第60章

"Yesterday， Sunday，" says the Duc de Luynes， "I met the king going to hunt on the plain of St. Denis， having slept at la Muette， where he intends to remain shooting to day and to-morrow， and to return here on Tuesday or Wednesday morning， to run down a stag the same day， Wednesday."[48] Two months after this， "the king，" again says M. de Luynes， "has been hunting every day of the past and of the present week， except to day and on Sundays， killing， since the beginning， 3，500 partridges." He is always on the road， or hunting， or passing from one residence to another， from Versailles to Fontainebleau， to Choisy， to Marly， to la Muette， to Compiègne， to Trianon， to Saint-Hubert， to Bellevue， to Rambouillet， and， generally， with his entire court.[49] At Choisy， especially， and at Fontainebleau this company all lead a merry life. At Fontainebleau "Sunday and Friday， play；Monday and Wednesday， a concert in the queen's apartments； Tuesday and Thursday， the French comedians； and Saturday it is the Italians；"there is something for every day in the week. At Choisy， writes the Dauphine，[50] "from one o'clock (in the afternoon) when we dine， to one o'clock at night we remain out. . . After dining we play until six o'clock， after which we go to the theater， which lasts until half-past nine o'clock， and next， to supper； after this， play again， until one， and sometimes half-past one， o'clock." At Versailles things are more moderate； there are but two theatrical entertainments and one ball a week； but every evening there is play and a reception in the king's apartment， in his daughters'， in his mistress's， in his daughter-in-law's， besides hunts and three petty excursions a week. Records show that， in a certain year， Louis XV slept only fifty-two nights at Versailles， while the Austrian Ambassador well says that "his mode of living leaves him not an hour in the day for attention to important matters." - As to Louis XVI， we have seen that he reserves a few hours of the morning； but the machine is wound up， and go it must. How can he withdraw himself from his guests and not do the honors of his house？ Here propriety and custom are tyrants and a third despotism must be added， still more absolute： the imperious vivacity of a lively young queen who cannot endure an hour's reading. - At Versailles， three theatrical entertainments and two balls a week， two grand suppers Tuesday and Thursday， and from time to time， the opera in Paris.[51] At Fontainebleau， the theater three times a week， and on other days， play and suppers. During the following winter the queen gives a masked ball each week， in which "the contrivance of the costumes， the quadrilles arranged in ballets， and the daily rehearsals， take so much time as to consume the entire week." During the carnival of 1777 the queen， besides her own fêtes， attends the balls of the Palais-Royal and the masked balls of the opera； a little later， I find another ball at the abode of the Comtesse Diana de Polignac， which she attends with the whole royal family， except Mesdames， and which lasts from half-past eleven o'clock at night until eleven o'clock the next morning. Meanwhile， on ordinary days， there is the rage of faro； in her drawing room "there is no limit to the play；in one evening the Duc de Chartres loses 8，000 louis. It really resembles an Italian carnival； there is nothing lacking， neither masks nor the comedy of private life； they play， they laugh， they dance， they dine， they listen to music， they don costumes， they get up picnics (fêtes-champêtres)， they indulge in gossip and gallantries.""The newest song，"[52] says a cultivated， earnest lady of the bedchamber， "the current witticism and little scandalous stories， formed the sole subjects of conversation in the queen's circle of intimates." - As to the king， who is rather dull and who requires physical exercise， the chase is his most important occupation. Between 1755 and 1789，[53] he himself， on recapitulating what he had accomplished， finds "104 boar-hunts， 134 stag-hunts， 266 of bucks， 33with hounds， and 1，025 shootings，" in all 1，562 hunting-days， averaging at least one hunt every three days； besides this there are a 149 excursions without hunts， and 223 promenades on horseback or in carriages. "During four months of the year he goes to Rambouillet twice a week and returns after having supped， that is to say， at three o'clock in the morning."[54] This inveterate habit ends in becoming a mania， and even in something worse. "The nonchalance，" writes Arthur Young， June 26， 1789， "and even stupidity of the court， is unparalleled； the moment demands the greatest decision， and yesterday， while it was actually a question whether he should be a doge of Venice or a king of France， the king went a hunting！" His journal reads like that of a gamekeeper's. On reading it at the most important dates one is amazed at its entries. He writes nothing on the days not devoted to hunting， which means that to him these days are of no account：

July 11， 1789， nothing； M. Necker leaves.

July 12th vespers and benediction； Messieurs de Montmorin， de Saint-Priest and de la Luzerne leave.

July 13th ， nothing.

July 14th ， nothing.

July 29th， nothing； M. Necker returns.....

August 4th， stag-hunt in the forest at Marly； took one； go and come on horseback.

August 13th， audience of the States in the gallery； Te Deum during the mass below； one stag taken in the hunt at Marly. . .

August 25th， complimentary audience of the States； high mass with the cordons bleus； M. Bailly sworn in； vespers and benediction； state dinner....

October 5th， shooting near Chatillon； killed 81 head； interrupted by events； go and come on horseback.

October 6th， leave for Paris at half-past twelve； visit the H？tel-de-Ville； sup and rest at the Tuileries.

October 7th nothing； my aunts come and dine.

October 8th， nothing . . .

October 12th， nothing； the stag hunted at Port Royal.