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+Project Gutenberg's The Princess of Montpensier, by Madame de La Fayette
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Princess of Montpensier
+
+Author: Madame de La Fayette
+
+Posting Date: November 5, 2008 [EBook #2365]
+Release Date: October, 2000
+[Last updated: December 1, 2011]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER ***
+
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+The Princess de Montpensier
+
+
+by
+
+Mme. de Lafayette
+
+
+
+
+Introduction
+
+
+By
+
+Oliver C. Colt
+
+
+This story was written by Madame de Lafayette and published anonymously
+in 1662. It is set in a period almost 100 years previously during the
+sanguinary wars of the counter-reformation, when the Catholic rulers of
+Europe, with the encouragement of the Papacy, were bent on extirpating
+the followers of the creeds of Luther and Calvin. I am not qualified to
+embark on a historical analysis, and shall do no more than say that
+many of the persons who are involved in the tale actually existed, and
+the events referred to actually took place. The weak and vicious King
+and his malign and unscrupulous mother are real enough, as is a Duc de
+Montpensier, a Prince of the Blood, who achieved some notoriety for the
+cruelty with which he treated any Huguenots who fell into his hands,
+and for the leadership he gave to the assassins during the atrocious
+massacre of St. Bartholomew's day.
+
+He was married and had progeny, but the woman to whom he was married
+was not the heroine of this romance, who is a fictional character, as
+is the Comte de Chabannes.
+
+The Duc de Guise of the period whose father had been killed fighting
+against the Protestants, did marry the Princess de Portein, but this
+was for political reasons and not to satisfy the wishes of a Princess
+de Montpensier.
+
+It will be noticed, I think, that women were traded in marriage with
+little or no regard to their personal emotions, and no doubt, as has
+been remarked by others, marriages without love encouraged love outside
+marriage. Whatever the reality, the literary conventions of the time
+seem to have dictated that we should be treated only to ardent glances,
+fervent declarations, swoonings and courtly gestures; we are not led
+even to the bedroom door, let alone the amorous couch. I wonder,
+however, if the reader might not think that this little tale written
+more than three hundred years ago contains the elements of many of the
+romantic novels and soap operas which have followed it.
+
+At one level it is a cautionary tale about the consequences of marital
+infidelity; at another it is a story of a woman betrayed, treated as a
+pretty bauble for the gratification of men, and cast aside when she has
+served her purpose, or a butterfly trapped in a net woven by uncaring
+fate. Her end is rather too contrived for modern taste, but, even
+today, characters who are about to be written out of the plot in soap
+operas are sometimes smitten by mysterious and fatal disorders of the
+brain.
+
+The unfortunate Comte de Chabannes is the archetypical "decent chap,"
+the faithful but rejected swain who sacrifices himself for the welfare
+of his beloved without expectation of reward. In the hands of another
+writer, with some modification, he could have provided a happy ending
+in the "Mills and Boon" tradition.
+
+This translation is not a schoolroom exercise, for although I have not
+altered the story, I have altered the exact way in which it is told in
+the original, with the aim of making it more acceptable to the modern
+reader. All translation must involve paraphrase, for what sounds well
+in one language may sound ridiculous if translated literally into
+another, and it is for the translator to decide how far this process
+may be carried. Whether I have succeeded in my task, only the reader
+can say.
+
+
+
+
+
+The Princess de Montpensier
+
+
+By
+
+Madame de Lafayette
+
+
+
+
+Translated by Oliver C. Colt
+
+
+Mézières
+
+It was while the civil war of religion was tearing France apart that
+the only daughter of the Marquis of Mézières, a very considerable
+heiress, both because of her wealth and the illustrious house of Anjou
+from which she was descended, was promised in marriage to the Duc de
+Maine, the younger brother of the Duc de Guise.
+
+The marriage was delayed because of the youth of this heiress, but the
+elder of the brothers, the Duc de Guise, who saw much of her, and who
+saw also the burgeoning of what was to become a great beauty, fell in
+love with her and was loved in return. They concealed their feelings
+with great care; the Duc de Guise, who had not yet become as ambitious
+as he was to become later, wanted desperately to marry her, but fear of
+angering his uncle, the Cardinal de Lorraine, who had taken the place
+of his dead father, prevented him from making any declaration.
+
+This was how the matter stood when the ruling house of Bourbon, who
+could not bear to see any benefit accruing to that of de Guise, decided
+to step in and reap the profit themselves by marrying this heiress to
+the Prince de Montpensier.
+
+This project was pursued with such vigour that the parents of Mlle. de
+Mézières, despite the promises given to the Cardinal de Lorraine,
+resolved to give her in marriage to the young Prince. The house of de
+Guise was much displeased at this, but the Duc himself was overcome by
+grief, and regarded this as an insupportable affront. In spite of
+warnings from his uncles, the Cardinal and the Duc de Aumale--who did
+not wish to stand in the way of something which they could not
+prevent--he expressed himself with so much violence, even in the
+presence of the Prince de Montpensier, that a mutual enmity arose
+between them which lasted all their lives.
+
+Mlle. de Mézières, urged by her parents to marry the Prince, realised
+that it was impossible for her to marry the Duc de Guise, and that if
+she married his brother, the Duc de Maine, she would be in the
+dangerous position of having as a brother-in-law a man whom she wished
+was her husband; so she agreed finally to marry the Prince and begged
+the Duc de Guise not to continue to place any obstacle in the way.
+
+The marriage having taken place, the Prince de Montpensier took her off
+to his estate of Champigny, which was where Princes of his family
+usually lived, in order to remove her from Paris, where it seemed that
+an outbreak of fighting was imminent: this great city being under
+threat of siege by a Huguenot army led by the Prince de Condé, who had
+once more declared war on the King.
+
+The Prince de Montpensier had, when a very young man, formed a close
+friendship with the Comte de Chabannes, a man considerably older than
+himself and of exemplary character. The Comte in turn had been so much
+influenced by the esteem and friendship of the Prince that he had
+broken off influential connections which he had with the Prince de
+Condé, and had declared for the Catholics; a change of sides which,
+having no other foundation, was regarded with suspicion: so much so
+that the Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici, on the declaration of war
+by the Huguenots, proposed to have him imprisoned. The Prince de
+Montpensier prevented this and carried him away to Champigny when he
+went there with his wife. The Comte being a very pleasant, amiable man
+soon gained the approbation of the Princess and before long she
+regarded him with as much friendship and confidence as did her husband.
+Chabannes, for his part, observed with admiration the beauty, sense and
+modesty of the young Princess, and used what influence he had to
+instill in her thoughts and behaviour suited to her elevated position;
+so that under his guidance she became one of the most accomplished
+women of her time.
+
+The Prince having gone back to the Court, where he was needed owing to
+the continuation of the war, the Comte lived alone with the Princess
+and continued to treat her with the respect due to her rank and
+position. The Princess took him so far into her confidence as to tell
+him of the feelings she had once had for the Duc de Guise, but she
+intimated that there remained only enough of this emotion to prevent
+her heart from straying elsewhere and that this remnant, together with
+her wifely virtue made it impossible for her to respond, except with a
+rebuff, to any possible suitor.
+
+The Comte who recognised her sincerity and who saw in her a character
+wholly opposed to flirtation and gallantry, did not doubt the truth of
+her words; but nevertheless he was unable to resist all the charms
+which he saw daily so close to him. He fell deeply in love with the
+Princess, in spite of the shame he felt at allowing himself to be
+overcome by this illicit passion. However although not master of his
+heart, he was master of his actions; the change in his emotions did not
+show at all in his behaviour, and no one suspected him. He took, for a
+whole year, scrupulous care to hide his feelings from the Princess and
+believed that he would always be able to do so.
+
+Love, however, had the same effect on him as it does on everyone, he
+longed to speak of it, and after all the struggles which are usually
+made on such occasions, he dared to tell her of his devotion. He had
+been prepared to weather the storm of reproach which this might arouse,
+but he was greeted with a calm and a coolness which was a thousand
+times worse than the outburst which he had expected. She did not take
+the trouble to be angry. She pointed out in a few words the difference
+in their rank and ages, she reminded him of what she had previously
+said about her attitude to suitors and above all to the duty he owed to
+the confidence and friendship of the Prince her husband. The Comte was
+overwhelmed by shame and distress. She tried to console him by assuring
+him that she would forget entirely what he had just said to her and
+would always look on him as her best friend; assurances which were
+small consolation to the Comte as one might imagine. He felt the
+disdain which was implicit in all that the Princess had said, and
+seeing her the next day with her customary untroubled looks redoubled
+his misery.
+
+The Princess continued to show him the same goodwill as before and even
+discussed her former attachment to the Duc de Guise, saying that she
+was pleased that his increasing fame showed that he was worthy of the
+affection she had once had for him. These demonstrations of confidence,
+which were once so dear to the Comte, he now found insupportable, but
+he did not dare say as much to the Princess, though he did sometimes
+remind her of what he had so rashly confessed to her.
+
+After an absence of two years, peace having been declared, the Prince
+de Montpensier returned to his wife, his renown enhanced by his
+behaviour at the siege of Paris and the battle of St. Denis. He was
+surprised to find the beauty of the Princess blooming in such
+perfection, and being of a naturally jealous disposition he was a
+little put out of humour by the realisation that this beauty would be
+evident to others beside himself. He was delighted to see once more the
+Comte, for whom his affection was in no way diminished. He asked him
+for confidential details about his wife's character and temperament,
+for she was almost a stranger to him because of the little time during
+which they had lived together. The Comte, with the utmost sincerity, as
+if he himself were not enamoured, told the Prince everything he knew
+about the Princess which would encourage her husband's love of her, and
+he also suggested to Madame de Montpensier all the measures she might
+take to win the heart and respect of her spouse. The Comte's devotion
+led him to think of nothing but what would increase the happiness and
+well-being of the Princess and to forget without difficulty the interest
+which lovers usually have in stirring up trouble between the objects of
+their affection and their marital partners.
+
+The peace was only short-lived. War soon broke out again by reason of a
+plot by the King to arrest the Prince de Condé and Admiral Chatillon at
+Noyers. As a result of the military preparations the Prince de
+Montpensier was forced to leave his wife and report for duty.
+Chabannes, who had been restored to the Queen's favour, went with him.
+It was not without much sorrow that he left the Princess, while she,
+for her part, was distressed to think of the perils to which the war
+might expose her husband.
+
+The leaders of the Huguenots retired to La Rochelle. They held
+Poitou and Saintongne; the war flared up again and the King assembled
+all his troops. His brother, the Duc d'Anjou, who later became Henri
+III, distinguished himself by his deeds in various actions, amongst
+others the battle of Jarnac, in which the Prince de Condé was killed.
+It was during this fighting that the Duc de Guise began to play a more
+important part and to display some of the great qualities which had
+been expected of him. The Prince de Montpensier, who hated him, not
+only as a personal enemy but as an enemy of his family, the Bourbons,
+took no pleasure in his successes nor in the friendliness shown toward
+him by the Duc d'Anjou.
+
+After the two armies had tired themselves out in a series of minor
+actions, by common consent they were stood down for a time. The Duc
+d'Anjou stayed at Loches to restore to order all the places which had
+been attacked. The Duc de Guise stayed with him and the Prince de
+Montpensier, accompanied by the Comte de Chabannes, went back to
+Champigny, which was not far away.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou frequently went to inspect places where fortifications
+were being constructed. One day when he was returning to Loches by a
+route which his staff did not know well, the Duc de Guise, who claimed
+to know the way, went to the head of the party to act as guide, but
+after a time he became lost and arrived at the bank of a small river
+which he did not recognise. The Duc d'Anjou had a few words to say to
+him for leading them astray, but while they were held up there they saw
+a little boat floating on the river, in which--the river not being very
+wide--they could see the figures of three or four women, one of whom,
+very pretty and sumptuously dressed, was watching with interest the
+activities of two men who were fishing nearby.
+
+This spectacle created something of a sensation amongst the Princes and
+their suite. It seemed to them like an episode from a romance. Some
+declared that it was fate that had led the Duc de Guise to bring them
+there to see this lovely lady, and that they should now pay court to
+her. The Duc d'Anjou maintained that it was he who should be her suitor.
+
+To push the matter a bit further, they made one of the horsemen go into
+the river as far as he could and shout to the lady that it was the Duc
+d'Anjou who wished to cross to the other bank and who begged the lady
+to take him in her boat. The lady, who was of course the Princess de
+Montpensier, hearing that it was the Duc d'Anjou, and having no doubt
+when she saw the size of his suite that it was indeed him, took her
+boat over to the bank where he was. His fine figure made him easily
+distinguishable from the others; she, however, distinguished even more
+easily the figure of the Duc de Guise. This sight disturbed her and
+caused her to blush a little which made her seem to the Princes to have
+an almost supernatural beauty.
+
+The Duc de Guise recognised her immediately in spite of the changes
+which had taken place in her appearance in the three years since he had
+last seen her. He told the Duc d'Anjou who she was and the Duc was at
+first embarrassed at the liberty he had taken, but then, struck by the
+Princess's beauty, he decided to venture a little further, and after a
+thousand excuses and a thousand compliments he invented a serious
+matter which required his presence on the opposite bank, and accepted
+the offer which she made of a passage in her boat. He got in,
+accompanied only by the Duc de Guise, giving orders to his suite to
+cross the river elsewhere and to join him at Champigny, which Madame de
+Montpensier told him was not more than two leagues from there.
+
+As soon as they were in the boat the Duc d'Anjou asked to what they
+owed this so pleasant encounter. Madame de Montpensier replied that
+having left Champigny with the Prince her husband with the intention of
+following the hunt, she had become tired and having reached the river
+bank she had gone out in the boat to watch the landing of a salmon
+which had been caught in a net. The Duc de Guise did not take part in
+this conversation, but he was conscious of the re-awakening of all the
+emotions which the Princess had once aroused in him, and thought to
+himself that he would have difficulty in escaping from this meeting
+without falling once more under her spell.
+
+They arrived shortly at the bank where they found the Princess's horses
+and her attendants who had been waiting for her. The two noblemen
+helped her onto her horse where she sat with the greatest elegance.
+During their journey back to Champigny they talked agreeably about a
+number of subjects and her companions were no less charmed by her
+conversation than they had been by her beauty. They offered her a
+number of compliments to which she replied with becoming modesty, but a
+little more coolly to those from M. de Guise, for she wished to
+maintain a distance which would prevent him from founding any
+expectations on the feelings she had once had towards him.
+
+When they arrived at the outer courtyard of Champigny they encountered
+the Prince de Montpensier, who had just returned from the hunt. He was
+greatly astonished to see two men in the company of his wife, and he
+was even more astonished when, on coming closer, he saw that these were
+the Duc d'Anjou and the Duc de Guise. The hatred which he bore for the
+latter, combined with his naturally jealous disposition made him find
+the sight of these two Princes with his wife, without knowing how they
+came to be there or why they had come to his house, so disagreeable
+that he was unable to conceal his annoyance. He, however, adroitly put
+this down to a fear that he could not receive so mighty a Prince as the
+King's brother in a style befitting his rank. The Comte de Chabannes
+was even more upset at seeing the Duc de Guise and Madame de
+Montpensier together than was her husband, it seemed to him a most evil
+chance which had brought the two of them together again, an augury
+which foretold disturbing sequels to follow this new beginning.
+
+In the evening Madame de Montpensier acted as hostess with the same
+grace with which she did everything. In fact she pleased her guests a
+little too much. The Duc d'Anjou who was very handsome and very much a
+ladies man, could not see a prize so much worth winning without wishing
+ardently to make it his own. He had a touch of the same sickness as the
+Duc de Guise, and continuing to invent important reasons, he stayed for
+two days at Champigny, without being obliged to do so by anything but
+the charms of Madame de Montpensier, for her husband did not make any
+noticeable effort to detain him. The Duc de Guise did not leave without
+making it clear to Madame de Momtpensier that he felt towards her as he
+had done in the past. As nobody knew of this former relationship he
+said to her several times, in front of everybody, that his affections
+were in no way changed. A remark which only she understood.
+
+Both he and the Duc d'Anjou left Champigny with regret. For a long time
+they went along in silence; but at last it occurred to the Duc d'Anjou
+that the reflections which occupied his thoughts might be echoed in the
+mind of the Duc de Guise, and he asked him brusquely if he was thinking
+about the beauties of Madame de Montpensier. This blunt question
+combined with what he had already observed of the Prince's behaviour
+made the Duc realise that he had a rival from whom it was essential
+that his own love for the Princess should be concealed. In order to
+allay all suspicion he answered with a laugh that the Prince himself
+had seemed so preoccupied with the thoughts which he was accused of
+having that he had deemed it inadvisable to interrupt him; the beauty
+of Madame de Montpensier was, he said, nothing new to him, he had been
+used to discounting its effect since the days when she was destined to
+be his sister-in-law, but he saw that not everyone was so little
+dazzled. The Duc d'Anjou admitted that he had never seen anyone to
+compare with this young Princess and that he was well aware that the
+vision might be dangerous if he was exposed to it too often. He tried
+to get the Duc de Guise to confess that he felt the same, but the Duc
+would admit to nothing.
+
+On their return to Loches they often recalled with pleasure the events
+which had led to their meeting with the Princess de Montpensier, a
+subject which did not give rise to the same pleasure at Champigny. The
+Prince de Montpensier was dissatisfied with all that had happened
+without being able to say precisely why. He found fault with his wife
+for being in the boat. He considered that she had welcomed the Princes
+too readily; and what displeased him most was that he had noticed the
+attention paid to her by the Duc de Guise. This had provoked in him a
+furious bout of jealousy in which he recalled the anger displayed by
+the Duc at the prospect of his marriage, which caused him to suspect
+that even at that time the Duc was in love with his wife. The Comte de
+Chabannes as usual made every effort to act as peacemaker, hoping in
+this way to show the Princess that his devotion to her was sincere and
+disinterested. He could not resist asking her what effect the sight of
+the Duc de Guise had produced. She replied that she had been somewhat
+upset and embarrassed at the memory of the feelings she had once
+displayed to him; she found him more handsome than he had been then and
+it had seemed to her that he wished to persuade her that he still loved
+her, but she assured the Comte that nothing would shake her
+determination not to become involved in any intrigue. The Comte was
+happy to hear of this resolve, but he was far from being sure about the
+Duc de Guise. He earnestly warned the Princess of the danger of a
+return to the previous situation should she have any change of heart,
+though when he spoke of his devotion she adopted her invariable
+attitude of looking on him as her closest friend but in no way a
+possible suitor.
+
+The armies were once more called up; all the Princes returned to their
+posts and the Prince de Montpensier decided that his wife should come
+with him to Paris so as to be further from the area where it was
+expected that fighting would take place. The Huguenots besieged
+Poitiers. The Duc de Guise went there to organise the defence and,
+while there, enhanced his reputation by his conduct. The Duc d'Anjou
+suffered from some illness, and left the army either on account of the
+severity of this or because he wanted to return to the comfort and
+security of Paris, where the presence of the Princess de Montpensier
+was not the least of the attractions. The command of the army was taken
+over by the Prince de Montpensier, and shortly after this, a peace
+having been arranged, the Court assembled in Paris. Here the beauty of
+the Princess eclipsed that of all her rivals. She charmed everyone by
+her looks and personality. The Duc d'Anjou did not abandon the
+sentiments she had inspired in him at Champigny, he took great care to
+make her aware of this by all sorts of delicate considerations, being
+careful at the same time not to make his attentions too obvious for
+fear of arousing the jealousy of her husband. The Duc de Guise was now
+fervently in love with her, but wishing, for a variety of reasons, to
+keep this secret, he resolved to tell her so privately and avoid any
+preliminaries which, as always, would give rise to talk and exposure.
+One day when he was in the Queen's apartments where there were very few
+people, the Queen having left to discuss affairs of state with Cardinal
+de Lorraine, the Princess de Montpensier arrived. He decided to take
+this opportunity to speak to her, and going up to her he said,
+"Although it may surprise and displease you, I want you to know that I
+have always felt for you that emotion which you once knew so well, and
+that its power has been so greatly increased by seeing you again that
+neither your disapproval, the hatred of your husband, nor the rivalry
+of the first Prince in the kingdom can in the least diminish it. It
+would perhaps have been more tactful to have let you become aware of
+this by my behaviour rather than by my words, but my behaviour would
+have been evident to others as well as to yourself and I wanted you
+alone to know of my love for you."
+
+The Princess was so surprised and thrown into confusion by this speech
+that she could not think of an answer, then, just when she had
+collected her wits and begun to reply, the Prince de Montpensier
+entered the room. The Princess's face displayed her agitation, and her
+embarrassment was compounded by the sight of her husband, to such an
+extent that he was left in no doubt about what the Duc de Guise had
+been saying to her. Fortunately at that moment the Queen re-entered the
+room and the Duc de Guise moved away to avoid the jealous Prince.
+
+That evening the Princess found her husband in the worst temper
+imaginable. He berated her with the utmost violence and forbade her
+ever to speak to the Duc de Guise again. She retired to her room very
+sad and much preoccupied with the events of the day. She saw the Duc
+the next day amid the company around the Queen, but he did not come
+near her and left soon after she did, indicating that he had no
+interest in remaining if she was not there. Not a day passed without
+her receiving a thousand covert marks of the Duc's passion though he
+did not attempt to speak to her unless he was sure that they could be
+seen by nobody.
+
+Convinced of the Duc's sincerity, the Princess, in spite of the
+resolution she had made at Champigny, began to feel in the depths of
+her heart something of what she had felt in the past.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou for his part, omitted nothing which could demonstrate
+his devotion in all the places where he could meet her. In the Queen
+his mother's apartments he followed her about continually, completely
+ignoring his sister who was very fond of him. It was at around this
+time that it became evident that this sister, who later became the
+Queen of Navarre, had a liking for the Duc de Guise, and another thing
+that became evident was a cooling of the friendship between that Duc
+and the Duc d'Anjou. The rumour linking the name of the Royal Princess
+with that of the Duc de Guise disturbed the Princess de Montpensier to
+a degree which surprised her, and made her realise that she was more
+interested in the Duc than she had supposed.
+
+Now it so happened that her father-in-law, M. de Montpensier, married a
+sister of the Duc de Guise, and the princess was bound to meet the Duc
+frequently in the various places where the marriage celebrations
+required their presence. She was greatly offended that a man who was
+widely believed to be in love with "Madame", the King's sister, should
+dare to make advances to her; she was not only offended but distressed
+at having deceived herself.
+
+One day, when they met at his sister's house, being a little separated
+from the rest, the Duc was tempted to speak to her, but she interrupted
+him sharply saying angrily "I do not understand how, on the basis of a
+weakness which one had at the age of thirteen, you have the audacity to
+make amorous proposals to a person like me, particularly when, in the
+view of the whole Court, you are interested in someone else." The Duc
+who was intelligent as well as being much in love, understood the
+emotion which underlay the Princess's words. He answered her most
+respectfully, "I confess, Madame, that it was wrong of me not to reject
+the possible honour of becoming the King's brother-in-law, rather than
+allow you to suspect for a moment that I could desire any heart but
+yours; but if you will be patient enough to hear me I am sure I can
+fully justify my behaviour." The Princess made no reply, but she did
+not go away and the Duc, seeing that she was prepared to listen to him,
+told her that although he had made no effort to attract the attention
+of Madame, she had nevertheless honoured him with her interest: as he
+was not enamoured of her he had responded very coolly to this honour
+until she gave him to believe that she might marry him. The realisation
+of the grandeur to which such a marriage would raise him had obliged
+him to take a little more trouble. This situation had aroused the
+suspicions of the King and the Duc d'Anjou, but the opposition of
+neither of them would have any effect on his course of action, however,
+if this displeased her he would abandon all such notions and never
+think of them again.
+
+This sacrifice which the Duc was prepared to make caused the Princess
+to forget all the anger she had shown. She changed the subject and
+began to speak of the indiscretion displayed by Madame in making the
+first advances and of the considerable advantages which he would gain
+if he married her. In the end, without saying anything kind to the Duc
+de Guise, she made him recall a thousand things he had found so
+pleasing in Mlle. de Mézières. Although they had not had private
+conversation for a long time, they found themselves attuned to one
+another, and their thoughts went along a track which they both had
+travelled in the past. At the end of this agreeable meeting the Duc was
+left in a state of considerable happiness, and the Princess was not a
+little moved to think that he truly loved her. However, in the privacy
+of her room she became ashamed of the ease with which she had accepted
+the Duc's excuses and reflected on the trouble into which she might be
+plunged if she engaged in something she had always regarded with
+distaste and on the frightening misery which a jealous husband might
+inflict on her. These thoughts made her adopt new resolves, but they
+disappeared the next day on the sight of the Duc de Guise.
+
+The new alliance between their families gave the Duc many opportunities
+to speak to her. He gave her an exact account of all that passed
+between Madame and himself. He had difficulty in allaying the jealousy
+to which the beauty of Madame gave rise and any number of promises
+failed to reassure her. This jealousy enabled the Princess to defend
+the remains of her heart against the advances of the Duc, who already
+had won the greater part of it.
+
+The marriage of the King to the daughter of the Emperor Maximilian
+filled the Court with fêtes and celebrations. The King put on a ballet
+in which Madame and all the princesses were to dance; among them only
+the Princess de Montpensier could rival Madame in beauty. The Duc
+d'Anjou and four others were to make an appearance as Moors; their
+costumes would all be identical, as was usual in this sort of
+performance. On the first occasion on which the ballet was presented,
+the Duc de Guise, before the dance began and before he had donned his
+mask, said a few words to the Princess as he went past her. She saw
+clearly that the Prince her husband had noticed this, which made her
+feel uneasy. A little later, seeing the Duc d'Anjou in his mask and
+Moorish costume, who was coming to speak to her, she mistook him for
+the Duc de Guise and said to him "Do not have eyes for anyone but
+Madame this evening: I shall not be in the least jealous. I am ordering
+you. I am being watched. Do not come near me again." As soon as she had
+said this she moved away.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou stood there thunderstruck. He saw that he had a
+successful rival: the reference to Madame made it obvious that this was
+the Duc de Guise, and left him in no doubt that his sister was to play
+second fiddle to the Princess de Montpensier. Jealousy, frustration and
+rage joining to the dislike which he already had for the Duc roused him
+to a violent fury; and he would have given there and then some bloody
+mark of his temper had not that dissimulation which came naturally to
+him prevented him from attacking the Duc de Guise in the present
+circumstances. He did not, however, refrain from the pleasure of
+disclosing his knowledge of this secret affair. He approached the Duc
+de Guise as they left the salon where they had been dancing and said to
+him "To presume to raise your eyes towards my sister, as well as
+stealing the affection of the woman I love is altogether too much. The
+presence of the King prevents me from taking any action just now, but
+remember that the loss of your life may be, one day, the least thing
+with which I shall punish your impertinence."
+
+The pride of the Duc de Guise was not accustomed to submit tamely to
+such threats, but he was unable to reply because at that moment the
+King called both of them to his side. He did not forget, however, and
+tried all his life to exact revenge.
+
+From that evening the Duc d'Anjou endeavoured in all sorts of ways to
+turn the King against the Duc de Guise. He persuaded the King that
+Madame would never agree to her proposed marriage to the King of
+Navarre as long as the Duc de Guise was allowed to have any contact
+with her; and that it was unacceptable that a subject, for his own vain
+purposes, should place an obstacle in the way of what could bring peace
+to France. The King already disliked the Duc de Guise and this speech
+inflamed his dislike so much that the next day when the Duc presented
+himself to join the ball at the Queen's apartments, he stood in the
+doorway and asked him brusquely where he was going. The Duc, without
+showing any surprise answered that he had come to offer his most humble
+services, to which the King replied that he had no need of any services
+which the Duc might provide, and turned away without any other
+acknowledgement. The Duc was not deterred from entering the room, his
+feelings incensed both against the King and the Duc d'Anjou. His
+natural pride led him, as an act of defiance, to pay more attention to
+Madame than usual, and what the Duc d'Anjou had told him prevented him
+from looking in the direction of the Princess de Montpensier.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou watched both of them with close attention. The
+Princess's expression, in spite of herself, showed some chagrin when
+the Duc de Guise spoke with Madame. The Duc d'Anjou who realised from
+what she had said to him, when she mistook him for the Duc de Guise,
+that she was jealous, hoped to cause trouble. He drew close to her and
+said, "It is in your interest and not in mine that I must tell you that
+the Duc de Guise does not deserve the choice you have made of him in
+preference to me, a choice which you cannot deny and of which I am well
+aware. He is deceiving you, Madame, and betraying you for my sister as
+he betrayed her for you. He is a man moved only by ambition, but since
+he has the good fortune to please you, that is enough; I shall not
+attempt to stand in the way of a felicity which without doubt I merit
+more than he. It would be undignified for me to persist in trying to
+gain the heart which is already possessed by another. It is bad enough
+to have attracted only your indifference and I would not like to have
+this replaced by dislike by wearying you with endless protestations of
+unwelcome devotion."
+
+The Duc d'Anjou who was genuinely touched by love and sadness, was
+hardly able to complete this speech, and although he had begun in a
+spirit of spite and vengeance, he was so overcome when he thought of
+the Princess's beauty and of what he was losing by giving up all hope
+of being her lover, that without waiting for her reply he left the
+ball, saying that he felt unwell, and went home to nurse his grief.
+
+The Princess de Montpensier stayed there, upset and worried as one
+might imagine. To see her reputation and her secret in the hands of a
+suitor whom she had rejected and to learn from him that she was being
+deceived by her lover were not things which would put her in the right
+frame of mind for a place dedicated to enjoyment; she had, however, to
+remain where she was and later go to supper in the company of the
+Duchess de Montpensier, her mother-in-law.
+
+The Duc de Guise who had followed them to his sister's house, was dying
+to tell her what the Duc d'Anjou had said the day before, but to his
+astonishment when he did have the opportunity to speak to her, he was
+overwhelmed by reproaches which were tumbled out in such angry
+profusion that all he could gather was that he was accused of
+infidelity and treachery. Dismayed at finding himself in this unhappy
+situation when he had hoped for consolation, and being so much in love
+with the Princess that he could not bear to be unsure if he was loved
+in return, he took a sudden decision. "I shall lay your doubts at
+rest." He said. "I am going to do what all the royal power could not
+make me do. It will cost me my fortune but that is of little account if
+it makes you happy."
