,,life1 ,,letters ,,and ,,epicurean ,,philosophy ,,of ,,ninon ,,de ,l',,enclos ,the ,celebrated ,beauty of the ,seventeenth ,century ,,robinson--,,overton #aijc ,,contents ,,life ,,of ,,ninon ,,de ,l',,enclos ,,chapter ,i ,ninon de l',enclos as a ,standard ,,chapter ,,ii ,considered as a ,parallel ,,chapter ,,iii ,youth of ,ninon de l',enclos ,,chapter ,,iv ,the ,morals of the ,period ,,chapter ,v ,ninon and ,count de ,coligny ,,chapter ,,vi ,the ,birds of the ,tournelles ,,chapter ,,vii ,effect of ,her ,mother's ,death ,,chapter ,,viii ,her ,increasing ,popularity ,,chapter ,,ix ,ninon's ,friendships ,,chapter ,x ,some of ,ninon's ,lovers ,,chapter ,,xi ,ninon's ,lovers 7,continued7 ,,chapter ,,xii ,the ,villarceaux ,affair ,,chapter ,,xiii ,the ,marquis de ,svign ,,chapter ,,xiv ,a ,family ,tragedy ,,chapter ,,xv ,ninon's ,bohemian ,environments ,,chapter ,,xvi ,a ,remarkable ,old ,age ,,letters ,,to ,,the ,,marquis ,,de ,s,,vign ,,introduction ,,to ,,letters ,i--,a ,hazardous ,undertaking ,,ii--,why ,love ,is ,dangerous ,,iii--,why ,love ,grows ,cold ,,iv--,the ,spice of ,love ,v--,love and ,temper ,,vi--,certain ,maxims ,concerning ,love ,,vii--,women ,expect a ,quid ,pro ,quo from ,men ,,viii--,the ,necessity for ,love and ,its ,primitive ,cause ,,ix--,love ,is a ,natural ,inclination ,x--,the ,sensation of ,love ,forms a ,large ,part of a ,woman's ,nature ,,xi--,the ,distinction ,between ,love and ,friendship ,,xii--,a ,man in ,love ,is an ,amusing ,spectacle ,,xiii--,vanity ,is a ,fertile ,soil for ,love ,,xiv--,worth and ,merit ,are ,not ,considered in ,love ,,xv--,the ,hidden ,motives of ,love ,,xvi--,how to ,be ,victorious in ,love ,,xvii--,women ,understand the ,difference ,between ,real ,love and ,flirtation ,,xviii--,when a ,woman ,is ,loved ,she ,need ,not ,be ,told of ,it ,,xix--,why a ,lover's ,vows ,are ,untrustworthy ,,xx--,the ,half-way ,house to ,love ,,xxi--,the ,comedy of ,contrariness ,,xxii--,vanity and ,self-,esteem ,obstacles to ,love ,,xxiii--,two ,irreconcilable ,passions in ,woman ,,xxiv--,an ,abuse of ,credulity ,is ,intolerable ,,xxv--,why ,virtue ,is ,so ,often ,overcome ,,xxvi--,love ,demands ,freedom of ,action ,,xxvii--,the ,heart ,needs ,constant ,employment ,,xxviii--,mere ,beauty ,is ,often of ,trifling ,importance ,,xxix--,the ,misfortune of ,too ,sudden an ,avowal ,,xxx--,when ,resistance is ,only a ,pretence ,,xxxi--,the ,opinion and ,advice of ,monsieur de la ,sablire ,,xxxii--,the ,advantages of a ,knowledge of the ,heart ,,xxxiii--,a ,heart ,once ,wounded ,no ,longer ,plays with ,love ,,xxxiv--,absence ,makes the ,heart ,grow ,fonder ,,xxxv--,the ,heart ,should ,be ,played ,upon ,like the ,keys of a ,piano ,,xxxvi--,mistaken ,impressions ,common to ,all ,women ,,xxxvii--,the ,allurements of ,stage ,women ,,xxxviii--,varieties of ,resistance ,are ,essential ,,xxxix--,the ,true ,value of ,compliments ,among ,women ,,xl--,oratory and ,fine ,phrases ,do ,not ,breed ,love ,,xli--,discretion ,is ,sometimes the ,better ,part of ,valor ,,xlii--,surface ,indications in ,women ,are ,not ,always ,guides ,,xliii--,women ,demand ,respect ,,xliv--,why ,love ,grows ,weak--,marshal de ,saint-,evremond's ,opinion ,,xlv--,what ,favors ,men ,consider ,faults ,,xlvi--,why ,inconstancy ,is ,not ,injustice ,,xlvii--,cause of ,quarrels ,among ,rivals ,,xlviii--,friendship ,must ,be ,firm ,,xlix--,constancy ,is a ,virtue ,among ,narrow ,minded ,l--,some ,women ,are ,very ,cunning ,,li--,the ,parts ,men and ,women ,play ,,lii--,love ,is a ,traitor with ,sharp ,claws ,,liii--,old ,age ,not a ,preventive ,against ,attack ,,liv--,a ,shrewd ,but ,not an ,unusual ,scheme ,,lv--,a ,happy ,ending 99 99 99 99 99 ,,correspondence ,,between ,,lord ,,saint-,,evremond ,,and ,,ninon ,,de ,l',,enclos ,i--,lovers and ,gamblers ,have ,something in ,common ,,ii--,it ,is ,sweet to ,remember ,those ,we ,have ,loved ,,iii--,wrinkles ,are a ,mark of ,wisdom ,,iv--,near ,hopes ,are ,worth as ,much as ,those ,far ,off ,v--,on the ,death of ,de ,charleval ,,vi--,the ,weariness of ,monotony ,,vii--,after the ,death of ,la ,duchesse de ,mazarin ,,viii--,love ,banishes ,old ,age ,,ix--,stomachs ,demand ,more ,attention ,than ,minds ,x--,why ,does ,love ,diminish ,after ,marriage8 ,,xi--,few ,people ,resist ,age ,,xii--,age ,has ,some ,consolations ,,xiii--,some ,good ,taste ,still ,exists in ,france ,,xiv--,superiority of the ,pleasures of the ,stomach ,,xv--,let the ,heart ,speak ,its ,own ,language ,,xvi--,the ,memory of ,youth ,,xvii--,i ,should ,have ,hanged ,myself ,,xviii--,life ,is ,joyous ,when ,it ,is ,without ,sorrow ,letter to the ,modern ,leontium ,,ninon ,,de ,l',,enclos ,,life ,,and ,,letters ,,introduction ,the inner life of the most remarkable woman that ever lived is here presented to ,american readers for the first time4 ,ninon1 or ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 as she was known1 was the most beautiful woman of the seventeenth century4 ,for seventy years she held undisputed sway over the hearts of the most distinguished men of ,france2 queens1 princes1 noblemen1 renowned warriors1 statesmen1 writers1 and scientists bowing before her shrine and doing her homage1 even ,louis ,,xiv1 when she was eighty-five years of age1 declaring that she was the marvel of his reign4 ,how she preserved her extraordinary beauty to so great an age1 and attracted to her side the greatest and most brilliant men of the century1 is told in her biography1 which has been entirely re-written1 and new facts and incidents added that do not appear in the ,french compilations4 ,her celebrated ,letters to the ,marquis de ,svign1 newly translated1 and appearing for the first time in the ,united ,states1 constitute the most remarkable pathology of the female heart1 its motives1 objects1 and secret aspirations1 ever penned4 ,with unsparing hand she unmasks the human heart and unveils the most carefully hidden mysteries of femininity1 and every one who reads these letters will see herself depicted as in a mirror4 ,at an early age she perceived the inequalities between the sexes1 and refused to submit to the injustice of an unfair distribution of human qualities4 ,after due deliberation1 she suddenly announced to her friends3 ,i notice that the most frivolous things are charged up to the account of women1 and that men have reserved to themselves the right to all the essential qualities2 from this moment ,i will be a man4 ,from that time--she was twenty years of age--until her death1 seventy years later1 she maintained the character assumed by her1 exercised all the rights and privileges claimed by the male sex1 and created for herself1 as the distinguished ,abb de ,chateauneauf says1 a place in the ranks of illustrious men1 while preserving all the grace of her own sex4 ,,life ,,of ,,ninon ,,de ,l',,enclos ,,chapter ,i ,ninon de l',enclos as a ,standard ,to write the biography of so remarkable a woman as ,ninon de l',enclos is to incur the animadversions of those who stand upon the dogma1 that whoso violates one of the ,ten ,commandments is guilty of violating them all1 particularly when one of the ten is conventionally selected as the essential precept and the most important to be observed4 ,it is purely a matter of predilection or fancy1 perhaps training and environment may have something to do with it1 though judgment is wanting1 but many will have it so1 and hence1 they arrive at the opinion that the end of the controversy has been reached4 ,fortunately for the common sense of mankind1 there are others who repudiate this rigid rule and excuse for human conduct2 who refuse to accept as a pattern of morality1 the ,sabbath breaker1 tyrant1 oppressor of the poor1 the grasping money maker1 or charity monger1 even though his personal chastity may entitle him to canonization4 ,these insist that although ,ninon de l',enclos may have persistently transgressed one of the precepts of the ,decalogue1 she is entitled to great consideration because of her faithful observance of the others1 not only in their letter but in their spirit1 and that her life contains much that is serviceable to humanity1 in many more ways than if she had studiously preserved her personal purity to the sacrifice of other qualities1 which are of as equal importance as virtues1 and as essential to be observed4 ,another difficulty in the way of establishing her as a model of any kind1 on account of her deliberate violations of the sixth precept of the ,decalogue1 is the fact that she was not of noble birth1 held no official position in the government of ,france1 either during the regency or under the reign of ,louis ,,xiii1 but was a private person1 retiring in her habits1 faithful in her liaisons and friendships1 delicate and refined in her manners and conversations1 and eagerly sought for her wisdom1 philosophy1 and intellectual ability4 ,had she been a ,semiramis1 a ,messalina1 an ,agrippina1 a ,catherine ,,ii1 or even a ,lady ,hamilton1 the glamor of her exalted political position might have covered up a multitude of gross1 vulgar practices1 cruelties1 barbarities1 oppressions1 crimes1 and acts of misgovernment1 and have concealed her spiritual deformity beneath the grandeur of her splendid public vices and irregularities4 ,the mantle of royalty and nobility1 like dipsomania1 excuses a multitude of sins1 hypocrisy1 and injustice1 and inclines the world to overlook1 disregard1 or even condone1 what in them is considered small vices1 eccentricities of genius1 but which in a private person are magnified into mountains of viciousness1 and call forth an army of well meaning but inconsistent people to reform them by brute force4 ,it is time to interpose an impasse to the further spread of this misapprehension of the nature and consequences of human acts1 and to demonstrate the possibility1 in humble walks of life1 of virtues worth cultivating1 and to erect models out of those who1 while they may be derelict in their ethical duties1 are still worthy of being imitated in other respects4 ,our standards and patterns of morality are so high as to be unattainable1 not in the details of the practice of virtue1 but in the personnel of the model4 ,royal and noble blood permeated with the odor of sanctity2 virtuous statesmanship1 or proud political position attained through the rigid observance of the ethical rules of personal purity1 are nothing to the rank and file1 the polloi1 who can never hope to reach those elevations in this world2 as well expatiate upon the virtues of ,croesus to a man who will never go beyond his day's wages1 or expect the homeless to become ecstatic over the magnificence of ,nabuchodonosor's ,babylonian palace4 ,such extremes possess no influence over the ordinary mind1 they are the mere vanities of the conceited1 the mistakes of moralists4 ,the history of ,ninon de l',enclos stands out from the pages of history as a pre-eminent character1 before which all others are stale1 whatever their pretensions through position and grandeur1 notwithstanding that one great quality so much admired in women--womanly purity--was entirely wanting in her conduct through life4 ,while no apology can be effectual to relieve her memory from that one stigma1 the other virtues connected with it1 and which she possessed in superabundance1 deserve a close study1 inasmuch as the trend of modern society is in the direction of the philosophical principles and precepts1 which justified her in pursuing the course of life she preferred to all others4 ,she was an ardent disciple of the ,epicurean philosophy1 but in her adhesion to its precepts1 she added that altruistic unselfishness so much insisted upon at the present day4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,considered as a ,parallel ,the birth of ,ninon de l',enclos was not heralded by salvoes of artillery1 ,te ,deums1 or such other demonstrations of joy as are attendant upon the arrival on earth of princes and offspring of great personages4 ,nevertheless1 for the ninety years she occupied the stage of life1 she accomplished more in the way of shaping great national policies1 successful military movements and brilliant diplomatic successes1 than any man or body of men in the seventeenth century4 ,in addition to that1 her genius left an impress upon music and the fine arts1 an impress so profound that the high standard of excellence both have attained in our day is due to her efforts in establishing a solid foundation upon which it was possible to erect a substantial structure4 ,moreover1 in her hands and under her auspices and guidance1 languages1 belles lettres1 and rhetoric received an impetus toward perfection1 and raised the ,french language and its literature1 fiction1 poetry and drama1 to so high a standard1 that its productions are the models of the twentieth century4 ,it was ,ninon de l',enclos whose brilliant mentality and intellectual genius formed the minds1 the souls1 the genius1 of such master minds as ,saint-,evremond1 ,la ,rouchefoucauld1 ,molire1 ,scarron1 ,la ,fontaine1 ,fontenelle1 and a host of others in literature and fine arts2 the ,great ,cond1 de ,grammont1 de ,svign1 and the flower of the chivalry of ,france1 in war1 politics1 and diplomacy4 ,even ,richelieu was not unaffected by her influence4 ,strange power exerted by one frail woman1 a woman not of noble birth1 with only beauty1 sweetness of disposition1 amiability1 goodness1 and brilliant accomplishments as her weapons6 ,it was not a case of the moth and the flame1 but the operation of a wise philosophy1 the precepts of which were decently1 moderately and carefully inculcated2 a philosophy upon the very edge of which modern society is hanging1 afraid to accept openly1 through too much attachment to ancient doctrines which have drawn man away from happiness and comfort1 and converted him into a bitter pessimism that often leads to despair4 ,as has already been suggested1 had ,ninon de l',enclos sat upon a throne1 or commanded an army1 the pages of history would teem with the renown of her exploits1 and great victories be awarded to her instead of to those who would have met with defeat without her inspiration4 ,pompey1 in his vanity1 declared that he could raise an army by stamping his foot upon the ground1 but the raising of ,ninon de l',enclos' finger could bring all the chivalry of ,europe around a single standard1 or at the same gentle signal1 cause them to put aside their arms and forget everything but peace and amity4 ,she dominated the intellectual geniuses of the long period during which she lived1 and reigned over them as their absolute queen1 through the sheer force of her personal charms1 which she never hesitated to bestow upon those whom she found worthy1 and who expressed a desire to possess them1 studiously regulated1 however1 by the precepts and principles of the philosophy of ,epicurus1 which today is rapidly gaining ground in our social relations through its better understanding and appreciation4 ,her life bears a great resemblance to the histories in which we read about the most celebrated women of ancient times1 who occupied a middle station between the condition of marriage and prostitution--a class of women whose ,greek name is familiarized to our ears in translations of ,aristophanes4 ,ninon de l',enclos was of the order of the ,french hetaerae1 and1 as by her beauty and her talents1 she attained the first rank in the social class1 her name has come down to posterity with those of ,aspasia and ,leontium1 while the less distinguished favorites of less celebrated men have shared the common oblivion1 which hides from the memory of men1 every degree of mediocrity1 whether of virtue or vice4 ,a class of this kind1 a status of this singular nature existing amongst accomplished women1 who inspired distinguished men with lofty ideals1 and developed the genius of men who1 otherwise1 would have remained in obscurity1 can never be uninteresting or uninstructive2 indeed1 it must afford matter for serious study4 ,they are prefigures1 or prototypes of the influence that aims to sway mankind at the present day in government1 politics1 literature1 and the fine arts4 ,as a distinguished example of such a class1 the most prominent in the world1 in fact1 apart from a throne1 ,ninon de l',enclos will peculiarly engage the attention of all who1 whether for knowledge or amusement1 are observers of human nature under all its varieties and circumstances4 ,it would be idle to enter upon a historical digression on the state of female manners in ancient ,athens1 or in ,europe during the last three centuries4 ,the reader should discard them from his mind when he peruses the life of ,ninon de l',enclos1 and examine her character and environments from every point of view as a type toward which is trending modern social conditions4 ,at first blush1 and to a narrow intellect1 an individual woman of the character of ,ninon de l',enclos would seem hopelessly lost to all virtue1 abandoned by every sense of shame1 and irreclaimable to any feeling of social or private duty4 ,but only at first blush1 and to the most circumscribed of narrow minds1 who1 fortunately1 do not control the policy of mankind1 although occasional disorders here and there indicate that they are endeavouring to do so4 ,a large majority of mankind are of the settled opinion that every virtue is bound up in that of chastity4 ,our manners and customs1 our laws1 most of our various kinds of religions1 our national sentiments and feelings--all our most serious opinions1 as well as our dearest and best rooted prejudices1 forbid the dissevering1 in the minds of women of any class1 the ideas of virtue and female honor4 ,that is1 our public opinion is along that line4 ,to raise openly a doubt on this head1 or to disturb1 on a point considered so vital1 the settled notions of society1 is equally inconsistent with common prudence and the policy of common honesty2 and as tending to such an end1 we are apt to consider all discussion on the subject as at least officiously incurring danger1 without an opportunity of inculcating good4 ,but1 however strongly we insist upon this opinion for such purposes1 there are others in which it is not useless to relax that severity for a moment1 and to view the question1 not through the medium of sentiment1 but with an eye of philosophic impartiality4 ,we are gradually nearing the point1 where it is conceded that in certain conditions of society1 one failing is not wholly incompatible with a general practice of virtue--a remark to be met with in every homily since homilies were written1 notwithstanding that rigid rule already alluded to in the previous chapter4 ,it is surprising that it has never occurred to any moralist of the common order1 who deals chiefly with such general reflections1 to apply this particular maxim to this particular social status4 ,we follow the wise precepts of honesty found in ,cicero1 although we know that he was1 at the time he was writing them1 plundering his fellow men at every opportunity4 ,our admiration for ,bacon's philosophy and wisdom reaches adulation although he was the meanest of men1 and was guilty of the most flagrant crimes such as judicial bribery and political corruption4 ,we read that ,aspasia had some great and many amiable qualities2 so too had ,ninon de l',enclos2 and it is worthy of consideration1 how far we judge candidly or wisely in condemning such characters in gross1 and treating their virtues as ,saint ,austin was wont to deal with those of his heathen adversaries1 as no better than splendid vices1 so unparalleled in their magnitude as to become virtues by the operation of the law of extremes4 ,there was no law permitting a man to marry his sister1 and there was no law forbidding ,king ,cambyses to do as he liked4 ,another grave point to be considered is this3 ,the world1 as it now stands1 its laws1 systems of government1 manners and customs1 and social conditions1 have been built up on these same splendid vices1 and whenever they have been tamed into subjection to mediocrity--let us say to clerical1 or ecclesiastical domination2--government1 society and morals have retrograded4 ,the social condition in ,france during ,ninon de l',enclos' time1 and in ,england during the reign of ,charles ,,ii1 is startling evidence of this accusation4 ,moreover1 it is fast becoming the condition to-day1 a fact indicated by the almost universal demand for a revolution in social ethics1 the foundation to which1 for some reason1 has become awry1 threatening to topple down the structure erected upon it4 ,society can see nothing to originate1 an incalculable number of attempts to better human conditions always proving failures1 and worsening the human status4 ,it is dawning upon the minds of the true lovers of humanity1 that there is nothing else to be done1 but to revert to the past to find the key to any possible reform1 and to that past we are edging rapidly1 though1 it must be said unwillingly1 in the hope and expectation that the old foundations are possessed of sufficient solidity to support a new or re-modeled structure4 ,the life of ,ninon de l',enclos1 upon this very point1 furnishes food for profitable reflection1 inasmuch as it gives an insight into the great results to be obtained by the following of the precepts of an ancient philosophy which seems to have survived the clash of ages of intellectual and moral warfare1 and to have demonstrated its capacity to supply defects in segregated dogmatic systems wholly incapable of any syncretic tendencies4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,youth of ,ninon de l',enclos ,anne de l',enclos1 or ,ninon1 as she has always been familiarly called by the world at large1 was born at ,paris in #afae4 ,what her parents were1 or what her family1 is a matter of little consequence4 ,to all persons who have attained celebrity over the route pursued by her1 original rank and station are not of the least moment4 ,by force of his genius in hewing for himself a niche in history1 ,napoleon was truly his own ancestor1 as it is said he loved to remark pleasantly4 ,so with ,ninon de l',enclos1 the novelty of the career she laid out for herself to follow1 and did follow until the end with unwavering constancy1 justifies us in regarding her as the head of a new line1 or dynasty4 ,in the case of mighty conquerors1 whose path was strewn with violence1 even lust1 no one thinks of an ignoble origin as in any manner derogatory to the eminence2 on the contrary1 it is considered rather as matter to be proud of2 the idea that out of ignominy1 surrounded by conditions devoid of all decency1 justice1 and piety1 an individual can elevate himself up to the highest pinnacle of human power and glory1 has always1 and will always be regarded as an example to be followed1 and the badge of success stretched to cover the means of its attainment4 ,this is the universal custom where success has been attained1 the failures being relegated to a well merited oblivion as unworthy of consideration either as lessons of warning or for any purpose4 ,our youth are very properly taught only the lessons of success4 ,it is in evidence that ,ninon's father was a gentleman of ,touraine and connected1 through his wife1 with the family of ,abra de ,raconis1 a race of no mean repute in the ,orleanois1 and that he was an accomplished gentleman occupying a high position in society4 ,voltaire1 however1 declares that ,ninon had no claim to a parentage of such distinction2 that the rank of her mother was too obscure to deserve any notice1 and that her father's profession was of no higher dignity than that of a teacher of the lute4 ,this account is not less likely1 from the remarkable proficiency acquired by ,ninon1 at an early age1 in the use of that instrument4 ,it is equally certain1 however1 that ,ninon's parents were not obscure1 and that her father was a man of many accomplishments1 one of which was his skill as a performer on the lute4 ,a fact which may have induced ,voltaire to mistake one of his talents for his regular profession4 ,ninon's parents were as opposite in sentiments and disposition as the ,poles of the earth4 ,madame de l',enclos was a prudent1 pious ,christian mother1 who endeavored to inspire her daughter with the same pious sentiments which pervaded her own heart4 ,the fact is that the mother attempted to prepare her daughter for a conventual life1 a profession at that period of the highest honor1 and one that led to preferment1 not only in religious circles1 but in the world of society4 ,at that time1 conventual and monastic dignitaries occupied a prominent place in the formation of public and private manners and customs1 and if not regarded impeccable1 their opinions were always considered valuable in state matters of the greatest moment1 even the security of thrones1 the welfare and peace of nations sometimes depending upon their wisdom1 judgment1 and decisions4 ,with this laudable object in view1 ,madame de l',enclos carefully trained her daughter in the holy exercises of her religion1 to which she hoped to consecrate her entire life4 ,but the fond mother met with an impasse1 an insurmountable obstacle1 in the budding ,ninon herself1 who1 even in the temples of the ,most ,high1 when her parent imagined her to be absorbed in the contemplation of saintly things1 and imbibing inspiration from her ,hours1 the ,lives of the ,saints1 or ,an ,introduction to a ,holy ,life1 a book very much in vogue at that period1 the child would be devouring such profane books as ,montaigne1 ,scarron's romances and ,epicurus1 as more in accordance with her trend of mind4 ,even at the early age of twelve years1 she had mastered those authors1 and had laid out a course of life1 not in accord with her good mother's ideas1 for it excluded the idea of religion as commonly understood1 and crushed out the sentiment of maternity1 that crowning glory to which nearly all young female children aspire1 although in them1 at a tender age1 it is instinctive and not based upon knowledge of its meaning4 ,this beginning of ,ninon's departure from the beaten path should not be a matter of surprise1 for all the young open their hearts to ideas that spring from the sentiments and passions1 and anticipate in imagination the parts they are to play in the tragedy or comedy of life4 ,it is this period of life which the moralist and educator justly contend should be carefully guarded4 ,it is really a concession to environment1 and a tacit argument against radical heredity as the foundation upon which rest the character and disposition of the adult1 and which is the mainspring of his future moral conduct4 ,it is impossible to philosophize ourselves out of this sensible position4 ,in the case of ,ninon1 there was her mother1 a woman of undoubted virtue and exemplary piety1 following the usual path in the training of her only child and making a sad failure of it1 or at least not making any impression on the object of her solicitude4 ,this was1 however1 not due to the mother's intentions3 her training was too weak to overcome that coming from another quarter4 ,it has been said that ,ninon's father and mother were as opposite as the ,poles in character and disposition1 and ,ninon was suspended like a pendulum to swing between two extremes1 one of which had to prevail1 for there was no midway stopping place4 ,it may be that the disciple of heredity1 the opponent of environment will perceive in the result a strong argument in favor of his view of humanity4 ,be that as it may1 ,ninon swung away from the extreme of piety represented by her mother1 and was caught at the other extreme by the less intellectually monotonous ideas of her father4 ,there was no mental conflict in the young mind1 nothing difficult2 on the contrary1 she accepted his ideas as pleasanter and less conducive to pain and discomfort4 ,too young to reason1 she perceived a flowery pathway1 followed it1 and avoided the thorny one offered her by her mother4 ,monsieur de l',enclos was an ,epicurean of the most advanced type4 ,according to him1 the whole philosophy of life1 the entire scheme of human ethics as evolved from ,epicurus1 could be reduced to the four following canons3 ,first--,that pleasure which produces no pain is to be embraced4 ,second--,that pain which produces no pleasure is to be avoided4 ,third--,that pleasure is to be avoided which prevents a greater pleasure1 or produces a greater pain4 ,fourth--,that pain is to be endured which averts a greater pain1 or secures a greater pleasure4 ,the last canon is the one that has always appealed to the religious sentiments1 and it is the one which has enabled an army of martyrs to submit patiently to the most excruciating torments1 to reach the happiness of ,paradise1 the pleasure contemplated as a reward for enduring the frightful pain4 ,the reader can readily infer1 however1 from his daily experiences with the human family1 that this construction is seldom put upon this canon1 the world at large1 viewing it from the ,epicurean interpretation1 which meant earthly pleasures1 or the purely sensual enjoyments4 ,it is certain that ,ninon's father did not construe any of these canons according to the religious idea1 but followed the commonly accepted version1 and impressed them upon his young daughter's mind in all their various lights and shades4 ,imbibing such philosophy from her earliest infancy1 the father taking good care to press them deep into her plastic mind1 it is not astonishing that ,ninon should discard the more distasteful fruits to be painfully harvested by following her mother's tuition1 and accept the easily gathered luscious golden fruit offered her by her father4 ,like all children and many adults1 the glitter and the tinsel of the present enjoyment were too powerful and seductive to be resisted1 or to be postponed for a problematic pleasure4 ,the very atmosphere which surrounded the young girl1 and which she soon learned to breathe in deep1 pleasurable draughts1 was surcharged with the intoxicating oxygen of freedom of action1 liberality1 and unrestrained enjoyment4 ,while still very young she was introduced into a select society of the choicest spirits of the age and speedily became their idol1 a position she continued to occupy without diminution for over sixty years4 ,no one of all these men of the world had ever seen so many personal graces united to so much intellectuality and good taste4 ,ninon's form was as symmetrical1 elegant and yielding as a willow2 her complexion of a dazzling white1 with large sparkling eyes as black as midnight1 and in which reigned modesty and love1 and reason and voluptuousness4 ,her teeth were like pearls1 her mouth mobile and her smile most captivating1 resistless and adorable4 ,she was the personification of majesty without pride or haughtiness1 and possessed an open1 tender and touching countenance upon which shone friendship and affection4 ,her voice was soft and silvery1 her arms and hands superb models for a sculptor1 and all her movements and gestures manifested an exquisite1 natural grace which made her conspicuous in the most crowded drawing-room4 ,as she was in her youth1 so she continued to be until her death at the age of ninety years1 an incredible fact but so well attested by the gravest and most reliable writers1 who testify to the truth of it1 that there is no room for doubt4 ,ninon attributed it not to any miracle1 but to her philosophy1 and declared that any one might exhibit the same peculiarities by following the same precepts4 ,we have it on the most undoubted testimony of contemporaneous writers1 who were intimate with him1 that one of her dearest friends and followers1 ,saint-,evremond1 at the age of eighty-nine years1 inspired one of the famous beauties of the ,english ,court with an ardent attachment4 ,the beauties of her person were so far developed at the age of twelve years1 that she was the object of the most immoderate admiration on the part of men of the greatest renown1 and her beauty is embalmed in their works either as a model for the world1 or she is enshrined in song1 poetry1 and romance as the heroine4 ,in fact ,ninon had as tutors the most distinguished men of the age1 who vied with one another in embellishing her young mind with all the graces1 learning and accomplishments possible for the human mind to contain4 ,her native brightness and active mind absorbed everything with an almost supernatural rapidity and tact1 and it was not long before she became their peer1 and her qualities of mind reached out so far beyond theirs in its insatiable longing1 that she1 in her turn1 became their tutor1 adviser and consoler1 as well as their tender friend4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,the ,morals of the ,period ,examples of the precocious talents displayed by ,mademoiselle de l',enclos are not uncommon in the twentieth century1 but the application she made of them was remarkable and uncommon4 ,accomplished in music1 learned and proficient in the languages1 a philosopher of no small degree1 and of a personal beauty sometimes called beaut de diable1 she appeared upon the social stage at a time when a new idol was an imperative necessity for the salvation of moral sanity1 and the preservation of some remnants of personal decency in the sexual relations4 ,cardinal ,richelieu had just succeeded in consolidating the usurpations of the royal prerogatives on the rights of the nobility and the people1 which had been silently advancing during the preceding reigns1 and was followed by the long period of unexampled misgovernment1 which oppressed and impoverished as well as degraded every rank and every order of men in the ,french kingdom1 ceasing only with the ,revolution4 ,the great ,cardinal minister had built worse than he had intended1 it is to be hoped2 for his clerico-political system had practically destroyed ,french manhood1 and left society without a guiding star to cement the rope of sand he had spun4 ,unable to subject the master minds among the nobility to its domination1 ecclesiasticism had succeeded in destroying them by augmenting royal prerogatives which it could control with less difficulty4 ,public maxims of government1 connected as they were with private morals1 had debauched the nation1 and plunged it into a depth of degradation out of which ,richelieu and his whole entourage of clerical reformers could not extricate a single individual4 ,it was a riot of theological morality4 ,the whole body of the ,french nobility and the middle class of citizens were reduced to a servile attendance on the court1 as the only means of advancement and reward4 ,every species of industry and merit in these classes was sedulously discouraged2 and the motive of honorable competition for honorable things1 being withdrawn1 no pursuit or occupation was left them but the frivolous duties1 or the degrading pleasures of the palace4 ,next to the king1 the women naturally became the first objects of their effeminate devotion2 and it is difficult to say which were soonest corrupted by courtiers consummate in the arts of adulation1 and unwearied in their exercise4 ,the sovereign rapidly degenerated into an accomplished despot1 and the women into intriguers and coquettes4 ,richelieu had indeed succeeded in subjecting the ,state to the rule of the ,church1 but ,ninon was destined to play an important part in modifying the evils which afflicted society1 and at least elevate its tone4 ,from the methods she employed to effect this change1 it may be suspected that the remedy was equivalent to the ,hanemannic maxim3 ,similia similbus curantur1 a strange application of a curative agent in a case of moral decrepitude1 however valuable and effective it may be in physical ailments4 ,the world of the twentieth century1 bound up as it is in material progress1 refuses to limit its objects and aims to the problematic enjoyment of the pleasures of ,paradise in the great hereafter1 or of suffering with stoicism the pains and misfortunes of this earth as a means of avoiding the problematic pains of ,hell4 ,future rewards and punishments are no longer incentives to virtue or right living4 ,the only drag upon human acts of every kind is now that great political maxim1 the non-observance of which has often deluged the earth with blood2 ,sic utere tuo ut alienum non laedas1 which is to say3 ,so use thine own as not to injure thy neighbor4 ,it is a conventional principle1 one of contract in reality1 but it has become a great doctrine of equity and justice1 and it is inculcated by our educational systems to the exclusion of the purely religious idea1 and the elimination of religious dogma1 which tends to oppressive restraints1 is carefully fostered4 ,there is another reason why men's minds are impelled away from the purely sentimental moral doctrines insisted upon by sectarianism1 which is ecclesiasticism run riot1 and the higher the education the deeper we delve into the secret motives of that class of mankind1 the deceptive outward appearances of which dominate the pages of history1 which is1 that the greatest and most glorious systems of government1 the wisest and most powerful of rulers1 the greatest and most liberal statesmen1 heroes1 and conspicuous conquerors1 originated in violations of the ,decalogue1 and those nations and kingdoms which have been founded upon strictly ecclesiastical ideas1 have all sunk beneath the shifting sands of time1 or have become so degenerate as to be bywords and objects of derision4 ,from the same viewpoint1 a strange phenomenon is observable in the world of literature1 arts1 and sciences4 ,the brightest1 greatest geniuses1 whose works are pointed to with admiration2 studied as models and standards1 made the basis of youthful education1 imitated1 and even wept over by the sentimental1 were1 in their private lives1 persons of the most depraved morals4 ,why this should be the case1 it is impossible even to conjecture1 the fact only remaining that it is so4 ,perhaps there are so many different standards of morality1 that humanity1 weary of the eternal bickering consequent upon the conflicts entered into for their enforcement1 have made for themselves a new interpretation which they find less difficult to observe1 and find more peace and pleasure in following4 ,to take a further step in the same direction1 it is curious that in the lives of the ,saints1 those who spent their whole earthly existence in abstinence1 works of the severest penance1 and mortifications of the flesh1 the tendency of demoniac influence was never in the direction of ,sabbath breaking1 profanity1 idolatry1 robbery1 murder and covetousness1 but always exerted itself to the fullest extent of its power in attacks upon chastity4 ,all other visions were absent in the hair-shirted1 and self-scourgings brought out nothing but sexual idealities1 sensual temptations4 ,the reason for this peculiarity is not far to seek4 ,what is dominant in the minds always finds egress when a favorable opportunity is presented1 and the very thought of unchastity as something to be avoided1 leads to its contemplation1 or its creation in the form of temptation4 ,the virtue of chastity was the one law1 and its observances and violations were studied from every point of view1 and its numberless permissible and forbidden limitations expatiated upon to such a degree1 that he who escaped them altogether could well attribute the result to the interposition of some supernatural power1 the protection of some celestial guardian4 ,one is reminded of the expression of ,st4 ,paul3 ,i had not known lust had the law not said3 thou shalt not covet4 ,lord ,beaconsfield's opinion was1 that excessive piety led to sexual disorders4 ,according to ,ninon's philosophy1 whatever tended to propagate immoderation in the sexual relations was rigidly eliminated1 and chastity placed upon the same plane and in the same grade as other moral precepts1 to be wisely controlled1 regulated1 and managed4 ,she put all her morality upon the same plane1 and thereby succeeded in equalizing corporeal pleasure1 so that the entire scale of human acts produced a harmonious equality of temperament1 whence goodness and virtue necessarily followed1 the pathway being unobstructed4 ,it is too much to be expected1 or even to be hoped for1 that there will ever be any unanimity among moral reformers1 or any uniformity in their standards of moral excellence4 ,the educated world of the present day1 reading between the lines of ancient history1 and some that is not so very ancient1 see ambition for place and power as the moving cause1 the inspiration behind the great majority of revolutions1 and they have come to apply the same construction to the great majority of moral agitations and movements for the reform of morals and the betterment of humanity1 with pecuniary reward or profit1 however1 added as the sine qua non of maintaining them4 ,cure the agitation by removing the occasion for it1 and ,othello's occupation would be gone2 hence1 the agitation continues4 ,as an eminent theologian declared with a conviction that went home to a multitude1 at the ,congress of ,religions1 when the ,columbian ,exposition was in operation3 ,if all the religions in the world are to be merged into one1 who1 or what will support the clergy that will be deprived of their salaries by the change in management8 ,the ,golden ,calf and ,aaron were there1 but where was the angry ,moses8 ,,chapter ,v ,ninon and ,count de ,coligny ,it was impossible for a maiden trained in the philosophy of ,epicurus1 and surrounded by a brilliant society who assiduously followed its precepts to avoid being caught in the meshes of the same net spread for other women4 ,beloved and even idolized on all sides1 as an object that could be worshiped without incurring the displeasure of ,richelieu1 who preferred his courtiers to amuse themselves with women and gallantries rather than meddle with state affairs1 and being disposed both through inclination and training to accept the situation1 ,ninon felt the sentiments of the tender passion1 but philosophically waited for a worthy object4 ,that object appeared in the person of the young ,gaspard1 ,count de ,coligny1 afterwards ,duc de ,chatillon1 who paid her assiduous court4 ,the result was that ,ninon conceived a violent passion for the ,count1 which she could not resist1 in fact did not care to resist1 and she therefore yielded to the young man of distinguished family1 charming manners1 and a physically perfect specimen of manhood4 ,it is alleged by ,voltaire and repeated by ,cardinal de ,retz1 that the early bloom of ,ninon's charms was enjoyed by ,richelieu1 but if this be true1 it is more than likely that ,ninon submitted through policy and not from any affection for the great ,cardinal4 ,it is certain1 however1 that the great statesman's attention had been called to her growing influence among the ,french nobility1 and that he desired to control her actions if not to possess her charms4 ,she was a tool that he imagined he could utilize to keep his rebellious nobles in his leash4 ,abb ,raconis1 ,ninon's uncle1 and the ,abb ,boisrobert1 her friend1 who stood close to the ,cardinal1 had suggested to ,his ,eminence that the charms of the new beauty could be used to advantage in state affairs1 and he accordingly sent for her at first through curiosity1 but when he had seen her he hoped to control her for his personal benefit4 ,although occupied in vast projects which his great genius and activity always conducted to a happy issue1 the great man had not renounced the affections of his human nature1 nor his intellectual gratifications4 ,he aimed at everything1 and did not consider anything beneath his dignity4 ,every day saw him engaged in cultivating a taste for literature and art1 and some moments of every day were set apart for social gallantries4 ,when it came to the art of pleasing and attracting women1 we have the word of ,cardinal de ,retz for it1 that he was not always successful4 ,perhaps it is only inferior minds who possess the art and the genius of seduction4 ,the intriguing ,abb1 in order to bring ,ninon under the influence of his master1 and to charm her with the great honor done her by a man upon whom were fixed the eyes of all ,europe1 prepared a series of gorgeous ftes1 banquets and entertainments at the palace at ,rueil4 ,but ,ninon was not in the least overwhelmed1 and refused to hear the sighs of the great man4 ,hoping to inspire jealousy1 he affected to love ,marion de ,lormes1 a proceeding which gave ,ninon great pleasure as it relieved her from the importunities of the ,cardinal4 ,the end of it was1 that ,richelieu gave up the chase and left ,ninon in peace to follow her own devices in her own way4 ,whatever may have been the relations between ,ninon and ,cardinal ,richelieu1 it is certain that the ,count de ,coligny was her first sentimental attachment1 and the two lovers1 in the first intoxication of their love1 swore eternal constancy1 a process common to all new lovers and believed possible to maintain4 ,it was not long1 however1 before ,ninon perceived that the first immoderate transports of love gradually lost their activity1 and by applying the precepts of her philosophy to explain the phenomenon1 came to regard love by its effects1 as a blind mechanical movement1 which it was the policy of men to ennoble according to the conventional rules of decency and honor1 to the exclusion of its original meaning4 ,after coldly reasoning the matter out to its only legitimate conclusion1 she tore off the mask covering a metaphysical love1 which could not reach or satisfy the light of intelligence or the sentiments and emotions of the heart1 and which appeared to her to possess as little reality as the enchanted castles1 marvels of magic1 and monsters depicted in poetry and romance4 ,to her1 love finally became a mere thirst1 and a desire for pleasure to be gratified by indulgence like all other pleasure4 ,the germ of philosophy already growing in her soul1 found nothing in this discovery that was essentially unnatural2 on the contrary1 it was essentially natural4 ,it was clear to her logical mind1 that a passion like love produced among men different effects according to different dispositions1 humors1 temperament1 education1 interest1 vanity1 principles1 or circumstances1 without being1 at the same time1 founded upon anything more substantial than a disguised1 though ardent desire of possession1 the essential of its existence1 after which it vanished as fire disappears through lack of fuel4 ,dryden1 the celebrated ,english poetic and literary genius1 reaches the same opinion in his ,letters to ,clarissa4 ,having reached this point in her reasoning1 she advanced a step further1 and considered the unequal division of qualities distributed between the two sexes4 ,she perceived the injustice of it and refused to abide by it4 ,i perceive1 she declared1 that women are charged with everything that is frivolous1 and that men reserve to themselves the right to essential qualities4 ,from this moment ,i shall be a man4 ,all this growing out of the ardour of a first love1 which is always followed by the lassitude of satiety1 so far from causing ,ninon any tears of regret1 nerved her up to a philosophy different from that of other women1 and makes it impossible to judge her by the same standard4 ,she can not be considered a woman subject to a thousand fantasies and whims1 a thousand trifling concealed proprieties of position and custom4 ,her morals became the same as those of the wisest and noblest men of the period in which she lived1 and raised her to their rank instead of maintaining her in the category of the intriguing coquettes of her age4 ,it is not improbable that her experience of the suffering attendant upon the decay of such attachments1 a suffering alluded to by those who contemplate only the intercourse of the sexes through the medium of poetry and sentiment1 had considerable influence in determining her future conduct4 ,at an early age1 following upon her liaison with ,count ,coligny1 she adopted the determination she adhered to during the rest of her life1 of retaining so much only of the female character as was forced upon her by nature and the insuperable laws of society4 ,acting on this principle1 her society was chiefly composed of persons of her adopted sex1 of whom the most celebrated of their time made her house a constant place of meeting4 ,a curious incident in her relations with ,count de ,coligny was her success in persuading him to adjure the errors of the ,huguenots and return to the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,she had no religious predilections1 feeling herself spiritually secure in her philosophic principles1 but sought only his welfare and advancement4 ,his obstinacy was depriving him of the advantages due his birth and personal merit4 ,considering that ,ninon was scarcely sixteen years of age1 respiring nothing but love and pleasure1 to effect by tenderness and the persuasive strength of her reasoning powers1 such a change in a man so obstinate as the ,count de ,coligny1 in an obstinate and excessively bigoted age1 was something unique in the history of lovers of that period4 ,women then cared very little for religious principles1 and rarely exerted themselves in advancing the cause of the dominant religion1 much less thought of the spiritual needs of their favorites4 ,the reverse is the rule in these modern times1 when women are the most ardent and persistent proselytizers of the various sects1 a custom which recalls the remark of a distinguished lawyer who failed to recover any assets from a notorious bankrupt he was pursuing for the defrauded creditors3 ,this man has everything in his wife's name--even his religion4 ,ninon's disinterested counsel prevailed1 and the ,count afterward abjured his errors1 becoming the ,duc de ,chatillon1 ,marquis d',andelot1 and died a lieutenant general1 bravely fighting for his country1 at ,charenton4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,the ,birds of the ,tournelles ,having decided upon her career1 ,ninon converted her property into prudent and safe securities1 and purchased a city house in the ,rue des ,tournelles au ,marais1 a locality at that time the center of fashionable society1 and another for a summer residence at ,picpusse1 in the environs of ,paris4 ,a select society of wits and gallant chevaliers soon gathered around her1 and it required influence as well as merit to gain an entrance into its ranks4 ,among this lite were ,count de ,grammont1 ,saint-,evremond1 ,chapelle1 ,molire1 ,fontenelle1 and a host of other no less distinguished characters1 most of them celebrated in literature1 arts1 sciences1 and war4 ,ninon christened the society ,oiseaux des ,tournelles1 an appellation much coveted by the beaux and wits of ,paris1 and which distinguished the chosen company from the less favored gentlemen of the great metropolis4 ,among those who longed for entrance into this charming society of choice spirits was the ,count de ,charleval1 a polite and accomplished chevalier1 indeed1 but of no particular standing as a literary character4 ,nothing would do1 however1 but a song of triumph as a test of his competency and he accomplished it after much labor and consumption of midnight oil4 ,scarron has preserved the first stanza in his literary works1 the others being lost to the literary world1 perhaps with small regret4 ,the sentiments expressed in the first stanza rescued from oblivion will be sufficient to indicate the character of the others3 ,je ne suis plus oiseau des champs1 ,mais de ces oiseaux des ,tournelles ,qui parlent d'amour en tout temps1 ,et qui plaignent les tourterelles ,de ne se baiser qu'au printemps4 ,which liberally translated into ,english will run substantially as follows3 ,no more am ,i a wild bird on the wing1 ,but one of the birds of the ,towers1 who ,the love in their hearts always sing1 ,and pity the poor ,turtle ,doves that coo ,and never kiss only in spring4 ,scarron alludes to the delicacy of the ,count's taste and the refinement of his wit1 by saying of him3 ,the muses brought him up on blanc mange and chicken broth4 ,how ,ninon kept together this remarkable coterie can best be understood by an incident unparalleled in female annals4 ,the ,count de ,fisque1 one of the most accomplished nobles of the ,french court1 had it appears1 grown tired of an attachment of long standing between ,ninon and himself1 before the passion of the former had subsided4 ,a letter1 containing an account of his change of sentiments1 with reasons therefor1 was presented his mistress1 while employed at her toilette in adjusting her hair1 which was remarkable for its beauty and luxuriance1 and which she regarded as the apple of her eye4 ,afflicted by the unwelcome intelligence1 she cut off half of her lovely tresses on the impulse of the moment1 and sent them as her answer to the ,count's letter4 ,struck by this unequivocal proof of the sincerity of her devotion to him1 the ,count returned to his allegiance to a mistress so devoted1 and thenceforward retained it until she herself wearied of it and desired a change4 ,as an illustration of her sterling honesty in money matters and her delicate manner of ending a liaison1 the following anecdote will serve to demonstrate the hold she was able to maintain upon her admirers4 ,m4 de ,gourville1 an intimate friend of ,ninon's1 adhered in the wars of the ,fronde to the party of the ,prince of ,cond1 one of the ,birds of the ,tournelles4 ,compelled to quit ,paris1 to avoid being hanged in person1 as he was in effigy1 he divided the care of a large sum of ready money between ,ninon de l',enclos and the ,grand ,pnitencier of ,notre ,dame4 ,the money was deposited in two caskets4 ,on his return from exile1 he applied to the priest for the return of his money1 but to his astonishment1 all knowledge of the deposit was denied1 and that if any such deposit had been made1 it was destined for charitable purposes under the rules of the ,pnitencier1 and had most probably been distributed among the poor of ,paris4 ,de ,gourville protested in vain1 and when he threatened to resort to forcible means1 the power of the church was invoked to compel him to abandon his attempt4 ,so cruelly disappointed in a man whom all ,paris deemed incorruptibly honest1 de ,gourville suspected nothing else from ,mademoiselle de l',enclos4 ,it was absurd to hope for probity in a woman of reprehensible habits when that virtue was absent in a man who lived a life of such austerity as the ,grand ,pnitencier1 hence he determined to abstain from visiting her altogether1 lest he might hate the woman he had so fondly loved4 ,ninon1 however1 had other designs1 and learning that he had returned1 sent him a pressing invitation to call upon her4 ,ah6 ,gourville1 she exclaimed as soon as he appeared1 a great misfortune has happened me in consequence of your absence4 ,that settled the matter in de ,gourville's mind1 his money was gone and he was a pauper4 ,plunged in mournful reflections1 de ,gourville dared not raise his eyes to those of his mistress4 ,but she1 mistaking his agitation1 went on hastily3 ,i am sorry if you still love me1 for ,i have lost my love for you1 and though ,i have found another with whom ,i am happy1 ,i have not forgotten you4 ,here1 she continued1 turning to her escritoire1 here are the twenty thousand crowns you intrusted to me when you departed4 ,take them1 my friend1 but do not ask anything from a heart which is no longer disposed in your favor4 ,there is nothing left but the most sincere friendship4 ,astonished at the contrast between her conduct and that of her reverend co-depositary1 and recognizing that he had no right to complain of the change in her heart because of his long absence1 de ,gourville related the story of the indignity heaped upon him by a man of so exalted a character and reputation4 ,you do not surprise me1 said ,ninon1 with a winning smile1 but you should not have suspected me on that account4 ,the prodigious difference in our reputations and conditions should have taught you that4 ,then adding with a twinkle in her eye3 ,ne suis-je pas la gardeuse de la cassette8 ,ninon was afterward called ,la belle gardeuse de cassette1 and ,voltaire1 whose vigilance no anecdote of this nature could escape1 has made it1 with some variations1 the subject of a comedy1 well known to every admirer of the ,french drama1 under the name of ,la ,dpositaire4 ,ninon had her preferences1 and when one of her admirers was not to her taste1 neither prayers nor entreaties could move her4 ,hers was not a case of vendible charms1 it was le bon appetit merely1 an ,epicurean virtue4 ,the ,grand ,prior of ,vendme had reason to comprehend this trait in her character4 ,the worthy ,grand ,prior was an impetuous wooer1 and he saw with great sorrow that ,ninon preferred the ,counts de ,miossens and de ,palluan to his clerical attractions4 ,he complained bitterly to ,ninon1 but instead of being softened by his reproaches1 she listened to the voice of some new rival when the ,grand ,prior thought his turn came next4 ,this put him in a great rage and he resolved to be revenged1 and this is the way he fancied he could obtain it4 ,one day shortly after he had left ,ninon's house1 she noticed on her dressing table a letter1 which she opened to find the following effusion3 ,indigne de mes feux1 indigne de mes larmes1 ,je renonce sans peine tes faibles appas2 ,mon amour te prtait des charmes1 ,ingrate1 que tu n'avais pas4 ,or1 as might be said substantially in ,english3 ,unworthy my flame1 unworthy a tear1 ,i rejoice to renounce thy feeble allure2 ,my love lent thee charms that endear1 ,which1 ingrate1 thou couldst not procure4 ,instead of being offended1 ,ninon took this mark of unreasonable spite good naturedly1 and replied by another quatrain based upon the same rhyme as that of the disappointed suitor3 ,insensible tes feux1 insensible tes larmes1 ,je te vois renoncer mes faibles appas2 ,mais si l'amour prte des charmes1 ,pourquoi n'en empruntais-tu pas4 ,which is as much as to say in ,english3 ,caring naught for thy flame1 caring naught for thy tear1 ,i see thee renounce my feeble allure2 ,but if love lends charms that endear1 ,by borrowing thou mightst some procure4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,effect of ,her ,mother's ,death ,it is not to be wondered at that a girl under such tutelage should abandon herself wholly1 both mind and body1 to a philosophy so contrary in its principles and practices to that which her mother had always endeavored to instill into her young mind4 ,the father was absent fighting for ,heaven alone knew which faction into which ,france was broken up1 there were so many of them1 and the mother and daughter lived apart1 the disparity in their sentiments making it impossible for them to do otherwise4 ,for this reason1 ,ninon was practically her own mistress1 and not interfered with because the husband and wife could not agree upon any definite course of life for her to follow4 ,ninon's heart1 however1 had not lost any of its natural instincts1 and she loved her mother sincerely1 a trait in her which all ,paris learned with astonishment when her mother was taken down with what proved to be a fatal illness4 ,madame de l',enclos1 separated from both her husband and daughter1 and devoting her life to pious exercises1 acquired against them the violent prejudices natural in one who makes such a sacrifice upon the altar of sentiment4 ,the worldly life of her daughter gave birth in her mind to an opinion which she deemed the natural consequence of it4 ,the love of pleasure1 in her estimation1 had destroyed every vestige of virtue in her daughter's soul and her neglect of her religious duties had converted her into an unnatural being4 ,but she was agreeably diverted from her ill opinion when her malady approached a dangerous stage4 ,ninon flew to heir mother's side as soon as she heard of it1 and without becoming an enemy of her philosophy of pleasure1 she felt it incumbent upon her to suspend its practice4 ,friendship1 liaisons1 social duties1 pleasure1 everything ceased to amuse her or give her any satisfaction4 ,the nursing of her sick mother engaged her entire attention1 and her fervor in this dutiful occupation astonished ,madame de l',enclos and softened her heart to the extent of acknowledging her error and correcting her estimate of her daughter's character4 ,she loved her daughter devotedly and was happy in the knowledge that she was as devotedly loved4 ,but this was not the kind of happiness that could prolong her days4 ,notwithstanding all her philosophy1 ,ninon could not bear the spectacle presented by her dying parent4 ,her soul was rent with a grief which she did not conceal1 unashamed that philosophy was impotent to restrain an exhibition of such a natural weakness4 ,moreover1 her dying mother talked to her long and earnestly1 and with her last breath gave her loving counsel that sank deep into her heart1 already softened by an uncontrollable sorrow and weakened by long vigils4 ,scarcely had ,madame de l',enclos closed her eyes upon the things of earth1 than ,ninon conceived the project of withdrawing from the world and entering a convent4 ,the absence of her father left her absolute mistress of her conduct1 and the few friends who reached her1 despite her express refusal to see any one1 could not persuade her to alter her determination4 ,ninon1 heart broken1 distracted and desolate1 threw herself bodily into an obscure convent in the suburbs of ,paris1 accepting it1 in the throes of her sorrow1 as her only refuge and home on earth4 ,saint-,evremond1 in a letter to the ,duke d',olonne1 speaks of the sentiment which is incentive to piety3 ,there are some whom misfortunes have rendered devout through a certain kind of pity for themselves1 a secret piety1 strong enough to dispose men to lead more religious lives4 ,scarron1 one of ,ninon's closest friends1 in his ,epistle to ,sarrazin1 thus alludes to this conventual escapade3 ,puis j'aurais su 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,ce que l'on dit du bel et saint exemple ,que la ,ninon donne tous les mondains1 ,en se logeant avecque les nonais1 ,combien de pleurs la pauvre jouvencelle ,a rpandus quand sa mre1 sans elle1 ,cierges