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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11531 ***
+
+[Illustration: MARIE DE MEDICIS, SECOND QUEEN OF HENRY IV OF FRANCE.]
+
+THE LIFE
+
+OF
+
+MARIE DE MEDICIS
+
+Queen of France
+
+CONSORT OF HENRI IV, AND REGENT OF THE
+KINGDOM UNDER LOUIS XIII
+
+BY
+
+JULIA PARDOE
+
+AUTHOR OF
+
+'LOUIS XIV AND THE COURT OF FRANCE IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY,'
+'THE COURT AND REIGN OF FRANCIS THE FIRST,' ETC.
+
+IN THREE VOLUMES
+VOL. I
+
+1890
+
+
+
+TO
+
+MR. AND MRS. CHARLES BECKET
+
+(OF HEVER COURT, KENT)
+
+These Volumes
+
+ARE VERY AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED
+
+BY
+
+THE AUTHOR
+
+
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
+
+All the existing records of European royalty do not, probably, comprise
+the annals of a life of greater vicissitude than that which has been
+chosen as the subject of the present work. We find numerous examples in
+history of Queens who have suffered exile, imprisonment, and death; but
+we believe that the unfortunate Marie de Medicis is the only
+authenticated instance of a total abandonment on the part alike of her
+family and friends, which terminated almost in starvation. Certain it is
+that after having occupied the throne of France, presided over its
+Councils, and given birth to the ancestor of a long line of Princes, she
+was ultimately indebted to the sympathy and attachment of a foreign
+artist, of whom she had once been the zealous patron, for a roof under
+which to terminate her miserable existence! The whole life of this
+ill-fated Queen is, indeed, full of startling contrasts from which the
+mind shrinks back appalled; and her entire career is so freighted with
+alternate grandeur and privation that it is difficult to reconcile the
+possibility of their having fallen to the share of the same individual;
+and this too in an age when France, above all other nations, boasted of
+its chivalry, and when some of the greatest names that have ever figured
+in its annals gave grace and glory to its history.
+
+The times were, moreover, as remarkable as the men by whom they were
+illustrated; for despite the civil and foreign wars by which they were
+so unhappily distinguished, the arts flourished, and the spread of
+political liberty became apparent; although it is equally certain that
+they were at the same time fatal alike to the aristocracy and to the
+magistrature; and that they rapidly paved the way to the absolutism of
+Louis XIV, to the shameless saturnalia of the Regency, and to the
+dishonouring and degrading excesses of Louis XV, who may justly be said
+to have prepared by his licentiousness the scaffold of his successor.
+
+During several centuries the French monarchs had indulged in a blind
+egotism, which rendered them unable to appreciate the effects of their
+own errors upon their subjects. L'ÉTAT C'EST MOI had unfortunately been
+practically their ruling principle long ere Louis XIV ventured to put it
+into words. To them the Court was the universe, the aristocracy the
+nation, and the Church the corner-stone of the proud altar upon which
+they had enthroned themselves, and beyond which they cared not either to
+look or listen. A fatal mistake fatally expiated! Yet, as we have
+already remarked, the system, dangerous and hollow as it was, endured
+for centuries--endured until crime was heaped on crime, and the fearful
+holocaust towered towards Heaven as if to appeal for vengeance. And that
+vengeance came! It had been long delayed; so long indeed that when the
+brilliant courtiers of Versailles were told of disaffection among the
+masses, and warned to conciliate ere it was too late the goodwill of
+their inferiors, they listened with contemptuous carelessness to the
+tardy caution, and scorned to place themselves in competition with those
+untitled classes whom they had long ceased to regard as their
+fellow-men. But the voice of the people is like the stroke of the hammer
+upon the anvil; it not only makes itself heard, but, however great may
+be the original resistance, finishes by fashioning the metal upon which
+it falls after its own will.
+
+During the reign of Louis XIII this great and fatal truth had not yet
+been impressed upon the French nation, for the popular voice was stifled
+beneath the ukase of despotism; and even the _tiers-état_--important as
+the loyalty of that portion of a kingdom must ever be to its
+rulers--were treated with disdain and contumely; but beneath all the
+workings of his government (or rather the government of his minister,
+for the son of Marie de Medicis was a monarch only in name), may be
+traced the undercurrent of popular indignation and discontent, which,
+gradually swelling and rising during the two succeeding reigns, finally
+overthrew with its giant waves the last frail barrier which still
+upreared itself before a time-honoured throne.
+
+The incapacity of the King, the venality of the Princes, the arrogance
+of the hierarchy, the insubordination of the nobles, the licentiousness
+of the Court, the despotism of the Government; all the errors and all
+the vices of their rulers, were jealously noted and bitterly registered
+by an oppressed and indignant people; but it required time to shake off
+a yoke which had been so long borne that it had eaten into the flesh;
+nor, moreover, were the minds of the masses in that age sufficiently
+awakened to a sense of their own collective power to enable them, as
+they did in the following century, to measure their strength with those
+upon whom they had been so long accustomed to look with fear and awe.
+
+There cannot, moreover, exist the slightest doubt that the wantonness
+with which Richelieu, in furtherance of his own private interests,
+poured out so freely on the scaffold some of the proudest blood of
+France, did much towards destroying that prestige which had hitherto
+environed the high nobility. When Biron perished upon the block,
+although his death was decreed by the sovereign, and that sovereign,
+moreover, was their own idolized Henri IV, the people marvelled and even
+murmured; but in after-years they learned through the teaching of the
+Cardinal that nobles were merely men; while the exile of the persecuted
+Marie de Medicis, and the privations to which she was exposed through
+his agency, taught them that even royalty itself was not invulnerable to
+the malice or vengeance of its opponents; and unhappily for those by
+whom Richelieu was succeeded in power, the lesson brought forth its
+fruits in due season.
+
+Thus much premised, I shall confine myself to a brief explanation of the
+manner in which I have endeavoured to perform my self-imposed task. For
+one wilful, but as I trust excusable, inaccuracy, I throw myself on the
+indulgence of my critics. Finding my pages already overloaded with
+names, and that they must consequently induce a considerable strain upon
+the memory of such readers as might not chance to be intimately
+acquainted with the domestic history of the period under consideration,
+I have, from the commencement of the work, designated the Duc de Sully
+by the title which he ultimately attained, and by which he is
+universally known, rather than confuse the mind of my readers by
+allusions to M. de Béthune, M. de Rosny, and finally M. de Sully, when
+each and all merely signified the same individual; and I feel persuaded
+that this arrangement will be generally regarded as a judicious one,
+inasmuch as it tends to lessen a difficulty already sufficiently great;
+a fact which will be at once apparent on reference to the biographical
+table at the head of each volume.
+
+On the other hand I have, contrary to my previous system, but in justice
+to myself, carefully, and even perhaps somewhat elaborately, multiplied
+the footnotes, in order to give with precision the several authorities
+whence I deduced my facts; and I must be excused should this caution
+appear uselessly tedious or pedantic to the general reader, as I am
+anxious on this occasion to escape the accusation which was once brought
+against me when it was equally undeserved, of having "quoted at
+secondhand," and even drawn my materials from "historical romances of
+the time." It is, of course, easy to make assertions of this nature at
+random; but when a writer feels that he or she has conscientiously
+performed a duty voluntarily undertaken, it is painful to be misjudged;
+especially when, as in the present instance, nearly three years have
+been devoted to the work.
+
+For the facsimile letters by which my volumes are enriched I am indebted
+to the kindness of M. de la Plane, a member of the Institut Royal de
+France, of whose extensive and valuable cabinet of ancient records they
+now form a part; and by whom their publication was obligingly
+authorized. The authenticity of these letters admits of no doubt, as it
+is known that they originally formed a portion of the rich collection of
+autographs in the possession of the Maréchal de Bassompierre, to whom
+they were severally addressed; and that at his death they were
+transferred to the library of the Fathers of the Oratory at St. Magloire
+in Paris; whence (it is believed at the Revolution) they fell into the
+hands of a member of that celebrated society, Le Père de Mevolhon,
+formerly Canon and Vicar-General of the diocese of St. Omer, by whom
+they were presented to M. de la Plane.
+
+At the time when he so kindly entrusted to me the letters above named,
+the same obliging friend also confided to my care, with full permission
+to make whatever use of it I should see fit, an unpublished MS.
+consisting of nearly twelve thousand pages closely written, and divided
+into twenty-four volumes small quarto, all undeniably the work of one
+hand. This elaborate MS. was entitled "Memoirs of M. le Commandeur de
+Rambure, Captain of the regiment of French Guards, Gentleman of the
+Bedchamber under the Kings Henri IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV surnamed
+the Great, with all the most memorable events which took place during
+the reigns of those three Majesties, from the year 1594 to that
+of 1660."
+
+The author of this voluminous MS., who, at the age of eighty-one,
+inscribes his work to his _uncle_, Monseigneur de Rambure, Bishop of
+Vannes, and who professes to have ventured thus tardily upon his
+Herculean undertaking at the request, and for the instruction, of his
+nephew the Marquis de Rambure, lays strict injunctions upon his
+successors to keep the record of his life to themselves; alleging as his
+reason a dread of injuring by his revelations the interests of the young
+courtier, who had succeeded to his own post of Gentleman of the
+Bedchamber; "and that," as he proceeds to say, "to the greatest King in
+the world, by whom he has the honour to be loved and esteemed; therefore
+I pray you that this writing may never be printed, in order not to make
+him enemies, who are too ready to come without being sought by our
+imprudence; and because I have only composed these Memoirs for myself
+and my kindred." [1]
+
+The author states that the work is not in his own handwriting, but in
+that of his secretary, to whom he dictated during eleven years four
+hours each day, two in the morning, and two in the afternoon--and that
+he commenced his formidable task in the year 1664, when he was living in
+retirement in his Commanderie of St. Eugène in Limousin; and, despite
+his advanced age, "in possession of all his faculties as perfectly as
+when he had only reached his twenty-fifth year."
+
+It is but recently that the present proprietor of the Memoirs, rightly
+judging that the time has elapsed in which the disclosures of the
+chronicler in question could conduce to the injury of any one connected
+with him, has consented to permit of their perusal; and that only by a
+few literary friends, all of whom have been astonished by their
+extraordinary variety of information, marvellous detail, and intimate
+acquaintance, not only with the principal events of the seventeenth
+century (the writer having lived to the patriarchal age of ninety-six
+years), but also with the leading actors in each of them.
+
+In conclusion, I may say that these volumes are, through the kindness of
+MM. d'Inguimbert and de la Plane, enriched by numerous curious extracts
+from these unpublished Memoirs, no part of which has previously
+appeared in print.
+
+LONDON, _May_ 1852.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] This curious manuscript is at present the property of the Comte
+d'Inguimbert d'Avignon; who, having lost his father at an early age, is
+not aware of the precise manner in which it fell into the possession of
+his family. Thus much, however, is certain, that it has for a
+considerable length of time been religiously preserved by his ancestors;
+and that the Countess his mother (sister of the last Comte de Bruges,
+aide-de-camp to Charles X), who died a few years ago at an advanced age,
+had never ventured, in obedience to the injunction above mentioned, to
+entrust it to any one.--J.P.
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+BOOK I
+
+MARIE DE MEDICIS AS QUEEN
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+1572-99
+
+Marriages of Henri IV--Marguerite de Valois--Her character--Her marriage
+with the King of Navarre--Massacre of Saint Bartholomew--Henri, Duc
+d'Anjou, elected sovereign of Poland--Death of Charles IX--Accession of
+Henri III--Conspiracy of the Duc d'Alençon--Revealed by
+Marguerite--Henry of Navarre escapes from the French Court--Henry of
+Navarre protests against his enforced oath--Marguerite is imprisoned by
+her brother--The Duc d'Alençon returns to his allegiance--Marguerite
+joins her husband in Béarn--Domestic discord--Marriage-portion of
+Marguerite--Court of Navarre--Dupin insults the Queen of
+Navarre--Catherine de Medicis induces Marguerite to return to
+France--The Duc d'Alençon again revolts--Marguerite arrests a royal
+courier--She is banished with ignominy from the French Court--She is
+deprived of her attendants--Henry of Navarre refuses to receive her in
+the palace--Marguerite returns to Agen--Her licentiousness--Agen is
+stormed and taken by the Maréchal de Matignon--Marguerite escapes to the
+fortress of Carlat--The inhabitants of the town resolve to deliver her
+up to the French King--She is made prisoner by the Marquis de Canillac,
+and conveyed to Usson--She seduces the governor of the fortress--Death
+of the Duc d'Alençon--Poverty of Marguerite--Accession of Henri IV--He
+embraces the Catholic faith--His dissipated habits--The Duc de Bouillon
+heads the Huguenot party--Henri IV proceeds to Brittany, and threatens
+M. de Bouillon--Festivities at Rennes--Henri IV becomes melancholy--He
+resolves to divorce Marguerite, and take a second wife--European
+princesses--Henry desires to marry la belle Gabrielle--Sully
+expostulates--Sully proposes a divorce to Marguerite--The Duchesse de
+Beaufort intrigues to prevent the marriage of the King with Marie de
+Medicis--She bribes Sillery--Diplomacy of Sillery--Gabrielle aspires to
+the throne of France--Her death--Marguerite consents to a divorce--The
+Pope declares the nullity of her marriage--Grief of the King at the
+death of Gabrielle--Royal pleasures--A new intrigue--Mademoiselle
+d'Entragues--Her tact--Her character--A love-messenger--Value of a royal
+favourite--Costly indulgences--A practical rebuke--Diplomacy of
+Mademoiselle d'Entragues--The written promise--Mademoiselle d'Entragues
+is created Marquise de Verneuil.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+1599-1601
+
+Sully resolves to hasten the King's marriage--Ambassadors are sent to
+Florence to demand the hand of Marie de Medicis--The marriage articles
+are signed--Indignation of Madame de Verneuil--Revenge of her brother,
+the Comte d'Auvergne--The Duke of Savoy visits Paris--His reception--His
+profusion--His mission fails--Court poets--Marie de Medicis is married
+to the French King by procuration at Florence--Hostile demonstrations of
+the Duke of Savoy--Infatuation of the King for the favourite--Her
+pretensions--A well-timed tempest--Diplomacy of Madame de Verneuil--Her
+reception at Lyons--War in Savoy--Marie de Medicis lands at
+Marseilles--Madame de Verneuil returns to Paris--The Duc de Bellegarde
+is proxy for the King at Florence--He escorts the new Queen to
+France--Portrait of Marie de Medicis--Her state-galley--Her voyage--Her
+reception--Henry reaches Lyons--The royal interview--Public
+rejoicings--The royal marriage--Henry returns to Paris--The Queen's
+jealousy is awakened--Profligate habits of the King--Marie's Italian
+attendants embitter her mind against her husband--Marie reaches
+Paris--She holds a court--Presentation of Madame de Verneuil to the
+Queen--Indignation of Marie--Disgrace of the Duchesse de
+Nemours--Self-possession of Madame de Verneuil--Marie takes possession
+of the Louvre--She adopts the French costume--Splendour of the
+Court--Festival given by Sully--A practical joke--Court
+festivities--Excessive gambling--Royal play debts--The Queen's
+favourite--A petticoat intrigue--Leonora Galigaï appointed Mistress of
+the Robes--Reconciliation between the Queen and Madame de Verneuil--The
+King gives the Marquise a suite of apartments in the Louvre--Her rivalry
+of the Queen--Indignation of Marie--Domestic dissensions--The Queen and
+the favourite are again at war--Madame de Verneuil effects the marriage
+of Concini and Leonora--Gratitude of the Queen--Birth of the
+Dauphin--Joy of the King--Public rejoicings--Birth of Anne of
+Austria--Superstitions of the period--Belief in astrology--A royal
+anecdote--Horoscope of the Dauphin--The sovereign and the surgeon--Birth
+of Gaston Henri, son of Madame de Verneuil--Public entry of the Dauphin
+into Paris--Exultation of Marie de Medicis.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+1602
+
+Court festivities--The Queen's ballet--A gallant prelate--A poetical
+almoner--Insolence of the royal favourite--Unhappiness of the
+Queen--Weakness of Henry--Intrigue of Madame de Villars--The King
+quarrels with the favourite--They are reconciled--Madame de Villars is
+exiled, and the Prince de Joinville sent to join the army in
+Hungary--Mortification of the Queen--Her want of judgment--New
+dissension in the royal ménage--Sully endeavours to restore
+peace--Mademoiselle de Sourdis--The Court removes to Blois--Royal
+rupture--A bewildered minister--Marie and her foster-sister--Conspiracy
+of the Ducs de Bouillon and de Biron--Parallel between the two
+nobles--The Comte d'Auvergne--Ingratitude of Biron--He is betrayed--His
+arrogance--He is summoned to the capital to justify himself--He refuses
+to obey the royal summons--Henry sends a messenger to command his
+presence at Court--Precautionary measures of Sully--The President
+Jeannin prevails over the obstinacy of Biron--Double treachery of La
+Fin--The King endeavours to induce Biron to confess his crime--Arrest of
+the Duc de Biron and the Comte d'Auvergne--The royal soirée--A timely
+caution--Biron is made prisoner by Vitry, and the Comte d'Auvergne by
+Praslin--They are conveyed separately to the Bastille--Exultation of the
+citizens--Firmness of the King--Violence of Biron--Tardy
+repentance--Trial of Biron--A scene in the Bastille--Condemnation of the
+Duke--He is beheaded--The subordinate conspirators are pardoned--The Duc
+de Bouillon retires to Turenne--Refuses to appear at Court--Execution of
+the Baron de Fontenelles--A salutary lesson--The Comte d'Auvergne is
+restored to liberty--Revolt of the Prince de Joinville--He is treated
+with contempt by the King--He is imprisoned by the Duc de Guise--Removal
+of the Court to Fontainbleau--Legitimation of the son of Madame de
+Verneuil--Unhappiness of the Queen--She is consoled by Sully--Birth of
+the Princesse Elisabeth de France--Disappointment of the
+Queen--Soeur Ange.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+1603-4
+
+Court festivities--Madame de Verneuil is lodged in the palace--She gives
+birth to a daughter--Royal quarrels--Mademoiselle de Guise--Italian
+actors--Revolt at Metz--Henry proceeds thither and suppresses the
+rebellion--Discontent of the Duc d'Epernon--The Duchesse de Bar and the
+Duc de Lorraine arrive in France--Illness of Queen Elizabeth of
+England--Her death--Indisposition of the French King--Sully at
+Fontainebleau--Confidence of Henri IV in his wife--His recovery--Renewed
+passion of Henry for Madame de Verneuil--Anger of the Queen--Quarrel of
+the Comte de Soissons and the Duc de Sully--The edict--Treachery of
+Madame de Verneuil--Insolence of the Comte de Soissons--A royal
+rebuke--Alarm of Madame de Verneuil--Hopes of the Queen--Jealousy of the
+Marquise--The dinner at Rosny--The King pacifies the province of Lower
+Normandy--The Comte de Soissons prepares to leave the kingdom--Is
+dissuaded by the King--Official apology of Sully--Reception of
+Alexandre-Monsieur into the Order of the Knights of Malta--Death of the
+Duchesse de Bar--Grief of the King--The Papal Nuncio--Treachery near the
+throne--A revelation--The Duc de Villeroy--A stormy audience--Escape of
+L'Hôte--His pursuit--His death--Ignominious treatment of his
+body--Madame de Verneuil asserts her claim to the hand of the King--The
+Comte d'Auvergne retires from the Court--Madame de Verneuil requests
+permission to quit France--Reply of the King--Indignation of Marie--The
+King resolves to obtain the written promise of marriage--Insolence
+of the favourite--Weakness of Henry--He asks the advice of
+Sully--Parallel between a wife and a mistress--A lame apology--The two
+Henrys--Reconciliation between the King and the favourite--Remonstrances
+of Sully--A delicate dilemma--Extravagance of the Queen--The "Pot de
+Vin"--The royal letter--Evil influences--Henry endeavours to effect a
+reconciliation with the Queen--Difficult diplomacy--A temporary
+calm--Renewed differences--A minister at fault--Mademoiselle de la
+Bourdaisière--Mademoiselle de Bueil--Jealousy of Madame de
+Verneuil--Conspiracy of the Comte d'Auvergne--Intemperance of the
+Queen--Timely interference--Confidence accorded by the Queen to Sully--A
+dangerous suggestion--Sully reconciles the royal couple--Madame de
+Verneuil is exiled from the Court--She joins the conspiracy of her
+brother--The forged contract--Apology of the Comte d'Entragues--Promises
+of Philip of Spain to the conspirators--Duplicity of the Comte
+d'Auvergne--He is pardoned by the King--His treachery suspected by M. de
+Loménie--D'Auvergne escapes to his government--Is made prisoner and
+conveyed to the Bastille--His self-confidence--A devoted wife--The
+requirements of a prisoner--Hidden documents--The treaty with Spain--The
+Comtesse d'Entragues--Haughty demeanour of Madame de Verneuil--The
+mistress and the minister--Mortification of Sully--Marriage of
+Mademoiselle de Bueil--Henry embellishes the city of Paris and
+undertakes other great national works.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+1605
+
+Trial of the conspirators--Pusillanimity of the Comte
+d'Auvergne--Arrogant attitude assumed by Madame de Verneuil--She refuses
+to offer any defence--Defence of the Comte d'Entragues--The two nobles
+are condemned to death--Madame de Verneuil is sentenced to imprisonment
+for life in a convent--A mother's intercession--The King commutes the
+sentence of death passed on the two nobles to exile from the Court and
+imprisonment for life--Expostulations of the Privy Council--Madame de
+Verneuil is permitted to retire to her estate--Disappointment of the
+Queen--Marriage of the Duc de Rohan--Singular ceremony--A tilt at the
+Louvre--Bassompierre is dangerously wounded--His convalescence--Death of
+Clement VIII--Election of Leo XI--His sudden death--Election of Paul
+V--The Comte d'Entragues is authorized to return to Marcoussis--Madame
+de Verneuil is pardoned and recalled--Marriage of the Prince de
+Conti--Mademoiselle de Guise--Marriage of the Prince of Orange--The
+ex-Queen Marguerite--She arrives in Paris--Gratitude of the King--Her
+reception--Murder at the Hôtel de Sens--Execution of the
+criminal--Marguerite removes to the Faubourg St. Germain--The King
+condoles with her on the loss of her favourite--Her dissolute
+career--Her able policy--Death of M. de la Rivière--Execution of M. de
+Merargues--Attempt to assassinate Henri IV--Magnanimity of the
+monarch--Henry seeks to initiate the Queen into the mysteries of
+government--_Madame la Régente_--A timely warning.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+1606
+
+New Year's Day at Court--The royal tokens--A singular audience--A
+proposition--Birth of the Princesse Christine--Public festivities--A
+ballet on horseback--The King resolves to humble the Duc de
+Bouillon--Arguments of the Queen--Policy of Henry--The Court proceeds to
+Torcy--Surrender of Bouillon--The sovereigns enter Sedan--Rejoicings of
+the citizens--State entry into Paris--The High Court of Justice assigns
+to the ex-Queen Marguerite the county of Auvergne--The "Te
+Deum"--Marguerite makes a donation of her recovered estates to the
+Dauphin--Inconsistencies of Marguerite--The Queen's jealousy of Madame
+de Moret--Increasing coldness of the King towards that lady--The frail
+rivals--Princely beacons--Indignation of the Queen--Narrow escape of the
+King and Queen--Gratitude of the Queen to her preserver--Insolent
+pleasantry of the Marquise de Verneuil--A disappointment
+compensated---Marriage of the Duc de Bar--The King invites the Duchess
+of Mantua to become sponsor to the Dauphin, and the Duc de Lorraine to
+the younger Princess--_The Mantuan suite_--Preparations at
+Notre-Dame--The plague in Paris--The Court removes to Fontainebleau--The
+royal christenings--Increase of the plague--Royal disappointments--The
+Duchesse de Nevers--Discourtesy of the King--Dignity of the Duchess.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+1607-8
+
+Profuse expenditure of the French nobles--Prevalence of duelling under
+Henri IV--Meeting of the Prince de Condé and the Duc de Nevers--They are
+arrested by the King's guard--Reconciliation of the two nobles--The Duc
+de Soubise is wounded in a duel--Profligacy of Madame de Moret--The King
+insists upon her marriage with the Prince de Joinville--Indignation of
+the Duchesse de Guise--A dialogue with Majesty--The Prince de Joinville
+is exiled--Madame de Moret intrigues with the Comte de Sommerive--He
+promises her marriage--He attempts to assassinate M. de Balagny--He is
+exiled to Lorraine--Mademoiselle des Essarts--Birth of the Duc
+d'Orléans--Peace between the Pope and the Venetians--The Queen and her
+confidants--Death of the Chancellor of France--Death of the Cardinal de
+Lorraine--Royal rejoicings--The last ballet of a dying Prince--Betrothal
+of Mademoiselle de Montpensier to the infant Duc d'Orléans--Sully as a
+theatrical manager--The Court gamester--Death of the Duc de
+Montpensier--The ex-Queen Marguerite founds a monastery--Influence of
+Concini and Leonora over the Queen--Arrogance of Concini--Indignation of
+the King--A royal rupture--The King leaves Paris for Chantilly--Sully
+and the Queen--The letter--Anger of the King--Sully reconciles the King
+and Queen--Madame de Verneuil and the Duc de Guise--Court
+gambling--Birth of the Duc d'Anjou--Betrothal of the Duc de Vendôme and
+Mademoiselle de Mercoeur--Reluctance of the lady's family--Celebration
+of the marriage--Munificence of Henry--Arrival of Don Pedro de
+Toledo--His arrogance--Admirable rejoinder of the King--Object of the
+embassy--Passion of Henry for hunting--Embellishment of Paris--Eduardo
+Fernandez--The King's debts of honour--Despair of Madame de
+Verneuil--Defective policy--A bold stroke for a coronet--The
+fallen favourite.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+1609-10
+
+Death of the Grand Duke of Tuscany--The Queen's ballet--Mademoiselle de
+Montmorency--Description of her person--She is betrothed to
+Bassompierre--Indignation of the Duc de Bouillon--Contrast between the
+rivals--The Duc de Bellegarde excites the curiosity of the King--The
+nymph of Diana--The rehearsal--Passion of the King for Mademoiselle de
+Montmorency--The royal gout--Interposition of the Duc de
+Roquelaure--Firmness of the Connétable--The ducal gout--Postponement of
+the marriage--Diplomacy of Henry--The sick-room--An obedient
+daughter--Henry resolves to prevent the marriage--The King and the
+courtier--Lip-deep loyalty--Henry offers the hand of Mademoiselle de
+Montmorency to the Prince de Condé--The regal pledge--The Prince de
+Condé consents to espouse Mademoiselle de Montmorency--Invites
+Bassompierre to his betrothal--Royal tyranny--A cruel pleasantry--The
+betrothal--Court festivities--Happiness of the Queen--Royal presents to
+the bride--The ex-Queen's ball--Jealousy of the Prince de
+Condé--Indignation of the Queen--Henry revenges himself upon M. de
+Condé--Madame de Condé retires from the Court--The King insists on her
+return--The Prince de Condé feigns compliance--The Prince and Princess
+escape to the Low Countries--The news of their flight reaches
+Fontainebleau--Birth of a Princess--Unpleasant surprise--Henry betrays
+his annoyance to the Queen--He assembles his ministers--He resolves to
+compel the return of the Princess to France--Conflicting counsels--M. de
+Praslin is despatched to Brussels--Embarrassment of the Archduke
+Albert--He refuses an asylum to M. de Condé, who proceeds to
+Milan--The Princess remains at Brussels--She is honourably
+entertained--Interference of the Queen--Philip of Spain promises his
+protection to the Prince de Condé--He is invited to return to
+Brussels--The Marquis de Coeuvres endeavours to effect the return of the
+Prince to France--His negotiation fails--Madame de Condé is placed under
+surveillance--Her weariness of the Court of Brussels--The Duc de
+Montmorency desires her return to Paris--M. de Coeuvres is authorized to
+effect her escape from Brussels--The plot prospers--Indiscretion of the
+King--The Queen informs the Spanish minister of the conspiracy--Madame
+de Condé is removed to the Archducal palace--Mortification of the
+King--The French envoys expostulate with the Archduke, who remains
+firm--Henry resolves to declare war against Spain and Flanders--Fresh
+negotiations--The King determines to head the army in person--Marie de
+Medicis becomes Regent of France--She is counselled by Concini to urge
+her coronation--Reluctance of the King to accede to her request--He
+finally consents--"The best husband in the world"--Fatal
+prognostics--Signs in the heavens--The Curé of Montargis--The Papal
+warning--The Cardinal Barberino--The Sultan's message--Suspicious
+circumstances--Supineness of the Austrian Cabinet--Prophecy of Anne de
+Comans--Her miserable fate--The astrologer Thomassin--The Béarnais
+noble--The Queen's dream--Royal presentiments--The hawthorn of the
+Louvre--Distress of Bassompierre--Expostulation of the King--Melancholy
+forebodings.
+
+
+NOTE
+
+_A brief memoir, with a portrait on steel, of Miss Pardoe will be found
+prefixed to "The Court and Reign of Francis the First_."
+
+
+
+BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
+
+OF
+
+THE FIRST VOLUME
+
+Duc de Guise (Henri de Lorraine, _Le Balafré_).
+Duchesse de Guise.
+Prince de Condé (Henri I. de Bourbon).
+Ambroise Paré.
+Mlle. de Torigni.
+Duchesse de Bar.
+Duc de Joyeuse.
+Le Père Ange.
+Maréchal de Matignon.
+Marquis de Canillac.
+Comtesse de Guiche.
+Gabrielle d'Estrées (Duchesse de Beaufort).
+Duc de Bouillon.
+Comte d'Aubigny.
+Isabella, Infanta of Spain.
+Princess Arabella Stuart.
+Isabeau de Bavière.
+Prince Maurice of Orange.
+Marie de Medicis.
+Mlle. de Guise.
+Mlle. de Mayenne.
+Mlle. d'Aumale.
+Mlle. de Longueville.
+Mlle. de Rohan.
+Mlle. de Luxembourg.
+Mlle. de Guéménée.
+Cardinal de Marquemont.
+Cardinal d'Ossat.
+Cardinal Duperron.
+Duc de Piney-Luxembourg.
+M. de Sillery.
+Duc de Bellegarde.
+Duc de Lude.
+M. de Thermes.
+Marquis de Castelnau.
+Marquis de Montglat.
+M. de Frontenac.
+Baron de Bassompierre.
+Marquise de Verneuil.
+Queen Louise.
+Comte d'Auvergne.
+M. de Villeroy.
+Duke of Savoy.
+Duc de Biron.
+Sebastian Zamet.
+M. du Terrail.
+Marquis de Créquy.
+Duc de Montmorency (Henri I.).
+Duc de Nemours.
+Duc de Ventadour.
+M. du Vair.
+Le Père Suarés.
+M. Albert de Bellièvre.
+M. de Roquelaure.
+Cardinal de Joyeuse.
+Cardinal de Gondy.
+Cardinal de Sourdis.
+Marquis de Gondy.
+Duchesse de Nemours.
+Leonora Galigaï (Marquise d'Ancre).
+Madame de Richelieu.
+Concini (Maréchal d'Ancre).
+Charles I., Cardinal de Bourbon.
+Charles II, Cardinal de Bourbon.
+M. de la Rivière.
+Duc de Verneuil.
+Duc de Vendôme.
+M. de Berthault.
+Prince de Joinville.
+Mademoiselle de Sourdis.
+Caterina Selvaggio.
+Duc de la Trémouille.
+Duc d'Epernon.
+Condé de Fuentes.
+Baron de Luz.
+M. de la Fin.
+M. Descures.
+M. Jeannin.
+Comte de Soissons (Charles de Bourbon-Conti).
+Marquis de Vitry.
+Marquis de Praslin.
+Maréchal de Montigny.
+M. de Montbarot.
+Baron de Fontenelles.
+Duc de Mayenne.
+Duc de Guise (Charles de Lorraine).
+Madame Elisabeth de France.
+Mademoiselle de Bourbon.
+M. de Sobole.
+M. d'Arquien.
+Duc de Deux-Ponts.
+Comte de Beaumont.
+M. de Bellefonds.
+Comte de St. Pol.
+Bishop of Nevers.
+M. de Barrault.
+Comte de Rochepot.
+Comte de Brienne.
+M. d'Argouges.
+M. de Maisse.
+M. de Gêvres.
+Mademoiselle de Bueil.
+M. de la Houssaye.
+M. Murat.
+M. de Nérestan.
+Comtesse d'Auvergne.
+M. Defunctis.
+Marquis de Spinola.
+Comtesse d'Entragues.
+M. de Chevillard.
+M. de la Varenne.
+M. du Plessis-Mornay.
+M. Achille de Harlay.
+M. Servin.
+Mademoiselle d'Entragues.
+Duc de Rohan.
+Comte de Laval.
+Baron de Thermes.
+M. de Saint-Luc.
+Comte de Sault.
+Clement VIII.
+Paul V.
+Comte de Giury.
+Princess of Orange.
+Bishop of Bourges.
+M. de Merargues.
+Madame de Drou.
+Mademoiselle de Piolant.
+Madame Christine de France.
+Comte de Sommerive.
+Duc de Nevers.
+Duc de Montpensier.
+Baron de la Châtaigneraie.
+Duchess of Mantua.
+Leo XI.
+Baron de la Châtre.
+Comte de Liancourt.
+Maréchal de Fervaques.
+Marquis de Bois-Dauphin.
+Marquis de Lavardin.
+Duc de Montbazon.
+Duchesse d'Angoulême.
+Prince de Vaudemont.
+Marquis de Rosny.
+Duchesse de Montpensier.
+Duchesse de Nevers.
+Duc de Soubise.
+Comte de Moret.
+M. de Balagny.
+Mademoiselle des Essarts.
+Comte de Beaumont-Harlay.
+Cardinal de Guise.
+Cardinal de Lorraine.
+Mademoiselle de Montpensier.
+Gaston Jean Baptiste de France.
+Mademoiselle de Mercoeur.
+Don Pedro de Toledo.
+Mademoiselle de Montmorency.
+Seigneur de Montespan.
+Comte d'Elbène.
+Marquis de Coeuvres.
+Marquis de Gêvres.
+Duc de la Force.
+Archduke of Austria.
+M. de Châteauneuf.
+Madame Henriette de France.
+M. de Preau.
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+VOL. I
+
+1. MARIE DE MEDICIS, SECOND QUEEN OF HENRY IV OF FRANCE.
+
+2. HENRI DE LORRAINE, DUC DE GUISE. Engraved by Hopwood.
+
+3. THE EVE OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEW. Engraved by Follet from a Painting by
+Raffet.
+
+4. GABRIELLE D'ESTRÉES.
+
+5. MARÉCHAL DE BIRON. Engraved by Colin from the Original by Gallait.
+
+6. DUC DE SULLY. Engraved by Hopwood.
+
+7. MARIE DE MEDICIS.
+
+
+BOOK I
+
+MARIE DE MEDICIS AS QUEEN
+
+
+
+THE LIFE
+
+OF
+
+MARIE DE MEDICIS
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+1572
+
+Marriages of Henri IV--Marguerite de Valois--Her character--Her marriage
+with the King of Navarre--Massacre of Saint Bartholomew--Henri, Duc
+d'Anjou, elected sovereign of Poland--Death of Charles IX--Accession of
+Henri III--Conspiracy of the Duc d'Alençon--Revealed by
+Marguerite--Henry of Navarre escapes from the French Court--Henry of
+Navarre protests against his enforced oath--Marguerite is imprisoned by
+her brother--The Duc d'Alençon returns to his allegiance--Marguerite
+joins her husband at Béarn--Domestic discord--Marriage-portion of
+Marguerite--Court of Navarre--Dupin insults the Queen of
+Navarre--Catherine de Medicis induces Marguerite to return to
+France--The Duc d'Alençon again revolts--Marguerite arrests a royal
+courier--She is banished with ignominy from the French Court--She is
+deprived of her attendants--Henry of Navarre refuses to receive her in
+the palace--Marguerite returns to Agen--Her licentiousness--Agen is
+stormed and taken by the Marshal de Matignon--Marguerite escapes to the
+fortress of Carlat--The inhabitants of the town resolve to deliver her
+up to the French King--She is made prisoner by the Marquis de Canillac,
+and conveyed to Usson--She seduces the governor of the fortress--Death
+of the Duc d'Alençon--Poverty of Marguerite--Accession of Henri IV--He
+embraces the Catholic faith--His dissipated habits--The Duc de Bouillon
+heads the Huguenot party--Henri IV proceeds to Brittany, and threatens
+M. de Bouillon--Festivities at Rennes--Henri IV becomes melancholy--He
+resolves to divorce Marguerite, and take a second wife--European
+princesses--Henry desires to marry la belle Gabrielle--Sully
+expostulates--Sully proposes a divorce to Marguerite--The Duchesse de
+Beaufort intrigues to prevent the marriage of the King with Marie de
+Medicis--She bribes Sillery--Diplomacy of Sillery--Gabrielle aspires to
+the throne of France--Her death--Marguerite consents to a divorce--The
+Pope declares the nullity of her marriage--Grief of the King at the
+death of Gabrielle--Royal pleasures--A new intrigue--Mademoiselle
+d'Entragues--Her tact--Her character--A love-messenger--Value of a royal
+favourite--Costly indulgences--A practical rebuke--Diplomacy of
+Mademoiselle d'Entragues--The written promise--Mademoiselle d'Entragues
+is created Marquise de Verneuil.
+
+However celebrated he was destined to become as a sovereign, Henri IV of
+France was nevertheless fated to be singularly unfortunate as a husband.
+Immediately after the death of his mother, the high-hearted Jeanne
+d'Albret, whom he succeeded on the throne of Navarre, political
+considerations induced him to give his hand to Marguerite, the daughter
+of Henri II and Catherine de Medicis, a Princess whose surpassing beauty
+and rare accomplishments were the theme and marvel of all the European
+courts, and whose alliance was an object of ambition to many of the
+sovereign princes of Christendom.
+
+Marguerite de Valois was born on the 14th of May 1552, and became the
+wife of Henry of Navarre on the 18th of August 1572, when she was in the
+full bloom of youth and loveliness; nor can there be any doubt that she
+was one of the most extraordinary women of her time; for while her grace
+and wit dazzled the less observant by their brilliancy, the depth of her
+erudition, her love of literature and the arts, and the solidity of her
+judgment, no less astonished those who were capable of appreciating the
+more valuable gifts which had been lavished upon her by nature. A dark
+shadow rested, however, upon the surface of this glorious picture.
+Marguerite possessed no moral self-government; her passions were at once
+the bane and the reproach of her existence; and while yet a mere girl
+her levity had already afforded ample subject for the comments of the
+courtiers.
+
+[Illustration: HENRI DE LORRAINE. Paris Richard Bentley and Son 1890]
+
+Fortunately, in the rapid sketch which we are compelled to give of her
+career, it is unnecessary that we should do more than glance at the
+licentiousness of her private conduct; our business is simply to trace
+such an outline of her varying fortunes as may suffice to render
+intelligible the position of Henri IV at the period of his
+second marriage.
+
+After the death of Francis II, when internal commotion had succeeded to
+the feigned and hollow reconciliation which had taken place between
+Charles IX and Henri de Lorraine, Duc de Guise,[2] Marguerite and her
+younger brother, the Duc d'Alençon, were removed to the castle of
+Amboise for greater security; and she remained in that palace-fortress
+from her tenth year until 1564, when she returned to Court, and
+thenceforward became one of the brightest ornaments of the royal circle.
+Henri de Guise was not long ere he declared himself her ardent admirer,
+and the manner in which the Princess received and encouraged his
+attentions left no doubt that the affection was reciprocal. So
+convinced, indeed, were those about her person of the fact, that M. du
+Gast, the favourite of the King her brother, earnestly entreated His
+Majesty no longer to confide to the Princess, as he had hitherto done,
+all the secrets of the state, as they could not, he averred, fail, under
+existing circumstances, to be communicated to M. de Guise; and Charles
+IX so fully appreciated the value of this advice, that he hastened to
+urge the same caution upon the Queen-mother. This sudden distrust and
+coldness on the part of her royal relatives was peculiarly irritating to
+Marguerite; nor was her mortification lessened by the fact that the Duc
+de Guise, first alarmed, and ultimately disgusted, by her unblushing
+irregularities, withdrew his pretensions to her hand; and, sacrificing
+his ambition to a sense of self-respect, selected as his wife Catherine
+de Clèves, Princesse de Portien.[3]
+
+At this period Marguerite de Valois began to divide her existence
+between the most exaggerated devotional observances and the most sensual
+and degrading pleasures. Humbly kneeling before the altar, she would
+assist at several masses during the day; but at twilight she cast off
+every restraint, and careless of what was due, alike to her sex and to
+her rank, she plunged into the grossest dissipation; and after having
+played the guest at a riotous banquet, she might be seen sharing in the
+disgraceful orgies of a masquerade.[4] A short time after the marriage
+of the Duc de Guise, the hand of the Princess was demanded by Don
+Sebastian, King of Portugal; but the Queen-mother, who witnessed with
+alarm the increasing power of the Protestant party, and the utter
+impossibility of inspiring confidence in their leaders save by some bold
+and subtle stroke of policy, resolved to profit by the presence of the
+Huguenot King of Navarre, in order to overcome the distrust which not
+even the edict of 1570 had sufficed to remove; and to renew the project
+which had been already mooted during the lifetime of Jeanne d'Albret, of
+giving Marguerite in marriage to the young Prince, her son.
+
+The consciousness that she was sacrificing her daughter by thus
+bestowing her hand upon the sovereign of a petty kingdom might perhaps
+have deterred Catherine, had she not already decided upon the means by
+which the bonds of so unequal an alliance might be rent assunder; and it
+is even possible that the hatred which she bore to the reformed faith
+would in itself have sufficed to render such an union impossible, had
+not the crafty and compunctionless spirit by which she was animated
+inspired her with a method which would more than expiate the temporary
+sin. It is at all events certain that having summoned Henry of Navarre
+to her presence, she unhesitatingly, and with many professions of regard
+for himself, informed him of the overtures of the Portuguese monarch,
+assuring him at the same time, that although the King of Spain was
+opposed to the alliance from motives of personal interest, it was one
+which would prove highly gratifying to Gregory XIII; but adding that
+both Charles IX and herself were so anxious to perform the promise which
+they had made to his mother, and to prove their good faith to his own
+person, that they were willing to refuse the crown of Portugal and to
+accept that of Navarre for the Princess.
+
+Henry of Béarn hesitated. He was aware that the chiefs of the Protestant
+party, especially the Admiral de Coligny, whom he regarded as a father,
+were desirous that he should become the husband of Elizabeth of England.
+Past experience had rendered them suspicious of the French, while an
+alliance with the English promised them a strong and abiding protection.
+Nor was Henry himself more disposed to espouse Marguerite de Valois, as
+her early reputation for gallantry offended his sense of self-respect,
+while a strong attachment elsewhere rendered him insensible to her
+personal attractions. As a matter of ambition, the alliance was beyond
+his hopes, and brought him one step nearer to that throne which, by some
+extraordinary prescience, both he and his friends anticipated that he
+was destined one day to ascend;[5] but he could not forget that there
+were dark suspicions attached to the strange and sudden death of a
+mother to whom he had been devoted; and he felt doubly repugnant to
+receive a wife from the very hands which were secretly accused of having
+abridged his passage to the sovereignty of Navarre. Like Marguerite
+herself, moreover, he was not heart-whole; and thus he clung to the
+freedom of an unmarried life, and would fain have declined the honour
+which was pressed upon him; but the wily Catherine, who instantly
+perceived his embarrassment, bade him carefully consider the position in
+which he stood, and the fearful responsibility which attached to his
+decision. Charles IX, in bestowing upon him the hand of his sister, gave
+to the Protestants the most decided and unequivocal proof of his
+sincerity. It was evident, she said, that despite the edict which
+assured protection to the Huguenot party, they still misdoubted the
+good-faith of the monarch; but when he had also overlooked, or rather
+disregarded, the difference of faith so thoroughly as to give a Princess
+of France in marriage to one of their princes, they would no longer have
+a pretext for discontent, and the immediate pacification of the kingdom
+must be the necessary consequence of such a concession. The ultimate
+issue of so unequal a conflict could not, as she asserted, be for one
+moment doubtful; but the struggle might be a bloody one, and he would do
+well to remember that the blood thus spilt would be upon his own head.
+
+Henry then sought, as his mother had previously done, to create a
+difficulty by alleging that the difference of faith between himself and
+the Princess must tend to affect the validity of their marriage; but the
+wily Italian met this objection by reminding him that Charles IX had
+publicly declared that "rather than that the alliance should not take
+place, he would permit his sister to dispense with all the rites and
+ceremonies of both religions."
+
+It is well known that the motive of the French King in thus urging, or
+rather insisting upon, a marriage greatly beneath the pretensions of the
+Princess, was simply to attract to Court all the Huguenot leaders, who,
+placing little faith in the conciliatory edict, had resolutely abstained
+from appearing in the capital; but Catherine alluded so slightly to this
+fact that it awoke no misgivings in the mind of the young monarch.
+
+Thus adjured, Henry of Navarre yielded; nor did the Princess on her part
+offer any violent opposition to the marriage. She objected, it is true,
+her religious scruples, and her attachment to her own creed; but her
+arguments were soon overruled, the hand of the King of Portugal was
+courteously declined, Philip of Spain was assured that his
+representations had decided the French Court, and immediate preparations
+were made for the unhappy union, whose date was to be written in blood.
+The double ceremony, exacted by the difference of faith in the
+contracting parties, was performed, as we have said, on the 18th of
+August 1572, the public betrothal having taken place on the preceding
+day at the Louvre; and it was accompanied by all the splendour of which
+it was susceptible. The marriage-service was performed by the Cardinal
+de Bourbon, on a platform erected in front of the metropolitan church of
+Notre-Dame; whence, at its conclusion, the bridal train descended by a
+temporary gallery to the interior of the Cathedral, and proceeded to the
+altar, where Henry, relinquishing the hand of his new-made wife, left
+her to assist at the customary mass, and meanwhile paced to and fro
+along the cloisters in conversation with the venerable Gaspard de
+Coligny and others of his confidential friends, the whole of whom were
+sanguine in their anticipations of a bright and happy future.
+
+At the conclusion of the mass the King of Navarre rejoined his bride,
+and taking her hand, conducted her to the episcopal palace, where,
+according to an ancient custom, the marriage-banquet awaited them.[6]
+The square of the Parvis Notre-Dame was crowded with eager spectators,
+and the heart of the Queen-mother beat high with exultation as she
+glanced at the retinue of the bridegroom, and recognised in his suite
+all the Huguenot leaders who had hitherto refused to pass the gates of
+the capital.
+
+Save her own, however, all eyes were rivetted upon Marguerite; and many
+were the devout Catholics who murmured beneath their breath at the
+policy which had determined the monarch to bestow a Princess of such
+beauty and genius upon a heretic. In truth, nothing could be more regal
+or more dazzling than the appearance of the youthful bride, who wore,
+as Queen of Navarre, a richly-jewelled crown, beneath which her long and
+luxuriant dark hair fell in waving masses over an ermine cape (or
+_couet_) clasped from the throat to the waist with large diamonds; while
+her voluminous train of violet-coloured velvet, three ells in length,
+was borne by four princesses.[7] And thus in royal state she moved
+along, surrounded and followed by all the nobility and chivalry of
+France, amid the acclamations of an admiring and excited people, having
+just pledged herself to one whose feelings were as little interested in
+the compact as her own.
+
+The bridal festivities lasted throughout three entire days; and never
+had such an excess of luxury and magnificence been displayed at the
+French Court. Towards the Protestants, the bearing both of Charles IX
+and his mother was so courteous, frank, and conciliating, that the most
+distrustful gradually threw off their misgivings, and vied with the
+Catholic nobles both in gallantry and splendour; and meanwhile
+Catherine, the King, the Duc d'Anjou, and the Guises were busied in
+organizing the frightful tragedy of St. Bartholomew!
+
+The young Queen of Navarre had scrupulously been left in ignorance of a
+plot which involved the life of her bridegroom as well as those of his
+co-religionists; nor was she aware of the catastrophe which had been
+organised until Paris was already one vast shambles. Startled from her
+sleep at the dead of night, and hurriedly informed of the nature of the
+frightful cries that had broken her rest, she at once sprang from her
+bed, and throwing on a mantle, forced her way to the closet of her royal
+brother, where, sinking on her knees, she earnestly implored the lives
+of Henry's Protestant attendants; but for a time Charles was obdurate;
+nor was it until after he had reluctantly yielded to her prayers that
+she recognised, with an involuntary cry of joy, the figure of her
+husband, who stood in the deep bay of a window with his cousin, M.
+de Condé.[8]
+
+By one of those caprices to which he was subject, the King had refused
+to sacrifice either of these Princes; and he had accordingly summoned
+them to his presence, where he had offered them the alternative of an
+instant abjuration of their heresy.
+
+Shrieks and groans already resounded on all sides; the groans of strong
+men, struck down unarmed and defenceless, and the shrieks of women
+struggling with their murderers; while through all, and above all,
+boomed out the deep-toned bells of the metropolitan churches--one long
+burial-peal; and amid this ghastly diapason it was the pleasure of the
+tiger-hearted Charles to accept the reluctant and informal recantation
+of his two horror-stricken victims; after which he compelled them
+without remorse to the agony of seeing their friends and followers
+butchered before their eyes.
+
+Enraged by what they denounced as the weak and impolitic clemency of the
+King, in having thus shielded two of the most powerful leaders of the
+adverse faction, Catherine de Medicis and the Guises, having first
+wreaked their vengeance upon the corpse of the brave and veteran de
+Coligny, which they induced the King to dishonour himself by subjecting
+to the most ignominious treatment, next endeavoured to alienate
+Marguerite from her husband, and to induce her to solicit a divorce. It
+had formed no part of the Queen-mother's intention that the Princess
+should remain fettered by the bonds which she had herself wreathed about
+her; nor could she brook that after having accomplished a _coup-de-main_
+which had excited the indignation of half of Europe, Henry of Navarre
+should be indebted for an impunity which counteracted all her views to
+the alliance which he had formed with her own family. Marguerite,
+however, resolutely refused to lend herself to this new treachery,
+declaring that as her husband had abjured his heresy, she had no plea to
+advance in justification of so flagrant an act of perfidy; nor could the
+expostulations of her mother produce any change in her resolve.
+
+[Illustration: THE EVE OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEU Paris: Richard Bentley and
+Son 1890.]
+
+It is probable that the perfect freedom of action for which she was
+indebted to the indifference of her young bridegroom had great influence
+in prompting this reply, and that the crown which had so recently been
+placed upon her brow had at the same time flattered her ambition;
+while the frightful carnage of which she had just been a witness might
+well cause her to shrink from the probable repetition of so hideous a
+catastrophe. Be her motives what they might, however, neither threats
+nor entreaties could shake the resolution of the Princess; and she was
+supported in her opposition by her favourite brother, the Duc d'Alençon,
+who had secretly attached himself to the cause of the Protestant
+Princes.
+
+This was another source of uneasiness to the Queen-mother, who
+apprehended, from the pertinacity with which Marguerite clung to her
+husband, that she would exert all her influence to effect an
+understanding between the two brothers-in-law which could not fail to
+prove fatal to the interests of the Duc d'Anjou, who, in the event of
+the decease of Charles IX, was the rightful heir to the throne. Nor was
+that decease a mere matter of idle speculation, for the health of the
+King, always feeble and uncertain, had failed more than ever since the
+fatal night of the 24th of August; and he had even confessed to Ambroise
+Paré,[9] his body-surgeon, that his dreams were haunted by the spectres
+of his victims, and that he consequently shrank from the sleep which was
+so essential to his existence. The Duc d'Anjou meanwhile was absent at
+the siege of Rochelle, while his brother, d'Alençon, was about the
+person of the dying monarch, and had made himself eminently popular
+among the citizens of Paris. The crisis was an alarming one; but it was
+still destined to appear even more perilous, for, to the consternation
+of Catherine, intelligence at this period reached the Court that the
+Polish nation had elected the Duc d'Anjou as their King, and that their
+ambassadors were about to visit France in order to tender him the crown.
+In vain did she represent to Charles the impolicy of suffering a warlike
+prince like Henri d'Anjou to abandon his country for a foreign throne,
+and urge him to replace the elder by the younger brother, alleging that
+so long as the Polish people could see a prince of the blood-royal of
+France at the head of their nation, they would care little whether he
+were called Henry or Francis; the King refused to countenance such a
+substitution. He had long been jealous of the military renown of the Duc
+d'Anjou; while he was also perfectly aware of the anxiety with which
+both the Queen-mother and the Prince himself looked forward to his own
+death, in order that Henry might succeed him; and he consequently issued
+a command that the sovereign-elect should immediately repair to Paris to
+receive at the hands of the foreign delegates the crown which they were
+about to offer to him.
+
+The summons was obeyed. The ambassadors, who duly arrived, were
+magnificently received; Henri d'Anjou was declared King of Poland; and,
+finally, he found himself compelled to depart for his own kingdom.
+Unfortunately for Marguerite, she had not sufficient self-control to
+conceal the joy with which she saw the immediate succession to the
+French throne thus transferred to her favourite brother; and her evident
+delight so exasperated the Queen-mother, that she communicated to
+Charles the suspicions which she herself entertained of the treachery of
+the Princess; but the King, worn down by both physical and mental
+suffering, treated her warnings with indifference, and she was
+consequently compelled to await with patience the progress of events.
+
+The death of the French monarch, which shortly afterwards took place,
+and the accession of Henri d'Anjou, whom a timely warning had enabled to
+abandon the crown of Poland for that of France, for a time diverted the
+attention of Catherine from the suspected machinations of her daughter,
+when, as if to convince her of her injustice, she suddenly received
+secret intelligence from the young Queen of Navarre, that the Duc
+d'Alençon had entered into a new league with the Bourbon Princes. It is
+difficult to account for the motive which led Marguerite to make this
+revelation, when her extraordinary affection for her brother, and the
+anxiety which she had universally exhibited for the safety of her
+husband, are remembered; thus much, however, is certain, that she did
+not betray the conspiracy (which had been revealed to her by a Lutheran
+gentleman whom she had saved during the massacre of St. Bartholomew)
+until she had exacted a pledge that the lives of all who were involved
+in it should be spared. In her anxiety to secure the secret, the
+Queen-mother, on her side, gave a solemn promise to that effect, and she
+redeemed her word; while from the immediate precautions which she caused
+to be taken the plot was necessarily annihilated.
+
+The Princess had, however, by the knowledge which she thus displayed of
+the movements of the Huguenot party, only increased the suspicions both
+of the Queen-mother and her son; and the Court of France became ere long
+so distasteful to Henry of Navarre, from the constant affronts to which
+he was subjected, and the undisguised _surveillance_ which fettered all
+his movements, that he resolved to effect his escape from Paris, an
+example in which he was imitated by the Duc d'Alençon and the Prince de
+Condé, the former of whom retired to Champagne, and the latter to one of
+his estates, and with both of whom he shortly afterwards entered into a
+formidable league.
+
+Henri III, exasperated by the departure of the three Princes, declared
+his determination to revenge the affront upon Marguerite, who had not
+been enabled to accompany her husband; but the representations of the
+Queen-mother induced him to forego this ungenerous project, and he was
+driven to satiate his thirst for vengeance upon her favourite
+attendant, Mademoiselle de Torigni,[10] of whose services he had already
+deprived her, on the pretext that so young a Princess should not be
+permitted to retain about her person such persons as were likely to
+exert an undue influence over her mind, and to possess themselves of her
+secrets. In the first paroxysm of his rage, he even sentenced this lady
+to be drowned; nor is it doubtful that this iniquitous and unfounded
+sentence would have been really carried into effect, had not the
+unfortunate woman succeeded in making her escape through the agency of
+two individuals who were about to rejoin the Duc d'Alençon, and who
+conducted her safely to Champagne.[11]
+
+One of the first acts of Henry of Navarre on reaching his own dominions
+had been to protest against the enforced abjuration to which he was
+compelled on the fatal night of St. Bartholomew, and to evince his
+sincerity by resuming the practices of the reformed faith, a recantation
+which so exasperated the French King that he made Marguerite a close
+prisoner in her own apartments, under the pretext that she was leagued
+with the enemies of the state against the church and throne of her
+ancestors. Nor would he listen to her entreaties that she might be
+permitted to follow her husband, declaring that "she should not live
+with a heretic"; and thus her days passed on in a gloomy and cheerless
+monotony, ill suited to her excitable temperament and splendid tastes.
+Meanwhile, the Duc d'Alençon, weary of his voluntary exile, and hopeless
+of any successful result to the disaffection in which he had so long
+indulged, became anxious to effect a reconciliation with the King; and
+for this purpose he addressed himself to Marguerite, to whom he
+explained the conditions upon which he was willing to return to his
+allegiance, giving her full power to treat in his name. Henri III, who,
+on his side, was no less desirous to detach his brother from the
+Protestant cause, acceded to all his demands, among which was the
+immediate liberation of the Princess; and thus she at length found
+herself enabled to quit her regal prison and to rejoin her royal
+husband at Béarn.
+
+During the space of five years the ill-assorted couple maintained at
+least a semblance of harmony, for each apparently regarded very
+philosophically those delicate questions which occasionally conduce to
+considerable discord in married life. The personal habits of Henry,
+combined with his sense of gratitude to his wife for her refusal to
+abandon him to the virulence of her mother's hatred, induced him to
+close his eyes to her moral delinquencies, while Marguerite, in her
+turn, with equal complacency, affected a like ignorance as regarded the
+pursuits of her husband; and thus the little Court of Pau, where they
+had established their residence, rendered attractive by the frank
+urbanity of the sovereign, and the grace and intellect of the young
+Queen, became as brilliant and as dissipated as even the daughter of
+Catherine de Medicis herself could desire. Poets sang her praise under
+the name of Urania;[12] flatterers sought her smiles by likening her to
+the goddesses of love and beauty, and she lived in a perpetual
+atmosphere of pleasure and adulation.
+
+The marriage-portion of Marguerite had consisted of the two provinces of
+the Agénois and the Quercy, which had been ceded to her with all their
+royal prerogatives; but even after this accession of revenue the
+resources of Henry of Navarre did not exceed those of a private
+gentleman, amounting, in fact, only to a hundred and forty thousand
+livres, or about six thousand pounds yearly. The ancient kingdom of
+Navarre, which had once extended from the frontier of France to the
+banks of the Ebro, and of which Pampeluna had been the capital, shorn of
+its dimensions by Ferdinand the Catholic at the commencement of the
+sixteenth century, and incorporated with the Spanish monarchy, now
+consisted only of a portion of Lower Navarre, and the principality of
+Béarn, thus leaving to Henry little of sovereignty save the title. The
+duchy of Albret in Gascony, which he inherited from his
+great-grandfather, and that of Vendôme, his appanage as a Prince of the
+Blood-royal of France, consequently formed no inconsiderable portion of
+his territory: while the title of Governor of Guienne, which he still
+retained, was a merely nominal dignity whence he derived neither income
+nor influence; and so unpopular was he in the province that the citizens
+of Bordeaux refused to admit him within their gates.
+
+Nevertheless, the young monarch who held his court alternately at Pau
+and at Nérac, the capital of the duchy of Albret, expended annually upon
+his household and establishment nearly twelve thousand pounds, and that
+at a period when, according to the evidence of Sully, "the whole Court
+could not have furnished forty thousand livres;" [13] yet so
+inadequately were those about him remunerated, that Sully himself, in
+his joint capacity of councillor of state and chamberlain, received only
+two thousand annual livres, or ninety pounds sterling. This royal penury
+did not, however, depress the spirits of the frank and free-hearted
+King, who eagerly entered into every species of gaiety and amusement.
+Jousts, masques, and ballets succeeded each other with a rapidity which
+left no time for anxiety or _ennui_; and Marguerite has bequeathed to us
+in her memoirs so graphic a picture of the royal circle in 1579-80, that
+we cannot resist its transcription. "We passed the greater portion of
+our time at Nérac," she says, "where the Court was so brilliant that we
+had no reason to envy that of France. The sole subject of regret was
+that the principal number of the nobles and gentlemen were Huguenots;
+but the subject of religion was never mentioned; the King, my husband,
+accompanied by his sister,[14] attending their own devotions, while I
+and my suite heard mass in a chapel in the park. When the several
+services were concluded, we again assembled in a garden ornamented with
+avenues of laurels and cypresses upon the bank of the river; and in the
+afternoon and evening a ballet was performed." [15]
+
+It is much to be regretted that the royal biographer follows up this
+pleasing picture by avowals of her own profligacy, and complacent
+comments upon the indulgence and generosity with which she lent herself
+to the vices of her husband.
+
+The temporary calm was not, however, fated to endure. Marguerite, even
+while she indulged in the most unblushing licentiousness, was, as we
+have already stated, devoted to the observances of her religion; and on
+her first arrival at Pau she had requested that a chapel might be
+provided in which the services of her church could be performed. This
+was a concession which Henry of Navarre was neither willing nor indeed
+able to make, the inhabitants of the city being all rigid reformers who
+had not yet forgiven the young monarch either his enforced renunciation
+of their faith or his Catholic marriage; and accordingly the Queen had
+been compelled to avail herself of a small oratory in the castle which
+would not contain more than six or eight persons; while so anxious was
+the King not to exasperate the good citizens, that no individual was
+permitted to accompany her to the chapel save the immediate members of
+her household, and the drawbridge was always raised until she had
+returned to her own apartments.
+
+Thus, the arrival of Marguerite in the country, which had raised the
+hopes of the Catholic portion of the population, by no means tended to
+improve their position; and for a time her co-religionists, disheartened
+by so signal a disappointment, made no effort to resist the orders of
+the King; but on the day of Pentecost, 1579, a few zealous devotees, who
+had by some means introduced themselves secretly into the castle,
+followed the Queen to her oratory, where they were arrested by Dupin the
+royal secretary, very roughly treated in the presence of Marguerite
+herself, and only released on the payment of a heavy fine.
+
+Indignant at the disrespect which had been shown to her, the Princess at
+once proceeded to the apartment of her husband, where she complained
+with emphatic bitterness of the insolence of his favourite; and she had
+scarcely begun to acquaint him with the details of the affair when Dupin
+entered unannounced, and in the most intemperate manner commented on her
+breach of good faith in having wilfully abused the forbearance of the
+sovereign and his Protestant subjects.
+
+It was not without some difficulty that Henry succeeded in arresting
+this indecent flow of words, when, rebuking Dupin for his want of
+discretion and self-control, he commanded him immediately to crave the
+pardon of the Queen for his ill-advised interference and the want of
+deference of which he had been guilty towards her royal person; but
+Marguerite refused to listen to any apology, and haughtily and
+resolutely demanded the instant dismissal of the delinquent. In vain did
+Henry expostulate, declaring that he could not dispense with the
+services of so old and devoted a servant; the Princess was inexorable,
+and the over-zealous secretary received orders to leave the Court.
+Marguerite, however, purchased this triumph dearly, as the King resented
+with a bitterness unusual to him the exhibition of authority in which
+she had indulged; and when she subsequently urged him to punish those
+who had acted under the orders of the exiled secretary, he boldly and
+positively refused to give her any further satisfaction, alleging that
+her want of consideration towards himself left him at equal liberty to
+disregard her own wishes.
+
+Angry and irritated, Marguerite lost no time in acquainting her family
+with the affront which she had experienced; and Catherine de Medicis,
+who believed that she had now found a pretext sufficiently plausible to
+separate the young Queen from her husband, skilfully envenomed the
+already rankling wound, not only by awakening the religious scruples of
+her daughter, but also by reminding her that she had been subjected to
+insult from a petty follower of a petty court; and, finally, she urged
+her to assert her dignity by an immediate return to France.
+
+Marguerite, whom the King had not made a single effort to conciliate,
+obeyed without reluctance; and, in the year 1582, she left Navarre, and
+on her arrival in Paris took possession of her old apartments in the
+Louvre. She was received with great cordiality by Henri III, who trusted
+that her residence in France might induce her husband ere long to follow
+her; but he soon discovered that not even the warmth of his welcome
+could cause her to forget the past; and that, under his own royal roof,
+she was secretly intriguing with the Duc d'Alençon, who was once more in
+open revolt against him.
+
+For a time, although thoroughly informed that such was the fact, his
+emissaries were unable to produce any tangible proof of the validity of
+their accusations; but at length, rendered bold by impunity, Marguerite
+was so imprudent (for the purpose of forwarding some despatches to the
+rebel Duke) as to cause the arrest of a royal courier, charged with an
+autograph letter of two entire sheets from the King to his favourite the
+Duc de Joyeuse,[16] who was then on a mission at Rome; when the
+unfortunate messenger, who found himself suddenly attacked by four men
+in masks, made so desperate an effort to save the packet with which he
+had been entrusted, that the _sbirri_ of the Princess, who had
+anticipated an easy triumph, became so much exasperated that they
+stabbed him on the spot.
+
+This occurrence no sooner reached the ears of Henri III, than he sent to
+desire the presence of his sister, when, utterly regardless of the fact
+that they were not alone, he so far forgot his own dignity as to
+overwhelm her with the coarsest and most cutting reproaches; and not
+satisfied with expatiating upon the treachery of which she had been
+guilty towards himself, he passed in review the whole of her ill-spent
+life, accusing her, among other enormities, of the birth of an
+illegitimate son,[17] and terminated his invectives by commanding her
+instantly "to quit Paris, and rid the Court of her presence." [18]
+
+On the morrow Marguerite accordingly left the capital with even less
+state than she had entered it, for she had neither suite nor equipage,
+and was accompanied only by Madame de Duras and Mademoiselle de Béthune,
+her two favourite attendants. She was not, however, suffered to depart
+even thus without impediment, for she had only travelled a few leagues
+when, between Saint-Cler and Palaiseau, her litter was stopped by a
+captain of the royal guard, at the head of a troop of harquebusiers:
+she was compelled to remove her mask; and her companions, after having
+been subjected to great discourtesy, were finally conveyed as prisoners
+to the Abbey of Ferrières, near Montargis, where they underwent an
+examination, at which the King himself presided,[19] and wherein facts
+were elicited that were fatal to the character of their mistress. Their
+replies were then reduced to writing; and Marguerite, who had been
+detained for this express purpose, was compelled by her inexorable
+brother to affix her signature to the disgraceful document; when, after
+she had been subjected to this new indignity, the daughter of Catherine
+de Medicis was at length permitted to pursue her journey; but she was
+compelled to do so alone, as her two attendants were forbidden to bear
+her company.
+
+She had no sooner left Ferrières than Henri III despatched one of the
+valets of his wardrobe to St. Foix, where the King of Navarre was for
+the moment sojourning, with an autograph letter, in which he informed
+him that he had considered it expedient to dismiss from the service of
+his royal sister both Madame de Duras and Mademoiselle de Béthune,
+having discovered that they were leading the most dissolute and
+scandalous lives, and were "_pernicious vermin_" who could not be
+permitted to remain about the person of a Princess of her rank.
+
+Thus ignominiously driven from the Court of France, Marguerite, who had
+no resource save in the indulgence of her husband, travelled with the
+greatest speed to Nérac, where he was then residing, in the hope that
+she might be enabled by her representations to induce him to espouse her
+cause against her brother; but although, in order to preserve
+appearances, Henry received her courteously, and even listened with
+exemplary patience to her impassioned relation of the indignities to
+which she had been subjected, the coldness of his deportment, and the
+stern tone in which he informed her that he would give the necessary
+orders for a separate residence to be prepared for her accommodation, as
+he could never again receive her under his own roof, or accord to her
+the honour and consideration due to a wife, convinced her that she had
+nothing more to hope from his forbearance.
+
+Even while he thus resented his own wrongs, however, Henry of Navarre no
+sooner comprehended that Marguerite had been personally exposed to
+insults which had affected his honour as her consort, than he despatched
+a messenger to the French King at Lyons, "to entreat him to explain the
+cause of these affronts, and to advise him, _as a good master_, how he
+had better act." [20] But this somewhat servile proceeding produced no
+adequate result, as his envoy received only ambiguous answers, and all
+he could accomplish was to extort a promise from Henri III that on his
+return to Paris he would discuss the affair with the Queen-mother and
+the Duc d'Alençon.
+
+Unaware of the negotiation which was thus opened, Marguerite had, as we
+have said, lost all confidence in her own influence over her husband;
+and accordingly, without giving any intimation of her design, she left
+Nérac and retired to Agen, one of her dower-cities, where she
+established herself in the castle; but her unbridled depravity of
+conduct, combined with the extortions of Madame de Duras, her friend and
+_confidante_, by whom she had been rejoined, soon rendered her odious to
+the inhabitants.
+
+In vain did she declare that the bull of excommunication which Sixtus V
+had recently fulminated against the King of Navarre had been the cause
+of her retiring from his Court, her conscience not permitting her to
+share the roof of a prince under the ban of the Church.[21] The Agenese,
+although Catholics and leagued against her husband, evinced towards
+herself a disaffection so threatening that her position was rapidly
+becoming untenable, when the city was stormed and taken by the Maréchal
+de Matignon[22] in the name of Henri III.[23]
+
+Convinced that the capture of her own person was the sole motive of
+this unprovoked assault, the fugitive Queen had once more recourse to
+flight; and her eagerness to escape the power of the French King was so
+great that she left the city seated on a pillion behind a gentleman of
+her suite named Lignerac, while Madame de Duras followed in like manner;
+and thus she travelled four-and-twenty leagues in the short space of two
+days, attended by such of the members of her little household as were
+enabled to keep pace with her.
+
+The fortress of Carlat in the mountains of Auvergne offered to her, as
+she believed, a safe asylum; but although the Governor, who was the
+brother of M. de Lignerac, received her with respect, and promised her
+his protection, the enmity of Henri III pursued her even to this obscure
+place of exile.
+
+At this period even the high spirit of Marguerite de Valois was nearly
+subdued, for she no longer knew in what direction to turn for safety.
+She had become contemptible in the eyes of her husband, she was deserted
+by her mother, hated by her brother, despised by her co-religionists
+from the licentiousness of her life, and detested by the Protestants as
+the cause, however innocently, of the fatal massacre of their friends
+and leaders. The memory of the martyred Coligny was ever accompanied by
+a curse on Marguerite; and thus she was an outcast from all creeds and
+all parties. Still, however, confident in the good faith of the
+Governor of Carlat, she assumed at least a semblance of tranquillity,
+and trusted that she should be enabled to remain for a time unmolested;
+but it was not long ere she ascertained that the inhabitants of the
+town, like those of Agen, were hostile to her interests, and that they
+had even resolved to deliver her up to the French King.
+
+Under these circumstances, she had no alternative save to become once
+more a fugitive; and having, with considerable difficulty, succeeded in
+making her escape beyond the walls, she began to indulge a hope that she
+should yet baffle the devices of her enemy; she was soon, however, fated
+to be undeceived, for she had travelled only a few leagues when she was
+overtaken and captured by the Marquis de Canillac,[24] who conveyed her
+to the fortress of Usson.[25] As she passed the drawbridge, Marguerite
+recognised at a glance that there was no hope of evasion from this new
+and impregnable prison, save through the agency of her gaoler; and she
+accordingly lost no time in exerting all her blandishments to captivate
+his reason. Although she had now attained her thirty-fifth year, neither
+time, anxiety, hardship, nor even the baneful indulgence of her
+misguided passions, had yet robbed her of her extraordinary beauty; and
+it is consequently scarcely surprising that ere long the gallant soldier
+to whose custody she was confided, surrendered at discretion, and laid
+at her feet, not only his heart, but also the keys of her prison-house.
+
+"Poor man!" enthusiastically exclaims Brantôme, her friend and
+correspondent; "what did he expect to do? Did he think to retain as a
+prisoner her who, by her eyes and her lovely countenance, could hold in
+her chains and bonds all the rest of the world like galley-slaves?" [26]
+
+Certain it is, that if the brave but susceptible marquis ever
+contemplated such a result, he was destined to prove the fallacy of his
+hopes; for so totally was he subjugated by the fascinations of the
+captive Queen, that he even abandoned to her the command of the
+fortress, which thenceforward acknowledged no authority save her own.
+
+Marguerite had scarcely resided a year at Usson when the death of the
+Duc d'Alençon deprived her of the last friend whom she possessed on
+earth; and not even the security that she derived from the
+impregnability of the fortress in which she had found an asylum could
+preserve her from great and severe suffering. The castle, with its
+triple ramparts, its wide moat, and its iron portcullis, might indeed
+defy all human enemies, but it could not exclude famine; and during her
+sojourn within its walls, which extended over a period of two-and-twenty
+years, she was compelled to pawn her jewels, and to melt down her plate,
+in order to provide food for the famishing garrison; while so utterly
+destitute did she ultimately become, that she found herself driven to
+appeal to the generosity of Elizabeth of Austria, the widow of her
+brother Charles IX, who thenceforward supplied her necessities.
+
+In the year 1589 Henry of Navarre ascended the throne of France, having
+previously, for the second time, embraced the Catholic faith;[27] but
+for a while the _liaisons_ which he found it so facile to form at the
+Court, and his continued affection for the Comtesse de Guiche,[28]
+together with the internal disturbances and foreign wars which had
+convulsed the early years of his reign, so thoroughly engrossed his
+attention, that he had made no attempt to separate himself from his
+erring and exiled wife; nor was it until 1598, when the Edict of Nantes
+had ensured a lasting and certain peace to the Huguenots: and that _la
+belle Gabrielle_[29] had replaced Madame de Guiche, and by making him
+the father of two sons, had induced him to contemplate (as he had done
+in a previous case with her predecessor) her elevation to the throne,
+that he became really anxious to liberate himself from the trammels of
+his ill-omened marriage.
+
+Having ascertained that the Duc de Bouillon,[30] notwithstanding the
+concessions which he had made to the Protestant party, had been recently
+engaged, in conjunction with D'Aubigny[31] and other zealous reformers,
+in endeavouring to create renewed disaffection among the Huguenots,
+Henry resolved to visit Brittany, and personally to express to the Duke
+his indignation and displeasure.
+
+On his arrival at Rennes, where M. de Bouillon was confined to his bed
+by a violent attack of gout, the King accordingly proceeded to his
+residence; where, after having expressed his regret at the state of
+suffering in which he found him, he ordered all the attendants to
+withdraw, and seating himself near the pillow of the invalid, desired
+him to listen without remark or interruption to all that he was about to
+say. He then reproached him in the most indignant terms with his
+continual and active efforts to disturb the peace of the kingdom,
+recapitulating every act, and almost every word, of his astonished and
+embarrassed listener, with an accuracy which left no opportunity for
+denial; and, finally, he advised him to be warned in time, and, if he
+valued his own safety, to adopt a perfectly opposite line of conduct;
+assuring him, in conclusion, that should he persist in his present
+contumacy, he should himself take measures, as his sovereign and his
+master, to render him incapable of working further mischief.
+
+The bewildered Duke would have replied, but he was instantly silenced by
+an imperious gesture from the King, who, rising from his seat, left the
+chamber in silence.
+
+The presence of Henri IV in Brittany was the signal for festivity and
+rejoicing, and all that was fair and noble in the province was soon
+collected at Rennes in honour of his arrival; but despite these
+demonstrations of affection and respect, his watchful and anxious
+minister, the Duc de Sully, remarked that he occasionally gave way to
+fits of absence, and even of melancholy, which were quite unusual to
+him, and which consequently excited the alarm of the zealous Duke. He
+had, moreover, several times desired M. de Sully's attendance in a
+manner which induced him to believe that the King had something of
+importance to communicate, but the interviews had successively
+terminated without any such result; until, on one occasion, a few days
+after his interview with the Duc de Bouillon, Henry once more beckoned
+him to his side, and turning into a large garden which was attached to
+his residence, he there wreathed his fingers in those of the minister,
+as was his constant habit, and drawing him into a retired walk,
+commenced the conversation by relating in detail all that had passed
+between himself and the ducal rebel. He then digressed to recent
+political measures, and expressed himself strongly upon the advantages
+which tranquillity at home, as well as peace abroad, must ensure to the
+kingdom; after which, as if by some process of mental retrogression, he
+became suddenly more gloomy in his discourse; and observed, as if
+despite himself, that although he would struggle even to the end of his
+existence to secure these national advantages, he nevertheless felt that
+as the Queen had given him no son, all his endeavours must prove
+fruitless; since the contention which would necessarily arise between M.
+de Condé and the other Princes of the blood, when the important subject
+of the succession gave a free and sufficient motive for their jealousy,
+could not fail to renew the civil anarchy which he had been so anxious
+to terminate. He then, after a moment's silence, referred to the desire
+which had been formally expressed to him by the Parliament of Paris,
+that he should separate himself from Marguerite de Valois, and unite
+himself with some other princess who might give a Dauphin to France, and
+thus transmit to a son of his own line the crown which he now wore.
+
+Sully, who was no less desirous than himself to ensure the prosperity of
+the nation to which he had devoted all the energies of his powerful and
+active mind, did not hesitate to suggest the expediency of his Majesty's
+immediate compliance with the prayer of his subjects, and entreat him in
+his turn to obtain a divorce, which by leaving him free, would enable
+him to make a happier choice; and he even assured the anxious monarch
+that he had already taken steps to ascertain that the Archbishop of
+Urbino and the Pope himself (who was fully aware of the importance of
+maintaining the peace of Europe, which must necessarily be endangered by
+a renewal of the intestine troubles in France) would both readily
+facilitate by every means in their power so politic and so desirable
+a measure.
+
+Henry urged for a time his disinclination to contract a second marriage,
+alleging that his first had proved so unfortunate in every way, that he
+was reluctant to rivet anew the chain which had been so rudely riven
+asunder; but the unflinching minister did not fail to remind him that
+much as he owed to himself, he still owed even more to a people who had
+faith in his wisdom and generosity; and the frank-hearted King suffered
+himself, although with evident distaste, to be ultimately convinced.
+
+He then began to pass in review all the marriageable princesses who were
+eligible to share his throne, but to each in succession he attached some
+objection which tended to weaken her claim. After what he had already
+undergone, as he declared, there were few women, and still fewer women
+of royal blood, to whom he would willingly a second time confide his
+chance of happiness. "In order not to encounter once more the same
+disappointment and displeasure," he said at length, "I must find in the
+next woman whom I may marry seven qualities with which I cannot
+dispense. She must be handsome, prudent, gentle, intellectual, fruitful,
+wealthy, and of high extraction; and thus I do not know a single
+princess in Europe calculated to satisfy my idea of feminine
+perfection."
+
+Then, after a pause during which the minister remained silent, he added,
+with some inconsistency: "I would readily put up with the Spanish
+Infanta,[32] despite both her age and her ugliness, did I espouse the
+Low Countries in her person; neither would I refuse the Princess
+Arabella of England,[33] if, as it is alleged, the crown of that country
+really belonged to her, or even had she been declared heiress
+presumptive; but we cannot reasonably anticipate either contingency. I
+have heard also of several German princesses whose names I have
+forgotten, but I have no taste for the women of that country; besides
+which, it is on record that a German Queen[34] nearly proved the ruin of
+the French nation; and thus they inspire me only with disgust."
+
+Still Sully listened without reply, the King having commenced his
+confidence by assuming a position which rendered all argument worse
+than idle.
+
+"They have talked to me likewise," resumed Henry more hurriedly, as
+disconcerted and annoyed by the expressive silence of his companion he
+began to walk more rapidly along the shaded path in which this
+conference took place; "they have talked to me of the sisters of Prince
+Maurice;[35] but not only are they Huguenots, a fact which could not
+fail to give umbrage at the Court of Rome, but I have also heard
+reports that would render me averse to their alliance. Then the Duke of
+Florence has a niece,[36] who is stated to be tolerably handsome, but
+she comes of one of the pettiest principalities of Christendom; and not
+more than sixty or eighty years ago her ancestors were merely the chief
+citizens of the town of which their successors are now the sovereigns;
+and, moreover, she is a daughter of the same race as Catherine de
+Medicis, who has been alike my own enemy and that of France."
+
+Once more the King paused for breath, and glanced anxiously towards his
+minister, but Sully was inexorable, and continued to listen respectfully
+and attentively without uttering a syllable.
+
+"So much for the foreign princesses," continued Henry with some
+irritation, when he found that his listener had resolved not to assist
+him either by word or gesture; "at least, I know of no others. And now
+for our own. There is my niece, Mademoiselle de Guise;[37] and she is
+one of those whom I should prefer, despite the naughty tales that are
+told of her, for I place no faith in them; but she is too much devoted
+to the interests of her house, and I have reason to dread the restless
+ambition of her brothers."
+
+The Princesses of Mayenne,[38] of Aumale,[39] and of Longueville,[40]
+were next the subject of the royal comments; but they were all either
+too fair or too dark, too old or too plain; nor were Mesdemoiselles de
+Rohan,[41] de Luxembourg,[42] or de Guéménée[43] more fortunate: the
+first was a Calvinist, the second too young, and the third not to
+his taste.
+
+Long ere the King had arrived at this point of his discourse, the
+keen-sighted minister had fathomed his determination to raise some
+obstacle in every instance; and he began to entertain a suspicion that
+this was not done without a powerful motive, which he immediately became
+anxious to comprehend. Thus, therefore, when Henry pressed him to
+declare his sentiments upon the subject, he answered cautiously: "I
+cannot, in truth, hazard an opinion, Sire; nor can I even understand the
+bent of your own wishes. Thus much only do I comprehend--that you
+consent to take another wife, but that you can discover no princess
+throughout Europe with whom you are willing to share the throne of
+France. From the manner in which you spoke of the Infanta, it
+nevertheless appeared as though a rich heiress would not be
+unacceptable; but surely you do not expect that Heaven will resuscitate
+in your favour a Marguerite de Flandres, a Marie de Bourgogne, or even
+permit Elizabeth of England to grow young again."
+
+"I anticipate nothing of the kind," was the sharp retort; "but how know
+I, even were I to marry one of the princesses I have enumerated, that I
+should be more fortunate than I have hitherto been? If beauty and youth
+could have ensured to me the blessing of a Dauphin, had I not every
+right to anticipate a different result in my union with Madame
+Marguerite? I could not brook a second mortification of the like
+description, and therefore I am cautious. And now, as I have failed to
+satisfy myself upon this point, tell me, do you know of any one woman in
+whom are combined all the qualities which I have declared to be
+requisite in a Queen of France?"
+
+"The question is one of too important a nature, Sire, to be answered
+upon the instant," said Sully, "and the rather that I have never
+hitherto turned my attention to the subject."
+
+"And what would you say," asked Henry with ill-concealed anxiety, "were
+I to tell you that such an one exists in my own kingdom?"
+
+"I should say, Sire, that you have greatly the advantage over myself;
+and also that the lady to whom you allude must necessarily be a widow."
+
+"Just as you please," retorted the King; "but if you refuse to guess, I
+will name her."
+
+"Do so," said Sully with increasing surprise; "for I confess that the
+riddle is beyond my reach."
+
+"Rather say that you do not wish to solve it," was the cold reply; "for
+you cannot deny that all the qualities upon which I insist are to be
+found combined in the person of the Duchesse de Beaufort."