+
+He went straight from his sister's house to that of his uncle, the
+cardinal. He convinced him that having fallen into the King's
+disfavour, it was essential that it should be made quite clear that he
+would not marry Madame, so he asked for his marriage to be arranged
+with the Princess de Portien, a matter which had previously been
+discussed. The news of this was soon all over Paris and gave rise to
+much surprise. The princess de Montpensier was both happy and sad. Glad
+to see the power she had over the Duc, and sorry that she had caused
+him to abandon something so advantageous as marriage to Madame. The Duc
+who hoped that love would compensate him for his material loss, pressed
+the Princess to give him a private audience so that he could clear up
+the unjust accusations which she had made. He obtained this when she
+found herself at his sister's house at a time when his sister was not
+there and she was able to speak to him alone. The Duc took the
+opportunity to throw himself at her feet and describe all that he had
+suffered because of her suspicions, and though the Princess was unable
+to forget what the Duc d'Anjou had said to her, the behaviour of the
+Duc de Guise did much to reassure her. She told him exactly why she
+believed he had betrayed her which was because the Duc d'Anjou knew
+what he could only have learned from him. The Duc did not know how to defend
+himself and was as puzzled as she to guess what could have given away
+their secret: at last, while the Princess was remonstrating with him
+for giving up the idea of the advantageous marriage with Madame and
+rushing into that with the Princess de Portien, she said to him that he
+could have been certain that she would not be jealous since on the day
+of the ball she herself had told him to have eyes only for Madame. The
+Duc said that she might have intended to do so but that she certainly
+had not. She maintained that she had, and in the end they reached the
+correct conclusion that she herself, deceived by the resemblance of the
+costumes, had told the Duc d'Anjou what she accused the Duc de Guise of
+telling him. The Duc de Guise who had almost entirely returned to
+favour, did so completely as a result of this conversation. The
+Princess could not refuse her heart to a man who had possessed it in
+the past and had just made such a sacrifice to please her. She
+consented to accept his declaration and permitted him to believe that
+she was not unmoved by his passion. The arrival of the Duchess, her
+mother-in-law, put an end to this tête-à-tête, and prevented the Duc
+from demonstrating his transports of joy.
+
+Some time later, the Court having gone to Blois, the marriage between
+the King of Navarre and Madame was celebrated. The Duc de Guise who
+wanted nothing more than the love of the Princess de Montpensier,
+enjoyed a ceremony which in other circumstances would have overwhelmed
+him with disappointment.
+
+The Duc was not able to conceal his love so well that the Prince de
+Montpensier did not suspect that something was going on, and being
+consumed by jealousy he ordered his wife to go to Champigny. This order
+was a great shock to her, but she had to obey: she found a way to say
+goodbye to the Duc de Guise privately but she found herself in great
+difficulty when it came to a means of providing a method whereby he
+could write to her. After much thought she decided to make use of the
+Comte de Chabannes, whom she always looked on as a friend without
+considering that he was in love with her. The Duc de Guise, who knew of
+the close friendship between the Comte and the Prince de Montpensier,
+was at first amazed at her choice of the Comte as a go-between, but she
+assured him of the Comte's fidelity with such conviction that he was
+eventually satisfied. He parted from her with all the unhappiness which
+such a separation can cause.
+
+The Comte de Chabannes, who had been ill in Paris while the Princess
+was at Blois, learning that she was going to Champigny arranged to meet
+her on the road and go with her. She greeted him with a thousand
+expressions of friendship and displayed an extraordinary impatience to
+talk to him in private, which at first delighted him. Judge his dismay
+when he found that this impatience was only to tell him that she was
+loved passionately by the Duc de Guise, a love which she returned. He
+was so distressed that he was unable to reply. The Princess, who was
+engrossed by her infatuation, took no notice of his silence. She began
+to tell him all the least details of the events, and how she and the
+Duc had agreed that he should be the means by which they could exchange
+letters. The thought that the woman he loved expected him to be of
+assistance to his rival, and made the proposal as if it was a thing he
+would find agreeable was bitterly hurtful, but he was so much in
+control of himself that he hid all his feelings from her and expressed
+only surprise at the change in her attitude. He hoped that this change
+which removed even the faintest hope from him would at the same time
+change his feelings, but he found the Princess so charming, her natural
+beauty having been enhanced by a certain grace which she had acquired
+at Court that he felt that he loved her more than ever. This remarkable
+devotion produced a remarkable effect. He agreed to carry his rival's
+letters to his beloved.
+
+The Princess was very despondent at the absence of the Duc de Guise,
+and could hope for solace only from his letters. She continually
+tormented the Comte de Chabannes to know if he had received any and
+almost blamed him for not having delivered one sooner. At last some
+arrived, brought by a gentleman in the Duc's service, which he took to
+her immediately so as not to delay her pleasure for a moment longer
+than necessary. The Princess was delighted to have them and tortured
+the poor Comte by reading them to him, as well as her tender and loving
+reply. He took this reply to the waiting courier even more sadly than
+he had made the delivery. He consoled himself a little by the
+reflection that the Princess would realise what he was doing for her
+and would show some recognition. Finding, however, that she daily
+treated him with less consideration, owing to the anxieties which
+preoccupied her, he took the liberty of begging her to think a little
+of the suffering she was causing him. The Princess who had nothing in
+her head but the Duc de Guise, was so irritated by this approach that
+she treated the Comte much worse than she had done on the first
+occasion when he had declared his love for her. Although his devotion
+and patience had stood so many trials, this was too much. He left the
+Princess and went to live with a friend who had a house in the
+neighbourhood, from where he wrote to her with all the bitterness that
+her behaviour had provoked and bid her an eternal adieu.
+
+The Princess began to repent having dealt so harshly with a man over
+whom she had so much influence, and being unwilling to lose him, not
+only on account of their past friendship, but also because of his vital
+role in the conduct of her affair, she sent a message to him to say
+that she wished to speak to him one more time and that afterwards she
+would leave him free to do as he pleased. One is very vulnerable when
+one is in love. The Comte came back, and in less than an hour the
+beauty of the Princess, her charm and a few kind words made him more
+submissive than ever, and he even gave her some letters from the Duc de
+Guise which he had just received.
+
+At this time there was a scheme afoot in the Court to attract there all
+the leaders of the Huguenots, with the secret aim of including them in
+the horrible massacre of St. Bartholomew's day. As part of this attempt
+to lull them into a false sense of security, the King dismissed from
+his presence all the princes of the houses of Bourbon and de Guise. The
+Prince de Montpensier returned to Champigny, to the utter dismay of his
+wife, the Duc de Guise went to the home of his uncle, the Cardinal de
+Lorraine.
+
+Love and idleness induced in him such a violent desire to see the
+Princess de Montpensier that without considering the risks to her and
+to himself he made some excuse to travel and leaving his suite in a
+small town he took with him only the gentleman who had already made
+several trips to Champigny, and went there by post-chaise. As he knew
+no one whom he could approach but the Comte de Chabannes, he had the
+gentleman write a note requesting a meeting at a certain spot. The
+Comte, believing that this was solely for the purpose of receiving
+letters from the Duc de Guise went there, but was most surprised to see
+the Duc himself and equally dismayed. The Duc, full of his own plans,
+took no more notice of the Comte's dismay than had the Princess of his
+silence when she told him of her amour. He described his passion in
+florid terms and claimed that he would infallibly die if the Princess
+could not be persuaded to see him. The Comte replied coldly that he
+would tell the Princess all that the Duc wanted to convey and would
+return with her response. He then went back to Champigny with his own
+emotions in such a turmoil that he hardly knew what he was doing. He
+thought of sending the Duc away without saying anything to the
+Princess, but the faithfulness with which he had promised to serve her
+soon put an end to that idea. He arrived without knowing what he should
+do, and finding that the Prince was out hunting, he went straight to
+the Princess's apartment. She saw that he was distressed and dismissed
+her women in order to find out what troubled him. He told her, as
+calmly as he could, that the Duc de Guise was a league distant and that
+he wanted passionately to see her. The Princess gave a cry at this news
+and her confusion was almost as great as that of the Comte. At first
+she was full of joy at the thought of seeing the man she loved so
+tenderly, but when she considered how much this was against her
+principles, and that she could not see her lover without introducing
+him into her home during the night and without her husband's knowledge,
+she found herself in the utmost difficulty. The Comte awaited her reply
+as if it were a matter of life or death. Realising that her silence
+indicated her uncertainty, he took the liberty of presenting to her all
+the perils to which she would be exposed by such a meeting, and wishing
+to make it clear that he was not doing this in his own interest, he
+said that if, in spite of all that he had said she was determined to
+see the Duc, rather than see her seek for aid from helpers less
+faithful than himself, he would bring the Duc to her. "Yes Madame," he
+said, "I shall go and find the Duc and bring him to your apartment, for
+it is too dangerous to leave him for long where he is."
+
+"But how can this be done?" interrupted the Princess.
+
+"Ha! Madame," cried the Comte, "It is then decided, since you speak
+only of the method. I shall lead him through the park; only order one
+of your maids whom you can trust to lower, exactly at midnight, the
+little drawbridge which leads from your antechamber to the flower
+garden and leave the rest to me." Having said this he rose and without
+waiting for any further comment from the Princess, he left, remounted
+his horse and went to look for the Duc de Guise, who was waiting for
+him with the greatest impatience.
+
+The Princess remained in such a state of confusion that it was some
+time before she came to her senses. Her first thought was to send
+someone after the Comte to tell him not to bring the Duc, but she could
+not bring herself to do so. She then thought that failing this she had
+only not to have the drawbridge lowered, and she believed that she
+would continue with this resolve, but when the hour of the assignation
+drew near she was no longer able to resist the desire to see the lover
+whom she longed for, and she gave instructions to one of her women on
+the method by which the Duc was to be introduced into her apartment.
+
+Meanwhile the Duc and the Comte were approaching Champigny, but in very
+differing frames of mind. The Duc was full of joy and all the happiness
+of expectation. The Comte was in a mood of despair and anger, which
+tempted him at times to run his sword through his rival. They at last
+reached the park, where they left their horses in the care of the Duc's
+squire, and passing through a gap in the wall they came to the flower
+garden. The Comte had always retained some hope that the Princess would
+come to her senses and resolve not to see the Duc, but when he saw that
+the drawbridge was lowered he realised that his hope was in vain. He
+was tempted to take some desperate measure, but he was aware that any
+noise would be heard by the Prince de Montpensier whose rooms looked
+out onto the same flower-garden, and that all the subsequent disorder
+would fall on the head of the one he loved most. He calmed himself and
+led the Duc to the presence of the Princess. Although the Princess
+signaled that she would like him to stay in the room during the
+interview, he was unwilling to do so, and retired to a little passage
+which ran alongside the Princess's apartment, a prey to the saddest
+thoughts which could afflict a disappointed lover.
+
+Now, although they had made very little noise while crossing the
+bridge, the Prince de Montpensier was awake and heard it. He made one
+of his servants get up and go to see what it was. The servant put his
+head out of the window and in the darkness he could make out that the
+drawbridge was lowered. He told his master who then ordered him to go
+into the park and find out what was going on. A moment later he got up
+himself, being disturbed by what he thought he had heard, that is,
+footsteps on the bridge leading to his wife's quarters.
+
+As he was going towards the little passage where the Comte was waiting,
+the Princess who was somewhat embarrassed at being alone with the Duc
+de Guise, asked the latter several times to come into the room. He
+refused to do so and as she continued to press him and as he was
+furiously angry he answered her so loudly that he was heard by the
+Prince de Montpensier, but so indistinctly that the Prince heard only a
+man's voice without being able to recognise it as that of the Comte.
+
+These events would have infuriated a character more placid and less
+jealous than the Prince de Montpensier. He hurled himself against the
+door, calling for it to be opened, and cruelly surprising the Princess,
+the Duc de Guise and the Comte de Chabannes. This last, hearing the
+Prince's voice, saw immediately that it was impossible to prevent him
+from believing that there was someone in his wife's room, and that he
+was in such a state that if he found that it was the Duc de Guise he
+might kill him before the eyes of the Princess and that even her life
+might be at risk. He decided, in an act of extraordinary generosity, to
+sacrifice himself to save a successful rival and an ungrateful mistress.
+
+While the Prince was battering on the door, he went to the Duc, who had
+no idea what to do, put him in the care of the woman who had arranged
+his entry by the bridge and told her to show him the way out. Scarcely
+had he left when the Prince having broken down the door entered the
+room like a man possessed. However when he saw only the Comte de
+Chabannes, motionless, leaning on a table with a look of infinite
+sadness on his face, he stopped short. The astonishment of finding his
+best friend alone at night in his wife's room deprived him of speech.
+The Princess had collapsed onto some cushions and never perhaps has
+fate put three people in a more unhappy position. At last the Prince
+made an attempt to make sense of the chaos before his eyes. He
+addressed the Comte in a tone of voice which still had some
+friendliness, "What is this I see?" he said, "Is it possible that a man
+I love so dearly has chosen among all other women to seduce my wife?
+And you, Madame," he said, turning to his wife, "Was it not enough to
+deprive me of your love and my honour without depriving me of the one
+man who could have consoled me in such circumstances? Answer me, one of
+you," he said to them, "And explain this affair, which I cannot believe
+is what it seems." The Princess was incapable of replying and the Comte
+opened his mouth once or twice but was unable to speak.
+
+"You see me as a criminal," he said at last. "And unworthy of the
+friendship you have shown me; but the situation is not what you may
+think it is. I am more unhappy than you and more despairing. I do not
+know how to tell you more than that. My death would avenge you, and if
+you were to kill me now you would be doing me a favour." These words,
+spoken with an air of the deepest sorrow, and in a manner which
+declared his innocence instead of enlightening the Prince confirmed him
+in the view that something mysterious was going on which he did not
+understand. His unhappiness was increased by this uncertainty. "Kill me
+yourself," he said. "Or give me some explanation of your words for I
+can understand nothing. You owe it to my friendship, you owe it to my
+restraint, for anyone but me would have already taken your life to
+avenge such an affront."
+
+"The appearances are wholly misleading," interrupted the Comte.
+
+"Ah! It is too much. I must be avenged and clear things up later," said
+the Prince, advancing towards the Comte like a man carried away by
+rage. The Princess, fearing bloodshed, (which was not possible as her
+husband did not have a sword) placed herself between the two of them
+and fell fainting at her husband's feet. The Prince was even more
+affected by this than he was by the calmness of the Comte when he
+confronted him, and as if he could no longer bear the sight of those
+two people who had caused him such distress, he turned away and fell on
+his wife's bed, overcome by grief. The Comte de Chabannes, filled with
+remorse at having abused the friendship of which he had had so many
+marks, and believing that he could never atone for what he had done,
+left the room abruptly and passing through the Princess's apartment
+where he found all the doors open, he went down to the courtyard. He
+had a horse brought to him and rode off into the country led only by
+his feelings of hopelessness. The Prince de Montpensier, seeing that
+his wife did not recover from her faint, left her to her women and
+retired to his own quarters greatly disturbed.
+
+The Duc de Guise having got out of the park, hardly knowing what he was
+doing being in such a state of turmoil, put several leagues between
+himself and Champigny, but could go no further without news of the
+Princess. He stopped in the forest and sent his squire to find out from
+the Comte de Chabannes what had happened. The squire found no trace of
+Chabannes but was told by others that the Princess was seriously ill.
+The Duc's inquietude was increased by what the squire had told him, but
+as he could do nothing he was constrained to go back to his uncle's in
+order not to raise suspicions by too long an absence.
+
+The Duc's squire had been correct when he said that the Princess was
+seriously ill, for as soon as her women had put her to bed she was
+seized by a violent fever with horrible phantasies, so that by the
+second day her life was despaired of. The Prince pretended that he
+himself was ill so that no one should be surprised that he did not
+visit his wife's room. The order which he received to return to the
+Court, to which all the Catholic princes were being recalled in
+preparation for the massacre of the Huguenots, relieved him of his
+embarrassment. He went off to Paris without knowing what he had to hope
+or fear about his wife's illness. He had hardly arrived there when the
+assault on the Huguenots was signalised by the attack on admiral de
+Chatillon. Two days later came the disgraceful massacre, now so well
+known throughout Europe.
+
+The poor Comte de Chabannes who had gone to hide himself away in one of
+the outer suburbs of Paris to abandon himself to his misery was caught
+up in the ruin of the Huguenots. The people to whose house he had
+retired, having recognised him, and having recalled that he had once
+been suspected of being of that persuasion, murdered him on the same
+night which was fatal to so many people. The next day the Prince de
+Montpensier, who was in that area on duty, passed along the street
+where the body of the Comte lay. He was at first shocked by this
+pitiful sight and, recalling his past friendship, was grieved; but then
+the memory of the offence, which he believed the Comte had committed,
+made him feel pleased that he had been avenged by the hand of chance.
+
+The Duc de Guise who had used the opportunity of the massacre to take
+ample revenge for the death of his father, gradually took less and less
+interest in the condition of the Princess of Montpensier; and having
+met the Marquise de Noirmoutier, a woman of wit and beauty, and one who
+promised more than the Princess de Montpensier, he attached himself to
+her, an attachment which lasted a lifetime.
+
+The Princess's illness reached a crisis and then began to remit. She
+recovered her senses and was somewhat relieved by the absence of her
+husband. She was expected to live, but her health recovered very slowly
+because of her low spirits, which were further depressed by the
+realisation that she had received no news of the Duc de Guise during
+all her illness. She asked her women if they had not seen anyone, if
+they had not had any letters, and finding that there had been nothing,
+she saw herself as the most wretched of women, one who had risked all
+for a man who had abandoned her. A fresh blow was the news of the death
+of the Comte de Chabannes, which her husband made sure she heard about
+as soon as possible. The ingratitude of the Duc de Guise made her feel
+even more deeply the loss of a man whose fidelity she knew so well.
+These disappointments weighed heavily upon her and reduced her to a
+state as serious as that from which she had recently recovered. Madame
+de Noirmoutier was a woman who took as much care to publicise her
+affairs as others do to conceal them. Her relations with the Duc de
+Guise were so open that, even though far away and ill, the Princess
+heard so much about it that she was left in no doubt. This was the
+final straw. She had lost the regard of her husband, the heart of her
+lover, and the most loyal of her friends. She took to her bed, and died
+not long after in the flower of her youth. She was one of the loveliest
+of women and could have been one of the happiest if she had not strayed
+so far from the path of prudence and virtue.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Princess of Montpensier, by
+Madame de La Fayette
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+<HEAD>
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+<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
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+<TITLE>
+The Project Gutenberg E-text of The Princess de Montpensier,
+by Madame de La Fayette
+</TITLE>
+
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+BODY { color: Black;
+       background: White;
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+P {text-indent: 4% }
+
+P.noindent {text-indent: 0% }
+
+P.poem {text-indent: 0%;
+        margin-left: 10%;
+        font-size: small }
+
+P.letter {font-size: small ;
+          margin-left: 10% ;
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+
+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's The Princess of Montpensier, by Madame de La Fayette
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Princess of Montpensier
+
+Author: Madame de La Fayette
+
+Posting Date: November 5, 2008 [EBook #2365]
+Release Date: October, 2000
+[Last updated: December 1, 2011]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER ***
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<BR><BR>
+
+<H1 ALIGN="center">
+The Princess de Montpensier
+</H1>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+by
+</H3>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+Mme. de Lafayette
+</H3>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+Introduction
+<BR><BR>
+By
+<BR><BR>
+Oliver C. Colt
+</H3>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P>
+This story was written by Madame de Lafayette and published anonymously
+in 1662. It is set in a period almost 100 years previously during the
+sanguinary wars of the counter-reformation, when the Catholic rulers of
+Europe, with the encouragement of the Papacy, were bent on extirpating
+the followers of the creeds of Luther and Calvin. I am not qualified to
+embark on a historical analysis, and shall do no more than say that
+many of the persons who are involved in the tale actually existed, and
+the events referred to actually took place. The weak and vicious King
+and his malign and unscrupulous mother are real enough, as is a Duc de
+Montpensier, a Prince of the Blood, who achieved some notoriety for the
+cruelty with which he treated any Huguenots who fell into his hands,
+and for the leadership he gave to the assassins during the atrocious
+massacre of St. Bartholomew's day.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+He was married and had progeny, but the woman to whom he was married
+was not the heroine of this romance, who is a fictional character, as
+is the Comte de Chabannes.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc de Guise of the period whose father had been killed fighting
+against the Protestants, did marry the Princess de Portein, but this
+was for political reasons and not to satisfy the wishes of a Princess
+de Montpensier.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+It will be noticed, I think, that women were traded in marriage with
+little or no regard to their personal emotions, and no doubt, as has
+been remarked by others, marriages without love encouraged love outside
+marriage. Whatever the reality, the literary conventions of the time
+seem to have dictated that we should be treated only to ardent glances,
+fervent declarations, swoonings and courtly gestures; we are not led
+even to the bedroom door, let alone the amorous couch. I wonder,
+however, if the reader might not think that this little tale written
+more than three hundred years ago contains the elements of many of the
+romantic novels and soap operas which have followed it.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+At one level it is a cautionary tale about the consequences of marital
+infidelity; at another it is a story of a woman betrayed, treated as a
+pretty bauble for the gratification of men, and cast aside when she has
+served her purpose, or a butterfly trapped in a net woven by uncaring
+fate. Her end is rather too contrived for modern taste, but, even
+today, characters who are about to be written out of the plot in soap
+operas are sometimes smitten by mysterious and fatal disorders of the
+brain.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The unfortunate Comte de Chabannes is the archetypical "decent chap,"
+the faithful but rejected swain who sacrifices himself for the welfare
+of his beloved without expectation of reward. In the hands of another
+writer, with some modification, he could have provided a happy ending
+in the "Mills and Boon" tradition.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+This translation is not a schoolroom exercise, for although I have not
+altered the story, I have altered the exact way in which it is told in
+the original, with the aim of making it more acceptable to the modern
+reader. All translation must involve paraphrase, for what sounds well
+in one language may sound ridiculous if translated literally into
+another, and it is for the translator to decide how far this process
+may be carried. Whether I have succeeded in my task, only the reader
+can say.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<H1 ALIGN="center">
+The Princess de Montpensier
+</H1>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+By
+</H3>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+Madame de Lafayette
+</H3>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+Translated by Oliver C. Colt
+</H3>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+Mézières
+</H3>
+
+<P>
+It was while the civil war of religion was tearing France apart that
+the only daughter of the Marquis of Mézières, a very considerable
+heiress, both because of her wealth and the illustrious house of Anjou
+from which she was descended, was promised in marriage to the Duc de
+Maine, the younger brother of the Duc de Guise.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The marriage was delayed because of the youth of this heiress, but the
+elder of the brothers, the Duc de Guise, who saw much of her, and who
+saw also the burgeoning of what was to become a great beauty, fell in
+love with her and was loved in return. They concealed their feelings
+with great care; the Duc de Guise, who had not yet become as ambitious
+as he was to become later, wanted desperately to marry her, but fear of
+angering his uncle, the Cardinal de Lorraine, who had taken the place
+of his dead father, prevented him from making any declaration.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+This was how the matter stood when the ruling house of Bourbon, who
+could not bear to see any benefit accruing to that of de Guise, decided
+to step in and reap the profit themselves by marrying this heiress to
+the Prince de Montpensier.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+This project was pursued with such vigour that the parents of Mlle. de
+Mézières, despite the promises given to the Cardinal de Lorraine,
+resolved to give her in marriage to the young Prince. The house of de
+Guise was much displeased at this, but the Duc himself was overcome by
+grief, and regarded this as an insupportable affront. In spite of
+warnings from his uncles, the Cardinal and the Duc de Aumale&mdash;who did
+not wish to stand in the way of something which they could not
+prevent&mdash;he expressed himself with so much violence, even in the
+presence of the Prince de Montpensier, that a mutual enmity arose
+between them which lasted all their lives.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Mlle. de Mézières, urged by her parents to marry the Prince, realised
+that it was impossible for her to marry the Duc de Guise, and that if
+she married his brother, the Duc de Maine, she would be in the
+dangerous position of having as a brother-in-law a man whom she wished
+was her husband; so she agreed finally to marry the Prince and begged
+the Duc de Guise not to continue to place any obstacle in the way.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The marriage having taken place, the Prince de Montpensier took her off
+to his estate of Champigny, which was where Princes of his family
+usually lived, in order to remove her from Paris, where it seemed that
+an outbreak of fighting was imminent: this great city being under
+threat of siege by a Huguenot army led by the Prince de Condé, who had
+once more declared war on the King.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Prince de Montpensier had, when a very young man, formed a close
+friendship with the Comte de Chabannes, a man considerably older than
+himself and of exemplary character. The Comte in turn had been so much
+influenced by the esteem and friendship of the Prince that he had
+broken off influential connections which he had with the Prince de
+Condé, and had declared for the Catholics; a change of sides which,
+having no other foundation, was regarded with suspicion: so much so
+that the Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici, on the declaration of war
+by the Huguenots, proposed to have him imprisoned. The Prince de
+Montpensier prevented this and carried him away to Champigny when he
+went there with his wife. The Comte being a very pleasant, amiable man
+soon gained the approbation of the Princess and before long she
+regarded him with as much friendship and confidence as did her husband.
+Chabannes, for his part, observed with admiration the beauty, sense and
+modesty of the young Princess, and used what influence he had to
+instill in her thoughts and behaviour suited to her elevated position;
+so that under his guidance she became one of the most accomplished
+women of her time.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Prince having gone back to the Court, where he was needed owing to
+the continuation of the war, the Comte lived alone with the Princess
+and continued to treat her with the respect due to her rank and
+position. The Princess took him so far into her confidence as to tell
+him of the feelings she had once had for the Duc de Guise, but she
+intimated that there remained only enough of this emotion to prevent
+her heart from straying elsewhere and that this remnant, together with
+her wifely virtue made it impossible for her to respond, except with a
+rebuff, to any possible suitor.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Comte who recognised her sincerity and who saw in her a character
+wholly opposed to flirtation and gallantry, did not doubt the truth of
+her words; but nevertheless he was unable to resist all the charms
+which he saw daily so close to him. He fell deeply in love with the
+Princess, in spite of the shame he felt at allowing himself to be
+overcome by this illicit passion. However although not master of his
+heart, he was master of his actions; the change in his emotions did not
+show at all in his behaviour, and no one suspected him. He took, for a
+whole year, scrupulous care to hide his feelings from the Princess and
+believed that he would always be able to do so.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Love, however, had the same effect on him as it does on everyone, he
+longed to speak of it, and after all the struggles which are usually
+made on such occasions, he dared to tell her of his devotion. He had
+been prepared to weather the storm of reproach which this might arouse,
+but he was greeted with a calm and a coolness which was a thousand
+times worse than the outburst which he had expected. She did not take
+the trouble to be angry. She pointed out in a few words the difference
+in their rank and ages, she reminded him of what she had previously
+said about her attitude to suitors and above all to the duty he owed to
+the confidence and friendship of the Prince her husband. The Comte was
+overwhelmed by shame and distress. She tried to console him by assuring
+him that she would forget entirely what he had just said to her and
+would always look on him as her best friend; assurances which were
+small consolation to the Comte as one might imagine. He felt the
+disdain which was implicit in all that the Princess had said, and
+seeing her the next day with her customary untroubled looks redoubled
+his misery.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Princess continued to show him the same goodwill as before and even
+discussed her former attachment to the Duc de Guise, saying that she
+was pleased that his increasing fame showed that he was worthy of the
+affection she had once had for him. These demonstrations of confidence,
+which were once so dear to the Comte, he now found insupportable, but
+he did not dare say as much to the Princess, though he did sometimes
+remind her of what he had so rashly confessed to her.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+After an absence of two years, peace having been declared, the Prince
+de Montpensier returned to his wife, his renown enhanced by his
+behaviour at the siege of Paris and the battle of St. Denis. He was
+surprised to find the beauty of the Princess blooming in such
+perfection, and being of a naturally jealous disposition he was a
+little put out of humour by the realisation that this beauty would be
+evident to others beside himself. He was delighted to see once more the
+Comte, for whom his affection was in no way diminished. He asked him
+for confidential details about his wife's character and temperament,
+for she was almost a stranger to him because of the little time during
+which they had lived together. The Comte, with the utmost sincerity, as
+if he himself were not enamoured, told the Prince everything he knew
+about the Princess which would encourage her husband's love of her, and
+he also suggested to Madame de Montpensier all the measures she might
+take to win the heart and respect of her spouse. The Comte's devotion
+led him to think of nothing but what would increase the happiness and
+well-being of the Princess and to forget without difficulty the interest
+which lovers usually have in stirring up trouble between the objects of
+their affection and their marital partners.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The peace was only short-lived. War soon broke out again by reason of a
+plot by the King to arrest the Prince de Condé and Admiral Chatillon at
+Noyers. As a result of the military preparations the Prince de
+Montpensier was forced to leave his wife and report for duty.
+Chabannes, who had been restored to the Queen's favour, went with him.
+It was not without much sorrow that he left the Princess, while she,
+for her part, was distressed to think of the perils to which the war
+might expose her husband.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The leaders of the Huguenots retired to La Rochelle. They held
+Poitou and Saintongne; the war flared up again and the King assembled
+all his troops. His brother, the Duc d'Anjou, who later became Henri
+III, distinguished himself by his deeds in various actions, amongst
+others the battle of Jarnac, in which the Prince de Condé was killed.
