THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES
by
Madame de Lafayette
THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES
Grandeur and gallantry never appeared with more lustre in France, thanin the last years of Henry the Second's reign. This Prince was amorousand handsome, and though his passion for Diana of Poitiers Duchess ofValentinois, was of above twenty years standing, it was not the lessviolent, nor did he give less distinguishing proofs of it.
As he was happily turned to excel in bodily exercises, he took aparticular delight in them, such as hunting, tennis, running at thering, and the like diversions. Madam de Valentinois gave spirit to allentertainments of this sort, and appeared at them with grace and beautyequal to that of her grand-daughter, Madam de la Marke, who was thenunmarried; the Queen's presence seemed to authorise hers.
The Queen was handsome, though not young; she loved grandeur,magnificence and pleasure; she was married to the King while he wasDuke of Orleans, during the life of his elder brother the Dauphin, aprince whose great qualities promised in him a worthy successor of hisfather Francis the First.
The Queen's ambitious temper made her taste the sweets of reigning, andshe seemed to bear with perfect ease the King's passion for the Duchessof Valentinois, nor did she express the least jealousy of it; but shewas so skilful a dissembler, that it was hard to judge of her realsentiments, and policy obliged her to keep the duchess about herperson, that she might draw the King to her at the same time. ThisPrince took great delight in the conversation of women, even of such ashe had no passion for; for he was every day at the Queen's court, whenshe held her assembly, which was a concourse of all that was beautifuland excellent in either sex.
Never were finer women or more accomplished men seen in any Court, andNature seemed to have taken pleasure in lavishing her greatest graceson the greatest persons. The Princess Elizabeth, since Queen of Spain,began now to manifest an uncommon wit, and to display those beauties,which proved afterwards so fatal to her. Mary Stuart, Queen ofScotland, who had just married the Dauphin, and was called theQueen-Dauphin, had all the perfections of mind and body; she had beeneducated in the Court of France, and had imbibed all the politeness ofit; she was by nature so well formed to shine in everything that waspolite, that notwithstanding her youth, none surpassed her in the mostrefined accomplishments. The Queen, her mother-in-law, and the King'ssister, were also extreme lovers of music, plays and poetry; for thetaste which Francis the First had for the Belles Lettres was not yetextinguished in France; and as his son was addicted to exercises, nokind of pleasure was wanting at Court. But what rendered this Court sosplendid, was the presence of so many great Princes, and persons of thehighest quality and merit: those I shall name, in their differentcharacters, were the admiration and ornament of their age.
The King of Navarre drew to himself the respect of all the world bothby the greatness of his birth, and by the dignity that appeared in hisperson he was remarkable for his skill and courage in war. The Dukeof Guise had also given proofs of extraordinary valour, and had, beenso successful, that there was not a general who did not look upon himwith envy; to his valour he added a most exquisite genius andunderstanding, grandeur of mind, and a capacity equally turned formilitary or civil affairs. His brother, the Cardinal of Loraine, was aman of boundless ambition, and of extraordinary wit and eloquence, andhad besides acquired a vast variety of learning, which enabled him tomake himself very considerable by defending the Catholic religion,which began to be attacked at that time. The Chevalier de Guise,afterwards called Grand Prior, was a prince beloved by all the world,of a comely person, full of wit and address, and distinguished throughall Europe for his valour. The Prince of Conde, though little indebtedto Nature in his person, had a noble soul, and the liveliness of hiswit made him amiable even in the eyes of the finest women. The Duke ofNevers, distinguished by the high employments he had possessed, and bythe glory he had gained in war, though in an advanced age, was yet thedelight of the Court: he had three sons very accomplished; the second,called the Prince of Cleves, was worthy to support the honour of hishouse; he was brave and generous, and showed a prudence above hisyears. The Viscount de Chartres, descended of the illustrious familyof Vendome, whose name the Princes of the blood have thought it nodishonour to wear, was equally distinguished for gallantry; he wasgenteel, of a fine mien, valiant, generous, and all these qualities hepossessed in a very uncommon degree; in short, if anyone could becompared to the Duke de Nemours, it was he. The Duke de Nemours was amasterpiece of Nature; the beauty of his person, inimitable as it was,was his least perfection what placed him above other men, was acertain agreeableness in his discourse, his actions, his looks, whichwas observable in none beside himself: he had in his behaviour a gaietythat was equally pleasing to men and women; in his exercises he wasvery expert; and in dress he had a peculiar manner, which was followedby all the world, but could never be imitated: in fine, such was theair of his whole person, that it was impossible to fix one's eye onanything else, wherever he was. There was not a lady at Court, whosevanity would not have been gratified by his address; few of those whomhe addressed, could boast of having resisted him; and even those forwhom he expressed no passion, could not forbear expressing one for him:his natural gaiety and disposition to gallantry was so great, that hecould not refuse some part of his cares and attention to those who madeit their endeavour to please him; and accordingly he had severalmistresses, but it was hard to guess which of them was in possession ofhis heart: he made frequent visits to the Queen-Dauphin; the beauty ofthis princess, the sweetness of her temper, the care she took to obligeeverybody, and the particular esteem she expressed for the Duke deNemours, gave ground to believe that he had raised his views even toher. Messieurs de Guise, whose niece she was, had so far increasedtheir authority and reputation by this match, that their ambitionprompted them to aspire at an equality with the Princes of the blood,and to share in power with the Constable Montmorency. The Kingentrusted the Constable with the chief share in the administration ofthe Government, and treated the Duke of Guise and the Mareschal de St.Andre as his favourites; but whether favour or business admitted men tohis presence, they could not preserve that privilege without thegood-liking of the Duchess of Valentinois; for though she was no longerin possession of either of youth or beauty, she yet reigned soabsolutely in his heart, that his person and state seemed entirely ather disposal.
The King had such an affection for the Constable, that he was no soonerpossessed of the Government, but he recalled him from the banishment hehad been sent into by Francis the First: thus was the Court dividedbetween Messieurs de Guise, and the Constable, who was supported by thePrinces of the blood, and both parties made it their care to gain theDuchess of Valentinois. The Duke d'Aumale, the Duke of Guise'sbrother, had married one of her daughters, and the Constable aspired tothe fame alliance; he was not contented with having married his eldestson with Madam Diana, the King's daughter by a Piemontese lady, whoturned nun as soon as she was brought to bed. This marriage had metwith a great many obstacles from the promises which MonsieurMontmorency had made to Madam de Piennes, one of the maids of honour tothe Queen; and though the King had surmounted them with extremepatience and goodness, the Constable did not think himself sufficientlyestablished, unless he secured Madam de Valentinois in his interest,and separated her from Messieurs de Guise, whose greatness began togive her uneasiness. The Duchess had obstructed as much as she couldthe marriage of the Dauphin with the Queen of Scotland; the beauty andforward wit of that young Queen, and the credit which her marriage gaveto Messieurs de Guise, were insupportable to her; she in particularhated the Cardinal of Loraine, who had spoken to her with severity, andeven with contempt; she was sensible he took the party of the Que
en, sothat the Constable found her very well disposed to unite her interestswith his and to enter into alliance with him, by marrying hergranddaughter Madam de la Marke with Monsieur d'Anville, his secondson, who succeeded him in his employment under the reign of Charles theNinth. The Constable did not expect to find the same disinclination tomarriage in his second son which he had found in his eldest, but heproved mistaken. The Duke d'Anville was desperately in love with theDauphin-Queen, and how little hope soever he might have of succeedingin his passion, he could not prevail with himself to enter into anengagement that would divide his cares. The Mareschal de St. Andre wasthe only person in the Court that had not listed in either party: hewas a particular favourite, and the King had a personal affection forhim; he had taken a liking to him ever since he was Dauphin, andcreated him a Mareschal of France at an age in which others rarelyobtain the least dignities. His favour with the King gave him a lustrewhich he supported by his merit and the agreeableness of his person, bya splendour in his table and furniture, and by the most profusemagnificence that ever was known in a private person, the King'sliberality enabling him to bear such an expense. This Prince wasbounteous even to prodigality to those he favoured, and though he hadnot all the great qualities, he had very many; particularly he tookdelight and had great skill in military affairs; he was alsosuccessful, and excepting the Battle of St. Quintin, his reign had beena continued series of victory; he won in person the Battle of Renti,Piemont was conquered, the English were driven out of France, and theEmperor Charles V found his good fortune decline before the walls ofMets, which he besieged in vain with all the forces of the Empire, andof Spain: but the disgrace received at St. Quintin lessened the hopeswe had of extending our conquests, and as fortune seemed to divideherself between two Kings, they both found themselves insensiblydisposed to peace.
