Louis the Fourteenth, and the Court of France in the Seventeenth Century ... Third edition, with an index, etc

Front matter

LOUIS XIV AND THE COURT OF FRANCE IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY FROM THE ORIGINAL IN THE VERSAILLES GALLERY h prd Beutley le Son £out0 tfje Jfourtttnti) AND THE COURT OF FRANCE IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY BY JULIA PARDOE AUTHOR OF ' FRANCIS I. AND HIS TIMES,' ETC. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS ON STEEL AND WOOD IN THREE VOLUMES VOL. I. LONDON RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON }f ublisfjcts in ©rlmatg to ger fHajcstg tfje ©utm I Printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh. TO JOHN HEARNE, Esq. THIS RECORD OF THE REIGN OF LOUIS XIV. AND THE MANNERS OF HIS COURT IS MOST AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR

Preface

The reign of Louis XIV. of France, whether regarded politically, socially, or morally, was undoubtedly the most striking which that country has ever known. The magnificence of his Court, the successes of his armies, and the number of illustrious names that embellished the century over which his rule extended, drew the attention of all Europe to the person of the monarch who had relieved the nation from the thrall to which it had so long been subjected by the domination of a grasping and imperious minister ; and assumed the authority and power of regality, as well as its mere visible attributes. Louis XIV. was kingly from his birth. Even when deprived, by the penuriousness of Mazarin, not only of the luxuries which were his birthright, but even of the very necessaries which nine-tenths of his subjects could command at will, his spirit remained unbent ; while his innate sense of the indignity offered to his person engendered a feeling of hatred towards the Cardinal, which enabled him patiently to await the hour of his emancipation.

Child as he was, he spurned at pity, and consequently uttered no complaint ; but kept his eye firmly fixed upon that future whose perspective was a throne, and whose watchword was Empire. That Louis XIV. was, throughout his reign, a great king, must be conceded at once ; but that he was ever

PREFACE.

VIII a great man is considerably more doubtful. Supremely egotistical, he never hesitated in compelling the sacrifice of whatsoever opposed or impeded his personal interests, passions, or views : recklessly inconstant, he trampled unmoved upon the affections which he had called forth ; and tediously and childishly minute in the observances and etiquette of his exalted station, he frequently frittered away the time, rendered precious by circumstances, in puerile elaborations and unmeaning detail. We are not about to offer to our readers an historical record of the century of Louis XIV., as the term would be understood by statesmen and politicians ; for we shall pass lightly over the campaigns, the battles, and the intrigues of the several European Cabinets. Our aim will simply be to display more fully than has yet been done the domestic life of the " Great Monarch " ; and to pass in review the wits, the beauties, and the poets of his Court.

For this purpose, we shall select from the stores of the many biographers of the time all that may tend to perfect the portraiture which we have undertaken ; simply premising that we shall put forth neither fact nor anecdote which is not fully authenticated either by one of the chroniclers of the time, or verified by some competent recent authority. Perhaps, for a task like that now before us, no reign has afforded so many and such rich materials. The passion for personal narrative, of which Marguerite de Valois displayed so extraordinary an example in royal life, afterwards spread like an epidemic in the Court of France ; and, under Louis XIV, princesses, warriors, statesmen, courtiers, and beauties, vied with each other in recording, not only passing events, but also the in dividual passions, interests, and prejudices by which they were influenced ; and, while amazed and breathless Europe saw only the working of the great monarchical

PREFACE.

IX engine, by whose movements it was affected throughout its whole extent, the denizens of the most gorgeous Court the world had ever known, in the intervals of their devotions, their dissipations, and their intrigues, still found time to emulate the professional writers of the age, and to record the hidden and intricate springs by which it was forced into action. Not a word, not a gesture, not a weakness of the monarch escaped either his friends or his enemies, or was suffered to remain unchronicled ; the hopes or the attachments of the first made them dwell with adulation and delight upon every brilliant quality which they discovered in their idol ; while the jealousies and the vindictiveness of the last caused them to batten upon every failing, and to dilate upon every vice. It is from these materials, then, that we purpose to attempt a picture which may enable our readers to estimate the character of Louis XIV., not merely as a monarch, but also as a man.

