Part 30 (2/2)
”Your majesty's wisdom must decide the point,” replied the chancellor ”My duty is to lay before you the true state of things; this I have done, and I know h not to intrude , that in your majesty's court there areaffairs-M d'Aiguillon, for example”
”Ah!” answered Louis XV; ”this is not thefro robes, to elevate him over the head of my hitherto-esteemed minister”
M de Maupeou and myself perceived that we should best servethe ed the conversation Nevertheless, as what had already passed had taken its full effect upon the king's ested an idea which I should never have drea; and that was to consult the abbe de la Ville on the subject
The abbe de la Ville, head clerk of foreign affairs, was a man who, at the advanced period of fourscore, preserved all the fire and vivacity of youth; he was acquainted with ministerial affairs even better than M de Choiseul hied to the Jesuits, to whom he was entirely devoted, he had appeared to accelerate the period of their destruction; never had he been able to pardon his patron the frightful part he had compelled him to enact in the business Years had not weakened his ancient rancour, and itto life withto lay it down till he had avenged hi he would avail himself of the first pretext that occurred to request an audience This note was forwarded by a footood abbe easily divined that this n; he therefore hastened to solicit an audience as desired When introduced into the cabinet of the king, his majesty inquired at once,
”Monsieur l' abbe, can I depend upon your discretion?”
”Sire,” replied the abbe, with a blunt frankness, ”I am sorry your majesty can doubt it”
”Be satisfied, sir,” replied the king, ”I had no intention to offend you; but I wish to consult you upon a point, the importance of which you will fully appreciate; answer uise Do you believe that the services of the duc de Choiseul are useful to dom, and that my interests would suffer were I to dismiss him?”
”Sire,” replied M de la Ville, without hesitation, ”I protest to you, as a man of honour, that the presence of the duc de Choiseul is by no means essential to the ministry, and that your htest injury by his absence”
After this the abbe de la Ville entered into particulars unnecessary to repeat here; it is sufficient to say, that all he advanced materially aided our wishes He afterwards reaped the reward of his friendly services, for when the duc d'Aiguillon had displaced the duc de Choiseul, he bestowed on M de la Ville the title of director of foreign affairs, an office created for hiood abbe did not, however, long enjoy his honours, but ended his career in 1774
This conversation had been repeated toLouis XV fro further confidence in his minister; but, feeble and ti hiht, by continual rebuffs and denials to his slightest request, to coive
Whilst these things were in agitation, madame de Mirepoix, who had been for some days absent from Versailles, came to call upon me This lady possessed a considerable share of wit; and, although on the ether broken off with the des Choiseuls, to whom she was further bound on account of the prince de Beauvau, her brother It therefore excited in me no surprise, when I heard that the des Choiseuls had called on her to ascertain, whether it would not be possible, through her mediation, to cory with otiation; I well foresaw all the difficulties, and entertained no hopes of its success, but upon second thoughts, I considered it better I should accept thereturned, it will be safe in rin of a failure the shame of a defeat”
”It isfrom these people should be rejected; they have compelled me to raise between them and myself an immense wall of hatred, not less difficult to surrand wall of China”
”Yet,” replied the , ”they are disposed to pay any price for so doing”
”I have friends,” said I, ”fro that your friends shall be theirs likewise,” cried she, ”for they see that M de Maupeou, the duc de la Vrilliere, and the abbe Terray, are provided for, and that the duc d'Aiguillon alone remains to be suitably established; M de Choiseul would be happy to aid hi the post of minister of naval affairs”
”Well, and the duchesse de Grammont,” inquired I, ”would she visitabout it, and can venture no opinion; my commission does not extend so far”
”I understand you,” said I; ”she seeks for peace only as it would enable her the better to carry on her hostilities against me I am sorry, madame la marechale, that I cannot accept your terms for a reconciliation”
”Remember, I pray of you, that I have been an a more,” said madame de Mirepoix; ”recollect I have spoken to you in the words of others, not e the particulars of this 's conversation, it is I ill suffer by it: your friends will be displeased with me for er of a party so powerful as yours”
I promised the marechale to observe an inviolable secrecy; and, so well have I kept my promise, that you are the first person to whom I ever breathed one syllable of the affair I e, that the duc de Choiseul should abandon his cousin, and consent to take his seat beside the duc d'Aiguillon, whoaining ti But what avails speculation upon the words and actions of a courtier, whose heart is an abyss too deep for gleany, general post- and the countess read the opened letters-The disgrace of de Choiseul resolved upon-Lettre de cachet -Anecdote-Spectre of Philip II, king of Spain-The duc de Choiseul banished-Visits to Chanteloup-The princesses-The dauphin and dauphiness-Candidates for the ministry