After me, at least a flood in French. “Apres nous le deluge” – “After us, even a flood

- (French Après nous le déluge), that is, after our death, even the whole world will perish; this expression belongs to the Marquise of Pompadour and was first used by her when Louis XV received the news that deeply struck him about the unsuccessful battle of ... Wikipedia

Adverb, number of synonyms: 6 anyway (105) as long as we feel good now (1) ... Dictionary of synonyms

After us there might be a flood- wing. sl. This phrase is attributed to the French king Louis XV, but memoirists claim that it belongs to the favorite of this king, the Marquise of Pompadour (1721-1764). She said it in 1757 to console the king, dejected by defeat... ... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky

After us, even a flood (French Après nous le déluge “after us, a flood”), that is, after our death, even the whole world will perish; this expression belongs to the Marquise of Pompadour and was first used by her when Louis XV received something that deeply struck him... Wikipedia

It’s neither cold nor hot, it doesn’t matter, it’s all grass, he doesn’t give a damn about a tall tree, he doesn’t give a damn, it’s neither hot nor cold, he sneezes, he doesn’t care about a light bulb, he doesn’t care, he doesn’t care about a lantern, he doesn’t care about the ninth floor, like water off a duck’s back Dictionary of Russian synonyms. at least... ... Dictionary of synonyms

FLOOD, ah, husband. 1. According to biblical legend: a flood that flooded the entire earth as punishment for the sins of people. Worldwide p. After us at least p.! (as long as we feel good; ind.). 2. Flood, water spill (cold). The river has flooded the banks of the present village. What is this... Dictionary Ozhegova

A; m. 1. In the Bible: a worldwide flood in which all humanity perished because of their sins. World item. After the flood. Before the flood (also: joke; in time immemorial). After us at least p.! (colloquial; as long as we feel good now). 2. Unfold… … Encyclopedic Dictionary

flood- A; m. 1) In the Bible: a worldwide flood in which all humanity perished because of their sins. World sweat/p. After the flood. Before the flood (also: joke; in time immemorial) After us, at least flood! (colloquial; if only we feel good now) 2)… … Dictionary of many expressions

Wed. She only loves herself in the world, And at least grass doesn’t grow there, And in her, like three times three four, the words agree with the feelings. Book P.A. Vyazemsky. Turgenev's justification. Wed. If only I would feel good, And then the whole world would burn with fire. Krylov. Frog and Jupiter. Wed... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

Books

Caligula, or After Us Even a Flood, Josef Toman. Before you is the most interesting fiction novel Joseph Toman "Caligula, or After Us Even a Flood" This novel is dedicated to the life and political deeds of the Roman Emperor Caligula, a figure far...
Caligula or at least a flood after us, Joseph Toman. The novel by the classic of Czech literature Josef Toman is dedicated to a famous period from ancient history: the Roman emperor Caligula (12-24 AD), whose name became synonymous with cruelty and villainy,…

Adverb, number of synonyms: 6 anyway (105) as long as we feel good now (1) ... Dictionary of synonyms

Books

Caligula, or After Us Even a Flood, Joseph Toman. Before you is the most interesting fiction novel by Josef Toman, “Caligula, or After Us, Even a Flood.” This novel is dedicated to the life and political deeds of the Roman Emperor Caligula, a figure far...
Caligula or at least a flood after us, Joseph Toman. The novel by the classic of Czech literature Josef Toman is dedicated to a famous period from ancient history: the Roman emperor Caligula (12-24 AD), whose name became synonymous with cruelty and villainy,…

wing sl. This phrase is attributed to the French king Louis XV, but memoirists claim that it belongs to the favorite of this king, the Marquise of Pompadour (1721-1764). She said it in 1757 to console the king, dejected by the defeat of the French troops at Rosbach (Memoires de M-me du Hausset, 1824, p. 19; “Le Reliquaire de M. Q. de La Tour par Ch. Desmaze”, Paris, 1874 , p. 62). Often quoted in French: "Apres nous le deluge." It is possible that this phrase is an echo of an unknown Greek poet, who was often quoted by Cicero and Seneca: “After my death, let the world perish in fire” (Buchmann. Geflugelte Worte).

“After us there may be a flood” in books

6 Ideal parents, part II, or “What is the name? A rose smells like a rose, call it or not.”

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"After us there may be a flood." According to one of them, it was said by King Louis 15 of France; according to other sources, this expression was said by his favorite and mistress, the Marquise de Pompadour. Although in reality this is not the case.
The saying “after us there may be a flood” is a typical example of historical mythology.

