| BOOK V.—continued. |
| PAGE |
| CHAP. III. | —The struggle between Condé and Turenne—Noble conductof Mademoiselle de Montpensier—Fall of the Fronde | [3] |
| IV. | —The Duke de Nemours slain in a duel by his brother-in-lawBeaufort | [12] |
| V. | —Triumph of Mazarin | [16] |
| BOOK VI. |
| CHAP. I. | —Closing scenes—Madame de Longueville | [35] |
| II. | —Madame de Chevreuse | [49] |
| III. | —The Princess Palatine | [54] |
| IV. | —Madame de Montbazon | [61] |
| V. | —Mademoiselle de Montpensier | [69] |
| VI. | —The Wife of the Great Condé | [80] |
| PART II. |
| The Duchess of Portsmouth | [93] |
| PART III. |
| BOOK I. |
| PRINCESS DES URSINS. |
| CHAP. I. | —Two ladies of the Bedchamber during the war of the SpanishSuccession—Lady Churchill and the Princess des Ursins—Politicalmotives for their elevation in England and Spain | [127] |
| II. | —The Princess des Ursins—The married life of Anne de laTremouille—She becomes the centre of contemporarypolitics in Rome | [131] |
| III. | —Madame des Ursins aspires to govern Spain—Her manœuvresto secure the post of Camerara-Mayor | [141] |
| IV. | —The Princess assumes the functions of Camerara-Mayor to theyoung Queen of Spain—An unpropitious royal wedding | [148] |
| V. | —Onerous and incongruous duties of the Camerara-Mayor—Sherenders Marie Louise popular with the Spaniards—Thepolicy adopted by the Princess for the regeneration ofSpain—Character of Philip and Marie Louise—Twopolitical systems combated by Madame des Ursins—Sheeffects the ruin of her political rivals and reignsabsolutely in the Councils of the Crown | [161] |
| VI. | —The Princess makes a false step in her Statecraft—A blunderand an imbroglio | [175] |
| VII. | —The Princess quits Madrid by command of Louis XIV.—After>a short exile, she receives permission to visit Versailles | [184] |
| VIII. | —The Princess triumphs at Versailles | [192] |
| BOOK II. |
| CHAP. I. | —Sarah Jennings and John Churchill | [207] |
| II. | —State of parties in action on the accession of Queen Anne—Harleyand Bolingbroke aim at overthrowing the swayof the female “Viceroy”—Abigail Hill becomes theinstrument of the Duchess’s downfall—Squabblesbetween the Queen and her Mistress of the Robes | [215] |
| III. | —Success of the Cabal—The Queen emancipates herself fromall obligations to the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough—Thedownfall of the Duchess and the Whigs resolvedupon—The Duchess’s stormy and final interview withthe Queen | [233] |
| IV. | —The disgrace of the Duchess involves the fall of the Whigs—Annedemands back the Duchess’s gold keys of office—Extraordinaryinfluence of Sarah and Abigail on thefortunes of Europe—The illustrious soldier and his disgracedwife driven from England | [242] |
| BOOK III. |
| CHAP. I. | —Delicate and perilous position of the Princess des Ursins afterthe Battle of Almanza—She effects an important reformby the centralisation of the different kingdoms of Spain—TheDuke of Orleans heads a faction inimical to thePrincess—She demands and obtains his recall—Her boldresolution to act in opposition to the timid policy ofVersailles—The loftiness of her past conduct and character—Thevictory of Villaviciosa definitely seats theHouse of Bourbon on the throne of Spain | [251] |
| II. | —The Princess’s share in the Treaty of Utrecht—At the culminatingpoint of her greatness, a humiliating catastropheis impending—Philip negotiates for the erection of aterritory into a sovereignty for Madame des Ursins—Thesudden death of Queen Marie Louise causes a seriousconjunction for the Princess—Her power begins to totter | [264] |
| III. | —The Princess finds herself friendless in Spain—Suspicions andslanders rife with regard to the relations existing betweenher and the King—The projected creation of a sovereigntyfails, through the abandonment of England—Philip,in consequence, refuses to sign the Treaty ofUtrecht, but Louis XIV. compels the King and Princessto yield—Their têtes-à-têtes causing great scandal, theKing suddenly orders the Princess to find him a wife | [272] |
| IV. | —Among the Princesses eligible to become Philip’s consort,he chooses the Princess of Parma—Alberoni deceivesMadame des Ursins as to the character of ElizabethFarnese—The Camerara-Mayor’s prompt and cruel disgraceat the hands of the new Queen—She is arrestedand carried to St. Jean de Luz—Her courage underadversity—She returns to Rome, and dies there | [287] |
| BOOK IV. |
| I. | —Closing Scenes—The Princess des Ursins | [301] |
| II. | —Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough | [307] |