was formality, the latter was still gross and brutish. The Marquis
de Caze, at a supper seized a leg of mutton and struck his neighbor
in the face with it, sprinkling her with gravy, whereupon she laughed
heartily; the Count of Bregis, slapped by the lady with whom he was
dancing, tore off her headdress before the whole company; Louis XIII.,
noticing in the crowd admitted to see him dine a lady dressed too
_decollete_, filled his mouth with wine and squirted the liquid into
the bosom of the unfortunate girl; the Prince of Conde, indulging in
customary brutishness, ate dung and had the ladies follow his example;
these are fair illustrations of social _elegances_.

As will be seen, nothing of this nature occurred in the salon of Mme.
de Rambouillet, whose object was to charm her leisure hours, distract
and amuse the husband whom she adored, and be agreeable to her
friends. Her amusements were most original--concerts, mythological
representations, suppers, fireworks, comedies, readings, always
something new, often in the form of a surprise or a joke. Of the
latter, the best known is the one played on the Count of Guise whose
fondness for mushrooms had become proverbial; on one occasion when he
had consumed an immense number of them at table, his valet, who had
been bribed, took in all his doublets; on trying to put them on again,
he found them too narrow by fully four inches. "What in the world is
the matter--am I all swollen--could it be due to having eaten too many
mushrooms?" "That is quite possible," said Chaudebonne; "yesterday you
ate enough of them to split." All the accomplices joined in ridiculing
him, and he began to squirm and show a somewhat livid color. Mass was
rung, and he was compelled to attend in his chamber robe. Laughing, he
said: "That would be a fine end--to die at the age of twenty-one from
having eaten too many mushrooms." In the meantime, Chaudebonne advised
the use of an antidote which he wrote and handed to the count, who
read: "Take a good pair of scissors and cut your doublet." Only then
did the victim comprehend the joke.

One day, Voiture, having met a bear trainer, took him with his animals
to the room of the Marquise de Rambouillet; she, turning at the noise,
saw four large paws resting upon her screen. She readily forgave the
author of the surprise. Du Bled relates many more of these innocent
jokes.

Among the congenial people of the salons, the relations were always of
the most cordial