+
+"Your mistress, Sire!"
+
+"I do not affirm that I have any intention, in the event of my release
+from my present marriage, of making the Duchess my wife," pursued Henry
+with some embarrassment; "but I was anxious to learn what you would say,
+if, unable to find another woman to my taste, I should one day see fit
+to do so."
+
+"Say, Sire?" echoed the minister, struggling to conceal his
+consternation under an affected gaiety; "I should probably be of the
+same opinion as the rest of your subjects."
+
+[Illustration: GABRIELLE D'ESTRÉES. [Paris Richard Bentley and Son
+1890]]
+
+The King had, however, made so violent an effort over himself, in order
+to test the amount of forbearance which he might anticipate in his
+favourite counsellor, and was so desirous to ascertain his real
+sentiments upon this important subject, that he exclaimed impatiently:
+"I command you to speak freely; you have acquired the right to utter
+unpalatable truths; do not, therefore, fear that I shall take offence
+whenever our conversation is purely confidential, although I should
+assuredly resent such a liberty in public."
+
+The reply of the upright minister, thus authorized, was worthy alike of
+the monarch who had made such an appeal, and of the man to whom it was
+addressed. He placed before the eyes of his royal master the opprobrium
+with which an alliance of the nature at which he had hinted must
+inevitably cover his own name, and the affront it would entail upon
+every sovereign in Europe. He reminded him also that the legitimation of
+the sons of Madame de Beaufort, and the extraordinary and strictly regal
+ceremonies which he had recently permitted at the baptism of the younger
+of the two (throughout the whole of which the infant had been recognized
+as a prince of the blood-royal, although the King had himself refused to
+allow the registry of the proceedings until they were revised, and the
+obnoxious passages rescinded), could not fail, should she ever become
+Queen of France, in the event of her having other children, to plunge
+the nation into those very struggles for the succession from which he
+had just declared his anxiety to preserve it.
+
+"And this strife, Sire," he concluded fearlessly, "would be even more
+formidable and more frightful than that to which you so anxiously
+alluded; for you will do well to remember that not only the arena in
+which it must take place will be your own beloved kingdom of France,
+while the whole of civilised Europe stands looking on, but that it will
+be a contest between the son of M. de Liancourt and the King's
+mistress--the son of Madame de Monceaux, the divorced wife of an obscure
+noble, and the declared favourite of the sovereign; and, finally,
+between these, the children of shame, and the Dauphin of France, the son
+of Henri IV and his Queen. I leave you, Sire, to reflect upon this
+startling fact before I venture further."
+
+"And you do well," said the monarch, as he turned away; "for truly you
+have said enough for once." [44]
+
+It will be readily conceived that at the close of this conference M. de
+Sully was considerably less anxious than before to effect the divorce of
+the infatuated sovereign; nor was he sorry to remind Henry, when he next
+touched upon the subject, that they had both been premature in
+discussing the preliminaries of a second marriage before they had
+succeeded in cancelling the first. It was true that Clement VIII, in his
+desire to maintain the peace of Europe, had readily entered into the
+arguments of MM. de Marquemont,[45] d'Ossat,[46] and Duperron,[47] whom
+the Duke had, by command of the monarch, entrusted with this difficult
+and dangerous mission, when they represented that the birth of a dauphin
+must necessarily avert all risk of a civil war in France, together with
+the utter hopelessness of such an event unless their royal master were
+released from his present engagements; and that the sovereign-pontiff
+had even expressed his willingness to second the washes of the French
+monarch. But the consent of Marguerite herself was no less important;
+and with a view to obtain this, the minister addressed to her a letter,
+in which he expressed his ardent desire to effect a reconciliation
+between herself and the King, in order that the prayers of the nation
+might be answered by the birth of a Dauphin; or, should she deem such an
+event impossible, to entreat of her to pardon him if he ventured to take
+the liberty of imploring her Majesty to make a still greater sacrifice.
+
+Sully had felt that it was unnecessary to explain himself more clearly,
+as a reconciliation between Henri IV and his erring consort had, from
+the profligate life which she was known to have led at Usson, become
+utterly impossible; nor could she doubt for an instant the nature of the
+sacrifice which was required at her hands. It was not, therefore,
+without great anxiety that he awaited her reply, which did not reach him
+for the space of five months; at the expiration of which period he
+received a letter, wherein she averred her willingness to submit to the
+pleasure of the King, for whose forbearance she expressed herself
+grateful; offering at the same time her acknowledgments to the Duke
+himself for the interest which he exhibited towards her person. From
+this period a continued correspondence was maintained between the exiled
+Queen and the minister; and she proved so little exacting in the
+conditions which she required as the price of her concession, that the
+affair would have been concluded without difficulty, had not the
+favourite, who was privy to the negotiation, calculating upon her
+influence over the mind of the monarch, suddenly assumed an attitude
+which arrested its progress.
+
+For a considerable time she had aspired to the throne; but it was not
+until she learnt that the agents of the King in Rome were labouring to
+effect the dissolution of his marriage with Marguerite de Valois, and
+that the Duc de Luxembourg[48] was also about to visit the Papal Court
+in order to hasten the conclusion of the negotiations, that she openly
+declared her views to Sillery,[49] whom she knew to be already well
+affected towards her, declaring that should he be instrumental in
+inducing the King to make her his wife, she would pledge herself to
+obtain the seals for him on his return from Rome, as well as the dignity
+of chancellor so soon as it should be vacant.[50]
+
+Sillery, whose ambition was aroused, was not slow to obey her wishes;
+and, finding the Pope unwilling to lend himself to the haste which was
+required of him, he not only informed him privately that, in the event
+of a divorce, his royal master was ready to espouse the Princesse Marie
+de Medicis, his kinswoman (although at this period Henry evinced no
+inclination towards such an alliance), but even when he discovered that
+his Holiness remained unmoved by this prospect of family aggrandizement,
+he ventured so far as to hint, in conjunction with the Cardinal d'Ossat,
+that it was probable, should the Pontiff continue to withhold his
+consent to the annullation of the King's present marriage, he would
+dispense with it altogether, and make the Duchesse de Beaufort Queen of
+France: a threat which so alarmed the sovereign-prelate that,
+immediately declaring that he placed the whole affair in the hands of
+God, he commanded a general fast throughout Rome, and shut himself up in
+his oratory, where he continued for a considerable time in fervent
+prayer. On his reappearance he was calm,[51] and simply remarked: "God
+has provided for it."
+
+A few days subsequently a courier arrived at Rome with intelligence of
+the death of the Duchess.
+
+Meanwhile Gabrielle, by her unbridled vanity, had counteracted all the
+exertions of her partisans. Aware of her power over the King, and
+believing that this divorce from Marguerite once obtained, she should
+find little difficulty in overcoming all other obstacles, she was
+unguarded enough prematurely to assume the state and pretensions of the
+regality to which she aspired, affecting airs of patronage towards the
+greatest ladies of the Court, and lavishing the most profuse promises
+upon the sycophants and flatterers by whom she was surrounded. The
+infatuation of the King, whose passion for his arrogant mistress
+appeared to increase with time, tended, as a natural consequence, to
+encourage these unseemly demonstrations; nor did the friends of the
+exiled Queen fail to render her cognizant of every extravagance
+committed by the woman who aspired to become her successor; upon which
+Marguerite, who, morally fallen as she was in her own person, had never
+forgotten that she was alike the daughter and the consort of a king,
+suddenly withdrew her consent to the proposed divorce; declaring, in
+terms more forcible than delicate, that no woman of blighted character
+should ever, through her agency, usurp her place.
+
+The sudden and frightful death of the Duchess, which shortly afterwards
+supervened, having, however, removed her only objection to the proposed
+measure, her marriage with the King was, at length, finally declared
+null and void, to the equal satisfaction of both parties. The event
+which Marguerite had dreaded had now become impossible, and she at
+once[52] forwarded a personal requisition to Rome, in which she declared
+that "it was in opposition to her own free will that her royal brother
+King Charles IX and the Queen-mother had effected an alliance to which
+she had consented only with her lips, but not with her heart; and that
+the King her husband and herself being related in the third degree, she
+besought his Holiness to declare the nullity of the said marriage." [53]
+
+On the receipt of this application, the Pontiff--having previously
+ascertained that the demand of Henry himself was based on precisely the
+same arguments, and still entertaining the hope held out to him by
+Sillery that the King would, when liberated from his present wife,
+espouse one of his own relatives--immediately appointed a committee,
+composed of the Cardinal de Joyeuse, the Archbishop of Arles,[54] and
+the Bishop of Modena, his nuncio and nephew, instructing them, should
+they find all circumstances as they were represented, to declare
+forthwith the dissolution of the marriage.[55]
+
+Meanwhile the King, whose first burst of grief at the loss of the
+Duchess had been so violent that he fainted in his carriage on receiving
+the intelligence, and afterwards shut himself up in the palace of
+Fontainebleau during several days, refusing to see the princes of the
+blood and the great nobles who hastened to offer their condolences, and
+retaining about his person only half a dozen courtiers to whom he was
+personally attached, had recovered from the shock sufficiently to resume
+his usual habits of dissipation and amusement. In the extremity of his
+sorrow he had commanded a general Court mourning, and himself set the
+example by assuming a black dress for the first week; but as his regret
+became moderated, he exchanged his sables for a suit of violet, in which
+costume he received a deputation from the Parliament of Paris which was
+sent to condole with him upon the bereavement that he had undergone![56]
+while the intelligence which reached him of the presumed treachery of
+the Duc de Biron, by compelling his removal to Blois, where he could
+more readily investigate the affair, completed a cure already more than
+half accomplished. There the sensual monarch abandoned himself to the
+pleasures of the table, to high play, and to those exciting amusements
+which throughout his whole life at intervals annihilated the monarch in
+the man: while the circle by which he had surrounded himself, and which
+consisted of M. le Grand[57], the Comte de Lude[58], MM. de Thermes[59],
+de Castelnau[60], de Calosse, de Montglat,[61] de Frontenac,[62] and de
+Bassompierre,[63] was but ill calculated to arouse in him better and
+nobler feelings. Ambitious, wealthy, witty, and obsequious, they were
+one and all interested in flattering his vanity, gratifying his tastes,
+and pandering to his passions; and it is melancholy to contemplate the
+perfect self-gratulation with which some of the highest-born nobles of
+the time have in their personal memoirs chronicled the unblushing
+subserviency with which they lent themselves to the encouragement of the
+worst and most debasing qualities of their sovereign. Even before his
+departure for Blois, and during the period of his temporary retirement
+from the Court, while Henry still wore the mourning habits which he had
+assumed in honour of his dead mistress, the more intimate of his
+associates could discover no means of consolation more effective than by
+inducing him to select another favourite.
+
+"All the Court," says a quaint old chronicler, himself a member of the
+royal circle, "were aware that the King had a heart which could not long
+preserve its liberty without attaching itself to some new object, a
+knowledge which induced the flatterers at Court who had discovered his
+weakness for the other sex to leave nothing undone to urge him onward in
+this taste, and to make their fortunes by his defeat." [64]
+
+Unfortunately the natural character of the King lent itself only too
+readily to their designs; and, as already stated, they had profited by
+the opportunity afforded to them during the short retreat at
+Fontainebleau to arouse the curiosity of Henry on the subject of a new
+beauty. Whether at table, at play, or lounging beneath the shady avenues
+of the stately park, the name of Catherine Henriette d'Entragues was
+constantly introduced into the conversation, and always with the most
+enthusiastic encomiums;[65] nor was it long ere their pertinacity
+produced the desired effect, and the monarch expressed his desire to see
+the paragon of whom they all professed to be enamoured. A hunting-party
+was accordingly organized in the neighbourhood of the château of
+Malesherbes, where the Marquis d'Entragues was then residing with his
+family; and the fact no sooner became known to the mother of the young
+beauty, whose ambition was greater than her morality, and who was aware
+of the efforts which had been made to induce Henry to replace the
+deceased Duchess by a new favourite, than she despatched a messenger to
+entreat of his Majesty to rest himself under her roof after the fatigue
+of the chase. The invitation was accepted, and on his arrival Henriette
+was presented to the King, who was immediately captivated by her wit,
+and that charm of youthfulness which had for some time ceased to enhance
+the loveliness of the once faultless Gabrielle. At this period
+Mademoiselle d'Entragues had not quite attained her twentieth year, but
+she was already well versed in the art of fascination. Advisedly
+overlooking the monarch in the man, she conversed with a perfect
+self-possession, which enabled her to display all the resources of a
+cultivated mind and a lively temperament; while Henry was enchanted by a
+gaiety and absence of constraint which placed him at once on the most
+familiar footing with his young and brilliant hostess; and thus instead
+of departing on the morrow, as had been his original design, he
+remained during several days at Malesherbes, constantly attended by the
+Marquise and her daughter, who were even invited to share the royal
+table.[66]
+
+The Duchesse de Beaufort had been dead only three weeks, and already the
+sensual monarch had elected her successor.
+
+Less regularly handsome than Gabrielle d'Estrées, Mademoiselle
+d'Entragues was even more attractive from the graceful vivacity of her
+manner, her brilliant sallies, and her aptitude in availing herself of
+the resources of an extensive and desultory course of study. She
+remembered that, in all probability, death alone had prevented Gabrielle
+d'Estrées from ascending the French throne; and she was aware that,
+although less classically beautiful than the deceased Duchess, she was
+eminently her superior in youth and intellect, and, above all, in that
+sparkling conversational talent which is so valuable amid the _ennui_ of
+a court. Well versed in the nature of the monarch with whom she had to
+deal, Mademoiselle d'Entragues accordingly gave free course to the
+animation and playfulness by which Henry was so easily enthralled;
+skilfully turning the sharp and almost imperceptible point of her satire
+against the younger and handsomer of his courtiers, and thus flattering
+at once his vanity and his self-love. Still, the passion of the King
+made no progress save in his own breast. At times Mademoiselle
+d'Entragues affected to treat his professions as a mere pleasantry, and
+at others to resent them as an affront to her honour; at one moment
+confessing that he alone could ever touch her heart, and bewailing that
+destiny should have placed him upon a throne, and thus beyond the reach
+of her affection; and at another declaring herself ready to make any
+sacrifice rather than resign her claim upon his love, save only that by
+which she could be enabled to return it. This skilful conduct served, as
+she had intended that it should do, merely to irritate the passion of
+the monarch, who, unconscious of the extent of her ambition, believed
+her to be simply anxious to secure herself against future disappointment
+and the anger of her family; and thus finding that his entreaties were
+unavailing, he resolved to employ another argument of which he had
+already frequently tested the efficacy, and on his return to
+Fontainebleau he despatched the Comte de Lude to the lady with what were
+in that age termed "propositions."
+
+It is, from this circumstance, sufficiently clear that Henry himself was
+far from feeling any inclination to share his throne with the daughter
+of Charles IX's mistress; and that, despite the infatuation under which
+he laboured, he already estimated at its true price the value of
+Henrietta's affection. Nevertheless, the wily beauty remained for some
+short time proof against the representations of the royal envoy; nor was
+it until the equally wily courtier hinted that Mademoiselle d'Entragues
+would do well to reflect ere she declined the overtures of which he was
+the bearer, as there was reason to believe that the King had, on a
+recent visit to the widowed Queen Louise[67] at Chenonceaux, become
+enamoured of Mademoiselle la Bourdaisière, one of her maids of
+honour[68], that the startled beauty, who had deemed herself secure of
+her royal conquest, was induced to affix a price to the concession which
+she was called upon to make, and that M. de Lude returned bearing her
+_ultimatum_ to the King.[69]
+
+This _ultimatum_ amounted to no less than a hundred thousand crowns;[70]
+and, setting aside the voluntary degradation of the lady--a degradation
+which would appear to have been more than sufficient to disgust any man
+of delicacy who sought to be loved for his own sake--it was a demand
+which even startled the inconsiderate monarch himself, although he had
+not sufficient self-command to meet it with the contempt that it was
+calculated to excite. Well had it been, alike for himself and for the
+nation generally, had he suffered his better judgment on this occasion
+to assume the ascendant, and misdoubted, as he well might, the tears and
+protestations of so interested a person; particularly, when he could not
+fail to remember that he had been deceived even by Gabrielle d'Estrées,
+whom he had overwhelmed with riches and honours, and who had voluntarily
+given herself to him when he was young and handsome; whereas he was now
+in the decline of life, and was suing for the love of one so much his
+junior. Unfortunately, however, reason waged a most unequal warfare with
+passion in the breast of the French sovereign; and voluntarily
+overlooking alike the enormity of the demand, and the circumstances
+under which it was made, he at once despatched an order to the
+finance-minister to supply the required sum. Sully had no alternative
+save obedience; he did not even venture upon expostulation; but he did
+better. When admitted to the royal closet, he alluded in general terms
+to the extreme difficulty which he anticipated in raising the required
+amount of four millions for the renewal of the Swiss alliance; and then,
+approaching the table beside which the King was seated, he proceeded
+slowly and ostentatiously to count the hundred thousand crowns destined
+to satisfy the cupidity of Mademoiselle d'Entragues. He had been careful
+to cause the whole amount to be delivered in silver; and it was not,
+therefore, without an emotion which he failed to conceal, that Henry saw
+the numerous piles of money which gradually rose before him and
+overspread the table.
+
+Nevertheless, although he could not control an exclamation of
+astonishment, he made no effort to retrieve his error; but, after the
+departure of M. de Sully, placed the required amount in the hands of the
+Comte de Lude, who hastened to transfer it to those of the frail beauty.
+It was not until after the receipt of this enormous present that the
+Marquis d'Entragues and his step-son[71] affected to suspect the design
+of the King, and upbraided M. de Lude with the part which he had acted,
+desiring him never again to enter a house which he sought only to
+dishonour; an accusation which, from the lips of the husband of Marie
+Touchet, was a mere epigram. He, however, followed up this demonstration
+by removing his daughter from Malesherbes to Marcoussis, although with
+what intention it is difficult to determine, as the King at once
+proceeded thither, and at once obtained an interview.
+
+Little accustomed to indulge in a prodigality so reckless, Henry had
+flattered himself that the affair was concluded; but such was by no
+means the intention of the young lady and her family. Henriette, indeed,
+received her royal lover with the most exaggerated assurances of
+affection and gratitude; but she nevertheless persisted in declaring
+that she was so closely watched as to be no longer mistress of her own
+actions, and so intimidated by the threats of her father that she dared
+not act in opposition to his will. In vain did the King remonstrate,
+argue, and upbraid; the lady remained firm, affecting to bewail the
+state of coercion in which she was kept, and entreating Henry to exert
+his influence to overcome the repugnance of her family to their mutual
+happiness. To his anger she opposed her tears; to his resentment, her
+fascinations; and when at length she discovered that the royal patience
+was rapidly failing, although her power over his feelings remained
+unshaken, she ventured upon the last bold effort of her ambition, by
+protesting to the infatuated sovereign that her father had remained deaf
+to all her entreaties, and that the only concession which she could
+induce him to make was one which she had not courage to communicate to
+his Majesty. As she had, of course, anticipated, Henry at once desired
+her to inform him of the nature of the fresh demand which was to be made
+upon his tenderness; when, with well-acted reluctance, Mademoiselle
+d'Entragues repeated a conversation that she had held with the Marquis,
+at the close of which he had assured her that he would never consent to
+see her the mistress of the King until she had received a written
+promise of marriage under the royal hand, provided she became, within a
+year, the mother of a son.
+
+"In vain, Sire," she pursued hurriedly, as she perceived a cloud gather
+upon the brow of the monarch--"in vain did I seek to overcome the
+scruples of my parents, and represent to them the utter inutility of
+such a document; they declared that they sought only to preserve the
+honour of their house. And you well know, Sire," she continued with an
+appealing smile, "that, as I ventured to remind them, your word is of
+equal value with your signature, as no mere subject could dare to summon
+a great king like yourself to perform any promise--you, who have fifty
+thousand men at your command to enforce your will! But all my reasoning
+was vain. Upon this point they are firm. Thus then, since there is no
+other hope, and that they insist upon this empty form, why should you
+not indulge their whim, when it cannot involve the slightest
+consequence? If you love as I do, can you hesitate to comply with their
+desire? Name what conditions you please on your side, and I am ready to
+accept them--too happy to obey your slightest wish."
+
+Suffice it that the modern Delilah triumphed, and that the King was
+induced to promise the required document;[72] a weakness rendered the
+less excusable, if indeed, as Sully broadly asserts: "Henry was not so
+blind but that he saw clearly how this woman sought to deceive him. I
+say nothing of the reasons which he also had to believe her to be
+anything rather than a vestal; nor of the state intrigues of which her
+father, her mother, her brother, and herself had been convicted, and
+which had drawn down upon all the family an order to leave Paris, which
+I had quite recently signified to them in the name of his Majesty." [73]
+
+As it is difficult to decide which of the two the Duke sought in his
+_Memoirs_ to praise the most unsparingly, the sovereign or himself, the
+epithet of "this weak Prince," which he applies to Henry on the present
+occasion, proves the full force of his annoyance. He, moreover, gives a
+very detailed account of an interview which took place between them upon
+the subject of the document in question; even declaring that he tore it
+up when his royal master placed it in his hands; and upon being asked by
+the King if he were mad, had replied by saying: "Would to God that I
+were the only madman in France!" [74] As, however, I do not find the
+same anecdote recorded elsewhere by any contemporaneous authority, I
+will not delay the narrative by inserting it at length; and the rather
+as, although from the influence subsequently exercised over the fortunes
+of Marie de Medicis by the frail favourite I have already been compelled
+to dwell thus long upon her history, it is one which I am naturally
+anxious to abridge as much as possible. I shall therefore only add that
+the same biographer goes on to state that the contract which he had
+destroyed was rewritten by the King himself, who within an hour
+afterwards was on horseback and on his way to Malesherbes, where he
+sojourned two days. It is, of course, impossible to decide whether Henry
+had ever seriously contemplated the fulfilment of so degrading an
+engagement; but it is certain that only a few months subsequently he
+presented to Mademoiselle d'Entragues the estate of Verneuil, and that
+thenceforward she assumed the title of Marquise, coupled with the name
+of her new possession.[75]
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[2] Henri de Lorraine, Duc de Guise, was the brother of Charles, Duc de
+Mayenne, and of Louis, Cardinal de Guise. He was the chief of the
+League, and excited a popular revolt on the day of the Barricades, in
+the hope of possessing himself of the crown. Henri III caused him to be
+assassinated at Blois, in the year 1588. He was distinguished as _le
+Balafré_ by the people, in consequence of the deep scar of a wound
+across the face by which he was disfigured.
+
+[3] Catherine was the second daughter of François de Clèves, Duc de
+Nevers, and of Marguerite de Bourbon-Vendôme, the aunt of Henri IV. Her
+dower consisted of the county of Eu, in Normandy. She was twice married;
+first to Antoine de Croi, Prince de Portien, by whom she had no issue;
+and secondly, to Henri de Lorraine, Duc de Guise. She died in 1633, at
+the age of eighty-five years.
+
+[4] She heard three masses every day, one high and two low ones, and
+took the holy communion each week on the Thursdays, Fridays, and
+Sundays.--_Letters of Etienne Pasquier_, book xxii. letter v. col. 666,
+of the folio edition.
+
+[5] By some extraordinary presentiment they always imagined that they
+saw a King of France in the Prince of Navarre, even at a time when the
+greatest obstacles were opposed to such an idea.--Dreux du Radier,
+_Mémoires des Reines et Régentes de France_, vol. v. p. 130. See also
+_Mémoires de Sully_, vol. i. pp. 60-67.
+
+[6] Dreux du Radier, vol. v. p. 182.
+
+[7] _Hist. des Reines et Régentes de France_, vol. ii. p. 4.
+
+[8] Henri de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, first Prince of the Blood, and
+Grand Master of France, was born in 1552, and succeeded his father, the
+Comte Louis, who was killed at the battle of Jarnac, on the 13th of May
+1569, in the command of the Protestant party, conjointly with the King
+of Navarre (Henri IV). He made a levy of foreign troops in 1575,
+distinguished himself at Coutras in 1587, and died by poison the
+following year at St. Jean d'Angély.
+
+[9] Ambroise Paré was born at Laval (Mayenne), in 1509. He commenced his
+public career as surgeon of the infantry-general Réné de Montejean; and
+on his return to France, having taken his degrees at the College of St.
+Edmé, he was elected Provost of the Corporation of Surgeons. In 1552,
+Henri II gave him the appointment of body-surgeon to the King, a post
+which he continued to fill under Francis II, Charles IX, and Henri III.
+Charles IX, whose life he saved when he had nearly fallen a victim to
+the want of skill of his physician Portail, who, in opening a vein, had
+inflicted a deep and dangerous wound in his arm, repaid the benefit by
+concealing him in his own chamber during the massacre of St.
+Bartholomew. Paré was a zealous Calvinist. He died in 1590. His
+published works consist of one folio volume, divided into
+twenty-eight books.
+
+[10] Gillone Goyon, dite de Matignon, demoiselle de Torigni, was the
+daughter of Jacques de Matignon, Marshal of France, and of Françoise de
+Daillon, who was subsequently married to Pierre de Harcourt, Seigneur
+de Beuvron.
+
+[11] Lévi Alvarès, _Hist. Clas. des Reines et Régentes de France_, p.
+185.
+
+[12] Dupleix, _Hist. de Louis XIII_, p. 53.
+
+[13] Sully, _Mémoires_, vol. i. p. 45.
+
+[14] Catherine de Bourbon, Princesse de Navarre, and sister of Henri IV,
+was born at Paris in 1558. After his accession to the throne of France,
+Henry gave her in marriage to Henri de Lorraine, Duc de Bar. She refused
+to change her religion, even when her brother had done so, and died,
+without issue, in 1604, at Nancy.
+
+[15] _Mémoires de Marguerite_, pp. 176, 177.
+
+[16] Anne, Duc de Joyeuse, Admiral and Peer of France, first gentleman
+of the bedchamber, and Governor of Normandy, was born in 1561. He was
+one of the _mignons_ of Henri III, who, in 1582, gave him in marriage
+Marguerite de Lorraine, the sister of the Queen Louise de Vaudemont. He
+commanded the troops in Guienne against the Huguenots, where he
+exercised the greatest cruelties; and having been defeated at the battle
+of Coutras in 1587, he was put to death by the conquerors.
+
+[17] This child, called by Bassompierre _le Père Archange_, and by
+Dupleix _le Père Ange_, was the son of Jacques de Harlay de Chanvallon,
+known at Court as "the handsome Chanvallon," and was the individual who,
+as the confessor of the Marquise de Verneuil, became one of the most
+active agents in the conspiracy which was formed against Henri IV and
+the French Princes.
+
+[18] Dreux du Radier, vol. v. p. 176.
+
+[19] Mézeray, vol. iii. p. 546. Varillas, _Histoire de Henri III_, book
+vii.
+
+[20] D'Aubigny, _Hist_. vol. ii. book v. ch. iii. (1583). _Confession de
+Sancy_, ch. vii. p. 447. Duplessis-Mornay.
+
+[21] Duplessis-Mornay, _Mém_. p. 203.
+
+[22] Jacques Govon de Matignon, Prince de Mortagne, was the
+representative of a family of Brittany which traced its descent from the
+thirteenth century, and had been established in Normandy towards the
+middle of the fifteenth. Born at Lonray in 1526, he was appointed
+Lieutenant-General of Normandy in 1559, where he made himself
+conspicuous by his persecution of the Huguenots. Henri III recompensed
+his services, in 1579, by the _bâton_ of a maréchal, and the collar of
+his Order. He subsequently became Commander-in-Chief of the army in
+Picardy, then Lieutenant-General of Guienne, and finally, Governor of
+that province. He died in 1597.
+
+[23] Lévi Alvarès, p. 187.
+
+[24] Governor of Auvergne.
+
+[25] The fortress of Usson, which had been a state prison under Louis
+XI, was demolished by Louis XIII, in 1634.
+
+[26] Brantôme, _Dames Illustres, Marguerite de France, Reine de
+Navarre_, Dis. v. p. 275.
+
+[27] "There are three things," Henri IV was wont to say, "that the world
+will not believe, and yet they are certainly true: that the Queen of
+England (Elizabeth) died a maid; that the Archduke (Albert, Cardinal and
+Archduke of Austria) is a great captain; and that the King of France is
+a very good Catholic."--L'Etoile, _Journ. de Henri IV_, vol. i. p. 233.
+
+[28] Diane d'Andouins, Vicomtesse de Louvigni, dame de l'Escun, was the
+only daughter of Paul, Vicomte de Louvigni, Seigneur de l'Escun, and of
+Marguerite de Cauna. While yet a mere girl, she became the wife of
+Philibert de Grammont, Comte de Guiche, Governor of Bayonne, and
+Seneschal of Béarn. The passion of Henri IV for this lady was so great
+that he declared his intention of obtaining a divorce from Marguerite de
+Valois, for the purpose of making her his wife; a project from which he
+was dissuaded by D'Aubigny, who represented that the contempt which
+could not fail to be felt by the French for a monarch who had degraded
+himself by an alliance with his mistress, would inevitably deprive him
+of the throne in the event of the death of Henri III and the Duc
+d'Alençon.
+
+[29] Gabrielle d'Estrées was the daughter of Antoine d'Estrées, fourth
+of the name, Governor, Seneschal, and first Baron of Boulonnois, Vicomte
+de Soissons and Bersy, Marquis de Coeuvres, Knight of the Orders of the
+King, Governor of La Fère, Paris, and the Isle of France; and of
+Françoise Babou, second daughter of Jean, Seigneur de la Bourdaisière,
+and of Françoise Robertet. She married at an early age, by the desire of
+her father, who was anxious to protect her from the assiduities of the
+King, Nicolas d'Armeval, Seigneur de Liancourt, who was, alike in birth,
+in person, and in fortune, unworthy of her hand. This ill-assorted union
+produced the very result which it was intended to avert, for Henry found
+means to separate the young couple immediately after their marriage, and
+to attach Gabrielle to the Court, where she soon became the declared
+favourite. On the birth of her first child (César, Duc de Vendôme),
+Madame de Liancourt abandoned the name of her husband, from whom she
+obtained a divorce, and assumed that of Marquise de Monceaux, which she
+derived from an estate presented to her on that occasion by the King;
+and on the legitimation of her son in January 1595, she already aspired
+to the throne, and formed a party, headed by M. de Sillery, by whom her
+pretensions were encouraged. She was subsequently created Duchesse de
+Beaufort, and became the mother of Catherine-Henriette, married to the
+Duc d'Elboeuf, and of Alexandre de Vendôme, Grand Prior of France, who
+were likewise legitimated. She died in childbirth, but not without
+suspicion of poison, on Easter Eve, in the year 1599.
+
+[30] Henri de la Tour, Vicomte de Turenne, Duc de Bouillon, Peer and
+Marshal of France.
+
+[31] Théodore Agrippa d'Aubigny was the son of Jean d'Aubigny, Seigneur
+de Brie, in Xaintonge, and of Catherine de Lestang, and was born on the
+8th of February 1550. At the age of six years he read with equal
+facility the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages; and eighteen months
+afterwards translated the _Crito_ of Plato. The persecutions of the
+Huguenots, which he witnessed in his early youth, and the solemn
+injunctions of his father to revenge their wrongs, rendered him one of
+the most zealous and uncompromising reformers under Henri IV. He died at
+Geneva on the 20th of April 1630, aged eighty years, and was buried in
+the cloisters of St. Pierre. D'Aubigny left behind him not only his own
+memoirs, which are admirably and truthfully written, but also the biting
+satire known as the _Aventures du Baron de Foeneste_, and the still more
+celebrated _Confession de Sancy_.
+
+[32] Isabella Clara Eugenia, Infanta of Spain, was the second daughter
+of Philip II. She was the Gouvernante of the Low Countries; and although
+no longer either young or handsome, she possessed an extraordinary
+influence over her royal father, who was tenderly attached to her.
+
+[33] Arabella Stuart, daughter of Charles, Earl of Lennox, the grandson
+of Margaret of Scotland, sister to Henry VIII.
+
+[34] Isabeau de Bavière, Queen of Charles VI.
+
+[35] Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, second son of William, and of
+Anne, the daughter of Maurice, Elector of Saxony.
+
+[36] Marie de Medicis was the daughter of Francis, Grand Duke of
+Tuscany, and of Jane, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary,
+daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand.
+
+[37] Louise-Marguerite de Lorraine was the daughter of Henri, Duc de
+Guise, surnamed _le Balafré_, and of Catherine of Clèves, subsequently
+Duchesse de Nemours. She was celebrated alike for her extreme beauty,
+her brilliant wit, and her great intellect. She wrote admirably for that
+age, and was the author of the _Histoire des Amours du Grand Alcandre_,
+and of some _Court Chronicles_, which she published under the patronymic
+of Dupilaust. Mademoiselle de Guise married François, Prince de Conti,
+son of the celebrated Louis, Prince de Condé, who was killed at Jarnac.
+
+[38] Catherine de Lorraine, daughter of Charles, Duc de Mayenne, and of
+Henriette de Savoie-Villars, who became in February 1599 the wife of
+Charles de Gonzague, Duc de Nevers, and subsequently Duke of Mantua. She
+died on the 8th of March 1618, at the age of thirty-three years; and was
+consequently, at the period referred to in the text, only seventeen
+years old.
+
+[39] Anne, daughter and heiress of Charles, last Duc d'Aumale, by whom
+the duchy was transferred to the house of Savoy.
+
+[40] Mademoiselle de Longueville was the sister of Henri d'Orléans,
+first Duc de Longueville.
+
+[41] Catherine de Rohan, second daughter of Réné II, Vicomte de Rohan,
+and of Catherine, the daughter and heiress of Jean de Parthenay,
+Seigneur de Soubise. When she had subsequently become the wife of the
+Duc de Deux-Ponts, Henry IV was so enamoured of her as to make
+dishonourable proposals, to which she replied by the memorable answer:
+"I am too poor, Sire, to be your wife, and too well-born to become your
+mistress."
+
+[42] Diane de Luxembourg, who, in 1600-1, gave her hand to Louis de
+Ploësqueler, Comte de Kerman, in Brittany.
+
+[43] Mademoiselle de Guéménée was the daughter of Louis de Rohan, Prince
+de Guéménée, first Duc de Montbazon.
+
+[44] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iii. pp. 162-174.
+
+[45] Denys de Marquemont, Archbishop of Lyons, and subsequently cardinal
+(1626). He did not, however, long enjoy this dignity, to obtain which he
+had exerted all his energies, as he died at the close of the same year.
+He was a truckling politician, and an ambitious priest.
+
+[46] Arnaud d'Ossat was born in 1536 at Cassagnaberre, a small village
+of Armagnac, near Auch. His parents lived in great indigence during his
+infancy, and at nine years of age he became an orphan, totally
+destitute. He was placed as an attendant about the person of a young
+gentleman of family, whose studies he shared with such success that,
+from the fellow-student of his patron, he became his tutor. After some
+time he accompanied his employer to Paris, where by persevering industry
+he completed his education, and was enabled to give lessons in
+philosophy and rhetoric. He then proceeded to Bourges, where he studied
+legal jurisprudence under the famous Cujas. Paul de Foix, Archbishop of
+Toulouse, when about to proceed as ambassador to Rome, engaged him as
+his secretary; and while there, he embraced the ecclesiastical
+profession, and rendered himself perfectly conversant with the whole
+policy of the Papal Court. Henri III bestowed upon him the Abbey of
+Notre-Dame de Varennes, but, as his claim was contested, he immediately
+resigned it. Subsequently he was raised to the bishopric of Rennes, was
+created a cardinal in 1598, and some time afterwards was appointed to
+the see of Bayeux. His untiring devotion to the interests of France was
+ultimately recognized by his elevation to the dignity of minister
+under Henri IV.
+
+[47] Jacques Davy Duperron was born at Berne in 1556, and being learned
+in mathematics, Greek, Hebrew, and philosophy, he became a professor of
+those sciences in Paris, where he obtained the appointment of reader to
+Henri III. Having embraced the ecclesiastical profession, he received
+from Henri IV (in 1591) the bishopric of Evreux, as a recompense for his
+devotion to the interests of Gabrielle d'Estrées. It was Duperron who
+obtained from the Pope the removal of the interdict fulminated against
+France. He ultimately became a cardinal, and Archbishop of Sens, and
+died in 1606.
+
+[48] Henri de Luxembourg, Duc de Piney, was the descendant of the
+celebrated Comte de Saint-Pol, and that branch of the family became
+extinct in his person. He died in 1616.
+
+[49] Nicolas Brulart, Seigneur de Sillery, was the elder son of Pierre
+Brulart, president of the Court of Requests at Paris. He obtained the
+office of court-councillor in 1573, and subsequently that of master of
+the Court of Requests. Henry IV, after his accession to the throne of
+France, appointed him ambassador to Switzerland; and on his return from
+that country, made him sixth president, that dignity having become
+vacant by the death of Jean Le Maître. In 1598 he was one of the
+deputies by whom the peace of Vervins was concluded; and from thence he
+proceeded to Brussels with the Duc de Biron, to be present when the
+Archduke swore to the observance of the treaty. He next visited Italy as
+ambassador extraordinary to the Pope, where he negotiated the marriage
+of the King with Marie de Medicis. In 1604 Henri IV created in his
+favour the office of keeper of the seals of France; and finally, on the
+death of the Chancelier de Bellièvre, he became his successor.
+
+[50] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iii. pp. 189, 190.
+
+[51] "Comme s'il fût revenu d'extase," says Péréfixe, vol. ii. p. 300.
+
+[52] In April 1599.
+
+[53] Bernard de Montfaucon. _Les Monumens de la Monarchie Française_,
+Paris, 1733, in folio, vol. v. p. 396.
+
+[54] Horace del-Monte.
+
+[55] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 123.
+
+[56] Maintenon, _Mém_., Amsterdam, 1756, vol. ii. p. 115.
+
+[57] Roger de St. Larry, Duc de Bellegarde, was the favourite of three
+successive sovereigns. Henri III appointed him master of his wardrobe,
+and subsequently first gentleman of the chamber, and grand equerry.
+Henri IV made him a knight of his Orders in 1595; and ultimately Louis
+XIII continued to him an equal amount of favour. The preservation of
+Quilleboeuf, which he defended with great gallantry during the space of
+three weeks, with only forty-five soldiers and ten nobles, against the
+army of the Duc de Mayenne, acquired for him a renown which he never
+afterwards forfeited.
+
+[58] Henri, Comte, and subsequently Duc, de Lude, was the last male
+representative of his family. He was appointed grand-master of the
+artillery in 1669, and died without issue in 1685.
+
+[59] Jean de St. Larry de Thermes, brother of the Duc d'Aiguillon.
+
+[60] Jacques, Marquis de Castelnau, subsequently Marshal of France, who,
+in 1658, commanded the left wing of the army at the battle of the Dunes,
+and died the same year, at the early age of thirty-eight.
+
+[61] François de Paule de Clermont, Marquis de Montglat, first maître
+d'hôtel to the King.
+
+[62] M. de Frontenac was one of the officers of Henry IV who, before his
+accession to the throne of France (in 1576), had a quarrel with M. de
+Rosny, during which he told him that if he were to pull his nose, he
+could only draw out milk; a taunt to which the future minister replied
+by an assurance that he felt strong enough to draw blood out of that of
+his adversary with his sword. The peculiarity of this quarrel existed in
+the fact that, although De Rosny was a Protestant, and Frontenac a
+Catholic, M. de Turenne nevertheless espoused the cause of the latter;
+upon which M. de Lavardin, a Catholic, declared himself ready to second
+the arms of the adverse party.
+
+[63] François, Baron de Bassompierre, was the son of Christophe de
+Bassompierre and Louise de Radeval, and was born on the 12th of April
+1579, at the château of Harouel, in Lorraine. He became at an early age
+the intimate companion and favourite of Henri IV, by whom he was
+appointed colonel-general of the Swiss troops. In the year 1603 he was
+made Marshal of France, and obtained great influence over both Marie de
+Medicis and her son Louis XIII. Richelieu, who became jealous of his
+favour, caused him to be imprisoned in the Bastille in 1631, where he
+remained for twelve years. He was an able diplomatist, a distinguished
+general, and a polished, though dissolute, courtier. He acquitted
+himself with great distinction in several sieges, and at his death,
+which occurred in 1646, he bequeathed to posterity his personal memoirs,
+which are among the most curious in the rich collections possessed by
+his countrymen.
+
+[64] Rambure, unpublished _Mém_., 1599, vol. i. pp. 151, 152.
+
+[65] Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues, subsequently known as
+the Marquise de Verneuil, was the elder daughter of the celebrated Marie
+Touchet, who, after having been the mistress of Charles IX, became the
+wife of François de Balzac, Seigneur d'Entragues, de Marcoussis and de
+Malesherbes, Governor of Orleans, who was, in 1573, elected a knight of
+St. Michael by Henri III. Henriette, as her name implies, was, together
+with her two sisters, the issue of this marriage; while her half-brother
+the Comte d'Auvergne, subsequently Duc d'Angoulême, was the son of
+Charles IX.
+
+[66] Saint--Edmé, _Amours et Galanteries des Rois de France_, Brussels,
+vol. ii. pp. 199, 200.
+
+[67] Louise Marguerite de Lorraine, the widow of Henri III, was the
+elder daughter of Nicolas de Lorraine, Duc de Mercoeur, Comte de
+Vaudemont, and of the Marquise d'Egmont, his first wife. Henri III
+having seen her at Rheims, during his temporary residence in that city,
+became enamoured of her person, and their marriage took place on the 5th
+of February 1575. François de Luxembourg, of the House of Brienne, had
+for some time paid his addresses to Mademoiselle de Lorraine, with the
+hope and intention of making her his wife; a fact which the licentious
+and frivolous King no sooner ascertained than he declared his
+inclination to effect an alliance between the disappointed suitor and
+his own mistress, Mademoiselle de Châteauneuf, for whom he was anxious
+to provide through this medium. He consequently proposed the arrangement
+to M. de Luxembourg on the day of his coronation, but received the cold
+and firm reply that the Count felt himself bound to congratulate
+Mademoiselle de Lorraine on her good fortune, since by changing her
+lover she had also been enabled to increase her dignity; but that, as
+regarded himself, since he could derive no benefit whatever from
+becoming the husband of Mademoiselle de Châteauneuf, he begged that his
+Majesty would excuse him from contracting such an alliance. The King,
+however, declared that he would admit of no refusal, and insisted upon
+his instant obedience; whereupon M. de Luxembourg demanded eight days to
+make the necessary preparations, to which Henry demurred, and it was
+finally arranged that he should be allowed three days for that purpose,
+after which he was to hold himself prepared to obey the royal command.
+These three days sufficed to enable the intended victim to make his
+escape, and he accordingly left the kingdom. His sarcasm against herself
+had so deeply irritated Queen Louise that after the death of her husband
+she entreated Henri IV to revenge her injured dignity upon her former
+suitor, but the monarch declined to aid in any further persecution of
+the unfortunate young noble. The married life of the Queen was a most
+unhappy one, and appeared to have entirely disgusted her with the world,
+as on becoming a widow she passed two years of seclusion and mourning at
+Chenonceaux, whence she removed to the château of Moulins, where she
+devoted herself to the most austere duties of religion. In her will, by
+which she bequeathed nearly the whole of her property to the Church and
+to charitable purposes, she left a large sum for the erection of a
+Capuchin convent at Bourges, where she desired that she might be
+ultimately interred; but by command of Henri IV the convent was built in
+the Faubourg St. Honoré, at Paris, and her body deposited in the chapel.
+
+[68] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iii. p. 312.
+
+[69] Saint-Edmé, p. 200.
+
+[70] Equal, in the present day, to nearly five hundred thousand livres.
+
+[71] Charles de Valois, the son of Charles IX and Marie Touchet, Dame de
+Belleville. He was subsequently Duc d'Angoulême and Grand Prior of
+France. He died in 1639.
+
+[72] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. pp. 62, 63. Saint-Edmé, pp. 201, 202.
+
+[73] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iii. pp. 313, 314.
+
+[74] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iii. p. 315.
+
+[75] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 124.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+1599
+
+Sully resolves to hasten the King's marriage--Ambassadors are sent to
+Florence to demand the hand of Marie de Medicis--The marriage articles
+are signed--Indignation of Madame de Verneuil--Revenge of her brother,
+the Comte d'Auvergne--The Duke of Savoy visits Paris--His reception--His
+profusion--His mission fails--Court poets--Marie de Medicis is married
+to the French King by procuration at Florence--Hostile demonstrations of
+the Duke of Savoy--Infatuation of the King for the favourite--Her
+pretensions--A well-timed tempest--Diplomacy of Madame de Verneuil--Her
+reception at Lyons--War in Savoy--Marie de Medicis lands at
+Marseilles--Madame de Verneuil returns to Paris--The Duc de Bellegarde
+is proxy for the King at Florence--He escorts the new Queen to
+France--Portrait of Marie de Medicis--Her state-galley--Her voyage--Her
+reception--Henry reaches Lyons--The royal interview--Public
+rejoicings--The royal marriage--Henry returns to Paris--The Queen's
+jealousy is awakened--Profligate habits of the King--Marie's Italian
+attendants embitter her mind against her husband--Marie reaches
+Paris--She holds a court--Presentation of Madame de Verneuil to the
+Queen--Indignation of Marie--Disgrace of the Duchesse de
+Nemours--Self-possession of Madame de Verneuil--Marie takes possession
+of the Louvre--She adopts the French costume--Splendour of the
+Court--Festival given by Sully--A practical joke--Court
+festivities--Excessive gambling--Royal play debts--The Queen's
+favourite--A petticoat intrigue--Leonora Galigaï appointed Mistress of
+the Robes--Reconciliation between the Queen and Madame de Verneuil--The
+King gives the Marquise a suite of apartments in the Louvre--Her rivalry
+of the Queen--Indignation of Marie--Domestic dissensions--The Queen and
+the favourite are again at war--Madame de Verneuil effects the marriage
+of Concini and Leonora--Gratitude of the Queen--Birth of the
+Dauphin--Joy of the King--Public rejoicings--Birth of Anne of
+Austria--Superstitions of the period--Belief in astrology--A royal
+anecdote--Horoscope of the Dauphin--The sovereign and the surgeon--Birth
+of Gaston Henri, son of Madame de Verneuil--Public entry of the Dauphin
+into Paris--Exultation of Marie de Medicis.
+
+The infatuation of the King for his new favourite decided M. de Sully to
+hasten by every means in his power the marriage of the sovereign with
+some European princess worthy to share his throne, and he accordingly
+instructed the royal agents at Rome to demand forthwith the hand of
+Marie de Medicis for the French monarch; while Henry, absorbed in his
+passion, permitted him to act as he saw fit, offering neither assistance
+nor impediment to a negotiation on which his domestic happiness was in
+future to depend. Nor was it until the Duke urged upon him the necessity
+of selecting such of his nobility as it was his pleasure to entrust with
+the management of the affair in conjunction with the ambassador whom the
+Grand Duke, her uncle, was about to despatch to Paris, that, by dint of
+importunity, he was induced to name M. de Sully himself, the Constable,
+the Chancellor, and the Sieur de Villeroy,[76] whose son, M.
+d'Alincourt, had previously been sent to Rome to offer the
+acknowledgments of Henry to his Holiness for the dissolution of his
+marriage with Queen Marguerite, and to apprise him of that which he was
+desirous to contract with Marie de Medicis. This duty performed, M.
+d'Alincourt solicited the permission of the Pope to accompany Sillery to
+Florence to pay his respects to the Princess and to negotiate the
+alliance; and having obtained the required sanction, the two nobles set
+forth upon their embassy, quite unaware that the preliminaries were
+already nearly concluded.[77] So determined, indeed, had been the
+minister that no time should be afforded to the King to redeem the
+pledge which he had given to the favourite that Joannini, the agent of
+the Grand Duke, had not been many days in Paris before the articles were
+drawn up and signed on both sides, and Sully was commissioned by the
+other contracting parties to communicate the termination of their
+labours to his royal master. The account given by the minister of this
+interview is highly characteristic.
+
+"He had not," says the chronicler, "anticipated such expedition; and
+thus when I had answered his question of where I had come from by 'We
+come, Sire, from marrying you,' the Prince remained for a quarter of an
+hour as though he had been stricken by thunder; then he began to pace
+the chamber with long strides, biting his nails, scratching his head,
+and absorbed by reflections which agitated him so violently that he was
+a considerable time before he was able to speak to me. I entertained no
+doubt that all my previous representations were now producing their
+effect; and so it proved, for ultimately recovering himself like a man
+who has at length taken a decided resolution: 'Well,' said he, striking
+his hands together, 'well, then, so be it; there is no alternative,
+since for the good of my kingdom you say that I must marry.'" [78]
+
+Such was the ungracious acceptance of the haughty Florentine Princess at
+the hands of her future bridegroom.
+
+The indignation of Madame de Verneuil was unbounded when she
+ascertained that she had for ever lost all hope of ascending the throne
+of France; but it is nevertheless certain that she was enabled to
+dissimulate sufficiently to render her society indispensable to the
+King, and to accept with a good grace the equivocal honours of her
+position. Her brother, the Comte d'Auvergne, was, however, less
+placable; he had always affected to believe in the validity of her claim
+upon the King, and his naturally restless and dissatisfied character led
+him, under the pretext of avenging her wrongs, to enter into a
+conspiracy which had recently been formed against the person of the
+King, whom certain malcontents sought to deprive alike of his throne and
+of his liberty, and to supersede in his sovereignty by one of the
+Princes of the Blood.[79] Among others, the Duke of Savoy,[80] who,
+during the troubles of 1588, had taken possession of the marquisate of
+Saluzzo, which he refused to restore, was said to be implicated in this
+plot; and he was the more strongly suspected as it had been ascertained
+that he had constant communication with several individuals at the
+French Court, and that he had tampered with certain of the nobles;
+among others, with the Duc de Biron.[81] He had also succeeded in
+attaching to his interests the Duchesse de Beaufort; and had, during her
+lifetime, proposed to the King to visit France in person in order to
+effect a compromise, which he anticipated that, under her auspices, he
+should be enabled to conclude with advantage to himself. Henry had
+accepted the proposition; and although after the death of the Duchess,
+M. de Savoie endeavoured to rescind his resolution, he found himself so
+far compromised that he was compelled to carry out his original purpose;
+and accordingly, on the 1st of December, he left Chambéry with a train
+of twelve hundred horse, accompanied by the greater part of his
+ministers, his nobles, and the most magnificent members of his
+Court.[82] As the French King had issued orders that he should, in every
+city through which he passed, be received with regal honours, he did not
+reach Fontainebleau until the 14th of the same month, where he arrived
+just as his royal host was mounting his horse to meet him. As he
+approached Henry he bent his knee, but the King immediately raised and
+embraced him with great cordiality; and during the seven days which he
+spent at Fontainebleau the Court was one scene of splendour and
+dissipation. Balls, jousts, and hunting-parties succeeded each other
+without intermission, but the Duke soon perceived that the monarch had
+no intention of taking the initiative on the errand which had brought
+him to France, a caution from which he justly augured no favourable
+result to his expedition;[83] while on his side the subject was never
+alluded to by Sully or any of the other ministers without his giving the
+most unequivocal proofs of his determination to retain the
+marquisate.[84]
+
+[Illustration: Marshal Biron. Paris, Richard Bentley and Son 1890.]
+
+Meanwhile his conduct was governed by the most subtle policy; his
+bearing towards the monarch was at once deferential and familiar; his
+liberality was unbounded; and his courtesy towards the great nobles and
+the officials of the Court untiring and dignified.
+
+On the eighth day after the arrival of the Duke at Fontainebleau the
+Court removed to Paris, where Henry had caused apartments to be prepared
+for his royal guest in the Louvre; but M. de Savoie, after offering his
+acknowledgments for the proffered honour, preferred to take up his abode
+in the house of his relative the Duc de Nemours, near the Augustine
+convent. The whole of the Christmas festival was spent in a succession
+of amusements as splendid as those with which he had been originally
+received; and on the 1st of January 1600, when it is customary in France
+to exchange presents, the Duke repaid all this magnificence by a
+profusion almost unprecedented. To the King, his offering was two large
+bowls and vases of crystal so exquisitely worked as to be considered
+unrivalled; while he tendered to Madame de Verneuil, who did the honours
+of the royal circle, and whom he was anxious to attach to his interests,
+a valuable collection of diamonds and other precious stones. Nor did his
+liberality end here, for there was not a great noble of the Court who
+was not enriched by his munificence save the Duc de Biron; who, from
+policy, declined to accept some magnificent horses which were sent to
+him in the name of the Prince; and Sully, who, upon being presented by
+M. des Alimes, one of the principal Savoyard lords, with a snuff-box
+enriched with diamonds, and estimated at fifteen thousand crowns,
+containing a portrait of M. de Savoie, at once perceived that the costly
+offering was intended as a bribe, and declined to receive it, declaring
+that he had made a vow never to accept any present of value except from
+his own sovereign.[85]
+
+The King responded to the liberality of his guest by the gift of a
+diamond star, of which the centre brilliant covered a miniature of
+Madame de Verneuil, together with other valuable jewels; but the
+profusion of the Duke was so great that his whole outlay upon this
+occasion was estimated at no less a sum than four hundred thousand
+crowns; and when it was believed that he must have exhausted his
+resources, he still further astonished the French nobles by appearing at
+a ball which he gave to the Court in a dress entirely covered with
+precious stones, and valued at a far higher sum than that which he had
+expended.[86]
+
+That this profusion had been dictated by policy rather than by
+generosity was sufficiently apparent; and whatever effect it might have
+produced upon the minds of the courtiers, M. de Savoie was soon made
+aware that it had been utterly powerless over the resolution of the
+sovereign; for he no sooner ventured to allude to the subject of his
+journey, than Henry with his accustomed frankness declared his
+determination to enforce his right to the marquisate which his guest had
+usurped; an assurance which determined the Duke to request that a
+commission might be appointed to examine their conflicting claims.
+
+His demand was conceded; commissioners were appointed on both sides, and
+the question was rigidly discussed; propositions were mutually made and
+mutually declined; until finally the King, by the advice of his council,
+despatched Sebastian Zamet[87] to the Duke of Savoy, with full
+authority to negotiate either a restitution or an exchange; giving him
+at the same time three months in which to consult his nobility, and to
+decide upon the one measure or the other.
+
+So skilfully did the envoy perform his mission, that he ultimately
+succeeded in inducing M. de Savoie to propose to the King, as
+compensation for the contested marquisate, the cession of certain towns
+and citadels named in a treaty which was signed by the two contracting
+parties; and this arrangement had no sooner been concluded than the
+court resumed its career of gaiety; nor was it until the 7th of March
+that the Duke finally took leave of his royal entertainer, and commenced
+his homeward journey.[88]
+
+Meanwhile the Court poets had not been idle; and while the Duke of Savoy
+had recognized the supremacy of the favourite by costly gifts, her
+favour had been courted by the most popular of those time-serving bards
+who were accustomed to make their talents subservient to their
+interests; nor is it the least remarkable feature of the age that the
+three most fashionable rhymesters in the circles of gallantry were all
+ecclesiastics, and that the charms and _virtues_ of Henriette
+d'Entragues were celebrated by a cardinal, a bishop, and an abbé![89]
+
+Her most palmy days were, however, at an end, for hitherto she had
+reigned undisputed mistress of the King's affections, and she was
+henceforward to hold at best a divided sway. On the 5th of May, M.
+d'Alincourt arrived at Fontainebleau from Florence, with the
+intelligence that, on the 25th of the preceding month, the contract of
+marriage between the French monarch and the Princesse Marie de Medicis
+had been signed at the Palazzo Pitti, in the presence of Carlo-Antonio
+Putéi, Archbishop of Pisa, and the Duke of Bracciano; and that the bride
+brought as her dowry six hundred thousand crowns, besides jewels and
+other ornaments of value. He further stated that a "Te Deum" had been
+chanted, both in the Palazzo Pitti and at the church of the Annunciation
+at Florence; after which the Princesse Marie, declared Queen of France,
+had dined in public, seated under a dais above her uncle; and at the
+conclusion of the repast, the Duke of Bracciano had presented the water
+to wash her hands, and the Marquis de Sillery, the French Ambassador,
+the napkin upon which she wiped them. Having made his report, and
+delivered his despatches, M. d'Alincourt placed in the hands of the King
+a portrait of Marie richly set in brilliants, which had been entrusted
+to him for that purpose; and the lover of Madame de Verneuil found
+himself solemnly betrothed.[90]
+
+This fact, however, produced little visible effect upon the Court
+circle, and still less upon the King himself; and after having afforded
+a subject of conversation for a brief interval, it soon appeared to be
+entirely forgotten amid the more absorbing matters of interest by which
+the minds of the different individuals were severally engrossed. From
+policy, the betrothal was never mentioned by the courtiers in the
+presence of Madame de Verneuil, a restraint which caused it to fall into
+partial oblivion; and the rather as the month of June had arrived
+without any demonstration on the part of the Duke of Savoy, who had
+availed himself of every possible pretext to evade the fulfilment of the
+treaty of Paris; and who had rendered it evident that force of arms
+alone could compel him to resign the usurped marquisate. Even the
+monarch himself became at length convinced of the impolicy of further
+delay, and resolved forthwith to advance to Lyons, whither Sully had
+already despatched both troops and artillery.[91] M. de Savoie had,
+however, during his sojourn in France, made many partisans, who urged
+upon their sovereign the expediency of still affording to the Duke an
+opportunity of redeeming his pledge; and Henry, even against his better
+reason, listened the more complacently to their counsels that Madame de
+Verneuil was about to become a mother, and he shrank from the idea of
+separation from her at such a moment. Thus he delayed his journey until
+Sully, who was not long in discovering the cause of his inaction,
+renewed his expostulations with still greater emphasis, and finally
+induced him to make preparations for an immediate departure. As the hour
+arrived, however, he again wavered, until at length he declared his
+determination to be accompanied by the Marquise; but this arrangement
+was, from her state of health, soon found to be impossible; and after
+considerable difficulty he was persuaded to consent that she should
+await his return at Monceaux, whither he himself conducted her, with
+renewed protestations that he loved her well enough to resign even then
+the alliance with Marie de Medicis, and to make her his wife.[92] This
+was precisely what the favourite still hoped to accomplish. She was
+aware of the extraordinary influence which she had obtained over the
+mind of her royal lover, and she looked forward to the birth of a son as
+the one thing necessary to her success. Accordingly, before she suffered
+the King to depart, she compelled him to promise that he would be near
+her during her illness; and then she reluctantly saw him set forth to
+Moulins, where he was detained for a fortnight, his council not being
+able to agree as to the expediency of the campaign.
+
+There can be little doubt that under other circumstances Henry would
+have found means to bring them to a decision; but as he was enabled
+during their discussions to receive daily intelligence of the Marquise,
+he submitted quietly to a detention which seconded his own wishes.
+
+At length the period arrived in which Madame de Verneuil was about to
+enforce her claim upon the tenderness of her royal lover, and already he
+spoke of returning for a while to Monceaux; when a violent storm, and
+the falling of a thunderbolt in the very chamber of the invalid, so
+affected her nervous system, that she lost the infant upon which she had
+based all her anticipations of greatness; and although the King hastened
+to condole with her upon her disappointment, and even remained in
+constant attendance upon her sick-bed until she was partially
+convalescent, the great link between them was necessarily broken; a fact
+of which she was so well aware that her temper gave way beneath the
+trial, and she bitterly upbraided her royal lover for the treachery of
+which she declared him to have been guilty in permitting his ministers
+to effect his betrothal with Marie de Medicis, when she had herself, as
+she affirmed, sacrificed everything for his sake. In order to pacify her
+anger, the King loaded her with new gifts, and consoled her by new
+protestations; nor did his weakness end there, for so soon as her health
+was sufficiently re-established, he wrote to entreat of her to join him
+at Lyons; although not before she had addressed to him a most submissive
+letter, in which she assured him that her whole happiness depended upon
+his affection, and that as she had too late become aware that his high
+rank had placed an inseparable barrier between them, and that her own
+insignificance precluded the possibility of her ever becoming his wife,
+she at least implored of him to leave to her the happiness of still
+remaining his mistress, and to continue to feel for her the same
+tenderness, with so many demonstrations of which he had hitherto
+honoured her.[93]
+
+This was an appeal to which the enamoured monarch willingly responded,
+and the nature of her reception at Lyons tended still further to restore
+peace between them. What the Lyonnese had previously done in honour of
+Diane de Poitiers, when, as the accredited and _official_ mistress of
+Henri II, she visited their city, they repeated in honour of Madame de
+Verneuil, whose entrance within their gates was rather that of a crowned
+queen than a fallen woman; and this triumph was shortly afterwards
+augmented by her reception of the standards taken by the King at
+Charbonnières, which he caused to be conveyed to her as a proof of his
+devotion, and which she, with ostentatious pomp, transferred to the
+church of St. Just.
+
+From Lyons, Henry proceeded to Grenoble, still accompanied by Madame de
+Verneuil, the Duke of Savoy having at length declared that rather than
+submit to the conditions which had been proposed to him, he would incur
+the hazard of a war. In consequence of this decision, immediate
+measures were taken by the French generals to march upon Saluzzo; and
+the Maréchal de Biron, although already strongly suspected of
+disaffection to his sovereign, having collected a body of troops,
+possessed himself of the whole territory of Brescia. The town of Bourg
+was stormed by Du Terrail,[94] and taken, with the exception of the
+citadel; while M. de Créquy[95] entered Savoy, and made himself master
+of the city of Montmelian, although the castle still held out.
+
+Henry then resolved to enter Savoy in person; and having once more taken
+leave of the Marquise, who returned to Lyons, he marched upon Chambéry,
+which immediately capitulated; and thence he proceeded to possess
+himself of the citadels of Conflans and Charbonnières, which had
+hitherto been deemed impregnable. M. de Savoie, who had confided in the
+strength of his fortresses of Montmelian and Bourg, and who had
+continued to affect the most perfect indifference to the approach of the
+French troops, now became seriously alarmed, and made instant
+preparations to relieve the Marquis de Brandis, the governor of the
+former fortress, for which purpose he applied to Spain for assistance.
+This was, however, refused; and both places fell into the hands of the
+French monarch, who then successively took Chablais and Faussigny; after
+which he sat down before the fortress of St. Catherine, which the
+Savoyards had erected to overawe the Genevese.[96]
+
+During the siege of Fort St. Catherine, intelligence reached the King of
+the arrival of the young Queen at Marseilles; and meanwhile the
+gratification of the Pope at an alliance so flattering to his pride had
+been of essential benefit to the French interest, as he had, in
+consequence, made no demonstration in favour of the Duke of Savoy,
+although it was not entirely without anxiety that he had seen the army
+of Henry approach his own dominions; but, satisfied that at such a
+conjuncture the French monarch would attempt no aggressive measures
+against Italy, he had consented to remain passive.
+
+Madame de Verneuil was no sooner apprised of the landing of Marie de
+Medicis than, after having vehemently reproached the King for a haste
+which she designated as insulting to herself, she made instant
+preparations for her return to Paris, resolutely refusing to assist at
+the ceremonious reception of the new Queen; nor could the expostulations
+of Henry, even accompanied, as they were, by the most profuse proofs of
+his continued affection, induce her to rescind her determination. To
+every representation of the monarch she replied by reminding him that
+out of all the high nobles of his Court, he had seen fit to select the
+Duc de Bellegarde as the bearer of his marriage-procuration to the Grand
+Duke of Florence--thus indemnifying him to the utmost of his power for
+the mortification to which he had been subjected by the royal refusal to
+permit him to act personally as his proxy; while she assured him that
+she was not blind to the fact that this selection was meant as an
+additional affront to herself, in order to avenge the preposterous
+notion which his Majesty had adopted, that, after having previously paid
+his court to the Duchesse de Beaufort during her period of power, the
+Duke had since transferred his affections to the Marquise de Verneuil.
+
+Under all circumstances, this accusation was most unfortunate and
+ill-judged, and should in itself have sufficed to open the eyes of the
+monarch, who had, assuredly, had sufficient experience in female tactics
+to be quite aware that where a woman is compelled mentally to condemn
+herself, she is the most anxious to transfer her fault to others, and to
+blame where she is conscious of being open to censure. Madame de
+Verneuil had not, however, in this instance at all miscalculated the
+extent of her influence over the royal mind; as, instead of resenting an
+impertinence which was well fitted to arouse his indignation, Henry
+weakly condescended to justify himself, and by this unmanly concession
+laid the foundation of all his subsequent domestic discomfort.
+
+Madame de Verneuil returned to Paris, surrounded by adulation and
+splendour, and the King was left at liberty to bestow some portion of
+his thoughts upon his expected bride. It is probable, indeed, that the
+portrait of Marie presented to him by the Grand Duchess had excited his
+curiosity and flattered his self-love; for it was more than sufficiently
+attractive to command the attention of a monarch even less susceptible
+to female beauty than himself. Marie was still in the very bloom of
+life, having only just attained her twenty-fourth year; nor could the
+King have forgotten that when, some time previously, her portrait had
+been forwarded to the French Court together with that of the Spanish
+Infanta, Gabrielle d'Estrées, then in the full splendour of her own
+surpassing loveliness, had exclaimed as she examined them: "I should
+fear nothing from the Spaniard, but the Florentine is dangerous." From
+whatever impulse he might act, however, it is certain that after the
+departure of the favourite, Henry publicly expressed his perfect
+satisfaction with the marriage which he had been induced to
+contract,[97] and lost no time in issuing his commands for the reception
+of his expected bride.
+
+The Duc de Bellegarde, Grand Equerry of France, had reached Livorno on
+the 20th of September, accompanied by forty French nobles, all alike
+eager, by the magnificence of their appearance and the chivalry of their
+deportment, to uphold the honour of their royal master. Seven days
+subsequently, he entered Florence, where he delivered his credentials to
+the Grand Duke, having been previously joined by Antonio de Medicis with
+a great train of Florentine cavaliers who had been sent to meet him; and
+the same evening he had an interview with his new sovereign, to whom he
+presented the letters with which he had been entrusted by the King.[98]
+
+On the 4th of October, the Cardinal Aldobrandini, the nephew and legate
+of the Pope, who had already been preceded by the Duke of Mantua and the
+Venetian Ambassador, arrived in his turn at Florence, in order to
+perform the ceremony of the royal marriage. His Eminence was received at
+the gate of the city by the Grand Duke in person, and made his entry on
+horseback under a canopy supported by eight young Florentine nobles,
+preceded by all the ecclesiastical and secular bodies; while
+immediately behind him followed sixteen prelates, and fifty gentlemen of
+the first families in the duchy bearing halberds. On reaching the
+church, the Cardinal dismounted, and thence, after a brief prayer, he
+proceeded to the ducal palace. At the conclusion of the magnificent
+repast which awaited him, the legate, in the presence of his royal host,
+of the Dukes of Mantua and Bracciano, the Princes Juan and Antonio de
+Medicis, and the Sieur de Bellegarde, announced to the young Queen the
+entire satisfaction of the Sovereign-Pontiff at the union upon which he
+was about to pronounce a blessing: to which assurance she replied with
+grace and dignity.
+
+On the morrow a high mass was celebrated by the Cardinal in the presence
+of the whole Court; and during its solemnization he was seated under a
+canopy of cloth of gold at the right-hand side of the altar, where a
+chair had been prepared for him upon a platform raised three steps above
+the floor. He had no sooner taken his place, than the Duc de Bellegarde,
+approaching the Princess (who occupied a similar seat of honour,
+together with her uncle, at the opposite side of the shrine), led her to
+the right hand of the legate; the Grand Duke at the same time placing
+himself upon his left, and presenting to his Eminence the procuration by
+which he was authorized to espouse his niece in the name of the King.
+The document was then transferred to two of the attendant prelates, by
+whom it was read aloud; and subsequently the authority given by the
+Pope for the solemnization of the marriage was, in like manner, made
+public. The remainder of the nuptial service was then performed amid
+perpetual salvos of artillery. In the evening a splendid ball took place
+at the palace, followed by a banquet, at which the new Queen occupied
+the upper seat, having on her right the legate of his Holiness, the Duke
+of Mantua, and the Grand Duke her uncle, who, in homage to her superior
+rank, ceded to her the place of honour; and on her left, the Duchesses
+of Mantua, Tuscany, and Bracciano; the Duke of Bracciano acting as
+equerry, and Don Juan, the brother of the Grand Duke, as cup-bearer.
+
+The four following days were passed in a succession of festivities:
+hunting-parties, jousts, tiltings at the ring, racing, and every other
+description of manly sport occupying the hours of daylight, while the
+nights were devoted to balls and ballets, in which the Florentine
+nobility vied with their foreign visitors in every species of profusion
+and magnificence. Among other amusements, a comedy in five acts was
+represented, on which the outlay was stated to have amounted to the
+enormous sum of sixty thousand crowns.
+
+At the close of the Court festivals, the Cardinal Aldobrandini took his
+leave of the distinguished party, and proceeded to Chambéry; but the
+Queen lingered with her family until the 13th of the month, upon which
+day, accompanied by the Grand-Duchess her aunt, the Duchess of Mantua
+her sister, her brother Don Antonio, the Duke of Bracciano, and the
+French Ambassador, she set forth upon her journey to her new
+kingdom.[99]
+
+Without being strictly beautiful, Marie de Medicis possessed a person at
+once pleasing and dignified. All the pride of her Italian blood flashed
+from her large dark eye, while the consciousness of her exalted rank
+lent a majesty to her deportment which occasionally, however, in moments
+of irritation, degenerated into haughtiness. Her intellect was quick and
+cultivated, but she was deficient alike in depth of judgment and in
+strength of character. Amiable, and even submissive in her intercourse
+with her favourites, she was vindictive and tyrannical towards those who
+fell under the ban of her displeasure; and with all the unscrupulous
+love of intrigue common to her race, she was nevertheless unguarded in
+her confidences, unstable in her purposes, and short-sighted in her
+policy. In temper she was hot, impatient, and irascible; in temperament,
+jealous and exacting; while her vanity and love of power perpetually
+made her the tool of those who sought to profit by her defects.
+
+It is probable that throughout the whole of Europe no princess could
+have been selected less constituted to make the happiness of a sovereign
+who, like Henri IV, had not scrupled to avow to his minister that he
+dreaded domestic dissension far more than foreign warfare; but who at
+the same time did not hesitate, by his own irregularities, to arouse
+all the worst passions in the bosom of an outraged wife.
+
+On the 17th of October the royal bride reached Livorno, where she made
+her entry in great pomp, and was received with the most enthusiastic
+acclamations; and on the following day she embarked in the state-galley
+of the Grand-Duke, one of the most magnificent vessels which had ever
+floated upon the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Seventy feet in
+length, it was impelled by fifty-four oars, and was richly gilded from
+stem to stern; the borders of the poop being inlaid with a profusion of
+lapis-lazuli, mother-of-pearl, ivory, and ebony. It was, moreover,
+ornamented by twenty large circles of iron interlaced, and studded with
+topaz, emeralds, pearls, and other precious stones; while the splendour
+of the interior perfectly corresponded with this gorgeous framework. In
+the principal cabin, which was hung and carpeted with cloth of gold, a
+seat of state had been arranged for the Queen, opposite to which were
+suspended the shields of France and of the house of Medicis side by
+side; the fleurs-de-lis of the former being composed of large diamonds,
+and the device of the latter represented by five immense rubies and a
+sapphire, with an enormous pearl above, and a fine emerald in the
+centre.[100] This fairy vessel was followed by five other galleys
+furnished by the Pope, and six appertaining to the Grand Duke; and thus
+escorted Marie de Medicis reached Malta, where she was joined by
+another fleet which awaited her off that island; but, despite all this
+magnificence, the voyage of the Queen was anything but propitious, for
+after arriving at Esperies, where the authorities of Genoa profferred to
+her, with great respect, the attendance of their own flotilla, she had
+no sooner reached Portofino than she was compelled to anchor for several
+days from stress of weather. Unaccustomed as she was, however, to this
+mode of travelling, the high-spirited young Queen resisted all the
+entreaties of those about her, who were anxious that she should land
+until the wind had moderated, simply remarking that the King had given
+no directions to that effect;[101] and retaining, amid all the dismay
+and discomfort by which she was surrounded, not only her self-command,
+but even her cheerfulness.[102]
+
+Meanwhile, Henry had no sooner ascertained the approach of his royal
+bride, than he forthwith despatched to welcome her, the Constable, the
+Chancellor, and the Dues de Nemours, de Ventadour, and de Guise; and
+these princes were followed on the ensuing day by the Cardinals de
+Joyeuse, de Gondy, and de Sourdis; after which he intimated his
+pleasure to all the several princesses and great ladies of the Court who
+were then sojourning at Grenoble in order to be near the royal army,
+that they should immediately set forth to pay their respects to their
+new sovereign, and remain in attendance upon her person until her entry
+into Paris; a command which was so literally obeyed, that three days
+afterwards the city was utterly stripped of the aspect of gaiety and
+splendour which had rendered it for a time an epitome of the
+capital itself.
+
+On the 28th of October the Queen once more put to sea, and two days
+subsequently she entered the port of Toulon, where she landed under a
+canopy of cloth of gold, with her fine hair flowing over her
+shoulders.[103] There she remained for two days, in order to recover
+from the effects of her voyage; after which she re-embarked and
+proceeded to Marseilles, where she arrived on the evening of Friday the
+3d of November. A gallery had been constructed from the port to the
+grand entrance of the palace in which apartments had been prepared for
+her; and on stepping from her galley, she was welcomed by the
+Chancellor,[104] who announced to her the orders that he had received
+from the King relative to her reception, and presented to her Majesty
+the Connétable--Duc de Montmorency,[105] and the Ducs de Nemours[106]
+and de Ventadour.[107] The consuls and citizens then tendered to her
+upon their knees the keys of the city in gold, linked together by a
+chain of the same precious metal; after which ceremony, the young Queen
+was conducted to the palace under a rich canopy, preceded by the
+Constable, surrounded by the Cardinals and prelates who had been sent to
+welcome her, and followed by the wife of the Chancellor, and the other
+great ladies of the Court. So long a delay having occurred between her
+betrothal and her marriage, the Princess had been enabled to render
+herself mistress of the language of her new country; and the
+satisfaction of the courtiers was consequently undisguised when she
+offered her acknowledgments for the courtesy of her reception in their
+own tongue; a gratification which was enhanced by the fact that Marie
+had made no effort to assimilate her costume to that of the French
+Court, but appeared in a robe of cloth of gold on a blue ground,
+fashioned in the Italian taste, and with her fine fair hair simply
+braided and utterly destitute of powder;[108] a circumstance which had
+already sufficed to awaken the jealousy of the French princesses.
+
+On the following day the Queen held a reception in the great hall of the
+palace, and graciously listened, surrounded by her august relatives, to
+the eloquent and celebrated harangue of M. du Vair,[109] the president
+of the Parliament of Provence; to which she had no sooner replied than
+she hastened to examine from the balcony a sumptuous state-carriage
+presented to her by the King, and then retired to her own apartments,
+attended by her personal suite. Of the royal vehicle in question Cayet
+gives a minute description, which we transcribe as affording an accurate
+idea of the taste displayed in that age in the decoration of coaches:
+"It was," he says, "covered with brown velvet and trimmed with silver
+tinsel on the outside; and within it was lined with carnation-coloured
+velvet, embroidered with gold and silver. The curtains were of carnation
+damask, and it was drawn by four gray horses." [110] These royal
+conveyances were, however, far less convenient than showy, being
+cumbrous and ungraceful in form, rudely suspended upon leathern straps,
+and devoid of windows, the use of glass not becoming known until the
+succeeding reign.
+
+On the morrow during her toilette the Queen received the principal
+ladies of the city, who had the honour of accompanying her to the
+temporary chapel which adjoined the principal saloon, where a high mass
+was performed with all the magnificent accessories of which it was
+susceptible; the numerous prelates and high dignitaries of the Church
+then assembled at Marseilles assisting at its celebration. The
+subsequent days were spent in courtly festivities and a survey of the
+noble city, where the ponderous and gilded coach of the royal bride was
+followed by the wondering acclamations of the dazzled and delighted
+populace, probably little less dazzled and delighted than herself; for
+Marie de Medicis, young and ambitious, could not but be forcibly struck
+by the contrast of her present splendour with the comparative obscurity
+of the Court to which she had been previously habituated.
+
+On the 16th of the month, however, she experienced her first trial, in a
+separation from the Grand Duchess her aunt, and the Duchess of Mantua
+her sister, who then took their leave, and returned to Florence in the
+galleys which were still awaiting them; and they had no sooner left the
+port than the Queen, followed by the brilliant train by which she had
+been surrounded since her arrival in France, proceeded to Aix, where she
+remained two days; and on the morning of the third she made her entry
+into Avignon escorted by two thousand horsemen, who met her before she
+reached the city, and officiated as a guard of honour. Every street
+through which she passed was richly decorated; tapestry and velvet
+hangings were suspended from the windows, and draped the balconies;
+triumphal arches and platforms, splendidly decorated and covered with
+devices and emblems appropriate to the occasion, were to be seen on all
+sides; and finally, in the great square of the city, her progress was
+arrested by a stately procession of ecclesiastics, in whose name she was
+harangued by François Suarés;[111] who having in the course of his
+address expressed his ardent hope that before the anniversary of her
+entry into Avignon she might give a Dauphin to France, she momentarily
+interrupted by exclaiming energetically: "I will pray to God to grant me
+that grace!" [112]
+
+The royal train then again moved forward, and Marie took possession of
+the stately abode which had been prepared for her, amid the firing of
+musketry, the pealing of bells, and the shouts of the excited people, in
+whom the affability and beauty of their new Queen had aroused the most
+ardent feelings of loyalty and hope.
+
+On the following day the corporation of the city presented to their
+young sovereign a hundred and fifty medals of gold, some of which bore
+on their obverse her own profile, and others that of the King, their
+reverse being in every case a representation of the town by which the
+offering was made; and on the ensuing evening she attended a banquet
+given in her honour by the Papal vice-legate at the palace of Rouvre,
+where at the conclusion of the ball, as she was about to retire with her
+suite, the tapestry hangings of the saloon were suddenly withdrawn, and
+revealed a magnificent collation served upon three separate tables.
+Among other costly delicacies, the guests were startled by the variety
+and profusion of the ornamental sugar-work which glistened like
+jewellery in the blaze of the surrounding tapers; for not only were
+there representations of birds, beasts, and fishes, but also fifty
+statues, each two palms in height, presenting in the same frail material
+the effigies of pagan deities and celebrated emperors. So marvellous
+indeed had been the outlay of the prelate on this one luxury, that at
+the close of the repast three hundred baskets of the most delicate
+confectionery, consisting chiefly of fruits skilfully imitated in
+sugar, were distributed among the fair and astonished guests.[113]
+
+During her sojourn at Avignon Marie received from the hands of M. de
+Rambure, whom the King had despatched from Savoy for that purpose, not
+only his renewed assurances of welcome, but also the costly gifts which
+he had prepared for her. "After the departure of the princes and
+cardinals," says the quaint old chronicler, "his Majesty desired my
+attendance in his chamber, and I had no sooner entered than he
+exclaimed: 'Friend Rambure, you must go and meet our future Queen, whom
+you must overtake two days before her arrival at Lyons; welcome her in
+my name, and present to her this letter and these two caskets of gems,
+together with these chests containing all the materials necessary for
+her first state-toilette; and having done this, bring me back her answer
+without delay. You will find a relay of horses awaiting you at every
+second league, both going and coming, in order that you may use all
+speed, and give me time to reach Lyons so soon as I shall know that she
+is to be there,'" This order could not, however, be implicitly obeyed,
+as the courtier was only enabled on his return to the King's presence to
+inform him that the Princess would enter Lyons that very day; upon which
+Henry instantly ordered post-horses, and accompanied by Sully, Rambure,
+and ten more of his favourite nobles, he commenced his journey, making,
+as he rode along, a thousand inquiries relative to his young wife, her
+deportment, and her retinue; asking with the utmost earnestness how she
+had received the presents which he had sent, and finally demanding of M.
+de Rambure if he were satisfied with the diamond ring that she had
+presented to him, a question which his messenger was careful to answer
+in the affirmative, at the same time assuring his Majesty that although
+he valued the jewel itself at a hundred pistoles, he prized it still
+more as the gift of so illustrious a Princess and Queen.[114]
+
+On the 3d of December the Queen reached La Guillotière, one of the
+faubourgs of Lyons, where she passed the night; and on the following
+morning she proceeded to Lamothe, where she assisted at the mass, and
+subsequently dined. At the close of the repast, all the several civic
+corporations paid their respects to their new sovereign, the Chancellor
+replying to their harangue in the name of the Queen; who, immediately
+that they had retired, ascended her carriage, and entered the city gates
+in the same state, and amid the same acclamations which had accompanied
+her entry into Avignon. The suave majesty of her demeanour, the
+magnificence of her apparel, and the flush of health and happiness which
+glowed upon her countenance, filled the people with enthusiasm.
+
+As her ponderous coach with its heavy curtains drawn back crushed
+beneath its ungainly wheels the flowers and branches that had been
+strewn upon her path, she showed herself in all her imperial beauty,
+dividing her smiles between the richly-attired groups who thronged the
+windows and balconies and the tumultuous multitude who ran shouting and
+gesticulating at her side; and the popular enthusiasm was as great as
+though in her person each individual beheld an earnest of the future
+prosperity and happiness of the nation over which she had been called to
+reign. Triumphal arches, floating draperies, and emblematic devices were
+scattered over the city; and thus welcomed and escorted, she reached the
+cathedral, where an address was delivered by M. de Bellièvre,[115] and a
+"Te Deum" was solemnly performed.
+
+In the course of the afternoon the young Queen received M. de
+Roquelaure,[116] who had been despatched by the monarch to announce that
+he was already on his way to Lyons;[117] and her interview with this
+new messenger had no sooner terminated than she was invited to pass into
+the great saloon, where several costly vases of gold and silver were
+presented to her in the name of the citizens; after which she was
+permitted to take the repose which she so greatly needed while awaiting
+the arrival of the King.
+
+Meanwhile Henry, who was not expected until the 10th of the month,
+reached Lyons on the previous evening just as the Queen had taken her
+seat at the supper-table; and being anxious to form his own judgment of
+her person and deportment before he declared his identity, he entered
+the apartment in an undress military uniform, trusting in this disguise
+to pass unnoticed among the throng of attendants. The Chancellor had,
+however, hurriedly seized an opportunity of intimating to Marie the
+arrival of her royal consort; while the King had no sooner crossed the
+threshold than he was recognized by several of the nobles; who, by
+hastily stepping aside to enable him to pass, created a movement which
+the quick eye of the Princess instantly detected, and of whose cause she
+did not remain one instant in doubt. Nevertheless, she betrayed no sign
+of her consciousness of the monarch's presence; while he, on his side,
+aware that all further incognito had become impossible, hastily retired.
+
+When he had withdrawn, the Queen instantly ceased eating; and, as each
+succeeding dish was presented to her, silently motioned its removal.
