The treatment he had found from Charlotta, that a declaration of
love from him would not offend her beyond forgiveness.
From that time forward he therefore began to think in what manner he
should first disclose the tender secret to the dear object of his
affections: when absent from her he easily found words, but when
present, that awe which is inseparable from a real passion struck him
entirely dumb; and whenever he was about to open his mouth to utter what
he intended, he had neither words nor voice; and tho' he saw her every
day, was often alone with her, and had opportunity enough to have
revealed himself, yet could he not get the better of his timidity for a
great while, and perhaps should have been much longer under this cruel
constraint, had not an accident favoured his wishes beyond what he could
have hoped, or even imagined, and by shewing him part of what passed in
her soul, emboldened him to unfold what his own laboured with on
her account.
CHAP. VI.
Describes the masquerade at the dutchess of Main's; the characters and
intrigues of several persons of quality who were there; the odd
behaviour of a lady in regard to Horatio, and Charlotta's
sentiments upon it.
The dutchess of Main was one of the gayest and most gallant ladies at
the court of Lewis XIV. she was for ever entertaining the nobility with
balls, masquerades, or concerts; and as she was of the blood royal, and
highly respected not only on that score, but by the distinguish'd favour
of the king, the Chevalier St. George, and the princess his sister,
frequently honoured her assemblies with their presence.
To divert those ladies whose husbands were gone to Flanders, as she
said, she now proposed a masquerade; and the day being fixed, it was the
sole business of the young and gay to prepare habits such as were most
suitable to their inclinations, or, as they thought, would be most
advantageous to their persons.
The Chevalier St. George was dressed in a rich Grecian habit of
sky-coloured velvet embroidered with large silver stars: the top of his
cap was encompassed with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, saphirs, amythists,
and other precious stones of various colours, set in rows in the exact
form of a rainbow: a light robe of crimson taffaty, fringed with silver,
was fastened by a knot of jewels on his left shoulder, and crossed his
back to the right side, where it was tucked into a belt of the finest
oriental pearls, and thence hung down and trail'd a little on the
ground: in fine, there was nothing that exceeded the magnificence and
eloquence of his appearance, or was in any measure equal to it in the
whole assembly, except that of the princess Louisa his sister.
She would needs go as a Diana, and obliged all her ladies to be habited
like nymphs: no idea of this goddess, inspired either by the painter or
the poet's art, can in any degree come up to that which the fight of
this amiable princess gave every beholder. Conformable to the character
she assumed, she had a large crescent of diamonds on her head, which had
no other covering than a great quantity of the finest hair in the world,
partly braided with pearls and emeralds, and partly flowing in ringlets
down on her alabaster neck: her garments were silver tissue, white and
shining as the moon on a clear frosty night; and being buttoned up a
little at the bottom as for the conveniency of the chace, shewed great
part of her fine proportioned ankle. In her hand she held an ivory bow,
and an arrow of the same headed with gold; and on her shoulder was fixed
a quiver curiously wrought and beset with jewels: her attendants, which
were six in number, had their habits green, but made in the same fashion
of the princess's, with bows and arrows in their hands, and quivers at
their backs: all of them had their hair turned up under a caul of silver
net, from which hung little tossels of pearl intermixed with diamonds.
Next to this fair troop the duchess of Main herself attracted the
attention of the assembly: she was habited like an Indian queen, with
robes composed of feathers so artfully placed, that they represented a
thousand different kind of birds and beasts, which, as she moved, seemed
to have motion in themselves: on her head she had a lofty plume
supported by a cap, and richly ornamented with precious stones; as were
all her garments wherever the propriety of the fashion of them would
give leave.
The young mademoiselle de Bourbon, in the habit of a sea-nymph, and
mademoiselle de Blois, in that of a Minerva, ornamented and decorated
according to their several characters, had also their share of
admiration.
Nor did the marchionesses of Vallois and Lucerne, both in the garb of
shepherdesses, serve as mere foils to those I have mentioned: there was
something; even in this plainness that shewed the elegance of the
wearer's taste.
The prince of Conde, the dukes of Berry, Vendosine and Chartres, the
young marquis de Montbausine, the counts de Chenille, de Ranbeau, and
the baron de Roche, had all of them habits extremely rich and well
fancied, as were many others of whom it would be too tedious to make
particular mention, and be likewise digressive to the matter I take upon
me to relate; I shall therefore only say, that there was not one person
of either sex, who did not endeavour to set themselves forth to all
possible advantage.
Those gentlemen who attended the Chevalier St. George were at their
liberty to appear in what habit they pleased:
