CHAPTER XXII.

1680-1683.

LA SALLE PAINTED BY HIMSELF.

Difficulty of knowing him; his Detractors; his Letters; vexations of

his Position; his Unfitness for Trade; risks of Correspondence; his

Reported Marriage; alleged Ostentation; motives of Action; charges

of Harshness; intrigues against him; unpopular Manners; a Strange

Confession; his Strength and his Weakness; contrasts of his

Character. 328