Chapter XI: Part 11

Bélanger (architect), designs an hôtel
for Sophie Arnould in the Chaussée-d’Antin, 47;
becomes her _amant de cœur_, 48;
his practical joke at the expense of the actor Florence, 48;
wishful to marry Sophie, 48;
narrowly escapes the guillotine, 89;
marries Mlle. Dervieux of the Opera, 89;
his kindness to Sophie Arnould during her last years, 90;
her letters to him, 90, 91;
his letter to Lucien Bonaparte on her behalf, 96, 97

Bernis, Abbé (afterwards Cardinal) de, 4

Bernard, Marie Anne (mother of Mlle. Guimard), 101, 102, 104, 105.

Bertin (farmer-general) “comes to an arrangement” with Sophie Arnould, 37;
presents her to his friends, 38;
his generosity powerless to gain her affection, 38;
discarded by Sophie, 39;
indemnified by the Comte de Lauraguais, 39;
furnishes a handsome apartment for Mlle. Guimard, 105;
supplanted in her affections by M. de Boutourlin, 108

Berton (director of the Opera), 53 note

Bièvre, Marquis de, first _amant en titre_
of Mlle. Raucourt, 159 and note, 160

Billington, Miss (singer), 213

Black, Susannah, her evidence at the inquest
on the Comte and Comtesse d’Antraigues, 337-339

_Blaise et Babet_, Madame Dugazon’s performance in, 209, 210;
played at Trianon by Marie Antoinette and her friends, 209, 210

Boïeldieu (cited), 208

Bompas, commits a burglary at Sophie Arnould’s house at Clichy, 85;
pardoned by her, 86

Bonaparte, Lucien, Sophie Arnould’s letter to him, 94, 95;
promises her a benefit performance at the Opera, 95;
Belanger’s letter to him on her behalf, 96, 97

Boucher (painter), 10

Boudreau (financier), lover of Madame Dugazon, 205, 206

Boufflers, Chevalier de, 53 note

Bouillon, Duc de, 32, 320 note

Bouilly, 217, 221, (cited) 207, 212

Bourbon, Duc de, his offer to Mlle. Raucourt, 156

Boutin (financier), lends money to Sophie Arnould, 85

Boutourilin, M. de, lover of Mlle. Guimard, 108

Boynes (Minister of Marine), Sophie Arnould’s _bon mot_ at his expense, 34

Brancas, Constant de (son of Sophie Arnould and Comte de Lauraguais), 91

Brizard (actor), trains Mlle. Raucourt for the stage, 147 and note;
his speech on the evening of her _début_ at the Comédie-Française, 148;
attacked by the enemies of the actress, 176

Breteuil, Baron de, opposed to the production
of Beaumarchais’s _Mariage de Figaro_, 235;
his opposition overcome by Beaumarchais’s tact, 235, 236;
engages Piccini to come to Paris, 295

Burney, Dr. (cited), 44 note

C

Cabanis (physician), 323

_Camille, ou le souterrain_, Madame Dugazon’s success in, 216

Campan, Madame (cited), 168

Campardon, Émile (cited), 101, 109, 124, 208, 210, 212

Canning, George, 331

_Caprices de Galathée, les_, Mlle. Guimard’s triumph in, 124

Castil-Blaze (cited), 3 note, 91, 304

_Castor et Pollux_, Rameau’s, 33, 51, 52

Cazes, M. de, lover of Madame Dugazon;
compelled by Dugazon to surrender his wife’s letters and portrait, 202, 203;
caned by Dugazon at the Comédie-Italienne, 203, 204

Champcenetz, his attack on Sophie Arnould in _La Chronique scandaleuse_, 86

Champfort, 236

Chasse (singer), 6

Chartres, Duc de, 64, 120

Chartres, Duchesse de, 64

Chesterfield, Earl of, 67

Chevalier, Mlle. (singer), 6

_Chimène_, Sacchini’s, 308

Choiseul, Duc de, Sophie Arnould’s _bon mot_ about him, 34;
releases Lauraguais from prison on her petition, 42

Choiseul-Praslin, Duc de, 34

Clairon, Mlle., gives Sophie Arnould lessons in acting, 18;
her pension compared with that of Sophie Arnould, 78
trains Mlle. Raucourt for the stage, 147 and note

_Clytemnestre_, Comte de Lauraguais’s, 35 note

Cléophile, Mlle., 160

Colasse (composer), 15 note

Collé, 112, 120, (cited) 17, 24, 26 note

Collette, Mlle., 108

Contat, Amalrie (daughter of Louise Contat and the Comte d’Artois), 245, 261

Contat, Émilie, 252

Contat, Louise, her parentage, 225 and note;
adopted and trained for the stage by the Prévilles, 225;
her _début_ at the Comédie-Française, 226;
her success in comedy, 226;
cabal formed against her at the theatre, 226, 227;
her success as Rosalie in _Les Courtisanes_, 228, 229;
and as Sophie in _Le vieux garçon_, 229, 230;
chosen by Beaumarchais for the part of
Suzanne in his _Mariage de Figaro_, 231;
her triumph in this part, 239, 240;
her personal appearance, 240;
her _liaison_ with the Chevalier de Lubsac, 240-242;
rejects the advances of a wealthy financier, 242;
squandering the patrimony of the Marquis de Maupeou, 242, 243;
discards him in favour of the Comte d’Artois, 243;
her ruse to stimulate the latter’s generosity, 243, 244;
authorised to play _biribi_ at her house, 244;
has a daughter, 245;
abandoned by the Comte d’Artois, 245;
her relations with Desentelles and the actor Fleury, 245;
in financial difficulties, 245, 246;
adventure with Prince Henry of Prussia, 246-248;
her success in _Les Deux Pages_, 248, 249;
inimitable in high comedy, 249, 250;
her triumphs in the provinces, 250;
verses addressed to her by a blind admirer, 251;
her imperious character, 251;
her quarrel with Alexandre Duval, 251;
unable to endure a rival on the stage, 251, 252;
her efforts on behalf of her sister Émilie Contat, 282;
her attachment to Marie Antoinette, 252, 253;
escapes the guillotine, 283;
enthusiasm aroused by her at Bordeaux, 253, 254;
her popularity in society, 254, 255;
her qualities as an hostess, 255;
her wit, 255, 256;
her magnanimity, 256;
her attraction for men of letters, 256-258;
Napoleon an admirer of her acting, 258;
her marriage, 258;
her last appearance, 258, 259;
her illness and death, 259-261;
her daughter Amalrie Contat, 261

Conti, Prince de, pays assiduous attentions to Sophie Arnould, 43;
invites her to his box at the Opera, 45;
“wishes her to be entirely his own,” 45 note;
gives her a pension, 80 note

Conti, Princesse de, takes Sophie Arnould to live with her, 5;
suggests that she shall sing at the Abbey of Panthémont in Holy Week, 7;
embarrassed by Madame de Pompadour’s desire to see Sophie, 9;
endeavours to conceal Sophie in a convent, 11, 12;
encourages the suit of the Chevalier de Malézieux, 12, 13