The severe historian has to deal only with his conquests, the internal economy of his reign, and its influence over the other nations of Europe. His sterner pen traces only the broad outline of events, and condescends merely to portray the prominent personages who figure in its annals. Like the eagle, he embraces the whole glory of the orb upon which he gazes, and does not pause to cast a glance upon the inferior objects which are vivified and nourished by its warmth ; and it is consequently to the personal memoirs of the time that we are indebted for the power of looking more closely and more curiously at a phase of society as extraordinary as it is interesting, and of comprehending the minuter shades of individual character. To the historian the reign of Louis XIV. is like the kaleidoscope, of which every evolution presents a new

PREFACE.

X phase of harmony and beauty ; but to the more humble chronicler, captivated as he cannot fail to be by its general effect, it loses somewhat of its splendour ; com pelled as he is to dismount the machine, and by observing analytically the concomitant atoms from whence proceed the marvellous combinations which, as a whole, produce such wonderful effects, to recognise the utter worthlessness of many of its details. Some indulgence must be conceded to the writer who is called upon to examine and to combine such incongruous materials ; especially when it is remembered that the domestic annals of a Court three centuries ago bear no analogy with those destined to record the habits, the manners, and the morals of our own. The oaths ever upon the lips of the courtiers of Louis XIII., and which Anne of Austria had, according to Dangeau, great difficulty in suppressing even upon those of her son, and the indecent masquerading of some of the first personages composing the royal circle of the Louvre in the " Great Century," would very rationally create consternation alike at St. James's and the Tuileries in the present day. J. P. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME

Chapter I

1615-24 Reign of Louis XIV. — Retrospective glance— Childhood of Louis XIII.— Policy of Marie de Medicis — The royal favourite — His pedigree — Matrimonial exchange — Anne of Austria — Her portrait — Royal marriage The Cardinal de Richelieu — Assassination of the Marechal d'Ancre — Ingratitude of Richelieu— Richelieu and the queen-mother — Anecdote related by Bassompierre — Escape of Marie de Medicis from Blois — Abortive rebellion — Submission of the queen -mother — Subtlety of Richelieu Madame de Chevreuse — Levity of Anne of Austria — Gaston, Due d'Anjou — Jealousy of Louis XIII. — His failing health — Richelieu in masquerade — The discovery — Feud between the queen and the cardinal — Disgraceful rumours ....... Page 1

Chapter II

1624-26 Embassy of the Earl of Carlisle — Lord Rich — Demand of the hand of Henrietta-Maria for the Prince of Wales — Assent of Louis XIII. — Conditions — Lord Rich and the Duke of Buckingham — A new embassy — Buckingham in Paris — The scattered pearls — Passion of Buckingham for Anne of Austria — Price of a Court lady — The fete — The king's present —Disguises of the English duke — The masque — The white lady — The royal marriage — The Court at Amiens — Courtly festivities — Tender regrets — A garden interview — Unhappy result — Parting between Anne of Austria and Buckingham — Detention of the bride of Charles I. — The messenger — Return of Buckingham and Lord Rich to Amiens — Interview of the duke with Anne of Austria — The aiguillette — New leave-taking — Embarkation of the bride — Intrigues of Marie de Medicis — A CONTENTS XII suspicious argument — Surveillance of the young queen — The missing aiguillette — The bribe — The triumphant minister — The city ball — Tran quillity of Anne of Austria— Defeat of the cardinal— The secret revealed —Distrust of Louis XIII. — The romance of Chalais — The conspiracy — The Due d'Anjou— The Princes of Vendome — Proposed assassination of Richelieu — The cardinal at Fleury — The hunt — Indiscretion of Chalais — The Commandant de Valance — The interview — Rochefort — Remorse of Chalais — The cardinal in his closet — The king and his minister — Guard at Fleury — The plot defeated — The duke and the cardinal — Politic politeness — Previsions of Richelieu .... Page 27

