s later, at Alais--"I no longer know what to do with the
troops, for the places in which I had meant to, post them get converted
all in a body, and this goes on so quickly that all the men can do is to
sleep for a night at the localities to which I send them. It is certain
that you may add very nearly a third to the estimate given you of the
people of the religion, amounting to the number of a hundred and
eighty-two thousand men, and, when I asked you to give me until the,
25th of next month for their complete conversion, I took too long a
term, for I believe that by the end of the month all will be settled. I
will not, however, omit to tell you that all we have done in these
conversions will be nothing but useless, if the king do not oblige the
bishops to send good priests to instruct the people who want to hear the
gospel preached. But I fear that the king will be worse obeyed in that
respect by the priests than by the religionists. I do not tell you this
without grounds." "There is not a courier who does not bring the king
great causes for joy," writes Madame de Maintenon, "that is to say,
conversions by thousands. I can quite believe that all these
conversions are not sincere, but God makes use of all ways of bringing
back heretics. Their children, at any rate, will be Catholics; their
outward reunion places them within reach of the truth; pray God to
enlighten them all; there is nothing the king has more at heart."

In the month of August, 1684, she said, "The king has a design of
laboring for the entire conversion of the heretics. He often has
conferences about it with M. Le Tellier and M. de Chateauneuf, whereat
I was given to understand that I should not be one too many. M. de
Chateauneuf proposed measures which are not expedient. There must be no
precipitation; it must be conversion, not persecution. M. de Louvois was
for gentleness, which is not in accordance with his nature and his
eagerness to see matters ended. The king is ready to do what is thought
most likely to conduce to the good of religion. Such an achievement will
cover him with glory before God and before men. He will have brought
back all his subjects into the bosom of the church, and will have
destroyed the heresy which his predecessors could not vanquish."

The king's glory was about to be complete; the _gentleness_ of Louvois
had prevailed; he had found himself obliged to moderate the zeal of his
superintendents; "nothing remained