The justice of the village, informed of her
fault, caused her to be arrested, and recorded against her sentence
of death, a decision which was afterwards approved by parliament.
The poor girl was in this extremity when, happily for her, M. de
Mandeville, a worthy man from either Normandy or Picardy, who
had served in the black musketeers, resolved upon attempting
the revocation of the severe sentence which had been passed upon
her, by addressing the king thro' my mediation; he accordingly
followed me to Marly, where I then was, and lost no time in
forwarding to me the following billet:--
"MADAME,-- Beauty has ever been found the
inseparable companion of goodness; to yours I
would appeal to obtain the favor of an immediate
audience. My reasons for requesting it are not
to solicit either place or pension, but to save the
life of an erring creature whose crime has been
that of ignorance. I await your reply with the
most lively impatience, and have the honor to
remain, etc., etc."
This note puzzled me excessively, however I gave orders for the
immediate introduction of M. de Mandeville, whose appearance
was even more prepossessing than his note; he looked and spoke
like an honorable man endowed with that sensibility so precious
and so rare; he put into my hands the petition, whilst he explained
to me the particulars relative to it, and I instantly wrote to the
chancellor the following note, of which a thousand copies were
taken in the course of the day.
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