Chapter III

1626 Question of the Due d'Anjou's marriage — Foresight of Gaston — Marie de Bourbon — Opposition — The Vendome princes — The grand prior — Alarm of Louis XIII. — The cardinal and the grand prior — Insidious advice — Departure of the grand prior for Brittany — Dissimulation of Louis XIII. — Repentance of Chalais — Affected alarm of Richelieu — The forty mounted guards — Triumph of the cardinal — Arrest of the Vendome princes at Blois — The Comte de Rochefort — The Capuchin monastery at Brussels — The plot at its climax — Arrest, trial, and confession of Chalais — Marriage of the Due d'Anjou — Madame de Chalais — Condemnation of her son — Execution of Chalais — The queen before the council . 60

Chapter IV

1627-42 The cardinal's enemies — Projects of Buckingham — Death of the Duchesse d'Orleans — The Comte de Bouteville — His duels — The challenge — New executions — The king before La Rochelle — Court treachery — Arrest of Lord Montagu — Famine in La Rochelle — Tragical death of Buckingham — Laporte in the Bastille — Renewed banishment of Marie de Medicis — Selfexpatriation of the Due d'Orleans — Destitution of the Due d'Epernon and the Marquis de Vieuville — Execution of the Due de Montmorency — Mazarin in France — The siege of Landrecy — Birth of the Comte de Guiche — The Due de Grammont — His father — The triple alliance — Private marriage of Gaston d'Orleans with Marguerite de Lorraine — Estrangement of Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria — Mademoiselle de la Fayette — Pere Joseph— The 5th of December 1637 — Morality of Louis XIII. — Visit to the Louvre — Pregnancy of Anne of Austria — The Comte de Chavigny — General rejoicing — Indisposition of the cardinal — The royal hunts — Declining health of Louis XIII. — The cardinal and the astrologer — Birth of Louis XIV. — The swaddling clothes — Poverty of Louis XIII. — Social position of the kingdom — Partial recon- CONTENTS XIII ciliation of the king and queen — M. de Cinq-Mars — Birth of the Due d'Anjou — Execution of Cinq-Mars and De Thou — Death of Marie de Medicis at Cologne — Fatal indisposition of Richelieu — His quarrel with Louis XIII. — The State prisoners ..... Page 83

Chapter V

1642-44 Marriage of Mademoiselle de Breze — Increased illness of the cardinal — Indifference of Louis XIII. — Death of the cardinal — Ancient and modern biographers — Liberation of State prisoners — Reconciliation of the king and the Due d'Orleans — .Arrival of the remains of Marie de Medicis — Illness of Louis XIII. — Recognition of Madame — Christening of the dauphin — Death of Louis XIII. — Anne of Austria regent — The new ministry — The Due d'Orleans lieutenant-general of the kingdom — The Due de Beaufort — The three days — "The queen is so good" — Louis XIV. and the State companies — Anne of Austria and Voiture — The improvisation — The Comte de Guiche and his governess — Piety of Anne of Austria — Return of Madame de Chevreuse — Her intrigues — Coldness of the queen-regent — Diplomacy of Mazarin — The Due de Beaufort a bad conspirator — Escape of Mazarin — Arrest of the Due de Beaufort — Renewed exile of Madame de Chevreuse — The Due d'Enghien — The challenge — Death of Coligny — Mourning-balls . . . . . 115

Chapter VI

1645 The Palais-Cardinal — "What's in a name?" — Establishment of Louis XIV. — Amusements of the royal children — The children of honour — Education of the young king — Historical readings by Laporte — Aversion of the king to Mazarin — M. de Mancini and the bougeoir — The Grand Turk — The wardrobe of Louis XIV. — A royal fast — The campaign of Flanders The Rodogune of Corneille — Arrival of Queen Henrietta in France — Avarice of Mazarin — Battle of Nordlingen — Selfishness of Mazarin— Contract of Marie de Gonzague and the King of Naples — The Cardinal de Retz Madame de Sevigne — The Polish nobles— A contrast . 149

