Produced by Chuck Greif, Broward County Library, the Internet Archive and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net QUEENS OF THE FRENCH STAGE [Illustration: _Adrienne Lecouvreur._ _After the painting by Charles Coypel_] QUEENS OF THE FRENCH STAGE BY H. NOEL WILLIAMS AUTHOR OF "MADAME RÉCAMIER AND HER FRIENDS," "MADAME DE POMPADOUR," "MADAME DE MONTESPAN," "MADAME DU BARRY," ETC. NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 153-157 FIFTH AVENUE 1905 CONTENTS PAGE I. THE WIFE OF MOLIÈRE 1 II. MARIE DE CHAMPMESLÉ 87 III. ADRIENNE LECOUVREUR 127 IV. MADEMOISELLE DE CAMARGO 197 V. JUSTINE FAVART 223 VI. MADEMOISELLE CLAIRON 273 INDEX 353 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ADRIENNE LECOUVREUR. (_Photogravure_) _Frontispiece_ _After the painting by_ CHARLES COYPEL ARMANDE BÉJART _to face page_ 24 _After a contemporary drawing in the collection of_ M. HENRY HOUSSAYE, _of the Academia Française_ JEAN RACINE " 96 _From an engraving by_ VERTUE MAURICE DE SAXE " 168 _After the painting by_ HYACINTHE RIGAUD MADEMOISELLE PRÉVOST " 200 _After the painting by_ JEAN RAOUX, _in the Music of Tours_ MADEMOISELLE DE CAMARGO " 208 _From the painting by_ LANCRET, _in the Wallace Collection at Hertford House_ JUSTINE FAVART " 240 _After the drawing by_ CHARLES NICOLAS COCHIN _fils_ MADEMOISELLE CLAIRON " 296 _After the painting by_ CARLE VAN LOO ELIZABETH BERKELEY, Countess of Craven (afterwards Margravine of Anspach) " 344 _After the drawing by_ SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS QUEENS OF THE FRENCH STAGE I THE WIFE OF MOLIÈRE Few women in French history have been the subject of more discussion than the young girl whom Molière married, at the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, on February 20, 1662. Armande Grésinde Claire Elisabeth Béjart, for that was the bride's name, is described in the marriage deed as the daughter of the late Joseph Béjart, _écuyer_, sieur de Belleville, and of his widow, Marie Hervé. Joseph Béjart, it should be stated, had died shortly before, or shortly after, Armande's birth.