The Life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 678 pages of information about The Life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France.

The Life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 678 pages of information about The Life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France.

[4] “Memoires de la Reine de France,” par M. Lafont d’Aussonne, p. 42.

[5] See her letters to Mercy, December 26th, 1784, and to the emperor, December 31st, 1784, and February 4th, 1785, Arneth, p. 64, et seq.

[6] “J’ai ete reellement touchee, de la raison et de la fermete que le roi a mises dans cette rude seance.”—­Marie Antoinette to Joseph II., August 22d, 1785, Arneth, p. 93.

[7] “La calomnie s’est attachee a poursuivre la reine, meme avant cette epoque ou l’esprit de parti a fait disparaitre la verite de la terre.”—­ Madame de Stael, Proces de la Reine, p. 2

[8] Madame de Campan, “Eclaircissements Historiques,” p. 461; “Marie Antoinette et le Proces du Collier,” par M. Emile Campardon, p. 144, seq.

[9] “Permet au Cardinal de Rohan et au dit de Cagliostro de faire imprimer et afficher le present arret partout ou bon leur semblera.”—­Campardon, p. 152.

[10] “Sans doute le cardinal avait les mains pures de toute fraude; sans doute il n’etait pour rien dans l’escroquerie commise par les epoux de La Mothe.”—­Campardon, p. 155.

[11] Campardon, p. 153, quoting Madame de Campan.

[12] The most recent French historian, M.H.  Martin, sees in this trial a proof of the general demoralization of the whole French nation.  “L’impression qui en resulte pour nous est l’impossibilite que la reine ait ete coupable.  Mais plus les imputations dirigees contre elle etaient vraisemblables, plus la creance accordee a ces imputations etait caracteristique, et attestait la ruine morale de la monarchie.  C’etait l’ombre du Parc aux Cerfs qui couvrait toujours Versailles.”—­Histoire de France, xvi., p. 559, ed. 1860.

[13] Feuillet de Conches, i., p. 161.

[14] Feuillet de Conches, i., p. 162.  Some of the critics of M.F. de Conches’s collection have questioned without sufficient reason the probability of there having been any correspondence between the queen and her elder sister.  But the genuineness of this letter is strongly corroborated by a mistake into which no forger would have fallen.  The queen speaks as if the cardinal had alleged that he had given her a rose; while his statement really was that Oliva, personating the queen, had dropped a rose at his feet.  A forger would have made the letter Correspond with the evidence and the fact.  The queen, in her agitation, might easily make a mistake.

[15] “Il se retira dans son eveche de l’autre cote du Rhin.  La sa noble conduite fit oublier les torts de sa vie passee,” etc.—­Campardon, p. 156.

[16] Campardon, p. 156.

[17] It was from Ettenheim that the Duke d’Enghien was carried off in March, 1804.  The cardinal died in February, 1803.

CHAPTER XXI.

[1] “Le duc declarait de son cote a Mr. Elliott que ... si la reine l’eut mieux traite il eut peut-etre mieux fait.”—­Chambrier, i., p.519

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The Life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.