Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-12-11

Of England fortune that was CORE.
spondent TO her wishes. Thus, the love
OF her on one hand and dread OF losing
her on the other, reused in the breast oi
Charles VII a glow OF courage which
neither just ambition nor pure patriot
ism could kindle, aud he resolved 10 dis
pute every inch OF French soil with his
imperious enemies. rather than yield
ingloriously TO an evil fortune and 10 the
loss Of his crown and mistress. And
thus, in urging him TO the field, Mary oi
ADjou was forced 10 seek the assistaD &c
OF the fair rival who had supplanted
her; and she seems at all times TO have
borne with singular sweetness Of temper
with n resignation tina. some might
think savored OF indifference or stupid.
ity-the alienation Of the Kings love
for herself; and neither by action OF
word does she seem ever TO have re-
preached the reigning favorite.
But new ally came in the person OF
Joan OF Arc; victory attended her ban
ners, and in two months Charles VII
was crowned again, a step considered
necessary after the double coronation OF
young Horny Of England at Westmin-
ster and Paris. The loss of the latter
city soon followed. The Maid OF Or
leans perished at the stake; but her
mission was accomplished-France was
free, and England was glad to sign the
treaty Of Arras.
After this contamination Charles
abandoned himself entirely TO the So
ciety Of Agnes Sorel; ease and pros
perity," according to De Mezerai,
plunged him into dallianee and effem-
mate softness." She was his greatest
passion, states Duclos, and the n ost
worthy Of it. She loved Charles ten
derly for himself, and had no other OBJ.
ject in her conduct than the glory of
her somewhat soft lover and the good of
the State. Agnes Sorel, he adds, dis
tinguishcd herself by qualities preferable
to those which are usually found in her
sex-rather an obscure phrase. But,
despite what some allege Of her humility,
ostentation and love of splendor are
said by others to be among her weak.
nesses; but such are pardonable enough
in q beautiful woman.
AT court she appeared in all the state
of royal Princess. Her apartments
were more expensively decorated with
hangings Of silk and taffeta, with furni-
ture and tapestries, than those of the
Queen, Mary of Anjou. She had a larger
and more splendid retinue of servants
than her royal mistress, and had quite as
much reverence shown her. Her coaches,
her linen, her vessels of gold and silver,
her rings and other jewelry, all surpassed
in beauty and in value those of the
Queen. Even her kitchen surpassed
that of the neglected wife; for with this
woman, called Agnes, whom / have seen
and known" says the author of the
Chronique des Dues de Bourgogne, "
" the King was terribly besotted.
Her robes were more costly and her
trains were longer than those worn by
any of the royal Princesses; and it was
remembered that, to show the extreme
fairness fher skin and beautiful contour
of her bust, she had all her dresses more
decolletees, or cut lower in front, than
had ever been the custom at the Court
of France.
In some burst of temper Agnes has
been accused of having SO arrogantly
disregarded the feelings of the Queen
that she was struck on the mouth by
the son of the latter, the Dauphin, af-
terward the cruel, subtle and savage
Louis XI, in whose whole character
there was but one. e.undeniably redeem
ing point--a love for his mother with a
tender reverence for her memory.
Agnes died in the year 1850, as many
historians have affirmed, of poison, a
common suspicion in those days and for
long after. De Mezerai states the cir
cumstance broadly and clearly that,
when the King was at Jumieges, four
teen miles from Rouen, where there was
o vast and famous abbey containing no
less than 2400 monks and lay brethren,
They. e., the eourtiers-poisoned
his dear Agnes de Soreau, without whom
he could not live one moment"