ear, 1676.]

[Footnote 7: An old servant of Sainte Croix's, whose real name was Jean
Amelin.]

[Footnote 8: Nicholas G. de la Reynie was born at Limoges in 1625; he
acquired a sort of Judge Jeffreys' reputation by his cruelties and
bloodthirstiness as president of the _Chambre Ardente_.]

[Footnote 9: These two ladies, Marie and Olympe Mancini, were sisters,
nieces of Mazarin. The latter was promoted to be head of the Queen's
household, and thus provoked the hatred of Madame de Montespan (the
King's mistress) and Louvois, through whose machinations she was
accused before the _Chambre Ardente_.]

[Footnote 10: Francois Henry de Montmorency, Duke of Luxembourg, was
known until 1661 by the name of Bouteville. His name stands high on the
roll of distinguished French Marshals.]

[Footnote 11: Francois Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois
(1639-91), Louis XIV.'s minister at this time.]

[Footnote 12: Her real answer was, "Je le vois en ce moment; il est
fort laid et fort vilain; il est deguise en conseiller d'etat." (I see
him at this moment; he is very ugly and very hideous; he is disguised
as a state councillor.)]

[Footnote 13: The Marquis de la Fare had liaisons, first with Madame de
Rochefort, with Louvois for rival, and afterwards with Madame de la
Sabliere.]

[Footnote 14: This incident is not an invention of the author's. He
states that he got it from Wagenseil's _Chronik von Nuernberg_ (1697),
the said Wagenseilius having been to Paris and paid a visit to
Mademoiselle de Scudery herself. The answer this lady gave the king is
also historically true, according to Hoffmann, and it was spoken under
circumstances almost exactly like those represented in the text.]

[Footnote 15: The old _Louis d'Or_ of Louis XIV. = about L1, 0s. 3d.
(Cf. A _Frederick d'or_ was a gold coin worth five thalers.--Note, p.
281, vol. I.)]

[Footnote 16: One of Louis XIV.'s former mistresses--Marie de
Roussille, Duchess de Fontanges (1661-1681)--is described as being of
great beauty, but deficient in intellectual grace and charm of manner,
and as being arrogant and cold-hearted.]

[Footnote 17: Jean de la Chapelle (1655-1723) attempted to fill the gap
left in the dramatic world by Racine's retirement from play-writing,
though,--it is said, with but indifferent success.]

[Footnote 18: It was constructed after plans by this Claude Perrault in
1666-1670.]

[Footnote 19: The well-known pleasure castle erected by Louis XIV. at
Ve