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A47671 The history of Father La Chaise, Jesuite, and confessor to Lewis XIV, present King of France discovering, the secret intreagues by him carried on, as well in the court of England, as in all the courts of Europe, to advance the great designs of the King his master / made English from the French original.; Histoire du père La Chaize, jésuite et confesseur du roi Louis XIV. English. Le Noble, Eustache, 1643-1711.; Le Noble, Pierre.; Le Roux, Philibert-Joseph. 1693 (1693) Wing L1052; ESTC R179438 143,271 350

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design pleas'd the King and Father la haise was order'd to write a Letter to Con●●ance congratulating his Conversion and withall to send him a Prayer Book ●ichly bound Good God! how was Constance over joy●d when he saw himself prevented and sought to by a Great King He answer'd the Kings kindness with all the marks of Protection that he was able to afford the French and besides that he wrote to his Majesty to ●ffer him his most humble Service pro●esting withall that he should be always ●ady to undertake any thing in order ●hereunto He did the same to M. la Chaise with whom he enga●d himself ●●om that time forward to hold a most ●●timate Correspondence and to shew ●im that he intended to be as good as ●is word he insinuated the Jesuits into ●●e Kings favour by means of the Ma●●ematicks which won him to that degree that he suffer'd 'em to Convert his Subjects in his very Court and more then that he bid 'em not be out of hopes of Converting himself And upon these hopes it was that Father Couplet a Dutchman born was sent into France with two men who styl'd themselves Mandarins to hear what was become of their Ambassadors tho the King of Siam never dreamt of any such thing This was so concerted to tempt his Majesty to send an Embassy thither which no body could take an oceasion to comment upon or tax him from thence for having beg'd the Friendship and Alliance of the Indian Prince Father Couplet had long and frequent Conferences with la Chaise concerning this Enterprize and shew'd him the great advantages that would redound to the Society which could hope no less then to engross the greatest part of the Immense Wealth which lies in the Pagods of those Countries And as for his Majesty not to speak of the great Honour it would be to him to have procur'd the Conversion of a Kingdom so far distant he had all the probabilities imaginable to make himself Master of it in time if the King of Siam could be once perswaded to admit French Forces into his Country upon pretence of defending him against the Hollanders after they had once perswaded him that they were his mortal Enemies who only sought an occasion to poure themselves into his Country and compleat the Conquest of it the business of Bantam very much assisting 'em to make him give credit to their Story The Father added that this design would be so much the more easie to the King in regard the Indians being nothing near so well train'd in War as the Europians they could not make any formidable resistance unless they were first instructed and exerciz'd by the French who were perfectly skill'd in military Discipline But in regard the King was a Prince extremely Generous and who made renown the only mark of all his great designs it might be readily believ●d that he would not be sparing of Commanders and Officers This said Father Couplet is the Posture of Affairs which seem to me to be in such a very good condition as not to be neglected For in short altho there be no great likelihood of subduing this Empire so soon yet the King will have always one great advantage by this means viz. to be a perpetual Thorn in the Hollanders sides and so settle a good Trade for his own Subiects However certain it is that if the King undertakes this business he will prove more successful then I dare promise to my self M. Constance may be safely rely'd upon for he is a man who is already at our beck and a few more Ca●esses and Marks of Distinction from he King will bring him entirely to his Devotion ●●ther la Chaise being thus convinc'd himself easily overrul'd the King who appointed the Chevalier de Chaumont for ●is Ambassador and gave him six Jesuits learned in the Mathematicks to accompany him Father la Chaise wrote also to Father Verbiest at P●quin to recommend 'em to him and that Letter was made publick however there is no credit to be given to it for it was a counterfeit Peice to hide from the Eyes of the World their old Practises and designs In the mean time the Hollanders who suspected the worst engag'd Sultan Agni King of Bantam to refuse the French Ambassador all manner of Audience Relief or Harbour in his Ports and to send him Orders to depart his Roads so that he was constrain'd to continue his Voyage for Siam where he was well receiv'd and when he went away he left the foremention'd Chevalier de Fourbin whom the King desir'd to have for his Lord High Admiral and in the Presence of the Ambassador gave him a Magnificent Scimitar which is the Present which he makes to all his Generals At the same time he sent Ambassadors to our Monarch who were receiv'd with extraordinary Magnificence and who were carri●d over all the Conquer'd Countries to imprint in 'em a high Idea of France They concluded a Treaty of Alliance with his Majesty and carry'd away