"THE RISE OF LOUIS XIV" "You're late" "News from Vincennes; it seems the King is still there" "When will he return?" "He intends to stay there, our son-in-law says close to the sick-bed of Cardinal Mazarin" "Our son-in-law!" "Always at the King's beck and call" "His Majesty's best lackey" "A King's only a man like any other" "The English just chopped off their king's head; the world didn't end" "No king; no palace." "No palace: no work for us" "That's enough talking, we've got work to do." "More doctors going to Vincennes" "We can't even get a barber to bleed us if we're ill" "We've been awaiting you." "His Eminence is gravely ill" "I needed your opinion, my dear colleagues" "Here are the colleagues I mentioned Your Eminence" "How do you feel?" "I have difficulty in breathing" "Dreadful bouts of stabbing pains" "I would like to examine the..." "Only a miracle..." "Desiccation has set in" "Gout, gravel..." "Dropsy of the lung..." "He must be bled" "But he was bled three times yesterday" "Draw foul water from the well to make it sweet" "The more a wet-nurse gives suck, the more milk she has" "So it is with blood and bleeding" "The body can lose thirty-five pints of blood without dying" "So we can remain within reasonable limits" "Nowadays we bleed patients in infancy and in advanced age" "His Eminence is not yet sixty;" "we can but try" "Rest assured, Your Eminence with God's aid we shall do all in our power to restore you to health" "There's no hope" "Is he insufficiently purged of evil humours ?" "I administered rhubarb last night" "These gentlemen have abandoned hope" "You think the time has come ?" "I think so" "Perhaps a wet-nurse to suckle His Eminence as in the case of His Majesty" "Or precious stones, perhaps" "Is it worth trying ?" "I've never tried them on a patient" "So I must leave all this" "My son, do not be afraid" "Put your trust in Our Saviour's infinite mercy" "But I feel no fear at all" "That's what saddens me" "I know I am going to die" "I should tremble at the thought of appearing before my Creator and Judge" "Think of your sins" "I think of this country, this Kingdom of France" "This country I have chosen as mine" "Perhaps that is why you have served it better than many native Frenchmen" "I believe I have served peace" "In serving peace I have served my godson, the King" "Perhaps it is because I was born a Roman" "All nations are children of Rome" "Think of your sins" "The gold, the money the paintings and treasures you have accumulated to whom will they go ?" "My poor family" "Was all this wealth honestly acquired ?" "From the benefices of my sees and abbeys" "Nothing unusual about that" "Of course, but I don't mean ecclesiastical benefices although twenty-three abbeys..." "I mean civil appointments" "A mere trifle" "Take Brouage, for example" "A busy port, but it brings me next to nothing" "Not only Brouage" "You are the chief shareholder in La Campagnie du Nord" "Since when has whaling been a dishonest trade ?" "All offices may be bought" "And have you not benefited ?" "Come to the point, Monsieur Joly" "What must I do to make my peace with God?" "What the King has given you, you may leave to your family" "What you have given yourself, you must restore to the King" "My family" "I have no reason to be proud of them, despite my favours" "But I cannot cheat God" "Do you wish to confess?" "Monsieur Colbert, His Eminence wishes to see you" "My trusty Colbert" "I shall have given you much work" "It is hard for an orderly man like you to serve a spendthrift such as I" "I am content to serve His Eminence as best I can" "It is a task, I fear which will not occupy you much longer" "But you have official standing" "You may well cherish hopes" "I have no wish to usurp anyone's position" "I have never aspired to rise above my station" "But Monsieur Fouquet..." "Monsieur Fouquet, too, has served me well in his time" "There is some truth in the report which you submitted to me concerning his administration" "His scandalous administration." "Exorbitant tax commissions speculation, squandering of public funds" "I know." "But I returned the report to you with orders to make peace with Fouquet" "The state owes him, personally, the sum of five million" "He might feel entitled to succeed Your Eminence" "He is intriguing already, I am told" "The Queen Mother supports him" "The Court is rife with intrigue since you fell ill" "Courtiers hope for the return to power of the "favourite"" "Pretty women imagine they'll rule the twenty-two year old King" "Monsieur Fouquet is behind all these intrigues" "All your Eminence's work could be destroyed in a few weeks" "The spirit of our old opponents, the Fronde, is not dead" "It could easily seize Fouquet and his friends even though he supported you against the Fronde" "Never at any time has Fouquet pretended to care for the public good" "In his circle the only concern is for public office ...influence to be bought, position