citadels fired salutes as she passed;
the Spanish Court went out to meet her as far as Burgos; the King and
Queen received her at some two leagues from Madrid. She returned
strengthened by disgrace, so much the stronger that her absence had
proved injurious, treating henceforward as between Power and Power with
the Court of Versailles, which, yielding to a political necessity,
recognized and graciously accepted, had restored her with its own hand
to the summit of power, and seemed, by that signal preference, to menace
beforehand all those who should pretend to struggle against her
sovereign mission.

Once re-established in Spain, Madame des Ursins, thus acting in harmony
once more with Louis XIV., set herself to pursue a more measured course,
more regular and thoroughly irreproachable with relation to those whose
envoy she was. She took no step save in concert with the sagacious
ambassador M. Amelot. If the letters she addressed to Madame de
Maintenon, and which commence immediately after her departure from
Paris, do not reveal her genius in all its vigour and brilliancy, they
at any rate allow us to divine it in certain passages, and give us
clearly the chief outlines of her character. The natural tone of her
mind was serious, positive, somewhat dry at bottom, but frank,
deliberate, and bold. Unlike Madame de Maintenon, she had political
ideas which she dared not only avow, but put into execution. Before all
else she decided upon the complete restoration of the King's authority.
With reference to a claim advanced by the grandees against the captain
of the guards, she was anxious to break up effectually that cabal of the
grandees who profited by the weakness of the new regime in order to
create titles and prerogatives for themselves: otherwise it would be the
means of throwing Spain again into the same embarrassments as those in
which France found herself during the Fronde, "when Frenchmen only
busied themselves with provoking one another." She was of opinion that
the chiefs of that party should feel the effects of the King's
displeasure before there was time to receive replies from France, in
order that it might clearly appear that it was a determination taken by
the King of Spain himself, and not a suggestion of others:

"Do not be frightened, Madame, I entreat you, at these resolutions.
It is fortunate that the grandees have given us such a lucky
opportunity of mortifying them. Lacking strength and c