D’Eon becomes Resident and Chargé d’Affaires at the British
Court—Also the King’s special secret agent—Plans for the
invasion of England—Nicknames to secret correspondents—Louis
XV.’s letter to D’Eon on the survey of England—De Pompadour
discovers the secret correspondence—The King’s vexation—D’Eon
advanced to be Minister Plenipotentiary—How he received his
new honours—De Broglio’s anxiety for the safety of the King’s
papers—De Pompadour’s conspiracy to ruin D’Eon—Claims against
the Crown—Letter of State in favour of D’Eon.
The appointment, dated April 17, of the Chevalier D’Eon as Resident and
Chargé d’Affaires, relieved de Nivernois of his functions and left him
free to return to his home and ‘get rid of the violent and well-seasoned
cold from which he was suffering—an English cold that seemed to have
no end;’ but he delayed his departure for the purpose of proceeding to
Oxford and receiving the degree of Doctor, _in facultate juris_. The
duke, who had never been in England before, declared the journey had
been most instructive to him. He saw some of the finest things in the
world, was greatly astonished at the general high state of cultivation,
and at the absence of poor people in the districts through which he
travelled—the poorest seemed well to do, and would pass for burgesses
in any small French provincial town. De Nivernois left London in May,
travelling leisurely to Dover, chiefly in consequence of the state of his
health, but also from a wish to see places on the road, and especially
Chatham dockyard, and was no doubt the identical French ambassador of
whom Smollett, who posted over the same ground a week or two later,
relates in one of his letters that he was charged forty pounds by a
knave of a publican at Canterbury for a supper that was not worth forty
shillings!
On leaving for England, D’Eon had become the secret correspondent of
Louis XV., with whom and with the Count de Broglio and Tercier he was
to communicate, in cypher or otherwise, as occasion might require, his
instructions being similar in every particular to those he received when
on his earliest journey to St. Petersburg in 1755.
The first duty upon which the Chevalier was engaged in the capacity of
secret agent was to assist in the perfection of a scheme for the invasion
of England, devised by the Count de Broglio, approved by the King, whose
hatred towards England had greatly intensified since the conclusion of
peace, and a task ultimately accomplished to the satisfaction of his
Majesty in the face of numerous difficulties. Two persons were selected
by de Broglio to effect, in concert, the great work in hand—one, the
active agent, was a young officer of Engineers of considerable ability
and established reputation, Carlet de la Rosière, who had served during
the war, and had been attached for a time as aide-de-camp to the Duke de
Broglio. A prisoner of the Prussians, Frederick refused to sanction his
exchange. ‘When an officer of distinction is taken,’ said that monarch,
‘he is retained as long as possible.’[101] The other, the passive agent,
was de la Rosière’s kinsman, the Chevalier D’Eon. The undertaking was
to be completed without the knowledge of any of the King’s ministers,
and besides the two named, one other person only was admitted into the
secret, according to the King’s will.
[Sidenote: SURVEYS FOR THE INVASION OF ENGLAND.]
‘M. Durand,—The Count de Broglio having communicated to me the
ideas you have originated as to the more desirable means to
be employed for resisting the ambition and arrogance of the
English nation, I have approved of the plans he has proposed
to me on this subject, and have ordered him to proceed with
the work. I have enjoined him not to communicate on the matter
with anybody except the Sieur D’Eon and Tercier. But as I am
aware of the knowledge you possess with regard to this object,
and of the service you can render, I desire to send direct
word to you, that you are to work in concert with the Count de
Broglio and the Sieur Tercier in all that concerns this affair,
and that you will communicate to them all you may find having
reference thereto, in the depôt of foreign affairs of which you
are in charge. You will continue to maintain the most profound
secrecy towards everybody, no matter who, with the exception of
the persons named above.[102]
LOUIS.’
‘June 5, 1763.’
Every conceivable precaution was taken to avoid discovery and ensure
success, and that de la Rosière might not incur the smallest risk of
detection by papers of a compromising character being found about his
luggage or person, he was ordered to make his periodical reports orally,
if possible, to the Chevalier D’Eon, who was to note and retain them
within the inviolable precincts of the Embassy, of which he was the
_genius loci_. The King was not indifferent to his own safety.
