ROYAL MISTRESSES
In the study of the royal mistresses of the eighteenth century,
we encounter two in particular,--Mme. de Pompadour and Mme. du
Barry,--who, though totally different types of women, both reflect the
gradual decline of ideals and morals in the first and last years of
the reign of Louis XV. The former dominated the king by means of her
intelligence, but the latter swayed the sovereign, already consumed by
his sensual excesses, through her peculiarly seductive sensuality.
During the first years of the reign of Louis XV., one of the most
influential women was Mme. de Prie, who brought about the marriage of
the king to Marie Leczinska, the daughter of the King of Poland, by
which manoeuvre she made herself _Dame de Palais de la Reine_. The
queen naturally took her and her husband into favor, regarding them
as her and her father's benefactors and as entitled to her warmest
gratitude. Mme. de Prie succeeded in winning the queen's affection
and confidence; however, these were of little value, inasmuch as the
queen's influence upon society and morals was not felt, for she led
a life of seclusion, shut up in her oratory and constantly on her
_prie-dieu_, and was an object of pity and ridicule.
Mme. de Prie and M. le Duc, having planned to deprive M. Fleury, the
minister, of his power,--he had been the king's preceptor,--suddenly
had the tables turned against them. Both were exiled, and a new
coterie of ladies came into power; the Duchesse d'Alincourt replaced
Mme. de Prie, and the king and M. Fleury themselves took up the
affairs of state.
M. Fleury, now cardinal, perceiving that a mistress was inevitable,
consented to the choice by the dissolute men and women of court
of Mme. de Mailly,--or Mlle. de Nesle,--who was supposed to be a
disinterested person. The king, who had no love for her, accepted her
as he would have accepted anything put before him by the court. The
queen was incapable of exerting any beneficial influence upon him; in
fact, the more he became alienated from her, the more humble and timid
did she appear when in his presence. The reign of Mlle. de Nesle had
lasted less than a year, when the beautiful Mme. de La Tournelle,
created Duchesse de Chateauroux, replaced her; the latter lived but
a short time, being the second mistress of Louis XV. to die within a
year. After her death the king raised the beautiful Mme. d'Etioles
to the honor of _maitresse-en-titre_; she, as Mme. de Pompadour, was,
without doubt, the most prominent, possibly the most intelligent and
intellectual, certainly the most powerful, of all French mistresses.
It was the first time that a _bourgeoise_ of the financier class
had usurped the position of mistress--that honor having belonged
exclusively to the nobility.
After the first infidelities of the king, Marie Leczinska's life
became more and more austere and secluded; she remained indoors, far
from the noise and activity of Versailles, leaving only for charitable
purposes or for the theatre. Her mornings were entirely occupied in
prayers and moral readings, after which followed a visit to the king,
a little painting, the toilette, mass, and dinner. After dinner,
she retired to her apartments and passed the time making tapestry,
embroidering, and in charity work--no longer the recreation of
leisure, but the duty of charity which the poor expected. Her taste
for music, the guitar, the clavecin, all amusements in which
she delighted before her marriage, were abandoned. Under such
circumstances the mistress had full control of everything.
It was prophesied of Mlle. Jeanne Poisson, at the age of nine, that
she would become the mistress of Louis XV. (Mme. Lebon, who made this
pleasing prediction, was later rewarded with a pension of six hundred
livres.) Mlle. Jeanne was the natural daughter of a butcher, but
received a good education and, at the age of twenty, was married to Le
Normand d'Etioles, farmer of taxes. It was shortly after this that
she managed to attract the king's attention, at a hunting party in
the forest of Senart. With the assistance of her friends, she was
successful in winning the king, and, in April, 1754, at a supper which
lasted far into the early morning, reposing in his arms, she virtually
became the mistress of Louis XV. The actual accomplishment of this,
however, depended upon the disposal of her husband, which was easily
arranged by Louis, who ordered Le Normand d'Etioles from Paris, thus
securing her from any harm from him. The brothers De Goncourt write
thus of her talents:
"Marvellous aptitudes, a scholarly and rare education, had given to
this young woman all the gifts and virtues that made of a woman what
the eighteenth century called a virtuoso, an accomplished model of
the seductions of her time. Jeliotte had taught her singing and the
clavecin; Guibaudet, dancing; Crebillon had taught her declamation and
the art of diction; the friends of Crebillon had formed her young mind
to _finesse_, to delicacies, to lightness of sentiment, and to irony
of the _esprit_ of the time. All the talents of grace seemed to be
united in her. No woman mounted a horse better; none captured applause
more quickly than did she with her voice and instrument; none recalled
in a better way the tone of Gaussin or the accent of Clairon; none
could tell a story better. And there where others could vie with her
in coquetry, she carried off the honors by her genius of toilette, by
the graceful turn she gave to a mere rag, by the air she imparted to
a mere nothing which ornamented her, by the characteristic signature
which her taste gave to everything she wore."
