Colbert was not far off. During the whole evening he had remained in oneof the corridors, chatting with Bernouin and Brienne, and commenting,with the ordinary skill of people of a court, upon the news whichdeveloped like air-bubbles upon the water, on the surface of eachevent. It is doubtless time to trace, in a few words, one of the mostinteresting portraits of the age, and to trace it with as much truth,perhaps, as contemporary painters have been able to do. Colbert was aman in whom the historian and the moralist have an equal right.
He was thirteen years older than Louis XIV., his future master. Ofmiddle height, rather lean than otherwise, he had deep-set eyes, amean appearance, his hair was coarse, black and thin, which, say thebiographers of his time, made him take early to the skull-cap. A look ofseverity, or harshness even, a sort of stiffness, which, with inferiors,was pride, with superiors an affectation of superior virtue; a surlycast of countenance upon all occasions, even when looking at himself ina glass alone--such is the exterior of this personage. As to the moralpart of his character, the depth of his talent for accounts, and hisingenuity in making sterility itself productive, were much boasted of.Colbert had formed the idea of forcing governors of frontier places tofeed the garrisons without pay, with what they drew from contributions.Such a valuable quality made Mazarin think of replacing Joubert, hisintendant, who had recently died, by M. Colbert, who had such skillin nibbling down allowances. Colbert by degrees crept into court,notwithstanding his lowly birth, for he was the son of a man who soldwine as his father had done, but who afterwards sold cloth, and thensilk stuffs. Colbert, destined for trade, had been clerk in Lyons toa merchant, whom he had quitted to come to Paris in the office of aChatelet procureur named Biterne. It was here he learned the art ofdrawing up an account, and the much more valuable one of complicatingit.
This stiffness of manner in Colbert had been of great service to him; itis so true that Fortune, when she has a caprice, resembles those womenof antiquity, who, when they had a fancy, were disgusted by no physicalor moral defects in either men or things. Colbert, placed with MichelLetellier, secretary of state in 1648, by his cousin Colbert, Seigneurde Saint-Penange, who protected him, received one day from the ministera commission for Cardinal Mazarin. His eminence was then in theenjoyment of flourishing health, and the bad years of the Fronde hadnot yet counted triple and quadruple for him. He was at Sedan, very muchannoyed at a court intrigue in which Anne of Austria seemed inclined todesert his cause.
Of this intrigue Letellier held the thread. He had just received aletter from Anne of Austria, a letter very valuable to him, and stronglycompromising Mazarin; but, as he already played the double part whichserved him so well, and by which he always managed two enemies so as todraw advantage from both, either by embroiling them more and more orby reconciling them, Michel Letellier wished to send Anne of Austria'sletter to Mazarin, in order that he might be acquainted with it,and consequently pleased with his having so willingly rendered him aservice. To send the letter was an easy matter; to recover it again,after having communicated it, that was the difficulty. Letellier casthis eyes around him, and seeing the black and meager clerk with thescowling brow, scribbling away in his office, he preferred him to thebest gendarme for the execution of this design.
Colbert was commanded to set out for Sedan, with positive orders tocarry the letter to Mazarin, and bring it back to Letellier. He listenedto his orders with scrupulous attention, required the instructions to berepeated twice, and was particular in learning whether the bringing backwas as necessary as the communicating, and Letellier replied sternly,"More necessary." Then he set out, traveled like a courier, without anycare for his body, and placed in the hands of Mazarin, first a letterfrom Letellier, which announced to the cardinal the sending of theprecious letter, and then that letter itself. Mazarin colored greatlywhilst reading Anne of Austria's letter, gave Colbert a gracious smileand dismissed him.
"When shall I have the answer, monseigneur?"
"To-morrow."
"To-morrow morning?"
"Yes, monsieur."
The clerk turned upon his heel, after making his very best bow. The nextday he was at his post at seven o'clock. Mazarin made him wait tillten. He remained patiently in the ante-chamber; his turn having come,he entered; Mazarin gave him a sealed packet. On the envelope of thispacket were these words:--Monsieur Michel Letellier, etc. Colbertlooked at the packet with much attention; the cardinal put on a pleasantcountenance and pushed him towards the door.
"And the letter of the queen-mother, my lord?" asked Colbert.
