Versailles and the court under Louis XIV (1905) (14763041931)

Identifier: versaillescourtu00farm (find matches)
Title: Versailles and the court under Louis XIV
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors: Farmer, James Eugene, 1867-1915
Subjects: Versailles (France) -- Description France -- Court and courtiers
Publisher: New York, The Century co.
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Wellesley College Library



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tion and environ-ment were all against him, and as he was without resources,with no taste for application, reading, or self-improvement,he fell naturally into luxurious idleness and debauchery. Buthe kept his grand manners, none the less. He loved greatpeople, and was so affable and polite that crowds came to him.The difference which he knew how to make, and which henever failed to make, between every one according to his posi-tion, contributed greatly to his popularity. In his receptions,by his greater or more neglectful attention, and by his words,he always marked in a flattering manner the differences madeby birth and dignity, by age and merit, and by profession;and all this with a dignity natural to him, and a constant fa-cility which he had acquired. By his first wife he had had two daughters, and by hissecond, a daughter, and a son Philippe, the future Regent ofFrance. He was too easy-going to exert much authority overthem. He loved his children too well even to reprove them 304
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Monsieur and Madame when they deserved it, says the Palatine. If he had occa-sion to make complaints of them, he used to come to me withthem. But, Monsieur, I have said, they are your childrenas well as mine; why do you not correct them ? He replied, I do not know how to scold, and besides they would not carefor me if I did; they fear no one but you. By always threat-ening the children with me, he kept them in constant fearof me. He lived on good terms with his brother, was merry withhim in private, without ever attempting to place himself onan equal footing, and in public treated him with great rever-ence. In what regarded his service, and in his manner ofapproaching and leaving the king, no private person couldbehave with more respect. The Grand Monarch had sotight a grip on all the members of the royal family that notone of them failed to render him proper homage, and theeffect of this upon the courtiers was marked. When the fam-ily met in the kings cabinet at Versailles in the eve