In fact, it all happened like this! During a serious battle near the town of Rosbach (today it is part of the city of Braunsbedra), the French army suffered a crushing defeat from Prussian troops led by Frederick the Great. It was a battle that changed the course Seven Years' War. When King Louis 15 found out about this, he became hysterical.

Madame Pompadour, trying to somehow cheer up her lover, uttered a phrase that remained in the memory of posterity: “You shouldn’t worry so much, there will still be a big flood after us.” At that time, alarming rumors were spreading among the common people and even the nobility about a huge comet approaching the Earth, which, falling into the ocean, could raise a huge wave.
That is, there was nothing strange in the words of the mistress of Louis 15. Much later, this expression acquired a special cynical meaning.

It is worth noting that ordinary people considered their king and his courtiers to be very vicious people. This was facilitated by rumors that were intensively spread by the cooks, cooks and the rest of the king's servants. The complete immorality of their existence, debauchery and unimaginable luxury, violation of all written and unwritten rules was very noticeable, especially against the backdrop of poverty and hopelessness of the existence of their people. Therefore, the French really believed the statement of the Marquise de Pompadour. By the way, the flood, not a flood, but a bloody bacchanalia, which was called the Great French Revolution, actually occurred 32 years later.

King Louis 15 years of life (1710-1774)

"King Louis was a portly and handsome man, he was very intelligent and imposing. In some ways he could be called a poser, but he treated his people well and loved his few relatives. He had a kind nature, although he could be lazy at times. The fact is that his life constantly presented him with new riddles, and he did not like to solve them. He was convinced that he was not born to overcome all sorts of difficulties and obstacles. His job was to pose and command. He was constantly irritated by the fact that every day he had to find answers to the questions that life threw at him. It just seemed that he approved everything, took care of everything, and here it is on you! Something happens and destroys all his work. Everything has to start again. These daily worries sometimes drove him furious." ("Saint Germain" M. Ishkov)

The saying “After us there may be a flood” is a manifestation of ideal egoism. Live and enjoy today, don’t think about anything or anyone, only about yourself and don’t forget that without you there is simply no future

Read also: what does the Dragon symbol mean?

Marquise de Pompadour years of life (1721-1764)

“In fact, the mistress of Louis 15 successfully ruled the country for many years. At baptism she was named Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, and after the wedding she became Le Normand d'Etiol. And she received her title of Marquise de Pompadour for great feats in the love sphere. This woman is from the low class became essentially the best student of the writers, who declared that if the main characteristic of a reasonable individual is the ability to think and analyze, then the path to success can guarantee the constant and correct use of one’s mind. Although this woman had poor health, this did not affect her in any way. on her ability to control herself and her iron determination.
Madame de Pompadour used the fail-safe tactic of “taking possession of all the king’s thoughts and at least one step ahead of him in the next hobby and trying to amuse him with some new fun.” She was able, like no one else, to predict her master's desire in a few days. He always strived to live a simple life, free from the complex conventions of the court, no matter how vicious! - life, the horror that he felt when his such a carefully developed plan began to fall apart like a house of cards, due to unexpected circumstances that no one could have foreseen - gave scope for her actions, which were aimed at protecting Louis from various worries and anxieties. The king was constantly instilled with the idea that he was the supreme ruler of France. That his word means more than God's word. Of course, this was true, but it did not claim all the merits of his “faithful friend,” to whom Louis was grateful for his help in solving state problems."
("Saint Germain" by I. Ishkov)

There is another version. Nowadays, alternative history has become very popular. Many unrecognized geniuses are trying to unearth confirmation of the Great Catastrophe that happened on our planet just 200 years ago in old documents and maps. They claim that there is real evidence that Russia in the recent past was overwhelmed by a huge wave, something like a mudflow of cyclopean proportions. In many cities there are signs of such flooding. For some reason, no one is surprised by the fact that most ancient buildings are buried in the ground almost up to the first floor windows. But where did this land come from? These are hundreds and thousands of tons of rock that were moved. Perhaps the phrase “even a flood after us” is, as it were, a key to our recent past?

“After us there might be a flood”
or 5 examples of predicting the future by non-saints and non-prophets.

The issue of predicting the future has always worried people. Here we will talk about several examples of predictions of the future made by a variety of people in different situations. I will not analyze at length, and will only give examples that seem obvious to me.

