Madonna & Child

My favorite painting by Rogier Van der Weyden. Dated after 1454. Via WebMuseum. 

St. Luke Drawing the Virgin Mary

Here we have an interesting painting, by the great Flemish artist Rogier Van der Weyden (1400-1464). St. Luke (apparently a self-portrait of Van der Weyden himself) is making a drawing for his painting of the Blessed Mother. The painting is supposed to be dated 1440. 

Leopold's Letter to George VI

On May 25, 1940, three days before the Belgian capitulation in World War II, King Leopold III of the Belgians wrote to King George VI of England, describing his army's desperate situation. Leopold warned the British monarch that the Belgians would soon be obliged to surrender to the Germans, and explained his own decision to remain in Belgium during the inevitable occupation of the country. Here is the letter:

Your Majesty,

Belgium has held to the Engagement she undertook in 1937, by maintaining her neutrality and by resisting, with all the forces at her disposal, the moment her independence was threatened. 

Her means of resistance are now nearing their end. 

After the first reverse on the morning of the 10th of May, when my country was treacherously attacked without warning, the Belgian army succeeded in withdrawing and establishing a good line of defense in cooperation with her Allies. But retreat from day to day was imposed upon the Allied armies in Belgium, by military events which took place outside the country. The Belgian army withdrew in good order until it reached the position it is now holding.

It is an impossibility to retreat further. The development of the battle now in progress is wearing out my army. 

The whole cadre of officers and Staff being in action, there is no possibility of creating a new Belgian military force.

Therefore the assistance we can give to the Allies will come to an end if our Army becomes encircled.

In spite of all the advice I have received to the contrary, I feel that my duty impels me to share the fate of my Army and to remain with my people; to act otherwise would amount to desertion.

Whatever trials Belgium may have to face in the future, I am convinced that I can help my people better by remaining with them, rather than by attempting to act from outside, especially with regard to the hardships of foreign occupation, the menace of forced labor or deportations, and the difficulties of food supply. 

By remaining in my country, I fully realize that my position will be very difficult, but my utmost concern will be to prevent my countrymen from being compelled to associate themselves with any action against the countries which have attempted to help Belgium in her plight.

If I should fail in that endeavor, and only then, would I give up the task I have set myself.

(s) Leopold. 

(This letter is included in the appendices of Leopold's memoirs, Pour l'Histoire: sur quelques épisodes de mon règne, 2001)

King Leopold's Broadcast

Here are excerpts from King Leopold III's broadcast address to the USA, delivered, on October 27, 1939, in the early stages of World War II:

As I am convinced that my country is defending civilization by the attitude it has taken up towards the conflict that has broken out in Europe, I feel that I may limit myself to explaining the attitude which responds fully to the will, the courage, and the honor of the Belgian people. As the Head of State, I am glad to have the opportunity of reviewing the following points:

In 1937, Belgium proclaimed her policy of independence and each of her three big neighbors acknowledged it. They went further, spontaneously gave us formal assurances that they would respect our frontiers, and guarantee the independence of Belgium. The Belgian Government's declaration of neutrality, made at the beginning of the war, was the logical conclusion of our policy ... 

We have no territorial ambitions. We are concerned neither directly, nor indirectly, with the origins of the conflict which divides Europe. 

If Belgium became involved, her land would be turned into a battlefield; owing to her restricted area, her total destruction would follow whatever the result of the war.

Side by side with Holland, Belgium forms an islet of peace in the interest of all. Situated at the crossroads of Western Europe, a neutral Belgium, loyal and strong as she is today, fulfills an essentially peaceful mission; she limits the extension of the battlefront ... She constitutes... a citadel of peace and a means of conciliation which alone can save our civilization from the abyss towards which it would be precipitated by a general war.

We clearly see our duties and our rights; we await the future with a calm conscience; we are ready with all our strength to see that our independence is respected. 

Exactly twenty-five years ago, the Belgian Army, under the command of my father, King Albert, after a hard battle, checked the progress of a cruel invasion.

If we were attacked- and I pray God this may not happen - in violation of the solemn and definite undertakings that were given us in 1937, and were renewed at the outset of the present war, we would not hesitate to fight with the same conviction, but with forces ten times stronger, and, again, the whole country would be behind the Army...

