MOst Men give a diffe­rent account of the Dauphin's Amours, and Intrigues with the Ladies; but it is most certain that the Countess de Rourre is the [Page 4]Person who has the ascendant o­ver all the rest; and were Ro­mances as much in Vogue at this time, as they have been, we should have wherewith to satis­fie those who love the Amorous and witty Intrigues that Prince has hitherto been ingag'd in; and prosecuted by the most secret and most conceal'd means, of which we will nevertheless relate some Fragments: For let Princes of his Rank be never so cautious, it is impossible to keep them from the knowledge of those who are acquainted with those about them.

The Dauphin has a Noble Air, tho' he is none of the Tallest, he grows very bulky, his Breast is very high, and his Shoulders ve­ry broad; he is very Fair; his Eyes are blue, and he has a pretty long Face, a great Roman Nose, [Page 5]and in all liklyhood he will grow very Fat.

It is very well known that he lov'd the Countess du Rourre be­fore she was Married, when she was Maid of Honour to the late Dauphine, and that his Flame re­viv'd after her Husband was kill'd at the Battel of Fleurus.

The Countess is of a middle size, but very well shap'd, her Eyes are blue, large and lively, her Mouth small and Red, her complexion is admirable, her Arms and Hands incomparable, but her Nose is somewhat short, and turn'd up before, which never­theless becomes her very well.

She is Daughter to the Duke de la Force, her Mother was Daughter to the Marquess de Courtaumer, whose first Husband was the Marquess de Langet: But after having been Marry'd Five [Page 6]or Six Years to him, being dis­satisfy'd, she desir'd to be parted, and in order thereunto, she ac­cus'd him of Impotence.

A solemn Assembly was sum­mon'd for his Tryal, by the Chan­cery of the Arch-bishoprick of Paris; in which Physicians, Chy­rurgeons, and Matrons did assist; But the Marquess de Langet, be­ing injur'd and abus'd by his Wife, who scratch'd his Eyes, and several other parts of his Face, could not know her, whereup­on the Judges gave a Decree of separation, annull'd the Marriage, and declar'd the Marquess Impo­tent, allowing her to Marry ano­ther. In consequence whereof she Marry'd the Duke de la Force, Brother to the late Marshal, by whom she had but one Daughter, who is the Beauty we are now describing, who Marry'd the [Page 7]Count du Rourre, whose Widow she is at present.

Monsieur de Langet likewise Marry'd again to the Duke de Nouailles Sister, and has had se­veral Children by her; which shews that those sorts of Tryals often prove useless, neither in­deed are they any longer in Vogue.

At the time of the last Jubi­lee of this present Year, 1694. which the Pope sent for the Peace, the King order'd the Archbishop of Paris and the Bishop of Meaux to go to the Dauphin, to intreat him to forsake the Countess du Rourre.

Those Prelates accordingly re­pair'd to the Prince, and remon­strated to him, that being the first Man in the Kingdom, next to the King's Person, he ought to shew by his Example that he was above all other Men. That [Page 8]the Love of Women was but a Terrestrial Pleasure, which was not to be compar'd to the de­lights of Heaven, which could not be gain'd without quitting the Creatures, to devote our selves absolutely to the Creator: That this great Jubilee was a ve­ry favourable occasion; and that in forbearing to visit Madam du Rourre, he would do a very ac­ceptable thing towards God and towards the King his Father, who had order'd them to speak to him about it.

The Dauphin, who is a very witty Prince, and who out of Policy does not say all he thinks, receiv'd this Complement with a great deal of Mildness, and after having given them a very pati­ent hearing, thank'd them for their good Advice, and addres­sing himself to the Archbishop of Paris, told him very gravely, [Page 9]that he was glad the King had pitch'd upon him to make those Remonstrances to him, because he had ever heard that he was very well skill'd in those Mat­ters. That the Respect he had for, and owed the King his Fa­ther, would make him do what ever he desir'd: That he had an absolute Power over him; but yet that he was of Age, and that in matters relating to his Conscience, he thought he might have his liberty: And that tho' he was sensible that none but the King his Father could pre­sume to find fault with it, yet he had much ado to believe that it came directly from him, since he was sensible himself; but that he rather thought it proceeded from Madam de Maintenon's Ad­vice, who might assure her self he would never consent to her [Page 10]promotion to the heighth she a­spir'd to.

