A Frenchman, a refugee in Holland, used to write to me how the affairs
of the Prince of Orange were going. I thought that I should do the
king a service in communicating to him what I thus heard; I did so.
The king was much obliged and thanked me; but in the evening he said,
laughing: "My ministers insist that you are ill-informed; they say
there is not a word of truth in what was written to you." I answered:
"Time will show who is best informed, your ministers, or the person
who wrote to me; my intentions were good, monsieur." Some time later,
after it was proved that King William had gone to England, M. de
Torcy came to me and said that I ought to inform him of the news I
received. I replied: "You assured the king that I received false news;
on which I ordered that nothing more should be written to me; for I
do not like to spread false reports." He laughed, as he usually did,
and said: "Your news is always very good." To which I answered: "A
great and able minister must have surer news than I, for he knows all
things." That evening the king said to me: "You have been ridiculing
my ministers." I replied: "I only returned them what they gave."