_Cour du Roi Pétaud, la_, Comte de Lauraguais, 25, 26 and note

_Courtisanes, les_, anecdote about its
rejection by the Comédie-Française, 228, 229;
Mlle. Contat’s performance in, 229

Crébillon _fils_, 46

D

Dalayrac (composer), 210, 211, 212, 213, 217

_Danaïdes_, Salieri’s, 308, 309

Dangeville, Mlle., 226, 239

_Dardanus_, Sophie Arnould’s performance in, 42, 50, 51

Dauberval (dancer), one of the lovers of Mlle. Guimard, 113 note

Dauvergne (director of the Opera), 126, 127, 311, 313, 315, 318, 322, 324, 325

David, Jaques Louis (painter), Mlle. Guimard’s kindness to him, 118, 119

Dervieux, Mlle., 90, 116, 121

Desentelles (Intendant of the Menus-Plaisirs), 245

Des Essarts (actor), 183

Desfaucherets, 257

Despréaux, Jean Étienne, his parody of _Ernelinde_ performed
at Mlle. Guimard’s hôtel in the Chaussée-d’Antin, 122;
and before the Court at Choisy, 122;
receives a pension from Louis XVI., 122;
marries Mlle. Guimard, 136, 137;
his career, 136 note;
loses his pensions at the Revolution, 138;
becomes stage-manager at the Opera, 138;
resigns his post, 138;
his _Passe-Temps_, 139;
celebrates his wife’s charms in verse, 139;
appointed inspector of the Opera and the theatre of the Tuileries, 139;
dances with his wife, 140

Desnoiresterres, Gustave (cited), 58, 71

_Devin du Village_, Sophie Arnould’s performance in, 54 note

Devismes (director of the Opera), 282

Devonshire, Elizabeth Cavendish, Duchess of,
her friendship for Mlle. Guimard, 135

_Deux Pages, les_, 246-249

Dezède (composer), 247, 248

Diderot, 4, (cited) 27, 28, 35, 36

_Didon_, Le Franc de Pompignan’s, 148, 149, 151, 152, 171, 172

_Didon_, Piccini’s, 296-306, 307, 308, 309, 312

Douglas, Mr. R. B. (cited), 14, 54, 66, 88, 97

Dodé de Jousserand, libels the administration of the Opera, 276

Dorat (poet), 46, 124, 125

Drais, Claude (goldsmith), marries the daughter
of Mlle. Guimard and La Borde, 109, 110

Du Barry, Madame, “unexampled audacity” of
Sophie Arnould towards, 49 and note;
does not attend the first performance of _Iphigénie en Aulide_, 64;
compared with Mlle. Guimard, 114;
sends two kisses to Voltaire, 121;
presents Mlle. Raucourt with a _robe de théâtre_, 152

Dubois, Antoine (surgeon), 260

Ducis, his adaptations of Shakespeare, 258 and note

Duclos, 79

Du Hausset (_femme de chambre_ to Madame de Pompadour), 9

Dumesnil, Mlle., 150, 161

Duplant, Mlle., 73 note

Duranceray, Mlle., 266, 277

Duras, Duc de, his quarrel with Mlle. Sainval the elder, 169, 170;
causes those who hiss Mlle. Raucourt to be arrested, 173;
satirised in _La Vision du prophète Daniel_, 176

Duthé, Mlle., 121

Duval, Alexandre, his quarrel with Mlle. Contat, 251

Dugazon, Gustave (son of Madame Dugazon), 22, 121 and note

Dugazon, Louis (actor), marries Louise Lefèvre, 199;
his singular character, 200;
insults Marie Antoinette at an Opera-ball, 201;
quarrels with his wife, 202;
forces M. de Cazes to surrender his wife’s letters, 202, 203;
canes him at the Comédie-Italienne, 203, 204;
his affray with the Marquis de Langeac, 205;
resigns himself to his wife’s infidelity, 205;
his conduct during the Revolution, 219 note;
his death, 219 note

Dugazon, Madame, birth and parentage, 197;
makes her _début_ at the Comédie-Italienne, 197;
attracts the attention of Grétry, 197;
receives lessons from Justine Favart, 198;
her gratitude to her, 198;
her success in _Sylvain_, 198;
other successes, 198;
idolised by the public, 199;
surrounded by adorers, 199;
marries Dugazon, of the Comédie-Française, 199;
quarrels with her husband, 201, 202;
her _liaison_ with M. de Cazes, 202-204;
with the Marquis de Langeac, 204, 205;
with the financier Boudreau, 205;
and with Garat, 206;
her talent, 207;
greater as an actress than a singer, 208;
her success in _Blaise et Babet_, 209;
in _Alexis et Justine_, 210;
and in _Le Dot_, 210, 211;
her brilliant triumph in _Nina, ou la Folle par amour_, 211-214;
receives a magnificent reception at Lyons, 214, 215;
goes to England, 215, 216;
returns to the Comédie-Italienne, 216;
abandons juvenile heroines for young matrons, 216;
her amiable qualities, 216, 217;
her generosity, 217, 218;
a Royalist to the core, 218, 219;
incident during a performance of
_Les Événements imprévus_, in 1792, 219, 220;
retires temporarily from the Comédie-Italienne, 220;
returns to the stage, 220;
her joy at the Restoration, 220;
her audience of Louis XVIII. at Saint-Ouen, 221;
her affection for her son Gustave, 221;
her death, 221

E

Edwards, Mr. Sutherland (cited), 37 note, 145

_Électre_, Lemoine’s, 285

Elliot, Mrs., 219

_Embarrass des richesses, l’_, Madame
Saint-Huberty’s success in, 288 and note;
its ridiculous libretto, 288, 289

_Énée et Lavinie_, Sophie Arnould’s appearance in, 15, 16

_Espion Anglais, l’_, (cited) 20

_Euthyme et Lyris_, Sophie Arnould’s appearance in, 75

Étioles, Alexandrine d’, 10

F

_Fausse Lord, le_, incident during a performance of, 302 note

Favart, Charles Simon (cited), 37 note

Favart, Justine, gives lessons to Madame Dugazon, 190

Fleury, not indifferent to the charms of Mlle. Contat, 245;
attempts to pacify her creditors, 245;
always her faithful and devoted friend, 246;
his masterly impersonation of Frederick the
Great in _Les Deux Pages_, 249 and note;
arrested and imprisoned in the Madelonettes, 184;
saved by Labussière, 184-186;
plays with Mlle. Contat at Bordeaux, 254;
(cited), 134, 158, 182, 184, 225, 227, 236, 237, 238, 249 note, 259-261

Fontenelle, 4, 15 and note

Forbes, Lord, 25

Fouché, 337

Fouquier-Tinville, 184, 185

Fragonard (painter) plays a practical joke on Mlle. Guimard, 119

Francœur (musician), 59, 138

Frederick the Great, 179, 248, 249

Fréron, 14, 230

Fronsac, Duc de, 21, 232

G

Gaboriau Émile, (cited) 114, 148, 198, 232, 282, 288, 303, 308

Gaillard, Gabriel Henri, his report to the
Government on Beaumarchais’s _Mariage de Figaro_, 233, 234

