Madame de Pompadour's Fan (from the French), Part I [pp. 257-261]

fanan.D according to Act f Congres, n the year 1869, by D. APPLETON & CO., in the Clr Offi f the Ditrict Cort f th- Unitd States for. the Southern Dtt of Nw Yr
N'O. 9.-WITH PLATE.] SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1869. [PRIcE TEN CENTS.
MADAME DE POMPADOUR'S FAN.
FROM THE FRENCH OF ALFRED DE AUSSET.
I.
i N 1756, when Louis XV., weary of the quarrels between the
magistracy and the legislature, concerning the tax of two sous
3n a franc, or the tenth of all incomes, resolved to pass the edict, the
-embers of Parliament resigned their offices.
Sixteen of these resignations were accepted, and the sixteen
refractory gentlemen were immediately exiled.
"Could you see," asked Madame de Pompadour of one of the
-hi nis t e rs,
could you see his
1 handful of men lI'iii I'! I I
resist the author-
ity of a King of
France, and look
31I calmly? lft'f. —I i.l,
Would'. you not jlf
have aoor opin-, I
-aside y,r robes ~111 ~l"
of offican you ~-
would see things 1., nac,,' "
-3-s I do, M. le Pr6. KjIII, /
.-ident." I
Not only did
[he exiles suffer
from their insubordination, but
Lheir relatives
and friends
shared in their
disgrace.
One of the
king's amuse"'ents was the
reading of other
people's letters;
to give himself
this pleasure, he
used to have his
favorite read to
him all that was
of interest in the
mail-bags, and,
under. the pretext of performing for himself his own secret police service, he amused himself with the thousand and one intrigues which
thus came under his observation; but whoever in the remotest degree
was found to be connected with the leaders of the factious party was
sure to be ruined. It is well known that Louis XV., with all sorts
of weaknesses, had one strong point-that of being inexorable.
One evening, when he was seated before the fire, with his feet on
the fender, and looking, as usual, very melancholy, the Marchioness
de Pompadour, who was looking through a package of letters, shrugged
her shoulders and laughed.
"What now?" asked the king.
"I have just come across," said she, "a most nonsensical letter;
but it is a touching production, and excites my sympathy."
"How is it signed?' asked the king.
"It has no
signature. It is
((i —i,t love-letter."
knowAnd how is
"0 I [(~~~~0f~~I If1 I ~~it directed?'
i!"'jt',I] Itl'.. "That is the
joke. It is ad dressed to Made moiselle d'Anne I1~[ bault, the niece
of my good friend
,Madame d'E s........ ~ ~ ~.%] ~ ~trades. It was
1\4,~ ~ "~d apparently for
the sake of my
seeing it, that it
was stuffed in
\~ with these pa?~ ~;' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~pers.,,
"And what
are its contents?"
persisted t h e
king.
"All love, as
I tell you. Vau vert and Neau flette are also
mentioned in it.
Are there any no blemen in those
counties? Does
your majesty
-— _ know the families
there?"
The king pri