Lauzun: courtier and adventurer : the life of a friend of Louis XIV . for amoment that the affliir could ever have been thoughtof without his connivance—was a most dangerousinnovation. Never had an affair caused so much excitement/and Louis was attacked on all sides by remonstrancesand reproaches. Even the Queen, who never inter-fered in any State matters, was horrified out ofher usual indifference, and spoke to him with muchbitterness, thus rousing his anger, and in consequenceremaining awake all night crying. Monsieur leDue, as well as the Great Conde—who had at onetime hoped to marry the he
Lauzun: courtier and adventurer : the life of a friend of Louis XIV . for amoment that the affliir could ever have been thoughtof without his connivance—was a most dangerousinnovation. Never had an affair caused so much excitement/and Louis was attacked on all sides by remonstrancesand reproaches. Even the Queen, who never inter-fered in any State matters, was horrified out ofher usual indifference, and spoke to him with muchbitterness, thus rousing his anger, and in consequenceremaining awake all night crying. Monsieur leDue, as well as the Great Conde—who had at onetime hoped to marry the heiress himself—inveighedmost strongly against the folly of the proceeding,and the indignant Conde announced to the King— though in a respectful manner, - which must havebeen a difficult feat—that he would shoot Lauzundirectly after the marriage ceremony. Louvois, too,was almost beside himself with rage and terror ; hehad been madly jealous of Lauzun since the latter 1 Choisy M6moires, vol. ii. p. 219. ^ Petitot, La Fare Memoires, ser. ii. vol. Ixv. p. Prom a plioto by \\ . A. Maiist-H & C. aftt-r a paintinj; at XIV. Opposition to the Marriage 277 had been put in command of the expedition toHolland, and he realised that, backed by the moneyand position of his adoring wife, the Duchesse deMontpensier, the little Gascons power would beenormous. In fact, all the Royal House, the Ministers,and the Court, raised their voices clamorously againstthe marriage. ^ Even Mademoiselles stepmother,the indolent dowager Duchess of Orleans, wasimpelled by the imminent danger of the situationto pen a letter of remonstrance to the King. Thebourgeoisie, too, were horrified at the extraordinarystep contemplated by the Grande Mademoiselle, theParis Princess, who in the times of the Fronde hadbeen the popular heroine. Unfortunately, however, the full force of thestorm was not apparent to the lovers, the majorityof the Court thinking it well to endeavour to con-ciliate th
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