1 00:00:15,410 --> 00:00:22,810 Speaker 1: Pushkin a warning before we start. This cautionary tale discusses 2 00:00:22,890 --> 00:00:27,210 Speaker 1: death by suicide. If you're suffering emotional distress or you're 3 00:00:27,210 --> 00:00:31,610 Speaker 1: having suicidal thoughts, support is available, for example, from the 4 00:00:31,730 --> 00:00:40,210 Speaker 1: nine eight eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US. France, 5 00:00:40,690 --> 00:00:46,410 Speaker 1: sixteen seventy one, at the Chateau de Chantagille, home to 6 00:00:46,450 --> 00:00:52,650 Speaker 1: the Prince of Conde, a party is underway, three whole 7 00:00:52,770 --> 00:01:00,970 Speaker 1: days of moonlit hunts, sumptuous feasts, and spectacular entertainment. This 8 00:01:01,330 --> 00:01:06,210 Speaker 1: fairy tale palace, with its shimmering moat and stately gardens, 9 00:01:06,690 --> 00:01:11,330 Speaker 1: is the perfect setting for a grand seller. The party 10 00:01:11,370 --> 00:01:16,610 Speaker 1: has been organized by the Great Prancois Vateel, as maitre d'hotel, 11 00:01:17,290 --> 00:01:21,450 Speaker 1: head of the household. He is a maestro of hospitality, 12 00:01:22,010 --> 00:01:27,450 Speaker 1: famous among the great houses for his resourcefulness, efficiency and 13 00:01:27,810 --> 00:01:34,330 Speaker 1: excellent taste. Vattel is no ordinary servant, which is convenient 14 00:01:34,970 --> 00:01:39,930 Speaker 1: because this is no ordinary party. King Louis the fourteenth, 15 00:01:40,330 --> 00:01:44,690 Speaker 1: the formidable monarch who takes the very sun as his emblem, 16 00:01:44,890 --> 00:01:49,090 Speaker 1: is making his first visit to Chantague, and because Louis 17 00:01:49,170 --> 00:01:52,930 Speaker 1: likes to keep a close eye on the nobility, the 18 00:01:53,050 --> 00:01:57,970 Speaker 1: court has come with him two thousand guests have descended 19 00:01:58,010 --> 00:02:03,050 Speaker 1: on the fairy tale chateau, all demanding to be housed, entertained, 20 00:02:03,490 --> 00:02:08,730 Speaker 1: and fed. Tonight is the opening night of the festivities, 21 00:02:09,130 --> 00:02:13,490 Speaker 1: and Vertel must make sure that his master impresses. He 22 00:02:13,650 --> 00:02:20,570 Speaker 1: feels this responsibility. Keenly, Conde led a fearsome rebellion early 23 00:02:20,610 --> 00:02:24,290 Speaker 1: in louis reign, and all these years later, the king 24 00:02:24,450 --> 00:02:29,170 Speaker 1: remains wary of him. The cousins are tenuously back on 25 00:02:29,330 --> 00:02:33,210 Speaker 1: good terms for now, which means that the extravaganza at 26 00:02:33,330 --> 00:02:39,290 Speaker 1: Chanty must go off without a hitch. Fatell only recently 27 00:02:39,370 --> 00:02:42,490 Speaker 1: learned exactly how many guests the King would be bringing 28 00:02:42,490 --> 00:02:46,650 Speaker 1: with him and when he would arrive. What's more, the 29 00:02:46,770 --> 00:02:53,090 Speaker 1: king has a cruel streak. Fatell knows any missteps could 30 00:02:53,130 --> 00:02:56,850 Speaker 1: be costly. I haven't had a wink of sleep for 31 00:02:57,010 --> 00:03:03,410 Speaker 1: twelve nights, he tells a friend. Preparation is everything, and 32 00:03:03,450 --> 00:03:07,010 Speaker 1: so Vertell has planned this event to the last detail, 33 00:03:07,810 --> 00:03:12,410 Speaker 1: ordering ornate view furniture of the King's apartments and stocking 34 00:03:12,490 --> 00:03:16,690 Speaker 1: the laders. The Baron of Gourville, the steward in charge 35 00:03:16,730 --> 00:03:20,250 Speaker 1: of Conde's finances, has allowed the prince to spend a 36 00:03:20,450 --> 00:03:25,290 Speaker 1: staggering fifty thousand crowns on this party, or so the 37 00:03:25,290 --> 00:03:30,930 Speaker 1: guest's gossip. In the kitchens deep beneath the palace, Batel 38 00:03:31,130 --> 00:03:36,210 Speaker 1: has set the servants slicing and dicing, simmering and stirring. 39 00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:43,410 Speaker 1: Every taste must be accommodated, every mouth satisfied. The elaborate 40 00:03:43,490 --> 00:03:49,730 Speaker 1: choreography of dinners, the swift and striking. So far all 41 00:03:49,730 --> 00:03:53,570 Speaker 1: has gone well. Upon arrival, the king took a turn 42 00:03:53,610 --> 00:03:58,130 Speaker 1: around the chateau gardens. The walk was pleasant, the april 43 00:03:58,130 --> 00:04:04,970 Speaker 1: weather is fine, the daffodils in full bloom. Still Fortel 44 00:04:05,370 --> 00:04:13,490 Speaker 1: is on edge, exhausted. Later that night a magnificent cascade 45 00:04:13,530 --> 00:04:19,250 Speaker 1: of fireworks will dazzle the guests. But for now dinner 46 00:04:19,650 --> 00:04:28,290 Speaker 1: is served. First come the potage dishes cooked in pots 47 00:04:28,690 --> 00:04:32,570 Speaker 1: like chickens stuffed with chickory and quail and crayfish soup 48 00:04:32,970 --> 00:04:39,610 Speaker 1: garnished with rome. Then the entrees, hashes of mushroom and artichoke, 49 00:04:40,170 --> 00:04:46,370 Speaker 1: oiled meat, all manner of savory tarts, and finally, around these, 50 00:04:46,810 --> 00:04:52,410 Speaker 1: another painstaking formation is set down, a border of aud'eure, 51 00:04:53,130 --> 00:04:57,090 Speaker 1: quite literally outside the work of the main meal. These 52 00:04:57,090 --> 00:05:02,490 Speaker 1: are delicacies like fois gras, figs, and sausages. Only when 53 00:05:02,530 --> 00:05:06,290 Speaker 1: their sovereign has begun to eat, may the guests feast 54 00:05:06,370 --> 00:05:11,970 Speaker 1: and make merry After this first carnival of delights, the 55 00:05:12,130 --> 00:05:16,410 Speaker 1: roasts are served, rare, game, lamb, and beef in rich 56 00:05:16,490 --> 00:05:20,810 Speaker 1: wheal are all favorites. No sooner has one dish been 57 00:05:20,850 --> 00:05:24,930 Speaker 1: finished than another replaces it. The table is never bare, 58 00:05:25,410 --> 00:05:30,210 Speaker 1: and the placement of the dishes is always symmetrical. Fortell 59 00:05:30,770 --> 00:05:37,050 Speaker 1: notices everything conducting from afar dinner's service is a delicate 60 00:05:37,170 --> 00:05:47,490 Speaker 1: dance that what's this? Foretell realizes with horror that some 61 00:05:47,730 --> 00:05:52,210 Speaker 1: unexpected guests have joined the party. They must be fed, 62 00:05:53,090 --> 00:05:56,210 Speaker 1: and it's far too late now to prepare more roasts. 