A. D. 1661] A WAR FOR A FRENCH WINDOW. 147 but dared not trust his architective skill, except by making Wren a Viceroy over him. The first works proposed by the King was a reparation of St. Paul's Cathedral, the restoration of Windsor Castle, and the building of a new palace at Greenwich. The King's knowledge of his best men was gained by his intimacy with the members of the philosophic club, and this knowledge led him to select Wren to design and superintend these important works; which was accomplished by appointing him coadjutor to the distinguished author of "The Sophi," a tragedy, which was so successful, that Waller exclaimed, Denham has broken out like the Irish rebellion, sixty thousand strong." It was well for the peace of Europe, that Charles II. was upon better terms with his superintendents of public buildings, than was his royal relative Louis XIV. Charles suffered Denham, Evelyn and Wren to settle their minor differences of style and construction, provided they would convert the dark, melancholy and prison looking Castle of Windsor into something like the airy French-windowed apartments of Versailles, and erect his new Pleasance at Greenwich after the French fashion. Not so LOUIS LE GRAND, he was his own Minister, his own Commander-in-Chief, his own Architect, his own Trumpeter I was about to say, but His most Christian Majesty had too many volunteer performers on that fascinating instrument, for him to waste his sacred wind so needlessly. THE war of 1688, so fatal to France, was occa sioned, says M. le Duc de St. Simon, in his interesting* memoirs, by a paltry dispute about a window, between Louis XIV. and Louvois, his Minister of war, which showed the character of the Monarch and the Minister so clearly, that he felt it to be his duty to give a correct account of so strange a cause for war. LOUVOIS, on the death of Colbert, was appointed Superintendent of Public Buildings. Le petit Trianon de Porcelaine, built originally for Madame de Montespan, displeased the King, who rejoiced in nothing but palaces, and amused himself in building them. He possessed a very correct eye, for proportion, regularity, and symmetry, but for pure taste, he possessed none. In rebuilding this palace, when it had scarcely risen above the level of the ground, the King espied a defect in the arrangement of one of the windows of the ground-floor story. Louvois, who was, by nature, surly, and so spoiled as scarcely to receive any rebuke, even from his royal master, disputed the point forcibly, and maintained that the proportions of the window were correct. The King turned upon his heel and walked away to another part of the building. THE next day he met Andrew Le Notre, the celebrated Architect, whose taste in ornamental gardening had embellished Versailles, St. Cloud, Chantilly, the Tuilleries, Greenwich, Windsor, St. James's, etc., had been rewarded by his Sovereign with riches, knighthood and nobility, and by the verse of the poet of gardens, Delille. The modern Alexander demanded * Vol. I. p. 22. A. D. 1662] A WAR FOR A FRENCH WINDOW. 149 of the Gallic Dinocrates, whether he had been at Trianon? The architect replied, that he had not. The King explained how he had been offended, and desired him to see the peccant window. The next day, the same question and the same answer, and the following day, similar repetitions. The King plainly saw that Le Notre was equally afraid to discover wrong in Royalty, as to blame the powerful minister; Louis became angry, ordered the hesitating Architect to be at Trianon on the morrow, to attend him and Louvois. LE NOTRE Could no longer parry the royal thrusts ; the King met them both, as appointed, at the new building, and his first inquiry was concerning the window. The Architect said nothing, the King commanded him to measure and try it by line and square, and say how he found it. While he was thus occupied, Louvois, incensed at the anticipated verification of the King's correctness, grumbled aloud, and angrily maintained that the window corresponded in every respect with the others. When the examination was finished, he asked Le Notre how it was? who hesitated. The King flew into a passion, and commanded the stammering Architect to speak plainly, which he did, by avowing the King to be right, and the window defective. He had scarcely finished, when the King turned to Louvois, told him to give up his obstinacy; that the window was all awry, and must be rebuilt, when at this time, the building should have been finished; and rebuked him sharply. LOUVOIS, incensed at this sally, in the presence of courtiers, workmen and servants, went home in a furious rage. There he found St. Fouange, Villeneuf, the Chevalier de Nogent, the two Tilladets, and other intimate friends, who were alarmed at seeing the Minister in such a state. "It is done," he exclaimed ; "I have lost the King's favour for a paltry window. I have no other remedy, than a war that will draw him away from his buildings, and render me necessary; and, 'faith, he shall have it." In a few months this vile threat was accomplished, and, in spite of the King and other Powers, he involved his country in a general war, fatal and disgraceful to France at the end, although distinguished by many successful and gallant actions in its course; and which, perhaps, conduced to the success of the Prince of Orange in accomplishing the glorious revolution of 1688; and all through a quarrel about a French window. THE Philosophic Society continued its investigations and experiments, in all the sciences, particularly in Astronomy, in which Wren was then much occupied in elucidating his hypothesis on the planet Saturn, and in comparing it with those of Huygenius, which led to the discovery of Saturn's ring. Wren read these investigations as a lecture at Gresham College; and the heads of the University of Oxford thought so highly of him as an astronomer, that they published, in 1662, his Prælectiones Astronomica at their Press. WREN, Evelyn and other fit and proper persons, were this year appointed Commissioners for reforming the buildings, ways, streets and incumbrances, and for A. D. 1662] MARRIAGE OF CHARLES II. regulating the Hackney coaches in London. 151 That there was great necessity for their exertions is evident from the King's speech from the throne, to his Parliament, March 1, 1662, the familiarity of which resembles more an extemporaneous address to his free and easy court, than the loftier style of Royal speeches of the Georgean and Victorian eras. "I will conclude," says the King, "with putting you in mind of the season of the year, and the convenience of your being in the country, for the good and welfare of it: for you will find much tares have been sowed there in your absence. The arrival of my wife, who I expect this month, and the necessity of my absence from town to meet her, and to stay some time before she comes hither, makes it very necessary that Parliament be adjourned before Easter, to meet again in the winter. The mention of my wife's arrival, puts me in mind to desire you to put that compliment upon her, that her entrance into the town may be with more decency than the ways will now suffer it to be: and to that purpose I pray you would quickly pass such laws as are before you, in order to the amending those ways, and that she may not find Whitehall surrounded with water." LORD SANDWICH was sent to Portugal for the Queen, and was expected with his charge early in May. This gallant seaman was keeper of the royal wardrobe, and his housekeeper showed his secretary, Mr. Pepys, Lady Castlemaine's under-dresses, which did him good to look at; and* assured him that the King dined and * PEPYS's Diary, 8vo. 1848, vol. 1, p. 356. |