Part 16 (1/2)
”Prince,” said he to the Greek traveller, ”my duties andof France's person very closely In four or five days he will be leaving Fontainebleau for his palace at Saint Germain I will tell him without modification all that I have just heard frouarantee that you will be well received and cordially welcos are bound to yield to kings
”Madame, who respects and is interested in you, is desirous, I feel certain, for me to persuade you to stay here until her departure; she enjoys royal favour, and it is my sister herself who shall present you at Court You shall show her, you shall show us all, the golden crown of Theseus, the sceptre of Adronicus, and this brohich I gaze upon and revere, for it deserves a kingly dialish nobleht prove disastrous in o back to the suished fire My sister takes pleasure in your company; indeed, the Marquise is charuests, and begs to place her chateau at your disposal until such time as your own shall be restored We shall speak of you to the King, and he will certainly endeavour to induce King Charles, his cousin, to recall you to your native country”
Then, after saying one or tords to entleet into his coach, when, to the surprise and astonish the avenue, about a hundred peasants, grouped near the gateway, threw off their hats and cried, ”Long live the King!”
Prince Comnenus and his son were inconsolable; I excusedthat it was at the express desire of our royal visitor, and my lord adnised hirand and courtly address
Before I end ly recommended Prince Comnenus to the Republic of Genoa, and obtained for him considerable property in Corsica and a handsome residence at Ajaccio
He accepted five or six beautiful jewels that had belonged to Andronicus, and caused the su Comnenus from his treasury
CHAPTER xxxVII
The Universal Jubilee--Court Preachers--King David--Madany--Bossuet's Mission--Mademoiselle de Mauleon--An Enemy's Good Faith
I do not desire to hold up to ridicule the rites of that religion in which I was born and bred Neither would I disparage its ancient usages, nor its far ions, as I know, have their peculiarities, all nations their contradictions, but I must be suffered to complain of the abuse sometimes made in our country of clerical and priestly authority
A general jubilee was held soon after the birth ofChristian nations like ours, a jubilee is as if one said, ”Now all statutes, divine and earthly, are repealed; by means of certain formula recited, certain visits paid to the temples, certain acts of abstinence practised here and there, all sins, iven, and their punishenerally on the occasion of the proclareat papal absolutions are extended over the whole universe
The jubilee having been proclaimed in Paris, the Court preachers worked ularities and friendshi+ps of which the Church disapproved The opening sermon showed plainly that the orator's eloquence was pointed at myself The second preacher showed even less restraint; he almost mentioned me by name The third ecclesiastic went beyond all bounds, actually uttering the folloords:
”Sire, when King David was still but a shepherd, a heifer was stolen from his flocks; David made complaint to the patriarch of the land, when his heifer was restored to him, and the thief was punished
”When David came to the throne, he carried off his servant's wife, and as an excuse for such an odious deed, he pleaded the young woht him to obey the voice, not of passion, but of justice, and the servant was disgraced and perished , who had found it hard to sit quiet and hear such insults, said to ny Let this storain, younever run counter to the wishes of the father of ladly departed
Next day, Madame de Montausier caeneral rumour that was afloat at Court The news, said she, of one to congratulate the King, and these gentlemen had despatched couriers to Paris to infor the an event which God and all Christendom vieith complete satisfaction
Mada was fairly calranted an interview of half an hour at least to the Abbe Bossuet, who had discoursed to him about me in a strain similar to that of the other clerics
She was ny every evening, driving thither incognito
She had hardly been gone an hour, when my footman announced ”Monsieur Bossuet, Bishop of Condom”
At the mention of this name, I felt momentarily inclined to refuse to see its owner; but I conquered ust, and I did well The prelate, with his semi-clerical, seive hie The famous rhetorician proceeded as follows:
”You know,sacrifices the Church is now engaged The merits of our Lord doubtless protect Christians at all times, but the Church has appointed tis yet rand nine days of the jubilee