Chapter VII

1646-48 Fontainebleau— The Polish envoys— The forest— Darkness in a palace — Anger of the regent — A quarrel on etiquette— The Coadjutor of Paris — A mistaken word — Reconciliation between the cardinal and the coadju- CONTENTS XIV tor — Threat to the Queen of Poland — The marriage — Munificence of Anne of Austria — The king and his brother — Precocity of Louis XIV. — Effeminacy of Philip d'Anjou— A court-ball — The first campaign of Louis XIV. — Mademoiselle and the Emperor of Germany — Death of the Marechal de Bassompierre — Feud between the regent and the Parliament — Revolt of the united provinces — The Due de Guise at Naples — His capture at Capua — Mademoiselle and the Prince of Wales — Illness of the king — The family of Mazarin — Revolt of the Parisians — Richelieu versus Mazarin — M. d'Emery — Paris under arms — Arrogance of the queen-regent — The king at Notre Dame — Dissensions in the Parliament — The new edicts — Declaration of the regent — Opposition of the corporate bodies — A new leader ...... Page 175

Chapter VIII

1648 The Due de Beaufort at Vincennes — The prediction — La Ramee — Preparations for flight — The pasty — The prince and the valet — The departure — Discontent of Mademoiselle — The Archduke Leopold — Arrest of Saujon — The retort courteous — Increase of popular disaffection — Popularity of the coadjutor — Victory of Sens — Triumph of the Court — The Te Deum — Arrest of Broussel and Blancmesnil — Consternation of the capital — The impromptu council — Advice of the coadjutor — The revolted citizens — The coadjutor and the mob — The coadjutor and the faction — The Fronde — The liberation of Broussel — Terror of Mazarin — Sudden calm 199

Chapter IX

1648 Removal of the Court to Ruel — Recall of the Prince de Conde — Arrest of Chavigny — Rivalry between Gaston d'Orleans and Conde — Declaration of the Parliament against Mazarin — Private marriage of the queen and the cardinal — Madame de Beauvais — The cardinal's hat — Reply of the Marechal d'Estrees — Politeness of the young king — Mazarinades — Reconciliation of the Due d'Orleans with the Court — The Abbe de la Riviere — Favour of the Prince de Conde — His ill-judged advice — The twelfth cake — Flight of the Court from Paris — Mademoiselle in the queen's coach — The Court at St. Germain — Effect of the king's flight upon the populace . . . . . . . . . .241

Chapter X

1648-49 Tranquillity of the coadjutor — Idle rumours — Mob enthusiasm — Declaration of Louis XIV. to the corporate bodies — Interdict upon the Parliament — CONTENTS XV .\ttempt to create a famine in Paris — Parliamentary decree against Mazarin— Contempt of the Court — Madame de Longueville at the Town Hall — Disaffection of the princes — Intrigues of Madame de Longueville — Perplexity of the coadjutor — Arrival of the Prince de Conti and the Due de Longueville at Paris — The Prince de Conti and the Parliament— M. d'Elbœuf and his three sons — The princes offer their services to the Par liament — Madame de Longueville and the populace — Siege of the Bastille — A dangerous witticism — The citizen -court — Measures of the Prince de Conde — Alarm at St. Germain — Intended flight of Mazarin — Indigna tion of Conde — The hunchback — Fronde pasquinades — Royal retorts — Political scandal — The Due de Beaufort in the capital — "The king of the markets " — Leaders of the Fronde — Tancrede de Rohan Page 264