1. Open the book “Famous Aphorisms” and read:

“Apres nous le deluge” - After me (us) - even a flood!

Tradition attributes these words to the French king Louis XV, who once said that until his death he hopes to preserve the monarchy in France, and “after me, even a flood!”, then to his close associates, the Marquise Pompadour or Viscountess DuBarry.

It doesn’t matter which of them uttered the cynical words: in any case, they perfectly convey the extreme selfishness of the despotic rulers of France. It is not for nothing that we now use them when we want to express indignation at short-sighted, selfish and imprudent policies.

At least the good thing about this translation is that the word “me” is in there. Indeed, when the king says “we,” he means himself. And indeed, it is correctly indicated here in what cases this aphorism is now used.

However, let's remember that Louis 15 was the last French king from the Bourbon dynasty who was born and died a king. Under him, the people's suffering reached a high level, but Louis did not pay attention to this: he indulged in pleasures in the Deer Park. When they pointed out to him the danger posed by an extremely oppressed people, he replied: “The monarchy will last as long as we are alive.” After his death, the monarchy was swept away by the masses. The French Revolution, like a storm, swept away royal power and executed Louis 16. Michel Nostradamus, who foresaw this, painted a royal crown with the letter “B” (Bourbon), hanging on a thread over the stormy sea (by the way, Nostradamus himself lived under Valois). Thus, comparing the revolution with the water element.

So what did Louis 15, so little appreciated today, say? He said: “The monarchy will last as long as we live.” And he said the famous (let’s translate it exactly): “After me there will be a flood.” The prophetic content of these words is quite obvious. The word "flood" also has a biblical connotation - dividing life into before and after the flood. A flood is an event that completely destroys life and the order of things. This is exactly what happened in France.

2. Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov (Shchedrin) is not the most favorite writer of most people. It strikes too accurately and evilly at human nature, which does not change under socialism or capitalism. In the century following Shchedrin, a revolution took place in Russia, and Comrade Stalin came to power. Ascetic, in a soldier's overcoat, with a dry hand, smoking a pipe and cigarettes, he built barracks socialism. After his death, this socialism even tried to turn rivers.

Let's try to imagine that what follows is written about socialism in Russia and Comrade Stalin (emphasis mine - S.A.):