May I venture to hope that the American nation, to whom we are drawn by mutual aspirations and similar institutions, will help us and will support us in our attitude for the good of peace and the service of civilization. 

(Quoted by Roger Keyes in Outrageous Fortune: The Tragedy of Leopold III of the Belgians, Appendix III, p. 483)

I think this speech illustrates clearly Leopold's patriotism, courage, determination, and moral rigor, and his noble conception of Belgium's role in Europe.

The Tragedy of Leopold III

The life of Leopold III, (1901-1983), fourth King of the Belgians, was marked by tragedy. War, grief, betrayal, calumny, imprisonment, exile, and political disaster took a terrible toll upon this sensitive man. His devoted public service was repaid with ingratitude, contempt, and rejection. Yet, Leopold never lost his dignity, nor the serenity of innocence.

Leopold was born on November 3, 1901, the first child of Prince Albert and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium. He was followed in 1903 by a brother, Charles, and in 1906 by a sister, Marie-José.  In 1909, upon the death of his great-uncle, Leopold II of Belgium, little Leopold's parents ascended the throne as King and Queen of the Belgians. Leopold thus became the heir-apparent to the Belgian Crown. He acquired the traditional title of Belgian royal heirs: Duke of Brabant.

Leopold's parents were strict but loving. Albert and Elisabeth strove to inculcate in their children a rigorous morality and a high sense of duty to Belgium.  At the same time, their tender affection gave Leopold and his siblings an example of kindness, gentleness, and humanity.

Leopold absorbed his parents' lessons admirably. From his earliest childhood, he knew he would, one day, be called upon to reign. He took his future duties very seriously, in a generous spirit. As a young boy, he wrote: "I love my country with all my heart."

Events would put this patriotism to a stern test. At the age of 12, Leopold saw his country overwhelmed by invading German forces during World War I. Leopold and his siblings were sent to safety in Britain. Their parents remained in Belgium, exposed to all the dangers of war. Reduced to a small strip of territory near the North Sea, King Albert, in collaboration with the armies of the Entente, led the Belgian army in trench warfare against the Germans for the next four years. Queen Elisabeth remained at her husband's side, devoting her time to the care of wounded soldiers and Belgian refugees.

Leopold soon insisted on returning to Belgium to take part in the defense of his country. Accordingly, at the age of 13, he became the youngest infantryman in the Belgian army. Throughout the war, the young prince alternated between school at Eton and "vacations" with his regiment. His father, King Albert, had instructed the regiment's Colonel: "Make him dig trenches, so that he may know what it is like to have blistered hands." Every morning, therefore, Leopold used to fill fifty sandbags to reinforce the parapets. He also undertook the complete course of training for the infantry recruit - physical exercises, lessons in handling arms and grenade throwing, drill and the maintenance of equipment.

 Soon, Leopold, still only 13, insisted on being taken to the front line. By Providence, he survived many dangers. On one occasion, he manned an advance post within pistol range of the enemy. Another time, he was nearly hit by a bombshell, but his companion, a 65-year-old soldier, pushed him out of the way in the nick of time.

Allied victory and the return of peace saw Leopold and his family return to Brussels, in a newly liberated Belgium. The popularity of the Belgian royal family, widely admired at home and abroad for their wartime heroism, knew no bounds.

In 1926, Leopold married Princess Astrid of Sweden, a beautiful and gracious young woman. Leopold and Astrid were deeply in love. In 1927, they had a daughter, Princess Josephine-Charlotte, and, in 1930, a son, Prince Baudouin. (A third child, Prince Albert, would be born in 1934, after Leopold's accession to the throne). In the year of Baudouin's birth, Astrid, raised as a Lutheran, converted to Catholicism, the faith of her adopted country. She did so, however, without any pressure from the Belgian royal family, out of genuine religious conviction. Leopold found great happiness in his marriage and family life.

Meanwhile, he worked hard at understudying his father, King Albert, and preparing himself for his eventual role as sovereign. He was especially concerned with the plight of the Belgian Congo, irresponsibly exploited. In 1925 and 1933, Leopold undertook extensive tours of the Congo, and, both times, returned with apt criticisms of the colonial regime and suggestions for reform.

