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THE DUCHESS OF ORLEANS.*

A WORK on the reign of Louis the Fourteenth, in two volumes, written by a man who figured at the time, and of whom Madame Sevigné remarked that he possessed considerable wit and intelligence, will well repay a careful perusal. The first impression on looking into Cosnac's "Memoirs" is that they do not promise to afford much that is new and interesting, and that certainly they do not answer to his reputation, it is only slowly as we proceed that we begin to be aware he has materially informed us on many points, and enabled us to judge more clearly respecting some matters which previously presented themselves obscurely to our minds. In the present instance I intend to select for discussion the most beautiful and fascinating person whom he paints in his "Memoirs; " I allude to Madame, the Duchess of Orleans, to whom Cosnac had the honour of devoting himself from pure attachment, and for whom also he had the honour of suffering. His portrait of her does not lose any of its attractions when placed near those which are more imposing, and we turn to this sketch with pleasure, even after reading Bossuet's celebrated "Funeral Oration," for it forms an agreeable addition to all that has been written by Madame La Fayette, Choisy, and La Fare. Madame La Fayette furnishes us with some very interesting particulars concerning Madame Henriette; these present her to us exactly in the light in which a refined woman and a princess at heart, would wish to be viewed; many were written after intimate conversations with Madame, and were destined by Madame La Fayette for her perusal.

The young English Princess was educated in France during the misfortunes of her house, and her hand was promised to Monsieur, the King's brother. Immediately after the youthful Louis the Fourteenth married the Infanta of Spain, and precisely at the time when Charles the Second was restored to the throne of his ancestors. She paid a visit to London with her mother to see her royal brother, shortly after his restoration, and there she succeeded in winning all hearts, and effectually felt the power of her charms. At this time she was not more than seventeen; "she had," says Choisy, "brilliant and expressive black eyes, and so full of fire that it was impossible for any man to resist their attraction; never was princess more engaging." On her return to France she became the object of general homage; Monsieur was also among those who offered it at her shrine, and till the day of her marriage never ceased paying her the most marked attention, though love was wanting to make it acceptable; the miracle of inflaming this Prince's heart, however, was not to be accomplished by any woman in the world. Among the persons

* Translated and adapted from the French.

who moved in Monsieur's circle was a young nobleman, who was his chief favourite; this was the Count de Guiche, the handsomest man at Court, the proudest, the bravest, as well as the noblest in appearance; he wore besides an air of dignified self-possession, which always pleases a woman, inasmuch as it carries out their ideas of a genuine hero of romance, and, according to everybody's opinion, the Count de Guiche was a perfect hero. Now Monsieur, without being in love, was very jealous, which is not at all an uncommon case, but unfortunately he did not become soon enough so, for the Count de Guiche's peace of mind. He had himself introduced the Count to the Princess, and encouraged their intimacy; consequently, he placed him in a position admirably calculated for becoming fully aware of all her charms.

The years 1661 and 1662 were spent in all the enjoyment of youth and freshness, and might literally be called the spring of Louis the Fourteenth's reign; gaiety, gallantry, and ideas of love and glory, as well as wit and talent, calculated to foster all these feelings, reigned supreme at this period. As soon as Madame was married and emancipated from her mother's control, by whom she had hitherto been kept in leading-strings, it was quite a discovery when it was ascertained that she possessed as much intelligence and affability as anybody else. Shortly after her marriage she took up her abode with Monsieur at the Tuileries, and when later she quitted this residence she removed to the Palais Royal, so that she was indeed a Parisian Princess. Monsieur, although excessively indolent, prided himself on being popular in Paris; when the Court was not there he used to delight in making journeys to and fro, and short stays in the capital. He even felt a malicious kind of pleasure because he imagined that these visits were displeasing to the King, "but in fact," says Cosnac, "he was enchanted at holding a court of his own, and was perfectly in raptures when there happened to be a large assembly of the fashionable world at the Palais Royal, for he said they came in honour of him, though, in reality, Madame was the attraction. He was careful to make himself agreeable to everybody, and it might easily be observed that he was more or less lively in proportion as his little court was much or little attended. But as I did not perceive that these visits produced the effect which he seemed to desire, and that, on the contrary, I saw from what he himself told me that at first his Majesty had been annoyed by them, and afterwards had ridiculed them, I could never gratify him by applauding his conduct, and I told him that I did not think it prudent of him to afford even the slightest grounds of displeasure to one who had it in his power to show it very seriously; but Monsieur was so delighted at being able to say quietly to about ten or twelve persons on the evenings which he spent in Paris, Well! have I not a large assembly to-night!' that to tell him such truths was to oppose his pleasure, and in his mind pleasure always took the place of more important things."