After this the Prince, raising his Voice a little higher; said, Since the King my Father, Gen­tlemen, takes so much care of my Conscience, I wonder he has not hitherto taken some to employ me; Do you think I am not weary of Hunting? His Majesty indeed has sent me on the Rhine, where there was nothing consi­derable to be done; I have seen nothing there but tyr'd For­ces, and Misery, which has kill'd more of our Men than the Sword, or Fire: against the Prince of Baden, his Majesties Godson, who indeed is a great General; but who was so well Retrench'd, that four Armies of a Hundred Thousand Men a piece would have Perish'd sooner than have forc'd his Retrenchments, as the Marshal de L'Orge told me, [Page 11]while I daily heard the Glorious Actions that pass'd in Flanders; and when I had a mind to force him, all the Officers being of my mind, and very eager to sig­nalize themselves, Marshal de L'Orge broke all the measures of the Voices which were of my side in the Council, saying, that it could not be done without Or­ders from the Court. Consider whether this is reasonable, when a Dauphin of France is at the Head of an Army, and whether he ought not to have an absolute Power to Fight, or to make the Army retire, according as he thinks fit, without the General's being answerable for it, since he should obey him? But since things have been order'd thus, I can as­sure you, that I will make no more Campaigns without an abso­lute Power.

Moreover, continued he, the King my Father's Natural Children have all been provided for be­fore their being born; the one has been made High-Admiral, the other Colonel of the Switzers. The Count de Tolose has been all along between the Kings Legs, and still follows him wherever he goes, which several Officers complain of, by reason that whenever they have any Favours to beg of his Majesty, that young Prince hinders him from answering them, [...]ill starting one thing or another which hinders the King from hearing their Suits; and the rest have had considerable Imployments; The Duke du Maine has been almost the sole possessor of all the great Places, notwith­standing the Infirmity of his Bo­dy, and his hardly being able to stand. The Daughters have been provided for, and Marry'd very [Page 13]advantagiously to Princes. The late Prince of Conti Marry'd one of them; the Duke de Chartres, Son to his Royal Highness the Duke of Orleans my Uncle, has Marry'd another, and you know the rest. And the Duke of Bur­gundy my Son, who is very law­fully begotten has nothing yet, no more than the Princes his Bro­thers; and I, who am Dauphin of France have so much Authori­ty, that the King's Officers resuse to pay Madam du Rourre's Pen­sions, because 'tis known that I have a respect for her; there is almost Three Years due to her, and when I poke to Pontchar­train about it, she told me there was no Fund; he who gets up­wards of Six Millions a Month profit up on the Sale of the Corn of the Kingdom, which makes so many Wretches starve, and makes the whole Kingdom fall [Page 14]into decay, insomuch that, if it continues, there will not remain two thirds of the People alive.

You will also shortly see the Duke Du Maine Duke and Peer of France; the King has already given him a dispensation, so that no body is to examin his Life and Conversation, and express Let­ters to hold a rank above all the other Dukes and Peers and Fo­reign Princes, immediately after the Princes of the Blood.

This actually came to pass as the Dauphin had said it, for on Thursday being the sixth of May, of the present year 1694. The King sent for the Parliament to Versailles, and the only thing he said to them, when they came on the Friday, was, Gentlemen, the Duke Du Maine will carry you a Letter from me to morrow, the Orders whereof you must Exe­cute. The first President, who [Page 15]was prepar'd to harangue his Majesty upon the Subject of the Misery of the Times, and about the dearth of Corn, had no soo­ner open'd his mouth to begin his Speech, but the King retir'd with­out giving any ear to it. And on Saturday being the eighth of May, the Duke Du Maine was receiv'd in the Parliament, being accom­pany'd with the Count of Tolose his Brother, to whom it is repor­ted, the King will give a consi­derable Dutchy, in order to his obtaining the same advantage, and Orders are also given to pro­vide a Magnificent Equipage for him to make his first Cam­paign.

