The things most noticeable at such times as these were the
promptitude, minute pains and silent ease with which the King's orders
were invariably executed. Like a miracle--all in a moment--theaters
rose, wooded places were made gay with fountains, collations were
spread, and a thousand other things were accomplished that one would
have supposed would require a long time and a vast bustle of workers."
The "Grand Fetes" occupied six days of the months of July and August.
The celebrations of the fourth of July began with a feast laid on the
verdant site later usurped by the basin called the Baths of Apollo.
Here the beauty of nature was enhanced by an infinity of ornate vases
filled with garlands of flowers. Fruits of every clime were served on
platters of porcelain, in silver baskets and in bowls of priceless
glass. In the evening the Court attended a production of
_"Alceste_"--an opera by Quinault and Lully, executed by artists from
the Royal Academy of Music. The stage was set in the Marble Court.
The windows facing the court were ablaze with two rows of candles. The
walls of the chateau were screened with orange trees, festooned with
flowers, illumined by candelabra made of silver and crystal. The
marble fountain in the center of the court was surrounded by tall
candlesticks and blossoming urns. The spraying waters escaped through
vases of flowers, that their falling should not interrupt the voices of
those on the stage.
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