The Duchess Dowager of Loraine had made some overtures about the timeof the Dauphin's marriage, since which a secret negotiation had beenconstantly carried on in fine, Coran in Artois was the place appointedfor the treaty; the Cardinal of Loraine, the Constable Montmorency, andthe Mareschal de St. Andre were plenipotentaries for the King; the Dukeof Alva, and the Prince of Orange for Philip the II, and the Duke andDuchess of Loraine were mediators. The principal articles were themarriage of the Princess Elizabeth of France with Don Carlos theInfanta of Spain, and that of his majesty's sister with the Duke ofSavoy.
The King, during the Treaty, continued on the frontiers, where hereceived the news of the death of Queen Mary of England; his Majestydispatched forthwith the Count de Randan to Queen Elizabeth, tocongratulate her on her accession to the Crown, and they received himwith great distinction for her affairs were so precarious at thattime, that nothing could be more advantageous to her, than to see hertitle acknowledged by the King. The Count found she had a thoroughknowledge of the interests of the French Court, and of the charactersof those who composed it; but in particular, she had a great idea ofthe Duke of Nemours: she spoke to him so often, and with so muchernestness concerning him, that the Ambassador upon his return declaredto the King, that there was nothing which the Duke of Nemours might notexpect from that Princess, and that he made no question she might evenbe brought to marry him. The King communicated it to the Duke the sameevening, and caused the Count de Randan to relate to him all theconversations he had had with Queen Elizabeth, and in conclusionadvised him to push his fortune: the Duke of Nemours imagined at firstthat the King was not in earnest, but when he found to the contrary,"If, by your advice, Sir," said he, "I engage in this chimericalundertaking for your Majesty's service, I must entreat your Majesty tokeep the affair secret, till the success of it shall justify me to thepublic; I would not be thought guilty of the intolerable vanity, tothink that a Queen, who has never seen me, would marry me for love."The King promised to let nobody into the design but the Constable,secrecy being necessary, he knew, to the success of it. The Count deRandan advised the Duke to go to England under pretence of travelling;but the Duke disapproving this proposal, sent Mr. Lignerol, a sprightlyyoung gentleman, his favourite, to sound the Queen's inclinations, andto endeavour to make some steps towards advancing that affair: in themeantime, he paid a visit to the Duke of Savoy, who was then atBrussels with the King of Spain. The death of Queen Mary brought greatobstructions to the Treaty; the Congress broke up at the end ofNovember, and the King returned to Paris.
There appeared at this time a lady at Court, who drew the eyes of thewhole world; and one may imagine she was a perfect beauty, to gainadmiration in a place where there were so many fine women; she was ofthe same family with the Viscount of Chartres, and one of the greatestheiresses of France, her father died young, and left her to theguardianship of Madam de Chartres his wife, whose wealth, virtue, andmerit were uncommon. After the loss of her husband she retired fromCourt, and lived many years in the country; during this retreat, herchief care was bestowed in the education of her daughter; but she didnot make it her business to cultivate her wit and beauty only, she tookcare also to inculcate virtue into her tender mind, and to make itamiable to her. The generality of mothers imagine, that it issufficient to forbear talking of gallantries before young people, toprevent their engaging in them; but Madam de Chartres was of adifferent opinion, she often entertained her daughter with descriptionsof love; she showed her what there was agreeable in it, that she mightthe more easily persuade her wherein it was dangerous; she related toher the insincerity, the faithlessness, and want of candour in men, andthe domestic misfortunes that flow from engagements with them; on theother hand she made her sensible, what tranquillity attends the life ofa virtuous woman, and what lustre modesty gives to a person whopossesses birth and beauty; at the same time she informed her, howdifficult it was to preserve this virtue, except by an extreme distrustof one's self, and by a constant attachment to the only thing whichconstitutes a woman's happiness, to love and to be loved by her husband.
This heiress was, at that time, one of the greatest matches in France,and though she was very young several marriages had been proposed toher mother; but Madam de Chartres being ambitious, hardly thoughtanything worthy of her daughter, and when she was sixteen years of ageshe brought her to Court. The Viscount of Chartres, who went to meether, was with reason surprised at the beauty of the young lady; herfine hair and lovely complexion gave her a lustre that was peculiar toherself; all her features were regular, and her whole person was fullof grace.
The day after her arrival, she went to choose some jewels at a famousItalian's; this man came from Florence with the Queen, and had acquiredsuch immense riches by his trade, that his house seemed rather fit fora Prince than a merchant; while she was there, the Prince of Clevescame in, and was so touched with her beauty, that he could notdissemble his surprise, nor could Mademoiselle de Chartres forbearblushing upon observing the astonishment he was in; nevertheless, sherecollected herself, without taking any further notice of him than shewas obliged to do in civility to a person of his seeming rank; thePrince of Cleves viewed her with admiration, and could not comprehendwho that fine lady was, whom he did not know. He found by her air, andher retinue, that she was of the first quality; by her youth he shouldhave taken her to be a maid, but not seeing her mother, and hearing theItalian call her madam, he did not know what to think; and all thewhile he kept his eyes fixed upon her, he found that his behaviourembarrassed her, unlike to most young ladies, who always behold withpleasure the effect of their beauty; he found too, that he had made herimpatient to be going, and in truth she went away immediately: thePrince of Cleves was not uneasy at himself on having lost the view ofher, in hopes of being informed who she was; but when he found she wasnot known, he was under the utmost surprise; her beauty, and the modestair he had observed in her actions, affected him so, that from thatmoment he entertained a passion for her. In the evening he waited onhis Majesty's sister.
This Princess was in great consideration by reason of her interest withthe King her brother; and her authority was so great, that the King, onconcludin
g the peace, consented to restore Piemont, in order to marryher with the Duke of Savoy. Though she had always had a disposition tomarry, yet would she never accept of anything beneath a sovereign, andfor this reason she refused the King of Navarre, when he was Duke ofVendome, and always had a liking for the Duke of Savoy; whichinclination for him she had preserved ever since she saw him at Nice,at the interview between Francis I, and Pope Paul III. As she had agreat deal of wit, and a fine taste of polite learning, men ofingenuity were always about her, and at certain times the whole Courtresorted to her apartments.
The Prince of Cleves went there according to his custom; he was sotouched with the wit and beauty of Mademoiselle de Chartres, that hecould talk of nothing else; he related his adventure aloud, and wasnever tired with the praises of this lady, whom he had seen, but didnot know; Madame told him, that there was nobody like her he described,and that if there were, she would be known by the whole world. Madamde Dampiere, one of the Princess's ladies of honour, and a friend ofMadam de Chartres, overhearing the conversation, came up to herHighness, and whispered her in the ear, that it was certainlyMademoiselle de Chartres whom the Prince had seen. Madame, returningto her discourse with the Prince, told him, if he would give her hiscompany again the next morning, he should see the beauty he was so muchtouched with. Accordingly Mademoiselle de Chartres came the next dayto Court, and was received by both Queens in the most obliging mannerthat can be imagined, and with such admiration by everybody else, thatnothing was to be heard at Court but her praises, which she receivedwith so agreeable a modesty, that she seemed not to have heard them, orat least not to be moved with them. She afterwards went to wait uponMadame; that Princess, after having commended her beauty, informed herof the surprise she had given the Prince of Cleves; the Prince came inimmediately after; "Come hither," said she to him, "see, if I have notkept my word with you, and if at the same time that I show youMademoiselle de Chartres, I don't show you the lady you are in searchof. You ought to thank me, at least, for having acquainted her howmuch you are her admirer."
The Prince of Cleves was overjoyed to find that the lady he admired wasof quality equal to her beauty; he addressed her, and entreated her toremember that he was her first lover, and had conceived the highesthonour and respect for her, before he knew her.
The Chevalier de Guise, and the Prince, who were two bosom friends,took their leave of Madame together. They were no sooner gone but theybegan to launch out into the praises of Mademoiselle de Chartres,without bounds; they were sensible at length that they had run intoexcess in her commendation, and so both gave over for that time; butthey were obliged the next day to renew the subject, for this new-risenbeauty long continued to supply discourse to the whole Court; the Queenherself was lavish in her praise, and showed her particular marks offavour; the Queen-Dauphin made her one of her favourites, and beggedher mother to bring her often to her Court; the Princesses, the King'sdaughters, made her a party in all their diversions; in short, she hadthe love and admiration of the whole Court, except that of the Duchessof Valentinois: not that this young beauty gave her umbrage; longexperience convinced her she had nothing to fear on the part of theKing, and she had to great a hatred for the Viscount of Chartres, whomshe had endeavoured to bring into her interest by marrying him with oneof her daughters, and who had joined himself to the Queen's party, thatshe could not have the least favourable thought of a person who borehis name, and was a great object of his friendship.
