M. de Lauzun hindered also a promotion of Marshal of France by the ridicule he cast upon the candidates.  He said to the Regent, with that gentle and respectful tone he knew so well how to assume, that in case any useless Marshals of France (as he said) were made, he begged his Royal Highness to remember that he was the oldest lieutenant-general of the realm, and that he had had the honour of commanding armies with the patent of general.  I have elsewhere related other of his witty remarks.  He could not keep them in; envy and jealousy urged him to utter them, and as his bon-mots always went straight to the point, they were always much repeated.

We were on terms of continual intimacy; he had rendered me real solid friendly services of himself, and I paid him all sorts of respectful attentions, and he paid me the same.  Nevertheless, I did not always escape his tongue; and on one occasion, he was perhaps within an inch of doing me much injury by it.

The King (Louis XIV.) was declining; Lauzun felt it, and began to think of the future.  Few people were in favour with M. le Duc d’Orleans; nevertheless, it was seen that his grandeur was approaching.  All eyes were upon him, shining with malignity, consequently upon me, who for a long time had been the sole courtier who remained publicly attached to him, the sole in his confidence.  M. de Lauzun came to dine at my house, and found us at table.  The company he saw apparently displeased him; for he went away to Torcy, with whom I had no intimacy, and who was also at table, with many people opposed to M. le Duc d’Orleans, Tallard, among others, and Tesse.

“Monsieur,” said Lauzun to Torcy, with a gentle and timid air, familiar to him, “take pity upon me, I have just tried to dine with M. de Saint-Simon.  I found him at table, with company; I took care not to sit down with them, as I did not wish to be the ‘zeste’ of the cabal.  I have come here to find one.”

They all burst out laughing.  The remark instantly ran over all Versailles.  Madame de Maintenon and M. du Maine at once heard it, and nevertheless no sign was anywhere made.  To have been angry would only have been to spread it wider:  I took the matter as the scratch of an ill-natured cat, and did not allow Lauzun to perceive that I knew it.

Two or three years before his death he had an illness which reduced him to extremity.  We were all very assiduous, but he would see none of us, except Madame de Saint-Simon, and her but once.  Languet, cure of Saint-Sulpice, often went to him, and discoursed most admirably to him.  One day, when he was there, the Duc de la Force glided into the chamber:  M. de Lauzun did not like him at all, and often laughed at him.  He received him tolerably well, and continued to talk aloud with the cure.

Suddenly he turned to the cure, complimented and thanked him, said he had nothing more valuable to give him than his blessing, drew his arm from the bed, pronounced the blessing, and gave it to him.  Then turning to the Duc de la Force, Lauzun said he had always loved and respected him as the head of his house, and that as such he asked him for his blessing.