the women of the french salons-第34节

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　from　idleness。　　Speak　this　evening　to　one　of　them　of　some　affair　that　concerns　you；　tomorrow　at　her　wheel；　at　her　tapestry；　you　will　find　her　dreaming　of　it；　and　searching　in　her　head　for　some　means　of　serving　you。〃

Prominent　among　her　friends　were　Bolingbroke　and　Fontenelle。　　〃It　is　not　a　heart　which　you　have　there；〃　she　said　to　the　latter；　laying　her　hand　on　the　spot　usually　occupied　by　that　organ；　〃but　a　second　brain。〃　　She　had　enlisted　what　stood　in　the　place　of　it；　however；　and　he　interested　himself　so　far　as　to　procure　her　final　release　from　her　vows；　through　Benedict　XIV；　who；　as　Cardinal　Lambertini；　had　frequented　her　salon；　and　who　sent　her　his　portrait　as　a　souvenir；　after　his　election　to　the　papacy。

Through　her　intimacy　with　the　Duc　de　Richelieu；　Mme。　de　Tencin　made　herself　felt　even　in　the　secret　councils　of　Louis　XV。　　Her　practical　mind　comprehended　more　clearly　than　many　of　the　statesmen　the　forces　at　work　and　the　weakness　that　coped　with　them。　　〃Unless　God　visibly　interferes；〃　she　said；　〃it　is　physically　impossible　that　the　state　should　not　fall　in　pieces。〃　　It　was　her　influence　that　inspired　Mme。　de　Chateauroux　with　the　idea　of　sending　her　royal　lover　to　revive　the　spirits　of　the　army　in　Flanders。　　〃It　is　not；　between　ourselves；　that　he　is　in　a　state　to　command　a　company　of　grenadiers；〃　she　wrote　to　her　brother；　〃but　his　presence　will　avail　much。　　The　troops　will　do　their　duty　better；　and　the　generals　will　not　dare　to　fail　them　so　openly　。　。　。　　A　king；　whatever　he　may　be；　is　for　the　soldiers　and　people　what　the　ark　of　the　covenant　was　for　the　Hebrews；　his　presence　alone　promises　success。〃

Her　devotion　to　her　friends　was　the　single　redeeming　trait　in　her　character；　and　she　hesitated　at　nothing　to　advance　the　interests　of　her　brother；　over　whose　house　she　gracefully　presided。　　But　she　failed　in　her　ultimate　ambition　to　elevate　him　to　the　ministry；　and　her　intrigues　were　so　much　feared　that　Cardinal　Fleury　sent　her　away　from　Paris　for　a　short　time。　　Her　disappointments；　which　it　is　not　the　purpose　to　trace　here；　left　her　one　of　the　disaffected　party；　and　on　her　return　her　drawing　room　became　a　rallying　point　for　the　radical　thinkers　of　France。

Such　was　the　woman　who　courted；　flattered；　petted；　and　patronized　the　literary　and　scientific　men　of　Paris；　called　them　her　menagerie；　put　them　into　a　sort　of　uniform；　gave　them　two　suppers　a　week；　and　sent　them　two　ells　of　velvet　for　small　clothes　at　New　Year's。　　Of　her　salon；　Marmontel　gives　us　an　interesting　glimpse。　　He　had　been　invited　to　read　one　of　his　tragedies；　and　it　was　his　first　introduction。

