Eminent literary and scientific men of France.

Date:
1838-1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Eminent literary and scientific men of France. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    therefore, sided with Conde, and endeavoured to alienate him entirely from the coadjutor, and to draw over his brother and sister to the same side. He entered zea- lously into the plan of breaking off a marriage proposed between the prince of Conti and mademoiselle de Chevreuse, who was known to be the mistress of De Retz, which event widened the separation between the parties. This led to more violent scenes than ever. Conde was forced to retreat, and only appeared strongly guarded ; and the queen took advantage of this show of violence to accuse him of high treason to par- liament. This occasioned the most tumultuous scenes. The two parties met in the Palace of Justice ; both Conde and De Retz surrounded by followers eager to draw their swords on each other, — none more eager than Rochefoucauld, whom De Retz detested, and (if ■we believe the duke’s own account) had several times sought to have assassinated. On this occasion Roche- foucauld was on the alert to revenge himself. Mole, the intrepid and courageous president, alone, by his resolution and firmness, prevented bloodshed. He im- plored the prince and the coadjutor to withdraw their troops from the palace : they assented. De Retz left the hall to command his followers to retire. Roche- foucauld was sent by Conde on a similar mission to his partisans. This was a more difficult task than they had apprehended : both parties were on the point of coming to blows; and the coadjutor hastened to return to the great chamber, when an extraordinary scene, related by the duke in his memoirs, ensued. He had returned before the coadjutor, and De Retz, pushing the door open, got half in, when Rochefoucauld pressed against it on the other side, and held his enemy’s body in the doorway, half in and half out of the chamber. “ This opportunity might have tempted the duke de la Roche- foucauld,” writes the duke himself. “ After all that had passed, both public and private reasons led him to desire to destroy his most mortal enemy; as, besides the facility thus offered of revenging himself, while
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