_Louis XV. to M. Tercier._
‘... The Sieur de Rozières runs the risk of being arrested
in the course of his researches and travels; I do not wish
that, in such a case, anything in my hand should be found in
his possession; it is my desire, therefore, that he leaves
everything with the Sieur D’Eon, who, being officially
accredited, cannot be arrested in the same manner.’[103]
The special cypher to be employed being considered scarcely sufficient
security, a nickname was assigned to each person likely to be named in
the correspondence:
The King _The counsellor._
Count de Broglio _The deputy._
M. Tercier _The solicitor._
M. Durand _Prudence._
Duke de Nivernois _The honey-tongued._
Duke de Praslin _The bitter-mouthed._
Duke de Choiseul _The red lion, or porcelain._[104]
Count de Guerchy _The novice, ram, or horned sheep._
Chevalier D’Eon _Intrepidity, or the dragoon’s head._[105]
The Chevalier’s instructions were contained in the following letters:—
_The Count de Broglio to the Chevalier D’Eon._
‘May 17, 1763.
‘I have to thank you for your zeal and friendship towards my
brother and myself, for which we are very grateful; we are only
afraid lest you should follow the impulse of your heart and be
led into taking some step or forming some design that might
prove prejudicial to you, and which we should deeply regret. Be
sure to observe the greatest prudence on this point.... I need
not speak to you of the new ambassador with whom you have to
do, for it appears to me that you have already formed a pretty
correct estimate of his character. I will only add that he
is the most astute man I know, and at the same time the most
mistrustful; you therefore cannot be too much upon your guard
against his suspicious and uneasy disposition. You must make
such arrangements in the house in which you are living as will
secure you from being surprised by him or by any other person,
at such times as you may be engaged in the secret affairs
entrusted to you by the King. Every precaution should be taken
to keep all papers connected therewith entirely separate from
others; and provision should be made for their safety in case
of death or other accident.’
The count recommended D’Eon to invite his cousin, D’Eon de Mouloise,
to stay with him, so that in the event of any unforeseen circumstance
he might give him charge of the correspondence, with the strictest
injunctions not to pass it on to any person whatsoever, and more
especially not to de Guerchy. The count concluded by recommending to
D’Eon’s protection the Marquis de la Rosière—
‘whose governor I appoint you.... It only remains for me to
testify to the pleasure I experience in having you for one of
my lieutenants, on service of such importance as is likely to
contribute to the prosperity and glory of the nation....’[106]
* * * * *
_Louis XV. to the Chevalier D’Eon._
‘The Sieur D’Eon will receive through the Count de Broglio or
M. Tercier, my orders on the surveys to be made in England,
whether on the coasts or in the interior of that country, and
he will comply with the instructions he will receive to that
end, as if he received them direct from me. It is my desire
that he shall observe the greatest secrecy in this affair, and
that he will not make any communications thereon to any person
living, not even to any ministers wheresoever they may be.
‘He will receive a special cypher for corresponding on this
subject, under cover of addresses to be indicated to him by the
Count de Broglio or the Sieur Tercier, and he will communicate
to them, by means of this cypher, all the information he is
able to obtain on the designs of England, as regards Russia and
Poland, the North, and the whole of Germany, so far as will,
in his opinion, conduce to the interests of my service, of his
zeal and attachment to which I am sensible.’[107]
‘Versailles, June 3, 1763.’
De Praslin failed, as we have seen, to incriminate the Chevalier in a
correspondence with the exiled de Broglios, but it so happened that
shortly after receiving the duke’s report of his midnight interview
with D’Eon, on the subject of the battle of Villinghausen, de Pompadour
obtained certain information tending to confirm her suspicions, without,
however, affording sufficiently tangible evidence. Unsuccessful in
securing this, whichever way she directed the scrutiny of those at Court
too pliant to her will, her spirit of malevolence impelled her not to
stop short of anything in the attainment of her wishes.
‘The delightful discovery,’ says D’Eon, ‘was made by the
fair Marquise de Pompadour, who, one evening in June 1763,
relieved the pocket of her lover, as he lay fast asleep,
of several papers, amongst which was a letter from me in
cypher, deciphered, signed _Auguste_. To rid himself of the
importunate questions of this second Maintenon, Louis XV.
simply replied: “It is from a woman of letters who is of no
importance in England, and who has my permission to give me
special news.” This new Herodias—inquisitive, restless, jealous
and piqued—with the aid of the enlightened Duke de Choiseul
fixed her suspicions on me; and as she could not have my head
brought by her daughter on a charger, had recourse to one of
her worthless adulators,[108] who readily undertook to dispose
of me by poison, and thus possess himself of all my letters as
he would have the right to do, in the position of ambassador
which he was about to occupy in London.’
