The 48 Laws Of Power

her brother Cardinal
Mazatin,

the French

prime

minister. Of the

baroness’sfive

daughters,

four

dazzled

thecourt

with

their

beauty

and

high

spirits.

These

infamouslycharming

niecesofCardinalMazarinbecame

knownasthe

Mazarinettes,

andsoonfoundthemselvesinvitedtoallthe

most

important

courtfunctions.

One

daughter,

Marie

Mancini,

didnotsharethis

good

fortune,

forshe

lacked

the

beauty

and

grace

ofher

sisters——who,

along

withher

mother

andevenCardinal

Mazarin,

eventually

cameto

dislike

her,

for

they

felt

she

spoiled

the

family

image.

They

triedto

persuade

hertoentera.con-

vent,

whereshewouldbelessofan

embarrassment,

butsherefused.In-

stead she

applied

herself to her

studies,

learning

Latin and

Greek,

perfecting

her

French,

and

practicing

hermusicalskills.

On

the

rare

occa-

sionswhenthe

family

wouldletherattendcourt

affairs,

shetrainedherself

tobeanartful

listener,

sizing

people

up

fortheirweaknessesandhidden

desires.Andwhenshe

finally

metthefuture

King

Louis

XIV,

in 1657

(Louis

wasseventeen

years

old,

Marie

eighteen),

shedecidedthatto

spite

her

family

and

uncle,

shewouldfinda

way

tomake

this

young

manfallin

lovewithher.

Thiswasa

seeminglyimpossible

taskforsucha

plainloolcinggirl,

but

Mariestudiedthefuture

king

closely.

Shenoticedthathersisters’

frivolity

didnot

please

him,

andshesensedthatheloathedthe

scheming

and

petty

politicldng

thatwentonall

aroundhim.Shesaw

that

hehadaromanticna-

ture-——hereadadventure

novels,

insistedon

marching

at

theheadofhis

armies,

andhad

high

idealsanda

passion

for

glory.

Thecourtdidnotfeed

thesefantasiesof

his;

itwasa

banal,

superficial

worldthatboredhim.

The

key

toLouis’s

heart,

Marie

saw,

wouldbetoconstructamirrorre-

flecting

hisfantasiesand

his

youthfulyeamings

for

glory

andromance.

To

begin

withsheimmersedherselfintheromantic

novels,

poems,

and

plays

thatsheknewthe

youngldng

read

voraciously.

WhenLouis

began

toen-

gage

herin

conversation,

tohis

delight

shewouldtalkofthe

things

that

stirredhissoul——notthisfashionorthat

piece

of

gossip,

butrather

courtly

love,

thedeedsof

greatknights,

the

nobility

of

pastkings

and

heroes.She

ledhisthirstfor

glorybycreating

an

image

ofan

august,superiorking

whomhecould

aspire

tobecome.Shestirredhis

imagination.

AsthefutureSun

Kingspent

moreandmoretimeinMatie’s

presence,

it

eventually

becameclearthathehadfallenin

love

withtheleast

likely

young

womanofthecourt.Tothehorrorofher

sistersand

mother,

he

showeredMarieMancini

with

attention.He

brought

her

along

onhismili-

taiycampaigns,

andmadeashowof

stationing

herwhereshecouldwatch

ashemarchedintobattle.Heeven

promised

Mariethathewould

marry

herandmakeher

queen.

Mazarin,however,

would

never

allow

the

king

to

many

his

niece,

a

womanwhocould

bring

Franceno

diplomatic

or

royal

alliances.Louishad

to

marry

a

princess

of

Spain

orAustria.In 1658 Louissuccumbedtothe

pressure

and

agreed

tobreakoffthefirstromanticinvolvementofhislife.

Hedid

so

withmuch

regret,

andattheendofhislifehe

acknowledged

that

heneverloved

anyone

asmuchasMarieMancini.

Wittgcnsteiri

hadan

ertrmmlim/(iv

gift

for

tiivinirrg

{he

Ilmuglnts

of

the

person

with

whomhewas

cngagra’

indi.rcu.v.siLmWhilethe

other

srruggled

to

put

his

thrmg/it

imu

wurzly,

Vriitge/z.s-rein

would

/ierctviw

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um1.tIa1c

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was

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by

hisown

prolonged

and

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Luowu;Wl‘l“I‘(§liNS'l’HI\:

A

Memom.

NORMA):NlAl.(‘()!.M_

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Thedoctor

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SIGMUN1)

Faun),

l856—l939

LAW 44 383