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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c4fe383 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #52128 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52128) diff --git a/old/52128-0.txt b/old/52128-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7e18936..0000000 --- a/old/52128-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11854 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's A Gallant of Lorraine; vol. 1 of 2, by Hugh Noel Williams - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: A Gallant of Lorraine; vol. 1 of 2 - François, Seigneur de Bassompierre, - Marquis d'Haronel, Maréchal de - France, 1579-1646 - -Author: Hugh Noel Williams - -Release Date: May 22, 2016 [EBook #52128] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A GALLANT OF LORRAINE; VOL. 1 OF 2 *** - - - - -Produced by MWS and Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - A GALLANT OF LORRAINE - - VOL. I. - - “C’étoit un homme de grande qualité, beau, bien fait, quoique d’une - taille un peu épaisse. Il avoit bien de l’esprit et d’un caractère - fort galant. Il avoit du courage, de l’ambition et l’âme du grand - roi.” - - BUSSY-RABUTIN TO MADAME DE SCUDÉRY, - AUGUST 16, 1671. - - - - [Illustration: - - FRANÇOIS, SEIGNEUR DE BASSOMPIERRE, MARQUIS D’HAROUEL, MARÉCHAL DE - FRANCE. - - From an engraving by Lasne. - - [_Frontispiece_] - - - - - A GALLANT - OF LORRAINE - - FRANÇOIS, SEIGNEUR DE BASSOMPIERRE, - MARQUIS D’HAROUEL, MARÉCHAL - DE FRANCE (1579-1646) - - BY - - H. NOEL WILLIAMS - - AUTHOR OF “FIVE FAIR SISTERS,” “A PRINCESS OF INTRIGUE,” - “THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE,” ETC. - - _IN TWO VOLUMES_ - - _With 16 Illustrations_ - - VOL. I - - _LONDON: HURST & BLACKETT, LTD. - PATERNOSTER HOUSE, E.C._ - - - - -PREFATORY NOTE - - -Although the _Mémoires_ of the Maréchal de Bassompierre are acknowledged -to be one of the chief authorities for the history of France during the -early part of the seventeenth century, they have never been translated -into English, nor, if we except the charming but all too brief sketch of -the marshal by Comte Boudet de Puymaigre in his _Poètes et Romanciers de -la Lorraine_ (Paris, 1848), has any biography of their author yet been -attempted. That such should be the case is certainly very surprising, -since seldom can a man have led so eventful a life, or played so many -different parts with distinction, as did François de Bassompierre. -Soldier, courtier, diplomatist, gallant and wit, he was to the Courts of -Henri IV and Louis XIII very much what the celebrated Maréchal de -Richelieu was to that of Louis XV, and when on that fatal February day -in 1631 the gates of the Bastille closed upon him, not to reopen for -twelve long years, one of the most interesting careers in French history -practically terminated. In my endeavour to give a full and authentic -account of this career, I have naturally found my chief source of -information in Bassompierre’s own _Mémoires_, which he wrote, or rather -arranged and revised, during his imprisonment in the Bastille; but I -have also consulted a large number of other works, both contemporary and -modern. Most of these are mentioned either in the text or the footnotes, -but I desire to take this opportunity of acknowledging my great -indebtedness to the admirable notes of the Marquis de Chantérac, who so -ably edited the edition of the marshal’s _Mémoires_ published by the -Société de l’Histoire de France. - -H. NOEL WILLIAMS. - -LONDON, _May_, 1921. - - - - -CONTENTS - -VOL. I - - -CHAPTER I - -Birth of François de Bassompierre--Origin of the Bassompierre family--A -romantic legend--His grandfather--His father--His early years--He and -his younger brother Jean are sent to the University of Pont-à-Mousson, -and afterwards to that of Ingoldstadt--Their studies at -Ingoldstadt--Death of their father, Christophe de Bassompierre--Journey -of the two brothers through Italy--Their return to Lorraine.....pp. 1-14 - - -CHAPTER II - -Visit of the Bassompierre family to Paris--François dances in a ballet -before Henri IV at Monceaux--He is presented to the King, who receives -him very graciously--He decides to enter the service of Henri IV--He -escorts his Majesty’s mistress, Gabrielle d’Estrées, Duchesse de -Beaufort, to Paris--Sudden illness and death of the duchess--Extravagant -grief of Henri IV, who, however, soon finds consolation in the society -of Henriette d’Entragues--Affray between the Prince de Joinville and the -Grand Equerry Bellegarde at Zamet’s house, where the King is -staying--Visit of Bassompierre to Lorraine--He returns to Paris.....pp. 15-29 - - -CHAPTER III - -Bassompierre accompanies Henri IV in his campaign against Charles -Emmanuel of Savoy--His narrow escape at the taking of Montmélian--He -goes with the King to visit Henriette d’Entragues, Madame de Verneuil, -at La Côte-Saint-André, and reconciles Henri IV with his -mistress--Marriage of the King to Marie de’ Medici--Presentation of -Madame de Verneuil to the Queen--Visit of Bassompierre to Lorraine--He -returns to find the royal _ménage_ in a very troubled state, owing to -the jealousy of the wife and the mistress--He assists at a conference, -in which the Chancellor recommends the King to get rid of Madame de -Verneuil at any cost--He accompanies the Maréchal de Biron on a visit to -England--He is present at the arrest of Biron at Fontainebleau, in June, -1602--Condemnation and execution of the marshal.....pp. 30-37 - - -CHAPTER IV - -Bassompierre sets out for Hungary to serve as a volunteer in the -Imperial Army against the Turks--His journey to Vienna--He learns that -the commander-in-chief of the army is General von Rossworm, a mortal -enemy of the Bassompierre family--He is advised by his friends in Vienna -to take service in the Army of Transylvania, instead of in that of -Hungary, but declines to change his plans--He sups more well than wisely -at Gran--His arrival in the Imperialist camp before Buda--Position of -the hostile armies--Bassompierre is presented to Rossworm--He narrowly -escapes being killed or taken prisoner by the Turks--He takes part in a -fierce combat in the Isle of Adon, and has another narrow escape--He is -reconciled with Rossworm--Massacre of eight hundred Turkish -prisoners--Failure of a night-attack planned by the Imperialist -general--Gallant but foolhardy enterprise of the Hungarians--The Turks -bombard the Imperialist headquarters--Termination of the -campaign--Bassompierre returns with Rossworm to Vienna.....pp. 38-49 - - -CHAPTER V - -Bassompierre goes to Prague, where the Imperial Court is in -residence--He is presented by Rossworm to the lords of the Council--He -dines at the house of Prestowitz, Burgrave of Karlstein, and falls in -love with his widowed daughter, “Madame Esther”--Bassompierre and -Rossworm engage in an amorous adventure, from which they narrowly escape -with their lives--Bassompierre plays tennis with Wallenstein, with the -Emperor Maximilian an interested spectator--He is presented to the -Emperor, who receives him very graciously and commissions him to raise -troops in Lorraine for service against the Turks--Bassompierre, Rossworm -and other nobles parade the streets masked and have an affray with the -police--Singular sequel to this affair--Bassompierre spends the Carnival -with the Prestowitz family at Karlstein--Amorous escapade with “Madame -Esther”--Bassompierre sets out for Lorraine--He engages in a -drinking-bout with the canons of Saverne which very nearly has a fatal -termination--Death of his brother Jean, Seigneur de Removille, at the -siege of Ostend--Grievances of Bassompierre against the French -Government--Henri IV promises that “justice shall be done him” and -invites him to return to his Court--Bassompierre renounces his intention -of entering the Imperial service and sets out for France.....pp. 50-63 - - -CHAPTER VI - -Bassompierre arrives at Fontainebleau and is most graciously received by -Henri IV--He falls in love with Marie d’Entragues, sister of the King’s -mistress--The conspiracy of the d’Entragues--The Sieur d’Entragues and -the Comte d’Auvergne are arrested and conveyed to the Bastille, and -Madame de Verneuil kept a prisoner in her own house--Jacqueline de Bueil -temporarily replaces Madame de Verneuil in the royal affections--The -King, unable to do without the latter, sets her and her father at -liberty--Bassompierre becomes the lover of Marie d’Entragues--He is -dangerously wounded by the Duc de Guise in a tournament, and his life is -at first despaired of--He recovers--Attentions which he receives during -his illness from the ladies of the Court.....pp. 64-70 - -CHAPTER VII - -Quarrel between Bassompierre and the Marquis de Cœuvres--Bassompierre -sends his cousin the Sieur de Créquy to challenge the marquis to a -duel--The King sends for the two nobles and orders them to be reconciled -in his presence--Bassompierre and Créquy are forbidden to appear at -Court, but are soon pardoned--Visit of Bassompierre to Plombières--He -returns to Paris, and “breaks entirely” with Marie d’Entragues--The -Chancellor, Pomponne de Bellièvre, ordered to resign the Seals--His -conversation with Bassompierre at Artenay--Bassompierre wins more than -100,000 francs at play--He is reconciled with Marie d’Entragues--He -joins Henri IV at Sedan--The adventure of the King’s love-letter--Henri -IV gives orders that a watch shall be kept on Marie d’Entragues’s house -to ascertain if Bassompierre is secretly visiting that lady--A comedy of -errors--Madame d’Entragues surprises her daughter and -Bassompierre.....pp. 71-86 - - -CHAPTER VIII - -A strange adventure--Bassompierre sent as Ambassador Extraordinary to -Lorraine to represent Henri IV at the marriage of the Duke of Bar and -Margherita di Gonzaga--He returns to Paris and orders a gorgeous suit, -which is to cost fourteen thousand crowns, for the baptism of the -Dauphin and Madame Élisabeth, though he has only seven hundred in his -purse--He wins enough at play to pay for it--Charles III of Lorraine -writes to request his presence at the Estates of Lorraine--Henri IV -refuses him permission to leave France, but he sets out notwithstanding -this--He is arrested by the King’s orders at Meaux, but set at liberty -on his promising to return to Court--He is allowed to leave for Lorraine -a few days later--Affair of the Prince de Joinville and Madame de -Moret.....pp. 87-94 - - -CHAPTER IX - -Amusements of Bassompierre during the winter of 1608--His -gambling-parties--Embarrassment which the fact of having several -love-affairs on his hands simultaneously sometimes occasions him--Death -of Charles III of Lorraine--Bassompierre goes to Nancy to attend the -Duke’s funeral--Gratifying testimony which he receives during his -absence of the esteem in which he is held by the ladies of the Court of -France--“The star of Venus is very much in the ascendant over -him”--Marriage arranged between Marie d’Entragues and the Comte d’Aché, -of Auvergne--The affair is broken off--Frenzied gambling at the Court: -gains of Bassompierre--Secret visits paid by him and the Duc de Guise to -Madame de Verneuil and Marie d’Entragues at Conflans--Visit of the Duke -of Mantua to the Court of France.....pp. 95-99 - - -CHAPTER X - -Enviable position of Bassompierre at the Court of France--The Connétable -de Montmorency offers him the hand of his beautiful daughter Charlotte, -the greatest heiress in France--The marriage-articles are drawn up--The -consent of Henri IV is obtained--The Duc de Bouillon, whom Bassompierre -has offended, endeavours to persuade the King to withdraw his sanction -and to marry Mlle. de Montmorency to the Prince de Condé (_Monsieur le -Prince_)--Henri IV falls madly in love with the young lady--Singular -conversation between the King and Bassompierre, in which his Majesty -orders the latter to renounce his pretensions to Mlle. de Montmorency’s -hand--Astonishment and mortification of Bassompierre, who, however, -yields with a good grace--Bassompierre falls ill of chagrin and remains -for two days “without sleeping, eating or drinking”--He is persuaded by -his friend Praslin to return to the Louvre--Mlle. de Montmorency is -betrothed to the Prince de Condé--Bassompierre falls ill of tertian -fever, but rises from his sick-bed to fight a duel with a Gascon -gentleman--The combatants are separated by friends of the -latter--Serious illness of Bassompierre.....pp. 100-118 - - -CHAPTER XI - -The body of a man who has been assassinated opposite Marie d’Entragues’s -house mistaken for that of Bassompierre--Bassompierre wins a wager of a -thousand crowns from the King--Marriage of the Prince de Condé and Mlle. -de Montmorency--Henri IV informs Bassompierre of his intention to send -him on a secret mission to Henri II, Duke of Lorraine, to propose an -alliance between that prince’s elder daughter and the Dauphin--Departure -of Bassompierre--He arrives at Nancy and challenges a gentleman to a -duel, but the affair is arranged--His first audience of Duke Henri -II--Irresolution of that prince, who desires to postpone his answer -until he has consulted his advisers--Negotiations of Bassompierre with -the Margrave of Baden-Durlach--He returns to Nancy--Continued hesitation -of the Duke of Lorraine--Memoir of Bassompierre: his prediction of the -advantages which Lorraine would derive from being incorporated with -France abundantly justified by time--The Duke gives a qualified -acceptance of Henri IV’s propositions--Difficulty which Bassompierre -experiences in inducing him to commit his reply to writing.....pp. 119-131 - - -CHAPTER XII - -Return of Bassompierre to the French Court--Frenzied passion of Henri IV -for the young Princesse de Condé--His extravagant conduct--Condé flies -with his wife to Flanders--Grief and indignation of the King, who -summons his most trusted counsellors to deliberate upon the affair--Sage -advice of Sully, which, however, is not followed--The Archduke Albert -refuses to surrender the fugitives--Condé retires to Milan and places -himself under the protection of Spain--Failure of an attempt to abduct -the princess--Henri IV and his Ministers threaten war if the lady is not -given up--The “Great Design”--Bassompierre appointed Colonel of the -Light Cavalry and a Counsellor of State--His account of the last days -and assassination of Henri IV.....pp. 132-145 - - -CHAPTER XIII - -Incidents at the Court and in Paris after the assassination of Henri -IV--Meeting between Bassompierre and Sully--Marie de’ Medici declared -Regent--Her difficult position--Return of Condé--Greed and arrogance of -the grandees--Quarrel between the Comte de Soissons and the Duc de -Guise--Grievance of _Monsieur le Comte_ against Bassompierre--He -persuades Madame d’Entragues to endeavour to compel Bassompierre to -marry her daughter Marie--Proceedings instituted against that -gentleman--Announcement of the “Spanish marriages”--Magnificent fêtes in -the Place-Royale--Intrigues at the Court--The Princes and Concini in -power--Assassination of the Baron de Luz by the Chevalier de -Guise--Marie de’ Medici and the Princes--Conversation of the Regent with -Bassompierre--Bassompierre reconciles the Guises with the -Queen-Mother--The Chevalier de Guise kills the son of the Baron de Luz -in a duel--The Princes, on the advice of Concini, retire from -Court.....pp. 146-164 - - -CHAPTER XIV - -The affair of Montferrato--Intrigues of Concini with Charles Emmanuel of -Savoy--Arrest of Concini’s agent Maignan--Bassompierre warns the Italian -favourite of his danger and advises him to throw himself on the clemency -of the Queen-Mother--Concini follows his advice and is pardoned and -shielded by Marie de’ Medici, while his agent is executed--Bassompierre -goes to Rouen, where the d’Entragues’s action against him is to be -heard--The Regent recommends his cause to the judges--The d’Entragues -object to the constitution of the court, and the case is -adjourned--Duplicity of Concini--He intrigues to ruin Bassompierre with -the Queen-Mother--Semi-disgrace of Bassompierre--He is reconciled with -Marie de’ Medici--He is appointed Colonel-General of the Swiss--The -Princes surprise Mézières--Peace of Saint-Menehould--Bassompierre -accompanies Louis XIII and the Queen-Mother to the West.....pp. 165-176 - - -CHAPTER XV - -Bassompierre, during his absence in Lorraine, condemned by the -Archbishop of Aix to espouse Mlle. d’Entragues, on pain of -excommunication--The archbishop’s decision quashed by the Parlement of -Paris--Financial and amatory embarrassments of Bassompierre--Death of -his mother--The action which the d’Entragues have brought against him -finally decided in his favour--Condé withdraws from Court and issues a -manifesto against the Government--Civil war begins--Marriage of Louis -XIII and Anne of Austria--Peace of Loudun--Fall of the old Ministers of -Henri IV--Concini and the shoemaker--Condé becomes all-powerful--He -obliges Concini to retire to Normandy--Arrogance of Condé and his -partisans, who are suspected of conspiracy to change the form of -government--The Queen-Mother sends for Bassompierre at three o’clock in -the morning and informs him that she has decided upon the arrest of the -Princes--Preparations for this _coup d’état_--Arrest of Condé--Concini’s -house sacked by the mob--The Comte d’Auvergne and the Council of -War--Bassompierre conducts Condé from the Louvre to the Bastille.....pp. -177-195 - - -CHAPTER XVI - -Serious illness of the young King, who, however, recovers--Bassompierre -and Mlle. d’Urfé--Gay winter in Paris--Richelieu enters the Ministry as -Secretary of State for War--His foreign policy--His energetic measures -to put down the rebellion of the Princes--Return of Concini--His -arrogance and presumption--Singular conversation between Bassompierre -and Concini after the death of the latter’s daughter--Policy pursued by -Marie de’ Medici and Concini towards Louis XIII--Humiliating position of -the young King--His favourite, Charles d’Albert, Seigneur de -Luynes--Bassompierre warns the Queen-Mother that the King may be -persuaded to revolt against her authority.....pp. 196-207 - - -CHAPTER XVII - -Bassompierre joins the Royal army in Champagne as Grand Master of the -Artillery by commission--Surrender of Château-Porcien--Bassompierre is -wounded before Rethel--He sets out for Paris in order to negotiate the -sale of his office of Colonel-General of the Swiss to Concini--He visits -the Royal army which is besieging Soissons--A foolhardy act--Singular -conduct of the garrison--The Président Chevret arrives in the Royal camp -with the news that Concini has been assassinated--Details of this -affair--Bassompierre continues his journey to Paris--His adventure with -the Liègeois cavalry of Concini.....pp. 208-218 - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -Bassompierre arrives in Paris--Marie de’ Medici is exiled to -Blois--Bassompierre’s account of the parting between Louis XIII and his -mother--The rebellious princes return to Court and are pardoned, but -Condé remains in the Bastille--His wife solicits and receives permission -to join him there--Arrest of the Governor and Lieutenant of the -Bastille, on a charge of conniving at a secret correspondence between -Barbin and the Queen-Mother--Bassompierre is placed temporarily in -charge of the fortress--The Prince and Princesse de Condé are -transferred to the Château of Vincennes--Bassompierre goes to Rouen to -attend the assembly of the Notables--A rapid journey.....pp. 219-224 - - -CHAPTER XIX - -Luynes succeeds to the power and wealth of Concini--Trial and execution -of Concini’s widow, Leonora Galigaï--Luynes begins to direct affairs of -State--His marriage to Marie de Rohan--Conduct of the Duc d’Épernon--His -quarrel with Du Vair, the Keeper of the Seals--His disgrace--He begins -to intrigue with the Queen-Mother--Escape of the latter from -Blois--Treaty of Angoulême--The Court at Tours--Arnauld d’Andilly’s -account of Bassompierre’s lavish hospitality--Favours bestowed by the -King on Bassompierre--Meeting between Louis XIII and the -Queen-Mother--Liberation of Condé--Bassompierre entertains the King at -Monceaux--He is admitted to the Ordre du Saint-Esprit.....pp. 225-234 - - -CHAPTER XX - -The grandees, irritated by the increasing power and favour of Luynes, -decide to make common cause with the Queen-Mother against him--Departure -of Mayenne from the Court--He is followed by Longueville, Nemours, -Mayenne and Retz--Formidable character of the insurrection--Bassompierre -receives orders to mobilise a Royal army in Champagne--He informs the -King that the Comte de Soissons, his mother, the Grand Prieur de Vendôme -and the Comte de Saint-Aignan intend to leave Paris to join the -rebels--Alarm and indecision of Luynes--Advice of Bassompierre--It is -finally decided to allow them to go--Success of Bassompierre in -mobilising troops in Champagne, despite great difficulties--The Duc de -Bouillon sends a gentleman to him to endeavour to corrupt his -loyalty--Reply of Bassompierre--The town and château of Dreux surrender -to him--He joins the King near La Flèche with an army of 8,600 -men--Combat of the Ponts-des-Cé--Peace of Angers.....pp. 235-254 - - -CHAPTER XXI - -Refusal of the Protestants of Béarn to restore the property of the -Catholic Church--Louis XIII and Luynes resolve on rigorous measures and -set out for the South--Visit of Bassompierre to La Rochelle--He joins -the King at Bordeaux--Arrest and execution of d’Arsilemont--The -Parlement of Pau declines to register the Royal edict, and Louis XIII -determines to march into Béarn--Bassompierre charged with the transport -of the army across the Garonne, which is accomplished in twenty-four -hours--Béarn and Lower Navarre are united to the Crown of -France--Coldness of the King towards Bassompierre--Bassompierre learns -that this is due to the ill offices of Luynes, who regards him as a -rival in the royal favour--He is informed that Luynes is “unable to -suffer him to remain at Court”--Bassompierre decides to come to terms -with the favourite, and it is arranged that he shall quit the Court so -soon as some honourable office can be found for him--The Valtellina -question--Bassompierre appointed Ambassador Extraordinary to the Court -of Spain--Birth of a son to Luynes.....pp. 255-270 - - -CHAPTER XXII - -An alliance with Luynes’s niece, Mlle. de Combalet, proposed to -Bassompierre--His journey to Spain--His entry into Madrid--He is visited -by the Princess of the Asturias, the grandees and other distinguished -persons--His meeting with the Duke of Ossuña--His audience of Philip III -postponed owing to the King’s illness--Commissioners are appointed to -treat with Bassompierre over the Valtellina question--Death of Philip -III--His funeral procession--An indiscreet observation of the Duke of -Ossuña to one of Bassompierre’s suite is overheard and leads to the -arrest of that nobleman.....pp. 271-285 - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -Bassompierre’s audience of the new King, Philip IV--The Procession of -the Crosses--An old flame--Good Friday at Madrid--Anxiety of the Queen’s -ladies-in-waiting to see Bassompierre--His visit to them--He is -commissioned by Louis XIII to present his condolences to Philip IV--He -is informed that etiquette requires him to leave Madrid as though to -return to France and then to make another formal entry--Revolution of -the palace at Madrid: fall of the late King’s Ministers--The Count of -Saldagna ordered by Philip IV to marry Doña Mariana de Cordoba on pain -of his severe displeasure--Bassompierre offers to facilitate the escape -of Saldagna to France, but the latter’s courage fails him at the last -moment--Negotiations over the Valtellina--Treaty of -Madrid--Bassompierre’s pretended departure for France--He visits the -Escurial, returns to Madrid and makes a second ceremonious entry--The -audience of condolence--State entry of Philip IV into -Madrid--Termination of Bassompierre’s embassy--He returns to -France.....pp. 286-298 - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -A new War of Religion breaks out in France--Luynes created -Constable--Louis XIII and Duplessis-Mornay--Bassompierre joins the Royal -army before Saint-Jean d’Angély--Capitulation of the town--Bassompierre -returns with Créquy to Paris--He is “in great consideration” amongst the -ladies--Apparent anxiety of Luynes for the marriage of his niece to -Bassompierre--The King and the Constable resolve to lay siege to -Montauban--Bassompierre decides to rejoin the army without waiting for -orders from the latter--He arrives at the King’s quarters at the Château -of Picqueos--Dispositions of the besieging army--Narrow escape of -Bassompierre while reconnoitring the advanced-works of the town--A -gallant Swiss--Death of the Comte de Fiesque--Heavy casualties amongst -the besiegers--The Seigneur de Tréville--Bassompierre and the women of -Montauban--Death of Mayenne--The Spanish monk--An amateur -general--Disastrous results of carrying out his orders--Furious sortie -of the garrison--Bassompierre is wounded in the face--An amusing -incident--The Cévennes mountaineers endeavour to throw reinforcements -into Montauban--A midnight _mêlée_.....pp. 299-319 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -VOL. I - - -FRANÇOIS, SEIGNEUR DE BASSOMPIERRE, MARQUIS -D’HAROUEL, MARÉCHAL DE FRANCE _Frontispiece_ - -From an engraving by Lasne. - - - FACING PAGE - -GABRIELLE D’ESTRÉES, DUCHESSE DE BEAUFORT 24 - - -HENRIETTE DE BALSAC D’ENTRAGUES, MARQUISE -DE VERNEUIL 78 - -From an engraving by Aubert. - - -CHARLOTTE MARGUERITE DE MONTMORENCY, -PRINCESSE DE CONDÉ 104 - -From an engraving by Barbant. - - -HENRI IV, KING OF FRANCE 136 - - -CONCINO CONCINI, MARÉCHAL D’ANCRE 184 - -From an engraving by Aubert. - - -CHARLES D’ALBERT, DUC DE LUYNES, CONSTABLE -OF FRANCE 238 - -From a contemporary print. - - -PHILIP IV, KING OF SPAIN 290 - -From the painting by Velasquez. - - - - -A Gallant of Lorraine - - - - -CHAPTER I - - Birth of François de Bassompierre--Origin of the Bassompierre - family--A romantic legend--His grandfather--His father--His early - years--He and his younger brother Jean are sent to the University - of Pont-à-Mousson, and afterwards to that of Ingoldstadt--Their - studies at Ingoldstadt--Death of their father, Christophe de - Bassompierre--Journey of the two brothers through Italy--Their - return to Lorraine. - - -François de Bassompierre was born at the Château of Harouel, in -Lorraine, on Palm Sunday, April 12, 1579, “at four o’clock in the -morning.” His family, which was one of the most ancient and illustrious -of Lorraine, appears to have owed its name to the village of Betstein, -or Bassompierre,[1] near Sancy, which formed part of its possessions -until 1793, when it was confiscated and sold by the Government of -Revolutionary France, with the rest of the Bassompierre property. If we -are to believe the very confusing documents which François de -Bassompierre collected about his family, it descended from the German -House of Ravensberg, but, according to the learned genealogist, Père -Anselme, its origin can be traced to the latter part of the thirteenth -century, to one Olry de Dompierre, who became possessed of the fief of -Bassompierre by marriage, and whose son, Simon, adopted the name, which -became that of his descendants. - -However that may be, it was undoubtedly a very old family indeed, as -well as a distinguished one, and, like most old families, had its -mysterious traditions; but, at any rate, the legend of the Bassompierres -had nothing sinister about it. - -The story goes that during the transitory reign of that Adolph of Nassau -who lost his Imperial crown and his life at the Battle of Spire, there -lived a certain Comte d’Angerveiller, or d’Orgeveiller. This nobleman, -as he was returning home one evening from hunting--it was a -Monday--stopped to rest at a summer-house situated in a wood a little -distance from his château. There, to his astonishment, he found a young -and beautiful woman--a fairy, it is said--(She must surely have been the -last of the race!)--apparently awaiting his arrival. And the pair were -so well pleased with one another at this first interview, that for two -whole years they failed not to meet every Monday at the same rendezvous, -“the count pretending to his wife that he had gone to shoot in the -wood.” - -However, as time went on, the countess began to conceive suspicions, -“and one morning entered the summer-house, where she found her husband -with a woman of perfect beauty, and both asleep. And being unwilling to -awaken them, she merely spread over their feet a kerchief which she was -wearing on her head, which, being perceived by the fairy, she uttered a -piercing cry and began to lament, saying that she must see her lover no -more, nor even be within a hundred leagues of him; and so left him, -having first bestowed upon him these three gifts--a spoon, a goblet and -a ring, for his three daughters, which, said she, they must carefully -preserve, as, if they did this, they would bring good fortune to their -families and descendants.” - -Well, a lord of Bassompierre, an ancestor of the marshal, married one of -the three daughters of the Comte Orgeveiller, who brought him as her -dowry, together with certain fat lands, the spoon; and, in memory of -this tradition, the town of Épinal, of which he had been burgrave, was -obliged to offer to him and his descendants, on a certain day each year, -by way of quit-rent, a spoonful from every measure of corn sold within -its walls. - -The ancestors of Bassompierre had served in turn the Emperors and great -princes of Germany, the Dukes of Burgundy, the Kings of France and the -Dukes of Lorraine, and had ended by occupying the highest offices at the -Court of Nancy. To go no further back than two generations, we find the -marshal’s grandfather, François de Bassompierre, high in the favour of -the Emperor Charles V, to whom he was successively page of honour, -gentleman of the Chamber, and Captain of the German Guard. In 1556 he -accompanied his Imperial master to the gates of the Monastery of Yuste, -where he witnessed Charles’s last adieu to the world, and received from -his hand a valuable diamond ring, which was ever afterwards religiously -preserved in the Bassompierre family. - -In 1552 Henri II, King of France, invaded Lorraine and established a -protectorate over the duchy; and François de Bassompierre, who, some -years before, had been sent by Charles V as Ambassador Extraordinary to -Nancy to assist in the government of Lorraine, during the minority of -its youthful sovereign, Charles III, was required to send his youngest -son, Christophe, to the French Court, as a hostage for his good -behaviour. The little boy--then about five years old--was brought up -with the Duc d’Orléans, afterwards Charles IX, who “either on account of -the conformity in their ages or some other reason, conceived a great -affection for him,” and admitted him to the closest intimacy. In -consequence, when the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis left Christophe at -liberty to return to Lorraine, he preferred to remain in France, until, -in 1564, when barely seventeen, he set off for Hungary to serve under -one of his uncles, Colonel de Harouel, against the Turks. Here he made -the acquaintance of Henri de Lorraine, Duc de Guise, who had also gone -crusading on the Danube, and a warm friendship sprang up between the two -lads, which lasted until Guise’s tragic death in 1589. “My father,” -writes Bassompierre, “always preserved for him (Guise) his devotion and -his service, and the said Sieur de Guise esteemed him above all his -other servants and intimates, calling him ‘_l’amy du cœur_.’”[2] - -Returning to France, after two years’ service in Hungary, Christophe de -Bassompierre was entrusted by Charles IX with the command of 1,500 -_reiters_, at the head of whom he distinguished himself at the Battles -of Jarnac and Montcontour, in both of which he was wounded. In 1568 he -was sent by the King with a body of _reiters_ to the Netherlands, to the -assistance of Alva, and took part in the Battle of Gemmingen, in which -Alva defeated the Duke of Nassau. On his return to the French Court -after the Peace of Saint-Germain, Charles IX proposed to reward his -military services by marrying him to one of the two daughters of the -late Maréchal de Brissac. Christophe, however, who was poor and a cadet -of his House, represented to his Majesty that these damsels, who had -little money and great pretensions, were ill suited to him who had none, -and who needed it; “but that if he would do him the favour of marrying -him to the niece of the said marshal Louise le Picart de Radeval,[3] who -was an heiress, and whose aunt, Madame de Moreuil, intended to give her -100,000 crowns, it would do him much more good and make his fortune. And -this the King did, in spite of her relations and in spite of the girl -herself, who did not like him, because he was poor, a foreigner and a -German.” - -Of this union, so inauspiciously begun, five children were born--three -sons, of whom François was the eldest, and two daughters.[4] - -Almost immediately after his marriage, Christophe was obliged to leave -his bride, to take part in the siege of La Rochelle, which was -interrupted by the news that the Duc d’Anjou (afterwards Henri III), who -commanded the Catholic army, had been elected to the throne of Poland. -Christophe was one of those chosen to accompany the prince to his -kingdom, and set out for Poland, “with a great and noble retinue”; but, -on reaching Vienna, he received orders from Charles IX to raise a levy -of _reiters_ for service against the Huguenots and “_Politiques_” and -return to France with all speed. He performed a like service for Henri -III in 1575, at the time of the revolt of Alençon, but in 1585 resigned -his pensions and offices and threw in his lot with the Duc de Guise and -the League, to whom his skill in recruiting mercenaries from Germany and -Switzerland proved of great assistance. - -After the King’s surrender to the demands of the League, at the Peace of -Nemours, in July of that year, Christophe’s pensions and offices were -restored to him, and in 1587, when the great army of _reiters_ under -Dohna and Bouillon invaded France, we find him commissioned by Henri III -to raise a new levy of 1,500 horse. These troops were stationed with the -main army, commanded by Henri III in person on the Loire, but Christophe -himself preferred to serve under Guise on the Lorraine frontier. Here he -was seized with a serious illness, which necessitated his return home -and prevented him taking part in Guise’s victories at Vimory and Auneau. - -Christophe was at Blois at the time of the assassination of Guise in -December, 1588, but, warned in time, he succeeded in effecting his -escape from the town before the principal adherents of the duke were -arrested, and, exasperated by the fate of his friend and patron, raised -large levies in Germany for the service of the Leaguer princes. He -fought under Mayenne against Henri IV at Arques and Ivry, in which -latter engagement he was twice wounded and obliged to return to -Lorraine. He returned to France in 1593, to assist, as representative of -Duke Charles III, at the Estates of the League, where he offered very -effective opposition to the proposal of the ultra-Catholic party to -confer the crown of France on the Infanta Clara Eugenia. The conversion -of Henri IV having caused him to abandon any projects which he might -have had in France, he now devoted himself to re-establishing the -affairs of the Duke of Lorraine, which were in sad disorder, and was -appointed by that prince Grand Master of his Household and -Superintendent of Finance. In July, 1534, he signed, on behalf of the -duke, in Henri IV’s camp before Laon, a treaty by which Charles III -undertook to observe complete neutrality between France and Spain. - -This gallant old warrior was an excellent father and spared no expense -to give his sons the most thorough education which it was possible for -them to obtain. François de Bassompierre’s early years were passed at -the Château of Harouel. - - “I was brought up in this house,” he writes, “until October, 1584, - when I first remember seeing Henri, Duc de Guise, who was concealed - at Harouel, for the purpose of treating with several colonels of - _landsknechts_ and _reiters_ for the levies of the League. At this - time I began to learn to read and write, and afterwards the - rudiments. My tutor was a Norman priest, named Nicolas Ciret.” - -In the autumn of 1587, on the approach of the invading army of Dohna and -Bouillon, Madame de Bassompierre and her children had to leave Harouel -and take refuge at Nancy. The invaders burned the town of Harouel, but -appear to have left the château untouched. - -On the return of the family to Harouel, François and his younger brother -Jean, who now shared his studies, were given another tutor, named -Gravet, “and two young men, called Clinchamp and La Motte, the one to -teach us to write, the other to dance, play the lute and music.” They -passed the next four years partly at Harouel and partly at Nancy, where, -in the autumn of 1591, François saw for the first time Charles de -Lorraine, Duc de Guise, who had recently effected his romantic escape -from the Château of Blois,[5] and with whom he was to be on such -intimate terms in later years. - -In October, 1591, the two boys went, accompanied by their masters, to -study at Freiburg, but only remained there five months, “because Gravet, -our tutor, killed La Motte, who taught us to dance.” In consequence of -this unfortunate affair, they returned to Harouel, but towards the end -of 1592 were sent to continue their studies at the University of -Pont-à-Mousson, founded by Duke Charles III and his uncle the Cardinal -de Lorraine, and early in the following year reached the first class. -They passed the Carnival of 1593 at Nancy, where they took part in a -tournament, “dressed _à la Suisse_.” At its conclusion they returned to -Pont-à-Mousson, where, shortly afterwards, their father brought them a -German tutor, George von Springesfeld, in place of the homicidal Gravet. -At the Carnival of 1594 they again went to Nancy, to assist at the -marriage of William II, Duke of Bavaria, and Marie Élisabeth, younger -daughter of the Duke of Lorraine, when it was decided that they should -accompany the bridal pair back to Bavaria, and keep their terms at the -University of Ingoldstadt. They travelled in the duke’s suite by way of -Heidelberg, Spire, Neustadt, Donauworth and Landshut, the party being -splendidly entertained by the various nobles at whose houses they -stopped; but the journey did not end without a tragic incident, in which -François de Bassompierre had a narrow escape of his life. - -At Donauworth, where they were delayed for two or three days by the -swollen condition of the Danube, he went out in a boat with the duke and -some of his attendants, to reconnoitre the passage of the river. As they -were nearing the castle in which the duchess was lodged, William II -ordered one of his pages to load and fire a pistol, in order to announce -their approach to his consort. The pistol missed fire, and, while the -page was examining the priming, it suddenly went off and killed an old -nobleman of the prince’s suite, who was sitting close to Bassompierre. - -At Ingoldstadt the two brothers, and the elder in particular, would -certainly not appear to have wasted much time:-- - - “We went on with rhetoric for a little while, and then proceeded to - logic, which we studied in an abridged form, and in three months - passed on to physics and occasionally studied the sphere. In the - month of August we went to Munich, whither the duke had invited us - to spend the stag-hunting season, which they call _Hirschfeiste_, - with him. At the end of the hunting-season, which lasted a month, - we returned to Ingoldstadt, and continued our studies until - October, when we quitted physics, having got to the books _De - Animâ_. And, as we had still seven months to remain, I set myself - to study the institutes of law, in which I employed an hour; - another hour I spent in cases of conscience; an hour in the - aphorisms of Hippocrates; and an hour in the ethics and politics of - Aristotle, upon which studies I was so intent that my tutor was - obliged, from time to time, to draw me away from them, in order to - divert my mind. I continued my studies during the rest of that year - and the early part of 1596.” - -But what contributed a good deal more than this bizarre erudition to -give to the future marshal that perfect aplomb, those graceful -accomplishments and charming manners to which he owed his fortune, was -the journey through Italy which he and his brother undertook after they -had completed their course at Ingoldstadt and returned to Harouel, which -was then a house of mourning, as their father, Christophe de -Bassompierre, had died just before they left Bavaria. - -In the autumn of 1596 they set out for the South, accompanied by the -Sieur de Malleville, an old gentleman, who acted as their _gouverneur_, -Springesfeld, their German tutor, and one of their late father’s -gentlemen, and travelled by way of Strasbourg, Ulm, Augsburg, Munich, -Innsbrück and Trent to Verona, where they were the guests of the Counts -Ciro and Alberto Canossa, the latter of whom had once been page to -William II of Bavaria. From Verona they proceeded to Mantua and Bologna, -and then, crossing the Apennines, arrived at Florence. - -Here they received a gracious message from Ferdinand I, Grand Duke of -Tuscany, who had married Christine of Lorraine, daughter of Charles III, -inviting them to visit him at his country-seat at Lambrogiano, to which -one of the prince’s carriages would be sent to convey them. On the day -following their arrival at Lambrogiano, the Grand Duchess invited the -elder brother to walk with her in the gardens, where they met her niece -Marie de’ Medici, to whom she presented him. Bassompierre little -imagined as he made his reverence that the young princess whom he was -saluting was the future Queen of France. In the evening they left -Lambrogiano and returned to Florence, where they remained for a few days -and then set out for Rome, by way of Sienna and Viterbo. - -At Rome they stayed a week, in order to perform the various devotions -customary for good Catholics who visited the Eternal City, and waited -upon several of the cardinals to whom they had letters of introduction, -and also upon the Spanish Ambassador, the Duke of Sessa, who had been a -friend of their father, and whose acquaintance they had made some years -before when he passed through Lorraine on his way to France. The -Ambassador provided them with passports and with letters of -recommendation to the Viceroy of Naples, and they set out for that city, -stopping on the road at Gaëta, Capua, and Aversa. - -On their arrival at Naples, they lost no time in presenting the letters -which the Duke of Sessa had given them to the Viceroy, Don Henriques de -Guzman, Count of Olivares, “who, on opening them, inquired if we were -the sons of that M. de Bassompierre, colonel of _reiters_, who had come -to the succour of the Duke of Alva in Flanders, by orders of the late -King Charles. And when we told him that we were, he embraced us most -affectionately, assuring us that he had loved our father as his own -brother, and that he was the most noble and generous cavalier whom he -had ever known; adding that he would treat us, not only as persons of -quality, but as his own children, which, indeed, he did, giving us all -the proofs of affection and good-will possible to imagine.” - -At Naples, the brothers passed a considerable part of their time in -practising equitation, under the guidance of two celebrated Italian -riding-masters; but at the beginning of 1597 their course of instruction -was interrupted by an attack of small-pox. On their recovery, they -returned to Rome, where they remained until after Easter, the only -incident of importance which marked their second visit to the Papal city -being their rescue of a French gentleman named Saint-Offange, who had -killed another in a duel, from the pursuit of the law. - -From Rome they went to Florence, where they resumed the riding-lessons -which the small-pox had interrupted at Naples. - - “As for our other exercises,” writes Bassompierre, “we had Messire - Agostino for dancing, Messire Marquino for fencing, Guilio Parigi - for fortification, in which Bernardo della Girandolla also - sometimes assisted. We continued these lessons all the summer, and - also witnessed the festivities of Florence, such as the _calcio_ - and the _palio_, the plays and some marriages within and without - the palace.” - -While at Florence, they paid short visits to Pisa, Lucca, and Leghorn, -and early in November left the Tuscan city and took the road to Bologna, -whence they travelled by way of Faenza, Forli, and Ancona to Loretto. At -Loretto, where they arrived on Christmas Eve, they were invited by -Cardinal Gallio to stay at the Palazzo Santa-Casa. They spent the night -in devotions in the chapel, and on Christmas Day the cardinal appointed -the elder Bassompierre one of the witnesses to the opening of the -alms-boxes, “which amounted to six thousand crowns for the last quarter -of the year.” - -At Loretto our young travellers, inspired doubtless by their visit to -that famous shrine with the desire to do and dare something for the sake -of Holy Church, embarked in a strange adventure:-- - - “There were a great many other French gentlemen at Loretto, besides - ourselves, and we all took the resolution to go together into - Hungary to the wars before we returned home. Having mutually - promised this, on the day after Christmas we all set out in a body, - to wit: MM. de Bourlemont and d’Amolis, brothers; MM. de Foncaude - and de Chasneuil, brothers; the Baron de Crapados and my brother - and I. But, since the nature of Frenchmen is fickle, at the end of - three days’ journey some of us, who had not our purses sufficiently - well-lined for a long journey or who had a stronger desire to - return to our homes than the rest, began to say that it was useless - to go so far in search of fighting when we had it near at hand; - that we were in the midst of the Papal army, marching to the - conquest of Ferrara, which had devolved on the Pope by the death - of Duke Alphonso; that Don Cesare d’Este retained possession of it, - contrary to all right;[6] that this was not less just and holy a - war than that of Hungary, and that in a week we should be face to - face with the enemy; whereas, if we went to Hungary, the armies - would not take the field for four months. - - “These persuasions prevailed on our minds, and we resolved that we - would all go next day to Forli, to offer our services to Cardinal - Aldobrandini,[7] legate of the army, and that I should speak in the - name of us all, which I did, to the best of my ability. But the - legate received us so coolly, and gave us so poor a welcome, that - in the evening, at our lodging, we did not know how sufficiently to - express the resentment and anger with which his indifference had - inspired us. - - * * * * * - - “Then my brother began to say that in truth we had only got what we - deserved; that, not being subjects of the Pope, nor in any way - concerned in this war, we had gone inconsiderately to attack a - prince of the House of Este, to which France had so many - obligations, which had ever been so courteous to foreigners and - particularly to Frenchmen, and which was so nearly allied, not only - to the Kings of France, from whom that family was descended in the - female line, but also to the families of Nemours and Guise; and - that, if we were good for anything, we should go and offer our - services to this poor prince whom the Pope wanted unjustly to - despoil of a State possessed by so long a line of his ancestors. - - “So soon as he had said these words, all the company expressed, not - only their appreciation, but also their firm resolve to proceed on - the morrow straight to Ferrara, to throw themselves into the town. - I have related all this, first, to make known the volatile and - inconstant character of Frenchmen, and, secondly, to show that - Fortune is generally mistress and director of our actions, since - we, who had intended to bear arms against the Turks, did, in point - of fact, take them up against the Pope.” - -Travelling by way of Bologna, where their company was reinforced by the -Comte de Sommerive, younger son of the famous Duc de Mayenne, of the -League, the Chevalier de Verdelli, a friend of the Bassompierres, and -several other adventurous young gentlemen, they arrived on January 3 at -Ferrara. The duke received them with great honours and cordiality, but -he was very irresolute on the question of the war, alleging that his -coffers were well-nigh empty; that the King of Spain had declared for -the Pope, and that the Venetians, who had encouraged him to resist the -Pontiff, refused to assist him openly, and that the support that they -were prepared to give him secretly was of very little account. In this -state of mind he went, on the Feast of Kings, to hear Mass at a church -near the palace, accompanied by a great retinue of lords and gentlemen, -when the priests immediately quitted the altars, without finishing the -masses they had begun, and retreated from them as excommunicated -persons. This incident decided Don Cesare to send the Duchess of Urbino, -sister of the late Duke Alphonso, to treat with the Legate;[8] and, -accordingly, next day the band of young Frenchmen who had come to offer -him their services took leave of him and went their several ways. - -The Bassompierres went to Rovigo and thence to Padua, when Johann -Tserclas, Count von Tilly, elder brother of the famous captain of the -Thirty Years’ War, who was then studying at the University of Padua, -invited them to dinner, and the following day accompanied them on a -visit to Venice, where they remained a week. On leaving Venice, they -returned to Padua, and, after a short stay there, set out for Genoa, -stopping on the way at Mantua. At Genoa they lodged at the house of the -German consul, and “my brother and I both fell in love with the consul’s -daughter, whose name was Philippina, to such a degree that for some days -we did not speak to one another.” Which of the two brothers Philippina -preferred, Bassompierre does not tell us. - -Among the distinguished persons whose acquaintance they made at Genoa -were the two brothers Ambrosio and Frederico Spinola, the former of -whom, afterwards Duke of San Severino and Marquis of los Balbazes, was -to earn such renown as a general in the service of Spain. Frederico, who -also entered the Spanish service, was killed in a naval combat off -Ostend in May, 1603. - -From Genoa our travellers proceeded to Tortona, and thence to Milan, -where they stayed for some days and were very hospitably entertained by -the Spanish governor at the citadel. They then set out on their homeward -journey, accompanied by the Chevalier de Verdelli and Don Alfonso -Casale, Spanish Ambassador to Switzerland. They travelled by way of the -St. Gotthard, stopping at Como, Lugano, Lucerne and Basle, and in the -early summer arrived safely at Harouel, after an absence of more than a -year and a half. