France and England in North America, Part V: Count Frontenac, New France, Louis XIVParkman, Francis
History
France and England in North America, Part V: Count Frontenac, New France, Louis XIV
Parkman, Francis
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Frontenac, Louis de Buade, comte de, 1620-1698
Frontenac owned the estate of Isle Savary, on the Indre, not far from
Blois; and here, soon after the above scene, the princess made him a
visit. "It is a pretty enough place," she says, "for a man like him. The
house is well furnished, and he gave me excellent entertainment. He
showed me all the plans he had for improving it, and making gardens,
fountains, and ponds. It would need the riches of a superintendent of
finance to execute his schemes, and how anybody else should venture to
think of them I cannot comprehend."
"While Frontenac was at St. Fargeau," she continues, "he kept open
table, and many of my people went to dine with him; for he affected to
hold court, and acted as if everybody owed duty to him. The conversation
was always about my affair with his Royal Highness (her father), whose
conduct towards me was always praised, while mine was blamed. Frontenac
spoke ill of Préfontaine, and, in fine, said every thing he could to
displease me and stir up my own people against me. He praised every
thing that belonged to himself, and never came to sup or dine with me
without speaking of some ragoût or some new sweetmeat which had been
served up on his table, ascribing it all to the excellence of the
officers of his kitchen. The very meat that he ate, according to him,
had a different taste on his board than on any other. As for his silver
plate, it was always of good workmanship; and his dress was always of
patterns invented by himself. When he had new clothes, he paraded them
like a child. One day he brought me some to look at, and left them on my
dressing-table. We were then at Chambord. His Royal Highness came into
the room, and must have thought it odd to see breeches and doublets in
such a place. Préfontaine and I laughed about it a great deal. Frontenac
took everybody who came to St. Fargeau to see his stables; and all who
wished to gain his good graces were obliged to admire his horses, which
were very indifferent. In short, this is his way in every thing." [6]
[6] Mémoires de Mademoiselle de Montpensier, II. 279; III. 10.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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