Part 17 (1/2)
The company were not so unreasonable as to desire adinner; but they all got up when he arose frorooate of the inn As for Termes, he wished they had not quitted hi left alone with his master
They had advanced so on in the most profound silence, when Termes, who expected an end to it in a short tiht happen, whether his master would attack him with a torrent of invectives, and certain epithets which were , ironical ht make use of such co, instead of either, that he reht it prudent rather to prevent the speech the Chevalier was er about it; and, accordingly, arry, Sir,” said he, ”and I suppose you think you have reason for being so; but the devil take me, if you are not mistaken in reality”
”How! traitor! in reality?” said the Chevalier de Grammont ”It is then because I have not had thee well thrashed, as thou hast for a long time merited” ”Look ye, Sir,” replied Ter to reason! Yes, Sir, I maintain that what I did was for your benefit” ”And was not the quicksand likewise for my service?” said the Chevalier de Grammont ”Have patience, if you please,” pursued the other: ”I know not how that siroom happened to be at the custom-house when my portmanteau was examined at Calais: but these silly cuckolds thrust in their noses everywhere As soon as ever he saw your coat, he fell in love with it
I immediately perceived he was a fool; for he fell down upon his knees, beseeching reatly rumpled in the portmanteau, it was all stained in front by the sweat of the horses I wonder how the devil he has reatest scoundrel in the world, if you would ever have put it on
In a word, it cost you one hundred and forty louis d'ors, and seeing he offered me one hundred and fifty for it; 'My master,' said I, 'has no occasion for this tinselled bauble to distinguish hih he was pretty full of cash when I left him, ho I in what situation he may be upon my return? there is no certainty at play' To be brief, Sir, I got ten louis d'ors for it more than it cost you: this you see is all clear profit: I will be accountable to you for it, and you know that I aood such a sum
Confess now, do you think you would have appeared to greater advantage at the ball, if you had been dressed out in that damned coat, which would have room to e sold it? and yet how you storht it lost; what fine stories you told the king about the quicksand; and how churlish you looked, when you first began to suppose that this country booby wore it at his wedding!”
What could the Chevalier reply to such uncoed his resentment, he must either have most severely bastinadoed him, or he ue could expect; but he had occasion for hi the remainder of his journey; and, as soon as he was at Paris, he had occasion for him for his return
The Marechal de Grammont had no sooner notice of his arrival than he went to hi over on both sides, ”Chevalier,” said the Marechal, ”howfrom London hither? for God knows at what a rate you travel on such occasions” The Chevalier told him he had been three days upon the road; and, to excuse hi no more haste, he related to hi one,” said his brother; ”but what is yetis, that it will be your fault if you do not find your coat still at table; for the country gentry are not accusto dinner” And then, in a very serious tone, told him, ”he knew not who had advised hiht probably ruin all his affairs; but he had orders fro at court He told him afterwards that he was very much astonished at his impatience, as, till this time, he had conducted himself unco's temper to know that the only way to merit his pardon was to wait until it freely came from his clemency”
The Chevalier, in justification of his conduct, produced Madame de Saint Chaumont's letter, and told the Marechal that he would very willingly have spared her the trouble of writing him such kind of news, to occasion him so useless a journey ”Stillhas our sister being either secretary of state orto make known his majesty's order? Do you wish to know the real state of the case?
So told Mada of England offered you
[”Henrietta, youngest daughter of Charles the First,--born at Exeter 16th June, 1644, frooverness, Lady Dalkeith, soon afterwards conveyed to France On the restoration, she caland with her mother, but returned to France in about six months, and was married to Philip, Duke of Orleans, only brother of Louis XIV In May, 1670, she caain to Dover, on a mission of a political nature, it is supposed, fro to her brother, in which she was successful She died, soon after her return to France, suddenly, not without suspicion of having been poisoned by her husband King James, in his Diary, says, 'On the 22d of June, the news of the duchess of Orleans' death arrived It was suspected that counter-poisons were given her; but when she was opened, in the presence of the English alish physician and surgeon, there appeared no grounds of suspicion of any foul play Yet Bucks tallied openly that she was poisoned; and was so violent as to propose to foreign inal Papers, vol i At the end of Lord Arlington's Letters are five very remarkable ones from a person of quality, who is said to have been actually on the spot, giving a particular relation of her death]
”He appeared pleased with the es had related to hi it, and said he was pleased with you for it: Madame interpreted this as an order for your recall; and Mada that wonderful discretion she iines herself mistress of, she hastened to despatch to you this consequential order in her own hand To conclude, Mada was at dinner, that you would very soon be here; and the king, as soon as dinner was over, commanded me to send you back as soon as you arrived Here you are; set off again iht have appeared severe to the Chevalier de Grammont at any other time; but, in the present state of his heart, he soon resolved upon obeying Nothing gave hied hi entirely unconcerned that he was not allowed to see the French court before his departure, he only desired the Marechal to obtain leave for him to stay a few days to collect in soranted, on condition that he should not reirard for his retreat: it was there that he had several adventures which he so often related in so hu a manner, that it would be tedious to repeat them; there it was that he administered the sacrament in so solemn a manner, that, as there did not reuard the chapel, Vardes was obliged to acquaint the king that they were all gone to the Chevalier de Grairard: there likewise happened that wonderful adventure which threw the first slur upon the reputation of the great Saucourt, when, having a tete-a-tete with the gardener's daughter, the horn, which was agreed upon as the signal to prevent surprises, was sounded so often, that the frequent alare of the celebrated Saucourt, and rendered useless the assignation that was procured for hihbourhood It was, likewise, during his stay at Vaugirard, that he paid a visit to Mademoiselle de l'Hopital at Issy, to inquire into the truth of a report of an a robe; and it was there that, on his arriving unexpectedly, the President de Maisons was forced to take refuge in a closet, with so much precipitation, that half of his robe remained on the outside when he shut the door; while the Chevalier de Gra, in order to keep the two lovers upon the rack
