not
admire great poets. "Oh, yes; just as I admire great bilboquet players,"
said he, in that tone of his, which rendered everything he said
diverting. "I have written some verses, however," said he, "and I will
repeat them to you; they are upon a certain M. Rodot, an Intendant of the
Marine, who was very fond of abusing medicine and medical men. I made
these verses to revenge AEsculapius and Hippocrates.

"What do you say to them?" said the Doctor. My companion thought them
very pretty, and the Doctor gave me them in his handwriting, begging me,
at the same time, not to give any copies.

Madame de Pompadour joked my companion about her 'bel-esprit', but
sometimes she reposed confidence in her. Knowing that she was often
writing, she said to her, "You are writing a novel, which will appear
some day or other; or, perhaps, the age of Louis XV.: I beg you to treat
me well." I have no reason to complain of her. It signifies very little
to me that she can talk more learnedly than I can about prose and verse.

She never told me her real name; but one day I was malicious enough to
say to her, "Some one was maintaining, yesterday, that the family of
Madame de Mar---- was of more importance than many of good extraction.
They say it is the first in Cadiz. She had very honourable alliances,
and yet she has thought it no degradation to be governess to Madame de
Pompadour's daughter. One day you will see her sons or her nephews
Farmers General, and her granddaughters married to Dukes." I had
remarked that Madame de Pompadour for some days had taken chocolate, 'a
triple vanille et ambre', at her breakfast; and that she ate truffles and
celery soup: finding her in a very heated state, I one day remonstrated
with her about her diet, to which she paid no attention. I then thought
it right to speak to her friend, the Duchesse de Brancas. "I had remarked
the same thing," said she, "and I will speak to her about it before you."
After she was dressed, Madame de Brancas, accordingly, told her she was
uneasy about her health. "I have just been talking to her about it,"
said the Duchess, pointing to me, "and she is of my opinion." Madame de
Pompadour seemed a little displeased; at last, she burst into tears. I
immediately went out, shut the door, and returned to my place to listen.
"My dear friend," she said to Madame de Brancas, "I am agitated by the
fear of losing the King's heart by ceasing to be attractive to him. Men,
you