The King of Navarre drew to himself the respect of all the world both

by the greatness of his birth, and by the dignity that appeared in his

person; he was remarkable for his skill and courage in war. The Duke

of Guise had also given proofs of extraordinary valour, and had, been

so successful, that there was not a general who did not look upon him

with envy; to his valour he added a most exquisite genius and

understanding, grandeur of mind, and a capacity equally turned for

military or civil affairs.

His brother, the Cardinal of Loraine, was a

man of boundless ambition, and of extraordinary wit and eloquence, and

had besides acquired a vast variety of learning, which enabled him to

make 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 through

all Europe for his valour. The Prince of Conde, though little indebted

to Nature in his person, had a noble soul, and the liveliness of his

wit made him amiable even in the eyes of the finest women. The Duke of

Nevers, distinguished by the high employments he had possessed, and by

the glory he had gained in war, though in an advanced age, was yet the

delight of the Court: he had three sons very accomplished; the second,

called the Prince of Cleves, was worthy to support the honour of his

house; he was brave and generous, and showed a prudence above his

years.

The Viscount de Chartres, descended of the illustrious family

of Vendome, whose name the Princes of the blood have thought it no

dishonour to wear, was equally distinguished for gallantry; he was

genteel, of a fine mien, valiant, generous, and all these qualities he

possessed in a very uncommon degree; in short, if anyone could be

compared to the Duke de Nemours, it was he. The Duke de Nemours was a

masterpiece of Nature; the beauty of his person, inimitable as it was,

was his least perfection; what placed him above other men, was a

certain agreeableness in his discourse, his actions, his looks, which

was observable in none beside himself: he had in his behaviour a gaiety

that was equally pleasing to men and women; in his exercises he was

very expert; and in dress he had a peculiar manner, which was followed

by all the world, but could never be imitated: in fine, such was the

air of his whole person, that it was impossible to fix one's eye on

anything else, wherever he was. There was not a lady at Court, whose

vanity would not have been gratified by his address; few of those whom

he addressed, could boast of having resisted him; and even those for

whom he expressed no passion, could not forbear expressing one for him:

his natural gaiety and disposition to gallantry was so great, that he

could not refuse some part of his cares and attention to those who made

it their endeavour to please him; and accordingly he had several

mistresses, but it was hard to guess which of them was in possession of

his heart: he made frequent visits to the Queen-Dauphin; the beauty of

this princess, the sweetness of her temper, the care she took to oblige

everybody, and the particular esteem she expressed for the Duke de

Nemours, gave ground to believe that he had raised his views even to

her.




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