Character of the Prince de Conti.

The Prince de Conti was a second Zeno as much as he was a Prince of the blood.  That is his character with regard to the public; and as to his private capacity, wickedness had the same effect on him as weakness had on M. d’Elbeuf, and drowned his other qualities, which were all mean and tinctured with folly.

Character of M. de La Rochefoucault.

M. de La Rochefoucault had something so odd in all his conduct that I know not what name to give it.  He loved to be engaged in intrigues from a child.  He was never capable of conducting any affair, for what reasons I could not conceive; for he had endowments which, in another, would have made amends for imperfections . . . .  He had not a long view of what was beyond his reach, nor a quick apprehension of what was within it; but his sound sense, very good in speculation, his good-nature, his engaging and wonderfully easy behaviour, were enough to have made amends more than they did for his want of penetration.  He was constantly wavering in his resolution, but what to attribute it to I know not, for it could not come from his fertile imagination, which was lively.  Nor can I say it came from his barrenness of thought, for though he did not excel as a man of affairs, yet he had a good fund of sense.  The effect of this irresolution is very visible, though we do not know its cause.  He never was a warrior, though a true soldier.  He never was a courtier, though he had always a good mind to be one.  He never was a good party man, though his whole life was engaged in partisanship.  He was very timorous and bashful in conversation, and thought he always stood in need of apologies, which, considering that his “Maxims” showed not great regard for virtue, and that his practice was always to get out of affairs with the same hurry as he got into them, makes me conclude that he would have done much better if he had contented himself to have passed, as he might have done, for the politest courtier and the most cultivated gentlemen of his age.

Character of Madame de Longueville.

Madame de Longueville had naturally a great fund of wit, and was, moreover, a woman of parts; but her indolent temper kept her from making any use of her talents, either in gallantries or in her hatred against the Prince de Conde.  Her languishing air had more charms in it than the most exquisite beauty.  She had few or no faults besides what she contracted in her gallantry.  As her passion of love influenced her conduct more than politics, she who was the Amazon of a great party degenerated into the character of a fortune-hunter.  But the grace of God brought her back to her former self, which all the world was not able to do.

Character of Madame de Chevreuse.