I doubt any modern person would dare to call a courtesan “the pride of the age.” The stereotype of this profession, firmly established in the modern world, does not imply respect and certainly does not inspire envy. Of course, all this would be true if the ironic and capricious lady History did not so love exceptions…
Ninon de l’Enclos was one of the most enchanting women of the 17th century—her name remains synonymous with charm, grace, wit, and pleasure. She embodied all the vices and virtues of an era when the whole world looked at France with envy, as it led the way in civilization. Ninon de l’Enclos, who lived to be 90, remarkably preserved her charm, wit, and beauty until her last breath, perfectly embodying the spirit of the Grand Siècle—the age of reckless frivolity and profound wisdom. Her salon was frequented by nobles and intellectuals; poets and scholars sought her counsel on their works. This famous French courtesan, who never sold her love despite being dubbed by contemporaries the “queen of courtesans,” lived by the laws of passion, captivating men not only with her beauty and bold behavior but also with her extraordinary intellect and remarkable modesty.
Ninon de l’Enclos was born in Paris on May 15, 1615, into a noble family. At her christening, she was given the name Anne, but she preferred to be called Ninon—a name bestowed upon her by her father, who foresaw her future as a star of Parisian salons. Her father, an Epicurean philosopher, lived as they say, to his own pleasure, caring little for what the world might think. Her mother, however, was strict, highly moral, and extremely religious, dreaming of Ninon becoming a nun, while her father instilled in his daughter a light and pleasant philosophy. Music, singing, dancing, recitation—in short, all the refined arts became her favorite pursuits. She made such progress that her teachers called her the eighth wonder of the world. Ninon’s library was filled with collections of poems—elegiac, amorous, and playful—as well as works such as The Art of Pleasing and Loving, Histories of Women Famous for Their Frivolity or Love, and many others. With an extraordinary memory, she could recite almost every book she had read, much to her mother’s dismay, as the tastes she developed seemed sinful to a woman who spent her time in prayer and fasting.
Ninon’s Sun was in Taurus—and Taurus seeks spiritual truth while striving to master material values. She valued pleasure, comfort, emotional and material security. Food had to be satisfying, wine had to be fine, a lover had to be handsome and elegant, and art had to be pleasing. In general, life had to be pleasant, beautiful, and reliable.
The Sun in tense aspect to Jupiter gave her an excessively independent and freedom-loving nature, nobility, honesty, straightforwardness, and openness. Free from superstitions, she lived her life satisfying both heart and mind alike, paying no heed to public opinion and scorning hypocrisy.
When she was just thirteen, during a procession of the Passion of Christ, seeing everyone weeping, she asked, “Why are they crying? After all, He will rise again.” Her mother, hearing her daughter’s remark, was outraged and asked the priest to give her a good scolding. As an adult, Ninon confessed to her friends that it was then she realized that any religion was nothing more than hypocrisy and that there was no truth in it.
Jupiter in Ninon’s chart forms a harmonious aspect to Neptune, indicating wisdom, deep understanding of religion, and very high states of consciousness.
After her parents’ death, Ninon learned the main lesson of life: a limited number of days granted to us is a time to seek pleasure and work on self-development. As was said, her father had been an advocate of Epicurean philosophy, which promotes these principles. And an Epicurean, as is well known, does not live in fear or terror of inevitable death and afterlife torments. His motto was: “Do not fear death. While you live, it is not here. And when it comes, you will no longer be.” Ninon had known these words by heart since childhood.
At just under sixteen, Ninon proved what a strong-willed and clear-thinking person she was. Within a year, both her parents passed away, leaving her a decent fortune. She did not seek help, protection, or patronage from others, nor did she succumb to any confusion. Assessing her situation soberly, Ninon converted her inheritance into a “life annuity,” which allowed her to receive 10,000 livres annually. She managed her affairs wisely and, though she never denied herself anything, she was not only well-provided for throughout her life but also had the means to help friends in difficult times.
