum of Money in Hand, and for the Grant of the Provostship of Alten-Ottingen in Bavaria to the Prince his Nephew. M. de Plettenberg, the Envoy of Munster, gave a grand Feast on account of his Master’s new Dignity: He caus’d a great Room and several Tents to be erected at the Gates of Ratisbon, where there was Play under the Tents, and a Supper in the long Room: The Cardinal of Saxe was present at it, and the Envoys with their Ladies, and all the Quality there in general were invited to it: After the Feast there was a
Firework, to give time to prepare the long Room for the Ball, which held till Day-light.
Not long after this Entertainment the Cardinal of Saxe set out for Hungary, where he was to preside in quality of Primate of that Kingdom, at the Dyet which met there this Year: The Emperor and Empress assisted at it, to settle the Affairs of the Succession of that Crown, the Right of which the States of the Country acknowledg’d to belong to the Archduchesses, Daughters of their Imperial Majesties, and to their Posterity, in case it should please God not to grant their Majesties a Son.
After the Cardinal was gone, I stay’d at Ratisbon no longer than was absolutely necessary to take Leave of the Ministers of the Electors and the other Envoys, from whom I had receiv’d all manner of Civilities; for many of them, not content with shewing me the utmost Complaisance, extended their Regards further, and knowing the State of my Affairs, they had behav’d with a Generosity to me, which I shall always remember with Gratitude; and happy should I be, could I one Day or other find an Opportunity to shew them Proofs of it! The only one I can give them now is, to mention their Names to you: The Regard you always had for me will no doubt engage you, Madame, to esteem them as such generous Friends deserve, which will be an Advantage they will prize the more, because as they have the Honour to be acquainted with you, they know full well that you never grant your Esteem, where it is not justly merited.
The Count de Konigsfelt, the Envoy of Bavaria, was one of those who strove most with the Cardinal to serve me: This Minister liv’d very grand at Ratisbon: Every thing about him was
of the utmost Magnificence: His Table was exquisite, his Music perfectly well compos’d, his Equipages of a noble Fancy, and he had a great Number of Domestics, all well cloath’d: All this external Appearance diffus’d an Air of Grandeur throughout this Minister’s Houshold, which gave a sublime Idea of the Prince whom he represented: The Sollicitations of this Minister for me were warmly seconded by the other Envoys, who also drew their Purse-strings for me: These were the Baron de Kirchner, the Joint Commissioner; M. de Vriesberg, the Envoy of Hanover; M. de Plettenberg, the Envoy of Munster; the Baron de Duremberg; the Envoy of Hesse-Cassel; and M. de Hagen, the Envoy of the Duke of Saxe-Gotha.
After having discharg’d what I thought Politeness and Gratitude demanded of me, I set out from Ratisbon, to meet my Brother, who was at Dusseldorff solliciting a Law-Suit, which we were jointly carrying on with Madamoiselle de Pollnitz, and which we lost, no doubt because it was not the Decree of Providence that we should enjoy the good Things of this World.