+It was during this fighting that the Duc de Guise began to play a more
+important part and to display some of the great qualities which had
+been expected of him. The Prince de Montpensier, who hated him, not
+only as a personal enemy but as an enemy of his family, the Bourbons,
+took no pleasure in his successes nor in the friendliness shown toward
+him by the Duc d'Anjou.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+After the two armies had tired themselves out in a series of minor
+actions, by common consent they were stood down for a time. The Duc
+d'Anjou stayed at Loches to restore to order all the places which had
+been attacked. The Duc de Guise stayed with him and the Prince de
+Montpensier, accompanied by the Comte de Chabannes, went back to
+Champigny, which was not far away.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc d'Anjou frequently went to inspect places where fortifications
+were being constructed. One day when he was returning to Loches by a
+route which his staff did not know well, the Duc de Guise, who claimed
+to know the way, went to the head of the party to act as guide, but
+after a time he became lost and arrived at the bank of a small river
+which he did not recognise. The Duc d'Anjou had a few words to say to
+him for leading them astray, but while they were held up there they saw
+a little boat floating on the river, in which&mdash;the river not being very
+wide&mdash;they could see the figures of three or four women, one of whom,
+very pretty and sumptuously dressed, was watching with interest the
+activities of two men who were fishing nearby.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+This spectacle created something of a sensation amongst the Princes and
+their suite. It seemed to them like an episode from a romance. Some
+declared that it was fate that had led the Duc de Guise to bring them
+there to see this lovely lady, and that they should now pay court to
+her. The Duc d'Anjou maintained that it was he who should be her suitor.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+To push the matter a bit further, they made one of the horsemen go into
+the river as far as he could and shout to the lady that it was the Duc
+d'Anjou who wished to cross to the other bank and who begged the lady
+to take him in her boat. The lady, who was of course the Princess de
+Montpensier, hearing that it was the Duc d'Anjou, and having no doubt
+when she saw the size of his suite that it was indeed him, took her
+boat over to the bank where he was. His fine figure made him easily
+distinguishable from the others; she, however, distinguished even more
+easily the figure of the Duc de Guise. This sight disturbed her and
+caused her to blush a little which made her seem to the Princes to have
+an almost supernatural beauty.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc de Guise recognised her immediately in spite of the changes
+which had taken place in her appearance in the three years since he had
+last seen her. He told the Duc d'Anjou who she was and the Duc was at
+first embarrassed at the liberty he had taken, but then, struck by the
+Princess's beauty, he decided to venture a little further, and after a
+thousand excuses and a thousand compliments he invented a serious
+matter which required his presence on the opposite bank, and accepted
+the offer which she made of a passage in her boat. He got in,
+accompanied only by the Duc de Guise, giving orders to his suite to
+cross the river elsewhere and to join him at Champigny, which Madame de
+Montpensier told him was not more than two leagues from there.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+As soon as they were in the boat the Duc d'Anjou asked to what they
+owed this so pleasant encounter. Madame de Montpensier replied that
+having left Champigny with the Prince her husband with the intention of
+following the hunt, she had become tired and having reached the river
+bank she had gone out in the boat to watch the landing of a salmon
+which had been caught in a net. The Duc de Guise did not take part in
+this conversation, but he was conscious of the re-awakening of all the
+emotions which the Princess had once aroused in him, and thought to
+himself that he would have difficulty in escaping from this meeting
+without falling once more under her spell.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+They arrived shortly at the bank where they found the Princess's horses
+and her attendants who had been waiting for her. The two noblemen
+helped her onto her horse where she sat with the greatest elegance.
+During their journey back to Champigny they talked agreeably about a
+number of subjects and her companions were no less charmed by her
+conversation than they had been by her beauty. They offered her a
+number of compliments to which she replied with becoming modesty, but a
+little more coolly to those from M. de Guise, for she wished to
+maintain a distance which would prevent him from founding any
+expectations on the feelings she had once had towards him.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+When they arrived at the outer courtyard of Champigny they encountered
+the Prince de Montpensier, who had just returned from the hunt. He was
+greatly astonished to see two men in the company of his wife, and he
+was even more astonished when, on coming closer, he saw that these were
+the Duc d'Anjou and the Duc de Guise. The hatred which he bore for the
+latter, combined with his naturally jealous disposition made him find
+the sight of these two Princes with his wife, without knowing how they
+came to be there or why they had come to his house, so disagreeable
+that he was unable to conceal his annoyance. He, however, adroitly put
+this down to a fear that he could not receive so mighty a Prince as the
+King's brother in a style befitting his rank. The Comte de Chabannes
+was even more upset at seeing the Duc de Guise and Madame de
+Montpensier together than was her husband, it seemed to him a most evil
+chance which had brought the two of them together again, an augury
+which foretold disturbing sequels to follow this new beginning.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In the evening Madame de Montpensier acted as hostess with the same
+grace with which she did everything. In fact she pleased her guests a
+little too much. The Duc d'Anjou who was very handsome and very much a
+ladies man, could not see a prize so much worth winning without wishing
+ardently to make it his own. He had a touch of the same sickness as the
+Duc de Guise, and continuing to invent important reasons, he stayed for
+two days at Champigny, without being obliged to do so by anything but
+the charms of Madame de Montpensier, for her husband did not make any
+noticeable effort to detain him. The Duc de Guise did not leave without
+making it clear to Madame de Momtpensier that he felt towards her as he
+had done in the past. As nobody knew of this former relationship he
+said to her several times, in front of everybody, that his affections
+were in no way changed. A remark which only she understood.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Both he and the Duc d'Anjou left Champigny with regret. For a long time
+they went along in silence; but at last it occurred to the Duc d'Anjou
+that the reflections which occupied his thoughts might be echoed in the
+mind of the Duc de Guise, and he asked him brusquely if he was thinking
+about the beauties of Madame de Montpensier. This blunt question
+combined with what he had already observed of the Prince's behaviour
+made the Duc realise that he had a rival from whom it was essential
+that his own love for the Princess should be concealed. In order to
+allay all suspicion he answered with a laugh that the Prince himself
+had seemed so preoccupied with the thoughts which he was accused of
+having that he had deemed it inadvisable to interrupt him; the beauty
+of Madame de Montpensier was, he said, nothing new to him, he had been
+used to discounting its effect since the days when she was destined to
+be his sister-in-law, but he saw that not everyone was so little
+dazzled. The Duc d'Anjou admitted that he had never seen anyone to
+compare with this young Princess and that he was well aware that the
+vision might be dangerous if he was exposed to it too often. He tried
+to get the Duc de Guise to confess that he felt the same, but the Duc
+would admit to nothing.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+On their return to Loches they often recalled with pleasure the events
+which had led to their meeting with the Princess de Montpensier, a
+subject which did not give rise to the same pleasure at Champigny. The
+Prince de Montpensier was dissatisfied with all that had happened
+without being able to say precisely why. He found fault with his wife
+for being in the boat. He considered that she had welcomed the Princes
+too readily; and what displeased him most was that he had noticed the
+attention paid to her by the Duc de Guise. This had provoked in him a
+furious bout of jealousy in which he recalled the anger displayed by
+the Duc at the prospect of his marriage, which caused him to suspect
+that even at that time the Duc was in love with his wife. The Comte de
+Chabannes as usual made every effort to act as peacemaker, hoping in
+this way to show the Princess that his devotion to her was sincere and
+disinterested. He could not resist asking her what effect the sight of
+the Duc de Guise had produced. She replied that she had been somewhat
+upset and embarrassed at the memory of the feelings she had once
+displayed to him; she found him more handsome than he had been then and
+it had seemed to her that he wished to persuade her that he still loved
+her, but she assured the Comte that nothing would shake her
+determination not to become involved in any intrigue. The Comte was
+happy to hear of this resolve, but he was far from being sure about the
+Duc de Guise. He earnestly warned the Princess of the danger of a
+return to the previous situation should she have any change of heart,
+though when he spoke of his devotion she adopted her invariable
+attitude of looking on him as her closest friend but in no way a
+possible suitor.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The armies were once more called up; all the Princes returned to their
+posts and the Prince de Montpensier decided that his wife should come
+with him to Paris so as to be further from the area where it was
+expected that fighting would take place. The Huguenots besieged
+Poitiers. The Duc de Guise went there to organise the defence and,
+while there, enhanced his reputation by his conduct. The Duc d'Anjou
+suffered from some illness, and left the army either on account of the
+severity of this or because he wanted to return to the comfort and
+security of Paris, where the presence of the Princess de Montpensier
+was not the least of the attractions. The command of the army was taken
+over by the Prince de Montpensier, and shortly after this, a peace
+having been arranged, the Court assembled in Paris. Here the beauty of
+the Princess eclipsed that of all her rivals. She charmed everyone by
+her looks and personality. The Duc d'Anjou did not abandon the
+sentiments she had inspired in him at Champigny, he took great care to
+make her aware of this by all sorts of delicate considerations, being
+careful at the same time not to make his attentions too obvious for
+fear of arousing the jealousy of her husband. The Duc de Guise was now
+fervently in love with her, but wishing, for a variety of reasons, to
+keep this secret, he resolved to tell her so privately and avoid any
+preliminaries which, as always, would give rise to talk and exposure.
+One day when he was in the Queen's apartments where there were very few
+people, the Queen having left to discuss affairs of state with Cardinal
+de Lorraine, the Princess de Montpensier arrived. He decided to take
+this opportunity to speak to her, and going up to her he said,
+"Although it may surprise and displease you, I want you to know that I
+have always felt for you that emotion which you once knew so well, and
+that its power has been so greatly increased by seeing you again that
+neither your disapproval, the hatred of your husband, nor the rivalry
+of the first Prince in the kingdom can in the least diminish it. It
+would perhaps have been more tactful to have let you become aware of
+this by my behaviour rather than by my words, but my behaviour would
+have been evident to others as well as to yourself and I wanted you
+alone to know of my love for you."
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Princess was so surprised and thrown into confusion by this speech
+that she could not think of an answer, then, just when she had
+collected her wits and begun to reply, the Prince de Montpensier
+entered the room. The Princess's face displayed her agitation, and her
+embarrassment was compounded by the sight of her husband, to such an
+extent that he was left in no doubt about what the Duc de Guise had
+been saying to her. Fortunately at that moment the Queen re-entered the
+room and the Duc de Guise moved away to avoid the jealous Prince.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+That evening the Princess found her husband in the worst temper
+imaginable. He berated her with the utmost violence and forbade her
+ever to speak to the Duc de Guise again. She retired to her room very
+sad and much preoccupied with the events of the day. She saw the Duc
+the next day amid the company around the Queen, but he did not come
+near her and left soon after she did, indicating that he had no
+interest in remaining if she was not there. Not a day passed without
+her receiving a thousand covert marks of the Duc's passion though he
+did not attempt to speak to her unless he was sure that they could be
+seen by nobody.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Convinced of the Duc's sincerity, the Princess, in spite of the
+resolution she had made at Champigny, began to feel in the depths of
+her heart something of what she had felt in the past.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc d'Anjou for his part, omitted nothing which could demonstrate
+his devotion in all the places where he could meet her. In the Queen
+his mother's apartments he followed her about continually, completely
+ignoring his sister who was very fond of him. It was at around this
+time that it became evident that this sister, who later became the
+Queen of Navarre, had a liking for the Duc de Guise, and another thing
+that became evident was a cooling of the friendship between that Duc
+and the Duc d'Anjou. The rumour linking the name of the Royal Princess
+with that of the Duc de Guise disturbed the Princess de Montpensier to
+a degree which surprised her, and made her realise that she was more
+interested in the Duc than she had supposed.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Now it so happened that her father-in-law, M. de Montpensier, married a
+sister of the Duc de Guise, and the princess was bound to meet the Duc
+frequently in the various places where the marriage celebrations
+required their presence. She was greatly offended that a man who was
+widely believed to be in love with "Madame", the King's sister, should
+dare to make advances to her; she was not only offended but distressed
+at having deceived herself.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+One day, when they met at his sister's house, being a little separated
+from the rest, the Duc was tempted to speak to her, but she interrupted
+him sharply saying angrily "I do not understand how, on the basis of a
+weakness which one had at the age of thirteen, you have the audacity to
+make amorous proposals to a person like me, particularly when, in the
+view of the whole Court, you are interested in someone else." The Duc
+who was intelligent as well as being much in love, understood the
+emotion which underlay the Princess's words. He answered her most
+respectfully, "I confess, Madame, that it was wrong of me not to reject
+the possible honour of becoming the King's brother-in-law, rather than
+allow you to suspect for a moment that I could desire any heart but
+yours; but if you will be patient enough to hear me I am sure I can
+fully justify my behaviour." The Princess made no reply, but she did
+not go away and the Duc, seeing that she was prepared to listen to him,
+told her that although he had made no effort to attract the attention
+of Madame, she had nevertheless honoured him with her interest: as he
+was not enamoured of her he had responded very coolly to this honour
+until she gave him to believe that she might marry him. The realisation
+of the grandeur to which such a marriage would raise him had obliged
+him to take a little more trouble. This situation had aroused the
+suspicions of the King and the Duc d'Anjou, but the opposition of
+neither of them would have any effect on his course of action, however,
+if this displeased her he would abandon all such notions and never
+think of them again.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+This sacrifice which the Duc was prepared to make caused the Princess
+to forget all the anger she had shown. She changed the subject and
+began to speak of the indiscretion displayed by Madame in making the
+first advances and of the considerable advantages which he would gain
+if he married her. In the end, without saying anything kind to the Duc
+de Guise, she made him recall a thousand things he had found so
+pleasing in Mlle. de Mézières. Although they had not had private
+conversation for a long time, they found themselves attuned to one
+another, and their thoughts went along a track which they both had
+travelled in the past. At the end of this agreeable meeting the Duc was
+left in a state of considerable happiness, and the Princess was not a
+little moved to think that he truly loved her. However, in the privacy
+of her room she became ashamed of the ease with which she had accepted
+the Duc's excuses and reflected on the trouble into which she might be
+plunged if she engaged in something she had always regarded with
+distaste and on the frightening misery which a jealous husband might
+inflict on her. These thoughts made her adopt new resolves, but they
+disappeared the next day on the sight of the Duc de Guise.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The new alliance between their families gave the Duc many opportunities
+to speak to her. He gave her an exact account of all that passed
+between Madame and himself. He had difficulty in allaying the jealousy
+to which the beauty of Madame gave rise and any number of promises
+failed to reassure her. This jealousy enabled the Princess to defend
+the remains of her heart against the advances of the Duc, who already
+had won the greater part of it.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The marriage of the King to the daughter of the Emperor Maximilian
+filled the Court with fêtes and celebrations. The King put on a ballet
+in which Madame and all the princesses were to dance; among them only
+the Princess de Montpensier could rival Madame in beauty. The Duc
+d'Anjou and four others were to make an appearance as Moors; their
+costumes would all be identical, as was usual in this sort of
+performance. On the first occasion on which the ballet was presented,
+the Duc de Guise, before the dance began and before he had donned his
+mask, said a few words to the Princess as he went past her. She saw
+clearly that the Prince her husband had noticed this, which made her
+feel uneasy. A little later, seeing the Duc d'Anjou in his mask and
+Moorish costume, who was coming to speak to her, she mistook him for
+the Duc de Guise and said to him "Do not have eyes for anyone but
+Madame this evening: I shall not be in the least jealous. I am ordering
+you. I am being watched. Do not come near me again." As soon as she had
+said this she moved away.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc d'Anjou stood there thunderstruck. He saw that he had a
+successful rival: the reference to Madame made it obvious that this was
+the Duc de Guise, and left him in no doubt that his sister was to play
+second fiddle to the Princess de Montpensier. Jealousy, frustration and
+rage joining to the dislike which he already had for the Duc roused him
+to a violent fury; and he would have given there and then some bloody
+mark of his temper had not that dissimulation which came naturally to
+him prevented him from attacking the Duc de Guise in the present
+circumstances. He did not, however, refrain from the pleasure of
+disclosing his knowledge of this secret affair. He approached the Duc
+de Guise as they left the salon where they had been dancing and said to
+him "To presume to raise your eyes towards my sister, as well as
+stealing the affection of the woman I love is altogether too much. The
+presence of the King prevents me from taking any action just now, but
+remember that the loss of your life may be, one day, the least thing
+with which I shall punish your impertinence."
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The pride of the Duc de Guise was not accustomed to submit tamely to
+such threats, but he was unable to reply because at that moment the
+King called both of them to his side. He did not forget, however, and
+tried all his life to exact revenge.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+From that evening the Duc d'Anjou endeavoured in all sorts of ways to
+turn the King against the Duc de Guise. He persuaded the King that
+Madame would never agree to her proposed marriage to the King of
+Navarre as long as the Duc de Guise was allowed to have any contact
+with her; and that it was unacceptable that a subject, for his own vain
+purposes, should place an obstacle in the way of what could bring peace
+to France. The King already disliked the Duc de Guise and this speech
+inflamed his dislike so much that the next day when the Duc presented
+himself to join the ball at the Queen's apartments, he stood in the
+doorway and asked him brusquely where he was going. The Duc, without
+showing any surprise answered that he had come to offer his most humble
+services, to which the King replied that he had no need of any services
+which the Duc might provide, and turned away without any other
+acknowledgement. The Duc was not deterred from entering the room, his
+feelings incensed both against the King and the Duc d'Anjou. His
+natural pride led him, as an act of defiance, to pay more attention to
+Madame than usual, and what the Duc d'Anjou had told him prevented him
+from looking in the direction of the Princess de Montpensier.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc d'Anjou watched both of them with close attention. The
+Princess's expression, in spite of herself, showed some chagrin when
+the Duc de Guise spoke with Madame. The Duc d'Anjou who realised from
+what she had said to him, when she mistook him for the Duc de Guise,
+that she was jealous, hoped to cause trouble. He drew close to her and
+said, "It is in your interest and not in mine that I must tell you that
+the Duc de Guise does not deserve the choice you have made of him in
+preference to me, a choice which you cannot deny and of which I am well
+aware. He is deceiving you, Madame, and betraying you for my sister as
+he betrayed her for you. He is a man moved only by ambition, but since
+he has the good fortune to please you, that is enough; I shall not
+attempt to stand in the way of a felicity which without doubt I merit
+more than he. It would be undignified for me to persist in trying to
+gain the heart which is already possessed by another. It is bad enough
+to have attracted only your indifference and I would not like to have
+this replaced by dislike by wearying you with endless protestations of
+unwelcome devotion."
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc d'Anjou who was genuinely touched by love and sadness, was
+hardly able to complete this speech, and although he had begun in a
+spirit of spite and vengeance, he was so overcome when he thought of
+the Princess's beauty and of what he was losing by giving up all hope
+of being her lover, that without waiting for her reply he left the
+ball, saying that he felt unwell, and went home to nurse his grief.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Princess de Montpensier stayed there, upset and worried as one
+might imagine. To see her reputation and her secret in the hands of a
+suitor whom she had rejected and to learn from him that she was being
+deceived by her lover were not things which would put her in the right
+frame of mind for a place dedicated to enjoyment; she had, however, to
+remain where she was and later go to supper in the company of the
+Duchess de Montpensier, her mother-in-law.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc de Guise who had followed them to his sister's house, was dying
+to tell her what the Duc d'Anjou had said the day before, but to his
+astonishment when he did have the opportunity to speak to her, he was
+overwhelmed by reproaches which were tumbled out in such angry
+profusion that all he could gather was that he was accused of
+infidelity and treachery. Dismayed at finding himself in this unhappy
+situation when he had hoped for consolation, and being so much in love
+with the Princess that he could not bear to be unsure if he was loved
+in return, he took a sudden decision. "I shall lay your doubts at
+rest." He said. "I am going to do what all the royal power could not
+make me do. It will cost me my fortune but that is of little account if
+it makes you happy."
+</P>
+
+<P>
+He went straight from his sister's house to that of his uncle, the
+cardinal. He convinced him that having fallen into the King's
+disfavour, it was essential that it should be made quite clear that he
+would not marry Madame, so he asked for his marriage to be arranged
+with the Princess de Portien, a matter which had previously been
+discussed. The news of this was soon all over Paris and gave rise to
+much surprise. The princess de Montpensier was both happy and sad. Glad
+to see the power she had over the Duc, and sorry that she had caused
+him to abandon something so advantageous as marriage to Madame. The Duc
+who hoped that love would compensate him for his material loss, pressed
+the Princess to give him a private audience so that he could clear up
+the unjust accusations which she had made. He obtained this when she
+found herself at his sister's house at a time when his sister was not
+there and she was able to speak to him alone. The Duc took the
+opportunity to throw himself at her feet and describe all that he had
+suffered because of her suspicions, and though the Princess was unable
+to forget what the Duc d'Anjou had said to her, the behaviour of the
+Duc de Guise did much to reassure her. She told him exactly why she
+believed he had betrayed her which was because the Duc d'Anjou knew
+what he could only have learned from him. The Duc did not know how to defend
+himself and was as puzzled as she to guess what could have given away
+their secret: at last, while the Princess was remonstrating with him
+for giving up the idea of the advantageous marriage with Madame and
+rushing into that with the Princess de Portien, she said to him that he
+could have been certain that she would not be jealous since on the day
+of the ball she herself had told him to have eyes only for Madame. The
+Duc said that she might have intended to do so but that she certainly
+had not. She maintained that she had, and in the end they reached the
+correct conclusion that she herself, deceived by the resemblance of the
+costumes, had told the Duc d'Anjou what she accused the Duc de Guise of
+telling him. The Duc de Guise who had almost entirely returned to
+favour, did so completely as a result of this conversation. The
+Princess could not refuse her heart to a man who had possessed it in
+the past and had just made such a sacrifice to please her. She
+consented to accept his declaration and permitted him to believe that
+she was not unmoved by his passion. The arrival of the Duchess, her
+mother-in-law, put an end to this tête-à-tête, and prevented the Duc
+from demonstrating his transports of joy.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Some time later, the Court having gone to Blois, the marriage between
+the King of Navarre and Madame was celebrated. The Duc de Guise who
+wanted nothing more than the love of the Princess de Montpensier,
+enjoyed a ceremony which in other circumstances would have overwhelmed
+him with disappointment.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc was not able to conceal his love so well that the Prince de
+Montpensier did not suspect that something was going on, and being
+consumed by jealousy he ordered his wife to go to Champigny. This order
+was a great shock to her, but she had to obey: she found a way to say
+goodbye to the Duc de Guise privately but she found herself in great
+difficulty when it came to a means of providing a method whereby he
+could write to her. After much thought she decided to make use of the
+Comte de Chabannes, whom she always looked on as a friend without
+considering that he was in love with her. The Duc de Guise, who knew of
+the close friendship between the Comte and the Prince de Montpensier,
+was at first amazed at her choice of the Comte as a go-between, but she
+assured him of the Comte's fidelity with such conviction that he was
+eventually satisfied. He parted from her with all the unhappiness which
+such a separation can cause.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Comte de Chabannes, who had been ill in Paris while the Princess
+was at Blois, learning that she was going to Champigny arranged to meet
+her on the road and go with her. She greeted him with a thousand
+expressions of friendship and displayed an extraordinary impatience to
+talk to him in private, which at first delighted him. Judge his dismay
+when he found that this impatience was only to tell him that she was
+loved passionately by the Duc de Guise, a love which she returned. He
+was so distressed that he was unable to reply. The Princess, who was
+engrossed by her infatuation, took no notice of his silence. She began
+to tell him all the least details of the events, and how she and the
+Duc had agreed that he should be the means by which they could exchange
+letters. The thought that the woman he loved expected him to be of
+assistance to his rival, and made the proposal as if it was a thing he
+would find agreeable was bitterly hurtful, but he was so much in
+control of himself that he hid all his feelings from her and expressed
+only surprise at the change in her attitude. He hoped that this change
+which removed even the faintest hope from him would at the same time
+change his feelings, but he found the Princess so charming, her natural
+beauty having been enhanced by a certain grace which she had acquired
+at Court that he felt that he loved her more than ever. This remarkable
+devotion produced a remarkable effect. He agreed to carry his rival's
+letters to his beloved.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Princess was very despondent at the absence of the Duc de Guise,
+and could hope for solace only from his letters. She continually
+tormented the Comte de Chabannes to know if he had received any and
+almost blamed him for not having delivered one sooner. At last some
+arrived, brought by a gentleman in the Duc's service, which he took to
+her immediately so as not to delay her pleasure for a moment longer
+than necessary. The Princess was delighted to have them and tortured
+the poor Comte by reading them to him, as well as her tender and loving
+reply. He took this reply to the waiting courier even more sadly than
+he had made the delivery. He consoled himself a little by the
+reflection that the Princess would realise what he was doing for her
+and would show some recognition. Finding, however, that she daily
+treated him with less consideration, owing to the anxieties which
+preoccupied her, he took the liberty of begging her to think a little
+of the suffering she was causing him. The Princess who had nothing in
+her head but the Duc de Guise, was so irritated by this approach that
+she treated the Comte much worse than she had done on the first
+occasion when he had declared his love for her. Although his devotion
+and patience had stood so many trials, this was too much. He left the
+Princess and went to live with a friend who had a house in the
+neighbourhood, from where he wrote to her with all the bitterness that
+her behaviour had provoked and bid her an eternal adieu.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Princess began to repent having dealt so harshly with a man over
+whom she had so much influence, and being unwilling to lose him, not
+only on account of their past friendship, but also because of his vital
+role in the conduct of her affair, she sent a message to him to say
+that she wished to speak to him one more time and that afterwards she
+would leave him free to do as he pleased. One is very vulnerable when
+one is in love. The Comte came back, and in less than an hour the
+beauty of the Princess, her charm and a few kind words made him more
+submissive than ever, and he even gave her some letters from the Duc de
+Guise which he had just received.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+At this time there was a scheme afoot in the Court to attract there all
+the leaders of the Huguenots, with the secret aim of including them in
+the horrible massacre of St. Bartholomew's day. As part of this attempt
+to lull them into a false sense of security, the King dismissed from
+his presence all the princes of the houses of Bourbon and de Guise. The
+Prince de Montpensier returned to Champigny, to the utter dismay of his
+wife, the Duc de Guise went to the home of his uncle, the Cardinal de
+Lorraine.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Love and idleness induced in him such a violent desire to see the
+Princess de Montpensier that without considering the risks to her and
+to himself he made some excuse to travel and leaving his suite in a
+small town he took with him only the gentleman who had already made
+several trips to Champigny, and went there by post-chaise. As he knew
+no one whom he could approach but the Comte de Chabannes, he had the
+gentleman write a note requesting a meeting at a certain spot. The
+Comte, believing that this was solely for the purpose of receiving
+letters from the Duc de Guise went there, but was most surprised to see
+the Duc himself and equally dismayed. The Duc, full of his own plans,
+took no more notice of the Comte's dismay than had the Princess of his
+silence when she told him of her amour. He described his passion in
+florid terms and claimed that he would infallibly die if the Princess
+could not be persuaded to see him. The Comte replied coldly that he
+would tell the Princess all that the Duc wanted to convey and would
+return with her response. He then went back to Champigny with his own
+emotions in such a turmoil that he hardly knew what he was doing. He
+thought of sending the Duc away without saying anything to the
+Princess, but the faithfulness with which he had promised to serve her
+soon put an end to that idea. He arrived without knowing what he should
+do, and finding that the Prince was out hunting, he went straight to
+the Princess's apartment. She saw that he was distressed and dismissed
+her women in order to find out what troubled him. He told her, as
+calmly as he could, that the Duc de Guise was a league distant and that
+he wanted passionately to see her. The Princess gave a cry at this news
+and her confusion was almost as great as that of the Comte. At first
+she was full of joy at the thought of seeing the man she loved so
+tenderly, but when she considered how much this was against her
+principles, and that she could not see her lover without introducing
+him into her home during the night and without her husband's knowledge,
+she found herself in the utmost difficulty. The Comte awaited her reply
+as if it were a matter of life or death. Realising that her silence
+indicated her uncertainty, he took the liberty of presenting to her all
+the perils to which she would be exposed by such a meeting, and wishing
+to make it clear that he was not doing this in his own interest, he
+said that if, in spite of all that he had said she was determined to
+see the Duc, rather than see her seek for aid from helpers less
+faithful than himself, he would bring the Duc to her. "Yes Madame," he
+said, "I shall go and find the Duc and bring him to your apartment, for
+it is too dangerous to leave him for long where he is."
+</P>
+
+<P>
+"But how can this be done?" interrupted the Princess.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+"Ha! Madame," cried the Comte, "It is then decided, since you speak
+only of the method. I shall lead him through the park; only order one
+of your maids whom you can trust to lower, exactly at midnight, the
+little drawbridge which leads from your antechamber to the flower
+garden and leave the rest to me." Having said this he rose and without
+waiting for any further comment from the Princess, he left, remounted
+his horse and went to look for the Duc de Guise, who was waiting for
+him with the greatest impatience.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Princess remained in such a state of confusion that it was some
+time before she came to her senses. Her first thought was to send
+someone after the Comte to tell him not to bring the Duc, but she could
+not bring herself to do so. She then thought that failing this she had
+only not to have the drawbridge lowered, and she believed that she
+would continue with this resolve, but when the hour of the assignation
+drew near she was no longer able to resist the desire to see the lover
+whom she longed for, and she gave instructions to one of her women on
+the method by which the Duc was to be introduced into her apartment.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Meanwhile the Duc and the Comte were approaching Champigny, but in very
+differing frames of mind. The Duc was full of joy and all the happiness
+of expectation. The Comte was in a mood of despair and anger, which
+tempted him at times to run his sword through his rival. They at last
+reached the park, where they left their horses in the care of the Duc's
+squire, and passing through a gap in the wall they came to the flower
+garden. The Comte had always retained some hope that the Princess would
+come to her senses and resolve not to see the Duc, but when he saw that
+the drawbridge was lowered he realised that his hope was in vain. He
+was tempted to take some desperate measure, but he was aware that any
+noise would be heard by the Prince de Montpensier whose rooms looked
+out onto the same flower-garden, and that all the subsequent disorder
+would fall on the head of the one he loved most. He calmed himself and
+led the Duc to the presence of the Princess. Although the Princess
+signaled that she would like him to stay in the room during the
+interview, he was unwilling to do so, and retired to a little passage
+which ran alongside the Princess's apartment, a prey to the saddest
+thoughts which could afflict a disappointed lover.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Now, although they had made very little noise while crossing the
+bridge, the Prince de Montpensier was awake and heard it. He made one
+of his servants get up and go to see what it was. The servant put his
+head out of the window and in the darkness he could make out that the
+drawbridge was lowered. He told his master who then ordered him to go
+into the park and find out what was going on. A moment later he got up
+himself, being disturbed by what he thought he had heard, that is,
+footsteps on the bridge leading to his wife's quarters.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+As he was going towards the little passage where the Comte was waiting,
+the Princess who was somewhat embarrassed at being alone with the Duc
+de Guise, asked the latter several times to come into the room. He
+refused to do so and as she continued to press him and as he was
+furiously angry he answered her so loudly that he was heard by the
+Prince de Montpensier, but so indistinctly that the Prince heard only a
+man's voice without being able to recognise it as that of the Comte.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+These events would have infuriated a character more placid and less
+jealous than the Prince de Montpensier. He hurled himself against the
+door, calling for it to be opened, and cruelly surprising the Princess,
+the Duc de Guise and the Comte de Chabannes. This last, hearing the
+Prince's voice, saw immediately that it was impossible to prevent him
+from believing that there was someone in his wife's room, and that he
+was in such a state that if he found that it was the Duc de Guise he
+might kill him before the eyes of the Princess and that even her life
+might be at risk. He decided, in an act of extraordinary generosity, to
+sacrifice himself to save a successful rival and an ungrateful mistress.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+While the Prince was battering on the door, he went to the Duc, who had
+no idea what to do, put him in the care of the woman who had arranged
+his entry by the bridge and told her to show him the way out. Scarcely
+had he left when the Prince having broken down the door entered the
+room like a man possessed. However when he saw only the Comte de
+Chabannes, motionless, leaning on a table with a look of infinite
+sadness on his face, he stopped short. The astonishment of finding his
+best friend alone at night in his wife's room deprived him of speech.
