第57章
You have only three things to do，" says one of them to a debutant， "speak well of everybody， ask for every vacancy， and sit down when you can."Hence， the king always has a crowd around him. The Comtesse du Barry says， on presenting her niece at court， the first of August， 1773， "the crowd is so great at a presentation， one can scarcely get through the antechambers."[34] In December， 1774， at Fontainebleau， when the queen plays at her own table every evening， "the apartment， though vast， is never empty. . . . The crowd is so great that one can talk only to the two or three persons with whom one is playing." The fourteen apartments， at the receptions of ambassadors are full to overflowing with seigniors and richly dressed women. On the first of January， 1775， the queen "counted over two hundred ladies presented to her to pay their court. " In 1780， at Choisy， a table for thirty persons is spread every day for the king， another with thirty places for the seigniors， another with forty places for the officers of the guard and the equerries， and one with fifty for the officers of the bedchamber. According to my estimate， the king， on getting up and on retiring， on his walks， on his hunts， at play， has always around him at least forty or fifty seigniors and generally a hundred， with as many ladies， besides his attendants on duty. At Fontainebleau， in 1756， although "there were neither fêtes nor ballets this year， one hundred and six ladies were counted." When the king holds a "grand apartement，" when play or dancing takes place in the gallery of mirrors， four or five hundred guests， the elect of the nobles and of the fashion， range themselves on the benches or gather around the card and cavanole tables.[35] This is a spectacle to be seen， not by the imagination， or through imperfect records， but with our own eyes and on the spot， to comprehend the spirit， the effect and the triumph of monarchical culture. In an elegantly furnished house， the drawing room is the principal room； and never was one more dazzling than this.
Suspended from the sculptured ceiling peopled with sporting cupids， descend， by garlands of flowers and foliage， blazing chandeliers， whose splendor is enhanced by the tail mirrors； the light streams down in floods on gilding， diamonds， and beaming， arch physiognomies， on fine busts， and on the capacious， sparkling and garlanded dresses. The skirts of the ladies ranged in a circle， or in tiers on the benches， "form a rich espalier covered with pearls， gold， silver， jewels， spangles， flowers and fruits， with their artificial blossoms， gooseberries， cherries， and strawberries，" a gigantic animated bouquet of which the eye can scarcely support the brilliancy. There are no black coats， as nowadays， to disturb the harmony. With the hair powdered and dressed， with buckles and knots， with cravats and ruffles of lace， in silk coats and vests of the hues of fallen leaves， or of a delicate rose tint， or of celestial blue， embellished with gold braid and embroidery， the men are as elegant as the women. Men and women， each is a selection； they all are of the accomplished class， gifted with every grace which good blood， education， fortune， leisure and custom can bestow； they are perfect of their kind. There is no toilet， no carriage of the head， no tone of the voice， no expression in language which is not a masterpiece of worldly culture， the distilled quintessence of all that is exquisitely elaborated by social art.
Polished as the high society of Paris may be， it does not approach this；[36] compared with the court， it seems provincial. It is said that a hundred thousand roses are required to make an ounce of the unique perfume used by Persian kings； such is this drawing-room， the frail vial of crystal and gold containing the substance of a human vegetation. To fill it， a great aristocracy had to be transplanted to a hot-house and become sterile in fruit and flowers， and then， in the royal alembic， its pure sap is concentrated into a few drops of aroma.
The price is excessive， but only at this price can the most delicate perfumes be manufactured.
IV. EVERYDAY LIFE IN COURT.
The king's occupations. - Rising in the morning， mass， dinner， walks， hunting， supper， play， evening receptions. - He is always on parade and in company.