Garrick, David, anecdote of, 230 note

Gauthier-Villars, M., 80

Gavaudan, Mlle. (singer), 316

Geoffrin, Madame, 111

Geoffroy (critic), his criticisms of Mlle. Contat’s acting, 258

Gluck, invited to Paris by Marie Antoinette, 57;
chooses Sophie Arnould for the name-part in _Iphigénie en Aulide_, 57;
difficulties with which he has to contend, 57-62;
his quaint behaviour at rehearsals, 62, 63;
refuses to consent to a postponement of _Iphigénie_, 63;
success of his opera, 66;
adapts _Orfeo_ for the Paris stage, 66;
his quarrel with the Prince d’Hénin at Sophie Arnould’s house, 66-68;
production of his _Orphée_, 68;
failure of his _Cythère assiégée_, 68, 69;
gives lessons in singing to Rosalie Levasseur, 70;
chooses her for the part of Alceste in preference to Sophie Arnould, 71, 72;
is “the musician of the soul,” 73;
attacked in _Le Nouveau Spectateur_, 75;
disgraceful treatment of Sophie Arnould by his supporters, 75, 76;
his tribute to Sophie Arnould’s talent, 96;
his prediction concerning Madame Saint-Huberty, 266;
gives her lessons, 274, 275 and note;
obtains a post for her husband, 276;
his contest with Piccini, 295, 296

Goncourt, Edmond and Jules de, (cited) 18, 60

Grétry (composer), 197, 198, 288;
(cited) 59, 60, 208

Greuze (painter), his portrait of Sophie Arnould, 19

Guadagni (singer), 66

Grimm (cited), 43, 44, 65, 68, 114, 123, 148, 149, 152 and note, 154,
161, 163, 164, 173, 180, 209, 210, 213, 229, 302 and note, 304

Guéménée, Prince de, 130, 131

Guichard, lampoons Sophie Arnould, 71, 72

Guimard, Fabien (father of Mlle. Guimard), 101, 102

Guimard, Marie Madeleine, birth and parentage, 101, 112;
education, 103;
joins the _corps de ballet_ of the Comédie-Française, 103;
her _liaison_ with the dancer Léger, 104, 105;
and with the financier Bertin, 105;
makes her _début_ at the Opera, 105;
her success in _Castor et Pollux_, 105, 106;
growing in favour, 106;
her dancing “the poetry of motion,” 106, 107;
her personal appearance, 107, 108;
her adorers, 108;
her _liaison_ with La Borde, 108, 109;
marriage of her daughter by him, 109, 110;
accepts the “protection” of the Prince de Soubise, 110;
unrivalled in magnificence, 110, 111;
her appearance at Longchamps, 111;
her suppers, 111;
her theatre at Pantin, 112, 113;
Jarente, Bishop of Orléans, becomes her lover, 113;
and allows her to control the _feuille des bénéfices_, 114;
her generosity, 114-116;
her hôtel in the Chaussée d’Antin, 116-118;
befriends Jacques Louis David, the painter, 118, 119;
Fragonard’s practical joke at her expense, 119;
inauguration of her private theatre in the Chaussée d’Antin, 119;
compelled to give La Borde his _congé_, 120, 121;
fête at her hôtel forbidden by Louis XVI., 121, 122;
her triumph in _La Chercheuse d’esprit_, 123;
and in _Ninette à la Cour_, 124;
other successes, 124;
Dorat’s verses to her, 124, 125;
the cause of much trouble to the administration of the Opera, 125-128;
receives a pension, 128;
has a narrow escape of her life, 128;
in the fire at the Opera-House in the Haymarket, 129;
has her arm broken, 129;
resigns the pension allowed her by the Prince de Soubise, 129-131;
disposes of her hôtel in the Chaussée-d’Antin by lottery, 132, 133;
her visits to England, 134, 135;
caricature of her, 136;
marries Jean Étienne Despréaux, 136-138;
loses her pensions during the Revolution, 138;
goes to live at Montmartre, 138, 139;
her charms celebrated by her husband in verse, 139;
her last performance, 145;
her “theatre,” 140, 141;
her death, 141

Guimard, Marie Madeleine the younger, her birth, 109;
acknowledged by her parents, 109;
her marriage, 109, 110;
her mother’s grief at her death, 110

H

Hawkins, Mr. Frederick (cited), 145 note, 258 note

Hebditch, David, his evidence at the
inquest on the Comte and Comtesse d’Antraigues, 320-341

Heinel, Mlle. (_danseuse_), her _début_ at the Opera, 43;
Grimm’s enthusiasm for her, 44;
her visit to England, 44 note;
mistress of the Comte de Lauraguais, 45

_Henriette_, Mlle. Raucourt’s, 178-181

Henry of Prussia, Prince, Mlle. Contat’s adventure with him, 246-248

Hitchin, William, his evidence at the
inquest on the Comte and Comtesse d’Antraigues, 341, 342

Holbach, Baron d’, 96

Huet (actor), harangues Louis XVIII.
on the day of Mlle. Raucourt’s funeral, 192

Hus, Mlle., 38

Hénin, Prince d’, becomes _amant en titre_ to Sophie Arnould, 46;
bores her insufferably, 54;
a victim of the “inextinguishable humour”
of the Comte de Lauraguais, 54, 55;
his quarrel with Gluck at Sophie Arnould’s house, 66-67;
compelled to apologise to the composer, 67, 68;
threatens the directors of the Opera with corporal punishment, 72;
guillotined, 89;
one of Mlle. Raucourt’s warmest partisans, 171;
deserts Sophie Arnould for her, 177, 178;
assists her to outwit her creditors, 178;
bitterly attacked in _La Vision du prophète Daniel_, 176

I

_Iphigénie en Aulide_, Gluck’s, 57, 58, 62-66, 68, 69, 73 and note, 76, 96

_Iphigénie en Tauride_, Piccini’s, 32, 284 and note, 296

J

Jal, Auguste (cited), 145, 226

Jarente, Bishop of Orléans, his _liaison_ with Mlle. Guimard, 33, 113, 114

Jéliotte (singer), 6

Joly, Mlle., 187

Joly de Fleury (advocate-general),
his dispute with the Comte de Lauraguais, 40, 41

_Journal de Paris, le_ (cited), 171, 259, 286

Jullien, M. Adolphe (cited), 308, 309 note, 343

L

La Borde, Jean Benjamin de, makes
alterations in the music of _Amadis de Gaule_, 53 note;
lover of Mlle. Guimard, 109;
his character, 109;
his _Pensées et Maximes_, 109 note;
his daughter by her, 109;
supplanted as titular protector by the Prince de Soubise, 110;
but remains her _amant de cœur_, 110;
given his _congé_, 120, 121;
goes to visit Voltaire, 121

Labussière, Charles de, destroys the accusatory documents relating
to the imprisoned actors of the Comédie-Française, 184-186