63 00:05:57,010 --> 00:06:00,530 Speaker 1: Another table will have to go without the frayed for 64 00:06:00,690 --> 00:06:04,690 Speaker 1: Tell is distraught, he's failed in his duties. He begins 65 00:06:04,730 --> 00:06:09,130 Speaker 1: to panic. And while you or I might find that 66 00:06:09,170 --> 00:06:16,410 Speaker 1: an overreaction, Fortell knows the stakes These festivities will prove, 67 00:06:16,850 --> 00:06:21,690 Speaker 1: quite literally to be a matter of life and death. 68 00:06:23,330 --> 00:06:51,090 Speaker 1: I'm Tim Harford, and you're listening to cautionary tales. Francois 69 00:06:51,170 --> 00:06:56,210 Speaker 1: Votel was born in around sixteen thirty. His family had 70 00:06:56,250 --> 00:07:00,730 Speaker 1: worked the land, but Fortell went into service, entering a 71 00:07:00,770 --> 00:07:08,530 Speaker 1: world of luxurious luncheons, glittering soirees, and extraordinarily complicated social rules. 72 00:07:09,490 --> 00:07:14,370 Speaker 1: As maitre d'hotel, Fatell presided over the comfort and convenience 73 00:07:14,450 --> 00:07:18,650 Speaker 1: of all who entered his master's home. The guardian of 74 00:07:18,690 --> 00:07:22,930 Speaker 1: his master's honor in the realm of hospitality, he managed 75 00:07:23,250 --> 00:07:27,450 Speaker 1: enormous sums of money, designed menus, and was in charge 76 00:07:27,450 --> 00:07:32,610 Speaker 1: of all the servants. Fatell was renowned for his meticulous 77 00:07:32,690 --> 00:07:36,170 Speaker 1: attention to detail in his work, and he had even 78 00:07:36,210 --> 00:07:39,970 Speaker 1: distinguished himself enough to be allowed to carry a sword, 79 00:07:40,690 --> 00:07:46,210 Speaker 1: a privilege reserved for a select view. Fatel could be 80 00:07:46,250 --> 00:07:51,610 Speaker 1: forgiven for being particularly anxious on that evening at Chantalie. 81 00:07:51,690 --> 00:07:55,050 Speaker 1: It was all too familiar. He had been embroiled in 82 00:07:55,090 --> 00:07:58,650 Speaker 1: a previous scheme to secure King Louis's favor through the 83 00:07:58,690 --> 00:08:03,650 Speaker 1: sheer opulence of a banquet. He knew how easily things 84 00:08:03,690 --> 00:08:08,770 Speaker 1: could go awry and how serious the consequences could be. 85 00:08:10,490 --> 00:08:14,890 Speaker 1: A decade earlier, Vttel had been working for a different master, 86 00:08:15,570 --> 00:08:21,170 Speaker 1: the ambitious Nicola Fouquet, the scion of prosperous cloth merchants. 87 00:08:22,330 --> 00:08:28,010 Speaker 1: Fiercely intelligent and a shrewd social operator, Fouquet had rapidly 88 00:08:28,090 --> 00:08:33,930 Speaker 1: climbed through government. By sixteen sixty one he was Superintendent 89 00:08:34,090 --> 00:08:39,570 Speaker 1: of Finances to the King. Fouquet was Bourgeois by origin, 90 00:08:40,050 --> 00:08:44,010 Speaker 1: but he now rubbed shoulders with royalty. He was bold 91 00:08:44,210 --> 00:08:47,850 Speaker 1: and forward thinking, masterminding ventures with the Dutch and in 92 00:08:47,890 --> 00:08:53,690 Speaker 1: the Americas. He was also cunning. His mentor, the previous 93 00:08:53,730 --> 00:08:58,250 Speaker 1: First Minister, had taught him how to surreptitiously skim off 94 00:08:58,290 --> 00:09:03,730 Speaker 1: the state bankroll. As a result, Fouquet was fabulously wealthy. 95 00:09:06,010 --> 00:09:10,450 Speaker 1: Fortell's fortunes rose with his masters, and he managed properties 96 00:09:10,490 --> 00:09:15,410 Speaker 1: for him in Paris and beyond. These homes were filled 97 00:09:15,410 --> 00:09:20,050 Speaker 1: with paintings and rare books. Fouquet loved the arts and 98 00:09:20,170 --> 00:09:26,050 Speaker 1: patronized poets and playwrights, but his favorite masterpiece was his 99 00:09:26,170 --> 00:09:32,090 Speaker 1: palace at Volna Vicomte. Three villages had been obliterated to 100 00:09:32,170 --> 00:09:35,490 Speaker 1: make way for the palace, with at least nine hundred 101 00:09:35,610 --> 00:09:40,850 Speaker 1: laborers hauling stone and digging a canal. Fouquet founded his 102 00:09:40,930 --> 00:09:44,890 Speaker 1: own factory to furnish it, and hired Flemish weavers for 103 00:09:44,930 --> 00:09:50,090 Speaker 1: an enormous tapestry cycle and Alexander the Great. He installed 104 00:09:50,490 --> 00:09:55,210 Speaker 1: soaring fountains and hired the very best landscape architect to 105 00:09:55,330 --> 00:10:00,890 Speaker 1: sculpt the lawns into careful geometric patterns. Figures from classical 106 00:10:00,930 --> 00:10:06,250 Speaker 1: mythology adorned the palace inside and out, as Caroline C. 107 00:10:06,570 --> 00:10:11,130 Speaker 1: Young has noted in her Book of Gold, in settings 108 00:10:11,170 --> 00:10:17,730 Speaker 1: of silver carved satire heads flanked the wrought iron gates, 109 00:10:17,770 --> 00:10:23,090 Speaker 1: and elegant columns edged its glittering facade, each topped with 110 00:10:23,130 --> 00:10:28,290 Speaker 1: a reclining Greek deity. The vast ceilings were painted with 111 00:10:28,530 --> 00:10:35,810 Speaker 1: Apollo hercules, and the meuse cleo Vaux was a feast 112 00:10:36,090 --> 00:10:40,770 Speaker 1: for eyes, a home fit not just for a finance minister, 113 00:10:41,930 --> 00:10:50,450 Speaker 1: but for a god. Trusty Vertel had supervised construction. He 114 00:10:50,530 --> 00:10:54,770 Speaker 1: had ensured there were a few practical innovations at Vaux, too, 115 00:10:55,210 --> 00:10:59,330 Speaker 1: like extra staircases connecting the kitchens with the grand salon 116 00:11:00,010 --> 00:11:04,650 Speaker 1: to help food reach the table more efficiently. The palace 117 00:11:04,810 --> 00:11:09,290 Speaker 1: drew prying eyes, and Vertel caught the government minister to 118 00:11:09,450 --> 00:11:15,330 Speaker 1: Jean Baptiste Colbert, spying on the construction project. Colbert, whose 119 00:11:15,410 --> 00:11:21,490 Speaker 1: family crest was an undulating serpent, was Fouquet's arch nemesis. 