. Five fair sisters : an Italian episode at the court of Louis XIV. an-de-Luz. I am in despair at seeing, from all that you havethe goodness to write to me, the grief which you areexperiencing. Would to God that I were able to affordyou relief in shedding all my blood, for I would do sowith the greatest joy imaginable ! The answer of theconfidant [the King] is conceived in terms which showme plainly enough that he has no more affection for meor consideration for his own interests. Consequently, Ihave no alternative, save to execute his orders toabridge the time of the marriage, and after havin
. Five fair sisters : an Italian episode at the court of Louis XIV. an-de-Luz. I am in despair at seeing, from all that you havethe goodness to write to me, the grief which you areexperiencing. Would to God that I were able to affordyou relief in shedding all my blood, for I would do sowith the greatest joy imaginable ! The answer of theconfidant [the King] is conceived in terms which showme plainly enough that he has no more affection for meor consideration for his own interests. Consequently, Ihave no alternative, save to execute his orders toabridge the time of the marriage, and after having signedthe contract and the articles of peace, which will beglorious and advantageous for his person and his State,to take the resolution which will be the best calculatedto deliver him from my importunities and the best forhis service ; praying God with all my heart to bless myintentions. ^ According to Choisy, Louis XIV wrote that Mazarin might do ashe pleased, and that if he abandoned the conduct of his affairs, manyothers would willingly take charge of From an engraving after the pamtmg by ^Mignarcl ANNE OF AUSTRIA, QUEEN OF FRANCE FIVE FAIR SISTERS 159 Here, remarks Marie Mancinis biographer, LucienPercy, the Cardinal observes more tact than in hisletter to the King. He was well aware that the Queen,so weak when confronted by her son, could only hopeto hold her own against him on rare occasions ; and he,therefore, makes use of the most powerful incentive torouse her to action, namely, the threat of his owndeparture. We have seen how much Anne of Austriahad suffered during the Cardinals exile at that time, the links which united them had beengiven a new strength, and he well knew the effect whichthe fear of a fresh separation would produce on hermind. Nothing, then, could have been more adroitthan the phrase which we have just read.^ The tone of Mazarins letter to the King is verydifferent from that of 28 August. Then the Ministerwas imperious and deter
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