The Archbishop of Paris and the Bishop of Meaux having heard all the Dauphin's Complaints, durst press him no farther, but took their leave of him very respect­fully, and then went back to the [Page 16]King to give him an account thereof; whereupon his Majesty thought sit to send for the Dau­phin into his Closet, and at the same time sent for two Lords, who are the most belov'd by that Prince, to speak to him in their Presence, who were the Duke of Vendome, and the Count De Sainte-Maure his Favourites.

When the Dauphin came into the Closet, his Majesty was sea­ted in a great Chair, leaning up­on a Table, he mov'd his Hat a little, which he had on contrary to his wonted custom, and with­out moving from his Seat, he de­sir'd Monsieur de Sainte-Maure to lock the Door, and then began thus:

‘I am sorry, my Son, at your discontents, and yet I do not find our affairs to be in a posture for us to fall out, you receive [Page 17]Councils which you ought not to follow; you may be sensible that whatever I have done hitherto, has only been for the Repose, and for the Grandeur of the King­dom, as well as for the good of the Crown, which you may hope for one day, and thus all my Toyls and Victories are more for you than for my self; you may go to Command where ever you please, in Germany, in Flanders, in Catalonia, and in Piemont, and you shall have an absolute Power when it will be fit: You shall always dispose of such Employ­ments as you please in favour of the Princes your Children, as well as of such Friends as you shall be minded to gratifie, to which you will ever find me ready to comply. There is no man in the Kingdom in whom I repose a greater confidence than I do in you; and if hitherto you [Page 18]have not had as much Money as you could desire, I have only done it to shew you the scarcity of it, and the reason of my sen­ding you into Germany, was be­cause I was unwilling to expose you against a Prince who is the Usurper of a Crown.’

His Majesty having said many other obliging things to him, rose from his Seat, and imbrac'd him so tenderly, that the Dauphin could not forbear some Tears, which produc'd the same effect on Messieurs de Vendome, and de Sainte Maure: After which his Majesty having madeseveral other Remonstrances to him, which it would be needless to repeat, as be­ing perhaps of very little moment, he open'd the. Door himself, and order'd the Usher to call in Fa­ther La Chaise, Confessor to that Prince, as well as to his Maje­sty, [Page 19]who had been order'd to wait without, and related to him, in the Dauphin's presence, the Conversation he had had with him: The Father answer'd, Sir, I do no ways concern my self with affairs of State, in relation to his Royal Highness, I only meddle with what relates to his Conscience, a method I have ever observ'd with your Majesty. The King smil'd, and was very well pleas'd with his Reply.

His Majesty, who has the most penetrating Wit of any Man in his Kingdom, and has an Extra­ordinary Policy, did not think fit to press the Dauphin any far­ther about the Jubilee, which pass'd without being gain'd by that Prince.

Immediately after Low Sunday, the King being at Table, told the Dauphin that he was desirous to go to Choisi, and ask'd him whe­ther [Page 20]he would let him be his Guest for some time, because he lik'd the place, and desir'd him to give him an Appartment there. The Dauphin express'd a great deal of seeming joy at it, and told the King he might dis­pose of all things, and do what­ever he thought fit; however he acquainted the Countess du Rour­re immediately with it, who us'd often to go there, and actually was there at that time, who with­drew forthwith.

Orders were given at the same time to Furnish an Apartment for his Majesty, which was done with all the Magnificence imaginable, with the richest Fur­nitures that were at Marli. Ano­ther Apartment was also furnish'd a-new for the Dauphin, with cer­tain Moveables that had been made on purpose for Pleasures, which did remain there.

The whole Court went to Choisi, and the Dauphin receiv'd the King there with great Mag­nificence, and gave him the Di­vertisement of Hunting, as well as to the Ladies.

