Descendants of the Stuarts

190 THE DESCENDANTS
features." The sound of his voice alone sufficed to
engage those hearts whom his presence seemed to
awe : more striking exemplification of which could
not be found than that afforded in the case of the
lovely Louise de la Valliere. In the chains of this
fair charmer Louis had long been enslaved, though
the witty talented Athalais de Montespan had
already commenced that dangerous rivalry which
ended in her supplanting her lovely predecessor.
" Mademoiselle de la Valliere had been no light mis-
tress, as her after penitence sufficiently proved ; but
an amiable, gentle, kind, and tender woman, who
loved the king for his own sake, and never loved any
but him."*
Louis had espoused, when twenty years of age,
the infanta Mary Theresa of Spain, daughter of
Philip III. ; a princess amiable and pious, though
of somewhat an insipid disposition. The young
king at the time of his marriage was desperately
in love with one of the fair Mancini sisters,
and it required the utmost importunities of his
mother to wring from him an unwilling assent to
this match. Nevertheless he became attached to his
young wife, and though he never could, and never
did feel for her the affection he entertained for his
early love, he invariably treated her with every mark
of respect. The king was much to be pitied in his
connexions, for we have the authority of Madame for
asserting that he was not naturally fond of change. La
* Duchess of Orleans.