brlants et portant cussons1 ,prtres chantant leurs funbres chanson1 ,voulut aller de linge enveloppe ,servir aux vers d'une franche lippe4 ,which1 translated into reasonable ,english1 is as much as saying3 ,but ,i might have known 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,what they say of the example1 so holy1 so pure1 ,that ,ninon gives to worldlings all1 ,by dwelling within a nunnery's wall4 ,how many tears the poor lorn maid ,shed1 when her mother1 alone1 unafraid1 ,mid flaming tapers with coats of arms1 ,priests chanting their sad funereal alarms1 ,went down to the tomb in her winding sheet ,to serve for the worms a mouthful sweet4 ,but the most poignant sorrow of the human heart is assuaged by time4 ,saint-,evremond and ,marion de ,lormes1 ,richelieu's belle amie1 expected to profit by the calm which they knew would not be long in stealing over the heart of their friend4 ,marion1 however1 despaired of succeeding through her own personal influence1 and enlisted the sympathies of ,saint-,evremond1 who knew ,ninon's heart too well to imagine for a moment that the mournful1 monotonous life she had embraced would satisfy her very long4 ,it was something to be admitted to her presence and talk over matters1 a privilege they were accorded after some demur4 ,the first step toward ransoming their friend was followed by others until they finally made great strides through her resolution4 ,they brought her back in triumph to the world she had quitted through a species of frivolity1 so they called it1 of which she was never again guilty as long as she lived4 ,this episode in ,ninon's life is in direct contrast with one which occurred when the ,queen ,regent1 ,anne of ,austria1 listening to the complaints of her jealous maids of honor1 attempted to dispose of ,ninon's future by immuring her in a convent4 ,ninon's celebrity attained such a summit1 and her drawing rooms became so popular among the lite of the ,french nobility and desirable youth1 that sad inroads were made in the entourage of the ,court1 nothing but the culls of humanity being left for the ladies who patronized the royal functions4 ,in addition to this1 she excited the envy and jealousy of a certain class of women1 whom ,ninon called ,jansensists of love1 because they practiced in public the puritanic virtues which they did not even have tact enough to render agreeable4 ,it is conceivable that ,ninon's brilliant attractions1 not to say seductive charms1 and her unparalleled power to attract to her society the brightest and best men of the nation1 engendered the most violent jealousy and hatred of those whose feebler charms were ignored and relegated to the background4 ,the most bitter complaints and accusations were made against her to the ,queen ,regent1 who was beset on all sides by loud outcries against the conduct of a woman whom they were powerless to imitate1 until1 to quiet their clamors1 she deemed it her duty to act4 ,anne of ,austria accordingly sent ,ninon1 by special messenger1 a peremptory order to withdraw to a convent1 giving her the power of selection4 ,at first ,anne intended to send her to the convent of ,repentant ,girls 7,filles ,repenties71 but the celebrated ,bauton1 one of the ,oiseaux des ,tournelles1 who loved a good joke as well as he did ,ninon1 told her that such a course would excite ridicule because ,ninon was neither a girl nor a repentant 7ni fille1 ni repentie71 for which reason1 the order was changed leaving ,ninon to her own choice of a prison4 ,ninon knew the source of the order1 and foresaw that her numerous distinguished admirers would not have any difficulty in protecting her1 and persuading the ,queen ,regent to rescind her order1 and therefore gave herself no concern1 receiving the order as a pleasantry4 ,i am deeply sensible of the goodness of the court in providing for my welfare and in permitting me to select my place of retreat1 and without hesitation1 ,i decide in favor of the ,grands ,cordeliers4 ,now it so happened that the ,grands ,cordeliers was a monastery exclusively for men1 and from which women were rigidly excluded4 ,moreover1 the morals of the holy brotherhood was not of the best1 as the writers of their history during that period unanimously testify4 ,m4 de ,guitaut1 the captain of the ,queen's guard1 who had been intrusted with the message1 happened to be one of the ,birds1 and he assured the ,regent that it was nothing but a little pleasantry on the part of ,ninon1 who merited a thousand marks of approval and commendation for her sterling and brilliant qualities of mind and heart rather than punishment or even censure4 ,the only comment made by the ,queen ,regent was3 ,fie1 the nasty thing6 accompanied by a fit of laughter4 ,others of the ,birds came to the rescue1 among them the ,duc d',enghien1 who was known not to value his esteem for women lightly4 ,the matter was finally dropped1 ,anne of ,austria finding means to close the mouths of the envious4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,her ,increasing ,popularity ,ninon's return to the gayeties of her drawing rooms was hailed with loud acclamations from all quarters4 ,the envy and jealousy of her female enemies1 the attempt to immure her in a convent1 and her selection of the ,grands ,cordeliers as her place of retreat1 brought her new friends and admirers through the notoriety given her1 and all ,paris resounded with the fame of her spirit1 her wit1 and her philosophy4 ,ladies of high rank sought admission into her charming circle1 many of them1 it is to be imagined1 because they possessed exaggerated ideas of her influence at court4 ,had she not braved the ,queen ,regent with impunity8 ,her drawing rooms soon became the center of attraction and were nightly crowded with the better part of the brilliant society of ,paris4 ,ninon was the acknowledged guide and leader1 and all submitted to her sway without the slightest envy or jealousy1 and it may also be said1 without the slightest compunctions or remorse of conscience4 ,the affair with the ,queen ,regent had one good effect1 it separated the desirable from the undesirable in the social scale1 compelling the latter to set up an establishment of their own as a counter attraction1 and as their only hope of having any society at all4 ,they established a little court at the ,htel ,rambouillet1 where foppishness was a badge of distinction1 and where a few narrow minded1 starched moralists1 poisoned metaphysics and turned the sentiments of the heart into a burlesque by their affectation and their unrefined1 even vulgar attempts at gallantry4 ,they culled choice expressions and epigrams from the literature of the day1 employing their memories to conceal their paucity of original wit1 and practised upon their imaginations to obtain a salacious philosophy1 which consisted of sodden ideas1 flat in their expression1 stale and unattractive in their adaptation4 ,ninon's coterie was the very opposite1 consisting as it did of the very flower of the nobility and the choicest spirits of the age1 who banished dry and sterile erudition1 and sparkled with the liveliest wit and polite accomplishments4 ,there were some who eluded the vigilance of ,ninon's shrewd scrutiny1 and made their way into her inner circle1 but they were soon forced to abandon their pretensions by their inability to maintain any standing among a class of men who were so far beyond them in rank and attainments4 ,not long after her return to the pleasures of society1 after the convent episode1 ,ninon was called upon to mourn the demise of her father4 ,m4 de l',enclos was one of the fortunate men of the times who escaped the dangers attendant upon being on the wrong side in politics4 ,for some inscrutable reason1 he took sides with ,cardinal de ,retz1 and on that account was practically banished from ,paris and compelled to be satisfied with the rough annoyances of camp life instead of being able to put in practice the pleasant precepts of his philosophy4 ,he was finally permitted to return to ,paris with his head safe upon his shoulders1 and flattered himself with the idea that he could now make up for lost time1 promising himself to enjoy to the full the advantages offered by his daughter's establishment4 ,he embraced his daughter with the liveliest pleasure imaginable1 taking upon himself all the credit for her great reputation as due to his efforts and to his philosophical training4 ,he was flattered at the success of his lessons and entered upon a life of joyous pleasure with as much zest as though in the bloom of his youth4 ,it proved too much for a constitution weakened by the fatigues of years of arduous military campaigns and he succumbed1 the flesh overpowered by the spirit1 and took to his bed1 where he soon reached a condition that left his friends no hope of his recuperation4 ,aware that the end was approaching1 he sent for his daughter1 who hastened to his side and shed torrents of tears4 ,but he bade her remember the lessons she had learned from his philosophy1 and wishing to give her one more lesson1 said in an almost expiring voice3 ,approach nearer1 ,ninon2 you see nothing left me but a sad memory of the pleasures that are leaving me4 ,their possession was not of long duration1 and that is the only complaint ,i have to make against nature4 ,but1 alas6 my regrets are vain4 ,you who must survive me1 utilize precious time1 and have no scruples about the quantity of your pleasures1 but only of their quality4 ,saying which1 he immediately expired4 ,the philosophical security exhibited by her father in his very last moments1 inspired ,ninon with the same calmness of spirit1 and she bore his loss with equanimity1 disdaining to exhibit any immoderate grief lest she dishonor his memory and render herself an unworthy daughter and pupil4 ,the fortune left her by her father was not so considerable as ,ninon had expected4 ,it had been very much diminished by extravagance and speculation1 but as she had in mind de la ,rochefoucauld's maxim3 ,there are some good marriages1 but no delicious ones1 and did not contemplate ever wearing the chains of matrimony1 she deposited her fortune in the sinking funds1 reserving an income of about eight thousand livres per annum as sufficient to maintain her beyond the reach of want4 ,from this time on she abandoned herself to a life of pleasure1 well regulated1 it must be confessed1 and in strict accordance with her ,epicurean ideas4 ,her light heartedness increased with her love and devotion to pleasure1 which is not astonishing1 as there are privileged souls who do not lose their tender emotions by such a pursuit1 though those souls are rare4 ,ninon's unrestrained freedom1 and the privilege she claimed to enjoy all the rights which men assumed1 did not give her the slightest uneasiness4 ,it was her lovers who became anxious unless they regulated their love according to the rules she established for them to follow1 rules which it can not be denied1 were held in as much esteem then as nowadays4 ,the following anecdote will serve as an illustration3 ,the ,marquis de la ,chtre had been one of her lovers for an unconscionably long period1 but never seemed to cool in his fidelity4 ,duty1 however1 called him away from ,ninon's arms1 but he was distressed with the thought that his absence would be to his disadvantage4 ,he was afraid to leave her lest some rival should appear upon the scene and dispossess him in her affections4 ,ninon vainly endeavored to remove his suspicions4 ,no1 cruel one1 he said1 you will forget and betray me4 ,i know your heart1 it alarms me1 crushes me4 ,it is still faithful to my love1 ,i know1 and ,i believe you are not deceiving me at this moment4 ,but that is because ,i am with you and can personally talk of my love4 ,who will recall it to you when ,i am gone8 ,the love you inspire in others1 ,ninon1 is very different from the love you feel4 ,you will always be in my heart1 and absence will be to me a new fire to consume me2 but to you1 absence is the end of affection4 ,every object ,i shall imagine ,i see around you will be odious to me1 but to you they will be interesting4 ,ninon could not deny that there was truth in the ,marquis' logic1 but she was too tender to assassinate his heart which she knew to be so loving4 ,being a woman she understood perfectly the art of dissimulation1 which is a necessary accomplishment1 a thousand circumstances requiring its exercise for the sake of her security1 peace1 and comfort4 ,moreover1 she did not at the moment dream of deceiving him2 there was no present occasion1 nobody else she had in mind4 ,ninon thought rapidly1 but could not find any reason for betraying him1 and therefore assured him of her fidelity and constancy4 ,nevertheless1 the amorous ,marquis1 who might have relied upon the solemn promise of his mistress1 had it not been for the intense fears which were ever present in his mind1 and becoming more violent as the hour for his departure drew nearer1 required something more substantial than words4 ,but what could he exact8 ,ah6 an idea1 a novel expedient occurred to his mind1 one which he imagined would restrain the most obstinate inconstancy4 ,listen1 ,ninon1 you are without contradiction a remarkable woman4 ,if you once do a thing you will stand to it4 ,what will tend to quiet my mind and remove my fears1 ought to be your duty to accept1 because my happiness is involved and that is more to you than love2 it is your own philosophy1 ,ninon4 ,now1 ,i wish you to put in writing that you will remain faithful to me1 and maintain the most inviolable fidelity4 ,i will dictate it in the strongest form and in the most sacred terms known to human promises4 ,i will not leave you until ,i have obtained such a pledge of your constancy1 which is necessary to relieve my anxiety1 and essential to my repose4 ,ninon vainly argued that this would be something too strange and novel1 foolish1 in fact1 the ,marquis was obstinate and finally overcame her remonstrances4 ,she wrote and signed a written pledge such as no woman had ever executed1 and fortified with this pledge1 the ,marquis hastened to respond to the call of duty4 ,two days had scarcely elapsed before ,ninon was besieged by one of the most dangerous men of her acquaintance4 ,skilled in the art of love1 he had often pressed his suit1 but ,ninon had other engagements and would not listen to him4 ,but now1 his rival being out of the field1 he resumed his entreaties and increased his ardor4 ,he was a man to inspire love1 but ,ninon resisted1 though his pleading touched her heart4 ,her eyes at last betrayed her love and she was vanquished before she realized the outcome of the struggle4 ,what was the astonishment of the conqueror1 who was enjoying the fruits of his victory1 to hear ,ninon exclaim in a breathless voice1 repeating it three times3 ,ah6 ,ah6 le bon billet qu'a la ,chtre6 7,oh1 the fine bond that la ,chtre has47 ,pressed for an explanation of the enigma1 ,ninon told him the whole story1 which was too good to keep secret1 and soon the billet de la ,chtre became1 in the mouth of everybody1 a saying applied to things upon which it is not wise to rely4 ,voltaire1 to preserve so charming an incident1 has embalmed it in his comedy of la ,prude1 act ,i1 scene ,,iii4 ,ninon merely followed the rule established by ,madame de ,svign3 ,les femmes ont permission d'tre faibles1 et elles se servent sans scrupule de ce privilge4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,ninon's ,friendships ,mademoiselle de l',enclos never forgot a friend in a lover1 indeed1 the trait that stands out clear and strong in her character1 is her whole hearted friendship for the men she loved1 and she bestowed it upon them as long as they lived1 for she outlived nearly all of them1 and cherished their memories afterward4 ,as has been said1 ,ninon de l',enclos was ,epicurean in the strictest sense1 and did not rest her entire happiness on love alone1 but included a friendship which went to the extent of making sacrifices4 ,the men with whom she came in contact from time to time during her long life1 were nothing to her from a pecuniary point of view1 for she possessed an income sufficiently large to satisfy her wants and to maintain the social establishment she never neglected4 ,there was never1 either directly or indirectly1 any money consideration asked or expected in payment of her favors1 and the man who would have dared offer her money as a consideration for anything1 would have met with scorn and contempt and been expelled from her house and society without ever being permitted to regain either4 ,the natural wants of her heart and mind1 and what she was pleased to call the natural gratifications of physical wants1 were her mentors1 and to them she listened1 never dreaming of holding them at a pecuniary value4 ,one of her dearest friends was ,scarron1 once the husband of ,madame de ,maintenon1 the pious leader of a debased court and the saintly mistress of the king of ,france4 ,in his younger days1 ,scarron contributed largely to the pleasures of the ,oiseaux des ,tournelles1 the ecclesiastical collar he then wore not being sufficient to prevent his enjoying worldly pleasures4 ,in the course of time ,scarron fell ill1 and was reduced to a dreadful condition1 no one coming to his succor but ,ninon4 ,like a tender1 compassionate friend1 she sympathized deeply with him1 when he was carried to the suburb ,saint ,germain to try the effects of the baths as an alleviation of his pains4 ,scarron did not complain1 on the contrary1 he was cheerful and always gay even when suffering tortures4 ,there was little left of him1 however1 but an indomitable spirit burning in a crushed tenement of mortal clay4 ,not being able to come to her1 ,ninon went to him1 and passed entire days at his side4 ,not only that1 she brought her friends with her and established a small court around his bed1 thus cheering him in his pain and doing him a world of good1 which finally enabled his spirit to triumph over his mortal shell4 ,instances might be multiplied1 enough to fill a volume1 of her devotion to her friends1 whom she never abandoned and whom she was always ready with purse and counsel to aid in their difficulties4 ,a curious instance is that of ,nicolas ,vauquelin1 sieur de ,desyvetaux1 whom she missed from her circle for several days4 ,aware that he had been having some family troubles1 and that his fortune was menaced1 she became alarmed1 thinking that perhaps some misfortune had come upon him1 for which reason she resolved to seek him and help him out of his difficulties4 ,but ,ninon was mistaken in supposing that so wise and gay an ,epicurean could be crushed by any sorrow or trouble4 ,desyvetaux was enjoying himself in so singular a fashion that it is worth telling4 ,this illustrious ,epicurean1 finding one night a young girl in a fainting condition at his door1 brought her into his house to succor her1 moved by an impulse of humanity4 ,but as soon as she had recovered her senses1 the philosopher's heart was touched by her beauty4 ,to please her benefactor the girl played several selections on a harp and accompanied the instrument with a charming and seductive voice4 ,desyvetaux1 who was a passionate admirer of music1 was captivated by this accomplishment1 and suddenly conceived the desire to spend the rest of his days in the company of this charming singer4 ,it was not difficult for a girl who had been making it her business to frequent the wineshops of the suburbs with a brother1 earning a precarious living by singing and playing on the harp1 to accept such a proposition1 and consent to bestow happiness upon an excessively amorous man1 who offered to share with her a luxurious and tranquil life in one of the finest residences in the suburb ,saint ,germain4 ,although most of his life had been passed at court as the governor of ,m4 de ,vendme1 and tutor of ,louis ,,xiii1 he had always desired to lead a life of peace and quiet in retirement4 ,the pleasures of a sylvan life which he had so often described in his lectures1 ended by leading his mind in that direction4 ,the young girl he found on his doorstep had offered him his first opportunity to have a ,phyllis to his ,corydon and he eagerly embraced it4 ,both yielded to the fancy1 she dressed in the garb of a shepherdess1 he playing the rle of ,corydon at the age of seventy years4 ,sometimes stretched out on a carpet of verdure1 he listened to the enchanting music she drew from her instrument1 or drank in the sweet voice of his shepherdess singing melodious pastorals4 ,a flock of birds1 charmed with this harmony1 left their cages to caress with their wings1 ,dupuis' harp1 or intoxicated with joy1 fluttered down into her bosom4 ,this little gallantry in which they had been trained was a delicious spectacle to the shepherd philosopher and intoxicated his senses4 ,he fancied he was guiding with his mistress innumerable bands of intermingled sheep2 their conversation was in tender eclogues composed by them both extemporaneously1 the attractive surroundings inspiring them with poetry4 ,ninon was amazed when she found her bon homme1 as she called him1 in the startlingly original disguise of a shepherd1 a crook in his hand1 a wallet hanging by his side1 and a great flapping straw hat1 trimmed with rose colored silk on his head4 ,her first impression was that he had taken leave of his senses1 and she was on the point of shedding tears over the wreck of a once brilliant mind1 when ,desyvetaux1 suspending his antics long enough to look about him1 perceived her and rushed to her side with the liveliest expressions of joy4 ,he removed her suspicions of his sanity by explaining his metamorphosis in a philosophical fashion3 ,you know1 my dear ,ninon1 there are certain tastes and pleasures which find their justification in a certain philosophy when they bear all the marks of moral innocence4 ,nothing can be said against them but their singularity4 ,there are no amusements less dangerous than those which do not resemble those generally indulged in by the multitude4 ,ninon was pleased with the amiable companion of her old friend4 ,her figure1 her mental attainments1 and her talents enchanted her1 and ,desyvetaux1 who appeared in a ridiculous light when she first saw him in his masquerade1 now seemed to her to be on the road to happiness4 ,she made no attempt to persuade him to return to his former mode of life1 which she could not avoid at this moment1 however1 as considering more agreeable than the new one he had adopted4 ,but what could she offer in the way of superior seductive pleasures to a pair who had tasted pure and natural enjoyments8 ,the vain amusements and allurements of the world have no sympathy with anything but dissipation1 in which1 the mind1 yielding to the fleeting seductions of art1 leaves the heart empty as soon as the illusion disappears4 ,the strange conduct of ,desyvetaux gave birth to numerous reflections of this nature in ,ninon's mind1 but she did not cease to be his friend1 on the contrary1 she entered into the spirit of his simple life and visited him from time to time to enjoy the spectacle of such a tender masquerade which ,desyvetaux continued up to the time of his death4 ,it gave ,mademoiselle ,dupuis nearly as much celebrity as her lover attained1 for when the end came1 she obeyed his desire to play a favorite dance on her harp1 to enable his soul to take flight in the midst of its delicious harmony4 ,it should be mentioned1 that ,desyvetaux wore in his hat as long as he lived1 a yellow ribbon1 out of love for the gentle ,ninon who gave it to me4 ,socrates advises persons of means to imitate the swans1 which1 realizing the benefit of an approaching death1 sing while in their death agony4 ,the ,abb ,brantme relates an interesting story of the death of ,mademoiselle de ,lineul1 the elder1 one of the queen's daughters1 which resembles that of ,desyvetaux4 ,when the hour of her death had arrived1 says ,brantme1 ,mademoiselle sent for her valet1 ,julian1 who could play the violin to perfection4 ',julian1' quoth she1 'take your violin and play on it until you see me dead--for ,i am going--the ,defeat of the ,swiss1 and play it as well as you know how2 and when you shall reach the words tout est perdu1 play it over four or five times as piteously as you can3' which the other did4 ,and when he came to 'tout est perdu' she sang it over twice2 then turning to the other side of the couch1 she said to those who stood around3 ',tout est perdu ce coup et bon escient2' all is lost this time1 sure4' ,,chapter ,x ,some of ,ninon's ,lovers ,notwithstanding her love of pleasure1 and her admiration for the society of men1 ,ninon was never vulgar or common in the distribution of her favors1 but selected those upon whom she decided to bestow them1 with the greatest care and discrimination4 ,as has been already said1 she discovered in early life1 that women were at a discount1 and she resolved to pursue the methods of men in the acceptance or rejection of friendship1 and in distributing her favors and influences4 ,as she herself declared3 ,i soon saw that women were put off with the most frivolous and unreal privileges1 while every solid advantage was retained by the stronger sex4 ,from that moment ,i determined on abandoning my own sex and assuming that of the men4 ,so well did she carry out this determination that she was regarded by her masculine intimates as one of themselves1 and whatever pleasures they enjoyed in her society1 were enjoyed upon the same principle as they would have delighted in a good dinner1 an agreeable theatrical performance1 or exquisite music4 ,to her and to all her associates1 love was a taste emanating from the senses1 a blind sentiment which assumes no merit in the object which gives it birth1 as is the case of hunger1 thirst1 and the like4 ,in a word1 it was merely a caprice the domination of which depends upon ourselves1 and is subject to the discomforts and regrets attendant upon repletion or indulgence4 ,after her first experience with de ,coligny1 which was an abandonment of her cold philosophy for a passionate attachment she thought would endure forever1 ,ninon cast aside all that element in love which is connected with passion and extravagant sentiment1 and adhered to her philosophical understanding of it1 and kept it in its proper place in the category of natural appetites4 ,to illustrate her freedom from passionate attachments in the distribution of her favors1 the case of her friend ,scarron will give an insight into her philosophy4 ,scarron had received numerous favors from her1 and being one of her select ,birds1 who had always agreed with la ,rochefoucauld that1 ,there are many good marriages but none that are delicious1 she assumed that her friend would never entangle himself in the bonds of matrimony4 ,but he did and to his sorrow4 ,when ,ninon had returned to ,paris after a long sojourn with the ,marquis de ,villarceaux1 she found to her astonishment that ,scarron had married the amiable but ignoble ,mademoiselle d',aubigne4 ,this young lady was in a situation which precluded all hope of her ever attaining social eminence1 but aspiring to rise1 notwithstanding her common origin1 she married ,scarron as the first step upon the social ladder4 ,without realizing that this woman was to become the celebrated ,madame de ,maintenon1 mistress of the king and the real power behind the throne1 ,ninon took her in charge and they soon became the closest and most affectionate friends1 always together even occupying the same bed4 ,ninon's tender friendship for the husband continued in spite of his grave violation of the principles of his accepted philosophy1 and when he was deserted1 sick and helpless1 she went to him and brought him cheer and comfort4 ,ninon was so little imbued with jealousy that when she discovered a liaison between her own lover1 ,marquis de ,villarceaux and her friend1 ,madame ,scarron1 she was not even angry4 ,the two were carrying on their amour in secret1 and as they supposed without ,ninon's knowledge1 whose presence1 indeed1 they deemed a restraint upon their freedom of action4 ,the ,marquis considered himself a traitor to ,ninon1 and ,madame ,scarron stood in fear of her reproaches for her betrayal4 ,but ,ninon1 instead of taking either of them to task1 as she would have been justified in doing1 gently remonstrated with them for their secrecy1 and by her kindness reassured both of them and relieved them from their embarrassment1 making them understand that she desired nothing so much as their happiness4 ,both the ,marquis and his mistress made ,ninon their confidante1 and thereafter lived in perfect amity until the lovers grew tired of each other1 ,madame ,scarron aiming higher than an ordinary ,marquis1 now that she saw her way clear to mounting the social ladder4 ,it was perhaps due to ,ninon's kindness in the ,villarceaux episode1 that enabled her to retain the friendship of ,madame de ,maintenon when the latter had reached the steps of the throne4 ,the mistress of royalty endeavored to persuade ,ninon to appear at court but there was too great a difference in temper and constitution between the two celebrated women to admit of any close relations4 ,ninon made use of the passion of love for the purpose of pleasure only1 while her more exalted rival made it subservient to her ambitious projects1 and did not hesitate with that view to cloak her licentious habits beneath the mantle of religion1 and add hypocrisy to frailty4 ,the income of ,ninon de l',enclos was agreeably and judiciously spent in the society of men of wit and letters1 but the revenues of the ,marchioness de ,maintenon were squandered on the useless decoration of her own person1 or hoarded for the purpose of elevating into rank and notice an insignificant family1 who had no other claim to such distinction than that derived from the easy honesty of a female relation1 and the dissolute extravagance of a vain and licentious sovereign4 ,while ,ninon de l',enclos was receiving and encouraging the attentions of the most distinguished men of her time1 literati1 nobles1 warriors1 statesmen1 and sages1 in her house in the ,rue des ,tournelles1 the mistress of the sovereign1 the dear friend who had betrayed her to the ,marquis de ,villarceaux1 was swallowing1 at ,versailles1 the adulations of degraded courtiers of every rank and profession4 ,there were met together there the vain and the ambitious1 the designing and the foolish1 the humblest and the proudest of those who1 whether proud or humble1 or ambitious1 or vain1 or crafty1 were alike the devoted servants of the monarch or the monarch's mistress--princes1 cardinals1 bishops1 dukes and every kind of nobility1 excisemen and priests1 keepers of the royal conscience and necessary--all ministers of filth1 each in his degree1 from the secretaries of state to the lowest underlings in office--clerks of the ordnance1 victualing1 stamps1 customs1 colonies1 and postoffice1 farmers and receivers general1 judges and cooks1 confessors and every other caterer to the royal appetite4 ,this was the order of things that ,ninon de l',enclos was contending against1 and that she succeeded by methods that must be considered saintly compared with the others1 stands recorded in the pages of history4 ,after ,ninon had suffered from the indiscretion of the lover who made public the story of the famous pledge given la ,chtre1 she lost her fancy for the recreant1 and though friendly1 refused any closer tie4 ,he knew that he had done ,ninon an injury and begged to be reinstated in her favor4 ,he was of charming manners and fascinating in his pleading1 but he made no impression on her heart4 ,she agreed to pardon him for his folly and declined to consider the matter further4 ,nor would she return to the conversation1 although he persisted in referring to the matter as one he deeply regretted4 ,when he was departing after ,ninon had assured him of her pardon1 she ran after him and called out as he was descending the stairs3 ,at least1 ,marquis1 we have not been reconciled4 ,her good qualities were embalmed in the literature of the day1 very few venturing to lampoon her4 ,those who did so were greeted with so much derisive laughter that they were ashamed to appear in society until the storm had blown over4 ,m4 de ,tourielle1 a member of the ,french ,academy1 and a very learned man1 became enamored of her and his love-making assumed a curious phase4 ,to show her that he was worthy of her consideration1 he deemed it incumbent upon him to read her long dissertations on scientific subjects1 and bored her incessantly with a translation of the orations of ,demosthenes1 which he intended dedicating to her in an elaborate preface4 ,this was more than ,ninon could bear with equanimity--a lover with so much erudition1 and his prosy essays1 appealed more to her sense of humor than to her sentiments of love1 and he was laughed out of her social circle4 ,this angered the ,academician and he thought to revenge himself by means of an epigram in which he charged ,ninon with admiring figures of rhetoric more than a sensible academic discourse full of ,greek and ,latin quotations4 ,it would have proved the ruin of the poor man had ,ninon not come to his rescue1 and explained to him the difference between learning and love4 ,after which he became sensible and wrote some very good books4 ,it should be understood that ,ninon had no secrets in which her merry and wise ,birds did not share4 ,she confided to them all her love affairs1 gave them the names of her suitors1 in fact1 every wooer was turned over to this critical1 select society1 as a committee of investigation into quality and merit both of mind and body4 ,in this way she was protected from the unworthy1 and when she made a selection1 they respected her freedom of choice1 carefully guarding her lover and making him one of themselves after the fitful fever was over4 ,they were all graduates in her school1 good fellows1 and had accepted ,ninon's philosophy without question4 ,her lovers were always men of rank and station or of high talents1 but she was caught once by the dazzle of a famous dancer named ,pcour1 who pleased her exceedingly1 and who became the fortunate rival of the ,duc de ,choiseul1 afterward a marshal of ,france4 ,it happened that ,choiseul was more remarkable for his valor than for his probity and solid virtues1 and could not inspire in ,ninon's heart anything but the sterile sentiments of esteem and respect4 ,he was certainly worthy of these1 but he was too cold in his amorous desires to please ,ninon4 ,he is a very worthy gentleman1 said she1 but he never gives me a chance to love him4 ,the frequent visits of ,pcour excited the jealousy of the warrior1 but he did not dare complain1 not knowing whether things had reached a climax and fearing that if he should mention the matter he might help them along instead of stopping them4 ,one day1 however1 he attempted to goad his unworthy rival into some admission1 and received a response that was enough to settle his doubts4 ,pcour was in the habit of wearing a costume much resembling that of the military dandies of the period4 ,choiseul meeting him in this equivocal garb1 proceeded to be funny at his expense by putting to him all sorts of ironical and embarrassing questions4 ,but ,pcour felt all the vanity of a successful rival and was good natured4 ,then the ,duke began to make sneering remarks which roused the dancer's anger4 ,pray1 what flag are you fighting under1 and what body do you command8 asked ,monseigneur with a sarcastic smile4 ,quick as a flash came the answer which gave the ,duke an inkling into the situation4 ,je commande un corps o vous servez depuis longtemps1 replied ,pcour4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,ninon's ,lovers--,continued ,a counter attraction has been referred to in speaking of the ,htel ,rambouillet1 where a fashionable court was established for the purpose of drawing away from ,ninon the elite who flocked to her standard4 ,mademoiselle de ,scudery gives a fine description of this little court at ,rambouillet in her romance1 entitled ,cyrus4 ,there was not and could not be any rivalry between the court in the ,rue des ,tournelles and that at ,rambouillet1 for the reason that ,ninon's coterie consisted of men exclusively1 while that of ,rambouillet was thronged with women4 ,but this1 quite naturally1 occasioned much envy and jealousy among the ladies who devised all sorts of entertainments to attract masculine society4 ,one of their performances was the famous ,julia ,garland1 so named in honor of ,mademoiselle de ,rambouillet1 who was known by the name of ,julie d',angennes4 ,each one selected a favorite flower1 wrote a sonnet in its praise1 and when all were ready1 they stood around ,mademoiselle de ,rambouillet in a circle and alternately recited the poem1 the reward for the best one being the favor of some fair lady4 ,among those who were drawn to the ,htel ,rambouillet by this pleasing entertainment was the ,duke d',enghien1 afterward known as the ,great ,cond1 a prince of the highest renown as a victorious warrior4 ,he was a great acquisition1 and the ,garland ,play was repeated every night in the expectation that his pleasure would continue1 and the constant attraction prove adequate to hold him4 ,once or twice1 however1 was sufficient for the ,duke1 its constant repetition becoming flat and tiresome4 ,he did not scruple to express his dissatisfaction with a society that could not originate something new4 ,he was a broad minded man1 with a comprehensive knowledge1 but had little taste for poetry and childish entertainments4 ,but the good ladies of ,rambouillet1 unable to devise any other entertainment1 persisted in their ,garland ,play1 until the ,duke's human nature rebelled at the monotony1 and he begged his friends de ,moissens and ,saint-,evremond to suggest some relief4 ,they immediately brought him in touch with the ,birds of the ,tournelles1 with the result that he abandoned the ,htel ,rambouillet and found scope for his social desires at ,ninon's house and in her more attractive society4 ,the conquest of his heart followed that of his intelligence1 the hero of ,rocroi being unable to resist a tenderness which is the glory of a lover and the happiness of his mistress4 ,it is a curious fact1 known to some1 that all the heroes of ,bellona are not expert in the wars of ,venus1 the strongest and most valiant souls being weak in combats in which valor plays an unimportant part4 ,the poet ,chaulieu says upon this point3 ,pour avoir la valeur d',hercule1 ,on n'est pas oblig d'en avoir la vigueur4 7,to have the valor of ,hercules1 one need not have his vigor47 ,the young ,prince was born to attain immortal glory on the field of ,mars4 ,to that all his training had tended1 but notwithstanding his robust physique1 and the indicia of great strength with which nature had endowed him1 he was a weakling in the field of ,venus4 ,he came within the category of a ,latin proverb with which ,ninon was familiar3 ,pilosus aut fortis1 aut libidinosus4 7,a hairy man is either strong or sensual47 ,wherefore1 one day when ,ninon was enjoying his society1 she looked at him narrowly and exclaimed3 ,ah1 ,monseigneur1 il faut que vous soyez bien fort6 7,ah1 ,monseigneur1 you must be very strong47 ,notwithstanding this1 the two dwelt together for a long time in perfect harmony1 the intellectual benefit the ,duke derived from the close intimacy being no less than the pleasure he derived from her affection4 ,naturally inclined to deserve the merit and esteem as well as the love of her admirers1 ,ninon used all the influence she possessed to regulate their lives and to inspire them with the true desire to perform faithfully the duties of their rank and station4 ,what power over her intimates does not possess a charming woman disembarrassed of conventional prudery1 but vested with grace1 high sentiments1 and mental attainments6 ,it was through the gentle exercise of this power that the famous ,aspasia graved in the soul of ,pericles the seductive art of eloquent language1 and taught him the most solid maxims of politics1 maxims of which he made so noble a use4 ,the young ,duke1 penetrated with love and esteem for ,ninon1 passed at her side every moment he could steal away from the profound studies and occupations required by his rank and position4 ,although he afterward became the ,prince de ,cond1 the ,lion of his time1 and the bulwark of ,france1 he never ceased expressing for her the liveliest gratitude and friendship4 ,whenever he met her equipage in the streets of ,paris1 he never failed to descend from his own and go to pay her the most affectionate compliments4 ,the ,prince de ,marsillac1 afterward the ,duke de la ,rochefoucauld1 less philosophical then than later in life1 and who prided himself on his acquaintance with all the vices and follies of youth1 could not long withhold his admiration for the solid and estimable qualities he perceived in ,ninon1 whom he often saw in the company of the ,duke d',enghein4 ,the result of his admiration was that he formed a tender attachment which lasted as long as he lived4 ,it was ,ninon who continued the good work begun by ,madame de ,la ,fayette1 who confessed that her social relations with la ,rochefoucauld had been the means of embellishing her mind1 and that in compensation for this great service she had reformed his heart4 ,whatever share ,madame de ,la ,fayette may have had in reforming the heart of this great man1 it is certain that ,ninon de l',enclos had much to do with reforming his morals and elevating his mind up to the point it is evident he reached1 to judge from his ,maxims1 in which the human heart is bared as with a scalpel in the most skilfully devised epigrams that never cease to hold the interest of every reader4 ,chapelle1 the most celebrated voluptuary in ,paris1 did everything in his power to overcome ,ninon's repugnance1 but without success4 ,there was nothing lacking in his mental attainments1 for he was a poet of very high order1 inimitable in his style2 moreover1 he was presentable in his person4 ,yet he could not make the slightest impression on ,ninon's heart4 ,he openly declared his love1 and1 receiving constant rebuffs1 resolved to have revenge and overcome her resistance by punishing her4 ,this he attempted to do in a very singular manner without regard to consistency4 ,all ,paris knew his verses in which he did not conceal his ardent love for ,ninon1 and in which were expressed the highest admiration for her estimable qualities and the depth of her philosophy4 ,he now proceeded to take back everything good he had said about her and made fun of her love1 her friendship1 and her attainments4 ,he ridiculed her in every possible manner1 even charging up against her beauty1 her age4 ,a verse or so will enable the reader to understand his methods3 ,il ne faut pas qu'on s'tonne1 ,si souvent elle raisonne ,de la sublime vertu ,dont ,platon fut revtu3 ,car bien compter son ge1 ,elle peut avoir vcu ,avec ce grand personnage4 ,or1 substantially in the ,english language3 ,let no one be surprised1 ,if she should be advised ,of the virtue most renowned ,in ,plato to be found3 ,for1 counting up her age1 ,she lived1 'tis reason sound1 ,with that great personage4 ,ninon had no rancor in her heart toward any one1 much less against an unsuccessful suitor1 hence she only laughed at ,chapelle's effusions and all ,paris laughed with her4 ,the truth is1 la ,rochefoucauld had impressed her mind with that famous saying of his3 ,old age is the hell of women1 and not fearing any hell1 reference to her age neither alarmed her1 nor caused the slightest flurry in her peaceful life4 ,she was too philosophical to regret the loss of what she did not esteem of any value1 and saw ,chapelle slipping away from her with tranquillity of mind4 ,it was only during moments of gayety when she abandoned herself to the play of an imagination always laughing and fertile1 that she repeated the sacrilegious wish of the pious king of ,aragon1 who wished that he had been present at the moment of creation1 when1 among the suggestions he could have given ,providence1 he would have advised him to put the wrinkles of old age where the gods of ,pagandom had located the feeble spot in ,achilles4 ,if ,ninon ever felt a pang on account of the ungenerous conduct of ,chapelle1 his disciple1 the illustrious ,abb de ,chaulieu1 the ,anacreon of the age1 who was called1 when he made his entre into the world of letters the poet of good fellowship1 more than compensated her for the injury done by his pastor4 ,the ,abb was the ,prior of ,fontenay1 whither ,ninon frequently accompanied ,madame the ,duchess de ,bouillon and the ,chevalier d',orlans4 ,the ,duchess loved to joke at the expense of the ,abb1 and twit him about his wasted talents1 which were more adapted to love than to his present situation4 ,it may be that the worthy ,abb1 after thinking over seriously what was intended to be a mere pleasantry1 concluded that ,madame the ,duchess was right1 and that he possessed some talent in the direction of love4 ,however that might1 have been1 it is certain that he had cast an observant and critical eye on ,ninon1 and he now openly paid her court1 not unsuccessfully it should be known4 ,the ,abb ,gedoyn was her last lover so far as there is any account of her amours4 ,the story is related by ,remond1 surnamed ,the ,greek1 and must be taken with a grain of salt as ,ninon was at that time seventy-nine years of age4 ,this ,remond1 notwithstanding her age1 had made violent love to ,ninon without meeting with any success4 ,perhaps he was trying an experiment1 being a learned man1 anxious to ascertain when the fire of passion became extinct in the human breast4 ,ninon evidently suspected his ardent professions for she refused to listen to him and forbade his visits altogether4 ,i was the dupe of his ,greek erudition1 she explained1 so ,i banished him from my school4 ,he was always wrong in his philosophy of the world1 and was unworthy of as sensible a society as mine4 ,she often added to this3 ,after ,god had made man1 he repented him2 ,i feel the same about ,rmond4 ,but to return to the ,abb ,gedoyn3 he left the ,jesuits with the ,abb ,fraguier in #afid1 that is to say1 when ,mademoiselle de l',enclos was seventy-eight years of age4 ,both of them immediately made the acquaintance of ,ninon and ,madame de la ,salire1 and1 astonished at the profound merit they discovered1 deemed it to their advantage to frequent their society for the purpose of adding to their talents something which the study of the cloister and experience in the king's cabinet itself had never offered them4 ,abb ,gedoyn became particularly attached to ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 whose good taste and intellectual lights he considered such sure and safe guides4 ,his gratitude soon received the additions of esteem and admiration1 and the young disciple felt the growth of desires which it is difficult to believe were real1 but which became so pressing1 that they revived in a heart nearly extinct a feeble spark of that fire with which it had formerly burned4 ,mademoiselle de l',enclos refused to accede to the desires of her lover until she was fully eighty years of age1 a term which did not cool the ardor of the amorous ,abb1 who waited impatiently and on her eightieth birthday compelled his benefactress to keep her word4 ,this incident recalls the testimony of a celebrated ,countess of ,salisbury1 who was called to testify as an expert upon the subject of love in a celebrated criminal case that was tried over a hundred years ago in the ,english ,house of ,lords4 ,the woman correspondent was of an age when human passion is supposed to be extinct1 and her counsel was attempting to prove that fact to relieve her from the charge4 ,the testimony of the aged ,countess1 who was herself over seventy-five years of age1 was very unsatisfactory1 and the court put this question to her demanding an explicit answer4 ,madame1 he inquired1 at what age does the sentiment1 passion1 or desire of love cease in the female heart8 ,her ladyship1 who had lived long in high society and had been acquainted with all of the gallants and coquettes of the ,english court for nearly two generations1 and who1 herself1 had sometimes been suspected of not having been averse to a little waywardness1 looked down at her feet for a moment thoughtfully1 then raising her eyes and locking squarely into those of the judge1 answered3 ,my ,lord1 you will have to ask a woman older than ,i4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,the ,villarceaux ,affair ,party politics raged around ,ninon1 her ,birds being men of high rank and leaders with a large following4 ,they were all her dearest friends1 however1 and no matter how strong personal passion was beyond her immediate presence1 her circle was a neutral ground which no one thought of violating4 ,it required her utmost influence and tenderness1 however1 to prevent outbreaks1 but her unvarying sweetness of temper and disposition to all won their hearts into a truce for her sake4 ,there were continual plots hatched against the stern rule of ,richelieu1 cabals and conspiracies without number were entered upon1 but none of them resulted in anything4 ,richelieu knew very well what was going on1 and he realized perfectly that ,ninon's drawing-rooms were the center of every scheme concocted to drag him down and out of the dominant position he was holding against the combined nobility of ,france4 ,but he never took a step toward suppressing her little court as a hot-bed of restlessness1 he rather encouraged her by his silence and his indifference4 ,complaints of her growing coterie of uneasy spirits brought nothing from him but3 ,as long as they find amusements they are not dangerous4 ,it was the forerunner of ,napoleon's idea along the same line3 ,we must amuse the people2 then they will not meddle with our management of the government4 ,it is preposterous to think of this minister of peace1 this restless prelate1 half soldier1 half pastor1 meddling in all these cabals and seditious schemes organized for his own undoing1 but nevertheless1 he was really the fomenter of all of them4 ,they were his devices for preventing the nobility from combining against him4 ,he set one cabal to watch another1 and there was never a conspiracy entered into that he did not prepare a similar conspiracy through his numerous secret agents and thus split into harmless nothings and weak attempts what would have been fatal to a continuance of his power4 ,his tricks were nothing but the ordinary everyday methods of the modern ward politician making the dear people believe he is doing one thing when he is doing another4 ,the stern man pitted one antagonist against another until both sued for peace and pardon4 ,the nobility were honest in their likes and dislikes1 but they did not understand double dealings and therefore the craft of ,richelieu was not even suspected4 ,soon he corrupted by his secret intrigues the fidelity of the nobles and destroyed the integrity of the people4 ,then it was1 as ,cyrano says3 ,the world saw billows of scum vomited upon the royal purple and upon that of the church4 ,vile rhyming poets1 without merit or virtue1 sold their villainous productions to the enemies of the state to be used in goading the people to riot4 ,obscene and filthy vaudevilles1 defamatory libels and infamous slanders were as common as bread1 and were hurled back and forth as evidence of an internecine strife which was raging around the wearer of the ,roman scarlet1 who was thereby justified in continuing his ecclesiastical rule to prevent the wrecking of the throne4 ,ninon had always been an ardent supporter of the throne1 and on that account imagined herself to be the enemy of ,richelieu4 ,there were many others who believed the same thing4 ,they did not know that should the great ,cardinal withdraw his hand for a single moment there would not be any more throne4 ,when the human hornets around him became annoying he was accustomed to pretend to withdraw his sustaining hand1 then the throne would tremble and totter1 but he always came to the rescue2 indeed1 there was no other man who could rescue it4 ,cabals1 plots1 and conspiracies became so thick around ,ninon at one period that she was frightened4 ,scarron's house became a rendezvous for the factious and turbulent4 ,madame ,scarron was aiming at the throne1 that is1 she was opening the way to capture the heart of the king4 ,this was too much for ,ninon1 who was more modest in her ambitions1 and she fled frightened4 ,the ,marquis de ,villarceaux received her with open arms at his chteau some distance from ,paris1 and that was her home for three years4 ,there were loud protests at this desertion from her coterie of friends1 and numerous dark threats were uttered against the gallant ,marquis who had thus captured the queen of the ,birds1 but ,ninon explained her reason in such a plausible manner that their complaints subsided into good-natured growls4 ,she hoped to prevent a political conflagration emanating from her social circle by scattering the firebrands1 and she succeeded admirably4 ,the ,marquis was constantly with her1 permitting nobody to intervene between them1 and provided her with a perpetual round of amusements that made the time pass very quickly4 ,moreover1 she was faithful to the ,marquis1 so wonderful a circumstance that her friend and admirer wrote an elegy upon that circumstance1 in which he draws a picture of the pleasures of the ancients in ruralizing1 but reproaches ,ninon for indulging in a passion for so long a period to the detriment of her other friends and admirers4 ,but ,ninon was happy in attaining the summit of her desire1 which was to defeat ,madame ,scarron1 her rival in the affections of the ,marquis1 keeping the latter by her side for three whole years as has already been said4 ,however delighted ,ninon may have been with this arrangement1 the ,marquis1 himself1 did not repose upon a bed of roses4 ,the jealousy of the ,birds gave him no respite1 he being obliged in honor to respond to their demands for an explanation of his conduct in carrying off their leader1 generally insisting upon the so-called field of honor as the most appropriate place for giving a satisfactory answer4 ,they even invaded his premises until they forced him to make them some concessions in the way of permission to see the object of their admiration1 and to share in her society4 ,the ,marquis was proud of his conquest1 the very idea of a three years' tte tte with the most volatile heart in ,france being sufficient to justify him in boasting of his prowess1 but whenever he ventured to do so a champion on the part of ,ninon always stood ready to make him either eat his words or fight to maintain them4 ,madame ,scarron1 whom he so basely deserted for the superior charms of her friend ,ninon1 often gave him a bad quarter of an hour4 ,when she became the mistress of the king and1 as ,madame de ,maintenon1 really held the reins of power1 visions of the ,bastile thronged his brain4 ,he knew perfectly well that he had scorned the charms of ,madame ,scarron1 who believed them irresistible1 and that he deserved whatever punishment she might inflict upon him4 ,she might have procured a lettre de cachet1 had him immured in a dungeon or his head removed from his shoulders as easily as order a dinner1 but she did nothing to gratify a spirit of revenge1 utterly ignoring his existence4 ,added to these trifling circumstances1 trifling in comparison with what follows1 was the furious jealousy of his wife1 ,madame la ,marquise4 ,she was violently angry and did not conceal her hatred for the woman who had stolen her husband's affections4 ,the ,marquise was a trifle vulgar and common in her manner of manifesting her displeasure1 but the ,marquis1 a very polite and affable gentleman1 did not pay the slightest attention to his wife's daily recriminations1 but continued to amuse himself with the charming ,ninon4 ,under such circumstances each was compelled to have a separate social circle1 the ,marquis entertaining his friends with the adorable ,ninon as the center of attraction1 and ,madame la ,marquise doing her best to offer counter attractions4 ,somehow1 ,ninon drew around her all the most desirable partis among the flower of the nobility and wits1 leaving the social circle managed by la ,marquise to languish for want of stamina4 ,it was a constant source of annoyance to the ,marquise to see her rival's entertainments so much in repute and her own so poorly attended1 and she was at her wits' end to devise something that would give them clat4 ,one of her methods1 and an impromptu scene at one of her drawing-rooms1 will serve to show the reason why ,madame la ,marquise was not in good repute and why she could not attract the lite of ,paris to her entertainments4 ,la ,marquise was a very vain1 moreover1 a very ignorant woman1 a nouvelle riche in fact1 or what might be termed in modern parlance shoddy1 without tact1 sense1 or savoir faire4 ,one day at a grand reception1 some of her guests desired to see her young son1 of whom she was very proud1 and of whose talents and virtues she was always boasting4 ,he was sent for and came into the presence accompanied by his tutor1 an ,italian savant who never left his side4 ,from praising his beauty of person1 they passed to his mental qualities4 ,madame la ,marquise1 enchanted at the caresses her son was receiving and aiming to create a sensation by showing off his learning1 took it into her head to have his tutor put him through an examination in history4 ,interrogate my son upon some of his recent lessons in history1 said she to the tutor1 who was not at all loth to show his own attainments by the brilliancy of his pupil4 ,come1 now1 ,monsieur le ,marquis1 said the tutor with alacrity1 ,quem habuit successorem ,belus rex ,assiriorum8 7,whom did ,belus1 king of the ,assyrians1 have for successor87 ,it so happened that the tutor had taught the boy to pronounce the ,latin language after the ,italian fashion4 ,wherefore1 when the lad answered ,ninum1 who was really the successor of ,belus1 king of the ,assyrians1 he pronounced the last two letters um like the ,french nasal on1 which gave the name of the ,assyrian king the same sound as that of ,ninon de l',enclos1 the terrible bte noir of the jealous ,marquise4 ,this was enough to set her off into a spasm of fury against the luckless tutor1 who could not understand why he should be so berated over a simple question and its correct answer4 ,the ,marquise not understanding ,latin1 and guided only by the sound of the answer1 which was similar to the name of her hated rival1 jumped at the conclusion that he was answering some question about ,ninon de l',enclos4 ,you are giving my son a fine education1 she snapped out before all her guests1 by entertaining him with the follies of his father4 ,from the answer of the young ,marquis ,i judge of the impertinence of your question4 ,go1 leave my sight1 and never enter it again4 ,the unfortunate tutor vainly protested that he did not comprehend her anger1 that he meant no affront1 that there was no other answer to be made than ,ninum1 unfortunately1 again pronouncing the word ,ninon1 which nearly sent the lady into a fit of apoplexy with rage at hearing the tabooed name repeated in her presence4 ,the incensed woman carried the scene to a ridiculous point1 refusing to listen to reason or explanation4 ,no1 he said ',ninon1' and ,ninon it was4 ,the story spread all over ,paris1 and when it reached ,ninon1 she laughed immoderately1 her friends dubbing her ,the successor of ,belus4 ,ninon told ,molire the ridiculous story and he turned it to profit in one of his comedies in the character of ,countess d',escarbagnas4 ,at the expiration of three years1 peace had come to ,france after a fashion1 the cabals were not so frequent and the rivalry between the factions not so bitter4 ,whatever differences there had been were patched up or smoothed over4 ,ninon's return to the house in the ,rue des ,tournelles was hailed with joy by her ,birds1 who received her as one returned from the dead4 ,saint-,evremond composed an elegy beginning with these lines3 ,chre ,philis1 qu'tes vous devenues8 ,cet enchanteur qui vous a retenue ,depuis trois ans par un charme nouveau ,vous retient-il en quelque vieux chteau8 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,the ,marquis de ,svign ,it has been attempted to cast odium upon the memory of ,mademoiselle de l',enclos because of her connection with the second ,marquis de ,svign1 son of the celebrated ,madame de ,svign1 whose letters have been read far and wide by those who fancy they can find something in them with reference to the morals and practices of the court of ,versailles during her period4 ,the ,marquis de ,svign1 by a vitiated taste quite natural in men of weak powers1 had failed to discover in a handsome woman1 spirited1 perhaps of too jealous a nature or disposition to be esteemed1 the proper sentiments1 or sentiments strong enough to retain his affections4 ,he implored ,ninon to aid him in preserving her affections and to teach him how to secure her love4 ,ninon undertook to give him instructions in the art of captivating women's hearts1 to show him the nature of love and its operations1 and to give him an insight into the nature of women4 ,the ,marquis profited by these lessons to fall in love with ,ninon1 finding her a thousand times more charming than his actress or his princess4 ,madame de ,svign's letter referring to the love of her son for ,ninon testifies by telling him plainly ,ninon spoiled your father1 that this passion was not so much unknown to her as it was a matter of indifference4 ,the young ,chevalier de ,vass often gave brilliant receptions in honor of ,ninon at ,saint ,cloud1 which the ,marquis de ,svign always attended as the mutual friend of both4 ,de ,vass was well acquainted with ,ninon's peculiarities and knew that the gallantry of such a man as de ,svign was a feeble means of retaining the affections of a heart that was the slave of nothing but its own fugitive desires4 ,but he was a man devoted to his friends and1 