here, if she had commanded me to kill you, I would have sheath'd this Blade in your heart." Father Canaye, surpriz'd at this discourse, but more frighted at this sudden transport, had immediate recourse to his mental Devotion, and secretly pray'd to his Maker, that he would deliver him from the danger wherein he found himself. But not trusting altogether to Prayer, he insensibly got out of the Mareschal's reach, by an unperceivable motion of his Buttocks. The Mareschal kept still within Arms-length of him, by the same motion, with the Knife lifted up, so that one would have sworn, that he was going to put the Lady's order in execution.
My ill nature made me take pleasure, for a while, in the fright of our reverend spark; but fearing, at length, that the Mareschal, in his passion, might render that scene melancholy, which was before pleasant; I put him in mind that Madam de Montbazon[1] was dead; and told him, That it was Father Canaye's good fortune, that he had nothing to fear from a person that was no more.
"God does every thing for the best," replied the Mareschal: "the fairest Woman in the World[2] began to be troublesome to me, when she kick'd up her heels and died. She had always at her tail one Abbot de Rancé[3] who discours'd
- ↑ The Dutchess of Montbazon, Daughter to Count de Vertus, was then still alive; for she died in the year 1657. M. de St. Evremond was not ignorant of it, but he thought that this Anachronism might be easily forgiven him, considering it was difficult otherwise to recover Father Canaye from the fright he was in.
- ↑ Thus the Mareschal d'Hocquincourt called Madam de Montbazon.
- ↑ Armand John Baptist de Rancé, so famous afterwards under the name of the Abbot de la Trappe, was one of the Dutchess of Montbazon's Lovers: and let his Panegyrists say what they please, 'tis certain that the sudden and unexpected death of that
