Devereux, Book IV.

k an affectionate leave of each other; but before we parted, and after he had discussed his own projects of ambition, we talked a little upon mine. Although I was a Catholic and a

insecurity of property or arbitrary legislation, just as sourly as any other Christian community. No! I never loved the cause of the Stuarts,-unfortunate, and therefore interesting, as the Stuarts were; by a very stupid and yet uneffaceable c

n James the Third. I would advise you rather to take advantage of your father's reputation at the French court, and

g into the service of Louis. But he is old: he cannot live long. People now pay court to p

daggers-drawn with Maintenon, it is true, and she is a violent, haughty, and coarse woman; but she has wit, talent, strength of mind, and will zealously serve any person of high birth who pays her resp

d the day after to-mor

but he is one of those soft and smooth minds which, in a crisis like the present, when parties are contending and princes wrangling, always slip silently and unobtrusively into one of the best places. Keep in with Frejus: you cannot do wrong by it; altho

s. What a magnificent work of royal imagination is that palace! I know not in any epic a grander idea than terming the avenues

ermost party to feel resentment at the chafings of the under one. Sliding from this topic, he then questioned me as to the gayeties I had witnessed. I gave him a description of the party at Boulainvilliers'. He seemed much interested in this, and showed more shrewdness than I should have given him credit for in discussing the various characters of the /literati/ of the day. After some general conversation on works of fiction, he artfully glided into treating on those of statistics and politics, and I then caught a sudden but thorough insight into t

eared the followin

it/ sin

it/ sine

t fruit, and faded

acity, that it was high time to make all use of one's acquaintance with Madame de Maintenon that one could be enabled to do; and that it was so difficult

truth, and to consecrate the hollow pageantries of royal pomp, with the tenderness, the beauty, and the repentance of La Valliere. Still over that scene hung the spells of a genius which, if artificial and cold, was also vast, stately, and magnificent,-a genius which had swelled in the rich music of Racine, which had raised the nobler spirit and the freer thought of Pierre Corneille,* which had given edge to the polished weapon of Boileau, which had lavished over the bright page of Moliere,-Moliere, more wonderful than all-a knowledge of the humours and the hearts of men, which no dramatist, save Shakspeare, has surpassed. Within those walls still glowed, though now waxi

d later than that of Louis XIV., though he has b

rles I., Charles II., James II.,

me! I still paused on the threshold of those stately halls which Nature herself had been conquered to rear! Where, through the whole earth, could I find so meet a symbol for the character and the name which that sovereign would leave to posterity as this palace itself afforded? A gorgeous monument of regal state

nd upon my arm, and recalled me to myself. Before I could apologize for my abstraction, the Bishop was accosted by an old man of evident rank, but of a cou

hat /can/ this portend? Besides," and here the speaker's voice lowered into a whisper, "I am told by the Duc de la Rochefoucauld that the king int

the courtier passed on to whisper his intellig

posthumous publication, and will show the world of what importance nothings can be made. I dare say, Count, you have already, in England, seen

st Fleuri should think I was attempting to rival him; an

spicuous for splendour. Here the Bishop requested me to wait for a moment. Accordingly, I amused myself with looki

e de Maintenon," said he in a whisper, "is but poorly to-da

ughing, and a third yawning, and entered into another chamber, where, alone and seated by the window in a large chair, with one foot on a stool, in an attitude that rather reminded me of my mother, and which seems to me a favourite posit

me to present to her

ation. "The son of Madame la Marechale de Devereux will always be most welcome to me!" Then,

ou leave my ex

th, and consoling herself for the advance of years by that tendency to wean the thou

hich I recognize the Marechale. And how does her beauty wear? Those golden locks, and blue eyes, and tha

strongly than at this moment, that there is in those divine studies, which bring calm and l

