ADVE N TU RE S

OF

AN

ACTOR
II

C OM P R S N

A PI CT U R E OF T HE F RE NC H
D

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PE R I OD OF F I FTY

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I NTRODUC T ION

AF T E R the abdication of the Spanish throne a

watch f
ul eye was kept on the unfortunate Prince s
at Vale n g ay ; a ne estate belonging to M Talley
rand who in conformity with that amiable habit
o fcomplaisance which formed the basis
o fhis
character lent this delightful residence to the
E mperor to be converted into a gilded prison for
the occasion
,

A t that time I was living at my country

house in the Blaisois near Menars and I was
curious to see how these Spanish guests were
treated I knew M B ert h emi the governor of
the establishment and also M A maury the trea
surer to whom I had often given a hospitable
reception Almost certain of accomplishing my
,

A 3

vi

IN

T R O DU C T I ON

urpose
I
set
out
for
Valen
c
ay
with
my
daughter
p
my A ntigone the staf
fo fmy old age ; for the
Marquis de M o n cad e so spruce before the pub
lic was sixty and had the gout for a companion
,

Valen c ay is a delicious spot and M Tal ley

rand has added to its natural beauties all the
embel lishments which the most rened lux ury
can invent
The park is o fg reat extent and
the forest which surrounds it af
fords scope for
the pleasures of the chase
The Princes for a
wh i le partook of that sport but the enj oyment
was soon denied them There was besides a
certain part of the park in which they were not
permitted to walk So much did every thing
wear the appearance of a garrison town that the
very day I arrived I was for a moment inclined
to return immediately home
.

However I wrote to M B ert hemi from the

inn at which I alighted expressing my desire to
see the Princes A f
e w moments only had elapsed
when I received a very satisfactory answer and I
repaired to the castle where I was most kindly

received
You must sto p here till to morrow
,

gr

eat s

ch ract
ucc
a

ess .

er i n

t he

o p l y d b y Fl

E c le de B o urg e i s,

a e

y wit h

e ur

I N T R OD U C T I O N

v ii

Y o u will have plenty

said the worthy governor
o ftime to look at the castle and the park ; the
Princes are o n the point of going o u t for a walk
They will be very near you and in the
o r a drive
evening you may come to the play for to amuse
them we have made a theatre in the orangery ;
the actors come from Bourges whenever the
Princes wish to see them To night they are to
play Gu las t an and the To n n elz er I would wish
to o f
er you more hosp itality but my orders are
f
strict and I cannot give a bed even to my brother
I need not say that you must di ne with me to day

and breakfast with me in the morning

A ll this
was said with so much freedom ease and frank
ness that I accepted the invitation with pleasure
.

'

'

Soon after the Princes passed through the gal

lery Ferdinand walked rst with his uncle who re
minded me of Louis X VI but notwithstandin g
the favourable impression one is apt to receive o n

seeing a great man in distress the countenanc e

of
the H ereditary Prince did not please me His
olive complexion those sunken eyes lively indeed
but expressing suspicion ; that long nose over
shadowing every feature gave to the whole an air
more calculated to excite dislike than sympathy

His brother s appearance was better but both

were destitute o fany thing like nobleness of man
.

I N TR O D U C T I O N

iii

there was in all their attitudes movements

a sort of slug gish p et t yn e s s and
a n d g estures
awkward meanness
I certainly did not expect
to nd in them men acting the part o fheroes
fas vic
in adversity and showing themselves o f
tims In my long career I had never before seen
f
misfortune fail to g ive to the suf
erer some sort o f
dignity whether accompanied by courag e despair
o r resignation ; but in these Princes there was no
thing o fthe kind Were they under the inuence
of
the climate o fV al en g ay ? A s guests o fM de
Talleyrand did they di ssemble to t themselves
f
o r the atmosphere they breathed ?
n e r;

The Princes were f

ollowed by the governor
and by M Dam ez ag a with others of their suite
They were treated in all respects as royal per
s o n a e s : every honour was paid them
every pos
g
sible etiquette was observed ; whatever wish they
expressed was gratied A ll their wants were
anticipated for the attendants seemed to study
their slightest inclinations
N apoleon granted
them every thing except freedom and their
country
,

In the evening I went to the theatre and the

Prince observing a stranger asked the governor
who I was What answer was given I do not
,

I N T R O D U CT I ON

ix

precisely know but after exchanging some words

M B ert h e mi withdrew and Ferdinand xed
his eyes on me with particular attention
He
was served with tea or co f
f
ee ; he appeared to be
melting the sugar in his cup and while stirring
it he still kept looking at me
Soon after he
sent us some refreshments m aking a gesture to
us with his hand in a manner obvio u sly meant to
be very gracious I thanked him by bowing my
head Here everything ended for that night
,

N ext morning I went to mass I was not three

paces from Ferdinanda little behind him on his
le f
t H e turned his head cautiously round seem
ing to look at me by stolen glances and as if he
wished to escape observation I thought that he
regarded the presence of an actor in such a place
as something very remarkabl e 3but I was wrong
I soon perceived that his look di f
cult to be
withstood expressed nothing like surprise
I
watched a gesture which seemed intended f
o r me
E very time that he turned to a new page in his
breviary he rumpled the pag e making a slight
noise as if to attract my attention then j oining
his ngers to his thumb he evidently wished to
appear in the act of writing ; while so doing he
turned his eyes on me with an inqu iring look and

the words
have you nothing to say to me ?
A 5
.

I N T R OD U C T I ON

seemed to oat on his lips H e saw no response

from what passed I had reason to
o n mine ; but
presume that he had for a moment taken up the
idea that I was an emissary entrusted with some
despatch f
o r him ; for at this time there was a
plan for his escape as will be seen by what I shall
soon relate
.

Besides the consideration that a gouty subj ect

is always most conveniently situated at his own
reside the ideas which my presence seemed to
excite in the Princes embarrassed me I f
elt that
it would be cruel to allow prisoners to cherish
hopes which I knew from experience it was so
painful to renounce A t all events prudence di c
t at e d our return
We took our leave thanked
M B ert hemi and pro ceeded homeward In my
own little retreat we seemed to breathe a better
air
,

Melancholy emotions make us reect inwardly

on ourselves These Princes lately so powerful
now so obscure without any a ctive part to per
form reminded me of the time when we also
had ourished for nearly thirty years as scenic
grandees though only the grandees of a specied
hour We too had been compelled to retire from
the stage on which we had shone That change is
.

I N T R OD U CT I ON

xi

to the actor a preli minary death a death more sad

than his departure for the tomb It is to survive
his own reputation and while he is yet something
to become a living nothing ! Painters and sculp
tors have their galleries and their studios ; and
amateurs ll their saloons with their works
A uthors see themselves on library shelves but
he who leaves the theatre leaves behi nd him
scarcely the eeting sound of a name the mere
label of a man of talent at the very most with
out any other evidence o fhis talent Still living
you are as a S pectator the poor nobody in the box
while on the stage you were always somebody
Wherever you go after your public life you are
or
seen with a sort of surprise ; but you count f

nothing E very one seems to say

Well ! what

brings you out again ? A re you really alive ?

There is only one reply to be made : Light up
the chandeliers
give me scenery a stage an
audience and an author I will then give yo u

a certicate of my existence
Alas ! al as
can
you !
mi
Or g
6 d
p ir 6 i i ll
,

e s es

v e

e s s e en n e

e.

Go
This would be to sho w z eal without ability
and be buried You were dead when the curtain
dropped before you for the last time
.

Long before I retired from the stage

had often

I N T R O D U CT I ON

x ii

said to myself that on the occurrence of such an

event a man ought to prepare for other occupa
tions t o create for himsel fother habits than those
of the theatre and if the love of fame should still
be his inuential passion he should try to p erp e
tuate a name in some other way For my part I
had lived so long seen so much learned so many
secrets and knew so well the hidden machinery of
so many adv entures that my theme was nishe d
f
airs serious or scandal ous ri sible
A thousand af
or tragic lived in my memory How many of the
mysteries behind the scenes were personally known
to me ! H ow many of the mysteries of the great

world which has also its behind the scenes had

been revealed to me ! I f
elt that I had much to
tell and I said to myself
I will write my me

moirs and I will publish them

N ext moment

I began to be afraid Fl eu ry s ortho g raphy had

so o f
t en been laughed at ! What will be said if I
?
venture to write
It is something to have exp e
ri en c e d the rigour of the public one way or another
Finally I resolved to let myself be led only half
way into the temptation and to conne the perusal
of my manuscript to myself and my friends
,

I therefore proceeded to note do wn not regu

l arl y every day but very e qu e n t ly whatever had
struck me or what I now thought interesting
,

I N T R O D U CT I O N

iii

Sometimes I could not leave o f

fduring the whol e
night and laboured without stopping until my
candle b u rned down to the socket My g o o d
daughter scolded ; but I took he r scolding like a
school boy and like a school boy I had my o w n
way It will readily be believed that our visit t o
ol
Valen c ay was duly recorded N ow for what f
lowed
,

Soon after the arrival of o u r ill u strious neigh

bours several of Monseign eur Ot ran t o s chief Ol

cers took up their residence in the environs o f
V alen c ay In plain terms the police had a number
of agents in this p art of the country and without
having any idea of the matter o n my part I was
destined to be somewhat implicated in a petty plot
which had for its obj ect nothing less than the ab
duction of Ferdinand from the amiable attentions
of N apoleon and the hospitality of France
'

One morning af
t er having spent the whole
night with my scrap s of papers I was awakened
out of a sound sleep A gentleman I was told
had come and must see me immediately
I
thought that some disaster had befal len the Co
m edie Fran c aise and that the comp any had sent
me an express N othing of the sort I saw
ushered into my room a tall handsome man rathe r
,

I N T R OD U C T I ON

xi v

above middle age his hair fashionably dressed his

manner graceful and the expression o fhis coun
t en an c e kind and pleasing

I wish to be alone with you said he

Most willi ngly said I maki ng a sign by

which his wish was satised
What has pro

?
cured me the honour of seeing you

An actor of your merit ought to expect visits

said the stranger

Indeed sir ! said I

,

My visitor was evidently embarrassed A t last

after a little hesitation and something of a blush
added to my pressing hi m he said
You know M B ert i lhac ?
.

N ot aware whither thi s interrogatory might

lead I retorted rather sharply
Well sir what

if I do know hi m ?

H e is arrested said the stranger

Arrested ! exclaimed I

Yes ; and committed to Vi ncennes added he

For what ? asked I

For conspiring said the stranger

What ! cried I M B ert i lhac a conspirator ?

Impossible
,

I had good reasons f

o r my doubts

M Bertil
.

I N T ROD U C T I ON

X V

hac was a worthy honest man and it would have

been as di f
cult to discover any thing like a con
s p i rat o r in him
as to nd out the talent of an
astronomer in me I therefore received this won
d erf
u l piece of news with a smile of incredulity

What I tell you sir is true said my visitor

M B ert ilh ac has been sent to the castle o f

Vincennes
This looked serious

Well asked I
what is the charge against

him ?

H e wanted to favour the escape of Ferdinand

said the visitor

The Prince s almoner is also

arrested

Is he sent to Vincennes too ? asked I

I have not heard said the man sinking his

voice

What a tragic tone you are assuming ! said I

They have also arrested a person named B e

dassier continued my unknown friend

Why I know h i m His

B e d as s i er I said I
family is respectable
I s he not tailor to the
establishment ?

The same said the stranger

You know

every thing Monsieur Feury

,

B e d as s i e r was

om o f t h o
e

e c

at s

cu d o f
mad

ac

he

se

en

clo i g l
s n

e t t ers

i n t he

coll

ars

of

I N T R OD U C T I O N

xvi

On saying this my visitor xed hi s eye on me

with a very scrutini z ing air I looked stedfastly
at him for I comprehended at once what he was
at I asked what induced him to come to me
about this alleged conspiracy and to tell me the

names o fthe conspirators

Is it possible added
I that you suppose I can give you any account

the conspiracy ?
of
,

After appearing as if he wished to suppress a

slight feeli ng of shame the emissary of the poli ce
for
such
he
was
proceeded
to
tell
me
that
his
(
)
mission was not of a rigorous kind ; that the
police was active but protective and particul arly
opposed to any thi ng like rudeness with persons
o frespectability such as I was ; and that under
the present circumstances he hoped hi s conduct
woul d not be otherwise construed In ne my
visitor only came to ask a few ci vi l ques ti o ns but
backed by a gentle force of gendarmes
,

You have been at Valen c ay Monsieur Fleury

said the stranger
Prince Ferdinand wished to
speak to you We are persuaded that you have
had no understanding wi th him but reports have
been spread Besides it has been observed that
you sometimes spend the night in writing Y o u
keep your light burni ng after every body else is
,

I N T R OD U C T I O N

xvii

gone to bed There must be some mistake in the

reports no doubt But I am ordered to examine
your papers to make an inventory of them in your
presence and then to take them with me That
is all I have to do A llow me to discharge my
duty quietlywithout any confusion It would be
extremely disagreeable to resort to the means

which in case of resistance are at my disposal

.

H e would have continued lo n ger in this strain

had I not interrupted him ; for great was my sur
prise at being all at once made a conspirator ! But
there was no use in disputing with such high
authority as the police ; so showing the sub i n
u i s i t o r some heaps of papers I said
Take them
q

take them sir sit down there read ;

make o u t an inventory seal them up and

much good may they do you

I then stepped
behind my curtains to dress myself
,

Who would believe it ? I had hitherto attached

no great import ance to these papers ; but now they
were taken from me I felt like the miser robbed
of his strong box I set an ex ag gerated value on
my lost treasure my lif
e my existence was in it
My anxiety increased dail y At last I resolved to
go and brave the police in its very sanctuary
However as I al ways like to be right and regular
,

I N T R O D U CT I ON

xviii

as to matters of form and having heard much good

spoken o fM R eal who I understood would have
to do with my af
fair I had resolved to write to
him to solicit an interview when one day I re
c ei v e d a sealed packet and the following letter
,

M Y D E A R M ON S I E U R F L E U R Y

There has been a mist ake The minister s

sense o fj ustice makes him desirous that such a
mis u nderstan di ng sho ul d be promptly redressed
It has been my duty to examine your papers and
you will now nd them arranged You had put
them together as a gamester woul d shuf
le a pack
f
of cards I have done you two acts of service for
which you ought to thank me In the rst place,
I have cast some light on your chaos ; secon dl y I
have removed some details respecting the E mpe
ror which would have done you no good had you
prin ted them B etween ourselves you do not
much shine in the respect you owe to your master
Meanwhile since the whole is puried y o u have
now a book which the public will b e glad to read
and which I shall be one of the rst to buy
Your devoted

M D L
.

I thought at rst that I was the dupe of some

mys t ic at i o n
H owever I found my papers
.

TH E

S TAG E

F R E N CH

C H A PT ER I

i
r
k
Th t h t r
k
L
t N
cou
o
f
K
g
S
l
cy
i
t
i
t
r
Th
y
fTh k i g
A
A r t p p r c Th p i ch f u f
lu t
Th
g ood b g i i g My rly duc t i o
Pow r fi m t t o
P ri c d B uv u Th P ri c B u fr mo t M d V ol t i r
Th M rch i o
r Ch r c t r
l c t d fr m b y
d B f
h i gh r r g My i t r F l i c i t
my f t h r My w i h t t k
y D p rt u r fr G v
d t h V i co m t Cl i r l d P
an s a s

e a an

ea

ea

n e ss

ou

sn

ea

is

nn n

a a

ea

e a

e s

an

s sa

i a i

se e

an

va

as s

an

s s e

en e

the spring of the year 1757 a rem arkable event

occurred in the li ttle court o fStanislas L ek z i n s k y
who at that time kept royal state at N ancy and ex
e rc i s e d the rights of sovereignty over the duchies o f
Lorraine and Bar
The theatric al company in the service o fthe ex king

of Poland announced the performance o f Le G lo

rieux for the d ebut o fan actor recently arrived in

the noble city of N ancy
Playgoers of the present day can form no idea o f
I

V OL

F R E N CH

TH E

TAG E

the importance which was at that ti me attached to a

d e but
The appearance of a new actor used then to
excite a great sensation in the world of fashion and
literature Consequently this announcement excited
no small degree o fcuriosity and interest in the court
circle But the d ebut an t o n this occasion was not to
ather or any principal part H e
e nact a lover o r a f

d oeuvre of Des
w as merely to personate in the elzef
touches the humble character of the L aquai s mal

In this part the actor s task consists in de

v tu
livering a few lines and in taking a pinch of snuf
f
with an air and gesture recorded and handed down
b v tradition in the best theatrical laz z i
But the boy (for he was nothing more )who was to
play this character had already earned a certain re

putation by his performance o fJ o as in Athalie and

of M Fleuran t in the Lgataire
A ccordingly on
the evening of his d ebut the state boxes were full
and the court together with every person of di st i n c
tion in the town crowded to the little theatre to
witness the rst appearance of the young actor
The secret of the extraordi nary interest manifested
on this occasion doubtless lay in the proneness of
the coterie composing the court of Stanislas to mag
n i f a mere nothing into somethinga practice which
y
prevails in all courts great and small Be that as it
may the au di ence was numerous King Stanislas
was in his box accompanied by the Marchioness de

F R E N CH

TH E

TA G E

Bouff
lers who had forsaken her former lover M d e
la G ali s s i ere the high chancellor of the pretended
kingdom in favour of his royal master
It seems moreover that the d ebut of the new actor
had given a fresh impulse to the gossiping talents of
the Count de Tressau who for some days previous
to the announced perf
ormance had been amusing
the king and the court with a history o fthe new

actor s life and adventures Without entering into

the circumstantial details narrated by the loquacious
Count the leading incidents of his interesting story
may be mentioned They were briey as follows
During a wandering excursion undertaken by a p art y
the wife of one o fthem aug
o fstrol ling players
m e n t ed the company by gi v ing birth to a ne boy
The child was placed under the Care of a nurse who
regularly received from the parents a liberal all ow
ance for its maintenance whilst the infant was lodged
in the Hospital of the E nf
ans Tro zwes
Finally af
ter
1

d B
f
r mu t
M rch i o
t b
co fou d d w i t h h r
r R ouvr l
c l b r t d co t m p or ry t h Cou t d B f
Th
l t t r who w c l b r t d fr h r t l t d m t l cqu i r m t
l t h fr h r p r o l ch m w
t r t t h b ri lli
t cou rt
d B i r w
ft h T mp l
t h M rch i o
di f
f
ui g hr
c ov r t h m or hu mb l cou rt o f L u v i ll Th Cou t d
r d
B i r w
di t i g u i h d i t h f h i o b l c i rcl o f P ri b y t h
u r m fMi r S mmi H r li i w i t h t h P ri c d Co t i
w
f rt i l u bj c t fr t h c d lou ch ro i cl ft h t im

The

e e

an

i an

ou

na

as a

e e

e s

e,

as

e s

na

no

ess

ou

ne

as

e s an

1
3

e s-

e s

as

es

es o

en s ,

s n
n

an

a so n

na

en a

as a s a

s,

ou

a en s an

n e ss

n e va

e o

as

e s

a e

e s

ou

as

es s

a e

no

n es s

ess

T II E FR E N C H

ST

AG E

the lapse o fseven years and an extraordinary series

adventures tragic and comic the treachery of the
of
nurs e was di scovered and the child was restored to
its parents This child was the new d ebut an t who
his father and mother M and
u nder the auspices o f
Madame Fleury was to appear in the character of
the L aquai s ma l v tu Fleury whose real name was
Benard being at that time manager of the t heatre at
N ancy
The e f
ect produced by the rst appearance of the
f
new actor may be easily imagined when the audience
black
eyed
boy
s aw before them a l i t t l e plump ros
y
who delivered the poetry of Destouches with a natural
air and a correct accentuation : the pinch o fsnu f
f
too though taken with the most easy self possession
was followed by a little t o fsnee z ing which the
juvenile actor was unable to repress and which called
orth a g racious smile from the king accompanied by
f
the wor d s G o d bles s yo u
The little actor received
the royal benediction by a profound bow I mm e di

ately Go d bless hi m ! resounded through the pit

and the d ebut an t acknowledged them by a long
succession of bows To the j uvenile candidate for
theatrical fame the words sounded like an augury of
f
uture success
At the conclusion of the comedy the Count de

Tressau conducted the new actor to the king s box

,

TH E

FR E N C H

T AG E

presented hi m to his maj esty

Come hither

my little friend said Stanislas in a kind tone and

drawing young Fleury towards him and wiping
away with his handkerchief the powder with which
the forehead of the ill dressed lackey was still covered
he conferred upon him a royal kiss
The boy was duly sensible of the honour he had
received ; b u t turning his eyes towards that corner of
the box in which the marchioness was seated he
gaz ed at her with a certain indiscreet curiosity and
recollecting the caresses and attentions he had re
c e i v e d from the actresses said with a sort of pouting
air :
Ah ! all the pretty ladies behi nd the scenes kissed

me and embraced me

A nd I suppose said the king yo u think all

the pretty ladies in the boxes ought to do the same
Come M de la G ali s s i ere perform the duties o f
Chamberl ai n
an d
present the young cavalier to

Madame la Marquise
Without waiting for the ceremony of presentation
the boy ran towards Madame de Bouf
f
lers and i m
printed a kiss o n each of her cheeks Madame de
f
Bouf
lers smiled and took the boy on her knee

I think said M de la G ali s s i ere

o u r young

pro t eg e promises to become a good actor

At least observed the Count de Tressau

he
has made a good beg inning Our celebrated actor
an d

THE

Baron used to say

,

s ur les

F RE N CH

To ut

g en o ux ( les rei n es

ST

AG E

c o med i eu

d evrai t t re

e lev e

I s there a queen here ? inquired the chancel lor

the King of Poland in a tone o fhypocritical humi
of
l i t y and with a smile which seemed to ask permission
to be signicant

said King Stanislas assumi ng

There must be

a royal air since we have su ch a courtly at t erer

Th en gallantly exten di ng his rig ht hand to the Mar
quise he withdrew from the box whilst with his lef
t
hand he j estingly threatened hi s only cabinet mi nister

After the k ing s departu re the Count de Tressau

conducted the young actor back to his parents
The above is a circumst antial account of the re
m arkable incident whi ch attended the d ebut o f
J oseph Abraham B enard commonly called Fleury
who made hi s rst appearance at the Court Theatre
at N ancy in the year 17 50 seven years after he had
made his rst appearance in the world
The above anecdote having served to introduce to
the reader the author of these memoirs I sh all p ro
c ee d to state
that my father was an actor and my
mother an actress The former who was mana er of
the court theatres at Lorraine was wholly absorbed in
his professional avocations and being fully persuaded
that his son wo ul d one day or other become a di s
t i n g u i sh e d votary o fthe co mi c muse he very much
neglected my education I was taug ht to read and
,

TH E

F R E N CH

TA G E

grace and elegance of manner which characteriz ed

the French aristocracy of the time
One of the most distingu ished personages in
the circle was Prince de B e au v an connected with
several of the most noble fami lies in Lorraine
rem o n t s
with the Cho i s eu l s and the Bau f
H e was
a man of wit and cultivated talents and might
be considered a traditional representative of a noble
man o fthe reign of Louis X IV N ext in order was
Prince de B au f
rem o n t
who was a perf
ect model
of
rened French p o li t es s e A ccordi ngly he carefully
refrained from developing at the miniature court of
King Stanislas that decided character which hi s
father displayed at the court of the King of France
and the spirit o fopposition which he manifested
against the arbitrary measures of the government of
that time The other distinguished personag es who
gured in the circle were the Marchioness de B o u i ers
the Count de Tressau M de Saint Lambert and
during some time the great luminary of the age M
de Voltaire himself
The person on wh o m my memory dwell s with
f
most pleasure is the Marchioness de Bouf
lers She
was the star which di f
used the brightest radiance
f
over the royal Arcadia This lady was the avowed
favourite o fKing Stanislas A s I have just said she
had previously been the mistress of M de la G ali s
.

TH E

FR E N C H

T AG E

si cre for the ex

kin g of Poland con f
ormed with the
usage of the court o fhis brother i n
law and was
content to take a mistress at second hand N o t w i t h
standing the tender compact concluded between the
M arq uise and his maj esty it was said that the lady
had not entirely broken that which existed between
her and M de la G ali s s i ere : Stanislas was aware o f
this and sometimes showed little symptoms of j ea
lousy ; but being of an indulg ent disposition he
avenged himself merely by making j okes which he
attered himself were very good Indeed the king
piqued himselfso much on his talent in this way that
I verily believe he woul d not willingly have been de
Be
r
i
e d of this ever ready subj ect for his j ests
v
p
this as it may he gave unrestrained utterance to his
humorous sallies on this subj ect apparently doing
violence to his own feelings for the sake of gratifying
his vanity Howev er in j ustice to all p arties con
cerned it must be confessed that the Marchioness
furnished him with frequent opportunities of ex e r
cising his W i t
When I was verging on my fteenth year m y thea
t ri c al powers were so decidedly developed that my
father marked out a set of characters for my especial
study These consisted chiey o fvalets a circum
f
stance which suf
iciently shows that my f
ather mis
understood the true bent o fmy talent The fact is
that his judgment was guided only by the obvious
-

10

T II E F R E N C H

T AG E

tendency of my disposi t ion to satire and ridicule

But the line o fparts which my father selected for
me was n o t at all to my taste ; I did not like to
wear livery ; my ambition was to appear in the cos
tume of the courtiers and men of fashion the em
broidered coat lace ru f
f
les & c So intent was I on
gratifying my taste in this way that I fre quently

stole unperceived into my father s wardrobe and

attired myself in the richest court dress I could nd
an d used to imitate the airs which I had observed
adopted by the n o bles s e Passing the looking glass on
my left I woul d salute my own gure by the title of
Marquis ; then turning and passin g on the right I
would greet myself by the title of duke and so on
rising in dignity till I exhausted the whole hierarchy
I have heard my father say that on one occasion
when I had dressed myself up he surprised me whilst
I was guring away before the mi rror and uttering

the words My dear Stanislas

N o doubt I was at
that moment personating the King of France and in
imagination discussing some political question with
my father i n law
I t will readily be conceived that the class of c ha
rac t e rs allotted to me by my f
ather was not s u f

c i en t l
high
for
a
young
performer
such
an
f
o
y
aspiring genius as myself I had frequent alterca
tions with him on the subj ect and the consequence
was that I felt exceedingly anxious to qu it N ancy
.

TH E

FR E N C H

ST

A GE

11

The

paternal yoke weighed heavily o n me ; I wished

to be independent and to soar on my o wn wings
A n opportunity for reali z ing my wish soon presented
itself
I had a S istera charming sister Flicit Fleury
who though scarcely entering upon womanhood had
by her beauty and tal ents excited a sort of enthusiasm

among the O f
cers of the king s regiment in garriso n
at N ancy One of these o f
cers Vicomte Cl ai rv al
de Passy a very handsome youn g man fell violently
in love with her His passion seemed to augment in
proportion as the rigid watchfulness kept over my
sister by her parents was calculated to discourage
his hopes The fact was that the preju di ces of the
time had established so great a di stance between a
Vicomte and the daughter of an actor that it was
impossible to conceive the idea o fmarriage between
two parties so immeas u rably separated Indeed even
between actors and actresses the sacred knot o f
m arriage was but rarely tied On this subj ect how
ever my father and mother happened to entertain
more scrupulous notions than most o ftheir theatrical
associates ; and 1 young as I was could not endure
the thought that my sister should quit the exception
for the sake of abiding by the ru le We accordin gly
repelled the advances of the Vicomte

Meanwhile the Vicomte s love gre w s o violent

,

12

FR E N C H

TH E

TA G E

that mental derangement was apprehended

At
length af
t er a long negotiation a thousand pro
o s al s
and refusals and the due performance on
p
the part o fthe lover of all the great and little follie s
which characteri z e all amorous extravagancies the
Vicomte came to a most heroic decision ; he was
master of himself and his fo rtune and he laid both
at the f
eet o fFlicit This procee di ng was no doubt
very complimentary to us The vanity of my parents
was attered ; and it may be a little love on the
part o f F li cit rendered her not averse to the

Vicomte s o f
f
er The result was that consent was
given and a lawf
ul marriage contracted N ext day
M de Clai rv al lef
t his regiment took the name o f
Sainville and announced hi s intention of becoming
an actor for the purpose as he said of the better
identifying himself wi th his young bride Thi s reso
luti e n astounded my mother and father an d was by
no means g ratifying to their pride They had hoped
that M de Clai rv al would have made a Vicomtesse
o fthe actress ; but on the contrary
Flicit made
an actor of the Vicomte
This turn o fthe af
air was however perfectly
f
satis f
actory to me Sainville had a good voice and
an agreeable person The company at G eneva wanted
a sin g er to take the princip al parts in comic operas ;
the neophyte applied for and obtained the engag e
.

TH E

F RE N CH

ST

AG E

13

ment and he and my S ister prepared for their depar

ture I who was burning to emancipate myself
requested leave to accompany them ; and my f
ather
kindly granted the permission which he knew very
well I should receive with innite satisfaction
,

C H A PTER I I

de

T h t i c l p fo m c
i
o i
c m Vol
Al
wi g

Vol t

her s

re

ess

er

r a

ea

s ar as

an

The
F ern ey

at

es

t a i re at o u r re

phi lo s o

e ars a s

p rform r Th ch r c t r o f L u i g I t t ru
p i ri t d d V ol t ir i hi v ry d y dr H i dr m t i c
o My i t r d p rt u r fr Vi
A ho rt l
r ci t t i o
d mi co duc t
mp ror J o p h I I
M ri
H r hu b
Th

H r
Th r
My i t r g g d t i t ruc t M ri A t o i t t
Th A bb V rm d
l o di co t i u d b y ord r fL ou i X V

P rom ot i o i t g r k
P uli
My g g m t t Troy

r
i
Du l
G oy
b
l
Th j o i t w rdro b Th b l c k i l k i
p
p r v t d Th l dy c h ll g

H is

hi

t s t o t he
e n e

e e sa

s s e

e ss

an

e-

en

en

en e

es

en

s a

n ex

an

ess

on

es

e.

ne

e n na

es s n s

se

ns

n an

e ss

s s e

en

a a

e s

e.

counted on a long soj ourn at G eneva but I

di scovered that Sainville and my sister intended to
make it merely a trip after a few performances they
began to talk of returning home This was not a
li ttle mortifying to me who had reckoned on a d e
n i t i v e emancipation
Meanwhile a circumstance occurred which amply
consoled me M de Voltai re had heard that there
was a company o fFrench performers at G eneva ; he
had heard too through his correspondence with the
court of Lunevi lle that my sister was greatly ad
mired and that she displayed very considerable
t al ent by her personation of some o fthe ch aracters
I

H AD

16

F RE N C H

TH E

TA GE

punished) that I am not royal enou g h to understand

and tolerate pages tricks R emember that at the

court o fFerney wigs are respected in consideration

of
what may happen to be within them
Observing
my mortied and penitent air (which he seemed to
peet and rightly was partly assumed) he placed
his hand under my chin and raising my head said

Come let me look at you ; if I mistake not there

is something in your f
ace that tells me you will be a

wicked rogue and a good actor

Thenceforward I resolved to do my best to j ustify
the rst part o fthis prediction in order to obtain the
fullment of the second If in my af
ter career I
obtained some celebrity for what was termed the s ar
Fleury I am proud to avow that I
c as t i c humour o f
owed it all to my recollection of the scene with V o l
taire
The P er met
t ez mo i M o n si eur
de

Fleury
always occurred to my thoughts whenever I

had to deliver in the Femmes Savantes the cele

Of
b rat e d
P ermez t ez mo i M o n s i eu r Tri s s o t i n
those who applauded me in that passage few were
conscious that they were applauding a reminiscence
of the great philosopher
Voltaire attended our rehearsals as well as o u r
performances at Ferney I can fancy I see him n o w
in his every day dress consisting of grey stockings
and grey shoes a large waistcoat o fbaz i n descending
nearly to his knees a large wig squee z ed into a little
,

TH E

FR E N CH

ST

AG E

17

black velvet cap turned up in front ; the whole com

t
h
ambre
likewise
of
l
az i n
the
l
e
e d by a ro be d e
c
p
corners of which he would sometimes tuck into the
waistband o fhis small clothes A rrayed in this cos
tume any other person would have looked like a
caricature ; but the appearance of Voltaire s o f
ar
from suggesting any idea of the ridiculous was c al
c u l at e d to command respect and interest
On ordi
nary occasions when he happened to enter into con
versation with any of the members of our theatrical
troop his manner was marked by good humoured
familiarity But when he superintended our re
h e ars al s there was a truce w ith pleasantry ; then he
was all in all the dramatic poet ; and one too whose
correct judgment and rened taste were not to be
easily satised H e required that every actor S hould
enter heart and soul into his part : this earnestness
of feeling he used to c al l dramatic probity The o b
s erv at i o n s which I heard from the lips of Voltaire
rst gave me an idea o fthe importance which belon g s
to the accurate conception o fa character
Among the plays which we rehearsed at F erney
was Z ai re The actor to whom the part o fL us ig
u au was allotted
conceived that he was gi ving a
faith f
ul portraiture of that character by represent

ing him old and inrm

H e is observed he a

man whose existence is worn out in captivity

By
,

18

FR E N CH

TH E

TAG E

no means S i r by no means exclaimed Voltaire

say rather that he has risen from the tombmake
him p alemake him bend two f
old if you will ; but
make him energetic H e is a Christian Samuelan
evocation o fthe G ospel amidst the leaves o fthe
Koran H e is not merely the missionary converting
the unbelieverhe is the soldier of Christ converting
his o wn daughter It is the father who saves the
soul o fhis child The spirit o fthe apostle supports
and invigorates the old man R emember that when
L usig n an S peaks to Z ai re of G o d he is inspired by
G o d E ndeavour to imbue yourself with the spirit
f
of
anaticism Why spare exertion ? You die in the
fourth act Let the enthusiasm o fChristianity be
tempered only by patern al tenderness The v ulgar
comparison of the lamp blaz ing up before it di es out
is quite applicable to L usig n an The shades and
gradations of the character areapostle father o ld

m an !
Then addi ng example to precept he re
at e d some passages of the part
e
In so doing he
p
di vested himself of his ordinary expression of c o u n t e
nance as easily as he would throw aside a mask and
he became L us ig n au personied
His attenuated
form seemed to derive a sort of supernatural anima
tion from the expression o fhis eye and the tones o f
hi s voice His me a re hand was tremulously extended
to draw towards him the child whom he wished to
,

TH E

F R E N CH

TAGE

19

save ; in S hort it is impossible to conceive a more

accurate and forcible expression of Christian faith
f
mingled with paternal af
ection
B ef
ore my departure from Ferney I much wished
to receive from the great author some hints on the
performance of the character of Neres t au but I had
been not a little in awe of Voltaire ever since t h e
sh arp rebuke I had received in my attempt to make
free with his wig My sister however undertook to
request the f
avour for me ; and one morning I j oy
full y accompanied her to make a visit to Voltaire

My lesson was short : Young man

said he
study earnestly when in your closet ; and when o n
t hestage think only o fthe character you are rep re
senting and not of yourself A t your age a young
actor may possess tal ent ; but he cannot possibly be

a master of his art

Ou r dramatic company returned to N ancy and
shortly afterwards my sister and her husband formed
an engagement at Vienna In that capital they were
very successful especially my sister whose talents
were greatly admired At rst their letters were
lled with the most gratifying accounts of their pros
e ri t
and
happiness
but
after
a
time
we
were
;
p
y
grieved to learn that circumstances had occurred to
create di sunion between them F licit in her letters
made us acquainted with some i n d eli t i e s on the part
of her husband to which we at rst p ai d but little
,

20

F R E N CH

TH E

TAGE

regard But unfortunately this was only the rst

step to misconduct o fgreater magnitude G allantry
led to expenses expenses to debts and debts to
gaming and its consequences In ne either through
imprudence o r want of principle he became i mpli
f
air o fthe most reprehensible charac
c at e d in an af
ter The interest and esteem whi ch my sister had
inspired in a wide circle o ffriends in Vienna caused
some mitigation of the severity with which her hus

band s conduct would othe rwise have been visited

But Sainville was obliged to y H e took refuge in
Sweden where instead o famendi ng he pursued hi s
career o fturpitude I S hall therefore consign his
n ame to the obli vion it merits
The excellent conduct o fmy sister and the forti
tude with which she bore her misfortune excited

f
general admiration S ai n v i lle s af
air made a great
n oise in Vienna ; and the af
f
licted condition o fhis
wi fe together with her irreproachable conduct ex
cited the interest of the E mperor J oseph I I and his
august mother Maria Theresa By one o fthose
chances which have always placed the destiny o fmy
fam i ly under powerful patronage Flicit was re
c ei v e d in the imperi al palace and after a little time
her talents were employed to assist in the li terary
education o f the young Archduchess Marie An
toinette
This appointment which under ordi nary circum
.

F R E N CH

TH E

T AG E

21

stance would have presented no peculiar interest

derived importance from the future destiny o fthe
illustrious pupil whose hand was at that time pro
m i s e d to the Dauphin of France
Marie Antoinette
became attached to my sister for the young princess
was resolved to attach herself to everything French
She was bent on making herself a perfect French
woman : this was the obj ect of her constant soli
c i t u d e and unremitting endeavours
She was an x
ious to make herself intimately acquainted with every
thing relating to o ur tastes our manners and cus

toms It was my sister s especial duty to instruct

her imperial pupil in the correct pronuncia t ion of
the French language and to teach her to recite pas
s ag es from the works of our best dramatic poets It
is not impossible that these lessons rst inspired that
decided taste for the drama which was subsequently
one of the pretended charges raised against the con

sort o fLouis X VI However my S ister s dramatic

professorship di d not last long Louis X V who
had graduall y imbibed very austere notions on the
subj ect of religion ordere d his ambassador the Mar
o rt to signify to t h e empress his di s
quis de Bu rf

approval o fthe young archduchess s dramatic recita

tions Shortly after this the Abb Vermo n d su per
s e d e d my sister Fe licit
Hence the origin of the
favour enj oyed by the Abb Verm o n d He sub

sequently introduced into the kin g s council the

,

22

F R E N CH

THE

T AG E

of Toulouse a supporter o fthe revo

Could these results have been foreseen the
lut i o n
actress would probably have been preferred to the
abb
After the mention of such high names and inter
ests by what skilful transition can I again descend to
myself ? Setting the rules o fauthorship at deance
I will do so without ceremony ; and this example wi ll
orm a precedent f
o r future transitions of a like kind
f
One evenin g furnished with a light wardrobe and
a still lighter purse but rich in a thousand sm ili ng
hopes I left home without having intimated my i n
tentions to my parents and set out on a j ourney to
Troyes
I must confess that I made this escape not with
out feelings of pain and regret for I was fon dl y
attached to my parents The truth is I was weary
o fthe happiness of home ; and then
on the other
h and I had often h eard my f
ather say that no actor
ever rose to excellence whilst performing constantly
before the same audience A ccordingly I eased my
conscience by the reection that my escapade was an
act of obe di ence to paternal precepts I may here
take the opportunity of observing that my af
ter ex
e ri en c e fully convinced me of the j ustice o fm
p
y

f
ather s opinion ; I am quite convinced that a young
actor cannot do better than travel f
rom place to place
When p eople are in the habit of seeing a favourite
Archbishop

24

FR E N CH

THE

ST

AGE

self unpractised and inexperienced but he possessed

a great fund o fhumour and an ardent z eal for his
profession The talent evinced by Paulin promised
that he would one day become a distinguished orna
ment of the comic scene and if subsequently he did
not gure like his comrade Fleury at the Comdi e
Fran c aise it is because he preferred a life of ease to
a lengthened conict of intrigue and j ealousy Bour
deaux and Brussels have not forgotten Paulin In
those cities he has left indelible recollections ; and
his talent as an actor was not more highly estimated
than his amiable and excellent conduct as a man
Paulin and I conceived for each other a most ardent
and devoted friendship Our money our amuse
ments our studies all were shared in common one
with the other
N evertheless our characters pre
sented some strik ing contrasts I was lively and i m
Paulin
was
calm
and
reective
We
had
et u o u s
p
it is true ; but they were never o f
o u r little quarrels
very long duration Our coolness never lasted b e
yond a few days and then we both gladly met each
other half way in reconciliation
One day we had a very droll quarrel ; but comical
as its subj ect was it might have had a tragic termi
n ation
We lodged together ; and everything we possessed
,

'

P uli
l wh r
1

s e s,

e e

o y ft r hi r t ir m
h d i d i 18 39
G

en t

from t h

e sta

e,

re s i

dd
e

at

B ru

F R E N CH

TH E

ST

AGE

25

was common property bet ween us I know n o t whe

ther it is on record that Orestes and Pylades we re

each other s tunics but Paulin and I united our

w ardrobes together and we re one another s clothes

indiscriminately Our wardrobe thus united was by
no means badly stocked ; and it enabled us to dress
not merely in respectable style but even to exhibit a
certain degree o felegance when occasion called for it
Amo n g our best articles of dress were two pairs o f
inexpressibles the one of black cloth the other of
black silk ; and we entered into a mutual agreement
that the most elegant of the two pairs v i z that o f
black silk S hould be worn by each of us alternately
Paulin adhered to the compact with the strictest
delity ; but my honour yielded to the promptings o f
vanity : I violated the treaty and sported the silk
inexpressibles three times in succession Pau lin took
no notice of this ; but havi ng received an invitation to
dine out he very civilly asked me to surrender up
the visiting suit He xed upon a most u nfortunate
day for making this request I had learned that
Mademoiselle Clerm o n d e a provincial actress of great
celebrity was that d ay expected to pass through
Troyes on her way to A miens Her beauty was not
less highly extolled than her talent A feeling which
I cannot de n ea sort of presentiment prompted me
with the idea of going to meet Mademoiselle Cler
monde and I determined to station myself at the
.

V OL

26

TH E

FR E N C H

ST

AGE

door of the inn at which she was to stop to change

post horses On such an occasion I was of course
fully alive to the importance ofbeing elegantly dressed
and accordingly I resolved once more to us u rp the
black silk S horts
Paulin asked me to surrender
them to him but I met the request by a blank re

Paulin s wonted placidi ty of temper now f

or
f
u s al
sook him H e rep roached me with the vi olation o f
our compact and declared that thencefo rward there
must be an end o fall friendship betwee n us
One angry remark led to another until at length
we both placed our hands on our swords and salli ed
forth into the hi g h road which was but a few yards
di stant from the house in which we resided This
was the very spot on which I had proposed a few
hours afterwards to present myself to the beautiful
Clermo n d e
I heaved a deep S igh as this reection
crossed my mind My antagonist and I withdrew to
a meadow which lay a li ttle to the right and there
b u rning with impatience we drew our swords We
were on the point of advancing upon each other
when we were suddenly arrested by a piercing shriek
We looked round and beheld a lady advancing hur
ri e dl y towards us
She was pale and terried yet at
the rst glance her beauty made a profound impres

sion upon me
Stay she exclaimed
stay I
conjure you !
I s this like gentlemen ? (Paulin
and I it must be confessed succeeded admirably in
-

FRE NCH

TH E

TA GE

27

giving ourselves the air of yo u ng men of fashion )

What, ghting without seconds ! I S it for a woman
to remind you of the laws of honour ? R ecollect
gentlemen that if one o fyou had been k illed it would
have been nothing les s than murder
The tones of that voice the beauty of the speaker
a certain air of di gnity of authority in her deport
m ent and manner overawed us and we instantly
sheathed o ur swords I was captivated by the beauty
of the lady and stood gaz in g at her in an ecstasy o f
a d miration
But Paulin soon recovered from the
surprise caused by this unexpected interru ption and
assuming his usual lively and j ocose tone he said

Truly my de ar Fleury there never was a more

ridiculous af
f
air than this quarrel of ours To ght
for a petticoat might be perf
ectly natural ; but who
ever heard o fa duel for a pair o fblack silk shorts ?

Ah madame could you have believed it ?

There

w as something so irresistibly droll in Paulin s man

ner of uttering these words that I could not repress
a hearty t of laughter N ext moment we cordi al ly
embraced each other
Our c o n c ili at re s s seemed
quite at a loss to comprehend thi s extraordi nary
scene We were about to explain it when some one
came to tell her that the post chaise was waiting and
all was in readi ness for her departure She smiled
curtsied and bade u s adieu A thought a pre
se ntiment suddenly occurred to my mind
.