[Sidenote: BETRAYED TO THE MARQUISE.]
D’Eon attributed de Pompadour’s attention being directed towards himself
to the action of an informer with whom he had long been acquainted. We
quote his own narrative:—
‘During the time that the negotiations in support of the
pretensions of the Prince de Conti to the throne of Poland and
to the hand of the Empress Elizabeth were being conducted, a
secret correspondence had been organised between the King, the
Prince, M. Tercier, the Count Woronzoff, the Chevalier Douglas,
and myself. The Sieur Monin, private secretary to the Prince de
Conti, was not only privy to it, but was also the most active
agent at work with the Chevalier Douglas, in behalf of myself,
and of M. Tercier who had unlimited confidence in him. M.
Tercier, the most honest of men, and who fancied that everybody
else was like himself, had concealed nothing from friend Monin.
He had frequently shown him, in my presence, the various
communications received from ambassadors and ministers, whether
in Poland or in Russia. Unhappily, friend Monin had formerly
been tutor to the Count de Guerchy, who had received from him
his fine education, and in token of gratitude to the Prince de
Conti, the Count de Guerchy turned this counsellor over to him.
Monin, in his turn, wishing to testify to his own gratitude,
considered it his duty to apprise the Count de Guerchy of
what he knew concerning me, so soon as his pupil had become
an ambassador and he himself was aware of the inquisition
instituted by Madame de Pompadour. He declared to de Guerchy
that I had been for a long time in secret correspondence with
the King, and that he strongly suspected me of being a link
in the mysterious chain which united the House of Broglio to
the sovereign. Count de Guerchy lost no time in communicating
his conjectures to his friend of thirty years’ standing, the
Duke de Praslin, who passed them on to Madame de Pompadour.
She resolved upon verifying them, and employed every effort
to ascertain the truth; but neither the woman’s cunning, nor
the caresses of the mistress, nor the stratagems of ministers,
were able to wrench the secret from the King, and de Pompadour
determined upon resorting to other measures. She had noticed
that Louis XV. habitually carried about him the small golden
key of an elegant piece of furniture, a sort of escritoire,
in his private apartments. Never could the favourite succeed,
even in moments of her greatest influence, in obtaining access
to this piece of furniture. It was a kind of sanctuary,
a holy ark, the refuge, as if a place of exile, of the
sovereign’s wishes. Louis XV. no longer reigned except over
this escritoire. He remained king of this article of furniture
only; it was the sole portion of his states wherein he had not
allowed the courtesan to trespass and defile; the only jewel
of his crown he had not laid at her feet. “It contains State
papers!” This was his reply to her frequent questions, his
laconic and decisive refusal to all her solicitations. Now
those were no other papers than the Count de Broglio’s and my
own correspondence. The Marquise was mistrustful. Besides, it
was enough that access to the escritoire should be forbidden
to make her the more anxious to get at the inside of it. To
her policy and hatred was united the feeling of curiosity;
forbidden fruit has irresistible charms to a woman. This is
a fact since the beginning of the world, and will be to the
end.’[109]
[Sidenote: THE MARQUISE’S CURIOSITY SATISFIED.]
After relating de Pompadour’s act for satisfying her cupidity, the
Chevalier continues:—
‘From that day my ruin was resolved upon. I was pointed out to
the Duke de Praslin and the Count de Guerchy as an enemy, and
I should, no doubt, have incurred immediate disgrace if the
favourite’s first object had not been to possess herself of
the correspondence and papers in my possession. From that time
were lavished upon me delusive attentions alternately with
real vexations, the preludes of the enormities and villainies
about to follow. The Count de Guerchy had been recommended to
practise dissimulation until such time as he should be with me
in England; but the inexperienced diplomatist was unable to
restrain himself from being overbearing and insulting towards a
man whom he considered as hopelessly lost. The secret confided
to him showed itself through all the wretched vexations with
which he annoyed me upon the slightest pretext, and I should
have guessed it, had not M. Tercier spared me the trouble,
in making the following revelation, under date of June 10:
“The King sent for me this morning; I found him very pale and
very agitated. He told me in an unusual tone of voice that he
feared the secret of our correspondence had been violated.