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - Visit of the Bassompierre family to Paris--François dances in a - ballet before Henri IV at Monceaux--He is presented to the King, - who receives him very graciously--He decides to enter the service - of Henri IV--He escorts his Majesty’s mistress, Gabrielle - d’Estrées, Duchesse de Beaufort, to Paris--Sudden illness and death - of the duchess--Extravagant grief of Henri IV, who, however, soon - finds consolation in the society of Henriette d’Entragues--Affray - between the Prince de Joinville and the Grand Equerry Bellegarde at - Zamet’s house, where the King is staying--Visit of Bassompierre to - Lorraine--He returns to Paris. - - -In September, 1598, the Archduke Albert, son of the Emperor Maximilian -II, passed through Lorraine on his way to Italy, there to take ship for -Spain to marry the Infanta Clara Eugenia, Philip II’s daughter, by -Élisabeth of France, and become through her the sovereign of the -Netherlands.[9] The Comte de Vaudemont, younger son of Charles III of -Lorraine, went to meet the archduke at Vaudrevange, and invited the -brothers Bassompierre to accompany him. They were duly presented to the -prince, who received them very cordially and “told them their name was -very dear to all his House.” - -On their return from this little journey, the whole Bassompierre family -began to prepare for a visit to France, Madame de Bassompierre, like a -loyal Frenchwoman, being anxious that her sons should be presented to -Henri IV, in the hope that they might decide to enter his service. She -was, however, at pains to conceal the real object of her journey from -the Count von Mansfeld,[10] whom her late husband had associated with -her in the guardianship of his children, and whose consent was required -before they could leave Lorraine. - - “The Count von Mansfeld,” writes Bassompierre, “gave his consent - very unwillingly, because he wished us to enter the service of the - Catholic King [Philip III of Spain]; and it was only on condition - that, after we had been some time at the Court of France and in - Normandy (where my mother made him believe that we had some - business affairs to transact), we should proceed from there to the - Court of Spain, and should not commit ourselves until our return - from both. He made us promise further that, when we wished to make - our choice, we should follow the advice that might be given us in - the matter by our principal friends and relatives.” - -At the beginning of October, the Bassompierres left Harouel and on the -12th of that month arrived in Paris, where they took up their quarters -at the Hôtel de Montlor, in the Rue Saint-Thomas-du-Louvre. - -Henri IV was then lying ill at the Château of Monceaux, near Meaux, -which he had presented to his beloved Gabrielle d’Estrées, Duchesse de -Beaufort, in 1595, and reported to be in considerable danger. The only -courtier of Madame de Bassompierre’s acquaintance who was with him at -the time was Gaspard de Schomberg, father of the marshal, to whom she -wrote to inquire when her sons could be presented to his Majesty. -Schomberg replied that it was impossible to think of such matters as -presentations in the condition the King was in, and advised her to -remain in Paris until Henri IV was sufficiently recovered to return to -the capital. This she decided to do, and meantime sent her sons to pay -their court to Catherine de Bourbon, the King’s sister, who was about to -marry the Duke of Bar, eldest son of Charles III of Lorraine. The -princess was very gracious to the young men, and, says Bassompierre, -“had the intention of marrying me to Mlle. Catherine de Rohan,[11] in -order to keep her near her when she went to Lorraine, but I had at that -time no inclination towards marriage.” - -Several of Madame de Bassompierre’s relatives and friends of her late -husband came to visit the Bassompierres at the Hôtel de Montlor, amongst -them being Charles de Balsac, Seigneur de Dunes--“_le bel_ -Entraguet”--the hero of the famous Duel of the Mignons; Jacques de -Harlay, Seigneur de Chanvallon, a former lover of Marguerite de Valois, -Queen of Navarre; Charles de Cossé, Maréchal de Brissac, and the Comte -(afterwards) Duc de Gramont. One day, when Henri IV’s health was -beginning to mend, the Duc de Bellegarde, First Gentleman of the Chamber -and Grand Equerry to the King--_Monsieur le Grand_, as he was commonly -styled--arrived in Paris on a short visit, and Gramont presented -François de Bassompierre to him. Bellegarde received the lad very -cordially, and pressed him to dine with him, saying that he had invited -some of the most brilliant gentlemen of the Court. During dinner a -suggestion was made to organise a ballet to amuse their convalescent -sovereign and to go to Monceaux to dance it, and was received with -acclamation. - - “They said,” continues Bassompierre, “that I must be one of the - party, but, thought I declared that I should be most delighted, I - added that it appeared to me that, as I had not yet been presented - to the King, I ought not to take part in the ballet. M. de - Joinville[12] then said: ‘That need not stand in your way; for we - shall arrive at Monceaux early in the day, when you can be - presented to the King, and in the evening we shall dance the - ballet.’ So I learned it with the others, who were MM. - d’Auvergne,[13] de Sommerive, _le Grand_,[14] de Gramont, de - Termes,[15] the young Schomberg,[16] Saint-Luc, Pompignan, - Messillac and Maugiron, whose names I have decided to set down, - since they represented a select band of persons so handsome and so - well-made that it was impossible to find their superiors. At my - suggestion, they made up as barbers, in order to poke fun at the - King, who had placed himself in the hands of persons of that trade - for the cure of a wart which he had.” - -After this aristocratic troupe had rehearsed the ballet to their -satisfaction, they set out for Monceaux, but were met on the way by a -messenger from the King, who expressed his regret that he was unable to -lodge them at the château, where at that time there was but little -accommodation, and desired them to stop at Meaux, to which he would send -coaches that evening to bring them and their “props” to Meaux. -Bassompierre was thus disappointed in his expectation of being presented -to the King before the ballet. However, it was decided that he should -take part in it all the same. - -The party accordingly proceeded to Meaux, where they dressed for the -ballet, and then bestowed themselves, with their pages, the musicians, -and all their paraphernalia in six of the royal coaches, and set off for -Monceaux, where they danced their ballet, which appears to have caused -the good-natured monarch, who took the jest at his expense in excellent -part, much amusement. - - “After which,” says Bassompierre, “as we were removing our masks, - the King rose and came amongst us, and inquired where Bassompierre - was. Then all the princes and nobles presented me to him to embrace - his knees; and he received me most affectionately, and I should - never have believed that so great a King would have shown so much - kindness and familiarity towards a young man of my condition. - Afterwards, he took me by the hand and presented me to the - Duchesse de Beaufort, his mistress, whose gown I kissed; and the - King, in order to give me the opportunity of saluting and kissing - her, stepped aside.” - -Humility was certainly not a fault of this young gentleman from -Lorraine, who had a nice appreciation of his own attractions. And he -proceeds to relate with complacency how, a few days later, they danced -again the same ballet at the Tuileries, for the diversion of Catherine -de Bourbon and Gabrielle d’Estrées, who, by permission of her royal -lover, had come to Paris expressly to witness it again, and that “when -the twenty-four men and women came forward to perform the dances, all -the spectators were delighted to behold a selection of such handsome -persons. So that, when the dances were over, they insisted on their -being performed again, an incident which I have never seen happen -since.” - -Undoubtedly, if we are to judge from his portraits, which belong, -however, to the time of Louis XIII, that is to say, to a period when he -had already passed the brilliant years of his youth, Bassompierre may be -pardoned his satisfaction at his personal appearance. These depict him -as of middle height and very well made, though his figure is a little -inclined to _embonpoint_. The face is of an almost perfect oval, framed -in long blond curls which descend to the richly-embroidered lace which -covers his shoulders. The nose, which sinks a little in joining the -forehead, dominates two small moustaches, separated above the mouth and -ending in carefully-pomaded points. A “_royale_”--or, as it has been -called since the time of the Second Empire, an “_impériale_”--extends -from immediately under the lower lip to the extremity of the chin, and -imparts to the whole physiognomy that intelligent expression which is to -be observed in all the portraits of the time of Louis XIII. However, if -Bassompierre had arranged his beard in quite a different manner, his -features would not have been less intelligent or less pleasing; his -agreeable smile and bright brown eyes would have always sufficed to -animate his countenance and to denote a man made for successes of all -kinds. - -In December, Henri IV, being sufficiently recovered to leave Monceaux, -removed for change of air to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where he lodged at -the Deanery, as did Gabrielle, and where he had his last natural son by -the duchess--Alexandre de Vendôme, afterwards Grand Prior of -France--baptised.[17] In the evening there was a grand ballet, in which -Bassompierre took part, “dressed as an Indian.” - -The Court remained at Saint-Germain until after the marriage of -Catherine de Bourbon with the Duke of Bar, which was celebrated on -January 30, 1599, when it returned to Paris; but at the beginning of -Lent the King set out for Fontainebleau. Bassompierre, however, remained -for a few days longer in Paris, and was the last to bid farewell to that -singular personage the Maréchal de Joyeuse, whom Voltaire has so well -described in these two lines: - - “Vicieux, pénitent, courtisan, solitaire, - Il prit, quitta, reprit la cuirasse et la haire,” - -before he finally quitted the world for the convent. - -“My cousin,” Henri IV had remarked to Joyeuse a little while before, as -they were standing one day on a balcony, beneath which a crowd had -gathered, “those people down there do not appear very well pleased at -seeing an apostate King and an unfrocked monk together.” This pleasantry -struck Joyeuse to the quick and this time he resumed the hair-shirt, not -to put it off again. And as in those days people obeyed their religious -convictions without deeming it necessary to advertise the fact to the -public, Joyeuse, having spent the evening in the midst of the gayest -company in Paris, withdrew to the convent where he had resolved to -spend the remainder of his days, without saying a word of his intention -to anyone. - - “After we had supped together at the Hôtel de Retz,” writes - Bassompierre, “at midnight I bade him good night at the - postern-door of his lodging, the threshold of which he merely - crossed, and then repaired to the Capuchins, where he ended his - days piously.” - -Bassompierre was by this time firmly established in the good graces of -the King, for whom he had already conceived so warm an admiration and -affection that he had decided to enter his service. We will allow him to -speak himself on this occasion, inasmuch as he does so with a -sensibility and gratitude very unusual with him, and which one does not -find in his _Mémoires_, except when Henri IV is in question: - - “Two days later I went to Fontainebleau, and, one day, as someone - had told the King that I had some beautiful Portuguese pieces and - other gold coins, he asked me if I would play for them against his - mistress. On my agreeing to do this, he made me stay and play with - her while he was at the chase, and in the evening he played too. - This put me on terms of great familiarity with the King and the - duchess, and when we were talking one day about the reason which - led me to come to France, I told him [the King] frankly that I did - not come with any intention of engaging in his service, but merely - to pass some time there, and then to do the same at the Court of - Spain, before I came to any determination as to the conduct of my - future life; but that he had so charmed me, that, if he would - accept my service, I would go no further to seek a master, but - would devote myself to him until death. He embraced me and assured - me that I should not find a better master than he would be to me, - or one who would love me more or contribute more to my fortune or - advancement. This was on a Tuesday, March 12 [1599]. Henceforth, I - looked upon myself as a Frenchman; and I can say that, from that - time, I experienced from him so much kindness, so much affability, - and such proofs of good-will, that his memory will be deeply graven - in my heart during the remainder of my days.” - -On the approach of Holy Week, Bassompierre requested the King’s -permission to go to Paris to perform his Easter devotions, when Henri IV -informed him that he should go with him on the Tuesday to Melun, whither -he proposed to escort the Duchesse de Beaufort, who also wished to -perform her devotions in the capital, and next day continue his journey -to Paris. - -We must here explain that it had been for some months generally known -that the Very Christian King, notwithstanding the strenuous opposition -of his great Minister Sully and his faithful adviser Duplessis-Mornay, -fully intended to marry his Gabrielle, as soon as he could obtain the -dissolution of his marriage with Marguerite de Valois. Such a resolution -aroused universal alarm. The duchess had many friends and few enemies, -but not even her most devoted partisans could maintain that her birth -and previous life fitted her to be the Queen of France, while it was -obvious that the claims of her legitimated sons, and of those who might -be born in wedlock, would add another element of discord to those -already existing. After considerable difficulty, on February 7, 1599, -Marguerite, who had declared that it was “repugnant to her to put in her -place a woman of such low extraction, and of so impure a life as the one -about whom rumour speaks,”[18] was at length persuaded to sign the -necessary procuration, which Henri IV lost no time in sending to Rome. -But Clement VIII disapproved of his Majesty’s choice, less probably on -account of Gabrielle’s obvious unsuitability to share a throne than -because she was the intimate friend of Catherine de Bourbon, Duchess of -Bar, and Louise de Coligny, Princess of Orange. These two ladies were -amongst the most stubborn heretics in Europe, and his Holiness did not -doubt that, urged by them, Gabrielle would use all her influence with -the King in favour of their co-religionists. He, therefore, refused to -dissolve the marriage, sheltering himself behind the difficulties -regarding the succession in which the new union which the King was -contemplating would involve France. This paternal solicitude for his -kingdom did not deceive Henri IV, who, impatient at the delay, -instructed his representative at the Vatican to hint that, if the Holy -Father continued contumacious, the eldest son of the Church might be -tempted to behave in an exceedingly unfilial manner, and follow the -example of his last namesake on the throne of England. Whether, with -this threat hanging over him, Clement would eventually have yielded is a -matter of opinion; but an unexpected event came to relieve the tension. - -Bassompierre duly accompanied the King and the duchess to Melun, -Gabrielle, who was in an advanced state of pregnancy, being carried in a -litter. At supper Henri IV said to him: “Bassompierre, my mistress -wishes to take you with her in her barge to-morrow to Paris. You will -play cards together by the way.” That night they slept at Savigny, about -midway between Fontainebleau and the capital, and the following morning -(April 6) the King accompanied the duchess to the bank of the Seine, -where her barge was awaiting her, in which she embarked with -Bassompierre, the Duc de Montbazon, Captain of the Guards, the Marquis -de la Varenne and her waiting-women. - -At the moment of parting from her royal lover, Gabrielle broke down and -began to sob bitterly, declaring that she had a presentiment that she -should never see him again. The King, after vainly endeavouring to -console her, was on the point of yielding and taking her back to -Fontainebleau. But, in view of their intended marriage, he attached -great importance to the duchess performing her Easter devotions in the -capital, and, after repeated embraces, he freed himself from her -detaining arms and gave the signal for the barge to start. - -About three o’clock in the afternoon, Gabrielle reached Paris, and -disembarked on the quay near the Arsenal, where her brother-in-law, the -Maréchal de Balagny, her brother the Marquis de Cœuvres, Madame de -Retz, and the duchesse and Mlle. de Guise were awaiting her. She rested -for a while at her sister’s house, where a number of distinguished -persons called upon her, and then went to sup at the house of Sebastian -Zamet,--“the lord of the 1,800,000 crowns”--an Italian financier, who -had risen from a very humble position to great wealth and the personal -friendship of Henri IV. After supper she attended the _Tenebræ_ at the -Couvent du Petit Saint-Antoine, then renowned for its fine music. During -the service she was taken ill and was carried to Zamet’s house, where -she recovered sufficiently to go to the apartments of her aunt Madame de -Sourdes, at the Deanery of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, where she always -stayed when paying a short visit to Paris, as she did not make use of -her own house in the Rue Fromenteau, which communicated with the Louvre, -except when the Court happened to be in residence. Next day, though -still feeling far from well, she attended Mass at her parish church, -Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois. She was borne in a litter, by the side of -which walked the Duc de Montbazon, in virtue of his position as Captain -of the Guards, and escorted by archers; while the Lorraine princesses -and a number of ladies of high rank followed in coaches. In the church -she was again taken ill, and, on returning to the deanery, fell into -violent convulsions. On the 9th--Good Friday--she gave birth to a -still-born child, after which the surgeons who attended - -[Illustration: GABRIELLE D’ESTRÉES, DUCHESSE DE BEAUFORT.] - -her proceeded to bleed the unfortunate woman four times. The consequence -was that poor Gabrielle died the following morning (April 10); the only -wonder is that she did not die before! The public, learning that she had -been taken ill shortly after supping with Zamet, persisted in the belief -that she had been poisoned--Italians bore a sinister reputation in those -days, and, indeed, down to a much later period--but this theory is now -generally discredited.[19] - - “On Good Friday,” writes Bassompierre, “while we were at the sermon - on the Passion at Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, La Varenne came to - tell the Maréchal d’Ornano[20] that the duchess had just died,[21] - and that we ought to prevent the King, who was travelling post to - Paris, from coming there; and he begged him to go and meet him, in - order to stop him. I was with the marshal at the sermon, and he - asked me to accompany him, which I did. We met the King beyond La - Saussaye, near Villejuif, travelling at the top speed of his - horses. When he saw the marshal, he suspected that he was the - bearer of bad news, which caused him to weep bitterly. Finally, - they made him alight at the Abbey of La Saussaye, where they laid - him on a bed. He gave vent to every excess of grief which it is - possible to describe. At length, a coach having arrived from Paris, - they placed him in it to return to Fontainebleau, whither all the - princes and nobles had hastened to find him. We went with him to - Fontainebleau, and when he had mounted to the great Salle de la - Cheminée, he begged all the company to return to Paris to pray God - for his consolation. He kept with him _Monsieur le Grand_, the - Comte du Lude, Termes, Castelnau de Charosse, Montglat, and - Frontenac; and, as I was taking my leave with all those whom he had - dismissed, he said to me: ‘Bassompierre, you were the last who was - with my mistress; stay with me to talk to me of her.’ So I remained - also, and we were eight or ten days without the company being - augmented, if one excepts certain of the Ambassadors, who came to - condole with him[22] and then returned to Paris immediately.” - -During this time the King remained prostrated with grief. “My -affliction,” he wrote to his sister Catherine, “is incomparable, like -the person who is the cause of it. Regrets and tears will accompany me -to the tomb. The root of my love is dead and will never put forth -another branch.” - -But alas! how changeable are the affections of kings! Scarcely two -months had passed[23] before his Majesty had embarked in a new -love-affair, with Henriette d’Entragues, whom he created Marquise de -Verneuil, that ambitious, greedy, intriguing woman, who, later, was to -conspire with the enemies of France against her royal lover. Nor did -this attachment prevent him from seeking amusement in other directions -and honouring with his fugitive attentions, not only divers beauties of -the Court, whose names Bassompierre does not hesitate to hand down to -fame, but even that vulgar class which the chronicler qualifies with a -word so explicit that we dare not repeat it. - -The following scene described by Bassompierre is too typical of the life -of Henri IV and his immediate entourage to be omitted. It occurred -during a flying visit to Paris which the King and a few of his -favourites paid in July, 1599, while the Court was in residence at -Blois:-- - - “The King had no retinue on this journey, and dined with a - president and supped with a prince or noble as the humour took him. - Mlle. d’Entragues was not yet his mistress,[24] and he used - sometimes to pass the night with a pretty wench called la Glaude. - It happened one evening that, after he had been supping with M. - d’Elbeuf[25], the King came to pass the night with this girl at - Zamet’s house, and when, after we had undressed him, we were about - to enter the King’s coach, which was to take us back to our - lodging, M. de Joinville and _Monsieur le Grand_ quarrelled, - touching something which the former pretended that _Monsieur le - Grand_ had told the King about him and Mlle. d’Entragues.[26] In - consequence, _Monsieur le Grand_ was wounded in the buttock, the - Vidame de Mans received a thrust through the body, and La Rivière - one in the stomach. After M. de Praslin had caused the doors of - the house to be shut, and M. de Chevreuse [Joinville] had taken his - departure, they asked me to go to the King and tell him what had - occurred. The King rose, put on his dressing-gown and, taking up - his sword, came on to the stairs, where the others were standing, - while I preceded him, carrying a taper. He was intensely annoyed, - and sent the same night to the First President[27] to command him - to come to him on the morrow with the Court of the Parlement, when - he directed them to investigate the affair and to show no favour to - anyone. This they did, and proceeded to summon before them the - Comte de Cramail, Chasseron, and myself to give evidence. And the - King bade us go and answer the questions which the commissioners - might put to us, which we did; and proceedings were instituted - against the offender. But, by reason of the pressing entreaties - which Monsieur, Madame, and Mlle. de Guise[28] addressed to the - King, the affair went no further, and two months later the - Constable[29] brought about a reconciliation at Conflans.” - -In November, Bassompierre obtained permission from the King to go to -Lorraine, to persuade Charles IV to free him from the security which his -late father had given for some 50,000 crowns which the duke had borrowed -at the time of the marriage of his elder daughter to the Grand Duke of -Tuscany, an obligation which had been causing him considerable -uneasiness. In Lorraine he remained for some six weeks, “more for the -love which I bore Mlle. de Bourbonne[30] than for the other affair.” - -Early in the New Year he returned to Paris, where the charms of Mlle. de -Bourbonne were soon forgotten for those of a lady whom he calls la -Raverie and who was presumably a star of the _demi-monde_. The courtiers -of Henri IV were, however, quite capable of losing their hearts to two -or more ladies at the same time, following the example of their royal -master, who “fell in love that winter with Madame de Boinville and Mlle. -Clin.”[31] In addition to love-making, he danced in several ballets, one -of which was appropriately called _le Ballet des Amoureux_. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - Bassompierre accompanies Henri IV in his campaign against Charles - Emmanuel of Savoy--His narrow escape at the taking of - Montmélian--He goes with the King to visit Henriette d’Entragues, - Madame de Verneuil, at La Côte-Saint-André, and reconciles Henri IV - with his mistress--Marriage of the King to Marie de’ - Medici--Presentation of Madame de Verneuil to the Queen--Visit of - Bassompierre to Lorraine--He returns to find the royal _ménage_ in - a very troubled state, owing to the jealousy of the wife and the - mistress--He assists at a conference, in which the Chancellor - recommends the King to get rid of Madame de Verneuil at any - cost--He accompanies the Maréchal de Biron on a visit to - England--He is present at the arrest of Biron at Fontainebleau, in - June, 1602--Condemnation and execution of the marshal. - - -In February, 1600, Charles Emmanuel of Savoy paid a visit to the Court -to negotiate personally with the King about the matter of the marquisate -of Saluzzo, which, in 1588, the Duke, taking advantage of the internal -troubles of France, had invaded and annexed, and the restoration of -which Henri IV was now demanding. Charles Emmanuel offered to enter into -an alliance with France against Spain, and assist her to conquer the -Milanese, if only Henri IV would forgo his claims on Saluzzo, and -lavished costly gifts and large sums of money upon the Ministers and the -mistress in order to gain their support. But the King was adamant on the -question of Saluzzo, and on February 27 the Duke was obliged to sign a -treaty, whereby he engaged within three months either to surrender the -marquisate, or, as compensation, the county of Bresse, the valley of -Barcellonnette, the valley of the Stura, Pérousse, and Pinerolo. - -Towards the middle of May, as Charles Emmanuel had as yet taken no steps -to carry out his engagements, Henri IV began moving troops towards the -frontier of Savoy, and he himself, accompanied by a few of his -intimates, amongst whom was Bassompierre, set out for Lyons, having sent -the rest of the Court on in advance to await him at Moulins. At Moulins, -where he was the guest of Queen Louise, widow of the late King, he -stayed for some little time “principally on account of la Bourdaisière, -with whom he was in love”[32]; and it was not until the beginning of -July that he arrived at Lyons. Here he remained three weeks, to see what -action Charles Emmanuel proposed to take. That prince, however, had -signed the treaty of February merely for the purpose of gaining time; -and the promises of Spain, which feared, above all things, to see France -once more in possession of Saluzzo, decided him to break his word. At -the expiration of the three months he solicited a further delay or an -amelioration of the conditions of the treaty, hoping that the expected -rebellion of the Maréchal de Biron and the Comte d’Auvergne, whom, by -specious promises, he had succeeded in seducing from their allegiance to -their sovereign, would break out before Henri IV was ready to take the -field. - -Henri IV, however, was not deceived, and summoned the Duke to declare -immediately what his intentions were. The latter, after many -tergiversations, announced that he was prepared to surrender Saluzzo. -But when the King despatched officers to take possession of the chief -places in the marquisate, he refused to surrender them; and on August -11, Henri IV, at the end of his patience, declared war at Lyons. - -Bassompierre has left us an interesting account of the campaign which -followed--a campaign of invasion undertaken by an army scarcely more -numerous than a brigade to-day; but which, thanks to the improvements in -the artillery which Sully had introduced and the valour of the troops, -proved entirely successful. He himself underwent his “baptism of fire” -at the taking of the town of Montmélian, where he served with the -regiment of the Sire (afterwards the Maréchal) de Créquy. His military -career came very near to ending as well as beginning at Montmélian, for, -in the darkness, he lost his way and was cut off from his comrades, “so -that I was for more than an hour at the mercy of the fire from the -citadel, at twenty paces from the ditch.” By what seems like a miracle, -however, he was not hit, and, at length a sergeant, whom Créquy had sent -to find him, arrived and guided him to a place of safety. - -Charles Emmanuel, for once entirely wrong in his calculations, was -unable to offer any effective resistance to the invaders of his realm; -France remained tranquil; Biron, traitor though he was, in spite of -himself, mastered Bresse; Chambéry, the capital of Savoy, surrendered to -Henri IV after but a show of resistance; the citadel of Montmélian, -fondly deemed impregnable, fell before Sully’s new siege-guns; and the -Duke, seeing himself beaten, sued for peace, and, on New Year’s Day, -1601, signed a treaty with France, by which he retained Saluzzo, in -exchange for the cession of Bresse, Bugey, Valromey and Gex. - -Whilst engaged in the conquest of Savoy, Henri IV went to visit Madame -de Verneuil at Grenoble, as he had hastened at the peril of his life to -throw himself at the feet of the Comtesse de Gramont (“_la belle_ -Corisande”) after the Battle of Coutras. The years had not changed him -and he made these journeys as eagerly as a gallant of half his age. - - “I had intended,” writes Bassompierre, “to go with M. Lesdiguières - to the valley of Marenne, which he was going to subdue, but the - King ordered me to follow him. He went to sleep at La Rochette, and - on the morrow dined at Grenoble. And having there learned that - Madame de Verneuil was about to arrive at Saint-André de la - Costé,[33] he set out to go to her and lent me one of his own - horses to follow him. I rode the whole way at a trot, and was so - tired that, when I arrived, I could scarcely stand. The King and - Madame de Verneuil had a quarrel on meeting,[34] so that the King - was going back in anger, and said to me: ‘Bassompierre, order our - horses to be saddled for us to return.’ I told him that I would - willingly order his to be saddled, but that, as for mine, I should - declare myself on Madame de Verneuil’s side and should stay with - her. And, after going to and fro several times, in order to - reconcile two persons who were well inclined to it, I made peace - between them and we slept at Saint-André. The next day the King - went to Grenoble and took Madame de Verneuil with him.” - -“No one,” writes Boudet de Puymaigre, “makes us understand better than -does Bassompierre the character of Henri IV, that extraordinary man, -great on the field of battle, where his inspired language, in accord -with his deeds, elevates him often to the sublimity of the epopee; -skilful and even adroit in the government of his realm, causing at need -acts which were merely the outcome of political necessity to be -attributed to his clemency; in his private life, despotic and -good-humoured at the same time, often duped by his mistresses and -blinded by his passions. Such as he was, he remains the type of the -popular king, and posterity has done honour even to his faults, for it -has enshrined the name of ‘_la belle_ Gabrielle’ amidst the trophies of -the Battle of Ivry. ‘His tragic end,’ remarks Chateaubriand, ‘has -contributed not a little to his renown; to disappear appropriately from -life is a condition of glory.’” - -Just a month before peace was signed with the Duke of Savoy, Marie de’ -Medici, whom the Duc de Bellegarde, acting as proxy for his master, had -married at Florence on Oct. 6, 1600, arrived at Lyons. Henri IV joined -her there a few days later, and on December 17 the marriage was -celebrated with great splendour. On the arrival of the royal bride at -Nemours, the King caused Madame de Verneuil to be presented to her. As -the sultana came forward, he explained who she was: “This young lady is -my mistress; she will be your obedient and humble servant!” Then, as the -scant curtsey which was all the salutation which Henriette vouchsafed -the Queen appeared to hold out little hope of the fulfilment of this -promise, he placed his hand on her head and bent it down, until she -kissed the hem of her rival’s dress. - -It must be acknowledged that his Majesty could hardly have contrived an -introduction better calculated to exasperate the temper of both women. -Nevertheless, on this occasion, the Queen contrived to dissimulate her -feelings, and, according to Bassompierre, gave Madame de Verneuil a very -good reception--“_bonne chère_,” as they said then. - -In January, 1601, Bassompierre again went to Lorraine, to visit his -mother, who was ill, and remained there three months. He returned in -company with the Duchess of Bar and her father-in-law, Charles III of -Lorraine, who were on their way to pay a visit to the Court, which was -then in residence at Monceaux. The Château of Monceaux, so closely -associated with memories of “_la belle_ Gabrielle,” had just been -presented to the Queen by Henri IV, and Marie de’ Medici entertained her -distinguished guests with lavish hospitality. The royal ménage was, -however, in a very troubled state, for the wife and the mistress were -already at daggers drawn, and between them the Very Christian King was -having a decidedly unpleasant time of it. Matters, indeed, had come to -such a pass that Henri IV was contemplating the advisability of marrying -Madame de Verneuil, with a rich dowry, to some needy foreign prince, and -thus removing her from his Court; and Bassompierre was called upon to -assist at a sort of council between the King, Sully, and the Chancellor, -Pomponne de Bellièvre, the last of whom strongly urged his Majesty to -get rid of the lady at any cost:-- - - “The King inquired if he should give something to Madame de - Verneuil in order to marry her to a prince, who she declared, was - willing to espouse her, if she had 100,000 crowns. M. de Bellièvre - (the Chancellor) said: ‘Sire, I am of opinion that you should give - 100,000 crowns to this young lady to procure a suitable husband.’ - And when M. de Sully made answer that it was very easy to speak of - 100,000 crowns, but very difficult to find them, the Chancellor, - without looking at him, rejoined: ‘Sire, I am of opinion that you - should take 200,000 crowns and give it to this young lady to marry - her, and even 300,000, if you cannot do it for less. And that is my - advice.’ The King repented afterwards of not having approved and - followed this counsel.” - -In September, 1601, Henri IV was at Calais, and Queen Elizabeth came to -Dover, partly in the hope that her old ally would visit her to discuss -the advisability of joint action against Spain. The King, however, was -unwilling to alarm the Catholics or to do anything which might -precipitate a renewal of the war with Spain, and he also perhaps feared -that Elizabeth might seize the opportunity to demand the repayment of -certain advances of money which she had made him during his struggle -against the League, and which it would be highly inconvenient to refund -just then. Accordingly, he dispatched the Maréchal de Biron to offer his -excuses and regrets to the Queen; and Biron persuaded Bassompierre, who -had just arrived at Calais from a journey to Verneuil upon which the -King had sent him, to accompany him to England. - - “We did not find the Queen in London,” writes Bassompierre. “She - was making a progress, and was at a country-house called Basin,[35] - forty leagues distant, which belonged to the Marquis of - Vincester.[36] The Queen notified her intention of receiving us at - another country-house, called The Vine, a league from Basin, - whither M. de Biron was conducted. He was very honourably received - by the Queen, who went a-hunting next day with fifty ladies on - hackneys and sent for M. de Biron to join the hunt. On the morrow, - he took leave of the Queen and returned to London, where, after - remaining three days, he repassed the sea.” - -The first news which greeted Bassompierre and the marshal on their -arrival at Boulogne, near which contrary winds had obliged them to land, -was the birth of the Dauphin (afterwards Louis XIII), which had taken -place on September 27, 1601.[37] - -Bassompierre was present at Fontainebleau that evening in the following -June, when Biron, after refusing Henri IV’s magnanimous offer of pardon -on condition that he would confess the truth concerning his treasonable -dealings with the Duke of Savoy, was arrested by the Marquis de Vitry, -Captain of the Château of Fontainebleau, as he was passing from the -King’s cabinet into the Chambre de Saint-Louis, and requested to give up -his sword. - - “I was in the Chamber,” he writes, “having withdrawn to the window - with M. de Montbazon and La Guesle.[38] We approached the marshal, - who asked M. de Montbazon to go and beg the King that he might be - allowed to retain his sword, adding: ‘What treatment, Messieurs, - for a man who has served as I have!’ M. de Montbazon went to the - King and returned to say that the King desired him to give up his - sword, upon which he permitted them to take it away.” - -Biron was conducted to the Bastille, where his captivity was shared by -the Comte d’Auvergne, who had been arrested at the same time.[39] Later -that evening, Henri IV sent for Bassompierre and other nobles, and -placed before them the letters which La Fin, the instigator of the -conspiracy, who had subsequently turned informer, had given him. They -were all written in Biron’s own hand. - -The marshal was arraigned for high treason before the Parlement of -Paris, the peers of the realm being summoned to take their places -amongst the judges, as was the custom when one of their number was on -his trial. The evidence of the accused’s guilt was overwhelming, and he -was unanimously sentenced to death. On July 31, 1602, he was beheaded in -the courtyard of the Bastille, it having been decided to spare him the -ignominy of a public execution in the Place de Grève. The pusillanimous -Comte d’Auvergne was pardoned and set at liberty in the following -October, thanks to the intercession of his half-sister, Madame de -Verneuil. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - Bassompierre sets out for Hungary to serve as a volunteer in the - Imperial Army against the Turks--His journey to Vienna--He learns - that the commander-in-chief of the army is General von Rossworm, a - mortal enemy of the Bassompierre family--He is advised by his - friends in Vienna to take service in the Army of Transylvania, - instead of in that of Hungary, but declines to change his plans--He - sups more well than wisely at Gran--His arrival at the Imperialist - camp before Buda--Position of the hostile armies--Bassompierre is - presented to Rossworm--He narrowly escapes being killed or taken - prisoner by the Turks--He takes part in a fierce combat in the Isle - of Adon, and has another narrow escape--He is reconciled with - Rossworm--Massacre of eight hundred Turkish prisoners--Failure of a - night-attack planned by the Imperialist general--Gallant but - foolhardy enterprise of the Hungarians--The Turks bombard the - Imperialist headquarters--Termination of the campaign--Bassompierre - returns with Rossworm to Vienna. - - -Peace having been concluded between France and Savoy, tranquillity -reigned for the moment in Europe, except in Hungary, where the eternal -conflict between the Cross and the Crescent continued to be waged as -bitterly as ever. In those days, war, with very few exceptions, was the -only road which led to honour and renown, and when Christians were at -peace with one another, the Turks became the objective of all -adventurous spirits, who went to fight the Infidel in Hungary, Crete, or -Malta as their ancestors flocked to the Crusades. Moreover, it was not -without mortification that the German relatives of Bassompierre, who had -seen all his family entirely devoted to the profession of arms, beheld -him passing his youth at the Court of France in voluptuous idleness, -and, to wean him from it, they obtained for him the offer of the command -of a regiment of 3,000 men which the Circle of Bavaria had agreed to -contribute to the Imperial Army in Hungary for the campaign of 1603. -Bassompierre, however, though willing enough to go to Hungary, had the -good sense to decline this post, “not deeming it fitting,” he writes, -“that, without any knowledge of the country, I should straightway take -command of 3,000 men,” and decided to serve as a simple volunteer. - -Accordingly, about the middle of August, 1603, having obtained leave of -absence from the King, he left Paris, and travelled by way of Nancy and -Strasbourg to Ulm, where his attendants, whom he had sent on in advance, -had procured two large boats for his passage down the Danube. In these -he and his suite, which appears to have been quite an imposing one, as -befitted a gentleman of such ancient lineage and one of the favourites -of the King of France, embarked and proceeded to Neuburg, where he was -very hospitably entertained by Duke William II, who, a few years before, -had abdicated his throne in favour of his son, now Maximilian I. -Continuing his journey, with stoppages at Ingoldstadt, Ratisbon, and -Linz, at the beginning of the second week in September he arrived in -Vienna, where he found the Prince de Joinville, who had been temporarily -banished from France,[40] Frederick, Count von Salm, and several other -gentlemen of his acquaintance, both French and German, most of whom -were, like himself, on their way to win honour and glory, or -peradventure to find a soldier’s grave, on the plains of Hungary. - -Some of these modern Crusaders came to dine with Bassompierre on the -day following his arrival in Vienna, and from them he learned a most -unwelcome piece of intelligence, namely, that the commander-in-chief of -the Imperial forces in Hungary under whom he was about to take service -was none other than General von Rossworm, a mortal enemy of the -Bassompierre family. - -It appears that some fifteen years before, in the time of the League, -Rossworm had served in France under Bassompierre’s father, by whom he -had been placed in charge of the town of Blancmesnil. Rossworm had taken -advantage of his position to abduct a young lady of noble birth who had -taken refuge at Blancmesnil with her mother, and whom he promised to -marry, but subsequently discarded, after subjecting the poor girl to the -most abominable treatment. On ascertaining the facts of the case, -Christophe de Bassompierre, burning with righteous indignation, vowed -that the German should pay for his villainy with his head; but the -latter, warned in time, fled from Blancmesnil and for some little while -succeeded in evading pursuit. Eventually, however, he was run to earth -at Amiens, and would undoubtedly have been executed, had not the Sieur -de Vitry, who commanded the light cavalry of the League, and who -happened to be under some personal obligation to Rossworm, found means -to enable him to escape. Rossworm subsequently returned to Germany and -entered the Imperial service, and being, though a pretty bad scoundrel, -even for a German soldier of fortune of those times, a very brave man -and a most capable officer, rose step by step, until at length he was -appointed to the command of the Imperial army in Hungary.