Madame du Maine had gained over certain gentlemen in all the Provinces, and had tampered with them to induce them to revolt; but none of them would swallow the bait excepting in Brittany.

She has not been at the theatre yet; meaning, by this, to intimate that she is still afflicted at lying under her husband’s displeasure.  It is said that she has written to him, but that he has returned her letter unopened.

She came some days ago to see my son, and to request him not to oppose a reconciliation between herself and her husband.  My son laughed and said, “I will not interfere in it; for have I not learned from Sganarelle that it is not wise to put one’s finger between the bark and the tree?” The town says they will be reconciled.  If this really should take place, I shall say as my father used:  “Agree together, bad ones!”

My son tells me that the little Duchess has again besought him to reconcile her with her husband.  My son replied, “that it depended much more upon herself than upon him.”  I do not know whether she took this for a compliment, or what crotchet she got in her head, but she suddenly jumped up from the sofa, and clung about my son’s neck, kissing him on both cheeks in spite of himself (18th June, 1720).

The Duc du Maine is entirely reconciled to his dear moiety.  I am not surprised, for I have been long expecting it.

SECTION XL.—­LOUVOIS

M. de Louvois was a person of a very wicked disposition; he hated his father and brother, and, as they were my very good friends, this minister made me feel his dislike of them.  His hatred was also increased, because he knew that I was acquainted with his ill-treatment of my father, and that I had no reason in the world to like him.  He feared that I should seek to take vengeance upon him, and for this reason he was always exciting the King against me.  Upon this point alone did he agree with that old, Maintenon.

I believe that Louvois had a share in the conspiracy by which Langhans and Winkler compassed my poor brother’s death.  When the King had taken the Palatinate, I required him to arrest the culprits; the King gave orders for it, and they were in fact seized, but afterwards liberated by a counter-order of Louvois.  Heaven, however, took care of their punishment for the crime which they had committed upon my poor brother; for Langhans died in the most abject wretchedness, and Winkler went mad and beat his own brains out.

There is no doubt that the King spoke very harshly to Louvois, but certainly he did not treat him as has been pretended, for the King was incapable of such an action.  Louvois was a brute and an insolent person; but he served the King faithfully, and much better than any other person.  He did not, however, forget his own interest, and played his cards very well.  He was horribly depraved, and by his impoliteness and the grossness of his replies made himself universally hated.  He might, perhaps, believe in the Devil; but he did not believe in God.  He had faith in all manner of predictions, but he did not scruple to burn, poison, lie and cheat.