t which she had just previously dictated to the Duke
de Beaufort. She was forced to confess that his authority prevailed over
her own. One evening, disheartened by the incapacity of the grandson of
the great Henry, and terrified by the dangers to which their imprudence
exposed the Frondeurs, and esteeming the political talent of Gondi to be
more truly worthy of her own, she opened her heart to him, and proposed
that they should enter into a treaty of alliance. The gallant Coadjutor
would only consent to accept one portion of the treaty, and, happily for
the Duke de Beaufort, who was busily occupied with a game at chess
during that strange conversation, he stipulated to eliminate from the
proposed association everything that related to politics. But the
Duchess would not consent to those terms.

In love, Madame de Montbazon was very mercenary; we say it once for all,
and beg to be excused from citing proof of the assertion. In politics,
she also surrendered herself very willingly to any representation the
eloquence of which was aided by crowns or pistoles. It was thus that in
the month of August, 1649, she promised that the Duke de Beaufort should
not oppose the return of the Court, at the same moment that she opened
her hand to receive a considerable sum. It was thus that, the same year,
she accepted two thousand pistoles from the Spanish envoys, who,
desirous of rendering her favourable, promised besides that the sum of
twenty thousand crowns and a pension of six thousand livres if she would
secure to them the concurrence of the Duke de Beaufort. But she did not
always meet with debtors so honest as Mazarin and the Spanish
ambassadors. In 1650, whilst the treaty was preparing which sought to
unite the Frondeurs with the Princes, then prisoners at Havre, a
negotiation was entered into with Madame de Montbazon in which the
Prince de Conti was offered to her as a husband for her daughter. The
proposition was not accepted. The proposers were not discouraged, and a
sum of a hundred thousand crowns was offered to her. This time the
Duchess could not resist, and the treaty was signed in all due form.
Unfortunately, when the Princes were liberated, she was imprudent enough
to confide her voucher to the Princess Palatine, who, with perfidious
haste, had promised to take care of her interests. She never saw the
precious contract again, and the Prince de Conde only answered her
demands by cruel and cutting jeers. In that adventure