The Prince of Cleves became passionately in love with Mademoiselle deChartres, and ardently wished to marry her, but he was afraid thehaughtiness of her mother would not stoop to match her with one who wasnot the head of his family: nevertheless his birth was illustrious, andhis elder brother, the Count d'En, had just married a lady so nearlyrelated to the Royal family, that this apprehension was rather theeffect of his love, than grounded on any substantial reason. He had agreat number of rivals; the most formidable among them, for his birth,his merit, and the lustre which Royal favour cast upon his house, wasthe Chevalier de Guise; this gentleman fell in love with Mademoisellede Chartres the first day he saw her, and he discovered the Prince ofCleves's passion as the Prince of Cleves discovered his. Though theywere intimate friends, their having the same pretentions graduallycreated a coolness between them, and their friendship grew into anindifference, without their being able to come to an explanation on thematter. The Prince of Cleves's good fortune in having seenMademoiselle de Chartres first seemed to be a happy presage, and gavehim some advantage over his rivals, but he foresaw great obstructionson the part of the Duke of Nevers his father: the Duke was strictlyattached to the Duchess of Valentinois, and the Viscount de Chartreswas her enemy, which was a sufficient reason to hinder the Duke fromconsenting to the marriage of his son, with a niece of the Viscount's.
Madam de Chartres, who had taken so much care to inspire virtue intoher daughter, did not fail to continue the same care in a place whereit was so necessary, and where there were so many dangerous examples.Ambition and gallantry were the soul of the Court, and employed bothsexes equally; there were so many different interests and so manycabals, and the ladies had so great a share in them, that love wasalways mixed with business, and business with love: nobody was easy, orindifferent; their business was to raise themselves, to be agreeable,to serve or disserve; and intrigue and pleasure took up their wholetime. The care of the ladies was to recommend themselves either to theQueen, the Dauphin-Queen, or the Queen of Navarre, or to Madame, or theDuchess of Valentinois. Inclination, reasons of decorum, resemblanceof temper made their applications different; those who found the bloomworn off, and who professed an austerity of virtue, were attached tothe Queen; the younger sort, who loved pleasure and gallantry, madetheir Court to the Queen-Dauphin; the Queen of Navarre too had herfavourites, she was young, and had great power with the King herhusband, who was in the interest of the Constable, and by that meansincreased his authority; Madame was still very beautiful, and drew manyladies into her party. And as for the Duchess of Valentinois, shecould command as many as she would condescend to smile upon but veryfew women were agreeable to her, and excepting some with whom she livedin confidence and familiarity, and whose humour was agreeable to herown, she admitted none but on days when she gratified her vanity inhaving a Court in the same manner the Queen had.
All these different cabals were full of emulation and envy towards oneanother; the ladies, who composed them, had their jealousies also amongthemselves, either as to favour or lovers: the interests of ambitionwere often blended with concerns of less importance, but which did notaffect less sensibly; so that in this Court there was a sort of tumultwithout disorder, which made it very agreeable, but at the same timevery dangerous for a young lady. Madam de Chartres perceived thedanger, and was careful to guard her daughter from it; she entreatedher, not as a mother, but as her friend, to impart to her all thegallantry she should meet withal, promising her in return to assist herin forming her conduct right, as to things in which young people areoftentimes embarrassed.
The Chevalier de Guise was so open and unguarded with respect to hispassion for Mademoiselle de Chartres, that nobody was ignorant of it:nevertheless he saw nothing but impossibilities in what he desired; hewas sensible that he was not a proper match for Mademoiselle deChartres, by reason of the narrowness of his fortune, which was notsufficient to support his dignity; and he was sensible besides, thathis brothers would not approve of his marrying, the marriages ofyounger brothers being looked upon as what tends to the lessening greatfamilies; the Cardinal of Loraine soon convinced him, that he was notmistaken; he condemned his attachment to Mademoiselle de Chartres withwarmth, but did not inform him of his true reasons for so doing; theCardinal, it seems, had a hatred to the Viscount, which was not knownat that time, but afterwards discovered itself; he would rather haveconsented to any other alliance for his brother than to that of theViscount; and he declared his aversion to it in so public a manner,that Madam de Chartres was sensibly disgusted at it. S
he took a worldof pains to show that the Cardinal of Loraine had nothing to fear, andthat she herself had no thoughts of this marriage; the Viscountobserved the same conduct, and resented that of the Cardinal more thanMadam de Chartres did, being better apprised of the cause of it.
The Prince of Cleves had not given less public proofs of his love, thanthe Chevalier de Guise had done, which made the Duke of Nevers veryuneasy; however he thought that he needed only to speak to his son, tomake him change his conduct; but he was very much surprised to find himin a settled design of marrying Mademoiselle de Chartres, and flew outinto such excesses of passion on that subject, that the occasion of itwas soon known to the whole Court, and among others to Madam deChartres: she never imagined that the Duke of Nevers would not thinkher daughter a very advantageous match for his son, nor was she alittle astonished to find that the houses both of Cleves and Guiseavoided her alliance, instead of courting it. Her resentment on thisaccount put her upon finding out a match for her daughter, which wouldraise her above those that imagined themselves above her; after havinglooked about, she fixed upon the Prince Dauphin, son of the Duke deMontpensier, one of the most considerable persons then at Court. AsMadam de Chartres abounded in wit, and was assisted by the Viscount,who was in great consideration, and as her daughter herself was a veryconsiderable match, she managed the matter with so much dexterity andsuccess, that Monsieur de Montpensier appeared to desire the marriage,and there was no appearance of any difficulties in it.
The Viscount, knowing the power the Dauphin-Queen had over Monsieurd'Anville, thought it not amiss to employ the interest of that Princessto engage him to serve Mademoiselle de Chartres, both with the King andthe Prince de Montpensier, whose intimate friend he was: he spoke tothe Dauphin-Queen about it, and she entered with joy into an affairwhich concerned the promotion of a lady for whom she had a greataffection she expressed as much to the Viscount, and assured him, thatthough she knew she should do what was disagreeable to the Cardinal ofLoraine her uncle, she would pass over that consideration withpleasure, because she had reasons of complaint against him, since heevery day more and more espoused the interest of the Queen against hers.
Persons of gallantry are always glad of an opportunity of speaking tothose who love them. No sooner was the Viscount gone, but theQueen-Dauphin sent Chatelart to Monsieur d'Anville, to desire him fromher to be at Court that evening. Chatelart was his favourite, andacquainted with his passion for this Princess, and therefore receivedher commands with great pleasure and respect. He was a gentleman of agood family in Dauphiny; but his wit and merit distinguished him morethan his birth: he was well received at Court. He was graceful in hisperson, perfect at all sorts of exercises; he sung agreeably, he wroteverses, and was of so amorous and gallant a temper, as endeared him toMonsieur d'Anville in such a degree, that he made him the confidant ofhis amours between the Queen-Dauphin and him; this confidence gave himaccess to that Princess, and it was owing to the frequent opportunitieshe had of seeing her, that he commenced that unhappy passion whichdeprived him of his reason, and at last cost him his life.
Monsieur d'Anville did not fail to be at Court in the evening; hethought himself very happy, that the Queen-Dauphin had made choice ofhim to manage an affair she had at heart, and he promised to obey hercommands with the greatest exactness. But the Duchess of Valentinoisbeing warned of the design in view, had traversed it with so much care,and prepossessed the King so much against it, that when Monsieurd'Anville came to speak to his Majesty about it, he plainly showed hedid not approve of it, and commanded him to signify as much to thePrince de Montpensier. One may easily judge what the sentiments ofMadam de Chartres were, upon the breaking off of an affair which shehad set her mind so much upon, and the ill success of which gave suchan advantage to her enemies, and was so great a prejudice to herdaughter.
