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A62321
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Scarron incens'd, or, His appearing to Madam de Maintenon, his late wife, reproaching her amours with Lewis the Great, present King of France and discovering several secrets of that court / written by a lady in French.
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Lady.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing S838; ESTC R13231
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50,349
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146
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Air of Gayety which accompanied all his Actions In this humour entring the Room Brother said he you 've a Blessed time on 't to be always courting the Ladies 'T is very true reply'd his Majesty they have a powerful Ascendant over me The Scene of the Discourse being thus Chang'd King James fell into a long Story of the Fathers kind Entertainment the various Subjects upon which they had been conferring Notes together and the wholesome Consolations he had receiv'd from that same Conscience-Director He extoll'd his Wit and his Merit and applauded his Majesties Choice of such an Excellent Father Confessor But our Monarch who had other Things to trouble his Brains withal then the Encomiums of Father La Chaise look'd upon K. James's Chat as impertinent as being altogether uneasie in his Mind and not knowing how his Affairs stood in the Heart of his New Mistriss who was no less displeas'd with the Interruption on her Side And in this humour the King took his leave with only a Farewel Brother till I see you again King James waited upon him to his Coach where he pay'd him a thousand Complements and pray'd him to continue his wonted Goodness toward him and the King assur'd him he should be always the same Being come to Versailles he abandon'd himself wholly to his Amorous Passion revolving in his mind all his Mistresses Charms and the Obliging Ways by which she had engag'd his Heart were the Subject of his Ruminations all that Night The next Morning he return'd with an Unconceivable Impatience to revisit the Object of his Love But foreseeing that perhaps he might not have a favourable Opportunity to find the Queen alone she being Visited by the Dutchess of Portsmouth and Madam de Noailles her Intimate Friends he wrote her the following Lines The Kings Letter to the Banish'd Queen Madam SInce I was born I never lov'd so much as now I do my Love for you is of another Nature then what I was wont to feel upon the like Occasions This Violent Passion can proceed from no other cause then from your Merit which distinguishes you from other Women Never say then Madam that this is the usual Discourse that Men make use of to inveagle the Fair and Beautiful since the Troubles of my Heart and the restless Disquiet of my Mind continually prove the contrary Answer my Love more kindly then hitherto you have done assuring you that if you afford me the least Hope I shall quickly find Repose Adieu Madam The Queen receiv'd this Letter with an extraordinary Joy but she did not think it proper to return an Answer which very much disturb'd the King and made him resolve to return that day to St. Germains He found the Queen in her Closet reading an Amorous History sent her out of England to whom Madam said he I draw ye from a more pleasing Divertisment To which the Queen made answer that not having else to do she took a Book in her Hand but that now she would make a better use of the happy Hour that presented it self to enjoy his Majesties Company The King whose Passion was Violent ask'd her in a kind of Disorder that frequently befalls true Lovers why she had not written to him and told her withal that she had reduc'd him almost to utter Despair to find his Love so ill repay'd by a Person so Amiable and that he had great reason to bewail his Destiny not having ever Sigh'd in vain before The Queen who is Witty and ready at Replys told him that her Husband never parted from her all that Day and that his Majesty having a Love for Madam de Maintenon she was unwilling to draw upon her self the Hatred of a Rival who might trouble that little repose that was left her The King who is an utter Enemy to Arguments and Reasons where he Loves told her that he had power sufficient to preserve her from all her Fears that he had a high Esteem for that Lady but that he still preserv'd a Tenderness for an Object of Adoration and that the Marchioness of Maintenon had too much Discretion to contradict him in his Pleasures An Answer of that Nature split the Queen's Heart and inspir'd her with