The 4th house in a horoscope is the house of fate, family, and inheritance. In a chart of heirs, the Moon or the sign of Scorpio must be on the cusp of the 4th house along with an aspect of wealth.
In Ninon’s chart, this indication is present. The Moon in the 4th house is located at the 26th degree of Sagittarius. At this degree lies the Galactic Center. This powerful energy grants the ability to accomplish something truly significant for the world, and this degree also brings wealth. A trine to Saturn in the 8th house only adds to this picture—the inheritance she received after her parents’ death.
The position of Jupiter and Neptune in Ninon’s chart grants her excellent commercial abilities and material prosperity.
Jupiter in the 3rd house indicates the possibility of receiving a good education and upbringing.
Ninon’s favorites
Nothing frightened the young girl more than the idea of legal marriage. To bind her fate and submit to a man seemed to her a terrible encroachment on her own “self.” “A sensible woman does not choose a husband without the consent of her reason, just as she does not choose a lover without the consent of her heart,” she said. Beauty was seen in her as “the full assembly of human perfection.”
Portrait of Ninon by Pierre Mignard.
Undoubtedly, such a perfect beauty could not fail to attract admirers, and at first—if we are to believe Saint-Évremond, her former lover, friend, and panegyrist—she herself was not averse to the attentions of the Duke of Châtillon, Gaspard Coligny, grandson of the famous admiral. When he met Ninon, negotiations were already underway for his marriage to Élisabeth-Angélique de Montmorency, sister of the Duke of Luxembourg, but de l’Enclos was so beautiful, so charming, that Coligny decided to marry her instead. He began his courtship with this goal in mind and for three weeks behaved with remarkable modesty. One does not make a mistress of a woman one intends to call a wife. But one day, the enamored man appeared in despair, explaining that his father insisted on the marriage to Mademoiselle de Montmorency, while he, Gaspard, was in love with Ninon and would rather die than lose her. The young beauty found that her father was right; she had no intention of causing a rift between the lover and his family, first because the difference between de Montmorency and de l’Enclos was too great, and second, in her opinion, “marriage and love are smoke and flame.”
— “I love you myself,” she confessed to the young man, stunned by such frankness, “it is not my fault if for three weeks you fantasized about what could never be and failed to see what was actually within your grasp…”
Coligny did not need to be told twice, and that same evening he took advantage of the rights granted to him. But since “women often surrender out of whim rather than love,” one fine day Ninon announced that her whim had passed, and the lovers parted ways quite peacefully.
“An exquisite, exquisitely built brunette, with a complexion of dazzling whiteness, a light blush, large blue eyes in which modesty, prudence, madness, and lust were equally visible, a mouth with beautiful teeth and a charming smile, possessing striking grace of manner.” This is how one contemporary described the future queen of courtesans at the age of thirty.
Ninon’s House
Having purchased a house on the Rue de Turenne, she gathered around herself not only admirers and devotees but also outstanding intellectuals, drawing them in like moths to the bright flame of her mind. Visitors to her salon earned the nickname “birds of Turenne.” Among them were Fontenelle, La Rochefoucauld, Charles de Saint-Évremond, Abbot Scarron, Jean-Baptiste Lully, La Fontaine, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, Antoine Godeau, Antoine Gombault, the Duke of Saint-Simon, Count de Bussy-Rabutin, Jules de Clérambault, Abbot Charles Perrault, Charles de Sévigné, Boileau, and others.
If Ninon ever prayed, it was certainly not for God to make her a “respectable woman.” No, she wished to be an honest person. “Even in childhood,” she recalled, “I often pondered the injustice of fate, which granted all rights to men and completely forgot about us women—from then on, I became a man!” The “Queen of Courtesans” possessed truly masculine strength of spirit. In the apt words of Saint-Évremond, she happily combined the qualities of Epicurus and Cato. A frivolous courtesan and a profound philosopher, Ninon was inexhaustible in her original ideas, earning immortality alongside La Bruyère and Molière, as they often wrote down what she said. Her salon, where the most distinguished people of the time sought to gather to enjoy the beauty and conversation of this extraordinary woman, overshadowed the fame of the Hôtel de Rambouillet, where everything was marked by affectation, while here, ease and simplicity reigned.