〃I　saw　assembled　there　Montesquieu；　Fontenelle；　Mairan；　Marivaux；　the　young　Helvetius；　Astruc；　and　others；　all　men　of　science　or　letters；　and；　in　the　midst　of　them；　a　woman　of　brilliant　intellect　and　profound　judgment；　who；　with　her　kind　and　simple　exterior；　had　rather　the　appearance　of　the　housekeeper　than　the　mistress。　　This　was　Mme。　de　Tencin。　。　。　。　　I　soon　perceived　that　the　guests　came　there　prepared　to　play　their　parts；　and　that　their　wish　to　shine　did　not　leave　the　conversation　always　free　to　follow　its　easy　and　natural　course。　　Every　one　tried　to　seize　quickly　and　on　the　wing　the　moment　to　bring　in　his　word；　his　story；　his　anecdote；　his　maxim；　or　to　add　his　dash　of　light　and　sparkling　wit；　and；　in　order　to　do　this　opportunely；　it　was　often　rather　far…fetched。　　In　Marivaux；　the　impatience　to　display　his　finesse　and　sagacity　was　quite　apparent。　　Montesquieu；　with　more　calmness；　waited　for　the　ball　to　come　to　him；　but　he　waited。　　Mairan　watched　his　opportunity。　　Astruc　did　not　deign　to　wait。　　Fontenelle　alone　let　it　come　to　him　without　seeking　it；　and　he　used　so　discreetly　the　attention　given　him；　that　his　witty　sayings　and　his　clever　stories　never　occupied　more　than　a　moment。　　Alert　and　reserved；　Helvetius　listened　and　gathered　material　for　the　future。〃

Mme。　de　Tencin　loved　literature　and　philosophy　for　their　own　sake；　and　received　men　of　letters　at　their　intrinsic　value。　　She　encouraged；　too；　the　freedom　of　thought　and　expression　at　that　time　so　rare　and　so　dangerous。　　It　was　her　influence　that　gave　its　first　impulse　to　the　success　of　Montesquieu's　esprit　DES　LOIS；　of　which　she　personally　bought　and　distributed　many　copies。　If　she　talked　well；　she　knew　also　how　to　listen；　to　attract　by　her　sympathy；　to　aid　by　her　generosity；　to　inspire　by　her　intelligence；　to　charm　by　her　versatility。

Another　figure　flits　in　and　out　of　this　salon；　whose　fine　qualities　of　soul　shine　so　brightly　in　this　morally　stifling　atmosphere　that　one　forgets　her　errors　in　a　mastering　impulse　of　love　and　pity。　　There　is　no　more　pathetic　history　in　this　arid　and　heartless　age　than　that　of　Mlle。　Aisse；　the　beautiful　Circassian；　with　the　lustrous；　dark；　Oriental　eyes；〃　who　was　brought　from　Constantinople　in　infancy　by　the　French　envoy；　and　left　as　a　precious　heritage　to　Mme。　de　Ferriol；　the　intriguing　sister　of　Mme。　de　Tencin；　and　her　worthy　counterpart；　if　not　in　talent；　in　the　faults　that　darkened　their　common　womanhood。　　This　delicate　young　girl；　surrounded　by　worldly　and　profligate　friends；　and　drawn　in　spite　of　herself　into　the　errors　of　her　time；　redeemed　her　character　by　her　romantic　heroism；　her　unselfish　devotion；　and　her　final　revolt　against　what　seemed　to　be　an　inexorable　fate。　　The　struggle　between　her　self…forgetful　love　for　the　knightly　Chevalier　d'Aydie　and　her　sensitive　conscience；　her　refusal　to　cloud　his　future　by　a　portionless　marriage；　and　her　firmness　in　severing　an　unholy　tie；　knowing　that　the　sacrifice　would　cost　her　life；　as　it　did；　form　an　episode　as　rare　as　it　is　tragical。　　But　her　exquisite　personality；　her　rich　gifts　of　mind　and　soul；　her　fine　intelligence；　her　passionate　love；　almost　consecrated　by　her　pious　but　fatal　renunciation；　call　up　one　of　the　loveliest　visions　of　the　centurya　vision　that　lingers　in　the　memory　like　a　medieval　poem。　　