In 1934, while Leopold and Astrid were vacationing in Switzerland, King Albert died tragically in a mountaineering accident in Belgium. Deeply shocked and grieved, Leopold and Astrid returned to Belgium immediately for the King's funeral. Some days afterwards, Leopold swore his accession oath in Brussels, becoming King Leopold III of the Belgians. On this solemn occasion, Leopold declared: "I give myself entirely to Belgium."

His reign would be characterized by misfortune. In 1935, the year after his father's death, Leopold lost his wife under equally tragic circumstances, in a terrible car accident in Switzerland. Injured himself, and shattered by grief and shock, the King returned to Belgium for his wife's funeral. Against his doctor's orders, he insisted on following Queen Astrid's hearse on foot for four miles. To Astrid's close friend, Anna Sparre, the devastated King confided: "My life is over."

Leopold had lost, not only his beloved wife, but his Queen, his chief support and close collaborator in his royal function. Yet, despite his terrible personal grief, he persevered, alone, devoting his energies to Belgium, during a period of mounting political tension in Europe. Hitler and Stalin were threatening; World War II was fast approaching.

In 1937, faced with British and French weakness in regard to Nazi Germany, Leopold led Belgium, previously a party to the Locarno pact, in adopting a policy of armed independence. Leopold hoped, by this means, to give Belgium at least some chance of remaining neutral in a new European conflict. Association with the British and French in the Locarno pact or in another form of alliance would preclude the possibility of remaining outside such a conflict. Leopold realized that the Allies were ill-prepared for war, and, as a result, judged it imprudent to rely on their protection in case of a conflagration. It was better, Leopold considered, to adopt neutrality, which seemed to offer the hope of avoiding war. There was also the possibility that Belgium, by remaining neutral, might be able constitute a buffer zone between the warring powers, for the benefit of Europe as a whole.

The new policy, however, did not exempt Belgium from fighting to defend her neutrality, in the event of its violation by another power. Thus, Leopold devoted nearly a quarter of the national budget to military preparedness. In addition, Belgium had the right to call upon the Allies to aid in the defense of her territory, should the country be invaded by Germany. Although Belgium's neutrality precluded official staff talks with the Allies before the outbreak of war, Leopold arranged for unofficial contingency planning to take place. For example, in the period leading up to Hitler's invasion of Belgium in May, 1940, Sir Roger Keyes, a British military hero of World War I, and a personal friend of King Leopold, served as a liaison officer on secret missions in Belgium. It should also be noted that Leopold maintained secret contacts with the German anti-Nazi resistance during the 1930's.

When Hitler attacked Belgium, on May 10, 1940, Leopold called upon official Allied aid, and, in collaboration with the Allies, led his army in courageous fighting for 18 days. Nonetheless, Belgium was swiftly overrun by the Germans. On May 28, at the end of his resources, Leopold was forced to surrender. Meanwhile, the British, (in large measure due to the protection afforded by the brave Belgian resistance), were able to evacuate many of their troops through Dunkirk. Leopold's ministers had fled to France several days before the Belgian capitulation, but the King insisted on remaining with his army and people and sharing their fate. He became a prisoner of war, and was held under house arrest in Brussels.

In his well-researched and well-documented book, Outrageous Fortune: The Tragedy of Leopold III of the Belgians, the younger Roger Keyes, son of the liaison officer mentioned earlier, describes how Leopold immediately became the Allies' scapegoat. Despite the fact that the King had fought valiantly, had only capitulated when further resistance seemed hopeless, and had made every effort to warn the Allies of his imminent surrender, French Premier Reynaud launched a virulent broadcast in which he blamed Leopold for the Allies' disastrous defeat, branding him as a traitor, a deserter, and a felon. Unfortunately, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, joined in calumniating the King. British and French newspapers began a campaign of vicious slander of Leopold, reviling him as a coward, a traitor, a "King of the Fifth Column," a pro-Nazi, and a libertine. He was even accused of arranging the deaths of his father and his wife!

Fortunately, the elder Sir Roger Keyes successfully prosecuted the Daily Mirror for libel, and thereby achieved a public vindication of the King, who, as a prisoner of war, could not defend himself.

The calumnies of 1940, however, were the beginning of the end for Leopold's reign. His prestige and that of the Belgian monarchy had been irreparably damaged. Other slanders would follow. During the dark years of the war, when Leopold remained with his people, (although refusing to reign under Nazi occupation), managing to obtain better conditions for the civilian population and for Belgian prisoners of war, funding relief measures, and shielding the resistance activities of members of his entourage, negative interpretations of his actions were insidiously disseminated. The King was repeatedly accused of fascist sympathies and of collaboration with the enemy.