with 'em a great number of Officers and Souldiers of the Kings Guards for the King their Master who had but a very ill time of it For the then King of Siam coming to dye and his Successor not enduring to be a King only in shadow while the French who were Masters of all his most considerable places were the real and substantial Kings caus'd his Subjects to fall upon 'em pell mell and put em all to the Sword especially the Jesuits 'T is true some few of the French escap'd and fled to the Hollanders who were so generous as to Protect 'em tho but a little before they had been with their Men of War to attack Paramaribo with a design to have made themselves Masters of Surinam from whence however they were repuls●d and forc'd to retire with loss Thus unfortunately ended the business of Siam which had been carri●d on by the Jesuits and undertaken by the Counsel and Advice of la Chaise which cost the King above three Millions and the Lives of above two thousand Men. Now then let us return to Europe again The King of England being resolv'd to abolish the Test and Penal Laws set forth a Declaration for Liberty of Cons●ience and order'd the Archbishop of Canterbury and the rest of the Bishops to cause the said Declaration to be read in all Churches of their Diocesses at the end of Divine Service but the Bishops refusing to give obedience to the Kings Commands several of 'em who alleadg●d that it was contrary to the Laws of the Land and their own Consciences were sent to the Tower and orders given to proceed against 'em according to Law The King therefore finding he could not compass his ends this way took another course which was to send Commissioners all over England in order to perswade the people and Magistrates to admit of this new Imposition But they returning and declaring to the King the little inclination which they found in the People to so great a
to any other and yet notwithstanding all his Promises and his Fear of God had basely betray'd her and had authoriz'd the King to commit an infamous Adultery and take another Man's Wife from him In short In less then a Quarter of an Hour she inform'd all those that were present of all the secret Transactions that had pass'd between her and him The Jesuits were ready to hang themselves at this unlucky Accident for which there was no Remedy For she was a Fury not to be approach'd but at the Peril of him that came within her reach And if Mareshal de Bellefonds had not arriv'd in the interim and carry'd her away she had most certainly reveal'd a great deal more so much she was beside her self I know not whether Night brought her to her self and caus'd her to see that extreme Folly that she had committed and made her asham'd of what she had done or whether her Despair to see her Love despis'd were the only Motive However it were she betook her self into a Carmelite Nunnery where she has continu'd ever since Her Retirement deliver'd Father La Chaise from an extraordinary Disturbance that extremely tormented him for he made no question but that in her Fury she would have affronted him even in the King's Chamber Montespan could not moderate her Joy that now she had no longer any Rivaless that could dispute with her the Prince's Heart and keep her from being sole Predominant Lausun rid victorious over all his Enemies and Louvois content with his share of her Favour little regarded La Valliere So that she a poor unfortunate Mistress to a King abandon'd and betray'd saw her self constrain'd to fly to a dreary Retirement there to bewail all the rest of her days those transient Pleasures which she had hardly had time to taste together with a Surplusage of Grief not to be lamented or pity'd but by very few 'T is true that Lausun did not over-long enjoy the Pleasure of Rejoycing at her Disgrace For in a little time after he had the ill Luck to be crush'd by a Fall no less desperate then her's Every body knows how he had enthrall'd the Heart of Mademoiselle de Montpensier who demanded him for her Husband and how the King who thought himself engag'd by his Word to let him have whatever Mistress he should make Choice of consented to the Match which had been solemniz'd in the sight of all the World but that the Prince of Condè in Conjunction with several other Princes of the Blood so well represented the Stain which that Marriage would imprint upon the Royal Family that maugre the Importunities of La Chaise and the Interest of the Nobility who sided with Lausun he retracted his Word and forbad 'em to think any more of it But all the Prohibitions in the World were never able to with-hold two Persons of which the one was possess'd with a violent Love the other by an inordinate Ambition and He more-especially since by the Match he became Related to one of the Greatest Monarchs in Europe He therefore Marry'd her Privately without the King's Knowledge flattering himself perhaps That when the Thing was done and that the King came to understand it he would only look a little Gruff upon 'em for two or three Days But he took a quite different Course for though he lov'd 'em both very well yet he would never consent to let the Marriage be made Publick and in regard there was some Reason t● fear lest the Princess should be with Child he sent the Count to Bastille and thence remov'd him to Pignerol where he remain'd Sixteen Years that is to say t● there was no longer any Danger