The
unheard-of fatality, which turned to my prejudice all the good I did
and wrote, afflicted my heart. Yet, feeling myself shielded in this
affair by Madam de Luxembourg and M. de Malesherbes, I did not
perceive in what my persecutors could deprive me of their
protection. However, I, from that moment, was convinced equity and
justice were no longer in question, and that no pains would be
spared in examining whether or not I was culpable. The storm became
still more menacing. Neaulme himself expressed to me, in the excess of
his babbling, how much he repented having had anything to do in the
business, and his certainty of the fate with which the book and the
author were threatened. One thing, however, alleviated my fears: Madam
de Luxembourg was so calm, satisfied and cheerful, that I concluded
she must necessarily be certain of the sufficiency of her credit,
especially if she did not seem to have the least apprehension on my
account; moreover, she said not to me a word either of consolation
or apology, and saw the turn the affair took with as much unconcern as
if she had nothing to do with it or anything else that related to
me. What surprised me most was her silence. I thought she should
have said something on the subject. Madam de Boufflers seemed rather
uneasy. She appeared agitated, strained herself a good deal, assured
me the Prince of Conti was taking great pains to ward off the blow
about to be directed against my person, and which she attributed to
the nature of present circumstances, in which it was of importance
to the parliament not to leave the Jesuits an opening whereby they
might bring an accusation against it as being indifferent with respect
to religion.
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