being ,epicurean in his philosophy1 he did not attempt to interfere with the affection he perceived growing between ,ninon and his friend4 ,it never occurred to the ,marquis that he was guilty of a betrayal of friendship by paying court to ,ninon1 and the latter took the ,marquis' attentions as a matter of course without considering the ingratitude of her conduct4 ,she rather flattered herself at having been sufficiently attractive to capture a man of de ,seine's family distinction4 ,she had captured the heart of de ,soign1 the father1 and had received so many animadversions upon her conduct from ,madame de ,svign1 that it afforded her great pleasure to spoil the son as she had the father4 ,but her satisfaction was short-lived1 for she had the chagrin to learn soon after her conquest that de ,svign had perished on the field of honor at the hands of ,chevalier d',albret4 ,her sorrow was real1 of course1 but the fire lighted by the senses is small and not enduring1 and when the occasion arises regret is not eternalized1 besides there were others waiting with impatience4 ,his successful rival out of the way1 de ,vass supposed he had a clear field1 but he did not attain his expected happiness4 ,he was no longer pleasing to ,ninon and she did no3 hesitate to make him understand that he could never hope to win her heart4 ,according to her philosophy there is nothing so shameful in a tender friendship as the art of dissimulation4 ,as has been said1 much odium has been cast upon ,mademoiselle de l',enclos in this de ,svign matter4 ,it all grew out of the dislike of ,madame de ,svign for a woman who attracted even her own husband and son from her side and heart1 and for whom her dearest friends professed the most intimate attachment4 ,madame de ,grignan1 the proud1 haughty daughter of the house of de ,svign1 did not scruple to array herself on the side of ,mademoiselle de l',enclos with ,madame de ,coulanges1 another bright star among the noble and respectable families of ,france4 ,women have the privilege of being weak1 says ,madame de ,svign1 and they make use of that privilege without scruple4 ,women had never1 before the time of ,ninon1 exercised their rights of weakness to such an unlimited extent4 ,there was neither honor nor honesty to be found among them4 ,they were common to every man who attracted their fancy without regard to fidelity to any one in particular4 ,the seed sown by the infamous ,catherine de ,medici1 the utter depravity of the court of ,charles ,,ix1 and the profligacy of ,henry ,,iv1 bore an astonishing supply of bitter fruit4 ,the love of pleasure had1 so to speak1 carried every woman off her feet1 and there was no limit to their abuses4 ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 while devoting herself to a life of pleasure1 followed certain philosophical rules and regulations which removed from the unrestrained freedom of the times the stigma of commonness and conferred something of respectability upon practices that nowadays would be considered horribly immoral1 but which then were regarded as nothing uncommon1 nay1 were legitimate and proper4 ,the cavaliers cut one another's throats for the love of ,god and in the cause of religion1 and the women encouraged the arts1 sciences1 literature1 and the drama1 by conferring upon talent1 wit1 genius and merit favors which were deemed conducive as encouragements to the growth of intellect and spirituality4 ,ninon was affected by the spirit of the times1 and being a woman1 it was impossible for her to resist desire when aided by philosophy and force of example4 ,her intimacy with de ,svign grew out of her attempt to teach a young1 vigorous1 passionate man how to gain the love of a cold-blooded1 vain and conceited woman4 ,her letters will show the various stages of her desires as she went along vainly struggling to beat something like comprehension into the dull brain of a clod1 who could not understand the simplest principle of love1 or the smallest point in the female character4 ,at last she resolved to use an argument that was convincing with the brightest minds with whom she had ever dealt1 that is1 the power of her own love1 and if the ,marquis had lived1 perhaps he might have become an ornament to society and an honor to his family4 ,to do this1 however1 she violated her compact with de ,vass1 betrayed his confidence and opened the way for the animadversions of ,madame de ,svign4 ,at that time de ,svign was in love with an actress1 ,mademoiselle ,champml1 but desired to withdraw his affections1 or rather transfer them to a higher object1 a countess1 or a princess1 as the reader may infer from his mother's hints in one of her letters to be given hereafter4 ,to ,ninon1 therefore1 he went for instruction and advice as to the best course to pursue to get rid of one love and on with a new4 ,madame de ,svign and ,madame de ,la ,fayette vainly implored him to avoid ,ninon as he would the pest4 ,the more they prayed and entreated1 the closer he came to ,ninon until she became his ideal4 ,ninon1 herself was captivated by his pleasant conversation1 agreeable manners and seductive traits4 ,she knew that he had had a love affair with ,champml1 the actress1 and when she began to obtain an ascendency over his mind1 she wormed out of him all the letters he had ever received from the comedienne4 ,some say it was jealousy on ,ninon's part1 but any one who reads her letters to de ,svign will see between the lines a disposition on his part to wander away after a new charmer4 ,others1 however1 say that she intended to send them to the ,marquis de ,tonnerre1 whom the actress had betrayed for de ,svign4 ,but ,madame de ,svign1 to whom her son had confessed his folly in giving up the letters1 perhaps fearing to be embroiled in a disgraceful duel over an actress1 made him blush at his cruel sacrifice of a woman who loved him1 and made him understand that even in dishonesty there were certain rules of honesty to be observed4 ,she worked upon his mind until he felt that he had committed a dishonorable act1 and when he had reached that point1 it was easy to get the letters away from ,ninon partly by artifice1 partly by force4 ,madame de ,svign tells the story in a letter to her daughter1 ,madame de ,grignan3 ,elle 7,ninon7 voulut l'autre jour lui faire donner des lettres de la comedienne 7,champml72 il les lui donna2 elle en tait jalouse2 elle voulait les donner un amant de la princesse1 afin de lui faire donner quelque coups de baudrier4 ,il me le vint dire3 je lui fis voir que c'tait une infamie de couper ainsi la gorge une petite crature pour l'avoir aimer2 je representai qu'elle n'avait point sacrifi ses lettres1 comme on voulait lui faire croire pour l'animer4 ,il entra dans mes raisons2 il courut chez ,ninon1 et moiti par adresse1 et moiti par force1 il retira les lettres de cette pauvre diablesse4 ,it was easy for a doting mother like ,madame de ,svign to credit everything her son manufactured for her delectation4 ,the dramatic incident of de ,svign taking letters from ,ninon de l',enclos partly by ingenuity and partly by force1 resembled his tale that he had left ,ninon and that he did not care for her while all the time they were inseparable4 ,he was truly a lover of ,penelope1 the bow of ,ulysses having betrayed his weakness4 ,the malady of his soul1 says his mother1 afflicted his body4 ,he thought himself like the good ,esos2 he would have himself boiled in a caldron with aromatic herbs to restore his vigor4 ,but ,ninon's opinion of him was somewhat different4 ,she lamented his untimely end1 but did not hesitate to express her views4 ,he was a man beyond definition1 was her panegyric4 ,he possessed a soul of pulp1 a body of wet paper1 and a heart of pumpkin fricasseed in snow4 ,she finally became ashamed of ever having loved him1 and insisted that they were never more than brother and sister4 ,she tried to make something out of him by exposing all the secrets of the female heart1 and initiating him in the mysteries of human love1 but as she said3 ,his heart was a pumpkin fricasseed in snow4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,a ,family ,tragedy ,some of ,ninon's engagements following upon one another in quick succession were the cause of an unusual disagreement1 not to say quarrel1 between two rivals in her affections4 ,a ,marshal of ,france1 d',estres and the celebrated ,abb ,deffiat disputed the right of parentage1 the dispute waxing warm because both contended for the honor and could not see any way out of their difficulty1 neither consenting to make the slightest concession4 ,ninon1 however1 calmed the tempest by suggesting a way out of the difficulty through the hazard of the dice4 ,luck or good fortune for the waif declared in favor of the warrior1 who made a better guardian than the ,abb could possibly have done1 and brought him greater happiness4 ,ninon surrendered all her maternal rights in the child to the worthy ,marshal1 who became in reality a tender and affectionate father to the waif1 cared for him tenderly and raised him up to a good position in life4 ,he placed him in the marine service1 where1 as the ,chevalier de la ,bossire1 he reached the grade of captain of a vessel1 and died at an advanced age respected by his brother officers and by all who knew him4 ,he inherited some of the talents of his mother1 particularly music1 in which he was remarkably proficient4 ,his apartments at ,toulon1 where he was stationed1 were crowded with musical instruments and the works of the greatest masters4 ,all the musicians traveling back and forth between ,italy and ,france made his house their headquarters4 ,the ,chevalier accorded them a generous welcome on all occasions2 the only return demanded was an exhibition of their proficiency in instrumental music4 ,the happiness of this son solaced ,ninon for his unfortunate birth1 and it would have been happy for her had she never had a second4 ,but her profound love for the ,chevalier de ,gersay overcame any scruples that might have arisen in her mind against again yielding to the maternal instinct1 and another son came to her1 one who was destined to meet a most horrible fate and cause her the most exquisite mental torture4 ,this de ,gersay1 who was famous for the temerity of his passion for the queen1 ,anne of ,austria1 a fact he announced from the housetops of ,paris in his delirium1 was as happy as a king over the boy that came to him so unexpectedly1 and lavished upon him the most extravagant affection4 ,he took him to his heart and trained him up in all the accomplishments taught those of the highest rank and most noble blood4 ,the boy grew up and received the name of ,chevalier de ,villiers1 becoming a credit to his father4 ,his mother was beyond sixty years of age when de ,villiers began to enter society1 and her beauty was still remarkable according to the chronicles of the times and the allusions made to it in the current literature4 ,she was as attractive in her appearance1 and as lovable as at twenty years of age1 few1 even among the younger habitus of her drawing-rooms being able to resist the charms of her person4 ,her house was thronged with the lite of ,french society1 young men of noble families being designedly sent into her society to acquire taste1 grace1 and polish which they were unable to acquire elsewhere4 ,ninon possessed a singular genius for inspiring men with high and noble sentiments1 and her schooling in the art of etiquette was marvelous in its details and perfection4 ,her power was practically a repetition of the history of the ,empress ,theodora1 whose happy admirers and intimates could be distinguished from all others by their exquisite politeness1 culture1 finish and social polish4 ,it was the same in ,ninon's school1 the graduates of which occupied the highest rank in letters1 society1 statesmanship1 and military genius4 ,de ,gersay intending his son to fill a high position in society and public honors1 sent him to this school1 where he was received and put upon the same footing as other youth of high birth1 and was duly trained with them in all the arts and accomplishments of refined society4 ,the young man was not aware of his parentage1 de ,gersay having extracted a solemn promise from ,mademoiselle de l',enclos that she would never divulge the secret of the youth's birth without his father's express consent1 a promise which resulted in the most disastrous consequences4 ,ninon1 as mother of this handsome youth1 admired him1 and manifested a tenderness which he misunderstood for the emotion of love1 ,ninon1 herself never contemplating such a fatality1 and ended by becoming enamored of his own mother4 ,ninon thought nothing of his passion1 believing that it would soon pass away1 but it increased in intensity1 becoming a violent flame which finally proved irresistible1 forcing the youth to fall at his mother's feet and pour forth his passion in the most extravagant language4 ,alarmed at this condition of her son's heart1 ,ninon withdrew from his society1 refusing to admit him to her presence4 ,although the ,chevalier was an impetuous wooer1 he was dismayed by the loss of his inamorata1 and begged for the privilege of seeing her1 promising solemnly never to repeat his declaration of love4 ,ninon was deceived by his professions and re-admitted him to her society4 ,insensibly1 however1 perhaps in despite of his struggle to overcome his amorous propensities1 the ,chevalier violated the conditions of the truce4 ,ninon1 on the watch for a repetition of his former manifestations1 quickly perceived the return of a love so abhorrent to nature4 ,his sighs1 glances1 sadness when in her presence1 were signs to her of a passion that she would be compelled to subdue with a strong1 ruthless hand4 ,raise your eyes to that clock1 she said to him one day1 and mark the passing of time4 ,rash boy1 it is sixty-five years since ,i came into the world4 ,does it become me to listen to a passion like love8 ,is it possible at my age to love or be loved8 ,enter within yourself1 ,chevalier1 and see how ridiculous are your desires and those you would arouse in me4 ,all ,ninon's remonstrances1 however1 tended only to increase the desires which burned in the young man's breast4 ,his mother's tears1 which now began to flow1 were regarded by the youth as trophies of success4 ,what1 tears8 he exclaimed1 you shed tears for me8 ,are they wrung from your heart by pity1 by tenderness8 ,ah1 am ,i to be blessed8 ,this is terrible1 she replied1 it is insanity4 ,leave me1 and do not poison the remainder of a life which ,i detest4 ,what language is this8 exclaimed the ,chevalier4 ,what poison can the sweetness of making still another one happy instill into the loveliest life8 ,is this the tender and philosophic ,ninon8 ,has she not raised between us that shadow of virtue that makes her sex adorable8 ,what chimeras have changed your heart8 ,shall ,i tell you8 ,you carry your cruelty to the extent of fighting against yourself1 resisting your own desires4 ,i have seen in your eyes a hundred times less resistance than you now set against me4 ,and these tears which my condition has drawn from your eyes--tell me1 are they shed through indifference or hate8 ,are you ashamed to avow a sensibility which honors humanity8 ,cease1 ,chevalier1 said ,ninon1 raising her hand in protest1 the right to claim my liveliest friendship rested with you1 ,i thought you worthy of it4 ,that is the cause of the friendly looks which you have mistaken for others of greater meaning1 and it is also the cause of the tears ,i shed4 ,do not flatter yourself that you have inspired me with the passion of love4 ,i can see too plainly that your desires are the effect of a passing presumption4 ,come now1 you shall know my heart1 and it should destroy all hope for you4 ,it will go so far as to hate you1 if you repeat your protestations of blind tenderness4 ,i do not care to understand you1 leave me1 to regret the favors you have so badly interpreted4 ,when ,ninon learned that her son was plunged into despair and fury on account of her rejection of his love1 her heart was torn with sorrow and she regretted that she had not at first told him the secret of his birth1 but her solemn promise to de ,gersay had stood in her way4 ,she determined now to remedy the evil and she therefore applied to de ,gersay to relieve her from her promise4 ,de ,gersay advised her to communicate the truth to her son as soon as possible to prevent a catastrophe which he prophesied was liable to happen when least expected4 ,she accordingly wrote the ,chevalier that at a certain time she would be at her house in the ,saint ,antoine suburb and prayed him to meet her there4 ,the impassioned ,chevalier1 expecting nothing less than the gratification of his desires1 prepared himself with extreme care and flew to the assignation4 ,he was disconcerted1 however1 by finding ,ninon despondent and sad1 instead of smiling and joyful with anticipation4 ,however1 he cast himself at her feet1 seized her hand and covered it with tears and kisses4 ,unfortunate1 cried ,ninon submitting to his embraces1 there are destinies beyond human prudence to direct4 ,what have ,i not attempted to do to calm your agitated spirit8 ,what mystery do you force me to unfold8 ,ah1 you are about to deceive me again1 interrupted the ,chevalier1 ,i do not perceive in your eyes the love ,i had the right to expect4 ,i recognize in your obscure language an injustice you are about to commit2 you hope to cure me of my love1 but disabuse yourself of that fancy2 the cruel triumph you seek to win is beyond the united strength of both of us1 above any imaginable skill1 beyond the power of reason itself4 ,it seems to listen to nothing but its own intoxication1 and at the same time rush to the last extremity4 ,stop1 exclaimed ,ninon1 indignant at this unreasoning folly1 this horrible love shall not reach beyond the most sacred duties4 ,stop1 ,i tell you1 monster that you are1 and shudder with dismay4 ,can love flourish where horror fills the soul8 ,do you know who you are and who ,i am8 ,the lover you are pursuing-- ,well6 ,that lover8 demanded the ,chevalier4 ,is your mother1 replied ,ninon2 you owe me your birth4 ,it is my son who sighs at my feet1 who talks to me of love4 ,what sentiments do you think you have inspired me with8 ,monsieur de ,gersay1 your father1 through an excess of affection for you1 wished you to remain ignorant of your birth4 ,ah1 my son1 by what fatality have you compelled me to reveal this secret8 ,you know to what degree of opprobrium the prejudiced have put one of your birth1 wherefore it was necessary to conceal it from your delicacy of mind1 but you would not have it so4 ,know me as your mother1 oh1 my son1 and pardon me for having given you life4 ,ninon burst into a flood of tears and pressed her son to her heart1 but he seemed to be crushed by the revelations he heard4 ,pale1 trembling1 nerveless1 he dared not pronounce the sweet name of mother1 for his soul was filled with horror at his inability to realize the relationship sufficiently to destroy the burning passion he felt for her person4 ,he cast one long look into her eyes1 bent them upon the ground1 arose with a deep sigh and fled4 ,a garden offered him a refuge1 and there1 in a thick clump of bushes1 he drew his sword and without a moment's hesitation fell upon it1 to sink down dying4 ,ninon had followed him dreading some awful calamity1 and there1 in the dim light of the stars1 she found her son weltering in his blood1 shed by his own hand for love of her4 ,his dying eyes which he turned toward her still spoke ardent love1 and he expired while endeavoring to utter words of endearment4 ,le ,sage in the romance of ,gil ,blas has painted this horrible catastrophe of ,ninon de l',enclos in the characters of the old woman ,inisilla de ,cantarilla1 and the youth ,don ,valerio de ,luna4 ,the incident is similar to that which happened to ,oedipus1 the ,theban who tore out his eyes after discovering that in marrying ,jocasta1 the queen1 he had married his own mother4 ,le ,sage's hero1 however1 mourns because he had not been able to commit the crime1 which gives the case of ,ninon's son a similar tinge1 his self-immolation being due1 not to the horror of having indulged in criminal love for his own mother1 but to the regret at not having been able to accomplish his purpose4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,her ,bohemian ,environments ,the daily and nightly doings at ,ninon's house in the ,rue des ,tournelles1 if there is anything of a similar character in modern society that can be compared to them1 might be faintly represented by our ,bohemian circles1 where good cheer1 good fellowship1 and freedom from restraint are supposed to reign4 ,there are1 indeed1 numerous clubs at the present day styled ,bohemian1 but except so far as the tendency to relaxation appears upon the surface1 they possess very few of the characteristics of that society of ,birds that assembled around ,mademoiselle de l',enclos4 ,they put aside all conventional restraint1 and the mental metal of those choice spirits clashed and evolved brilliant sparks1 bright rays of light1 the luster of which still glitters after a lapse of more than two centuries4 ,personally1 ,ninon was an enemy of pedantry in every form1 demanding of her followers originality at all times on penalty of banishment from her circle4 ,the great writer1 ,mynard1 once related with tears in his eyes that his daughter1 who afterward became the ,countess de ,feuquires1 had no memory4 ,whereat ,ninon laughed him out of his sorrow3 ,you are too happy in having a daughter who has no memory2 she will not be able to make citations4 ,that her society was sought by very good men is evidenced by the grave theologians who found her companionship pleasant1 perhaps salutary4 ,a celebrated ,jesuit who did not scruple to find entertainment in her social circle1 undertook to combat her philosophy and show her the truth from his point of view1 but she came so near converting him to her tenets that he abandoned the contest remarking with a laugh3 ,well1 well1 ,mademoiselle1 while waiting to be convinced that you are in error1 offer up to ,god your unbelief4 ,rousseau has converted this incident into an epigram4 ,the grave and learned clergy of ,port ,royal also undertook the labor of converting her1 but their labor was in vain4 ,you know1 she told ,fontenelle1 what use ,i make of my body8 ,well1 then1 it would be easier for me to obtain a good price for my soul1 for the ,jansenists and ,molinists are engaged in a competition of bidding for it4 ,she was not bigoted in the least1 as the following incident will show3 ,one of her friends refused to send for a priest when in extremis1 but ,ninon brought one to his bedside1 and as the clergyman1 knowing the scepticism of the dying sinner1 hesitated to exercise his functions1 she encouraged him to do his duty3 ,do your duty1 sir1 she said1 ,i assure you that although our friend can argue1 he knows no more about the truth than you and ,i4 ,the key to ,mademoiselle de l',enclos' character is to be found in her toleration and liberality4 ,utterly unselfish1 she had no thoughts beyond the comfort and1 happiness of her friends4 ,for them she sacrificed her person1 an astounding sacrifice in a woman1 one for which a multitude have suffered martyrdom for refusing to make1 and are cited as models of virtue to be followed4 ,yet1 notwithstanding her strange misapplication or perversion of what the world calls female honor1 her world had nothing but the most profound respect and admiration for her4 ,it requires an extremely delicate pencil to sketch such a character1 and even then1 a hundred trials might result in failing to seize upon its most vivid lights and shades and bring out its best points4 ,standing out clearly defined through her whole life was a noble soul that never stooped to anything common1 low1 debasing or vulgar4 ,brought up from infancy in the society of men1 taught to consider them as her companions and equals1 and treated by them as one of themselves1 she acquired a grace and a polish that made her society desired by the proudest ladies of the court4 ,there is no one in the annals of the nations of the earth that can be compared to her4 ,the ,aspasia of ,pericles has been regarded by some as a sort of prototype1 but ,aspasia was a common woman of the town1 her thoughts were devoted to the aggrandizement of one man1 her love affairs were bestowed upon an open market4 ,on the contrary1 ,mademoiselle de l',enclos never bestowed her favors upon any but one she could ever after regard as an earnest1 unselfish friend4 ,their friendship was a source of delight to her and she was ,epicurean1 in the enjoyment of everything that goes with friendship4 ,saint-,evremond likens her to ,leontium1 the ,athenian woman1 celebrated for her philosophy and for having dared to write a book against the great ,theophrastus1 a literary venture which may have been the reason why ,saint-,evremond gave ,ninon the title4 ,ninon's heart was weak1 it is true1 but she had early learned those philosophical principles which drew her senses away from that portion of her soul1 and her environments were those most conducive to the cultivation of the senses which are so easily led away into seductive paths4 ,but however far her love of pleasure may have led her1 her philosophical ideas and practices did not succeed in destroying or even weakening any other virtue4 ,the smallest fault of gallant women1 says de la ,rochefoucauld1 is their gallantry4 ,the distinguished ,abb ,chteauneuf expresses a trait in her character which drew to her side the most distinguished men of the period4 ,she reserved all her esteem1 all her confidence for friendship1 which she always regarded as a respectable liaison1 says the ,abb1 and to maintain that friendship she permitted no diminution or relaxation4 ,in other words she was constant and true1 without whims or caprice4 ,the ,comte de ,segur1 in his work on ,women1 their ,condition and ,influence in ,society1 says3 ,while ,ninon de l',enclos was fostering and patronizing genius1 and giving it opportunities to expand1 ,madame de ,svign was at the head of a cabal in opposition to genius1 unless it was measured upon her own standard4 ,in her self-love she wrought against ,racine and sought to diminish the literary luster of ,flchier4 ,but with all her ability ,madame de ,svign possessed very little genius or tact1 and her lack of discrimination is apparent in the fact that none of her protgs ever reached any distinction4 ,moreover1 her virtues must have been of an appalling character since they were not strong enough to save her husband and son from falling into the clutches of ,that horrid woman1 referring to ,ninon4 ,ninon certainly understood men2 she divined them at the first glance and provided for their bodily and intellectual wants4 ,if they were deemed worthy of her favors1 she bestowed them freely1 and out of one animal desire gratified1 there were created a thousand intellectual aspirations4 ,she understood clearly that man can not be all animal or all spiritual1 and that the attempt to divert nature from its duality of being was to wreck humanity and make of man neither fish1 flesh nor fowl4 ,her constant prayer in her younger days1 for the truth of which ,voltaire vouches1 was3 ,mon ,dieu1 fates de moi un honnte homme1 et n'en fates jamais une honnte femme4 7,my ,god1 make me an honest man1 but never an honest woman74 ,count ,segur1 in his book already referred to1 has this to say further concerning ,ninon3 ,ninon shone under the reign of ,louis ,,xiv like a graceful plant in its proper soil4 ,splendor seemed to be her element4 ,that ,ninon might appear in the sphere that became her1 it was necessary that ,turenne and ,cond should sigh at her feet1 that ,voltaire should receive from her his first lessons1 in a word1 that in her illustrious cabinet1 glory and genius should be seen sporting with love and the graces4 ,had it not been for the influence of ,ninon de l',enclos--there are many who claim it as the truth--the sombre tinge1 the veil of gloominess and hypocritical austerity which surrounded ,madame de ,maintenon and her court1 would have wrecked the intellects of the most illustrious and brightest men in ,france1 in war1 literature1 science1 and statesmanship4 ,madame de ,maintenon resisted that influence but the ,rue des ,tournelles strove against ,saint ,cyr4 ,the world fluctuated between these two systems established by women1 both of them--shall it be said--courtesans8 ,the legality and morality of our modern common law marriages and the ease and frequency of trivial divorces forbid it4 ,ninon prevailed1 however1 and not only governed hearts but souls4 ,the difference between the two courts was1 the royal salon was thronged with women of the most infamous character who had nothing but their infamy to bestow1 while the drawing rooms of ,ninon de l',enclos were crowded with men almost exclusively1 and men of wit and genius4 ,the moral that the majority of writers draw from the three courts that occupied society at that time1 the ,rue des ,tournelles1 ,madame de ,svign1 and ,versailles1 is1 that men demand human nature and will have it in preference to abnormal goodness1 and female debauchery4 ,ninon never hesitated to declaim against the fictitious beauty that pretended to inculcate virtue and morality while secretly engaged in the most corrupt practices1 but ,molire came with his ,prcieuses ,ridicules and pulverized the enemies of human nature4 ,ninon did not know ,molire personally at that time but she was so loud in his praise for covering her gross imitators with confusion1 that ,bachaumont and ,chapelle1 two of her intimate friends1 ventured to introduce the young dramatist into her society4 ,the father of this ,bachaumont who was a twin1 said of him3 ,my son who is only half a man1 wants to do as if he were a whole one4 ,though only half a man and extremely feeble and delicate1 he became a voluptuary according to the ideas of ,chapelle1 and by devoting himself to the doctrines of ,epicurus1 he managed to live until eighty years of age4 ,chapelle was a drunkard as has been intimated in a preceding chapter1 and although he loved ,ninon passionately1 she steadily refused to favor him4 ,molire and ,ninon were mutually attracted1 each recognizing in the other not only a kindred spirit1 but something not apparent on the surface4 ,nature had given them the same eyes1 and they saw men and things from the same view point4 ,molire was destined to enlighten his age by his pen1 and ,ninon through her wise counsel and sage reflections4 ,in speaking of ,molire to ,saint-,evremond1 she declared with fervor3 ,i thank ,god every night for finding me a man of his spirit1 and ,i pray ,him every morning to preserve him from the follies of the heart4 ,there was a great opposition to ,molire's comedy ,tartuffe4 ,it created a sensation in society1 and neither ,louis ,,xiv1 the prelates of the kingdom and the ,roman legate1 were strong enough to withstand the torrents of invectives that came from those who were unmasked in the play4 ,they succeeded in having it interdicted1 and the comedy was on the point of being suppressed altogether1 when ,molire took it to ,ninon1 read it over to her and asked her opinion as to what had better be done4 ,with her keen sense of the ridiculous and her knowledge of character1 ,ninon went over the play with ,molire to such good purpose that the edict of suppression was withdrawn1 the opponents of the comedy finding themselves in a position where they could no longer take exceptions without confessing the truth of the inuendoes4 ,when the comedy was nearly completed1 ,molire began trying to think of a name to give the main character in the play1 who is an imposter4 ,one day while at dinner with the ,papal ,nuncio1 he noticed two ecclesiastics1 whose air of pretended mortification fairly represented the character he had depicted in the play4 ,while considering them closely1 a peddler came along with truffles to sell4 ,one of the pious ecclesiastics who knew very little ,italian1 pricked up his ears at the word truffles1 which seemed to have a familiar sound4 ,suddenly coming out of his devout silence1 he selected several of the finest of the truffles1 and holding them out to the nuncio1 exclaimed with a laugh3 ,tartuffoli1 ,tartuffoli1 signor ,nuncio6 imagining that he was displaying his knowledge of the ,italian language by calling out ,truffles1 truffles1 signor ,nuncio1 whereas1 what he did say was ,hypocrites1 hypocrites1 ,signor ,nuncio4 ,molire who was always a close and keen observer of everything that transpired around him1 seized upon the name ,tartuffe as suitable to the hypocritical imposter in his comedy4 ,ninon's brilliancy was so animated1 particularly at table1 that she was said to be intoxicated at the soup1 although she rarely drank anything but water4 ,her table was always surrounded by the wittiest of her friends and her own flashes kept their spirits up to the highest point4 ,the charm of her conversation was equal to the draughts of ,nepenthe which ,helen lavished upon her guests1 according to ,homer to charm and enchant them4 ,one story told about ,ninon is not to her credit if true1 and it is disputed4 ,a great preacher arose in ,france1 the ,eagle of the ,pulpit1 as he was called1 or ,the great ,pan1 as ,madame de ,svign1 loved to designate him4 ,his renown for eloquence and piety reached ,ninon's ears and she conceived a scheme1 so it is said2 to bring this great orator to her feet4 ,she had held in her chains from time to time1 all the heroes1 and illustrious men of ,france1 and she considered ,pre ,bourdaloue worthy of a place on the list4 ,she accordingly arrayed herself in her most fascinating costume1 feigned illness and sent for him4 ,but ,pre ,bourdaloue was not a man to be captivated by any woman1 and1 moreover1 he was a man too deeply versed in human perversity to be easily deceived4 ,he came at her request1 however1 and to her question as to her condition he answered3 ,i perceive that your malady exists only in your heart and mind2 as to your body1 it appears to me to be in perfect health4 ,i pray the great physician of souls that he will heal you4 ,saying which he left her without ceremony4 ,the story is probably untrue and grew out of a song of the times1 to ridicule the attempts of numerous preachers to convert ,ninon from her way of living4 ,they frequented her social receptions but those were always public1 as she never trusted herself to any one without the knowledge and presence of some of her ,birds1 taking that precaution for her own safety and to avoid any appearance of partiality4 ,the song referred to1 composed by some unknown scribe begins as follows3 ,ninon passe les jours au jeu3 ,cours o l'amour te porte2 ,le prdicateur qui t'exhorte1 ,s'il tait au coin de ton feu1 ,te parlerait d'un autre sorte4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,a ,remarkable ,old ,age ,when ,ninon had reached the age of sixty-five years1 there were those among the beauties of the royal court who thought she ought to retire from society and make way for them1 but there appeared to be no diminution of her capacity for pleasure1 no weakening of her powers of attraction4 ,the legend of the ,noctambule1 or the little black man1 who appeared to ,ninon when she was at the age of twenty years1 and promised her perpetual beauty and the conquest of all hearts1 was revived1 and there was enough probability in it to justify a strong belief in the story4 ,indeed1 the ,abb ,servien spread it about again when ,ninon was seventy years of age1 and even then there were few who disputed the mysterious gift as ,ninon showed little change4 ,as old age approached1 ,ninon ceased to be regarded with that familiarity shown her by her intimates in her younger days1 and a respect and admiration took its place4 ,she was no longer ,ninon1 but ,mademoiselle de l',enclos4 ,her social circle widened1 and instead of being limited to men exclusively1 ladies eagerly took advantage of the privilege accorded them to frequent the charming circle4 ,that circle certainly became celebrated4 ,the beautiful woman had lived the life of an earnest ,epicurean in her own way1 regardless of society's conventionalities1 and had apparently demonstrated that her way was the best4 ,she had certainly attained a long life1 and what was more to the purpose she had preserved her beauty and the attractions of her person were as strong as when she was in her prime4 ,reason enough why the women of the age thronged her apartments to learn the secret of her life4 ,moreover1 her long and intimate associations with the most remarkable men of the century had not failed to impart to her1 in addition to her exquisite femininity1 the wisdom of a sage and the polish of a man of the world4 ,madame de ,la ,fayette1 that rich field so fertile in fruits1 as ,ninon said of her1 and ,madame de la ,sablire1 a lovely garden enameled with eye-charming flowers1 another of ,ninon's descriptive metaphors1 passed as many hours as they could in her society with the illustrious ,duke de la ,rochefoucauld1 who1 up to the time of his death honored ,ninon with his constant friendship and his devoted esteem4 ,even ,madame de ,svign put aside her envy and jealousy and never wearied of the pleasure of listening to the conversation of this wise beauty1 in company with her haughty daughter1 ,madame de ,grignan1 ,madame de ,coulanges1 ,madame de ,torp1 and1 strange to say1 the ,duchess de ,bouillon4 ,her friends watched over her health with the tenderest care and affection1 and even her slightest indisposition brought them around her with expressions of the deepest solicitude4 ,they dreaded losing her1 for having had her so long among them they hoped to keep her always1 and they did1 practically1 for she outlived the most of them4 ,as proof of the anxiety of her friends and the delight they experienced at her recovery from the slightest ailment1 one illustration will suffice4 ,on one occasion she had withdrawn from her friends for a single evening1 pleading indisposition4 ,the next evening she reappeared and her return was celebrated by an original poem written by no less a personage than the ,abb ,regnier-,desmarais1 who read it to the friends assembled around her chair3 ,clusine qui dans tous les temps ,eut de tous les honntes gens ,l'amour et l'estime en partage3 ,qui toujours pleine de bon sens ,sut de chaque saison de l'ge ,faire propos un juste usage3 ,qui dans son entretien1 dont on fut enchant ,sut faire un aimable alliage ,de l'agreable badinage1 ,avec la politesse et la solidit1 ,et que le ciel doua d'un esprit droit et sage1 ,toujours d'intelligence avec la verit1 ,clusine est1 grce au ciel1 en parfaite sant4 ,such a poem would not be accorded much praise nowadays1 but the hearts of her friends regarded the sentiments more than the polish1 as a substantial translation into ,english will serve to show appeared in the lines3 ,clusine who from our earliest ken ,had from all good and honest men ,love and esteem a generous share3 ,who knew so well the season when ,her heritage of sense so rare ,to use with justice and with care3 ,who in her discourse1 friends enchanted all-around1 ,could fashion out of playful ware ,an alloy of enduring wear1 ,good breeding and with solid ground1 ,a heavenly spirit wise and fair1 ,with truth and intellect profound1 ,clusine1 thanks be to ,heaven1 her perfect health has found4 ,her salon was open to her friends in general from five o'clock in the evening until nine1 at which hour she begged them to permit her to retire and gain strength for the morrow4 ,in winter she occupied a large apartment decorated with portraits of her dearest male and female friends1 and numerous paintings by celebrated artists4 ,in summer1 she occupied an apartment which overlooked the boulevard1 its walls frescoed with magnificent sketches from the life of ,psyche4 ,in one or the other of these salons1 she gave her friends four hours every evening1 after that retiring to rest or amusing herself with a few intimates4 ,her friendship finds an apt illustration in the case of the ,comte de ,charleval4 ,he was always delicate and in feeble health1 and ,ninon when he became her admirer in his youth1 resolved to prolong his life through the application of the ,epicurian philosophy4 ,de ,marville1 speaking of the ,count1 whom no one imagined would survive to middle age1 says3 ,nature1 which gave him so delicate a body in such perfect form1 also gave him a delicate and perfect intelligence4 ,this frail and delicate invalid1 lived1 however1 until the age of eighty years1 and was always grateful to ,ninon for her tenderness4 ,he never missed a reception and sang her praises on every occasion4 ,writing to ,saint-,evremond to announce his death1 ,ninon1 herself very aged1 says3 ,his mind had retained all the charms of his youth1 and his heart all the sweetness and tenderness of a true friend4 ,she felt the loss of this common friend1 for she again writes of him afterward3 ,his life and that ,i live had much in common4 ,it is like dying oneself to meet with such a loss4 ,it was at this period of her life that ,ninon occupied her time more than ever in endearing herself to her friends4 ,as says ,saint-,evremond3 ,she contents herself with ease and rest1 after having enjoyed the liveliest pleasures of life4 ,although she was never mistress of the invincible inclination toward the pleasures of the senses which nature had given her1 it appears that ,ninon made some efforts to control them4 ,referring to the ashes which are sprinkled on the heads of the penitent faithful on ,ash ,wednesday1 she insisted that instead of the usual prayer of abnegation there should be substituted the words3 ,we must avoid the movements of love4 ,what she wrote ,saint-,evremond might give rise to the belief that she sometimes regretted her weakness3 ,everybody tells me that ,i have less to complain of in my time than many another4 ,however that may be1 if any one had proposed to me such a life ,i would have hanged myself4 ,one of her favorite maxims1 however1 was3 ,we must provide a stock of provisions and not of pleasures1 they should be taken as they come4 ,that her philosophical principles did not change1 is certain from the fact that she retained all her friends and gained new ones who flocked to her reunions4 ,says ,madame de ,coulanges in one of her letters3 ,the women are running after ,mademoiselle de l',enclos now as much as the men used to do4 ,how can any one hate old age after such an example4 ,this reflection did not originate with ,ninon1 who regretted little her former pleasures1 and besides1 friendship with her had as many sacred rights as love4 ,from what ,madame de ,coulanges says1 one might suppose that the men had deserted ,ninon in her old age1 leaving women to take their place1 but ,madame de ,svign was of a different opinion4 ,she says3 ,corbinelli asks me about the new marvels taking place at ,mademoiselle de l',enclos' house in the way of good company4 ,she assembles around her in her old age1 whatever ,madame de ,coulanges may say to the contrary1 both men and women1 but even if women did not flock to her side1 she could console herself for having had men in her young days to please4 ,the celebrated ,english geometrician1 ,huygens1 visited ,ninon during a sojourn at ,paris in the capacity of ambassador4 ,he was so charmed with the attractions of her person1 and with her singing1 that he fell into poetry to express his admiration4 ,french verses from an ,englishman who was a geometrician and not a poet1 were as surprising to ,ninon and her friends as they will be to the reader4 ,they are not literature but express what was in the mind of the famous scientist3 ,elle a cinq instruments dont je suis amoureux1 ,les deux premiers1 ses mains1 les deux autres1 ses yeux2 ,pour le dernier de tous1 et cinquime qui reste1 ,il faut tre galant et leste4 ,in the year #afif1 when ,ninon had reached eighty1 she had several attacks of illness which worried her friends exceedingly4 ,the ,marquis de ,coulanges writes3 ,our amiable l',enclos has a cold which does not please me4 ,a short time afterward he again wrote3 ,our poor l',enclos has a low fever which redoubles in the evening1 and a sore throat which worries her friends4 ,these trifling ailments were nothing to ,ninon1 who1 though growing feeble1 maintained her philosophy1 as she said3 ,i am contenting myself with what happens from day to day2 forgetting to-day what occurred yesterday1 and holding on to a used up body as one that has been very agreeable4 ,she saw the term of her life coming to an end without any qualms or fear4 ,if ,i could only believe with ,madame de ,chevreuse1 that by dying we can go and talk with all our friends in the other world1 it would be a sweet thought4 ,madame de ,maintenon1 then in the height of her power and influence1 had never forgotten the friend of her youth1 and now1 she offered her lodgings at ,versailles4 ,it is said that her intention was to enable the king to profit by an intimacy with a woman of eighty-five years who1 in spite of bodily infirmities1 possessed the same vivacity of mind and delicacy of taste which had contributed to her great renown1 much more than her personal charms and frailties4 ,but ,ninon was born for liberty1 and had never been willing to sacrifice her philosophical tranquility for the hope of greater fortune and position in the world4 ,accordingly1 she thanked her old friend1 and as the only concession she would grant1 consented to stand in the chapel of ,versailles where ,louis the ,great could pass and satisfy his curiosity to see once1 at least1 the astonishing marvel of his reign4 ,during the latter years of her life1 she took a fancy to young ,voltaire1 in whom she detected signs of future greatness4 ,she fortified him with her counsel1 which he prayed her to give him1 and left him a thousand francs in her will to buy books4 ,voltaire attempted to earn the money by ridiculing the memory of his benefactress4 ,at the age of ninety years1 ,mademoiselle de l',enclos grew feebler every day1 and felt that death would not be long coming4 ,she performed all her social duties1 however1 until the very end1 refusing to surrender until compelled4 ,on the last night of her life1 unable to sleep1 she arose1 and at her desk wrote the following verses3 ,qu'un vain espoir ne vienne point s'offrir1 ,qui puisse branler mon courage2 ,je suis en age de mourir2 ,que ferais-je ici davantage8 7,let no vain hope now come and try1 ,my courage strong to overthrow2 ,my age demands that ,i shall die1 ,what more can ,i do here below87 ,on the seventeenth of ,october1 #agjf1 she expired as gently as one who falls asleep4 ,,letters ,,of ,,ninon de ,l',,enclos ,,to ,,the ,,marquis de ,s,,vign4 ,,introduction ,,to ,,letters ,the celebrated ,abb de ,chteauneuf1 in his ,dialogues on ,ancient ,music1 refers to ,mademoiselle de l',enclos under the name of ,leontium1 a name given her by le ,marchal de ,saint-,evremond1 and in his eulogy upon her character1 lays great stress on the genius displayed in her epistolary style4 ,after censuring the affectation to be found in the letters of ,balzac and ,voiture1 the learned ,abb says3 ,the letters of ,leontium1 although novel in their form of expression1 although replete with philosophy1 and sparkling with wit and intelligence contain nothing stilted1 or overdrawn4 ,inasmuch as the moral to be drawn from them is always seasoned with sprightliness1 and the spirit manifested in them1 displays the characteristics of a liberal and natural imagination1 they differ in nothing from personal conversation with her choice circle of friends4 ,the impression conveyed to the mind of their readers is1 that she is actually conversing with them personally4 ,mademoiselle de l',enclos writes about the heart1 love1 and women4 ,strange subjects1 but no woman ever lived who was better able to do justice to them4 ,in her frame of mind1 she could not see men without studying their dispositions1 and she knew them thoroughly1 her experience extending over a period of seventy-five years of intimate association with men of every stamp1 from the ,royal prince to the ,marquis de ,svign1 the latter wearying her to such an extent that she designated him as a man beyond definition2 with a soul of pulp1 a body of wet paper1 and a heart of pumpkin fricasseed in snow1 his own mother1 the renowned ,madame de ,svign1 admitting that he was a heart fool4 ,ninon took this weak ,chevalier in charge and endeavored to make a man of him by exposing his frailties1 and1 entering into a long correspondence1 to instruct him in the pathology of the female heart1 with which he was disposed to tamper on the slightest provocation4 ,her letters will show that she succeeded finally in bringing him to reason1 but that in doing so1 she was compelled to betray her own sex by exposing the secret motives of women in their relations with men4 ,that she knew women as well as men1 can not be disputed1 for1 beginning with ,madame de ,maintenon and the ,queen of ,sweden1 ,christine1 down along the line to the sweet ,countess she guards so successfully against the evil designs of the ,marquis de ,svign1 including ,madame de ,la ,fayette1 ,madame de ,svign1 ,madame de ,la ,sablire1 and the most distinguished and prominent society women of ,france1 they all were her particular friends1 as well as intimates1 and held her in high esteem as their confidante in all affairs of the heart4 ,no other woman ever held so unique a position in the world of society as ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 and her letters to the ,marquis de ,svign may1 therefore1 be considered as standards of the epistolary art upon the subjects she treats2 as containing the most profound insight into the female heart where love is concerned1 and as forming a study of the greatest value in everything that pertains to the relations between the sexes4 ,there is an entire absence of mawkish sentimentality1 of effort to conceal the secret motives and desires of the heart beneath specious language and words of double meaning4 ,on the contrary1 they tear away from the heart the curtain of deceit1 artifice and treachery1 to expose the nature of the machinery behind the scenes4 ,these letters must be read in the light of the opinions of the wisest philosophers of the seventeenth century upon her character4 ,inasmuch as the first use she 7,mademoiselle de l',enclos7 made of her reason1 was to become enfranchised from vulgar errors1 it is impossible to be further removed from the stupid mistake of those who1 under the name of passion1 elevate the sentiment of love to the height of a virtue4 ,ninon understood love to be what it really is1 a taste founded upon the senses1 a blind sentiment1 which admits of no merit in the object which gives it birth1 and which promises no recompense2 a caprice1 the duration of which does not depend upon our volition1 and which is subject to remorse and repentance4 ,,letters ,,of ,,ninon de ,l',,enclos ,,to ,,the ,,marquis de ,s,,vign ,i4 ,a ,hazardous ,undertaking4 ,what1 ,i1 ,marquis1 take charge of your education1 be your guide in the enterprise upon which you are about to enter8 ,you exact too much of my friendship for you4 ,you ought to be aware of the fact1 that when a woman has lost the freshness of her first youth1 and takes a special interest in a young man1 everybody says she desires to make a worldling of him4 ,you know the malignity of this expression4 ,i do not care to expose myself to its application4 ,all the service ,i am willing to render you1 is to become your confidante4 ,you will tell me your troubles1 and ,i will tell you what is in my mind1 likewise aid you to know your own heart and that of women4 ,it grieves me to say1 that whatever pleasure ,i may expect to find in this correspondence1 ,i can not conceal the difficulties ,i am liable to encounter4 ,the human heart1 which will be the subject of my letters1 presents so many contrasts1 that whoever lays it bare must fall into a flood of contradictions4 ,you think you have something stable in your grasp1 but find you have seized a shadow4 ,it is indeed a chameleon1 which1 viewed from different aspects1 presents a variety of opposite colors1 and even they are constantly shifting4 ,you may expect to read many strange things in what ,i shall say upon this subject4 ,i will1 however1 give you my ideas1 though they may often seem strange2 however1 that shall be for you to determine4 ,i confess that ,i am not free from grave scruples of conscience1 foreseeing that ,i can scarcely be sincere without slandering my own sex a little4 ,but at least you will know my views on the subject of love1 and particularly everything that relates to it1 and ,i have sufficient courage to talk to you frankly upon the subject4 ,i am to dine to-night with the ,marquis de la ,rochefoucauld4 ,madame de la ,sablire and ,la ,fontaine will also be guests4 ,if it please you to be one of us1 ,la ,fontaine will regale you with two new stories1 which1 ,i am told1 do not disparage his former ones4 ,come ,marquis--,but1 again a scruple4 ,have ,i nothing to fear in the undertaking we contemplate8 ,love is so malicious and fickle6 ,still1 when ,i examine my heart1 ,i do not feel any apprehension for myself1 it being occupied elsewhere1 and the sentiments ,i possess toward you resemble love less than friendship4 ,if the worst should happen and ,i lose my head some day1 we shall know how to withdraw in the easiest possible manner4 ,we are going to take a course of morals together4 ,yes1 sir1 ,,morals6 ,but do not be alarmed at the mere word1 for there will be between us only the question of gallantry to discuss1 and that1 you know1 sways morals to so high a degree that it deserves to be the subject of a special study4 ,the very idea of such a project is to me infinitely risible4 ,however1 if ,i talk reason to you too often1 will you not grow weary8 ,this is my sole anxiety1 for you well know that ,i am a pitiless reasoner when ,i wish to be4 ,with any other heart than that which you misunderstand1 ,i could be a philosopher such as the world never knew4 ,adieu1 ,i await your good pleasure4 ,,ii ,why ,love is ,dangerous ,i assure you1 ,marquis1 ,i shall keep my word1 and on all occasions1 ,i shall speak the truth1 even though it be to my own detriment4 ,i have more stability in my disposition than you imagine1 and ,i fear exceedingly that the result of our intercourse may sometimes lead you to think that ,i carry this virtue into severity4 ,but you must remember that ,i have only the external appearance of a woman1 and that in mind and heart ,i am a man4 ,here is the method that ,i wish to follow with you4 ,as ,i ask only to acquire information for myself before communicating to you my ideas1 my intention is to propound them to the excellent man with whom we supped yesterday4 ,it is true that he has none too good an opinion of poor humanity4 ,he believes neither in virtue nor in spiritual things4 ,but this inflexibility1 mitigated by my indulgence for human frailties1 will give you1 ,i believe1 the kind and the quantity of philosophy which is required in all intercourse with women4 ,let us come to the gist of your letter4 ,since your entrance into the world it has offered you nothing1 you say1 of what you had imagined you would find there4 ,disgust and weariness follow you everywhere4 ,you seek solitude1 and as soon as you are enjoying it1 it wearies you4 ,in a word1 you do not know to what cause to attribute the restlessness which torments you4 ,i am going to save you the trouble1 ,i am1 for my burden is to speak my thoughts on everything that may perplex you2 and ,i do not know but you will often ask me questions as embarrassing for me to answer as they may have been for you to ask4 ,the uneasiness which you experience is caused only by the void in your heart4 ,your heart is without love1 and it is trying to make you comprehend its wants4 ,you have really what one calls the need of loving4 ,yes1 ,marquis1 nature1 in forming us1 gave us an allowance of sentiments which must expend themselves upon some object4 ,your age is the proper period for the agitations of love2 as long as this sentiment does not fill your heart1 something will always be wanting2 the restlessness of which you complain will never cease4 ,in a word1 love is the nourishment of the heart as food is of the body2 to love is to fulfill the desire of nature1 to satisfy a need4 ,but if possible1 manage it so that it will not become a passion4 ,to protect you from this misfortune1 ,i could almost be tempted to disprove the counsel given you1 to prefer1 to the company of women capable of inspiring esteem rather than love1 the intercourse of those who pride themselves on being amusing rather than sedate and prim4 ,at your age1 being unable to think of entering into a serious engagement1 it is not necessary to find a friend in a woman2 one should seek to find only an amiable mistress4 ,the intercourse with women of lofty principles1 or those whom the ravages of time force into putting themselves forward only by virtue of great qualities1 is excellent for a man who1 like themselves1 is on life's decline4 ,for you1 these women would be too good company1 if ,i dare so express myself4 ,riches are necessary to us only in proportion to our wants2 and what you would better do1 ,i think1 is to frequent the society of those who combine1 with agreeable figure1 gentleness in conversation1 cheerfulness in disposition1 a taste for the pleasures of society1 and strong enough not to be frightened by one affair of the heart4 ,in the eyes of a man of reason they appear too frivolous1 you will say3 but do you think they should be judged with so much severity8 ,be persuaded1 ,marquis1 that if1 unfortunately1 they should acquire more firmness of character1 they and you would lose much by it4 ,you require in women stability of character6 ,well1 do you not find it in a friend8--,shall ,i tell you what is in my mind8 ,it is not our virtues you need2 but our playfulness and our weakness4 ,the love which you could feel for a woman who would be estimable in every respect1 would become too dangerous for you4 ,until you can contemplate a contract of marriage1 you should seek only to amuse yourself with those who are beautiful2 a passing taste alone should attach you to one of them3 be careful not to plunge in too deep with her2 there can nothing result but a bad ending4 ,if you did not reflect more profoundly than the greater part of young people1 ,i should talk to you in an entirely different tone2 but ,i perceive that you are ready to give to excess1 a contrary meaning to their ridiculous frivolity4 ,it is only necessary1 then1 to attach yourself to a woman who1 like an agreeable child1 might amuse you with pleasant follies1 light caprices1 and all those pretty faults which make the charm of a gallant intercourse4 ,do you wish me to tell you what makes love dangerous8 ,it is the sublime view that one sometimes takes of it4 ,but the exact truth is1 it is only a blind instinct which one must know how to appreciate3 an appetite which you have for one object in preference to another1 without being able to give the reason for your taste4 ,considered as a friendly intimacy when reason presides1 it is not a passion1 it is no longer love1 it is1 in truth1 a warm hearted esteem1 but tranquil2 incapable of drawing you away from any fixed position4 ,if1 walking in the footsteps of our ancient heroes of romance1 you aim at great sentiments1 you will see that this pretended heroism makes of love only a sad and sometimes fatal folly4 ,it is a veritable fanaticism2 but if you disengage it from all that opinion makes it1 it will soon be your happiness and pleasure4 ,believe me1 if it were reason or enthusiasm which formed affairs of the heart1 love would become insipid1 or a frenzy4 ,the only means of avoiding these two extremes is to follow the path ,i have indicated4 ,you need only to be amused1 and you will find amusement only among the women ,i mention to you as capable of it4 ,your heart wishes occupation1 they are made to fill it4 ,try my recipe and you will find it good--,i made you a fair promise1 and it seems to me ,i am keeping my word with you exactly4 ,adieu1 ,i have just received a charming letter from ,m4 de ,saint-,evremond1 and ,i must answer it4 ,i wish at the same time to propose to him the ideas which ,i have communicated to you1 and ,i shall be very much mistaken if he does not approve of them4 ,to-morrow ,i shall have the ,abb de ,chteauneuf1 and perhaps ,molire4 ,we shall read again the ,tartuffe1 in which some changes should be made4 ,take notice1 ,marquis1 that those who do not conform to all ,i have just told you1 have a little of the qualities of that character4 ,,iii ,why ,love ,grows ,cold ,in despite of everything ,i may say to you1 you still stick to your first sentiment4 ,you wish a respectable person for a mistress1 and one who can at the same time be your friend4 ,these sentiments would undoubtedly merit commendation if in reality they could bring you the happiness you expect them to2 but experience teaches you that all those great expectations are pure illusions4 ,are serious qualities the only question in pastimes of the heart8 ,i might be tempted to believe that romances have impaired your mental powers4 ,poor ,marquis6 ,he has allowed himself to become fascinated by the sublime talk common in conversation4 ,but1 my dear child1 what do you mean to do with these chimeras of reason8 ,i willingly tell you1 ,marquis3 it is very fine coin1 but it is a pity that it can not enter into commercial transactions4 ,when you wish to begin housekeeping1 look for a reliable woman1 full of virtue and lofty principles4 ,all this is becoming to the dignity of the marriage tie2 ,i intended to say1 to its gravity4 ,but at present1 as you require nothing but a love affair1 beware of being serious1 and believe what ,i tell you2 ,i know your wants better than you yourself know them4 ,men usually say that they seek essential qualities in those they love4 ,blind fools that they are6 ,how