第85章

[28]. "When I arrived in France M. de Choiseul's reign was just over. The woman who seemed nice to him， or could only please his sister-in-law the Duchesse de Gramont， was sure of being able to secure the promotion to colonel and lieutenant general of any man they proposed. Women were of consequence even in the eyes of the old and of the clergy； they were thoroughly familiar， to an extraordinary degree， with the march of events； they knew by heart the characters and habits of the king's friends and ministers. One of these， on returning to his chateau from Versailles， informed his wife about every thing with which he had been occupied； at home he says one or two words to her about his water-color sketches， or remains silent and thoughtful， pondering over what he has just heard in Parliament. Our poor ladies are abandoned to the Society of those frivolous men who， for want of intellect， have no ambition， and of course no employment (dandies)."(Stendhal， "Rome， Naples， and Florence，" 377. A narrative by Colonel Forsyth).

[29]. De Bezenval， 49， 60. - "Out of twenty seigniors at the court there are fifteen not living with their wives， and keeping mistresses.

Nothing is so common at Paris among certain people." (Barbier， IV.

496.

[30]. Ne soyez point époux， ne soyez point amant， Soyez l'homme du jour et vous serez charmant.

[31]. Crébillon， fills. "La nuit et le moment，" IX， 14.

[32]. Horace Walpole's letters (January 15， 1766). - The Duke de Brissac， at Louveciennes， the lover of Mme. du Barry， and passionately fond of her， always in her society assumed the attitude of a polite stranger. (Mme. Vigée-Lebrun， "Souvenirs，" I. 165.)[33]. De Lauzun， 51. - Champfort， 39. - "The Duc de - whose wife had just been the subject of scandal， complained to his mother-in-law：

the latter replied with the greatest coolness， 'Eh， Monsieur， you make a good deal of talk about nothing. Your father was much better company.' " (Mme. d'Oberkirk， II. 135， 241). - "A husband said to his wife， I allow you everything except princes and lackeys.' He had it right since these two extremes brought dishonor on account of the scandal attached to them." (Sénac de Meilhan， "Considérations sur les moeurs.) - On a wife being discovered by a husband， he simply exclaims， "Madame， what imprudence！ Suppose that I was any other man."(La femme au dix-huitième siècle，" 201.)[34]. See in this relation the somewhat ancient types， especially in the provinces. "My mother， my sister， and myself， transformed into statues by my father's presence， only recover ourselves after he leaves the room." (Chateaubriand， "Mémoires，" I. 17， 28， 130). -"Mémoires de Mirabeau，" I. 53.) The Marquis said of his father Antoine： "I never had the honor of kissing the cheek of that venerable man. . . At the Academy， being two hundred leagues away from him， the mere thought of him made me dread every youthful amusement which could be followed by the least unfavorable results." - Paternal authority seems almost as rigid among the middle and lower classes.

("Beaumarchais et son temps，" by De Loménie， I. 23. - "Vie de mon père，" by Restif de la Bretonne， passim.)[35]. Sainte-Beuve， "Nouveaux lundis，" XII， 13； - Comte de Tilly， "Mémoires，" I. 12； Duc de Lauzun， 5. - "Beaumarchais，" by de Loménie， II. 299.

[36]. Madame de Genlis， "Mémoires，" ch 2 and 3.

[37]. Mme. d'Oberkirk. II. 35. - This fashion lasts until 1783.

- De Goncourt， "La femme au dix-huitième siècle， 415， - "Les petits parrains，" engraving by Moreau. - Berquin， "L'ami des enfants，"passim. - Mme. de Genlis， "Théatre de l'Education，" passim.

[38]. Lesage， "Gil Blas de Santillane"： the discourse of the dancing-master charged with the education of the son of Count d'Olivarés.

[39]. "Correspondance." by Métra， XIV. 212； XVI. 109. - Mme.

d'Oberkirk. II， 302.

[40]. De Ségur， I. 297：

Ma naissance n'a rien de neuf， J'ai suivi la commune régle， Mais c'est vous qui sortez d'un oeuf， Car vous êtes un aigle.

Mme. de Genlis， "Mémoires，" ch. IV. Mme. de Genlis wrote verses of this kind at twelve years of age.

[41]. Already in the Précieuses of Molière， the Marquis de Mascarille and the Vicomte de Jodelet. - And the same in Marivaux， "L'épreuve， les jeux de l'amour et du hasard，" ete. - Lesage， "Crispin rival de son ma？tre." - Laclos， "Les liaisons dangéreuses，"first letter.

[42]. Voltaire， "Princesse de Babylone."[43]. "Gustave III，" by Geffroy， II. 37. - Mme. Vigée-Lebrun， I.

81.

[44]. George Sand， I. 58-60. A narration by her grandmother， who， at thirty years of age， married M. Dupin de Francuiel， aged sixty-two.

[45]. Mme. de Genlis， "Souvenirs de Félicie，" 77. - Mme. Campan， III. 74. - Mme. de Genlis， "Dict. des Etiquettes，" I. 348.

[46]. See an anecdote concerning this species of royalty in "Adèle et Théodore， I. 69" by Mme. de Genlis. - Mme. Vigée-Lebrun， I. 156：