Page:A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country (1804).djvu/519

Rh her which had been allowed her husband. Petitions were, in consequence, frequently presented, beginning always with "the widow Scarron most humbly prays your majesty, &c."; so that the king was so weary of them, that he was heard to say, "Must I always be pestered with the widow Scarron?" However, he at last, at the solicitation of Madame Montespan, settled a much larger pension on her, and said at the same time, "Madam, I have made you wait a long time, but you have so many friends, that I was resolved to have this merit with you on my own account,"

As Madame de Montespan wished to conceal the birth of the children she had by the king, Madame Scarron was thought a proper person to be entrusted with their education. She was, therefore, created governess by him, and led a solitary and laborious life in watching with motherly solicitude, not only over the minds, but the health of the children committed to her care. What made it more unpleasant was, that during the earlier part of the time, Lewis himself disliked her, and fancied her a female pedant and a wit; but when she was obliged to write, her letters charmed him, and he could not have thought, he said, a belle esprit could have written so well.

Lewis was one day afterwards playing with the duke de Maine, and, pleased with some shrewd answer of the boy, said, "You are very wise."—"How should I be otherwise," said he, "when I am under the tuition of Wisdom herself?" This answer pleased him so much, that he sent to her a hundred thousand francs.

Yet her situation became daily more insupportable: she frequently quarrelled with Madame de Montespan, who complained of her to the king, "Why do you not dismiss her, then?" said he, "are you not the tress?"