‘Versailles, Rue de Noailles, ‘Pavillon Marjon, September 12, 1778.’ D’Eon’s strength of character enabled her to shape her deportment at the several retreats she visited with honourable and scrupulous observance of the rules of those institutions, conduct induced from prudential considerations, and she spent her time in the profuse waste of paper, writing prayers of her own composition, cunningly adapted to one in her singularly anomalous position, _e.g._:— ‘God of armies, it was through Thy inspiration that I followed the standards of the most Christian King, in the last war. It was Thou who gavest me the shield of faith, the breast-plate of chastity, the helmet of truth, the sword of justice, and the courage _du dragon_. I earnestly long to rejoin the army in this new war; give me the prudence of Judith, the wisdom of Deborah, the courage of Jeanne d’Arc, and the valour of Jeanne Hachette, so that it may be said that by the weakness of my arm Thou hast wrought great things. _Quia fecisti mihi mirabilia!_’[350] At each of the homes where she stayed the Chevalière was supplied with formulas of prayer in MS., copied for her own special edification, as stated on the title-page of each pamphlet:—‘Oraisons de l’Eglise pour tous les temps de l’année Mpt. copié pour Mademoiselle D’Eon pendant sa retraite, en 1778, à l’Abbaye Royale des Dames de Hautes-Bruyères, dépendante de la célèbre Abbaye de Fontevrault fondée l’an 1100, par le bien-heureux Robert d’Arbrissel. Réflexions Morales. Sentiments de Piété. Sentiments sur l’Oraison Mentale.’ [Sidenote: A VOLUNTEER FOR SERVICE AFLOAT.] It is clear that the Chevalière was by no means yielding to the supposed advantageous influences by which she was surrounded, no benefit being conferred on her agitated mind by the religious austerity in the midst of which so many of her days were being passed. The profound meditations in which she indulged with others were not those of the cloister, her thoughts being too actively engaged in evolving to herself scheme after scheme for obtaining freedom from the restraint imposed by her hated petticoats, chafing as she was to join the King’s forces. It is true that the war being necessarily a naval one, it was not the soldiers of France who were called to the strife; but D’Eon showed herself equal to the occasion when addressing herself, this time to the Count de Maurepas, president of the council, more pathetically and entreatingly than to any of the other ministers:—