Under the head of miscellaneous offences may be mentioned the following: Pierre His, “for having assisted several persons to go clandestinely to America.” Those persons were probably hugonots. The Sieur Marini, envoy from Genoa. This commitment, for which no reason is assigned, took place in 1684, the year in which Louis XIV. made his disgraceful attack on Genoa. Besnoit, called Arnonville, “an evil-minded woman, who held improper discourse.” Charles Combon, called Count de Longueval, “a maker of horoscopes, a fortune-teller, and vender of drugs to procure abortion.” The Abbé Dubois, “a wicked and troublesome person.” Papillard, “a bad catholic.” Saint Vigor, “affecting to be a hermit, but a man of licentious manners.” John Blondeau, a hermit, “a suspected person.” Peter John Mere, professing himself a physician, “for selling improper drugs.” After having been thirty years in the Bastile, Mere was sent to the Bedlam at Charenton. Bailly, a hatter, “for a design to establish a hat manufactory in a foreign country.” Louisa Simon, a widow, “pretends to tell fortunes, to have secrets for inspiring love, and to be able to make marriages.” John Galembert, of the gens-d’armes, “a great traveller, suspected of corresponding with the enemies of the state.” He was subsequently exiled to Languedoc, his native province, within the limits of which he was ordered to remain. The Prince de Riccia, “one of the party at Naples that is against the French succession.” Nicholas Buissen, “for insolent letters against Samuel Bernard (the court banker), with an intention to hurt his credit.” The Sieur de Soulange, formerly a captain of infantry in the Orleannois regiment, “a rogue, and spy on both sides.” It will be seen that, in some of those instances, the individuals deserved legal punishment; that, in others, the charges were trivial, or vague, or ridiculous; and that in at least one case the French monarch displayed gross contempt of the law of nations. His imprisonment of Marini, the Genoese envoy, can only be paralleled by the manner in which the Turks used to treat Christian ambassadors on the breaking out of hostilities. But it was of a piece with the rest of his conduct towards the Genoese republic. It was retributive justice that he, the wanton disturber and insulter of Europe, should himself live to have his pride trodden into the dust, and to dread the approach of a hostile army to the walls of his own capital. CHAPTER IX. Reign of Louis XV.—Regency of the Duke of Orleans—Oppressive measures against all persons connected with the Finances—Their failure—Prisoners in the Bastile—Freret—Voltaire—The Cellamare conspiracy—The Duchess of Maine—Madame de Staal—Malezieu—Bargeton—Mahudel—The Mississippi scheme—Count de Horn—Death of the Regent—Administration of the Duke of Bourbon—La Blanc—Paris Duverney—The Count de Belleisle—The Chevalier de Belleisle—Madame de Tencin.