Louis XIII was his friend, the Duc de Rohan
his comrade. He has called Gaston of Orleans a coward to his face.
"He was one of those gallants who, when Richelieu passed an edict
concerning the loose women of the city, placed one in the cardinal's
chamber and accused him of breaking his own edict. Richelieu annulled
the act, but he never forgave the marquis for telling the story to
Madame de Montbazon, who in turn related it to the queen. The marquis
threw his hat in the face of the Duc de Longueville when the latter
accused him of receiving billets from madame. There was a duel. The
duke carried a bad arm to Normandy, and the marquis dined a week with
the governor of the Bastille. That was the marquis's last affair. It
happened before the Fronde. Since then he has remained in seclusion,
fortifying himself against old age. His hotel is in the Rue des
Augustines, near the former residence of Henri II.
"The marquis's son you have seen--drunk most of the time. Happy his
mother, who died at his birth. 'Tis a pity, too, for the boy has a
good heart and wrongs no one but himself. He has been sent home from
court in disgrace, though what disgrace no one seems to know.
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