The life of his great grandsire, the
Grand Llama of France, seems to have frightened Louis the well-beloved;
who understood that loneliness is one of the necessary conditions of
divinity, and, being of a jovial, companionable turn, aspired not beyond
manhood.
Only in the matter of ladies did he surpass his predecessor, as Solomon
did David. War he eschewed, as his grandfather bade him; and his simple
taste found little in this world to enjoy beyond the mulling of chocolate
and the frying of pancakes. Look, here is the room called Laboratoire du
Roi, where, with his own hands, he made his mistress's breakfast; here is
the little door through which, from her apartments in the upper story, the
chaste Du Barri came stealing down to the arms of the weary, feeble,
gloomy old man.
But of women he was tired long since, and even pancake-frying had palled
upon him. What had he to do, after forty years of reign; after having
exhausted everything? Every pleasure that Dubois could invent for his hot
youth, or cunning Lebel could minister to his old age, was flat and stale;
used up to the very dregs; every shilling in the national purse had been
squeezed out, by Pompadour and Du Barri and such brilliant ministers of
state.
Pages:
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107