Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-12-11
AGNES sOREL.
I" The Lady of Beauty"

This celebrated favorite of Charles VII
Of France-one who has inherited from
her own time to ours. after a long lapse
Of more than four centuries, the distinct
i've sobriquet Of q the beautiful Agnes
was the daughter Of M. Soreau (vulgarly
called Sorel, according to De MezeraD,
the Seigneur de st. Geran, noble gen
tleman Of Tonraine. M
She was born in l409, and in l43l
when in her two.and-twentieth year, re-
ceived the appointment of attendent or
lady of honor to Isabella, Queen Of Ma
pies and Sicily, from whose court and
service she passed into that of Mary,
daughter of Louis III, Duke of Anjou,
afterwards Queen Of Charles VII, where
her rank, education, and, more than
these, her marvellous beauty, all con-
spired to win her the perilous attention
OF King who was younger than herself.
Agnes was not seventeen, as the fair
authoress of the Historic des Favor
ties" asserts she was at this time, but
had attained the more mature age Of at
least twenty.eight, or perhaps thirty, as
Oliver de la Marche, a contemporary,
when recording some event which took
ylace in l444, tells us that the King
had just elevated poor lady, pretty
woman called Agnes Sorel, and placed
her in such triumph and power that her
state was comparable to that of the
great Princesses of the realm"
Her features were beautiful and ex-
pressive of extreme gentleness; her
skin has been described as being of the
hue of alabaster, and her hair was mar
velously golden in its brightness, She
was then in the full bloom and beauty Of
womanhood, and possessed yivacity Of
manner which spread an air full Of
charms on the least of her actions, SO
that the most insensible souls could not
resist her" (Histoire des Favorites).
Heaven" says the authoress, had
not only endowed Agnes with the charms
of face; she had an air full of grace, an
admirable figure, more wit than any
other woman in the world, and the most
delicate and finely turned, with a GER
tain greatness of soul which led her
naturally to generosity; all her inclina-
tions were noble; she was attentive,
omnassionate, ardentin friendship, dis
Greet, sincere, and, in short, altogether
Cited to make herself beloved to dis
traction"
d. Mezerai writes of her as very
agreeable and generous lady, who, by
setting herself up as the equal of the
greatest Princesses, became the envy OIL
tbe Court and the scandal of France. "
With all her errors, Agnes was admitted
to be lavish to the poor, to be pious,
generally humble, and always patriotic
and full of public spirit. The majority
of historians have wGItten most favor
ably of her, and never did The mistress
of a King, especially King VINO vas
her Junior, make 60 wise 0 use of her
ueriious power, which she ever employed
only for the good Of Others. Prlde and
an extreme love of dress are the chtei
errors alleged against her; but to her In
luence over Charles VII must be attrib-
uted all the good that ever appeared in
him, and the effort to which be was
roused-that essay by which, at last, the
invading English we're driven from the
soil of France; for he had been lover
of pleasure, " and of the fair sex, which
never can be vice" adds Voltaire,
save when it leads to vicious actions.
Charles was neither warlike nor a
high-spirited King. The influence OF
England in France after the death of
its conqueror, Henry V, was so pobly
sustained by his brother, the Duke of
Bedford, that after the death of Charles
vi his successor had been crowned at
Poictiers, Rheims being then in posses
sian of the foe; and be was but the
monarch Of a nominal kingdom, Fran ce
having greatly aided the English in
vaders, as she was rent by two rival fac
tions, one led by the Duke of Burgundy
and the other by the Duke of Orleans.
Charles vi had been alternately the
nrisoneE of each, and the Dauphin was
The scof OF both, often a fugitive, and
alwayS in danger of destruction.
: Enpn re latter became Charles VII,
lad by an alliance with scotland-the
usual cats pas of the French in
their English wars-and by a body Of
Scottish troops under the Earl Of
Ruchan. who was constable Of France,
ba made some show Of resistance, when
III none seemed at an end, and to this
nnwonted activity be was reused BY
He had already conceived the feeble
;aea of retiring into Laugueedoc or
Dauphiny, and contenting himself with
me defense Of these minor provinces
which must eventually have been
crested from him. Mary OF Anjou'
Princes Of great prudence and merit,
vehemently opposed this measure 80. sn,en
she saw would lead 70 general aessr
ton Of his cause BY the French people
THE fair Agnes Sorel, says hume
Who lived in entire Rnity With the
Ousen. seconded all her circumstances,
and threatened thstif he (Chsrlesl thus