FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   2293   2294   2295   2296   2297   2298   2299   2300   2301   2302   2303   2304   2305   2306   2307   2308   2309   2310   2311   2312   2313   2314   2315   2316   2317  
2318   2319   2320   2321   2322   2323   2324   2325   2326   2327   2328   2329   2330   2331   2332   2333   2334   2335   2336   2337   2338   2339   2340   2341   2342   >>   >|  
that he was struck in the side by the knife of Damiens, and it was there that he was attacked by the smallpox, of which he died on the 10th of May, 1774.--MADAME CAMPAN.] Henceforward she amused herself with improving the gardens, without allowing any addition to the building, or any change in the furniture, which was very shabby, and remained, in 1789, in the same state as during the reign of Louis XV. Everything there, without exception, was preserved; and the Queen slept in a faded bed, which had been used by the Comtesse du Barry. The charge of extravagance, generally made against the Queen, is the most unaccountable of all the popular errors respecting her character. She had exactly the contrary failing; and I could prove that she often carried her economy to a degree of parsimony actually blamable, especially in a sovereign. She took a great liking for Trianon, and used to go there alone, followed by a valet; but she found attendants ready to receive her,--a concierge and his wife, who served her as femme de chambre, women of the wardrobe, footmen, etc. When she first took possession of Petit Trianon, it was reported that she changed the name of the seat which the King had given her, and called it Little Vienna, or Little Schoenbrunn. A person who belonged to the Court, and was silly enough to give this report credit, wishing to visit Petit Trianon with a party, wrote to M. Campan, requesting the Queen's permission to do so. In his note he called Trianon Little Vienna. Similar requests were usually laid before the Queen just as they were made: she chose to give the permissions to see her gardens herself, liking to grant these little favours. When she came to the words I have quoted she was very, much offended, and exclaimed, angrily, that there were too many, fools ready, to aid the malicious; that she had been told of the report circulated, which pretended that she had thought of nothing but her own country, and that she kept an Austrian heart, while the interests of France alone ought to engage her. She refused the request so awkwardly made, and desired M. Campan to reply, that Trianon was not to be seen for some time, and that the Queen was astonished that any man in good society should believe she would do so ill-judged a thing as to change the French names of her palaces to foreign ones. Before the Emperor Joseph II's first visit to France the Queen received a visit from the Archduke Maximilian in 1775. A stupid act of the ambassador, s
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   2293   2294   2295   2296   2297   2298   2299   2300   2301   2302   2303   2304   2305   2306   2307   2308   2309   2310   2311   2312   2313   2314   2315   2316   2317  
2318   2319   2320   2321   2322   2323   2324   2325   2326   2327   2328   2329   2330   2331   2332   2333   2334   2335   2336   2337   2338   2339   2340   2341   2342   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Trianon

 
Little
 

liking

 

report

 

Campan

 

called

 

Vienna

 

change

 

France

 

gardens


angrily

 

offended

 

exclaimed

 

quoted

 

favours

 

permission

 

Similar

 

requesting

 

credit

 

wishing


requests

 

permissions

 

judged

 

French

 

palaces

 

society

 

foreign

 

Maximilian

 
stupid
 

ambassador


Archduke

 

Emperor

 
Before
 

Joseph

 

received

 

astonished

 

country

 

thought

 

pretended

 

malicious


circulated

 

Austrian

 
desired
 

awkwardly

 

interests

 
engage
 

refused

 

request

 

preserved

 
exception