After the war, Leopold's ministers and other politicians, seeking to weaken (or even destroy) the monarchy, would use the artificial controversy thus created to cause a public crisis, eventually forcing Leopold to abdicate. Their intrigues were facilitated by the forced deportation of Leopold and his family to Germany, shortly before the Allied landings in Europe in 1944. As a result of his deportation, the King was absent from Belgium at the critical moment of liberation; his enemies, thus, had a free hand to conspire to prevent his return.

The political campaign to force Leopold's abdication, like the slanders of 1940, was cruel and vulgar. Numerous coarse personal attacks were launched against the King and his second wife, Princess Lilian, born Mary Lilian Baels, a Belgian commoner whom Leopold had married in 1941. Despite the fact that Lilian had married the King at a dangerous moment, courageously shared his ordeals, and proved to be a devoted wife to him and an affectionate step-mother to his children by Queen Astrid, she was treated as an unscrupulous social-climber, and viciously attacked.

Leopold suffered profoundly from the war, the long period of captivity, and the continual calumny. Nonetheless, he retained the inner serenity born of a clear conscience, and abdicated in a conciliatory spirit. Through self-effacement, he sought to avoid civil strife and bloodshed, and to preserve, at least, some vestige of the monarchy. With Leopold's abdication in 1951, however, the Belgian monarchy was severely weakened. His 21-year-old son, Baudouin, succeeded to the throne, but his position would be much more symbolic. Never again would the Belgian kings play the important political role of the past.

The tragedy of Leopold III lies in the fact that he was a noble man, who lost his reputation; a great King, who lost his country.

References:

Cammaerts, Emile. The prisoner at Laeken: King Leopold, legend and fact.
Cleeremans, Jean. Léopold III, sa famille, son peuple sous l'occupation.
Cleeremans, Jean. Un royaume pour un amour: Léopold III, de l'exil a l'abdication.
Dujardin, Vincent, Mark van den Wijngaert, et al. Léopold III.
Keyes, Roger. Outrageous Fortune: The Tragedy of Leopold III of the Belgians.
Keyes, Roger. Echec au Roi: Léopold III, 1940-1951.
Kirschen, Gilbert. L'éducation d'un prince. 
Sparre, Anna. Astrid mon amie.

Laeken Castle

The royal palace of Laeken, Belgium. Credits and more information here.

Church of Our Lady, Laeken

Albert I & the Sacred Heart

I have already posted on the piety of Albert I, King of the Belgians. There is a remarkable account of Albert's meeting with Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, the famous preacher of devotion and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, during the priest's visit to Belgium in 1922. This is how Father Mateo describes his audience with the King in Brussels: 

'Sur le seuil de son bureau de travail, S.M. le Roi Albert, souriant, me dit en me tendant la main:

"Quelle joie vous me procurez, Révérend Père, en venant jusqu'à moi, merci de cette visite."

Et sans me laisser le temps de placer une parole:

"Je sais que vous avez quelque chose de bon à me dire; asseyez-vous ici dans ce fauteuil."

Et ce disant, lui-même place ce fauteuil en face du sien, près du son bureau. 

"Sire," dis-je alors, "Votre Majesté change les rôles et me confond en me remerciant d'avoir osé venir. C'est moi qui, du fond du coeur, remercie Votre Majesté de l'honneur immérité de cet entretien."

"Oh!" replique le Roi. "Je sais que, depuis quelque temps, vous prêchez en Belgique, et qu'on accourt à vos sermons ... J'ai appris que souvent vous entraînez les foules qui vous écoutent à prier pour le Roi, vous l'avez fait recemment, ici, à Sainte-Gudule,  et je vous en suis très reconnaissant. Et maintenant, dites-moi un peu quelle est vôtre mission et ce que vous prêchez partout."'  

'On the doorstep of his office, H.M. King Albert, smiling, said as he offered me his hand: 

 

"What joy you bring me, Reverend Father, by coming all the way to me. Thank you for this visit." 

And, without giving me the time to utter a word: 

"I know you have something good to say to me; sit down here in this armchair."

