King Louis XV of France, painted by Louis-Michel van Loo
During a sermon he preached in the presence of Louis XV, the Most Reverend Jean Baptiste de Beauvais, bishop of Senez, thundered energetically against the vices and scandals of Versailles.
Upon leaving the church, the king turned to the duke of Richelieu and said:
— “My dear duke, His Excellency hurled many stones onto your gardens.”
— “Sire, would a few have fallen on Your Majesty’s lawns?”
Vicente Vega, Diccionario Ilustrado de Anécdotas (Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1965), p. 1759. (Nobility.org translation.)
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 242