“...the lips are thin, pale, covered with trimmed stubble of a mustache... Dressed in a military-style frock coat, buttoned up with all the buttons... all around is a landscape depicting a desert, in the middle of which there is a prison; above, instead of the sky, hung a gray soldier's overcoat... No questions are visible on his face; on the contrary, in all his features there appears a kind of soldierly, imperturbable confidence that all the issues had long been resolved... The very way of life of Gloomy-Burcheev was such that it further aggravated the horror inspired by his appearance. He slept on the bare ground, and only in severe frosts did he allow himself to take refuge in the fire hayloft; instead of a pillow, he put a stone under his head; he got up at dawn, put on his uniform and immediately beat the drum; smoked makhorka so stinking that even police soldiers blushed when the smell of it reached their noses... He also had a family; but while he was in charge of the city, none of the townsfolk saw either his wife or his children. There was a rumor that they were languishing somewhere in the basement of the mayor's house... Having drawn a straight line, he planned to squeeze the entire visible and invisible world into it, and with such an indispensable calculation that it was impossible to turn either back or forward, neither to the right nor to the left. Did he intend to become a benefactor of humanity? - It is difficult to answer this question in the affirmative. Rather, however, one might think that in his head there were no assumptions about anything at all. ... The virtuosity of straightforwardness, like a willow stake, lodged itself in his mournful head and sent out there a whole impenetrable network of roots and branches. It was some kind of mysterious forest, full of magical dreams. Mysterious shadows walked in single file, one after another, buttoned up, haircut, with a monotonous step, in monotonous clothes, everyone walked, everyone walked... They all had the same physiognomies, they were all equally silent and they all disappeared somewhere. Where? It seemed that behind this sleepy, fantastic world there existed an even more fantastic failure, which resolved all difficulties by the fact that everything in it disappeared - everything without a trace. When the fantastic failure absorbed a sufficient number of fantastic shadows, Gloomy-Burcheev, so to speak, turned over on the other side and began another similar dream. Again the shadows walked in single file, one after another, everyone walked, everyone walked... These holidays differ from everyday life only in the intensive marching exercise. Such was the outer structure of this nonsense. Then it was necessary to regulate the internal situation of living beings captured in it. In this regard, the imagination of Ugryum-Burcheev reached a truly amazing definition. Every house is nothing more than a settled unit, which has its own commander and its own spy (he especially insisted on a spy) and belongs to a dozen called a platoon. The platoon, in turn, has a commander and a spy; five platoons make up a company, five companies make up a regiment. There are four regiments, which form, firstly, two brigades and, secondly, a division; in each of these units there is a commander and a spy. Then follows the City itself, which from Foolov is renamed to the “eternally worthy memory of the Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich, the city of Nepreklonsk.” Above the city reigns the mayor, surrounded by a cloud, or, in other words, the chief commandant of the land and naval forces of the city of Nepreklonsk, who enters into arguments with everyone and makes everyone feel his power. Near him... is a spy!! At night, the spirit of Gloomy-Burcheev hovers over Nepreklonsk and vigilantly guards the philistine dream... No god, no idols - nothing ... Everyone was present, every single one; the adults and the strong chopped and broke; the young and weak raked up the garbage and took it to the river. From dawn to dawn, people tirelessly pursued the task of destroying their own homes, and at night they took refuge in the barracks built on the pasture, where household property was brought. They themselves did not understand what they were doing, and did not even ask each other whether this was actually happening in reality. They were aware of only one thing: that the end had come and that the incomprehensible gaze of a sullen idiot was following them everywhere, everywhere. ... Grustilov’s turn gave liberalism a new direction, which can be called centrifugal-centripetal-inscrutably-false. But it was still liberalism, and therefore it could not be successful, because the moment had already come when liberalism was not required at all. It was not required at all, not in any way, not in any form, not even in the form of absurdity, not even in the form of admiration for the authorities. Admiration for the boss! What does admiration for superiors mean? This means such admiration for him, which at the same time allows for the possibility of non-admiration for him! And from here to revolution - one step! With the assumption of office by the mayor of Ugryum-Burcheev, liberalism in Foolov ceased altogether, and therefore the martyrology did not resume. ... “Being overburdened with bodily exercises,” says the chronicler, “the Foolovites, out of fatigue, thought of nothing more than straightening their bodies, bent by work.” This continued all the time while Ugryum-Burcheev was destroying the old city and fighting the river. ... Exhausted, cursed and destroyed, the Foolovites, after a long break, breathed freely for the first time. They looked at each other and suddenly felt ashamed. They did not understand what exactly had happened around them, but they felt that the air was filled with foul language and that it was impossible to breathe in this air anymore. Did they have a history, were there moments in this history when they had the opportunity to show their independence? - They didn’t remember anything. They only remembered that they had the Urus-Kugush-Kildibaevs, the Scoundrels, the Wartkins and, to top off the shame, this terrible, this inglorious scoundrel! And all this was drowning, gnawing, tearing with teeth - in the name of what? His chest was choked with blood, his breath was taken away, his face was convulsively contorted with anger at the memory of the inglorious idiot who, with a stopper in his hands, came out of nowhere and with inscrutable impudence pronounced a death sentence on the past, present and future... And meanwhile he lay motionless in the sunniest sunshine and snored heavily . Now he was in full view of everyone; anyone could freely examine him and be convinced that he was a genuine idiot - and nothing more. When he destroyed, fought with the elements, put him to the sword, it could still seem that he personified something enormous, some kind of all-conquering force, which, regardless of its content, could amaze the imagination; Now, when he lay prostrate and exhausted, when his gaze, filled with shamelessness, was not heavy on anyone, it became clear that this “huge,” this “all-conquering” was nothing more than idiocy that had found no boundaries. ... “He” will give some kind of happiness! “He” will tell them: I ruined you and stunned you, and now I will allow you to be happy! And they will listen to this speech in cold blood! they will take advantage of his permission and be happy! Disgrace!!!"

Let us add that with the establishment of this strange barracks system in Foolov, the mayor decides to divert the river. What distinguished real socialism? And, like Ugryum-Burcheev, he was also unsuccessful. The rivers could not be turned.

Here is the dialogue from this film:

- Mila Rutkevich will become a pediatrician. People will come to her from all over the Galaxy... Katya Mikhailova will win the Wimbledon tournament.

“I see,” said Katya Mikhailova. - You came up with everything.

- Why?

- Yes, because it’s impossible for everyone to become famous and great. It doesn't happen that way. We are ordinary.

