616 Retrospect of French Literature— History and Biography. . 
capitulated, and the whole of Franche 
Comté was obliged to submit. 
In 1671, Condé separated from his 
consort, whom he had never loved. She 
was the niece of Cardinal de Richelieu, 
a man ever detested by him; but he 
ought to have recolleeted that she had 
been faithful to him amidst his musfor- 
tunes. 
About the same time he was consulted 
by Louis XIV. on the best manner of 
depriving the Dutch of their commerce, 
to which he replied, “I know but one 
way, sire, and that is, to conquer Hol- 
Jand.” War was accordingly declared, 
and his majesty immediately placed him- 
aself at the head of 110,000 men; being 
accompanied at the same time by the 
Prince, the Duke d’Enghien, and Tu- 
renne. On this occasion, a distinguished 
place was assigned in the camp toCondé; 
and when he complained of this to the 
king, Louis observed, “ that he consi- 
dered him the general in chief, and was 
anxious that all due honours should be 
paid to his highness.” 
As the prince was of opinion that his 
“majesty had formerly failed in his at- 
tempt to conquer Fianders by dividing 
his forces, it was now determined to 
attack Holland with the whole of the 
French army; but there was a difference 
-of opmion as to the mode; for Condé 
was inclined to proceed by the Meuse, 
while the kiag, by the advice of Turenne, 
preferred the Lower Rhine. It was on 
this occasion that Louis XIV. by the 
advice of the prince, crossed the Rhine 
with his army, an event celebrated at 
that period by means of pictures, me- 
dais, and prints, but which in our day 
bas ceased to be.considered as in the 
Jeast important. 
. The hero of France, during an action 
with the Dutch, received a wound in the 
hand, in consequence of which he re- 
paired to Emmerick, whence he sent 
word to his majesty that Amsterdam 
was the place against which all his efforts 
ought to be directed. “ But the exces- 
sive prudence of another great man de- 
cided otherwise; and Louis XIV. was 
-generally blamed on this occasion, for 
not having preferred the fire of Condé.to 
the lead of Turenne. . ; 
The issue of this irruption into the 
United Provinces is well known, and it 
required no small share of skill and per- 
severance on the part of Luxembourg, to 
be able to bring back the French army 
in safety. : 
In 1678, the prince again took the 
field; and being detained some time a? 
Utrecht, where all the learned men-of 
Holland were then assembled, by a fit of 
the gout, he eagerly sought their society, 
of which he never tired; and his genius 
and Ins knowledge produced that equa- 
lity which his rank seemed to exclude. 
This hero was fully convinced that “ the 
conversation of men of letters powerfully 
contributes to charm all ages and all 
ranks of life; that it forms infancy, en- 
lightens youth, diverts manhood, con~ 
soles old age, and only affrights fools.” 
Although Condé appears at this period 
of his lite not to have been very reli- 
gious, yet he gave orders for public 
prayers, in which the success of his ma= 
jesty’s arms was invokéd. The Catho- 
ics in the United Provinces appear to 
have been highly gratified with this mea= 
sure ; but it is frankly allowed, that the 
Protestants were better citizens and bet- 
ter patriots. “ Their enthusiasm,” we 
are told, “ reanimated the courage of 
their chiefs, laid open the treasures of 
the rich, incited the labours of the poor, 
and added to the valour and the industry 
of all. Forts were elevated on every 
side, the dykes were cut, the country 
was laid under water; in fine, devasta- 
tion, the usual companion of slavery and 
of death, became for this once the pledge 
of life and the guarantee of liberty. After 
having exhausted every human precau- 
tion, these heretics also dared to implore 
the assistance and succour of the Divi- 
nity; they elevated their prophane but 
suppliant hands towards heaven; they 
opposed fervour to regularity; and the 
least orthodox vows appeared to be the 
only ones attended to by the Supreme 
Being, who in his goodness undoubtedly at- 
tends rather to the necessities than the 
opinions of mankind.” | 
At length, in 1676, the health of Condé 
obliged him to think in earnest of re- 
treat, and “ after thirty-five years of 
glory and success, he besought the king 
to bestow the command of the army-on 
his son, who was then thirty-three years 
of age.” sis 
He returned, however, from Chantilly, 
on the marriage of the Prince of Conti 
with Mademoiselle de Blois. Previously 
to this he had been very simple and even 
very negligent in peint of dress, but he 
now appeared in court, to the asfonish- 
ment of every one, with his upper lip 
shaved, and his sword and clothes adorn- 
ed with diamonds. On his return home, 
he began to embellish his noble residence, 
and at the same time kept up an ac- 
quaintance 
