The Princess of Cleves | Page 4

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. Messieurs de Guise, whose niece she was, had so far increased
their authority and reputation by this match, that their ambition
prompted them to aspire at an equality with the Princes of the blood,
and to share in power with the Constable Montmorency. The King
entrusted the Constable with the chief share in the administration of the
Government, and treated the Duke of Guise and the Mareschal de St.
Andre as his favourites; but whether favour or business admitted men
to his presence, they could not preserve that privilege without the
good-liking of the Duchess of Valentinois; for though she was no
longer in possession of either of youth or beauty, she yet reigned so
absolutely in his heart, that his person and state seemed entirely at her
disposal.
The King had such an affection for the Constable, that he was no
sooner possessed of the Government, but he recalled him from the
banishment he had been sent into by Francis the First: thus was the
Court divided between Messieurs de Guise, and the Constable, who
was supported by the Princes of the blood, and both parties made it
their care to gain the Duchess of Valentinois. The Duke d'Aumale, the
Duke of Guise's brother, had married one of her daughters, and the
Constable aspired to the fame alliance; he was not contented with
having married his eldest son with Madam Diana, the King's daughter
by a Piemontese lady, who turned nun as soon as she was brought to
bed. This marriage had met with a great many obstacles from the
promises which Monsieur Montmorency had made to Madam de
Piennes, one of the maids of honour to the Queen; and though the King
had surmounted them with extreme patience and goodness, the

Constable did not think himself sufficiently established, unless he
secured Madam de Valentinois in his interest, and separated her from
Messieurs de Guise, whose greatness began to give her uneasiness. The
Duchess had obstructed as much as she could the marriage of the
Dauphin with the Queen of Scotland; the beauty and forward wit of that
young Queen, and the credit which her marriage gave to Messieurs de
Guise,