[41] He had -cherished the most implacable resentment against Christophe de -Bassompierre, and while the two young Bassompierres were studying at -Ingoldstadt, they received warning that Rossworm, in order to avenge -himself upon the father, had actually planned to have the sons -assassinated. On being informed of this, Christophe complained to the -Duke of Bavaria, who had just appointed Rossworm to the command of the -regiment of foot which Bavaria was about to send to Hungary. The Duke -promptly deprived Rossworm of that post, a step which had served to -incense that worthy still further against the Bassompierres. - -Bassompierre’s friends in Vienna, on being informed by him how matters -stood, did not fail to represent to him the danger of placing himself in -the power of so unscrupulous and vindictive a man as Rossworm had proved -himself to be, and endeavoured to persuade him to renounce his intention -of going to Hungary and take service instead in the Army of -Transylvania, under its distinguished leader, George Basta. Finding, -however, that the young Lorrainer, though he quite appreciated the risk -he would be incurring, was indisposed to change his plans, they invited -to meet him at dinner Siegfried Colowitz, an Hungarian colonel, who had -just arrived in Vienna on a brief furlough, and laid the matter before -him. - -Colowitz, who had taken so great a fancy to Bassompierre that he had -insisted on making _brudershaft_ with him, expressed the opinion that -Rossworm was too unpopular in the army to attempt any open violence -against his new friend, and that, if he were so imprudent as to do so, -he himself had 1,200 Hungarian cavalry under his command, and his -brother Ferdinand 1,500 _landsknechts_, who would obey their orders -without question. However, as it was possible that Rossworm might have -recourse to some other means of injuring Bassompierre, he proposed that -the latter should take up his quarters in his own part of the camp, -where he would guarantee his safety. - -Towards the end of September, Bassompierre having spent the interval in -purchasing the tents, carts, horses, and other things which he -required, left Vienna, in company with the Prince de Joinville, and -continued his journey down the Danube. At Gran, the governor, Count -Althann, came to meet them, bringing with him horses for them to ride to -the citadel, where he informed them that he was expecting two other -distinguished guests, in the persons of the Bishop of Erlau and Count -Illischezki, one of the chief nobles of Hungary, whom the Emperor had -appointed as deputies to treat, in conjunction with himself, for peace. -At the citadel, the two young gentlemen appear to have supped more well -than wisely:-- - - “He [Count Althann],” writes Bassompierre, “entertained M. de - Joinville and myself to a most excellent supper, at which we drank - in moderation. But, unhappily, the deputies having arrived, orders - were given to serve it up again, and we remained at table until - midnight; by which time we were so drunk that we lost all - consciousness and had to be carried back to our boats.” - -On September 27th they arrived at Waitzen, on the left bank of the -Danube, where they were met by Ferdinand Colowitz, who handed -Bassompierre a letter from his brother Siegfried, in which he informed -him that, at his request, the Count von Tilly, who, in his younger days, -had served under Christophe de Bassompierre and was now a major-general -in the Imperial Army, had broken the news of the coming of Christophe’s -son to the commander-in-chief, who had emphatically disclaimed any evil -intentions towards the young man, although he would prefer to have no -intercourse with him. Colowitz added that should Rossworm, despite what -he had said, attempt any violence, half the army would rise against him. - -Bassompierre was naturally much relieved at this news, and that -afternoon he went with Joinville to Rossworm’s head-quarters, where he -was duly presented to the general and courteously, if somewhat coldly, -received. Afterwards, he proceeded to the Isle of Adon, where Siegfried -Colowitz’s cavalry were posted, and where his servants had already put -up his tent at a little distance from that of the Hungarian colonel. - -It may be as well here to explain the situation of affairs at the moment -when Bassompierre joined the army. - -In the campaign of the preceding year, the Christians had captured Pesth -and the lower town of Buda, situated on the opposite bank of the Danube. -This year their army, which was composed of some 30,000 infantry and -10,000 cavalry, to which, as in the time of the Crusades, almost every -country in Europe had contributed its quota, was encamped on the left -bank of the Danube, covering Pesth and threatening Buda. The Turks were -encamped on the right bank of the river, and their objective was the -revictualling of Buda and the recovery of Pesth or Gran. Rossworm had -strongly occupied the Isle of Adon, situated between the hostile camps, -and it was in this island that most of the fighting took place. The -Turks had occupied a small island, about 1,500 paces in circumference, -which lay between the Isle of Adon and their own camp, and had built a -bridge of boats from this island to the right bank. They had also made -several attempts to construct another bridge from the little island to -the left bank, but this was constantly broken by the fire of the -Imperialist artillery. They, however, occasionally succeeding in -crossing over to the Isle of Adon, and even to the Imperialists’ side of -the river, in caiques and on rafts, under cover of darkness, but had -never yet succeeded in securing a footing there. - -Hardly had Bassompierre finished supper that evening than a message -arrived from Siegfried Colowitz to inform him that a reconnoitring party -of the enemy had just landed on the island, and to request him, if he -were in the mood for a little fighting, to put on his armour and have a -horse saddled, as he was about to attack them. Shortly afterwards, -Colowitz himself rode up, accompanied by a hundred or so of his -Hungarians, one of whom he ordered to dismount and give his horse to -Bassompierre, whose own charger he considered too heavy an animal for -the work before them. They then galloped away, and, having come upon the -Turks, charged them vigorously and forced them to beat a hasty retreat -to their caiques and return to their own side of the river. - -The following night, however, the Turks succeeded in landing on the -island in considerable force from caiques and pontoons, on the same spot -which they had just reconnoitred and began hurriedly constructing -entrenchments, with the object of holding the Imperialists at bay long -enough to enable the rest of the Ottoman army to be brought across. They -were so fiercely attacked, however, that they were soon obliged to -retreat. - -A few days later, Bassompierre had a narrow escape of being killed or -taken prisoner. - - “At daybreak on September 29,” he writes, “we issued from our great - entrenchment with 200 Hungarian horse to reconnoitre the enemy; but - we had not gone three hundred paces, when we perceived some hundred - horsemen in front of us. The Hungarians, according to their custom, - were dispersed in all directions, and we had not more than thirty - with us, all of whom took to flight so soon as the enemy appeared. - But I, who could not imagine that the Turks had advanced so far, - and who could not distinguish them from the Hungarians, thought - that they belonged to us, until an Hungarian fugitive called out to - me: ‘_Heu, domine, adsunt Turcae!_’ which caused me to retreat - also.” - -At the beginning of October the Turks resolved upon a great effort to -drive the Imperialists from the Isle of Adon. Rossworm, however, had -received warning of the enemy’s intention, and of the day and hour when -the attempt would be made; and, though he might easily have prevented -the Turks from reaching the island, he decided to allow them to pass the -river and then to fall suddenly upon them. With this purpose, he -brought, under cover of night, the greater part of his army over to the -island, and placed in ambush a body of 4,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, -the latter including the regiment of Siegfried Colowitz, to which -Bassompierre and Joinville were attached. These troops swooped down upon -the Turks before they had had time to form in order of battle after -effecting their landing, and routed them with terrible slaughter, great -numbers being cut down, while many more were drowned in the Danube, into -which they had thrown themselves to escape the lances and sabres of the -pursuing cavalry. - -In this engagement Bassompierre again had a narrow escape. He was -mounted that day on a magnificent Spanish stallion, for which he had -given a thousand crowns; but he was a very mettlesome animal and by no -means easy to ride, and, having been wounded below the eye by a javelin -in the first charge, while, at the same time, his curb-chain broke, he -became quite unmanageable and bolted after the flying enemy at breakneck -speed. Bassompierre endeavoured in vain to stop him, and then, seeing -that he had far outstripped his comrades and was alone in the midst of -the fugitives, he bore hard on the left rein and succeeded in turning -him in that direction. But he had only diverted the maddened animal’s -course, without checking his speed, and found himself being carried -towards a body of some thousand Turks who had not yet been engaged and -were retreating in good order. A few seconds more and he would have been -in the middle of them, when, happily for him, his equerry Des Essans, -who had been riding hard to overtake his master, came up and, seizing -the runaway’s bridle, managed to hold him long enough to enable -Bassompierre to throw himself out of the saddle, within twenty paces of -the Turks. The latter, though very reluctant to forgo the chance of -killing and despoiling so magnificent a cavalier--for Bassompierre tells -us that he was arrayed that day “in a suit of gilded armour, very -beautifully chased, with a number of plumes and scarves upon himself and -his horse”--were too hard pressed by their pursuers to turn aside, and -continued their retreat, leaving him and Des Essans unmolested. The -faithful equerry had, however, not escaped unscathed, as, in seizing the -bridle of his master’s horse, he had been somewhat badly wounded in the -leg by Bassompierre’s sword, which was suspended from his wrist. - -Having procured another horse, Bassompierre continued the pursuit of the -enemy to the bank of the river, and then, accompanied by Joinville, made -his way to the spot where Rossworm and his staff were gathered, “seated -on some dead Turks.” On seeing Bassompierre, the general rose and -announced that he wished to say a few words. - - “And, after having praised me for what he had just seen me do, and - observed that I should not be a member of the family to which I - belonged if I were not valiant, he continued: ‘The late M. de - Bassompierre, your father, was my master, but he wished to put me - to death unjustly. I desire to forget that outrage and to remember - only the obligations under which he had previously placed me, and - to be henceforth, if you wish it, your friend and your servant.’ - Then I dismounted from my horse and advanced to salute him and - thank him in the most suitable terms that I could think of. Upon - which, turning towards the two princes, the Prince de Joinville and - the Landgrave of Hesse, and the colonels and other officers who - were with him, he said: ‘Gentlemen, I could not effect this - reconciliation or offer these assurances of friendship to M. de - Bassompierre in a better place, after a better action, or before - more noble witnesses. I invite you to dine with me to-morrow, and - him also, to confirm again what has just occurred.’ And this we all - promised to do.” - -After this victory the Imperialists returned to their camp on the left -bank of the river, where Rossworm ordered all the Turkish prisoners -taken in the battle to be put to death, “because they embarrassed the -army.” “It was a very cruel thing,” adds Bassompierre, “to see more -than 800 men who had surrendered slaughtered in cold blood.” -Nevertheless, the butchery of prisoners appears to have been an only too -common practice in the wars between the Cross and the Crescent, which -were conducted on both sides with the most pitiless ferocity. - -Next day Bassompierre dined with the commander-in-chief and his staff, -when they confirmed “with the bottle and a thousand protestations of -friendship, the reconciliation which had been effected on the field of -battle.” To do Rossworm justice, he was perfectly sincere in his desire -to terminate his feud with the Bassompierre family, and he and the young -volunteer soon became firm friends. - -The Turks still held the little island, and had preserved intact the -bridge of boats by which communication with their army on the right bank -of the Danube was maintained. They had mounted on this island six pieces -of cannon, which completely commanded the approach from the left bank of -the river, so that any attempt to capture it by day would have been out -of the question, even if the bridge of boats had not enabled the enemy -to hurry reinforcements across at the first alarm. Rossworm, however, -considered that, if the communications of the garrison of the island -with their army could be temporarily interrupted by the destruction of -this bridge, a night attack might very well prove successful. - -On the night of October 8-9 he determined to make the attempt, and -accordingly dispatched engineers to blow up the bridge, while a large -force was brought into the Isle of Adon, and boats and rafts collected -to ferry them across. The engineers duly succeeded in destroying the -bridge, but the Hungarians, who formed the advance-guard of the -attacking force, remained inactive in their boats in the middle of the -river, awaiting the arrival of a body of pikemen whom they had demanded -as supports, in case there should be cavalry on the island. The -consequence was that the Turks were given time to send over -reinforcements, and the opportunity was lost. - -Rossworm returned to his camp in great wrath, anathematizing the -Hungarians, whom he accused of cowardice. The Hungarian chiefs -indignantly repudiated such an aspersion, and, to redeem their -reputation, volunteered to cross the river and construct a fort in the -plain between Buda and the Turkish camp. Rossworm accepted this offer, -though it is difficult to understand how he could have countenanced an -undertaking which could have no other result than the useless sacrifice -of gallant lives; and on the night of October 10-11, some 1,300 -Hungarians landed on the right bank, unperceived by the enemy, and began -to entrench themselves. - -They worked desperately all night, but when morning dawned, a Turkish -flotilla appeared upon the scene, and bombarded their -hastily-constructed fort from the river; while the enemy in great force -assailed it from the land side. After an heroic resistance, the -Hungarians were obliged to abandon it, with the loss of some 300 men, -and retreat to the caiques which were waiting to take them off. So -fierce was the pursuit that some of the Turkish cavalry spurred their -horses into the water to attack the caiques, and two were made prisoners -with their steeds. - -Rossworm had placed a number of cannon in the Isle of Adon to cover the -retreat of the Hungarians, but only two of these pieces appear to have -come into action, which Bassompierre tells us the general ascribed to -the fact that, the day being a Sunday, most of the artillerymen were -drunk. - -Shortly after this, the Turks brought up some twenty guns to a height -overlooking the Imperialist headquarters, which they bombarded heavily -and persistently. One day, whilst Bassompierre was playing cards with -the general and two other officers, a shot passed right through the -tent, whilst on another, when visiting Annibal de Schomberg, a shot -struck the tent-pole and brought the whole tent down upon the heads of -its occupants. Finally, after this unpleasant state of things had lasted -for five days, Rossworm decided to remove his headquarters to a valley -where cannon-shot could not reach him, upon which the bombardment -ceased. - -Towards the middle of November, the Turks, having succeeded in their -main objective, that of revictualling Buda, struck their camp and -marched back to Belgrade, where their army was disbanded. Rossworm, -after leading a flying column along the river and capturing one or two -not very important places, with the idea of showing that the campaign -had not been wholly without results on the Imperialists’ side, disbanded -his troops likewise, and set out for Vienna, accompanied by -Bassompierre. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - Bassompierre goes to Prague, where the Imperial Court is in - residence--He is presented by Rossworm to the lords of the - Council--He dines at the house of Prestowitz, Burgrave of - Karlstein, and falls in love with his widowed daughter, “Madame - Esther”--Bassompierre and Rossworm engage in an amorous adventure, - from which they narrowly escape with their lives--Bassompierre - plays tennis with Wallenstein, with the Emperor Maximilian an - interested spectator--He is presented to the Emperor, who receives - him very graciously and commissions him to raise troops in Lorraine - for service against the Turks. Bassompierre, Rossworm and other - nobles parade the streets masked and have an affray with the - police--Singular sequel to this affair--Bassompierre spends the - Carnival with the Prestowitz family at Karlstein--Amorous escapade - with “Madame Esther”--Bassompierre sets out for Lorraine--He - engages in a drinking-bout with the canons of Saverne, which very - nearly has a fatal termination--Death of his brother Jean, Seigneur - de Removille, at the siege of Ostend--Grievances of Bassompierre - against the French Government--Henri IV promises that “justice - shall be done him” and invites him to return to his - Court--Bassompierre renounces his intention of entering the - Imperial service and sets out for France. - - -In Vienna, Bassompierre remained for six weeks, where he “passed his -time extremely well,” and about the middle of January, 1604, set out for -Prague, where the Imperial Court was then in residence. - - “At Prague,” he writes, “I found Rossworm, who since our - reconciliation had been on terms of the closest friendship with me. - He came, the following morning, to my lodging in his coach to take - me to the hall of the Palace of Prague,[42] where we walked up and - down until the Council rose, when the lords of the Council came to - salute Rossworm, whom they held in great respect, on account of his - being commander-in-chief of the Army. He then presented me to them, - begging them to honour me with their friendship and saying many - kind things concerning me.” - -On leaving the Palace, Rossworm took Bassompierre to dine with an old -Bohemian noble named Prestowitz, who occupied the post of burgrave of -Karlstein, the fortress in which the Imperial regalia and all the -charters of Bohemia were preserved. The burgrave had two sons, the elder -of whom was Grand Falconer of the Empire, while the younger, Wolf von -Prestowitz, had served with Bassompierre in the recent campaign, and -aspired to the command of the cavalry regiment which Bohemia was to send -to Hungary that year. For which reason the family were exceedingly civil -to the great Rossworm, who could do much to obtain this post for the -young man. The burgrave also possessed four young and pretty daughters. -Rossworm, it appeared, was in love with the youngest girl, Sibylla; -while Bassompierre promptly lost his heart to the third daughter, named -Esther, “a young lady of excellent beauty, eighteen years of age, widow -since six months of a gentleman called Briczner, to whom she had been -married a year.” - - “We were nobly received and entertained at Prestowitz’s house,” he - continues, “and after dinner there was dancing, when I began to - fall in love with Madame Esther, who made me understand that she - was not displeased with my design, which I revealed to her as I was - leaving the house. For she responded in such a way as to afford me - the means to write to her, and to tell me the places which she - visited, so that I might go there. I went also to see her sometimes - at her house, under cover of the friendship which had sprung up - between her younger brother and myself, when we were in Hungary.” - -His new-born passion for “Madame Esther” did not, however, prevent our -gentleman from indulging in other amorous adventures of a much less -excusable character: - - “On our return from dining with the Prestowitz family, Rossworm, - thinking to oblige me, engaged me in a rather unfortunate affair. - He had bargained with an innkeeper of the New Town that, for two - hundred ducats, he should surrender to him his two daughters, who - were very beautiful. I am of opinion, as will appear from the - sequel, that he had taken advantage of this poor man when he was - drunk to obtain such a promise from him. When we had arrived within - some two hundred paces of this inn, we alighted from our coach, - which we ordered to turn round and await our return; and Rossworm - and I, with a page of his, who was to act as interpreter, went the - rest of the way on foot. - - “We found the father in the room where the stove stood, and with - him his two daughters, who were going about their work. He was very - astonished to see us, and still more so when Rossworm made him - understand that each of us had brought him a hundred ducats for - what the innkeeper had promised him. Thereupon the man cried out - that he had never promised any such thing, and, opening the window, - shouted twice: ‘_Mortriau! Mortriau!_’ that is to say, ‘Murder!’ - Then Rossworm held his poniard to the innkeeper’s throat, and - directed the page to tell him that if he spoke to the neighbours or - did not order his daughters to do our will, he was a dead man, and - told me to take away one of the girls.... But I, who had been at - first under the impression that I was engaged in an affair in which - all the parties were in accord, answered that I did not intend to - touch the girls. Rossworm then said that, if I did not wish to do - so, I must come and hold my poniard to the father’s throat, and - that he would take one of the girls away.... This I did very - reluctantly; and the poor girls wept.” - -The odious Rossworm had already seized upon one of the unfortunate girls -to drag her away, when a great shouting reached their ears, and looking -out of the window, he saw a large and threatening crowd, which had come -in response to the innkeeper’s cries for help, gathered before the -house. Thereupon he let his intended victim go, and told Bassompierre -that they were in grave danger, and would need all their courage and -presence of mind if they wanted to leave that house alive. Then, turning -to the innkeeper, he told him--or rather made the page do so--that he -would kill him, if he did not contrive their escape from the mob. Now, -the innkeeper was wearing a long smock, under which Rossworm placed his -poniard, pressing the point against the man’s flesh, and told -Bassompierre to give his dagger to the page, that he might do likewise. -In this fashion they went out of the room and along the passage to the -door of the inn, where the trembling Boniface gave some apparently -satisfactory explanation to his neighbours, for the latter, who, of -course, could not see the poniards pressed against his back, began to -disperse. - -Then Rossworm and the page, imagining that the danger was over, sheathed -their poniards, and they and Bassompierre began to walk away in the -direction of their coach. But they had gone but a few paces, when the -innkeeper, recovering from his alarm, began to shout: “Murder! Murder!” -again with all the strength of his lungs. They took to their heels and -ran for their lives, pursued by an infuriated mob, who pelted them with -volleys of stones, which they had apparently collected at the first -alarm. - - “Then Rossworm cried out to me: ‘Brother, _sauve qui peut!_ If you - fall, do not expect me to pick you up, for each of us must look to - his own safety.’ We ran pretty fast, but the rain of stones - incommoded us greatly, and one of them, striking Rossworm in the - back, brought him to the ground. I, who did not wish to treat him - in the manner in which he had just announced his intention of - treating me, raised him up and helped him along for some twenty - paces, when, happily, we reached our coach. Into this we threw - ourselves, and were soon in safety in the Old Town, having escaped - from the paws of more than four hundred people.” - -Next day, Rossworm, presumably out of gratitude to Bassompierre for -having saved his life at the risk of his own, secured for him the high -privilege of admission to the Emperor’s ante-chamber, which was usually -only accorded to princes and very great nobles. Here he appears to have -met the Count von Wallenstein, the great captain of the Thirty Years’ -War, then a youth of twenty, who, a few days later, challenged him to a -match at tennis. During the game the Emperor appeared at a window of the -palace which overlooked the tennis-court, and remained there for some -time, an interested spectator. The following morning his Majesty gave -orders that Bassompierre should be presented to him, and received him -very graciously indeed, observing that his family had always been -faithful servants of the Imperial House, and that he had heard that he -had conducted himself very well in Hungary. He added that, if he wished -to enter his service and would inform him of what post he desired, he -would be very pleased to appoint him to it. Maximilian spoke in Spanish -and requested Bassompierre to reply in the same language. - -Shortly after this, the Emperor sent the Count von Fürstenberg to inform -Bassompierre that he proposed making certain changes in the cavalry of -the Imperial Army, and that if he were willing to go to Lorraine and -raise three new companies of light horse and three of musketeers for -service in Hungary, he would appoint him colonel of a thousand horse. -This offer Bassompierre accepted, “foreseeing,” says he, “that France -would remain at peace for a long while, and urged thereto by the intense -love with which Madame Esther had inspired me.” - -His attachment to this young lady, however, made him far from anxious to -hasten his departure for Lorraine, and he therefore decided to postpone -it until after the Carnival, which “Madame Esther,” who had returned to -Karlstein, intended to pass at Prague. But, to his great disappointment, -her father, the burgrave, fell ill and she was obliged to remain at -Karlstein. However, notwithstanding the absence of his inamorata, he -contrived to spend a very pleasant time, “with continual feasts and -festivities and very high play at prime between five or six of us, to -wit, Count von Stahrenberg, President of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Adam -Galpopel, Grand Prior of Bohemia, Kinsky, Rossworm and myself. And there -was not an evening in which I did not win or lose two or three thousand -thalers.” - -On the occasion of the marriage of the Emperor’s Grand Equerry, which -took place during the Carnival, and the festivities in connection with -which lasted several days, Bassompierre arranged with Rossworm and six -other nobles to parade the town on horseback, masked and splendidly -dressed. As they were passing the Town Hall, some constables came up to -Bassompierre and Rossworm, who, preceded by their pages bearing their -swords aloft, were riding at the head of the party, and informed them -that the Emperor had forbidden anyone to pass through the town masked. -They, however, pretended that they did not understand Sclavonic, and -rode on. No attempt was made to stop them, but, on their return, they -found chains stretched across all the streets leading to the square in -which the Town Hall stood, except the one by which they entered, and, so -soon as they had passed, chains were stretched across that also. Then a -whole company of constables appeared upon the scene, and, beginning with -the hindmost of the party, seized their companions, who, not having -brought their swords with them, were unable to offer any resistance, and -haled them off to prison. Meanwhile, Bassompierre and Rossworm had taken -their swords from their pages, but they did not draw them. However, when -one of the constables attempted to seize the bridle of Bassompierre’s -horse, Rossworm struck him on the hand with his sheathed sword, and, the -blade, breaking through the scabbard, wounded the man somewhat severely. -They were immediately surrounded by more than two hundred police, but, -drawing their swords, they contrived to prevent them from closing with -them and dragging them off their horses, though not without receiving a -volley of blows on their backs and arms. - - “This went on for some time,” continues Bassompierre, “until a - chief justice came out of the Town Hall and raised his bâton (which - they call _regimentstock_). Upon this, all the constables laid - their halberds on the ground; and Rossworm (who knew the custom) - threw down his sword and called out to me to do the same instantly. - I did so, otherwise I should have been declared a rebel to the - Emperor and punished as such. Rossworm asked me to answer when the - judge began to question us, as he did not wish to be recognised. - The judge inquired who I was, and I told him without disguising - anything. He then asked the name of my companion, and I answered - that it was Rossworm, whereupon he offered us the most profuse - apologies. Rossworm, annoyed that I had given his name, when he saw - that it was useless to deny it, fell into a rage and threatened the - judge and the constables that he would complain to the Emperor and - the Chancellor and have them severely punished. They tried every - means to appease him, but he, as well as myself, had been too well - beaten to be satisfied with words. They delivered up to us our six - companions, who were more fortunate than ourselves, since they had - suffered nothing worse than a fright, and we rode away. In the - evening we attended the wedding festivities as though nothing had - happened. But, next morning, Rossworm went to the Chancellor, to - whom he spoke very arrogantly, and the Chancellor, to satisfy us, - threw more than 150 constables into prison. Their wives were every - day at my door to obtain a pardon for them, and I solicited - Rossworm very earnestly to grant it. But he was inexorable, and - made them lie a fortnight in prison during the rigour of winter, - from the effects of which two of them died. Finally, with great - difficulty, I contrived to get the rest set at liberty.” - -The imprisonment of these unfortunate constables, who had only done -their duty, was indeed a singular way for a Government to encourage the -faithful execution of its orders! - -In the town of Prague the New Calendar was in use, but among the -Hussites, in the country districts of Bohemia, it was not observed. In -consequence, after the Carnival was over at Prague, it lasted another -ten days in the country, and the Burgrave Prestowitz invited -Bassompierre, Rossworm, and two Bohemian nobles named Stavata and -Colwrat to come and spend a second Carnival at Karlstein, at which a -large party of nobles and ladies were to assemble. Colwrat was a great -admirer of the Countess Millessimo, the eldest sister of Bassompierre’s -inamorata, while Stavata was just embarking in a romance with her second -sister, the not-too-devoted wife of a gentleman named Colowitz; and “on -Ash Wednesday the four lovers of the four daughters of the burgrave -travelled to Karlstein in the same coach.” - -At Karlstein Bassompierre appears to have spent an even more agreeable -time than during the Carnival at Prague: - - “We found there more than twenty ladies, including several who were - very beautiful, and it is needless to say we were made welcome by - the daughters of the house, but principally by my lady, who was - enraptured to see me, as I was to see her. For I was desperately in - love with her, and I can say that never in my life did I pass ten - days more agreeably or better employed than those I passed there, - being always at table, at the ball, in the sleigh, or engaged in - another and better occupation. At length, the Carnival being over, - we returned to Prague, with great regret on their part and ours, - but very satisfied with our little journey.” - -Before leaving Karlstein, Bassompierre had extracted a promise from -“Madame Esther” that she would take an early opportunity of coming to -Prague; but, as the worthy burgrave fell ill again, very probably in -consequence of the quantity of rich food and strong wine which he had -consumed during the Carnival, she was unable to do this. However, she -hastened to atone to her lover for his disappointment, for “she made him -come in disguise to Karlstein, where he spent five days and six nights -concealed in a chamber near her own.” - -On his return from this amorous escapade, Bassompierre prepared to set -out for Lorraine, and, having received his despatches and an order on -the Lorraine treasury for the payment of the troops which he had -undertaken to raise in the duchy,[43] he left Prague on Palm Sunday, -accompanied alone by Cominges-Guitaut, Seigneur de Fléac, a French -gentleman who had served with him in Hungary, and a German _valet de -chambre_. - -He spent the first night of his journey at Karlstein, ostensibly to bid -adieu to the burgrave and his family, but, in reality, to take farewell -of “Madame Esther,” who was, of course, very disconsolate at the -departure of her lover, though Bassompierre promised that, so soon as he -had raised his levy, he would return to her side for a little while, -before leading his horsemen into Hungary. As he was still “_éperdument -amoureux_,” and to such a degree that he assures us that the charms of -some very beautiful ladies whom he met at a country-house at which he -stopped on the following day, and where, sad to relate, both he and his -friend Guitaut got very drunk, were powerless to make the smallest -impression upon him, he no doubt fully intended to keep his word; but, -as events turned out, poor “Madame Esther” was never to see him again. - -Travelling by way of Pilsen and Ratisbon, he arrived at Munich, where -his friend William II. of Bavaria entertained him very hospitably and -“offered him the command of the regiment of foot which Bavaria -maintained in Hungary, in any year that he cared to accept it, provided -he would notify him before Easter.” The Duke also lent him one of his -own coaches, which brought him to Augsburg, where he took horse to -Strasbourg, and a few days after Easter reached Saverne, and put up at -an inn, with the intention of continuing his journey early on the -morrow. - -At Saverne an adventure befell him which might very well have had a -fatal termination:-- - - “I sat down to table to sup, before going to visit the canons at - the castle; but, as I was about to begin, they arrived to take me - to the château and lodge me there. They were the Dean of the - Chapter, François de Crehange, the Count von Kayl, and the two - brothers von Salm-Reifferscheid. They had already supped and were - half-drunk. I begged them, since they had found me at table, to sit - down with me, instead of taking me to sup at the castle. This they - did, and in a short time Guitaut and I had contrived to make them - so drunk, that we were obliged to have them carried back to the - castle. I remained at my inn, and, at daybreak on the morrow, I - mounted my horse, thinking to depart; but they had, the previous - night, given orders that I was not to be allowed to pass, for they - wished to have their revenge on me for having made them drunk. I - was, therefore, compelled to remain and dine with them, which I had - great cause to regret. For, in order to intoxicate me, they put - brandy in my wine; at least, that is my opinion, though they - afterwards assured me that they had not done so, and that it was - only a wine of Leiperg, very strong and heady. Anyway, I had - scarcely drunk ten or twelve glasses before I lost all - consciousness and fell into such a lethargy that it was necessary - to bleed me several times, to cup me and to bind my arms and legs - with garters. I remained at Saverne five days in this condition, - and lost to such a degree the taste for wine, that for two years I - was not only unable to drink it, but even to smell it, without - disgust.” - -So perhaps, after all, this very painful experience may have proved to -be a blessing in disguise. - -On his recovery, Bassompierre proceeded to Harouel, but learning that -his mother was at Toul, set out thither, stopping for a few days on his -way at the Abbey of Épinal, of which an aunt of his, Yolande de -Bassompierre, was the Superior. Here he met again his cousin Yolande de -Livron, with whom he had fallen in love two years before, and who -happened also to be a guest of the abbess. This damsel had lately -married the Comte des Cars, but this did not prevent her from being -exceedingly agreeable to her handsome kinsman, and “the fires of their -old passion blazed up again.” However, perhaps fortunately for the young -countess, Bassompierre was soon obliged to continue his journey to Toul, -whence he returned with his mother to Harouel. - -Their home-coming was a sad one, for, while at Toul, Madame de -Bassompierre had learned that her second son, Jean, Seigneur de -Removille, who towards the end of the previous year had quitted the -service of France for that of Spain, had died from the effects of a -wound which he had received at the siege of Ostend, and, the day after -their arrival at Harouel, the poor young man’s body was brought there -for burial. Bassompierre was genuinely grieved at the death of his -brother, to whom he had been much attached, and whom he describes as “a -man of high courage and good sense, which, joined to a handsome -presence, would have assured his fortune”; and he was greatly incensed -against Henri IV, or, rather, against Sully, whom he regarded as -indirectly responsible for the sad event. - -This requires some explanation. - -It appears that, during the Wars of Religion, the French Government had -become indebted to Christophe de Bassompierre for various large sums, -amounting in all to about 140,000 crowns, which Christophe had paid the -troops whom he had raised for their service. As it was not convenient -for the Treasury to discharge the debt, it was decided that certain -estates belonging to the Crown in Normandy--Saint Sauveur-le-Vicomte, -Saint-Sauveur-Landelin, and the barony of Nehou, should be mortgaged to -Christophe, the estates to be administered by persons appointed by him. -It was anticipated that the revenues of these lands would be sufficient -to pay the interest on the money which he had advanced; but this did not -prove to be the case, and the arrears of interest continued to mount up, -until at the time of his death they had reached a very large sum. -However, being on the whole satisfied with the arrangement which had -been made, Christophe does not appear to have taken any steps to press -his claims upon the French Government, nor did his family do so after -his death. But, in the autumn of 1601, Sully, seeing an opportunity of -mortgaging these lands on more favourable terms, persuaded Henri IV to -issue a decree which provided that the money advanced by Christophe -should be refunded to his heirs, with the addition of a sum which -represented less than half of the accumulated interest due to them. The -King--or rather his Minister--defended this decision on the ground that -of late years the Saint-Sauveur lands had become much more valuable, and -had--or ought to have--produced a revenue in excess of the interest due. - -Bassompierre protested warmly to the King against the injustice of this -decree, and asked that it should be annulled; and Henri IV, a little -ashamed of the shabby manner in which he had allowed his favourite to be -treated, promised him, shortly before Bassompierre’s departure for -Hungary, that “within two months he should be satisfied.” - -However, as time went on, without anything being done, Removille, with -whom his brother had left full authority to settle the matter with the -Government, took upon himself to remind the King of his promise. Henri -IV returned an evasive answer, upon which Removille, who was far less -tactful than his elder brother, spoke to his Majesty “without that -respect or restraint that he ought to have employed.” This brought upon -him a severe reprimand from the King, and, burning with resentment, the -young man promptly quitted Henri IV’s service and entered that of Spain, -in which he met an untimely death. - -Nor was this all, for, shortly before Removille’s death, Henri IV, -learning that he had been raising a regiment of foot in Lorraine to -serve in Flanders, and that Bassompierre was raising a body of horse, -concluded, not unnaturally, that the troops which the latter was -recruiting were also destined for Flanders, and that he too had quitted -his service for that of Philip III. Thereupon he seized the Château of -Saint-Sauveur and ejected Bassompierre’s servants. - -This news, which reached him almost simultaneously with that of his -brother’s death, served to incense Bassompierre still further against -Henri IV and his advisers, and it is very probable that the Court of -France would have seen him no more, had not the King, ascertaining that -the elder brother’s levy was intended for service against the Turks in -Hungary and that the younger was dead, hastened to make amends for his -high-handed action, and directed Zamet to write Bassompierre a letter of -explanation. In this letter Bassompierre was informed that his Majesty -was greatly surprised and pained that he should desire to quit his -service without cause; that he had not yet allowed the decree of the -Council to be executed, and had only taken possession of the Château of -Saint-Sauveur because Removille had become a Spanish subject and the -château was Crown property; and that he fully intended to make an -arrangement which would be satisfactory to him. - -Bassompierre replied that nothing was further from his desire than to -leave the King’s service, but, unless the decree were annulled, he would -be so impoverished that it would be no longer possible to live as -befitted his rank at his Majesty’s Court. This letter had the desired -effect, for Henri IV was really much attached to the gay and lively -Lorrainer, who was a man after his own heart; and, shortly afterwards, -Bassompierre received a letter in the King’s own hand inviting him to -return to the Court, when “he would soon see how good a master he was.” - -Bassompierre, feeling sure that the King would keep his word, however -much Sully might protest, decided to return to France forthwith, and -accordingly sent a messenger to Vienna to inform the Emperor that he was -summoned to France by private affairs of the highest importance, and -that it would therefore be impossible for him to raise the troops which -he had intended to recruit for his Imperial Majesty’s service. At the -same time, he returned in full the money which he had received for that -purpose, although he had already disbursed a portion of it. This very -honourable action served to mollify any resentment which the Emperor -might otherwise have felt; and he replied, through Rossworm, that he -should not appoint a colonel of his foreign cavalry for the present, but -would keep the post open for Bassompierre, in case he desired to return -to Hungary the following year. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - Bassompierre arrives at Fontainebleau and is most graciously - received by Henri IV--He falls in love with Marie d’Entragues, - sister of the King’s mistress--The conspiracy of the - d’Entragues--The Sieur d’Entragues and the Comte d’Auvergne are - arrested and conveyed to the Bastille, and Madame de Verneuil kept - a prisoner in her own house--Jacqueline de Bueil temporarily - replaces Madame de Verneuil in the royal affections--The King, - unable to do without the latter, sets her and her father at - liberty--Bassompierre becomes the lover of Marie d’Entragues--He is - dangerously wounded by the Duc de Guise in a tournament, and his - life is at first despaired of--He recovers--Attentions which he - receives during his illness from the ladies of the Court. - - -Towards the end of August, 1604, Bassompierre arrived in Paris, where -his numerous friends, he tells us, were so delighted to see him that it -was three days before they would permit him to continue his journey to -Fontainebleau, whither the Court had recently removed; and when he at -last contrived to get away, so many of them desired to accompany him, -that it required no less than forty post-horses to convey them. - -At Fontainebleau he met with so warm a welcome both from the King and -the ladies of the Court, that he thought no more of returning to -Germany: - - “The King was on the great terrace before the Cour du Cheval Blanc - when we arrived, and awaited us there, receiving me with a thousand - embraces. He then led me into the apartment of the Queen, his wife, - who lodged in the apartment above his own, and I was well received - by the ladies, who thought me not ill-looking for an inveterate - German who had spent a year in his own country. On the morrow the - King lent me his own horses to hunt the stag. It was St. - Bartholomew’s Day, August 24; and he himself would not hunt on a - day whereon he had once been in such great danger. On my return - from the chase I joined him in the Salle des Étuves, where we - played lansquenet.” - -Henri IV lost no time in annulling the obnoxious decree concerning the -Saint-Sauveur property and restoring it to Bassompierre, who was thus -enabled to live “a most delightful life” at the Court, and indulge to -the full his inclination for lavish display, gambling, and love-making: - - “I then fell in love with Antragues, and was also in love with - another handsome woman. I was in the flower of my youth, rather - well-made and very gay.” - -The lady whom Bassompierre invariably refers to in his _Memoirs_ as -“Antragues,” without any prefix, was Marie de Balsac d’Entragues, -younger sister of Madame de Verneuil. Marie was quite as pretty as -Henriette--indeed, by not a few she was considered the prettiest woman -at the Court--and if she lacked something of the wit and vivacity which -made the reigning sultana so attractive, she was not without -intelligence. As one might expect in a child of Marie Touchet, she was -wholly devoid of moral sense. But she was neither mercenary nor -ambitious, or, at any rate, far less so than her sister; and several -exalted personages appear to have sighed for her in vain, including -Henri IV, who, like Louis XV, in later times, had not the smallest -objection to the presence of two or more members of the same family in -his seraglio. - -At the time, however, when his Majesty appears to have made advances to -the younger sister, his relations with the elder had been temporarily -interrupted by the episode which is known as the Conspiracy of the -d’Entragues. - -In the summer of 1604, acting upon a warning received from James I of -England, the French Government had caused one Morgan, an agent of Spain, -to be arrested in Paris, and documents found upon this person indicated -that he had relations of a highly suspicious character with François -d’Entragues, his daughter, Madame de Verneuil, and his stepson, the -Comte d’Auvergne. One fine morning, a party of the King’s guards arrived -at the Château of Malesherbes, where three moats and draw-bridges -always raised protected its lord, as he fondly imagined, from surprise. -Four of the soldiers, however, succeeded in gaining admission to the -château, disguised as peasant-women with butter and eggs to dispose of, -overpowered the sentries and admitted their comrades. D’Entragues was -arrested and carried off to the Bastille, and with him a voluminous -correspondence between the conspirators and the Court of Madrid, -containing proposals for the assassination of Henri IV, and a promise -signed by Philip III to recognise Henriette’s son as heir to the French -throne, in the event of the King’s death. The Comte d’Auvergne once more -found himself in the Bastille, while Madame de Verneuil was confined to -her own house and strictly guarded. D’Entragues and his step-son were -arraigned for high treason, convicted and sentenced to death; and -Henriette was remanded until further evidence could be procured. The -King’s advisers were urgent that the law should be allowed to take its -course; but Henri IV, though he had made a valiant attempt to overcome -his infatuation for Madame de Verneuil, and with the idea of driving out -fire by fire, had taken unto himself a new sultana, in the person of -Jacqueline de Bueil,[44] felt that he must have his Henriette back, and -all the more because she affected to scorn him and refused to sue for -his pardon. Dead though he might be to all sense of decency where his -passions were concerned, he felt that, if he cut off her father’s head, -he could scarcely again be her lover, and that d’Entragues’ life must -therefore be spared. And if d’Entragues were spared, he could not well -send his fellow-conspirator--the last scion of the House of Valois--to -the scaffold, though, as this was Auvergne’s second experiment in high -treason, he was even more deserving of death. And so d’Entragues and his -daughter were set at liberty; while Auvergne remained in the Bastille, -nor did he emerge from it until more than ten years later. - -Early in 1605 we find the King again in amorous correspondence with the -woman who had been conspiring against him, entreating her to love him to -whom all the rest of this world compared with her was as nothing; and, -after keeping him at a distance for a little while, Henriette graciously -consented to accord him her favours once more. Henceforth, Jacqueline de -Beuil was merely retained as a refuge when the marchioness happened to -be spiteful and the Queen sulky. - -In those days rough horseplay was much in vogue, and during the Carnival -of 1605, bands of young nobles rode through the streets of Paris, masked -and arrayed in glittering armour. When two of these bands met, they -charged vigorously and strove to unhorse one another, and though the -points of the lances they carried were carefully padded, and they -wielded heavy cudgels gaily decorated with crimson ribbons, instead of -swords, very shrewd blows and thrusts were exchanged. On one occasion, -Bassompierre, who was accompanied by his brother-in-law Saint-Luc, and -two of their friends, met another party, headed by the Duc de Nemours -and the Comte de Sommerive, who challenged him to a mimic combat later -in the day in the Place de Cimetière Saint-Jean, it being agreed that -both sides might bring as many supporters as they could get together. -Both parties repaired to the field of battle in considerable force, but -that of Nemours and Sommerive had the advantage in numbers. -Nevertheless, victory rested with Bassompierre and his friends, who -drove their opponents through the streets in disorder, and “he had the -satisfaction of seeing one of his rivals in the affections of Mlle. -d’Entragues soundly beaten before the eyes of that lady, who was -watching them from one of the windows of her house.” Nor was this all, -for a day or two later Mlle. d’Entragues gave the victor a rendezvous. - -This _bonne fortune_ of Bassompierre, however, came very near to costing -him his life: - - “The Tuesday following, which was the first day of March, in the - morning, the King being at the Tuileries, said to M. de Guise: ‘Ah! - Guisard, d’Entragues despises us all and dotes on Bassompierre. I - don’t speak without certainty.’ ‘Sire,’ replied M. de Guise, ‘you - have means enough to avenge yourself. As for me, I have none other - than that of a knight-errant. I will therefore break three lances - with him this afternoon in open field, in whatever place you shall - be pleased to appoint.’ The King gave us permission, and said that - it should be in the Louvre, and that he would have the court - sanded. He [Guise] chose his brother M. de Joinville for his second - and M. de Termes for third; while I chose M. de Saint-Luc and the - Comte de Sault. We all six went to dine and arm ourselves at - Saint-Luc’s lodging; and, as we always kept armour and caparisons - ready for all occasions, my friends and I wore silver armour, with - silver and white plumes and silk stockings of the same colours. M. - de Guise and his supporters wore black and gold, on account of the - imprisonment of the Marquise de Verneuil, with whom he was at that - time secretly in love. Then we repaired to the Louvre, preceded by - our horses and attendants. - - “My friends and I, who were the first to enter the lists, placed - ourselves by the side of the old building; M. de Guise and his - seconds took up their station beneath the windows of the Queen’s - apartment. Our course was the length of the Salle des Suisses. It - happened that M. de Guise was mounted on a little horse called - Lesparne, while I was riding a big charger which the Comte de - Fiesque had given me. He took the lower ground, while I was on the - wall side, so that I towered over him, and, instead of breaking his - lance while raising it, he broke it while lowering it, in such a - way that, after splintering it for the first time against my - casque, he splintered it the second against my tasset; and the - lance penetrated my stomach and lodged in that great bone which - connects the hip and the loins. And there the lance broke again, - and a stump longer than a man’s arm remained attached to the thigh - bone. I broke my lance against his breastplate, and, though I felt - that I was mortally wounded, I finished my course, and they helped - me to dismount near the King’s private staircase, and _Monsieur le - Grand_ and the elder Guitaut aided me to ascend to M. de Vendôme’s - apartment, below the King’s chamber.” - -Here someone, without awaiting the arrival of the surgeons, was so -ill-advised as to pull the broken stump of the lance from the wound, -with the result that part of the entrails came out with it; and, though -the surgeons when they came contrived to replace them, Bassompierre -seemed in desperate case:-- - - “The King, the Constable, and all the chief personages of the Court - stood around, many weeping, as they thought that I should not live - an hour. Nevertheless, I did not appear cast down, nor did I think - I should die. Many ladies were there and helped to dress my wound, - and, as I insisted on returning to my lodging, the Queen sent me - the chair in which she was carried about, for she was then - pregnant. The people followed me with many marks of sorrow. When I - arrived at my lodging, I lost my sight, which made me think I was - very ill, so that they made me confess and bled me at the same - time. Yet I did not believe I should die, and laughed all the time. - - “So soon as I received my wound, the King ordered the tournament to - stop, and never permitted one afterwards. This was the only one in - open field which had taken place in France for one hundred years, - and they were never renewed.” - -Youth and a splendid constitution saved him, and the attentions he -received from the ladies of the Court appear to have consoled him for -the pain which he had to endure: - - “I cannot say how much I was visited during my illness, and - particularly by ladies. All the princesses were there, and the - Queen sent on three occasions her maids-of-honour, who were brought - by Mlle. de Guise to pass whole afternoons. This lady, who - considered herself obliged to assist in nursing me, as it was her - brother who had given me my wound, was there most of the time. My - sister, Madame de Saint-Luc, who, so long as I was in danger, - always slept at the foot of my bed, received the ladies, and, with - the exception of the day after I was wounded, the King came every - afternoon to see me, and partly also to see my pretty companions.” - -After being obliged to keep his bed for about a fortnight, he was -allowed to get up and take the air in a chair, an object of sympathetic -interest to all the ladies of the Court and town. His wound healed -rapidly, and by Easter, though still somewhat lame, he felt sufficiently -recovered to challenge the Marquis de Cœuvres, brother of Gabrielle -d’Estrées, to a duel. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - Quarrel between Bassompierre and the Marquis de - Cœuvres--Bassompierre sends his cousin the Sieur de Créquy to - challenge the marquis to a duel--The King sends for the two nobles - and orders them to be reconciled in his presence--Bassompierre and - Créquy are forbidden to appear at Court, but are soon - pardoned--Visit of Bassompierre to Plombières--He returns to Paris, - and “breaks entirely” with Marie d’Entragues--The Chancellor, - Pomponne de Bellièvre, ordered to resign the Seals--His - conversation with Bassompierre at Artenay--Bassompierre wins more - than 100,000 francs at play--He is reconciled with Marie - d’Entragues--He joins Henri IV at Sedan--The adventure of the - King’s love-letter--Henri IV gives orders that a watch shall be - kept on Marie d’Entragues’s house to ascertain if Bassompierre is - secretly visiting that lady--A comedy of errors--Madame d’Entragues - surprises her daughter and Bassompierre. - - -One day, in the King’s cabinet, Bassompierre, in taking his handkerchief -from his pocket, drew out with it a _billet-doux_ he had just received -from Marie d’Entragues, which fell to the ground and lay there -unperceived by him. An Italian banker named Sardini picked it up, and -the Marquis de Cœuvres having told him that it was his, he gave it -him. Cœuvres read the letter and then sent a message to Bassompierre, -asking him to meet him that night before the Hôtel de Soissons and to -come alone, as he had something of importance to communicate to him. -Bassompierre, not a little surprised, since he and the marquis were on -far from good terms with one another, kept the appointment and found -Cœuvres awaiting him, in company with a friend of his, the Comte de -Cramail, although in his letter he had given him to understand that -there was to be no witness to their meeting. - -The marquis began by reproaching Bassompierre with “certain bad offices -which he asserted that he had rendered him,” and then went on to say -that, notwithstanding this, he esteemed him too much not to desire his -friendship, and aspired to serve, rather than injure, him, in proof of -which, although that morning a letter written to him by Mlle. -d’Entragues had fallen into his hands, he had made no use of it, but -sent it at once to the fair writer by the hand of Sardini. Bassompierre, -believing that he was speaking the truth, “made him a thousand -protestations of service and affection,” after which Cœuvres informed -him that the King was aware that he had found a letter written by some -lady to him and had demanded to see it, and asked Bassompierre to send -him as soon as possible one which he had received from another woman, to -enable him to satisfy his Majesty’s curiosity. Bassompierre complied -with this request, which was an easy matter enough, as, like his royal -master, he generally had more than one love-affair on hand, and, -besides, was in the habit of carefully preserving all the epistles which -he received from the fair. At the same time, he sent a message to Mlle. -d’Entragues to apprise her of the mishap which had befallen her letter -and to inquire if she had received it from Cœuvres. - - “But, as she wrote that she had seen no one sent by the marquis, - furious with anger and transported with resentment, I went straight - to the marquis’s house to recover the letter, or to punish him. On - the way, however, I met M. d’Aiguillon[45] and M. de Créquy, who - stopped me to inquire whither I was bound. ‘I am going,’ I replied, - ‘to the Marquis de Cœuvres’ house, to get back from him a letter - which Antragues wrote me and which he has found. And, if he does - not give it up, I am resolved to kill him!’ They remonstrated with - me, pointing out that, in going to kill a man in his own house, - amongst all his servants, I was running a great danger, without the - means of escaping it; that he [Cœuvres] would be very cowardly - if he surrendered the letter to me when I went to him in this - manner; and that it would be better to send one of my friends. And - Créquy offered to go.” - -Bassompierre reluctantly consented, and Créquy accordingly proceeded to -Cœuvres’s house. The marquis, at first, flatly refused to give up the -letter, declaring that Fortune had brought it to him to enable him to -avenge himself on Bassompierre for the ill that he had done him. Créquy -pointed out that, if he were so imprudent as to do this, Bassompierre -would certainly call him out, in which case one of them would probably -be killed, while the victor would be sure to incur the severe -displeasure of the King. Cœuvres thereupon began to waver, and -finally told him to come back early on the following morning, when he -would let him know his decision. When Créquy returned, the marquis, who, -Bassompierre believes, had, in the meantime, sent La Varenne with the -letter to the King and received it back again, told him that he would -himself take the letter to Mlle. d’Entragues, if this would satisfy the -lady’s admirer. - -“To this I agreed,” writes Bassompierre, “resolved, nevertheless, to -fight with this trickster, though I was anxious first to get Antragues -out of the affair.” - -The marquis took the letter to the lady, and, shortly afterwards, -Bassompierre received a message from his mistress, informing him that it -was her good pleasure that he should be reconciled to Cœuvres, for -which purpose he was to come to her house that afternoon at five -o’clock, where he would find the marquis waiting to embrace him. Much -against his will, he obeyed, and a formal reconciliation took place -between the two gentlemen, who then separated, secretly hating one -another more bitterly than ever. In the evening, as Bassompierre was -leaving his lodging to go to the Louvre, the Grand Equerry, the Duc de -Bellegarde, arrived and told him that the King, having learned that he -had quarrelled with the Marquis de Cœuvres, forbade him, on pain of -death, to call the latter out. Bassompierre replied, laughing, that it -would be easy to obey his Majesty, as he and the marquis were now the -best of friends. - -Notwithstanding the royal command, Bassompierre was determined to fight -the purloiner of his love-letter, though, as he did not wish Mlle. -d’Entragues’s name to be mixed up in the affair, he had decided to allow -two or three days to pass and then to quarrel with him on some other -matter. A pretext was easily found, and Créquy, who, now that the letter -had been recovered, had altered his views on the question of a duel -between them, repaired to Cœuvres’s house as the bearer of a formal -challenge. The marquis, however, had no desire to oblige the fire-eating -Lorrainer; possibly, he thought that he might get the worst of the -encounter, but, more probably, since he appears to have been brave -enough, he feared the displeasure of the King. Anyway, he refused to see -Créquy, although the latter called on two or three occasions; and, -meanwhile, Henri IV, having been warned of Bassompierre’s bellicose -intentions, again interfered, and, sending for him and Cœuvres, -ordered them to be reconciled in his presence. He then told Bassompierre -that he had gravely offended him by daring to call out the marquis in -the face of his express command, and forbade him to come to the Louvre -or to any place where the Court might be. His anger extended to Créquy, -and, not only did he forbid him the Court, but even talked of depriving -him of the command of the regiment of guards to which he had just been -appointed. However, thanks to the solicitations of the ladies of the -Court, the Queen interceded with the King on behalf of the offenders, -and Henri IV, who had reasons of his own for wishing to keep his consort -in a good humour, relented so far as to allow them to return. For some -little time he pretended to ignore their presence, but he soon grew -tired of this, and admitted them once more to his favour. - -In May, Bassompierre went to Plombières, the baths of which had been -recommended by the doctor, as his thigh was still causing him a good -deal of pain. He travelled thither accompanied by several of his -friends from the Court, and an imposing suite, which included a band of -musicians whose services he had engaged, and remained there three -months, enjoying “all the amusements which a young man, rich, debauched, -and extravagant, could desire.” His mother, his sister, Madame de -Saint-Luc, his younger brother, who had assumed Jean de Bassompierre’s -title of Seigneur de Removille, and a number of friends from Lorraine -joined him there, and he appears to have passed a very agreeable time, -to which a love-affair with a Burgundian lady, named Madame de Fussé, -contributed not a little. - -About the middle of August, by which time he was completely cured, -learning that Henri IV had set out at the head of a small army for the -Limousin, where the friends of that incorrigible intriguer the Duc de -Bouillon were threatening to cause trouble, and that there was a chance -of seeing a little fighting, he returned to Paris to prepare to follow -the King. On his arrival, he had a violent quarrel with Marie -d’Entragues, and “broke with her entirely.” What was the cause of the -rupture he does not tell us; possibly, the lady may have been seeking -consolation for his absence in the devotion of some rival admirer; -possibly, she may have heard of the attentions which he had been paying -to Madame de Fussé at Plombières and had taken umbrage. Anyway, complete -as it may have been at the time, it was soon healed. - -After spending a couple of days with a merry party at the Comtesse de -Sault’s château at Savigny, amongst whom he doubtless contrived to -dissipate any inclination to melancholy which his breach with Mlle. -d’Entragues may have caused him, Bassompierre set out for the South. At -Artenay, he met the aged Chancellor, Bellièvre, who, to his profound -mortification, had just been directed by the King to surrender the Seals -to Nicolas Brulart, afterwards Marquis de Sillery, though Bellièvre was -to remain Chancellor and head of the Council. - - “I found him,” writes Bassompierre, “walking in a garden with - certain _maîtres des requêtes_, who were returning with him to - Paris. He said to me: ‘Monsieur, you behold in me a man who goes to - seek a grave in Paris. I have served the Kings to the best of my - ability, and when they saw that I was no longer capable, they sent - me to take repose and to attend to the safety of my soul, of which - their affairs had prevented me from thinking.’ And when, a little - later, I told him that he would continue to serve them and to - preside at the Council as Chancellor, he replied: ‘My friend, a - Chancellor without seals is an apothecary without sugar.” - -Leaving the mortified Chancellor to continue his journey to Paris, where -he died a year later, Bassompierre took the road to Orléans, where he -found the Queen, whose pregnancy had prevented her following her husband -to the Limousin, and Mlle. de Guise, who, while he was at Plombières, -had married the Prince de Conti. From Orléans he proceeded to Limoges, -which Henri IV had made his headquarters, and, though he was -disappointed in his hope of seeing some fighting, since the rebels -submitted without any attempt at resistance, he had no reason to regret -his journey to the South, as he won at play more than 100,000 francs. - -In November, he returned with the King to Fontainebleau, whither the -Queen and the ladies of the Court had proceeded, and, shortly -afterwards, followed their Majesties to Paris, where he and Mlle. -d’Entragues appear to have taken an early opportunity of making up their -quarrel. - -In the early spring, Henri IV, with a small army and a powerful -battering-train, set out for Sedan, to teach the Duc de Bouillon a -much-needed lesson. That troublesome nobleman, however, finding that -neither the French Protestants nor Spain were disposed to move a finger -to assist him, prudently decided to sue for pardon, and surrendered his -impregnable fortress before a shot had been fired against it. The terms -he obtained from the sovereign whose authority he had so long defied -were favourable in the extreme, no punishment being inflicted upon him -beyond the occupation of Sedan for five years by a body of the royal -troops under a Huguenot commander. - -Having settled with the Duc de Bouillon, Henri IV wrote to Bassompierre, -Guise, and Bellegarde, ordering them to join him. On their arrival they -found the King making preparations for his formal entry into Sedan, -which took place the following day. In the morning Bouillon presented -himself before his Majesty, who read to him his _abolition_, to which -the duke listened with becoming humility. But the moment it was handed -to him his manner changed, and he became as haughty and arrogant as -ever, and even had the presumption to alter the order in which the King -had marshalled his troops for the procession through the town. - -After remaining a few days longer at Sedan, Henri IV went to Busancy, -whence he despatched Bassompierre to Paris, to inquire, on his behalf, -after the health of his former consort, Queen Margot, “who had lost -Saint-Julian Date, her gallant, slain by a gentleman named Charmont -[_sic_], whose head the King had caused to be cut off in -consequence,”[46] and to carry letters to his two chief sultanas, -Madame de Verneuil and the Comtesse de Moret.[47] - -Bassompierre, impatient to see Marie d’Entragues, went first to the -house of her sister, Madame de Verneuil, where he hoped to find her, and -was not disappointed. Having saluted the ladies and executed his -commission, he had the imprudence to mention that he was going to call -upon Madame de Moret, for whom he had also a letter from the King. That -was quite enough to pique the curiosity of the marchioness, who at once -determined to see the correspondence which the Béarnais was carrying on -with her rival, and asked Bassompierre to give her the letter. That -gentleman naturally objected, but Marie d’Entragues joined her commands -to the request of her sister, and he weakly allowed himself to be -persuaded. Madame de Verneuil broke the seal, and having read the -amorous epistle, handed it back to Bassompierre--presumably, it -contained nothing of much importance, otherwise, she would have been -quite capable of retaining - -[Illustration: HENRIETTE DE BALSAC D’ENTRAGUES, MARQUISE DE VERNEUIL. - -From an engraving by Aubert.] - -or destroying it--observing that in an hour he could get a seal made -similar to that with which the letter was fastened, and that, when he -had sealed it again, no one would suspect that it had ever been tampered -with. Bassompierre, relying on this assurance, sent his _valet de -chambre_ with the letter into the town to get a replica of the seal -made; but, as ill luck would have it, the man went to an engraver named -Turpin, who happened to be the very same person who had made the -original for the King. Turpin, recognising his handiwork and suspecting -that something was wrong, seized the valet by the collar, with the -intention of handing him over to the police. But the latter, who was a -strong and active fellow, contrived to wrench himself free and hurried -off to warn his master, leaving his hat and cloak, together with the -King’s letter, in the hands of the engraver. - -Bassompierre, much disturbed by this misadventure, hid his valet, who, -he tells us, would have been hanged within two hours if he had been -caught, and then went to call on Madame de Moret. Having decided that -his best plan was to brazen it out, he told the countess that having -been entrusted by the King with a letter for her, he had unfortunately -opened it, in mistake for a _poulet_ which a lady had sent him; that, -through fear of being suspected of having acted intentionally, he had, -instead of coming to her at once to offer his apologies, as he, of -course, should have done, been so imprudent as to try and get a similar -seal made, and that his servant, having by ill chance gone to the King’s -engraver, the latter, his suspicions aroused, had retained the letter. -If Madame de Moret wished to have it, she had only to send someone to -explain the matter to Turpin, and no doubt the engraver would give it -up. The countess believed, or pretended to believe, this not very -probable story, and sent one of her servants to Turpin to claim her -letter; but was informed that it was no longer in his hands, but in -those of Séguier, President of the Tournelle, or criminal court of the -Parlement of Paris, to whom the honest engraver had deemed it his duty -to transmit it without delay. - -Here was a fresh complication and one which caused Bassompierre no -little disquietude, as he did not know Séguier personally, and the -latter had the reputation of being a most austere magistrate, who would -be certain to sift the matter to the very bottom. Resourceful though he -was, he was for the moment at a loss how to act, but, finally, resolved -to go and see Madame de Loménie, wife of Antoine de Loménie, one of the -Secretaries of State, with whom he was on very friendly terms, and beg -her to intervene in order to hush up this unfortunate affair, either by -persuading Séguier to surrender the letter, or by writing to her -husband, who was on his way to Paris with the King, to ask him to give -some plausible explanation to his Majesty. - -This time Fortune was on his side. He found the Minister’s wife seated -at her writing-desk and apparently very busy. She was engaged, she told -him, in drafting a very important letter to her husband concerning a -singular adventure. Bassompierre, having an idea that this singular -adventure might well have some relation to his own, pressed her to tell -him more, upon which the lady explained that an attempt had been made -that morning to counterfeit the King’s seal; that the man who had been -sent to the engraver had unfortunately succeeded in effecting his -escape, but that the letter of which he was the bearer had been seized, -and that the President Séguier had just sent it to her, with the request -that she would forward it to her husband, in order that he might lay it -before the King, when perhaps they would be able to get to the bottom of -the matter. And Madame de Loménie added that she would willingly give -2,000 crowns to solve this imbroglio. - -Bassompierre, with a sigh of relief, offered to enlighten her for -nothing, and proceeded to furnish her with the same explanation of the -affair which he had already given Madame de Moret. Madame de Loménie -accepted it, and, after having given him a good lecture, promised to -smooth things over for him, on condition that he would go on the morrow -to Villers-Cotterets, where the King and her husband had just arrived, -and take with him a report of the matter which she would draw up. -Bassompierre agreed readily enough, as may be imagined, and, having -called again upon Madame de Verneuil to obtain her answer to the King’s -letter, and also upon Madame de Moret, who wrote likewise to thank his -Majesty, although she had not received the one intended for her, set out -for Villers-Cotterets, where Henri IV laughed heartily over the -adventure, of which he does not appear to have suspected the true -explanation. - -A few days later, Henri IV, in celebration of his bloodless victory over -the Duc de Bouillon, made a sort of triumphal entry into Paris, where he -was received with salvoes of artillery and loud acclamations from the -populace. The effect of this ceremony, however, appears to have been -somewhat spoiled by the extraordinary attitude assumed by the rebellious -vassal whom he had just brought to heel, and who rode along bowing and -smiling to the people who thronged the streets and the windows and roofs -of the houses, for all the world as if he himself were the hero of the -day and the object of all the acclamations. - - “He [the King],” writes Bassompierre, “desired M. de Bouillon to - march immediately before him, and this he did, but with such - assurance and audacity, that it was impossible to decide whether it - was the King who was leading him in triumph or he the King.” - -Henri IV only remained a few days in Paris, and then went to -Fontainebleau; but Bassompierre did not accompany him, being desirous of -enjoying the society of Marie d’Entragues, of whom, since their -reconciliation, he was more enamoured than ever. - -Bassompierre’s conquest of Mlle. d’Entragues had naturally aroused a -good deal of jealousy amongst the less fortunate admirers of that young -lady, who were numerous and distinguished, and included both the King -and the Duc de Guise. As yet, however, they had no actual proof of his -_bonne fortune_, as the intrigue was conducted with unusual discretion. -It was his habit, he tells us, to enter the house in the Rue de la -Coutellière, where Marie lived with her mother, late at night, by a back -entrance, “whereby I ascended to the third floor, which Madame -d’Entragues had not furnished, and her daughter, by a secret staircase -leading from her wardrobe, came to join me there, when her mother had -fallen asleep.” - -Henri IV, piqued by the assurances of several of Bassompierre’s rivals, -and principally by Guise, that Marie d’Entragues made game of them all -and preferred the handsome Lorrainer, gave orders, just before his -departure for Fontainebleau, to have the house watched. - - “As he was in love with Antragues, M. de Guise and several others - also, who were all jealous of me, because they believed me to be on - better terms with her than themselves, plotted together to have me - spied upon, in order to discover if I entered her house, and if I - saw her privately; and the King commanded those whom he had charged - to watch it, to take their orders from M. de Guise and to report to - him if they saw anything.” - -The sequel was a most amusing comedy of errors. - -A day or two later, Bassompierre, who had an assignation with his -inamorata that night, happened to sup with the Grand Equerry, the Duc de -Bellegarde. During the meal it came on to rain heavily, and, as he had -come unprovided with a cloak, he borrowed one from his host, and, -wrapped in this, made his way, at about eleven o’clock, to the Rue de la -Coutellière, without noticing that the Cross of the Ordre du -Saint-Esprit, of which none but Princes of the Blood, very great -nobles, and Ministers of State, were members, was attached to the cloak. -The spies posted around Madame d’Entragues’s house were more observant, -and one of them at once hurried off to inform the Duc de Guise that they -had just seen a young Knight of the Ordre du Saint-Esprit enter the -house by a back door. Guise immediately sent two of his _valets de -chambre_ to identify the gentleman when he left, which did not happen -until four o’clock in the morning. But Bassompierre caught sight of them -before they saw him, and, recognising them as the duke’s servants, -pulled his cloak over his face, though he had little hope of escaping -detection, since he was well known to them both. The valets, however, -deceived by the Cross of the Saint-Esprit, reported to their master that -Mlle. d’Entragues’ midnight visitor was the Grand Equerry, since they -were aware that there was no other Knight of the Order in Paris at the -time in the least likely to have such a _bonne fortune_. - -In the morning, Bassompierre wrote to Mlle. d’Entragues to inform her of -the espionage of which he had been the object, and to urge her to be on -her guard. On his side, the Duc de Guise went between nine and ten -o’clock to the Grand Equerry’s house, but was told that Bellegarde had -given directions that he could see no one until the evening, as he had -been kept awake all night by violent toothache. This seemed to confirm -his suspicions in regard to the Grand Equerry, since a man who had not -returned from an assignation until four o’clock in the morning would -naturally desire to sleep until late in the day; and chuckling at the -thought of Bassompierre’s mortification when he learned that he had a -successful rival, he made his way to that gentleman’s lodging. - -Bassompierre, like Bellegarde, was still in bed when the duke arrived, -but, having told the servants that he had come to see their master on a -matter of urgency, he was conducted to his room. - -“I beg you to put on your dressing-gown,” said he so soon as he entered; -“I have a word to say to you.” - - “I felt quite sure,” writes Bassompierre, “that he intended to tell - me that I had been seen leaving Antragues’s house, and determined - to deny it positively. But, on the contrary, he continued: ‘What - would you say if the Grand Equerry were preferred by Antragues to - you and everyone, and she were in the habit of receiving him at - night?’ I told him that I should decline to believe it, as neither - he nor she had any inclination for the other. ‘_Mon Dieu_,’ said - he, ‘how easy to deceive are lovers! I thought as you do; - nevertheless, it is true that he went to her house last night, and - did not leave until four o’clock this morning. He was seen to go - in, and my _valets de chambre_ themselves saw him come out, with so - little care that he had not even troubled to wear a cloak without - the cross of the Order, to disguise himself.’ - - “Thereupon, he called one of the valets, D’Urbal by name, and - inquired whether he had not seen _Monsieur le Grand_ leave - Antragues’s house. ‘Yes, Monseigneur,’ the man answered, ‘as - plainly as I see M. de Bassompierre there.’ I dared not look in the - face of this valet, who had seen me that same morning leaving the - house, and believed that it was a trick to make game of me; but, as - I turned away, I perceived on a chair _Monsieur le Grand’s_ cloak, - which my valet had folded in such a way that the cross of the Order - was visible, and ought to have been easily seen by M. de Guise, if - he had not been so much occupied just then. I sat down upon it, - fearing lest M. de Guise should catch sight of the cross, and - pretending to be disconsolate as he was, I complained bitterly of - the fickleness of Antragues. I refused to rise from my seat on the - cloak, although M. de Guise invited me to go for a walk with him, - until I had told my valet to take it away, when M. de Guise should - be looking in another direction, and hide it in a wardrobe.” - -So soon as the duke had taken his departure, Bassompierre wrote to his -mistress to inform her of this new incident. Marie d’Entragues had the -caustic spirit of her family, and it pleased her, in order to perpetuate -this comedy of errors and avert suspicion from Bassompierre, to show -herself exceedingly gracious to the Grand Equerry when she met him that -afternoon, so that Bellegarde, who was not without vanity, was himself -deceived, and began to think he had made an impression upon the lady. -The consequence was that when, on the morrow, Guise, who could not keep -silent, although he and Bassompierre had agreed to say nothing to the -Grand Equerry about it, began to rally that gentleman upon his supposed -_bonne fortune_, the latter defended himself so feebly, that all the -jealousy of Guise and of the King, when he heard of the affair, was -turned in his direction, and the real gallant was able to continue his -nocturnal visits to the Rue de la Coutillière with but few precautions. - -However, they had warned Madame d’Entragues to take better care of her -daughter--it was certainly high time that she did--and one fine June -morning, happening to awake very early, she drew aside the curtain of -her bed, and saw, to her astonishment, that that of Marie, who slept in -the same room, was empty. She rose at once and went into her wardrobe, -where she found the door leading to the secret staircase, which was -always kept locked, open. - - “She began to scream,” relates Bassompierre, “and, at the sound of - her voice, her daughter rose in haste and went to her. I, - meanwhile, shut the door and took my departure, very troubled about - what might come of this affair, which was that her mother chastised - her, and caused the door of the room where we were that night to be - broken open, so that she might enter, and was very amazed to find - this apartment furnished with splendid furniture purchased from - Zamet. Then all intercourse was broken off; but I made my peace - with the mother through the intervention of Mlle. d’Asy, at whose - house I saw her, when I asked her pardon so many times, coupled - with the assurance that we had not gone beyond kissing, that she - pretended to believe me. She went to Fontainebleau, and I went - also, but I did not venture to speak to Antragues except secretly, - because the King did not approve of it.[48] However, lovers are - resourceful enough to find opportunities for occasional meetings.” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - A strange adventure--Bassompierre sent as Ambassador Extraordinary - to Lorraine to represent Henri IV at the marriage of the Duke of - Bar and Margherita di Gonzaga--He returns to Paris and orders a - gorgeous suit, which is to cost fourteen thousand crowns, for the - baptism of the Dauphin and Madame Élisabeth, though he has only - seven hundred in his purse--He wins enough at play to pay for - it--Charles III of Lorraine writes to request his presence at the - Estates of Lorraine--Henri IV refuses him permission to leave - France, but he sets out notwithstanding this--He is arrested by the - King’s orders at Meaux, but set at liberty on his promising to - return to Court--He is allowed to leave for Lorraine a few days - later--Affair of the Prince de Joinville and Madame de Moret. - - -About the middle of June of that year, Henri IV despatched Bassompierre -as Ambassador Extraordinary to Lorraine, to represent him at the -marriage of the Duke of Bar (whose first wife, Catherine de Bourbon, had -died in 1604) to Margherita di Gonzaga, daughter of Vincenzo I, Duke of -Mantua, and Eleanor de’ Medici, sister of the Queen; and, at the same -time to request the Duchess of Mantua to become godmother to the -dauphin, and the Duke of Lorraine godfather to Madame Élisabeth, eldest -daughter of the King. - -Bassompierre accordingly left Fontainebleau for Paris, where he met with -another love-adventure, which delayed his departure for Lorraine for -several days, and which we shall allow him to relate himself, since--to -borrow his own words--“though it was not of great consequence, it was, -nevertheless, extravagant”: - - “For the past four or five months, every time I passed over the - Petit-Pont--for in those days the Pont-Neuf was not built--a - handsome woman, a sempstress at the sign of the Two Angels, made me - deep courtesies and followed me with her eyes so far as she could. - And, when I remarked her behaviour, I looked at her also and - saluted her with greater care. It happened that, when I arrived in - Paris from Fontainebleau, and was crossing the Petit-Pont, so soon - as she saw me approaching, she placed herself at the door of her - shop, and said to me as I passed: ‘Monsieur, I am your very humble - servant.’ I returned her greeting and, turning round from time to - time, I perceived that she followed me with her eyes so long as she - was able. I had travelled post from Fontainebleau, and had brought - one of my lackeys with me, intending to send him back to - Fontainebleau the same evening with letters for Antragues and for - another lady there. I made him alight and give his horse to the - postilion to lead, and sent him to tell the young woman that, - perceiving the care that she had to see me and salute me, if she - desired a more private view of me, I was willing to meet her in - whatever place she might choose to appoint. She told the lackey - that this was the best news that one could have brought her and - that she would go wherever I wished. - - “I accepted this proposal and asked my lackey if he knew of some - place to take her, which he did, saying that he knew a woman named - Noiret, to whose house he would conduct her.... And in the evening - I went there, and found a very beautiful woman, twenty years of - age, who had her head dressed for the night, wearing naught but a - very fine shift, and a short petticoat of green flannel and a - _peignoir_ over her. She pleased me mightily, and I can say that - never had I seen a prettier woman.... - - “I asked her if I could not see her again, and said that I should - not leave Paris until Sunday, this being Thursday night. She - answered that she desired it more ardently than I did, but that it - would not be possible, unless I stayed the whole of Sunday, in - which case she would see me on Sunday night.... I was easy to - persuade, and told her that I would remain all Sunday and meet her - at night in the same place. Then she rejoined: ‘Monsieur, I know - well that I am in a house of ill-fame, to which, however, I came - willingly, in order to see you, with whom I am so deeply in - love.... Well, once is not habit, and though, urged by passion, I - have come once to this house, I should be a public wanton if I were - to return a second time. I have never surrendered myself to any - man but my husband and yourself--may I die in misery if I speak not - the truth!--and I have no intention of surrendering myself to - another. But what would one not do for a man whom one loves, and - for a Bassompierre? That is why I came to this house, but it was to - be with a man who has rendered it honourable by his presence. If - you wish to see me again, it must be at the house of one of my - aunts, who lives in the Rue du Bourg-l’Abbé, next to the Rue aux - Ours, the third door on the side of the Rue Saint-Martin. I will - await you there from ten o’clock until midnight, and later still, - and will leave the door open. At the entrance there is a little - passage, through which you must go quickly, for the door of my - aunt’s room opens on to it, and you will find a stair, which will - bring you to the second floor.’ - - “I agreed to this proposal, and, having despatched the rest of my - suite on their journey towards Lorraine, I came at ten o’clock to - the door which she had indicated, and saw a great light, not only - on the second floor, but on the third and first as well; but the - door was closed. I knocked to announce my arrival, but I heard a - man’s voice asking who I was. I went back to the Rue aux Ours, and - having returned for the second time, finding the door open, I - entered and mounted to the second floor, where I found that the - light which I had seen proceeded from the straw of the beds which - they were burning, and two naked bodies lying upon the table in the - room. Thereupon, I withdrew, greatly amazed, and, in going out, I - met some ‘crows,’[49] who asked me what I sought, and I, to make - them give way, drew my sword, and so passed out and returned to my - lodging, somewhat disturbed by the unexpected sight which I had - beheld. I drank three or four glasses of neat wine, which is a - German remedy against the plague, and then went to bed, as I - intended to leave for Lorraine the following morning, which I did. - And, although I afterwards sought as diligently as possible to - learn what had become of this woman, I was never able to discover - anything. I even went to the Two Angels, where she lodged, to - inquire who she was, but the tenants of the house told me nothing, - save that they knew that she was the former tenant. I have decided - to relate this adventure, because, although she was a person of - humble condition, she was so pretty that I have regretted her, and - would have given much to see her again.”