of thei● Interviews at the end of which time Mademoiselle purchas'd her Liberty with the Loss of the Sovereignty of Dombes Louvois was not very sorry for 〈◊〉 Misfortune He was always a Favourite at least and not a little formidable fo● tho' they were all Three leagu'd together as I said before to exclude all others from the King's Favour and particularly th● Princes of the Blood nevertheless the● was no depending upon Lausun But the King who had been lon● hatching the Design of Universal Monarchy hearken'd very much to the Councils of Father La Chaise with whom Cardinal Mazarine had left excellent Memoirs upon that Subject and who of himself prov'd greatly serviceable toward it by means of the Jesuits People prepar'd for any Undertaking and of whom he had always a hunder'd in his sleeve ready to Obey all manner of Commands The Draught of this Design which he had drawn up look'd with as fair a Prospect as any in the World The King of England was to be lull'd a-sleep whatever it cost which appear'd to be no difficult thing to do provided you fed him with Money Then was the King to fall upon Holland and make himself Master of it Which done the Spanish Low Countries the Bishopricks of Liege Munster and Cologne could not have made any long Resistance Then an Alliance was to be made with the Turk to fall upon the Emperor on both sides and then divide the Spoils Thus you see the Design was laid and if it has not had that good Luck which was expected it has not been for want of Conduct for all the secret Tricks and scandalous Artifiees of Knavish Policy have been made use of to bring it to pass except of latter Years wherein I must confess they committed some Capital Faults which are never to be recover'd Of which I shall speak in due place Now in regard the first step they were to make in this great Enterprize was to make sure of the King of England 1670. the King resolv'd to send thither his sister-in-Sister-in-Law against the Advice of Father La Chaise who had no Kindness at all for her and who as he said was not good Catholick enough to be entrusted with such a Negotiation However she set forward and arriv'd at Dover where she was met by the King her Brother to whom she made those Proposals with which she was entrusted which were To have an Alliance Offensive and Defensive against all Princes To break the Triple League and To make War upon Holland in particular But whether it were that the King had no Inclination to the Propositions of himself or that the Princess not thinking they would be of any Advantage to him disswaded him from medling she return'd without doing any thing Nor did Father La Chaise fail to lay hold of the Opportunity to render her suspected to the King by putting him in mind that he had told him what would come of it before she went But whether it were that the King bore her any Grudge or any other Person she dy'd at St. Clou within Three or Four Days after her Return God knows how for we could never hear of any thing else but that she was very well in the Morning only after she had supt up a Mess of Broth she cry'd out
so extraordinary that a Man must have a Faith as extraordinary to jump with it At least a Man would be satisfy'd first whether the Doctors of th● Church approv'd it and whether it be authoriz'd by any Example of Holy Scripture A very pleasant Scruple indeed reply'd the Father in a great heat Goo● now who d' yee take me to be a Ma● that broaches Heretical or Absurd Opinions I 'd have yee to know that when ever I assert a Proposition I have alway● a Proof at hand And as for this I 'll shew it yee all along in the Writings of above Fifty of the most Illustrious Authors that ever the Church produc'd the Learned Suarez Diana the Subtle Sancius Descaltilius Escobar the Divine Trufenk Sanches Bellarmin Beccanus Layman Baronius Bauni Reginald Tolet Amicius Tilitius Lessius Molina Cotton Le Moine together with a great many others which I would have yee to read twenty times over from one end to the other and get 'em by heart All these Doctors will tell yee That Mischief ceases to be Mischief from the very moment that any Good accrues by it Now if you want Examples out of Scripture I 'l undertake to cite yee Ten pro for Ten con Judith that Famous Heroess who sav'd her Country from Assyrian Bondage never scrupl'd to assassinate a Great General who lov'd her tenderly and from whom she had receiv'd a thousand Favours and many People believe that the better to bring about her Design she had not spar'd to sacrifice her Honour to him and for my part I am of that Opinion for what Pretence could ●he have otherwise to lie in his Tent. Jael upon whom the Scripture makes so Noble a Panegyrick did she not put a Great Man to Death that fled to her House for Sanctuary without any regard to the Laws of Hospitality so highly in request among the People of Israel And Lot the only good Man that God thought worthy to be exempted from the Destruction of Sodom did he not offer to prostitute his two Daughters to the Mobile of the City provided they would go home and let the two Young Men that were in his House alone And at another time the Levite that liv'd in the Mountain of Ephraim did he not surrender up his own Wife to the Beastliness of the Inhabitants of Guilha who teaz'd her to that degree that she dy'd the same Night There are a Hundred Stories in the Holy Scripture as