I had reason to believe that here was another plot of Dubois, to cause me trouble by embroiling me with M. le Duc d’Orleans.  The Regent was the last man in the world to care for these formalities.  The Prince of the Asturias was son of the King and heir to the Crown, and, in consequence, of the rank of a son of France.  In whatever way regarded, M. le Duc d’Orleans was extremely inferior in rank to him; and it was something new and adventurous to treat him on terms of equality.  This, however, is what I was charged with, and I believe, in the firm hope of Cardinal Dubois that I should fail, and that he might profit by my failure.

Finally, on the morning of the day before my departure, all the papers with which I was to be charged were brought to me.  I will not give the list of them.  But among these letters there was none from the King to the Infanta!  I thought they had forgotten to put it with the others.  I said so to the persons who brought them to me.  What was my surprise when they told me that the letter was not written, but that I would have it in the course of the day.

This appeared so strange to me, that my mind was filled with suspicion.  I spoke of the letter to the Cardinal and to M. le Duc d’Orleans, who assured me that I should have it in the evening.  At midnight it had not arrived.  I wrote to the Cardinal.  Finally I set out without it.  He wrote to me, saying I should receive it before arriving at Bayonne; but nothing less.  I wrote him anew.  He replied to me, saying that I should have it before I arrived at Madrid.  A letter from the King to the Infanta was not difficult to write; I could not doubt, therefore, that there was some design in this delay.  Whatever it might be, I could not understand it, unless the intention was to send the letter afterwards, and make me pass for a heedless fellow who had lost the first.

Dubois served me another most impudent turn, seven or eight days before my departure.  He sent word to me, by his two devoted slaves, Le Blanc and Belleisle, that as he had the foreign affairs under his charge, he must have the post, which he would not and could not any longer do without; that he knew I was the intimate friend of Torcy (who had the post in his department), whose resignation he desired; that he begged me to write to Torcy, and send my letter to him by an express courier to Sable (where he had gone on an excursion); that he should see by my conduct on this occasion, and its success, in what manner he could count upon me, and that he should act towards me accordingly.  To this his two slaves added all they could to persuade me to comply, assuring me that Dubois would break off my embassy if I did not do as he wished.  I did not for a moment doubt, after what I had seen of the inconceivable feebleness of M. le Duc d’Orleans, that Dubois was really capable of thus affronting and thwarting me, or that I should have no aid from the Regent.  At the same time I resolved to run all hazards rather than lend myself to an act of violence against a friend, so sure; so sage, and so virtuous, and who had served the state with such reputation, and deserved so well of it.