02

28

TH E

FR E N C H

T AG E

Can it be I exclai med, Mademoiselle Cler

monde

The same she replied And wh i le she waved

to us a most gracious salute her glove dropped from
her han d I darted forward an d picked it up

Take it take it my lad said Pauli n

If the

lady s eyes speak truth the challenge was not thrown

to me

I will bring it to you madame exclaimed 1

Whether or not she heard me I cannot say In
another moment she was seated in her post chaise
and a few minutes more out of sight
,

29

C H A PT ER II I

r t pp r
H r
th
t g
p ro f i o l t l t d p r o l tt r t i o
Cou t d l T ouch

Tr v il l
M D forg
A t et
t et
i t rru p t d
A

T
h
i
r
i
v
l
old
f
h
o
d
o
f
Th h t
cu i g
t
d
r
p
My p
Th r
A ho p i t b l r
wi t
pt i o
A du l
E g g m t t V r i ll
M d
fr M d mo i ll Cl rm d
i r
S k t h o f h r li f
H r o
c t i o wi t h
m i ll M t
d fri d h i p
B rr L ov
M d moi ll M t i r i old

Mad emo is e ll e

na

ess

e.

ec e

e sca

o se

ge

o n an s e

as .

se

e s na

en

en
e

a e

an

e sa

ece

se

e s a e

e c

an

ns

e.

on

ac

ne

as

ea an ce o n

e -a-

es .

es

H er

a e n s an

n ess

Clermo n d e

n n ex

ac

s n

es

c nn e

o n ans e

s
C L E R M O N D E wa

the natural daughter of a lady and

gentleman of di stinguished rank
She received a
most accomplished education under the superintend
ence of her mother who passed for her aunt N ature
had liberally endowed her with beauty and talent ;
and S he possessed that delicacy that u n d en able
grace which constitutes the perfection of womanly
attraction At the age of fteen she eloped from her

mother s guardianship in company with a young

physician who had fallen in love with her S he s oon
.

03

30

TH E

F R E N CH

STA

GE

afterwards made her appearance o n the stage her

precocious talent and ardent imagination having i n
spired her with a strong passion for the dramatic art
Cl erm o n d e soon shone out from the sphere of ac
tresses of the ordinary class and became a v aluable
acquisition to the theatrical profession I must con
fess that I have seen very few actresses equal to her
At the period when I rst knew her her talent and
beauty were the theme of universal ad miration We
were then bot h engaged at Amiens where she
reigned wi th sovereign sway It would be dif
cul t
to i magine a more fascinating creature : she was
deied on the stage and worshipped in the co uli s s es
It depended only on herself t o have real i z ed the fable
Danae ; but she had pecu liar notions of her o wn
of
and such as are not very common among la di es of
the theatric al profession

Sho rtly af
t er Mademoiselle Cl erm o n d e s elope
ment from her mother a misunderstan di ng arose
between her and the young E s cul ap i u s who had
been the companion of her i ght and they sepa
rated She next conferred her af
ections on the
f
Count de la Touche Treville The Count rst b e
came acquainted with her at Versailles ; and after
her engagement at Amiens he made frequent visits
to the latter place On every occasion when he lef
t
Cl e rm o n d e he exacted from her a solemn v o w of
inviolable delity and deeming precautions to be
,

32

F R E N CH

TH E

TA G E

fact is that Clermo n d e and I had been for some ti m e

engaged in an interesting t t e a t t e S everal long
pauses had intervened in the cours e of our con
versation My chair was drawn close to hers I
had taken her hand in mine and the word lo ve
seemed ready to escape from my lip s
Suddenly a key was thrust into the lock of the
street door
The door was opened and hastily

closed We heard a man s voice and heavy foot

steps ascending the staircas e

Ah
exclaimed Clerm o n d e there is Monsie u r
de la Touche Treville turnin g pale with alarm

A t this hour ?
impossible

It is he said S he
It is al ways so
His
j ealousy is sleepless How indiscreet I have been , t o
permit this visit ! I am lost

?
What is to be done Madame
said old Mar
guerite hastily rushing in and who sincerely at
t ach e d to her mistress was thrown into the deepest

dismay by the count s unexp e ct e d arrival

Oh ! if it were not for your sake I exclaimed i n

a tone of rage and j ealousy which made them both
tremble from head to foot

Silence my dear Fleury I implore you s ai d

conceal yourself
there
there !
Clermo n d e
So saying she pointed to a large sofa ala Loui s
X V with a deep hanging valance underneath which
there was ample space to hide a person of muc h
,

FR E N C H

TH E

TA GE

33

larger dimensions than myself The above words

were all uttered in half whispers and so rapidly
that they were S poken in less time than I have now
taken to write them I crept beneath the sofa the
light was extinguished and the unwelcome visitor
entered

What is the matter ? Is no one here ? What

s ort of reception is this ?

exclaimed the count in a
voice which plainly denoted that he was not in the
best possible temper

I beg your pardon sir said Margu erite light

ing the candle

You f
rightened us sir
and
the light has gone out
and my mistress look
S i r at my mistress
The count looked round and saw what I also
could see from my hiding place and which not a
little al armed us both Clermo n d e lay stretched on
t h ec arpet in a deep swoon
The reader may j udge of the agony I suf
f
ered in
being compelled to behold her in this extremity
without rushing to her assistance
My happier
rival kn elt down and spoke to her begged pardo n
for his abrupt intrusion raised her head and endea
v o u re d to revive her
At length She showed sym
t
o m s of recovery
p

How are you ? inquired the gentleman

A little better replied the invalid

I
At this moment as S he was turning her eyes towards
.

34

TH E

FRE N CH

TA G E

the sofa as if to warn me to keep still she happened

t o see my hat which had un luck ily been left on a
ch ai r and which stared her in the face like an
accusing witness A second fainting t was the
consequence This time M arguerite thought it was
something more than S ham and she became al armed

Speak madame ; speak my dear mi stress s aid

M arguerite

How bitterly do I reproach myself said the

count
,

C L E R M ON D E
g

u i d ly

to

(turn i n g

M d e la To uche,

an d

ul

ey es

lan

her

vo i c e

wi t h

her beaut i
rai si ng

No
o rt li ke a p ers o n a t t he p o i n t ofd eat h )

count you are not to blame

Marguerite !

MA R G U ER I T E (eag erly ) Madame !

'

an e

CL E R M O N DE
an d

d
r
a
w
n
M
i
ar
(
g
g ueri t e

c lo se

t o her,

whi sp eri ng i n her ear )

Take away the hat

u n d ers t an di n
What
g her )
.

M A R G U E R I T E (n o t
madame

The C O U N T (t o M arg ueri t e ) What does S h e say ?

.

C L E R M ON D E
d res si ng

(turn i ng

her head t o t he le t,

M d e la To uche )
.

it is on my dressing table
a ddress i n
g

an d c d

My smelli ng bottle
-

an d

t o t he rig ht,

M arg ueri t e )

The hat !
take

away the hat !

put it un der the sofa !

MA R G U E R I T E (un d ers t an d i ng her ) A h !

I al so understood her and was angry with Cler
monde angry with myself With her for the artful
.

THE

F R E N CH

TA G E

35

part she was playingand with myself for the ridi

culons situation in which I was placed The Count
He
d e Treville was a man of honour and S pirit
would not have submitted to be t ri e d with had he
s uspected the deception that was practised on him
A s to me I certainly felt myself in a most awk
ward situation ; and the best thing I could do was
to extricate myself from the di f
culty as speedily
as possible
Whilst the count with all due penitence went to
e t the smelling b o ttle Margue rite very dexterously
g
p assed the hat to its own er Then under p retext of
the apartment being too warm Cl ermo n d e requested
the count to conduct her to her boudoir and then I
ef
f
ected my escape
The reections which I had made in my hiding
place were very dif
erent from those which ocen
f
pied me when I found myself in the street W hi lst
I was ensconced beneath the sof
a I felt humil iated
by the idea of conceali ng myself from a man ; and

moreover Clermo n d e s arti ce displeased me But

when I found myself remov ed from the scene o f
a ction I must needs confess that my love returned
and with it my j eal ousy Cl erm o n d e it is true had
f
as yet given me no claim on her af
ections ; but that
cl ai m was on the very point of being conceded
Happiness seemed within my reach when my rival
entered and snatched it from me A few short mi
,

36

TH E

FR E N C H

TA G E

only had elapsed since I was sitting beside

Clermo n d e in the character of a favoured lover ; and
now I was wandering in the street mortied d i s
appointed and tortured by doubts and fears I was
almost tempted to go back and break in upon the h ap
i
p n e s s of my rival as he had broken in upon mine
These thoughts this agitation so bewildered my
senses that I di d not perceive I was at that moment
surrounded and pressed upon by a concourse of peo
ple I heard loud outcri es I advanced or rather
was borne onward There were lights in the win
dows and torches in the street A little further on
in advance of me I beheld an immense c o n ag rat i o n
Several houses seemed to be enveloped in ames and
a universal shout of Fi re ! Fi re ! resounded on every
side For a moment I felt di sposed to throw myself
into the ames and so at once to end my misery
and my life But I was speedily brought to my
senses by a loud voice thundering in my ear
I turned round and beheld a
Allo ns a la chai n e
working man who thrust a bucket of water into my
hand and although I have no very distinct recollection
of what I did in consequence of this practical sug
gestion I have no doubt but that I exerted myself
most laudably for on the followi n g day I was men
t i o n e d in terms of commendation
The re was extinguished ; and in about half an
hour after I was knocking loudly at the same door
n utes

F RE N C H STA GE

TH E

37

which had been so unexpecte dly opened by Monsieur

de la Touche Treville
Who is there ? exclai med a voice from within

It is I Marguerite

Mon Dieu monsi eur ! why do you come here ?

Before I had time to answer this question it was
repeated by M o nsieur de Treville
It is I, Fleury the theatrical associate of Made
m o i s elle Clerm o n d e
There has been a re in the
neighbourhood I have been assisting in extinguish
ing it and I am wet to the skinhalf drowned I
trust that Mademoiselle Clerm o n d e will grant me

admittance I throw myself on her hospitality

I had no sooner uttered these words than the door
was opened and I swi f
t ly bounded up the staircase
Monsieur de Treville received me at the door of the
apartment with a warmth of kindness which under
other circumstances would have lled me with re
morse
I hastily glanced round the apartment
Cl e rmo n d e was seated on the sofa which was now
drawn to the re side She begged my pardon for
the apparent confusion in which I found her and
which she attribut ed to her sudden indisposition
The count related to me with very good grace the
story which I knew as well as he H e of
ered me a
f
change of clothes which I did not think proper to
accept knowing that my stay would be prolonged
by dryi ng myself at the re Clermo n d e understood
-

38

TH E

F R E N CH

TA G E

my feelings and begged that as it was then very

late I would remain there till mo rn ing

Monsieur Fleury said the count

you have
the reputation of being an excellent conversationalist
Have you any anecdotes to tell us which may serve
t o amuse and restore Mademoiselle
Possibly your
exertions at the re may have f
atigued you otherwise
I wo ul d ask you to relate to us some details of the
scandalous chronicle of Amiens I s there any thing

new in that way ?

By some unaccountable fatality deceived husbands
and lovers are continually provoki ng a laugh at their
own expense I trust however that the reader will
believe I possessed su f
cient good taste to refrain from
n arrating anyt hi ng which coul d at all bear upon such
delicate subj ects Clerm o n d e thanked me by a glance
which amply suf
ced to repay me for my past dis
aster
Desforges was the rst to perceive the understand
ing whi ch existed between me and Cl erm o n d e The
eye of j ealousy is ever watchful but I had to do with
a generous rival and besides we entered into a
mutual agreemen t that ifClerm o n d e should S how
a pref
erence for either of us the u n f
ortunate rival
should uncomplain ingly withdraw him self from the
contest T enty years after this Desforges alluding
to this af
f
air in his memoirs expressed himself as
follows
,

40

TH E

F RE N CH

TA GE

they were likewise those of Monsieur de Trevil le ;

for one day I received from him in all due form
a challenge bearing the date of Versailles H e i n
formed me that he would be at Versailles as soon as
his letter and would wait for me in a place which he
specied a short distance from the town
A duel for Cl erm o n d ea duel with a gentleman o f
rank was not a li ttle attering to my pride : it will
therefore be readi ly supposed that I was punctual to
the rende z vous
We fought with swords and I received a wound
in the arm The combat immediately ceased

Count said I when I am cured we wil l ght

it out

With all my heart replied he ; and we p arted

with these hostile feelings
Whilst however I was recovering from the e f
f
ects
of my wound he broke with Cl ermo n d e And when
at a subsequent period I met him in society he
spoke to me of our duel as a folly which had past
and which he had no intention of renewing He
was one of those rare men who kn ow how to forget
f
an o f
ence when they are in a position which would
enable them to resent it Courage and generosity
were the two predominant points in his character ; and
at a later period of li fe when fortune and his sword
had raised him to distinction I had several o p p o r
t un i t i es of experiencing the nobleness of his nature
,

FR E N C H

TH E

ST

AG E

41

I was now in undisturbed possession of Cler

monde s af
ections and my happiness seemed to be
f
complete Af
ter a little time I however began to look
forward with some feelings of uneasine ss to the results
of a li ai s o n which was liable at any moment to be
abruptly broken o f
f We had as it were merely
traced out o u rromance of life it was now time to
think of its reali z ation A s yet all was uncertainty
and apprehension The fear of an abrupt separation
annoyed me ; and the only means of guarding against
such a calamity was for Clerm o n d e and myself to
enter into a conj oint professional engagement which
would enable us to live together as long as our love
erence Clermo n d e
s hould continue unchilled by indi f
f
had o f
t en spoken to me of a tri p to Versai lles ; she
had herself p erf
oi m e d there at the theatre which was
under the management of Mademoiselle M o n t an s i er
a lady celebrated in the annals of gallantry

Cl ermo n d e s engagement at A miens was drawing

to a close and mine was of short duration we there
fore soon expected to be free It occurred to me
that I might get my father to write to Mademoiselle
M o n t an s i er with whom I knew he had formerly been
on very amicable terms We accordingly arran ged
our pl an and felt no doubt of its succeeding to

our heart s content

M de Voltaire had taught me to esteem my pro
and I
es si o n ; Cl ermo n d e taught me to love it
f
,

T II E F R E N C H

42

TA GE

devoted myself assiduously to study My perform

an ecs had heretofore been characteri z ed more by
action than reection ; I perfectly comprehended
the general spirit of a part ; but its delicate shade
escaped me Cl e rm o n d e helped to correct my faul ts
and inspired me with a laudable feeling of emu lation
The idea of an engagement at Vers ai lles was gratify
ing to my ambition : there I S hould have the o pp o r
t u n i t y of seeing and studying the best models ; and
though I was as yet only a very humble disciple of
Thalia I was fully possessed with the ide a of one day
gurin g at the Comdie Fran c aise
Inspired by this cheering hope I arrived at Ver
sailles in the year 177 0 The reign of Louis X V was
drawing to a close and the celebrated favourite
M adame Dub arry was in the height of her power
I had now mounted the rst step of the ladder of
glory and fortune Paris and Versailles were con
n e c t e d by links o fd ily communication
and
the
a
theatre of M ademoiselle M o n t an si er might be con
s i d ere d the nursery of the Parisian company
I presented myself to Mademoiselle M o n t an s i er
who had received intimation of my intended vi sit
from my father : she received me with the cor di ality
of
an o ld friend and imme di ately gave me an engage
ment
M o n t an s i er was a charming woman H er manners
a ccent, and even her feeling all bore evidence o f
h er
.

FR E N CH

THE

TA G E

43

southern origin Though not very young when I

rst saw her yet S h e was probably more attractive
than when in the rst bloom of her youth She was
not correctly S peaking pretty but irresistibly fas
She was more remarkable for natural
c i n at i n g
intelli gence than for cultivated talent and possessed
a large s hare of that energ y which enables its pos
cul ties
se s s o r to encounter and to overcome di f
At a very early period o flife Mademoiselle M o n
t an s i er left her native province and came to Paris
and Versailles with the intention of making her for
tune She entered upon this S peculation with no
capital but her personal attractions ; but that bore a
suf
ciently large interest among the gallant aristo
cracy of the time to answer her purpose
We can form no idea at the present day of the
luxury of gallantry if I may use the expression
which prevailed among the French nob i lity in the
reign of Louis X V Foll owing the example of t he
sovereign every man of f
ashion considered it fashion
able to possess one or more mistresses on whom
the most extravagant expenditure was lavished The
Prince de Soubise the intimate friend of the King
was foremost in this species of prodigality N ot
content with casting gold at the feet of un e rei n e de
bo ud o i r ten or twelve ladies received his homage and
his presents E ach o fthese was provided with a
l arge retinue o fservants all clothed in one livery
their equipages bei n g also all u ni f
When any of
o rm
.

44

F RE N CH

TH E

TA G E

these carriages were seen driving through the street s

of Paris the people were accustomed to say : Vo i ci
f
The nobility af
ected the same
la mai so n d e S o u bi se
nay
s ort of luxury and the same laxity of manners
even prelates themselves were not proof against the
contagion of example and some there were who
braved scandal so f
ar as to appear in public in com
pany with ladi es of n o equivocal character If to the
list of nobles and churchmen be added the wealthier
class of bourgeoisie who piqued themselves in imi
tating the views of their superiors it must be con
f
essed that France at that period presented a fertil e
eld for the exercise of vice under the n ame of
g all antry
Mademoisell e M o n t an si er soon gained a multitude
of adm irers She had not been long in Paris befo re
she was establi shed in an elegant house where she
received a large circle of visitors who were charmed
with her manners and conversation She was of
a generous disposition and if she received rich
f
of
erings she in her turn dispensed them with a
l iberal hand
In short Mademoiselle M o n t an s i er
was a woman who had no fault save that which is
sometimes called the weakness of a kind heart
M de Barras who played so distinguished a part
,

T hi s

is

s ti t u t e .

wh

at

is

o g

i s m re

She had
s

om

h t ri l v r i o o f t h m i b ili t y o f pr
t dow t
d t h t M F l ury
f lt b t

c ll d t h w k
Wh t it
f ki d h rt
ED
d p rop rly
ll d w d c li m ti o i n g

Plen ry

eti

mes

lly

en era

no

an

ea

au
a

ca

ea

ca

n es s o

o n e, an

e s

se s

ne

ea

en

FR E N CH

THE

ST

AGE

45

in t he revolution cherished for M o n t an si er an attach

ment which took its date from their mutual family
She at rst loved Barras ;
co nnexion in the south
but her friendship for him was more constant than
her love
B arras was mortied and reproached
M o n t an s i er for her indelity But in the end they
became friends and their friendship continued u n
broken to the last
Mademoiselle M o n t an s i er was an excellent the
at ri c al manager
her conduct to the performers com
posing her company was uni f
ormly characteri z ed by
kindness and consideration I was always at a los s
to discover what portion of her time she allotted to
rest H er days were divided between amusement and
her theatrical duties ; and her nights were S pent at
the card table for she was passionately addi cted to
gaming But notwithstanding her restless and dis
s i p at e d mode o flife she attained an advanced age
retaining all the cheerfulness and vi v acity of youth
and unfortunat ely for herself with a heart as youn g
as ever
,

'

p rf c t i o o f t h f m l h r c t r i
uf
i t ly curi ou t d rv
word f o t i c t h o bj c t o f hi
dmi r t i o d p r i h d f lt b t h r ki d h rt d
; h r
d
mu m t
d y w r di v i d d b t w
c t i g d h r i ght
w r p t t t h c rd t b l h b i g p i o t ly ddi c t d t
g m i g i t h p u r u i t o f t h e voc t i o h gr w old d frt
w
t ly fr h r l f
j u t b d i t h d h w i t h b gi
i g
k i d h rt d
d i i p t i o d g mb l i g
th t h ti g t h
ful t Oh M F l ry
rri d t t h b ri k o f t h g r v
r
ED
M

Fle u ry

c en

ca

so

en

as

ea

as s

e en

as s

n e ss ,

e, a e n o

ss

ea

as

an

un o

n an

n es s

an

na e

a a

ns S

an

e n

a e c

se

e, s

se a

as

au

e se

no

e en

e one

ft he

es e

a se

n o

en

na e
n

n an

e e

e e

oti o

eu

46

C H A PT ER IV

j lou y S p r t i o D forg
My
tm
t i
lov M d m Drou i
M d m oi l l
D g
ill
b i rt h d y fet H r p r o l pp r c d m
r d
c ri b d L K i Pr vi ll Comp l im t ry l i
by
Do r t
Mol i er h dm i d L K i F iry T l Pr i ll
m t Pr p r t i o fr t h D u p h i
m rri g
b
M d mo i ll

I t ri gu
g i t M d m oi ll Dum i l
Cl iro
F t
t
V r i ll P rf
orm c t t h Court T h t r A t h li Th
M d moi ll
choru P r o l pp r c o f t h D u p hi
D m
il r v g
p ort r i t Cl
r t d i pp oi
a

sa

an

es

e s

on

e sa

es

ses

e sn

e s

en

na
e

an

e a an

na

ea an

se

a e

a e

e an

ea

n es

n ess

e s

ev

se

es

an

esn

se

a e

en a

es .

a n s

a e

n s

es

e s

a ans

es

ns

a a

an

a a

a n

e.

ea

en

e s

uev

ne

mo n d e

er

a e

se

I M A D E my d ebu t at Versailles with tolerable suc

cess For this I was no doubt indebted to cert ai n
external advantages rather than to any indi cation of
t al ents which at that time were neither formed nor
cultivated
Here I feel as it were compelled to lay before the
reader a portrait representing me such as I then was
though doubtless somewhat attered S ince it was
drawn by my friend Paulin H ow f
ar the likeness
remained accurate at a later period of my life those

who remember me may j udge

A t the age o f

eighteen or twenty observes Paulin Fleury with

.

48

THE

F R E N CH

ST

AGE

a misunderstanding arose between me and Cler

mon d e In the rst place I should acquaint the
reader that we had been di sappointed in our hope
obtaining an engagement together Mademoiselle
of
M o n t an s i e r while S h e rendered full j ustice to the
t al ent and beauty of Cl erm o n d e declined including
her in an engagement with me For this s he alleged
various reasons ; none of which however were su f

c i en t l
The latter could
y satisfacto ry to Cl ermo n d e
not reconcile the marked favour manifested towards
me by the fair manager o fVersailles with the cool
nes s and indi f
ference whi ch Mademoiselle Montan
s ier evi nced towards herself ; and the result was that
j e al ousy took possession of her and she taxed me with
indelity Truly nothing could be more absurd than
the idea of my cherishi ng any tender feelin gs towards
Mademoiselle M o n t an s i er In the rst place she
was forty and Cl erm o n d e only twenty ; this in itself
was a formidabl e contrast Then Clerm o n d e was
wholly devoted to love and M o n t an si e r wholly to her
lovers But there was still a stronger tie that boun d
me to Clermo n d e ; she had intimated to me the pro
h abili ty that I sho ul d speedi ly become a father
Cl erm o n d e gave vent to her angry fe eli ngs and I
felt piqued that she should suspect me with so li ttle
.

o i d ri g t h i
ou c m t t h v b m d t M F l ury
duri g t h ho y m oo i t p p r t h t how v r b l m l i o t h r
r p ct
Cl m d
l i k M t i r w li b l t wh t i c ll d
th w
f k i d h rt
k
ED
1

ns

es

s,

s an n

ne

er

n,

on

ea n e s s o

e,

ea s

en

on

ea

a ,

an s e ,

e en

as

e e ss

F R E N CH

TH E

ST

AGE

49

reason To assure her o fmy unchanged af

fection I
proposed to j oin her at Caen where a very ad v an
ered to herI did
f
t ag e o u s engagement had been o f
more ; moved by her grief and her sit u ation I i n
sisted on her acceptance of a written promise of
marriag e with the agreement that I s hould f
orfeit
two thousand crowns in the event of not fullling
my p romise
The fact was I regarded her as my
wife and I then thought that death alone could
separate us
A s it turned out death di d sep arate us Our child
died and our separation s p eedily f
ollowed : Clerm o n d e
wrote to inform me o fthe circumstance and with
more disdain than generosity sent back my promise
of marriage together with the agreement of the
forfeitu re
What mortied me above all was to
learn that she had done all this at the instigation of
Desforges my former rival He had followed her
to Caen and supplanted me as I had supplanted
M de la Touche Treville
What a terrible night I passed after the receipt of
the letter announcin g this irrevocable rupture Let
a man who has loved and loved as I then did
imagine what would have been his agony had he
f
been told in the plenitude of c o n di n g af
ection

your mistress is faithless

I was in a fever of rage
and j ealousy In my delirium I resolved to revenge
A ft r t h h y m w ov n ED
.

V OL

one

o on

as

50

TH E

FR E N C H

TA G E

myself by killing Desforges and Clermo n d e and after

wards putting a period to my own existence ; this I
seriously resolved upon Fortunately excitement
be ars in itself its own remedy ; exhausted nature was
overcome and I fell asleep Frightful dreams ter
In this manner I passed the
ri c visions assailed me
night and morning was far advanced when I was
brought to my senses by a loud knocking at my door
Madame Drouin an actress o fthe Com di e Fran
i
s e sent a carriage to convey me to Vau i rard e on
a
c
g
a visit to Mademoiselle Dan g u ev i lle whose birth day
was to be celebrated that day Madame Drouin
to whom I had been furnished wi th a letter of in tro
duction by my fath er had requested Mademoiselle
Dan g u evi ll e to send me an invitation to her fe te

The engageme nt was of several days standin g ; but

my love catastrophe banished it from my thoughts
and I had entirely forgotten it
When it is considered that my love for my p ro f
es
sion was only surpassed by my love for Clerm o n de
it will not appear surprising that overwhelmed as I
was with grief the mention of the Comdie Fran g ai s e
and of Mademoiselle Dan g u evi ll e conveyed to me a
sort of magical consolation A numerous party con
sisting of the most distin g ui shed performers of the
day and several celebrated writers was that day to
assemble at Vau g i rard I made an ef
ort to rally my
f
S pirits dressed myself and set o f
fto j oin the fete
,

FR E N CH

TH E

TA G E

51

M ademoiselle Dan g u eville has left in our dramatic

records a name which will never be forgotten

I
had he ard her S poken of in terms of enthus i asm by
my father and many others as one of those meteors
which shine forth only at rare interval s She was
unrivall ed as the representative of s o u bret t es In
that line of characters S he was by universal consent
al lowed to be the best actress who had ever adorned
the French stage She was surnamed the i n i mi t a ble
It is impossible to convey an i dea of the public regret
excited by her retirement
She was admired and
esteemed by the p u bli c honoured and beloved
by her professional colleagues and celebrated by
poets
Mademoiselle Dan g u ev ille when I rst saw her was
about sixty years of age but S he had not the appear
ance of being so old Her manners were easy frank
f
and unaf
ected and were marked by an air o fgrace
ful modesty which was i ri es i s t ibly charming She
appeared to me the exact personication of E lmi re
f
in the Tartuf
e the typ e of modest yet di gnied
bourg eo i s i e I fancied what S h e must have been in
her youth and I could easily conceive that the
rapturous admiration S h e excited was f
ully justied
.

'

M d moi ll D g i ll h d qu it t d t h t g b ou t v y r
b for I w i t roduc d t h r t h occ i o b ov llud d t
Sh r t ir d t V g ir rd
d w
i po
i o of
o i d r bl
f
ort u
1

an

as

se

uev

au

an

on

as

n e.

e s a

as

ss e s s

e a

se

en

a c ns

ea s

e a

52

TH E

F R E N CH

TA G E

E ven in the advanced age at which I saw her she

had not lost her beauty Her features were deli
c at el
y formed and her whole countenanc e lighted up
by intelligence and expression
There was some
thing truly captivating i n the tones of her voice
E ven her wrinkles were not devoid of grace ; they
harmoni z ed with the pure and amiable expression of
her countenance ; and but for the humou r and gaiety
which occasionally sparkled in her eye I should have
had some dif
culty in believing that I saw before me
the famous representative of s o u brett es
A young secretary to an embassy nding himself
for the rst time in a con g ress of sovereigns and
celebrated diplomatists might be inclined inwar dl y

to ej aculate
What an insignicant being am I

among these men who rule the world ! Such was

precisely my feeling in the situation in which I then
stood N ear me on my le f
t were grouped M es
sieurs Sainte Foix L e mi re Dorat R ochon de Cha
bannes Du clai ro u and Saint Aubin the painter ;
on my right were Madame Drouin Mademoiselle
Fan i er and Mademoiselle Lamothe the celebrated Le
Kain and the not less celebrated Preville ; and before
me sat the heroine of her day Mademoiselle D angue
ville A midst s o many great people I certainly felt
myself very little The reections which crowded on
my mind were o fa nature calculated either to plunge
me into despair or to inspire renewed courage They
,

TH E

F R E N CH

ST

AG E

53

had the latter e f

ect ; but I must confess that the
f
grief and disappointment I had sustained contributed
not a little to stimulate my resolution I have f
re
q uently had occasion to remark that a di sappoint
ment comparatively of a trivial nature vill have the
y
most distressin g e f
ect on the spirits whilst a serious
f
misfortune rouses the mind by presenting obstacles
to be surmounted The power of endurance and
resistance seems as it were to augment in proportion
to the trials they have to encounter I was under
the inuence of this sort of excitement at the mo
ment to which I am here re f
errin g In the hopes
attaining to the eminence o fDan g u ev ille L e Kain
of
and Preville I felt that I could undertake any
thing
After the kind reception given me by M ad emo i
selle Dan g u ev i lle the great tragedian Le Kain who
was an old acquaintance of my father stepped up to
me and cordially embraced me This honour o f
course won for me the consideration of all the rest o f
the company
We all sat down to an excellent dinner A t t he
upper end of the room hung the portrait o fMade
m o i s ell e Dan g u e v ill e overlooking the di nner table
and the guests On the lower part o fthe frame
were inscribed the following lines from the pen o f
Monsieur Dorat
,

54

F RE N CH

THE

TA G E

vo ir l l b ri ll t d g i t
l eg er t e ;
P rl r g ir m rch r v
P i qu t
pp ret t vi v
gri m c
A ch qu m ouv m t dcouvrir
gr c ;
v
pri t
t ir
S ouri r
pri m r
m u t a l ecl ir d d b i t
J o i dr l j
v r r g r
r t ou c
t ou
Nu
t ur !
t p r rl
t r
R d r l rt

I I

I n c se

mb l e la

e , a

an

e, s e x

eu

na

ec

s,

a ie

e , e

a e

e a ec es

a e,

e s an s

un e

se

a e

es

an

en

an c e

en

e s an s a
e

oei

sa

u e,

a n a u e.

a e

Dinner being ended, M de Sainte Foix rose and

delivered a brief eulogy on the talent of the Q ueen of

f
i cult to conceive
It is dif
observed
Vaug i rard
he that the same actress S houl d have been capable
of performing with equ al excellence a v ariety of
f
characters decidedly di f
erent from each other ; for

example l I n di s cret e in the Ambitieux M art i ne

in the Femmes Savantes ; the Co un t es s in the

M oeurs d u Temps
Co let t e in the
Trois Cou

M ad ame Org o n in the Complais ant & c

sines
St e Study j udgment and taste may m ak e a bril
liant actress but an actress of real genius is rare ;
and between the one and the other there is as much
erence as between M oli e re and an author without
di f
f

wit

Stop stop exclaimed Mademoiselle Dan g u evill e

wiping away a tear of emotion

Thi s is going too
far ! Moli e re ! Moli e re ! This is too bold a compa
rison You know I never presumed to be any thi ng

but his humble handm aid

-

56

TH E

F R E N CH

ST

AGE

And cont i nued the lady

since you endow

me with a fai ry s power I accept the magic wand ;

ai re s from hi s most
and I appoint y o u Charg e d Af
f

Christian Maj esty to the Court of Dresden

I am perfectly mystied said the Marquis

I am at a loss to comprehend what all this

m eans

It means said the lady that I have appealed

against the inj ustice of cashi ering you The mi n ister
has made you a head t all er than you were yesterday
you must go and thank him t o morrow !
I have

heard added she that the G reeks used to make

ambassadors o ftheir actors In France we are n o t
so very far behind them ; for here you see an actress
can make a plenipotentiary
Mademoiselle Dan g u ev ill e gave general s at i s f
ac
tion by this mode of returning the bouquet to her
E very o n e warmly congratulated Mon
o l d friend
sieur de R ochon an d the party became exceedi ngly
animated Mademoiselle Dan g u evi lle was happy in
erred She
wi t n e s s m g the happiness she had con f
desired her servan ts to throw open the garden gates
and to admit the country people who had assembled
round them R efreshments were distributed to the
p e asantry who testied their gratitude by a chorus

M d m oi ll D g i ll
pp li d fr d ob t i d t h i
hi k owl d g
1

se

an

an

u ev

a ne

h ough

h ad , t r

pp oi

s a

t men t

ourt
wi t hou t
rqu i

h e r i n t e re s t

f
o r t h e ma

at

s,

TH E

F R E N CH

TA G E

57

of praises and benedictions The remainder of the

evening was S pent in dancing S inging and merry
m aking

Well Preville what do you think of this ? said

the heroine o fthe day rousing him fro m a reverie by
a tap on the shoulder

That Mademoiselle Dan g u ev ill e still is as she

always was the idol o fthe p art erre

My visit to Mademoiselle Dan g u ev i lle red me
with ambition and conrmed me in my resolution to
f
ollow up perseveringly the obj ect I had in view
o fmaking my appearance
some day or other and
that as s oon as possible at the Comdie Fran c aise
The principal performers of that theatre came alter
n at e l
Le Kain himself when
y to play at Versaill es
in the height of his colossal reputation occasionally
visited Versailles ; and he manifested a warm int e rest
for me H e was so kind as even to give me some les
sons in tragedy ; a li ne o facting however f
o r which I
felt that I had no talent If anything could have
enabled me to give a satisfactory representation o fa
trag ic character the hints I received from Le Kai n
would certainly have been attended by that result
In a subse quent part of my memoirs I shall have

occasion to advert to some of Le Kain s theories

which I endeavoured to put into practice although
I never succeeded I was not endowed with the
.

58

TH E

F RE N C H

TA G E

quali cations requisite for personifying a hero ; and

I may trul y say that it was in spite o fmyself wh en
ever I ventured to range into the higher region of
the dramatic art
The school best calculated for my improvement
was unquestionably the Comdie Fran c aise ; and I
had the opportunity of going there frequently by
means of tickets which I received from Le Kain and
Madame Drouin whose friendshi p I continued to cul
Perhaps no theatre in the world could boast
t i v at e
of so great a number of clever actors as the Comdie
Fran c ai se but it had lost two actresses whose per
f
o rm an c e s have al ways been cited as the perfection
o fthe art : these were Mademoiselles Dan g u e v ill e
and Clairon
Wh e n I rst appeared at Versaill es I had never seen
Clairon on the stage It was condently af
rmed
that sooner or later she would reappear and I
looke d forward to that moment with impatient in te
rest My desire o fseeing her was gratied sooner
than I expected and under circumstances somewhat
remarkable It was now near the period xed for
the marriage of the dauphin afterwards Louis X VI
with Marie Antoinette of A ustria the young prin cess
destined to share his throne and his misfortunes
N othing was talked of at court and indeed in all
classes of the community but the great prep arations
,

TH E

FR E N CH

TA GE

59

which were in progress f

o r celebrating the union with
whi ch such ideas o fhappiness were connected
It was whispered that Mademoiselle Clairon i n
te nded o n the occasion of the royal nuptials to re
appear at the Court Theatre in compliance wi th the
p articular wish of the Duchess de Vill ero i with whom
she was an especial favourite In the month o f

April 17 70 Athalie had been rehearsed at the

Theatre of the Co m edi c Fran c aise in the manner in
which it was to be performed at the grand Court
Theatre on the occasion of the fe tes that is to say
with the choruses and all the scen i c pageantry ap
pertaining to the piece Mademoiselle Clairon took
her part in this rehearsal and it was af
rmed acted
better than ever and produced a deep impression o n
a num erous and select audi ence Condent that I
should have the opportunity o fseeing her perf
orm at
Versaill es I neglected to attend the rehears al at
Paris A few days afterwards it was annou n ced th at
Mademoiselle Clairon would not p lay the part of
At hali e though she h ad alyg ady reh ear sed i t ; _bu t sh e
Would make her reappearan ce in the part of Amen ai de
Thi s change was made it was sai d through the i n
u en c e of Madame Dubarry who was the patroness
of Dumesnil and who prevailed o n the king not to
permit Clairon to take a characte r which had been
appropriated by her no less celebrated rival
.

60

TH E

F RE N C H

AGE

ST

Madame de Vill ero i made great exertions to parry

the blow which was thus aimed at her f
avo u rite
Clairon to whom S h e gave the app ell ation o fM elp o
mene This af
fai r made a great sensation at court
Louis X V inuenced by Madame Dubarry espoused
the cause o fDumesn i l ; and Madame de Vill ero i
rml y defended Clairon
ter a long series of
Af
marches and countermarches solicitations and i n
t ri g u e s Madame Dub arry weary o f
the coni ct sur
rendered ; and the King o fFrance and N avarre
yielded to the Q ueen o fCarthage The result was
it was solemnly decided M ademoiselle Clairon should
play the part of At hali e
Meanwhile the fe tes o fVersaill es commenced N o
description can convey any adequate idea of the i r
splendour ; they attracted an immense concourse of
people from diff
erent p ar s o fthe kingdom and even
from foreign countries The luxury o fdress the
splendour o fequipages the beauty of the court ladies;
the magnicence of the g ran d c o n cert presented alto
The gardens
g ether a perfect scene of enchantment
o fthe palace were il luminated by several millions of
variegated crystal lamps which were lighted almost

simultaneously as if by the touch o fa magician s

wand Some estimate of the splendour of the illu
m i n at i o n s may be formed from the expense of the

bo uquet d art ice

In the S pace of a few moments
,

F R E N CH

TH E

TA G E

61

thirty thousand rockets were let o f

f each of which
cost a crown
A t length the performance which had been so lon g
announced and so anxiously expected took place at
the Court Theatre an d I had the good fortune to
witness it It was a truly royal entertai nment ; the
theatre presented a truly S plendi d S pectacle Athalie
appeared But no ! it was not Athalie : it was n o t
that Q ueen o fthe J ews who is painted in such bold
colours by R acine Mademoiselle Clairon in that

night s performance fell very far short o fher hi g h

reputation ; S h e declaimed well but she was sadly
decient in feeli ng
Such at least was the i m
pression she that evening produced on me and
the maj ority of the audience was of the same O pinion
She fai led to mai n tain her reputation ; and her per
ect
f
o rm an c e was by no means of that great and perf
kind which the occasion demanded A general dis
approbation was f
elt of the inj u stice done to Made
m o i s ell e Dumesnil f
avouring her
o r the sake o ff
haughty rival who had retired f
rom the stage in a t
of ill humour which gave umbrage to the public
With respect to the e f
f
ect produced by t he cho
,

h
p op l w r b g i i g t r c t t h l v i h
xp di t ur ft h p u b li c m o y By w y f i m dv r i o
th
xp
ft h i llum i t i o
it w
commo r m rk t h t v ry
l mp i t h g rd h d b l i gh t d wi t h b k ot
1

At t is t i me t h e

en

e n se

e o

na

en s

e e

ne

n s,

e en

nn n
a

as

an

on

e s

an

e.

n on

62

THE

F RE N C H

TA GE

ruses in Athalie opinion was d ivided ; they were

greatly admired by some whilst others thought they
enfeebled and impeded the interest of the action : in
this latter opinion I must confess I felt very much
inclined to concur H owever this is a high que stion
of art and the experiment made on the occasion here
alluded to was not calculated to decide it
It would be d i i cu l t perhaps impossible f
o r us to
f
form an accurate idea o fthe e f
ect produced by the
dramatic choruses of antiquity Th e G reek and
R oman actors employed a sort of meas u red language
which was occasionally supported by the ai d of i n
Their ordinary style of declamation was
s t rum en t s
an union of words and music so that when the cho
r u ses intervened the c ar was prepared for them and
was not j arred by the anomalous e f
f
ect But in de
endently
of
the
obj
ection
to
this
heterogeneous
p
union of speaking and singing the introduction of
the choru s between leaves the S pectator not a mo

ment S repose N othing however could be ner than

the ef
ect of the music at the moment o fthe pro
f
There the chords of the composer
p h ec y in Athalie
produced a powerful sensation and heightened in a
wonderful degree the illusion of the scene It seemed
as though the harps of the tabernacle supported the
high priest and seconded his p rOp h et i c inspirations
But though the choruses generally failed to produce
,

6 4:

TH E

FRE N CH

T AG E

the perform an ce of A thal ie she produced a marked

impression on all present ; the interest of the audience
appeared to be fairly divided between the dauphiness
and t h e p l ay
The triumph which the proud Clairon gai ned over
her rival on the occasion above referred to served
only to stim ul ate the talent o fMademoiselle Dumes
nil ; I saw the latter play several parts at the Th eatre
Fran g ai s and I thought that each successive per
f
o rm an c e increased in subli mity
Her acting was no
longer marked by those inequalities which at the
commencement of her career was perhaps her most
a
prominent defect She became a distinguished f
and her well deserved p o p u
v o u ri t e of the public
l ari t y soon made her forget the intrigues of Clairon
Madame Dubarry determined that she S hould have
an opportunity o ftaking her revenge in the presence
o fthe noble personages who were assembled for the

dauphin s nuptials She obtained the royal permis

sion for the performance o fSemiramis at the Court
Theatre and she presented to Mademoiselle Dumes
nil a superb costume for the part of the Q ueen o f
Babylon I witnessed this performance and the
highest eulogy I can pronounce on it is to say that
convinced me of the truth of an anecdote
which I had previously regarded as ctitious On e
evening when Dumesnil had thrown into the cha
,

TH E

FR E N C H

ST

AG E

65

of Cleopatra a more than usual degree o f

that ery energy f
o r which she was so distinguished
the persons who occupied the front rows of the pit
instinctively drew back S hrinking as it were f
rom
her terric glance An empty space was thus left
between the spectators in the pit and the orchestra
rac t e r

du ri g m y
o
L o do T h t r Roy l

A s ii n i lar e f
f
e t t o t i s has ,

qu t ly p roduc d i t h
dif
fr t c u E D
en

e en

a se

ea

an

es

s e as n s
a

as t ,

b ut

een

f
re

from v ry
a

66

C H A PT ER V
R

ul o f man g m t o f t h Com d i Fr c i R gul t i o s m d

b y Moli er
B ll court M l d M l
My g g m t t
L yo
M g m t fM d m L br A p lot g i t h r
H r
rgy
d c t i i t y M T urgo t
l R ig
H i d i mi
Th p t h o f ro H umi li t i o t t di g
t i o o f M l h rb
t h t h t ri c l p ro f i o My i m p rov m t
A u t hor d t or

Th h bi t
d th
b
A cdot
Th b l c k m r
d

t h wh i t m r
Th Du k d Dur
My g g m t i P
Vi i t t L K i H i fri dly d i c I i t t i o t
hi m
p rform M d m oi ll R
rd
L K i
b r kf t p rt y
A gi t t i o tt d
My r t pp r c
t t h Co m di F r g i
i g a d b t
M d mo i ll Du m i l H r ki d our g m t

A
u ou b v r g C lum i t ory b m t
es

a e

ns.

an a

a es

ea

na se

an

se

e a

e a

se

e.

as

an co u

e sn

a a ns

an s

an

a se

on

en c

na
n

s.

ac

an

s ee

as

en

en

a e

ea

nv

es

s an

en

en

en

ssa

a e

a e

ne

en

s es

en

eau

an

a s e.

an

e a o n n s.

es .

ea an

o uv e

e ss

a e

en

u s an

an

en e

en

n a

a e

en

en

I D E V OT E D myselfwith unremitting z eal to the study

of the characters allotted to me and I may add not
without due success In fact during my engagement
at the Theatre of Versailles I made considerable ad
r
i end
vance in my profession U nder favour o fthe f
ship and interest of Le Kain I took measures at the
,

F RE N CH

TH E

TA G E

67

commencement of 17 7 1 to procure an engagement at

the Th eatre Fran c ais That had long been the most
earnest wish of my he art and I now attered myself
with the hope of seeing it ful ll ed Alas I had no
idea of the n umberless obstacles I shoul d have to
encounter
The rules on whi ch the management of the Co
m di e Fran c aise was based and regulated were with
little dif
erence the same as those existing at the
f
time of the union of the two theatres in 16 30 seve n
years af
t er the death of Moli ere
The performers
were in fact their own managers under the super
in tendence and direction of the gentlemen of the

kin g s bed chamber

The amount of the receipts was di vi ded into twenty
two shares which shares were distributed among the
associate performers in relative proportions The
principal perf
ormers had whole shares, others half
shares others three fourths and some only a quarter
share accordi ng to their degree of talent or len gth of
service The accounts were balanced every month
an d after liquidating the expenses of the manage
ment and the payment of pensions to retired actors
the twenty two sh ares were divided according to the
es t ablished scale of pre portions Out of each allow
ance some proportional reduction was made ; and
the sums thus deducted went to the fund destined
.