The Queen-Dauphin declared to Mademoiselle de Chartres, in a veryfriendly manner, the uneasiness she was in for not having been able toserve her: "You see, Madam," said she to her, "that my interest issmall; I am upon so ill terms with the Queen and the Duchess ofValentinois, that it is no wonder if they or their dependents stillsucceed in disappointing my desires; nevertheless, I have constantlyused my endeavours to please them. Indeed, they hate me not for my ownsake, but for my mother's; she formerly gave them some jealousy anduneasiness; the King was in love with her before he was in love withthe Duchess; and in the first years of his marriage, when he had noissue, he appeared almost resolved to be divorced from the Queen, inorder to make room for my mother, though at the same time he had someaffection for the Duchess. Madam de Valentinois being jealous of alady whom he had formerly loved, and whose wit and beauty were capableof lessening her interest, joined herself to the Constable, who was nomore desirous than herself that the King should marry a sister of theDuke of Guise; they possessed the deceased King with their sentiments;and though he mortally hated the Duchess of Valentinois, and loved theQueen, he joined his endeavours with theirs to prevent the divorce; butin order to take from the King all thoughts of marrying the Queen mymother, they struck up a marriage between her and the King of Scotland,who had had for his first wife the King's sister, and they did thisbecause it was the easiest to be brought to a conclusion, though theyfailed in their engagements to the King of England, who was verydesirous of marrying her; and that failure wanted but little ofoccasioning a rupture between the two Crowns: for Henry the Eighth wasinconsolable, when he found himself disappointed in his expectations ofmarrying my mother; and whatever other Princess of France was proposedto him, he always said, nothing could make him amends for her he hadbeen deprived of. It is certainly true, that my mother was a perfectbeauty; and what is very remarkable, is, that being the widow of theDuke of Longueville, three Kings should court her in marriage. Her illfortune gave her to the least of them, and placed her in a kingdomwhere she meets with nothing but trouble. They say I resemble her, butI fear I shall resemble her only in her unhappy destiny; and whateverfortune may seem to promise me at present, I can never think I shallenjoy it."
Mademoiselle de Chartres answered the Queen, that these melancholypresages were so ill-grounded, that they would not disturb her long,and that she ought not to doubt but her good fortune would accomplishwhatever it promised.
No one now entertained any further thoughts of Mademoiselle deChartres, either fearing to incur the King's displeasure, or despairingto succeed with a lady, who aspired to an alliance with a Prince of theblood. The Prince of Cleves alone was not disheartened at either ofthese considerations; the death of the Duke of Nevers his father, whichhappened at that time, set him at entire liberty to follow hisinclination, and no sooner was the time of mourning expired, but hewholly applied himself to the gaining of Mademoiselle de Chartres. Itwas lucky for him that he addressed her at a time when what hadhappened had discouraged the approaches of others. What allayed hisjoy was his fear of not being the most agreeable to her, and he wouldhave preferred the happiness of pleasing to the certainty of marryingher without being beloved.
The Chevalier de Guise had given him some jealousy, but as it wasrather grounded on the merit of that Prince than on any action ofMademoiselle de Chartres, he made it his whole endeavour to discover,if he was so happy as to have his addresses admitted and approved: hehad no opportunity of seeing her but at Court or public assemblies, sothat it was very difficult for him to get a private conversation withher; at last he found means to do it, and informed her of his intentionand of his love, with all the respect imaginable. He urged her toacquaint him what the sentiments were which she had for him, assuringher, that those which he had for her were of such a nature as wouldrender him eternally miserable, if she resigned herself wholly up tothe will of her mother.
As Mademoiselle de Chartres had a noble and generous heart, she wassincerely touched with gratitude for the Prince of Cleves's behaviour;this gratitude gave a certain sweetness to her words and answers,sufficient to furnish hopes to a man so desperately enamoured as thePrince was, so that he
flattered himself in some measure that he shouldsucceed in what he so much wished for.
She gave her mother an account of this conversation and Madam deChartres told her, that the Prince of Cleves had so many goodqualities, and discovered a discretion so much above his years, that ifher inclination led her to marry him, she would consent to it withpleasure. Mademoiselle de Chartres made answer, that she observed inhim the same good qualities; that she should have less reluctance inmarrying him than any other man, but that she had no particularaffection to his person.
The next day the Prince caused his thoughts to be communicated to Madamde Chartres, who gave her consent to what was proposed to her; nor hadshe the least distrust but that in the Prince of Cleves she providedher daughter a husband capable of securing her affections. Thearticles were concluded; the King was acquainted with it, and themarriage made public.
The Prince of Cleves found himself happy, but yet not entirelycontented: he saw with a great deal of regret, that the sentiments ofMademoiselle de Chartres did not exceed those of esteem and respect,and he could not flatter himself that she concealed more obligingthoughts of him, since the situation they were in permitted her todiscover them without the least violence done to modesty. It was notlong before he expostulated with her on this subject: "Is itpossible," says he, "that I should not be happy in marrying you? andyet it is certain, I am not. You only show me a sort of civility whichis far from giving me satisfaction you express none of those prettyinquietudes, the concern, and impatience, which are the soul of love;you are no further affected with my passion, than you would be with onewhich flowed only from the advantage of your fortune, and not from thebeauty of your person." "It is unjust in you to complain," replied thePrincess, "I don't know what you can desire of me more; I think decencywill not allow me to go further than I do." "It's true," replied he,"you show some appearances I should be satisfied with, were thereanything beyond; but instead of being restrained by decency, it is thatonly which makes you act as you do; I am not in your heart andinclinations, and my presence neither gives you pain nor pleasure.""You can't doubt," replied she, "but it is a sensible pleasure to me tosee you, and when I do see you, I blush so often, that you can't doubt,but the seeing you gives me pain also." "Your blushes, Madam," repliedhe, "cannot deceive me; they are signs of modesty, but do not prove theheart to be affected, and I shall conclude nothing more from hence thanwhat I ought."
Mademoiselle de Chartres did not know what to answer; thesedistinctions were above her comprehension. The Prince of Clevesplainly saw she was far from having that tenderness of affection forhim, which was requisite to his happiness; it was manifest she couldnot feel a passion which she did not understand.
The Chevalier de Guise returned from a journey a few days before themarriage. He saw so many insuperable difficulties in his design ofmarrying Mademoiselle de Chartres, that he gave over all hopes ofsucceeding in it; and yet he was extremely afflicted to see her becomethe wife of another: his grief however did not extinguish his passionand his love was as great as ever. Mademoiselle de Chartres was notignorant of it; and he made her sensible at his return, that she wasthe cause of that deep melancholy which appeared in his countenance.He had so much merit and so much agreeableness, that it was almostimpossible to make him unhappy without pitying him, nor could sheforbear pitying him; but her pity did not lead to love. She acquaintedher mother with the uneasiness which the Chevalier's passion gave her.
Madam de Chartres admired the honour of her daughter, and she admiredit with reason, for never was anyone more naturally sincere; but shewas surprised, at the same time, at the insensibility of her heart, andthe more so, when she found that the Prince of Cleves had not been ableto affect her any more than others: for this reason, she took greatpains to endear her husband to her, and to make her sensible how muchshe owed to the affection he had for her before he knew her, and to thetenderness he since expressed for her, by preferring her to all othermatches, at a time when no one else durst entertain the least thoughtsof her.
The marriage was solemnised at the Louvre; and in the evening the Kingand the two Queens, with the whole Court, supped at Madam de Chartres'shouse, where they were entertained with the utmost magnificence. TheChevalier de Guise durst not distinguish himself by being absent fromthe ceremony, but he was so little master of himself that it was easyto observe his concern.
The Prince of Cleves did not find that Mademoiselle de Chartres hadchanged her mind by changing her name; his quality of a husbandentitled him to the largest privileges, but gave him no greater sharein the affections of his wife: hence it was, that though he was herhusband, he did not cease to be her lover, because he had alwayssomething to wish beyond what he possessed; and though she livedperfectly easy with him, yet he was not perfectly happy. He preservedfor her a passion full of violence and inquietude, but withoutjealousy, which had no share in his griefs. Never was husband lessinclined to it, and never was wife farther from giving the leastoccasion for it. She was nevertheless constantly in view of the Court;she frequented the Courts of the two Queens, and of Madame: all thepeople of gallantry saw her both there and at her brother-in-law theDuke of Never's, whose house was open to the whole world; but she hadan air which inspired so great respect, and had in it something sodistant from gallantry, that the Mareschal de St. Andre, a bold man andsupported by the King's favour, became her lover without daring to lether know it any otherwise than by his cares and assiduities. A greatmany others were in the same condition: and Madam de Chartres had addedto her daughter's discretion so exact a conduct with regard toeverything of decorum, that everybody was satisfied she was not to become at.
The Duchess of Loraine, while she was employed in negotiating thepeace, had applied herself to settle the marriage of the Duke her son:a marriage was agreed upon between him and Madam Claude of France, theKing's second daughter; and the month of February was appointed for thenuptials.
In the meantime the Duke of Nemours continued at Brussels, his thoughtsbeing wholly employed on his design in England; he was continuallysending or receiving couriers from thence; his hopes increased everyday, and at last Lignerolly sent him word that it was time to finish byhis presence what was so well begun; he received this news with all thejoy a young ambitious man is capable of, who sees himself advanced to athrone merely by the force of his personal merit; his mind insensiblyaccustomed itself to the grandeur of a Royal State; and whereas he hadat first rejected this undertaking as an impracticable thing, thedifficulties of it were now worn out of his imagination, and he nolonger saw anything to obstruct his way.