120 00:11:22,610 --> 00:11:31,970 Speaker 1: This could only spell trouble. King Louis was growing increasingly 121 00:11:32,050 --> 00:11:39,930 Speaker 1: suspicious of Fortel's master and his excessive expenditure. Fouquet claimed 122 00:11:40,010 --> 00:11:44,530 Speaker 1: his new palace was designed to glorify France, a display 123 00:11:44,610 --> 00:11:47,690 Speaker 1: not just of his own prestige but of his loyalty 124 00:11:47,850 --> 00:11:51,690 Speaker 1: to the crown. But he had also taken care to 125 00:11:51,770 --> 00:11:56,250 Speaker 1: install friends and minions at every level of government, and 126 00:11:56,330 --> 00:12:04,370 Speaker 1: his tentacles of influence reached far across oceans. Colbert dripped 127 00:12:04,650 --> 00:12:10,490 Speaker 1: poison in the King's ear. Fouquet was sent agents abroad, 128 00:12:11,170 --> 00:12:17,450 Speaker 1: dining superbly and acquiring friends of every kind. Worst of all, 129 00:12:17,890 --> 00:12:22,930 Speaker 1: the finance minister was stealing from the treasury. Because of him, 130 00:12:23,090 --> 00:12:27,650 Speaker 1: said Colbert, Louis was only receiving around forty percent of 131 00:12:27,690 --> 00:12:32,850 Speaker 1: the value of state taxes. Colbert was in fact guilty 132 00:12:32,890 --> 00:12:37,050 Speaker 1: of similar misdeeds, as Fouquet well knew, but had managed 133 00:12:37,090 --> 00:12:43,890 Speaker 1: to cover his tracks by burning the incriminating accounts. In 134 00:12:43,930 --> 00:12:48,690 Speaker 1: the summer of sixteen sixty one, matters came to a head. 135 00:12:49,250 --> 00:12:54,130 Speaker 1: Louis had a new mistress, blonde haired, blue eyed, Louise 136 00:12:54,170 --> 00:12:58,730 Speaker 1: de la Valliere. Ever on the lookout for allies, Fouquet 137 00:12:58,850 --> 00:13:02,690 Speaker 1: approached the young woman. If she needed anything at all, 138 00:13:02,730 --> 00:13:08,250 Speaker 1: he said he would be delighted to help her. Soon 139 00:13:08,730 --> 00:13:13,410 Speaker 1: a room Humer was flying through court. Fouquet had sent 140 00:13:13,450 --> 00:13:18,210 Speaker 1: a close friend to offer the Madamiselle de Valliere twenty 141 00:13:18,610 --> 00:13:24,330 Speaker 1: thousand gold coins. Some said this was mere flattery. Gifts 142 00:13:24,370 --> 00:13:28,610 Speaker 1: were not so unusual after all, but others were certain 143 00:13:28,690 --> 00:13:34,090 Speaker 1: that this was unabashed flirtation, that Fouquet wanted the young 144 00:13:34,210 --> 00:13:39,290 Speaker 1: lady for himself. When Louis learned of Fouquet's overtures to 145 00:13:39,370 --> 00:13:46,330 Speaker 1: his mistress, he was enraged. Fouquet knew he had incurred 146 00:13:46,370 --> 00:13:49,890 Speaker 1: the king's wrath that unless he could regain his favor 147 00:13:49,930 --> 00:13:54,850 Speaker 1: and fast, he was done for. Feverishly, he alighted on 148 00:13:54,890 --> 00:14:00,250 Speaker 1: a plan. He would invite Louis to a party, a 149 00:14:00,290 --> 00:14:05,330 Speaker 1: glorious soiree in his honor. It was an outlandish idea, 150 00:14:05,370 --> 00:14:08,650 Speaker 1: to be sure, but the magnificent palace at Vaux, with 151 00:14:08,730 --> 00:14:13,450 Speaker 1: its boring fountains and lavish ceilings, was fit for a god. 152 00:14:14,170 --> 00:14:19,730 Speaker 1: It could not fail to enchant a king. Fouquet would 153 00:14:19,730 --> 00:14:23,810 Speaker 1: have to walk the finest of lines, impressing the monarch 154 00:14:24,290 --> 00:14:29,490 Speaker 1: without threatening him, but he was in safe hands. He'd 155 00:14:29,610 --> 00:14:34,490 Speaker 1: entrusted the entire operation to the most diligent and gifted 156 00:14:34,650 --> 00:14:44,170 Speaker 1: Maitre d'hotel in the land Francois Vattel cautionary tales will return. 157 00:14:53,290 --> 00:14:57,730 Speaker 1: Life at Louis the fourteenth Court was governed by elaborate 158 00:14:57,850 --> 00:15:01,490 Speaker 1: ritual from the first light of dawn until the very 159 00:15:01,610 --> 00:15:06,210 Speaker 1: last servant crawled into bed exhausted from the day's labors. 160 00:15:09,210 --> 00:15:12,970 Speaker 1: Each morning began with the grand getting up ceremony the 161 00:15:13,090 --> 00:15:19,690 Speaker 1: levee at eight thirty a m. Louis was washed, shaved, combed, 162 00:15:20,050 --> 00:15:24,290 Speaker 1: and bewigged before an audience of around a hundred spectators. 163 00:15:25,410 --> 00:15:30,210 Speaker 1: Only those with particular privileges could attend the levee. Rank 164 00:15:30,370 --> 00:15:34,370 Speaker 1: and favour determined when a subject could enter and the 165 00:15:34,410 --> 00:15:38,930 Speaker 1: door he could pass through. The playwright Moliere, who began 166 00:15:39,050 --> 00:15:43,770 Speaker 1: his career as valet of the king's bedchamber, recalled how 167 00:15:43,770 --> 00:15:47,250 Speaker 1: the throng of men present at the levee would jostle 168 00:15:47,330 --> 00:15:51,810 Speaker 1: to reach the front of the audience. Attendance was coveted 169 00:15:52,210 --> 00:15:56,890 Speaker 1: because it offered physical proximity to the King and so 170 00:15:57,130 --> 00:16:00,490 Speaker 1: the opportunity to bend his ear and petition for this 171 00:16:00,610 --> 00:16:04,930 Speaker 1: or that. Louis imposed a body of tacit rules on 172 00:16:04,970 --> 00:16:10,450 Speaker 1: his courtiers that controlled every aspect of their lives. Days 173 00:16:10,490 --> 00:16:14,970 Speaker 1: in court were strictly timetabled, the regime could be exacting. 174 00:16:15,330 --> 00:16:17,930 Speaker 1: As the King's sister in law explained in a letter 175 00:16:18,010 --> 00:16:22,890 Speaker 1: to her aunt, we were kept busy all day. We 176 00:16:22,970 --> 00:16:25,530 Speaker 1: hunted from morning until three in the afternoon. Then we 177 00:16:25,610 --> 00:16:28,490 Speaker 1: went up to play, remaining there until seven in the evening. 