Louis XIV’s fake offices made him a killing!

>[Louis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Louis_XIV_of_France.jpg) created hundreds of meaningless posts that the nobility were eager to snatch up at enormous costs, yet even he was surprised at how successful this venture became. “Who will buy them?” the king once asked his Minister of Finance, Desmarets, who wanted to create even more artificial offices. “Your Majesty ignores one of the finest prerogatives of the king of France,” Desmarets replied, “which is that when a King creates an office God instantly creates a fool to buy it.” ___________________________ **Source:** Farquhar, Michael. “Six Royals Sinning.” *A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories of History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors*. Penguin Books, 2001. 36. Print. ____________________________ **Further Reading:** [Louis XIV of France / Louis the Great / The Sun King](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV_of_France) [Nicolas Desmaretz, marquis de Maillebois](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Desmarets)