The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-24

two pearls OF that society were &mlttedly
Marion Delorme and Ninon de rBnelos, who
we're quite Young at that epoch. Marion
DelOrme descended from gOOd iau1lY, and
might have been well settled in the world; but
the romancce OF Madeleine scuuury had cor
rupted her, az we'll many others, who were
led to deem marriage TO be 40 abhlcation OF the
rights of woman The theme Is not so new
as some people deem It to be. Her first lover,
the financier Porticelli, bad loaded her with
presents Cina Mars was 90 enamorel that ne
wished to marry her, and that when La Ferte
Sennecterre Mossens Chatilon and Brissac
were slghing at her lcet. Marion, however,
would neither marry the Kings favorte nor any
one else. Yet 1t Is recorded Of her that she was
attentive TO her religious duties and assiduOus
in her attendance at the "MInimes," now a bar
ack of gendarmerie.
1t was otherwise with NiDon de pEnclos; she
had it is said, been educated III the principles
OF Epicurean philosophy by NJ de FEnclos.
There was % school at that epoch, among whom
were Ga sendl, the master OF Moliere, Peiresc,
and Others, who openly protessed spirit OF
skeptlcism ana the paramount Ia v or pleasure;
and NJ. de PBnclos was one of its members.
Hence It was that NihOn de PEnclos knew no
moral restraints. rhe 6rst object OF hec Itiec
{ OILS Is said to have been Andelet afterwards
Chatillon); but 1t was the mere caprice OF
momen-, and she soon exchanged MIN Tor
another. Before she had attained her nineteenth
year (she was born in l6l6), she had had saint
Estienne and NJ. de ROnvral for lovers; and NJ
de Couon, rich parliamentary counsellor
allowed her five hundred livres month.
OI
have most favored wealthy So tors and she took
with open hand from Rambouillet PoTticelE,
and others OF their stamp. Her salon was hung
with yellow Damascus sllk, and furnished with
costly elegance. She received in It princes,
gentlemen, fnanclers, counsellors, and authors
but few of her own sex: and yet her salon bad
not at that epoch acquired the importance
which it did during the stirring epoch Of the
Fronde, when the Marais became one of the
centres Of conspiracy, and NlnOn de rEnclos'
salon its heart.
Ninon's bosom friends were Madame Goudran,
nee Bleot d'Hedonville, held in high esteem at
the Place Royale. and Mademoiselle PauleC, who,
though from Lan2uedoc, had golden hair and
brilliantly lair complexion, TO which we're added
all the lite and animation OF the south. This fair
lady had Al. de Guse, one OF the great leaguing
race, as lover upon starting IN life, and could
not forget him. The counsellor OF the precieuses
was Madame Pilon, the wealthy wife Of
procureur aU cLatelet but her advice was not
always pbded by. "Do what you b ave mlnd,"
she used to say, but never commit yourselves
on paper" Such advice was not lost upon per-
sons like Madame de Kohan, who, replete with
wit and repartee, never let a sonnet 10 her
charms go by unanswered Madame de Roman,
who was ar enthusiastic admirer OF Madeleine
de Scudery, had abandoned the splendid hotel of
the Clutches, simply Tor the pleasure OF dwelling
with the precieuses on ia Place. as the Place
Royale was often spoken OF for brevty's sake,
and to stroll with them in the afternoon unier
the shade OF its OLD elm trees; whence came the
old proyerb, 'Attendez-moi sous rorme." Made
leIne de Scuderv wao also OF traditional descent,
being from Apt in Provence, and she ruled as
queen by her abilities, which, adapted to the
taste OF the day in her 'Curte du Tendre,"
became the model tor the writings of Blssy
Rabutiu, Hamilton, D'Artagnan, aud The HUI
dnrastc Scarron, the wits Of ia Place. at a
rime when the Court sOlOurned AT SAINT Ger
main.
How it happened that Louis XIII, welded to
| the fair Anne of Austria, surrounded by the
| Brilliant ''dapes d'hOnneur" whom Mary of
inis nho1 frnD nAltp 10 hnr
| himself passiOnately addicted to field sports,
| should have found his way to the Marais, we
] ara not told; but Crrmn it is that, between
| 1880 and 1856 the King became deeply enamored
| of a noble lady of that quarter Louse de la
| Favette, OF the old Auvergnat family of til ct
| name A clue may be dlscerned to the incident
in Cinq Mars snperseding as tayor'te TO the
monarch Baradas whom Louis had discarded
| as O creature of Richelleu's (and the Cardinal
| took upon himself ALWAYS either to supply the
| iaVOrites, male or female, OF the monarch, or
| to brlbe and corrupt them to his purposes) g..
| Now, Cinq-Mars passed much of his time in
| the society OF the Place Royale, and he may
have excited the Kings curiosity by the history
| of its amouTs and its intrigues. NJ. le Grand,
| however, as he was called. was at first also a
| creature OF the allpoweriul minister.
Tallemant des ReauX has treated the character
| Of Cinq-Mars ignobly, as he has indeed the court
OF Louis XIII, his gentlemen, his Mousquetaires,
and the LADIES' of honor of the Queen. 1t is
! much to BE- regretted that some writer's have
| adopted his abominabe stores as historical
| truths. There could not, NJ. Capefgue assures
us, be greater or more detestable perversiOns of
| truth than are to be met with in his pages.
| Alfred de Vigne has, however, more than viDdi.
| Gated the character of Cinq' Mars IN our own
| times. de has, indeed, made taultless hero oil
| the youthful tavorlte. Cinq-Mar was however,
| admittedly protected at the outset by the Cardi
| nal and placed by him in antagOnism to Madlle
| de la Fayette. The intrigue succeeded. The
| cooperation of NJ. Vincent afterwards ST. Vim.
! cent de Paul. was obtained, and at twenty-five
/ ne Il Ia Nov yuyiN1n al s1v-
| from Kings love to take the veil in she Con
| vent of Sainte Marie Saint Antoine.
What were the people doing, it may be asked,
whilst Mary of Medcis and Anne o1 Austria
| with their bevies of fair ones, kept court at
| Saint Germaiu and the preCieuse held sway over
| poets and orators, Mousquetaires, and chevauX
| legers, in the Marais They used to meet at the
clock-tower, called the SamaTtaine, near the
Pont Neut, to listen to the Duhoons, Tabarin
and Mondes, who recited ballads and epigrams
apropos of the beauties of the Court and the
place. and of the gaiantry of certain per
sOnages known as Baron Gratelard and Captain
| Rodomout; whilst. az the other side Of the
bridge, the Italian troop of the Eclose displayed
| Harlequin and COlombine, novelties Mt thai
| epoch, to public ways initiative OF its lead
ers, and given up, like them, to dreamy fan
tastic notions, which could only be enliveneC
by the extreme Of burlesque. This was alsC
! the epoch of the bully Cyrano de Bergerac
| who was so ugly that it was impossible not Il
laugh at him, vet 10 laugh was followed by al
inevitable challenge. He was called ''e diabl
Mousqueta're," and was at the same time
creature OF the Cardinals.
But Richelieu was growing old and inirm. an
there were not wanting those who IeOele,
against his caprlcious tyranny. The hterar
| Aspasas of the Place Royale had ever Oee
\ opposed to the man who had prosecuted tn