The Memoirs of Madame de Montespan, vol 4 | Page 6

living image,
dearest Theodore is your son." Then turning to her father, who was
weeping, she said briefly, "All that to-day remains to you of Clorinde

are her two daughters.
"Pray love them as you loved me, and be more strict with them than
you were with me. M. de Nesmond owes these orphans nothing. All
that Melladoro owes them is affection. Tell him, I pray you, of my
constancy and of my death."
Such was the sad end of a young wife who committed no greater crime
than to love a man who was agreeable and after her own heart. M. de
Nesmond was just enough to admit that, in ill-assorted unions, good
sense or good nature must intervene, to ensure that the one most to be
pitied receive indulgent treatment at the hands of the most culpable, if
the latter be also the stronger of the two.

CHAPTER L
.
Madame de Montespan's Children and Those of La Valliere.--Monsieur
le Dauphin.
I had successively lost the first and second Comte de Vegin; God also
chose to take Mademoiselle de Tours from me, who (in what way I
know not) was in features the very image of the Queen. Her Majesty
was told so, and desired to see my child, and when she perceived how
striking was the resemblance, she took a fancy to the charming little
girl, and requested that she might frequently be brought to see her.
Such friendliness proved unlucky, for the Infanta, as is well known, has
never been able to rear one of her children,--a great pity, certainly, for
she has had five, all handsome, well-made, and of gracious, noble mien,
like the King.
In the case of Mademoiselle de Tours, the Queen managed to conquer
her dislike, and also sent for the Duc du Maine. Despite her affection
for M. le Dauphin, she herself admitted that if Monseigneur had the airs
of a gentleman, M. le Duc du Maine looked the very type of a king's
son.
The Duc du Maine, Madame de Maintenon's special pupil, was so well
trained to all the exigencies of his position and his rank, that such
premature perfection caused him to pass for a prodigy. Than his, no
smile could be more winning and sweet; no one could carry himself
with greater dignity and ease. He limps slightly, which is a great pity,

especially as he has such good looks, and so graceful a figure; his
lameness, indeed, was entirely the result of an accident,--a sad accident,
due to teething. To please the King, his governess took him once to
Auvez, and twice to the Pyrenees, but neither the waters nor the Auvez
quack doctors could effect a cure. At any rate, I was fortunate enough
to bring up this handsome prince, who, if he treat me with ceremony,
yet loves me none the less.
Brought up by the Duc de Montausier, a sort of monkish soldier, and
by Bossuet, a sort of military monk, Monsieur le Dauphin had no good
examples from which to profit. Crammed as he is with Latin, Greek,
German, Spanish, and Church history, he knows all that they teach in
colleges, being totally ignorant of all that can only be learnt at the
Court of a king. He has no distinction of manner, no polish or
refinement of address; he laughs in loud guffaws, and even raises his
voice in the presence of his father. Having been born at Court, his way
of bowing is not altogether awkward; but what a difference between his
salute and that of the King! "Monseigneur looks just like a German
prince." That speech exactly hits him off,--a portrait sketched by no
other brush than that of his royal father.
Monseigneur, who does not like me, pays me court the same as any one
else. Being very jealous of the pretty Comte de Vermandois and his
brother, the Duc du Maine, he tries to imitate their elegant manner, but
is too stiff to succeed. The Duc du Maine shows him the respect
inspired by his governess, but the Comte de Vermandois, long
separated from his mother, has been less coached in this respect, and
being thoroughly candid and sincere, shows little restraint. Often,
instead of styling him "Monseigneur," he calls him merely "Monsieur
le Dauphin," while the latter, as if such a title were common or of no
account, looks at his brother and makes no reply.
When I told the King about such petty fraternal tiffs, he said, "With age,
all that will disappear; as a man grows taller, he gets a better, broader
view of his belongings."
M. le Dauphin shows a singular preference for Mademoiselle de Nantes,
but my daughter, brimful of wit and fun, often makes merry at the
expense of her exalted admirer.