, 1874-01-11

men OF letters and art rose to moro independ
ent position than they could claim under. til
| ostentatlons patronage Of Louis The Fourteenth
| It has been said Tint her patronage of art an.
letters, far from being the resrlt Of an innat
! loro Of ihem waB but the desire to raise no
bility OF genius to couniorbatanco the nobility Q
birth. behind which former she sheltered he
; own plebeian origin. Such u echeme might hav
| been mingled in her mind with more dsinter
estcd ana spontaneous motives; but to deny nj
genuine love Of intellectual pureuits to one VIII.
proved herself to be SO exquisite an adept il
several. wonld be to yield to unjust preju
dice. To enter into al the intricaccs Of dlplo
macy, and to even attempt to guide the statt
Affairs OF 80 great nation as France during 81
critical a toriod OF her history, argued powe
OF mind that but few women have possessed
but did 1t argue no gonius to sustain during
nineteen years her empira over The cold-hoartcd
m eyer-clanSiuS variety OF brilliant nmuse'
mcnts Surely great inventive faculties were
required for such q task.
Even hostile historians admit that during hel
regime it WAS less the age of Louis the Fifteenth
than
THAT OF PoapADoUR-.
TINT the taste Which 1eGuod in design, in fash
ions, IN manuefs, in poesy. III every art of her
timo. carries her seal, and yet in the very sano
page they will assert that she left little or no
trace upon her a;o! 70 her taste aud talent
France owes the first impetus which has aince
IlAAt AE4 pIc-tulIuHut LII aEL manufactures. In
tue streets of Paris are yet to be traced her de-
slsus,. and in the magnificent establishment at
Seyres, still unsurpassed, il not unr1yaled, she
has left one OF the most splendid monuments
that her country eau boast,
lnye no desire to glaze over the faults Of
this woman, or to elevate her into heroine
much wronged BY po6terity neither am pre-
pared to receive as yeraciols all the abomnabla
tales told against her by the scaudalous chron-
lcles Published during and after tue Revelation,
OF which the solo puTpoae was to b!acken and
degrade monarchy and all its belongings with
tue most unbirehing mendacitiea. My only OBJ
ject il 10 present her as sho was-one who, after
after making all allowance for her vicious life
aud for all the bitter evils she brought upon
France. wae not au utterly redecm;ess demon
OF inlqulty, but o guilty, etring woman-one
who however morally destitute She might be,
still possessed brilliant tulents, which wore t1o-
quently employed for tho good Of att literature,
aud her country.
The Duchess de Csateausoux had attended Louis
vita that dang .os illness q. Iotz the clergy ban
tshcd her from biz rcse1e, and the mob drove her
from the town, with hosrs a1d e1ecratoua Her std
den 2nl trag1cal death followed SOON Afterwards.
The origin nf all this abuae VIA envy and dlsan
pointed ambtion-cnYy Of the patronage bestowed
upon poor old Crebion, and diga ppoin:ment at not
Whatever vera 1c- faalta. she did not deserve the
abuse Of the who owed MS elevation to the
patronage with which they had gifted her. Her subj
sequent incrces.ion with the King ID scarcely indtc:-
tive Of that nallgnsnt disposition against all who
crossed her with which Certain writer's have eongh: to
still further blackel too deeply dyed already
with incoutro7crtibla 1osdeels.
*.Anong the items are 100000 liyres for her do
u<stics fog her table, 3,aC4 500 for her comedies
aud fe:ss, 4,oco,coo; for her coaches and horses.
3 1000 00o After her death her wardrobe was va!:ed
at 350 0o3 Hvrcs her china {noles for Sevres 19i-
45 rres. Her ubtaz., very rich III. MSS. sold for
100000
Wy which extreme JUNCTION WIS refused to any per-
sou who csuld not produce confessional note egued
b. priest such notes einc refused 10 I'll who were
not Jeauidcaiy orthodox