La Ferté (Intendant of the Menus Plaisirs),
127, 132, 291, 292, 300, 305, 306, 312, 313, 324, 325

Laguerre, Mlle., her _liaison_ with the Duc de Bouillon, 32 and 320;
Sophie Arnould’s _bons mots_ about her, 32

La Harpe (cited), 76 note, 163, 168, 173, 174, 180

Lalande (composer), 7

Langeac, Marquis de, lover of Madame Dugazon, 204;
his affray with her husband, 204, 205

Larive (actor), 187

Larrivée (singer), 61, 70, 275

La Tour (painter), his portrait of Sophie Arnould, 19

Lau, Comtesse de, 133

Lauraguais, Comte de, takes up his residence,
under an assumed character, at the Arnoulds’ hôtel, 21, 22;
elopes with Sophie Arnould, 23;
his letter to her parents, 24;
his eccentric character, 24, 25;
anecdotes about him, 25-27;
his _liaison_ with Sophie Arnould, 28, 29;
discarded by her, 35, 36;
her letter to him, 36, 37;
resumption of their relations, 39, 40;
his _Mémoire sur l’inoculation_, 40, 41;
imprisoned at Metz, 41, 42;
his release procured by Sophie Arnould, 42;
separated from his wife, 42, 43;
indulging in “_passades_,” 43;
purchases the favours of Mlle. Heinel, 45;
“a charming instance of his inextinguishable humour,” 52-54;
in exile, 89;
Sophie Arnould’s letter to him, in 1797, 92, 93;
befriends her in her poverty and old age, 93

La Vauguyon, Duc de, Sophie Arnould’s _bon mot_ about him, 33, 34

La Vrilliére, Duc de, 37, 62

Lebrun: _see_ Vigée Lebrun

Le Doux (architect), 119

Legouvé, Ernest, 187; (cited) 257 note

Legros (singer), 61, 63, 68, 71, 74, 275

Le Maure, Mlle, (singer), 17 and note

Lemercier, 257 and note

Lemierre, 257

Lemoine (composer), his kindness to Madame
Saint-Huberty when a child, 267, 268;
her efforts on behalf of his _Électre_, 285;
his _Phèdre_ given precedence over Sacchini’s _Œdipe_, 310;
ruse by which its success is secured, 311

Levacher de Charnois, (cited) 286

Levasseur, Rosalie, a bitter rival of Sophie Arnould, 57;
infatuation of Mercy-Argenteau for her, 69, 70;
receives lessons from Gluck, 70;
persuades him to entrust her with the part
of Alceste in preference to Sophie Arnould, 70, 71;
causes a disgraceful lampoon to be circulated about Sophie, 71, 72;
attacked in _Le Nouveau Spectateur_, 74;
not satisfactory as Armide in Sacchini’s _Renaud_, 289;
her talent on the wane, 291;
doubles Madame Saint-Huberty as Armide, 317

Ligne, Prince de, a visitor at Sophie Arnould’s house, 79;
secures the release of Mlle. Raucourt from For l’Évéque, 166

Louis XIV., his gastronomic feats, 30, 31 and note

Louis XV., satirised by the Comte de Lauraguais
in _La Cour du Roi Pétaud_, 25, 26 and note;
fears Sophie Arnould’s wit, 31;
regards Lauraguais as a public nuisance, 41;
admires Sophie Arnould’s singing in _Dardanus_, 42;
compliments and rewards Mlle. Raucourt, 151;
reported to have enjoyed that lady’s favours, 159

Louis XVI., attends the first performance of _Iphigénie en Aulide_, 64;
forbids a fête at Mlle. Guimard’s hôtel, 122;
amused by Despréaux’s parody of _Ernelinde_, 122;
“led by the nose” by Marie Antoinette, 168;
orders Dugazon to insult the Queen at an Opera-ball, 201;
pronounces the _Mariage de Figaro_ “detestable” and “unactable,” 230;
forbids its performance at the Théâtre des Menus-Plaisirs, 232;
causes six censors to be appointed to examine it, 237;
delighted with Piccini’s _Didon_, 300

Louis XVIII., gives audience to Madame Dugazon at Saint-Ouen, 218

Lourdet de Sans-Terre, extraordinary anachronisms committed by him
in the libretto of _l’Embarras des richesses_, 288, 289

Lubomirska, Princess, befriends Madame Saint-Huberty at Warsaw, 272, 274

Lubsac, Chevalier de, first lover of Mlle. Contat, 240;
anecdote about him, 241, 242

Lulli (composer), 15

M

Maillard, Mlle., 305, 316

Maisonneuve, 257

Malézieux, Chevalier de, a suitor for Sophie Arnould’s hand, 12;
his pretensions encouraged by the Princess de Conti, 13;
offers to settle all his property on Sophie, 13;
takes to his bed on learning of her elopement with Lauraguais, 23

Marat, 88 and note, 183

Marais (inspector of police), 101, 103

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, invites Gluck to Paris, 57;
supports him against the rebellious artistes of the Opera, 63;
in great alarm for his success, 64;
attends the first performance of _Iphigénie en Aulide_, 64 and note;
commands the Prince d’Hénin to apologise to the composer, 67;
intervenes on behalf of Sophie Arnould, 75, 77;
Mlle. Raucourt presented to her, 151;
espouses the cause of this actress against her enemies, 171;
plays in _Blaise et Babet_ at Trianon, 209;
incident during her last appearance at the play, 219;
supports Mlle. Vanhove against the Contats, 252;
Mlle. Contat’s attachment to her, 252, 253;
gives Lemoine’s _Phèdre_ precedence over the _Œdipe_ of Sacchini, 310

Marie Leczinska, Queen of France, Sophie Arnould’s visit to her, 8, 9;
makes Sophie one of the singers of her chamber, 11

Marivaux, 249

Marmontel, a visitor at Sophie Arnould’s house, 79;
writes the libretto of _Sylvain_, 198;
secures a pension for Piccini, 298;
writes the libretto of Piccini’s _Didon_, 297;
Madame Saint-Huberty sings her part at his country-house, 297;
kneels at her feet after the first performance of _Didon_, 301;
writes the libretto of _Pénélope_, 309

Maupeou, Marquis de, lover of Mlle. Contat, 242, 243, 246

Marsollier (dramatist), 212, 217

_Mémoires secrets, les_, (cited) 45, 54, 64,
75, 114 note, 121, 149, 163, 167, 178, 180, 181, 260, 290, 302

Mercier (cited), 59

_Mercure de France, le_ (cited), 14, 15, 16, 53, 54 note, 65,
68, 105, 106, 123, 149, 163, 229 note, 275, 284, 288 note

Mercy-Argenteau, Comte de (Austrian Ambassador
in Paris), his infatuation for Rosalie Levasseur, 69, 70;
persuades Gluck to give her lessons in singing, 70;
and the part of Alceste in preference to Sophie Arnould, 71