68

FRE N CH

THE

TA G E

for the pensions of retired or invalid actors These

regul ations were established by Moli ere The Father
o fComedy wished to see the s o c i e t ai res in their old
a e placed above want and even in the enj oyment
g
of comfort Performers who were merely on trial
received only their stipulated salary and the man
a e m en t possessed the right of dis mi ssing them at
g
.

Amidst these republi can and nancial regul ations

cult task to work
every new beginner found it a di f
his way up to the foremost rank
The natural
rul ers the elders had to de f
end two thi ngs which
always go hand in hand with ideas of seniority their
purses and their vanity It is but j ust to acknowle dg e
that they defended both most valiantly
Bellecourt M o u v el and Mol e engrossed among
themselves the range of characters in which I might
have been employed When the q uestion of engaging
me was broached in the committee B ellecourt o h
served that I was not wanted Mol e remarked in an
u n t ran sl at eabl e c a lembo urg
that the Com di e Fran

ai s e
wo ul d o uri s h very well without Fleury
c
Monvel too was o fopin ion that my services mi ght
be dispensed with A s thi s celebrated triumvirate
were in a position to exercise despotic control I fo un d
it necessary to def
er my h e pe o fappearing at the
Comdie Fran c aise In obedience to the advice of
,

TH E

F R E N CH

ST

AGE

69

Le Kain I engaged mysel fat the G rand Th eatre o f

Lyons which was then managed with Parisian eclat
by Madame L o b re au
This lady received me as a theatrical m anager re
c e i v e s an useful actor
The reception given to me
by the public of Lyons was neither very good nor
very bad I experienced that sort o fencour agement
which is usually given to a young performer who
exhibits a capability of future improvement
Madame L o b re au was in many respects a perfect
c o ntrast to Mademoisell e M o n t an si er She was a per
f
eet woman of business and wielded her managerial
sceptre with a de spotic but at the same time an able
hand U nder her management the theatre of Lyons
rival led the most brilliant theatres of the capital
Her ruling passion was command and the following
anecdote will S how what energy she was capable o f
exerting in defence of her managerial prerogative
Some speculatin g persons in Lyons j ealous of her
prosperity and wishing to supersede her in her ap
pointment j oined in an intrigue with the Sieur L
chief clerk in the o f
ce of the comptroller general
The consequence was that Madame L o bre au was
deprived of the manag erial privile g e which S he had
obtained from the Duke d e Vi llero i governor of the
province This blow S he severely felt ; but far from
depressing her spi rit it served to inspire her with
,

70

F R E NC H S T A G E

TH E

increased energy Perseverance and activity enabled

her to nd a clue to the whole pl o t of which she
was the victim and by the aid o fbribery she suc
c e e d e d in possessing herself of a copy of the agree
ment which had robbed her of her privilege By
this document it appeared that the new managers
engaged to pay L
eight thousand livres per
annum together with a handsome douceur in short
a p o t d e vi n such as might with propriety be o f
f
ere d
t o a man in his high S ituation
Furnished with this evidence Madame L o bre au
got into a post ch ai se and drove to Versailles where
she obtained an interview with M de Vill ero i who
was then doing duty at the p alace as capt ai n of the
gu ards She requested an audience of the queen
and her request was granted The document of
which M adame L o b reau had possessed herself s u f

c i en t l
unveiled
the
unj
ust
and
dishonest
procee
ng
di
y
and that very day Louis X VI was made acquainted
f
with the whole af
air
The k ing immediately summoned the minister
against whom he had already begun to conceive some
degree of prej udi ce

Your chief clerk L

is a rogue said his
Maj esty
H e abuses your authority for the p ur
pose o finj uring honest people and selling appoint
ments for his own prot Make him refund the su m
.

72

FRE N CH

TH E

ST

AGE

the F ee U rz ele of Lyons resumed her wand and her

power
A ctors as well as ministers have their misfortunes
and my day o ftrial was at han d When I lef
t my
father I was impatient to soar o n my o wn wi ngs
and I hoped to meet everywhere with the same i n
d ul g e n c e as at home
But how was I di sappointed !
How many m o rt ic at i o n s I had to endure in propor
tion as I advanced in what I may trul y call my hard
apprenticeship I ventured to put on the buskin
expecting that my path was to be strewed with roses
never dreaming that I should have to encounter
briars and thorns In short to lay aside all gures
speech and to express myself in plain language I
of
was hissed
The awful sound vibrated in my ears Certainly

this is the true m o rt i c at i o n of an acto r s profession ;

it is nothing short o fdownright excommunication
Im agine the hum i liation o fa man ins ul ti ng you face
to face : you see him and hear him and yet cannot
1

b ov comb i t i o o f t h t ri c l cdot d hi t ri l
f c t i c ri ou b t i t t ll l g i t T urgo t t h g i t L oui X VI
I t i v ry p o i b l fr
ho t m i i t r t b t h du p o f di
ho t d rli g Th t ri v i l g rou d fcomp l i t g i t T urgo t
rv
fcul t t c h rg hi m wi t h y
how t h t i t w d i f
t l
t t
t h i g m or
ri ou
A ft r T rg t d i mi l M l h rb r i g d
I h v
bu i
h r y lo g r
Th fw word
id h
pr t
loqu t d f c o f t h d i gr c d mi i t r
1

Th e

se

n es

es a

e as

e se

a e no

es en

an e

ess a

s.

s n ess
en

e e an

e en

o s

s sa

sa

a e

a es

n s e

an

es

es

es e

a ns

a n

ca

as

s o

an

an a a n s

n s e

e an

an e

a ns

n es

an

ea

ss

un

na

ne

F R E N C H S T AG E

TH E

73

resent the af
ront What must be the feelings o fa
f
man o fS pirit in such a situation It may be said
that the punishment is visited on the art ist only ;
as if it were possible to separate the artist f
rom
the man The position of a dramatic author is totally
dif
erent Should his p lay be hissed from the stage
f
the man himself is S itting snugly in his study With
respect to actors I am convinced that hissing blights
more talent than it forms ; it operates not as a warn
ing but as a torture
Thanks to my youth and ardent feeling I rmly
believed that I was treated with injustice Besides
I was cordially supported by Madame L o b re au who
used all her inuence to convince the hissers that
they were in the wrong A n actor of our company
named Provost who took the leading characters
conceived a warm regard for me and gave me some
valuable instruction With his assistance and sti
f
ended pride I made a decided pro
m u lat e d by my o f
gress in my art Our rep ert o i re being limited we
played over and over the same limited number o f
pieces ; and this circumstance enabled me to acquire
a degree of ease and knowledge of the stage in which
few have rivalled me
By dint of unremitting study and perseverance I
improved myself so much that I f
ound myself ra
gaining
public
favour
The
regul
arity of m
i
dl
p
y
y
private conduct possibly helped me to win friends
.

V OL

74

TH E

F RE N CH S TA G E

and I was admitted into very good society I felt

that this sort of association contributed not a little to
my professional improvement It has been remarked
that dramatic authors should be eaves droppers and
Listening may suf
ce for the dra
l isten at doors
m at i s t ; but the actor who wishes to Copy nature
must see as well as hear The inuence of my i n
t erc o u rs e with persons of taste and education soon
manifested itself in my acting I won the applause
f
of the pit and began to draw forth the suf
rages of
the abo n n es
At the time to which I am here referring a thea
t ri c al au di ence was di vi ded into two classes the
a bo n n es and the ha bi tu es
between whom the most
marked dif
f
erence existed The ha bi t ues sat in the
pit and in the orchestra and the abo n n es in the rst
tier of boxes These two powers ruled the theatre
with despotic sway and they not unfrequently levied
war against each other There is nothing of thi s Sort
now a
days ; and perhaps it is al l the worse I n di f
ference has superseded those conicts whi ch served
to animate the spirit of the actors ; and again I say
so much the worse !
I may here relate by way of episode a li t t l e adv e n
ture whi ch occurred to a distinguished abo n n e of the
.

The

t he habi t u s

to

go

u b c ri b d fr t h
o r y gi v p ri od ;
r ly p i d fr t h ir
dmi i o wh n t h y f l t di p o d

a bo n n s

me

e s eas

ss

n,

an

en

se

FRE NCH

THE

ST

AG E

75

theatre of Lyons and which at t he ti me caused a

g reat deal of merriment
A merchant of that city who had amassed a con
He was a
s i d erab l e fortune married a young wife
good sort o fperson and as just in his dealings as
might reasonably be expected of a man who was always
earnestly intent on his own interests Anxious to
combine conjugal gallantry with do m estic economy
he subscribed to the theatre for his wife at the same
time with himself This proceeding was the result
o fa series o fwell concerted S peculations
A t that
time gambling was carried to an extravagant extent
in the better classes of society at Lyons and the
merchant prudently thought that the subscription
to the theatre might prove a protection to his purse
There was also another important consideration ;
the gentlemen of Lyons being distinguished for
their gallantry the merchant wisely f
oresaw that

by his wif
e s attendance at the theatre her vi rtu e
would be screened against those li ttle excitements
inseparable from a free intercourse with society
Fifteen francs per month to avert this two fold
danger ! There could not be a better outlay o f
the money But very shortly after the acquisition

of this privilege the merchant s wif

e di ed and thus
the money which had been subscribed for her for

the remainder of the season became the manager s

f
ree prot
,

76

F RE N CH S TA G E

TH E

A house without a mistress is never well managed ;

and our merchant especially felt the want of a v i g i
lant and active wife to sup erintend his establishment
The consequence was that after a vvi d o wh o o d of three
months he married again
N ow it happened that the rst wife was remarkable
for the delicate fairness of her complexion and the
regularity of her features ; but the inconstant taste
of the gentleman led him on the occasion o fhi s
s econd marriage to make a totally d if
f
erent choice
The new bride was a little Marseillaise b runette with
an animated but irregul ar set of features
The merchant being a most precise man in all hi s
pecuniary arrangements had kept an accurate account
of his subscriptions to the theatre He saw no rea
son why the money which he had paid to provide
amusement for his rst wife should not revert for
the same obj ect to the second E ight months of the
subscription yet remained unexpired and he wished
as the common saying is to kill two birds with one
stone One evening therefore accompanied by his
newly married wife he proceeded to the theatre
The happy p ai r attempted to pass but the door
keeper obdurately refused to admit them
Sub

s c ri t i o n s are merely persona

said
he
and
cannot
p

b e transferred
The gentleman insisted o n passing

and drew from his pocket the manager s receipt for

the payment of the money The receipt set forth
.

FR E N C H

TH E

TA G E

77

that the subscri ption had been paid for Madame

R
and Madame R
now presented herself
She claimed her privil ege of admittance which the
door keeper i n exibly refused
U pon this words ran high between the merchant
and the door keeper and several persons thronged
round the disputants Among the groupe thus col
l e c t e d were several young men well known in Lyons ;

addressing himself to them said : See

M R
gentlemen what an unjust proceeding this is I have
paid the subscription f
o r my wi f
e and now when I
bring my wife, they refuse to admit her She is not
it is true the same wi f
e I had four months ago ; she
poor thing came only four times But nevertheless
I wish to abide by the agreement ; I subscribed for
the amusement of my wi f
e and here i s my w ife who

wants to be amused
The persons to w hom these words were addresse d
knew not what reply to make to this novel kind of
reasoning But the husband continued to appeal to
their opinion evidently expecting them to decide in
his favour

Do you think I am in the right sir ? said he

addressing a young man who was well known in
Lyons as a bit of a wag and who happened to be
tanding
near
him
s

N o doubt you are right said t he youn g man

It is a m anifest inj ustice E nforce your claimi t
.

78

TH E

F R E N CH

ST

AGE

is undeniable For instance I subscribe to the toll of

the bridge over the Rhone for myself and my horse ;
and whether I happen to ride one o fmy horses or

f
another it makes no sort of di f
erence

The merchant s wife di d not expect to hear so

whi msical a case adduced in support of her claim
and she put a s t e p to all furt her discussion of the

question by taki ng her husband s arm and walking

without
waiting
to
ascerta
n
whether
ui etly away
i
q
the grey mare were the better horse
I was fortunate enough about this time to nd a
friend in the Duke de Duras rst gentleman o fthe

kin g s chamber A part of the duke s o f

cial duty
was the superintendence and control of the Th eatre
Fran g ai s and by virtue of his right of recruiting in
the provi nces I received a command to make my
d eb u t in Paris
N evertheless I di d not bre ak with Madame Lo
breau ; on the contrary I gave her my word of
honour that if I should succeed in Paris I would
return and complete my engag ement at Lyons Thus
she had a hold upon me in every way With thi s
assurance she was perfectly satised
I will not attempt to describe the j oyf
ul feeli n g s
with whi ch I set out for Paris or my eager i m
patience to make my d eb ut as c o med i en o rd i n ai re of
the King of France On my arrival in the capital I
conceived myself in duty bound to make my rst
.

80

F RE N CH

TH E

TA GE

mine were intimate friends She was a merry little

girl ; and we have often had a game at romps to

gether
B u t I advise you to obs e rve a respectful di stance

now resumed Le Kain or you will get into dis

grace R aucourt holds her head very high and so

adieu until evening

I failed not to attend the representation of Vau

It was Ro t ro n s tragedy newly adapted to

c e sl as

the stage Le Kain s acting was above all praise and

he was greeted by thunders of applause I was in
an ecstasy of admiration A s to little S an c ero t t e
she had grown a tall and beautiful woman and was
n o w di stinguished by the more sonorous name of
R aucourt Her gure was superb She however
appeared to me to perform the character of Cas s an dra
with some degree of negligence ; but the sublime
acting of Le Kain threw every thing into the shade
N ext morning I called to pay my compliments to
him He was not visible ; but he sent me word
that he should expect me at breakfast on the follow
ing day Of course I failed not to accept the i n
I found him in the midst of an agreeable
v i t at i o n
party of friends They were conversing on the sub
e c t of the alterations and curtailments made in the
j

tragedy of Vau ce sl as by M arm o n t el These al

t erat i o n s Le Kain di d not approve

Can any thing be more reprehensible s ai d he

.

F RE N CH

TH E

TAGE

81

than the presumptio n of altering a piece so emi

?
n en t l
dramatic
In the origin al tragedy the cha
y
rac t ers al l mutually support each other ; the action is
grand and imposing the interest progressive an d in
short the whole structure of the piece is conformable
to all the best rules of dramatic composition Al
though the style is occasionally rude it is through

out vigorous and impassioned Ro t ro n s Vau c e sl as

is the rst o f
f
spring o fthe French tragic mus e and
is superior to any thing which the bombastic dulness

of M ar
mo n t el can create
E very one present seemed to acknowledge the
j ustice of these remarks of Le Kain whose j u d gment
and taste in dramatic literature were no less con
s i c u o u s than his histrionic talent
He f
re qu e n t ly
p
indulged in severe criticism on the lo urd eau a little
friendly nickname which he had bestowed on Mar
montel
A t length came the evening appointed for my
rst appearance at the Th eatre Fran c ais
I had
resolved to summon all my courage ; but when the
awful moment arrived fear took possession of me
E ven now I tremble at the very recollection of it ;
and at that time a d ebut an t had no little reason to
be di strustful of success ; eve ry new actor being as
I have already observed required to appear both in
tragedy and comedy
I made my rst bow at the Comdie Fran c aise on
,

82

FRE NCH

TH E

T AG E

the 7t h of March 17 74 in the character of Eg ys the

in M e rope
This most critical event of my thea
tric al life threw me into a perturbed state of feeli ng
which I will not attempt to describe Those who
haire not experienced such emotions can form no
idea of the painful excitement they create Had it
not been for S hame I really believe I S houl d have
decamped and left the man ager to provide himself
with another E g ys the
How overwhelming was
the thought of appearing on the same stage with
Le Kainpresenting myself face to face with Made
m o i s ell e Dumesnil
The idea of playing Eg ys t he to
such a M erop e perf
ectly confounded me When I
found myself on the stage I was perfectly bewildered
my memory seemed to forsake me and I could not
utter a word of my part Dumesnil observi ng my
agitation advanced towards me and whispered in
my ear
,

E s t - c e l a c et t e re in e

ugu

st e et

mal he

ur u
e

se

This operated upon me with the force of enchant

ment The spell which bound me mute and mo
t i o n l e s s was broken and I repeated the li n e whi c h
Dumesnil had kin dl y prompted From that instant
I recovered my presence of mind and went through
my part smoothl y and without trepidation
At the conclusion of the act Mademoiselle Du
mesn il came to me and addressed me in terms o fthe
.

C H A PT ER VI

P ri i c t or o f t h d y B ll ourt M l Mo v l d
Pr v i ll
T h i r r p c t i v t yl
u pp r
d m ri t L K i
L K i
p rt y M d m B oi t
M rqui d Vill t t
Th
p r o l pp r c My g g m t t L yo D t h fL o i
d d t h fL
omm i c t i o
S udd il l
X V M y t ri ou
K i M d m B oi t j lou y d r m or V olt ir rri v
h im b y t h d t h o f L K i
i P ri S ho k p roduc d
Hi
r c pt i o
o f v i i t or Fi r t p rforma o f t h t r g dy o f I re

H o our r d r d t Vol t i r

Favou rit e

na

a n

e e

e s

en

en

e.

un

en

en

ea

e e

en

a n s

ea

n e s s an

ea

n ce

an

an s

u s

ea

se.

ns

en

an

on

ec

an

es

s c

s e

e a an

es

e.

s an a

e a

es

an

a e

n e.

e.

TH E

equivocal success whi ch attended my rst

appearance induced me to form the resol ution of not
remaining in Paris I was perhaps somewhat in the

position of La Fontaine s fox However it must be

acknowledged that my succee di ng performances were
not so unfortunate as my rst and when I began to
recover my condence and self possession qualities
indispensable to acting I had good reason to count
upon some S hare of public favour
The fact is I had come to the capital too soon and
had not a suf
f
icient acquaintance with the Parisian
,

F R E N CH

TH E

ST

AGE

85

public In Paris perhaps more than in any other

place there prevails a local tastean adopted style
Some particular actor is the favourite and any other
who may attempt to succeed in his line must with
out copying steer in his channel or possess suf
c i en t talent to strike into an entirely new course for
himself In Paris whenever an actor becomes an
established favourite he is set up as a model and
e very successive candidate for popularity must con
form to that model or stand prepared to encounter
coldness and neglect ; that is to say if he do not
evince incontestable proo f
s o frst rate talent
Bef
ore I ventured to come out on the Parisian
ul ly acquainted
stage I ought to have made myself f
with the characteristic styles o fthe best actors of the
day This study which ought to have been pre
paratory to my d ebu t I af
t erwards entered upon with
out further delay Bellecourt Mol e M o u v el and
Previ lle were the popular favourites of the day ; and
their perf
ormances became the subj ect o fmy close
and unwearied observation
At the time I made my d ebut there was a f
air
chance of success in the line of characters lled by
Bellecourt Independently of the advanced age of
that actor and his approaching retirement his talent
was not of that stupendous nature which is calculated
to di scourage a young aspirant He had succeeded
.

86

FR E N C H

TH E

T AG E

to G randval from whom he had inherited only those

qualications which are the result of labour and long
theatrical experience His patron M de Richeli eu
wished to set hi m up as a rival to Le Kain imagining
that a man endowed with hi s superior personal quali
c at i o n s must infallibly become a distinguished actor ;
but after some unfortunate struggles the ne man
was obli ged to give place to the ne actor
Bell ecourt then devoted himself exclusively to
comedy With an excee di ngly handsome person he
combin ed the qualications resul ting from careful
study and long experience ; he was a correct and
pleasing though never a brilli ant actor His enun
was perfect and his manner elegant and
c i at i o n
graceful Ve s t ri s the d i eu d e la d ans e declared that
Bellecourt danced a m mu et in faultless style In
short Bell ecourt was great in all the minor points
which had they been combined with a powerful
talent woul d have made a perfect actor
Compared with Mol e Bellecourt was as the S hadow
to the picture : the articial attainments of the one
set forth the natural gifts o fthe other But without

the aid o fthis contrast Mol e s tal ent shone with

conspicuous lustre Still though an excell ent actor
he was a dangerous model to imitate ; for he had
faults whi ch nothi ng short of hi s transcendant talent
could have counterbalanced H e had a hesitation in
,

'

88

TH E

F RE N CH

TA G E

of di gnity his voice was harsh and hi s thi nness per

f
ec t ly pitiable
Arnaul t speaking of him one day
observed that Such a half starved lover was likely

to induce his mistress to o f

f
er him something to eat
Monvel had the good sense to apply himself to the
study of some of those tra ic ch aracters in whi ch hi s
rival di d not excel He played some parts admi r
ably and there is little reason to doubt that he
would have risen to the level of Le Kain had hi s
physical powers corresponded with his intelligence
and feeli ng His acting betrayed a continual con i ct
between art and nature ; in whi ch nature was never
triumphant
Af
t er these three di stingu ished members of the
Comdie Fran c aise Preville stood next in rank He
was a sort of un iversal actor ; he played in every
line and was excell ent in all If nature had been
t s towards M o u v el though hi s
niggardl y in her gif
characters were of a class which demanded the aid of
person al advantages ; on the other hand she had
lavishl y conferred her f
avours on Prev ill e to whom
f
personal appearance was a matter of indi f
erence H e
possessed grace of gure intelligence deep feeling
buoyant spirits sentiment and co mi c humour To
him it wo ul d have been no sacrilege to apply the
lines addressed by Boileau to Moli e re
,

F R E N CH

TH E

P revi lle

v c u t i li t
mm t l v

TA G E

89

a e

ri t
pl i
col
Ch cu pr t a
T ou t
t b u t ou t
t b
Et
p lu b u rl qu p rol
E t ouv t
doc t rm o
By merely changing the name the portrait of the
great dramatic writer may be converted into the like
ness of the comic actor Preville acted comedy as
Moli ere wrote it
One evening Le Kain sent me an invitation to sup
wi th hi m He was accustomed to have a supper
party al most every week ; his g uests bein g chiey
literary men especially such as maintained corre
s o n d en ce with Voltaire towards whom he cherished
p
a truly lial regard
Madame Benoit did the honours This lady though
past the golden age of her sex was nevertheless the
tenderly beloved mistress of Le Kai n Were I to
enter into a mi nute description o fher personal ap
I
sho
u ld probably draw a portrait rather
an c e
ea
r
p
plai n than pretty ; and yet taki ng her all in all
Madame Benoit was a graceful and pleasing woman
Witty repartee was a sort of vog ue among the ladies
at that time and in this accomplishment S h e greatly
excell ed She certainly borrowed largely f
rom her
books and her friends but what with her own na
tural resources and drawing upon those of others
she made a brilliant gure in conversation I well

Di t

a sa

en

en e s

sa

en es

es

nu

en

so n

ea

on

e se

90

F R E N CH

TH E

TA G E

t u t e like voice the mincing man

remember the so f
ner and prim devout ai r with which she used to dart
forth the keenest shaf
t s of satire
Her wit mi ght
be said to be sprinkled wi th sugar rather than with
s al t
The Marquis de Villette and Mo n vel were of the
p arty I had previously known M o u v el o nl y on the
stage I was not less charmed by his agreeable man
ners in private life than I had already been delighted
by hi s professional talent AS to the Marqui s de
Vill ette he was a happy melang e of the man of
letters and the m an o frank ; unfortunately an ex
c e s s i v e share of vanity threw some o fhis better
qu a
li t i e s into the S hade
I shoul d have believed hi m to
be the vainest man in France but that the poet
Laharpe was there to convin ce me o fthe contrary
However by the time dessert was served the two
lions had lost a little of their mo rg ue and made them
selves very agreeable During the rst and second
courses of the di nner they seemed to be strivin g to
rival each other i n pretension Monsieur de Villette
smiled with an air of complai sance at the wit of
others but honoured his o wn salli es with a hearty
laugh Monsieur de Laharpe on the other hand
di d not deign to smile or laugh at anyt hing
I could never un derstand the j ustice of all that

used to be said about the un gainli ness of Le Kai n s

personal appearance ; he was certainly by no means
-

'

92

TH E

F RE N CH

T AG E

stances combined pres aged a reaction Such at least

was the prevaili ng O pinion of all with whom I had
communica t ion at Lyons
I was enga ed in that city for several seasons and
had succeeded so far in establishing myself in publi c
favour that I felt I should have little to fear in
attempting a second d ebu t in Paris At length I
received propos al s for an engagement at the Comdi e
Fran c aise and precisely four years af
t er my u n f
or
t u n at e rst appearance I wrote to inform the manager
that I was again at his service
On my arrival in the capital the rst thi ng I di d
was to address a note to Le Kain informing hi m of
my arrival and intimating my intention of calli ng
on hi m When my messenger retu rned instead of
bringing me a letter as I expected he handed me a
sli p of paper on which a few words were wri tten
with a pencil I took it and coul d scarcely beli eve
my eyes when I saw written on it in a female

hand the words ; L e Kai n i s dyi ng ; I have ki lle d

hi m
Wh o gave y o u this paper ? I inquired of
the man H e described to me accu rately the person
of Madame Benoit
This mysterious announce
ment lled me wi th amaz ement : resolved to as c er
tain the truth I snatched up my hat and without
stopping to make any more inquiries I hurried

to Le K ai n s residence I was informed that he

was so ill it was impossible I could see him The
.

TH E

F RE N CH

ST

AG E

93

celebrated Dr Tro n c hi n was at that moment in

attendance on him It was a stormy night and

the hail beat violently against the patient s win

dows I was wet to the skin but my anxiety
would not permit me to return home ; I wished
to see the doctor and sheltering myself against
the wall I determined to wait until he should
leave the house At length the door opened and
a man came out H e appeared so depressed by
grief that I imme di ately perceived there was no
hope I conjectured it was Dr Tro n chi n and
hastened to speak to him but to my surprise I
recognised Bellecourt I inquired how he had left

Le Kain ; A s ill as he can possibly be was the

reply Bellecourt took my arm for he was sadly
overpowered by the melancholy con di tion in which
he had lef
t Le Kain and he wo u ld not allow hi s
carri ag e to drive up to the house for fe ar of di s
Le Kain breathed his last shortly
t urb i n g him
aft er Bellecourt had lef
t his bedside
The sudden death of this admirable actor gave
rise to various sinister reports N othing c ould
be more sudden and unexpected than the illness
which terminated his li fe He had performed the
character of Vendome in his very best style ; all
who were present at the performance declared it
f
to have been one o fthe most sublime e f
orts o f
histrionic genius ever witnessed On his return
home he was suddenly sei z ed with a sort of t
.

9l i

TH E

FR E NCH

TA G E

which spee di ly termin ated his l i fe Some p arti

may
c u l ars communicated to me by Bell ecourt
help to explain the feeli ng o fremorse which i n
d u c e d Madame Benoit to write those mysterious
words on the slip of paper which I at rst co ul d
not comprehend
Two years previously to hi s li ai s o n with that
lady Le Kain had been deep ly enamou red o fa
young female with whom however his intimacy
had not been of long continuance when she le f
t
him for another lover Madame Benoit n ev ert he
less man if
ested a strong feeling of j ealousy towards
the young female in question whose society she
imagined Le Kain had not entirely renounced
On the evening on which Le Kain unconsciously
bade f
arewell to the Th e atre Fran gai s Madame
Benoit was present ; it happened that the lady
whom she supposed to be her rival was like wise
in the theatre ; she was S plendi dly dressed and
occupied a box near that of the queen The per
f
o rm an c e of Le Kain
which as I have already
mentioned was that evening perfectly sublime
appeared to in spire Mademoisell e
wi th
such rapturous delight that Madame Benoit felt
assured she had come to the theatre only to re

c e i v e the homage o f
her lover Madame Benoit s
j ealous suspicions were conrmed when she b e
held Le Kain that evening superior to himselfi n
I mpassioned
expressionwhen she fancied she
.

96

THE

FR E N CH

TA G E

his arrival at the residence of the Marquis de

Villette he found all the company of the Com di e
Fran c aise assembled to receive him He cast his
eyes along the group of actors and looked an
x i o u sl
for
him
whom
b
e regarded as h i s pupil
y
and son and whom he expected woul d have been
the rst to greet him The Abb M i qu o r the
n ephew of the Marquis de Vil lette stepped up t o

Voltaire and taking his hand said : Alas ! you

look for Le Kain
His feelings overpowered him
and he could say no more
Bell ecourt then
pointed to the mourning in which he and hi s com
rades appeared add i ng only
Here Sir is all
that remains o fthe Comdie Fran c ai se
Voltaire
was so overcome that he literally fainted
By a singular fatality Voltaire never saw the
actor who so thoroughly comprehended his genius
and who imp arted so bright a colouring to his
works Le Kain had been his pupil but di d not
appear o n the stage un til after the departure of hi s
benefactor for Prussia The great dramatist had
anticipated with pleasure and even with pride
seeing hi m in all the lustre of his talent and re
putation but ere he returned to Paris the actor

had breathed his last Voltaire s grief was deep

and sincere
The arrival of the p hilosopher of Ferney cer
t ai n ly tended to alleviate to a certain extent
the publi c regret occasioned by the sudden and
,

TH E

F R E N CH

TA GE

97

irreparable loss of Le Kain I doubt whether

the arrival of a king a hero or a prophet would
have excited greater enthusiasm than was felt
on the appearance of Voltaire in Paris ; every
other subj ect of interest was for a time forgotten
Court intrigues and even the great musical war
between the G lu ck i s t s and the Pi c en i s t s were sus
pended The Sorbonne trembled the parliament
observed silence excitement pervaded the literary
circles and Paris proudly rendered homage to the

n ation s idol
On his arrival in the capital the philo sopher
proceeded straight to the residence of the Marq uis
de Villette situated on the quay which now bears
the name of Voltaire at the corner of the R ue de
Beaume On the day after his arrival a pro di
io
n s host of vi siters commenced calling on him
g
but he remained the whole week in his robe de
ch am bre and nightcap and in this garb received
many of the most distinguished persons in the
capital Madame Denis and the Marquis de Vil
lette did the honours o fthe house When any
one called a valet was sent to inform M de
Voltaire and when the great man made his ap

e aran c e the Count d Ar en t al and the Marquis

p
g
de Villette introduced those whom he had not
before seen or had forgotten A fter receiving the
compliments of those who wished to be presented
.

V OL . I

98

F R E N CH

TH E

TA G E

to him and answering them by some agreeable

or witty remark he would return to his cabinet to
dictate to hi s secretary the corrections he was
making in his tragedy o fI ren e
On the 12 t h of February the members of the
A cademy sent a deputation with a complimentary
address to their illustrious colleague On the day
after I j oined the company of performers who as
S embled for the p urpose of paying their respects
to him On this o ccasion the c o mpliments uttered
by Bellecourt appeared to me somewhat two stu
di ed Voltaire replied with the most pleasing
f
af
abili ty ; af
ter making some allusion to the state
of his health he made an o bservation which i n
d i c at e d how completely his thoughts were ah

sorbed by his tragedy : Henceforward he said

I can li ve only for you an d by your aid

After the rest of the performers took their leave
I rem ai ned with Voltaire ; I reminded him of his
reception of me at Ferney af
t er my plot against
his wig Laharpe who was present remarked
that he thought Bellecourt had deli vered the com
li
Both
p m en t ary address in very pathetic style

o fus
repli ed Voltaire acted our parts in the

f
arce very well
The tragedy of Ir e ne was performed for the rst
time on the 14 th of March Since the f
esti vi ties in
honour of the marriage of the daup hin I had never
,

10
0

TH E

FR E N CH

ST

AGE

of ecstasy threw her arms round the bust and

kissed it So contagious is enthusiasm that we
all followed her example and several persons in
the pit climbed on the stage for the purpose of
saluting it It was then removed to one side of
the stage where it remained during the p er
t erpiece, which was N anine
f
o rman c e of the af

Count d Art o i s who had accompanied the queen

to the opera left her maj esty and came for a short
time to the Th e atre Fran c ais Before the conclu
sion of the perform ance he sent a captain of the

guards to Voltaire s box

A ssure the great

writer said he from me of the deep interest I

feel in his triumph and of the pleasure I ex p e
ricuce in j oining my homage to that of the French

nation
At the conclusion o fthe performance Voltaire
was escorted by the audience to his carriage On
reaching the door of the theatre renewed exp res
sions of public admiration awaited him ; a vast
concourse of persons who had collected in the
street wished to take the horses from his carriag e
and draw him home It was with great dif
culty
they were prevented from doing so, but they f
ol
lowed him to hi s place of residence mak i ng the air
resound with his name and the titles o fhis
principal works nothing was heard as he passed
,

F R E N CH

TH E

T AG E

Vi ve Vo lt ai re

through the streets but shouts of

,

t an t ear

vi v e

&c

Z ai re !

l au t eur

vi ve

10
1

de l I I

en ri ad e

1
.

M F l u ry h d b ov rmu h p r j udi c d i
fvou r o f L K i
l t t r t M Mo t gu
H o r c W l p ol i
d t d P ri S p t 2 2 176 5 y
Th F r ch t g i f ll
f
f t hough i t h o ly p rt I h v
L K i I d mi r hi m
t r m ly
H i v ry u g ly
h ro i
d i ll m d
d y t h
d ig i t y whi ch G rri k w t
d g r t r

Th
di t or o f Mr B t l y l t di t i o o f H or c W l p ol
d di d
L t t r y p 72 vol v t h t L K i w b or i P ri
ori gi ll y b ro gh t u p
urgi c l i t rum t
i 1778
H w
m d k ow t
m k r ; b t h i d r m t i t l t h vi g b
d
V olt i r h t oo k hi m u d r hi i t ruc t i o
cur d hi m
g g m t wh h r t pp ar d i t h y r 1750
y B ro Grimm
t p r qu j m i f u
C t c t ur
i
m i s m lh r u m t il vo i g r t ou t o t r l i
b i l i t e fort t pro fo d q i fi i t di parai t r l l i d ur d
l
tr it
s ou
h rm d 1 pr i o do t ll l r d i t s
t
l i i t p r vo i r q l r t er t l p i o
pt i b l

m
t i t r mp l i
do t
t l i do
i t a h qu i t t d
o v ll form t ouv l t r
p ki g ft h
Gri mm i t h 478 t h p g o f hi s 5t h volu m
d t h o f Du fr
i m ki g
fh r m ri t w i t h
c o mp ri o
of L K i
y : P u t etr L K i t i l p lu d
t ho
p lu d p t ht i qu p l d m m
t d
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t r i ll
m lh u r u m t l
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giq
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10
2

C H A PT ER

VI I

se co d d ebu t t the Th eatre F r c is Th qu ee ex p resses

her s tisf cti o t my p erfo rm c M rsh l de Ri cheli eu

M d m C mp
My mi s derst di g w ith M l ex p l i ed
M d me C m p s frie d hip fo r me
My p rese t ti o t
qu ee M rie A t oi ette
I m m de S i t i r of the Th t r
F r c i C ourt p tro ge of the dr m M o sieur the

Hi
k i g s b ro ther Duc is d L h rp e
A d u el Du g o
p ers o l pp e r c e d t le t F rie dshi p bor of e mi ty
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c ti g F rederic k the G re t rec iti g po etry Th se c ret of
m ov i g
u di e c e H o rrib le r ti v
T o rtu re d exe
ti
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an

SA I N V I L L E in the Go uvern an l e and Saint Abin in

the P re d e Fami lle were the characters in which
I appeared after my second engagement at the
Th eatre Fran gai s I was received with innitely
greater indulgence than on my former d ebut and
I had overcome the timi di ty naturall y felt by a
young actor on rst presenting himself before so
,

10
4

TH E

F RE NCH

T AG E

rst line of characters and to receive a quarter of

a share as an associate performer I further o b
se rved that having to pass through a long novi
ciate it was natural that I sho ul d wish to secure my
position so as to guard against the risk of being
capriciously di scharged I declared my deter
f
mination to spare no e f
orts to advance myself in
my profession and that I eagerly looked forward
to the time when I might proudly say : I belong

to the Th eatre Fran c ais I

Very well repli ed Madame Campan I know

now what answer to make in your defence But
how have you acqui red this character for undue
pretension whi ch Marshal de R ichelieu assigns
to you

I know not Madame said I

unless the
Marshal has he ard of my little misunderstanding

wi th Mol e

Wh at is that P

I wi ll explain it briey
Mol e s t alent may
justly enable him to defy al l rivalry and yet he has
the weakness to fear it There is an actor named
Florence whom he is intriguing to thrust forward
to my disadvantage ; I told him candidly that I
knew he was seeking to inj ure me
that I
could not pre v ent hi m from having p ro t eg es but
that I would take c are to prevent him from th rust
ing them in my way
in short that I would
,

FRE N CH

TH E

TA G E

10
5

either make an end of him or he should make an

end of me

A pleasant alternative truly ! said Madame

Campan laughing ;
I recommend you not to
carry matters to such an extremity ; whatever you
do avoid a duel ; for were you to kill Mol e you

would break the hearts of at least a dozen ladies

Then perhaps Madame said I it was less

submission to me than the desire to preserve
himself for his fair admirers that induced him to
tell me he had no intention to inj ure any one and
that Florence must work his own way unaided by

him

I presume said Madame Campan, that as

surance satised you

Since then I repli ed

my path has be en
strewn with roses

N ow Fleury said the lady I u nderstand

how you have acquired the reputation of being

presumptuous and troublesome

Thus ended my half j esting halfserious e x pla
nation with Madame Campan
So intent however was she to do all in her
power to serve me that she determined to request
the Queen to grant me an audi ence ; and accord
i n g ly seized an Opportunity to speak of me in
favourable terms to her maj esty She remarked
,

6
10

TH E

FRE N CH

TA G E

that the overweening pretension laid to my charge

probably arose from my wish not to remain in the
f
alse position of a pensioned actor at the Th eatre
Fran c ais ; that though I might be desirous of b e
coming an associate it was not likely that I as

i
re d to be the holder of a whole share
Marshal
p

de R ichelieu must be mistaken added she

I
am quite certain there is some intrigue ag ai nst

this poor young man

And then she began to
tell the Queen all she knew about me both good
and illo r at least only so much of the latter as
she knew would not operate very seriously to my
prej udi ce The consequence was that the Queen
expressed a desire to see me the next day
I was instantly made acquainted with the honour
that awaited me ; and on the morrow Madame
Campan presented me to Marie A ntoinette

You very much resemble your sister o b

served the queen as soon as she looked at me

Does yo u r maj esty condescend to recollect

,

)?

She was an amiable excellent woman

said the Queen

beloved and respected : was a
clever actress too
You also possess con
s id e rab l e talent ; I lately saw you perform in the
P ere d e Fami lle and was m u ch pleased with you
But though a young actor may possess talent he
,

10
8

FRE N CH

TH E

TA G E

I withdrew not very much consoled ; for I di d

not know how to interpret the somewhat equivocal
tone in which her maj esty uttered the words with
which she dismissed me
E ight days elapsed leaving me in a state of
painful suspense for I had received no message
either from the court or the theatre ; I wrote to
the Duke de Duras informing hi m that I sho ul d
decline playing again until the question of my
share was decided Two days af
t e rwards I re
c e i v e d my order of reception ; Madame CM p an
wished to give me an agreeable s u rprise The
queen herselfhad deigned to recommend me t o
the Duke de Duras in such terms that my wish
immedi ately acceded t o
In conform ity with etiquette I went to make

my visit to the gentlemen of the ki n g s chamber

When I entered the apartments of the D uk e de
R ichelieu that kind hearted nobleman immediately
stepped up to me and taki ng my hand said :
Well Monsieur Fleury you have reason to be
gratied ; the Queen has spoken i n yo u r b ehalf
and you have gained your point But attend to
my advice : try to be a little less untractable and

above all yield a li ttle to Mol e

Impossible Monseigneur I replied ; it is

not
i n my nature an d I cannot do it
A s to
Mol e no one entertains a higher admiration o f
,

TH E

FRENCH

sT A G E

10
9

his talent than I do : bu t do not requi re me to

show an y deference to him as a man I wish to
d ischarge my professional du t ies strictly and p u n c

ask me not to do more

With the s e
t u ally
words I respectfully took my leave of the m arshal
It may possibly be deemed somewhat singular
that the Queen should have interested herself and
have even in t erfered in the business of theatrical
management A s far as regarded my case her
cient to re c o m
recollection o fmy sister was suf
mend me to her favour ; but independently of

that consideration her maj esty s natural taste led

her to patronise dramatic entertainments and per
formers Matters which wo u ld now a
days be
thought very futile we re then treated seriously ;
amu sement then was in fact the business of life
Those who may think it absurd that a court should
inte rfere in the government of the co ulzs ses shoul d
be reminded that the practice had been sanctioned
by the example of two great men Moli ere and
Louis X IV

M onsieur the king s brother followed the court

fashion and took his part in theatrical patronage
About this time he introduced to the Th eatre
Fran c ais a young author who then showed
marked talent and who subsequently attained a
large share of li terary celebrity I allude to Ducis
H e produced his tragedy of Gi dip e chez Ad met e
.

'

THE FREN CH

110

ST

AGE

the decided success of which in some degree

compensated for the equivocal approbation b e

stowed a short time previously on Laharpe s B ar

m c id e s a tragedy the subj ect of which was taken
from the A rabian N ights
I was now a S o ci t ai re of the Th eatre Fran c ais
I had attained this honour not without exciting con
s i d e rab l e j ealousy on the part of some of my com
rades ; but I cared not for that I was well aw are
that it would be my doom for a long time to ll
only the most i n signicant and insipid characters ;
but I submitted to my fate with meritorio u s re
signation
I was not wanting in courage and S pirit
and was consequently enabled to pass creditably
through the ordeal that was prepared for me A t
that time every new actor received at the Comdie
Fran c aise had to serve his novi ciate sword in
hand like young o f
cers when they enter a regi
ment E very new actor became the obj ect of
general attack with the View of ascertaining wh at
sort of metal he was made o f My comrade Du
gazon undert ook to try mine I soon enabled him
to di scover it A trivial quarrel produced a chal
lenge we fought with swords and Dugazon
received a slight wound in the thigh
N ature had been bountiful in her favours to
Dugazon ; his countenance was handsome and
,

112

TH E

FREN CH

ST

AGE

and favourite excursions was to the residence of

a m u tual acquaintance who possessed a small
property near Pr es Saint G ervais This f
riend
was M Bani eres a relative of the unfortunat e
Bani eres who deserted from his regiment to turn
actor and was shot af
t er he had made hi s d ebu t at
the Th eatre Fran c ais Our friend shared all hi s

relative s love for the drama an d Dugazon and my

self were al ways welcome at his house H e often
used to say he would have been a player himself
if he had not had a wooden leg
N ever was there a more amiable couple than
Their friendship and hos
B ani eres and his wife
i
t
al i t
were
cor
di
al
and
sincere
The
excellent
p
y
dinners he gave us might well have tempted our
frequent vi sits ; but to Dugazon there was another
an d a stronger attraction to hi s house in the charms

of Bani eres fair niece Minette

One day we arrived rather later than usual,
and were astonished to observe the shutter closed
on the grating o fthe garden door which in the
day time was al ways left open Bani eres was ac
c u stomed to amuse himself by looking through
t hi s gratin g at the passers b y on this road and
Minette used to peep through it to watch the
arrival of Dugazon We rang the bell ; but no
o n e appeared
We rang a second time but wi th
no better success At length aft er repeated ring
,

TH E FRE N C H

TA GE

113

ing we heard footsteps ; the shutter was unbolted

and drawn a little to one side and as soon as we
were recognised the door was opened Madame
Bani eres who had answered the door received us
with her usual cordiality ; but as soon as we
entered she agai n drew the S hutter over the grat
in
and
carefully
bolted
it
Dugazon
expressed
g
surprise at not seeing the young lady

I S Minette i ll P he inquired

N o ; she is yonder replied Madame B a

ni eres pointing to the fu rther end of the gard en
where there was a sort of summer house or
arbour I turned my eyes in that direction

She is not al one said I to Dugazon, in a

whisper

So I perceive replied h e evidently discon

,

c ert e d .