178 00:16:29,050 --> 00:16:31,290 Speaker 1: Then we went to the theater, which did not finish 179 00:16:31,370 --> 00:16:35,130 Speaker 1: until half past ten. After theater, we took supper. After supper, 180 00:16:35,170 --> 00:16:37,170 Speaker 1: it was time for the mall, which went almost all 181 00:16:37,210 --> 00:16:40,930 Speaker 1: three in the morning, and only then did we retire 182 00:16:40,970 --> 00:16:45,570 Speaker 1: to bed. A complex web of etiquette governed who could 183 00:16:45,610 --> 00:16:51,010 Speaker 1: approach whom and when. Subtle rules controlled manners of speech, 184 00:16:51,530 --> 00:16:54,570 Speaker 1: body language, and even the right to use a stool, 185 00:16:54,890 --> 00:16:59,610 Speaker 1: chair or armchair. According to the Duke of Saint Simon, 186 00:17:00,330 --> 00:17:05,370 Speaker 1: nothing slipt past the King, Not one of his courtiers 187 00:17:05,490 --> 00:17:13,130 Speaker 1: escaped him, even those who hoped to remain unnoticed. Nowhere 188 00:17:13,170 --> 00:17:16,250 Speaker 1: were the rules more intricate or more treacherous than in 189 00:17:16,290 --> 00:17:21,570 Speaker 1: the royal dining room. Hundreds of officers from these services 190 00:17:21,610 --> 00:17:25,810 Speaker 1: of the King's Mouth prepared and served the king's meals 191 00:17:25,850 --> 00:17:29,250 Speaker 1: on gold and silver dishes. Lewis was said to be 192 00:17:29,330 --> 00:17:33,610 Speaker 1: able to conquer four full plates of soup, a whole pheasant, 193 00:17:34,170 --> 00:17:38,130 Speaker 1: a partridge, a big dish of salad, two big slices 194 00:17:38,170 --> 00:17:42,250 Speaker 1: of ham, some mutton, a plate of pastry, and then 195 00:17:42,370 --> 00:17:49,450 Speaker 1: fruit and hard boiled eggs, all in one sitting. Meal 196 00:17:49,530 --> 00:17:54,690 Speaker 1: times were important to the king. Ceremonial public meals, in particular, 197 00:17:55,170 --> 00:17:59,730 Speaker 1: gave him the opportunity to entrench a strict court pecking order. 198 00:18:00,890 --> 00:18:04,890 Speaker 1: Seating was hierarchical. Men were to remove their hats while 199 00:18:04,970 --> 00:18:08,930 Speaker 1: grace or toasts were being said, then immediately replaced them. 200 00:18:09,690 --> 00:18:13,810 Speaker 1: Napkins could be used, but only once the individual of 201 00:18:13,970 --> 00:18:18,690 Speaker 1: highest rank had first opened theirs, and while discreete napkin 202 00:18:18,770 --> 00:18:22,770 Speaker 1: usage was permitted for the hands, cleaning one's face or 203 00:18:22,930 --> 00:18:30,610 Speaker 1: teeth was uncouth. Wiping one's nose unforgivably vulgar. Placing one's 204 00:18:30,650 --> 00:18:36,050 Speaker 1: elbows on the table was also a grave breach of decorum. 205 00:18:36,530 --> 00:18:40,090 Speaker 1: Diners could signal their needs to servants, but only in 206 00:18:40,250 --> 00:18:43,770 Speaker 1: hushed tones, and even then it was bad manners to 207 00:18:43,810 --> 00:18:47,410 Speaker 1: do this too often. A guest should never be the 208 00:18:47,450 --> 00:18:50,730 Speaker 1: first to place his spoon into a dish unless he 209 00:18:50,810 --> 00:18:54,530 Speaker 1: wished to serve another, and each time a man served 210 00:18:54,570 --> 00:18:58,210 Speaker 1: a higher ranking woman, he was expected to tip his hat. 211 00:18:59,530 --> 00:19:02,490 Speaker 1: Olives were to be lifted from their dish with a spoon, 212 00:19:03,050 --> 00:19:06,690 Speaker 1: never a fork, but walnuts could be taken with the 213 00:19:06,770 --> 00:19:12,570 Speaker 1: hand touching fish. The knife was forbidden unless that fish 214 00:19:12,650 --> 00:19:18,090 Speaker 1: was baked in a pie. In short, there were traps everywhere. 215 00:19:18,570 --> 00:19:23,530 Speaker 1: As a courtier called Madame de Torsi discovered the palace 216 00:19:23,570 --> 00:19:28,250 Speaker 1: had decamped the king's estate at marley. At dinner, Madame 217 00:19:28,330 --> 00:19:32,290 Speaker 1: de Torsi seated herself at the table. A moment later, 218 00:19:32,970 --> 00:19:36,650 Speaker 1: the Duchess of Durras arrived. He took a space that 219 00:19:36,770 --> 00:19:43,610 Speaker 1: was free. Unfortunately, she was now seated below Madame de Torsi. 220 00:19:44,410 --> 00:19:47,930 Speaker 1: This was a problem because Madame de Torsi lacked the title. 221 00:19:48,610 --> 00:19:52,410 Speaker 1: She offered to correct her mistake, but the moment had passed, 222 00:19:53,410 --> 00:19:56,810 Speaker 1: and besides, the Duchess wasn't too irk by the error. 223 00:19:57,730 --> 00:20:04,650 Speaker 1: Sancimond described what happened next. The king entered. As soon 224 00:20:04,690 --> 00:20:07,970 Speaker 1: as he sat down, he saw the place Madame de 225 00:20:07,970 --> 00:20:12,650 Speaker 1: Torsi had taken, and fixed such a serious and surprised 226 00:20:12,650 --> 00:20:15,370 Speaker 1: look upon her that she again offered to give up 227 00:20:15,370 --> 00:20:20,010 Speaker 1: her place to the duchess. The offer was again declined. 228 00:20:21,930 --> 00:20:26,530 Speaker 1: The king seethed all through dinner. After the meal, he 229 00:20:26,610 --> 00:20:29,970 Speaker 1: told the princesses that he had just borne witness to 230 00:20:30,050 --> 00:20:35,130 Speaker 1: an act of incredible insolence, and, enraged, had been unable 231 00:20:35,170 --> 00:20:40,050 Speaker 1: to eat a single mouthful. A tirade on bourgeois genealogy 232 00:20:40,050 --> 00:20:44,170 Speaker 1: of the Detorsius followed. A lengthy discourse on the dignity 233 00:20:44,170 --> 00:20:48,450 Speaker 1: of dukes came after that. Finally, the king charged the 234 00:20:48,490 --> 00:20:52,770 Speaker 1: princesses with telling Madame de Torci exactly what he thought 235 00:20:52,810 --> 00:20:56,810 Speaker 1: of her. The princesses looked at each other. They didn't 236 00:20:56,850 --> 00:21:00,410 Speaker 1: like this idea at all, which made the king even 237 00:21:00,570 --> 00:21:06,570 Speaker 1: more angry. News of his fury soon spread through the court. 