41& PALAIS ROYA&. 



fenfe as vertu cardinals, for example, muft lignlfy the 

 cardinal palace, but never the palace of a cardinal. 

 Tliis however, they thought might be too odious an 

 explanation for him who was always in the right, or 

 who made his wrongs pafs for right. It is no longer 

 the palace of a cardinal, but therefore it is become the 

 palais cardinal of all Europe. Forgive me, my friend, 

 for once, this little play upon, the words L I am proba- 

 bly the Jail perfon that will ever wafte a. fy liable about 

 them. 



This politic mini&r well knew, that the Farifians 

 muli be amufed, if he wifhed them not to rebel 1 ; and 

 that the principal writers of the nation mull be gained 

 over, if he would avoid the neceffity of hearing difa- 

 greeable truths. Accordingly, he caufed a fupcrb 

 theatre to. be conftrucled in his new palace, and kept 

 fever a! great wits in pay for his domeftic ufe; among 

 whom t]he moft confpicuous were the elder Corneille 

 and Rotrou. When once plays were given in the 

 palace of the cardinal, the palace itfelf was foon for- 

 gotten ; but the Parisians foon likewife forgot the car- 

 dinal, when once they got into the parterre of his 

 theatre. In the parterre even a Parilian never was a 

 ilave ; in defiance of the bearikin-caps that ftood there 5 

 he whiftled or clapped, thqugh he dare not drive the 

 aclor from the itage. 



The cardinal compofed theatrical pieces himfelf, and 

 procured others to cornpofe them who were complaifant 

 enough to let them pafs for his. One tragedy in parti- 

 cular, entitled Mirame, his whole heart was fet upon, 

 perhaps becaufe he had the chief hand in .compofing it \ 

 and principally for the fake pf this representation it was v 



thai 