He sent away in haste to Paris to give the necessary orders forproviding a magnificent equipage, that he might make his appearance inEngland with a splendour suitable to the design he was to conduct; andsoon after he followed himself, to assist at the marriage of the Dukeof Loraine.
He arrived the evening before the espousals, and that very eveningwaited on the King to give him an account of his affair, and to receivehis orders and advice how to govern himself in it. Afterwards he waitedon the Queens; but the Princess of Cleves was not there, so that shedid not see him, nor so much as know of his arrival. She had heardeverybody speak of this celebrated Prince, as of the handsomest andmost agreeable man at Court; and the Queen-Dauphin had described him insuch a manner, and spoke of him to her so often, that she had raised inher a curiosity and even impatience to see him.
The Princess employed the day of the wedding in dressing herself, thatshe might appear with the greater advantage at the ball and royalbanquet that were to be at the Louvre. When she came, everyone admiredboth her beauty and her dress. The ball began, and while she wasdancing with the Duke of Guise, a noise was heard at the door of thehall, as if way was making for some person of uncommon distinction.She had finished her dance, and as she was casting her eyes round tosingle out some other person, the King desired her to take him who camein last; she turned about, and viewing him as he was passing over theseats to come to the place where they
danced, she immediately concludedhe was the Duke of Nemours. The Duke's person was turned in sodelicate a manner, that it was impossible not to express surprise atthe first sight of him, particularly that evening, when the care he hadtaken to adorn himself added much to the fine air of his carriage. Itwas as impossible to behold the Princess of Cleves without equaladmiration.
The Duke de Nemours was struck with such surprise at her beauty, thatwhen they approached and paid their respects to each other, he couldnot forbear showing some tokens of his admiration. When they begun todance, a soft murmur of praises ran through the whole company. TheKing and the two Queens, remembering that the Duke and Princess hadnever seen one another before, found something very particular inseeing them dance together without knowing each other; they calledthem, as soon as they had ended their dance, without giving them timeto speak to anybody, and asked them if they had not a desire to knoweach other, and if they were not at some loss about it. "As for me,Madam," said the Duke to the Queen, "I am under no uncertainty in thismatter; but as the Princess of Cleves has not the same reasons to leadher to guess who I am, as I have to direct me to know her, I should beglad if your Majesty would be pleased to let her know my name." "Ibelieve," said the Queen-Dauphin, "that she knows your name as well asyou know hers." "I assure you, Madam," replied the Princess a littleembarrassed, "that I am not so good a guesser as you imagine." "Yes,you guess very well," answered the Queen-Dauphin; "and yourunwillingness to acknowledge that you know the Duke of Nemours, withouthaving seen him before, carries in it something very obliging to him."The Queen interrupted them, that the ball might go on and the Duke deNemours took out the Queen-Dauphin. This Princess was a perfectbeauty, and such she appeared in the eyes of the Duke de Nemours,before he went to Flanders; but all this evening he could admirenothing but Madam de Cleves.
The Chevalier de Guise, whose idol she still was, sat at her feet, andwhat had passed filled him with the utmost grief; he looked upon it asominous for him, that fortune had destined the Duke of Nemours to be inlove with the Princess of Cleves. And whether there appeared inreality any concern in the Princess's face, or whether the Chevalier'sjealousy only led him to suspect it, he believed that she was touchedwith the sight of the Duke, and could not forbear telling her, thatMonsieur de Nemours was very happy to commence an acquaintance with herby an incident which had something very gallant and extraordinary in it.
Madam de Cleves returned home with her thoughts full of what had passedat the ball; and though it was very late, she went into her mother'sroom to give her a relation of it; in doing which she praised the Dukeof Nemours with a certain air, that gave Madam de Chartres the samesuspicion the Chevalier de Guise had entertained before.
The day following the ceremony of the Duke of Loraine's marriage wasperformed; and there the Princess of Cleves observed so inimitable agrace, and so fine a mien in the Duke of Nemours, that she was yet moresurprised.
She afterwards saw him at the Court of the Queen-Dauphin; she saw himplay at tennis with the King; she saw him run the ring; she heard himdiscourse; still she found he far excelled everybody else, and drew theattention of the company to him wherever he was; in short, thegracefulness of his person, and the agreeableness of his wit soon madea considerable impression on her heart.
The Duke de Nemours had an inclination no less violent for her; andhence flowed all that gaiety and sweetness of behaviour, which thefirst desires of pleasing ordinarily inspire a man with: hence hebecame more amiable than ever he was before; so that by often seeingone another, and by seeing in each other whatever was most accomplishedat Court, it could not be but that they must mutually receive thegreatest pleasure from such a commerce.
The Duchess of Valentinois made one in all parties of pleasure; and theKing was still as passionately fond of her as in the beginning of hislove. The Princess of Cleves being at those years, wherein peoplethink a woman is incapable of inciting love after the age oftwenty-five, beheld with the utmost astonishment the King's passion forthe Duchess, who was a grandmother, and had lately married hergranddaughter: she often spoke on this subject to Madam de Chartres."Is it possible, Madam," said she, "that the King should still continueto love? How could he take a fancy to one, who was so much older thanhimself, who had been his father's mistress, and who, as I have heard,is still such to many others?" "'Tis certain," answered Madam deChartres," it was neither the merit nor the fidelity of the Duchess ofValentinois, which gave birth to the King's passion, or preserved it;and this is what he can't be justified in; for if this lady had hadbeauty and youth suitable to her birth; and the merit of having had noother lover; if she had been exactly true and faithful to the King; ifshe had loved him with respect only to his person, without theinterested views of greatness and fortune, and without using her powerbut for honourable purposes and for his Majesty's interest; in thiscase it must be confessed, one could have hardly forbore praising hispassion for her. If I was not afraid," continued Madam de Chartres,"that you would say the same thing of me which is said of most women ofmy years, that they love to recount the history of their own times, Iwould inform you how the King's passion for this Duchess began, and ofseveral particulars of the Court of the late King, which have a greatrelation to things that are acted at present." "Far from blaming you,"replied the Princess of Cleves, "for repeating the histories of pasttimes, I lament, Madam, that you have not instructed me in those of thepresent, nor informed me as to the different interests and parties ofthe Court. I am so entirely ignorant of them, that I thought a fewdays ago, the Constable was very well with the Queen." "You wasextremely mistaken," answered Madam de Chartres, "the Queen hates theConstable, and if ever she has power, he'll be but too sensible of it;she knows, he has often told the King, that of all his children noneresembled him but his natural ones." "I should never have suspectedthis hatred," said the Princess of Cleves, "after having seen herassiduity in writing to the Constable during his imprisonment, the joyshe expressed at his return, and how she always calls him Compere, aswell as the King." "If you judge from appearances in a Court," repliedMadam de Chartres, "you will often be deceived; truth and appearancesseldom go together.
"But to return to the Duchess of Valentinois, you know her name isDiana de Poitiers; her family is very illustrious, she is descendedfrom the ancient Dukes of Aquitaine, her grandmother was a naturaldaughter of Lewis the XI, and in short she possesses everything that isgreat in respect of birth. St. Valier, her father, had the unhappinessto be involved in the affair of the Constable of Bourbon, which youhave heard of; he was condemned to lose his head, and accordingly wasconducted to the scaffold: his daughter, viz., the Duchess, who wasextremely beautiful, and who had already charmed the late King, managedso well, I don't know by what means, that she obtained her father'slife; the pardon was brought him at the moment he was expecting thefatal blow; but the pardon availed little, for fear had seized him sodeeply, that it bereft him of his senses, and he died a few days after.His daughter appeared at Court as the King's mistress; but the Italianexpedition, and the imprisonment of the present Prince, wereinterruptions to his love affair. When the late King returned fromSpain, and Madam the Regent went to meet him at Bayonne, she broughtall her maids of honour with her, among whom was Mademoiselle dePisselen, who was since Duchess d'Etampes; the King fell in love withher, though she was inferior in birth, wit and beauty to the Duchess ofValentinois, and had no advantage above her but that of being veryyoung. I have heard her say several times, that she was born the sameday Diana de Poitiers was married, but she spoke this in the malice ofher heart, and not as what she knew to be true; for I am much mistaken,if the Duchess of Valentinois did not marry Monsieur de Breze, at thesame time that the King fell in love with Madam d'Etampes. Never was agreater hatred than that between these two ladies; the Duchess couldnot pardon Madam d'Etampes for having taken from her the title of theKing's mistress; and Madam d'Etampes was violently jealous of theDuchess, because the King still kept correspondence with her. ThatPrince was by no me
ans constant to his mistresses; there was always oneamong them that had the title and honours of mistress, but the ladiesof the small band, as they were styled, shared his favour by turns.The loss of the Dauphin, his son, who died at Tournon, and was thoughtto be poisoned, extremely afflicted him; he had not the same affectionand tenderness for his second son, the present King; he imagined he didnot see in him spirit and vivacity enough, and complained of it one dayto the Duchess of Valentinois, who told him she would endeavour toraise a passion in him for her, in order to make him more sprightly andagreeable. She succeeded in it, as you see, and this passion is now ofabove twenty years' duration, without being changed either by time orincidents.
