Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n
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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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folded up her Letter with a more then Ordinary Curiosity and sent it to the King who read it two or three times but all in vain for he could not find what he sought with so much earnestness The next Morning his Majesty went to St. Germains to visit the King and Queen of England attended by several of the Nobility Madam de Maintenon who had intelligence of it fail'd not to be there also in company with Mademoiselle de Luine and Mademoiselle de Soubise the most witty and most obliging Persons in the World But the King was not presently to be spoken with and therefore while he was discoursing with King James and the Queen M. de Maintenon went to walk with the Ladies At what time rambling from one thing to another at â—â—â—â—th they sell by degree to talk of the little Cupids of Marble that flood in the mid'st of the Garden And then it was that Mademoiselle de Luine who is a Lady of a briâ—k humour ask'd Madam de Maintenon why Poets and Painters had to ill represented Love in the Figure of a Child and what use he made of his Flambeau and the Fillet about his Eyes and that it would have been much more proper to have painted him a Young Man full grown and in his flourishing Years This Pleasant Question of Mademoiselle de Luine put the Ladies into a fit of Laughter You are as yet too young Fair Lady reply'd our Marchioness to make a true Comment upon all the Figure that you see Pardon me therefore if I undertake to unfold these Mysteries and satisfie your Scruples This Infant is a perfect Emblem of Love that Passion in some respects being Weakness and Childhood it self and in others meer Dotage and Foppery As for the Swathe about his Eyes it denotes his Blindness which is not able to discern those things that are most proper and convenient for him The Flambeau signifies that violent Heat which burns us in the most sensible Part of the Body which is the Heart Well Madam cry'd Mademoiselle de Luine I shall take care I warrant ye to keep my Heart from being burn'd by any such Flambeau's as that T will be very well my dear Darling reply'd our Herâ—ess if you can How far this discourse might have led 'em no body câ—n tell for the Subject was alluring enough but the King meeting 'em at the end of a wide Alley put an end to it and the Ladies taking another way left the two Lovers by themselves together The King thus finding himself alone with his Mistress Oh Madam said he you have too unkindly prolong'd my Languishing Desires to know the unhappy Occasion of your so deeply Afflicting Sorrows You know the tenderness that I have for ye and therefore you cannot without a great deal of Injustice conceal any thing from me 'T is very true Sir answer'd M. de Maintenon your Majesty's Kindness and Affection have been so singular toward me that there is nothing which I can or ought to hide from your knowledge Give me then leave to tell ye that the other Night returning from the Ball after I had been meditating a while in my Chamber I heard a noise but much more Terrible was my suddain Astonishment to behold the Gastly Appearance before my Eyes of Monsieur Scarron and three of his Friends How Madam said the King do the Dead then begin to rise before we come to the End of the World I know not that Sir reply'd Madam de Maintenon but I am sure to no Comfort of mine God knows I was constrain'd to hold a Dialogue with him for above Two Hours 'T was long enough in all Conscience answer'd the King for a Man without Flesh and Bones but all this while what said the Ghost to yee Oh Sir reply'd Madam de Maintenon the most grievous things and the most abusive and scandalous things that ever were heard He Reproach'd me with an unparalell'd Confidence that I had violated my Faith and Oath which I swore to him before God and Men and that being belov'd by your Majesty I was lookt upon both on Earth and in the Infernal Court as a Woman without Reputation or in plain Terms a Harlot and that Pluto the Prince of the Abyss has threaten'd already the Holy Virgin keep me out of his Clutches to make me feel the Effects of his Fury and that France was beholding for all the Mischiefs and Calamities that had befallen her of late to the dangerous and pernicious Counsels which I gave your Majesty But that which most surpriz'd me was that he shew'd me the Contract of Marriage by which you were so Good and Gracious as to espouse me to your Person nor can I imagine how this Fantom could come by such a piece of Secresie and which your Majesty took such care to conceal For my part I must pâ—sitively accuse the Marquis of Louvois who most certainly has betray'd your Majesty in the Kingdom of Darkness And for a further Accumulation of Grief upon Sorrow he told me That the Prince of Conti Mademoiselle de Fontange and the Marquis of Louvois assur'd him that I had caus'd 'em to be poison'd Could any Man have said any thing more Extravagant or more Injurious Madam reply'd the King I am somewhat at a loss what Answer justly to return yee upon the Discoveries you have made me nor can I readily believe these Things to be real 'T is only a Vision which perhaps you may have had in your Sleep proceeding from some little Kindness which you may still retain for the Memory of that good Man Sir answer'd Madam de Maintenon all that I have told yee is most certainly true neither was I ever lookt upon to be a Visionary But Madam reply'd the King you made mention of the Marquis of Louvois now you know that he has been a long time in the other World and 't is impossible the Dead should know what is done in this Oh Sir said Madam de Maintenon I was always of the same Belief as well as you but M. Scarron shew'd me a large Register which la Rancune brought along with him wherein are contain'd all the most Secret Actions of Mortals At the Word Rancune which signifies Hatred and Malice the King fell a Laughing and ask'd her whether she knew what the Name signify'd Sir said Madam de Maintenon never believe the Names of Rancune Râ—piniere and Ragâ—utiâ— to be sain'd like the Names of the Persons in a Comedy For they were M. Scarron's very good Friends that always kept him Company in this World Why then it seems they take Journeys at pleasure from the other World hither continu'd the King with some kind of Astonishment And yet if I could see once more the Men and Women which I have lost it would be a Pleasure to me beyond imagination But I believe it not so easie a thing to rise from the Dead and yet methinks I could be willing to hear some Tydings of poor Mademoiselle
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