Note 67 — PART I.

Lavardin, Bishop of Le Mans, and himself a great gourmet, was one day at dinner with St. Evremond, and began to rally the latter on the delicacy of himself and his friends the Marquis de Bois Dauphin and the Comte d’Olonne. ‘These gentlemen,’ said the prelate, ‘in seeking refinement in everything carry it to extremes. They can only eat Normandy veal; their partridges must come from Auvergne, and their rabbits from La Roche Guyon, or from Versin; they are not less particular as to fruit; and as to wine, they can only drink that of the good coteaux of Ay, Hautvillers, and Avenay.’ St. Evremond having repeated the story, he, the marquis, and the count were nicknamed ‘the three coteaux.’ Hence Boileau, in one of his satires, describes an epicurean guest as ‘profès dans l’ordre des coteaux.’