238 00:21:07,370 --> 00:21:09,770 Speaker 1: The next day, he could talk of nothing but Madame 239 00:21:09,810 --> 00:21:14,410 Speaker 1: de Torsi's infraction. The king broke out again with even 240 00:21:14,450 --> 00:21:21,370 Speaker 1: more bitterness than before, said San Simont. Eventually, poor Belagan 241 00:21:21,570 --> 00:21:25,730 Speaker 1: Monsieur de Torsi wrote the king a letter apologizing for 242 00:21:25,810 --> 00:21:32,530 Speaker 1: his wife's impertinence, and finally the king was calm. The 243 00:21:32,610 --> 00:21:42,810 Speaker 1: violation of courtly etiquette had been remedied. Where did this 244 00:21:43,050 --> 00:21:48,450 Speaker 1: complex system of manners and etiquette come from? The sociologist 245 00:21:48,730 --> 00:21:54,890 Speaker 1: Norbert Elias had a theory. Louis the fourteenth ruled absolutely 246 00:21:55,490 --> 00:21:59,450 Speaker 1: and aimed to centralize the French government more than ever before. 247 00:22:00,210 --> 00:22:04,010 Speaker 1: By the mid sixteen hundreds, France had developed a highly 248 00:22:04,130 --> 00:22:08,490 Speaker 1: disciplined and well resourced army, a central force paid for 249 00:22:08,570 --> 00:22:12,570 Speaker 1: by state taxes, which meant that the state now had 250 00:22:12,570 --> 00:22:17,250 Speaker 1: the monopoly on legitimate physical violence. The nobility could no 251 00:22:17,330 --> 00:22:20,930 Speaker 1: longer prove its power with physical might and battles and 252 00:22:20,970 --> 00:22:25,970 Speaker 1: the provinces. It was the king's favor that bestowed prestige 253 00:22:26,250 --> 00:22:31,090 Speaker 1: as well as honor, that is, membership of good society. 254 00:22:32,330 --> 00:22:37,650 Speaker 1: Maintaining appearances became essential. A duke who did not appear 255 00:22:37,690 --> 00:22:41,210 Speaker 1: to live as a duke was hardly a duke. The 256 00:22:41,250 --> 00:22:46,530 Speaker 1: appearance of rank was rank. Of course, the cost of 257 00:22:46,650 --> 00:22:52,450 Speaker 1: maintaining appearances, of having the right carriage, the right house keeping, 258 00:22:52,690 --> 00:22:56,050 Speaker 1: Swiss guards, or at least men dressed like Swiss guards, 259 00:22:56,770 --> 00:23:00,650 Speaker 1: could be ruinous. As the king had the power to 260 00:23:00,690 --> 00:23:04,370 Speaker 1: dispense wealth, the nobility was all the more dependent on 261 00:23:04,450 --> 00:23:08,530 Speaker 1: his favor, and one way to secure that favor was 262 00:23:08,610 --> 00:23:14,810 Speaker 1: the flous display of courtly etiquette. Rules and etiquette in 263 00:23:14,890 --> 00:23:20,610 Speaker 1: Louis's hands were an instrument of power. They pacified the nobility. 264 00:23:21,690 --> 00:23:26,610 Speaker 1: Ceremony and ritual like the levee or strict seating hierarchies 265 00:23:27,330 --> 00:23:31,770 Speaker 1: showed who was in and who was out. How well 266 00:23:31,810 --> 00:23:36,210 Speaker 1: as subject danced, the dance of courtly etiquette proved whether 267 00:23:36,290 --> 00:23:41,730 Speaker 1: or not that subject really belonged. The result suggested elias 268 00:23:42,450 --> 00:23:46,490 Speaker 1: was a kind of human stock exchange, where the value 269 00:23:46,530 --> 00:23:51,410 Speaker 1: of individuals went up and down. It was dangerous to 270 00:23:51,410 --> 00:23:55,410 Speaker 1: be discourteous to a person whose stock was rising, but 271 00:23:55,490 --> 00:23:58,090 Speaker 1: it was equally dangerous to be friendly with someone whose 272 00:23:58,130 --> 00:24:02,970 Speaker 1: stock was falling. Courtiers had to constantly calculate their own 273 00:24:03,090 --> 00:24:08,170 Speaker 1: worth alongside the worth of those around them, and adjust 274 00:24:08,330 --> 00:24:17,490 Speaker 1: their behavior accordingly. The requirement to analyze and perform was unrelenting. 275 00:24:18,450 --> 00:24:22,810 Speaker 1: Far from offering a life of untroubled luxury, the court 276 00:24:22,890 --> 00:24:31,330 Speaker 1: of Louis the fourteenth was a gilded cage. The party 277 00:24:31,410 --> 00:24:35,970 Speaker 1: at Vaux, the magnificent home of Nicola Fouquet, was just 278 00:24:36,370 --> 00:24:41,530 Speaker 1: three weeks away. Undaunted, the great master of the household, 279 00:24:41,570 --> 00:24:48,170 Speaker 1: Francois Vatel, sprang into action, though still wasn't fully decorated. 280 00:24:48,610 --> 00:24:52,290 Speaker 1: The monumental tapestry of Alexander the Great wouldn't be finished 281 00:24:52,330 --> 00:24:58,250 Speaker 1: for years. Silvertail borrowed and rented wall hangings from other residences, 282 00:24:58,850 --> 00:25:03,050 Speaker 1: as well as furniture and silver. He prepared apartments for 283 00:25:03,090 --> 00:25:06,970 Speaker 1: the king and commissioned an Italian set designer known as 284 00:25:07,330 --> 00:25:13,130 Speaker 1: iligrand Stregone the Great Wizard to direct a brilliant fireworks display. 285 00:25:14,210 --> 00:25:18,690 Speaker 1: He also planned the all important banquet. From his office 286 00:25:18,770 --> 00:25:21,610 Speaker 1: in the bowels of the palace, he took inventory of 287 00:25:21,650 --> 00:25:25,930 Speaker 1: the wines, linens, and silver. He filled the stores to 288 00:25:26,050 --> 00:25:29,610 Speaker 1: bursting and made sure the cooking ranges were ablaze, the 289 00:25:29,730 --> 00:25:35,130 Speaker 1: rotating spits ready for their roasts. Under Vttel's direction, the 290 00:25:35,250 --> 00:25:43,330 Speaker 1: whole palace labored furiously decorating, polishing, rehearsing. Fortell's master Fouquet 291 00:25:43,610 --> 00:25:46,730 Speaker 1: had been in bed with a terrible fever, but this 292 00:25:46,930 --> 00:25:50,570 Speaker 1: party was itself a matter of life or death, and 293 00:25:50,610 --> 00:25:56,010 Speaker 1: so he roused himself to check each detail. Finally, the 294 00:25:56,090 --> 00:26:02,210 Speaker 1: stage was set. The day of the party arrived at 295 00:26:02,250 --> 00:26:06,890 Speaker 1: six pm. The King's gilded carriage rolled up to the 296 00:26:07,050 --> 00:26:12,650 Speaker 1: raw iron gates at the cautionary tales will be back 297 00:26:12,970 --> 00:26:24,130 Speaker 1: at a moment. That day, a shocking rumor had flown 298 00:26:24,170 --> 00:26:29,330 Speaker 1: through court. Louis had been threatening to have Fouquet arrested 299 00:26:29,530 --> 