Princesses of the Blood and Sisters in Masonry
cate with distant or dead spirits . He was the toast of Paris . The Duchess de Bourbon was so taken with Mesmer ’ s theories of magnetism and somnambulism that she held a perpetual open house for mystics . 13
In her quest for mystical perfection , the Duchess de Bourbon also followed the teaching of the pseudo-masonic Illuminists Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin , the Philosophe Inconnu , and Martinez de Pasqualis , his teacher . Preaching a mysterious science combining the mystical Judaism of the Kabbalah , Gnostic teachings and masonic rites , these two claimed they could communicate with God and receive certain special gifts that allowed them to perform miracles . The Duchess de Bourbon , according to the Baroness d ’ Oberkirch , “ spoke often of Martinez Pasqualis , this theosophe , this leader of the illuminists , who established a sect and who was in Paris in 1778 . She has seen a great deal , heard a great deal ; she is a Martinist , or something close to that .” 14 Because masonry was a base for the rituals and creeds of the two , and because masonry included a strong mystical element , the organization would seem have a natural attraction for a woman of the Duchess de Bourbon ’ s temperament and interests .
The Duchess de Bourbon may also have found an allure in the charitable side of masonic activity . Charity was a major preoccupation of both men ’ s and women ’ s lodges , and the Duchess de Bourbon had been highly motivated toward charitable works well before finding her masonic outlet . The attraction of joining an organization with a mission matching her own must have been very strong . She had long divided her days among the administration of her estates , study , pleasure and charity . 15 Each morning , the duchess went out on foot or in a carriage with one of her ladies-in-waiting to bring aid to the indigent . She complained that she could never quite find enough poor people to help , even though she asked the clergy of her parish , her relatives and her servants to tell her of any suffering they discovered . She founded a hospice and personally cared for the poor souls in the beds when she visited . This devotion to charitable works lasted through the Revolution and almost to her death in 1822 . 16
If charity , mysticism and need for friends in a trying time were three reasons why the Duchess de Bourbon might have been so strongly attracted to masonry in the late 1770 ’ s , certain other personality traits and preferences may also have played a role . The duchess was “ politically democratic ,” which the Baroness d ’ Oberkirch noted was “ very unusual in a princess of her blood .” 17 The masonic emphasis on equality would have appealed to this side of her thinking .
One can readily suppose that the rituals would also have fascinated the duchess . By the late 1770 ’ s , the rituals of masonry were amateur dramatic productions , and the duchess was well known for her love of all aspects of theatre , especially comedy . She even wrote several plays herself and staged them at her palace . Similarly , the banquets that followed each formal meeting would probably have been as attractive to the duchess as the balls and pageants she loved to attend . There was also a bit of the misfit in the Duchess de Bourbon , a love
13
Ibid ., p . 70 .
14
Ibid , 2- 102-3
15
Ducos , p . 192 .
16
Ibid
17
Oberkirch , 2:21 7