CHAPTER XIV.

D’Eon surrenders the King’s papers—Earl Ferrers’ share in their custody—Covenant between Beaumarchais and D’Eon, who receives permission to return to France—and is ordered to resume female attire.

The next few weeks were employed in arranging the terms of that Covenant by which D’Eon irrevocably bound himself to renounce his style as a man, and appear for ever thereafter in the character of a female, that being the sex to which he more properly belonged. During this interval also the iron safe was opened, and its contents declared by Beaumarchais to be far from meriting the importance attached to them. D’Eon insisted, on the contrary, that they were very precious, including, as they did, the earliest instructions supplied to the Duke de Nivernois on his proceeding to England; the earliest despatches of that minister giving the secret details of the negotiations for peace; and the family pact of the House of Bourbon, together with the secret convention—the whole of which were made up into four bundles; but he admitted that the papers of the greatest consequence were not in the iron safe at all. To produce these he took Beaumarchais to his residence, led him into his bedroom, and from beneath the flooring withdrew four parcels securely sealed and directed: _Secret papers to be given to the King only_, which, he avowed, completed the collection. D’Eon then drew up a list of the whole, in detail, Beaumarchais affixing his initials and a numeral to each sheet as he hastily perused it.

In conferring with Lord Ferrers, whose name appeared on D’Eon’s list as one of his principal creditors, Beaumarchais shrewdly observed that either the debt owed to him was imaginary, or his debtor had been imposing upon him, by obtaining large sums of money on the security of papers held to be of considerable importance, but which papers had never really been consigned to him, they having been concealed in his own residence. To this Lord Ferrers replied that he regretted Beaumarchais should seek to create a breach between his friend the Chevalier and himself—he little cared to which sex he belonged—as he valued him for the spirit he showed and for his virtues. He had not been deceived, he said, on the nature of the papers in the iron safe, represented to have been State papers, and having seen the inventory of them, signed by Beaumarchais himself, he was more than ever convinced of the Chevalier’s honesty and truthfulness, such papers being all he could have desired as security for his money. Even had his creditor died, he might have easily recovered what was owed to him, for the Court of France, or at any rate, the British Court, would have paid ten times the sum he claimed, rather than that publicity should be given to their contents. He was surprised, he added, at the dishonourable treatment by the French Court and its ministers of so extraordinary a person as the Chevalier D’Eon, who had worthily served his country, and yet had been so badly used.

Defending himself against the charge of having deceived Lord Ferrers, D’Eon says:—

‘M. de Beaumarchais makes me aver, upon his own private authority, what I never thought of or said. When I deposited the iron safe with his lordship he never even asked to see the outside coverings of the papers. He trusted entirely to my word when I declared to him that it contained State papers, and the detailed list signed by M. de Beaumarchais has proved to his lordship that I told the truth.... I know how to conduct myself abroad, and especially amongst the natural enemies of France, with the prudence and policy acquired by long experience and a residence of twenty-two years in foreign lands. Mine was consequently an act of wisdom and prudence, in not revealing to an admiral, an English peer allied to the royal family, the fact of my holding secret correspondence with the King, and that the said voluminous correspondence was hidden beneath the flooring of my bed-chamber. It was for me alone to know this, and that the papers were near a mine of gunpowder which would have blown all into the air had any attempt been made to drive me out of my last retrenchment. How can M. de Beaumarchais distinguish by the name of deceit the reticence I have necessarily observed towards everybody except himself, coming to me as he did, in behalf of the King and of his minister? Should he not rather blush at having betrayed to an English nobleman, through a feeling of revenge, my secret, which was that of the late King, who commanded me not to breathe a word thereon to any living soul? But M. de Beaumarchais thinks that all secrets, even the most important of State secrets, are but green-room secrets.’[297]

[Sidenote: BEAUMARCHAIS’ COVENANT WITH D’EON.]

