le cœur, her heart
la vie, lier life.
2. Madame de Montespan, Athénaïs de Mortemart, Marchioness of jMontespan (1641-1707), of an illustrions family from Gascony, supplanted Mademoiselle de la Vallière in Louis XIV. 's faveur, and for fourteen years ruled despotically over his heart (1668- 82), and bore him several children, two of whom, the Duc du Maine, and the Comte de Toulouse, were legitimated by the King. Madame de Maintenon, who had brought them up secretly, married Louis XIV. after the Queen's deatli (1685) ; and Madame de Montespan, leaving tlie court in 1687, spent the last twentj^ years of her life in austère peuance.
2. Mademoiselle de la Vallière, Louise Françoise de la Baume Le Blanc, duchesse de la Vallière
(1644-1710), was maid of honour to the Princess
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Henrietta, duchesse d'Orléans (Charles I.'s gifted daughter). Seduced by Louis XIV., but ever pious and pénitent, even whilst giving liim her heart's love, she twice retired into a convent from which the King withdrew her. At last, in 1674, she finally entered the convent of the Carmélites as Sœur Louise de la Miséricorde, and for thirty-five years led there the most saintly and pénitent life ; two of her children Avere legitimated, the Princess of Conti and tlie Count of Vermandois.
83. 3. Gabrielle d'Estrées ' La belle Gatarielle,' duchesse de Beaufort (1570-99). Henry IV. was on the eve of seeking a divorce in order to marry her when she died suddenly. She was thought to hâve been poi soned. Henry IV. wrote after lier death — ' La racine de mon cœur est morte et ne rejettera plus' (Michelet). Amongst the children she had borne him was César, the eldest (1594-1665), legitimated in 1595, and called César Monsieur, duc de Vendôme, who niarried the daughter of the duc de Mercœur, and whose son married Laura Mancini (see note on p. 16, 1. 20).
4. madame d'Étampes, Anne de Pisseleu, duchesse d'Etampes (1508-76), whose fatal influence over Francis I. lasted twenty-two years. After that king's death in 1547 she was banished from the court, embraced Protestantism, and died obscurely. She was called ' la plus savante des belles et la plus belle des savantes ' (Douillet).
qui a failli perdre la France, who nearly ruined France. Note that before an intinitive manquer de and faillir nierely express the non-accomplishment of anything, dcsired or ftot, without necessarily implying regret at the resuit ; e.g. j'ai failli tomber, or j'ai manqué de tomber, I nearly fell down. J'ai failli vous manquer de parole, I almost broke my Word witli you. The duchesse d'Etampes, who hated the King's son, betrayed state secrets to the enemies of France — Charles Quint and Henry VIII. — whom the Dauphin was opposing, and she induced Francis I. to sign the disgraceful treaty of Crespy (1544), by which Francis I. gave up his claims over Aragon, Naples, Flanders, Artois, etc.
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