' Chevreufe,

CHARACTERS.

Coaidjutor, whom he fuppofed to be the authors of this heinous out- rage. The Prince, itronglj/ pre- judiced againlt them, reiufed to hear them, when they appeared be- fbte him to juliify thcmlelves. I He demanded juitice againft them of the king, he formally accufed them before the parliament, and remain- ed inflexible, in fpite of the pains which the leaders of the party tool: to demonflrate to him that he had been impofed on. However, the af- fair was brought before the parlia- ment, the accufed defended th:m- fvlves, and the Coadjuior, who had difcovered the CardinaVs fe- cret, unrnalked him f0 well, that the Prince agreed to a private ne- gociation with the malecoutents, which Chavigny began; he re~ quired nothing more than the Co- adjutofs leaving Paris; but with the rank of ambaifador to Rome or Yienna. That prelate would have confented to it, to fatisfy Condé, if Mazarin, fome days after, had not given him the choice of any re- compence, in order to engage his concurrence in the PHIICC’: deliruc- tion. Affairs were now in fuch a dangerous confufion, that the Car- dinal faw clearly that it was ne- celTary to halten to the winding up of the plot. Mailer of the (hreems foul, which he guided as he pleafed ; fure of having inflamed againit Condé all the refentment of the malecontents, he fought and ob- tained, by means of the duchels of the fupport of that powerful faction, which connected itfelf with him the more readily, in hopes that the Prince’s fall would foon enable it, to cruih without dif- ficulty the Cardinal, hated, weak, and defpifed as he was, and as he never failed to create himfelf new

'19 enemies by his iujuflice and deceit. The Coadjzltor lLttl private con- ferences with the queen and {hg minizler. Condé had notice of it; and, in order to difcover it‘ it were true, he endeavoured to furprifc i; from hlazarims own mflllll. ‘t Q3“ " dinal (faid he one day), it is pub- “ licly reported that you have night- “ ly meetings with the Coadjutrr, “ difguifed like a trooper.” He ac- companied this fpeech wi.h a quid; and penetrating look; but Maza- rin, the bcil a€tor in Europe, au- fwered him without being difcoti- Ceried, “It would be a molt whimli- “ cal mafquerade, indeed. to fee the “ Coadjutor, with his crooked pt:- “ fon and bandy legs, in fcarlet “ breeches, a hat covered with fea- “ thers, and afword by his lide: it he “ fhould ever have _a far cy to dig". “ guife himfclf in this manner, I “ promife your highnefs I will pro- “ cure you the fight of him,” The CardinaVs free, artlefs, and plea- fant look removed the Prince’s ap- preheniions, and he llighted the in- formation that he received of the plot that \V;.5 forming againlt him. Mazarin wanted nothing but the fupport of the duke of Orleans: he found means, by the dtichefsofChc- vreufe, to inflame the jealoufv of that fickle and inconfiunt Prince, the Ccnlizznt fport of the Pfimtilii and the caprices of others, and to engage him to coufent to the im- prifonmt-nt cf Condo. Having thus united all parties, and fearing no other obllacle, this ungrateful and perfidious miniiter made prepara- tions for privately arreftitig the Prince ; the order for it was figned January t8, i650. Condé having that day repaired as ufual to the Palm's-Raye], to aliifi at council with

the Prince of Conti and the Duke of