XVIII. Count Gondamor, ambassador in England for that very king, and held the ablest man of his time, took great freedom as to his religion in his politics, serving his ends by those ways that would best accomplish them. When, towards his latter end, he grew very thoughtful of his past life, and after all his negotiations and successes in business, said to one of his friends, "I fear nothing in the world more than sin;" often professing, he had rather endure hell than sin: so clear and strong were his convictions, and so exceeding sinful did sin appear to him, upon a serious consideration of his ways. XIX. Cardinal Richelieu, after having been first minister of state of Europe, as well as of France, confessed to old Peter de Moulin, the famous Protestant of that country, that, being forced upon many irregularities by that which they call reason of state, he could not tell how to satisfy his conscience for several things, and therefore had many temptations to doubt and disbelieve a God, another world, and the immortality of the soul, and thereby to relieve his mind from any disquiet, but in vain. So strong, he said, was the notion of God on his soul, so clear the impression of Him upon the frame of the world, so unanimous the consent of mankind, so powerful the convictions of his own conscience, that he could not but taste the power of the world to come, and so live as one that must die, and so die as one that must live for ever. And being asked one day why he was so sad, answered, "Monsieur, Monsieur, the soul is a serious thing; it must be either sad here for a moment, or be sad for ever." XX. Cardinal Mazarin, reputed the most cunning statesman of his time, and who gave great proofs of it in the successes of the French crown, under his ministry: his aim was the grandeur of the world, to which he made all other considerations submit: but, poor man! he was of another mind a little before his death: for, being awakened by the smart lashes of conscience, which represented his soul's condition very dismal, with astonishment and tears he cried out, "Oh, my poor soul, what will become of thee! Whither wilt thou go?" and spake one day thus to the Queen-mother of France, "Madam, your favours have undone me. Were I to live again, I would be a Capuchin, rather than a courtier."