t the
impression would always remain so strong, that it would entirely change
her humour. "Great troubles and excessive passions," replied the Duke,
"make great alterations in the mind; as for me, I am quite another man
since my return from Flanders; abundance of people have taken notice of
this change, and the Queen-Dauphin herself spoke to me of it
yesterday." "It is true," replied the Princess, "she has observed it,
and I think I remember to have heard her say something about it." "I'm
not sorry, Madam," replied the Duke, "that she has discerned it, but I
could wish some others in particular had discerned it too; there are
persons to whom we dare give no other evidences of the passion we have
for them, but by things which do not concern them; and when we dare not
let them know we love them, we should be glad at least to have them see
we are not desirous of being loved by any other; we should be glad to
convince them, that no other beauty, though of the highest rank, has
any charms for us, and that a Crown would be too dear, if purchased
with no less a price than absence from her we adore: women ordinarily,"
continued he, "judge of the passion one has for them, by the care one
takes to oblige, and to be assiduous about them; but it's no hard
matter to do this, though they be ever so little amiable; not to give
oneself up to the pleasure of pursuing them, to shun them through fear
of discovering to the public, and in a manner to themselves, the
sentiments one has for them, here lies the difficulty; and what still
more demonstrates the truth of one's passion is, the becoming entirely
changed from what one was, and the having no longer a gust either for
ambition or pleasure, after one has employed one's whole life in
pursuit of both."

The Princess of Cleves readily apprehended how far she was concerned in
this discourse; one while she seemed of opinion that she ought not to
suffer such an address; another, she thought she ought not to seem to
understand it, or show she supposed herself meant by it; she thought
she ought to speak, and she thought she ought to be silent; the Duke of
Nemours's discourse equally pleased and offended her; she was convinced
by it of the truth of all the Queen-Dauphin had led her to think; she
found in it somewhat gallant and respectful, but also somewhat bold and
too intelligible; the inclination she had for the Duke gave her an
anxiety which it was not in her power to control; the most ob