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.