Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 9.djvu/596

 KAXSmiON 549 MAIMTENON

Btrictnees the latter employed, nor the efforts of the by the " M^moires ^ of Saint^imon, who hated her, by Ursulines of Niort. who kept Frangoise gratuitously the letters of the Princess Palatine, which are bitterly for some time, could counteract the influence of Mme antagonistic to her, and by the interpolations and for- de Villette. She was finally converted at the Sj^e of series of La Beaumelle, the first editor of Mme de foiuteen tiiroush the influence of the Ursulines oi Rue Maintenon's letters. As a result of the labours of La- Saint-Jacques, Paris. In June, 1652, Frangoise, having vall^, no importance is now attached to La Beaum- lost her mother and finding herself reduced almost to elle's publications, and history passes on her a more poverty, consented to marry the celebrated burlesque equitable judgment. The letters written to her by poet, Sc^rron, who was a cripple. She took great Louis XI V during his military campaigns show how care of him, was faithful to him, and gatnered around ardently and patriotically she was mterested in the him a group of celebrated writers. As she read Latin, destinies of France. She supported Marshal de Vil- and spoke Italian and Spanish, she had little difficulty lars against his enemies, who treated him as a mad- in attaching them to her circle. man, and it was largely owine to the advice of Mme de

Scarron died on- 7 October, 1660. Frangoise, who Maintenon that he was placed at the head of the army, had preserved her virginity during this odd marriage, and was thiis enabled to save France by Uie victory of was then a pretty widow of twenty-five years; she ob- Denain. But Mme de Maint^ion's influence was felt tained from the queen-mother a pension of 2700 livres most in the matters of religion; and that is why she in- (approximately $540), and withdrew to the convent of curred the hatred of the Protestants and the Jansen- the Hospitaller Sisters (rf Our Lady. Having received ists The extraordinary character of her destinv was the entrie into the Albret and Richelieu circles, she represented to her by many of her advisers as a mar- there became acquainted with Mme de S6vign^, Mme vellous vocation, which by a kind of miracle'' had de La Fayette, and Mme de Montespan. She was placed her beside the most powerful monarch in the called "la charmante malheureuse", and society be- world. She was anxious that the king should not f or- gan to take an interest in her. In March, 1670, Mme get his spiritual responsibilities. It may be said that, de Montespan invited her to undertake the education but for the influence of Mme de Maintenon, the end of of the children she had borne to Louis XIV. Fran- Louis XIV's reign would probably have resembled, by 9oise accepted and imdertook the work in a house situ- its depravity and excesses, the subsequent reign of ated in Rue de Vaugirard, devoting herself enthusiast!- Louis XV. It was largely owing to her that Louis was cally to the young children, and the Duke of Maine brought back to the right path, and it was due to her especially was always very grateful to her. When in influence that the courtiers came to recognise that im- July, 1674, the children were legitimized, Francoise piety, blasphemy, and licentiousness were obstacles to followed them to Court: it was the beginning ol her advancement.

fortune. At first, as she herself relates, sne dis- Her great anxiety was for the conversion of the pleased the king very much; he considered heras a!>ci Court. This explains how it happened that, in her esprit, interested only in sublime things. Soon, how- zeal for religion, she favoured some of the officials who ever, he gave her 200,000 livrea ($40,000); with this displayed the greatest severity towards the Protest- she bought the lands of Maintenon, and at the end of ante; out "it is an error", writes M. Lavisse, "to January, 1675, the kin^ in full Court named her Mme blame Mme de Maintenon for the revocation of the de Maintenon, by which title she was thenceforth Edict of Nantes." After having authorized Mme known. A silent struggle, the det-ails of which may be Guyon to come and lecture at Saint-Cyr, Mme de found in the letters of Mme de S^vign^, began between Mam tenon, warned by des Marais, triwi to arrest the her and Mme de Montespan. AbW Gobelin, Mme de spread of Quietism; the opposition which she met Maintenon 's confessor, represented to her that the sal- with on the part of F^nelon and Mme de la Maisonfort, vation of the king required her to remam at Court. was terminated in 1698 by the lettres de cachet, ordei^

In 1680 she was appointed lady of the bed-chamber ing the withdrawal of Mmes de la Maisonfort, du Tour,

to the Dauphiness. The affection of the king for Mile de and de Montaigle to convcnte. It was Mme de Main-

Fontanges showed that Mme de Montespairs influence tenon, who in August, 1695, had Louis-Antoine de

was waning. The earnest efforts of Mme de Main- Noailles, Bishop of Ch&lons, appointed to the See of

tenon to reconcile the king and the queen, Marie- Paris; but from 1699, under the influence of dee

Th^rdse, were facilitated by the death of Mile de Fon- Marais, she detached herself from Noailles, who was

tanges (1681), and brought about the disgrace of Mme too much inclined to Jansenism. Mme de Maintenon,

de Montespan. The cjueen died, however, on 30 July, whose r61e was oftentimes so difficult and who was not

1683, and from that time was verified the witticism of unfrequently placed in very delicate situations, was

certain courtiers who, speaking of Mme de Maintenon wont to confess that she spent many a wearisome

in 1680, called her "Mme de Maintenant". Louis hour; she would compare herself to the fish in the

XIV used to say to her: "We address popes as 'Your ponds at Marly, which, languishing in the sparkling

Holiness', kings as * Your Majesty'; of you we must waters, longed tor their muddy homes. But she al-

speak as ' Your Firmness' ( Voire Soliditi). " In the be- ways tried to shake off this lonesome feeling by engag-

ginning of 1684 Louis XIV married Mme de Mainte- ing in teaching and charitable works. Her charity

non secretly. This marriage is proved, principally: was celebrated, and at Versailles she was called the

(1) by two letters which Godet des Marais, Bishop of " mother of the poor". Of the 93,000 livres ($18,600).

Chartres and spiritual director of Mme de Maintenon, which the king gave her annually, she distributed

wrote to the kmg and Mme de Maintenon in 1697; (2) from 54,000 to 60,000 in alms. Not only did she not

by the marriage contract of the Comte de Choiseul, a profit by her i>06ition to enrich herself, but she did not

contract on which there may be seen, in the comer of make use of it to favour her family. Her brother,

the page, where the king and the Grand Dauphin had Comte d'Aubign^ and formerly lieutenant-general,

also signed, the signature "la marquise d' Aubign6 ". never became a marshal of France.

Mme de Maintenon was to play a prominent part in Mme de Maintenon's great glory is her work in

politics for the next thirty-one years: the king used to the cause of education. She c^ored children. She

come with his ministers to work in her room; she re- brought up her nieces, the Comtesse de Caylus and the

ceived foreign princes, generals, and ambassadors. It Duchesse de Noailles, and attended to the education

was not unusual for Louis XIV to remain with her of the Duchess of Bummdy, who seemed likely to be-

from five to ten o'clock in the evening. She did not come one day Queen of France. When the Court was

thrust herself on the public, but the more she endeav- at Fontainebleau, Mme de Maintenon loved to go to

oured to efface herself, the more her power grew. the little village of AVon to teach catechism to the chil-

For a long time historians have formed an erroneous dren, who were dirty, ragged, and covered with vei>

opinion of &Ime do Maintenon; Uiey judged her sdely min. She also organized Ok «A\^sy\^^st ^^sox. \^NS^^