“And in the future there will be no ordinary ones,” says Alice. - If you don’t believe me, ask Kolya. And it’s even better if you come to us yourself.

- But how? What if they don't let you in? - asks Fima.

“On your own,” says Sadovsky. - Year after year. And you will get there.

19 years after the film's premiere, on July 3, 2004, Maria Sharapova won the Wimbledon tournament. She was born two years after the film's premiere, when the film was in full swing and repeated, and won the hearts of the audience. The Wimbledon tournament has never been won by Russians before. It was something like a sweet dream that could never come true. And so the film points out: wait, she will grow up and win.

4. If you haven’t read Vladimir Voinovich’s novel “Moscow 2042,” then you should definitely read it. The novel, written in the late 80s, describes the future of Russia. In particular, the next president of Russia becomes a young KGB officer who worked in Germany in the 80s. He is young, progressive, and wants to change a lot. When he comes to power, he creates a new party. This party is a union of the CPSU and the KGB and is called the CPGB - the Communist Party of State Security. This party also includes the Orthodox Church, which has changed its ideals. Everyone sings praises to the young reformer. He is called Genialissimo and all the world classics are attributed to his authorship. Then he is found to be too radical, and, so as not to interfere too much, he is launched into space, while on earth the Editorial Commission remains in charge on his behalf.

It all ends with the return of Solzhenitsyn on a white horse and the restoration of the monarchy and traditional Orthodoxy.

- Listen, I said. - Is it true what they say about you that you are a KGB major?

“Well, yes, sort of,” he agreed with pleasure. - More precisely, major general. But what do you care? Do you really think I met you to inform on you? No, brother, I play other games and bet big.

He traveled all over the country and demanded to increase oil production, steel production, cotton yields, studied the problems of egg production of laying hens and observed the lambing of sheep. And since the country is large, you can’t see everything, he decided to use advanced technology and began making regular inspection flights on a spacecraft. And from there he monitored the movement of troops, the development of quarries, deforestation, the construction of individual objects and open-pit coal mining. He went into everything. Sometimes he even notices that workers somewhere have been smoking for too long, and directly from space he sends an order from the boss of these workers to remove them from work, demote them, or put them on trial. Or he sees that a car has exceeded the speed limit or violated the overtaking rules, the number is recorded and reported to the traffic police.

- And he was busy with such trifles? - I asked Iskrina.

- Well, why trifles? she objected dissatisfied. He did everything. Do not forget that according to his idea and under his leadership we built communism. Moreover, within just one year after the August Revolution. These space inspections turned out to be so effective that in the end it was decided to leave the Genialissimo in space forever and divide power into heavenly and earthly. The Genilissimo from above exercises general leadership, and earthly affairs are managed by the Supreme Pentagon and the Editorial Commission.

And the most angry of them was his closest friend, the Vice-Chairman of the Supreme Pentagon and the Chairman of the Editorial Commission.

- Horizon Timofeevich? - I asked.

“It’s him,” Edik nodded. - He, of course, could not overthrow the Genialissimo, because he had already become a symbol, an object of universal worship, a sacred cow, but a more cunning solution was found. One day, when Genialissimo went into space for another inspection, they decided not to return him from there. Let him fly there, we will pray for him, erect monuments to him, award him orders, send him all sorts of greetings and reports, and here on Earth we will deal with him in our own way.

Under the name of the newspaper it was written that it was an organ of the Communist Party of State Security. So this is what the abbreviation I saw on one of the slogans meant - CPGB!

As I write this, in August 2007, about two weeks ago, news outlets announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the end of his second presidential term, was considering going into space as a space tourist. The Unity Party is increasingly looking like the CPSU, and the FSB, the successor to the KGB, is increasingly involved in everything - even transport problems or power outages.

5. In Vasily Zvyagintsev’s novel “The Right to Death” there is the following text:

- Better answer, frankness for frankness, why was it necessary to establish cryptocracy in Russia?

Here the shock was stronger. However, G.M.’s external reactions remained extremely restrained. A strong man.

- What did you say?

- Cryptocracy. Secret power. Irina, come here, please... Introduce Georgy Mikhailovich to your research.

Irina appeared, already dressed in a business suit, looking like a university assistant professor, with a stack of computer printouts in her hands.

And within fifteen minutes she gave all the necessary arguments in favor of our hypothesis.

