Baron d'Oigny, general post-master--The king and the countess read the
opened letters--The disgrace of de Choiseul resolved upon--_Lettre de
cachet _--Anecdote--Spectre of Philip II, king of Spain--The duc de
Choiseul banished--Visits to Chanteloup--The princesses--The dauphin and
dauphiness--Candidates for the ministry
The interference of madame de Mirepoix, originating, as it did, in the
duc de Choiseul, let me at once into the secret of his fears and the
extent of my own power. The knowledge of the weakness of my adversary
redoubled my energy; and from this moment, I allowed no day to pass
without forwarding the great work, till I succeeded in effecting the
duke's ruin and securing my own triumph. The pamphleteers in the pay of
my enemies, and those who merely copied these hirelings, assert that
one evening after supper, when Louis was intoxicated with wine and my
seductions, I prevailed upon him to sign a _lettre de cachet_ against
his minister, which he immediately revoked when the break of day had
restored to him his senses. This was a malicious falsehood. You shall
hear the exact manner in which the _lettres de cachet_ were signed.
On the evening of the 23d of December, his majesty having engaged to sup
with me, I had invited M. de Maupeou, the duc de la Vrillière, and the
prince de Soubise. It appears, that the king, previously to coming, had
gone to visit the dauphiness; he had not mentioned whither he was going,
so that his attendants believed him to be in my apartments, and directed
M. d'Oigny, post-master general, to seek him there. The baron brought
with him a packet of opened letters; when he saw me alone he wished
to retire, for the servants, believing him to be one of the expected
guests, had ushered him in. However, I would not permit him to go until
the king's arrival; and, half sportively, half seriously, I took from
him his letters, protesting I would detain them as hostages for his
obedience to my desires. At this moment Louis XV entered the room; and
M. d'Oigny, having briefly stated his business, bowed and departed. The
baron was a very excellent man, possessing an extensive and intelligent
mind; he wrote very pleasing poetry, and had not his attention been
occupied by the post he filled, he might have made a conspicuous figure
in literature.
When we were left to ourselves, I said to the king,
"Now, then, for this interesting and amusing budget; for such, I doubt
not, it will prove."
"Not so fast, madam, if you please," replied Louis XV; "perhaps these
papers may contain state secrets unfit for your eye."
"Great secrets they must be," said I, laughing, "confided thus to the
carelessness of the post." So saying, I broke the seal of the envelope
so hastily, that the greater part of the letters and notes were
scattered over the carpet.
"Well done," cried the king.
"I entreat your majesty's pardon," said I, "but I will repair the
mischief as far as I can."
I stooped to collect the fallen papers, and the king had the gallantry
to assist me: we soon piled the various letters upon a tray, and began
eagerly to glance over their contents. My good fortune made me select
from the mass those epistles addressed to the members of the country
parliaments; they were filled with invectives against me, insulting
mention of the king, and praises of the duc de Choiseul. I took especial
care to read them in a loud and distinct voice.
"This really is not to be endured," cried Louis XV; "that the mistaken
zeal of these long-robed gentlemen should make them thus compliment my
minister at my expense."
"So much the worse for you, sire," replied I, "considering that you
continue to prefer your minister to every other consideration."
As I continued searching through the letters, I found and read the
following phrase:--"Spite of the reports in circulation, I do not
believe it possible that M. de Choiseul will be dismissed; he is too
necessary to the king, who, without him would be as incapable as a child
of managing his affairs: his majesty must preserve our friend in office
in spite of himself."
When I had finished, the king exclaimed, in an angry tone, "We shall see
how far the prophecy of these sapient gentlemen is correct, and whether
their 'friend' is so important to me that I dare not dismiss him. Upon
my word, my minister has placed himself so advantageously before his
master, as to exclude him entirely from the eyes of his subjects."