The cusp of the 11th house is in Cancer (its ruler, the Moon, is in the 4th house)—her attitude toward friends was like that toward family members. Relationships with friends were deep. With such a position and aspects, friends were highly influential, and meetings resembled intimate gatherings rather than social receptions. Many friends also became lovers.
After the death of Marion Delorme in 1650, the number of visitors to Ninon de l’Enclos’ salon increased. The court and aristocracy heeded Ninon’s voice, fearing her sharp tongue. Even the “Sun King,” Louis XIV, was under the influence of this enchanting woman, whom he had not yet met, and regarding various court matters, he would ask: “What did Ninon say about this?” Her opinions were accepted without debate. If Ninon had said that the sun shines at night, everyone would have agreed.
In Ninon’s chart, the Sun is very strongly placed in the 9th house. According to ancient astrologers, the Sun in the 9th house of the horoscope grants “the favor of the king and even God.” A person with such a Sun placement has a noble and just character, excels as a conversationalist, and is an engaging companion. Here, the Sun indicates an interest in philosophy, a desire to expand one’s horizons—both spiritual and physical. Moreover, it is conjunct the Midheaven, foretelling fame, authority, popularity, and truly setting a person apart from the masses, enabling them to become someone who commands attention.
During the peak of this remarkable woman’s glory, an episode occurred—so strange yet fascinating that it is worth recounting. One evening, as the brilliant society in Ninon’s salon was captivated by lively conversation, she was informed that a stranger, refusing to give his name, wished to speak with her on a matter that brooked no delay. Ninon sent word that she had guests and asked him to return another time, but the mysterious visitor insisted. Intrigued by his persistence, she excused herself before her guests and ordered the man to be shown to her boudoir. In walked a little old man, of small stature, entirely dressed in black, without a sword, and of rather unremarkable appearance. Once assured they were alone, he began:
— You see before you a being to whom the forces of nature are obedient, who, if it so desired, could possess all the earthly treasures, yet despises them…
Such a bizarre introduction disconcerted Ninon. What could this eccentric want from her? Meanwhile, the stranger continued, saying that he had been present at her birth and, having the power to dispose of the fate of all people, asked her to choose what she desired from him: supreme power, countless riches, or eternal beauty. Whichever she preferred, he assured her, he would keep his promise. With barely concealed amusement, hearing such words, Ninon chose the latter, asking what she would have to do in return. It turned out—nothing. The stranger merely asked her to write her name on a small tablet, which he took from his pocket. After reading it several times, he touched her left shoulder with a short stick and declared her wish granted. According to his words, she was the third to whom he granted eternal beauty—the first two being Cleopatra and Diane de Poitiers. “My name is Nocnambule,” he added. “Keep our meeting a secret… We shall meet again, but, alas, only when you have but three days left to live…” With these words, the little old man bowed politely and left the boudoir, leaving the hostess in utter astonishment. Yet his promise came true. Ninon, who lived nearly a century, even at eighty still attracted admirers with her beauty.
In Ninon’s horoscope, Neptune—the planet governing all that is mysterious, incomprehensible, and enigmatic—is at 28 degrees Virgo (with Venus as the degree ruler), granting beauty and success with the opposite sex. Neptune rules the 8th house (the house of magic and all that is secret).
Her contemporaries were captivated by her independence. One must not forget: this was the 17th century, which offered women only two roles—either that of a respectable mother of a family or a prostitute. In both cases, she was a humiliated and pitiful creature. A man could despise her dignity as he pleased, and the Church wholeheartedly supported him in this. But Ninon spat on everything she considered superstition! She was not ashamed to be educated and independent. She feared nothing, demonstrating immense self-respect. Yes, she knew her worth.