Merlin de Douai, 188

Mesmer fails to cure Sophie Arnould’s dog, 79, 80

Métra, 319;
(cited) 65, 301, 320

Mirabeau, 321

Miromesnil, M. de, his wager with the Comte de Vaudreuil, 230 note

Molé (actor), 183

Molière, 182, 249

Moreau _le jeune_ (painter), 286, 299, 300

Mouret (composer), 14

N

Napoleon I., Emperor, sends Mlle. Raucourt
to Italy with a troupe of French players, 190;
an admirer of Mlle. Contat’s acting, 258;
attends her benefit performance, 259;
verses incorrectly ascribed to him, 308

Neufchâteau, François de, gives Sophie Arnould a pension, 92;
resigns his post as Minister of the Interior, 93;
the production of his _Paméla_ causes the
arrest of the players of the Comédie-Française, 183;
persuades the Consular Government to reorganise the Comédie-Française, 189

_Nina, ou la Folle par amour_, Madame Dugazon’s success in, 211-214, 216

_Ninette à la Cour_, 124, 285

Nivelon (dancer), 128 note, 311

Noverre (cited), 108

O

_Œdipe_, Sacchini’s, 310

_Orphée et Eurydice_, Gluck’s, 66, 68

P

Pallisot, his _Courtisanes_, 228, 229

Parny, Paul de Forges, marries Mlle. Contat, 258

_Pénélope_, Piccini’s, Madame Saint-Huberty’s success in, 309

Pergolese, his _Serva Padrona_ performed in Paris, 58

Perregaux (banker), becomes the owner
of Mlle. Guimard’s hôtel in the Chaussée d’Antin, 133;
her letters to him from London, 134, 135

_Phèdre_, Lemoine’s, secured, by Madame
Saint-Huberty, precedence over Sacchini’s _Œdipe_, 310;
ruse by which its success is assured, 311

_Phèdre_, Racine’s, Mlle. Raucourt’s hostile reception in, 172-174

Piccini, production of his _Roland_, 283, 284;
his gratitude to Madame Saint-Huberty, 284;
saves her from being expelled from the Opera, 287;
his contest with Gluck, 295, 296;
receives a pension, 296;
agrees to compose his _Didon_, 296, 297;
its brilliant success, 300-305;
failure of his _Pénélope_, 309

Pompadour, Madame de, Sophie Arnould’s visit to her, 9-11

Portail, Madame, her conversation with Sophie Arnould, 28, 29

Préville, superior to Dugazon as a comedian, 200;
adopts Louise Contat and trains her for the stage, 225;
secures her admission as a regular member of the Comédie-Française, 227;
anecdote about him and Garrick, 230 note;
plays Brid’oison in _Mariage de Figaro_, 239

_Provençale, la_, Sophie Arnould’s success in, 15

_Pygmalion_, Mlle. Raucourt’s success in, 163

Q

Quidor (inspector of police) pursues the dancer Nivelon to Belgium, 128 note;
ingenious ruse by which he secures the success of Lemoine’s _Phèdre_, 311

R

Rameau (composer), 51

Raucourt, François (father of Mlle. Raucourt),
his unsuccessful _début_ at the Comédie-Française, 146;
goes with his daughter to Spain, 146;
accompanies her to Paris, 147;
a jealous guardian of her honour, 154;
utters terrible threats against Voltaire, 157

Raucourt, Mlle., birth and parentage, 145 note, 146;
goes to Spain with a French troupe, 146;
plays at Rouen, 146;
comes to Paris with her father, 147;
studies under Brizard and Mlle. Clairon, 147 and note;
astonishing success of her _début_ in
Le Franc de Pompignan’s _Didon_, 148, 149;
her talent greatly overrated, 150;
becomes the idol of the town, 150, 151;
plays before the Court at Versailles, 151;
presented by Madame du Barry with a _robe de théâtre_, 151;
frantic enthusiasm evoked by her acting, 152;
a cabal formed against her at the Comédie-Française, 152, 153;
her popularity enhanced by her reputation for virtue, 154-156;
her reputation attacked by Voltaire, 156-158;
his verses to her, 158;
her _galanterie_ with the Duc d’Aiguillon, 159;
becomes the acknowledged mistress of the Marquis de Bièvre, 159;
leads a life of luxury and extravagance, 160;
her _liaison_ with the Marquis de Villette, 160;
“astonishes Court and town by her irregularities,” 161;
loses her popularity, 161;
hissed when playing Hermione in _Andromaque_, 162;
accused of shameful vices, 162 and note, 163;
her success as the Statue in _Pygmalion_, 163;
intrigues against her at the theatre, 163;
swoons after meeting with a hostile reception in _Britannicus_, 164;
persecuted by her creditors, 164;
flies from Paris and goes into hiding, 164;
expelled from the Comédie-Française, 165;
her adventures with Madame Souck, 165, 166;
arrested, 166;
released through the intervention of the Prince de Ligne, 166, 167;
leaves France, 167;
recalled to Paris, 170;
befriended by Sophie Arnould, 170, 171;
reappears at the Comédie-Française in _Didon_, 171, 172;
meets with a violently hostile reception, 172;
disgracefully treated on her appearance in _Phèdre_, 172, 173;
declines to bow to the storm, 174;
her letter to the _Journal de Paris_, 175;
attacked in _La Vision du prophète Daniel_, 176, 177;
commits “an act of frightful ingratitude,” 177;
still in financial difficulties, 178;
her play _Henriette_ produced at the Comédie-Française, 178-181;
her success in a masculine part in _Le Jaloux_, 181;
regaining her popularity, 181, 182;
sympathises with the Royal Family in the Revolution, 183;
arrested and imprisoned in Saint-Pélagie, 183;
saved from the guillotine by Labussière, 184-186;
takes the Théâtre de Louvois, 187;
her success in Legouvé’s _Laurence_, 187;
her theatre closed by the Directory, 188;
takes the Odéon, 188;
makes no secret of her monarchical sympathies, 189;
growing rich, 189, 190;
her “palace” in the Rue Royale, 190;
takes a French troupe to Italy, 190;
her last appearance, 190;
her death, 190;
scandalous scenes at her funeral, 190-193

_Renaud_, Sacchini’s, 289

Richelieu, Maréchal de, 156, 157

Rochefort, Comte de, enriches Mlle. Guimard’s jewel-case, 108

_Roland_, Piccini’s, 283

Rousseau, Jean Jacques, 163, 321

S

Sageret (theatrical manager) induces the members of
the Comédie-Française to migrate to the Théâtre-Feydeau, 187;
brings the expelled members of the
Théâtre de la République to the same theatre, 188;
takes over the Odéon from Mlle. Raucourt, 188;
goes bankrupt and disappears, 189

Sacchini, Madame Saint-Huberty’s success in his _Renaud_, 289;
and in his _Chimène_, 308;
Lemoine’s _Phèdre_ given precedence over his _Œdipe à Colone_, 310;
his death, 310

Saint-Aubin (singer), object of a
violent fancy on the part of Madame Saint-Huberty, 312, 313