His Majesty, after two days stay there, resolv'd to return to Versailles, at a time when all the young Princes and Princesses were ingag'd in the midst of Pleasures and Delights, and while many others were preparing for the following days; which the Princesses de Conti and du Maine being unwilling to quit so soon, desir'd the Dauphin to joyn with them to Petition the King, that they might tarry two days lon­ger, which were Saturday and Sunday; which his Majesty gran­ted, on condition that the Prin­cesses de Lillebone and d' Epinoy should remain with the Princess of Conti to answer for her Con­duct [Page 22]towards the Dauphin; his Majesty not being displeas'd with th'inclination he has for that Prin­cess, because his Majesty by that means has been acquainted with many particulars relating to him, which he could never have known without the Prin­cess of Conti; but those who are about that Princess, as well as those who are about the Dauphin, observe them so narrowly that it is impossible for them to do any thing that is unlawful together, as some ill Tongues have endeavour'd to perswade the World; and it is most cer­tain that all the Love which this Prince and that Princess express towards one another, is nothing but Fraternal Love, and if they are so narrowly watch'd, 'tis only because that the King having at present laid aside all thoughts of Gallantry with the [Page 23]Ladies, as well as many o­ther things, to apply himself wholly to the Devotion which Madam de Maintenon inspires in him, and to the affairs of his Kingdom; he is very curi­ous to know all that passes a­mong the young People of his Court, as well as in the Houses of the Grandees, to which end he employs several persons, who give him a particular account of all Transactions there, as well as among the Gentlemen of the Gown. And he seems to be in­clinable to the humor of Lewis the 11th. who towards the latter end of his days lock'd himself up in a Castle, which he caus'd to be Barr'd on all sides, and sent for St. Francis de Paulo out of Calabria in Italy, who was Sir­nam'd the Good Man, and was highly reputed for his Godli­ness, to secure him against all [Page 24]the Visions and Fears he had of Death and the Devil; and in recompence, his Majesty al­low'd him to Found two Con­vents of Minims, which to this day are call'd Les Bons hommes. The Fears his Majesty is also ly­able to from time to time, oblige Madam de Maintenon to be im­ploy'd for the most time, and par­ticularly in the Night, in throwing holy water up and down, and especially in all the Apartments and Chambers, in which his Ma­jesty most commonly resorts.

The King being gone for Ver­sailles, all those young Princesses renew'd their Divertisements with the young Princes and Lords who tarry'd behind with them. The Dauphin Treated them with the sport of Hawk­ing and walking. After which, that Troop of Demy-gods re­pair'd to Paris, to see the New [Page 25] Opera which was represented for the second time at the Palace-Royal, the Story of which was that of Cephalus and Procris, the Musick of which was compos'd by Mademoiselle de la Guerre.

During these Transactions, the Countess du Rourre confin'd her self into a fine House which the Dauphin has given her, built by the late Baptiste Lully, near the Gate of St. Honore, where she would receive no Visits, whether it were because she was not as yet publickly acknowledg'd Mi­stress to his Royal Highness, or be­cause she found her self indispos'd by a great Belly of six or se­ven Months growth. And whereas an absence of ten or twelve days was too long a Pe­nance for a Lady who had the happiness to find her self en­gag'd to love a Man of the Dau­phin's Quality, with more tender­ness [Page 26]than ever she had lov'd any other, it oblig'd her to write the following Letter to him.

The Dauphin who had put this Letter into his Pocket, could not forbear pulling of it out from time to time to read it over a­gain, for fear of not having un­derstood the sense of it right at first, or of Madam du Rourre's being worse than she said; which being observ'd by the Princess of Conti, she follow'd him softly, and at last snatch'd it dexterously out of his hands, without his being able to prevent it; after which she run away laughing to the Princesses of Lillebone and d'Epi­noy, who surrounded her with o­ther Ladies. The Dauphin en­deavour'd to retake it from her, [Page 28]but in vain, and whatever instan­ces he could make, the Princess refus'd to return it to him, say­ing she was sure it was a Letter from a Lady. Pray, said she, let me see the stile of it, and how she describes her Passion; She pro­nounc'd these Words with an Air so charming, and so full of Gal­lantry, that it would have ob­lig'd any Man, besides the Dau­phin, to yield, tho he had not been a Votary to the fair Sex; besides all the other Ladies who were present did second her with so much Grace, saying, Sir, you cannot, without unkindness, refuse the reading of it to the Princess, since she never conceal'd any of her Concerns from you, and that we daily hear her say, that no­thing in the World will ever make her depart from your interest; that at last he was forc'd to con­sent that she should read it, pro­vided [Page 29]none besides her self did see it. The Princess of Lillebone told him, Sir, I give the Princess leave to read it alone, and we will with­draw as long as you please, on condition that you shall not enter into the Wood, for I will not suf­fer the King's Charge to be out of my sight.