In the Covenant[298] between Beaumarchais and D’Eon, settling the terms for the surrender of the King’s papers, and the return of the latter to France, the emendations and alterations, as they appear in footnotes, are written in the Chevalier’s hand.

‘We, the undersigned, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, specially entrusted with the private instructions of the King of France, dated Versailles, August 25, 1775, communicated to the Chevalier D’Eon in London, and of which a copy certified by me shall be annexed to the present act—on the one part:

[Sidenote: STIPULATIONS IN THE COVENANT.]

‘And Demoiselle Charles-Geneviève-Louise-Auguste-André-Timothée D’Eon de Beaumont, spinster of age, hitherto known by the name of the Chevalier D’Eon, squire, formerly captain of dragoons, knight of the royal and military order of Saint Louis, aide-de-camp to Marshal the Duke and to the Count de Broglio, minister plenipotentiary from France at the Court of Great Britain, late doctor of civil law and of canon law, advocate in the Parliament of Paris, Censor Royal for history and _belles-lettres_; sent to Russia with the Chevalier Douglas for effecting the reconciliation of the two Courts, secretary of Embassy to the Marquis de l’Hôpital, ambassador plenipotentiary from France at the Court of her Imperial Majesty of all the Russias, and secretary of Embassy to the Duke de Nivernois, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from France to England for the conclusion of the late peace, are agreed upon what follows, and have subscribed our names:

‘Art I. That I, Caron de Beaumarchais, do require, in the name of the King, that all official and private papers having reference to the several political negotiations with which the Chevalier D’Eon has been entrusted in England, notably those concerning the peace of 1763, correspondence, minutes, copies of letters, cyphers, &c., at present deposited with Lord Ferrers, Earl, Peer, and Admiral, of Upper Seymour Street, Portman Square, London, ever a particular friend of the said Chevalier D’Eon in the course of his troubles and law-suits in England, that the said papers, enclosed in a large iron safe of which I have the key, be delivered to me after having been initialled by me and by the said Chevalier D’Eon, and of which the inventory shall be added and annexed to the present act, as a proof that the said papers have been faithfully delivered.

‘Art. II. That all papers of the secret correspondence between the Chevalier D’Eon, the late King, and the several persons entrusted by his Majesty to entertain that correspondence, designated in the letters by the names _deputy_, _solicitor_, in the same way in which his Majesty himself was styled the _counsellor_—which secret correspondence was concealed beneath the flooring of the bed-chamber of the said Chevalier D’Eon, whence it was withdrawn by him, on October 5 of the present year, in my presence alone, being carefully sealed and addressed, _To the King only, at Versailles_—That all the copies of the said letters, minutes, the cyphers, &c., shall be delivered to me, equally attested with initials, and with an exact inventory, the said secret correspondence consisting of five portfolios or thick volumes in quarto.

‘Art. III. That the said Chevalier D’Eon is to desist from every kind of proceeding, judicial or personal, against the memory of the late Count de Guerchy, his adversary, the successors to his title, the members of his family, &c., and undertakes never to revive any such proceedings under whatsoever form, unless he be forced thereto by judicial or personal provocation on the part of some relative, friend, or adherent of that family; for which there can be no longer any apprehension, his Majesty having, in his wisdom, taken every necessary precaution to prevent the recurrence, in the future, of any such unseemly quarrels, whether on the one side or on the other.

