MAINTENON, MADAME DE

MAINTENON, MADAME DE, descended from the ancient family of D'Aubigné, was born in 1635 in the prison of Niort in Poitou, where her profligate father was then con-

fined. Her parents by misfortunes being unable to support her, she was intrusted to the care of her mother's relations; and, to escape this state of dependence, she was induced, in 1651, to marry the Abbé Scarron, a celebrated burlesque writer, who was deformed, infirm, and, as she insinuates in one of her letters, impotent, with no other means of support than a small pension allowed him by the court. When Scarron died in 1660, she found herself as indigent as she had been before her marriage. But Louis XIV. afterwards made choice of her to take charge of the education of the young Duke of Maine, his son by Madame de Montespan, and he was so charmed with the letters she wrote on this occasion, that he bought her the lands of Maintenon; and finding that she was pleased with the acquisition, called her publicly Madame de Maintenon. About the close of the year 1685, Louis XIV., being then in his forty-eighth, whilst she was in her fiftieth year, raised her from the condition of a mistress to that of a wife. By consummate art and address, concealed under a mask of affected simplicity and piety, she attained the grand object of her ambition; and though not publicly acknowledged, became in reality the second person in the state, and took part in some of the most disgraceful acts of that reign. She prevailed on Louis to found a religious community at St Cyr, for the education of 300 young ladies of quality; and on the death of Louis in 1715, she retired thither, where she spent the rest of her days in acts of devotion. It appears that her husband left no fixed provision for her, contenting himself with recommending her to the Duke of Orleans. She accepted a pension of 80,000 livres, which was punctually paid her till her death, which took place in 1719. A collection of her letters has been published, and translated into English.