180 
resentment he wrote an article, in which 
he respects probability only to. do the 
more mischief; in which, for, want of 
vices; he charges her with. ridiculous 
qualities; im w hich he converts her char 
yacter into a kind of moral paradox, as- 
serting, 
guised animpure heart, and that she had 
at least a relish for all the follies which 
she never committed. Though the false- 
mess of this portrait is evinced by its 
we dcapicrvse:blesade yet, no doubt, thanks to. 
the ordinary malignity of the public, i¢ 
made more impression at that time, than 
3t does at present, and inflicted a cruel 
wound on a heart formed for the love of 
virtue. This wound was a long time be- 
fore it was healed; so far, however, from 
evenging herself, Madame de Sevigné 
forvave Bussy, but not without difficulty, 
nor perhaps without restriction, Fre-» 
quent hints at the injury escape her in 
her letters to bim. They want, at least, 
that flower of confidence, aiiiel is dis- 
enverable in these written to her other. 
friends, and, on this account alone, this. 
portion of her correspondence appears 
fess worthy of her. 
This affliction was succeeded by the 
reverse, which precipitated the unfortu- 
Rite Fouquet from the height of power 
into perpetual imprisonment. She her- 
self depicts her uneasiness on this occa- 
s:00 In her letters, in which she rivals La 
Fontaine beth in her sentiments and in 
her style. These letters, however, men- 
tion only the judicial proceedings, and 
they did not begin till Feuquet had been 
three years in confinement. The storm 
waich burst over his head, surprised his 
friends, as well as Lnnelt, in_all the il- 
usions of his fortune. It had nearly 
éevertaken Madame de Sevigné, who had 
reason to be apprehensive for her own 
safety. The amiable widow had entered 
mto a friendly correspondence with hiur ; 
an innocent and very natural confidence 
i) him, who had given her the strongest 
proot of a kind of esteem, which, in ge- 
neval, a powerful and liberal man-no 
more toheimaes for one sex than fer the 
ether, It was secon known,, that among 
Fouguet’s papers were found letters, 
Bi compromised many females who 
were known to the court. Those of 
_ Madame de Sevigne could not do her 
any iljury. The : secretary of state, Le 
Tellier, had declared them the most in- 
necent im, the world; but i¢ was not 
unlikely, that her frank gaiety might- 
have treated certain things, and certain, 
persons, according to their deserts; and 
Jlemotrs of Madame de Sevigné. . 
sa her unsullied conduct dise - 
[Sept. 1;: 
there are times when jokes may be con=" 
strued into-conspiracies. . One of Bussy’s 
letters shews, that her apprehensions 
were so serious, that she thought fit to 
retire for some time to a remote part of. 
the kinvdom. The cabal, which. had 
overturped Ronqoet, wished to encou- 
rage the idea, that he had been sup 
ported | by. a powerful party. In these 
cases vengeance is wreaked on the first 
objects that present themselves: this is) 
the ordinary method of proceeding 1m 
the revolution of courts, as in all others, 
Nor. is the gratification of private re= 
venge unknown there; ,two reflections, : 
which are sufficient to account for. the 
extraordinary alarm and . precautions -of: 
Madame. de Sevigné. She was far, howe 
ever, from. having actually committed 
herself, for we soon find her shining in 
the midst of that court, which Louis: 
SEV. began to render so brillant.» 
Madame de Sevigné, though calculated 
to adorn this splendid theatre with her~ 
own charms, appeared upon it only for 
the purpose of enjoying the success of “her 
dauchter, who, in the flower of her beau- 
ty, and possessing superior understand- 
ing and talents, was presented in 1663. 
Mademoiselle de Sevigné acted a part in 
those ballets, in which the king himself 
danced before a numerous court. She- 
represented a Shepherdess; and, in the 
ballet of the following year, a Cupid dis- 
guised as aSea-nymphi. At another time, 
she personated Omphale, and, on all these 
occasions, received elegant compliments 
from the- poet Benserade ; ‘* who,” says 
Voltaire, “* possessed a singular talent 
for these compositions of gallantr vy, m 
which he always made delicate and in- 
teresting allusions to the characters of 
the persons, to the personages of antiquity - 
or fable whom they represented, or to the 
passions which pervaded the court.” It 
may not be amiss to observe, that it was 
at this very time, that Madame de Se- 
vigné was acting and interesting herself 
with such ardour for Fouquet. The air 
and the applause. of the court produced. 
not the ordinary effect upon her—that of 
forgetfulness of the unfortunate. » 
Soon afterwards the establishment of 
her children, and especially of her daugh- 
ter, occupied her whole attention. She 
was scarcely twenty, and this disinte- 
rested mother looked forward with i impa-. 
tience to an event, that could not bat 
disturb her felicity. She had, however, 
herself rejected more than one opportu- 
nity. Very few men appeared worthy 
of such a daughter, She Si ina 
Pp leasing 