they would complain could they find them6 ,what would they gain by being deified8 ,they need only amusement4 ,a mistress as reasonable as you require would be a wife for whom you would have an infinite respect1 ,i admit1 but not a particle of ardor4 ,a woman estimable in all respects is too subduing1 humiliates you too much1 for you to love her long4 ,forced to esteem her1 and even sometimes to admire her1 you can not excuse yourself for ceasing to love her4 ,so many virtues are a reproach too discreet1 too tiresome a critic of our eccentricities1 not to arouse your pride at last1 and when that is humbled1 farewell to love4 ,make a thorough analysis of your sentiments1 examine well your conscience1 and you will see that ,i speak the truth4 ,i have but a moment left to say adieu4 ,,iv ,the ,spice of ,love ,do you know1 ,marquis1 that you will end by putting me in a temper8 ,heavens1 how very stupid you are sometimes6 ,i see it in your letter2 you have not understood me at all4 ,take heed2 ,i did not say that you should take for a mistress a despicable object4 ,that is not at all my idea4 ,but ,i said that in reality you needed only a love affair1 and that1 to make it pleasant1 you should not attach yourself exclusively to substantial qualities4 ,i repeat it2 when in love1 men need only to be amused2 and ,i believe on this subject ,i am an authority4 ,traces of temper and caprice1 a senseless quarrel1 all this has more effect upon women1 and retains their affection more than all the reason imaginable1 more than steadiness of character4 ,someone whom you esteem for the justice and strength of his ideas1 said one day at my house1 that caprice in women was too closely allied to beauty to be an antidote4 ,i opposed this opinion with so much animation1 that it could readily be seen that the contrary maxim was my sentiment1 and ,i am1 in truth1 well persuaded that caprice is not close to beauty1 except to animate its charms in order to make them more attractive1 to serve as a goad1 and to flavor them4 ,there is no colder sentiment1 and none which endures less than admiration4 ,one easily becomes accustomed to see the same features1 however regular they may be1 and when a little malignity does not give them life or action1 their very regularity soon destroys the sentiment they excite4 ,a cloud of temper1 even1 can give to a beautiful countenance the necessary variety1 to prevent the weariness of seeing it always in the same state4 ,in a word1 woe to the woman of too monotonous a temperament2 her monotony satiates and disgusts4 ,she is always the same statue1 with her a man is always right4 ,she is so good1 so gentle1 that she takes away from people the privilege of quarreling with her1 and this is often such a great pleasure6 ,put in her place a vivacious woman1 capricious1 decided1 to a certain limit1 however1 and things assume a different aspect4 ,the lover will find in the same person the pleasure of variety4 ,temper is the salt1 the quality which prevents it from becoming stale4 ,restlessness1 jealousy1 quarrels1 making friends again1 spitefulness1 all are the food of love4 ,enchanting variety6 which fills1 which occupies a sensitive heart much more deliciously than the regularity of behavior1 and the tiresome monotony which is called good disposition4 ,i know how you men must be governed4 ,a caprice puts you in an uncertainty1 which you have as much trouble and grief in dispelling as though it were a victory obtained over a new object4 ,roughness makes you hold your breath4 ,you do not stop disputing1 but neither do you cease to conquer and to be conquered4 ,in vain does reason sigh4 ,you can not comprehend how such an imp manages to subjugate you so tyrannically4 ,everything tells you that the idol of your heart is a collection of caprices and follies1 but she is a spoiled child1 whom you can not help but love4 ,the efforts which reflection causes you to make to loosen them1 serve only to forge still tighter your chains2 for love is never so strong as when you believe it ready to break away in the heat of a quarrel4 ,it loves1 it storms2 with it1 everything is convulsive4 ,would you reduce it to rule8 ,it languishes1 it expires4 ,in a word1 this is what ,i wanted to say2 do not take for a mistress a woman who has only reliable qualities2 but one who is sometimes dominated by temper1 and silences reason2 otherwise ,i shall say that it is not a love affair you want1 but to set up housekeeping4 ,v ,love and ,temper ,oh1 ,i agree with you1 ,marquis1 a woman who has only temper and caprices is very thorny for an acquaintance and in the end only repels4 ,i agree again that these irregularities must make of love a never ending quarrel1 a continual storm4 ,therefore1 it is not for a person of this character that ,i advise you to form an attachment4 ,you always go beyond my ideas4 ,i only depicted to you in my last letter an amiable woman1 one who becomes still more so by a shade of diversity1 and you speak only of an unpleasant woman1 who has nothing but ungracious things to say4 ,how we have drifted away from the point6 ,when ,i spoke of temper ,i only meant the kind which gives a stronger relish1 anxiety1 and a little jealousy3 that1 in a word1 which springs from love alone1 and not from natural brutality1 that roughness which one ordinarily calls bad temper4 ,when it is love which makes a woman rough1 when that alone is the cause of her liveliness1 what sort can the lover be who has so little delicacy as to complain of it8 ,do not these errors prove the violence of passion8 ,for myself1 ,i have always thought that he who knew how to keep himself within proper bounds1 was moderately amorous4 ,can one be so1 in effect1 without allowing himself to be goaded by the fire of a devouring impetuosity1 without experiencing all the revolutions which it necessarily occasions8 ,no1 undoubtedly4 ,well6 who can see all these disturbances in a beloved object without a secret pleasure8 ,while complaining of its injustice and its transports1 one feels no less deliciously at heart that he is loved1 and with passion1 and that these same aggravations are most convincing proofs that it is voluntary4 ,there1 ,marquis1 is what constitutes the secret charm of the troubles which lovers sometimes suffer1 of the tears they shed4 ,but if you are going to believe that ,i wished to tell you that a woman of bad temper1 capricious1 can make you happy1 undeceive yourself4 ,i said1 and ,i shall always persist in my idea1 that diversity is necessary1 caprices1 bickerings1 in a gallant intercourse1 to drive away weariness1 and to perpetuate the strength of it4 ,but consider that these spices do not produce that effect except when love itself is the source4 ,if temper is born of a natural brusqueness1 or of a restless1 envious1 unjust disposition1 ,i am the first one to say that such a woman will become hateful1 she will be the cause of disheartening quarrels4 ,a connection of the heart becomes then a veritable torment1 from which it is desirable to free oneself as quickly as possible4 ,,vi ,certain ,maxims ,concerning ,love ,you think1 then1 ,marquis1 that you have brought up an invincible argument1 when you tell me that one is not the master of his own heart1 in disposing of it where he wishes1 and that consequently you are not at liberty to choose the object of your attachment8 ,morals of the opera6 ,abandon this commonplace to women who expect1 in saying so1 to justify their weaknesses4 ,it is very necessary that they should have something to which to cling3 like the gentleman of whom our friend ,montaigne speaks who1 when the gout attacked him1 would have been very angry if he had not been able to say3 ,cursed ham6 ,they say it is a sympathetic stroke4 ,that is too strong for me4 ,is anyone master of his heart8 ,he is no longer permitted to reply when such good reasons are given4 ,they have even so well sanctioned these maxims that they wish to attract everyone to their arms in order to try to overcome them4 ,but these same maxims find so much approbation only because everyone is interested in having them received4 ,no one suspects that such excuses1 far from justifying caprices1 may be a confession that one does not wish to correct them4 ,for myself1 ,i take the liberty of being of a different opinion from the multitude4 ,it is enough for me that it is not impossible to conquer one's inclination to condemn all those who are unreasonable or dishonorable4 ,dear me6 ,have we not seen women succeed in destroying in their hearts a weakness which has taken them by surprise1 as soon as they have discovered that the object of their affections was unworthy of them8 ,how often have they stifled the most tender affection1 and sacrificed it to the conventionalities of an establishment8 ,rest1 time1 absence1 are remedies which passion1 however ardent one may have supposed it1 can never resist2 insensibly it weakens1 and dies all at once4 ,i know that to withdraw honorably from such a liaison requires all the strength of reason4 ,i comprehend still more1 that the difficulties you imagine stand in the way of maintaining a victory1 do not leave you enough courage to undertake it2 so that1 although ,i may say that there are no invincible inclinations in the speculation1 ,i will admit that there are few of them to be vanquished by practice2 and it happens so1 only because one does not like to attempt without success4 ,however that may be1 on the whole1 ,i imagine that there being here only a question of gallantry1 it would be folly to put you to the torture1 in order to destroy the inclination which has seized upon you for a woman more or less amiable2 but also1 because you are not smitten with anyone1 ,i persist in saying that ,i was right in describing to you the character which ,i believed would be the most capable of making you happy4 ,it is without doubt to be desired1 that delicate sentiments1 real merit1 should have more power over our hearts1 and that they might be able to occupy them and find a permanent place there forever4 ,but experience proves that this is not so4 ,i do not reason from what you should be1 but from what you really are4 ,my intention is to give you a knowledge of the heart such as it is1 and not what it ought to be4 ,i am the first one to regret the depravity of your taste1 however indulgent ,i may be to your caprices4 ,but not being able to reform the vices of the heart1 ,i would at least teach you to draw out of them whatever good you can4 ,not being able to render you wise1 ,i try to make you happy4 ,it is an old saying3 to wish to destroy the passions would be to undertake our annihilation4 ,it is only necessary to regulate them4 ,they are in our hands like the poison in a pharmacy2 compounded by a skillful chemist they become beneficent remedies4 ,,vii ,women ,expect a ,quid ,pro ,quo ,from ,men ,oh1 who doubts1 ,marquis1 that it may be only by essential qualities that you can succeed in pleasing women8 ,it is simply a question of knowing what meaning you attach to this expression4 ,do you call essential qualities1 worth1 firmness of character1 precision of judgment1 extent of learning1 prudence1 discretion1 how can ,i tell the number of virtues which often embarrass you more than they make you happy8 ,our minds are not in accord upon this matter4 ,reserve all the qualities ,i have specified for the intercourse you are obliged to have with men1 they are quite proper under such circumstances4 ,but when it comes to gallantry1 you will have to change all such virtues for an equal number of charming traits2 those that captivate1 it is the only coin that passes current in this country2 it is the only merit1 and you must be on your guard against calling it spurious money4 ,it may be that true merit consists less in real perfection than in that which the world requires4 ,it is far more advantageous to possess the qualities agreeable to those whom we desire to please1 than to have those we believe to be estimable4 ,in a word1 we must imitate the morals and even the caprices of those with whom we associate1 if we expect to live in peace with them4 ,what is the destiny of women8 ,what is their rle on earth8 ,it is to please4 ,now1 a charming figure1 personal graces1 in a word1 all the amiable and brilliant qualities are the only means of succeeding in that role4 ,women possess them to a superlative degree1 and it is in these qualities that they wish men to resemble them4 ,it will be vain for you to accuse them of frivolity1 for they are playing the beauty rle1 since they are destined to make you happy4 ,is it not1 indeed1 due to the charm of our companionship1 to the gentleness of our manners1 that you owe your most satisfying pleasures1 your social virtues1 in fact1 your whole happiness8 ,have some good faith in this matter4 ,is it possible for the sciences of themselves1 the love of glory1 valor1 nay1 even that friendship of which you boast so much1 to make you perfectly happy8 ,the pleasure you draw from any of them1 can it be keen enough to make you feel happy8 ,certainly not4 ,none of them have the power to relieve you from a wearisome monotony which crushes you and makes you an object of pity4 ,it is women who have taken upon themselves to dissipate these mortal languors by the vivacious gayety they inject into their society2 by the charms they know so well how to lavish where they will prove effectual4 ,a reckless joy1 an agreeable delirium1 a delicious intoxication1 are alone capable of awakening your attention1 and making you understand that you are really happy1 for1 ,marquis1 there is a vast difference between merely enjoying happiness and relishing the sensation of enjoying it4 ,the possession of necessary things does not make a man comfortable1 it is the superfluous which makes him rich1 and which makes him feel that he is rich4 ,it is not because you possess superior qualities that you are a pleasant companion1 it may be a real defect which is essential to you4 ,to be received with open arms1 you must be agreeable1 amusing1 necessary to the pleasure of others4 ,i warn you that you can not succeed in any other manner1 particularly with women4 ,tell me1 what would you have me do with your learning1 the geometry of your mind1 with the precision of your memory1 etc48 ,if you have only such advantages1 ,marquis1 if you have no charming accomplishments to offset your crudity--,i can vouch for their opinion--far from pleasing women1 you will seem to them like a critic of whom they will be afraid1 and you will place them under so much constraint1 that the enjoyment they might have permitted themselves in your society will be banished4 ,why1 indeed1 try to be amiable toward a man who is a source of anxiety to you by his nonchalance1 who does not unbosom himself8 ,women are not at their ease except with those who take chances with them1 and enter into their spirit4 ,in a word1 too much circumspection gives others a chill like that felt by a man who goes out of a warm room into a cold wind4 ,i intended to say that habitual reserve locks the doors of the hearts of those who associate with us2 they have no room to expand4 ,you must also bear this in mind1 ,marquis1 that in cases of gallantry1 your first advances must be made under the most favorable circumstances4 ,you must have read somewhere1 that one pleases more by agreeable faults than by essential qualities4 ,great virtues are like pieces of gold of which one makes less use than of ordinary currency4 ,this idea calls to my mind those people who1 in place of our kind of money1 use shells as their medium of exchange4 ,well1 do you imagine that these people are not so rich as we with all the treasures of the new world8 ,we might1 at first blush1 take this sort of wealth as actual poverty1 but we should be quickly undeceived upon reflection1 for metals have no value except in opinion4 ,our gold would be false money to those people4 ,now1 the qualities you call essential are not worth any more in cases of gallantry1 where only pebbles are sufficient4 ,what matters the conventional mark provided there is commerce8 ,now1 this is my conclusion3 ,if it be true1 as you can not doubt1 that you ought not to expect happiness except from an interchange of agreeable qualities in women1 you may be sure that you will never please them unless you possess advantages similar to theirs4 ,i stick to the point4 ,you men are constantly boasting about your science1 your firmness1 etc41 but tell me1 how weary would you not be1 how disgusted even1 with life1 if1 always logical1 you were condemned to be forever learned and sordid1 to live only in the company of philosophers8 ,i know you1 you would soon become weary of admiration for your good qualities1 and the way you are made1 you would rather do without virtue than pleasure4 ,do not amuse yourself1 then1 by holding yourself out as a man with great qualities in the sense you consider them4 ,true merit is that which is esteemed by those we aim to please4 ,gallantry has its own laws1 and ,marquis1 amiable men are the sages of this world4 ,,viii ,the ,necessity for ,love and ,its ,primitive ,cause4 ,this time1 ,marquis1 you have not far to go1 your hour has come4 ,the diagnosis you give me of your condition tells me that you are in love4 ,the young widow you mention is certainly capable of rousing an inspiration in your heart4 ,the ,chevalier de ---- has given me a very favorable portrait of her4 ,but scarcely do you begin to feel a few scruples1 than you turn into a crime the advice ,i have been giving you4 ,the disorder which love brings to the soul1 and the other evils which follow in its train1 appear to you1 so you say1 more to be feared than the pleasures it gives are to be desired4 ,it is true that some very good people are of the opinion that the sorrows of love are about equal to its pleasures1 but without entering upon a tiresome discussion to ascertain whether they are right or wrong1 if you would have my opinion1 here it is3 ,love is a passion which is neither good nor bad of itself2 it is only those who are affected by it that determine whether it is good or bad4 ,all that ,i shall say in its favor is1 that it gives us an advantage with which any of the discomforts of life can not enter into comparison4 ,it drags us out of the rut1 it stirs us up1 and it is love which satisfies one of our most pressing wants4 ,i think ,i have already told you that our hearts are made for emotion2 to excite it therefore1 is to satisfy a demand of nature4 ,what would vigorous youth be without love8 ,a long illness3 it would not be existence1 it would be vegetating4 ,love is to our hearts what winds are to the sea4 ,they grow into tempests1 true2 they are sometimes even the cause of shipwrecks4 ,but the winds render the sea navigable1 their constant agitation of its surface is the cause of its preservation1 and if they are often dangerous1 it is for the pilot to know how to navigate in safety4 ,but ,i have wandered from my text1 and return to it4 ,though ,i shock your sensitive delicacy by my frank speaking1 ,i shall add1 that besides the need of having our emotions stirred1 we have in connection with them a physical machinery1 which is the primitive cause and necessity of love4 ,perhaps it is not too modest for a woman to use such language to you1 but you will understand that ,i would not talk to every one so plainly4 ,we are not engaged in what may be called nice conversation1 we are philosophizing4 ,if my discussions seem to you to be sometimes too analytical for a woman1 remember what ,i told you in my last letter4 ,from the time ,i was first able to reason1 ,i made up my mind to investigate and ascertain which of the two sexes was the more favored4 ,i saw that men were not at all stinted in the distribution of the roles to be played1 and ,i therefore became a man4 ,if ,i were you1 ,i would not investigate whether it be a good or a bad thing to fall in love4 ,i would prefer to have you ask whether it is good or bad to be thirsty2 or1 that it be forbidden to give one a drink because there are men who become intoxicated4 ,inasmuch as you are not at liberty to divest yourself of an appetite belonging to the mechanical part of your nature1 as could our ancient romancers1 do not ruin yourself by speculating and meditating on the greater or less advantages in loving4 ,take love as ,i have advised you to take it1 only do not let it be to you a passion1 only an amusement4 ,i understand what you are going to say3 you are going to overwhelm me again with your great principles1 and tell me that a man has not sufficient control over his feelings to stop when he would4 ,pooh6 ,i regard those who talk in that fashion in the same light as the man1 who believes he is in honor bound to show great sorrow on the occasion of a loss or accident1 which his friends consider great1 but which is nothing to him4 ,such a man feels less than any one the need of consolation1 but he finds pleasure in showing his tears4 ,he rejoices to know that he possesses a heart capable of excessive emotion1 and this softens it still more4 ,he feeds it with sorrow1 he makes an idol of it1 and offers it incense so often that he acquires the habit4 ,all such admirers of great and noble sentiments1 spoiled by romances or by prudes1 make it a point of honor to spiritualize their passion4 ,by force of delicate treatment1 they become all the more infatuated with it1 as they deem it to be their own work1 and they fear nothing so much as the shame of returning to common sense and resuming their manhood4 ,let us take good care1 ,marquis1 not to make ourselves ridiculous in this way4 ,this fashion of straining our intelligence is nothing more1 in the age in which we are living1 than playing the part of fools4 ,in former times people took it into their heads that love should be something grave1 they considered it a serious matter1 and esteemed it only in proportion to its dignity4 ,imagine exacting dignity from a child6 ,away would go all its graces1 and its youth would soon become converted into old age4 ,how ,i pity our good ancestors6 ,what with them was a mortal weariness1 a melancholy frenzy1 is with us a gay folly1 a delicious delirium4 ,fools that they were1 they preferred the horrors of deserts and rocks1 to the pleasures of a garden strewn with flowers4 ,what prejudices the habit of reflection has brought upon us6 ,the proof that great sentiments are nothing but chimeras of pride and prejudice1 is1 that in our day1 we no longer witness that taste for ancient mystic gallantry1 no more of those old fashioned gigantic passions4 ,ridicule the most firmly established opinions1 ,i will go further1 deride the feelings that are believed to be the most natural and soon both will disappear1 and men will stand amazed to see that ideas for which they possessed a sort of idolatry1 are in reality nothing but trifles which pass away like the ever changing fashions4 ,you will understand1 then1 ,marquis1 that it is not necessary to acquire the habit of deifying the fancy you entertain for the ,countess4 ,you will know1 at last1 that love to be worthy of the name1 and to make us happy1 far from being treated as a serious affair1 should be fostered lightly1 and above all with gayety4 ,nothing can make you understand more clearly the truth of what ,i am telling you1 than the result of your adventure1 for ,i believe the ,countess to be the last woman in the world to harbor a sorrowful passion4 ,you1 with your high sentiments will give her the blues1 mark what ,i tell you4 ,my indisposition continues1 and ,i would feel like telling you that ,i never go out during the day1 but would not that be giving you a rendezvous8 ,if1 however1 you should come and give me your opinion of the ,bajazet of ,racine1 you would be very kind4 ,they say that the ,champmesle has surpassed herself4 ,i have read over this letter1 ,marquis1 and the lecture it contains puts me out of humor with you4 ,i recognize the fact that truth is a contagious disease4 ,judge how much of it goes into love1 since you bestow it even upon those who aim to undeceive you4 ,it is quite strange1 that in order to prove that love should be treated with levity1 it was necessary to assume a serious tone4 ,,ix ,love is a ,natural ,inclination ,so you have taken what ,i said about love in my last letter as a crime8 ,i have blasphemed love2 ,i have degraded it by calling it a necessity8 ,you have such noble thoughts1 ,marquis4 ,what is passing in your mind is proof of it4 ,you can not realize1 or imagine anything less than the pure and delicate sentiments which fill your heart4 ,to see the ,countess1 hold sweet discourse with her1 listen to the sound of her gentle voice1 dance attendance upon her1 that is the height of your desires1 it is your supreme happiness4 ,far from you are those vulgar sentiments which ,i unworthily substitute for your sublime metaphysics2 sentiments created for worldly souls occupied solely with sensual pleasures4 ,what a mistake ,i made6 ,could ,i imagine that the ,countess was a woman to be captured by motives so little worthy of her8 ,to raise the suspicion in her mind that you possessed such views1 would it not inevitably expose you to her hate1 her scorn1 etc48 ,are not these the inconveniences which my morality leads you to apprehend8 ,my poor ,marquis6 you are yourself deceived by your misunderstanding of the real cause of your sentiments4 ,give me all your attention3 ,i wish to draw you away from error1 but in a manner that will best accord with the importance of what ,i am about to say4 ,i mount the tribune2 ,i feel the presence of the god who inspires me4 ,i rub my forehead with the air of a person who meditates on profound truths1 and who is going to utter great thoughts4 ,i am going to reason according to rule4 ,men1 ,i know not by what caprice1 have attached shame to the indulgence of that reciprocal inclination which nature has bestowed upon both sexes4 ,they knew1 however1 that they could not entirely stifle its voice1 so what did they do to relieve themselves of their embarrassment8 ,they attempted to substitute the mere shell of an affection wholly spiritual for the humiliating necessity of appearing in good faith to satisfy a natural want4 ,insensibly1 they have grown accustomed to meddle with a thousand little sublime nothings connected with it1 and as if that were not enough1 they have at last succeeded in establishing the belief that all these frivolous accessories1 the work of a heated imagination1 constitute the essence of the inclination4 ,there you are2 love erected into a fine virtue2 at least they have given it the appearance of a virtue4 ,but let us break through this prestige and cite an example4 ,at the beginning of their intercourse1 lovers fancy themselves inspired by the noblest and most delicate sentiments4 ,they exhaust their ingenuity1 exaggerations1 the enthusiasm of the most exquisite metaphysics2 they are intoxicated for a time with the idea that their love is a superior article4 ,but let us follow them in their liaison3 ,nature quickly recovers her rights and re-assumes her sway2 soon1 vanity1 gorged with the display of an exaggerated purpose1 leaves the heart at liberty to feel and express its sentiments without restraint1 and dissatisfied with the pleasures of love1 the day comes when these people are very much surprised to find themselves1 after having traveled around a long circuit1 at the very point where a peasant1 acting according to nature1 would have begun4 ,and thereby hangs a tale4 ,a certain ,honesta1 to give her a fictitious name1 in whose presence ,i was one day upholding the theory ,i have just been maintaining1 became furious4 ,what6 she exclaimed in a transport of indignation1 do you pretend1 ,madame1 that a virtuous person1 one who possesses only honest intentions1 such as marriage1 is actuated by such vulgar motives8 ,you would believe1 in that case1 that ,i1 for instance1 who 'par vertu1' have been married three times1 and who1 to subdue my husbands1 have never wished to have a separate apartment1 that ,i only acted thus to procure what you call pleasure8 ,truly you would be very much mistaken4 ,indeed1 never have ,i refused to fulfill the duties of my state1 but ,i assure you that the greater part of the time1 ,i yielded to them only through complaisance1 or as a distraction1 always with regret at the importunities of men4 ,we love men and marry them because they have certain qualities of mind and heart2 and no woman1 with the exception of those1 perhaps1 whom ,i do not care to name1 even attaches any importance to other advantages---- ,i interrupted her1 and more through malice than good taste1 carried the argument to its logical conclusion4 ,i made her see that what she said was a new proof of my contention3 ,the reasons you draw from the legitimate views of marriage1 said ,i1 prove that those who hold them1 fend to the same end as two ordinary lovers1 perhaps1 even in better faith1 with this difference only1 that they wish an extra ceremony attached to it4 ,this shot roused the indignation of my adversary4 ,you join impiety to libertinage1 said she1 moving away from me4 ,i took the liberty of making some investigations1 and would you believe it1 ,marquis8 ,this prude so refined1 had such frequent 'distractions' with her three husbands1 who were all young and vigorous1 that she buried them in a very short time4 ,come now1 ,marquis1 retract your error2 abandon your chimera1 reserve delicacy of sentiment for friendship2 accept love for what it is4 ,the more dignity you give it1 the more dangerous you make it2 the more sublime the idea you form of it1 the less correct it is4 ,believe de la ,rochefoucauld1 a man who knows the human heart well3 ,if you expect to love a woman for love of herself1 says he1 you will be much mistaken4 ,x ,the ,sensation of ,love ,forms a ,large ,part of a ,woman's ,nature ,the commentaries the ,countess has been making you about her virtue1 and the refinement she expects in a lover1 have certainly alarmed you4 ,you think she will always be as severe as she now appears to you4 ,all ,i have told you does not reassure you4 ,you even esteem it a favor to me that you stop with doubting my principles4 ,if you dared you would condemn them entirely4 ,when you talk to me in that fashion1 ,i feel at liberty to say that ,i believe you4 ,it is not your fault if you do not see clearly into your own affair1 but in proportion as you advance1 the cloud will disappear1 and you will perceive with surprise the truth of what ,i have been telling you4 ,the more cold blooded you are1 or at least1 as long as passion has not yet reached that degree of boldness its progress will ultimately lead you to1 the mere hope of the smallest favor is a crime2 you tremble at the most innocent caress4 ,at first you ask for nothing1 or for so slight a favor1 that a woman conscientiously believes herself obliged to grant it1 delighted with you on account of your modesty4 ,to obtain this slight favor1 you protest never to ask another1 and yet1 even while making your protestations1 you are preparing to exact more4 ,she becomes accustomed to it and permits further trifling1 which seems to be of so little importance that she would endure it from any other man1 if she were on the slightest terms of intimacy with him4 ,but1 to judge from the result1 what appears to be of so little consequence on one day when compared with the favor obtained the day before1 becomes very considerable when compared with that obtained on the first day4 ,a woman1 re-assured by your discretion1 does not perceive that her frailties are being graduated upon a certain scale4 ,she is so much mistress of herself1 and the little things which are at first exacted1 appear to her to be so much within her power of refusal1 that she expects to possess the same strength when something of a graver character is proposed to her4 ,it is just this way3 she flatters herself that her power of resistance will increase in the same proportion with the importance of the favors she will be called upon to grant4 ,she relies so entirely upon her virtue1 that she challenges danger by courting it4 ,she experiments with her power of resistance2 she wishes to see how far the granting of a few unimportant favors can lead her4 ,here is where she is imprudent1 for by her very rashness she accustoms her imagination to contemplate suggestions which are the final cause of her seduction4 ,she travels a long way on the road without perceiving that she has moved a single step4 ,if upon looking back along the route1 she is surprised at having yielded so much1 her lover will be no less surprised at having obtained so much4 ,but ,i go still further4 ,i am persuaded that love is not always necessary to bring about the downfall of a woman4 ,i knew a woman1 who1 although amiable in her manner with everybody1 had never been suspected of any affair of the heart4 ,fifteen years of married life had not diminished her tenderness for her husband1 and their happy union could be cited as an example to imitate4 ,one day at her country place1 her friends amused themselves so late that they were constrained to remain at her house all night4 ,in the morning1 her servants happening to be occupied with her guests1 she was alone in her apartment engaged in making her toilet4 ,a man whom she knew quite well1 but who was without social position1 dropped in for a short visit and to pass the compliments of the day4 ,some perplexity in her toilette1 induced him to offer his services4 ,the neglige dress she wore1 naturally gave him an opportunity to compliment her upon her undiminished charms4 ,of course she protested1 but laughingly1 claiming they were unmerited4 ,however1 one thing followed another1 they became a trifle sentimental1 a few familiarities which they did not at first deem of any consequence1 developed into something more decided1 until1 finally1 unable to resist1 they were both overcome1 the woman being culpable1 for she regarded his advances in the nature of a joke and let them run on4 ,what was their embarrassment after such a slip8 ,they have never since been able to understand how they could have ventured so far without having had the slightest intention of so doing4 ,i am tempted to exclaim here3 ,oh1 you mortals who place too much reliance upon your virtue1 tremble at this example6 ,whatever may be your strength1 there are1 unfortunately1 moments when the most virtuous is the most feeble4 ,the reason for this strange phenomenon is1 that nature is always on the watch2 always aiming to attain her ends4 ,the desire for love is1 in a woman1 a large part of her nature4 ,her virtue is nothing but a piece of patchwork4 ,the homilies of your estimable ,countess may be actually sincere1 although in such cases1 a woman always exaggerates1 but she deludes herself if she expects to maintain to the end1 sentiments so severe and so delicate4 ,fix this fact well in your mind1 ,marquis1 that these female metaphysicians are not different in their nature from other women4 ,their exterior is more imposing1 their morals more austere1 but inquire into their acts1 and you will discover that their heart affairs always finish the same as those of women less refined4 ,they are a species of the overnice1 forming a class of their own1 as ,i told ,queen ,christine of ,sweden1 one day3 ,they are the ,jansenists of love4 7,puritans47 ,you should be on your guard1 ,marquis1 against everything women have to say on the chapter of gallantry4 ,all the fine systems of which they make such a pompous display1 are nothing but vain illusions1 which they utilize to astonish those who are easily deceived4 ,in the eyes of a clear sighted man1 all this rubbish of stilted phrases is but a parade at which he mocks1 and which does not prevent him from penetrating their real sentiments4 ,the evil they speak of love1 the resistance they oppose to it1 the little taste they pretend for its pleasures1 the measures they take against it1 the fear they have of it1 all that springs from love itself4 ,their very manner renders it homage1 indicates that they harbor the thought of it4 ,love assumes a thousand different forms in their minds4 ,like pride1 it lives and flourishes upon its own defeat2 it is never overthrown that it does not spring up again with renewed force4 ,what a letter1 good heavens6 ,to justify its length would be to lengthen it still more4 ,,xi ,the ,distinction ,between ,love and ,friendship ,i was delighted with your letter1 ,marquis4 ,do you know why8 ,because it gives me speaking proof of the truth of what ,i have been preaching to you these latter days4 ,ah6 for once you have forgotten all your metaphysics4 ,you picture to me the charms of the ,countess with a complacency which demonstrates that your sentiments are not altogether so high flown as you would have me believe1 and as you think down in your heart4 ,tell me frankly3 if your love were not the work of the senses1 would you take so much pleasure in considering that form1 those eyes which enchant you1 that mouth which you describe to me in such glowing colors8 ,if the qualities of heart and mind alone seduce you1 a woman of fifty is worth still more in that respect than the ,countess4 ,you see such a one every day1 it is her mother2 why not become enamored of her instead8 ,why neglect a hundred women of her age1 of her plainness1 and of her merit1 who make advances to you1 and who would enact the same role with you that you play with the ,countess8 ,why do you desire with so much passion to be distinguished by her from other men8 ,why are you uneasy when she shows them the least courtesy8 ,does her esteem for them diminish that which she pretends for you8 ,are rivalries and jealousies recognized in metaphysics8 ,i believe not ,i have friends and ,i do not observe such things in them2 ,i feel none in my own heart when they love other women4 ,friendship is a sentiment which has nothing to do with the senses2 the soul alone receives the impression of it1 and the soul loses nothing of its value by giving itself up to several at the same time4 ,compare friendship with love1 and you will perceive the difference between a desire which governs a friend1 and that which offers itself to a lover4 ,you will confess1 that at heart1 ,i am not so unreasonable as you at first thought1 and that it might be very well if it should happen that in love1 you might have a soul as worldly as that of a good many people1 whom it pleases you to accuse of very little refinement4 ,i do not wish1 however1 to bring men alone to trial4 ,i am frank1 and ,i am quite sure that if women would be honest1 they would soon confess that they are not a bit more refined than men4 ,indeed1 if they saw in love only the pleasures of the soul1 if they hoped to please only by their mental accomplishments and their good character1 honestly1 now1 would they apply themselves with such particular care to please by the charms of their person8 ,what is a beautiful skin to the soul2 an elegant figure2 a well shaped arm8 ,what contradictions between their real sentiments and those they exhibit on parade6 ,look at them1 and you will be convinced that they have no intention of making themselves valued except by their sensual attractions1 and that they count everything else as nothing4 ,listen to them3 you will be tempted to believe that it is not worldly things which they consider the least4 ,i think ,i deserve credit for trying to dispel your error in this respect1 and ought ,i not to expect everything from the care they will take to undeceive you themselves8 ,perhaps they will succeed only too easily in expressing sentiments entirely contrary to those you have heard to-day from me4 ,i am due at ,mademoiselle de ,raymond's this evening1 to hear the two ,camus and ,ytier who are going to sing4 ,mesdames de la ,sablire1 de ,salins1 and de ,monsoreau will also be there4 ,would you miss such a fine company8 ,,xii ,a ,man in ,love is an ,amusing ,spectacle ,you take things too much to heart1 ,marquis4 ,already two nights that you have not slept4 ,oh6 it is true love1 there is no mistaking that4 ,you have made your eyes speak1 you1 yourself1 have spoken quite plainly1 and not the slightest notice has been taken of your condition4 ,such behavior calls for revenge4 ,is it possible that after eight whole days of devoted attention she has not given you the least hope8 ,such a thing can not be easily imagined4 ,such a long resistance begins to pass beyond probability4 ,the ,countess is a heroine of the last century4 ,but if you are beginning to lose patience1 you can imagine the length of time you would have had to suffer1 if you had continued to proclaim grand and noble sentiments4 ,you have already accomplished more in eight days than the late ,celadon could in eight months4 ,however1 to speak seriously1 are your complaints just8 ,you call the ,countess ungrateful1 insensible1 disdainful1 etc4 ,but by what right do you talk thus8 ,will you never believe what ,i have told you a hundred times8 ,love is a veritable caprice1 involuntary1 even in one who experiences its pangs4 ,why should1 you say that the beloved object is bound to recompense a blind sentiment acquired without her connivance8 ,you are very queer1 you men4 ,you consider yourselves offended because a woman does not respond with eagerness to the languishing looks you deign to cast upon her4 ,your revolted pride immediately accuses her of injustice1 as if it were her fault that your head is turned2 as if she were obliged1 at a certain stage1 to be seized with the same disease as you4 ,tell me this3 is the ,countess responsible if she is not afflicted with the same delirium as soon as you begin to rave8 ,cease1 then1 to accuse her and to complain1 and to try to communicate your malady to her2 ,i know you1 you are seductive enough4 ,perhaps she will feel1 too soon for her peace of mind1 sentiments commensurate with your desires4 ,i believe she has in her everything to subjugate you1 and to inspire you with the taste ,i hope will be for your happiness1 but so far1 ,i do not think she is susceptible of a very serious attachment4 ,vivacious1 inconsistent1 positive1 decided1 she can not fail to give you plenty of exercise4 ,an attentive and caressing woman would weary you2 you must be handled in a military fashion1 if you are to be amused and retained4 ,as soon as the mistress assumes the rle of lover1 love begins to weaken2 it does more1 it rises like a tyrant1 and ends in disdain which leads directly to disgust and inconstancy4 ,have you found1 perchance1 everything you required in the little mistress who is the cause of your dolorous martyrdom8 ,poor ,marquis6 ,what storms will blow over you4 ,what quarrels ,i foresee6 ,how many vexations1 how many threats to leave her6 ,but do not forget this3 ,so much emotion will become your punishment1 if you treat love after the manner of a hero of romance1 and you will meet a fate entirely the contrary if you treat it like a reasonable man4 ,but ought ,i to continue to write you8 ,the moments you employ to read my letters will be so many stolen from love4 ,great ,heavens6 how ,i should like to be a witness of your situations6 ,indeed1 for a sober-minded person1 is there a spectacle more amusing than the contortions of a man in love8 ,,xiii ,vanity ,is a ,fertile ,soil for ,love4 ,you are not satisfied1 then1 ,marquis1 with what ,i so cavalierly said about your condition8 ,you wish me by all means to consider your adventure as a serious thing1 but ,i shall take good care not to do so4 ,do you not see that my way of treating you is consistent with my principles8 ,i speak lightly of a thing ,i believe to be frivolous1 or simply amusing4 ,when it comes to an affair on which depends a lasting happiness1 you will see me take on an appropriate tone4 ,i do not want to pity you1 because it depends upon yourself whether you are to be pitied or not4 ,by a trick of your imagination1 what now appears to be a pain to you may become a pleasure4 ,to succeed1 make use of my recipe and you will find it good4 ,but to refer to the second paragraph of your letter3 ,you say you are all the more surprised at the coldness of the ,countess as you did not think it in earnest4 ,according to what you say1 your conjectures are based on the indiscretions of her friends4 ,the good she spoke about you to them1 was the main cause of your taking a fancy to her4 ,i know men by this trait4 ,the smallest word that escapes a woman's lips leads them into the belief that she has designs upon them4 ,everything has some reference to their merits2 their vanity seizes upon everything1 and they turn everything into profit4 ,to examine them closely1 nearly all of them love through gratitude1 and on this point1 women are not any more reasonable4 ,so that gallantry is an intercourse in which we want the others to go along with us1 always want to be their debtors4 ,and you know pride is much more active in paying back than in giving4 ,if two lovers would mutually explain1 without reservation1 the beginning and progress of their passion1 what confidences would they not exchange8 ,elise1 to whom ,valre uttered a few general compliments1 responded1 perhaps without intending to1 in a more affectionate manner than is usual in the case of such insipidities4 ,it was enough4 ,valre is carried away with the idea that from a gallant he must become a lover4 ,the fire is insensibly kindled on both sides2 finally1 it bursts forth1 and there you are1 a budding passion4 ,if you should charge ,elise with having made the first advances1 nothing would appear more unjust to her1 and yet nothing could be more true4 ,i conclude from this that to take love for what it really is1 it is less the work of what is called invincible sympathy1 than that of our vanity4 ,notice the birth of all love affairs4 ,they begin by the mutual praises we bestow upon each other4 ,it has been said that it is folly which conducts love2 ,i should say that it is flattery1 and that it can not be introduced into the heart of a belle until after paying tribute to her vanity4 ,add to all this1 the general desire and inclination we have to be loved1 and we are bravely deceived4 ,like those enthusiasts who1 by force of imagination1 believe they can really see the images they conjure up in their minds1 we fancy that we can see in others the sentiments we desire to find there4 ,be careful1 then1 ,marquis1 not to let yourself be blinded by a false notion4 ,the ,countess may have spoken well of you with the sole object of doing you justice1 without carrying her intention any farther4 ,and be sure you are wrong when you suspect her of insincerity in your regard4 ,after all1 why should you not prefer to have her dissemble her sentiments toward you1 if you are the source of their inspiration8 ,are not women in the right to hide carefully their sentiments from you1 and does not the bad use you make of the certainty of their love justify them in so doing8 ,,xiv ,worth and ,merit ,are ,not ,considered in ,love ,no1 ,marquis1 the curiosity of ,madame de ,svign has not offended me4 ,on the contrary1 ,i am very glad that she wished to see the letters you receive from me4 ,without doubt1 she thought that if it were a question of gallantry1 it could only be to my profit2 she now knows the contrary4 ,she will also know that ,i am not so frivolous as she imagined1 and ,i believe her just enough to form hereafter another idea of ,ninon than the one she has heretofore had of her1 for ,i am not ignorant of the fact that she does not speak of me much to my advantage4 ,but her injustice will never influence my friendship for you4 ,i am philosophic enough to console myself for not securing the commendation of people who judge me without knowing me4 ,whatever may happen1 ,i shall continue to talk to you with my ordinary frankness1 and ,i am sure that ,madame de ,svign1 in spite of her refined mind1 will1 at heart1 be more of my opinion than she cares to show4 ,now1 ,i come to what relates to you4 ,well1 ,marquis1 after infinite care and trouble1 you think you have at last softened that stony heart8 ,i am glad of it2 but ,i laugh at your interpretation of the ,countess' sentiments4 ,you share with all men a common error which it is necessary to remove1 however flattering it may be to you to foster it4 ,you believe1 every one of you1 that it is your worth alone that kindles passion in the heart of women1 and that qualities of heart and mind are the causes of the love they feel toward you4 ,what a mistake6 ,you only think so1 it is true1 because your pride finds satisfaction in the thought4 ,but1 if you can do so without prejudice1 inquire into the motives that actuate you1 and you will soon perceive that you are laboring under a delusion1 and that we deceive you2 that1 everything well considered1 you are the dupe of your vanity and of ours2 that the worth of the person loved is only an excuse which gives an occasion for love1 and is not the real cause4 ,finally1 that all this sublime by-play1 which is paraded on both sides1 is a mere preliminary which enters into the desire to satisfy the need ,i first indicated to you as the prime exciting cause of this passion4 ,i tell you this is a hard and humiliating truth1 but it is none the less certain4 ,we women enter the world with this necessity of loving undefined1 and if we take one man in preference to another1 let us say so honestly1 we yield less to the knowledge of merit than to a mechanical instinct which is nearly always blind4 ,for proof of this ,i need only refer to the foolish passions with which we sometimes become intoxicated for strangers1 or at least for men with whom we are not sufficiently acquainted1 to relieve our selection of them from the odium of imprudence from the beginning2 in which case if there is a mutual response1 well1 it is pure chance4 ,we are always forming attachments without sufficient circumspection1 hence ,i am not wrong in comparing love to an appetite which one sometimes feels for one kind of food rather than for another1 without being able to give the reason4 ,i am very cruel to thus dissipate the phantoms of your self love1 but ,i am telling you the truth4 ,you are flattered by the love of a woman1 because you believe it implies the worthiness of the object loved4 ,you do her too much honor3 let us say rather1 that you have too good an opinion of yourself4 ,understand that it is not for yourself that we love you1 to speak with sincerity1 it is our own happiness we seek4 ,caprice1 interest1 vanity1 disposition1 the uneasiness that affects our hearts when they are unoccupied1 these are the sources of the great sentiment we wish to deify6 ,it is not great qualities that affect us2 if they enter for anything into the reasons which determine us in your favor1 it is not the heart which receives the impression1 it is vanity2 and the greater part of the things in you which please us1 very often makes you ridiculous or contemptible4 ,but1 what will you have8 ,we need an admirer who can entertain us with ideas of our perfections2 we need an obliging person who will submit to our caprices2 we need a man6 ,chance presents us with one rather than another2 we accept him1 but we do not choose him4 ,in a word1 you believe yourselves to be the objects of our disinterested affection4 ,i repeat3 ,you think women love you for yourselves4 ,poor dupes6 ,you are only the instruments of their pleasures1 the sport of their caprices4 ,i must1 however1 do women justice2 it is not that you are what ,i have just enumerated with their consent1 for the sentiments which ,i develop here are not well defined in their minds1 on the contrary1 with the best faith in the world1 women imagine themselves influenced and actuated only by the grand ideas which your vanity and theirs has nourished4 ,it would be a crying injustice to accuse them of deceit in this respect2 but1 without being aware of it1 they deceive themselves1 and you are equally deceived4 ,you see that ,i am revealing the secrets of the good goddess4 ,judge of my friendship1 since1 at the expense of my own sex1 ,i labor to enlighten you4 ,the better you know women1 the fewer follies they will lead you to commit4 ,,xv ,the ,hidden ,motives of ,love ,really1 ,marquis1 ,i do not understand how you can meekly submit to the serious language ,i sometimes write you4 ,it seems as if ,i had no other aim in my letters than to sweep away your agreeable illusions and substitute mortifying truths4 ,i must1 however1 get rid of my mania for saying deeply considered things4 ,i know better than any one else that pleasant lies are more agreeable than the most reasonable conversation1 but my disposition breaks through everything in spite of me4 ,i feel a fit of philosophy upon me again to-day1 and ,i must ask you to prepare to endure the broadside of morality ,i am making ready to give you4 ,hereafter1 ,i promise you more gayety4 ,so now to answer your letter4 ,no1 ,i will not take back anything4 ,you may make war on me as much as it please you1 because of the bad opinion of my sex ,i expressed in my last letter4 ,is it my fault if ,i am furnished with disagreeable truths to utter8 ,besides1 do you not know1 ,marquis1 that the being on earth who thinks the most evil of women1 is a woman8 ,i wish1 however1 very seriously1 to justify the ideas1 to my manner of expressing which you have taken an exception4 ,i am neither envious nor unjust4 ,because ,i happened to mention my own sex rather than yours1 you must not imagine that it is my intention to underrate women4 ,i hoped to make you understand that1 without being more culpable than men1 they are more dangerous because they are accustomed more successfully to hide their sentiments4 ,in effect1 you will confess the object of your love sooner than they will acknowledge theirs4 ,however1 when they assure you that their affection for you has no other source than a knowledge of your merit and of your good qualities1 ,i am persuaded that they are sincere4 ,i do not even doubt that when they realize that their style of thought is becoming less refined1 they do everything in their power to hide the fact from themselves4 ,but the motives1 about which ,i have been telling you1 are in the bottom of their hearts just the same4 ,they are none the less the true causes of the liking they have for you1 and whatever efforts they may make to persuade themselves that the causes are wholly spiritual1 their desire changes nothing in the nature of things4 ,they hide this deformity with as much care as they would conceal teeth that might disfigure an otherwise perfect face4 ,in such case1 even when alone they would be afraid to open their mouth1 and so1 by force of habit in hiding this defect from others as well as from themselves1 they succeed in forgetting all about it or in considering that it is not much of a defect4 ,i agree with you that you would lose too much if men and women were to show themselves in their true colors4 ,the world has agreed to play a comedy1 and to show real1 natural sentiments would not be acting1 it would be substituting the real character for the one it has been agreed to feign4 ,let us then enjoy the enchantment without seeking to know the cause of the charm which amuses and seduces us4 ,to anatomize love would be to enter upon its cure4 ,psyche lost it for having been too curious1 and ,i am tempted to believe that this fable is a lesson for those who wish to analyze pleasure4 ,i wish to make some corrections in what ,i have said to you3 ,if ,i told you that men are wrong in priding themselves on their choice of a woman1 and their sentiments for her2 if ,i said that the motives which actuate them are nothing less than glorious for the men1 ,i desire to add1 that they are equally deceived if they imagine that the sentiments which they show with so much pompous display are always created by force of female charms1 or by an abiding impression of their merits4 ,how often does it happen that those men who make advances with such a respectful air1 who display such delicate and refined sentiments1 so flattering to vanity1 who1 in a word1 seem to breathe only through them1 only for them1 and have no other desire than their happiness2 how often1 ,i repeat1 are those men1 who adorn themselves with such beautiful sentiments1 influenced by reasons entirely the contrary8 ,study1 penetrate these good souls1 and you will see in the heart of this one1 instead of a love so disinterested1 only desire2 in that one1 it will be only a scheme to share your fortune1 the glory of having obtained a woman of your rank2 in a third you will discover motives still more humiliating to you2 he will use you to rouse the jealousy of some woman he really loves1 and he will cultivate your friendship merely to distinguish himself in her eyes by rejecting you4 ,i can not tell you how many motives1 there are so many4 ,the human heart is an insolvable enigma4 ,it is a whimsical combination of all the known contrarieties4 ,we think we know its workings2 we see their effects2 we ignore the cause4 ,if it expresses its sentiments sincerely1 even that sincerity is not reassuring4 ,perhaps its movements spring from causes entirely contrary to those we imagine we feel to be the real ones4 ,but1 after all1 people have adopted the best plan1 that is1 to explain everything to their advantage1 and to compensate themselves in imagination for their real miseries1 and accustom themselves1 as ,i think ,i have already said1 to deifying all their sentiments4 ,inasmuch as everybody finds in that the summit of his vanity1 nobody has ever thought of reforming the custom1 or of examining it to see whether it is a mistake4 ,adieu2 if you desire to come this evening you will find me with those whose gayety will compensate you for this serious discourse4 ,,xvi ,how to ,be ,victorious in ,love ,is what you write me possible1 ,marquis1 what1 the ,countess continues obdurate8 ,the flippant manner in which she receives your attentions reveals an indifference which grieves you8 ,i think ,i have guessed the secret of the riddle4 ,i know you4 ,you are gay1 playful1 conceited even1 with women as long as they do not impress you4 ,but with those who have made an impression upon your heart1 ,i have noticed that you are timid4 ,this quality might affect a bourgeoise1 but you must attack the heart of a woman of the world with other weapons4 ,the ,countess knows the ways of the world4 ,believe me1 and leave to the ,celadons1 such things as sublime talk1 beautiful sentiments2 let them spin out perfection4 ,i tell you on behalf of women3 there is not one of us who does not prefer a little rough handling to too much consideration4 ,men lose through blundering more hearts than virtue saves4 ,the more timidity a lover shows with us the more it concerns our pride to goad him on2 the more respect he has for our resistance1 the more respect we demand of him4 ,we would willingly say to you men3 ,ah1 in pity's name do not suppose us to be so very virtuous2 you are forcing us to have too much of it4 ,do not put so high a price upon your conquest2 do not treat our defeat as if it were something difficult4 ,accustom our imagination by degrees to seeing you doubt our indifference4 ,when we see a lover1 although he may be persuaded of our gratitude1 treat us with the consideration demanded by our vanity1 we shall conclude without being aware of it1 that he will always be the same1 although sure of our inclination for him4 ,from that moment1 what confidence will he not inspire8 ,what flattering progress may he not make8 ,but if he notifies us to be always on our guard1 then it is not our hearts we shall defend2 it will not be a battle to preserve our virtue1 but our pride2 and that is the worst enemy to be conquered in women4 ,what more is there to tell you8 ,we are continually struggling to hide the fact that we have permitted ourselves to be loved4 ,put a woman in a position to say that she has yielded only to a species of violence1 or to surprise2 persuade her that you do not undervalue her1 and ,i will answer for her heart4 ,you must manage the ,countess as her character requires2 she is lively1 and playful1 and by trifling follies you must lead her to love4 ,do not even let her see that she distinguishes you from other men1 and be as playful as she is light hearted4 ,fix yourself in her heart without giving her any warning of your intention4 ,she will love you without knowing it1 and some day she will be very much astonished at having made so much headway without really suspecting it4 ,,xvii ,women ,understand the ,difference ,between ,real ,love and ,flirtation ,perhaps1 ,marquis1 you will think me still more cruel than the ,countess4 ,she is the cause of your anxieties1 it is true1 but ,i am the cause of something worse2 ,i feel a great desire to laugh at them4 ,oh1 ,i enter into your troubles seriously enough1 ,i can not do more1 and your embarrassment appears great to me4 ,really1 why risk a declaration of love to a woman who takes a wicked pleasure in avoiding it on every occasion8 ,now1 she appears affected1 and then again1 she is the most unmindful woman in the world in spite of all you do to please her4 ,she listens willingly and replies gaily to the gallant speeches and bold conversation of a certain ,chevalier1 a professional coxcomb1 but to you she speaks seriously and with a preoccupied air4 ,if you take on a tender and affectionate tone1 she replies flippantly1 or perhaps changes the subject4 ,all this intimidates you1 troubles you1 and drives you to despair4 ,poor ,marquis6--and ,i answer you1 that all this is love1 true and beautiful4 ,the absence of mind which she affects with you1 the nonchalance she puts on for a mask1 ought to make you feel at heart that she is far from being indifferent4 ,but your lack of boldness1 the consequences which she feels must follow such a passion as yours1 the interest which she already takes in your condition1 all this intimidates the countess herself1 and it is you who raise obstacles in her path4 ,a little more boldness on your part would put you both at your ease4 ,do you remember what ,m4 de la ,rochefoucauld told you lately3 ,a reasonable man in love may act like a madman1 but he should not and can not act like an idiot4 ,besides1 when you compare your respect and