several thoughts that might have carry'd her a great Way but the Dutchess of Portsmouth's Arrival deliver'd her out of her Perplexity and the King who is very Complaisant in Ladies Society tack'd the Conversation together for a long time so that the Day pass'd merrily away They fell into Discourse of the French and English Customs and of other things very diverting But the Evening drawing on as jealous of their Happiness brake off these pleasing entertainments and separated the Illustrious Company Madam de Maintenon who was by this time got safe to our Lady of Deliverance upon All Saints Eve and tyr'd with her Journey having travel'd half the way a foot in the Habit of a Penitent went to a House of one that was her Acquaintance with her Damsel La Caverne who was no less weary then her Mistriss The Lady of the House was very much surpriz'd to see that such a Person as she was should undertake such painful Mortifications but the Marchioness up and told her the Important occasion of her Pilgrimage That her Husband Scarron had appear'd to her and upbraided her and that she was to say so many Masses for him For this Reason said she my Dear Friend I am come hither to Pray to the Patroness of your Parish the Mother of Deliverance to aid me in my present Affliction To which the Lady answered that she was the best Saint in the World and that she wrought several Miracles every Day and that of all those that besought her with an Ardent Zeal she never sent any one away without some effect of her Goodness The next Day our Heroess lay all Day long i' th Church which was a great Testimony of her Piety and Zeal continually and most Ardently imploring the favour of the Saint in the following form of Prayer The Marchioness of Maintenon's Prayer to our Lady of Deliverance QVeen of Heaven Guide to Salvation Refuge of Afficted Souls take Pity of Me and of Him whom I recommend to thy favour and who has lain languishing for these thirty Years in Purgatory and who perhaps without thy Succour must be for'd to stay there till Doomsday Send me not back dear Mother of Mercy without Affording me some Sign of thy Protection I recommend the Soul of Monsieur Scarron into thy Hands and beseech thee to admit him into Paradise This is the only favour which a Miserable Penitent Devoted only to thy Service begs at thy Hands Pardon â—ne my past Transgressions and all those Sins which I shall commit for the future Safely direct all the Designs of St. Lewis â—ur Good King and so order it that he may obtain Victory over his Fnemies and particularly over the Huguenots that Prophane thy Holy Name Thou knowest how much I love the Light
much Youthfulness That she was there only as a Spectatrix for that she had a long time ago bid adieu to the Pleasures of the World Nor was her Answer to be wonder'd at for in truth that Lady is at this day the Greatest Pattern of Piety in France However it were never were the French Ladies so forwardly eager to make their Magnificence glitter in the Eyes of Foreign Princes as they were at that time Toward Midnight several Pleasing Metamorphoses took place every one appearing in disguize and Masquerade The Prince of Danemark disguiz'd himself like a Moresco Slave attended by Eight Lords that accompany'd him in the same disguize The Prince's Patron taking upon him to personate a Bashaw presented him to all the Ladies of the Court to see who would buy him which occasion'd the most pleasing Pastime in the World and twelve young English Lords sent by King James appear'd at the same time like Quakers which made all the Company Laugh and was an Extraordinary Addition to the Spectatours delight After so many various Metamorphoses at length appear'd a Lord disguiz'd like a Devil Nothing ever appear'd so hideously dreadful the Dismal Appearance was so terrible to the Ladies but more especially the Dutchess of Chartres that they were forc'd to take a world of Pains before they could allay the Commotions of her Fear and in regard of her Condition not so seasonable for such sort of Spectacles they were in terrible Fears that she would have miscarry'd but it so fell out that she was more afraid then hurt Madam de Maintenon by this time perceiving 't was past one a Clock retir'd first of all Incognito and being got into her Chamber she call'd La Caverna one of her Damsels who spread her Toilet and brought her all her Accoutrements to pass away the Night Now Madam de Maintenon is a Woman proper and delicately shap'd plump full Visag'd lovely Eyes and about five and forty Years of Age but still appearing Young Learned and extreamly Witty well vers'd in the Lives of the Saints but particularly in