12 COUNT AND COUNTESS FRONTENAC, [1672. 



assign a different motive for his appointment. 

 Louis XIV. was enamoured of Madame de Mon- 

 tespan. She had once smiled upon Frontenac ; 

 and it is said that the jealous king gladly embraced 

 the opportunity of removing from his presence, 

 and from hers, a lover who had forestalled him. 1 



Frontenac's wife had no thought of following 

 him across the sea. A more congenial life awaited 

 her at home. She had long had a friend of hum- 

 bler station than herself, Mademoiselle cl'Outrelaise, 

 daughter of an obscure gentleman of Poitou, an 

 amiable and accomplished person, who became 

 through life her constant companion. The exten- 

 sive building called the Arsenal, formerly the 

 residence of Sully, the minister of Henry IV., 

 contained suites of apartments which were granted 

 to persons who had influence enough to obtain 



1 Note of M. Brunei, in Correspondence de la Duchesse d' Orleans, I. 200 

 (ed. 1869). 



The following lines, among others, were passed about secretly among 

 the courtiers : — 



" Je suis ravi que le roi, notre sire, 

 Aime la Montespan ; 

 Moi, Frontenac, je me creve de rire, 



Sachant ce qui lui pend ; 

 Et je dirai, sans etre des plus bestes, 

 Tu n'as que mon reste, 



Eoi, 

 Tu n'as que mon reste." 



Mademoiselle de Montpensier had mentioned in her memoirs, some 

 years before, that Frontenac, in taking out his handkerchief, dropped 

 from his pocket a love-letter to Mademoiselle de Mortemart, afterwards 

 Madame de Montespan, which was picked up by one of the attendants 

 of the princess. The king, on the other hand, was at one time attracted 

 by the charms of Madame de Frontenac, against whom, however, no 

 aspersion is cast. 



The Comte de Grignan, son-in-law of Madame de Sevigne, was an 

 unsuccessful competitor with Frontenac for the government of Canada. 



