You are the only person I have ever mentioned
it to, and I must bind you to the strictest secrecy."
This I faithfully promised; and so long as Louis XV lived I kept
my word.
"At the conclusion of the last century, during the month of
September," resumed the king, "it happened that Louis XIV, and
madame de Maintenon formed the wish of consulting together some
learned astrologer, in order to ascertain whether the coming age
would be productive of good or ill to them. As neither of them
knew to whom to apply, in order to attain their object, madame de
Maintenon was compelled to confide her wishes to her friend,
madame de Montchevreuil, who readily engaged to find for her the
person she required; for, spite of the severity with which the law
visited such practices, there was no scarcity of dealers in augury,
who promised good or bad fortune accordingly as they were paid for it.
"Whilst this lady was making diligent search after one perfectly
competent to satisfy madame de Maintenon, this latter, in
conjunction with the king, despite the superiority of their minds,
was greatly disturbed at the probable consequences of the step
they meditated. Their desire to penetrate into futurity appeared
to them as ridiculous as it was criminal, but their weaker feelings
triumphed; and the result of their deliberations was that far
from relinquishing their intention of searching the book of fate,
they should lose neither pains nor trouble to attain their object;
and to encourage each other, they reckoned upon their fingers
the names of every person of their acquaintance, or even belonging
to the court, who had derived profit and advantage from the
predictions of fortune-tellers.
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