The Princess of Conti, stroking her Cheek gently, answer'd, no my Dear, we will not move out of your sight. After which the Dauphin, taking her by the Arm, led her to a Seat of Green Turf, where none but the Birds could hear them, and even they, would have been interrupted by the noise of the Ducks of the adjoining Cascades, and by the great num­ber of Fountains, which, spouting their beautiful Crystal into the Air, fall with an agreeable noise into the Basons again.

It was in this Place the Prin­cess told the Dauphin, after she had open'd and read his Letter, Ah! I thought this Letter came from the Countess du Rourre, I did suspect no other, the poor Lady is sick, she dies unless she sees you; nothing but a Dauphin can cure her: her Expressions are very common; certainly she is the most impudent Woman I know at Court. She and Polignac are alike; they debauch'd each other out of Emulation to have Lovers; while they belong'd to the Dauphin, and while that Princess was busie with acquain­ting the Elector of Bavaria her Brother with all the Transactions of the Court, they stole away cunningly to divert themselves with certain Courtiers and your self: I am sensible that you had an Engagement with her at that very time, and I have heard the [Page 31]poor late Count du Rourre say with my own Ears [...]hat he curs'd the day he was marry'd with that wretch. That poor Gentle­man, taking his leave of the King to go to the Army, coming out of his Majesties Chamber, told a Friend of his who came to em­brace him, that he was in hopes never to return, upon the account of the discontents he did receive from his Wife; and I do verily believe it was despair made him expose his Life at Fleurus, as much as his Duty to the King; and I am mistaken, if I have not heard that it was a Friend of the said Lady who kill'd the poor Count behind, that his Wife might have no body to controul her.

Is it not very honourable to have such a Mistress! sure it is a shame for a Prince of your Rank to think on such Wretches, who have already been prostituted, [Page 32]and to whom the first comer is welcome.

I will moreover acquaint you with the weakness the Prince of Turenne had for her, for when her Huband dy'd, he resolv'd to profit by it, and to apply himself to her, which he did, and fell so despe­rately in Love with her, that it had like to have broke off his Match with Mademoiselle de Ven­tadour, the richest Heiress of the Kingdom, and even after he was marry'd to her, the Engagement he renew'd with Madam du Rour­re, made him despise his Wife; and the thing went so far, that he design'd to part with her; but the Combat of Steenkerque, in which he was kill'd, broke all the Measures he had taken for the said Separation, in order to give himself wholly up to her, and he has given sufficient proofs of the reality of his Passion for [Page 33]her, and that he lov'd none but her self; for finding himself mor­tally Wounded, and given over by the Chirurgeons, he neglect­ed the care of his Affairs, and made no other use of half an hours life which he had left, but to write a very moving Letter to that Lady, which he had no sooner ended, but he gave it to a Gentleman, and order'd him to deliver it into her own hands, together with a little Casket, and then expir'd in the Marshal of Luxemburg's Tent, where that General had order'd him to be brought, in order to his being the more carefully look'd after: The said Letter was partly writ­ten in these words.

This Gentleman, who was the most faithful of all the Prince's Followers, and who had been Page to his Father, promis'd to perform his Master's Orders pun­ctually, and to deliver the Let­ter and Casket into Madam du Rourre's own hands. And this poor Prince causing the said Cas­ket to be open'd, put a Bloody Cravat into it, which had serv'd to bind up his first Wound, and then deliver'd the Key to the said Gentleman, who immediately took Post for Paris, to do his Master this last piece of service, with a positive Command from him to acquaint the said Lady with his Death, before he went to the Hotel d' Auvergne, which he perform'd punctually; but whereas he could not reach Paris until Three in the Afternoon the following day, he did not meet with Madam du Rourre, but being [Page 36]inform'd she was gone to divert her self with the Princesses of Soissons, who were retir'd into the Convent of Mercy, in the Faubourg St. Germain, after the death of the Princess of Carignan their Grand-mother; he repair'd thither without pulling off his Boots, all over cover'd with dust. At his coming in, Madam du Rourre, seeing the Casket which he held in his hands, made a great shriek, and fell in a swoon, in which she remain'd until the Princesses drew near her, to assist her; and the first word she spoke was, Alas! the poor Prince of Turrenne is dead; the Princesses telling her that she frighted her self without a cause; she reply'd, Alas! that Casket convinces me but too much of it; for the Prince of Turrenne has but too often sworn to me that I should never see it again until while he [Page 37]was alive. The Gentleman having confirm'd this ill news, the Prin­cesses expressed all the concern at it, which good natur'd Ladies use to do on such occasions, and com­forting Madam du Rourre upon her loss, desir'd her to open the Letter, which she did, shedding some Tears: Alas! said she, I lose a Prince who lov'd no body but my self in the World.

