REPORTS OF POISON.

207

CHAPTER XXI.

Warnings to the Dauphin and Dauphine—The Dauphine sickens and dies—
Illness of the Dauphin—His death—Character and manners of the
Dauphine—And of the Dauphin.

ON Monday, the 18th of January, 1712, after a visit to Ver-
.sailles, the King went to Marly. I mark expressly this journey.
No sooner were we settled there than Boudin, chief doctor of
the Dauphine, warned her to take care of herself, as he had re-
ceived sure information that there was a plot to poison her and
the Dauphin, to whom he made a similar communication.
ISTot content with this he repeated it with a terrified manner
to everybody in the salon, and frightened all who listened to
ihim. The King spoke to him about it in private. Boudin
declared that this information was good, and yet that he did
not know whence it came; and he stuck to this contra'diction.
For, if he did.not know where the information came from, how
•could he be assured it was trustworthy ?

The most singular thing is, that twenty-four hours after
Boudin had uttered this warning, the Dauphin received a
.similar one from the King of Spain, vague, and without men-
tioning whence obtained, and yet also declared to be of good
source. In this only the Dauphin was named distinctly—the
Dauphine obscurely and by implication—at least, so the Dau-
phin explained the matter, and I never heard that he said
^otherwise. People pretended to despise these stories of origin
-unknown, but they were struck by them nevertheless, and in