The other princesses did not evince greater firmness when overwhelmed by the complaints of the cabal, and in a manner bent their knee before the wives of the French nobility, asking their pardon for their father's error in selecting a mistress from any rank but theirs. About this period a song, which I admired greatly, was circulated abroad. My enemies interpreted it to my disadvantage, but I was far from being of the same opinion. It was successively attributed to the most clever men in Paris, and I have myself met with four who each asserted himself to be the author; in justice it should be ascribed to him who appeared the most calculated to have written it, and who indeed claimed it for his own--the chevalier de Boufflers. I do not know whether you recollect the lines in question. I will transcribe them from memory, adding another couplet, which was only known amongst our own particular circle, but which proves most incontestably the spirit of kindness with which the stanzas were composed.
Lise, ta beaute seduit, Et charme tout le monde.
En vain la duchesse en rougit, Et la princesse en gronde, Chacun sait que Venus naquit De l'ecume de l'onde.
En rit-elle moins tous les dieux.
Lui rendre un juste hommage!
Et Paris, le berger fameux, Lui donner l'avantage Meme sur la reine des cieux Et Minerve la sage?
Dans le serail du grand seigneur.
Quelle est la favorite?
C'est la plus belle au gre de coeur Du maitre qui l'habite.
C'est le seul titre en sa faveur Et c'est le vrai merite.
Que Grammont tonne contre toi, La chose est naturelle.
Elle voudrait donner la loi Et n'est qu' une mortelle;Il faut, pour plaire au plus grand roi, Sans orgueil etre belle.From those readers who may understand this chanson in the original, and look somewhat contemptuously on the following version, the translator begs to shelter himself under the well-known observation of Lord Chesterfield, "that everything suffers by translation, but a bishop!" Those to whom such a dilution is necessary will perhaps be contented with the skim-milk as they cannot get the cream.- TRANS.
Thy beauty, seductress, leads mortals astray, Over hearts, Lise, how vast and resistless thy sway.
Cease, duchess, to blush! cease, princess, to rave--Venus sprang from the foam of the ocean wave.
All the gods pay their homage at her beauteous shrine, And adore her as potent, resistless, divine!
To her Paris, the shepherd, awarded the prize, Sought by Juno the regal, and Pallas the wise.
Who rules o'er her lord in the Turkish <serail>, Reigns queen of his heart, and e'er basks in his smile?
'Tis she, who resplendent, shines loveliest of all, And beauty holds power in her magic thrall.
Then heed not the clamors that Grammont may raise, How natural her anger! how vain her dispraise!
'Tis not a mere mortal our monarch can charm, Free from pride is the beauty that bears off the palm.
This song was to be found in almost every part of France. Altho'
the last couplet was generally suppressed, so evident was its partial tone towards me, in the midst of it all I could not help being highly amused with the simplicity evinced by the good people of France, who, in censuring the king's conduct, found nothing reprehensible but his having omitted to select his mistress from elevated rank.
The citizens resented this falling off in royalty with as much warmth and indignation as the grandees of the court; and I could enjoy a laugh on the subject of their angry displeasure as soon as my presentation was decided upon.
The intrigues carried on by those about the princesses, and the necessity of awaiting the perfect recovery of madame de Bearn, delayed this (to me) important day till the end of the month of April, 1770. On the evening of the 21st the king, according to custom, announced a presentation for the following day; but he durst not explain himself more frankly; he hesitated, appeared embarrassed, and only pronounced my name in a low and uncertain voice; it seemed as tho' he feared his own authority was insufficient to support him in such a measure. This I did not learn till some time afterwards; and when I did hear it, I took the liberty of speaking my opinion upon it freely to his majesty.
On the next day, the 22d, I was solely engrossed with my dress:
it was the most important era of my life, and I would not have appeared on it to any disadvantage. A few days previously, the king had sent me, by the crown jeweller, Boemer, a set of diamonds, valued at 150,000 livres, of which he begged my acceptance.
Delighted with so munificent a present I set about the duties of the toilette with a zeal and desire of pleasing which the importance of the occasion well excused. I will spare you the description of my dress; were I writing to a woman I would go into all these details; but as I know they would not be to your taste, I will pass all these uninteresting particulars over in silence, and proceed to more important matter.
Paris and Versailles were filled with various reports. Thro'out the city, within, without the castle, all manner of questions were asked, as tho' the monarchy itself was in danger. Couriers were dispatched every instant with fresh tidings of the great event which was going on. A stranger who had observed the general agitation would easily have remarked the contrast between the rage and consternation of my enemies and the joy of my partizans, who crowded in numbers to the different avenues of the palace, in order to feast their eyes upon the pageantry of my triumphal visit to court.