By this time we were j oined by M B ani eres

You have company to day said Dugazon ;

we di sturb you

By no means ! by no means ! said o ur host

Step this way for a minute

H e drew us aside but not so so f
tly as he
wished owing to the noise he made with his
wooden leg Minette saw us as did likewise the
gentleman who was in conversation with her
We followed M Bani eres

My dear young friends said he I know

.

114

TH E

RE NCH

ST

AGE

you to be worthy of my condence ; therefore I

will S peak to you without reserve That person
is an outlaw ; his name is M
H e has i n
curred the di spleasure I know not how of the
clergy of Marseilles ; he has been conned in
the fortress of Vincennes and has escaped from

prison

But exclaimed Dugazon why is he t t e ct

t t e with Minette

Oh said Bani eres she was born near Mar

seilles H e knows her familyindeed has ren
dered them some service and has brought letters
for her H e knew not where to y for conceal
ment and the other night he took it into his head

to j ump into our garden by scaling the wall

With these words Bani eres pointed with a look
of regret to a strong an d thickly covered esp ali er
which was so sadly crushed and destroyed as
t o bear ample evidence that the person who had
fallen on it was none of the lightest

A h ! said Dugazon somewhat comforted

he i s not a young man 1

Ma f
oi
said Bani eres
you can t call him
old
I tell you truly were it not for Minette

I would not harbour him here

Y o u do not mean to say

asked Dugazon
that she is attached to him

The fact is she is in fear of him said our

.

'

THE FRE NCH

116

TA GE

In this strain Dugazon continued to vent his

lamentations until we returned to the house where
we found dinner ready M Bani eres introduced
H e was rather a good looking
u s to the stranger
man ; and though perhaps a little too much em
bo np o i n t not without a certain air of dignity
As
to his age it woul d have been di f
cult to guess it ;
they were easy and agr
an d as to his manners
able and indicated that he was a man of superior
This impression was conrmed by his
c on di tion
eloquent and agreeable ow of language In short
though Dugazon was by many years his j unior I
confess I should have had my fears for him had
the stranger been really his rival
Our di nner party was animated though not
gay
Minette herself was evidently dull and con
t e mpl at i v e
The conversation turned on general
subj ects The stranger had been a great travel ler
a n d was ful l of anecdote
H e had known Le Kain
and seen Voltaire in Pru ssia : H e described to us
a perf
ormance of Ro me S auvee in which Voltaire
sustained a character at the theatre in the castle

of the Princess A melia

I was said the stranger
present at a discussion between Frederick 11
an d the philosopher on the best mode of reciting
French poetry I can assure you gentlemen who
belong to the theatr
ical profession that Frederick
was an excellent reciter of dramatic poetry If he
had not had Prussia to govern and had tho ught t
,

TH E

FRE N C H

ST

AGE

117

to come out at the Th eatre Fran c ais he wo u ld

have made some of our best actors tremble

Observing that we were not quite convinced of

the correctness of this opinion A sk D Alemb ert

said he ; he has heard him as well as 1 His
style is like that of M o u v el H e possesses in an
eminent degree that qualication so valuable in an
actor the power of self excitement This gives
spirit and animation to every word he utters and
the emotion with which he is himself imbued is

readily communicated to his hearers

It is a fortunate thing for us observed 1

that Frederick connes himself to ghting bat
tles and gaining victories I hope he will never
show hi mself on the bo ards of the Th eatre Fran

g al s

But S i r said Dugazon

you assign to
Frederick a quality which can be of no use to
a great monarch like him and which would be of
unspeakable advantage to a poor actor like me I
am compelled to the most soul
stirring incident s
of tragedy in order to excite those emotions whi ch

you tell us Frederick can create at will

And yet nothing is more easy said the

stranger
N othing more easy
exclaimed Dugazon
with warmth
You do not kno w what you say
It is the n e p lus
u lt ra of art p
,

TH E FRENC H

118

TA GE

A t this protestation against the dif

culty of
self excitement we could not refrain from smiling

Well Monsieur Dugazon resumed the stran

ger it would appear that you have no great rea

son to complain of any deciency on the score of

excitability
Vivacity warmth of temp er or whatever you

may please to call it replied Dugazon

is not
emotion E motion is that feeling which comes
fro m the heart and goes t o the heart It is com
m u n i c at e d from soul to soul ! It is
it is

s i o n if I may so express mysel f

I nfu s i o n ! that is the right word and I adopt

it ! said the stranger

Well ! that power is to
be acq ui red ! N ot certainly by every one but by

you S ir and you addressing himself to Dugazon

and me
B u t before y ou can work o n the feel
ings of your audience you must begin by operating

on your o w n

1
Operate
sa id Dugazon
You S peak in
the lan g u age o fa surgeo n But let us know how
?
you would proceed with your operation
I will
suppose myself playing the p art of B ern adi lle I
am suddenly and u n expectedly informed that I
must prepare for immediate death I hoped that
I had softened the sternness of my j udge ; but I
nd him inexible By an instantaneous transi
tion my hop es of life are b anished by a terrible
-

TH E FRE NC H

12 0

TA GE

W e listened attentively to all that fell from this

singu lar man Though his opinions appeared to
be somewhat eccentric there was nevertheless con
s i d erab l e t ru th in his remarks
Suppose yourself enacting the part of B ern a

continued he and it is your part to depict

d i lle
the horror o fa man who suddenly learns that he
is doomed to di eto die on the scaf
old W ell !
f
you cannot accurately identify yourself with the
feelings of B ern adi lle unless you have previously
witnessed a death similar to that which he is
doomed t o suf
f
er
Can you form an accurate
?
conception of such a death
Can you picture
to y ourself a man in the plenitude of health sud
d en ly and by violent means deprived of exi stence ?
You want a recollection
G o and seek it

at the Place de G r eve

There was a fearful expression in the c o u n t en
ance of the S peaker as he uttered these latte r
words
Minette seemed horror stru ck and sat
pale and motionless as a statue AS I gazed upon
our mysterious companion I thought he looked
like one who was familiar with deathone whose
life had been sought or who had sought or taken
the life of another
H e was evidently under
the inuence o fawful recollections or bitter re
morse H e continued
Fine artists truly who study on beds of
.

TH E FREN C H

TA GE

12 1

roses and are disturbed by the folded leaf !

who can dip into the sentimental sensations which
are S hared by every novel readi n g lady but never
venture to take a deeper plunge How are you to
thri ll your audience unless you rst thrill your
selves Let u s then fancy B ern ad i lle receiving i n
his doom
W e will suppose Du
t elli g e n c e o f
gazon perso n ating the character H e is in the
midst of an exuberant ow of gay spirits the e n
livening inuence of which pervades his auditors
But he must sudde n ly convert gaiety into
horror
How is this to be do n e ?
By the
power of memory He must suddenly co n jure up
a recollection which will thrill his whole frame
such a o n e for example as I will describe

I paid a louis d or for my seat at a wi n dow in the

Place de G r eve
It was on a Monday and multi
tudes ofpeople were assembled to feast their eyes on
the horrid spectacle At half
past three Damie n
appeared prepared for death which was to be
preceded by torture It was alleged that Damien
had shown hi m
self quite insensible to the fate that
awaited himthat he viewed the preparations for
lacerating his esh and mangling his limbs with
an eye of tranquil curiosity Having arrived at
the place of executio n he was exte n ded on a sort
D s
p uvre p ere qu i
l a j p e s e t ouj ou rs de m
est m o rt Vi d Ch Fi t zg r ld vol ii p 78
,

an

ce

V OL

c as -

ev

on

e a

12 2

TH E

FRENC H

ST

AGE

of litter formed of wooden posts rmly driven into

the ground and covered with deal planks The
executioner then began to bind down the body of
the culp rit with h 00ps of iron
The
stranger here entered into some details of the
torture whi ch were so horrifying that we all
with one voice called upon hi m to desist
Dugazon started up and with a degree of
stre n gth of which he scarcely seemed capable
seized the stran ger by the collar exclaiming :
Silence S ir ! S il ence I say !
You will kill

this lady
M i nette had swooned during the hor
rible recital

Monsieur replied the stranger coolly

I
was merely repeating the narrative of the proceed
ings as detailed by the g rei er who together with
the j udge who had presided at the trial was obli ge d
to be present at the execution Suppose it had
fallen to the lot of either of those two men to act
the part of B ern ad i lle
H e sai d no more Minette aft er bein g some
what recovered was conveyed to her chamber
A s she left the room I saw her whisper something
in the ear of Dugazon u nobserved by the stranger
What S he said he informed me at a subsequent
time
,

'

12 4

TH E

FRENCH

ST

AG E

that were m ai ntained on literature and artand

above all to the exquisite taste an d perfect good
breedi ng which presided over social intercourse i n
these meetingsI must acknowledge myself i n
debted for the elements of my professional success
A mong the eminent writers who used to be f
re
quent visiters to our green room co n vers az i o n i I
may mention Beaum arch ai s and G oldoni
M R ochon de Chabannes a popular writer
of the day brought out a n ew piece entitled

I t was about the time of

L H o n n eu r Fran c ais
the conclusion of the treaty of alliance between
France and the U nited States of A merica The
piece which had been long an n ounced was anxi

L
H
looked
for
and
when
produced
o u sl
o n n eu r
y

Fran c ais fully j usti ed its title The aut hor could
n o t claim m u ch merit for inventio n
the subj ect
bei n g merely suggested by passin g events The
dialogue was elegantly writte n though bordering
closely on the sentime n tal ; an d the whole drift of
the author was to prove that the attachment of an
honourable woman may be the means o fleading a
young man to wealth an d distin ction This w as
very moral though perhaps n o t ve ry dramatic
The author was however chiey indebted for his
,

Till w ithi the l s t t w e ty ye rs the s me sort o f i t w

t o b e fou d i the gree rooms of the o ly t 0 the c k o w ledged
L o d o the tres
Th o se d ys r g o e ever t o ret r E
1

a e

so c e v

n a

as

u n

TH E

FREN C H

ST

AGE

12 5

success to a happy allusion made to the courage

the Marquis de Lafayette That young noble
of
man was then reaping laurels in the U nited States
by ghting in the cause of American independen c e
a cause which at the time excited the enthusiasm
of the youth of Paris The allusion to Lafaye t te
was caught and applauded to t h e S kies This was
the rst time that a living person and above all a
private individual had been complime nted on the
stage otherwise than beneath the veil of allegory
or in the disguise of an anagram Besides there
was somethin g singu l arly anomalous in the fact
of a Marquis receiving a tribute of public admira
tion for ghting the battles of a p e 0p le who wished
to annihilate all titles of nobility The pit in a
transport of excitement shouted alternately Vi ve
le rai l and Vi ven t les Ameri cai ns ! thus curiously
mingling monarchical and republican feelings A t
the time here alluded to this enthusiasm for i n
dependence pervaded all classes of the community
and even found its way to the court The Co u nt

d Art o i S was notorious for his liberal opinions

Alluding to the popul arity of the new piece his

royal highness observed to M de N oailles

We

are representing l H o n n eu r Fran c ais but it has

already been nobly represented by M de Lafayette

in Am erica
Whilst the American war engrossed the atten
.

12 6

TH E

FRE N CH

ST

AG E

tion of politicians a war which broke out in the

Th eatre Fran c ais excited scarcely less interest
in the fashionable circles of Paris The green
room which I lately described as the scene of ele
gant gaiety was converted for the space of a year
into an arena of discord The con i ct however
was not conned to the green room alone ; it ex
tended to the st age and to the pit ; it raged at once
within and without the walls of the theatre
The cause of dissension was the rivalry of two
actresses in the hi gh walk of tragedy The se two
ladi es were by no means equal in talent to the two
heroines who had preceded them in publi c favour as
well as in stage rivalry Discord it is true had for
merly crept into the coni ct of emulation between
Mademoiselle Clairon and Mademoisell e Dumes
nil ; but that was not to be compared to the strife
that n o w had arisen between Madame Ve s t ri s and
Mademoiselle S ai nval Deadl y animosity prevailed
A ctors authors the publicall took part in it
N o one could remain neutral It was absolutely
necessary to tak e one S ide or the other There
was no possibili ty of evading the questions

A re you for Sainval P

Are you for Ve st ri s P
The ground of dispute between these two ladies
was the al leged usurpation by Madame Ve s t ri s o f
certain characters in tragedy which Mademoiselle
Sainval claimed as belonging to her domain
,

12 8

TH E

FRENCH

TA G E

stating that he had receiv ed orders not to insert a

reply
This despotic stroke of authority divi ded the
Comdie Fran c aise into two camps The resent
ment of Mademoisell e Sainval kne w n o bounds
She determined to avenge herself by laying before
the public a full statement of her wrongs She
appealed to the aid of her friend Madame de Ch a
mo n t a dabbler i n literature who had formerly
been an actress and there f
ore rather a dangerous
coll e ague These two ladie s set to work and p ro
d u c e d a pamphlet containing a full detail of the
circumstances of the cas e interspersed with a host
of scurrilous al lusions ; the whole being crowned
b y the unauthorized publication of private letters
amo n gst which were several written by the Duke
de Duras N othi n g co ul d be more calcul ated to
an n oy the Duke than this unwarrantable outrage
They were far from being written in the elegant
style which was to be expected from a courtier and
an academician ; and moreover they bore the de
cided stamp of partiali ty but as they were written
condentially their publication w as odious
1

these d ys of p roli c dr m ti c u th o rship i E gl d d

i deed co sideri g th t i the time o f M Fle ury there w ere bu t
36 5 ights i the y r the pp rop ri ti o of the tri c l c h r c ters
pp e rs t o b e r ther exte i v e E D
I

a ,

ea

ns

an

a a

an

TH E

FRENCH

ST

A GE

12 9

This was the signal for a general declaration o f

hostilities : Paris was divided into apologists and
detractors warm friends and bitter enemies ; i n
deed i t is dif
cult to say to what lengths the two
factions might have carried their dispute but f
or
the interposit ion of legal authority The Duke
de Duras irritated by the disclosures of Made
m o i s ell e de Sai n val broke his thunderbolts o v er
her head
f
This matter was treated like an af
air of state
the fair o f
ender received orders to retire to Cler
f
mont in Beauvoisin a species of punishment pre
reserved
for
di
sgraced
ministers
This
v i o u sl
y
was literally an exile ; but the obj ect of the gentle
men o fthe chamber was not to honour Sainval
with the di gnity of a political exi le but to cut her
of
ffrom communi cation with her friends and
above all to prevent her from writing N ot o n ly
was she degrad ed from her rank as a s o ci t ai re of
the Comdie Fran c aise and prohibited from per
forming at any provincial theatre ; but S he was
moreover given to understand that if she should
attempt t o leave the kingdom the circumstance
would be duly notied to all the foreign courts
The idea of a theatrical squabble becoming the
subj ect of a diplomatic correspondence will doubt
less appear almost incre di ble Poor Sainval ! she
,

TH E FREN C H

130

TAG E

was treated with truly ludicrous severity During

wars between nations there is always some neu
tral lan d to which the oppressed may y for
refuge ; but in this instance the persecuted actress
was literally banished from E urope
The partisans of Mademoisell e Sainval now
moved heaven and earth to obtain her pardo n and
recall : I felt indi gnant at the treatment she had
experienced and undertook to appeal to Madame
Campan in her behalf That lady promised me
that she would mention the subj ect to the queen
A ccordi ngly I felt assured that the case was in
t erwards I
good hands and two or three days af
waited on my patroness
The enemies of Mademoiselle Sainval have

of
ended their maj esties said Madame Campan
f

earnestly ; but Sainval was wrong to write as

she di d
Madame observed 1 it would have been
c u lt to endu re such ill treatment without com
di f

plaining

Monsieur Fleury said Madame Campan it

would have been better for her to have remained
S ilent
H ow could the so ci et ai res of the
Th eatre Fran c ais retain as their coll eague an ac
tress who has placed herself at the head of a pit
cabal and published a pamphlet breathi ng di s
.

132

TH E

FRENC H

ST

AGE

the king s servants ; indeed they may be reg arded

as a portion of the royal household observed I

emphatically
The Queen loves t o encourage
the arts generally ; it would be matter of reg ret t o
see the dramatic art S pecially excluded from that
patronage
Perhaps an er roneous interpreta
f
tion may have be en giv en to this af
air ; I cannot
think it possible that Sainval coul d

N ot in plain terms I admit said the lady ;

but by insinuation it is It is all expressed i n

equivocal language j ust as one might say to a

person You make a mistake when we mean to

be understood You tell a fal seh o od

With these words Madame Campan rose from
her chair and polit ely curtsied me to the door by
which I had entered and which was opposite to
the glazed door I of course respectfully took
my leave and as I withdrew said : During
the existence of th es e impressions Madame
there can be no hope of any reparation of this

P
inj ustice

Wait till the proper time comes said Ma

dame Campan ;
but above all recommend
Madem o isell e Sainval to relinqui sh as soon as

possible her new profession of authoress

Full of the di scouragement which this inter
v i ew was c al culated to cr e at e
1 went to pay a
v isit to the youn ger S ister of Mademoiselle Sain
,

FRENC H

TH E

TA G E

133

v al,

who was also one of the company of the

Comdie Fran c aise I informed her of my ill suc
cess Though an actress of considerable talent and
holding a respectabl e place in public estimation
yet she had determined not to appear again o n
the stage until her sister sho u ld obtain redress
I prevailed on her to retract this determination
by poi n ting out to her the imprudence of placing
herself in opposition to the court a co u rse which
would infallibly compromise her own interests
without the possibility of beneting those of her
S ister

She appeared (for the rst time after her sister s

banishment)in Tancr ede We were all anxiety

for the result The Duke de Duras hi mself was
uneasy and apprehensive
When S ai nval ap
eare d S h e was greeted with a thundering burst
p
of applause which so overpowered her that she
fin a
fainted on t h e stage She was carried o f
state of insensibility and the p erformance was for
a considerable time suspended On recovering
she again presented herself to the audi ence an d
went through her part The emotion which agi
t at e d her feelings seemed to infuse additional
animation into her acting ; Amen ai d e was never
performed in a more S pirited style It appeared
as though S h e were endeavouring to compensate
the public for the loss of her S ister The en t hu
.

134

TH E

FRENC H

ST

AGE

fthe pit knew no bounds and when

rep eated the line

s i as

Li

n ust ce

a n ,
a1

p ro du it l i

S he

d pen d an c e

the plaudits absolutely shook the theatre NO

thing was heard but cries of S ai n val S ai n val les
d eux S ai n val ! The presence Ofthe guards had
no e f
ect in restoring silence ; the pit would that
f
night have Opposed a whole regiment What a
m o rt ic at i o n was this to Madame V e s t ri s as well
as to the Duke de Duras who was sitting all the
time half concealed in a corner Ofhis box
A short time previously to the trouble s Ofthis
memorable theatrical year I bec ame personally
acquainted with M Dorat my introduction to
whom arose out Ofa circumstance curious enough
to be recorded
I believe I have already inform ed the reader
that formerly the Comdie Fran c aise used to pri nt
in the bills only the names Ofthe characters in
the play and not the names Ofthe actors who
were to perform them Thus it frequently hap
pened that when the public expected to see a
f
avourite actor in a partic ul ar character they were
disappointed at ndi ng his substitute or as the
performers termed it his d o u ble The unfortunate
actor who was thus unexpecte dl y thrust into a
part not u n frequently had to brave a torrent Of
.

TH E FREN CH

136

TA G E

the satisfaction Ofacquainti n g you that M Mole

is at this moment in the theatre and in the enj oy

ment Ofperfect health

It is quite true ladi es and gentlemen and

there he stands ! exclaimed a person standing at

the side s cenes an d who advancing a few paces
on the stage pointed to Mole
Mole was perfectly confounded an d stood
rivetted to the spot as if to bear evi dence Ofour
veracity
The audience laughed and warmly
applauded both me and my defender
I got
thro u gh the part OfN ere s t an very cre di tably and
Mol e never again ventured to play me such ano
ther trick
The person who thus aided me in exposing
M Ol was no other than Dorat the celebrated
writer who was at that time in the zenith Ofhis
fashionable popul arity It may be readi ly believed
that I j oyf
ully accepted a frien d ship S O agreeably
f
pro f
ered

C l u de J o ep h Do r t w bor 1734 H i work r v o l u

d r0
mi ou s d em b r c e po etry fe v ery c l ss w ith dr m
They possess co s ider b le merit bu t th ou gh popu l r
m
egle c ted H died 178 0
t the time
r
w ge er ll y
JI
ED
d r B i g r p hy p 2 33
1

an c es

e s

a e

as an

a e no

as

an

a un

137

C H A PT ER I X

ff ir of h o our M dem o is lle R ucourt A p ropo sed m r

ri g
M u t l disi c li ti o U p rd o b le im p ru de c e of
M de V o lt ire S c e e t M rsh l de Richelie u s di er t b le
Reti reme t fR ucou rt Th p e ite t M gd le Offer of
w i fe M dem o iselle R
rt
r
pp e r c e M ifest
ti o of pub li c di sp le su re I tervie w w ith M d me C m p
ti c d v e tu re i the lley fthe C r li r
t Vers il le R o m
B r i C o s o l t o ry b illet fro m M dem o iselle R ucou rt
M d me S k

An

a
e

ua

e n n

a a

o uc

na

e -a

an

an ,
e

a a

nn

a an

an

au c o u

na

ON E

morning Dugazon called on me He was

pale and agitated an d I looked at him with as
t o n i s hm e n t : he in his turn gazed at me with
evident surprise My appe arance doubtless struck
him as somewhat unusual ; for he start ed back as
soon as he beheld me and the followi ng dialogue
ensued between u S

What is the matter Fleury ? I came to re

quest that you would render me a frien dl y act Of
servicea most important servi cebut j udging
from your appearance

Why if I look as ill as you do I must indeed

be altered Pray what is the matter with you P

.

138

FRE NC H

TH E

ST

AGE

Can you go to Bani eres with me P s aid he

Impossible ! was my reply

I am goi n g to

court to present the rep ert o i re

said Dugazon
I
That is most unlucky

want a friend a trustworthy friend

Surely exclaimed I
it cannot be an af
air
f
Ofhonour with that strange fellow we met at B a

ni eres eh
Dugazon paced up and down the room without
making me any reply I stepped up to hi m and
Observed that he was dreadfully agitated

Tell me what has happened said I

replied he hastily ;
N O matter no matter
since y o u cannot accompany me I n eed not ex
plain to you what the business is ; I may however
ull y ill ;
tell you thus much : Minette i s dreadf
I kn ow I
L as o n n e gives but little hop e Ofher
f
she wi ll die i fthat man is suf
ered
S hall lose her
to remain there another day But no matter
since you cannot come with me Farewell ! Fare

well !
A t that moment the carriage which was to con
vey me to Versailles drove up to the door Du
gazon rushed out Ofthe apartment and darted
do wn the staircase I foll owed in a state Ofmind
scarcely less discomposed than his was for at that
.

A c eleb r ted d oc t o r of th t time w h o w

po i ted p hysi c i t o the qu ee
i

an

as a

fterw rds
a

TH E FRENCH

140

TA G E

Brizard the actor both very clever men At the

age Ofthirteen she made her d ebut o n the French
st age with the most extraordinary success Her
beauty and talents made a great sensation ; h er
pleasing manners and accompli shments in private
life were likewise the theme Ofpraise ; in short
she was regarded as a perfect pro di gy Clairon
and Dumesnil were eclipsed ; and it was declared
that R aucour t surpassed them
Thi s same fascinating Mademoiselle de R au
court was the lady selected to be my wife In
many respec t s I must confess that the honour
was greater than I deserved ; but besides others
too numerous to be stated here I sho ul d have
experienced some dif
cul ty in living on good terms
w ith a lady who had learned the art of making
witty c alembo urg s in the society Ofthe Marquis de
Bi evre
I have no wish to indulge in unnecessary
slander ; but I think it due to myself to j ustify
my dislike Ofthis proj ected union whi ch had for
some time been a source Ofintolerable annoyance
to me The subj ect was continually alluded to
among my stage companions ; and at co urt I felt
it as an absolute persecution ; for the proposition
.

o r c e W l pole i h i L etters sp ells the me of M de

m i ll de R ucou rt R
S op hie A r ou lt i h r d y s id
m
s ome v ery o dd thi gs o f her w hi c h sp ite ftheir sm rt ess r
t t b e re p e te d
ED
1

o se

an s o

no

na

a e

TH E

FRENC H

ST

AG E

14 1

had been made in a spirit of ki n dn ess The Queen

herself condescended to devise this scheme for my
advantage with an idea that it would at once con
fer On me happi n ess and prosperity
TO account in a satisfactory way for my re
this
match
I
must
retrace
some
u n an c e to
p g
circumstances o fanterior date
For some time after her appearance on the
stage R aucourt led an irreproachable life and her
reputation was unsullied This was no little merit
considering her beauty her talent and the slip
pery ground on which S h e had to tread Will it
be believed that M de Voltaire with unpardon
able imprudence was the rst cause Ofunbending
the previously stern virtue OfMademoiselle de
R aucourt ?

Voltaire s new play L es L o i s d e M i n o s was on

the eve Ofbei n g brought o u t at the Co m edi c
Fran c aise when the extraordinary success Ofthe
young actress for some time retarded its produc
tion The philosopher was piqued The child Of
f
seventy nine took Of
ence at the child Ofseven
teen because she for a time e n grossed the public
approbation Ofwhich he was anxious to have a
share
H ad he conned himself to Observing that the
Parisians were extravagan t in their expressions Of
admiration and that after lauding the young
actress to the S kies they would in a short time go
.

TH E F RE N C H

142

ST

AG E

from the extreme Ofenthusiasm to the extreme Of

indi f
erence he wo u ld probably only have S poken
f
the truth and would have been a prophet without
any miracle But the d ebut an t e piqued herself
most especially on the stri ct propriety Ofher con
duct ; and her father had threatened to kill any
one who should venture to make dishonourable
advances to her ; yet kno wing all this the patri
arch was S O imprudent as to inform M arsh al de
R ichelieu that she had been the mistress Ofa
grandee in Spain and that probably S he woul d
soon fall to the lot Ofsome noblemen Ofthe court
OfParis
The Marshal received the letter ac
u ai n t i n
him
with
these
particulars
one
day
q
g
when he was at dinner ; his guests being the
Prin cess de Beauvau Mademoiselle R aucourt and
her mother
the Marquis de X imines and
,

1
,

D Al e mb ert

A ll were eager to hear a letter OfVoltaire read

The di nner was suspended and all prepared to li s
ten attentively whilst the marsh al quite u n c o n sc i
ous Ofthe contents Ofthe epistle handed it to the
Marquis de X imines requesting him to read it
The marquis commenced in a loud voice giving to
each word its due emphasis and proceeded until
he had uttered the fatal passage after which he
.

an

She ha d

R ussi

a.

eve

n at

th t e rly
a

ge

v isited the c p it l of S p i
a

as

an

TH E FRENC H

14 4

ST

AGE

She was assailed and circumvented on every side

and al l her protestations were di scredited NO
thing is S O dangerous as a want Offaith ; no
thing more dishe artening than maki n g sacrices
which nobody believes are made I n j ustice excites
dissatisfaction and this feeling is Often most dan
gerons to female virtue
The result was that R aucourt formed p ro i g at e
connexions and entered upon a dissipated course
Oflife
She lived in the most extravagant style
kept a splendid house with a numerous retinue Of
servants carriages horses & c In short her
debts soon amounted to a hundred thousand
crowns and she fou n d it neces sary to y from
her credi tors to the N etherlan ds

After three years absence and one Ofexile

R aucourt Magdalen
like evinced S igns Ofrepent
ance and requested to be received once more
among her Old associates at the Comdie Fran c aise
The moment was favourable the departure of
Sainval having left a void which required to be
lled up But R aucourt had been erased from
the list Of associates and we resisted her re
admission
W hen I say we I do not positively include my
self for unsuspicious Ofthe fate that awaited me
and unwilli n g to j udge too uncharitably Ofthe
frailty Ofa young actress Of two and twenty
,

TH E

FRENC H

ST

AGE

14 5

I warmly recommended that R aucourt sho ul d be

restored to her former position in the theatre
My intercess i on in her behalf was wrongly i n
t erp ret e d especially at Versailles ; and R aucourt
found friends in those who would not othe rwise
have taken up her cause
Seeing that Mademoiselle de R aucourt would
have fo rmidable Obstacles to encounter I ad vised
her to form an engagement with the company
which was to perform at Fontainebleau during
the visit Ofthe court to that place and which w as
to be under the management OfPreville This I
thought was one Ofthe best means Offacilitating
the reconciliation bet ween R aucourt an d her Old
associates
I may mention that during her retirement i n
Brussels R aucourt found a patron in the Prince
de Ligne She also became acquai n ted with a
Madame S o u ck a woman Ofsome celebrity for
merly the mistress OfPrince Henry OfPrussia
Madame S o u c k who conceived an ardent frie n d
ship for Mademoiselle R aucourt wrote to her
former lover requesting that he would bestow his
patronage on her new friend The consequence
was that both Prince Henry and the Prince de
Ligne wrote to the court OfFrance in favour Of
the exiled actress
f
The af
air was in this favourable position when
.

V OL

14 6

TH E

FRENC H

ST

AGE

R aucourt returned to Paris The queen was i n

and Preville was given to
c li n e d to befriend her
understand that the engagement OfMademoiselle
d c R aucourt at Fontainebleau would be agreeable
to the court She was accordingly e n gaged
N othi ng could exceed the attraction of her per
The queen saw her
f
o rm an c e at Fontainebleau
and was highly delighted with her performance
In sh 01t S h e became quite a favo u rite with the
court party and nally the gentle en Ofthe
chamber received i n structions to mak e arrange
ments with the actors Ofthe Comdi e Fran c aise
for the return OfR aucourt
A nother green room commotion n o w ensued
The actors probably would not have started any
culties on the subj ect but some Ofthe ladies
di f
headed by Mademoiselle L uzi raised Obj ections
In short a strong feeling Ofopposition manifested

itself ; and in spite Ofthe queen s patronage it was

resolved that Mademoiselle R aucourt should not
be reinstated The grounds upon whi c h this reso
l u t i o n was based could not with propriety be ex
plained to her maj esty as it would have implied a
censure on the royal patronage Mademoiselle

Rau c o u rt s debts were therefore all eged as the

cause Ofher exclusion
The queen however seemed bent on Obtaining
the reinstatement Ofthe young actress and S he
.

14 8

FRENC H

TH E

T AG E

assented ; and I was delighted to obtain at least

a delay Ofthe doom that awaited me
Meanwhile all the Obstacles which had Opposed
the reinstatement OfMademoiselle R aucourt were
removed by co mman d Ofthe ki n g G reat was the
consternation when about the end OfA ugust
177 9 the favoured actress presented herself in the
green room without giving an y forewarning and
holding in her hand the royal order for her re
appearance
Several Ofthe s o ci ez ai res declared
their determination to retire and nothing was
heard Ofbut resignations Brez ard and Previll e
vainly endeavoured to soothe the angry feeling
that prevailed
Mademoiselle R aucourt made her reappearance
in Di d o a part in which S he had al ways been very
successful and she was tolerably well received
owing to the vast number Ofher partisans who
thronged the pit But thi s rst appearance di d
not decide the question
She next played the
part OfP hedra and for this occasion the public
seemed to have reserved all their indi gnation
The numerous allusio ns with which the part
aboun ds were eagerly caught by the au di ence and
applied to the actress who was certai n ly treated
with the most un relen ting severity
R aucourt thus attacked braved the assault
most courageously A t every allusion at every
,

FRE N C H

TH E

ST

AG E

149

fironical applause she energetically re

eat e d the line the word or the phrase which had
p
cal led forth the manifestatio n OfOpinion But if
whilst on the stage she summoned all her for
ti
tude to brave the trial her spirit sank as soon as
she came behind the scenes She then burst into
a ood Oftears and notwithstanding my matri
f
moni al antipathy the agony S he suf
ered af
ected
f
me very much
Indeed I thought and many
others were Ofmy Opinion that it was something
worse than cruel thus to assail a defenceless
woman who must naturall y be deprived of the
power Ofe xercising her professional powers by
such a persecution But however great the severity
and inj ustice with which poor R aucourt was on
this occasion visited the circumstance was favour
able to me inasmuch as it af
f
orded me a reason
able ground for not appearing very eager to form
a union with a woman of whom the public enter
At the same time it
t ai n e d so ill an Opinion
obli ged the Queen to defer the execution Ofher
proj ect Matters were in this position on the
morning on which I found myself obliged to de
cline accompanying Dugazon
On arriving at Versailles I had an interview with
Madame Campan I candidly explained to her
my feelings on the subj ect Ofthe proposed mar
ri ag e ; but to my utter consternation I fo u nd that
burst

150

TH E

FRENCH

ST

AG E

she was decidedly favourable to the proj ect I

appealed to her friendship
; but she Observed that
f
o r the sake Ofthat very friendship she was de
siro n s Ofbri n gi n g about our marriage She told
me o n e thing Ofwhich I had not the slightest
suspicion na mely that the matter had long since
bee n settled between my father and the father Of
Raucourt
I immedi ately perceived the dif
culties Ofenter
ing upon a conict in which S O many interests
were Opposed to me I found that it would be
more di f
cult to conte n d with Madame Campan
than all the rest put together
She wished to
have the honour of e f
ecting a d i f
f
cult conversion
though it should be at any expense Cert ainly no
o n e co ul d more agreeably gild the matrimonial
pill so as to invite her victim to swallow it than
she di d
The result of my interview with Madame Cam
pan by n o means tended to restore my spirits to
their wonted equilibrium On leaving the p al ace
I mechanically directed my course towards the
park
There I walked about for some time
musing o n the awful fate that awaited me
I
turned into the alley Ofthe Cavali erB ern i n whi ch
was a very secl uded part of the park There was
n o o n e in sight
but I was suddenly roused from
my reverie by the sound Offootsteps
It ap
.

14

TH E FRENC H

152

TA GE

behold the Obj ect Ofmy curiosity I was more

astonished than before to nd that there was no
body there The fact was that my shadow my
double or whatever it might be called had darted
through the hedge in the same manner as I had
do n e and was now on the S ide which I had just
quitted N ow however he broke through his
taciturnity and burst into a hearty laugh
I
could not restrain my rage

Sir exclaimed I
this is very absurd j est
ing
I said s i r by chance for j u dgi n g from the
equivocal tone of the laughter I could not guess
whether it proceeded from man or woman
Monsieur Fleu ry I am quite ready to give

you satisfaction Here is my cartel

All my
doubts as to the sex Ofthe speaker were now dis
The
voice
was
unquestionably
that
a
elle d
f
O
p
female and as the last words were uttered a small
white hand was thrust through a gap in the hedge

It was to all appearance a woman s hand and yet

the sleeve Ofa man s coat again raised something

like a doubt in my mind The outstretched hand
held a note which I took On Opening it I read
as follows :
,

My dear associate
At rst I was not less averse to the proposed
marriage than you are ; but at length your repu g

TH E

FRE NCH

ST

AGE

153

nance began to reconcile me to it But I confess

that is a very wicked feeling and I am resolved to
overcome it I know Ofan infallible mode of set
ting aside this proj ect I t will cost me some
sacrice to resort to it but I am resolved to have
a claim on your gratitude In the meanwhile do
not manifest any Opposition Say nothing but
leave the af
f
air to my management I will save
you though it be at my own expense

RA U C O U R T
.

Rau c o u rt s

It was indeed
hand writi n g E xcel
lent woman ! faithful fri end ! thought I
What
gratitude I owe you ! I pressed the welcome note
to my lips and then looked round in quest Ofthe
bearer Ofit The aperture in the hedge had been
gently widened and I beheld as if set in a frame
work Ofbranches and foliage the prettiest little
face imaginable The features were small and
regular the complexion dazzlingly fair charming
blue eyes and a smiling mouth which disclosed a
set O
fbeautiful pearly teeth It was like the head
a Bacchant e the surrounding foliage producing
Of
f
in some degree the e f
ect Ofa crown Ofvine
leaves
I stood for some moments transxed with ad
m i rat i o n ; but as soon as I recovered from my
surprise I made a low Obeisance and said : I
-

TH E FREN C H

154

TAGE

beg

you will receive my heartfelt thanks, and

make them acceptable to the lady who sent you
I regret that I have not the honour of kn owing

the bearer Ofthis welcome communication

Oh ! I have no Obj ection to gratify your curi

on
that
su
j
ect
said
the
stranger
b
o si t
y
The fact is I am here at Versailles on more
errands than one I have been at the hotel where
I
was
informed
that
you
were
o u alighted
y
at the palace
I waited till you came out I
traced you to this spot where by dodging you I
put you out Ofhumour This is all the romantic
part Ofmy adventure I must n o w turn from
romance to a very unpleasant reality
I have
to keep an appointment w ith a well known usurer
of Versaill es who lends money to young m en Of

family
Here he comes
Farewell !
A heavy footstep was heard approachi n g
P
A nd may I not know your name said I

Oh yes ! said she

When I am pursued
b y c re d i t o rs my name is the Chevalier G ay de
Lussac
When my debts are paid I am

Madame S o u c k
With these words the lovely vision d isappeared
but n o t without extending to me a hand which I
seized and fervently kissed
I returned home very greatly comforted
.

156

FRENCH

THE

TA G E

f
was originally merely a bu f
oon of the
Foire Saint Laurent His real name was Vo lan g e
but he is known i n France only by the appellation
the name Ofthe character which
Of J ean n o t
established his reputation
The natural drollery OfJ eannot not only ren
dered him the idol of the theatre at which he per
formed but gave him the en lree into the best
society H e soon received invitations to the most
fashionable parties in Paris N othing was talked
N ot only was his portrait to be
Ofbut J eannot
seen in every shop window but busts and gures
Ofhim were to be found on every drawing room
chimney piece to the exclusion for a time Ofchina
vases and nodding mandarins The Queen too
ready to fall into the error Offollowing instead of
leadi ng the fashion purchased a quantity of these
busts to distribute among the courtiers which
created a con siderable sensation in the palace
They were regarded as insignia Ofknighthood
Those who received busts Ofplaster or biscuit
ranking only as knights Ofthe order whilst those
whose busts were of alabaster or Sevres china
were considered grand cordons or commanders
Luckily J can not was not cast in bronze
Such was the admiration excited by his acting
that he received an engagement at the Co med i c
I t a li en n e which had been f
o r some time but thinly
t hu s i as m

TH E

RE N C H STA GE

157

attended H e would no do u bt have drawn crowds

to the theatre but his new comrades treated him
with haut eu r He declared that he would leave
them to their miserable fate empty benches ; for
like C aesar he preferred being rst in a village to
s econd in R ome
Whilst the minor theatre at which he acted
was nightly crowded to excess the Th eatre Fran
A t the rst re pres en
cai s e was almost deserted

t at i o n OfVoltaire s Ro me S an vee only two boxes

were lled But independently of the bad taste
with which the public might j ustly be reproached
there was one circumstance conducing to our ad
verse fort une which did not exist at the Comdie
Italienne namely we were at Open war with our
authors
This misunderstanding originated in a peen
S
o u s s ai e
dispute
with
M
de
la
L
o uva
n i ar
y
y
Dif
erences next arose with Mercier and Pali s s et
f
then the whole corporation Ofauthors took up
arms At length dif
culties arose between the
Comdie Fran c aise and Beaumarchais respecting
the performance Ofthe Barber OfSevill e Then
the matter became serious : after several angry
discussions Beaumarchais summoned a meeting
Ofthe authors ; at which they formed a regular
scheme o fblockade against the Th eatre Fran c ais
.

158

TH E

RE N C H S TA G E

All the power Oftheir talent was arrayed again st u s

professedly in order that they might avenge their
alleged inj uries and emancipate themselves from
the yoke of the actors ; while in fact their design
was to subj ect the actors to their authori t y They
wished to constitute themselves a sort Ofcourt Of
dramatic legislation and insisted that the whole
direction Ofthe theatre ought to be u nder their
control We were thrown into such a state Of
anarchy that one Ofour witty actresses Observed
It was a pity we could not di spense with authors

altogether
In the end though Beaumarchais
poured out upon us a liberal torrent of satire w
were obliged to acknowledge that in a theatre
dramatic authors are a necessary evil
Following the example Ofthe Th eatre Italienne
which had taken its principal actor from the

Th eatre de l E clu s e we took from the Boulevards

M Do rvi g n y who had n o w become almost as
popular as J eannot whom he may be said to have
created
Do rvi g n y was no less singular in his manners
than in his writings and his eccentricities caused
He was supposed
hi m to be very much noticed
by some to be a natural son OfLouis X V This
mistake arose from the circumstance of his hap
peni ng to lodge in the same house with a man Of
,

16 0

FRENC H

TH E

TA GE

herself ; she had for several years superintended

Madame M o n t es s o n s amateur performances and

in fact renounced her professional career chiey
with the view Ofdevoting herself more exclusively
to the illustrious company in the Chausse
,

d Au t i n

Whilst our theatre was deplorin g its losses and

was i n volved in disputes with the authors I
was anxiously awaiti n g the issue Ofthe n eg o t i a
tions that had been entered upon relative to my
marri age I have already acquainted the reader
with the receipt Ofthe mysterious billet which
consoled me In about three weeks or a month
af
t er my gratify ing ren co n t re at the Cavali erB ern i n
I was again summoned to attend at court
Meanwhile I had received no new tidings I
saw R aucourt regularly at the theatre ; but she
never S poke to me except to say How do you

do P and G ood bye

For my part I never
ventured to enter into conversation wi th her for
fear Ofrousing the suspicions Ofmy co mrades
who I hoped knew nothing Ofthe af
air ; and yet
f
I was on thorns to know whether any thing had
transpired
Madame Campan had written to
inform me that when I next presented myself at
court with the rep ert o i re it was expected I should
Ore her maj esty with my mind made up
appear b e f
,

FRENCH

TH E

ST

AGE

16 1

A t length the fatal day arrived and I went to

Versailles praying all the way that something
would occur to prevent my being introduced
My hopes were however disappointed for the
usher on duty came to summon me rather earlier

than usual I was S hown into the qu een s apart

ments where I saw her maj esty Monsieur the

king s brother and sev eral ladies whom i n my

confusion I coul d not recognise
I however
caught a glimpse Ofmy cruel patroness Madame
Campan She stood a lit tle in the rear Ofthe
groupe Ofladies and I could read i n her coun
t en an c e the command that I S hould advan ce and
speak out fearlessly Fortunately Monsieur broke
the ice by thus addressing me :
Ah ! Fleury you have come very a p rop o s to

receive at once my co mpliments and condolences

What has happened P inqu i red the queen in

a tone of kind concern
I was about to reply though I really knew not
what I was going to say I was at a loss to com
prehend what Monsieur alluded to unless he
meant by compli ments and condolences his con
gratulations on my approaching marriage H OW
ever his royal highness soon put an end to my
embarrassment Turning to the queen he said :
How madam ? H as your maj esty not heard
,

TH E FRENC H

16 2

ST

AG E

that the fair protege e Ofthe Prince de Ligne has

9
made a n ew p ro mo ti o n
The proteg ee Ofthe Prince de Ligne
a
new promotion
What does your highness

mean P
I mean that Mademoiselle R aucourt has played

a most shameful trick upon the Count D Art Oi S

my brother and poor Fleury here

Trul y sir you S peak in enigmas said her

maj esty
DO I !
Well then in plain terms let me
info rm you that our subli me Melpomene has de

r
i
n t D Art o i s
ed
Cou
of
the
captain
f
his
v
O
p

guards by ru nning away wi th Prince D H n i n ;

at the same time ru nning away from the tender
f
af
ection Ofpoor Fleury See how di sconsolate

he looks
I smiled

P
I S this really true
said the queen

Qui te true I assure you answered Monsieur

R aucourt has been recruiting in my brother s

guards The af
f
air has given rise to a good deal

Ofmerriment
We call it the n ew p ro mo t i o n

Fleury said the queen smiling

I suspect

P
that you are not very sorry for this
I bowed
3
DO yo u hear this Madame Campan
said

16 4

TH E

R E N C H S TA GE

She did not fall very far short Ofher

her throne

The gracious patronage Ofthe queen Obtained

for me about thi s period Several ill u strious f
r
i ends
A mong others the Duke de R ichelieu who ll ed

the post Ofrst gentleman Ofthe ki ng s chamber

showed hi mself warmly interested in my welf
are
and honoured me with frequent invi tations to his
house This was Ofthe utmost advantage to me
not exactly with a view to my advancement at the
Th eatre Fran c ais the Duke having reli nquished
almost all his authority there to devote him
self entirely to the mana ement Ofthe Comdie
Itali enne My acquaintance with the Duke was
important to me in another point Ofview
In S pite Ofthe love Ofpleasure natural to my
age and the numerous temptations to idleness
which surrounded me on every S ide I must in
j ustice to myself declare that my thoughts were
chiey di rected to my professional studies I was
earnestly bent on advancin g myself and I do not
care to confess that I wished by that advancement
to revenge myself on M o l who as the reader has
already seen had treated me ill
An Opportun ity for promotion n o w occurred
through the death OfBellecourt who had hi therto
monopoli z ed a class Ofcomic characters which I
.