To please and charm, Mme. d'Etioles had a complexion of the most
striking whiteness, lips somewhat pale, and eyes of an indescribable
color in which were blended and compounded the seduction of black
eyes, the seduction of blue eyes. She had magnificent chestnut hair,
ravishing teeth, and the most delicious smile which "hollowed her
cheeks into two dimples which the engraving of _La Jardiniere_ shows;
she had a medium-sized and round waist, perfect hands, a play
of gestures lively and passionate throughout, and, above all, a
physiognomy of a mobility, of a changeableness, of a marvellous
animation, wherein the soul of the woman passed ceaselessly, and
which, constantly in process of change, showed in turn an impassioned
and imperious tenderness, a noble seriousness, or roguish graces."
In September, 1745, she was formally presented to the queen and
court as the Marquise de Pompadour, and, in October, was installed
at Fontainebleau in the apartments formerly occupied by Mme. de
Chateauroux, who had just died. Her position was not an easy one,
for all the superb jealousy and hateful scorn which the aristocracy
cherished against the power and wealth of the _bourgeoisie_ were
turned against her; but the court scandal-mongers and intriguers found
their match in Mme. de Pompadour, who showed herself so superior
in every respect to the court ladies that the hostilities gradually
ceased, but not until the public itself had expended all its efforts
against this upstart.
Her first move was to surround herself with friends, the first of whom
she wisely sought in the queen. Paying her every possible attention,
she persuaded the king to show her more consideration. The Prince
de Conti, the Paris brothers, and others of the great financiers of
France were added to her circle. After this she began her rule as
first minister, in place of the dead Fleury, by giving places and
pensions to her favorites. The reign of economy and domestic morality
came to an end with the accession of Mme. de Pompadour; in fact, it
was soon generally considered that those upon whom she did not shower
favors were her enemies. At this time the nobility of France was too
corrupt to raise any serious objections to the dispensing of favors by
the _maitresse-en-titre_, whether she were of noble birth or not.
As mistress, her duties were many: to manipulate and manage
Versailles, please and captivate the king, make allies, win over the
highest officials and keep control of them, put her own friends in
office, attach to her favor every man of prominence,--princes and
ministers,--keep in touch with the court, appease, humor, and win the
honor of the courtiers, "attach consciences, recompense capitulations,
organize about the mistress an emulation of devotion and servility by
means of prodigality of the favors of the king and the money of the
state; but what was a more burdensome task,--she must occupy the king,
aid and agitate him, fight off constantly, from day to day and hour to
hour, ennui."
This terrible ennui, indifference, enervation, this lazy and splenetic
humor of the king, she succeeded in distracting, in soothing, and
amusing. She understood him perfectly--therein lie the great secret
of the favor of Mme. de Pompadour and the great reason of her long
domination which only death could end. She had the patience and
genius to soothe the many ills of the monarch, possessing an intuitive
understanding of his moral temperament, and a complete comprehension
of his nervous sensibility; these gifts were a science with her and
enabled her to keep alive his taste for and enjoyment of life. Mme.
de Pompadour is said to have taken possession of the very existence of
Louis XV.
"She appropriates and kills his time, robs him of the monotony of
hours, draws him through a thousand pastimes in this eternity of ennui
between morning and night, never abandoning him for a minute, not
permitting him to fall back upon himself. She takes him away from
work, disputes him to the ministers, hides him from the ambassadors.
In his face must not be seen a cloud or the slightest trace of care of
affairs; to Maurepas, in the act of reading some reports to the king,
she says: 'Come now, M. de Maurepas, you turn the king yellow....
Adieu, M. de Maurepas'; and Maurepas gone, she takes the king, she
smiles upon the lover, she cheers the man."