- ...From which we concluded: between 2020 and 2030, power in Russia completely changed its form and essence. In reality, a well-conspiracy group or caste, like the notorious “Elders of Zion,” rules. No, no, this is only for comparison purposes, for clarity. We, of course, do not imagine the true mechanism of its functioning, but there are too many indirect signs. Moreover, what should be noted is that this power is surprisingly effective and at the same time quite humane. In thirty years it has not degenerated into an autocracy or dictatorship. It is there, and yet it is as if it is not there. Both the economy and civil liberties are thriving. It is not clear how this is possible... History knows something similar, but such experiments always ended in the same way. Any secret rulers sooner or later wanted to become obvious, the consequences, as a rule, were sad. Either for them, or for their subjects..

From the novel "Play Time":

The colonel heard something about the club back in Africa. There were quite a few Russians serving in the corps, and I had occasion to meet with employees of Russian military missions in relatively civilized countries.

Sooner or later, the conversations, fueled by local wines or domestic vodka, touched on this too. Like, there is such a super-elite club, getting into which is much more difficult, but more useful for your career than marrying the daughter of the Minister of War.

Who and how they are admitted there is a mystery shrouded in darkness. However, information somehow seeps through, like water through the walls of karst caves. At the same time, turning into bizarre fantasies of nature, like stalactites and stalagmites.

They said that sometimes captains also get there, but honored generals shamefully fail in the running. That club members can live better on full board than government members at their dachas. That careers are drawn up at the card table and issues of war and peace are decided.

He was given a much more respectable badge of “full-fledged Knight” than a candidate’s and was finally allowed access to truly classified information. Including complete lists of "brothers".

He looked at the long columns of surnames on the screen (not alphabetical, but chronological) with the briefest biographical information and immediately understood everything.

The truth was a little shocking even for him. The “club” had existed for more than thirty years and during this time it had turned not even into a “shadow government,” as the colonel guessed from certain signs, but into a completely independent, comprehensive system of power in Russia.

I don’t think that Vladimir Putin, Sergei Ivanov, Sergei Medvedev and others constitute some kind of organization, or formed one before (although who can know for sure, except themselves?). However, the fact is that in today's Russia the government has “changed its form and essence.” That decisions are made not by those bodies that are directly intended for this, but behind their backs, and they themselves only “stamp” the already proposed decisions.

In this cycle of novels, the matter, like Voinovich’s, ends with the restoration of autocracy.

...the phrase lives and wins

“After us there may be a flood,” according to one source he said french king Louis XV, according to others his mistress and favorite Marquise de Pompadour, but in reality - no one. The phrase “After us there may be a flood” - typical example mythological nature of history. Here's how events unfolded. On November 5, 1757, the French army was defeated at the Battle of Rosbach, one of the important battles. Naturally, Louis XV was not pleased with the news of this. Trying to somehow console the king, Madame Pompadour said: “Don’t be so upset, there will still be a flood after us.” This was an allusion to the rumors then circulating in Paris about a comet approaching the earth, a meeting with which could cause all sorts of troubles and cataclysms, in particular a flood. So initially there was no particular cynicism in Madame Pompadour’s words. The expression was made by descendants or contemporaries - “well-wishers”.

In fairness, it should be noted that Louis, his passion, his entourage and, in general, the entire French elite of that century owed their vicious fame to themselves. The luxury, debauchery and immorality of their life, the violation of unwritten moral laws were too striking in comparison with the poverty and joyless existence of the people. So the French had every reason to believe in what the marquise allegedly said. It is no coincidence that 32 years later the “bloody flood” of the Great French Revolution really came.

King Louis XV (1710-1774)

He didn't say...

“King Louis was a handsome, very strong and very intelligent, imposing man. A poseur in some ways, but he loved humanity and even the few people close to him. By nature it was kind person, but somewhat lazy at heart. He hated personally unraveling the mysteries that life kept throwing at him. He always believed that others should overcome difficulties. His job is to command and pose. He was disheartened by the need to constantly, every day, seek answers to questions that the reality around him generously threw up. It seems like yesterday everything was decided, planned, planned - and on you! Some ridiculous accident, and everything goes down the drain. We have to start again again. These endless chores were driving him crazy."(M. Ishkov “Saint Germain”)

The phrase “After us there may be a flood” is a manifestation of the highest degree of selfishness: live, enjoy today; don’t think about anyone, anything, only about yourself, remember - without you the future does not exist

Marquise de Pompadour (1721-1764)