+The Princess had collapsed onto some cushions and never perhaps has
+fate put three people in a more unhappy position. At last the Prince
+made an attempt to make sense of the chaos before his eyes. He
+addressed the Comte in a tone of voice which still had some
+friendliness, "What is this I see?" he said, "Is it possible that a man
+I love so dearly has chosen among all other women to seduce my wife?
+And you, Madame," he said, turning to his wife, "Was it not enough to
+deprive me of your love and my honour without depriving me of the one
+man who could have consoled me in such circumstances? Answer me, one of
+you," he said to them, "And explain this affair, which I cannot believe
+is what it seems." The Princess was incapable of replying and the Comte
+opened his mouth once or twice but was unable to speak.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+"You see me as a criminal," he said at last. "And unworthy of the
+friendship you have shown me; but the situation is not what you may
+think it is. I am more unhappy than you and more despairing. I do not
+know how to tell you more than that. My death would avenge you, and if
+you were to kill me now you would be doing me a favour." These words,
+spoken with an air of the deepest sorrow, and in a manner which
+declared his innocence instead of enlightening the Prince confirmed him
+in the view that something mysterious was going on which he did not
+understand. His unhappiness was increased by this uncertainty. "Kill me
+yourself," he said. "Or give me some explanation of your words for I
+can understand nothing. You owe it to my friendship, you owe it to my
+restraint, for anyone but me would have already taken your life to
+avenge such an affront."
+</P>
+
+<P>
+"The appearances are wholly misleading," interrupted the Comte.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+"Ah! It is too much. I must be avenged and clear things up later," said
+the Prince, advancing towards the Comte like a man carried away by
+rage. The Princess, fearing bloodshed, (which was not possible as her
+husband did not have a sword) placed herself between the two of them
+and fell fainting at her husband's feet. The Prince was even more
+affected by this than he was by the calmness of the Comte when he
+confronted him, and as if he could no longer bear the sight of those
+two people who had caused him such distress, he turned away and fell on
+his wife's bed, overcome by grief. The Comte de Chabannes, filled with
+remorse at having abused the friendship of which he had had so many
+marks, and believing that he could never atone for what he had done,
+left the room abruptly and passing through the Princess's apartment
+where he found all the doors open, he went down to the courtyard. He
+had a horse brought to him and rode off into the country led only by
+his feelings of hopelessness. The Prince de Montpensier, seeing that
+his wife did not recover from her faint, left her to her women and
+retired to his own quarters greatly disturbed.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc de Guise having got out of the park, hardly knowing what he was
+doing being in such a state of turmoil, put several leagues between
+himself and Champigny, but could go no further without news of the
+Princess. He stopped in the forest and sent his squire to find out from
+the Comte de Chabannes what had happened. The squire found no trace of
+Chabannes but was told by others that the Princess was seriously ill.
+The Duc's inquietude was increased by what the squire had told him, but
+as he could do nothing he was constrained to go back to his uncle's in
+order not to raise suspicions by too long an absence.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc's squire had been correct when he said that the Princess was
+seriously ill, for as soon as her women had put her to bed she was
+seized by a violent fever with horrible phantasies, so that by the
+second day her life was despaired of. The Prince pretended that he
+himself was ill so that no one should be surprised that he did not
+visit his wife's room. The order which he received to return to the
+Court, to which all the Catholic princes were being recalled in
+preparation for the massacre of the Huguenots, relieved him of his
+embarrassment. He went off to Paris without knowing what he had to hope
+or fear about his wife's illness. He had hardly arrived there when the
+assault on the Huguenots was signalised by the attack on admiral de
+Chatillon. Two days later came the disgraceful massacre, now so well
+known throughout Europe.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The poor Comte de Chabannes who had gone to hide himself away in one of
+the outer suburbs of Paris to abandon himself to his misery was caught
+up in the ruin of the Huguenots. The people to whose house he had
+retired, having recognised him, and having recalled that he had once
+been suspected of being of that persuasion, murdered him on the same
+night which was fatal to so many people. The next day the Prince de
+Montpensier, who was in that area on duty, passed along the street
+where the body of the Comte lay. He was at first shocked by this
+pitiful sight and, recalling his past friendship, was grieved; but then
+the memory of the offence, which he believed the Comte had committed,
+made him feel pleased that he had been avenged by the hand of chance.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Duc de Guise who had used the opportunity of the massacre to take
+ample revenge for the death of his father, gradually took less and less
+interest in the condition of the Princess of Montpensier; and having
+met the Marquise de Noirmoutier, a woman of wit and beauty, and one who
+promised more than the Princess de Montpensier, he attached himself to
+her, an attachment which lasted a lifetime.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Princess's illness reached a crisis and then began to remit. She
+recovered her senses and was somewhat relieved by the absence of her
+husband. She was expected to live, but her health recovered very slowly
+because of her low spirits, which were further depressed by the
+realisation that she had received no news of the Duc de Guise during
+all her illness. She asked her women if they had not seen anyone, if
+they had not had any letters, and finding that there had been nothing,
+she saw herself as the most wretched of women, one who had risked all
+for a man who had abandoned her. A fresh blow was the news of the death
+of the Comte de Chabannes, which her husband made sure she heard about
+as soon as possible. The ingratitude of the Duc de Guise made her feel
+even more deeply the loss of a man whose fidelity she knew so well.
+These disappointments weighed heavily upon her and reduced her to a
+state as serious as that from which she had recently recovered. Madame
+de Noirmoutier was a woman who took as much care to publicise her
+affairs as others do to conceal them. Her relations with the Duc de
+Guise were so open that, even though far away and ill, the Princess
+heard so much about it that she was left in no doubt. This was the
+final straw. She had lost the regard of her husband, the heart of her
+lover, and the most loyal of her friends. She took to her bed, and died
+not long after in the flower of her youth. She was one of the loveliest
+of women and could have been one of the happiest if she had not strayed
+so far from the path of prudence and virtue.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR><BR>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Princess of Montpensier, by
+Madame de La Fayette
+
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diff --git a/2365.txt b/2365.txt
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+Project Gutenberg's The Princess of Montpensier, by Madame de La Fayette
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Princess of Montpensier
+
+Author: Madame de La Fayette
+
+Posting Date: November 5, 2008 [EBook #2365]
+Release Date: October, 2000
+[Last updated: December 1, 2011]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER ***
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+The Princess de Montpensier
+
+
+by
+
+Mme. de Lafayette
+
+
+
+
+Introduction
+
+
+By
+
+Oliver C. Colt
+
+
+This story was written by Madame de Lafayette and published anonymously
+in 1662. It is set in a period almost 100 years previously during the
+sanguinary wars of the counter-reformation, when the Catholic rulers of
+Europe, with the encouragement of the Papacy, were bent on extirpating
+the followers of the creeds of Luther and Calvin. I am not qualified to
+embark on a historical analysis, and shall do no more than say that
+many of the persons who are involved in the tale actually existed, and
+the events referred to actually took place. The weak and vicious King
+and his malign and unscrupulous mother are real enough, as is a Duc de
+Montpensier, a Prince of the Blood, who achieved some notoriety for the
+cruelty with which he treated any Huguenots who fell into his hands,
+and for the leadership he gave to the assassins during the atrocious
+massacre of St. Bartholomew's day.
+
+He was married and had progeny, but the woman to whom he was married
+was not the heroine of this romance, who is a fictional character, as
+is the Comte de Chabannes.
+
+The Duc de Guise of the period whose father had been killed fighting
+against the Protestants, did marry the Princess de Portein, but this
+was for political reasons and not to satisfy the wishes of a Princess
+de Montpensier.
+
+It will be noticed, I think, that women were traded in marriage with
+little or no regard to their personal emotions, and no doubt, as has
+been remarked by others, marriages without love encouraged love outside
+marriage. Whatever the reality, the literary conventions of the time
+seem to have dictated that we should be treated only to ardent glances,
+fervent declarations, swoonings and courtly gestures; we are not led
+even to the bedroom door, let alone the amorous couch. I wonder,
+however, if the reader might not think that this little tale written
+more than three hundred years ago contains the elements of many of the
+romantic novels and soap operas which have followed it.
+
+At one level it is a cautionary tale about the consequences of marital
+infidelity; at another it is a story of a woman betrayed, treated as a
+pretty bauble for the gratification of men, and cast aside when she has
+served her purpose, or a butterfly trapped in a net woven by uncaring
+fate. Her end is rather too contrived for modern taste, but, even
+today, characters who are about to be written out of the plot in soap
+operas are sometimes smitten by mysterious and fatal disorders of the
+brain.
+
+The unfortunate Comte de Chabannes is the archetypical "decent chap,"
+the faithful but rejected swain who sacrifices himself for the welfare
+of his beloved without expectation of reward. In the hands of another
+writer, with some modification, he could have provided a happy ending
+in the "Mills and Boon" tradition.
+
+This translation is not a schoolroom exercise, for although I have not
+altered the story, I have altered the exact way in which it is told in
+the original, with the aim of making it more acceptable to the modern
+reader. All translation must involve paraphrase, for what sounds well
+in one language may sound ridiculous if translated literally into
+another, and it is for the translator to decide how far this process
+may be carried. Whether I have succeeded in my task, only the reader
+can say.
+
+
+
+
+
+The Princess de Montpensier
+
+
+By
+
+Madame de Lafayette
+
+
+
+
+Translated by Oliver C. Colt
+
+
+Mezieres
+
+It was while the civil war of religion was tearing France apart that
+the only daughter of the Marquis of Mezieres, a very considerable
+heiress, both because of her wealth and the illustrious house of Anjou
+from which she was descended, was promised in marriage to the Duc de
+Maine, the younger brother of the Duc de Guise.
+
+The marriage was delayed because of the youth of this heiress, but the
+elder of the brothers, the Duc de Guise, who saw much of her, and who
+saw also the burgeoning of what was to become a great beauty, fell in
+love with her and was loved in return. They concealed their feelings
+with great care; the Duc de Guise, who had not yet become as ambitious
+as he was to become later, wanted desperately to marry her, but fear of
+angering his uncle, the Cardinal de Lorraine, who had taken the place
+of his dead father, prevented him from making any declaration.
+
+This was how the matter stood when the ruling house of Bourbon, who
+could not bear to see any benefit accruing to that of de Guise, decided
+to step in and reap the profit themselves by marrying this heiress to
+the Prince de Montpensier.
+
+This project was pursued with such vigour that the parents of Mlle. de
+Mezieres, despite the promises given to the Cardinal de Lorraine,
+resolved to give her in marriage to the young Prince. The house of de
+Guise was much displeased at this, but the Duc himself was overcome by
+grief, and regarded this as an insupportable affront. In spite of
+warnings from his uncles, the Cardinal and the Duc de Aumale--who did
+not wish to stand in the way of something which they could not
+prevent--he expressed himself with so much violence, even in the
+presence of the Prince de Montpensier, that a mutual enmity arose
+between them which lasted all their lives.
+
+Mlle. de Mezieres, urged by her parents to marry the Prince, realised
+that it was impossible for her to marry the Duc de Guise, and that if
+she married his brother, the Duc de Maine, she would be in the
+dangerous position of having as a brother-in-law a man whom she wished
+was her husband; so she agreed finally to marry the Prince and begged
+the Duc de Guise not to continue to place any obstacle in the way.
+
+The marriage having taken place, the Prince de Montpensier took her off
+to his estate of Champigny, which was where Princes of his family
+usually lived, in order to remove her from Paris, where it seemed that
+an outbreak of fighting was imminent: this great city being under
+threat of siege by a Huguenot army led by the Prince de Conde, who had
+once more declared war on the King.
+
+The Prince de Montpensier had, when a very young man, formed a close
+friendship with the Comte de Chabannes, a man considerably older than
+himself and of exemplary character. The Comte in turn had been so much
+influenced by the esteem and friendship of the Prince that he had
+broken off influential connections which he had with the Prince de
+Conde, and had declared for the Catholics; a change of sides which,
+having no other foundation, was regarded with suspicion: so much so
+that the Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici, on the declaration of war
+by the Huguenots, proposed to have him imprisoned. The Prince de
+Montpensier prevented this and carried him away to Champigny when he
+went there with his wife. The Comte being a very pleasant, amiable man
+soon gained the approbation of the Princess and before long she
+regarded him with as much friendship and confidence as did her husband.
+Chabannes, for his part, observed with admiration the beauty, sense and
+modesty of the young Princess, and used what influence he had to
+instill in her thoughts and behaviour suited to her elevated position;
+so that under his guidance she became one of the most accomplished
+women of her time.
+
+The Prince having gone back to the Court, where he was needed owing to
+the continuation of the war, the Comte lived alone with the Princess
+and continued to treat her with the respect due to her rank and
+position. The Princess took him so far into her confidence as to tell
+him of the feelings she had once had for the Duc de Guise, but she
+intimated that there remained only enough of this emotion to prevent
+her heart from straying elsewhere and that this remnant, together with
+her wifely virtue made it impossible for her to respond, except with a
+rebuff, to any possible suitor.
+
+The Comte who recognised her sincerity and who saw in her a character
+wholly opposed to flirtation and gallantry, did not doubt the truth of
+her words; but nevertheless he was unable to resist all the charms
+which he saw daily so close to him. He fell deeply in love with the
+Princess, in spite of the shame he felt at allowing himself to be
+overcome by this illicit passion. However although not master of his
+heart, he was master of his actions; the change in his emotions did not
+show at all in his behaviour, and no one suspected him. He took, for a
+whole year, scrupulous care to hide his feelings from the Princess and
+believed that he would always be able to do so.
+
+Love, however, had the same effect on him as it does on everyone, he
+longed to speak of it, and after all the struggles which are usually
+made on such occasions, he dared to tell her of his devotion. He had
+been prepared to weather the storm of reproach which this might arouse,
+but he was greeted with a calm and a coolness which was a thousand
+times worse than the outburst which he had expected. She did not take
+the trouble to be angry. She pointed out in a few words the difference
+in their rank and ages, she reminded him of what she had previously
+said about her attitude to suitors and above all to the duty he owed to
+the confidence and friendship of the Prince her husband. The Comte was
+overwhelmed by shame and distress. She tried to console him by assuring
+him that she would forget entirely what he had just said to her and
+would always look on him as her best friend; assurances which were
+small consolation to the Comte as one might imagine. He felt the
+disdain which was implicit in all that the Princess had said, and
+seeing her the next day with her customary untroubled looks redoubled
+his misery.
+
+The Princess continued to show him the same goodwill as before and even
+discussed her former attachment to the Duc de Guise, saying that she
+was pleased that his increasing fame showed that he was worthy of the
+affection she had once had for him. These demonstrations of confidence,
+which were once so dear to the Comte, he now found insupportable, but
+he did not dare say as much to the Princess, though he did sometimes
+remind her of what he had so rashly confessed to her.
+
+After an absence of two years, peace having been declared, the Prince
+de Montpensier returned to his wife, his renown enhanced by his
+behaviour at the siege of Paris and the battle of St. Denis. He was
+surprised to find the beauty of the Princess blooming in such
+perfection, and being of a naturally jealous disposition he was a
+little put out of humour by the realisation that this beauty would be
+evident to others beside himself. He was delighted to see once more the
+Comte, for whom his affection was in no way diminished. He asked him
+for confidential details about his wife's character and temperament,
+for she was almost a stranger to him because of the little time during
+which they had lived together. The Comte, with the utmost sincerity, as
+if he himself were not enamoured, told the Prince everything he knew
+about the Princess which would encourage her husband's love of her, and
+he also suggested to Madame de Montpensier all the measures she might
+take to win the heart and respect of her spouse. The Comte's devotion
+led him to think of nothing but what would increase the happiness and
+well-being of the Princess and to forget without difficulty the interest
+which lovers usually have in stirring up trouble between the objects of
+their affection and their marital partners.
+
+The peace was only short-lived. War soon broke out again by reason of a
+plot by the King to arrest the Prince de Conde and Admiral Chatillon at
+Noyers. As a result of the military preparations the Prince de
+Montpensier was forced to leave his wife and report for duty.
+Chabannes, who had been restored to the Queen's favour, went with him.
+It was not without much sorrow that he left the Princess, while she,
+for her part, was distressed to think of the perils to which the war
+might expose her husband.
+
+The leaders of the Huguenots retired to La Rochelle. They held
+Poitou and Saintongne; the war flared up again and the King assembled
+all his troops. His brother, the Duc d'Anjou, who later became Henri
+III, distinguished himself by his deeds in various actions, amongst
+others the battle of Jarnac, in which the Prince de Conde was killed.
+It was during this fighting that the Duc de Guise began to play a more
+important part and to display some of the great qualities which had
+been expected of him. The Prince de Montpensier, who hated him, not
+only as a personal enemy but as an enemy of his family, the Bourbons,
+took no pleasure in his successes nor in the friendliness shown toward
+him by the Duc d'Anjou.
+
+After the two armies had tired themselves out in a series of minor
+actions, by common consent they were stood down for a time. The Duc
+d'Anjou stayed at Loches to restore to order all the places which had
+been attacked. The Duc de Guise stayed with him and the Prince de
+Montpensier, accompanied by the Comte de Chabannes, went back to
+Champigny, which was not far away.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou frequently went to inspect places where fortifications
+were being constructed. One day when he was returning to Loches by a
+route which his staff did not know well, the Duc de Guise, who claimed
+to know the way, went to the head of the party to act as guide, but
+after a time he became lost and arrived at the bank of a small river
+which he did not recognise. The Duc d'Anjou had a few words to say to
+him for leading them astray, but while they were held up there they saw
+a little boat floating on the river, in which--the river not being very
+wide--they could see the figures of three or four women, one of whom,
+very pretty and sumptuously dressed, was watching with interest the
+activities of two men who were fishing nearby.
+
+This spectacle created something of a sensation amongst the Princes and
+their suite. It seemed to them like an episode from a romance. Some
+declared that it was fate that had led the Duc de Guise to bring them
+there to see this lovely lady, and that they should now pay court to
+her. The Duc d'Anjou maintained that it was he who should be her suitor.
+
+To push the matter a bit further, they made one of the horsemen go into
+the river as far as he could and shout to the lady that it was the Duc
+d'Anjou who wished to cross to the other bank and who begged the lady
+to take him in her boat. The lady, who was of course the Princess de
+Montpensier, hearing that it was the Duc d'Anjou, and having no doubt
+when she saw the size of his suite that it was indeed him, took her
+boat over to the bank where he was. His fine figure made him easily
+distinguishable from the others; she, however, distinguished even more
+easily the figure of the Duc de Guise. This sight disturbed her and
+caused her to blush a little which made her seem to the Princes to have
+an almost supernatural beauty.
+
+The Duc de Guise recognised her immediately in spite of the changes
+which had taken place in her appearance in the three years since he had
+last seen her. He told the Duc d'Anjou who she was and the Duc was at
+first embarrassed at the liberty he had taken, but then, struck by the
+Princess's beauty, he decided to venture a little further, and after a
+thousand excuses and a thousand compliments he invented a serious
+matter which required his presence on the opposite bank, and accepted
+the offer which she made of a passage in her boat. He got in,
+accompanied only by the Duc de Guise, giving orders to his suite to
+cross the river elsewhere and to join him at Champigny, which Madame de
+Montpensier told him was not more than two leagues from there.
+
+As soon as they were in the boat the Duc d'Anjou asked to what they
+owed this so pleasant encounter. Madame de Montpensier replied that
+having left Champigny with the Prince her husband with the intention of
+following the hunt, she had become tired and having reached the river
+bank she had gone out in the boat to watch the landing of a salmon
+which had been caught in a net. The Duc de Guise did not take part in
+this conversation, but he was conscious of the re-awakening of all the
+emotions which the Princess had once aroused in him, and thought to
+himself that he would have difficulty in escaping from this meeting
+without falling once more under her spell.
+
+They arrived shortly at the bank where they found the Princess's horses
+and her attendants who had been waiting for her. The two noblemen
+helped her onto her horse where she sat with the greatest elegance.
+During their journey back to Champigny they talked agreeably about a
+number of subjects and her companions were no less charmed by her
+conversation than they had been by her beauty. They offered her a
+number of compliments to which she replied with becoming modesty, but a
+little more coolly to those from M. de Guise, for she wished to
+maintain a distance which would prevent him from founding any
+expectations on the feelings she had once had towards him.
+
+When they arrived at the outer courtyard of Champigny they encountered
+the Prince de Montpensier, who had just returned from the hunt. He was
+greatly astonished to see two men in the company of his wife, and he
+was even more astonished when, on coming closer, he saw that these were
+the Duc d'Anjou and the Duc de Guise. The hatred which he bore for the
+latter, combined with his naturally jealous disposition made him find
+the sight of these two Princes with his wife, without knowing how they
+came to be there or why they had come to his house, so disagreeable
+that he was unable to conceal his annoyance. He, however, adroitly put
+this down to a fear that he could not receive so mighty a Prince as the
+King's brother in a style befitting his rank. The Comte de Chabannes
+was even more upset at seeing the Duc de Guise and Madame de
+Montpensier together than was her husband, it seemed to him a most evil
+chance which had brought the two of them together again, an augury
+which foretold disturbing sequels to follow this new beginning.
+
+In the evening Madame de Montpensier acted as hostess with the same
+grace with which she did everything. In fact she pleased her guests a
+little too much. The Duc d'Anjou who was very handsome and very much a
+ladies man, could not see a prize so much worth winning without wishing
+ardently to make it his own. He had a touch of the same sickness as the
+Duc de Guise, and continuing to invent important reasons, he stayed for
+two days at Champigny, without being obliged to do so by anything but
+the charms of Madame de Montpensier, for her husband did not make any
+noticeable effort to detain him. The Duc de Guise did not leave without
+making it clear to Madame de Momtpensier that he felt towards her as he
+had done in the past. As nobody knew of this former relationship he
+said to her several times, in front of everybody, that his affections
+were in no way changed. A remark which only she understood.
+
+Both he and the Duc d'Anjou left Champigny with regret. For a long time
+they went along in silence; but at last it occurred to the Duc d'Anjou
+that the reflections which occupied his thoughts might be echoed in the
+mind of the Duc de Guise, and he asked him brusquely if he was thinking
+about the beauties of Madame de Montpensier. This blunt question
+combined with what he had already observed of the Prince's behaviour
+made the Duc realise that he had a rival from whom it was essential
+that his own love for the Princess should be concealed. In order to
+allay all suspicion he answered with a laugh that the Prince himself
+had seemed so preoccupied with the thoughts which he was accused of
+having that he had deemed it inadvisable to interrupt him; the beauty
+of Madame de Montpensier was, he said, nothing new to him, he had been
+used to discounting its effect since the days when she was destined to
+be his sister-in-law, but he saw that not everyone was so little
+dazzled. The Duc d'Anjou admitted that he had never seen anyone to
+compare with this young Princess and that he was well aware that the
+vision might be dangerous if he was exposed to it too often. He tried
+to get the Duc de Guise to confess that he felt the same, but the Duc
+would admit to nothing.
+
+On their return to Loches they often recalled with pleasure the events
+which had led to their meeting with the Princess de Montpensier, a
+subject which did not give rise to the same pleasure at Champigny. The
+Prince de Montpensier was dissatisfied with all that had happened
+without being able to say precisely why. He found fault with his wife
+for being in the boat. He considered that she had welcomed the Princes
+too readily; and what displeased him most was that he had noticed the
+attention paid to her by the Duc de Guise. This had provoked in him a
+furious bout of jealousy in which he recalled the anger displayed by
+the Duc at the prospect of his marriage, which caused him to suspect
+that even at that time the Duc was in love with his wife. The Comte de
+Chabannes as usual made every effort to act as peacemaker, hoping in
+this way to show the Princess that his devotion to her was sincere and
+disinterested. He could not resist asking her what effect the sight of
+the Duc de Guise had produced. She replied that she had been somewhat
+upset and embarrassed at the memory of the feelings she had once
+displayed to him; she found him more handsome than he had been then and
+it had seemed to her that he wished to persuade her that he still loved
+her, but she assured the Comte that nothing would shake her
+determination not to become involved in any intrigue. The Comte was
+happy to hear of this resolve, but he was far from being sure about the
+Duc de Guise. He earnestly warned the Princess of the danger of a
+return to the previous situation should she have any change of heart,
+though when he spoke of his devotion she adopted her invariable
+attitude of looking on him as her closest friend but in no way a
+possible suitor.
+
+The armies were once more called up; all the Princes returned to their
+posts and the Prince de Montpensier decided that his wife should come
+with him to Paris so as to be further from the area where it was
+expected that fighting would take place. The Huguenots besieged
+Poitiers. The Duc de Guise went there to organise the defence and,
+while there, enhanced his reputation by his conduct. The Duc d'Anjou
+suffered from some illness, and left the army either on account of the
+severity of this or because he wanted to return to the comfort and
+security of Paris, where the presence of the Princess de Montpensier
+was not the least of the attractions. The command of the army was taken
+over by the Prince de Montpensier, and shortly after this, a peace
+having been arranged, the Court assembled in Paris. Here the beauty of
+the Princess eclipsed that of all her rivals. She charmed everyone by
+her looks and personality. The Duc d'Anjou did not abandon the
+sentiments she had inspired in him at Champigny, he took great care to
+make her aware of this by all sorts of delicate considerations, being
+careful at the same time not to make his attentions too obvious for
+fear of arousing the jealousy of her husband. The Duc de Guise was now
+fervently in love with her, but wishing, for a variety of reasons, to
+keep this secret, he resolved to tell her so privately and avoid any
+preliminaries which, as always, would give rise to talk and exposure.
+One day when he was in the Queen's apartments where there were very few
+people, the Queen having left to discuss affairs of state with Cardinal
+de Lorraine, the Princess de Montpensier arrived. He decided to take
+this opportunity to speak to her, and going up to her he said,
+"Although it may surprise and displease you, I want you to know that I
+have always felt for you that emotion which you once knew so well, and
+that its power has been so greatly increased by seeing you again that
+neither your disapproval, the hatred of your husband, nor the rivalry
+of the first Prince in the kingdom can in the least diminish it. It
+would perhaps have been more tactful to have let you become aware of
+this by my behaviour rather than by my words, but my behaviour would
+have been evident to others as well as to yourself and I wanted you
+alone to know of my love for you."
+
+The Princess was so surprised and thrown into confusion by this speech
+that she could not think of an answer, then, just when she had
+collected her wits and begun to reply, the Prince de Montpensier
+entered the room. The Princess's face displayed her agitation, and her
+embarrassment was compounded by the sight of her husband, to such an
+extent that he was left in no doubt about what the Duc de Guise had
+been saying to her. Fortunately at that moment the Queen re-entered the
+room and the Duc de Guise moved away to avoid the jealous Prince.
+
+That evening the Princess found her husband in the worst temper
+imaginable. He berated her with the utmost violence and forbade her
+ever to speak to the Duc de Guise again. She retired to her room very
+sad and much preoccupied with the events of the day. She saw the Duc
+the next day amid the company around the Queen, but he did not come
+near her and left soon after she did, indicating that he had no
+interest in remaining if she was not there. Not a day passed without
+her receiving a thousand covert marks of the Duc's passion though he
+did not attempt to speak to her unless he was sure that they could be
+seen by nobody.
+
+Convinced of the Duc's sincerity, the Princess, in spite of the
+resolution she had made at Champigny, began to feel in the depths of
+her heart something of what she had felt in the past.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou for his part, omitted nothing which could demonstrate
+his devotion in all the places where he could meet her. In the Queen
+his mother's apartments he followed her about continually, completely
+ignoring his sister who was very fond of him. It was at around this
+time that it became evident that this sister, who later became the
+Queen of Navarre, had a liking for the Duc de Guise, and another thing
+that became evident was a cooling of the friendship between that Duc
+and the Duc d'Anjou. The rumour linking the name of the Royal Princess
+with that of the Duc de Guise disturbed the Princess de Montpensier to
+a degree which surprised her, and made her realise that she was more
+interested in the Duc than she had supposed.
+
+Now it so happened that her father-in-law, M. de Montpensier, married a
+sister of the Duc de Guise, and the princess was bound to meet the Duc
+frequently in the various places where the marriage celebrations
+required their presence. She was greatly offended that a man who was
+widely believed to be in love with "Madame", the King's sister, should
+dare to make advances to her; she was not only offended but distressed
+at having deceived herself.
+
+One day, when they met at his sister's house, being a little separated
+from the rest, the Duc was tempted to speak to her, but she interrupted
+him sharply saying angrily "I do not understand how, on the basis of a
+weakness which one had at the age of thirteen, you have the audacity to
+make amorous proposals to a person like me, particularly when, in the
+view of the whole Court, you are interested in someone else." The Duc
+who was intelligent as well as being much in love, understood the
+emotion which underlay the Princess's words. He answered her most
+respectfully, "I confess, Madame, that it was wrong of me not to reject
+the possible honour of becoming the King's brother-in-law, rather than
+allow you to suspect for a moment that I could desire any heart but
+yours; but if you will be patient enough to hear me I am sure I can
+fully justify my behaviour." The Princess made no reply, but she did
+not go away and the Duc, seeing that she was prepared to listen to him,
+told her that although he had made no effort to attract the attention
+of Madame, she had nevertheless honoured him with her interest: as he
+was not enamoured of her he had responded very coolly to this honour
+until she gave him to believe that she might marry him. The realisation
+of the grandeur to which such a marriage would raise him had obliged
+him to take a little more trouble. This situation had aroused the
+suspicions of the King and the Duc d'Anjou, but the opposition of
+neither of them would have any effect on his course of action, however,
+if this displeased her he would abandon all such notions and never
+think of them again.
+
+This sacrifice which the Duc was prepared to make caused the Princess
+to forget all the anger she had shown. She changed the subject and
+began to speak of the indiscretion displayed by Madame in making the
+first advances and of the considerable advantages which he would gain
+if he married her. In the end, without saying anything kind to the Duc
+de Guise, she made him recall a thousand things he had found so
+pleasing in Mlle. de Mezieres. Although they had not had private
+conversation for a long time, they found themselves attuned to one
+another, and their thoughts went along a track which they both had
+travelled in the past. At the end of this agreeable meeting the Duc was
+left in a state of considerable happiness, and the Princess was not a
+little moved to think that he truly loved her. However, in the privacy
+of her room she became ashamed of the ease with which she had accepted
+the Duc's excuses and reflected on the trouble into which she might be
+plunged if she engaged in something she had always regarded with
+distaste and on the frightening misery which a jealous husband might
+inflict on her. These thoughts made her adopt new resolves, but they
+disappeared the next day on the sight of the Duc de Guise.