Cardinal Richelieu, a passionate lover of women, believed Ninon de l’Enclos’ price could be measured in money—simply a great deal of it. Ninon returned the insolent prelate’s half a hundred thousand francs with the remark that she “gives herself but is not for sale.” Richelieu was stunned by such a response; he well remembered the days when another high-ranking courtesan, Marion Delorme, had resorted to disguising herself in men’s clothing to escape prying eyes.
It cannot be said that Ninon took no money from the men with whom she was intimate. Yet for her, a man she liked was more valuable than one with a bulging purse.
When speaking of love, of how deeply a person can love, to whom, and what feelings they may experience, one must examine the 7th and 5th houses and their rulers, Venus.
The cusp of the 7th house is in Pisces—an indication of celibacy. Venus is in Gemini, showing a love for change and suggesting a large number of partners.
Her sexuality is indicated by the 8th house, Mars (passion), and Venus (love, feelings). In Ninon’s chart, Mars and Venus form a harmonious aspect—a sextile, combining love and passion, indicating strong sexual desire. The sextile aspect suggests a person who governs their sexual energy. This grants sexuality and passion, as well as a magnetic attraction to the opposite sex.
Moon is also important in matters of sexuality, as it represents a person’s aura. In a positive position, the Moon’s fireworks of sensations become deeper and stronger. Positive aspects to erotic signs or houses give a very strong erotic charge. Moon in Sagittarius (full of vitality, it is difficult to stop one’s choice on a single man) in trine to Saturn in the 8th house (sex) gives stability and endurance over time. Even in her eighties, Ninon had a lover—the Abbot de Gedouin.
Neptune is also prominently expressed in the horoscope of great seducers. If it is connected to Venus, Mars, or Pluto, the person becomes “magically and intoxicatingly attractive,” as great sexual energy with a certain magnetism takes center stage. In Ninon’s chart, Neptune rules the 8th house (symbolic ruler of the 8th house is Pluto and Mars) and makes a trine to the Sun, which is ruled by Venus. But the point is that Ninon’s “hypnosis” was stronger than her words: most of her former lovers, abandoned by her, spoke of the courtesan with admiration and never forgot the days spent with her until the end of their lives.
Ninon was as beautiful as she was fickle. Even the most seemingly strong and reliable relationships she would break off with ease. Why? Most often simply because she grew tired of her current lover. She wanted something new: Lanclos considered love, on the one hand, a risky enterprise, and on the other, “a play with an endless number of plots.”
Mars in the 12th house in Leo gives passion, a tendency to change partners or one’s environment in search of new experiences, and secret sexual adventures.
Mars’ position in the chart also indicates secret enemies. This position speaks of dangers to personal or spiritual freedom or independence, forced or voluntary isolation from the world. Scandalous facts of life also become known.
It is clear that her enemies numbered in the dozens, if not hundreds…
Eventually, a woman with a scandalous reputation tired even Queen Anne of Austria herself. Without much thought, the queen offered the “dissolute girl” to go to a monastery and spend her time in prayer. De Lanclos, of course, replied that, first, she was not a girl, and second, she had nothing to repent for. However, the courtesan had no choice but to go to the monastery. And she would have remained there for the rest of her days had it not been for her romance at the time with the great French military commander, hero of the Thirty Years’ War, the Grand Condé.
Though Ninon was not at all enraptured by the military man’s caresses. About the Grand Condé, she said: “His kisses freeze me. When he hands me a fan, it feels like he is handing me a marshal’s baton.” The Grand Condé stood up for Ninon before Queen Anne, and soon life at the house on the Rue de Tournelles returned to its usual course.
Portrait of Ninon by Pierre Mignard.
