The bitter enmity which Beaumarchais had brought down on himself in every quarter had doubtless contributed to d’Eon’s success; yet that would not of itself entirely explain the interest which attached to the most insignificant doings of the Chevalière. In spite of his eccentric behaviour, and the scandal he created, d’Eon had succeeded in pleasing serious and soberminded people, while at the same time he won over the populace by his art of self-advertisement. His keen perception had gauged the power of the press, then still in its infancy, and since his residence in England he had not ceased to exploit himself in the newspapers. No doubt he shared with many others the merit of having bravely done his duty on the field of battle; but such modest deeds, already made much of when they were known to have been accomplished by a woman, had become exaggerated, in the flattering brilliancy of enthusiastic accounts, into veritable triumphs. “The Chevalière was a unique heroine, whose whole life belonged to her contemporaries.” Such was certainly d’Eon’s opinion. Accordingly, no sooner had his dispute with Beaumarchais subsided than he thought it necessary to announce in a rhodomontade, which now appears absurdly pompous, the verdict of the Lord Chief Justice, annulling the decision as to the validity of the wagers regarding his sex. Men of affairs and scholars even did not hesitate to congratulate the illustrious Chevalière. M. de Lalande, with the gravity befitting an astronomer and an academician, wrote to her: I heartily rejoiced when I saw that you had subjected England to the laws of honour, while at the same time punishing in France the rashness of the man who would have feared the Chevalier, but thought he might brave the Chevalière. Your jests are at once as bitter and amusing as your style is noble and majestic when you write to a minister. Permit me, Mademoiselle, to send this letter to you by one of my friends who has never seen a heroine, and is longing to pay his respects to you; allow him to present mine also, with this tribute of admiration, gratitude, and esteem. Another member of the French Academy, the Comte de Tressan, whom d’Eon had thanked for a book that had recently appeared by sending two of her works, replied in the same eulogistic vein, adding: The letter with which you have honoured me fills me with gratitude: it is an equal distinction to merit your approbation, whether as a soldier or as an academician.