+Thus the remainder of the repast was rapidly terminated; and at its
+close, she rose and retired to her private apartments, which she had
+scarcely reached when a loud stroke upon the door of the ante-room, so
+authoritatively given that she was at once made aware of the approach of
+her royal consort, caused her to rise from the arm-chair in which she
+was seated, and to advance to the centre of the floor. She had scarcely
+done so when the tapestry hanging was drawn aside, and M. le Grand[118]
+entered, followed by the impatient monarch. In an instant she was at his
+feet, but in the next she found herself warmly and affectionately
+welcomed; nor was it until he had spent half an hour in conversation
+with her, that the King, weary and travel-worn as he was, withdrew to
+partake of the refreshment which had been prepared for him. On the
+following afternoon their Majesties, occupying the same carriage,
+attended vespers with great pomp at the Abbey of Aisnay; after which
+they passed the ensuing days in a succession of the most splendid
+festivities, at which the whole of the Court were present (the cost of
+those of the 13th being entirely at the expense of the monarch, in
+celebration of his birthday), until the arrival of the Cardinal
+Aldobrandini, whom the King had invited from Chambéry to be present at
+the public celebration of his nuptials, and who entered the city in
+state, when preparations were immediately made for the august rite upon
+which he was to confer his benediction.
+
+At the close of a state dinner on the morrow (17th of December), the
+royal couple proceeded, accompanied by all the princes and great nobles
+of the Court, to the church of St. John; where the Papal legate,
+surrounded by the Cardinals de Joyeuse,[119] de Gondy,[120] and de
+Sourdis,[121] together with the prelates then residing in the city, were
+already awaiting them. The royal bride retained her Tuscan costume,
+which was overlaid with the splendid jewels that formed so considerable
+a portion of her dowry; the most conspicuous among them being an
+ornament serving as a stomacher, which immediately obtained the name of
+"the Queen's Brilliant." This costly decoration consisted of an
+octagonal framework of large diamonds, divided into sections by lesser
+stones, each enclosing a portrait in enamel of one of the princes of her
+house, beneath which hung three immense pear-shaped pearls. The King was
+attired in a vest and haut-de-chausses of white satin, elaborately
+embroidered with silk and gold, and a black cape;[122] and wore upon his
+head the velvet _toque_ that had been introduced at the French Court by
+Henri III, to which a string of costly pearls was attached by a star of
+diamonds. Nor were the ladies and nobles of the royal retinue very
+inferior in the splendour of their appearance even to the monarch and
+his bride; feathers waved and jewels flashed on every side; silks and
+velvets swept the marble floor; and the brilliant uniforms of the royal
+guard were seen in startling contrast with the uncovered shoulders of
+the Court dames, which were laden with gems; while, to complete the
+gorgeousness of the picture, the high altar blazed with light, and
+wrought gold, and precious stones; and the magnificent robes of the
+prelates and priests who surrounded the shrine, formed a centre worthy
+of the rich framework by which it was enclosed.
+
+At the termination of the ceremony, gold and silver coins were thrown to
+the crowd, and the procession returned to the palace in the same order
+as it had reached the church.
+
+Great, however, as was the satisfaction which Henri IV had publicly
+expressed at his marriage, and lavish as were the encomiums that he had
+passed upon the grace and beauty of his wife, it is, nevertheless,
+certain that he by no means permitted this legitimate admiration to
+interfere with his passion for Madame de Verneuil, to whom he constantly
+despatched couriers, charged with both letters and presents; and whom he
+even permitted to speak of the Queen in her replies in a disrespectful
+manner. But the crowning proof of the inequality of the struggle which
+was about to ensue between the wife and the mistress, was the departure
+of the King from Lyons on the 18th of December, the second day after his
+marriage;[123] when, announcing his intention of travelling post to
+Paris, he left the Queen and her suite to follow at their leisure. That
+the haughty spirit of Marie de Medicis was stung by this abrupt
+abandonment, and that her woman-pride revolted, will admit of no doubt;
+nor is it wonderful that her indignation and jealousy should have been
+aroused when she discovered that, instead of pursuing his way to the
+capital, where the public arrangements necessitated by the peace with
+Savoy, which he had just concluded, required his presence, the King had
+embarked at Roanne, and then proceeded from Briare, where he landed, to
+Fontainebleau, whence on the morrow, after dining at Villeneuve, he had
+travelled at once to Verneuil, and remained there three days before he
+entered Paris. Nor even after his arrival in the capital was his conduct
+such as to reassure her delicacy; for Bassompierre has left it upon
+record that the newly-wedded sovereign took up his abode with M. de
+Montglat, at the priory of St. Nicolas-du-Louvre, where he constantly
+entertained ladies at supper, as well as several of his confidential
+courtiers.[124]
+
+So singular and insulting a commencement of her married life was
+assuredly well calculated to alarm the dignity of the Tuscan Princess;
+and even brief as had been her residence in France, she had already
+several individuals about her person who did not suffer her to remain in
+ignorance of the movements of her royal consort; while, unhappily for
+her own peace, her Italian followers--revolted by an indifference on the
+part of the monarch which they considered as an insult to their
+mistress--instead of endeavouring to allay the irritation which she did
+not attempt to conceal, exasperated her feelings by the vehemence of
+their indignation. It was indeed but too manifest that the favourite
+retained all her influence; and the arrangements which had been formally
+made for the progress of the Queen to the capital involved so much
+delay, that it was not possible for her to remain blind to the fact that
+they had been organised with the view of enabling the monarch to enjoy
+uninterruptedly for a time the society of his mistress. In consequence
+of these perpetual stoppages on the road, the harangues to which she was
+constrained to listen, and the dreary ceremonies to which she was
+condemned, it was not until the 1st of February 1601 that Marie de
+Medicis reached Nemours, where she was met by the King, who conducted
+her to Fontainebleau, at which palace the royal couple made a sojourn
+of five or six days; and, finally, on the 9th of the month, the young
+Queen entered Paris, where the civic authorities were anxious to afford
+to her a magnificent state reception; a purpose which was, however,
+negatived by the monarch, who alleged as his reason the enormous outlay
+that they had previously made upon similar occasions, and who commanded
+that the ceremony should be deferred.[125] Whatever may have been the
+real motive of Henry for exhibiting this new slight towards his royal
+bride, it is certain that the partisans of Marie did not fail to
+attribute it to the malevolence of Madame de Verneuil; and thus another
+subject of animosity was added to the list.
+
+Under these circumstances, the Queen entered the metropolitan city of
+her new kingdom without any of that pomp which had characterised her
+progress through the provinces; and alighted at the residence of M. de
+Gondy,[126] where the Princesses and the principal ladies of the Court
+and city hastened to pay their respects to her Majesty on her arrival.
+
+It was rumoured that one motive for the visit of the King to Verneuil
+had been his anxiety to induce the insolent favourite (whom he resolved
+to present to the Queen in order that she might be authorized to
+maintain her place at Court) to treat her new sovereign with becoming
+respect; and with a view to render her presentation as dignified as
+possible, he commanded the Duchesse de Nemours[127] to officiate as her
+sponsor. The pride of Anne de Savoie revolted, however, against the
+function which was assigned to her, and she ventured respectfully to
+intimate her reluctance to undertake so onerous an office, alleging as
+her reason, that such a measure on her part must inevitably deprive her
+of the confidence of her royal mistress. Nevertheless the King insisted
+on her obedience;[128] and, accordingly, the mortified Duchess was
+compelled to lead the mistress of the monarch into the circle, and to
+name her to the agitated and outraged Queen. Marie de Medicis in this
+trying emergency was sustained by her Italian blood; and although her
+lip quivered, she vouchsafed no other token of displeasure; but after
+coldly returning the curtsey of the favourite, who was blazing with
+jewels and radiant with triumph, she turned abruptly aside to converse
+with one of the Court ladies, leaving the Marquise still standing before
+her, as though she had suddenly become unconscious of her existence. Nor
+did the Duchesse de Nemours receive a more gracious welcome when, having
+ventured to interpose in the conversation, she sought the eye of the
+Queen; for that eye was instantly averted, and she became aware that she
+had in truth incurred the displeasure which she had so justly
+apprehended.
+
+But although the high-born and exemplary Duchess shrank from the anger
+of her young sovereign, the _parvenue_ Marquise was far from feeling
+equally abashed. With a steady step, and a proud carriage she advanced a
+pace nearer to Marie, and in her turn took up the thread of the
+discourse; nor did the haughtiness of the Queen's deportment disturb her
+serenity for a moment. The great fascination of Madame de Verneuil
+existed, as we have already remarked, in her extraordinary wit, and the
+vivacity of her conversation; while so ably did she on this occasion
+profit by her advantage, that the disgust of Marie was gradually changed
+into wonder; and when, at the close of one of her most brilliant
+sallies, the insolent favourite even carried her audacity so far as to
+address her royal mistress personally, the Queen was startled into a
+reply.[129] She soon, however, recovered her self-possession; and
+pleading fatigue, broke up the circle by retiring to her own apartments.
+
+The mortification of Madame de Nemours, whose highest ambition had been
+to secure the affection of her new sovereign, and whose pride had been
+sorely wounded by the undignified office that she had been compelled to
+fulfil, had not, however, yet reached its culminating point; for as on
+the approach of the King, who was in his turn preparing to withdraw, she
+awaited some acknowledgment of the submission with which she had obeyed
+his commands, she was startled to see a frown gather upon his brow as
+their eyes met; and still more so to hear herself rebuked for the
+ungracious manner in which she had performed her task; an exhibition of
+ill-will to which, as he averred, Madame de Verneuil was solely indebted
+for the coldness of her reception.
+
+The Duchess curtseyed in silence; and Henry, without any other
+salutation, slowly pursued his way to the ante-room, followed by the
+officers of his household.
+
+On the 12th of the month the Queen changed her residence, and took up
+her abode in the house of Zamet,[130] where she was to remain until the
+Louvre was prepared for her reception, a precaution which Henry had
+utterly neglected; and on the 15th she at length found herself
+established in the palace which had been opened to her with so much
+apparent reluctance. On the morrow Marie appeared in the costume of the
+French Court,[131] with certain modifications which at once became
+popular. Like those by whom she was now surrounded, she wore her bosom
+considerably exposed, but her back and shoulders were veiled by a deep
+ruff which immediately obtained the name of the "Medicis," and which
+bore a considerable resemblance to a similar decoration much in vogue
+during the sixteenth century. The "Medicis" was composed of rich lace,
+stiffened and supported by wire, and rose behind the neck to the
+enormous height of twelve inches.[132] The dress to which this ruff was
+attached was of the most gorgeous description, the materials employed
+being either cloth of gold or silver, or velvet trimmed with ermine;
+while chains of jewels confined it across the breast, descending from
+thence to the waist, where they formed a chatelaine reaching to the
+feet. Nor did the young Queen even hesitate to sacrifice to the
+prejudices of her new country the magnificent hair which had excited so
+much astonishment on her arrival; but, in conformity with the taste of
+the French Court, instead of suffering it, as she had previously done,
+to flow loosely over her shoulders, or to display its luxuriant braids
+like a succession of glossy diadems around her head, she caused it to be
+closely cut, and arranged in stiff rows of thickly-powdered curls.
+
+Hitherto, since the accession of Henri IV, the French Court had been
+one of the least splendid in Europe; if, indeed, it could in reality
+have been said to exist at all--a circumstance to which many causes had
+conduced. During his separation from Marguerite, and before his second
+marriage, Henry had cared little for the mere display of royalty. His
+previous poverty had accustomed him to many privations as a sovereign,
+which he had sought to compensate by self-indulgence as a man; and thus
+he made a home in the houses of the most wealthy of his courtiers, such
+as Zamet, Gondy, and other dissipated and convenient sycophants, with
+whom he could fling off the trammels of rank, and indulge in the
+ruinously high play or other still more objectionable amusements to
+which he was addicted. On the arrival of the Tuscan Princess, however,
+all was changed; and, as though he sought to compensate to her by
+splendour and display for the mortifications which awaited her private
+life, the King began forthwith to revive the traditional magnificence of
+the Court.
+
+Two days after their arrival at the Louvre, Henry conducted his Queen to
+the royal palaces of Fontainebleau and St. Germain; and on the 18th of
+the month, their Majesties, attended by the whole of their respective
+households, and accompanied by all the princes and great nobles then
+resident in the capital, partook of a superb banquet at the Arsenal,
+given by Sully in honour of his appointment as Grand-Master of the
+Artillery. At this festival the minister, casting aside the gravity of
+his functions and the dignity of his rank, and even forgetful, as it
+would appear, of the respect which he owed to his new sovereign, not
+satisfied with pressing upon his guests the costly viands that had been
+prepared for them, no sooner perceived that the Italian ladies of her
+Majesty's suite were greatly attracted by the wine of Arbois, of which
+they were partaking freely, quite unconscious of its potency, than he
+caused the decanters containing the water that they mingled with it to
+be refilled with another wine of equal strength, but so limpid as to be
+utterly undistinguishable to the eye from the purer liquid for which it
+had been substituted. The consequences of this cruel pleasantry may be
+inferred; the heat, the movement, and the noise by which they were
+surrounded, together with the increased thirst caused by the insidious
+draughts that they were unconsciously imbibing, only induced the
+unfortunate Florentines to recur the more perseveringly to their
+refreshing libations; and at length the results became so apparent as to
+attract the notice of the King, who, already prepossessed like Sully
+himself against the Queen's foreign retinue, laughed heartily at a piece
+of treachery which he appeared to consider as the most amusing feature
+of the entertainment.[133]
+
+During the succeeding days several ballets were danced by the young
+nobles of the Court; and a tournament, open to all comers, and at which
+the Queen presented the prizes to the victors, was held at the
+Pont-au-Change.
+
+At the close of Lent, the Duchesse de Bar, the King's sister, and her
+father-in-law, the Duc de Lorraine, arrived in France to welcome the new
+sovereign; who, together with her consort, met them at Monceaux, which
+estate, lately the property of _la belle Gabrielle_> Henry had, after
+her arrival in the capital, presented to his wife. Here the Court
+festivals were renewed; and had the heart and mind of Marie been at
+ease, her life must have seemed rather like a brilliant dream than a
+sober reality. Such, however, was far from being the case; for already
+the seeds of domestic discord which had been sown before her marriage
+were beginning to germinate. Madame de Verneuil was absent from the
+Court, and it was evident to every individual of whom it was composed,
+that the King rather tolerated than shared in the gaieties by which he
+was surrounded.
+
+Bassompierre relates that during this sojourn at Monceaux, while Henry
+was standing apart with himself, M. de Sully, and the Chancellor, he
+suddenly informed them that the favourite had confided to him a proposal
+of marriage which she had received from a prince, on condition that she
+should be enabled to bring with her a dowry of a hundred thousand
+crowns; and inquired if they would advise him to sacrifice so large a
+sum for such a purpose. "Sire," replied M. de Bellièvre, "I am of
+opinion that you would do well to give the young lady the hundred
+thousand crowns in order that she may secure the match." And when Sully,
+with his usual prudence, remarked that it was more easy to talk of such
+an amount than to procure it, the Chancellor continued, heedless of the
+interruption: "Nay more, Sire; I am equally of opinion that you had
+better give two or even three hundred thousand, if less will not
+suffice. Such is my advice." [134]
+
+It is needless to say that it was not followed.
+
+The only amusement in which Henri IV indulged freely and earnestly was
+play; and he was so reckless a gamester, that at no period has the Court
+of France been so thoroughly demoralized by that frightful vice as
+throughout his reign. Not only did his own example corrupt those
+immediately about him, but the rage for gaming gradually pervaded all
+classes. The nobility staked their estates where money failed; the
+citizens trafficked in cards and dice when they should have been
+employed in commerce or in science; the very valets gambled in the
+halls, and the pages in the ante-chambers. Play became the one great
+business of life throughout the capital; and enormous sums, which
+changed the entire destiny of families, were won and lost. One or two
+traits will suffice to prove this, and we will then dismiss the subject.
+In the year 1607, M. de Bassompierre relates in his Memoirs, that being
+unable from want of funds to purchase a new and befitting costume in
+which to appear at the christening of the Dauphin, he nevertheless gave
+an order to his tailor to prepare him a dress upon which the outlay was
+to be fourteen thousand crowns; his actual resources amounting at that
+moment only to seven hundred; and that he had no sooner done so, than he
+proceeded with this trifling sum to the hotel of the Duc d'Epernon,
+where he won five thousand; while before the completion of the costume,
+he had not only gained a sufficient amount to discharge the debt thus
+wantonly incurred, but, as he adds, with a self-gratulation worthy of a
+better cause, "also a diamond-hilted sword of the value of five thousand
+crowns, and five or six thousand more with which to amuse myself." [135]
+
+In 1609, only one Year later, L'Etoile has left on record a still more
+astounding and degrading fact. "In this month" (March), he says,
+"several academies of play have been established, where citizens of all
+ages risk considerable sums, a circumstance which proves not only an
+abundance of means, but also the corruption of morals. The son of a
+merchant has been seen at one sitting to lose sixty thousand crowns,
+although he had only inherited twenty thousand from his father; and a
+man named Jonas has hired a house in the Faubourg St. Germain, in order
+to hold one of these academies for a fortnight during the fair, and for
+this house he has given fourteen hundred francs." [136]
+
+D'Aubigny and several other chroniclers bear similar testimony; and
+while Bassompierre boasts of having won five hundred thousand pistoles
+in one year (each pistole being little inferior in value to our own
+sovereign), he nevertheless gives us plainly to understand that the King
+was a more reckless gamester than himself, a fact corroborated moreover
+by Sully, who tells us in his Memoirs, "The sums, at least the principal
+ones, that I employed on the personal expenses of Henry, were twenty-two
+thousand pistoles, for which he sent to me on the 18th of January 1609,
+and which he had lost at play; a hundred thousand livres to one party,
+and fifty-one thousand to another, likewise play debts, due to Edward
+Fernandès, a Portuguese.... A thousand pistoles for future play; Henry
+at first took only five hundred, but he subsequently sent Beringhen for
+the remainder for a different purpose. I carried him a thousand more for
+play when I went with the Chancellor to Fontainebleau." [137]
+
+Only a short time subsequent to the establishment of the Court at the
+Louvre, what neither the desire and authority of the King himself nor
+the arts of his mistress had been able to accomplish, was achieved
+through the agency of the Queen's favourite attendant, Leonora
+Galigaï,[138] who had accompanied her royal mistress and foster-sister
+from Italy at the period of her marriage. On the formation of the
+Queen's household, Henry had, among other appointments, honoured Madame
+de Richelieu[139] with the post of Mistress of the Robes; but Marie de
+Medicis having decided on bestowing this charge upon Leonora, refused to
+permit the Countess to perform the duties of her office, and requested
+the King to transfer it to her Italian _protégée_. This, however, was a
+concession to which Henry would not consent; and while the Queen
+persisted in not permitting the services of Madame de Richelieu, her
+royal bridegroom as pertinaciously negatived the appointment of
+_parvenue_ lady of honour. The high-born countess bore the affront thus
+offered to her with the complacent dignity befitting her proud station;
+but such was far from being the case with the ambitious and mortified
+Leonora, who had not been a week at the French Court ere she became
+aware that all the Italian followers of the Queen were peculiarly
+obnoxious both to the King and his minister; and who felt that should
+she fail to push her fortunes upon the instant, she might one day be
+compelled to leave France as poor and as powerless as she had entered
+it. Not contented, therefore, with urging her royal mistress to
+persevere in her resolution of rejecting the attendance of Madame de
+Richelieu, she began to speculate upon the most feasible measures to be
+adopted in order to secure her own succession to the coveted dignity;
+and after considerable reflection, she became convinced that this could
+only be accomplished through the assistance of the Marquise de Verneuil.
+Once assured of the fact, Leonora did not hesitate; but, instead of
+avoiding, as she had hitherto done, the advances of the favourite--who,
+aware of her unlimited power over the mind of the Queen, had on several
+occasions treated her with a courtesy by no means warranted by her
+position at the Court--she began to court the favour of the Marquise in
+as marked a manner as she had previously slighted it; and ere long the
+intrigue of the two favourites was brought to a successful issue. Each
+stood in need of the other, and a compact was accordingly entered into
+between them. Madame de Verneuil, whose pride was piqued by her
+exclusion from the royal circle, was desirous to gain at any price the
+countenance of Marie, and to be admitted to her private assemblies,
+where alone she could carry out her more extended plan of ambition;
+while the wily Italian, rendered only the more pertinacious by
+difficulty, and anxious moreover to secure a post which would at all
+times enable her to remain about the person of the Queen, thought no
+price too great, even the dishonour of her royal foster-sister, to
+obtain her object, and thus a mutual promise was made; the Marquise
+pledging herself that, in the event of the Queen recognizing her right
+to attend her receptions, and treating her with the courtesy and
+consideration due to the rank conferred upon her by the King, she would
+effect the appointment courted by Leonora; while the Signora Galigaï,
+with equal confidence, promised in her turn that she would without
+delay cause Madame de Verneuil to receive a summons to the
+Queen's presence.
+
+Nor did either of these ladies over-estimate the amount of her
+influence; for the monarch no sooner learnt that the reception of his
+mistress by the haughty and indignant Princess could be purchased by a
+mere slight to Madame la Grande Prévoste, than he consented to sanction
+the appointment of the Italian _suivante_ of Marie to the post of
+honour; while Leonora soon succeeded by her tears and entreaties in
+wringing from her royal mistress a reluctant acquiescence to
+her request.
+
+Thus then, as before stated, a hollow peace was patched up between the
+unequal rivals; and Madame de Verneuil at length found herself in
+possession of a folding-seat in the Queen's reception room; while her
+coadjutress triumphantly took her place among the noblest ladies of the
+land; but scarcely had this result been accomplished, when Henry,
+profiting by so unhoped-for an opportunity of gratifying the vanity of
+the favourite, assigned to her a suite of apartments in the Louvre
+immediately above those of the Queen, and little, if at all, inferior to
+them in magnificence.
+
+This, however, was an affront which Marie de Medicis could not brook;
+and she accordingly, with her usual independence of spirit, expressed
+herself in no measured terms upon the subject, particularly to such of
+her ladies as were likely to repeat her comments to the Marquise. The
+latter retorted by assuming all the airs of royalty, and by assembling
+about her a little court, for which that of the Queen herself was
+frequently forsaken, especially by the monarch, who found the brilliant
+circle of the favourite, wherein he always met a warm and enthusiastic
+welcome, infinitely more to his taste than the formal etiquette and
+reproachful frowns by which his presence in that of his royal consort
+was usually signalized.
+
+Nor could the annoyance of the proud Florentine Princess be subject of
+astonishment to any rightly-constituted mind. The position was a
+monstrous and an unnatural one. Both the wife and the mistress were
+about to become mothers; and the whole Court was degraded by so
+unblushing an exhibition of the profligacy of the monarch. Still,
+however, the French ladies of the household forebore to censure their
+sovereign; and even sought to persuade the outraged Queen that when once
+she had given a Dauphin to France the favourite would be compelled to
+leave the palace; but Marie's Italian followers were far less
+scrupulous, and expressed their indignation in no measured terms. The
+Queen, wounded in her most sacred feelings, became gradually colder to
+the Marquise, who, as though she had only awaited this relapse to sting
+her still more deeply than she had yet done, retorted the slights which
+she constantly received by declaring that "the Florentine," as she
+insolently designated her royal mistress, was not the legal or lawful
+wife of the King, whose written promise, still in her possession, he
+was, as she asserted, bound to fulfil should she bear him a son. This
+surpassing assurance no sooner reached the ears of Marie de Medicis than
+she once more forbade Madame de Verneuil her presence; but the Marquise,
+strong in her impunity, merely replied by an epigram, and consoled
+herself for her exclusion from the Queen's private circle by assuming
+more state and magnificence than before, and by collecting in her
+saloons the prettiest women and the most reckless gamblers that the
+capital could produce. Thus attracted, the infatuated monarch became her
+constant guest; and his neglected wife, in weak health, and with an
+agonised heart, saw herself abandoned for a wanton who had set a price
+upon her virtue, and who made a glory of her shame.
+
+Poor Marie! whatever were her faults as a woman, they were bitterly
+expiated both as a wife and as a mother!
+
+Vain were all the efforts of the King on the one hand and those of
+Leonora on the other to terminate this new misunderstanding; the Queen
+was coldly resolute, and the Marquise insolently indifferent; nor would
+a reconciliation, in all probability, ever again have taken place, had
+not the interests of the Mistress of the Robes once more required it,
+when her influence over the mind of her royal foster-sister sufficed to
+overcome every obstacle.
+
+Among the numerous Florentines who composed the suite of Marie de
+Medicis was Concino Concini,[140] a gentleman of her household, whose
+extreme personal beauty had captivated the heart of Leonora; while she
+saw, as she believed, in his far-reaching ambition and flexile character
+the very elements calculated, in conjunction with her own firmer nature
+and higher intellect, to lead her on to the most lofty fortunes. It is
+probable, however, that had La Galigaï continued to attend the Queen in
+her original and obscure office of waiting-woman, Concini, who was of
+better blood than herself, and who could not, moreover, be supposed to
+find any attraction in the diminutive figure and sallow countenance of
+his countrywoman, would never have been induced to consent to such an
+alliance; but Leonora was now on the high road to wealth and honour,
+while his own position was scarcely defined; and thus ere long the
+consent of the Queen to their marriage was solicited by Concini himself.
+
+Marie, who foresaw that by this arrangement she should keep both parties
+in her service, and who, in the desolation of a disappointed spirit,
+clung each day more closely to her foreign attendants, immediately
+accorded the required permission; but it was far otherwise with the
+King, who had no sooner been informed of the projected union than he
+sternly forbade it, to the great indignation of his consort, who was
+deeply mortified by this new interference with her personal household,
+and saddened by the spectacle of her favourite's unaffected
+wretchedness. In vain did the Queen expostulate, and, urged by Leonora
+and her suitor, even entreat of Henry to relent; all her efforts to this
+effect remained fruitless; and she was at length compelled to declare
+to the sorrowing woman that she had no alternative save to submit to the
+will of the King.
+
+Such, however, was far from being the intention of the passionate
+Italian. Too unattractive to entertain any hope from her own pleadings
+with Henry himself, she once more turned in this new difficulty to
+Madame de Verneuil, who, in order to display how little she had been
+mortified or annoyed by the coldness of the Queen, and at the same time
+to prove to her that where the earnest entreaties of the latter had
+failed to produce any effect, her own expressed wish would suffice to
+ensure success, immediately bade Leonora dry her eyes and prepare her
+wedding-dress, as she would guarantee her prompt reception of the royal
+consent upon one condition, and that one so easy of accomplishment that
+she could not fail to fulfil it.
+
+Marie de Medicis had been heard to declare that in the event of her
+becoming the mother of a Dauphin, she would, at the earliest possible
+period, dance a ballet in honour of the King, which should exceed in
+magnificence every exhibition of the kind that had hitherto been
+attempted; and the condition so lightly treated by the favourite was no
+less than her own appearance in the royal ballet, should it indeed take
+place. Even La Galigaï herself was startled by so astounding a
+proposition; but she soon discovered, from the resolute attitude assumed
+by the Marquise, that her powerful intercession with the King was not
+otherwise to be secured; and it was consequently with even less of hope
+than apprehension that the agitated Mistress of the Robes kissed the
+hand of Madame de Verneuil, and assured her that she would leave no
+effort untried to obtain the consent of her royal mistress to her
+wishes. But when she had withdrawn, and was traversing the gallery which
+communicated with the apartments of Marie, she began to entertain
+serious misgivings: the pretension of the Marquise was so monstrous,
+that, even conscious as she was of the extent of her own influence over
+her foster-sister, she almost dreaded to communicate the result of her
+interview, and nearly despaired of success; but with the resolute
+perseverance which formed so marked a feature in her character, she
+resolved to brave the utmost displeasure of the Queen rather than forego
+this last hope of a union with Concini. It was, nevertheless, drowned in
+tears, and with a trembling heart, that she presented herself before
+Marie as the voluntary bearer of this new and aggravated insult; while,
+incomprehensible as it must appear in this age, whatever may have been
+the arguments and entreaties of which she was clever enough to avail
+herself, it is at least certain that they were ultimately successful;
+and that she was authorized by the Queen to communicate to Madame de
+Verneuil her Majesty's willingness to accede to her request, provided
+that the Marquise pledged herself in return to perform her portion of
+the contract.
+
+That her partiality for her early friend induced Marie de Medicis to
+make, in this instance, a most unbecoming concession, is certain; while
+it is no less matter of record that, probably to prevent any opportunity
+of retractation on the part of Madame de Verneuil, she lavished upon her
+from that day the most flattering marks of friendship, and publicly
+treated her with a distinction which was envied by many of the greatest
+ladies at Court, even although it excited the censure of all.[141]
+
+The comparative tranquillity which succeeded this new adjustment of the
+differences between the Queen and the Marquise continued until the month
+of September, on the 17th day of which Marie became the mother of a
+Dauphin (subsequently Louis XIII), at the palace of Fontainebleau,
+where, as had already been the case at the Louvre, the apartments of the
+favourite adjoined her own. Nothing could exceed the delight of Henry IV
+at the birth of his heir. He stood at the lower end of the Queen's
+apartment, surrounded by the Princes of the Blood, to each of whom the
+royal infant was successively presented; and this ceremony was no sooner
+terminated than, bending over him with passionate fondness, he audibly
+invoked a blessing upon his head; and then placing his sword in the tiny
+hand as yet unable to grasp it, "May you use it, my son," he exclaimed,
+"to the glory of God, and in defence of your crown and people." [142] He
+next approached the bed of the Queen: "_M'amie_" he said tenderly,
+"rejoice! God has given us what we asked." [143] Mézeray and Matthieu
+both assert that the birth of the Dauphin was preceded by an earthquake,
+which, with the usual superstition of the period, was afterwards
+declared to have been a forewarning of the ceaseless wars by which
+Europe was convulsed during his reign.[144]
+
+Rejoicings were general throughout the whole country, and were augmented
+by the fact that more than eighty years had elapsed since the birth of a
+successor to the crown who had been eligible to bear the title of
+Dauphin,--Francis II having come into the world before his father Henri
+II was on the throne, who had himself only attained to that title after
+the death of his elder brother Francis, who was born in 1517.[145] "Te
+Deums" were chanted in all the churches; salvos of artillery were
+discharged at the Arsenal; fireworks, bonfires, and illuminations made a
+city of flame of Paris for several successive nights; while joyous
+acclamations rent the air, and the gratified citizens congratulated each
+other as they perambulated the streets as though each had experienced
+some personal benefit. The fact that Anne of Austria, the daughter of
+Philip III of Spain, was born only five days previous to the Dauphin,
+was another source of delight to the French people, who regarded the
+circumstance as an earnest of the future union of the two kingdoms, a
+prophecy which was afterwards fulfilled by the marriage of the two
+royal children.
+
+We have already made more than one allusion to the belief in magic,
+sorcery, and astrology which at this period had obtained in France, and
+by which many, even of the most enlightened of her nobles and citizens,
+suffered themselves to be trammelled and deluded; and however much we of
+the present day may be inclined to pity or to despise so great a
+weakness, we shall do well to remember that human progress during the
+last sixty years has been more marked and certain than that which had
+taken place in the lapse of the three previous centuries. It is true
+that there were a few strong-minded individuals even at the period of
+which we treat who refused to submit their reason to the wild and
+illogical superstitions which were rife about them; but these formed a
+very small portion of the aggregate population, and from the peasant in
+his hovel to the monarch on his throne the plague-spot of credulity had
+spread and festered, until it presented a formidable feature in the
+history of the time. It is curious to remark that L'Etoile, the most
+commonplace and unimaginative of chroniclers, who might well have been
+expected in his realism to treat such phantasies as puerile and absurd,
+seems to justify to his own mind the extreme penalties of the scaffold
+and the stake as a fitting punishment for sorcerers and magicians:
+declaring them, as he records in his usual terse and matter-of-fact
+style, to be dictated by justice, and essential to the repression of an
+intercourse between men and evil spirits.
+
+Gabrielle d'Estrées was the dupe, if, indeed, not the victim, of her
+firm faith in astrology. She had been assured that "a child would
+prevent her from attaining the rank to which she aspired;" [146] and the
+predisposition of an excited nervous system probably assisted the
+verification of the prophecy. The old Cardinal de Bourbon,[147] whom the
+Leaguers would fain have made their king, was seduced from his fidelity
+to the illustrious race from which he sprang by his weak reliance upon
+the predictions of soothsayers, who thus degraded him into the tool of
+the wily Duc de Guise;[148] while his nephew, Charles II, also a
+Cardinal,[149] even more infatuated than himself, had been impelled to
+believe that the disease which was rapidly sapping his existence was the
+effect of the machinations of a Court lady by whom he had been
+bewitched! Traitors found excuse for their treason in the assertion that
+they had been deluded by false predictions or ensnared by magic;[150]
+princes were governed in their political movements by astral
+calculations;[151] a grave minister details with complacency, although
+without comment, various anecdotes of the operation of the occult
+sciences,[152] and even makes them a study; while a European monarch,
+strong in the love of his people and his own bravery, suffers the
+predictions of soothsayers and prophets to cloud his mind and to shake
+his purposes, even while he declares his contempt for all such
+delusions.[153]
+
+That such was actually the case is proved by De Thou, who relates an
+extraordinary speech made by the King at the Louvre, in 1599, on the
+occasion of the promulgation of the Edict of Nantes, to the deputies of
+the Parliament of Paris, in the course of which he declared that,
+twenty-six years previously, when he was residing at the Court of
+Charles IX, he was about to cast the dice with Henri de Lorraine, Duc de
+Guise, his relative, amid a large circle of nobles, when at the instant
+in which they were prepared to commence their game drops of blood
+appeared upon the table, which were renewed without any apparent agency
+as fast as they were wiped away. Each party carefully ascertained that
+it could not proceed from any of the individuals present; and the
+phenomenon was so frequently repeated that Henry, as he averred, at once
+amazed and disturbed, declined to persevere in the pastime, considering
+the circumstance as an evil omen.[154] Whatever may be the opinion of
+the reader as to the actual cause of this apparent prodigy, it is at
+least certain that it was verified by subsequent events, as well as the
+extraordinary and multiplied prophecy that the King himself would meet
+his death in a coach.
+
+Under these circumstances, combined with the almost universal credulity
+of the age and nation which he governed, it is scarcely matter of
+surprise that Henri IV, on so momentous an occasion as the birth of his
+son, should have sought, even while he feigned to disregard the result,
+to learn the after-destiny of the royal infant; and accordingly, a few
+days subsequently, he commanded M. de la Rivière,[155] who publicly
+professed the science of judicial astrology, to draw the horoscope of
+the Dauphin with all the accuracy of which the operation was
+susceptible. The command was answered by an assurance from La Rivière
+that the work was already in progress; but as another week passed by
+without any communication from the seer, Henry became impatient, and
+again summoned him to his presence in order to inquire the cause of
+the delay.
+
+"Sire," replied La Rivière, "I have abandoned the undertaking, as I am
+reluctant to sport with a science whose secrets I have partially
+forgotten, and which I have, moreover, frequently found defective."
+
+"I am not to be deceived by so idle a pretext," said the King, who
+readily detected that the alleged excuse was a mere subterfuge; "you
+have no such scruples, but you have resolved not to reveal to me what
+you have ascertained, lest I should discover the fallacy of your
+pretended knowledge or be angered by your prediction. Whatever may be
+the cause of your hesitation, however, I am resolved that you shall
+speak; and I command you, upon pain of my displeasure, to do so
+truthfully."
+
+Still La Rivière excused himself, until perceiving that it would be
+dangerous to persevere in his pertinacity, he at length reluctantly
+replied: "Sire, your son will live to manhood, and will reign longer
+than yourself; but he will resemble you in no one particular. He will
+indulge his own opinions and caprices, and sometimes those of others.
+During his rule it will be safer to think than to speak. Ruin threatens
+your ancient institutions; all your measures will be overthrown. He will
+accomplish great deeds; will be fortunate in his undertakings; and will
+become the theme of all Christendom. He will have issue; and after his
+death more heavy troubles will ensue. This is all that you shall know
+from me, and even this is more than I had proposed to tell you."
+
+The King remained for a time silent and thoughtful, after which he said
+coldly: "You allude to the Huguenots, I see that well; but you only talk
+thus because you have their interests at heart."
+
+"Explain my meaning as you please," was the abrupt retort; "but you
+shall learn nothing more from me." And so saying, the uncompromising
+astrologer made a hurried salutation to the monarch and withdrew.[156]
+
+A fortnight after this extraordinary scene another event took place at
+the Louvre sufficiently interesting to Henry to wean his thoughts for a
+time even from the foreshadowed future of his successor. In an apartment
+immediately contiguous to that of the still convalescent Queen, Madame
+de Verneuil became in her turn the mother of a son, who was baptized
+with great ceremony, and received the names of Gaston Henri;[157] and
+this birth, which should have covered the King with shame, and roused
+the nation to indignation, when the circumstances already detailed are
+considered, was but the pretext for new rejoicings.
+
+On the 27th of October the Dauphin made his public entry into Paris. The
+infant Prince occupied a sumptuous cradle presented to him by the Grand
+Duchess of Florence; and beside him, in an open litter, sat Madame de
+Montglat, his gouvernante, and the royal nurse. The provost of the
+merchants and the metropolitan sheriffs met him at some distance from
+the gates, and harangued him at considerable length; and Madame de
+Montglat having replied in his name to the oration, the _cortège_
+proceeded to the house of Zamet. Two days subsequently he was conveyed
+in the same state to St. Germain-en-Laye, where, in order that the
+people might see him with greater facility, the nurse carried him in her
+arms. The enthusiasm of the crowd, by which his litter was constantly
+surrounded, knew no bounds; and the heart of that exulting mother, which
+was fated afterwards to be broken by his unnatural abandonment, beat
+high with gratitude to Heaven as her ear drank in the enthusiastic
+shouts of the multitude, and as she remembered that it was herself who
+had bestowed this well-appreciated blessing upon France.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[76] Charles de Neufville, Marquis d'Alincourt, Seigneur de Villeroy,
+secretary and minister of state, knight of the King's Orders, Governor
+of the city of Lyons, and of the provinces of Lyons, Forez, and
+Beaujolais.
+
+[77] Mézeray, vol. x. pp. 124, 125.
+
+[78] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iii. p. 317.
+
+[79] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 125.
+
+[80] Charles Emmanuel, Duke of Savoy, surnamed the Great, was born in
+the château of Rivoles on the 12th of January 1562. He greatly
+distinguished himself by his gallantry upon several occasions, but
+tarnished his reputation by an ambition which was unscrupulous. He was
+remarkable for his literary attainments and for his friendship for men
+of letters, and was generally esteemed one of the greatest generals of
+the age. He was also so thorough a diplomatist that it was commonly
+remarked that it was more difficult to penetrate his designs than the
+fastnesses of his duchy. He died at Savillan on the 26th of July 1630.
+
+[81] Charles de Gontault, Duc de Biron, Peer, Admiral, and Marshal of
+France, acquired great reputation alike for his valour and his services.
+He was honoured with the confidence of Henri IV, who created the barony
+of Biron into a duchy-peerage for his benefit, and loaded him with
+proofs of his favour; Biron, however, repaid his sovereign with the
+basest ingratitude by entering into a treaty with the Duke of Savoy and
+the Spaniards, who were both inimical to France. Having refused to
+acknowledge his fault, and thereby exhausted the forbearance of the
+King, he was put upon his trial, convicted of the crime of
+_lèse-majesté,_ and condemned to lose his head. The sentence was carried
+into execution in the court of the Bastille on the 31st of July 1602.
+
+[82] Guichenon, _Histoire de Savoie_.
+
+[83] Daniel, _Histoire de France_, vol. vii. p. 386.
+
+[84] L'Etoile, _Journal de Henri IV_, vol. ii. p. 481.
+
+[85] L'Etoile, vol. ii. pp. 436, 437.
+
+[86] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 127.
+
+[87] Sebastian Zamet was a wealthy contractor, of Italian origin, but
+who had caused himself to be naturalized in France, in 1581, together
+with his two brothers, Horace and John-Anthony Zamet. Although he
+ultimately became the father of an adjutant-general of the King's
+armies, and of a bishop, it was confidently asserted that during the
+preceding reign he had been a shoemaker. Be that as it may, it is no
+less certain that he must have possessed considerable talent, as even
+during the lifetime of Henri III he was already a rich contractor, and
+under Henri IV he was esteemed the richest in the kingdom. On the
+occasion of the marriage of one of his daughters, the notary who was
+employed to draw up the marriage contract, finding it difficult to
+define his real rank, inquired by what title he desired to be
+designated; upon which Zamet calmly replied: "You may describe me as the
+_lord of seventeen hundred thousand crowns_." His ready wit first
+procured for him the favour off Henri IV, which he subsequently retained
+by a system of complaisance of thoroughly Italian morality. His house
+was always open to the King, even for the most equivocal purposes; and
+so great was the familiarity with which he was treated by the dissolute
+monarch, that the latter constantly addressed him by a pet name, and
+held many of his orgies beneath his roof.
+
+[88] L'Etoile, vol. ii. pp. 492, 493.
+
+[89] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. p. 58 _n_.
+
+[90] L'Etoile, vol. ii. pp. 511, 512.
+
+[91] Sully had recently been appointed grand-master of artillery.
+
+[92] Saint-Edmé, vol. ii. p. 207.
+
+[93] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. pp. 74-76.
+
+[94] Louis de Comboursier, Seigneur du Terrail, commenced his military
+career as a cornet in the troop of the Dauphin. He was brave, but
+haughty and reckless, and was obliged to retire into Flanders in
+consequence of having killed a man under the eyes of the King, and
+within the precincts of the Louvre. After making a pilgrimage to the
+shrine of Our Lady of Loretto, he profited by his return through Turin
+to pay his respects to the Duke of Savoy, to whom he offered his
+services and assistance in his project of taking the city of Genoa by
+surprise. The plot was, however, discovered by a valet, who apprised the
+authorities of the intended treachery; and Du Terrail together with a
+companion whom he had associated in the enterprise were imprisoned in
+the castle of Yverdun, and thence conveyed to Genoa, where they were
+both decapitated, in the year 1609.
+
+[95] Charles de Créquy was the representative of one of the most ancient
+families in France, which traced its descent from Arnoul, called the
+_Old_, or the _Bearded_, who died in 897. The elder branch of the house
+became extinct in the person of Antoine de Créquy, Cardinal and Bishop
+of Amiens, born in 1531, and who at his death, which occurred in the
+year 1574, left all his personal wealth, together with the family
+possessions which he inherited from his brothers, to Antoine de
+Blanchefort, the son of his sister, Marie de Créquy, on condition that
+he should bear the name and arms of his mother. The son of Antoine was
+Charles de Créquy, de Blanchefort, and de Canaples, Prince de Poix,
+Governor of Dauphiny, peer and marshal of France, who became Duc de
+Lesdiguières by his marriage with Madelaine de Bonne, daughter of the
+celebrated Connétable de Lesdiguières, in 1611. His duel with Don
+Philippino, the bastard of Savoy, in which he killed his adversary,
+acquired for him a great celebrity; but he secured a more legitimate and
+desirable reputation by his gallantry in the taking of Pignerol and La
+Maurienne, in 1630. Three years subsequently he was sent as ambassador
+to Rome; in 1636 he conquered the Spanish forces on the Ticino; and in
+1638 he was killed by a cannon ball, at the siege of Bremen, in Hanover.
+
+[96] Péréfixe, _Histoire de Henri le Grand_, vol. ii. pp. 329-33.
+
+[97] Saint-Edmé, vol. ii. pp. 211, 212.
+
+[98] Montfaucon, vol. v. p. 402.
+
+[99] L'Etoile, vol. ii. pp. 534-537.
+
+[100] _Hist. des Reines et Régentes de France_, vol. ii. p. 28.
+
+[101] Malherbe, the favourite poet of Marie de Medicis, profited by the
+tediousness of her voyage to make it the subject of an allegory, in
+which he represents that Neptune
+
+     "Dix jours ne pouvant se distraire
+        Au plaisir de la regarder,
+      Il a, par un effort contraire,
+        Essayé de la retarder."
+
+A specimen of his godship's gallantry, with which the young sovereign
+would, in all probability, most willingly have dispensed.
+
+[102] L'Etoile, vol. ii. p. 537.
+
+[103] Valadier, year 1600.
+
+[104] M. de Sillery.
+
+[105] Henri I. de Montmorency, duke, peer, marshal, and Constable of
+France, Governor of Languedoc, etc., was the second son of the
+celebrated Anne de Montmorency. He rendered himself famous, during the
+lifetime of his father, under the name of the Seigneur de Damville, and
+made prisoner the Prince de Condé at the battle of Dreux in 1562. Having
+subsequently incurred the displeasure of Catherine de Medicis, he
+retired to the Court of the Duke of Savoy, and became the leader of the
+malcontents in Languedoc during the reign of Henri III. Henri IV
+restored him to all his honours, and made him Constable of France, and a
+knight of the Order of the Holy Ghost, in 1593. He died at an advanced
+age, in the town of Agde, in 1614.
+
+[106] Charles Amédée de Savoie, Duc de Nemours, was the son of Jacques
+de Savoie and of Anne d'Este, whose first husband was the Duc de Guise.
+This lady made herself very conspicuous during the _League_. Charles
+Amédée married Elisabeth, the sister of César de Vendôme, Duc de
+Beaufort, and during the _Fronde_ attached himself to the party of the
+princes; but having quarrelled with his brother-in-law, he was killed by
+him in a duel, in the year 1652.
+
+[107] Anne de Levis, Duc de Ventadour, was the representative of one of
+the most ancient and illustrious families of France, which derived its
+name from the estate of Levis, near Chevreuse, where his ancestor, Guy
+de Levis, a famous general, founded in the year 1190 the abbey of
+La Roche.
+
+[108] Valadier, year 1600.
+
+[109] Guillaume du Vair, ultimately Bishop of Lisieux, and Keeper of the
+Seals, was the son of Jean du Vair, knight, and attorney-general of
+Catherine de Medicis and Henri de France, Duc d'Anjou. He was born at
+Paris on the 8th of March 1556, and was successively councillor of
+parliament, master of requests, first president of the Parliament of
+Provence, and finally (in 1616) keeper of the seals. He subsequently
+embraced the ecclesiastical profession, and was elevated to the see of
+Lisieux in 1618. He was a man of consummate talent; and his works, which
+were published in folio in Paris, in 1641, are still highly esteemed.
+Guillaume du Vair died at Tonnoins, in Agénois, in 1621, at the age of
+sixty-six years.
+
+[110] _Chronologie Septennaire_, p. 184.
+
+[111] François Suarés, a celebrated scholar and theologian, was born at
+Granada in 1548, and in 1564 became a Jesuit. He taught theology, with
+great success, at Alcala, Salamanca, Rome, and Coimbra; and died at
+Lisbon in 1617. His collected works were published in twenty-three folio
+volumes, and are principally treatises on theology and morals. His
+treatise on the laws was reprinted in England.
+
+[112] L'Etoile, _Journal de Henri IV_, vol. ii. p. 589.
+
+[113] Cayet, p. 187. L'Etoile, vol. i. pp. 539, 540.
+
+[114] Rambure, _MS. Mém_. vol. i. pp. 276, 277.
+
+[115] Albert de Bellièvre was the second son of the celebrated
+Chancellor Pomponne de Bellièvre and of Marie Prunier, demoiselle de
+Grignon. He was a distinguished classic and an elegant scholar. Having
+become Archbishop of Lyons, he subsequently transferred that dignity to
+his younger brother Claude, and retired to his abbey of Jouy, where he
+died in 1621.
+
+[116] Antoine de Roquelaure, Seigneur de Roquelaure in Armagnac, de
+Guadoux, etc., marshal of France, grand-master of the King's wardrobe,
+knight of the Orders of St. Michael and the Holy Ghost, perpetual mayor
+of Bordeaux, etc., was the younger son of Geraud Roquelaure, and the
+representative of an illustrious house. He was highly esteemed both by
+Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre, and by Henry IV, who loaded him with
+honours and distinctions in requital of his faithful and zealous
+services. He subsequently became governor of several provinces, and was
+created a marshal of France by Louis XIII, in 1615. He restored to their
+allegiance Clérac, Nérac, and several other revolted fortesses; and died
+at Lectoure in 1625, at the age of eighty-two years.
+
+[117] Daniel, vol. vii. p. 398.
+
+[118] Duc de Bellegarde.
+
+[119] François de Joyeuse was the second son of Guillaume, Vicomte de
+Joyeuse, Marshal of France. He was born in the year 1562, and received a
+brilliant education, by which he profited so greatly as to become
+celebrated for his scientific attainments. He was successively
+Archbishop of Narbonne, of Toulouse, and of Rouen; and enjoyed the
+entire confidence of three monarchs, by each of whom he was entrusted
+with the most important state affairs. Highly esteemed, alike for his
+wisdom, prudence, and capacity, he died full of honours at the age of
+fifty-three years, at Avignon, where he had taken up his abode as senior
+cardinal. He left, as monuments of his piety, a seminary which he
+founded at Rouen, a residence for the Jesuits at Pontoise, and another
+for the Fathers of the Oratory at Dieppe.
+
+[120] Pierre de Gondy (or Gondi), Bishop of Langres, and subsequently
+Archbishop of Paris, who was called to the Conclave by Pope Sixtus V in
+1587. He died at Paris in February 1616, at the advanced age of
+eighty-four years. The Cardinal de Gondy was the first Archbishop of
+Paris, the metropolis having previously been only an episcopal see.
+
+[121] François d'Escoubleau, better known under the name of Cardinal de
+Sourdis, was the son of François d'Escoubleau, Marquis d'Allière, and
+was of an ancient and noble house. He distinguished himself so greatly
+by his mental and moral qualities as to secure the confidence and regard
+of Henri IV, who, in 1598, obtained for him a cardinal's hat; and in the
+following year he was created Archbishop of Bordeaux, in which city he
+died in 1628.
+
+[122] Cayet, p. 191.
+
+[123] L'Etoile, vol. ii. p. 546.
+
+[124] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 25.
+
+[125] L'Etoile, vol. ii. p. 549.
+
+[126] Jerome (or Albert) de Gondy, peer of France, knight of the King's
+Orders, and first gentleman of the bedchamber, occupied the mansion
+which was subsequently known as the Hôtel de Condé. He enjoyed the
+confidence of Catherine de Medicis and Charles IX so fully, that he had
+the honour of espousing, in the name of that monarch, the Princess
+Elizabeth of Austria, daughter of the Emperor Maximilian II. At the
+coronation of Henri III he represented the person of the Constable; and
+at that of Henri IV, he was proxy for the Comte de Toulouse.
+
+[127] Anne d'Este, Duchesse de Nemours, was the mother of the Duc de
+Mayenne, and grandmother of the young Duc de Guise who aspired to the
+throne. She was first married to François de Lorraine, Duc de Guise, and
+subsequently to Jacques de Savoie, Duc de Nemours, whose son, after his
+decease, also pretended to the crown.
+
+[128] One historian (Sauval., _Gallerie des Rois de France_, vol. i.)
+asserts that the King himself presented his mistress to his wife; but he
+is unsupported in this statement save by Bassompierre, who also says:
+"The King presented Madame de Verneuil to her, who was graciously
+received" _(Mémoires,_ p. 25). Every other authority, however,
+contradicts this assertion, which is indeed too monstrous to
+be credible.
+
+[129] L'Etoile, vol. i. p. 550.
+
+[130] This residence, which was situated near the Bastille, and
+subsequently known as the Hôtel de Lesdiguières, was the same in which
+_la belle Gabrielle_ had breathed her last.
+
+[131] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 25.
+
+[132] Wraxall, _History of France_, vol. vi. p. 187.
+
+[133] L'Etoile, vol. ii. pp. 550, 551.
+
+[134] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 25.
+
+[135] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 50.
+
+[136] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 505, 506.
+
+[137] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vii. pp. 180, 181.
+
+[138] Leonora Dori, otherwise Galigaï, was the daughter of the nurse of
+Marie de Medicis (who was the wife of a carpenter), and she was
+consequently the architect of her own fortunes. By her great talent and
+insinuating manners, she had, however, succeeded not only in securing
+the affection of her royal patroness, but also in exerting an influence
+over her actions never attained by any other individual, despite
+unceasing attempts to oust her.
+
+[139] Suzanne de la Porte, wife of François du Plessis, Seigneur de
+Richelieu, Knight of the Royal Orders, and Grand Provost of France.
+
+[140] Concino Concini was the son of a notary, who, by his talent, had
+risen to be secretary of state at Florence.
+
+[141] Dreux du Radier, _Mémoires des Reines et Régentes de France_, vol.
+vi. p. 81. Conti, _Amours du Grand Alcandre_, Cologne edition, 1652,
+p. 41.
+
+[142] Péréfixe, vol. ii. p. 346. L'Etoile, vol. ii. pp. 573, 574.
+
+[143] Matthieu, vol. ii. p. 441.
+
+[144] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 178.
+
+[145] Daniel, vol. vii. p. 407.
+
+[146] Matthieu, _Hist. de Henri IV_, vol. i. p. 307.
+
+[147] Charles I. de Bourbon, Cardinal-Archbishop of Rouen, legate of
+Avignon, abbot of St. Denis, of St. Germain-des-Prés, of St. Ouen, of
+Ste. Catherine of Rouen, and of Orcamp, etc., was the son of Charles,
+Duc de Vendôme, and was born in 1523. After the death of Henri III, in
+1589, he was proclaimed King by the Leaguers and the Duc de Mayenne
+under the title of Charles X. Taken captive by Henri IV, of whom he was
+the paternal uncle, he was imprisoned at Fontenay, where he died
+in 1594.
+
+[148] De Thou, vol. xi. pp. 154, 155.
+
+[149] Charles, the natural son of Anthony of Navarre and of Mademoiselle
+de la Beraudière de la Guiche, one of the maids of honour to Catherine
+de Medicis.
+
+[150] Such was the plea of the Maréchal de Biron during his imprisonment
+in the Bastille.
+
+[151] Charles Emmanuel, Duke of Savoy, whose intellect had in other
+respects outrun his age, and whose shrewd good sense should have
+emancipated him from so gross an abuse of reason, never undertook any
+measure of importance without consulting the astrologers. See De Thou,
+vol. xiii. p. 538.
+
+[152] See the Memoirs of Sully.
+
+[153] It is a certain fact that Henri IV, however he might verbally
+despise the pretensions of those who exercised what has been happily
+designated as the "black art," nevertheless admitted more than once a
+conviction of their mysterious privileges.
+
+[154] De Thou, vol. x. p. 375.
+
+[155] M. de la Rivière had originally been the chief medical attendant
+of the Duc de Bouillon, who ceded him to Henri IV, by whom he was
+appointed his body-surgeon, in which office he succeeded M. d'Aliboust.
+He was born at Falaise, in Normandy, and was the son of Jean Ribel,
+professor of theology at Geneva. He himself, however, embraced the
+reformed religion, and died in 1605, sincerely regretted by the monarch,
+to whom his eminent talents and unwearied devotion had greatly
+endeared him.
+
+[156] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vi. pp. 46-49.
+
+[157] Gaston Henri, the son of Henri IV and of Henriette d'Entragues,
+Marquise de Verneuil, originally took orders, and became the incumbent
+of several abbeys, among others that of St. Germain-des-Prés. He was
+subsequently made Bishop of Metz, and bore that title for a considerable
+time. On the 1st of January 1662, having been created a knight of the
+Order of the Holy Ghost, and in the following year a duke and peer, he
+took the title of Duc de Verneuil, and as such was sent to England in
+1665 as ambassador extraordinary. Finally, in 1666, Louis XIV bestowed
+upon him the government of Languedoc, when he sold his church
+property, and married (in 1668) Charlotte Séguier, the widow of
+Maximilien-François de Béthune III, Duc de Sully. He died without issue,
+at Versailles, on the 28th of May 1682.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+1602
+
+Court festivities--The Queen's ballet--A gallant prelate--A poetical
+almoner--Insolence of the royal favourite--Unhappiness of the
+Queen--Weakness of Henry--Intrigue of Madame de Villars--The King
+quarrels with the favourite--They are reconciled--Madame de Villars is
+exiled, and the Prince de Joinville sent to join the army in
+Hungary--Mortification of the Queen--Her want of judgment--New
+dissension in the royal ménage--Sully endeavours to restore
+peace--Mademoiselle de Sourdis--The Court removes to Blois--Royal
+rupture--A bewildered minister--Marie and her foster-sister--Conspiracy
+of the Dues de Bouillon and de Biron--Parallel between the two
+nobles--The Comte d'Auvergne--Ingratitude of Biron--He is betrayed--His
+arrogance--He is summoned to the capital to justify himself--He refuses
+to obey the royal summons--Henry sends a messenger to command his
+presence at Court--Precautionary measures of Sully--The President
+Jeannin prevails over the obstinacy of Biron--Double treachery of La
+Fin--The King endeavours to induce Biron to confess his crime--Arrest of
+the Duc de Biron and the Comte d'Auvergne--The royal soirée--A timely
+caution--Biron is made prisoner by Vitry, and the Comte d'Auvergne by
+Praslin--They are conveyed separately to the Bastille--Exultation of the
+citizens--Firmness of the King--Violence of Biron--Tardy
+repentance--Trial of Biron--A scene in the Bastille--Condemnation of
+the Duke--He is beheaded--The subordinate conspirators are pardoned--The
+Duc de Bouillon retires to Turenne--Refuses to appear at
+Court--Execution of the Baron de Fontenelles--A salutary lesson--The
+Comte d'Auvergne is restored to liberty--Revolt of the Prince de
+Joinville--He is treated with contempt by the King--He is imprisoned by
+the Duc de Guise--Removal of the Court to Fontainebleau--Legitimation of
+the son of Madame de Verneuil--Unhappiness of the Queen--She is consoled
+by Sully--Birth of the Princesse Elisabeth de France--Disappointment of
+the Queen--Soeur Ange.
+
+The convalescence of the Queen was the signal for a succession of
+festivities, and the whole winter was spent in gaiety and dissipation;
+banquets, ballets, and hunting-parties succeeded each other with
+bewildering rapidity; and so magnificent were several of the Court
+festivals that even some of the gravest historians of the time did not
+disdain to record them. The most brilliant of the whole, however, and
+that which will best serve to exemplify the taste of the period, was the
+ballet to which allusion has already been made as given in honour of the
+King by his royal consort, and in which Marie de Medicis herself
+appeared. In order to heighten its effect she had selected fifteen of
+the most beautiful women of the Court, Madame de Verneuil being,
+according to the royal promise, one of the number; and the first part of
+the exhibition took place at the Louvre. The entertainment commenced
+with the entrance of Apollo and the nine Muses into the great hall of
+the palace, which was thronged with native and foreign princes,
+ambassadors, and ministers, in the midst of whom sat the King with the
+Papal Nuncio on his right hand. The god and his attendants sang the
+glory of the monarch, the pacificator of Europe; and each stanza
+terminated with the somewhat fulsome and ungraceful words:
+
+     "Il faut que tout vous rende hommage,
+      Grand Roi, miracle de notre âge."
+
+Thence the whole gay and gallant company proceeded to the Hôtel de
+Guise, where the eight maids of honour of the Queen performed the second
+act; and this was no sooner concluded than the brilliant revellers
+removed to the archiepiscopal palace, where the Queen appeared in person
+upon the scene, with her suite divided into four quadrilles. Marie
+herself represented Venus, and led by the hand César de Vendôme[158]
+attired as Cupid; when the splendour of her jewels produced so startling
+an effect that murmurs of astonishment and admiration ran through the
+hall. Gratified at the sensation caused by the unexampled magnificence
+and grace of his royal consort, Henry smilingly inquired of the Nuncio
+"if he had ever before seen so fine a squadron?"
+
+"_Bellissimo e pericolosissimo_!" was the reply of the gallant prelate.
+
+Each of the ladies composing the party of the Queen represented a
+_virtue_,\ an arrangement which, when it is remembered that Madame de
+Verneuil was one of the chosen, rendered their attributes at least
+equivocal. This royal ballet was nevertheless considered worthy of a
+poetical immortality by Berthault,[159] a popular bard of the day, who
+left little behind him worthy of preservation, but who enjoyed great
+vogue among the fashionables of the Court at that period. Its most
+important result was, however, the marriage of Concini and Leonora; to
+which, in consideration of the honour done to the favourite by the
+Queen, Henry withdrew his opposition; even authorizing his royal consort
+to bestow rich presents upon the bride, and to celebrate the nuptials
+with considerable ceremony.[160]
+
+All these royal diversions were suddenly and disagreeably terminated
+some months afterwards by an intrigue which once more threw the King and
+his courtiers into a state of agitation and discomfort.
+
+As regards Marie de Medicis herself, she had long ceased to derive any
+gratification from the splendid festivities of which she was one of the
+brightest ornaments; her ill-judged indulgence, far from exciting the
+gratitude of Madame de Verneuil, having rendered the insolent favourite
+still more arrogant and overbearing. To such an extent, indeed, did the
+Marquise carry her presumption, that she affected to believe herself
+indebted for the forbearance of the Queen to the conviction of the
+latter that she had a superior claim upon the monarch to her own; and
+while she permitted herself to comment upon the words, actions, and
+tastes, and even upon the personal peculiarities of her royal mistress,
+she declared her conviction of the legality of the written promise
+obtained by her from the King; and announced her determination, now that
+she had become the mother of a son, to enforce its observance.
+
+These monstrous pretensions, which were soon made known to the Queen,
+at once wounded and exasperated her feelings; and she anxiously awaited
+the moment when some new imprudence of the favourite should open the
+eyes of the monarch to her delinquency, as she had already become aware
+that mere argument on her own part would avail nothing.
+
+Several writers, and among them even female ones, yielding to the
+prestige attached to the name of Henri IV, have sought the solution of
+all his domestic discomfort in the "Italian jealousy" of Marie de
+Medicis; but surely it is not difficult to excuse it under circumstances
+of such extraordinary trial. Marie was a wife, a mother, and a queen;
+and in each of these characters she was insulted and outraged. As a
+wife, she saw her rights invaded--as a mother, the legitimacy of her son
+questioned--and as a queen her dignity compromised. What very inferior
+causes have produced disastrous effects even in private life! The only
+subject of astonishment which can be rationally entertained is the
+comparative patience with which at this period of her career she
+submitted to the humiliations that were heaped upon her.
+
+In vain did she complain to her royal consort of the insulting calumnies
+of Madame de Verneuil; he either affected to disbelieve that she had
+been guilty of such absurd assumption, or reproached Marie with a want
+of self-respect in listening to the idle tattle of eavesdroppers and
+sycophants; alleging that her foreign followers, spoiled by her
+indulgence, and encouraged by her credulity, were the scourge of his
+Court; and that she would do well to dismiss them before they
+accomplished her own unhappiness. A hint to this effect always sufficed
+to silence the Queen, to whom the society and support of Leonora and her
+husband were becoming each day more necessary; and thus she devoured her
+tears and stifled her wretchedness, trusting that the arrogance and
+presumption of the Marquise would ultimately serve her better than her
+own remonstrances.
+
+Such was the position of affairs when the intrigue to which allusion has
+been already made promised to produce the desired result; and it can
+create no surprise that Marie should eagerly indulge the hope of
+delivering herself from an obnoxious and formidable rival, when the
+opportunity presented itself of accomplishing so desirable an end
+without betraying her own agency.
+
+During the lifetime of _la belle Gabrielle_, her sister, Juliette
+Hippolyte d'Estrées, Marquise de Cérisay, who in 1597 became the wife of
+Georges de Brancas, Duc de Villars, had attracted the attention of the
+King, whose dissipated tastes were always flattered by novelty; although
+if we are to credit the statements of the Princesse de Conti, this lady,
+so far from rivalling the beauty of her younger sister, had no personal
+charms to recommend her beyond _her youth and her hair_.[161] Being as
+unscrupulous as the Duchesse de Beaufort herself, Juliette exulted in
+the idea of captivating the King, and left no effort untried to secure
+her supposed conquest; but this caprice on the part of Henry was only
+momentary, and in his passion for Henriette d'Entragues, he soon forgot
+his passing fancy for Madame de Villars. The Duchess herself, however,
+was far from being equally oblivious; and listening to the dictates of
+her ambition and self-love, she became persuaded that she was indebted
+to the Marquise alone for the sudden coldness of the King; and
+accordingly she vowed an eternal hatred to the woman whom she considered
+in the light of a successful rival. Up to the present period, anxious as
+she was to avenge her wounded vanity, she had been unable to secure an
+opportunity of revenge; but having at this particular moment won the
+affection of the Prince de Joinville,[162] who had been a former lover
+of Madame de Verneuil, and with whom, as she was well aware, he had
+maintained an active correspondence, she made his surrender of the
+letters of that lady the price of her own honour. For a time the Prince
+hesitated; he felt all the disloyalty of such a concession; but those
+were not times in which principles waged an equal war against passion;
+and the letters were ultimately placed in the possession of Madame
+de Villars.
+
+The Duchess was fully cognizant of the fact that it was from an impulse
+of self-preservation alone that M. de Joinville had been induced to
+forego his suit to the favourite, and to absent himself from the Court,
+a consideration which should have aroused her delicacy as a woman; but
+she was by no means disposed to yield to so inconvenient a weakness; and
+she had consequently no sooner secured the coveted documents than she
+prepared to profit by her good fortune.
+
+Henriette d'Entragues had really loved the Prince--if indeed so venal
+and vicious a woman can be supposed capable of loving anything save
+herself--and thus the letters which were transferred to Madame de
+Villars, many of them having been written immediately after the
+separation of the lovers, were filled with regrets at his absence,
+professions of unalterable affection, and disrespectful expressions
+concerning the King and Queen; the latter of whom was ridiculed and
+slandered without pity. It is easy to imagine the triumphant joy of the
+Duchess. She held her enemy at her mercy, and she had no inclination to
+be merciful. She read and re-read the precious letters; and finally,
+after deep reflection, her plans were matured.
+
+The Princesse de Conti was her personal friend, and was, moreover,
+attached to the household of the Queen, to whom Madame de Villars, from
+circumstances which require no comment, had hitherto been comparatively
+a stranger. Marie de Medicis, who had experienced little sympathy from
+the great ladies of the Court, having thrown herself principally upon
+her Italian followers for society, had in consequence been cold and
+distant in her deportment to the French members of her circle; who, on
+their side, trammelled by the rigorous propriety of her conduct, were
+quite satisfied to be partially overlooked, in order that their own less
+scrupulous bearing might pass unnoticed by so rigid a censor; and thus,
+when, upon the earnest request of Madame de Villars to be introduced to
+the more intimate acquaintance of the Queen, the Princess succeeded in
+obtaining for her the privilege of the _petites entrées_ (unaware of the
+powerful passport to favour which she possessed), she found it difficult
+to account for the eagerness with which the ordinarily unapproachable
+Marie greeted the appearance and courted the society of the astute
+Duchess; nor did she for an instant dream that by facilitating the
+intercourse between them, she was undermining the fortunes of a brother
+whom she loved.
+
+It appears extraordinary that of all the ladies about the Queen, Madame
+de Villars should have selected the sister of the Prince de Joinville to
+enable her to effect her purpose; but let her have acted from whatever
+motive she might, it is certain that day by day her favour became more
+marked; and the circumstance which most excited the surprise of Madame
+de Conti, was the fact that her _protégée_ was often closeted with the
+Queen when, for reasons sufficiently obvious, she herself and even
+Leonora Galigaï were excluded. In encouraging the vengeance of her new
+friend, Marie was well aware that she was committing an imprudence from
+which the more far-seeing Florentine would have dissuaded her; and thus,
+with that impetuosity which was destined through life to be her scourge,
+she resolved only to consult her own feelings. The secret of this new
+discovery was consequently not divulged to her favourite; and as her
+cheek burned and her eye flashed, while lingering over the insults to
+which she had been subjected by the unscrupulous mistress of the
+monarch, she urged Madame de Villars to lose no time in communicating
+the contents of the obnoxious letters to her sovereign.
+
+The undertaking was difficult as well as dangerous; and in the case of
+the Duchess it required more than usual tact and caution. She had not
+only to encounter the risk of arousing the anger of Henry by accusing
+the woman whom he loved, but also to combat his wounded vanity when he
+should see his somewhat mature passion made a subject of ridicule, and,
+at the same time, to conceal her own motive for the treachery of which
+she was guilty. This threefold trial, even daring as she was, the
+Duchess feared to hazard. In communicating the fatal letters to the
+Queen, she had calculated that the indignation and jealousy of the
+Italian Princess would instigate her to take instant possession of so
+formidable a weapon against her most dangerous enemy, and to work out
+her own vengeance; but Marie had learnt prudence from past experience,
+and she was anxious to conceal her own agency in the cabal until she
+could avow it with a certainty of triumph. Perceiving the reluctance of
+Madame de Villars to take the initiative, she hastened to explain to
+her the suspicion which would naturally be engendered in the mind of the
+King, should he imagine that the affair had been preconcerted to satisfy
+her private animosity; and moreover suggested that the Duchess should,
+in her interview with the monarch, carefully avoid even the mention of
+her name. Encouragement and entreaties followed this caution; while a
+few rich presents sufficed to convince her auditor--and ultimately,
+Madame de Villars (who had too long waited patiently for such an
+opportunity of revenge to shrink from her purpose when it was secured to
+her), having gained the favour and confidence of the Queen at the
+expense of her rival, resolved to terminate her task.
+
+The pretext of urgent business easily procured for her a private
+interview with the King, for the name of D'Estrées still acted like a
+spell upon the mind and heart of Henry, and the Duchess was a consummate
+tactician. Notice was given to her of the day on which the sovereign
+would visit St. Denis; and as she presented herself in the lateral
+chapel where he had just concluded his devotions, Henry made a sign for
+his attendant nobles to withdraw, when the Duchess found herself in a
+position to explain her errand, and to assure him that she had only been
+induced to make the present disclosure from her affection for his
+person, and the gratitude which she owed to him for the many benefits
+that she had experienced from his condescension. Having briefly dwelt on
+the contents of the letters which she delivered into his keeping, she
+did not even seek an excuse for the means by which they had come into
+her own possession, but concluded by observing: "I could not reconcile
+it to my conscience, Sire, to conceal so great an outrage; I should have
+felt like a criminal myself, had I been capable of suffering in silence
+such treason against the greatest king, the best master, and the most
+gallant gentleman on earth." [163]
+
+Henry was not proof against this compliment. He believed himself to be
+all that the Duchess had asserted, but he liked to hear his own opinion
+confirmed by the lips of others; and, although smarting under the
+mortification of wounded vanity occasioned by the contents of the
+letters of his perfidious mistress, he smiled complacently upon Madame
+de Villars, thanking her for her zeal and attachment to his person, and
+assuring her that both were fully appreciated.
+
+She had no sooner retired than, as the Queen had previously done, he
+repeatedly read over each letter in turn until his patience gave way
+under the task; when hastily summoning the Duc de Lude, he desired him
+to forthwith proceed to the apartments of the Marquise, and inform her
+in his name that "she was a perfidious woman, a monster, and the most
+wicked of her sex; and that he was resolved never to see her
+again." [164]
+
+At this period Madame de Verneuil had quitted the palace, and was
+residing in an hôtel in the city, which had been presented to her by the
+King: a fortunate circumstance for the envoy, who required time and
+consideration to enable him to execute his onerous mission in a manner
+that might not tend to his own subsequent discomfiture; but on the
+delivery of the royal message, which even the courtly De Lude could not
+divest of its offensive character, Madame de Verneuil (who was well
+aware that the King, however he might yield to his momentary anger, was
+even less able to dispense with her society than she herself was to lose
+the favour which alone preserved her from the ignominy her conduct had
+justly merited) did not for an instant lose her self-possession. "Tell
+his Majesty," she replied, as calmly as though a sense of innocence had
+given her strength, "that being perfectly assured that I have never been
+guilty of word or deed which could justly incur his anger, I cannot
+imagine what can have induced him to treat me with so little
+consideration. That some one has traduced me, I cannot doubt; but I
+shall be revenged by a discovery of the truth." [165]
+
+She then rose from her seat, and retired to her private room, much more
+alarmed and agitated than she was willing to betray. De Lude had, during
+the interview, suffered a few remarks to escape him from which she was
+enabled to guess whence the blow had come; and conscious of the enormity
+of her imprudence, she lost no time in confiding to her most
+confidential friends the difficulty of her position, and entreated them
+to discover some method by which she might escape its consequences.
+
+As had been previously arranged with the Queen, Madame de Villars, at
+her audience of the King, had carefully abstained from betraying the
+share which his consort had taken in the intrigue, and had assumed to
+herself the very equivocal honour of the whole proceeding; and it was,
+consequently, against the Duchess alone that the anger of the favourite
+was excited. Even the Prince de Joinville was forgiven, when with
+protestations of repentance he threw himself at the feet of the
+Marquise, and implored her pardon--he could scarcely fail to be
+understood by such a woman, when he pleaded the extremes to which
+passion and disappointment could urge an ardent nature--while the Duc de
+Bellegarde was no sooner informed by the Princesse de Conti that the
+fortune, and perhaps even the life, of her brother were involved in the
+affair, than he devoted himself to her cause.
+
+We have already stated that the time was not one of unnecessary scruple,
+and the peril of the Marquise was imminent. The letters not only
+existed, but were in the hands of the King: no honest or simple remedy
+could be suggested for such a disaster; and thus, as it was imperative
+to clear Madame de Verneuil from blame in order to save the Prince, it
+was ultimately determined to deny the authenticity of the documents, and
+to attribute the forgery to a secretary of the Duc de Guise, who was
+celebrated for his aptitude in imitating every species of handwriting.
+The attempt was hazardous; but the infatuation of Henry for the
+fascinating favourite was so well known, that the conspirators were
+assured of the eagerness with which he would welcome any explanation,
+however doubtful; and they accordingly instructed the Marquise boldly to
+disavow the authorship of the obnoxious packet. The advice was,
+unfortunately, somewhat tardy; as, in her first terror, Madame de
+Verneuil had declared her inability to deny that she had written the
+letters which had aroused the anger of the King; but she modified the
+admission, by declaring that her hand had betrayed her heart, and that
+she had never felt what, in a moment of pique and annoyance, she had
+permitted herself to express. These were, however, mere words; and she
+had no sooner become cognizant of the expedients suggested by her
+advisers than she resolved to gainsay them; and accordingly, without a
+moment's hesitation, she despatched a message to the monarch to entreat
+that he would allow her to justify herself.
+
+For a few days Henry remained inexorable, but at length his passion
+triumphed over his pride; and instead of summoning the Marquise to his
+presence as a criminal he proceeded to her residence, listened blindly
+to her explanations, became, or feigned to become, convinced by her
+arguments, and ultimately confessing himself to have been sufficiently
+credulous to be the culprit rather than the judge, he made a peace with
+his exulting mistress, which was cemented by a donation of six
+thousand livres.
+
+As is usual in such cases, all the blame was now visited upon her
+accusers. Madame de Villars was exiled from the Court--a sentence to her
+almost as terrible as that of death, wedded as she was to a court-life,
+and by this unexpected result, separated from the Prince de Joinville,
+whose pardon she had hoped to secure by her apparent zeal for the honour
+of the monarch. The Prince himself was directed to proceed forthwith to
+Hungary to serve against the Turks; and the unfortunate secretary, who
+had been an unconscious instrument in the hands of the able
+conspirators, and whom it was necessary to consider guilty of a crime
+absolutely profitless to himself whatever might be its result, was
+committed to a prison; there to moralize at his leisure upon the vices
+of the great.
+
+No mortification could, however, equal that of the Queen; who, having
+felt assured of the ruin of her rival, had incautiously betrayed her
+exultation in a manner better suited to a jealous wife than to an
+indignant sovereign; and who, when she became apprised of the
+reconciliation of the King with his wily mistress, expressed herself
+with so much warmth upon his wilful blindness, that a fortnight elapsed
+before they met again.
+
+Nothing could be more ill-judged upon the part of Marie than this
+violence, as by estranging the King from herself she gave ample
+opportunity to the Marquise to resume her empire over his mind. It
+nevertheless appears certain that although he resented the sarcasms of
+the Queen, he was less the dupe of Madame de Verneuil than those about
+him imagined; he was fascinated, but not convinced; and it is probable
+that had Marie de Medicis at this moment sufficiently controlled her
+feelings to remain neuter, she might, for a time at least, have retained
+her truant husband under the spell of her own attractions. Such,
+however, was not the case; and between his suspicion of being deceived
+by his mistress, and his irritation at being openly taunted by his wife,
+the King, who shrank with morbid terror from domestic discomfort,
+instead of finding repose in the privacy of his own hearth, even while
+he was anxious to shake off the trammels by which he had been so long
+fettered, and to abandon a _liaison_ which had ceased to inspire him
+with confidence, only sought to escape by transferring his somewhat
+exhausted affections to a new object. The struggle was, however, a
+formidable one; for although the Marquise had forfeited his good
+opinion, she had not lost her powers of fascination; and she so well
+knew how to use them, that, despite his better reason, the sensual
+monarch still remained her slave.
+
+Thus his life became at this period one of perpetual worry and
+annoyance. Marie, irritated by what she justly considered as a culpable
+weakness and want of dignity on the part of her royal consort, persisted
+in exhibiting her resentment, and in loading the favourite with every
+mark of contempt and obloquy; while Madame de Verneuil, in her turn,
+renewed her assertions of the illegality of the Queen's marriage, and
+the consequent illegitimacy of the Dauphin. The effect of such a feud
+may be readily imagined: the Court soon became divided into two distinct
+factions; and those among the great ladies and nobles who frequented the
+circle of the Marquise were forbidden the entrance of the Queen's
+apartments. One intrigue succeeded another; and while Marie, with
+jealous vindictiveness, endeavoured to mar the fortunes of those who
+attached themselves to the party of Madame de Verneuil, the Marquise
+left no effort untried to injure the partisans of the Queen. This last
+rupture was an irrevocable one.[166]
+
+In vain did Sully endeavour to restore peace. He could control the
+finances, and regulate the defences of a great nation; but he was as
+powerless as the King himself when he sought to fuse such jarring
+elements as these in the social crucible; and while he was still
+striving against hope to weaken, even if he could not wholly destroy, an
+animosity which endangered the dignity of the crown, and the respect due
+to one of the most powerful monarchs of Christendom, that monarch
+himself, wearied of a strife which he had not the moral courage either
+to terminate or to sustain, sought consolation for his trials in the
+smiles of Mademoiselle de Sourdis,[167] whose favour he purchased by
+giving her in marriage to the Comte d'Estanges. This caprice, engendered
+rather by _ennui_ than affection, was, however, soon terminated, as the
+new favourite could not, either personally or mentally, sustain a
+comparison with Madame de Verneuil; and great coldness still existed
+between the royal couple when the Court removed to Blois.
+
+During the sojourn of their Majesties in that city, a misunderstanding
+infinitely more serious than any by which it had been preceded took
+place between them; and at length became so threatening, that although
+the night was far advanced, the King despatched D'Armagnac, his first
+valet-de-chambre, to desire the immediate presence of M. de Sully at the
+castle. Singularly enough, the Duke in his Memoirs affects a morbid
+reluctance even to allude to this outbreak, and professes his
+determination, in accordance with his promise to that effect made to
+both parties, not to reveal the subject of dispute; while at the same
+time he admits that, after a long interview with Henry, he spent the
+remainder of the night in passing from one chamber to the other,
+endeavouring to restore harmony between the royal pair, during which
+attempt many of the attendants of the Court were enabled at intervals to
+hear all parties mention the names of the Grand Duke and Duchess of
+Florence, the Duchess of Mantua, Virgilio Ursino, Don Juan de Medicis,
+the Duc de Bellegarde, Joannini, Concini, Leonora, Trainel, Vinti,
+Caterina Selvaggio,[168] Gondy, and more frequently still, of Madame de
+Verneuil;[169] a circumstance which was quite sufficient to dispel all
+mystery, as it at once became evident to those who mentally combined
+these significant names, that the royal quarrel was a recriminatory one,
+and that while the Queen was indulging in invectives against the
+Marquise, and her champion M. le Grand, the King retorted by reproaching
+her with the insolence of her Italian favourites, and her own weak
+submission to their thrall.[170]
+
+Capefigue, in his history, has shown less desire than Sully to envelop
+this royal quarrel in mystery; and plainly asserts, although without
+quoting his authority for such a declaration, that after mutual
+reproaches had passed between Henry and his wife, the Queen became so
+enraged that she sprang out of bed, and throwing herself upon the
+monarch, severely scratched him in the face; a violence which he
+immediately repaid with interest, and which induced him to summon the
+minister to the palace, whose first care was to prevail upon the King to
+retire to another apartment.[171]
+
+Marie, exasperated by the persevering infidelity of her husband,
+considered herself, with some reason, as the aggrieved party: she had
+given a Dauphin to France; her fair fame was untainted; and she
+persisted in enforcing her right to retain and protect her Tuscan
+attendants. Henry, on his part, was equally unyielding; and it was, as
+we have already shown, several hours before the bewildered minister of
+finance could succeed in restoring even a semblance of peace. To every
+argument which he advanced the Queen replied by enumerating the
+libertine adventures of her husband (with the whole of which she proved
+herself to be unhappily only too familiar), and by declaring that she
+would one day take ample vengeance on his mistresses; strong in the
+conviction that to whatever acts of violence she might be induced by the
+insults heaped upon her, no rightly thinking person would be found to
+condemn so just a revenge.[172]
+
+This declaration, let Sully modify it as he might, could but aggravate
+the anger of the King; and accordingly, he replied by a threat of
+banishing his wife to one of his distant palaces, and even of sending
+her back to Florence, with the whole of her foreign attendants.
+
+From this project, if he really ever seriously entertained it, Henry
+was, however, at once dissuaded by his minister; who, less blinded by
+passion than himself, instantly recognised its enormity when
+proportioned to the offence which it was intended to punish; and
+consequently he did not hesitate to represent the odium which so unjust
+a measure must call down upon the head of the King.[173] The Queen,
+whose irritation had reached its climax, was less easily persuaded; or
+the astute Concini, who was ever daring where his personal fortunes
+might be benefited, sacrificed his royal mistress to his own interests;
+for we find it recorded that some time subsequently, when Madame de
+Verneuil was residing at her hôtel in Paris, the Florentine favourite
+privately informed the monarch that Marie had engaged some persons on
+whom she could rely, to insult the Marquise; upon which Henry, after
+expressing his thanks for the communication, caused the favourite to
+leave the city under a strong escort.[174]
+
+Had the King been less unscrupulously inconstant, there is, however, no
+doubt that Marie de Medicis, from the strict propriety of her conduct to
+the last, and under every provocation, would ultimately have become an
+attached and devoted wife. Her ambition was satisfied, and her heart
+interested, in her maternal duties; but the open and unblushing
+licentiousness with which Henry pursued his numerous and frequently
+ignoble intrigues, irritated her naturally excitable temper, and
+consequently tended to throw her more completely into the power of the
+ambitious Italians by whom she was surrounded; among whom the most
+influential was Madame de Concini, a woman of firm mind, engaging
+manners, and strong national prejudices, who, in following the fortunes
+of her illustrious foster-sister, had deceived herself into the belief
+that they would be almost without a cloud; and it is therefore probable
+that a disappointment in this expectation, which, moreover, involved her
+own personal interests, rendered her bitter in her judgment of the
+_débonnaire_ and reckless monarch who showed himself so indifferent to
+the attractions of her idolized mistress.