When Ninon de Lanclos was already over fifty, she continued to captivate those around her just as she had in her youth. At fifty-three, she became involved with the young, handsome, and refined Count Fiesco from the famous Genoese family. The age difference apparently did not matter, as the lovers were devoted to each other. After one passionate night, the count sent Ninon a note: “Friend, do you not think we have enjoyed love enough and it is time to end our relationship? You are by nature inconstant, and I am proud by nature. You will probably soon console yourself after losing me, and my action will not seem too cruel to you. Do you agree? Farewell!” Instead of replying, the courtesan sent him a lock of her long hair. A few minutes later, Count Fiesco was back at her feet. The next night was even more wonderful. But when he returned home, he was handed a note: “Friend! You know I am inconstant by nature, but you did not know I am as proud as you. I had no intention of parting with you, but you yourself gave me this idea. All the worse for you. You will probably soon console yourself after losing me, and this will be my consolation. Farewell!” Count Fiesco, hiding his chagrin, immediately divided the lock sent the day before: he kept one half and sent the other to Ninon. “Thank you for the lesson. Assuming the lock might be useful for my successor, I am happy to give you the opportunity not to cut your magnificent hair again. For me, it is no deprivation: the lock was very thick.”
In 1686, a young Baron Sigismund Bagnet, son of Swedish General Count Charleval, his cousin and one of the rejected admirers of the ever-youthful beauty, offered to introduce him to her. The baron, who had heard about the beauty Ninon de Lanclos since childhood, decided that a seventy-year-old woman could hardly be of any interest to him. However, the count insisted, and the Swede, steeling himself, agreed, making a wager: even if Ninon paid him any attention, he would remain absolutely indifferent to her charms. After meeting the courtesan, the baron admitted he had been a fool. He often visited de Lanclos’ salon, unable to tear his fascinated gaze away from the hostess. The treacherous Count Charleval told Ninon about the wager, and the courtesan decided to punish him.
“Yes, yes, treat him the same way you treated me. Show him paradise, but do not let him in…”
When the baron left her bedroom at midnight, he was ready to swear that Ninon was no more than eighteen. The young man shared his happiness with his cousin, who challenged him to a duel and killed him. The courtesan reproached herself for not preventing the tragedy.
The last lover of Ninon was the Abbot de Gedouin, eighty years old but still a very strong man. The courtesan tormented her lover for a whole month and finally surrendered to him on the day she turned eighty. This affair lasted a whole year, but the abbot’s jealousy forced Ninon to end it.
That Ninon was not seen exclusively as a courtesan is evident from the fact that the most noble lady of advanced age, who guarded the morals and was entrusted with the upbringing of Louis XIV, the Marquise de Maintenon, a friend and protégé of Ninon in the days when she was still the modest Madame Scarron, provided her with all the conveniences befitting her years. But Ninon remembered “Tartuffe” and her late friend Molière and refused, preferring freedom and her little house in Versailles to grandeur.
— At court, one must be indifferent, — she said, — and have a forked tongue, but it is too late for me to learn hypocrisy. Finally, the Sun King himself wished to see this wonder of the age, and one day, at the request of the monarch’s secret wife, Ninon attended mass in the royal chapel. Louis XIV looked at her for a long time and expressed regret that this phenomenal woman had refused to adorn his court with the sparkle of her irony and wit.
De Lanclos’ apartments on the Rue de Tournelles in Paris became a haven for talents and free thinkers—the most fashionable and prestigious salon of the French capital. Among the visitors and friends of the hostess were the playwright Racine, the fabulist La Fontaine, and the storyteller Perrault. It was on the advice of friends that Ninon turned to literary creation. Her most famous work was The Coquette’s Revenge (La coquette vengée, 1659). Ninon was well-educated, knew Italian and Spanish, was well-versed in classical literature, and played the lute and harpsichord. In addition, she was renowned for her witty remarks. It is said that at the request of Saint-Évremond, she wrote her biography, omitting, however, her love affairs: “Here is my portrait, but only up to the waist.” You must either love women or understand them.
«The ruler of the horoscope» Mercury is in the 9th house — the person is always full of hope and knows how to see any situation as the eve of happiness and a guarantee of optimism. It indicates a penetrating, witty, active, practical mind of a philosophical nature. Mercury endows a thirst for education, often gives a literary gift, a passion for sciences and reading. Mercury in Taurus — Thoughts do not stray from the matter.