In 1747, two years after her installation, she interested the king in
a theatre, and inaugurated the famous representations at the Theatre
des Petits Appartements; she herself was one of its best actresses,
singers, and musicians. All the members of the nobility vied with one
another in procuring admission to these performances, as auditors or
actors. Her contemporaries say that she was without a rival in acting,
for in that art she found opportunity to show her vivacity, her
_esprit_ of tone, and her malice of expression, the effect of which
was heightened by her voice, graceful figure, and tasteful attire,
which became the envy of every court lady.
[Illustration 4:
_MME. DE POMPADOUR AND A CLERICAL LOBBYIST
After the painting by A. Casanova_
_Her influence and usurpation of power bore heavily upon every
department of state; she appointed all the ministers, made all
nominations, managed the foreign policy and politics, directed the army
and even arranged the plans of battle. She was forced to receive foreign
ambassadors and ministers; she had to meet in the Cabinet de Travail and
give council to the generals who were her proteges; the clergy went to
her and laid before her their plaints, and through her the financiers
arranged their transactions with the state. She was the greatest
patroness of art that France ever possessed, giving to it the best hours
of her leisure; it was her pastime, her consolation, her extravagance,
and her ruin._]
Almost all rising young artists and men of letters were encouraged or
pensioned by Mme. de Pompadour. Her salon would have become one of
the most distinguished of the period, as she was, herself, the most
remarkably talented and beautiful woman of her time, had not lack
of moral principles and an intense love of power led her to seek the
gratification of her ambitions in the much envied position of mistress
of the king. To assist at her toilette became a favor more eagerly
desired than presence at the _petit lever_ of the king. The court
became more brilliant, the middle class rose, the prestige of the
nobility declined; the last became, in general, but a crowd of
_cordons bleus_, eager to claim the favor of any of her proteges.
Every noble house offered a daughter in marriage to her brother, whom
she made _intendant_ of public buildings, and who looked with much
displeasure upon the actions of his sister.
Mme. de Pompadour made a thorough study of the politics of Europe in
relation to the affairs of the nation--a proceeding in which she
was aided by her extraordinary intelligence, acute perception of
difficulties and conditions, domestic and foreign; by the exercise of
these qualities, she put herself in touch with the politics of France,
always consulting the best of minds and winning many friends among
them. In 1749 she succeeded in ridding herself of her pronounced
enemy, Maurepas, minister and confidential adviser of the king, and
subsequently began her reign as absolute mistress and governor of
France.
Her life then became one of constant labor, which gradually undermined
her health. Appreciating the mental indolence of Louis, she would
place before him a clear and succinct resume of all important
questions of state affairs, which she, better than any other, knew
how to present without wearying him. Realizing that her power depended
upon her influence over the king, and that she was surrounded by men
and women who were simply waiting for a favorable opportunity to cause
her downfall, she was constantly on the defensive. She considered it
"the business of her life to make her yoke so easy and pleasant, and
from habit so necessary to him, that an effort to shake it off would
be an effort that would cause him real pain." Her happiest hours--for
she did not love the king--were those spent with her brother, the
Marquis de Marigny, in the midst of artists, musicians, and men of
letters.
As for the queen, she was in the background, absolutely. "All the
prerogatives of a princess of a sovereign house were, at this time,
about 1750, conferred by the king upon Mme. de Pompadour, and all
the pomp and parade then deemed indispensable to rank so exalted were
fully assumed by her." At the opera, she had her _loge_ with the king,
her tribune at the chapel of Versailles where she heard mass, her
servants were of the nobility, her carriage had the ducal arms, her
etiquette was that of Mme. de Montespan, Her father was ennobled to De
Marigny, her brother to be Marquis de Vandieres. The marriage of her
daughter to a son of the king and his former mistress was planned,
then with a son of Richelieu, then with others of the nobility;
fortunately, the girl died.
Mme. de Pompadour gradually amassed a royal fortune, buying the
magnificent estate of Crecy for six hundred and fifty thousand livres;
"La Celle," near Versailles, for twenty-six thousand livres; the Hotel
d'Evreaux, at Paris, for seventy-five thousand livres--and these were
her minor expenses; her paintings, sculpture, china, pottery, etc.,
cost France over thirty-six million livres. Her imagination in art and
inventions was wonderful; she retouched and decorated the chateau
in which she was received by the king; she made "Choisy"--the king's
property--her own, as it were, by all the embellishments she ordered
and the expenditures which her lover lavished upon it at her request.
