The Princess of Cleves

by Madame de Lafayette
THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES

Grandeur and gallantry never appeared with more lustre in France,
than in the last years of Henry the Second's reign. This Prince

was amorous and handsome, and though his passion for Diana of
Poitiers Duchess of Valentinois, was of above twenty years

standing, it was not the less violent, nor did he give less
distinguishing proofs of it.

As he was happily turned to excel in bodily exercises, he took a
particular delight in them, such as hunting, tennis, running at

the ring, and the like diversions. Madam de Valentinois gave
spirit to all entertainments of this sort, and appeared at them

with grace and beauty equal to that of her grand-daughter, Madam
de la Marke, who was then unmarried; the Queen's presence seemed

to authorise hers.
The Queen was handsome, though not young; she loved grandeur,

magnificence and pleasure; she was married to the King while he
was Duke of Orleans, during the life of his elder brother the

Dauphin, a prince whose great qualities promised in him a worthy
successor of his father Francis the First.

The Queen's ambitioustemper made her taste the sweets of
reigning, and she seemed to bear with perfect ease the King's

passion for the Duchess of Valentinois, nor did she express the
least jealousy of it; but she was so skilful a dissembler, that

it was hard to judge of her real sentiments, and policyobliged
her to keep the duchess about her person, that she might draw the

King to her at the same time. This Prince took great delight in
the conversation of women, even of such as he had no passion for;

for he was every day at the Queen's court, when she held her
assembly, which was a concourse of all that was beautiful and

excellent in either sex.
Never were finer women or more accomplished men seen in any

Court, and Nature seemed to have taken pleasure in lavishing her
greatest graces on the greatest persons. The Princess Elizabeth,

since Queen of Spain, began now to manifest an uncommon wit, and
to display those beauties, which proved afterwards so fatal to

her. Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, who had just married the
Dauphin, and was called the Queen-Dauphin, had all the

perfections of mind and body; she had been educated in the Court
of France, and had imbibed all the politeness of it; she was by

nature so well formed to shine in everything that was polite,
that notwithstanding her youth, none surpassed her in the most

refined accomplishments. The Queen, her mother-in-law, and the
King's sister, were also extreme lovers of music, plays and

poetry; for the taste which Francis the First had for the Belles
Lettres was not yet extinguished in France; and as his son was

addicted to exercises, no kind of pleasure was wanting at Court.
But what rendered this Court so splendid, was the presence of so

many great Princes, and persons of the highest quality and merit:
those I shall name, in their different characters, were the

admiration and ornament of their age.
The King of Navarre drew to himself the respect of all the world

both by the greatness of his birth, and by the dignity that
appeared in his person; he was remarkable for his skill and

courage in war. The Duke of Guise had also given proofs of
extraordinaryvalour, and had, been so successful, that there was

not a general who did not look upon him with envy; to his valour
he added a most exquisitegenius and understanding, grandeur of

mind, and a capacityequally turned for military or civil
affairs. His brother, the Cardinal of Loraine, was a man of

boundless ambition, and of extraordinary wit and eloquence, and
had besides acquired a vast variety of learning, which enabled

him to make himself very considerable by defending the Catholic
religion, which began to be attacked at that time. The Chevalier

de Guise, afterwards called Grand Prior, was a princebeloved by
all the world, of a comely person, full of wit and address, and

distinguished through all Europe for his valour. The Prince of
Conde, though little indebted to Nature in his person, had a

noble soul, and the liveliness of his wit made him amiable even
in the eyes of the finest women. The Duke of Nevers,

distinguished by the high employments he had possessed, and by
the glory he had gained in war, though in an advanced age, was

yet the delight of the Court: he had three sons very
accomplished; the second, called the Prince of Cleves, was worthy

to support the honour of his house; he was brave and generous,
and showed a prudence above his years. The Viscount de Chartres,

descended of the illustrious family of Vendome, whose name the
Princes of the blood have thought it no dishonour to wear, was

equallydistinguished for gallantry; he was genteel, of a fine
mien, valiant, generous, and all these qualities he possessed in

a very uncommon degree; in short, if anyone could be compared to
the Duke de Nemours, it was he. The Duke de Nemours was a

masterpiece of Nature; the beauty of his person, inimitable as it
was, was his least perfection; what placed him above other men,

was a certain agreeableness in his discourse, his actions, his
looks, which was observable in none beside himself: he had in his

behaviour a gaiety that was equallypleasing to men and women; in
his exercises he was very expert; and in dress he had a peculiar

manner, which was followed by all the world, but could never be
imitated: in fine, such was the air of his whole person, that it

was impossible to fix one's eye on anything else, wherever he
was. There was not a lady at Court, whose vanity would not have

been gratified by his address; few of those whom he addressed,
could boast of having resisted him; and even those for whom he

expressed no passion, could not forbear expressing one for him:
his natural gaiety and disposition to gallantry was so great,

that he could not refuse some part of his cares and attention to
those who made it their endeavour to please him; and accordingly

he had several mistresses, but it was hard to guess which of them
was in possession of his heart: he made frequent visits to the

Queen-Dauphin; the beauty of this princess" target="_blank" title="n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人">princess, the sweetness of her
temper, the care she took to oblige everybody, and the particular

esteem she expressed for the Duke de Nemours, gave ground to
believe that he had raised his views even to her. Messieurs de

Guise, whose niece she was, had so far increased their authority
and reputation by this match, that their ambition prompted them

to aspire at an equality with the Princes of the blood, and to
share in power with the Constable Montmorency. The King

entrusted the Constable with the chief share in the
administration of the Government, and treated the Duke of Guise

and the Mareschal de St. Andre as his favourites; but whether
favour or business admitted men to his presence, they could not

preserve that privilege without the good-liking of the Duchess of
Valentinois; for though she was no longer in possession of either

of youth or beauty, she yet reigned so absolutely in his heart,
that his person and state seemed entirely at her disposal.

The King had such an affection for the Constable, that he was no
sooner possessed of the Government, but he recalled him from the

banishment he had been sent into by Francis the First: thus was
the Court divided between Messieurs de Guise, and the Constable,

who was supported by the Princes of the blood, and both parties
made it their care to gain the Duchess of Valentinois. The Duke

d'Aumale, the Duke of Guise's brother, had married one of her
daughters, and the Constable aspired to the fame alliance; he was

not contented with having married his eldest son with Madam
Diana, the King's daughter by a Piemontese lady, who turned nun

as soon as she was brought to bed. This marriage had met with a
great many obstacles from the promises which Monsieur Montmorency

had made to Madam de Piennes, one of the maids of honour to the
Queen; and though the King had surmounted them with extreme

patience and goodness, the Constable did not think himself
sufficiently established, unless he secured Madam de Valentinois

in his interest, and separated her from Messieurs de Guise, whose
greatness began to give her uneasiness. The Duchess had