He related that having sat down to a _tête-à-tête_ supper
with Madame de Pompadour a few days ago, he became drowsy
after having slightly indulged, the Marquise, he thought, not
being altogether innocent in the matter. She took advantage
of his nap to relieve him of the key of a particular piece of
furniture[110] which his Majesty keeps closed to everybody, and
in this way made herself acquainted with your relations with
the Count de Broglio. His Majesty suspects this from the state
of confusion in which he has found his papers. I am accordingly
commanded to require you to observe the greatest prudence
and the greatest discretion in your intercourse with his
ambassador, who is about to leave for London and who, he has
reason to believe, is entirely devoted to the Duke de Praslin
and Madame de Pompadour. His Majesty has also declared most
positively that he should never have decided upon sending him
to England if he had not entirely relied upon you.”’[111]
The Chevalier’s nomination as Resident at the Court of St. James’ was
succeeded by that, on May 31, of Mr. Neville, in succession to the Duke
of Bedford, as Resident and Chargé d’Affaires at the French Court, the
same rank with which D’Eon was invested, and with whom Neville was placed
in every respect on the same footing. D’Eon had been received by George
III., but when, in due course, Neville demanded an audience, he was
informed by the ‘Introducteur des Ambassadeurs’ that there never was an
instance of a resident having had an audience to present his credentials.
Neville pressed his rights until, finding it impossible to approach the
King, he reported the difficulty of his situation. De Praslin had in the
meantime given official intimation to the above effect to Lord Egremont
through D’Eon, and afterwards suggested as a means out of the dilemma
that Neville should be accredited minister plenipotentiary, the lowest
rank that could be received at the French Court. Lord Egremont quickly
reminded the French ministers that since a resident could not be received
in audience at the Court of France, they should have better considered
their action when making such an appointment. The error was theirs, and
it was for them to rectify it by being the first to appoint a minister
plenipotentiary, in which case England could reciprocate. An active
interchange of letters between the two ministers, from June 13 to July
22, resulted to the great advantage of D’Eon, who received new credential
letters giving him the character of minister plenipotentiary, in which
quality he was again presented to the King of England; after which, other
credentials were furnished to Neville, then for the first time received
by his Most Catholic Majesty.[112]
[Sidenote: A FAVOURITE IN ENGLISH SOCIETY.]
We have reached that period of D’Eon’s life—he was but in his
thirty-fifth year—when he had become minister plenipotentiary from France
at the Court of Great Britain; he had obtained the coveted knighthood
of Saint Louis; he was the secret correspondent of Louis XV., and the
secret agent of his Majesty and of the Count de Broglio in the drafting
of plans for the invasion of England. Numerous congratulations poured
in upon him, among them being those of Count Woronzoff and the Marquis
de l’Hôpital, his fellow-workers in Russia. How he took his promotion
appears in the following letter—a free and outspoken denunciation of what
he felt might be in store for him—to the man he most esteemed and loved.
_D’Eon to the Count de Broglio._
‘Providence rewards me above my merits; it is useless for
me to shut out fortune; she razes walls to get at me. When
I say fortune, I do not mean wealth, for you know that our
minister is more than economical; but by fortune I mean
honour, preferment. You are aware of my latest promotion in
the diplomatic service, for which I neither sought nor asked.
A fortuitous chance gave birth to it, another chance will
destroy it. I will be none the less the slave of events. You
will take notice that I frankly speak the truth when necessary,
and whether it be found good or bad, I will go on my own way,
and it is quite immaterial to me whether I be retained or sent
about my business. I look upon fortune as my waiting-woman, and
on truth as my mistress, and it will ever make me sick at heart
to have to do my duty under certain chiefs; you understand
me. They would turn the course of events to their own special
advantage, or to their private views; it is precisely in this
that lies what is revolting to my sense of truth, and many take
for pride what is but integrity of heart and purpose.’[113]
The Chevalier was greatly liked in English society, and had become a
favourite of good George III. We find him included by Horace Walpole
amongst the distinguished guests at the Strawberry Hill breakfast
given to Madame de Boufflers, and his countrymen were proud of their
representative; but a storm was gathering which was about to engulf him,
and turn the tide of his fortunes, so brilliant at the outset, in a
completely different direction.
The Count de Broglio’s apprehensions for the safety of de la Rosière’s
reports and other private papers of the King, increased as the time of
de Guerchy’s departure for England drew nigh. In his restless anxiety,
he instructed D’Eon to remove himself and every private document in
his charge from the French Embassy, before the ambassador made his
appearance, to apartments where they should be absolutely beyond his
interference and reach. Any excuse would do to account for his change
of residence, and he was recommended to take to live with him either
of his kinsmen, D’Eon de Mouloise or Carlet de la Rosière, who would
be valuable protection against any attempt at a surprise, and trusty
substitutes in the event of any unforeseen accident to himself; in fact,
every precaution was to be taken to prevent the secret correspondence
from falling into the hands of strangers, and especially of the King’s
ambassador and ministers. In a few days the precious documents were
securely deposited in a house in Dover Street, to which D’Eon removed
immediately upon the arrival of the Count de Guerchy.
