New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-08
BOURBON MARRIAGES.
AN UNPLEASANT RECORD.

frated volumes are by no means entirely devoted
10 the subject named on the title page ihdced'
IL would be difficult TO determine upon what pilh-
ciple Of treatment he has here proceeded, for the
digressions constitute fully half the work, ana
they have reference TO almost as many matters
beside and beyond Bourbon marriages as general
history would include. No doubt the attempt 10
restrict himself ~ The royal ard prncey mar
riages would have been very difficult; and equally
without doubt, it would have diminished tha
rcadableness OF the book which owes a large
measure of its interest 10 the freedom with which
the author has rummaged the old French gossip
repositories commonly known as collections OF
memoirs. Not that he has neglected the more
sober and trustworthy authorities those recent
researches which have overturned SO many his
torical traditions, while leaving others under
the uncertainty Of a Scotch verdict of =" not
proven" The marriages of the Bourbons may be
considered from various points OF view, though
il must he admitted that they appear to edlfca-
ton from scarcely any point Those who seek
draw morals from history are, however, sure
10 be struck by one corollary of these alliances
Arranged for dynastic purposes with all infinite
deal of care, craft and diplomacy always upon the
theory that such such a union would strengthen
this that the other throne, there is not single
clear instance in which any substantial benefit
accrued from them; while in the majority of cases
they brought positive evil to the negOtiators
IL followed necessarily from the prevailing
theory Of dynastic marriages that the women of
royal houses had no choice in their husbands. Nor
was this the only or perhaps the deepest humilla-
ton of their position, for their masters-fathcrs
brothers other reigning relatives-never scru-
pied to hawk them about the world offering them
in marriage now to prince or pOtentate, now
10 another. and employing them as lures to peace
obstacles to war, with absolute indifference
70 hair sel npA frnlt Nr,t,alN
Of such young princesses in the market
most literally for years. and were passed it
were from hand 10 hand. offered, withdrawn,
lccted Tilted. according to circumstances. For
centuries no king prince held himself bound 10
keep a pledge given 10 marry. if more desirable
"part' came in view or if the father OF The
destined bride lost his power place. Thus the
chronicle of the Bourbon marriages for several
generations is at bottom the history of series Of
"swappings, in which political and territorial
and military considerations control every trans
action, and the woman concerned plays the humble
part of a makeweight. The exigencics of dynastic
purpose, however. did not cease 70 influence the
fate Of the Bourbon bride when the marriage was
at length accomplished. The inherent vice Of the
system could he easily surmounted. y
king who had married merely for considerations
Of state could not he expected TO have much alec
ton for his wife In effect. the Bourbons were
about as unsatisfactory husbands as can well he
imagined, and IL is scarcely to be wondered at
that their wives were not always models Of virtue |
Kings who could not did not love their |
wives. and who regarded them as necessary bur |
dens- like the jewels, only 20 be displayed
on ceremonous occasions never hesitated 10 con- |
sole themselves by having favorites. Captain Bing
hams work indeed is almost inevitably as much !
q history OF these of the marriages. in the |
time Of the later Louises il is sofor then
II the favoriles who ruled the court. and the
wives who in the shadow and the back
ground. From Francis the First onward and
almost to the Revolution. this the state Of
the case. and 10 have omitted mention of all
those powerful and influential women would have
been impossible. The history of France, especially.
is closely bound up with their biographies, for |
often, If not always they counted for more even |
in state affairs than the ssgest Of Senator's and |
Ministers. Neither Rcheleu Mazarin could |
have ruled without them, and as the Court |
of Henry the Fourth, old Sully found repeatedly |
much TO his chagrin. how powerless he 10 |
oppose the will OF the favorite TO eInancipatc |
his master from her dominant influence Suy |
by the way, has lost the confidence Of historical
students, through being found out in mcndacious
practices. The unprinciped old fox used 70
forge letters and documents, manufactured for the
express purpose OF deceving posterity and estab-
fishing for himself Fictitious glory and fame. His
misrepresentation, however, were not very skill |
fully arranged. He committed anschronisms which !
led 10 his exposure, and now all his statements
are regarded with certain mistrust lie was, it
Is notorious, hearty hater Of La Belle Gabr- |
elle,' and he illuminated her unsparingy; also
forging letters from contemporaries 10 himself
praising his wisdom and craftsmanship and say
ing how the King loved and needed him
The long reign of Louis the Fourteenth was n
~ and
tanned object lesson in the contcmptuous ncaect
Of legitimate wives and the impudenu defiance Of
all the matrimonial laws. both lay and clerical
During that reign all virtue went out Of the
Court, so that al last the women became more
shameless than the men. il such possibility he
credible. Yet know that there may be. in
Mltonic phrase. lower deeps even 70 the lowest
depths, and the proof of this les in the fact
that the morals of the Regency were even worse
than those of Louis the fcuIteent's time. Not
very mrch worse, for ST. Simons men oirs show
conclusvely that that would not have been
possible, but harder less clrcumspect. brazen
and cynical. All this unceanness probably !
eneendered by the system Of marriages which the
European Courts maintained long and with 20
strange an infatuation, seeing that nobody could
point TO any real benefits derived from these
artificial and wholly unnatural alliances though
everybody could that they produced innumer-
able and widespread evils In fact it would have
been impracticabe 10 devise a means of de-
moralizng and debauching kings and courts than
these marriages constituted; and they reacted not
only upon secular morals. but upon religion which
they degraded into empty form and insultcd !
by studied md systematic hypocrisy. in which
all acQuiesccd for the most isnoble of motives. !
The Bourbon marriages had much more 10 do with !
the inception of the Revolution than Captain |
Bingham appears TO have realized, moreover
for they were potent factors in that general de-
terioration of the aristOcraoy which 10 reduce
the natural Intermediates between the sovereign |
and the people to impotence aud still later TO
create out Of the vices and follies Of this ele
ment the strongest stimulus to revolt. The in /