_Furet._ Oh! the acorns and chesnuts of _Agen_ have made him so plump and wanton, ’twould rejoice your heart to see him. All the females of the town caress him, and strive which shall yield him most delight; and he out of zeal and gratitude, and to preserve peace and charity among them, like a holy prelate, has given to each her hour of rendezvous, which they keep as regularly as the clock strikes. _Scar._ Very well! there’s nothing so commendable as good method in whoring. _Furet._ But his favourite is a pretty gentle _nun_, with whom he often goes to _Beauregard_, there _tete a tete_, or rather _ne a ne_, under the shady limes, do they both act that which will one day procure a third. There are forty other better stories of these two prelates; for they value not what common report says. They are above it: But if you will listen to the exploits of the bishop of _Laon_, now cardinal _d’Estrée_, I will shew you what a mitred hog is capable of. _Scar._ As I am acquainted with the strength of his genius, so I do not doubt of the greatness of his performances. You have now named a man that would make a parish bull jealous. _Furet._ The history I shall give you, will justify your opinion of him. Know then that the cardinal _d’Estrée_ being passionately in love with the marchioness _de Cœuvres_, who was supposed to have granted the duke _de Seaux_ the liberty of rifling her placket, was resolv’d to put in for his snack. To compass this, he acquainted his nephew, the marquis _de Cœuvres_, with the scandalous familiarity that was between the duke and his wife. Upon which their parents met at the mareschal _d’Estrée_’s, where it was concluded to send the young adultress into a convent; but the old mareschal, made wiser by long experience, was against it. In good faith, said he, you are more nice than wise; had not our mothers plaid the same wanton trick, not one of us had been here. I know very well what I say; there’s not a handsome nose nor leg in the company, but has been stole; and not a farthing matter from whom, whether prince or coachman, it has mended our breed: therefore we have more reason to praise those, who discreetly follow the examples of their grandmothers and mothers, than banish ’em, and so render them fruitless. Do not suppose, when I married my grandson _de Cœuvres_, to young mademoiselle _de Lionne_, that I consider’d her riches, or that her father was a minister of state; such thoughts are beneath a man of my age and experience. My great hopes were, that she being young and handsome, will still support the grandeur of our family, which as you all very well know, has been made more considerable by the intrigues of the women, than by the valour of the men. I’m sure I never discourag’d what I now maintain; and why my grandson should be more squeamish than I, or his forefathers have been, I take it to be unreasonable: therefore, since the marchioness _de Cœuvres_ is only blam’d for having