King James of England is not willing that we should wear mourning
for his daughter [Mary]; he has vehemently insisted that nothing of
the kind should be done. He is not at all moved by this death, which
surprises me, for I should think a man could not forget his children,
no matter what wrongs he has against them; blood must surely keep its
strength. From the portrait they made me of Prince [King] William, I
should not have thought he was so much attached to his wife; and I
like him for it.
I am very glad to hear that Charles-Maurice [her half-brother] loves
me, though he has never seen me; that is the effect of blood. It is
not surprising that I love him, for I saw him come into the world;
and besides, I have always retained such respect for his Highness
our father that I love all those who are his children. I wish that
Charles-Maurice may soon be made a colonel. We die when our time
comes; Maurice will not live beyond the period that fate assigns him,
whether he stays at Court or goes to war. He had better follow his
inclination, for all that is done from liking is better done than when
one yields to constraint.
We have here a Comte de Nassau, a very brave man and much respected.
He holds a patent from the emperor authorizing him to take the title
of prince; but he makes no use of it, for which I think very well of
him. Dancing has gone out of fashion everywhere. Here, in France, as
soon as the company assemble they do nothing but play _lansquenet_;
that is the game in vogue; even the young people do not care to dance.
As for me, I do neither. I am much too old to dance, which I have
not done since the death of our father. I never play cards for two
reasons: first, I have no money; and next, I don't like gambling. They
play here for frightful sums, and the players are like madmen; one
howls, another strikes the table so hard that the room resounds, a
third blasphemes in such a way that one's hair stands on end, and they
all seem beside themselves and are terrifying to see.
I beg you to greet for me all our old friends in the Palatinate;
I curse this war to-day more than ever. My poor son, who has been
seriously ill and is still taking quinine, was engaged in that affair
when Maréchal de Villeroy fell upon the rear-guard of the Prince de
Vaudemont and put four battalions to flight. Though my son has had the
luck to escape a wound, I tremble lest fatigue should bring back his
fever. A good peace is much to be desired.
I regard it as great praise that people should say I have a German
heart and that I love my country; I shall endeavour, by the grace of
God, to deserve that praise to my last day. I have indeed a German
heart, for I cannot console myself for what is happening in that
unfortunate Palatinate; I cannot think about it; it makes me sad all
day. Next Saturday I return, with regret, to Paris, which I think very
disagreeable.
There is nothing in the world so miserable as the fate of a Queen of
Spain; I know this by the late queen, who used to write me day by day
the existence that she led. It is even worse in Portugal, and it shows
the truth of the proverb that all is not gold that glitters.
I was too old when I came to France to change my character, the
foundations were laid. There is nothing surprising in that; but I
should be inexcusable if I were false and did not love the persons
for whom I ought to feel an attachment. You have reason to think
that I write as I think; I am too frank to write otherwise. The good
Duchesse de Guise, cousin of the king and of Monsieur, died five days
ago. I have felt much afflicted; she was a worthy, pious woman; we
dined together every day. There was only an antechamber between my
room and her cabinet. She kept her mind till the last moment, and died
tranquilly, without regrets.