644 Retrospect of French Literature—H istory and Bi 
to remain neutral, Condé was at length 
prevailed on to side with the court. On 
this occasion, he was pleasd to say, “ | 
am called Louis de Bourbon, and will not 
on any account allow the crown tototter.” 
The queen, on her part, employed both 
prayers and tears, while the young mo- 
narch embracing him in the most flatter- 
ing manner, commended to his guar- 
dianship the safety of the state and his 
own person.” 
Condé having been thus gained, pro- 
posed to mar ch an army to the gaies of 
the capital, to seize the arsenal, to place 
batteries opposite the principal streets, 
aud in this state of affairs, to summon the 
chiefs of the Fronde to leave the city. 
Le Tellier, on the other hand, recom- 
mended a blockade; and the queen having 
adopted his plan, the prince was entrust- 
ed with the command of 7 or 8000 men, 
destitute of money and magazines, with 
whom, during the depth of winter, it was 
expected that he should oblige the metro- 
polis to subnut. This scheme however, 
cid not wholly succeed; for the Prince de 
Conti, who belonged to the opposite party, 
was declared veneralissimo, and the Pa- 
risians were.also supported in their revolt 
by the Duke de Longueville, governor of 
Normandy, and several other persons of 
distinction. 
The court being at the same time 
greatly alarmed by the approach of the 
Spaniards, whose aid had been solicited 
by the Coadjutor, Cardinal Retz, the 
threats of the Duke de la Fernouille, 
and the defection of Turenne, the media- 
tion of Conde was invoked, and the trea- 
ty of St. Germaine signed by all pasties, 
in consequence of which the Fronde was 
to the full as dangerous, and the minister 
as powerful as before. The prince, how- 
ever, seized this opportunity to re-esta- 
blish his popularity with the Parisians, 
and he accordingly repaired to the capi- 
tal for that purpose. 
Meanwhile a plot was hatching against 
his own liberty, on the part of the queen 
and the cardinal, and on the 18th of Ja- 
nuary 1650, he was arrested at the Palais 
Royal by the captain of his majesty’s 
guards, at the very moment he had re- 
paired thither to take bis seat at the 
council-board. Ou’ hearing the order 
repeated, his highness immediately ex- 
claimed, “ What a return for all my 
services!’* And on being conducted 
through a double line of troops, he ob- 
served, “ This, my friends, is not the 
battle of Lens!” Dunng his journey to 
the castle of Vincennes, the curriage 
dering the 
ography. 
broke down, and Condé would have 
escaped, had he not been overtaken by 
one of the guards, who, putting a pistol 
to his breast, obliged him to return. 
On his arrivai at the place of destina- 
tion, his highness found the Prince de 
Conti also in confinement, who, drawing 
his sole resource trom dovouons earnestly 
entreated the perual of a very pious 
book, entitled, “ Une Imitation de Jesus 
Christ. i Conde, on the other hand, be- 
ing rather occupied by the present than 
the future, exclaimed, that he was far 
more anxious for “ Imitation de M. de 
Beaufort*.” The Duke d’Enghien, his 
son, repaired to the parliament some 
time afterwards; and when bis mother, 
with tears in her eyes, had presented a 
petition in favour of her husband, he 
looked around and said, * Be a father 
to me, gentlemen, for Mazarin has be- 
reaved me of my own.” Next day an 
arrét was passed in favour of the prince. 
The consort of Condé, not content 
with this, incited the inhabitants of se- 
veral towns to declare in favour of him, 
and even placed herself at the head of a 
body of troops. He was informed of 
this by his surgeon, while employed in 
watering a few pinks that he was per- 
mitted to cultivate: on which, struck 
with the singularity of his destiny, with- 
out desisting from his labours, he replied, 
“ Could you ever bave thought, my friend, 
that I should be tending my garden, 
while my wife was making war?” 
Soon after this the Cardinal was hung 
in effigy by the Parisians, and the par- 
liament passed an edict against him, by 
which he was commanded to leave the 
kingdom. Instead of obeying, the mir 
nister flew to Havre, whither the princes 
had been transferred for safety, and, or- 
gates of the prison to be 
thrown open, fell on his knees and 
kissed the boot of the great Condé! 
“MT. le Prince,” says his descendant, 
“ now at the height of human grandeur, | 
cherished by the noblesse, beloved by 
‘the parliament, supported by the Fronde, 
adored by the people, and dreaded by 
the court, feit the fuli extent of his au- 
thority, and yet did not abuse it. Ma- _ 
zavin, on the Ope detested, banish- 
ed, ridiculed, and abhorred by the na- 
tion, still preserved his power, notwith- 
standing his absence, and from the sink 
of that opprobium with which he was 
* The Duke de Beaufort, a little before 
this, had found means to escape from the 
castle of Vincemnes. : } 
covered, 