esteem with the free and almost indecent manner of the ,chevalier2 when you draw from it the conclusion that she should prefer you to him1 you do not know how incorrectly you argue4 ,the ,chevalier is nothing but a gallant1 and what he says is not worth considering1 or at least appears so4 ,frivolity alone1 the habit of romancing to all the pretty women he finds in his way1 makes him talk4 ,love counts for nothing1 or at least for very little1 in all his liaisons4 ,like the butterfly1 he hovers only a moment over each flower4 ,an amusing episode is his only object4 ,so much frivolity is not capable of alarming a woman4 ,she is delighted at the trifling danger she incurs in listening to such a man4 ,the ,countess knows very well how to appreciate the discourse of the ,chevalier2 and to say everything in a word1 she knows him to be a man whose heart is worn out4 ,women1 who1 to hear them talk1 go in more for metaphysics1 know admirably how to tell the difference between a lover of his class and a man like you4 ,but you will always be more formidable and more to be dreaded by your manner of making yourself felt4 ,you boast to me of your respectful esteem1 but ,i reply that it is nothing of the kind1 and the ,countess knows it well4 ,nothing ends with so little respect as a passion like yours4 ,quite different from the ,chevalier1 you require recognition1 preference1 acknowledgment1 even sacrifices4 ,the ,countess sees all these pretensions at a glance1 or at least1 if in the cloud which still envelops them1 she does not distinguish them clearly1 nature gives her a presentiment of what the cost will be if she allows you the least opportunity to instruct her in a passion which she doubtless already shares4 ,women rarely inquire into the reasons which impel them to give themselves up or to resist2 they do not even amuse themselves by trying to understand or explain them1 but they have feelings1 and sentiment with them is correct1 it takes the place of intelligence and reflection4 ,it is a sort of instinct which warns them in case of danger1 and which leads them aright perhaps as surely as does the most enlightened reason4 ,your beautiful ,adelaide wishes to enjoy an incognito as long as she can4 ,this plan is very congenial to her real interests1 and yet ,i am fully persuaded that it is not the work of reflection4 ,she sees it only from the point of view of a passion1 outwardly constrained1 making stronger impressions and still greater progress inwardly4 ,let it have an opportunity to take deep root1 and give to this fire she tries to hide1 time to consume the heart in which you wish to confine it4 ,you must also admit1 ,marquis1 that you deceive yourself in two ways in your calculation4 ,you thought you respected the ,countess more than the ,chevalier does1 on the contrary you see that the gallant speeches of the ,chevalier are without effect1 while you begrudge them to the heart of your beauty4 ,on the other hand1 you figure that her preoccupied air1 indifferent and inattentive manner are proofs or forewarnings of your unhappiness4 ,undeceive yourself4 ,there is no more certain proof of a passion than the efforts made to hide it4 ,in a word1 when the ,countess treats you kindly1 whatever proofs you may give her of your affection1 when she sees you without alarm on the point of confessing your love1 ,i tell you that her heart is caught2 she loves you1 on my word4 ,by the way1 ,i forgot to reply to that part of your letter concerning myself4 ,yes1 ,marquis1 ,i constantly follow the method which ,i prescribed at the commencement of our correspondence4 ,there are few matters in my letters that ,i have not used as subjects of conversation in my social reunions4 ,i rarely suggest ideas of any importance to you1 without having taken the opinions of my friends on their verity4 ,sometimes it is ,monsieur de la ,bruyre1 sometimes ,monsieur de ,saint-,evremond whom ,i consult2 another time it will be ,monsieur l',abb de ,chteauneuf4 ,you must admire my good faith1 ,marquis1 for ,i might claim the credit of the good ,i write you1 but ,i frankly avow that you owe it only to the people whom ,i receive at my house4 ,apropos of men of distinguished merit1 ,m4 de la ,rochefoucauld has just sent me word that he would like to call on me4 ,i fixed to-morrow1 and you might do well to be present1 but do not forget how much he loves you4 ,adieu4 ,,xviii ,when a ,woman ,is ,loved ,she ,need ,not ,be ,told of ,it ,i have been engaged in some new reflections on the condition you are in1 ,marquis1 and on the embarrassment in which you continue4 ,after all1 why do you deem it necessary to make a formal declaration of love8 ,can it be because you have read about such things in our old romances1 in which the proceedings in courtship were as solemn as those of the tribunals8 ,that would be too technical4 ,believe me1 let it alone2 as ,i told you in my last letter1 the fire lighted1 will acquire greater force every day1 and you will see1 that without having said you love1 you will be farther advanced than if you were frightened by avowals which our fathers insisted should worry the women4 ,avowals absolutely useless in themselves1 and which always incumber a passion with several nebulous days4 ,they retard its progress4 ,bear this well in mind1 ,marquis3 ,a woman is much better persuaded that she is loved by what she guesses than by what she is told4 ,act as if you had made the declaration which is costing you so much anxiety2 or imitate the ,chevalier2 take things easy4 ,the way the ,countess conducts herself with him in your presence seems to be a law in your estimation4 ,with your circumspection and pretended respect1 you present the appearance of a man who meditates an important design1 of a man1 in a word1 who contemplates a wrong step4 ,your exterior is disquieting to a woman who knows the consequences of a passion such as yours4 ,remember that as long as you let it appear that you are making preparations for an attack1 you will find her on the defensive4 ,have you ever heard of a skillful general1 who intends to surprise a citadel1 announce his design to the enemy upon whom the storm is to descend8 ,in love as in war1 does any one ever ask the victor whether he owes his success to force or skill8 ,he has conquered1 he receives the crown1 his desires are gratified1 he is happy4 ,follow his example and you will meet the same fate4 ,hide your progress2 do not disclose the extent of your designs until it is no longer possible to oppose your success1 until the combat is over1 and the victory gained before you have declared war4 ,in a word1 imitate those warlike people whose designs are not known except by the ravaged country through which they have passed4 ,,xix ,why a ,lover's ,vows ,are ,untrustworthy ,at last1 ,marquis1 you are listened to dispassionately when you protest your love1 and swear by everything lovers hold sacred that you will always love4 ,will you believe my predictions another time8 ,however1 you would be better treated if you were more reasonable1 so you are told1 and limit your sentiments to simple friendship4 ,the name of lover assumed by you is revolting to the ,countess4 ,you should never quarrel over quality when it is the same under any name1 and follow the advice ,madame de la ,sablire gives you in the following madrigal3 ,blise ne veut point d'amant1 ,mais voudrait un ami fidle1 ,qui pour elle et des soins et de l'empressement1 ,et qui mme la trouvt belle4 ,amants1 qui soupirez pour elle1 ,sur ma parole tenez bon1 ,blise de l'amour ne hait que le nom4 7,blise for a lover sighed not1 ,but she wanted a faithful friend1 ,who would cuddle her up and care for her lot1 ,and even her beauty defend4 ,oh1 you lovers1 whose sighs ,i commend1 ',pon my word1 hold fast to such game1 ,what of love ,blise hates is only the name47 ,but you are grieved by the injurious doubts cast upon your sincerity and constancy4 ,you are disbelieved because all men are false and perjured1 and because they are inconstant1 love is withheld4 ,how fortunate you are6 ,how little the ,countess knows her own heart1 if she expects to persuade you of her indifference in that fashion6 ,do you wish me to place a true value on the talk she is giving you8 ,she is very much affected by the passion you exhibit for her1 but the warnings and sorrows of her friends have convinced her that the protestations of men are generally false4 ,i do not conceive any injustice in this1 for ,i1 who do not flatter men willingly1 am persuaded that they are usually sincere on such occasions4 ,they become amorous of a woman1 that is they experience the desire of possession4 ,the enchanting image of that possession bewitches them2 they calculate that the delights connected with it will never end2 they do not imagine that the fire which consumes them can ever weaken or die out2 such a thing seems impossible to them4 ,hence they swear with the best faith in the world to love us always2 and to cast a doubt upon their sincerity would be inflicting a mortal injury4 ,but the poor fellows make more promises than they can keep4 ,they do not perceive that their heart has not enough energy always to hold the same object4 ,they cease to love without knowing why4 ,they are good enough to be scrupulous over their growing coldness4 ,long after love has fled they continue to insist that they still love4 ,they exert themselves to no purpose1 and after having tormented themselves as long as they can bear it1 they surrender to dissatisfaction1 and become inconstant with as much good faith as they possessed when they protested that they would be forever constant4 ,nothing is simpler and easier to explain4 ,the fermentation of a budding love1 excited in their heart the charm that seduced them2 by and by1 the enchantment is dispelled1 and nonchalance follows4 ,with what can they be charged8 ,they counted upon keeping their vows4 ,dear me1 how many women are too happy with what is lacking1 since men give them a free rein to their lightness6 ,however this may be1 the ,countess has charged up to you the inconstancy of your equals2 she apprehends that you are no better than all other lovers4 ,ready to yield to you1 however little you may be able to reassure her1 she is trying to find reasons for believing you sincere4 ,the love you protest for her does not offend her4 ,what am ,i saying8 ,it enchants her4 ,she is so much flattered by it1 that her sole fear is that it may not be true4 ,dissipate her alarms1 show her that the happiness you offer her and of which she knows the price1 is not an imaginary happiness4 ,go farther2 persuade her that she will enjoy it forever1 and her resistance will disappear1 her doubts will vanish1 and she will seize upon everything that will destroy her suspicions and uncertainty4 ,she would have already believed you2 already she would have resolved to yield to the pleasure of being loved1 if she had believed herself really loved1 and that it would last forever4 ,how maladroit women are if they imagine that by their fears and their doubts of the sincerity and constancy of men1 they can make any one believe they are fleeing from love1 or despise it6 ,as soon as they fear they will be deceived in the enjoyment of its pleasures2 when they fear they will not long enjoy it1 they already know the charms of it1 and the only source of anxiety then is1 that they will be deprived of its enjoyment too soon4 ,forever haunted by this fear1 and attacked by the powerful inclination toward pleasure1 they hesitate1 they tremble with the apprehension that they will not be permitted to enjoy it but just long enough to make the privation of it more painful4 ,hence1 ,marquis1 you may very easily conjecture a woman who talks to you as does the ,countess1 using this language3 ,i can imagine all the delights of love4 ,the idea ,i have formed of it is quite seductive4 ,do you think that deep in my heart ,i desire to enjoy its charms less than you8 ,but the more its image is ravishing to my imagination1 the more ,i fear it is not real1 and ,i refuse to yield to it lest my happiness be too soon destroyed4 ,ah1 if ,i could only hope that my happiness might endure1 how feeble would be my resistance8 ,but will you not abuse my credulity8 ,will you not some day punish me for having had too much confidence in you8 ,at least is that day very far off8 ,ah1 if ,i could hope to gather perpetually the fruits of the sacrifice ,i am making of my repose for your sake1 ,i confess it frankly1 we would soon be in accord4 ,,xx ,the ,half-way ,house to ,love ,the rival you have been given appears to me to be all the more redoubtable1 as he is the sort of a man ,i have been advising you to be4 ,i know the ,chevalier2 nobody is more competent than he to carry a seduction to a successful conclusion4 ,i am willing to wager anything that his heart has never been touched4 ,he makes advances to the ,countess in cold blood4 ,you are lost4 ,a lover as passionate as you have appeared to be1 makes a thousand blunders4 ,the most favorable designs would perish under your management4 ,he permits everybody to take the advantage of him on every occasion4 ,indeed1 such is his misfortune that his precipitation and his timidity injure his prospects by turns4 ,a man who makes love for the pleasure he finds in it1 profits by the smallest advantage2 he knows the feeble places and makes himself master of them4 ,everything leads his way1 everything is combined for his purpose4 ,even his imprudences are often the result of wise reflection2 they help him along the road to success2 they finally acquire so superior a position that1 from their beginning1 so to speak1 dates the hour of his triumph4 ,you must be careful1 ,marquis1 not to go to extremes2 you must not show the ,countess enough love to lead her to understand the excess of your passion4 ,give her something to be anxious about2 compel her to take heed lest she lose you1 by giving her opportunities to think that she may4 ,there is no woman on earth who will treat you more cavalierly than one who is absolutely certain that your love will not fail her4 ,like a merchant for whose goods you have manifested too great an anxiety to acquire1 she will overcharge you with as little regard to consequences4 ,moderate1 therefore1 your imprudent vivacity2 manifest less passion and you will excite more in her heart4 ,we do not appreciate the worth of a prize more than when we are on the point of losing it4 ,some regulation in matters of love are indispensable for the happiness of both parties4 ,i think ,i am even justified in advising you on certain occasions to be a trifle unprincipled4 ,on all other occasions1 though1 it is better to be a dupe than a knave2 but in affairs of gallantry1 it is only the fools who are the dupes1 and knaves always have the laugh on their side4 ,adieu4 ,i have not the conscience to leave you without a word of consolation4 ,do not be discouraged4 ,however redoubtable may be the ,chevalier1 let your heart rest in peace4 ,i suspect that the cunning ,countess is making a play with him to worry you4 ,i have no desire to flatter you1 but it gives me pleasure to say1 that you are worth more than he4 ,you are young1 you are making your debut in the world1 and you are regarded as a man who has never yet had any love affairs4 ,the ,chevalier has lived2 what woman will not appreciate these differences8 ,,xxi ,the ,comedy of ,contrariness ,probity in love1 ,marquis8 ,how can you think of such a thing8 ,ah1 you are like a drowned man4 ,i shall take good care not to show your letter to any one1 it would dishonor you4 ,you do not know how to undertake the manoeuvres ,i have advised you to make1 you say8 ,your candor1 your high sentiments made your fortune formerly6 ,well1 love was then treated like an affair of honor1 but nowadays1 the corruption of the age has changed all that2 love is now nothing more than a play of the humor and of vanity4 ,your inexperience still leaves your virtues in an inflexible condition that will inevitably cause your ruin1 if you have not enough intelligence to bring them into accord with the morals of the times4 ,one can not now wear his sentiments on his sleeve4 ,everything is show2 payment is made in airs1 demonstrations1 signs4 ,everybody is playing a comedy1 and men have had excellent reasons for keeping up the farce4 ,they have discovered the fact that nobody can gain anything by telling the actual truth about women4 ,there is a general agreement to substitute for this sincerity a collection of contrary phrases4 ,and this custom has proved contagious in cases of gallantry4 ,in spite of your high principles1 you will agree with me1 that unless that custom1 called politeness1 is not pushed so far as irony or treason1 it is a sociable virtue to follow1 and of all the relations among men1 the true meaning of gallantry has more need of being concealed than that of any other social affair4 ,how many occasions do you not find where a lover gains more by dissimulating the excess of his passion1 than another who pretends to have more than he really has8 ,i think ,i understand the ,countess2 she is more skillful than you4 ,i am certain she dissimulates her affection for you with greater care than you take to multiply proofs of yours for her4 ,i repeat2 the less you expose yourself1 the better you will be treated4 ,let her worry in her turn2 inspire her with the fear that she will lose you1 and see her come around4 ,it is the surest way of finding out the true position you occupy in her heart4 ,adieu4 ,,xxii ,vanity and ,self-,esteem ,obstacles to ,love ,a silence of ten days1 ,marquis4 ,you begin to worry me in earnest4 ,the application you made of my counsel has1 then1 been successful8 ,i congratulate you4 ,what ,i do not approve1 however1 is your dissatisfaction with her for refusing to make the confession you desired4 ,the words3 ,i love you seem to be something precious in your estimation4 ,for fifteen days you have been trying to penetrate the sentiments of the ,countess1 and you have succeeded2 you know her affection for you4 ,what more can you possibly want8 ,what further right over her heart would a confession give you8 ,truly1 ,i consider you a strange character4 ,you ought to know that nothing is more calculated to cause a reasonable woman to revolt1 than the obstinacy with which ordinary men insist upon a declaration of their love4 ,i fail to understand you4 ,ought not her refusal to be a thousand times more precious to a delicate minded lover than a positive declaration8 ,will you ever know your real interests8 ,instead of persecuting a woman on such a point1 expend your energies in concealing from her the extent of her affection4 ,act so that she will love you before you call her attention to the fact1 before compelling her to resort to the necessity of proclaiming it4 ,is it possible to experience a situation more delicious than that of seeing a heart interested in you without suspicion1 growing toward you by degrees1 finally becoming affectionate8 ,what a pleasure to enjoy secretly all her movements1 to direct her sentiments1 augment them1 hasten them1 and glory in the victory even before she has suspected that you have essayed her defeat6 ,that is what ,i call pleasure4 ,believe me1 ,marquis1 your conduct toward the ,countess must be as if the open avowal of her love for you had escaped her4 ,of a truth1 she has not said in words3 ,i love you1 but it is because she really loves you that she has refrained from saying it4 ,otherwise she has done everything to convince you of it4 ,women are under no ordinary embarrassment4 ,they desire for the very least1 as much to confess their affection as you are anxious to ascertain it1 but what do you expect1 ,marquis8 ,women ingenious at raising obstacles1 have attached a certain shame to any avowal of their passion1 and whatever idea you men may have formed of our way of thinking1 such an avowal always humiliates us1 for however small may be our experience1 we comprehend all the consequences4 ,the words ,i love you are not criminal1 that is true1 but their sequel frightens us1 hence we find means to dissimulate1 and close our eyes to the liabilities they carry with them4 ,besides this1 be on your guard2 your persistence in requiring an open avowal from the ,countess1 is less the work of love than a persevering vanity4 ,i defy you to find a mistake in the true motives behind your insistence4 ,nature has given woman a wonderful instinct2 it enables her to discern without mistake whatever grows out of a passion in one who is a stranger to her4 ,always indulgent toward the effects produced by a love we have inspired1 we will pardon you many imprudences1 many transports2 how can ,i enumerate them all8 ,all the follies of which you lovers are capable1 we pardon1 but you will always find us intractable when our self-esteem meets your own4 ,who would believe it8 ,you inspire us to revolt at things that have nothing to do with your happiness4 ,your vanity sticks at trifles1 and prevents you from enjoying actual advantages4 ,will you believe me when ,i say it8 ,you will drop your idle fancies1 to delight in the certainty that you are beloved by an adorable woman2 to taste the pleasure of hiding the extent of her love from herself1 to rejoice in its security4 ,suppose by force of importunities you should extract an ,i love you1 what would you gain by it8 ,would your uncertainty reach an end8 ,would you know whether you owe the avowal to love or complaisance8 ,i think ,i know women1 ,i ought to4 ,they can deceive you by a studied confession which the lips only pronounce1 but you will never be the involuntary witness of a passion you force from them4 ,the true1 flattering avowals we make1 are not those we utter1 but those that escape us without our knowledge4 ,,xxiii ,two ,irreconcilable ,passions in ,women ,will you pardon me1 ,marquis1 for laughing at your afflictions8 ,you take things too much to heart4 ,some imprudences1 you say1 have drawn upon you the anger of the ,countess1 and your anxiety is extreme4 ,you kissed her hand with an ecstasy that attracted the attention of everybody present4 ,she publicly reprimanded you for your indiscretion1 and your marked preference for her1 always offensive to other women1 has exposed you to the railleries of the ,marquise1 her sister-in-law4 ,dear me1 these are without contradiction terrible calamities6 ,what1 are you simple enough to believe that you are lost beyond salvation because of an outward manifestation of anger1 and you do not even suspect that inwardly you are justified8 ,you impose upon me the burden of convincing you of the fact1 and in doing so ,i am forced to reveal some strange mysteries concerning women4 ,but1 ,i do not intend1 in writing you1 to be always apologizing for my sex4 ,i owe you frankness1 however1 and having promised it ,i acquit myself of the promise4 ,a woman is always balancing between two irreconcilable passions which continually agitate her mind3 the desire to please1 and the fear of dishonor4 ,you can judge of our embarrassment4 ,on the one hand1 we are consumed with the desire to have an audience to notice the effect of our charms4 ,ever engaged in schemes to bring us into notoriety2 ravished whenever we are fortunate enough to humiliate other women1 we would make the whole world witness of the preferences we encounter1 and the homage bestowed upon us4 ,do you know the measure of our satisfaction in such cases8 ,the despair of our rivals1 the indiscretions that betray the sentiments we inspire1 this enchants us proportionately to the misery they suffer4 ,similar imprudences persuade us much more that we are loved1 than that our charms are incapable of giving us a reputation4 ,but what bitterness poisons such sweet pleasures6 ,beside so many advantages marches the malignity of rival competitors1 and sometimes your disdain4 ,a fatality which is mournful4 ,the world makes no distinction between women who permit you to love them1 and those whom you compensate for so doing4 ,uninfluenced1 and sober-minded1 a reasonable woman always prefers a good reputation to celebrity4 ,put her beside her rivals who contest with her the prize for beauty1 and though she may lose that reputation of which she appears so jealous1 though she compromise herself a thousand times1 nothing is equal in her opinion to see herself preferred to others4 ,by and by1 she will recompense you by preferences2 she will at first fancy that she grants them out of gratitude1 but they will be proofs of her attachment4 ,in her fear of appearing ungrateful1 she becomes tender4 ,can you not draw from this that it is not your indiscretions which vex us8 ,if they wound us1 we must pay tribute to appearances1 and you would be the first to censure an excessive indulgence4 ,see that you do not misunderstand us4 ,not to vex us on such occasions would be really to offend4 ,we recommend you to practice discretion and prudence1 that is the rle we enact1 is it not8 ,is it necessary for me to tell you the part you are to play8 ,i am often reminded that accepting the letter of the law1 is to fail to understand it4 ,you may be sure that you will be in accord with our intentions as soon as you are able to interpret them properly4 ,,xxiv ,an ,abuse of ,credulity ,is ,intolerable ,the ,countess no longer retreats8 ,you think she has no other object in view than to put your love to the proof8 ,whatever preference you have manifested for her2 however little precaution you have taken to testify to your passion1 she finds nothing in you but cause for scolding4 ,the least excuse1 however1 and the reproaches die upon her lips1 and her anger is so delightful that you do everything to deserve it4 ,permit me to share in your joy with all my heart4 ,but although this behavior flatters you1 if you consider that such acts are not intended to be of long duration1 how badly reasonable women1 who value their reputation1 misunderstand their true interests by thus multiplying through an affected incredulity1 occasions for slandering them4 ,do they not understand and feel that it is not always the moment when they are tender which gives a blow to their reputation8 ,the doubt they cast upon the sincerity of the affection they have inspired1 does them more harm in the eyes of the world than even their defeat4 ,as long as they continue incredulous the slightest imprudence compromises them4 ,they dispose of their reputation at retail4 ,whenever a lover finds a woman incredulous of the truth of his sentiments1 he goes full lengths1 every time he has an opportunity1 to furnish proofs of his sincerity4 ,the most indiscreet eagerness1 the most marked preferences1 the most assiduous attentions1 seem to him the best means of succeeding4 ,can he make use of them without calling the attention of the whole world to the fact2 without offending every other woman and giving them occasions to be revenged by their sharpest arrows8 ,as soon as the preliminaries are settled1 that is to say1 as soon as we commence to believe ourselves sincerely loved1 nothing appears on the surface1 nothing happens2 and if outsiders perceive our liaison1 if they put a malicious construction upon it1 it will only be by the recollection of what passed during a time when love was not in question4 ,i would1 for the good of everybody concerned1 that as soon as a woman ceases to find any pleasure in the society of a man who wishes to please her1 that she could tell him so clearly and dismiss him1 without abusing his credulity1 or giving him ground for vain hopes4 ,but ,i would also1 that as soon as a woman is persuaded that a man loves her1 she could consent to it in good faith1 reserving to herself1 however1 the right to be further entreated1 to such a point as she may deem apropos1 before making an avowal that she feels as tenderly disposed toward her lover1 as he is toward her4 ,for1 a woman can not pretend to doubt without putting her lover to the necessity of dissipating her doubts1 and he can not do that successfully without taking the whole world into his confidence by a too marked homage4 ,i know very well that these ideas would not have been probable in times when the ignorance of men rendered so many women intractable1 but1 in these times when the audacity of our assailants leaves us so few resources1 in these times1 ,i say1 when1 since the invention of powder1 there are few impregnable places1 why undertake a prolonged formal siege1 when it is certain that after much labor and many disasters it will be necessary to capitulate8 ,bring your amiable ,countess to reason2 show her the inconveniences of a prolonged disregard of your sentiments4 ,you will convince her of your passion1 you will compel her to believe you through regard for her reputation1 and still better1 perhaps1 you will furnish her with an additional reason for giving you a confidence she doubtless now finds it difficult to withhold from you4 ,,xxv ,why ,virtue ,is ,so ,often ,overcome ,my last letter has apparently scandalized you1 ,marquis4 ,you insist that it is not impossible to find virtuous women in our age of the world4 ,well1 have ,i ever said anything to the contrary8 ,comparing women to besieged castles1 have ,i ever advanced the idea that there were some that had not been taken8 ,how could ,i have said such a thing8 ,there are some that have never been besieged1 so you perceive that ,i am of your opinion4 ,i will explain1 however1 so that there will be no more chicanery about the question4 ,here is my profession of faith in this matter3 ,i firmly believe that there are good women who have never been attacked1 or who have been wrongly attacked4 ,i further firmly believe that there are good women who have been attacked and well attacked1 when they have had neither disposition1 violent passions1 liberty1 nor a hated husband4 ,i have a mind at this point to put you in possession of a rather lively conversation on this particular point1 while ,i was still very young1 with a prude1 whom an adventure of some brilliancy unmasked4 ,i was inexperienced then1 and ,i was in the habit of judging others with that severity which every one is disposed to manifest until some personal fault has made us more indulgent toward our neighbors4 ,i had considered it proper to blame the conduct of this woman without mercy4 ,she heard of it4 ,i sometimes saw her at an aunt's1 and made preparations to attack her morals4 ,before ,i had an opportunity she took the matter into her own hands1 by taking me aside one day1 and compelled me to submit to the following harangue1 which ,i confess made a deep impression in my memory3 ,it is not for the purpose of reproaching you for the talk you have been making on my account1 that ,i wish to converse with you in the absence of witnesses1 she explained1 it is to give you some advice1 the truth and solidity of which you will one day appreciate4 ,you have seen fit to censure my conduct with a severity1 you have actually treated me with a disdain1 which tells me how proud you are of the fact that you have never been taken advantage of4 ,you believe in your own virtue and that it will never abandon you4 ,this is a pure illusion of your amour propre1 my dear child1 and ,i feel impelled to enlighten your inexperience1 and to make you understand1 that far from being sure of that virtue which renders you so severe1 you are not even sure that you have any at all4 ,this prologue astonishes you1 eh8 ,well1 listen with attention1 and you will soon be convinced of the truth whereof ,i speak4 ,up to the present time1 nobody has ever spoken to you of love4 ,your mirror alone has told you that you are beautiful4 ,your heart1 ,i can see by the appearance of indifference that envelops you like a mantle1 has not yet been developed4 ,as long as you remain as you are1 as long as you can be kept in sight as you are1 ,i will be your guarantee4 ,but when your heart has spoken1 when your enchanting eyes shall have received life and expression from sentiment1 when they shall speak the language of love1 when an internal unrest shall agitate your breast1 when1 in fine1 desire1 half stifled by the scruples of a good education1 shall have made you blush more than once in secret1 then your sensibility1 through the combats by which you will attempt to vanquish it1 will diminish your severity toward others1 and their faults will appear more excusable4 ,the knowledge of your weakness will no longer permit you to regard your virtue as infallible4 ,your astonishment will carry you still farther4 ,the little help it will be to you against too impetuous inclinations1 will make you doubt whether you ever had any virtue4 ,can you say a man is brave before he has ever fought8 ,it is the same with us4 ,the attacks made upon us are alone the parents of our virtue1 as danger gives birth to valor4 ,as long as one has not been in the presence of the enemy1 it is impossible to say whether he is to be feared1 and what degree of resistance it will be necessary to bear against him4 ,hence to justify a woman in flattering herself that she is essentially virtuous and good by force of her own strength1 she must be in a position where no danger1 however great it may be1 no motive no matter how pressing1 no pretext whatever1 shall be powerful enough to triumph over her4 ,she must meet with the most favorable opportunities1 the most tender love1 the certainty of secrecy1 the esteem and the most perfect confidence in him who attacks her4 ,in a word1 all these circumstances combined should not be able to make an impression upon her courage1 so that to know whether a woman be virtuous in the true meaning of the word1 one must imagine her as having escaped unscathed all these united dangers1 for it would not be virtue but only resistance where there should be love without the disposition1 or disposition without the occasion4 ,her virtue would always be uncertain1 as long as she had never been attacked by all the weapons which might vanquish her4 ,one might always say of her3 if she had been possessed of a different constitution1 she might not have resisted love1 or1 if a favorable occasion had presented itself1 her virtue would have played the fool4 ,according to this1 said ,i1 it would be impossible to find a single virtuous woman1 for no one has ever had so many enemies to combat4 ,that may be1 she replied1 but do you know the reason8 ,because it is not necessary to have so many to overcome us1 one alone is sufficient to obtain the victory4 ,but ,i stuck to my proposition3 ,you pretend then that our virtue does not depend upon ourselves1 since you make it the puppet of occasion1 and of other causes foreign to our own will8 ,there is no doubt about it1 she answered4 ,answer me this3 ,can you give yourself a lively or sedate disposition8 ,are you free to defend yourself against a violent passion8 ,does it depend upon you to arrange all the circumstances of your life1 so that you will never find yourself alone with a lover who adores you1 who knows his advantages and how to profit by them8 ,does it depend upon you to prevent his pleadings1 ,i assume them to be innocent at first1 from making upon your senses the impression they must necessarily make8 ,certainly not2 to insist upon such an anomaly would be to deny that the magnet is master of the needle4 ,and you pretend that your virtue is your own work1 that you can personally claim the glory of an advantage that is liable to be taken from you at any moment8 ,virtue in women1 like all the other blessings we enjoy1 is a gift from ,heaven2 it is a favor which ,heaven may refuse to grant us4 ,reflect then how unreasonable you are in glorifying in your virtue3 consider your injustice when you so cruelly abuse those who have had the misfortune to be born with an ungovernable inclination toward love1 whom a sudden violent passion has surprised1 or who have found themselves in the midst of circumstances out of which you would not have emerged with any greater glory4 ,shall ,i give you another proof of the justice of my ideas8 ,i will take it from your own conduct4 ,are you not dominated by that deep persuasion that every woman who wishes to preserve her virtue1 need never allow herself to be caught1 that she must watch over the smallest trifles1 because they lead to things of greater importance8 ,it is much easier for you to take from men the desire to make an attack upon your virtue by assuming a severe exterior1 than to defend against their attacks4 ,the proof of this is in the fact that we give young girls in their education as little liberty as is possible in order to restrain them4 ,we do more3 a prudent mother does not rely upon her fear of dishonor1 nor upon the bad opinion she has of men1 she keeps her daughter out of sight2 she puts it out of her power to succumb to temptation4 ,what is the excuse for so many precautions8 ,because the mother fears the frailty of her pupil1 if she is exposed for an instant to danger4 ,in spite of all these obstacles with which she is curbed1 how often does it not happen that love overcomes them all8 ,a girl well trained1 or better1 well guarded1 laughs at her virtue1 because she imagines it is all her own1 whereas1 it is generally a slave rigorously chained down1 who thinks everybody is satisfied with him as long as he does not run away4 ,let us inquire further into this3 ,in what class do you find abandoned females8 ,in that where they have not sufficient wealth or happiness constantly to provide themselves with the obstacles which have saved you2 in that1 where men have attacked their virtue with more audacity1 more facility1 more frequency1 and more impunity1 and consequently with more advantages of every sort2 in that1 where the impressions of education1 of example1 of pride1 the desire of a satisfactory establishment could not sustain them4 ,two doors below1 there is a woman whom you hate and despise4 ,and in spite of the outside aid which sustains that virtue1 of which you are so proud1 in two days you might be more despicable than she1 because you will have had greater helps to guarantee you against misfortune4 ,i am not seeking to deprive you of the merit of your virtue1 nor am ,i endeavoring to prevent you from attaching too much importance to it2 by convincing you of its fragility1 ,i wish to obtain from you only a trifle of indulgence for those whom a too impetuous inclination1 or the misfortunes of circumstances have precipitated into a position so humiliating in their own eyes2 my sole object is to make you understand that you ought to glorify yourself less in the possession of an advantage which you do not owe to yourself1 and of which you may be deprived to-morrow4 ,she was going to continue1 but some one interrupted us4 ,soon afterward1 ,i learned by my own experience that ,i should not have had so good an opinion of many virtues which had been formerly imposed upon me1 beginning with my own4 ,,xxvi ,love ,demands ,freedom of ,action ,i have been of the same opinion as you1 ,marquis1 although the ideas ,i communicated to you yesterday appeared to be true speculatively1 that it would be dangerous if all women were to be guided by them4 ,it is not by a knowledge of their frailty1 that women will remain virtuous1 but by the conviction that they are free and mistresses of themselves when it comes to yield or to resist4 ,is it by persuading a soldier that he will be vanquished that he is goaded into fighting with courage8 ,did you not notice that the woman who did the talking as ,i have related in my last letter1 had a personal interest in maintaining her system8 ,it is true1 that when we examine her reasoning according to the rules of philosophy1 it does seem to be a trifle specious1 but it is to be feared that in permitting ourselves to reason in that fashion on what virtue is1 we may succeed in converting into a problem1 the rules we should receive and observe as a law1 which it is a crime to construe4 ,moreover1 to persuade women that it is not to themselves they are indebted for the virtue they possess1 might it mot deprive them of the most powerful motive to induce them to preserve it8 ,i mean by that1 the persuasion that it is their own work they defend4 ,the consequences of such morality would be discouraging1 and tend to diminish1 in the eyes of a guilty woman1 the importance of her errors4 ,but let us turn to matters of more interest to you4 ,at last1 after so many uncertainties1 after so many revolutions in your imagination1 you are sure you are loved8 ,you have finally succeeded in exciting the ,countess to divulge her secret during a moment of tenderness4 ,the words you burned to hear have been pronounced4 ,more1 she has allowed to escape her1 a thousand involuntary proofs of the passion you have inspired4 ,far from diminishing your love1 the certainty that you are beloved in return has increased it2 in a word1 you are the happiest of men4 ,if you knew with how much pleasure ,i share your happiness you would be still happier4 ,the first sacrifice she desired to make was to refuse to receive the ,chevalier3 you were opposed to her making it1 and you were quite right4 ,it would have compromised the ,countess for nothing1 which calls to my mind the fact1 that women generally lose more by imprudence than by actual faults4 ,the confidence you so nobly manifested in her1 ought to have greatly impressed her4 ,everything is now as it should be4 ,however1 shall ,i tell you something8 ,the way this matter has turned out alarms me4 ,we agreed1 if you remember1 that we were to treat the subject of love without gloves4 ,you were not to have at the most but a light and fleeting taste of it1 and not a regulated passion4 ,now ,i perceive that things become more serious every day4 ,you are beginning to treat love with a dignity which worries me4 ,the knowledge of true merits1 solid qualities1 and good character is creeping into the motives of your liaison1 and combining with the personal charms which render you so blindly amorous4 ,i do not like to have so much esteem mixed with an affair of pure gallantry4 ,it leaves no freedom of action1 it is work instead of amusement4 ,i was afraid in the beginning that your relations would assume a grave and measured turn4 ,but perhaps you will only too soon have new pretensions1 and the ,countess by new disputes will doubtless re-animate your liaison4 ,too constant a peace is productive of a deadly ennui4 ,uniformity kills love1 for as soon as the spirit of method mingles in an affair of the heart1 the passion disappears1 languor supervenes1 weariness begins to wear1 and disgust ends the chapter4 ,,xxvii ,the ,heart ,needs ,constant ,employment ,madame de ,svign does not agree with me upon the causes of love as ,i give them4 ,she pretends that many women know it only from its refined side1 and that the senses never count for anything in their heart affairs4 ,according to her1 although what she calls my system should be well founded1 it would always be unbecoming in the mouth of a woman1 and might become a precedent in morals4 ,these are assuredly very serious exceptions1 ,marquis1 but are they well grounded8 ,i do not think so4 ,i see with pain that ,madame de ,svign has not read my letters in the spirit ,i wrote them4 ,what1 ,i the founder of systems8 ,truly1 she does me too much honor1 ,i have never been serious enough to devise any system4 ,besides1 according to my notion1 a system is nothing but a philosophic dream1 and therefore does she consider all ,i have told you as a play of the imagination8 ,in that case1 we are very far out of our reckoning4 ,i do not imagine1 ,i depict real objects4 ,i would have one truth acknowledged1 and to accomplish that1 my purpose is not to surprise the mind2 ,i consult the sentiments4 ,perhaps she has been struck by the singularity of some of my propositions1 which appeared to me so evident that ,i did not think it worth while to maintain them2 but is it necessary to make use of a mariner's compass to develop the greater or less amount of truth in a maxim of gallantry8 ,moreover1 ,i have such a horror of formal discussions1 that ,i would prefer to agree to anything rather than engage in them4 ,madame de ,svign1 you say1 is acquainted with a number of female metaphysicians--there6 there6 ,i will grant her these exceptions1 provided she leaves me the general thesis4 ,i will even admit1 if you so desire1 that there are certain souls usually styled privileged1 for ,i have never heard anybody deny the virtues of temperament4 ,so1 ,i have nothing to say about women of that species4 ,i do not criticise them1 nor have ,i any reproaches to make them2 neither do ,i believe it my duty to praise them1 it is sufficient to congratulate them4 ,however1 if you investigate them you will discover the truth of what ,i have been saying since the commencement of our correspondence3 the heart must be occupied with some object4 ,if nature does not incline them in that direction1 no one can lead them in the direction of gallantry1 their affection merely changes its object4 ,such a one to-day appears to be insensible to the emotion of love1 only because she has disposed of all that portion of the sentiment she had to give4 ,the ,count de ,lude1 it is said1 was not always indifferent to ,madame de ,svign4 ,her extreme tenderness for ,madame ,grignan 7her daughter71 however1 occupies her entire time at present4 ,according to her1 ,i am very much at fault concerning women8 ,in all charity ,i should have disguised the defects which ,i have discovered in my sex1 or1 if you prefer to have it that way1 which my sex have discovered in me4 ,but1 do you really believe1 ,marquis1 that if everything ,i have said on this subject be made public1 the women would be offended8 ,know them better1 ,marquis2 all of them would find there what is their due4 ,indeed1 to tell them that it is purely a mechanical instinct which inclines them to flirt1 would not that put them at their ease8 ,does it not seem to be restoring to favor that fatality1 those expressions of sympathy1 which they are so delighted to give as excuses for their mistakes1 and in which ,i have so little faith8 ,granting that love is the result of reflection1 do you not see what a blow you are giving their vanity8 ,you place upon their shoulders the responsibility far their good or bad choice4 ,one more thrust1 ,marquis3 ,i am not mistaken when ,i say that all women would be satisfied with my letters4 ,the female metaphysicians1 that is1 those women whom ,heaven has favored with a fortunate constitution1 would take pleasure in recognizing in them their superiority over other women2 they would not fail to congratulate themselves upon the delicacy of their own sentiments1 and to consider them as works of their own creation4 ,those whom nature built of less refined material1 would without doubt owe me some gratitude for revealing a secret which was weighing upon them4 ,they have made it a duty to disguise their inclinations1 and they are as anxious not to fail in this duty as they are careful not to lose anything on the pleasure side of the question4 ,their interest1 therefore1 is1 to have their secret guessed without being compromised4 ,whoever shall develop their hearts1 will not fail to render them an essential service4 ,i am even fully convinced that those women1 who at heart1 profess sentiments more comformable to mine1 would be the first to consider it an honor to dispute them4 ,hence1 ,i would be paying my court to women in two fashions1 which would be equally agreeable3 ,in adopting the maxims which flatter their inclinations1 and in furnishing them with an occasion to appear refined4 ,after all1 ,marquis1 do you think it would betray a deep knowledge of women1 to believe that they could be offended with the malicious talk ,i have been giving you about them8 ,somebody said a long time ago1 that women would rather have a little evil said of them than not be talked about at all ,you see therefore1 that even supposing that ,i have written you in the intention with which ,i am charged1 they would be very far from being able to reproach me in the slightest degree4 ,finally1 ,madame de ,svign pretends that my system might become a precedent4 ,truly1 ,marquis1 ,i do not understand how1 with the justice for which she is noted1 she was able to surrender to such an idea4 ,in stripping love1 as ,i have1 of everything liable to seduce you1 in making it out to be the effect of temperament1 caprice1 and vanity2 in a word1 in undeceiving you concerning the metaphysics that lend it grandeur and nobility1 is it not evident that ,i have rendered it less dangerous8 ,would it not be more dangerous1 if1 as pretends ,madame de ,svign1 it were to be transformed into a virtue8 ,i would willingly compare my sentiments with those of the celebrated legislator of antiquity1 who believed the best means of weakening the power of women over his fellow citizens was to expose their nakedness4 ,but ,i wish to make one more effort in your favor4 ,since ,i am regarded as a woman with a system1 it will be better for me to submit to whatever such a fine title exacts4 ,let us reason1 therefore1 for a moment upon gallantry according to the method which appertains only to serious matters4 ,is love not a passion8 ,do not very strict minded people pretend that the passions and vices mean the same things8 ,is vice ever more seductive than when it wears the cloak of virtue8 ,wherefore in order to corrupt virtuous souls it is sufficient for it to appear in a potential form4 ,this is the form in which the ,platonicians deified it4 ,in all ages1 in order to justify the passions1 it was necessary to apotheosize them4 ,what am ,i saying8 ,am ,i so bold as to play the iconoclast with an accredited superstition8 ,what temerity6 ,do ,i not deserve to be persecuted by all women for attacking their favorite cult8 ,i am sorry for them2 it was so lovely1 when they felt the movements of love1 to be exempt from blushing1 to be able even to congratulate themselves1 and lay the blame upon the operations of a god4 ,but what had poor humanity done to them8 ,why misunderstand it and seek for the cause of its weakness in the ,heavens8 ,let us remain on earth1 we shall find it there1 and it is its proper home4 ,in truth1 ,i have never in my letters openly declaimed against love2 ,i have never advised you not to take the blame of it4 ,i was too well persuaded of the uselessness of such advice2 but ,i told you what love is1 and ,i therefore diminished the illusion it would not have failed to create in your mind2 ,i weakened its power over you and experience will justify me4 ,i am perfectly well aware that a very different use is made of it in the education of females4 ,and what sort of profit is there in the methods employed8 ,the very first step is to deceive them4 ,their teachers strive to inspire them with as much fear of love as of evil spirits4 ,men are depicted as monsters of infidelity and perfidy4 ,now suppose a gentleman appears who expresses delicate sentiments1 whose bearing is modest and respectful8 ,the young woman with whom he converses will believe she has been imposed upon2 and as soon as she discovers how much exaggeration there has been1 her advisers will lose all credit so far as she is concerned4 ,interrogate such a young woman1 and if she is sincere1 you will find that the sentiments the alleged monster has excited in her heart are far from being the sentiments of horror4 ,they are deceived in another manner also1 and the misery of it is1 it is almost impossible to avoid it4 ,infinite care is taken to keep from them the knowledge1 to prevent them from having even an idea that they are liable to be attacked by the senses1 and that such attacks are the most dangerous of all for them4 ,they are drilled in the idea that they are immaculate spirits1 and what happens then8 ,inasmuch as they have never been forewarned of the species of attacks they must encounter1 they are left without defense4 ,they have never mistrusted that their most redoubtable enemy is the one that has never been mentioned3 how then can they be on their guard against him8 ,it is not men they should be taught to fear1 but themselves8 ,what could a lover do1 if the woman he attacks were not seduced by her own desires8 ,so1 ,marquis1 when ,i say to women that the principal cause of their weaknesses is physical1 ,i am far from advising them to follow their inclinations2 on the contrary1 it is for the purpose of putting them on their guard in that respect4 ,it is saying to the ,governor of the citadel1 that he will not be attacked at the spot which up to then has been the best fortified2 that the most redoubtable assault will not be made by the besiegers1 but that he will be betrayed by his own4 ,in a word1 in reducing to their just value1 the sentiments to which women attach such high and noble ideas2 in enlightening them upon the real object of a lover who pretends to great delicacy and refinement1 do you not see that ,i am interesting their vanity to draw less glory out of the fact of being loved1 and their hearts to take less pleasure in loving8 ,depend upon it1 that if it were possible to enlist their vanity in opposition to their inclination to gallantry1 their virtue would most assuredly suffer very little4 ,i have had lovers1 but none of them deceived me by any illusions4 ,i could penetrate their motives astonishingly well4 ,i was always persuaded that if whatever was of value from the standpoint of intellect and character1 was considered as anything among the reasons that led them to love me1 it was only because those qualities stimulated their vanity4 ,they were amorous of me1 because ,i had a beautiful figure1 and they possessed the desire4 ,so it came about that they never obtained more than the second place in my heart4 ,i have always conserved for friendship the deference1 the constancy1 and the respect even1 which a sentiment so noble1 so worthy deserves in an elevated soul4 ,it has never been possible for me to overcome my distrust for hearts in which love was the principal actor4 ,this weakness degraded them in my eyes2 ,i considered them incompetent to raise their mind up to sentiments of true esteem for a woman for whom they have felt a desire4 ,you see1 therefore1 ,marquis1 that the precedent ,i draw from my principles is far from being dangerous4 ,all that enlightened minds can find with which to reproach me1 will be1 perhaps1 because ,i have taken the trouble to demonstrate a truth which they do not consider problematic4 ,but does not your inexperience and your curiosity justify whatever ,i have written so far1 and whatever ,i may yet write you on this subject8 ,,xxviii ,mere ,beauty ,is ,often of ,trifling ,importance ,you are not mistaken1 ,marquis1 the taste and talent of the ,countess for the clavecin 7piano7 will tend to increase your love and happiness4 ,i have always said that women do not fully realize the advantages they might draw from their talents2 indeed1 there is not a moment when they are not of supreme utility2 most women always calculating on the presence of a beloved object as the only thing to be feared4 ,in such case they have two enemies to combat2 their love and their lover4 ,but when the lover departs1 love remains2 and although the progress it makes in solitude is not so rapid1 it is no less dangerous4 ,it is then that the execution of a sonata1 the sketching of a flower1 the reading of a good book1 will distract the attention from a too seductive remembrance1 and fix the mind on something useful4 ,all occupations which employ the mind are so many thefts from love4 ,suppose his inclination brings a lover to our knees1 what can he accomplish with a woman who is only tender and pretty8 ,with what can he employ his time if he does not find in her society something agreeable1 some variety8 ,love is an active sentiment1 it is a consuming fire always demanding additional fuel1 and if it can find only sensible objects upon which to feed1 it will keep to that diet4 ,i mean to say1 that when the mind is not occupied the senses find something to do4 ,there are too many gesticulations while talking1 sometimes ,i think we shall be compelled to use sign language with a person we know to be unable to understand a more refined language4 ,it is not in resisting advances1 nor in taking offense at too bold a caress that a woman is enabled to maintain her virtue4 ,when she is attacked in that fashion1 even while defending herself1 her senses are excited and the very agitation which impels her to resist1 hastens her defeat4 ,but it is by distracting the attention of the man to other objects1 that the woman is relieved of the necessity of resisting his advances1 or taking offense at his liberties to which she herself has opened the way1 for there is one thing certain1 which is1 that a man will never disappoint a woman who is anxious for him4 ,you will not find a single woman1 unless you can suppose one absolutely ignorant1 who is not able to gauge exactly the degree of familiarity she ought to permit4 ,those who complain that their lovers do not come up to the mark do not affect me in the least4 ,inquire into the reason1 and you will perceive that their stupidities1 their imprudences are the cause4 ,it was their desire to be found wanting4 ,defect in culture may expose us to the same inconveniences1 for with a woman without mind1 and without talents what else is there to do but undertake her conquest8 ,when in her company1 the only way to kill time is to annoy her4 ,there is nothing to talk about but her beauty1 and of the impression she has made upon the senses1 and sensual language is the only one that can be employed for that purpose4 ,she herself is not convinced that you love her1 and she does not respond1 she does not recompense you but by the assistance of the senses1 and exhibits an agitation equal to yours1 or else1 her decency gone1 she has nothing but bad humor with which to oppose you4 ,this is the last ditch of a woman without mind1 and what a culmination6 ,on the contrary1 what are not the advantages of an intelligent1 resourceful woman8 ,a lively repartee1 piquant raillery1 a quarrel seasoned with a trifle of malice1 a happy citation1 a graceful recitation1 are not these so many distractions for her1 and the time thus employed1 is it not so much gained for virtue8 ,the great misfortune with women is1 without doubt1 the inability to find occupations worthy of their attention1 and this is the reason why love with them is a more violent passion than with men1 but they have a characteristic which1 properly directed may serve as an antidote4 ,all women1 to say the least1 are as vain as they are sensitive1 whence1 the cure for sensitiveness is vanity4 ,while a woman is occupied in pleasing in other ways than by the beauty of her figure1 she loses sight of the sentiment which inspires her to act4 ,in truth1 this sentiment will not cease to be the determining motive 7you must permit me to use some technical term of art71 but it will not be the actual object presented to her attention1 and that is something gained4 ,wholly devoted to the care of becoming perfect in the species of glory to which she aspires1 this same desire1 of which love will be the source1 will turn against love1 by dividing the attention of the mind and the affections of the heart2 in a word it will create a diversion4 ,but perhaps you will tell me that there are women of spirit and talents beyond the reach of attack4 ,whence you infer that men who do not dislike freedom will avoid them1 but that fools and men of intelligence cultivate them4 ,that is true1 but the fools take to them because they do not perceive the difficulty in their way1 and men of intelligence do not avoid them1 because they aspire to surmount it4 ,now1 ought not you1 who are a military man1 to appreciate everything ,i say to you about talent8 ,i will suppose a campaign upon which you have entered2 you have been given charge of conducting the siege of a city4 ,would you be satisfied if the governor1 persuaded that the city is not impregnable1 should open to you the gates without having given you the least occasion to distinguish yourself8 ,i venture to say not2 he should resist1 and the more he seeks to cover himself with glory1 the more glory he gives you4 ,well1 ,marquis1 in love as in war1 the pleasure of obtaining a victory is measured according to the obstacles in the way of it4 ,shall ,i say it8 ,i am tempted to push the parallel farther4 ,see what it is to take a first step4 ,the true glory of a woman consists less1 perhaps1 in yielding1 than in putting in a good defense1 so that she will merit the honors of war4 ,i shall go still farther4 ,let a woman become feeble enough to be at the point of yielding1 what is left her to retain a satisfactory lover1 if her intelligence and talents do not come to her aid8 ,i am well aware that they do not give themselves these advantages1 but if we investigate the matter1 we shall find that there are very few women who may not acquire a few accomplishments if they really set about it2 the difference would only be the more1 at least4 ,but women are generally born too indolent to be able to make such an effort4 ,they have discovered that there is nothing so convenient as being pretty4 ,this manner of pleasing does not require any labor2 they would be glad not to have any other4 ,blind that they are1 they do not see that beauty and talents equally attract the attention of men1 but1 beauty merely exposes her who possesses it1 whereas talents furnish her with the means of defending it4 ,in a word1 to appreciate it at its full value1 beauty stores up regrets and a mortal weariness for the day when it shall cease to exist4 ,would you know the reason8 ,it is because it drowns out all other resources4 ,as long as beauty lasts1 a woman is regarded as something1 she is celebrated1 a crowd sighs at her feet4 ,she flatters herself that this will go on forever4 ,what a desolate solitude when age comes to ravish her of the only merit she possesses8 ,i would like1 therefore 7my expression is not elevated1 but it interprets my thought71 ,i would like that in a woman1 beauty could be a sign of other advantages4 ,let us agree1 ,marquis1 that in love1 the mind is made more use of than the heart4 ,a liaison of the heart is a drama in which the acts are the