It should also be noted that Mercury is in the degree of the Sun, which indicates physical youth. Success lies in the world of art. Wealth and a good life.
Mercury in conjunction with Pluto gives a sharp, inventive mind, sees through people, gets to the heart of the matter, impartiality, objectivity in judgments. Truth is more valuable than convenience, strong will, and to a certain extent, genius. A tendency to transform the thoughts and views of others.
Mercury is aspected by Uranus and Mars — expresses thoughts in an original and vivid way, the mind is intuitive, creative, free, independent, talented, penetrating; the ability to persuade others. Loves to argue, compete, and prove the superiority of their views. Under such aspects, a person is not afraid to say directly what they think.
Uranus in the 10th house also gives unusual or scandalous fame, the person challenges established views in society. The calling is to bring novelty to the mind. An excellent trait of people with Uranus in the 10th house is originality, strangeness, unpredictability. Their life path and fate are unusual. A desire for personal freedom, independence, and self-reliance. The person walks their own path, paying little attention to others’ opinions, setting their own rules, rejecting imposed rules of conduct, and always attracting attention with eccentric actions that provoke discontent among the conservative part of society. The spiritual level of people with Uranus in the 10th house is undoubtedly higher than that of the people around them. And the spirit is so strong and free from any earthly shackles that no burdens or misfortunes can break it.
Uranus in conjunction with the 11th house’s Cupid (friends) — for Ninon, friends and like-minded people are a source of nourishment for both her mind and soul. However, she found not only moral comfort and spiritual satisfaction in her friends, guardians, and virtues, but often material support, patronage, and recommendations from influential people. Her friends were extraordinary, unusual people, known for their progressive views.
Jupiter’s position in the 3rd house also gives a literary talent. In speech and writing, remarkable thoroughness and refinement are evident.
Ninon had one more rare quality: first, she could immediately recognize talent in a person, and second, she knew how to encourage it. Once, she brought a modest young man named Poclain (the future Molière) to her salon. It was in her salon that he read his famous Tartuffe to the guests. The playwright, in gratitude for the kindness she had shown him, “wrote” the character Célimène in The Misanthrope based on her.
Molière reads Tartuffe in the salon of Ninon de l’Enclos. Painting by Nicolas-André Monsiau.
Venus, the ruler of the 3rd house (symbolic ruler Mercury), is in the 10th house. Ninon was inclined to stand up for the younger and weaker.
Venus in Ninon’s chart has a favorable configuration, which gives ambition, good taste, and an understanding of beauty, a love for art, refines feelings, and maintains a good mood. Venus in the 10th house in Gemini grants a good social position and advancement through love, love, and friendship with influential people. In general, such Venus grants luck in relationships with the opposite sex.
The famous writer and author of aphorisms François de La Rochefoucauld also could not “pass by” Ninon, who rivaled him in biting wit.
The courtesan was never distinguished by greed. But a year before her death, she performed an act that could have helped her enter history on its own. She bequeathed two thousand francs for books to a ten-year-old boy named François Marie Arouet. He wrote poetry and was very interested in literature. He was the future great French writer, poet, and philosopher of the French Enlightenment — Voltaire. He always referred to de l’Enclos as nothing less than my beautiful aunt …
Ninon’s Children
Ninon had three children: two sons and a daughter. She gave the boys to her parents to raise. One of them, when he grew up, also fell in love with l’Enclos. The woman had to admit that she was his mother.
One fine day, the Count d’Estrées, walking with the Abbot d’Effiat, brother of the unfortunate Saint-Mars, saw Ninon, and both fell passionately in love with her. Both were equally young and handsome, and de l’Enclos equally sympathized with both, devising a wonderful way not to offend her friends: she pampered one during the day, the other at night. The result of their collaboration was a male infant. Since each lover claimed the honorable title of father and the truth, carefully concealed by the courtesan, was revealed.