+
+The subsequent ingratitude of Marie, indeed, only tends to increase the
+admiration of a dispassionate critic for the ill-requited Leonora; to
+whom it would appear, after a close analysis of her character, that
+ample justice has never yet been done; for ambitious as she was, it is
+certain that this unfortunate woman ever sought the welfare of the
+Queen, to whom she owed her advancement in life, even when the more
+short-sighted selfishness of her husband would have induced him to
+sacrifice all other considerations to his own insatiable thirst
+for power.
+
+Unfortunately, however, the very excess of her affection rendered her a
+dangerous adviser to the indignant and neglected Princess, from whose
+private circle Henry at this period almost wholly absented himself.
+
+Nor were these domestic anxieties the only ones against which the French
+King had to contend at this particular crisis; for while the Court
+circle had been absorbed in banquets and festivals, the seeds of civil
+war, sown by a few of the still discontented nobles, began to germinate;
+and Henry constantly received intelligence of seditious movements in the
+provinces. On the banks of the Loire and the Garonne the symptoms of
+disaffection had already ceased to be problematical; while at La
+Rochelle and Limoges the inhabitants had assaulted the government
+officers who sought to levy an obnoxious tax.
+
+Little doubt existed in the minds of the monarch and his ministers that
+these hostile demonstrations were encouraged, if not suggested, by the
+secret agents of Philip III of Spain, and the Duke of Savoy, who had
+been busily engaged some time previously in dissuading the Swiss and
+Grisons from renewing the alliance which they had formed with Henri III,
+and which became void at his death. This attempt was, however,
+frustrated by an offer made to them by Sillery of a million in gold, as
+payment of the debt still due to them from the French government for
+their past services; which enormous sum reached them through the hands
+of the Duc de Biron, to whom, as well as to the memory of his father,
+the old Maréchal, many of the Switzers were strongly and
+personally attached.
+
+Day by day, also, the King had still more serious cause of apprehension,
+having ascertained almost beyond a doubt that the Duc de Bouillon, the
+head of the Huguenot party, who were incensed against Henry for having
+deserted their faith, was secretly engaged in a treaty with Spain,
+Savoy, and England, a circumstance rendered doubly dangerous from the
+fact that the Protestants still held several fortified places in
+Guienne, Languedoc, and other provinces, which would necessarily, should
+the negotiation prove successful, be delivered into his hands. There
+can be no doubt, moreover, that the monarch keenly felt the ingratitude
+of this noble, whom he had himself raised to the independent sovereignty
+of the duchy whence he derived his title; but his mortification was
+increased upon ascertaining that the Maréchal de Biron, who had been one
+of his most familiar friends, and in whose good-faith and loyalty he had
+ever placed implicit trust, was also numbered among his enemies, and
+endeavouring to secure his own personal advancement by betraying
+his master.
+
+No two men could probably have been selected throughout the whole nation
+more fitted to endanger the stability of the royal authority. Both were
+marshals of France, and alike celebrated for their talent as military
+leaders, as well as for their insatiable ambition. Of the two, perhaps,
+however, the Duc de Bouillon was likely to prove the most formidable
+enemy to the sovereign; from the fact of his being by far the more able
+and the more subtle politician, and, moreover, gifted with a caution and
+judgment which were entirely wanting in the impetuous and
+reckless Biron.
+
+Bouillon, who possessed great influence in the counsels of the
+Huguenots, was supported by the Duc de la Trémouille,[175] his
+co-religionist, another leader of the reformed party; and secretly also
+by the Duc d'Epernon,[176] whose fortunes having greatly deteriorated
+since the death of Henri III, considered himself harshly treated, and
+was ready to join every cabal which was formed against that King's
+successor, although he always avoided any open demonstration of
+hostility which might tend to compromise his personal safety.
+
+A third individual pointed out to the King as one of his most active
+enemies was Charles de Valois, Comte d'Auvergne, the step-brother of
+Madame de Verneuil; to whom not only in consideration of his royal
+blood, but also as the relative of the Marquise, Henry had ever shown a
+favour which he little merited. Such an adversary the monarch could,
+however, afford to despise, for he well knew the Count to be more
+dangerous as a friend than as an enemy; his cowardly dread of danger
+constantly impelling him, at the merest prospect of peril, to betray
+others in order to save himself; while his cunning, his gratuitous and
+unmanly cruelty, and the unblushing perfidy which recalled with only too
+much vividness the character of his father, Charles IX, rendered him at
+once unsafe and unpleasant as an associate. Despite all these drawbacks,
+Biron with his usual recklessness had nevertheless accepted him as a
+partner in his meditated revolt, D'Auvergne having declared that he
+would run all risks in order to revenge the dishonour brought upon his
+family by the King; but in reality the Comte only sought to benefit
+himself in a struggle where he had little to lose, and might, as he
+believed, become a gainer.
+
+The madness of the Duc de Biron in betraying the interests of a
+sovereign who had constantly treated him with honour and distinction,
+can only find its solution in his overweening vanity, as he was already
+wealthy, powerful, and popular; and had, moreover, acquired the
+reputation of being one of the first soldiers in France. He had been
+appointed admiral, and subsequently marshal; and had even been entrusted
+with the command of the King's armies at the siege of Amiens, where he
+bore the title of marshal-general, although several Princes of the Blood
+and the Connétable himself were present. He was decorated with all the
+Royal Orders; was a duke and peer of the realm, and Governor of
+Bordeaux; and, in fine, every attainable dignity had been lavished upon
+him; while he yielded precedence only to royalty, and to the Duc de
+Montmorency, to whose office it was vain to aspire during his
+lifetime.[177]
+
+Such was the Maréchal de Biron, when, in the vainglorious hope of one
+day becoming the sovereign of certain of the French provinces, he
+voluntarily trampled under foot every obligation of loyalty and
+gratitude, and leagued himself with the enemies of his royal master, to
+wrest from him the sceptre which he so firmly wielded. The first
+intelligence of the Duke's defection which reached the monarch--to whom,
+however, his conduct had long appeared problematical--was obtained
+through the treachery of the Maréchal's most trusted agent; a man whom
+Biron had constantly employed in all his intrigues, and from whom he had
+no secrets. This individual, who from certain circumstances saw reason
+to believe that the plans of the Duke must ultimately fail from their
+very immensity, and who feared for his own safety in the event of his
+patron's disgrace, resolved to save himself by communicating the whole
+conspiracy to the King; for which purpose he solicited an audience,
+declaring that he had important matters to reveal, which involved not
+only the throne of the sovereign, but even his life; and he so
+confidently insisted upon this fact, that an interview was at length
+accorded to him at Fontainebleau; where, in the presence of Henry and
+the Duc de Sully, he confessed that conceiving himself to have been
+ill-used by the Court, he had from mortified vanity adopted the
+interests of M. de Biron, and even participated in the conspiracy of
+which he was now anxious to anticipate the effects, and from which he
+had instantly retired when he discovered that it involved the lives of
+his Majesty and the Dauphin.
+
+He then solemnly asserted that when the Maréchal de Biron proceeded to
+Flanders to receive the oath of peace from the Archduke Albert, the
+Spaniards, who at once detected the extent of his vanity and ambition,
+had flattered his weakness and encouraged his hopes; and that they had
+ultimately despatched to him an individual named Picoté, who for some
+crime had been exiled from Orleans, and who was authorized to give him
+the assurance that it only depended upon the Duke himself to secure a
+brilliant position through their agency, should he see fit to become
+their ally. The Maréchal, his associate went on to say, listened eagerly
+to the proposition, and expressed his willingness to treat with Spain
+whenever it might be deemed expedient to confide to him the real meaning
+of the message; a reply which satisfied the Spaniards that with proper
+caution they should find it no difficult undertaking to attach him
+entirely to their interests, or, failing in this attempt, to rid
+themselves of a dangerous adversary by rendering him the victim of his
+own treason.
+
+Elated by the brilliant prospect which thus opened upon him, Biron
+gradually became less energetic in the service of his legitimate master;
+and after the peace of Vervins, finding his influence necessarily
+diminished, he began to murmur, affecting to believe that the services
+which he had rendered to the sovereign had not been duly recognized; and
+it was at this period, according to his betrayer, that their
+acquaintance had commenced, an acquaintance which so rapidly ripened
+into friendship that ere long he became the depository of his patron's
+most cherished secrets.
+
+After many and anxious consultations, principally caused by the
+uncertainty of the Duke as to the nature of the honours which were to be
+conferred upon him, it had been at length resolved between the two
+conspirators that they should despatch a priest to the Duke of Savoy, a
+monk of Cîteaux to Milan, and Picoté himself to Spain, to treat with the
+several Princes in the name of the Maréchal; and what was even more
+essential to the monarch to ascertain, was the fact that a short time
+subsequently, and before he visited Paris, the Duke of Savoy had entered
+into a secret negotiation with Biron, and even led him to believe that
+he would bestow upon him the hand of one of his daughters, by which
+marriage the Maréchal would have become the cousin of the Emperor of
+Germany, and the nephew of the King of Spain, an alliance which, to so
+ambitious a spirit, opened up an opportunity of self-aggrandizement
+never to be realized in his own country and under his own sovereign.
+
+In return for this concession, Biron had pledged himself to his wily
+ally that he would provide so much occupation for Henry in the interior
+of his kingdom, that he should have no leisure to attempt the invasion
+of the marquisate of Saluzzo, a pledge which more than any other
+gratified M. de Savoie, who lived in constant dread of being driven from
+his territories. During the war the Maréchal nevertheless took several
+of the Duke's fortresses in Brescia; but a perfect understanding had
+been established between them which rendered this circumstance
+comparatively unimportant; and on the refusal of Henry to permit the
+appointment of a governor of his own selection for the citadel of Bourg,
+Biron became so incensed by what he designated as the ingratitude of his
+sovereign--though he was fully aware that by countenancing such an
+arrangement the King must necessarily leave the fortress entirely in his
+power--that he no longer restrained himself, but declared that the death
+of the French sovereign was essential to the accomplishment of his
+projects; and meanwhile he gave the Duke of Savoy, whom he thenceforward
+regarded as his firmest friend, constant information of the state and
+movements of the hostile army.
+
+A short time afterwards it was definitely arranged between the
+conspirators that the Duke of Savoy should give his third daughter in
+marriage to the Maréchal, with a dowry of five hundred thousand golden
+crowns; that the Spanish monarch should cede to him all his claims of
+sovereignty upon the duchy of Burgundy; and that the Condé de
+Fuentes[178] and the Duke of Savoy should march their combined forces
+into France, thus disabling Henry from pursuing his design of
+reconquering the long-coveted duchy.
+
+This treasonable design, owing to circumstances upon which the impetuous
+Biron had failed to calculate, proved, however, abortive; and he had no
+sooner convinced himself of the fact, and comprehended the perilous
+position in which he had been placed by his imprudence, than he hastened
+to Lyons, where the King was then sojourning; and having obtained an
+audience, he confessed with a seeming frankness irresistible to so
+generous and unsuspicious a nature as that of Henry, that he had been
+sufficiently misled by his ambition secretly to demand from the Duke of
+Savoy the hand of his younger daughter; and that, moreover, in the
+excess of his mortification at the refusal of his Majesty to appoint a
+governor of his own selection at Bourg, he had even been induced to plot
+against the state, for both which crimes he humbly solicited the
+royal pardon.
+
+Full well did Henry and his minister remember this occurrence; nor could
+the King forget that although he had urged the Maréchal to reveal to him
+the whole extent of the intrigue, he had dexterously evaded his most
+searching inquiries, and constantly recurred to his contrition. Henry
+owed much to Biron, whom he had long loved; and with a magnanimity
+worthy of his noble nature, after a few expostulations and reproaches,
+he not only pardoned him for what he believed to have been a mere
+temporary abandonment of his duties, but even assured him of his future
+favour, and bade him return in all security to his post.
+
+Unhappily, however, the demon of ambition by which the Duke was
+possessed proved too powerful for the generous clemency of the King, and
+he resumed his treasonable practices; but a misunderstanding having
+ensued between himself and the false friend by whom he was now betrayed,
+all the private documents which had been exchanged between himself and
+the foreign princes through whose aid he trusted to obtain the honours
+of sovereignty, were communicated on this occasion to the monarch whose
+dignity and whose confidence he had alike outraged.
+
+A free pardon was accorded to the traitor through whose means Henry was
+made acquainted with the extent of the intrigue, on condition that he
+should reside within the precincts of the Court and lend his assistance
+to convict the Duke of his crime, terms to which the perfidious
+confidant readily consented; while with a tact worthy of his falsehood,
+he soon succeeded in reinstating himself in the good graces of the Duke,
+by professing to be earnestly engaged in France in furthering his
+interests, and by giving him reason to believe that he was still devoted
+to his cause.
+
+To this deception, and to his own obstinacy, Biron owed his fate.[179]
+
+The alarming facts which had thus been revealed to them were
+communicated by Henry and his minister to certain members of the privy
+council, by whom a report was drawn up and placed in the hands of the
+Chancellor; and, this preliminary arrangement completed, it was
+determined to recall the Maréchal to Court either to justify himself, or
+to undergo the penalty of his treason. In order to effect this object,
+however, it was necessary to exercise the greatest caution, as Biron was
+then in Burgundy; and his alarm having already been excited by the
+evasion of his most confidential agent, they felt that he might, should
+his suspicions be increased, place himself at the head of the troops
+under his command, by whom he was idolized, and thus become doubly
+dangerous. It was, consequently, only by a subterfuge that there was any
+prospect of inducing him to approach the capital; and the King, by the
+advice of Sully, and not without a latent hope that he might be enabled
+to clear himself of blame, openly asserted that he put no faith in the
+disclosures which had been made to him, and that he would advise the
+Maréchal to be careful of those about him, whose envy or enmity led them
+to put a misconstruction upon his motives as well as upon his actions.
+The Baron de Luz,[180] the confidential friend of Biron, for whose ear
+these declarations were especially designed, did not fail to communicate
+them on the instant to the accused party; while La Fin,[181] by whom he
+had been betrayed, likewise wrote to assure him that in revealing the
+conspiracy to the King and the ministers he had been cautious not to
+utter a word by which he could be personally implicated. It is certain,
+however, that the Duke placed little reliance either upon the assertions
+of Henry, or the assurances of his treacherous agent; as on the receipt
+of a letter from the sovereign, announcing his own instant departure for
+Poitou, where he invited Biron to join him, in order that he might
+afford him his advice upon certain affairs of moment, the latter wrote
+to excuse himself, alleging, as a pretext for his disobedience to the
+royal command, the rumour of a reported aggression of the Spaniards, and
+the necessity of his presence at a meeting of the States of Burgundy
+which had been convoked for the 22d of May, where it would be essential
+that he should watch over the interests of his Majesty.[182]
+
+The King did not further insist at that moment; but having ascertained
+on his return from Poitou that fresh movements had been made in
+Burgundy, in Saintonge, in Périgord, and in Guienne, which threatened to
+prove inimical to his authority, and that couriers were constantly
+passing from one of these provinces to the other, he sent to desire the
+presence of the Sieur Descures,[183] an intimate friend and follower of
+the Maréchal, whom he commanded to proceed with all speed to Burgundy,
+and to inform his lord that if he did not forthwith obey the royal
+summons, the sovereign would go in person to bring him thence. This
+threat was sufficiently appalling; and the rather as Sully, by his
+authority as grand-master of artillery, had taken the precaution, on
+pretext of recasting the cannon and improving the quality of the powder
+in the principal cities of Burgundy, to cripple Biron's resources, and
+to render it impossible for him to attempt any rational resistance to
+the royal will. The Maréchal soon perceived that he had been duped, but,
+nevertheless, he would not yield; and Descures left him, firm in his
+determination not to trust himself within the precincts of the Court.
+
+The King, who, from his old attachment to Biron, had hitherto hoped that
+he had been calumniated, and that, in lieu of crimes, he had only been
+guilty of follies, offended by so resolute an opposition to his will,
+began, like his ministers, to apprehend that he must in truth
+thenceforward number the Duke among his enemies; and he consequently
+suffered himself, shortly after the return of his last messenger, to be
+persuaded to despatch the President Jeannin[184] as the bearer of a
+third summons to the Maréchal, and to represent to him how greatly he
+was increasing the displeasure of the sovereign by his disobedience, as
+well as strengthening the suspicions which were already entertained
+against him. Finally, the president was instructed to assure the haughty
+and imperious rebel that the King had not forgotten the good service
+which he had rendered to the nation; and that he ascribed the
+accusations which had reached him rather to the exaggerations of those
+who in making such reports sought to increase their own favour at Court
+than to any breach of trust on the part of the Maréchal himself.[185]
+
+Somewhat reassured by these declarations, and unconscious of the extent
+of La Fin's treachery, Biron allowed himself to be persuaded by the
+eloquence of Jeannin, and reluctantly left Dijon for Fontainebleau,
+where he arrived on the 13th of June. As he was about to dismount, La
+Fin approached to welcome him; and while holding his stirrup whispered
+in his ear: "Courage, my master; speak out boldly, for they know
+nothing." The Duke silently nodded his reply, and at once proceeded to
+the royal chamber, where Henry received him with a gay countenance and
+open arms, declaring that he had done well to accept his invitation, or
+he should assuredly have gone to fetch him in person as he had
+threatened. Biron excused himself, but with a coldness extremely
+displeasing to the King, who, however, forebore to exhibit any symptom
+of annoyance; and after a short conversation in which no further
+allusion was made to the position of the Maréchal, Henry, as he had
+often previously done, proposed to show him the progress of the new
+buildings upon which he was then actively engaged; and, leading the way
+to the gardens, he did in fact for a time point out to him every object
+of interest. This done, he suddenly turned the discourse upon the
+numerous reasons for displeasure which the recent acts of Biron had
+given him (being careful, nevertheless, not to betray the extent of his
+knowledge), and earnestly urged him to confess the real amount of the
+imprudence of which he had been guilty, pledging his royal word, that
+should he do so with frankness and sincerity, the avowal would ensure
+his pardon.
+
+But this the infatuated Duke had no intention of conceding. The
+whispered assurance of La Fin still vibrated on his ear, and he also
+calculated largely on his intimacy with D'Auvergne, which secured to him
+the influence of Madame de Verneuil. He consequently replied, with an
+arrogance as unbecoming as it was misplaced, that he had not come to
+Court to justify himself, but in order to ascertain who were his
+accusers; and, moreover, added that, having committed no crime, he did
+not require any pardon; nor could either Henry himself or the Duc de
+Sully, with whom he had subsequently a lengthened interview, succeed in
+inducing him to make the slightest confession.
+
+The noonday repast was no sooner over than the King sent to summon the
+Maréchal to his closet, where he once more exerted every effort to
+soften the obduracy of the man to whose valour he was well aware that
+he had been greatly indebted for his crown, and whom he was consequently
+anxious to save from dishonour and ignominy; but, unfortunately for his
+own interests, Biron retained as vivid a recollection of the fact as
+Henry himself; and he so highly estimated the value of his services,
+that he resolved to maintain the haughty position which he had assumed,
+and to persist in a denial that was fated to cost him his life. Instead,
+therefore, of throwing himself upon the clemency of the King by an
+undisguised avowal of his treason, he merely replied to the appeal by
+again demanding to know who were his accusers; upon which Henry rose
+from his seat, and exclaiming: "Come, we will play a match at tennis,"
+hastily left the room, followed by the culprit.
+
+The King having selected the Comte de Soissons[186] as his second
+against the Duc d'Epernon and the Maréchal, this ill-assorted party
+continued for some time apparently absorbed in the game; and so
+thoroughly did it recall past scenes and times to the mind of the
+monarch, that he resolved, before he abandoned his once faithful subject
+to his fate, to make one last endeavour to overcome his obstinacy. He
+accordingly authorized M. de Soissons to exert whatever influence he
+possessed with the rash man who was so blindly working out his own ruin,
+and to represent to him the madness of persisting in a line of conduct
+which could not fail to provoke the wrath of his royal master.
+
+"Remember, Monsieur," said the Prince, who was as anxious as the monarch
+himself that the scandal of a public trial, and the certainty of an
+ignominious death, should be spared to so brave a soldier--"remember
+that a sovereign's anger is the messenger of destruction." [187]
+
+Biron, however, persisted in declaring that he had no reason to fear the
+displeasure of Henry, and had consequently no confession to make; and
+with this fatal answer the Count was fain to content himself.
+
+The King rose early on the following morning, full of anxiety and
+apprehension. He could not look back upon the many gallant acts of the
+unfortunate Maréchal without feeling a bitter pang at the idea that an
+old and formerly zealous servant was about to become a victim to
+expediency, for the spirit of revolt, which he had hitherto endeavoured
+to suppress by clemency, had now risen hydra-headed, threatening to
+dispute his right of reprisal, and to involve the nation once more in
+civil war. He painfully felt, that under circumstances like these,
+lenity would become, not only a weakness, but a crime, and possessing,
+as he did, the most indubitable proofs of Biron's guilt, he saw himself
+compelled to forget the friend in the sovereign, and to deliver up the
+attainted noble to the justice of his betrayed country.
+
+A privy council was consequently assembled, at which Henry declared his
+determination to arrest the Duke, and to put him upon his trial, if,
+after mature deliberation, it was decided that he deserved death, as
+otherwise he was resolved not to injure his reputation by any
+accusations which might tarnish his renown or embitter his existence. To
+this last indication of relenting he received in reply an assurance that
+no further deliberation was requisite, as the treason of the Maréchal
+was so fully proved, and the facts so amply authenticated, that he would
+be condemned to the axe by every tribunal in the world.
+
+On finding that his councillors were unanimous in this opinion, the King
+summoned MM. de Vitry[188] and de Praslin,[189] and gave them orders to
+arrest both the Duc de Biron and the Comte d'Auvergne, desiring them at
+the same time to act with the greatest caution, and carefully to avoid
+all noise and disorder.
+
+When their Majesties had supped they retired to the private apartments,
+where, among other courtiers, they were joined by the two conspirators,
+both of whom were peculiarly obnoxious to the Queen--D'Auvergne from his
+general character, as well as his relationship to Madame de Verneuil,
+and Biron from his intimacy with the brother of the favourite, who had
+renewed her pretended claim to the hand of Henry, a subject which always
+tortured the heart of Marie, involving, as it did, the legitimacy of her
+son, and her own honour. It was not, therefore, without a great exertion
+of self-command that she replied to the ceremonious compliments of the
+Duke by courtesies equally lip-deep, and, at the express desire of the
+King, was induced to accept him as her companion at the card-table.
+During the progress of the game, a Burgundian nobleman named Mergé
+approached the Maréchal and murmured in a low voice, as he affected to
+examine his cards, that he was about to be arrested, but Biron being at
+that moment deeply absorbed in his occupation, did not hear or heed the
+warning, and he continued to play on in the greatest security until
+D'Auvergne, to whom Mergé had communicated the ill-success of his own
+attempt, in his turn drew near the royal table, and whispered as he
+bowed profoundly to the Queen, by which means he brought his lips to a
+level with the Duke's ear: "We are not safe here."
+
+Biron did not for an instant lose his presence of mind; but without the
+movement of a muscle again gathered up his cards, and pursued his game,
+which was only terminated at midnight by an intimation from the King
+that it was time for her Majesty to retire. Henry then withdrew in his
+turn; but before he left the room he turned towards the Maréchal and
+said with marked emphasis: "Adieu, _Baron de Biron_, you know what I
+have told you." [190]
+
+As the Duke, considerably startled by this extraordinary address, was
+about to leave the antechamber, Vitry seized his right arm with one
+hand, and with the other laid a firm grasp upon his sword, exclaiming:
+"Monsieur, the King has confided the care of your person to me. Deliver
+up your sword." A few of the gentlemen of the Duke's household who were
+awaiting him made a show of resistance, but they were instantly seized
+by the guard; upon which the Maréchal demanded an interview with
+the monarch.
+
+"His Majesty has retired," replied Vitry. "Give me your sword."
+
+"Ha! my sword," said Biron with a deep sigh of indignant mortification,
+"that sword which has rendered him so much good service;" and without
+further comment or expostulation he placed the weapon in the hands of
+the captain of the guard, and followed him to the chamber in which he
+was to pass the night.
+
+The Comte d'Auvergne had meanwhile also been arrested at the gate of the
+palace by M. de Praslin, and conducted to another apartment.
+
+The criminals were no sooner secured than the King despatched a
+messenger to Sully to inform him of the fact, and to desire his
+immediate attendance at the palace; and on his arrival, after narrating
+to him the mode of their capture, Henry desired him to mount his horse,
+and to repair without delay to the Bastille, in order to prepare
+apartments for them in that fortress. "I will forward them in boats to
+the water-gate of the Arsenal," he pursued; "let them land there, but be
+careful that they are seen by no one; and convey them thence to their
+lodgings as quietly as possible across your own courts and gardens. So
+soon as you have arranged everything for their landing, hasten to the
+Parliament and to the Hôtel-de-Ville; there explain all that has passed,
+and say that on my arrival in the capital I will communicate my reasons
+for what I have done, of which the justice will be at once
+apparent." [191]
+
+This arrangement was made upon the instant, and on the morrow the
+prisoners were embarked in separate boats upon the Seine, under a strong
+escort of the King's bodyguard; and on their arrival at the Bastille
+they were delivered into the express keeping of the Duc de Sully; while
+upon his subsequent entrance into Paris on the afternoon of the same
+day, Henry was received with acclamation by the citizens, who were aware
+of the fruitless efforts made by the monarch to induce the Maréchal to
+return to his allegiance, and whose joy was of the most enthusiastic
+description at the escape of their beloved sovereign from a foul
+conspiracy.[192] The Maréchal de Biron, like all men who have attained
+to a high station, and whose ambition prompts them to conciliate the
+goodwill of those by whom they are approached, possessed many friends;
+but the accusation of _lèse-majesté_ under which he laboured was one of
+so formidable a nature that they remained totally passive; and it was
+only his near relatives who ventured to peril their own favour by making
+an appeal in his behalf. Their supplications, earnest and humble though
+they were, failed, however, to shake the resolution of Henry, whose
+pride had, in this instance, been doubly wounded alike as a monarch and
+as a man. He felt that not only had the King of France to deal with a
+rebel, but that the confiding friend, who had been ready upon the
+slightest appearance of regret or repentance once more to forgive, had
+been treated with distrust and recompensed by falsehood.
+
+While those closely connected with him were endeavouring, by every means
+in their power, to appease the just indignation of the sovereign, and to
+intercede in his behalf, Biron himself, as though his past services must
+necessarily suffice to secure his impunity, was indulging, even within
+the formidable walls of the Bastille, in the grossest and most
+ill-judged vituperations against the King; and boasting of his own
+exploits, rather like a maniac than a brave and gallant soldier who had
+led armies into the field, and there done his duty unflinchingly.[193]
+He partook sparingly of the food which was presented to him; and instead
+of taking rest, spent the greater portion of the night in pacing to and
+fro the narrow apartment. It was evident that he had firm faith either
+in the royal pardon, or in the means of escape being provided for him by
+his friends; but as day by day went by, and he received no intelligence
+from without, while he remarked that every individual who entered his
+chamber was fully armed, and that the knives upon his table were not
+pointed, in order that he should be unable to convert them into
+defensive weapons, he became somewhat less violent; and he no sooner
+ascertained that Henry had refused to comply with the petition of his
+family than he said, with a bitter laugh: "Ha! I see that they wish me
+to take the road to the scaffold." Thenceforward he ceased to demand
+justice on his accusers, became less imperious, and even admitted that
+he had no rational hope save in the mercy of the monarch.[194]
+
+On the 27th of July, the preliminary arrangements having been completed,
+the Maréchal was conducted to the Palais de Justice by the Sieur de
+Montigny,[195] the Governor of Paris, in a covered barge escorted by
+twelve or fifteen armed men. Previously, however, to his being put upon
+his trial, he was privately interrogated by the commissioners chosen for
+that purpose; but this last judicial effort to save him only tended to
+secure his ruin. When confronted with his judges, Biron appeared to have
+lost all consistency of character; the soldier was sunk in the sophist;
+he argued vaguely and inconsistently; and compromised his own cause by
+the very clumsiness of the efforts which he made to clear himself.
+Unaware of the revelations of La Fin, when he was confronted with him he
+declared him to be a man of honour, his relative, and his very good
+friend; but the depositions of the Burgundian noble were no sooner made
+known to him than he retracted his former assertion, branding him as a
+sorcerer, a traitor, an assassin, and the vilest of men, with other
+epithets too coarse for repetition.[196] These terrible accusations,
+however, came too late to serve his cause; he had already committed
+himself by his previous panegyric; and, perceiving that such was the
+case, he hastened to support his testimony against his former accomplice
+by asserting that were Renazé alive and in France, he should be able to
+prove the truth of what he advanced, and to justify himself.
+Unfortunately for the success of this assurance, Renazé in his turn made
+his appearance in court; having, by a strange chance, recently escaped
+from Savoy, where the Duke had held him a prisoner; and Biron had the
+mortification of finding that this, another of his ancient allies, had
+not been more faithful to him in his adversity than La Fin. These two
+witnesses, indeed, decided his fate; as the letters which were produced
+against him were proved to have been written before the previous pardon
+granted to him by Henry at Lyons, and they were consequently of no avail
+as regarded the present accusation.
+
+The Parliament was presided over by Messire Pomponne de Bellièvre,
+Chancellor of France, beside whom the Maréchal was requested to take his
+place upon a low wooden stool. Matthieu asserts that, although neither
+duke nor peer had obeyed the summons of the Chambers, the number of
+Biron's judges nevertheless amounted to one hundred and twelve;[197]
+and it is probable that this very fact gave him confidence, as during
+the two long hours occupied by his trial he never once lost his
+self-possession, but argued as closely and as sagaciously as though he
+had yielded to no previous intemperance of language. He urged the pardon
+previously accorded to him by the King; earnestly protested that he had
+never entered into any cabal against the throne or dignity of his
+sovereign; and denied that any man could be proved a traitor, whatever
+might be his wishes, so long as he made no effort to realize them. He
+admitted that he might have talked rashly, but appealed to his judges
+whether he had not proved himself equally reckless in the field; and
+required them to declare if so venial a fault had not, by that fact,
+already been sufficiently expiated. He then recapitulated the events of
+his career as a military leader; but he did so temperately and modestly,
+without a trace of the arrogant bombast for which he had throughout his
+life been celebrated. So great was the effect of this unexpected and
+manly dignity, that many members of the court were seen to shed tears;
+and had his fate been decided upon the instant, it is probable that his
+calm and touching eloquence might have saved his life; but so much time
+had already been exhausted that enough did not remain for collecting the
+votes, and the result of the trial was consequently deferred; the
+Maréchal meanwhile returning to the Bastille under the same escort
+which had conveyed him to the capital.[198]
+
+On the 29th, the Chambers having again assembled, they remained in
+deliberation from six o'clock in the morning until two hours after
+mid-day, when sentence of death was unanimously pronounced against the
+prisoner; and he was condemned to lose his head in the Place de Grève,
+"as attainted and convicted of having outraged the person of the King,
+and conspired against his kingdom; all his property to be confiscated,
+his peerage reunited to the Crown; and himself shorn of all his honours
+and dignities."
+
+On the following day, the decision of the Parliament having been made
+public, immense crowds collected in the Place de Grève in order to
+witness the execution; scaffoldings were erected on every side for the
+accommodation of the spectators; and the tumult at length became so
+great that it reached the ears of the Maréchal in his prison-chamber.
+Rushing to the window, whence he could command a view of some portion of
+the open fields leading to the Rue St. Antoine, along which numerous
+groups were still making their eager way, he exclaimed, in violent
+emotion: "I have been judged, and I am a dead man." One of his guards
+hastened to assure him that the outcry was occasioned by a quarrel
+between two nobles, which was about to terminate in a duel; and the
+unhappy prisoner thus remained for a short time in uncertainty as to his
+ultimate fate. Yet still, as he sat in his dreary prison, he heard the
+continued murmur of the excited citizens, who, believing that he was to
+be put to death by torchlight, persisted in holding their weary watch
+until an hour before midnight.[199]
+
+The King had, however, determined to postpone the execution until the
+morrow; when, apparently yielding to the solicitations of the Duke's
+family, but, as many surmised, anxious to avoid a tumult which the great
+popularity of Biron with the troops, and the numerous friends and
+followers whom he possessed about the Court, led him to apprehend might
+prove the result of so public a disgrace to his surviving relatives,
+Henry consented to change the place of execution to the court of the
+Bastille, where the Maréchal accordingly was beheaded at five o'clock in
+the evening. The circumstances attending his decapitation are too
+painful for detail; suffice it that his last struggles for life
+displayed a cowardice which ill accorded with his previous gallantry,
+and that it was only by a feint that the executioner at length succeeded
+in performing his ghastly office; while so great had been the violence
+of the victim, that his head bounded three times upon the scaffold, and
+emitted more blood than the trunk from which it had been severed.
+
+It was said that the father of the culprit, the former Maréchal, had on
+one occasion, during an exhibition of the violence in which Biron so
+continually indulged, bitterly exclaimed: "I would advise you, Baron,
+as soon as peace is signed, to go and plant cabbages on your estate, or
+you will one day bring your head to the scaffold." [200] A fearful
+prophecy fearfully fulfilled.
+
+The corpse was conveyed to the church of St. Paul, where it was interred
+without any ceremony, but surrounded by a dense mass of the populace,
+many of whom openly pitied his fate, and lamented over his fall.[201]
+
+La Fin and Renazé were pardoned; but Hubert, the secretary of the
+Maréchal, suffered "the question," both ordinary and extraordinary, and
+was condemned to perpetual imprisonment, having refused to make any
+confession. He was, however, a short time subsequently, restored to
+liberty; but the remembrance of all that he had undergone rankled in his
+heart, and he no sooner found himself once more free than he abandoned
+his country, and withdrew to Spain, where he passed the remainder of
+his life.
+
+The Baron de Luz, who had revealed all he knew of the conspiracy on the
+promise of a free pardon, was not only forgiven for the share which he
+had taken in the plot, but had, moreover, all his appointments
+confirmed; and was made governor of the castle of Dijon and the town of
+Beaune. The governorship of Burgundy, vacant by the death of Biron, was
+given to the Dauphin; and the lieutenancy of the province was conferred
+upon the Duc de Bellegarde, by whom the young Prince was ultimately
+succeeded in the higher dignity.
+
+A Breton nobleman, named Montbarot,[202] was committed to the Bastille
+on suspicion of being involved in the cabal; but no proof of his
+participation having transpired, he was shortly afterwards liberated.
+
+The Duc de Bouillon, who was conscious that he had not been altogether
+guiltless of participation in the crime for which the less cautious
+Biron had just suffered death, deeming it expedient to provide for his
+own safety, took refuge in his viscounty of Turenne, where, however, he
+did not long remain inactive; and reports of his continued disaffection
+having reached the ears of the King, he was, in his turn, summoned to
+the royal presence in order to justify himself; but the example of his
+decapitated friend was still too recent to encourage him to such a
+concession; and instead of presenting himself at Court he despatched
+thither a very eloquent letter, in which he informed the monarch that,
+being aware of the falsehood and artifice of his accusers, he entreated
+him to dispense with his appearance in the capital; and to approve
+instead, that, for the satisfaction of his Majesty, the French nation,
+and his own honour, he should present himself before the Chamber of
+Castres; that assembly forming an integral portion of the Parliament of
+Toulouse, which held jurisdiction over his own viscounty of Turenne.
+Having forwarded this missive to the sovereign, he hastened to Castres,
+where he appeared as he had suggested, and caused his presence to be
+registered. The determination of Henry to compel his attendance at Paris
+was, however, only strengthened by this act of defiance; and having
+ascertained that the King was about to despatch a messenger to compel
+his obedience, M. de Bouillon left Castres in haste for Orange, whence
+he proceeded, by way of Geneva, to Heidelberg, and placed himself under
+the protection of the Prince Palatine, after having declared his
+innocence to Elizabeth of England and the other Protestant sovereigns,
+and entreated their support and mediation.
+
+Thus far, with the exception of Biron himself, all the members of this
+famous conspiracy had escaped with their lives, and some among them
+without loss, either of freedom or of property; one of their number,
+however, was fated to be less fortunate, and this one was the Baron de
+Fontenelles,[203] a man of high family, who had for several years
+rendered himself peculiarly obnoxious to the King and his ministers, and
+whose atrocious barbarities caused him to fall unpitied. This wretched
+man, after having been put to the torture, was, by the sentence
+pronounced against him by the council, broken alive upon the wheel,
+where he suffered the greatest agony during an hour and a half. His
+lieutenant was condemned to the gallows for having been the medium of
+his communication with the Spanish Government; although, even as he was
+ascending the fatal ladder, he continued to declare that he had always
+been ignorant of the contents of the packets which he was charged to
+deliver, and could neither read nor write.[204]
+
+With the life of Biron, the conspiracy had terminated; while his fate
+had not failed to produce universal consternation. His devotion to the
+early fortunes of the King had been at once so great and so efficient,
+his military renown was so universally acknowledged, and his favour with
+the monarch was so apparently beyond the reach of chance or change, that
+his unhappy end pointed a moral even to the proudest, and so paralysed
+the spirit of those who might otherwise have felt inclined to question
+the royal authority, that even the nearest and dearest of his friends
+uttered no murmur; while those individuals who had dreaded to find
+themselves compromised by his ruin, and who, to their equal surprise and
+satisfaction, discovered that, while he had unguardedly preserved all
+the papers which could tend to his own destruction, he had destroyed
+every vestige of their criminality, rejoiced at their escape, and
+flattered themselves that their participation in his treachery would for
+ever remain undiscovered; a circumstance which rendered them at once
+patient and silent.
+
+That the necessity for taking the life of the Maréchal had been bitterly
+felt by the King himself, we have already shown; and it was further
+evinced when he declared to those who interceded for the doomed man,
+that had his personal interests alone been threatened by the treason of
+the criminal, he should have found it easy to pardon the wrong that had
+been done him; but that, when he looked into the future, and remembered
+that the safety of the kingdom which had been confided to him, and of
+the son who was to succeed him upon the throne, must both be compromised
+by sparing one who had already proved that his loyalty could not be
+purchased by mercy, he held himself bound to secure both against an evil
+for which there was no other safeguard than the infliction of the utmost
+penalty of the law.
+
+Many argued that, having spared the lives of the Ducs d'Epernon, de
+Bouillon, and de Mayenne,[205] all of whom had at different times been
+in arms against him, Henry might equally have shown mercy to Biron; but
+while they urged this argument, they omitted to remember that the
+political crime of these three nobles had not been aggravated, like that
+of the Maréchal, by private wrong; and that they had not, by an
+unyielding obstinacy, and an ungrateful pertinacity in rebellion,
+exhausted the forbearance of an indulgent monarch. Moreover, Biron, in
+grasping at sovereignty, had not hesitated to invite the intrusion of
+foreign and hostile troops into French territory, or to betray the
+exigencies and difficulties of the army under his own command to his
+dangerous allies; thus weakening for the moment, and imperilling for the
+future, the resources of a frank and trusting master; two formidable
+facts, which justified the severity alike of his King and of his judges.
+
+The lesson was a salutary one for the French nobility, who had, from
+long impunity, learnt to regard their personal relations with foreign
+princes as matters beyond the authority of the sovereign, and which
+could involve neither their safety nor their honour; for it taught them
+that the highest head in the realm might fall under an accusation of
+treason; and that, powerful as each might be in his own province or his
+own government, he was still responsible to the monarch for the manner
+in which he used that power, and answerable to the laws of his country
+should he be rash enough to abuse it.
+
+That Henry felt and understood that such must necessarily be the effect
+produced by the fate of the Maréchal there can be little doubt, as well
+as that he was still further induced to impress so wholesome a
+conviction upon the minds of his haughty aristocracy by the probability
+of a minority, during which the disorders incident to so many
+conflicting and imaginary claims could not fail to convulse the kingdom
+and to endanger the stability of the throne; while it is no less evident
+that, once having forced upon their reason a conviction of his own
+ability to compel obedience where his authority was resisted, and to
+assert his sovereign privilege where he felt it to be essential to the
+preservation of the realm, he evinced no desire to extend his severity
+beyond its just limits. Thus, as we have seen, with the exception of
+the Baron de Fontenelles, who had drawn down upon himself the terrible
+expiation of a cruel death, rather by a long succession of crime than by
+his association in the conspiracy of Biron, all the other criminals
+already judged had escaped the due punishment of their treason; while
+the Comte d'Auvergne, after having been detained during a couple of
+months in the Bastille, was restored to liberty at the intercession of
+his sister, Madame de Verneuil, who pledged herself to the monarch that
+he was guilty only in so far as he had been faithful to the trust
+reposed in him by the Maréchal, and had forborne to betray his secret,
+while he had never actively participated in the conspiracy. She moreover
+assured Henry, who was only anxious to find an opportunity of pardoning
+the Count--an anxiety which the tears and supplications of the Marquise,
+as well as his own respect for the blood of the Valois inherited by
+D'Auvergne from his royal father, tended naturally to increase--that the
+prisoner was prepared, since the death of Biron had freed him from all
+further necessity for silence, to communicate to his Majesty every
+particular of which he was cognizant. The concession was accepted; the
+Count made the promised revelations; and his liberation was promptly
+followed by a renewal of the King's favour.
+
+Towards the close of the year, intelligence having reached Henry that
+the Prince de Joinville, who was serving in the army of the Archduke,
+had, in his turn, suffered himself to be seduced from his allegiance by
+the Spaniards, he gave instant orders for his arrest; but the Prince no
+sooner found himself a prisoner than he declared his readiness to
+confess everything, provided he were permitted to do so to the King in
+person and in the presence of Sully. His terms were complied with; and,
+as both Henry and his minister had anticipated from the frivolous and
+inconsequent character of their new captive, it at once became apparent
+that no idea of treason had been blent with the follies of which he had
+been guilty, but that they had merely owed their origin to his idle love
+of notoriety. A correspondence with Spain had become, as we have shown,
+the fashion at the French Court; and Joinville had accordingly, in order
+to increase his importance, resolved to effect in his turn an
+understanding with that country. During his audience of the King he so
+thoroughly betrayed the utter puerility of his proceedings that the
+monarch at once resolved to treat him as a silly and headstrong youth,
+towards whom any extreme measure of severity would be alike unnecessary
+and undignified; and he had consequently no sooner heard Joinville's
+narration to an end than he desired the presence of his mother the
+Duchesse de Guise and his brother the Duke,[206] and as they entered
+the royal closet, somewhat startled by so sudden a summons, he said,
+directing their attention to the delinquent: "There stands the prodigal
+son in person; he has filled his head with follies; but I shall treat
+him as a child and forgive him for your sakes, although only on
+condition that you reprimand him seriously; and that you, my nephew,"
+addressing himself particularly to the Duke, "become his guarantee for
+the future. I place him in your charge, in order that you may teach him
+wisdom if it be possible."
+
+In obedience to this command M. de Guise, who was well aware with how
+rash and intemperate a spirit he was called upon to contend, at once,
+with the royal sanction, reconducted Joinville to his prison, where
+during several months the young Prince exhausted himself in threats,
+murmurs, and every species of verbal extravagance, until wearied by the
+monotony of confinement he finally subsided into repentance, and was,
+upon his earnest promise of amendment, permitted to exchange his chamber
+in the Bastille for a less stringent captivity in the Château de
+Dampierre.[207] Such was the lenient punishment of the last of the
+conspirators; and it was assuredly a clever stroke of policy in the
+monarch thus to cast a shade of ridicule over the close of the cabal,
+which, having commenced with a tragedy, had by his contemptuous
+forbearance almost terminated in an epigram.
+
+The Court, after having passed a portion of the summer at St. Germain,
+removed in the commencement of August to Fontainebleau, the advanced
+pregnancy of the Queen having rendered her anxious to return to that
+palace. But any gratification which she might have promised herself, in
+this her favourite place of residence, was cruelly blighted by the
+legitimation of the son of Madame de Verneuil, which was formally
+registered at this period. Nor was this the only vexation to which she
+was exposed, the notoriety of the King's intrigues becoming every day
+more trying alike to her temper and to her health; while the new
+concession which had been made to the vanity--or, as the Marquise
+herself deemed it, to the honour--of the favourite, induced the latter
+to commit the most indecent excesses, and to increase, if possible, the
+almost regal magnificence of her attire and her establishment, at the
+same time that her deportment towards the Queen was marked by an
+insolent disrespect which involved the whole Court in perpetual
+misunderstandings.
+
+As it had already become only too evident that the unfortunate Marie de
+Medicis possessed but little influence over the affections of her
+husband, however he might be compelled to respect the perfect propriety
+and dignity of her character, the cabal of the favourite daily increased
+in importance; and the measure of the Queen's mortification overflowed,
+when, soon after the royal visit to Fontainebleau, Henry took leave of
+her in order to visit Calais, and she ascertained that he had on his way
+stopped at the Château de Verneuil, whither he had been accompanied by
+the Marquise. It was in vain that M. de Sully--to whom the King had
+given strict charge to endeavour by every method in his power to
+reconcile the Queen to his absence, and to provide for her amusement
+every diversion of which she was in a condition to partake--exerted
+himself to obey the command of the monarch; Marie was too deeply wounded
+to derive any consolation from such puerile sources, nor was it until
+the return of her royal consort, when his evident anxiety and increased
+tenderness once more led her to believe that she might finally wean him
+from his excesses and attach him to herself, that she once more
+became calm.
+
+On the 11th of November the anticipated event took place, and the Queen
+gave birth to her eldest daughter[208] in the same oval chamber in which
+the Dauphin first saw the light.[209] The advent of Elisabeth de France
+was not, however, hailed with the same delight by Marie as had been
+that of her first-born; on the contrary, her disappointment was extreme
+on ascertaining the sex of the infant, from the fact of her having
+placed the most entire confidence in the assurances of a devotee named
+Soeur Ange, who had been recommended to her notice and protection by the
+Sovereign-Pontiff, and who had, before she herself became cognizant of
+the negotiations for her marriage, foretold that she would one day be
+Queen of France. This woman, who still remained in her service, had
+repeatedly assured her that she need be under no apprehension of bearing
+daughters, as she was predestined by Heaven to become the mother of
+three princes only; and after having, with her usual superstition,
+placed implicit faith in the flattering prophecy, Marie no sooner
+discovered its fallacy than she abandoned herself to the most violent
+grief, refusing to listen to the consolations of her attendants, and
+bewailing herself that she should have been so cruelly deceived, until
+the King, although he in some measure participated in her annoyance,
+succeeded in restoring her to composure by bidding her remember that had
+she not been of the same sex as the child of which she had just made him
+the father, she could not have herself realised the previous prediction
+of Soeur Ange; an argument which, coupled with the probability that the
+august infant beside her might in its turn ascend a European throne, was
+in all likelihood the most efficacious one which could have been adopted
+to reconcile her to its present comparative insignificance.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[158] César de Vendôme was the son of Henri IV and _la belle Gabrielle._
+He became Governor of Brittany, and superintendent-in-chief of the
+national navigation. Henry also bestowed on him as an appanage the duchy
+of Vendôme. He married the daughter of Philip Emmanuel of Lorraine, Duc
+de Mercoeur, by whom he had three children: Isabelle, who became the
+wife of Charles Amédée, Duc de Nemours; Louis, who died single; and
+François, Duc de Beaufort.
+
+[159] Jean de Berthault (or Bertaut) was born at Caen in 1552. He was
+first-almoner of Catherine de Medicis, Abbot of Aulnai, and subsequently
+Bishop of Séez. He was a pupil of Ronsard, and a friend of Desportes. He
+wrote a great number of sacred and profane poems, psalms, and sonnets.
+He also produced a "Funeral Oration on Henri IV," and a "Translation of
+St. Ambroise." He died in 1611.
+
+[160] _Amours du Grand Alcandre_, p. 41.
+
+[161] _Amours du Grand Alcandre_, p. 42.
+
+[162] Claude de Lorraine, Prince de Joinville, was the fourth son of
+Henri, Duc de Guise, surnamed the _Balafré_, brother of Charles, Duc de
+Mayenne, and of Louis, Cardinal de Guise. He married Marie de Rohan,
+Duchesse de Chevreuse, the daughter of Hercule de Rohan, Duc de
+Montbazon, and peer of France, and was subsequently known as Duc de
+Chevreuse. He died in 1657.
+
+[163] _Amours du Grand Alcandre_, pp. 272, 273.
+
+[164] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. p. 85. Saint-Edmé, p. 218.
+
+[165] _Amours du Grand Alcandre_, p. 274.
+
+[166] _Amours du Grand Alcandre_, p. 276.
+
+[167] Mademoiselle de Sourdis was the daughter of François d'Escoubleau,
+Seigneur de Jouy, de Launay, Marquis de Sourdis, etc., and of Isabelle
+Babou, Dame d'Alluie, daughter of Jean Babou, Seigneur de la
+Bourdaisière, and aunt of Gabrielle d'Estrées. He was deprived of the
+government of Chartres by the League; but was restored by Henri III at
+the entreaty of Gabrielle.
+
+[168] Caterina Selvaggio was one of the Queen's favourite Italian
+waiting-women.
+
+[169] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iv. pp. 93, 94.
+
+[170] Rambure, _MS. Mém_. vol. i. p. 332.
+
+[171] Capefigue, _Hist, de la Réforme, de la Ligue, et du Règne de Henri
+IV_, vol. viii. pp. 147, 148.
+
+[172] _Histoire de la Mère et du Fils_, a continuation of the _Memoirs
+of Richelieu,_ incorrectly attributed to Mézeray, vol. i. p. 7.
+
+[173] Sully, _Note to Memoirs_, vol. iv. pp. 95, 96.
+
+[174] Richelieu, _La Mère et le Fils_, vol. i. p. 7.
+
+[175] Claude, Seigneur de la Trémouille, second Duc de Thouars, peer of
+France, Prince de Talmond, was born in the year 1566, and first bore
+arms under François de Bourbon, Duc de Montpensier. He embraced the
+reformed religion, and attached himself to the fortunes of Henri de
+Navarre, subsequently King of France, whom he followed to the sieges of
+Rouen and Poitiers, and the battle of Fontaine-Française; after which
+the King conferred upon him the rank of peer of France. He was the
+brother-in-law of the Duc de Bouillon. He died in the castle of Thouars,
+to which he had retired, suspected of treason, after refusing to return
+to Court to justify himself, on the 25th of October 1604, in his
+thirty-eighth year.
+
+[176] Jean Louis de Nogaret de la Valette, Duc d'Epernon, was the
+younger son of an old Gascon family, who sought his fortunes at the
+French Court under the name of Caumont. After the death of Charles IX,
+he offered his services to Henri de Navarre, subsequently Henri IV; but
+was ultimately admitted to the intimacy of Henri III, who caused him to
+be instructed in politics and literature, and made him one of his
+_mignons_. He was next created Duc d'Epernon, first peer and admiral of
+France, colonel-general of infantry, and held several governments. On
+the death of Henri III, this ennobled adventurer once more became a
+partisan of his successor, and commanded the royal forces during the war
+in Savoy; but throughout the whole of this reign he lived in constant
+misunderstanding with the Court and the King, and was even suspected of
+the act of regicide which deprived France of her idolised monarch. It
+was the Duc d'Epernon who, immediately after that event, convoked the
+Parliament, caused the recognition of Marie de Medicis as Regent, and
+formed a privy council over which he presided. Banished by the Concini
+during their period of power, he reappeared at Court after their fall,
+but Richelieu would not permit him to hold any government office, and,
+moreover, deprived him of all his governments save that of Guienne. He
+died in 1642.
+
+[177] Daniel, vol. vii. p. 408.
+
+[178] Pedro Henriques Azevedo, Condé de Fuentes.
+
+[179] Montfaucon, vol. v. pp. 405-407.
+
+[180] Edmé de Malain, Baron de Luz, Lieutenant-Governor of Burgundy, was
+the son of Joachim de Malain and Marguerite d'Epinac. He was deeply
+involved in the conspiracy of the Maréchal de Biron, and would
+infallibly have perished with him had he not been induced by the
+President Jeannin to reveal all that he knew of the plot to Henri IV, on
+condition of a free pardon. He survived his treachery for ten years, and
+in 1613 was killed in a duel by the Chevalier de Guise. His son, Claude
+de Malain, having sworn to avenge his death, in his turn challenged M.
+de Guise, at whose hands he met with the same fate as his father.
+
+[181] Jacques de Lanode, Sieur de la Fin, was a petty Burgundian
+nobleman, whose spirit of intrigue was perpetually involving those to
+whom he attached himself in cabals and factions. He had been actively
+engaged at one time in the affairs of the Duc d'Alençon, and at another,
+he was no less busily engaged in instigating Henri III to aggressive
+measures against the Duc de Guise. Since that period he had negotiated
+with the ministers of Spain and Savoy, and by these means he had
+contracted a great intimacy with the Duc de Biron, to whom he affected
+to be distantly related, and over whom he acquired such extraordinary
+ascendancy by his subtle and unceasing flattery that the weak Maréchal
+became a mere puppet in his hands, and, misled by his vanity, suffered
+himself to be persuaded that his merit had been overlooked and his
+services comparatively unrewarded, and that he was consequently fully
+justified in aspiring even to regal honours, and in using every exertion
+to attain them.
+
+[182] Matthieu, _Histoire des Derniers Troubles arrivez en France_, book
+ii. p. 411.
+
+[183] Pierre Fougeuse, Sieur Descures.
+
+[184] Pierre Jeannin was the architect of his own fortunes. He was born
+at Autun in 1540, where his father followed the trade of a tanner, and
+was universally respected alike for his probity and his sound judgment.
+The future president, after receiving the rudiments of his education in
+his native town, was removed to Bourges, where he became a pupil of the
+celebrated Cujas. In 1569 he was entered as an advocate at the
+Parliament of Burgundy, where he greatly distinguished himself during
+the space of two years, at the expiration of which time he was appointed
+provincial advocate and member of the Burgundian States; and in this
+capacity he justified, by his extraordinary talents, the choice of his
+fellow-citizens. On one occasion a wealthy individual, enchanted by his
+eloquence, waited upon him at his house, and expressed a desire to have
+him for a son-in-law, inquiring, however, at the same time, the amount
+of his property. Jeannin, by no means disconcerted at the abruptness of
+his visitor, pointed with a smile first to his head and then to his
+books: "You see it before you," he said with honest pride; "I have not,
+nor do I require, a greater fortune." Tradition is silent as regards the
+termination of the interview. In the following year (1572) Jeannin was
+present at the council which was held during the frightful massacre of
+St. Bartholomew, where he secured the friendship of the Comte de Charny,
+at that period Grand Equerry of France, Lieutenant-General of Burgundy,
+and provisional governor of the province during the absence of the Duc
+d'Aumale, then Governor of Paris; and in the same year he was deputed
+from the _tiers-état_ of Burgundy to the States-General, convoked at
+Blois by Henri III. It was on that occasion that he began to comprehend
+the designs of the Guises, and made the celebrated speech in favour of
+religious toleration which does so much honour to his memory. By Henri
+III he was successively appointed governor of the chancelry of Burgundy,
+councillor of the provincial Parliament, and subsequently
+president.--_Petitot_.
+
+[185] Daniel, vol. vii. pp. 414, 415. Péréfixe, vol. ii. p. 367.
+Matthieu, _Hist. des Derniers Troubles_, book ii. p. 411.
+
+[186] Charles de Bourbon-Conti, Comte de Soissons, espoused the cause of
+the King of Navarre, whom he accompanied to the battle of Coutras in
+1587. Henry promised to him the hand of his sister, Catherine de
+Navarre, to whom he presented him immediately afterwards, when a
+reciprocal affection was the result. M. de Soissons, however, abandoned
+the reform party, and did not return to it until after the death of
+Henri III. He served actively and zealously during the League; but
+having discovered that the King did not intend to fulfil his promise of
+marrying him to the Princess, he quitted him during the siege of Rouen
+in 1592, on the pretext of illness, and hastened to Béarn, hoping to
+induce Catherine to become his wife before the King could interfere to
+prevent their union, and by engaging himself to support his brother, the
+Cardinal de Bourbon, to make himself master of the possessions of the
+house of Navarre beyond the Loire. On reaching Béarn, however, he found
+Henry already there, and was obliged to withdraw without having
+accomplished either object. A short time subsequently he renewed his
+friendship with that monarch, and officiated as Duke of Normandy at his
+coronation at Chartres in 1594.
+
+[187] Péréfixe, vol. ii. p. 369.
+
+[188] Louis de l'Hôpital de Vitry, knight of all the Royal Orders, and
+Captain of the King's bodyguard, was descended from the illustrious and
+ancient family of the Marquis de Sainte-Même and de Montpellier, Comtes
+d'Entremons.
+
+[189] Charles de Choiseul, Marquis de Praslin, the representative of one
+of the most illustrious families of France, was a descendant of the
+ancient Comtes de Langres. He distinguished himself at the siege of La
+Fère in 1580, at that of Paris in 1589, and at the battle of Aumale in
+1592. Henri IV made him a captain of his bodyguard, and Louis XIII, in
+1619, bestowed upon him the _bâton_ of marshal of France. He died in
+1626, in his sixty-third year.
+
+[190] Mézeray asserts, and with greater probability, that Henry's
+parting words were: "Since you will not speak out, adieu, Baron" (_Hist,
+de France_, vol. x. p. 201); while Péréfixe gives a third version,
+asserting that the King took leave of him by saying: "Well then, the
+truth must be learnt elsewhere; adieu, Baron de Biron" (_Hist, de Henri
+le Grand_, vol. ii. p. 371).
+
+[191] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iv. pp. 108, 109.
+
+[192] Daniel, vol. vii. pp. 415-417. Matthieu, _Hist, des Derniers
+Troubles,_ book ii. pp. 413-415. Mézeray, vol. x. pp. 196-202. Péréfixe,
+vol. ii. pp. 369-372.
+
+[193] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 203.
+
+[194] Matthieu, _Hist. des Troubles_, book ii. pp. 415, 416.
+
+[195] François de la Grange d'Anquien, Seigneur de Montigny, Sery, etc.,
+afterwards known as the Maréchal de Montigny, served with the Catholics
+at Coutras, where he was taken prisoner. In 1601 Henri IV made him
+Governor of Paris; in 1609, lieutenant of the King in the Three
+Bishoprics; and subsequently, in 1616, Marie de Medicis procured for him
+the _bâton_ of Marshal of France. He commanded the royal army against
+the malcontents in Nivernais, and died in the same year (1617). He had
+but one son, who left no male issue; but his brother had, among other
+children, Henri, Marquis d'Anquien, whose daughter, Marie Casimire,
+married Sobieski, King of Poland, and died in France, in 1716, two years
+after her return to her native country.
+
+[196] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 204.
+
+[197] L'Etoile computes them at one hundred and twenty-seven.--_Journ.
+de Henri IV_, vol. iii. p. 21.
+
+[198] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 205.
+
+[199] Matthieu, _Hist. des Troubles_, book ii. pp. 426, 427.
+
+[200] Monttaucon, vol. v. p. 410.
+
+[201] Péréfixe, vol. ii. p. 377. Mézeray, vol. x. p. 209.
+
+[202] Réné de Marée-Montbarot, Governor of Rennes in 1602. Wrongly
+suspected of complicity with Biron, he made no effort to evade the
+consequences of the accusation, but suffered himself to be arrested in
+the seat of his government, whence he was conveyed to the Bastille; and
+although he succeeded in establishing his innocence, he found himself,
+on his liberation, deprived of his office.
+
+[203] Guy Eder de Beaumanoir de Lavardin, Baron de Fontenelles, was a
+Breton noble, who, according to De Thou, had been a celebrated Leaguer
+and brigand. From the year 1597 he had held, in the name of the Duc de
+Mercoeur, the fort of Douarnenez in Brittany, and the island of Tristain
+in which it is situated. Since that period he had continually been
+guilty of acts of piracy upon the English, and had even extended his
+system of theft and murder indiscriminately both on sea and land. He
+might, had he been willing so to do, have profited by the benefit of the
+edict accorded to the Duc de Mercoeur in 1598, but he affected to hold
+it as a point of honour to obtain a distinct one for himself, and he
+even appears to have continued in the enjoyment of his government
+despite this obstinacy; but having been convicted, during a period of
+profound peace, of maintaining an intelligence with the Spaniards, he
+was made prisoner by a stratagem, by Nicolas Rapin, provost of the
+connétablie (or constable's jurisdiction), as an accomplice of the Duc
+de Biron, as he was on the point of delivering up both the fort and the
+island to his dangerous allies.
+
+[204] L'Etoile, vol. x. pp. 36, 37.
+
+[205] Charles de Lorraine, Duc de Mayenne, was the second son of
+François de Lorraine, Duc de Guise, and was born in 1554. He
+distinguished himself at the sieges of Poitiers and La Rochelle, and at
+the battle of Montcontour, and fought successfully against the
+Calvinists in Guienne and Saintonge. His brothers having been killed at
+the States of Blois in 1588, he declared himself chief of the League,
+and assumed the title of lieutenant-general of the kingdom and crown of
+France; and by virtue of this self-created authority, caused the
+Cardinal de Bourbon to be declared King, under the name of Charles X.
+Having inherited the hatred of his brothers for Henri III, and his
+successor Henri IV, he marched eighty thousand men against the latter
+Prince, but was defeated, both at Arques and Ivry. He annihilated the
+faction of the Sixteen; and was ultimately compelled to effect a
+reconciliation with the King in 1599, when Henri IV, with his usual
+clemency, not only pardoned his past opposition, but bestowed upon him
+the government of the Isle of France. The Duc de Mayenne died in 1611,
+leaving by his wife, Henriette de Savoie, daughter of the Comte de
+Tende, one son, Henri, who died without issue in 1621.
+
+[206] Charles de Lorraine, Duc de Guise, born in 1571, was the son of
+Henri, Duc de Guise, who was assassinated at the States of Blois in
+1588. At the period of his father's death he was conveyed to the castle
+of Tours, where he was retained a prisoner until August 1591, when he
+effected his escape, a circumstance which materially changed the
+fortunes of the League. The general impression in the capital had been
+that he would become the husband of the Infanta Isabel, the daughter of
+Philip II of Spain, who would cause him to be proclaimed King, an
+arrangement which the Duque de Feria, the Spanish ambassador, proposed
+to the League in 1593. The Legate, the Sixteen, and the doctors of the
+Sorbonne, alike favoured this election, and the negotiations proceeded
+so far that the Spaniards and Neapolitans in Paris rendered him regal
+honours. The young Prince, who had at this period only attained his
+twenty-second year, expressed great indignation at being made the puppet
+of so absurd a comedy, feeling convinced that neither the Duc de Mayenne
+nor the Duc de Nemours, both of whom coveted the crown, would finally
+favour his accession; and there can be little doubt that the state of
+extreme poverty to which he was reduced at the time caused him to
+consider the project as still more extravagant than he might otherwise
+have done, it being stated (_Mém. pour l'Hist. de France_) that his
+servants were, on one occasion, compelled to pawn one of his cloaks and
+his saddle-cloth in order to furnish him with a dinner.
+
+[207] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iv. pp. 128, 129. Daniel, vol. vii. p. 423.
+Mézeray, vol. x. p. 219.
+
+[208] Elisabeth de France, who married in 1615 Philip IV of Spain.
+
+[209] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 26.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+1603
+
+Court festivities--Madame de Verneuil is lodged in the palace--She gives
+birth to a daughter--Royal quarrels--Mademoiselle de Guise--Italian
+actors--Revolt at Metz--Henry proceeds thither and suppresses the
+rebellion--Discontent of the Duc d'Epernon--The Duchesse de Bar and the
+Duc de Lorraine arrive in France--Illness of Queen Elizabeth of
+England--Her death--Indisposition of the French King--Sully at
+Fontainebleau--Confidence of Henri IV in his wife--His recovery--Renewed
+passion of Henry for Madame de Verneuil--Anger of the Queen--Quarrel of
+the Comte de Soissons and the Duc de Sully--The edict--Treachery of
+Madame de Verneuil--Insolence of the Comte de Soissons--A royal
+rebuke--Alarm of Madame de Verneuil--Hopes of the Queen--Jealousy of the
+Marquise--The dinner at Rosny--The King pacifies the province of Lower
+Normandy--The Comte de Soissons prepares to leave the kingdom--Is
+dissuaded by the King--Official apology of Sully--Reception of
+Alexandre-Monsieur into the Order of the Knights of Malta--Death of the
+Duchesse de Bar--Grief of the King--The Papal Nuncio--Treachery near the
+throne--A revelation--The Duc de Villeroy--A stormy audience--Escape of
+L'Hôte--His pursuit--His death--Ignominious treatment of his
+body--Madame de Verneuil asserts her claim to the hand of the King--The
+Comte d'Auvergne retires from the Court--Madame de Verneuil requests
+permission to quit France--Reply of the King--Indignation of Marie--The
+King resolves to obtain the written promise of marriage--Insolence
+of the favourite--Weakness of Henry--He asks the advice of
+Sully--Parallel between a wife and a mistress--A lame apology--The two
+Henrys--Reconciliation between the King and the favourite--Remonstrances
+of Sully--A delicate dilemma--Extravagance of the Queen--The "Pot de
+Vin"--The royal letter--Evil influences--Henry endeavours to effect a
+reconciliation with the Queen--Difficult diplomacy--A temporary
+calm--Renewed differences--A minister at fault--Mademoiselle de la
+Bourdaisière--Mademoiselle de Beuil--Jealousy of Madame de
+Verneuil--Conspiracy of the Comte d'Auvergne--Intemperance of the
+Queen--Timely interference--Confidence accorded by the Queen to Sully--A
+dangerous suggestion--Sully reconciles the royal couple--Madame de
+Verneuil is exiled from the Court--She joins the conspiracy of her
+brother--The forged contract--Apology of the Comte d'Entragues--Promises
+of Philip of Spain to the conspirators--Duplicity of the Comte
+d'Auvergne--He is pardoned by the King--His treachery suspected by M. de
+Loménie--D'Auvergne escapes to his government:--Is made prisoner and
+conveyed to the Bastille--His self-confidence--A devoted wife--The
+requirements of a prisoner--Hidden documents--The treaty with Spain--The
+Comtesse d'Entragues--Haughty demeanour of Madame de Verneuil--The
+mistress and the minister--Mortification of Sully--Marriage of
+Mademoiselle de Beuil--Henry embellishes the city of Paris and
+undertakes other great national works.
+
+A few weeks after the birth of Madame Elisabeth the Court returned to
+Paris, where, in honour of the little Princess, several ballets were
+danced and a grand banquet was given to the sovereigns by the nobility;
+but the heart of the Queen was too full of chagrin to enable her to
+assist with even a semblance of gratification at the festivities in
+which those around her were absorbed. The new-born tenderness lately
+exhibited by her husband had gradually diminished; while the assumption
+of the favourite, who was once more in her turn about to become a
+mother, exceeded all decent limits. The daily and almost hourly disputes
+between the royal couple were renewed with greater bitterness than ever,
+and when, on the 21st of January, Madame de Verneuil, like herself, and
+again under the same roof, gave birth to a daughter,[210] Marie de
+Medicis no longer attempted to suppress the violence of her indignation;
+nor was it until the King, alike chafed and bewildered by her
+upbraidings, declared that should she persist in rendering his existence
+one of perpetual turmoil and discomfort he would fulfil his former
+threat of compelling her to quit the kingdom, that he could induce her
+to desist from receiving him with complaints and reproaches. Henry was
+aware that he had discovered, by the assertion of this resolve, a
+certain method of silencing his unfortunate consort, who, had she been
+childless, would in all probability gladly have sacrificed her ambition
+to her sense of dignity; but Marie was a mother, and she felt that her
+own destiny must be blended with that of her offspring. Thus she had
+nothing left to her save to submit; and deeply as she suffered from the
+indignities which were heaped upon her as a wife, she shrank from a
+prospect so appalling as a separation from the innocent beings to whom
+she had given life.
+
+Meanwhile the King, wearied alike of the exigencies of his mistress and
+the cold, unbending deportment of the Queen, again made approaches to
+Mademoiselle de Guise, upon whom he had already, a year or two
+previously, lavished all those attentions which bespoke alike his
+admiration and his designs; but he was not destined to be more
+successful with this lady than before, her intimacy with the Queen, to
+whose household she was attached, rendering her still more averse than
+formerly to encourage the licentious addresses of the monarch. The
+excitement of this new passion nevertheless sufficed for a time to wean
+him from his old favourite; and forgetting his age in his anxiety to win
+the favour of the beautiful and witty Marguerite, he appeared on the
+19th of February in a rich suit of white satin in the court of the
+Tuileries, where he had invited the nobles of his Court to run at the
+ring, and acquitted himself so dexterously that he twice carried it off
+amid the acclamations of the spectators.
+
+From this period until the end of the month the royal circle were
+engaged in one continual succession of festivities, wherein high play,
+banquets, ballets, balls (at the latter of which a species of dance
+denominated _Braules_, and corrupted by the English into _Brawls_, which
+became afterwards so popular at the Court of Elizabeth, was of constant
+occurrence, as well as the _Corranto_, a livelier but less graceful
+movement), and theatrical representations formed the principal features.
+An Italian company invited to France by the Queen, under the management
+of Isabella Andrëini, also appeared before the Court, but no record is
+left of the nature of their performance.[211]
+
+From this temporary oblivion of all political anxiety Henry was,
+however, suddenly aroused by a rumour which reached the Court of a
+revolt in the town of Metz, which proved to be only too well founded.
+For some time previously great discontent had existed among the
+citizens, who considered themselves aggrieved by the tyranny of the two
+lieutenants[212] of the Duc d'Epernon their governor; and to such a
+height had their opposition to this delegated authority at length risen
+that the Duke found himself compelled to proceed to the city, in order,
+if possible, to reconcile the conflicting parties. This intelligence had
+no sooner been communicated to the King than he resolved to profit by
+so favourable an opportunity of repossessing himself, not only of the
+town itself, but of the whole province of Messin, in order to disable
+the Duc d'Epernon (against whom his suspicions had already been aroused)
+from making hereafter a disloyal use of the power which his authority
+over so important a territory afforded to him of contravening the
+measures of the sovereign. The fortress was one of great importance to
+Henry, who was aware of the necessity of placing it in the safe keeping
+of an individual upon whom he could place the fullest and most perfect
+reliance; and the more so that M. d'Epernon had, during the reign of
+Henri III, rather assumed in Metz the state of a sovereign prince than
+fulfilled the functions of its governor, and that he would, as the King
+at once felt, if not opposed, resist any encroachment upon his
+self-constituted privileges. The revolt of the Messinese (for, as was
+soon ascertained, the disaffection was not confined to the city, but
+extended throughout the whole of the adjoining country) afforded an
+admirable opening for the royal intervention, and Henry instantly
+decided upon visiting the province in person, accompanied by his whole
+Court, before the two factions should have time to reconcile their
+differences and to deprecate his interference. At the close of February
+he accordingly commenced his journey, despite the inclemency of the
+weather and the unfavourable condition of the roads, which rendered
+travelling difficult and at times even dangerous for the Queen and her
+attendant ladies; and pretexting a visit to his sister the Duchesse de
+Bar, he advanced to Verdun, where he remained for a few days ere he
+finally made his entry into Metz.
+
+So unexpected an apparition paralyzed all parties. M. d'Epernon having
+refused to consent to the removal of Sobole, who was, as he knew,
+devoted to his interests, had failed to appease the indignation of the
+Messinese, who were consequently eager to obtain justice from the King;
+while Sobole himself, after a momentary vision of fortifying the citadel
+and defying the royal authority, became convinced that his design was
+not feasible; and he accordingly obeyed without a murmur the sentence of
+banishment pronounced against him, gave up the fortress unconditionally,
+and left the province.
+
+Sobole had no sooner resigned his trust than the King appointed M. de
+Montigny lieutenant-governor of the province of Messin, and his brother,
+M. d'Arquien,[213] lieutenant-governor of the town and fortress; while
+the garrison was replaced by a portion of the bodyguard by which the
+monarch had been accompanied from the capital.
+
+The vexation of the Duc d'Epernon was extreme, but he dared not
+expostulate, although he at once perceived that his power was
+annihilated. So long as his lieutenants had been creatures of his own,
+his dominion over the province had been absolute; but when they were
+thus replaced by officers of the King's selection, his influence became
+merely nominal; so great, moreover, had been the tact of Henry, that he
+had found means to compel the Duke himself to solicit the dismissal of
+Sobole and his brother, in order to assure his own tenure of office; and
+he was consequently placed in a position which rendered all semblance of
+discontent impossible, while the citizens, delighted to find themselves
+thus unexpectedly revenged upon their oppressors, and proud of the
+presence of the sovereigns within their walls, were profuse in their
+demonstrations of loyalty and attachment.
+
+A slight indisposition having detained the King for a longer period than
+he had anticipated at Metz, the Duchesse de Bar, the Duc de Lorraine,
+and the Duc and Duchesse de Deux-Ponts, arrived on the 16th of March to
+welcome him to the province. Thereupon a series of entertainments was
+given to these distinguished guests which was long matter of tradition
+among the Messinese; and which resulted in the betrothal of Mademoiselle
+de Rohan and the young Duc de Deux-Ponts.[214]
+
+While still sojourning at Metz, information reached Henry of the serious
+illness of Elizabeth of England; a despatch having been forwarded to the
+monarch by the Comte de Beaumont,[215] his ambassador at the Court of
+London, informing him of the apprehensions which were entertained that
+her Majesty could not survive so grave a malady. The effect of this
+intelligence was to induce the King to hasten his return to his capital,
+and he accordingly prepared for immediate departure; but he was finally
+prevailed upon to sojourn for a few days at Nancy, where Madame (his
+sister) had prepared a magnificent ballet, which was accordingly
+performed, greatly to the admiration of the two Courts. Henry, however,
+whose anxiety exceeded all bounds, caused courier after courier to be
+despatched for tidings of the illustrious invalid, and took little share
+in the festivities which were designed to do him honour. He was probably
+on the eve, as he declared in a letter to the Duc de Sully, of losing an
+ally who was the enemy of his enemies, and a second self, while he was
+totally ignorant of the views and feelings of her successor.
+
+His forebodings were verified, for ere the Court left Nancy, Elizabeth
+had breathed her last; which intelligence was immediately conveyed to
+him, together with the assurance that her council had secured the person
+of the Lady Arabella Stuart, the cousin of the King of Scotland, and
+that there was consequently nothing to fear as regarded the succession.
+The death of Elizabeth did not in fact in any respect affect the
+relative position of the two countries, neither Henri IV nor James I.
+being desirous to terminate the good understanding which existed between
+them; and on the 30th of July a treaty of confederation was concluded
+between the two sovereigns by Sully, in which they were mutually pledged
+to protect the United Provinces of the Low Countries against their
+common enemy Philip of Spain.
+
+But, notwithstanding the apparent certainty of a continuance of his
+amicable relations with England, whether it were that this fatal
+intelligence operated upon the bodily health of the King, or that his
+hasty journey homeward had overtaxed his strength, it is certain that on
+reaching Fontainebleau he had so violent an attack of fever as to be
+compelled to countermand the council which had been convened for the
+third day after his arrival. The Court physicians, bewildered by so
+sudden and severe an illness, declared the case to be a hopeless one;
+while Henry himself, believing that his end was approaching, caused a
+letter to be written to Sully to desire his immediate attendance.[216]
+So fully, indeed, did he appear to anticipate a fatal termination of the
+attack, that while awaiting the arrival of the minister, he caused the
+portrait of the Dauphin to be brought to him; and after remaining for a
+few seconds with his eyes earnestly fixed upon it, he exclaimed, with a
+deep sigh: "Ha! poor child, what will you have to suffer if your father
+should be taken from you!" [217]
+
+[Illustration: SULLY. Paris Richard Bentley and Son 1890.]
+
+Sully lost no time in obeying the melancholy summons of the King; and,
+on arriving at Fontainebleau, at once made his way to the royal chamber,
+where he indeed found Henry in his bed, but with no symptoms of
+immediate dissolution visible either in his countenance or manner. The
+Queen sat beside him with one of his hands clasped in hers; and as he
+remarked the entrance of the Duke, he extended the other, exclaiming:
+"Come and embrace me, my friend; I rejoice at your arrival. Within two
+hours after I had written to you I was in a great degree relieved from
+pain; and I have since gradually recovered from the attack. Here," he
+continued, turning towards the Queen, "is the most trustworthy and
+intelligent of all my servants, who would have assisted you better than
+any other in the preservation alike of my kingdom and of my children,
+had I been taken away. I am aware that his humour is somewhat austere,
+and at times perhaps too independent for a mind like yours; and that
+there would not have been many wanting who might, in consequence, have
+endeavoured to alienate from him the affections of yourself and of my
+children; but should it ever be so, do not yield too ready a credence to
+their words. I sent for him expressly that I might consult with both of
+you upon the best method to avert so great an evil; but, thanks be to
+God, I feel that such a precaution was in this instance
+unnecessary." [218]
+
+Sully, in describing this scene, withholds all comment upon the King's
+perfect confidence in the heart and intellect of his royal consort; but
+none can fail to feel that the moment must have been a proud one for
+Marie, in which she became conscious that the nobler features of her
+character had been thoroughly appreciated by her husband. The vanity of
+the woman could well afford to slumber while the value of the wife and
+of the Queen was thus openly and generously acknowledged.
+
+And truly did Marie de Medicis need a remembrance like this to support
+her throughout her unceasing trials; for scarcely had the King recovered
+sufficient strength to encounter the exertion than he determined to
+remove to Paris; and, having intimated his wish to the Queen, immediate
+preparations were made for their departure. They arrived in the capital
+totally unexpected at nine o'clock in the morning, and alighted at the
+Hôtel de Gondy, where Henry took a temporary leave of his wife, and
+hastened to the residence of Madame de Verneuil, with whom he remained
+until an hour after mid-day; thence he proceeded to the abode of M. le
+Grand, with whom he dined; nor was it until a late hour that he rejoined
+the Queen,[219] who at once became aware that the temporary separation
+between the monarch and his favourite, occasioned by the journey to
+Metz, had failed to produce the effect which she had been sanguine
+enough to anticipate.
+
+Nor did Marie deceive herself; for, during the sojourn of the Court at
+Paris, which lasted until the month of June, Henry abandoned himself
+with even less reserve than formerly to his passion for the Marquise;
+while the forsaken Queen--who hourly received information of the
+impertinent assumption of that lady, and who was assured that she had
+renewed with more arrogance, and more openly than ever, her pretended
+claim to the hand of the sovereign--unable to conceal her indignation,
+embittered the casual intercourse between herself and her royal consort
+with complaints and upbraidings which irritated and angered the King;
+and at length caused an estrangement between them greater than any which
+had hitherto existed. There can be little doubt that this period of
+Marie's life was a most unhappy one. Deprived even of the presence of
+her children, who, from considerations of health, had been removed to
+St. Germain-en-Laye, and who could not in consequence be the solace of
+every weary hour, she found her only consolation in the society of her
+immediate household, and the zealous devotion of Madame de Concini; to
+whose first-born child she became joint sponsor with M. de Soissons,
+greatly to the annoyance of the King, who watched with a jealous eye the
+ever-increasing influence of the Florentine favourite.
+
+Previously to her marriage with the Duc de Bar, Madame, the King's
+sister, had affianced herself to M. de Soissons; but the circumstance no
+sooner became known to Henry than he expressed his extreme distaste at
+such an union, and directed the Duc de Sully to expostulate with both
+parties, and to induce them, should it be possible, to abandon the
+project, and to give a written promise never to renew their engagement.
+In this difficult and delicate mission the minister ultimately
+succeeded; but since that period a coldness had existed between the two
+nobles which at length terminated in mutual dissension and avoidance. It
+was, consequently, with considerable surprise that while preparing for
+his embassy to England, where he was entrusted with the congratulations
+of his own sovereign to James I. on his accession, M. de Sully found
+himself on one occasion addressed by the Prince in an accent of warmth
+and friendliness to which he had long been unaccustomed from his lips;
+and heard him cordially express his obligation for some service which,
+in his official capacity, the minister had lately rendered him, and
+declare that thenceforward he should never recur to the past, but rather
+trust that for the future they might be firm and fast friends. Sully
+answered in the same spirit; and thus a misunderstanding which had
+disturbed the whole Court, where each had partisans who violently
+defended his cause, and thus rendered the schism more serious than it
+might otherwise have been, was apparently terminated; but the Duke had
+no sooner returned to France than it was renewed more bitterly than
+ever, to the extreme annoyance of the King, who was reluctant to
+interfere; the high rank of M. de Soissons on the one hand, and the
+eminent services of Sully on the other, rendering him equally averse to
+dissatisfy either party.
+
+In the month of August 1603 the Comte de Soissons, whose lavish
+expenditure made it important for him to increase his income by some new
+concession on the part of the monarch, held an earnest consultation
+with Madame de Verneuil, with whom he was on the closest terms of
+intimacy, as to the most feasible method of effecting his object, and it
+was at length determined that the Prince should solicit the privilege of
+exacting a duty of fifteen sous upon every bale of cloth, either
+imported or exported throughout the kingdom; while the Marquise pledged
+herself to exert her influence to induce the King to consent to the
+arrangement, for which service she was to receive one-fifth of the
+proceeds resulting from the tax. Extraordinary as such a demand must
+appear in the present day, it was, according to Sully, by no means an
+unusual one at that period; when, by his rigorous retrenchments, he had
+greatly reduced the revenues of the Court nobles, and put it out of the
+power of the monarch to bestow upon them, as he had formerly done, the
+most lavish sums from his own privy purse; thus inducing them to adopt
+every possible expedient in order to increase their diminished incomes.
+Sympathizing with the annoyance of his impoverished courtiers, and
+anxious to silence their murmurs, the good-natured and reckless
+sovereign seldom met their requests with a denial, and from this abuse a
+number of petty taxes, each perhaps insignificant in itself, but in the
+aggregate amounting to a heavy infliction upon the people, were levied
+on all sides, and under all pretences; and the evil at length became so
+serious that the prudent minister found it necessary to expostulate
+respectfully with his royal master upon the danger of such a system,
+and to entreat of him to discountenance any further imposts which had no
+tendency to increase the revenues of the state, but merely served to
+encourage the prodigality of the nobles.
+
+It was precisely at this unpropitious moment that M. de Soissons
+proffered his demand, which was warmly seconded by Madame de Verneuil,
+who represented to the monarch the impossibility of his refusing a
+favour of this nature to a Prince of the Blood, when he had so
+frequently made concessions of the same nature to individuals of
+inferior rank; and the certainty that, were his request negatived, M. de
+Soissons would not fail to feel himself at once injured and aggrieved.
