What convinces me of the late Madame’s innocence is that, after having received the last sacraments, she begged pardon of Monsieur for all disquiets she had occasioned, and said that she hoped to reach heaven because she had committed no crime against her husband.

I think M. de Monmouth was much worse than the Comte de Guiche; because, although a bastard, he was the son of Madame’s own brother; and this incest doubled the crime.  Madame de Thiange, sister of Madame de Montespan, conducted the intrigue between the Duke of Monmouth and Madame.

It is said here that Madame was not a beauty, but that she had so graceful a manner as to make all she did very agreeable.  She never forgave.  She would have the Chevalier de Lorraine dismissed; he was so, but he was amply revenged of her.  He sent the poison by which she was destroyed from Italy by a nobleman of Provence, named Morel:  this man was afterwards given to me as chief maitre d’hotel, and after he had sufficiently robbed me they made him sell his place at a high price.  This Morel was very clever, but he was a man totally void of moral or religious principle; he confessed to me that he did not believe in anything.  At the point of death he would not hear talk of God.  He said, speaking of himself, “Let this carcass alone, it is now good for nothing.”  He would steal, lie and swear; he was an atheist and.....

........................

It is too true that the late Madame was poisoned, but without the knowledge of Monsieur.  While the villains were arranging the plan of poisoning the poor lady, they deliberated whether they should acquaint Monsieur with it or not.  The Chevalier de Lorraine said “No, don’t tell him, for he cannot hold his tongue.  If he does not tell it the first year he may have us hanged ten years afterwards;” and it is well known that the wretches said, “Let us not tell Monsieur, for he would tell the King, who would certainly hang us all.”  They therefore made Monsieur believe that Madame had taken poison in Holland, which did not act until she arrived here.

[It is said that the King sent for the maitre d’hotel, and that, being satisfied that Monsieur had not been a party to the crime, he said, “Then I am relieved; you may retire.”  The Memoirs of the day state also that the King employed the Chevalier de Lorraine to persuade Monsieur to obey his brother’s wishes.]

It appears, therefore, that the wicked Gourdon took no part in this affair; but she certainly accused Madame to Monsieur, and calumniated and disparaged her to everybody.