— I have no doubt, — she said, — that my son belongs to one of you, but which one, I do not know myself! To resolve this curious dispute, the lovers decided to entrust the matter to fate: whoever rolled the highest number on the dice would be considered the father of the baby. In the presence of the woman in labor, they rolled the dice, and fate smiled on the Count d’Estrées. He rolled 14, while his opponent only 11. — I also want to be the father! — the frustrated abbot cried. — Ninon, you must give me another son! — Anything but that, — the courtesan laughed. — I’ve had enough of one!
The Count d’Estrées raised the child, who took the surname de la Bussière. He brilliantly served in the navy, rising to the rank of captain.
The next lover of the 33-year-old beauty, who became even more interesting after childbirth, was the Marquis de Villarceaux. His relationship with Ninon gave rise to an anecdote that Molière used in his The Countess d’Escarbagnas. The Marquis was married to a very unintelligent but extremely jealous woman. Upon learning that her husband had fallen for the famous courtesan and fled with her from Paris right in the midst of the Fronde, she was beside herself, stirring up a scandal that everyone already knew about. Once, at a soirée, the Marquise wished to present her son to the guests. The thirteen-year-old heir appeared accompanied by a tutor. To boast of her son’s education, the mother suggested that the tutor ask him a few questions in history, which he did, addressing the boy in Latin:
— Who was the successor of Belus, the king of Assyria? — Ninus! — the young Marquis de Villarceaux quickly replied. — Ninus?! — the Marquise exclaimed, not understanding Latin, where everywhere she heard the name of her husband’s lover.
— Frankly speaking, sir, I do not sympathize that you are informing my son about his father’s madness!
In vain did the tutor try to prove that Ninus and Ninon have nothing in common; the Marquise would not listen and dismissed him in the morning. When de l’Enclos heard about this, she laughed until she cried and then sent the unfortunate tutor, thrown out onto the street, 500 livres with a note: “From Ninon for Ninus.”
At the age of fifty-five, Ninon was destined to become a mother for the third time. This time, she gave birth to a daughter who died shortly after birth. But the girl was so beautiful that the man responsible for her appearance — his name is unknown, but at least he was a person of high rank — ordered the little body to be embalmed and placed under a glass dome in his study.
In the winter of 1667, Ninon, strolling in the Tuileries, met her longtime admirer the Marquis de Gesvres, accompanied by a young man whose appearance struck her. The handsome youth, who introduced himself as Albert de Villars, was her son. Ninon spoke with him and, with the Marquis’s permission, invited the young man to visit her, unaware of the tragic consequences of this step. Ninon de l’Enclos was in her fifty-sixth year, yet she looked much younger. Warmly received on the rue de Tournelles, Albert de Villars soon became a frequent guest in her salon, falling in love with Ninon de l’Enclos as Oedipus did with Jocasta. The boy’s love amused her, but when he confessed his feelings, she had to reveal that she was his mother. The unfortunate youth fled to the garden and took his own life. The grieving mother wept bitterly for her son and for a time behaved modestly, yet there is no sorrow in the world that does not fade with time.
What does the horoscope say about Ninon’s children? Capricorn on the cusp of the 5th house, with Saturn, the ruler of the 5th house, posited in the 8th house—there are difficulties with childbirth in one way or another, and a certain restraint must be exercised toward children. Saturn generally inclines toward few children. Additionally, certain planetary placements suggest the possibility of illegitimate children and the death of a child.
Ninon’s final moments
Ninon died on October 17, 1706, in her small house on the rue de Tournelles. It is said that, dying fully conscious, Ninon once again displayed her brilliance—this time her last—when she remarked: “If I had known it would end this way, I would have hanged myself.” Even in her final moments, her ironic wit did not desert her.
Death strikes with its icy gaze; Ninon, who lived a carefree century,
Died so soon and passed into eternity,
Covering the fine floor with both glory and shame.
