I must own,
that it struck me as strange, that the duc de Choiseul should
abandon his cousin, and consent to take his seat beside the duc
d'Aiguillon, whom he detested: perhaps he only sought to deceive
us all by gaining time, till the death of the king. But what
avails speculation upon the words and actions of a courtier,
whose heart is an abyss too deep for gleam of light to penetrate?
CHAPTER XXVI
Baron d'Oigny, general post-master--The king and the countess
read the opened letters--The disgrace of de Choiseul resolved
upon--
--Anecdote--Spectre of Philip II, king
of Spain--The duc de Choiseul banished--Visits to Chanteloup--The
princesses--The dauphin and dauphiness--Candidates for the ministry
The interference of madame de Mirepoix, originating, as it did,
in the duc de Choiseul, let me at once into the secret of his
fears and the extent of my own power. The knowledge of the
weakness of my adversary redoubled my energy; and from this
moment, I allowed no day to pass without forwarding the great
work, till I succeeded in effecting the duke's ruin and securing my
own triumph. The pamphleteers in the pay of my enemies, and
those who merely copied these hirelings, assert that one evening
after supper, when Louis was intoxicated with wine and my seductions,
I prevailed upon him to sign a against his
minister, which he immediately revoked when the break of day had
restored to him his senses.
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