PARIS, May 20, 1667.
I received a letter from you, my dear cousin, when I was in Brittany,
in which you talked of our ancestors, the Rabutins, and of the beauty
of Bourbilly. But as I had heard from Paris that you were expected
there, and as I had hoped myself to arrive much sooner, I deferred
writing to you; and now I find you are not coming at all. You know that
nothing is now talked of but war. The whole court is at camp, and the
whole camp is at court; and every place being a desert, I prefer the
desert of Livri forest, where I shall pass the summer,
En attendant que nos guerriers
Reviennent couverts de lauriers.[6]
[6] Waiting the return of our warriors covered with laurels.
There are two lines for you, but I do not know whether I have heard
them before, or have just made them. As it is a matter of no great
importance, I shall resume the thread of my prose. My heart has been
very favorably inclined toward you, since I have seen so many people
eager to begin, or rather to revive, a business in which you acquired
so much honor during the time you were able to engage in it. It is a
sad thing for a man of courage to be confined at home when there are
such great doings in Flanders.[7] As you feel, no doubt, all that a
man of spirit and valor can feel, it is imprudent in me to revive so
painful a subject. I hope you will forgive me, in consideration of the
great interest I take in your affairs.
[7] Bussy was exiled to his estates.
It is said you have written to the king. Send me a copy of your letter,
and give me a little information respecting your mode of life, what
sort of things amuse you, and whether the alterations you are making in
your house do not contribute a good deal toward it. I have spent the
winter in Brittany, where I have planted a great number of trees, and
a labyrinth, that will require Ariadne’s clew to find the way out of
it. I have also purchased some land, to which I have said, as usual, “I
shall convert you into a park.” I have extended my walks at a trifling
expense. My daughter sends you a thousand remembrances. I beg mine to
all your family.