Whilst these words were speaking, M. de Maupeou and M. de la Vrillière
were announced; the king, still warm, let fall some words expressive of
his displeasure at what had happened. The gauntlet was thrown; and
so well did we work upon the irritated mind of Louis XV, that it
was determined M. de Choiseul should be dismissed the following day,
December 24, 1770. Chanteloup was chosen for the place of his retreat,
and M. de la Vrillière, by the dictation of the king, wrote the
following letter to the duke:--
"Cousin,-, The dissatisfaction caused me by your conduct compels me to
request you will confine yourself to your estate at Chanteloup, whither
you will remove in four and twenty hours from the date hereof. I should
have chosen a more remote spot for your place of exile, were it not
for the great esteem I entertain for the duchesse de Choiseul, in whose
delicate health I feel much interest. Have a care that you do not, by
your own conduct, oblige me to adopt harsher measures; and hereupon I
pray God to have you in his keeping."
"(Signed) Louis,
"(and lower down) PHILIPPEAUX"
When this letter was completed, I said to the king,
"Surely, sire, you do not mean to forget the duke's faithful ally, M.
de Praslin? It would ill become us to detain him when the head of the
family has taken leave of us."
"You are right," replied the king, smiling; "besides, an old broom taken
from a masthead would be as useful to us as he would."
Then, turning to M. de la Vrillière, the king dictated the following
laconic notice:--
"COUSIN,--I have no further occasion for your services; I exile you to
Praslin, and expect you will repair thither within four and twenty hours
after the receipt of this."
"Short and sweet," cried I.
"Now let us drop the subject," said Louis; "let madame de Choiseul
repose in peace to-night, and to-morrow morning, at eleven o'clock, go
yourself, M. de la Vrillière, and carry my orders to the duke, and bring
back his staff of office."
"To whom will you give it, sire?" inquired the chancellor.
"I have not yet considered the subject," replied the king.
At this instant M. de Soubise was announced. "_Motus!_" exclaimed
the king, as M. de Soubise, little suspecting the nature of our
conversation, entered the room. I profited by his coming to slip out of
the room into my boudoir, from which I despatched the following note to
M. d'Aiguillon:
"MY DEAR DUKE,--Victoria! We are conquerors; master and man quit Paris
to-morrow. We shall replace them by our friends; and you best know
whether you are amongst the number of them." When I returned to the
drawing-room, the king exclaimed,
"Come, madam., you are waited for; the prince de Soubise has a very
curious anecdote to relate, which befell a lady of his acquaintance; I
begged of him to defer telling it till you rejoined us."
"Are you afraid of ghosts?" inquired the maréchal of me.
"Not this evening," replied I; "to-morrow, perhaps, or the next day, I
may be."
This jest amused the king and the duc de la Vrillière, whilst M. de
Maupeou, who seemed to fear lest I should by any indiscretion, reveal
our secret, made a signal of impatience; to which I replied, by
shrugging up my shoulders. Poor M. de Soubise, although he did not
comprehend my joke, laughed at it as heartily as heartily as the rest
who saw its application. "Oh! you courtier," thought I We then entreated
of him to commence the recital of his tale, which he did in the
following words--
"There is in Lower Brittany a family gifted with a most singular
endowment: each member of the family, male or female, is warned exactly
one month previous to his or her decease of the precise hour and day
in which it will take place. A lady belonging to this peculiar race was
visiting me rather more than a month since; we were conversing quietly
together, when, all at once, she uttered a loud cry, arose from her
seat, endeavored to walk across the room, but fell senseless upon the
floor. Much grieved and surprised at this scene, I hastily summoned my
servants, who bestowed upon the unfortunate lady the utmost attention,
but it was long ere she revived. I then wished to persuade her to
take some rest. 'No,' cried she, rising and giving me orders for her
immediate departure, "I have not sufficient time for rest; scarcely will
the short period between me and eternity allow me to set my affairs in
order.' Surprised at this language, I begged of her to explain herself.
'You are aware,' said she, 'of the fatal power possessed by my family;
well, at the moment in which I was sitting beside you on this sofa,
happening to cast my eyes on the mirror opposite, I saw myself as a
corpse wrapped in the habiliments of death, and partly covered with
a black and white drapery; beside me was an open coffin. This is
sufficient; I have no time to lose: farewell, my friend, we shall meet
no more' Thunderstruck at these words, I suffered the lady to depart
without attempting to combat her opinion. This morning I received
intelligence from her son that the prophecy had been fulfilled--she was
no more."
