A PRINCE OF CHARLATANS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2929, 4 May 1910, Page 80

A PRINCE OF CHARLATANS.

Amongst the vast crowd of adventurers, chevaliers d'industrie, and skilled impostors whose exploits crowd the pages of history, none takes higher rank than the famous Count de St. Germain. More adroit an astrologer than Cagliostro, more successful a physician than Paracelsus, more subtle an alchemist than Delisle, Cornelius Agrippa, Dr Dee, or Raymond Lulli, he surpassed all his rivals in the cuttlefish art of self-concealment. It has never been discovered what was his real name or in what country he was born. His first recorded appearance was at the court of Vienna in the year 1703. The Countess de Gergy, wife of the French Ambassador to Austria, relates the impression that he made upon her. She describes him as a man about 45 years of age, of elegant figure, noble and anysterious manner, eloquent and witty in conversation, and possessed of a face of singular mobility and beauty, with a slightly Jewish cast of feature. He was at that time high in favour at the Austrian court, and foe made his living by selling an elixir to arrest the progress, of old age. The Countess de Gergy bought some of his nostrum, and testifies to the excellent effects it produced upon her in the following words : —"During a great length of time I only appeared to be 44, the age at which 1 took it." This lady again sampled the elixir at the age of 84, and she lived until over 90. St. Germain disappeared from Vienna about 1705, and nothing was heard of him for nearly 40 years. He then reappeared in. Germany without seeming to have aged by so much as a day, and travelled from town to town selling his elixir and living in a style of great magnificence. Finally he came in contact with the Marechal de Belle-Isle, who purchased some of his nostrum, and was so much captivated with the wit and learning of the adventurer that he implored him to visit Paris. The Count die St. Germain consented, and under the patronage of the Marechal he entered the gay circles of the French capital. His progress iesemibled a triumphal procession. Everyone was charmed and delighted' with the mysterious stranger. The Countess de Gergy recognised him at once, and her spontaneous outburst of astonishment at his unchanged appearance gave him a magnificent advertisement. He must at that moment have been more than 70 years. of age, but he looked no more than 45, and was as hale and vigorous as a youth of 20. His cue was at once taken. When asked what his real age might be, he replied, with a manner of the easiest assurance, that he could not tell precisely, but that he had already lived for several centuries. King Louis XV, who was present at this colloquy, immediately convoked an assem-

