I had the misfortune to displease the Margrave John Frederic of Anspach.  He brought me a letter from my brother and his wife, both of whom begged I would assist him with my advice.  I therefore thought that by counselling him as I should have counselled my own brother I should be rendering him the best service.  When he arrived he was in deep mourning for his first wife, who had then not been dead three months.  I asked him what he proposed to do in France?  He replied “that he was on his way to England, but that before his departure he should wish to pay his respects to the King.”  I asked him if he had anything to solicit from the King or to arrange with him.  He replied “he had not.”—­“Then,” I said, “I would advise you, if you will permit me, to send the principal person of your suite to the King to make your compliments, to inform him that you are going to England, and that you would not have failed to wait upon him, but that, being in mourning for your wife, your respect for him prevented your appearing before him in so melancholy a garb”—­“But,” he rejoined, “I am very fond of dancing, and I wish to go to the ball; now I cannot go thither until I have first visited the King.”—­“For God’s sake,” I said, “do not go to the ball; it is not the custom here.  You will be laughed at, and the more particularly so because the Marechal de Grammont, who presented you to the King some years ago, said that you could find nothing to praise in the whole of France, with the exception of a little goldfinch in the King’s cabinet which whistled airs.  I recommend you not to go to see the King, nor to be present at the ball.”  He was angry, and said “he saw very well that I discountenanced German Princes, and did not wish them to be presented to the King.”  I replied “that the advice I had given him sprang from the best intentions, and was such as I would have given to my own brother.”  He went away quite angry to Marechal Schomberg’s, where he complained of my behaviour to him.  The Marshal asked him what I had said, which he repeated word for word.  The Marshal told him that I had advised him well, and that he was himself of my opinion.  Nevertheless, the Margrave persisted on being presented to the King, whither he prevailed upon the Marshal to accompany him, and went the next day to the ball.  He was extremely well dressed in half-mourning, with white lace over the black, fine blue ribands, black and white laces, and rheingraves, which look well upon persons of a good figure; in short, he was magnificently dressed, but improperly, for a widower in the first stage of his mourning.  He would have seated himself within the King’s circle, where none but the members of the Royal Family and the King’s grandchildren are allowed to sit; the Princes of the blood even are not allowed to do so, and therefore foreign Princes can of course have no right.  The Margrave then began to repent not having believed me, and early the next morning he set off.