[50] - -At Nancy, Bassompierre, as the representative of the King of France and -a personal friend of Charles III of Lorraine, was received with great -honour and very sumptuously lodged and entertained. At the marriage -ceremony and the _fêtes_ which followed it he appeared in great -magnificence, and this, in conjunction with his handsome face and -ingratiating manners, without doubt made a deep impression upon the -ladies of the Court. However, owing presumably to the official position -which he occupied, he appears to have refrained from making any fresh -conquests--at any rate, he does not record any; and, after having -obtained the consent of the Duchess of Mantua and the Duke of Lorraine -to stand godmother and godfather to Henri IV’s children, he set out for -Paris. - -On his arrival, he found himself in sore distress of mind. The baptism -of the Dauphin and Madame Élisabeth was fast approaching, and having -imprudently worn all the new suits which he possessed at the marriage -_fêtes_ at Nancy, he had none in which to appear at it, or, at least, -none which he considered worthy of so great an event. To appear in one -which he had donned on some previous occasion was not to be thought of -for a moment; his reputation as the most elegant and most recklessly -extravagant gentleman of the Court would infallibly be lost. As well ask -a modern professional beauty to wear the same toilette twice in a -season! To add to his distress, he had spent so much money on his -mission to Lorraine, for the post of Ambassador Extraordinary, in those -days, though very gratifying to the vanity, was ruinously expensive to -the pocket, that he had only a few hundred crowns in his purse, and the -acolytes of Fashion were so overwhelmed with orders for the ceremony -that they were actually impertinent enough to insist upon money down. -Finally, they were reported to be so busy that, even if the financial -difficulty were overcome, it was very improbable that he could get a -costume of sufficient magnificence completed in time. Was ever so -splendid a gallant in so sad a case? - -However, Fortune once more came to his aid. - - “Just as my sister (Madame de Saint-Luc), Madame de Verderonne,[51] - and la Patière,[52] who had come to greet me on my arrival, had - informed me that all the tailors and embroiderers were so busy - that it was impossible to get a suit made, in came my own tailor, - Tallot by name, and my embroiderer with him, to tell me that, on - the rumours of the magnificence of the baptism, a merchant of - Antwerp had brought a horse-load of pearls that are sold by weight, - and that with these they could make me a suit which would surpass - anything at the baptism; and my embroiderer offered to undertake - it, if I paid him six hundred crowns for his work alone. The ladies - and I fixed upon the suit, which required not less than fifty - pounds’ weight of pearls; and I decided that it should be of violet - cloth-of-gold, with palm-branches interlacing. In short, before the - tailor and embroiderer withdrew, I, who had only seven hundred - crowns in my purse, had ordered them to undertake a suit which was - to cost me fourteen thousand. At the same time, I sent for the - merchant, who brought me samples of his pearls, and with whom I - settled the price by weight. He demanded four thousand crowns - earnest money, but for this I put him off till the morrow. M. - d’Épernon[53] passed before my lodging, and, knowing that I had - arrived, came to see me and told me that he had some good company - coming to sup at his house and play afterwards, and asked me to be - of the party. I took my seven hundred crowns and with them won five - thousand. The next day the merchant came, and I paid him his four - thousand crowns earnest money. I also gave something to the - embroiderer, and went on to win at play, not only enough to pay for - the suit and a diamond sword, which cost five thousand crowns, but - had five or six thousand left wherewith to amuse myself.” - -Bassompierre accompanied the King to Villers-Cotterets to meet the Duke -of Lorraine and the Duchess of Mantua. On the way the King turned aside -to pay a visit to his former mistress, Charlotte de Essars, Comtesse de -Romorantin, who was staying at the Abbey of Sainte-Perrinne, the -superior of which was her aunt. Time seems to have dealt leniently with -the fair Charlotte, who appeared, according to Bassompierre, more -beautiful than ever. - -The King conducted his distinguished guests to Paris, where they were -magnificently entertained. But, as the plague was increasing in the -capital, it was decided that the baptism should take place at -Fontainebleau. So the Parisians were deprived of the opportunity of -admiring Bassompierre’s fourteen-thousand-crown suit and diamond -scabbard, and he had to rest content with the sensation which they -doubtless created at the Court. - - * * * * * - -In February, 1607, Charles III of Lorraine wrote to Bassompierre begging -him, as a personal favour, to assist at the approaching meeting of the -Estates of Lorraine, where his influence with the nobility of the duchy -might serve to remove some of the difficulties which he feared that he -might have with that body. Bassompierre, accordingly, requested leave of -absence of Henri IV, but his Majesty was unwilling to let him go, -because, he explains, he had been winning his money at play and he -wanted to have his revenge, and put him off on two or three occasions. -At last, in despair of obtaining permission, he determined to go without -it, and one day, when the Court was at Chantilly, he slipped away -unperceived and set out for Paris. On the road he met the Ducs -d’Aiguillon and de Bouillon, and begged them not to tell the King that -they had seen him; but the two dukes, probably supposing that he was -bound on some amorous adventure which he wished to keep from his -Majesty’s knowledge, denounced him so soon as they arrived at Chantilly. -The consequence was that when Bassompierre reached Meaux, he found the -provost of that town and two exempts of the King’s guards, whom his -Majesty had sent to head him off, waiting to arrest him. In great -indignation, he despatched one of his suite to Chantilly, with letters -for the King and Villeroy, one of the Secretaries of State, protesting -against the indignity to which he was being subjected; and the -following day the provost came to inform him that he had received orders -to set him at liberty, provided he would give his word to return to the -Court. On his arrival at Chantilly he was sent for by the King, who -laughed heartily at his crestfallen demeanour, telling him that he had -now had an opportunity of seeing the good order that he maintained in -his realm, which no one could leave without his consent; but that he -only wanted him to remain ten days longer, when he would give him -permission to go to Lorraine. He added that his stay would not be -unprofitable; and he was as good as his word, for during this time the -vexed question of the Saint-Sauveur lands was finally settled, to -Bassompierre’s entire satisfaction. - -Before leaving for Lorraine, Bassompierre endeavoured to do a good turn -to his friend the Prince de Joinville and Madame de Moret, who had been -so imprudent as to fall in love with one another, and warned them that -the King intended to surprise them together, in which event he had vowed -to make a public example both of the presumptuous noble who had dared to -violate the sanctity of the royal seraglio and of his faithless sultana. -The lovers, however, did not profit by his warnings, and, while on his -way to Nancy, he learned that, though the King had not succeeded in -surprising them, he had discovered enough to confirm his suspicions, and -had banished Joinville from the Court for the second time. Bassompierre -at once turned back and came to Paris incognito, “in order to see Madame -de Moret and offer to serve her in her affliction”; but his presence was -discovered and reported to Madame d’Entragues, who, suspecting that he -had returned with the object of paying surreptitious visits to her -daughter, promptly locked that flighty young lady up until he had taken -his departure. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - Amusements of Bassompierre during the winter of 1608--His - gambling-parties--Embarrassment which the fact of having several - love-affairs on his hands simultaneously sometimes occasions - him--Death of Charles III of Lorraine--Bassompierre goes to Nancy - to attend the Duke’s funeral--Gratifying testimony which he - receives during his absence of the esteem in which he is held by - the ladies of the Court of France--“The star of Venus is very much - in the ascendant over him”--Marriage arranged between Marie - d’Entragues and the Comte d’Aché, of Auvergne--The affair is broken - off--Frenzied gambling at the Court: gains of Bassompierre--Secret - visits paid by him and the Duc de Guise to Madame de Verneuil and - Marie d’Entragues at Conflans--Visit of the Duke of Mantua to the - Court of France. - - -Bassompierre begins his journal for the year 1608 in the following -strain:-- - - “In the year 1608 I embarked in an affair with a blonde lady. I won - a great deal at play that year, and gave away much at the Foire. We - danced a number of ballets.... I had more mistresses at the Court, - and was on excellent terms with Antragues. M. de Vendôme also - danced a ballet, in which the King would have Cramail, Termes, and - myself, who were called _les dangereux_, assist. We went to dance - it at M. de Montpensier’s, who rose to see it, though he was - dying.”[54] - -After Easter the King went to Fontainebleau, where on April 25 the Queen -gave birth to her third son, Gaston, Duc d’Anjou, afterwards Duc -d’Orléans. Bassompierre, however, excused himself from accompanying his -Majesty, apparently on the plea of illness, and remained in Paris, -where, he tells us, he passed his time very agreeably. - - “I pretended to be suffering from a weakness of the lungs, so that - no one saw me until midday, when all the Court came to my lodging - to pass the time until nine o’clock in the evening, when I made - believe to retire, on account of my delicate state of health; but - it was to pass the night in good company.” - -The “good company” he speaks of was a little coterie of gamblers, “eight -or ten worthy men of the town, and of the Court, M. de Guise, Créquy, -and myself,” who played for tremendously high stakes, since Bassompierre -had considerately introduced amongst them a Portuguese merchant named -Fernandez, who came prepared to make good the losses of those upon whom -Fortune happened to frown, in return for approved security. This kind of -arrangement was so convenient that, when the King returned from -Fontainebleau, he wished to be of the party, which met every day either -at the Louvre, Zamet’s, or the Marquis de Roquelaure’s; and doubtless -the organiser of these _séances_, who appears to have been one of the -luckiest gamblers who ever turned a card or rattled a dice-box, and the -accommodating Fernandez, derived substantial benefits from them. - -In July, Queen Marguerite gave a grand _fête_ at the Arsenal, the -principal feature of which was the then fashionable pastime of tilting -at the ring. Bassompierre, of course, attended it, very splendidly -arrayed, but also very reluctantly, since, as he naïvely explains, those -gentlemen who, like himself, had several love-affairs on their hands -simultaneously were often sadly embarrassed at these great assemblies, -since all the ladies whom they professed to adore were sure to be -present, and it was practically impossible to pay sufficient attention -to one without giving umbrage to the others. - - “I thought,” he continues, “that I should experience great - difficulty there; but Fortune came to my aid in such fashion that, - without neglecting anyone, I contented all. For, in short, having - stationed myself unintentionally beneath the Queen’s stand, where - Mlle. de Montmorency[55] was sitting, Pérault,[56] who had served - with me in Hungary, insisted on my taking his place; and then, for - the first time, I spoke to her and strove to insinuate myself into - her good graces, little imagining what was to happen later. After - the _fête_ was over, I was delighted to see that I had contented - all the ladies with whom I was on good terms, and that not one of - them had had reason to be jealous of another, a thing which very - rarely happened on such occasions.” - -On May 14, 1608, Charles III of Lorraine, who had been in bad health for -some time past, died. Bassompierre went to Nancy to attend his funeral, -and was away three weeks, during which, he tells us, he received the -most gratifying testimony to the esteem in which he was held by the -ladies of the Court of France:-- - - “It is impossible to describe how much care the ladies took to send - me frequently news of themselves and to despatch couriers to me - with letters and presents. The star of Venus was very much in the - ascendant over me. I returned to Paris, and four ladies in a coach - came beyond Pantin to meet me, making believe that they were merely - taking a drive. They placed me in their coach and brought me to the - Porte de Saint-Honoré, where I remounted my horse to enter Paris.” - -On his arrival in the capital, he learned that Marie d’Entragues had -gone, with her mother and Madame de Verneuil, to Malesherbes, to marry a -certain Comte d’Aché, of Auvergne; but, as may be supposed, his other -lady-loves made every effort to console him for his loss, which, in -point of fact, proved to be only a temporary one, since the parties were -unable to agree about the marriage-articles, and the affair was broken -off. In after years Bassompierre had good reason to regret that the -projected marriage had not taken place, in which event he would have -been spared great trouble and expense. - -The King, learning that he had returned, wrote telling him to come at -once to Fontainebleau, where the Court was then in residence, and -informing him that, although he had until then been the greatest gambler -in his circle of friends, since his absence in Lorraine a Portuguese -gentleman named Pimentel had appeared upon the scene, who played much -higher than even he did. He must lose no time in redeeming his lost -reputation. - -Bassompierre hastened to obey, and plunged once more into this ruinous -amusement--ruinous, that is to say, to others, for, as we know, he was -well able to take care of himself--with all the zest begotten of a three -weeks’ abstinence from the card-table. For, though he had probably -gambled at Nancy, the stakes in vogue there must have seemed a mere -bagatelle compared with those for which Henri IV and his intimates -played. - - “We remained some days at Fontainebleau,” he says, “playing the - most frenzied game that I have ever heard of. Not a day passed on - which there were not gains or losses of 20,000 pistoles. The - counters of the least value which were used were for 50 pistoles. - The highest were worth 500 pistoles; so that it was possible to - hold in one’s hand at one time counters to the value of 50,000 - pistoles. I won that year there more than 500,000 francs at play, - notwithstanding that I was distracted by a thousand follies of - youth and love. The King returned to Paris, and from there went to - Saint-Germain. Play on the same scale continued, and Pimentel won - more than 200,000 crowns.” - -In July, Madame d’Entragues and her two daughters returned from -Malesherbes, and went to stay at Conflans, Madame de Verneuil in one -house, and Madame d’Entragues and Marie in another. Marie, however, -frequently found a pretext for spending the night with her elder sister, -and on these occasions, says Bassompierre, “M. de Guise and I played the -part of knights-errant and went to visit them.” After a short stay at -Conflans, the d’Entragues returned to Paris, where Marie and -Bassompierre had another quarrel--for what reason he does not tell -us--and “he broke entirely with her.” Like the last, however, it would -not appear to have been of long duration. - -At the beginning of August, the Duke of Mantua came to the French Court, -where, as the husband of the Queen’s sister, he was magnificently -entertained. His Highness, however, seems to have spent a considerable -part of his visit at the card-tables, for, “being a great gambler, he -was delighted to take part in the high play which went on, which was to -him extraordinary.” When the Duke took his departure, Bassompierre, who -spoke Italian fluently, was deputed to accompany him on his homeward -journey so far as Montargis. - - - - -CHAPTER X - - Enviable position of Bassompierre at the Court of France--The - Connétable de Montmorency offers him the hand of his beautiful - daughter Charlotte, the greatest heiress in France--The - marriage-articles are drawn up--The consent of Henri IV is - obtained--The Duc de Bouillon, whom Bassompierre has offended, - endeavours to persuade the King to withdraw his sanction and to - marry Mlle. de Montmorency to the Prince de Condé (_Monsieur le - Prince_)--Henri IV falls madly in love with the young - lady--Singular conversation between the King and Bassompierre, in - which his Majesty orders the latter to renounce his pretensions to - Mlle. de Montmorency’s hand--Astonishment and mortification of - Bassompierre, who, however, yields with a good grace--Bassompierre - falls ill of chagrin and remains for two days “without sleeping, - eating or drinking”--He is persuaded by his friend Praslin to - return to the Louvre--Mlle. de Montmorency is betrothed to the - Prince de Condé--Bassompierre falls ill of tertian fever, but rises - from his sick-bed to fight a duel with a Gascon gentleman--The - combatants are separated by friends of the latter--Serious illness - of Bassompierre. - - -Bassompierre had now fairly established his claim to be regarded as “the -most amiable and elegant gentleman of the Court,” and his position was -in every way an enviable one. He was idolised by the ladies to a degree -that no gallant has ever been either before or since his time, with the -possible exception of the too-celebrated Maréchal de Richelieu, in the -days of Louis XV;[57] liked and admired by the men, who looked upon him -as “the glass of fashion and the mould of form;” so great a favourite of -the King that his Majesty grumbled whenever he absented himself from -Court, and there seemed no rank or office, however high, to which he -might not ultimately aspire; and, though not wealthy, as wealth was -accounted in those days at the Court of France, enabled, thanks to his -extraordinary good fortune at play, to vie with the greatest in the -land in luxury and extravagance. “It would have been well,” says a -writer of the time, Tallemant des Réaux, “if there had always been at -the Court someone like him; he did the honours and received and -entertained foreigners. I used to remark that he was at the Court what -_Bon Accueil_ was in the romance of _la Rose_. People everywhere used to -call a man a Bassompierre, if he excelled in good looks and the elegance -of his appearance and manners.” - -But Bassompierre possessed more solid claims to the universal popularity -which he enjoyed than these. He was not only an adept at all manly -exercises, but a good musician, a sound classical scholar, and a master -of four languages: French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Despite his -follies, his innumerable gallantries, his gambling, and his prodigality, -he possessed a vein of sound common-sense, which caused him to be -consulted frequently by those who were in pecuniary or other -embarrassments; and he was a kindly, good-natured man, who held aloof -from the intrigues of the Court, never spoke ill of anyone, and was -always ready to do a service to a friend who needed it. And he was now -about to receive the most flattering tribute to his better qualities -possible to imagine--one, indeed, which he could not have hoped for even -in his fondest dreams--namely, the offer of a bride who was at once the -most beautiful girl at the Court, the greatest heiress in France, and, -with a single exception,[58] the young lady of the highest rank in the -land after the daughters of the Princes of the Blood. - - * * * * * - -One day, in October, 1608, the old Connétable de Montmorency, with whom -Bassompierre had always been a great favourite, invited him to dine with -him on the morrow, at the same time impressing upon him the importance -of not failing to be there, which was no doubt a very necessary -precaution, in view of the frequency with which that young gentleman’s -love-affairs and gambling-parties must have necessitated the breaking of -other social engagements. On his arrival at Montmorency’s hôtel, he -found that the Duc d’Epernon, the Marquis de Roquelaure, Zamet, and a -_maître des requêtes_ named La Cave, had also been invited, all four -being intimate friends of both the Constable and himself; and from their -presence he divined that some important matter which must concern him -very closely was in the wind. - -After dinner, Montmorency conducted his guests into his chamber, where -they were joined by Du Tillet-Girard, his confidential secretary, and -his physician Rancin, the latter of whom the Constable directed to -station himself at the door and on no account to allow their privacy to -be interrupted. Then, in a solemn speech, the old nobleman proceeded to -inform them of the reason which had led him to invite them there that -day. - -Having, he said, arrived at the close of life, he had deemed it his duty -to look around him for a man to whom he might give his youngest daughter -in marriage--one who might be agreeable both to himself and to her; and, -although he might choose amongst all the princes in France, he preferred -his daughter’s happiness to her elevation, and to see her, during the -rest of his days, living in joy and contentment. For which reason, the -esteem which he had so long entertained for the person and family of M. -de Bassompierre had decided him to offer him what others of far higher -rank would most gladly accept. And he had wished to do this in the -presence of his best friends, who were likewise M. de Bassompierre’s, -and to tell him that, having loved him as dearly as if he were his son, -he desired to make him so by marrying him to his daughter, being assured -that she would be happy with him, knowing as he did his good qualities; -and that M. de Bassompierre, on his part, would hold himself honoured in -marrying the daughter and grand-daughter of Constables of France; while -he (Montmorency) would be happy the rest of his days if he saw them both -living happily and contentedly together. He added that it was his -intention to give his daughter a dowry of 100,000 crowns, while she -would receive another 50,000 on the death of his younger brother;[59] -and if nothing prevented M. de Bassompierre from accepting the offer -which he now made him, he would instruct Du Tillet-Girard to draw up, in -conjunction with whatever person he might choose to appoint, the -marriage-articles. - - “There were tears of joy in his eyes when he finished speaking,” - writes Bassompierre, “and, as for me, I was so overcome by an - honour as unhoped for as it was dear to me, that words failed me to - express what I felt. At length, I told him that this honour so - great and so unexpected which he, in his generosity, designed for - me deprived me of the power of speech; that I could only marvel at - my good fortune; that it was above all my expectations, as it was - above my deserts; that it could only be repaid by very humble - service and infinite submission; that my life would be too short to - requite it, and that I could only offer him entire devotion to his - will; that it was not a husband whom he would give his daughter, - but a being by whom she would be incessantly adored like a goddess - and respected like a queen, and that he had not chosen a son-in-law - so much as a domestic servant of his House, whose every action - would be guided by his intentions and wishes alone; and that if - anything abated the excess of my joy, it was the apprehension that - Mlle. de Montmorency, who could choose from all the marriageable - princes in France, might regret renouncing the quality of princess, - of which she ought with reason to be assured, to occupy that of a - simple lady; and that I would prefer to die and lose the honour - which Monsieur le Connétable designed for me than occasion her the - least regret or discontent. And upon that, as I occupied a rather - low seat close to his own, I placed a knee to the ground, and, - taking his hand, kissed it, while he held me in a long embrace. - After which, he told me not to entertain any fear of that, as, - before speaking to me, he had consulted his daughter, and found her - perfectly disposed to fulfil all the wishes of her father, and - particularly in that which was not disagreeable to her. - - “MM. d’Épernon and de Roquelaure approved the choice which the - Constable had made of my person, and said more kind things - concerning me than I merited; as did also Zamet, La Cave, and Du - Tillet-Girard; and they then all embraced me, praising the - Constable’s choice and felicitating me on my good fortune. After - this, the Constable told them that it was not opportune to reveal - this affair, and that he entrusted it to their discretion until the - time came to divulge it; because he was not just then in the good - graces of the King, since he had refused his consent to the - marriage which the King had desired to bring about between M. de - Montmorency[60] and Mlle. de Verneuil,[61] his daughter. This they - promised him, and I likewise. - - “The Constable requested me to come to him again in the evening, - when Madame d’Angoulême, his sister-in-law[62] would be there, - saying that he intended to speak before her - -[Illustration: CHARLOTTE MARGUERITE DE MONTMORENCY, PRINCESSE DE CONDÉ. - -From an engraving by Barbant.] - - and his daughter of his decision to give the latter to me in - marriage. On my arrival, he said to me before her: ‘My son, here is - a wife whom I am keeping for you; salute her.’ This I did, and - kissed her. Then he spoke to her and to Madame d’Angoulême, who - seemed very content with the choice which her brother-in-law had - made of me for her niece.” - -The following day, the Princess de Conti, who had been let into the -secret, took Madame de Bassompierre to the Constable’s hotel and -presented her to the Duchesse d’Angoulême, who received her very -graciously, observing: “We shall be the two mothers of our newly-married -pair, and I know not whether you or I, Madame, will be the most -rejoiced.” Madame de Bassompierre then had an interview with the -Constable, who impressed upon her the importance of keeping the affair -secret for the present, and proposed that, meanwhile, their respective -men of business should meet and draw up the marriage-articles. This was -accordingly done, Du Tillet-Girard acting for the one side, and -Bauvillier, Procurator-General of the Cour des Monnaies, for the other; -and a draft was submitted to the Constable and Madame de Bassompierre, -and duly approved by them. - -Shortly after this, the Constable, who, Bassompierre tells us, did not -seem able to see enough of his prospective son-in-law or to think of -anything but advancing his interests, proposed to give him at once -50,000 crowns out of his daughter’s promised dowry, to enable him to -purchase the post of Colonel-General of the Light Cavalry, whose -occupant, the Comte d’Auvergne, was then in the Bastille and likely to -remain there indefinitely, though his wife, the Constable’s eldest -daughter, had been allowed to receive the salary attached to it. Madame -de Bassompierre, however, offered to find this sum, and suggested that, -in lieu of the dowry of 100,000 crowns, Montmorency should give her son -the estate of La Fère-en-Tardenois, near Château-Thierry, with remainder -to his daughter and any children which might be born of the marriage. -To this the Constable readily agreed, and, at the same time, told -Bassompierre to make ready to come secretly to Chantilly, where he -intended that the marriage should be celebrated so soon as possible, in -the presence of none but members of his family and a few intimate -friends. However, their common friend Roquelaure, who was making great -efforts to reconcile the King to Montmorency, sought to dissuade the -latter from this step, pointing out that, if he gave his daughter in -marriage without previously informing his Majesty and obtaining his -approval, he would offend him still more; while the King would certainly -be seriously annoyed if so great a favourite of his as Bassompierre were -to marry without consulting him. - -Now, Henri IV had, some time before this, expressed a desire that -Bassompierre should become one of his First Gentlemen of the Chamber, in -place of the Duc de Bouillon, whose haughty airs displeased his Majesty, -and had promised to give him 20,000 crowns to assist him to purchase -this coveted office from the duke. He had also sent a gentleman of his -Household to Bouillon to sound him upon the matter, and the latter had -intimated his willingness to resign his post, in consideration of -receiving the sum of 50,000 crowns, though it was believed that he would -accept a smaller sum. Anyway, he was coming to the Court almost -immediately, for the purpose of settling the matter. Roquelaure, who was -much attached to Bassompierre, and had himself suggested to Henri IV -that he should aid him to purchase the post, told the Constable that the -announcement of his approaching marriage would be an excellent -opportunity for Bassompierre to obtain from the King the 20,000 écus he -had been promised, for which otherwise he might have to wait long, -since, where money was concerned, the Béarnais was far more ready to -promise than to perform. - -Bassompierre was of the same opinion, and, since the Constable was not -just then on visiting terms with his sovereign, it was decided that he -and Roquelaure should wait upon Henri IV that evening, and that, after -the former had acquainted the King with his matrimonial intentions, the -latter should inform him that he came on behalf of the Constable to -demand his Majesty’s consent to his daughter’s marriage. This they did, -and the King, not only expressed his warm approval of the marriage, but -declared that, in view of such a happy event, he felt that he could no -longer remain on bad terms with the Constable, and sent Bassompierre to -tell the old nobleman to come and see him on the morrow, when he might -rest assured that he would be well received. - -The following day, after receiving the Constable, whom he treated very -graciously, Henri IV, at Bassompierre’s request, paid a visit to the -Duchesse d’Angoulême, and told her that he had come, not as the King, -but as Bassompierre’s personal friend, to see the young lady whom he was -about to marry and to rejoice with her that so admirable a husband had -been chosen for her. And he said all manner of kind things about -Bassompierre, and spoke much of the affection which he entertained for -him. - -So far everything had gone smoothly, but now an obstacle arose. - -That same evening the Duc de Bouillon arrived at Court. The King at once -spoke to him about the proposed purchase of his post of First Gentleman -of the Chamber by Bassompierre, and he answered that he had come to -arrange the matter. Bassompierre, who was present, with several other -nobles and gentlemen, exchanged a few words with the duke, as did the -rest of the company; but he forgot to pay him a visit on the morrow, as -he most certainly ought to have done, seeing that Bouillon was the -Constable’s nephew,[63] and “for all manner of other reasons.” His -unfortunate omission appears to have wounded the pride of this most -haughty of nobles, who was already none too well disposed towards the -projected marriage, since he believed that it was the work of the Duc -d’Épernon, of whom, Bassompierre tells us, he had been all his life -intensely jealous. He therefore resolved to do what he could to prevent -it, and that evening, when he was talking to the King, who had just -returned from the Queen’s apartments, “where he had seen Mlle. de -Montmorency, whom he and everyone had found perfect in beauty,” he told -him that he was greatly astonished that his Majesty should have given -his consent to the marriage, since the Prince de Condé, the first Prince -of the Blood,[64] was of an age to marry, and that, while it was -inexpedient that he should marry a foreign princess, there were no young -ladies of sufficiently high rank for him to wed in France, with the -exception of Mlle. de Mayenne and Mlle. de Montmorency. Well, no one who -had his sovereign’s interests at heart could possibly counsel his union -with Mlle. de Mayenne, since the remnant of the League was still too -powerful for it to be prudent to strengthen it by a marriage between the -daughter of its former chief and the first Prince of the Blood. On the -other hand, there could be no such objection to his marriage with Mlle. -de Montmorency, which would give him no new connections, since he was -already related to the Montmorencys on his mother’s side.[65] And he -besought his Majesty very humbly to weigh the counsel which he had had -the honour to give him and to reflect well upon it. This the King -promised to do, and the interview ended. - -It happened that the next day had been appointed by the Queen for the -rehearsal of a grand ballet entitled _les Nymphes de Diane_, which some -of the ladies of the Court, carefully chosen for their grace and beauty, -were to dance during the approaching Carnival, Mlle. de Montmorency -being amongst the number. The rehearsal took place in the great hall of -the Louvre, from which all the masculine portion of the Court, with the -exception of the King, the Grand Equerry, the Duc de Bellegarde, and -Montespan, the Captain of the Guards, were rigorously excluded. The -sight of Mlle. de Montmorency, who, according to Mézeray, had been cast -for the part of Diana, in the costume of ancient Greece, proved -altogether too much for the susceptible monarch, and inspired him with -sentiments very different from those which that chaste goddess was -supposed to implant in the hearts of men. In a word, he straightway fell -madly in love with her. “_Monsieur le Grand_,” writes Bassompierre, -“faithful to his habit of praising to excess anything new, and -particularly Mlle. de Montmorency, infused into the excitable mind of -the King that love which afterwards caused him to commit so many -extravagances.” - -The same evening the King was attacked by his old enemy, the gout, in so -severe a form that he was obliged to keep his bed for a fortnight; and, -most unfortunately as it was to prove for Bassompierre, the Constable -also fell ill of the same malady, so that the wedding, which it had been -decided was to take place almost immediately at Chantilly, had to be -postponed until the old gentleman was well enough to leave Paris. - -Meanwhile, Bassompierre had learned that the Duc de Bouillon was -endeavouring to prevent the marriage. That nobleman, it appears, had -told Roquelaure, who lost no time in informing his friend, that “M. de -Bassompierre wanted to have his office of First Gentleman of the -Chamber, and said nothing to him about it; that he wanted to marry his -niece, and said not a word to him upon the matter; but that he would -burn his books if he had either his office or his niece.” - -Having already represented to the King the advisability of reserving the -hand of Mlle. de Montmorency for the Prince de Condé, the duke sought an -interview with Condé himself and proposed the match to him, pointing out -that this alliance would give him for relatives all the grandees of -France, who would become the very humble servants of a personage of his -exalted rank, and that, if he did not marry Mlle. de Montmorency, he -would probably have to spend the remainder of his days in single -blessedness, because the King would not allow him to wed a foreign -princess, and there was no other young lady in France of suitable rank, -with the exception of Mlle. de Mayenne, and the King would never consent -to his marrying her. These arguments were not without effect, and -eventually Condé authorised him to approach the Constable on his behalf. - -The Constable, warned by Bassompierre of his nephew’s machinations, told -him not to allow them to disquiet him, since whatever match was proposed -to him he should refuse it, adding that he knew M. de Bouillon’s ways -far too well to be persuaded by him. He was as good as his word, and -when Bouillon spoke to him on the subject, he met with a sharp rebuff, -the Constable telling him that he had no need to seek a husband for his -daughter, as he had found one, and that he already had the honour of -being _Monsieur le Prince’s_ great-uncle, which was enough for him. - -During the illness of Henri IV, Bellegarde, Gramont, and Bassompierre -took it in turn to sit up with him at night, the long hours being passed -in reading to him d’Urfé’s sentimental romance _Astrée_, which was then -enjoying a great vogue, or in conversation, for the King suffered so -much pain that sometimes he was unable to sleep at all. It was the -custom of the Princesses of the Blood to visit the sick-room daily; and -the Duchesse d’Angoulême on more than one occasion brought her niece -with her. One day, while the duchess was talking to one of his -gentlemen, Henri IV, who did not disguise the pleasure which Mlle. de -Montmorency’s visits gave him, called the girl to his bedside, told her -that he intended to love her as if she were his own daughter, and that -she should be lodged in the Louvre when Bassompierre was on duty as -First Gentleman of the Chamber. He then desired her to tell him frankly -whether she were pleased with the marriage which had been arranged for -her, because, if it were not to her liking, he would soon find means to -break it, and marry her to his nephew, the Prince de Condé. The damsel -replied demurely that, since it was her father’s wish, she would esteem -herself very happy with M. de Bassompierre. And, writes that gentleman, -“he [the King] told me afterwards that these words made him resolve to -break my marriage, from fear lest, if I married her, she should love me -too much to be agreeable to him.” - - “M. de Gramont,” continues Bassompierre, “sat up with the King that - night, during which he slept but little, for love and the gout keep - those whom they attack very much awake. At eight o’clock the - following morning he sent a page of the Chamber to fetch me, and, - when I came, inquired why I had not sat up with him the previous - night. I answered that it was M. de Gramont’s night, and that the - next was mine. He told me that he had not closed an eye, and that - he had often thought of me. Then he made me place myself on a - hassock by his bedside (as was customary for those who entertained - him when he was in bed), and went on to tell me that he had been - thinking of me and of a marriage for me. I, who suspected nothing - so little as what he was going to say, replied that, but for the - Constable’s attack of gout, my marriage would already have been - concluded. ‘No,’ said he, ‘I thought of marrying you to Mlle. - d’Aumale,[66] and, in consideration of this marriage, of renewing - the duchy of Aumale in your person.’[67] I asked him if he wished - to give me two wives, upon which, after a deep sigh, he replied: - - “‘Bassompierre, I wish to speak to you as a friend. I am not only - in love, but madly and desperately in love, with Mlle. de - Montmorency. If she marries you, and loves you, I shall hate you; - if she loves me, you will hate me. It is better that this should - not be the cause of interrupting our friendly intercourse, for I - have much affection for you. I am resolved to marry her to my - nephew the Prince de Condé,[68] and to retain her about the person - of my wife. She will be the consolation and support of the old age - upon which I am about to enter. I shall give my nephew, who is - young and cares more for the chase than for ladies, a hundred - thousand francs a year, wherewith to amuse himself, and I do not - desire any other favour from her than her affection, without - pretending to anything further.’” - -Bassompierre’s astonishment and dismay at this announcement can well be -imagined. But he was above all things a courtier, and, aware that -opposition to the infatuated monarch’s will would be worse than futile, -he resolved to make a virtue of necessity, and proceeded to assure the -King of his joy at being afforded an opportunity of showing his devotion -to his Majesty, by cheerfully resigning to him what he valued more than -his own life. - -But let us allow him to continue his narrative of this singular -interview:-- - - “While he was telling me this, I was reflecting that, were I to - reply that I refused to abandon my suit, it would be but a useless - impertinence, because he was all-powerful; and, having decided to - yield with a good grace, I said:-- - - “‘Sire, I have always ardently desired a thing which has happened - to me when I was least anticipating it, which was the opportunity - of showing your Majesty, by some signal proof, the extreme and - ardent devotion which I cherish for you, and how truly I love you. - Assuredly, I could not have met with one more suitable than - this--of abandoning without pain and without regret an alliance so - illustrious, and a lady so perfect and so passionately beloved by - me, since by this resignation which I am making I please in some - way your Majesty. Yes, Sire, I renounce it for ever, and trust that - this new love may bring you as much joy as the loss of it would - occasion me distress, were it not that the consideration of your - Majesty prevents me feeling it.’ - - “Then the King embraced me and wept, assuring me that he would make - my fortune as if I were one of his natural children, and that he - loved me dearly, of which I should be assured, and that he would - recompense my honesty and my friendship. The arrival of the princes - and nobles made me rise, and, when the King recalled me and told me - again that he intended me to marry his cousin d’Aumale, I answered - that he had the power to prevent my marriage, but, as for marrying - elsewhere, ‘that is a thing which I will never do.’ And with that - our conversation terminated.” - -That day Bassompierre dined with the Duc d’Épernon, to whom he related -what the King had said to him. D’Épernon was disposed to make light of -the matter. “It is merely a caprice of the King,” said he, “which will -pass as quickly as it came. Do not be alarmed about it; for when -_Monsieur le Prince_ understands what the King’s intentions are, he will -not commit himself.” Bassompierre tried to persuade himself that such -was the case, and, on the duke’s advice, said nothing to anyone else -about the matter. - -In the evening, as he and two or three other gentlemen were playing at -dice with the King at a table placed beside his bed, the Duchesse -d’Angoulême entered the room with her niece, whom she had brought, it -appeared, in response to a message from his Majesty. The King -immediately ceased playing and had a long and earnest conversation with -the duchess on the further side of the bed. Then he called Mlle. de -Montmorency and spoke to her also for a long time. It was evident that -he informed her that Bassompierre had renounced his pretensions to her -hand, and that he intended to bestow it upon the Prince de Condé, for -when the conversation came to an end and the girl turned away, she -glanced in her unfortunate suitor’s direction and shrugged her pretty -shoulders. - - “This simple action,” writes Bassompierre, “pierced me to the heart - and affected me to such a degree that, feeling quite unequal to - continuing the game, I simulated a bleeding of the nose and left - the first cabinet and the second. On the stairs the _valets de - chambre_ brought me my cloak and hat. My money I had left to take - care of itself, but Beringhen[69] gathered it up. At the bottom of - the staircase I found M. d’Épernon’s coach, and, entering it, I - told the coachman to drive me to my lodging. I met my _valet de - chambre_ and went up with him to my room, where I instructed him to - say that I was not at my lodging; and I remained there two days, - tormented like one possessed, without sleeping, eating, or - drinking. People believed that I had gone into the country, as I - was in the habit of playing such pranks. At length, my valet, - fearing that I should die or lose my reason, acquainted M. de - Praslin, who was much attached to me, of the state in which I was, - and he came to see me, in order to divert my mind.” - -M. de Praslin succeeded in persuading Bassompierre that there was still -something to live for, and brought him that evening to the Louvre, where -“everyone was at first astonished to see that in the space of two days -he had become so thin, pale and changed as to be unrecognisable.” - -A few days later, the Prince de Condé announced his intention of -marrying Mlle. de Montmorency. The prince, who was by no means an -amiable young man, had taken a dislike to Bassompierre, whose -pretensions to the young heiress’s hand would, but for the intervention -of the King, have most certainly been preferred to his own; and -happening to meet his discomfited rival, said to him with obvious -malice: “M. de Bassompierre, I beg you to come to my hôtel this -afternoon and accompany me to Madame d’Angoulême’s, whither I propose -going to pay my respects to Mlle. de Montmorency.” - -“I made him a low bow,” says Bassompierre, “but I did not go there.” - -It is probable that the loss of Mlle. de Montmorency’s dowry and all the -advantages which his alliance with so illustrious a family would have -brought him distressed Bassompierre a good deal more than the loss of -the young lady herself. - - “It is true,” says he, “that there was not at that time under - Heaven a being more beautiful than Mlle. de Montmorency, nor one - more graceful or perfect in every respect. She had made a deep - impression upon my heart; but, as it was a love which was to be - regulated by marriage, I did not feel my disappointment so much as - I should otherwise have done.” - -Nor had he far to look for consolation, and “in order not to remain idle -and to console myself for my loss, I sought diversion in making my peace -with three ladies, with whom I had totally broken in expectation of -marrying--one of them being Antragues.” - -If, however, like a true courtier, he had been ready to bow to the -caprice of his sovereign, and to make the best of the situation, his -vanity had been wounded far too deeply for him to allow himself “to be -led in triumph”--as he expresses it--by Condé, when that prince’s formal -betrothal to Mlle. de Montmorency took place: - - “I was that morning in the King’s apartments, when _Monsieur le - Prince_, after speaking to several others, approached me and said: - ‘M. de Bassompierre, I beg you to come this afternoon to my hôtel - and accompany me to my betrothal at the Louvre.’ The King, seeing - him speak to me, inquired what he had said. ‘He has asked of me, - Sire,’ I replied, ‘a thing which I am unable to do.’ ‘And why?’ - said he. ‘It is to accompany him to his betrothal. Is he not - sufficiently great to go alone, and can he not be betrothed without - me being present? I answer that, if there is no one to accompany - him but myself, he will be very badly escorted.’ The King said that - it was his wish that I should go, to which I replied that I begged - his Majesty not to command me, for go I would not; that his Majesty - ought to be content that I had renounced my passion at the first - expression of his desires and wishes, without desiring to force me - to be led in triumph, after having ravished away my wife and all my - happiness.’ The King, who was the best of men, said to me: ‘I see - well, Bassompierre, that you are angry, but I assure you that you - will fail not to go when you have reflected that he who has asked - you is my nephew, first prince of my blood.’ Upon which he left me - and, taking MM. de Praslin and Termes aside, ordered them to go and - dine with me and persuade me to go, since duty and decorum demanded - it of me. And this I did, after a little remonstrance, but in such - fashion that I did not set out until the princesses were conducting - the _fiancée_ to the Louvre, and were passing before my lodging, - which obliged me to accompany her with the gentlemen who had dined - with me. And then, from the gate of the Louvre, we returned to find - _Monsieur le Prince_, whom we met as he was leaving the Pont-Neuf - to come thither. The betrothal took place in the gallery of the - Louvre, and the King maliciously leant upon my shoulder and kept me - close to the affianced couple during the whole ceremony.” - -Two days afterwards, Bassompierre fell ill of tertian fever, and one -morning, while he lay in bed, he received a visit from a Gascon -gentleman named Noé, who had, or imagined he had, some grievance against -him, and who had come to inquire whether he might have the honour of -fighting a duel with him, so soon as his strength would permit. -Bassompierre replied that he had enough and to spare whenever it was a -question of giving another gentleman satisfaction, and, rising -forthwith, ordered a horse to be saddled, dressed, and rode off to the -“field of honour,” which M. de Noé had appointed at Bicêtre. It was -hardly the kind of day which even a hale man would have chosen to -indulge in one of these little affairs, as there was a thick fog, and -the ground was two feet deep in snow. But he scorned to turn back, and -at length reached the rendezvous, where he found his adversary awaiting -him. - -It had been agreed that, as Bassompierre was in no condition to fight on -foot, the combat should take place on horseback; but just as it was -about to begin, two Gascons, named La Gaulas and Carbon, with a third -man called Le Fay, all of whom were apparently friends of Noé, came -galloping up, with the intention of preventing the duel, and called out -to that fire-eating gentleman: “You can meet some other time.” - -Bassompierre, however, having put himself to so much inconvenience just -to oblige M. de Noé, was highly indignant at the interruption, and, -resolved not to return to Paris without striking at least one blow, -shouted to his adversary to mount his horse, and rode towards him. Noé, -who was as anxious to get at Bassompierre as the latter was to get at -him, threw himself into the saddle, and though his friends endeavoured -to intercept him, he contrived to evade them; and he and Bassompierre -were about to cross swords when Carbon urged his horse against the flank -of Noé’s with such force that he bore both the animal and its rider to -the ground. Noé was soon in the saddle again, but the fog was now so -thick that it was quite impossible for one man to recognise another, -with the consequence that Bassompierre came near to killing La Gaulas, -whom he mistook for Noé. This mishap put an end to the combat, and -Bassompierre, who was feeling so ill that he could scarcely sit his -horse, made his way to Gentilly, where fortunately he found some -friends of his, who assisted him back to Paris. - -One might suppose that, after this adventure, our gentleman would have -been content to remain in bed for a day or two; but, since there -happened to be a grand ballet at the Arsenal that evening, at which all -the Court was to be present, and which he was particularly anxious to -attend, he must needs array himself in all his bravery and go out into -the snow and fog again. The result of this imprudence was that he fell -dangerously ill and was at one time at death’s door; and the spring had -come before he was about again. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - - The body of a man who has been assassinated opposite Marie - d’Entragues’s house mistaken for that of Bassompierre--Bassompierre - wins a wager of a thousand crowns from the King--Marriage of the - Prince de Condé and Mlle. de Montmorency--Henri IV informs - Bassompierre of his intention to send him on a secret mission to - Henri II, Duke of Lorraine, to propose an alliance between that - prince’s elder daughter and the Dauphin--Departure of - Bassompierre--He arrives at Nancy and challenges a gentleman to a - duel, but the affair is arranged--His first audience of Duke Henri - II--Irresolution of that prince, who desires to postpone his answer - until he has consulted his advisers--Negotiations of Bassompierre - with the Margrave of Baden-Durlach--He returns to Nancy--Continued - hesitation of the Duke of Lorraine--Memoir of Bassompierre: his - prediction of the advantages which Lorraine would derive from being - incorporated with France abundantly justified by time--The Duke - gives a qualified acceptance of Henri IV’s propositions--Difficulty - which Bassompierre experiences in inducing him to commit his reply - to writing. - - -Soon after Bassompierre’s recovery an incident occurred which brought -him and his love-affairs rather more prominently before the public than -he altogether cared about. - -In the same street in which Madame d’Entragues and her younger daughter -were then living, there lodged an Italian equerry of the Queen, named -Camille Sanconi. This Sanconi was in love with his landlady, and finding -her one fine night in the company of a rival admirer, he or his servants -gave the latter several sword-thrusts, and then threw him into the -street in his night-attire. The unfortunate man’s wounds were mortal, -and he had scarcely managed to drag himself along for fifty paces, when -he fell down dead, directly beneath the window of the room occupied by -Marie d’Entragues. - - “Some passer-by,” writes Bassompierre, “seeing the dead body, - believed that it was I, on account of the spot where it lay, and - came battering at the door of my lodging, saying that I had been - assassinated at Madame d’Entragues’s house, and then thrown out of - the window, and that my servants ought to go to succour me - promptly, if I were still alive, or to bring me back, if I were - dead. As chance would have it, I had left my lodging, in disguise, - to visit a lady, a circumstance which seemed to my servants to - afford such strong confirmation of this story, that they - thoughtlessly rushed off to where the body which had been taken for - mine was lying, and the more impetuous ones having thrown - themselves upon it, prevented the more prudent from examining it - closely; and all bore it away to my lodging. On the way thither - they were met by other servants of mine who carried torches, by the - light of which they perceived that the corpse was that of another - man, upon which they carried it to the house of a surgeon, where - the officers of the law soon came to take possession of it. This - affair occasioned a rather great scandal, and my servants to become - the laughing-stock of the town.” - -Early in May, the Court went to Fontainebleau, and Bassompierre followed -it shortly afterwards. On his arrival, he found that the engineers had -just begun to let the water into the canal which had recently been -constructed there; and the King offered to wager a thousand crowns that -in two days it would be quite full. Bassompierre took the bet and won it -easily, as it was more than a week before the canal was full. - -On May 17, the Prince de Condé and Charlotte de Montmorency were married -at Chantilly, the wedding having been delayed until then owing to the -necessity of awaiting the Papal dispensation for the marriage of blood -relations. Shortly afterwards, the bridal pair joined the Court at -Fontainebleau, but the young princess only remained there a week, and -then went with her mother-in-law to the Château of Valery, near Sens, -one of Condé’s country-houses. - -One day, while the Court was at Fontainebleau, the King sent for -Bassompierre and announced that he proposed to send him on a secret -mission of the highest importance to his Majesty’s brother-in-law, Henri -II, Duke of Lorraine. By his first marriage with Catherine de Bourbon, -the Duke had had no children; but by his second marriage with Margherita -di Gonzaga, at which, it will be remembered, Bassompierre had assisted -in the quality of Ambassador Extraordinary, he had two daughters, the -Princesses Nicole and Claude; and the chief object of the mission which -he was now to undertake was to propose, on behalf of the King, an -alliance between the elder princess and the Dauphin, and to employ all -his powers of persuasion to induce the Duke to consent to it. These -would be needed, for the Lorrainers, like the people of all small -countries, were always exceedingly suspicious about the designs of their -powerful neighbours; and, though the prospect of one of his daughters -sharing the throne of France might flatter the pride of Henri II, his -subjects would probably regard the affair in a very different light. -However, the advantages to be derived from such an alliance were so -great that the King was determined to spare no expense to bring it -about, and, with the idea that corruption might succeed where other -means might fail, he authorised Bassompierre “to offer pensions up to -the value of 12,000 crowns to any private persons whom he should judge -capable of assisting him in this affair.” Finally, “in order to -encourage him to serve him the more zealously on this occasion, he -offered to marry him to Mlle. de Chemillé[70] and to re-establish in his -favour the estate of Beaupreau into a duchy and peerage.” “But,” -continues Bassompierre, “I was so over head and ears in love just then, -that I told him that, if he desired to do me any favour, I begged that -it might not be by way of marriage, since by marriage he had done me so -much injury.” - -Henri IV was most anxious that Bassompierre should set out at once for -Lorraine, and this the latter promised to do. But, on reaching Paris, he -reflected that the marriage of the Duc de Vendôme, the King’s son by -Gabrielle d’Estrées, which was to be a very splendid affair indeed, was -to take place at Fontainebleau in ten days’ time, and that it would be a -thousand pities to miss it, even if he had to go there in disguise. He -therefore decided to postpone his departure until after the wedding and -to spend the interval in Paris, confining himself, we may suppose, to -the company of such of his friends as might be trusted not to reveal his -presence there to the King, who, of course, imagined him to be well on -his way to Lorraine. He soon had reason to regret having disobeyed his -sovereign’s commands, for, during the ten days he spent in the capital, -his usual extraordinary good fortune at play for once entirely deserted -him, and he contrived to lose no less a sum than 25,000 crowns, which -seems a somewhat exorbitant price to pay for the pleasure of attending -even the most magnificent of weddings. - -Having witnessed the ceremony, so carefully disguised that his identity -would not appear to have been even suspected, he returned to Paris and -started the same day for Lorraine, from which, after his mission had -been accomplished, he had orders to proceed to Germany, to sound the -Margrave of Baden-Durlach as to the attitude he was likely to assume in -the event of a war between France and the House of Austria, for which -Henri IV had long been making preparations. - -The King had not failed to impress upon his emissary the importance of -not allowing it to be suspected that he had come to Lorraine with any -diplomatic object in view, and, faithful to these instructions, -Bassompierre, instead of going at once to Nancy, proceeded to Harouel, -where, in honour of his arrival, his mother kept open house, and he was -visited by a great many of the nobles of Lorraine. At Harouel he -remained for some days and then proceeded to Nancy, “just as if he had -no other business there than to pay his respects to the princes and pass -the time.” - -On the morrow of his arrival, one of his servants came to complain to -him that he had been chastised by a gentleman named Du Ludre, whom he -had in some way offended. Bassompierre at once sent that gentleman a -challenge to mortal combat, apparently forgetting, in his indignation at -the affront which had been offered him in the person of his servant, -that if Du Ludre happened to be an expert swordsman and were to kill or -even wound him seriously, there would be an end to the mission with -which the King had charged him. Happily, however, the gentleman in -question turned out to be a pacifist, who, though ready enough to cane -insolent lackeys, had no desire to cross swords with their masters; and, -calling upon Bassompierre, he offered him so many excuses and apologies -that, instead of fighting, the latter ended by embracing him. - -This incident, trivial in itself, had, nevertheless, an important -consequence, since no one was now likely to suspect a gentleman so ready -to seek the “field of honour” of having come to Nancy on an important -diplomatic mission. - -However, in order to leave nothing to chance, he waited nearly a week, -and then asked for an audience of the Duke, who was greatly surprised -when he presented his credentials, and still more when he learned the -object of his mission. Henri II was a timid and irresolute prince, -always profoundly suspicious of the great Powers on either side of him, -and his first question to Bassompierre was whether he were to understand -that the troops which the King of France had lately assembled on the -Lorraine frontier were intended to act against him, in the event of his -being unable to comply with the wishes of his Majesty. Bassompierre -hastened to assure him that they were assembled for a very different -purpose, namely, to prevent the annexation of the duchy of Clèves by the -House of Austria, a step which would be so detrimental to the interests -of France that the King was determined not to permit it.[71] The prince, -evidently much relieved, then said that the proposition which had just -been made him was of such importance that he must have time to consider -it and to consult his advisers, and inquired how long Bassompierre could -give him. The latter replied that his Highness might take so long as he -pleased, and said that he would go and visit some of his relatives in -Germany and return for his answer in a fortnight’s time. He begged him, -however, to refrain from admitting anyone to his confidence upon whose -discretion he could not implicitly rely, as it was of the utmost -importance that the matter should be kept secret. The Duke said that he -proposed to consult Bouvet, President of Lorraine, to which -Bassompierre, who was on friendly terms with the President, readily -agreed. - -In the course of the day, Bouvet came to visit Bassompierre and told him -that he had never seen the duke in such perplexity before. He himself -seemed not unfavourably disposed to the French alliance, and -Bassompierre seized the occasion to hint that, if he could persuade his -Highness to consent to it, he would not find the Very Christian King -ungrateful. But the President, who was an honest man, indignantly -repudiated such a suggestion, observing that “he was a good servant of -his master, who was able to make him and all his family wealthier than -they had any desire to be.” Bassompierre hastened to offer his -apologies, and they parted very amicably. - -Next day Bassompierre set out for Germany, accompanied by an old friend, -the Count von Salm, whose sister was married to the Margrave of -Baden-Durlach, to whom, as we have mentioned, he was also accredited. He -was at pains, however, not to allow the count to suspect that his -intended visit to the latter’s brother-in-law was other than a friendly -one. - -With this object he travelled leisurely, stopping at Strasbourg, Saverne -and other places, to visit people whom he knew. At Saverne, where he had -such a painful experience five years earlier, he was again entertained -by the canons of the Chapter, but on this occasion appears to have risen -from table in a condition to which no one could take exception. He made -up for this moderation, however, a day or two later, at a supper-party -to which he was invited by the Count and Countess von Hanau, relatives -of Salm, where all the company, including apparently the hostess, got -“terribly drunk.” - -Having ascertained that the Margrave of Baden-Durlach was at one of his -country-houses near Lichtentau, he and Salm proceeded thither and were -very hospitably entertained. He refrained from saying anything about the -object of his visit until the day of his departure, when, as the company -rose from the dinner-table, he said, in a low voice, to the Margrave -that he had a message of importance to deliver to him, at the same time -giving him a significant look. The Margrave thereupon inquired, in a -loud tone, whether M. de Bassompierre were proceeding direct to France -after his return to Nancy, and, on being told that such was his -intention, asked him to step into his cabinet, since, if he were -disposed to do him a kindness, he had a little commission for him to -execute there. - -So soon as they were alone, Bassompierre showed the Margrave his -credentials and informed him that he had been sent by his master to -ascertain if he could reckon upon his support, in the event of a war -between France and the House of Austria. The Margrave replied that the -King could certainly count upon him, adding, however, that he by himself -could do but little. If his Majesty would do him the honour of following -his counsel, he would at once enter into communication with his -relatives, the Duke of Würtemberg, the Margrave of Anspach, and the -Landgraves of Hesse and Darmstadt, all of whom he would find very -disposed to serve him. - -Bassompierre now had an opportunity of showing that he had in him -something of the stuff whereof successful diplomatists are made, and he -did not fail to seize it. Although he had received no instructions -whatever from Henri IV in regard to any of the princes mentioned, whose -attitude the King had probably considered far too doubtful to justify -him in disclosing to them his plans, he did not hesitate to assure the -Margrave that he had been charged to visit them all, as well as the -Elector Palatine, provided he could do so without exciting suspicion. -Unfortunately, however, this condition could not be fulfilled, as the -Duke of Würtemberg, whom he had intended to visit at Stuttgart, had gone -to Anspach to attend the wedding of its ruler, and to follow him there -would be too risky a proceeding; the Elector Palatine had gone to the -Upper Palatinate to hunt, and he could find no pretext sufficiently -plausible for approaching the Landgraves of Hesse and Darmstadt. He -had, therefore, he continued, written to the King to explain the -difficulties with which he had to contend and to ask for fresh -instructions, and had received orders to confine himself to visiting the -Margrave, and, if he found him as well-disposed towards the cause of his -Majesty as the latter hoped and believed him to be, to request him to -undertake the chief direction of his negotiations with the princes of -Germany, and to advise him as to which of them would be most inclined to -aid him, by what means they ought to be approached, what letters ought -to be written to them, which of their Ministers it would be advisable to -gain over to his interests, and so forth. - -The Margrave, little suspecting that the young diplomatist before him -was acting entirely on his own responsibility, and highly flattered by -such a tribute to his importance, readily promised to undertake what was -required of him, and proposed that his private secretary, Huart, who -possessed his entire confidence, should accompany Bassompierre back to -France, on the pretext of attending to some business affairs of his -master there, and act as a means of communication between the Margrave -and the French Government. - -Very satisfied with the result of his visit to the Margrave, -Bassompierre returned to Nancy, where he found despatches from Henri IV -awaiting him, in which he was instructed to sound the Duke of Lorraine -in regard to the Clèves affair. He had no difficulty in obtaining from -the Duke an assurance that he would preserve the strictest neutrality; -but on the question of the proposed marriage between his elder daughter -and the Dauphin, the poor prince appeared quite unable to come to a -decision. At length, after keeping Bassompierre waiting for nearly three -weeks, he sent him, through the President Bouvet, a very flattering -message, in which he informed him that the remembrance of the great -services which his family had rendered the House of Lorraine, and the -esteem which he entertained for M. de Bassompierre personally, had -decided him that he could not do better than ask his advice as to the -answer he should make to the King. - -Bassompierre replied that it was impossible for him to act as the -counsellor of a sovereign to whom he was accredited; but, at the same -time, he would be very willing to submit to his Highness the different -answers which it would be possible for him to make to his master’s -proposition, and leave him to choose between them. - -He then proceeded to draft a long and elaborate memoir, which occupies -many pages of his _Journal_, wherein, notwithstanding that he had just -expressly declined the honour of advising the Duke of Lorraine, he -proceeded to give that prince some very sound counsel indeed. Space -forbids us to attempt even a summary of this document, but, in the light -of subsequent events, one portion of it is of real interest. - -Combating the objection that the marriage of the Duke’s elder daughter -to the Dauphin might lead, in the event of the extinction of the male -line of the House of Lorraine, to the duchy being incorporated with -France, Bassompierre, as a loyal son of Lorraine, boldly declared his -opinion that such an occurrence would be wholly to the advantage of his -compatriots, whose national customs and institutions would be respected -by France as she had respected those of Brittany, while, like the -Bretons, able and ambitious Lorrainers would find in the service of -France opportunities for advancement which they could never hope to meet -with in their own little country. If, on the contrary, the Duke were to -reject the French alliance and give his daughter to a prince of the -House of Austria, which, in a like eventuality, would regard Lorraine -merely as a new province to be exploited for the benefit of the Spanish -or Imperial Exchequer, or to some German or Italian sovereign of the -second rank, whose descendants, brought up in a distant country, would -have nothing in common with the people of Lorraine and would be -powerless to protect them from the aggression of their powerful -neighbours, their lot would be very different. - -Time has abundantly justified what Bassompierre wrote, and it is not a -little unusual to find so much sagacity and good sense concealed beneath -so frivolous an exterior. - -In conclusion, Bassompierre pointed out that there were four answers -which the Duke of Lorraine might make to the proposal which he had -received from Henri IV: (1) An absolute refusal, which the writer, of -course, strongly deprecated; (2) A refusal based on the ground that the -parties were not yet of marriageable age, accompanied by a promise not -to entertain a proposal for his daughter’s hand from any other quarter, -so long as the King of France continued in the same mind; (3) An -acceptance, accompanied by a stipulation that the affair should be kept -secret, until he had had time to gain the approval of his subjects and -of his relatives, which he would undertake to do as soon as possible; -(4) An unqualified acceptance. - -This memoir was duly submitted to the duke, and, the following day, the -President Bouvet came to see Bassompierre, and told him that his -unfortunate master was in a pitiable state of uncertainty, now inclining -to one decision and now to another. “I think,” said he, “that what you -have proposed to his Highness has given him the means to decide, but you -have more embarrassed him than ever; and I believe that, if you had -given him one counsel, he would have followed it, because he wishes to -follow all four, not knowing which to choose.” He was, however, of -opinion that he would eventually choose the third, and anyway he had -promised to let Bassompierre have his answer in two days’ time. - -Bouvet added that whatever answer Bassompierre carried back to the King -it would be a verbal one, since the proposal had been made verbally; -besides which the duke entertained the strongest objection to -committing his reply to writing. - -Bassompierre then said that he had received express orders from the King -that, in the event of the Duke giving an absolute or qualified -acceptance, he was to hand him a written offer, signed by him on behalf -of his Majesty; that the King had also instructed him to bring back a -reply signed by the Duke; and that he could take no other message. “The -affair is of importance,” he continued, “subject to disavowal; I am -young and a new Minister, and, apart from that, a vassal of his -Highness. I might easily be suspected of having added or taken away, -suppressed or invented, something in the affair. For which reasons I -desire that his letter and his seal should speak, and that I should be -the bearer only.” - -Bouvet replied that he feared that it would be very difficult indeed to -persuade the timorous prince to consent to what was required of him. To -which Bassompierre rejoined that, if the Duke persisted in his refusal -to give him a written answer, the only alternative was for him to send -Bouvet, or some other duly accredited agent, to Henri IV to acquaint him -with his decision. - -The next morning the Duke invited Bassompierre to play tennis with him -that afternoon, and, on his arrival at the palace, led him into the -gallery of the tennis-court and told him that he was “fully resolved to -conform to the wishes of the King and accept the honour which he wished -to do him”; stipulating, however, that he should be allowed time to -dispose his subjects favourably to the idea of such an alliance and to -overcome the objections of his relatives. And he requested Bassompierre -to beg the King very humbly on his behalf to observe the most absolute -secrecy in regard to the affair, until the time should come to reveal -it. - -Bassompierre had, however, all the difficulty in the world to get this -decision committed to writing and signed by the Duke. The poor prince -appeared convinced that, if this were done, some unauthorised use would -be made of the document. He feared his subjects; he feared his -relatives; above all, he feared the ill-will of the Courts of Vienna and -Madrid; and he protested that he would prefer to die rather than the -affair should become known. At last, however, he yielded, and at the -beginning of September Bassompierre returned to France with his answer -duly signed and sealed. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - - Return of Bassompierre to the French Court--Frenzied passion of - Henri IV for the young Princesse de Condé--His extravagant - conduct--Condé flies with his wife to Flanders--Grief and - indignation of the King, who summons his most trusted counsellors - to deliberate upon the affair--Sage advice of Sully, which, - however, is not followed--The Archduke Albert refuses to surrender - the fugitives--Condé retires to Milan and places himself under the - protection of Spain--Failure of an attempt to abduct the - princess--Henri IV and his Ministers threaten war if the lady is - not given up--The “Great Design”--Bassompierre appointed Colonel of - the Light Cavalry and a Counsellor of State--His account of the - last days and assassination of Henri IV. - - -On Bassompierre’s return to Court, Henri IV expressed himself highly -satisfied with the results of his mission and “gave him very great -proofs of his good-will.” Scarcely, however, had he concluded his -account of his diplomatic activities than the King “requested an -audience of _him_, in order to tell him of his passion for _Madame la -Princesse_ and of the unhappy life that he was leading separated from -her.” “And assuredly,” adds Bassompierre, “this love of his was a -frenzied one, which could not be contained within the bounds of -decorum.” - -We must here explain that this interesting little affair had not been -developing at all in accordance with his Majesty’s anticipations. Condé -had accepted with becoming gratitude the handsome pension which the King -had bestowed upon him and appeared far more interested in his wife’s -dowry than in her person; while the fair Charlotte, on her side, -scarcely troubled to conceal her indifference to a husband who was shy, -awkward, and close-fisted, and lacking in all those qualities calculated -to appeal to the imagination of a young girl. Indeed, there can be no -doubt that she preferred the company of the King, despite his grey hairs -and his wrinkled visage, and she appears to have given the amorous -monarch no little encouragement, though perhaps innocently enough. - -But Condé, with all his faults, was an honourable man, and when he -clearly understood the odious part which his royal “uncle” intended -should be his; when he saw the King, usually so painfully neglectful of -his person, powdered and scented and bedecked like the youngest gallant -of his Court; when he learned that he was bombarding his wife with -passionate sonnets, obligingly composed for him by Malherbe and other -facile rhymesters; when he heard that the princess had stepped one night -on to the balcony of her apartments and there unbound her hair and -allowed it to fall about her shoulders to gratify a whim of her elderly -admirer, who stood beneath “transported with admiration”; when, in -short, he found that the King’s infatuation was the talk of Court and -town, he began, as his Majesty expressed it, “to play the devil.” And, -after several angry scenes, in which Henri IV entirely lost his temper, -and all sense of dignity and decorum along with it, and Condé appears to -have forgotten the respect which he owed to his sovereign in his -resentment against the man who wished to dishonour him, the prince -carried off his wife to the Château of Muret, in Picardy, not far from -the Flemish frontier. - -The lovelorn King followed his inamorata, and, dressed as one of his own -huntsmen, and with a patch over his eye, stood by the roadside to see -her pass; and, in the same disguise, penetrated into a house where she -was dining, and when she appeared at a window, kissed one hand to her, -while he pressed the other to his heart. - -A few days later, Condé received a letter from the King, written in a -strain half-coaxing, half-menacing, summoning him to Court, to be -present at the approaching accouchement of the Queen. Etiquette required -that the first Prince of the Blood should be in attendance on these -auspicious occasions, and it was impossible for him to refuse. But he -came alone. Henri IV was furious, and his anger rendered him so -insupportable to those about him, that Marie de’ Medici herself begged -Condé to send for his wife, promising to keep strict watch over her. -Such was the King’s wrath that he could not trust himself to interview -his kinsman personally, but sent for his secretary, Virey, and bade him -tell his master that, if he declined to bow to his will, or attempted -any violence against his wife, he would give him cause to rue it. He -added that, if he had been still only King of Navarre, he would have -challenged the prince to a duel. - -After receiving this message, Condé decided to feign submission, and -accordingly begged his Majesty’s permission to fetch his wife. This -request, as we may suppose, was readily granted, and on November 25--the -day on which the ill-starred Henrietta Maria was born--he set out for -Picardy. - -On the evening of the 29th, while Henri IV was playing cards with the -Comte de Soissons--_Monsieur le Comte_, as he was styled--Bassompierre, -Guise, d’Épernon, and Créquy in his private cabinet, word was brought -him that a messenger had arrived from Picardy, with intelligence that -_Monsieur le Prince_ had early that morning left Muret in a coach with -his wife, accompanied by his equerry the Baron de Rochefort, Virey, and -two of the princess’s ladies. Condé had given out that he was bound on a -hunting-expedition; but the messenger--an archer of the Guard named -Laperrière--had ascertained from his father, who was in the prince’s -service, that the party had taken the road to Flanders. - - “I sat nearest to the King,” writes Bassompierre, “and he whispered - in my ear: ‘Bassompierre, my friend, I am lost. That man is taking - his wife into a wood. I know not if it is to kill her or to take - her out of France. Take care of my money and continue the game, - while I go to learn further particulars.’ Then he went with - d’Elbène[72] into the Queen’s apartments. - - “After the King had gone, _Monsieur le Comte_ begged me to tell him - what had happened. I replied that his nephew and niece had fled. - MM. de Guise, d’Épernon and de Créquy asked me the same question, - and I gave them the same answer. Upon this they all withdrew from - the game, and I, taking the opportunity of returning to the King - the money which he had left on the table, entered the room where he - was. - - “Never did I see a man so distressed or so frantic. The Marquis de - Cœuvres, the Comte de Cramail, d’Elbène, and Loménie were with - him, and to each suggestion that one of them made he forthwith - assented: such as to send the Captain of the Watch after _Monsieur - le Prince_ with his archers; to send Balagny[73] to Bouchain to try - and catch him; to send Vaubecourt [governor of the county of - Beaulieu-en-Argonne], who was then in Paris, to the frontier of - Verdun to prevent his passage in that direction; and other - ridiculous things.” - -Meanwhile, the distracted monarch had sent to summon his most trusted -counsellors, as though for an affair of State of the first importance; -and, as each one arrived, he hurried up to him to inform him of what had -occurred and to ask his advice. - - “The Chancellor[74] was the first to arrive, and the King, having - acquainted him with the matter, demanded of him what ought to be - done. He answered gravely that this prince was taking the wrong - road; that it was to be regretted that he had not been better - counselled; and that he ought to have moderated his impetuosity. - ‘That is not what I am asking you, _Monsieur le Chancelier_,’ cried - the King angrily. ‘What I desire is your advice.’ The Chancellor - then said that severe proclamations ought to be issued against him - and against all who should follow him or render him aid, whether by - money or counsels. - - “As he said this, M. de Villeroy entered, and the King impatiently - demanded his advice. He shrugged his shoulders and appeared to be - very astonished at the news; and then said that letters ought to be - written to all the King’s Ambassadors at foreign Courts to acquaint - them with _Monsieur le Prince’s_ departure without permission of - the King and contrary to his orders, and to instruct them to take - such steps with the princes to whom they were accredited as would - cause them to refuse him an asylum in their dominions, or to send - him back to his Majesty.” - -The Président Jeannin had arrived at the same time as Villeroy, and the -King demanded his advice also. The President was for strong measures, -and said without hesitation that his Majesty ought immediately to send -one of the captains of his Guards after _Monsieur le Prince_ to -endeavour to bring him back. If that could not be effected, then an -envoy ought to be despatched to the sovereign in whose dominions he had -taken refuge to demand that he should be surrendered, and, in case that -was refused, to threaten war. In his opinion, there could be little -doubt that he had gone to Flanders, to demand an asylum of the Archduke -Albert, Sovereign of the Netherlands; but, since Condé was not -personally acquainted with that prince, he did not suppose that the -latter was privy to his flight, and, unless he were to receive express -orders from Madrid to protect him, he would in all probability prefer to -send him back, or, at any rate, order him to leave Flanders, rather than -risk trouble with France. - - “The King,” continues Bassompierre, “approved of this expedient, - but he did not wish to decide until he had heard what M. de Sully - had to say about the matter. The latter entered some time after the - others, in a rough, - -[Illustration: HENRI IV., KING OF FRANCE.] - - abrupt manner. The King went up to him and said: ‘M. de Sully, - _Monsieur le Prince_ has fled and has taken his wife with him.’ - ‘Sire,’ answered he, ‘I am not surprised; and, if you had followed - the counsel I gave you a fortnight since, when he left to go to - Muret, you would have put him in the Bastille, and I should have - kept him safe for you.’ ‘Well,’ said the King, ‘the thing is done; - it is useless to say more about it; but tell me what I ought to do - now.’ ‘By God, Sire! I know not,’ he replied; ‘but let me go back - to the Arsenal, where I shall sup and sleep, and in the night I - shall think of some good counsel, which I will bring you in the - morning.’ ‘No,’ said the King, ‘I wish you to give it me at once.’ - ‘I must think,’ said he, and with that he turned to the window - which looked into the courtyard, and for a little time drummed upon - it with his fingers. Then he came back to the King, who said: - ‘Well, have you thought of something?’ ‘Yes, Sire,’ said he. ‘And - what ought I to do?’ ‘Nothing, Sire.’ ‘What! Nothing?’ cried the - King. ‘Yes, nothing,’ said M. de Sully. ‘If you do nothing at all, - and show that you do not care about him, people will despise him; - no one will assist him, not even the friends and servants whom he - has here; and in three months, urged by necessity,[75] and by the - little account that one takes of him, you will get him back on - whatever conditions you please. But if you show that you are uneasy - and are anxious to have him back, they will regard him as a - personage of importance; he will be assisted with money by those - without the realm; and divers persons, thinking to do you a - despite, will protect him, although they would have left him alone - if you had not troubled about him.’” - -The King, however, was in no mood to follow this sage counsel, and -preferred the strong measures proposed by Jeannin. He accordingly -launched the Captain of the Watch in pursuit of the fugitives, and, when -that officer returned empty-handed, sent Praslin to Brussels, where, as -was generally expected, Condé had taken refuge, to demand his surrender -from the Archduke Albert. The Archduke felt that he could not without -shame deliver up a prince who came to seek an asylum against an -all-powerful monarch who was endeavouring to dishonour his wife. On the -other hand, he did not wish to offend Henri IV and afford him a pretext, -which he might be only too ready to seize, for breaking the peace. He -therefore tendered his good offices and made every effort to bring about -an accommodation. But the King insisted on Condé’s unconditional -submission and immediate return; while the prince demanded a place of -surety on the frontier, with a convenient back-door, to enable him, at -the first alarm, to leave the kingdom again. - -The attitude assumed by Henri IV was so threatening, that Condé, judging -it to be unsafe to remain in Flanders, confided his wife to the care of -the Archduchess and took refuge at Milan, the governor of which, the -Count de Fuentes, was a declared enemy of Henri IV and France. He had -already appealed to Spain for protection; and Philip III instructed his -Ambassador at the French Court, Don Inigo de Cardenas, to inform Henri -IV that “he had taken the Prince de Condé under his protection, with the -object of acting as a mediator in the matter and contributing by all -means in his power to the repose and happiness of the Very Christian -King.” The remainder of the despatch, however, shows that Philip was -actuated by very different motives. - -Condé’s departure from Brussels did not leave the Archduke in a less -difficult position. It was not the prince, but the princess, whose -return Henri IV most eagerly desired. He endeavoured to have her carried -off, but the attempt failed.[76] He obliged the Constable to demand that -she should be sent back to the paternal roof. The Archduke replied that -he could not do so, except by her husband’s desire. - -The King was the more exasperated by the resistance of the Archduke, as -he had reason to believe that his ridiculous passion was returned. The -princess, this child of sixteen, who had no affection for her husband -and resented the inconvenience to which he had subjected her in order to -save her honour, weary of her exile, far from her relatives and the -Court of France, did not refuse the letters and presents of the King. -Her entourage and Madame de Berny, the wife of the French Ambassador at -Brussels, chanted continually the praises of her crowned adorer. She -received verses in which Malherbe depicted in touching terms the grief -of the great Alcandre. But Henri IV himself, in a letter to one of his -agents, is not less pathetic:-- - -“I am writing to my beautiful angel: I am so worn out by these pangs -that I am nothing but skin and bone. Everything disgusts me. I avoid -company, and if, to observe the usage of society, I allow myself to be -drawn into some assemblies, my wretchedness is complete.” - -The princess, in her turn, appealed to “his heart,” and besought him, as -“her knight,” to effect her deliverance. - -For his “pangs” Henri IV regarded the Archduke and the Spaniards as -responsible. Already on December 9, 1609, he had caused the Pope to be -informed that “if the Spaniards contemplated employing the person of -_Monsieur le Prince_ to stir up trouble in his realm, he had the means -and the courage to resent it, and to avenge the injuries and the -offences which they might be able to do him.” The conduct of the -Archduke was irreproachable; he had merely safeguarded his own dignity, -and it was certainly not his fault that Condé was not reconciled to the -King. But Philip III and his Government, although they had neither -foreseen nor aided the prince’s flight, were now asking themselves what -advantage they might derive from it. In the event of war with France, -the first Prince of the Blood would be a valuable ally, and it is not -improbable that a most imprudent manifesto which Condé issued at Milan, -wherein, after detailing his grievances against Henri IV, he claimed to -be the rightful heir to the throne of France, on the ground that the -King’s first marriage had not been truly annulled, was inspired by -Spain, with the idea of still further widening the breach between him -and his sovereign. - -Henri IV and his Ministers, finding persuasion of no avail with the -Court of Brussels, had recourse to threats, representing that, unless -the fair Charlotte were surrendered, war would follow. “Peace and war -depend on whether the princess is or is not given up,” said Jeannin to -Pecquius, the Archduke’s Ambassador in Paris; and the King himself -reminded him that Troy fell because Priam would not surrender Helen. - -The gravity of the situation was enhanced by the warlike preparations -which were going on all over France for the execution of the “Great -Design”: the scheme of liberating Europe from the domination of the -House of Austria and of giving France her rightful place in the world -which Henri IV had cherished ever since his accession to the throne. It -was, however, believed by many that these formidable preparations had no -other object that the forcible recovery of the Princesse de Condé, and -Malherbe wrote:-- - - “Deux beaux yeaux sont l’empire - Pour que je soupire.” - -The question of how far the course of events was influenced by Henri -IV’s infatuation for the Princesse de Condé has been much discussed. The -probability is that the affair did little more than determine the King -to hasten by a few weeks the war so long resolved upon, and that this -was due rather to his irritation against the Spaniards for their support -of Condé than to the refusal of the Court of Brussels to surrender the -princess. Henri had not scrupled to use the large forces assembled for -quite a different purpose as a bugbear to frighten the Archduke. But -when the latter refused to purchase security by a compliance -inconsistent with his honour, it was not on Brussels that the French -armies prepared to march. On the contrary, a few days before his death, -the King in the most friendly terms requested the Archduke’s permission -to lead his troops across his territory to the assistance of his German -allies, a permission granted by the Archduke, notwithstanding the -opposition of the Spanish party in his Council. - -By the end of April France was ready to strike. Châlons, Mezières and -Metz were the chief rendezvous. The King hoped to have 30,000 men on -foot, to join them on May 15, and to march at their head into the -duchies. A second army under Lesdiguières was to enter Piedmont, where -it would effect a junction with the forces of the Duke of Savoy, and -then proceed to invade the Milanese. A third army was to observe the -Pyrenees. Maurice of Nassau, with 30,000 Dutch, was to join Henri IV in -Clèves. - -Never had Bassompierre stood higher in the royal favour than on the eve -of the outbreak of war. Henri, anxious to make amends to him for the -loss of Charlotte de Montmorency and her dowry, and to recompense him -for the zeal and ability which he had shown in his mission to Lorraine -and Germany in the previous year, overwhelmed him with benefits. He -appointed him, quite unsolicited, Colonel of the Light Cavalry, made him -a Counsellor of State, gave him 50 guards, and a pension of 4,000 -crowns, and again proposed to marry him to the heiress of Beaupréau and -revive in her favour the duchy of that name. “But,” says Bassompierre -ingenuously, “I was then in the high follies of my youth, in love in so -many quarters, and well received in most, that I had not the leisure to -think of my advancement.” - -But the sun which shone upon him with such warmth and splendour was now -about to be clouded for ever. The tragic end of the first Bourbon King -has been so often told that we have no intention of narrating it; but -there are circumstances recorded by Bassompierre which are not to be -found in the memoirs and correspondence of his contemporaries, and which -afford a curious insight into the state of Henri IV’s mind just before -his assassination:-- - - “We now entered that unhappy month of May, fatal to France, by the - loss sustained therein of our good King. - - “I shall relate many things touching the presentiment which the - King had before his death, and which gave warning of that event. A - little while before, he said to me: ‘I know not how it is, - Bassompierre, but I cannot persuade myself that I am going into - Germany; neither does my heart tell me that you are going into - Italy.’ Several times he said to me, and to others also: ‘I believe - that I shall die soon.’ And on the first day of May he returned - from the Tuileries by way of the grand gallery, leaning upon M. de - Guise on one side, and upon me on the other (for he always leaned - on someone), and, on leaving us to enter the Queen’s cabinet, said: - ‘Don’t go away; I am going to tell my wife to dress, that she may - not keep me waiting for dinner.’ For he usually dined with her. - While we waited, leaning on the iron balustrade overlooking the - courtyard of the Louvre, the maypole which had been planted in the - middle of the courtyard fell down, without being disturbed by the - wind or for any apparent cause, and tumbled in the direction of the - little staircase leading to the King’s chamber. Upon which I said - to M. de Guise: ‘I would have given a great deal rather than this - should have happened. It is a very bad omen. May God preserve the - King, who is the May of the Louvre!’ ‘How can you be so foolish as - to think seriously of such a thing?’ he replied. ‘In Italy and - Germany,’ I rejoined, ‘they would take much more account of such an - omen than we do here. May God preserve the King and all belonging - to him!’ - - “The King, who had but stepped into the Queen’s cabinet and out - again, here came up very softly to listen to us, for he imagined - that we spoke of some woman; and, hearing all that I said, broke - in upon our talk, saying: ‘You are fools to amuse yourselves with - such prognostications. For the last thirty years all the - astrologers and charlatans who pretend to be wise have predicted to - me every year that I was fated to die; and in that year wherein I - shall actually die, all the omens which have occurred in the course - of it will be remarked and thought a great deal of, while nothing - will be said of those which happened in preceding years.’ - - “The Queen had a peculiar and ardent desire to be crowned before - the King’s departure for Germany. The King did not wish it, both by - reason of the expense and because he did not like these grand - festivals. Yet, since he was the kindest husband in the world, he - consented and delayed his departure until she should make her entry - into Paris.[77] He commanded me to stay also, which I did because - of his desire, and also because the Princesse de Conti had asked me - to be her cavalier at the ceremony of the _Sacre_ and the - entry.[78] - - “The Court went on May 12 to stay at Saint-Denis, to be in - readiness for the morrow, the day of the Queen’s _Sacre_, which was - celebrated with the greatest possible magnificence. The King, on - this occasion, was extraordinarily gay.[79] In the evening everyone - returned to Paris. - - “The following morning, the 14th of the said month, M. de Guise - passed by my lodging and took me to go and meet the King, who had - gone to hear Mass at the Feuillants. On the way we were told that - he was returning by the Tuileries, upon which we went to intercept - him and found him talking to M. de Villeroy. He left him, and - taking M. de Guise and myself, one on either side of him, said: ‘I - come from the Feuillants, where I saw the chapel which Bassompierre - is having built there, and on the door he has had placed this - inscription: _Quid retribuam. Domino pro omnibus que retribuit - mihi?