Saint-Aubin, Madame, 313

Saint-Huberty, Claude Croisilles de, visits Strasburg, 268;
persuades Antoinette Clavel to accompany him to Berlin, 269;
and to marry him, 269, 270;
ill-treats and deserts her, 270;
persuades her to rejoin him at Warsaw, 271;
arrested at Berlin and thrown into prison, 271;
his release procured by his wife, 272;
decamps from Warsaw with all her belongings, 272;
persuades her to rejoin him in Vienna, 274;
deserts her for the third time, 274;
appointed wardrobe-keeper at the Paris Opera, 276;
persecutes and robs his wife, 276;
her complaint to the Châtelet against him, 277;
his outrageous treatment of her, 278, 279;
lays claim to her professional
earnings through fictitious creditors, 279, 280;
his marriage with her dissolved, 281

Saint-Huberty, Madame, Gluck’s prediction concerning her, 265, 266;
her birth and parentage, 267;
her early years at Strasburg, 267;
Lemoine’s kindness to her, 267, 268;
meets Saint-Huberty, 268, 269;
accompanies him to Berlin, 269;
marries him, 270;
ill-treated and deserted by him, 270;
rejoins him at Warsaw, 271;
her success in _Zémor et Azor_, 271;
procures her husband’s release from prison, 272;
deserted and robbed by him, 272;
befriended by the Princess Lubomirska, 272;
obtains a separation from her husband in respect of property, 273;
rejoins him in Vienna, 274;
deserted by him for the third time, 274;
obtains an _ordre de début_ at the Paris Opera, 275;
receives lessons from Gluck, 274, 275 and note;
makes her _début_, 275;
persecuted and robbed by her husband, 276;
lodges a complaint against him before the Châtelet, 277, 278;
shamefully ill-treated by him, 278, 279;
her professional earnings claimed by him through fictitious creditors, 280;
obtains judgment in her favour, 280;
and a dissolution of her marriage, 281;
steadily making her way to the front, 281, 282;
becomes a permanent member of the Opera, 283;
her triumph as Angélique in Piccini’s _Roland_, 283, 284;
further successes, 284;
her efforts on behalf of Lemoine’s _Électre_, 285;
endeavours to promote the reform of theatrical costumes, 286;
her success in _Ariane dans l’Île de Naxos_, 287;
saved by Piccini from being expelled from the Opera, 287;
her success in Grétry’s _l’Embarras des richesses_, 288, 289;
and in Sacchini’s _Renaud_, 289;
her personal appearance, 289, 290;
“effects a well-nigh physical transformation on the stage,” 290;
her dispute with the authorities
of the Opera over her salary and privileges, 290-294;
all her demands conceded, 294;
sings her part in Piccini’s _Didon_ at Marmontel’s country-house, 297;
goes on a provincial tour, 297;
modesty not one of her failings, 298;
insists on a radical change in costume, 299, 300;
her brilliant triumph in _Didon_, 300-306;
extraordinary enthusiasm aroused by her in the provinces, 306;
her receptions at Marseilles, Toulouse, and Strasburg, 306-308;
fresh successes in Paris, 308, 309;
obtains precedence for Lemoine’s _Phèdre_
over the _Œdipe_ of Sacchini, 310, 311;
her character less agreeable than her talent, 311, 312;
her passion for the tenor Saint-Aubin, 312, 313;
her arrogance and capriciousness, 313-315;
goes to Strasburg without permission, 315;
encourages the younger members of the Opera in insubordination, 317-319;
her disputes with the administration over her costumes, 317-319;
her private life comparatively free from scandal, 319, 320;
her relations with the Comte d’Antraigues, 320-323;
her charming letter to him, 323, 324;
her health undermined by her exertions, 324, 325;
leaves Paris and joins the Comte d’Antraigues in Switzerland, 326;
secretly married to him, 326, 327;
bears him a son, 327;
acknowledged as his wife by the count, 328;
assists him to escape from Milan, 329;
receives the Order of Saint-Michel from the Comte de Provence, 329, 330;
and a pension from the Emperor of Austria, 330 note;
accompanies her husband to England, 330;
assassinated with him by their servant Lorenzo, 331-343;
“the greatest lyric _tragédienne_ whom France has ever possessed,” 343

Sainval, Mlle. the elder, intrigues against Mlle. Raucourt, 153;
her quarrel with Madame Vestris, 167, 168;
insults the Duc de Duras, 168, 169;
expelled from the Comédie-Française and exiled, 169;
indignation which her punishment arouses, 169;
received in the provinces with frantic enthusiasm, 169;
believed to be responsible for the hostile
demonstrations against Mlle. Raucourt, 174;
her _bon mot_ about Mlle. Raucourt, 181

Sainval, Mlle. the younger, takes the place
of Mlle. Raucourt at the Comédie-Française, 165;
adversely criticised, 165 note;
scene during her impersonation of Aménaïde in _Tancrède_, 169

Sedaine, 217

Salieri, his _Danaïdes_, 309

Sully, Duc de, Sophie Arnould’s _bon mot_ about him and Choiseul, 34

Soubise, Prince de, _amant en titre_ of Mlle. Guimard, 110;
his predilection for the ladies of the Opera, 110;
his liberality, 110;
gives Mlle. Guimard a New Year’s gift of 6000 livres, 114;
compels her to give La Borde his _congé_, 120, 121;
replaces her by Mlle. Zacharie, 129, 130;
the pensions which he allows her and other
_danseuses_ resigned by them, 130, 131

T

Talma sympathises with the Revolution, 182;
withdraws from the Comédie-Française and
founds the Théâtre de la République, 182;
joins the Théâtre-Feydeau on the closing of his own theatre, 188

Talma, Madame, 251

_Tancrède_, incident during a performance of, 169

Taravel (painter), 117

Terrai, Abbé, Sophie Arnould’s _bon mot_ about him, 34

V

Vallayer Coster, Madame, her portrait of Madame Saint-Huberty, 290

Vandreuil, Comte de (dancer), his wager with M. de Miromesnil, 230 note;
his efforts on behalf of the _Mariage de Figaro_, 230, 231, 232

Vestris, Auguste (dancer), 126

Vestris Gaetano (dancer), 61, 62

Vestris, Madame, disobliges Mlle. Clairon, 147 note;
organises a cabal against Mlle. Raucourt, 153;
her quarrel with Mlle. Sainval the elder, 167-170;
urges the reinstatement of Mlle. Raucourt at the Comédie-Française, 170;
attacked in _La Vision du prophète Daniel_, 176

_Vision du prophète Daniel, la_, satire on
Mlle. Raucourt and her friends, 176, 177

Vigée Lebrun, Madame (cited), 208, 220, 235

Voisenon, Abbé de, 41

Voltaire, a friend of Madame Arnould, 4;
his letter to Sophie Arnould, 5, 6;
visited by Lauraguais at Ferney, 35;
his pretended admiration of Lauraguais’s _Clytemnestre_, 35 note;
visits Sophie Arnould, 79;
Madame du Barry’s message to him, 121;
besmirches the spotless reputation of Mlle. Raucourt’s 156-158;
pours the balm of his flattery upon the wound he has inflicted, 158

