TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. Footnote anchors are denoted by [number], and the footnotes have been placed at the end of the book. A superscript is denoted by ^x or ^{xx}, for example M^r or 7^{bre}. Some minor changes to the text are noted at the end of the book. [Illustration: NINON DE L’ENCLOS. _From an Original Picture given by herself to the Countess of Sandwich and by the present Earl of Sandwich to M^r Walpole 1757_] NINON DE L’ENCLOS AND HER CENTURY BY M. C. ROWSELL AUTHOR OF “THE FRIEND OF THE PEOPLE,” “TRAITOR OR PATRIOT,” “THORNDYKE MANOR,” “MONSIEUR DE PARIS,” ETC. ETC. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS [Illustration: (colophon)] BRENTANO’S NEW YORK HURST & BLACKETT, LIMITED LONDON 1910 _Printed in Great Britain_ CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER I 1 Birth—Parentage—“Arms and the Man”—A Vain Hope—Contraband Novels—A Change of Educational System—Ninon’s Endowments—The Wrinkle—A Letter to M. de L’Enclos and What Came of it—A Glorious Time—“Troublesome Huguenots”—The Château at Loches, and a New Acquaintance—“When Greek meets Greek”—The Prisoners—“Liberty”—The Shades of Night—Vagabonds? or Two Young Gentlemen of Consequence?—Tired Out—A Dilemma—Ninon Herself Again—Consolation. CHAPTER II 14 Troublesome Huguenots—Madame de L’Enclos—An Escapade and Nurse Madeleine—Their Majesties—The Hôtel Bourgogne—The End of the Adventure—St Vincent de Paul and his Charities—Dying Paternal Counsel—Ninon’s New Home—Duelling—Richelieu and the Times. CHAPTER III 27 A Life-long Friend—St Evrémond’s Courtly _Mot_—Rabelais _v._ Petronius—Society and the Salons—The Golden Days—The Man in Black. CHAPTER IV 36 A “Delicious Person”—Voiture’s Jealousy—A Tardy Recognition—Coward Conscience—A Protestant Pope—The Hôtel de Rambouillet—St Evrémond—The Duel—Nurse Madeleine—Cloistral Seclusion and Jacques Callot—“Merry Companions Every One”—and One in Particular. CHAPTER V 51 An Excursion to Gentilly—“_Uraniæ Sacrum_”—César and Ruggieri—The rue d’Enfer and the Capucins—Perditor—The Love-philtre—Seeing the Devil—“Now You are Mine!” CHAPTER VI 61