Chapter XI

1650 Prudence of the Parliament — Seizure of the cardinal's property — Munificence of the city to the Queen of England — An exiled princess — The condemned prisoner — Exchange of prisoners — Check of the royal forces before Rouen — The first sortie — " The first of the Corinthians " — Death of Tancrede de Rohan — Battle of Charenton — Death of Chanleu — The ball and the baton — Defeat of the Frondeurs at Charenton and Ville-Juif — The herald — Treaty with the princes — Turenne declares for the Parliament — Terms of the treaty — Venality of the princes — The citizen-prince 296

Chapter XII

1650 Return of the royal fugitives — Reluctance of the queen and her minister — Mademoiselle de Chevreuse — Mademoiselle and Henrietta of England — The Duke of York — Return of Monsieur to Blois — The Due de Beaufort and Madame de Montbazon — The Court at Compiegne — — Mademoiselle and Charles II. — Egotism of Mademoiselle — Character of the Prince de Conde — Ambitious projects of Madame de Longueville — Disaffection of Conde — Libellous publications — Rescue of the printers — Altercation between the Due de Beaufort and the Marquis de Jarze — Arrival of Charles II. — Reconciliation of the queen-regent and Conde — The coadjutor at Compiegne — Reception of Madame de Chevreuse — Entry of the king and queen into Paris — Popularity of Mazarin — The Due de Beaufort at the Palais-Royal —Death of the Empress of Germany — Renewed hopes of Mademoiselle — The courtship of Charles II. — Illness of Mademoiselle— Confirmation of the 30S young princes CONTENTS XVI

Chapter XIII

1650 Hollow reconciliations — Arrogance of the Prince de Conde — Defiance of Mazarin — "Adieu, Mars!" — The tabouret — Anew affront— Marriage of the Due de Richelieu and Mademoiselle de Pons — The cardinal and Madame de Chevreuse — A war of wits — Meditated arrest of the Princes of Lorraine — -Autograph letter to the coadjutor — His distrust of the regent — Sincerity of Mademoiselle de Chevreuse — Stipulations of the coadjutor — Treachery of the Abbe de la Riviere — The Due d'Orleans and Madame de Soyon — Adhesion of Monsieur to the conspiracy — The cardinal's secretary — Apprehensions of Madame de Conde — Arrest of the princes — The journey to Vincennes — Public excitement — Flight of the Duchesse de Longueville — Separation of the duchess and her daughter — The Princes de Conde banished from the Court — The queen-regent at Rouen — Disgust of Madame de Longueville — Her escape — Her arrival in Holland — Departure of the Due de Bouillon and Marelcha Turenne — Return of the Court to Paris . . . Page 336

Chapter XIV

1650 Arrest of the Duchesse de Bouillon — Her escape with her daughter — Their seizure — They are conveyed to the Bastille — Flight of the Princesse de Conde and the Due d'Enghien — Appeal of the princess-dowager to the Parliament — Pier banishment to Valery — Madame de Longueville and Turenne make a treaty with Spain — Turenne at the head of his troops — The Court at Compiegne — Madame de Conde at Bordeaux — Danger of the royal envoy — Mademoiselle and the Emperor of Germany — Court of Madame de Conde — The king's troops march against the princess — Journey of the Court to Bordeaux — Capture of Vayres — Execution of the governor — Reprisals — Execution of the Baron de Canolles — Siege of Bordeaux — Submission of the city — Interview of the queen-regent and Madame de Conde — Levity of Mademoiselle — Coldness of the Bordeaulese towards the regent — March of Turenne and the archduke on Paris — Preparations for a renewal of the Fronde — The regent sick at Poitiers — Exasperation of the coadjutor — Madame de Rhodes, the Princess -Palatine, and Mademoiselle de Chevreuse — Henri, Due de Guise — His romantic career — The double divorce — Procrastination of the Due d'Orleans — His indignation at the proposed removal of the princes to Havre — His narrow policy — The extorted signature — Arrival of Charles II. — Coldness of the French Court — Retirement of the English king to Jersey ......... CONTENTS XVII

