leave him till she had got him to give her an order for L4000 worth of
plate to be made for her; but by delays, thanks be to God! she died before
she had it. He tells me mighty stories of the King of France, how great a
prince he is. He hath made a code to shorten the law; he hath put out all
the ancient commanders of castles that were become hereditary; he hath
made all the fryers subject to the bishops, which before were only subject
to Rome, and so were hardly the King's subjects, and that none shall
become 'religieux' but at such an age, which he thinks will in a few,
years ruin the Pope, and bring France into a patriarchate. He confirmed
to me the business of the want of paper at the Council-table the other
day, which I have observed; Wooly being to have found it, and did, being
called, tell the King to his face the reason of it; and Mr. Evelyn tells
me several of the menial servants of the Court lacking bread, that have
not received a farthing wages since the King's coming in. He tells me the
King of France hath his mistresses, but laughs at the foolery of our King,
that makes his bastards princes,

[Louis made his own bastards dukes and princes, and legitimatized
them as much as he could, connecting them also by marriage with the
real blood-royal.--B.]

and loses his revenue upon them, and makes his mistresses his masters and
the King of France did never grant Lavalliere

[Louise Francoise de la Baume le Blanc de la Valliere had four
children by Louis XIV., of whom only two survived-Marie Anne
Bourbon, called Mademoiselle de Blois, born in 1666, afterwards
married to the Prince de Conti, and the Comte de Vermandois, born in
1667. In that year (the very year in which Evelyn was giving this
account to Pepys), the Duchy of Vaujour and two baronies were
created in favour of La Valliere, and her daughter, who, in the deed
of creation, was legitimatized, and styled princess.--B.]

any thing to bestow on others, and gives a little subsistence, but no
more, to his bastards. He told me the whole story of Mrs. Stewart's going
away from Court, he knowing her well; and believes her, up to her leaving
the Court, to be as virtuous as any woman in the world: and told me, from
a Lord that she told it to but yesterday, with her own mouth, and a sober
man, that when the Duke of Richmond did make love to her, she did ask the
King, and he did the like also; and that the