In Quesnay’s rooms in the palace of Versailles Smith would sometimes hear words that would sound very strange in the house of the king.  Mercier de la Riviere, Quesnay’s favourite disciple, while writing his book on the Natural and Essential Order of Political Societies, published in 1767, almost lived in Quesnay’s apartments, discussing the work point by point with the master.  The Marquis de Mirabeau mentions having seen him there six whole weeks running, “moulding and remoulding his work, and consequently denying father and mother” for the time.  One day Madame du Hausset heard a memorable conversation there between these two economists.  “This kingdom,” observed Mirabeau, “is in a miserable state.  There is neither energy in the nation nor money to serve in its place.”  “No,” replied Mercier de la Riviere, counsellor of the Parliament of Paris and late Governor of Martinico, “it cannot be regenerated except by a conquest like that of China, or by a great internal convulsion; but woe to those who will be there then, for the French people does nothing by halves.”  The words made the little lady-in-waiting tremble, and she hurried out of the room; but M. de Marigny, brother of the king’s mistress, who was also present, followed her, and bade her have no fear, for these were honest men, if a little chimerical, and they were even, he thought, on the right road, though they knew not when to stop and went past the goal.[182]

The doctor’s room was a little sanctuary of free speech pitched by an odd chance in the heart of a despotic court, but his loyalty was known to be as sterling as his patriotism, and Louis himself would come round and listen to his economic parables, and call him the king’s thinker?-as indeed he was, for he was no believer in states-general or states-particular, he had no interest in court or party intrigues, and his thought was always for the power of the king as well as for the welfare of the people.  Marmontel, who used to come to him feigning an interest in the net product and the single tax, merely, as he confesses, to secure the doctor’s word with Madame de Pompadour about an appointment he wanted, writes that “while storms gathered and dispersed again underneath Quesnay’s entre-sol, he wrought at his axioms and his calculations in rural economy as calmly and with as much indifference to the movements of the court as if he were a hundred leagues away.  Below they discussed peace and war, the choice of generals, the dismissal of ministers, while we up in the entre-sol reasoned about agriculture and calculated the net product, or sometimes dined gaily with Diderot, D’Alembert, Duclos, Helvetius, Turgot, Buffon; and Madame de Pompadour, not being able to get that company of philosophers to descend into her salon, used to come up there herself to see them at table, and have a talk with them."[183] None of the famous men mentioned here were members of the sect except Turgot.