Produced by David Widger
Being the Secret Memoirs of the Mother of the Regent,
MADAME ELIZABETH-CHARLOTTE OF BAVARIA, DUCHESSE D'ORLEANS.
Philippe I., Duc d'Orleans
Philippe II., Duc d'Orleans, Regent of France
The Affairs of the Regency
The Duchesse d'Orleans, Consort of the Regent
The Dauphine, Princess of Bavaria.
Adelaide of Savoy, the Second Dauphine
The First Dauphin
The Duke of Burgundy, the Second Dauphin
Petite Madame
Cardinal Mazarin perceiving that the King had less readiness than hisbrother, was apprehensive lest the latter should become too learned; hetherefore enjoined the preceptor to let him play, and not to suffer himto apply to his studies.
"What can you be thinking of, M. la Mothe le Vayer," said the Cardinal;"would you try to make the King's brother a clever man? If he should bemore wise than his brother, he would not be qualified for implicitobedience."
Never were two brothers more totally different in their appearance thanthe King and Monsieur. The King was tall, with light hair; his mien wasgood and his deportment manly. Monsieur, without having a vulgar air,was very small; his hair and eye-brows were quite black, his eyes weredark, his face long and narrow, his nose large, his mouth small, and histeeth very bad; he was fond of play, of holding drawing-rooms, of eating,dancing and dress; in short, of all that women are fond of. The Kingloved the chase, music and the theatre; my husband rather affected largeparties and masquerades: his brother was a man of great gallantry, and Ido not believe my husband was ever in love during his life. He dancedwell, but in a feminine manner; he could not dance like a man because hisshoes were too high-heeled. Excepting when he was with the army, hewould never get on horseback. The soldiers used to say that he was moreafraid of being sun-burnt and of the blackness of the powder than of themusket-balls; and it was very true. He was very fond of building.Before he had the Palais Royal completed, and particularly the grandapartment, the place was, in my opinion, perfectly horrible, although inthe Queen-mother's time it had been very much admired. He was so fond ofthe ringing of bells that he used to go to Paris on All Souls' Day forthe purpose of hearing the bells, which are rung during the whole of thevigils on that day he liked no other music, and was often laughed at forit by his friends. He would join in the joke, and confess that a peal ofbells delighted him beyond all expression. He liked Paris better thanany other place, because his secretary was there, and he lived under lessrestraint than at Versailles. He wrote so badly that he was oftenpuzzled to read his own letters, and would bring them to me to decipherthem.
"Here, Madame," he used to say, laughing, "you are accustomed to mywriting; be so good as to read me this, for I really cannot tell what Ihave been writing." We have often laughed at it.
He was of a good disposition enough, and if he had not yielded soentirely to the bad advice of his favourites, he would have been the bestmaster in the world. I loved him, although he had caused me a great dealof pain; but during the last three years of his life that was totallyaltered. I had brought him to laugh at his own weakness, and even totake jokes without caring for them. From the period that I had beencalumniated and accused, he