And as he said this, he himself placed the chair opposite his own, near his desk. 

"Sire," I said. "Your Majesty is reversing the roles, and overwhelms me by thanking me for having been so bold as to come. It is I who, from the depths of my heart, thank Your Majesty for the undeserved honor of this meeting." 

"Oh!" replied the King, "I know that, for some time now, you have been preaching in Belgium, and that people have been crowding to hear your sermons ... I have learned that you often lead the crowds, who come to hear you, in prayer for the King. You did it recently, here, at St. Gudule, and I am very grateful to you. And now, tell me a bit about your mission and what you are preaching everywhere."'

Father Mateo began by offering the King a medal of the Sacred Heart, which Albert accepted and admired. Then the priest asked: 

"Et si ce n'est pas indiscret, puis-je demander à Votre Majesté de prier avec moi pour la Belgique et la Famille royale?"

"Oh! très volontiers," réplique le Roi. "Commencez, mon Père, je m'unirai à vous de grand coeur." 

"And, if it is not indiscreet, may I ask Your Majesty to pray with me for Belgium and the royal family?"

"Oh! Very willingly," replied the King. "Begin, Father, I will unite myself to you with all my heart." 

The priest blessed the medal, which had been placed on the King's desk, and knelt, before the image, on the ground. The King knelt at his side and joined his hands in prayer. The priest explained: 

"Sire, je vais réciter une prière au Coeur de Jésus Roi, et je demande très respectueusement à Votre Majesté de la répéter avec une grande foi."

"Sire, I will recite a prayer to the Heart of Jesus the King, and I ask, very respectfully, that Your Majesty repeat it with great faith."

Father Mateo then began: 

"Coeur de Jésus, vous êtes le Seigneur des seigneurs et le Roi des rois, je vous adore ... "

"Heart of Jesus, You are the Lord of lords and the King of kings, I adore You ... "

The King, his head bowed, repeated after the priest. In deep meditation, they prayed for about ten minutes: 

"Coeur de Jésus, la Belgique est à vous; sauvez-la!"

"Coeur de Jésus, la Famille royale est à vous; bénissez-la!"

"Pardon, oh Roi des rois, pour les gouvernants qui vous outragent!"

"Pardon, oh Roi des nations, pour les peuples qui vous renient!"

"Heart of Jesus, Belgium belongs to You, save it!"

"Heart of Jesus, the royal family belongs to You, bless it!"

"Mercy, oh King of kings, for the rulers who outrage You!"

"Mercy, oh King of nations, for the peoples who deny You!"

After the prayer was finished, Albert took the priest's hands and told him:

"Merci, merci, je n'oublierai jamais l'émotion de cette heure." 

"Thank you, thank you, I shall never forget the emotion of this hour." 

Father Mateo assumed he would now be taking his leave of the King. But Albert was not ready to let him go: 

"Asseyez-vous, Révérend Père, car vous n'avez pas encore dit ce que vous aviez à me dire ... Parlez." 

"Sit down, Reverend Father, for you have not yet said what you had to say to me... Speak."

The King was determined to hear a little sermon. So Father Mateo offered him some pious thoughts. Albert listened intently. 

When, after three quarters of an hour, the priest rose to take his leave, the King said: 

"Je vous laisse partir, Père, mais vous me promettrez deux choses: revenez me voir quand vous repasserez en Belgique, et priez pour moi, pour ma famille, pour la Belgique." 

"I will let you go, Father, but you must promise me two things: come back to see me when you return to Belgium, and pray for me, for my family, and for Belgium."  

Even on the doorstep, the King was still insisting: 

"Priez pour moi, et revenez." 

"Pray for me, and come back." 

( Recorded in Albert 1er, insolite, 1984, a dossier compiled by Jo and Hervé Gérard, pp. 244-245)

I think that this account illustrates admirably, not only Albert's deep piety, but also his courtesy, warmth, simplicity, and kindness. It is easy to see why he was so loved, both in Belgium and abroad. 

May his soul rest in peace.

St. Saens' View of Queen Elisabeth

The composer Camille St. Saens has given us this impressive (and, I think, very apt) characterization of Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians:

"Le courage dans la grâce et l'héroisme dans la douceur, la haute intelligence dans la simplicité, la fermeté virile sous une apparence frêle et timide, telle est la délicieuse Reine des Belges. Elle connâit tout, s'intéresse à tous: à la nature comme une savante, à l'art comme une artiste, à la souffrance comme une soeur de charité." 

