covered,
as we said, with meal; nay with worse. For La Chalotais, the Breton
Parlementeer, accused him not only of poltroonery and tyranny, but even
of concussion (official plunder of money); which accusations it was
easier to get 'quashed' by backstairs Influences than to get answered:
neither could the thoughts, or even the tongues, of men be tied. Thus,
under disastrous eclipse, had this grand-nephew of the great Richelieu
to glide about; unworshipped by the world; resolute Choiseul, the abrupt
proud man, disdaining him, or even forgetting him. Little prospect but
to glide into Gascony, to rebuild Chateaus there, (Arthur Young, Travels
during the years 1787-88-89 (Bury St. Edmunds, 1792), i. 44.) and die
inglorious killing game! However, in the year 1770, a certain young
soldier, Dumouriez by name, returning from Corsica, could see 'with
sorrow, at Compiegne, the old King of France, on foot, with doffed hat,
in sight of his army, at the side of a magnificent phaeton, doing homage
the--Dubarry.' (La Vie et les Memoires du General Dumouriez (Paris,
1822), i. 141.)

Much lay therein! Thereby, for one thing, could D'Aiguillon postpone
the rebuilding of his Chateau, and rebuild his fortunes first. For stout
Choiseul would discern in the Dubarry nothing but a wonderfully dizened
Scarlet-woman; and go on his way as if she were not. Intolerable: the
source of sighs, tears, of pettings and pouting; which would not end
till 'France' (La France, as she named her royal valet) finally mustered
heart to see Choiseul; and with that 'quivering in the chin (tremblement
du menton natural in such cases) (Besenval, Memoires, ii. 21.) faltered
out a dismissal: dismissal of his last substantial man, but pacification
of his scarlet-woman. Thus D'Aiguillon rose again, and culminated. And
with him there rose Maupeou, the banisher of Parlements; who plants
you a refractory President 'at Croe in Combrailles on the top of steep
rocks, inaccessible except by litters,' there to consider himself.
Likewise there rose Abbe Terray, dissolute Financier, paying eightpence
in the shilling,--so that wits exclaim in some press at the playhouse,
"Where is Abbe Terray, that he might reduce us to two-thirds!" And so
have these individuals (verily by black-art) built them a Domdaniel,
or enchanted Dubarrydom; call it an Armida-Palace, where they dwell
pleasantly; Chancellor Maupeou 'playing blind-man's-buff' with
the scarlet Enchantress; or gallantly presenti