00:26:34,930 Speaker 1: at the soiree. Apparently his mother, Anne of Austria, had 300 00:26:34,930 --> 00:26:39,370 Speaker 1: managed to dissuade him, But to everyone's surprise, the evening 301 00:26:39,490 --> 00:26:44,850 Speaker 1: began well. The older statesman hid his raging fever and 302 00:26:44,930 --> 00:26:50,130 Speaker 1: greeted the young king with open arms. By some accounts, 303 00:26:50,170 --> 00:26:54,370 Speaker 1: there were three thousand guests at Vaux that evening. Others 304 00:26:54,410 --> 00:26:57,770 Speaker 1: said there were six thousand, and that only the king's 305 00:26:57,850 --> 00:27:03,490 Speaker 1: pregnant wife and First Minister Colbert did not attend. When 306 00:27:03,490 --> 00:27:06,690 Speaker 1: the last of the carriages had arrived, Fouquet led the 307 00:27:06,730 --> 00:27:11,730 Speaker 1: party on a tour of the chateau garden. The guests 308 00:27:11,770 --> 00:27:15,890 Speaker 1: were astonished by the fountains with their thirty five foot 309 00:27:16,010 --> 00:27:20,690 Speaker 1: jets of water. They gasped at the masterfully carved sculptures 310 00:27:20,690 --> 00:27:24,170 Speaker 1: that decorated the lawns, and that row upon row of 311 00:27:24,290 --> 00:27:28,570 Speaker 1: expensive tulips a nod to Fouquet's business ties with the 312 00:27:28,650 --> 00:27:33,090 Speaker 1: Dutch Republic. They reveled in the scent of orange blossom 313 00:27:33,170 --> 00:27:37,250 Speaker 1: on the summer air, and rode in painted gondolas across 314 00:27:37,290 --> 00:27:41,850 Speaker 1: a canal adorned with a statue of Neptune. This was 315 00:27:42,010 --> 00:27:47,490 Speaker 1: like no garden they had ever visited before. Then came 316 00:27:47,530 --> 00:27:53,730 Speaker 1: the tour of the chateau itself. Vertell had triumphed. The 317 00:27:53,850 --> 00:28:01,490 Speaker 1: rooms were opulent and luxurious cove ceilings glorified Fouquet through symbolism. 318 00:28:01,850 --> 00:28:05,610 Speaker 1: In one he was a star rising to the heavens. 319 00:28:06,410 --> 00:28:12,170 Speaker 1: In another he was Hercules, the chariot of gold. Of course, 320 00:28:13,130 --> 00:28:20,850 Speaker 1: nothing slipped past the king. Finally it was time for dinner. 321 00:28:21,890 --> 00:28:27,010 Speaker 1: The party reached the Grand Salon, a magnificent oval room 322 00:28:27,250 --> 00:28:32,130 Speaker 1: that stretched the full height of the palace. Fouquet escorted 323 00:28:32,170 --> 00:28:35,530 Speaker 1: the king to his seat, and Rattel gave the word 324 00:28:35,690 --> 00:28:41,010 Speaker 1: for the intricate choreography of dinner. To begin the potage, 325 00:28:41,450 --> 00:28:45,570 Speaker 1: entrees and ord'eure were set down in their customary symmetry. 326 00:28:46,490 --> 00:28:52,890 Speaker 1: Then came the second service, stylish beasts and ragous plus pheasants, ltelaans, 327 00:28:53,210 --> 00:28:59,290 Speaker 1: quails and partridges. Two carvers sliced the meats in perfect synchronicity. 328 00:29:00,050 --> 00:29:04,810 Speaker 1: All the while the wine flowed and twenty four violins 329 00:29:04,850 --> 00:29:11,370 Speaker 1: serenaded the diners. At last, their tights indulged, the guests 330 00:29:11,650 --> 00:29:16,530 Speaker 1: passed into the gardens for the evening's entertainment, the premiere 331 00:29:16,610 --> 00:29:21,170 Speaker 1: of playwright Moliere's Les Facheon, which had had all of 332 00:29:21,250 --> 00:29:26,930 Speaker 1: fifteen days to write. For the grand finale, a surge 333 00:29:26,970 --> 00:29:31,970 Speaker 1: of fireworks lit the canal in colorful bursts. It was 334 00:29:32,490 --> 00:29:37,810 Speaker 1: an exquisite evening, and Vettel must have had one eye 335 00:29:38,330 --> 00:29:44,610 Speaker 1: firmly on the king. Was the plan working. Observers thought 336 00:29:44,690 --> 00:29:49,050 Speaker 1: that Louis was wide eyed with wander, amazed by the 337 00:29:49,210 --> 00:29:53,810 Speaker 1: incomparable luxury at Vaux, and perhaps jealous of it too. 338 00:29:56,890 --> 00:30:00,450 Speaker 1: At two a m. The party drew to a close. 339 00:30:01,770 --> 00:30:04,850 Speaker 1: Louis gave the signal that he would not make use 340 00:30:04,970 --> 00:30:08,890 Speaker 1: of the royal bedroom. In fact, he wished to leave it. 341 00:30:10,650 --> 00:30:14,770 Speaker 1: Vatel managed the guest's departure, and as the King's carriage 342 00:30:14,810 --> 00:30:21,530 Speaker 1: sped away, the fevered Fouquet felt his disquiet return. He 343 00:30:21,610 --> 00:30:25,650 Speaker 1: asked his friend, the Baron of Gourville, what everyone was saying. 344 00:30:27,810 --> 00:30:32,010 Speaker 1: One group thinks you will be declared first Minister Gourville 345 00:30:32,010 --> 00:30:35,810 Speaker 1: told him, the other that they will form a great 346 00:30:35,850 --> 00:30:43,370 Speaker 1: cabal to destroy you. Fouquet had played the game well 347 00:30:43,770 --> 00:30:48,290 Speaker 1: for a time. He'd risen high in the human stock exchange. 348 00:30:48,650 --> 00:30:52,210 Speaker 1: But where there are ladders, there may also be snakes. 349 00:30:53,370 --> 00:30:56,410 Speaker 1: A few weeks later he was arrested by the king's 350 00:30:56,690 --> 00:31:02,690 Speaker 1: steadfast musketeer d'Artagnan. According to the Duke of San Simon, 351 00:31:03,450 --> 00:31:07,810 Speaker 1: Louis was a man with a distaste for all intelligence, 352 00:31:08,410 --> 00:31:13,850 Speaker 1: all intendants of character. In others, Fouquet had shown himself 353 00:31:13,890 --> 00:31:18,090 Speaker 1: to be creative and forward thinking. He was very intelligent 354 00:31:18,770 --> 00:31:25,970 Speaker 1: and very independent, but had reached too high. The opulence 355 00:31:26,010 --> 00:31:30,610 Speaker 1: and beauty of the party at Vaux now seemed proof 356 00:31:30,730 --> 00:31:37,210 Speaker 1: of his dissolution his corruption. Fouquet was charged with embezzlement 357 00:31:37,290 --> 00:31:43,490 Speaker 1: from the French treasury and treason. Musketeers overseen by Colbert, 358 00:31:44,010 --> 00:31:49,730 Speaker 1: combed his homes for evidence against him. At trial, Fouquet 359 