blage of wits and historians to confound the charlatan's absurd pretensions. The inquisition took place forthwith, and St. Germain was subjected! to a searching examination concerning the events of history, and the appearance, Life, and conversation of great men of former days. : The result astounded everybody. St, Germain was never for one instant at a loss. He replied to every question with the utmost readiness, and he bewildered; his examiners by his astounding accuracy, on every point of the investigation, which covered the whole range of French history; for five centuries. The truth was that St. Germain possessed a prodigiously retentive memory, and was an extensive and almost omnivorous reader. He had carefully studied the history of France before proceeding to Paris, and he really knew a great deal more about it than the most* learned of the court historian?. This success gave him an immense vogue and earned for him the friendship andi enthusiastic admiration of the King. Very soon he had the entree to the dressing, room of Madame du Pompadour, a favour only granted to the most powerful nobles at the court of her royal lover, and the whole kingdom lay at his feet. In order to heighten his attractions he increased! the mystery by which he was surrounded, permitting nobody to learn how he lived. He dressed in a style of the greatest splendour, sported magnificent diamonds in hiis apparel, and he scattered costly presents among the ladies of the court with the prodigality of an Aladdin. Madame de Hausset, the chamberwoman. of the Pompadour, relates in her wellknown memoirs many interesting anecdotes of the clever charlatan. "He appeared) to me," she says, "about 50 years of age. He was of middle size, and had fine expressive features. His dress was always simple, but displayed much taste. He always wore diamonds of great value, and his watch and snuffbox were ornamented with a profusion of precious stones. Yet he affected to despise all this wealth as though he could draw jewels out of the earth by the magic of his words." Here is a characteristic incident. "On Monday," says Madame de Hausset, "the Count came to see Madame de Pompadour, who was ill, and lay on a sofa. To amuse her he showed her diamonds enough to furnish a king's treasury. Madame sent; for me to see all these beautiful things. 1 looked at them in the utmost astonishment, but I made signs to her that I thought they must all be false. The Count thereupon took from his pocket a superb ruby, which he prayed madams to accept. He threw on the table with a contemptuous air a cross of emeralds and diamonds. I looked at it and admired it greatly. The Count begged me to accept it. I refused. He urged me to take it, and at length pressed me so warmly, that made made me a sign to accept it. I took the cross, much pleased with the Count's politeness. Yet I thought it must be false, and I showed it to his Majesty's jeweller, who gave me 2000 livres for it, but I took the cross back again, not wishing to dispose of it unless the stones were counterfeit." How St. G-ermain obtained the wealth which enabled him to 'avish broadcast such costly gifts and at the same time to live in regal splendour without incurring any debts? n-as an unfathomable mystery. Voltaire, in a letter dated sth. April, 1758, to the King of Prussia, privately asserts his belief that St. Germain was a spy in the pay of foreign Governments, and that he was "initiated in all the secrets of Choiseul, Kaunitz and Pitt." But such a notion is too absurd for modern entertainment. A more likely explanation is that in the course of his chemical experiments he had discovered some process of cutting and polishing precious stones; and that he made, in secret, great profits by buying at inferior prices diamonds containing flaws, and afterwards selling them at cent., per cent. There is evidence, at any rate, that he knew how to remove spots from diamonds, a,s the following anecdote by De Hausset testifies: —"The King," says she, "had a middling-size diamond with a flaw in it. He weighed it before the Count, and said to him, 'The value of this stone with the flaw in it. is 6000 livres, without the flaw it would be worth at least 10,000. Will you make me a gainer of 4000 livres? St.' Germain examined it attentively, and said, 'lt is possible. It may be done. I will bring it back to you in a month.' At the appointed time the Count returned the diamond to the King without a spot. It was wrapped in a cloth of amianthos, which he took off. The King sent for his jeweller, M. de Gontaut, who weighed the stone and found it very little diminished. M. de Gonta.ut offered his. Majesty 9600 livres for the stone, but the King decided to keep it as a curiosity. His Majesty was greatly astonished, and said that the Count must be wbrth many millions since he could work such marvels with diamonds. The Count said neither that he could nor could not. M. de Quesney, in anger, said that St. Germain was a quack, but the King reprimanded him severely. In fact, his Majesty is infatuated by the Count, and talks of him as if he knew St. Gei-main to be of most illustrious descent." The cunning adventurer generally imposed on the credulous court by mere force of assurance and the aid * of his wonderful memory, but on one occasion he employed other artifices. One day, while entertaining the King and a large company of ladies and gentlemen at dinner, he "elated to his guests a conversation he said he had held; in Palestine with King Richard I of Endand, whom he described as a very particular friend of his. This yarn, however, was too tall even for the simple Louis to swallow, and the whole company began to .smile St. Germain, however, very, coolly turned to the white-haired old servant who stood' behind his chair, p/ndi demanded if ho had not spoken the truth. The man bowed, and said, "I really cannot sav. You forget, sir, I have only been 500 yeara in your service!" "Ah*

true!" said the Count. "I remember now; it w!as a little before your time." Naturally the King and his courtiers were quite convinced by corroboration bo artlessly sincere, and they departed completely persuaded that the Count was fully 600 years old. Only once did this plausible scamp even partially drop the mask of his pretensions. He became greatly attached to the Baron de Gleichen, and one day the Baron, who was growing old and feeble, pmplored the Count to restore his youth. St. Germain replied in the following words:—"l am very old, much older than I appear, but not as old as these tools of Parisians believe. But no elixir is responsible for my long days and youthful vigour. It is a matter of diet. Believe me, any man may attain a patriarchal age who will eat and drink sparingly at all times as I do, and refrain from drinking at meals. This plan of diet is superior to any elixir.- De Gleichen forthwith adopted his friend's advice, and confidently expected to live 200 years, but he died at 73. The Count de St. Germain quitted Paris before his popularity had begun to wane. He repaired to Sehleswig on the urgent entreaty of the Prince of Besse-Cassel, who -was completely enslaved by his great learning, the charm of his manner, and his wit. There he took up his rpsidence in the Prince's palace, and lived in great honour until 1784, when he was found, one morning, dead in bed. The Swig chronicler relates that when dressed for the tomb—he was accorded a royal funeral—the body of St. Germain appeared to be that of a man scarcely more than 50 years of age. Some years after his death the elixir of St. Germain, which in the first instance had made his fortune, was analysed by a German chemist, and found to consist of nothing more w Jiiderful th\n an infusion of senna leaves asd sugar.