The Duke of Modena is a very strange person in all matters.  His son and his son’s wife have requested him to get rid of Salvatico, who has been here in the quality of envoy.  This silly person made on the journey a declaration in form of his love for the Princess, and threatened her with all sorts of misfortune if she did not accept his love.  He began his declaration with,

“Ah! ah! ah!  Madame, ah! ah! ah!  Madame.”

The Princess interrupted him:  “What do you mean with your ah’s?”

He replied, “Ah! the Prince of Modena is under great obligations; I have made him happy.”

He had begun the same follies here, and was in the habit of entering the Princess’s chamber at all times, and he even had the impudence to be jealous.  The Princess complained of him to her husband, and he told his father of it, begging him to send the rogue away; but the father was so far from complying that he wanted to make Salvatico his major-domo.  Upon the whole, I think that Salvatico’s love for our Princess of Modena is fortunate for her; for, having learnt all that had passed here,

[Mademoiselle de Valois had an amorous intrigue with the Duc de Richelieu; and it is said that she only consented to marry the Prince of Modena upon condition that her father, the Regent, would set her husband at liberty.  Madame had intimated to the Duc de Richelieu that, if he approached the places where her granddaughter was with her, his life would be in great peril.]

he might have made inconvenient reports:  he would, however, perhaps have done it in vain, for the Prince would not have believed him.  Salvatico is quite crazy.  He is the declared favourite of the Duke of Modena, which verifies the German proverb, “Like will to like, as the devil said to the collier.”

The Prince and Princess are very fond of each other; but it is said they join in ridiculing the old father (2nd August, 1720).  The Princess goes about all day from room to room, crying, “How tired I am, how tiresome everything is here!” She, however, lives a little better with her husband than at the beginning.

SECTION XXII.—­THE ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN OF THE REGENT, DUC D’ORLEANS.

My son has three illegitimate children, two boys and a girl; but only one of them is legitimated, that is, his son by Mademoiselle de Seri, a lady of noble family, and who was my Maid of Honour.  The younger Margrave of Anspach was also in love with her.  This son is called the Chevalier d’Orleans.  The other, who is now (1716) about eighteen years old, is an Abbe; he is the son of La Florence, a dancer at the Opera House.  The daughter is by Desmarets, the actress.  My son says that the Chevalier d’Orleans is more unquestionably his than any of the others; but, to tell the truth, I think the Abbe has a stronger family likeness to my son than the Chevalier, who is like none of them.  I do