"The late King at first opposed it; and whether he had still loveenough left for the Duchess of Valentinois to be jealous, or whether hewas urged on by the Duchess d'Etampes, who was in despair upon seeingthe Dauphin so much attached to her enemy, it is certain he beheld thispassion with an indignation and resentment, that showed itself everyday by something or other. The Dauphin neither valued his anger or hishatred, nor could anything oblige him either to abate or conceal hisflame, so that the King was forced to accustom himself to bear it withpatience. This opposition of his to his father's will, withdrew hisaffections from him more and more, and transferred them to his thirdson, the Duke of Orleans, who was a Prince of a fine person full offire and ambition, and of a youthful heat which wanted to be moderated;however, he would have made a very great Prince, had he arrived to amore ripened age.
"The rank of eldest, which the Dauphin held, and the King's favourwhich the Duke of Orleans was possessed of, created between them a sortof emulation, that grew by degrees to hatred. This emulation began fromtheir infancy, and was still kept up in its height. When the Emperorpassed through France, he gave the preference entirely to the Duke ofOrleans, which the Dauphin resented so bitterly, that while the Emperorwas at Chantilli, he endeavoured to prevail with the Constable toarrest him without waiting for the King's orders, but the Constablerefused to do it: however, the King afterwards blamed him for notfollowing his son's advice, and when he banished him the Court, thatwas one of the principal reasons for it.
"The discord between the two brothers put Madam d'Etampes upon thethought of strengthening herself with the Duke of Orleans, in order tosupport her power with the King against the Duchess of Valentinois;accordingly she succeeded in it, and that young Prince, though he feltno emotions of love for her, entered no less into her interest, thanthe Dauphin was in that of Madam de Valentinois. Hence rose twofactions at Court, of such a nature as you may imagine, but theintrigues of them were not confined to the quarrels of women.
"The Emperor, who continued to have a great friendship for the Duke ofOrleans, had offered several times to make over to him the Duchy ofMilan. In the propositions which were since made for the peace, hegave hopes of assigning him the seventeen provinces, with his daughterin marriage. The Dauphin neither approved of the peace or themarriage, and in order to defeat both he made use of the Constable, forwhom he always had an affection, to remonstrate to the King of whatimportance it was not to give his successor a brother so powerful asthe Duke of Orleans would be with the alliance of the Emperor and thosecountries; the Constable came the more easily into the Dauphin'ssentiments, as they were opposite to those of Madam d'Etampes, who washis declared enemy, and who vehemently wished for the promotion of theDuke of Orleans.
"The Dauphin commanded at that time the King's Army in Champaign, andhad reduced that of the Emperor to such extremities, that it must haveentirely perished, had not the Duchess d'Etampes, for fear too greatsuccesses should make us refuse peace, and the Emperor's alliance infavour of the Duke of Orleans, secretly advised the enemy to surpriseEspemai and Cheteau-Thieni, in which places were great magazines ofprovisions; they succeeded in the attempt, and by that means savedtheir whole army.
"This Duchess did not long enjoy the success of her treason. A littleafter the Duke of Orleans died at Farmontiers of a kind of contagiousdistemper: he was in love with one of the finest women of the Court,and was beloved by her. I will not mention her name, because she hassince lived with so much discretion, and has so carefully concealed thepassion she had for that Prince, that one ought to be tender of herreputation. It happened she received the news of her husband's deathat the same time as she heard of the Duke's, so that she had thatpretext to enable her to conceal her real sorrow, without being at thetrouble of putting any constraint upon herself.
"The King did not long survive the Prince his son he died two yearsafter; he recommended to the Dauphin to make use of the Cardinal deTournon and the Admiral d'Annebault, but said nothing at all of theConstable, who was then in banishment at Chantilli. Nevertheless thefirst thing the King his son did was to recall him, and make him hisPrime Minister.
"Madam d'Etampes was discarded, and received all the ill treatment shecould possibly expect from an enemy so very powerful; the Duchess ofValentinois amply revenged herself both of that lady, and all those whohad disobliged her; she seemed to reign more absolute in the King'sheart than she did even when he was Dauphin. During the twelve years'reign of this Prince she has been absolute in everything; she disposesof all governments and offices of trust and power; she has disgracedthe Cardinal de Tournon, the Chancellor, and Villeroy; those who haveendeavoured to open the King's mind with respect to her conduct, havebeen undone in the attempt; the Count de Taix, great Master of theOrdnance, who had no kindness for her, could not forbear speaking ofher gallantries, and particularly of that with the Count de Brissac, ofwhom the King was already very jealous. Nevertheless she contrivedthings so well, that the Count de Taix was disgraced, and hisemployment taken from him; and what is almost incredible, she procuredit to be given to the Count de Brissac, and afterwards made him aMareschal of France. Notwithstanding, the King's jealousy increased tosuch a height, that lie could no longer suffer him to continue atCourt: this passion of jealousy, which is fierce and violent in othermen, is gentle and moderate in him through the great respect he has forhis mistress, and therefore he did not go about to remove his rival,but under the pretext of giving him the Government of Piemont. He haslived there several years; last winter he returned to Paris, underpretence of demanding troops and other necessaries for the Army hecommands; the desire of seeing the Duchess of Valentinois again, andthe fear of being forgotten by her, was perhaps the principal motive ofthis journey. The King received him very coldly; Messieurs de Guise,who have no kindness for him, but dare not show it on account of theDuchess, made use of Monsieur the Viscount, her declared enemy, toprevent his obtaining what he came to demand. It was no difficultmatter to do him hurt. The King hated him, and was uneasy at hispresence, so that he was obliged to return to Piemont without anybenefit from his journey, except perhaps that of rekindling in theheart of the Duchess the flame which absence began to extinguish. TheKing has had a great many other subjects of jealousy, but either he hasnot been informed of them, or has not dared to complain of them.
"I don't know, daughter," added Madam de Chartres, "if I have notalready told you more of these things, than you desired to know." "Iam far, Madam, from complaining of that," replied the Princess ofCleves, "and if it was not for fear of being importunate, I should yetdesire to be informed of several circumstances I am ignorant of."
The Duke de Nemours' passion for Madam de Cleves was at first soviolent, that he had no relish left for any of the ladies he paid hisaddresses to before, and with whom he kept a correspondence during hisabsence; he even lost all remembrance of his engagements with them, andnot only made it his business to find out excuses to break with them,but had not the patience to hear their complaints, or make any answerto the reproaches they laid upon him. The Queen-Dauphin herself, forwhom his regards had been very tender, could no longer preserve a placein that heart which was now devoted to the Princess of Cleves. Hisimpatience of making a tour to England began to abate, and he showed noearnestness in hastening his equipage. He frequently went to theQueen-
Dauphin's Court, because the Princess of Cleves was often there,and he was very easy in leaving people in the opinion they had of hispassion for that Queen; he put so great a value on Madam de Cleves,that he resolved to be rather wanting in giving proofs of his love,than to hazard its being publicly known; he did not so much as speak ofit to the Viscount de Chartres, who was his intimate friend, and fromwhom he concealed nothing; the truth is, he conducted this affair withso much discretion, that nobody suspected he was in love with Madam deCleves, except the Chevalier de Guise; and she would scarcely haveperceived it herself, if the inclination she had for him had not ledher into a particular attention to all his actions, but which she wasconvinced of it.
She no longer continued to have the same disposition to communicate toher mother what she thought concerning the Duke de Nemours, as she hadto talk to her about her other lovers; though she had no settled designof concealing it from her, yet she did not speak of it. Madam deChartres, however, plainly perceived the Duke's attachment to herdaughter, as well as her daughter's inclination for him; the knowledgeof this could not but sensibly afflict her, nor could she be ignorantof the danger this young lady was in, in being beloved by, and lovingso accomplished a person as the Duke de Nemours: she was entirelyconfirmed in the suspicion she had of this business, by an incidentwhich fell out a few days after.