When the maréchal had finished, I exclaimed,
"You have told us a sad dismal tale; I really fear I shall not be able
to close my eyes at all to-night for thinking of it."
"We must think of some means of keeping up your spirits," answered
Louis XV. "As for your story, maréchal, it does not surprise me; things
equally inexplicable are continually taking place. I read in a letter
addressed by Philip V, of Spain, to Louis XIV, "that the spirit of
Philip II, founder of the Escurial, wanders at certain intervals around
that building. Philip V affirms that he himself witnessed the apparition
of the spectre of the king."
At this moment supper was announced. "Come, gentlemen," said I, "let us
seek to banish these gloomy ideas around our festive board." Upon
which the king conducted me to the supper-room, the rest of the company
following us. Spite of all my efforts to be gay, and induce others to be
so likewise, the conversation still lingered upon this dismal subject.
"Heaven grant," exclaimed the chancellor, "that I may not soon have to
dread a visit from the ghost of the deceased parliament; however, if
such were the case, it would not prevent my sleeping."
"Oh!" cried the king, "these long-robed gentlemen have often more
effectually robbed me of sleep than all the spectres in the world could
do; yet one night--"
"Well, sire," said I, seeing that Louis was silent, "and what happened
to you that night?"
"Nothing that I can repeat," answered Louis XV, glancing around with a
mournful look.
A dead silence followed, which lasted several minutes; and this
evening, which was to usher my day of triumph, passed away in the most
inconceivable dullness. What most contributed to render me uneasy was
the reflection, that, at the very moment when we had freed ourselves of
our enemies, we were ignorant who would fill their vacant places.
This was an error, and a great one. My friends would not listen to the
nomination of the Comte de Broglie, the Comte de Maillebois, the duc de
la Vauguyon, any more than either M. de Soubise or M. de Castries.
The abbé Terray, having upon one occasion proposed the maréchal duc
de Richelieu, he very narrowly escaped having his face scratched by
M. d'Aiguillon, who cared very little for his dear uncle; but I have
unintentionally wandered from the thread of my narrative; I will
therefore resume it at once.
I had hoped that the king would this night have retired to his own
apartment, and that I should have been enabled to hold a secret council
with M. de Maupeou, and the ducs de la Vrillière and d'Aiguillon; but no
such thing. Imagining, no doubt, that I should be kept awake by my
fear of ghosts, his majesty insisted upon remaining with me, and I
was compelled to acquiesce. He passed a very agitated night, much more
occupied with the des Choiseuls than me; he could think of nothing,
speak of nothing, but the sensation which their disgrace would produce;
he seemed to dread his family, the nobility, the nation, Europe, and the
whole world. I strove to re-assure him, and to inspire him with fresh
courage; and, when he quitted me in the morning, I felt convinced that
he would not again alter his determination.
As soon as Louis XV had left me, Comte Jean entered. Although concealed
behind the curtain, and apparently not on the best terms with me,
my brother-in-law nevertheless directed my actions, and gave me most
excellent advice. It was not long ere the duc d'Aiguillon arrived; he
had seen M. de Maupeou during the night, and learned from him the exile
of the late minister, but beyond that fact he knew nothing. He inquired
of me, with much uneasiness, whether anything had been decided in his
behalf. I replied, that the king was as yet undecided in his choice of
ministers, but that, if the duc d'Aiguillon came into office, he would,
in all probability, be nominated to the administration of foreign
affairs: the direction of the war-office had been my noble friend's
ardent desire.
Whilst we were thus conversing together on the 24th of December, 1770,
eleven o'clock struck; and we could, from the windows, perceive M. de la
Vrillière taking his way towards that part of the building occupied by
M. de Choiseul when at the castle. This latter was in conversation with
M. Conzié, bishop of Arras, when the arrival of the duc de la Vrillière,
bearing the king's commands, was signified to him. The prelate, not
doubting but the mission related to affairs of importance, took
his leave; de la Vrillière then presented the _lettre de cachet_,
accompanying it with some remarks of his own upon the talents of the
minister, and his regret at being selected for so unpleasant an office.
"A truce to your feigned regrets, my lord duke," replied the disgraced
minister, sarcastically, "I am well assured my dismissal could not have
been brought me by hands more ready to discharge the trust than yours."
