hearts calls us back to our fatherland,--to that matchless land where my
ancestors have ever been beloved.

My uncle is guilty of no crime but that of having formerly received in
his palace a son of good King Henri IV., after his humiliation by a
shameless minister. My dear uncle proposed to resign all his property in
my favour, and to meet the wishes of his Majesty as to the wife that
should be mine.

When my uncle asked for the hand of Mademoiselle de Montpensier, on my
behalf, my cousin replied that a ruined and dismantled throne did not
augur well for a dowry, and she further remarked that we were not on good
terms with the King.

When I begged Cardinal Mazarin to grant me the hand of the present Madame
de Mazarin, his Eminence replied, "Would you like to be a cardinal? I
can manage that; but as regards my niece, the Queen is going to get her
married immediately."

When, before God and man, I wedded Mademoiselle de Nemours, whose worthy
mother led her to the altar, his Majesty refused to sign the marriage
contract, and told Madame de Nemours that it would never be considered
valid.

Soon afterwards the Bishop of Laon, who has complete influence over
Madame de Vendome, declared as null and void--a marriage negotiated and
consecrated by himself, and thus a bond made in heaven has been broken on
earth.

Such treatment as this, I confess, seemed to us to exceed the bounds of
humanity and of justice. My uncle and I quitted France,--the France that
persecutes and harasses us, that desires the destruction of our family
and the forcible union of our territory with her own.

The late Queen, of illustrious and glorious memory, disapproved of
Richelieu's injustice towards us. Under the ministry of the Cardinal,
his successor, she often, in noble fashion, held out to us a helping
hand. How comes it that the King, who in face is her living image, does
not desire to be like her in heart?

I address myself to you, madame, who by your beauty and Spiritual charm
hold such imperious sway over his decisions, and I implore you to
undertake our defence. My uncle and I, his rightful and duteous heir,
offer the King devoted homage and unswerving fealty. We offer to forget
the past, to put our hearts and our swords at his service. Let him
withdraw his troops and those standards of his that have brought terror
and grief to our unhappy Lorraine. I offer to marry Mademoiselle de
Thianges, your beautiful and charming niece, and to