Mme。　de　Tencin　amused　her　later　years　b　writing　sentimental　tales；　which　were　found　among　her　papers　after　her　death。　　These　were　classed　with　the　romances　of　Mme。　de　La　Fayette。　　Speaking　of　the　latter；　La　Harpe　said；　〃Only　one　other　woman　succeeded；　a　century　later；　in　painting　with　equal　power　the　struggles　of　love　and　virtue。〃　　It　is　one　of　the　curious　inconsistencies　of　her　character；　that　her　creations　contained　an　element　which　her　life　seems　wholly　to　have　lacked。　　Behind　all　her　faults　of　conduct　there　was　clearly　an　ideal　of　purity　and　goodness。　　Her　stories　are　marked　by　a　vividness　and　an　ardor　of　passion　rarely　found　in　the　insipid　and　colorless　romances　of　the　preceding　age。　　Her　pictures　of　love　and　intrigue　and　crime　are　touched　with　the　religious　enthusiasm　of　the　cloister；　the　poetry　of　devotion；　the　heroism　of　self…sacrifice。　　Perhaps　the　dark　and　mysterious　facts　of　her　own　history　shaped　themselves　in　her　imagination。　　Did　the　tragedy　of　La　Fresnaye；　the　despairing　lover　who　blew　out　his　brains　at　her　feet；　leaving　the　shadow　of　a　crime　hanging　over　her；　with　haunting　memories　of　the　Bastille；　recall　the　innocence　of　her　own　early　convent　days？　　Did　she　remember　some　long…buried　love；　and　the　child　left　to　perish　upon　the　steps　of　St。　Jean　le　Rond；　but　grown　up　to　be　her　secret　pride　in　the　person　of　the　great　mathematician　and　philosopher　d'Alembert？　　What　was　the　subtle　link　between　this　worldly　woman　and　the　eternal　passion；　the　tender　self…sacrifice　of　Adelaide；　the　loyal　heroine　who　breathes　out　her　solitary　and　devoted　soul　on　the　ashes　of　La　Trappe；　unknown　to　her　faithful　and　monastic　lover；　until　the　last　sigh？　　The　fate　of　Adelaide　has　become　a　legend。　　It　has　furnished　a　theme　for　the　poet　and　the　artist；　an　inspiration　for　the　divine　strains　of　Beethoven；　another　leaf　in　the　annals　of　pure　and　heroic　love。　　But　the　woman　who　conceived　it　toyed　with　the　human　heart　as　with　a　beautiful　flower；　to　be　tossed　aside　when　its　first　fragrance　was　gone。　　She　apparently　knew　neither　the　virtue；　nor　the　honor；　nor　the　purity；　nor　the　truth　of　which　she　had　so　exquisite　a　perception　in　the　realm　of　the　imagination。　　Or　were　some　of　the　episodes　which　darken　the　story　of　her　life　simply　the　myths　of　a　gossiping　age；　born　of　the　incidents　of　an　idle　tale；　to　live　forever　on　the　pages　of　history？

But　it　was　not　as　a　literary　woman　that　Mme。　de　Tencin　held　her　position　and　won　her　fame。　　Her　gifts　were　eminently　those　of　her　age　and　race；　and　it　may　be　of　interest　to　compare　her　with　a　woman　of　larger　talent　of　a　purely　intellectual　order；　who　belonged　more　or　less　to　the　world　of　the　salons；　without　aspiring　to　leadership；　and　who；　though　much　younger；　died　in　the　same　year。　　Mme。　du　Chatelet　was　essentially　a　woman　of　letters。　　She　loved　the　exact　sciences；　expounded　Leibnitz；　translated　Newton；　gave　valuable　aid　to　Voltaire　in　introducing　English　thought　into　France；　and　was　one　of　the　first　women　among　the　nobility　to　accept　the　principles　of　philosophic　deism。　　〃I　confess　that　she　is　tyrannical；〃　said　Voltaire；　〃one　must　talk　about　metaphysics；　when　the　temptation　is　to　talk　of　love。　Ovid　was　formerly　my　master；　it　is　now　the　turn　of　Locke。〃　　She　has　been　clearly　but　by　no　means　pleasantly　painted　for　us　in　the　familiar　letters　of　Mme。　de　Graffigny；　in　the　rather　malicious　sketches　of　the　Marquise　d