Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-07-15


Petis Cabinets" To obtain place
among the audience was one of the great
objects of ambition at Versailles. The
owners of the greatest names were re-
fused, and the Marechal Due de Noalles,
in consequence of refusal, retired for
some time in disgust from Versailles.
Naturally, therefore, the honor of playing
in the troupe was still more solicited. A
certain Marquis de v gave an i'm
portant place to dependent of Madame
de Pompadeur on the sole condition that
he should play the part of exempt de
police in one of Moliere's pieces. If we
may trust accounts, the acting was uni
versally good, not only in farces, vaude-
villes, pastorales, ETC., butin high comedy,
and finally a tragedy of Voltaire's,
Alzire, was triumphantly performed.
AT the Inauguration of this theater,
Madame de Pompadour not only sang
aud played in several parts, but encount.
cred audaciously the perils Of the ballet.
The cost of this theater was something
frightfull In one year the accounts OF
the Due de la Vrilliere reached 230 2O3
livres. The King-who, after the first
novelty had worn off, often yawned hor-
ribly at these performances-at last sup
pressed the theater at Versailles, and it
was transported to the chateau of the
Msrquise at Bellevue.
The faded favorite became so i'll at last
that she was a pitiable object All the
fine lines of her form, the child like
roundness aud softness of her limbs, the
infsntile freshness of her features had
passed away. She was mere skeleton
all elbows and shoulder. blades, and COL
lar-bones; and her smooth, pure cheek
and forehead we're channeled by care,
fatigue and pain, with hideous wrinkles,
which she tried to conceal with thick
crust of artificial white and red. All
that remained of her old beauty was to
be found in her brown eyes, which grew
larger and more brilliant with the decay
of her person and the emaciation.
Alarming symptoms followed close on
each other with increasing gravity. The
palpitation of the heart became SO violent
that she had its of suffocation, till at last
her energetic will could no longer sup
port her enfeebled, diseased form, and on
a visit to ChoiSy she was obliged to give |
way and take to her bed. Louis XIV, to |
do him justice, did not show himself un-
feeling as long as she lived. On the con-
trary, he paid her every attention, and
consulted her on public affairs up to the
last; and, after he had left Choisy for
Versailles, the duty of the first gentleman
of the chamber was to bring him news of
the health of the dying favorite. II was
only after she was dead that he made the
lnfeeling speech whiel. Las been record
ed of him and, bad as the man was, it
IS clear he often, said worse things than
ne meant out Of sheer cynical bravado.
The doctors who we're called in gave
Ter slight respite, during which state of
she was brought to her
apartment at Versailles but everybody,
md with others she herself, knew that her
,ase was hopeless. She met her death
With great courage, regarding it after all
! deliverance from life which it was
impossible to continue; while her pre-
ence of mind and her head for business
Iever failed her up to the last. She re-
eived her friends graciously as long as
he had breath; and made one of them a
resent of a gold snuff-box, engraved
With verses she had composed day or
we before. On the morning of her death,
eing warned of her approaching end,
he read over her long will and codicils
and dictated fresh codicil
nth number Of additional legscies to
riends. She had named the Prince de
'oubise. her unfortunate general in the
'even Years War, and closest male
riend Of twenty years standing, her ex-
cutor. After this she had herself
ressed, had some rouge put on her
heeks, and prepared to rsceive death as
he would have received the King.
The body Of the worn-out favorite was
eposited in vault at the church of the
,apuehins, ip the Place Vendome, which
he had purchased from the grest family
)e La Tremouille, where she had then
we'd, to have herself buried alive il the
ing should leave her. She had alreadv
ofoslted there her mother aud nar
aughteE, and, as the PrincO,s de- Tai
lont SAID, the great Zones of the La
semoe'ee ismi' must have been aston
hsa a. h--1ing themselves in company
IA the ishbones-leS aretes-of the
0issons. Many pretty epitRphs were
lade for her, of course, and some, in
eed, OF a character not presentable in !
le present day, Notwithstanding their
rapery in Latin hexameters