"It is with the rest, in the packet," said Mazarin.
"Oh! very well," replied Colbert, and placing his hat between his knees,he began to unseal the packet.
Mazarin uttered a cry. "What are you doing?" said he, angrily.
"I am unsealing the packet, my lord."
"You mistrust me, then, master pedant, do you? Did any one ever see suchimpertinence?"
"Oh! my lord, do not be angry with me! It is certainly not youreminence's word I place in doubt, God forbid!"
"What then?"
"It is the carefulness of your chancery, my lord. What is a letter? Arag. May not a rag be forgotten? And look, my lord, look if I was notright. Your clerks have forgotten the rag; the letter is not in thepacket."
"You are an insolent fellow, and you have not looked," cried Mazarin,very angrily, "begone and wait my pleasure." Whilst saying these words,with perfectly Italian subtlety he snatched the packet from the hands ofColbert, and re-entered his apartments.
But this anger could not last so long as not to be replaced in time byreason. Mazarin, every morning, on opening his closet door, foundthe figure of Colbert like a sentinel behind the bench, and thisdisagreeable figure never failed to ask him humbly, but with tenacity,for the queen-mother's letter. Mazarin could hold out no longer, andwas obliged to give it up. He accompanied this restitution with a mostsevere reprimand, during which Colbert contented himself with examining,feeling, even smelling, as it were, the paper, the characters, andthe signature, neither more nor less than if he had to deal with thegreatest forger in the kingdom. Mazarin behaved still more rudely tohim, but Colbert, still impassible, having obtained a certainty that theletter was the true one, went off as if he had been deaf. This conductobtained for him afterwards the post of Joubert; for Mazarin, insteadof bearing malice, admired him, and was desirous of attaching so muchfidelity to himself.
It may be judged by this single anecdote, what the character of Colbertwas. Events, developing themselves, by degrees allowed all the powers ofhis mind to act freely. Colbert was not long in insinuating himself intothe good graces of the cardinal: he became even indispensable to him.The clerk was acquainted with all his accounts without the cardinal'sever having spoken to him about them. This secret between them was apowerful tie, and this was why, when about to appear before the Masterof another world, Mazarin was desirous of taking good counsel indisposing of the wealth he was so unwillingly obliged to leave inthis world. After the visit of Guenaud, he therefore sent for Colbert,desired him to sit down, and said to him: "Let us converse, MonsieurColbert, and seriously, for I am very ill, and I may chance to die."
"Man is mortal," replied Colbert.
"I have always remembered that, M. Colbert, and I have worked with thatend in view. You know that I have amassed a little wealth."
"I know you have, monseigneur."
"At how much do you estimate, as near as you can, the amount of thiswealth, M. Colbert?"
"At forty millions, five hundred and sixty thousand, two hundred livres,nine cents, eight farthings," replied Colbert.
The cardinal heaved a deep sigh, and looked at Colbert with wonder, buthe allowed a smile to steal across his lips.
"Known money," added Colbert, in reply to that smile.
The cardinal gave quite a start in bed. "What do you mean by that?" saidhe.
"I mean," said Colbert, "that besides those forty millions, five hundredand sixty thousand, two hundred livres, nin
e cents, eight farthings,there are thirteen millions that are not known."
"Ouf!" sighed Mazarin, "what a man!"
At this moment the head of Bernouin appeared through the embrasure ofthe door.
"What is it?" asked Mazarin, "and why do you disturb me?"
"The Theatin father, your eminence's director, was sent for thisevening; and he cannot come again to my lord till after to-morrow."
Mazarin looked at Colbert, who rose and took his hat saying: "I shallcome again, my lord."
Mazarin hesitated. "No, no," said he; "I have as much business totransact with you as with him. Besides, you are my other confessor--andwhat I have to say to one the other may hear. Remain where you are,Colbert."
"But, my lord, if there be no secret of penitence, will the directorconsent to my being here?"
"Do not trouble yourself about that; come into the ruelle."
"I can wait outside, monseigneur."
"No, no, it will do you good to hear the confession of a rich man."
Colbert bowed and went into the ruelle.
"Introduce the Theatin father," said Mazarin, closing the curtains.
CHAPTER 45. Confession of a Man of Wealth
Ten Years Later Page 48