ded. The financial,
judicial, and commercial administration of the kingdom was regulated,
and measures were taken to check arbitrary arrests and to reform the
methods of taxation. This ordinance was the most important act of the
First or Parliamentary Fronde, and represents the high-water mark of
constitutional advance made by the Parliament and its supporters. It
almost seemed that constitutional life was at last to begin in France.

But if examined closely the Declaration of October 22d bears full
evidence as to the selfish and narrow aims of the Parliament, and shows
how every so-called constitutional effort on its part was tainted by its
determination to secure its own privileges. In the declaration it is
specially stated that the charges and privileges of the Parliament
should be guaranteed. Though the regular payment of the _rentes_ of the
Hotel de Ville--a matter in which the bourgeoisie was interested--was
enforced, and though there was a reference in general terms to the
amelioration of the lot of the mass of the people, the declaration was
principally concerned with securing and confirming the privileges of the
Parliament.

So far Mazarin and Anne had been forced to yield, and the Parliament had
apparently won the day. But Mazarin had only simulated a yielding
spirit; in reality, he was more determined than ever to establish the
royal authority, to crush all opposition in Paris by a concentration of
troops under a trusted commander. By his advice Anne had made promises
which she never intended to keep, and Mazarin was simply biding his
time. One of his most striking characteristics was his perseverance in
carrying out his plans. Having fixed upon a policy, he carried it
through in the end, though compelled to adopt various and unexpected
methods before success was attained. It is noteworthy that the treaty of
Westphalia and the treaty with the Frondeurs were signed on the same
day. It is equally noteworthy that, while the Frondeurs were seemingly
triumphant, Mazarin was making careful preparations for the civil war
which he regarded as inevitable.

On October 24, 1658, the Peace of Westphalia was signed between France
and Sweden on the one hand and the representatives of the Emperor and
the empire on the other. France secured Upper and Lower Alsace, the
Sundgau, and the prefecture of ten imperial towns; in other words, the
practical ownership of Alsace, though the rights of the imperial princes
were for a l