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the memoirs of marie antoinette-第63部分

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sal to participate in the design。  I do not know what passed in the King's apartments during the night; but I occasionally looked out at the windows: I saw the garden clear; I heard no noise in the palace; and day at length confirmed my opinion that the project had been given up。  〃We must; however; fly;〃 said the Queen to me; shortly afterwards; 〃who knows how far the factious may go?  The danger increases every day。〃

     'The disturbances of the 13th of April; 1790; occasioned by the      warmth of the discussions upon Dom Gerle's imprudent motion in the      National Assembly; having afforded room for apprehension that the      enemies of the country would endeavour to carry off the King from      the capital; M。 de La Fayette promised to keep watch; and told Louis      XVI。 that if he saw any alarming movement among the disaffected he      would give him notice of it by the discharge of a cannon from Henri      IV。's battery on the Pont Neuf。  On the same night a few casual      discharges of musketry were heard from the terrace of the Tuileries。      The King; deceived by the noise; flew to the Queen's apartments; he      did not find her; he ran to the Dauphin's room; where he found the      Queen holding her son in her arms。 〃Madame;〃 said the King to her;      〃I have been seeking you; and you have made me uneasy。〃  The Queen;      showing her son; said to him; 〃I was at my post。〃〃Anecdotes of the      Reign of Louis XVI。〃'

This Princess received advice and memorials from all quarters。  Rivarol addressed several to her; which I read to her。  They were full of ingenious observations; but the Queen did not find that they; contained anything of essential service under the circumstances in which the royal family was placed。  Comte du Moustier also sent memorials and plans of conduct。  I remember that in one of his writings he said to the King; 〃Read 'Telemachus' again; Sire; in that book which delighted your Majesty in infancy you will find the first seeds of those principles which; erroneously followed up by men of ardent imaginations; are bringing on the explosion we expect every moment。〃  I read so many of these memorials that I could hardly give a faithful account of them; and I am determined to note in this work no other events than such as I witnessed; no other words than such as (notwithstanding the lapse of time) still in some measure vibrate in my ears。

Comte de Segur; on his return from Russia; was employed some time by the Queen; and had a certain degree of influence over her; but that did not last long。  Comte Augustus de la Marck likewise endeavoured to negotiate for the King's advantage with the leaders of the factious。  M。 de Fontanges; Archbishop of Toulouse; possessed also the Queen's confidence; but none of the endeavours which were made on the spot produced any; beneficial result。  The Empress Catherine II。 also conveyed her opinion upon the situation of Louis XVI。 to the Queen; and her Majesty made me read a few lines in the Empress's own handwriting; which concluded with these words:

〃Kings ought to proceed in their career undisturbed by the cries of the people; even as the moon pursues her course unimpeded by the baying of dogs。〃  This maxim of the despotic sovereign of Russia was very inapplicable to the situation of a captive king。

Meanwhile the revolutionary party followed up its audacious enterprise in a determined manner; without meeting any opposition。  The advice from without; as well from Coblentz as from Vienna; made various impressions upon the members of the royal family; and those cabinets were not in accordance with each other。  I often had reason to infer from what the Queen said to me that she thought the King; by leaving all the honour of restoring order to the Coblentz party;'The Princes and the chief of the emigrant nobility assembled at Coblentz; and the name was used to designate the reactionary party。'would; on the return of the emigrants; be put under a kind of guardianship which would increase his own misfortunes。  She frequently said to me; 〃If the emigrants succeed; they will rule the roast for a long time; it will be impossible to refuse them anything; to owe the crown to them would be contracting too great an obligation。〃  It always appeared to me that she wished her own family to counterbalance the claims of the emigrants by disinterested services。 She was fearful of M。 de Calonne; and with good reason。  She had proof that this minister was her bitterest enemy; and that he made use of the most criminal means in order to blacken her reputation。  I can testify that I have seen in the hands of the Queen a manuscript copy of the infamous memoirs of the woman De Lamotte; which had been brought to her from London; and in which all those passages where a total ignorance of the customs of Courts had occasioned that wretched woman to make blunders which would have been too palpable were corrected in M。 de Calonne's own handwriting。

The two King's Guards who were wounded at her Majesty's door on the 6th of October were M。 du Repaire and M。 de Miomandre de Sainte…Marie; on the dreadful night of the 6th of October the latter took the post of the former the moment he became incapable of maintaining it。

A considerable number of the Body Guards; who were wounded on the 6th of October; betook themselves to the infirmary at Versailles。  The brigands wanted to make their way into the infirmary in order to massacre them。 M。 Viosin; head surgeon of that infirmary; ran to the entrance hall; invited the assailants to refresh themselves; ordered wine to be brought; and found means to direct the Sister Superior to remove the Guards into a ward appropriated to the poor; and dress them in the caps and greatcoats furnished by the institution。  The good sisters executed this order so promptly that the Guards were removed; dressed as paupers; and their beds made; while the assassins were drinking。  They searched all the wards; and fancied they saw no persons there but the sick poor; thus the Guards were saved。

M。 de Miomandre was at Paris; living on terms of friendship with another of the Guards; who; on the same day; received a gunshot wound from the brigands in another part of the Chateau。  These two officers; who were attended and cured together at the infirmary of Versailles; were almost constant companions; they were recognised at the Palais Royal; and insulted。  The Queen thought it necessary for them to quit Paris。  She desired me to write to M。 de Miomandre de Sainte…Marie; and tell him to come to me at eight o'clock in the evening; and then to communicate to him her wish to hear of his being in safety; and ordered me; when he had made up his mind to go; to tell him in her name that gold could not repay such a service as he had rendered; that she hoped some day to be in sufficiently happy circumstances to recompense him as she ought; but that for the present her offer of money was only that of a sister to a brother situated as he then was; and that she requested he would take whatever might be necessary to discharge his debts at Paris and defray the expenses of his journey。  She told me also to desire he would bring his。 friend Bertrand with him; and to make him the same offer。

The two Guards came at the appointed hour; and accepted; I think; each one or two hundred louis。  A moment afterwards the Queen opened my door; she was accompanied by the King and Madame Elisabeth; the King stood with his back against the fireplace; the Queen sat down upon a sofa and Madame Elisabeth sat near her; I placed myself behind the Queen; and the two Guards stood facing the King。  The Queen told them that the King wished to see before they went away two of the brave men who had afforded him the strongest proofs of courage and attachment。  Miomandre said all that the Queen's affecting observations were calculated to inspire。  Madame Elisabeth spoke of the King's gratitude; the Queen resumed the subject of their speedy departure; urging the necessity of it; the King was silent; but his emotion was evident; and his eyes were suffused with tears。  The Queen rose; the King went out; and Madame Elisabeth followed him; the Queen stopped and said to me; in the recess of a window; 〃I am sorry I brought the King here!  I am sure Elisabeth thinks with me; if the King had but given utterance to a fourth part of what he thinks of those brave men they would have been in ecstacies; but he cannot overcome his diffidence。〃

The Emperor Joseph died about this time。  The Queen's grief was not excessive; that brother of whom she had been so proud; and whom she had loved so tenderly; had probably suffered greatly in her opinion; she reproached him sometimes; though with moderation; for having adopted several of the principles of the new philosophy; and perhaps she knew that he looked upon our troubles with the eye of the sovereign of Germany rather than that of the brother of the Queen of France。

The Emperor on one occasion sent the Queen an engraving which represented unfrocked nuns and monks。  The first were trying on fashionable dresses; the latter were having their hair arranged; the picture was always left in the closet; and never hung up。  The Queen told me to have it taken away; for she was hurt to see ho
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