_ And I said that, since he was German, he should have put: - _Calicem salutaris accipiam._’ M. de Guise laughed heartily and - said to him: ‘You are, to my mind, one of the most agreeable men in - the world, and our destiny created us for one another. For, had you - been a man of middling station, I would have had you in my service, - cost what it might; but, since God has made you a great king, it - could not be otherwise than that I must belong to you.’ The King - embraced him, and me also, and said: ‘You don’t know me now; but I - shall die one of these days; and, when you have lost me, you will - know my worth and the difference there is between me and other - men.’ Upon this I said to him: ‘_Mon Dieu_, Sire, why do you never - cease afflicting us by saying that you will soon die? These are not - good words to utter; you will live, if it please God, long and - happy years. There is no felicity in the world equal to yours; you - are but in the flower of your age, in perfect strength and health - of body, full of honours beyond any other mortal, in the tranquil - enjoyment of the most flourishing country in the world; loved and - adored by your subjects; possessed of property, of money, of - beautiful residences, a beautiful wife, beautiful mistresses and - beautiful children, who are growing up. What more could you have or - desire to have?’ Then he sighed and said: ‘My friend, all this I - must leave.’” - -Before parting from the King, Bassompierre informed him that he had -received a complaint from the captains of the Light Cavalry, of which he -had recently been appointed Colonel, that their companies were -insufficiently armed and that they were unable to obtain the weapons -which they required, and begged his Majesty to give orders that these -should be supplied to them. Henri IV told him to come to him that -afternoon at the Arsenal, where he proposed to go to visit Sully, who -was ill, and he would direct the Minister to let him have the arms he -wanted. And, upon Bassompierre observing that he would very willingly -give Sully at the same time the money which they were worth, to enable -him to replace them, he laughingly replied by quoting two verses from a -well-known song, which ran: - - “Que je n’offre à personne, - Mais à vous je les donne.” - -Bassompierre thanked his Majesty, kissed his hand and withdrew, little -imagining that he was never to see him alive again. - - “After dinner,” he says, “I went to visit Descures[80] in the - Place-Royale, to inquire about the routes which the different - companies [of the Light Horse] were to follow; and then I proceeded - to the Arsenal, to await the King, as he had told me to do. But - alas! it was in vain, for, shortly afterwards, came people crying - out that the King had been wounded, and that he was being carried - back to the Louvre. I ran like a madman, seized the first horse I - could find, and rode full gallop towards the Louvre. Opposite the - Hôtel de Longueville I met M. de Blérencourt,[81] who was returning - from the Louvre, and he whispered to me: ‘He is dead!’ I ran up to - the barriers which the French Guards and the Swiss had occupied, - with lowered pikes, and _Monsieur le Grand_ and I passed under the - barriers and ran to the King’s cabinet, where we saw him stretched - on his bed, and M. de Vic,[82] Counsellor of State, seated on the - same bed. He had put his cross of the Order to the King’s lips, and - was bidding him think of God. Melon, his chief physician, was in - the _ruelle_, and some surgeons, who wanted to dress his wounds; - but he was already gone.... Then the chief physician cried: ‘Ah! it - is all over; he has gone!’ _Monsieur le Grand_, on arriving, went - down on his knees in the _ruelle_ of the bed, and took one of the - King’s hands and kissed it. As for myself, I had thrown myself at - his feet, which I embraced, weeping bitterly....” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - - Incidents at the Court and in Paris after the assassination of - Henri IV--Meeting between Bassompierre and Sully--Marie de’ Medici - declared Regent--Her difficult position--Return of Condé--Greed and - arrogance of the grandees--Quarrel between the Comte de Soissons - and the Duc de Guise--Grievance of _Monsieur le Comte_ against - Bassompierre--He persuades Madame d’Entragues to endeavour to - compel Bassompierre to marry her daughter, Marie--Proceedings - instituted against that gentleman--Announcement of the “Spanish - marriages”--Magnificent fêtes in the Place-Royale--Intrigues at the - Court--The Princes and Concini in power--Assassination of the Baron - de Luz by the Chevalier de Guise--Marie de’ Medici and the - Princes--Conversation of the Regent with Bassompierre--Bassompierre - reconciles the Guises with the Queen-Mother--The Chevalier de Guise - kills the son of the Baron de Luz in a duel--The Princes, on the - advice of Concini, return from Court. - - -On that fatal day, when the knife of Ravaillac changed the destinies of -France and of Europe, Louis XIII, the successor of the murdered King, -was not yet nine years old. The fear of troubles within the realm and of -complications without exacted the immediate institution of a regency, -and Villeroy and the Chancellor, Brulart de Sillery, exhorted Marie de’ -Medici, who was lying upon her bed prostrated with grief, to act “as man -and as King.” - -The great nobles, out of pity or the desire to assert their own -importance, were zealous in the Queen’s cause; and some who had scarcely -been on bowing terms with each other for years were seen to embrace and -vow to die together sword in hand if the necessity should arise. - -D’Épernon, Colonel-General of the French infantry, caused the approaches -to the Louvre and the Pont-Neuf to be occupied by the French Guards; -Guise, with part of a force of some 300 horse which he and Bassompierre -had mustered, proceeded to the Hôtel de Ville to obtain from the -Corporation a formal recognition of the new King and Regent; while -Bassompierre, with the remainder, paraded the streets “to appease -tumults and seditions.” Sully alone showed himself undecided, feeble and -timorous. At the news of the King’s assassination, ill though he was, he -had mounted his horse and set out for the Louvre, accompanied by some -forty of his guards and attendants. Near the Place Saint-Jean he met -Bassompierre and his cavalcade, the sight of whom appears to have filled -him with misgivings. - - “He began,” writes Bassompierre, “to say to us in lachrymose tones: - ‘Gentlemen, if the service which you have vowed to the King, whom, - to our great misfortune, we have just lost, is also imprinted in - your souls, as it ought to be in those of all good Frenchmen, swear - now at once to preserve the same fidelity to the King his son and - successor, and that you will employ your blood and your life to - avenge his death.’ - - “‘Monsieur,’ I replied, ‘it is we who are making others take this - oath, and we have no need of anyone to exhort us to do a thing to - which we are already so committed.’ - - “I know not whether my answer surprised him, or whether he repented - of having come so far from his fortress; but he turned back - forthwith, and went to shut himself up in the Bastille, sending at - the same time to seize all the bread that could be found in the - markets and the bakers’ shops. He sent orders also to M. de Rohan, - his son-in-law, to face about with 6,000 Swiss who were in - Champagne, and of whom he was Colonel General, and to march - straight on Paris.... MM. de Praslin and de Créquy went to invite - him to present himself before the King, like all the other - grandees; but he did not come until the morrow, when M. de Guise - brought him with difficulty, after which he countermanded his - orders to his son-in-law and the Swiss, who had already advanced a - day’s march towards Paris.” - -Of the Princes of the Blood who might have been able to aspire to the -regency, one, Condé, was a voluntary exile in the dominions of the King -of Spain; the other, the Comte de Soissons, had left Paris in high -dudgeon before the coronation of the Queen, because Henri IV had refused -to permit _Madame la Comtesse_ to wear on her ceremonial mantle a row of -_fleurs de lys_ more than the wife of his legitimated son the Duc de -Vendôme. As for the Prince de Conti, he was deaf, afflicted with an -impediment in his speech, and almost imbecile. Outside the Princes of -the Blood, and in the absence of the States-General, there was only one -power recognised by all--the Parlement of Paris. And to this body Marie -de’ Medici at once addressed herself. - -In her name, the Procurator-General demanded that “now and without -adjourning, the Parliament should provide, as it had been accustomed to -do, for the regency and the government of the realm.” The Parlement was -too convinced of its right and too flattered by the part it was asked to -play to hesitate. But, as a matter of form, it was proceeding to -deliberate upon the matter, when d’Épernon, in his doublet, with his -drawn sword in his hand, swaggered into the chamber, and, having begged -the assembly to excuse his discourtesy, invited it to hasten. As he -left, Guise entered in the same costume, took his seat and protested his -devotion to the Crown. The First President, Achille de Harlay, solemnly -ordered the duke’s words to be recorded; and the Court unanimously -declared the Queen Mother Regent, “to have the administration of the -affairs of the realm during the minority of the said lord her son, -together with all power and authority.” It was quick work: Henri IV had -not been dead two hours. - -It was much, without doubt, to have settled so expeditiously the future -government of France. But what a task for a woman, for a foreigner, for -one, too, who bore a name little calculated to reassure the bulk of the -nation, which remembered only too well the troubles in which the rule of -another Medici had involved it, to be called upon to exercise supreme -power in circumstances so difficult! Without, a war on the point of -breaking out; within, princes affecting an entire independence and even -negotiating with the foreigner; a turbulent nobility whom even the -strong hand of Henri IV had not always been able to keep in check; the -Protestant party entrenched in the West and South of France, with its -own organisation, its privileges, its places of surety; finally, the -governors of the different provinces, possessed of the most extensive -powers and strong enough to renounce practically all obedience to the -Crown. Marie de’ Medici has often been reproached with weakness, and -weak in many ways she certainly was; but it would have required the -energy and the resolution of an Elizabeth or a Catherine the Great to -have steered the ship of State uninjured through the shoals and -quicksands which beset its course. - -The Regent retained the Ministers of the late King, Villeroy, Jeannin, -Sillery, and Sully, and, to calm the apprehensions of the Protestants, -lost no time in confirming the Edict of Nantes. But the war so long -meditated against the House of Austria was promptly abandoned, though a -small army under Le Châtre and Rohan was sent to co-operate with Maurice -of Nassau in recovering Juliers, which was handed over to the Electors -of Brandenburg and Neuburg, on their undertaking not to interfere with -the exercise of the Catholic religion in that duchy. - -It was a wise decision, since there were embarrassments enough within -half-a-mile of the Louvre. The Princes of the Blood had returned; -Soissons, three days after the death of Henri IV; Condé, in the middle -of July. The former complained that the regency had been settled in his -absence, and demanded the post of Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom. To -appease him, Marie de’ Medici gave him the post of governor of Normandy -and a _gratification_ of 200,000 crowns. Condé, to the Regent’s great -relief, was apparently well-disposed towards the new government, and, to -confirm him in his peaceable intentions, she purchased for 400,000 -crowns the Hôtel de Gondi, in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, and presented -it to him, together with furniture to the value of 40,000 crowns; -confirmed him in all his offices and appointments; increased his pension -to 200,000 crowns, and gave him a large sum to pay his debts. The Regent -hoped, by setting a price upon them, to keep within bounds all the -ambitions of the grandees; it was her system of government. She paid -Guise’s debts, and authorised him to marry the immensely wealthy widow -of the Duc de Montpensier, a union to which, for political reasons, -Henri IV would never have consented; she promised to pay the debts of -the Duc de Nevers; she accorded to all the governors the right of -appointing their successors. - -“The grandees did not weary of receiving, and said to one another: ‘The -time of kings has passed, and that of great nobles and princes has come; -we must take every advantage of it.’” Their arrogance and ostentation -knew no bounds. They seldom left their houses unless accompanied by -numerous and brilliant escorts. Fifteen hundred cavaliers went to meet -Condé on the day of his arrival in Paris; the Duc de Guise had a suite -of five or six hundred horse. The young King remained almost alone in -the Louvre, and Marie de’ Medici was obliged to reconstitute the two -hundred gentlemen halberdiers, disbanded by Henri IV, from motives of -economy. - -Happily for the Crown, the grandees were divided, and such parties as -did exist were merely associations of a few covetous nobles, animated by -no common motive except that of filling their pockets. The Guises, -flattered and lavishly paid, boasted of their loyalty to the Regent. -Bouillon was at enmity with Sully, like himself a chief of the -Protestants. The Prince de Conti had for some years been on bad terms -with his brother, the Comte de Soissons, and at the beginning of 1611 -their antipathy to one another found vent in a violent quarrel, in which -Guise, whose sister, it will be remembered, Conti had married, found -himself involved, and which threatened for a moment to develop into a -sort of civil war. - - “It happened,” writes Bassompierre, “that, three days after these - nuptials [the marriage of Guise to the Duchesse de Montpensier], - the Prince de Conti quarrelled with the Comte de Soissons, his - brother, because their coaches had collided in passing one another, - and their coachmen had fought. M. de Guise, whom the Queen had - desired, that same evening, to go to M. de Conti to compose this - quarrel, set out the following morning from the Hôtel de - Montpensier, where he had passed the night, to go to the Abbey of - Saint-Germain, where the Prince de Conti was lodging, and was - accompanied by twenty-five or thirty horse. He happened to pass the - Hôtel de Soissons, which was on his way, and this gave offence to - _Monsieur le Comte_, who summoned his friends and told them that M. - de Guise had come to defy him. Thereupon M. de Guise’s friends - flocked to the Hôtel de Guise in such numbers that there were more - than a thousand gentlemen assembled there. _Monsieur le Comte_ sent - to beg _Monsieur le Prince_ to come to him, and together they - proceeded to the Louvre to demand of the Queen that she should call - M. de Guise to account for his insolence. Nevertheless, _Monsieur - le Prince_ was playing in this affair the part of the friendly - arbitrator, and said that he should take neither side, and only - desired to reconcile the parties and to prevent disorder. - - “This tumult lasted all that day and the following one, upon which - the Queen, apprehending graver disturbances, gave directions that - the chains should be made ready to be put up at the first order, - and that, in every quarter, the citizens should be prepared to take - up arms on the instant that the command to do so was sent them. - - “However, all the day following was employed in seeking means to - accommodate the affair, each of the Princes having a captain of the - Gardes du Corps near his person to protect him. In the evening, - _Monsieur le Prince_ sent to ask M. de Guise to send him one of his - confidential friends; and M. de Guise, having taken counsel with - the princes and nobles who supported him, as to whom they should - choose to act as envoy, finally, on their advice, asked me to go.” - -Bassompierre then goes on to relate at great length his interview with -Condé, to whom he pointed out that Guise could have had no intention of -“defying” _Monsieur le Comte_, since, if such had been his object, he -would have sallied forth with a much more imposing retinue than a mere -score or so of attendants, and would have passed before the front -entrance of the Hôtel de Soissons, whereas he had only passed the corner -of the house. The prince appears to have been greatly impressed by this -argument, and, after Bassompierre had been backwards and forwards -several times between Condé’s house and the Hôtel de Guise, the -momentous affair was satisfactorily settled. - -But it did not end here, so far as he himself was concerned. For -“_Monsieur le Comte_ was mortally offended with those who had assisted -M. de Guise in his quarrel, and particularly with me, who had formerly -professed to be his servant; and, to revenge himself upon me, he -determined that I should see Antragues no more.” - -The prince accordingly sought an interview with Madame d’Entragues, whom -he reproached with allowing her family to be dishonoured by the -notorious intimacy between Bassompierre and her younger daughter, adding -that, as he was distantly related to the d’Entragues, he felt that his -own honour was concerned in the matter. - -Now, it had happened that, in the previous August, Marie d’Entragues had -given birth to a son, of whom Bassompierre did not deny the paternity; -indeed, on the lady informing him that she proposed to present him with -a pledge of her affection, he had, following the famous example of Henri -IV with her elder sister, given his inamorata a letter containing a -promise of marriage in the event of her bearing him a son. But this -letter was written merely for the purpose of appeasing the wrath of -Madame d’Entragues, who was threatening to turn her erring daughter out -of the house. For Bassompierre had not the least intention of -regularising his connection with this too-celebrated beauty, of whom, if -he were the most favoured, he was far from being the only successful -admirer; indeed, to do so would mean the loss of a considerable fortune, -since his mother had threatened to disinherit him if he married the -lady.[83] He had, therefore, at the same time, demanded and obtained -from Marie d’Entragues a letter which purported to be an answer to his -own, in which she expressly disclaimed any intention of taking advantage -of his offer. This, in the opinion of “three famous advocates” whom he -had taken the precaution to consult, effectually discharged him from his -obligation. - -Well, Bassompierre’s letter was in the possession of Madame d’Entragues, -who, however, of course, knew nothing of the one which her daughter had -given that gentleman; and when the Comte de Soissons reproached her with -her indifference to Mlle. Marie’s indiscretions, she informed him that -she was not so careless a mother as he appeared to imagine, and could -easily prove it. The prince pressed her to do so, upon which she -triumphantly showed him the promise of marriage. - - “_Monsieur le Comte_,” says Bassompierre, “very pleased to have - found an opportunity of injuring me, assured her of his protection - and begged her to follow his counsel in this affair, in which he - promised to secure for her a favourable result. This foolish woman, - to satisfy the malignity of _Monsieur le Comte_, placed herself - entirely in his hands, and he counselled her to press me to execute - this promise, and, in case of my refusal, to cause me to be - summoned before the diocesan court.” - -Madame d’Entragues did not fail to follow this advice and, on meeting -with a flat refusal from Bassompierre, promptly instituted proceedings -against him. - - “I soon recognised the hand which had cast this stone at me, and - _Monsieur le Comte_ boasted publicly that he was in a position to - ruin me in fortune or honour. I assembled a council of my advocates - to learn how I was to comport myself in this situation. They were - unanimously of opinion that, in strict justice, I had nothing to - fear, but that _Monsieur le Comte_ was a redoubtable enemy, and - advised me to drag the affair out until a favourable time arrived.” - -Bassompierre endeavoured to persuade the Regent to intervene in his -behalf, but, though Marie de’ Medici, with whom he was a favourite, -since he was one of the few nobles whose loyalty to the Crown admitted -of no question, was very sympathetic and promised him every assistance -in her power, her position was far too precarious just then to admit of -her offending a Prince of the Blood. All he could do, therefore, was to -act upon the advice of the legal luminaries whom he had consulted; and, -on various pretexts, he succeeded in deferring his appearance before the -diocesan court for some months, at the end of which he appealed to the -jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Sens, who was the metropolitan of the -Bishop of Paris. This insured him a further respite, and, before the -case came on for trial, he appealed to the Parlement of Paris, and was -beginning to plume himself on his astuteness, when the Comte de Soissons -interposed and got the affair transferred to the Parlement of Rouen, to -the great consternation of Bassompierre, who knew that Soissons would -not scruple to use all his influence as Governor of Normandy to -prejudice that body against him. - -The annoyance and expense which this affair was occasioning him, and for -which, it must be admitted, he is hardly entitled to much sympathy, did -not prevent Bassompierre from continuing his life of pleasure, and he -took a prominent part in the splendid fêtes in honour of the double -betrothal of Louis XIII to Anne of Austria, and of the Infant Philip, -afterwards Philip IV of Spain, to Élisabeth of France, eldest daughter -of Henri IV. For Marie de’ Medici had completely reversed the foreign -policy of her husband, and Spanish influence was once more in the -ascendant at the Court of France. - -These fêtes, originally fixed to begin on March 25, 1612, the day on -which the formal announcement of the approaching marriage was made at -the Louvre, in the presence of the Spanish Ambassador and the officers -of the Crown of France, had been postponed until April 5, owing to the -death of the Queen’s brother, Vincenzo I, Duke of Mantua. Their -principal feature was a carousal in the Place-Royale on a scale of -unprecedented magnificence, in which Bassompierre appeared as one of the -challengers. - - “At three o’clock in the afternoon, the Queens, princesses and - ladies took their places on the stands which had been prepared for - them, besides which there were all round the Place-Royale, rising - from the pavement to the level of the first floor of the houses, - other stands holding 200,000 people. Then the cannon placed on the - bastion fired a salvo, after which the thousand Musketeers who - lined the barriers fired another, a very beautiful one. This - finished, M. de Praslin, marshal of the camp of the challengers, - emerged from the Palace of Felicity, from which came the sound of - all kinds of musical instruments. He was splendidly mounted and - attired, and was followed by twelve lackeys habited in black velvet - bordered with gold lace. He came, on our behalf, to demand from the - Constable (who occupied a private stand with the Maréchal de - Bouillon, de la Châtre, de Brissac, and de Souvré) the camp which - he had promised us. The Constable and the marshal descended from - their stand and advanced to that of the King and Queen; and the - Constable said: ‘Madame, the challengers demand the camp which I - have promised them by your Majesty’s order.’ The Queen answered: - ‘Monsieur, grant it them.’ Upon which the Constable said to M. de - Praslin: ‘Take it; the King and the Queen accord it you.’ Then he - returned to us, and the great door of the palace, which was - opposite that of the Minims, was flung open, and we entered the - camp, preceded by all our retinue, war-chariots, giants,[84] and - other things so beautiful that it is impossible to describe them in - writing; and I shall only say that nearly five hundred persons and - two hundred horses took part in our entry alone, all habited and - caparisoned in crimson velvet and white cloth-of-silver, and our - costumes were so richly embroidered that nothing could exceed them - in magnificence. Our entry cost the five challengers 50,000 - écus.[85] The troupe of the Prince de Conti entered after ours, - followed by that of M. de Vendôme, who danced a very beautiful - ballet on horseback.[86] Then came M. de Montmorency, who entered - alone, and the Comte d’Ayen[87] and the Baron d’Ucelles,[88] under - the names of Amadis and Galaor. - - “We [the challengers] kept the lists against all these opponents, - and when the night drew near, the fête was concluded by a new salvo - of cannon, followed by that of the thousand Musketeers; and, when - darkness fell, there was the most beautiful display of fireworks - over the Château of Felicity that was ever seen in France. - - “On the morrow, at two o’clock in the afternoon, we returned to the - camp in the same order as on the first day, together with the - troupe of M. de Longueville,[89] who made his entry alone,[90] of - the Nymphs,[91] of the Knights of Felicity, that of d’Effiat and - Arnaut,[92] and, the last, that of the twelve Roman emperors,[93] - all of whom ran against us, and the fête was terminated by the same - salvoes and another display of fireworks.” - -On the following day, “because all the innumerable people of Paris had -not been able to witness this fête,” the various troupes passed in -procession through the town, that of the challengers, resplendent in -their crimson velvet and cloth-of-silver, bringing up the rear. - -The fête concluded with a grand tilting-match in the Place-Royale, the -prize being a ring of great value given by _Madame Royale_, the future -Queen of Spain, which was won by the Marquis de Rouillac, a nephew of -d’Épernon. - -At night there was another display of fireworks, a salvo fired by two -hundred cannon, a bonfire at the Hôtel de Ville, and an illumination of -Paris with “lanterns made of coloured paper, in such great profusion in -every window that the whole town seemed on fire.” - -In November the old Connétable de Montmorency took leave of the Regent -and the young King and retired from Court to spend his last days in -retirement on his estates of Languedoc. “We escorted him to Moret,” -writes Bassompierre, “where he feasted us, and afterwards bade farewell -to his chief friends, with so many tears that we thought that he would -die in that place. He was a good and noble lord, who loved me as though -I were his own son; I am under a great obligation to honour his -memory.” - - * * * * * - -The fêtes in honour of the betrothal of the young King and his eldest -sister were but a brief interlude in the sordid struggle for place and -power between the ambitious and greedy princes and nobles which had -begun before Henri IV was in his grave. Marie de’ Medici distributed -honours and emoluments with a lavish hand, increased the pensions of the -grandees and made serious inroads into the millions accumulated in the -coffers of the Bastille by the prudent Sully, who in January, 1611, had -resigned his post of Comptroller of the Finances, on finding that he was -no longer listened to, and that he could not maintain his position -“without offending the Princes.” But the appetites she strove to satisfy -were insatiable, and the more she gave, the more she was expected to -give. - -After the death of the Comte de Soissons, the most restless of the -Bourbons, at the beginning of November, 1612, the Regent forsook Guise -and d’Épernon, who had until then enjoyed a large measure of her favour, -and, at the instigation of Concini, that singular Italian adventurer who -governed her through his wife Leonora Galigaï, the Queen’s _dame -d’atours_ and confidante, and for whom she had purchased the marquisate -of Ancre, allied herself with Condé and his friends Bouillon, Nevers, -and Mayenne.[1] - - “At this time,” says Bassompierre, “the aspect of the Court - entirely changed; for a close alliance was formed by _Monsieur le - Prince_, MM. de Nevers, Mayenne,[94] Bouillon, and the Marquis - d’Ancre; and the Queen threw herself entirely on that side. The - Ministers were discredited, and no longer had any power, and - everything was done according to the desire of these five persons -... MM. de Guise, d’Épernon, de Joinville, and the Grand Equerry - were very much out of favour.” - -In December, Guise and d’Épernon sent for Bellegarde, who was in his -government of Burgundy, to come to Court, “in order to strengthen their -tottering party”; but on his way thither he was met by a messenger from -Marie de’ Medici, with orders forbidding him to come to Paris, and he -was obliged to return to his government. - -The chief agent in Concini’s intrigues was the old Baron de Luz, who had -formerly been an adherent of the Guises, but had been persuaded by the -favourite to enter the service of the Queen, or rather his own. The -Guises avenged themselves for what they were pleased to call his treason -in characteristic fashion. About midday on January 5, 1613, the -Chevalier de Guise, the youngest of the brothers, stopped Luz as he was -driving in his coach along the Rue Saint-Honoré, challenged him to fight -him there and then, and, without giving the old man time to draw his -sword, ran him through the body and killed him. - -This affair created an immense sensation. - - “The Queen was extremely exasperated,” writes Bassompierre. “I - went, just at this time, to the Louvre, and found her in tears, and - that she had sent for the Princes and Ministers to hold a council - on the affair. She said to me as soon as I entered: ‘You see, - Bassompierre, how I am treated, and what a brave action it was to - kill an old man without defence and without warning. But these are - the tricks of the family. It is a repetition of the Saint-Paul - affair.’[95] There was a great murmur against this action, and - everyone was scandalised to learn that a great crowd of the - nobility had assembled at the Hôtel de Guise, and that M. de Guise - was coming accompanied by a large retinue to speak to the Queen. - Upon this, the Queen was advised to send M. de Châteauvieux to see - the said Sieur de Guise and forbid him to approach the Queen until - she sent for him, and to command, in her Majesty’s name, all those - who had gone to his hôtel to disperse.” - -Châteauvieux returned and reported that Guise had advised his adherents -to obey the Queen’s command, but that three or four of them, including -the Comte de la Rochefoucauld, Master of the Wardrobe to the King, had -shown marked reluctance to do so. It was thereupon resolved that La -Rochefoucauld should be exiled to his estates, and that the Parlement -should be directed to hold an inquiry into the affair and bring the -Chevalier de Guise to trial. - -The Parlement, however, seemed in no hurry to do what was required of -it, for the Guises still retained much of their traditional popularity -with all classes of the Parisians, and before many days had passed, an -event occurred which obliged the Queen to abandon all idea of punishing -the assassin. - -For some little time Marie de’ Medici had been chafing beneath the -domination of the Princes, who set altogether too high a price upon -their loyalty. Condé, indeed, appeared to consider that, now that his -brother Soissons was dead, he was entitled to receive double wages; and -one fine morning Nevers, Mayenne, and Concini waited upon the Queen and -demanded, on his behalf, the government of Château-Trompette, the -citadel of Bordeaux, pointing out that, since _Monsieur le Prince_ was -Governor of Guienne, it was only fitting that the citadel of the chief -town in his government should be entrusted to him also. Now, Marie had -heard the late King say that if, in the time of Henri III, this fortress -had been in his hands, he would have made himself Duke of Guienne, and -she knew that its governor had always been one in whose loyalty to the -Crown the most implicit confidence could be placed. She determined to -resist and to be reconciled with the Guises and the Ministers. - -Dissembling her indignation, she informed Nevers and his friends that -she would think the matter over, upon which they pressed her for a -speedy answer, saying that _Monsieur le Prince_ was impatient to know -her decision. This she promised, and then, changing the subject, -informed them that she had just discovered a love-affair in which -Bassompierre was engaged and which she knew he was very anxious should -not be discovered. What ought she to do? “You should tell him about it, -Madame,” answered Nevers. Upon which she turned to Bassompierre, and, -beckoning him to follow her, moved to one of the windows. - -Here, standing with her back to the room, so that none might see her -face, she told him that the matter upon which she desired to speak to -him was very different from the one she had mentioned. She then asked -him if Guise had spoken to him about the exile of his friend La -Rochefoucauld. Bassompierre answered that the duke had done so, and -begged him to make intercession with the Queen for his recall, and that -he had added that, if he were not successful, he must persuade Condé to -use his influence, and make La Rochefoucauld’s recall the price of his -reconciliation with that prince and his friends. The Queen was silent -for a moment, while “four or five tears welled up in her eyes.” Then, -recovering herself, she said: “These wicked men have made me leave those -princes [the Guises] and despise them, and have made me also abandon and -neglect the Ministers; and then, seeing me deprived of support, they -wish to usurp my authority and ruin me. See how they have come to demand -insolently for _Monsieur le Prince_ the Château-Trompette, and they will -not remain content with that. But, if I am able, I will surely prevent -them obtaining it.” - -“Madame,” answered Bassompierre, “do not distress yourself; when you -will, I am sure that these princes and Ministers will be at your -disposal; at least, we must find some way to bring them back.” - -The Regent then told him to come to her when she had finished dinner, -and that, meanwhile, she would think of some way to effect this. - -At the hour when her Majesty usually rose from table Bassompierre -returned, and followed her into her cabinet, pretending that he had some -favour to ask of her. - - “As I entered, she said to me, ‘I have eaten nothing but fish, to - such a degree is my stomach weakened and turned. If this continues - long, I believe that I shall lose my reason. In one word, - Bassompierre, you must endeavour to bring M. de Guise back to me. - Offer him a hundred thousand crowns in cash, which I will arrange - to give him.’ ‘Madame,’ I replied, ‘I will serve you well and - faithfully.’ ‘Offer him,’ said she, ‘the post of - lieutenant-governor of Provence for his brother, the Chevalier.[96] - Offer his sister the reversion of the Abbey of Saint-Germain,[97] - and assure him that La Rochefoucauld shall be recalled. In short, - provided that I can withdraw him from this cabal and that I am - assured of his support, I give you _carte blanche_.’” - -Bassompierre assured her that, as she had empowered him to make the -Guises such a generous bid for their support, he had no fear that he -should return to her “without having completed the purchase.” And, in -point of fact, on the following day he returned triumphant, pluming -himself not a little on having succeeded without the necessity of -promising the post of lieutenant-governor of Provence to the Chevalier -de Guise, “having endeavoured,” said he to Marie de’ Medici, “to act -like those prudent valets who bring back at the bottom of the purse a -part of the money which their masters give them to settle their bills.” - -The Queen, however, was so pleased at the success of his negotiations -that she, nevertheless, determined to offer the post in question to the -chevalier, in order that the reconciliation between her and his family -might be the more complete, and directed Bassompierre to inform the -Princesse de Conti of her gracious intentions. - -A few days after these humiliating concessions to the rapacity of the -House of Guise, the Chevalier killed the son of the Baron de Luz in a -duel at Charenton, though it is only fair to the former to observe that -the other had called him out, and that the combat had been conducted in -strict accordance with the rules governing these “affairs of honour.” - -On this occasion, Bassompierre, experienced courtier though he was, is -unable to conceal his astonishment:-- - - “And here I saw a strange instance of the changes of the Court; - that when the Chevalier de Guise killed the father, the Queen - commanded the Parlement to take cognizance of it, to institute - proceedings against him and to try him; but when, in less than a - week afterwards, he killed the son, so soon as he returned from the - combat, the Queen sent to visit and to inquire how his wounds - were.” - -Guise being thus reconciled with the Queen, no difficulty was -experienced in persuading d’Épernon to follow his example, after which -Bassompierre addressed himself to the Ministers, who, tired of being -mere cyphers, were only too ready to forgive and forget; and, in an -interview between Marie de’ Medici and Jeannin at the Luxembourg, an -understanding was arrived at. - -The Princes and Concini were outwitted. In any case, the latter -pretended to be. Hearing the Queen give directions that seats were to be -reserved for d’Épernon, and his friend Zamet also, at a play which was -to be performed in her apartments, he remarked to Bassompierre in that -strange mixture of Italian and bad French which he affected in moments -of excitement: “_Par Dio, Mousu, je me ride moy della chose deste monde. -La roine a soin d’un siège pour Zamet, et n’en a point pour M. du Maine -[Mayenne]; fiez-vous à l’amore dei principi._” - -He advised Condé and his friends to accept the situation and withdraw -from Court, predicting that the Regent would soon grow weary of the -exigencies of the Guises, and promising to watch over their common -interests. And this the Princes decided to do. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - - The affair of Montferrato--Intrigues of Concini with Charles - Emmanuel of Savoy--Arrest of Concini’s agent Maignan--Bassompierre - warns the Italian favourite of his danger and advises him to throw - himself on the clemency of the Queen-Mother--Concini follows his - advice, and is pardoned and shielded by Marie de’ Medici, while his - agent is executed--Bassompierre goes to Rouen, where the - d’Entragues’ action against him is to be heard--The Regent - recommends his cause to the judges--The d’Entragues object to the - constitution of the court, and the case is adjourned--Duplicity of - Concini--He intrigues to ruin Bassompierre with the - Queen-Mother--Semi-disgrace of Bassompierre--He is reconciled with - Marie de’ Medici--He is appointed Colonel-General of the Swiss--The - Princes surprise Mézières--Peace of Saint-Menehould--Bassompierre - accompanies Louis XIII and the Queen-Mother to the West. - - -In the spring trouble arose with Charles Emmanuel of Savoy, who was -disputing the claim of Ferdinando di Gonzaga to the throne of Mantua, -and had invaded Montferrato. The French Government, judging it dangerous -to allow the Duke of Savoy, an uncertain friend and a possible enemy, to -get possession of Casale, one of the strongest places in Italy, -announced its intention of supporting Ferdinando, and Concini, on the -pretext that it was desirable that France should present a united front -in the event of hostilities breaking out, persuaded Marie de’ Medici to -summon the Princes to Court. Spain, however, in order to prevent French -intervention in Italy, hastened to send orders to the Governor of the -Milanese to compel Charles Emmanuel to abandon his prey, and that -prince, recognising the impossibility of resistance, evacuated -Montferrato. - -It was believed, for a moment, that the affair of Montferrato would -bring about the ruin of the Concini. The Duke of Savoy, to assure the -neutrality of France, had succeeded in corrupting the Italian -favourites of the Queen and several other prominent persons, and had -kept up an active correspondence with Concini, the agent employed by the -latter being a priest named Maignan. An intercepted letter caused the -arrest of this man, who, in the admissions that were extorted from him, -comprised Concini, his creature the advocate Dolet, and the Marquis de -Cœuvres. - -On the day Maignan was arrested, Bassompierre, who was with the Court at -Fontainebleau, happened to sup with Zamet, where he met Loménie, the -Secretary of State. It had been Loménie’s duty to be present at the -first examination of the prisoner, and he told Bassompierre of the -serious admissions that the man had made and the names he had mentioned. -He added that he was to be examined further on the following morning, -when doubtless still more interesting revelations would be forthcoming. - -Now, Bassompierre was on intimate terms with Concini, for, though he -would appear to have despised him heartily, the Italian’s influence with -the Queen made him a valuable friend, besides which he was in the habit -of winning large sums from him at play. He accordingly decided to warn -him of the danger which threatened him, and went that same night to his -house, but was told that he was in bed and could not be disturbed. He -had therefore to wait until the following day, when he stopped him as he -was about to enter the chapel to hear the Whit-Sunday sermon, invited -him to take a turn in the cloisters, and, so soon as they were alone, -inquired bluntly: “Who is Maignay?” - - “At these words, utterly astounded, he said to me: ‘_Pourquoi, - Mousou, de Masnay? Que sol dir Magnat? Che cosa e Maignat?_’ ‘You - are deceiving me,’ I rejoined. ‘You know him better than I do, and - you pretend to know nothing about him.’ ‘_Per Dio, Mousou!_’ he - exclaimed, ‘I do not know Magnat; I do not understand what you - mean; I do not know who he is.’ ‘Monsieur, Monsieur,’ said I, ‘I - speak to you as your servant and friend, not as a judge or a - commissioner. Maignan was arrested yesterday and examined - forthwith, again in the evening, and this morning for the third - time. He was arrested in the act of posting a packet of letters, - which speaks of many things and mentions persons by their names. If - you are aware of it already, I have only lost time in telling you; - but, if you are not, I think that, as your servant, I gain much by - warning you of it, in order that you may extricate M. Dolet from - this affair, in which people will endeavour to involve him.’ He - said to me, very confused: ‘I, Mousou, I do not think that M. Dolet - knows who Magnat is. It is no concern of mine.’ ‘Monsieur,’ I - replied, ‘I shall only take in this affair the part which you wish - to give me in order to serve you; that is my sole object and - intention.’ He thanked me and left me abruptly.” - -That afternoon the Queen went for a drive in the park, and Bassompierre -accompanied her, occupying a seat in the Grand Equerry’s coach. As they -were driving by the side of the canal, one of Concini’s gentlemen came -galloping up and informed Bassompierre that his master wished to see him -immediately, and he sprang from his horse and offered it him. “Ah! he -wants to win my money,” remarked Bassompierre, as he prepared to mount; -and when the Queen inquired where he was going, he replied that he was -going to play cards with the Marquis d’Ancre. He rode back to the -palace, and found Concini awaiting him in the Cour Ovale. - - “He led me,” he writes, “into the Queen’s gallery, shut the door - upon us and walked to the end of it without speaking a word. At - length, drawing himself up, he said: ‘M. _Bassompier_, my good - friend, I am undone; my enemies have gained the ascendancy over the - Queen’s mind, in order to ruin me.’ Thereupon he began to utter - strange blasphemies and wept bitterly. I allowed him to rave a - little, and then said to him: ‘Monsieur, it is no time to swear and - to weep when affairs press; you must open your heart and reveal - the wound to the friend to whom you desire to entrust its cure. I - imagine that you sent for me to tell me of the evil, not to bewail - it.’ ‘The Ministers have reduced me to extremities,’ he replied; - ‘they desire to ruin me and M. Dolet likewise.’” - -Bassompierre told him that he had many remedies against the enmity of -the Ministers, of which the most efficacious were the good graces of the -Queen, which he would undoubtedly possess when he returned to his duty -and abandoned all practices which were not agreeable to her Majesty. He -had also, he continued, his innocence to plead for him, and, if that -were not as complete as might be desired, it would be advisable to -interview, and come to some arrangement with, the commissioners who had -the examination of Maignan in hand (for he did not doubt that that was -his present difficulty), and “to have recourse to the kindness and -compassion of the Queen, who would receive him, he felt assured, with -open arms, provided he spoke to her with sincerity of heart and an -entire resignation to her will.” - -Concini followed his advice and proceeded to throw himself upon the -clemency of the Queen, “in whom he found all kinds of gentleness and -kindness.” Marie de’ Medici, indeed, was unable to dispense with either -the husband or the wife. “The one,” observes Henri Martin, “dominated -her by habit and by the superiority of an active and restless mind over -a mind indolent and dull; the other probably by a warmer feeling.”[98] -She accepted all their excuses; the two commissioners by whom Maignan -was tried suppressed everything which might compromise Concini and his -accomplices;[99] and while the unfortunate agent was condemned to death -and broken on the wheel, the man who had employed him--this precious -rascal who had sought to betray the country upon which he had so long -been battening--was raised to new honours. The Queen only exacted from -him that he should be reconciled with the Ministers and definitely -abandon the party of the Princes. And, as the price of his obedience, -she gave him, in the following November, the bâton of a marshal of -France![100] - - * * * * * - -Towards the end of May, Bassompierre went to Rouen to make arrangements -for the conduct of his case in the action which the d’Entragues were -bringing against him, and which, on various pretexts, he had succeeded -in delaying until now. He found, to his disgust, however, that the -plaintiff had stolen a march upon him, for, though he applied in turn to -all the chief advocates of the Parlement of Rouen, not one of them would -undertake the case, the reason being that they had all been consulted by -the other side, which, of course, rendered it impossible for them to -hold a brief for the defence. - -He returned to Paris and complained bitterly to Marie de’ Medici of the -sharp practice of which the d’Entragues had been guilty. Upon which she -said: “_Mon Dieu!