CHARA

roufal, where he appeared in a ha- bit covered with pearls, and mount- ed on a horfe molt fumptuoufly ac- coutered. The Catalonians imme- diately owned, that, " if Condé had the foul and the genius, no one alfo had more the air and the coun- tenance of a hero.”

The love of glory was not the only paflion of which this hero was fufceptible. He was fcarce married, when he was ltruck with the charms of Mademoifelle du Vigean, who with great beauty, had the molt alluring accomplilhments, and an improved and polilhcd mind. His pallion carried him to fuch lengths, that he formed a fcheme, of having his marriage with hiademoifelle de Brezé diflblved, under a pretence that it was contracted by compul- fion. The princefs, his mother, readily came into this project, either from her hatred to the memory of Richlieu, or in order to preferve her credit with her fon. But the prince, to whom this fecret was dif- covered by the duchefs de Longue- ville, bafiled their fcheme. Never- thelefs, the duke d’Enguien retain- ed his paflion for his millrefs, till the diforder under which he lan- guilhed after the battle of Nortlin- gue. Then his love immediately vanilhed, with the prodigious quantity of blood that was taken from him: this revolution was fo complete, that, after his recovery, he fcarce retained a flight remem- brance of-the object that he had loved to excels. Mademoifelle du Vigean was f0 fenfible of this alte- ration in the prince, that it \vas thought lhe would have died of grief, and lhe went and {hut herlclf up among the Carmelites. This hero {uEered himfelf again to be enlhared by the charms of Madc-

CTERS. 23

moifelle de Toucy; but this was no more than a tranfient amour, and {tun pafled over,

France had never attained fuch a height of glory, power, and gran- deur, fince the time of Charle- magne. A long feries oftriumphs had made her relpecied by her al- lies, and formidable to the emperor Ferdinand Ill. who begged a peace, and enabled her to give law to con- quered Spain. But amidli this tor- rent of pofierity, the kingdom was threatened with the molt dangerous revolutions; its mifery tvas equal to its glory. Henry IV. a model for kings, was wholly engrofled by the public felicity ; tne wife adminiltra- tion which he had introduced, had delivered the fiate from an abyl-s of misfortunes, and promiled her the happielt days ; but thefe hopes foon vanilhed under a weal-z regency, which gave an inlet to boldnefs, factions, civil wars, which it knew not how to fupprels; and the dif- trelTes of the kingdom were carried t'o the utmoll height by the ill nle which Richlieu made of his power. This proud and cruel minilter {ub- Verted all the forms of juliice, and of the finances; he increafed prodi- gioully the revenues of the crown, by loading the {objects with taxes; he did every thing for the king, and nothing for the nation, which groaned in lervitude and mifery. His defpotic adminilirationdwas lb odious, that at his death there was a great party at court for condemning his memory as that of a public ene- my. The queen-regent, Anne 0F Aultria, prevented this. From that princels, then adored, the nation expeclcd relief, and a. reformation of abulies.

She had really all the good qua- lities necellary to render a people

C 4*- happy.