“The first of the five balls,” continues the correspondent, “was given by M. le Grand, in his apartments in the new wing of Versailles.  The ball commenced with a masquerade.  They danced a minuet and a jig; but only Mlle. de Nantes danced in the latter.  Mlle. de Nantes was especially admired when she danced, and made so great an impression that people stood on chairs to see her better, Mgr. le Dauphin came to the masquerade with M. le Prince de la Roche-sur-Yon and many other notables.  He was in a sedan-chair, accompanied by a number of merry-andrews and dwarfs.  He changed his disguise four or five times during the ball, which lasted until four o’clock in the morning. . . .  The second ball was given by Mgr. le Dauphin in the hall of his Guards, which forms the entrance to his apartments.  M. le Duc gave the third, which was magnificent.  Some days after it was the turn of the Cardinal de Bouillon to receive the court.”

“From just before Candlemas day to Easter of the year 1700,” wrote Saint-Simon, “nothing was heard of but balls and pleasures of the Court.  The King gave at Versailles and Marly several masquerades, by which he was much amused under pretext of amusing the Duchesse de Bourgogne.

“No evening passed on which there was not a ball.  The chancellor’s wife gave one—­which was a fete the most gallant and the most magnificent possible.  There were different rooms for the fancy-dress ball, for the masqueraders, for a superb collation, for shops of all countries, Chinese, Japanese, etc., where many singular and beautiful things were sold, but no money taken; there were presents for the Duchesse de Bourgogne and the ladies.  Everybody was especially diverted at this entertainment, which did not finish until eight o’clock in the morning.  Madame de Saint-Simon and I passed the last three weeks of this time without ever seeing the day.  Certain dancers were allowed to leave off dancing only at the same time as the Duchesse de Bourgogne.  One morning, when I wished to escape too early, the duchesse caused me to be forbidden to pass the doors of the salon; several of us had the same fate.  I was delighted when Ash Wednesday arrived, and I remained a day or two dead-beat.”

The Mercure describes the fete given by the wife of the Chancellor of France at her mansion beyond the palace grounds: 

“Mme. la Duchesse de Bourgogne, learning that Mme. la Chanceliere wished to give her a ball, received the proposition with much joy.  Although there were but eight days in which to prepare for it, Mme. la Chanceliere resolved to give the princess in one evening all the diversions that people usually take during all the carnival period—­namely, comedy, fair, and ball.  When the evening came, detachments of Swiss were posted in the street and in the courtyard, with many servants of Mme. la Chanceliere, so that there was no confusion at the gates or in the court, which was brightly lighted