to be won" "If the King is not the man we alone seem to think he is..." "If Fouquet becomes Prime Minister..." "Well?" "I will answer for nothing" "What time is it ?" "Not yet seven" "Ask His Majesty to visit me as soon as he rises" "The Queen calls for something ?" "No, she is informing us that the King has this night performed his marital duty" "How is His Eminence ?" "His Eminence wishes to see His Majesty" "I wish to see His Eminence" "Your Eminence, It is the King" "Inform His Majesty I will receive him at once" "His Eminence's rouge" "Sire, His Eminence will receive you in a moment" "Sire, I owe all to Your Majesty" "I leave all to you" "What do you mean?" "My wealth, my property." "I have so decided, Sire" "I may be the richest man in Europe but I wish to die as though a pauper" "This thought has always comforted me" "All I beg is, Your Majesty to be generous to my unfortunate family" "I refuse" "I refuse, Cardinal" "I am touched by this token of your love for me" "But it is in the name of the state I represent that I refuse" "It is not your godson Louis who refuses: it is the King" "Think, Sire, how your power would be increased if you possessed such great wealth" "I think also of public opinion if it is known that this wealth comes from one of my subjects" "Sire, you will be a great king" "I die happy; you yourself are ready to govern" "Listen to the advise of your ministers use it if you so wish" "And I think I acquit myself in full, Sire by leaving you Colbert" "Spare yourself, Cardinal." "Rest" "To my mother's apartments" "Monsieur Fouquet, have you come to enquire after our friend ?" "I was grieved to learn that His Eminence is at death's door" "The Cardinal endures great suffering with admirable fortitude" "I will receive you soon, Monsieur Fouquet" "Good day, Monsieur Le Tellier" "What is it, Louis?" "You seem downcast" "I have just spoken to Mazarin;" "for the last time, perhaps" "Are you moved ?" "I loved him and he loved me" "You hated him" "He saved my crown; but for him, the Fronde would have won" "You called him "The Great Turk"" "I was young;" "I copied other people" "Have you no regret for this man's death ?" "Yet you supported him against all France" "Yes, even at the risk of losing your throne" "But I deplore his ingratitude" "He banished me from affairs of state." "He lacked respect" "His insatiable passion for riches always frightened me" "Forgive me, Madame;" "he was my only friend" "The only person I could confide in, apart from you" "I fear his death may mean a return to chaos" "The security of your throne is assured" "France is united behind her King." "The nobles are appeased" "You think such senseless hatreds are so quickly forgotten?" "I fear the Cardinal's death..." "I am sure you will find a worthy successor to Mazarin" "We have no lack of gifted nobles" "Do you remember nothing mother?" "The Fronde made you tremble, too" "I was still a child, but some things are unforgettable" "A prince of the Blood, leading my enemies" "In January, 49, we were forced to flee by night in a humble carriage, from the Louvre to Saint-Germain" "We might have suffered the fate of my uncle in England" "No, power is shared by too many opposing interests" "The Cardinal cleverly balanced these forces parliament, nobility, financiers, provinces" "Even at Court I'm aware of little disinterested loyalty and even my seemingly loyal subjects are as much to be feared as the most rebellious" "You will make yourself ill if you harbour such thoughts" "In their greed, the nobles sell themselves to France's enemies" "Even the Prince of Conde seeks Spanish aid" "The nobles, no longer living on their lands seek money from merchants" "As in the time of the Fronde, they no longer sustain the Crown" "They are in other hands, governed by base interests" "Honour has become a commodity, like sugar and spice" "Today we are suffering the effect of the sale of offices" "Parliament, no longer content with its old privileges seeks other powers" "The English parliament delivers its master to the executioner" "Ours might do the same and profane the divine right since money alone holds power" "Each must be content with his lot" "That must be the order of things" "Yes." "Well ?" "Forgive me, Madame" "Forgive me, Madame, for having wearied you" "He is still a child" "Do you think he will ever forget the Cardinal's niece ?" "She is engaged and will soon leave France" "The King ignores her; he spends every night with the Queen" "Pray God that continues" "What are you thinking about, Monsieur Le Tellier ?" "About His Majesty's words" "I must say, I couldn't really understand him" "I was reminded of something he said a few days ago after a Council presided over by His Eminence" "His Majesty said to me:" ""I want to govern, to attend Council every day, without fail "" "He also said that he alone should have choice of action in many circumstances and provided that he lacked neither sense