‘Art. IV. And to the end that an insurmountable barrier be for ever raised between the contending parties, and that all ideas of law-suits or personal quarrels, no matter whence they arise, be permanently nullified, I require, in the name of his Majesty, that the disguise which has to this day enabled a female to pass for the Chevalier D’Eon, shall entirely cease, and without seeking to blame Charles-Geneviève-Louise-Auguste-André-Timothée D’Eon de Beaumont for a concealment of condition and sex, the responsibility of which rests entirely with her relatives,[299] and whilst rendering justice to the prudent, decorous, and circumspect conduct she has at all times observed in the dress of her adoption whilst preserving a manly and vigorous bearing; I require, absolutely, that the ambiguity of her sex, which has afforded inexhaustible material for gossip, indecent betting, and idle jesting liable to be renewed, especially in France, which his pride would not tolerate, and which would give rise to fresh quarrels that could only serve, perhaps, to palliate and renew former ones; I require, absolutely, I say, in the name of the King, that the phantom Chevalier D’Eon shall entirely disappear, and that the public mind shall for ever be set at rest by a distinct, precise, and unambiguous declaration, publicly made, of the true sex of Charles-Geneviève-Louise-Auguste-André-Timothée D’Eon de Beaumont before she returns to France—her resumption of female attire settling for ever the public mind with regard to her; with all of which she should the more readily comply just now,[300] considering how interesting she will appear to both sexes, all being in like manner honoured by the incidents of her life, her courage, and her talents. Upon which conditions I will deliver to her the safe-conduct on parchment, signed by the King and his Minister for Foreign Affairs, which allows her to return to France and there remain under the special and immediate protection of his Majesty, who is desirous not only of according protection and security under his royal word, but who is good enough to change the yearly pension of 12,000 livres, granted by the late King in 1766, and which has been paid to her punctually to this day, into a life-annuity of the same amount, with an acknowledgement that the capital for the said annuity has already been provided and advanced by the said Chevalier D’Eon in furthering the concerns of the late King, besides other larger sums,[301] the total of which will be remitted by me for the liquidation of her debts in England, with a copy on parchment of the deed for the said annuity of 12,000 livres tournois, dated September 28, 1775.

[Sidenote: THE CHEVALIER’S CONDITIONS.]

‘And I, Charles-Geneviève-Louise-Auguste-André-Timothée D’Eon de Beaumont, spinster of age, hitherto known as the Chevalier D’Eon as above styled, submit to the whole of the above conditions imposed in the name of the King, solely that I may afford to his Majesty the greatest possible proofs of my respect and submission, although it would have been far more agreeable to me had he deigned to employ me again in his army or in the diplomatic service, in compliance with my earnest solicitations and in accordance with my seniority—And because, excepting some exhibition of feeling rendered in a measure excusable from a legitimate and natural desire to defend oneself, and the most justifiable resentment, his Majesty is pleased to allow that, as an officer, I have always behaved with bravery, and that I have been a laborious, intelligent, and discreet political agent.

‘I submit to declaring publicly my sex, to my condition being established beyond a doubt, to resume and wear female attire[302] until death, unless, taking into consideration my being so long accustomed to appear in uniform, his Majesty will consent, on sufferance only, to my resuming male attire should it become impossible for me to endure the embarrassment of adopting the other, after having tried to accustom myself to it at the _abbaye-royale_ of the Bernardine ladies of Saint-Antoine-des-Champs, Paris, or at any such other convent as I might select, to which I wish to withdraw for some months on arriving in France.

‘I declare that I entirely relinquish all proceedings, judicial or personal, to the prejudice of the late Count de Guerchy and of his successors, promising never to renew them unless forced to such a step by judicial proceedings as above stated.

‘I further pledge my word of honour, that I will deliver to M. Caron de Beaumarchais all official and secret papers, whether concerning the Embassy or the above said secret correspondence, without reserving or retaining to myself a single document, upon the following conditions, to which I entreat his Majesty’s approval:—

‘“1. Seeing that the letter of the late King, my most honoured lord and master, dated Versailles, April 1, 1766, by which he insured to me the annual pension of 12,000 livres until such time as he should improve my position, is of no further service to me so far as the said pension is concerned, which has been changed, to my advantage, by the King his successor, into a life-annuity of like amount—That the original letter should remain in my possession as testimony of the honour the late King deigned to bestow on my loyalty, my innocence, and my irreproachable conduct during all my troubles, and in all matters he deigned to confide to me, whether in Russia, whilst serving in his army, or in England.