The Marquise de Pompadour, who effectively ruled France for many years, “she was baptized Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, in marriage she became Le Normand d’Etiol, and for her success in a love affair she received the title of Marquise de Pompadour. This bourgeois girl turned out to be the best student of the encyclopedists, who argued that since the main distinctive feature Since reason is the ability to form “judgments,” the path to success can only be guaranteed by the correct and regular use of reason. The marquise was not in good health, she had weak lungs, but her physical illness had almost no effect on her determination and ability to control herself. Madame de Pompadour’s tactics were to “take possession of all the king’s thoughts and get ahead of him in the next hobby for at least a few days and, if possible, try to console him with new entertainment.” Jeanne Antoinette, like no one else, knew how to predict the king's mood in advance. His desire to live free from the burdensome conventions and duties of the court, simple - even vicious! - life, the confusion that he experienced when a carefully thought-out plan began to collapse due to unexpected circumstances that could not be foreseen in any way - gave the right direction to her system aimed at freeing the king from annoying worries. At the same time, Louis was constantly instilled with the idea that he was the supreme overlord. His word is law! In general, this is how it really was, nevertheless, the king was grateful to his “faithful friend” for his help in state affairs.”(Ibid.)

Everyone knows the phrase of Louis XIV “The State is me!” The 72-year reign of the “Sun King” marked the heyday of absolute monarchy in France. But, as you know, the peak is always followed by an inevitable downward movement. It was this fate that befell the next king, Louis XV. Since childhood, he was surrounded by excessive care, which later resulted in shifting his responsibilities to others, unbridled debauchery and critical depletion of the treasury.

Louis XV in his youth

The Sun King's successor was his grandson. At the end of the reign of Louis XIV, his heirs began to die one after another. In 1711, his only son died, and a year later the family of the future Louis XV died of measles. The 2-year-old baby was looked after by his teacher, Duchess de Vantatur. She forbade the court doctors to approach the boy and bleed him.

Louis XV ascended the throne at the age of 5. His uncle Philippe d'Orléans became regent. While the regent was weaving court intrigues, little king surrounded by excessive care. Everyone was afraid for the life of the monarch, since he did not yet have direct heirs. In the event of the death of the little king, the Bourbon dynasty would end, and the institution of monarchy in France would be shaken.

Maria Leshchinskaya and the Dauphin Louis.

It was for this reason that the king was married when he was barely 15 years old. His wife was 22-year-old Maria Leszczynska, daughter of the retired King of Poland Stanislaus. She bore Louis XV 10 children, 7 of whom lived to adulthood.

When the king turned 16, he declared that he would rule independently without a regent. But in fact, the young monarch liked balls and feasts more than conducting state affairs. In fact, the leadership of the country was taken over by the spiritual mentor and educator of Louis XV, Cardinal Fleury.

The king loved to buy paintings and elegant pieces of furniture. He favored artists, musicians, and encouraged the development of science. But the monarch's greatest passion was women. Louis XV changed favorites like gloves. In 1745, banker Joseph Paris, wanting to get closer to the king, introduced him to the 23-year-old beauty Jeanne-Antoinette d'Etiol. As it turned out, this relationship lasted for many years.

Just six months later, the monarch granted his favorite the title of Marquise de Pompadour, and a year later he gave her a plot of Versailles Park with an area of 6 hectares.

Favorite of Louis XV, Marquise de Pompadour.

The Marquise de Pompadour was close to the king not only in bed, but also became his friend and de facto adviser in state affairs. It was at her request that ministers were appointed and overthrown.

The king’s reluctance to deal with the affairs of the country, the influence of the favorite on the domestic and foreign policy had a detrimental effect on the French economy. If in the first years of the reign of Louis XV things went as planned, then everything began to rapidly deteriorate. In 1756, the king dragged the country into the Seven Years' War, not without the influence of the Marquise de Pompadour. Participation in the military conflict not only ruined France, but also deprived it of several colonies.

Entrance to the Deer Park.

Well, the monarch himself cared little about this. He preferred to move further and further away from government affairs and spend time with his favorites in the “Deer Park” - a mansion built in the vicinity of Versailles.

Oddly enough, the construction of the house belonged to the Marquise de Pompadour. The woman understood that her beauty was fading, but the king’s love of love remained the same. Therefore, she decided to select mistresses for the monarch herself. The older the king became, the more youthful the beauties were. 15-17 year old beauties pleased the insatiable king.

King of France Louis XV.