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Monsieur, father of the Orleans branch, generally so weak and unworthy a father, loved, like his successors, to hold his Court at the Palais Royal and to share some of the King's popularity,

though really a nonentity, vanity with him answered the purpose of wisdom and penetration in political matters.

But let us return to Madame. Shortly after the commencement of the year 1661, she was installed in the Tuileries, and there she made choice of her ladies-in-waiting and her friends. Madame la Fayette, who was one of them, mentions the others. "All these persons," says the amiable historian, "spent the afternoons in Madame's apartments, and they had the honour of accompanying her in her airings. On returning from the walk supper was taken with Monsieur, and after supper all the gentlemen of the Court joined the circle, the programme of the evening's entertainment was varied by acting, playing at cards, and musical performances, and everybody was thoroughly amused, so that there was not the slightest mixture of ennui." The King, who formerly had been little pleased at the idea of marrying Madame, "felt as he became more acquainted with her, how mistaken he had been in not thinking her the most beautiful person in the world." And here the romance begins, or rather many romances at the same time, Madame became the Queen of the moment, and this moment lasted till her death. She gave the ton to the whole of the young Court, and arranged all the parties of amusement: these were really proposed for her sake, and it would seem that the King only took pleasure in them in proportion as she enjoyed herself.

Madame la Fayette, who thus furnishes us with the frame of the picture, offers us also a peep behind the scenes. She describes the King as more captivated than a brother-in-law should have been, and Madame more touched than was proper for a sisterin-law; then she speaks of the budding La Vallière, who opportunely prevented them from becoming still more deeply attached to each other; of the Count de Guiche, who, at this precise time, was making the same advances in Madame's favour, as La Vallière's was in the King's. Then follows an account of those jealousies, suspicions, rivalries, and deceptions of confidants, who made themselves useful and were found to be treacherous, which always form so prominent a part in the history of young and loving hearts. But here we have to deal with royalty as well as youth, and royalty, too, which shed a lustre over the most glorious reign, history finds a place for them, and literature has consecrated their memory though poetry has not recorded their praise. In order to comprehend fully how Madame remained faithful to her husband. in the midst of so many snares, and was able to say truly, on her death-bed, "Monsieur, I have never forgotten that I was your wife," the difficulties of her position must be borne in mind as well as her age and that kind of innocence which generally accompanies youthful imprudence. When the Count de Guiche was exiled in 1664, Madame, who was then twenty years old, had become more guarded in her behaviour.

"Madame," says Madame la Fayette, "did not wish him to bid her good-bye because she knew that everybody was observing her, and she was no longer young enough to think that that which was most hazardous was most agreeable."

The Count de Guiche's exile made considerable sensation, and gave birth to one of those libels printed in Holland, of which Bussy-Rabutin had the miserable honour of setting the example in hisHistoires Amoureuses." Madame, who was fortunately informed of it in time, dreading the effect it might have on Monsieur's mind, applied to Cosnac to break the matter to this Prince, and to endeavour to soothe his resentment; she was more particularly grieved, because the libel was already printed (1666). Cosnac undertook to have the copies destroyed, and to prevent any from being issued; consequently, he sent M. Patin, son of Guy Patin, and a very intelligent person, into Holland, in order that he might visit all the booksellers there who were likely to have the book in their possession.

"M. Patin so thoroughly succeeded in his mission," says Cosnac, "that he obtained an act which prevented its being henceforward printed. And brought away eighteen hundred copies of it already prepared for circulation."

