[6] Arneth, iii., p. 73.

CHAPTER XIII.

[1] When Mercy remonstrated with her on her relapse into some of her old habits from which at first she seemed to have weaned herself, “La seule reponse que j’aie obtenu a ete la crainte de s’ennuyer.”—­Mercy to Maria Teresa, November 19th, 1777, Arneth, iii., p. 13.

[2] See Marie Antoinette’s account to her mother of his quarrel with the Duchess de Bourbon at a bal de l’opera, Arneth, iii., p. 174.

[3] “Il y a apparence que notre marine dont on s’occupe depuis longtemps va bientot etre en activite.  Dieu veuille que tous ces mouvements n’amenent pas la guerre de terre.”—­Marie Antoinette to Maria Teresa, March 18th, 1777, Arneth, iii., p. 174.

[4] “Jamais les Anglais n’ont eu tant de superiorite sur mer; mais ils en eurent sur les Francais dans tous les temps.”—­Siecle de Louis, ch xxxv.

[5] The Comte de la Marck, who knew him well, says of him, “Il etait gauche dans toutes ses manieres; sa taille etait tres elevee, ses cheveux tres roux, il dansait sans grace, montait mal a cheval, et les jeunes gens avec lesquels il vivait se montraient plus adroits que lui dans les diverses exercices d’alors a la mode.”  He describes his income as “une fortune de 120,000 livres de rente,” a little under L5000 a year.—­ Correspondance entre le Comte de Mirabeau et le Comte de la Marck, i. p. 47.

[6] “On a parle de moi dans tous les cercles, meme apres que la bonte de la reine m’eut valu le regiment du roi dragons.”—­Memoires de ma Main, Memoires de La Fayette, i., p 86.

[7] “La lettre ou Votre Majeste, parlant du Roi de Prusse, s’exprime ainsi .... ’cela ferait un changement dans notre alliance, ce qui me donnerait la mort,’ j’ai vu la reine palir en me lisant cet article.”—­Mercy to Maria Teresa, February 18th, 1778, Arneth, iii., p. 170.

[8] See Coxe’s “House of Austria,” ch. cxxi.  The war, which was marked by no action or event of importance, was terminated by the treaty of Teschen, May 10th, 1779.

[9] “Il n’a pas voulu y consentir, et a toujours ete attentif a exciter lui-meme la reine aux choses qu’il jugeait pouvoir lui etre agreables.”—­ Mercy to Maria Teresa, March 29th, 1778, Arneth, iii., p. 177.

[10] Marie Antoinette to Joseph II, and Leopold II., p. 21, date January 16th, 1778.

[11] Louis.

[12] Marie Antoinette to Maria Teresa, May 16th, Arneth, iii., p. 200.

[13] Weber, i., p.40.

[14] One of his admirers, seeing his mortification, said to him:  “You are very simple to have wished to go to court.  Do you know what would have happened to you?  I will tell you.  The king, with his usual affability, would have laughed in your face, and talked to you of your converts at Ferney.  The queen would have spoken of your plays.  Monsieur would have asked you what your income was.  Madame would have quoted some of your verses.  The Countess of Artois would have said nothing at all; and the count would have conversed with you about ‘the Maid of Orleans.’”—­Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI. et la Famille Royale, p. 125, March 3d.