Today marks the fourth week I’ve stayed at Versailles. Until one visits Versailles, King Louie’s playhouse as we call it, one cannot understand the things one can buy with unlimited wealth. There are gardens upon gardens, buildings upon buildings, luxuries upon luxuries. Unfortunately staying at Versailles is not always pleasurable. The great nobility stay here during times of social, political, or economic trouble. Thus, it is not surprising we often find ourselves here for months at a time.
Nothing could be actually done by the Crown if not for its collaboration with the nobility regarding all the important issues of our time. Without this teamwork, many of our mutual goals could never have been accomplished. It has been said by some that the nobility have our own selfish and independent interests. In reality, everyone in this nation does. The monarchy wants more power, the nobility more money and a higher social status, and the peasants, well, who cares? For instance, the nobility have allowed the King to tax the people of France so long as the nobility are excluded from these taxes. Perhaps for the poor peasants this is a major burden, but my family remains rich. Admittedly though, because we are exempt from paying taxes, we cannot decide how the tax money is used. Ho hum. Perhaps one day the king and his palace will be abandoned and all the power will lie with the nobility…
- Paul-Henri Mathieu V
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