that of St. Lewis to which she applies her self with extraordinary Attention reading in it every day an Hour or two before she goes to Bed By such Pious Exercises as these she has render'd her self worthy the tenderness of the Holy Society and Lewis the XIV from whom the Merit of this Lady could not be conceal'd has vouchsaf'd her both his Heart and his Affections which gives us a perfect Demonstration of the nice and delicate Judgment of that Prince as having never ty'd himself but to Persons of her Character Consider him in the Choice of his first Mistress Mademoiselle de Machini who was by no means handsome and had the worst Air in the World but she was infinitely witty and they that had heard her but speak forgot all her other Defects Mademoiselle de la Valiere had no less the Ascendant over the Heart of this Monarch even to the raising of Violent Passions in his Breast But let us leave this Prince to his Tender Affections and set what became of our Heroess Madam de Maintenon After some moral Considerations she took up a Book entituled Reflections upon the Mercy of God by Madam de Valiere This devout Damsel having written the most curious Thoughts that ever were and with Expressions enough to move the most worldly minded in those Meditations it was that our Pious Marchioness was Exercising her Thoughts when she heard a noise in her Chamber She thought at first it had been Diana her little Bitch but looking behind her she saw a Man with a Night-Cap upon his Head wrap't up in a Winding-Sheet Who should it be but her Husband Scarron that Famous Author whose touring Genius and his Verses have made such a noise upon the Earth and who is still no less good Company in the Kingdom of Pluto accompany'd with three of his Friends Rancune carrying a Folio entitl'd The Annals of Hell wherein are contain'd all the most Secret Actions of Mortals La Rapiniere who carry'd the Contract of Marriage before God and their Consciences pass'd between Lewis XIV King of France and Navarr sirnam'd God's Gift and Frances d'Aubigne Widow of Mr. John Scarron And Ragotin who carry'd the Flambeau but he out of Respect retir'd into the next Gallery Madam de Maintenon who was not a little dismay'd to see so much Funeral Pomp would fain have hid her self in her Closet had not the Ghost stopp'd her crying out Whither so fast Madam Pray stay here a little and hearken to the grievous Complaints of the most Unfortunate of all Men. Since the Fatal Sisters cut the Thread of my Life and my descent into the Lower Regions I have done nothing but pin'd away being all along tormented with Despair and unconceivable Pangs of Grief to hear every day by all that thick and threefold arrive in our Territories from the Middle Sides and both Ends of Europe the wicked Life you lead and the Mischief you have been the cause of by your dangerous and pernicious Counsels 'T is the Discourse of all the Infernal Court there is nothing talk'd of but your Name upon the River Styx and you are the Mirth for the most serious Souls in their Six-penny Passages by that Black Water You have utterly confounded my Reputation to my irreparable Damage in regard I am frequently in the Societies of the Poets who are the rankest Scoffers in the World and as often in the Assemblies of the Philosophers no less Satyrical and full of their Girds and Sarcasms One day as I was musing for some Thoughts proper for a certain Copy of Verses which Proserpine had commanded me to make in Honour of Vertuous Women that had been always Constant to their Husbands I flung out of that same dreary Academy dull and morose and not half so witty as I was wont to be in this World Upon that I walk'd a Turn or two in the Elysian Field to refresh my Brains where Pluto met me and swore to me like a Beau of an incens'd Deity that as soon as ever he had yee in his Clutches he would thrust yee into Tartarus the most dreadful Place in all his Dominions and there excruciate yee with all the most exquisite Torments that your Crimes have merited I was in a terrible Agony to hear him pronounce so dismal a Sentance Thereupon I besought him to grant me Audience to the end I might obtain the liberty to give you a Visit on purpose to admonish yee to alter your extravagant course of Life and to repent betimes in order to your avoiding Eternal Punishment And now that Tenderness all that is left and indeed the more Noble part which I always had for yee has made me take this long Journey with three of my Friends Anaximenes one o our Philosophers having given us Air as the Principal of all things that we might appear Corporeal Oh Sir ery'd Madam de Maintenon how am I surpriz'd at