+
+The new alliance between their families gave the Duc many opportunities
+to speak to her. He gave her an exact account of all that passed
+between Madame and himself. He had difficulty in allaying the jealousy
+to which the beauty of Madame gave rise and any number of promises
+failed to reassure her. This jealousy enabled the Princess to defend
+the remains of her heart against the advances of the Duc, who already
+had won the greater part of it.
+
+The marriage of the King to the daughter of the Emperor Maximilian
+filled the Court with fetes and celebrations. The King put on a ballet
+in which Madame and all the princesses were to dance; among them only
+the Princess de Montpensier could rival Madame in beauty. The Duc
+d'Anjou and four others were to make an appearance as Moors; their
+costumes would all be identical, as was usual in this sort of
+performance. On the first occasion on which the ballet was presented,
+the Duc de Guise, before the dance began and before he had donned his
+mask, said a few words to the Princess as he went past her. She saw
+clearly that the Prince her husband had noticed this, which made her
+feel uneasy. A little later, seeing the Duc d'Anjou in his mask and
+Moorish costume, who was coming to speak to her, she mistook him for
+the Duc de Guise and said to him "Do not have eyes for anyone but
+Madame this evening: I shall not be in the least jealous. I am ordering
+you. I am being watched. Do not come near me again." As soon as she had
+said this she moved away.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou stood there thunderstruck. He saw that he had a
+successful rival: the reference to Madame made it obvious that this was
+the Duc de Guise, and left him in no doubt that his sister was to play
+second fiddle to the Princess de Montpensier. Jealousy, frustration and
+rage joining to the dislike which he already had for the Duc roused him
+to a violent fury; and he would have given there and then some bloody
+mark of his temper had not that dissimulation which came naturally to
+him prevented him from attacking the Duc de Guise in the present
+circumstances. He did not, however, refrain from the pleasure of
+disclosing his knowledge of this secret affair. He approached the Duc
+de Guise as they left the salon where they had been dancing and said to
+him "To presume to raise your eyes towards my sister, as well as
+stealing the affection of the woman I love is altogether too much. The
+presence of the King prevents me from taking any action just now, but
+remember that the loss of your life may be, one day, the least thing
+with which I shall punish your impertinence."
+
+The pride of the Duc de Guise was not accustomed to submit tamely to
+such threats, but he was unable to reply because at that moment the
+King called both of them to his side. He did not forget, however, and
+tried all his life to exact revenge.
+
+From that evening the Duc d'Anjou endeavoured in all sorts of ways to
+turn the King against the Duc de Guise. He persuaded the King that
+Madame would never agree to her proposed marriage to the King of
+Navarre as long as the Duc de Guise was allowed to have any contact
+with her; and that it was unacceptable that a subject, for his own vain
+purposes, should place an obstacle in the way of what could bring peace
+to France. The King already disliked the Duc de Guise and this speech
+inflamed his dislike so much that the next day when the Duc presented
+himself to join the ball at the Queen's apartments, he stood in the
+doorway and asked him brusquely where he was going. The Duc, without
+showing any surprise answered that he had come to offer his most humble
+services, to which the King replied that he had no need of any services
+which the Duc might provide, and turned away without any other
+acknowledgement. The Duc was not deterred from entering the room, his
+feelings incensed both against the King and the Duc d'Anjou. His
+natural pride led him, as an act of defiance, to pay more attention to
+Madame than usual, and what the Duc d'Anjou had told him prevented him
+from looking in the direction of the Princess de Montpensier.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou watched both of them with close attention. The
+Princess's expression, in spite of herself, showed some chagrin when
+the Duc de Guise spoke with Madame. The Duc d'Anjou who realised from
+what she had said to him, when she mistook him for the Duc de Guise,
+that she was jealous, hoped to cause trouble. He drew close to her and
+said, "It is in your interest and not in mine that I must tell you that
+the Duc de Guise does not deserve the choice you have made of him in
+preference to me, a choice which you cannot deny and of which I am well
+aware. He is deceiving you, Madame, and betraying you for my sister as
+he betrayed her for you. He is a man moved only by ambition, but since
+he has the good fortune to please you, that is enough; I shall not
+attempt to stand in the way of a felicity which without doubt I merit
+more than he. It would be undignified for me to persist in trying to
+gain the heart which is already possessed by another. It is bad enough
+to have attracted only your indifference and I would not like to have
+this replaced by dislike by wearying you with endless protestations of
+unwelcome devotion."
+
+The Duc d'Anjou who was genuinely touched by love and sadness, was
+hardly able to complete this speech, and although he had begun in a
+spirit of spite and vengeance, he was so overcome when he thought of
+the Princess's beauty and of what he was losing by giving up all hope
+of being her lover, that without waiting for her reply he left the
+ball, saying that he felt unwell, and went home to nurse his grief.
+
+The Princess de Montpensier stayed there, upset and worried as one
+might imagine. To see her reputation and her secret in the hands of a
+suitor whom she had rejected and to learn from him that she was being
+deceived by her lover were not things which would put her in the right
+frame of mind for a place dedicated to enjoyment; she had, however, to
+remain where she was and later go to supper in the company of the
+Duchess de Montpensier, her mother-in-law.
+
+The Duc de Guise who had followed them to his sister's house, was dying
+to tell her what the Duc d'Anjou had said the day before, but to his
+astonishment when he did have the opportunity to speak to her, he was
+overwhelmed by reproaches which were tumbled out in such angry
+profusion that all he could gather was that he was accused of
+infidelity and treachery. Dismayed at finding himself in this unhappy
+situation when he had hoped for consolation, and being so much in love
+with the Princess that he could not bear to be unsure if he was loved
+in return, he took a sudden decision. "I shall lay your doubts at
+rest." He said. "I am going to do what all the royal power could not
+make me do. It will cost me my fortune but that is of little account if
+it makes you happy."
+
+He went straight from his sister's house to that of his uncle, the
+cardinal. He convinced him that having fallen into the King's
+disfavour, it was essential that it should be made quite clear that he
+would not marry Madame, so he asked for his marriage to be arranged
+with the Princess de Portien, a matter which had previously been
+discussed. The news of this was soon all over Paris and gave rise to
+much surprise. The princess de Montpensier was both happy and sad. Glad
+to see the power she had over the Duc, and sorry that she had caused
+him to abandon something so advantageous as marriage to Madame. The Duc
+who hoped that love would compensate him for his material loss, pressed
+the Princess to give him a private audience so that he could clear up
+the unjust accusations which she had made. He obtained this when she
+found herself at his sister's house at a time when his sister was not
+there and she was able to speak to him alone. The Duc took the
+opportunity to throw himself at her feet and describe all that he had
+suffered because of her suspicions, and though the Princess was unable
+to forget what the Duc d'Anjou had said to her, the behaviour of the
+Duc de Guise did much to reassure her. She told him exactly why she
+believed he had betrayed her which was because the Duc d'Anjou knew
+what he could only have learned from him. The Duc did not know how to defend
+himself and was as puzzled as she to guess what could have given away
+their secret: at last, while the Princess was remonstrating with him
+for giving up the idea of the advantageous marriage with Madame and
+rushing into that with the Princess de Portien, she said to him that he
+could have been certain that she would not be jealous since on the day
+of the ball she herself had told him to have eyes only for Madame. The
+Duc said that she might have intended to do so but that she certainly
+had not. She maintained that she had, and in the end they reached the
+correct conclusion that she herself, deceived by the resemblance of the
+costumes, had told the Duc d'Anjou what she accused the Duc de Guise of
+telling him. The Duc de Guise who had almost entirely returned to
+favour, did so completely as a result of this conversation. The
+Princess could not refuse her heart to a man who had possessed it in
+the past and had just made such a sacrifice to please her. She
+consented to accept his declaration and permitted him to believe that
+she was not unmoved by his passion. The arrival of the Duchess, her
+mother-in-law, put an end to this tete-a-tete, and prevented the Duc
+from demonstrating his transports of joy.
+
+Some time later, the Court having gone to Blois, the marriage between
+the King of Navarre and Madame was celebrated. The Duc de Guise who
+wanted nothing more than the love of the Princess de Montpensier,
+enjoyed a ceremony which in other circumstances would have overwhelmed
+him with disappointment.
+
+The Duc was not able to conceal his love so well that the Prince de
+Montpensier did not suspect that something was going on, and being
+consumed by jealousy he ordered his wife to go to Champigny. This order
+was a great shock to her, but she had to obey: she found a way to say
+goodbye to the Duc de Guise privately but she found herself in great
+difficulty when it came to a means of providing a method whereby he
+could write to her. After much thought she decided to make use of the
+Comte de Chabannes, whom she always looked on as a friend without
+considering that he was in love with her. The Duc de Guise, who knew of
+the close friendship between the Comte and the Prince de Montpensier,
+was at first amazed at her choice of the Comte as a go-between, but she
+assured him of the Comte's fidelity with such conviction that he was
+eventually satisfied. He parted from her with all the unhappiness which
+such a separation can cause.
+
+The Comte de Chabannes, who had been ill in Paris while the Princess
+was at Blois, learning that she was going to Champigny arranged to meet
+her on the road and go with her. She greeted him with a thousand
+expressions of friendship and displayed an extraordinary impatience to
+talk to him in private, which at first delighted him. Judge his dismay
+when he found that this impatience was only to tell him that she was
+loved passionately by the Duc de Guise, a love which she returned. He
+was so distressed that he was unable to reply. The Princess, who was
+engrossed by her infatuation, took no notice of his silence. She began
+to tell him all the least details of the events, and how she and the
+Duc had agreed that he should be the means by which they could exchange
+letters. The thought that the woman he loved expected him to be of
+assistance to his rival, and made the proposal as if it was a thing he
+would find agreeable was bitterly hurtful, but he was so much in
+control of himself that he hid all his feelings from her and expressed
+only surprise at the change in her attitude. He hoped that this change
+which removed even the faintest hope from him would at the same time
+change his feelings, but he found the Princess so charming, her natural
+beauty having been enhanced by a certain grace which she had acquired
+at Court that he felt that he loved her more than ever. This remarkable
+devotion produced a remarkable effect. He agreed to carry his rival's
+letters to his beloved.
+
+The Princess was very despondent at the absence of the Duc de Guise,
+and could hope for solace only from his letters. She continually
+tormented the Comte de Chabannes to know if he had received any and
+almost blamed him for not having delivered one sooner. At last some
+arrived, brought by a gentleman in the Duc's service, which he took to
+her immediately so as not to delay her pleasure for a moment longer
+than necessary. The Princess was delighted to have them and tortured
+the poor Comte by reading them to him, as well as her tender and loving
+reply. He took this reply to the waiting courier even more sadly than
+he had made the delivery. He consoled himself a little by the
+reflection that the Princess would realise what he was doing for her
+and would show some recognition. Finding, however, that she daily
+treated him with less consideration, owing to the anxieties which
+preoccupied her, he took the liberty of begging her to think a little
+of the suffering she was causing him. The Princess who had nothing in
+her head but the Duc de Guise, was so irritated by this approach that
+she treated the Comte much worse than she had done on the first
+occasion when he had declared his love for her. Although his devotion
+and patience had stood so many trials, this was too much. He left the
+Princess and went to live with a friend who had a house in the
+neighbourhood, from where he wrote to her with all the bitterness that
+her behaviour had provoked and bid her an eternal adieu.
+
+The Princess began to repent having dealt so harshly with a man over
+whom she had so much influence, and being unwilling to lose him, not
+only on account of their past friendship, but also because of his vital
+role in the conduct of her affair, she sent a message to him to say
+that she wished to speak to him one more time and that afterwards she
+would leave him free to do as he pleased. One is very vulnerable when
+one is in love. The Comte came back, and in less than an hour the
+beauty of the Princess, her charm and a few kind words made him more
+submissive than ever, and he even gave her some letters from the Duc de
+Guise which he had just received.
+
+At this time there was a scheme afoot in the Court to attract there all
+the leaders of the Huguenots, with the secret aim of including them in
+the horrible massacre of St. Bartholomew's day. As part of this attempt
+to lull them into a false sense of security, the King dismissed from
+his presence all the princes of the houses of Bourbon and de Guise. The
+Prince de Montpensier returned to Champigny, to the utter dismay of his
+wife, the Duc de Guise went to the home of his uncle, the Cardinal de
+Lorraine.
+
+Love and idleness induced in him such a violent desire to see the
+Princess de Montpensier that without considering the risks to her and
+to himself he made some excuse to travel and leaving his suite in a
+small town he took with him only the gentleman who had already made
+several trips to Champigny, and went there by post-chaise. As he knew
+no one whom he could approach but the Comte de Chabannes, he had the
+gentleman write a note requesting a meeting at a certain spot. The
+Comte, believing that this was solely for the purpose of receiving
+letters from the Duc de Guise went there, but was most surprised to see
+the Duc himself and equally dismayed. The Duc, full of his own plans,
+took no more notice of the Comte's dismay than had the Princess of his
+silence when she told him of her amour. He described his passion in
+florid terms and claimed that he would infallibly die if the Princess
+could not be persuaded to see him. The Comte replied coldly that he
+would tell the Princess all that the Duc wanted to convey and would
+return with her response. He then went back to Champigny with his own
+emotions in such a turmoil that he hardly knew what he was doing. He
+thought of sending the Duc away without saying anything to the
+Princess, but the faithfulness with which he had promised to serve her
+soon put an end to that idea. He arrived without knowing what he should
+do, and finding that the Prince was out hunting, he went straight to
+the Princess's apartment. She saw that he was distressed and dismissed
+her women in order to find out what troubled him. He told her, as
+calmly as he could, that the Duc de Guise was a league distant and that
+he wanted passionately to see her. The Princess gave a cry at this news
+and her confusion was almost as great as that of the Comte. At first
+she was full of joy at the thought of seeing the man she loved so
+tenderly, but when she considered how much this was against her
+principles, and that she could not see her lover without introducing
+him into her home during the night and without her husband's knowledge,
+she found herself in the utmost difficulty. The Comte awaited her reply
+as if it were a matter of life or death. Realising that her silence
+indicated her uncertainty, he took the liberty of presenting to her all
+the perils to which she would be exposed by such a meeting, and wishing
+to make it clear that he was not doing this in his own interest, he
+said that if, in spite of all that he had said she was determined to
+see the Duc, rather than see her seek for aid from helpers less
+faithful than himself, he would bring the Duc to her. "Yes Madame," he
+said, "I shall go and find the Duc and bring him to your apartment, for
+it is too dangerous to leave him for long where he is."
+
+"But how can this be done?" interrupted the Princess.
+
+"Ha! Madame," cried the Comte, "It is then decided, since you speak
+only of the method. I shall lead him through the park; only order one
+of your maids whom you can trust to lower, exactly at midnight, the
+little drawbridge which leads from your antechamber to the flower
+garden and leave the rest to me." Having said this he rose and without
+waiting for any further comment from the Princess, he left, remounted
+his horse and went to look for the Duc de Guise, who was waiting for
+him with the greatest impatience.
+
+The Princess remained in such a state of confusion that it was some
+time before she came to her senses. Her first thought was to send
+someone after the Comte to tell him not to bring the Duc, but she could
+not bring herself to do so. She then thought that failing this she had
+only not to have the drawbridge lowered, and she believed that she
+would continue with this resolve, but when the hour of the assignation
+drew near she was no longer able to resist the desire to see the lover
+whom she longed for, and she gave instructions to one of her women on
+the method by which the Duc was to be introduced into her apartment.
+
+Meanwhile the Duc and the Comte were approaching Champigny, but in very
+differing frames of mind. The Duc was full of joy and all the happiness
+of expectation. The Comte was in a mood of despair and anger, which
+tempted him at times to run his sword through his rival. They at last
+reached the park, where they left their horses in the care of the Duc's
+squire, and passing through a gap in the wall they came to the flower
+garden. The Comte had always retained some hope that the Princess would
+come to her senses and resolve not to see the Duc, but when he saw that
+the drawbridge was lowered he realised that his hope was in vain. He
+was tempted to take some desperate measure, but he was aware that any
+noise would be heard by the Prince de Montpensier whose rooms looked
+out onto the same flower-garden, and that all the subsequent disorder
+would fall on the head of the one he loved most. He calmed himself and
+led the Duc to the presence of the Princess. Although the Princess
+signaled that she would like him to stay in the room during the
+interview, he was unwilling to do so, and retired to a little passage
+which ran alongside the Princess's apartment, a prey to the saddest
+thoughts which could afflict a disappointed lover.
+
+Now, although they had made very little noise while crossing the
+bridge, the Prince de Montpensier was awake and heard it. He made one
+of his servants get up and go to see what it was. The servant put his
+head out of the window and in the darkness he could make out that the
+drawbridge was lowered. He told his master who then ordered him to go
+into the park and find out what was going on. A moment later he got up
+himself, being disturbed by what he thought he had heard, that is,
+footsteps on the bridge leading to his wife's quarters.
+
+As he was going towards the little passage where the Comte was waiting,
+the Princess who was somewhat embarrassed at being alone with the Duc
+de Guise, asked the latter several times to come into the room. He
+refused to do so and as she continued to press him and as he was
+furiously angry he answered her so loudly that he was heard by the
+Prince de Montpensier, but so indistinctly that the Prince heard only a
+man's voice without being able to recognise it as that of the Comte.
+
+These events would have infuriated a character more placid and less
+jealous than the Prince de Montpensier. He hurled himself against the
+door, calling for it to be opened, and cruelly surprising the Princess,
+the Duc de Guise and the Comte de Chabannes. This last, hearing the
+Prince's voice, saw immediately that it was impossible to prevent him
+from believing that there was someone in his wife's room, and that he
+was in such a state that if he found that it was the Duc de Guise he
+might kill him before the eyes of the Princess and that even her life
+might be at risk. He decided, in an act of extraordinary generosity, to
+sacrifice himself to save a successful rival and an ungrateful mistress.
+
+While the Prince was battering on the door, he went to the Duc, who had
+no idea what to do, put him in the care of the woman who had arranged
+his entry by the bridge and told her to show him the way out. Scarcely
+had he left when the Prince having broken down the door entered the
+room like a man possessed. However when he saw only the Comte de
+Chabannes, motionless, leaning on a table with a look of infinite
+sadness on his face, he stopped short. The astonishment of finding his
+best friend alone at night in his wife's room deprived him of speech.
+The Princess had collapsed onto some cushions and never perhaps has
+fate put three people in a more unhappy position. At last the Prince
+made an attempt to make sense of the chaos before his eyes. He
+addressed the Comte in a tone of voice which still had some
+friendliness, "What is this I see?" he said, "Is it possible that a man
+I love so dearly has chosen among all other women to seduce my wife?
+And you, Madame," he said, turning to his wife, "Was it not enough to
+deprive me of your love and my honour without depriving me of the one
+man who could have consoled me in such circumstances? Answer me, one of
+you," he said to them, "And explain this affair, which I cannot believe
+is what it seems." The Princess was incapable of replying and the Comte
+opened his mouth once or twice but was unable to speak.
+
+"You see me as a criminal," he said at last. "And unworthy of the
+friendship you have shown me; but the situation is not what you may
+think it is. I am more unhappy than you and more despairing. I do not
+know how to tell you more than that. My death would avenge you, and if
+you were to kill me now you would be doing me a favour." These words,
+spoken with an air of the deepest sorrow, and in a manner which
+declared his innocence instead of enlightening the Prince confirmed him
+in the view that something mysterious was going on which he did not
+understand. His unhappiness was increased by this uncertainty. "Kill me
+yourself," he said. "Or give me some explanation of your words for I
+can understand nothing. You owe it to my friendship, you owe it to my
+restraint, for anyone but me would have already taken your life to
+avenge such an affront."
+
+"The appearances are wholly misleading," interrupted the Comte.
+
+"Ah! It is too much. I must be avenged and clear things up later," said
+the Prince, advancing towards the Comte like a man carried away by
+rage. The Princess, fearing bloodshed, (which was not possible as her
+husband did not have a sword) placed herself between the two of them
+and fell fainting at her husband's feet. The Prince was even more
+affected by this than he was by the calmness of the Comte when he
+confronted him, and as if he could no longer bear the sight of those
+two people who had caused him such distress, he turned away and fell on
+his wife's bed, overcome by grief. The Comte de Chabannes, filled with
+remorse at having abused the friendship of which he had had so many
+marks, and believing that he could never atone for what he had done,
+left the room abruptly and passing through the Princess's apartment
+where he found all the doors open, he went down to the courtyard. He
+had a horse brought to him and rode off into the country led only by
+his feelings of hopelessness. The Prince de Montpensier, seeing that
+his wife did not recover from her faint, left her to her women and
+retired to his own quarters greatly disturbed.
+
+The Duc de Guise having got out of the park, hardly knowing what he was
+doing being in such a state of turmoil, put several leagues between
+himself and Champigny, but could go no further without news of the
+Princess. He stopped in the forest and sent his squire to find out from
+the Comte de Chabannes what had happened. The squire found no trace of
+Chabannes but was told by others that the Princess was seriously ill.
+The Duc's inquietude was increased by what the squire had told him, but
+as he could do nothing he was constrained to go back to his uncle's in
+order not to raise suspicions by too long an absence.
+
+The Duc's squire had been correct when he said that the Princess was
+seriously ill, for as soon as her women had put her to bed she was
+seized by a violent fever with horrible phantasies, so that by the
+second day her life was despaired of. The Prince pretended that he
+himself was ill so that no one should be surprised that he did not
+visit his wife's room. The order which he received to return to the
+Court, to which all the Catholic princes were being recalled in
+preparation for the massacre of the Huguenots, relieved him of his
+embarrassment. He went off to Paris without knowing what he had to hope
+or fear about his wife's illness. He had hardly arrived there when the
+assault on the Huguenots was signalised by the attack on admiral de
+Chatillon. Two days later came the disgraceful massacre, now so well
+known throughout Europe.
+
+The poor Comte de Chabannes who had gone to hide himself away in one of
+the outer suburbs of Paris to abandon himself to his misery was caught
+up in the ruin of the Huguenots. The people to whose house he had
+retired, having recognised him, and having recalled that he had once
+been suspected of being of that persuasion, murdered him on the same
+night which was fatal to so many people. The next day the Prince de
+Montpensier, who was in that area on duty, passed along the street
+where the body of the Comte lay. He was at first shocked by this
+pitiful sight and, recalling his past friendship, was grieved; but then
+the memory of the offence, which he believed the Comte had committed,
+made him feel pleased that he had been avenged by the hand of chance.
+
+The Duc de Guise who had used the opportunity of the massacre to take
+ample revenge for the death of his father, gradually took less and less
+interest in the condition of the Princess of Montpensier; and having
+met the Marquise de Noirmoutier, a woman of wit and beauty, and one who
+promised more than the Princess de Montpensier, he attached himself to
+her, an attachment which lasted a lifetime.
+
+The Princess's illness reached a crisis and then began to remit. She
+recovered her senses and was somewhat relieved by the absence of her
+husband. She was expected to live, but her health recovered very slowly
+because of her low spirits, which were further depressed by the
+realisation that she had received no news of the Duc de Guise during
+all her illness. She asked her women if they had not seen anyone, if
+they had not had any letters, and finding that there had been nothing,
+she saw herself as the most wretched of women, one who had risked all
+for a man who had abandoned her. A fresh blow was the news of the death
+of the Comte de Chabannes, which her husband made sure she heard about
+as soon as possible. The ingratitude of the Duc de Guise made her feel
+even more deeply the loss of a man whose fidelity she knew so well.
+These disappointments weighed heavily upon her and reduced her to a
+state as serious as that from which she had recently recovered. Madame
+de Noirmoutier was a woman who took as much care to publicise her
+affairs as others do to conceal them. Her relations with the Duc de
+Guise were so open that, even though far away and ill, the Princess
+heard so much about it that she was left in no doubt. This was the
+final straw. She had lost the regard of her husband, the heart of her
+lover, and the most loyal of her friends. She took to her bed, and died
+not long after in the flower of her youth. She was one of the loveliest
+of women and could have been one of the happiest if she had not strayed
+so far from the path of prudence and virtue.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Princess of Montpensier, by
+Madame de La Fayette
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+Project Gutenberg Etext The Princess de Montpensier, by Lafayette
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+This is a 7 bit file without accents, we will also do an 8 bit.
+
+
+
+
+
+The Princess de Montpensier
+
+By Mme. de Lafayette.
+
+
+
+Introduction. By Oliver.C.Colt.
+
+This story was written by Madame de Lafayette and published
+anonymously in 1662. It is set in a period almost 100 years
+previously during the sanguinary wars of the counter-reformation,
+when the Catholic rulers of Europe, with the encouragement of the
+Papacy, were bent on extirpating the followers of the creeds of
+Luther and Calvin. I am not qualified to embark on a historical
+analysis, and shall do no more than say that many of the persons
+who are involved in the tale actually existed, and the events
+referred to actually took place. The weak and vicious King and
+his malign and unscrupulous mother are real enough, as is a Duc
+de Montpensier, a Prince of the Blood, who achieved some
+notoriety for the cruelty with which he treated any Huguenots who
+fell into his hands, and for the leadership he gave to the
+assassins during the atrocious massacre of St. Bartholomew's day.
+He was married and had progeny, but the woman to whom he was
+married was not the heroine of this romance, who is a fictional
+character, as is the Comte de Chabannes.
+
+The Duc de Guise of the period whose father had been killed
+fighting against the protestants, did marry the Princess de
+Portein, but this was for political reasons and not to satisfy
+the wishes of a Princess de Montpensier.
+
+It will be noticed,I think, that women were traded in marriage
+with little or no regard to their personal emotions, and no
+doubt, as has been remarked by others, marriages without love
+encouraged love outside marriage. Whatever the reality, the
+literary conventions of the time seem to have dictated that we
+should be treated only to ardent glances, fervent declarations,
+swoonings and courtly gestures, we are not led even to the
+bedroom door, let alone the amorous couch. I wonder, however, if
+the reader might not think that this little tale written more
+than three hundred years ago contains the elements of many of the
+romantic novels and soap operas which have followed it.
+
+At one level it is a cautionary tale about the consequences of
+marital infidelity; at another it is a story of a woman betrayed,
+treated as a pretty bauble for the gratification of men, and cast
+aside when she has served her purpose, or a butterfly trapped in
+a net woven by uncaring fate. Her end is rather too contrived for
+modern taste, but, even today, characters who are about to be
+written out of the plot in soap operas are sometimes smitten by
+mysterious and fatal disorders of the brain.
+
+The unfortunate Comte de Chabannes is the archtypical "decent
+chap" The faithful but rejected swain who sacrifices himself for
+the welfare of his beloved without expectation of reward. In the
+hands of another writer, with some modification, he could  have
+provided a happy ending in the "Mills and Boon" tradition.
+
+This translation is not a schoolroom exercise, for although I
+have not altered the story, I have altered the exact way in which
+it is told in the original, with the aim of making it more
+acceptable to the modern reader. All translation must involve
+paraphrase, for what sounds well in one language may sound
+ridiculous if translated literally into another, and it is for
+the translator to decide how far this process may be carried.
+Whether I have succeeded in my task, only the reader can say.
+
+
+
+
+The Princess de Montpensier
+
+By Madame de Lafayette
+
+
+
+
+Translated by Oliver.C.Colt.
+
+
+
+
+It was while the civil war of religion was tearing France apart
+that the only daughter of the Marquis of Mezieres, a very
+considerable heiress, both because of her wealth and the
+illustrious house of Anjou from which she was descended, was
+promised in marriage to the Duc de Maine, the younger brother of
+the Duc de Guise.
+
+The marriage was delayed because of the youth of this heiress,
+but the elder of the brothers, the Duc de Guise, who saw much of
+her, and who saw also the burgeoning of what was to become a
+great beauty, fell in love with her and was loved in return. They
+concealed their feelings with great care; the Duc de Guise, who
+had not yet become as ambitious as he was to become later, wanted
+desperately to marry her, but fear of angering his uncle, the
+Cardinal de Lorraine, who had taken the place of his dead father,
+prevented him from making any declaraton.
+
+This was how the matter stood when the ruling house of Bourbon,
+who could not bear to see any benefit accruing to that of de
+Guise, decided to step in and reap the profit themselves by
+marrying this heiress to the Prince de Montpensier.
+
+This project was pursued with such vigour that the parents of
+Mlle. de Mezieres, despite the promises given to the Cardinal de
+Lorraine, resolved to give her in marriage to the young Prince.
+The house of de Guise was much displeased at this, but the Duc
+himself was overcome by grief, and regarded this as an
+insupportable affront. In spite of warnings from his uncles, the
+Cardinal and the Duc de Aumale--who did not wish to stand in the
+way of something which they could not prevent--he expressed
+himself with so much violence, even in the presence of the Prince
+de Montpensier, that a mutual enmity arose between them which
+lasted all their lives.
+
+Mlle. de Mezieres, urged by her parents to marry the Prince,
+realised that it was impossible for her to marry the Duc de
+Guise, and that if she married his brother, the Duc de Maine, she
+would be in the dangerous position of having as a brother-in-law
+a man whom she wished was her husband; so she agreed finally to
+marry the Prince and begged the Duc de Guise not to continue to
+place any obstacle in the way.
+
+The marriage having taken place, the Prince de Montpensier took
+her off to his estate of Champigny, which was where Princes of
+his family usually lived, in order to remove her from Paris,
+where it seemed that an outbreak of fighting was imminent: this
+great city being under threat of siege by a Huguenot army led by
+the Prince de Conde, who had once more declared war on the King.
+
+The Prince de Montpensier had, when a very young man, formed a
+close friendship with the Comte de Chabannes, a man considerably
+older than himself and of exemplary character. The Comte in turn
+had been so much influenced by the esteem and friendship of the
+Prince that he had broken off influential connections which he
+had with the Prince de Condee and had declared for the Catholics;
+a change of sides which, having no other foundation, was regarded
+with suspicion: so much so that the Queen Mother, Catherine de
+Medici, on the declaration of war by the Huguenots, proposed to
+have him imprisoned. The Prince de Montpensier prevented this and
+carried him away to Champigny when he went there with his wife.
+The Comte being a very pleasant, amiable man soon gained the
+approbation of the Princess and before long she regarded him with
+as much friendship and confidence as did her husband. Chabannes,
+for his part, observed with admiration the beauty, sense and
+modesty of the young Princess, and used what influence he had to
+instill in her thoughts and behaviour suited to her elevated
+position; so that under his guidance she became one of the most
+accomplished women of her time.
