PARIS, Friday, July 19, 1675.
Guess from whence I write to you, my dear--from M. de Pomponne’s, as
you will perceive by the few lines which Madame de Vins sends you with
this. I have been with her, the Abbé Arnauld, and D’Hacqueville, to
see the procession of St. Genevieve pass; we returned in very good
time; we were back by two o’clock; there are many that will not return
till night. Do you know that this procession is considered a very fine
sight. It is attended by all the religious orders, in their respective
habits, the curates of the several parishes, and all the canons of
Notre-Dame, preceded by the archbishop of Paris in his pontificals, and
on foot, giving his benediction to the right and left as he goes, till
he comes to the cathedral; I should have said to the left only, for
the Abbé de St. Genevieve marches on the right, barefoot, and preceded
by a hundred and fifty monks, barefoot also; the cross and miter are
borne before him, like the archbishop, and he gives his benedictions
in the same manner, but with great apparent devotion, humility, and
fasting, and an air of penitence, which show that he is to say mass
at Notre-Dame. The parliament, in their red robes, and the principal
companies follow the shrine of the saint, which glitters with precious
stones, and is carried by twenty men clad in white, and barefoot. The
provost of the merchants, and four counselors, are left as hostages at
the Church of St. Genevieve, for the return of this precious treasure.
You will ask me, perhaps, why the shrine was exposed. It was to put a
stop to the continual rains we have had, and to obtain warm and dry
weather, which happened at the very time they were making preparations
for the procession, to which, as it was intended to obtain for us all
kinds of blessings, I presume we owe his majesty’s return, who is
expected here on Sunday next. In my letter of Wednesday I will write
you all that is worth writing.
M. de La Trousse is conducting a detachment of six thousand men to
Marshal de Créqui, who is to join M. de Turenne. La Fare and the others
remain with the dauphin’s gens-d’armes, in the army commanded by the
prince. The other day madame and Madame de Monaco took D’Hacqueville,
at the Hôtel de Grammont, to walk about the streets and the Tuileries
incog.; as her highness is not much given to a disposition for
gallantry, her dignity sits very easy on her. The Tuscan princess is
expected every hour. This is another of the blessings obtained by the
shrine of St. Genevieve. I saw one of your letters yesterday to the
Abbé de Pontcarré; it is the best letter that ever was written; there
is no part of it which has not some point and wit. He has sent a copy
of it to his eminence, for the original is kept as sacred as the shrine.
Adieu, my dearest and best-beloved; you are so remarkable for your
inviolable love of truth, that I do not abate myself a single
expression of your kindness toward me, and you may judge, then, how
happy it makes me.