The Prince of Cleves went there according to his custom; he was so

touched with the wit and beauty of Mademoiselle de Chartres, that he

could talk of nothing else; he related his adventure aloud, and was

never tired with the praises of this lady, whom he had seen, but did

not 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. Madam

de Dampiere, one of the Princess's ladies of honour, and a friend of

Madam de Chartres, overhearing the conversation, came up to her

Highness, and whispered her in the ear, that it was certainly

Mademoiselle de Chartres whom the Prince had seen. Madame, returning

to her discourse with the Prince, told him, if he would give her his

company again the next morning, he should see the beauty he was so much

touched with. Accordingly Mademoiselle de Chartres came the next day

to Court, and was received by both Queens in the most obliging manner

that can be imagined, and with such admiration by everybody else, that

nothing was to be heard at Court but her praises, which she received

with so agreeable a modesty, that she seemed not to have heard them, or

at least not to be moved with them. She afterwards went to wait upon

Madame; that Princess, after having commended her beauty, informed her

of the surprise she had given the Prince of Cleves; the Prince came in

immediately after; "Come hither," said she to him, "see, if I have not

kept my word with you, and if at the same time that I show you

Mademoiselle de Chartres, I don't show you the lady you are in search

of. You ought to thank me, at least, for having acquainted her how

much you are her admirer."

The Prince of Cleves was overjoyed to find that the lady he admired was

of quality equal to her beauty; he addressed her, and entreated her to

remember that he was her first lover, and had conceived the highest

honour 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 they

began to launch out into the praises of Mademoiselle de Chartres,

without bounds; they were sensible at length that they had run into

excess in her commendation, and so both gave over for that time; but

they were obliged the next day to renew the subject, for this new-risen

beauty long continued to supply discourse to the whole Court; the Queen

herself was lavish in her praise, and showed her particular marks of

favour; the Queen-Dauphin made her one of her favourites, and begged

her mother to bring her often to her Court; the Princesses, the King's

daughters, made her a party in all their diversions; in short, she had

the love and admiration of the whole Court, except that of the Duchess

of Valentinois: not that this young beauty gave her umbrage; long

experience convinced her she had nothing to fear on the part of the

King, and she had to great a hatred for the Viscount of Chartres, whom

she had endeavoured to bring into her interest by marrying him with one

of her daughters, and who had joined himself to the Queen's party, that

she could not have the least favourable thought of a person who bore

his name, and was a great object of his friendship.




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