+Still, mindful of the promise which had been extorted from him by Sully,
+the King hesitated; but upon being more urgently pressed by the
+favourite, he at length demanded what would be the probable yearly
+produce of the tax, when he was assured by the Count that it could not
+exceed ten thousand crowns; upon which Henry, who was anxious not to
+irritate him by a refusal where the favour solicited was so
+comparatively insignificant, at once signified his compliance; and as
+the subject had been cleverly mooted by the two interested parties at
+Fontainebleau, while the minister of finance was absent in the capital,
+Madame de Verneuil, by dint of importunity, succeeded in inducing the
+monarch to sign an order for the immediate imposition of the duty in
+favour of M. de Soissons; but before he was prevailed upon to do this,
+he declared to the Prince that he should withdraw his consent to the
+arrangement, if it were proved that the produce of the tax exceeded the
+yearly sum of fifty thousand francs, or that it pressed too heavily upon
+the people and the commercial interests of the kingdom. This reservation
+was by no means palatable to M. de Soissons, who had, when questioned as
+to the amount likely to be derived from the transaction, answered rather
+from impulse than calculation; but as the said reservation was merely
+verbal, while the edict authorizing the levy of the impost was tangible
+and valid, the Prince, after warmly expressing his acknowledgments to
+the monarch, carried off the document without one misgiving of success.
+
+Henry, however, when he began to reflect upon the nature of the
+concession which he had been prevailed upon to make, could not suppress
+a suspicion that it was more important than it had at first appeared;
+and, conscious that he had falsified his promise to the minister, he
+resolved to ascertain the extent of his imprudence. He accordingly, the
+same evening, despatched a letter to Sully, in which, without divulging
+what had taken place, he directed him to ascertain the probable proceeds
+of such a tax, and the effect which it was likely to produce upon those
+on whom it would be levied.
+
+So unexpected an inquiry startled the finance minister, who instantly
+apprehended that a fresh attack had been made upon the indulgence of the
+monarch; and he forthwith anxiously commenced a calculation, based upon
+solid and well-authenticated documents, which resulted in the discovery
+that the annual amount of such an impost could not be less than three
+hundred thousand crowns; while it must necessarily so seriously affect
+the trade in flax and hemp, that it was likely to ruin the provinces of
+Brittany and Normandy, as well as a great part of Picardy.
+
+Under these circumstances it was decided between Henry and his minister,
+that the latter should withhold his signature to the order which had
+been extorted from the King; without which, or a letter from the
+sovereign specially commanding the registration of the edict by the
+Parliament, the document was invalid. There can be no doubt that the
+most manly and dignified course which the monarch could have adopted,
+would have been to inform M. de Soissons of the result of the
+verification which had been made; and to have declared that, in
+accordance with his expressed determination when conditionally conceding
+the edict, he had resolved, upon ascertaining the magnitude of the sum
+which must be levied by such a tax, not to permit its operation. This
+was not, however, the manner in which Henry met the difficulty. He felt
+that his position was an onerous one, and he gladly transferred his
+responsibility to M. de Sully; who accordingly, upon the application of
+the Prince for his signature, in order that the document might be laid
+before the Parliament and thus rendered available, declined to accede to
+the request; alleging that the affair was one of such extreme
+importance, that he dared not take upon himself to forward it without
+the concurrence of the council.
+
+M. de Soissons urged and expostulated in vain; the minister was
+inflexible; and at length the Prince withdrew, but not before he had
+given vent to his indignation with a bitterness which convinced his
+listener that thenceforward all kindly feeling between them was at
+an end.
+
+But if the Count thus suffered himself to be defeated by a first
+refusal, Madame de Verneuil was by no means inclined to follow his
+example. Baffled but not beaten, she resolved upon returning to the
+charge; and accordingly she drove to the residence of the minister, and
+met him at the door of his closet as he was about to proceed to the
+Louvre, in order to have an interview with the King.
+
+There was an expression of haughty defiance in the eye of the favourite,
+and a heightened colour upon her cheek, which at once betrayed to Sully
+the purpose of her visit; while he on his side received her with a calm
+courtesy which was ill-calculated to inspire her with any hope of
+success; and she had scarcely seated herself before he gave her reason
+to perceive that he was as little inclined to temporize as herself. When
+they met he held in his hand a roll of paper, which, even after she had
+entered the apartment, he still continued to grasp with a pertinacity
+that did not fail to attract her attention.
+
+"And what may be the precious document, Monsieur le Ministre," she
+demanded flippantly, "of which you find it so impossible to relax
+your hold?"
+
+"A precious document indeed, Madame," was the abrupt reply, "and one in
+which you figure among many others." So saying, he unrolled the scroll,
+and read aloud a list of edicts, solicited or granted, similar to that
+of the Comte de Soissons, one of which bore her own name.
+
+"And what are you about to do with it?" she asked.
+
+"To make it the subject of a remonstrance to his Majesty."
+
+"Truly," exclaimed the Marquise, no longer able to control her rage,
+"the King will be well-advised should he listen to your caprices, and by
+so doing affront twenty individuals of the highest quality. Upon whom
+should he confer such favours as these, if not upon the Princes of the
+Blood, his cousins, his relatives, and his mistresses?"
+
+"That might be very well," replied the minister, totally unmoved by her
+insolence, "if the King could pay these sums out of his own privy purse;
+but that they should be levied upon the merchant, the artizan, and the
+labourer, is entirely out of the question. It is they who feed both him
+and us; and one master is enough, without their being compelled to
+support so many cousins, relatives, and mistresses." [220]
+
+Madame de Verneuil could bear no more; but rising passionately from her
+chair, she left the room without even a parting salutation to the
+plain-spoken minister, who saw her depart with as much composure as he
+had seen her enter; and quietly rolling up the obnoxious document which
+had formed the subject of discussion between them, he in his turn got
+into his carriage, and proceeded to the Louvre.
+
+Furious alike at her want of success and at the affront which had been
+put upon her, the Marquise drove from the Arsenal to the hotel of M. de
+Soissons; where, still smarting under the rebuff of the uncompromising
+Duke, she did not scruple sufficiently to garble his words to give them
+all the appearance of a premeditated and wilful insult to the Prince
+personally. She assured him that in reply to her remark that the
+relatives of the monarch possessed the greatest claim upon his
+liberality, M. de Sully had retorted by the observation that the King
+had too many kinsmen, and that it would be well for the nation could it
+be delivered from some of them.
+
+This report so exasperated M. de Soissons, that on the following morning
+he demanded an audience of the sovereign, during which he bitterly
+inveighed against the arrogance and presumption of the minister, and
+claimed instant redress for this affront to his honour and his dignity
+as a Prince of the Blood; haughtily declaring that should the King
+refuse to do him justice, he would find means to avenge himself.
+
+The unseemly violence of the Count, by offending the self-respect of the
+monarch, could not have failed, under any circumstances, to defeat its
+own object; but aware as he was that Sully had sought only the
+preservation of his master's interests, Henry was even less inclined
+than he might otherwise have been to yield to a dictation of this
+imperious nature. The very excess of his indignation consequently
+rendered him calm and self-possessed, and thus at once gave him a
+decided advantage over his excited interlocutor. Instead of retorting
+angrily, and involving himself in an undignified dispute, he replied to
+the intemperate language of the Count by calmly inquiring if he were to
+understand that M. de Sully had addressed the obnoxious remark which was
+the subject of complaint to the Prince himself, or if it had merely been
+reported to him by a third person. To this question M. de Soissons
+impatiently replied that the insult had not indeed been uttered to
+himself personally, but that the individual by whom it was communicated
+to him was above all suspicion; while he moreover considered that his
+assurance of its truth ought to suffice, as he was incapable of
+falsehood.
+
+"Were it so, cousin," said Henry coldly, "you would differ greatly from
+the other members of your family, especially your elder brother; but
+since you appear to place so perfect a reliance on the veracity of your
+informant, you have only to name him to me, and to explain precisely
+what he alleges to have passed, and I shall then understand what is
+necessary to be done, and will endeavour to satisfy you as far as I can
+reasonably do so."
+
+M. de Soissons was not, however, prepared to involve Madame de Verneuil
+in a quarrel which threatened the most serious results; and he
+consequently declared that he had plighted his word not to divulge the
+identity of his informant; a promise which he, moreover, considered to
+be utterly unnecessary, as he was ready to pledge himself to the entire
+truth of what he had advanced.
+
+"So, cousin," said the King with an ambiguous smile, "you screen
+yourself under the shadow of an oath from revealing to me what I desire
+to know; then I, in my turn, swear not to believe one syllable of your
+complaint beyond what M. de Sully may himself report to me; for I hold
+his veracity in as great estimation as you do that of the nameless
+partisan to whom you are indebted for the fine story you have
+inflicted upon me."
+
+It was in somewhat the same frame of mind in which the Marquise had
+quitted the finance minister that M. de Soissons, as the King rose and
+thus indicated the termination of the interview, passed from the royal
+closet; nor did he retire until he had indulged in such unrestrained
+threats of vengeance that Henry considered it expedient to despatch
+Zamet without delay to the Arsenal to warn Sully to be upon his guard
+against the impetuous Prince, and not to venture abroad without a
+sufficient suite; while at the same time the messenger was instructed to
+inquire if the obnoxious expression had indeed been used, and to whom.
+
+On being apprised of the visit which had been paid by Madame de
+Verneuil to the Duke, the King instantly comprehended the whole
+intrigue, and at once declared that it was useless to search further; as
+he well knew that she possessed both malice and invention enough to
+distort the words of the minister to her own purposes; an admission
+which indicated for the moment a considerable decrease of infatuation on
+the part of her royal lover.[221]
+
+That this had, however, already become evident, was exemplified by the
+fact that upon some rumour of the kind being addressed to the Duchesse
+de Rohan, coupled with an inference that the infidelity of Madame de
+Verneuil had become known to the King, the young Duchess had gaily
+replied: "What could he anticipate? How was it possible for love to
+nestle between a mouth and chin which are always interfering with each
+other?" [222]
+
+It is scarcely doubtful that the present incautious proceeding of the
+Marquise tended to shake the confidence which Henry had hitherto felt in
+an affection so admirably simulated that it might have inspired trust in
+an individual of far inferior rank. He could not overlook the fact that
+Madame de Verneuil had presumed to declare herself hostile to his
+favourite minister, and had even made a tool of one of the Princes of
+the Blood; an affront to himself which he resented after his accustomed
+fashion, by withdrawing himself from her society, and assiduously
+appearing in the private circle of the Queen.
+
+On this occasion, however, week succeeded week, and the monarch still
+continued to avoid the enraged favourite; and even occasionally alluded
+to her with a contempt which stung her haughty and presumptuous spirit
+beyond endurance. She saw her little Court melting away, her flatterers
+dispersing, and her friends becoming estranged; nor could she conceal
+from herself that if she failed shortly to discover some method of
+estranging Henry from the Queen, and once more asserting her own
+influence, all her greatness would be scattered to the winds. Her vanity
+was also as deeply involved as her ambition, for she had hitherto
+believed her power over the affections of the King to be so entire that
+he could not liberate himself from her thrall; yet now, in the zenith of
+her beauty, in the pride of her intellect, and in the very climax of her
+favour, she found herself suddenly abandoned, as if the effort had not
+cost a single struggle to her royal lover.
+
+Marie de Medicis, meanwhile, was happy. She cared not to look back upon
+the past; she sought not to look forward into the future; to her the
+present was all in all, and she began to encourage bright dreams of
+domestic bliss, by which she had never before been visited since the
+first brief month of her marriage. So greatly indeed did her new-born
+happiness embellish the exulting Queen, that it was at this period that
+the profligate monarch declared to several of his confidential friends,
+that had she not been his wife, his greatest desire would have been to
+possess her as a mistress.[223] The whole of her little Court felt the
+influence of her delight; she lavished on all sides the most costly
+gifts; she surrounded the King with amusements of every description, and
+day after day the heart of the irritated favourite was embittered by the
+reports which reached her of the unprecedented gaiety and splendour of
+the Queen's private circle.
+
+As the dissension which had arisen between Sully and the Comte de
+Soissons rather increased in intensity than yielded to the royal
+expostulation, Henry resolved to give a public proof of his continued
+regard for the minister; and for this purpose he caused him to be
+informed that on his way to Normandy (whither he was about to proceed in
+order to investigate the truth of certain rumours which had reached him
+of a meditated insurrection in that province) he would pass by Rosny,
+and should claim his hospitality for one day with his whole Court. As
+the King was on the eve of his departure, Sully at once left the
+capital, and by travelling with great speed, he reached the château four
+days before his expected guests, for whose reception he made the most
+magnificent preparations of which so brief an interval would admit. As
+the approaches to the domain were not yet completed, and it was
+necessary to level the road by which their Majesties would arrive, the
+Duke, in order to accomplish this object, incautiously caused a canal by
+which it was traversed, and over which the bridge was still unbuilt, to
+be dammed up; and this arrangement made, he directed his whole
+attention to the internal decorations of the castle. Unfortunately,
+however, while his royal and noble guests were still seated at the
+elaborate and costly banquet which had been prepared for them, a
+terrific storm burst over the edifice, and information was brought to
+the host that the waters had become so swollen as to have overflowed
+their banks, while the pent-up canal which he had just driven back had
+inundated the court, and was pouring itself in a dense volume through
+the offices. The alarm instantly became general; the Queen, the
+Princesses, and the ladies of the Court sought refuge in the upper rooms
+of the castle, whither, as the danger momentarily increased, they were
+soon followed by Henry and his retinue; and meanwhile Sully gave instant
+orders that workmen should be despatched to clear the bed of the canal,
+and thus afford an escape for the invading element. This was happily
+accomplished without any loss of life, and the accident entailed no
+further evil consequence than the destruction of all the fruits and
+confectionary by which the banquet was to have terminated.[224] After
+this misadventure the Court proceeded to Caen, where at the close of a
+patient investigation the King withdrew the government of the city from
+M. de Crèvecoeur-Montmorency, who was accused of being engaged in a
+treasonable correspondence with the Duc de Bouillon, the Comte
+d'Auvergne, and the Duc de la Trémouille, his relative, and bestowed it
+upon M. de Bellefonds.[225] Thence the royal party removed to Rouen,
+where Henry succeeded in re-establishing perfect order throughout the
+whole province of Lower Normandy.
+
+On his return to Paris the King learnt that M. de Soissons, who had
+declined to accompany him in his journey, so deeply resented his visit
+to Rosny, the purpose of which he had comprehended upon the instant,
+that he had resolved in consequence to quit the kingdom. As the
+voluntary expatriation of the Princes of the Blood tended alike to
+weaken his resources and to undermine his authority, Henry at once
+directed MM. de Bellièvre and de Sillery to wait upon the Count, and to
+assure him that, so soon as he produced certain proof of the culpability
+of the Duc de Sully, he should receive ample satisfaction for the
+alleged affront, but that until such proof was furnished he should
+continue to protect the minister, and to consider him innocent of the
+offence imputed to him. The Chancellor was, moreover, instructed to
+inquire into the motive which had induced the Prince to declare his
+intention of leaving France.
+
+To this message M. de Soissons coldly replied by observing that he had
+been insulted by the Duke, to whom he had given no cause of offence; but
+that as it nevertheless appeared by the statement to which he had just
+listened, that it was the pleasure of his Majesty to defend the accused
+rather than the accuser, he considered that he need not advance any
+further reason for absenting himself from the kingdom. After the
+departure of MM. de Bellièvre and de Sillery, however, the Prince
+requested the Duc de Montbazon[226] and the Comte de St. Pol[227] to
+wait upon the sovereign, in order to explain to him his reason for
+quitting the country; to assure him of the regret which he felt that
+recent circumstances had left him no other alternative; and to entreat
+his Majesty to pardon him if he ventured to take his leave through the
+medium of these his friends, rather than, by appearing in person, incur
+the risk of aggravating his displeasure.
+
+Having seen the two nobles depart upon their mission, M. de Soissons
+mounted his horse and at once proceeded to Paris, to make the necessary
+preparations for the journey which he contemplated; but before he had
+taken any definite measures to that effect he was rejoined by his
+friends, who had been directed by the King to follow him with all speed,
+and to explain to him that he had altogether mistaken the message
+entrusted to the Chancellor, as the only protection which his Majesty
+had declared his intention of affording to M. de Sully was against his
+own threats of personal violence; while in the second place they were
+instructed to inform him that the King strictly enjoined him not to quit
+Paris, as a want of obedience upon this point would prove very
+prejudicial to his Majesty's interests; and finally, they were
+authorized to assure him that, in the event of his compliance with the
+royal wishes, he should receive ample satisfaction for the affront of
+which he complained.
+
+In reply, M. de Soissons maintained that he had given no ground for the
+apprehensions expressed by the monarch for the safety of his minister,
+and that he had never entertained any design to injure the interests of
+the sovereign, while the knowledge that his withdrawal from the country
+might have such a tendency was a more powerful preventive to his
+departure than "though he had been fettered by a hundred chains"; and
+that all he required from his adversary was a public acknowledgment of
+the offence which he had committed against him.
+
+This concession of the irate Prince was followed by a still greater one
+on the part of the minister, who, anxious to relieve the mind of his
+royal master from the annoyance which he felt at a quarrel in which
+every noble of the Court had taken part, and which threatened to become
+still more inveterate from day to day, addressed a letter to M. de
+Soissons, wherein, although he explicitly denied "having uttered the
+expression which was imputed to him," he overwhelmed the Prince with the
+most elaborate and hyperbolical assurances of respect and devotion,
+declaring "that he would rather die than so forget himself."
+
+This submissive letter was accepted as an apology, and a hollow peace
+between the disputants was thus effected, which restored for a time the
+tranquillity of the Court.
+
+On the 2nd of February 1604 the Queen was invited to participate in a
+ceremony which, had she been less happy and hopeful than she chanced to
+be at that particular period, could not have failed to excite in her
+breast fresh feelings of irritation and annoyance. This was the
+reception of Alexandre-Monsieur, the second legitimated son of the
+monarch and Gabrielle d'Estrées, into the Order of the Knights of Malta.
+The King having decided that such should be the career of the young
+Prince, was anxious that he should at once assume the name and habit of
+the Order, and he accordingly wrote to the Grand Master to request that
+he would despatch the necessary patents, which were forwarded without
+delay, accompanied by the most profuse acknowledgments on the part of
+that dignitary. In order to increase the solemnity and magnificence of
+the inauguration, Henry summoned to the capital the Grand Commanders
+both of France and Champagne, instructing them to bring in their
+respective trains as many other commanders and knights as could be
+induced to accompany them; and he selected as the scene of the ceremony
+the Church of the Augustines, an arrangement which was, however,
+abandoned at the entreaty of the Commandeur de Villeneuf, the Ambassador
+of the Order, who deemed it more dignified that the inauguration should
+take place in that of the Temple, which was one of their principal
+establishments.
+
+At the hour indicated the two sovereigns accordingly drove to the Temple
+in the same carriage, Alexandre-Monsieur being seated between them; and
+on alighting at the principal entrance of the edifice, the King
+delivered the little Prince into the hands of the Grand Prior who was
+there awaiting him, attended by twelve commanders and twelve knights, by
+whom he was conducted up the centre aisle. The church was magnificently
+decorated, and the altar, which blazed with gold and jewels, was already
+surrounded by the Cardinal de Gondy, the Papal Nuncio, and a score of
+bishops, all attired in their splendid sacerdotal vestments. In the
+centre of the choir a throne had been erected for their Majesties,
+covered with cloth of gold, and around the chairs of state were grouped
+the Princes, Princesses, and other grandees of the Court, including the
+ambassadors of Spain and Venice, the Connétable-Duc de Montmorency, the
+Chancellor, the seven presidents of the Parliament, and the knights of
+the Order of the Holy Ghost.
+
+The _coup d'oeil_ was one of extraordinary splendour. The whole of the
+sacred edifice was brilliantly illuminated by the innumerable tapers
+which lit up the several shrines, and which casting their clear light
+upon every surrounding object, brought into full relief the dazzling
+gems and gleaming weapons that glittered on all sides. The organ pealed
+out its deepest and most impressive harmony; and not a sound was heard
+throughout the vast building as the Grand Prior, with his train of
+knights and nobles, led the youthful neophyte to the place assigned to
+him. The ceremony commenced by the consecration of the sword, and the
+change of raiment, which typified that about to take place in the duties
+of the Prince by his entrance into an Order which enjoined alike
+godliness and virtue. The mantle was withdrawn from his shoulders, and
+his outer garment removed by the knights who stood immediately around
+him, after which he was presented successively with a vest of white
+satin elaborately embroidered in gold and silver, having the sleeves
+enriched with pearls, a waist-belt studded with jewels, a cap of black
+velvet ornamented with a small white plume and a band of large pearls,
+and a tunic of black taffeta. In this costume the Prince was conducted
+to the high altar by the Duc and Duchesse de Vendôme, followed by a
+commander to assist him during the ceremony, and they had no sooner
+taken their places than Arnaud de Sorbin,[228] Bishop of Nevers,
+delivered a short oration eulogistic of the greatness and excellence of
+the brotherhood of which he was about to become a member. The same
+prelate then performed a solemn high mass, and when he had terminated
+the reading of the gospel, Alexandre-Monsieur knelt before him with a
+taper of white wax in his hand, to solicit admission into the Order. He
+had no sooner bent his knee than the King rose, descended the steps of
+the throne, and placed himself by his side, saying aloud that he put off
+for awhile his sovereign dignity that he might perform his duty as a
+parent, by pledging himself that when the Prince should have attained
+his sixteenth year, he should take the vows, and in all things conform
+himself to the rules of the institution. The procession then passed out
+of the church in the same order as it had entered, and the young Prince
+was immediately put into possession of the income arising from his
+commandery, which was estimated at forty thousand annual livres.[229]
+
+This ceremony was followed by a series of Court festivals, which were
+abruptly terminated by the arrival of a courier from Lorraine with the
+intelligence of the death of the Duchesse de Bar, an event which it was
+so well known would deeply affect the King, that the principal
+personages of the Court, and the members of his council, determined to
+go in a body to communicate it, in order that they might offer him the
+best consolation in their power. This, however, was a grief beyond their
+sympathy, the affection which Henry bore towards his sister having been
+unshaken throughout their lives; and the distressing intelligence was no
+sooner imparted to him than he burst into a passionate flood of tears,
+and desired that every one should withdraw, and leave him alone with
+God. He was no sooner obeyed than he caused the windows of his closet to
+be closed, and admittance refused to all comers; after which he threw
+himself upon his bed, and abandoned himself to all the bitterness of a
+sorrow alike unexpected and irremediable. Several days passed away in
+this ungovernable grief, and when its violence at length partially
+subsided, the King issued an order that the whole Court should assume
+the deepest mourning, and that no one should presume to approach him in
+any other garb. Not only, therefore, were all the great officers of the
+Crown, and all the Court functionaries, from M. le Grand to the pages
+and lacqueys in the ante-chambers, clad in the same sable livery, but
+even the foreign ambassadors, anxious alike to avoid giving offence to
+the monarch, and to escape the inconvenience of being excluded from his
+presence and thus rendered incapable of furthering the interests of
+their several sovereigns, adopted a similar habit. The mourning of the
+Queen and her household more than satisfied all the exigencies of the
+King; for Marie de Medicis not only sympathized deeply with the
+sufferings of her royal consort, but also felt that in Madame Catherine
+she had lost a sincere friend--that rarest of all luxuries to a crowned
+head!--and it was not consequently in her outward apparel alone that she
+gave testimony of her unfeigned regret, for in abandoning her usual
+garb, she also abandoned every species of amusement, and forbade all
+movement in her immediate circle beyond that which was necessitated by
+the service of her attendants.
+
+There was, however, one exception to this general concession, and that
+one was consequently so conspicuous as to excite instant remark. The
+Papal Nuncio had exhibited no intention of conforming to the universal
+demonstration which had draped the throne and palaces of France in
+sables; and the monarch no sooner ascertained the fact than he caused it
+to be made known to the prelate that he had no desire to oblige him to
+assume a garb repugnant to his feelings, but that he requested to be
+spared his presence until the period of his own mourning was at an end.
+This announcement greatly embarrassed the Nuncio, who at once felt that
+by persisting in the course he had adopted he should be deprived of the
+frequent audiences that were essential to the interests of the
+Sovereign-Pontiff, and accordingly he resolved no longer to offer any
+opposition to the express wishes of the King; but after having written
+to Rome to explain that he had put on mourning simply to secure himself
+against the threatened exclusion, and thereby to be enabled to watch
+over the welfare of the Holy See, he ultimately followed the example of
+those around him, and demanded permission in his turn to offer his
+compliment of condolence to the monarch.
+
+This he did, however, in a manner little calculated to reconcile Henry
+to the reluctance which he had exhibited in performing this duty; for
+after having declared his earnest sympathy with the grief of his
+Majesty, he went on to remark that those who knew who he was, and for
+whom he spoke, could not fail to be startled by such an assertion,
+although he on his part, could assure his Majesty of his sincerity, as
+while others were weeping over the body of Madame, who had died a
+Protestant and a heretic, his master and himself were mourning for
+her soul.
+
+To this unexpected exordium the King replied, with considerable
+indignation, that he had more faith in the mercy of God than to believe
+that a Princess who had passed her life in the fulfilment of all her
+social duties was destined to be condemned from the nature of her creed,
+and that he himself entertained no doubt of her salvation.[230] After
+which he diverted the conversation into another channel, with a tone and
+manner sufficiently indicative to the Nuncio that he must not presume to
+recur to so delicate a subject.
+
+The body of Madame was, at the King's desire, conveyed to Vendôme, and
+deposited beside that of her mother, a dispensation to this effect
+having been, after many delays, accorded by the Pope; although too late
+for the Duchess to have been made aware that this the earnest wish of
+her heart had been conceded.
+
+At this period a new cause of uneasiness aroused the sovereign from his
+private grief. To his extreme surprise he had received intelligence from
+the Sieur de Barrault[231] that all the most secret deliberations of
+his council were forthwith communicated to the King of Spain, without a
+trace of the source whence this important information could be derived;
+and for a time the mystery defied all the investigations which were
+bestowed upon it by Henry and his ministers. At length, however, long
+impunity rendered the culprit daring, and it was ascertained that Philip
+III was in possession of copies of the several letters written by the
+French monarch to the King of England, the Prince of Orange, and other
+friendly powers, all inimical to Spain, a circumstance which at once
+rendered it apparent that this treachery must be the work of some
+official in whom the greatest confidence had hitherto been placed; and
+steps were forthwith taken to secure the identification of the traitor,
+which was effected through the agency of another equally unworthy
+subject of Henry himself. A certain native of Bordeaux, named Jean Leyré
+(otherwise Rafis), who had been one of the most violent partisans of the
+League, and who had been banished from France, had entered the Spanish
+service, and long enjoyed a pension from the sovereign of that country,
+in recompense of the zeal and ardour with which he rendered every evil
+office in his power to the kingdom whence he had been cast out.
+
+Circumstances, however, tended to make Leyré less useful to Philip, who
+had, as we have shown, secured a much more efficient agent, and the
+ill-acquired pension had accordingly been diminished, while the traitor
+had no difficulty in perceiving that the favour which he had hitherto
+experienced from his new master was lessened in the same proportion, a
+conviction which determined him to make a vigorous effort to obtain the
+permission of his offended sovereign to return to France. In order to
+effect this object, Leyré attached himself to such of his countrymen as
+were, like himself, domiciliated in Spain, and finally he made the
+acquaintance of one Jean Blas, who in a moment of confidence revealed to
+him that a secretary of the Comte de Rochepot[232] (the predecessor of
+M. de Barrault as ambassador at the Court of Madrid), who had
+subsequently returned to the service of the Duc de Villeroy, still
+maintained a secret correspondence with the Spanish secretaries of
+state, Don Juan Idiaque Franchesez, and Prada, to whom, in consideration
+of a pension of twelve hundred crowns of gold, he betrayed all the most
+important measures of the French cabinet.
+
+This man, whose name was Nicholas L'Hôte, was the son of an old and
+trusted follower of the Duc de Villeroy, to whose family his own
+ancestors had been attached for several generations, while he himself
+was the godson of the Duke, who had obtained for him the honourable
+office of secretary to M. de Rochepot, when that nobleman accepted the
+embassy to Spain. On the return of the Count to France, L'Hôte, whose
+services were no longer necessary to him, was dismissed, and upon an
+application to his old patron, was unhesitatingly received into his
+bureau; where, believing that his loyalty and devotion to himself were
+beyond all suspicion, he was employed by M. de Villeroy in deciphering
+his despatches; an occupation which afforded the traitor ample means of
+continuing his nefarious correspondence with his Spanish confederates.
+
+Leyré had no sooner obtained this important information, and moreover
+convinced himself of its probability by various circumstances connected
+with L'Hôte which he was careful to learn from other sources, than he
+proceeded to the residence of M. de Barrault, and solicited an interview
+on business connected with his government. The ambassador, who was still
+striving by every method in his power to discover the author of the
+active and harassing treason by which his official measures were
+perpetually trammelled, with a vague hope that the object of this
+request might prove to be connected with the mystery which so
+disagreeably occupied his thoughts, at once granted the required
+audience; when Leyré, having explained his own position, and expressed
+the deepest contrition for his past disloyalty, together with his ardent
+desire to obliterate, by an essential service to his rightful sovereign,
+a fault which was now irreparable, proceeded to inform M. de Barrault
+that he was prepared to reveal a system of treachery which was even at
+that moment in operation to the prejudice of France; but added that, as
+in communicating this secret he should be compelled immediately to
+escape from Spain, he would not consent to do so until the ambassador
+pledged himself that he should be permitted to return to his own country
+with a free pardon, and a sufficient pension to secure him against want;
+and concluded by saying that should it be beyond the power of M. de
+Barrault to give such a pledge without the royal authority, and that
+should he consider it necessary to mention him by name, and to state the
+nature of the promised service to his government, he must entreat him to
+make this revelation solely to the monarch, and by no means to commit
+the affair to writing.
+
+To these terms M. de Barrault readily agreed; but after the departure of
+Leyré, conceiving that the extreme mystery enjoined by that personage
+was merely intended to enhance the implied value of his revelation; and
+convinced, moreover, that the sovereign would immediately communicate
+such a circumstance to his ministers, he addressed himself, as he was in
+the habit of doing, to the Duc de Villeroy, from whom he shortly
+afterwards received the required promise of both pardon and pension.
+
+These were, however, no sooner placed in the hands of the astute Leyré,
+than, perceiving that they bore the counter-signature of Villeroy,
+instead of that of Loménie,[233] which would have been the case had
+they been forwarded through the personal medium of the King, he revealed
+the whole transaction to M. de Barrault; representing that the traitor
+being under the roof of the minister by whom they had been despatched,
+and entirely in his confidence, must already be apprized of his danger,
+as well as fully prepared to avert it by the destruction of his
+betrayer; and accordingly he declared that, in order to save his life,
+he must at once get into the saddle, and endeavour to distance the
+pursuit which could not fail to be made with a view to seize his person.
+
+This reasoning was so valid that the ambassador not only consented to
+his immediate departure, but also caused him to be accompanied by his
+own secretary, M. Descartes, by whom he was to be introduced to the
+sovereign. The precaution proved salutary, as no later than the
+following morning the officers of the law were sent to the house of
+Leyré, and being unable to find him, forthwith mounted in their turn and
+took the road to France. Fortunately for the fugitives they had,
+however, already travelled a considerable distance; and although hotly
+pursued, they were enabled to reach Bayonne without impediment, whence
+they proceeded to Fontainebleau to report their arrival to the King.
+
+Before they reached their destination, they encountered the Duc de
+Villeroy, who was on his way to his château of Juvisy, and to whom
+Descartes considered it expedient to declare their errand, without
+concealing the name of the culprit whom they were about to accuse. The
+Duke listened incredulously; and when the travellers offered, should it
+meet with his approbation, to return at once to Paris and arrest his
+secretary, in order that he might himself deliver him up to the monarch,
+he declined to profit by the proposal, desiring them to fulfil their
+mission as the service of the King required; and adding, that he should
+shortly join them at Fontainebleau, where he was to be met on the morrow
+by the accused party, when the necessary steps for ascertaining the
+truth of the statement might be at once taken; but that until he had
+obtained an audience of the monarch, and ascertained his pleasure, all
+coercive measures would be premature.
+
+With this unsatisfactory reply Leyré and his companion were fain to
+content themselves; and having, as they were desired to do, delivered
+into the hands of the Duke the detailed despatch of M. de Barrault with
+which they had been entrusted, they saw him calmly resume his way to
+Juvisy, while they continued their route to Fontainebleau.
+
+Early the next day M. de Villeroy in his turn reached the palace, and at
+once proceeded to the royal closet; where, at the command of the King,
+he began to read aloud the papers which had been thus obtained; but he
+had not proceeded beyond the name of the accused when Henry vehemently
+interrupted him by exclaiming:
+
+"And where is this L'Hôte, your secretary? Have you caused him to be
+arrested?"
+
+"I think, Sire," was the reply, "that he is at my hotel; but he is still
+at liberty."
+
+"How, Sir!" said the King still more angrily; "you think that he is at
+your hôtel, and you have not had him seized? This is strange negligence!
+What have you been about since you were informed of this act of treason,
+to which you should at once have attended? See to it instantly, and
+secure the culprit."
+
+The Duc de Villeroy quitted the royal presence in anxious haste, and
+made his way to the capital with all speed, feeling convinced that
+should he fail in arresting his delinquent secretary he could not escape
+the suspicion of the King. L'Hôte had, however, profited by the
+intervening time to explain his predicament to the Spanish ambassador,
+who instantly perceived that not a moment must be lost. Horses were
+accordingly provided, and the detected traitor, accompanied by the
+steward of the ambassador, made the best of his way to Meaux, whence
+they were to travel post to Luxembourg.
+
+Orders had, meanwhile, been despatched to all the postmasters not to
+supply horses to any traveller answering the description of L'Hôte; but
+as he wore a Spanish costume similar to that of his companion he might
+still have passed undetected, had he not, while endeavouring to mount at
+Meaux, trembled so violently as to fall from his saddle; a circumstance
+which attracted the attention of the groom who held his stirrup, and
+who immediately inferred that he must be some criminal who was flying
+from justice. On re-entering the house he related the incident to his
+master; and upon comparing the height, and bulk, and features of the
+fugitive with the written detail furnished by the authorities, both
+parties became convinced that they had suffered the very individual whom
+they were commissioned to arrest to pursue his journey to the frontier
+through their own agency; and thus impressed, the terrified postmaster
+hastened to the Prévôt des Maréchaux,[234] who lost no time in following
+upon his track. The fugitives had, however, changed horses before the
+anxious functionary and his attendants could arrive to interpose their
+authority; but despite the darkness of the night, which prevented them
+from obtaining even a glimpse of those whom they were endeavouring to
+overtake, they persevered with confidence, being aware that before the
+close of the second stage a ferry must be passed, which would
+necessarily detain the travellers.
+
+The event proved the accuracy of their calculation, the lateness of the
+hour compelling L'Hôte and his companion to rouse the reluctant ferryman
+from his rest, a process which involved considerable delay; and they
+were consequently scarcely half way across the river when they heard
+the clatter of horses' hoofs upon the bank, and the voice of the
+Maréchal hoarsely shouting to their conductor instantly to return, or he
+should be hanged for his disobedience.
+
+The fugitives at once felt that they were lost should they permit him to
+comply; and accordingly the Spaniard drew his sword, threatening to bury
+it in the heart of the affrighted ferryman should he retreat an inch;
+while L'Hôte, as craven as he was traitor, could only urge the boat
+forward by the rope, groaning at intervals: "I am a dead man! I am a
+dead man!"
+
+On gaining the opposite shore neither of the two attempted to remount;
+but, abandoning their horses, they set off at their best speed on foot;
+while the postilion by whom they had been accompanied had great
+difficulty, during the return of the boat, in securing the three animals
+who were thus suddenly committed to his sole charge.
+
+L'Hôte, terrified and bewildered by the voices of the Prévôt and his
+men, who had, in their turn, passed the ferry, and unable in the
+darkness to discern any path by which he might secure his escape, parted
+from his companion, and continued his course along the river bank;
+until, attracted by some sallows which he supposed to be an island in
+the middle of the stream, he threw himself into the water in order to
+reach it; but soon getting beyond his depth, and being unable to regain
+the shore, as well as alarmed by the rapid approach of his pursuers, he
+perished miserably; and was found on the following morning not twenty
+yards from the spot where he had abandoned the land.
+
+The Spanish steward, who was captured on the morrow in a hayloft about
+two leagues from the river, was conducted to Paris with the corpse,
+which was consigned to the prison of the Châtelet, where it was publicly
+exposed during two days, and then drawn upon a hurdle to the place of
+execution, where it was torn asunder by horses; the quarters of the body
+being subsequently attached to four wheels which were placed in the
+principal roads leading to the capital.
+
+The ignominy with which the body was treated was, as Sully asserts, in
+accordance with the earnest request of the Duc de Villeroy, who could
+not disguise from himself the difficulty of his own position; nor was it
+until after several days' deliberation that Henry, remembering the
+extent of the confidence placed by the Duke in the traitor by whom his
+interests had been so seriously compromised, could sufficiently control
+his indignation to assure him that he in no wise suspected him of
+complicity, but should continue to regard him with the same trust and
+favour as heretofore. The people were, however, less amenable; nor did
+they scruple to accuse M. de Villeroy of participation in the crime of
+his follower. They could not forget that he had been an active member of
+the League; and they looked with jealousy upon every transaction in
+which he was involved; while, fortunately for the Duke, the King was
+ultimately prevailed upon to believe in the sincerity of his regret,
+and to remember that since he had attached himself to the royal cause he
+had rendered essential service to the country; nor did the murmurs of
+his enemies, who had begun to hope that the treason of his secretary
+must involve his own ruin, induce the monarch to exhibit towards him
+either distrust or severity. So lenient, indeed, did the King show
+himself, that after having being detained for a short time in prison,
+the Spaniard who had been taken with L'Hôte was set at liberty, as too
+insignificant for trial, and as the mere tool of his master.[235]
+
+While this affair had monopolized the attention of the King, Madame de
+Verneuil, enraged by a continual estrangement which threatened the most
+dangerous results to herself, and resolved at all hazards to recall the
+attention of the monarch, began to assert more openly and arrogantly
+than ever her claim upon his hand, and the right of her son to the
+succession; while at the same time her brother, the Comte d'Auvergne,
+pretexting a quarrel with M. de Soissons, quitted the Court, and
+proceeded to the Low Countries, where he had for some time past been
+actively engaged in organizing a conspiracy, in support of this
+extravagant and hopeless pretension.
+
+The double personage enacted by the Marquise was one which necessitated
+the utmost tact and caution, for she was aware that it involved her
+liberty, if not her life; and consequently, in order to secure the
+sympathy of the people, while she was at the same time exciting the
+passions of those discontented nobles who being remnants of the League
+still retained an unconquerable jealousy of the power by which they had
+been prostrated, she affected the deepest and most bitter repentance for
+her past errors, and solicited the permission of the King to retire from
+France with her children, that she might expiate, by a future of
+retirement and piety, the faults of which she had been guilty. To this
+request Henry, without a moment's hesitation, replied by the assurance
+that she was at perfect liberty to withdraw from the country whenever
+she saw fit to do so; adding, however, that he would not permit the
+expatriation of her children, and that before her own departure she must
+deliver into his hands the written promise of marriage, which, although
+according to the decision of all the high ecclesiastics of the kingdom
+totally void and valueless, she had nevertheless been so ill-advised as
+to render a source of uneasiness and annoyance to the Queen.
+
+This demand was, however, arrogantly rejected, the Marquise declaring
+that she would neither part with her children nor with a document that
+rendered her the legal wife of the King; a decision which so incensed
+Marie de Medicis that she vehemently reproached her royal consort for an
+act of weakness by which her whole married life had been embittered, and
+refused to listen to any compromise until the obnoxious paper should
+be restored.
+
+Thus circumstanced, Henry at length resolved to exert all his
+authority, and despairing of success through the medium of a third
+person, he determined himself to visit the Marquise and to exact the
+restitution of the document. At this period, however, Madame de Verneuil
+was too deeply involved in the conspiracy of her brother to prove a
+willing agent in her own defeat, and she accordingly received the
+monarch with an unyielding insolence for which he was totally
+unprepared; violently declaring that the promise had been freely given,
+and that the birth of her son had rendered it valid. In vain did the
+King insist upon the absurdity of her pretensions; she only replied by
+sneering at the extraction of the Queen, and asserting her own equality
+with a petty Tuscan princess, whose gestures and language were, as she
+declared, the jest of the whole Court. The King, outraged by so gross an
+impertinence, imperatively commanded her silence upon all that regarded
+the dignity or pleasure of his royal consort, a display of firmness
+which more and more exasperated the favourite, who retorted by observing
+that since the monarch had seen fit to retract a solemn engagement, and
+thus to brand herself and her children with disgrace, it only remained
+for her to reiterate her demand for permission to leave the country,
+with her son and daughter, and her father and brother, both of whom were
+prepared to share her fortunes, gloomy as they might be, the fear of God
+not permitting her to recur to the past without the most profound
+repentance.
+
+To this persistence Henry coldly answered that in his turn he
+reiterated his declaration that she was at liberty to retire to England
+whenever she thought proper to do so, and to place herself under the
+protection of her kinsman, the Earl of Lennox, but that he would not
+suffer any other member of her family to share her exile; nor should she
+herself be permitted to reside either in Spain or the Low Countries,
+where the treasonable practices of the Comte d'Auvergne and the party of
+the discontented nobles with whom she had recently allied herself, had
+already given him just cause for displeasure.
+
+Madame de Verneuil, perfectly unabashed by this reproach, assured the
+King, with a smile of haughty defiance, that she could be as firm as
+himself where her own honour and that of her children was involved, and
+added that should he persist in demanding the restoration of the written
+promise by which he had triumphed over her virtue, he might seek it
+where it was to be obtained, as he should never receive it from her
+hands; while as regarded her estrangement from himself, it had ceased to
+be a subject of regret, as since he had become old he had also become
+distrustful and suspicious, and his affected favour only tended to
+render her an object of public jealousy and indignation.
+
+Outraged by this last insult, the King rose angrily from his seat, and
+without vouchsafing another word to the imperious Marquise quitted the
+room. It was not, however, in the nature of Henri IV to find himself
+once more in the presence of his mistress unmoved, and although the
+indignity to which he had been subjected throughout the interview just
+described should have sufficed to inspire him only with disgust for the
+woman who had thus emancipated herself from every observance of respect
+towards his own person and decency towards the Queen, it is nevertheless
+certain that his very anger was mingled with admiration; and that not
+even his sense of what was due to him both as a monarch and as a man
+could overcome the attraction of Madame de Verneuil. Their temporary
+separation, during which he had failed to find any equivalent for her
+wit and vivacity, gave an added charm to every word she uttered; he
+yearned to see her once more brilliant and happy, devoting her intellect
+and her fascinations to his amusement; and even while complaining to
+Sully of her impertinent and uncompromising boldness, he could not
+forbear uttering a panegyric upon her better qualities, which convinced
+the minister that their misunderstanding was not destined to be of long
+duration, an opinion in which he was confirmed when the weak and
+vacillating Henry, at the close of this enthusiastic apostrophe,
+proceeded to institute a comparison between the Marquise and the Queen,
+in which the latter suffered on every point. The earnest wish to please
+of the favourite was contrasted with the coldness of Marie de Medicis,
+the wit of the one with the haughty superciliousness of the other; in
+short, the longer that the King discoursed upon the subject, the more
+perfect became the conviction of his listener that the late meeting,
+tempestuous as it was, had sufficed to restore to Madame de Verneuil at
+least a portion of her former power.
+
+"I have no society in my wife," pursued the monarch; "she neither amuses
+nor interests me. She is harsh and unyielding, alike in manner and in
+speech, and makes no concession either to my humour or my tastes. When I
+would fain meet her with warmth she receives me coldly, and I am glad to
+escape from her apartments to seek for amusement elsewhere. My poor
+cousin De Guise is my only refuge; and although she occasionally tells
+me some home-truths, yet she does it with so much good humour that I
+cannot take offence, and only laugh at her sallies." [236]
+
+It was sufficiently evident at that moment that even the "poor cousin"
+of the monarch, beautiful and accomplished though she was, faded into
+insignificance before the pampered and presuming favourite.
+
+"Perhaps," says Sully, with a calm sententiousness better suited to some
+question of finance, "the Queen had only herself to blame for not having
+released him from the snares of her rival, and detached him from every
+other affair of gallantry, as he appeared to me perfectly sincere when
+he urged me to induce her to conform to _his tastes_ and to _the
+character of his mind_."
+
+M. de Sully, great as he was in his official capacity, evidently
+possessed little knowledge of a woman's nature, and the workings of a
+woman's pride. We have seen what were the "tastes" of Henri IV, and what
+was the "character of his mind"; and although it would undoubtedly have
+proved both pleasant and convenient to the harassed minister that Marie
+de Medicis should have devoured her grief and mortification, and have
+received the mistresses of the King as the intimates of her circle, it
+was a result little to be anticipated from a pure-hearted wife, who saw
+herself the victim of every intriguing beauty whose novelty or notoriety
+sufficed to attract the dissolute fancy of her consort. Even at the very
+moment in which M. de Sully records this inferential reproach upon the
+Queen, he admits that Henry was once more in the thrall of the Marquise,
+and, moreover, the obsequious friend of Mademoiselle de Guise; and yet
+he seeks to visit upon Marie the odium of a disunion which can only be,
+with any fairness, attributed to the King himself, who, even while
+professing to return to his allegiance as a husband, was openly
+indulging in a system of licentiousness calculated to degrade him in the
+eyes of a virtuous and exemplary woman.
+
+That Marie de Medicis had many faults cannot be denied by her most
+zealous biographer, but that she was outraged both as a wife and as a
+mother is no less certain; and adopting, as we have a right to do, the
+conjectural style of M. de Sully,--perhaps, we say in our turn, had the
+Queen, from the period of her marriage, been treated with the deference
+and respect which were her due, the harsher features of her character
+might have become softened, and the faults which posterity has been
+compelled to couple with her name might never have been committed.
+Assuredly her period of probation was a bitter one, and it may be
+doubted whether the axe of our own eighth Henry were not after all more
+merciful in reality than the wire-drawn and daily-recurring torture to
+which his namesake of France subjected the haughty and high-spirited
+woman who was fated to find herself the victim of his vices.
+
+The foreboding of M. de Sully was verified, for within a few days of the
+interview just recorded between the King and Madame de Verneuil, and
+during the continuance of his estrangement from his wife, it soon became
+known that the favourite had re-assumed her empire. In vain did the
+mortified minister protest against this new weakness, and assure his
+royal master that it could not fail to increase the anger and
+indignation of Marie de Medicis; Henry only replied by asserting that
+when Sully should have succeeded in inducing the Queen to change her
+humour and to exert herself to please him, instead of persisting in
+closeting herself with her foreign followers, and permitting them to
+criticise his conduct and to aggravate his defects, he would forthwith
+relinquish his _liaison_ with the Marquise. Such an answer, however, did
+not check the zeal of his anxious adviser; who, fearful lest this last
+schism should prove more important than those by which it had been
+preceded, and undeterred even by the impatience with which the King
+listened to his representations, persisted in assailing him with
+arguments, remonstrances, and warnings, peculiarly unpalatable at all
+times, but especially so at the very moment in which he had effected a
+reconciliation with the favourite that promised a renewal of the
+entertaining intercourse whence he derived so much gratification.
+
+"You have now, Sire," resolutely urged the undaunted counsellor, "an
+admirable opportunity of terminating in a manner worthy of your exalted
+rank the difficulty by which you are beset, and of ensuring your own
+future tranquillity. Assume the authority which appertains to you as a
+sovereign; compel the Queen to silence; above all, strictly forbid her
+any longer to indulge in public in those idle murmurs and lamentations
+by which your dignity suffers so severely in the eyes of your subjects;
+and visit with the most condign punishment every disrespectful word of
+which others may be guilty either towards yourself or her. This effort,
+Sire, will be insignificant beside others which you have made, and in
+which your personal tranquillity was not involved; be no less courageous
+in your own cause, and do not suffer your reputation to be tarnished by
+a weakness incomprehensible in so great and powerful a monarch. By
+exacting the consideration and obedience which are your due, you are
+guilty of no tyranny; for it is the indisputable privilege of every
+crowned head to enforce both. Let me then entreat of your Majesty at
+once to assert yourself, and thus put a period to the domestic
+differences by which the whole Court is convulsed."
+
+"Your advice may be good," was the evasive reply of the King, "but you
+do not yet understand me, or you would be aware that I cannot bring
+myself to exercise severity against persons with whom I am in habits of
+familiar intercourse, and especially against a woman."
+
+"In that case, Sire," said Sully, "you have but one alternative. Exile
+your mistress from the Court, and make the required concessions to
+the Queen."
+
+"I am prepared to do so," said Henry hastily, "if, in return for this
+sacrifice on my part, she will pledge herself no longer to annoy me by
+her jealousy and violence, and to meet me in the same spirit; but I have
+little hope of such a result: she is perfectly unable to exercise the
+necessary self-command, and is perpetually mistaking the impulse of
+temper for that of reason. Her intolerance and rancour forbid all
+prospect of sincere harmony between us. She is perpetually threatening
+with her vengeance every woman upon whom I chance to turn my eyes; and
+even the children of Gabrielle, who were in being before her arrival in
+the kingdom, are as hateful to her as though she had been personally
+injured by their birth; nor have I the least reason to anticipate that
+she will ever overcome so irrational an antipathy. Nor can she be won by
+kindness and indulgence. Not only have I ever treated her with the
+respect and deference due to the Queen of a great nation, but even in
+moments of pecuniary pressure I have been careful, not merely to supply
+her wants, but also to satisfy her caprices; and that too when I was
+aware that the sums thus bestowed were to be squandered upon the Italian
+rabble whose incessant study it has been to poison her mind against both
+myself and her adopted country. Would to Heaven, Rosny, that I had
+followed your advice on her arrival, and compelled the mischievous cabal
+to recross the Alps; but it is now too late for such regrets; and if you
+can indeed succeed in inducing the Queen to become more amenable to my
+wishes, and more indulgent to my errors, Ventre Saint-Gris! you will
+effect a good work, in which I shall be ready to second you. But mark,
+you must do this apparently upon your own responsibility, and be careful
+not to let her learn that I have authorized such a measure, or you will
+only defeat your own purpose, and render her more impracticable than
+ever." [237]
+
+Such was the unsatisfactory result of the effort made by the minister to
+reconcile the royal couple; while, in addition to all his other
+anxieties, he found himself placed in a position at once so difficult
+and so dangerous that he was at a loss how to proceed, until a
+circumstance fortunately occurred of which he hastened to avail himself.
+In exchanging the petty Court of Florence for that of France, Marie had
+speedily emancipated herself from the compulsory economy to which she
+had been accustomed from her childhood, and had become reckless in her
+expenditure to an excess which constantly disturbed the equanimity of
+the prudent minister of finance. The current expenses of her household
+amounted annually to the sum of three hundred and forty-five thousand
+livres, an enormous outlay for that period; while she was so lavish to
+her favourites that she was constantly applying for further supplies;
+and on one occasion, when these were withheld, had actually pawned the
+crown jewels, which it was necessary to redeem by a disbursement from
+the public treasury. In addition to these resources, her income was also
+considerably increased by gratuities, bribes from contracting
+parties,[238] and edicts created in her favour; the last of which were
+peculiarly obnoxious to Sully, from the fact of their harassing the
+people without any national benefit; and it was accordingly with great
+reluctance, and frequently not without expostulation, that he was
+induced to countersign these documents.
+
+The circumstance to which we have alluded as affording to Sully an
+opening for the delicate negotiation with which he was entrusted by the
+King, was an offer made to Marie de Medicis of the sum of eighty
+thousand livres in the event of her causing an edict to be issued in
+favour of the officials of the salt-works of Languedoc, which she
+forthwith despatched to the minister by M. d'Argouges,[239] with a
+request that he would use his influence to obtain it.
+
+Having made himself acquainted with the nature and tendency of the
+edict, M. de Sully desired the messenger to inform her Majesty that he
+was of opinion that the sovereign might safely authorize its operation
+without any injury to the public interests; but added that he feared the
+moment was an unpropitious one as regarded the Queen herself, the King
+being still deeply offended by some of her recent proceedings; nor would
+he advise her to venture upon such an application until she had
+succeeded in disarming his anger; for which purpose he respectfully
+suggested that she should endeavour to conciliate her royal consort by
+some concession, which he would exert all his ability to enhance in the
+eyes of his master, and in every way endeavour to advance her interests
+as he had already done on several previous occasions.
+
+Marie, eager to possess herself of the large sum thus proffered for her
+acceptance, consented to follow his advice; and decided upon addressing
+a letter to the King, expressive of her regret at the coldness which
+existed between them, and of her willingness to meet his wishes should
+he condescend to explain them.
+
+This letter having been read and approved by the finance minister was
+forthwith forwarded from Fontainebleau, where Marie de Medicis was then
+residing, to the King at Paris; but it was not without a struggle that
+the Queen had compelled herself to such an act of self-abnegation, and
+her courier was no sooner despatched than she complained in bitter terms
+to M. de Sully of the humiliations to which she was subjected by the
+infatuation of the monarch for Madame de Verneuil; declaring that she
+could never submit to look with favour or indulgence upon a woman who
+had the presumption to institute comparisons between herself and her
+sovereign; who was rearing her children with all the pretensions of
+Princes of the Blood Royal, and encouraging them in demonstrations of
+disrespect towards her own person; and who was, moreover, fomenting
+sedition, by encouraging the discontented nobles to manifestations of
+disloyalty to their monarch; while the King, blinded by his passion,
+made no effort to rebuke, or even to restrain, her impertinence.
+
+The minister listened calmly and respectfully to these outpourings of
+her indignation, but assured her in reply that it only depended upon
+herself to annihilate the influence of the favourite, by a system of
+consideration for the feelings of her royal consort of which she had not
+hitherto condescended to test the efficacy. He, moreover, implored her
+to make the trial; and represented so forcibly the benefit which must
+accrue to herself by a restoration of domestic peace, that she at length
+admitted the justice of his arguments, and pledged herself to
+accelerate, by every means in her power, a full and perfect
+reconciliation.
+
+Gratified by this almost unhoped-for success, Sully shortly afterwards
+withdrew; and the reply of the King to the letter which she had
+addressed to him was delivered to Marie when she was surrounded only by
+her own private circle. It was at once courteous and conciliatory; and
+it is probable that, had it arrived before the departure of the Duke, it
+would have been acknowledged in the same spirit; but, unfortunately, the
+Queen had no sooner communicated its contents to her confidential
+friends than she was met by the assurance that the monarch had, on the
+receipt of her missive, carried it to the Marquise, where her credulity
+had excited great amusement, an assertion which was followed by other
+commentaries so distasteful to her pride, that, instead of persevering
+in the prudent course which she had been induced to adopt, she haughtily
+informed the royal courier by whom the letter had been brought that she
+should entrust him with no written reply, but should expect his Majesty
+on the following day according to his own appointment.
+
+This marked and impolitic demonstration of disrespect excited anew the
+resentment of Henry, who openly expressed his indignation in the most
+unmeasured terms, and that so publicly, that within a few hours Marie
+was informed of every particular; and the breach which Sully had fondly
+flattered himself that he was about to heal became wider and more
+threatening than ever.[240]
+
+Meanwhile the commerce of the King and the favourite was far from
+affording to the former all the gratification which he had anticipated
+from its renewal. The coquetry--to designate it by no harsher term--of
+Madame de Verneuil irritated the jealousy of the monarch, who could not
+forget that she had taunted him with his advancing age, and who saw her
+unblushingly encourage the admiration and attention of such of the
+courtiers as she could induce to brave his displeasure; while her lavish
+expenditure and unceasing demands, alike upon his patience and his
+purse, involved him in perpetual difficulties with his finance minister,
+which her extravagant attempts to assume the airs and to usurp the
+privileges of quasi-royalty did not tend to diminish.
+
+The French King was, in fact, at this period, the victim of his own
+vices; the sovereign of a great and powerful nation, without a home or a
+hearth, a wifeless husband, and a discontented lover; tenderly attached
+to all his children, and yet unable to confer a favour upon the
+offspring of one mother without incurring the resentment of the other;
+and while feeling himself degraded by the thrall in which he lived,
+totally devoid of the moral courage necessary for his escape from so
+disgraceful a bondage.
+
+It is in moments such as these that virtue and honour assert their
+well-earned privileges without even the effort of enforcing them. Weary
+of his perpetual discomfort, harassed by the heartless conduct of his
+mistress, and pining for the mental repose which he so greatly needed,
+Henry once more turned towards his wife as his only probable and
+legitimate haven of rest; but hopeless of success through his own
+agency, he again addressed himself to Sully for assistance and support.
+
+Suddenly summoned by the monarch, the minister presented himself at the
+Tuileries, where he found Henry in the orangery, in which he had taken
+refuge from a shower of rain, pale, agitated, and anxious. The subject
+of his reconciliation with the Queen was mooted on the instant, and he
+repeatedly called upon Sully for his advice as to the best and surest
+method of effecting it. Conscious that his counsels had hitherto been
+either disregarded or rendered abortive by the King himself, the Duke
+endeavoured to escape this new demand upon his patience, but Henry was
+peremptory.
+
+"Since then you command me to speak, Sire," he said at length, "I will
+be frank. In order to accomplish the object which you have in view, you
+can only pursue one course. Put the sea between yourself and four or
+five individuals by whom you are now beset, and cause as many others to
+pass the Alps."
+
+"Your first suggestion is practicable," was the reply; "there is nothing
+to prevent me from banishing the malcontents who are conspiring in my
+very Court, but I am differently situated with regard to the Italians;
+for, in addition to the hatred which I should draw down upon myself from
+a nation proverbially vindictive, the Queen would never forgive an
+affront offered to her favourites. In order to free myself from these
+she must be induced herself to propose their return to their own
+country, and I know no one more likely than you, Rosny, to effect an
+object at once so desirable and so important. Make the attempt,
+therefore; and should you succeed, I pledge myself from that moment to
+abstain from every intrigue of gallantry. Reflect upon what I have
+suggested in my turn, and consider the means by which this may be
+accomplished with the least possible delay."
+
+So saying, the King, after ascertaining that the weather had again
+cleared, abruptly quitted the orangery, leaving M. de Sully perfectly
+aghast at the new duty which had thus been suddenly thrust upon him.
+
+As it was utterly impossible to propose such a measure to Marie de
+Medicis as that of dismissing her most favoured attendants until a
+perfect reconciliation had been effected between the royal couple, it
+was to that object that the prudent minister first turned his attention;
+and so successful did he ultimately prove, that after a brief
+correspondence the King and Queen had an interview, during which the
+whole of their recent misunderstanding was calmly discussed, and
+declared by both parties to have been occasioned by the ill-judged
+interference of those by whom they were severally surrounded; nor did
+they separate until they had mutually pledged themselves to consign the
+past to oblivion, and thenceforward to close their ears against all the
+gossiping of the Court.
+
+The effect produced by this matrimonial truce (for it was unfortunately
+nothing more, and lasted only for the short space of three weeks) was of
+the most happy description. Nothing was seen or heard of save projects
+of amusement, which, not content with absorbing the present, extended
+also into the future. This calm, like those by which it had been
+preceded, was not, however, fated to realize the hopes of either party.
+Henry was too much addicted to pleasure to fulfil his part of the
+compact, while the Queen had, unhappily for her own peace, so long
+accustomed herself to listen to the comments and complaints of her
+favourites, that it was not long ere they found her as well disposed as
+she had previously been to lend a willing ear to their communications.
+In Madame de Verneuil they, of course, possessed a fruitful topic; and
+as Marie, despite all her good resolutions, could not restrain her
+curiosity with regard to the proceedings of this obnoxious personage,
+she ere long betrayed her knowledge of the new affronts to which she had
+been subjected by the Marquise.
+
+The result of this unfortunate enlightenment was such as, from her
+impulsive character, might justly have been anticipated. She no sooner
+found herself in the society of the King than she once more assailed
+him with invectives and reproaches which he was of no temper to brook;
+and in this new dilemma Sully resolved, as a last and crowning effort to
+establish peace, to suggest to Marie that as her happiness had again
+been destroyed solely by the evil tongues about her, she should secure
+to herself the gratitude and affection of her royal consort by
+dismissing all her Italian household, and surrounding herself entirely
+by French friends and attendants.
+
+The indignation of the Queen at this proposal was beyond the reach of
+all argument. She declared herself to be sufficiently unhappy separated
+from her family, and neglected by her husband, without driving from her
+presence, almost with ignominy, the few persons who still remained
+faithful to her interests, and who sincerely sympathized in her
+sufferings; and although the Duke ventured again and again to recur to
+the subject, and always with the same earnestness, Marie continued to
+reject his counsel as steadily as when it was first offered.[241]
+
+The new attachment felt or feigned by the King for Mademoiselle de la
+Bourdaisière had again awakened her jealousy; and she complained with
+equal reason that Henry, even while indulging in this new passion, made
+no attempt to restrain the arrogance and bitterness of the forsaken
+favourite. Nor was Madame de Verneuil less indignant than the Queen;
+for even while affecting an extreme devotion, and surrounding herself
+with ecclesiastics, who, not content with labouring to effect her
+salvation, were also feeding her vanity with the most fulsome
+panegyrics, she could ill brook to see herself so easily forgotten; and
+once more she indulged in such indecent liberties with the name of Marie
+de Medicis that the King, whose patience was the more easily exhausted
+from the fact that he believed himself to be at last independent of her
+fascinations, was again driven to resort to the assistance of M. de
+Sully, in order to compel the restoration of the written promise of
+marriage which he had been weak enough to place in her hands.
+
+It was, indeed, impossible for the sovereign of a great nation longer to
+temporize with an insolence which at this period had exceeded all
+endurable limits; for not only did the Marquise assert, as she had
+previously done, the illegality of the King's union with his wife, but
+so thoroughly had her affected devotion wrought upon the minds of the
+priests about her that several among them were induced to support her
+pretended claim, and even publicly to declare the bans of marriage
+between herself and the monarch.[242] Among these, two Capuchins, Father
+Hilaire of Grenoble and Father Archange, her confessors, the last in
+France, and the first in Rome, attached themselves recklessly to her
+interests,[243] while at the same time numerous letters and pamphlets
+were distributed in the capital, advocating her cause;[244] and so
+dangerously active had the cabal become in the Eternal City that the
+Cardinal d'Ossat considered it expedient to address a letter to the
+French Government upon the subject, which implicated in this wild
+conspiracy both the King of Spain and the Duke of Savoy, who, through
+the agency of Father Hilaire, were represented as upholding the
+pretensions of Madame de Verneuil. These circumstances, and especially
+the notoriety of a fact which involved alike the dignity of her husband
+and her own honour, so greatly exasperated the temper of the Queen that
+she no longer attempted to control her irritation; and on one occasion
+when, as was constantly the case, the pretended claim of the Marquise
+became the subject of discord between the royal couple, Marie so
+thoroughly forgot the respect which she owed to the King that she raised
+her hand to strike him. Fortunately, however, for both parties, the Duc
+de Sully, who was present during the altercation, and who instantly
+detected her intention, sprang forward and seized her arm; but in his
+haste he was compelled to do this so roughly that she afterwards
+declared he had given her a blow, adding, however, that she was grateful
+to him for having thus preserved her from a worse evil.
+
+So great, indeed, was her sense of the obligation thus conferred, that
+thenceforward Marie regarded the finance minister with more favour than
+she had hitherto done; and occasionally requested his advice during her
+misunderstandings with the King. She could not have chosen a safer
+counsellor, for although Sully does not, in any instance, attempt to
+disguise his dislike to the Tuscan princess, he was incapable of
+betraying so sacred a trust; and if, as generally occurs in such cases,
+his advice was frequently neglected, she never once had cause to
+question its propriety.
+
+A short time subsequent to the scene we have just described the Queen
+sent to request the presence of the minister in her closet, where he
+found her conversing with Concini, and evidently much excited. On his
+entrance she informed him that she was weary of the infidelities of the
+monarch; that the jealousy which he constantly kept alive alike
+undermined her health and destroyed her happiness; and that she had
+determined to follow the advice of her faithful servant, there present,
+and to communicate to his Majesty certain advances which had been made
+to her by some of the Court nobles, who were less insensible to her
+attractions than the King himself.
+
+This communication startled M. de Sully; and while he was endeavouring
+to frame a reply by which he might remain uncompromised, Concini with
+his usual presumption followed up the declaration of the Queen by
+asserting his own conviction that it was the wisest measure which she
+could adopt; as it would at once convince her royal consort that she
+desired to keep nothing secret from him in which he was personally
+interested.
+
+This interruption afforded time for the Duke to collect his thoughts,
+and heedless of the interference of the Italian, he remarked in his turn
+that her Majesty must pardon him if he declined to offer any opinion on
+so delicate a question, as it was one entirely beyond his province;
+after which, resolutely changing the tone of the discourse, he continued
+to converse with the Queen upon indifferent topics until Concini had
+retired. Then, however, he voluntarily reverted to the subject which she
+had herself mooted, and implored her to abandon her design; assuring her
+that he had her interest too sincerely at heart to see her without
+anxiety about to place herself in a position at once false and
+dangerous, as such an assurance from her own lips could not fail to
+excite in the breast of the King the greatest and most legitimate
+suspicions; for every man of sense must at once feel that no individual,
+be his rank what it might, would have dared to declare his passion to a
+person of her exalted condition without having previously ascertained
+that its expression would be agreeable to her, and having been tacitly
+encouraged to do so; while, on the other hand, so far from discovering
+any merit in such an avowal, or regarding it as a proof of confidence,
+his Majesty would immediately decide that the motive by which she had
+been actuated in making it must have been either the fear of discovery,
+or a desire to rid herself of persons of whom she had become weary, in
+order that she might be left at liberty to encourage new suitors; or
+finally, that she had been urged to this unheard-of measure by
+individuals who had obtained sufficient influence over her mind to
+induce her to sacrifice her peace and her honour to their own
+views.[245]
+
+Happily for herself, Marie de Medicis admitted the validity of these
+arguments, and abandoned her ill-advised intention; and she was the more
+readily induced to do this from the assurance which she received from M.
+de Sully that the restoration of the promise given to Madame de Verneuil
+by the King was about to be enforced, and that she would consequently be
+speedily relieved from the anxiety by which she had been so long
+tormented. Nor was the pledge an idle one, as immediate measures were
+adopted to effect this act of justice towards the Queen. The negotiation
+was renewed by two autograph letters from the King himself, addressed
+respectively to the Comte d'Entragues and the Marquise de Verneuil,
+which were long preserved in the library of Joly de Fleury, but are now
+supposed to be lost. Copies of both had been, however, fortunately taken
+by the Abbé de l'Ecluse,[246] and as they are highly characteristic of
+the monarch, and cannot fail to prove interesting to the reader, we
+shall insert them at length.
+
+To M. d'Entragues the King wrote as follows:
+
+"M. d'Entragues, je vous envoye ce porteur pour me rapporter la promesse
+que je vous baillay a Malesherbes je vous prys ne faillir de me la
+renvoyer et si vous voulez me la rapporter vous mesme je vous diray les
+raisons qui m'y poussent qui sont domestiques et non d'estat par
+lesquelles vous direz que jay raison et reconnaitrez que vous avez été
+trompé, et que jay un naturel plutost trop bon que autrement, massurant
+que vous obeyrez à mon commandement, je finirai vous assurant que je
+suis votre bon mestre."
+
+The letter addressed to Madame de Verneuil bears the same date, and runs
+thus:
+
+"Mademoiselle, lamour, Ihonneur et les bienfaits que vous avez reçus de
+moi, eussent arrêté la plus legere ame du monde si elle n'eut point été
+accompagnée d'un mauvais naturel comme le vostre. Je ne vous picqueray
+davantage bien que je le peusse et dusse fair, vous le savez: je vous
+prie de me renvoyer la promesse que savez et ne me donnez point la peine
+de la revoir par autre voye: renvoyez moi aussi la bague que je vous
+rendis l'autre jour: voilà le sujet de cette lettre, de laquelle je
+veux avoir réponse à minuit."
+
+These specimens of royal eloquence were unavailing; evasive answers were
+returned by the King's messenger, and entreaties having proved
+ineffectual, threats were subsequently substituted, upon which the
+arrogant Marquise was ultimately induced to relinquish her claim to
+ascend the throne of France, on condition that she should, at the moment
+of delivering up the document, receive in exchange the sum of twenty
+thousand silver crowns and the promise of a marshal's _bâton_ for her
+father the Comte d'Entragues, who had never been upon a field of battle.
+This condition, onerous as it appears, was accepted; and the father of
+the lady finally, but with evident reluctance, restored the pernicious
+document to the King in the presence of the Comte de Soissons and the
+Duc de Montpensier, MM. de Bellièvre, de Sillery, de Maisse,[247] de
+Jeannin, de Gêvres,[248] and de Villeroy, by whom it was verified, and
+who signed a declaration to this effect,[249] although it was afterwards
+proved[250] that D'Entragues had only delivered into the hands of Henry
+a well-executed copy of the paper, while he himself retained
+the original.
+
+This ceremony over, the Marquise was commanded to leave the Court, and
+for a short time peace was perfectly restored. The King had already
+become weary of his new conquest, and the hand of Mademoiselle de la
+Bourdaisière was bestowed upon a needy and complaisant courtier; but
+still the absence of the brilliant favourite, despite all her insolence,
+left a void in the existence of Henry which no legitimate affection
+sufficed to fill, and it was consequently not long ere he became
+enamoured of Mademoiselle de Bueil,[251] a young beauty who had recently
+appeared at Court in the suite of the Princesse de Condé. The
+extraordinary loveliness of the youthful orphan at once riveted the
+attention of the King, and her own inexperience made her, in so
+licentious a Court as that of Henri IV, an easy victim, so easy, indeed,
+that the libertine monarch did not even affect towards her the same
+consideration which he had shown to his former favourites, although her
+extraordinary personal perfections sufficed to render her society at
+this period indispensable to him.
+
+It was not long ere the exiled favourite was apprised of this new
+infidelity, yet such was her reliance upon her own power over the
+passions of the King that she affected to treat it with contempt; but
+although she scorned to admit that she could feel any dread of being
+supplanted by a rival, after-events tended to prove that she was by no
+means so indifferent to the circumstance as she endeavoured to appear,
+and being as vindictive in her hate as she was unmeasured in her
+ambition, she could not forgive the double insult which had been offered
+to her pride. Forgetting the excesses of which she had been guilty, and
+the forbearance of the King, not only towards her faults, but even
+towards her vices, she determined on revenge, and unhappily she felt
+that the means were within her reach.
+
+The Comte d'Auvergne, although he had been a second time pardoned by
+Henry, who was ever too ready to receive him into favour, and was wont
+to declare that although he was a _prodigal son_ he could never make up
+his mind to see the offspring of his King and brother-in-law perish upon
+a scaffold,[252] was devotedly attached to his sister, and of an
+intriguing spirit which delighted in every species of cabal and
+conspiracy; while François de Balzac d'Entragues, her father,
+overlooking the fact that he had himself become the husband of a woman
+whose reputation was lost before their marriage, talked loudly of the
+dishonour which the King had brought upon his family, and moreover
+resented, with great reason, an attempt made by Henry to seduce his
+younger daughter, Marie de Balzac.
+
+For this lady, who subsequently became the mistress of Bassompierre, the
+King conceived so violent a passion that, although at that period in his
+fiftieth year, he did not hesitate to assume the disguise of a peasant
+in order to meet her in the forest of Verneuil. The appointment had,
+however, become known to M. d'Entragues, who, exasperated by this second
+affront, and indignant at the persevering licentiousness of the monarch,
+stationed himself with fifteen devoted adherents in different quarters
+of the wood in order to take his life. Happily for Henry, he was well
+mounted, and on being attacked, defended himself so resolutely that he
+escaped almost by a miracle.
+
+The disappointment of M. d'Entragues at this failure was so great that
+he compelled his daughter to propose another meeting in a solitary spot
+which he indicated, and where he made every preparation to secure the
+assassination of the imprudent monarch; but although she despatched the
+letter containing the assignation, Marie de Balzac found means to
+apprise her royal lover of the reception which awaited him, and he
+consequently failed to keep the appointment.[253] That the Comte
+d'Entragues, twice foiled in his meditated vengeance, should lend
+himself willingly to any conspiracy against the honour and life of his
+sovereign, is consequently scarcely surprising, when we remember how
+many nobles had in turn caballed against Henri IV with scarcely a
+pretext for their disloyalty; and meanwhile Madame de Verneuil, fully
+conscious of the hatred of Philip of Spain for the French King, had no
+sooner resolved upon revenge than she at once turned her attention
+towards that monarch, and by exciting his worst passions succeeded in
+securing his support. She found an able and zealous coadjutor in Don
+Balthazar de Zuñiga, the Spanish Ambassador at the Court of France;
+while her step-brother, the Comte d'Auvergne, was no less successful
+with the Duke of Savoy, who, like Philip III, was never more happy than
+when he discovered and profited by an opportunity of harassing the
+French sovereign.
+
+This conspiracy, as absurd as it was criminal, was, moreover, supported
+by many of the discontented nobles who had never pardoned Henry for the
+suppression of the League; and, wild as such a project cannot fail to
+appear in these days, we have the authority of Amelot de la
+Houssaye[254] for the fact that the Comte d'Auvergne had induced Philip
+by a secret treaty to promise his assistance in placing Henri de
+Bourbon, the son of Henri IV and Madame de Verneuil, on the throne of
+France, to the detriment of the legitimate offspring of Marie
+de Medicis.
+
+In the act by which Philip bound himself thus to recognise the pretended
+claim of the Marquise, he also gave a pledge to furnish her with five
+hundred thousand livres in money, and to despatch the Spanish troops
+which at that moment occupied Catalonia to support the disaffected
+French subjects who might be induced to join the cabal in Guienne and
+Languedoc.
+
+Report also said that M. d'Auvergne, not satisfied with this attempt to
+undermine the throne of Henri IV, had formed a design against his life,
+but the rumour obtained no credit even from his enemies.[255]
+
+Whatever extenuation may be found for Madame de Verneuil in such an
+attempt as this; whatever indulgence may be conceded to a woman baffled
+in her ambition, misled by her confidence in a supposititious claim, and
+urged on by a blind and uncalculating affection for her children, it is
+difficult to find any excuse for the persevering ingratitude of her
+step-brother. As regards M. d'Entragues, we have already shown that he
+had more than sufficient cause for seeking revenge upon a monarch who
+sacrificed every important consideration to the passion of the moment;
+but the Comte d'Auvergne had experienced nothing save indulgence from
+Henry, and it was consequently in cold blood that he organized a
+conspiracy, which, had it succeeded, must have plunged the whole nation
+into civil war. He was, moreover, the more culpable that he had, in
+order to secure a pardon for his previous participation in the crime of
+Biron, assured the too-credulous monarch, that in the event of his
+restoration to favour, he would, if permitted to continue his
+intercourse with Philip of Spain as unrestrictedly as heretofore, profit
+by the facility thus afforded to him to reveal to his Majesty all the
+secrets of the Spanish Government.
+
+There can be no doubt that such a proposal must have startled and even
+disgusted the frank nature of the French King; but it was nevertheless
+too tempting to be rejected; and he himself avowed to Sully, when the
+new conspiracy of D'Auvergne became known to him, that it was less by
+the prayers of the culprit's sister, and by his own consideration for
+the children whom she had borne to him, than in the hope that he might,
+through the medium of the Count, be enabled to counteract the measures
+of his most subtle and dangerous enemy, that he had been induced on that
+occasion to pardon his disloyalty.[256]
+
+By this unwise and ill-calculated concession the King had afforded an
+opportunity to the restless and disaffected noble of pursuing a
+correspondence with Philip as dangerous as it was convenient. Couriers
+were permitted to come and go unquestioned; and it was not long ere
+every measure of the French Cabinet was as intimately known at Madrid as
+it was in the Privy Council of Henry himself. This evil was, moreover,
+increased by the unconditional pardon which had enabled M. d'Auvergne,
+after his strange and degrading offer, to return to the Court; and he
+profited so eagerly by the opportunity which was thus afforded to him
+that he had little difficulty in convincing the false and vindictive
+Philip that the moment was at length come in which he might overthrow
+the power of the sovereign whom he hated.
+
+M. de Loménie, however, who, unaware of the promise made by the Count to
+Henry, became uneasy at the constant communication which the former
+maintained with the Court of Spain, at length determined to satisfy
+himself as to its nature, and for this purpose he intercepted some
+letters, by which he instantly became convinced of the treason meditated
+against his royal master. Indignant at the discovery which supervened,
+he suffered his displeasure to reach the ears of the culprit, who
+forthwith quitted the capital, and hastened to secure himself from
+arrest in Auvergne, of which province he was the governor, and where he
+made instant preparations to leave the kingdom should such a step become
+necessary.
+
+It was consequently in vain that the King, when informed of the
+circumstance, despatched the Sieur d'Escures[257] to summon the Count
+to his presence in order that he might justify himself. D'Auvergne
+resolutely refused to quit his retreat until he had received a formal
+promise from the sovereign that he should be absolved from all blame of
+whatever description, and received by his Majesty with his accustomed
+favour, alleging as a pretext for making this demand, that he was on bad
+terms with all the Princes of the Blood, with the Grand Equerry, and
+even with his sister, Madame de Verneuil, and that he could not make
+head against such a host of enemies except he were supported by
+the King.
+
+The expostulations of the royal messenger were fruitless, the Count
+being more fully alive to the danger of his position than M. d'Escures
+himself; and to every argument and denegation of the anxious envoy he
+consequently replied by saying that it was useless to urge him to
+compromise his safety while he felt certain that his ruin had been
+decided upon, a fact of which he was convinced from the circumstance of
+his having received no letter from any of the intimate friends of the
+King since he had withdrawn from the Court, while he was sufficiently
+acquainted with the bad disposition of Madame de Verneuil to be assured
+that in the event of her being enabled to effect a reconciliation with
+the monarch at his expense, she would not scruple to sacrifice his
+interests to her own.
+
+The embassy of M. d'Escures thus signally failed, and instead of
+furthering the purpose for which it was intended, it produced a totally
+opposite effect, as, warned by this attempt to regain possession of his
+person, it induced M. d'Auvergne to adopt the most extraordinary
+precautions. He from that moment not only refused to enter any town or
+village where he might be surprised, but he also declined to hold any
+intercourse even with his most familiar friends save on a highway, or in
+some plain or forest where the means of escape were easy; and when
+hunting, a sport to which he was passionately attached, and which was at
+that period the only relaxation he could enjoy with safety, he caused
+videttes to be stationed upon the surrounding heights, who were
+instructed to apprise him by a concerted signal of the approach of
+strangers.[258]
+
+All his caution was, however, vain, his capture being an object of too
+much importance to the King, at the present conjuncture, to be readily
+relinquished, and accordingly it was at length effected by a stratagem.
+By the advice of the Duc de Sully, this enterprise was entrusted to M.
+Murat,[259] who associated with himself M. de Nérestan[260] and the
+Vicomte de Pont-Château, who, by his instructions, paid several visits
+to the Count at his château of Borderon near Clermont, without,
+however, inducing him to quit its walls.
+
+These gentlemen, nevertheless, made themselves so agreeable to the
+self-exiled conspirator, and listened so patiently to his complaints,
+that their society became at last necessary to him, and so thoroughly
+did they succeed in gaining his confidence that they finally experienced
+little difficulty in persuading him to be present at a review of the
+light cavalry of the Duc de Vendôme, of which he was the
+colonel-general, and which was about to take place in a little plain
+between Clermont and Nonant. He accordingly proceeded to the spot with
+only two attendants, and he was no sooner seen approaching than M. de
+Nérestan and the Vicomte de Pont-Château advanced from the ranks,
+apparently to welcome him, but on reaching his side, the latter seized
+the bridle of his horse, while his companion arrested him in the name of
+the King.[261] Resistance was of course impossible, and thus the Comte
+d'Auvergne, despite all his precautions, found himself a prisoner.
+
+L'Etoile,[262] with a _naïveté_ well calculated to provoke a smile of
+pity, calls this a "brave" and subtle stratagem; on its subtlety we may
+be silent, but we leave alike its courage and its honesty to the
+judgment of our readers. Sully admits[263] that not only the two
+captors, but even Murat himself, who had an ancient grudge against
+D'Auvergne, spared no pains or deceit to insinuate themselves into his
+confidence, while it is equally certain that it was to his perfect faith
+in their professions that he owed his capture.
+
+Having secured their prisoner, M. Murat and his coadjutors caused him to
+deliver up his sword, and to exchange the powerful charger upon which he
+was mounted for a road-hack that had been prepared for him, upon which
+he proceeded under a strong guard to Briare, whence he was conducted in
+a carriage to Montargis, and, finally, conveyed in a boat to Paris.
+During this enforced journey his gaiety never deserted him, nor did he
+appear to entertain the slightest apprehension as to the result of his
+imprisonment; throughout the whole of the way he jested, drank, and
+laughed, as though his return to the capital had been voluntary; and
+when he was finally met at the gates of the city by M. de la Chevalerie,
+the lieutenant-governor of the Bastille, he was in such exuberant
+spirits that the astounded official deemed it expedient to remind him
+that they had not come together to dance a ballet, but for a totally
+different purpose.[264]
+
+It was only when he found himself conducted to the very chamber which
+had been occupied by the Maréchal de Biron previous to his execution,
+that a shade of anguish passed over the features of the Count. He could
+not but remember that the traitor-Duke, who had rendered great and good
+service to his sovereign, had suffered for the same crime of which he
+was in his turn accused without any such plea for mercy, and it is
+therefore scarcely surprising that he should have been startled upon
+finding himself installed as the successor of the condemned marshal.
+
+M. d'Auvergne was not, however, of a temperament long to yield to gloomy
+ideas, and consequently, while his unhappy wife[265] was lost in tears,
+and endeavouring by every exertion in her power to save him from a fate
+which appeared inevitable, he availed himself to the utmost of the
+leniency of his jailors, and indulged in every luxury and amusement
+which he was enabled to command. Agonised by her apprehensions, the
+unhappy Countess at length resolved to throw herself at the feet of the
+King, where, with a humility which contrasted strangely with the
+unbending arrogance of her sister-in-law, Madame de Verneuil, she
+besought in the most touching terms that Henry would spare the life of
+her husband, and once more pardon his crime. Her earnest supplications
+evidently affected the King, while Marie de Medicis, who was present,
+wept with the heart-broken wife, and warmly seconded her petition, but
+the monarch, who probably feared the result of such an act of mercy,
+having raised her from her knees with a gentle kindness which made her
+tears flow afresh, led her to the side of the Queen, upon whose arm he
+placed his hand as he said firmly: "Deeply, Madame, do I pity you, and
+sympathize in your suffering, but were I to grant what you ask, I must
+necessarily admit my wife to be impure, my son a bastard, and my kingdom
+the prey of my enemies."