eighty years of age is a compliment to a woman's beauty misplaced! Th

is sensible that he encroaches a little, and does it wi

pect. It is now nearly the hour in which h

wed as he

ompanion is very desirous to see the greatest monar

aintenon; and then, turning to me, she as

y my respects to him at all, I should have deemed that both duty and inclination led me, in the first instance, to

me de Maintenon, "decided on th

cellent woman, Madame la Marechale,-"no, Madame. France is the country of my birth, if England is that of my parentage; and could I hope for some portion o

g the King was nearly arrived. Fleuri, whose policy at that period was very like that of the concealed Queen, and who was, besides, far from desirous of introducing any new claimants on

rdingly blessed me, and gave me her hand, which I kissed very devoutly. An extremely pretty hand it was, too, notwithstanding the

ou of Madame?

sly, "but that greatness seems in her to t

o meek a mind joined to so lowly a carriage

t is still regular in her features; but what struck me most was the pensi

nd," answered Fleuri; "and the

e heard that the Bishop of Frejus, notwithstanding his rank and celebrity, employs

f the air of palaces is not absolutely prolific of pretty speeches.

bask in the royal sunshine, Frejus then disappeared among the crowd; he was scarce

hom see you chiefly? Gallant soldiers, with worn brows and glittering weeds? wise statesmen with ruin to Austria and defiance to Rome in every wrinkle? gay nobles in costly robes, and with the bearing that so nicely teaches mirth to be dignified and dignity to be merry? No! cassock and hat, rosary and gown, decking

auspices of the

spire every one with the same sentiment. Well, that man is a namesake of Fleuri, the Prior of Argenteuil; he has come here, I suppose, for some particular and temporary purpose, since, in reality, he has left the court. Well, that worthy priest-do remark his bow; did you ever see anything so awkward?-is one of the most learned divines that the Church can boast of; he is as immeasurably superior to the smooth-faced Bishop of Frejus as Louis the Fourteenth is to my ol

is little chance of so exalte

s, united with art, may do anything in a court like this; and the smooth and unelevated craft of a Fleuri may win e

ne countenance and an address that will, at least, please you better than th

winning converts among the court ladies; it is certain, at least, that when Massillon first entered the profession he was to the soul something like the

ove all, how much more ready one is to mention a

-box, "to be sure, we old people like history better than fict

I, "by your experience among the

ng them. And he would indeed be a bad judge of human nature who estimated the characters of men i

on, who had just turned to depart, "what, Count Ant

se as the poor go to the temples of Caitan,-/to inhale the

in the least disconcerted; and Count Hamilton, co

efore ordained, to admit you to his presence. The Duc de Maine is with the King, as als

doors of an apartment were thrown open; and

ingbroke had scarcely need to have cautioned me not to appear too self-possessed. Perhaps, had I seen that great monarch in his /beaux jours/; in the plenitude of his power, his glory, the dazzling and meridian splendour of his person, his court, and his renown,-pride might have made me more on my guard against too deep, or at least too apparent, an impression; but the many reverses of that magnificent sovereign,-reverses in which he had shown himself more great than in all his previous triumphs and early successes; his age, his infirmities, the very clouds round the setting sun, the very howls of joy at the expiring lion,-all were calculated, in my mind, to deepen respect into reverence, and tinctur

sic of which I had hitherto deemed exaggerated, the King spoke; and in that voice there was something so kind and encouraging that I fel

in person, to acknowledge to you. And it has seemed to us fitting that the country

country is not henceforth my own; and in inheriting my fat

udience, we were not unwilling to hope that you were desirous to attach yourself to our court. The times do not require" (here I thought the old King's voice was not so firm as before) "the manif

gainst all nations but one) at your command; and, in being your Majesty's petitioner for f

g the number." The King here made a slight but courteous inclination and turned round. The observant Bishop of Frejus, who had retired to a little distance and

eloquent of men. Believe me, there is no orator like a king; one word from a royal mouth stirs the heart more than Demosthenes could have done