All the luxuries of the life at "Choisy," all the refinements even to
the smallest detail, had their origin in her inventions. It was she
who planned the fairy chateau with its wonderful furniture, her own
invention.
At that time, her whole life was spent in adding variety to the life
of the king and in distracting the ennui which pursued him. In her
retreats she affected the simplicity of country life; the gardens
contained sheepfolds and were free from the pomp of the conventional
French gardens; there were cradles of myrtle and jasmine, rosebushes,
rustic hiding places, statues of Cupid, and fields of jonquils filled
the air with the most intoxicating perfume. There she amused her
sovereign by appearing in various characters and acting the parts--now
a royal personage, now a gardener's maid.
However, in spite of all cunning study of the sensuous nature of
the king, in spite of this perpetual enchantment of his senses,
this favorite was obliged to fight for her power every minute of her
existence. If hers were a conquest, it was a laborious one, held only
through ceaseless activity; continual brainwork, all the countermoves
and manoeuvres of the courtesan, were required to keep Mme. de
Pompadour seated in this position, which was surrounded by snares and
dangers.
To possess the time of the king, occupy his enemies, soothe his
fatigue, arouse his wearied body condemned to a milk diet, to preserve
her beauty--all these were the least of her tasks. She must be ever
watchful, see evil in every smile, danger in every success, divine
secret plots, be on guard to resist the court, the royal family,
the ministry. For her there was no moment of repose: even during
the effusions of love she must act the spy upon the king, and, with
presence of mind and calmness, must seek in the deceitful face of the
man the secrets of the master.
Every morning witnessed the opening of a new comedy: a gay smile,
a tranquil brow, a light song, must ever disguise the mind's
preoccupation and all the machinations of her fertile brain. At one
time the Comte d'Argenson, desiring to succeed Fleury as minister,
almost arrived at supplanting Mme. de Pompadour by young Mme. de
Choiseul, who, having charmed the king on one occasion, obtained
from him a promise that he would make her his mistress--which would
necessitate desertion of Mme. de Pompadour; but, by the natural
charms of which age had not robbed her and by bringing all her past
experience into play, Mme. de Pompadour once more scored a triumph and
remained the actual minister to the king. All this nervous strain was
gradually killing her, and, to overcome her physical weakness, her
weary senses, her frigid disposition, she resorted to artificial
stimulants to keep her blood at the boiling point and enable her to
satisfy the phlegmatic king.
Undoubtedly the most disgraceful act of this all-powerful woman
was the maintaining of a house of pleasure for the king, to which
establishment she allured some of the most beautiful girls of the
nobility, as well as of the _bourgeoisie_. These young women supposed
that they were being supported by a wealthy nobleman; their children
were given a pension of from three thousand to twelve thousand livres,
and the mother received one hundred thousand francs and was sent to
the provinces to marry; a father and mother were easily bought for the
child. Thus was this clandestine trade carried on by those two--the
king satisfying his utter depravity, and Mme. de Pompadour making
herself all the more secure against a possible rival.
All this time her active brain was ever planning for higher honors
and greater power. She aspired to becoming _dame de palais_, but as an
excommunicated soul, a woman living in flagrant violation of the laws
of morality and separated from her husband, she could not receive
absolution from the Church, in spite of her intriguing to that effect.
She did succeed, however, in influencing the king to make her lady
of honor to the queen; therefore, in gorgeous robes, she was ever
afterward present at all court functions.
She began to patronize the great men of the day, to make of them her
debtors, pension them, lodge them in the Palais d'Etat, secure them
from prison, and to place them in the Academy. Voltaire became her
favorite, and she made of him an Academician, historiographer of
France, ordinary gentleman of the chamber, with permission to sell
his charge and to retain the title and privileges. For these favors he
thanked her in the following poem:
"Ainsi donc vous reunissez
Tous les arts, tous les gouts, tous les talents de plaire;
Pompadour vous embellissez
La Cour, le Parnasse et Cythere,
Charme de tous les coeurs, tresor d'un seul mortel,
Qu'un sort si beau soit eternel!"
[Thus you unite all the arts, all the tastes, all the talents, of
pleasing; Pompadour, you embellish the court, Parnassus, and Cythera.
Charm of all hearts, treasure of one mortal, may a lot so beautiful be
eternal!]