This affair increased Cosnac's intimacy with Madame, and from this period it will be observed that he espoused her interests on all occasions. While he was in exile at Valence, Madame, who was more and more appreciated by Louis the Fourteenth, was selected by him to negotiate with Charles the Second, her brother, with a view of inducing him to break off his alliance with Holland, and of persuading him to declare himself a Roman Catholic. Louis the Fourteenth was not so anxious on the latter head as on the former. The negotiation was in so advanced a stage, even as concerned the most delicate portion of it, namely, the declaration of Roman Catholicism; Madame, too, imagined it would be so soon concluded, that she thought she might venture to apprise Cosnac of a present and a surprise which she had in store for him, he received the following letter from Madame, dated from Saint Cloud, June the 10th, 1669.

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"There is unfortunately much sorrow for the injustice which is done you, for which it is almost impossible that your friends can offer you consolation. Madame de Saint Chaumont (governess of the Duke of Orleans' children) and I have resolved, in order to do something towards enabling you to support your disgrace, that you shall have a Cardinal's hat; this may at first appear to you dream, considering that those persons, from whom come these kind of favours, are quite unlikely to bestow any on you; but to be able to comprehend this enigma, you must know that among the multitude of affairs which are now in treaty between France and England, one of them will render the latter of so much consequence at Rome, that it will only be too glad to oblige the King, my brother, and will refuse him nothing, so I have already applied to him to ask for a Cardinal's hat, without mentioning for whom; he has promised to do so for me, and therefore you will have it you may depend upon it."

The allusion to this Cardinal's hat, as on the point of being presented to a man in disgrace, produces a singular effect on our minds, and one feels sure, after reading this letter, that there was a

little indulgence of fancy in it, such as the most intelligent women willingly mix with their political affairs. It must be said, in justice to Cosnae, that he did not allow himself to be dazzled by the prospect; he was more gratified at this mark of esteem on Madame's part than anything else.

"However ambitious I may have been thought by the world, I can say with perfect sincerity that what pleased me most in this letter, was the assurance of Madame's increased friendship for me, it was, in fact, the chief honour which I coveted. During her visit to Dover, whither she had gone to see her brother, the King, in order to make him sign the treaty with Louis the Fourteenth (June 1st), she had borne ce pauvre M. de Valence in mind. On her return from the journey, on the 26th of June, and four days before her death, she wrote to him as follows:

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"I am not at all surprised that you expressed pleasure with regard to my journey to England, it was indeed a very agreeable visit, and however certain I felt before of the King, my brother's affection for me, I found it was greater than I had even expected it to be; consequently I found him ready to do all I desired, as far as depended on him. The King, too, on my return to France, treated me with marked kindness, but as to Monsieur, nothing can equal his eagerness to find cause of complaint against me; he did me the honour to say that I was all powerful, and I could obtain whatever I liked, therefore, if I did not get the Chevalier recalled (the Chevalier de Lorraine, exiled by order of the King), it would be because I did not care to please him (Monsieur). He then proceeded to load me with threats if I did not succeed. I endeavoured to make him understand how little his recall depended on me, and how little influence I really possessed, since you were still in exile. Instead of seeing the truth of the case, and becoming softened, he took this opportunity of doing you all the harm he could in the King's mind, as well as brewing a great deal of mischief about me.""

Another letter, which we will here transcribe, betrays a sorrow which must have been keenly felt by a mother. Cosnac had written a short note to Madame's daughter, who was then eighteen years of age, about whom he felt some interest, as he had seen her at her governess', Madame Chaumont. This letter, which was forwarded with the greatest secrecy, produced an unfortunate effect, and Madame therefore says,

"I have blamed you many times for the affection which you. entertain for my daughter; in the name of goodness get rid of it as fast as possible, she is a child who is quite incapable of appreciating it, and who is now being taught to hate me. Be satisfied in loving those persons who are grateful to you as I am, and who feel as much grief as I do in being unable to extricate you from your present position."

About three days after this letter was written, on the 29th of June, Madame, who was staying at St. Cloud, asked for a glass of iced chicory; she drank it, and nine or ten hours afterwards expired in all the agony of the severest attack of colic. The minutest