Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-10-06
Toute femme varie
Bien fol est uui g'y 6e

These lines are usually given, "souvent
femme varie," etc. Such, indeed is the
version adopted by Victor Hugo in "Le
Roia' Amuse in the situation where, in
the operate arrangement of Victor Hugo's
plays, the canz9ne 9 la donna e mobile !"
occurs. "Toute femme varie seems too
absolute, and the calumnious verses were
at first scratched ont or scratched over by
order of Louis XIV. who found that they
annoyed Mile. de la Valliere.
Henry II. inherited all the taste OF
Francis for the castle of Chambord, to
which he made several additions, includ-
ing a stately staircase in the western
court, where the armorial bearings of his
mistress Diana, crowned I'll and cres-
cent, are seen In company with his own
device, "Donec totum impleat orbem.
II was at Chsmbocd that this sovereign
ratified, IN 1862, the treaty which he had
concluded the year before at Fontalnbleau
with the Protestant Princes of Germany.
Charles TX. repaired and adorned the cas-
tie, though to no very great extent, owing
to the failure of his resources. The modest
Louis XIII. was frequently at Chambord,
and historians say that, doing one of his
stays there. Mile. de Hautefort put a love
letter under his collar, when, afraid to
touch it with his fingers, he removed it
by means Of the tongs, Louis XIV. cared
little for the castle, which, magnificent SO
it was, fell far short of the splendor with
which he loved to be surrounded. He
gave, however, several grand fetes at
Cham Nd, and witnessed there the first
performance of two of Moliere's plays,
one of which was {" LIE Bourgeois Gentil-
homme."
After the battle of Fontenoy, in l745,
Chambord was presented by Louis XIV. to
Maurice de SAKE, but it was not until three
years later. on the conclusion OF the peace
of Aix-la. Cnapelle, that the Marshal took
up his abode at the castle. be constructed
barracks there for two regiments OF Uhlans,
and established in the park stud OF Rus
sian horses, which, though they roamed
Just where they liked, would at sound OF
trumpet come galloping up, as II OF their
own accord for drill. Within the castle
Maurice de SAKE lived amid almost regal
pomp. When not occupied with military
duties he gave himself up to pleasure.
Nine. Favsrt, with her troupe, often per-
formed before him at Chambord, and, as Is
well known, had the misfortune to inspire
him with an overwhelming passion. HIS
behavior to her was quite consistent with
his life in general.
When the revolution broke out Cham
bord had long since gone back to the crown
The republican government, not knowing
what to do with such an edifice, thought OF
demolishing it, but happily abandoned the
idea Sill the furniture and the works OF
art were soid by auction and the escutch-
cons and other ensigns of royalty on vari-
GUS parts of the building would have been
efaced had not the architect called in to
estimate the cost of the work asked too
large a sum.
Napoleon thought several times of re-
storing the castle. After dethronlng
Charles " of Spain, he wished to present
1t in a habitable state to the ex.king, but
found the expense of repairing and retur-
nishing would be far more than he could
afford. In 1909 Chambord was made into
principality, with the title of '' Princi-
pality of Wagram." and was given, with
an endowment of 500 900 francs year, to
Marshal Berthier. The allowance was, in
part at least, TO be expended on furniture
and on the more pressing repairs. In the
reign Of Louis XVIII, the endowment
having ceased, the Princess of Wagram
obtained the royal permission to ALLEVIATE
possession which had become burdensome
and soon after, at the Count de Catonnes
suggestion, it was bought by public sub
scupton and bestowed as a dependency on
the posthumoas son of the Duke of Berry
-" Duke OF Bordeaux" as be was in the
hrst instance called. This provoked
the ire of many liberals, and not
ably of Paul Louis Courier, who wrote a
very energetic pamphlet on the subjsct.
lie dwelt much on the bad effect which
would probably be produced on the heir
to the throne by living in the midst of so
many memorials of the depravity of his
ioreiathers. AT Chambord," he asked,
what will the duke learn? The place is
tull OF his ancestors, and for that reason
alone 1T would hardly be fit for him /
would rather he lived among us than among
them. There, too, are the faces of a Diana
and Chateaubriand, whose infections
names still sully the walls of the castle
Interpreters to explain the emblems will
doubtless not be wanting to the duke and
what instruction for child destined one
day to reignl" The pamphlet obtained for
its author two months imprisonment
In 1925 the Dnchesse de Berry took nos.
session of the castle in her sons name. l.
was her desire to restore it to its former
state, but this has yet to be done. The
castle of Chambord has never, since ;ts
frat construction, been adequately re.
paired, and it is now said to be on the point
of falling into general ruin.-ISt. James
Gazette.