And charms the whole world;
In vain does the duchess redden
And the princess growl;
They know that Venus rides proudly
The foam of the wave.

The poet, while not Voltaire, was no less a man than Bouffiers.

While the King was seeking a mistress--a nocturnal reverse of
Diogenes, fleeing from the lanterns of the wise--he found Jeanne
Vaubernier. He thought he could love her for one evening. "Not
enough," said she, "you must love me until broad daylight." So
he loved her for a whole day. What should one eat in order to be
loved by royalty? Was it necessary to have a coat of arms? She
had them in number, because she had been loved by all the great
names in the book of heraldry. And so she begged the Viscount
Jean du Barry to give her the title of viscountess. "Better still,"
exclaimed Jean, "I will give you the title of countess. My brother
will marry you; he is a male scamp, and you are the female. What
a beautiful marriage!"

So they were united. The newly made countess was solemnly
presented at court by a countess of an ancient date, namely, the
Countess de Bearn. King Voltaire protested, in a satire entitled
"" (topsy-turvy), afterwards denying
it. The duc de Choiseul protested, France protested, but all
Versailles threw itself passionately at the feet of the new countess.
Even the daughters of the King paid her court, and allowed her to
call them by their pet names: Loque, Chiffe, and Graille. The King,
jealous of this gracious familiarity, wished her to call him by some