; •" PALAIS ROYAL. 427 



that he had built his fumptuous theatre. He employed 

 in the getting up of this piece, as it is reported, above 

 a million of livres ; and, during the performance, was 

 no longer the awe-commanding minifter, but {hewed 

 the fpedtators his gayell looks, could not fit ftill in his 

 box, and as often as the choiceft pafTages occurred, 

 winked and nodded to the parterre to raife their atten- 

 tion. All this, however had no erTecl, except during 

 the firft acl:, on the curious Parilians, who were tranf 

 ported with pleafure at the (jondeicenfion of their def- 

 pot ; but they foon recovered from their extacy. In 

 the fecond and third afts the clappings conli4erably 

 abated ; and, towards the end of the fourth, they were 

 heard from none but the fycophants. In fhort, the 

 piece was damned before the illuftripus author's eyes, 

 in his own palace, in due form ? which made the cardi- 

 nal fay to Defmarets : Parbleu les Francois n'auront 

 jamais du gout pour les belles chofes : ils n'ont point 

 etc charmes de Mirame. Probably he had even heard 

 the voice from the middle of the parterre bawling out : 

 Helas, ce n'eft pas la une piece cardinale, mais d'un. 

 cardinal. This lingular nation will quietly fubmit to 

 be {tripped of all other privileges, fo that they retain 

 the right of eating dry bread, of bantering and mur- 

 muring. Thus here, in the indifferent poet, they for* 

 got the cruel defpot, $nd under this character they 

 could not abhor him, fince under the former he made 

 them laugh at his expence. 



As the cardinal, in whatever he did, wquld have it 

 thought that he was only working for his king ; in all 

 that he founded and built, only founding and building 

 for his grandeur and advantage : fo he had political 



felf 



