MENTAL AND MORAL HEREDITY IN ROYALTY. 511 



that he was the only one to so inherit them, the next generation would 

 have just as much chance to receive the birthright of the Conde's as his 

 own generation had. There were but two children, and it is not ask- 

 ing too much from heredity if we believe that one of these two again 

 shows the family strength by the same cause, since a father, grandfather 

 and great grandfather are worth about 33 per cent., and we add to this 

 one distinguished ancestor on the maternal side, since the mother of the 

 children of the next generation was a granddaughter of Anne, the great 

 Constable Montmorency, referred to above as the beginning of the second 

 celebrity of the Montmorency family. This one to follow in the foot- 

 steps of his father was Henry II. of Conde, whose record, however, was 

 not so illustrious as that of some of those who had gone before. 



We now come to one of the greatest 'fraternities' in point of aver- 

 age to be found in all modern royalty, at least among those fraternities 

 that contain as many as three children. Here we find two out of three 

 in about the highest intellectual rank. Louis II., the 'Great Conde' 

 and his sister Anne, Duchess de Longeville, certainly belong in 10. 

 The third was Armand, Prince of Conde, famous but not praised either 

 for character or intellect.* Can we account for these strictly by hered- 

 ity? If these three children had arrived without any other influence 

 than the House of Conde, it would be evidence against heredity, since 

 before the fourth generation reversion to the mean would be called for ; 

 but it certainly is significant to note that this most brilliant fraternity 

 of all is also backed by about the most brilliant pedigree of all royalty 

 since Henry II. of Conde married Charlotte, daughter of Henry I. of 

 Montmorency. She was noted for her beauty, strength of character 

 and fascinating qualities. Henry I. was the center of the Montmorency 

 genius. Thus the greatest of the Condes occur where we should most 

 expect them, just at the junction of the two great streams. 



The subsequent history of Conde is one of decline. Is there any 

 infusion of bad blood sufficient to account for it aside from the external 

 circumstances in which they lived? Louis II., the Great Conde, mar- 

 ried Clemence, a daughter of Urban de Maille de Breze and a niece 

 of Cardinal Eichelieu. Maille de Breze was marshal of France, so 

 it might seem at first sight as if this would be a case where we might 

 expect a perpetuation of genius. But in looking more carefully we get 

 the following idea of the character of the marshal, which throws no 

 optimistic light on the rest of the members of the family. Maille de 

 Breze was made Marshal of France in 1632, and left his command in 

 Holland in anger saying that he n'etait point bete du compagne. In 

 1G36 he was given the government of Anjou, where he showed himself 

 'bizarre and tyrannical.' He gave but little proof of military talent. 



* ' Encyclopaedia Britannica.' 



