he considered this man as his creation whom he could be returning into a state of nothingness from where he has pulled him, whenever he only wanted to; hence, he kept himself assured of Martinengo's fidelity through fear as well as through gratitude, and made precisely through this move, the same mistake which Richelieu fell into when he allowed Le Grand to appear on Louis the Thirteenth's chess play.
However, without having Richelieu’s spirit to improve this mistake, he also has to do with a more astute enemy than the French Minister had to fight against. Instead of taking advantage of his good luck and making his benefactor feel that he does not need his favours any more, Martinengo has rather more strived most carefully to entertain the semblance of his dependence and with a false submission, linked himself ever more and more to the creator of his luck.
At the same time, however, he did not miss to use any occasion which his position allowed him, to be more often around the Prince, to its full scope and to make himself, little by little, necessary and indispensable to this one.
In a short period, he knew by heart the state of mind in which his Prince was, watched carefully over to all those who received his confidence, and in an unnoticed manner, made himself into a position of acquiring his favour.
All these artifices which the Minister's nobler pride and naturally sublime soul has learned to despise, would be used by the Italian who did not disdain to use the lowest means to reach his goals.
As he was very well aware that the human being needed nowhere else a guide and help than on the way to vice, and that unsavoury confidences justified absolute secrecy; hence, he awoke in the Prince passions which until now has slumbered in him, and then pressed him into making him his confident and his necessary help with his other assistants.
He dragged him into making such excesses which tolerated the least witnesses; and through this way, he used him, in an unnoticed manner, to confide to him secrets from which any third party was excluded. Hence, he finally succeeded to set his plan through, and precisely because secret was an essential means to his plan; hence, was the Prince's heart his, even before G. could even allow himself to think that the Prince could share his heart with another person than him.
People may be wondering how such an important change in the Prince's favours could have been left unnoticed; but G. was too certain of his own value to think of a man like Martinengo as a potential rival, and this one was also so very much comfortably established under his protection to commit some imprudence which would declare him as an enemy.
G. would also be brought into fall by what has made thousands favourites before him stumbled upon on the slippery way to a Prince's favours: he had too much confidence in himself. The secret connivances between Martinengo and his master did not in any way worry him.
Very voluntarily, he granted a favour to a newcomer whom he despised at heart and whom never represented a goal in any of his strivings. Only because the Prince's friendship could pave the way to the highest power, did he bear with such friendship; it has never genuinely had an attraction for him, and he let very easily this friendship down, as soon as it has helped him reached the desired height. Martinengo, however, was not a man to settle himself with a subordinated role.
With every step which he did forward in the favour of his Prince, would his demands become bolder, and his ambition started also to strive after a more fundamental satisfaction. The artificial role of subordination which he, until now, has ever observed against his benefactor, would ever become more pressing to him, the more the growth of his authority raised his pride.
As the Minister's conduct towards him did not refine after the rapid steps which he made in the Prince's favour; as, to the contrary, G. gave him often a salutary reminding, visibly aimed at pulling down his now raised pride; hence, would this coerced and contradictory relationship, finally became so burdening to Martinengo that he projected a serious plan to end it at once through the downfall of his arch-rival.
Under the most impenetrable veil of deceit, he prepared his plan into maturation; for he did not dare to measure himself with his rival in an open fight; because even if G.'s Golden Age as favourite was gone, yet has this passion started very early in the life and still has deep roots in the soul of the young Prince, that it still could resurface very easily. The smallest circumstance could bring back such memories into their former strength: for that reason, Martinengo knew well that the blow which he would be giving to G., must be a deadly one.
Maybe what G. gave up in the Prince's love, he won in his respect; for the more the last one has removed himself from the occupation of governing, the lesser he could get rid of the man who cared with the most certain devotion and faith to the homeland affairs, and no matter how dear G. has been to him before as friend, he was very important to him, now, as minister.
What kind of means did the Italian specifically use to reach his goal, has remained a secret among the few ones who prepared and executed the blow. People suspected that he presented to the Prince the originals of a secret and very suspicious correspondence which G. has maintained with a neighbouring palace; the opinions were divided whether such correspondence was authentic or forged. However, it did surely produce its intentioned effect in a princely degree. G. appeared in the Prince's eyes as the most ungrateful and darkest betrayer whose crimes have been ascertained above any doubt, that people believed they have to punish him immediately without any further inquiry. The whole punitive scheme would be dealt under the greatest secrecy between Martinengo and his master, that G. did never notice from afar the storm which was gathering over his head. He was kept in a corrupting security until the terrible moment where he should sink down from being an object of the general adoration and jealousy into that of commiseration arrived.
This decisive day came as G. was trooping the colours according to his habit. From the status of a flag holder, he has ascended in a period of a few years into the rank of the highest commander, and yet, this position was only a humble name for the dignity of minister which he actually performed and which put him above the most prominent persons in the country.
The trooping of the colours was the usual place where his pride would receive homage from everyone, where he enjoyed for a short time the honour of a Grand for whom he has carried the burdens. The most prominent people in ranking would approach him at this occasion not otherwise than with deferential timidity; and those who were not completely assured of his benevolence, would salute him trembling.
The Prince himself, when he was sometimes present, saw himself neglected near his Vizier, because it was more dangerous to displease the Vizier than to be the friend of the Grand. And precisely this occasion where he allowed himself to be paid homage not otherwise than like a God, was now determined to be the terrible scene of his humiliation.
Without any worry, he entered as usual into the well known circle which was as ignorant as himself about what was going to happen, which was now, more than ever, deferentially behaving before him, awaiting his orders. Not long afterwards, Martinengo appeared in the company of some adjutants, he was not any more the diplomatic, deeply subservient person, but a laughing courtesan, insolent and too proud like a servant who has become a master; with defiant and resolved step, he advanced towards him, and keeping his hat, he stood before G., demanding his sword in the Prince's name. People gave G.'s sword to him in a silent embarrassment, he then leaned the bare sword to the floor, broke it into two pieces with his boot and left the pieces at G.'s feet. At this given signal, two Adjutants appeared around him, the first one was busy removing from his chest the cross, sign of his membership to an order; the other one, depriving his shoulders of the two bands near his uniform collar and pulling cordon and feathers from his hat.
While that this whole dreadful operation went on with an unbelievable rapidity, people did hear neither a sound nor a breathing from the more than five hundred men who were standing around in compact circle.
With livid expressions, with their heart beating wildly and standing in a dead like stiffness, the terrified crowd formed a circle around G.; this peculiar assembly watched a rare sight of ridicule and abomination! A moment went by which for its gravity resembled the solemn moment of a verdict in a high court. Thousand other people in his place would have fallen unconscious by the violence of the first terror; however, his robust nervous disposition and