316 MEMOIRS OF THE DUKE OF SAINT-SIMON.

tirement, and had so many virtues that she made herself re-
spected all her life, which was long. M. de Beauvilliers was
. one of the children of the first marriage. I know not what
€are M. and Madame de Saint Aignan took of the others, but
they left him, until he was six or seven years of age, to the
mercy of their lodge-keeper. Then he was confided to the care
of a canon of Notre Dame de Clery. The household of the
canon consisted of one maid-servant, with whom the little boy
slept; and they continued to sleep together until he was four-
teen or fifteen years old, without either of them thinking of
evil, or the canon remarking that the lad was growing into a
man. The death of his eldest brother called M. de Beauvilliers
home. He entered the army, served with distinction at the
head of his regiment of cavalry, and was brigadier.

He was tall, thin, had a long and ruddy face, a large aquiline
nose, a sunken mouth, expressive, piercing eyes, an agreeable
.smile, a very gentle manner, but ordinarily retiring, serious,
and concentrated. By disposition he was hasty, hot, pas-
sionate, fond of pleasure. Ever since God had touched him,
which happened early in his life, he had become gentle, modest,
humble, kind, enlightened, charitable, and always full of real
piety and goodness. In private, where he was free, he was
gay, joked, and bantered pleasantly, and laughed with good
heart. He liked to be made fun of: there was only the story
of his sleeping with the canon's servant that wounded his
modesty, and I have seen him embarrassed when Madame de
Beauvilliers has related it,—smiling, however, but praying her
sometimes not to tell it. His piety, which, as I have said,
commenced early in life, separated him from companions of his
own age. At the army one day, during a promenade of the
King, he walked alone, a little in front. Some one remarked
it, and observed, sneeringly, that " he was meditating." The
King, who heard this, turned towards the speaker, and, looking
at him, said, " Yes, 'tis M. de Beauvilliers, one of the best men
of the Court, and of my realm." This sudden and short
apology caused silence, and food for reflection, so that the fault-
finders remained in respect before his merit.