Chapter XLV: Confession of a Man of Means – Summary & Analysis
Spoiler Warning: This page reveals the full contents of Chapter 45 of Between Two Kings.
Summary
Cardinal Mazarin, weakened by fever, summons a Theatine friar to hear his general confession, hoping for easy absolution before his health fails. The friar humbly enters and seats himself. Mazarin begins by cataloguing his sins by category, starting with pride: he once crafted a false genealogy linking his family to Roman consuls, threatened a priest who planned to publish it, recklessly charged enemy lines at Casale to prove his horsemanship, and thereafter held generals in disdain—including the Prince de Condé and the imprisoned Beaufort. The confessor waves away each act as trifling or even honorable. When Mazarin hesitates over his close relationship with the queen mother, the friar dismisses it as necessary counsel for the state. Ambitions for the papal tiara and a rumoured sale of Cambrai are likewise excused. Relieved, the cardinal admits to gambling and light cheating, which the friar again rationalizes.
Mazarin asks for absolution, but the Theatine remains silent, then presses: “You have not spoken of avarice, nor of your millions.” He recites Mazarin’s ecclesiastical revenues—the bishopric of Metz, a string of wealthy abbeys, and the income of his offices—calculating two million livres a year, swelling to forty million with interest over a decade. The friar calls this wealth too heavy a baggage to enter Paradise; without restitution to its true master, the king, damnation is certain. Mazarin protests that the king gifted the money, but the Theatine counters that no decree proves it. Denied absolution, the distraught cardinal groans and cries out for Colbert, confessing he feels very ill.
Key Events
- Mazarin calls for a Theatine confessor to grant him comfort and absolution.
- He confesses pride over a fabricated ancestry, a soldierly escapade at Casale, and lifelong scorn for generals.
- The cardinal admits to harsh treatment of Beaufort, his intimate counsel with the queen mother, papal ambitions, and gambling with slight cheating.
- The confessor dismisses every sin as venial or politically necessary.
- When absolution is requested, the Theatine abruptly introduces the sin of avarice and enumerates Mazarin’s vast, untraced wealth.
- He declares the money belongs to the king and demands restitution as the sole condition for salvation.
- Mazarin, shocked and fearful, is left without absolution and immediately summons Colbert.
Character Development
Cardinal Mazarin: This chapter lays bare Mazarin’s skill at self-deception and manipulation, even in the face of death. He attempts to control the confession by framing his sins in a flattering light and seeks a cheap absolution. His arrogance collapses when an unexpected challenge reveals that he has hoarded immense state wealth. The terror of damnation strips away his political mask and exposes a desperate, greedy man.
The Theatine: The unnamed friar serves as an implacable moral accountant. He deflects every social sin with cool logic but then wields a damning ledger of riches. His role shifts from a complicit comforter to a stern voice of judgment, dramatizing the collision between institutional piety and the reality of state corruption.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The Confession as a Power Game: What begins as a ritual of spiritual cleansing becomes a duel of wits. Mazarin expects absolution on his own terms; the friar turns the sacrament into an audit of the cardinal’s financial soul.
Avarice and Restitution: The friar’s sudden pivot to wealth exposes the cardinal’s primary sin—hoarding public funds. The metaphor of “heavy baggage” ties material weight to spiritual guilt, implying that Mazarin’s fortune will bar him from heaven.
Hypocrisy and Rationalization: Every sin Mazarin names is smoothed over by the confessor until avarice appears. This selective morality highlights how easily the powerful justify their actions—until money itself becomes the unanswerable charge.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 45 is a turning point in the novel’s portrayal of Mazarin’s end. It undercuts any sentimental view of the dying statesman by revealing that his greatest anxiety is not guilt over his political deeds but the fate of his fortune. The confrontation sets the stage for his frantic call to Colbert, which will likely accelerate the dispersal or concealment of his wealth—a matter with immediate consequences for the French crown. The scene also foreshadows the king’s own reckoning with the cardinal’s legacy.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does the Theatine dismiss all of Mazarin’s earlier sins but refuse to absolve him of avarice? The friar follows a calculated moral logic. Pride, ambition, and even questionable personal conduct can be framed as tools of statecraft and therefore excusable. Avarice, however, represents a direct theft of royal resources. For a priest who must answer to the king, forgiving such a sin would implicate him in the crime. Thus, the confrontation pivots on the tangible, recoverable wealth, making restitution the only path to absolution.
2. How does Mazarin’s confession reveal his character’s relationship with power? Mazarin treats the sacrament as just another negotiation. He catalogues his sins with the same bureaucratic flair he uses for state affairs, expecting a quick deal. His shock at the friar’s refusal shows that, to Mazarin, even divine judgment was something he could manipulate. The scene exposes a man who has so fully internalized the mechanics of power that he cannot imagine a genuine moral obstacle—until one is presented in terms of cold, hard currency.
3. What is the significance of the friar’s detailed financial calculation? The itemized list of revenues and interest transforms the spiritual confrontation into an economic audit. It strips away the cardinal’s ecclesiastical titles and political achievements and reduces him to a hoarder of public funds. The calculation demonstrates that Mazarin’s wealth is not a private luxury but a measurable debt to the state, and his failure to acknowledge it until forced reveals the depth of his corruption.