"Courage in grace and heroism in sweetness, high intelligence in simplicity, manly firmness under the appearance of fragility and timidity, such is the delightful Queen of the Belgians. She knows everything, she is interested in everyone; in nature like a scientist, in art like an artist, in suffering like a Sister of Charity."

(Quoted in Queen Marie-José's memoirs, Albert et Elisabeth de Belgique, mes parents, 1971)

"Cette croix..."

Not long before ascending the throne, Albert of Belgium wrote to his sister, Princess Josephine: "I hope that this Cross, a so-called 'crowned' state in life (cette croix qui est une situation dite 'couronnée,' ) does not fall too soon upon my shoulders." He did not view his kingship as a pleasure, but rather as a duty. 

All too often, monarchs are portrayed as a useless burden on their country, living in luxury at the people's expense. It is forgotten that a sovereign's position entails a great deal of sacrifice. Who would want to devote his or her whole life to complex and difficult questions of public policy, war, and peace? To be surrounded by intriguing courtiers and politicians? 

These difficulties are compounded in the case of a country like that which Albert inherited in 1909. Belgium was small, weak, surrounded by predatory neighbors, divided by language, ethnicity, class, and religion. Young Prince Albert anticipated all the difficulties of his future position. His daughter, Marie-José, quotes, in her memoirs, a letter he wrote his wife, Elisabeth, shortly before ascending the throne. In the letter, he implores her aid and support (which she gave him wholeheartedly) in fulfilling the duties of kingship, as he cannot trust anyone else. 

Despite his realistic understanding of the difficulties he would face as King, Albert undertook the role courageously. In the years and months before his accession, he strenuously and thoughtfully strove to prepare himself for rulership. Some excerpts from his letters to Elisabeth illustrate his state of mind:

"Je ne puis le dissimuler, le moment est venu de travailler jusqu'à crever pour acquérir, non pas une capacité, ce qui est impossible, mais un savoir suffisant pour exclure du moins le ridicule de la fonction que la fatalité doit m'infliger plus tard.

Je crois, j'espère que je saurai me mettre au travail, j'entends par là, n'avoir plus d'autre objectif que ce qui se rapporte au perfectionnement de soi-même. Si pourtant j'arrivais malgré tout à me rendre utile à mon pays, ce serait la réalisation d'une bien haute ambition et la recompense de bien de peines..."

"I cannot deny it, the time has come to work to exhaustion, in order to acquire, not an ability, which is impossible, but a knowledge sufficient to exclude, at least, ridicule from the function which destiny will inflict on me in the future.

I believe, I hope that I will be able to put myself to work, I mean by that, no longer to have any other objective than that which relates to self-improvement. But if I could succeed, despite everything, in rendering myself useful to my country, it would be the fulfillment of quite a high ambition, and the recompense of many pains... "

Albert saw Elisabeth's collaboration as essential in carrying out his task:

"Tu as tout pour remplir le rôle de reine: coeur, intelligence, tact, et grâce. Fais-le! C'est vraiment du fond du coeur un appel que je t'adresse au nom de l'amour si sincère qui nous unit et qui pourrait trouver des voies nouvelles si fécondes."

"You have everything necessary to fulfill the role of a Queen: heart, intelligence, tact, and grace. Do it! It is, truly, an appeal from the depths of my heart, that which I address to you, in the name of the sincere love which unites us and which could find such fruitful new avenues."

Despite the sacrifice it involved, Albert undertook his role with idealism and hope. 

"Embellie par le travail et l'effort, je crois que la vie devient plus belle. C'est le combat de tous les jours: on poursuit un idéal, on va vers un but, on finit, je crois, par savoir ce que l'on veut, et j'imagine même qu'on ferme une fois les yeux ayant mérité la tranquillité et le repos de la conscience."

"Embellished by work and effort, I believe that life becomes more beautiful. It is the battle of every day; one pursues an ideal, one goes toward a goal, in the end, I believe, one comes to know what one is seeking, and, I imagine, that one even closes one's eyes, once and for all, having earned tranquillity and peace of conscience."

A very serious King.