W

Wallace Collection, the, 19

Walpole, Horace (cited), 44 note, 117 note

X

Ximenès, Marquis de, 157

Z

Zacharie, Mlle. (_danseuse_), replaces
Mlle. Guimard in the affections of the Prince de Soubise, 129, 130

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<tb<

Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:

protector at=> protector as {pg 29}

Duc de Choiseul-Praslin as Minister of Marine, in 1670=> Duc de Choiseul-Praslin as Minister of Marine, in 1760 {pg 34}

Princesse de Beauveau=> Princesse de Beauvau {pg 157}

Marie Antoniette=> Marie Antoinette {pg 168}

which brough the Terror=> which brought the Terror {pg 186}

Notwishstanding the laxity=> Notwithstanding the laxity {pg 216}

that a Bouvelard=> that a Boulevard {pg 230, n.}

occurred on the Bouvelards=> occurred on the Boulevards {pg 230, n.}

Moniseur=> Monsieur {pg 246}

Hereux=> Heureux {pg 257}

Castil-Blaize=> Castil-Blaze {pg 304}

serait encor sauvage=> serait encore sauvage {pg 308}

Bouvelard Saint-Martin=> Boulevard Saint-Martin {pg 324}

had pentrated four inches=> had penetrated four inches {pg 342}

overcome by Beaumerchais’s=> overcome by Beaumarchais’s {pg 348}

has a narrow escape of his life, 128;=> has a narrow escape of her life, 128; {pg 352}

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES:

[1] At the time when they wrote their monograph on the singer, Sophie’s _Mémoires_ were in possession of the Goncourts; it is uncertain where they now are.

[2] Here is her _acte de naissance_, which also disposes of Castil-Blaze’s assertion that her real name was Anne Madeleine, and that she had adopted that of Sophie “as being more sweet and harmonious.”

“The year one thousand seven hundred and forty, 14th of February, Magdeleine Sophie, daughter of Jean Arnould, here present, and of Rose Marguerite Laurent, his wife, born yesterday, Rue Saint-Louis in this parish, has been baptized.

“Godfather: Louis Le Vasseur, manager of the King’s farms, Rue Coq-Héron, parish Saint-Eustache; godmother: Magdeleine Chevalier, spinster, Rue du Mail, of the above-mentioned parish.”

[3] When the Opera-house was burned down in April 1763, a lady of the Court asked Mlle. Arnould if she could give her any particulars about CETTE _terrible incendie_. “All that I can tell you, Madame,” replied Sophie, “is that _incendie_ is a masculine noun.”

[4] E. and J. de Goncourt, _Sophie Arnould_, p. 10.

[5] E. and J. de Goncourt, _Sophie Arnould_, p. 23.

[6] The song, it may be mentioned, began with the words, “_Charmant amour_,” a not inappropriate omen, remarks the lady’s latest biographer, Mr. Douglas, for one who was to become notorious for her gallantries.

[7] The opera, or rather its libretto, was an old one, having been first produced so far back as 1690, with music by Colasse, a pupil of Lulli. Fontenelle, who lived to be nearly a hundred, was still alive when Dauvergne informed him of his intention to write fresh music for the opera. “Monsieur,” he replied, “you do me too much honour. It is now well-nigh sixty years since that opera was first performed; it was a failure, but I never heard that that was the fault of the composer.”

[8] The music was by one composer, Mondonville, the choirmaster of the royal chapel at Versailles, but the three acts, which, as was not infrequently the case at this period, had little or no connection with one another, were by as many different pens; the first, entitled _Vénus et Adonis_, being by Collet; the second, called _Bacchus et Érigone_, by La Bruère; while the third, the title of which is not given, was believed to be the work of the Abbé de Voisenon.

[9] Catherine Nicole Le Maure (1704-1783). She made her _début_ in 1724, in _l’Europe galante_, and at once took high rank as a singer. To an admirable voice she joined unusual talent as an actress, although she had received hardly any dramatic training. In 1743 she was imprisoned in For l’Évêque, for having refused to sing when ordered to do so, and, out of pique, quitted the stage, though she consented to reappear for a few evenings during the festivities in honour of the Dauphin’s first marriage in 1745.

[10] _Journal et Mémoires_, ii. 147.

[11] E. and J. de Goncourt, _Sophie Arnould_, p. 33.

[12] “As for my figure, truth compels me to admit that I am not tall, though I am slender and well-proportioned. I have a graceful frame, and my movements are easy. I have a well-formed leg and a pretty foot; hands and arms like a model; eyes well-set, and a frank, attractive, and intellectual face.”

[13] Jeze, _L’État ou le tableau de Paris_, 1760, cited by E. and J. de Goncourt.

[14] The Comédie-Française owed to him an improvement, the importance of which can hardly be over-estimated. He it was who first proposed the abolition of the custom of allowing the _gens à la mode_ to occupy seats upon the stage itself, a custom which not only interfered with the movements of the actors, but was utterly destructive of all scenic illusion. The reconstruction of the auditorium which this change rendered necessary occupied nearly two months, and cost 40,000 livres, towards which the count himself subscribed 12,000 livres.

[15] Lauraguais, who affected Anglomania among his other eccentricities, may be said to have introduced horse-racing into France. The first race was run on February 28, 1766, on the Plaine de Sablons, at Neuilly. It was a match between Lauraguais and Lord Forbes, the former riding his own horse, and was witnessed by an immense crowd, which had the mortification of seeing the French champion vanquished. The contest led to a great deal of unpleasantness, for, a few days later, the count’s horse died, and the surgeons whom the disconsolate owner called in to dissect it declared that the animal had been poisoned. The English visitors were, of course, suspected, and so great was the outcry against them that another match, which had been arranged between the Prince of Nassau and Mr. Forth, was forbidden by the King.

[16] Collé, _Journal et Mémoires_, iii. 47 _et seq._ Collé declares that there was a scene in this play worthy of Molière himself. King Pétaud appears dressed as a cook, with a white cap on his head and a knife by his side. He has just made some _pâtés_, which he hands round to his obsequious courtiers, who pronounce them divine, delicious, inimitable, and so forth. One grey-haired old gentleman however refrains from joining in the general chorus of admiration, and when the King, piqued by his indifference, inquires the reason, replies: “Pardon me, Sire; the _pâtés_ are indeed excellent. But, if your Majesty will permit me to speak without flattery, I would venture to observe that the woodcock-pie which you made the day before yesterday appeared to me infinitely superior to them.” Thereupon the King’s brow clears, and, clapping the astute old man on the shoulder, he exclaims: “That is right; I always like people to tell me the truth.” Louis XV., as every one knows, was very fond of preparing dishes with his own royal hands, and decidedly vain of his culinary skill, and no one with any acquaintance with the Court could possibly have missed the point of the satire.

[17] Diderot, _Mémoires et Correspondance_, ii. 62.

[18] _Mémoires et Correspondance_, ii. 42.

[19] Campardon, _Académie Royale de Musique au XVIIIe siècle_: Article, “Arnould.”

