ant, was of
little influence as far as women were concerned. The members were all
of second-rate importance, and Malherbe tolerated only the discussion
of his verses, while Mme. d'Auchy was better known for her splendid
neck than for any intellectuality. Every salon had a master of
ceremonies, who performed the rite of presentation; these men were
frequently abbes, and some of them, such as Du Buisson and Testu,
became famous.

Among the most noted of these salons was that of the celebrated
beauty, Ninon de Lenclos, she who called the _precieuses_ the
"Jansenists of love," an expression which became very popular. Her
salon was situated on the Rue des Tournelles. Ninon de Lenclos was a
woman of the most brilliant mind and exquisite taste, and it was at
her hotel that Moliere first read his _Tartuffe_ before Conde, La
Fontaine, Boileau, Lulli, Racine, and Chapelle, and it was there that
he received the principal ideas for his drama.

Ninon became famous for making staunch friends of her former lovers,
in which connection some interesting tales are told. She was the
mother of two children; upon the arrival of the first, a heated
discussion arose between Count d'Estrees and Abbe d'Effiat, both
claiming the honor of paternity. When the mother was consulted, she
made no attempt to conceal her amusement; finally, the rivals threw
dice for "father or not father."

The other child, whose father was the Marquis de Gersay, was the
victim of an unnatural passion for his mother with whom, when a young
man, he fell desperately in love, being ignorant of their relation.
While pleading his cause, he learned from her lips the secret, and, in
despair, blew out his brains, a tragedy which apparently had no effect
upon the mother. At one time, at the request of the clergy Ninon was
sent, for impiety, to the convent of the Benedictines at Lagny.

Among her friends she counted the greatest men and women of the day
and her salon was the foyer of _savoir-vivre_, of letters and art. At
the age of sixty she met the Great Conde, who dismounted to greet
her, something that he very seldom did, as he was not in the habit
of paying compliments to women. The saying: _Elle eut l'estime de
Lenclos_ [she had the esteem of Lenclos] became a popular manner of
expressing the fact that a certain woman was especially esteemed. Even
to the last (she died at the age of eighty-five), Ninon preserved
her grace, beauty, and intelligence. Colombey calls her _L