+
+The Prince having gone back to the Court, where he was needed
+owing to the continuation of the war, the Comte lived alone with
+the Princess and continued to treat her with the respect due to
+her rank and position. The Princess took him so far into her
+confidence as to tell him of the feelings she had once had for
+the Duc de Guise, but she intimated that there remained only
+enough of this emotion to prevent her heart from straying
+elsewhere and that this remnant, together with her wifely virtue
+made it impossible for her to respond, except with a rebuff, to
+any possible suitor.
+
+The Comte who recognised her sincerity and who saw in her a
+character wholly opposed to flirtation and gallantry, did not
+doubt the truth of her words; but nevertheless he was unable to
+resist all the charms which he saw daily so close to him. He fell
+deeply in love with the Princess, in spite of the shame he felt
+at allowing himself to be overcome by this illicit passion.
+However although not master of his heart, he was master of his
+actions; the change in his emotions did not show at all in his
+behaviour, and no one suspected him. He took, for a whole year,
+scrupulous care to hide his feelings from the Princess and
+believed that he would always be able to do so.
+
+Love, however, had the same effect on him as it does on everyone,
+he longed to speak of it, and after all the struggles which are
+usually made on such occasions, he dared to tell her of his
+devotion. He had been prepared to weather the storm  of reproach
+which this might arouse, but he was greeted with a calm and a
+coolness which was a thousand times worse than the outburst which
+he had expected. She did not take the trouble to be angry. She
+pointed out in a few words the difference in their rank and ages,
+she reminded him of what she had previously said about her
+attitude to suitors and above all to the duty he owed to the
+confidence and friendship of the Prince her husband. The Comte
+was overwhelmed by shame and distress. She tried to console him
+by assuring him that she would forget entirely what he had just
+said to her and would always look on him as her best friend;
+assurances which were small consolation to the Comte as one might
+imagine. He felt the disdain which was implicit in all that the
+Princess had said, and seeing her the next day with her customary
+untroubled looks redoubled his misery.
+
+The Princess continued to show him the same goodwill as before
+and even discussed her former attachment to the Duc de Guise,
+saying that she was pleased that his increasing fame showed that
+he was worthy of the affection she had once had for him. These
+demonstrations of confidence, which were once so dear to the
+Comte, he now found insupportable, but he did not dare say as
+much to the Princess, though he did sometimes remind her of what
+he had so rashly confessed to her.
+
+After an absence of two years, peace having been declared, the
+Prince de Montpensier returned to his wife, his renown enhanced
+by his behaviour at the siege of Paris and the battle of
+St.Denis. He was surprised to find the beauty of the Princess
+blooming in such perfection, and being of a naturally jealous
+disposition he was a little put out of humour by the realisation
+that this beauty would be displayed to others beside himself. He
+was delighted to see once more the Comte, for whom his affection
+was in no way diminished. He asked him for confidential details
+about his wife's character and temperament, for she was almost a
+stranger to him because of the little time during which they had
+lived together. The Comte, with the utmost sincerity, as if he
+himself were not enamoured, told the Prince everything he knew
+about the Princess which would encourage her husband's love of
+her, and he also suggested to Madame de Montpensier all the
+measures she might take to win the heart and respect of her
+spouse. The Comte's devotion led him to think of nothing but what
+would increase the happiness and well-being of the Princess and
+to forget without difficulty the interest which lovers usually
+have in stirring up trouble between the objects of their
+affection and their marital partners.
+
+The peace was only shortlived. War soon broke out again by reason
+of a plot by the King to arrest the Prince de Condee and Admiral
+Chatillon at Noyers. As a result of the military preparations the
+Prince de Montpensier was forced to leave his wife and report for
+duty. Chabannes, who had been restored to the Queen's favour,
+went with him. It was not without much sorrow that he left the
+Princess, while she, for her part, was distressed to think of the
+perils to which the war might expose her husband.
+
+The leaders of the Huguenots retired to La Rochelle. They held
+Poitou and Saintongne; the war flared up again and the King
+assembled all his troops. His brother, the Duc d'Anjou, who later
+became Henri III, distinguished himself by his deeds in various
+actions, amongst others the battle of Jarnac, in which the Prince
+de Condee was killed. It was during this fighting that the Duc de
+Guise began to play a more important part and to display some of
+the great qualities which had been expected of him. The Prince de
+Montpensier, who hated him, not only as a personal enemy but as
+an enemy of his family, the Bourbons, took no pleasure in his
+successes nor in the friendliness shown toward him by the Duc
+d'Anjou.
+
+After the two armies had tired themselves out in a series of
+minor actions, by common consent they were stood down for a time.
+The Duc d'Anjou stayed at Loches to restore to order all the
+places which had been attacked. The Duc de Guise stayed with him
+and the Prince de Montpensier, accompanied by the Comte de
+Chabannes, went back to Champigny, which was not far away.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou frequently went to inspect places where
+fortifications were being constructed. One day when he was
+returning to Loches by a route which his staff did not know well,
+the Duc de Guise, who claimed to know the way, went to the head
+of the party to act as guide, but after a time he became lost and
+arrived at the bank of a small river which he did not recognise.
+The Duc d'Anjou had a few words to say to him for leading them
+astray, but while they were held up there they saw a little boat
+floating on the river, in which--the river not being very wide--
+they could see the figures of three or four women, one of whom,
+very pretty and sumptuously dressed, was watching with interest
+the activities of two men who were fishing nearby.
+
+This spectacle created something of a sensation amongst the
+Princes and their suite. It seemed to them like an episode from a
+romance. Some declared that it was fate that had led the Duc de
+Guise to bring them there to see this lovely lady, and that they
+should now pay court to her. The Duc d'Anjou maintained that it
+was he who should be her suitor.
+
+To push the matter a bit further, they made one of the horsemen
+go into the river as far as he could and shout to the lady that
+it was the Duc d'Anjou who wished to cross to the other bank and
+who begged the lady to take him in her boat. The lady, who was of
+course the Princess de Montpensier, hearing that it was the Duc
+d'Anjou, and having no doubt when she saw the size of his suite
+that it was indeed him, took her boat over to the bank where he
+was. His fine figure made him easily distinguishable from the
+others, she, however, distinguished even more easily the figure
+of the Duc de Guise. This sight disturbed her and caused her to
+blush a little which made her seem to the Princes to have an
+almost supernatural beauty.
+
+The Duc de Guise recognised her immediately in spite of the
+changes which had taken place in her appearance in the three
+years since he had last seen her. He told the Duc d'Anjou who she
+was and the Duc was at first embarrassed at the liberty he had
+taken, but then, struck by the Princess's beauty, he decided to
+venture a little further, and after a thousand excuses and a
+thousand compliments he invented a serious matter which required
+his presence on the opposite bank, and accepted the offer which
+she made of a passage in her boat. He got in, accompanied only by
+the Duc de Guise, giving orders to his suite to cross the river
+elsewhere and to join him at Champigny, which Madame de
+Montpensier told him was not more than two leagues from there.
+
+As soon as they were in the boat the Duc d'Anjou asked to what
+they owed this so pleasant encounter. Madame de Montpensier
+replied that  having left Champigny with the Prince her husband
+with the intention of following the hunt, she had become tired
+and having reached the river bank she had gone out in the boat to
+watch the landing of a salmon which had been caught in a net. The
+Duc de Guise did not take part in this conversation, but he was
+conscious of the re-awakening of all the emotions which the
+Princess had once aroused in him, and thought to himself that he
+would have difficulty in escaping from this meeting without
+falling once more under her spell.
+
+They arrived shortly at the bank where they found the Princess's
+horses and her attendants who had been waiting for her. The two
+noblemen helped her onto her horse where she sat with the
+greatest elegance. During their journey back to Champigny they
+talked agreeably about a number of subjects and her companions
+were no less charmed by her conversation than they had been by
+her beauty. They offered her a number of compliments to which she
+replied with becoming modesty, but a little more coolly to those
+from M.de Guise, for she wished to maintain a distance which
+would prevent him from founding any expectations on the feelings
+she had once had towards him.
+
+When they arrived at the outer courtyard of Champigny they
+encountered the Prince de Montpensier, who had just returned from
+the hunt. He was greatly astonished to see two men in the company
+of his wife, and he was even more astonished when, on coming
+closer, he saw that these were the Duc d'Anjou and the Duc de
+Guise. The hatred which he bore for the latter, combined with his
+naturally jealous disposition made him find the sight of these
+two Princes with his wife, without knowing how they came to be
+there or why they had come to his house, so disagreeable that he
+was unable to conceal his annoyance. He, however, adroitly put
+this down to a fear that he could not receive so mighty a Prince
+as the King's brother in a style befitting his rank. The Comte de
+Chabannes was even more upset at seeing the Duc de Guise and
+Madame de Montpensier together than was her husband, it seemed to
+him a most evil chance which had brought the two of them together
+again, an augury which foretold disturbing sequels to follow this
+new beginning.
+
+In the evening Madame de Montpensier acted as hostess with the
+same grace with which she did everything. In fact she pleased her
+guests a little too much. The Duc d'Anjou who was very handsome
+and very much a ladies man, could not see a prize so much worth
+winning without wishing ardently to make it his own. He had a
+touch of the same sickness as the Duc de Guise, and continuing to
+invent important reasons, he stayed for two days at Champigny,
+without being obliged to do so by anything but the charms of
+Madame de Montpensier, for her husband did not make any
+noticeable effort to detain him. The Duc de Guise did not leave
+without making it clear to Madame de Montpensier that he felt
+towards her as he had done in the past. As nobody knew of this
+former relationship he said to her several times, in front of
+everybody, that his affections were in no way changed. A remark
+which only she understood.
+
+Both he and the Duc d'Anjou left Champigny with regret. For a
+long time they went along in silence; but at last it occurred to
+the Duc d'Anjou that the reflections which occupied his thoughts
+might be echoed in the mind of the Duc de Guise, and he asked him
+brusquely if he was thinking about the beauties of Madame de
+Montpensier. This blunt question combined with what he had
+already observed of the Prince's behaviour made the Duc realise
+that he had a rival from whom it was essential that his own love
+for the Princess should be concealed. In order to allay all
+suspicion he answered with a laugh that the Prince himself had
+seemed so preoccupied with the thoughts which he was accused of
+having that he had deemed it inadvisable to interrupt him; the
+beauty of Madame de Montpensier was, he said, nothing new to him,
+he had been used to discounting its effect since the days when
+she was destined to be his sister-in-law, but he saw that not
+everyone was so little dazzled. The Duc d'Anjou admitted that he
+had never seen anyone to compare with this young Princess and
+that he was well aware that the vision might be dangerous if he
+was exposed to it too often. He tried to get the Duc de Guise to
+confess that he felt the same, but the Duc would admit to
+nothing.
+
+On their return to Loches they often recalled with pleasure the
+events which had led to their meeting with the Princess de
+Montpensier, a subject which did not give rise to the same
+pleasure at Champigny. The Prince de Montpensier was dissatisfied
+with all that had happened without being able to say precisely
+why. He found fault with his wife for being in the boat. He
+considered that she had welcomed the Princes too readily; and
+what displeased him most was that he had noticed the attention
+paid to her by the Duc de Guise. This had provoked in him a
+furious bout of jealousy in which he recalled the anger displayed
+by the Duc at the prospect of his marriage, which caused him to
+suspect that even at that time the Duc was in love with his wife.
+The Comte de Chabannes as usual made every effort to act as
+peacemaker, hoping in this way to show the Princess that his
+devotion to her was sincere and disinterested. He could not
+resist asking her what effect the sight of the Duc de Guise had
+produced. She replied that she had been somewhat upset and
+embarrassed at the memory of the feelings she had once displayed
+to him; she found him more handsome than he had been then and it
+had seemed to her that he wished to persuade her that he still
+loved her, but she assured the Comte that nothing would shake her
+determination not to become involved in any intrigue. The Comte
+was happy to hear of this resolve, but he was far from being sure
+about the Duc de Guise. He earnestly warned the Princess of the
+danger of a return to the previous situation should she have any
+change of heart, though when he spoke of his devotion she adopted
+her invariable attitude of looking on him as her closest friend
+but in no way a possible suitor.
+
+The armies were once more called up; all the Princes returned to
+their posts and the Prince de Montpensier decided that his wife
+should come with him to Paris so as to be further from the area
+where it was expected that fighting would take place. The
+Huguenots besieged Poitiers. The Duc de Guise went there to
+organise the defence and, while there, enhanced his reputation by
+his conduct. The Duc d'Anjou suffered from some illness, and left
+the army either on account of the severity of this or because he
+wanted to return to the comfort and security of Paris, where the
+presence of the Princess de Montpensier was not the least of the
+attractions. The command of the army was taken over by the Prince
+de Montpensier, and shortly after this, a peace having been
+arranged, the Court assembled in Paris. Here the beauty of the
+Princess eclipsed that of all her rivals. She charmed everyone by
+her looks and personality. The Duc d'Anjou did not abandon the
+sentiments she had inspired in him at Champigny, he took great
+care to make her aware of this by all sorts of delicate
+considerations, being careful at the same time not to make his
+attentions too obvious for fear of arousing the jealousy of her
+husband. The Duc de Guise was now fervently in love with her, but
+wishing, for a variety of reasons, to keep this secret, he
+resolved to tell her so privately and avoid any preliminaries
+which, as always, would give rise to talk and exposure. One day
+when he was in the Queen's apartments where there were very few
+people, the Queen having left to discuss affairs of state with
+Cardinal de Lorraine, the Princess de Montpensier arrived. He
+decided to take this opportunity to speak to her, and going up to
+her he said, "Although it may surprise and displease you, I want
+you to know that I have always felt for you that emotion which
+you once knew so well, and that its power has been so greatly
+increased by seeing you again that neither your disapproval, the
+hatred of your husband, nor the rivalry of the first Prince in
+the kingdom can in the least diminish it. It would perhaps have
+been more tactful to have let you become aware of this by my
+behaviour rather than by my words, but my behaviour would have
+been evident to others as well as to yourself and I wanted you
+alone to know of my love for you."
+
+The Princess was so surprised and thrown into confusion by this
+speech that she could not think of an answer, then, just when she
+had collected her wits and begun to reply, the Prince de
+Montpensier entered the room. The Princess's face displayed her
+agitation, and her embarrassment was compounded by the sight of
+her husband, to such an extent that he was left in no doubt about
+what the Duc de Guise had been saying to her. Fortunately at that
+moment the Queen re-entered the room and the Duc de Guise moved
+away to avoid the jealous Prince.
+
+That evening the Princess found her husband in the worst temper
+imaginable. He berated her with the utmost violence and forbade
+her ever to speak to the Duc de Guise again. She retired to her
+room very sad and much preoccupied with the events of the day.
+She saw the Duc the next day amid the company around the Queen,
+but he did not come near her and left soon after she did,
+indicating that he had no interest in remaining if she was not
+there. Not a day passed without her receiving a thousand covert
+marks of the Duc's passion though he did not attempt to speak to
+her unless he was sure that they could be seen by nobody.
+
+Convinced of the Duc's sincerity, the Princess, in spite of the
+resolution she had made at Champigny, began to feel in the depths
+of her heart something of what she had felt in the past.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou for his part, omitted nothing which could
+demonstrate his devotion in all the places where he could meet
+her. In the Queen his mother's apartments he followed her about
+continually, completely ignoring his sister who was very fond of
+him. It was at around this time that it became evident that this
+sister, who later became the Queen of Navarre, had a liking for
+the Duc de Guise, and another thing that became evident was a
+cooling of the friendship between that Duc and the Duc d'Anjou.
+The rumour linking the name of the Royal Princess with that of
+the Duc de Guise disturbed The Princess de Montpensier to a
+degree which surprised her, and made her realise that she was
+more interested in the Duc than she had supposed.
+
+Now it so happened that her father-in-law, M. de Montpensier,
+married a sister of the Duc de Guise, and the princess was bound
+to meet the Duc frequently in the various places where the
+marriage celebrations required their presence. She was greatly
+offended that a man who was widely believed to be in love with
+"Madame", the King's sister, should dare to make advances to her,
+she was not only offended but distressed at having deceived
+herself.
+
+One day, when they met at his sister's house, being a little
+separated from he rest, the Duc was tempted to speak to her, but
+she interrupted him sharply saying angrily "I do not understand
+how, on the basis of a weakness which one had at the age of
+thirteen, you have the audacity to make amorous proposals to a
+person like me, particularly when, in the view of the whole
+Court, you are interested in someone else." The Duc who was
+intelligent as well as being much in love, understood the emotion
+which underlay the Princess's words. He answered her most
+respectfully, "I confess, Madame, that it was wrong of me not to
+reject the possible honour of becoming the King's brother-in-law,
+rather than allow you to suspect for a moment that I could desire
+any heart but yours; but if you will be patient enough to hear me
+I am sure I can fully justify my behaviour."  The Princess made
+no reply, but she did not go away and the Duc, seeing that she
+was prepared to listen to him, told her that although he had made
+no effort to attract the attention of Madame, she had
+nevertheless honoured him with her interest: as he was not
+enamoured of her he had responded very coolly to this honour
+until she gave him to believe that she might marry him. The
+realisation of the grandeur to which such a marriage would raise
+him had obliged him to take a little more trouble. This situation
+had aroused the suspicions of the King and the Duc d'Anjou, but
+the opposition of neither of then would have any effect on his
+course of action, however if this displeased her he would abandon
+all such notions and never think of them again.
+
+This sacrifice which the Duc was prepared to make caused the
+Princess to forget all the anger she had shown. She changed the
+subject and began to speak of the indiscretion displayed by
+Madame in making the first advances and of the considerable
+advantages which he would gain if he married her. In the end,
+without saying anything kind to the Duc de Guise, she made him
+recall a thousand things he had found so pleasing in Mlle. de
+Mezieres. Although they had not had private conversation for a
+long time, they found themselves attuned to one another, and
+their thoughts went along a track which they both had travelled
+in the past. At the end of this agreeable meeting the Duc was
+left in a state of considerable happiness, and the Princess was
+not a little moved to think that he truly loved her. However, in
+the privacy of her room she became ashamed of the ease with which
+she had accepted the Duc's excuses and reflected on the trouble
+into which she might be plunged if she engaged in something she
+had always regarded with distaste and on the frightening misery
+which a jealous husband might inflict on her. These thoughts made
+her adopt new resolves, but they disappeared the next day on the
+sight of the Duc de Guise.
+
+The new alliance between their families gave the Duc many
+opportunities to speak to her. He gave her an exact account of
+all that passed between Madame and himself. He had difficulty in
+allaying the jealousy to which the beauty of Madame gave rise and
+any number of promises failed to reassure her. This jealousy
+enabled the Princess to defend the remains of her heart against
+the advances of the Duc, who already had won the greater part of
+it.
+
+The marriage of the King to the daughter of the Emperor
+Maximilian filled the Court with fetes and celebrations. The King
+put on a ballet in which Madame and all the princesses were to
+dance; among them only the Princess de Montpensier could rival
+Madame in beauty. The Duc d'Anjou and four others were to make an
+appearance as Moors; their costumes would all be identical, as
+was usual in this sort of performance. On the first occasion on
+which the ballet was presented, the Duc de Guise, before the
+dance began and before he had donned his mask, said a few words
+to the Princess as he went past her. She saw clearly that the
+Prince her husband had noticed this, which made her feel uneasy.
+A little later, seeing the Duc d'Anjou in his mask and Moorish
+costume, who was coming to speak to her, she mistook him for the
+Duc de Guise and said to him "Do not have eyes for anyone but
+Madame this evening: I shall not be in the least jealous. I am
+ordering you. I am being watched. Do not come near me again."  As
+soon as she had said this she moved away.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou stood there thunderstruck. He saw that he had a
+successful rival: the reference to Madame made it obvious that
+this was the Duc de Guise, and left him in no doubt that his
+sister was to play second fiddle to the Princess de Montpensier.
+Jealousy, frustration and rage joining to the dislike which he
+already had for the Duc roused him to a violent fury; and he
+would have given there and then some bloody mark of his temper
+had not that dissimulation which came naturally to him prevented
+him from attacking the Duc de Guise in the present circumstances.
+He did not, however, refrain from the pleasure of disclosing his
+knowledge of this secret affair. He approached the Duc de Guise
+as they left the salon where they had been dancing and said to
+him "To presume to raise your eyes towards my sister, as well as
+stealing the affection of the woman I love is altogether too
+much. The presence of the King prevents me from taking any action
+just now, but remember that the loss of your life may be, one
+day, the least thing with which I shall punish your
+impertinence."
+
+The pride of the Duc de Guise was not accustomed to submit tamely
+to such threats, but he was unable to reply because at that
+moment the King called both of them to his side. He did not
+forget, however, and tried all his life to exact revenge.
+
+From that evening the Duc d'Anjou endeavoured an all sorts of
+ways to turn the King against the Duc de Guise. He persuaded the
+King that Madame would never agree to her proposed marriage to
+the King of Navarre as long as the Duc de Guise was allowed to
+have any contact with her; and that it was unacceptable that a
+subject, for his own vain purposes, should place an obstacle in
+the way of what could bring peace to France. The King already
+disliked the Duc de Guise and this speech inflamed his dislike so
+much that the next day when the Duc presented himself to join the
+ball at the Queen's apartments, he stood in the doorway and asked
+him brusquely where he was going. The Duc, without showing any
+surprise answered that he had come to offer his most humble
+services, to which the King replied that he had no need of any
+services which the Duc might provide, and turned away without any
+other acknowledgement. The Duc was not deterred from entering the
+room, his feelings incensed both against the King and the Duc
+d'Anjou. His natural pride led him, as an act of defiance, to pay
+more attention to Madame than usual, and what the Duc d'Anjou had
+told him prevented him from looking in the direction of the
+Princess de Montpensier.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou watched both of them with close attention. The
+Princess's expression, in spite of herself, showed some chagrin
+when the Duc de Guise spoke with Madame. The Duc d'Anjou who
+realised from what she had said to him, when she mistook him for
+the Duc de Guise, that she was jealous, hoped to cause trouble.
+He drew close to her and said, "It is in your interest and not in
+mine that I must tell you that the Duc de Guise does not deserve
+the choice you have made of him in preference to me, a choice
+which you cannot deny and of which I am well aware, he is
+deceiving you madame, and betraying you for my sister as he
+betrayed her for you. He is a man moved only by ambition, but
+since he has the good fortune to please you, that is enough; I
+shall not attempt to stand in the way of a felicity which without
+doubt I merit more than he. It would be undignified for me to
+persist in trying to gain the heart which is already possessed by
+another. It is bad enough to have attracted only your
+indifference and I would not like to have this replaced by
+dislike by wearying you with endless protestations of unwelcome
+devotion."
+
+The Duc d'Anjou who was genuinely touched by love and sadness,
+was hardly able to complete this speech, and although he had
+begun in a spirit of spite and vengeance, he was so overcome when
+he thought of the Princess's beauty and of what he was losing by
+giving up all hope of being her lover. that without waiting for
+her reply he left the ball, saying that he felt unwell, and went
+home to nurse his grief.
+
+The Princess de Montpensier stayed there, upset and worried as
+one might imagine. To see her reputation and her secret in the
+hands of a suitor whom she had rejected and to learn from him
+that she was being deceived by her lover were not things which
+would put her in the right frame of mind for a place dedicated to
+enjoyment; she had, however, to remain where she was and later go
+to supper in the company of the Duchess de Montpensier, her
+mother-in-law.
+
+The Duc de Guise who had followed them to his sister's house, was
+dying to tell her what the Duc d'Anjou had said the day before,
+but to his astonishment when he did have the opportunity to speak
+to her, he was overwhelmed by reproaches which were tumbled out
+in such angry profusion that all he could gather was that he was
+accused of infidelity and treachery. Dismayed at finding himself
+in this unhappy situation when he had hoped for consolation, and
+being so much in love with the Princess that he could not bear to
+be unsure if he was loved in return, he took a sudden decision.
+"I shall lay your doubts at rest," he said. "I am going to do
+what all the royal power could not make me do. It will cost me my
+fortune but that is of little account if it makes you happy."
+
+He went straight from his sister's house to that of his uncle,
+the cardinal. He convinced him that having fallen into the King's
+disfavour, it was essential that it should be made quite clear
+that he would not marry Madame, so he asked for his marriage to
+be arranged with the Princess de Portien, a matter which had
+previously been discussed. The news of this was soon all over
+Paris and  gave rise to much surprise. The princess de
+Montpensier was both happy and sad. Glad to see the power she had
+over the Duc, and sorry that she had caused him to abandon
+something so advantageous as marriage to Madame. The Duc who
+hoped that love would compensate him for his material loss,
+pressed the Princess to give him a private audience so that he
+could clear up the unjust accusations which she had made. He
+obtained this when she found herself at his sister's house at a
+time when his sister was not there and she was able to speak to
+him alone. The Duc took the opportunity to throw himself at her
+feet and describe all that he had suffered because of her
+suspicions, and though the Princess was unable to forget what the
+Duc d'Anjou had said to her, the behaviour of the Duc de Guise
+did much to reassure her. She told him exactly why she believed
+he had betrayed her which was because the Duc d'Anjou knew what
+he could only have learned from him. The Duc did not how to
+defend himself and was as puzzled as she to guess what could have
+given away their secret: at last, while the Princess was
+remonstrating with him for giving up the idea of the advantageous
+marriage with Madame and rushing into that with the Princess de
+Portien, she said to him that he could have been certain that she
+would not be jealous since on the day of the ball she herself had
+told him to have eyes only for Madame. The Duc said that she
+might have intended to do so but that she certainly had not. She
+maintained that she had, and in the end they reached the correct
+conclusion that she herself, deceived by the resemblance of the
+costumes, had told the Duc d'Anjou what she accused the Duc de
+Guise of telling him. The Duc de Guise who had almost entirely
+returned to favour, did so completely as a result of this
+conversation. The Princess could not refuse her heart to a man
+who had possessed it in the past and had just made such a
+sacrifice to please her. She consented to accept his declaration
+and permitted him to believe that she was not unmoved by his
+passion. The arrival of the Duchess, her mother-in-law, put an
+end to this tete-a-tete, and prevented the Duc from demonstrating
+his transports of joy.
+
+Some time later, the Court having gone to Blois, the marriage
+between the King of Navarre and Madame was celebrated. The Duc de
+Guise who wanted nothing more than the love of the Princess de
+Montpensier, enjoyed a ceremony which in other circumstances
+would have overwhelmed him with disappointment.
+
+The Duc was not able to conceal his love so well that the Prince
+de Montpensier did not suspect that something was going on, and
+being consumed by jealousy he ordered his wife to go to
+Champigny. This order was a great shock to her, but she had to
+obey: she found a way to say goodbye to the Duc de Guise
+privately but she found herself in great difficulty when it came
+to a means of providing a method whereby he could write to her.
+After much thought she decided to make use of the Comte de
+Chabannes, whom she always looked on as a friend without
+considering that he was in love with her. The Duc de Guise, who
+knew of the close friendship between the Comte and the Prince de
+Montpensier, was at first amazed at her choice of the Comte as a
+go-between, but she assured him of the Comte's fidelity with such
+conviction that he was eventually satisfied. He parted from her
+with all the unhappiness which such a separation can cause.
+
+The Comte de Chabannes, who had been ill in Paris while the
+Princess was at Blois, learning that she was going to Champigny
+arranged to meet her on the road and go with her. She greeted him
+with a thousand expressions of friendship and displayed an
+extraordinary impatience to talk to him in private, which at
+first delighted him. Judge his dismay when he found that this
+impatience was only to tell him that she was loved passionately
+by the Duc de Guise, a love which she returned. He was so
+distressed that he was unable to reply. The Princess, who was
+engrossed by her infatuation, took no notice of his silence. She
+began to tell him all the least details of the events, and how
+she and the Duc had agreed that he should be the means by which
+they could exchange letters. The thought that the woman he loved
+expected him to be of assistance to his rival, and made the
+proposal as if it was a thing he would find agreeable was
+bitterly hurtful, but he was so much in control of himself that
+he hid all his feelings from her and expressed only surprise at
+the change in her attitude. He hoped that this change which
+removed even the faintest hope from him would at the same time
+change his feelings, but he found the Princess so charming, her
+natural beauty having been enhanced by a certain grace which she
+had acquired at Court that he felt that he loved her more than
+ever. This remarkable devotion produced a remarkable effect. He
+agreed to carry his rival's letters to his beloved.
+
+The Princess was very despondent at the absence of the Duc de
+Guise, and could hope for solace only from his letters. She
+continually tormented the Comte de Chabannes to know if he had
+received any and almost blamed him for not having delivered one
+sooner. At last some arrived, brought by a gentleman in the Duc's
+service, which he took to her immediately so as not to delay her
+pleasure for a moment longer than necessary. The Princess was
+delighted to have them and tortured the poor Comte by reading
+them to him, as well as her tender and loving reply. He took this
+reply to the waiting courier even more sadly than he had made the
+delivery. He consoled himself a little by the reflection that the
+Princess would realise what h was doing for her and would show
+some recognition. Finding, however, that she daily treated him
+with less consideration, owing to the anxieties which preoccupied
+her, he took the liberty of begging her to think a little of the
+suffering she was causing him. The Princess who had nothing in
+her head but the Duc de Guise, was so irritated by this approach
+that she treated the Comte much worse than she had done on the
+first occasion when he had declared his love for her. Although
+his devotion and patience had stood so many trials, this was too
+much. He left the Princess and went to live with a friend who had
+a house in the neighbourhood, from where he wrote to her with all
+the bitterness that her behaviour had provoked and bid her an
+eternal adieu.
+
+The Princess began to repent having dealt so harshly with a man
+over whom she had so much influence, and being unwilling to lose
+him, not only on account of their past friendship, but also
+because of his vital role in the conduct of her affair, she sent
+a message to him to say that she wished to speak to him one more
+time and that afterwards she would leave him free to do as he
+pleased. One is very vulnerable when one is in love. The Comte
+came back, and in less than an hour the beauty of the Princess,
+her charm and a few kind words made him more submissive than
+ever, and he even gave her some letters from the Duc de Guise
+which he had just received.
+
+At this time there was a scheme afoot in the Court to attract
+there all the leaders of the Huguenots, with the secret aim of
+including them in the horrible massacre of St. Bartholomew's day.
+As part of this attempt to lull them into a false sense of
+security, the King dismissed from his presence all the princes of
+the houses of Bourbon and de Guise. The Prince de Montpensier
+returned to Champigney, to the utter dismay of his wife, the Duc
+de Guise went to the home of his uncle, the Cardinal de Lorraine.