corroborating which it would be needless here to repeat since what I have said already is enough to clear your Doubts I shal● only desire yee to reflect upon the Conduct of the Holy See in the like case Time out of mind it has tolerated and protected Courtesans in Rome for no other Reason then to prevent a Disorder otherwise inevitable But that whic● will surprize yee much more is this That there was a Pope about Two hunder'd and fifty Years ago who out of his meer Pity upon Humane Frailty an Example rarely to be parallell'd made a Present to the Venetians of Three hundred of those Ladies of Pleasure Since his Zeal was so profuse that way reply'd La Chaise he would have done better to have bestow'd 'em upon the Monks perhaps he might have prevented a great many foul Enormities You think I Jest reply'd the Father but certain it is that it would be very well done of the Pope to allow 'em Wives and if the Huguenots desir'd no other Reformation of the Church I would be of their Religion I believe it i' my Soul reply'd La Chaise ●aughing and for my part I swear to yee were that Liberty allow'd in your Houses it should be one of the first things I did to take your Advice However I find that I must resolve upon something and you are almost within a hair's breadth of persuading me with your bewitching Tongue I had thought Religion had preach'd nothing but Austerity Continence Abstinence and ●uch like emaciating Vertues but since you assure me That the Laws and Religion of your Order allows a Man to satisfie his Love and Ambition which are my darling Passions I 'll never seek any farther for what I find here and so I resign my self wholly into your Hands How glad am I cry'd the Father embracing him to see your Inclinations so vertuously bent for I love yee tenderly and I should have been extreamly sorry should we have been oblig'd to separate at the beginning of our Friendship I shall not trouble my self to make a long Relation of the manner how he was receiv'd 't is sufficient to let yet know that he took the Habit at Lyon and there spent the Years of his Novitiateship which were not very harsh a● you may well conjecture in regard the Father-Master Father de Vaux and He were all of a Club toward the maintenance of the Girl before-mention'd Afterwards he went to Dijon to perfect himself in Theology under Father d'Aubrai reputed one of the most able Me● of the Order Besides Father de Va●● wrote to him in the behalf of Father la Chaise with all the Earnestness imaginable and because there was something singular in the Letter I thought fit to insert it Most Reverend Father OUR Father Rector has resolv'd by my Advice to send You this New Coad-jutor to study Theology under the Direction of Your Reverence He had a Design to have sent him to Father Le Goust at Chaalon however I disswaded him though with much adoe my perfect Devotion to your Interests not permitting me to suffer that a Person so hopeful and promising should be preferr'd to any other but your self For I must do him that Justice that I never saw any one admitted that was ever stock'd with proner Inclinations for our purpose He has an admirable Memory a quick Imagination a smooth and flattering Wit is a Master in the Art of Dissimulation and never did Man know better how to keep a Secret Under the outward shew of a singular open-heartedness he accommodates himself with so much ease to all sorts of Humours and Genius's as if he never had any Inclinations but theirs In a word he is a Proteus that can change himself into all Forms and carries 'em so well that they seem to be natural to him Now Reverend Father judge what may be expected from such a hopeful young Man of so much Merit He has enough in him to make one of the greatest Men of the Order I recommend him therefore with all the Affections of my Heart to your Reverence and beg of yee not to deny him the Knowledge of the Secret Doctrine for though he be but Young his Wit and his rare Talants ought to be preferr'd before all other Considerations It is but Just that they who are so signally distinguish'd should enjoy some Privilege above others If your Reverence vouchsafes me this Favour as I dare presume you will I shall be no less sensible of it then if I had receiv'd it my self
I am Poyson'd So dy'd that poor Princess in the Twenty sixth Year of her Age and Fifteen Days over Now though they were not so Successful the first time to involve the King of England wholly in their Interests yet the Design was not given over To which purpose Father La Chaise propos'd to the King to make use of the Jesuits 'T is certain Sir said he that they are the fittest Persons in the World to manage both King Charles and his Brother the Duke of York For not to reck'n upon their being both Catholicks at the bottom of their Hearts in regar'd they have been bred up in our Religion Your Majesty knows that they are deeply oblig'd to the Society Had it not been for the Supplies of Money which they furnish'd 'em withal they had been in danger of making but a small Figure in the World Our Fathers of France alone by themselves allow'd him Twenty thousand Crowns a Year which there is little likelyhood will be ever re-pay'd ' em I speak this added he to let your Majesty know that a Jesuit will be no ominous sight to that Prince I believe it reply'd the King nor am I ignorant of the Kindnesses he has receiv'd from your Society