There never were two brothers so different as the late king and
Monsieur; and yet they loved each other much. The king was tall
with fair hair, or rather a light-brown; he had a manly air and an
extremely fine face. Monsieur was not disagreeable in appearance, but
he was very small, his hair was black as jet, the eyebrows thick and
brown, with large dark eyes, a very long and rather narrow face, a
big nose, a very small mouth, and shocking teeth; he had the manners
of a woman rather than those of a man; he did not like either horses
or hunting; he cared for nothing but cards, holding a court, good
eating, dancing, and dressing himself; in a word, he took pleasure
in all that women like. The king loved hunting, music, the theatre;
Monsieur liked nothing but great assemblies and masked balls; the
king liked gallantry with women; but I do not believe that in all his
life Monsieur was ever in love. He was so fond of the sound of bells
that he always went to Paris to spend All Saints night expressly to
hear them ring as they do there the livelong night. He laughed about
it himself, but declared that ringing gave him the greatest pleasure.
I never let him go anywhere alone, except by his express orders.
Monsieur was very devout; but he was brave. The soldiers in the army
used to say of him: "He is more afraid of sun and dust than he is of
guns," and that was very true. The Chevalier de Lorraine was a wicked
man, but the rest of his dear friends were no better. Some years
before the late Monsieur's death he begged my forgiveness.
My son has studied much, he has a good memory, he seizes everything
with facility. He does not resemble either his father or his mother.
Monsieur had a long, narrow face, whereas my son has a square one. His
walk is like that of Monsieur, and he makes the same motions with his
hands. Monsieur had a very small mouth and villanous teeth; my son
has a large mouth and beautiful teeth. He is too prejudiced in favour
of his own nation. Though he sees every day how false and deceitful
his compatriots are, he firmly believes there are no people on earth
to be compared with the French.
I assure you that everything passed in all honour between my son and
the Queen of Spain. I do not know whether he had the good fortune to
please the queen, but he never was in love with her. He says she has
a good expression, and a fine figure, but that neither her features
nor her manners are to his taste. I certainly cannot deny that he is a
lover of women; but he has his caprices, and everybody does not please
him. The grand style suits him less than the dissipated, loose ways of
the opera-dancers. I often ridicule him for it.
Our little king is now in the Tuileries in perfect health; he has
never been really ill; he is very lively, and does not keep in one
position for a single instant. To tell you the truth, he is very badly
brought up; they let him do just what he likes for fear of making
him ill. I am convinced that if they corrected him he would be less
quick-tempered; and they do him great harm by letting him follow his
caprices. But everybody wants to gain the good graces of a king, no
matter how young he is.
Mme. la Duchesse learned from her mother and her aunt [Mmes. de
Montespan and de Thiange] to turn people into ridicule; they never did
anything else; everybody was a butt for their satire under pretext of
amusing the king. The children, who were always there, never knew or
heard aught else. It was a bad school, but not so dangerous as that
of the children's governess; for the latter went seriously to work,
without any intention of amusing, and told the king all sorts of evil
of everybody, under pretence of religion and charity and reforming the
neighbour. In this way the king was given a bad opinion of the whole
Court, and the old woman was able to prevent the king from liking
to be with any others than herself and her creatures--they were the
only perfect beings, exempt from all faults. This was really the more
perilous because _lettres de cachet_ sending persons to prison or
exile, followed on such denunciations,--things which Mme. de Montespan
never procured. When she had well laughed at any one she was satisfied
and went no further.
Mme. la Duchesse has three charming daughters; one of them, Mlle.
de Clermont, is very beautiful, but I think her sister, the young
Princesse de Conti, is much more agreeable. The mother is not more
beautiful than her daughters, but she has more grace, a better
countenance, and more engaging ways; wit sparkles in her eyes, also
malice. I always say she is like a pretty cat which lets you feel
her claws even while she plays. She laughs at everybody; but is very
amusing, and turns things into ridicule in such a pleasant way that
you can't help laughing. She is very good company,--always gay, and
makes the liveliest sallies; she is very insinuating, and when she
wants to please a person she can take all shapes; in her life she
never was out of temper, and if she is false (as she really is) there
never was any one more agreeable; she knows how to adapt herself to
every one's humour, and you would think she had a genuine sympathy for
those to whom she shows it, but you must not trust her.