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"And of the dauphiness to attend to her representations," added Kaunitz. "She will certainly have enough discretion to conform herself to such obligations!" "Your majesty, a girl of fifteen who has a hundred thousand lovers is not apt to be troubled with discretion. The dauphiness is bored to death by Madame de Noailles's eternal sermons, and therein she may be right.
Although very old when I knew him, he was still full of life; he was passionately fond of poetry, and wrote charming verses. I also dined frequently at the Marshal de Noailles's, in his fine mansion situated at the entrance to Saint Germain. There was then an immense park there, admirably kept.
"Some six hours followed of thrice-intricate deploying, planting of field-pieces, counter-batteries; ranking, re-ranking, shuffling hither and then thither of horse and foot; Noailles's cannonade proceeding all the while; the English, still considerably exposed to it, and standing it like stones; chivalrous Grammont, and with better reason the English, much wishing these preliminaries were done.
A difficult business, that of deploying here. The Pragmatic had no room, jammed so against the Spessart Hills, and obliged to lean FROM the River and Noailles's cannon; had to rank itself in six, some say in eight lines; horse behind foot, as well as on flank; unsatisfactory to the military mind: and I think had not done shuffling and re-shuffling at 2 P.M., when the Enemy came bursting on, with a peremptory finish to it, 'Enough of that, MESSIEUR'S LES ANGLAIS! 'Too much of it, a great deal! thought Messieurs grimly, in response.
There is a third division, about to lay pontoons for itself a good way farther down, which will attack the Lines simultaneously from within, that is to say, shall come upon the back of poor Bevern and his defensive handful of troops, and astonish him there. Here is Noailles's own account:
So that had the English had their Cavalry in readiness to pursue, Noailles's Army, in the humor it had sunk to, was ruined, and the Victory would have been conspicuously great. But they had, as too common, nothing ready. Impetuous Stair strove to get ready; "pushed out the Grey Dragoons" for one item.
Countess de Noailles's ideas of etiquette. An anecdote. Maria's contempt for etiquette. The Countess de Noailles nicknamed. Ludicrous scene. Rage of the old ladies. Habits of Maria Theresa. The dauphiness becomes unpopular. Dining in public. How it was done. Versailles. Magnificence of the palace. Gallery of paintings, statuary, etc. Gorgeous saloons. Splendid gardens. Other palaces.
Voltaire, directly on getting back to Berlin, "resumes the thread of his journal" to Secretary Amelot; that is, writes him another long Letter: "... The King of Prussia told me at Baireuth, on the 13th or 14th of last month, He was glad our King had sent the Kaiser money;" useful that, at any rate; Noailles's 6,000 pounds would not go far.
With cannon on their left flank, and such a gullet to pass through, one may hope they will be in rather an attackable condition. Across that gullet it is our intention they shall never get. How can they, if Grammont do his duty? "This is Noailles's plan; one of the prettiest imaginable, say military men, had the execution but corresponded.
And Bavaria might be made a Kingdom, if you wished to do the handsome thing. To continue crossing the Abysses on bridges of French rainbow? Nothing but French subsidies to subsist on; and these how paid, Noailles's private pocket knows how!
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