The loss of the Dauphin, his son, who died at Tournon, and was thought

to be poisoned, extremely afflicted him; he had not the same affection

and tenderness for his second son, the present King; he imagined he did

not see in him spirit and vivacity enough, and complained of it one day

to the Duchess of Valentinois, who told him she would endeavour to

raise a passion in him for her, in order to make him more sprightly and

agreeable. She succeeded in it, as you see, and this passion is now of

above twenty years' duration, without being changed either by time or

incidents. "The late King at first opposed it; and whether he had still love

enough left for the Duchess of Valentinois to be jealous, or whether he

was urged on by the Duchess d'Etampes, who was in despair upon seeing

the Dauphin so much attached to her enemy, it is certain he beheld this

passion with an indignation and resentment, that showed itself every

day by something or other. The Dauphin neither valued his anger or his

hatred, nor could anything oblige him either to abate or conceal his

flame, so that the King was forced to accustom himself to bear it with

patience. This opposition of his to his father's will, withdrew his

affections from him more and more, and transferred them to his third

son, the Duke of Orleans, who was a Prince of a fine person full of

fire 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 a

more ripened age.

"The rank of eldest, which the Dauphin held, and the King's favour

which the Duke of Orleans was possessed of, created between them a sort

of emulation, that grew by degrees to hatred. This emulation began from

their infancy, and was still kept up in its height. When the Emperor

passed through France, he gave the preference entirely to the Duke of

Orleans, which the Dauphin resented so bitterly, that while the Emperor

was at Chantilli, he endeavoured to prevail with the Constable to

arrest him without waiting for the King's orders, but the Constable

refused to do it: however, the King afterwards blamed him for not

following his son's advice, and when he banished him the Court, that

was one of the principal reasons for it.

"The discord between the two brothers put Madam d'Etampes upon the

thought of strengthening herself with the Duke of Orleans, in order to

support her power with the King against the Duchess of Valentinois;

accordingly she succeeded in it, and that young Prince, though he felt

no emotions of love for her, entered no less into her interest, than

the Dauphin was in that of Madam de Valentinois. Hence rose two

factions at Court, of such a nature as you may imagine, but the

intrigues of them were not confined to the quarrels of women.




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