It is there we shall see Beaumarchais playing at first the part of the happy and accepted lover of his charming Pauline, but a little later assuming the rather astonishing rôle of victim, for in the words of Loménie, "In the end he is really the victim, and we shall see that he does his best to be furious. He is here the antithesis of Clavico. It is Pauline who will be Clavico, or rather there will be a Clavico who will carry off Pauline."
"_Figure charmante, organe flexible et touchant! de l'âme surtout...._"
The Beautiful Creole, Pauline--Beaumarchais the Judge, the Lover, the Friend--Mademoiselle de Boisgarnier Marries Janot de Miron--The Père Caron's Second Marriage.
Before entering into a consideration of the rôle played by Beaumarchais as lover, a few more touches are necessary to represent him as he was before the world. We already have spoken of his various appointments at court, and mentioned the fact that in 1763 he had bought the very honorable charge of _lieutenant-général des chasses aux bailliage et capitainerie de la varenne du Louvre_.
In order that it may be quite clear to the reader what were the functions assumed in acquiring this office we may explain that the _capitaineries_ were territorial circumscriptions in which the right of hunting was reserved exclusively for the king. That known as "_la varenne du Louvre_" extended for some fifty or sixty miles about Paris. There was a special tribunal called "the tribunal to conserve the pleasures of the king" which tried all cases connected with infringements of the regulations belonging to the _capitaineries_. The audiences of the particular one in question were held once a week at the Louvre. They were presided over by the duke de la Vallière, whose chief officer Beaumarchais now became.
When the duke was absent, which M. de Loménie assures us was almost invariably the case, Beaumarchais himself presided. Under the latter were many subordinates, some of them noblemen of high rank, so that it is easy to understand the prestige of such an office.
There were innumerable regulations, many of them very trying to private individuals, which it became the duty of the lieutenant-general to enforce. In the territory belonging to the _capitainerie_, no game could be shot, no garden or other wall be constructed without special authorization from the tribunal which presided over these matters. So annoying were these regulations that in 1789 the suppression of the _capitaineries_ was one of the most popular measures voted by the _Assemblée Constituante_. In 1763, however, no one had thought as yet of the possibility of doing without them, so that we shall see Beaumarchais entering with his usual ardor into the exact and circumspect performance of his new duties.