So that there is good Reason to hope that he will do much upon their Sollicitations But with what an Eye d' you think will your Fathers be look'd upon in England Do you believe they will be safe there Never think it and if they should once come to be known there the Character of Agent or Envoy will never protect 'em from the Fury of the People I should rather choose to employ the Dutchess of Portsmouth who has hitherto serv'd me faithfully in several little Affairs that I have entrusted to her Management and I am persuaded she will be no less useful to me in great Ones She is very nimble and dexterous in Business and possesses altogether the very Heart and Soul of the King and frankly to tell you a Mistress has a Hunder'd Opportunities and Tricks to improve Perswasion which the most cunning Ministers can never meet with Sir reply'd La Chaise with a Smile your Majesty may speak knowingly in that particular I have nothing to object against it I am also convinc'd That the Dutchess of Portsmouth is now the only Person that can undertake this Affair with Success There needs no more then to instruct her well in your Majesty's Intentions and 't is only to that purpose that I have propos'd to send some of our People into that Country Very good reply'd the King I consent to it but whom shall we send Your Majesty answer'd La Chaise cannot make choice of a better Man then Father De Carnè He is near of Kin to the Dutchess and well-belov'd by the Duke of York and besides that he is one of the most Politick Head-pieces in our Order The King agreed to it and sent him away Fifteen Days after furnish'd with Three or Four Suits of Modish Apparel by way of Disguise So soon as he arriv'd at London he went to wait upon the Dutchess of Portsmouth who entertain'd him in a very courtly manner for above a Quarter of an Hour not knowing who he was However she bethought her self that she knew 〈◊〉 Face tho' after long tormenting her Brain she could not call to mind where she ha● seen him or how she came acquainted with him so that at length she was constrain'd to ask his Name I find said the Father that Fortune and Grandeur have made you forget you● old Friends else you could never have banish'd poor Father Carnè so utterly from your Thoughts Is it possible cry'd the Dutchess that it should be you dear Cousin embracing him i● truth I beg your Pardon But good God what Business brings you hither D' you know the Danger you are in Should you once be discover'd by the Mobile there would be no way to save you Is your Zeal so warm as to embolden yee to come hither in search of Death with so much Gayety and Briskness I knew the time when you were more sparing of your Life The time past is not the present Madam answer'd he 'T is true that in my Youth I lov'd my Pleasures perhaps a little more than became a Person of my Coat but now I am become a Man that only seeks to serve God and his Prince and 't is upon that account only that I come hither 'T is from the King continu'd he that I come He expects from you an Important piece of Service and as I know you will be over-joy'd to have the Opportunity I shall not trouble you with long Remonstrances but only deliver his Letter into your Hands together with another from the Reverend Father La Chaise who has written to yee likewise and I am to give yee notice that you are beholding to him for the best part of the King's Resolutions to make choice of your self to serve him before his Embassador M. de Croissy the Lord Treasurer who is wholly at his Devotion and Twenty others who would have been glad to have given his Majesty Proofs of their Fidelity to him And so saying he presented the Letters to the Dutchess who open'd 'em immediately with a great deal of Earnestness The First of which from the King was as follows Madam Dutchess of Portsmouth THE sincere and true Affection which I bear the King of England my Brother and good Friend which I have endeavour'd to make known to him upon all Occasion having made me passionately desirous a long time since to join with him in a strict and lasting Alliance which uniting both our Empires in the Bond of Peace and Amity migh● enable us not only to repell the Assaults of our Enemies but also to repress their Boldness I sent to him Madam Henrietta Stuart our dear Sister of happy Memory to propound a Treaty which could not have been but very Advantageous to him But she found him so pre-possess'd by the Councils of certain Person about him who minding nothing but then voluptuous Pleasures would be at their W●● end to see him undertake any thing to his Honour that it was impossible to obtain any thing of him Nevertheless in regard I cannot without great Grief of Mind behold him under such a Lethargy so contrary to his Interest especially when the Hollanders out brave him to the highest Degree I thought it fit to write to your self requesting you to represent to him in my name how prejudicial such an excessive Love of his Repose will be to him a last the apparent Aim of the Hollanders being to establish their Commerce upon the Ruin of the Trade of England and to make themselves Masters of the Sea from which they do not think themselves far off since they already refuse to lore Sail to his Men of War and have violated the Laws of Nations in driving his Merchants from their settled Factories and Places of Trade Besides I cannot believe that he has