shortest and the between acts the longest2 with what then1 would you fill the interludes if not with accomplishments8 ,possession puts every woman on the same level1 and exposes all of them equally to infidelity4 ,the elegant and the beautiful1 when they are nothing else1 have not1 in that respect1 any advantage over her who is plain2 the mind1 in that case making all the difference4 ,that alone can bestow upon the same person the variety necessary to prevent satiety4 ,moreover1 it is only accomplishments that can fill the vacuum of a passion that has been satisfied1 and we can always have them in any situation we may imagine1 either to postpone defeat and render it more flattering1 or to assure us of our conquests4 ,lovers themselves profit by them4 ,how many things they cherish although they set their faces against them8 ,wherefore1 let the ,countess1 while cultivating her decided talent for the clavecin1 understand her interests and yours4 ,i have read over my letter1 my dear ,marquis1 and ,i tremble lest you find it a trifle serious4 ,you see what happens when one is in bad company4 ,i supped last night with ,m4 de la ,rochefoucauld1 and ,i never see him that he does not spoil me in this fashion1 at least for three or four days4 ,,xxix ,the ,misfortune of ,too ,sudden an ,avowal ,i think as you do1 ,marquis1 the ,countess punishes you too severely for having surprised an avowal of her love4 ,is it your fault if her secret escaped8 ,she has gone too far to retreat4 ,a woman can experience a return to reason1 but to go so far as to refuse to see you for three days2 give out that she has gone into the country for a month2 return your tender letters without opening them1 is1 in my opinion1 a veritable caprice of virtue4 ,after all1 however1 do not despair whatever may happen4 ,if she were really indifferent she would be less severe4 ,do not make any mistake about this3 ,there are occasions when a woman is less out of humor with you than with herself4 ,she feels with vexation that her weakness is ready to betray her at any moment4 ,she punishes you for it1 and she punishes herself by being unkind to you4 ,but you may be sure that one day of such caprice advances the progress of a lover more than a year of care and assiduity4 ,a woman soon begins to regret her unkindness2 she deems herself unjust2 she desires to repair her fault1 and she becomes benevolent4 ,what surprises me the most is the marked passage in your letter which states that since the ,countess has appeared to love you1 her character has totally changed4 ,i have no particular information on that point4 ,all ,i know is1 that she made her debut in society as a lady of elegance1 and her debut was all the more marked because1 during the life of her husband1 her conduct was entirely the contrary4 ,do you not remember when you first made her acquaintance1 that she was lively even to giddiness1 heedless1 bold1 even coquettish1 and appeared to be incapable of a reasonable attachment8 ,however1 to-day1 you tell me1 she has become a serious melancholic2 pre-occupied1 timid1 affected2 sentiment has taken the place of mincing airs2 at least she appears to so fit in with the character she assumes to-day1 that you imagine it to be her true one1 and her former one1 borrowed4 ,all my philosophy would be at fault in such a case1 if ,i did not recognize in this metamorphosis the effects of love4 ,i am very much mistaken if the storm raging around you to-day1 does not end in the most complete victory1 and one all the more assured because she has done everything in her power to prevent it4 ,but if you steadily pursue your object1 carrying your pursuit even as far as importunity1 follow her wherever she goes and where you can see her2 if you take it upon yourself not to allude to your passion1 and treat her with all the mannerism of an attentive follower1 respectful1 but impressed1 what will happen8 ,she will be unable to refuse you the courtesies due any indifferent acquaintance4 ,women possess an inexhaustible fund of kindness for those who love them4 ,you know this well1 you men1 and it is what always reassures you when you are treated unkindly4 ,you know that your presence1 your attentions1 the sorrow that affects you have their effect1 and end by disarming our pride4 ,you are persuaded that those whom our virtue keeps at a distance through pride1 are precisely those whom it fears the most1 and unfortunately1 your guess is only too just1 it keeps them off1 indeed1 because it is not sure of its ability to resist them4 ,it does more sometimes1 it goes to the length of braving an enemy whose attack it dares not anticipate4 ,in a word1 the courage of a reasonable woman is nearly always equal to a first effort1 but rarely is that effort lasting4 ,the very excess of its violence is the cause of its weakening4 ,the soul has only one degree of force1 and exhausted by the constraint that effort cost it1 it abandons itself to lassitude4 ,by and by1 the knowledge of its weakness throws it into discouragement4 ,a woman of that disposition bears the first shock of a redoubtable enemy with courage1 but1 the danger better understood1 she fears a second attack4 ,a woman1 persuaded that she has done everything possible to defend herself against an inclination which is urging her on1 satisfied with the combats in which she has been engaged1 finally reaches the opinion that her resistance can not prevail against the power of love4 ,if she still resist1 it is not by her own strength2 she derives no help except from the idea of the intrepidity she at first displayed to him who attacks1 or from the timidity she inspired in him in the beginning of her resistance4 ,thus it is1 that however reasonable she may be1 she nearly always starts out with a fine defense1 she only needs pride to resolve upon that2 but unfortunately1 you divine the means of overcoming her1 you persevere in your attacks1 she is not indefatigable1 and you have so little delicacy that1 provided you obtain her heart1 it is of no consequence to you whether you have obtained it through your importunities or with her consent4 ,besides that1 ,marquis1 the excess of precautions a woman takes against you1 is strong evidence of how much you are feared4 ,if you were an object of indifference1 would a woman take the trouble to avoid you8 ,i declare to you that she would not honor you by being afraid of you4 ,but ,i know how unreasonable lovers are4 ,always ingenious in tormenting themselves1 the habit of never having but one object in view is so powerful1 that they prefer being pestered with one that is disagreeable than with none at all4 ,however1 ,i feel sorry for you4 ,smitten as you are1 your situation can not fail to be a sad one4 ,the poor ,marquis1 how badly he is treated6 ,,xxx ,when ,resistance ,is ,only a ,pretense ,i was delighted to learn before my departure for the country1 that your mind was more at rest4 ,i feel free to say1 that if the ,countess had persevered in treating you with the same severity1 ,i should have suspected1 not that she was insensible to your love1 but that you had a fortunate rival4 ,the resistance manifested by her would have been beyond her strength in a single combat4 ,for you should be well advised1 ,marquis1 that a woman is never more intractable than when she assumes a haughtiness toward all other men1 for the sake of her favorite lover4 ,i see in everything you have told me1 proofs that you are loved1 and that you are the only one4 ,i will be able to give you constant news on that score1 for ,i am going to investigate the ,countess for myself4 ,this will surprise you1 no doubt4 ,your astonishment will cease1 however1 when you call to mind that ,madame de la ,sablire's house1 where ,i am going to spend a week1 adjoins the grounds of your amiable widow4 ,you told me that she was at home1 and1 add to the neighborhood1 the unmeasured longing ,i have to make her acquaintance1 you will not be surprised at the promise ,i have just made you4 ,i have not the time to finish this letter1 nor the opportunity to send it4 ,i must depart immediately1 and my traveling companion is teasing me in a strange fashion1 pretending that ,i am writing a love letter4 ,i am letting her think what she pleases1 and carry the letter with me to the country4 ,adieu4 ,what6 ,madame de ,grignan's illness will not permit you to visit us in our solitude8 ,du ,chteau de---4 ,i am writing you from the country house of the ,countess1 my dear ,marquis1 this is the third day ,i have been with her1 which will enable you to understand that ,i am not in bad favor with the mistress of the house4 ,she is an adorable woman1 ,i am delighted with her4 ,i sometimes doubt whether you deserve a heart like hers4 ,here ,i am her confidante4 ,she has told me all she thinks about you1 and ,i do not despair of discovering1 before ,i return to the city1 the reasons for the change in her character which you have remarked4 ,i dare not write you more now1 ,i may be interrupted1 and ,i do not wish any one to know that ,i am writing you from this place4 ,adieu4 ,,xxxi ,the ,opinion and ,advice of ,monsieur de la ,sablire ,how many things ,i have to tell you1 ,marquis6 ,i was preparing to keep my word with you1 and had arranged to use strategy upon the ,countess to worm her secret from her1 when chance came to my aid4 ,you are not ignorant of her confidence in ,monsieur de la ,sablire4 ,she was with him just now in an arbor of the garden1 and ,i was passing through a bushy path intending to join them1 when the mention of your name arrested my steps4 ,i was not noticed1 and heard all the conversation1 which ,i hasten to communicate to you word for word4 ,i have not been able to conceal from your penetration1 my inclination for ,m4 de ,svign1 said the ,countess1 and you can not reconcile the serious nature of so decided a passion with the frivolity attributed to me in society4 ,you will be still more astonished when ,i tell you that my exterior character is not my true one1 that the seriousness you notice in me now1 is a return to my former disposition2 ,i was never giddy except through design4 ,perhaps you may have imagined that women can only conceal their faults1 but they sometimes go much farther1 sir1 and ,i am an instance4 ,they even disguise their virtues1 and since the word has escaped me1 ,i am tempted1 at the risk of wearying you1 to explain by what strange gradation ,i reached that point4 ,during my married life ,i lived retired from the world4 ,you knew the ,count and his taste for solitude4 ,when ,i became a widow1 there was the question of returning to society1 and my embarrassment as to how ,i was to present myself was not small4 ,i interrogated my own heart2 in vain ,i sought to hide it from my own knowledge1 ,i had a strong taste for the pleasures of society2 but at the same time ,i was determined to add to it purity of morals4 ,but how to reconcile all this8 ,it seemed to me a difficult task to establish a system of conduct which1 without compromising me1 would not at the same time deprive me of the pleasures of life4 ,this is the way ,i reasoned3 ,destined to live among men1 formed to please them1 and to share in their happiness1 we are obliged to suffer from their caprices1 and above all fear their malignity4 ,it seems that they have no other object in our education than that of fitting us for love1 indeed1 it is the only passion permitted us1 and by a strange and cruel contrariety1 they have left us only one glory to obtain1 which is that of gaining a victory over the very inclination imposed upon us4 ,i therefore endeavored to ascertain the best means of reconciling in use and custom1 two such glaring extremes1 and ,i found predicaments on all sides4 ,we are1 ,i said to myself1 simple enough when we enter society1 to imagine that the greatest happiness of a woman should be to love and be loved4 ,we then are under the impression that love is based on esteem1 upheld by the knowledge of amiable qualities1 purified by delicacy of sentiment1 divested of all the insipidities which disfigure it1 in a word1 fostered by confidence and the effusions of the heart4 ,but unfortunately1 a sentiment so flattering for a woman without experience1 is everything less than that in practice4 ,she is always disabused when too late4 ,i was so good in the beginning as to be scandalized at two imperfections ,i perceived in men1 their inconstancy and their untruthfulness4 ,the reflections ,i made on the first of these defects1 led me to the opinion that they were more unfortunate than guilty4 ,from the manner in which the human heart is constituted1 is it possible for it to be occupied with only one object8 ,no1 but does the treachery of men deserve the same indulgence8 ,most men attack a woman's virtue in cold blood1 in the design to use her for their amusement1 to sacrifice her to their vanity1 to fill a void in an idle life1 or to acquire a sort of reputation based upon the loss of ours4 ,there is a large number of men in this class4 ,how to distinguish true lovers8 ,they all look alike on the surface1 and the man who pretends to be amorous1 is often more seductive than one who really is4 ,we are1 moreover1 dupes enough to make love a capital affair4 ,you men1 on the contrary1 consider it merely a play2 we rarely surrender to it without an inclination for the person of the lover2 you are coarse enough to yield to it without taste4 ,constancy with us is a duty2 you give way to the slightest distaste without scruple4 ,you are scarcely decent in leaving a mistress1 the possession of whom1 six months before1 was your glory and happiness4 ,she may consider herself well off if she is not punished by the most cruel indiscretions4 ,hence ,i regarded things from their tragical side1 and said to myself3 ',if love draws with it so many misfortunes1 a woman who cherishes her peace of mind and reputation1 should never love4' ,however1 everything tells me that we have a heart1 that this heart is made for love1 and that love is involuntary4 ,why1 then1 venture to destroy an inclination that is part of our being8 ,would it not be wiser to rectify it8 ,let us see how it will be possible to succeed in such an enterprise4 ,what is a dangerous love8 ,i have observed that kind of love4 ,it is a love which occupies the whole soul to the exclusion of every other sentiment1 and which impels us to sacrifice everything to the object loved4 ,what characters are susceptible of such a sentiment8 ,they are the most solid1 those who show little on the outside1 those who unite reason with an elevated nobility of character in their fashion of thinking4 ,finally1 who are the men the most reasonable for women of that kind8 ,it is those who possess just sufficient brilliant qualities to fix a value on their essential merit4 ,it must be confessed1 though1 that such men are not good companions for women who think4 ,it is true1 they are rare at present1 and there has never been a period so favorable as this to guarantee us against great passions1 but misfortune will have it that we meet one of them in the crowd4 ,the moralists pretend that every woman possesses a fund of sensibility destined to be applied to some object or another4 ,a sensible woman is not affected by the thousand trifling advantages so agreeable to men in ordinary women4 ,when she meets an object worthy of her attention1 it is quite natural that she should estimate the value of it2 her affection is measured according to her lights1 she can not go half way4 ,it is these characters that should not be imitated1 and all acquaintance with the men of whom ,i have just been speaking1 should be avoided if a woman values her peace of mind4 ,let us create a character which can procure for us two advantages at one and the same time3 ,one to guard us from immoderate impressions2 the other to ward off men who cause them4 ,let us give them an outside which will at least prevent them from displaying qualities they do not possess4 ,let us force them to please us by their frivolity1 by their absurdities4 ,however much they may practice affectation1 their visible faults would furnish us with weapons against them4 ,what happy state can a woman occupy to procure such safeguards8 ,it is undoubtedly that of a professional society woman4 ,you are doubtless astonished at the strange conclusion to which my serious reasoning has led me4 ,you will be still more astonished when you shall have heard the logic ,i employ to prove that ,i am right3 listen to the end4 ,i know the justice of your mind1 and ,i am not lacking in it1 however frivolous ,i may appear to be1 and you will finish by being of my opinion4 ,do you believe that the outward appearance of virtue guarantees the heart against the assaults of love8 ,a poor resource4 ,when a woman descends to a weakness1 is not her humiliation proportionately as great as the esteem she hoped to secure8 ,the brighter her virtue1 the easier mark for malice4 ,what is the world's idea of a virtuous woman8 ,are not men so unjust as to believe that the wisest woman is she who best conceals her weakness2 or who1 by a forced retreat puts herself beyond the possibility of having any8 ,rather than accord us a single perfection1 they carry wickedness to the point of attributing to us a perpetual state of violence1 every time we undertake to resist their advances4 ,one of our friends said3 ',there is not an honest woman who is not tired of being so4' ,and what recompense do they offer us for the cruel torments to which they have condemned us8 ,do they raise up an altar to our heroism8 ,no6 ,the most honest woman1 they say1 is she who is not talked about1 that is to say1 a perfect indifference on the part of a woman1 a general oblivion is the price of our virtue4 ,must women not have much of it to preserve it at such a price8 ,who would not be tempted to abandon it8 ,but there are grave matters which can not be overlooked4 ,dishonor closely follows upon weakness4 ,old age is dreadful in itself1 what must it not be when it is passed in remorse8 ,i feel the necessity of avoiding such a misfortune4 ,i calculated at first that ,i could not succeed in1 doing so1 without condemning myself to a life of austerity1 and ,i had not the courage to undertake it4 ,but it gradually dawned upon me that the condition of a society woman was alone competent to reconcile virtue with pleasure4 ,from the smile on your face1 ,i suspect such an idea appears to be a paradox to you4 ,but it is more reasonable than you imagine4 ,tell me this3 ,is a society woman obliged to have an attachment8 ,is she not exempt from tenderness8 ,it is sufficient for her to be amiable and courteous1 everything on the surface4 ,as soon as she becomes expert in the role she has undertaken1 then1 the only mistrust the world has of her is that she has no heart4 ,a fine figure1 haughty airs1 caprices1 fashionable jargon1 fantasies1 and fads1 that is all that is required of her4 ,she can be essentially virtuous with impunity4 ,does any one presume to make advances8 ,if he meet with resistance he quickly gives over worrying her1 he thinks her heart is already captured1 and he patiently awaits his turn4 ,his perseverance would be out of place1 for she would notify a man who failed to pay her deference1 that it was owing to arrangements made before he offered himself4 ,in this way a woman is protected by the bad opinion had of her4 ,i read in your eyes that you are about to say to me3 ,the state of a professional society woman may injure my reputation1 and plunge me into difficulties ,i seek to avoid4 ,is not that your thought8 ,but do you not know1 ,monsieur1 that the most austere conduct does not guard a woman from the shafts of malice8 ,the opinion men give of women's reputation1 and the good and wrong ideas they acquire of us are always equally false4 ,it is prejudice1 it is a species of fatality which governs their judgment1 so that our glory depends less upon a real virtue than upon auspicious circumstances4 ,the hope of filling an honorable place in their imagination1 ought not to be the sole incentive to the practice of virtue1 it should be the desire to have a good opinion of ourselves1 and to be able to say1 whatever may be the opinion of the public3 ,i have nothing with which to reproach myself4 ,but1 what matters it to what we owe our virtue1 provided we have it8 ,i was therefore convinced that ,i could not do better1 when ,i reappeared in the world1 than to don the mask ,i deemed the most favorable to my peace of mind and to my glory4 ,i became closely attached to the friend who aided me with her counsel4 ,she is the ,marquise de ----1 a relative4 ,our sentiments were in perfect accord4 ,we frequented the same society4 ,charity for our neighbors was truly not our favorite virtue4 ,we made our appearance in a social circle as into a ball room1 where we were the only masks4 ,we indulged in all sorts of follies1 we goaded the absurd into showing themselves in their true character4 ,after having amused ourselves in this comedy1 we had not yet reached the limit of our pleasure1 it was renewed in private interviews4 ,how absolutely idiotic the women appeared to us1 and the men1 how vacuous1 fatuous1 and impertinent6 ,if we found any who could inspire fear in a woman's heart1 that is1 esteem1 we broke their heart by our airs1 by affecting utter indifference for them1 and by the allurements we heaped upon those who deserved them the least4 ,by force of our experience1 we came near believing1 that in order to be virtuous1 it was necessary to frequent bad company4 ,this course of conduct guaranteed us for a long time against the snares of love1 and saved us from the dreadful weariness a sad and more mournful virtue would have spread over our lives4 ,frivolous1 imperious1 bold1 even coquettish if you will1 in the presence of men1 but solid1 reasonable1 and virtuous in our own eyes1 we were happy in this character4 ,we never met a man we were afraid of4 ,those who might have been redoubtable1 were obliged to make themselves ridiculous before being permitted to enjoy our society4 ,but what finally led me to doubt the truth of my principles1 is they did not always guard me from the dangers ,i wished to avoid4 ,i have learned through my own experience1 that love is a traitor with whom it will not do to trifle4 ,i do not know by what fatality1 the ,marquis de ,svign was able to render my projects futile4 ,in spite of all my precautions he has found the way to my heart4 ,however much ,i resisted him ,i was impelled to love him1 and my reason is of no more use to me except to justify in my own eyes the inclination ,i feel for him4 ,i would be happy if he never gave me an occasion to change my sentiments4 ,i have been unable to hide from him my true thoughts1 ,i was afraid at first that he might deem me actually as ridiculous as ,i seemed to be4 ,and when my sincerity shall render me less amiable in his eyes 7for ,i know that frivolity captures men more than real merit71 ,i wish to show myself to him in my true colors4 ,i should blush to owe nothing to his heart but a perpetual lie of my whole being4 ,i am still less surprised1 ,madame1 said ,monsieur de la ,sablire1 at the novelty of your project1 than at the skill with which you have succeeded in rendering such a singular idea plausible4 ,permit me to say1 that it is not possible to go astray with more spirit4 ,have you experimented with everybody according to your system8 ,men go a long way around to avoid the beaten track1 but they all fall over the same obstacles4 ,to make use of the privilege you granted me to tell you plainly my thought1 believe me1 ,countess1 that the only way for you to preserve your peace of mind is to resume openly your position as a reasonable woman4 ,there is nothing to be gained by compounding with virtue4 ,when ,i heard the conversation taking that complexion1 ,i knew it would soon finish1 and ,i therefore promptly withdrew1 and could not think of anything but satisfying your curiosity4 ,i am tired of writing4 ,in two days ,i shall return to ,paris4 ,,xxxii ,the ,advantages of a ,knowledge of the ,heart ,well1 ,marquis1 here ,i am back again1 but the news ,i bring you may not be altogether to your liking4 ,you have never had so fine an occasion to charge women with caprice4 ,i wrote you the last time to tell you that you were loved1 to-day ,i write just the contrary4 ,a strange resolution has been taken against you2 tremble1 'tis a thing settled2 the ,countess purposes loving you at her ease1 and without its costing her any disturbance of her peace of mind4 ,she has seen the consequences of a passion similar to yours1 and she can not face it without dismay4 ,she intends1 therefore1 to arrest its progress4 ,do not let the proofs she has given you reassure you4 ,you men imagine that as soon as a woman has confessed her love she can never more break her chains2 undeceive yourself4 ,the ,countess is much more reasonable on your account than ,i thought1 and ,i do not hide from you the fact that a portion of her firmness is due to my advice4 ,you need not rely any more on my letters1 and you do not require any help from them to understand women4 ,i sometimes regret that ,i have furnished you weapons against my sex1 without them would you ever have been able to touch the heart of the ,countess8 ,i must avow that ,i have judged women with too much rigor1 and you now see me ready to make them a reparation4 ,i know it now1 there are more stable and essentially virtuous women than ,i had thought4 ,what a stock of reason6 ,what a combination of all the estimable qualities in our friend6 ,no1 ,marquis1 ,i could no longer withhold from her the sentiment of my most tender esteem1 and without consulting your interests1 ,i have united with her against you4 ,you will murmur at this1 but the confidence she has given me1 does it not demand this return on my part8 ,i will not hide from you any of my wickedness2 ,i have carried malice to the point of instructing her in the advantages you might draw from everything ,i have written you about women4 ,i feel1 she said to me1 how redoubtable is a lover who combines with so much knowledge of the heart1 the talent to express himself in such noble and delicate language4 ,what advantages can he not have of women who reason8 ,i have remarked it1 it is by his powers of reasoning that he has overcome them4 ,he possesses the art of employing the intelligence he finds in a woman to justify1 in the eyes of his reason1 the errors into which he draws her4 ,besides1 a woman in love thinks she is obliged to proportion her sacrifices to the good qualities of the man she loves4 ,to an ordinary man1 a weakness is a weakness1 he blushes at it2 to a man of intelligence1 it is a tribute paid to his merits1 it is even a proof of our discernment2 he eulogizes our good taste and takes the credit of it4 ,it is thus by turning it to the profit of the vanity which he rescues from virtue1 that this enchanter hides from our eyes the grades of our weakness4 ,such are at present1 ,marquis1 the sentiments of the ,countess1 and ,i am not sure if they leave you much to hope for4 ,i do not ignore the fact that it might have doubtless been better to carry out the project we have in view without giving you any information concerning it4 ,that was our first intention2 but could ,i in conscience secretly work against you8 ,would it not have been to betray you8 ,moreover1 by taking that course1 we should have appeared to be afraid of you1 and hence we found courage to put you in possession of all we expect to do to resist you4 ,come1 now1 ,marquis1 our desire to see you really makes us impatient4 ,would you know the reason8 ,it is because we expect you without fearing you4 ,remember that you have not now a weak loving woman to fight against1 she would be too feeble an adversary1 her courage might give out2 it is ,i1 now1 it is a woman of cold blood1 who fancies herself interested in saving the reason of her friend from being wrecked4 ,yes1 ,i will penetrate to the bottom of your heart2 ,i will read there your perverse designs2 ,i will forestall them2 ,i will render all the artifices of your malice innocuous4 ,you may accuse me of treason as much as you please1 but come to-night1 and ,i will convince you that my conduct is conformable to the most exact equity4 ,while your inexperience needed enlightenment1 assistance1 encouragement1 my zeal in your cause urged me to sacrifice everything in your interests4 ,every advantage was then on the side of the ,countess4 ,but now there is a different face on things2 all her pride to-day1 is barely strong enough to resist you4 ,formerly1 her indifference was in her favor1 and1 what was worth still more1 your lack of skill2 to-day you have the experience1 and she has her reason the less4 ,after that1 to combine with you against her1 to betray the confidence she reposes in me1 to refuse her the succor she has the right to expect from me1 if you are sincere1 you will avow it yourself1 would be a crying wrong4 ,henceforth1 ,i purpose to repair the evil ,i have done in revealing our secrets1 by initiating you into our mysteries4 ,i do not know why1 but the pleasure ,i feel in crossing you1 appears to be working in my favor1 and you know how far my rights oven you extend4 ,my sentiments will always be the same1 and1 on your part without doubt1 you are too equitable to diminish your esteem for me1 because of anything ,i may have done in favor of a friend4 ,by and by1 then1 at the ,countess'4 ,,xxxiii ,a ,heart ,once ,wounded ,no ,longer ,plays with ,love ,what1 ,marquis1 afraid of two women8 ,you already despair of your affairs1 because they oppose your success1 and you are ready to abandon the game8 ,dear me1 ,i thought you had more courage4 ,it is true that the firmness of the ,countess astonishes even me1 but ,i do not understand how she could hold out against your ardor for an entire evening4 ,i never saw you so seductive1 and she has just confessed to me that you were never so redoubtable4 ,now ,i can respond for her1 since her courage did not fail her on an occasion of so much peril4 ,i saw still farther1 and ,i judge from her well sustained ironical conversation1 that she is only moderately smitten4 ,a woman really wounded by the shaft of love would not have played with sentiment in such a flippant manner4 ,this gives birth to a strange idea4 ,it would be very delightful1 if in a joking way1 we should discover that your tender ,adelaide does not love you up to a certain point4 ,what a blow that would be to your vanity6 ,but you would quickly seek revenge4 ,you might certainly find beauties ready to console you for your loss4 ,how often has vexation made you say3 ,what is a woman's heart8 ,can any one give me a definition of it8 ,however1 do you know that ,i am tempted to find fault with you1 and if you take this too much to heart1 ,i do not know what ,i would not do to soften the situation4 ,but ,i know you are strong minded4 ,your first feelings of displeasure past1 you will soon see that the best thing you can do is to come down to the quality of friend1 a position which we have so generously offered you4 ,you ought to consider yourself very fortunate1 your dismissal might be made absolute4 ,but do not make this out to be much of a victory1 you will be more harshly treated if we consider you more to be feared4 ,adieu1 ,marquis4 ,the ,countess1 who is sitting at the head of my bed1 sends you a thousand tender things4 ,she is edified by the discretion with which you have treated us2 not to insist when two ladies seem to be so contrary to you1 that is the height of gallantry4 ,so much modesty will certainly disarm them1 and may some day move them to pity4 ,hope1 that is permitted you4 ,from the ,countess4 ,although you may be inspired by the most flattering hopes1 ,marquis1 ,i will add a few words to this letter4 ,i have not read it1 but ,i suspect that it refers to me4 ,i wish1 however1 to write you with my own hand that we shall be alone here all day4 ,i wish to tell you that ,i love you moderately well at present1 but that ,i have the greatest desire in the world not to love you at all4 ,however1 if you deem it advisable to come and trouble our little party1 it gives me pleasure to warn you that your heart will be exposed to the greatest danger4 ,i am told that ,i am handsomer to-day than you have ever found me to be1 and ,i never felt more in the humor to treat you badly4 ,,xxxiv ,absence ,makes the ,heart ,grow ,fonder ,all this1 ,marquis1 begins to pass the bounds of pleasantry4 ,explain yourself1 ,i pray you4 ,did you pretend to speak seriously in your letter1 in making it understood that ,i was acting on this occasion through jealousy1 and that ,i was trying to separate you and the ,countess to profit by it myself8 ,you are either the wickedest of men or the most adroit2 the wickedest if you ever could suspect me guilty of such baseness2 the most adroit1 if you have thrown out that idea to make my friend suspect me4 ,i see very clearly in all this1 that the alternative is equally injurious to me1 since the ,countess has taken the matter to heart4 ,i find that my relations with her are very embarrassing4 ,criminal that you are1 how well you know your ascendency over her heart6 ,you could not better attack her than by the appearance of indifference you affect4 ,not deign to answer my last letter1 not come to the rendezvous given you1 remain away from us three days1 and after all that1 to write us the coldest letter possible1 oh1 ,i confess it frankly1 that is to act like a perfect man2 that is what ,i call a master stroke1 and the most complete success has responded to your hope4 ,the ,countess has not been able to stand against so much coolness4 ,the fear that this indifference may become real has caused her a mortal anxiety4 ,great ,heavens6 ,what is the most reasonable woman when love has turned her head8 ,why were you not the witness of the reproaches ,i have just heard8 ,how is that8 ,to hear the ,countess to-day1 gave me an injurious opinion of her virtue1 a false idea of your pretensions1 and ,i considered your designs criminal because you took so much pleasure in punishing her4 ,i am hard1 unjust1 cruel1 ,i can not remember all the epithets with which ,i was covered4 ,what outbursts6 ,oh1 ,i protest to you1 this will be the last storm ,i will undergo for being mixed up in your affairs1 and ,i very cordially renounce the confidence with which you have both honored me4 ,advisers do not play a very agreeable part in such cases1 so it seems to me1 always charged with what is disagreeable in quarrels1 and the lovers only profit by a reconciliation4 ,however1 after due reflection1 ,i think ,i should be very silly to take offence at this4 ,you are two children whose follies will amuse me1 ,i ought to look upon them with the eye of a philosopher1 and finish by being the friend of both4 ,come then1 at once1 and assure me if that resolution will suit you4 ,now1 do not play the petty cruel role any more4 ,come and make peace4 ,these poor children2 one of them has such innocent motives1 the other is so sure of her virtue1 that to stand in the way of their inclination1 is surely to afflict them without reason4 ,,xxxv ,the ,heart ,should be ,played ,upon ,like the ,keys of a ,piano ,i am beginning to understand1 ,marquis1 that the only way to live with the most reasonable woman1 is never to meddle with her heart affairs4 ,i have1 therefore1 made up my mind4 ,henceforward ,i shall never mention your name to the ,countess unless she insists upon my doing so2 ,i do not like bickerings4 ,but this resolution will change nothing of my sentiments for you1 nor my friendship for her4 ,and1 although ,i still stand her friend1 ,i shall not scruple to make use of my friendship1 so far as you are concerned1 as ,i have in the past ,i shall continue1 since you so wish it1 to give you my ideas on the situations in which you may become involved1 on condition1 however1 that you permit me sometimes to laugh at your expense1 a liberty ,i shall not take to-day1 because if the ,countess follows up the plan she has formed1 that is1 if she persists in refusing to see you alone1 ,i do not see that your affairs will advance very rapidly4 ,she remembers what ,i told her1 she knows her heart1 and has reason to fear it4 ,it is only an imprudent woman who relies upon her own strength1 and exposes herself without anxiety to the advances of the man she loves4 ,the agitation which animates him1 the fire with which his whole person appears to be burning1 excites our senses1 fires our imagination1 appeals to our desires4 ,i said to the ,countess one day3 ,we resemble your clavecin2 however well disposed it may be to respond to the hand which should play upon it1 until it feels the impression of that hand1 it remains silent2 touch its keys1 and sounds are heard4 ,finish the parallel1 and draw your conclusions4 ,but after all1 why should you complain1 ,monsieur1 the metaphysician8 ,to see the ,countess1 hear the soft tones of her voice1 render her little attentions1 carry the delicacy of sentiment beyond the range of mortal vision1 feel edified at her discourses on virtue1 are not these supreme felicity for you8 ,leave for earthy souls the gross sentiments which are beginning to develop in you4 ,to look at you to-day1 it might be said that ,i was not so far out of the way when ,i declared love to be the work of the senses4 ,your own experience will compel you to avow that ,i had some good reason for saying so1 for which ,i am not at all sorry4 ,consider yourself punished for your injustice4 ,adieu4 ,your old rival1 the ,chevalier1 has revenged himself for the rigors of the ,countess1 by tying himself up with the ,marquise1 her relative4 ,this choice is assuredly a eulogy on his good taste1 they are made for each other4 ,i shall be very much charmed to know whither their fine passion will lead them4 ,,xxxvi ,mistaken ,impressions ,common to ,all ,women ,do you think1 ,marquis1 that ,i have not felt all the sarcasm you have deigned to turn against me on account of my pretended reconciliation with the ,countess8 ,know this1 sir1 that we have never been at outs4 ,it is true1 she begged me to forget her vivacity1 which she claimed was due to her love1 and she insisted that ,i should continue to give her good counsel4 ,but ,good ,heavens6 ,of what use are my counsels except to provide you with an additional triumph8 ,the best advice ,i can give her is to break off her relations with you1 for whatever confidence she may have in her pride1 her only preservative against you is flight4 ,she believes1 for example1 that she used her reason with good effect in the conversation you have related to me4 ,but every reasonable woman does not fail to use the same language as soon as a lover shows her some respectful pretensions4 ,i only want your heart1 they say1 your sentiments1 your esteem is all ,i desire4 ,alas6 you will find only too many women with so little delicacy as to believe themselves very happy in accepting what ,i refuse4 ,i will never envy them a happiness of that kind4 ,be on your guard1 ,marquis1 and do not openly combat such fine sentiments2 to doubt a woman's sincerity on such occasions1 is to do more than offend them1 it is to be maladroit4 ,you must applaud their mistaken idea if you would profit by it4 ,they wish to appear high-minded1 and sensible only of the pleasures of the soul1 it is their system1 their esprit du corps4 ,if some women are in good faith on this point1 how many are there who treat it as an illusion and wish to impose it upon you8 ,but whatever may be the reason which impels them to put you on a false scent1 ought you not to be delighted that they are willing to take the trouble to deceive you8 ,what obligations are you not under8 ,they give in this manner1 a high value to those who1 without it1 would be very undesirable4 ,admire our strategy when we feign indifference to what you call the pleasures of love1 pretending even to be far removed from its sweetness1 we augment the grandeur of the sacrifice we make for you1 by it1 we even inspire the gratitude of the authors of the very benefits we receive from them1 you are satisfied with the good you do us4 ,and since it was said that we make it a duty to deceive you1 what obligation do you not owe us8 ,we have chosen the most obliging way to do it4 ,you are the first to gain by this deceit1 for we can not multiply obstacles without enhancing the price of your victory4 ,troubles1 cares1 are not these the money with which lovers pay for their pleasures8 ,what a satisfaction for your vanity to be able to say within yourselves3 ,this woman1 so refined1 so insensible to the impressions of the senses2 this woman who fears disdain so much1 comes to me1 nevertheless1 and sacrifices her repugnance1 her fears1 her pride8 ,my own merit1 the charms of my person1 my skill1 have surmounted invincible objects for something quite different4 ,how satisfied ,i am with my prowess6 ,if women acted in good faith1 if they were in as much haste to show you their desires as you are to penetrate them1 you could not talk that way4 ,how many pleasures lost6 ,but you can not impute wrong to this artifice1 it gives birth to so many advantages4 ,pretend to be deceived1 and it will become a pleasure to you4 ,if the ,countess knew what ,i have written1 how she would reproach me6 ,,xxxvii ,the ,allurements of ,stage ,women ,i know too well that a man in your position1 particularly a military man1 is often exposed to bad company1 consequently1 he is attracted by the divinities you mention4 ,in spite of that you are not deceived1 and ,i would probably censure you1 if ,i were not so sure1 that1 in the present state of your heart1 the heroines of the theater are not dangerous to you4 ,but the ,countess is less indulgent1 you say4 ,her jealousy does not astonish me1 she confirms my ideas concerning female metaphysicians4 ,i know how much credit is due their sincerity4 ,her complaints are very singular1 for1 what is she deprived of8 ,the women in question are nothing but women of sentiment1 and it is to sentiment that the ,countess is attached4 ,how little women are in accord6 ,they pretend to despise women of the stage2 they fear them too much to despise them4 ,but after all1 are they wrong to consider them rivals8 ,are you not more captivated with their free and easy style1 than with that of a sensible woman who has nothing to offer but order1 decency1 and uniformity8 ,with the former1 men are at their ease1 they appear to be in their element2 with the latter1 men are kept within bounds1 obliged to stand on their dignity1 and to be very circumspect4 ,from the portrait of several of them1 ,i should judge that there are some of them very capable of making many men unfaithful to the most beloved mistress4 ,but with a sensible man1 this infidelity1 if it be one1 can not be of long duration4 ,these women may create a sudden1 lively desire1 but never a veritable passion4 ,the fairies of the operatic stage would be too dangerous1 if they had the wit or the humor always to amuse you as much as they do the first time you are thrown on their company4 ,however little jargon1 habits1 and decency they have on the surface1 it is possible that they may please you at first4 ,you men have so little refinement sometimes6 ,the freedom of their conversation1 the vivacity of their sallies of alleged wit1 their giddy ways1 all this affords you a situation that charms2 a lively and silly joy seizes upon you1 the hours you pass with them seem to be only moments4 ,but happily for you1 they seldom possess sufficient resources to maintain a role so amusing4 ,inasmuch as they lack education and culture1 they soon travel around the small circle of their accomplishments4 ,they feed you with the same pleasantries1 the same stories1 the same antics1 and it is seldom one laughs twice at the same thing when one has no esteem for the fun maker4 ,the ,countess need not worry1 for ,i know you well enough to assure her that it is not that class of women she may apprehend1 there are in the world1 others more redoubtable1 they are the gallant women1 those equivocal women in society4 ,they occupy a middle position between good women and those ,i have been talking about2 they associate with the former and are not different from the latter except on the surface4 ,more voluptuous than tender1 they seduce by lending to the least refined sentiments an air of passion which is mistaken for love4 ,they understand how to convey an impression of tenderness to what is only a taste for pleasure4 ,they make you believe that it is by choice1 by a knowledge of your merit that they yield4 ,if you do not know them to be gallant women1 the shade of difference which distinguishes the true motives which actuates them1 from the sensibility of the heart1 is impossible to seize4 ,you accept for excess of passion what is only an intoxication of the senses4 ,you imagine you are loved because you are lovable1 but it is only because you are a man4 ,these are the women ,i should fear if ,i were in the place of the ,countess4 ,the financial woman who has lately appeared in society belongs to this class1 but ,i have already warned the ,countess4 ,i call to mind1 here1 that in your preceding letter1 you mentioned the allurements which the ,countess thought proper to manifest8 ,she was right in taking umbrage4 ,your passion for her is truly too great to prevent you from sacrificing everything1 but ,i fear you will not always be so honest4 ,madame de ---- possesses bloom and cheerfulness2 she is at an age when women assume charge of young men who desire to be fitted for society1 and to learn their first lessons in gallantry4 ,the interesting and affectionate disposition you find in her will have its effect1 but be careful1 it is ,i who warn you4 ,although ,i despise such women1 it happens that they have the power to create attachments2 they often find the secret of making you commit more follies than any of the other women4 ,,xxxviii ,varieties of ,resistance are ,essential ,i hasten to tell you1 ,marquis1 that ,i have just maintained a thesis against ,monsieur de la ,bruyre4 ,no doubt you admire my temerity8 ,however it is true4 ,he pretends that ,corneille described men as they should be1 and ,racine as they are2 ,i held the contrary4 ,we had some illustrious spectators of the dispute1 and ,i ought to be very proud of the suffrages in my favor4 ,but all the details would be too long to write you1 so come and we will talk them over4 ,every one has his own fashion of describing things1 ,i have mine1 ,i know4 ,i represent women as they are1 and ,i am very sorry not to be able to represent them as they should be4 ,now ,i shall reply to your letter4 ,the species of languor which affects you does not surprise me4 ,the malady which afflicts the ,marquise has deprived you of the pleasure of seeing the ,countess1 and your heart remaining in the same condition for three days1 it is not surprising that ennui should have gained upon it4 ,neither does your present indifference for the ,countess alarm me4 ,in the greatest passions there are always moments of lukewarmness1 which astonish the hearts that feel the sensation4 ,whether the heart1 constantly agitated by the same emotions1 finally tires1 or whether it is absolutely impossible for it to be always employed with the same object1 there are moments of indifference1 the cause of which can not be ascertained4 ,the livelier the emotions of the heart1 the more profound the calm that is sure to follow1 and it is this calm that is always more fateful to the object loved than storm and agitation4 ,love is extinguished by a resistance too severe or constant4 ,but an intelligent woman goes beyond that1 she varies her manner of resisting2 this is the sublimity of the art4 ,now1 with the ,countess1 the duties of friendship are preferable to the claims of love1 and that is another reason for your indifference toward her4 ,love is a jealous and tyrannical sentiment1 which is never satiated until the object loved has sacrificed upon its altar all desires and passions4 ,you do nothing for it unless you do everything4 ,whenever you prefer duty1 friendship1 etc41 it claims the right to complain4 ,it demands revenge4 ,the small courtesies you deemed it necessary to show ,madame de ---- are proofs of it4 ,i would have much preferred1 though1 you had not carried them so far as accompanying her home4 ,the length of time you passed in her company1 the pleasure you experienced in conversing with her1 the questions she put to you on the state of your heart1 all goes to prove the truth of what ,i said in my last letter4 ,it is vain for you to protest that you came away more amorous than ever of the ,countess1 your embarrassment when she inquired whether you had remained long with your fermire gnrale1 the attempt you made to deceive her by an evasive answer1 the extreme care you took to disarm her slightest suspicion1 are indications to me that you are far more guilty than you pretend1 or than you are aware of yourself4 ,the ,countess suffers the consequences of all that4 ,do you not see how she affects to rouse your jealousy by praising the ,chevalier1 your ancient rival8 ,for once1 ,i can assure you that you will not so soon be affected by the languors we mentioned a short time ago4 ,jealousy will give you something to think about4 ,do you count for nothing1 the sufferings of the ,marquise8 ,you will soon see her1 the ravages of the smallpox will not alone disfigure her face1 for her disposition will be very different1 as soon as she learns the extent of her misfortune4 ,how ,i pity her2 how ,i pity other women6 ,with what cordiality she will hate them and tear them to tatters6 ,the ,countess is her best friend1 will she be so very long8 ,she is so handsome1 her complexion casts the others in the shade4 ,what storms ,i foresee6 ,i had forgotten to quarrel with you about your treatment of me4 ,you have been so indiscreet as to show my recent letters to ,m4 de la ,rochefoucauld4 ,i will cease writing you if you continue to divulge my secret4 ,i am willing to talk personally with him about my ideas1 but ,i am far from flattering myself that ,i write well enough to withstand the criticism of a reader like him4 ,,xxxix ,the ,true ,value of ,compliments ,among ,women ,the marks left by the smallpox on the ,marquise's face have set her wild4 ,her resolution not to show herself for a long time does not surprise me4 ,how could she appear in public in such a state8 ,if the accident which humiliates her had not happened1 how she would have made the poor ,chevalier suffer6 ,does not this prove that female virtue depends upon circumstances1 and diminishes with pride8 ,how ,i fear a similar example in the case of the ,countess6 ,nothing is more dangerous for a woman than the weaknesses of her friend2 love1 already too seductive in itself1 becomes more so through the contagion of example1 if ,i may so speak2 it is not only in our heart that it gathers strength2 it acquires new weapons against reason from its environment4 ,a woman who has fallen under its ban1 deems herself interested1 for her own justification1 in conducting her friend to the edge of the same precipice1 and ,i am not1 therefore1 surprised at what the ,marquise says in your favor4 ,up to the present moment they have been guided by the same principles2 what a shame1 then1 for her1 that the ,countess could not have been guaranteed against the effects of it6 ,now1 the ,marquise has a strong reason the more for contributing to the defeat of her friend2 she has become positively ugly1 and consequently obliged to be more complaisant in retaining a lover4 ,will she suffer another woman to keep hers at a less cost8 ,that would be to recognize too humiliating a superiority1 and ,i can assure you that she will do the most singular things to bring her amiable widower up to the point4 ,if she succeed1 how much ,i fear everything will be changed6 ,to have been as beautiful as another woman1 and to be so no longer1 although she embellishes herself every day1 and to suffer her presence every day1 is1 ,i vow1 an effort beyond the strength of the most reasonable woman1 greater than the most determined philosophy4 ,among women friendship ceases where rivalry begins4 ,by rivalry1 ,i mean that of beauty only1 it would be too much to add that of sentiment4 ,i foresee this with regret1 but it is my duty to forewarn you4 ,whatever precautions the ,countess may take to control the amour propre of the ,marquise1 she will never make anything else out of her than an ingrate4 ,i do not know by what fatality1 everything a beautiful woman tells one who is no longer beautiful1 assumes in the mouth1 an impression of a commiseration which breaks down the most carefully devised management1 and humiliates her whom it is thought to console4 ,the more a woman strives to efface the superiority she possesses over an unfortunate sister woman1 the more she makes that superiority apparent1 until the latter reaches the opinion that it is only through generosity that she is permitted to occupy the subordinate position left her4 ,you may depend upon it1 ,marquis1 that women are never misled when it comes to mutual praise2 they fully appreciate the eulogies interchanged among themselves2 and as they speak without sincerity1 so they listen with little gratitude4 ,and although she who speaks1 in praising the beauty of another1 may do so in good faith1 she who listens to the eulogy1 considers less what the other says than her style of beauty4 ,is she ugly8 ,we believe and love her1 but if she be as handsome as we1 we thank her coldly and disdain her2 handsomer1 we hate her more than before she spoke4 ,you must understand this1 ,marquis1 that as much as two beautiful women may have something between them to explain1 it is impossible for them to form a solid friendship4 ,can two merchants who have the same goods to sell become good neighbors8 ,men do not penetrate the true cause of the lack of cordiality among women4 ,those who are the most intimate friends often quarrel over nothing1 but do you suppose this nothing is the real occasion of their quarrel8 ,it is only the pretext4 ,we hide the motive of our actions when to reveal it would be a humiliation4 ,we do not care to make public the fact that it is jealousy for the beauty of our friend that is the real cause1 to give that as the reason for estrangement would be to charge us with envy1 a pleasure one woman will not give another2 she prefers injustice4 ,whenever it happens that two beautiful women are so happy as to find a pretext to get rid of each other1 they seize upon it with vivacity1 and hate each other with a cordiality which proves how much they loved each other before the rupture4 ,well1 ,marquis1 am ,i talking to you with sufficient frankness8 ,you see to what lengths my sincerity goes4 ,i try to give you just ideas of everything1 even at my own expense1 for ,i am assuredly not more exempt than another woman from the faults ,i sometimes criticise4 ,but as ,i am sure that what passes between us will be buried in oblivion1 ,i do not fear embroiling myself in a quarrel with all my sex1 they might1 perhaps1 claim the right to blame my ingenuity4 ,but the ,countess is above all such petty things1 she agrees1 however1 with everything ,i have just said4 ,are there many women like her8 ,,xl ,oratory and ,fine ,phrases do ,not ,breed ,love ,the example of the ,marquise has not yet had any effect on the heart of her friend4 ,it appears1 on the contrary1 that she is more on guard against you1 and that you have drawn upon yourself her reproaches through some slight favor you have deprived her of4 ,i have been thinking that she would not fail on this occasion to recall to your recollection1 the protestations of respect and disinterestedness you made when you declared your passion for her4 ,it is customary in similar cases4 ,but what seems strange about it is1 that the same eagerness that a woman accepts as a proof of disrespect1 before she is in perfect accord with her lover1 becomes1 in her imagination1 a proof of love and esteem1 as soon as they meet on a common ground4 ,listen to married women1 and to all those who1 being unmarried1 permit the same prerogatives2 hear them1 ,i say1 in their secret complaints against unfaithful husbands and cooling lovers4 ,they are despised1 and that is the sole reason they can imagine4 ,but with us1 what they consider a mark of esteem and sincerity1 is it anything else than the contrary8 ,i told you some time ago1 that women themselves1 when they are acting in good faith1 go farther than men in making love consist in an effervescence of the blood4 ,study a lover at the commencement of her passion3 with her1 then1 love is purely a metaphysical sentiment1 with which the senses have not the least relation4 ,similar to those philosophers who1 in the midst of grievous torments would not confess that they were suffering pain1 she is a martyr to her own system2 but1 at last1 while combatting this chimera1 the poor thing becomes affected by a change2 her lover vainly repeats that love is a divine1 metaphysical sentiment1 that it lives on fine phrases1 on spiritual discourses1 that it would be degrading to mingle with it anything material and human2 he vainly1 boasts of his respect and refinement4 ,i tell you1 ,marquis1 on the part of all women1 that such an orator will never make his fortune4 ,his respect will be taken as an insult1 his refinement for derision1 and his fine discourses for ridiculous pretexts4 ,all the grace that will be accorded him1 is that she will find a pretext to quarrel with him because he has been less refined with some other woman1 and that he will be put to the sorrowful necessity of displaying his high flown sentiments to his titular mistress1 and what is admirable about this is1 that the excuse for it arises out of the same principle4 ,p4,s4--,you have so much deference for my demands6 ,you not only show my letters to ,m4 de la ,rochefoucauld1 but you read them before the whole assembly of my friends4 ,it is true that the indulgence with which my friends judge them1 consoles me somewhat for your indiscretion1 and ,i see very well that the best thing for me to do is to continue on in my own way as ,i have in the past4 ,but1 at least1 be discreet when ,i mention matters relating to the glory of the ,countess2 otherwise1 no letters4 ,,xli ,discretion ,is ,sometimes the ,better ,part of ,valor ,no1 ,marquis1 ,i can not pardon in you the species of fury with which you desire what you are pleased to call the supreme happiness4 ,how blind you are1 not to know that when you are sure of a woman's heart1 it is in your interests to enjoy her defeat a long time before it becomes entire4 ,will you never understand1 that of all there is good on earth1 it is the sweetness of love that must be used with the greatest economy8 ,if ,i were a man and were so fortunate as to have captured the heart of a woman like the ,countess1 with what discretion ,i would use my advantages8 ,how many gradations there would be in the law ,i should impose upon myself to overlook them successively and even leisurely8 ,of how many amiable pleasures1 unknown to men1 would not ,i be the creator8 ,like a miser1 ,i would contemplate my treasure unceasingly1 learn its precious value1 feel that in it consisted all my felicity1 base all my happiness upon the possession of it1 reflect that it is all mine1 that ,i may dispose of it and yet maintain my resolution not to deprive myself of its use4 ,what a satisfaction to read in the eyes of an adorable woman the power you have over her2 to see her slightest acts give birth to an impression of tenderness1 whenever they relate to you2 to hear her voice soften when it is to you or of you she speaks2 to enjoy her confusion at your slightest eagerness1 her anxiety at your most innocent caresses8 ,is there a more delicious condition than that of a lover who is sure of being loved1 and can there be any sweeter than at such moments8 ,what a charm for a lover to be expected with an impatience that is not concealed2 to be received with an eagerness all the more flattering from the effort made to hide the half of it8 ,she dresses in a fashion to please2 she assumes the deportment1 the style1 the pose that may flatter her lover the most4 ,in former times women dressed to please in general1 now their entire toilette is to please men2 for his sake she wears bangles1 jewelry1 ribbons1 bracelets1 rings4 ,he is the object of it all1 the woman is transformed into the man2 it is he she loves in her own person4 ,can you find anything in love more enchanting than the resistance of a woman who implores you not to take advantage of her weakness8 ,is there anything1 in a word1 more seductive than a voice almost stifled with emotion1 than a refusal for which she reproaches herself1 and1 the rigor of which she attempts to soften by tender looks1 before a complaint is made8 ,i can not conceive any4 ,but it is certain that as soon as she yields to your eagerness1 all these pleasures weaken in proportion to the facility met4 ,you alone may prolong them1 even increase them1 by taking the time to know all the sweetness and its taste4 ,however1 you are not satisfied unless the possession1 be entire1 easy1 and continuous4 ,and after that1 you are surprised to find indifference1 coolness1 and inconstancy in your heart4 ,have you not done everything to satiate your passion for the beloved object8 ,i have always contended that love never dies from desire but often from indigestion1 and ,i will sometime tell you in confidence my feelings for ,count ----4 ,you will understand from that how to manage a passion to render happiness enduring2 you will see whether ,i know the human heart and true felicity2 you will learn from my example that the economy of the sentiments is1 in the question of love1 the only reasonable metaphysics4 ,in fine1 you will know how little you understand your true interests in your conduct toward the ,countess4 ,to interfere with your projects1 ,i shall be with her as often as it is possible4 ,now1 do not be formal1 and tell me that ,i am an advocate on both sides2 for ,i am persuaded that ,i am acting for the good of the parties interested4 ,,xlii ,surface ,indications