Chapter XV

1650-51 The battle of Rethel— Death of the Dowager-Princess of Conde— Remonstrance of the Parliament on the imprisonment of the princes — Quarrel of the Due d'Orleans and the cardinal— Misgivings of Mademoiselle — Reconciliation between Mademoiselle and Conde — Mazarin offers the hand of Louis XIV. to Mademoiselle— The cardinal foiled — The interpolated factum— Energy of Gaston d'Orleans— Alarm of the Court — Flight of the cardinal — Riot in the capital — Mademoiselle de Chevreuse and the Duchesse d'Orleans — Pusillanimity of Monsieur — Seizure of the city gates by the Frondeurs — The populace in the Palais-Royal — M. Desbuches in the royal chamber — Mazarin at Havre — Emancipation of the princes — Their arrival in Paris .... Page 397

Chapter XVI

1650-51 Reception of the princes by the Court — Intrigue against the coadjutor — Vanity of Mademoiselle — Projected marriage of the Prince de Conti and Mademoiselle de Chevreuse — Proposition of Conde* — Illness of Madame de Conde — Mademoiselle indulges in a new matrimonial speculation — Retirement of the coadjutor — An armed neutrality — Pretensions of the Prince de Conde — The queen makes overtures to the coadjutor — Fresh intrigues — The projected assassination — Noble resistance of the coadjutor — Sentence against Mazarin — Private meetings of the queen and the coadjutor — Retreat of the princess to St. Maur — The royal envoy — Rage of the Due d'Orleans — Return of Conde to the capital — Close of the regency — Majority of Louis XIV. — The Bed of Justice — Renunciation of the regency by Anne of Austria — the king and Madame de Frontenac ....... 420

Chapter XVII

1651-52 Youth of Louis XIV. and Philippe d'Anjou — Early associations — Ignorance of the young king — Armand de Guiche — Subjection of the king to the cardinal — State of the kingdom — Discontent of Monsieur — Courage of Mademoiselle — Revolt of Conde — March of the Court against Bordeaux — Return of Mazarin — Paris in arms — Submission of Turenne — Declaration against the princes — Sale of the cardinal's library — Charles II. after the battle of Worcester — The Due de Nemours — Madame de Chatillon — Diplomacy of Mademoiselle — The city of Orleans declares for the Fronde — Cowardice of Monsieur — the Comtesse de Fiesque — Mademoiselle declares herself and takes Orleans . . LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ON STEEL i. Portrait of Louis XIV. (full length) . . Frontispiece 2. Cardinal Mazarin To face page 94 3.

Anne of Austria „ 132 4. Madame de Sevigne „ 172 5. Louis de Bourbon, Prince de Conde . . ,, 316 6. Louis XIV ,, LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ON WOOD engravings by g. and w. measom PAGE The Castle of Blois j Perspective of the Louvre 27 The Old Chateau of Versailles 60 Palace of the Popes at Avignon 83 Notre Dame and the Hotel-Dieu 115 The Palais-Cardinal ......... 149 Grand Avenue of the Tuileries 199 The Palace of Chantilly 241 Castle of Vincennes 264 Palace of the Luxembourg 296 Inner Court of the Louvre 308 Palace of St. Germain en Laye 336 Palace of the Tuileries

