But this splendid prospect had been overcast.

The match had been broken off.
The aspiring suitor had been, during many years, shut up in an Alpine castle.

At length Lewis relented.

Lauzun was forbidden to appear in the royal presence, but was allowed to enjoy liberty at a distance from the court.

He visited England, and was well received at the palace of James and in the fashionable circles of London; for in that age the gentlemen of France were regarded throughout Europe as models of grace; and many Chevaliers and Viscounts, who had never been admitted to the interior circle at Versailles, found themselves objects of general curiosity and admiration at Whitehall.