i 4 8 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

c H at. him a present of a French mistress, by whoselxv. means he hoped, for the future, to govern him.

ic. 70 . Ibe dutch ess of Orleans brought with her a

young lady of the name of Queroiiaille, whomthe king carried to London, and soon after createddutchefs of Portsmouth. He was extremely at-tached to her during the whole course of hislife ; and stre proved a great means of supportinghis connexions with her native country.

The satisfaction, which Charles reaped fromhis new alliance , received a great check by thedeath of his sister, and still more by those me-lancholy circumstances which attended it. Herdeath was sudden, after a few days illness; andshe was seized with the malady upon drinking aglass of succory-water. Strong suspicions of poisonarose in the court of France, and were spread ailover Europe; and as her Jhusband had discoveredmany symptoms of jealousy and discontent onaccount of her conduct, he was universally be-lieved to be the author of the crime. Charleshimself, during some time , was entirely con-vinced of his guilt; but upon receiving theattestation of physicians, who, on opening herbody, found no foundation for the general ru-mor, he was, or pretended to be satisfied. Theduke of Orleans indeed did never , in any othercircumstance of his life, betray such dispositionsas might lead him to so criminal an action; anda lady, it is said, drank the remains of the fameglass, without feeling any inconvenience. Thesudden death of princes is commonly accompanied