00:31:49,730 --> 00:31:53,770 Speaker 1: defended himself well. Though he was found guilty, he was 360 00:31:53,810 --> 00:32:00,970 Speaker 1: sentenced to banishment rather than prison or death. Unusually, Louis 361 00:32:01,090 --> 00:32:07,210 Speaker 1: used his royal judicial powers to change the sentence. Fouquet 362 00:32:07,210 --> 00:32:10,970 Speaker 1: would spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement 363 00:32:11,530 --> 00:32:16,850 Speaker 1: at the chilling Penurole prison. He could not take any exercise, 364 00:32:17,370 --> 00:32:21,690 Speaker 1: and only after thirteen years was he permitted to exchange 365 00:32:21,730 --> 00:32:25,530 Speaker 1: any letters with his wife. He would never be released 366 00:32:26,330 --> 00:32:33,490 Speaker 1: and died at Pigenirol. As for Vertel, with his master disgraced, 367 00:32:33,970 --> 00:32:39,490 Speaker 1: he was forced into exile abroad. Louis began stripping Vaux 368 00:32:39,570 --> 00:32:44,490 Speaker 1: for parts. He sees the precious furniture that Vertell had selected. 369 00:32:45,050 --> 00:32:49,650 Speaker 1: The tapestries and sculptures. He even took the trees, shrubs, 370 00:32:49,690 --> 00:32:54,650 Speaker 1: and orange blossom topiaris. They would all make perfect additions 371 00:32:54,690 --> 00:32:59,650 Speaker 1: to the magnificent palace he was building for himself at Versailles. 372 00:33:03,010 --> 00:33:06,850 Speaker 1: The Court of Louis the fourteenth revolved around the elaborate 373 00:33:06,930 --> 00:33:13,490 Speaker 1: performance of respect and friendship, but that decency was superficial, 374 00:33:14,290 --> 00:33:20,770 Speaker 1: a thin veneer of civility, manners, and etiquette masked cold 375 00:33:21,050 --> 00:33:35,090 Speaker 1: indifference and unfathomable cruelty. Have we really left that world behind? 376 00:33:36,170 --> 00:33:40,730 Speaker 1: On the surface, the intricate rituals and complex social rules 377 00:33:40,810 --> 00:33:47,450 Speaker 1: of Louis the fourteenth Court seem archaic, even fantastical, But 378 00:33:47,570 --> 00:33:52,290 Speaker 1: I think we still codify and ritualize our behavior. Instead 379 00:33:52,290 --> 00:33:58,970 Speaker 1: of at the dining table. It's online. Complicated, often unwritten 380 00:33:59,050 --> 00:34:03,490 Speaker 1: rules govern how to frame posts on social media. Who 381 00:34:03,530 --> 00:34:07,810 Speaker 1: to tag alike can be a genuine display of appreciation, 382 00:34:08,650 --> 00:34:12,410 Speaker 1: but it can equally be purely for show a signal 383 00:34:12,450 --> 00:34:15,930 Speaker 1: to the wider social media audience that one user is 384 00:34:16,010 --> 00:34:20,010 Speaker 1: loyal to another and alike is not at all the 385 00:34:20,010 --> 00:34:23,050 Speaker 1: same as a thumbs up to people over the age 386 00:34:23,050 --> 00:34:26,850 Speaker 1: of thirty. The thumbs up is generally positive, but I've 387 00:34:26,890 --> 00:34:31,450 Speaker 1: discovered that gen Z can interpret the thumbs up as sarcastic, 388 00:34:32,370 --> 00:34:39,650 Speaker 1: even passive aggressive. The rules are inconsistent. There are traps everywhere. 389 00:34:40,770 --> 00:34:45,290 Speaker 1: Online life, too, is precarious. Social media forms a kind 390 00:34:45,330 --> 00:34:49,610 Speaker 1: of human stock exchange. It encourages us to surveil and 391 00:34:49,770 --> 00:34:54,290 Speaker 1: moderate each other, but it also invites hyper awareness about 392 00:34:54,330 --> 00:35:02,170 Speaker 1: how we present ourselves and unremitting performance. Missteps can result 393 00:35:02,330 --> 00:35:13,970 Speaker 1: in social exile. Ten years pass, Francois Vatel is back 394 00:35:14,010 --> 00:35:17,970 Speaker 1: in France with a new master, the Prince of Conde. 395 00:35:18,410 --> 00:35:21,930 Speaker 1: Two thousand guests are attending the Chateau de Chantalie at 396 00:35:21,970 --> 00:35:25,770 Speaker 1: a party in honor of King Louis the fourteenth. This 397 00:35:25,850 --> 00:35:28,970 Speaker 1: is the celebration to mark the Prince of Conde's return 398 00:35:29,090 --> 00:35:34,970 Speaker 1: to royal favor, and to his horror, Vatel has just 399 00:35:35,090 --> 00:35:41,010 Speaker 1: realized that he's a few roasts. Short history doesn't record 400 00:35:41,250 --> 00:35:44,570 Speaker 1: exactly when Vertel made his way back to France or 401 00:35:44,570 --> 00:35:47,650 Speaker 1: what the journey was like for him, but after the 402 00:35:47,730 --> 00:35:52,290 Speaker 1: squelching of his former master, this opportunity to enter the 403 00:35:52,290 --> 00:35:56,690 Speaker 1: service of Conde must have felt like a lifeline. Perhaps 404 00:35:56,730 --> 00:36:00,050 Speaker 1: the Baron of Gourville is the link he was friends 405 00:36:00,090 --> 00:36:04,450 Speaker 1: with the ill fated Nicola Fouquet, but like Vatel, he 406 00:36:04,530 --> 00:36:11,530 Speaker 1: now works for Conde. Vatel turns to they cannot bear 407 00:36:11,610 --> 00:36:17,250 Speaker 1: this disgrace. He laments the maitre d'hotel is a repository 408 00:36:17,250 --> 00:36:21,610 Speaker 1: of his master's honor. His mission was to sate the 409 00:36:21,690 --> 00:36:25,930 Speaker 1: appetite of every guest at Chantay that evening, and he 410 00:36:26,010 --> 00:36:35,650 Speaker 1: has failed. Gourville does what he can to comfort Fortel. 411 00:36:36,570 --> 00:36:41,410 Speaker 1: After all, the evening has been spectacular so far. There's 412 00:36:41,410 --> 00:36:45,290 Speaker 1: no reasoning with him, So Gourville approaches Conde and explains 413 00:36:45,330 --> 00:36:50,210 Speaker 1: the situation. In fact, the Prince is very happy, and 414 00:36:50,290 --> 00:36:56,290 Speaker 1: he tells vatelso everything is extremely well conducted. Nothing could 415 00:36:56,330 --> 00:37:00,330 Speaker 1: be more admirable than his Majesty's supper. Do not perplex 416 00:37:00,370 --> 00:37:05,530 Speaker 1: yourself and all will be well. There's still the fireworks 417 00:37:05,570 --> 00:37:09,090 Speaker 1: displayed to impress the guests, and more feasts and entertainment 418 00:37:09,330 --> 00:37:13,490 Speaker 1: to come. Perhaps everyone will forget all about the shortfall 419 00:37:13,530 --> 00:37:19,570 Speaker 1: of this dinner. But then, calamity of calamities. The dazzling 420 00:37:19,610 --> 00:37:24,250 Speaker 1: and expensive display of fireworks for Tell has planned is 421 00:37:24,250 --> 00:37:28,850 Speaker 1: a flock. They go off as intended, but are shrouded 422 00:37:28,890 --> 00:37:33,530 Speaker 1: in thick cloud. No one can see them by Now 423 00:37:34,250 --> 00:37:39,450 Speaker 1: the matred hotel is a nervous wreck. He barely sleeps. 