+
+All, therefore, that the Countess could obtain was the royal permission
+to communicate with her husband, a concession of which she hastened to
+take advantage; when, in reply to her anxious inquiry as to what he
+desired of her, she received by her messenger the heartless reply that
+she might send him a good stock of cheese and mustard, and that she need
+not trouble herself about anything else.[266]
+
+The intercepted letters of the Comte d'Auvergne having also implicated
+his stepfather M. d'Entragues, and his sister Madame de Verneuil, both
+were subsequently arrested; the former by the Provost Defunctis[267] in
+his castle of Marcoussis, and the latter at her residence in the
+Faubourg St. Germain; while her children were taken from her, and sent,
+under a proper escort, to the palace of St. Germain-en-Laye. So
+important did it, moreover, appear to the French ministers to ascertain
+the exact extent of the conspiracy, that the Provost was accompanied to
+Marcoussis by M. de Loménie, in order that a search might be instituted
+upon the premises; the result of which tended to prove, beyond all
+possibility of doubt, that the original engagement delivered by the
+father of the Marquise to the sovereign had, in fact, not been restored,
+but had been skilfully copied by some able pen; while the importance
+which was still attached to the real document by the family of Madame de
+Verneuil may be gathered from the fact that it was discovered by the
+Secretary of State in a glass bottle, carefully sealed and enclosed
+within a second, which was laid upon a heap of cotton and built up in a
+wall of one of the apartments. Nor was this the only object of
+importance found in the possession of M. d'Entragues; as, together with
+the promise of marriage which he had professed to restore to the King,
+M. de Loménie likewise discovered, secreted with equal care, sundry
+letters, the treaty between Philip of Spain and the conspirators, and
+the cypher which had been employed in their correspondence.[268]
+
+From these documents it was ascertained that the King of Spain had
+stipulated on oath that, on the condition of Madame de Verneuil
+confiding her son to his guardianship, he should be immediately
+recognized as Dauphin of France, and heir to the throne of that kingdom;
+while five fortresses in the territory of Portugal should be placed at
+his disposal, and subjected to his authority, as places of refuge should
+such a precaution become necessary. A similar provision was, moreover,
+made for the Marquise herself; and an income amounting to twenty
+thousand pounds English was also promised to the quasi-Prince for the
+support of his household.
+
+Nor was this domestic arrangement by any means the most important
+feature of the conspiracy, as appointments, both civil and military,
+involving considerable pecuniary advantages, were also promised to the
+Comte d'Auvergne and his stepfather; and a simultaneous invasion was
+arranged by the Duke of Savoy in Provence, the Condé de Fuentes[269] in
+Burgundy, and Spinola[270] in Champagne.
+
+On the 11th of December M. d'Entragues was conveyed in a close carriage
+to the prison of the Conciergerie at Paris, accompanied by his son M. de
+Marcoussis on horseback, but without a single attendant; and he was in
+confinement for a considerable time before he was allowed either fire or
+light; while on the same day, Madame de Verneuil was placed under the
+charge of M. d'Arques, the Lieutenant of Police, who was informed that
+he must answer with his life for her safe-keeping, and who accordingly
+garrisoned her residence with a strong body of his guards and archers.
+
+The Comte d'Entragues was no sooner incarcerated, than his wife,[271]
+following the example of her daughter-in-law, obtained an audience of
+Henry, in order to implore the pardon of her husband; but it was
+remarked that, earnest as she was in his behalf, she never once, during
+the whole of the interview, made the slightest allusion either to the
+Comte d'Auvergne or Madame de Verneuil; doubtless feeling that in the
+one case the well-known respect of the King for the blood of the Valois,
+and in the other his passion for the Marquise, would plead more
+powerfully in their behalf than the most emphatic entreaties. Like that
+of the Comtesse d'Auvergne, her attempt, however, proved abortive, save
+that Henry accorded to her prayers a mitigation of the rigour with which
+her husband had hitherto been treated.
+
+Meanwhile Madame de Verneuil, far from imitating the humility of her
+relatives, openly declared that, whatever might be the result to
+herself, she should never regret the measures which she had adopted to
+obtain justice for herself and her children; and when on one occasion
+she was urged to make the concessions by which alone she could hope for
+pardon, she answered haughtily: "I have no fear of death; on the
+contrary, I shall welcome it. If the King takes my life, it will at
+least be allowed that he sacrificed his own wife, for I was Queen before
+the Italian woman. I ask but three favours from his Majesty: pardon for
+my father, a rope for my brother, and justice for myself." [272]
+
+Her reason for this expression may be found in the fact that during
+three examinations which he underwent the Comte d'Auvergne finally
+acknowledged everything, and threw the whole blame upon the Marquise;
+feeling convinced that, under every circumstance, her life was safe;
+although he had previously (placing the most entire reliance on the
+good-faith and secrecy of M. de Chevillard,[273] to whom he had, in
+conjunction with his sister, confided the original treaty with Spain,
+and never apprehending the discovery of the documents deposited at
+Marcoussis), declared his innocence in the most solemn manner; and he
+even concluded his address to the commissioners by saying: "Gentlemen,
+show me one line of writing by which I can be convicted of having
+entered into any treaty, either with the King of Spain or his
+ambassador, and I will immediately sign beneath it my own sentence of
+death, and condemn myself to be quartered alive."
+
+Nor was the confidence placed by M. d'Auvergne in his friend misplaced;
+for when Chevillard was in his turn taken to the Bastille as his
+accomplice, he so carefully concealed the treaty in the skirt of his
+doublet that it escaped the search of the officials; and on seeing
+himself treated as a prisoner of state, he contrived by degrees to
+swallow it in his soup, in order that it should not afterwards fall
+into their hands in the event of his condemnation.[274]
+
+The indignation of the Marquise may consequently be imagined, when,
+after such a declaration as that which he had originally made, she
+ascertained that the Count had not only confessed his guilt, but that he
+had, moreover, revealed the most minute details of the plot; and in
+order to convince the King that he placed himself entirely at his mercy,
+had even given up to him the mutual promise made between himself and the
+Dues de Bouillon and de Biron on the occasion of the previous
+conspiracy. Her arrogance was also encouraged by the fact that Henry,
+anxious to find some pretext for pardoning her treachery, sent secretly
+to inform her that if she would confess her fault and ask his
+forgiveness, it should be granted in consideration of the past, and from
+regard for their children; to which message the Marquise vouchsafed no
+further reply than that those who had committed no crime required no
+pardon; and in addition to this impertinence, on being informed that
+some of her friends, anxious to save her in spite of her own obstinacy,
+had asserted that she had solicited the clemency of the monarch, she
+bitterly reproached them for their interference, declaring that they
+were liars and traitors, and that she would die rather than submit to
+such a humiliation.[275]
+
+During the exile of the Marquise, the King, whose passion for
+Mademoiselle de Bueil had begun to decrease, and who discovered that
+mere personal beauty offered no equivalent for the wit and fascinations
+of his old favourite, resolved to provide for her, as he had previously
+done for Mademoiselle de la Bourdaisière, by bestowing her upon a
+husband; and he accordingly effected her marriage with Henri de Harlay,
+Comte de Chésy, a young noble whose poverty, as well as his want of
+Court influence, gave every security for his ready submission to all the
+exactions of his royal master.[276]
+
+The monarch, whom absence had thus only sufficed to render more devoted
+than ever to the Marquise, and who had resolved under all circumstances
+to pardon her, continued to employ every method in his power to induce
+her to avow her error, although in searching her papers numerous letters
+had been discovered which revealed an amount of infidelity on her part
+that should have awakened his pride, and induced him to abandon her to
+her fate; and at length, despairing that any minor influence would
+suffice to alter her resolution, and to lower her pride, he instructed
+M. de Sully to see her, and if possible to convince her of the injury
+which she was doing to her own cause by the obstinacy with which she
+rejected the suggestions of the King.
+
+The minister had no alternative save obedience; and he consequently
+presented himself at the residence of Madame de Verneuil, whom he found
+as self-possessed and as self-confident as in the palmiest days of her
+prosperity. Instead of concessions she made conditions, and complained
+loudly and arrogantly of the proceedings of the sovereign; by whom she
+declared that she had been outraged in her honour, and from whom she
+sought redress rather than indulgence. This tirade was seasoned by
+professions of piety and repentance which were appreciated at their real
+value by her listener; who, having suffered her to exhaust herself by
+her own vehemence, instead of temporizing with her vanity as her friends
+had previously done, took up the subject in his turn, and told her that
+she would do well to remember that she was at that moment a prisoner
+under suspicion of treason, and that she might consider herself very
+fortunate if she were permitted to expiate her crime by self-exile to
+any country except Spain; bidding her remark, moreover, that this lenity
+could not now be exhibited towards her until she had undergone a
+criminal examination, and demanded the pardon of the King for her
+disobedience.
+
+M. de Sully next proceeded to upbraid her with her unbecoming conduct
+towards the Queen; assuring her that every word or act of disrespect of
+which any were guilty towards the wife of the sovereign was an offence
+against his own person, and was likely to entail upon the culprit a very
+severe penalty. He then reproached her for her indecent expressions; and
+especially for her having more than once declared that had she not been
+treated with injustice, she should have been in the place occupied by
+"the fat banker's daughter;" [277] and finally, he reprimanded her very
+severely for the impertinent and absurd affectation with which she had
+presumed to place herself upon a level with her royal mistress, and her
+children upon a par with the Dauphin of France; reminding her, moreover,
+that the perpetual disunion of their Majesties was to be solely
+attributed to her malignant and malicious insinuations, and advising her
+to lose no time in requesting permission to throw herself at the feet of
+the Queen, to entreat her pardon for the past and her indulgence for
+the future.
+
+To this harangue, so different from the conciliatory and obsequious
+discourse of her partisans, Madame de Verneuil listened without any
+display of impatience, but with an ostentatious weariness which was
+intended to impress upon the minister the utter inutility of his
+interference; and when he paused to take breath, she assured him with a
+placid smile that she was obliged by his advice, but that she must have
+time to reflect before she could decide upon such a measure. M. de
+Sully, however, was not to be deceived by this well-acted composure; he
+had not carefully studied the character of the Marquise without
+perceiving how ill she brooked control or remonstrance; and,
+accordingly, she had no sooner ceased speaking than he resumed the
+conversation by expatiating upon the enormity of her conduct in
+affecting the sudden devotion behind which she had seen fit to entrench
+herself, while she was daily indulging alike her jealousy and her hatred
+by endeavouring not only to ruin the domestic happiness of the monarch,
+but even the interests of his kingdom; and when his offended listener
+remarked, with chilling haughtiness, that he was in no position to
+impugn her sincerity, he only answered the intended rebuke by persisting
+that her assumed piety was a mere grimace, which could not impose upon
+any man of sense; a fact which he forthwith proved by detailing all her
+past career, and thus convincing her that no one incident of her
+licentious life had remained a mystery to him.
+
+"Can you now tell me," he asked, "that these adventures existed only in
+the jealous imagination of the King, as you have so often assured his
+Majesty himself? And will you persist in denying that you have deceived
+him in the most unblushing manner? Believe me, Madame, if you had indeed
+become penitent for your past errors, and had, from a sincere return to
+God, desired to withdraw from the Court, you would at once have obtained
+permission to do so with honour to yourself; but you have simply acted a
+part, and that so unskilfully as to have deceived no one."
+
+At this period of the interview Madame de Verneuil could not wholly
+suppress her emotion, but she controlled it sufficiently to reply only
+by a condescending bow, and the exclamation of, "Proceed, M. le
+Ministre!"
+
+"I will do so, Madame," said M. de Sully, "by a transition from
+remonstrance to inquiry. Have you any legitimate subject of complaint
+which you conceive to warrant your failure of respect towards their
+Majesties?"
+
+"If this question was dictated to you by the King, Monsieur," was the
+proud reply, "he was wrong to put it, as he, better than any other
+person, could himself have decided; and if it be your own suggestion you
+are no less so, since whatever may be its nature, it is beyond your
+power to apply the remedy."
+
+"Then, Madame, it only remains for me to be informed of what you desire
+from his Majesty."
+
+"That which I am aware will prove less acceptable to the King than to
+myself, M. le Ministre; but which I nevertheless persist in demanding,
+since I am authorized by your inquiry to repeat my request. I desire
+immediate permission to leave France with my parents, my brother, and my
+children, and to take up my permanent residence in some other country,
+where I shall have excited less jealousy and less malevolence than in
+this; and I include my brother in this voluntary expatriation because I
+now have reason to believe that he is suffering entirely for my sake."
+
+Sully was startled: he could not place faith in her sincerity, and he
+consequently induced her to repeat her request more than once; until she
+at length added a condition which convinced him that she was indeed
+perfectly serious in the desire that she expressed.
+
+"Do not, however, imagine, Monsieur," she said, with a significant
+smile, "that I have any intention of leaving the kingdom, and taking up
+my abode with strangers, with the slightest prospect of dying by hunger.
+I am by no means inclined to afford such a gratification to the Queen,
+who would doubtlessly rejoice to learn that this had been the close of
+my career. I must have an income of a hundred thousand francs, fully and
+satisfactorily secured to me in land, before I leave France; and this is
+a mere trifle compared with what I have a legal right to demand from
+the King."
+
+"I shall submit your proposition to his Majesty, Madame," said the
+minister as he rose to take his leave; "and will shortly acquaint you
+with the result."
+
+Greatly to the disappointment of M. de Sully, however, he found Henry
+decidedly averse to the departure of Madame de Verneuil; nor could all
+the arguments by which he endeavoured to convince the infatuated monarch
+that the self-exile of the Marquise was calculated to ensure his own
+future tranquillity, avail to overcome his distaste to the
+proposal.[278] He was weary of his purely sensual intercourse with
+Madame de Moret, whose extreme facility had caused him from the first to
+attach but little value to her possession; while her total want of
+intellect and knowledge of the world continually caused him to remember
+with regret the dazzling although dangerous qualities of her
+predecessor. Marie de Medicis, moreover, who had originally looked with
+complacency upon his _liaison_ with Mademoiselle de Bueil, rejoicing in
+any event which tended to estrange his affections from the Marquise,
+had, since her melodramatic marriage and her accession of rank, begun to
+entertain apprehensions that another formidable rival was about to
+embitter her future life; while the reproaches which she constantly
+addressed to the monarch, and to which he was compelled to submit, on
+the subject of a woman who had merely pleased his fancy without touching
+his heart, were another cause of irritation, and only tended to make him
+look back upon the past with an ardent longing to repair it. Thus he
+continued to employ all his most intimate associates in an attempt to
+urge the Marquise to make such concessions as would enable him to pardon
+her, with the earnestness of a repentant lover rather than the clemency
+of an indulgent sovereign; and when the stern minister so signally
+failed to convince her reason by his representations, the King
+endeavoured to arouse her vanity and self-interest by the flatteries and
+inferences of the more courtly Bassompierre, La Varenne,[279] Sigogne,
+and others in whom he placed confidence; but all this ill-disguised
+anxiety only served to convince the wily favourite that she should prove
+victorious in the struggle, for since Henry could not bring himself to
+consent to her expatriation, there was no probability that he would ever
+be induced to take her life.
+
+And the astute Marquise judged rightly: for she was not only safe
+herself, but the palladium of her family. The King was no longer young;
+he had become satiated with the tame and facile pleasures for which he
+was indebted to his sovereign rank; and although opposition and
+haughtiness in a wife angered and disgusted him, there was a piquancy
+and novelty in the defiance of a mistress by which he was alike amused
+and interested. He could calculate upon the extent to which the Queen
+would venture to indulge her displeasure; but he found himself quite
+unable to adjudge the limits of Madame de Verneuil's daring; and thus
+his passion was constantly stimulated by curiosity. In her hours of
+fascination she delighted his fancy, and in those of irritation she
+excited his astonishment. Like the ocean, she assumed a new aspect every
+hour; and to this "infinite variety" she was in all probability indebted
+for the duration of her empire over the sensual and selfish affections
+of her royal lover.
+
+Conscious of her power, the Marquise continued inexorable; and finally,
+Henry found himself compelled to include her in the public accusation
+brought against the other conspirators, and to issue an order to the
+Parliament, as the supreme criminal tribunal of the kingdom, to commence
+without further delay the prosecution of the delinquents.
+
+A new anxiety at this time divided the attention of the King with that
+which he felt for the vindication of the favourite. His permission had
+been asked by the Huguenots to hold a meeting at Châtellerault, and this
+he had at once conceded; but circumstances having arisen which induced
+the Council to apprehend that the intrigues of the Duc de Bouillon,
+supported by MM. de la Trémouille, and du Plessis-Mornay,[280] were
+about to involve the kingdom in new troubles, M. de Sully proceeded to
+Poitou under pretext of taking possession of his new government, and by
+his unexpected appearance on the scene of action counteracted the
+project of the conspirators; while a short time subsequently the Duc de
+la Trémouille fell into a rapid decline which terminated his existence
+at the early age of thirty-four years, and deprived the reform party of
+one of their most able and zealous leaders.
+
+Meanwhile, amid all the dissensions, both political and domestic, by
+which Henri IV had latterly been harassed, his earnest desire to improve
+and embellish his good city of Paris and its adjacent palaces had
+continued unabated. Henri III, during whose reign the Pont Neuf had been
+commenced, had only lived long enough to see two of its arches
+constructed, and the piles destined to support the remainder raised
+above the river; this undertaking was now completed, and numerous
+workmen were also constantly employed on the galleries of the Louvre,
+and at the châteaux of St. Germain-en-Laye, Fontainebleau, and Monceaux;
+the latter of which, as we have already stated, the monarch had
+presented to the Queen on her arrival in Paris; while, emulating the
+royal example, the great nobles and capitalists of the city were
+building on all sides, and increasing alike the extent and splendour of
+the metropolis.[281] It was at this period that Henry joined the
+Faubourg St. Germain to the city, and caused it to be paved; constructed
+the Place Royale; repaired the Hôtel de St. Louis for the purpose of
+converting it into a plague-hospital; and commenced building the Temple
+Square.[282]
+
+Other great works were also undertaken throughout the kingdom; the
+junction of the Garonne with the Aude, an attempt which presented
+considerable difficulty and which was only terminated during the reign
+of Louis XIV, was vigorously commenced; other rivers, hitherto
+comparatively useless, were rendered navigable; and the canal of Briare,
+with its two-and-thirty locks, although not more than half completed at
+the death of Henry, had already cost the enormous sum of three hundred
+thousand crowns. Numerous means of communication were established by
+highways which had not previously existed; bridges were built, and roads
+repaired; taxes which paralyzed the manufactures of the country were
+remitted; the fabrication of tapestried hangings wrought in worsted,
+silk, and gold, was earnestly encouraged; mulberry plantations were
+formed, and the foundation laid for the production of the costly silks
+and velvets for which Lyons has ever since been so famous. An imitation
+of the celebrated Venetian glass was also introduced with great success;
+and, above all, even in the midst of these expensive undertakings, a tax
+of four annual millions of francs, hitherto raised by the customs upon
+the different classes of citizens, was altogether abolished. Hope and
+energy were alike aroused by so vigorous a measure; and thus the people
+ceased to murmur, and were ready to acknowledge that the King had indeed
+begun to verify his celebrated declaration that "if he were spared,
+there should not exist a workman within his realm who was not enabled to
+cook a fowl upon the Sunday." [283]
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[210] Gabrielle-Angélique de Bourbon, who was declared legitimate as her
+brother had previously been, married in 1622 Bernard de la Valette et de
+Foix, Duc d'Epernon, and died in childbed in April 1627.
+
+[211] Matthieu, _Hist. de Henri IV_, vol. ii. book vi. p. 446.
+
+[212] Raimond de Comminge, Sieur de Sobole, and his brother, noblemen of
+Gascony.
+
+[213] Antoine, Seigneur d'Arquien, was Governor of Calais, Sancerre,
+etc.
+
+[214] Jean Henri, Duc de Deux-Ponts, who married Catherine de Rohan, was
+descended from a branch of the royal house of Bavaria.
+
+[215] Christophe de Harlai, Comte de Beaumont, Governor of Orleans. He
+died in 1615.
+
+[216] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 94.
+
+[217] Capefigue, vol. viii. p. 163.
+
+[218] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iv. pp. 197-199.
+
+[219] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 88, 89.
+
+[220] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. pp. 45-50.
+
+[221] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. pp. 49-53. Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. pp.
+90-92. Saint-Edmé, pp. 222, 223
+
+[222] Capefigue, vol. viii. p. 130.
+
+[223] Richelieu, _La Mère et le Fils_, vol. i. p. 17.
+
+[224] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. pp. 54, 55.
+
+[225] Bernardin Gigault de Bellefonds.
+
+[226] Hercule de Rohan, Duc de Montbazon.
+
+[227] François d'Orléans-Longueville, Comte de St. Pol, Governor of
+Picardy.
+
+[228] Arnaud de Sorbin, Bishop of Nevers, was justly celebrated both for
+his piety and his learning. He was originally curate of the parish of
+Ste. Foy, where he had been placed by Georges, Cardinal d'Armagnac,
+Bishop of Toulouse, who afterwards removed him from that parish, in
+order to keep him near his person. The Cardinal d'Este, aware of his
+great worth and extraordinary talents, conferred upon him the rank of
+doctor of divinity of the cathedral of Auch, the capital of his
+archbishopric; but he did not retain it long, having been recalled by
+his first patron to assume the same position in his church at Toulouse,
+where he was universally loved and respected. He was successively
+lecturer to Charles IX, Henri III, and Henri IV, and was consecrated, on
+his elevation to the see of Nevers, by the Cardinal de Gondy, Bishop of
+Paris. Monseigneur de Sorbin died in Nevers, on the 1st of May 1606.
+
+[229] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 152-154.
+
+[230] Cayet, _Chron. Septen_., 1604.
+
+[231] Emeric Gobier, Sieur de Barrault, ambassador at the Court of
+Spain.
+
+[232] Antoine de Silly, Damoiseau de Commercy, Comte de Rochepot, knight
+of the Order of the Holy Ghost.
+
+[233] Antoine de Brienne de Loménie, Seigneur de la Ville-aux-Clercs,
+ambassador-extraordinary to England in 1595, and secretary of state, was
+the representative of a distinguished family of Berry, whose father,
+Maréchal de Brienne, registrar of the council, fell a victim to the
+massacre of St. Bartholomew. He himself died in 1628, bequeathing to the
+royal library three hundred and forty manuscript volumes, known as the
+_Manuscripts of Brienne_.
+
+[234] The Prévôts des Maréchaux were magistrates whose duties consisted
+in trying vagrants and persons who could not prove their identity,
+culprits previously sentenced to corporal punishment, banishment, or
+fine, soldiers, highway robbers, and the members of illicit societies.
+The Prévôts des Maréchaux took the title of Equerry-Councillors of the
+King, and their place on the bench of the criminal court was immediately
+after that of the presiding judge.
+
+[235] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 185-193. Matthieu, _Hist, des Derniers
+Troubles,_ book ii. pp. 435-437. Sully, _Mém._ vol. v. pp. 109-121.
+Mézeray, vol. x. pp. 254-257.
+
+[236] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. p. 137.
+
+[237] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. pp. 139-142.
+
+[238] The French term which I have ventured thus freely to translate is
+_pot-de-vin_, and literally signifies a sum of money given to a third
+party who is able to ensure the success of a bargain or negotiation of
+whatever nature. Thus, for example, in the granting and acceptance of a
+lease which has been effected by such means, the contracting parties
+jointly pay down the stipulated amount, irrespective of the value of the
+lease, for the benefit of the person through whose agency it has been
+concluded; while so general is the system throughout the country, even
+to this day, that domestic servants give a _pot-de-vin_ to the
+individual, to whom they are indebted for their situation, in which
+instance, however, the bribe or recompense is also called a _denier
+à Dieu_.
+
+[239] Florent d'Argouges, Treasurer of the Queen's Household. His son
+was first president of the Parliament of Brittany, and subsequently
+councillor of state and member of the Privy Council.
+
+[240] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. pp. 144-146.
+
+[241] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. pp. 147-149.
+
+[242] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. p. 155.
+
+[243] Saint-Edmé, vol. ii. p. 223.
+
+[244] In order to convey some idea of the effect produced by the
+ostensible devotion of Madame de Verneuil upon those who gave her credit
+for sincerity, we need only quote a passage in the dedication of
+D'Hemery d'Amboise to his translation of the works of Grégoire de Tours,
+in which, addressing himself to the Marquise, he gravely says "that she
+had deduced from the inspired writings of the fathers their salutary
+doctrine; and that she practised it so faithfully, that her firmness had
+triumphed over her adversities, and her merit exceeded her happiness."
+"Your life," he adds, with the same unblushing sycophancy, "serves as a
+mirror for the most pious, and compels the admiration of all who see so
+holy and resolute a determination exerted at an age that has scarcely
+attained its prime; and at which, despising mere personal beauty, and
+the other precious advantages with which you have been richly endowed by
+Heaven, you have devoted the course of your best years to the
+contemplation of the marvels of God, joining spiritual meditation to
+good works."--Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. pp. 94, 95.
+
+[245] Richelieu, _Hist. de la Mère et du Fils_, vol. i. pp. 8-11.
+
+[246] MSS. Dupuy, vol. 407.
+
+[247] André Hurault, Seigneur de Maisse, had been ambassador to Venice
+under both Henri III and Henri IV, and in his official capacity had
+frequent disputes with the nuncios of Sixtus V and Clement VIII, in
+consequence of which those prelates exerted all their influence to
+injure his interests at the Court of Rome. André Morosin mentions M. de
+Maisse as an able and far-seeing man, _sagaci admodum ingenio_. In 1595
+Henri IV again sent him to Venice to offer his thanks to the Senate for
+the extraordinary embassy which they had forwarded to him during the
+previous year; and as M. de Maisse travelled on this occasion with
+Cardinal Duperron, who was instructed to pass by that city on his way to
+Rome, great alarm was created in the mind of the Pope that the French
+ambassador was about to visit the Papal Court in his company, an event
+which he deprecated from the distrust which he felt of the designs of an
+individual who had already frustrated the measures of his accredited
+agents. His Holiness was, however, _quitte pour la peur_, the
+instructions of M. de Maisse having restricted him to his
+Venetian mission.
+
+[248] Louis Potier de Gêvres, Secretary of State. It is from him that
+the branch of his family still bearing the name of Gêvres is descended,
+while that of Novion owes its origin to his elder brother, Nicolas
+Potier de Blancménil.
+
+[249] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 261.
+
+[250] _Le Laboureur sur Castelnau_.
+
+[251] Jacqueline de Bueil, subsequently Comtesse de Moret, was the
+daughter of Claude de Bueil, Seigneur de Courcillon and La Machère, and
+of Catherine de Monteclu, who both died in 1596. The family of Bueil
+traced their descent from Jean, the first of the name, Sieur de Bueil in
+Touraine, who was equerry of honour to Charles-le-Bel in 1321.
+
+[252] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. p. 97.
+
+[253] Wraxall, vol. v. pp. 356, 357.
+
+[254] Abraham-Nicolas Amelot de la Houssaye, was born at Orleans in the
+year 1634, and passed nearly all his life in composing works of history
+and in translating the historians by whom he had been preceded. His
+principal productions are _A History of the Government of Venice;
+Historical, Political, Critical, and Literary Memoirs_; and translations
+of the _History of the Council of Trent_, by Fra Paolo; of the _Prince_
+by Machiavelli; and of the _Annals of Tacitus_. He died in 1706.
+
+[255] Mézeray, vol. x. pp. 261, 262.
+
+[256] Sully, _Mém_. vol. iv. p. 125.
+
+[257] Pierre Fougeuse, Sieur d'Escures.
+
+[258] Daniel, vol. vii. pp. 453, 454.
+
+[259] Treasurer of the war department, and lieutenant-general at Riom.
+
+[260] Philibert de Nérestan, knight of Malta, and captain of the
+bodyguard of Henri IV, was as celebrated for his admirable qualities of
+mind and heart as for the antiquity of his birth. He was grand master of
+the Orders of St. Lazarus and Notre-Dame du Mont Carmel, the latter of
+which was instituted by the sovereign at his intercession.
+
+[261] Matthieu, _Hist, des Derniers Troubles_, book ii. p. 438.
+Péréfixe, vol. ii. pp. 406, 407.
+
+[262] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 242.
+
+[263] _Mémoires,_ vol. v. p. 185.
+
+[264] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 243.
+
+[265] Charlotte, eldest daughter of Henri, Duc de Montmorency, High
+Constable of France.
+
+[266] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 247-249.
+
+[267] Jean Defunctis, Lieutenant criminal of the Provost of
+Paris.--_Hist. Chron. de la Chancell. de France_, p. 316.
+
+[268] Wraxall, Note quoted from _Le Laboureur sur Castelnau_, vol. v. p.
+356.
+
+[269] Pedro Henriques Azevedo, Condé de Fuentes, succeeded to the
+command of the Spanish army on the demise of the Archduke Ernest.
+
+[270] Ambroise Spinola, Marques de los Balbazez, one of the most
+distinguished generals of the seventeenth century, was the descendant of
+an illustrious family of Geneva, whose branches spread alike over Italy
+and Spain. He was born in 1569, and first bore arms in Flanders. In
+1604, being in command of the army, he took Ostend, and in consequence
+of his important services was appointed General of the Spanish troops in
+the Low Countries. When opposed to Prince Maurice of Nassau, he
+counterbalanced alike his renown and his success; and in 1629, when
+serving in Piedmont, he took the town of Casal, but died in the
+following year of vexation at having failed to reduce the fortress of
+that city.
+
+[271] Marie Touchet, Comtesse d'Entragues, was the daughter of an
+apothecary at Orleans; who, on the occasion of a visit of Charles IX to
+that city, obtained permission to see his Majesty dine in public, where
+her extreme beauty so impressed the Monarch that he inquired her name,
+and at the close of the repast despatched M. de Latour, the master of
+his wardrobe, to desire her attendance in his closet. The negotiation
+did not prove a difficult one; as the lady, although at the moment
+strongly attached to M. de Monluc, the brother of the Bishop of Valence,
+could not resist the prestige of royalty. Charles, anxious to retain her
+near him, requested Madame Marguerite, his sister, to receive her into
+her household as a waiting-woman; but as she shortly afterwards became
+pregnant, he removed her from the Court and established her in Paris,
+where she gave birth to Charles, Comte d'Auvergne. Although tenderly
+beloved by the King, Marie Touchet still retained her attachment to
+Monluc, with whom she carried on an active correspondence, which was at
+length discovered by Charles; who, having on one occasion been apprised
+that she had at the moment a letter from her former lover in her pocket,
+instantly caused a number of the Court ladies to be invited to supper;
+and they were no sooner assembled than he sent to desire a man named
+Chambre, the chief of a band of gipsies, to disperse a dozen of his most
+expert followers about the apartment, with orders to cut away the
+pockets of all the guests and to bring them carefully to his closet when
+he retired for the night. He then caused the faithless favourite to be
+seated beside himself, in order that she might not have an opportunity
+of disposing of the letter elsewhere; and the Bohemians having adroitly
+obeyed his instructions, the King found himself a few hours afterwards
+in possession of the booty. In the pocket of Marie Touchet he
+discovered, as he had anticipated, the letter of M. de Monluc; which, on
+the following morning, he placed, with the most bitter reproaches, in
+the hands of its owner; who, on finding herself detected, declared that
+the pocket in which the King had discovered it was not hers, a
+subterfuge by which, as the letter bore no address, she hoped to escape
+the anger and indignation of her royal lover. Unfortunately, however,
+Charles recognized several of the trinkets by which it had been
+accompanied; and she had, consequently, no alternative save to
+acknowledge her fault and to entreat for pardon. Charles, who could not
+resist her tears, was soon induced to promise this, provided she pledged
+herself to relinquish all intercourse with Monluc; and in order to
+render her performance of this pledge more sure, he shortly afterwards
+married her to the Comte d'Entragues, whose complaisance he rewarded by
+the government of Orleans.--L'Etoile, _Hist, de Henri IV,_ vol. iii.
+pp. 247-249.
+
+[272] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. p. 98. Saint-Edmé, vol. ii. p. 227.
+L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 247.
+
+[273] Antoine Eugène Chevillard, general treasurer of the gendarmerie of
+France.
+
+[274] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. p. 161, quoted from Amelot de la Houssaye.
+
+[275] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. p. 99.
+
+[276] Mademoiselle de Bueil became Comtesse de Chésy on the 5th of
+October 1604, and two months later she obtained a divorce. M. de Chésy
+died in 1652.
+
+[277] Péréfixe, vol. ii. p. 401.
+
+[278] Sully, _Mém_. vol. v. pp. 193-197.
+
+[279] Guillaume Fouquet, Sieur de la Varenne, was one of those
+singularly-gifted individuals who by the unaided power of intellect are
+raised from obscurity to fortune. On his first introduction to the Court
+of France, his position was merely that of cloak-bearer to the King; but
+his excessive acuteness and his genius for intrigue soon drew upon him
+the attention of the Cabinet. The event that originally procured for him
+the favour by which he so largely profited in the sequel was a voyage to
+Spain, voluntarily undertaken under unusual difficulties. The courier
+who was conveying to Philip the despatches of the Duc de Mayenne and the
+other chiefs of the League, having been taken by the emissaries of Henri
+IV, and the despatches opened by his ministers, it was decided that
+copies should be made, and the originals resealed and forwarded to their
+destination by some confidential person who might bring back the
+replies, in order that a more perfect judgment might be formed by the
+Council of their probable result. For such an undertaking as this,
+however, it was obvious that a messenger must be found at once faithful,
+expert, and courageous; and such an one offered himself in the person of
+La Varenne, who without a moment's hesitation offered his services to
+the King, and acquitted himself so dexterously of his self-imposed task
+that he succeeded, not only in procuring two interviews with the Spanish
+Council, but even an audience of Philip, without once exciting
+suspicion; and his arrival at Madrid had been so well timed that
+although a second courier was despatched in all haste by the League, to
+announce the capture of his predecessor, he was enabled to effect his
+return to France with the reply of the Spanish monarch, by which Henry
+and his ministers were apprised of the plans and pretensions of that
+potentate (Amelot de la Houssaye, _Lettres du Cardinal d'Ossat_, vol.
+ii. p. 17 _note_.) La Varenne was subsequently Master-General of the
+Post Office.
+
+[280] Philippe de Mornay, Seigneur de Plessis-Marly, Governor of Saumur,
+was born in the year 1549, at Bussy, in the department of the Oise, of a
+Catholic father and a Protestant mother (Françoise du Bec), the latter
+of whom educated him in the reformed faith. Having escaped the massacre
+of St. Bartholomew, he visited Germany, Italy, and England, and finally
+entered the service of Henri IV, while he was still King of Navarre, who
+sent him on a mission to Queen Elizabeth. His science, his valour, and
+his high sense of honour, rendered him after the abjuration of the
+monarch the chief of the Protestant party, and caused him to be called
+_the Huguenot Pope_. He sustained against Duperron, Bishop of Evreux,
+the famous conference of Fontainebleau, at whose close each of the two
+parties claimed the victory. Louis XIII deprived him of his government
+of Saumur; and he died in 1623. He had issue by his wife, Charlotte de
+l'Arbalète, widow of the Marquis de Feuquières, one son (Plessis-Mornay,
+Sieur de Bauves), who was killed in 1605 while serving under Prince
+Maurice in the Low Countries, and three daughters, the younger of whom
+married the Duc de la Force.
+
+[281] Mézeray, vol. x. pp. 254, 255.
+
+[282] Bonnechose, _Hist. de France_, vol. i. p. 438, seventh edition.
+
+[283] Bonnechose, vol. i. p. 438.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+1605
+
+Trial of the conspirators--Pusillanimity of the Comte
+d'Auvergne--Arrogant attitude assumed by Madame de Verneuil--She refuses
+to offer any defence--Defence of the Comte d'Entragues--The two nobles
+are condemned to death--Madame de Verneuil is sentenced to imprisonment
+for life in a convent--A mother's intercession--The King commutes the
+sentence of death passed on the two nobles to exile from the Court and
+imprisonment for life--Expostulations of the Privy Council--Madame de
+Verneuil is permitted to retire to her estate--Disappointment of the
+Queen--Marriage of the Duc de Rohan--Singular ceremony--A tilt at the
+Louvre--Bassompierre is dangerously wounded--His convalescence--Death of
+Clement VIII--Election of Leo XI--His sudden death--Election of Paul
+V--The Comte d'Entragues is authorised to return to Marcoussis--Madame
+de Verneuil is pardoned and recalled--Marriage of the Prince de
+Conti--Mademoiselle de Guise--Marriage of the Prince of Orange--The
+ex-Queen Marguerite--She arrives in Paris--Gratitude of the King--Her
+reception--Murder at the Hôtel de Sens--Execution of the
+criminal--Marguerite removes to the Faubourg St. Germain--The King
+condoles with her on the loss of her favourite--Her dissolute
+career--Her able policy--Death of M. de la Rivière--Execution of M. de
+Merargues--Attempt to assassinate Henri IV--Magnanimity of the
+monarch--Henry seeks to initiate the Queen into the mysteries of
+government--_Madame la Régente_--A timely warning.
+
+The year 1605 commenced, as had been the case each year since the peace,
+with a succession of Court-festivals; tilts and tournaments, balls and
+masquerades, occupied the attention of the privileged; presents of value
+were exchanged by the sovereigns and princes; and during all this
+incessant dissipation the Parliament was diligently employed upon the
+trial of the conspirators.
+
+On Saturday, the 29th of January, the Comte d'Auvergne was placed out
+the sellette,[284] where L'Etoile[285] asserts that he communicated much
+more than was required of him; while the Queen, anxious to secure the
+condemnation of Madame de Verneuil, and at the same time to intimidate
+the favourites by whom she might be succeeded, appeared in person as one
+of the accusing witnesses. Nor did Henry, who had already decided upon
+the pardon of the Marquise, attempt to dissuade her from this
+extraordinary measure; and it is even probable that as the design of the
+King was merely to humble the pride of the haughty Marquise, in order to
+render her more submissive to his authority, he was by no means
+disinclined to suffer Marie to give free vent to her indignation
+and contempt.
+
+The Parliament had nominated as its commissaries Achille de Harlay, the
+first president,[286] and MM. Etienne Dufour and Philibert Turin,
+councillors, to whose interrogatories, however, the Comte d'Auvergne at
+first refused to reply, alleging as his reason the pardon which had been
+accorded to him by Henry during the past year. In this emergency M.
+Louis Servin,[287] the King's Advocate, was deputed to offer to his
+Majesty the remonstrance of the commissaries, and to represent that as
+the accused had already been convicted of conspiring, first with Maturin
+Carterie, and subsequently with the Duc de Biron, he was unworthy of
+pardon on this third occasion; while the most imperious necessity
+existed that an example should be made, in order to secure the safety of
+their Majesties and the Dauphin, which, moreover, as a natural
+consequence, involved the tranquillity and welfare of the state.
+
+To this appeal the King replied that the abolition accorded to the
+accused on the two former occasions had been granted with a view of
+inducing him to return to his allegiance, but that since it had failed
+to produce the desired result it could form no pretext for his escape
+from the penalties of this new crime, and that should he persist in
+refusing to reply to the questions put to him by his judges his silence
+must be construed into an acknowledgment of treason; upon which M.
+d'Auvergne immediately endeavoured to redeem his error by revealing all
+the details of the past plots, as well as those of the one in which he
+was now implicated.
+
+Madame de Verneuil, who had been summoned to appear at the same time,
+excused herself upon the plea of indisposition; and it was asserted that
+she had caused herself to be bled in order that the temporary delay in
+her examination thus secured might enable her, ere she appeared before
+the commissaries, to ascertain to what extent she had been implicated by
+the revelations of her step-brother. She no sooner learnt, however, that
+the Count had thrown all the odium of the conspiracy upon herself than
+she hastened to obey a second summons, and presented herself with her
+arm in a sling to undergo in her turn the necessary interrogatories. Her
+manner was firm, and her delivery at once haughty and energetic. She
+insisted upon the innocence of her father, declared that the whole cabal
+had been organized by D'Auvergne, and admitted that feeling herself
+wronged she had willingly entered into his views; but at the same time
+she coupled with this admission the assurance that having nothing with
+which to reproach herself she asked for no indulgence, and was quite
+prepared to abide by the consequences of her attempt to do justice alike
+to herself and to her children.
+
+When the Comte d'Entragues was in his turn examined, he did not seek to
+deny his participation in the plot, but placed in the hands of his
+judges a written document, setting forth the services which he had
+rendered to the King since his accession, and which had merely been
+recompensed by the government of Orleans, a dignity of which he was
+moreover shortly afterwards deprived in order that it might be conferred
+upon another, although in his zeal for the monarch he had not only
+exhausted his own resources but had even raised considerable loans which
+still remained unliquidated. Yet, as he stated, he had uttered no
+complaint, although he was reduced to poverty and deprived of the means
+of suitably establishing his children, for he still had faith in the
+justice and generosity of his sovereign; and with this assurance he had
+retired to his paternal home, old, sick, and poor, to await as best he
+might the happy moment in which his claims should be remembered. And
+then it was, as he emphatically declared, that the last and crowning
+misfortune of a long life had overtaken him. Then it was that the King
+conceived that unfortunate attachment for his younger daughter, which
+deprived him of the greatest solace of his old age and exposed him to
+the raillery and contempt of his fellow-nobles, coupled with sarcastic
+congratulations upon the advantages which he was supposed to have
+derived from the dishonour of his child; an event which had clouded his
+remnant of existence with shame and despair. He had, as he asserted,
+several times requested of his Majesty that he might be permitted to
+withdraw entirely from the Court and finish his days in retirement and
+in the bosom of his family, but this favour had constantly been denied.
+As a last effort he had then represented the deplorable state of his
+health, and entreated that he might be permitted to travel in order to
+regain his strength, leaving his wife and children at Marcoussis; a
+favour which also was not only refused, but the refusal rendered doubly
+bitter by a prohibition either to see or correspond with his daughter,
+whose safety was at that moment endangered by the menaces of the Queen.
+He then entered briefly into the circumstances of the conspiracy, and
+concluded by declaring that no attempt upon the life either of the
+sovereign or the Dauphin had ever been contemplated by himself or by any
+of his accomplices.[288]
+
+Such was the defence of the dishonoured old man who had placed himself
+beyond the pale of sympathy by his own degrading marriage. Yet he was
+still a father; and who shall decide that the shame which in his own
+case had been silenced by the voice of passion, did not crush him with
+double violence when it involved the reputation of his child? Who shall
+say that he had not, in the throbbing recesses of his wrung heart,
+mourned with an undying remorse the fault of which he had himself been
+guilty, and felt that it was visited in vengeance upon the dearest
+object of his paternal love? Contemporary historians waste not a word
+upon the ruined noble, the disappointed partisan, and the disgraced
+father; yet the scene must have been a pitiable one in the midst of
+which he stood an attainted criminal, blighted in every affection and
+in every hope, the creditor of his King, and the victim of his
+paternal ambition.
+
+The sentence of the Parliament was pronounced on the 2nd of February.
+The Comtes d'Auvergne and d'Entragues were condemned to death for the
+crime of _lèse-majesté_, and Madame de Verneuil to imprisonment in the
+convent of Beaumont, near Tours, until more ample information could be
+obtained of the exact extent of her participation; and meanwhile she was
+to be prohibited from holding any communication save with the
+sisterhood.
+
+On the same day, the sentence having been instantly communicated to
+Madame d'Entragues, with the information that the King was about to
+repair to the chapel of the palace to attend mass, she hastened,
+accompanied by her daughter Marie de Balzac,[289] to the Tuileries,
+where the two unfortunate women threw themselves on their knees before
+Henry as he entered the grand gallery, and with tears and sobs entreated
+mercy, the one for her husband, and the other for her father. The
+monarch burst into tears as he saw them at his feet. He could not forget
+that the mourners thus prostrate before him were the mother and the
+sister of the woman whom he still loved, and as he raised them from the
+ground he said soothingly: "You shall see that I am indulgent--I will
+convene a council this very day. Go, and pray to God to inspire me with
+right resolutions, while I proceed in my turn to mass with the same
+intention." [290]
+
+The King kept his word. In the afternoon the Council again met, when he
+charged them upon their consciences to deliberate seriously before they
+condemned two of their fellow-creatures to an ignominious death; but
+they remained firm in their decision, declaring that by extending pardon
+to crimes of so serious a nature as those upon which judgment had just
+been passed, nothing but danger and disorder could ensue; and that after
+the execution of the Duc de Biron, individuals convicted of the same
+offence could not be suffered to escape with impunity without
+endangering by such misplaced clemency the safety of the kingdom, while
+a revocation of the sentence now pronounced would moreover tend to bring
+contempt upon the judicial authority.
+
+Henry listened, but he would not yield; and before the close of the
+meeting, contrary to the advice of all his Council, he announced that he
+commuted the pain of death in both instances to perpetual imprisonment,
+and revoked the sentence that condemned the Marquise to the cloister,
+which he superseded by an order of exile to her own estate of Verneuil.
+
+To express the disappointment and mortification of the Queen when this
+decision was announced to her would be impossible, as she instantly felt
+that any further attempt to destroy the influence of the favourite must
+prove ineffectual. She no longer exhibited any violence, but became a
+prey to the deepest melancholy, weeping where she had formerly
+reproached, and seeking her only consolation in prayer and in the
+society of her chosen friends. Upon Henry, however, the effect of his
+extraordinary and ill-judged leniency was far different. Although mercy,
+and even indulgence, had been extended towards the Marquise without
+eliciting one word either of entreaty or of acknowledgment, he felt
+convinced that so marked an exhibition of his favour must be recompensed
+by a return of affection on her part; and thus he continued to
+participate in the gaieties of the Court with a zest which was strangely
+contrasted by the gloom and sadness of his royal consort, and even
+derived amusement from the epigrams and satires which were circulated at
+his expense among the people.
+
+On the 13th of the month M. de Rohan[291] was married at Ablon[292] to
+Marguerite de Béthune, the daughter of the Duc de Sully, whom Henry had
+previously determined to bestow upon the Comte de Laval,[293] and not
+only did he confer the honour of his presence upon the well-dowered
+bride, but he also signed her marriage contract and presented to her ten
+thousand crowns for the purchase of her _trousseau_, with a similar sum
+to her bridegroom to defray the expenses of the wedding-feast. A
+singular ceremony followed upon the nuptial blessing, for M. de Rohan
+had no sooner led his newly-made wife from the altar than his ducal
+coronet was placed upon his brow, his ducal mantle flung upon his
+shoulders, and in this pompous costume he was, at the close of the
+banquet, escorted to Paris by the princes and nobles who had been the
+guests of M. de Sully.
+
+Seldom had the King evinced more gaiety of heart than at this particular
+period, or appeared to derive greater amusement from the gossipry of the
+Court and the gallantries of the courtiers; and he no sooner ascertained
+that Mademoiselle d'Entragues had become the mistress of Bassompierre
+than he said laughingly to the Duc de Guise: "D'Entragues despises us
+all in her idolatry of Bassompierre. I have good grounds for what
+I state."
+
+"Well, Sire," was the reply, "you can be at no loss to revenge the
+affront; while for myself I know of no means so fitting as those of
+knight-errantry, and I am consequently ready to break three lances with
+him this afternoon at any hour and place which your Majesty may be
+pleased to ordain."
+
+The preparations for this combat are so graphically described by
+Bassompierre himself, and so characteristic of the manners of the time,
+that we shall offer no apology for giving them in his own words.
+
+"The King acceded to our wishes, as such encounters were by no means
+unusual, and told us that the tilting should take place in the great
+court of the Louvre, which he would cause to be covered with sand. M. de
+Guise selected as his seconds his brother the Prince de Joinville and M.
+de Thermes;[294] while I chose M. de Saint-Luc[295] and the Comte de
+Sault.[296] We all six dressed and armed ourselves at the house of
+Saint-Luc, and as we had armour and liveries ready for every occasion,
+my party wore silver-mail, with plumes of red and white, as were our
+silk stockings; while M. de Guise and his troop, on account of the
+imprisonment of Madame de Verneuil, of whom he was secretly the lover,
+were dressed and armed in black and gold. In this equipage we arrived
+at the Louvre, myself and my friends being the first upon the
+ground." [297]
+
+Henry, with his whole Court, both male and female, was present on the
+occasion, and the lists were placed immediately beneath the windows of
+the Queen's apartments; but the diversion was not fated to be of long
+duration, for at the first encounter the lance of M. de Guise entered
+the body of his antagonist and inflicted so formidable a wound that he
+was carried from the spot and laid upon the bed of the Duc de Vendôme,
+apparently in a dying state. After his hurt had been dressed, the Queen
+sent her sedan chair to convey him to his residence.
+
+Although Bassompierre, in the preceding column, assures his readers that
+"such encounters were by no means unusual," he goes on to state that
+directly he fell the King not only forbade the continuance of the
+tourney, but would never permit another to take place, and that this was
+the only one which had been held in France for the preceding
+century.[298]
+
+"No one can imagine," says the wounded hero in continuation, "the
+multitude of visits that I received, especially from the ladies. All the
+Princesses came to see me, and the Queen on three occasions sent her
+maids of honour, who were brought to me by Mademoiselle de Guise, and
+stayed during the whole afternoon."
+
+These courtly diversions were abruptly terminated by the intelligence
+which reached Paris of the death, on the 3rd of March, of Pope Clement
+VIII.[299] The piety of this distinguished Pontiff, and the eminent
+services which he had rendered to the French King, caused his loss to be
+deeply felt by Henry; but when, on the 1st day of April, Alessandro de
+Medicis, the cousin of the Queen, was unanimously elected as his
+successor under the title of Leo XI, nothing could exceed the joy which
+was manifested throughout the country. Paris was illuminated, bonfires
+were lighted on the surrounding heights, and salvos of artillery rang
+from the dark walls of the Bastille. This demonstration proved, however,
+to be premature, as the next courier who arrived in the French capital
+from Rome brought the fatal tidings of his death. On the day succeeding
+his elevation he had made his solemn entry into St. Peter's; on Easter
+Sunday the triple tiara was placed upon his brow, and the public
+procession to St. John de Lateran took place on the 17th; but on
+returning from this ceremony the new Pontiff complained of
+indisposition, and on the 27th he breathed his last; and was in his turn
+succeeded, on the Day of Pentecost (29th of May), by Paul V.[300]
+
+About this time the King, wearied of the perpetual coldness of Madame
+de Verneuil, which not even his excessive clemency had sufficed to
+overcome, made a last attempt to compel her gratitude by forwarding
+letters under the great seal, authorizing the Comte d'Entragues to
+retire to his estate of Marcoussis, and re-establishing both himself and
+his son-in-law in all their wealth and honours, save the posts which
+they had held under the crown, and their respective governments.
+D'Auvergne, however, was still a prisoner in the Bastille, where, after
+lashing himself into fury for a few months, he adopted the more prudent
+and manly alternative of study, and thus contrived to educe enjoyment
+even from his privations.
+
+Yet still the haughty spirit of the Marquise scorned to yield. She was
+indeed living in her own house, the gift of the monarch against whom she
+exhibited this firm and calm defiance, and surrounded by luxuries, the
+whole of which she owed to his uncalculating generosity; but she could
+not, and would not, forget that she was, nevertheless, an exile from the
+Court, and a prisoner within the boundary of her estate, while the
+Queen, whom she had affected to despise, was triumphing in her
+disgrace. Nor was it until the month of September, when Henry, who was
+pining for her return, finally declared that no proof of culpability
+having been brought against her, she must be forthwith duly and fully
+acquitted of the crime with which she had been charged, that the icy
+barrier was at last broken down, and the haughty Marquise condescended
+to acknowledge herself indebted to her sovereign. The King did not
+satisfy himself with this mere declaration, though he had caused it to
+be legally registered by the Parliament; but, fearful lest some further
+revelations might be made, by which she might become once more involved,
+he moreover strictly forbade his Attorney-general to take any new steps
+whatever relating to the conspiracy, or tending further to incriminate
+any of its presumed members.[301]
+
+The jealousy which existed between the two houses of Bourbon and
+Lorraine, and which Henry was anxious if possible to terminate, coupled
+perhaps with no small feeling of wounded vanity, determined him to
+bestow the hand of Louise Marguerite de Lorraine, Demoiselle de Guise
+(who, since she had been in the household of the Queen, had lent a less
+willing ear than formerly to his renewed gallantries), upon François,
+Prince de Conti; and accordingly the marriage was celebrated with great
+pomp in the month of July, in the presence of their Majesties and the
+whole Court. Madame de Conti herself asserts that the Queen first
+suggested this union, and did everything in her power to effect it;[302]
+for which it is highly probable that Marie had a double motive, as the
+antecedents of Mademoiselle de Guise might well excuse her jealousy.
+
+While besieging Paris, and before his public _liaison_ with Gabrielle
+d'Estrées, Henry had sent to demand the portrait of Mademoiselle de
+Guise, giving her reason to believe that so soon as the war should be
+terminated he was desirous of making her his wife; a prospect which, as
+she very naively acknowledges, led her to despise the addresses of the
+Comte de Giury,[303] who was her declared suitor, as well as those of
+the other nobles who sought her favour. One day, however, during a brief
+truce of six hours, the Duchesse de Guise and herself, accompanied by
+several other ladies, having ascended the rampart to converse with such
+of their friends as were in the besieging army, all the young gallants
+crowded to the foot of the walls to pay their respects to the fair being
+whose presence offered so graceful a contrast to the objects by which
+they were more immediately surrounded; and among the rest came Roger,
+Duc de Bellegarde, at that period the handsomest man in France.
+
+It was the first occasion upon which Mademoiselle de Guise and the Duke
+had met; and we have the authority of the lady for stating that the
+attraction was mutual. M. de Bellegarde had long been the avowed lover
+of _la belle Gabrielle_; but, inconstant as the fair D'Estrées herself,
+he at once surrendered his previously-occupied heart to this new
+goddess. His prior attachment was not, however, the only reason which
+should have deterred Mademoiselle de Guise from thus suffering her fancy
+to overcome her better feelings, as M. de Bellegarde was accused of
+having been accessory to the assassination of her father; but neither of
+these considerations appears to have had any weight with the young
+Princess. According to her own version of the circumstance, Gabrielle
+conceived so violent a jealousy that the Duke was compelled to
+condescend to every imaginable subterfuge in order to conceal the truth;
+while the King, who soon became aware of the secret intelligence which
+subsisted between the lovers, ceased to feel any inclination to raise
+Mademoiselle de Guise to the throne of France; although, as we have
+seen, he was by no means insensible either to the charm of her wit or
+the attraction of her beauty.
+
+In order to follow up his great design of pacification, Henry, after
+having re-established Philip of Nassau in his principality of Orange,
+also effected his marriage with Eléonore de Bourbon,[304] by which union
+he secured another desirable ally.[305]
+
+During the development of the late conspiracy the monarch had been
+indebted for much of the information which he had received relative to
+the intrigues of the Comte d'Auvergne to the intelligence afforded by
+the ex-Queen Marguerite, who, having come into possession of many facts
+which could not otherwise have been known to the King, had assiduously
+imparted to him every circumstance that she conceived to be of
+importance; a service for which he had not failed to express his
+gratitude. That Marguerite had, however, been in no small degree
+actuated in this matter by feelings of self-interest, there can be no
+doubt, D'Auvergne having long enjoyed the proprietorship of the county
+from whence he derived his title, and which had been bestowed on him by
+Henri III, as well as several other estates which that monarch had
+inherited from his mother, Catherine de Medicis, the said territories
+having formed a portion of her dowry on her union with Henri II.
+Marguerite's memories of her brother, as the reader will readily
+comprehend, were not sufficiently attaching to induce her to submit
+patiently to such a substitution, as she was aware that, by the marriage
+contract, the property in question was settled upon the female offspring
+of Catherine in default of male issue; and her lavish expenditure and
+errant adventures having exhausted her means, she resolved to exert
+every effort to establish her claim. She had already upon several
+occasions solicited permission to return to the French capital; and,
+although it had never been distinctly refused, it was so coldly
+conceded that her pride had hitherto prevented her from availing herself
+of an indulgence thus reluctantly accorded; but aware at the present
+moment that she could so materially serve the King as to ensure a more
+gracious reception than she might previously have anticipated, she
+resolved to seize the opportunity; and accordingly, greatly to the
+surprise, not only of the whole Court, but of the monarch himself, she
+arrived in Paris without having intimated her intention, lest the
+permission should be revoked.
+
+For five-and-twenty years the last survivor of the illustrious house of
+Valois had existed in obscurity and poverty among the mountains and
+precipices of the inhospitable province of Auvergne, apparently
+forgetting for a time that world by which she had been so readily
+forgotten; but Marguerite began at length to yearn for a restoration of
+her privileges as a member of the great human family. She could not have
+chosen a more judicious moment in which to hazard so extreme a step; as
+in addition to the respect which, despite all her vices, she could still
+command as the descendant of a long line of sovereigns, she had latterly
+established many claims upon the gratitude of the King. It was
+impossible for him not to feel, and that deeply, the generous
+self-abnegation with which she had lent herself to the dissolution of
+their ill-omened marriage, when not only his own happiness, but that of
+the whole nation, required the sacrifice; nor could he fail to remember
+that while those upon whom he lavished alike his affection and his
+treasure, had constantly laboured to embitter his domestic life, and to
+undermine the dignity of his Queen, the repudiated wife had never once
+evinced the slightest disposition to withhold from her the deference and
+respect to which she was entitled.
+
+Thus then, when her near approach to the capital was suddenly announced
+to him, Henry lost not a moment in hastening, with his royal consort and
+a brilliant retinue, to receive her before she could reach the gates;
+and gave orders that the palace of Madrid in the Bois de Boulogne should
+immediately be prepared in a befitting manner for her residence. Nor was
+Marie de Medicis less willing than himself to welcome the truant
+Princess, to whom she was aware that she owed many obligations; and the
+meeting was consequently a cordial one on both sides. After the usual
+ceremonies had been observed, Marguerite, abandoning the litter in which
+she had hitherto travelled, took her place in the state coach beside
+their Majesties, by whom she was conducted to her appointed abode; nor
+was it until repeated expressions of regard had been exchanged between
+the ex-Queen and her successor, that the royal party returned to the
+Tuileries.
+
+After a sojourn of six weeks in the palace of Madrid, during which time
+Marguerite not only revealed to the monarch all the details of the
+Verneuil conspiracy, but also the particulars of another still more
+serious, as it involved the cession of Marseilles, Toulon, and other
+cities to the Spaniards, she became wearied of the forest villa, and
+established herself in the archiepiscopal Hôtel de Sens[306]; an
+arrangement to which the King consented on condition that she should
+make him two promises, one of which was that she would be more careful
+of her health, "and not turn night into day, and day into night," as she
+was accustomed to do; and the other, that she would restrain her
+liberality, and endeavour to economize. To these requests the Princess
+cheerfully answered that she would make an effort to obey his Majesty
+upon the first point, although it would be a privation almost beyond
+endurance, from the habit in which she had so long indulged of enjoying
+the sunrise before she retired to rest; but with regard to the other
+she must decline to give a pledge which she was certain to falsify, no
+Valois having ever succeeded in such an attempt. It is probable that
+Henry, from a consciousness of his own peculiar prodigalities, did not
+feel himself authorized to insist upon a rigid observance of his
+expressed wish, as although Marguerite had so frankly refused to
+regulate her expenditure with more prudence, she was nevertheless
+permitted to remain in the asylum which she had chosen; and this she
+continued to do until the 5th of April 1606, when she was driven from it
+by a tragedy that rendered it hateful to her.
+
+Slender as was her retinue, it unfortunately included a young favourite
+named Saint-Julien,[307] who, from some private pique, had induced her
+to discharge from her service two attendants who had from their earliest
+youth been members of her household, the one as page, and the other as
+maid of honour; and who had ultimately married with her consent and
+approbation, but upon being thus cast off, had found themselves ruined,
+no noble house being willing to receive the dismissed attendants of the
+dishonoured Queen. Of this union a son had been born, possessed,
+however, of less patience and self-control than his unhappy parents,
+who, after having clung to Marguerite through good and evil fortune, now
+found themselves abandoned to all the miseries of poverty and neglect.
+This youth, called by L'Etoile Vermond, and by Bassompierre Charmond,
+made his way to Paris as best he might, and arrived in the capital after
+Marguerite had taken up her residence as already stated in the Faubourg
+St. Antoine. There can be no doubt that the utter destitution of his
+parents had made him desperate, for he could not rationally indulge the
+slightest hope of impunity; suffice it, that as the Princess was
+alighting from her coach on her return from attending mass at the abbey
+of the Celestines, between mid-day and one o'clock on the 5th of April,
+while her favourite stood beside the steps to assist her to descend, the
+unhappy Vermond shot him through the head, and then, turning his horse
+towards the gate of St. Denis, endeavoured to make his escape. He was,
+however, too ill-mounted to succeed in this attempt, the carriage of the
+ex-Queen having been followed by many of the nobles who were anxious to
+propitiate the favour of the King by so easy a display of respect to the
+dethroned Marguerite; and ere he reached the barrier the wretched young
+man found himself a prisoner.
+
+The body of his victim had, meanwhile, been conveyed to an apartment on
+the ground floor of the hôtel, where on his arrival he was immediately
+confronted with it; but no sign of remorse or regret was visible as he
+gazed upon the corpse. "Turn it over," he said huskily, after he had
+gazed for awhile upon the glazed eyes and the parted lips. "Let me see
+if he be really dead." His request was complied with; and as he became
+convinced that life had indeed departed from the already stiffening
+form, he exclaimed joyfully: "It is well--I have not failed--my task is
+accomplished. Had it been otherwise I could yet have repaired
+the error."
+
+When this scene was reported to Marguerite, who, absorbed in the most
+passionate grief, had retired to her appartment, she vowed that she
+would not touch food until she had vengeance on the murderer; and she
+kept her word, as she persisted in her resolution till, on the third day
+after he had committed the crime, the unhappy young man was decapitated
+in front of the house, and almost upon the very spot still reeking with
+the blood of his victim. But the nerves of the ex-Queen could endure no
+further tension; and on the morrow she removed to a new residence in the
+Faubourg St. Germain, where she was shortly afterwards visited by
+Bassompierre, who was charged with the condolences of the King on her
+late loss.[308]
+
+This fact alone tends more fully to develop the manners and morals (?)
+of the age than a thousand comments; and thus we have considered it our
+duty to place it upon record.
+
+Meanwhile M. de Saint-Julien was far from having been the only favourite
+of the profligate Marguerite, who divided her time between devotional
+exercises and the indulgence of those guilty pleasures to which she was
+so unhappily addicted; but while the citizens were not slow to remark
+her excesses, she gained the love of the poor by a profuse alms-giving,
+and enjoyed a perfect impunity of action from the real or feigned
+ignorance of the King relative to the private arrangements of her
+household. She was, moreover, the avowed patroness of men of letters, by
+whom her table was constantly surrounded; and in whose society she took
+so much delight that she acquired, by this constant intercourse with the
+most learned individuals of the capital, a facility not only of
+expression, but also of composition, very remarkable in one of her sex
+at that period.[309] Carefully avoiding all political intrigue, she made
+no distinction of persons beyond that due to their rank; and thus, while
+her intercourse with the Queen was marked by an affectionate respect
+peculiarly gratifying to its object, she was no less urbane and
+condescending to the Marquise de Verneuil; who had, as may have been
+anticipated, already regained all her former influence over the mind of
+the monarch, his passion even appearing to have derived new strength
+from their temporary estrangement.
+
+The peculiar situation of the Queen, however, who was about once more to
+become a mother, and whose tranquillity of mind he feared to disturb at
+such a moment, rendered the monarch unusually anxious to conceal this
+fact; and it was consequently not until some weeks afterwards that Marie
+de Medicis was apprised of the new triumph of her rival.
+
+The month of December accordingly passed away without the domestic
+discord which must have arisen had the Queen been less happily ignorant
+of her real position; but it was nevertheless fated to be an eventful
+one. The death of M. de la Rivière, the King's body-surgeon, a loss
+which was severely felt by Henry, was succeeded by the execution of M.
+de Merargues[310], whose conspiracy to deliver up Marseilles to the
+Spaniards was revealed to the monarch by Marguerite; and who, tried and
+convicted of _lèse-majesté_, was decapitated in the Place de Grève, his
+body quartered and exposed at the four gates of the capital, and his
+head carried to Marseilles, and stuck upon a pike over the principal
+entrance to the city; while, on the very day of his execution, as the
+King was returning from a hunt and riding slowly across the Pont Neuf,
+at about five in the afternoon, a man suddenly sprang up behind him and
+threw him backwards upon his horse, attempting at the same time to
+plunge a dagger which he held into the body of his Majesty. Fortunately,
+however, Henry was so closely muffled in a thick cloak that before the
+assassin could effect his purpose the attendants were enabled to seize
+him and liberate their royal master, who was perfectly uninjured. The
+consternation was nevertheless universal; nor was it lessened by the
+calmness with which, when interrogated, the assassin declared that his
+intention had been to take the life of the sovereign. It was soon
+discovered, however, by the incoherency of his language that he was a
+maniac; and although many of the nobles urged that he should be put to
+death as an example to others, the King resolutely resisted their
+advice, declaring that the man's family, who had long been aware of his
+infirmity, were more to blame than himself; and commanding that he
+should be placed in security, and thus rendered unable to repeat any act
+of violence. He was accordingly conveyed to prison, where he shortly
+afterwards died.
+
+At this period, whether it were that the King hoped, by occupying her
+attention with subjects of more moment, to be enabled to pursue his
+_liaison_ with Madame de Verneuil with less difficulty, or that his
+advancing age rendered him in reality anxious to initiate her into the
+mysteries of government, it is certain that he endeavoured to induce the
+Queen to take more interest than she had hitherto done in questions of
+national importance; and revealed to her many state secrets, not one of
+which, as he afterwards declared to Sully, did she ever communicate,
+even to her most confidential friends. But Marie de Medicis was far from
+evincing the delight which he had anticipated at his avowed wish that
+she should share with him in the hopes and disappointments of royalty;
+her ambition had not then been thoroughly awakened; she still felt as a
+wife and as a woman rather than as a Queen; and an insolence from Madame
+de Verneuil occupied her feelings more nearly than a threatened
+conspiracy. So great, indeed, was her distaste to the new character in
+which she was summoned to appear, that when the King occasionally
+addressed her with a gay smile as _Madame la Régente_, a cloud
+invariably gathered upon her brow. Upon one occasion, when the royal
+couple were walking in the park at Fontainebleau, attended by all the
+Court, and that the monarch, who led the Dauphin by the hand, vainly
+endeavoured to induce him to jump across a little stream which ran
+beside their path, Henry became so enraged by his cowardice and
+obstinacy that he raised him in his arms to dip him into the pigmy
+current, a punishment which was, however, averted by the entreaties of
+his mother; and the King reluctantly consented that he should suffer
+nothing more than the mortification of being compelled to exchange her
+care for that of his governess, Madame de Montglat. As the child was led
+away the King sighed audibly, but in a few seconds he resumed the
+conversation which had been thus unpleasantly interrupted, and once more
+he addressed the Queen as _Madame la Régente_.
+
+"I entreat of you, Sire, not to call me by that name," said Marie; "it
+is full of associations which cannot fail to be painful to me."
+
+[Illustration: MARIE DE MEDICIS. Paris: Richard Bentley and Son 1890.]
+
+The King looked earnestly and even sadly upon her for a moment ere he
+replied, and then it was in a tone as grave as that in which she uttered
+her expostulation. "You are right," he said, "quite right not to wish
+to survive me, for the close of my life will be the commencement of your
+own troubles. You have occasionally shed tears when I have flogged your
+son, but one day you will weep still more bitterly either over him or
+yourself. My favourites have often excited your displeasure, but you
+will find yourself some time hence more ill-used by those who obtain an
+influence over the actions of Louis. Of one thing I can assure you, and
+that is, knowing your temper so well as I do, and foreseeing that which
+his will prove in after years--you, Madame, self-opinionated, not to say
+headstrong, and he obstinate--you will assuredly break more than one
+lance together." [311]
+
+Poor Marie! She was little aware at that moment how soon so mournful a
+prophecy was to become a still more mournful reality.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[284] A very low wooden stool upon which accused persons were formerly
+seated during their trial; an arrangement deemed so great a degradation
+by persons of condition that many attainted nobles indignantly appealed
+against it.
+
+[285] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 256.
+
+[286] Achille de Harlay was the representative of a distinguished
+family, many of whose members were celebrated during four centuries both
+as magistrates and ecclesiastics. He was born on the 7th of May 1536,
+and was the son of Christophe de Harlay, President _de Mortier_ of the
+Parliament of Paris, one of the most learned and upright magistrates of
+his time. Achille was a parliamentary councillor at the age of
+twenty-two years, president of the Parliament of Paris at thirty-six,
+and succeeded his father-in-law, Christophe de Thou, as first president
+in 1582. During the time of the League under Henri III he made to the
+Duc de Guise the celebrated answer which covered him with glory and
+paralyzed the strength of the malcontents: "My soul belongs to my God
+and my heart to my King, although my body is in the power of rebels." He
+was imprisoned for a time by the chiefs of the League, after which he
+returned to the service of the King. He resigned his office in favour of
+Nicolas de Verdun, and died on the 23rd of October 1616 at the age of
+eighty years.
+
+[287] Louis Servin distinguished himself from an early age by his
+extraordinary learning and his extreme attachment to his sovereign. He
+was indebted for the rank of King's Advocate to the Cardinal de Vendôme,
+and acquitted himself so admirably of the duties of his office as to
+justify the confidence of his patron.
+
+[288] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 255-257. Mézeray, vol. x. pp. 277-279.
+Daniel, vol. vii. p. 456.
+
+[289] Marie de Balzac d'Entragues, in pursuit of whom the King incurred
+the risk of assassination.
+
+[290] Richer, _Mercure Français,_ Paris, 1611, year 1605, pp. 9-11.
+
+[291] Henri, Duc de Rohan, Prince de Léon, was the eldest son of Réné,
+second Vicomte de Rohan, and was born at Blein, in Brittany, in 1579. He
+made his first campaign under Henri IV, by whom he had been adopted, and
+who had declared his intention of making him his successor on the French
+throne should Marie de Medicis fail to give him a son. Henry created him
+duke and peer in 1603, and Colonel-general of the Swiss Guards in 1605;
+but after the death of the King he entered into a struggle with the
+Court, declared himself the head of the Protestant party, and sustained
+three campaigns against Louis XIII, the last of which was terminated by
+his compelling that monarch (in 1629) to sign for the second time a
+confirmation and re-establishment of the Edict of Nantes. He next
+entered into a negotiation with the Porte for the purchase of the island
+of Cyprus, and subsequently became Generalissimo of the Venetians
+against the Imperialists, then General of the Grisons, and finally,
+displeased and disgusted with the French Court, he withdrew to the
+territories of the Duke of Saxe Weimar, in whose service he was killed
+in 1638. He left an only child, Marguerite, who married Henri de Chabot,
+and whose descendants took the name of Rohan-Chabot.
+
+[292] Ablon was a small village upon the Seine, distant about three
+leagues from the capital, where the Protestants celebrated their worship
+before they built the church at Charenton, which was subsequently
+destroyed.
+
+[293] Guy, Comte de Laval, was one of the richest and most accomplished
+noblemen of his time. He not only inherited all the wealth of his
+father, but also that of his grandfather François de Coligny, a fact
+which, after his death, caused a lawsuit between the family of La
+Trémouille and the Duc d'Elboeuf. His qualities, both physical and
+mental, were worthy of his extraordinary fortune, and his devotion to
+literature and the fine arts was unwearied. M. de Laval had been reared
+in the Protestant faith, but to the great regret of the reformed party,
+who had hoped to find in him as zealous a defender as they had found in
+his ancestors, he embraced the Romish religion. His valour as a soldier
+was as remarkable as his attainments, and he had scarcely reached his
+twentieth year when he asked and obtained from the King the royal
+permission to serve under the Archduke Matthias in Hungary against the
+Turks. Accompanied by fifteen or sixteen gentlemen, and attended by a
+retinue befitting his rank and wealth, he eminently distinguished
+himself by the manner in which he effected the retreat after the siege
+of Strigonia; but his first triumph was fated to be his last, as during
+the struggle he received a gunshot wound of which he died a few days
+subsequently, deeply regretted by the Prince in whose cause he had
+fallen and by the troops, to whom he had already endeared himself by his
+noble qualities.
+
+[294] César Auguste de St. Larry, Baron de Thermes, was the son of Jean
+de St. Larry and of Anne de Villemur, and was the younger brother of
+Roger de St. Larry, Duc de Bellegarde, Grand Equerry of France. He was
+first created Knight of Malta and Grand Prior of Auvergne, and
+subsequently, on the dismissal of the Duc de Bellegarde, Grand Equerry
+in his stead. Having incurred the displeasure of Marie de Medicis he was
+compelled to leave the Court, when he proceeded to Holland, where he was
+warmly welcomed by Prince Maurice, a welcome which was not lessened by
+the fact of his being accompanied by forty gentlemen. The anger of the
+Queen having subsided he returned to France, where, as previously
+stated, he succeeded to the honours of his brother, was made Knight of
+St. Michael and the Holy Ghost, and died of a wound which he had
+received at the siege of Clérac in July 1621.
+
+[295] François d'Espinay, second of the name, was the son of François
+d'Espinay, Seigneur de Saint-Luc, Knight of St. Michael and of the Holy
+Ghost, and Grand Master of Artillery, who was killed at the siege of
+Amiens in 1597. In the preceding year, at the early age of fourteen, the
+young Saint-Luc had a quarrel with Emmanuel-Monsieur, the son of the Duc
+de Mayenne, by whom he conceived that he had been insulted, and who,
+upon his demanding whether the affront were intended as a jest or
+designed as an insult, replied that he might interpret it as he pleased,
+inquiring at the same time if he were not aware who he was. "Yes, I know
+you," was the reply of the high-spirited boy; "you are the son of the
+Duc de Mayenne, and you are in your turn aware that I am the son of
+Saint-Luc, a loyal gentleman who has always served his country with
+fidelity and never borne arms against his lawful sovereign." This
+quarrel between two mere youths having reached the ears of the King, he
+forbade the disputants to proceed further; but the young Saint-Luc had
+thus already, alike by his courage and his ready wit, given ample
+promise of his future loyalty and prowess.
+
+[296] Guillaume de Sault (or Saulx) was the son of the celebrated
+Gaspard de Saulx, Maréchal de Travannes. He married Chrétienne
+d'Aguirre, the daughter of Michel d'Aguirre, a celebrated jurisconsult
+of the diocese of Pampeluna, was created Lieutenant-Governor of
+Burgundy, and died in 1633.
+
+[297] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 43.
+
+[298] _Idem_.
+
+[299] Ippolito Aldobrandini, subsequently Clement VIII, was a Florentine
+by birth, who, in the year 1585, was made Grand Penitentiary and
+Cardinal by Pope Sixtus V. His diplomatic talents caused him to be sent
+as legate to Poland to arrange the difficulties between Sigismund of
+Sweden and the Archduke Maximilian, who had both been elected King of
+Poland by their several partisans. On the death of Innocent IX,
+Aldobrandini was raised to the pontifical chair (1592), which he
+occupied during thirteen years.
+
+[300] Camillo Borghese was a native of Rome, whose family were
+originally from Sienna. Clement VIII called him to a seat in the
+conclave in 1598. After his elevation to the pontifical chair he
+quarrelled with the republic of Venice, the result of the difference
+between the two states being the expulsion of the Jesuits from the
+Venetian territories. He succeeded in effecting the union of the
+Nestorians of Chaldea with the Church of Rome, and in appeasing for a
+time several controversial differences between members of his own
+communion. Paul V greatly embellished the city of Rome; and also
+completed the façade of St. Peter's, and the palace of the Quirinal. He
+died in 1621, at the age of sixty-nine years.
+
+[301] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 280.
+
+[302] _Amours du Grand Alcandre_, p. 47.
+
+[303] Anne d'Anglure, Seigneur de Giury, who subsequently married
+Marguerite Hurault, daughter of Philippe Hurault, Comte de Chiverny,
+Chancellor of France under Henri III and Henri IV.
+
+[304] Eléonore de Bourbon was the daughter of Henri I. de Bourbon,
+Prince de Condé, who succeeded his father in the command of the
+Calvinist party, conjointly with the King of Navarre, afterwards Henri
+IV. This prince raised a body of foreign troops in 1575, and
+distinguished himself greatly at Coutras in 1587. He died in the
+following year, having, as was asserted, been poisoned by his wife,
+Charlotte de la Trémouille, at St-Jean-d'Angély.
+
+[305] Montfaucon, vol. v. p. 418.
+
+[306] This hôtel was the property of the Bishop of Bourges, known as M.
+de Sens, who died in September 1606 at the age of seventy-nine years,
+and who was interred at Notre-Dame, at his own request, without pomp or
+ceremony of any description. This prelate had been involved in so many
+delicate, but withal conspicuous affairs, that he had become the object
+of very general curiosity and slander. At the commencement of the reign
+of Henri IV a satire made its appearance, entitled, "Library of Madame
+de Montpensier, brought to light by the advice of Cornac, and with the
+consent of the Sieur de Beaulieu, her equerry," in which mention was
+made of a supposititious work called, "The Art of not Believing in God,"
+by M. de Bourges, in which an attempt was made to convict the prelate of
+atheism. This book was attributed to the reformed party; while the libel
+was strengthened by the indignation felt by the Court of Rome at the
+circumstance of M. de Bourges having taken upon himself to absolve Henri
+IV without the Papal authority, on his conversion to the Roman Catholic
+faith. The manner of his death, however, gainsayed the calumny; although
+so slight had been the respect felt for his sacred office, that the
+ex-Queen Marguerite had no sooner taken possession of his hôtel, than
+the following placard was found affixed to the entrance-gate:
+
+     "Comme Reine, tu devais être
+      En ta royale maison;
+      Comme ----, c'est bien raison
+      Que tu loge an logis d'un prêtre."
+
+[307] Bassompierre calls him Saint-Sulliendat, _Mém_. p. 46.
+
+[308] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 353, 354. Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 46.
+
+[309] Richelieu, _La Mère et le Fils_, vol. i. p. 326.
+
+[310] Louis de Lagon de Merargues was a nobleman of Provence, who
+claimed to descend from the Princes of Catalonia or Aragon. His position
+of procureur-syndic of the province, and the importance of the relatives
+of his wife, who was closely connected with the Duc de Montpensier,
+together with the command of two galleys which he held from the King,
+enabled him at any moment to possess himself of the port; while his
+office of _Viguier_, or royal provost, gave him great authority over
+the citizens.
+
+[311] Richelieu, _La Mère et le Fils_, vol. i. pp. 19, 20.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+1606
+
+New Year's Day at Court--The royal tokens--A singular audience--A
+proposition--Birth of the Princess Christine--Public festivities--A
+ballet on horseback--The King resolves to humble the Duc de
+Bouillon--Arguments of the Queen--Policy of Henry--The Court proceeds to
+Torcy--Surrender of Bouillon--The sovereigns enter Sedan--Rejoicings of
+the citizens--State entry into Paris--The High Court of Justice assigns
+to the ex-Queen Marguerite the county of Auvergne--The "Te
+Deum"--Marguerite makes a donation of her recovered estates to the
+Dauphin--Inconsistencies of Marguerite--Jealousy of the Queen of Madame
+de Moret--Increasing coldness of the King towards that lady--The frail
+rivals--Princely beacons---Indignation of the Queen--Narrow escape of
+the King and Queen--Gratitude of the Queen to her preserver--Insolent
+pleasantry of the Marquise de Verneuil--A disappointment
+compensated--Marriage of the Duc de Bar--The King invites the Duchess of
+Mantua to become sponsor to the Dauphin, and the Duc de Lorraine to the
+younger Princess--_The Mantuan suite_--Preparations at Notre-Dame--The
+plague in Paris--The Court removes to Fontainebleau--The royal
+christenings--Increase of the plague--Royal disappointments--The
+Duchesse de Nevers--Discourtesy of the King--Dignity of the Duchess.
+
+The description given by M. de Sully of his interview with their
+Majesties on the morning of the 1st of January 1606 is so characteristic
+of the time that we cannot conscientiously pass it over, although the
+feeling of the present day compels us to exclude many of its details.
+Early in the forenoon the Duke proceeded to the Louvre to pay his
+respects to the august couple, and to present the customary offerings;
+but on reaching the apartment of the King, he was informed by MM.
+d'Armagnac and l'Oserai, the two valets-de-chambre on duty, that his
+Majesty was in the chamber of the Queen, who had been seriously
+indisposed during the night. He consequently proceeded to the ante-room
+of his royal mistress, and as he found it vacant, advanced to the door
+of the chamber itself, against which he scratched gently, in order to
+attract the attention of Caterina Selvaggio or Mademoiselle de la
+Renouillère, her favourite attendants, and to ascertain the state of her
+health without awakening her. He had no sooner done so, however, than
+several voices loudly inquired who was there, and among them the Duke
+recognized those of Roquelaure, Frontenac, and Beringhen.
+
+Having declared his identity, and been announced to the King, he was
+immediately summoned in a cheerful voice by Henry himself: "Come in,
+come in, Sully," cried the monarch; "you will think us very idle until
+you learn what has kept us in bed so late. My wife has been ill all
+night; but I will tell you all about it when there are not so many
+people present, and meanwhile let us see what you have brought for us as
+New Year's gifts, for I observe that your three secretaries are with you
+laden each with a velvet bag."
+
+"It is true, Sire," answered the Duke. "I remembered that the last
+occasion upon which I had seen your Majesties together you were both in
+excellent spirits, and trusting to find it the case today, when we are
+all anticipating the birth of a second Prince, I have brought you some
+offerings which are sure to please you, as they cannot fail to gratify
+those to whom they are distributed in your name, a distribution which I
+trust may take place this evening in your presence and that of
+the Queen."
+
+"Although she says nothing to you," laughed the King, "according to her
+custom of pretending to be asleep, she is as thoroughly awake as myself,
+but she is very angry with both of us. However, we will talk of that
+some other time. And now let us see your presents."
+
+"They are not perhaps, Sire," said the Grand Master, "such as might be
+expected from the treasurer of a wealthy and powerful monarch; but such
+as they are, I feel convinced that they will afford more real
+gratification to those for whom they are intended, and excite more
+gratitude towards your own person, than all the costly gifts which you
+lavish upon individuals who, as I well know, only repay your profuse
+liberality by ingratitude and murmurs."
+
+"I understand you," exclaimed the King; "it is useless to explain
+yourself further; rather show us what you have brought."