Saying this, M. de Choiseul placed his credentials in the hands of the
duke, and slightly bowing, turned his back upon him, as though he
had forgotten his presence. M. de Choiseul then retired to summon his
sister, to communicate to her and his wife the misfortune which
had befallen him: he then set out for Paris, to make the necessary
preparations for removing to Chanteloup. There an officer from the king,
charged to accompany him to his place of exile, gave him his majesty's
orders that he should see no person, and receive no visits.
This order did not proceed from me, but was the work of the duc de la
Vrillière, who sought, by this paltry action, to avenge himself upon M.
de Choiseul for the reception he had given him. It was wholly useless,
however, for in the exile of the duke was seen a thing unheard of,
perhaps, before, and, in all probability, unlikely ever to occur
again--the sight of a whole court espousing the part of an exiled
minister, and openly censuring the monarch who could thus reward his
services. You, no doubt, remember equally well as myself the long file
of carriages that for two days blocked up the road to Chanteloup. In
vain did Louis XV express his dissatisfaction; his court flocked in
crowds to visit M. de Choiseul.
On the other hand, the castle was not in a more tranquil state. At the
news of the dismissal and banishment of M. de Choiseul, a general hue
and cry was raised against me and my friends: one might have supposed,
by the clamours it occasioned, that the ex-minister had been the atlas
of the monarchy; and that, deprived of his succour, the state must fall
into ruins. The princesses were loud in their anger, and accused me
publicly of having conspired against virtue itself! The virtue of such
a sister and brother! I ask you, my friend, is not the idea truly
ludicrous?
The dauphiness bewailed his fall with many tears; at least, so I was
informed by a lady of her suite, madame de Campan. This lady was a most
loquacious person; she frequently visited my sister-in-law; and, thanks
to her love of talking, we were always well-informed of all that was
passing in the household of Marie Antoinette. However, the dauphin was
far from sharing the grief Of his illustrious spouse. When informed
of the dismissal of the duke, he cried out, "Well, madame du Barry has
saved me an infinity of trouble--that of getting rid of so dangerous a
man, in the event of my ever ascending the throne." The prince did not
usually speak of me in the most flattering terms, but I forgave him on
the present occasion, so much was I charmed with his expression relative
to the late minister; it afforded me the certainty that I should not
have to dread the possibility of his recalling de Choiseul.
Whilst many were bewailing the downfall of the des Choiseuls, others,
who had an eye more to self-interest, presented themselves to share
in the spoils of his fortune. There were the princes de Soubise and de
Condé, the duc de la Vauguyon, the comtes de Broglie, de Maillebois, and
de Castries, the marquis de Monteynard and many others, equally anxious
for a tempting slice of the ministry, and who would have made but one
mouthful of the finest and best.
The marquise de 1' Hôpital came to solicit my interest for the prince
de Soubise, her lover. I replied, that his majesty would rather have the
maréchal for his friend than his minister; that, in fact, the different
appointments had taken place; and that, if the names of the parties
were not immediately divulged, it was to spare the feelings of certain
aspirants to the ministry: madame de 1' Hôpital withdrew, evidently much
disconcerted at my reply. Certainly M. de Soubise must have lost his
reason, when he supposed that the successor of M. de Choiseul would be
himself, the most insignificant prince of France; he only could suppose
that he was equal to such an elevation. However this may be, he took
upon himself to behave very much like an offended person for some days;
but, finding such a line of conduct produced no good, he came round
again, and presented himself as usual at my parties, whilst I received
him as though nothing had occurred.
I had more difficulty in freeing myself from the importunities of
Messieurs de Broglie and de Maillebois. I had given to each of them a
sort of promise; I had allowed them to hope, and yet, when the time
came to realize these hopes, I told them, that I possessed much less
influence than was generally imagined; to which they replied, that they
knew my power to serve them was much greater than I appeared to believe.
After a while, I succeeded in deadening the expectations of M. de
Broglie, but M. de Maillebois was long ere he would abandon his pursuit.
When every chance of success had left him, he gave way to so much
violence and bitterness against M. d'Aiguillon, that the duke was
compelled to punish him for his impudent rage. I will mention the other
candidates for the ministry at another opportunity.