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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/2365-8.txt b/2365-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3a644f0 --- /dev/null +++ b/2365-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1391 @@ +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 *** + + + + + + + + + + + + + +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 + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER *** + +***** This file should be named 2365-8.txt or 2365-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/3/6/2365/ + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/2365-8.zip b/2365-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f716c28 --- /dev/null +++ b/2365-8.zip diff --git a/2365-h.zip b/2365-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7ba79ca --- /dev/null +++ b/2365-h.zip diff --git a/2365-h/2365-h.htm b/2365-h/2365-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6efd4a3 --- /dev/null +++ b/2365-h/2365-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,1617 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<HTML> +<HEAD> + +<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> + +<TITLE> +The Project Gutenberg E-text of The Princess de Montpensier, +by Madame de La Fayette +</TITLE> + +<STYLE TYPE="text/css"> +BODY { color: Black; + background: White; + margin-right: 10%; + margin-left: 10%; + font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; + text-align: justify } + +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% ; + margin-right: 10% } + +P.finis { text-align: center ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +</STYLE> + +</HEAD> + +<BODY> + + +<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—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. +</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—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. +</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 + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER *** + +***** This file should be named 2365-h.htm or 2365-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/3/6/2365/ + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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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 + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER *** + +***** This file should be named 2365.txt or 2365.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/3/6/2365/ + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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If you + don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are + payable to "Project Gutenberg Association/Carnegie-Mellon + University" within the 60 days following each + date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) + your annual (or equivalent periodic) tax return. + +WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? +The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, +scanning machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty +free copyright licenses, and every other sort of contribution +you can think of. Money should be paid to "Project Gutenberg +Association / Carnegie-Mellon University". + +*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END* + + + + + +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 + diff --git a/old/7mntp10.zip b/old/7mntp10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a4d1df0 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/7mntp10.zip diff --git a/old/8mntp10.txt b/old/8mntp10.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a7b476b --- /dev/null +++ b/old/8mntp10.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1307 @@ +Project Gutenberg Etext The Princess de Montpensier, by Lafayette + +This is a 8 bit file with accents, we will also do a 7 bit without. + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check +the copyright laws for your country before posting these files!! + +Please take a look at the important information in this header. +We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an +electronic path open for the next readers. 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If you + don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are + payable to "Project Gutenberg Association/Carnegie-Mellon + University" within the 60 days following each + date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) + your annual (or equivalent periodic) tax return. + +WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? +The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, +scanning machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty +free copyright licenses, and every other sort of contribution +you can think of. Money should be paid to "Project Gutenberg +Association / Carnegie-Mellon University". + +*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 + diff --git a/old/8mntp10.zip b/old/8mntp10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7e38022 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/8mntp10.zip |