"
Outside the gilded balustrade the first _valet de chambre_ slept on a
folding cot. "Beyond that balustrade, by the faint candle-light, there
loomed among the shadows a white-plumed canopy and crimson curtains. The
Grand Monarch slept."
CHAPTER VI
GOLDEN DAYS AND RED LETTER NIGHTS
_The Gayety and Fashion of Versailles Life. The Prodigal Frivolities
and Diversions of the Court._
The ceremonious routine of the days at Versailles was enlivened at
certain times of the year by festivities of astounding brilliance, and,
on occasion, by gorgeous receptions offered to visiting rulers and
ambassadors, It has already been related that the arrival of Louis XIV
and his family at Versailles in the fall of 1663 was celebrated by a
fete at which a troupe headed by Moliere was heard in a piece by the
great dramatist called Impromptu de Versailles, In the month of May,
1664, Louis commanded a performance of "Pleasures of the Enchanted
Isle," in which his favorite actor and playwright furnished the comedy,
Lully the music and the ballets, and an Italian mechanician the
decorations and illuminations. On the first day there was tilting at
the ring, in which pastime Louis XIV played a part, wearing a
diamond-embroidered costume. The next day, on an outdoor stage,
Moliere and his company played the "_Princesse d'Elide_." There
followed ballets, races, tourneys and a lottery, "in which the prizes
were pieces of furniture, silverware and precious stones.
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