‘“2. That the original receipt given to me in London on July 11, 1766, by M. Durand, minister plenipotentiary in England,[303] in exchange for the secret order of the late King, dated Versailles, June 3, 1763, delivered by me to him, intact, and of my own free-will, shall remain in my possession, as authentic testimony of the complete submission with which I gave up the secret order in the own hand of the King my master, which of itself justified the course of my conduct in England, so often described as being obstinacy by my enemies, and which, in their ignorance of my extraordinary situation in relation to the King, they have even dared to qualify as high treason.

‘“3. That his Majesty will deign, as a special favour, to satisfy himself at the expiration of every six months, as did the late King, of my being alive and of my whereabouts, to prevent my enemies from ever again being tempted to undertake anything to the prejudice of my honour, my liberty, my person, and my life.

‘“4. That the cross of Saint Louis, won by me at the peril of my life, in combats, sieges, and battles in which I took part, where I was wounded, and served as aide-de-camp to the general and as captain of dragoons and of volunteers in Broglio’s army, with bravery to which all those generals under whom I served have borne witness, shall never be taken from me, and that the right to wear it on any garments I may adopt shall be conceded to me for life.

‘“And if I may be permitted to add a respectful demand to these conditions, I would venture to observe that, at the moment I am about to obey his Majesty in consenting to abandon for ever my male attire, I am entirely destitute of everything—linen, clothing, and apparel suited to my sex, and that I have no money to procure even ordinary necessaries, M. de Beaumarchais being well aware who is to receive the amount destined in part payment of my debts, and of which I do not wish to touch one sou. Consequently, although I have no right to expect further favours from his Majesty, I do not refrain from soliciting at his hands the gift of a sum of money for the purchase of my female outfit, this unexpected, extraordinary, and compulsory expense not being my own idea, but uniquely in obedience to his orders.”

[Sidenote: BEAUMARCHAIS’ CONCESSIONS.]

‘And I, Caron de Beaumarchais, still as above styled, I leave with the said Demoiselle D’Eon de Beaumont the original letter conferring so much distinction, which the late King wrote to her from Versailles, April 1, 1766, when awarding her a pension of twelve thousand livres in acknowledgment of faithful services.

‘I further leave with her M. Durand’s original document. Neither of these papers can be taken from her by me without harshness that would ill accord with the benevolent and equitable intentions at present entertained by his Majesty towards the said Demoiselle D’Eon de Beaumont. As to the cross of Saint Louis, which she desires to retain with the right of wearing it in female attire, I must admit that, notwithstanding the exceeding kindness with which his Majesty has deigned to trust to my prudence, zeal, and intelligence in the conduct of this affair, I am afraid I should be exceeding my powers in determining so delicate a question.

‘Considering, on the other hand, that the cross of the royal and military order of Saint Louis has ever been regarded uniquely as the proof of, and reward for, valour, and that several officers who were thus decorated, having abandoned the military career for the church or the law, continued to wear on their new garments this honourable evidence that they had worthily performed their duties in a calling fraught with greater dangers; I do not think that there can be any objection to a like indulgence being granted to a valorous maiden who, having been brought up in male attire by her parents, and having courageously fulfilled all the perilous duties imposed by the profession of arms, may not have been aware of the impropriety of adopting the attire in which she had been compelled to live, until it became too late to change, and is therefore not in the least to blame for not having done so until now.

‘Considering, also, that the rare example offered by this extraordinary maiden is not likely to be followed by those of her sex, and can have no consequences; that had Jeanne d’Arc, who saved the throne and the states of Charles VII., fighting in male attire, obtained during the war, as has the said Demoiselle D’Eon de Beaumont, some military reward or decoration such as the cross of Saint Louis; it does not appear that, her task being completed, the King would have deprived her of the honourable guerdon for valour when requiring her to resume the garments of her sex, nor that any chivalrous French knight would have considered the distinction as being profaned, because it ornamented the breast and dress of a female who, on the field of battle, had ever shown herself worthy of being a man.

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