FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   978   979   980   981   982   983   984   985   986   987   988   989   990   991   992   993   994   995   996   997   998   999   1000   1001   1002  
1003   1004   1005   1006   1007   1008   1009   1010   1011   1012   1013   1014   1015   1016   1017   1018   1019   1020   1021   1022   1023   1024   1025   1026   1027   >>   >|  
nd and body withered. He could find no resource but to shut himself up with his dear friend the Duchesse de Lesdiguieres, whom he saw every day of his life, either at her own house or at Conflans, where he had laid out a delicious garden, kept so strictly clean, that as the two walked, gardeners followed at a distance, and effaced their footprints with rakes. The vapours seized the Archbishop, and turned themselves into slight attacks of epilepsy. He felt this, but prohibited his servants to send for help, when they should see him attacked; and he was only too well obeyed. The Duchesse de Lesdiguieres never slept at Conflans, but she went there every afternoon, and was always alone with him. On the 6th of August, he passed the morning, as usual, until dinner-time; his steward came there to him, and found him in his cabinet, fallen back upon a sofa; he was dead. The celebrated Jesuit-Father Gaillard preached his funeral sermon, and carefully eluded pointing the moral of the event. The King and Madame de Maintenon were much relieved by the loss of M. de Paris. Various places he had held were at once distributed. His archbishopric and his nomination to the cardinalship required more discussion. The King learnt the news of the death of M. de Paris on the 6th. On the 8th, in going as usual to his cabinet, he went straight up to the Bishop of Orleans, led him to the Cardinals de Bouillon and de Fursternberg, and said to them:- "Gentlemen, I think you will thank me for giving you an associate like M. d'Orleans, to whom I give my nomination to the cardinalship." At this word the Bishop, who little expected such a scene, fell at the King's feet and embraced his knees. He was a man whose face spoke at once of the virtue and benignity he possessed. In youth he was so pious, that young and old were afraid to say afoul word in his presence. Although very rich, he appropriated scarcely any of his wealth to himself, but gave it away for good works. The modesty and the simplicity with which M. d'Orleans sustained his nomination, increased the universal esteem in which he was held. The archbishopric of Paris was given to a brother of the Duc de Noailles- the Bishop of Chalons-sur-Marne--M. de Noailles thus reaping the fruit of his wise sacrifice to M. de Vendome, before related. M. de Chalons was of singular goodness and modesty. He did not wish for this preferment, and seeing from far the prospect of its being given to him, hastened to
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   978   979   980   981   982   983   984   985   986   987   988   989   990   991   992   993   994   995   996   997   998   999   1000   1001   1002  
1003   1004   1005   1006   1007   1008   1009   1010   1011   1012   1013   1014   1015   1016   1017   1018   1019   1020   1021   1022   1023   1024   1025   1026   1027   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Bishop

 

nomination

 
Orleans
 

Noailles

 

cabinet

 

modesty

 

Chalons

 
Lesdiguieres
 

cardinalship

 

Duchesse


archbishopric

 

Conflans

 

expected

 

embraced

 
Cardinals
 

Bouillon

 

Fursternberg

 

Gentlemen

 

straight

 

associate


giving

 

presence

 
reaping
 
sacrifice
 
Vendome
 

esteem

 
universal
 

brother

 
related
 
singular

prospect
 

hastened

 
goodness
 
preferment
 

increased

 

sustained

 
afraid
 
virtue
 

benignity

 
possessed

learnt

 

Although

 

simplicity

 

wealth

 

appropriated

 

scarcely

 
footprints
 

vapours

 
seized
 

effaced