T H E F R E NC H

TA GE

16 5

was desirous Oftrying In preparing me for the

personatio n Ofthis li n e of acti n g the invitations
the Duke de R ichelieu were Ofthe utmost uti
Of
The taste Ofthe Parisian public at that time
li t y
imperatively demanded that every actor who took
the part Ofa lover in comedy should be literally
the n e g en t leman and S hould be a perfect re
presentative Ofthe rened manners which then
S O peculi arly characterized our men Offashion :
that he S hould possess dign ity without sti f
f
n ess
that his dress walk tone Of voicei n short
every look and gesture S hould bear the stamp Of
elegant coxcombry These qualicatio n s were n o t
to be gained in a day but were only to be ac
quired by a long intercourse with the aristocracy ;
and even then with every Opportunity for that i n
t e rc o u rs e keen powers OfObservation and imita
tion were requisite
The Duke de Richelieu w as himself a perf
ect
model Ofwhat a man of fashion ought to be H e
was th e chosen courtier to whom all the court
paid deference His house which seemed to ex
hale the perfumed recollections Ofthe regenc y
was f
requ ented by the best company an d was a
school of tradition for the noblemen Ofthe young
school A s to the ladies I must acknowledge
that though many Ofthe highest rank attended
.

TH E FREN CH

16 6

T AG E

the duke s parties they were not all Ofunsullied

reputation
Besides his courtly di sciples forming a gallery
Ofportraits which presented a perfect study for

me in a professional point Ofview the duke s

circle was composed Ofauthors artists actors and
men Ofwit It may readily be guessed therefore

that I readily accepted the duke s invitations

which were S O eagerly courted by men Ofthe
highest rank and which wherever they were con
ferred v are regarded as a high favour
"
The rst time I visited at his house was on his
fet e day (St Lo ui s ) There was a vast deal Of
company there and it was more like a public
assembly than a private party I believe there
were assembled on that evening almost all the dis

t i n g u i s h ed individuals OfM de Ri c h eli eu S ac

quaintan ce That eve n i n g was not favourable to
me as an Observer but it gave me an idea Ofthe
rich m ine which I should be enabled to expl ore
It was like a gen eral glan ce over the map Ofa
country every corner of which I mean t to ex

'

l
o re
p

A t that time he was living i n his hotel on the

Place R oyal
It used to be s aid I know not with
what degree Oftruth that he was attached to that
noble residence because he had constructed i n it
.

16 8

FRENC H

TH E

ST

AGE

frequently met her at the Duke de R iche

lieu s and may say with all humility that I found

favour in her eyes If the duke had really con
structed the mysterious laboratory to which I
have alluded he might with great propriety have
made this lady its presidin g genius She certainly
contributed not a little to conrm the duke in
She was
hi s strange taste for the occult sciences
a sort Ofsybil who only occasionally descended to
the level of ordinary conversation and then the
veneration she inspired soon placed her again
upon her pedestal
She assumed the title and rank of Lady Mantz
but the Duke de R ichelieu used in condence to
inform his guests that it was more prudent to
call her by the name OfMadame de Wasser as
U nder the other appellation she had re n dered her
self Obnoxious to the dislike Ofthe ministers Of
Louis X V and that S he was in France only on
suf
f
erance
Lady Mantz was an adventuress in the full
est sense Ofthe term She was a sort Ofpre
cursor Ofthe reveries Ofthe Count de St G er
main and the legerdemain tricks OfCagliostro
I had some acquaintance with the latter and
think that in the history Ofthe marvell ous Lady
Mantz or Madame de Wasser was no way inferior
to him
I

TH E F RE N C H

ST

AG E

16 9

At the time when Monsieur de Choiseul was

prime minister she took it into her head to write
him a letter denouncing a plot hatched against
the life Ofthe king in which she alleged that
several persons Of high rank were implicated
She added that it was the i n tention Ofthe con
f
f
if
they
could
e
ectively
combine
their
S i rat o rs
p
plans to sacrice all the members Ofthe royal

family This letter S he S ign ed Lidinka ; but

f
ingenious as this little e f
ort Ofinve n tion might
have bee n it Obtained for her a residence Ofsome
duration in the Bastille where S h e employed her
self in writing a romance which she called her
life In this tissue of ctitious adventures S h e
described herself in one chapter as a native o f
Lorraine and in another as being born at Vienna
Sometimes she represe n ted herself as the illeg i t i
mate daughter Ofa princely house and at other
times as the legitimate daughter Ofa nobleman
In S hort her imagi n ation was exceedingly lively
and exhibited its versatility in all sorts Ofextra
vagan t and absurd stories
A s she was believed to be a foreigner S h e was
liberated from the Ba stille on condition of quitting
France and never returning except by permission
the ki n g On her removal from the Bastille
Of
S h e was conveyed to the Brusse l s d i li en ce ; but
g
whilst Madame de V asser was supposed to be
V OL L
,

THE

17 0

RENCH

ST

AG E

fthe police were directed to keep their

ve ry far Of
eyes upon a Lady Mant z This latter perso n ag e
contracted loans from usurers for the convenience
bought and s old diamonds an d
Ofladies of rank
other articles Ofvalue and by way Ofrelieving the
monotony Ofher commercial speculations told
fortunes and manufactu red al c hym i c powder It
was however shortly ascertain ed that Lady Mantz
was no other than Madame de Wasser the ex
prisoner Ofthe Bastille ; and she was accor di ngly
arrested and sent back to her Ol d quarters Af
t er
a time government becoming tired Ofthe b u rthen
maintaining her she was J i b erat e d on the same
Of
conditions as before and again conveyed across
the frontier But Paris was the only suitable eld
for her schemes and imposition s
About thi s time she became acquai nted with
the Duke de R ichelieu to whom she got intro
d u c e d by a person named Damis one Ofthe

duke s former associates in endeavouring to dis

cover the philosopher s stone The duke received

t en seen her at t he
her as an adept I have Of
supper p arties in the Place R oyal e weari n g the
cordon and cross Ofthe order of Malta
She
used to allege that she had been robbed in Paris
in 17 53 Ofthe titles in virtue Ofwhich she wore
these insignia ; as well as Ofother important d ocu
ments authorizing her to wear the cross and
,

17 2

C H A PT ER X I

Pri v te the tri c ls P r des d p rov erb es C rm t ll

H r m rri g e w ith the Duk e of
M d me de M o tess o
H r the tre
L ist of p erfo rmer
A c t i g fthe
Orle
Duk e fOrle s d M d me de M o tess o M dem o iselle
H r c ti g
Rem rk fJ o sep h
H r t wo the tre
G im rd
d b e u ty M rie
I I A de i c e fo r p ro l o gi g y ou th
A t o i ette s m teur the tre
R oy l corp s dr m ti qu e A c t
i g of the C ou t de Pr ov e c e the C ou t d Art i the D phi
ess d the Pri c esses fS voy Th qu ee s m te ur
the tre t T ri o
Curi ou p l y b ill
Qu rrel b etw ee the
d her si ter i l w
qu ee
S tiri c l rem rk fthe C ou t
d Art i
S t ge k is s i g
I c re sed u die c es t the qu e s
p ri v te the tre Rem rks M rie A t o i ette sstyle of c ti g

H r p ers o l pp e r c e
a

a
a

a a

an

on

e.

an

an

na

a an

on

O s,

au

Os.

an

an

a a

an

an

an s

W H I L S T the Comdi e Fran c aise was struggling

with adverse fate and whilst as we have seen
its authors were fulminating interdictions on our
liter ary rights we had several redoutable and bril
liant rivals in the di f
erent amateur theatres which
f
,

THE

FRE NC H

TA G E

17 3

were established in Paris They drew from us the

better portion Ofour au di ences that is to say the
fashionable portion The pit alone was lled and
we acted only for the p art erre in the strict mean
ing Ofthe term ; for our boxes were empty when
the boxes in the amateur theatres Ofthe nobili ty
were nightly thronged with all the rank and
fashion of Paris
This rage for private theatricals proved a serious
misfortune to the public theatres in France TO
s u ch a pitch was this taste carried that to be an
actor came to be considered an essential point in
fashionable education ; and it was no u ncommon
thing to hear men Offashion accosting each other
by the names Ofthe characters which they were
in the habit Ofpersonating A duke and a mar
quis might be heard addressing each other as Cris
pin and Do ru n t e a grave magistrate called Da

cer Ofthe king s guard

mi s or a gay young Of
Purson or S g an arell e

H o w do yo u play that character P was a

question asked OfPreville our celebrated come
dian by an individual whose rank placed him at
no great distance from the throne
The actor
described the idea which he conceived Ofthe part
and the spirit in which he thought it ought to be
rendered
.

174

TH E

FRE NC H

TA G E

Well that is not precisely my conception Of

it ; I play it di f
f
erently

That is replied Preville because you con

c e i v e it in t h e manner in whi ch it i s understood

by the g randson Ofthe great Cond

When a complete theatre could not be esta
bli s he d it was customary t o get u p dramatic
repre s entation s on a smaller and more easy scale
Colle revived the p arad e and t o satisfy the pre
vailing tas te Carm o n t elle introduced the p ro verbe
a sort Ofillegitimate bantling which crept
aw ares int o the dramatic family and s o on becam e
a greater favourite wi th the world th an its more
respectable brethren
These p ro verbes were the more successful and
more injurio u s to us ina s much as t h ey pl ac ed
the art Ofacting within the reach of every o n e
They reduced a character to miniature propor
tions and thus enabled any o n e to ex hibit the
great or little share Oftalent he might happen t o
possess without the risk Ofre nde ring hi m s elfri di
cu lons The p ro verbe was univers ally adopted as
a source Ofsoci al amusement It rep res ented in
a dramatized form any entertaining anecdote or
storythe adven t ure Ofthe daythe s c andal Of
the moment It was a f
aithf
u l mirror in which
were alternately reected the Co ryp hmi Ofcoteries

17 6

TH E FRE N C H

ST

AGE

did not think that a lady merely di stinguished f

or
talent and attainments had any right to aspire
to become a princess Ofthe blood In the af
f
air
o fthe parliaments
the Duke OfOrleans had de
separated
from
the
court
party
and
made
ci d ed l
y
himself leader Ofthe Opposition A s his royal
highness was evidently bent o n the union it was
deemed expedient for the sake Ofbringing hi m
back to the court party to deceive him into the hope
that the marriage should be arranged With thi s
f
vi e w the holy water Ofthe court was Of
ered to
Madame de Montesson and by this snare the
Duke OfOrleans was enticed back to Versailles
and when he was securely harnessed to the court
car the monarch an d his favourite laughed in their
S leeves at the two love rs
But the Duke was rm
H e wo ul d n o t
relax i n the no t ions Ofmorality to which his
mistress had converted hi m He i n sisted on the
observance Ofthe ceremony of marriage with all
due solemnity ; with cross an d banner and the
n uptial benedi ction Of
the mi t red archbishop
A t length it was determined to meet hi m half
way i n the fullment Ofhi s proj ect ; an d Madame
Dubarry underto ok to acquaint him with the pro

sai d she (G ros

posed concession
G ro s p ere
p ere was the name by which she familiarly ad
dressed the prince who was rather Ofthe fattest)
,

TH E FRE N C H

ST

AG E

17 7

marry marry by all means S ince you are de

t erm i n e d on it
but let the ceremony be a more
private af
f
air than you propose to make it A t
some future time possibly the point you insist on
may be fully conceded You know how much I am
interested in your behalf You may rely upon me
for advocating your interests For the present

content yourself with a left handed marriage

The duke consented ; and in a short space Oftime
the Abbe Poupart the cur OfSt E ustache, per
formed the ceremony
At this period when i t may perhaps be ad
m i t t e d that the court OfFrance lost sight Ofsome

degree Ofits rank and dignity the new bride s in

u e n c e over the Duke OfOrleans greatly resem
bled that exercised by Madame de M aintenon over

Louis X IV She established in the duke s court

the tone Ofmanners and tastes whi chdistinguished
the court Ofthe g ran d ro i The duke had pre
tolerated
in
his
circle
a
great
deal
Of
v i o u sl
y
that which I will designate by no harsher term
than fashionable freedom of manner
Madame
de Montesson wrought a change for the better
She introduced a tone Ofrenement and good
breeding combined with a taste for literature and
the arts

Attached to her hotel in the R ue d Au t i n was

her private theatre in which S he and the Duke
,

17 8

FR E N C H

TH E

T AG E

fOrleans frequently a ct e d The d u k e who had

a fund of natural humour was not only tolerable
but even excellent in cert ain comic characters
while she took the youthful charact ers o fc o
medy
I had the h o nour o fbeing admitted to s o me of
the performances at this theatre i n the year 17 8 0
The man ag ement and appointments might have
vied with tho se of the C omdie Fran c ais e Indeed
f
in some respects the latte r might have suf
ered by

the comparison Several of the company pos

sessed suf
irst rate professional
cient talent for f
actors The follow ing i s a list of the most di stin
u i s h e d perf
ormers
g

The Duk e (1Orleans the Vicomte de G and

Monsieur de Segur the Count d Ome san Ma

dame de Montesson the C ountess de Lamarck
and the Marquise de Crest
The Duke a s I have j u st remarked possessed
a rich vein of comic humour I saw him in several
very di f
cult characters which he sustai ned ad mi r

ably His perso nations of Fo rlzs in Les Dehors

Trompeurs an d of Freep o rt in L E c o s s ai s e
f
were amo n g his best e f
orts One of the actors

either the Vicomte de G and or the Count d Ome

san I forget which was very clever in the peculiar
li n e of characters in which at a subsequent period
Baptiste excelled at our theatre If he had been
o

'

18 0

FR E N CH

THE

ST

AGE

med with silver and hun dreds of wax candles

I n this mi n iature
e xhaled a fragrant perfume
Made
t heatre before a chosen circle of friends
m o i s ell e G u i m ard displayed those t al ents for
comedy which tempted her to desert the opera
stag e Her ho t el in the R ue Mont Blan c w as
that subseque n tly occupied by the banker Perre
gaut This reside n ce was in Mademoiselle G ui

mard s time a pe rfect curiosity of splendour

Mademoiselle G u i m ard evinced extraordi n ary ta
lent as an actress Her voice which was som e
what hoarse derived a charm from that very fault
I t imparted to the accents of sentiment an ex
pressio n whi ch went to the heart In the cha
rac t er of Vi c t o ri n e no actress came near her with
the exception of Mademoiselle Mars whose tri
umph is in her performance of that part The
E mperor J oseph
who saw G u i m ard perform at
her cou n try residence at Patin was heard to say :
I could not have credited that it was possible to

turn an asthma to so good an account

But
G u i m ard was al together a creature of intelli gence
and feeli n g These qu al ities were prominent even
i n her dancing

Mademoiselle G u i m ard s hotel in Paris was the

,

W ere it t for the des c ri p ti o of the vo i c e w e sh ou ld c er

t i ly thi k th t the t le ted M dem o iselle G im rd still li v d
E D
m g t
1

no

an

en

us

TH E

FRE

NCH

ST

AGE

18 1

resort of all the most elegant young noblemen of

the court On the eveni n gs of these dramatic
performan ces even ladies of rank might be seen
peeping i n cog n i t a through the gilded grilles of the
lower boxes They entered and returned by a
private door The rst actors in Paris v ied with
each other for the pleasure o fperforming in G ui

mard s charming little theatre I myself some

times enj oyed that pleasure My rst appearance
there was in the character of the M arqui s in
.

Tarc aret

Like the Marshal de R ichelieu Mademoiselle

G u i m ard was a wonderful example of j uvenili ty of
appearance in advanced life When I was intro
d u c e d to her she was already ten years beyond
that fatal age at which beauty ordinarily must re
nounce her empire ; and yet during tho s e ten
years her age seemed to remain perfectly station
ary H ow the lady continued thus to defy the
withering hand o ftime the reader shall be i n
formed At twenty years of age Mademoiselle
G u i m ard had her portrait painted by an eminent
artist and by the aid o fthis picture she was en
abled if I may so express myself to an al yze her
complexion ; that is to say she made herself ac
f
erent tints o f
c u rat ely acquainted with all the di f
which it was composed in the blooming days of
,

182

F RE N CH

TH E

TA G E

her youth With these colours duly prepared

she seated herself at her toil ette as an artist would
place himself before his easel an d there with the
portrait beside her she every morning reproduced
its perfect fac simile By this ingenious stratagem
G u i mard at ft y frequently passed for twenty
I have already mentioned that my sister was
the rst who instructed her maj esty Marie An
toinette in the pronunciation of the French lan
guage and in reciting favourite passages from the
works of our principal dramatic writers In this
manner possibly the Austrian archduchess imbibed
that taste for theatrical performances whi ch sub
sequently became one of the most favourite amuse
ments of the queen
Marie A ntoinette found in dramatic amusements
a ready mode of sometimes escaping from the
irksome trammels of court etiquette A young
female is always keenly susceptible to the annoy
ance of a monotonous course of life ; and the
queen of France h ad as great a horror of en n ui as
any of her fair subj ects The daughter of Maria
Theresa imagined and with reason that her di g
n it
stood
on
too
rm
a
base
to
be
questioned
y
because she occasionally chose to throw o f
f
the yoke of court etiquette
She loved the
freedom the condence and the gaiety o m
.

18 4

TH E

F R E N CH

ST

AGE

the secret and that he sho u ld be requested to

represent at once boxes pit and gallery
But still the indul gence of this amusement was
attended by formidable obstacles ; there was no
doubt that if it came to the knowledge of the king
and Madame Dubarry it would meet their u m
qualied disapproval To obviate the annoyance
of this disapproval a theatre was secretly c o n
structed in a small en t res o l apartment
Two
large screens formed the proscenium and on the
evenings of performance when any one was an
n o u n c e d who happened not to be in the secret
the whole theatrical paraphernalia was instantly
concealed within a recess which closed with slid
ing p an n el s Then battledores and shuttlecocks
were resorted to and all suspicion averted
The Count de Prove n c e possessed an admirable

memory ; the Count d Art o i s on the contrary

experienced the greatest di f
culty in learning a
few sentences by heart ; yet he got through his
parts admirably well for when his memory failed
hi mhe i m pro v i z e d with wonderful facili t y a mode
of proceeding which somewhat confused the other
performers especially when the piece was in vers e
The t wo princesses of Savoy acted tolerably well
but their accent and manner were qu ite foreign
But the dauphiness was decidedly the best per
,

FRE

TH E

N CH

STA

GE

18 5

former of the whole company and it was not mere

conj ugal partiality which induced her consort to
applaud her more frequently and earnestly than
all the rest
When I say that he applauded I must mention
(and I tell those particulars o n the authority of
Madame Campan ) that any noisy manifestations
of Opinion on the part of the sp ect at o r were pro
hi bi t e d He was however permitted to tap lightly
on the crown of his hat ; but even this was n o t
unattended by inconvenience for his royal high
n ess acquired a habit of beating the March of the
French G uards and the performers were some
times obliged to pause till the march was ended
be fore they could resume the interrupted dialogue
In this manner the th ree ill u strious couples passed
many of the happiest hours of their youth It
will perhap s be s ai d that amateur play acting is
not a very royal amusement ; but it nevertheless
served to while away some of the weariest hours of
royalty
However after a time these en tertai nments
lost the zest of novelty and were reli nquished ;
nor were they ag ai n resumed until after the
accession of the dauphin to the throne The

queen s theatrical taste seemed to re v ive at the

o ccasion of a new play by Dorat her maj esty had
consented to hear the play read and Mol e who
,

18 6

TH E

F R E N CH

ST

AGE

read i t for the author acquitted himself so well

that the queen s hi s t ro n i c reminiscences recurred

with renewed attractiveness to her mind and her
maj esty soon afterwards made arrangements for
havi ng an amateur theatre in the palace The
king did not approve of it but his tender af
f
ec
tion for her maj esty induced him to relax a little
of his rigour on this subj ect and the august
t en attracted from the
B o n bo n i ere of Trianon o f
celebrated amateurs whom I have already noticed
the better portion of their au di ences
A t rst the queen did not act Loui s X V I
having di sapproved of her doing so By degrees
however Marie A ntoinette succeeded in over
coming his scruples and at length she acted at
Trianon there being a less strict observance of
etiquette there than when the court was in Pari s
At th at theatre comedi es and comic operas were
carefully rehearsed and excellently performed

Le R oi e t l e Fermier and La G ageure i m

prvu were certainly never played by such ill us

t ri o u s actors nor before so noble an audience
In the former piece the queen sustained the
character of Jen n y and in the latter that of the
The other characters w ere ll ed by
S o u bret t e
the di stinguished personages forming the intimate
social circle of their maj esties and the royal

family The Count d Art o i s not having reliu

,

18 8

THE

FR E NCH

ST

AGE

R icher were engaged to superintend the getting

up of operas and to give any requisite instructions
to the singers
For the superinte n dence of
comedies Preville and Daz i n c o u rt were chosen ;
but Pre vi lle bei n g very much occupied by his
I
had
the
honour
of
e s s i o n al e n a e me n t s
r
of
g
g
p
being appointed in quali ty of s upernumerary
With the View of gaining a greater sanction to
enj oy an amusement her taste f
o r which was dai ly
increasing the queen wished that the Countess
de Provence with whom she had recently been on
rather lukewarm terms should take part in the
performances But the Count de Prove n ce (Mon
sieur) after having to appearance given his con
sent withheld i t and in consequence a little
quarrel ensued between the two illustrious sisters

i n law
The Count d Art o i s happened to be pre
sent o n this occasion H e endeavoured to prevail
on the Countess de Provence to accede to the

queen s wish ; but the countess haughtil y refused

on the ground that it would be beneath her dignity

to act plays
But said Marie An toinette
if
I who am Queen of France act plays surely you

cannot have any scruples

To which the countess

replied : Though I am not a queen Madame I am

of the stu f
f of which queens are made
Piqued at
this comparison the queen answered sharply and
,

TH E FRE

N CH

ST

AGE

18 9

in a manner which made her sister i n law feel that

she considered the House of Savoy as inferior to
the House of Austria which she added was quite as
illustrious as the family of Bourbon The Count

d Art o i s who had hitherto been a silent listener

now smiled and addressi n g himself to the queen
said : I did not before venture to i n trude on
the conversation Madame because I thought you
were angry ; but now I perceive that you are only

j esting
This sarcasm put a period to the dis
-

c u ss i o n

I was instructed to make arrangements for the

performance of the Barber of Seville

and I
likewise superintended the rehearsal of several
operas A t rehearsals the queen used to be re
markable for her cheerful spirits and good humo u r
She used to laugh at her own mistakes and would
readily repeat a passage or even a scene as often
as might be deemed necess ary There were cer
tain incidents in the rehearsals which as far as
her maj esty was concerned the ki n g by no mean s
approved ; as for example when a kiss was to be
given or received Louis X VI would manifest
symptoms of uneasiness ; he would swing back
and forward on his chair and cough loudly

These things he woul d say

may be o h
served i n the performance ; but there is no n e c e s

s it
for
rehearsing
them
It
was
deemed
prudent
y
,

190

FR E N CH

THE

ST

AGE

to take a hint from these manifestations of di s

approbation lest the king should prohibit the
performances altogether It was therefore resolved
that there should be n o saluting at rehearsals ; and
that by way of substitute the lad ies shoul d i n
cline their heads and the gentlemen raise their
han ds to their shirt frills and kiss the lace I am
not prepared to say whether or not this practice
gave rise to the proverb fai re j a bo t

For an amateur dramatic compan y the queen s

was certainly very good ; but exaggerated compli
ments soon cause d the perform ers to entertain
high notions of their own tal ents and the royal
amateurs were S peedily di sunited by feelings of
vanity and j ealousy such as I imagined had no
e xistence but among the professional actors of the
Comdie Fran c aise At rst Marie Antoinette re
vi v e d her private theatric al s solely for the sake of
amusement ; but her love of acting augmented in
proportion as she was attered by success The
suf
rage of a more numerous audience was desired
f
The spectators had heretofore seldom exceeded
forty but their numbers were soon very greatly

increased The o f
cers of the kin g s body guard

and his maj esty s equerries were rst adm itted

Then the o f
cers and equerries of the Count

d Art o i s and the Count de Provence

In a li ttle
ti me after rai led boxes were assigned to di f
erent
f
,

14

192

F R E N CH

TH E

ST

AGE

of the characters she personated In B lai s e and

B abel for example nothing could be more charm
ing than her man ner of half reciting half singin g
the following lines
.

s oir d s s u r l h rb t t
Bl ise t m o i ou s d si o s t ou s deu x
M is i l me qu itt pour L isette
Qui v i t se m l r a j e u x
Le
a

on

an

an

e,

nos

The fact is that the queen s acting was charac

t eri se d by a degree of grace feeling and delicacy
which would have made the fortune of any public
performer
,

193

C H A PT ER X I I

of M l b r
Rev iv l of th t tr gedy I ts t r r
A tt ck
the p riesth o od Rem o str ce of
d i ry succ e
the A rc h b ishop of P ri D e th of D or t the p oet H i r
estim te of his w t le t Th C om die I t lie e
r
I ts e c ro chme t
the d om i of the C m di F r c ise
M ad me Verteu il M dem o i s elle C o t t H r b rilli t p ro
f i l t le t M dem o i s elle V de Profes s i o l ri v lry
H i co c ili t o ry s c heme
Th C ou t d Art i the tre t Bru o y
My p erfo rm c e of C o t
th w rte d L G l t E sc roc
G lph r I mit ti o s of p er so s of r k
F re c h p l ys p e r
form ed t D re s de A cc ide t t o M dem o i s elle M r D r
My imit ti o of him
D g
tt

The

Wid ow

a a

ss

na

o S

nn

an

an

un

an

an

na

ao

an

a n

es

en e

es

a an

ue

ex

es s o n a

on

s
o

on

o n eo u s

a s

the dearth of new pieces the Comdie Fran

g ai s e revived Voltaire s Orphan of China and M

Lemierre probably thinking that a Widow was

entitled to some degree of the favour bestowed on

an Orphan expressed a wish that we would

try the experiment of reviving his tragedy the
N

V OL

194:

N CH

TH E FRE

ST

AGE

Widow of Malabar
On this subj ect he
dressed to us the foll owing witty quatrain :
.

ad

vo s d l is l o gs t s s
C est sse me mettre a l pr
V ou s q ui p ro t ge l rph li
N e fere vou s u t t pour l v euv e
Par

an

an

eu v e

The piece was revived and after some alter

at i o n s made by the author
proved so attractive
that it was performed thirty consecutive nights to
crowded au di ences The viole nt attack o n priest
hood which is the soul and spirit of this tragedy
was the tr ue secret of its success although the
acting of Larive M o u v el an d S ai nval the younger
f
was most powerf
ul and e f
ective Man y of the
tragedi es written about this period were li ttle else
than manifestoes agai nst the clergy ; but that
whi ch Voltaire and hi s imitators had ventured
upon cautiously Lemi erre di d boldly and the
public by their vehement approbation testied
their concurrence in the sentiments of the author
Prece di ng dramatic writers who had un dertaken
to paint fanaticism in its odi ous colours had al
w ays maintain ed a di stinct and paramount subj ect
o finterest wi th which philosophi c allusions were

artfully interwoven But in the Widow o fMa

fall reserve The piece

labar Lemierre threw o f
,

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FRE

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formed thirty successive nights and our treasury

was replenished to our heart s content

Lemierre dedicated his tragedy to the manes of
Dorat who singularly enough di ed on the day
of its rst performance after its revival In the
dedicatory epistle to his friend t he author relates
an anecdote which is honourable to both parties

Let me know said Dorat on his death bed as

soon as possible the fate of the Widow of Ma

labar
The knowledge o fits success will insure

me a good night s rest

Dorat passed the latter years of his life in strife
and contention ; he even quarrelled with the s o ci
t ai res of the Comdi e Fran c aise to whom he was
so much indebted He was moreover involved i n
pecuniary di f
culties ; and the victim of i ll health
the result of a li fe of di ssipation But he af
ected
f
to Vi ew his misfortunes with indi f
erence and even
f
levity and it m ust he confessed gave strong proofs
of fortitude
Dorat forme d a wrong estimate of his o wn ab i li
ties and fell into the mistake of attempting t o
set up his me di ocre t al ent on a level with the
genius of Voltaire This strange misco n ceptio n
led him to imagine that he might successfully try
every class of li terary composition H e would
have succeeded admirably had he conned him
self to one style ; but his ambition was to
,

TH E

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197

shine in all The laurels of the author of Zad ig

Mahomet and the Pucelle excited the envy

Dorat His little tale s were remarkably clever
of
and his poetic epistles highly elegant and graceful
He might have earned a creditable sh are of poetic
reputation at a period when a quat rai n for a

lady s fan would confer literary distinction He

attempted to take the eagle s ight in literature

w hen he ought to have been content to soar upon
the wings o fthe dove
The Comdie Italienne was n o w no longer Ita
lian except in name ; it had become the rival of the
Comdie Fran gai s e This riv al ry at rst com
m en c e d in a very humble spirit ; we were given to
understand that the Italians wished merely to
glean in the vast eld in which we reaped so
abundan tly But not content wi th this they soon
signied their intention of bringing out some of
Marvaux an d
t h e favourite pieces of Delisle
Boissy In their a d dress to the public the per
formers of the Comdie Italienne thus expres s ed

themselves
Thalia who heret o fore dared not
to present herself on these boards except under
the auspices of the goddess of harmony now as
se rts her rights Without breaking the bonds
which unite her t o the tragic muse she may still

reign independently &c

Faithful to this announcement they soon brought
,

K 3

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TH E

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some good comedies and reinforced their

company by some excell ent performers among
others Madame Verteuil This lady who had
earned a high provincial reputation fully con
rmed i t w hen she appeared at the Comdie

Italienne in the character of Sylvia in Les J eux

de l Am o u r e t d u Hazard E asy and graceful a

ction
perfect tact correct enunciation and a delicious
tone of voice were the di stinguishing character
i s t i c s o fthe lady who was now destined to rival
Mademoiselle Co u t at who belonged
o u r actresses
to our company was not yet noticed by the pu bli c
n o r d ul y appreciated by her theatrical colleagues
and Madame Verteuil was superior to any of our
r
s
n
es
a
m
o
u
e
u
s
e
several of whom it must he
ea
j
co n fessed might have traced their baptismal regi s
ters to rather a di stant date Consequently the
Italian Company and the authors who had de
s e rt e d us to write for them rubbed their hands
with j oy and shouted victory
The establishment of this second French theatre
w as more detriment al to the interest of our rs t
rate perfo rmers than to those of the second and
third class ; nay I may even venture to af
rm
that Mademoiselle Co u t at and m yself were gainers
by the i n novation When victories are to be w o n
commanders nd it their interest to atter an d
encourage their troops by the hope o fpromotion
o ut

20
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F R E N CH

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me depressed by the mortifying position into

which I was thrust Our mutual misfortune gave
birth to a mutual frie n dliness of feeling between
us ; to me she almost supplied the place of my b e
loved sister Flicit We comforted ourselves and
each other with the hope of a better fate Made
m o i s ell e Co u t at expressed her condence in the
success of my fu ture career ; I predicted the glory
of
hers She probably owes me something ; I owe
her much
We both simultaneously triumphed
over the coldness of the p art erre and surmounted
the discouraging restraints imposed on us by our
superiors in the dramatic corps Co u t at soon de
v e l O e d talent of the very highest ordertalent
p
the latent germ of which Prv ille alone per
s aw

c ei v e d

Pr evi lle

was the instructor of Mademoiselle

C o u t at and never di d pupil prove more worthy o f
an able master The young actress it is true
conquered i n tuitively all the dif
culties of an art
which af
t er all cannot b e taught ; an d the great
come di an charmed with the precocious i n telli gence
of
the young actress facilitated her acquirement of
those elements of di ction or as they may n o t
u naptly be termed the s o l e
fg g i o fspeech so indis
pensable to success on the stage
Louise Co n tat was between fourteen and fteen
ye ars of age when she rst appeared i n public ;
,

'

TH E

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2 01

she made her d ebut in the year 17 7 6 about t h e

ti me of the rst appearance of Mademoiselle
Vad e who was set up as a rival to her Both
made their d ebat at the Th eatre Fran c aise in the
youthful characters o f tragedy
Mademoiselle
Co u t at possessed great beauty of cou n tenance and
gure but her talent was not of the kind caleu
lated to distin guish her as the representative of
tragic heroines Mademoisell e Va de was pleasing
in person but she evinced still less aptitude for
tragedy she was therefore more favoured by those
inuential members of o u r company who were
fearful of the approach of any risi n g talent But
in spite of this her progress was slow whilst on
the other hand that Ofher rival would have been
rapid had she been af
orded Opportunities of fairly
f
showing her powers N evertheless the restrai n t
thus imposed on her ultimately turned t o her ad
vantage : i t stimulated her to a determinatio n to
prove the injustice of her enemies ; an d accordingly
she exerted herself to give importance to the i n
signicant characters that were allotted to her
This no doubt was the mai n spri n g of her s u b s e
quent success
In the commencement of her
career S h e always acted under the inspiration of
resentment for the i n justice with which she was
treated This sort of feelin g is a never faili n g
spur to a young artist ; and j udging from my own
,

20
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TH E

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observation I am inclined to beli eve that th ere is

no celebrated talent which may not reckon a
certain portion of angry feeli n g amongst the ele
ments of its success
In this respect also Mademoiselle Co u t at and
myself were on a similar footin g She was per
m i t t e d only to take characters which other actresses
rej ected and I could get none but such as M o u v el

and Mol e had declined Co u t at s brilliant talent

continued long in its germ and my e f
orts were
f
for a considerable interval held in check Here
however I must drop the parallel ; it would be the
height of van ity to contin ue it Co u t at like
After the death o f
Dan g u ev i ll e was inimitable
Pr evill e Mademoiselle Co u t at was the brightest
ornament of the French stage
The additions made to the company Ofthe
Th eatre Italienne an d the innovation in the class
bade
o fpieces p erformed at that establishment
fair spee di ly to turn to the advantage of many
performers who had been martyrs to the manage
ment of the Th eatre Fran c aise Mademoiselle
Co u t at who conded her griefs to me and I who
imparted my hopes to her were both sufciently
unpatriotic to rej oice at the blow aimed at the
n ational theatre
Meanwhil e I was frequently engaged to per
form at the amateur theatres of Mademoiselle
,

20
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TH E

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matic comp any was selected partly f

rom the
Th eatre Fran c aise and partly from the companies
o fM ademoiselle G u i m ard and Madame Vill ero i
In short they were all either professional actors
or amate u rs of inferior rank ; and all were hired
and paid A play got up in this manner could
not be regarded in the light of a concession but
was rather calculated to convey a censure on the
co n duct of the Queen It was as much as to say :

We will have plays but we will not be players

Such at least was the interpretation given Ofthe
af
f
air at cou rt and accordi n gly the Queen de
c li n e d the invitation to Brunoy
Thus Monsie ur
with all his adroitness outwitted himsel f
The court was then at Fontainebleau where the
company of the Comdi e Fran c aise were occasion
ally performing I was there when I received a
message from Monsieur in vi ting me to Brunoy ;
my services being required in a play with whi ch
the festivities were to conclude I set Of
fimme
di at ely and arrived j ust in time
His royal high
ness received me with great kindness ; he told
me that he wished me to take a p art in the

G alant E scroc a comedy by Coll in which I

had played very successfully at G u i m ard s the

atre Count G u elph ar the character allotted to
me was one particularly adapted to m y p o w ers and
precisely one of that class which I hoped would
,

TH E

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20
5

one day or other fall to my lot at the Th eatre

Fran c aise It was a correct picture of the rake
of that time Coll whose pen was doubtless
somewhat free has in the comedy of the G alant

E scroc displayed a fund o fnatural humour and

a lively fan cy which few dramatic writers have
excelled I liked the character and I tried to
f
play it with e f
ect ; endeavouring to mould my
self to it as if it were to be o n e of my future
parts I called into play my powers of mimicry
for I had received a carte blan che to imitate any
n obleman or
p et i t ma i t re who might be among the
compan y invited as spectators A ccordi n gly I
chose for my s o s i e any o n e whose brillian t reputa
tion in fashionable life was calc u lated to en hance
the e f
ect of my imitation and consequently obtain
f
the greatest share of applause I did not co n n e my
sketches to one model but rst s el e c t e d o n e person
age and then another ; always being careful to
choose those in whose habits an d peculiarities there
f
was nothing either vulgar or Of
en sive : at the same
time never failing to an imate my Copy with some
prominent perso n al characteristic so as to impress
upon it the stamp of unquestionable resemblance
By this mean s I avoided giving Of
f
ence to the
vanity of an y one ; o n the co n trary I seemed in
some cases to af
f
ord gratication for I afte rwards
received many letters (some accompanied by the
.

20
6

TH E

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GE

f
of
er of presents )requesting me to imitate Mon
sieur le Marquis
or Monsieur l e Comte
I w as in fact l ike a fashionable portrait painter
to whom all the great world are anxious to sit and
when solicited by perso n s who presented no p ec u
l i ari t i e s worthy Of
imitation I used to reply in the
lan guage o ffashionable artists : I cannot under

take to paint eve rybody

Havi n g al luded to my powers of mimicry I
may here relate an anecdote in reference to an
individual illustrious in the annals of scien ce
whose portrait I o n ce took the liberty o fsketching
in the manner I have just described
Whe n the E mperor N apoleon had hi s head
quarters in Dresden one of his favourite amuse
me n ts was theatrical performances A selection
rom the company of the Com di e Fran c aise re
f
paired to the capital o fS ax ony where the master
pieces OfCorneille Moli ere and R acine were
frequently performed U nfortunately an acciden t
for a time deprived us of the services of o n e o f
the ablest handmaids of Thalia ; Mademoisell e
Mars whilst taking a drive in an open carri ag e
was thro wn out and seriously hurt G eneral grief
an d consternation prevailed
an d the celebrated
Dr Des g en et t e s was imme d iately despatched by
the emperor to tender assistance to the charming
actress
,

20
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TH E

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came into play as it were unconsciously ; and

the resemblance was so striking that all who

heard me exclaimed : It is Baron De s g en et t e s

himself This mimicry was quite u n premeditated

and I was not fully aware that I was practising
any imitation till warned by Talma But it was
too late ; the atte n tion of the compan y had
been directed to me and several persons of the
la di es urged me to repeat the imitation I was
thus obliged to enact the character of the great
doctor duri n g the best part of the night
A few days afterwards Coun t Daru d e cri b e d to
Baron De s g en et t e s what had occurred at his party
an d bestowed lavish compliments o n me
Posi

said he
Fleury is more like you than
t i v e ly
you are like yourself You are so gay in society
and so grave in the exercise of your profession al
duties that you are yourselfonly as it were in
shadow Fleury is an embodied likeness of you
DO come an d see him or I sho ul d rather say
come and see yourself I expect hi m this

eveni n g

I was again at Count Daru s and was not a

little astonished when Baron De s g en et t e s stepped
up to me and expressed a wish to see the per
so n atio n of himself about whi ch he had heard so
much and begged I would for a few minutes
become his representative I could not refuse a
,

TH E

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20
9

request which conveyed so high a compliment to

d en t in
me though I confess I felt somewhat di f
attempting the imitation in the prese n ce Ofmy
distinguished model By degrees however I got
inspired with my subj ect ; I moved about chatting
rst with people on my right then with others
on my left placi n g my hand on the hilt Of

my sword after the doctor s peculiar manner I

had at my tongue s end some Ofthe happy mo ts

which were currently assigned to him an d I con
t ri v e d to bri n g them in not perhaps very i n aptly
Then advancing to a lady an d c o n j u ri n g up all
my recollections of my rst interview with the
doctor on his visit to Mademoiselle Mars I went
through a great part of the consultation scene
windin g up the whole with a gracious adieu to
Talma an d a bow to Fleury
A loud round Ofapprobation rewarded my ef
fort De sg e n et t es was i n ecstacy ; he laughed
heartily and advancing to me cordially S hook my
hand and expressed his asto n ishment at my power
of mimicry In my boyhood I used to exercise
this faculty to a great extent
,

C H A PT ER X I I I

A dj fm r c h mp etre C rl o B rt i
i co mm o ly c lled C r
li
H rlequ i
d h i f mily
G o ld o i
Th s w i g
P

h i ll
M d me C rli s p r s i m o y C o dem ti o of
room d oo r C rli s g oo d ess of he rt H i d eb t d retire
me t fr om the st ge Pe cu li ritie s of his t le t Am u si g
im p rov i s ti o P op e C leme t X I V (G g lli )E rly
frie dship b et w ee him d C rli
H h d y r m b le I mi
d the p iers of c heese
of di ffere t im l Th
t at i

Th C h p el of the V i rgin Pi ou s f
eri g B obb i g the
f
lt r
C rli s m er of rel ti g sto ry H i iv e r
m rk s
e

n e

n an

an

an n

an e

an

e as s an

a s

an

an

an

un

na

ns

on

n az z

na

I R E C E I V E D an invitation from my Old friend

Carlin to visit hi m at Chaill ot where he had
recently purchased a little house with a gar
den This humble domain which he j okingly
denominated his vi lla was bo u nded on the east
by the estate of the sieur Morin a farrier and on
,

re l me w C rl o B rt i i d for the sp c e of forty

t wo ye r s he w the riv lled rep re s e t ti v e of H rlequi
1

H is

a na

as

as

un

n az z

an

2 12

THE

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pened to be xed precisely on the head of

A ctaeon we seated ourselves Carlin had invited
his two neighbours (the Sieur Morin and the
Widow Del o rt )two exceedingly noisy personages
who had acqui red the habit of speaking very loud
probably with the view of making themselves

heard above the noise o ftheir workmen s ham

mers
Fortunately however they seemed to
prefer eating to talkin g and therefore we were
favoured with but li ttle of their conversation
My attention was exclusively di rected to Har
l e qu i n an d his family a charming and trul y
patriarchal groupe ; they were the models from
which Florian drew many of his pictures so full
of freshness grace and simplicity L e B o n P ere
is sketched from the life and is a perfect portrait
of C arli n in his domestic character
By degrees the members of our little party got
acquainted with each other and some bottles o f
good M o n t en s c o n e contributed not a little to e n
liv e n u s The conversation if not brilli ant and
witty was good humoured and amusing To me
it was a very a reeable chan ge for I was beginning
to be weary of the monotonous tone of the world
in which I mingled where one was obliged to be
ever on the alert an d always armed to the very
teeth ready to bite either from the fear of being
bitten or to revenge a bite already received I
,

TH E

FRE

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2 13

felt happy in being e n abled to escape for a time

from our green room coterie of dukes counts
marquises an d actors and actresses api n g the airs
of people of fashion
The conversation ceased to be general and our
little party divided itself into separate groupes
Carlin and I gossipped rst about theatrical af
fai rs and then about my family
Carlin made
man y i n quiries about my father and other relations
For a long time past it had bee n o n ly when i n
commun io n with myself that I could enj oy these
ple asing recollectio n s Madame Del o rt co n v ersed
about copper kettles with M Morin who i n his turn

shoes
e d i e d her with a dissertation on horses
G oldo n i drew his chair n ear mine and described
to me how Carlin had suggested to him the idea
of his characters in which he pourtrays the unio n
of kindness of heart an d violence of temper I n
the mean time Madame C arli n had faste n ed up a
rope for a swi n g On e of the childre n a n e
lively little girl had seated herself o n the rope an d
the mother was pushing her backwards and for
wards

You will make that child fall ! exclaimed

Carlin who was at that mome n t naili n g up to the
wall a droopi n g bran ch of one of the trees
The mother stopped ; and Carlin proceeded to
dri ve i n his nail ; muttering t o himself some ex
-

2 14

TH E

F R E N CH

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AGE

pressions of displeasure at not being able to s u e

c eed
Af
ter a few moments the swing was agai n
set in motion ; at rst gently then a little faster ;
and by and by more and more rapidl y
G oldoni
xed his eyes on his i en d then placin g his nger
on hi s lip drew my attention to Carlin The
latter was getting quite out of patience and was
muttering imprecations in Italian upon the wall
and the nails
N eighbour Mori n ! what villanous nail s you

have sent me said he addressing h i mself to the

.