in ,women are ,not ,always ,guides ,what1 ,i censure you1 ,marquis8 ,i will take good care not to do so1 ,i assure you4 ,you have not been willing to follow my advice1 and hence1 ,i am not at all sorry for having ill-used you4 ,you thought you had nothing to do but to treat the ,countess roughly4 ,her easy fashion of treating love1 her accessibility1 her indulgence for your numerous faults1 the freedom with which she mocks the ,platonicians1 all this encouraged you to hope that she was not very severe1 but you have just discovered your mistake4 ,all this outward show was nothing but deceitful and perfidious allurements4 ,to take advantage thus of the good faith of any one--,i must confess that it is a conduct which cries for vengeance2 she deserves all the names you give her4 ,but do you wish me to talk to you with my customary frankness8 ,you have fallen into an error which is common among men4 ,they judge women from the surface4 ,they imagine that a woman whose virtue is not always on the qui vive1 will be easier to overcome than a prude2 even experience does not undeceive them4 ,how often are they exposed to a severity all the keener that it was unexpected8 ,their custom then1 is to accuse women of caprice and oddity2 all of you use the same language1 and say3 ,why such equivocal conduct8 ,when a woman has decided to remain intractable1 why surprise the credulity of a lover8 ,why not possess an exterior conformable to her sentiments8 ,in a word1 why permit a man to love her1 when she does not care ever to see him again8 ,is this not being odd and false8 ,is it not trifling with sentiment8 ,you are in error1 gentlemen1 you are imposing upon your vanity1 it is in vain you try to put us on a false scent1 that1 of itself1 is offensive1 and you talk of sentiment as ennobling a thing that resembles it very little4 ,are not you1 yourselves1 to blame if we treat you thus8 ,however little intelligence a woman may have1 she knows that the strongest tie to bind you to her is anticipation1 wherefore1 you must let her lay the blame on you4 ,if she were to arm herself from the first with a severity that would indicate that she is invincible1 from that time1 no lovers for her4 ,what a solitude would be hers1 what shame even8 ,for a woman of the most pronounced virtue is no less sensible of the desire to please1 she makes her glory consist in securing homage and adoration4 ,but without ignoring the fact that those she expects attention from are induced to bestow them only for reasons that wound her pride2 unable to reform this defect1 the only part she can take is to use it to her advantage to keep them by her side2 she knows how to keep them1 and not destroy the very hopes which1 however1 she is determined never to gratify4 ,with care and skill she succeeds4 ,hence1 as soon as a woman understands her real interests she does not fail to say to herself what the ,countess confessed to me at our last interview3 ,i can well appreciate the ',i love you' of the men2 ,i do not disguise the fact that ,i know what it signifies at bottom1 therefore upon me rests the burden of being offended at hearing them2 but when women have penetrated their motives1 they have need of their vanity to disconcert their designs4 ,our anger1 when they have offended us1 is not the best weapon to use in opposing them4 ,whoever must go outside herself and become angry to resist them1 exposes her weakness4 ,a fine irony1 a piquant raillery1 a humiliating coolness1 these are what discourage them4 ,never a quarrel with them1 consequently no reconciliation4 ,what advantages does not this mode of procedure take from them6 ,the prude1 it is true1 follows a quite different method4 ,if she is exposed to the least danger1 she does not imagine herself to be reasonable but in proportion to the resentment she experiences2 but upon whom does such conduct impose8 ,every man who knows the cards1 says to himself3 ',i am ill used because the opportunity is unfavorable4 ,it is my awkwardness that is punished and not my temerity4 ,another time1 that will be well received which is a crime to-day2 this severity is a notice to redouble my effort1 to merit more indulgence and disarm pride2 she wishes to be appeased4' ,and the only means in such case to make her forget the offense is1 that in making an apology to repeat it a second time4 ,with my recipe1 ,i am certain that a man will never reason that way4 ,the ,marquis1 for example1 has sometimes permitted me to read in his eyes his respectful intentions4 ,i never knew but one way to punish him2 ,i have feigned not to understand him2 insensibly1 ,i have diverted his mind to other objects4 ,and this recipe has worked well up to the moment ,i last saw him at my house4 ,there was no way to dissimulate with him2 he wished to honor me with some familiarities1 and ,i stopped him immediately1 but not in anger4 ,i deemed it more prudent to arm myself with reason than with anger4 ,i appeared to be more afflicted than irritated1 and ,i am sure my grief touched his heart more than bitter reproaches which might have alarmed him4 ,he went away very much dissatisfied2 and just see what the heart is3 at first1 ,i was afraid ,i had driven him away forever1 ,i was tempted to reproach myself for my cruelty1 but1 upon reflection1 ,i felt reassured4 ,has severity ever produced inconstancy8 ,to go on3 ,we talked until we were out of breath1 and everything the ,countess told me gave me to understand that she had made up her mind4 ,it will be in vain for you to cry out against her injustice1 consider her as odd and inhuman1 she will not accept any of the sweetness of love unless it costs her pride nothing1 and ,i observe that she is following that resolution with more firmness than ,i imagined her capable of4 ,the loss of your heart would undoubtedly be a misfortune for which she could never be consoled4 ,but1 on the other hand1 the conditions you place upon your perseverance appear too hard to be accepted2 she is willing to compromise with you4 ,she hopes to be able to hold you without betraying her duty1 a project worthy of her courage1 and ,i hope it will succeed better than the plan she had formed to guarantee her heart against love4 ,let us await the outcome4 ,shall we see you to-morrow at ,madame la ,presidente's8 ,if you should desire to have an occasion to speak to her1 ,i do not doubt that you will make your peace4 ,,xliii ,women ,demand ,respect ,i should never have expected it1 ,marquis4 ,what6 ,my zeal in your behalf has drawn your reproaches down upon me8 ,i share with the ,countess the bad humor her severity has caused6 you4 ,do you know8 ,if what you say were well founded1 nothing could be more piquant for me than the ironical tone in which you laud my principles4 ,but to render me responsible for your success1 as you attempt1 have you dared think for an instant that my object in writing you1 was ever for the purpose of giving you lessons in seduction8 ,do you not perceive any difference in teaching you to please1 and exciting you toward seduction8 ,i have told you the motives which incline women to love1 it is true1 but have ,i ever said that they were easier to vanquish8 ,have ,i ever told you to attack them by sensuality1 and that in attacking them to suppose them without delicacy8 ,i do not believe it4 ,when your inexperience and your timidity might cause you to play the role of a ridiculous personage among women1 ,i explained the harm these defects might cause you in the world4 ,i advised you to have more confidence1 in order to lead you insensibly in the direction of that noble and respectful boldness you should have when with women4 ,but as soon as ,i saw that your pretensions were going too far1 and that they might wound the reputation of the ,countess1 ,i did not dissimulate1 ,i took sides against you1 and nothing was more reasonable1 ,i had become her friend4 ,you see1 then1 how unjust you are in my regard1 and you are no less so in regard to her4 ,you treat her as if she were an equivocal character4 ,according to your idea1 she has neither decided for nor against gallantry1 and what you clearly see in her conduct is1 that she is a more logical coquette than other women4 ,what an opinion6 ,but there is much to pardon in your situation4 ,however1 a man without prejudice1 would see in the ,countess only a lover as reasonable as she is tender2 a woman who1 without having an ostentatious virtue1 nevertheless remains constantly attached to it2 a woman1 in a word1 who seeks in good faith the proper means of reconciling love and duty4 ,the difficulty in allying these two contraries is not slight1 and it is the source of the inequalities that wound you4 ,figure to yourself the combats she must sustain1 the revolutions she suffers1 her embarrassment in endeavoring to preserve a lover whom too uniform a resistance might repel4 ,if she were sure of keeping you by resisting your advances2 but you carry your odd conduct to the extent of leaving her when her resistance is too prolonged4 ,while praising our virtue1 you abandon us1 and then1 what shame for us6 ,but since in both cases it is not certain that her lover will be held1 it is preferable to accept the inconvenient rather than cause you to lose her heart and her esteem4 ,that is our advice1 for the ,countess and ,i think precisely alike on the subject4 ,be more equitable1 ,marquis2 complain of her rather than criticise her4 ,if her character were more decided1 perhaps you would be better satisfied with her2 but1 even in that case would you be satisfied very long8 ,i doubt it4 ,adieu4 ,we count on seeing you this evening at ,madame de ,la ,fayette's1 and that you will prove more reasonable4 ,the ,abb ,gedoyn will be presented me4 ,the assembly will be brilliant1 but you will doubtless be bored1 for you will not see the only object that can attract you1 and you will say of my apartment1 what ,malherbe so well says of the garden of the ,louvre3 ,mais quoi que vous ayez1 vous n'avez point ,caliste1 ,et moi je ne vois rien1 quand je ne la vois pas4 7,whatever you may have ,caliste you have not got1 ,and ,i1 ,i can see nothing when ,i see her not47 ,,xliv ,why ,love ,grows ,weak--,marshal de ,saint-,evremond's ,opinion ,a calm has succeeded the storm1 ,marquis1 and ,i see by your letter that you are more satisfied with the ,countess and with yourself4 ,how powerful logic is coming from the mouth of a woman we adore6 ,you see how the conduct of our friend has produced an opposite effect from that of the ,marquise2 the severity of the former increasing your esteem and love for her and the kindness of the ,marquise making an unfaithful lover out of the ,chevalier4 ,so it generally happens among men1 ingratitude is commonly the price of benefits4 ,this misfortune1 however1 is not always beyond the reach of remedies1 and in this connection ,i wish to give you the contents of a letter ,i received from ,monsieur de ,saint-,evremond a few days ago4 ,you are not ignorant of the intimate relations that have always existed between us4 ,the young ,count de ---- had just espoused ,mademoiselle ----1 of whom he was passionately amorous4 ,he complained one day to me that hymen and the possession of the beloved object weakened every day1 and often destroyed the most tender love4 ,we discussed the subject for a long time1 and as ,i happened to write to ,saint-,evremond that day1 ,i submitted the question to him4 ,this is his reply3 ,,saint-,,evremond ,,to ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4 ,my opinion is exactly in line with yours1 ,mademoiselle2 it is not always1 as some think1 hymen or the possession of the loved object which1 of itself1 destroys love1 the true source of the dissatisfaction that follows love is in the unintelligent manner of economizing the sentiments1 a possession too easy1 complete1 and prolonged4 ,when we have yielded to the transports of a passion without reserve1 the tremendous shock to the soul can not fail quickly to leave it in a profound solitude4 ,the heart finds itself in a void which alarms and chills it4 ,we vainly seek outside of ourselves1 the cause of the calm which follows our fits of passion2 we do not perceive that an equal and more enduring happiness would have been the fruit of moderation4 ,make an exact analysis of what takes place within you when you desire anything4 ,you will find that your desires are nothing but curiosity1 and this curiosity1 which is one of the forces of the heart1 satisfied1 our desires vanish4 ,whoever1 therefore1 would hold a spouse or a lover1 should leave him something to be desired1 something new should be expected every day for the morrow4 ,diversify his pleasures1 procure for him the charm of variety in the same object1 and ,i will vouch for his perseverance in fidelity4 ,i confess1 however1 that hymen1 or what you call your defeat1 is1 in an ordinary woman1 the grave of love4 ,but then it is less upon the lover that the blame falls1 than upon her who complains of the cooling of the passion2 she casts upon the depravity of the heart what is due to her own unskillfulness1 and her lack of economy4 ,she has expended in a single day everything that might keep alive the inclination she had excited4 ,she has nothing more to offer to the curiosity of her lover1 she becomes always the same statue2 no variety to be hoped for1 and her lover knows it well4 ,but in the woman ,i have in mind1 it is the aurora of a lovelier day2 it is the beginning of the most satisfying pleasures4 ,i understand by effusions of the heart1 those mutual confidences2 those ingenuities1 those unexpected avowals1 and those transports which excite in us the certainty of creating an absolute happiness1 and meriting all the esteem of the person we love4 ,that day is1 in a word1 the epoch when a man of refinement discovers inexhaustible treasures which have always been hidden from him2 the freedom a woman acquires who brings into play all the sentiments which constraint has held in reserve2 her heart takes a lofty flight1 but one well under control4 ,time1 far from leading to loathing1 will furnish new reasons for a greater love4 ,but1 to repeat2 ,i assume sufficient intelligence in her to be able to control her inclination4 ,for to hold a lover1 it is not enough 7perhaps it is too much7 to love passionately1 she must love with prudence1 with restraint1 and modesty is for that reason the most ingenious virtue refined persons have ever imagined4 ,to yield to the impetuosity of an inclination2 to be annihilated1 so to speak1 in the object loved1 is the method of a woman without discernment4 ,that is not love1 it is a liking for a moment1 it is to transform a lover into a spoiled child4 ,i would have a woman behave with more reserve and economy4 ,an excess of ardor is not justifiable in my opinion1 the heart being always an impetuous charger which must be steadily curbed4 ,if you do not use your strength with economy1 your vivacity will be nothing but a passing transport4 ,the same indifference you perceive in a lover1 after those convulsive emotions1 you1 yourself1 will experience1 and soon1 both of you will feel the necessity of separating4 ,to sum up2 there is more intelligence required to love than is generally supposed1 and to be happy in loving4 ,up to the moment of the fatal yes1 or if you prefer1 up to the time of her defeat1 a woman does not need artifice to hold her lover4 ,curiosity excites him1 desire sustains him1 hope encourages him4 ,but once he reaches the summit of his desires1 it is for the woman to take as much care to retain him1 as he exhibited in overcoming her2 the desire to keep him should render her fertile in expedients2 the heart is similar to a high position1 easier to obtain than to keep4 ,charms are sufficient to make a man amorous2 to render him constant1 something more is necessary2 skill is required1 a little management1 a great deal of intelligence1 and even a touch of ill humor and fickleness4 ,unfortunately1 however1 as soon as women have yielded they become too tender1 too complaisant4 ,it would be better for the common good1 if they were to resist less in the beginning and more afterward4 ,i maintain that they never can forestall loathing without leaving the heart something to wish for1 and the time to consider4 ,i hear them continually complaining that our indifference is always the fruit of their complaisance for us4 ,they are ever recalling the time when1 goaded by love and sentiment1 we spent whole days by their side4 ,how blind they are6 ,they do not perceive that it is still in their power to bring us back to an allegiance1 the memory of which is so dear4 ,if they forget what they have already done for us1 they will not be tempted to do more2 but if they make us forget1 then we shall become more exacting4 ,let them awaken our hearts by opposing new difficulties1 arousing our anxieties1 in fine1 forcing us to desire new proofs of an inclination1 the certainty of which diminishes its value in our estimation4 ,they will then find less cause of complaint in us1 and will be better satisfied with themselves4 ,shall ,i frankly avow it8 ,things would indeed change1 if women would remember at the right time that their role is always that of the party to be entreated1 ours that of him who begs for new favors2 that1 created to grant1 they should never offer4 ,reserved1 even in an excess of passion1 they should guard against surrendering at discretion2 the lover should always have something to ask1 and consequently1 he would be always submissive so as to obtain it4 ,favors without limit degrade the most seductive charms1 and are1 in the end1 revolting even to him who exacts them4 ,society puts all women on the same level2 the handsome and the ugly1 after their defeat1 are indistinguishable except from their art to maintain their authority2 but what commonly happens8 ,a woman imagines she has nothing further to do than to be affectionate1 caressing1 sweet1 of even temper and faithful4 ,she is right in one sense1 for these qualities should be the foundation of her character2 they will not fail to draw esteem2 but these qualities1 however estimable they may be1 if they are not offset by a shade of contrariety1 will not fail to extinguish love1 and bring on languor and weariness1 mortal poisons for the best constituted heart4 ,do you know why lovers become nauseated so easily when enjoying prosperity8 ,why they are so little pleased after having had so much pleasure8 ,it is because both parties interested have an identically erroneous opinion4 ,one imagines there is nothing more to obtain1 the other fancies she has nothing more to give4 ,it follows as a necessary consequence that one slackens in his pursuit1 and the other neglects to be worthy of further advances1 or thinks she becomes so by the practice of solid qualities4 ,reason is substituted for love1 and henceforward1 no more seasoning in their relations2 no more of those trifling quarrels so necessary to prevent dissatisfaction by forestalling it4 ,but when ,i exact that evenness of temper should be animated by occasional storms1 do not be under the impression that ,i pretend lovers should always be quarreling to preserve their happiness4 ,i only desire to impress it upon you1 that all their misunderstandings should emanate from love itself2 that the woman should not forget 7by a species of pusillanimous kindness7 the respect and attentions due her2 that by an excessive sensitiveness1 she does not convert her love into a source of anxiety capable of poisoning every moment of her existence2 that by a scrupulous fidelity1 she may not render her lover too sure that he has nothing to fear on that score4 ,neither should a woman by a sweetness1 an unalterable evenness of temper1 be weak enough to pardon everything lacking in her lover4 ,experience demonstrates that women too often sacrifice the hearts of their spouses or their lovers by too many indulgences and facilities4 ,what recklessness6 ,they martyrize themselves by sacrificing everything2 they spoil them and convert them into ungrateful lovers4 ,so much generosity finally turns against themselves1 and they soon become accustomed to demand as a right what is granted them as a favor4 ,you see women every day 7even among those we despise with so much reason71 who reign with a scepter of iron1 treat as slaves men who are attached to them1 debase them by force of controlling them4 ,well1 these are the women who are loved longer than the others4 ,i am persuaded that a woman of refinement1 well brought up1 would never think of following such an example4 ,that military manner is repugnant to gentleness and morals1 and lacks that decency which constitutes the charm in things even remote from virtue4 ,but let the reasonable woman soften the clouds a trifle1 there will always remain precisely what is necessary to hold a lover4 ,we are slaves1 whom too much kindness often renders insolent2 we often demand to be treated like those of the new world4 ,but we have in the bottom of our hearts a comprehension of justice1 which tells us that the governing hand bears down upon us sometimes for very good reasons1 and we take kindly to it4 ,now1 for my last word3 ,in everything relating to the force and energy of love1 women should be the sovereigns2 it is from them we hope for happiness1 and they will never fail to grant us that as soon as they can govern our hearts with intelligence1 moderate their own inclinations1 and maintain their own authority1 without compromising it and without abusing it4 ,,xlv ,what ,favors ,men ,consider ,faults ,to explain in two words to your satisfaction1 ,marquis4 ,this is what ,i think of the letter ,i sent you yesterday3 ,for a woman to profit by the advice of ,monsieur de ,saint-,evremond it is requisite that she should be affected with only a mediocre fancy1 and have excited the passion of love4 ,however1 we shall talk about that more at large whenever it may please you1 now1 ,i will take up what concerns you4 ,the sacrifice the ,countess has exacted of you is well worth the price you put upon it4 ,to renounce for her sake1 a woman whose exterior proclaimed her readiness to accord you whatever favor you might be willing to ask2 to renounce her publicly1 in the presence of her rival1 and with so little regard for her vanity1 is an effort which naturally will not pass without a proportionate recompense4 ,the ,countess could not have found a happier pretext for giving you her portrait4 ,but to take a solemn day when the ,marquise received at her home for the first time since her illness2 to select a moment when the moneyed woman was taking up arms to make an assault of beauty upon a woman of rank2 to speak to her merely in passing1 to pretend to surrender yourself entirely to the pleasure of seeing her rival2 to entertain the latter and become one of her party1 is an outrage for which you will never be pardoned4 ,revenge will come quickly1 and be as cruel as possible1 you will see4 ,it is ,i who guarantee it4 ,now for the second paragraph of your letter3 ,you ask me whether the last favor1 or rather the last fault we can commit1 is a certain proof that a woman loves you4 ,yes and no4 ,yes1 if you love the woman for whom you had your first passion1 and she is refined and virtuous4 ,but even in such a case1 this proof will not be any more certain1 or more flattering for you1 than all the others she may have given you of her inclination4 ,whatever a woman may do when she loves1 even things of the slightest essential nature in appearance are as much certain marks of her passion1 as those greater things of which men are so proud4 ,i will even add1 that if this virtuous woman is of a certain disposition1 the last favor will prove less than a thousand other small sacrifices you count for nothing1 for then1 on her own behalf less than on yours1 she is too much interested in listening to you1 for you to claim the glory of having persuaded her1 although every one else would have been accorded the same favor4 ,i know a woman who permitted herself to be vanquished two or three times by men she did not love1 and the man she really loved never obtained a single favor4 ,it may happen1 then1 that the last favor proves nothing to him to whom it is granted4 ,whereas1 on the contrary1 it may happen that he owes the granting of it to the little regard had for him4 ,women never respect themselves more than with those they esteem1 and you may be quite sure that it requires a very imperious inclination to cause a reasonable woman to forget herself in the presence of one whose disdain she dreads4 ,your pretended triumph1 therefore1 may originate in causes which1 so far from being glorious for you1 would humiliate you if you were aware of them4 ,we see1 for example1 a lover who may be repelled2 the woman who loves him fears he will escape her to pay his addresses to another woman more accommodating2 she does not wish to lose him1 for it is always humiliating to be abandoned2 she yields1 because she is not aware of any other means of holding him4 ,they say there is nothing to reproach in this4 ,if he leaves her after that1 at least he will be put in the wrong1 for1 since a woman becomes attached more by the favors she grants1 she imagines the man will be forced into gratitude4 ,what folly6 ,women are actuated by different motives in yielding4 ,curiosity impels some1 they desire to know what love is4 ,another woman1 with few advantages of person or figure1 would hold her lover by the attractions of pleasure4 ,one woman is determined to make a conquest flattering to her vanity4 ,still another one surrenders to pity1 opportunity1 importunities1 to the pleasure of taking revenge on a rival1 or an unfaithful lover4 ,how can ,i enumerate them all8 ,the heart is so very strange in its vagaries1 and the reasons and causes which actuate it are so curious and varied1 that it is impossible to discover all the hidden springs that set it in motion4 ,but if we delude ourselves as to the means of holding you1 how often do men deceive themselves as to the proofs of our love8 ,if they possessed any delicacy of discernment1 they would find a thousand signs that prove more than the most signal favor granted4 ,tell me1 ,marquis1 what have ,i done to ,monsieur de ,coulanges8 ,it is a month since he has set foot in my house4 ,but ,i will not reproach him1 ,i shall be very pleasant with him when he does come4 ,he is one of the most amiable men ,i am acquainted with4 ,i shall be very angry with you if you fail to bring him to me on my return from ,versailles4 ,i want him to sing me the last couplets he has composed1 ,i am told they are charming4 ,,xlvi ,why ,inconstancy ,is ,not ,injustice ,it was too kind of you1 ,marquis1 to have noticed my absence4 ,if ,i did not write you during my sojourn in the country1 it was because ,i knew you were happy1 and that tranquilized me4 ,i felt too1 that it was necessary for love to be accorded some rights1 as its reign is usually very short1 and besides that1 friendship not having any quarrel with love1 ,i waited patiently an interval in your pleasure which would enable you to read my letters4 ,do you know what ,i was doing while away8 ,i amused myself by piecing out all the events liable to happen in the condition your society is now in4 ,i foresaw the bickerings between the ,countess and her rival1 and ,i predicted they would end in an open rupture2 ,i also guessed that the ,marquise would not espouse the cause of the ,countess1 but would take up the other's quarrel4 ,the moneyed woman is not quite so handsome as her rival1 a decisive reason for declaring for her and backing her up without danger4 ,what will be the upshot of all this quarreling among these women8 ,how many revolutions1 ,good ,heavens6 in so short a time6 ,your happiness seems to be the only thing that has escaped4 ,you discover new reasons every day for loving and esteeming this amiable ,countess4 ,you believe that a woman of so much real merit1 and with so interesting a figure1 will become known more and more4 ,let nothing weaken the esteem you have always had for her4 ,you have1 it is true1 obtained an avowal of her love for you1 but is she less estimable for that8 ,on the contrary1 ought not her heart to augment in price in your eyes1 in proportion to the certainty you have acquired that you are its sole possessor8 ,even if you shall have obtained proofs of her inclination we spoke about recently1 do you think that gives you any right to underrate her8 ,i can not avoid saying it2 men like you arouse my indignation every time they imagine they claim the right to lack in courtesy for my sex1 and punish us for our weaknesses4 ,is it not the height of injustice and the depth of depravity to continue to insult the grief which is the cause of their changes8 ,can not women be inconstant without being unjust8 ,is their distaste always to be followed by some injurious act8 ,if we are guilty1 is it the right of him who has profited by our faults1 who is the cause of them1 to punish us8 ,always maintain for the ,countess the sentiments you have expressed in her regard4 ,do not permit a false opinion to interfere with the progress which they can still make in your heart4 ,it is not our defeat alone which should render us despicable in your eyes4 ,the manner in which we have been defended1 delivered1 and guarded1 ought to be the only measure of your disdain4 ,so ,madame de ,la ,fayette is of the opinion that my last letter is based upon rather a liberal foundation8 ,you see where your indiscretions lead me4 ,but she does not consider that ,i am no more guilty than a demonstrator of anatomy4 ,i analyse the metaphysical man as he dissects the physical one4 ,do you believe that out of regard to scruples he should omit in his operations those portions of his subject which might offer corrupted minds occasions to draw sallies out of an ill regulated imagination8 ,it is not the essence of things that causes indecency2 it is not the words1 or even the ideas1 it is the intent of him who utters them1 and the depravity of him who listens4 ,madame de ,la ,fayette was certainly the last woman in the world whom ,i would have suspected of reproaching me in that manner1 and to-morrow1 at the ,countess'1 ,i will make her confess her injustice4 ,,xlvii ,cause of ,quarrels ,among ,rivals ,what1 ,i1 ,marquis1 astonished at the new bickerings of your moneyed woman8 ,do not doubt for an instant that she employs all the refinements of coquetry to take you away from the ,countess4 ,she may have a liking for you1 but moderate your amour propre so far as that is concerned1 for the most powerful motive of her conduct1 is1 without contradiction1 the desire for revenge4 ,her vanity is interested in punishing her rival for having obtained the preference4 ,women never pardon such a thing as that1 and if he who becomes the subject of the quarrel is not the first object of their anger1 it is because they need him to display their resentment4 ,you have encountered in the rival of the ,countess precisely what you exacted from her to strengthen your attachment4 ,you are offered in advance the price of the attentions you devote to her1 and from which you will soon be dispensed1 and ,i think you will have so little delicacy as to accept them4 ,it is written across the heart of every man3 ,to the easiest4 ,you should blush to deserve the least reproach from the ,countess4 ,what sort of a woman is it you seem to prefer to her8 ,a woman without delicacy and without love2 a woman who is guided only by the attractions of pleasure2 more vain than sensible2 more voluptuous than tender2 more passionate than affectionate1 she seeks1 she cherishes in you nothing but your youth and all the advantages that accompany it4 ,you know what her rival is worth2 you know all your wrong doing with her2 you agree that you are a monster of ingratitude1 yet1 you are unwilling to take it upon yourself to merit her pardon4 ,truly1 ,marquis1 ,i do not understand you4 ,i am beginning to believe that ,madame de ,svign was right when she said that her son knew his duty very well1 and could reason like a philosopher on the subject1 but that he was carried away by his passions1 so that he is not a head fool1 but a heart fool 7ce n'est pas par la tte qu'il est fou1 mais par le coeur74 ,you recall in vain what ,i said to you long ago about making love in a free and easy manner4 ,you will remember that ,i was then enjoying myself with some jocular reflections which were not intended to be formal advice4 ,do not forget1 either1 that the question then was about a mere passing fancy1 and not of an ordinary mistress4 ,but the case to-day is very different1 you can not find among all the women of ,paris1 a single one who can be compared with her you are so cruelly abandoning4 ,and for what reason8 ,because her resistance wounds your vanity4 ,what resource is left us to hold you8 ,i agree with you1 nevertheless1 that when a passion is extinguished it can not be relighted without difficulty4 ,no one is more the master of loving than he is of not loving4 ,i feel the truth of all these maxims2 ,i do homage to them with regret1 as soon as1 with a knowledge of the cause1 ,i consider that you reject what is excellent and accept the worse2 you renounce a solid happiness1 durable pleasures1 and yield to depraved tastes and pure caprices2 but ,i can see that all my reflections will not reform you4 ,i am beginning to fear that ,i am wearying you with morals1 and to tell you the truth1 it is very ridiculous in me to preach constancy when it is certain that you do not love1 and that you are a heart fool4 ,i therefore abandon you to your destiny1 without1 however1 giving up my desire to follow you into new follies4 ,why3 should ,i be afflicted8 ,would it be of any moment to assume with you the tone of a pedagogue8 ,assuredly not1 both of us would lose too much thereby4 ,i should become weary and you would not be reformed4 ,,xlviii ,friendship ,must ,be ,firm ,i do not conceal it1 ,marquis1 your conduct in regard to the ,countess had put me out of patience with you1 and ,i was tempted to break off all my relations with so wicked a man as you4 ,my good nature in yielding to your entreaties inclines me to the belief that my friendship for you borders on a weakness4 ,you are right1 though4 ,to be your friend only so long as you follow my advice would not be true friendship4 ,the more you are to be censured the stronger ought to be my hold on you1 but you will understand that one is not master of his first thoughts4 ,whatever effort ,i may make to find you less guilty1 the sympathy ,i have for the misfortune of my friend is of still greater importance to me4 ,there were moments when ,i could not believe in your innocence1 and they were when so charming a woman complained of you4 ,now that her situation is improving every day1 ,i consider my harshness in my last letter almost as a crime4 ,i shall1 hereafter1 content myself with pitying her without importuning you any longer about her4 ,so let us resume our ordinary gait1 if it please you4 ,you need no longer fear my reproaches1 ,i see they would be useless as well as out of place4 ,,xlix ,constancy ,is a ,virtue ,among the ,narrow ,minded ,you did not then know1 ,marquis1 that it is often more difficult to get rid of a mistress than to acquire one8 ,you are learning by experience4 ,your disgust for the moneyed woman does not surprise me except that it did not happen sooner4 ,what6 knowing her character so well1 you could imagine that the despair she pretended at the sight of your indifference increasing every day1 could be the effect of a veritable passion8 ,you could also be the dupe of her management6 ,i admire1 and ,i pity your blindness4 ,but was it not also vanity which aided a trifle in fortifying your illusion8 ,in truth it would be a strange sort of vanity1 that of being loved by such a woman2 but men are so vain1 that they are flattered by the love of the most confirmed courtesan4 ,in any case undeceive yourself4 ,a woman who is deserted1 when she is a woman like your beauty1 has nothing in view in her sorrow but her own interest4 ,she endeavors by her tears and her despair1 to persuade you that your person and your merit are all she regrets2 that the loss of your heart is the summit of misfortune2 that she knows nobody who can indemnify her for the loss of it4 ,all these sentiments are false4 ,it is not an afflicted lover who speaks2 it is a vain woman1 desperate at being anticipated1 exasperated at the lack of power in her charms1 worrying over a plan to replace you promptly1 anxious to give herself an appearance of sensibility1 and to appear worthy of a better fate4 ,she justifies this thought of ,monsieur de la ,rochefoucauld3 ,women do not shed tears over the lovers they have had1 so much because they loved them1 as to appear more worthy of being loved4 ,it is for ,d---- to enjoy the sentiment4 ,she must indeed1 have a very singular idea of you to hope that she can impose upon you4 ,do you wish to know what she is8 ,the ,chevalier is actually without an affair of the heart on hand1 engage him to take your place4 ,i have not received two letters from you that do not speak of the facility with which she will be consoled for having lost you4 ,a woman of her age begins to fear that she will not recover what she has lost1 and so she is obliged to degrade her charms by taking the first new comer4 ,perhaps her sorrow is true1 but she deceives you as to the motives she gives for it4 ,break these chains without scruple4 ,in priding yourself on your constancy and delicacy for such an object1 you appear to me to be as ridiculous as you were when you lacked the same qualities on another occasion4 ,do you remember1 ,marquis1 what ,monsieur de ,coulanges said to us one day8 ,constancy is the virtue of people of limited merit4 ,have they profited by the caprice of an amiable woman to establish themselves in her heart8 the sentiment of medicrioty fixes them there1 it intimidates them1 they dare not make an effort to please others4 ,too happy at having surprised her heart1 they are afraid of abandoning a good which they may not find elsewhere1 and1 as an instant's attention to their little worth might undeceive this woman1 what do they then do8 ,they elevate constancy up among the virtues2 they transform love into a superstition2 they know how to interest reason in the preservation of a heart which they owe only to caprice1 occasion1 or surprise4 ,be on your guard against imitating these shallow personages4 ,hearts are the money of gallantry2 amiable people are the assets of society1 whose destiny is to circulate in it and make many happy4 ,a constant man is therefore as guilty as a miser who impedes the circulation in commerce4 ,he possesses a treasure which he does not utilize1 and of which there are so many who would make good use of it4 ,what sort of a mistress is that who is retained by force of reason8 ,what languor reigns in her society1 what violence must one not employ to say there is love when it has ceased to exist8 ,it is seldom that passion ceases in both parties at the same time1 and then constancy is a veritable tyrant2 ,i compare it to the tyrant of antiquity who put people to death by tying them to dead bodies4 ,constancy condemns us to the same punishment4 ,discard such a baleful precedent to the liberty of association4 ,believe me1 follow your tastes1 for the court lady you mentioned2 she may weary you at times1 it is true1 but at least she will not degrade you4 ,if1 as you say1 she is as little intelligent as she is beautiful1 her reign will soon be over4 ,your place in her heart will soon be vacant1 and ,i do not doubt that another or even several other gallantries will follow yours4 ,perhaps you will not wait for the end1 for ,i see by your letter that you are becoming a man of fashion4 ,the new system you have adopted makes it certain1 nothing can be better arranged4 ,never finish one affair without having commenced another2 never withdraw from the first except in proportion as the second one progresses4 ,nothing can be better1 but in spite of such wise precautions1 you may find yourself destitute of any1 as1 for example1 some event beyond the reach of human foresight may interfere with these arrangements1 may have for principle always to finish with all the mistresses at once1 before enabling you to find any one to keep you busy during the interregnum4 ,i feel free to confess1 ,marquis1 that such an arrangement is as prudent as can be imagined1 and ,i do not doubt that you will be well pleased with a plan so wisely conceived4 ,adieu4 ,i do not know where ,i obtain the courage to write you such long and foolish letters4 ,i find a secret charm in entertaining you1 which ,i should suspect if ,i did not know my heart so well4 ,i have been reflecting that it is now without any affair1 and ,i must henceforth be on my guard against you1 for you have very often thought proper to say very tender things to me1 and ,i might think proper to believe in their sincerity4 ,l ,some ,women ,are ,very ,cunning ,you may derive as much amusement out of it as you wish1 ,marquis1 but ,i shall continue to tell you that you are not fascinated by ,madame la ,presidente4 ,believe me when ,i say that ,i see more clearly into your affairs than you do yourself4 ,i have known a hundred good men who1 like you1 pretended with the best faith in the world that they were amorous1 but who1 in truth were not in any manner whatsoever4 ,there are maladies of the heart as well as maladies of the body2 some are real and some are imaginary4 ,not everything that attracts you toward a woman is love4 ,the habit of being together1 the convenience of seeing each other1 to get away from one's self1 the necessity for a little gallantry1 the desire to please1 in a word1 a thousand other reasons which do not resemble a passion in the least2 these are what you generally take to be love1 and the women are the first to fortify this error4 ,always flattered by the homage rendered them1 provided their vanity profits by it1 they rarely inquire into the motives to which they owe it4 ,but1 after all1 are they not right8 ,they would nearly always lose by it4 ,to all the motives of which ,i have just spoken1 you can add still another1 quite as capable of creating an illusion in the nature of your sentiments4 ,madame la ,presidente is1 without contradiction1 the most beautiful woman of our time2 she is newly married2 she refused the homage of the most amiable man of our acquaintance4 ,perhaps nothing could be more flattering to your vanity than to make a conquest which would not fail to give you the kind of celebrity to which you aspire4 ,that1 my dear ,marquis1 is what you call love1 and it will be difficult for you to disabuse yourself of the impression1 for by force of persuading yourself that it is love1 you will1 in a short time firmly believe that the inclination is real4 ,it will be a very singular thing some day1 to see with what dignity you will speak of your pretended sentiments2 with what good faith you will believe that they deserve recognition1 and1 what will be still more agreeable1 will be the deference you will believe should be their due4 ,but unfortunately1 the result will undeceive you1 and you will then be the first to laugh at the importance with which you treated so silly an affair4 ,shall ,i tell you how far injustice reaches8 ,i am fully persuaded that you will not become more amorous4 ,henceforth1 you will have nothing but a passing taste1 frivolous relations1 engagements1 caprices2 all the arrows of love will glance from you4 ,it is true you will not experience its pangs1 but will you enjoy1 in the least1 its sweetness8 ,can you hope ever to recover from the fantasies to which you surrender yourself1 those moments of delight which were formerly your supreme felicity8 ,i have no desire to flatter you1 but ,i believe it my duty to do you this much justice3 ,your heart is intended for refined pleasures4 ,it is not ,i who hold you responsible for the dissipation in which you are plunged1 it is the young fools around you4 ,they call enjoyment the abuse they make of pleasure2 their example carries you away4 ,but this intoxication will be dissipated sooner or later1 and you will soon1 see1 at least ,i hope so1 that you have been deceived in two ways in the state of your heart4 ,you thought it was fascinated by ,madame la ,presidente1 you will recognize your mistake2 you thought she had ceased to have an inclination for--but ,i hold to the words ,i have uttered4 ,perhaps there will come a time when ,i shall be at liberty to express my thoughts more freely4 ,now1 ,i reply to the remainder of your letter4 ,confess it1 ,marquis1 that you had little else to do this morning when you re-read my letters4 ,i add that you must have been in a bad humor to undertake their criticism4 ,some brilliant engagement1 some flattering rendezvous was wanting4 ,but ,i do not care to elude the difficulty4 ,so ,i seem to contradict myself sometimes8 ,if ,i were to admit that it might very well be2 if ,i were to give you the same answer that ,monsieur de la ,bruyre gave his critics the other day3 ,it is not ,i who contradict myself1 it is the heart upon which ,i reason1 could you reasonably conclude from it that everything ,i have said to you is false8 ,i do not believe it4 ,but how do ,i know1 in effect1 if1 led away by the various situations in which you were placed1 ,i may not have appeared to destroy what ,i had advanced on different occasions8 ,how do ,i know1 if1 seeing you ready to yield to a whim1 ,i may not have carried too far1 truths1 which1 feebly uttered1 would not1 perhaps1 have brought you back8 ,how do ,i know1 in a word1 if1 being interested in the happiness of a friend1 the desire to serve her may not have sometimes diminished my sincerity8 ,i think ,i am very good natured to reply seriously to the worries you have caused me4 ,ought ,i not first to take cognizance of the fact that there is more malice in your letter than criticism8 ,this will be the last time you will have an opportunity to abuse my simplicity4 ,i am going to console myself for your perfidy with some one who is assuredly not so wicked as you4 ,what a pity it is that you are not a woman6 ,it would give me so much pleasure to discuss the new coiffures with you6 ,i never saw anything so extravagant as their height4 ,at least1 ,marquis1 remember that if ,madame la ,presidente does not wear one of them incessantly1 you can no longer remain attached to her with decency4 ,,li ,the ,parts ,men and ,women ,play ,so the affair has been decided6 ,whatever ,i may say of it1 you are the master of ,madame la ,presidente2 a beloved rival has been sacrificed for you and you triumph4 ,how prompt your vanity is to make profit out of everything4 ,i would laugh heartily if your pretended triumph should end by your receiving notice to quit some fine morning4 ,for it may well be that this sacrifice of which you boast so much is nothing but a stratagem4 ,ever since you have been associated with women1 have you not established as a principle that you must be on your guard against the sentiments they affect8 ,if your beauty had accepted you merely for the purpose of re-awakening a languishing love in the heart of her ,celadon2 if you were only the instrument of jealousy on the part of one and artifice on the other1 would that be a miracle8 ,you say that ,madame la ,presidente is not very shrewd1 and consequently incapable of such a ruse4 ,my dear ,marquis1 love is a great tutor1 and the most stupid women 7in other respects7 have often an acute discernment1 more accurate and more certain than any other1 when it comes to an affair of the heart4 ,but let us leave this particular thesis1 and examine men in general who are in the same situation as you4 ,they all believe as you do1 that the sacrifice of a rival supposes some superiority over him4 ,but how often does it happen that this same sacrifice is only a by play8 ,if it is sincere1 the woman either loved the rival or she did not4 ,if she loved him1 then as soon as she leaves him1 it is a sure proof that she loves him no longer1 in which case what glory is there for you in such a preference8 ,if she did not love him1 what can you infer to your advantage from a pretended victory over a man who was indifferent to her8 ,there is also another case where you may be preferred1 without that preference being any more flattering4 ,it is when the vanity of the woman you attack is stronger than her inclination for the disgraced lover4 ,your rank1 your figure1 your reputation1 your fortune1 may determine her in your favor4 ,it is very rare 7,i say it to the shame of women1 and men are no less ridiculous in that respect71 it is rare1 ,i repeat1 that a lover1 who has nothing but noble sentiments to offer1 can long hold his own against a man distinguished for his rank1 or his position1 who has servants1 a livery1 an equipage1 etc4 ,when the most tender lover makes a woman blush for his appearance1 when she dare not acknowledge him as her conqueror1 when she does not even consider him as an object she can sacrifice with eclat1 ,i predict that his reign will be short4 ,her reasons for getting rid of him will be to her an embarrassment of choice4 ,thus the defunct of la ,presidente was a counsellor of state1 without doubt as dull and as stiff as his wig4 ,what a figure to set up against a courtier1 against a warrior like you8 ,well1 will you believe in my predictions another time8 ,what did ,i tell you8 ,did the ,chevalier find it difficult to persuade your ,penelope8 ,this desolate woman1 ready to break her heart1 gave you a successor in less than fifteen days1 loves him1 proves it1 and is flouted4 ,is this losing too much time8 ,what is your opinion8 ,,lii ,love ,is a ,traitor ,with ,sharp ,claws ,yes1 indeed1 ,marquis1 it is due to my friendship1 it is due to my counsel that the ,countess owes the tranquillity she begins to enjoy1 and ,i can not conceive the chagrin which causes the indifference she manifests for you4 ,i am very far1 however1 from desiring to complain of you2 your grief springs from a wounded vanity4 ,men are very unjust1 they expect a woman always to consider them as objects interesting to them1 while they1 in abandoning a woman1 do not ordinarily omit anything that will express their disdain4 ,of what importance to you is the hatred or love of a person whom you do not love8 ,tell me that4 ,your jealousy of the little ,duke is so unreasonable that ,i burst out laughing when ,i learned it4 ,is it not quite simple1 altogether natural that a woman should console herself for your loss1 by listening to a man who knows the value of her heart better than you8 ,by what right1 if you please1 do you venture to take exceptions to it8 ,you must admit that ,madame de ,svign was right3 ,you have a foolish heart1 my poor ,marquis4 ,in spite of all that1 the part you wish me to play in the matter appears to me to be exceedingly agreeable4 ,i can understand how nice it would be to aid you in your plan of vengeance against an unfaithful woman4 ,though it should be only through rancor or the oddity of the thing1 we must love each other4 ,but all such comedies turn out badly generally4 ,love is a traitor who scratches us when we play with him4 ,so1 ,marquis1 keep your heart1 ,i am very scrupulous about interfering with so precious an association4 ,moreover1 ,i am so disgusted with the staleness of men1 that henceforth ,i desire them only as friends4 ,there is always a bone to pick with a lover4 ,i am beginning to understand the value of rest1 and ,i wish to enjoy it4 ,i will return to this1 however4 ,it would be very strange if you take the notion that you need consolation1 and that my situation exacts the same succor because the ,marquis de ---- has departed on his embassy4 ,undeceive yourself1 my friends suffice me1 and1 if you wish to remain among their number1 at least do not think of saying any more gallant things to me1 otherwise--,adieu1 ,marquis4 ,,liii ,old ,age ,not a ,preventive ,against ,attack ,oh1 ,i shall certainly abandon your interests if you persist in talking to me in such fashion4 ,what demon inspired you with the idea of taking the place of the absent8 ,could any one tease another as you did me last evening8 ,i do not know how you began it1 but however much ,i desired to be angry with you1 it was impossible for me to do so4 ,i do not know how this will end4 ,what is certain1 however1 is2 it will be useless for you to go on1 for ,i have decided not to love you1 and what is worse1 ,i shall never love you2 yes1 sir1 never4 ,eh8 truly1 but this is a strange thing2 to attempt to persuade a woman that she is afflicted1 that she needs consolation1 when she assures you that it is not the fact1 and that she wants for nothing4 ,this is driving things with a tight hand4 ,i entreat you1 reflect a little on the folly that has seized upon you4 ,would it be decent1 tell me that1 if ,i were to take the place of my friend8 ,that a woman who has served you as a ,mentor1 who has played the role of mother to you1 should aspire to that of lover8 ,unprincipled wretch that you are6 ,if you so promptly abandon a young and lovely woman1 what would you do with an old girl like me8 ,perhaps you wish to attempt my conquest to see whether love is for me the same in practice as in theory4 ,do not go to the trouble of attempting such a seduction1 ,i will satisfy your curiosity on that point immediately4 ,you know that whatever we are1 women seldom follow any given principles4 ,well1 that is what you would discover in any gallant association you aspire to form with me4 ,all ,i have said about women and love1 has not given you any information as to my line of conduct on such an occasion4 ,there is a vast difference between feeling and thinking2 between talking for one's own account and pleading the cause of another4 ,you would1 therefore1 find in me many singularities that might strike you unfavorably4 ,i do not feel as other women4 ,you might know them all without knowing ,ninon1 and believe me1 the novelties you would discover would not compensate you for the trouble you might take to please me4 ,it is useless to exaggerate the value you put upon my conquest1 that ,i tell you plainly2 you are expending too much on hope1 ,i am not able to respond4 ,remain where you are in a brilliant career4 ,the court offers you a thousand beautiful women1 with whom you do not risk1 as you would with me1 becoming weary of philosophy1 of too much intelligence4 ,i do not disguise the fact1 however1 that ,i would have been glad to see you to-day4 ,my head was split all the afternoon over a dispute on the ancients and moderns4 ,i am still out of humor on the subject1 and feel tempted to agree with you that ,i am not so far along on the decline of life as to confine myself to science1 and especially to the gentlemen of antiquity4 ,if you could only restrain yourself and pay me fewer compliments it is not to be doubted that ,i would prefer to have you come and enliven my serious occupations rather than any one else4 ,but you are such an unmanageable man1 so wicked1 that ,i am afraid to invite you to come and sup with me to-morrow4 ,i am mistaken1 for it is now two hours after midnight1 and ,i recollect that my letter will not be handed you before noon4 ,so it is to-day ,i shall expect you4 ,have you any fault to find8 ,it is a formal rendezvous1 to be sure1 but let the fearlessness in appointing it be a proof that ,i am not very much afraid of you1 and that ,i shall believe in as much of your soft talk as ,i deem proper4 ,you understand that it will not be ,i who can be imposed upon by that4 ,i know men so well---- ,,liv ,a ,shrewd ,but ,not an ,unusual ,scheme ,this is not the time1 ,marquis1 to hide from you the true sentiments of the ,countess in your regard4 ,however much ,i have been able to keep her secret without betraying her friendship1 and ,i have always done so1 if ,i conceal from you what ,i am going to communicate1 you may one day justly reproach me4 ,whatever infidelities you may have been guilty of1 whatever care ,i have been able to take to persuade her that you have been entirely forgotten1 she has never ceased to love you tenderly4 ,although she has sought to punish you by an assumed indifference1 she has never thought of depriving herself of the pleasure of seeing you1 and it has been through the complaisance of the ,countess that ,i have sometimes worried you2 it was to goad you into visiting me more frequently4 ,but all these schemes have not been able to satisfy a heart so deeply wounded1 and she is on the point of executing a design ,i have all along been opposed to4 ,you will learn all about it by reading the letter she wrote me yesterday1 and which ,i inclose in this4 ,,from ,,the ,,countess ,,to ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4 ,if you wish to remain my friend1 my dear ,ninon1 cease to combat my resolution2 you know it is not the inspiration of the moment4 ,it is not the fruit of a momentary mortification1 an imprudent vexation1 nor despair4 ,i have never concealed it from you4 ,the possession of the heart of the ,marquis de ,svign might have been my supreme felicity if ,i could have flattered myself with having it forever4 ,i was certain of losing it if ,i had granted him the favors he exacted of me4 ,his inconstancy has taught me that a different conduct would not be a sure means of retaining a lover4 ,i must renounce love forever1 since men are incapable of having a liaison with a woman1 as tender1 but as pure as that of simple friendship4 ,you1 yourself1 well know that ,i am not sufficiently cured to see the ,marquis without always suffering4 ,flight is the only remedy for my malady1 and that is what ,i am about to take4 ,i do not fear1 moreover1 what the world may say about my withdrawal to the country4 ,i have cautioned those who might be surprised4 ,it is known that ,i have won in a considerable action against the heirs of my late husband4 ,i have given out that ,i am going to take possession of the estate awarded me4 ,i will thus deprive the public of the satisfaction of misinterpreting my taste for solitude1 and the ,marquis of all suspicion that he is in any manner to blame for it4 ,i inclose his letters and his portrait4 ,good ,heaven6 ,how weak ,i am6 ,why should it cost my heart so much to get rid of an evil so fatal to my repose8 ,but it is done1 and my determination can not be shaken4 ,pity me1 however1 and remember1 my dear friend1 the promise you gave me to make him understand that ,i have for him the most profound indifference4 ,whoever breaks off relations with a lover in too public a manner1 suggests resentment and regret at being forced to do so2 it is an honest way of saying that one would ask nothing better than to be appeased4 ,as ,i have no desire to resume my relations with the ,marquis1 return him what ,i send1 but in the manner agreed upon1 and pray him to make a similar restitution4 ,you may tell him that the management of my property obliges me to leave ,paris for a time1 but do not speak of me first4 ,i should be inconsolable at leaving you1 my dear ,ninon1 if ,i did not hope that you would visit me in my solitude4 ,you write willingly to your friends1 if you judge them by the tenderness and esteem they have for you4 ,in that case1 you have none more worthy of that title than ,i4 ,i rely1 therefore1 upon your letters until you come to share my retreat4 ,you know my sentiments for you4 ,i have no advice to give you1 ,marquis1 on what you have just read1 the sole favor ,i expect from you is never to compromise me for the indiscretion ,i commit1 and that the ,countess shall never have any reason for not forgiving me4 ,all ,i can say to justify myself in my own eyes is1 that you have loved the ,countess too much for her resolution to be a matter of absolute indifference to you4 ,had ,i been just1 ,i would have betrayed both by leaving you in ignorance of her design4 ,,lv ,a ,happy ,ending ,i am delighted with everything you have done1 and you are charming4 ,do not doubt it1 your behavior1 my entreaties1 and better than all1 love will overcome the resistance of the ,countess4 ,everything should conspire to determine her to accept the offer you have made of your hand4 ,i could even1 from this time on1 assure you that pride alone will resist our efforts and her own inclination4 ,this morning ,i pressed her earnestly to decide in your favor4 ,her last entrenchment was the fear of new infidelities on your part4 ,reassure yourself1 said ,i1 in proof that the ,marquis will be faithful to you1 is the fact that he has been undeceived about the other women1 by comparing them with her he was leaving4 ,honest people permit themselves only a certain number of caprices1 and the ,marquis has had those which his age and position in society seemed to justify4 ,he yielded to them at a time when they were pardonable4 ,he paid tribute to the fashion by tasting of all the ridiculous things going4 ,henceforth1 he can be reasonable with impunity4 ,a man can not be expected to be amorous of his wife1 but should he be1 it will be pardoned him as soon as people see you4 ,you risk nothing1 therefore1 ,countess2 you yourself have put on the airs of a society woman1 but you were too sensible not to abandon such a role2 you renounced it2 the ,marquis imitates you4 ,wherefore forget his mistakes4 ,could you bear the reproach of having caused the death of so amiable a man8 ,it would be an act that would cry out for vengeance4 ,in a word1 ,i besought and pressed her1 but she is still irresolute4 ,still1 ,i do not doubt that you will finish by overcoming a resistance which she1 herself1 already deems very embarrassing4 ,well1 ,marquis1 if the anxiety all this has caused you1 gives you the time to review what ,i have been saying to you for several days past1 might you not be tempted to believe that ,i have contradicted myself8 ,at first ,i advised you to treat love lightly and to take only so much of it as might amuse you4 ,you were to be nothing but a gallant1 and have no relations with women except those in which you could easily break the ties4 ,i then spoke to you in a general way1 and relative to ordinary women4 ,could ,i imagine that you would be so fortunate as to