nor courage none could make that choice better than the King" "Have you ever heard of a King of France governing ?" "Henry, perhaps." "Catherine de' Medici, yes but not her sons" "At twenty, Francois I dreamt only of battles" "His mother held the reins of power" "His Majesty was not being serious" "I swear I have never seen him more serious" "What does it mean ?" "You know the King as well as I do" "Hunting, dancing, cards those are his favourite pastimes" "He was just showing off, that's all" "Wait tonight in the Cardinal's apartments" "Tell me at once if he dies, no matter what hour" "The King is anxious about the Cardinal." "I will watch with you" "When did he die ?" "A few moments ago" "We must tell the King" "We have just lost a good friend" "But take comfort, you have found a good master" "Why does His Majesty not enter the Cardinal's room" "It is not fitting that the King should be in contact with death" "Monsieur Le Tellier, I shall return to Paris after dining" "I will hold Council at the Louvre at seven tomorrow morning" "I wish the Chancellor and the Archbishop to attend too" "I command the Court to observe full mourning" "Sire, that is an honour reserved for the royal family" "Full mourning" "The Marechal was amazed when the King turned and said:" ""We have just lost a good friend"" "" But take comfort, you have found a good master"" "It has pleased me, until now to have my affairs governed by the late Cardinal" "Now it is time that I governed" "You will provide counsel when I seek it" "I beg and order you, Chancellor not to use the Royal Seal except by my order" "I order you to sign nothing, not even a passport without my consent" "I wish you, Monsieur Fouquet, to employ Colbert whom the late Cardinal recommended to me" "As for Lionne, I am content with his services" "Your Majesty ordered me to discuss Church affairs with the Cardinal" "Whom should I deal with now?" "Myself, Archbishop" "You know my wishes; it is for you to execute them" "Well, gentlemen, this will make your task easier" "The King is too fond of his pleasures;" "he'll soon tire of governing" "Things will return to normal in a month or two" "Monsieur Colbert, I confirm your appointment as Finance Administrator" "Sire, I cannot express my gratitude..." "Show the same zeal in great matters as you have in small" "As a precaution, the Cardinal lodged sixteen millions in the Bastille" "This money is not mentioned in his will" "He considered it as belonging to the King" "Sixteen million?" "This frees us from the financiers" "You will come to work alone with me each evening" "Tell no one." "Secrecy is the prime virtue I require of my servants" "I believe you understand that." "I want to know if Fouquet understands, too" "May I advise you, Sire, of a report and a secret thought hitherto kept between myself and the Cardinal?" "This is the report" "And the thought?" "I think Monsieur Fouquet will never grasp Your Majesty's intention that it is time he put his accounts in order" "Why should he?" "Disorder and confusion serve him better" "His vanity and ambition know no bounds" "His chateau at Vaux, built with money stolen from the state is festooned with his coat of arms, a squirrel with the motto:" ""Where may I not climb?"" "What exactly do you imply ?" "The details are in my report but among a thousand other frauds I cite his extraordinate acquisition of unpaid promissory notes which he later redeemed at their full value" "It is reliably reported that he is fortifying Belle-Isle and Nantes" "He has the soul of a Frondeur" "We must not be hasty" "My mother must be won over;" "she supports Fouquet" "Yes, he often gives her gold, destined for her good works" "I do not wish to endanger tax receipts by precipitate action" "For the moment, Monsieur Fouquet remains a Council member" "And the Queen Mother?" "Cardinal Mazarin removed her from the Council; will you restore her?" "No" "Your debauchery is unworthy of a Christian king" "I am not averse to pleasure, but you abandon all restraint" "When you were at Fontainebleau you bathed naked in the river every day with your mistress" "And Mignard had to paint the pair of you as Apollo and a shepherdess, as if the Queen did not exist" "I know why you do not want me in your Council" "You fear I shall reproach your conduct" "Have you lost all self-respect all affection for your wife, for me?" "You cannot imagine how you grieve me" "Spurned by Mazarin, whose fortune I made I am now spurned by my son" "Since you behave as though you have no mother I shall retire to a convent, to Val de Grace" "Forgive me, mother" "Forgive me, Sire, but you must make a decision" "I refer to the composition of the Council" "Has Your Majesty decided?" "The Queen Mother..." "No change." "Neither my mother nor my brother will attend Council" "Do you enjoy hunting ?" "Yes, it encourages intimacy;" "the King is quite at ease" "As I said, he'll be easy to control if he can enjoy