Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-01-09

idea of retiring into Languedoc or
Dauphiny, and contenting himself
with the defense of these minor pro
vinces, which, must eventually, have
been wrested from him. Mary of
Aniou, a Princess Of great prudence
and merit, vehemently opposed this
measure, which she saw would lead to
a general dcsert;on Of his cause by the
French people.
"The fair Agnes Sorel," says Hume,
''who lived in entire amity with the
Queen, seconded all her remonstranceS.
and threatened that if he (Charles)
thus pusillanimously threw away the
sceptre of France, she would seek at
the Court of England fortune that
was correspondent to her wishes. -
Thus, the love Of her on one hand. and
dread of losing her on the other, rous-
ed in the breast of Charles VII "a glow
of courage which neither just ambi-
ton nor pure patriotism could kindle.
and he resolved to dispute every inch
of French soil with his imperious enc
mics, rather than yield ingloriouSly to
an evil fortune and to the loss of his
crown and mistress. And thus. in
urging him to the field, Mary of Anjou
was forced to seek the assistance of
that fair rival who had supplanted
her; aud she seems at all times to have
borne with singular sweetness Of tenn
per-with a resignation that some
might think sayored Of Indifference or
stupidity-the alienation of the King 5
love for herself; and neither by action
or word does she seem ever to have re-
preached the rcigning favorite.
But now a new ally came in the per-
son of Joan of Are; victory attended
her banners, and in two months Charles
VII was crowned again, step consid-
cred necessary after the double coro-
nation of young Henry of England at
Westminster and Paris. The loss Of
the latter city soon followed. The
maid of Orleans perishcd at the stake;
but her mission was accomplished
France was free, and England was glad
to sign the Treaty Of Arras.
After this consumation Charles a
bandoned himself entirely to the socic-
ty Of Agnes Sorel; lease and prosperi-
ty," according to De Mezerai, ..plung-
ed him into dalliance and eilieminate
softness." She was his greatest pas
sion, states Duclos, and was the most
worthy Of it. She loved Charles tend
erly for himself, and had no other OBJ
iect in her conduct than the glory of
her somewhat soft lover and the good
of the State. Agnes Sorel, he adds.
distinguished herself by qualities pre-
ferable to those which are usually found
in her sex-a rather obscure phrase.
But, despite that some allege Of her
humility, ostentation and a love of
splendor are said by others to have
been among her weaknesses; but such
are pardonable enough in a beautiful
woman.
At court she appeared in all the state
of a royal Princess. Her apartments
were more expensively decorated with
hangings Of silk and talfeta, with fur
niture and tapestries, than those of the
Queen, Mary of Anjou. She had Il
larger and more splendid retinue of
servants than her royal mistress, and
had quite as much reverence shown
her. Her couches, her linen, her YES
sells 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 neg
lected wife; '.for with this woman, call
ed Agnes, whom | have seen and
known" says the author of the "Chron-
ique des Dues de Bourgogne," ''The
King was terribly besotted."
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-
forwards the cruel, subtle, and savage
Louis XI, in whose whole character
there was but one 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
circumstance broadly and clearly that,
when the King was at Jumieges, IA
miles from Rouen, where there was q
vast and famous abbey containing no
less than 1000 monks and lay breth-