'

They are the very bestthe very best quality

I assure you Monsieur Carlin

coolly replied
Morin

The best quality l said Carlin in a ra e

don t you see it is impossible to hammer

them in P

My dear sir said Morin

that is because

farriers nails are not intended to be driven i nto

stone walls
But suppose your wall were no

harder than a horse s hoof

During this interesting col loquy Madame Car
lin and the rest of the party were enj oying to their

hearts conte n t the di version of the swing A

li ttle burst o flaug hter betrayed the di sobedience
At that moment Carlin had rai sed his hammer for
the purpose of giving a tremendous knock to a
,

14

2 16

THE

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I knew not what to think of all this and my

countenance probably expressed that I felt Of
fended at this strange conduct for G oldoni ad
v an c i n
g to me took my han d and said :
Ah you do not know our friend He is one

of the best of men

h
o
See w his poor wife is c rying exclaimed
Madame Delo rt

A nd the children ! said Morin in di gnantly

Let us all be gone

Oh n o ! do not go yet said G oldoni hurry

ing towards the house We followed him and an
open window enabled us to see into one of the
apartme n ts on the ground oor There we s aw
Carlin consolin g and caressing his wife and the
children

Why are you c rying Z anetta P said he

What are you all cryi n g for eh P
What have
I done ? I di d n o t mean to scold yo u Come
come dry your eyes ! dry yo u r eyes ! Z anetta
come kiss me My dear children embrace and
forgive me
It is all over now My nger
gives me no more pain
There there See

how well I can move it

Whilst he uttered these words in a tone of the
most af
ectionate kin d ness his wife was leanin g
f
over the back o fhis chair and one Ofthe li ttle
ones was sitting on his knee
H e alternately
caressed rst one and then another of his ve
,

TH E

FRE NCH

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2 17

children but we Observed that the youngest

would not return his kiss and continued sobbing
sulkily
Delighted at havi ng witnessed this family re
conciliatio n we were abo u t to withdraw out of
when Madame Del o rt beck
v iew of the window
oued us to stay
Look at him said she
We again peeped in at the window Carlin was
endeavouring to restore the obstinate child to good
humour and with this View he had made a doll of
his wounded nger which was rolled up in a rag
H e took a pen an d traced o n the rag eyes nose
and mouth and thus composed a very good Punch
i n ello throwing it i n to the most grotesque ev o l u
t ions to the innite amusement of the children
f
Th en assuming di f
erent tones Ofvoice he com
m e n c e d a dial ogue with the li ttle gure intro
d u c i n g all sorts of burlesque laz z i in the Italian
manner Then he proposed to introduce as a
S cenic access ary a t art i n e aux co nl a res
His wife
went to get it and one of the children brought a
knife Z anetta cut up the cake and distributed
the sugar plums E very one of the little groupe
now acted a part in the s c en e
H arlequin (for
Carlin had now resumed his Old character )quar
rel le d with Signor Punchinello about a piece of

cake and the refractory ch i ld like La F o n t ai n e s

lawyer seized the obj ect of dispute amidst the
,

V OL

2 18

TH E

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laughter of the other actors and the applause of

the spectators in the garden who had been totally
,

orgotten
f

This scene reminded me of G o ld o n i s B o arri e

In th e co u rse Ofmy visits to C a
rlin
bi enfai s an t
I witnessed sever al incidents of the above kind
and G oldoni related to me some others
Carli n was in easy circumstances and was
blessed with a lovely family His wif
e was not
only warmly attached to him but she treated him
with a peculi ar degree of respect N o two persons
could be more dissimi lar i n di sposition than Carli n
and his wi fe H e was sensitive and impetuous
s h e cold and passi ve There was another trait in

her character which tended to excite Carlin s hasti

ness of temper She was excessively parsimonious
and h er husband loved not only to enj oy what he
was possessed of but was sometimes inclined to
launch into a little extravagance
One evening I was playing with him at hi s f
a
i t e game of piquet
H e asked for the snuf
ers
v o ur
f
His wife brought them They were a pair of very
common snu f
f
ers

N ot these
N ot these said C arlin

My dear murmured his wife

Bring the others

the handsome p ai r

N ever mind use these in the meanwhi le re

sumed the wife
,

2 20

TH E

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A GE

t er several violent e f
and af
orts f
orced the door
f
from its hinges and it fell to the ground His
rage was still unquenched and taking it on
his back like Samson bearing t he gates of G aza
he ascended the stairs uttering an oath at every
step His wif
e alarmed at the noise ran to see
what was the cause of it

What is the matter P said she

Have you

taken the door o f

fits hinges P

Yes s ai d he I have and throwi ng it down

he placed hi s foot on the condemned culprit

P
But what faul t had you to nd with it
said

Madame Carlin ; it was a good o ak en door

How
Will you attempt to defend it P

It was an excellent door

But it was al ways in my way and now I have

made an end of it I won t be pestered with it an y

more

It was newly painted said Madame Carli n

What ! Will you persist ! I tell you I have
been hu rt by it and I will take care it sh al l not
hurt me again But I have been too ki nd to it

as it is !
Then in the presence of his wife he wrenched
fthe lock and bolts and having stript it o f
of
threw it into a garret among
all its attributes
a heap of lumber Madame Carlin remained si
lent as she always did when she saw her husband
.

F R E N CH

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22 1

in these ts of passion On the present occasion

she knew that one word uttered by her would
doom the door to irretrievable ru in Af
ter a pause
of a few moments Carlin murmured to himself :
Hem
I will have it made into stools
Other instances of his lu di crous ts of rage
might be related
But there were times when
these paroxysms bordered on the sublime rather
than the ridiculous and when his anger was ex
cited by feeli ngs which di d honour to his heart
Of this the following is an example
He had lent twenty v e louis to B erqu el au re,
one of the dancers of the theatre Poor B erqu e
laure who was in very straitened circumstances
and b u rthened wi th a numerous family was u n
able for a considerable time to repay the money
At lengt h he collected the su m and called on
Carlin for the purpose of d ischarging the debt
an d apologizing for the delay

Formerly said Carlin you used to come to

see me every week But I see how it is if you
wish to lose yo u r friend lend him money

I really have not had time for visiting s aid

my p u pils have so occupied me
B erqu e l au re

said Carlin ; Oh ! you have pupils

Pupils
Then why have yo u not been able to repay
P
the money sooner
The truth is, that my wife
.

2 22

TH E

Your wife

t rav ag an t P
.

FRE

N CH

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AGE

said Carlin ; What is she ex

Ah ! you dancers alway s have

extravagant wives !

Mine is not extravagant s ai d B erqu el au re

she is amiable economical and domestic

But she has been ill

Ill ! Oh she has been ill has she P

Yes she has been ill for six months and now

she is scarcely recovered

What your wife ill and not yet recovered !

exclai med Carlin in a thundering voice and you
f
dare to o f
er me the money W hat do you take
me for ? Do you think I am a mo n ster
a
tiger ? What must you think of me to suppose

me capable of taking the money

But my de ar Carlin
said B erqu el aure
To presume to o f
er it to me before I asked
f
for it
G abriel ! G abriel !
Open the door

and S how M B erqu el au re out

Then as he was
going he called out What wo u ld you go without
wishing me good bye !
G ood bye
G abriel !

sho w him out I say Morbleu S how him out !

Such was Carlin in hi s private character Such
was the heart of honest Carlo B ert i n az z i who for
the space of forty two ye ars was the unrivalled re
presentative of Harlequin
,

p rec edi g p ge w e h ve d oub ted the dep rt ure from

the world of Madem oi elle G i m rd w e c o t l ook t o these
1

If

in

an n

224

TH E

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disfavour Carlin s perf

orm ance lost none of its
attractiveness

The most striki ng characteristic of Carlin s ta

lent was the perfect truth to nature whi ch per
vaded his action and delivery It was not that
every thi n g he said was clever but every thing he
f
said pro duced e f
ect To authors he was a most
invaluable performer H e carried ill usion so far
that the audi e n ce o f
t en appe ared to applaud a
joke when they were o n ly applaudi ng the ton e in
which it was uttered A s to hi s pantomime it
was so perfectly natural that his movements f
re
quently deceived persons who were in the habit
of witnessing hi s perf
orm ances
If in o n e o f
those laz z i peculiar to the charact er of Harlequin

he made a y li ss aae across the stage the spectators

trembled in the expectation of s e eing him fal l
prostrate If in a night scene he had to strike hi s
head against a door o r a wall every one shuddere d
lest his brains shoul d be dashed out
His n ai ve delivery and his natural action were
so illusive that those who saw hi m mi ght have
p ersuaded themselves they were witnessin g inci
dents in real li fe rather than those of the mimic
scene I have heard it al leged that children when
in the boxes near t h e st ag e wo uld enter into con
versation with Harlequin and Carlin availi n g
himself of the privilege of hi s character would

TH E

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225

improvise a dialogue introducing the ea l emp o re

interlude so cleverly that it seemed to belong to
the piece and people who went to s e e Carlin a
second time in the same character have been
known to encore the scene of H arlequin and the

children
In spite of his embo np o i n t all his movements
were marked by grace and activity From the
lightness and elasticity of his step and the ele
gance of his attit udes one might have imagined
whilst looking at him that he was a young and
S lender Harlequin
On the stage truth is not that
which really has existence but that which the

actor s art leads t he spectators to suppose : for ex

ample Carlin wo u ld have induced his audi ence to
suppo se that his mask was a real countenance with
m obile and expressive features
His tone of voice
attitudes and gestures were so natural and pro
d u c e d such a perfect illusion that I have f
re
quently dete cted myself as well as others in the
act of looking through the lo rg n ett e the better to
watch the play o fa countenance which seemed to
express every thing but which after all was
nothing but a black mask
The friendship which had existed between Pope
Clement X IV (G an g an elli ) and B ert i n az z i was a
subj ect of gossip in the coteries OfParis I t was
even alleged that at the time of the negotiations

226

TH E

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respecting Avi gnon Carlin di scharged the f

u nc
tions o fplenipotenti ary I wished to know the
truth of all the stories that were related on thi s
subj ect The rst time I S poke to Carlin about
the celebrated G an g an elli he raised his eyes to
heave n and such an expression of sadn ess over
clouded his countenance that I could not doubt
f
the friendship he had cherished for that ponti f
whose death excited so painful a sensation

Yes said he
I was attached S in cerely at
t ac h e d to that great man whose high reputation
brought him so li ttle happiness Lorenzo and I
were like two brothers H e was Clement X IV to
the great and powerful b ut he always remained
Lorenzo to poor B ert i n az z i I have been happie r
i n my obscurity than he i n his elevation
Had he
remained in obsc u rity he would have been among
us now He would have instructed my children
and would have played a game at piquet with you

and me Fleu ry and would have beat us both

On a subsequent occasion Carlin related to me
some detai ls of his boyish ye ars when he was the
constant companion OfG an g an elli
He told me
that G oldoni and Mercier the dramatist had pre
v i o u sl
heard
from
C
arlin himself the particulars
y
which I am about to relate respecting the successor
of
St Peter and the successor o fThomassin
Both were brought up in one of those establish
,

14

228

F R E N CH

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holidays On these occasions they took long ram

bles about the country ; and in the course of their
excursions Carlin used to amuse himself and hi s
friend by imitati n g the braying Ofasses which he
di d in such perfection that he sometimes deceived
even the N estors of those Arcadi an courser s By
di nt o fattentive Observation he could distingu ish
the braying of the male from that of the female
ass ; and he learned the peculiar intonations and
expressions by whi ch the animals indicated various
f
feelings as for example hunger rage or af
ection
Studying under the best models his execution
soon became perfect Lorenzo whose lungs were
not quite so stro n g as those of his companion
applied himself to the imitation of cock crowing
an art in which b e attained co n siderable pro
ei en cy though far from equalling the perfection
of his friend In short had the two young mimics
main t ained a conict together af
ter the mann er of

Fontenelle s shepherds an impartial j udge would

h ave been embarrassed to decide which o fthem
deserved the palm
This power Ofimitation enabled them to play
various droll tricks Someti mes they would sall y
forth before the dawn of day and Lorenzo would

commence crowing in the vicinity o fthe peasants

cottages Th e poor peasants to whom the crow
ing of the cock was the signal for rising started
.

F R E N CH

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2 29

up and went to work earlier than was needf

ul
The innocent cocks in the farm yards bore the
blame of deranging all calculations of time and
the future pope had to reproach himself for many
a premature roast an d fricasse But after all no
great harm was done ; the peasants got through

their day s labour the earlier and i fa few youn g

cocks were slaughtered they were only the more
tender
But the tricks of these mischievous urchi ns
were not all of this innocent kind ; talent is some

times a dangerous gift and C arlin s powers of

mimicry led him and his youn g companion into
the commission of a little roguery
Both were fond of cheese In France there
would be nothing remarkable in this taste ; but in
Italy it is a taste of the most aristocratic class to
be indulged only by a prelate or a dainty lady of
fashion In Italy a taste for cheese is not less
luxurious than in other countries is the taste for
strawberries or peaches or pine apples whose very
smell associates itself with ideas of rened society
The two youthful friends were both exceedingly
fond of this national dainty their propensity for
which they could have no hope of indulging had
not their imitative talent suggested a trick
One day they Observed a peasant tardily driving

his ass along the plain The animal s paniers were

lled with cheese destined to be sold in the
.

2 30

TH E

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neighbouring market B ert i n az z i having retired

to some little distance immedia t ely commenced a
most sentimental bray and received as he ex
Find
ec t e d a most s u itable reply from the ass
p
ing that the unsuspectin g animal had fall en into
the snare he ventured to make a second appeal
still more tender than the rst : the invitation
was irresistible The peasant was wal king a few
paces in advance of the ass and without hol di n g
the bridle Opportunity favoured the escape and
the ass unobserved slipped aside to the spot whence
the summons had proceeded ; there the two friends
spee di ly ransacked the paniers of the disappoin ted
animal and ran away laughing with their booty
In the course of a day or two the cheese was all
consumed and nding themselves without money
to buy more they again set their wi ts to work
A ft er a weary stroll they sat down to rest them
selves o n a block of stone near which there was
a little chapel de di cated to the Virgin In this
sanctuary the faithful were accustomed to deposit
their o f
erings For this purpose instead of a box
f
which dishonest persons might have contrived to
run away with the follo i n g plan was adopted
The sanctu ary was hermetically closed by a door
This door was composed of a thick substantial

piece of wood up to the height of a man s waist ;

above that it was surmounted by iron bars placed
so closely together that no o n e could thrust his arm
.

2 32

TH E

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You are right to correct me Carlo ! and

Lorenzo crossed himself and muttered a prayer

R eally resumed Carlo I do not see that there

wo ul d be any great harm in taking those haj o cci

N ot if they were taken for a good purpose

I cannot imagine any better purpose than t o

ng
i
at i s f the cravings of hunger
So
say
LO
y
renzo thrust a long stick between the raili ngs but
the stick had no magnetic power and it served
no purpose but t o t hro w the pieces of money
from the altar to the ground
Stay ! I think I have hit on the right plan

now s aid Lorenzo ; and drawing out his knife

he made a slit in the end of the stick and inserted
in the aperture a small slip of wood thus formi ng
a sort of spoon or shovel But this experiment
t er repeated trials he suc
fail ed ; for when af
c ee d e d in slipping his instrument under one of
the pieces of money it sli pped o f
fag ai n before he
had raised it a few inches from the ground

Come Lorenzo it is useless li ngering here

any longer What pains you are t aking to Violate

the sixth commandment

replied Lorenzo
Perseverance is a vi rtue

drily B ut after a few moments delay in despair

of attaining his obj ect he sighed and prepared to
follow his companion They had not advanced
man y paces when Lorenzo struck his forehead
with his hand and began capering about j oyf
ully
,

TH E

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2 33

Stay C arlo e xclaimed he ; I have a t ho u g ht

in my head : g o u p to the top of that little hi llock ;
if any person should appear in sight give me
warn ing by a good lo ud bray and I will let yo u
know that I hear you by answering in one of my

very best crows

Carlo obeyed though without being at all aware
of what his friend intended to do
Lorenzo repaired to a ditch which was hard by
and scraped together a handf
ul of clay which he
moulded into the form of a b al l Af
xi n g it to
the end of the stick which a few moments pre
v i o u sl
had
served
him
so
ine
f
f
ectively
he
has
y
tened to the chapel thrust his new machine
between the rails and immediately raised it up
with one of the pieces of money sticking to the
clay He had successfully repeated the operation

two or three times when Carlo s bray was heard ;

fully satised with his triumph he answered the
signal by three glorious crows which resounded
through the air like the trumpet of victory
This story which acquires its chief interest
from the after fortunes of one Ofthe parties who
gure in it was related to me by Carlin with all
his peculiar and versatile humour His animated
Italian gesticulation infused life and expression
into the most trivial details of everything he de
scribed His anecdotes derived a peculiar colour
ing from the half French half Italian accent in
,

2 34

FR E N CH

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which they were related ; and he had moreover

an amusing habit of stampi n g his f
oot petulantly
on the ground and striking his forehead when he
could not get out a French word, af
ter he had
repeated twenty times the correspon di ng expres
sion in Italian A dd to all this the truly fraternal
f
af
ection he exhibited whenever he alluded to Lo
renzo and it may be imagined that the interest of
the anecdote was not a little enhanced by his man
ner Ofrepeating it

Truly ! observed I to Carlin when he told

it me this was a strange beginning for a pope

Why as to his crowing like a cock said

Carlin
I don t know that that was so very

extraordi n ary in a successor of St Peter

Well ! but stealing the Of
erings from the altar
f
of the Virgin

Oh ! as to that M o as a Fleury replied he

you must admit that no one could be better able

than a Pope to make due restit ution in after
times
,

This rem i ds u s of the f c t th t

of the m o st emi e t of
ou r E glish j u dges w de c e sed w h ose c rimi l ch rges w ere
b ey o d me sure f
f
e c tn d ff
li c ti g w exp elled fro m s c h oo l
for ste li g tu rk ey E
1

a n

no

an

one

na

as

2 36

TH E

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namely the Opening of our new theatre in

the Faubourg St G ermain for the rst time
on the 9t h of April 17 8 2 The performance

on that occasion was R acine s

Iphig enie
preceded by a prologue written by M Imbert

intitled L I n au g u rat i o n du Th eatre Fran c ais ;

a very S illy production which was unmercifully
hissed A s to the theatre it was universally
admired at least the interior
The exterior
was not so much approved the fac ade being
considered somewhat too heavy and the whole
structure wanting in dignity But in France at
that time it was seldom that anything for the
promotion of the arts was done on a really grand
sc al e Pecuniary calculations checked the de
v el o m en t of taste
For the erection of the new
p
t heatre the eminent architects MM Peyre and
Wailly were selected : they drew a most magni
c en t plan but owing to the obst a
cles thrown in
their way the execution fell far short of the de

sign
said an
Q ue di a ble ! my dear Wailly
inuential personage addressing the architect

during the progress of the b u ilding ; cannot we

dispense with a few of these pill ars

This spirit
of parsimony was carried to a rigorous extreme ;
as the buildi n g approached completion its i n
u e n c e was discer n ible even in the painting and
decoration of the interior B u t a short time aft er
,

TH E

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2 37

the opening we had the s alle painted blue in order

to relieve the insipid and too uniform tint of the
interior
One signal reform marked the inauguration of
our new theatre ; the pit was provi ded with seats
Thi s innovation was regarded as a triumph of
good sense and g ood taste over a remnant of
feudal barbarism This improvement had lon g
been demanded especially since the i ncreasing
disposition to tumult manifested by the frequenters
of the pit The accommodation of seats af
f
orded
a reasonable grou n d for raising the price of admis
sion because it was presumed that the company
would be of a superior order The newspapers
remarked that we should now have the pit lled with
spectators worthy of j udging and encouraging us
since they would be able to hear and understan d
us M de Laharpe was o n e of the most zealous
advocates for the pit seats ; he alleged that no
rst performance had any fair chance with a pit
ranged in perpe n dicul ar lines ; that a standing pit
was enough to mar the success of any piece
Possibly Laharpe had not maturely considered
the matter for a cabal of the boxes condemned

R acine s Ph edre an d it might have been asked

whether the non success of Laharpe s Barme

cides was solely attributable to the standing pit

Authors and j ournalists seemed to rack their
,

2 38

TH E

FRE

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brains for arguments i n favour of pit seats whilst

n ly and real
the O
reason for their introduction
seemed to be simply that people are more at their
c as e sitti n g than stan d i n g
A proof of the fallacy of most of the arguments
adduced against a standi n g pit is that the seated

pit most heartily hissed M I mb ert s prolog u e on

the night of our opening The fact is that in all
theatres the occupants of the pit will invariably
take the lead either in applause or disapprobation
They are the independent portion of the audi ence
In the pit a man feels as much at his ease as
though he were at home ; but a box is a sort of
drawing room i n which the presence of ladi es
must always check an y violent manifestation of
feeling and Opinion The exclusion of fem al es
from the pits o fo ur French theatres is doubtless
re
a prin cipal cause of the tumul t which so f
quently pervades them If females were admitted
gallantry would doubtless impose decorum but it
might also impose coldness Theatrical perform
ance would be very tame without the excitement
of anxiety fear hope or the coni ct of Opinion
There must be a spontaneous j udgment and no
hal f decisions
But to return to M de Laharpe It is now my
task to notice one of his dramatic productions
whi ch was attended with complete success that
,

2 40

FRE

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knew the character OfLaharpe may readi ly ima

gine how vain it made him At one of the per

A udiences de Thali e he o b
f
o rm an c e s of his
served a very beautiful young lady am ong the
persons most e arnest in applaudin g him Laharp e
as a matter of course fell deeply in love with her
H e always let the public into the secret of his
f
er
little adventures (nothing being matter of i n di f
ence in the life of a great man) and accordingly
a few days afterwards he addressed some stanzas
to the lady which he failed not to publi sh
The Obj ect of this sudden ame was no other
than M ademoiselle Cl o phile formerly a third rate
dancer at the A cadmie R oyale de Musique and
at the time here alluded to a favourite of the
famous Prince de Soubise Though the charms
of this lady were not of the most brilliant order
yet they were suf
ciently powerful to enslave the
i llu s t ri o U s critic
one of the learned forty La
harpe was as seriously in love as if he had been
twenty years old and was determined that every
one should know it for he appeared in company
with the lady at the theatres the promenades the
ridotto and even at the A cademy to the great
scandal of many honest bo urg eo i s es who attered
themselves that they were so many As p as i as when
they honoured the A cadmie poet with their smiles
What a mortifying rivalry ! The ungrateful man
,

FRE

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24 1

to fall in love with an Opera dan cerwithout phi

without metaphys i cs in either her head or
lo s o p hy
her heart
TO forget himself so far as to declare
that he had never loved until he loved Mademoiselle
Cle o ph i le ! What a shameless retractation of all
the verses prin ted in the Mercure o fthe sonnets
published in the J ournal de Paris !
What
cries of indignation and vengeance were raised
ag ainst him !
In spite of his great talents
L aharpe was generally disliked His egregious
vanity made him innumerable enemies There
was scarcely any one who did not owe him a
grudge for some Of
ensive display of self conceit ;
f
for unfortunately the estimation in which he held
himself was a prej udice which he was always
strivi ng to compel the res t of the world to adopt
It was justly observ ed by a witty writer of the day
that it would be a protable speculation to buy
Laharpe at the price he was worth and to sell
him at the price at which he valued himself
,

'

vou s vou dre f ire b i t t

U
fo rtu e imme se u t t qu e l g i t ir
I l vou s f u t c heter L h rp e
qu il v u t
Et l v e dre
qu il t i m
Si

ne

en

cc

an

a a

s es

cc

n e,

In the department of tragedy the rst novelty

perf
ormed in our new theatre was a piece entitled

A gis
It was the maiden production o fa young
,

V OL

2 42

F R E N CH

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author named L ai g u el o t and had previously been

performed before the court at Versai lles in the
year 1779 L ai g u el o t was the son of a poor
baker at Versailles who had presented it to
the theatre without recommendation or intro
duction It was as a matter of course rej ected
and probably would never again have been heard
o f had not our comrade Larive
struck with the
merit which he discerned i n the piece re c o m
mended i t to the attention of the Duke de Ville
u
i
er and s o m e other persons connected with the
q
court of Versaill es Their intercession Obtained
for it the favour of a second readin g an d sup
ported by the su f
f
rage of M M Thomas and Ducis
it experie n ced a favourable receptio n The s u b
j cet was perhaps of too austere a ch aracter to
be rendered susceptible of the ki nd of interest best
s u ited to the prevailing manners of the age La
rive sustained the character of Ag i s His costume
was made in strict conformity with hi storical ac
curacy It was greatly a dm ired and set o f
fhis
noble gu re to the best advantage The author of

A gis though he had been patronized by the

court of Versaill es after wards gured i n the Con
v en t i o n
and was one of those who vote d for the
death of Louis X VI

Af
ter A gis we revived the comedy of L es

Philosophes
It had a run of only ve or s i x
,

2 44

TH E

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that the alleged indelicacy of his play was merely

a pretence to avoid bringing it out he applied for
and Obtained the approbation of the censor Cre
b ill on Furnished with this sanction he solicited
a second readi ng of hi s play before the committee
the Comdie Fran c aise
of
A meeting Ofthe committee took place in the
mo n th of M arch 177 5 I was then at Lyons
Twen t y fo ur of the performers were on the com
mi t t ee and of the twenty three present Pali s s o t
Piqued at the
h ad only ve votes in h i s favour
conduct o fthe author the maj ority of eighteen
addressed a letter to him stating that solely to
avoid woun di ng his vanity they had grounded
their rst refusal on the indecorous title and sub
j ec t Ofthe play ; but that independently of these
Ob
j ections it possessed faults of another kind :
in short that the play might possibly be acted i f
the author could throw into i t l s t action ; 2 n d
interest ; 3rd taste and 4t h a plot E nraged at
this string of cyphers Pali s s o t resolved to appeal
to public opinion H e had the play printed at

rst under the title of Les Courtisans

But he
af
t erwards chose a second title and as the play had
been a ccused of indel icacy he thought it would

be as well to call it The School of Morals

Finding himself at war with the ph i losophers of
whom he declared the performers of the Comdie
,

TH E

F R E N CH

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2 45

Fran c aise to be merely the tools he deemed it

politic to concili ate the favo ur of the clergy He
prevailed on some inuential members of the
c hu rc h to believe that his comedy was not only
perf
ectly correct but that its performance might
contribute materially to the increase of morality
The consequence was that a coterie of bigots u n
d ert o o k to support the author and obtain the

King s command for the performance of the pious

play Th e Archbishop of Paris hi mself espoused
the cause of Pal i s s o t ; and af
t er the drama had
undergone some ju di cious alterations to please
Louis X VI a royal mandate was issued for its
er
f
ormance
at
the
Comdie
Fran
c
aise
p
The performers resigned themselves to their
fate and the play was acted Mademoiselle Co u t at
played the character OfRo s ali e and displayed u n
equivocal proofs of her high talent From the per
f
o rman c e of this comedy may in fact be dated the
commencement of her dramatic career Preville
and I were overj oyed at her success It was ea s y
to perceive even at this early period of her p ro
gress that we could boast of possessing a truly

great actress This reconciled her to Pal i s s o t s

comedy which notwithstanding the severe sen
tence of its rst j udges was a produ cti o n of con
s i d erabl e literary merit
,

M 3

2 46

FR E N CH

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The reader wi ll doubtless recollect the request

made to me by my comrade Dugazon to aecom
pan y him on one o fhis romantic V isits to the
cottage of Bani eres and that I was prevented
complying w ith his wish by being summoned to
Versailles on the subj ect of the marriage proj ected
by Madame Campan between me and Made
m o i s ell e R auco urt
Dugazon felt piqued at my
refusal to go with him and for some time after he
an d I were on rather lukewarm terms
H owev er
he soon resumed his wonted cordiali ty of man ner ;
indeed I may s ay t hat his friendshi p for me
seemed to be augmented by reason of the li ttle
lapse it had suf
f
ered H e was altogether a crea
ture of imp u lse whose feelings alternated by
su d den ts and starts E ven his acting bore the
impress of hi s excellent but ckle nature In the
i lie
his kind heart his feelings of af
o v ero wi n s Of
g
tion and friendship appeared sometimes to waste
themselves and become exhausted The c o n
sequence was that hi s ts Ofardour were inva
ri abl
y succeeded by interv al s of coolness
On the retu rn of his fervent fri ends hi p towards
me he generously resolved to secure me an i n
come o feighteen thousand francs per annum ;
an d without giving me the most distant hi n t O f
his intentions he had kindly made every p reli mi
,

2 48

TH E

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who aspired to the honour Ofbecoming saints our

wo rthy comrade was perhaps the one with whose
sanctity was mingled the largest proportion of
alloy
I n spite of her courageous resolve it would
appear that Luzi sometimes cast a lingering look
behind and Dugazon who was her friend and
condent could easily perceive that her heart was
not wholly with her in her retirement This sug
gested to Dugazon the magnanimous scheme I have
above alluded to and in the warmth of his renewed
friendship he was an xious to secure to me the
honour and happiness of a union with the new
convert It would appear that there must have
been something exceedingly matrimonial in my
look and air !
This was the second attempt
wi thin a very brief space of time to l ink me in

Hymen s silken bonds

I co ul d p ardon Madame
Campan but there are cert ai n ins u lts which are
f
cruelly felt when Of
ered by a friend !
D ugazon evidently expected to encounter some
opposition o n my part In spite of his natural
disposition to express with unreserved candour
any idea that occurred to him he did not ac
t u al ly
broach the subj ect at once but pro
c ee d e d to smooth do wn anticipated di f
cul ties by
givi n g me the opportunity of a d miring the fair
saint in her retreat W ith this View he at rst
,

TH E

F R E N CH

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AGE

2 49

invited me t o visit her u nder pretext of aecom

panying hi m and by and b y I began to invite

him to accompany me Lu zi s house was a V ery

agreeable visiting place The dinners were excel
lent as they usually are at the tables of very pious
persons ; and the lady herself was very pleasant
company H er conversation was intelligent and
sprightly and total ly free from bigotry or i n t o l e
rance R eligion which was said to occupy all
h er thoughts at all events never became the sub
j cet of her discourse
A nd so for the second time marriage was pro
posed to me
not with the condition Ofa tur
bulent and stormy li fe s uch as I sho u ld have led
with R aucourt but with the prospective of placid
tranquillity an undisturbed dead calm
Happy Fleury !
R egardl ess of my own interests I nevertheless
declined the pious ho n ne fo rtun e and after two or
three formal Visits merely to avoid the appearance
of a too sudden rupture I bade farewell to Luzi
thoroughly persuaded though entertaining t h e
highest respect for every woman who forsakes the
world for the love of piety that it is innitely
easier to bec o me a mart yr than a s aint !
A t my next interview w ith Dugazon I did not
fo rget to thank him for his good intentions bu t
-

M 5

2 50

TH E

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b egged

that he would not in fu ture trouble him

s elf to arrange an y conjugal sche m es for me as I
preferred settling those af
f
airs for myself

You have refused to seal your own happiness

said he

I have refused to mar my own comfort I

replied

A n amiable woman

Old enough to be my mother

E ighteen thousand livres per annum

A nd fty years of age

A position in society
My position is at the Com di e Fran c aise

P
said I
A m I not next to M o l

You think that M o u v el will remain at the

court of Sweden P

U nless he has set out on his return

A King s caprice took hi m there and a King s

caprice may send him back again G ustav u s is

like all other princes said Dugazon

P
A nd am not I like other actors
exclaimed

I
The truth is that when I have traced out
my own course I do not like to be driven fro m

it

I suppose said Dugazon you are ambitious

of
treadi n g in the footsteps of Mol e and becoming

the terror of husbands

,

2 52

TH E

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occurred in the above little dialogue between

Dugazon and myself
For some time previously my advancement at
the Comdi e Fran c aise had been more rapid than
I had ever ventured to atter myselfit would be ;
my rank in the company being at that time imme
For my sudden rise I was
di at ely next to M o l
i n debted to the following circumstances M o u v el
one of o ur most favo u rite actors a clever author a
man admired in private life and whose position in
society and on the stage was mos t adv an t a
.

most
unexpectedly
quitted
France
in
the
g
very zenith of his professional success His sud
den departure gave rise to a t h o u san d conj ectures :
its real cause was the acceptance by M o u v el of an
f
er of an engagement as pri ncipal
Often repeated Of
performer in the French theatre maintained on a
most splendid footing b y G ustavu s I II at Stock
holm The vacancy thus le f
t in our company
gave me prom otion to the rank of a senior asso
ciate
I was now in my turn an an ci en and an Op p o r
t u n i t y soon occurred to enable me to t ake a cha
rac t er suited to my position
It was proposed to

revive the comedy of L E c o le des Bourgeois

which had not been performed since the death o f
Bellecourt This comedy written by Del ai n v al
eo u s ,

'

TH E

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2 53

contained some scenes not u nworthy of Moli ere

M o l refused the character of the M arquis

I will take it said I

What ! after my husb a

nd ? exclaimed Ma
dame Bellecourt

Yes madame replied I though the player

is dead the play still lives

I appeared in the character and my performance
was crowned with signal success ; a success which
was not ephemeral ; for the character remained
exclusively my own I was never d o u bled in it
and it was the character in which I eventually
took leave of the Th eatre Fran c ais
But to return to Dugazon whom I left over
whelmed with painful emo tion by my revival o f
the recollection o fhis mistres s
The reader already kno ws what occu rred on the
evening o n which I rst met the mysterious
stranger at the abode of Bani eres I mentioned
that Minette or Migon as she was also called on
recovering from the swoon into which she had
been thrown by the horror stirring narrative Of
the mysterious guest whispered as she left the
room a few words in the ear of Dugazon Those
words were an invitation to meet her in the wood
of Ro m an v i lle on the Tuesday followi n g that is to
say three days after
.

2 54

TH E

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Dugazon fai led not to repair punctually to the

place o fassignation Half an hour elapsed af
t er
the time appointedthen a whole hourthen a
long interval which Dugazon took no note of
H e had just resolved to leave the place of rendez
vous and to repair at all hazards to the cottage o f
Bani eres when Minette appeared But how was
she changed in the brief interv al which had
elapsed since Dugazon last saw her She was
pale and attenuated ; her eyes were red an d
an d she had scarcely
Swollen with weeping
strength to walk The beautiful Provencale was
transformed to a shadow
My friend ew to meet her and o f
f
eri ng her his
arm for support for her strength seemed utterly
exhausted he said : Minette you are ill

ry ill

an d
Yes she replied
and mi serable
miserable
These words were uttered in a
tone of deep despondency and despair which
lled Dugazon with horror

A nd you have come here that I may rescue

you said he
A dmit me to your condenc e
and let me know h o w I can save you I am
convinced that you are under the inuence o fa
baneful power which
H e did not nish the sentence but Minette
.

14

2 56

TH E

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Dugaz on stamped his foot and m u ttered an

imprecation

Tell me his name, said he his real name !

A s to what he calls himself it is nothing

I admit s ai d Minette that it is s o

bu t

his real name I cannot tell

You cannot !

I am bo u nd by a fearful oath said she pro

n
the bones of
n o u n c e d over a shattered co f
the disinterred dead !
A sk me no questions
You wo ul d shrink from the horrors which
you press me to reve al
But hear what I may
and what I wish to tell you I have begged of you
to meet me here because there is a person who yet
can save me
who can save us all
That

person is Dr L as s o n n e the queen s physician

You know him and I have sometimes heard you
I am ill
very ill send M
S peak of him
L as s o n n e to me but beg him to assume a false
name when he Visits me H e knows my persecutor
H e will do
that which I dare not
can

not do
H aving uttered these words Minette would
have sunk from exhaustion and fatigu e had not
Dugazon supported her She b urst into a ood
of tears H e pressed her to his bosom when
suddenly as if stung by a serpent she uttered a
,

TH E

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2 57

piercing shriek started back and extending her

arm to keep Dugazon apart from her she stood
motionless as if struck with epilepsy

G ood heavens ! what does this mean P ex

claimed Dugazon amazed

Minette gazed wildl y at him After a moment s

pause she took his hand Her expressive eyes
seemed to sue for pardon ; but before a word of
kindness could escape his lips she fell as if li f
e
less to the earth
Dugazon was in the act of raising her when a
man rushing out of one of the thickets of the
wood exclaimed in a loud voice : Has not this
P
interview lasted long enough
These words restored Mi n ette to consciousness
and as if starting from a dream she exclaimed :

It is he !
It is he !
What right have y o u sir to ask that ques

tion P said Dugazon in a to n e of deance ad

dressing himself to the intruder whom he imme

d i at ely recognised to be t he man

Let it suf
said the stranger that I
ce sir
tell you I possess the right and choose to exer

cise it
n
i
e er
These words were expressed in a tone o f
j
g
contempt ; and the speaker as he uttered them

drew Minette s arm within his and was draggin g

her away
,

2 58

FR E N CH

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AGE

Dugazon maddened with rage rushed before

them to prevent their departure The stranger
warned him to stand aside and to employ not a
word of menace nor a gesture OfOpposition
I

am all powerful here said he

A t this moment
re arms are pointed at you and Minette !
My expert marksmen never missed a partridge on
t he wing ; do not force them to give fat al evidence

of their skill
Look ye pursued he touch
ing with his can e the branch of a tree which
fand which he held i n his
Dugazon had broken o f
hand in a menacing attitude
In a moment
the report o fre arms was heard and a ball
struck the branch which fell from the hand o f
Dugazon who stood al most petried with amaze
ment

Well done my brave fellows exclaimed the

stranger
A nd now I in my turn will show

how well I can take aim

S o saying he threw a purse towards the spot
from whence the shot had been red as in di cated
by the smoke

You came h ere to obtain tidings of me said

the stranger : you shall hear who and what I am

I am powerful because I possess millions : I am
obeyed because I lavish money profusely : I bear a
great name which I never pronounce and which I
prohibit every one who knows it from pronouncing
,

260

FRE N CH

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AGE

he received a note from Bani eres couched in the

following terms
,

We are very much alarmed for Minette The

do ctor who attends her evidently does not under
stand the nature o fthe illness under which she is
f
suf
ering and which is hurrying her to her g rave
She herself has expressed a wish to consult M de
De s s ai r a skilful medical professor with whom
Can you prevail on hi m t o
y o u are acquainted

P
come or bring him here
.

I t immediately occurred to Dugazon that M i

nette possibly feigned to be more alarmingly ill
than she really was for the sake of having a pre
text for seei n g another doctor ; and that this other
doctor was M L as s o n n e the name of Des s air
being evi dently that which S h e wis h ed hi m to
assume on visiting her
Dugazon immediately c alled on Dr L as s o n n e

the queen s physician H e briey related to him

f
the circumstances of the extraordin ary af
air and
implored him to m ake a visit to the interesting
patient The doctor readi ly complied H e was
well known to all our theatrical colle agues an d
was the ardent admirer of one of our favourite
actresses
By revealing to the doctor the circumstances
,

TH E

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261

disclosed by Minette by minutely describing her

oppressor and by relati n g the avowal made by
the mysterious man himself that M L as s o n n e
might possibly throw some light on the subj ect
But on the contrary the doctor declared that his
memory did not enable him to trace any circum
stance having reference to the story related by
Dugazo n which however had S O deeply excited his
curiosity an d interest that he was most ready to
do any thing in his power to assist i n clearing up

the mystery He agreed to go to Bani eres ho u se

that ve ry day at the same time expressing a wish
that Dugazon should not accompany him He
proposed before he saw the patient to have a
little conversation with the doctor who had been
previously attending her ; wishing to appear as
though h e had been summo n ed for a consul
t at i o n and had not come at the request o fany of
the family or their friends
Dugazon however fancied he could discern

from Dr L as s o n n e s manner that he said less

than he really knew But he felt the impropriety
of annoying him by further questions and though
the proposed plan did not precisely accord with
his impatience yet he expressed h i s concurrence
in it
In the evening Dr L as so n n e paid a Visit to the
green room of the Comdie Fran c aise and draw
,

2 62

FR E N CH

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ing Dugazon aside assured him that all had tran

spired precisely as he had wished

But pur
sued he
I did not see the man of mystery N o
doubt he was i n formed that a stranger was there
and consequently did not choose to show himself
My design was to order the patient change of air
but I found her in so weak a state that I feared to

do so We must devise some other scheme

Dugazon proceeded to inform me that having
resolved to m ake me his condent he called on
me for that purpose This happened on the very
morning when as I have already stated I was
summoned to Versailles and was myself in no
very tranquil state of mind L as s o n n e without
explaining himself had requested Dugazon to meet
him at Bani eres and to bring with him a frien d a
man of nerve and courage for perhap s added the
doctor we may requi re his assistance H e at the
same time e n j oined Dugazon to observe profound
silence as to all that he knew ; for that on his silence
his own fate and that of Minette might depend
Dugazon on n ding that I co ul d not aecom
p any him hastened in search o fSaint Fal a
young actor who had recently j oined our com
p any Saint F al consented to go and he and
Dugazon set o f
fat full speed in a cabriolet
However they di d not proceed very far on their
j ourney On turning the Boulevard n ear the sit e
,

2 64

man

F R E N CH

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I have delivered society from a monster

I have saved Minette !

Havi ng uttered these words he paused as if
fearful to proceed

B ut resumed he I have not preserved her

for you ; that was not in my power She lov es
youbut she earnestly implores that you will
not seek to see her again She has renounced
the world therefore do not
(Here Dugazon
manifested signs of impatience and was about to
open the carriage door)
Stay ! hear what I
have to say and you will be convinced that her
resolutio n is wisethat it has b een well con
and that it is irrevocable
Besides
s i d e re d
she is still in a most precarious state ; I am not
prepared to say that she is yet out of danger ; the
scene which has j ust taken place has agitated her ;
and an interview with you is more than she is
capable of bearing
B e patient for a few days
an d we will see what can be done Come with
me to my house and hear what I have to relate to
you you can afterwards determine what course to

adopt
On reaching home the doctor conducted Du
gazon to his study and af
t er locki n g the door to
guard against interruption he related the f
ollowing
extraordi nary story
.