himself" "Your speeches always begin with "As I said..."" "Will you never weary of always being right ?" "Anyway, your imagination is running away with you" "The King presides regularly at Council and takes an interest in everything" "His enthusiasm will be short-lived" "I shall be Prime Minister within a month" "If so, you must get rid of Colbert;" "he is a man to fear" "Worry about that little provincial ?" "Mademoiselle de la Valliere ...she is most important" "Don't you know her ?" "The Queen Mother calls her the" little seamstress from Tours"" "Her father was an impoverished noble" "She's well brought up, but unaccustomed to wealth" "We shall easily win her over" "How pretty, Madame" "Not playing ?" "I will bet for you" "Seventeen; you lose" "How is your game, Madame ?" "Game!" "Will you never stop tormenting me?" "I don't understand" "You know what I mean" "Not so loud" "Not playing?" "No I always lose" "I must speak to you on behalf of Monsieur Fouquet" "He is impressed by your beauty and modesty" "You may count on his generosity" "As a token of his friendship he begs you to accept a gift" "Twenty thousand pistoles" "Tell him his money cannot buy my complicity" "Why are you trembling ?" "Anger." "Madame Du Plessis just offered me money" "Twenty thousand pistoles from Monsieur Fouquet" "So my first instinct was correct" "This forces my hand to what I have wished and feared so long" "You did well to tell me" "The next Council will be held at Nantes" "The entire Court will leave within three days" "I shall see you there." "Good night, Madame" "Why the change?" "It's not what was decided at the last Council" "There is something behind this" "Have your spies told you?" "About what ?" "In your shoes, I'd fear the worst" "You're imagining things." "The king smiled graciously at you" "No, the King is young and tempted to demonstrate his power" "No, you always look on the back side" "He's visiting my domain as an act of homage to his prime servant" "Sire, Your Majesty honours the City of Nantes" "I wished to pay my respects" "You will recover more rapidly if you rest" "I hoped to find you alone, Sir, to give you this" "I shall read it after." "Here is my mother" "I want a word with you" "I wanted you to know that I will order my guard captain to arrest Fouquet" "I called the Council at Nantes to ensure maximum effect" "Louis, have you lost your senses?" "My treasury is empty, revenue squandered two years in advance the harvest is poor, my people fear another famine yet in one day Fouquet spends more than I possess" "His years of plunder and misappropriation from the realm" "He is not afraid to flaunt his riches at me" "Monsieur Fouquet is devoted to your service" "My mind is made up" "Arresting Monsieur Fouquet in his own province !" "Beware, my son." "You may revive the troubles of the Fronde" "It will show me who is for and who is against me" "My courts will deal with them" "You frighten me" "What a rotten place" "You're always complaining;" "campaigning's not so bad" "Who are we campaigning against ?" "No Spaniards in Nantes" "You'd better ask Monsieur d'Artagnan" "In Paris we defend the King" "Do you see him every day?" "We ride before his carriage" "His Majesty wishes to see you at once" "He wishes to consider the duties of your company" "Sire, Monsieur d'Artagnan is here" "Your mission must be kept secret until it is accomplished" "Then as many as possible must know of it" "I am greatly honoured by His Majesty's confidence..." "Arrest Fouquet when he leaves the Council" "Monsieur Colbert will give you detailed instructions" "Take care to watch Fouquet after his arrest lest he dispose of any papers" "The prisoner will be taken to Angers, via Oudon" "At Oudon you will get him to sign a document surrendering Belle-Isle to the King" "You may read the rest" "Assure the King his orders will be faithfully executed" "The next Council will be held at Vincennes" "Monsieur Fouquet" "I have something to say to you" "No... it can wait until some other time" "My courts, not I, will decide Monsieur Fouquet's fate" "But whatever happens, his office will fall in abeyance" "The King must stand alone as the soul of his kingdom" "It is not enough to lean on one, possibly loyal, person" "All must depend on the King, as nature on the sun" "The people must be assured of work and bread so that misery does not ally them with new Frondeurs" "We shall try to alleviate tolls and taxes" "The nobles must again depend on the King for everything" "Privileges, honours, money" "This will keep them in our presence away from the bourgeoisie and absence from Court will be a misfortune worse than exile" "Take care, Sire, that these measures are not too costly" "The cost will be a fruitful investment" "Merchants, craftsmen, bourgeois will realize that prosperity depends on our enterprises" "Our plans for building, factories, conquest of new territories will result in great profits" "This is my