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84 - Story of Old France by H. A. Guerber · Story of Old France

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  Speaker 1: Section eighty three of the Story of Old Friends. This
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  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
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  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Recording by Sonia The Story of Old
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  Speaker 1: Friends by H. A. Gerber, Section eighty three, Death of Mazarin.
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  Speaker 1: Louis the fourteenth is noted for having been very handsome
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  Speaker 1: in his youth, with a profusion of curling golden hair,
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  Speaker 1: which he wore long as style. His courtiers promptly imitated,
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  Speaker 1: resorting to whigs pyrux when nature did not provide them
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  Speaker 1: with sufficiently luxuriant locks. Owing to an illness which left
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  Speaker 1: him nearly bald in youth, Louis the fourteenth also wore whigs,
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  Speaker 1: which became larger and curlier as time went on. All
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  Speaker 1: the portraits of the day therefore show us smooth or
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  Speaker 1: mustached faces, fair embedded in clustering curls which only experienced
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  Speaker 1: hair dressers could keep in order. Besides natural good looks,
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  Speaker 1: Louis had also charming manners on which he greatly prided himself.
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  Speaker 1: His courtiers related with bated breath that he even took
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  Speaker 1: off his head to a chambermaid if he happened to
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  Speaker 1: meet one on his way. Not only did Louise courtesy
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  Speaker 1: win him many friends, but it was imitated by all
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  Speaker 1: around him, the nobles in particular, striving to become as
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  Speaker 1: polite and dignified as their king. Thus, grand manners became
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  Speaker 1: the rule at court and in all fashionable assemblies. In France.
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  Speaker 1: Louis the fourteenth, at an early age, began to show
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  Speaker 1: great fondness for female society, and soon fell desperately in
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  Speaker 1: love with one of Mazarin's nieces. The cardinal realized that
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  Speaker 1: the king of France must contract a royal alliance, so
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  Speaker 1: he promptly broke up this love affair by sending his
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  Speaker 1: niece away. When the young king heard that his lady
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  Speaker 1: love was to leave of court, he was broken hearted,
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  Speaker 1: but the damsel hotly reproached him for his idle tears
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  Speaker 1: at parting, exclaiming indignantly, H are king and do nothing
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  Speaker 1: but weep, so I must go away. Mazarin hoped for
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  Speaker 1: a marriage between Louis the fourteens and Maria Theresa, one
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  Speaker 1: of the Spanish princesses or infantas, and in the Treaty
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  Speaker 1: of the Pyrenees. He secured an agreement to bring this about.
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  Speaker 1: He then hastened to the queen mother's room, announcing triumphantly, Madame,
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  Speaker 1: we have both peace and the Infanta, For he knew
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  Speaker 1: how greatly such tidings would please Anne of Austria, who
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  Speaker 1: had bewailed a long quarrel with Spain. But before the
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  Speaker 1: marriage could be concluded, the young Spanish princess had to
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  Speaker 1: renounce all right to the Spanish crown, that is to say,
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  Speaker 1: promise that neither she nor her children would ever claim it. Mazarin, however,
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  Speaker 1: shurely arranged that this renunciation should be valid only in
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  Speaker 1: case the queen's huge dowry were paid in full, and
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  Speaker 1: as the Spanish court failed to pay, this promise was
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  Speaker 1: considered invalid. Later on, when all had been settled, the
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  Speaker 1: court proceeded in state to the frontier to welcome the
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  Speaker 1: new queen, and the marriage was celebrated when the king
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  Speaker 1: was only twenty years old. Though Louise's young wife was
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  Speaker 1: undeniably handsome, he never felt great interest in her and
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  Speaker 1: soon began to neglect her, thus setting a pernicious example
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  Speaker 1: to his court and people. Mazarin, who steered the ship
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  Speaker 1: of states, so cleverly to the troubled waters occasioned by
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  Speaker 1: the end of the Thirty Years War and the Fronde
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  Speaker 1: somewhat neglected French finances, navy, and commerce during the nineteen
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  Speaker 1: years of his ministry, but this neglect was not wholly intentional,
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  Speaker 1: for he was generally anxious to do his best for
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  Speaker 1: his adopted country, and often said, my heart is French,
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  Speaker 1: though my language is not. Many interesting anecdotes are related
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  Speaker 1: about him. For instance, when pressed for time, Mazarin once
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  Speaker 1: promised to give audience to one of the many petitioners
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  Speaker 1: constantly besieging his store if the man would make known
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  Speaker 1: his wants in two words. As soon as admitted, this
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  Speaker 1: man stared at the cardinal, then at the fire, and
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  Speaker 1: gasped cold, hungry with ready wit. Mazarin rejoined fire bread
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  Speaker 1: and dismissed the petitioner, after bestowing upon him a pension
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  Speaker 1: sufficient for his immediate needs. Mazarin was a great lover
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  Speaker 1: of letters and art, and during his lifetime accumulated considerable
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  Speaker 1: wealth and many art treasures, including a number of pictures
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  Speaker 1: by the old masters. He was so fond of these
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  Speaker 1: masterpieces that, on learning his end was near, he had
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  Speaker 1: them all brought to him in turn, and took leave
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  Speaker 1: of them, saying farewell, dear pictures that I have loved
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  Speaker 1: so dearly and that have cost me so much. Then
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  Speaker 1: he arranged at the majority of them should always remain
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  Speaker 1: in France, and many of the art treasures now in
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  Speaker 1: the Louvers are due to him. In his last talk
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  Speaker 1: with his young king, the Prime Minister gave him good advice, saying, impressively, Sire,
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  Speaker 1: know how to respect yourself and you will be respected.
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  Speaker 1: Never have a prime minister, but employ Colbert whenever you
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  Speaker 1: require the assistance of an adviser. At once intelligent and devoted,
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  Speaker 1: a few moments later he added, I owe you everything, Sire,
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  Speaker 1: but I believe I am canceling my obligations to your
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  Speaker 1: majesty by giving you. Colbert Mazarin is also known as
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  Speaker 1: the founder of a fine library and of the College
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  Speaker 1: of the Four Nations, as well as for having annexed
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  Speaker 1: to friends three important provinces Artois, Alsace and Roussillon end
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  Speaker 1: of section eighty three.