Voltaire dedicated his _Tancrede_ to her; in fact, his influence and
favor were so great that he was about to receive an invitation to
the _petits soupers_ of the king, when the nobility rose up in arms
against him, and, as Louis XV. disliked him, the coveted honor was
never attained. To Crebillon, who had given her elocution lessons
in her early days and who was now in want, she gave a pension of
a hundred louis and quarters at the Louvre. Buffon, Montesquieu,
Marmontel, and many other men of note were taken under her protection.
It was Mme. de Pompadour who founded, supported, and encouraged a
national china factory; the French owe Sevres to her, for its
artists were complimented and inspired by her inveterate zeal, her
persistency, her courage, and were assisted by her money. She brought
it into favor, established exhibits, sold and eulogized the ware
herself, until it became a favorite. Also, through her management and
zeal the Military School was founded.
The disasters of the Seven Years' War are all charged to Mme. de
Pompadour. The motive which caused her to decide in favor of an
alliance with Austria against Frederick the Great was a personal
desire for revenge; the latter monarch had dubbed her "Cotillon IV,"
and had rather scorned her, refusing to have anything to do with a
Mlle. de Poisson, "especially as she is arrogant and lacks the respect
due to crowned heads." The flattering propositions of the Austrian
ambassador, Kaunitz, who treated with her in person and won her over,
did much to set her against Germany, and induced her to influence
Louis XV. to accept her view of the situation--a scheme in which she
was victorious over all the ministers; the result was the Austrian
alliance. The letter of Kaunitz to her, in 1756, will illustrate her
position:
"Everything done, Madame, between the two courts, is absolutely due
to your zeal and wisdom. I feel it and cannot refuse myself the
satisfaction of telling you and of thanking you for having been my
guide up to the present time. I must not even keep you ignorant of the
fact that their Imperial Majesties give you the full justice due you
and have for you all the sentiments you can desire. What has been done
must merit, it seems to me, the approbation of the impartial public
and of posterity. But what remains to be done is too great and too
worthy of you for you to give up the task of contributing and to leave
imperfect a work which cannot fail to make you forever dear to your
country. I am, therefore, persuaded that you will continue your
attention to an object so important. In this case, I look upon success
as certain and I already share, in advance, the glory and satisfaction
which must come to you, no one being able to be more sincerely and
respectfully attached to you than is your very humble and obedient
servant, the Count de Kaunitz-Rietberg."
She received her first check when, Damiens having attempted to
assassinate the king, the dauphin was regent for eleven days. She was
confined to her room and heard nothing from the king, who was in
the hands of the clergy. Among the friends who abandoned her was
her protege Machault, the guard of the seals, who conspired with
D'Argenson to deprive her of her power and went so far as to order
her departure. After the king's recovery, both D'Argenson and Machault
were dismissed and Mme. de Pompadour became more powerful than before.
Her influence and usurpation of power bore heavily upon every
department of state; she appointed all the ministers, made all
nominations, managed the foreign policy and politics, directed the
army and even arranged the plans of battle. Absolute mistress of the
ministry, she satisfied all demands of the Austrian court, a move
which brought her the most flattering letter from Kaunitz, in which he
gives her the credit for all the transactions between the two courts.
Despite all her political duties and intrigues, she found time for art
and literature. Not one minute of the day was lost in idleness, every
moment being occupied with interviews with artists and men of letters,
with the furnishers of her numerous chateaux, architects, designers,
engineers, to whom she confided her plans for embellishing Paris.
Being herself an accomplished artist, she was able to win the respect
and attention of these men. Her correspondence was immense and of
every nature, political and personal. She was an incessant reader,
or rather student, of books on the most serious questions, which
furnished her knowledge of terms of state, precedents of history,
ancient and modern law; she was familiar with the contents of works
on philosophy, the drama, singing, and music, and with novels of all
nations; her library was large and well selected.
During the latter years of her life she was considered as the first
minister of state or even as regent of the kingdom, rather than as
mere mistress. Louis XV. looked to her for the enforcement of the laws
and his own orders. She was forced to receive, at any time, foreign
ambassadors and ministers; she had to meet in the Cabinet de Travail
and give counsel to the generals who were her proteges; the clergy
went to her and laid before her their plaints, and through her the
financiers arranged their transactions with the state.
