DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16633#0078
The Time of Louis XIV
59
been confined in the Bastille, wrote from there one pamphlet after another against
Colbert. Loret, a journalist who had glorified Fouquet's life and his festivities m his
paper, both in poetry and prose, published such a violent article against Colbert that
he was deprived of his pension. As soon as Fouquet in his prison heard of this, he wrote
to Mademoiselle de Scudery asking her to send an indemnity to his faithful friend.
Lafontaine, who had spent some happy years in Fouquet's circle of artists, composed a
moving poem praying the king to grant mercy. "The air in your deep grotto is full of
laments, the nymphs of Vaux are weeping." Lafontaine had already begun a small book,
in Fouquet's day of good fortune, wherein he was to sing of the beauties of Vaux in
allegorical style. This remained long a mere unpublished fragment, but ten years later he
issued it under the title of The Dream of Vaux, and in his introductory verses musically
laments the fate of the unhappy man "who displeased his king and lost his friends, yet
to whom in spite of his fall I dedicate these tears." In honour of Fouquet he makes four
fairies appear, Architecture, Painting, Garden Art, and the Art of Poetry; they approach
the Judge's seat, where Fouquet presides, and plead for the foremost rank. After Archi-
tecture and Painting, who advance proudly and certain of victory, Garden Art appears,
so fair, quiet, and lovable, that the judges are at once struck by her modest charm. Then
when she simply and sweetly spoke of her beauties, all hearts were disposed towards
her; and had not Painting brought forward a picture the truth of which Garden Art sadly
admitted, showing what she was like in winter, the prize of victory, ultimately carried off
by Poetry, would have been awarded to her.
Thus high did Garden Art stand among her sisters, whose best representatives all
assembled around Fouquet. "He was called Le coeur le plus magnifique du royaume, but
this meant wounding Louis XIV. in his tenderest spot and incurring his spite." So
writes Sainte-Beuve in his essay. And yet perhaps it was the greatest reward that the
prisoner won within his dungeon walls, that Louis could do no better than take into his
own service (being as he was the real pupil of his hated minister) that same circle of
artists which Fouquet had collected about him, to educate them and fill them with his
own spirit—so much so that they never lost their longing and their compassion for him.
When in the king's mind the plan ripened of building at Versailles a royal palace which
should eclipse every other, he took Le Vau as his architect, Le Brun as his painter, and
Le Notre as the designer of his garden; while it was Lafontaine and Moliere who
contributed to the palace half its glory and splendid shows.
Ever since the year 1624 Louis XIII., whose only passion was the chase, had had
a small shooting-box in the wide marshy ground at Versailles. He first hunted there when
he was a boy of six, and had gone to Versailles since with an ever-increasing affection.
The little castle, made of brick and rough-cast, built round a court with pavilions at
the four corners, and surrounded by a wide moat, was pretty. The garden was quite in the
style of the first third of the seventeenth century, and was laid out by Jacques Boyceau,
who was superintendent of it as long as he lived. In his work there are two drawings still
to be seen of parterres at Versailles, one a parterre de broderie, near the front of the castle
on the garden side, the other a parterre de pelouse, with larger strips of lawn; and as
this one is inscribed "from the park at Versailles," it was probably farther away. There
is no reason to suppose that the garden was extended so early as the time of Louis XIII.,
nor, as many have assumed, that it already showed the main lines of its later state.
59
been confined in the Bastille, wrote from there one pamphlet after another against
Colbert. Loret, a journalist who had glorified Fouquet's life and his festivities m his
paper, both in poetry and prose, published such a violent article against Colbert that
he was deprived of his pension. As soon as Fouquet in his prison heard of this, he wrote
to Mademoiselle de Scudery asking her to send an indemnity to his faithful friend.
Lafontaine, who had spent some happy years in Fouquet's circle of artists, composed a
moving poem praying the king to grant mercy. "The air in your deep grotto is full of
laments, the nymphs of Vaux are weeping." Lafontaine had already begun a small book,
in Fouquet's day of good fortune, wherein he was to sing of the beauties of Vaux in
allegorical style. This remained long a mere unpublished fragment, but ten years later he
issued it under the title of The Dream of Vaux, and in his introductory verses musically
laments the fate of the unhappy man "who displeased his king and lost his friends, yet
to whom in spite of his fall I dedicate these tears." In honour of Fouquet he makes four
fairies appear, Architecture, Painting, Garden Art, and the Art of Poetry; they approach
the Judge's seat, where Fouquet presides, and plead for the foremost rank. After Archi-
tecture and Painting, who advance proudly and certain of victory, Garden Art appears,
so fair, quiet, and lovable, that the judges are at once struck by her modest charm. Then
when she simply and sweetly spoke of her beauties, all hearts were disposed towards
her; and had not Painting brought forward a picture the truth of which Garden Art sadly
admitted, showing what she was like in winter, the prize of victory, ultimately carried off
by Poetry, would have been awarded to her.
Thus high did Garden Art stand among her sisters, whose best representatives all
assembled around Fouquet. "He was called Le coeur le plus magnifique du royaume, but
this meant wounding Louis XIV. in his tenderest spot and incurring his spite." So
writes Sainte-Beuve in his essay. And yet perhaps it was the greatest reward that the
prisoner won within his dungeon walls, that Louis could do no better than take into his
own service (being as he was the real pupil of his hated minister) that same circle of
artists which Fouquet had collected about him, to educate them and fill them with his
own spirit—so much so that they never lost their longing and their compassion for him.
When in the king's mind the plan ripened of building at Versailles a royal palace which
should eclipse every other, he took Le Vau as his architect, Le Brun as his painter, and
Le Notre as the designer of his garden; while it was Lafontaine and Moliere who
contributed to the palace half its glory and splendid shows.
Ever since the year 1624 Louis XIII., whose only passion was the chase, had had
a small shooting-box in the wide marshy ground at Versailles. He first hunted there when
he was a boy of six, and had gone to Versailles since with an ever-increasing affection.
The little castle, made of brick and rough-cast, built round a court with pavilions at
the four corners, and surrounded by a wide moat, was pretty. The garden was quite in the
style of the first third of the seventeenth century, and was laid out by Jacques Boyceau,
who was superintendent of it as long as he lived. In his work there are two drawings still
to be seen of parterres at Versailles, one a parterre de broderie, near the front of the castle
on the garden side, the other a parterre de pelouse, with larger strips of lawn; and as
this one is inscribed "from the park at Versailles," it was probably farther away. There
is no reason to suppose that the garden was extended so early as the time of Louis XIII.,
nor, as many have assumed, that it already showed the main lines of its later state.