424 00:37:41,570 --> 00:37:44,690 Speaker 1: At four o'clock the next morning, for Tell is pacing 425 00:37:44,730 --> 00:37:48,890 Speaker 1: the hallways and goes to take delivery of that evening's dinner. 426 00:37:49,850 --> 00:37:53,930 Speaker 1: It's a Friday, so the party will eat fish that 427 00:37:53,970 --> 00:37:59,490 Speaker 1: The supplier has just two loads with him. What is 428 00:37:59,530 --> 00:38:05,010 Speaker 1: this all? For Tell is aghast. Two loads isn't nearly 429 00:38:05,130 --> 00:38:10,570 Speaker 1: enough to feed two thousand hungry courtiers. Yes, sir, says 430 00:38:10,610 --> 00:38:14,810 Speaker 1: the baffled supplier, unaware that Vatel has ordered fish from 431 00:38:14,930 --> 00:38:20,690 Speaker 1: several different seaports. Verttel waits a little ever more distraught. 432 00:38:21,570 --> 00:38:24,090 Speaker 1: A maitre d'hotel who does not feed his guests is 433 00:38:24,130 --> 00:38:31,610 Speaker 1: hardly a matre'hotel. No more fish materialize. I cannot outlive 434 00:38:31,690 --> 00:38:36,770 Speaker 1: this disgrace, he tells Gourville. The Baron is perplexed and 435 00:38:36,810 --> 00:38:44,330 Speaker 1: merely laughs. Time passes, and fortunately several more loads of 436 00:38:44,410 --> 00:38:51,450 Speaker 1: fish arrive at Chantagaue. Dinner is saved. But where is Vattel. 437 00:38:52,770 --> 00:38:56,450 Speaker 1: He must receive the order take inventory of these delicacies, 438 00:38:57,410 --> 00:39:03,170 Speaker 1: but he's nowhere to be found. Bettel's colleagues search high 439 00:39:03,210 --> 00:39:06,530 Speaker 1: and low. One of them knocks on the door to 440 00:39:06,610 --> 00:39:11,730 Speaker 1: his apartments. Now answer. There's no sign of him elsewhere, 441 00:39:12,490 --> 00:39:20,210 Speaker 1: so they break the door down. Vertell is lying in 442 00:39:20,290 --> 00:39:24,770 Speaker 1: a pool of his own blood, unable to face yet 443 00:39:25,010 --> 00:39:30,850 Speaker 1: more failure. He's taken his sword, that tribute to his honor, 444 00:39:32,010 --> 00:39:35,970 Speaker 1: steadied it against his door frame, and run himself through 445 00:39:36,010 --> 00:39:43,650 Speaker 1: with it. Word tears through the palace. Vatel has taken 446 00:39:43,650 --> 00:39:47,850 Speaker 1: his own life. The message is dispatched to Conde, who 447 00:39:47,890 --> 00:39:51,810 Speaker 1: falls into despair and then relays the whole sad tale 448 00:39:51,970 --> 00:39:56,410 Speaker 1: to the King. Louis apparently regrets bringing quite so many 449 00:39:56,490 --> 00:40:01,490 Speaker 1: courtiers with him. The consensus is that this terrible affair 450 00:40:02,130 --> 00:40:06,330 Speaker 1: is the consequence of too nice a sense of honor. 451 00:40:07,570 --> 00:40:13,930 Speaker 1: Some blame Vattel, but others praise his courage. Still, that's 452 00:40:13,970 --> 00:40:16,370 Speaker 1: little time to linger on the death of the poor 453 00:40:16,490 --> 00:40:22,170 Speaker 1: Matre d'hotel. The show must go on. Gourville fills in 454 00:40:22,210 --> 00:40:25,530 Speaker 1: for his friend as best he can as master of 455 00:40:25,570 --> 00:40:30,610 Speaker 1: the weekends festivities, and by all accounts, the party is 456 00:40:30,690 --> 00:40:37,490 Speaker 1: arousing success. The guests stroll among the daffodils, hunt by moonlight, 457 00:40:38,690 --> 00:41:08,210 Speaker 1: and dine in splendor. This script relied on Carolyn C. 458 00:41:08,490 --> 00:41:12,530 Speaker 1: Young's book Bok Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver, 459 00:41:13,130 --> 00:41:16,090 Speaker 1: Stories of Dinner as a work of art. For a 460 00:41:16,090 --> 00:41:19,610 Speaker 1: full list of sources, see the show notes at Timharford 461 00:41:19,650 --> 00:41:25,370 Speaker 1: dot com. If you're suffering from emotional distress or having 462 00:41:25,450 --> 00:41:30,090 Speaker 1: suicidal thoughts, support is available, for example, from the nine 463 00:41:30,090 --> 00:41:33,570 Speaker 1: eight eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US and 464 00:41:33,650 --> 00:41:37,450 Speaker 1: from Samaritans in the UK. You'll find details in the 465 00:41:37,490 --> 00:41:42,010 Speaker 1: episode description. Cautionary Tales is written by me Tim Harford 466 00:41:42,090 --> 00:41:46,010 Speaker 1: with Andrew Wright, Alice Fines, and Ryan Dilly. It's produced 467 00:41:46,010 --> 00:41:49,770 Speaker 1: by Georgia Mills and Marilyn Rust. The sound design and 468 00:41:49,850 --> 00:41:53,730 Speaker 1: original music are the work of Pascal Wise. Additional sound 469 00:41:53,770 --> 00:41:58,050 Speaker 1: design is by Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio. Bend 470 00:41:58,050 --> 00:42:02,490 Speaker 1: ad Afhaffrey edited the scripts. The show also wouldn't have 471 00:42:02,490 --> 00:42:05,930 Speaker 1: been possible without the work of Jacob Weisberg, Greta Cohne, 472 00:42:06,210 --> 00:42:11,170 Speaker 1: Sarah Nix, Eric Sandler, Christina Sullivan, Kira Posey, and Owen Miller. 473 00:42:11,930 --> 00:42:16,050 Speaker 1: You can support Cautionary Tales by joining my Cautionary Club 474 00:42:16,170 --> 00:42:22,650 Speaker 1: at patreon dot com slash Cautionary Club for exclusive bonus episodes, newsletters, 475 00:42:22,810 --> 00:42:26,970 Speaker 1: add free listening, and other exciting perks. Alternatively, you can 476 00:42:27,010 --> 00:42:30,490 Speaker 1: join pushkin Plus on our Apple show page for continued 477 00:42:30,530 --> 00:42:54,450 Speaker 1: benefits from our show and others across the Pushkin Network.