I write you with a troubled heart, and yesterday I wept the whole
morning. The good and pious Queen of England died at seven o'clock
yesterday morning at Saint-Germain. Assuredly she is now in heaven.
She did not keep a penny for herself, but gave all she had to the
poor; she supported whole families; she never said an unkind thing
of any one, no matter who, and if others began to talk to her about
their neighbours, she would say: "If it is harm of any one, I beg you
not to tell me." She bore her misfortunes with perfect resignation;
she was polite and agreeable, though far from being handsome; she was
always cheerful and was constantly praising our Princess of Wales. I
loved her well, and her death grieves my heart. She died with sincere
satisfaction, thanking God for delivering her from this world. I
think, as you do, that we may look upon her as sainted; more so than
her husband; though I believe that he is also in heaven; he suffered
with great resignation. The queen had great firmness, and true royal
qualities, much generosity, politeness, and judgment. She used to
joke me about my liking for the theatre. She told me once, laughing,
that there had been a time when she could not go out, because her
horses were dead and she had no money to buy others, but she never
complained of her misfortunes.
She was very thin, but more so in the body than in her face, which was
long, the eyes spiritual, the teeth white and large, the skin wan,
which showed all the more because she never wore rouge; she had a good
expression of countenance, and was always very clean. My son, out of
compassion for her poor servants, has allowed quite a number of them
to keep their pensions.
It is perfectly false that she left great sums of money behind her.
She supported her son, as well as her household; she gave pensions to
most of her ladies; she maintained whole families of English people,
and deprived herself of necessaries to succour the poor in hospitals.
In the matter of cupidity she was not an Italian, for she never laid a
penny aside. It may truly be said that she had all the royal virtues.
Her sole fault (for no one is perfect) was in pushing her piety to
such extremes; but she paid dear for that, as it was really the cause
of all her misfortunes. She could not make any savings while living in
France, for her pension was paid irregularly, and she was forced to
borrow money and make debts. It is not true that her servants pillaged
her furniture. She was lodged at Saint-Germain, where the furniture
belongs to the king. Few queens of England have been happy; and the
kings themselves in that land have not had much to make them so.