330 MEMOIRS or THE DUKE OF SAINT-SIMON.

plumed himself upon being the most skilful deceiver in the
world. He and Madame la Duchesse de Berry sometimes dis-
puted which was the cleverer of the two; and this in public
before M. le Due de Berry, Madame de Saint-Simon, and
others! *

M. le Due d'Orleans, following out the traditions of the
Palais Koyal, had acquired the detestable taste and habit of
embroiling people one with the other, so as to profit by their
divisions. This was one of his principal occupations during all
the time he was at the head of affairs, and one that he liked
the best; but which, as soon as discovered, rendered him odious,
and caused him a thousand annoyances. He was not wicked,
far from it; but he could not quit the habits of impiety,
debauchery, and deceit into which Dubois had led him. A
remarkable feature in his character is, that he was suspicious
and full of confidence at the same time with reference to the
very same people.

It is surprising that with all his talents he was totally with-
out honest resources for amusing himself. He was born bored;
and he was so accustomed to live out of himself, that it was
insufferable to him to return, incapable as he was of trying
even to occupy himself. He could only live in the midst of
the movement and torrent of business; at the head of an army
for instance, or in the cares that arose out of the execution of
campaign projects, or in the excitement and uproar of
debauchery. He began to languish as soon as he was without
noise, excess, and tumult, the time painfully hanging upon his
hands. He cast himself upon painting, when his great fancy
for chemistry had passed or grown deadened, in consequence of
what had been said upon it. He painted nearly all the after-
noon at Yersailles and at Marly,-}• He was a good judge of

* These curious admissions of Saint-Simon as to the execrable hypocrisy
of his favourite prince, singularly diminish our faith in his innocence of the
many horrible crimes laid to his charge.

t It is to be observed that Saint-Simon cannot see that the exercise of the
arts was a respectable amusement. He introduces these details by saying,
" II se trouva destitu6 de toute espece de ressource avec tant de talents,
qui en devaient Łtre une inepuisable d'amusements pour led." Then he tells
us, contemptuously, that M. d'0rl6ans spent his afternoons in painting.