So thoroughly was the secret maintained that after four months even the
late ambassador, the Duke de Nivernois, who was on the most intimate
and friendly terms with all at Court, expressed his surprise at D’Eon’s
having quitted the Embassy. ‘Why do you always wish to live by yourself
and remain in loneliness?’ he wrote; ‘how can you live separated from
your work, and where can your work be, but under the ambassador’s roof?’
The Chevalier quotes Psalm cii. 7, and adds cynically: ‘I prefer the
solitude of my little library to the society of the great. Men are not
good for much. Knaves or fools; so much for three-fourths of them; as
for the other fourth, they stay at home.’
[Sidenote: D’EON’S FALL DECREED.]
The Marquise de Pompadour had condemned the Chevalier D’Eon for acts
he had not committed—he had not betrayed his connection with the de
Broglios, he refused to betray the King his master—both ever existing
grievances in her mind, and she decreed his fall and disgrace. Men
willing to stoop to do her will, and sufficiently powerful to carry it
out, were not wanting at Versailles. With such as the Duke de Praslin,
the Count d’Argental, and the Count de Guerchy, pretexts could never
fail, and the Chevalier’s epistolary dissensions with de Praslin on
certain monetary claims against the State, which he honestly persisted
in making, as also his just resentment of de Guerchy’s censures on what
the latter considered excessive outlay at his expense, during the term of
D’Eon’s office as French representative in London, readily made up the
sum of heavy charges wherewith to crush him. We would avoid anticipating
events, but let us say here, that designs even on the life of the
minister plenipotentiary were contemplated by two, at the least, of the
triumvirate which had bound itself to wreck him.[114]
When D’Eon was first sent on secret service to Russia, he had to contract
a loan of ten thousand livres on his own account to meet his expenses.
Ordered by M. Rouillé, Minister for Foreign Affairs, when despatched
to Russia for the second time officially, to remain with the Chevalier
Douglas until the arrival of the ambassador, Douglas considered it
desirable, in view of the coming changes, that D’Eon’s application for
reimbursement should not be made except to his own Court, feeling
persuaded that sooner or later his claim would be acknowledged by the
latter. Acquiescing in this, D’Eon deferred pressing for money, and
contented himself by zealously carrying out what he knew to be the wishes
of M. Rouillé, who had frequently and authoritatively promised him
promotion and rewards, should the mission upon which he was employed turn
out a success; but upon his return to France that minister was no longer
in office, and when he solicited the Cardinal de Bernis and the Duke de
Choiseul for a settlement, was met by each with the reply, ‘You should
have obtained payment of my predecessor.’
[Sidenote: CREDITORS KEPT AT BAY.]
From the time that de Praslin, as Count de Choiseul, had succeeded his
cousin, the Duke de Choiseul, in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
D’Eon took frequent occasion to remind him of his entangled situation,
arising from having to pay interest on the original loan of ten thousand
livres expended in the interests of the Crown. His debt had increased
to fifteen thousand livres, and he found himself seriously compromised
and threatened by his creditors, with no prospect whatever, considering
his own limited resources, of being able to satisfy their just demands.
Having settled his small property on his mother, he was entirely
dependent on his own exertions, and, notwithstanding the estimation in
which his services were held, he had always been kept a poor man. His
salary as secretary of Embassy in Russia never exceeded three thousand
livres, and even that was reduced to one thousand crowns upon the Duke
de Choiseul assuming office. When on leave of absence from his regiment,
awaiting orders to proceed to St. Petersburg, his pay was stopped; and
as secretary of Embassy in London he was in receipt of three thousand
livres only. ‘Three thousand livres a year,’ wrote de Nivernois to de
Praslin, when pressing the Chevalier’s claims to greater consideration,
‘does not go so far in London as would fifteen thousand livres in
Paris. These are but the wages of an ordinary clerk ... his salary
should be more in accordance with the style of living in England, where
everything is singularly expensive.’ De Praslin was not to be moved,
and yet what stronger proof was needed of his sense of the wrongs under
which D’Eon was suffering, and of the recognised serious nature of his
embarrassments, than is to be found in the singular document supplied to
him as protection in France against arrest and detention, at a moment
when he was required to proceed to Versailles, with the ratifications to
the Treaty of Peace.
