O LOUER OU A VENDRE
To-day some sort of a division and rearrangement of the property has been made, but the result is no less mournful and sad, and thus a glorious page of the annals of France has become blurred.
It is interesting to recall what manner of persons composed the household of Louis XI. when he resided at Plessis-les-Tours. Commines, his historian, has said that habitually it consisted of a chancellor, a juge de l'hôtel, a private secretary, and a treasurer, each having under him various employees. In addition there was a master of the pantry, a cupbearer, a chef de bouche and a chef de cuisine, a fruitier, a master of the horse, a quartermaster or master-at-arms, and, in immediate control of these domestic servants, a seneschal or grand maître. In many respects the household was not luxuriously conducted, for the parsimonious Louis lived fully up to the false maxim: "Qui peu donne, beaucoup recueille."
Louis himself was fond of doing what the modern housewife would call "messing about in the kitchen." He did not dabble at cookery as a pastime, or that sort of thing; but rather he kept an eagle eye on the whole conduct of the affairs of the household.
One day, coming to the kitchen en négligé, he saw a small boy turning a spit before the fire.
"And what might you be called?" said he, patting the lad on the shoulder.
"Etienne," replied the marmiton.
"Thy pays, my lad?"
"Le Berry."
"Thy age?"