Dangeau’s Diary, January 1688
8th. — The Pope has ordered, that in all the churches throughout Rome, service should be stopped the moment Monsieur de Lavardin, our ambassador, should enter them. Thus treating him as an excommunicated person. The feast of Saint Luce has not been celebrated, as was customary every year, on the 13th of December at Saint Jean de Latran, in remembrance of the present which Henri IV made to the canons of Saint Jean de Latran, of the Abbey of Clerac, on the day of his abjuration. It was said at Rome, that Monsieur de Lavardin wished to be present there as the ambassadors of France usually are, but the Pope, who will not recognise him in this quality, nor will allow him any of its functions, instructed Cardinal Chigi, chief priest of that church, to be present, and, in case Monsieur de Lavardin should enter, to cause divine service to cease. This Cardinal had also orders to make the priest descend from the altar, if the ambassador arrived before the consecration and to consume the sacramental elements instantaneously, if he should arrive after the pronouncing of the sacramental words. The Cardinal d’Estrees and the ambassador, being made acquainted with this order of the Pope, resolved to put off the fete under pretence that their liveries were not ready. The Pope was averse to its being deferred by their orders, but the bull was produced by which the cardinal, patron of the interests of France, is empowered to postpone it, should he conceive it requisite so to do.
10th. — The King held a royal council after dinner, to deliberate how the property, belonging to protestants who had quitted the kingdom without permission, should be applied.
15th. — It is known at Rome, that Monsieur de Lavardin has made a protest, by which he appeals from the Pope’s bull, to a better-informed Pope, or to the future council.
17th. — Monseigneur, accompanied by Madame, hunted the stag. After dinner, the King sent for Madame d’Arpa- jon, and ordered her to take Mademoiselle de la Force home with her. The Comtesse de Grammont conducts the maids of honour to Paris, where they will be placed in a convent. She has caused a letter to be written to Monsieur le Prince, who is at Paris, to know if Madame la Princesse would have the kindness to take charge of Mademoiselle de Montmorency and Mademoiselle de Biron will reside with Madame d’Urfo, her sister. The maids of honour, therefore, no longer exist. The King has ordered the Marquis de Bellefonds to reserve one of the sets of horses belonging to the maids of honour for the state-carriage, which is to be made for the Dauphine, as the Queen had one.
18th. — The King spoke to the Duc de la Force, who has arrived here, respecting the report of the breaking up of the chamber of maids of honour and told him that he was satisfied with his daughter and that, as a mark of it, he had placed her with the Duchess d’Arpajon, lady of honour to the Dauphine and that he would take upon himself to find her an advantageous settlement.
23d. — The parliament has passed a decree by which it styles the excommunication, issued at Rome against Monsieur de Lavardin, the King’s ambassador, an abuse. The speech of Monsieur de Talon, the King’s advocate-general, is printed along with the decree. The King’s advisers entreat his Majesty to cause national councils to be assembled and to order the bankers throughout his dominions, not to send any more money to Rome for any purpose whatever, and to be graciously pleased to support the privileges of his ambassadors, as the Kings, his predecessors, have always done.
24th. — Letters from Constantinople, from Monsieur Girardin, contain the intelligence that the Sophis have revolted, that they endeavoured to force the seraglio, pillaged the richest houses in the city, entered the baths where the women were bathing and violated them, and that the ambassador is under apprehension for himself and family.
31st. — We hear that the Pope has forced the Jesuits to march in procession, which they have never before done. A Barnabite, accused of being inclined to Molinism, has been arrested at Paris. Some doctors have also fled, charged with having fallen into errors nearly approaching that heresy. They are also accused of having had secret intelligence with the court of Rome.