His business being settled, he set out for England on the wings of love
Terilance upon the road The post horses were ready in an instant at every stage: the winds and tides favoured his ihest satisfaction The court was both surprised and charmed at his sudden return No person condoled with him upon his late disappointment, which had occasioned him to co it himself: nor was Miss Ha the orders of the king his lish court during his short absence; but it assumed a different aspect soon after his return: I mean with respect to love and pleasure, which were the reatest part of this gay reign
The Duke of Monmouth, natural son to Charles the Second, now made his first appearance in his father's court
[James Duke of Monmouth, was the son of Charles the II, by one Lucy Walters He was born at Rotterdam, April 9, 1649, and bore the name of James Crofts until the restoration His education was chiefly at Paris, under the eye of the queen-overnment of Thomas Ross, Esq, as afterwards secretary to Mr Coventry during his eland, and received with joy by his father, who heaped honours and riches upon him, which were not sufficient to satisfy his ambitious views To exclude his uncle, the Duke of York, fro with the opposers of governn On the accession of James II he made an ineffectual attempt to raise a rebellion, was taken prisoner, and beheaded on Tower-hill, 15th July, 1685 Mr
Macpherson has drawn his character in the following terhly beloved by the populace, was a fit instruracefulness which prejudiced mankind in his favour as soon as seen, he joined an affability which gained their love Constant in his friendshi+ps, and just to his word, by nature tender, and an utter eneorous in his constitution, he excelled in the manly exercises of the field He was personally brave He loved the poers of war But with these splendid qualities, he was vain to a degree of folly, versatile in hisHe was a ever to be artful, but always a fool Thus, taking the applause of the multitude for a certain mark of merit, he was the dupe of his own vanity, and owed all his land, vol i, chap iii]
His entrance upon the stage of the world was so brilliant, his ambition had occasioned so ical end are so recent, that it were needless to produce any other traits to give a sketch of his character By the whole tenor of his life, he appeared to be rash in his undertakings, irresolute in the execution, and dejected in his ht to equal the greatness of the atteraces of his person were such, that nature perhaps never for more complete: His face was extremely handsome; and yet it was a manly face, neither inani its beauty and peculiar delicacy: He had a wonderful genius for every sort of exercise, an engaging aspect, and an air of grandeur: in a word, he possessed every personal advantage; but then he was greatly deficient in mental accomplishments He had no sentiments but such as others inspired him with; and those who first insinuated themselves into his friendshi+p, took care to inspire hi beauty of his outward form caused universal admiration: those who before were looked upon as handsoay and beautiful of the fair sex were at his devotion He was particularly beloved by the king; but the universal terror of husbands and lovers
This, however, did not long continue; for nature not having endowed him with qualifications to secure the possession of the heart, the fair sex soon perceived the defect
The duchess of Cleveland was out of hu, because the children she had by his majesty were like so many little puppets, compared to this new Adonis She was thethe queen of love, in cohed at her reproaches, as, for soht to make any; and, as this piece of jealousy appeared to be more ill-founded than any she had formerly affected, no person approved of her ridiculous resentive the king uneasiness: Instead of opposing his extreme tenderness for his son, she pretended to adopt him, in her affection, by a thousand commendations and caresses, which she was daily and continually increasing As these endearined they could not be suspected; but she was too well known for her real design to be er jealous of her; but, as the Duke of Mone not to be insensible to the attractions of a woht it proper to withdraw him from this pretended mother-in-law, to preserve his innocence, or at least his fame, uncontaAn heiress of five thousand pounds a-year in Scotland, offered very a-propos: her person was full of charms, and her mind possessed all those perfections in which the handsome Monhter and sole heir of Francis, Earl of Buccleugh, only son and heir of Walter, Lord Scott, created Earl of Buccleugh in 1619 On their e the duke took the surname of Scott, and he and his lady were created Duke and duchess of Buccleugh, Earl and Countess of Dalkeith, Baron and Baroness of Whitchester and Ashdale in Scotland, by letters patent, dated April 20th, 1673 Also, two days after he was installed at Windsor, the king and queen, the Duke of York, and e's day, his majesty solehts coh there were several children of this e, it does not appear to have been a happy one; the duke, without conceal hi breath, he declared he considered as his only wife in the sight of God The duchess, in May, 1688, took to her second husband Charles, Lord Cornwallis She died Feb 6, 1731-32, in the 81st year of her age, and was buried at Dalkeith in Scotland Our author is not ures than he avows hiereater than he has stated it to have been]
New festivals and entertaine The , was to outshi+ne the rest in brilliancy and grandeur; and whilst these rejoicings brought forward all nificence, they either revived old, or established new alory, attracted all eyes, and commanded universal respect and admiration The duchess of Cleveland endeavoured to eclipse her at this fate, by a load of jewels, and by all the artificial ornaments of dress; but it was in vain: her face looked rather thin and pale, fronancy, which the king was still pleased to place to his own account; and, as for the rest, her person could in no respect stand in corace and beauty of Miss Stewart
It was during this last effort of her char been as free to give his hand as he was to surrender his heart: for it was at this time that the Duke of Richmond took it into his head either to marry her, or to die in the attempt