meet a woman like the ,countess1 who would unite the charms of her sex to the qualities of honest men8 ,what must be your felicity8 ,you are going to possess in one and the same person1 the most estimable friend and a most charming mistress4 ,deign to admit me to share a third portion of your friendship and my happiness will equal your own4 ,can one be happier than in sharing the happiness of friends8 ,,correspondence ,,between ,,lord ,,saint-,,evremond ,,and ,,ninon ,,de ,l',,enclos ,,when ,,over ,,eighty ,,years ,,of ,,age ,,introduction ,charles de ,saint ,denis1 ,lord of ,saint-,evremond1 ,marshal of ,france1 was one of the few distinguished ,frenchmen1 exiled by ,louis ,,xiv1 whose distinguished abilities as a warrior and philosopher awarded him a last resting place in ,westminster ,abbey4 ,his tomb1 surmounted by a marble bust1 is situated in the nave near the cloister1 located among those of ,barrow1 ,chaucer1 ,spenser1 ,cowley and other renowned ,englishmen4 ,his epitaph1 written by the hand of a ,briton1 is singularly replete with the most eminent qualities1 which the great men of his period recognized in him1 though his life was extraordinarily long and stormy4 ,he was moreover1 a profound admirer of ,ninon de l',enclos during his long career1 and he did much toward shaping her philosophy1 and enabling her to understand the human heart in all its eccentricities1 and how to regulate properly the passion of love4 ,during his long exile in ,england1 the two corresponded at times1 and the letters here given are the fragments of a voluminous correspondence1 the greater part of which has been lost4 ,they are to be found in the untranslated collated works of ,saint-,evremond1 and are very curious1 inasmuch as they were written when ,ninon and ,saint-,evremond were in their eighties4 ,saint-,evremond always claimed1 that his extremely long and vigorous life was due to the same causes which ,ninon de l',enclos attributed to her great age1 that is1 to an unflagging zeal in observing the doctrines of the ,epicurean philosophy4 ,these ideas appear in his letter to ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 written to her under the sobriquet of ,leontium1 and which is translated and appended to this correspondence4 ,as an evidence of ,saint-,evremond's unimpaired faculties at a great age1 the charms of his person attracted the attention of the ,duchess of ,sandwich1 one of the beauties of the ,english ,court1 and she became so enamored of him1 that a liaison was the result1 which lasted until the time of ,saint-,evremond's death4 ,they were like two young lovers just beginning their career1 instead of a youth over eighty years of age1 and a maiden who had passed forty4 ,such attachments were not uncommon among persons who lived calm1 philosophical lives1 their very manner of living inspiring tender regard1 as was the case of the great affection of the ,marquis de ,svign1 who although quite young1 and his rank an attraction to the great beauties of the ,court1 nevertheless aspired to capture the heart of ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 who was over sixty years of age4 ,what ,ninon thought about the matter1 appears in her letters on the preceding pages4 ,correspondence ,between ,lord ,saint-,evremond and ,ninon de ,l',enclos ,when ,over ,eighty ,years of ,age ,i ,saint-,evremond to ,ninon de l',enclos ,lovers and ,gamblers have ,something in ,common ,i have been trying for more than a year to obtain news of you from everybody1 but nobody can give me any4 ,m4 de la ,bastille tells me that you are in good health1 but adds1 that if you have no more lovers1 you are satisfied to have a greater number of friends4 ,the falsity of the latter piece of news casts a doubt upon the verity of the former1 because you are born to love as long as you live4 ,lovers and gamblers have something in common3 ,who has loved will love4 ,if ,i had been told that you had become devout1 ,i might have believed it1 for that would be to pass from a human passion to the love of ,god1 and give occupation to the soul4 ,but not to love1 is a species of void1 which can not be consistent with your heart4 ,ce repos languissant ne fut jamais un bien2 ,c'est trouver sans mouvoir l'tat o l'on n'est rien4 7',twas never a good this languishing rest2 ',tis to find without search a state far from blest47 ,i want to know about your health1 your occupations1 your inclinations1 and let it be in a long enough letter1 with moralizing and plenty of affection for your old friend4 ,the news here is that the ,count de ,grammont is dead1 and it fills me with acute sorrow4 ,if you know ,barbin1 ask him why he prints so many things that are not mine1 over my name8 ,i have been guilty of enough folly without assuming the burden of others4 ,they have made me the author of a diatribe against ,pre ,bouhours1 which ,i never even imagined4 ,there is no writer whom ,i hold in higher esteem4 ,our language owes more to him than to any other author4 ,god grant that the rumor of ,count de ,grammont's death be false1 and that of your health true4 ,the ,gazette de ,hollande says the ,count de ,lauzun is to be married4 ,if this were true he would have been summoned to ,paris1 besides1 de ,lauzun is a ,duke1 and the name ,count does not fit him4 ,adieu4 ,i am the truest of your servants1 who would gain much if you had no more lovers1 for ,i would be the first of your friends despite an absence which may be called eternal4 ,,ii ,ninon de ,l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,it is sweet to remember those we have loved ,i was alone in my chamber1 weary of reading1 when some one exclaimed3 ,here is a messenger from ,saint-,evremond6 ,you can imagine how quickly my ennui disappeared--it left me in a moment4 ,i have been speaking of you quite recently1 and have learned many things which do not appear in your letters--about your perfect health and your occupation4 ,the joy in my mind indicates its strength1 and your letter assures me that ,england promises you forty years more of life1 for ,i believe that it is only in ,england that they speak of men who have passed the fixed period of human life4 ,i had hoped to pass the rest of my days with you1 and if you had possessed the same desire1 you would still be in ,france4 ,it is1 however1 pleasant to remember those we have loved1 and it is1 perhaps1 for the embellishment of my epitaph1 that this bodily separation has occurred4 ,i could have wished that the young ecclesiastic had found me in the midst of the glories of ,nike1 which could not change me1 although you seem to think that ,i am more tenderly enchanted with him than philosophy permits4 ,madame the ,duchess de ,bouillon is like an eighteen-year old3 the source of her charms is in the ,mazarin blood4 ,now that our kings are so friendly1 ought you not to pay us a visit8 ,in my opinion it would be the greatest success derived from the peace4 ,,iii ,ninon de l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,wrinkles are a ,mark of ,wisdom ,i defy ,dulcinea to feel with greater joy the remembrance of her ,chevalier4 ,your letter was accorded the reception it deserved1 and the sorrowful figure in it did not diminish the merit of its sentiments4 ,i am very much affected by their strength and perseverance4 ,nurse them to the shame of those who presume to judge them4 ,i am of your opinion1 that wrinkles are a mark of wisdom4 ,i am delighted that your surface virtues do not sadden you1 ,i try to use them in the same way4 ,you have a friend1 a provincial ,governor1 who owes his fortune to his amiability4 ,he is the only aged man who is not ridiculed at ,court4 ,m4 de ,turenne wished to live only to see him grow old1 and desired to see him father of a family1 rich and happy4 ,he has told more jokes about his new dignity than others think4 ,m4 d',ebne who gave you the name of ,curictator1 has just died at the hospital4 ,how trivial are the judgments of men6 ,if ,m4 d',olonne were alive and could have read your letters to me1 he would have continued to be of your quality with his philosophy4 ,m4 de ,lauzun is my neighbor1 and will accept your compliments4 ,i send you very tenderly1 those of ,m4 de ,charleval1 and ask you to remember ,m4 de ,ruvigny1 his friend of the ,rue des ,tournelles4 ,,iv ,ninon de l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,near ,hopes are ,worth as much as ,those ,far ,off ,i sent a reply to your last letter to the correspondent of the ,abb ,dubois1 but as he was at ,versailles1 ,i fear it has not reached him4 ,i should have been anxious about your health without the visit of ,madame de ,bouillon's little librarian1 who filled my heart with joy by showing me a letter from one who thinks of me on your account4 ,whatever reason ,i may have had during my illness to praise the world and my friends1 ,i never felt so lively a joy as at this mark of kindness4 ,you may act upon this as you feel inclined since it was you who drew it upon me4 ,i pray you to let me know1 yourself1 whether you have grasped that happiness one enjoys so much at certain times8 ,the source will never run dry so long as you shall possess the friendship of the amiable friend who invigorates your life4 7,lady ,sandwich47 ,how ,i envy those who go to ,england1 and how ,i long to dine with you once again6 ,what a gross desire1 that of dinner6 ,the spirit has great advantages over the body1 though the body supplies many little repeated pleasures1 which solace the soul in its sorrowful moods4 ,you have often laughed at my mournful reflections1 but ,i have banished them all4 ,it is useless to harbor them in the latter days of one's life1 and one must be satisfied with the life of every day as it comes4 ,near hopes1 whatever you1 may say against them1 are worth as much as those far off1 they are more certain4 ,this is excellent moralizing4 ,take good care of your health1 it is to that everything should tend4 ,v ,ninon de ,l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,on the ,death of de ,charleval ,now1 ,m4 de ,charleval is dead1 and ,i am so much affected that ,i am trying to console myself by thinking of the share you will take in my affliction4 ,up to the time of his death1 ,i saw him every day4 ,his spirit possessed all the charms of youth1 and his heart all the goodness and tenderness so desirable among true friends4 ,we often spoke of you and of all the old friends of our time4 ,his life and the one ,i am leading now1 had much in common1 indeed1 a similar loss is like dying one's self4 ,tell me the news about yourself4 ,i am as much interested in your life in ,london as if you were here1 and old friends possess charms which are not so well appreciated as when they are separated4 ,,vi ,ninon de l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,the ,weariness of ,monotony ,m4 de ,clerambault gave me pleasure by telling me that ,i am in your thoughts constantly4 ,i am worthy of it on account of the affection ,i maintain for you4 ,we shall certainly deserve the encomiums of posterity by the duration of our lives1 and by that of your friendship4 ,i believe ,i shall live as long as you1 although ,i am sometimes weary of always doing the same things1 and ,i envy the ,swiss who casts himself into the river for that reason4 ,my friends often reprehend me for such a sentiment1 and assure me that life is worth living as long as one lives in peace and tranquillity with a healthy mind4 ,however1 the forces of the body lead to other thoughts1 and those forces are preferred to strength of mind1 but everything is useless when a change is impossible4 ,it is equally as worth while to drive away sad reflections as to indulge in useless ones4 ,madame ,sandwich has given me a thousand pleasures in making me so happy as to please her4 ,i did not dream1 in my declining years to be agreeable to a woman of her age4 ,she has more spirit than all the women of ,france1 and more true merit4 ,she is on the point of leaving us1 which is regretted by every one who knows her1 by myself1 particularly4 ,had you been here we should have prepared a banquet worthy of old times4 ,love me always4 ,madame de ,coulanges accepted the commission to present your kind compliments to ,m4 le ,comte de ,grammont1 through ,madame de ,grammont4 ,he is so young that ,i believe him fickle enough in time to dislike the infirm1 and that he will love them as soon as they return to good health4 ,every one who returns from ,england speaks of the beauty of ,madame la ,duchesse de ,mazarin1 as they allude to the beauty of ,mademoiselle de ,bellefond1 whose sun is rising4 ,you have attached me to ,madame de ,mazarin1 and ,i hear nothing but the good that is said of her4 ,adieu1 my friend1 why is it not ,good day8 ,we must not die without again seeing each other4 ,,vii ,ninon de l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,after the ,death of ,la ,duchesse de ,mazarin ,what a loss for you1 my friend6 ,if it were not for the fact that we1 ourselves1 will be considered a loss1 we could not find consolation4 ,i sympathize with you with all my heart4 ,you have just lost an amiable companion who has been your mainstay in a foreign land4 ,what can be done to make good such a misfortune8 ,those who live long are subject to see their friends die1 after that1 your philosophy1 your mind1 will serve to sustain you4 ,i feel this death as much as if ,i had been acquainted with the ,duchess4 ,she thought of me in her last moments1 and her goodness affected me more than ,i can express2 what she was to you drew me to her4 ,there is no longer a remedy1 and there is none for whatever may happen our poor bodies1 so preserve yours4 ,your friends love to see you so well and so wise1 for ,i hold those to be wise who know how to be happy4 ,i give you a thousand thanks for the tea you sent me1 but the lively tone of your letter pleased me as much as your present4 ,you will again see ,madame ,sandwich1 whom we saw depart with regret4 ,i could wish that her condition in life might serve to be of some consolation to you4 ,i am ignorant of ,english customs1 but she was quite ,french while here4 ,a thousand adieux1 my friend4 ,if one could think as did ,madame de ,chevreuse1 who believed when dying that she was going to converse with all her friends in the other world6 ,it would be a sweet thought4 ,,viii ,saint-,evremond to ,ninon de l',enclos ,love ,banishes ,old ,age ,your life1 my well beloved1 has been too illustrious not to be lived in the same manner until the end4 ,do not permit ,m4 de la ,rochefoucauld's hell to frighten you2 it was a devised hell he desired to construct into a maxim4 ,pronounce the word love boldly1 and that of old age will never pass your lips4 ,there is so much spirit in your letters1 that you do not leave me even to imagine a decline of life in you4 ,what ingratitude to be ashamed to mention love1 to which we owe all our merit1 all our pleasures6 ,for1 my lovely keeper of the casket1 the reputation of your probity is established particularly upon the fact that you have resisted lovers1 who would willingly have made free with the money of their friends4 ,confess all your passions to make your virtues of greater worth2 however1 you do not expose but the one-half of your character2 there is nothing better than what regards your friends1 nothing more unsatisfactory than what you have bestowed upon your lovers4 ,in a few verses1 ,i will draw your entire character4 ,here they are1 giving you the qualities you now have and those you have had3 ,dans vos amours on vous trouvait legre1 ,en amiti toujours sre et sincre2 ,pour vos amants1 les humeurs de ,vnus1 ,pour vos amis les solides vertus3 ,quand les premiers vous nommaient infidle1 ,et qu'asservis encore votre loi1 ,ils reprochaient une flamme nouvelle1 ,les autres se louaient de votre bonne foi4 ,tantt c'tait le naturel d',hlne1 ,ses apptits comme tous ses appas2 ,tantt c'tait la probit romaine8 ,c'tait d'honneur la rgle et le compas4 ,dans un couvent en soeur dpositaire1 ,vous auriez bien mnag quelque affaire1 ,et dans le monde garder les dpts1 ,on vous et justement prfre aux dvots4 7,in your love affairs you were never severe1 ,but your friendship was always sure and sincere2 ,the humors of ,venus for those who desired1 ,for your friends1 in your heart1 solid virtues conspired2 ,when the first1 infidelity laid at your door1 ,though not yet exempt from the law of your will1 ,and every new flame never failed to deplore1 ,the others rejoiced that you trusted them still4 ,ingenuous ,helen was sometimes your role1 ,with her appetites1 charms1 and all else beside2 ,sometimes ,roman probity wielded your soul1 ,in honor becoming your rule and your guide4 ,and though in a convent as guardian nun1 ,you might have well managed some sprightly fun1 ,in the world1 as a keeper of treasures untold1 ,preferred you would be to a lamb of the fold47 ,here is a little variety1 which ,i trust will not surprise you3 ,l'indulgente et sage ,nature ,a form l'me de ,ninon ,de la volupt d',epicure ,et de la vertu de ,caton4 ,,ix ,ninon de l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,stomachs ,demand ,more ,attention than ,minds ,the ,abb ,dubois has just handed me your letter1 and personally told me as much good news about your stomach as about your mind4 ,there are times when we give more attention to our stomachs than to our minds1 and ,i confess1 to my sorrow1 that ,i find you happier in the enjoyment of the one than of the other4 ,i have always believed that your mind would last as long as yourself1 but we are not so sure of the health of the body1 without which nothing is left but sorrowful reflections4 ,i insensibly begin making them on all occasions4 ,here is another chapter4 ,it relates to a handsome youth1 whose desire to see honest people in the different countries of the world1 induced him to surreptitiously abandon an opulent home4 ,perhaps you will censure his curiosity1 but the thing is done4 ,he knows many things1 but he is ignorant of others1 which one of his age should ignore4 ,i deemed him worthy of paying you a visit1 to make him begin to feel that he has not lost his time by journeying to ,england4 ,treat him well for love of me4 ,i begged his elder brother1 who is my particular friend1 to obtain news of ,madame la ,duchesse ,mazarin and of ,madame ,harvey1 both of whom wished to remember me4 ,x ,saint-,evremond to ,ninon de l',enclos ,why does ,love ,diminish ,after ,marriage8 ,translator's ,note4--,two of ,ninon's friends whom she idolized1 were very much surprised to discover after their marriage1 that the great passion they felt for each other before marriage1 became feebler every day1 and that even their affection was growing colder4 ,it troubled them1 and in their anxiety1 they consulted ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 begging her to find some reason in her philosophy1 why the possession of the object loved should weaken the strength of ante-nuptial passion1 and even destroy the most ardent affection4 ,the question was discussed by ,ninon and her ,birds for several days without reaching an opinion that was in any manner satisfactory4 ,it was therefore resolved to consult ,saint-,evremond1 who was living in exile in ,england4 ,after writing him all the particulars1 and the discussions that had been held with opinions pro and con1 he sent the following letter in reply1 which is unanswerable upon the subject4 ,moreover1 it contains lessons that should be carefully studied and well learned by all loving hearts1 who desire to maintain their early affection for each other during life4 ,the letter is a masterpiece of the philosophy of love1 and it is remarkable1 in that it develops traits in human nature upon the subject of love and marriage1 which are overlooked in questions applicable to the relations between the sexes1 and that are so often strained to the breaking point4 ,indeed1 it gives clues to a remedy which can not fail to effect a cure4 99 99 99 99 99 ,my opinion is exactly in line with yours1 ,mademoiselle2 it is not always1 as some think1 hymen or the possession of the loved object which of itself destroys love2 the true source of the dissatisfaction that follows exists in the unintelligent manner of economizing the sentiments1 a too complete1 too easy1 and too prolonged possession4 ,when we have yielded to the transports of a passion without reserve1 the tremendous shock to the soul can not fail quickly to leave it in a profound solitude4 ,the heart finds itself in a void which alarms and chills it4 ,we vainly seek outside of ourselves1 the cause of the calm which follows our fits of passion2 we do not perceive that an equal and more enduring happiness would have been the fruit of moderation4 ,make an exact analysis of what takes place within you when you desire anything4 ,you will find that your desires are nothing but curiosity1 and this curiosity1 which is one of the forces of the heart1 satisfied1 our desires vanish4 ,whoever1 therefore1 would hold a spouse or a lover should leave him something to be desired2 something new should be expected every day for the morrow4 ,diversify his pleasures1 procure for him the charm of variety in the same object1 and ,i will vouch for his perseverance in fidelity4 ,i confess1 however1 that hymen1 or what you call your defeat1 is1 in an ordinary woman1 the grave of love4 ,but then it is less upon the lover that the blame falls1 than upon her who complains of the cooling of the passion2 she casts upon the depravity of the heart what is due to her own unskillfulness1 and her lack of economy4 ,she has expended in a single day everything that might keep alive the inclination she had excited4 ,she has nothing more to offer to the curiosity of her lover1 she becomes always the same statue2 no variety to be hoped for1 and her lover knows it well4 ,but in the woman ,i have in mind1 it is the aurora of a lovelier day2 it is the beginning of the most satisfying pleasures4 ,i1 understand by effusions of the heart1 those mutual confidences2 those ingenuities1 those unexpected avowals1 and those transports which excite in us the certainty of creating an absolute happiness1 and meriting all the esteem of the person we love4 ,that day is1 in a word1 the epoch when a man of refinement discovers inexhaustible treasures which have always been hidden from him2 the freedom a woman acquires brings into play all the sentiments which constraint has held in reserve2 her heart takes a lofty flight1 but one well under control4 ,time1 far from leading to loathing1 will furnish new reasons for a greater love4 ,but1 to repeat2 ,i assume sufficient intelligence in her to be able to control her inclination4 ,for to hold a lover1 it is not enough 7perhaps it is too much7 to love passionately1 she must love with prudence1 with restraint1 and modesty is1 for that reason1 the most ingenious virtue refined persons have ever imagined4 ,to yield to the impetuosity of an inclination2 to be annihilated1 so to speak1 in the object loved1 is the method of a woman without discernment4 ,that is not love1 it is a liking for a moment1 it is to transform a lover into a spoiled child4 ,i would have a woman behave with more reserve and economy4 ,an excess of ardor is not justifiable in my opinion1 the heart being always an impetuous charger which must be steadily curbed4 ,if you do not use your strength with economy1 your vivacity will be nothing but a passing transport4 ,the same indifference you perceive in a lover1 after those convulsive emotions1 you1 yourself1 will experience1 and soon1 both of you will feel the necessity of separating4 ,to sum up3 ,there is more intelligence required to love than is generally supposed1 and to be happy in loving4 ,up to the moment of the fatal yes or if you prefer1 up to the time of her defeat1 a woman does not need artifice to hold her lover4 ,curiosity excites him1 desire sustains him1 hope encourages him4 ,but once he reaches the summit of his desires1 it is for the woman to take as much care to retain him1 as he exhibited to overcome her2 the desire to keep him should render her fertile in expedients2 the heart is similar to a high position1 easier to obtain than to keep4 ,charms are sufficient to make a man amorous2 to render him constant1 something more is necessary2 skill is required1 a little management1 a great deal of intelligence1 and even a touch of ill humor and inequality4 ,unfortunately1 however1 as soon as women have yielded they become too tender1 too complaisant4 ,it would be better for the common good if they were to resist less in the beginning and more afterward4 ,i maintain that they never can forestall loathing without leaving the heart something to wish for1 and the time to consider4 ,i hear them continually complaining that our indifference is always the fruit of their complaisance for us4 ,they are ever recalling the time when1 goaded by love and sentiment1 we spent whole days by their side4 ,how blind they are6 ,they do not perceive that it is still in their power to bring us back to an allegiance1 the memory of which is so dear4 ,if they forget what they have already done for us1 they will not be tempted to do more2 but if they make us forget1 then we shall become more exacting4 ,let them awaken our hearts by opposing new difficulties1 arouse our anxieties1 in fine1 force us to desire new proofs of an inclination1 the certainty of which diminishes the value in our estimation4 ,they will then find less cause of complaint in us1 and will be better satisfied with themselves4 ,shall ,i frankly avow it8 ,things would indeed change if women would remember at the right time1 that their role is always that of the party to be entreated1 ours that of him who begs for new favors2 that1 created to grant1 they should never offer4 ,reserved1 even in an excess of passion1 they should guard against surrendering at discretion2 the lover should always have something to ask1 and consequently1 he would be always submissive so as to obtain it4 ,favors without limit degrade the most seductive charms1 and are1 in the end1 revolting even to him who exacts them4 ,society puts all women on the same level2 the handsome and the ugly1 after their defeat are indistinguishable except from their art to maintain their authority2 but what commonly happens8 ,a woman imagines she has nothing more to do than to be affectionate1 caressing1 sweet1 of even temper1 and faithful4 ,she is right in one sense1 for these qualities should be the foundation of her character2 they will not fail to draw esteem2 but these qualities1 however estimable they may be1 if they are not offset by a shade of contrariety1 will not fail to extinguish love1 and bring on languor and weariness1 mortal poisons for the best constituted heart4 ,do you know why lovers become nauseated so easily when enjoying prosperity8 ,why they are so little pleased after having had so much pleasure8 ,it is because both parties interested have an identically erroneous opinion4 ,one imagines there is nothing more to obtain1 the other fancies she has nothing more to give4 ,it follows as a necessary consequence that one slackens in his pursuit1 and the other neglects to be worthy of further advances1 or thinks she becomes so by the practice of solid qualities4 ,reason is substituted for love1 and hence-forward no more spicy seasoning in their relations1 no more of those trifling quarrels so necessary to prevent dissatisfaction by forestalling it4 ,but when ,i exact that evenness of temper should be animated by occasional storms1 do not be under the impression that ,i pretend lovers should always be quarreling to preserve their happiness4 ,i only desire to impress it upon you1 that all their misunderstandings should emanate from love itself2 that the woman should not forget 7by a species of pusillanimous kindness7 the respect and attentions due her2 that by an excessive sensitiveness she does not convert her love into a source of anxiety capable of poisoning every moment of her existence2 that by a scrupulous fidelity she may not render her lover too sure that he has nothing to fear on that score4 ,neither should a woman by a sweetness1 an unalterable evenness of temper1 be weak enough to pardon everything lacking in her lover4 ,experience demonstrates that women too often sacrifice the hearts of their spouses or their lovers1 by too many indulgences and facilities4 ,what recklessness6 ,they martyrize themselves by sacrificing everything2 they spoil them and convert them into ungrateful lovers4 ,so much generosity finally turns against themselves1 and they soon become accustomed to demand as a right what is granted them as a favor4 ,you see women every day 7even among those we despise with so much reason7 who reign with a scepter of iron1 treat as slaves men who are attached to them1 debase them by force of controlling them4 ,well1 these are the women who are loved longer than the others4 ,i am persuaded that a woman of refinement1 well brought up1 would never think of following such an example4 ,that military manner is repugnant to gentleness and morals1 and lacks that decency which constitutes the charm in things even remote from virtue4 ,but let the reasonable woman soften the clouds a trifle1 there will always remain precisely what is necessary to hold a lover4 ,we are slaves1 whom too much kindness often renders insolent2 we often demand to be treated like those of the new world4 ,but we have in the bottom of our hearts a comprehension of justice1 which tells us that the governing hand bears down upon us sometimes for very good reasons1 and we take kindly to it4 ,now1 for my last word4 ,in everything relating to the force and energy of love1 women should be the sovereigns2 it is from them we hope for happiness1 and they will never fail to grant us that as soon as they can govern our hearts with intelligence1 moderate their own inclinations1 and maintain their own authority1 without compromising it and without abusing it4 ,,xi ,ninon de l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,few ,people ,resist ,age ,a sprightly mind is dangerous to friendship4 ,your letter would have spoiled any one but me4 ,i know your lively and astonishing imagination1 and ,i have even wanted to remember that ,lucian wrote in praise of the fly1 to accustom myself to your style4 ,would to ,heaven you could think of me what you write1 ,i should dispense with the rest of the world2 so it is with you that glory dwells4 ,your last letter is a masterpiece4 ,it has been the subject of all the talks we have had in my chamber for the past month4 ,you are rejuvenating2 you do well to love4 ,philosophy agrees well with spiritual charms4 ,it is not enough to be wise1 one must please1 and ,i perceive that you will always please as long as you think as you do4 ,few people resist age1 but ,i believe ,i am not yet overcome by it4 ,i could wish with you1 that ,madame ,mazarin had looked upon life from her own viewpoint1 without thinking of her beauty1 which would always have been agreeable when common sense held the place of less brilliancy4 ,madame ,sandwich will preserve her mental force after losing her youth1 at least ,i think so4 ,adieu1 my friend4 ,when you see ,madame ,sandwich1 remember me to her1 ,i should be very sorry to have her forget me4 ,,xii ,saint-,evremond to ,ninon de l',enclos ,age ,has ,some ,consolations ,it gives me a lively pleasure to see young people1 handsome and expanding like flowers2 fit to please1 and able to sincerely affect an old heart like mine4 ,as there has always been a strong similarity between your tastes1 your inclinations1 your sentiments1 and mine1 ,i think you will be pleased to receive a young ,chevalier who is attractive to all our ladies4 ,he is the ,duke of ,saint ,albans1 whom ,i have begged to pay you a visit1 as much in his own interests as in yours4 ,is there any one of your friends like de ,tallard1 imbued with the spirit of our age1 to whom ,i can be of any service8 ,if so1 command me4 ,give me some news of our old friend de ,gourville4 ,i presume he is prosperous in his affairs2 if his health is poor ,i shall be very sorry4 ,doctor ,morelli1 my particular friend1 accompanies the ,countess of ,sandwich1 who goes to ,france for her health4 ,the late ,count ,rochester1 father of ,madame ,sandwich1 had more spirit than any man in ,england1 but ,madame ,sandwich has more than her father4 ,she is generous and spirituelle1 and as amiable as she is generous and spirituelle4 ,these are a portion of her qualities4 ,but1 ,i have more to say about the physician than about the invalid4 ,seven cities1 as you know1 dispute among themselves1 the birth place of ,homer2 seven great nations are quarrelling over ,morelli3 ,india1 ,egypt1 ,arabia1 ,persia1 ,turkey1 ,italy1 and ,spain4 ,the cold countries1 even the temperate ones1 ,france1 ,england and ,germany1 make no pretensions4 ,he is acquainted with every language and speaks the most of them4 ,his style1 elevated1 grand and figurative1 leads me to believe that he is of ,oriental origin1 and that he has absorbed what he found good among the ,europeans4 ,he is passionately fond of music1 wild over poetry1 inquisitive about paintings1 a connoisseur in everything--,i cannot remember all4 ,he has friends who know architecture1 and though skilled in his own profession1 he is an adept in others4 ,i pray you to give him opportunities to become acquainted with all your illustrious friends4 ,if you make him yours1 ,i shall consider him fortunate1 for you will never be able to make him acquainted with anybody possessing more merit than yourself4 ,it seems to me that ,epicurus included in his sovereign good the remembrance of past things4 ,there is no sovereign good for a centenarian like me1 but there are many consolations1 that of thinking of you1 and of all ,i have heard you say1 is one of the greatest4 ,i write of many things of no importance to you1 because ,i never think that ,i may weary you4 ,it is enough if they please me1 it is impossible at my age1 to hope they will please others4 ,my merit consists in being contented1 too happy in being able to write you4 ,remember to save some of ,m4 de ,gourville's wine for me4 ,i am lodged with one of the relatives of ,m4 de ,l',hermitage1 a very honest man1 and an exile to ,england on account of his religion4 ,i am very sorry that the ,catholic conscience of ,france could not suffer him to live in ,paris1 and that the delicacy of his own compelled him to abandon his country4 ,he certainly deserves the approbation of his cousin4 ,,iii ,ninon de l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,some ,good ,taste ,still ,exists in ,france ,my dear friend1 is it possible for you to believe that the sight of a young man gives me pleasure8 ,your senses deceive you when it comes to others4 ,i have forgotten all but my friends4 ,if the name doctor had not reassured me1 ,i should have replied by the ,abb de ,hautefeuille1 and your ,english would never have heard of me4 ,they would have been told at my door that ,i was not at home1 and ,i would have received your letter1 which gave me more pleasure than anything else4 ,what a fancy to want good wine1 and how unfortunate that ,i can not say ,i was successful in getting it6 ,m4 de ,l',hermitage will tell you as well as ,i1 that de ,gourville never leaves his room1 is indifferent to taste of any kind1 is always a good friend1 but his friends do not trespass upon his friendship for fear of worrying him4 ,after that1 if1 by any insinuation ,i can make1 and which ,i do not now foresee1 ,i can use my knowledge of wine to procure you some1 do not doubt that ,i will avail myself of it4 ,m4 de ,tallard was one of my former friends1 but state affairs place great men above trifles4 ,i am told that the ,abb ,dubois will go to ,england with him4 ,he is a slim little man who1 ,i am sure1 will please you4 ,i have twenty letters of yours1 and they are read with admiration by our little circle1 which is proof that good taste still exists in ,france4 ,i am charmed with a country where you do not fear ennui1 and you will be wise if you think of nobody but yourself1 not that the principle is false with you3 that you can no longer please others4 ,i have written to ,m4 ,morelli1 and if ,i find in him the skill you say1 ,i shall consider him a true physician4 ,,xiv ,saint-,evremond to ,ninon de l',enclos ,superiority of the ,pleasures of the ,stomach ,i have never read a letter which contained so much common sense as your last one4 ,you eulogize the stomach so highly1 that it would be shameful to possess an intelligent mind without also having a good stomach4 ,i am indebted to the ,abb ,dubois for having sounded my praises to you in this respect4 ,at eighty-eight years of age1 ,i can eat oysters every morning for breakfast4 ,i dine well and sup fairly well4 ,the world makes heroes of men with less merit than mine4 ,qu'on ait plus de bien1 de crdit1 ,plus de vertu1 plus de conduite1 ,je n'en aurai point de dpit1 ,qu'un autre me passe en mrite ,sur le got et sur l'apptit1 ,c'est l'avantage qui m'irrite4 ,l'estomac est le plus grand bien1 ,sans lui les autres ne sont rien4 ,un grand coeur veut tout entreprendre1 ,un grand esprit veut tout comprendre2 ,les droits de l'estomac sont de bien digrer2 ,et dans les sentiments que me donne mon ge1 ,la beaut de l'esprit1 la grandeur du courage1 ,n'ont rien qu' se vertu l'on puisse comparer4 7,let others more riches and fame1 ,more virtue and morals possess1 ',twill kindle no envious flame2 ,but to make my merit seem less ,in taste1 appetite1 is1 ,i claim1 ,an outrageous thing to profess4 ,the stomach's the greatest of things1 ,all else to us nothing brings4 ,a great heart would all undertake1 ,a great soul investigate1 ,but the law of the stomach is good things to digest1 ,and the glories which are at my age the delight1 ,true beauty of mind1 of courage the height1 ,are nothing unless by its virtue they're blest47 ,when ,i was young ,i admired intellect more than anything else1 and was less considerate of the interests of the body than ,i should have been2 to-day1 ,i am remedying the error ,i then held1 as much as possible1 either by the use ,i am making of it1 or by the esteem and friendship ,i have for it4 ,you were of the same opinion4 ,the body was something in your youth1 now you are wholly concerned with the pleasures of the mind4 ,i do not know whether you are right in placing so high an estimate upon it4 ,we read little that is worth remembering1 and we hear little advice that is worth following4 ,however degenerate may be the senses of the age at which ,i am living1 the impressions which agreeable objects make upon them appear to me to be so much more acute1 that we are wrong to mortify them4 ,perhaps it is a jealousy of the mind which deems the part played by the senses better than its own4 ,m4 ,bernier1 the handsomest philosopher ,i have ever known 7handsome philosopher is seldom used1 but his figure1 shape1 manner1 conversation and other traits have made him worthy of the epithet71 ,m4 ,bernier1 ,i say1 in speaking of the senses1 said to me one day3 ,i am going to impart a confidence that ,i would not give ,madame de la ,sablire1 even to ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 whom ,i regard as a superior being4 ,i tell you in confidence1 that abstinence from pleasures appears to me to be a great sin4 ,i was surprised at the novelty of the idea1 and it did not fail to make an impression upon my mind4 ,had he extended his idea1 he might have made me a convert to his doctrine4 ,continue your friendship which has never faltered1 and which is something rare in relations that have existed as long as ours4 ,,xv ,ninon de l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,let the ,heart ,speak ,its ,own ,language ,i learn with pleasure that my soul is dearer to you than my body and that your common sense is always leading you upward to better things4 ,the body1 in fact1 is little worthy of regard1 and the soul has always some light which sustains it1 and renders it sensible of the memory of a friend whose absence has not effaced his image4 ,i often tell the old stories in which d',elbne1 de ,charleval1 and the ,chevalier de ,riviere cheer up the moderns4 ,you are brought in at the most interesting points1 but as you are also a modern1 ,i am on my guard against praising you too highly in the presence of the ,academicians1 who have declared in favor of the ancients4 ,i have been told of a musical prologue1 which ,i would very much like to hear at the ,paris theater4 ,the ,beauty who is its subject would strike with envy every woman who should hear it4 ,all our ,helens have no right to find a ,homer1 and always be goddesses of beauty4 ,here ,i am at the top1 how am ,i to descend8 ,my very dear friend1 would it not be well to permit the heart to speak its own language8 ,i assure you1 ,i love you always4 ,do not change your ideas on that point1 they have always been in my favor1 and may this mental communication1 which some philosophers believe to be supernatural1 last forever4 ,i have testified to ,m4 ,turretin1 the joy ,i should feel to be of some service to him4 ,he found me among my friends1 many of whom deemed him worthy of the praise you have given him4 ,if he desires to profit by what is left of our honest ,abbs in the absence of the court1 he will be treated like a man you esteem4 ,i read him your letter with spectacles1 of course1 but they did me no harm1 for ,i preserved my gravity all the time4 ,if he is amorous of that merit which is called here distinguished1 perhaps your wish will be accomplished1 for every day1 ,i meet with this fine phrase as a consolation for my losses4 ,i know that you would like to see ,la ,fontaine in ,england1 he is so little regarded in ,paris1 his head is so feeble4 ',tis the destiny of poets1 of which ,tasso and ,lucretius are evidence4 ,i doubt whether there is any love philter that could affect ,la ,fontaine1 he has never been a lover of women unless they were able to foot the bills4 ,,xvi ,saint-,evremond to ,ninon de l',enclos ,the ,memory of ,youth ,i was handed in ,december1 the letter you wrote me ,october #ad4 ,it is rather old1 but good things are always acceptable1 however late they may be in reaching us4 ,you are serious1 therefore1 you please4 ,you add a charm to ,seneca1 who does not usually possess any4 ,you call yourself old when you possess all the graces1 inclinations1 and spirit of youth4 ,i am troubled with a curiosity which you can satisfy3 ,when you remember your past1 does not the memory of your youth suggest certain ideas as far removed from languor and sloth as from the excitement of passion8 ,do you not feel in your soul a secret opposition to the tranquillity which you fancy your spirit has acquired8 ,mais aimer et vous voir aime ,est une douce liaison1 ,que dans notre coeur s'est forme ,de concert avec la raison4 ,d'une amoureuse sympathie1 ,il faut pour arrter le cours ,arrter celui de nos jours2 ,sa fin est celle de la vie4 ,puissent les destins complaisants1 ,vous donner encore trente ans ,d'amour et de philosophie4 7,to love and be loved ,is a concert sweet1 ,which in your heart is formed ,cemented with reason meet4 ,of a loving concord1 ,to stop the course1 ,our days must end perforce1 ,and death be the last record4 ,may the kind fates give ,you thirty years to live1 ,with wisdom and love in accord47 ,i wish you a happy ,new ,year1 a day on which those who have nothing else to give1 make up the deficiency in wishes4 ,,xvii ,ninon de l',enclos to ,saint-,evremond ,i ,should ,have ,hanged ,myself ,your letter filled with useless yearnings of which ,i thought myself incapable4 ,the days are passing1 as said the good man of ,yveteaux1 in ignorance and sloth2 these days destroy us and take from us the things to which we are attached4 ,you are cruelly made to prove this4 ,you told me long ago that ,i should die of reflections4 ,i try not to make any more1 and to forget on the morrow the things ,i live through today4 ,everybody tells me that ,i have less to complain of at one time than at another4 ,be that as it may1 had ,i been proposed such a life ,i should have hanged myself4 ,we hold on to an ugly body1 however1 as something agreeable2 we love to feel comfort and ease4 ,appetite is something ,i still enjoy4 ,would to ,heaven ,i could try my stomach with yours1 and talk of the old friends we have known1 the memory of whom gives me more pleasure than the presence of many people ,i now meet4 ,there is something good in all that1 but to tell you the truth1 there is no comparison4 ,m4 de ,clerambault often asks me if he resembles his father in mental attainments4 ,no1 ,i always answer him1 but ,i hope from his presumption that he believes this no to be of advantage to him1 and perhaps there are some who would have so considered it4 ,what a comparison between the present epoch and that through which we have passed6 ,you are going to write ,madame ,sandwich1 but ,i believe she has gone to the country4 ,she knows all about your sentiment for her4 ,she will tell you more news about this country than ,i1 having gauged and comprehended everything4 ,she knows all my haunts and has found means of making herself perfectly at home4 ,,xviii ,saint-,evremond to ,ninon de l',enclos ,life ,is ,joyous ,when ,it ,is ,without ,sorrow ,the very last letter ,i receive from ,mademoiselle de l',enclos always seems to me to be better than the preceding ones4 ,it is not because the sentiment of present pleasure dims the memory of the past1 but the true reason is1 your mind is becoming stronger and more fortified every day4 ,if it were the same with the body as with the mind1 ,i should badly sustain this stomach combat of which you speak4 ,i wanted to make a trial of mine against that of ,madame ,sandwich1 at a banquet given by ,lord ,jersey4 ,i was not the vanquished4 ,everybody knows the spirit of ,madame ,sandwich2 ,i see her good taste in the extraordinary esteem she has for you4 ,i was not overcome by the praises she showered upon you1 any more than ,i was by my appetite4 ,you belong to every nation1 esteemed alike in ,london as in ,paris4 ,you belong to every age of the world1 and when ,i say that you are an honor to mine1 youth will immediately name you to give luster to theirs4 ,there you are1 mistress of the present and of the past4 ,may you have your share of the right to be so considered in the future6 ,i have not reputation in view1 for that is assured to all time1 the one thing ,i regard as the most essential is life1 of which eight days are worth more than centuries of post mortem glory4 ,if any one had formerly proposed to you to live as you are now living1 you would have hanged yourself6 7,the expression pleases me47 ,however1 you are satisfied with ease and comfort after having enjoyed the liveliest emotions4 ,l'esprit vous satisfait1 ou du moins vous console3 ,mais on prfrerait de vivre jeune et folle1 ,et laisser aux vieillards exempts de passions ,la triste gravit de leurs reflexions4 7,mental joys satisfy you1 at least they console1 ,but a young jolly life we prefer on the whole1 ,and to old chaps1 exempt from passion's sharp stings1 ,leave the sad recollections of former good things47 ,nobody can make more of youth than ,i1 and as ,i am holding to it by memory1 ,i am following your example1 and fit in with the present as well as ,i know how4 ,would to ,heaven1 ,madame ,mazarin had been of your opinion6 ,she would still be living1 but she desired to die the beauty of the world4 ,madame ,sandwich is leaving for the country1 and departs admired in ,london as she is in ,paris4 ,live1 ,ninon1 life is joyous when it is without sorrow4 ,i pray you to forward this note to ,m4 l',abb de ,hautefeuille1 who is with ,madame la ,duchesse de ,bouillon4 ,i sometimes meet the friends of ,m4 l',abb ,dubois1 who complain that they are forgotten4 ,assure him of my humble regards4 ,translator's ,note--,the above was the last letter ,saint-,evremond ever wrote ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 and with the exception of one more letter to his friend1 ,count ,magalotti1 ,councillor of ,state to ,his ,royal ,highness the ,grand ,duke of ,tuscany1 he never wrote any other1 dying shortly afterward at the age of about ninety4 ,his last letter ends with this peculiar ,epicurean thought in poetry3 ,je vis loign de la ,france1 ,sans besoins et sans abondance1 ,content d'un vulgaire destin2 ,j'aime la vertu sans rudesse1 ,j'aime le plaisir sans mollesse1 ,j'aime la vie1 et n'en crains pas la fin4 7,i am living far away from ,france1 ,no wants1 indeed1 no abundance1 ,content to dwell in humble sphere2 ,virtue ,i love without roughness1 ,pleasures ,i love without softness1 ,life1 too1 whose end ,i do not fear47 ,,doctrine ,,of ,,epicurus ,,explained ,,by ,,marshal ,,de ,,saint-,,evremond ,,in ,a ,,letter ,,to ,,the ,,modern ,,leontium 7,,ninon ,,de ,l',,enclos7 ,,to ,,the ,,modern ,,leontium 7,,ninon ,,de ,l',,enclos7 ,being the moral doctrine of the philosopher ,epicurus as applicable to modern times1 it is an elucidation of the principles advocated by that philosopher1 by ,charles de ,saint-,evremond1 ,marchal of ,france1 a great philosopher1 scholar1 poet1 warrior1 and profound admirer of ,mademoiselle de l',enclos4 ,he died in exile in ,england1 and his tomb may be found in ,westminster ,abbey1 in a conspicuous part of the nave1 where his remains were deposited by ,englishmen1 who regarded him as illustrious for his virtues1 learning and philosophy4 ,he gave the name ,leontium to ,mademoiselle de ,l',enclos1 and the letter was written to her under that sobriquet4 ,the reasoning in it will enable the reader to understand the life and character of ,ninon1 inasmuch as it was the foundation of her education1 and formed her character during an extraordinarily long career4 ,it was intended to bring down to its date1 the true philosophical principles of ,epicurus1 who appears to have been grossly misunderstood and his doctrines foully misinterpreted4 ,leontium was an ,athenian woman who became celebrated for her taste for philosophy1 particularly for that of ,epicurus1 and for her close intimacy with the great men of ,athens4 ,she lived during the third century before the ,christian era1 and her mode of life was similar to that of ,mademoiselle de l',enclos4 ,she added to great personal beauty1 intellectual brilliancy of the highest degree1 and dared to write1 a learned treatise against the eloquent ,theophrastus1 thereby incurring the dislike of ,cicero1 the distinguished orator1 and ,pliny1 the philosopher1 the latter intimating that it might be well for her to select a tree upon which to hang herself4 ,pliny and other philosophers heaped abuse upon her for daring1 as a woman1 to do such an unheard of thing as to write a treatise on philosophy1 and particularly for having the assurance to contradict ,theophrastus4 ,the ,letter4 ,you wish to know whether ,i have fully considered the doctrines of ,epicurus which are attributed to me8 ,i can claim the honor of having done so1 but ,i do not care to claim a merit ,i do not possess1 and which you will say1 ingenuously1 does not belong to me4 ,i labor under a great disadvantage on account of the numerous spurious treatises which are printed in my name1 as though ,i were the author of them4 ,some1 though well written1 ,i do not claim1 because they are not of my writing1 moreover1 among the things ,i have written1 there are many stupidities4 ,i do not care to take the trouble of repudiating such things1 for the reason that at my age1 one hour of well regulated life1 is of more interest and benefit to me than a mediocre reputation4 ,how difficult it is1 you see1 to rid one's self of amour propre6 ,i quit it as an author1 and reassume it as a philosopher1 feeling a secret pleasure in manipulating what others are anxious about4 ,the word pleasure recalls to mind the name of ,epicurus1 and ,i confess1 that of all the opinions of the philosophers concerning the supreme good1 there are none which appear to me to be so reasonable as his4 ,it would be useless to urge reasons1 a hundred times repeated by the ,epicureans1 that the love of pleasure and the extinction of pain1 are the first and most natural inclinations remarked in all men2 that riches1 power1 honor1 and virtue1 contribute to our happiness1 but that the enjoyment of pleasure1 let us say1 voluptuousness1 to include everything in a word1 is the veritable aim and end whither tend all human acts4 ,this is very clear to me1 in fact1 self-evident1 and ,i am fully persuaded of its truth4 ,however1 ,i do not know very well in what the pleasure1 or voluptuousness of ,epicurus consisted1 for ,i never saw so many different opinions of any one as those of the morals of this philosopher4 ,philosophers1 and even his own disciples1 have condemned him as sensual and indolent2 magistrates have regarded his doctrines as pernicious to the public2 ,cicero1 so just and so wise in his opinions1 ,plutarch1 so much esteemed for his fair judgments1 were not favorable to him1 and so far as ,christianity is concerned1 the ,fathers have represented him to be the greatest and the most dangerous of all impious men4 ,so much for his enemies2 now for his partisans3 ,metrodorus1 ,hermachus1 ,meneceus1 and numerous others1 who philosophize according to his school1 have as much veneration as friendship for him personally4 ,diogenes ,laertes could not have written his life to better advantage for his reputation4 ,lucretius adored him4 ,seneca1 as much of an enemy of the sect as he was1 spoke of him in the highest terms4 ,if some cities held him in horror1 others erected statues in his honor1 and if1 among the ,christians1 the ,fathers have condemned him1 ,gassendi and ,bernier approve his principles4 ,in view of all these contrary authorities1 how can the question be decided8 ,shall ,i say that ,epicurus was a corruptor of good morals1 on the faith of a jealous philosopher1 of a disgruntled disciple1 who would have been delighted1 in his resentment1 to go to the length of inflicting a personal injury8 ,moreover1 had ,epicurus intended to destroy the idea of ,providence and the immortality of the soul1 is it not reasonable to suppose that the world would have revolted against so scandalous a doctrine1 and that the life of the philosopher would have been attacked to discredit his opinions more easily8 ,if1 therefore1 ,i find it difficult to believe what his enemies and the envious have published against him1 ,i should also easily credit what his partisans have urged in his defence4 ,i do not believe that ,epicurus desired to broach a voluptuousness harsher than the virtue of the ,stoics4 ,such a jealousy of austerity would appear to me extraordinary in a voluptuary philosopher1 from whatever point of view that word may be considered4 ,a fine secret that1 to declaim against a virtue which destroys sentiment in a sage1 and establishes one that admits of no operation4 ,the sage1 according to the ,stoics1 is a man of insensible virtue2 that of the ,epicureans1 an immovable voluptuary4 ,the former suffers pain without having any pain2 the latter enjoys voluptuousness without being voluptuous--a pleasure without pleasure4 ,with what object in view1 could a philosopher who denied the immortality of the soul1 mortify the senses8 ,why divorce the two parties composed of the same elements1 whose sole advantage is in a concert of union for their mutual pleasure8 ,i pardon our religious devotees1 who diet on herbs1 in the hope that they will obtain an eternal felicity1 but that a philosopher1 who knows no other good than that to be found in this world1 that a doctor of voluptuousness should diet on bread and water1 to reach sovereign happiness in this life1 is something my intelligence refuses to contemplate4 ,i am surprised that the voluptuousness of such an ,epicurean is not founded upon the idea of death1 for1 considering the miseries of life1 his sovereign good must be at the end of it4 ,believe me1 if ,horace and ,petronius had viewed it as painted1 they would never have accepted ,epicurus as their master in the science of pleasure4 ,the piety for the gods attributed to him1 is no less ridiculous than the mortification of the senses4 ,these slothful gods1 of whom there was nothing to be hoped or feared2 these impotent gods who did not deserve the labor and fatigue attendant upon their worship6 ,let no one say that worshipers went to the temple through fear of displeasing the magistrates1 and of scandalizing the people1 for they would have scandalized them less by refusing to assist in their worship1 than shocked them by writings which destroyed the established gods1 or at least ruined the confidence of the people in their protection4 ,but you ask me3 ,what is your opinion of ,epicurus8 ,you believe neither his friends nor his enemies1 neither his adversaries nor his partisans4 ,what is the judgment you have formed8 ,i believe ,epicurus was a very wise philosopher1 who at times and on certain occasions loved the pleasure of repose or the pleasure of movement4 ,from this difference in the grade of voluptuousness has sprung all the reputation accorded him4 ,timocrates and his other opponents1 attacked him on account of his sensual pleasures2 those who defended him1 did not go beyond his spiritual voluptuousness4 ,when the former denounced him for the expense he was at in his repasts1 ,i am persuaded that the accusation was well founded4 ,when the latter expatiated upon the small quantity of cheese he required to have better cheer than usual1 ,i believe they did not lack reason4 ,when they say he philosophized with ,leontium1 they say well2 when they say that ,epicurus diverted himself with her1 they do not lie4 ,according to ,solomon1 there is a time to laugh and a time to weep2 according to ,epicurus1 there is a time to be sober and a time to be sensual4 ,to go still further than that1 is a man uniformly voluptuous all his life8 ,religiously speaking1 the greatest libertine is sometimes the most devout2 in the study of wisdom1 the most indulgent in pleasures sometimes become the most austere4 ,for my own part1 ,i view ,epicurus from a different standpoint in youth and health1 than when old and infirm4 ,ease and tranquillity1 these comforts of the infirm and slothful1 can not be better expressed than in his writings4 ,sensual voluptuousness is not less well explained by ,cicero4 ,i know that nothing is omitted either to destroy or elude it1 but can conjecture be compared with the testimony of ,cicero1 who was intimately acquainted with the ,greek philosophers and their philosophy8 ,it would be better to reject the inequality of mind as an inconstancy of human nature4 ,where exists the man so uniform of temperament1 that he does not manifest contrarieties in his conversation and actions8 ,solomon merits the name of sage1 as much as ,epicure for less1 and he belied himself equally in his sentiments and conduct4 ,montaigne1 when still young1 believed it necessary to always think of death in order to be always ready for it4 ,approaching old age1 however1 he recanted1 so he says1 being willing to permit nature to gently guide him1 and teach him how to die4 ,m4 ,bernier1 the great partisan of ,epicurus1 avows to-day1 that ,after philosophizing for fifty years1 ,i doubt things of which ,i was once most assured4 ,all objects have different phases1 and the mind which is in perpetual motion1 views them from different aspects as they revolve before it4 ,hence1 it may be said1 that we see the same thing under different aspects1 thinking at the same time that we have discovered something new4 ,moreover1 age brings great changes in our inclinations1 and with a change of inclination often comes a change of opinion4 ,add1 that the pleasures of the senses sometimes give rise to contempt for mental gratifications as too dry and unproductive and that the delicate and refined pleasures of the mind1 in their turn1 scorn the voluptuousness of the senses as gross4 ,so1 no one should be surprised that in so great a diversity of aspects and movements1 ,epicurus1 who wrote more than any other philosopher1 should have treated the same subjects in a different manner according as he had perceived them from different points of view4 ,what avails this general reasoning to show that he might have been sensible to all kinds of pleasure8 ,let him be considered according to his relations with the other sex1 and nobody will believe that he spent so much time with ,leontium and with ,themista for the sole purpose of philosophizing4 ,but if he loved the enjoyment of voluptuousness1 he conducted himself like a wise man4 ,indulgent to the movements of nature1 opposed to its struggles1 never mistaking chastity for a virtue1 always considering luxury as a vice1 he insisted upon sobriety as an economy of the appetite1 and that the repasts in which one indulged should never injure him who partook4 ,his motto was3 ,sic praesentibus voluptatibus utaris ut futuris non noceas4 ,he disentangled pleasures from the anxieties which precede1 and the disgust which follows them4 ,when he became infirm and suffered pain1 he placed the sovereign good in ease and rest1 and wisely1 to my notion1 from the condition he was in1 for the cessation of pain is the felicity of those who suffer it4 ,as to tranquillity of mind1 which constitutes another part of happiness1 it is nothing but a simple exemption from anxiety or worry4 ,but1 whoso can not enjoy agreeable movements is happy in being guaranteed from the sensations of pain4 ,after saying this much1 ,i am of the opinion that ease and tranquillity constituted the sovereign good for ,epicurus when he was infirm and feeble4 ,for a man who is in a condition to enjoy pleasures1 ,i believe that health makes itself felt by something more active than ease1 or indolence1 as a good disposition of the soul demands something more animated than will permit a state of tranquillity4 ,we are all living in the midst of an infinity of good and evil things1 with senses capable of being agreeably affected by the former and injured by the latter4 ,without so much philosophy1 a little reason will enable us to enjoy the good as deliciously as possible and accommodate ourselves to the evil as patiently as we can4