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Updated: April 30, 2025
"Chancellor," exclaimed Louis XV, stepping back with unfeigned astonishment, "have you lost your senses? What would the clergy say or do? The very thought makes me shudder. Do you then believe, M. de Maupeou, that the race of the Clements, the Ravaillacs, the Damiens, are extinct in France?" "Ah, sire, what needless fears." "Not so needless as you may deem them," answered the king.
M. Seguier made no difficulty to my request, because he looked upon Jean Jacques Rousseau as the greatest enemy to a set of men whom he mortally hated the philosophers. Neither did M. de Maupeou, from the moment he effected the overthrow of the parliament, see any objection to bestowing his protection upon a man whom the parliaments had exiled.
I was still engaged in its perusal when the king was announced; I wished to hurry it back into the hands of M. de Maupeou; but he, more crafty than I, requested I would keep it. "It is fitting," said he, "that it should be seen by the right person." Louis XV, astonished at the strange scene, inquired what it meant. "A most shameful piece of scandal, sire," replied I.
M. de Maupeou encouraged her, by every possible argument, to neglect no means of arriving at so important a discovery. The examination over, and the 100,000 francs she had demanded given to her, she retired, but followed at a distance by a number of spies, who were commissioned to watch her slightest movement.
"I would tear out the eyes of these gentlemen," I added, "if they thought differently from me." "Oh," said the king, laughing, "this punishment would not be one for M. Maupeou: justice ought to be blind: and as for you, M. de Richelieu, you have your <baton> left."
M. d'Aiguillon then explained to my wondering friends the horrible affair which had occasioned their being sent for so hastily. I cannot tell you what effect this disclosure produced on M. de la Vrilliere or M. de Maupeou, my whole attention being fixed upon M. de Sartines.
I told you that M. de Maupeou had told me that he would endeavor to bring madame la marechale de Mirepoix, and introduce her to me, trusting to the friendship she had evinced for madame de Pompadour during, the whole time of the favor and life of her who preceded me in the affections of Louis XV. I found, to my surprise, that he said nothing to me concerning it for several days, when suddenly madame la marechale de Mirepoix was announced.
At home, they were turned over from vizier to vizier, and from sultana to sultana, till they had reached that point beneath which there was no lower abyss of infamy, till the yoke of Maupeou had made them pine for Choiseul, till Madame du Barri had taught them to regret Madame de Pompadour. But unpopular as the monarchy had become, the aristocracy was more unpopular still; and not without reason.
This was to introduce into the cabinet persons entirely devoted to himself; but to accomplish his purpose, it was necessary to exclude the duc de Choiseul and his party. M. de Maupeou came to me in December, and after having gently scolded me for what he termed my carelessness, he showed me a letter from the duchesse de Grammont, which, he said, would wonderfully aid our plans.
One day, upon which I had invited some select friends to dinner, a superb pie was brought to table as a present which the ungallant M. de Maupeou had had the politeness to send me in the morning.
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