+
+Love and idleness induced in him such a violent desire to see the
+Princess de Montpensier that, without considering the risks to
+her and to himself, he made some excuse to travel, and leaving
+his suite in a small town, he took with him only the gentleman
+who had already made several trips to Champigny, and went there
+by post-chaise. As he knew no one whom he could approach but the
+Comte de Chabannes, he had the gentleman write a note requesting
+a meeting at a certain spot. The Comte, believing that this was
+solely for the purpose of receiving letters from the Duc de
+Guise, went there, but was most surprised to see the Duc himself
+and equally dismayed. The Duc, full of his own plans, took no
+more notice of the Comte's dismay than had the Princess of his
+silence when she told him of her amour. He described his passion
+in florid terms and claimed that he would infallibly die if the
+Princess could not be persuaded to see him. The Comte replied
+coldly that he would tell the Princess all that the Duc wanted to
+convey and would return with her response. He then went back to
+Champigny with his own emotions in such a turmoil that he hardly
+knew what he was doing. He thought of sending the Duc away
+without saying anything to the Princess, but the faithfulness
+with which he had promised to serve her soon put an end to that
+idea. He arrived without knowing what he should do, and finding
+that the Prince was out hunting, he went straight to the
+Princess's apartment. She saw that he was distressed and
+dismissed her women in order to find out what troubled him. He
+told her, as calmly as he could, that the Duc de Guise was a
+league distant and that he wanted passionately to see her. The
+Princess gave a cry at this news and her confusion was almost as
+great as that of the Comte. At first she was full of joy at the
+thought of seeing the man she loved so tenderly, but when she
+considered how much this was against her principles, and that she
+could not see her lover without introducing him into her home
+during the night and without her husband's knowledge, she found
+herself in the utmost difficulty. The Comte awaited her reply as
+if it were a matter of life or death. Realising that her silence
+indicated her uncertainty, he took the liberty of presenting to
+her all the perils to which she would be exposed by such a
+meeting, and wishing to make it clear that he was not doing this
+in his own interest, he said that if, in spite of all that he had
+said she was determined to see the Duc, rather than see her seek
+for aid from helpers less faithful than himself, he would bring
+the Duc to her. "Yes Madame" he said, "I shall go and find the
+Duc and bring him to your apartment, for it is too dangerous to
+leave him  for long where he is." "But how can this be done?"
+interrupted the Princess. "Ha! Madame," cried the Comte, "it is
+then decided, since you speak only of the method. I shall lead
+him through the park; only order one of your maids whom you can
+trust to lower, exactly at midnight, the little drawbridge which
+leads from your antechamber to the flower garden and leave the
+rest to me."  Having said this he rose and without waiting for
+any further comment from the Princess, he left, remounted his
+horse and went to look for the Duc de Guise, who was waiting for
+him with the greatest impatience.
+
+The Princess remained in such a state of confusion that it was
+some time before she came to her senses. Her first thought was to
+send someone after the Comte to tell him not to bring the Duc,
+but she could not bring herself to do so. She then thought that
+failing this, she had only not to have the drawbridge lowered,
+and she believed that she would continue with this resolve, but
+when the hour of the assignation drew near she was no longer able
+to resist the desire to see the lover whom she longed for, and
+she gave instructions to one of her women on the method by which
+the Duc was to be introduced into her apartment.
+
+Meanwhile the Duc and the Comte were approaching Champigny, but
+in very differing frames of mind. The Duc was full of joy and all
+the happiness of expectation. The Comte was in a mood of despair
+and anger, which tempted him at times to run his sword through
+his rival. They at last reached the park, where they left their
+horses in the care of the Duc's squire, and passing through a gap
+in the wall they came to the flower garden. The Comte had always
+retained some hope that the Princess would come to her senses and
+resolve not to see the Duc, but when he saw that the drawbridge
+was lowered he realised that his hope was in vain. He was tempted
+to take some desperate measure, but he was aware that any noise
+would be heard by the Prince de Montpensier whose rooms looked
+out onto the same flower-garden, and that all the subsequent
+disorder would fall on the head of the one he loved most. He
+calmed himself and led the Duc to the presence of the Princess.
+Although the Princess signaled that she would like him to stay in
+the room during the interview, he was unwilling to do so, and
+retired to a little passage which ran alongside the Princess's
+apartment, a prey to the saddest thoughts which could afflict a
+disappointed lover.
+
+Now, although they had made very little noise while crossing the
+bridge, the Prince de Montpensier was awake and heard it. He made
+one of his servants get up and go to see what it was. The servant
+put his head out of the window and in the darkness he could make
+out that the drawbridge was lowered. He told his master who then
+ordered him to go into the park and find out what was going on. A
+moment later he got up himself, being disturbed by what he
+thought he had heard, that is footsteps on the bridge leading to
+his wife's quarters.
+
+As he was going towards the little passage where the Comte was
+waiting, the Princess who was somewhat embarrassed at being alone
+with the Duc de Guise, asked the latter several times to come
+into the room. He refused to do so and as she continued to press
+him and as he was furiously angry he answered her so loudly that
+he was heard by the Prince de Montpensier, but so indistinctly
+that the Prince heard only a man's voice without being able to
+recognise it as that of the Comte.
+
+These events would have infuriated a character more placid and
+less jealous than the Prince de Montpensier. He hurled himself
+against the door, calling for it to be opened, and cruelly
+surprising the Princess, the Duc de Guise and the Comte de
+Chabannes. This last, hearing the Prince's voice, saw immediately
+that it was impossible to prevent him from believing that there
+was someone in his wife's room, and that he was in such a state
+that if he found that it was the Duc de Guise he might kill him
+before the eyes of the Princess and that even her life might be
+at risk. He decided, in an act of extraordinary generosity, to
+sacrifice himself to save a successful rival and an ungrateful
+mistress.
+
+While the Prince was battering on the door, he went to the Duc,
+who had no idea what to do, put him in the care of the woman who
+had arranged his entry by the bridge and told her to show him the
+way out. Scarcely had he left when the Prince having broken down
+the door entered the room like a man possessed. However when he
+saw only the Comte de Chabanne, motionless, leaning on a table
+with a look of infinite sadness on his face, he stopped short.
+The astonishment of finding his best friend alone at night in his
+wife's room deprived him of speech. The Princess had collapsed
+onto some cushions and never perhaps has fate put three people in
+a more unhappy position. At last the Prince made an attempt to
+make sense of the chaos before his eyes. He addressed the Comte
+in a tone of voice which still had some friendliness, "What is
+this I see?" he said. "Is it possible that a man I love so dearly
+has chosen among all other women to seduce my wife? And you
+madame," he said, turning to his wife, "was it not enough to
+deprive me of your love and my honour without depriving me of the
+one man who could have consoled me in such circumstances? Answer
+me, one of you," he said to them, "and explain this affair, which
+I cannot believe is what it seems."  The Princess was incapable
+of replying and the Comte opened his mouth once or twice but was
+unable to speak.
+
+"You see me as a criminal" he said at last, "and unworthy of the
+friendship you have shown me; but the situation is not what you
+may think it is. I am more unhappy than you and more despairing.
+I do not know how to tell you more than that. My death would
+avenge you, and if you were to kill me now you would be doing me
+a favour." These words, spoken with an air of the deepest sorrow,
+and in a manner which declared his innocence instead of
+enlightening the Prince confirmed him in the view that something
+mysterious was going on which he did not understand. His
+unhappiness was increased by this uncertainty. "Kill me
+yourself," he said, "or give me some explanation of your words
+for I can understand nothing. You owe it to my friendship, you
+owe it to my restraint, for anyone but me would have already
+taken your life to avenge such an affront."
+
+"The appearances are wholly misleading" interrupted the Comte.
+"Ah! It is too much. I must be avenged and clear things up
+later," said the Prince, advancing towards the Comte like a man
+carried away by rage. The Princess, fearing bloodshed (which was
+not possible as her husband did not have a sword), placed herself
+between the two of them and fell fainting at her husband's feet.
+The Prince was even more affected by this than he was by the
+calmness of the Comte when he confronted him, and as if he could
+no longer bear the sight of those two people who had caused him
+such distress, he turned away and fell on his wife's bed,
+overcome by grief. The Comte de Chabannes, filled with remorse at
+having abused the friendship of which he had had so many marks,
+and believing that he could never atone for what he had done,
+left the room abruptly and passing through the Princess's
+apartment where he found all the doors open, he went down to the
+courtyard. He had a horse brought to him and rode off into the
+country led only by his feelings of hopelessness. The Prince de
+Montpensier, seeing that his wife did not recover from her faint,
+left her to her women and retired to his own quarters greatly
+disturbed.
+
+The Duc de Guise having got out of the park, hardly knowing what
+he was doing being in such a state of turmoil, put several
+leagues between himself and Champigny, but could go no further
+without news of the Princess. He stopped in the forest and sent
+his squire to find out from the Comte de Chabannes what had
+happened. The squire found no trace of Chabannes but was told by
+others that the Princess was seriously ill. The Duc's inquietude
+was increased by what the squire had told him, but as he could do
+nothing he was constrained to go back to his uncle's in order not
+to raise suspicions by too long an absence.
+
+The Duc's squire had been correct when he said that the Princess
+was seriously ill, for as soon as her women had put her to bed
+she was seized by a violent fever with horrible phantasies, so
+that by the second day her life was despaired of. The Prince
+pretended that he himself was ill so that no one should be
+surprised that he did not visit his wife's room. The order which
+he received to return to the Court, to which all the Catholic
+princes were being recalled in preparation for the massacre of
+the Huguenots, relieved him of his embarrassment. He went off to
+Paris without knowing what he had to hope or fear about his
+wife's illness. He had hardly arrived there when the assault on
+the Huguenots was signalised by the attack on Admiral de
+Chatillon. Two days later came the disgraceful massacre, now so
+well known throughout Europe.
+
+The poor Comte de Chabanne, who had gone to hide himself away in
+one of the outer suburbs of Paris to abandon himself to his
+misery, was caught up in the ruin of the Huguenots. The people to
+whose house he had retired, having recognised him, and having
+recalled that he had once been suspected of being of that
+persuasion, murdered him on the same night which was fatal to so
+many people. The next day the Prince de Montpensier, who was in
+that area on duty, passed along the street where the body of the
+Comte lay. He was at first shocked by this pitiful sight and,
+recalling his past friendship, was grieved; but then the memory
+of the offence, which he believed the Comte had committed, made
+him feel pleased that he had been avenged by the hand of chance.
+
+The Duc de Guise who had used the opportunity of the massacre to
+take ample revenge for the death of his father, gradually took
+less and less interest in the Condition of the Princess of
+Montpensier; and having met the Marquise de Noirmoutier, a woman
+of wit and beauty, and one who promised more than the Princess de
+Montpensier, he attached himself to her, an attachment which
+lasted a lifetime.
+
+The Princess's illness reached a crisis and then began to remit.
+She recovered her senses and was somewhat relieved by the absence
+of her husband. She was expected to live, but her health
+recovered very slowly because of her low spirits, which were
+further depressed by the realisation that she had received no
+news of the Duc de Guise during all her illness. She asked her
+women if they had not seen anyone, if they had not had any
+letters, and finding that there had been nothing, she saw herself
+as the most wretched of women, one who had risked all for a man
+who had abandoned her. A fresh blow was the news of the death of
+the Comte de Chabannes, which her husband made sure she heard
+about as soon as possible. The ingratitude of the Duc de Guise
+made her feel even more deeply the loss of a man whose fidelity
+she knew so well. These disappointments weighed heavily upon her
+and reduced her to a state as serious as that from which she had
+recently recovered. Madame de Noirmoutier was a woman who took as
+much care to publicise her affairs as others do to conceal them.
+Her relations with the Duc de Guise were so open that, even
+though far away and ill, the Princess heard so much about it that
+she was left in no doubt. This was the final straw. She had lost
+the regard of her husband, the heart of her lover, and the most
+loyal of her friends. She took to her bed, and died not long
+after in the flower of her youth. She was one of the loveliest of
+women and could have been one of the happiest if she had not
+strayed so far from the path of prudence and virtue.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg Etext The Princess de Montpensier, by Lafayette
+
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+Project Gutenberg Etext The Princess de Montpensier, by Lafayette
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+The Princess de Montpensier
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+by Mme. de Lafayette
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+October, 2000  [Etext #2365]
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+Project Gutenberg Etext The Princess de Montpensier, by Lafayette
+*******This file should be named 8mntp10.txt or 8mntp10.zip******
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+*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END*
+
+
+
+
+
+This is a 8 bit file with accents, we will also do a 7 bit without.
+
+
+
+
+
+The Princess de Montpensier
+
+by Mme. de Lafayette
+
+
+
+
+Introduction
+By Oliver C. Colt
+
+
+
+
+This story was written by Madame de Lafayette and published
+anonymously in 1662. It is set in a period almost 100 years
+previously during the sanguinary wars of the counter-reformation,
+when the Catholic rulers of Europe, with the encouragement of the
+Papacy, were bent on extirpating the followers of the creeds of
+Luther and Calvin. I am not qualified to embark on a historical
+analysis, and shall do no more than say that many of the persons who
+are involved in the tale actually existed, and the events referred to
+actually took place. The weak and vicious King and his malign and
+unscrupulous mother are real enough, as is a Duc de Montpensier, a
+Prince of the Blood, who achieved some notoriety for the cruelty with
+which he treated any Huguenots who fell into his hands, and for the
+leadership he gave to the assassins during the atrocious massacre of
+St. Bartholomew's day.
+
+He was married and had progeny, but the woman to whom he was married
+was not the heroine of this romance, who is a fictional character, as
+is the Comte de Chabannes.
+
+The Duc de Guise of the period whose father had been killed
+fighting against the Protestants, did marry the Princess de Portein,
+but this was for political reasons and not to satisfy the wishes of a
+Princess de Montpensier.
+
+It will be noticed, I think, that women were traded in marriage
+with little or no regard to their personal emotions, and no doubt, as
+has been remarked by others, marriages without love encouraged love
+outside marriage. Whatever the reality, the literary conventions of
+the time seem to have dictated that we should be treated only to
+ardent glances, fervent declarations, swoonings and courtly gestures;
+we are not led even to the bedroom door, let alone the amorous couch.
+I wonder, however, if the reader might not think that this little
+tale written more than three hundred years ago contains the elements
+of many of the romantic novels and soap operas which have followed
+it.
+
+At one level it is a cautionary tale about the consequences of
+marital infidelity; at another it is a story of a woman betrayed,
+treated as a pretty bauble for the gratification of men, and cast
+aside when she has served her purpose, or a butterfly trapped in a
+net woven by uncaring fate. Her end is rather too contrived for
+modern taste, but, even today, characters who are about to be written
+out of the plot in soap operas are sometimes smitten by mysterious
+and fatal disorders of the brain.
+
+The unfortunate Comte de Chabannes is the archetypical "decent
+chap," the faithful but rejected swain who sacrifices himself for the
+welfare of his beloved without expectation of reward. In the hands of
+another writer, with some modification, he could have provided a
+happy ending in the "Mills and Boon" tradition.
+
+This translation is not a schoolroom exercise, for although I have
+not altered the story, I have altered the exact way in which it is
+told in the original, with the aim of making it more acceptable to
+the modern reader. All translation must involve paraphrase, for what
+sounds well in one language may sound ridiculous if translated
+literally into another, and it is for the translator to decide how
+far this process may be carried. Whether I have succeeded in my task,
+only the reader can say.
+
+
+
+
+
+The Princess de Montpensier
+
+By Madame de Lafayette
+
+
+
+
+Translated by Oliver C. Colt
+
+
+
+
+It was while the civil war of religion was tearing France apart
+that the only daughter of the Marquis of MÇziäres, a very
+considerable heiress, both because of her wealth and the illustrious
+house of Anjou from which she was descended, was promised in marriage
+to the Duc de Maine, the younger brother of the Duc de Guise.
+
+The marriage was delayed because of the youth of this heiress, but
+the elder of the brothers, the Duc de Guise, who saw much of her, and
+who saw also the burgeoning of what was to become a great beauty,
+fell in love with her and was loved in return. They concealed their
+feelings with great care; the Duc de Guise, who had not yet become as
+ambitious as he was to become later, wanted desperately to marry her,
+but fear of angering his uncle, the Cardinal de Lorraine, who had
+taken the place of his dead father, prevented him from making any
+declaration.
+
+This was how the matter stood when the ruling house of Bourbon,
+who could not bear to see any benefit accruing to that of de Guise,
+decided to step in and reap the profit themselves by marrying this
+heiress to the Prince de Montpensier.
+
+This project was pursued with such vigour that the parents of
+Mlle. de MÇziäres, despite the promises given to the Cardinal de
+Lorraine, resolved to give her in marriage to the young Prince. The
+house of de Guise was much displeased at this, but the Duc himself
+was overcome by grief, and regarded this as an insupportable affront.
+In spite of warnings from his uncles, the Cardinal and the Duc de
+Aumale - who did not wish to stand in the way of something which
+they could not prevent - he expressed himself with so much violence,
+even in the presence of the Prince de Montpensier, that a mutual
+enmity arose between them which lasted all their lives.
+
+Mlle. de MÇziäres, urged by her parents to marry the Prince,
+realised that it was impossible for her to marry the Duc de Guise,
+and that if she married his brother, the Duc de Maine, she would be
+in the dangerous position of having as a brother-in-law a man whom
+she wished was her husband; so she agreed finally to marry the Prince
+and begged the Duc de Guise not to continue to place any obstacle in
+the way.
+
+The marriage having taken place, the Prince de Montpensier took
+her off to his estate of Champigny, which was where Princes of his
+family usually lived, in order to remove her from Paris, where it
+seemed that an outbreak of fighting was imminent: this great city
+being under threat of siege by a Huguenot army led by the Prince de
+CondÇ, who had once more declared war on the King.
+
+The Prince de Montpensier had, when a very young man, formed a
+close friendship with the Comte de Chabannes, a man considerably
+older than himself and of exemplary character. The Comte in turn had
+been so much influenced by the esteem and friendship of the Prince
+that he had broken off influential connections which he had with the
+Prince de CondÇ, and had declared for the Catholics; a change of
+sides which, having no other foundation, was regarded with suspicion:
+so much so that the Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici, on the
+declaration of war by the Huguenots, proposed to have him imprisoned.
+The Prince de Montpensier prevented this and carried him away to
+Champigny when he went there with his wife. The Comte being a very
+pleasant, amiable man soon gained the approbation of the Princess and
+before long she regarded him with as much friendship and confidence
+as did her husband. Chabannes, for his part, observed with
+admiration the beauty, sense and modesty of the young Princess, and
+used what influence he had to instill in her thoughts and behaviour
+suited to her elevated position; so that under his guidance she
+became one of the most accomplished women of her time.
+
+The Prince having gone back to the Court, where he was needed
+owing to the continuation of the war, the Comte lived alone with the
+Princess and continued to treat her with the respect due to her rank
+and position. The Princess took him so far into her confidence as to
+tell him of the feelings she had once had for the Duc de Guise, but
+she intimated that there remained only enough of this emotion to
+prevent her heart from straying elsewhere and that this remnant,
+together with her wifely virtue made it impossible for her to
+respond, except with a rebuff, to any possible suitor.
+
+The Comte who recognised her sincerity and who saw in her a
+character wholly opposed to flirtation and gallantry, did not doubt
+the truth of her words; but nevertheless he was unable to resist all
+the charms which he saw daily so close to him. He fell deeply in
+love with the Princess, in spite of the shame he felt at allowing
+himself to be overcome by this illicit passion. However although not
+master of his heart, he was master of his actions; the change in his
+emotions did not show at all in his behaviour, and no none suspected
+him. He took, for a whole year, scrupulous care to hide his feelings
+from the Princess and believed that he would always be able to do so.
+
+Love, however, had the same effect on him as it does on everyone, he
+longed to speak of it, and after all the struggles which are usually
+made on such occasions, he dared to tell her of his devotion. He had
+been prepared to weather the storm of reproach which this might
+arouse, but he was greeted with a calm and a coolness which was a
+thousand times worse than the outburst which he had expected. She
+did not take the trouble to be angry. She pointed out in a few words
+the difference in their rank and ages, she reminded him of what she
+had previously said about her attitude to suitors and above all to the
+duty he owed to the confidence and friendship of the Prince her
+husband. The Comte was overwhelmed by shame and distress. She tried
+to console him by assuring him that she would forget entirely what he
+had just said to her and would always look on him as her best friend;
+assurances which were small consolation to the Comte as one might
+imagine. He felt the disdain which was implicit in all that the
+Princess had said, and seeing her the next day with her customary
+untroubled looks redoubled his misery.
+
+The Princess continued to show him the same goodwill as before and
+
+even discussed her former attachment to the Duc de Guise, saying that
+she was pleased that his increasing fame showed that he was worthy of
+the affection she had once had for him. These demonstrations of
+confidence, which were once so dear to the Comte, he now found
+insupportable, but he did not dare say as much to the Princess,
+though he did sometimes remind her of what he had so rashly confessed
+to her.
+
+After an absence of two years, peace having been declared, the
+Prince de Montpensier returned to his wife, his renown enhanced by
+his behaviour at the siege of Paris and the battle of St. Denis. He
+was surprised to find the beauty of the Princess blooming in such
+perfection, and being of a naturally jealous disposition he was a
+little put out of humour by the realisation that this beauty would be
+evident to others beside himself. He was delighted to see once more
+the Comte, for whom his affection was in no way diminished. He asked
+him for confidential details about his wife's character and
+temperament, for she was almost a stranger to him because of the
+little time during which they had lived together. The Comte, with the
+utmost sincerity, as if he himself were not enamoured, told the
+Prince everything he knew about the Princess which would encourage
+her husband's love of her, and he also suggested to Madame de
+Montpensier all the measures she might take to win the heart and
+respect of her spouse. The Comte's devotion led him to think of
+nothing but what would increase the happiness and wellbeing of the
+Princess and to forget without difficulty the interest which
+lovers usually have in stirring up trouble between the objects of
+their affection and their marital partners.
+
+The peace was only shortlived. War soon broke out again by reason
+of a plot by the King to arrest the Prince de CondÇ and Admiral
+Chatillon at Noyers. As a result of the military preparations the
+Prince de Montpensier was forced to leave his wife and report for
+duty. Chabannes, who had been restored to the Queen's favour, went
+with him. It was not without much sorrow that he left the Princess,
+while she, for her part, was distressed to think of the perils to
+which the war might expose her husband.
+
+The leaders of the Huguenots retired to La Rochelle. They held
+
+Poitou and Saintongne; the war flared up again and the King assembled
+all his troops. His brother, the Duc d'Anjou, who later became Henri
+III, distinguished himself by his deeds in various actions, amongst
+others the battle of Jarnac, in which the Prince de CondÇ was killed.
+It was during this fighting that the Duc de Guise began to play a
+more important part and to display some of the great qualities which
+had been expected of him. The Prince de Montpensier, who hated him,
+not only as a personal enemy but as an enemy of his family, the
+Bourbons, took no pleasure in his successes nor in the friendliness
+shown toward him by the Duc d'Anjou.
+
+After the two armies had tired themselves out in a series of minor
+actions, by common consent they were stood down for a time. The Duc
+d'Anjou stayed at Loches to restore to order all the places which had
+been attacked. The Duc de Guise stayed with him and the Prince de
+Montpensier, accompanied by the Comte de Chabannes, went back to
+Champigny, which was not far away.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou frequently went to inspect places where
+fortifications were being constructed. One day when he was returning
+to Loches by a route which his staff did not know well, the Duc de
+Guise, who claimed to know the way, went to the head of the party to
+act as guide, but after a time he became lost and arrived at the bank
+of a small river which he did not recognise. The Duc d'Anjou had a
+few words to say to him for leading them astray, but while they were
+held up there they saw a little boat floating on the river, in which
+- the river not being very wide - they could see the figures of three
+or four women, one of whom, very pretty and sumptuously dressed, was
+watching with interest the activities of two men who were fishing
+nearby.
+
+This spectacle created something of a sensation amongst the
+Princes and their suite. It seemed to them like an episode from a
+romance. Some declared that it was fate that had led the Duc de Guise
+to bring them there to see this lovely lady, and that they should now
+pay court to her. The Duc d'Anjou maintained that it was he who
+should be her suitor.
+
+To push the matter a bit further, they made one of the horsemen go
+into the river as far as he could and shout to the lady that it was
+the Duc d'Anjou who wished to cross to the other bank and who begged
+the lady to take him in her boat. The lady, who was of course the
+Princess de Montpensier, hearing that it was the Duc d'Anjou, and
+having no doubt when she saw the size of his suite that it was indeed
+him, took her boat over to the bank where he was. His fine figure
+made him easily distinguishable from the others; she, however,
+distinguished even more easily the figure of the Duc de Guise. This
+sight disturbed her and caused her to blush a little which made her
+seem to the Princes to have an almost supernatural beauty.
+
+The Duc de Guise recognised her immediately in spite of the
+changes which had taken place in her appearance in the three years
+since he had last seen her. He told the Duc d'Anjou who she was and
+the Duc was at first embarrassed at the liberty he had taken, but
+then, struck by the Princess's beauty, he decided to venture a little
+further, and after a thousand excuses and a thousand compliments he
+invented a serious matter which required his presence on the opposite
+bank, and accepted the offer which she made of a passage in her boat.
+He got in, accompanied only by the Duc de Guise, giving orders to his
+suite to cross the river elsewhere and to join him at Champigny,
+which Madame de Montpensier told him was not more than two leagues
+from there.
+
+As soon as they were in the boat the Duc d'Anjou asked to what
+they owed this so pleasant encounter. Madame de Montpensier replied
+that having left Champigny with the Prince her husband with the
+intention of following the hunt, she had become tired and having
+reached the river bank she had gone out in the boat to watch the
+landing of a salmon which had been caught in a net. The Duc de Guise
+did not take part in this conversation, but he was conscious of the
+re-awakening of all the emotions which the Princess had once aroused
+in him, and thought to himself that he would have difficulty in
+escaping from this meeting without falling once more under her spell.
+
+They arrived shortly at the bank where they found the Princess's
+horses and her attendants who had been waiting for her. The two
+noblemen helped her onto her horse where she sat with the greatest
+elegance. During their journey back to Champigny they talked
+agreeably about a number of subjects and her companions were no less
+charmed by her conversation than they had been by her beauty. They
+offered her a number of compliments to which she replied with
+becoming modesty, but a little more coolly to those from M. de Guise,
+for she wished to maintain a distance which would prevent him from
+founding any expectations on the feelings she had once had towards
+him.
+
+When they arrived at the outer courtyard of Champigny they
+encountered the Prince de Montpensier, who had just returned from the
+hunt. He was greatly astonished to see two men in the company of his
+wife, and he was even more astonished when, on coming closer, he saw
+that these were the Duc d'Anjou and the Duc de Guise. The hatred
+which he bore for the latter, combined with his naturally jealous
+disposition made him find the sight of these two Princes with his
+wife, without knowing how they came to be there or why they had come
+to his house, so disagreeable that he was unable to conceal his
+annoyance. He, however, adroitly put this down to a fear that he
+could not receive so mighty a Prince as the King's brother in a style
+befitting his rank. The Comte de Chabannes was even more upset at
+seeing the Duc de Guise and Madame de Montpensier together than
+was her husband, it seemed to him a most evil chance which had
+brought the two of them together again, an augury which foretold
+disturbing sequels to follow this new beginning.
+
+In the evening Madame de Montpensier acted as hostess with the
+same grace with which she did everything. In fact she pleased her
+guests a little too much. The Duc d'Anjou who was very handsome and
+very much a ladies man, could not see a prize so much worth winning
+without wishing ardently to make it his own. He had a touch of the
+same sickness as the Duc de Guise, and continuing to invent important
+reasons, he stayed for two days at Champigny, without being obliged
+to do so by anything but the charms of Madame de Montpensier, for her
+husband did not make any noticeable effort to detain him. The Duc de
+Guise did not leave without making it clear to Madame de Momtpensier
+that he felt towards her as he had done in the past. As nobody knew
+of this former relationship he said to her several times, in front of
+everybody, that his affections were in no way changed. A remark which
+only she understood.
+
+Both he and the Duc d'Anjou left Champigny with regret. For a
+long time they went along in silence; but at last it occurred to the
+Duc d'Anjou that the reflections which occupied his thoughts might be
+echoed in the mind of the Duc de Guise, and he asked him brusquely if
+he was thinking about the beauties of Madame de Montpensier. This
+blunt question combined with what he had already observed of the
+Prince's behaviour made the Duc realise that he had a rival from whom
+it was essential that his own love for the Princess should be
+concealed. In order to allay all suspicion he answered with a laugh
+that the Prince himself had seemed so preoccupied with the thoughts
+which he was accused of having that he had deemed it inadvisable to
+interrupt him; the beauty of Madame de Montpensier was, he said,
+nothing new to him, he had been used to discounting its effect since
+the days when she was destined to be his sister-in-law, but he saw
+that not everyone was so little dazzled. The Duc d'Anjou admitted
+that he had never seen anyone to compare with this young Princess and
+that he was well aware that the vision might be dangerous if he was
+exposed to it too often. He tried to get the Duc de Guise to confess
+that he felt the same, but the Duc would admit to nothing.
+
+On their return to Loches they often recalled with pleasure the
+events which had led to their meeting with the Princess de
+Montpensier, a subject which did not give rise to the same pleasure
+at Champigny. The Prince de Montpensier was dissatisfied with all
+that had happened without being able to say precisely why. He found
+fault with his wife for being in the boat. He considered that she
+had welcomed the Princes too readily; and what displeased him most
+was that he had noticed the attention paid to her by the Duc de
+Guise. This had provoked in him a furious bout of jealousy in which
+he recalled the anger displayed by the Duc at the prospect of his
+marriage, which caused him to suspect that even at that time the Duc
+was in love with his wife. The Comte de Chabannes as usual made
+every effort to act as peacemaker, hoping in this way to show the
+Princess that his devotion to her was sincere and disinterested. He
+could not resist asking her what effect the sight of the Duc de Guise
+had produced. She replied that she had been somewhat upset and
+embarrassed at the memory of the feelings she had once displayed to
+him; she found him more handsome than he had been then and it had
+seemed to her that he wished to persuade her that he still loved her,
+but she assured the Comte that nothing would shake her determination
+not to become involved in any intrigue. The Comte was happy to hear
+of this resolve, but he was far from being sure about the Duc de
+Guise. He earnestly warned the Princess of the danger of a return to
+the previous situation should she have any change of heart, though
+when he spoke of his devotion she adopted her invariable attitude of
+looking on him as her closest friend but in no way a possible suitor.