+
+The Duke made a signal to his secretaries to approach the bed. "Here,
+Sire," he said, "in my despatch-bag, are three purses filled with gold
+tokens, with a device expressive of the love borne towards your Majesty
+by your people. One of these I offer to yourself, another to the Queen,
+and the third to Monseigneur le Dauphin, or rather I ought to say to
+Mamanga,[312] if her Majesty does not retain it, as she has always done
+on similar occasions. In the same bag are eight purses of silver tokens
+with the same device--two for yourself, two for the Queen, and four for
+La Renouillère, Caterina Selvaggio, and any other of the ladies who
+sleep in the chamber of her Majesty. The second bag contains twenty-five
+purses of tokens in silver, to be distributed among Monseigneur le
+Dauphin, Madame de Montglat, Madame de Drou,[313] Mademoiselle de
+Piolant,[314] the nurses and other attendants of Monseigneur and his
+sister, and the waiting-maids of the Queen. In the third bag there are
+thirty sacks, each containing a hundred crowns in half-franc pieces,
+coined expressly for the purpose, and so large that they appear to be of
+twice the value. These are intended for all the attendants of
+subordinate rank attached to the household of her Majesty and the royal
+children, according to your orders. I have left, moreover, in my
+carriage below, in the charge of my people, two great bags, each
+containing a hundred crowns in twelve sous pieces, making the sum of
+twelve thousand sous, for division among the poor and sick upon the
+quays of the river near the Louvre, which are, as I am told, already
+crowded; and I have in consequence sent twelve citizens upon whom I can
+rely to distribute the money conscientiously according to the
+necessities of each applicant. All these poor people, and even the
+waiting-women of her Majesty, exhibit more delight on receiving these
+trifling coins, Sire, than you can well believe. They all say that it is
+not so much for the value of the gift, as because it proves that you
+remember and regard them; and, moreover, the attendants of the Queen
+prize them in consequence of their being free to appropriate them as
+they think fit, while they are compelled to employ their respective
+salaries according to the instructions which they receive, as they thus
+have a hundred crowns to expend in any finery for which they may take
+a fancy."
+
+"And do you bestow all this happiness upon them without being rewarded
+even by a kiss?" asked Henry gaily.
+
+"Truly, Sire," answered the Duke, "since the day when your Majesty
+commanded them to recognize their obligation in that manner, I have
+never found it necessary to remind them of your royal pleasure, for they
+come voluntarily to tender their acknowledgments according to order;
+while Madame de Drou, devout as she is, only laughs during the
+performance of the ceremony."
+
+"Come now, M. le Grand Maître," persisted the King, "tell me the truth;
+which do you consider to be the handsomest, and consequently the most
+welcome among them?"
+
+"On my word, Sire," replied M. de Sully, "that is a question which I am
+unable to answer, for I have other things to think of besides love and
+beauty, and I firmly believe that they, each and all, pay as little
+attention to my handsome nose as I do to theirs. I kiss them as we do
+relics, when I am making my offering."
+
+Henry laughed heartily. "How say you, gentlemen," he exclaimed,
+addressing the courtiers who thronged the chamber; "have we not here a
+prodigal treasurer, who makes such presents as these at the expense of
+his master, and all for a kiss?"
+
+Of course the royal hilarity found a general and an immediate echo,
+which had no sooner subsided than the King exclaimed: "And now,
+gentlemen, to your breakfasts, and leave us to discuss affairs of
+greater importance."
+
+In a few minutes all had left the room save Sully himself and the two
+waiting-women of the Queen, and he had no sooner ascertained that such
+was the case than Henry said affectionately: "And now, sleeper, awake,
+and do not scold any longer, for I have, on my part, resolved not to
+think any more of what has passed, particularly at such a time as this.
+You fancy that Sully blames you whenever we have a difference, but you
+are quite wrong, as you would be aware could you only know how freely he
+gives me his opinion on my own faults, and although I am occasionally
+angry with him, I like him none the less; on the contrary, I believe
+that if he ceased to love me, he would be more indifferent to all that
+touches my welfare and honour, as well as the good of my people; for do
+you see, _ma mie_, the best-intentioned among us require at times to be
+supported by the wise advice of faithful and prudent friends, and he is
+constantly reminding me of the expediency of indulgence towards
+yourself, and of the necessity of keeping your mind at peace, in order
+that neither you nor the Prince whom you are about to give to
+France--for the Duke feels satisfied that it will be a Prince--may
+suffer from contradiction, or annoyance of any kind."
+
+"I thank M. le Grand Maître," said the Queen at length, in a voice of
+great exhaustion; "but it is impossible for me to feel either calm or
+happy while you persist in preferring the society of persons who are
+obnoxious to me, to my own. My very dreams are embittered by this
+consciousness, and doubly so because I have reason to know that while I
+am their victim, they are false even to yourself and, moreover, detest
+you in their hearts. You may doubt this," she added with greater energy,
+"but I appeal to the Duke himself, and he will tell you if this is not
+the case."
+
+M. de Sully, however, felt no inclination to offer his testimony to the
+truth of an assertion of this nature--the position involved too great a
+responsibility to be agreeable even to the experienced statesman
+himself; and he accordingly, with his accustomed prudence, generalized
+the subject by declaring that he experienced a heartfelt satisfaction in
+perceiving that their Majesties had at length yielded to a feeling of
+mutual confidence, which could not fail to put an end to all their
+domestic discomfort; adding that if he might presume to offer his
+advice, he would suggest that should any new subject of difference arise
+between them, they should immediately refer it to the arbitration of a
+third person, upon whose probity and attachment they could severally
+rely, and resolve to leave the whole affair totally in his hands,
+without aggravating the evil by any personal interference, or even
+considering themselves aggrieved by the remedy which he might suggest.
+
+He then offered, should they place sufficient confidence in his own
+judgment and affection, to become himself the arbitrator whom he
+recommended; and he had no sooner done so than the King eagerly declared
+himself ready to comply with his advice, and to sign a pledge to that
+effect, but Marie de Medicis, who was as well aware as her royal consort
+that the first step adopted by Sully would be the exile of her Italian
+followers, was less willing to bind herself by such an engagement, and
+she therefore merely remarked that the proposition had come upon her so
+suddenly that she must have time to reflect before she thus placed
+herself entirely in the hands of a third party. She then, as if anxious
+to terminate the discussion, summoned her women, and the Duke, by no
+means reluctantly, withdrew.[315]
+
+At this period the King made a journey into Limousin, at the head of a
+body of troops, in order to overawe the malcontents in that province;
+and while at Orleans he withdrew the seals from Pomponne de Bellièvre,
+in order to bestow them upon Sillery, the former, however, retaining the
+empty title of Chief of the Privy Council. The pretext for this
+substitution was the failing health of the Chancellor, but it was
+generally attributed to the influence of Madame de Verneuil, in whose
+fortunes M. de Sillery had always exhibited as lively an interest as he
+had previously done in those of the Duchesse de Beaufort. Let it,
+however, have arisen from whatever cause it might, it is certain that
+the veteran statesman deeply felt the indignity which had been offered
+to him. Thus Bassompierre asserts that when he shortly afterwards
+visited M. de Bellièvre at Artenay, and that the indignant minister
+commented with considerable bitterness upon his recent deprivation, he
+vainly endeavoured to reconcile him to the affront by reminding him that
+he was still in office, and would preside at all the councils as
+chancellor, but Bellièvre immediately replied with emphasis: "My friend,
+a chancellor without seals is an apothecary without sugar." [316]
+
+On the 10th of February the Queen gave birth to a second daughter[317]
+in the palace of the Louvre, to her extreme mortification, the
+astrologers whom she had consulted having assured her that she was about
+to become the mother of a Prince. The citizens of Paris were, however,
+delighted, as no royal child had been born in the capital for a great
+length of time;[318] while the princes and nobles, throughout the whole
+of the following month, vied with each other in their efforts to
+entertain their Majesties, and to cause them to forget their
+disappointment. It would appear, indeed, that Marie herself soon became
+reconciled to the sex of the infant Princess, as Bassompierre has left
+it upon record that even before she was sufficiently recovered to leave
+her room she used to send for him to play cards with her, an invitation
+which was always welcome to the handsome and dissipated courtier.[319]
+She no sooner appeared in public, however, than other and more brilliant
+amusements were provided for her, consisting of jousts and banquets,
+Italian comedies and Court balls; but all these were exceeded in
+interest by a ballet that was performed on horseback in the great court
+of the Louvre, which had been thickly strewn with sand and surrounded by
+barriers, save at one opening opposite the seats prepared for their
+Majesties, through which the four nobles by whom the entertainment had
+been devised were to enter with their respective trains from the Hôtel
+de Bourbon.
+
+The balconies and windows of the palace were crowded with splendidly
+dressed nobles and courtiers of both sexes, while a dense mass of people
+occupied every available spot of ground beyond the enclosure, where
+platforms had also been erected for the more respectable of the citizens
+and their families. The King and Queen were seated in the balcony of
+the centre window, which was draped with crimson velvet, having on their
+right and left several of the Princes of the Blood and ladies of the
+highest rank, while immediately behind them were placed the great
+officers of the Crown and the captains of the bodyguard. The hour
+selected for this novel and extraordinary exhibition was ten at night,
+and hundreds of lamps and double the number of torches were affixed to
+the _façade_ of the palace, towards which every eye was upturned from
+the compact crowd below. The ballet was designed to represent the four
+primary Elements, and the appointed moment had no sooner arrived than a
+flourish of trumpets announced the approach of the Duc de Bellegarde,
+who with his party were to personate Water. The procession was opened by
+twenty-four pages habited in cloth of silver, each attended by two
+torch-bearers; these were followed by twelve Syrens playing on hautboys,
+who were in their turn succeeded by a pyramid whose summit was crowned
+by a gigantic figure of Neptune, surrounded by water-gods and marine
+divinities and insignia of every description. This stupendous machine
+paused for a moment beneath the window of their Majesties, and the
+aquatic deities having made their obeisance, it passed on, and gave
+place to twenty-four other pages, habited and attended like the former
+ones. These preceded the Duke himself at the head of twelve young and
+brilliant nobles, all clad in cloth of silver, with plumes of white
+feathers in their jewelled caps, and their horses richly caparisoned in
+white and silver. Having made the tour of the court, the whole party
+drew closely together in one angle of the enclosure, in order to make
+way for the second troop, but not before they had exhibited their
+equestrian skill, and elicited not only the approving comments of the
+courtly groups who contemplated them from above, but also the vociferous
+acclamations of the admiring thousands by whom they were hemmed in. The
+Duc de Bellegarde and his train had no sooner taken up their station
+than a second _fanfare_ greeted the approach of the powers of Fire, who
+were ushered in by twenty-four pages dressed in scarlet, closely
+followed by four blacksmiths dragging an anvil, upon which, when they
+reached the centre of the court, they began to strike with great
+violence, and at every blow discharged such a shower of rockets into the
+air that many a fair dame crouched behind her neighbour for protection
+from the falling sparks; while the lamps and torches which lit up the
+palace walls were momentarily eclipsed. As the last rush of rockets
+burst, and fell back in a Danaëan shower, a train of salamanders,
+phoenix, and other anti-inflammable creatures appeared in their turn,
+and were followed by the Duc de Rohan, attired as Vulcan, with his
+twelve companions in the garb of Parthians, all similarly dressed, and
+armed with lances, swords, and shields, on which their arms were
+splendidly emblazoned. Renewed feats of dexterous horsemanship were
+exhibited by this brilliant band, after which, as their predecessors
+had previously done, they established themselves in an angle of the
+lists, and made way for the representatives of Air. First came the
+pages, forming an escort to the goddess Juno, with her attendant eagle
+and a multitude of other birds, all skilfully imitated and grouped; and
+when the feathered pageant had passed on, appeared the Comte de
+Sommerive[320] and his noble band, all wearing the same costume and
+bearing the same arms. Lastly came Earth, in which the pages were
+succeeded by two enormous elephants, artistically constructed, and
+bearing upon their backs small towers filled with musicians, who, as
+they advanced, poured out a volume of sweet sound, to which several
+horses, draped with cloth of gold and led by Moors, moved in cadence
+like the grooms by whom they were conducted. Then followed more pages,
+and a band of trumpeters whose occasional flourishes overpowered the
+softer instruments of those who marched in front; and finally, twelve
+Moorish knights, led by the Duc de Nevers,[321] all resplendent with
+gold and jewels, closed the procession, and fell back to the remaining
+extremity of the enclosure. A combat then commenced between the knights
+of Earth and those of Water, first single-handed, then in couples, and
+finally troop against troop, and so soon as this had terminated, the
+cavaliers of Air and Fire went through the same evolutions; when each
+having exhibited his dexterity in the _manège_ and his skill in arms,
+the whole of the four bands joined in the _mêlée_, shivering their
+lances, their arrows, and their shields, and then each of the combatants
+seized a torch which had been prepared for him, and after having ridden
+round and round each other, making the wandering lights assume the
+appearance of meteors, the entire company formed once more into order
+and returned to the Hôtel de Bourbon like a long line of fire.[322]
+
+These were precisely the entertainments that Henri IV was eager to
+encourage, as they involved an expenditure which frequently crippled the
+means of those by whom they were exhibited for several years; and he was
+accustomed to declare that it was frequently to the poverty of his
+nobles that he was indebted for their fidelity, as they no sooner found
+themselves in a position to arm a few retainers and assume the
+offensive, than they forthwith began to organize a cabal.
+
+The King having, in the month of March of this year, determined upon
+proceeding in person to quell the disturbances in the provinces, and to
+compel the Duc de Bouillon, who was known as the instigator of these
+disorders, to obedience, made preparations on an extensive scale for
+this purpose, and raised a powerful army in order to prove his
+resolution to terminate all similar attempts. In this project he was
+warmly encouraged by the Queen, who was to accompany him in his journey,
+the Duc de Sully having urged her with the most earnest arguments to
+suggest to his Majesty that although he was able personally, from his
+prowess and authority, to resist the insidious aggressions of M. de
+Bouillon, the case would be widely different were the infant Prince, by
+any sudden dispensation of Providence, to be called upon to supply his
+place. "The rebel Duke, Madame," said the prudent and upright minister,
+"would prove a formidable enemy to a woman and a child; and this should
+be looked to while your royal consort is still in the plenitude of
+health and strength."
+
+Marie de Medicis at once felt the force of this reasoning; and although
+the caution might probably appear to her as somewhat premature, she
+nevertheless lost no time in entreating the King to make such an example
+of the restless and ambitious Bouillon as might deter others from
+following in his track.
+
+"You are at once right and wrong, _ma mie_" replied Henry with his usual
+promptitude. "There can be no doubt that the temper and projects of this
+man tend to disturb the peace of the kingdom, and that were he to lose
+his head a great peril would be escaped; but we must not forget that he
+is a Prince of the Blood, and that he may be severely punished through
+his pride. I have resolved to take Sedan out of his hands, and to humble
+him upon the very threshold of his power; and this vengeance upon his
+rebellion will be ample, as he has taught himself to believe that I dare
+not attack him in his stronghold. Once subdued he will be undeceived,
+and I shall then be enabled to pardon him without having my clemency
+mistaken for fear, and I will take such measures as shall ensure his
+future submission." [323]
+
+On the 15th of the month, the Court of Parliament, on a summons from the
+sovereign, proceeded to the Louvre, where Henry explained to them his
+reasons for besieging the Maréchal de Bouillon in Sedan, and possessing
+himself of the town and citadel. "A failure," he concluded, "is
+impossible; and as an earnest of success the Queen will accompany me.
+To-morrow we commence our journey; but do not conceive that I set forth
+against the Duke with any preconceived design of vengeance. My arms will
+be open to him should he acknowledge his error, for I have been his
+benefactor, and have made him what he is. But should he decline to offer
+his submission and to recognize my authority, I trust that God will
+favour my arms. Above all things, during my absence, I entreat of you to
+administer the strictest justice; and I leave in your hands the Dauphin,
+my son, whom I have caused to be removed from St. Germain to Paris, in
+order to place him under your protection; and I do so with the most
+entire confidence, as next to myself he should be to you the most sacred
+trust on earth." [324]
+
+On the morrow, accordingly; the King and Queen set forth, accompanied
+by a brilliant retinue, and closely followed by the Duc de Sully with
+fifty pieces of ordnance and twenty-five thousand men; a fact which was
+no sooner ascertained than the rebel Marshal despatched messengers to
+Torcy, the frontier village of France, who were authorized to pledge
+themselves that the Duke was willing to deliver up the citadel of Sedan
+for the space of ten years, if at the termination of that period his
+Majesty would consent to restore it, should he, in the interim, have
+become satisfied of his loyalty and devotion. He, however, annexed
+another condition to his surrender, which was that an act of oblivion
+should be passed, and that he should never thenceforward be subjected to
+any injury, either of property or person, for whatever acts of
+disobedience to the royal authority he might have previously been
+considered responsible, and should be left in untroubled possession of
+all his honours, estates, and offices under the Crown.
+
+Having carefully perused this treaty, the King at once consented to the
+proposed terms, on the understanding that the Marshal should on the
+following morning present himself at Donchéry, where the Court were to
+halt that night, before their Majesties should have risen. This he
+accordingly did on the 21st, when upon his knees beside the royal couch
+he repeated and ratified the pledges of fidelity contained in his appeal
+for pardon, and had the honour of kissing hands with both sovereigns;
+the King assuring him as he did so that he valued the citadel of Sedan
+far less than the recovery of so valued a friend and subject.
+
+Their Majesties then made a solemn entry into the city, attended by a
+train of princes and nobles, and were received with loud and
+long-continued shouts of "Long live the King!" "Long live the Queen and
+the Dauphin!" Salvos of artillery were fired from the ramparts of the
+town and the citadel, and the whole progress of the royal _cortège_
+through the streets resembled a triumphal procession. In the evening the
+entire city was illuminated; and the vociferous cheering of the excited
+people testified their delight at the bloodless and peaceful termination
+of an expedition from which they had anticipated for themselves only
+danger and distress.
+
+The whole population was in a state of delirium; the royal equipages as
+they traversed the streets were followed by admiring crowds; the gay and
+gaudy nobles were watched by bright eyes, and welcomed by rosy lips; the
+civic authorities dreamt only of balls and banquets; and, in short, the
+rock-seated city, bristling as it was with cannon, and frowning with
+fortifications, appeared to have become suddenly transformed into the
+chosen abode of the Loves and Graces.
+
+Having remained five days at Sedan, the King appointed a new governor
+and returned to Paris, whither he was accompanied by the whole of the
+royal party, which was moreover augmented by the presence of the Duc de
+Bouillon, who, according to Bassompierre, was as much at his ease, and
+as arrogant in his deportment, as though he had never incurred the risk
+of the headsman as a rebel and a traitor. The Court dined at La
+Roquette, and it was near dusk when they reached the Barrière St.
+Antoine, where they were met by the corporate bodies. Henry himself rode
+on horseback, preceded by eight hundred nobles in full dress, and
+followed by four Princes of the Blood, in whose train came other
+princes, dukes, and officers of the Court, among whom were the Maréchal
+de Bouillon and Prince Juan de Medicis. The Queen occupied her state
+coach, having beside her the Duchesses de Guise and de Nevers, and the
+Princesse de Conti. As the royal party halted at the barrier, the Civil
+Lieutenant, M. de Miron, provost of the merchants, delivered a
+congratulatory address to the King in the name of the city; but this
+loyal effusion was rendered inaudible by the booming of the cannon from
+the Bastille, and the crashing and whizzing of the rockets and other
+fireworks, which, by order of the Duc de Sully, were let off immediately
+that the monarch had passed the gates.[325] So soon as the address was
+terminated, the gorgeous procession resumed its march, Sully riding on
+the left hand of the King, by whom this enthusiastic reception had been
+deeply felt; nor did his gratification suffer any decrease on observing
+as he passed on that every window upon his way was crowded with fair and
+animated faces. As he glanced towards the Bastille, the minister
+attracted his attention to the Comtesse d'Auvergne, who had latterly
+been permitted to visit her husband, and who was gazing wistfully from
+one of the narrow casements. As Henry recognized her, he withdrew his
+plumed cap, and bent his head with a courtesy and kindness which was
+remarked and commented upon by those around him; but his most gracious
+recognition was vouchsafed to the Comtesse de Moret, who was seated at a
+window in the Rue St. Antoine, surrounded by a bevy of beauties, who
+only served to render her own loveliness the more conspicuous.[326]
+
+Thus, amid the deafening report of the artillery and the enthusiastic
+plaudits of the people, Henry and his Queen at length reached the
+Louvre, and terminated their bloodless campaign.
+
+On the 30th of May the law courts, after three long and patient
+sittings, declared the ex-Queen Marguerite to be the lawful heir to the
+counties of Auvergne and Clermont, the barony of La Tour, and other
+estates which had appertained to the late Queen Catherine de Medicis;
+asserting that they had hitherto been unjustly possessed by Charles de
+Valois, who had also wrongfully derived his title of Comte d'Auvergne
+from one of them; and directed that the said territories should
+forthwith be transferred to the ex-Queen Marguerite, to whom they
+rightfully belonged. When this decision was pronounced, the Princess was
+assisting at the celebration of mass in the church of St. Saviour,
+whither M. Drieux, her chancellor, at once proceeded with the glad
+tidings, which he had no sooner imparted, than, overjoyed by the
+intelligence, she rose from her knees before the service was concluded,
+and leaving the church, hastened to the monastery of the Cordeliers,
+where she caused a "Te Deum" to be chanted in gratitude for her success.
+
+A few days subsequently, while at the Louvre, the ex-Queen, in the
+presence of Marie de Medicis, made a donation of the recovered estates
+to the Dauphin, on condition that they should be annexed to the Crown,
+and never under any consideration, or upon any pretext, alienated.
+Marguerite, however, reserved to herself the income derivable from these
+possessions during her life; and she no sooner found her means adequate
+to the undertaking than she commenced the enlargement of the hotel which
+she had previously purchased in the Faubourg St. Germain, near the Pré
+aux Clercs, and the embellishment of the spacious gardens which swept
+down to the bank of the river opposite the Louvre.
+
+Here it was, under the very shadow of the palace which should have been
+her home, that Marguerite held her little court; passing from her
+oratory to scenes of vice and voluptuousness which, happily, are
+unparalleled in these times; one day doing penance with bare feet and a
+robe of serge, and the next reposing upon velvet cushions and pillowed
+on down--now fasting like an anchorite, and now feasting like a
+bacchante; one hour dispensing charity so lavishly as to call down the
+blessings of hundreds on her head, and the next causing her lacqueys to
+chase with ignominious words and blows from beneath her roof the honest
+creditors who claimed their hard-earned gains. Extreme in everything,
+she gave a tithe of all that she possessed to the monks, although she
+did not shrink from confessing that her favourites cost her a still
+larger annual sum; and while she encouraged and appreciated the society
+of men of letters, and profited largely by their companionship, she
+condescended to the most frivolous follies, and abandoned herself to the
+most licentious pleasures.[327]
+
+The insipidity of Madame de Moret soon counteracted the spell of her
+beauty; and although on his return from Sedan the King had appeared to
+be more fascinated by her extraordinary loveliness than even at the
+first period of their acquaintance, it was not long ere he listened with
+a patience very unusual to him to the indignant remonstrances of the
+Queen on this new infidelity, and even assured her that her reproaches
+were misplaced. Marie, who perceived the prodigality with which the King
+lavished upon the frail fair one the most costly gifts, and who saw her,
+through the mock marriage which she had contracted, assume a place at
+Court which occasionally even brought her into contact with herself,
+could not so readily lay aside her suspicions; and although she had at
+first rejoiced to find that the fancy of the monarch could be diverted
+from Madame de Verneuil, she had never anticipated that the _liaison_
+would have endured so long. Henry, however, profited by this mistake;
+and while the Queen was still jealously watching the proceedings of
+Madame de Moret, he renewed with less secrecy his commerce with the
+witty and seductive Marquise, unconscious that she was at that period
+encouraging the addresses of the Duc de Guise. Nor did this partial
+desertion tend to wound the vanity of Madame de Moret, or to excite her
+ire against her rival; for once more the Prince de Joinville, who
+appeared to take a reckless pleasure in braving the anger of the
+monarch, had found favour in the eyes of one of his mistresses, and was
+established as the admitted lover of the facile Countess. Thus deceived
+on both sides, Henry had no annoyance to apprehend from either of the
+frail rivals; but such could not long remain the case with the Queen.
+There were too many eyes and ears about her ever open to discover and to
+retain the gossipry of the Court, and too many tongues ready to reveal
+all which might at the moment appear acceptable to her wounded feelings
+and insatiable desire to dwell upon the details of her unhappiness.
+
+Princes should pause before they err, for they are a world's beacon.
+Every eye turns towards them for example and for support; and thus,
+where the one is evil, and the other wanting, the results of the failure
+may prove incalculable. The flaw in the diamond, the alloy in the gold,
+the stain in the purple, the blot upon the ermine--all these are
+detected upon the instant; the value of the jewel is decreased, the
+price of the metal is deteriorated, the glory of the hue is tarnished,
+the purity of the mantle is sullied; and where minor imperfections may
+pass unperceived, a mighty social lens is for ever bearing upon
+the great.
+
+Angered and disappointed, the Queen, who had passed a short time in
+comparative tranquillity, once more found herself a prey to
+mortification and neglect; and so greatly did she resent the renewed
+intercourse between Henry and his favourite, that for upwards of a
+fortnight not a word was exchanged between the royal pair.[328] At
+length, however, through the intervention of Sully, Sillery, and the
+other ministers, a sort of hollow peace was effected, and the Court
+removed to St. Germain, where the royal children constantly resided.
+Here they remained until the 9th of June, on which day, notwithstanding
+the unfavourable state of the weather, they set forth on their return to
+the capital. Their Majesties occupied a coach, in which, together with
+themselves, were the Princesse de Conti and the Dues de Vendôme and de
+Montpensier;[329] other carriages followed with the ladies of the
+Queen's retinue; and a numerous train of nobles and attendants on
+horseback preceded the bodyguard. At that period no bridge existed at
+Neuilly, where the river was crossed in a ferry-boat which was waiting
+to receive the royal party, who, in consequence of the heavy rain, were
+driven on board; but unfortunately the beating of the water against the
+side of the frail bark, occasioned by the swollen state of the stream
+and the violence of the wind, so terrified the leaders of the royal
+coach, that it had no sooner left the land than they swerved so
+violently as to destroy the equilibrium of the boat, which instantly
+capsized, when the carriage was upset into the water, and immediately
+filled. The King, who was an excellent swimmer, was soon rescued by the
+attendants, a score of whom threw themselves from their horses into the
+river to afford assistance; but he no sooner reached the bank than he
+once more swam back to the rescue of the Queen and her companions.
+Marie, however, was already in safety, having been with considerable
+difficulty carried to land by the Baron de la Châtaigneraie,[330] who
+was compelled to seize her by her hair, to prevent her from being
+carried down by the current, and who, having placed her under the care
+of her ladies, returned to the assistance of the Duc de Vendôme, whom he
+also succeeded in saving. The Princesse de Conti and M. de Montpensier,
+having been immersed on the landward side of the carriage, were rescued
+with comparative ease; but the peril had nevertheless been great, and
+the consternation general. Marie de Medicis, when brought on shore, was
+in a state of insensibility, and it was a considerable time before she
+recovered consciousness; nor had she yet opened her eyes when she
+gasped out an agitated inquiry for the King.[331] Finally, however, all
+the party were enabled to take possession of one of the carriages of the
+suite, and to pursue their journey; but not before the Queen had desired
+that the person by whom she had been saved should be requested to attend
+her; upon which M. de la Châtaigneraie presented himself, with the water
+pouring from his embroidered mantle; and it was with no little surprise
+and gratification that their Majesties ascertained that not only the
+gallant La Châtaigneraie, but also several other members of the royal
+escort, had flung themselves into the river without waiting to throw off
+either their cloaks or swords.[332] Marie made her acknowledgments to
+the gallant young noble with an earnest courtesy which would in itself
+have been a sufficient recompense for his exertions; but while speaking,
+she also detached from her dress a magnificent diamond cluster, valued
+at four thousand crowns, which she tendered to him with the intelligence
+that he was from that moment the captain of her bodyguard, and that she
+should thenceforward further his fortunes.
+
+"And now, gentlemen," said the King gaily, as the agitated and grateful
+young courtier knelt to kiss the hand which was extended towards him,
+"let us resume our journey. When we left St. Germain I was, as you all
+know, suffering agonies from toothache, which is now cured; this bath
+has been the best remedy I have ever applied; and if any of us dined too
+heartily upon salt provisions, we have at least the satisfaction of
+feeling that we have been enabled to drink freely since." [333]
+
+A few hours after his arrival in the capital, the King paid a visit to
+the Marquise de Verneuil, to whom he related the escape of himself and
+his companions;[334] but even on so serious an occasion as this, and one
+which had threatened such tragical consequences to the Queen, the
+insolent favourite could not comment without indulging in the sarcastic
+and bitter pleasantry which she always affected in making any allusion
+to her royal mistress. After feeling or feigning great anxiety on the
+subject of Henry's own escape, she said with malicious gaiety: "Had I
+been there, when once I had seen you safe, I should have exclaimed with
+great composure, 'The Queen drinks.'" [335]
+
+Unfortunately the King, taken by surprise, laughed heartily at this
+sally, a circumstance which was duly reported to Marie de Medicis, and
+which greatly increased her irritation. This new cause of offence was so
+grave that she could not forgive the levity of the King more readily
+than the heartless insolence of his mistress; and she carried her
+resentment to so extreme a pitch that she refused to receive him in her
+apartments. Such a determination was naturally productive of serious
+confusion in the palace, as it infringed upon all the accustomed
+etiquette of the Court, and created great perplexity among the officers
+of state; but remonstrances were vain. Marie, stung to the soul by the
+insult to which she had been subjected, and which her royal consort had
+not only suffered to pass unrebuked, but to which he had in some degree
+contributed, would not rescind her resolution; while the King was, in
+his turn, equally violent. In vain did the Duc de Villeroy, Sully, and
+others of the great nobles, endeavour to mediate between them: reason
+was lost in passion on both sides; and once more Henry declared his
+determination to exile the Queen to one of his palaces. From this
+extreme measure he was, however, dissuaded by his ministers; and at
+length, after the estrangement between the royal couple had lasted
+nearly three weeks, a partial reconciliation was effected; but Marie,
+although she was induced by the representations of her advisers to
+restrain her indignation, was from that hour alienated in heart from her
+husband, by whom she felt that her dignity had been compromised both as
+a Queen and as a wife.
+
+Profiting, however, by this partial calm, several of the nobility
+proposed to add to the amusements of the Carnival, in commemoration of
+the recent escape of their Majesties, a ballet in which the Queen
+consented to appear; and the preparations were already far advanced when
+the King solicited her permission to include Madame de Moret among the
+performers, but Marie, who had previously condescended to associate
+herself in a similar exhibition with the Marquise de Verneuil, had been
+rendered less amenable by recent circumstances, and she peremptorily
+refused to appear in such intimate association with another of her
+husband's mistresses. The concession was not one upon which Henry could
+insist with any propriety, a fact of which the Queen was so well aware,
+that in order to terminate the affair as gracefully as possible she
+declined altogether either to assist in the entertainment or even to
+witness it, a decision which caused it to be abandoned altogether.[336]
+This mortification was, however, compensated to the Countess by a
+donation from the King of eighty-five thousand five hundred
+francs.[337]
+
+At the commencement of July the King had accredited the Maréchal de
+Bassompierre as his ambassador-extraordinary to Lorraine, to be present
+at the marriage of the Duc de Bar, his brother-in-law, with the daughter
+of the Duke of Mantua, the Queen's niece; and had also furnished him
+with instructions to invite the Duchess of Mantua[338] to become the
+godmother of the Dauphin, and the Duc de Lorraine to act as sponsor to
+the younger Princess. The marriage took place at Nancy, where M. de
+Bassompierre, as the representative of his sovereign, was magnificently
+and gratuitously entertained.[339] Numerous balls were given, and a
+joust concluded the festivities; which were no sooner terminated than
+the courtly envoy communicated the royal invitation, which was received
+"with proper respect and honour"; and he then hastened his return to
+Paris in order to prepare the gorgeous dress already alluded to
+elsewhere as having been defrayed by his gains at play.
+
+Towards the close of the month, the two illustrious sponsors reached
+Villers-Cotterets, where they were met by the King and Queen, with the
+whole Court, and thence conducted to Paris. The Duchess arrived in a
+state coach of such extreme magnificence as to attract immediate notice,
+but with so slender a retinue as to provoke the sarcasms of the
+courtiers, who declared that they recognized her rank only by the
+carriage in which she rode; and _the Mantuan suite_ accordingly became a
+favourite topic with the idle and the censorious. Great preparations
+were made at Notre-Dame for the ceremony, which was to take place on the
+14th of September, and meanwhile nothing was thought of save pleasure
+and preparation. Bassompierre gives an amusing account of the distress
+of the tailors and embroiderers of the capital, who were unable to
+comply with the demands of their employers, and many of whom were
+kidnapped and carried off by persons of the highest rank in order to
+secure themselves against disappointment. All Paris was in turmoil; the
+great were busy in devising costumes which were to transcend all that
+had previously been seen at the French Court, and the operatives were
+equally occupied in executing the orders which they received.
+
+In the midst of this excitement, however, the plague, which had long
+existed in the capital, declared itself more fatally; several officers
+of Queen Marguerite's household died under her roof, and the alarm
+became so great that the King removed his Court to Fontainebleau, where
+the baptismal ceremonies were performed with great magnificence on the
+day previously appointed.
+
+These ceremonies were so curious and characteristic that we shall offer
+no apology to our readers for giving them in detail.
+
+Each of the royal children had been privately baptized a few days after
+its birth, but the public christening had been hitherto deferred in
+order that it might be celebrated with becoming splendour. The desire of
+the King had always been that the Sovereign-Pontiff should act as
+sponsor to the Dauphin, the eldest son of France being, as he declared,
+the eldest son of the Church, and the successive deaths of Clement
+VIII[340] and Leo XI[341] had accordingly delayed the celebration of the
+ceremony. Paul V was, however, no sooner apprised of the wishes of the
+French monarch than he despatched a brief to the Cardinal de Joyeuse for
+registration in the Court of Parliament, by which that prelate was
+constituted Papal Legate and representative, and instructed in all
+things to support the holiness and dignity of the Apostolical See.
+
+The turret-court at Fontainebleau was selected as the most appropriate
+spot for the construction of the temporary chapel, the great hall of the
+palace being totally inadequate to contain the thousands who had
+collected from every part of the country to witness the ceremony.
+
+This immense area was completely enclosed by the costly gold-woven
+tapestry of which the manufacture had been, as we have stated,
+introduced and encouraged by the King, and had in its centre a square
+space, thirty feet in extent, surrounded by barriers, and similarly hung
+and carpeted with tapestry. In the front of this enclosure stood an
+altar magnificently ornamented with the symbols of the Order of the Holy
+Ghost, and a table gorgeously draped, both being surmounted by canopies.
+Behind the table stood a platform raised three steps from the floor, and
+in the midst of this was placed a column covered with cloth of silver,
+upon which rested the font, protected by a superb christening-cloth and
+a lofty canopy. On each side of the altar a gallery had been erected
+which was filled with musicians, and beneath that upon the right hand
+was a tapestried bench for the archbishops, bishops, and members of the
+Council, while immediately in front of the shrine were placed the seats
+of the Cardinal de Gondy, who was to perform the baptismal ceremonies,
+and the almoners and chaplains of his suite. The whole of the court was
+lined by the Swiss Guards, each holding a lighted torch, whose rays were
+reflected by the myriad jewels that adorned the persons of the courtly
+spectators. All the Princes of the Blood and great nobles wore their
+mantles clasped and embroidered with precious stones, their plumed caps
+looped with diamonds, and their sword-hilts encrusted with gems. That of
+the Duc d'Epernon was estimated at more than thirty thousand crowns, and
+several others were of almost equal value. The attire of the Princesses
+and ladies of the Court was, however, still more splendid, many of them
+standing with difficulty under the weight of the closely-jewelled
+brocade of which their dresses were composed, and wearing upon their
+heads masses of brilliants which might have ransomed a province. The
+Queen, whose dowry, as we have elsewhere shown, in a great measure
+consisted of costly ornaments, appeared on this occasion with a
+magnificence almost fabulous, her robe of cloth of gold and velvet being
+studded with no less than thirty-two thousand pearls and three
+thousand diamonds.
+
+While their Majesties and their illustrious guests took possession of
+their respective seats, the prescribed ceremonial of preparation was in
+progress with the royal children, who had all been placed in state beds
+covered with ermined draperies under canopies of crimson velvet. Madame
+Elisabeth, the elder Princess, being surrounded by the ladies who were
+privileged to assist at her levée, the outer coverlet of her bed was
+withdrawn by the Comtesse de Sault and the Comtesse de Guissen; she was
+then lifted from it by Madame de Lavardin, undressed by Madame de
+Randan, and robed in her state costume by the Marquise de Montlor.
+
+Madame Christine, the younger Princess, was meanwhile uncovered by the
+Duchesse de Guise and Mademoiselle de Mayenne, lifted in the arms of
+Mademoiselle de Vendôme, undressed by the Duchesse de Rohan, and robed
+by the Duchesse de Sully.
+
+The Dauphin underwent the same ceremonies, but he was attended only by
+Princesses of the Blood. It was the Princesses de Conti and de Soissons
+who drew off the ermined quilt, the Princesse de Condé and the Duchesse
+de Montpensier by whom he was undressed, and Mademoiselle de Bourbon who
+adjusted his state robes.
+
+When all the royal children were attired, the procession was formed. The
+Swiss Guards moved first, each carrying a lighted torch, and on arriving
+within the court they defiled, and, as before mentioned, lined the
+walls; the hundred gentlemen on duty in the palace followed, and these
+were succeeded by the ordinary members of the household and the
+gentlemen of the bedchamber all carrying tapers of white wax. After them
+came the drums, fifes, hautboys, and trumpets, together with nine
+heralds, behind whom walked the Grand Provost of the palace, the Knights
+of the Holy Ghost, and finally, the Children of France with their
+respective retinues. The first group consisted of the train of the
+younger Princess, in which the Baron de la Châtre[342] bore the vase, M.
+de Montigny[343] the basin, the Comte de la Rochepot the cushion, M. de
+Chemerault the taper, M. de Liancourt[344] the christening-cap, and the
+Maréchal de Fervaques[345] the salt-cellar. The Marquis de
+Bois-Dauphin[346] carried the infant in his arms, and Madame de
+Chemerault bore her train. She was followed by a suite of twelve nobles,
+each bearing a flambeau in his hand; and after these came the Duc de
+Lorraine as godfather, with Don Juan de Medicis, son of the Grand Duke
+Ferdinand of Tuscany, as proxy for the Grand Duchess of Florence, the
+other sponsor, the ladies who had assisted at the Princess's levée
+closing the train.
+
+This party had no sooner taken possession of the place assigned to them
+than the second group began to enter the enclosure. First came the
+Maréchal de Lavardin[347] with the ewer, then the Duc de Sully with the
+cushion, next the Duc de Montbazon[348] with the taper, then the Duc
+d'Epernon with the christening-cap, and finally, the Duc d'Aiguillon
+with the salt-cellar. The Prince de Joinville carried the Princess,
+whose ermine train was borne by Mademoiselle de Rohan. There was no
+godfather, and the Duchesse d'Angoulême[349] walked alone as the proxy
+of the Archduchess Elisabeth of Flanders, immediately behind _Madame_,
+followed by Mademoiselle de Montmorency as her train-bearer, and the
+ladies who had assisted at the levée.
+
+Finally appeared the third and last division of the procession, headed
+by the Prince de Vaudemont,[350] carrying the taper; and then followed
+in succession the Chevalier de Vendôme with the christening-cap, the Duc
+de Vendôme with the salt-cellar, the Duc de Montpensier with the ewer,
+the Comte de Soissons with the basin, and the Prince de Conti with the
+cushion; the Sieur Gilles de Souvry carried the Dauphin, whose right
+hand was held by the Prince de Conti, while the train of his velvet
+mantle, edged with ermine, was borne by the Duc de Guise, behind whom
+followed twenty great nobles holding lighted flambeaux. These were
+succeeded by the Cardinal-Legate de Joyeuse, who represented Paul V as
+sponsor, and the Duchess of Mantua, the godmother, the Princesses of the
+Blood who had assisted at the levée closing the procession.
+
+The Dauphin having been placed upon the table, the Cardinal approached
+him and demanded: "Sir, what do you ask?"
+
+"The sacramental ceremonies of baptism," replied the little Prince,
+according to the instructions which he had received from the Almoner
+of Boulogne.
+
+"Have you already been baptized?" again inquired the prelate.
+
+"Yes, thank God," said the Dauphin firmly. To all the other
+interrogations of the Cardinal he simply answered, "_Ab renuncio_"
+
+After the unction, when questioned on his belief according to the
+ordinary form, the little Prince responded audibly, "_Credo_"; and
+finally, he recited without error or hesitation the Lord's Prayer, the
+Hail Mary, and the Creed.
+
+The Princesses were then successively placed upon the table, when the
+elder was named Elisabeth, after her illustrious godmother the
+Archduchess of Flanders, and the younger Christine.
+
+The baptismal ceremonies were followed by a grand banquet served upon
+four different tables. The attendants at that of the King were the
+Princes de Condé, de Conti, and de Montpensier; while the Queen was
+waited on by the Dues de Vendôme, de Guise, and de Vaudemont; the Legate
+by the Comte de Candale and the Marquis de Rosny;[351] and the Duchess
+of Mantua by the Baron de Bassompierre and the Comte de Sault.
+
+On the following day the morning was occupied by the courtiers in
+tilting at the ring, the prizes being distributed by the Queen and the
+Duchess of Mantua; and at dusk the whole of the royal party proceeded to
+the wide plain which lies to the east of Fontainebleau, in the centre of
+which the Duc de Sully had caused a castellated building to be erected,
+which was filled with rockets and other artificial fireworks, and which
+was besieged, stormed, and taken by an army of satyrs and savages. This
+spectacle greatly delighted the Court, while not the least interesting
+feature of the exhibition was presented by the immense concourse of
+people (estimated at upwards of twelve thousand) who had collected to
+witness the magnificent pyrotechnic display, and who rent the air with
+their acclamations of loyalty.[352]
+
+All further rejoicings were, however, rendered unseasonable by the rapid
+increase of the plague, which having declared itself with great
+virulence at Fontainebleau, induced the hasty departure of the Court;
+and the illustrious guests having taken leave of the King and Queen
+laden with rich presents, their Majesties, with a limited retinue,
+repaired for a time to Montargis.
+
+These baptismal festivities had not, meanwhile, been without alloy to
+the dissipated monarch. Despite the fascination of the wily Marquise,
+and the charms of the Comtesse de Moret, Henry was by no means
+insensible to the attractions of the many beautiful women who followed
+in the suite of the Queen at the august ceremony just described; and,
+among others, he especially honoured with his notice the Duchesses de
+Montpensier[353] and de Nevers.
+
+In neither case, however, was he destined to be successful, both these
+ladies possessing too much self-respect to accord any attention to his
+illicit gallantries; and this failure, especially with the latter, of
+whom he had become seriously enamoured, only tended to re-engage him
+with Madame de Verneuil. Throughout all the period occupied by the
+christening festivities, Madame de Nevers[354] had been the object of
+his special pursuit; but so carefully did she avoid all occasions of
+private conversation, that the King, unaccustomed to so decided a
+resistance, became irritated to a degree which induced her to escape
+from the Court as soon as the found it practicable; and accordingly, on
+the very day after the festivities, she left Fontainebleau without any
+previous intimation of such a design, resisting all the efforts made by
+the sovereign to detain her. Nor did she yield to his subsequent
+endeavours for her recall, but on the appointment of her husband during
+the following year to the embassy at Rome, she accompanied him thither;
+and several months elapsed ere she reappeared in France, where her duty
+having compelled her to pay her respects to the Queen on her return,
+Henry was so little master of himself as to display his mortification
+by inquiring who she was, and on her name being announced, to exclaim
+loud enough for her to hear his reply: "Ha! Madame la Duchesse de
+Nevers! She is terribly altered."
+
+The shaft fell harmless. The lady evinced the most perfect composure
+under the royal criticism, and having fulfilled her duties as a subject
+towards her sovereigns, she once more withdrew from the Court, and
+terminated her life as she had commenced it, without scandal or
+reproach.[355]
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[312] Mamanga was the name given in playfulness by the Dauphin to Madame
+de Montglat.
+
+[313] Madame de Drou was the governess of the infant Princess.
+
+[314] Mademoiselle de Piolant, femme-de-chambre to the royal children.
+
+[315] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vi. pp. 151-161.
+
+[316] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 45.
+
+[317] Madame Christine de France, who subsequently became Duchess of
+Savoy.
+
+[318] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 36;
+
+[319] _Mémoires_, p. 46.
+
+[320] Charles Emmanuel de Lorraine, Comte de Sommerive, second son of
+the Duc de Mayenne, who restored the city of Laon to the King in 1594,
+and died at Naples in 1609.
+
+[321] Charles de Gonzaga de Clèves, Duc de Nevers, was the son of Louis
+de Gonzaga, Prince of Mantua, Duc de Nevers, and Governor of Champagne
+(who died in 1601, and to whose title he succeeded), and of Henriette de
+Clèves, Duchesse de Nevers et de Réthel.
+
+[322] _Mercure Français_, 1606, pp. 100, 101.
+
+[323] Richelieu, _La Mère et le Fils_, vol. i. p. 14.
+
+[324] _Mercure Français_, 1606, p. 102.
+
+[325] _Mercure Français,_ 1606, p. 106.
+
+[326] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 358.
+
+[327] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 282.
+
+[328] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. pp. 102, 103.
+
+[329] Henri de Bourbon, Duc de Montpensier, Governor of Normandy, peer
+of France, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon, Dauphin d'Auvergne, etc., was
+born in Touraine in 1573. During the lifetime of his father he bore the
+title of Prince de Dombes. The King confided to him the command of the
+army which he despatched to Brittany against the Duc de Mercoeur. He
+subsequently became Governor of Normandy, and reduced that revolted
+province, which still held out for the League, to obedience. He was
+present at the memorable siege of Amiens in 1597, where he led the
+vanguard of the army, and accompanied Henry on his expedition against
+Savoy and Brescia. He was a knight of all the King's Orders, and
+presided at the assembly of the nobles of Rouen. He died in Paris, of
+lingering consumption, in 1608.
+
+[330] The Baron de la Châtaigneraie was an officer of the Queen's guard.
+
+[331] Richelieu, _La Mère et le Fils_ vol. i. p. 18. _Mercure Français_
+1606, p. 107. L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 370 _note_.
+
+[332] _Mercure Français_, 1606, p. 107.
+
+[333] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 370.
+
+[334] It had frequently been foretold to the King that he would die in a
+carriage, and the prophecy had made so great an impression upon his
+mind, that he always endeavoured to conceal it under a show of gaiety,
+particularly when any accident occurred by which it appeared likely to
+be verified. In the year 1597, while he was travelling near Mouy, in
+Picardy, the coach in which he rode was tumbled down a precipice; while
+the danger incurred at Neuilly was scarcely less great; and the
+prediction was fatally accomplished in 1610.--_Lettres de Nicolas
+Pasquier_, book i. letter i.
+
+[335] In order to render this impertinence intelligible, it is necessary
+to explain that anciently, when the sovereigns of France were about to
+swallow their first draught at table, the cup-bearer announced in a loud
+voice, "The King drinks"; upon which a flourish of trumpets, at a given
+signal, announced the important fact to those who were not present.
+
+[336] Saint-Edmé, vol. ii. pp. 237, 238.
+
+[337] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vi. p. 233.
+
+[338] Eleonora de Medicis, wife of Vincent I, Duke of Mantua, and sister
+to the French Queen.
+
+[339] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 50.
+
+[340] Ippolito Aldobrandini, subsequently Pope Clement VIII, was born at
+Fano. He was created a cardinal in 1585, and in 1592 succeeded Innocent
+IX. He reconciled Henri IV to the Church of Rome, attached the duchy of
+Ferrara to the Holy See, organized the famous congregations _de
+auxiliis_ on grace and free-will, and contributed to the Peace of
+Vervins. He died in 1605.
+
+[341] Alessandro de Medicis, who succeeded Clement VIII in 1605, and
+died the same year.
+
+[342] Claude de la Châtre, Marshal of France, was the son of Claude de
+la Châtre, Baron de Nancy, Besigny, and Baune de la Maisonfort. He was
+created Knight of St. Michael and of the Holy Ghost by Henri III in
+1588, and was Governor of Berry and Orleans. He distinguished himself in
+several engagements; and his own valour, combined with the protection of
+the Connétable de Montmorency, of whom he had been a page in his youth,
+rapidly acquired for him both fortune and renown. After the death of
+Henri III, M. de la Châtre embraced the cause of the League, when the
+Duc de Mayenne, at the solicitation of M. de Guise, created him Marshal
+of France, in which character he assisted at what were called by the
+Leaguers the States of Paris.
+
+[343] François de la Grange, Seigneur de Montigny and de Sery, was a
+member of the Court of Henri III, and was one of his _mignons_. He was,
+under that monarch, successively gentleman of the bedchamber, captain of
+the palace-guard, head-steward of the household, and Governor of Berry,
+Blois, etc. He acquired great distinction by his bravery at the battle
+of Coutras, and at the sieges of Aubigny, Rouen, and Fontaine-Française,
+and was admitted a knight of the King's Orders the same year (1595).
+Finally, in 1616, he was created Marshal of France.
+
+[344] Nicolas du Plessis, Comte de Liancourt, Comte de Beaumont, first
+equerry to the King, and Governor of Paris. He married Antoinette de
+Pons, Marquise de Guercheville, the widow of Henri de Silly, Comte de la
+Rocheguyon, a lady of extraordinary beauty who had been reared in the
+Court of Henri III.
+
+[345] Guillaume de Hautemer, Comte de Grancy, Seigneur de Fervaques,
+knight of the King's Orders, and Marshal of France.
+
+[346] Urbain de Laval, Marquis de Bois-Dauphin, Comte de Bresteau,
+Seigneur de Persigny, etc., was the son of Réné de Laval, second of the
+name, Seigneur de Bois-Dauphin, and of Jeanne de Lénoncourt-Monteuil,
+his second wife. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Ivry, and was
+created Marshal of France by the Duc de Mayenne. Henri IV confirmed him
+in this dignity, and restored to him his estates of Sably and
+Château-Gontier.
+
+[347] Jean de Beaumanoir, Marquis de Lavardin, was the son of Charles de
+Beaumanoir, who was killed at the massacre of St. Bartholomew. He had
+been brought up a Protestant at the Court of Henri IV, when that monarch
+was King of Navarre; but after the death of his father he embraced the
+Catholic religion, and at the age of eighteen commenced the career of
+arms, in which profession he acquired so much celebrity that he
+commanded the armies of the King during the absence of the Duc de
+Joyeuse. In 1595 he was honoured with the cordon of St. Michael, was
+created a Marshal of France, and his estate of Lavardin was erected into
+a marquisate. At the coronation of Louis XIII he officiated as Grand
+Master, was subsequently ambassador-extraordinary in England, and died
+at Paris in 1614.
+
+[348] Hercule de Rohan, Duc de Montbazon, and Prince de Guémenée, was
+born in 1568, and was the father, by his first marriage, of Marie de
+Rohan, who married Louis Charles d'Albert, Duc de Luynes, from whom she
+was divorced in 1621, and who subsequently became the wife of Claude de
+Lorraine, Duc de Chevreuse. The Duc de Montbazon had issue by his second
+marriage with Marie d'Avaugour of Brittany in 1628, François, a branch
+of the house of Soubise, which became extinct in 1787; Marie Eléonore,
+abbess of the convent of the Trinity at Caen; and Anne, who became the
+second wife of Louis Charles d'Albert, Duc de Luynes. M. de Montbazon
+died in 1654.
+
+[349] Diane de France, Duchesse d'Angoulême, born in 1538, was the
+legitimated daughter of Henri II and Philippa Duco, a Piedmontese lady.
+She was first married (in 1553)to Horatio Farnese, Duc de Castro, who
+only survived their union six months; and subsequently to the Maréchal
+de Montmorency, the son of the Connétable, in 1557, of whom she became
+the widow in 1579. Her firmness and prudence were conspicuous during the
+civil wars, and it was through her exertions that the reconciliation was
+effected between Henri III and Henri IV, when the latter was King of
+Navarre. She died in 1619.
+
+[350] The Prince de Vaudemont was the brother of the Duc de Lorraine.
+
+[351] Maximilien de Béthune, Marquis de Rosny, was the elder son of the
+Duc de Sully and of Anne de Courtenay, his first wife. He was
+Superintendent of Fortifications, Governor of Mantes and Gergeau, and
+was destined to succeed his father as Grand Master had he survived him.
+He died in 1634.
+
+[352] _Mercure Français_, 1606, pp. 110-113.
+
+[353] Henriette Catherine, Duchesse de Joyeuse, daughter and heiress of
+Henri de Joyeuse, Comte de Bouchage, Marshal of France, who died a
+Capuchin under the name of Père Ange, and of Catherine de la Valette.
+She had, in 1597, become the wife of Henri de Bourbon, Duc de
+Montpensier, etc., the last Prince of his line, who dying in 1608 left
+her a widow. After the death of Henri IV (1611), she re-married with
+Charles de Lorraine, Duc de Guise, and died in 1656, at the age of
+seventy-one years.
+
+[354] Catherine de Lorraine, daughter of Charles, Duc de Mayenne, and
+niece of Guise _le Balafré_. She married (in 1599) Charles de Gonzaga,
+Duc de Nevers, who subsequently became, by the death of Vincent I, Duke
+of Mantua. She died on the 8th of March 1618, at the early age of
+thirty-three years.
+
+[355] _Amours du Grand Alcandre_, p. 48. Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. pp.
+88-90.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+1607
+
+Profuse expenditure of the French nobles--Prevalence of duelling under
+Henri IV--Meeting of the Prince de Condé and the Duc de Nevers--They are
+arrested by the King's guard--Reconciliation of the two nobles--The Duc
+de Soubise is wounded in a duel--Profligacy of Madame de Moret--The King
+insists upon her marriage with the Prince de Joinville--Indignation of
+the Duchesse de Guise--A dialogue with Majesty--The Prince de Joinville
+is exiled--Madame de Moret intrigues with the Comte de Sommerive--He
+promises her marriage--He attempts to assassinate M. de Balagny--He is
+exiled to Lorraine--Mademoiselle des Essarts--Birth of the Duc
+d'Orléans--Peace between the Pope and the Venetians--The Queen and her
+confidants--Death of the Chancellor of France--Death of the Cardinal de
+Lorraine--Royal rejoicings--The last ballet of a dying Prince--Betrothal
+of Mademoiselle de Montpensier to the infant Duc d'Orléans--Sully as a
+theatrical manager--The Court gamester--Death of the Duc de
+Montpensier--The ex-Queen Marguerite founds a monastery--Influence of
+Concini and Leonora over the Queen--Arrogance of Concini--Indignation of
+the King--A royal rupture--The King leaves Paris for Chantilly--Sully
+and the Queen--The letter--Anger of the King--Sully reconciles the King
+and Queen--Madame de Verneuil and the Duc de Guise---Court
+gambling--Birth of the Duc d'Anjou--Betrothal of the Duc de Vendôme and
+Mademoiselle de Mercoeur--Reluctance of the lady's family--Celebration
+of the marriage--Munificence of Henry--Arrival of Don Pedro de
+Toledo--His arrogance--Admirable rejoinder of the King--Object of the
+embassy--Passion of Henry for hunting--Embellishment of Paris--Eduardo
+Fernandez--The King's debts of honour--Despair of Madame de
+Verneuil--Defective policy--A bold stroke for a coronet--The fallen
+favourite.
+
+Despite the presence of the pestilence the gaieties of the past winter
+had surpassed, alike in the Court and in the capital, all that had
+hitherto been witnessed in France. The profusion of the nobles, whom no
+foreign war compelled to disburse their revenues in arming their
+retainers, and in preparing themselves to maintain their dignity and
+rank in the eyes of a hostile nation, was unchecked and excessive;
+while, as we have already shown, the monarch felt no inclination to
+control an outlay by which they thus voluntarily crippled their
+resources.
+
+The year 1607 commenced, with the exception of the fatal scourge which
+still existed in and about Paris, in the greatest abundance, and the
+most perfect peace. The Court celebrated the New Year at St.
+Germain-en-Laye, and on the following day proceeded to Fontainebleau,
+where during the _carême-prenant_[356] a ballet was danced, and several
+magnificent entertainments were given to their Majesties by the great
+nobles of the household. These festivities were, however, unfortunately
+interrupted by an event which created universal consternation and
+anxiety. The most glaring evil of the reign of Henri IV had long been
+the prevalence of duelling, which he had in the first instance neglected
+to discountenance; and which had, in consequence, reached an extreme
+that threatened the most serious results, not only to the principal
+personages of the kingdom, but even to those whose comparative
+insignificance in society should have shielded them from all
+participation in so iniquitous and senseless a practice. L'Etoile
+computes the number of individuals who lost their lives in these illicit
+encounters at several thousands; nor did the tardy edicts issued by the
+King produce a cessation of the custom. On the 4th of February, the
+Prince de Condé, conceiving himself aggrieved by some expression used by
+the Duc de Nevers, sent him a challenge, to which the Duke instantly
+responded; and he was already on the ground watching the approach of his
+antagonist, when a company of the King's bodyguard arrived, who, in the
+name of his Majesty, forbade the conflict, and escorted the two
+quasi-combatants to the royal presence, where, "more in sorrow than in
+anger," Henry reprimanded both Princes; reminding them of their
+disobedience to his expressed commands, of the fatal example which their
+want of self-government would afford to their inferiors, and of the loss
+which the death of either party would have inflicted upon himself. He
+then more particularly addressed M. de Nevers, and reproached him
+severely for having evinced so little respect for the Blood Royal of
+France as to accept, under any circumstances, a challenge from a
+relative of his sovereign, who should have been sacred in his eyes.[357]
+
+Whether the arguments of the King convinced the two nobles, or their
+loyalty sufficed to render them conscious of their error, is
+unimportant. Henry had the satisfaction of removing the misunderstanding
+between them, and from the royal closet they proceeded to the apartments
+of the Queen, in order to allay an anxiety which, from her friendship
+and affection for Madame de Nevers who was then absent on one of her
+estates, had been painfully great.
+
+The expressed displeasure of the King at these encounters did not,
+however, as we have already stated, suffice to prevent their frequent
+occurrence; and on the 22d of the same month another hostile meeting
+took place between the Duc de Soubise[358] and M. de Boccal, which had
+nearly proved fatal to the former; but it having been explained to the
+monarch that the antagonist of M. de Soubise had long withstood the
+provocation of the Duke, declaring that he dare not raise his hand
+against one so nearly connected with the throne, and that he had not
+yielded until the impetuous and intemperate violence of his antagonist
+had left him no other resource, Henry, with his usual clemency, forgave
+the crime.[359]
+
+In addition to these occurrences, which were moreover succeeded by
+others of the same description during the month, the anger of the King
+was excited by a discovery which he made of the infidelity of Madame de
+Moret. Indulgent to his own profligacy to a degree which rendered him
+insensible to his self-abasement, Henry was peculiarly alive to the
+degradation of sharing with a rival the affections, or perhaps it were
+more fitting to say the favours, of his mistresses. He readily forgot
+the fact that he had himself been the first to initiate them into the
+rudiments of vice--to induce them to abnegate their self-respect, and to
+brave the opinion of the world and their own reproaches--while he could
+not brook that they should reduce him to a level with one of his own
+subjects, and that they should so far emancipate themselves as to feel a
+preference for younger and more attractive men when they had been
+honoured by his notice. The dissolute monarch did not pause to reflect
+that with women the national proverb, _il n'y a que le premier pas qui
+coûte_, is but too often realized, and that he was, in fact, the
+architect of his own mortification.
+
+Madame de Moret had long been attached to the Prince de Joinville; who,
+young, reckless, and impetuous, returned her passion, and scarcely made
+any effort to conceal his rivalry with the monarch. Courtiers have,
+moreover, sharp eyes, and it was not long ere the King was apprised of
+the intrigue. Bassompierre relates that he hastened to warn the
+imprudent lovers of their danger, but that believing him to have some
+personal motive for his interference, they disregarded the caution;[360]
+and the fact of their mutual passion at length became so well
+authenticated, that Henry, whose pride rather than his heart was wounded
+by the levity of the Countess, reproached her in the most insulting
+terms with her misconduct.[361] Madame de Moret did not attempt to deny
+her attachment to the Prince, but excused herself by reminding the
+monarch that, honoured as she was by his preference, she could not
+forget that she was merely his mistress, and could anticipate no higher
+destiny, while M. de Joinville was prepared to make her his wife.
+
+"In that case, Madame," said the King, "you are forgiven. I can permit
+my subjects to espouse my mistresses, but I cannot allow them to play
+the gallants to those ladies whom I have distinguished by my own favour.
+You shall not be disappointed in your expectations, and this marriage
+shall have my sanction without delay."
+
+It can scarcely be doubted that this ready assent must have been no
+slight mortification to the vanity of Madame de Moret, while it is
+equally certain that it was perfectly sincere on the part of the King,
+although from a cause altogether independent of the Countess herself. In
+fact, the Prince de Joinville having previously rendered himself
+obnoxious to the monarch by his marked attentions to the Marquise de
+Verneuil, the latter was anxious to see him married, and thus to rid
+himself of a dangerous rival. Such an alliance must, moreover, as he at
+once felt, deeply wound the pride of the Guises, whom it was his
+interest to humble by every means in his power; and accordingly he
+hastened upon leaving Madame de Moret to summon the young Prince to his
+presence, and to insist upon the fulfilment of his promise.
+
+Startled by so unexpected an order, M. de Joinville feigned a ready
+compliance, but on his dismissal from the royal closet he expressed his
+indignation in no measured terms, declaring that had any other than the
+sovereign proposed to him so disgraceful an alliance, whatever might
+have been his rank, he would have resented the insult upon the instant;
+while no sooner did the Duchess his mother become apprised of the
+circumstance, than she hastened to throw herself at the feet of the
+King, beseeching him rather to take her life than to subject her son to
+such dishonour.
+
+"Rise, Madame," said Henry gravely; "yours is a petition which I cannot
+grant, as I never yet took the life of any woman, and have still to
+learn the possibility of doing so."
+
+"A Guise, Sire," pursued the haughty Duchess, as she once more stood
+erect before him, "cannot marry the mistress of any man, even although
+that man should chance to be his monarch."
+
+"Every man, Madame," retorted the King, "must pay the penalty of seeking
+to humiliate his sovereign, even although that man be a Guise."
+
+"M. de Joinville, Sire, shall never become the husband of Jacqueline de
+Bueil."
+
+"Neither, Madame," said the King angrily, "shall he ever become her
+gallant. This is not the first occasion upon which he has had the
+insolence to interpose between me and my favourites. I have not yet
+forgotten his intrigue with Madame de Verneuil; and if I pardoned him
+upon that occasion, it was not on his own account, but from respect for
+the relationship which exists between us. Neither, Madame, has it
+escaped my memory that the House of Guise endeavoured to wrest from me
+the crown of France; and, in short, finding myself so ill-requited for
+my indulgence, I am weary of exercising a lenity which has degenerated
+into weakness. Your son is at perfect liberty to marry my mistress,
+since he has seen fit to desire it, and he shall do so, or repent his
+obduracy in the Bastille, where he will have time and leisure to learn
+the respect which he owes to his sovereign."
+
+"It is your Majesty who is wanting in respect to yourself," said the
+Duchess haughtily.
+
+"Madame!" exclaimed the King; "do not give me cause to forget that you
+are my aunt. I can hear no more until you assume a tone better suited to
+our relative positions. You have heard my resolve, and may retire."
+
+Thus abruptly dismissed, Madame de Guise withdrew, and hastened to
+apprise her son of the impending peril, upon which he escaped from the
+capital before the order issued for his arrest could be put into
+execution; while his relatives endeavoured by humility and submission to
+obtain his forgiveness. Henry, however, had been too deeply wounded,
+alike by the levity of the son and the overbearing haughtiness of the
+mother, to yield to their entreaties, and the only concession which he
+could be induced to make was a conditional pardon involving the
+perpetual exile of the culprit.[362]
+
+Nor was the King, who at once discovered that he had been duped, less
+inclined to visit upon Madame de Moret the consequences of her
+falsehood, and he openly declared that she should also have been
+compelled to quit the country had she not been on the eve of becoming a
+mother.[363]
+
+This event shortly afterwards took place, but, although during the
+following year Henry legitimated her son,[364] he ever afterwards
+treated her with the greatest coldness; nor did the birth of the child
+in any way affect her position, as had been the case with the Duchesse
+de Beaufort and the Marquise de Verneuil, the King contenting himself by
+sending to her a present of money and jewels, but evincing no
+disposition to raise her rank.
+
+It would appear, moreover, that the indifference was mutual, as only a
+short time subsequently she encouraged the assiduities of the Comte de
+Sommerive, from whom, according to Sully, there could be no doubt that
+she did actually obtain a written promise of marriage; and the King was
+no sooner apprised of the circumstance than he expressed, as he had
+previously done in the case of the Prince de Joinville, his perfect
+willingness to consent to the alliance, merely desiring M. de
+Balagny,[365] a gentleman of his household upon whom he could rely, to
+watch the proceedings of the lovers, and to acquaint him with every
+particular, should he have cause to suspect that the intentions of the
+Count were equivocal. M. de Sommerive, however, who soon discovered that
+he was an object of _espionnage_, became so much exasperated that,
+having on one occasion encountered the royal confidant at a convenient
+moment for the purpose, he drew his sword and attacked him so vigorously
+that his intended victim was compelled to save himself by flight.
+
+In this instance Henry, who had ceased to feel any interest in Madame de
+Moret, contented himself by reprimanding the culprit, branding him with
+the name of assassin, and finally exiling him to Lorraine, with strict
+orders not to leave that province without his express permission.
+
+We will here terminate the history of the ex-favourite, who has already
+occupied only too much space. After this last adventure she ceased to
+make any figure at Court, her influence over the monarch having entirely
+ceased; and seven years subsequent to his death she became the wife of
+Réné du Bec, Marquis de Vardes, and the mother of two sons, the elder of
+whom, François Réné, Comte de Moret, was afterwards famous during the
+reign of Louis XIV under the title of Marquis de Vardes.[366]
+
+The estrangement of the monarch from Madame de Moret, coupled with his
+increasing coldness towards the Marquise de Verneuil, once more at this
+period restored the unhappy Queen to a comparative peace of mind, which
+she was not, however, long fated to enjoy; as at the close of the year a
+new candidate for the royal favour presented herself in the person of
+Mademoiselle des Essarts.[367] This lady, who was a member of the
+household of the Comtesse de Beaumont-Harlay, had accompanied her
+mistress to England, whither M. de Beaumont-Harlay[368] had been
+accredited as ambassador; and on the return of her patroness to France
+she appeared in her suite at Court, where she instantly attracted the
+attention of the dissolute King. Her reign was happily a short one, and
+at the close of two years she retired with the title of Comtesse de
+Romorantin, having previously been privately married to the Archbishop
+of Rheims.[369]
+
+We shall pass over in silence the other _liaisons_ of the monarch, as
+they were too transitory greatly to affect the tranquillity of the
+Queen, until we are once more compelled to return to them in order to
+record his unhappy passion for the beautiful Princesse de Condé--a
+passion which at one period threatened to involve a European war.
+
+On the 6th of April Marie de Medicis gave birth to her second son, who
+received the title of Duc d'Orléans, that duchy having always since the
+time of Philip VI been the appanage of a Prince of the Blood, or one of
+the first nobles of the kingdom. The public rejoicings were universal,
+and the satisfaction of the King without bounds. The little Prince was
+privately baptized by the Cardinal de Gondy, until the state ceremonies
+of his christening could take place; and on the 22d of the month he was
+invested by the sovereign with the insignia of St. Michael and the Holy
+Ghost, in the presence of the Cardinals, and the Commanders and Knights
+of those Orders, with great pomp; after which a banquet was given by the
+King in the great hall at Fontainebleau, and at nightfall the park was
+illuminated in all directions by immense bonfires, and a pyrotechnic
+display, which was witnessed by admiring and exulting thousands.
+
+The intelligence which reached Paris on the following day that peace had
+been restored between the Pope and the Venetians, through the
+intervention of the French monarch; that the Papal excommunication which
+had been fulminated against that republic had been repealed, and a
+general absolution accorded, excited the enthusiasm of the French people
+to its greatest height. They augured from this fact a brilliant future
+for the little Prince, who had come into the world at the very moment
+when the great work had been achieved; and this feeling was shared by
+the august parents of the royal infant. So little can human foresight
+fathom the designs of the Almighty Disposer of all things! Men
+congratulated each other in the public street; and, forgetting the
+Huguenot origin of Henry, considered him only as the champion of the
+Romish faith; while they coupled his name and that of the Queen with
+every endearing epithet of which they were susceptible.
+
+The remainder of the summer was occupied by the monarch in the
+embellishment of the capital, in high play,[370] and in his
+rapidly-waning passion for Madame de Verneuil; while the Court resided
+alternately at Fontainebleau and St. Germain; the Queen confining
+herself more and more to the society of her children and her immediate
+favourites, listening with jealous avidity to every rumour of infidelity
+on the part of her royal consort, and occasionally renewing those
+unhappy differences by which the whole of their married life had been
+embittered.
+
+The kingdom was at peace, but anarchy still reigned within the walls of
+the palace. It is true that the advancing age of the monarch appeared to
+offer a sufficient guarantee for his moral reformation, but the daily
+experience of the Queen sufficed to convince her that she must never
+hope for domestic happiness; and this conviction doubtless tended to
+place her more thoroughly in the power of those treacherous advisers
+who, in order to strengthen their own influence, did not hesitate to
+exaggerate (where exaggeration was possible) the painful errors of her
+husband. She saw herself idolized by the people, who regarded her with
+earnest affection as the mother of two Princes whom they looked upon as
+pledges for the safety and prosperity of France, while she found herself
+at the same time an object of indifference to the monarch whom they were
+destined to succeed; and who, while he lavished upon his children
+incessant tokens of tenderness, sacrificed her personal happiness to
+every passing fancy, even at the time when he affected to reproach her
+with a coldness of which he was himself the cause.
+
+Again we fearlessly repeat that the historians of the time have not done
+Marie de Medicis justice. They expatiate upon her faults, they enlarge
+upon her weaknesses, they descant upon her errors; but they touch
+lightly and carelessly upon the primary influences which governed her
+after-life. She arrived in her new kingdom young, hopeful, and
+happy--young, and her youth was blighted by neglect; hopeful, and her
+hopes were crushed by unkindness; happy, and her happiness was marred by
+inconstancy and insult. Her woman-nature, plastic as it might have been
+under more fortunate circumstances, became indurated to harshness; and
+it is not they who strive to work upon the most solid marble who should
+complain if the chisel with which they pursue their purpose become
+blunted in the process.
+
+On the 5th of September of this year died M. de Bellièvre, the
+Chancellor of France, whose probity and justice had rendered him dear to
+the people, in whose eyes the withdrawal of his Court favour only tended
+to enhance his valuable qualities. He was, as a natural consequence,
+succeeded by Brulart de Sillery, who had already superseded him as
+Keeper of the Seals; and his body was attended to the church of St.
+Germain-l'Auxerrois by a vast concourse of the citizens.
+
+His demise was, in November, followed by that of the Cardinal de
+Lorraine,[371] who, with the usual superstition of the age, was declared
+to have been bewitched because his malady had baffled the skill of his
+physicians; while that which renders the circumstance the more
+melancholy, is the fact that the individual accused of his destruction
+was burned alive at Nancy, after having been previously subjected to a
+course of lingering torture.[372]
+
+The Court meanwhile, according to Sully,[373] was more dissipated than
+it had been during any previous winter since the arrival of Marie de
+Medicis in France; while the account given of the state of morals
+throughout the capital by L'Etoile, is one which will not bear
+transcription. The new year (1608) commenced in the same manner. Ballets
+were danced both at the Louvre and at the residences of the great
+nobles. The ex-Queen Marguerite gave an entertainment in honour of the
+birth of the young Prince, which terminated with a running at the ring,
+where the prizes were distributed by herself and her successor; and,
+finally, the King commanded that an especial ballet for the amusement of
+the Duc de Montpensier, to whose daughter he was about to affiance the
+infant Duc d'Orléans, should be executed by the Duc de Vendôme, the
+Marquis de Bassompierre, the Baron de Thermes, and M. de Carmail, the
+four nobles of the Court who were distinguished by the appellation of
+"les Dangereux." The august party accordingly proceeded to the hotel of
+that Prince, who was then nearly at the point of death, having
+languished throughout two years in a low decline which had gradually
+sapped his existence; but notwithstanding the state of debility to which
+he was reduced, the Duke left his bed, and received his royal and noble
+guests in the hall wherein the ballet was performed.[374] It may be
+doubted, however, whether M. de Montpensier did not make this supreme
+effort in consequence of the proposed alliance, and his anxiety to
+evince to their Majesties his sense of the honour which was about to be
+conferred upon himself and his family, rather than from any amusement
+which he could hope to derive from such an exhibition. Be that, however,
+as it may, the most magnificent preparations had been made for the
+reception of Henry and his Queen, who were met at the foot of the great
+staircase by the Duchess, followed by her women, and escorted by a score
+of pages bearing lighted tapers, and thus conducted to the canopied dais
+beneath which their ponderous chairs, covered with cloth of gold, had
+been placed, with low stools behind and on either side of the throne,
+for the use of such of the other guests as were privileged to seat
+themselves in the presence of the sovereign.
+
+The ballet, save as regarded the dying condition of the ducal host, was
+executed under the happiest auspices. The King, to whom the proposed
+marriage of the two children was agreeable under every aspect, was in
+one of his most condescending and complacent moods; while Marie de
+Medicis, whose affection for all her offspring amounted to passion, was
+radiant with delight as she remembered that by the will of the Duke all
+his property and estates devolved upon the young Prince, even should his
+betrothed bride[375] not live to become his wife.[376]
+
+On the following day the affiancing, of which this entertainment had
+been the prelude, took place with great solemnity. The most costly
+presents were exchanged, not only by the betrothed children, but also by
+their royal and noble relatives. This ceremony, owing to the failing
+health of the Duke, was also performed at the Hôtel Montpensier, and was
+succeeded by amusements of every description; among which those prepared
+for the occasion at the Arsenal by Sully afforded the most marked
+gratification to their Majesties. The minister had caused a spacious
+theatre to be constructed, in which the Italian actors who had been
+summoned to France by the Queen gave their representations. This pit or
+_salle de spectacle_ was, as he himself informs us, arranged
+amphitheatrically, while above were galleries divided into separate
+boxes, each approached by a different staircase and entered by a
+different door. Two of these galleries were reserved entirely for the
+ladies who were admitted to the performance, and no man, upon any
+pretext whatever, was permitted to enter them; an arrangement which
+appears to be strikingly at variance with the lax morality of the time.
+So resolved, nevertheless, was Sully to enforce this restriction, that
+he adds with a gravity curious enough upon such a subject: "This was one
+of my regulations which I would not suffer to be violated, and of which
+I did not consider it beneath me personally to compel the
+observance." [377]
+
+To impress, moreover, upon his readers the strength of this
+determination, he relates an anecdote of which we cannot resist the
+transcription:
+
+"One day," he says, "when a very fine ballet was represented in this
+hall, I perceived a man leading a lady by the hand, with whom he was
+about to enter the women's gallery. He was a foreigner, and I moreover
+easily recognized by his sallow complexion to what country he belonged.
+'Monsieur,' I said to him, 'you will be good enough to look for another
+door; for I do not think that with your skin you can hope to pass for a
+lady.' 'My lord,' replied he in very bad French, 'when you ascertain who
+I am, you will not, I can assure you, refuse to have the politeness of
+permitting me to enter with these fair and lovely ladies, however dark I
+may be. My name is Pimentello; I am well received by his Majesty, and
+have frequently the honour of playing with him.' This was true, and too
+true. This foreigner, of whom I had frequently heard, had won immense
+sums from the King. 'How, _ventre de ma vie!_ I exclaimed, affecting
+extreme anger; 'you are then, I perceive, that great glutton of a
+Portuguese who daily wins the money of the King. _Pardieu_, you are by
+no means welcome here, as I neither affect nor will receive such
+guests.' He was about to reply, but I thrust him back, saying at the
+same time, 'Go, go; find another entrance, for your jargon will fail to
+make any impression upon me.' The King having subsequently inquired of
+him if he had not thought the ballet magnificent and admirably executed,
+Pimentello replied that he was anxious to have witnessed it, but that
+he had been encountered at the door by his finance minister, who had met
+him with a negative and shut him out; an adventure which so much amused
+the monarch that he not only laughed heartily himself, but made the
+whole Court participators in his amusement." [378]
+
+Banquets, running at the ring, and balls in which the Queen occasionally
+condescended to join, varied the entertainments; which were, however,
+suddenly terminated by the death of the Duc de Montpensier, which
+occurred on the 28th of the month; and so much was the King affected by
+his demise, that he forbade all the customary diversions during the
+ensuing Carnival.
+
+Nothing could exceed, save in the case of a sovereign, the splendour of
+the funeral ceremonies observed after the Duke's decease. He had no
+sooner expired than his body was carried into a hall richly hung with
+tapestry, and surrounded by seats and benches covered with cloth of
+gold, elaborately embroidered with _fleurs-de-lis,_ intended for the
+accommodation of the prelates, nobles, knights, and gentlemen of the
+Duke's household who were appointed to watch beside the corpse. The body
+lay upon a state bed covered with cloth of gold which swept the floor,
+and was bordered with ermine. He wore his ducal robes, with a coronet,
+and the great collar of St. Michael; and had his white-gloved hands
+crossed upon his breast. At the foot of the bier stood a small table
+upon which was a massive silver crucifix; and near it a second
+supporting a vase of holy water. In this state the deceased Duke
+remained during eight days; the officers of his household waiting upon
+him in the same manner, and with the same ceremonies as when he was
+alive. A prelate said the grace; the water, in which while in existence
+the Prince had been accustomed to lave his hands previously to
+commencing a meal, was presented to his vacant chair; the different
+courses were placed upon the table by the proper officers; a silver
+goblet was prepared at the same moment in which he had formerly been in
+the habit of taking his first draught; and, finally, the same prelate
+uttered a thanksgiving, to which he added a "De profundis," and the
+prayer for the dead; when the food that had been served up was
+distributed to the poor.
+
+At the termination of the eight days the funeral service was performed
+at Notre Dame, in the presence of the Knights of the Holy Ghost, all
+wearing their collars. The chief mourners were the Prince de Condé and
+the Comte de Soissons, the cousins of the deceased Duke; and his funeral
+oration was delivered by M. de Fenouillet, Bishop of Montpellier. The
+body was then conveyed to Champigny in Poitou, where the Duke was laid
+to rest with his ancestors.[379]
+
+Having strictly forbidden all public festivities, Henry removed the
+Court to Fontainebleau; and Marguerite, whose unblushing libertinism was
+a byword in Paris, seized the moment to erect an almshouse and convent
+upon a portion of the grounds of her hotel. It was stated that the
+ex-Queen during her residence at Usson, where, as we have already seen,
+her career was one of the most degrading profligacy, had made a vow that
+should she ever be permitted to revisit Paris, she would support a
+certain number of monks who should daily sing the praises of the Deity;
+and she accordingly gave to the chapel attached to the convent the name
+of the Chapel of Praise, while the house itself was designated the
+Monastery of the Holy Trinity. It was no sooner built than it was given
+by the foundress to the reformed and bare-footed Fathers of St.
+Augustine; but after having solicited in their favour various privileges
+which were accorded by the Sovereign-Pontiff, she dispossessed them in
+the year 1613, and established in their place the Augustine Fathers of
+the Congregation of Bourges.
+
+Meanwhile the influence of Concini and his wife over the mind of the
+Queen unhappily increased with time, until the arrogance of the former
+became so great that he had the insolence to enter the lists at a grand
+tilting at the ring which was publicly held in the Rue St. Antoine in
+the presence of the monarch and his Court; a piece of presumption which
+was rendered still more unpalatable to Henry by the fact that the
+Italian, who was well skilled in such exercises, bore away the prize
+for which the whole of his own nobility had contended.
+
+So arrogant, indeed, had he become, and so inflated with the
+consciousness of wealth--Marie de Medicis having been lavish even beyond
+her means both to his wife and himself--that he entered into a
+negotiation for the purchase of La Ferté, a property estimated at
+between two and three hundred thousand crowns; and he no sooner
+ascertained that the Duchesse de Sully had waited upon the Queen to
+entreat of her Majesty to forbid the transfer, as such an acquisition
+made by an individual who was generally known to be penniless only a few
+years previously would necessarily excite the public disaffection
+towards herself, than he had the audacity to proceed to the Arsenal and
+to upbraid that lady for her interference in the most unmeasured and
+insulting terms, declaring that he was independent both of the King of
+France and of his subjects, whatever might be their sex and rank; and
+that whoever thwarted him in his projects might live to rue the day in
+which they braved his anger.
+
+This intemperance having come to the ears of the King, his indignation
+was excessive; but, as on previous occasions, he lacked the moral
+courage to assert his dignity; and satisfied himself by bitter
+complaints to Sully of the fatal hold which her two Italian attendants
+had secured upon the affections of the Queen, and by replying to the
+reproaches of Marie upon the subject of his new attachment for Charlotte
+des Essarts, and the continued insolence of Madame de Verneuil, with
+vehement upbraidings on the vassalage in which she lived to the indecent
+caprices and shameless extortions of a waiting-woman and her husband.
+
+Marie de Medicis, who had hoped that the rank in her household which had
+been conceded to Leonora would protect her for the future against
+allusions to the obscurity of her origin, was greatly incensed by the
+tone of contempt still maintained by the King whenever he made any
+allusion either to Leonora or Concini; and eventually these
+recriminations attained to such a height that Henry abruptly quitted the
+Louvre (where the delicate health of his royal consort had induced him
+to establish his temporary residence), and proceeded to Chantilly,
+without taking leave of her. On his way, however, he alighted at the
+Arsenal, where he informed Sully of the reason of his sudden departure;
+and the minister became so much alarmed at this unequivocal
+demonstration of displeasure on the part of the monarch, that he
+resolved not to lose a moment in advising the Queen to some concession
+which might cause the King to return to the capital. After the mid-day
+meal he accordingly repaired to the Louvre, accompanied only by a
+secretary who was to await him in an antechamber, and made his way to
+the apartments of Marie. On reaching the saloon adjoining the private
+closet of the Queen, he found Madame Concini seated at the door with her
+head buried in her hands, evidently absorbed in thought. She started up,
+however, when he addressed her; and in reply to his request that she
+would announce him to her royal mistress, she replied that she would do
+so willingly, although she apprehended that her Majesty would not
+receive him, as she had refused entrance to herself. She had, however,
+no sooner raised the tapestry, and scratched upon the door, than Marie,
+on learning who was without, desired that M. de Sully should be
+instantly admitted. When the Duke entered he found the Queen seated at a
+table, busily engaged in writing; and as he approached her with the
+customary obeisance, she hastily motioned to him to place himself upon a
+stool immediately in front of her.
+
+"You are right welcome, M. le Ministre," she said in a tone that was not
+altogether steady, although she struggled to suppress all outward
+emotion. "You are doubtless already apprised that the King has withdrawn
+from the capital in anger, but you have yet to learn that he has left me
+no whit more satisfied than himself. I was unprepared for so abrupt a
+departure; and as I had still much to say to him on the subject of our
+disagreement, I find myself compelled to the exercise of my clerkly
+skill, and am now occupied in telling him in writing all that I had left
+unsaid. There is the letter," she continued with a bitter smile, as she
+threw the ample scroll across the table; "read it, and tell me if I have
+not more than sufficient cause to consider myself both aggrieved and
+outraged."