policy." "Do you wish to serve it?" "With all my soul" "What means do you advise ?" "Those you describe" "We must give France the industry it lacks producing all manner of goods" "A fleet and an overseas empire to free us from Holland's monopoly of maritime trade" "People must be given work, not charity" "Idle hands fall easy prey to troublemakers" "We must dig canals, dig roads breed horses for the army..." "We must reduce the tolls which crush the peasantry and introduce more equitable, indirect taxation" "Customs dues, salt tax, concessions, tobacco..." "This system permits, if Your Majesty wishes relief for the underprivileged classes" "And to increase revenue a campaign against dishonest tax-collectors and a firmer control on business transactions" "Excellent." "We shall adopt these measures" "And velvet mantles." "I wish to see the master-tailor" "Do not forget; it is most important" "We have faithfully followed Your Majesty's commands" "Not enough lace showing" "That is better" "Fouquet adopted this fashion;" "we shall make better use of it" "For him it was mere display, not a political weapon" "We will ensure that nobles think only of their doublets" "In that way they will be best represented at Court" "Now try on the wig" "Darken the moustache to match" "People are more easily governed through appearances than profundities" "Does this style please Your Majesty ?" "No, it is too plain." "Start again" "I shall be the first to dress thus;" "others will copy" "Nobles must follow their King in all things" "I have decided to keep the nobles away from Paris" "Away from parliament and Fronde influence" "I shall establish myself in my father's chateau at Versailles" "Hitherto, nobles remained at Court at their own expense" "Henceforth, they will be lodged and furnished at royal expense" "Yet your generosity will not prevent them from incurring debts" "With many opportunities for spending money, they will borrow" "Let them" "I will pay their urgent debts and thus bind them to me" "As for those nobles who build houses at Versailles I shall declare their mansions immune from attachment by law" "That will attract them" "They will answer to me, not to bourgeois money lenders" "My father's chateau will be the temple of the monarchy" "All the artists of the kingdom shall embellish it" "Well, Monsieur le Vau?" "Sire, duty obliges me to be brief" "How is the work?" "The masonry for the centre wing is ready" "Plumbing and roofing almost complete and soon a great deal of joinery will be ready" "Your Majesty may judge the effect of the balustrades" "Have you seen the paintings intended for the state rooms?" "Nothing marks the greatness of princes so well as architecture" "Posterity judges them by what they build" "Versailles will stand as the palace of my dynasty" "Remember this and spare no effort" "Have you estimated how many the palace will accommodate?" "Thirteen thousand, Sire" "After the plans to accommodate fifteen thousand" "When I am visited by the nobles of foreign princes my palace must truly reflect the might of France" "There is another modification, Monsieur le Vau" "Here, perfectly exposed to the sun we shall build the greatest orangery in the world" "Good day, Madame." "I am well" "Monsieur de Vardes, I have recalled you" "Sire, your recall to Court restores me to life" "I am returned from the country, Monsieur" "Do you know you must salute no one in my presence?" "I have forgotten everything, Sire." "Pardon my foolishness" "I do so." "But what is this costume?" "Have you returned from China or the Americas?" "Sire, when one is banished from your presence one is not only unhappy, but ridiculous" "Rise, and be assured of my regard" "His Majesty begins the eighth course" "Prepare the chicken." "And the baskets of fruit" "Don't forget to prepare fresh breadcrumbs" "Peas" "What about the suckling pig?" "The baskets of fruit" "A little more sauce." "Garnish more generously" "Is the pancake mixture ready?" "A dozen with jam, two dozen each with chocolate and vanilla" "The napkin, please, my brother" "Music, please, my brother" "The King's music!" "Has the King never heard of the fork?" "He disapproves of it" "When he sees a fork used it throws him into a temper" "I am thirsty" "Monsieur de Lorrain" "When I have eaten, we shall go to the kennels" "And I will be pleased to see you at the hunt tomorrow" "The King begins the fourteenth course" "Form the cortege!" "The King's meat !" "I do not advise the pork, Your Majesty" "Throw it away" "I wish to be alone and undisturbed" "There is a distinction which owes nothing to fortune" "A certain air which seems to destine us to greatness" "It is a prize which we imperceptibly assume" "By this quality we command the deference of others and it is rather this which raises us above them than birth, honours, even merit" "...than birth, honours, even merit" "Neither sun nor death may be outfaced" "Neither sun nor death may be outfaced"