(_November 28, 1918_)
In proposing the health of President Poincaré, the King said:
It is difficult for me adequately to express the great pleasure that I
feel in being your guest here to-night in this fair city of Paris, and
in the midst of the great nation with which during past years I and my
people have mingled our sorrows and our joys, and are now triumphantly
crowned by overwhelming victory over the common enemy.
We can all remember the repeated and desperate efforts made by the
German armies to reach and capture this great capital; but, thanks to
the bravery of the splendid French Army and the loyal co-operation
of the Allies, the aims of the enemy have been defeated; and by the
skilful direction and the strategy of the distinguished Marshal Foch,
the troops of the invader have been hurled across the frontier and
compelled to sue for peace.
Mr. President, I congratulate you and the noble French nation upon
the great victory that has been achieved, in which my generals and
armies are proud to have taken part. In the life and death conflict in
which our nations have been together engaged for civilization and for
right against the methods of barbarism and the forces of destruction,
the French and British peoples have learned in unity of purpose to
appreciate each other and their respective ideals.
They have created a union of hearts and an identity of interests that,
I trust, will ever grow closer, and contribute materially to the
consolidation of peace and the advancement of civilization.
Lastly, let me add one word of sympathy for those heroic Frenchmen and
French women who have suffered at the hands of the invader such as few
have suffered, except in Belgium. And let us not forget the immortal
dead, whose names will ever be enshrined in one of the most glorious
pages of the history of the world.
My soldiers have fought during all these years of relentless war side
by side with the soldiers of France, whose valiant deeds have added
fresh lustre to their immortal traditions. The sailors of our two
navies have, together, kept these as in a comradeship and mutual trust
which the length of the war itself has only served more and more to
foster and strengthen.
With all my heart I thank you for your friendly feelings and the
terms in which you have proposed my health. Accept also my cordial
thanks for your generous hospitality and for the opportunity which you
have afforded me in these ever memorable days of victory to pay my
respectful homage to the French nation.