TH E

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AGE

265

About three years ago when I was travellin g

in the south of France I Visited a town in which
there are some curious vestiges of antiquity
Having passed several days in examining these
remains I was about to proceed on my j ourney
when a medical gentlemen to whom I had been i n
t ro d u c e d c al led on me and begged that I would
assist him by my advice in the conduct Ofa
dif
cul t case

A n atrocious murder had been committed

under the most app al ling circumstances A cer
tain individual was suspected to be the murderer

his name i n deed seemed to be indicated by the

frightful peculiarity of the wounds of the Victim
I had acquired some reputation by my obse rva
tions and evidence in cases i n which medicine is
connected with criminal legislation When called
upon for my advice and assistan ce in this case
I felt it my duty to suspend my j ourney for a time
and remain in the town
A t length the person suspected was arrested

he is the man whom you have met at Bani eres a

rich and powe rful nobleman endowed with high
talentsbut sullied with crime H e is a member
of o n e of the most illustrious families in France a
family even more illustrious by virtues than by
descentbut this m an sent like a scourge has
blotted the scutcheo n of his noble house

V OL

2 66

TH E

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H e was posse s sed o fprin cely wealth which

he scattered w
ith a prodigal hand whilst at the
same time he spread terror and desolation through
out the surroun di ng country Misery was the
doom o fall who dwelt within the reach of his i n
Young fem al es previously chaste and
u en c e
pure suddenly abandone d the paths o fmodesty
and chastity and by adopting a depraved cours e

t of
of life proved the demon s skill in the af
seduction

One fam i ly alone of all who resided in the

vicinity of this man s domains had hi therto e s

caped the contagion of hi s lice n tiousness I n this
family there was an only daughter a patte rn o f
virtue ; and one of the most beautiful young women
in that di strict OfFrance where women are peen
She was the af
li arly disti n guished for beauty

ameed bride of the son of a notary residing in t h e

province a ne young man of honourable cha
rac t e r and in every respect worthy of her ; to
whom she was devoutly attached as was he to
her

Minette s father lled an o f

cial post either
at Marseilles or Toulon but in consequence of
some unexpected reductions in several of the
ministerial departments he was dismissed from
his situation Th e young lovers were j oyfull y
anticipating a speedy consumm ation o ftheir hap

2 68

TH E

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Minette hesitated and said she must take

time to consider of the proj ect But then she
f
thought of her father who had suf
ered so much
sorrow through the loss of hi s post The li ttle
money he had saved and which he had destined
for her do wry was now insuf
cient to maintain the
family Then she thought of her lover H er
friend
a ain repeated the assurance that all might easily
be arranged ; at least it would be as well to try
There could be no danger if both went together
The result of all this persuasion was that Minette

adopted her friend s suggestion and the two gi rls

set out o n their secret errand
Minette had an interv iew with Monseigneur ;
and shortly afterwards either by chance or from
some particular interest exerted in hi s favour the
father received a protable appointment un der the
government This good fortune had not however

the e f
f
ect of reviving Minette s drooping S pirits
on the contrary she became more depressed than

ever H er lover s Visits were renewed and he

urged her to x an early period for their marriage ;
but Minette postponed her consent until at length
she decisively di scarded and rej ected him H er
conduct excited general surprise ; no one could
guess the motives which could have prompted so
stran ge a resolution in direct opposition to all
t er
her former feelings and protestations ; and af
,

FRE

TH E

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2 69

f
airs
the af
air had made as much noise as such af
f
usually create in a country town people ceased
to speak about it
All who knew Minette were soon aware Ofthe
fatal fact that she was now no lo n ger mistress of
herself She visited the chateau on prescribed
d ays and at xed hours
She received commands
from Monseigneur which in S pite of herself S he
implicitly obeyed She was under the yoke of
an imperious master and the lives of her father
an d mother would have paid the forfeit o fher
resistance Horrible secrets had been imparted
t o her and she was branded b y a mark which
made her for ever the slave of her o di ous per
secutor

On the north of the ancient G othic chate au

and in the most secl u ded part of that spacious
structure its owner had constructed a circular
saloon tted up in the style of an eastern pavilion
This apartment was decorated with A siatic lu xury
an d every Obj ect it contained seemed to be in
strict accordance with the habits an d customs
of the oriental nations There were no windows
in the walls ; but one in the vaulted roof whic h
dif
f
used light through the saloon was painted in
r
i chly coloured design s ; and the rays of the sun
beaming through the tinted glass produced the

ef
f
ect of a summer s twilight A vast circul ar divan
N 3
,

2 70

FRE N CH

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extended round the whole of the wall To thi s

mysterious apartment no extern al noise co ul d
penetrate and no sound from withi n it was audi
ble wi thout
In the centre of the saloon on a
sort of elevated platform stood a golden enamelled
vase out of whi ch a perpetual ame exh aled t he
sweetest perfume The room contained no other
furniture excepting mirrors and pictures the for
mer mul tiplyin g in every direction subj ects which
the pencils of some unscrupul ous artists had
boldly traced in the latter

This apartment though adorned like a temple

devoted to lux ury and pleasure was in reali ty a
place of punishment and torture
When t he
atrocious sultan who here ruled with despotic
sway Observed that any of his unfortu nate Vi c
tims manif
ested signs of remorse or a wi sh to
return to the path of Virtue S he was summoned
to the mysterious boudoir: The satelli tes of the
tyrant clothed the Victim in a rich s i lken robe Of
the brightest hue the li n i ng of which was inter
nally covered with sharp steel points resembli n g
needles stuck thickly together whi ch lacerated
the esh of the wearer at every movement In
f
this manner the suf
erer was dragged to the centre
apartment where the cruel author of
o f the
her misery drew from the vase a heated iron and

stamped on her bosom the brand of degradation

.

2 72

TH E

FR E N CH

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eident his presence of mind which never on any

occasion forsook him prevented him from calli ng
out He contrived to crawl back to the house,
but was unable to walk up stairs to his own room
Havi ng received intimation o fthe accident I
entered the apartment and found Bani eres and
his wife dragging him as well as they were able
to that of Minette with whom he had said he
wished particularly to speak I called out loudly

Leave him where he is !

He doubtless recog
f
and by a sudden e f
ort to rush
n i z e d my voice
away disengaged himself from the grasp of
Bani eres and his wife
At that moment the
lieutenant of police and his assistants entered
the house and now I am happy to say for all
our sakes that he is secure for the rest Ofhis

days
Dugazon informed me that some months after
Doctor L as s o n n e related to him the above curious
story he received a farewell letter from Minette
who stated that she had entered a Carmeli te con
vent at Lyons where she was soon to take the
habit of St Theresa and pronounce her vows
,

he rd m uc h of the rom c e o f re l li fe but w e mu st

yt hi g co e c ted w ith re c e t
y this li ttle hist o ry ex c ee d s
times d m o der c i v ili ti o th t w rememb er t o h ve re d
W e regret the deli c c y w hi ch i duc ed the d oc tor d sub sequ e tly
M F leury t o co c e l the g tl m
me E D
On e h as

an

sa

an

an

za

nn

an s n a

en

an
.

2 73

C H A PT ER X V

F shi o s d follies of the ye r l 78 4 B e u m rc h is M rri g e

fF ig r o E xtr o rdi ry se s ti o c re ted b y i t S t te of
F re c h comedy t the c l o se of the eightee th c e tu ry
Af
f t d p ru dery Th p l ys of M omm Perfo rm c e of the
M rri ge of F ig ro p r ohib ited t the Th eatre F r c is
Pre

r
i
fo
r
its
p
er
fo
rm
c
e
cou
rt
D istribu ti o of the
t
t
p
ch r c ters Rehe rs ls C ou t de V u dreu il S t ge po r
k e es R u les l id d ow b y G rri ck A
t r i t r of dr
d ote of Pre v ille d G rri ck A w ger P b 1i dis ppoi t
me t
R oy l p rohib iti o of the p erfo rm c e of B e um rch is
p l y A pp rob ti o fthe c e s o r Th p l y cted t G i l
Re d t the reside c e of B r o de Brete uil Th
h er
b r o s b m ot M d me de M t i g
ribbo
Perfo rm
c e of the M rri g e of F ig r o t the Th eatre Fr c is
Crow di g d co fusi o Brilli t u dito ry
E x c elle c e of
the p erform c e M dem o iselle C o t t i S u
e Th
p l y p erfo rmed t c ou rt Th C ou t d Art i i the p rt of
F ig ro
Be um r c h is the p re curs o r of the re vo l u ti o
a

an

ec e

a a
u

un

nn

on

an

n a

en e v

an

an

non s

an

an

n ec

an

an

an

an

an

on s

a a

na

z an n

o s

N G girls in hoops married ladies in frocks

fashions ala Marlborough scarlet coats with black

OU

These frock s o r f rr r w ere rob es of m teri ls of v ery

light t xt ure
d m de w ith little fu l ess s o
t o d l p the
co t our of the gure This style of dress w hi c h p rese ted a com
1

ou

an

ea uz ,

as

ev e o

2 74

F RE N CH

TH E

ST

AGE

buttons little hats and enormous masses of friz

Mesmerian rods air
z l e d hair pictorial waistcoats
balloons and milliner c u r s were amongst the
wonders of the year of grace 17 8 4 To crown t he
year of foll y with something in unison with its
characteristic traits was a natural idea ; and the
writer who of all others best understood his age

and his countrymen produced The Marriage of

Figaro
In all usion to this comedy it has been observed
that the talent required to write it was n o t more
extraordinary than the cleverness evinced by the
author in his endeavours to have it performed To
succeed in getting his comedy acted at the close
,

co tr t t o the h oop b eg

pl e t e

as

t o b e i tro d uc ed bou t the ye r

a

an

178 1
.

A bou t this tim e w ist co ts w ere b s ol utely p i c tures A t rst

their p tter s co sisted of ow ers o r im ls l ds c p es d his
l e v e ts
A t le gth po rt r its of emi e t m w ere i tr o
t ri
d
d
d
o thi g w s o f shio b le
w ist c o t exhib iti g
the po rtr it of D est i g Bro glie C o d o r L F yette E very
p etit m itre i P ris h d hi g ill t de g r d I mm
Th cu r of the p rish of S i t S u l p i c e set the ex m p le of
t ur i g m r h d d m d A t the meet i gs w hi c h w
ere held i
his reside c e for the relie f of the poo r bou t d o e clerk s
r ged e c h side of l o g r oom o f
f
ered fo r s le ll s o rts of
f cy rti c les d milli ery Other cu r s sp eedily imit ted this
o rigi l m o de o f ex c iti g c h rity w hi c h w li b er ll y p tro i ed
b y l dies of qu lity O r w c h rit b le b rs d f c y fairs
p rob b ly r deri v ed from thi s dmir b le s ou r c e E D
1

ca

uce

an

as

a n

n n

es

as

a c an

on

an

an

es

a e

an

en

to

es

na

es

an

a n

an

an

na

an

as

az aa

an

an

n z

2 76

FRENC H

TH E

T AG E

and feelings not only since Moli ere s time but

also since the time of those comic writers of a
secondary rank who had more or less successfully
trod in his footsteps
Such ne la di es as were
of themselves distinguished for literary talent and
whose houses were the resort of our principal
f
writers af
ected to be shocked at the writings of
the father of French comedy Moli ere was not
suf
ciently rened for them ; their delicate ears
were wounded by the occasionally equivocal and
somewhat free expressions scattered as it were
accidentally through some of his plays
The
polished court of Louis X IV had heard them
without blushing ; but our more rened belles of
the eighteenth century could not endure such
licence E ven courtezans spread o u t t hei r fans
f
and with hypocritical p rudery af
ected to take
alarm at the least indi cation of d o u ble en t en te
The p l ays of our best comic writers who suc
c e e d e d Moli ere
were scarcely ever acted and but
faintly applauded
R egnard was listened to
f
with cold indif
erence ; Daucourt was banished the
stage and Lesage pronounced gross Destouches
alone kept in favour because his characters con
versed in that strain of dul l common place which
was congenial with the taste of the fashionable
world
The decline of the comic drama was obvious
,

TH E F RE N C H

TA G E

2 77

R ochon Vi g e and Cai lhav a produced

nothing above mediocrity
One writer alone
Beaumarchais had given proof of a greater share
of comic talent and humour than fe ll to the lot of
all our contemporary play writers He was want
ing it is true in taste and j udgment He took
pleasure in creating monstrosities in the Spanish
style rat her than genuine comedi es The success

of the Barbier de Seville did not turn him to the

right course ; but nevertheless the Barber sug

gested to him the idea of Les N oces de Figaro

This comedy had been long talked of in the
fashionable circles in the gree n rooms of the
theatres and at the p e ti ts s o up ers But though
the author was in the habit of constantly reading
the play in private c ompany yet at the Comdie
Fran c aise we had no positive notion of its nature
or merits I was present at one of the readi ngs at
the house of the Duchess de Vill ero i but there was
such a crowd an d confusion that I could only
catch now and then a fragment of what was read ;
and I S hould have known very little about the
comedy had n o t Count L au rag u ai s given me an
ac count of it next day The king had in the most
positive manner refused his consent to its per
f
o rm an c e in Paris ; but nevertheless Beaumarchais
declared that he would distribute the parts and
Pali s s o t ,

T H E F R E N CH

2 78

ST

A GE

get the play rehearsed and performed at the resi

dence of the Count d Art o i s at Maisons

There

is but one thing more I wish for said the daunt

less author
and that is that my play should be
thought very dangerous and very reprehensible ;
above all I hope that the king will continue to
Oppose it and then I am sure of soon nding my
way to the Comdie Fran c aise Only give me
enemies and obstacles enough and I am certain

of success
In the m onth of April 17 8 3 we received orders
to study the several parts in Le Mariage de Fi

garo o n La suite d u Barbier de Sevill e prepara

tory to its performance at Versailles
Having
learned from Madame Campan that when she her
self read the man uscript to their maj esties the
king declared that it was not t to be acted I was
not a little surprised at a command which seemed
to j ustify the inference that a play which was not
decorous enough for the public theatre was never
t h el e s s su f
ciently correct for the court I com
mu n i c at e d to my theatrical comrades the inform
ation which I had received o n this subj ect from
Madame Campan an d we came to the con
c lu s i o n
that either S h e was mistaken or that
the author mu st have made considerable alter
at i o n s in his play
; and as we earnestly wished
.

2 80

THE FRENC H

TA GE

m arch ais was too gallant and understood h is own

interest too wel l not to o f
f
er that character to the
actress whom he had consulted as his privy co un
s ell o r in the whole af
air viz Mademoiselle Contat
f
Mademoiselle Sainval was the representative of
the gentle Countess and Mademoiselle Oli vier a
clever and pretty young actress was the Page
For myself whose task it was to write down t hi s
di stribution of the characters I felt once or twi ce
tempted to S lip in my own name among the li st of
the elect havi ng a strong presentiment of the
favour with which the play would be received ;
but the principal characters were all admirably
lled and I did not feel my p ower su f
cient to
give e f
f
ect to a second rate p art Previll e alone
could soar l ike an ea le in such characters as
,

B ro d o i s i n

Meanwhil e great mystery was maintained re

spectin g the time and the place at whi ch thi s
comedy was to be for the rst time acted D uring
the month of May it was reported that the per
f
o rm an c e wo ul d take place in the P et i te A
ai
t
e
w
me ns ; next Trianon was mentioned ; and then
successively Choisy Bagatelle and B mm o y The
rst rehearsals took place in Paris at the Theatre
d es M en us Pl ais i rs by a tacit toleration conceded
to Beau marchais through the patronage of the

Co u nt d Art o i S In granting this patronage hi s

.

F REN C H

TH E

ST

AGE

281

highness probably yielded to the inuence of the

perso n s forming the queen s social circle at the

head of whom was the elegan t and chivalrous
Count de Vaudreuil a warm friend of Beau
marchais In refere n ce to whom I will here i n
t ro d u c e a little anecdote taking it for granted
that the reader is by this time getting tolerably
well accustomed to my digressions
At the period here referred to the most fashion
able amateurs o fthe drama were this same Count
de Vaudreuil and M Hu de M i ro m e s n i l an
amateur actor possessed of very co n siderable
comic talent Both piqued themselves on the
superiority of thei r j udgment and taste as dra
matic critics It happe n ed that in an amateur
performance given at the residence of some person
of rank M de M i ro m e s n il had to personate a
drunken character His acting elicited great ap
l
au s e from eve ry o n e except Count Vaudreuil
p
This was remarked and some one ventured t o
ask the coun t what fault he found with the per
f
o rm an c e of a scene which every one else thought
so excellent

I nd fault replied the count because this

representation of drunkenness appears to me to
be false extravagant and in every respect contrary

to p ri n cip les

Observi ng that the term

principles called
,

T H E F RE N C H

2 82

ST

AGE

forth a smile the count explained himself as fol

lows
Monsieur M i ro m es n i l endeavours to stagger ;
now a drunken man endeavours to keep hi mself
steady Monsieur de M i ro m e sn i l tries to lose his
equilibrium ; but a drunken man tries to recover
it when he feels himself falli n g seek i ng by all sorts
of ri di culous positions and attitudes to solve the
problem of the centre of gravity H e does not
stagger from weakness ; on the contrary intoxica
tion i mpart s a temporary strength ; but he staggers
because he has fo rg o tt en how to walk The i n
to xication is in the head and above all in the
eyes The amusi n g p art of drunkenness is to o b
serve the working o fthe mind in its ef
f
ort to
recover memory ; and the selfabandonment to
desp air which takes place after the fai l u re of every
f
ef
ort M de M i ro m es n i l pourtrayed the very
contrary of all this H e seemed to say to himself
N ow to the rightnow to the left ; now fo rward
now backward ; now a hopnow a skip &c
whereas the drunken man says to himself I must
go neither to the right nor to the left ; neither for
ward nor backward an d above all I must not
venture to hop skip S lide or j ump I must keep
u
my feet rmly on the ground and t r
to
walk
p
y

right
Consequently you always see a dru nken
man dragging his feet along the ground or if he
,

THE FREN CH

284

TA G E

eident was alleged to have occurred H e main

t ai n e d that it happened in the Champs E lys ees
and insisted that he could prove an ali bi with
respect to M L au rag u ai s H e proposed a wager
on the question of the Champs E lys ees or the
Boulevards The Count de Vaudreu il was piqued
but he hesitated to lay the wager It was for a
considerable amount and he was aware that his
i nf
ormant M de L au rag u ai s occasionally indulged
in f
lights of imagination
H e was undecided what
to do when Beaumarchais who was one of the
company stepped up to hi m and whispered
Take the wager I am going away for a few

minutes and on my return you will be the winner

M de Vau dreui l took the wager It was suggested
that the question sho ul d be decided by Previ ll e ;
but in a few moments B eaumarchais returned
with a letter written by G arrick at the time whi ch
stated that the Boulevards was the scene of Pre

ville s successful performance

Thi s incident gained for Beaumarch ai s the
friendship of M de Vaudre ui l who was min df
ul
of the little act of service and ret urned it by a
ve ry great one viz assisting in getting his play
p erf
ormed

A t length it was determined that

Figaro
sho ul d appear at the theatre of the Menus Plaisirs
But who were to compose the audience ? an d by
.

'

TH E

F RE N C H

T AG E

285

whose order and at whose expense was the per

?
These were questions
f
o rm an c e to take place
which everybody asked and to which nobo d y was
able to give a satisfactory answer E very succeed
ing day appeared to clothe the secret in additional
mystery At length the day of performance was
named after thirty rehearsals the few last of which
might be considered as almost public
Friday the 13th of June was xed for the
representation and in the forenoon o fthat day

betw een twelve and one o clock an express order

was sent to t h e theatre and to the police to stop

the performance His maj esty s note which was

sent to the theatre by the Minister of the Interior
,

p ro hi bi t ed

t he p erfo rman ce

fth

M arri ag e

N o one in
Paris entertained the least expectation of such a
prohibition being issued The general surprise
may be imagined when at the time of opening the
theatre doors between ve and six hundred car
ri a es were turned away with the intimation that
g
there would be no play that night A s to the
performers they were in despair for the comedy
had excited so much curiosity that even if it had

Fig aro ,

u n d er

ai n

d i s o bedi en ce

wou ld m o der
i E D

What

h ears al s

En

glish c t o rs thi k of thirty

a

re

T H E F RE N C H

286

TA GE

not succeeded it would have brought not a little

money to our treasury Beaumarchais however
condently alleged that the prohibition would be
revoked He was imperturbable
On the following day our company together
with that of the Comdie Italienne were sum
m o n e d before the lieutenant of police who com
m u n i c at e d to us his maj esty e x press prohibition
of the performance of the play in question in any
theatre
A ny other man than Beaumarchais wo ul d have
been utterly defeated by such an announcement as
this accompanied as it was by all the forms which
the royal authority usually employed only on the
most import ant occasions But Beaumarch ai s was
as sanguine as ever H e knew the age he lived i n
and was well acqu ai nted with the state of public
feeling ; all that savoured of opposition was ce rtain
of securing favour and support
The untired author was aware that the power
was on his side and that soo n er o r later it would
be exercised in his beh al f Therefore he asserted
con dently to his private frie n ds that the play
would be acted Meanwh i le he pai d out of his
own pocket the expenses incurred by the rehear
sals amounting in all to ten or twelve thousand
livres Truly had Beaumarchais been poor the
,

2 88

TH E

FREN C H

TA GE

mission to have the play acted at G en evilli ers by

the perf
ormers of the Comdie Fran gai s e It was
understood that the performan ce wo ul d be quite
private but nevertheless three hundred persons

were present The queen the Count d Art o i s

and several of the la di es composing her maj esty s

private circle were among the au di ence ; in short
the li t e o fthe court and the world of fashi on were
there
It was easy to infer from the success which at
tended the p erformance at G en ev illi ers that this
admirable comedy was not destined to be for ever
lost to the French public ; though it was stated
that most of the spectators had declared it to be a
very immoral production and utterly unt for
perf
ormance on a public stage N evertheless it
af
orded the means of calculatin g the power
f

and resources of B eaumarchais genius ; and the

author himsel f was much les s afraid of all the
unfavo u rable opi n ions that might be pronounced
on his play than the utter oblivion to which the
recent order of the king threate n ed to doom i t
The representation at G en ev illi ers had rescued it
from that at all events His address his apti
tude i n turni n g circumstances to his advantage
j oined to his unparal leled perseverance all i n
d u c e d us to believe that he would triumph over
every obstacle and that the dif
culties which the
.

T H E F RE N C H

TA GE

289

government r ai sed in his way woul d serve only

to stimulate his vanity for Beaumarchais had

been heard to say : The eyes of the civilized

world are inte n tly xed on my M arri ag e and on
me From E ngland G ermany Spain and A me
rica nations which are the scenes of other exploits
and other successes I claim attention
My
honour and reputation depend on my play being

acted
and acted i t s hall be
The personal hostili ty of the king to the per

f
o rm an c e of the
Marriage of Figaro was re
garded by Beaumarchais as a very insignicant
obstacle There existed other hostilities of a more
formidable nature and among them was that of
M de Breteuil Min ister of the Interior who was
exceedingly prejudiced against the play and to

conciliate whom was Beaumarchais grand obj ect

for he was fully aware of the inuence of a noble
man o fhis character and station The Bar o n was

devoted to the Queen and the Count d Art o i s and

was himself by no means insensible to courtly
seduction E ventually however our author suc
c ee d e d not only in obtaining the interest of the

Count d Art o i s but even in prevailing on her ma

j esty to say a word in his behalf Both these
illustrious personages assured the minister that
in addi tion to the corrections required in the

Marriage of Figaro by M G aillard of the

,

V OL

2 90

T H E F RE N C H

TA GE

French A cademy the au thor was ready to make

still more import ant al terations if requ ired Th e

minister s opposition immedi ately soft ened but

he declared that before he could venture to i n
t ere s t himself for the work he must he ar it care
fu lly read i n the presence of some li terary men of
his o wn selection
On the day appointed Beaumarchais proceeded

with his manuscript to the Baron s residence

where he f
ound assembled besi d es the master of
the house M M G aillard Ch amp f
o rt and Rul hi ere

Madame de Matignon the minister s daughter

and several other ladies her i en d s B eau m ar
chais commenced by declaring that he w o ul d sub
mit without reserve to all correction s and omis
sions which the ladies and gentlemen present
might deem re quisite H e beg an readi n g he was
stoppedsome remarks were made an d a li ttle
discussion arose A t every interru ption Beau
marchais yielded the point in dispute But when
ho l e
the readi ng was ended he went over t he w
ground again and defended the least detai ls with
so much address such forcible reason i ng and
such captivating pleasantry that he completely
silenced his censors
They laughed and ap
p l au d e d and at length all declared that the

play was a most original and unique produc

tion
Instead of omissions additions were pro
,

T H E F RE N C H

2 92

ST

AGE

had gained it Persons of the highest rank even

princes of the blood besieged him with letters

imploring to be favoured with the author s tickets

A t eleven o clock in the forenoon the Duchess de

Bourbon sent her valet to the o f
ce to wait unt i l
the di stribution of the tickets which was to take

place at four o clock At two o clock the Duchess

d Os s u n laid aside her accustomed dignity and

hauteur and humbly soli cited the crowd to allow
her to pass ; and Madame de Talleyrand doing a
violence to herparsimonious di sposition paid triple
price for a box Co rd o ns blen s were seen elbowin g
their way through the crowd j ostled by Savoyards ;
the guards were di spersed the doors forced Open
the iro n bars broken down an d an inconceivable
scene of confusio n and danger ensued One halt
of the people had not been able to procure tickets
and threw their admission money to the door
keepers as they passed or rather as they were
carried al ong But whilst all this was happe ni ng
outside the di sorder whi ch prevailed within the
theatre was if possible still greater N o less than
three hundred persons who had procured tickets
at an early period dined in the boxes Our
theatre seemed transformed into a tave rn and
nothing was heard but the clattering o fplates
and the drawing o fcorks Then when the au di
ence were assembled what a brilliant picture pre
,

TH E F RE N C H

ST

AGE

2 93

sented itself ! The li t e of the rank and talent

of Paris was congregated there What a radiant
line of beauty was exhibited by the rst tier of
boxes !
The style in which the comedy was acted was
in all respects worthy of so brilliant an audience
Daz i n c o u rt was fu ll of spirit and intelligence ;
Preville rendered B ro d o i s o n a masterly character
Mademoiselle Sainval in the Co un tess evinced
a degree of talent which Sh e was not previ ously
supposed to possess ; M o l i n creased his already
high reputatio n by his perso n ation of the Co un t
Almavi va Mademoiselle Olivier threw the most
enchanti n g archness and esp i eg leri e into the cha
rac t er of the P ag e
But the gem o fthe whole

performance was Mademoiselle Co n t at s persona

tion of S uz an n e That actress had heretofore
played o n ly the ne ladies of comedy ; but it was
a happy thought of Beaumarchais to o f
er her the
f
s o u brett e
He guessed the versatility of her talent
AS soon as the play was over Preville ran up to

her and embracing her said : This is my rst

indelity to Mademoiselle Dan g u ev i lle

The rst twenty performances of this play
brought to the treasury of the C om di e Fran c aise
one hu n dred thousand francs ; and the attraction
continued unabated during seventy v e nights
People ocked from the provinces to see Fig aro ;
.

2 94

TH E

FREN CH

ST

A GE

and in short its success was unparalleled in the

annals of the French stage
It might naturally have been supposed that the
author would have been satised with the triumph
of getting his piece perform ed at our theatre
but not so ; Beaumarchais next aimed at what
seemed an impossibility yet even in this he suc

c ee d e d
His play was acted at the Queen s pri
vate theatre by the Queen before the Kin g who
had so decidedly prohibited it and by the Count

d Art o i s who had so severely j udged it

His
royal highness in the round j acket of Fig aro
arber with very considerable talent
layed
the
b
p
Beaumarchais himself never suspected that Paris
and the court would ru n mad on the subj ect of

his Folle J o u rn e
The performance of this
comedy marks an epoch in the history of the
French drama and in the still more curious his
tory of French caprice and inconsistency Beau
marchais drew his own portrait in the character of
The play
Fig aro and the li keness is stri king
comprises all the incidents which rendered the
life of Beaumarchais so singul arly celebrated ; it
moreover presents a sort of allegoric al picture of
the age He painted with unexampled boldness
the vices of the great H e ventured to Speak with
unrestrained freedom of the ministers of the day
of
t h e Bastill e the freedom of the press t he police
,

2 96

C H A PT ER X VI

C gli ostro Th tri l rel ti g t o the qu ee s eck l c

G h o st
a

a e

st o rie A pp riti o of D AI mb rt L dy M t H r c re
c eleb rity H i cure of M d me
d li t y Origi of C g li t r
Th p hil o s op her s
H i b e u ti fu l w i fe S er p hi
S rr si
st o e C gli os tr o b i shed fr om F r c e Th mer ch t d
his wi f Test of co j u g l d li ty C g 1i t r p hi 1Th
b l ck T m t Th Red ou te Chi o i e C gli ostro p l yi g t
see w C o v ers ti o w ith the co j uro r Mysteri ou s
m t t o Du g o A e c d o te of P li
t
A p redi c ti o
fu l lled
a

-sa

n o un c e

az

en

na

an

os

o s

sso

an

an

an

an

ca

o s

os

un z

I A M now about to introduce to my readers a

man who for a time was the exclusive obj ect of
attention in Paris For him literature the drama
and all other subj ects of general interest were tem
l
forgotten
I
a
lude
to
the
celebrated
con
o rari l
p
y
juror Cagliostro who counted among his numero u s
dupes the Cardi nal de R ohan But to work on

the worthy cardinal s credulity was perhaps no

very dif
cult task
,

THE FRENCH

T AG E

2 97

I t is not my purpose to touch upon the af

air of
f

the Queen s necklace which is still enveloped in

mystery I do not feel disposed to enter upon so
long a tract of beaten ground though I could
mention some new and curious details connected
with that memorable case I was in the right
channel for receiving authentic i n formation My
sister was at Vienna whilst the Cardinal Prince de
R ohan was ambassador from France to the A us
trian court ; I was myself on terms of friendship
with Madame Campan ; G rammont Ro s e lly had
already endeavoured to make Mademoiselle Oliva
a servant of Thalia ; I knew Cagliostro before his
great adventures and I beheld the idol when he
was in the ple n itude of his glory : thus qualied
I might sit down and write a history o fthe neck
lace
But a few unpublished details though
cu rious would thro w no more light on the af
f
air
than that which is already suf
ciently apparent :
namely that all that long and deplorable case arose
out of the my s t i c at i o n s practised on a noble
man by an intriguing woman ; and the scandal
which was attempted to be xed upon the Queen
was the preface to the revenge of the ministry of
A iguillon upon the preceding ministry of M de
Choiseul
But to return to the Italian conjuror Six or
eight months before the celebrated process a great
,

T H E F RE N C H

2 98

TA G E

de al was said about Cagliostro H e was reviving

the miracles o fthe Count de S aint G ermain He
had not however gained cre di t at co u rt ; The
Queen good hum o u re d ly rallied those who related

to her Cag li o s t ro s pro di gies and the Kin g sharply

reb u ked several noblemen who sought permission
to present him Our good Louis X VI had no
faith in Charlatans
save those who happened
to be his ministers
Cagliostro exhibited his ghost scenes for pay
ment and at various prices For a certain s u m

one might be indul ged with a sight of one s de

ceased relative s friends and acquaintance ; and
by doubling the sum one might be introduced to
a group of ghosts composed of some of the cele
Lady Mun tz
brat e d p ersonages of past ages
with whom I have already made the reader ac
u ai n t e d gave me an account of the app arition of
q

D Al em b ert one of Cag li o s t ro s g rand evocation

sc en es at which S he was present together with
s ome other superannuated ladies and gentlemen
o fquality
Her description of this mysterious
ceremony was as follows
For the reception o fthe spectators who were
disti n guished by the more di gnied appellation of
guests arm chairs were ranged along the wall of
the apartment on the eas t s i d e This latter point
was essential On the wes t si de the G rand Copt
.

30
0

T H E F RE N C H

ST

AGE

stroke of the clock the word PH I L O S O P H Y ! was

seen in legible characters above the empty arm chair

reserved for D Al e mb ert In another moment all

was enveloped in obscurity and at the second
stroke of the bell another ash of light illumined
the word N A T U R E ! Another interval of dark
ness succeeded and then was heard the third
stroke of the clock and a word appeared more
brilliant than those which preceded it This word
was T R U TH The lustres were suddenly relighted
as if by en chantment S t i e d cries were heard
as if procee di ng from some person whose mouth
was gaggeda noise similar to that of some one
struggling to break loose from those detaining him
and Cagliostro appeared
The G rand Copt wore a costume to which it
would be dif
c ul t to name an ythi ng analogous
A owing drapery set o f
fhis gure to advantage
and the glow of enthusiasm which kindled in his
countenance made him look reall y handsome H e
delivered a short but im pressive address com
m en t i n g on the words PH I L O S O P H Y
NA T U R E
and T R U T H Turn ing successively to the four
cardinal points he uttered some cabalistic words
which resounded back as if from a di stant echo ;
he then again commanded darkness and directed
the guests once more to shake the ch ai n
This was a terric moment ! Th e light vanished
,

TH E

FR EN CH

TA G E

301

and with the clanking of the ch ai n was renewed

the S ingular emotion I have before alluded to
The outline of the empty arm chair became gra
dually perceptible as though the lines had been
traced on a black can vas with a crayon of phos
h
In
another
moment
and
as
if
by
the
o ru s
p
same process a winding sheet was discerned and
from beneath its outspreadi ng folds two e shl e s s
hands were see n resting o n the arms of the chair
The winding sheet gradually opening di scovered
an emaciated form ; a S hort breathi n g was heard
and two brilliant pen e trating eyes were xed on

the spectators This was D Al emb ert

To the S pectators was conceded the faculty of
seeing the person thus called from the dead ; but
Cagliostro alone had the power of hearing him
speak and transmitti n g his replies to any ques
tions that might be addressed to him

An d what questio n s were addressed to D Al em

bert
said I to Lady Mun tz
H e was asked whether he had seen the other

world

What was the ph i losopher s reply ?

Ah Monsieur Fleury it was a terrible reply
most distressi n gespecially to one like me
f
who after suf
eri n g so much misery in t hi s world
look forward with hope to a better future
W o ul d you believe it ?
he replied in that
.

30
2

T H E F RE N C H

TAGE

shrill tone of voice j ust you know, as he u sed to

speak
?
S
How hould I know how he used to S peak
You mean to say I suppose that C agliostro

s poke for him

Well perhaps he di d
but neve rtheless

it was the ghost of D Ale mb ert that seemed to

speak ; and the answer to the question was :

There is no other world

W as that the answer ? said I

It was We were all lled with horror

A nd did no one make any reply ?

R eply ! who could ventur
e to reply to the

a dead ac ademician
g host of M d Al em b ert

a philosopher returned from

whence ?

Th at is precisely sai d I
what you S hould
have asked him You should have said : M

d Al emb ert if there is no other world where d o

you happen to come fro m now P

Lady Muntz acknowledged that the question
would have been very j ust ; but observed that
had I been present I probably S ho ul d not
have had coura e to address the ghost I hi nted
the possibili ty of C agliostro having imposed
upon her and the rest of his visitors but she
would not admit such a suspicion ; she af
rmed
that he himself was quite passive in the cere
mony
,

30
4

THE FREN C H

TA GE

furnishing him with letters of cre di t on every place

with which he was in correspondence Cagliostro
w as thus supplied with the means of li ving in
f
af
luence i n the principal cities of E urope an d of
applyi n g himself to the mysterious exercise of his
magic wand Cagliostro had another talisman in
the ch arms o fhis beauti ful wife Seraph ina who
was an important help to him in the art of dupery
in whi ch she was no less an adept than her hus
band
Their house was frequented by all the beau
m o n d e o fParis and Cagliostro was rapi dl y maki ng
his o wn fortune whi lst pretending to teach other
people how to make theirs ; for besides his me di
cines and his co n juring of spiri ts he af
rmed that
he had di scovered the art of making gold S e

rap h i n a s bright Itali an eyes and her husband s

enthusiasm carried convictio n to every heart
Cagli ostro made his disciples believe in the phi

losophers stone ; and Seraphina made her admirers

beli eve whatever S h e pleased
By thi s means
they soon established a so rt of free maso n ry of
which he was the presi di ng deity and she the
f
grand priestess The idol required o f
erings the
grand priestess accepted presents ; and matters
proceeded prosperously Th e temple of the ma
i c i an was a scene o firresistible attraction and
g
.

TH E

F RE N C H

ST

A GE

305

the b al ls concerts and sumptuous banquets which

were given there were frequented by all the r ank
and beauty of the capital

The trial relating to the Queen s necklace aug

m en t e d in no small degree the reputation of
Cagliostro The most extraordinary statements
were published the most romantic stories were

circulated and eagerly liste n ed to Cag li o s t ro s

celebrity was then at its height ; but at the con
c l u s i o n of the process he received orders to quit
France
In obe di ence to this command our conjuror
t Paris with the intention of proceeding to
lef
G ermany On his way through Metz a curious
incident occurred the particulars of whi ch have
been variously related The following is I have
reason to believe the authentic version
M Latour E c c i e u who had amassed a con
s id erab l e fortune in some of the colonies married
on his return to France a lady whom he had met
with i n a secluded country place his choice being
inuenced by the maxim of S g an arelle
,

E po u s er un e

s o tte est pou r

t re pas

s ot

But in his prudent calculations there was one

little circumstance which M Latour E c c i eu li ke
many other similarly wise gentlemen lost sight of
namely that though an ignorant novice may be
-

30
6

F RE N C H

THE

TA GE

very w
i lling to keep the right path yet it is a
hundred chances to one if she does not on her i n
t ro d u ct i o n to the world meet with somebody who
will lead her into the wrong one Thus it hap
pened in the case here referred t o : and the at
tentions paid her by an o f
cer of the garrison
became very partic ul ar
The husband grew suspicious and hi s suspicions
were conrmed by the whisperi ngs of friends ;
whi ch added to some pecuni ary disappointments
dete rmined hi m to ad opt a proj ect which he had
some time contemplated Thi s plan was to freight
a vessel with merchandise and to go abroad again

on a mercantile speculation
If said he
my
wif
e be guilty I wi ll leave her enough to live on
and I will depart al one If S h e be i nnocent I will
take her with me and make every exertion to

secure to her a fate wort hy of her delity

f
Wh ilst settli ng hi s af
airs with a view t o thi s
nal dep arture he had oc casion to make sever al
little j ourneys On returning from the last of these
pro g resses he informed his wife (who was exceed
in gly superstitious ) that whilst travelli ng he had
been lucky enough to mee t with Cagliostro
that
that celebrated m an who po ssessed the fac ul ty o f
penetratin g the inmost recesses of the human
heart had ob se rved his depression of S pirits and

had hinted to hi m the possibil ity of his wif

e s in
,

30
8

TH E

F RE N C H

TA G E

imagine I would ever consent to drink your horrid

potion ?
A cat i n deed !
To catch mice
and cry Mew
I S hudder at the very
idea of it
N ow never think of taking that
fmy dear
stuf
Let me persuade you to throw

it away
But the more the lady inveighed against the
potion the more rmly was the husban d deter
mined t o follow out his plan ; and accordi ngly that
same night when he retired to rest he swallowed
a good part of the mystic beverage The lady
tried to suppress her emotion ; but n o t wi t hs t an d
ing her credul ity S h e fel t a hope that the whole
was merely a trick prompted by j eal ousy She
pretended to fall asleep ; but every now and then
curiosity forced her to stretch out her hand to
wards her husband i n order to ascertain whether
the metamorphosis had commenced M Lato u r
observed this ; and distracted as he was by his
fears and hopes it was not without considerable
satisfaction that he ascertained by her snori ng that
she had re al ly fallen soundly asleep
About seven in the mornin g t h e lady awoke
All her recollections o fthe potion and the cat
s eemed to be the e f
f
ect of a dream She yawned
rubbed her ey es and then turning round missed
her husband
She called him but received no
answer She became al armed and was abou t to
,

TH E F RE N C H

TA G E

30
9

rise when she observed something moving in the

bed She turned down the bed clothes and to her
horror beheld a large black cat !
It was her
husban d
her dear husband !
The fatal
f
potion had wrought its destined ef
ect an d her
crime was discovered !
But in hi s present
altered state her unfortunate husband could not
reproach her She fell on her knees beside the
cat called him by the tenderest names confessed
her fault and sued for pardo n The cat at length
raised his head and stared with apparent astonish
ment at the lady who was han gi n g over him with

suppliant han ds
He will n o t recognise me
she exclaimed
He despises me !
Alas ! I

well deserve this ! Meanwhile the husband who

was co n ceale d in a closet overheard every word
uttered by his wife duri n g this curious scene H e
s eized the rst opportunity of ef
ecti n g his escape
f
an d on quitti n g the house proceeded straight to
the sea port where the ship was waiting which was
destined to co n vey him abroad
The disconsolate wife now lavished all her
f
af
ection o n the cat Her friends endeavoured in
vain to convince her that she was the victim of
delusio n ; but in vain The i n explicable d i s ap

e aran c e o fher husband

the
well
k n own power
p
of Cagliostro the phial and the mystic potion
all convinced her of the terrible truth In the hope
,

310

T H E F RE N C H S T A G E

of expiating her error she resolved to devote her

future existence wholly to her Black Tommy A s to
the animal he S howed himself perf
ectly satised
with a mistress who te n ded him with such af
f
ec
t i o n at e solicitude D u ring the day his resting place
was an embroidered cushion at the re side and
his dinner consisted of a p tt or some other dainty

cooked and served to him by the lady s own

hands The fair penitent interpreted every look
answered every mew o fher favourite and was
never more happy than when at night he vouch
safed to repose on the couch beside her
f
Such was the state of af
airs for the space of six
whole months The lady was gradually beginning
to reconcile herself to the metamorphosis ; but u n
fortunately the cat gre w weary of his monotonous
happiness and sighed again to taste that liberty
which he was wont to e n j oy before he became t he
honoured representative of M Latour E c c i e u One
ne S pring morning h e was discovered to be missing
and af
t er an anxio u s and vigilant search he was at
length discovered on the roof of a neighbouring
house holding gentle converse with an amiable
mi n et t e of his acquaintance
It now became Ma

dame Latour E c c i eu s task to pardon : but this

es cap a d e helped somehow or other to reconcile her
to her own conscience and to banish remorse In
deed report af
rmed that she renewed her acquaint
,

312

TH E

FREN CH

TA GE

One morning when we entered the caf of the

R edoute the little woman who presided at the
Comptoir beckoned to us whilst we were making
On our advancing to
o u r accustomed reverence
her she said with a sort of mingled g l ad n e s
and mystery : G entlemen I have such news for
you
Count Cagliostro is here H e came
with his wife to breakfast
Take n o notice ;
but go into the garden G ive J acques a trie and
he will procure you a sight of the great con

j uror !
We did as we were bidden and presented an
cu to Monsieur J acques who was s hortly to be
married to the lady of the caf J acques was quite
overj oyed at the good luck of meeting w ith us and
we were procee di ng alo n g o n e of the paths of the
garden when the little woman came running

quickly after us
I forgot to tell you said she
that Count C agliostro requested we would not
admit anybody to the garden whilst he S hould be
here But I could not thin k of denying entrance
to such good customers as you gentlemen ; and
I told him that I would let no one in except two
or three c o ns ei llers d e bai lli ag e who are in the

habit o fcoming
I don t know what may be
your profession gentlemen ; but it struck me
that you might possibly b e co ns ei llers d e bai lli ag e
At all events you can easily pretend you are ; for
,

TH E FRE N C H STAGE

313

I should not wish him to know that I have told

an untruth

But madame said I you forget that the

count is a conj uror

A h ! said S h e laughing conjuror as he is

f
he does not know the di f
erence betw een Bur
gundy and Bourdeaux I will answer for it he

will n o t nd you out

We promised to maintain our new characters to
the best of our abil ity I was all anxiety to see
the mysterious count and Dugazon was dying
with impatience to catch a glimpse of his pretty
wife We were not kept very long in suspense
We observed a little movement (which I S hould
nd it dif
cult to describe ) regularly given to the
branches of a lilac tree The branches swung
backward and forward as regul arly as the pen
dulum of a clock At the same time we perceived
a sort of wand rising and falling though we
could not see the hand that held it ; the foliage
of the lilac tree and some thick clustering shrubs
intercepting our view The measured movement
above
mentioned was not unaccompanied by
sound ; some words were uttered but they were
in a foreign and to us unintelligible tongue
We prepared ourselves to witness some sublime
mystery and we eagerly hurried along the little
garden path which af
t er s everal t u rnings and
.

VOL

TH E FREN CH

314

TA G E

windings suddenly Opened on a grass plot Judge

reader what was our amazement when we beheld
the G ran d Copt the awful Cagliostro playing at
see s aw !
grotesquely bestriding the swing
whi ch formed the favourite diversion of the
little girls an d boys who visited the Ri d o u t e on
Sundays Madame was setting the machine in
motion whilst the count held in his hand a light
switch or cane which he used in the way of a
horsewhip at the same time uttering some i n c o m
prehensible words To what language these words
belonged I do not pretend to say ; they were pro
bably a compound of G reek Latin Hungarian
and Italian for the count spoke all those lan
guages and their meaning was probably s yn o n y
mous to the phrases used by children when
amusing themselves in a similar way : Va d o n e
-

a llo n s

do n e !

ua

do n e I

&c

A n irrepressible burst of laughter announced

our presence The count looked round and was
evidently confu sed at being caught in so ludicrous
a position ; but immediately recovering his self
possession he j umped down from the machine
an d advanced to us
H e was a handsome man
handsome at least as far as regarded the noble
and intellectual expression of hi s countenan ce hi s
gure was n o t tall but his head and countenance
were exceedingl y ne
.

