“A great many men fancy they are sure of the fidelity of their wives, but it is a mistake.  I thought to protect myself from this common fate by marrying a monster, but it served me nought; for a villain named Du Challar, who was more ugly than I am, played me false.  As to the Marquis de Gevres, as he will never marry * * * , he will be exempt; but you, Monsieur de Nesle, you are so and so.”  Nesle, who did not believe it, although it was very true, only laughed.  Then addressing himself to Villequier, he said, “And you, Villequier, don’t you think you are so?” He was silent.  The Duke continued, “Yes, you are befooled by the Chevalier de Pesay.”

Villequier blushed, but at last said, “I confess that up to this moment I had no reason to believe it; but since you put me into such good company I have no right to complain.”

I do not think Madame de Nesle was well revenged.

I remember that the Duke, who was terribly ill-made, said one day to the late Monsieur, who was a straight, well-formed person, that a mask had taken him for Monsieur.  The latter, somewhat mortified at such a mistake, replied, “I lay that, with all other wrongs done to me, at the foot of the Cross.”

Ever since the Duchess espoused the party of her son against her brother and his nephews, the Duke has displayed a great fondness for his mother, about whom he never disturbed himself before.

Mdlle. de Polignac made the Duke believe she was very fond of him.  He entertained great suspicions of her, and had her watched, and learnt that she was carrying on a secret intrigue with the Chevalier of Bavaria.  He reproached her with it, and she denied the accusation.  The Duke cautioned her not to think that she could deceive him.  She protested that he had been imposed upon.  As soon, however, as she had quitted him she went to the Chevalier’s house; and the Duke, who had her dogged, knew whither she had gone.  The next day he appointed her to visit him; she went directly to the bedroom, believing that his suspicions were entirely lulled.  The Duke then opened the door wide, so that she might be seen from the cabinet, which was full of men; and calling the Chevalier of Bavaria, he said to him:  “Here, Sir Chevalier, come and see your mistress, who will now have no occasion to go so far to find you.”

Although the Duke and the Prince de Conti are brothers-in-law in two ways, they cannot bear each other.

The Duke is at this moment (1718) very strongly attached to Madame de Prie.  She has already received a good beating on his account from her husband, but this does not deter her.  She is said to have a good deal of sense; she entirely governs the Duke, who is solely occupied with making her unfaithful to M. de Prie.  She has consoled the Duke for his dismissal from Madame de Nesle; but it is said that she is unfaithful to him, and that she has two other lovers.  One is the Prince of Carignan, and the other Lior, the King’s first maitre d’hotel, which latter is the handsomest of the three.