第55章

Naturally， also， he takes his guests along with him and defrays their expenses， they and their attendants； at Choisy， in 1780， there are sixteen tables with 345 seats besides the distributions； at Saint-Cloud， in 1785， there are twenty-six tables； "an excursion to Marly of twenty-one days is a matter of 120，000 livres extra expense；" the excursion to Fontainebleau has cost as much as 400，000 and 500，000livres. His removals， on the average， cost half a million and more per annum.[23] - To complete our idea of this immense paraphernalia it must be borne in mind that the artisans and merchants belonging to these various official bodies are obliged； through the privileges they enjoy， to follow the court "on its journeys that it may be provided on the spot with apothecaries， armorers， gunsmiths， sellers of silken and woollen hosiery， butchers， bakers， embroiderers， publicans， cobblers， belt-makers， candle-makers， hatters， pork-dealers， surgeons， shoemakers， curriers， cooks， pinkers， gilders and engravers， spur-makers， sweetmeat-dealers， furbishers， old-clothes brokers， glove-perfumers， watchmakers， booksellers， linen-drapers， wholesale and retail wine-dealers， carpenters， coarse-jewelry haberdashers， jewellers， parchment-makers， dealers in trimmings， chicken-roasters， fish-dealers， purveyors of hay， straw and oats， hardware-sellers， saddlers， tailors， gingerbread and starch-dealers， fruiterers， dealers in glass and in violins."[24] One might call it an oriental court which， to be set in motion， moves an entire world： "when it is to move one must， if one wants to travel anywhere， take the post in well in advance." The total is near 4，000 persons for the king's civil household， 9，000 to 10，000 for his military household， at least 2，000for those of his relatives， in all 15，000 individuals， at a cost of between forty and fifty million livres， which would be equal to double the amount to day， and which， at that time， constituted one-tenth of the public revenue.[25] We have here the central figure of the monarchical show. However grand and costly it may be， it is only proportionate to its purpose， since the court is a public institution， and the aristocracy， with nothing to do， devotes itself to filling up the king's drawing-room.

III. THE KING'S ASSOCIATES.

The society of the king. - Officers of the household. - Invited guests.

Two causes maintain this affluence， one the feudal form still preserved， and the other the new centralization just introduced； one placing the royal service in the hands of the nobles， and the other converting the nobles into place-hunters. - Through the duties of the palace the highest nobility live with the king， residing under his roof； the grand-almoner is M. de Montmorency-Laval， bishop of Metz；the first almoner is M. de Bussuéjouls， bishop of Senlis； the grand-master of France is the Prince de Condé； the first royal butier is the Comte d'Escars； the second is the Marquis de Montdragon； the master of the pantry is the Duke de Brissac； the chief cup-bearer is the Marquis de Vemeuil； the chief carver is the Marquis de la Chesnaye； the first gentlemen of the bedchamber are the Ducs de Richelieu， de Durfort， de Villequier， and de Fleury； the grand-master of the wardrobe is the Duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt； the masters of the wardrobe are the Comte de Boisgelin and the Marquis de Chauvelin. The captain of the falconry is the Chevalier du Forget； the captain of the boar-hunt is the Marquis d'Ecquevilly； the superintendent of edifices is the Comte d'Angevillier； the grand-equerry is the Prince de Lambesc； the master of the hounds is the Duc de Penthièvre； the grand-master of ceremonies is the Marquis de Brèze； the grand-master of the household is the Marquis de la Suze； the captains of the guards are the Ducs d'Agen， de Villery， de Brissac， d'Aguillon， and de Biron， the Princes de Poix， de Luxembourg and de Soubise. The provost of the hotel is the Marquis de Tourzel； the governors of the residences and captains of the chase are the Duc de Noailles， Marquis de Champcenetz， Baron de Champlost， Duc de Coigny， Comte de Modena， Comte de Montmorin， Duc de Laval， Comte de Brienne， Duc d'Orléans， and the Duc de Gèsvres.[26] All these seigniors are the king's necessary intimates， his permanent and generally hereditary guests， dwelling under his roof； in close and daily intercourse with him， for they are "his folks" (gens)[27] and perform domestic service about his person. Add to these their equals， as noble and nearly as numerous， dwelling with the queen， with Mesdames， with Mme. Elisabeth， with the Comte and Comtesse de Provence and the Comte and Comtesse d'Artois. - And these are only the heads of the service； if； below them in rank and office， I count the titular nobles， I find， among others， 68 almoners or chaplains， 170 gentlemen of the bedchamber or in waiting， 117 gentlemen of the stable or of the hunting-train， 148 pages， 114 titled ladies in waiting， besides all the officers， even to the lowest of the military household， without counting 1，400 ordinary guards who， verified by the genealogist， are admitted by virtue of their title to pay their court.[28] Such is the fixed body of recruits for the royal receptions； the distinctive trait of this régime is the conversion of its servants into guests， the drawing room being filled from the anteroom.