Madame de Montespan Back at Court.--Her Friends.--Her Enemies.--Edifying
Conversions.--The Archbishop of Paris.
Eight days after the conclusion of the jubilee I returned to Versailles.
The King received me with every mark of sincere friendship; my friends
came in crowds to my apartments; my enemies left their names with my
Swiss servant, and in chapel they put back my seat, chairs, and
footstools in their usual place.
Madame de Maintenon had twice sent my children to Clagny with the under-
governess; but she did not come herself, which greatly inconvenienced
me. I complained to her about this, and she assured me the King had
dissuaded her from visiting me, "so as to put curious folk off the
scent;" and when I told her of my interview with M. de Bossuet, she
neatly avoided being mixed up in the matter by omitting to blame
anybody. The most licentious women, so she told me, had distinguished
themselves by pious exercises during the observance of the jubilee. She
informed me that the Comtesse de Soissons, the Princesse de Monaco,
Madame de Soubise, and five or six virtuous dames of this type, had
given gold, silver, and enamelled lamps to the most notable churches of
the capital. The notorious Duchesse de Longueville talked of having her
own tomb constructed in a Carmelite chapel. Six leaders of fashion had
forsworn rouge, and Madame d'Humieres had given up gambling. As for my
lord the Archbishop of Paris, he had not changed his way of life a jot,
either for the better or for the worse.
[The splendid Chateau de Clagny (since demolished) was situated on the
beautiful country surrounding Versailles, near the wood of Millers
d'Avrai.--EDITOR's NOTE.]