Chapter I

Reign of Louis XIV. — Retrospective glance — Childhood of Louis XIII. — Policy of Marie de Medicis — The royal favourite — His pedigree — Matrimonial exchange — Anne of Austria — Her portrait — Royal marriage The Cardinal de Richelieu — Assassination of the Marechal d'Ancre — Ingratitude of Richelieu — Richelieu and the queen-mother — Anecdote related by Bassompierre — Escape of Marie de Medicis from Blois — Abortive rebellion — Submission of the queen-mother — Subtlety of Richelieu — Madame de Chevreuse — Levity of Anne of Austria — Gaston, Due d'Anjou — Jealousy of Louis XIII. — His failing health — Richelieu in masquerade — The discovery — Feud between the queen and the cardinal — Disgraceful rumours. The reign of Louis XIV. may be divided into three sections. From his succession, in 1643, at the early age of five years, to his majority, in 1651, the his tory of France is that of the regency of Anne of Austria and the Fronde, when Louis was merely the puppet of the queen-mother and her minister ; VOL. I. I CHAP. 2 from his majority until the death of Mazarin, in 1 66 1, it is that of the cardinal himself, who was the one prominent figure upon the national canvas, absorbing in his own person all the authority of sovereign power ; and it is only after the decease of that subtle and intriguing churchman that Louis XIV. can be considered as the real sovereign of France, wielding as well as grasping the sceptre which had been bequeathed to him by his an cestors.

It is, however, expedient, in order thoroughly to understand the position of the French nation at the period when this monarch was called to the throne, that we should turn a retrospective glance upon the reign of his predecessor, and give a hasty sketch of the prominent events by which it was distinguished. Moreover, throughout the two epochs which we have designated, circumstances bearing upon the future fortunes of the young sovereign and shades of individual character are to be detected, which, although occasionally trifling in themselves, still serve, like the first touches of a skilful artist, to indicate the physiognomy of the coming portrait ; while, blended with these, are, necessarily, facts and occurrences which tend to explain the peculiar nature and intricacies of the Franco-Italian-Spanish Court, which at the commencement of the "great century " offered all the romance of an earlier age.

The childhood of Louis XIII. had been one of constraint and disgust. The inherent cruelty of his nature was so great that his father, Henri IV., is stated to have twice inflicted upon him corporal punishment with his own royal hands, in order to correct him of this revolting and unmanly vice ; and to have replied to the expostulations of his mother, Marie de Medicis, that she had need pray to God for her husband's life, seeing that her son would ill treat her when she was no longer protected from his violence. The words were prophetic. On her side Marie de Medicis, anxious to retain in her own hands the royal authority instead of directing the studies of the young king, called pre maturely to the throne by the crime of an assassin, suffered him to remain in complete ignorance of all with which it behoved him to become familiar, in order to reign worthily over a great people.

Occupied by her own political aggrandisement, and devoted to the indulgence of her own vices, she con demned the unformed and moody mind of Louis to the constant and familiar association of her two favourites, Concini and Galigai, both of whom were peculiarly obnoxious to him. She never saw him save when necessity compelled her to do so, and her reception of him was generally cold and repelling. Thus he grew to manhood, a combination of opposing qualities. The royal blood which flowed in his veins endowed him with a pride, which the con sciousness of his mental deficiencies obscured by a timidity almost painful ; the ready and reckless courage which he inherited from his father was marred by an indecision readily traced to a coerced boyhood, and the non-inculcation of moral dignity ; a vindictiveness at once violent and lasting, which CHAP. was compensated by no answering faculty of affec tion ; and a dissimulation induced from constant companionship with persons displeasing to him ; patient and weak in the common commerce of life, but suspicious and even violent by fits ; such were the qualities of Louis XIII.; of the son of the frankest, the bravest, and the most joyous monarch who ever swayed the sceptre of France ; and of the boldest, the haughtiest, the most revengeful, and the firmest princess who ever bore the name of Medicis.

To one favourite, and to one alone, Louis XIII. was faithful unto death, and that one was Charles- Albert de Luynes — the only companion of his own age who was permitted to associate with the young king, and who was considered by the queen-mother as a harmless and safe companion for the monarch, from his frivolity and insignificance. De Luynes accepted the privilege upon the proffered terms, and excited neither envy nor suspicion when he established himself and his two brothers at Court, their birth being too humble to authorise any competition on their part with the haughty young nobles by whom they were surrounded. One word on their origin. Among the private musicians of Francois I. figured a certain lute -player, a German by birth, named Albert, to whom the king was much attached, not only on account of his talent, which was extraordinary, but because his intellect was no less remarkable.