Among the papers seized on Matthioly’s person, there were none of those which emanated from the Government of Versailles, such as the treaty signed by Pomponne, the instructions given by Louvois, the letter from Louis XIV. to the Duke of Mantua, and the latter’s ratification. It was essential to obtain possession of these, so as to deprive the other powers of the irrefutable testimony of the King of France’s attempt and failure. Matthioly at first gave incorrect information respecting the place where they were to be found. But having been threatened with torture,[519] and then with death, the unfortunate Count finished by avowing that the famous papers were at Padua in a place which his father alone knew of. A letter was dictated to the prisoner, in which, without even allowing his lot to be suspected, he begged his father to give all the documents relating to the negotiation to the Sieur Giuliani, the bearer of the letter.[520] Matthioly’s father, ignorant that Giuliani was a spy, delivered everything to him, and the astute messenger confided to M. de Pinchesne, the representative of the King of France at Venice, the precious originals,[521] which were immediately forwarded to Versailles under cover of the embassy.[522] Louis XIV. was avenged. Arrived at the zenith of his power, arbiter of the destinies of Europe, which was submissive and mute, audacious and mighty enough to arbitrarily annex vast territories to France in time of peace, having, as yet, broken through all obstacles and triumphed over all resistance, this potentate had just been tricked by a petty minister of a petty Italian court. That one of his projects, which seemed likely to succeed the best--thanks to the weakness as much as to the division or ignorance of his adversaries--that one of his projects, on the execution of which so many important consequences depended, and which he had long dreamed over and prepared with infinite precaution and care, suddenly failed through the most unforeseen of accidents--the disaffection of the principal agent of the matter. What a natural subject of raillery for Europe was so great an enterprise as this, resulting in an issue that was almost grotesque--the first check experienced by the King of France, produced by so insignificant a cause--such disproportion between the importance of the preparations and their complete inutility--the fear of so grave a peril replaced by the certainty of being delivered from it! Louis XIV. endeavoured to save himself by destroying for ever the official proofs of his attempt and failure, by causing the chief culprit to disappear, and by recalling his troops in as secret a manner as he had assembled them at Briançon. He renounced his enterprise with such promptitude, that in some degree he seemed never to have commenced it. It was in vain that D’Estrades, who was so interested in the success of the negotiation, and caught at everything in order to prolong it, begged the Government