Saint-Simon spent a lifetime seeking out scandals at the court of the Sun King, whom he thought an arrogant monster whose extravagant wars and buildings would bankrupt France and bring about the fall of the French monarchy – as it did, ultimately causing the French Revolution. He knew precisely who was who at court, whose genealogies were fake and who slept with whom and how many bastards they had and how much they drank. During the dissolute Regency that followed, he held high office but was involved in the tragic Mississippi bubble. He spent his last ten years writing his memoirs. He had the last laugh. Many who thought they were his friends would have been amazed.
