There was, however, another claimant to the throne of Poland; I mean the Elector of Saxony, who had also been elected, and who had many partisans; so many, indeed, that when the Prince de Conti arrived at Dantzic, he found himself almost entirely unsupported.  The people even refused provision to his frigates.  However, the Prince’s partisans at length arrived to salute him.  The Bishop of Plosko gave him a grand repast, near the Abbey of Oliva.  Marege, a Gascon gentleman of the Prince’s suite, was present, but had been ill.  There was drinking in the Polish fashion, and he tried to be let off.  The Prince pleaded for him; but these Poles, who, in order to make themselves understood, spoke Latin—­ and very bad Latin indeed—­would not accept such an excuse, and forcing him to drink, howled furiously ’Bibat et Moriatur!  Marege, who was very jocular and yet very choleric; used to tell this story in the same spirit, and made everyone who heard it laugh.

However, the party of the Prince de Conti made no way, and at length he was fain to make his way back to France with all speed.  The King received him very graciously, although at heart exceeding sorry to see him again.  A short time after, the Elector of Saxony mounted the throne of Poland without opposition, and was publicly recognised by the King, towards the commencement of August.

By the above-mentioned peace of Ryswick, the King acknowledged the Prince of Orange as King of England.  It was, however, a bitter draught for him to swallow, and for these reasons:  Some years before, the King had offered his illegitimate daughter, the Princesse de Conti, in marriage to the Prince of Orange, believing he did that Prince great honour by the proposal.  The Prince did not think in the same manner, and flatly refused; saying, that the House of Orange was accustomed to marry the legitimate daughters of great kings, and not their bastards.  These words sank so deeply into the heart of the King, that he never forgot them; and often, against even his most palpable interest, showed how firmly the indignation he felt at them had taken possession of his mind:  Since then, the Prince of Orange had done all in his power to efface the effect his words had made, but every attempt was rejected with disdain.  The King’s ministers in Holland had orders to do all they could to thwart the projects of the Prince of Orange, to excite people against him, to protect openly those opposed to him, and to be in no way niggard of money in order to secure the election of magistrates unfavourable to him.  The Prince never ceased, until the breaking-out of this war, to use every effort to appease the anger of the King.  At last, growing tired, and hoping soon to make his invasion into England, he said publicly, that he had uselessly laboured all his life to gain the favours of the King, but that he hoped to be more fortunate in meriting his esteem.  It may be imagined, therefore, what a triumph it was for him when he forced the King to recognise him as monarch of England, and what that recognition cost the King.