Notwithstanding all this influence and power, the record of her last
years is a sorrowful one. More than ever queen, she was no longer
loved by the king, who went to Passy to continue his liaison with
a young girl, the daughter of a lawyer. When Louis XV. as much as
recognized a son by this woman, Mme. de Pompadour became deeply
concerned; but the king was too much a slave to her domination to
replace her, so she retained favor and confidence; the following
letter shows that she enjoyed little else:
"The more I advance in years, my dear brother, the more philosophical
are my reflections. I am quite sure that you will think the same.
Except the happiness of being with the king, who assuredly consoles me
in everything, the rest is only a tissue of wickedness, of platitudes,
of all the miseries to which poor human beings are liable. A fine
matter for reflection (especially for anyone born as meditative as
I)!..." Later on, she wrote: "Everywhere where there are human beings,
my dear brother, you will find falseness and all the vices of which
they are capable. To live alone would be too tiresome, thus we must
endure them with their defects and appear not to see them."
She realized that the king kept her only out of charity and for fear
of taking up any energetic resolution. Her greatest disappointment was
the utter failure of her political plans and aspirations, which came
to naught by the Treaty of Paris. There was absolutely no glory left
for her, and chagrin gradually consumed her. Her health had been
delicate from youth; consumption was fast making inroads and
undermining her constitution, and the numerous miscarriages of her
early years as mistress contributed to her physical ruin. For years
she had kept herself up by artificial means, and had hidden her loss
of flesh and fading beauty by all sorts of dress contrivances, rouges,
and powders. She died in 1764, at the age of forty-two.
Writers differ as to the true nature of Mme. de Pompadour, some saying
that she was bereft of all feeling, a callous, hard-hearted monster;
others maintain that she was tender-hearted and sympathetic. However,
the majority agree as to her possession of many of the essential
qualifications of an able minister of state, as well as great aptitude
for carrying on diplomatic negotiations.
She was the greatest patroness of art that France ever possessed,
giving to it the best hours of her leisure; it was her pastime, her
consolation, her extravagance, and her ruin. All eminent artists of
the eighteenth century were her clients. Artists were nourished, so
to speak, by her favors. It may truthfully be said that the
eighteenth-century art is a Pompadour product, if not a creation. The
whole century was a sort of great relic of the favorite. Fashions and
modes were slaves to her caprice, every new creation being dependent
upon her approbation for its survival--the carriage, the _cheminee_,
sofa, bed, chair, fan, and even the _etui_ and toothpick, were
fashioned after her ideas. "She is the godmother and queen of the
rococo." Such a eulogy, given by the De Goncourt brothers, is not
shared by all critics. Guizot wrote: "As frivolous as she was deeply
depraved and base-minded in her calculating easiness of virtue, she
had more ambition than comported with her mental calibre or her force
of character; she had taken it into her head to govern, by turns
promoting and overthrowing the ministers, herself proffering advice
to the king, sometimes to good purpose, but still more often with a
levity as fatal as her obstinacy."
In _The Old Regime_, Lady Jackson has given an unprejudiced estimate
of her: "She was the most accomplished and talented woman of her time;
distinguished, above all others, for her enlightened patronage of
science and of the arts, also for the encouragement she gave to the
development of improvements in various manufactures which had stood
still or were on the decline until favored by her; a fresh impulse
was given to progress, and a perfection attained which has never been
surpassed and, in fact, rarely equalled. _Les Gobelins_, the carpets
of the Savonnerie, the _porcelaine de Sevres_, were all, at her
request, declared _Manufactures Royales_. Some of the finest specimens
of the products of Sevres, in ornamental groups of figures, were
modelled and painted by Mme. de Pompadour, as presents to the
queen.... The name of Pompadour is, indeed, intimately associated with
a whole school of art of the Louis Quinze period--art so inimitable in
its grace and elegance that it has stood the test of time and remains
unsurpassed. Artists and poets and men of science vied with each other
in admiration of her talents and taste. And it was not mere
flattery, but simply the praise due to an enlightened patroness and a
distinguished artist."
If we consider the morals of high society, we shall scarcely find one
woman of rank who could cast a stone at Madame de Pompadour. While
admitting her moral shortcomings, it must nevertheless be acknowledged
that she showed an exceptional ability in maintaining, for twenty
years, her influence over such a man as Louis XV. Such was the power
of this woman, the daughter of a tradesman, mistress, king in all
save title. She was, however, less powerful than her successor,--that
successor who was less clever and less ambitious, who "never made
the least scrupulous blush at the lowness of her origin and the
irregularity of her life,"--Mme. du Barry.