The Mareschal de St. Andre, who took all opportunities to show hismagnificence, desired the King, under pretence of showing him his housewhich was just finished, to do him the honour to sup there with the twoQueens. The Mareschal was also very glad to display, in the sight ofthe Princess of Cleves, that splendid and expensive manner of life,which he carried to so great a profusion.
Some days before that appointed for the entertainment, the Dauphin, whohad an ill state of health, found himself indisposed, and saw nobody;the Queen-Dauphin had spent all that day with him; and in the evening,upon his growing better, all the persons of quality that were in theanti-chamber were admitted; the Queen-Dauphin returned to her ownapartment, where she found Madam de Cleves and some other ladies, withwhom she lived in familiarity.
It being already very late, and not being dressed, she did not waitupon the Queen, but gave out that she was not to be seen, and orderedher jewels to be brought, in order to choose out some for the Mareschalde St. Andre's Ball, and present the Princess of Cleves with some, asshe had promised her. While they were thus employed, the Prince ofConde entered; his great quality gave him free access everywhere."Doubtless," said the Queen-Dauphin, "you come from the King myhusband, what are they doing there?"
"Madam," said he, "they are maintaining a dispute against the Duke ofNemours, and he defends the argument he undertook with so much warmth,that he must needs be very much interested in it; I believe he has somemistress that gives him uneasiness by going to balls, so well satisfiedhe is that it is a vexatious thing to a lover to see the person heloves in those places."
"How," replied the Queen-Dauphin, "would not the Duke de Nemours havehis mistress go to a ball? I thought that husbands might wish theirwives would not go there; but as for lovers, I never imagined they wereof that opinion." "The Duke de Nemours finds," answered the Prince ofConde, "that nothing is so insupportable to lovers as balls, whetherthey are beloved again, or whether they are not. He says, if they arebeloved they have the chagrin to be loved the less on this account forseveral days; that there is no woman, whom her anxiety for dress doesnot divert from thinking on her lover; that they are entirely taken upwith that one circumstance, that this care to adorn themselves is forthe whole world, as well as for the man they favour; that when they areat a ball, they are desirous to please all who look at them; and thatwhen they triumph in their beauty, they experience a joy to which theirlovers very little contribute. He argues further, that if one is notbeloved, it is a yet greater torment to see one's mistress at anassembly; that the more she is admired by the public, the more unhappyone is not to be beloved, and that the lover is in continual fear lesther beauty should raise a more successful passion than his own; lastlyhe finds, there is no torment equal to that of seeing one's mistress ata ball, unless it be to know that she is there, and not to be thereone's self."
Madam de Cleves pretended not to hear what the Prince of Conde said,though she listened very attentively; she easily saw what part she hadin the Duke of Nemours's opinion, and particularly as to what he saidof the uneasiness of not being at a ball where his mistress was,because he was not to be at that of the Mareschal de St. Andre, theKing having sent him to meet the Duke of Ferrara.
The Queen-Dauphin, and the Prince of Conde, not going into the Duke'sopinion, were very merry upon the subject. "There is but one occasion,Madam," said the Prince to her, "in which the Duke will consent hismistress should go to a ball, and that is when he himself gives it. Hesays, that when he gave your Majesty one last year, his mistress was sokind as to come to it, though seemingly only to attend you; that it isalways a favour done to a lover, to partake of an entertainment whichhe gives; that it is an agreeable circumstance for him to have hismistress see him preside in a place where the whole Court is, and seehim acquit himself well in doing the honours of it." "The Duke deNemours was in the right," said the Queen-Dauphin, smiling, "to approveof his mistress's being at his own ball; there was then so great anumber of ladies, whom he honoured with the distinction of that name,that if they had not come, the assembly would have been very thin."
The Prince of Conde had no sooner begun to relate the Duke de Nemours'ssentiments concerning assemblies, but Madam de Cleves felt in herself astrong aversion to go to that of the Mareschal de St. Andre. Sheeasily came into the opinion, that a woman ought not to be at anentertainment given by one that professed love to her, and she was veryglad to find out a reason of reservedness for doing a thing which wouldoblige the Duke of Nemours. However, she carried away with her theornaments which the Queen-Dauphin had given her; but when she showedthem her mother, she told her that she did not design to make use ofthem; that the Mareschal de St. Andre took a great deal of pains toshow his attachment to her, and she did not doubt he would be glad tohave it believed that a compliment was designed her in theentertainment he gave the King, and that under the pretence of doingthe honours of his house, he would show her civilities which would beuneasy to her.
Madam de Chartres for some time opposed her daughter's opinion, asthinking it very singular; but when she saw she was obstinate in it,she gave way, and told her, that in that case she ought to pretend anindisposition as an excuse for not going to the ball, because the realreasons which hindered her would not be approved of; and care ought tobe taken that they should not be suspected.
Madam de Cleves voluntarily consented to pass some days at hermother's, in order not to go to any place where the Duke of Nemours wasnot to be. However the Duke set out, without the pleasure of knowingshe would not be at the ball.
The day after the ball he returned, and was informed that she was notthere; but as he did not know the conversation he had at the Dauphin'sCourt had been repeated to her, he was far from thinking himself happyenough to have been the reason of her not going.
The day after, while he was at the Queen's apartments, and talking tothe Queen-Dauphin, Madam de Chartres and Madam de Cleves came in.Madam de Cleves was dressed a little negligently, as a person who hadbeen indisposed, but her countenance did not at all correspond with herdress. "You look so pretty," says the Queen-Dauphin to her, "that Ican't believe you have been ill; I think the Prince of Conde, when hetold us the Duke de Nemours's opinion of the ball, persuaded you, thatto go there would be doing a favour to the Mareschal de St. Andre, andthat that's the reason which hindered you from going." Madam de Clevesblushed, both because the Queen-Dauphin had conjectured right, andbecause she spoke her conjecture in the presence of the Duke de Nemours.
Madam de Chartres immediately perceived the true reason, why herdaughter refused to go to the ball; and to prevent the Duke de Nemoursdiscovering it, as well as herself, she took up the discours
e after amanner that gave what she said an air of truth.
"I assure you, Madam," said she to the Queen-Dauphin, "that yourMajesty has done my daughter more honour than she deserves; she wasreally indisposed, but I believe, if I had not hindered her, she wouldnot have failed to wait on you, and to show herself under anydisadvantages, for the pleasure of seeing what there was extraordinaryat yesterday's entertainment." The Queen-Dauphin gave credit to whatMadam de Chartres said but the Duke de Nemours was sorry to find somuch probability in it nevertheless, the blushes of the Princess ofCleves made him suspect, that what the Queen-Dauphin had said was notaltogether false. The Princess of Cleves at first was concerned theDuke had any room to believe it was he who had hindered her from goingto the Mareschal de St. Andre; but afterwards she was a littlechagrined that her mother had entirely taken off the suspicion of it.
Though the Congress of Cercamp had been broken off, the negotiationsfor the peace were continued, and things were so disposed, that towardsthe latter end of February the conferences were reassumed atChateau-Cambresis; the same plenipotentiaries were sent as before, andthe Mareschal de St. Andre being one, his absence freed the Duke deNemours from a rival, who was formidable rather from his curiosity inobserving those who addressed to Madam de Cleves, than from anyadvances he was capable of making himself in her favour.
Madam de Chartres was not willing to let her daughter see that she knewher sentiments for the Duke, for fear of making herself suspected insome things which she was very desirous to tell her.
One day she set herself to talk about him, and a great deal of good shesaid of him, but mixed with it abundance of sham praises, as theprudence he showed in never falling in love, and how wise he was tomake the affair of women and love an amusement instead of a seriousbusiness: "It is not," added she, "that he is not suspected to have avery uncommon passion for the Queen-Dauphin; I observe he visits hervery often; and I advise you to avoid, as much as possible, speaking tohim, and especially in private; because, since the Queen-Dauphin treatsyou as she does, it would be said, that you are their confidant; andyou know how disagreeable that sort of reputation is: I'm of opinion,if this report continues, that you should not visit the Queen-Dauphinso often, in order to avoid involving yourself in adventures ofgallantry."
The Princess of Cleves had never heard before of the amour between theDuke de Nemours and the Queen-Dauphin; she was so much surprised atwhat her mother had told her, and seemed to see so plainly how she hadbeen mistaken in her thoughts about the Duke, that she changedcountenance. Madam de Chartres perceived it. Visitors came in thatmoment; and the Princess of Cleves retired to her own apartment, andshut herself up in her closet.