In her desires she acknowledged no bounds,
Pursuing pleasure with all her soul,
Yet preserving loyalty and devotion in friendship,
Considering love merely an empty amusement,
Reconciling dissipation with the grandeur of proud Hera,
She managed to show us plainly
How in one essence strict Minerva’s wisdom
And Venus’ beauty can triumph together.
Quotes and aphorisms of Ninon de l’Enclos
How to triumph in love
Yet I have noticed that with those who have wounded your heart, you act in such a way… This may impress a bourgeois, but a lady of society must be won by other weapons. I declare to you on behalf of all women: any one of us would prefer a certain sharpness, even bluntness, to excessive caution. Men err in this regard and lose more hearts than virtue saves. The more timidity a lover displays, the more our vanity is stirred to prod him; the more respect he shows for our resistance, the higher the demands we place upon him. We would like to tell men: “Ah, have pity, do not consider us so virtuous; you simply tire us out with your chastity.”… We constantly strive to conceal the fact that we have allowed ourselves to be loved. Create a situation in which a woman can say she yielded only to force or became a victim of sudden pressure—I guarantee her heart will be yours. A little more decisiveness on your part will help you find the necessary ease. Remember what La Rochefoucauld recently told you: “A sensible man, when in love, resembles a madman, yet he must not—and cannot—resemble an idiot.”
Ninon de l’Enclos
- Woe to the woman of even and monotonous character; her uniformity wearies, irritates, and provokes annoyance. She is always the same, like a statue, always agreeing with her husband in everything. She is so good, so gentle, so noble that she deprives people of the privilege of quarrelling or debating with her, and yet such altercations sometimes bring us so much joy! Place in her stead a lively woman, capricious and decisive—within reasonable limits—and everything will proceed quite differently. The lover will discover all the beauty of variety in one and the same person. Ardor is a trait that prevents us from becoming tiresome. An irrepressible, passionate nature, jealousy, quarrels, reconciliations, barbs—all this sustains and nourishes love. Is not such variety delightful?… But unchanging calm and silence lead to one thing only—boundless boredom. Routine is fatal to love, for as soon as order and system intrude upon matters of the heart, passion vanishes, yielding to lassitude and apathy, followed by tedium, and at the end of the tale, disgust looms.
- Love without desire is a chimera: it does not exist in nature.
- Love requires a talent immeasurably greater than that needed to command armies.
- In love, as in all things, experience is the physician who follows illness.
- Choose either to love women or to understand them.
- If God deemed it fit to give women wrinkles, He might at least have placed some on the soles of their feet.
- The desire to please is born in women before the desire to love.
- Women are not so easily conquered; they yield only to those who skillfully seize the opportunity and steal into their confidence.
- Women often surrender more from whim than from love.
Love is like a cat. It scratches us to the blood even if we only meant to play with it.- Love never dies from hunger, but often from indigestion.
- We are loved more for our endearing flaws than for our substantial virtues.
- Affection begins where love ends; infidelity begins where affection ends.
- Have you ever heard of a masterful commander who, preparing to storm a fortress, announced his plan to the enemy? Conceal your goal and do not boast of your successes; do not let it be known how far your calculations extend until something can obstruct them, until the battle is over. Triumph before declaring war. In short, follow the example of military leaders whose intentions are known to none except the devastated lands through which they have marched in victorious procession.
- Resistance offered by a woman proves not so much her virtue as her experience.
Literature
“The Coquette’s Revenge” (La coquette vengée, 1659) – attributed.
“Letters of Ninon de l’Enclos to the Marquis de Sévigné,” published in 1750 (Lettres de Ninon de L’Enclos au Marquis de Sévigné).
On her: “Ninon de l’Enclos,” a comedy by A. Henrion (Armand Henri Ragueneau de la Chainaye), 1804.
“Mémoires de Ninon de Lenclos,” a novel by Eugène de Mirecourt, 1857.
France Roche, “Ninon de l’Enclos: A Woman’s Wit, a Man’s Heart” – a modern biography.
