Buckingham's head was so completely turned by the event, and his
desire to see Anne of Austria again became thereupon so
overmastering, that he at once communicated to France that he was
coming over as the ambassador of the King of England to treat of
certain masters connected with Spain. But Richelieu had heard
from the French ambassador in London that portraits of the Queen
of France were excessively abundant at York House, the Duke's
residence, and he had considered it his duty to inform the King.
Louis was angry, but not with the Queen. To have believed her
guilty of any indiscretion would have hurt his gloomy pride
too deeply. All that he believed was that this was merely an
expression of Buckingham's fanfaronading, thrasonical disposition,
a form of vain, empty boasting peculiar to megalomaniacs.
As a consequence, the King of England was informed that the Duke
of Buckingham, for reasons well known to himself, would not be
agreeable as Charles's ambassador to his Most Christian Majesty.
Upon learning this, the vainglorious Buckingham was loud in
proclaiming the reason ("well known to himself") and in
protesting that he would go to France to see the Queen with the
French King's consent or without it.
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