My first observation is that although the custom has been established that devoted courtiers attend the kings lever [getting-up ceremony] every morning, there are nevertheless various levels of admission. First come those who have the right to be admitted to the petit lever. They are summoned and then allowed to enter….The second entrance is ordinarily reserved for princes and lords of the first rank, the captain of the king’s guards,a nd the first butler. They are summoned by name by the usher, and the door is opened when they present themselves and then closed again. After a certain length of time it is reopened, and the courtiers are allowed to enter freely….If you enter in time and it is possible to get near, you can see that the king gets dressed from foot to head in the presences of the onlookers. His shirt is handed to him by a prince of the blood if there is one, or by the grand chamberlain if he is present….When the king is almost dressed, his hair is done in front of the onlookers…. The petit coucher of the king, as it is called, is less frequent than his lever, and there are usually only a small number of courtiers present, given the fact that the king always goes to bed late. It should be noted that the king usually gives a bourgeoir [a small candle-holder used for undressing] to a person in attendance of his choice, and that he gives it only to persons of a certain rank and distinguished status. This also represents a mark of honor and favor for the person who recieves it.

As currently constituted, the French court is so submissive to the king that it would be impossible to imagine greater eagerness to pay him court or more dedication in performing each person’s assigned functions with complete regularity — something that was not seen during the previous reigns or even during the minority, when absolute power over the government was in the hands of a first minister like Cardinal Mazarin or Cardinal Richelieu. The result is that all the courtiers, down to the least of them, make speacial effort to see the king and be seen on every occasion…and this can only be becasue he has nmastered all the graces and everything related to political, military, or ecclesiastical affairs. All of this has caused the French court to become enormous…. Another observation is that thanks to the salutory abolition of duels and the rigor with which it has been enforced, we no longer see those disorders, quarrels, and deadly consequences that made so much noise and damage under previous reigns….And what will appear no less laudable is that debauchery, dissolute lifestyles, blasphemy, and other scandalous vices that were previously so common at court are no longer tolerated with impunity. My last observation is that despite everything I have said about the court of France, there is still a great deal of constraint and deception in many people’s conduct. Since most of them are motivated only by self-interest or ambition, they must appear attached to the things that conform to the taste and temper of the current reign. This tendency is reinforced by the natural submissiveness of the French nation, to the point that they are slavelike toward their king when they believe that he rules by himself….I might add, finally, that most of the great lords and courtiers one sees, except for a small number like the prince of Conde, live off of benevolence of the king or the revenues of their posts, and thus they are cautious in their expenditures, less exalted in their manner, and subject to a blind, submissive dependence on the wishes of the court.