er du Muy, however,
refused to come. The King had the greatest possible contempt for them,
and granted them nothing with a good grace. He, one day, said of a man
of great family, who wished to be made Captain of the Guards, "He is a
double spy, who wants to be paid on both sides." This was the moment at
which Madame de Pompadour seemed to me to enjoy the most complete
satisfaction. The devotees came to visit her without scruple, and did
not forget to make use of every opportunity of serving themselves. Madame
de Lu----- had set them the example. The Doctor laughed at this change
in affairs, and was very merry at the expense of the saints. "You must
allow, however, that they are consistent," said I, "and may be sincere."
"Yes," said he; "but then they should not ask for anything."

One day, I was at Doctor Quesnay's, whilst Madame de Pompadour was at
the theatre. The Marquis de Mirabeau came in, and the conversation was,
for some time, extremely tedious to me, running entirely on 'net
produce'; at length, they talked of other things.

[The author of "L'Ami des Hommes," one of the leaders of the sect of
Economistes, and father of the celebrated Mirabeau. After the death of
Quesnay, the Grand Master of the Order, the Marquis de Mirabeau was
unanimously elected his successor. Mirabeau was not deficient in a
certain enlargement of mind, nor in acquirements, nor even in patriotism;
but his writings are enthusiastical, and show that he had little more
than glimpses of the truth. The Friend of Man was the enemy of all his
family. He beat his servants, and did not pay them. The reports of the
lawsuit with his wife, in 1775, prove that this philosopher possessed, in
the highest possible degree, all the anti-conjugal qualities. It is said
that his eldest son wrote two contradictory depositions, and was paid by
both sides.]

Mirabeau said, "I think the King looks ill, he grows old."--"So much the
worse, a thousand times so much the worse," said Quesnay; "it would be
the greatest possible loss to France if he died;" and he raised his
hands, and sighed deeply. "I do not doubt that you are attached to the
King, and with reason," said Mirabeau: "I am attached to him too; but I
never saw you so much moved."--"Ah!" said Quesnay, "I think of what would
follow."--"Well, the Dauphin is virtuous."--"Yes; and full of good
intentions; nor is he deficient in understanding; but canting hypocrites
would possess an absolute empire o