+
+The armies were once more called up; all the Princes returned to
+their posts and the Prince de Montpensier decided that his wife
+should come with him to Paris so as to be further from the area where
+it was expected that fighting would take place. The Huguenots
+besieged Poitiers. The Duc de Guise went there to organise the
+defence and, while there, enhanced his reputation by his conduct.
+The Duc d'Anjou suffered from some illness, and left the army either
+on account of the severity of this or because he wanted to return to
+the comfort and security of Paris, where the presence of the Princess
+de Montpensier was not the least of the attractions. The command of
+the army was taken over by the Prince de Montpensier, and shortly
+after this, a peace having been arranged, the Court assembled in
+Paris. Here the beauty of the Princess eclipsed that of all her
+rivals. She charmed everyone by her looks and personality. The Duc
+d'Anjou did not abandon the sentiments she had inspired in him at
+Champigny, he took great care to make her aware of this by all sorts
+of delicate considerations, being careful at the same time not to
+make his attentions too obvious for fear of arousing the jealousy of
+her husband. The Duc de Guise was now fervently in love with her, but
+wishing, for a variety of reasons, to keep this secret, he resolved
+to tell her so privately and avoid any preliminaries which, as
+always, would give rise to talk and exposure. One day when he was in
+the Queen's apartments where there were very few people, the Queen
+having left to discuss affairs of state with Cardinal de Lorraine,
+the Princess de Montpensier arrived. He decided to take this
+opportunity to speak to her, and going up to her he said, "Although
+it may surprise and displease you, I want you to know that I have
+always felt for you that emotion which you once knew so well, and
+that its power has been so greatly increased by seeing you again that
+neither your disapproval, the hatred of your husband, nor the rivalry
+of the first Prince in the kingdom can in the least diminish it. It
+would perhaps have been more tactful to have let you become aware of
+this by my behaviour rather than by my words, but my behaviour would
+have been evident to others as well as to yourself and I wanted you
+alone to know of my love for you."
+
+The Princess was so surprised and thrown into confusion by this
+speech that she could not think of an answer, then, just when she had
+collected her wits and begun to reply, the Prince de Montpensier
+entered the room. The Princess's face displayed her agitation, and
+her embarrassment was compounded by the sight of her husband, to such
+an extent that he was left in no doubt about what the Duc de Guise
+had been saying to her. Fortunately at that moment the Queen
+re-entered the room and the Duc de Guise moved away to avoid the
+jealous Prince.
+
+That evening the Princess found her husband in the worst temper
+imaginable. He berated her with the utmost violence and forbade her
+ever to speak to the Duc de Guise again. She retired to her room
+very sad and much preoccupied with the events of the day. She saw
+the Duc the next day amid the company around the Queen, but he did
+not come near her and left soon after she did, indicating that he had
+no interest in remaining if she was not there. Not a day passed
+without her receiving a thousand covert marks of the Duc's passion
+though he did not attempt to speak to her unless he was sure that
+they could be seen by nobody.
+
+Convinced of the Duc's sincerity, the Princess, in spite of the
+resolution she had made at Champigny, began to feel in the depths of
+her heart something of what she had felt in the past.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou for his part, omitted nothing which could
+demonstrate his devotion in all the places where he could meet her.
+In the Queen his mother's apartments he followed her about
+continually, completely ignoring his sister who was very fond of him.
+It was at around this time that it became evident that this sister,
+who later became the Queen of Navarre, had a liking for the Duc de
+Guise, and another thing that became evident was a cooling of the
+friendship between that Duc and the Duc d'Anjou. The rumour linking
+the name of the Royal Princess with that of the Duc de Guise
+disturbed The Princess de Montpensier to a degree which surprised
+her, and made her realise that she was more interested in the Duc
+than she had supposed.
+
+Now it so happened that her father-in-law, M. de Montpensier,
+married a sister of the Duc de Guise, and the princess was bound to
+meet the Duc frequently in the various places where the marriage
+celebrations required their presence. She was greatly offended that
+a man who was widely believed to be in love with "Madame", the King's
+sister, should dare to make advances to her; she was not only
+offended but distressed at having deceived herself.
+
+One day, when they met at his sister's house, being a little
+separated from he rest, the Duc was tempted to speak to her, but she
+interrupted him sharply saying angrily "I do not understand how, on
+the basis of a weakness which one had at the age of thirteen, you
+have the audacity to make amorous proposals to a person like me,
+particularly when, in the view of the whole Court, you are interested
+in someone else." The Duc who was intelligent as well as being much
+in love, understood the emotion which underlay the Princess's words.
+He answered her most respectfully, "I confess, Madame, that it was
+wrong of me not to reject the possible honour of becoming the King's
+brother-in-law, rather than allow you to suspect for a moment that I
+could desire any heart but yours; but if you will be patient enough
+to hear me I am sure I can fully justify my behaviour." The Princess
+made no reply, but she did not go away and the Duc, seeing that she
+was prepared to listen to him, told her that although he had made no
+effort to attract the attention of Madame, she had nevertheless
+honoured him with her interest: as he was not enamoured of her he had
+responded very coolly to this honour until she gave him to believe
+that she might marry him. The realisation of the grandeur to which
+such a marriage would raise him had obliged him to take a little more
+trouble. This situation had aroused the suspicions of the King and
+the Duc d'Anjou, but the opposition of neither of them would have any
+effect on his course of action, however, if this displeased her he
+would abandon all such notions and never think of them again.
+
+This sacrifice which the Duc was prepared to make caused the
+Princess to forget all the anger she had shown. She changed the
+subject and began to speak of the indiscretion displayed by Madame in
+making the first advances and of the considerable advantages which he
+would gain if he married her. In the end, without saying anything
+kind to the Duc de Guise, she made him recall a thousand things he
+had found so pleasing in Mlle. de MÇziäres. Although they had not had
+private conversation for a long time, they found themselves attuned
+to one another, and their thoughts went along a track which they both
+had travelled in the past. At the end of this agreeable meeting the
+Duc was left in a state of considerable happiness, and the Princess
+was not a little moved to think that he truly loved her. However, in
+the privacy of her room she became ashamed of the ease with which she
+had accepted the Duc's excuses and reflected on the trouble into
+which she might be plunged if she engaged in something she had always
+regarded with distaste and on the frightening misery which a jealous
+husband might inflict on her. These thoughts made her adopt new
+resolves, but they disappeared the next day on the sight of the Duc
+de Guise.
+
+The new alliance between their families gave the Duc many
+opportunities to speak to her. He gave her an exact account of all
+that passed between Madame and himself. He had difficulty in
+allaying the jealousy to which the beauty of Madame gave rise and any
+number of promises failed to reassure her. This jealousy enabled the
+Princess to defend the remains of her heart against the advances of
+the Duc, who already had won the greater part of it.
+
+The marriage of the King to the daughter of the Emperor Maximilian
+filled the Court with fàtes and celebrations. The King put on a
+ballet in which Madame and all the princesses were to dance; among
+them only the Princess de Montpensier could rival Madame in beauty.
+The Duc d'Anjou and four others were to make an appearance as Moors;
+their costumes would all be identical, as was usual in this sort of
+performance. On the first occasion on which the ballet was
+presented, the Duc de Guise, before the dance began and before he had
+donned his mask, said a few words to the Princess as he went past
+her. She saw clearly that the Prince her husband had noticed this,
+which made her feel uneasy. A little later, seeing the Duc d'Anjou in
+his mask and Moorish costume, who was coming to speak to her, she
+mistook him for the Duc de Guise and said to him "Do not have eyes
+for anyone but Madame this evening: I shall not be in the least
+jealous. I am ordering you. I am being watched. Do not come near me
+again." As soon as she had said this she moved away.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou stood there thunderstruck. He saw that he had a
+successful rival: the reference to Madame made it obvious that this
+was the Duc de Guise, and left him in no doubt that his sister was to
+play second fiddle to the Princess de Montpensier. Jealousy,
+frustration and rage joining to the dislike which he already had for
+the Duc roused him to a violent fury; and he would have given there
+and then some bloody mark of his temper had not that dissimulation
+which came naturally to him prevented him from attacking the Duc de
+Guise in the present circumstances. He did not, however, refrain
+from the pleasure of disclosing his knowledge of this secret affair.
+He approached the Duc de Guise as they left the salon where they had
+been dancing and said to him "To presume to raise your eyes towards
+my sister, as well as stealing the affection of the woman I love is
+altogether too much. The presence of the King prevents me from taking
+any action just now, but remember that the loss of your life may be,
+one day, the least thing with which I shall punish your
+impertinence."
+
+The pride of the Duc de Guise was not accustomed to submit tamely
+to such threats, but he was unable to reply because at that moment
+the King called both of them to his side. He did not forget, however,
+and tried all his life to exact revenge.
+
+From that evening the Duc d'Anjou endeavoured in all sorts of ways
+to turn the King against the Duc de Guise. He persuaded the King
+that Madame would never agree to her proposed marriage to the King of
+Navarre as long as the Duc de Guise was allowed to have any contact
+with her; and that it was unacceptable that a subject, for his own
+vain purposes, should place an obstacle in the way of what could
+bring peace to France. The King already disliked the Duc de Guise
+and this speech inflamed his dislike so much that the next day when
+the Duc presented himself to join the ball at the Queen's
+apartments, he stood in the doorway and asked him brusquely where he
+was going. The Duc, without showing any surprise answered that he
+had come to offer his most humble services, to which the King replied
+that he had no need of any services which the Duc might provide, and
+turned away without any other acknowledgement. The Duc was not
+deterred from entering the room, his feelings incensed both against
+the King and the Duc d'Anjou. His natural pride led him, as an act
+of defiance, to pay more attention to Madame than usual, and what the
+Duc d'Anjou had told him prevented him from looking in the direction
+of the Princess de Montpensier.
+
+The Duc d'Anjou watched both of them with close attention. The
+Princess's expression, in spite of herself, showed some chagrin when
+the Duc de Guise spoke with Madame. The Duc d'Anjou who realised
+from what she had said to him, when she mistook him for the Duc de
+Guise, that she was jealous, hoped to cause trouble. He drew close to
+her and said, "It is in your interest and not in mine that I must
+tell you that the Duc de Guise does not deserve the choice you have
+made of him in preference to me, a choice which you cannot deny and
+of which I am well aware. He is deceiving you, Madame, and betraying
+you for my sister as he betrayed her for you. He is a man moved only
+by ambition, but since he has the good fortune to please you, that is
+enough; I shall not attempt to stand in the way of a felicity which
+without doubt I merit more than he. It would be undignified for me to
+persist in trying to gain the heart which is already possessed by
+another. It is bad enough to have attracted only your indifference
+and I would not like to have this replaced by dislike by wearying you
+with endless protestations of unwelcome devotion."
+
+The Duc d'Anjou who was genuinely touched by love and sadness, was
+hardly able to complete this speech, and although he had begun in a
+spirit of spite and vengeance, he was so overcome when he thought of
+the Princess's beauty and of what he was losing by giving up all hope
+of being her lover, that without waiting for her reply he left the
+ball, saying that he felt unwell, and went home to nurse his grief.
+
+The Princess de Montpensier stayed there, upset and worried as one
+might imagine. To see her reputation and her secret in the hands of a
+suitor whom she had rejected and to learn from him that she was being
+deceived by her lover were not things which would put her in the
+right frame of mind for a place dedicated to enjoyment; she had,
+however, to remain where she was and later go to supper in the
+company of the Duchess de Montpensier, her mother-in-law.
+
+The Duc de Guise who had followed them to his sister's house, was
+dying to tell her what the Duc d'Anjou had said the day before, but
+to his astonishment when he did have the opportunity to speak to her,
+he was overwhelmed by reproaches which were tumbled out in such angry
+profusion that all he could gather was that he was accused of
+infidelity and treachery. Dismayed at finding himself in this unhappy
+situation when he had hoped for consolation, and being so much in
+love with the Princess that he could not bear to be unsure if he was
+loved in return, he took a sudden decision. "I shall lay your doubts
+at rest." He said. "I am going to do what all the royal power could
+not make me do. It will cost me my fortune but that is of little
+account if it makes you happy."
+
+He went straight from his sister's house to that of his uncle, the
+cardinal. He convinced him that having fallen into the King's
+disfavour, it was essential that it should be made quite clear that
+he would not marry Madame, so he asked for his marriage to be
+arranged with the Princess de Portien, a matter which had previously
+been discussed. The news of this was soon all over Paris and gave
+rise to much surprise. The princess de Montpensier was both happy
+and sad. Glad to see the power she had over the Duc, and sorry that
+she had caused him to abandon something so advantageous as marriage
+to Madame. The Duc who hoped that love would compensate him for his
+material loss, pressed the Princess to give him a private audience so
+that he could clear up the unjust accusations which she had made. He
+obtained this when she found herself at his sister's house at a time
+when his sister was not there and she was able to speak to him alone.
+The Duc took the opportunity to throw himself at her feet and
+describe all that he had suffered because of her suspicions, and
+though the Princess was unable to forget what the Duc d'Anjou had
+said to her, the behaviour of the Duc de Guise did much to reassure
+her. She told him exactly why she believed he had betrayed her which
+was because the Duc d'Anjou knew what he could only have learned from
+him. The Duc did not how to defend himself and was as puzzled as she
+to guess what could have given away their secret: at last, while the
+Princess was remonstrating with him for giving up the idea of the
+advantageous marriage with Madame and rushing into that with the
+Princess de Portien, she said to him that he could have been certain
+that she would not be jealous since on the day of the ball she
+herself had told him to have eyes only for Madame. The Duc said that
+she might have intended to do so but that she certainly had not. She
+maintained that she had, and in the end they reached the correct
+conclusion that she herself, deceived by the resemblance of the
+costumes, had told the Duc d'Anjou what she accused the Duc de Guise
+of telling him. The Duc de Guise who had almost entirely returned to
+favour, did so completely as a result of this conversation. The
+Princess could not refuse her heart to a man who had possessed it in
+the past and had just made such a sacrifice to please her. She
+consented to accept his declaration and permitted him to believe that
+she was not unmoved by his passion. The arrival of the Duchess, her
+mother-in-law, put an end to this tàte-Ö-tàte, and prevented the Duc
+from demonstrating his transports of joy.
+
+Some time later, the Court having gone to Blois, the marriage
+between the King of Navarre and Madame was celebrated. The Duc de
+Guise who wanted nothing more than the love of the Princess de
+
+Montpensier, enjoyed a ceremony which in other circumstances would
+have overwhelmed him with disappointment.
+
+The Duc was not able to conceal his love so well that the Prince
+de Montpensier did not suspect that something was going on, and being
+consumed by jealousy he ordered his wife to go to Champigny. This
+order was a great shock to her, but she had to obey: she found a way
+to say goodbye to the Duc de Guise privately but she found herself in
+great difficulty when it came to a means of providing a method
+whereby he could write to her. After much thought she decided to
+make use of the Comte de Chabannes, whom she always looked on as a
+friend without considering that he was in love with her. The Duc de
+Guise, who knew of the close friendship between the Comte and the
+Prince de Montpensier, was at first amazed at her choice of the Comte
+as a go-between, but she assured him of the Comte's fidelity with such
+conviction that he was eventually satisfied. He parted from her with
+all the unhappiness which such a separation can cause.
+
+The Comte de Chabannes, who had been ill in Paris while the
+Princess was at Blois, learning that she was going to Champigny
+arranged to meet her on the road and go with her. She greeted him
+with a thousand expressions of friendship and displayed an
+extraordinary impatience to talk to him in private, which at first
+delighted him. Judge his dismay when he found that this impatience
+was only to tell him that she was loved passionately by the Duc de
+Guise, a love which she returned. He was so distressed that he was
+unable to reply. The Princess, who was engrossed by her infatuation,
+took no notice of his silence. She began to tell him all the least
+details of the events, and how she and the Duc had agreed that he
+should be the means by which they could exchange letters. The thought
+that the woman he loved expected him to be of assistance to his
+rival, and made the proposal as if it was a thing he would find
+agreeable was bitterly hurtful, but he was so much in control of
+himself that he hid all his feelings from her and expressed only
+surprise at the change in her attitude. He hoped that this change
+which removed even the faintest hope from him would at the same time
+change his feelings, but he found the Princess so charming, her
+natural beauty having been enhanced by a certain grace which she had
+acquired at Court that he felt that he loved her more than ever. This
+remarkable devotion produced a remarkable effect. He agreed to carry
+his rival's letters to his beloved.
+
+The Princess was very despondent at the absence of the Duc de
+Guise, and could hope for solace only from his letters. She
+continually tormented the Comte de Chabannes to know if he had
+received any and almost blamed him for not having delivered one
+sooner. At last some arrived, brought by a gentleman in the Duc's
+service, which he took to her immediately so as not to delay her
+pleasure for a moment longer than necessary. The Princess was
+delighted to have them and tortured the poor Comte by reading them to
+him, as well as her tender and loving reply. He took this reply to
+the waiting courier even more sadly than he had made the delivery.
+He consoled himself a little by the reflection that the Princess
+would realise what he was doing for her and would show some
+recognition. Finding, however, that she daily treated him with less
+consideration, owing to the anxieties which preoccupied her, he took
+the liberty of begging her to think a little of the suffering she was
+causing him. The Princess who had nothing in her head but the Duc de
+Guise, was so irritated by this approach that she treated the Comte
+much worse than she had done on the first occasion when he had
+declared his love for her. Although his devotion and patience had
+stood so many trials, this was too much. He left the Princess and
+went to live with a friend who had a house in the neighbourhood, from
+where he wrote to her with all the bitterness that her behaviour had
+provoked and bid her an eternal adieu.
+
+The Princess began to repent having dealt so harshly with a man
+over whom she had so much influence, and being unwilling to lose him,
+not only on account of their past friendship, but also because of his
+vital role in the conduct of her affair, she sent a message to him to
+say that she wished to speak to him one more time and that afterwards
+she would leave him free to do as he pleased. One is very vulnerable
+when one is in love. The Comte came back, and in less than an hour
+the beauty of the Princess, her charm and a few kind words made him
+more submissive than ever, and he even gave her some letters from the
+Duc de Guise which he had just received.
+
+At this time there was a scheme afoot in the Court to attract
+there all the leaders of the Huguenots, with the secret aim of
+including them in the horrible massacre of St. Bartholomew's day. As
+part of this attempt to lull them into a false sense of security, the
+King dismissed from his presence all the princes of the houses of
+Bourbon and de Guise. The Prince de Montpensier returned to
+Champigny, to the utter dismay of his wife, the Duc de Guise went to
+the home of his uncle, the Cardinal de Lorraine.
+
+Love and idleness induced in him such a violent desire to see the
+Princess de Montpensier that without considering the risks to her and
+to himself he made some excuse to travel and leaving his suite in a
+small town he took with him only the gentleman who had already made
+several trips to Champigny, and went there by post-chaise. As he
+knew no one whom he could approach but the Comte de Chabannes, he had
+the gentleman write a note requesting a meeting at a certain spot.
+The Comte, believing that this was solely for the purpose of
+receiving letters from the Duc de Guise went there, but was most
+surprised to see the Duc himself and equally dismayed. The Duc, full
+of his own plans, took no more notice of the Comte's dismay than had
+the Princess of his silence when she told him of her amour. He
+described his passion in florid terms and claimed that he would
+infallibly die if the Princess could not be persuaded to see him.
+The Comte replied coldly that he would tell the Princess all that the
+Duc wanted to convey and would return with her response. He then went
+back to Champigny with his own emotions in such a turmoil that he
+hardly knew what he was doing. He thought of sending the Duc away
+without saying anything to the Princess, but the faithfulness with
+which he had promised to serve her soon put an end to that idea. He
+arrived without knowing what he should do, and finding that the
+Prince was out hunting, he went straight to the Princess's
+apartment. She saw that he was distressed and dismissed her women in
+order to find out what troubled him. He told her, as calmly as he
+could, that the Duc de Guise was a league distant and that he wanted
+passionately to see her. The Princess gave a cry at this news and her
+confusion was almost as great as that of the Comte. At first she was
+full of joy at the thought of seeing the man she loved so tenderly,
+but when she considered how much this was against her principles, and
+that she could not see her lover without introducing him into her
+home during the night and without her husband's knowledge, she found
+herself in the utmost difficulty. The Comte awaited her reply as if
+it were a matter of life or death. Realising that her silence
+indicated her uncertainty, he took the liberty of presenting to her
+all the perils to which she would be exposed by such a meeting, and
+wishing to make it clear that he was not doing this in his own
+interest, he said that if, in spite of all that he had said she was
+determined to see the Duc, rather than see her seek for aid from
+helpers less faithful than himself, he would bring the Duc to
+her. "Yes Madame," he said, "I shall go and find the Duc and bring him
+to your apartment, for it is too dangerous to leave him for long
+where he is."
+
+"But how can this be done?" interrupted the Princess.
+
+"Ha! Madame," cried the Comte, "It is then decided, since you speak
+only of the method. I shall lead him through the park; only order one
+of your maids whom you can trust to lower, exactly at midnight, the
+little drawbridge which leads from your antichamber to the flower
+garden and leave the rest to me." Having said this he rose and
+without waiting for any further comment from the Princess, he left,
+remounted his horse and went to look for the Duc de Guise, who was
+waiting for him with the greatest impatience.
+
+The Princess remained in such a state of confusion that it was
+some time before she came to her senses. Her first thought was to
+send someone after the Comte to tell him not to bring the Duc, but
+she could not bring herself to do so. She then thought that failing
+this she had only not to have the drawbridge lowered, and she
+believed that she would continue with this resolve, but when the hour
+of the assignation drew near she was no longer able to resist the
+desire to see the lover whom she longed for, and she gave
+instructions to one of her women on the method by which the Duc was
+to be introduced into her apartment.
+
+Meanwhile the Duc and the Comte were approaching Champigny, but in
+very differing frames of mind. The Duc was full of joy and all the
+happiness of expectation. The Comte was in a mood of despair and
+anger, which tempted him at times to run his sword through his rival.
+They at last reached the park, where they left their horses in the
+care of the Duc's squire, and passing through a gap in the wall they
+came to the flower garden. The Comte had always retained some hope
+that the Princess would come to her senses and resolve not to see the
+Duc, but when he saw that the drawbridge was lowered he realised that
+his hope was in vain. He was tempted to take some desperate measure,
+but he was aware that any noise would be heard by the Prince de
+Montpensier whose rooms looked out onto the same flower-garden, and
+that all the subsequent disorder would fall on the head of the one he
+loved most. He calmed himself and led the Duc to the presence of the
+Princess. Although the Princess signaled that she would like him to
+stay in the room during the interview, he was unwilling to do so, and
+retired to a little passage which ran alongside the Princess's
+apartment, a prey to the saddest thoughts which could afflict a
+disappointed lover.
+
+Now, although they had made very little noise while crossing the
+bridge, the Prince de Montpensier was awake and heard it. He made
+one of his servants get up and go to see what it was. The servant
+put his head out of the window and in the darkness he could make out
+that the drawbridge was lowered. He told his master who then ordered
+him to go into the park and find out what was going on. A moment
+later he got up himself, being disturbed by what he thought he had
+heard, that is, footsteps on the bridge leading to his wife's
+quarters.
+
+As he was going towards the little passage where the Comte was
+waiting, the Princess who was somewhat embarrassed at being alone
+with the Duc de Guise, asked the latter several times to come into
+the room. He refused to do so and as she continued to press him and
+as he was furiously angry he answered her so loudly that he was heard
+by the Prince de Montpensier, but so indistinctly that the Prince
+heard only a man's voice without being able to recognise it as that
+of the Comte.
+
+These events would have infuriated a character more placid and
+less jealous than the Prince de Montpensier. He hurled himself
+against the door, calling for it to be opened, and cruelly surprising
+the Princess, the Duc de Guise and the Comte de Chabannes. This
+last, hearing the Prince's voice, saw immediately that it was
+impossible to prevent him from believing that there was someone in
+his wife's room, and that he was in such a state that if he found
+that it was the Duc de Guise he might kill him before the eyes of the
+Princess and that even her life might be at risk. He decided, in an
+act of extraordinary generosity, to sacrifice himself to save a
+successful rival and an ungrateful mistress.
+
+While the Prince was battering on the door, he went to the Duc,
+who had no idea what to do, put him in the care of the woman who had
+arranged his entry by the bridge and told her to show him the way
+out. Scarcely had he left when the Prince having broken down the
+door entered the room like a man possessed. However when he saw only
+the Comte de Chabannes, motionless, leaning on a table with a look
+of infinite sadness on his face, he stopped short. The astonishment
+of finding his best friend alone at night in his wife's room deprived
+him of speech. The Princess had collapsed onto some cushions and
+never perhaps has fate put three people in a more unhappy position.
+At last the Prince made an attempt to make sense of the chaos before
+his eyes. He addressed the Comte in a tone of voice which still had
+some friendliness, "What is this I see?" he said, "Is it possible
+that a man I love so dearly has chosen among all other women to
+seduce my wife? And you, Madame," he said, turning to his wife, "Was
+it not enough to deprive me of your love and my honour without
+depriving me of the one man who could have consoled me in such
+circumstances? Answer me, one of you," he said to them, "And explain
+this affair, which I cannot believe is what it seems." The Princess
+was incapable of replying and the Comte opened his mouth once or
+twice but was unable to speak.
+
+"You see me as a criminal" he said at last "And unworthy of the
+friendship you have shown me; but the situation is not what you may
+think it is. I am more unhappy than you and more despairing. I do
+not know how to tell you more than that. My death would avenge you,
+and if you were to kill me now you would be doing me a favour."
+These words, spoken with an air of the deepest sorrow, and in a
+manner which declared his innocence instead of enlightening the
+Prince confirmed him in the view that something mysterious was going
+on which he did not understand. His unhappiness was increased by this
+uncertainty. "Kill me yourself," he said. "Or give me some explanation
+of your words for I can understand nothing. You owe it to my
+friendship, you owe it to my restraint, for anyone but me would have
+already taken your life to avenge such an affront."
+
+"The appearances are wholly misleading," interrupted the Comte.
+
+"Ah! It is too much. I must be avenged and clear things up later,"
+said the Prince, advancing towards the Comte like a man carried away
+by rage. The Princess, fearing bloodshed, (which was not possible as
+her husband did not have a sword) placed herself between the two of
+them and fell fainting at her husband's feet. The Prince was even
+more affected by this than he was by the calmness of the Comte when
+he confronted him, and as if he could no longer bear the sight of
+those two people who had caused him such distress, he turned away and
+fell on his wife's bed, overcome by grief. The Comte de Chabannes,
+filled with remorse at having abused the friendship of which he had
+had so many marks, and believing that he could never atone for what
+he had done, left the room abruptly and passing through the
+Princess's apartment where he found all the doors open, he went down
+to the courtyard. He had a horse brought to him and rode off into
+the country led only by his feelings of hopelessness. The Prince de
+Montpensier, seeing that his wife did not recover from her faint,
+left her to her women and retired to his own quarters greatly
+disturbed.
+
+The Duc de Guise having got out of the park, hardly knowing what
+he was doing being in such a state of turmoil, put several leagues
+between himself and Champigny, but could go no further without news
+of the Princess. He stopped in the forest and sent his squire to
+find out from the Comte de Chabannes what had happened. The squire
+found no trace of Chabannes but was told by others that the Princess
+was seriously ill. The Duc's inquietude was increased by what the
+squire had told him, but as he could do nothing he was constrained to
+go back to his uncle's in order not to raise suspicions by too long
+an absence.
+
+The Duc's squire had been correct when he said that the Princess
+was seriously ill, for as soon as her women had put her to bed she
+was seized by a violent fever with horrible phantasies, so that by
+the second day her life was despaired of. The Prince pretended that
+he himself was ill so that no one should be surprised that he did not
+visit his wife's room. The order which he received to return to the
+Court, to which all the Catholic princes were being recalled in
+preparation for the massacre of the Huguenots, relieved him of his
+embarrassment. He went off to Paris without knowing what he had to
+hope or fear about his wife's illness. He had hardly arrived there
+when the assault on the Huguenots was signalised by the attack on
+admiral de Chatillon. Two days later came the disgraceful massacre,
+now so well known throughout Europe.
+
+The poor Comte de Chabannes who had gone to hide himself away in
+one of the outer suburbs of Paris to abandon himself to his misery
+was caught up in the ruin of the Huguenots. The people to whose house
+he had retired, having recognised him, and having recalled that he
+had once been suspected of being of that persuasion, murdered him on
+the same night which was fatal to so many people. The next day the
+Prince de Montpensier, who was in that area on duty, passed along the
+street where the body of the Comte lay. He was at first shocked by
+this pitiful sight and, recalling his past friendship, was grieved;
+but then the memory of the offence, which he believed the Comte had
+committed, made him feel pleased that he had been avenged by the hand
+of chance.
+
+The Duc de Guise who had used the opportunity of the massacre to
+take ample revenge for the death of his father, gradually took less
+and less interest in the condition of the Princess of Montpensier;
+and having met the Marquise de Noirmoutier, a woman of wit and
+beauty, and one who promised more than the Princess de Montpensier,
+he attached himself to her, an attachment which lasted a lifetime.
+
+The Princess's illness reached a crisis and then began to remit.
+She recovered her senses and was somewhat relieved by the absence of
+her husband. She was expected to live, but her health recovered very
+slowly because of her low spirits, which were further depressed by
+the realisation that she had received no news of the Duc de Guise
+during all her illness. She asked her women if they had not seen
+anyone, if they had not had any letters, and finding that there had
+been nothing, she saw herself as the most wretched of women, one who
+had risked all for a man who had abandoned her. A fresh blow was the
+news of the death of the Comte de Chabannes, which her husband made
+sure she heard about as soon as possible. The ingratitude of the Duc
+de Guise made her feel even more deeply the loss of a man whose
+fidelity she knew so well. These disappointments weighed heavily upon
+her and reduced her to a state as serious as that from which she had
+recently recovered. Madame de Noirmoutier was a woman who took as
+much care to publicise her affairs as others do to conceal them. Her
+relations with the Duc de Guise were so open that, even though far
+away and ill, the Princess heard so much about it that she was left
+in no doubt. This was the final straw. She had lost the regard of
+her husband, the heart of her lover, and the most loyal of her
+friends. She took to her bed, and died not long after in the flower
+of her youth. She was one of the loveliest of women and could have
+been one of the happiest if she had not strayed so far from the path
+of prudence and virtue.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg Etext The Princess de Montpensier, by Lafayette
+
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