The Princess of Cleves | Page 8

his elder brother, the Count d'En, had just married a lady so nearly
related to the Royal family, that this apprehension was rather the effect
of his love, than grounded on any substantial reason. He had a great
number of rivals; the most formidable among them, for his birth, his
merit, and the lustre which Royal favour cast upon his house, was the
Chevalier de Guise; this gentleman fell in love with Mademoiselle de
Chartres the first day he saw her, and he discovered the Prince of
Cleves's passion as the Prince of Cleves discovered his. Though they

were intimate friends, their having the same pretentions gradually
created a coolness between them, and their friendship grew into an
indifference, without their being able to come to an explanation on the
matter. The Prince of Cleves's good fortune in having seen
Mademoiselle de Chartres first seemed to be a happy presage, and gave
him some advantage over his rivals, but he foresaw great obstructions
on the part of the Duke of Nevers his father: the Duke was strictly
attached to the Duchess of Valentinois, and the Viscount de Chartres
was her enemy, which was a sufficient reason to hinder the Duke from
consenting to the marriage of his son, with a niece of the Viscount's.
Madam de Chartres, who had taken so much care to inspire virtue into
her daughter, did not fail to continue the same care in a place where it
was so necessary, and where there were so many dangerous examples.
Ambition and gallantry were the soul of the Court, and employed both
sexes equally; there were so many different interests and so many
cabals, and the ladies had so great a share in them, that love was always
mixed with business, and business with love: nobody was easy, or
indifferent; their business was to raise themselves, to be agreeable, to
serve or disserve; and intrigue and pleasure took up their whole time.
The care of the ladies was to recommend themselves either to the
Queen, the Dauphin-Queen, or the Queen of Navarre, or to Madame, or
the Duchess of Valentinois. Inclination, reasons of decorum,
resemblance of temper made their applications different; those who
found the bloom worn off, and who professed an austerity of virtue,
were attached to the Queen; the younger sort, who loved pleasure and
gallantry, made their Court to the Queen-Dauphin; the Queen of
Navarre too had her favourites, she was young, and had great power
with the King her husband, who was in the interest of the Constable,
and by that means increased his authority; Madame was still very
beautiful, and drew many ladies into her party. And as for the Duchess
of Valentinois, she could command as many as she would condescend
to smile upon; but very few women were agreeable to her, and
excepting some with whom she lived in confidence and familiarity, and
whose humour was agreeable to her own, she admitted none but on
days when she gratified her vanity in having a Court in the same
manner the Queen had.

All these different cabals were full of emulation and envy towards one
another; the ladies, who composed them, had their jealousies also
among themselves, either as to favour or lovers: the interests of
ambition were often blended with concerns of less importance, but
which did not affect less sensibly; so that in this Court there was a sort
of tumult without disorder, which made it very agreeable, but at the
same time very dangerous for a young lady. Madam de Chartres
perceived the danger, and was careful to guard her daughter from it; she
entreated her, not as a mother, but as her friend, to impart to her all the
gallantry she should meet withal, promising her in return to assist her in
forming her conduct right, as to things in which young people are
oftentimes embarrassed.
The Chevalier de Guise was so open and unguarded with respect to his
passion for Mademoiselle de Chartres, that nobody was ignorant of it:
nevertheless he saw nothing but impossibilities in what he desired; he
was sensible that he was not a proper match for Mademoiselle de
Chartres, by reason of the narrowness of his fortune, which was not
sufficient to support his dignity; and he was sensible besides, that his
brothers would not approve of his marrying, the marriages of younger
brothers being looked upon as what tends to the lessening great
families; the Cardinal of Loraine soon convinced him, that he was not
mistaken; he condemned his attachment to Mademoiselle de Chartres
with warmth, but did not inform him of his true reasons for so doing;
the Cardinal, it seems, had a hatred to the Viscount, which was not
known at that time, but afterwards discovered itself; he would rather
have