A son of Made. Thibault, first waiting-woman to the Dauphiness, fought a duel in the Park at Compiegne, and killed his antagonist. His mother immediately solicited the influence of the Dauphiness in favour of her son, and by means of that powerful intercession he was saved from the severity of the law. Some person at Court taking the liberty of saying to the Princess that Mad. Thibault had not applied for her interposition till she had been denied that of Madame du Barry, the Dauphiness exclaimed: I would, were I a mother, to save my son, throw myself at the feet of Zamore. Zamore was a little negro of Made. du Barry's. The felicity of the people was her chief occupation, and whatever could soften their lot, became the subject of her thoughts. She wished not to be a Queen but to do good, and said, with her august mother Maria-Theresa, that it was the only mode of reigning that could render the weight of the Crown supportable. There existed among the French an ancient and gallant custom, which the Queens of France had been desirous of maintaining. The French paid to every new Queen ascending the throne a duty known by the name of the Queen's belt. This tax had its origin from a religious and domestic institution in the first age of the monarchy. When a young maiden was led to the altar of hymen, a belt was provided by the husband's family, which the Priest blessed, and the bridegroom tied round the waist of the bride. This ornament was more or less rich, according to the circumstances of the family. When the children of Clovis founded in Gaul a tripple monarchy, the people to flatter their new masters, and to acknowledge publicly that they were the children of the Monarch who was to be their father, offered the blessed belt to their Queens. The custom was kept up till the accession of Louis XVI, when MARIAANTOINETTA, hearing that this duty bore heavily on the more indigent classes, and that the privileged orders had found means to exempt themselves from it, besought the King to forbid the collecting of it. Louis XVI. was charmed with this generous action, and the whole nation applauded the disinterestedness and beneficence of the young Queen. Poetry was called in to preserve the remembrance of the sacrifice, and the Count de Coutourelle, taking upon himself to be the organ of a grateful people, addressed the following stanza to the Queen: Vous renoncez, charmante Souveraine, Au plus beau de vos revenus ; Mais que vous serviroit la ceinture de Reine? Vous avez celle de Vénus. Renounce, fair Queen, your noblest due! Renounce the bless'd, the regal zone ! Yet, what imports this belt to you, Since that of Venus is your own? Page 27, line 14, after-the new reign. MARIA-ANTOINETTA assisted at Rheims at the ceremony of the coronation. Her modest demeanour, and her respect to all the parts of the church service, proved to the whole Court the sincerity of her religious sentiments. She appeared to glory in the piety of Louis, in his zeal and attachment to the religion of his ancestors. She did not content herself with a few acts of devotion, but shewed herself tender, generous, and compassionate. When, according to custom, some sick people approached the Monarch, who blessed them, MARIAANTOINETTA, regardless of contagion, and the foulness of their clothes, suffered herself to be surrounded, consoled the unfortunate persons, and distributed alms to them. As the multitude came up, she said to those near the carriage: "You "have great pleasure in seeing us, and we assure you that we ❝ have likewise a great deal in seeing your eagerness." To those who were endeavouring to keep off the crowd, she said, "Softly, gentlemen, let these good people come near, they "will do us no harm." She one day saw close to her a poor workman and a woman staring at the King, and crying out, Vive notre bon Roi! Long live our good King! She beckoned to them, took hold of their hands, and presented them to Louis, saying to them, "this is your King." MARIA-ANTOINETTA was proud of the praises bestowed on the virtues of her husband, and of the love of the French towards him. Page 32, line 30, after-all her fav'rites fame declare. The French seemed enchanted with the Dauphiness. Every Muse attempted to celebrate her; all the Theatres sung her praises. The Academies and Lyceums paid homage to her. Her beauty, her virtues, and her wit were by turns the subject of a poem or a song. At the end of an entertainment, where she had been incognito, Dorat presented her the following verses: Quoi! sous un nuage envieux, De son aspect majestueux; Et lorsque vous trompez les yeux, Le cœur des Français vous devine. "What! fair Princess, do you think that you can be con"cealed in this place by an envious cloud? When Venus leaves "the skies, the divine influence of her countenance is felt every where; and you, though you shun their eyes, are felt "to be present in the hearts of the French." The sculptor, Le Moine, having made a bust of the Dauphiness, to prove himself a poet also, addressed the following verses to her: Combien ce buste m'a couté! Je croyais avoir imité De la nymphe la plus jolie, Et d'une Princesse accomplie, Fier de mon art, et de votre beauté, Vous avouerai-je mes alarmes, Et ma honte et mon désespoir? Une semaine, un jour ajoutait à vos charmes, Mais il faut bien que l'art s'arrête, Je crois avoir fini la plus charmante tête, Nos neveux le croiront flatté, Mais, vous voyant encore plus belle, Et dira: Le Moine est resté "What has this bust cost me! I thought I had copied from "the most beautiful nymph, an arch smile, and a lovely air, "and from an accomplished Princess, graces, dignity, and ma86 jesty. Proud of my art and of your beauty, I thought my "work finished: I thought so ten times, but when I returned "to compare, your charms were encreased, and my art de"feated. Shall I confess to you my alarm, my shame, and my despair? To you every week, every day, gave new "beauties, while my talents seemed daily to fail me. I shed "tears on leaving you, and trembled at the thought of seeing "you again. In vain would the happy genius of the chisel "labour to equal nature, whose power is unconfined, while "that of art must stop. I think I have finished the most "charming head, and I consign this marble to posterity. Af "ter-ages will imagine it flattered, but judges of the present "day, seeing how much handsomer you are, will laugh at my failure, and say; Le Moine has fallen far below his "original." 66 Page 53, line 26, after-Duchess of Angoulême. This illustrious Princess was born on the 19th of December 1778, and was baptized the same day by the Cardinal de Rohan. The King of Spain was her god-father, and the Empress-Queen her god-mother. She was called Maria-Theresa-Charlotte; and, according to custom, her title was MADAME, THE KING'S DAUGHTER. All classes of people testified their joy. The High Clergy ordered public prayers; towns made feasts; and the delight of the people was shown by illuminations and dances. Poetry likewise, which seizes on all events, celebrated her birth. A copy of verses of great length was particularly distinguished: the author was a professor of one of the colleges |