316

FRENC H

TH E

TA GE

man of the world and we promenaded about the

g arden chatting together as familiarly as old
friends Cagliostro discoursed of his travels an d
o fthe impressions produced on him by his visit
to Paris and assured us that he was deeply sen
sible of the kind reception he had exp erienced in
the circles of the French nobility
You are right to say the French nobility
you have not met with much favour in some other

circles i n o urs for example s ai d Dugazon re c o l

leeting his character of the co n s ei ller d e bai lli ag e
If you allude to the magistracy s ai d Cag

l i o s t ro
what have I to fear from them ? I have
no other secrets than those of medicine an d che
mistry I assist the poor gratis but I make the
rich pay me li berall y ; I follow a very honest
course and I see nothing in it that can give um

brag e to the parliaments

But you know count said I it is c o n

d e n t ly all eged that Satan furnishes the recipes
for your medicines and

Satan ! interrupted he sharply ;

Sa
tan ! H ow c an I derive the power of doing good
from the pri n ciple o fevil ?
N o ; I obtain
my power from providence !
Would your par
li am e n t s persecute a m an whose power is delegated

from heaven ? G entleme n of the law said he

with a bitter smile let me tell you that such a

,

9)

TH E

F RE N C H

ST

AG E

317

proceedi n g would be a violation of all law divine

and human
Perceivi n g that Cagliostro was getting warm I
tried to turn the conversation to another subj ect
I wished to hear something of the ghost scen es

and especially about the apparition of D Al emb ert

So strangely described to me by Lady Muntz

Yet nevertheless said I count you deal i n

the supernatural For example : those spirits that

you conjure up

Ah ! said the Count

you have heard of
those S pirits that appear at my biddi ngthose
ghosts that rise from the grave at my comman d !
But have you seen them ? U ntil you see

them with your own eyes reserve your opinion

But resumed Dugazon all Paris

All Paris has not seen them interrupted

Cagliostro ; I am not a mou n tebank who ex

h i b i t s a S how in the public streets
I have made
myself acquainted with wonderful secrets : I pos
sess a profound knowledge of the natural sciences
Your s avan s who would have rej ected me a s a
man of science receive me as a conj uror I la
bour for the benet of mankind I work my
cures by securing an ascendancy over the ima
i
of
my
patients
: I prepare their minds
n at i o n
g
in such a manner that even the touch of my hand
f
will in some cases e f
ect a restoration to health
,

318

TH E

FRENCH

TA GE

I must confess that I expected to nd in cert ain

classes of French society more t rue philosophy

S ince their faith is no longer there said the

beautiful Seraphina raising her left hand to hea
ven and with her right hand making the S ign of

the cross they are ready to put faith in anything

From the remarks that had fall en from Caglio
stro I naturally supposed that he had been imposed
upon by our assumed characters and that he took
us to be nothing less than members of the sove
reign magistracy I was conrmed i n this belief
by percei ving that he wished to break o f
fthe
conversation appar
ently fearing that it might lead
to something unpleasant My surp ri se may there
fore be conceived when Cagliostro drew out hi s
watch and af
t er looking at it repeated the follow

ing lines from Moli ere s Tartuf

e
f
,

est M o ieur troi s he res t demi

C ert i de vo ir p ieu x me dem de l a h u t
E t vou s m
r
de vou s qu itter i t t
I l

ns

an

an

ex cu s e

ez

f
Then o f
ering his arm to his wife he bowed to us
profoundly ; and Seraphina bade us farewell with
a most gracious smile and co u rtesy
A di eu M Fleury ! A dieu M Dugazon
said C agliostro
You wished me to act a p art
for your entertainmentbut you have been acting

for mine

But I hope
s ai d the lady
we leave no

unfrien dly feeling behind us

,

32 0

T H E F RE N C H

TA G E

relate the following little anecdote

Pali s s o t
was invested with the cross of a Dutch order of
knighthood W hen some friends were o f
ering
f
him their congratulations he said : Do you
know that the famous Cagliostro prophesied that

I should have this honour

I n deed ! said some one how was that ?

I will tell you I had reason to be di s s at i s

e d with my treatment at court
I conceived
myself entitled to a reward for real and important
services I had rendered to the monarchy ; in short
I had written an answer to the ode addressed by
the King of Prussia to Louis X V To woun d the
vanity of an authorthe vanity of a royal author
the vanity of Frederick
was something
What was my recompence ? To b e banished the
court That same day I happened to be on a visit

to Madame d An g evi lli erS ; Cagliostro was one of

the party I told hi m what I had done addin g
that I conceived myself entitled to the cordon o f
Sai n t Michel but that I had got nothing but

ingratitude

you
On e day or other observed C agliostro
will have something quite as good as that cordon
and yo u will receive it from the hands o fa great
mo n arch You see gentlemen he foretold my
investiture with this cross ; and the prophecy
havi n g been fullled I rmly believe in all his

other predictions
.

32 1

C H A PT ER X VI I

Perform c e o f the W id ow of M l b r t the p r ov i c i l the

tres I toler c Th Bull U i g i t
dr p er of
Th
A v isit t o B ou rde u
T ou l ou s H i d u ghter M ri
Perform c e of the Wid ow of M l b r i th t city Prosp er
H i s u ccess i the ch r c ter of the y ou g Br hmi
d U i

H b e c omes e m ou red of M ri
e Cr l
Q u its the
st ge d e ter s i t o bus i es Th m rri ge c erem o y i
t rr p t d Th
p riest s
them
Po i
Nup ti l b qu et
d wi e
an

a a

an

an

so n e

u ss o

an n

an a

a a

na

us

an n e

a a a

s s eu x .

en

an

an

TH E

good people of Toulouse had not emerged

from the dark n ess of the thirt eenth century when
all the rest of France were in the eightee n th
Toulouse had been the sce n e of the murder of
Calas an atrocity which the populace of that
city had applauded and even instigated The
spirit of religious dissensio n and the conict b e
twee n Protestantism and C atholicism were kept
up in that strong
hold of credulity and fanaticism
A t le n gth however the light of intelligence was
be g inning to dawn in certain classes of To u lo u s i an

society and it is possible that L en i c erre s Widow

,

THE FREN CH

32 2

TA G E

of Malabar might have produced its ef

ect in
f
Toulouse as well as in other places but for an
event which created a great sensation in that city
and which for a considerable time precluded all
possibility of performi n g the piece
The tolerant disposition of the archbishop (which
was S O great as to subj ect him to the suspicion of
en cy c lop di s me) produced no benecial i n u ence
Certain old Cures kept up wi thin their respective
parishes a furious spirit of opposition ; and when
in Paris all the absurdities relating to the Bull
U n i g e n i t u s were or ought to have been, at an end
these incorrigible priests obstinately maintained
the points in di spute and gloried in being as
they styled themselves Cures co n s ti tu t i o n n ai res
The granting of confessional tokens and the
refusal to administer the sacrament were still con
tested questions i n some churches of the suburbs
These disputes were not openly maintained it is
true ; but the warfare was not the less dangerous
by being carried on secretly and artfully The
consequence was that those persons who had fol
lowed the spirit o fthe age were doomed to die
wit hout receiving the last consolations for which
they app ealed in the sincerity of their religious
faith
In vain were these instances o finjustice and
persecution represented to the A rchbishop ; the

32 4

TH E

FREN C H

TA GE

mony between her and her husban d arose out of

questions on religion Cru s s o l was in the habit
of travelling about in di f
erent parts of France in
f
pursuit of his business ; and it sometimes hap
pened that he returned from those j ourneys less
pious than when he departed He would then
indulge i n a li ttle philosophic pleasan try after the
Parisian fashion and would go to the theatre even
on Sundays ; si n s which gave serious umbrage to
his better half who in her e f
orts to recl aim him
f
spared neither exhortation nor scolding
Madame Cru s s o l was the more vexed at

her husband s conduct inasmuch as Marianne

listened to her father s cheerful conversation with

more pleasure than to her mother s lectures ; and

felt more interest in the perusal of a novel than in
pori n g over the sacred pages of pious works
The excell ent mother recommended Marian ne to
read an d meditate o n these but their leaves re
t ai n e d their unsullied purity whilst those of the

romance of Z aide or of Don Quixote bore

obvious marks of havi ng been frequently turned
over
The S piritual condition o fMarianne occasioned
grea t uneasin ess to her mother and at length the
good lady was induced to pour her sorrows into
the bosom of a confessor The priest whilst he
.

F RE N C H

TH E

ST

AGE

32 5

gave her every consolation as far as regarded her

self assured her that her husband an d daughter
could not hope for salvation unless they altered
their course of life The holy man especially

o r theatrical enter
condemned M Cru s so l s taste f
but in that particular Madame Crus
t ai n m e n t s
f
sol despaired of e f
ectin g any conversion
Mean while Cru s s o l felt that he was advanci n g
in years He had in Bourdeaux an elder S ister
possessed of a competent fortune which Marianne
was destined one day or other to i n herit The
aunt had expressed a wish to see her niece and
in consequence M Cru s s o l thought he could not
do better than make a j ourney to Bourdeaux in
company with his daughter

The state of Cru s s o l s busi n ess had not hitherto

rendered it n ecessary for him to keep a clerk or
assistant ; but now bein g about to leave home for
a time he deemed it expe d ie n t to look out for
some one to take charge of the shop during his
absence For this purpose he e n gaged a young
man whose pro i g at e habits were well known to
the i n habitants of Toulouse ; but he was clever

and active i n busi n ess and as Madame Cru s s o l s

age protected her against slan der the arrange
ments were straightway concluded
After liste n ing patiently to all the prudent re
commendations of Madame Cru s s o l the travellers
,

32 6

TH E

F R N CH

ST

A GE

set out on their j ourney Marianne tore herself

from the arms of her mother and took her seat in
the coach Half an hour after the heavy rumbling
vehicle had left its starting place the white hand
of Marian ne might be seen waving a han dk erchief
towards Toulouse in token of adieu
Cru s s o l and his daughter were received with
transpo rts o fj oy by their af
ectionate relative at
f
B ourdeaux The old widow B am p i erre spared no
ef
orts to S how her visitors all that was curious
f
and amusing in the city They made visits to the
port and went on board the principal vessels in
the harbour an d the old lady even procured the

governor s permission to enable her relatives to

of the Chateau Trompette
V ie w the ramparts
A mo n g all the various amusements which Bour
deaux af
forded the theatre was not forgotten
For the rst t1me in her life Marianne saw a play
and though her mother had inveighed forcibly
against that sin yet it seemed to her to be one
which best deserved absolution She even wished
to read t h e play she had seen performed and
she was at a loss to comprehend how an amuse
ment which was calculated to rene the taste and
the feelings could have an evil moral inuence
I n the letters which S h e addressed to her mother
Marian ne did not mention that she had been to
the theatre ; this concealment was painful to her
.

TH E FREN C H

32 8

TA G E

f
and in several provincial theatres hi s e f
orts in
tragedy had been crowned with success In short
he bade fair one day or other to become a brill iant
ornament to the French stage
The clergy of Bourdeaux evinced no less hosti

Widow of Malabar than had been

li t y to the
manifested by their brethren in Paris The city
of B ourdeaux was under the command of Marshal
de R ichelieu who was on terms of intimate friend
ship with the Archbishop o fParis and accordi ngly
an application was made to that prelate l n the name
of the chapter to request him to use hi s inuence
with the Marshal to suppress the perf
orman ce of
the piece The Duke de R ichelieu who had ap
l
au d e d the t rag e d y i n the capital and in his capa
p

city of rst gentleman of the ki n g s chamber had

patronized the author was about to despatch an
order to prohibit the performan ce of the play at
B ourdeaux : thus condemning in his mili tary c a
ac i t
p
y of commandant that which he had sanc
ce of gen
t i o n e d and approved in his courtly o f
However the prohibition
t l e m an of the chamber
was rendered un necessary by the sudden illness of
Sai n val which caused the performance of the play
to be suspended

D E m m ery o r to c al l him by his right name

d U s s i eu x was now without any engag ement ; but

.

TH E

F RE N C H

TA GE

32 9

so great had been his success in the character of

the you n g Brahmi n that several theatrical ma
nagers in other parts of Fran ce o f
ered him e n
f
g ag e m e n t s on the most advantageous conditions
Marianne and her father were in Bourdeaux at
the time of the performance of the Widow of

Cru s s o l observed many passages in

Malabar
the play which he thought would serve as excel
lent replies to some of the b i g o t t e d dogmas of his
wife H e even learned several of these passages by
heart with the intention of maki n g them serve as
defensive weapons against the arguments of his
wife and the cur of their parish Marianne ad
mired the poetry OfLemierre but she admired
above all the character of the young Brahmin
At that scene in the fourth act in which the bro
ther and S ister recognise each other she mel t ed
into a ood of tears and thought if heaven had
granted her such a brother their humble dwelli n g
in Toulouse frequently so dull would have been
the sce n e ofunvaried cheerfuln ess an d conte n tment
A n amiable and kind hearted brother always e n
livens a family circle ; and then again Marianne
reected that if her father had had a son he might
have dispensed with the services of a clerk
and for the rst time in her life S h e felt a regret

that she was her fathe r s only child

The period allotted to their visit to Bourdeaux
,

330

TH E FREN CH

TA GE

having drawn to a close Cru s s o l and his daughter

set out on their return home There were few
passengers by the coach ; but it happened that

d E m m ery who had some business to arrange

in Toulouse was among the number
N either
Cru s s o l nor his daughter recognised him which
was not to be wondered at as the dress he wore

in the Widow of Malabar greatly altered hi s

appearance But he was an extremely handsome
fthe stage and there
young man both on and o f
was a charm in hi s voice which was irresistibly
attractive
H e conversed most agreeably and
was fond of relatin g anecdotes and ad v entures
which exhibited pictures of rened sentiment
not only tales of love but those which pourtrayed
the devoted af
ection o fa parent the lial piety of
f
a child o r a generous sacrice made in the cause
of friendship During the j ourney from Bour
deaux to Toulouse Cru s s o l listened to him with
deep interest H e who so dearly loved to have his
share in conversation now remained a silent
hearer and seemed as if fearful o flosing a single
word that fell from his travelling companion A s
to Marianne she almost fancied S h e was listening
to her Brahmin and that he was reading to her

some pages of her favouri te romance o f Z aide

N othing had fallen from d E mm ery which could

lead to the supposition of his being an actor ; and
,

332

FREN C H

TH E

TA G E

commercial plans ; and then for the rst time he

began to feel that he had fallen in love with his
fair travelling companion
And h o w could he have avoided loving Mari
an ne ? She was so amiable and so af
ectionately
f
attached to her father There was a piquant ex
pression in her countenance which gave it a charm
more attractive than the beauty which depends
merely on a regular set of features Her lively
blue eyes and whi te teeth imparted an irresistible
fascination to her smile ; and a slender gure a
sweetly toned voice together with small and ex
formed
hands
and
feet
formed
an
en s emble
u i s i t el
q
y

which speedi ly captivated the heart of d E mm ery

A little beyond A gen at a place called M al o s t e
there was an alarm that a par t y of robbers were
advancin g o n the coach for the purpose of attack

ing it
Oh save my father ! exclaimed Mari

anne throwin g her arms round the o ld man s

neck and casting o n d E mm ery an imploring

look which seemed to say that she trusted to him
f
o r their defence
The alarm of robbers proved to be unfounded ;
but the tra vellers encountered a danger of another
kind The coach which had been driven at a
rapid pace overturned upon some rugged frag
ments o frock with which that part of the road is
.

T H E F R E N CH

ST

AGE

333

anked The passengers raised a simultaneous

cry of terror The dan ger was the more imminent
as the coachman had lost his hold of the rei n s and
the horses galloped forward so that the coach
was dragged over the rocks at the risk of being
dashed to pieces

Oh my father !
my dearest father ! ex
claimed Marianne i n an agony of despair

D E m m ery forced open the coach door and at

the risk of his life succeeded in graspin g the reins
and checki n g the horses At the very rst shock
of the overturn Marianne with great presence of
mind placed her arm between M Cru s s o l and that
part of the coach which struck against the rock
By this mean s she protected her father from a blow
which would probably have fractured his S kull ; but
in t he e f
ort to save him h er o wn arm was broke n
f
Some time after this occurrence an old man on
his death bed appealed for the prayers and the
succour of the church A t rst his appeal was re
e c t e d but nal l y the clergy relented and a priest
j
attended t h e bed S ide of the invali d After linger
ing for some time apparently at the brink of death
he suddenly became better and to the great j oy
and surprise of his f
amily nally recovered The
Cur of the parish failed n o t to attribute this
al most miraculous recovery to the ef
cacy of t h e
.

334

F RE N C H

TH E

TA GE

sacrament ; and poor M Cru s s o l who had been

on the very verge of death and whose intellects
were impaired by bodily inrmity su f
ered his
f
conscience to be controlled and became as priest
ridden as his wife

The clerk who had been engaged on Cru s s o l s

departure for Bourdeaux was now dismissed and
superseded by one who was beloved by M and
Madame Crus s o l as their son and by Marianne
regarded as her future husband
This was no

other than d U S S i eu x
H e had renounced the
profession of the stage which would have been an
insuperable bar to his union with the obj ect of his
f
af
ections At that time the n obility and liberal
min ded persons in all classes of society loved the
drama and patronized and treated actors with re
spect ; yet old prej u dices existed in full force
among the commercial and tradi n g classes espe
n Toulouse where the theatre was regarded
c i all
i
y
as a school of philosophy and perdition
To person s of this mode of thi n king no play
could possibly b e more hateful than the
Widow of Malabar
and the To u l o u s i an clergy
set every spring in motion to prevent its pe rform
ance However in spite of this potent opposition
the plav was actually in preparation ; but the
f
absence of the actor who was to give e f
ect t o
.

12

T H E F RE N C H

336

TA GE

Swear I command you before G od and

his minister that yo u r name is not d E m

mery !

My n ame is Prosper d U s s i eu x ; and I swear

before G o d an d his mi n ister
to be faithful to
Marianne an d to devote my whole li fe to her hap
,

i
n es s
p

The happiness of a Chri stian woman cannot

be intrusted to your hands rej oined the priest

See imprudent parents co n tinued he han di ng

the billet to Cru s s o l a n d hi s wife

wo u ld

?
you give yo u r daughter to an actor
An exclamation of horror resounded through
the church an d every one indignantly repeated

the words an actor

An actor !
Yes my brethren an actor !
A nd thi s m an has d ared to approach the
holy altar for the purpose of profani n g it ! A
child of perdition on whos e head I was about to
pronounce a benediction ; but o n who m I now i n

voke an anathema !
An d you s ai d he turning
to Mariann e who gazed at him with a look of
stupor
my anathema b e on your head if

you banish not all thought of thi s impious un ion

Then address i ng d U s si eux wi th veheme n ce

Quit the church ! said he :

Begone
.

'

F RE N C H

TH E

ST

AGE

337

this instant
Make way for him added he
addressing the people
N o longer let him

sully this sacred place with his presence !

This command was easily obeyed for d U s s i e u x

had fallen senseless on the ground as if struck by
a thunderbolt It seemed to be doubtful whether
he was living or dead Some men among the
crowd raised him up an d conveyed him to a
neighbouring house in which actors were in the
habit of lodging

Mar
ian ne evi n ced more fortitude than d U s s i eu x
N ot a word escaped her lips
not a tear
fell from her eyes She raised her father who
had sunk down upon his p ri e
Di eu an d she o f
f
e re d him her arm whilst Madame Cru s s o l leaned

o n that of a friend
D U s s i e u x was carried out at
a door o n one s i d e o fthe c h u rdh and Cru s s o l and
his family went o utg at the other It gee mg d
though the anath ema of the priest was hencefort h

atm
re eo ll ec t i o n of d U Ssi e ux fr
er
t m l
o m t he \
fhi s bri e A fter qu i t t ip g the church
he
fh
n e c as t g l an c e
a S ih l e
towa
r
ds
g
g
the house whither the apparently dyi n g man had
been conv eyed ; but no trace of regret was dis
Thus in spite of
c e rn i bl e in her cou n tenance
fanaticism more than one feeling heart pitied the
actor and censured the pio u s bride
.

'

'

V OL

338

FREN CH

TH E

TA GE

D U s s i eu x received al l possible attentions from

the manager of the Toulouse theatre and several
actors who happened to be lodging in the house
On recovering from the state of stupor into which
the shock had thrown him despair took possession
him and he was with di f
culty prevented from
of
laying violent hands on himself But on being
made acquainted with the indi f
f
erence evi nced
towards him by those who were to become his
parents and by the woman whom he had re
garded as his wife he made an e f
f
ort to summon
resolution to bear his misfortune
Something
like a feeling of vengeance even arose in his
mind and he felt a desire to live were it only to
gratify that feeling

About eleven o clock at night he was pacing

up and down his chamber in a most painful state
of agitation when he heard a gentle tap at hi s
door accompanied by some words uttered by a
voice which he thought he recognized
He
started and his heart beat vi olently
Another
tap was given at the door ; he opened it and
beheld his bride

Marianne ! My wife ! he exclai med clasp

ing her in his arm s whilst a ray of j oy animated
his almost broken heart

H u sh ! said Marianne placing her nger

,

"

340

TH E

F RE N C H

T AG E

felt that the feverish deli rium w hi ch had during

the day agitated him was now assuaged ; that he
was collected and self possessed and that the
supposed vision was reality
The bridal feast was spread and the bride and
bridegroom sat down to table Marianne pressed

f
D U s s i eu x to eat and smilingly o f
ered to pledge
him i n a glass of wine H e poured it out and
they both drank In a few moments a feeling o f
stupor began to overpower them

G ive me my wed di ng ring said Marianne

D U s s i eu x drew from hi s pocket the ring which

had been destined for the ceremon y of the morn
ing and which in one of his paroxysms of p hren z y
he had been on the point of breaking Marianne
placed it on her nger and sinking back in her
chair said in a faint tone of voice
Marianne

Cru s s al and Prosper d U s s i e u x S hall not be se

arat e d by the priest s anathema !

p
In the morning the bride and bridegroom were
found deadthe wine and meat which Marianne
had brought had been loaded and saturated with
poison
-

34 1

C H A PT ER X VII I

de N eufc h ate u H i liter ry t le t H i p l y e ti

tl d
P mel H i m rri g E x pul si o from the corpo r
ti o of A dv oc te D e th o f hi w i f H i retu r t o P ris

f ther d
Th de d u th o r
S i g u l r i ter v ie w b et w ee
b rou ght t o li fe Neufc h ate u c re ted se t o r H i
r
ti o s i b eh l f of the F re c h dr m A mess ge fro m M de
m i ll R ucourt H r cu ri ou s sh w l
Brok er s st lls
the P o t N f
M rti the fort u e teller D es c ri p ti o of his
p rtme t d p ers o l pp e r c M demoiselle R ucou rt
co su lt s him resp e c ti g the f
firs of the C o m die Fr g i
Hi
sw ers

F ran co i s
e

a.

o se

eu

an

na

a an

na

exe
a

on

so n

s an

an

n a

n s

an

a s e.

a subsequent part of this work I S hall have

occasion to detail the extraordi nary circumstances
which attended the performance of Fran c ois de

N eu f
c ha
t e au s play called
This play
Pamela
was the i n nocent cause of a long series of disasters
to the Comdie Fran c aise and the di sturbances
which took place at its representation led to the
imprisonment of the actors I nd among my
scattered notes some interesting particulars rela
N

342

TH E

FREN C H

TA GE

tive to the li fe of Fran c ois de N eufch ateau which

I will here present to the reader
In his early boyhood N eu f
c h t e au evinced a
genius for poetry and in the maturer development
of his talents he became the author of several
adm ired productions
But hi s literary ef
forts
were not devoted solely to one style of w ri t
ing ; his varied an d extensive information opened
to him a wide eld for the exercise of hi s talent ;
an d every thing he wrote bore the impress of an
accomp lished and able mind H e would doubt
less have become a most distinguished dramatist
but aft er his rst essays in that li ne politics
absorbed his whole existence
A t the time when I rst knew him he was an
amusing observer of the fashi ons and folli es o fthe
gay world of Paris ; he seemed to have inherited
the lo rg n et t e of the Abb de Voisenon On many
subj ects his ideas were whimsical and eccentric ;
these ideas seemed sometimes to be taken up for
the sake of mere diversion though they doubtless
originated in a peculi ar organization In S pite of
his ardent love of literature and his admi ration of
distinguished authors yet I am sure he would have
shrunk from taki n g a lea ding rank in the path of
letters I have heard hi m say that the exercise
of
gen ius is the sacrice of a man f
o r the benet
of society
,

TH E FRENC H

34 4

ST

AGE

of a small town he found himself out o f

place For some time he dragged on a monoto
nous and melancholy life when at length his poor
wife brokenhearted by the reection that she was

the cause of marring her husband s fortune re

leased him from the obstacle by her death
The young advocate return ed to Paris an d
once more entered the eld of professional exer
tion H e spared no e f
orts to recover the rank
f
from which the prej udice agains t players and
their relations had excluded him H e had p ai d
a very large sum for the purchase of his ap
pointment in Lorraine and on his ret urn to the
capital he fou n d himself possessed of few resources
beyond his li terary and legal attainme n ts A fter
he had been for some considerable time a wi d o wer
his friends wished him to form a second marriage
With thi s view they prevailed on him to mingle
again in society Th ey introduced him to a lady
to whom he bec am
e attached and who returned his
attachment
f
ered his hand ; it
N eu f
c h i t e au o f
was accepted ; and the preliminaries were arran ged
by a notary with the concurrence of the relatives
on both sides
Then commenced a mysterious
series of misfortunes of which various versions
have been given The following I believe to be
the true one
A s they were al ighting fro m the carriage at the
bi ti o n

T H E F RE N C H

ST

AGE

34 5

door of the notary who was to arrange the mar

c h r
t eau s father drew him
ri ag e settlements N e u f

aside
I wish to speak to you said he ; and
his trembling voice betrayed the profound emo
tion by which he was agitated The young m an
lled with alarm gazed anxiously at his father
who lingered behind H e entered the library and
all the company not havin g yet arrived he made
that excuse for absenting himself H e rej oined
his father and both walked into the garden
?
What have you to say to me fat her
en
quired N eufch ateau

Fran c ois said th e 01d man

I have to tell

you that t hi s d ay will be the last of my existence

c ha
So saying he Opened his coat and N e u f
erro r beheld a l o ad e d
teau with f
i
st o l
p
The sbn a by
Su d c ut -an d powerful grasp
g
possessed himself of Er:i n st ru me n tgo fdeath H e
gazed intently on his father h
countenance some traces of in
have been a consolatio n in comparison with what
he dreaded But no the old man was not mad ;
his countenance his voice his manner betokened
deep an guish but perfect collectedn ess of mind

?
What means this my father
said N e u f
cha
teau
Pardon me
pardon me
said the old man

'

'

2 46

F RE N CH

TH E

in

TA GE

a suppliant tone of voice and still hesitating

to explain himself

Speak father I entreat you ! said the son ;

you have something to communicate to me

tell me wha t it is The company are w ai ti n g for
us and in a f
e w moments w e shall be summoned
Q

to j oin them
Scarcely were these words uttered when the

old man fell prostrate at his son s feet c o n v ul

s i v el
A thought a
y grasping with his hands
suspicion which had already faintly occurred to
cha
t eau now presented itselfin
the mind of N euf
a more decided form The evidence arose i n clear
and terrible colours For some moments the o l d

man lay at his son s feet ; not a word had yet been
interchan ged ; their eyes had not met ; and a ter
rible secret was about to be div ul ged
Af
t er a p ainful stru ggle of feeling the father
an c e d bride of his
confessed his love for the af
Son
and his determination not to outlive the day
when she should become the wif
e of Fran c ois In
an agony of grief N eu f
c hi t eau embraced his im
happy parent and uttering the words Farewell

for ever ! le f
t him
This p ai nful scene took place
in an avenue of the garden screened from o b s er
vation
H aving lingered for a S hort time to collect him
,

'

T H E F RE N C H

348

actors

TA GE

H e was for a considerable time a pri

s o n e r in the L u xembourg
The Directory released
him to give him a place in the ministry f
rom
whi ch he retired to take his seat on the Directo
rial throne
In that eminent position he was
superseded by colleagues whose ambition was
t er that N apoleon
more active than his o wn Af
gave him a seat in the Imperial senate the gulfin
which he buri ed those men whose talents were
likely to be troublesome to him An entombment
in that illustrious body deed all possib i lity of
resuscitation
Fran c ois de N eu fch ateau was indefatigable in
his e f
f
orts to remove the obstacles whi ch opposed
the revival of the French drama aft er our release
from prison But unfortu n ately his views were
thwarted by a m u ltitude of arrogant pretensions
and evil passions Fo r a time we were in utter
despair an d I began to turn my thoughts to
wards R ussia whence I had received very adv an
o r an
ers f
e n gagement
One day
f
t ag eo u s o f
whilst I was meditating on what it would be best
for me to do I received a note from Mademois ell e
R aucourt requesting that I would call on her
I went without delay On bei n g ushered into
her apartment I found her attired in an elegan t
walkin g dress and apparently j ust ready to go
out A m o s t beautif
ul shawl such a o n e as was at
.

F RE N C H

TH E

ST

AGE

34 9

that time worn only by ladies of the highest rank

was gracefully draped over her S houlders Ob s erv
ing that I xed my eyes o n the S hawl S he said

Do you like it ?

Beautiful replied I ;
and the d ress the
S pencer
the bonnet all are in excellent taste

But where are you goi n g ?

I will not tell you

said she
until you
look at my shawl and give me your Opinion of it

more decidedly
I have already told you and now I tell you
again it is beautiful exquisitely beautiful
R oses lilies and j asmins

But observe resumed R aucourt

the form
of the leaves and the peculiarly fantastic style
in which the owers are intertwined together
Do you not perceive something more than the
mere bouquets
A h I do perceive ! How strange that I
should not have seen at rst that this i n genious
grouping of the owers represents the heads of
the king the queen and the dauphin ! The heads

are clearly dened

Yes and the likenesses striking are they
not Fleury
Ma foi
said I
if this S hould come under
the notice of the Directory the shawl faction will

be exposed to a fearful vengeance

,

350

TH E

FRE NCH

ST

AG E

N ever mind that

said S he I want you to
come with me and we will try to nd out what
measures the Directory contemplates with regard

to us and o u r theatre

G o with you exclaimed I

with that shawl

on ? Are you aware of the dan ger ?

Bah bah answered R aucourt there is no

danger But if you suspect that there is you are

bound in gallantry to af
ord me your protection
f

Most assuredly I repli ed ; and I feel the

more bound to accompany you S ince I not only

suspect but am convinced there i s danger

A carriage was waiting for us at the door and
as though it had been decreed that the day should
be con s ec rat e d to fashion the carriage was on e
of the square formed vehicles then in vogue which
rolled along like a train of artillery On these
carriages the coachman was perched up so high
and his seat was so wide that he looked li ke a
telegraph mounted on a sofa
For some time after we were seated in the car
ri ag e R aucourt uttered not a word and in spite of
her attempts to look serious I could now and
then see a smile lurking on her lip I too o b
served S ilence until it became so wearisome to
me that I resolved to break it Pointi n g to o u r
Phaeto n o n his elevated coach box I said
An
excellent post that f
o r an observer of ma nners
,

352

TH E

F RE N C H

ST

A GE

some old salad baskets and the gure of a weep

ing N iobe stretched at full length n ext to a rat
f
trap It would be di f
cult to co n ceive the e f
ect
produced by thi s whimsical combination of o b
ec t s suggesti n g to the mi n d the most inco n gru
j

ous ideas of lu xury an d poverty These brokers

stalls prese n ted a picture w hich might not u m
aptly be likened to the halt of a band of gyp sies
after the pill age of a noble chateau and a humble
cottag e Alas it was a picture of la Fran ce n o u
.

v elle

I was roused from my reections by the s miling

countenance of a beaut i ful boy about seven or
eight years of age who was nimbly skipping about
by the side of o u r carriage whi ch was unable to
proceed f
aster than at a walki n g pace The boy
passed an d re passed several times so that I had
an Opportunity of observing hi s movements whi ch
excited my curiosity To the men he ad d ressed
a few words and then left them but he followed
the women more closely especiall y those of the
well dressed class
Af
ter S p eaking earnestly to
them he unfolded a bill to which he drew their
attention ; then when they had glanced at it he
folded it up again and tripped away to go through
the same man oeuvre with the next who came up

What a beautiful boy that is said I to my

taciturn compan ion
I am quite amused by
,

12

TH E

FRE NCH

ST

AG E

353

obse rvi n g his fantastic and mysterious move

me n ts

He is a page observed R aucourt ; and he

has a message for me

A page
said I f th en I presume we are to

have an adventure ?
N o sooner had I uttered these words than the
boy approached the carriage and standing on
tiptoe held up his bill crying out
Look
Madame look Monsieu r
would you like to

draw the cards ?

R aucourt threw some money to the boy and
then showed him two tickets H e looked at them

and then said Yes Madame it is to day

He stopped as if expecting something more to
be said and at that moment our coachman pulled
up The coach door was opened we al ighted
and I o f
fered my arm to my fair companion The
boy walked before us gravely an d silently We
passed more than twenty carriages all drawn up

in a line At length we reached the R ue d An j o u

formerly the Rue Dauphine and we stopped at
the door of a house which might have been called
a het el had not republican equality banished titles
even from houses
In the name of wonder thought I whither are
we going ? How are we to di scover in the Rue
Dauphine the intentions of the Directory in rela
.

'

354

TH E

F RE N C H

ST

AGE

tion to the Comdie Fran c aise My curiosity was

excited to the highest pitch but nevertheless I
held my tongue I felt assured that I shoul d very
soon have an explanation and therefore I willingly
deferred it for a few moments We passed through
a court yard and havi ng ascended a ight of steps
entered the house I n the court yard and in the e n
trance hall I saw assembled numbers of elegantly
dressed ladies and gentlemen all looking very serious
and very anxious and apparently feeling the same
impatience that I di d to di scover some mystery
which could not be very eas i ly guessed at Still
preceded by the boy who ushered us through the
assembled t hro n g R au c o u rt and I entered an apart
ment on the ground oor in which a respectably
dressed man was waiting The lady presented her
two tickets an d the man showed us into an inner
room closing the door after us Our pretty little
page instantly disappeared behind some old tapes
try with which the walls o fthe chamber were
hung
This apartment was darkened by thick
window curtains nearly covering the whole of the
windows Skeletons o fbirds and skins of ser
f
pents were lying here and there in di f
erent parts
of the room On a side table I observed a human
skull crown ed with a garland of coq u elicots such
as might have been worn by a fashionable bell e ;
and casting my eyes in another direction I beheld
.

356

FREN CH

TH E

TAG E

s t it i o n s

of the thirteenth century ; and yet the

grass had scarcely grown over the graves of Vol
taire R ousseaux H elvetius and Diderot
N ever did nature endow a man wi th personal
advantages so well suited to h is calling as those
possessed by Martin the fort u ne teller He was
a hideous little dwarf closely resembling Le

S age s description of A smodeus His legs were

so exceedingly short that when he walked or
rather rolled into the room he appeared to me to
have no legs at all
The wizard as soon as he perceived us made a
S light inclination of his head
H e then seized a
pair of crutches on which he adroitly xed his
arms his little gure was thus for a few moments
suspended and swang to and fro hi s feet being
several inches from the ground Then taking a
powerful leap he seated himself on a stool which
was placed beside a table In this position stand
ing as we did at some distance from him we
could discern little more than his head Direct
ing his eyes towards us he smiled an d in a very
pleasing tone of voice uttered a few words in a
decided Italian accent
R aucourt was required to state the nature of the
subj ect on which she wi shed to be enlightened by
the soothsayer ; for Martin had classied the sub
,

T H E F RE N C H

ST

A GE

357

over
which
he
pretended
to
exercise
the
power
j
of prophecy and b e regulated his prices accor di ng
to the importance and value of the i n formation
demanded of him For disclosi n g the success or
failure of ambitious schemes a certain sum was
xed ; a little more was demanded for pre di ctions
f
on love af
airs ; and there was a S light augmenta
tion in the amount for information relati n g to i n
d eli t i es
Heirs who wished to ascertain the time
of succession to their fortunes paid according to
the extent of their inheritance an d also to the
mode of attaini n g them as to whether it were
direct or collateral
To gain intelligence of an
absent husband or rather of the exact time of his
return the anxious wife was required to pay an
enormous premium But the highest price was that
deman ded for the disclosure of circumstance s re
lating to the discovery of robberies To obtain a
knowledge of the decrees of Fate on an y one of
the above subj ects required as Martin alleged a
di stinct course of study ; to solve some questions
he said demanded the labour of a whole week
A dialogue of some length ensued between
Martin and R aucourt in which the lady digressed
very widely from the professed obj ect of her visit
The fortune teller then very politely requested her
to dene with more precision the nature of the
ec t s

'

T H E F RE N C H

358

ST

AGE

subj ect on w hi ch she wished him to throw light

by aid of his prophetic power At this moment
a man who o f
ciated as a sort of clerk to Martin
entered the room holding a plate in hi s hand I
understood the sort of precise denition that was
alluded to and I dropped a piece of gold in to the
plate R aucourt then turning to Martin said
C itizen the subj ect is thi s There is a certain
af
air now pending in the success of whi ch we
f
are deeply interested ; and we wish you to inform

us whether we may coun t on its success ?

You make your enquiry in very vague terms

lady returned Martin (he did not address her by

the title of citizeness )
You remind me o fpoor

Ve s t ri s who on the day of his wife s d ebut wished

to have a mass performed ; but fearing a refusal
he begged that the priest would o f
er the holy
f

sacrice to obtain the success o fsometh i ng

R aucourt and I gazed at one another with
amazement ! Ve s t ri s mentioned by Martin ! A
fami ly anecdote related
We had not announced
and we supposed that the fortune
o u r names
teller di d not know us Had b e gu essed who
we were or was it by mere chance that the it p ro
I was not a
p o s incident occurred to hi s mind ?
little puzzled ; but recollecting that we had no
time to waste and that people in greater trouble
,

'

36 0

THE

F RE N CH

TA GE

have the usual accompaniment of thunder and

lightning but I was disappointed Martin went
economically to work Subduing his voice to a
more gentle pitch and imparting to it a tone such
as might induce us to suppose that we were sepa
rated from him by thick walls he said

Look on the table !

We obeyed There was nothi ng on the table
but a large map of Paris and its vicinity whi ch
seemed to have been spread out by way of servi ng
the purpose of a table cloth for it exhibited vari
ous circular yel low stains apparently produced by
greasy plates and other smaller stain s of a purple
colour looking very much like the marks of wine
glasses

Well what are we to look at o n the table ?

said R aucourt maki n g a grimace as she di rected
her eyes to an Obj ect not very congenial with her
elegant feelings
In another moment the boy
approached us and taking the crown of owers
from the sku ll threw it on the table

?
N ow what do y o u see
s ai d Martin doubt
less tak ing his cue from the rustli ng of the owers
as they fell on the paper

A wreath of owers lying on a map was the

answer
?
A nd what is in the centre of that wreath
.

T H E F RE N C H

TA G E

36 1

The district enclosed within the circle of the

wreath
Place your nger on the south of that circle

Madame and read aloud what you see written

Choisy le R oi an swered R aucourt

Place your n ger Sir on the opposite line

and read it aloud

Saint Maur said I

Desce n d towards Paris Madame and read

Le Port 5l An g l ai s
Descend towards Paris Sir and read the

word

Charenton

?
Descend both of you Where are you now
A t the conuence of the Seine and the

Marn e

Bego n e then your question is answered

This j ugglery amused more than it surprised
us N O doubt Martin k n ew us and he was j udi
c i o u s enough to render his oracular answer agree
able by making i t predict precisely what we
wished
The history of our adventure af
orded no li ttle
f
amusement to those to whom we related it The
proximate courses of the Seine and the Marne
and their union into one river furnished a c o n
soling source of S peculation to those among us
.

V OL

36 2

TH E

F RE N C H

ST

AGE

who wished for the reunion of our company

Choisy l e R oy and Charenton were ominous
names considering that is to say that the
Co medi e took the road of Choisy l e R oi

E N D OF V OL

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BERT

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L ANU E I ) G E N I R X
A C O M PAN I O N T O T H E PE E RAG E A N D BARO N E TAG E
C O M P R I S I N G AC CO U N T S O F
T H E E M I N E N T F A M I L I E S I N T H E U N I T E D KI N G D O D

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mber of d d p rt s d vol um s h vi g
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AL S O B Y T E S A M E AU H
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E X T I N CT D O R M AN T
SUS PE N D
P EE RA GE S OF E N G LAN D I RE LAN D
AN D S C O T L AN D
A C OM P A N I O N T O A L L OT H E R P E E R A G E S
W
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H I ST OR IC AL W OR KS
V III

ELI Z AB E T H

Q U EE N

TIME S

HE R

AN D

A S E R I E S O F O R I G I N AL L ETTE R S

l c t d f m t h I d i t d P i v t C0 p o d c ft h L o d T u r B
t h G E l fL i c t t h S
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gh m
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Ch i t o p h
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D E D I C TE D BY PE RM I S S I ON TO H E R M AJ E S TY
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d i g fro m 16 48 t 1678 w j u t p u bl i h d fo m t h o i g i l M S
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M E M O I RS O F S A R A H DU C H ES S OF M AR L B O RO U G H
,

BY
A u t hor o f M M
E

M RS
I I

O I RS OF

TH OM S ON ,

L I FE

E N RY

SI

OF

W RA L

EIG H ,

&c

p i c 2 8 b ou d
u t h o of t h volum i
w ll k ow f h M m oi of H y V III d L t
Th
R l gh h h
d of h
w wo k W ill
o c p c v it h g c
Wl
of t yl w h c h d g u h h fo m
Th
pol ic l
gu w h c h
ll v y b l y
C ou fQ u
fo h C cum t c h v c ll d p
d h
h mt
h w co id M Th om o publ c o
p cul ly
v hd h b
uch od uc io
o t c t h d light f l m
d
B t
ch h
th
v idm d
of h L f of of h m o ll u ou l d
b com c l b d
h o y t h m y t p l c h c h c f h D uc h
gh l gh b fo
d woul d comm d h wo k t g l
lb
gh i
uppl po o of h t o y wi c h w m uc h w d d w bou d t y
I
x cu d h t k W h d l ig c fd l y d g c Ag
Th o m o h
vol

e a

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a ei

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an n e

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a i es

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e n era

ac c

sa

e.

OF M AR LB O R O U GH S PRIVA
C O RRE S PO N DE N C E

D U CH E S S

s t ri

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re o ur re a e rs ,

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oi

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e en

e n arrat es

en

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A n n e are a
e
a t e rs ; s o t at
a
t e re e e n n o s

es e

re a e rs

i st i n

rt O

t e
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at

8 vo ,

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I LL

U STR

ATIVE

TH E

OF

MES

AND T I

CO U R T

A N NE

Q UEEN

OF

p u b l i h d fo m t h O i gi l )
TH H ER S KE T C H ES AN D O P I N I O N S O F H E R C ON TEM P ORAR
S co d d i i o 2 vol 8 w i h PO R R A p i c 2 8
Thi i v y d l gh ful wo k W h v cl o d t h vol um W t h co m d i mp io
d g t h D uc h
of co d uct cou g d d
of M l bo o
p m
y of h high
m k bl wom
of h w
h mo
y ot h r d y

( NOW

i an

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s a

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I TS ,

es

un

n o r an

XIV

na s

ra e , an

an

vo

a e

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e
a .

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re s s

ar

M E M O IR S OF THE B E A U T I E S OF THE
C O U RT OF C H AR LE S II
WI T H AN I NTR O D U CTO RY V I EW O F T H E S T A TE O F FE M AL E S OCI E TY
AN D I T S I N F L U E N CE D U R I N G T HA T R E M A R KA B L E R E I G N
BY M R S J AM E S O N
.

CO M P R I S I N G

N TY O N E S P L E N D I D P O R T R A I T S
f P py E v l y
d o th r
Cl r do
t mp
Di i
tr i g th
w it
d i t
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i od g v d b y
fh g y
t h m o t di i g u i h d A t i t
W A N D CH EA P E R E D I TI O N WI TH C O N S I D E R A B L E ADDI TI O
i S i P wt p i c 7 6 d
l
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N w c mp l t i 2
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No h g i w
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