New-York tribune., 1907-12-21
4 Princess uith a Soul Set Upon
Adventure.

c Price. With twenty-one illustrations. Svo
pp XIV $50. G. p Putnams Sons.
Never was there reared in a royal nursery a
child with a keener Of its proper place in
the world than that which characterized Mad
emoiselle de Montpensier. daughter of CASTOR,
Duc dorleans, the brother Of Louis XIII In
her dashing womanhood.- bitterly resenting her
@a,ber's assertion that she had been acting the
heroine she justified herself in words eloquen,
If the mood which dominated her career from
beginning TO end Il don't know what it is
she said, ito be q heroine. My birth compels
me TO behave always in a high and great man
ner. YOU can call that what you please N.Y.
sslt. / call it following my own inclination and
taking my way; / was born to take no
other" Taking her way in a troubled
period she got herself, of course, into one scrape
etter another. She had her critics then and she
has had them since. critics ready to cali her an
Amazon a musketeer and to pull a long face
over her "unwomanly'' proceedings. Miss Price
has had the good sense to relegate to the back
ground. where they belong. the less sympathetic
biographers OF the Princess, and to frame out Of
her careful reading in the period a portrait
which leaves Maden1oiselle unconventional
figure, no doubt, but, when all Is said, an
trsctive and even lovable human being. This
book enables US to understand her little bet
ter, too, inasmuch as it gives clear idea of the
extraordinary conditions amid which this heroine
of the Fronde developed her character
She first saw the light in the Paris Of 1927,
which Is TO say IL the France Of q profoundly
unsettled period. They lived every moment OF
their lives" says Miss Price those people Of
Mademoiselles early days. They breathed dam
ger and adventure" AS the daughter Of the
Due dOrieans she was bound to have rebellious
blood in her veins. and she grew up 1t was
certain to meet its opportunity. RicheIieu and
Louis XIII, steadily addressing themselves to
the task Of uniting the kinsdon1, were handI-
capped in their efforts almost much by in
trigues within the court as by others outside il.
Conspiracies were in the air when Mademoisele
in her cradle. and she was to know some
thing Of them she nlatured Her nature was
deepened if not steadied. while she was still in
her teens by the prevailing atmosphere of craft
and danger. Briefly sketching the tragic story
Of Cino-Mars, the author OF this volume adds
this note On the effect which the episode had
upon her heroine:
It opened her eyes to her fathers real character
that Monsieur with a little courage and seIf-for-
ge1ulness, coud have saved Cinq-MaTs and his
and allowed him return TO the court, his inno-
CEN oaughter eApected 10 see nm al east si9il.-
left on the road Little she knew Castor; he
absolutely nothing to him Re sHpped with Mad:
eroSelle TuiierieS. music OF the royal
string band. and understood nothing of the won
dering reproach in his daughters eyes Much as
she still loved her delightful father. enchanted as
she was to be with him again-'T confess she
sa!s that eonld nc! see him wlh69t 66inS. 7
in the midst Of own"
This incident is significant Mademoiselle
had her faults but she never erred the side
of harshness or indifference. She had great
warmth OF heart Her instincts were generous
and she had courage. II is Interesting to OBJ
serve that, while she was not above intrigue,
her actions apt to be governed by genuine
likes dislikes- II was not mere self-interest
that determined her attitude toward Richelieu
or toward Mazarin- They excited in her emo
tions Of simple human distaste. ''Mademoisellle
hated Richelieu,' says her present biographer,
mot alone for the sake Of her father and his
friends He had a way Of injuring her young
royal dignity by treating her as a little girl
When he gave her good advice and prom
Used TO marry her well, he became quite insup-
portable Any was certain OF her Ill VIII
who sought to patronize her, TO ignore the posi-
ton Of Importance to which, even il her youth,
she felt herself to be entitled What makes her.
sometimes in this matter. seem more amusing
than impressive is the fact that in those fevered
days hardly any one save the King could be sure
of unfaiiing respect. Take. for example, the
famous quarrel between Nine. de Montbazon
and the Princesse de Conde, which was only
half settled when the former was driven to
apologize. Anne Of Austria herself came 10
suffer annoyance through this silly transaction
ss Naderncisele soon had occasion TO observe
e.fai~ of the letters Madenoiselle arranged
picnic with Madame de ChevTeuse ad otherS u1cer
vited the queen and Madame Ia Princesse The open
air supper was ready when MaoaI Ma Ia9y aT Madarl
ia Princesse would not sit down with her Maaane in
ra hrp-rl .zO-a ref
ts 6oars MadeInoiseIle declares were spent in
argument. while the hungry guests "S1lle9 NJ pa
rar+v walked away without any supper MADAME
de Montbazon's insoence was socn z tnaI sue sue H.
rnzfred and ate UP the collation. prepared for the
Queen.
In society liz which such seemingly lhcfeo
tbe things were possible Madernoiselle carried
herself haughtiiy but with gayety anu sn''ie
among the beauties of the day. She was wei
aware Of her own charms, and herself tens Us
Of ~rny fine figure and air, my white skin and
the rlorv o- nv fair hair" In so far as she
gave any thought 10 the numerous matrlmonlai
pro,acts MANNED for her benefit she was out
wardly disdainfuI and secretly amhluous-
though for inst what she could hardly have said
All she knew was that her pride would not al
low her 20 be led or to enter into an engage
rent that did not spell grandeur. It took a
iony time to hiring her to that state OF mind IN
which falling II love with Lauzun. she couio
think of marrying him. That amazing expef'-
ence Of hers belongs indeed to tho time "Heh
fhe was in her forties, and. according 10 lhe
ideas then current an old maid AS young
woman she was too spirited by half to yleio
1.-THE Of that independence which seemed 10 hei
the r.sost precious thing in the world
It was the adventurous soul in her tnat iufeo
her into the perils of the Fronde She hunsereo fof