[20] Here, according to that princess, was one of _le Grand Monarque’s_ feats in gastronomy: “Four platefuls of different soups, a whole pheasant, a partridge, a plateful of salad, mutton hashed with garlic, two good-sized slices of ham, and afterwards fruit and sweetmeats.”

[21] Some writers declare that, in his passions, he would destroy everything breakable within his reach; others, that he went so far as to strike and even, occasionally, to _bite_ the unfortunate Sophie.

[22] He had previously written a _Clytemnestre_, which Diderot, having had the privilege of hearing the author read it, tells us contained some very fine verses, the work, however, not of the count, but of a “ghost” in his employ, named Clinchant. This play Lauraguais endeavoured to prevail upon the Comédie-Française to produce. The actors found themselves in a somewhat embarrassing position, as the count had just subscribed the 12,000 livres already mentioned towards the alterations in the theatre necessitated by the removal of the seats on the stage, and, from motives of gratitude, they did not like to refuse. On the other hand, the tragedy was so utterly opposed to all the canons of dramatic art that to produce it would be to court not only failure but ridicule. Eventually, however, they persuaded him to withdraw his offer. Notwithstanding its rejection by the Comédie-Française, Lauraguais thought so highly of his _Clytemnestre_ that he caused it to be printed, and sent a copy to Voltaire, who wrote back that his own _Oreste_ was but “_une plate machine_” in comparison with M. le Comte’s superb masterpiece. The noble author, says Diderot, took the poet quite seriously, and his delight and pride knew no bounds.

[23] Diderot, _Correspondance et Mémoires_, ii. 69. Diderot, who had a high opinion of Sophie and was also a friend of Lauraguais, was much distressed by her conduct. Under date October 7, 1761, he writes to Mlle. Voland: “This affair displeases me more than I can tell you. This girl had two children by him (Lauraguais); he was the man of her choice; there had been no constraint, no self-interest, none of those things which go to make ordinary engagements. If ever there was a sacrament, this was one; so much the more so, since it is not in the nature of a man to espouse only one woman. She forgets that she is married. She forgets that she is a mother. It is not only a lover; it is the father of her children whom she is leaving. Mlle. Arnould is something more in my eyes than a little baggage.”

[24] Favart, _Mémoires et Correspondance_, i. 195. Several writers refuse to accept this letter as genuine, believing that Favart invented it. It must be admitted, however, that its dry humour is very characteristic of Sophie.

[25] Mr. Sutherland Edwards, in his “Idols of the French Stage” (vol. i. p. 181), falls into a singular error. He states that, on his return to Paris, Lauraguais found that Sophie “had placed herself under the protection of M. de Saint-Florentin, for whom, however, she had no affection.” Sophie did certainly place herself under the protection of Saint-Florentin; but it was not his private but his official protection, as Minister for Paris and Chief of the Police; a not altogether unnecessary precaution, since Lauraguais had threatened to poison her.

[26] _Mémoires secrets de la République des Lettres._

[27] Grimm, _Correspondance littéraire_, iii. 297.

[28] _Arnoldiana._ According to another account, Choiseul came to Sophie’s dressing-room, on the conclusion of the performance, to compliment her and assure her of the great pleasure she had afforded the King. “Ah well!” she replied, “tell his Majesty that, if he is satisfied with Iphise, he should restore to her Dardanus!”

[29] _Correspondance littéraire_, v. 431.

[30] _Correspondance littéraire_, vi. 145. Mlle. Heinel seems also to have made a very favourable impression upon Horace Walpole, who mentions her several times in his letters, and always in terms of admiration. After seeing her for the first time, on the occasion of his visit to Paris, in 1771, he writes to the Earl of Strafford: “There is a finer dancer [than Mlle. Guimard], whom M. Hobart is to transplant to London; a Mademoiselle Heinel, or Ingle, a Fleming. She is tall, perfectly made, very handsome, and has a set of attitudes copied from the classics. She moves as gracefully slow as Pygmalion’s statue when it was coming to life, and moves her leg round as imperceptibly as if she was dancing in the Zodiac. But she is not Virgo.” The lady came to London that same winter, and danced for some months at Covent Garden, where she created as much enthusiasm as in Paris. On April 21, 1772, Walpole writes again: “I am just going to the Opera to hear Milice sing. I do not believe he will draw such audiences as Mlle. Heinel has done. The town has an idle notion that she made so much impression upon a very high heart, that it is thought prudent to keep it out of her way. She is the most graceful figure in the world, with charming eyes, beautiful mouth, and lovely countenance; yet I do not think we shall see a Dame du Barri on this side the Channel.”

The staid Dr. Burney was another of Mlle. Heinel’s admirers, and informs us that, besides the six hundred pounds salary she received from the management of Covent Garden, she was “complimented with a _regallo_ of six hundred more from the Macaroni Club.”

[31] This prince is said to have had sixty acknowledged mistresses, besides occasional and “imperceptible” ones.

[32] In her _Mémoires_, Sophie writes: “The prince had, for a moment, the idea of devoting himself to me. But he wished me to be entirely his own, without any distraction or reserve. I never had any taste for exaggerated grandeurs, and am of the opinion of that philosopher who said that happiness is only to be found in moderation.”

[33] E. and J. de Concourt, _Sophie Arnould_, p. 70. According to the _Chronique scandaleuse_, Sophie had a daughter by the Prince de Condé, who afterwards married the Comte de R***.

[34] He was the architect of Bagatelle, in the Bois de Boulogne, which he built for the Comte d’Artois, and designed the gardens of the Château de Meréville (Seine-et-Oise) and of Belœil, in Belgium, the seat of the Prince de Ligne. Extant specimens of his work are the hôtel built for Mlle. Contat, at the corner of the Rue de Berri, in the Champs-Elysées, and the dome of the old Halle aux Blés, now the Bourse du Commerce.

[35] One which accused her of practising the shameful vices of antiquity. _See_ E. and J. de Goncourt’s _Sophie Arnould_, p. 86 _et seq._

[36] Madame du Barry was, however, amply avenged. Sophie’s comrades of the theatre, scarcely one of whom but had suffered from her sarcastic tongue, were not slow to avail themselves of so excellent an opportunity of paying their tormentor back in her own coin, and, for some time afterwards, never failed to let fall the odious word “_Hôpital_” whenever Mlle. Arnould happened to be within earshot; a proceeding which, Bachaumont tells us, “no doubt greatly humiliated that superb queen of opera.”

[37] _Mémoires secrets_, vi. 136.

[38] Eighteenth-century composers appear to have been continually tinkering with this unfortunate opera, one of the most popular of the famous Lulli-Quinault series. When it was revived in January 1759, La Borde, Louis XV.’s musical _valet-de-chambre_, made various alterations in the music, “which disgusted equally the partisans of the old and the new schools.” In November 1771, Berton, one of the directors of the Opera, substituted some very inferior melodies of his own, which, if possible, were even less to the taste of the audience, and, eight years later, Johann Christian Bach, the eleventh son of the celebrated master, tried his hand at the score, likewise without success.