o him much of that adventurous chivalry so much in vogue
under Louis XIII., and which Richelieu with his scaffolds, and Louis
XIV. with his antechambers, had not quite been able to destroy. There
was something romantic in enlisting himself, a young man, under the
banners of a woman, and that woman a granddaughter of the great Conde.

D'Harmental lost no time in preparing to keep the promises he had made,
for he felt that the eyes of all the conspirators were upon him, and
that on his courage and prudence depended the destinies of two kingdoms,
and the politics of the world. At this moment the regent was the
keystone of the arch of the European edifice; and France was beginning
to take, if not by arms, at least by diplomacy, that influence which she
had unfortunately not always preserved. Placed at the center of the
triangle formed by the three great Powers, with eyes fixed on Germany,
one arm extended toward England, and the other toward Spain, ready to
turn on either of these three States that should not treat her according
to her dignity, she had assumed, under the Duc d'Orleans, an attitude of
calm strength which she had never had under Louis XIV.

This arose from the division of interests consequent on the usurpation
of William of Orange, and the accession of Philip V. to the throne of
Spain. Faithful to his old hatred against the stadtholder, who had
refused him his daughter, Louis XIV. had constantly advanced the
pretensions of James II., and, after his death, of the Chevalier de St.
George. Faithful to his compact with Philip V., he had constantly aided
his grandson against the emperor, with men and money; and, weakened by
this double war, he had been reduced to the shameful treaty of Utrecht;
but at the death of the old king all was changed, and the regent had
adopted a very different line of conduct. The treaty of Utrecht was only
a truce, which had been broken from the moment when England and Holland
did not pursue common interests with those of France.

In consequence, the regent had first of all held out his hand to George
I., and the treaty of the triple alliance had been signed at La Haye, by
Dubois, in the name of France; by General Cadogan, for England; and by
the pensioner, Heinsiens, for Holland. This was a great step toward the
pacification of Europe, but the interests of Austria and Spain were
still in suspense. Charles VI. would not recognize Philip V. as king of
Spain; and Philip V., on his part,