n, as you know, was private minister to Louis XV, intrusted
for some time past with his correspondence, and affected the airs of a
favorite. He solicited upon the present occasion the honor of going
to meet the princess at the bridge of Beauvoisin, a request which was
granted. This was not sufficient for him; he begged for a month's leave
of absence, with permission to proceed to Turin: this depended on the
duc d'Aiguillon, who was by no means partial to the comte de Broglie. He
said to me when speaking of him,

"I feel no inclination to oblige this minister; on the contrary, he may
wait long enough for what he desires as far as I am concerned.

"I fear he will be greatly offended with you," answered I.

"Oh, never mind that," replied the duke; "if he grows sullen about it,
why well; if he is loud and vehement, better still; and should his anger
lead him to the commission of any act of folly, depend upon it we will
take advantage of it."

As I foresaw, the comte de Broglie was deeply offended, and wrote to the
duc d'Aiguillon a letter full of imprudent expressions. This was exactly
what this latter desired, who eagerly carried and read the paper to the
different members of the council, who heard it with every expression
of surprise and displeasure; the king viewed it as a piece of open
rebellion, and resolved to punish the writer with his heaviest
displeasure; the duc d'Aiguillon asked nothing better, and ere an
hour had elapsed, the duc de la Vrilliere received orders to draw up
a _lettre de cachet_ in which the king expressed his discontent of the
comte de Broglie, deprived him of the commission he had given him to go
and receive the princess of Savoy, and exiled him to Buffee, one of his
estates near Angouleme.

This was a matter of great talk at the chateau; no one could imagine
what had made the comte de Broglie conduct himself so foolishly. It was
at this period that M. d Marchault said of him, when he saw him pass his
house on his way to Buffee, "He has the ministry by the tail."

M. de Broglie having gone, his majesty was compelled to look out for
another confidant, and raised to that eminence M. Lemoine, clerk of his
closet. M. Lemoine, in an inferior station had shown himself competent
to fill the highest offices in the state. Such abilities are rare. He
was an excellent lawyer, admirable chancellor of exchequer, and had the
king said to him, "I make thee a general," he would, the next day, have
commande