"The Emperor, who continued to have a great friendship for the Duke of

Orleans, had offered several times to make over to him the Duchy of

Milan. In the propositions which were since made for the peace, he

gave hopes of assigning him the seventeen provinces, with his daughter

in marriage. The Dauphin neither approved of the peace or the

marriage, and in order to defeat both he made use of the Constable, for

whom he always had an affection, to remonstrate to the King of what

importance it was not to give his successor a brother so powerful as

the Duke of Orleans would be with the alliance of the Emperor and those

countries; the Constable came the more easily into the Dauphin's

sentiments, as they were opposite to those of Madam d'Etampes, who was

his declared enemy, and who vehemently wished for the promotion of the

Duke of Orleans.

"The Dauphin commanded at that time the King's Army in Champaign, and

had reduced that of the Emperor to such extremities, that it must have

entirely perished, had not the Duchess d'Etampes, for fear too great

successes should make us refuse peace, and the Emperor's alliance in

favour of the Duke of Orleans, secretly advised the enemy to surprise

Espemai and Cheteau-Thieni, in which places were great magazines of

provisions; they succeeded in the attempt, and by that means saved

their whole army.

"This Duchess did not long enjoy the success of her treason. A little

after the Duke of Orleans died at Farmontiers of a kind of contagious

distemper: 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 has

since lived with so much discretion, and has so carefully concealed the

passion she had for that Prince, that one ought to be tender of her

reputation. It happened she received the news of her husband's death

at the same time as she heard of the Duke's, so that she had that

pretext to enable her to conceal her real sorrow, without being at the

trouble of putting any constraint upon herself.

"The King did not long survive the Prince his son; he died two years

after; he recommended to the Dauphin to make use of the Cardinal de

Tournon and the Admiral d'Annebault, but said nothing at all of the

Constable, who was then in banishment at Chantilli. Nevertheless the

first thing the King his son did was to recall him, and make him his

Prime Minister.

"Madam d'Etampes was discarded, and received all the ill treatment she

could possibly expect from an enemy so very powerful; the Duchess of

Valentinois amply revenged herself both of that lady, and all those who

had disobliged her; she seemed to reign more absolute in the King's

heart than she did even when he was Dauphin. During the twelve years'

reign of this Prince she has been absolute in everything; she disposes

of all governments and offices of trust and power; she has disgraced

the Cardinal de Tournon, the Chancellor, and Villeroy; those who have

endeavoured to open the King's mind with respect to her conduct, have

been undone in the attempt; the Count de Taix, great Master of the

Ordnance, who had no kindness for her, could not forbear speaking of

her gallantries, and particularly of that with the Count de Brissac, of

whom the King was already very jealous. Nevertheless she contrived

things so well, that the Count de Taix was disgraced, and his

employment taken from him; and what is almost incredible, she procured

it to be given to the Count de Brissac, and afterwards made him a

Mareschal of France. Notwithstanding, the King's jealousy increased to

such a height, that lie could no longer suffer him to continue at

Court: this passion of jealousy, which is fierce and violent in other

men, is gentle and moderate in him through the great respect he has for

his mistress, and therefore he did not go about to remove his rival,

but under the pretext of giving him the Government of Piemont. He has

lived there several years; last winter he returned to Paris, under

pretence of demanding troops and other necessaries for the Army he

commands; the desire of seeing the Duchess of Valentinois again, and

the fear of being forgotten by her, was perhaps the principal motive of

this journey.




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