The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-25

lldlo or mgn official station only ddzzles the eye-sight, and hides the passions, weaknesses and misery If those 1t sur rounds and obscures :n It's mystic light
 The surreptitious air of grandeur In the political adventurer's career, and a friv- olous tinsel to his trappings and para phernalia are often mistaken for depth or thought, elegance of conduct and man. her and refinement of mind.
 Louis le Grande"-The Grand Mon arehe"-et. cet may be dismissed with the verdict of Saint Simon that he was but "an igornan. bigotted despot-the mere puppet of an unusually handsome and adroit train of the high-bred demi- mondaine, and immoral courtiers and buffoons"
 Francis D Aubigne.
 The maiden name of this intense char aeter was Francis d Aubigne-born in the prison of Mort in 1885 where her fa ther was confined for debt, and there four years of prattling infancy was pass ed. Released, her father sailed for Mar unique and lived on a small plantation Six years and died Thus, some historians enormously state that Francis was born there. At ten she was taken to Paris by an aunt. and at seventeen, being beau tiful and friendless-ah, they are so often beautiful and friendless at seventeen she attracted the attention of the de- formed buffoon poet, Scarron, then in repute for hts parodies ana burlesques He offered his hand-fortune none had he, and she became the wife of the old reprobate paralytic poet, solely. as she says to procure protector. By nature, cold and reserved. she easily assumed the appearance of austerity and so retained a blameless reputation-a hard task for beautiful and friendless girl'' In Paris But despite her codness and reserve the glowing flame of ambition was blazing already in her young bosom, for she has written. my desire to make a name was even then my ruling passion" At twen- ty-two, in the fulness of her beauty, un- doubted talents and graceful manners her old paralytic scoffer at mankind dcd leaving not a frank piece; she scarcely escaping destitution with a trifling pen sion from Anne of Austria But In all this distress. that beauteous mistress of the passions cut It's wide swathe in her pathway of life; the gic of her beauty drew suitors to her feet-the great Bari1- lon among them: and sne was received at the wealthy houses of fashion. Just then, as if to give wing to her vault Ing ambition. the celebrated Madame de Montespan-reigning favorite at the harem of Great Louis, needeC il refined { | her other children. De Maintenon was witty and talented; hence Louis hated her. and called her pedant, but hls .nis- tress charmed him into taking the young and friendless girl into the nursery of the royal bastards. Madame Scarron had keen weapon and she used fl on Louis; she opposed his dislike and harsh treatment by q dignifed silence and comrendahle submission. She would I N..A t-l
 sagacious warrior at this game, for she was playing for high stakes that Louis did not wot of She preserved universal ly gentle, refined demeanor; she was i informed endued with rehecting power almost grave to taciturnity and with ad- mirable circumspection and tact ap- preaching the artistic, followed course the exact reverse of the proud Montespan ! and naturally won the weak king whom found solace and contentment in a con duct and conversation so precisely op- posite to that from which he had often suffered at the hands of the favorite and when De Montespan found that she had fostered rival and raised a storm of i asperities about their heads only seen and heard in high-bred French, it was then too late to thwart the sagacious game played by the former "friendless girl'' or to cure great Louis of the case of royal love-sickness with which she inspired him.
 Charity must lead us to conclude in favor Of Francis good intentions toward , the king, while her declared ambition of making a name." and her known dis stimulation on several occasions would tend to induce the belief that she acted from less noble impulse. Be that as it may, she withdrew the king from the handsomest and haughtiest girl in Frarce who had almost royal blood in her veins and excited in him life-lasting affection for herself.
 Having adroitly disposed of her formid- able obstacle to the amazement of these masters of intrigue at Louis court her true ambition quickly uncovered itself. dressed, as it was in nothing less gorgeous than royal raiment. Ane shifted the il ures on this kingly chess-board with the deftness of an old experienced gamester. ana before the enamoured Kfng had time to take his bearings, this "friendless girl who at seventeen had taken the paralytic Scarron as her lord only for
 'protectcn' now held up before the willing eyes of Louis the dreadful fears Of religion and so wrought on the mon arch, that after vainiy endeavoring to break away and fee from the enchant- ing spell which she had cleveriy cast around him, he capituated without terms and married her outright, after she Ad attained her fiftieth year and he had entered his forty-seventh. Saint Simon was not her friend, and was at times. positively unfair to her. But despite the combined influence of the mighty house of Bourbon and their shrewd allies in a quiet. gentlemanner. she worked her tapestry-in which art she was adept and controlled and disposed of all the royal favors in France.
 It has been maintained by the historiars especially Guizot and Thiers that 'the qualities of her mind were not of an uncommon order," but that leach of tie prominent faculties was very pow rfrJ- ly possessed by her." don't know that l understand what is meant by that, but after careful reading of her letters to the Princess des Ursins. l am of the opinion that she was possessed of extreme circumsrection, rare capacity of reflect ing on the past-much of 1t gloomy to