In honor of them, he organized balls, gave expensive gifts, lands, castles. All this had an extremely detrimental effect on the treasury. When the Marquise de Pompadour died at the age of 42, the king completely ceased to be interested in the affairs of the country.

In 1771, Louis XV wanted to once again raise taxes so that he could pay for entertainment. However, parliament opposed this idea. Then, on the orders of the monarch, the soldiers dispersed parliament by force. This provoked discontent not only among the aristocrats, but also among the common people. To the courtiers' comments about the unstable situation in the country and the empty treasury, Louis replied: “After Us, even a flood!” In 1774, another of the king’s mistresses infected him with smallpox, causing the monarch to die suddenly.

Louis XV was lucky not to see the “flood”. The reign of the monarch's successor, Louis XVI, ended ingloriously at the guillotine.

After us, even a flood (history famous quotes K. Dushenko)

In issue No. 2 of the magazine “We Read Together” (September) an article by Konstantin Dushenko “After Us, Even a Flood” was published. It continues the magazine’s regular column “The History of Famous Quotes.”

History of famous quotes

After us there might be a flood

5 Nov In 1757, one of the largest battles of the Seven Years' War took place at Rosbach (Saxony). The Prussian army, led by Frederick the Great, completely defeated the much larger French army led by Marshal de Soubise. Just at this time, the artist Georges Latour painted - in the presence of the king - a portrait of Louis XV's favorite Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour. The news of the defeat greatly depressed the monarch. The Marquise hastened to console him: “Don’t be upset, otherwise you’ll get sick; after us there might be a flood!” Latour's story appeared in print only in 1874, but the same version was set out in the Memoirs of the Marquise de Pompadour's maid, Madame Duosset, published in 1824.

It was no coincidence that the Marquise started talking about the flood - at that time everyone was talking about it. In 1758, the comet of 1682 was expected to return, i.e. Halley's comet, and since ancient times the comet was considered a harbinger of misfortunes and disasters. The Age of Enlightenment, instead of dispelling these fears, gave them scientific justification. The famous mathematician Pierre de Maupertuis predicted in his “Letter on Halley’s Comet” that its arrival would entail the end of the world or, at least, a global flood. Aug 18 In 1758, the enlightenment philosopher Gabriel Bonneau de Mably, in his 6th “Letter on the Rights and Duties of the Citizen,” spoke of the members of the Parisian parliament (parliament was then the highest court and registered laws): “The future concerns them little: after them [will come ] flood." Therefore, the phrase about the flood managed to become a common word. If the Marquise de Pompadour uttered it, she was hardly the first.

Meanwhile, the ancient Greeks already had a saying that was very similar in meaning. This is a line from an epigram by Strato, a poet of the 2nd century. AD: “Drink and love! After death, let Deucalion wash my bones!” In Greek mythology, Deucalion played the role of the biblical Noah: when Zeus, angry with people, sent a global flood to the earth, Deucalion, on the advice of Prometheus, built a large box (“ark”). A nine-day flood destroyed all of humanity, but Deucalion and his wife escaped and created new people from stones.

However, in the future, the Greeks and Romans did not expect a global flood, but a global fire. There was a popular saying: “When I die, let the earth burn with fire!” - a verse from the lost tragedy of Euripides. According to legend, he was quoted by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. And another emperor, Nero, when this verse was said in his presence, allegedly exclaimed: “No! As long as I live!” This is what Suetonius says in his Lives of the Twelve Caesars, and then goes on to tell the story of the great fire of Rome in 64 AD, directly calling Nero the arsonist. In Suetonius, Nero looks at the fire of the great city from a high tower and in theatrical attire, with a lyre in his hands, sings the “Song of Troy,” which was burned by the Greeks. It's too good to be true; Historians have long stopped believing in the legend of Nero the Arsonist. What is known for certain is that, while rebuilding Rome, Nero took care of fire safety cities.

The slogan “After me, chaos” was attributed to Charles de Gaulle on the eve of the 1965 French presidential elections. A week before the second round of voting, de Gaulle explained: “I did not say: “I”, and I did not say: “chaos”. I just said and repeat: if on December 19 the French people decide to remove de Gaulle, it will be a huge misfortune for the country.” The people voted for de Gaulle, and a huge misfortune was avoided.

But it is unlikely that it will be possible to avoid a flood. The climate is warming, the level of the World Ocean is slowly but surely rising; continents move, collide and fragment... But all this will certainly happen after us.

Konstantin Dushenko