Produced by David Widger
MEMOIRS OF JEAN FRANCOIS PAUL de GONDI,
CARDINAL DE RETZ
Written by Himself
Being Historic Court Memoirs of the Great Eventsduring the Minority of Louis XIV.and the Administration of Cardinal Mazarin.
BOOK III.
MADAME:—Cardinal Mazarin thought of nothing else now but how to ridhimself of the obligations he lay under to the Prince de Conde, who hadactually saved him from the gallows. And his principal view was analliance with the House of Vendome, who had on some occasions opposed theinterest of the family of Conde.
In Paris the people libelled not only the Cardinal, but the Queen. Indeedit was not our interest to discourage libels and ballads against theCardinal, but it concerned us to suppress such as were levelled againstthe Queen and Government. It is not to be imagined what uneasiness thewrath of the people gave us upon that head. Two criminals, one of whomwas a printer, being condemned to be hanged for publishing some thingsfit to be burnt and for libelling the Queen, cried out, when they wereupon the scaffold, that they were to be put to death for publishingverses against Mazarin, upon which the people rescued them from justice.
On the other hand, some gay young gentlemen of the Court, who were inMazarin's interest, had a mind to make his name familiar to theParisians, and for that end made a famous display in the public walks ofthe Tuileries, where they had grand suppers, with music, and drank theCardinal's health publicly. We took little notice of this, till theyboasted at Saint Germain that the Frondeurs were glad to give them thewall. And then we thought it high time to correct them, lest the commonpeople should think they did it by authority. For this end M. deBeaufort and a hundred other gentlemen went one night to the house wherethey supped, overturned the table, and broke the musicians' violins overtheir heads.
Being informed that the Prince de Conde intended to oblige the King toreturn to Paris, I was resolved to have all the merit of an action whichwould be so acceptable to the citizens. I therefore resolved to go tothe Court at Compiegne, which my friends very much opposed, for fear ofthe danger to which I might be exposed, but I told them that what isabsolutely necessary is not dangerous.
I went accordingly, and as I was going up-stairs to the Queen'sapartments, a man, whom I never saw before or since, put a note into myhand with these words: "If you enter the King's domicile, you are a deadman." But I was in already, and it was too late to go back. Being pastthe guard-chamber, I thought myself secure. I told the Queen that I wascome to assure her Majesty of my most humble obedience, and of thedisposition of the Church of Paris to perform all the services it owed totheir Majesties. The Queen seemed highly pleased, and was very kind tome; but when we mentioned the Cardinal, though she urged me to it, Iexcused myself from going to see him, assuring her Majesty that such avisit would put it out of my power to do her service. It was impossiblefor her to contain herself any longer; she blushed, and it was with muchrestraint that she forbore using harsh language, as she herself confessedafterwards.
Servien said one day that there was a design to assassinate me at histable by the Abbe Fouquet; and M. de Vendome, who had just come from histable, pressed me to be gone, saying that there were wicked designshatching against me.
I returned to Paris, having accomplished everything I wanted, for I hadremoved the suspicion of the Court that the Fro