Mme. du Barry was the natural daughter of Anne Bequs, who was
supported by M. Dumonceau, a rich banker at Paris. The child was put
into a convent, and, after passing through different phases of life,
she was finally placed in a house of pleasure, where she captivated
the Comte du Barry, at whose harem she became the favorite. The count,
who had once before tried to supply the king with a mistress, now
planned for his favorite. The king ordered the brother of Du Barry,
Guillaume, to hasten to Paris to marry a lady of the king's choice.
The girl's name had been changed officially and by the clergy, and a
dowry had been given her. Thus was it possible for the king, after
she had become the Comtesse du Barry, to take her as a mistress. Her
husband was sent back to Toulouse, where he was stationed, while his
wife was lodged at Versailles, within easy access of the king's own
chamber.
After much intriguing and diplomacy on the part of her friends,
especially Richelieu, she was to be presented at court. The scene is
well described by the De Goncourt brothers, and affords a truthful
picture of court manners and customs of the latter part of the reign
of Louis XV.:
"The great day had arrived--Paris was rushing to Versailles. The
presentation was to take place in the evening, after worship. The hour
was approaching. Richelieu, filling his charge as first gentleman,
was with the king, Choiseul was on the other side. Both were waiting,
counting the moments and watching the king. The latter, ill at ease,
restless, agitated, looked every minute at his watch. He paced up and
down, uttered indistinct words, was vexed at the noise at the gates
and the avenues, the reason of which he inquired of Choiseul. 'Sire,
the people--informed that to-day Mme. du Barry is to have the honor of
being presented to Your Majesty--have come from all parts to witness
her _entree_, not being able to witness the reception Your Majesty
will give her.' The time has long since passed--Mme. du Barry does not
appear. Choiseul (her enemy) and his friends radiate joy; Richelieu,
in a corner of the room, feels assurance failing him. The king goes
to the window, looks into the night--nothing. Finally, he decides,
he opens his mouth to countermand the presentation. 'Sire, Mme. du
Barry!' cries Richelieu, who had just recognized the carriage and the
livery of the favorite; 'she will enter if you give the order.' Just
then, Mme. du Barry enters behind the Comtesse de Bearn, bedecked with
the hundred thousand francs' worth of diamonds the king had sent her,
coifed in that superb headdress whose long scaffolding had almost made
her miss the hour of presentation, dressed in one of those triumphant
robes which the women of the eighteenth century called 'robes of
combat,' armed in that toilette in which the eyes of a blind woman
(Mme. du Deffand) see the destiny of Europe and the fate of ministers;
and it is an apparition so beaming, so dazzling, that, in the first
moments of surprise, the greatest enemies of the favorite cannot
escape the charm of the woman, and renounce calumniating her beauty."
According to reports, her beauty must have been of the ideal type of
the time. All the portraits and images that Mme. du Barry has left
of herself, in marble, engraving, or on canvas, show a _mignonne_
perfection of body and face. Her hair was long, silky, of an ashen
blonde, and was dressed like the hair of a child; her brows and lashes
were brown, her nose small and finely cut. "It was a complexion which
the century compared to a roseleaf fallen into milk. It was a
neck which was like the neck of an antique statue...." In her were
victorious youth, life, and a sort of the divinity of a Hebe; about
her hovered that charm of intoxication, which made Voltaire cry out
before one of her portraits: _L'original etait fait pour les dieux!_
[The original was made for the gods!]
In her lofty position, Mme. du Barry sought to overcome the objections
of the titled class, to quell jealousies and petty quarrels; she did
not usurp any power and always endeavored not to trouble or embarrass
anyone. After some time, she succeeded in winning the favor of some of
the ladies, and, when her influence was fairly well established, she
began to plan the overthrow of her enemy, De Choiseul, minister of
Louis XV. She became the favorite of artists and musicians, and
all Europe began to talk and write about this woman whom art had
immortalized on canvas and who was then controlling the destinies of
France. She succeeded, under the apprenticeship of her lover, the
Duc d'Aiguillon, who was the outspoken enemy of De Choiseul, in
accomplishing the fall of the minister and the fortune of her friend.