This Death being indifferent to the Princesses of Soissons, who fancy'd that in opening the Cas­ket they would find some of the Favours which Lovers common­ly keep for the sake of their Mi­stresses, as we read in Romances, press'd her earnestly to open it, having a mind to divert them­selves at her Cost, which she did not mind; and having o­pen'd it, the first thing that of­fer'd it self to their sight, was the Bloody Crevat which the [Page 38]Gentleman assur'd them was his Master's; and that after having ap­ply'd it to his first Wound, he had still done several Actions which were almost incredible, the bravery of which the Prin­cesses admir'd; and Madam du Rourre seem'd all the while to weep bitterly; the next thing they found was her Picture, the Case of which the Prince had caus'd to be set with Diamonds; the Princesses having observ'd the Workmanship of it, which was incomparable, admir'd the Pi­cture, and the true Resemblance of it, and smiling, told Madam du Rourre, some other Man will be overjoy'd to have this fine Picture; which made her smile also. The Gentleman preceiving the inconstancy of the Lady could no longer endure the sight of her, but went out holding his Hand­kerchif before his Eyes. They [Page 39]also found some Bracelets, and Lockets, and several of the Coun­tess du Rourre's Letters, which she would not suffer them to read: The Princesses kept her to Supper, and made her lie there, where they pass'd the Evening at Play. The next Day they all went to divert themselves in the Coun­try, and the Prince de Turenne's Death was soon forgotten by Ma­dam du Rourre.

This Story has been talk'd of sufficiently in the World, as well at Court, as among the Citizens of Paris, where the said Lady is known for what she is.

The Dauphin having heard this long Discourse, and the Sto­ry of Madam du Rourre, with the Prince de Turenne, was go­ing to reply to the Princess of Conti, in favour of the aforesaid Lady: But the Princess arose as it were in anger, but yet with­out [Page 40]saying any thing of it to the Princesses de Lillebonne, and d'Epinoy, the whole Assembly walk'd into the Hall where the Play was represented, and where the Musick had already play'd several times.

During all the Play, the Dau­phin kept close to the Princess's Ear, who harken'd but indiffe­rently to what he said; and the Play being ended, he Conduct­ed her to her Apartment, where he own'd the Engagement he had had with Madam du Rourre, ac­quainting her with the least Cir­cumstances of it, all the Rendez­vous he had had with her, and finally the present state of his affairs with her, how she had told him that she was with Child, and how by her Flatteries, and Amorous behaviour, she had in­gag'd him to acknowledge the Child to be his.

The Princess who remembred every Syllable of all this, made an exact relation of it to the King, to which she added many other Circumstances. The King sent for Joyeux, Valet de Chambre to the said Prince, who confirm'd what ever he knew of it, and lay­ing all the Intrigue at Du Mont's Door, who was Master of the Horse to the said Prince, and his chief Favourite, the King sent an Order to the Dauphin to dismiss him, the Dauphin being surpriz'd thereat, and not daring to diso­bey the King's Orders, answer'd, that since Du Mont was not agree­able to his Majesty, he hop'd he would not take it amiss if he dis­lik'd those he had plac'd near him, and so dismist them also. The King finding that this occasion'd Disorders, sent a Signet Letter to the Countess du Rourre to confine her into Normandy, at her Uncles [Page 42]House the Marquess de Courtau­mer. But the Lady excusing her self upon her Indisposition, and the Dauphin having made a noise about it, that affair has been prose­cuted no farther: The Countess has receiv'd the Money of the Pensions which were due to her, and the Prince seems at present to be very well reconcil'd with the King his Father; but the Countess du Rourre goes no longer to Court as she us'd to do.