Lives of the last four princesses of the royal house of Stuart

294 THE PRINCESS HENKIETTA ANNE. [1670.
and Queen, that the delicate invalid was low-spirited the
rest of the journey. The only nourishment she swallowed
was milk, and when they halted for the night she retired
to her apartment, and lay down to repose. The King,
when his passing ill-humour was over, showed the deepest
solicitude for her, and treated her with great tenderness.
Far different was the conduct of his brother. " When in
the coach," records Mademoiselle de Montpensier, "he
would say very disagreeable things, even to her face.
Among others, when we happened to speak of astrologers,
he observed, with a grin, ' That it had been predicted that
he should have several wives, and from the state Madame
was now in, he had reason to put some faith in the predic-
tion.' All this appeared to me as silly as it was hard-
hearted, and our silence showed what we thought of him.
Remonstrances would have been unavailing, and only
have recoiled on poor Madame."t
It is to Mademoiselle de Montpensier 's lively pen, we are
indebted for the events of this journey, in the royal coach,
that gorgeous moving mountain, of gilding and heavy
decorations, which had to find accommodation within for
eight travellers : the personal grandeur of Louis XIV. ;.
his Spanish Queen, with all her stiffness of etiquette ; the
sickly Dauphin, a personage of immense consequence ;
the monkeyish vivacity, and occasional waspish ill-nature
of Monsieur, and the uncomplaining sufferings of his
declining consort ; with the satirical importance of Made-
moiselle, herself, who Avas so observant of the frailties of
every member of the illustrious group, and blind to her own.
The weather improved towards the latter end of the
journey, and Monsieur relieved them of his disagreeable
society, by riding at the head of the regiment of cavalry,
with his drawn sword in his hand, acting as their colonel.f
* ' Memoires de Montpensier.' f Ibid.