The red cardinal won his way to the leadership of France by proving himself able to defeat all intrigues against him, and crush every enemy, even those of the most exalted position.

Mazarin has no such antecedents.

He is not even a Frenchman; he does not even look like a noble.

That he is clever we may be sure, or Richelieu would not have recommended him as his successor.

But I fancy that it is the cleverness of an adventurer, and however adroit, an adventurer, and especially a foreign adventurer, will not hold power in France very long without exciting the hatred of the community and the hostility of the nobles.