One can't express the grief she felt to discover, by what her motherhad been just saying, the interest her heart had in the Duke deNemours; she had not dared as yet to acknowledge it to her secretthoughts; she then found, that the sentiments she had for him were suchas the Prince of Cleves had required of her; she perceived how shamefulit was to entertain them for another, and not for a husband thatdeserved them; she found herself under the utmost embarrassment, andwas dreadfully afraid lest the Duke should make use of her only as ameans to come at the Queen-Dauphin, and it was this thought determinedher to impart to her mother something she had not yet told her.
The next morning she went into her mother's chamber to put her resolvesin execution, but she found Madam de Chartres had some touches of afever, and therefore did not think proper to speak to her: thisindisposition however appeared to insignificant, that Madam de Clevesmade no scruple after dinner to visit the Queen-Dauphin; she was in hercloset with two or three ladies of her most familiar acquaintance. "Wewere speaking," said she to her, as soon as she saw her, "of the Dukede Nemours, and were admiring how much he's changed since his returnfrom Brussels; before he went there, he had an infinite number ofmistresses, and it was his own fault, for he showed an equal regard tothose who had merit, and to those who had none; since his return heneither knows the one nor the other; there never was so great a change;I find his humour is changed too, and that he is less gay than he usedto be."
The Princess of Cleves made no answer; and it shocked her to think sheshould have taken all that they said of the change in the Duke forproofs of his passion for her, had she not been undeceived; she felt inherself some little resentment against the Queen-Dauphin, forendeavouring to find out reasons, and seeming surprised at a thing,which she probably knew more of than anyone else; she could not forbearshowing something of it; and when the other ladies withdrew, she cameup and told her in a low voice, "And is it I, Madam, you have beenpointing at, and have you a mind to conceal, that you are she who hasmade such an alteration in the conduct of the Duke of Nemours?" "Youdo me injustice," answered the Queen-Dauphin, "you know I concealnothing from you; it is true the Duke of Nemours, before he went toBrussels, had, I believe, an intention to let me know he did not hateme; but since his return, it has not so much as appeared that heremembers anything of what he has done; and I acknowledge I have acuriosity to know what it is has changed him so: it would not be verydifficult for me to unravel this affair," added she; "the Viscount deChartres, his intimate friend, is in love with a lady with whom I havesome power, and I'll know by that means the occasion of thisalteration." The Queen-Dauphin spoke with an air of sincerity whichconvinced the Princess of Cleves, and in spite of herself she found hermind in a more calm and pleasing situation than it had been in before.
When she returned to her mother, she heard she was a great deal worsethan she had left her; her fever was redoubled, and the days followingit increased to so great a degree, that she was thought to be indanger. Madam de Cleves was in extreme grief on this occasion, andnever stirred out of her mother's chamber. The Prince of Cleves wasthere too almost every day and all day long, partly out of affection toMadam de Chartres, and partly to hinder his lady from abandoningherself to sorrow, but chiefly that he might have the pleasure ofseeing her, his passion not being at all diminished.
The Duke de Nemours, who had always had a great friendship for thePrince of Cleves, had not failed to show it since his return fromBrussels; during the illness of Madam de Chartres he frequently foundmeans to see the Princess of Cleves, pretending to want her husband, orto come to take him out to walk; he enquired for him at such hours ashe knew very well he was not at home, and under pretence of waiting forhim stayed in Madam de Cleves's anti-chamber, where there were always agreat many people of quality; Madam de Cleves often came there, and hergrief did not make her seem less handsome in the eyes of the Duke deNemours; he made her sensible what interest he had in her affliction,and spoke to her with so submissive an air, that he easily convincedher, that the Queen-Dauphin was not the person he was in love with.
The seeing him at once gave her grief and pleasure; but when she nolonger saw him, and reflected that the charm he carried about him whenpresent, was an introduction to love, she was very near imagining shehated him, out of the excessive grief which that thought gave her.
Madam de Chartres still grew worse and worse, so that they began todespair of her life; she heard what the physicians told her concerningthe danger she was in with a courage worthy her virtue, and her piety.After they were gone, she caused everybody to retire, and sent forMadam de Cleves.
"We must part, my dear daughter," said she, stretching out her hand toher; "the danger I leave you in, and the occasion you have for me, addsto the regret I have to leave you: you have a passion for the Duke deNemours; I do not desire you to confess it; I am no longer in acondition to make use of that sincerity for your good; I have perceivedthis inclination a great while, but was not willing to speak to you ofit at first, for fear of making you discover it yourself; you know itat present but too well; you are upon the brink of a precipice; greatefforts must be used, and you must do great violence to your heart tosave yourself: reflect what you owe to your husband; reflect what youowe to yourself, and think that you are going to lose that reputationwhich you have gained, and which I have s
o much at heart; call up, mydear daughter, all your courage and constancy; retire from Court;oblige your husband to carry you away; do not be afraid of taking suchresolutions, as being too harsh and difficult; however frightful theymay appear at first, they will become more pleasant in time, than themisfortunes that follow gallantry: if any other motives than those ofduty and virtue could have weight with you, I should tell you that ifanything were capable of disturbing the happiness I hope for in thenext world, it would be to see you fall like other women; but if thiscalamity must necessarily happen, I shall meet death with joy, as itwill hinder me from being a witness of it."
Madam de Cleves bathed with tears her mother's hand, which she heldfast locked in her own; nor was Madam de Chartres less moved. "Adieu,dear daughter," said she, "let us put an end to a conversation whichmelts us both; and remember, if you are able, all that I have beensaying to you."
When she had spoke this, she turned herself on the other side, andordered her daughter to call her women, being unwilling either to hearher reply, or to speak any more. Madam de Cleves went out of herpresence in a condition one need not describe; and Madam de Chartresthought of nothing but preparing herself for death: she lived two dayslonger, during which she would not see her daughter again; her daughterwas the only thing she had reluctance to part with.
Madam de Cleves was in the utmost affliction her husband did not leaveher, and no sooner was her mother expired, but he carried her into thecountry, that she might not have in her eye a place which could serveonly to sharpen her sorrow, which was scarce to be equalled. Thoughtenderness and gratitude had the greatest share in her griefs, yet theneed which she found she had of her mother to guard her against theDuke of Nemours added no small weight to them; she found she wasunhappy in being left to herself, at a time when she was so littlemistress of her own affections, and when she so much wished forsomebody to pity and encourage her. The Prince of Cleves's behaviourto her on this occasion, made her wish more ardently than ever, neverto fail in her duty to him; she also expressed more friendship andaffection for him than she had done before; she would not suffer him toleave her, and she seemed to think that his being constantly with hercould defend her against the Duke of Nemours.
The Duke came to see the Prince of Cleves in the country; he did whathe could to pay a visit also to Madam de Cleves, but she refused toreceive him; and being persuaded she could not help finding somethingdangerously lovely in him, she made a strong resolution to forbearseeing him, and to avoid all occasions of it that were in her power.
The Prince of Cleves went to Paris to make his Court, and promised hislady to return the next day, but however he did not return till the dayafter. "I expected you yesterday," said Madam de Cleves to him on hisarrival, "and I ought to chide you for not having come as you promised;you know, if I was capable of feeling a new affliction in the conditionI am in, it would be the death of Madam de Tournon, and I have heard ofit this morning; I should have been concerned, though I had not knownher; it is a melting consideration to think that a lady so young andhandsome as she, should be dead in two days; but besides, she was theperson in the world that pleased me most, and who appeared to havediscretion equal to her beauty."
"I am sorry I could not return yesterday," replied the Prince ofCleves, "but my presence was so necessary to the consolation of anunhappy man, that it was impossible for me to leave him. As for Madamde Tournon, I do not advise you not to be concerned for her, if youlament her as a woman full of discretion, and worthy of your esteem.""You surprise me," answered Madam de Cleves, "I have heard you sayseveral times, that there was not a lady at Court you had a greaterrespect for." "It is true," replied he, "but women areincomprehensible, and when I have seen them all, I think myself sohappy in having you, that I cannot enough admire my good fortune.""You esteem me more than I deserve," answered Madam de Cleves, "youhave not had experience enough yet to pronounce me worthy of you; buttell me, I beseech you, what it is has undeceived you with respect toMadam de Tournon." "I have been undeceived a great while," replied he,"and I know that she was in love with the Count de Sancerre, and thatshe gave him room to hope she would marry him." "I can't believe,"said Madam de Cleves, "that Madam de Tournon, after so extraordinary anaversion as she has shown to marriage from the time she became a widow,and after the public declarations she has made that she would nevermarry again, should give hopes to Sancerre." "If she had given hopesto him only," replied the Prince of Cleves, "the wonder had not been sogreat; but what is surprising is, that she gave hopes likewise toEtouteville at the same time: I'll let you know the whole history ofthis matter."