_LETTER OF STATE, in favour of the Sieur D’Eon de Beaumont._
‘LOUIS, by the grace of God, King of France and of Navarre, to
our well-beloved and trusty Councillors, the bodies holding our
Courts of Parliament, the Grand Council, the Court of Aids,
ordinary Requests of our House and of our Palaces, Bailiffs,
Seneschals, Prevosts, Judges, their Lieutenants, and all other
our Officers and Justiciaries whom it may concern, Greeting.
Our dear and well-beloved Charles, Geneviève, Louis, Auguste,
André, Timothée D’Eon de Beaumont, captain in the regiment
of the d’Autichamp dragoons, Censor Royal, and Secretary of
our Embassy in England, being at present in London in the
performance of the functions of his office, and unable, in
consequence, to attend to his own private affairs: We desire
and command by these presents, signed with our hand, that all
and each of the actions at civil law instituted, or about to
be instituted before you, in which he shall appear, whether
as plaintiff or as defendant, shall be holden by you, as they
are holden by Us, in their present state and in suspension for
the space of six months, during which time We very expressly
forbid you to have any knowledge thereon, or that you take
any proceedings thereon, under pain of nullity, annulment
of procedure and of all expenses, damages, indemnities, and
interests. We also desire and require that all processes
moved, or about to be moved, in our Council concerning his
civil interests, be and remain in suspension for the said
term, during which we also forbid his accusers, under the said
penalties, to take any proceedings; nevertheless, it is not our
intention to derogate in the least degree, by these presents,
from the declaration of the twenty-third December, one thousand
seven hundred and two, containing general instructions as to
Letters of State, and which we require to be observed and
executed according to their form and tenour. We command our
principal usher or sergeant, upon being required, to issue in
execution of these presents all summonses, notification, and
other requisite and necessary acts without asking further leave
or permission. For such is our pleasure. Given at Versailles,
the twenty-second February, in the year of grace one thousand
seven hundred and sixty-three, and the forty-eighth of our
reign.
‘LOUIS.’
‘In the King’s name.
‘CHOISEUL, DUKE DE PRASLIN.’
[Sidenote: A ‘CHURLISH’ LETTER.]
Pursued and worried by his creditors at home and abroad, and in despair
at the extremities to which he was being reduced, the Chevalier lost all
control over himself in his communications with the Foreign Minister,
who, he considered, had failed to keep his word.
‘You were good enough to hold out hopes of payment being made
to me, when I was leaving for Paris with the ratifications to
the Treaty of Peace. I have been paying interest for nearly
nine years, on the money I borrowed to enable me to serve the
King in the extreme north, when nobody dared to go there....
The appointment of Minister Plenipotentiary, for which I never
asked, has certainly not turned my head, thanks to a little
philosophy; it has only involved me in heavier expenses....
If the affairs of the King are in a bad state, mine are going
from bad to worse.... Soon I shall complete ten years’ service
as a diplomatist, without having become richer or sharper....
I have incurred debts to the amount of 20,000 livres for
having dabbled in politics.... I entreat you to decide upon
my present and future prospects, and upon the favours I am to
expect from your sense of justice; otherwise, I admit to you
frankly, Monsieur le Duc, it will be impossible to carry on
the war at my expense, during a time of peace.... If you are
not good enough to think of me, I will die of consumption[115]
instead of dying of molten grease as was the case with ——. I do
not ask to be fattened at the King’s expense; I only wish for
sufficient flesh to keep body and soul together.’
A friendly note of reproof from his late chief, de Nivernois, for having
written so ‘churlish’ a letter to de Praslin, was met by D’Eon’s regret
that his ‘churlish’ letter had given cause for vexation. The truths he
exposed, and the integrity of his demands, were not intended to vex two
just and enlightened ministers.... He respectfully demanded justice of
a minister he respected ... he respected the minister’s economy that
refused to pay his debts, but he respected much more his justice that
should pay them. So soon as he received the money, he would become as
meek as a paschal lamb.
‘If you are curious to know,’ continued the Chevalier, ‘what is
passing in this country, the accounts are too long to repeat
here, see my letters to the Duke de Praslin, and if you can
then say I am an idle fellow, I will ask nothing more of the
minister. When one serves the King well, one should at least
have the wherewithal to meet the little liabilities incurred in
unbounded zeal for his service.’[116]
‘D’EON,
‘_Ne variatur_.’