Lauzun: courtier and adventurer : the life of a friend of Louis XIV . rmatory. Nevertheless, the future Comtessede Soissons is a person of some interest, if onlybecause she was the Kings first love, and un-doubtedly exercised a strong influence over hischaracter at a most critical time of his life. She was one of the first batch of nieces to arrivefrom Italy, coming over with her cousins theMartinozzis and with her elder sister Laura, whobecame Duchesse de Mercoeur and died at the ageof twenty-one, after an illness of twenty-four hours. It was said, the Grande Mademoiselle tells us,^that Monsi
Lauzun: courtier and adventurer : the life of a friend of Louis XIV . rmatory. Nevertheless, the future Comtessede Soissons is a person of some interest, if onlybecause she was the Kings first love, and un-doubtedly exercised a strong influence over hischaracter at a most critical time of his life. She was one of the first batch of nieces to arrivefrom Italy, coming over with her cousins theMartinozzis and with her elder sister Laura, whobecame Duchesse de Mercoeur and died at the ageof twenty-one, after an illness of twenty-four hours. It was said, the Grande Mademoiselle tells us,^that Monsieur de Mancini had foretold that thedeaths of his wife and daughter should take placein the same year, and had stated that soon after-wards the Cardinal would be threatened with somegreat calamity. For this reason the decease of hisrelations caused Mazarin special trouble—at least,so said the uncharitable when he shut himselfup for several days after the deaths of his nieceand his sister, and refused to see any one. Ch6ruel, Montpensier M6moires, vol. iii. p. I I 111 .1 i I jiL l\ IIiUL-t . I tie I a ]^ i-y V. Cl>cim]K\j;i\ MAZAKIN. Olympc de Mancini 67 However, his seclusion cannot have been of verylong duration, as twenty days after her sistersdeath Olympe married the Comte de Soissons—agreat match, and one, we are told, which filled theCardinals heart with rejoicing. Olympe is described by Madame de Motteville ^as being, on her arrival in France, a plain childwith a dark long face, pointed chin, and smalllively eyes. However, in 1654, when the King,a boy of sixteen, thought himself in love withher, she had improved in appearance. She had eyes full of fire ; and in spite of thefaults in her face, the age of eighteen had treatedher kindly. With increasing plumpness she hadbecome less sallow—her complexion now was a fineone ; her face was shorter, her cheeks were adornedwith dimples, and her mouth was smaller thanbefore, while an air of fashion
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