Parliament thwarts my son and tries more than ever to excite the
bourgeoisie and the populace of Paris against him, and great
calamities may result. Every night in going to bed I thank God that no
evil has happened during the day. Many persons here would like to have
the King of Spain for king; he is a weak man and could be managed more
easily than my son. Every one thinks solely of his own interest. It is
asserted that the King of Spain has rights to the throne of France,
and that a great wrong was done when he was induced to renounce his
country. All this is said in view of the possible death of the little
king. If he should die, my son would be king, but he would not be in
greater safety than he is at this moment, and that death would be a
great misfortune for him.
I have never known such a summer as this. It has not rained for
weeks and the heat increases every day; the leaves on the trees are
shrivelled as if a fire had gone over them. There are prophecies that
rain will begin to fall on Wednesday. God grant it! but until it rains
no one will see me in Paris. We think it is hot here, but every one
who comes from Paris exclaims, "Oh! how cool Saint-Cloud is!" Paris
is horrible, very hot and stinking; the streets have such a shocking
smell one can't endure it; the extreme heat has made the meat and
the fish rot, and that, joined to the crowds of people who relieve
themselves in the streets, makes an odour so detestable that it cannot
be borne.
SAINT-CLOUD, August 30, 1718.
Parliament had formed the fine project, if my son had postponed
action twenty-four hours, to make the Duc du Maine ruler of France by
declaring the king major and giving to the duke the sole direction
of affairs. But my son has disconcerted all this by removing the Duc
du Maine from the king and degrading him to his proper rank. They
say that the president of parliament was so frightened that he sat
petrified as if he had seen the head of Medusa. But Medusa herself
could not stop the fury of the Duchesse du Maine. She launched into
horrible threats, and said publicly she would soon find means to give
the regent a fillip that should make him bite the dust. It is thought
the old _guenipe_ is intriguing underhand in this matter with her
pupil.
I went this morning to Paris where there is great uproar. My son
made the king hold a _lit de justice_, to which the parliament was
summoned, and was formally enjoined, in the king's name, not to meddle
with the government, but to keep to its own province, that of judging
cases and doing justice. The new Keeper of the Seals was installed in
office, and as it was known positively that the Duc du Maine and his
wife were exciting parliament against the king and against my son, the
superintendence of the king's education was taken from him and given
to M. le Duc; he was also deprived, he and his children, of the right
to be treated as princes of the blood; but they maintained the younger
brother in all his privileges because he has always conducted himself
well.
The parliament people and the Duchesse du Maine are so furious against
my son that I am constantly afraid they will assassinate him. The
duchess makes the most insulting speeches; she said at table: "They
say that I push parliament to revolt against the Duc d'Orléans; but
I despise him too much to take such a noble vengeance against him--I
shall know how to avenge myself otherwise." You see what a fury that
woman is, and whether I have not good reason to be in a continual
agony.