him wild to the extent I had seen; that he no longer dared show himself before any one after this evidence of madness; that he was going to lock himself up in his chamber, and that he threw himself at my feet in order to conjure me to go and find his wife, and try to induce her to take pity on and pardon a senseless old man, who was dying with grief and shame.  This admission, so sincere and so dolorous to make, penetrated me.  I sought only to console him and compose him.  The reconciliation was not difficult; we drew him from his chamber, not without trouble, and he evinced during several days as much disinclination to show himself, as I was told, for I went away in the evening, my occupations keeping me very busy.

I have often reflected, apropos of this, upon the extreme misfortune of allowing ourselves to be carried away by the intoxication of the world, and into the formidable state of an ambitious man, whom neither riches nor comfort, neither dignity acquired nor age, can satisfy, and who, instead of tranquilly enjoying what he possesses, and appreciating the happiness of it, exhausts himself in regrets, and in useless and continual bitterness.  But we die as we have lived, and ’tis rare it happens otherwise.  This madness respecting the captaincy of the guards so cruelly dominated M. de Lauzun, that he often dressed himself in a blue coat, with silver lace, which, without being exactly the uniform of the captain of, the body-guards, resembled it closely, and would have rendered him ridiculous if he had not accustomed people to it, made himself feared, and risen above all ridicule.

With all his scheming and cringing he fell foul of everybody, always saying some biting remark with dove-like gentleness.  Ministers, generals, fortunate people and their families, were the most ill-treated.  He had, as it were, usurped the right of saying and doing what he pleased; nobody daring to be angry with him.  The Grammonts alone were excepted.  He always remembered the hospitality and the protection he had received from them at the outset of his life.  He liked them; he interested himself in them; he was in respect before them.  Old Comte Grammont took advantage of this and revenged the Court by the sallies he constantly made against Lauzun, who never returned them or grew angry, but gently avoided him.  He always did a good deal for the children of his sisters.

During the plague the Bishop of Marseilles had much signalised himself by wealth spent and danger incurred.  When the plague had completely passed away, M. de Lauzun asked M. le Duc d’Orleans for an abbey for the Bishop.  The Regent gave away some livings soon after, and forgot M. de Marseilles.  Lauzun pretended to be ignorant of it, and asked M. le Duc d’Orleans if he had had the goodness to remember him.  The Regent was embarrassed.  The Duc de Lauzun, as though to relieve him from his embarrassment, said, in a gentle and respectful tone, “Monsieur, he will do better another time,” and with this sarcasm rendered the Regent dumb, and went away smiling.  The story got abroad, and M. le Duc d’Orleans repaired his forgetfulness by the bishopric of Laon, and upon the refusal of M. de Marseilles to change, gave him a fat abbey.