This success required but a short time for its culmination, for in
1770 he was deprived of his office and was exiled to Chantilly.
Mme. du Barry was never an implacable enemy; she was too kind-hearted
for that; thus, when her friend D'Aiguillon insisted on depriving
De Choiseul of his fortune, she managed to procure for the latter
a pension of sixty-thousand livres and one million ecus in cash,
in spite of the opposition of D'Aiguillon. After the fall of that
minister all the princes of the blood were glad to pay her homage. She
became almost as powerful as Mme. de Pompadour, but her influence was
not directed in the same channels.
Her life was a mere senseless dream of _femme galante_, a luxurious
revel, a constant whirl of pleasures, and extravagance in jewelry,
silks, gems, etc. A service in silver was no longer rich enough--she
had one in solid gold. To house all her gems of art, rare objects,
furniture, she caused to be constructed a temple of art, "Luciennes,"
one of the most sumptuous, exquisite structures ever fitted out. The
money for this was supplied by the _controleur general_, the Abbe
Ferray, whose politics, science, duty, and aim in life consisted in
never allowing Mme. du Barry to lack money. All discipline, morality,
in fact everything, degenerated.
She had no rancor or desire for vengeance; she never humiliated those
whom she could destroy; she always punished by silence, yet never won
eternal silence by letters patent; generous to a fault, giving and
permitting everything about her to be taken, she opened her purse to
all who were kind to her and to all who happened in some way to please
her. Keeping the heart of Louis XV. was no easy matter, as the case of
Mme. de Pompadour clearly showed. The majority of his friends and her
enemies endeavored to force a new mistress upon the king; surrounded
on all sides by candidates for her coveted position, Mme. du Barry
managed to hold her own. When the king was prostrated by smallpox, he
sent her away on the last day.
The reign of Mme. du Barry was not one of tyranny, nor was it a
domination in the strict sense of that word; for she was a nonentity
politically, without ideas or plans. "Study the favor of Mme. du
Barry: nothing that emanates from her belongs to her; she possesses
neither an idea nor an enemy; she controls all the historical events
of her time, without desiring them, without comprehending them....
She serves friendships and individuals, without knowing how to serve a
cause or a system or a party, and she is protected by the providential
course of things, without having to worry about an effort, intrigues,
or gratitude."
Her power and influence cannot be compared with those of her
predecessor, Mme. de Pompadour. Modes were followed, but never
invented by her. "With her taste for the pleasures of a grisette,
her patronage falls from the opera to the couplet, from paintings and
statuaries to bronzes and sculptures in wood; her _clientele_ are
no longer artists, philosophers, poets--they are the gods of lower
domains, mimics, buffoons, dancers, comedians." She was the lowest and
most common type of woman ever influential in France.
After the death of the king, she was ordered to leave Versailles and
live with her aunt. Later on, she was permitted to reside within ten
leagues of Paris; all her former friends and admirers then returned,
and she continued to live the life of old, buying everything for which
she had a fancy and living in the most sumptuous style, never worrying
about the payment of her debts. After a few years she was entirely
forgotten, living at Luciennes with but a few intimate friends and her
lover, the Duc de Brissac.
At the outbreak of the Revolution, she was living at Luciennes in
great luxury on the fortune left her by the duke. Probably she would
have escaped the guillotine had she not been so possessed with the
idea of retaining her wealth. Four trips to England were undertaken
by her, and on her return she found her estates usurped by a man
named Grieve, who, anxious to obtain possession of her riches, finally
succeeded in procuring her arrest while her enemies were in power.
From Sainte-Pelagie they took her to the Conciergerie, to the room
which Marie Antoinette had occupied.
Accused of being the instrument of Pitt, of being an accomplice in the
foreign war, of the insurrection in La Vendee, of the disorders in the
south, the jury, out one hour, brought in a verdict of guilty, fixing
the punishment at death within twenty-four hours, on the Place de la
Republique. Upon hearing her sentence, she broke down completely and
confessed everything she had hidden in the garden at Luciennes. On her
way to the scaffold, she was a most pitiable sight to behold--the only
prominent French woman, victim of the Revolution, to die a coward. The
last words of this once famous and popular mistress were: "Life, life,
leave me my life! I will give all my wealth to the nation. Another
minute, hangman! _A moi! A moi!_" and the heavy iron cut short her
pitiful screams, thus ending the life of the last royal mistress.