The prie-dieu of the King was placed in front of the altar, a short distance from the steps, precisely as the King’s prie-dieu is placed at Versailles, but closer to the altar, and with a cushion on each side of it.  The chapel was void of courtiers.  I placed myself to the right of the King’s cushion just beyond the edge of the carpet, and amused myself there better than I had expected.  Cardinal Borgia, pontifically clad, was in the corner, his face turned towards me, learning his lesson between two chaplains in surplices, who held a large book open in front of him.  The good prelate did not know how to read; he tried, however, and read aloud, but inaccurately.  The chaplains took him up, he grew angry, scolded them, recommenced, was again corrected, again grew angry, and to such an extent that he turned round upon them and shook them by their surplices.  I laughed as much as I could; for he perceived nothing, so occupied and entangled was he with his lesson.

Marriages in Spain are performed in the afternoon, and commence at the door of the church, like baptisms.  The King, the Queen, the Prince, and the Princess arrived with all the Court, and the King was announced.  “Let them wait,” said the Cardinal in choler, “I am not ready.”  They waited, in fact, and the Cardinal continued his lesson, redder than his hat, and still furious.  At last he went to the door, at which a ceremony took place that lasted some time.  Had I not been obliged to continue at my post, curiosity would have made me follow him.  That I lost some amusement is certain, for I saw the King and Queen laughing and looking at their prie-dieu, and all the Court laughing also.  The nuncio arriving and seeing by the position I had taken up that I was preceding him, again indicated his surprise to me by gestures, repeating, “Signor, signor;” but I had resolved to understand nothing, and laughingly pointed out the Cardinal to him, and reproached him for not having better instructed the worthy prelate for the honour of the Sacred College.  The nuncio understood French very well, but spoke it very badly.  This banter and the innocent air with which I gave it, without appearing to notice his demonstrations, created such a fortunate diversion, that nobody else was thought of; more especially as the poor cardinal more and more caused amusement while continuing the ceremony, during which he neither knew where he was nor what he was doing, being taken up and corrected every moment by his chaplains, and fuming against them so that neither the King nor the Queen could; contain themselves.  It was the same with everybody else who witnessed the scene.

I could see nothing more than the back of the Prince and the Princess as they knelt each upon a cushion between the prie-dieu and the altar, the Cardinal in front making grimaces indicative of the utmost confusion.  Happily all I had to think of was the nuncio, the King’s majordomo-major having placed himself by the side of his son, captain of the guards.  The grandees were crowded around with the most considerable people:  the rest filled all the chapel so that there was no stirring.