“Memoirs of Madame du Barri” by Baron de Etienne-Léon Lamothe-Langon – Ch. 12 and 13
Commonplace Book – Pages 122-123
“Memoirs of Madame du Barri” – Chapter 12: My Power in Peril
- The Comte Guillaume arrives from Toulouse to ask for money, she grants the pension, and wants nothing more to do with him.
- In the meantime, du Barri wants a divorce from Rome. She acquires the service of an abbe. She does not name him.
- The Abbe: “the very worst of the ecclesiastical profession”; witty; lively; eager for advancement; covetous of money; later became a prince of the Church
- The Abbe leaves Paris, with a letter of credit for Cardinal de Bernis who represented the King with the Pope. The Cardinal refuses to grant it. The Marechale de Mirepoix says the Abbe Terray is playing her false for he wants to put Madame Dumerval in du Barri’s place. But the King, after being confronted, says he has no interest in her.
- Princesse de Lamballe: young; tolerably pretty; vivacious; “destitute of wit”; “possessed little or no knowledge of Court life; the new favorite
- Comte Jean goes to the Parc-aux-Cerfs and speaks with Madame. There, he views Josephine de M___ (young, lady of quality), Linettle (Flemish) and Dorothee (native of Auvergne). They want to control Dorothee to distract the King from Lamballe. Chamilly is now Lebel’s successor.
- Dorothee had a lover, and learns from him where she really is and her purpose there. She refuses the King. Dorothee is punished by being confined in a cloister. The lover then finds his way to du Barri to ask for release of Dorothee. du Barri gets the King to agree, Dorothee is released and the lovers are married.
“Memoirs of Madame du Barri” – Chapter 13: A New Lover
- Duc de Cosse Brissac: “one of the most accomplished noblemen of the day”; brave; noble disposition; frank, disinterested conduct; solidity of judgement; “air of chivalrous gallantry”
- du Barri meets him in September in the woods of Fontainebleu. The two fall in love, but he tells her that he is married and loves his wife also. du Barri does not want to come between them. He continues to love her still. The Duchesse de Casse finds out all this but promises to keep quiet.