+
+"Madame," said the incorruptible minister, when he had perused the
+document thus submitted to him, "you must pardon me if I venture to
+declare that you must never suffer that letter to meet the eye of your
+royal consort: it contains matter to induce your eternal separation."
+
+"Can you deny one assertion which I have made?" demanded the Queen
+impatiently.
+
+"I sympathize in all the trials and troubles of your Majesty," was the
+evasive reply. "I would leave no effort untried to terminate them; a
+fact of which you have long, I trust, Madame, felt convinced; and thus I
+cannot see you about to wilfully destroy every chance of happiness,
+without imploring of you to reflect deeply and calmly before you take so
+extreme a measure as that which you now contemplate. The King is already
+incensed against you; and if spoken words have thus angered him, I dare
+not contemplate the consequences of such as these before me, written
+hours after your contention. I therefore beseech you to suppress this
+letter; and both for your own sake, and for that of the French nation,
+rather to seek a reconciliation with His Grace your husband than to
+increase the ill-feeling which so unhappily exists."
+
+"You make no allowance for me, Monsieur, as a woman and a wife; you only
+argue with the Queen."
+
+"Madame," persisted Sully, "in this instance it is rather to the woman
+and the wife that I address myself than to the Queen. As a woman, the
+bitterness and invective of this missive," and he laid his spread hand
+emphatically upon the paper, "would suffice to cover you with blame and
+to deprive you of sympathy, while as a mother it would authorize your
+separation from your children. Let me entreat of you therefore to forego
+your purpose."
+
+Marie de Medicis sat silent for a few moments, and then making a violent
+effort over herself, she said slowly: "I will in so far follow your
+counsel, M. le Duc, that I will destroy this letter, although the saints
+bear witness that it has cost me both time and care to prepare it, but I
+will yield no further. I am weary of being made the puppet of an
+unfaithful husband and his band of unblushing favourites, who receive,
+each in succession, some high-sounding title by which they are enabled
+to thrust themselves and their shame upon me in the very halls of the
+palace. I must and will tell the King this."
+
+"Then, Madame, if such be unfortunately your decision," said her
+listener, "at least let me urge you to do it in gentler terms."
+
+"I am in no humour to temporize."
+
+Sully made no reply.
+
+"Do not wrap yourself up in silence, Monsieur," exclaimed the Queen
+after waiting in vain for his reply. "I believe that you wish to serve
+me, and you cannot better do so than by putting these unpalatable truths
+into a less repulsive form. Here are the means at hand, but, mark me, I
+will not suffer one particular to be omitted."
+
+Under this somewhat difficult restriction the minister proceeded to obey
+her command, but she argued upon every sentence, and cavilled at every
+paragraph, which tended to soften the harsher features of the letter. At
+length, however, the task was completed, and nothing remained to be
+effected save its transcription by the Queen. The letter was long and
+elaborate, as Sully had skilfully contrived to terminate every reproach
+by some reasoning which could not fail to touch the feelings of the
+King. Thus, after upbraiding her husband with his perpetual
+infidelities, Marie was made to say that if she complained, it was less
+for herself, than because, in addition to her anxiety to be the sole
+possessor of his heart, she could not coldly contemplate the injury
+which he inflicted upon his person and dignity by becoming the rival of
+his own subjects, and thus compromising his kingly character; and that
+if she insisted with vehemence upon the exile of Madame de Verneuil, her
+excuse must be found in the fact that in no other way could her peace
+and honour be secured, or the welfare of her children be rendered
+sure--those children of whom he was the father as well as the sovereign,
+and whom she would cause to fall at his feet to implore compassion for
+their mother. She then reminded him of the numerous promises which he
+had made to her that he would cease to give her cause of complaint, and
+terminated the missive by calling God to witness that should he still be
+willing to fulfil them, she would, on her side, renounce all desire for
+vengeance upon those by whom she had been so deeply, wronged.
+
+Certain, however, it is that, even with these modifications, the letter
+gave serious offence to Henry, who, shortly after its receipt, wrote to
+apprise Sully of what he denominated the _impertinence_ of his wife, but
+declared that he was less incensed against her than against the
+individual by whom the epistle had been dictated, as the style was not
+hers, and that he had consequently discovered the agency of a third
+person, whose identity he left it to Sully to ascertain, as he had
+resolved never again either to serve or even to see him, be he whom he
+might, so long as he had life.
+
+With a truth and frankness which did him honour, the finance minister,
+despite this threat, did not hesitate when subsequently urged upon the
+subject by the King to admit the authorship of the obnoxious document,
+and in support of his assertion to place in the hands of Henry the
+original draft which he had retained. On comparing this with the
+autograph letter of the Queen, however, Sully at once perceived that she
+had been unable to repress her anger sufficiently to adhere to his
+advice, and that the interpolations were by no means calculated to
+advance her interests.[380] It was evident, nevertheless, that much of
+the King's indignation had subsided, and that the delicate health of his
+royal consort was not without its influence over his mind. Sully
+adroitly profited by this circumstance to impress upon Henry the danger
+of any agitation to the Queen, whose impressionable nature occasioned
+constant solicitude to her physicians, and reminded him that her late
+violence had been principally induced by the rumours which had reached
+her of a _liaison_ between Madame de Verneuil and the Duc de Guise, an
+indignity to his own person which she had declared herself unable to
+brook with patience. In short, so zealously and so successfully did
+Sully exert himself, that he at length induced the monarch to return to
+the Louvre, and the Queen to disclaim all intention of exciting his
+displeasure, in which latter attempt he was greatly aided by being
+enabled to confide to her that instant measures were to be taken for the
+disgrace of the Marquise, could it be proved that her friendship with
+the Duc de Guise had exceeded the limits of propriety.
+
+In the beginning of March the Court removed to Fontainebleau, where,
+while awaiting the accouchement of the Queen, Henry indulged in the most
+reckless gaming; nor did he pursue this vice in a kingly spirit, for
+even his devoted panegyrist Péréfixe informs us that at this period he
+knew not how to answer those who reproached his royal pupil with too
+great a love for cards and dice, of itself a taste little suited to a
+great and powerful sovereign; and that, moreover, he was an unpleasant
+player, eager for gain, timid when the stake was a high one, and
+ill-tempered when he was a loser.[381] In support of this reluctant
+testimony, Bassompierre relates that, being anxious to assist at the
+opening of the States of Lorraine in compliance with the invitation of
+the Duke, he solicited the permission of Henry to that effect on two or
+three different occasions, but as he always played on the side of the
+King, and universally with great success, he was constantly refused.
+
+Resolved to carry his point, however, the spoiled courtier at length set
+forth without any leave-taking; a fact which was no sooner ascertained
+by the monarch than he despatched two of the _exempts_ of his guard to
+arrest him and bring him back. This they did without difficulty, as
+Bassompierre did not travel at night; but as the gallant Marquis had no
+ambition to be conveyed to Fontainebleau in the guise of a prisoner, he
+despatched a letter to M. de Villeroy requesting to be liberated from
+the presence of his captors, and pledging himself to return instantly to
+Court. On his arrival the King laughed heartily at the idea of his
+disappointment, which he, however, lightened by pledging himself that in
+ten days he should be left at liberty to depart.[382]
+
+On the 25th of April Marie de Medicis became the mother of a third son,
+upon whom, after some contestation between his illustrious parents, was
+bestowed the title of Duc d'Anjou. The Queen was desirous that he should
+be called Prince of Navarre, but Henry preferred the former designation,
+from the fact that it had been that of many of the French Princes who
+had been sovereigns of Jerusalem and Sicily.[383] The birth of another
+Prince to their beloved sovereign filled up the measure of joy in
+France; the citizens of Paris made costly gifts to the Queen, and the
+circumstance of the infant having come into the world on the anniversary
+of St. Louis increased the general enthusiasm.[384] As the convalescence
+of the royal invalid was less rapid upon this than on previous
+occasions, the Court remained during the spring and a portion of the
+summer at Fontainebleau, where every species of amusement was exhausted
+by the courtiers. Once only, at the beginning of May, the King resided
+for a few days in the capital, and on his return Marie manifested such
+undisguised satisfaction that he accorded to her the sum of twelve
+thousand crowns for the embellishment of her château at Monceaux.
+
+So early as the year 1598, during the journey of the sovereign to
+Brittany, a marriage had been arranged between his' son, the Duc de
+Vendôme, and Mademoiselle de Mercoeur,[385] but the mother and
+grandmother of the young lady had succeeded in inspiring her with such a
+hatred of the legitimated Prince, that she would not allow his name to
+be mentioned in her presence; and when she ascertained that the monarch
+had resolved upon the fulfilment of the contract, she withdrew to the
+Capuchin Convent, declaring that sooner than become the wife of M. de
+Vendôme she would take the veil. The Duchesse de Mercoeur and her mother
+had been anxious to marry the young heiress to the Prince de Condé, or
+failing in this project, to some relative of their own, in order to
+retain her large possessions in the family; but the King had resolved
+upon securing them to his son by enforcing the promise made by the
+deceased Duke. He accordingly adopted conciliatory measures by which he
+succeeded in effecting his object, and before the conclusion of the
+rejoicings on the birth of the infant Prince, the marriage was finally
+celebrated in the chapel of Fontainebleau with all the pomp and
+magnificence of which the ceremony was susceptible, while the King
+appeared beside his son at the altar blazing with jewels of inestimable
+price, and joined in the festivities consequent upon the alliance with a
+zest and enjoyment which were the theme of general comment.
+
+The arrival of Don Pedro de Toledo,[386] the ambassador of Philip III
+of Spain, at this precise juncture gave further occasion for that
+display of splendour in which Henry had latterly delighted, and after
+his public reception at Fontainebleau the Court removed to Paris, where
+the ambassador had been sumptuously lodged at the Hôtel de Gondy. His
+arrogance, however, soon disgusted the French King; nor did he hesitate
+to exhibit the same unbecoming hauteur towards his kinswoman the Queen,
+who having despatched a nobleman of her household to welcome him to
+France in that character, was informed by her envoy that the only answer
+which he returned to the compliment was conveyed in the remark that
+crowned heads had no relatives; they had only subjects.
+
+The sole occasion upon which he laid aside his _morgue_, and then to all
+appearance involuntarily, was while driving through the streets of the
+capital in the carriage of the King. He had previously visited Paris,
+and as he contrasted its present magnificence with the squalor, filth,
+and disorder which it had formerly exhibited, he could not suppress an
+exclamation of astonishment. "Why should you be surprised, Monsieur?"
+demanded Henry; "when you last saw my good city of Paris, the father of
+the family did not inhabit it; and now that he is here to watch over his
+children, they prosper as you see." [387]
+
+The object of this embassy was kept a profound secret; some historians
+assert that it was undertaken with a view to effect a marriage between
+the Dauphin and the Infanta of Spain, while others lean to the belief
+that Philip had instructed Don Pedro to endeavour to prevail upon Henry
+to abandon his alliance with the Dutch. Whatever were its motive, the
+ambassador, who had reached Paris on the 7th of July, quitted the
+capital on the 22nd of the same month, having only succeeded in
+irritating the King by his overbearing and supercilious demeanour.[388]
+
+It would appear that during the present year Henri IV indulged his
+passion for field sports to such an excess as tended seriously to alarm
+those who were anxious for his preservation; and it indeed seems as
+though, at this period, his leisure hours were nearly divided between
+his two favourite diversions of hunting and high play. Sully informs us,
+however, that the King busied himself with the embellishments of
+Fontainebleau, and in erecting the Place Dauphine at Paris; but adds
+that these great works, which were necessary to the convenience of the
+people, might have been carried much further if the monarch would have
+followed his advice and been less profuse in his personal expenditure,
+particularly as regarded his gambling transactions. He advances, as a
+proof of this assertion, that he was called upon on one occasion to
+deliver to Eduardo Fernandez, a Portuguese banker (who, according to
+Bassompierre, had made a visit of speculation to the French Court, and
+who unhesitatingly provided the nobles with large sums, either on
+security or at immense interest), the enormous amount of thirty-four
+thousand pistoles, for which the reckless monarch had become his debtor.
+"I frequently received similar orders," he proceeds to say, "for two or
+three thousand pistoles, and a great many others for less considerable
+sums." [389]
+
+It is scarcely doubtful that the _ennui_ occasioned by the waning
+passion of Henri IV for Madame de Verneuil at this period induced him,
+even more than formerly, to seek amusement and occupation at the
+gaming-table, where he was emulated by his profuse and licentious
+nobles, while even his Queen and the ladies of the Court entered with
+avidity into the exciting pastime. We have frequent record of the
+habitual high play of Marie de Medicis, who found in it a solace for her
+sick-room and a diversion from her domestic annoyances, and thus the
+dangerous propensity of the monarch was heightened by the presence of
+the loveliest women of the land and the charm and fascination of wit and
+intellect.
+
+Madame de Verneuil was in despair; the coveted sceptre was sliding from
+within her grasp, and with the ill-judged hope of regaining the
+affections of her royal lover by exciting his jealousy, she encouraged
+the attention of the Duc de Guise, who, undismayed by the previous
+attempt of his brother to divert the affections of another of the royal
+favourites and its unfortunate result, at length openly avowed himself
+the suitor of the brilliant Marquise, and even promised to make her his
+wife; while the scandalous chroniclers of the time do not hesitate to
+affirm that the Prince de Joinville himself had previously done the
+same, but that his proverbial fickleness had protected him from so gross
+a _mésalliance_.
+
+In the case of the Duke, however, the affair wore a more serious aspect;
+and so earnest did he appear in his professions that Madame de Verneuil,
+anxious at once to secure an illustrious alliance and to revenge herself
+upon the monarch, caused the banns of marriage between the Prince and
+herself to be published with some slight alteration in their respective
+names, which did not, however, suffice to deceive those who had an
+interest in subverting her project; and the fact was accordingly
+communicated to the King, upon whom it produced an effect entirely
+opposite to that which had been contemplated by the vanity of the lady,
+who had been clever enough to procure from M. de Guise a written promise
+similar to that which she had formerly extorted from the monarch. Four
+years previously the knowledge of such a perfidy on her part would have
+overwhelmed Henry with anxiety, jealousy, and grief, but his passion for
+the Marquise had, as we have seen, long been on the decline, and his
+only feeling was one of indignation and displeasure. To the Marquise
+herself he simply expressed his determined and unalterable opposition to
+the alliance, but to the Duke he was far less lenient, reminding him of
+the former offences of himself and his family, and forbidding him to
+pursue a purpose so distasteful to all those who had his honour at
+heart This was a fatal blow to Madame de Verneuil, and one which she was
+never destined to overcome. Clever as she was, she had suffered herself
+to forget that youth is not eternal, and that passion is even more
+evanescent than time; and thus, by a last impotent effort to assert a
+supremacy to which she could no longer advance any claim, she only
+succeeded in extinguishing in the heart of the King the last embers of a
+latent and expiring attachment.[390]
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[356] The _carême-prenant_ includes the three days which precede
+Ash-Wednesday.
+
+[357] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 411, 412.
+
+[358] Benjamin de Rohan, Duc de Soubise, was the grandson of Jean de
+Parthenay-Soubise, and the son of Réné-Rohan. He was a zealous supporter
+of the reformed faith, and was present at several sieges; but becoming
+dissatisfied with the citizens of La Rochelle, with whom he took refuge
+in 1622, he passed over to England, to solicit assistance; a proceeding
+which compelled the French Court to declare him guilty of
+_lèse-majesté_, and he subsequently refused to return to his own country
+when a general amnesty was proclaimed.
+
+[359] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 414, 415.
+
+[360] _Mémoires_, p. 57.
+
+[361] Saint-Edmé, vol. ii. p. 238.
+
+[362] Saint-Edmé, vol. ii. pp. 239, 240. L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 360.
+_Amours du Grand Alcandre_, p. 49.
+
+[363] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 51.
+
+[364] Antoine de Bourbon, Comte de Moret, the son of Henri IV and Madame
+de Moret, was legitimated in 1608, and was killed during the subsequent
+reign at the battle of Castelnaudary, while serving under the Duc de
+Montmorency.
+
+[365] Damin de Montluc, Seigneur de Balagny, son of Jean, Prince de
+Cambray, and of Rénée de Clermont de Bussy d'Amboise. He was one of the
+most confidential friends of the King.
+
+[366] Saint-Edmé, vol. ii. pp. 241, 242.
+
+[367] Charlotte, daughter of François des Essarts, Seigneur de Sautour,
+Equerry of the King's Stable, and of his second wife, Charlotte de
+Harlay de Chanvallon.
+
+[368] The Comte Christophe de Beaumont-Harlay, Governor of Orleans. He
+died in 1615.
+
+[369] Louis de Lorraine, Cardinal de Guise, son of Henri, Duc de Guise,
+who was killed at the States of Blois. He obtained a dispensation from
+the Pope to effect his marriage with Mademoiselle des Essarts. He was a
+warlike prelate; and his death, which took place at Saintes in 1621, was
+caused by the extreme fatigue that he underwent during the campaign of
+Guienne, and at the siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, whither he accompanied
+Louis XIII.
+
+[370] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 50.
+
+[371] Charles, Cardinal de Lorraine, Bishop of Metz and Strasbourg, and
+Abbot of St. Victor-lès-Paris. The Cardinal de Givry succeeded him in
+the see of Metz, having the Marquis de Verneuil as his coadjutor, and
+Leopold of Austria replaced him as Bishop of Strasbourg, having been
+elected to that dignity by the chapter; while the Protestants named
+George, Margrave of Brandenburg, administrator to that see, which caused
+great dissension between the two concurrents, until a conciliation was
+effected through the good offices of Duke Frederic of Würtemberg, who
+induced them to enter into a truce for fifteen years, during which
+period they divided between them the revenues of the benefice, Leopold
+of Austria retaining the title of bishop.
+
+[372] _Mercure Français,_ 1607, P-228. L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 437,
+438.
+
+[373] _Mémoires,_ vol. vii. p. 7. L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 417, 418.
+
+[374] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 51.
+
+[375] Marie de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Montpensier, who, after the
+decease of the Duc d'Orléans, married (in 1626) Gaston Jean Baptiste
+de France.
+
+[376] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 51.
+
+[377] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vii. p. 8.
+
+[378] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vii. pp. 8, 9.
+
+[379] _Mercure Français_, 1608, p. 231. L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 444,
+445.
+
+[380] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vii. pp. 25-28.
+
+[381] Péréfixe, vol. ii. pp. 463, 464.
+
+[382] Bassompierre, _Mém_. pp. 50, 51.
+
+[383] Gaston Jean Baptiste de France, originally named Duc d'Anjou, and
+subsequently Duc d'Orléans, died in 1660. Before his birth, Henri IV
+declared his intention of making him a churchman, and causing him to be
+entitled Cardinal de France.
+
+[384] _Mercure Français,_ 1608, p. 231. Sully, _Mém_. vol. vii. p. 37.
+L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 471.
+
+[385] Mademoiselle de Mercocur was the only daughter and heiress of
+Philippe Emmanuel de Lorraine, Duc de Mercocur, the brother of Louise de
+Lorraine, Queen of Henri III. By that monarch he was appointed Governor
+of Brittany, but in 1589 he revolted against him, and persisted in his
+rebellion until 1598, when he entered into a treaty with Henri IV, by
+which he bound himself to bestow the hand of his daughter, and the
+reversion of his government, upon César de Vendôme, a condescension by
+which he subsequently felt himself so much disgraced that he withdrew
+from the Court and engaged in the war of Hungary. Pining, however, to
+see once more his wife and daughter, he was on his way to France for
+that purpose, when he was attacked by fever at Nuremberg, where he
+expired in March 1602, at the age of forty-three years.
+
+[386] Don Pedro de Toledo, Constable of Castile, and general of the
+galleys of Naples, was a relative of Marie de Medicis, whose
+grandfather, the Comte de Medicis, had married Eleonora de Toledo, the
+daughter of the Viceroy of Naples. He was, moreover, a grandee of Spain,
+and one of the most confidential friends of Philip III.
+
+[387] Bonnechose, vol. i. p. 445. Péréfixe, vol. ii. p. 564.
+
+[388] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 474-477. _Mercure Français,_ 1608, p. 232.
+Daniel, vol. vii. p. 488.
+
+[389] _Mémoires,_ vol. vii. pp. 72-74.
+
+[390] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi, p. 104.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+1609
+
+Death of the Grand Duke of Tuscany--The Queen's ballet--Mademoiselle de
+Montmorency--Description of her person--She is betrothed to
+Bassompierre--Indignation of the Duc de Bouillon--Contrast between the
+rivals--The Duc de Bellegarde excites the curiosity of the King--The
+nymph of Diana--The rehearsal--Passion of the King for Mademoiselle de
+Montmorency--The royal gout--Interposition of the Duc de
+Roquelaure--Firmness of the Connétable--The ducal gout--Postponement of
+the marriage--Diplomacy of Henry--The sick-room--An obedient
+daughter--Henry resolves to prevent the marriage--The King and the
+courtier--Lip-deep loyalty--Henry offers the hand of Mademoiselle de
+Montmorency to the Prince de Condé--The regal pledge--The Prince de
+Condé consents to espouse Mademoiselle de Montmorency--Invites
+Bassompierre to his betrothal--Royal tyranny--A cruel pleasantry--The
+betrothal--Court festivities--Happiness of the Queen--Royal presents to
+the bride--The ex-Queen's ball--Jealousy of the Prince de
+Condé--Indignation of the Queen--Henry revenges himself upon M. de
+Condé--Madame de Condé retires from the Court--The King insists on her
+return--The Prince de Condé feigns compliance--The Prince and Princess
+escape to the Low Countries--The news of their evasion reaches
+Fontainebleau--Birth of a Princess--Unpleasant surprise--Henry betrays
+his annoyance to the Queen--He assembles his ministers--He resolves to
+compel the return of the Princess to France--Conflicting counsels--M. de
+Praslin is despatched to Brussels--Embarrassment of the Archduke
+Albert--He refuses an asylum to M. de Condé, who proceeds to
+Milan--The Princess remains at Brussels--She is honourably
+entertained--Interference of the Queen--Philip of Spain promises his
+protection to the Prince de Condé--He is invited to return to
+Brussels--The Marquis de Coeuvres endeavours to effect the return of the
+Prince to France--His negotiation fails--Madame de Condé is placed under
+surveillance--Her weariness of the Court of Brussels--The Duc de
+Montmorency desires her return to Paris--M. de Coeuvres is authorized to
+effect her escape from Brussels--The plot prospers--Indiscretion of the
+King--The Queen informs the Spanish minister of the conspiracy--Madame
+de Condé is removed to the Archducal palace--Mortification of the
+King--The French envoys expostulate with the Archduke, who remains
+firm--Henry resolves to declare war against Spain and Flanders--Fresh
+negotiations--The King determines to head the army in person--Marie de
+Medicis becomes Regent of France--She is counselled by Concini to urge
+her coronation--Reluctance of the King to accede to her request--He
+finally consents--"The best husband in the world"--Fatal
+prognostics--Signs in the heavens--The Curé of Montargis--The Papal
+warning--The Cardinal Barberino--The Sultan's message--Suspicious
+circumstances--Supineness of the Austrian Cabinet--Prophecy of Anne de
+Comans--Her miserable fate--The astrologer Thomassin--The Béarnais
+noble--The Queen's dream--Royal presentiments--The hawthorn of the
+Louvre--Distress of Bassompierre--Expostulation of the King--Melancholy
+forebodings.
+
+In the year upon which we are now about to enter the subject of our
+biography occupies, unfortunately, but a small space, destined as it was
+to give birth to the most violent and the most dangerous passion of the
+whole life of Henri IV, and that which left the most indelible stain
+upon his memory, both as a man and as a monarch.
+
+On the 7th of February the Court went into mourning for the Grand Duke
+of Tuscany, the uncle of the Queen, to whom she was ardently attached,
+and all the Carnival amusements were consequently suspended, but not
+before the Queen had resolved upon the performance of the ballet which
+she had previously refused to sanction, when her royal consort had
+proposed as one of its performers the Comtesse de Moret, his late
+favourite. The rehearsal of this entertainment took place on the 16th of
+January, and the nymphs of Diana were represented by the twelve reigning
+beauties of the Court, among whom the most lovely was Charlotte
+Marguerite de Montmorency[391]. So extraordinary, indeed, were her
+personal attractions, combined with a modesty of demeanour more than
+unusual at the Court in that age, that even the most experienced of the
+great nobles were compelled to confess that they had never heretofore
+seen any person who could compete with her. "The purity of her
+complexion," says Dreux du Radier, quoting from one of the old
+chroniclers, "was admirable; her eyes, lively and full of tenderness,
+inspired passion in the most careless hearts; she had not a feature in
+her face which was not gracefully moulded. The tones of her voice, her
+bearing, her slightest movements, had a charm which compelled
+admiration, and it was yielded the more willingly that it was elicited
+by no artifice on her part, but was a tribute to her natural merits.
+Nature had, indeed, done everything for her, and she had no occasion to
+resort to any adventitious aid however innocent." [392]
+
+This lady, thus richly gifted with youth, beauty, and high birth, had
+been, even before her appearance at Court, promised in marriage by her
+father to the Maréchal de Bassompierre, to whom indeed he had himself
+offered her hand,[393] but she was no sooner seen by Henry in the circle
+of the Queen than he became violently enamoured of her person, and
+resolved to prevent the alliance; a determination in which he found
+himself strengthened by the remonstrances of the Duc de Bouillon, the
+nephew of the Connétable, and consequently the cousin of the young
+beauty, whose favour Bassompierre had, in the excess of his happiness,
+neglected to conciliate, and who represented to the King that he could
+not conceal his astonishment on ascertaining that his Majesty was about
+to permit the union of Mademoiselle de Montmorency with a mere noble,
+however deserving of such distinction, when the Prince de Condé had
+attained to a marriageable age, and that it would be imprudent to
+countenance his alliance with a foreign princess; while as regards
+himself, he could not discover another eligible match save his cousin or
+Mademoiselle du Maine; and he was inclined to believe that none of the
+advisers of his Majesty would counsel him to authorize his own marriage
+with the latter, while the remnant of the League continued so formidable
+as to threaten a still more forcible and dangerous demonstration should
+they once find themselves under a leader with the power which he
+possessed to further their cause. He then represented that his alliance
+with Mademoiselle de Montmorency would involve no such results, as the
+allies and interests of the Connétable were his own, and concluded by
+entreating that his Majesty, before he sanctioned the marriage of
+Bassompierre with his cousin, would give the matter ample
+reflection.[394]
+
+This contention, there can be no doubt, piqued the curiosity of the
+King, who in the course of the day mentioned the circumstance to the Duc
+de Bellegarde. The chance of the rivals in the favour of the lady
+herself could scarcely be doubtful, as the Duc de Bouillon, Prince of
+the Blood though he was, possessed few personal attractions, while the
+gay, the gallant, the magnificent Bassompierre was the cynosure of all
+eyes; superb in person, he was moreover of high birth, great wealth
+(although his profusion occasionally fettered his means), in high favour
+with the monarch, and celebrated alike for his wit and his attainments.
+Unfortunately, however, for his interests, M. le Grand had already seen
+Mademoiselle de Montmorency, and the animated description which he
+volunteered to the King of the coveted beauty was far from proving
+favourable to the views of Bassompierre, as Henry, before he came to any
+decision upon so important a question, resolved to decide for himself
+the value of the prize which he was about to adjudge to one or other of
+the contending parties. For this purpose he therefore joined the evening
+circle of the Queen, where he first saw the daughter of the Connétable,
+but apparently without the effect which had been anticipated by the Duc
+de Bellegarde.
+
+On the morrow, however, he proved less insensible to the surpassing
+loveliness of the young maid of honour; her modest dignity in a private
+_salon_ offering, in all probability, little attraction to the
+licentious monarch who was accustomed to see every eye turned towards
+himself, and every art exerted to fascinate his notice; but on the day
+of the rehearsal, when the graceful and blushing nymph of Diana was
+presented to him in her classic garb, her quiver at her back and her
+spear in her hand, he at once acknowledged the potency of the spell by
+which others had been previously subjugated. The rehearsal took place in
+the great hall of the Louvre, where Henry was attended only by the Duc
+de Bellegarde, and Montespan,[395] the captain of his bodyguard.
+
+The extraordinary loveliness of the young Princess, combined with her
+exquisite grace and dignified bearing, at once fascinated the King, who
+declared to the Duc de Bellegarde that he had never before beheld so
+faultless a face and form; to which assurance M. le Grand replied, says
+Bassompierre, "according to his usual manner of extolling everything
+that was novel, and particularly Mademoiselle de Montmorency, who was
+indeed worthy of all admiration; and thus infused into the mind of the
+King, always ready to yield to a new fancy, the passion which
+subsequently caused him to commit so many extravagances." [396]
+
+For the moment, however, Henry was unable to pursue his unworthy
+purpose, being attacked the same evening by a violent fit of the gout,
+to which he had been occasionally subject for the last four years, and
+which declared itself on this occasion with so much acuteness that
+during fifteen days he was compelled to keep his bed. Meanwhile, the Duc
+de Bouillon was not idle. Considering himself aggrieved by the
+Connétable in not having been selected as the husband of his daughter,
+he complained loudly and bitterly of the slight, and even induced the
+Duc de Roquelaure to exert his influence with M. de Montmorency to
+withdraw his promise from Bassompierre, and to bestow the hand of the
+Princess upon himself. The Connétable, however, remained firm, declaring
+that he had already the honour to be the great-uncle of M. de Bouillon,
+a degree of kindred which quite satisfied his ambition; and that his
+daughter, being pledged to Bassompierre, could no longer be an object of
+pursuit with any prospect of success to any other noble, however great
+might be his rank; while, in pursuance of this resolution, the Duke
+caused preparations to be made for the celebration of the marriage in
+the chapel of his palace at Chantilly. Bassompierre was consequently at
+the summit of happiness; his ambition and his heart were alike
+satisfied, and he received the congratulations of those around him with
+an undisguised delight, which, in so proverbially gay and gallant a
+cavalier, could not fail to prove highly flattering to the object of his
+attachment.
+
+Unfortunately, before the ceremony could be performed, M. de Montmorency
+was in his turn attacked by gout, and, greatly to the mortification of
+the expectant bridegroom, the marriage was necessarily deferred. Still,
+relying on the assurance of the Connétable that nothing should induce
+him to rescind his resolution, Bassompierre endeavoured to await with
+what patience he might the termination of the inopportune illness of the
+generous Prince; and in the interim he shared with M. le Grand and the
+Duc de Grammont the honour of passing the night in the royal chamber,
+where the three nobles alternately read or conversed with the King
+during his sleepless hours. Throughout the day the monarch received the
+visits of the Queen and the Princesses of the Blood, among whom the most
+welcome was the Duchesse d'Angoulême, who was on every occasion
+accompanied by her niece Mademoiselle de Montmorency, whom Henry did not
+fail to engross whenever the Duchess was engaged in conversation with
+the members of the Court circle. Still, however, the King was careful
+not to betray to the young lady herself the peculiar feeling with which
+she had inspired him, but treated her with a kindness which was almost
+paternal, alluding without any apparent reluctance to her betrothal to
+Bassompierre, and assuring her that she should be as dear to him as a
+daughter, and that during the tour of duty of her husband, as First Lord
+of the Bedchamber, she should have a suite of apartments appropriated to
+her use in the Louvre; but in a few days, when he had accustomed her to
+converse freely with him upon the subject, Henry put a leading question
+which must, after all these gracious promises, have tended to startle
+Mademoiselle de Montmorency, by demanding to know if she personally
+desired the marriage, as, should it be otherwise, she need only confess
+the truth with frankness, when he would break off the match, and procure
+for her an alliance more to her taste; adding that he was even willing
+to bestow her hand upon his own nephew the Prince de Condé. In reply the
+Princess modestly but firmly assured his Majesty that as her union with
+M. de Bassompierre was the wish of her father, she felt convinced that
+her destiny would be a happy one; and there can be no doubt that she
+said this more emphatically than she had intended, as, from that moment,
+Henry became convinced that she really loved her intended husband, and
+he resolved in consequence to prevent the marriage.
+
+Unhappily for all parties, the monarch appeared to have forgotten that
+he had reached his fifty-sixth year, that he was rapidly becoming a
+martyr to the gout, and that he was no longer calculated to enter into a
+successful rivalry with his younger and more attractive nobility; a
+delusion which was unfortunately encouraged, according to Mézeray, by
+his confidential friends, the relatives of the lady, and even the
+members of the Queen's household, who, in the hope of at length
+triumphing over his former favourites, exerted themselves to increase
+his passion for the daughter of the Connétable;[397] a passion which
+they moreover doubtless imagined could not, from the high rank and
+peculiar position of Mademoiselle de Montmorency, exceed the limits of
+propriety. The intentions of Henry himself were, however, as was
+subsequently proved, of a far less innocuous tendency than those for
+which others so erroneously gave him credit. At eight o'clock on the
+following morning he sent for Bassompierre, and having caused the
+attendants to leave the room, he motioned him to kneel down upon the
+cushion beside his bed, when he assured him that he had been thinking
+seriously of the propriety of his taking a wife.
+
+"Ah! Sire," said the delighted courtier, perfectly unsuspicious of the
+real meaning of the monarch, "had not the same unlucky disease under
+which your Majesty is also suffering attacked the Connétable, I should
+ere this have been a husband."
+
+"No," was the hurried reply, as the King looked steadfastly at his
+intended victim, "such is not my meaning. What I desire is to bestow
+upon you the hand of Mademoiselle d'Aumale, and by this means to revive
+the duchy of Aumale in your favour."
+
+"But I am betrothed, Sire, and cannot take a second wife!"
+
+"Bassompierre," said Henry with an emotion which he was unable to
+conceal, "I have become passionately attached to Mademoiselle de
+Montmorency. If you marry her and she loves you, you will be the object
+of my hatred; while should I, under such circumstances, induce her to
+love me, you would hate me in your turn. You are aware of my attachment
+towards yourself, and it will be far better to avoid this risk by not
+placing either party in so trying a position. As regards the lady, I
+have resolved upon uniting her to my nephew the Prince de Condé, and
+keeping her at Court. Her presence and intercourse will be the charm and
+amusement of the old age which is fast creeping upon me. I shall give to
+my nephew, who is young and who prefers a thousand times a hunt to a
+lady's love, a hundred thousand francs a year with which to amuse
+himself, and all that I shall ask of his wife in return will be the
+affection of a child."
+
+The habits and manners of the Court at that age admitted but of one
+reply to this cold and selfish declaration. Bassompierre pressed his
+lips upon the hand which lay upon the velvet coverlet, and assured the
+King that it had ever been the desire of his life to find an opportunity
+of sacrificing his own happiness to that of his Majesty; that he did not
+seek to deny the extent of his disappointment; but that he nevertheless
+voluntarily pledged himself never again to renew a suit which
+counteracted the views and wishes of his sovereign, and trusted that
+this new passion might be productive of as much delight to his Majesty
+as the loss of such a bride must have grieved himself, had he not been
+amply consoled by the consciousness of having merited the confidence
+of his King.
+
+"Then," he says, with a _naïveté_ at which it is impossible to suppress
+a smile, "the King embraced me, and wept, assuring me that he would
+further my fortunes as though I were one of his natural children, that
+he loved me dearly, as I must be well assured, and that he would reward
+my frankness and friendship." [398]
+
+On quitting the royal presence, the discomfited courtier hastened to
+confide his sorrows to M. d'Epernon, who endeavoured to console him with
+the assurance that the King's passion for Mademoiselle de Montmorency
+was a mere passing caprice, as well as his declared intention of
+marrying her to the Prince de Condé; reminding him, moreover, that as
+the admiration of the monarch for the young lady had already become
+matter of notoriety, it was highly improbable that M. de Condé would,
+under the circumstances, accept her as a wife. The worthy minister had,
+however, forgotten that the Prince was entirely dependent upon his royal
+relative; that he had not yet been invested with any government or
+official post; and that he was young, ambitious, and high-spirited.
+Bassompierre bears testimony to his possession of the latter quality by
+his assurance that, important as the favour of the monarch could not
+fail to be to the young Prince in his peculiar position, he did not
+finally give his personal consent to the alliance until he had obtained
+a solemn declaration from Henry of the perfect purity of his
+proffered bride.
+
+It is very singular that throughout all the details given of this affair
+by contemporary writers, no mention is made of the measures adopted by
+the King to induce or to enforce the violation of the plighted word of
+the Connétable to Bassompierre. Even he himself is totally silent upon
+the subject, whence we are compelled to infer that the will of the
+sovereign was considered to be beyond appeal, and that his sole pleasure
+exonerated the Duc de Montmorency from his voluntary engagement. The
+whole transaction, indeed, is so entangled and incomprehensible,
+particularly when the high rank of all the persons concerned in it is
+considered, that it betrays an amount of recklessness and tyranny on the
+part of the King which it is difficult to realize in our own times.
+
+Mézeray asserts that it was in order to compel the affections of
+Mademoiselle de Montmorency through her gratitude, that Henry resolved
+to unite her to the first Prince of the Blood, and thus elevate her to
+the highest rank at Court save that of the Queen.[399] Be this as it
+may, it is certain that he prevailed over the reluctance of both
+parties, and that a week subsequently to the interview described the
+Prince de Condé declared his willingness to accept the bride proposed to
+him by the sovereign; while having a short time afterwards met a number
+of the great nobles at the levée of the King, he personally invited them
+to assist at his betrothal that same evening. Among others he thus
+addressed Bassompierre, who replied only by a low and ceremonious
+salutation. Henry had, however, remarked the circumstance, and
+beckoning the Marquis to his side, he inquired what had passed
+between them.
+
+"Monseigneur suggested, Sire, a step which I am not inclined to take."
+
+"And what was that?" demanded the King.
+
+"That I should accompany him to witness his betrothal. Is he not old
+enough to go alone? and can he not be affianced without my presence? For
+thus much I can answer, that if he have no other companion than myself,
+his suite will be a small one."
+
+"Nevertheless, Bassompierre, you must be there," said Henry imperiously.
+
+"I cannot, Sire," expostulated his companion. "I entreat of you not to
+insist on my compliance, as I shall be driven to disobey you. Let it
+suffice that I have sacrificed a passion which had become the very
+principle of my existence in order to secure your peace and happiness,
+and do not ask me to become the witness of my own bitter
+disappointment."
+
+"The King, who was the best of men," pursues the chronicler, "simply
+replied: 'I plainly see, Bassompierre, that you are angry, but I feel
+sure that you will not fail when you remember that it was my nephew, the
+first Prince of the Blood, by whom you were invited.'"
+
+Further expostulation was impossible, and Bassompierre saw himself
+compelled to drain even to the very dregs his cup of mortification. The
+ceremony took place in the gallery of the Louvre with almost fabulous
+pomp. Mademoiselle de Montmorency was attended by all the Princesses of
+the Blood, and took her place immediately beside the Queen, while the
+Prince stood upon the right hand of the King; who, being still feeble,
+with a refinement of cruelty which it is equally difficult to explain
+and to justify, selected Bassompierre upon whom to lean, and thus kept
+him throughout the whole of the ceremonial in the immediate vicinity of
+the affianced pair.
+
+A few days after the ceremony a ballet was danced at the Arsenal in
+honour of the event, at which their Majesties and all the Court were
+present; and on Shrove Tuesday a tilting at the ring took place, where
+Mademoiselle de Montmorency delivered the prize to the victor. The
+Queen, who had remarked with apprehension the growing passion of her
+royal consort for the young Princess, was overjoyed at the contemplated
+marriage, believing as she did that she must have been self-deluded, as
+it was beyond credibility that, had she been correct in her surmises,
+Henry would have sought to unite the object of his preference to his own
+nephew. Thus, therefore, she overwhelmed the bride-elect with the most
+condescending kindness, and even arranged a ballet in her honour in
+which she herself appeared. "It was," says Bassompierre, "at once the
+most beautiful and the last in which she ever danced." [400]
+
+On Tuesday the 10th of March the marriage took place at Chantilly in the
+presence of their Majesties and the whole Court; and if the cheek of the
+bride were pale, and the lip of the gallant Bassompierre trembled,
+during the ceremony which made Charlotte de Montmorency the wife of
+another, all the other actors in the brilliant drama were too fully
+occupied with their respective parts to heed the silent emotion of the
+sufferers. The King presented as his offering to the lady two thousand
+crowns for the purchase of her _trousseau_, and jewels of the value of
+eighteen thousand livres; while he gave to the Prince a large amount
+both in plate and money.[401] The Queen was also profuse in her
+generosity, and several days were spent in the most splendid
+festivities, after which the royal party returned to Paris, whither they
+were shortly followed by the Prince and Princesse de Condé, on whose
+arrival a grand ball was given by the ex-Queen Marguerite, where Henry
+was once more enthralled by the exquisite dancing of the graceful bride,
+and so unequivocally betrayed his admiration as to renew all the
+slumbering apprehensions of the unfortunate Queen.
+
+It was soon evident, however, that M. de Condé was by no means prepared
+to lend-himself to the licentious views of the King, and he maintained
+so strict a guard over his beautiful young wife that neither sarcasm nor
+reproach could induce him to relax his vigilance. This opposition only
+served to aggravate the unhappy passion of the monarch, while the
+indignation of the Prince and the anger of the Queen were, although from
+a different motive, similarly excited; and in the month of July, during
+the festivities which took place on the marriage of the Duc de Vendôme
+with Mademoiselle de Mercoeur, the advances of the monarch to the wife
+of his nephew became so undisguised that the latter openly resented so
+great an insult to his honour; a crime for which he was immediately
+punished by the revocation of all the grants made to him on the occasion
+of his marriage, and he was thus reduced to comparative poverty.[402]
+This extreme and wanton severity produced a diametrically opposite
+effect to that which had been anticipated by the King, the Prince
+instantly feeling that he had been wronged as well as insulted; while
+the Queen, alarmed by the evident progress of this new and fatal
+passion, which must, should it ultimately prove successful, overwhelm
+the monarch with disgrace and remorse from the near consanguinity of the
+parties, did not fail to urge upon M. de Condé in the most energetic
+manner the necessity of preserving alike his own honour and that of the
+King by removing his wife from the Court. This advice found support on
+all sides, as those who made it a matter of conscience trembled at the
+idea of the scandal which must ensue; while others, who merely sought to
+annoy the sovereign without any regard for his reputation, still saw
+their purpose answered by the proposed departure of the Princess.
+
+Difficult as it was for the Prince to consent to a separation from his
+beautiful young bride, the perseverance of Henry soon convinced him that
+he had no other alternative, and he accordingly caused her to quit the
+capital, and to take up her temporary abode at Saint-Valery; but the
+remonstrances of the monarch were so earnest, and he succeeded so
+thoroughly in concealing his indignation against M. de Condé personally,
+that for a time he flattered himself that he should be enabled to effect
+her recall. Upon this point, however, the Prince was firm; and as day
+after day went by without eliciting the obedience which he had
+anticipated, the entreaties of the King were exchanged for threats. Nor
+did Henry rest satisfied even with this show of displeasure towards his
+young kinsman, for, resolved to ascertain if he should not be more
+favourably received by the Princess herself, he assumed a disguise, and
+proceeded with a few attendants to the place of her retreat in order to
+obtain an interview. On ascertaining this fact M. de Condé removed her
+to Muret, but the pursuit of the King was so resolute that the harassed
+bridegroom ultimately found himself compelled to choose between his ruin
+and his dishonour.[403]
+
+His first measure was to change the residence of the Princess from
+Saint-Valery to his château at Breteuil, and to expostulate with her
+upon the encouragement which she gave by her levity to the advances of
+the monarch; but as some time passed without any further cause for
+alarm, the Prince at length began to feel greater confidence, and in the
+month of November joined a hunting expedition which compelled him to
+absent himself from his wife, a circumstance that was forthwith
+communicated to Henry, who immediately assumed a second disguise and
+proceeded to Breteuil. M. de Condé had, however, been careful to
+establish a strict watch over his household, and being apprised in his
+turn of the royal visit, he suddenly returned, and the disappointed
+monarch was compelled to leave the château.
+
+Madame de Verneuil, to whom the adventure was soon made known, and who,
+despite the extreme precariousness of her position, never failed to
+revenge herself upon the King whenever an opportunity presented itself,
+related the whole story in his presence during a Court reception, only
+suppressing the name of the adventurous lover; an indiscretion which so
+offended and alarmed the Prince that he determined to emancipate himself
+from the threatened disgrace.[404]
+
+He felt that he had but one alternative, for he was too high-spirited to
+condescend to disgrace, whatever might be the penalty of his resistance;
+and driven at length to an expedient which wounded his pride, but which
+he found it impossible to reject, he affected to be determined by the
+anger of the monarch, and requested permission to go in person to
+conduct the Princess back to Court. This was instantly and joyfully
+conceded, and M. de Condé no sooner found himself free to act than he
+set forth; but, instead of returning to Paris as Henry had anxiously
+anticipated, he took the precaution to have relays of post-horses
+secretly secured all along the road to the Low Countries.[405]
+
+On his arrival at Muret the Prince lost not a moment in causing the
+Princess to enter a carriage drawn by eight horses which he had provided
+for the purpose, and at once proceeded to Flanders by way of Artois. The
+dread of dishonour, coupled with the fear of arrest upon the road, lent
+wings to his speed; and without once alighting the Prince and his fair
+companion reached Landrecies;[406] the entire suite of the first Prince
+and Princess of the Blood comprising on this occasion only Messieurs de
+Rochefort and de Tournay, and Mademoiselle de Certeau, with a valet and
+a femme-de-chambre, who followed on horseback.
+
+The news of their flight reached Fontainebleau on the following evening,
+while the Queen was still convalescent (having given birth to her third
+and last daughter, Henriette Marie, on the 26th of November), and the
+King was endeavouring to employ the interval which must ensue before the
+arrival of the Princess by pursuing with renewed ardour his favourite
+pastime. Pimentello, the hated of Sully, had returned to Court, and the
+play was consequently "fast and furious." It was in the very height of
+this maddening excitement, when he was surrounded by piles of gold, and
+devotees as earnest as himself at the same shrine discreetly assembled
+in his private closet, that Henry, whose spirits were exalted by his
+hopes, and who was risking sum after sum with a recklessness which would
+have taken away the breath of his finance minister, received from M.
+d'Elbène,[407] and subsequently from his lieutenant of police, the
+important and mortifying intelligence that his destined prey had escaped
+him. The agitation which the King exhibited when convinced of the truth
+of this report exceeded any that he had hitherto evinced even upon the
+most important occasions, and hastily rising from the table, he murmured
+in the ear of Bassompierre who was seated next to him, "Ah! my friend, I
+am lost. The man has taken his wife into the depths of a forest. I know
+not if it be to escape with her from France, or to put her to death.
+Take care of my money, and keep up the play until I have procured more
+certain and detailed information." [408]
+
+From his closet Henry proceeded to the last place on earth which might,
+under the circumstances, have been anticipated. He went straight to the
+chamber of the Queen, where her Majesty was still unable to leave her
+bed, and there he gave full scope to the anguish under which he was
+labouring. "Never," says Bassompierre, "did I see a man so lost or so
+overcome." In the room were also assembled the Marquis de Coeuvres,[409]
+the Comte de Cramail, and MM. d'Elbène and de Loménie, with whom he
+unscrupulously discussed, in the presence of his outraged wife, the
+readiest means of compelling the immediate return of the fugitives. As
+may naturally be anticipated, the advice likely to prove the most
+flattering to his wishes was offered on all sides, and a thousand
+expedients were suggested and discussed only to be found unfeasible,
+until the King, in despair, notwithstanding the lateness of the hour,
+resolved upon summoning his ministers. Accordingly MM. de Sillery, de
+Villeroy, de Jeannin, and de Sully soon joined the party, which had,
+moreover, been augmented by the presence of several of the most
+confidential friends of the monarch, among others by De Gêvres,[410] De
+la Force,[411] and La Varenne; and once more the King sought a solution
+of the difficulty. Here, however, the judgment and policy of the several
+councillors differed upon every point. The Chancellor gave it as his
+opinion that a strong declaration should be made against the step taken
+by the Prince himself, and another equally stringent against those by
+whom he should be aided and abetted in his evasion; M. de Villeroy
+advised that despatches should forthwith be forwarded to the several
+ambassadors of the French King at foreign Courts to warn the sovereigns
+of those states against receiving the fugitive Prince within their
+territories, and to exhort them to take measures for enforcing his
+return to France; M. de Jeannin declared that the most expeditious
+method of compelling obedience, and forestalling the inconvenience and
+scandal of the self-expatriation of the first Prince of the Blood, would
+be to cause him to be immediately followed by a captain of the
+bodyguard, instructed to expostulate with him on his disloyalty and
+imprudence, and to threaten instant war against any state by whom he
+should be harboured; while when Sully at length spoke it was only to
+deprecate each and all of these measures, by which he insisted that the
+monarch would give an importance to the departure of the Prince that his
+enemies would but too gladly turn to their own account; whereas, if he
+made no comment upon the flight of M. de Condé, and treated it as a
+matter without importance, he would at once render him insignificant in
+the eyes of those sovereigns who would fain look upon him as a martyr,
+and use him as a means to harass and annoy his own monarch.
+
+Henry was, however, too much excited to defer to the sober reasonings of
+his finance minister, and declared that he would suffer no petty prince
+to harbour the first noble of his kingdom without resenting so gross an
+affront. The advice of Jeannin suited his views far better, and he
+accordingly despatched M. de Praslin on the following day to Landrecies
+with a peremptory order for the return of the fugitives. His messenger
+was met by a firm refusal on the part of the Prince; upon which, finding
+that his expostulations were of no avail, he proceeded, as he had been
+ordered, to Brussels, where, in an interview with the Archduke
+Albert,[412] he delivered to him the message of his sovereign, and
+explained the danger of the position in which he would personally be
+placed should he venture to oppose the royal will.
+
+This intelligence greatly embarrassed the Archduke, who had already
+given to M. de Rochefort an assurance of the readiness with which he
+would offer an asylum to the princely fugitives; but as M. de Praslin
+continued to press upon him the certain indignation of the French
+monarch should he venture to receive them at his Court, his previous
+resolution gave way; and he hastened to despatch a messenger to
+Landrecies to decline the honour proffered to him by M. de Condé, but at
+the same time to assure him of a safe passage through his territories.
+On the receipt of this unexpected prohibition the self-exiled Prince,
+who had gone too far to recede, had no other alternative than to proceed
+through the duchy of Juliers to Cologne; in which, being a free city,
+and perfectly neuter in the affairs of France and Spain, the chief
+magistrate granted him permission to reside.
+
+Although the Prince de Condé had been refused a retreat in Flanders, the
+Archduke willingly yielded to the request of the Princess that she might
+be permitted to reside for a time in Brussels, until the final abode of
+her husband should be decided; and she accordingly arrived in that city
+under his escort, where the illustrious couple were received with great
+ceremony and cordiality by the Papal Nuncio and the other dignitaries of
+the town. Their arrival was no sooner known than Philip of Orange and
+his Princess (the sister of M. de Condé) hastened from Breda to welcome
+them; and they were followed a few days afterwards by the Archduke and
+Archduchess, by whom the royal fugitives were entertained with all the
+honour due to their exalted rank, and their unmerited misfortunes. The
+Prince then took his departure for Cologne, while the fair cause of his
+flight remained in the Flemish capital under the protection of her
+new friends.
+
+Marie de Medicis had, meanwhile, no sooner ascertained that the embassy
+of M. de Praslin had been successful, and that the self-expatriated pair
+had been denied a refuge in the Low Countries, than she addressed a
+letter to the Marquis de Spinola, entreating him to cause a revocation
+of the denial, and representing how entirely her domestic peace depended
+upon the absence of the Princesse de Condé; an absence which could not
+fail to be abridged by the necessity of residing in a city like Cologne,
+where the ardent spirit of the Prince could not but revolt at the tedium
+around him. The effect of her appeal was all that she had anticipated,
+strengthening as it did the preconceived measures of the confidential
+minister of Philip III, who hastened to represent to that monarch the
+gross error into which the Archduke had fallen, and the favourable
+opportunity which he had thus lost of retorting upon Henry the
+protection that he had accorded to Don Antonio Perez, a traitor to his
+sovereign and to his country; and of securing to the Court of Spain the
+advantage which it must have derived from having in its power, and
+securing to its interests, the first Prince of the Blood in France. His
+arguments proved conclusive, the jealousy of Philip always prompting
+him to lend a willing ear to every project by which he might be enabled
+to accomplish any triumph over the French monarch; and accordingly
+instructions were forwarded to the Archduke to repair his fault without
+delay, by inviting the Prince to rejoin his bride at Brussels. Little as
+the sovereign of the Low Countries was disposed to involve himself in a
+war with France, he did not hesitate to comply with the injunction. He
+placed so firm a reliance on the support of Spain in the event of
+hostilities, and had been so long accustomed to conform to her counsels,
+that he immediately made known to M. de Condé his change of resolution,
+and declared himself ready to receive him whenever he should see fit to
+return to his territories; while at the same time he wrote to apprise
+the French King of what he had done, assuring him that the permission
+granted to the fugitive Prince involved no want of respect for himself
+or of deference to his wishes, but had been accorded in the full
+persuasion of his ultimate approval.
+
+The Spanish minister also despatched a messenger to the Prince,
+declaring that he was at liberty to take up his abode in the Low
+Countries, where he would be treated in a manner worthy of his birth and
+dignity, and, under the protection of the King his master, be assured of
+safety and respect. M, de Condé gladly availed himself of this
+permission, and a short time subsequently established himself in the
+palace of his sister, the Princess of Orange.
+
+Enraged at this open violation of his wishes, and still reluctant to
+commence a war which he was conscious would rather owe its origin to
+private feeling than to national expediency, Henry resolved, as a last
+resource, to invest M. de Coeuvres with full powers to treat with the
+revolted Prince; and for this purpose he furnished him with an autograph
+letter, in which he assured the fugitive of an unreserved pardon in the
+event of his immediate return to France; but threatened, should he
+persist in his contumacy, to declare him guilty of the crime of
+_lèse-majesté._ M. de Condé simply replied to this missive by a
+declaration of his innocence, and his respect for the person of the
+King, and by protesting against all that might be done to prejudice his
+interests; nor did the interviews which took place between himself and
+the royal envoy prove more satisfactory, although the Marquis exerted
+all his eloquence to induce him to comply with the will of the
+sovereign. Moreover, the letter of Henry, instead of exciting his
+confidence, had rendered the Prince more suspicious than ever of the
+designs of the monarch; and he accordingly left Brussels, where he no
+longer considered himself safe, at the end of February (1610), and took
+refuge at Milan with the Condé de Fuentes, the governor of that city.
+
+More than one rumour had meanwhile reached the Archduchess that Madame
+de Condé was by no means so indifferent to the degrading passion of the
+King as was befitting to her honour, and the Princess was accordingly
+soon made sensible that her sojourn at Brussels had degenerated into a
+species of ceremonious imprisonment. Naturally vain and volatile,
+dazzled by the consciousness that she had become a sort of heroine, and
+moreover saddened by her memories of the brilliant existence from which
+she had been so suddenly shut out, the widowed bride would gladly have
+followed her husband to the gayer city of Milan, even wounded as she was
+by his indifference and coldness, rather than remain at the austere
+Court of the pious Infanta, where she was aware that her words and
+actions were subjected to the closest scrutiny; but the will of her
+father compelled her to remain at Brussels, the Connétable being
+apprehensive, from the marked neglect and suspicion evinced towards her
+by the Prince, that this latter might endeavour to remove her beyond the
+reach of her friends in order to hold her more completely in his power.
+Under this impression her father had consequently insisted upon her
+residence at the Archducal Court, and had instructed her to solicit the
+influence of the Infanta, and to employ every means in her own power, to
+prevent M. de Condé from effecting her removal in the event of his
+finding it himself expedient to leave Flanders.
+
+Not satisfied with this precaution, moreover, M. de Montmorency also
+demanded an audience of the King, in which he laid before him the
+apprehensions that he entertained; and finally he entreated his
+Majesty's permission to compel his daughter to return to France, and to
+take up her residence with the Duchesse d'Angoulême, her aunt.
+
+Henry made a ready and gracious reply to this request, and before he
+finally retired from the royal closet, the Connétable asked and obtained
+the royal sanction to authorize the Marquis de Coeuvres to concert with
+him some scheme for carrying off the Princess.
+
+M. de Coeuvres had no sooner received these instructions than he
+admitted to his confidence Madame de Berny, the wife of the French
+Ambassador at the Flemish Court (who from political reasons was himself
+kept in ignorance of the plot), and M. de Châteauneuf,[413] who was at
+that period residing in Brussels on a special mission from his
+Government; and the quasi-conspirators were not long ere they flattered
+themselves that their success was certain.
+
+Near the palace of the Prince of Orange, in which Madame de Condé had
+taken up her residence, was a breach in the city wall by which it was
+easy to descend into the moat; and it was decided that the Princess
+should effect her escape from this point during the night. Saddled
+horses were to be prepared for herself and her retinue near the outer
+bank of the ditch, and nothing remained undecided save the moment of her
+evasion. She was to proceed at all speed to Pontarmé, where a relay of
+fresh horses and an armed escort were to await her arrival, and similar
+arrangements were to be made throughout the whole of the route to
+Rocroy. Finally, the precise night of her flight was decided on; and
+this had no sooner been determined than M. de Coeuvres despatched a
+courier to the Connétable, informing him that there now remained no
+doubt of the immediate return of the Princess to his protection.
+
+This intelligence reached Paris on the Wednesday, and the following
+Saturday was the period fixed for the projected evasion, a fact which M.
+de Montmorency had no sooner ascertained than he hastened to communicate
+the success of M. de Coeuvres to the King. Henry was overjoyed, and in
+the fulness of his satisfaction was guilty of an indiscretion which was
+fated to overthrow his hopes; for, believing that in so short a time no
+effectual measures could be taken to frustrate the plot, he was
+incautious enough to confide the whole conspiracy to the Queen, who was
+still an invalid, not having yet recovered from the birth of her third
+daughter.[414] Agitated and alarmed, Marie listened to the narrative
+with an earnest attention, which only tended to render her royal consort
+more communicative than he might otherwise have been; and, in the excess
+of his self-gratulation, he moreover exhibited such unequivocal proofs
+of the interest which he personally felt in the result of the evasion,
+that she at once resolved to prevent the reappearance of the Princess in
+France. The King had accordingly no sooner quitted her apartment than
+she desired Madame Concini to bring her kinsman the Nuncio Ubaldini to
+her private closet without losing an instant, a command which was so
+zealously obeyed by her favourite that she was enabled, after a
+prolonged conference with this ecclesiastic, to despatch a courier
+secretly to Spinola the same night to acquaint him with the projected
+design, and to entreat him to frustrate it should there yet be time.
+
+The royal messenger travelled so rapidly that he reached Brussels at
+eleven o'clock on the morning of Saturday, and Spinola had no sooner
+read the despatch than he hastened to communicate its contents to the
+Archduke and the Infanta, who instantly sent a company of the light
+horse of the bodyguard to possess themselves of all the approaches to
+the palace of the Prince of Orange. This done, their Imperial Highnesses
+next caused several state carriages to be prepared, which were placed
+under the charge of one of the principal officers of their household,
+who received directions to invite Madame de Condé in their joint names
+to take immediate possession of a suite of rooms in the Archducal palace
+which they desired to appropriate to her use and that of her suite, as
+better suited to the dignity of her high rank than those which she then
+inhabited. He was, moreover, instructed to accept no denial, but to
+insist upon the compliance of the Princess; and thus armed the courtier
+proceeded to the Hôtel d'Orange, where he communicated the subject of
+his mission to Madame de Condé in the presence of her two confidants.
+The consternation of the whole party may be imagined when, just as they
+conceived themselves secure of success, they thus discovered that their
+design had been betrayed; nor was it until the Princess had exhausted
+every subterfuge she could invent that she found herself compelled to
+accompany the Archducal envoy. It was in vain that she represented the
+greater propriety of her residence under the roof of her husband's
+sister during that husband's absence; she was assured that she would
+find the palace equally eligible and far more worthy of her occupation.
+She then pleaded her reluctance to intrude further upon the splendid
+hospitality of her princely hosts; her objection was met by an assurance
+that so eager were the sovereigns to receive her as a guest that they
+were even at that moment waiting in the greatest anxiety to bid her
+welcome, an intimation which served to convince Madame de Condé that she
+had no alternative save to submit to this polite tyranny, and that upon
+the instant. She accordingly summoned her attendants, and without having
+been permitted to hold any private communication with her equally
+discomfited friends, she entered the carriage assigned to her, and was
+rapidly driven-to the palace.[415]
+
+The indignation of the Prince de Condé equalled the mortification of the
+King when he learnt the failure of the projected evasion; while the
+Marquis de Coeuvres and M. de Berny demanded an audience of the
+Archduke, at which they loudly complained of the insults to which the
+Princess had been subjected, and which were, as they alleged, calculated
+to strengthen the odious suspicions that had already been generated
+against the King their master. M. de Berny, who was entirely ignorant of
+the plot, was naturally the loudest in his denunciations of the violence
+offered to Madame de Condé, and the species of captivity to which she
+was condemned, when she had been led to expect nothing but consideration
+for her rank and sympathy for her misfortunes. He, moreover, assured the
+Archduke that nothing could be more wild and absurd than the idea of her
+flight, warmly demanding wherefore she was likely to leave a capital
+wherein she had hitherto been so well and so generously received.
+
+The genuine indignation of the Ambassador produced as little effect upon
+the Archduke as the laboured arguments of M. de Coeuvres, and he
+contented himself by courteously regretting that an attention, intended
+to convey to the Princess the extent of the respect and friendship with
+which she had inspired him, should have been so ill-interpreted, adding,
+moreover, that far from disapproving the step which he had taken, he
+felt convinced that the French King would recognize in it only his
+earnest desire to do honour to the first Princess of the Blood. Further
+argument was useless, the imperturbable composure of the Archduke
+totally overpowering the wordy violence of his interlocutors, who were
+eventually compelled to withdraw without having effected the
+restoration of Madame de Condé. On the return of the Marquis de Coeuvres
+to Paris, Henry, still believing that the Archduke would not venture to
+brave his displeasure by any further opposition to his will, accredited
+M. de Preau[416] to the Court of Brussels, with instructions to demand
+the immediate return of the Princess in the joint names of the Duke her
+father and Madame d'Angoulême her aunt; but this new procuration was met
+by the Austrian Prince with the announcement that he had pledged himself
+to M. de Condé not to permit the Princess to leave Brussels without his
+consent, and that he consequently could not without dishonour forfeit
+his plighted word.
+
+Exasperated by a firmness for which he was unprepared, and satisfied
+that the support of the Spanish Cabinet could alone have induced the
+Archduke thus to drive him to extremities, Henry at once resolved no
+longer to delay the hostilities which he had long meditated against
+Spain, and to which he was now urged as much by private feeling as by
+state policy. A sufficient pretext offered itself, moreover, in the
+efforts which had been made by several of the German Princes to possess
+themselves of the duchies of Clèves and Juliers; the death of Jean
+Guillaume, Duc de Clèves, Juliers, and Bergh, Comte de la Mark, and Lord
+of Ravenstein, which had occurred on the 25th of March, and the
+numerous claims made upon his succession, having rendered the ultimate
+disposition of his duchy a matter of extreme importance to Henry, who
+was reluctant to strengthen the power of Austria by permitting this
+increase of territory to pass definitely into her hands,[417] as it had
+already partially done, the Emperor having hastened to place the duchy
+under sequestration.
+
+The petty sovereigns thus despoiled protested energetically against such
+an usurpation, and several among them had even entreated the protection
+of France, to the great gratification of Henri IV, who thus found
+himself doubly armed, as his interference on behalf of the aggrieved
+Princes assured their cooperation in his own project of recovering from
+the Emperor the provinces of Franche-Comté and Flanders, which had been
+in the possession of Spain since the time of Charles V, and which had
+formed, as we have elsewhere stated, the dowry of the Infanta on her
+marriage with the Archduke Albert. Thus in the eyes of Europe the French
+King was about to engage in this new war simply to enforce justice to
+himself and his allies; but it was so evident to all who considered the
+subject that these pretensions might have been put down at once by the
+slightest show of resistance on his own part, and that so comparatively
+unimportant a campaign might prudently have been entrusted to one of his
+many able generals, that when it became known that an army of forty
+thousand infantry, six thousand Swiss, the bodyguard, and a corps of
+four thousand mounted nobles, together with a strong park of artillery,
+were about to take the field under the command of the King in person,
+there were few individuals acquainted with the circumstances which we
+have just narrated who did not feel convinced that the monarch was
+rather about to undertake a crusade for the deliverance of the Princesse
+de Condé than a war for the preservation of his territories.
+
+This opinion was, moreover, strengthened by the fact that throughout all
+these hostile preparations Henry did not discontinue his negotiations
+for the return of Madame de Condé to France. He pleaded the authority of
+her father, the anxiety of her more than mother the Duchesse
+d'Angoulême, his own authority over his subjects, the inclination of the
+Princess herself to be once more under the protection of her family; but
+all these pretexts signally failed. Yet neither Henry nor his agent M.
+de Preau would yield to discouragement; passion on the one hand, and
+ambition on the other, lent them strength to persevere; and having
+exhausted their first scheme of attack, they next represented the
+necessity of her presence at the approaching coronation of the Queen,
+where it was important that she should occupy the position suited to her
+rank as first Princess of the Blood; and next they alleged the
+impossibility of furthering her views in the separation from her husband
+which she was about to demand, unless she were enabled personally to
+expose her reasons to the Parliament. Moreover, Madame de Condé had
+written to the French ministers to complain of violence and
+imprisonment, and the King insisted upon the necessity of her
+liberation.
+
+De Preau, however, zealous as he was, made no impression upon the
+firmness of the Archduke. The Spanish Cabinet had rendered itself
+responsible for his opposition, and he defied the menaces of France, a
+circumstance which decided Henry upon immediate war. The resolution
+which he had taken of heading the army in person determined him, before
+his departure from France, solemnly to invest the Queen with the title
+of Regent during his absence; but the precautions which he took to name
+an efficient Council by whom she was to be assisted in the government of
+the kingdom excited the indignation and resentment of her personal
+favourites, especially of Concini, who thus saw himself rendered
+powerless when he had hoped to assert his influence and to improve his
+fortunes; and under the pressure of this disappointment he hastened to
+represent to his royal mistress the utter emptiness of the dignity with
+which Henry proposed to invest her.
+
+"You are an uncrowned Queen," he said, "and you are about to become a
+powerless Regent. Thus, Madame, you will be known by two high-sounding
+titles, neither of which will in reality appertain to you. Cause
+yourself to be crowned, and then you will indeed possess the authority
+which is your due and the honour of which you have heretofore been
+unjustly deprived. Cease to be a puppet in the hands of a faithless
+husband, and at least compel this coming war, undertaken for the
+recovery of a new mistress, to be the means of establishing your own
+rightful position."
+
+This advice was eagerly accepted by Marie, whose ambition had at length
+been aroused by a consideration of the failing health and advanced age
+of the King and the prospect afforded by the extreme youth of the
+Dauphin of a protracted minority, and she consequently hastened to
+express to Henry her earnest desire to feel herself in reality Queen of
+France before his departure from the kingdom, in order that she might
+not have to apprehend any neglect of her legitimate authority upon the
+part of the ministers whom he had selected to share with her the burthen
+of state affairs. The monarch, who had hitherto refused to listen to
+every suggestion which had been made to him of the propriety of showing
+this mark of consideration to his royal consort, was even less inclined
+to make the concession at this particular moment, when the expenses of
+his meditated campaign had been estimated at twelve hundred and fifty
+livres a month for the support of his own troops and an equal sum for
+those of his allies;[418] and he replied with considerable warmth that
+she had chosen her time for such a request most injudiciously, since she
+must be aware that he had neither the time nor the funds necessary to
+the indulgence of so puerile a vanity. The Queen, however, urged by her
+advisers, resolutely returned to the charge, declaring that she could
+assume no prominent position in the temporary government of the kingdom
+while her own remained so vague and undefined. She reminded him,
+moreover, of the uncomplaining patience with which she had awaited his
+pleasure upon this particular; a patience which, as she asserted, she
+could still have exercised had he not been about to cross the frontier,
+but which, under existing circumstances, she now considered as weak and
+pusillanimous in the mother of three princes.[419]
+
+"At length, however," says Bassompierre, whose own more than
+questionable morality did not permit him to enact the censor upon his
+sovereign, "as he was the best husband in the world, he finished by
+giving his consent, and delayed his departure until she should have made
+her public entry into the capital." [420]
+
+On retiring to his closet the King declared to one or two of his
+confidential friends, as he had already done on former occasions when
+the same question had been mooted, that the actual cause of the
+repugnance which he felt to accede to the wishes of the Queen arose from
+a firm conviction that her coronation would cost him his life, and that
+he should never leave Paris in safety, as his enemies could only hope to
+triumph by depriving him of existence.[421]
+
+"Assuredly," pursues the quaint old chronicler from whom we have just
+quoted, "heaven and earth had given us only too many prognostics of what
+was to happen to him: it was in the year 1608 that a great eclipse
+nearly covered the whole body of the sun; in the preceding year 1607
+that the terrible comet appeared; after which some three months or
+thereabout we had two earthquakes; then several monsters born in divers
+provinces of France; bloody rains that fell at Orleans and at Troyes;
+the great plague that afflicted Paris in the past year 1609; the furious
+overflowing of the Loire; next the Curé of Montargis found upon the
+altar, when he went to celebrate the mass, a scroll by which he was
+informed that his Majesty would be killed by a determined blow, and the
+said Curé of Montargis carried the paper to the Duc de Sully. Several
+conspiracies," he goes on to say, "must have been formed against the
+life of this good King, since from twenty quarters he received notice of
+it. The Pope Paul V sent him a courier express to warn him to be upon
+his guard, as very high and powerful ladies and some of the greatest
+nobles of his Court were involved in a plot against his life." [422]
+
+What reason the King may have supposed himself to possess for
+considering his own death to be consequent upon the coronation of Marie,
+or whether he did actually so combine the two events in his own mind, it
+were impossible for posterity to decide; but it is at least certain that
+Rambure himself is not singular in adducing extraordinary coincidences
+and in lending his support to these superstitious terrors, for it is on
+record that Cardinal Barberino, who subsequently (in 1623) became Pope
+under the title of Urban VIII, and who was, at the period of which we
+now write, celebrated for his acquaintance with the occult sciences, as
+well as for his skill in astrology, sent a message to the King in the
+month of January, by which he cautioned him not to sojourn in any large
+city throughout the whole of the year, but more especially during the
+months of March, April, May, June, and July; declaring that, should he
+disregard the warning, he would be assassinated by an unfrocked monk of
+saturnine temperament born in his own kingdom; and adding that he would
+do well carefully to ascertain whether any individual answering to this
+description were then residing within his dominions, in order that
+should such an one be discovered, he might be closely watched; and he,
+moreover, concluded by assuring the monarch that if he would submit to
+absent himself from all the great cities of his kingdom during the
+months specified, he (the Cardinal) would answer with his life that he
+should escape the threatened peril.
+
+This intimation, extraordinary as it seems, was, however, insignificant
+beside another which reached Henry at the same period through the
+Marquis Dufresne, his ambassador at the Court of Constantinople, who was
+instructed by the Sultan to desire him to take off the heads of the six
+principal nobles of his nation immediately on the receipt of his letter,
+and to be upon his guard against the greatest lady in his dominions, as
+well as against three persons who were in her confidence, whom he
+advised him to imprison during their lives, the whole of them being
+implicated in the plot.[423]
+
+Both these communications may, however, find a probable solution in the
+circumstance of their having been made by individuals who had obtained
+information of a conspiracy against the life of the French King, a
+supposition rendered the more rational by the fact that although aware
+of the formidable army then organized in France, the Austrians made no
+preparation to resist a force which they were conscious was to be used
+against themselves; an inertness which could only be accounted for by
+the supposition that they were about to employ other and surer methods
+of evading the threatened evil.[424] But in addition to these probably
+political prophecies, others of a still more singular nature were made
+to Henry of his approaching fate. A young female named Anne de Comans
+voluntarily declared that a fatal conspiracy had been organized, whose
+avowed object was to terminate the existence of the monarch by violence,
+and even after his death she persisted in maintaining the truth of her
+assertion, not only orally but in writing; for which persistence she was
+pronounced to be insane, and so closely confined in an asylum for
+lunatics as actually to become in a few months the madwoman which she
+had been represented, although it would appear that great doubts were
+entertained as to her previous hallucination.[425] Six months before his
+death the King being in the house of Zamet retired immediately that he
+had dined to a private apartment, whence he sent to summon Thomassin,
+one of the most celebrated astrologers of the time, whom he interrogated
+respecting his own future destiny and that of his kingdom. In reply he
+was warned as usual to beware of the approaching month of May, and at
+length, irritated by his scepticism, the professor of the black art
+predicted to him not only the day but the very hour which was to
+terminate his existence.[426]
+
+A short time subsequently a nobleman of Béarn arrived in Paris and
+requested an audience of the King, which he had no sooner obtained than
+he informed him that he had been instructed in a vision to seek his
+presence in order to warn him of his approaching death. Henry, however,
+who piqued himself in public upon denying credence to these supernatural
+revelations, and who, moreover, imagined that the object of his
+countryman was to obtain a recompense for his zeal, treated the matter
+lightly and ordered three hundred crowns to be presented to the stranger
+to defray his travelling expenses. This present he, however,
+respectfully refused, protesting that he had acted only upon a principle
+of duty, and that he should be amply recompensed should his warning
+suffice to induce the monarch to adopt such precautions as would enable
+him to escape the threatened peril.[427]
+
+Only a few nights previous to her coronation the Queen suddenly awoke
+from a profound slumber uttering a piercing shriek and trembling in
+every limb. Alarmed by her evident state of agony, the monarch, having
+at length succeeded in restoring her to a state of comparative
+composure, urged her to explain the cause of her terror, but for a
+considerable time she refused to yield to his entreaties. Overcome at
+last, however, by his evident anxiety and uneasiness, she informed him
+that she had just had a frightful dream, in which she had seen him fall
+under the knife of an assassin.[428]
+
+Two remarkable coincidences also demand mention, particularly as they
+occurred at a distance from the capital. On the day of the King's
+assassination his shield, bearing his blazon, which was attached to the
+principal entrance of the château of Pau in Béarn, fell heavily to the
+ground and broke to pieces; while immediately afterwards the cows of the
+royal herd, which had previously been grazing quietly in the park, began
+to low in a frightful manner, and suddenly the bull known as _the king_
+rushed violently against the gate whence the trophy had fallen and then
+sprang into the moat, where it was drowned. The effect produced upon the
+inhabitants of the district was instantaneous; loud and lamentable
+shouts of "The King is dead!" arose on all sides, and within two hours
+every Béarnais felt convinced that his beloved monarch had ceased to
+exist.[429]
+
+It is useless to multiply these strange tales; but it is certain that
+they did not fail in their effect upon the mind of the monarch, however
+he might struggle to conceal the feelings which they excited, for
+Bassompierre relates that during the preparations which were making for
+the coronation of the Queen, Henry repeatedly alluded to his approaching
+death with a sadness which evinced his entire belief in the predictions
+that had reached him.
+
+"I know not wherefore, Bassompierre," he said on one occasion, "but I am
+persuaded that I shall never again see Germany, nor do I believe that
+you will go to Italy. I shall not live much longer."
+
+On the 1st of May, when returning from the Tuileries by the great
+gallery to the Louvre, supported in consequence of his gout by the Duc
+de Guise and the narrator himself, he said on reaching the door of the
+Queen's closet to his two attendants, "Wait for me here. I will hasten
+the toilet of my wife that she may not keep my dinner waiting." He was
+of course obeyed, and the Duke and Bassompierre, in order to while away
+the time, walked to the balcony that overhung the court of the Louvre,
+against which they leant watching what passed below, when suddenly the
+great hawthorn which occupied the centre of the area swayed for an
+instant and then fell to the earth with a loud crash in the direction of
+the King's private staircase without any apparent agency, as not a
+breath of air was stirring, nor was any one near it at the time.
+
+The impressionable imagination of Bassompierre was deeply moved.
+"Would," he exclaimed to his companion, "that any sacrifice on my part
+could have averted so dire a presage as this. God preserve the King!"
+
+"You are mad," was the reply of the Duke, "to connect the fortunes of
+the King with the fall of a tree."
+
+"It may be so," was the melancholy rejoinder; "but neither in Italy nor
+in Germany would this circumstance fail to produce alarm. Heaven guard
+the monarch, and all who are near and dear to him!"
+
+"You are two fools to amuse yourselves with these absurd prognostics,"
+said Henry, who had approached them unheard during their momentary
+excitement. "For the last thirty years all the astrologers and
+mountebanks in the kingdom, as well as a host of other impostors, have
+predicted at given intervals that I was about to die, so that when the
+time comes some of these prophecies must prove correct and will be
+quoted as miracles, while all the false ones will be studiously
+forgotten."
+
+The young nobles received the rebuke in silence; but the inexplicable
+accident which had just occurred was sufficient in so superstitious an
+age to arouse the liveliest forebodings in the minds of those by whom it
+was witnessed.[430]
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[391] Mademoiselle de Montmorency was the daughter of Henri, first of
+the name, Duc de Montmorency, Marshal and Constable of France,
+celebrated in the history of the civil wars under the name of Damville,
+who died on the 2nd of April 1614, and of Louise de Budos, his second
+wife, who had, on her appearance at Court, attracted the attention of
+the King. This lady, who became the wife of the Connétable in 1593, died
+in 1598. Charlotte Marguerite was born in 1594, and was consequently but
+fifteen years of age when she entered the household of the Queen.
+
+[392] Bentivoglio, _Della Fuga del Principe di Condé_.
+
+[393] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 53.
+
+[394] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 55.
+
+[395] Hector de Pardaillan, Seigneur de Montespan, who died in 1611, at
+the advanced age of eighty years. He was the father of Antoine-Arnauld
+de Pardaillan, first Marquis d'Antin, grandfather of Roger-Hector,
+Marquis d'Antin, great-grandfather of Louis-Henri, Marquis de Montespan,
+the husband of Franchise Athenais de Rochechouart-Mortemart, the
+celebrated favourite of Louis XIV.
+
+[396] _Mémoires_, p. 55.
+
+[397] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 369.
+
+[398] _Mémoires_, p. 56.
+
+[399] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 365.
+
+[400] _Mémoires_, p. 58.
+
+[401] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vii. p. 189.
+
+[402] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vii. pp. 191, 192.
+
+[403] Mézeray, vol. x. pp. 370, 371.
+
+[404] Montfaucon, vol. v. p. 425.
+
+[405] Daniel, vol. vii. p. 498.
+
+[406] Dreux du Radier, vol. vii. pp. 115, 116.
+
+[407] Alexandre, Comte d'Elbène, celebrated for his military talent and
+prowess under Henri III and Henri IV.
+
+[408] _Mémoires_, p. 67.
+
+[409] François Annibal d'Estrées, Marquis de Coeuvres, subsequently
+duke, peer, and Marshal of France, was the son of Jean d'Estrées, Grand
+Master of Artillery, and the representative of an ancient and
+illustrious family. He was born in 1563, originally entered the Church,
+and became Bishop of Laon, to which see he was promoted by Henri IV
+himself. He, however, some time afterwards, abandoned the ecclesiastical
+profession and embraced that of arms. In this new career he soon
+distinguished himself. In 1626 he relieved the Duke of Mantua, took
+Trèves, and made himself conspicuous alike by his valour and his talent.
+When appointed, in 1636, ambassador-extraordinary to Rome, he maintained
+the interests of his sovereign with energy and perseverance, and his
+frankness and decision caused a misunderstanding between himself and
+Urban VIII. On his recall to France he refused to explain or to palliate
+his conduct, and died, leaving behind him the _Memoirs of the Regency of
+Marie de Medicis._
+
+[410] Louis Potier, Marquis de Gêvres, was killed at the siege of
+Thionville in 1643.
+
+[411] Jacques Nompar de Caumont, Duc de la Force, was the representative
+of a family which traced its descent from the eleventh century, and was
+the son of François, Seigneur de la Force, who fell during the massacre
+of St. Bartholomew. He bore arms in the Protestant army of Henri IV, and
+also placed himself at the head of the reformed party under Louis XIII,
+to whom, however, he surrendered in 1622, and subsequently became
+Marshal of France, and lieutenant-general of the army in Piedmont. He
+took Pignerol, defeated the Spaniards at Carignano in 1603, and
+possessed himself of several towns in Germany. He then returned to
+France, where he died in 1652.
+
+[412] Albert, Archduke of Austria, was the sixth son of Maximilian II,
+and was born in 1559. In 1583 he was appointed Viceroy of Portugal, and
+in 1596 became Governor of the Low Countries under Philip II. He made
+himself master of Calais, Ardres, and Amiens, and married Isabel Clara
+Eugenia, the daughter of the Spanish King, who brought him as her dowry
+the Catholic Low Countries and Franche-Comté, and thus renewed the war
+with Holland. Defeated at Nieuwpoort by Maurice of Nassau in 1600, he
+possessed himself of Ostend in 1604, after a siege of three years, three
+months, and three days; but he was nevertheless compelled to conclude a
+truce of eight months in 1607, and another of twelve years in 1609. He
+died in 1621.
+
+[413] Réné de Sainte Marthe de Châteauneuf, who became Keeper of the
+Seals under the regency of Marie de Medicis.
+
+[414] Madame Henrietta Marie de France, who was married by procuration,
+by the Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld, in the cathedral of Notre Dame, on
+the 11th of May 1625, to Charles I of England. This unfortunate Queen
+died suddenly at her country-house at Colombes in 1669.
+
+[415] Daniel, vol. vii. pp. 502, 503, by whom these details were
+obtained from manuscript letters in the library of the Abbé d'Estrées.
+
+[416] Hector de Preau was a Calvinist nobleman and Governor of
+Châtellerault.
+
+[417] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 374.
+
+[418] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 384.
+
+[419] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 387. L'Etoile, vol. iv. p. 16.
+
+[420] _Mémoires_, p. 70.
+
+[421] Rambure, MS. _Mém_. vol. vi. pp. 27, 28.
+
+[422] Rambure, _MS. Mém_. vol. vi. pp. 28, 29.
+
+[423] Rambure, MS. _Mém_. vol. vi. pp. 29, 30.
+
+[424] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 385.
+
+[425] Mézeray, vol. x. pp. 376, 385.
+
+[426] _Mém. pour l'Hist. de France_, vol. ii. p. 309.
+
+[427] Dupleix, p. 411.
+
+[428] L'Etoile, vol. iv. p. 31 _n_.
+
+[429] Mézeray, vol. x. pp. 390, 391.
+
+[430] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 70. Rambure, MS. _Mém_. vol. vi. p. 33.
+
+
+END OF VOL. I
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11531 ***