I am so troubled that my hand trembles: my son has come to tell me
that he has been obliged to decide on arresting his brother-in-law,
the Duc du Maine and the duchess. They are the leaders of the shocking
Spanish plot. All is discovered; the papers of the ambassador of Spain
were seized, the persons arrested have confessed. The duchess, being
a princess of the blood [daughter of M. le Prince de Condé], was
arrested by four captains of the guard; her husband, who was in the
country, by a lieutenant. That makes a great difference between them.
The duchess was sent to Dijon, and her husband to Doullens, a little
fortress. Their people who were in the plot have been put in the
Bastille.
Mme. d'Orléans is much distressed, but is much more reasonable than
Mme. la Duchesse. She says that, as her husband was compelled to adopt
such rigorous measures against his brother-in-law, there must have
been strong reasons.
There is great discord among the clergy. The bishops are disunited;
some are for the pope and the doctrine of the Jesuits; others support
the Jansenists. I wish that both sides took more care to live like
Christians and die well; leaving disputes to those who find them to
their taste. I do not trouble myself about either party.
Cardinals cannot be arrested, but you can exile them. Cardinal de
Polignac has therefore received orders to retire to one of his abbeys
and stay there. Love turned his head. He was formerly a good friend to
my son, but he changed as soon as he attached himself to that little
frog. Magny is not yet arrested; he is hiding from convent to convent
among the Jesuits. My son showed me a letter that Mme. du Maine had
written to Cardinal de Polignac, which was seized among his papers.
A most virtuous and estimable person she is, truly! In this fine
letter she says: "We go to-morrow to the country; I will arrange the
apartments so that your room can be near mine; try to manage as well
as last time, and we will give ourselves heart-joy."