_ Bassompierre, the Procurator of the Estates of -Nantes, who is so eloquent, is eligible to plead your cause, for he was -formerly an advocate of Rouen. He is here now.” And she sent for him and -ordered him to undertake the case, which he did very ably. - -At the beginning of June, Bassompierre returned to Rouen, “accompanied -or followed by over 200 gentlemen,” and accompanied, too, by the good -wishes of the Queen, who did not confine her good offices to providing -him with an advocate. She wrote to the Maréchal de Fervacques, the -Governor of Rouen, “to assist him in all that he might demand of him”; -she ordered her own company of light horse, which was in garrison at -Évreux, to come to meet him and escort him to Rouen; she sent one of her -gentlemen with letters recommending his cause to all the presidents and -counsellors of the Parlement; and every other day she despatched a -courier to ascertain how the case was proceeding. - -All Normandy appears to have flocked to Rouen to attend this _cause -célèbre_, and seldom had the old city been so gay. - - “Numbers of ladies who were there, many strangers who came, and the - band of nobles whom I had brought, made all the time I spent at - Rouen, where I remained a month, pass like the Carnival, with - continual banquets, balls and assemblies.” - -There can be little doubt that, in this breach of promise, popular -sympathy was with the faithless gallant rather than the injured lady. -But Bassompierre’s friends were denied the pleasure of applauding his -victory at the Palais de Justice, for, after the case had been in -progress for some time, the d’Entragues, seeing that the day was likely -to go against them, succeeded in obtaining an adjournment for six -months, to enable the King’s Council to decide whether the Court was -impartially constituted; their contention being that some of the judges -were related to the defendant on his mother’s side. - - * * * * * - -Not long after Bassompierre’s return to Court, the post of -lieutenant-governor of Poitou became vacant, and, as he was anxious to -secure this office for his brother-in-law Saint-Luc, he solicited -Concini’s good offices with the Queen, thinking, not unnaturally, that, -after the service he had lately rendered him, the Italian would be only -too ready to oblige him. Concini assured both Bassompierre and his -brother-in-law that he would do everything in his power for them, and -appeared delighted at the opportunity of discharging the obligation -under which the former had placed him. Nevertheless, the post was given -to Condé’s favourite, the Baron de Rochefort, at Concini’s earnest -entreaty, the Queen told Bassompierre, as she herself preferred -Saint-Luc. - -So much for the favourite’s sense of gratitude! But this was not all: - - “The Marquis d’Ancre told me the same day that he was in despair - that the Queen had given that place to Rochefort, and he begged me - to assure M. de Saint-Luc that he had done all he could in his - favour, but that the authority of _Monsieur le Prince_ had - prevailed. I, who knew what the Queen had told me, replied that, - when he wanted me to impose upon some indifferent third person, I - was very much at his service; but that, when it was a question of - deceiving my own brother-in-law, I begged him to employ someone - else, since we were too nearly related.” - -After this, Saint-Luc, as was only to be expected, was somewhat cold in -his manner towards Concini, whereupon that worthy, persuaded that this -was due to his brother-in-law’s influence, determined to be avenged and, -says Bassompierre, “assisted by his wife, began to instill into the -Queen’s mind the belief that I boasted of the kindness which she showed -me, and that people were talking about it; and they told her that I was -estranging her servants from her, and that I was turning everyone -against her.” - -This intrigue was only too successful, and on Bassompierre’s return to -Fontainebleau from a visit to Paris, whither he had been sent by the -Queen to settle a quarrel between the Duc de Montbazon and the Maréchal -de Brissac, he perceived a change in her Majesty’s manner towards him, -which seemed rather less cordial than usual. This continued for some -days and was succeeded by an “entire coldness.”[101] - -Bassompierre remained in this state of semi-disgrace for about a month, -when, his patience exhausted, he “resolved to quit the Court of France -and the service of the King and Queen, although several beautiful ladies -performed the impossible to turn him from this design.” He accordingly -asked Sauveterre, the usher of the Queen’s cabinet, to obtain for him an -audience of her Majesty, in order that he might request her permission -to retire from the Court and France, which Sauveterre did. But, no -sooner was he in the royal presence than, to his astonishment and -relief, the Queen, addressing him with all her old cordiality, said: -“Bassompierre, I am going to-morrow to Paris. [She was going to visit -her younger son, the Duc d’Orléans--_Monsieur_, as he was called--who -was lying ill at the Louvre.] I have ordered everyone to remain here; -but, as for you, if you wish to come, I give you permission. But do not -go by the same road, so that they may not say that I have made an -exception to the general rule.” - -Next day, Bassompierre went to Paris, accompanied by Créquy and -Saint-Luc, and awaited the Queen’s arrival at the Louvre, where he -assisted her to alight from her coach and escorted her to _Monsieur’s_ -apartments. “The others then retired,” says he, “and I remained until -she was in her cabinet, when I had full leisure to speak to her, and -left her with the assurance that she did not believe any of the things -which they had tried to persuade her to believe against me, concerning -which I gave her a complete explanation.” - -Early in 1614, Condé and the other Princes who, in the preceding year, -had been allied with Concini, indignant at the latter’s reconciliation -with the Ministers and jealous of his increasing favour, retired from -Court and assumed so threatening an attitude that Marie de’ Medici -decided to raise an army without delay, and applied to the Swiss Cantons -for a levy of 6,000 men, who were intended to form the nucleus of this -force. Now, the Colonel-General of the Swiss in the French service, who -would, of course, take command of the new levy, was the Duc de Rohan, a -nobleman of whose loyalty the Regent was exceedingly suspicious, and -with good reason, since, when hostilities broke out, he entered into an -alliance with the Princes. She therefore resolved to purchase this post -from him and to appoint in his place someone in whom she had absolute -confidence. - -At a meeting of the Council called to decide the question of Rohan’s -successor, Villeroy suggested that the post should be given to the Duc -de Longueville, by which means, he assured the Queen, she would -certainly draw him away from the party of the Princes, which he seemed -more than half-inclined to join. Her Majesty, however, very sensibly -preferred to bestow it on someone who would not regard his appointment -as in the nature of a bribe to do his duty, and proposed that -Bassompierre should be the new Colonel-General, “both on account of the -German tongue, which he had in common with the Swiss, and because he was -their neighbour.” Upon this, Villeroy pointed out that, by the ancient -conventions of the Kings of France with the Swiss Cantons, it was -expressly provided that the Colonel-General should be a prince of the -Blood Royal of France or, at any rate, a prince of some other royal -house.[102] The Queen then proposed the Chevalier de Guise, who was a -prince of the House of Lorraine; but to this Villeroy objected, on the -ground that the Guises had already been overwhelmed with benefits and -that to add to them would be bound to create a great deal of jealousy. -And the Council rose without any decision having been arrived at. - - “As she returned to her cabinet,” writes Bassompierre, “she said to - me: ‘Bassompierre, if you had been a prince, I would have given you - to-day a fine appointment.’ ‘Madame,’ I replied, ‘if I am not a - prince, it is not because I should not have been very glad to be - one. Nevertheless, I can assure you that there are princes who are - greater fools than myself.’ ‘I should have been very pleased if you - had been one,’ said she, ‘because that would have saved me from - seeking for a suitable person for the post I speak of.’ ‘Madame, - may I ask what it is?’ ‘To appoint a Colonel-General of the Swiss,’ - said she. ‘And why, Madame, can I not be Colonel-General, if it is - your wish?’ On which she told me that the Swiss had a convention - with the King according to which no one but a prince could be their - Colonel-General.” - -Bassompierre saluted her Majesty and withdrew, anathematizing the -wretched convention which stood between him and one of the highest -offices under the Crown, and wondering whether by any possibility the -obstacle could be overcome. Of that there seemed but little chance, as -time pressed, and perhaps by the morrow the post would have been filled. -Fortune favoured him, however, for, as he was on his way to dinner, he -happened to meet Colonel Gaspard Gallaty, a veteran Swiss officer in the -service of France,[103] with whom he was on very friendly terms. To him -he related what the Queen had just told him, when Gallaty said that he -believed he possessed sufficient influence with his countrymen to -persuade them to accept him as their Colonel-General, notwithstanding -the convention. And he offered to set out at once for Switzerland to -obtain their consent, and begged Bassompierre to return to the Queen and -tell her that, if she wished to give him the post, the Swiss would -consent. - - “She [the Queen] said to me, ‘I give you a fortnight; nay, I will - give you three weeks, for this; and if you can obtain the consent - of the Swiss, I will give you the post. Then I spoke to Gallaty, - who asked me to obtain permission for him to go to his own country, - saying that he would set out in two days’ time. And this he did, - and, within the time that he had promised me he sent me a letter - from the Cantons, who were assembled at Soleure, to authorise the - levy which the King was demanding from them, by which they informed - the King that, if it pleased him to honour me with this charge, - they would accept me as willingly as any prince whom he might give - them.” - -By the Queen’s orders, Bassompierre then communicated with Rohan, who -was in Poitou, and, as he feared that it might be some little time -before the Treasury saw its way to pay the large sum demanded by that -nobleman for the surrender of his post, he himself offered to advance -it; and on March 12, 1614, he took the oath as Colonel-General of the -Swiss. - -Two days later, news arrived that the Princes had surprised Mézières, -from which place Condé despatched a lengthy memorial to the Queen, -setting forth the grievances of himself and his party, protesting -against the Spanish marriage and demanding the convocation of the -States-General. The seizure of Mézières was followed by that of -Sainte-Menehould, but the arrival of the Swiss, in two regiments, each -3,000 strong, of whom Bassompierre at once went to take the command, -greatly perturbed the rebels, and there can be no doubt that at the -cost of a little bloodshed the Regent could easily have crushed the -insurrection. Instead of doing so, she preferred to treat, and the -result of the negotiations which ensued was the Peace of -Sainte-Menehould (May 15, 1614), which stipulated that the -States-General should be convoked; that Condé should hold Amboise, as a -place of surety, until the meeting of the States, and receive a sum of -450,000 livres; that Mayenne, who was already Governor of the -Île-de-France, should have the reversion of the government of Paris, -together with 300,000 livres; Longueville 100,000 livres, and Bouillon -“the doubling of his gendarmes.” It was a direct incentive to the -Princes to take up arms again on the first convenient opportunity. - -As the Duc de Vendôme, who had retired into his government of Brittany, -showed himself discontented with the peace and had, not only refused to -dismantle the fortifications of Lamballe and Quimper, as he was required -to do by the treaty, but had even seized upon Vannes, Marie de’ Medici, -on the advice of Villeroy, decided to show the young King to his people, -and to “go in person to pacify the western provinces.” Bassompierre -accompanied her, with one of the two regiments of Swiss, the other -having been disbanded on the signing of peace, and was employed in -superintending the razing of the fortifications which Vendôme had -erected. The appearance of the young King aroused great enthusiasm in -the West, and Vendôme soon decided to make his submission. - -Louis XIII returned to Paris, and on October 2 proceeded in great state -to the Parlement to declare his majority. He thanked his mother “for -having taken so many pains on his behalf, and begged her to continue to -govern and command as heretofore.” “I desire and I order,” he added, -“that you be obeyed in everything and everywhere, and that you be after -me the chief of my Council.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV - - Bassompierre, during his absence in Lorraine, condemned by the - Archbishop of Aix to espouse Mlle. d’Entragues, on pain of - excommunication--The archbishop’s decision quashed by the Parlement - of Paris--Financial and amatory embarrassments of - Bassompierre--Death of his mother--The action which the d’Entragues - have brought against him finally decided in his favour--Condé - withdraws from Court and issues a manifesto against the - Government--Civil war begins--Marriage of Louis XIII and Anne of - Austria--Peace of Loudun--Fall of the old Ministers of Henri - IV--Concini and the shoemaker--Condé becomes all-powerful--He - obliges Concini to retire to Normandy--Arrogance of Condé and his - partisans, who are suspected of conspiracy to change the form of - government--The Queen-Mother sends for Bassompierre at three - o’clock in the morning and informs him that she has decided upon - the arrest of the Princes--Preparations for this _coup - d’état_--Arrest of Condé--Concini’s house sacked by the mob--The - Comte d’Auvergne and the Council of War--Bassompierre conducts - Condé from the Louvre to the Bastille. - - -In January, 1615, Bassompierre set out for Lorraine, to visit his -mother, who was lying dangerously ill at Nancy. “The joy of seeing me,” -says he, “restored her to some degree of health,” and, after remaining -with her a fortnight, he went to visit some of his friends in Germany. -About Easter he returned to Nancy, and was about to set out for France -when he received a most astonishing piece of intelligence. - -It appears that the d’Entragues, aware that their plea that the court at -Rouen was improperly constituted was certain to be overruled by the -King’s Council and the case sent back to Rouen for trial, in which event -their chance of obtaining a verdict would be a very remote one, had -decided to appeal to Rome, and proceeded to petition the Pope to direct -that the affair should be adjudicated upon by ecclesiastical -commissioners appointed by his Holiness. The petition was granted, -though it would appear to have been very unusual for the Vatican to do -so, unless it had first been ascertained whether the other party were -willing for the case to be submitted to a Papal tribunal; and one of the -commissioners appointed was the Bishop of Dax. But, by some error, due -no doubt to the similarity of names, the Papal authority to try the case -was sent, not to this prelate, but to the Archbishop of Aix. Now, the -Archbishop of Aix, if we are to believe Bassompierre, was “a needy -rogue, and generally regarded as mad”; and when the Bishop of Beauvais, -at whose suggestion the appeal to Rome had been made, and whom the -writer accuses of being in love with Marie d’Entragues, offered him a -bribe of 1,200 crowns to defeat the ends of justice, he promptly -accepted it. Thereupon, without condescending to consult his -fellow-commissioners he sent a citation to Bassompierre’s house, -summoning him to appear before him; and, after waiting three days, -without troubling to ascertain whether that gentleman had ever received -the citation, and without hearing any evidence, pronounced, on his own -authority, the promise of marriage--which he had not even seen, as it -was, with the other documents connected with the case, at Rome--good and -valid, and condemned Bassompierre to execute it within fifteen days -after Easter, on pain of excommunication. - -On learning of these extraordinary proceedings, Bassompierre returned to -Paris in all haste, and appealed to the Parlement; and that body, always -very jealous of Papal interference with matters which it considered -within its own jurisdiction, promptly quashed the archbishop’s decision. -He then went to the Queen-Mother, who, “indignant, like everyone else, -at the infamy of this man,” issued an order for the prelate’s arrest, -which Bassompierre set out to execute, at the head of 200 stalwart -Swiss. The archbishop, however, had prudently gone into hiding, where he -remained until the Nuncio and the other bishops, fearing a scandal, -succeeded in pacifying the infuriated Bassompierre, “the Nuncio giving -him his word that within three months at latest his Holiness would -quash, as the Parlement had already done, all the proceedings of this -fool. And this he did.” - -This new development of the d’Entragues affair was only one of many -difficulties which beset Bassompierre on his return to Paris:-- - - “I found myself on my return in very great perplexity; not only in - consequence of this affair, but also on account of six hundred - thousand livres which I owed in Paris, without any means of paying - them; and my creditors, who, on seeing me set out to visit my - mother, who was dangerously ill, entertained some hope that, with - the property I should inherit from her, I should be able to satisfy - them, now that I was returned and my mother recovered, lost all - hope of settling their affairs with me, and were consequently very - mutinous. There was a quarrel in a certain house between a husband - and wife on my account, which gave me pain; and, worst of all, - there was a girl for whom I daily feared a discovery attended with - a great scandal and evil consequences for me.” - -However, his fortunate star prevailed over these complicated effects of -his extravagant and amorous propensities:-- - - “It happened that, within a few days, I heard of the quashing of - the proceedings of this precious Archbishop of Aix, and of the - death of my mother, which brought me fifty thousand crowns in money - and saleable property to the value of a hundred thousand, so that I - paid seven hundred thousand livres of debts, which placed me - greatly at my ease; the quarrel between the husband and wife was - made up (August); the girl was happily brought to bed without - anyone knowing of it (August 5); and I went to Rouen, where I - gained my case against Antragues finally and completely. So that at - the same, or within a little, time I was delivered from all these - divers and distressing inconveniences.” - -Towards the end of March, Condé, who for weeks past had been secretly -fomenting opposition to the Court, left Paris, followed, at intervals, -by his chief adherents, and issued a manifesto protesting against the -Ultramontane tendencies of the Government and the Spanish marriage. -Marie de’ Medici, who intended shortly to set out for the Spanish -frontier to make the exchange of the princesses and conclude the -marriage of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, and naturally feared to -leave Condé behind her, sent him a letter from the King commanding the -prince to accompany him. But Condé excused himself from following his -Majesty until he had remedied the evils of the State, of which he -designed the Maréchal d’Ancre as the principal author. - -The Queen-Mother, in consequence, was obliged to raise two armies: one -to escort the King and herself to Bordeaux, the other to watch the -princes. The latter force was placed under the command of the Maréchal -de Bois-Dauphin, with Praslin as his chief of staff; and to this -Bassompierre and the Swiss were attached. - -The King and his mother left Paris on August 17, Bassompierre and the -Swiss accompanying them so far as Bernis, not far from Sceaux, where -they received orders to return and join Bois-Dauphin’s army. Before -doing so, however, Bassompierre went to Rouen, where on September 4 the -Parlement pronounced judgment in his favour; and this unedifying affair, -which had dragged on for nearly four years and must have involved both -sides in enormous expense, finally terminated. He then returned in -triumph to Paris, whence he proceeded to Meaux, where Bois-Dauphin had -established his headquarters. - -Bassompierre gives a long and detailed account of the operations which -ensued, through which, however, we do not propose to follow him, since -they are of little interest, consisting mainly of unimportant skirmishes -and the reduction of such places as had declared for the Princes or had -been seized by them. In what fighting took place he appears to have -displayed both courage and activity; while he endeavoured, though -without success, to impart some of his own energy to the old Maréchal de -Bois-Dauphin, who, in his youth, had been one of the most dashing -officers in the armies of the League, but with age had grown slow and -cautious. Happily for the marshal, Condé was equally incapable; -otherwise, he would no doubt have taken advantage of his opponent’s -inaction to march upon Paris. - -Meanwhile, the Court had reached Bordeaux in safety, from which town the -greater part of the Royal army was despatched to the frontier to fetch -the Infanta Anne of Austria, whom Philip III, undisturbed on his side by -war’s alarms, had brought from Madrid. The exchange of the princesses -took place at Andaye, on the Bidassoa, after which Anne of Austria, -escorted by the Royal troops, set out for Bordeaux, where her marriage -with Louis XIII was celebrated on November 28. - -Her object accomplished, Marie de’ Medici became anxious for peace at -any price, while Condé and his friends, now deprived of their chief -pretext for rebellion and aware that the Queen would be prepared to pay -them handsomely to return to their allegiance, had no desire to prolong -the war. A suspension of arms having been agreed upon, a congress met at -Loudun to negotiate peace, which was signed on May 3, 1616. - -Its terms were another triumph for the party of the Princes, and -particularly for their leader, who, in exchange for his government of -Guienne, received that of Berry and of the citadel and town of Bourges, -the right of signing all the decrees of the Council, and 1,500,000 -livres, to compensate him for the inconvenience and expense to which he -had been put in being obliged to take up arms against his sovereign. He -was certainly finding rebellion a most profitable occupation. The other -grandees, his accomplices, received altogether 6,000,000 livres. - -The Peace of Loudun brought about the downfall of the Ministers of Henri -IV. In both peace and war they had shown only weakness, which is -scarcely surprising, considering that the Chancellor, the youngest of -the three, was seventy-two. He was obliged to surrender the Seals to Du -Vair, First President of the Parlement of Toulouse; while Villeroy and -Jeannin were also dismissed, and replaced by Mangot, First President of -the Parlement of Bordeaux, and the Queen-Mother’s intendant Barbin, an -intelligent and energetic man, who was devoted to Concini and Marie de’ -Medici. - -As for Concini, he was more in favour at Court than ever; nevertheless, -his position was not altogether an enviable one, since, though he was -temporarily reconciled with Condé, Mayenne and Bouillon were breathing -fire and slaughter against him and were quite capable of putting their -threats into execution should a favourable occasion present itself; -while he had rendered himself odious to the Parisians by an act of -intolerable insolence. - -It happened that, one night during the war, Concini had wished to leave -Paris by the Porte de Bussy, in order to go to Saint-Germain. But, as he -had neglected to provide himself with the necessary passport--such -trifles being, of course, beneath the notice of so great a man--the -officer of the citizen militia in charge of the gate, who, when not -girded with a sword, followed the peaceful occupation of a shoemaker, -had refused to let him out. The shoemaker was only doing his duty, but -Concini was furious, and, so soon as peace was signed, determined to be -revenged, and accordingly sent two of his lackeys to chastise the -impertinent fellow who had dared to put such an affront upon a marshal -of France. The sequel was a tragedy, for the shoemaker shouted for help -with all the strength of his lungs; the people came running from all -directions to his assistance, seized the unfortunate lackeys, and, after -keeping them locked up for some days, hanged them in front of the -shoemaker’s shop, vowing that they would serve their master in the same -way when they could lay their hands on him. - -All things considered, it is not surprising that the marshal should have -decided that the air of Paris was just then unsuited to his health and -remained at his country seat at Lesigny, though even there he appears to -have been far from safe from his enemies, since Bassompierre tells us -that “MM. de Mayenne and de Bouillon made an attempt to blow him up with -a petard, but did not succeed.” - -However, on July 20 Condé returned to Paris, to be received with -enthusiasm by the people, though surely no one was ever less deserving -of popular acclamations than this vain, greedy, and meddlesome young -man, who had not scrupled to plunge his country into the miseries of -civil war to serve his own selfish ends! Unwilling to offend the prince -by failing to pay him his respects, Concini thereupon decided to go to -Paris, even at the risk of his life, and wrote to Bassompierre, who had -apparently quite forgiven him for the shabby way he had behaved two -years before, asking him to meet him at the Porte Saint-Antoine at three -o’clock on the following afternoon, with as many friends as he could -muster. - -At the appointed hour Bassompierre proceeded to the Porte Saint-Antoine, -accompanied by thirty horse, passing on the way the Hôtel de Mayenne, -which stood at the corner of the Rue Saint-Antoine and the Rue du -Petit-Musc. Presently, Concini appeared, riding in his gilded coach, -which was surrounded by forty mounted retainers, all, of course, armed -to the teeth. The marshal alighted, and mounted a horse which -Bassompierre had brought for him, and the two cavalcades joined forces -and proceeded through the streets to the Louvre. Here they waited while -Concini entered to salute the Queen, and then made their way to the -Hôtel de Condé, in the Faubourg Saint-Germain. By this time the -marshal’s escort, swollen by the accession of friends of his own and -Bassompierre’s, amounted to over one hundred horse; but it seemed as -though even this force might be insufficient to protect him, as the -first person whom they saw on entering the courtyard of the Hôtel de -Condé was Concini’s enemy the shoemaker. His presence in that -aristocratic mansion was no doubt accounted for by the fact that it was -part of _Monsieur le Prince’s_ policy to court the leaders of the -populace, as the Guises had done so effectively in days gone by. - -No sooner did the shoemaker catch sight of Concini, than he hurried -away, shouting out that he was going to raise the people of his quarter -against the Italian. The latter, greatly alarmed, paid his respects to -Condé as briefly as etiquette would permit, and then he and his escort -turned their horses’ heads towards the river. On this occasion, -Bassompierre and his followers rode some two hundred paces ahead of -Concini, as it had been decided that if, as was fully expected, they -found the Pont-Neuf occupied by an armed mob too numerous to allow of -them cutting their way through, the vanguard should hold the enemy in -check, while the marshal, under the protection of the rest, retreated to -the shelter of the Hôtel de Condé. To their relief, however, the bridge -was unoccupied--apparently the shoemaker had not had sufficient time to -mobilise his quarter--and they reached the Porte Saint-Antoine in -safety, where Concini reentered his coach and returned to Lesigny. - -After Condé’s return to Paris, the management of affairs fell almost -entirely into his hands, and his hôtel was besieged at all hours by -petitioners and sycophants. “Almost all the grandees,” says -Bassompierre, “were of his party and his cabal, and even MM. de -Guise[104] joined him, under pretext of dissatisfaction with the -Maréchal d’Ancre and his wife.” - -At the beginning of August, Concini returned to his - -[Illustration: CONCINO CONCINI, MARÉCHAL D’ANCRE. - -From an engraving by Aubert.] - -house in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, emboldened apparently by a promise -of his protection which Condé had given him. A few days later, having -some business with the prince, he had the hardihood to go to the Hôtel -de Condé, attended by a suite of thirty gentlemen, at a time when Condé -was giving a sumptuous fête in honour of Lord Hay, the British -Ambassador Extraordinary, to which all the princes and great nobles had -been invited. The company were at table when he arrived, but he went -into the banquet-hall, in which he found Bouillon, Mayenne and other -sworn enemies of his, spoke with Condé for some time, and then took his -departure, “all these gentlemen glaring at him and he at them.” - -Next morning, the prince sent for Concini and told him that he had had -great difficulty on the previous day in restraining his friends from -falling upon him and killing him as he was leaving his hôtel, and that -they all threatened to abandon him if he did not withdraw his protection -from the marshal. In consequence, he was unable to protect him any -longer, and he counselled him strongly to retire to Normandy, of which -province he had recently been appointed lieutenant-general, in exchange -for the surrender of a similar office in Picardy. Concini followed the -prince’s advice--or rather his orders--went to the Louvre to take leave -of the King and the Queen-Mother, and left Paris the next day (August -15). “It is impossible to say,” adds Bassompierre, “how much his -departure discredited the Queen-Mother, when it was seen that a servant -of hers could not live in safety in Paris, save so long as _Monsieur le -Prince_ pleased; while it augmented the reputation and authority of -_Monsieur le Prince_.” - -Chief of the grandees and also chief of the King’s counsellors, Condé -might perhaps have been content to live on good terms with the -Queen-Mother and to use with moderation the large share of power which -she had abandoned to him. “But his partisans were unable to suffer their -reunion.” Longueville surprised Péronne; Bouillon, the “demon of -rebellion,” the turbulent Mayenne, the restless Vendôme, urged him to -seize the supreme power, on pain of abandoning him. He is said to have -avowed to Barbin that “it was plain that nothing more remained for him -but to remove the King from his throne and put himself in his place.” If -he had really entertained any such intention, he would hardly have made -a confidant of one of the most devoted of the Queen-Mother’s adherents; -but, any way, the Court believed that he was secretly stirring up the -people and the clergy and tampering with the officers of the Guards and -the captains of the citizen militia, and was plotting to change the form -of government. On the advice probably of the new Ministers Barbin and -Mangot, and of Concini’s wife, Marie de’ Medici resolved to forestall -Condé by arresting him, together with Bouillon, Mayenne, and Vendôme. -Fearing that the officers of the Guards might refuse to lay hands on the -first Prince of the Blood, she decided to dispense with their services -and to entrust the task to the Marquis de Thémines, a brave old Gascon -noble who had served with distinction in the Wars of Religion, assisted -by d’Elbène, a captain of light cavalry. - - “On Thursday, the first day of September, at three o’clock in the - morning,” says Bassompierre, “I was awakened by a gentleman-servant - of the Queen named La Motte, who came to tell me, on her behalf, to - come to the Louvre, disguised and alone, which I did. On entering - the Louvre, I found one of the Gardes du Corps of the King named La - Barre, who happened to be on guard that night. La Barre was - Quartermaster of the Swiss, and I told him to come with me into the - Queen’s ante-chamber and wait at the door while I entered her - chamber, as I did not doubt that it was some matter relating to the - Swiss which was the cause of my being sent for. - - “I found the Queen in deshabille, with MM. Mangot and Barbin on - either side of her, while M. de Fossé[105] was standing a little - way behind them. As I entered, she said to me: ‘You do not know why - I have sent for you so early, Bassompierre.’ ‘Madame,’ I answered, - ‘I do not know the reason.’ ‘I will tell you anon,’ said she, and - then began to walk about, and so continued for near half-an-hour; - while I spoke to M. de Fossé, whom I was very astonished to see - there, as the Queen had dismissed him for having accompanied the - Commandeur de Sillery when he was exiled from the Court.[106] - - “At length, the Queen entered her cabinet, bidding us follow her, - and said to me: ‘I intend to make prisoners of _Monsieur le Prince_ - and MM. de Vendôme, Mayenne, and Bouillon. I desire that the Swiss - be here at eleven o’clock this morning, that is to say, about the - Tuileries, for, if I am forced by the people to leave Paris, I - shall retire with them to Mantes. I have my jewels packed up and - 40,000 crowns in gold--they are here--and I shall take my children - with me, if I am forced to go, though I pray that God may forbid - it, and I do not think it will be necessary. But I am fully - resolved to submit to any peril and inconvenience that I may - encounter rather than lose my authority and suffer that of the King - to perish. I desire also that, when the time arrives, you will go, - with your Swiss, to the gate [of the Louvre], to resist an attack, - if one should be made, and to die there for the service of the - King, as I promise myself that you will be ready to do.’ ‘Madame,’ - I replied, ‘I shall not deceive the good opinion that you entertain - of me, as you will know to-day, if such should be the case. - Meantime, Madame, be pleased to permit me to go and summon the - Swiss from their quarters.’ ‘No,’ said she, ‘you shall not go out.’ - ‘It is strange of you, Madame,’ said I, ‘to distrust a man to whom - you are confiding the person of the King, your own, and those of - your children. However, I have at this door a man whom I can trust, - and I will send him to the quarters of the Swiss. Rely on me, - Madame, and rest assured that the fête will not be spoiled by me.’ - She permitted me to go out, and I sent La Barre to fetch the Swiss. - I asked her what she intended to do with the French Guards, when - she said that she feared that M. de Créquy[107] had been won over - by _Monsieur le Prince_. ‘Not against the King, Madame,’ said I, - ‘for I know that for the King he would die a thousand deaths, if - that were possible.’ Upon that she said: ‘I must send for him, and - neither of you must go out until _Monsieur le Prince_ has entered.’ - She sent also for M. de Saint-Géran[108]; while La Curée[109] came - with the King when he descended to the Queen-Mother’s apartments at - nine o’clock. The Queen spoke to these gentlemen, and when I asked - her by whom _Monsieur le Prince_ was to be arrested, she answered: - ‘I have provided for that.’ - - “_Monsieur le Prince_ came at eight o’clock to attend the Council, - and the Queen-Mother, looking at him as everyone came to hand him - petitions, said: ‘There is the King of France, but his royalty will - be like that of the Twelfth Night King; it will not last long.’ - - “Upon that, she despatched Créquy and myself to the gate of the - Louvre to place the Guards under arms, and meantime she sent to - summon _Monsieur le Prince_ to her presence. Afterwards she sent to - tell us that if _Monsieur le Prince_ came to the gate, we should - arrest him. We sent back word that this was so important an order - that we ought to have it from her own lips, and that she should - have given it us while we were in her chamber; but that, if it - pleased her to send a lieutenant of the Guards du Corps to arrest - him, we would render him every assistance, and, meantime, I would - give orders that no one was to pass out of the gate. And I placed - thirty Swiss halberdiers there, while Créquy gave a like order to - the French Guards. - - “A moment later, there came a _valet de chambre_ of the Queen to - tell us that _Monsieur le Prince_ had been arrested.”[110] - -So soon as the arrest of Condé had been effected, Saint-Géran and La -Curée, with detachments of the Gensdarmes and Light Cavalry of the -Guard, were sent to apprehend Bouillon, Mayenne, and Vendôme; but all -three princes had prudently taken to flight. - -Much to the relief of Marie de’ Medici, the bulk of the populace -remained unmoved, though the Dowager-Princesse de Condé drove about the -streets, crying out: “To arms, good people! The Maréchal d’Ancre has -caused _Monsieur le Prince_ to be assassinated!” A crowd, however, -collected before Concini’s house in the Faubourg-Saint-Germain, broke in -the door and sacked it from basement to attic, after which they were -proceeding to demolish it, when the French Guards arrived and dispersed -them. - - “A little while after the arrest of _Monsieur le Prince_,” says - Bassompierre, “some rioters, or some members of the said prince’s - household, began to throw stones against the windows of the - Maréchal d’Ancre’s house. Then, others joining them with the hope - of plunder, took the pieces of timber from beyond the Luxembourg, - which was then being built, to break open the door of the said - house. Eight or ten men and women who were within escaped, - terror-stricken, by a back door; and a number of masons from the - Luxembourg having joined the mob, they entered and pillaged this - rich house, in which they found furniture worth more than 200,000 - crowns. So soon as the Queen-Mother heard of it, she ordered M. de - Liancourt, Governor of Paris, to go and put a stop to the tumult. - He went with the archers of the Watch, but, perceiving that it was - no place for him, returned; and the people continued to pillage all - day, and were not interfered with.... The next day the King - commanded M. de Créquy to take the companies of the French Guards - just relieved from duty and drive away the people, who were - continuing, not to plunder--for that was already accomplished--but - to demolish the Maréchal d’Ancre’s house. This M. de Créquy did, - and placed soldiers there to guard it.” - -The same day that Condé was arrested, the King, at his mother’s request, -created Thémines a marshal of France. His appointment, Bassompierre -tells us, aroused great indignation amongst a number of gentlemen who -considered that their own military services gave them a better claim to -that dignity, and they complained loudly, the loudest of all being M. de -Montigny, formerly Governor of Paris, who, while travelling to the -capital that morning, had met Vendôme flying for his life, and had -obligingly lent him his own post-horses, which were fresh, as the -prince’s were exhausted. To pacify Montigny, the King created him a -marshal likewise. Then Saint-Géran, “perceiving that it was only -necessary to complain to get what one wanted,” extorted from his Majesty -a written promise that he too should be made a marshal, while Créquy -obtained a brevet of duke and peer. The Queen-Mother said to -Bassompierre that evening: “Bassompierre, you have not asked for -anything like the others.” “Madame,” was the diplomatic answer, “an -occasion on which we have only performed our simple duty is not one on -which to ask for recompense. But I hope that when, by great services, I -shall have merited them, the King will bestow upon me honours and -emoluments without my asking him.” - -On September 5, Marie de’ Medici instituted a Council of War, to which -she summoned the Maréchal de Brissac, Praslin, Saint-Luc, Saint-Géran, -and Bassompierre, and also the recently dismissed Ministers Villeroy and -Jeannin, to discuss the means of raising an army to combat the fugitive -princes, who had established themselves at Soissons, where their -adherents were gathering round them. This Council, however, had only -held one or two meetings, under the presidency of the Maréchal de -Brissac, when a most embarrassing incident caused its sittings to be -suspended. - -It will be remembered that, in 1605, the Comte d’Auvergne, Charles IX’s -son by Marie Touchet, now Madame d’Entragues, had been condemned to -death for high treason, a sentence subsequently commuted by Henri IV to -perpetual imprisonment in the Bastille. This commutation, however, had -not been a formal one, so that the death-sentence remained nominally -suspended over the captive’s head. At the end of the previous June, the -Queen-Mother had set Auvergne at liberty, with the object of opposing -him to the cabal of the Princes; and when, a few weeks later, the news -arrived that Longueville had seized Péronne, she sent him, at the head -of two companies of the French Guards and a detachment of cavalry, to -invest the place. But, by some extraordinary oversight, she had omitted -to furnish Auvergne with the usual letters of _abolition_, and, in the -absence of his sovereign’s formal pardon for his offences, he occupied a -position somewhat analogous to that of a convict on ticket-of-leave. - -A day or two after the Council of War had been appointed, Auvergne -returned from Péronne, and asked Barbin whether he were expected to -attend its sessions. Barbin gave him to understand that he was; and at -the next meeting of the Council the prince entered the room and coolly -took his seat at the head of the table. Brissac was so overcome with -astonishment and indignation that he was quite unable to utter any -protest; but Bassompierre, boiling with rage at the sight of a man who -had twice conspired against the life of his beloved master, and was -still technically a traitor under sentence of death, presuming to -attend, much less to preside, over their counsels, rose at once and -moved to one of the windows, beckoning Saint-Géran and Créquy to follow -him. His friends shared his indignation, and, having consulted together, -they called Brissac and told him that it would be “a reproach and a -shame to him” if he suffered the Comte d’Auvergne to take his place. The -marshal thereupon declared that, provided that they and La Curée would -support him--for these four with their troops were masters of the -Louvre--he would kill the count with his own hand, if he returned for -the afternoon session and again took his place at the head of the -council-board. The others applauded this decision, but, happily, Praslin -joined them, and, on learning of what was intended, pointed out that the -wisest course would be to request the Queen-Mother to order the Comte -d’Auvergne not to attend the Council or to suspend its sessions, whereby -they would escape the “inconvenience” which might arise were a marshal -of France to kill a Prince of the Blood at the council-board. - -It was decided to follow his advice, and to delegate to him the duty of -informing the Queen-Mother that they would not permit the count to -preside over the Council or even attend it. Marie de’ Medici, we are -told, took their remonstrances in very good part, and, since she did not -care to offend Auvergne by excluding him from the Council, decided that -that body should not meet again. - -On September 25, Guise and his brother Joinville, who had followed the -other princes to Soissons, with the apparent intention of throwing in -their lot with them, returned to Paris and came to the Louvre to pay -their respects to the Queen-Mother and assure her of their unalterable -fidelity. Her Majesty received them very graciously; nevertheless, she -appears to have entertained a strong suspicion that they had other -motives in returning to the capital. For that evening, when the -courtiers were retiring from her apartments, she desired Bassompierre to -remain, as she wished to speak to him, and said: “Bassompierre, I have -resolved to transfer _Monsieur le Prince_ from here, and intend to -entrust his removal to you. Here is the Maréchal de Thémines, who -arrested him, and who has guarded him in the Louvre with difficulty. But -it is to be feared that, if I keep him here any longer, some attempt may -be made to rescue him, which could easily be done.... Besides, if he -remains here, the King and I are prevented from leaving, should we -desire to go to Saint-Germain or some other place, since, in that event, -he would no longer be in security. In consequence, I have resolved to -place him in the Bastille, and desire that you should take charge of his -removal.” - -“She then told me,” says Bassompierre, “that it was the King’s intention -that I should not wait for _li honori, li bieni, li carichi_. These were -her words.” - -Bassompierre replied that the honour of her Majesty’s confidence was in -itself sufficient recompense for the slight service which she was -demanding of him, and that he would readily undertake to conduct the -prince safely to the Bastille. About this she need have no fear, since, -even if Condé’s adherents were to get wind of what was intended, long -before they had had time to gather in sufficient numbers to attempt a -rescue, he would have the prisoner under lock and key again. - -He then inquired if the Queen-Mother had any orders to give as to the -manner of the prince’s removal, and, on being told that she left all the -arrangements entirely to his discretion, proceeded to form the escort, -which was composed of 200 of the French Guards and 100 Swiss, chosen -from those who were posted before and behind the Louvre--for the palace -was guarded night and day, like a beleaguered fortress upon which an -assault might at any moment be delivered--another body of 50 Swiss, whom -he summoned from their quarters in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, a few of -his own and the Queen’s gentlemen, on horseback, a dozen men of the -Gardes du Corps, and six of the Swiss of the Guard (the _Cent-Suisses_). -The French Guards were posted opposite the gate of the Louvre; the rest -were drawn up in the courtyard, where a coach was in waiting to convey -the prisoner and Thémines, who was to ride with him, to the Bastille. - -His preparations completed, Bassompierre, accompanied by Thémines, -ascended to the room where Condé was confined, and awakened the prince, -“who was in great apprehension,” being evidently under the impression -that they had come to conduct him to execution. Thémines having -reassured him on this score, he went with the marshal down to the -courtyard and entered the coach; Bassompierre mounted his horse, and the -cortège moved off. Bassompierre, with the mounted gentlemen and fifty of -the Swiss, led the way; then came the coach, guarded on either side by -the Gardes du Corps and the Swiss of the Guard, with their partizans and -halberds; while the French Guards and the rest of the Swiss brought up -the rear. Thus they wended their way through the dark, silent streets -towards the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, no one being encountered on their -march save a few belated pedestrians, and, in less than an hour after -they left the Louvre, the gates of the Bastille had closed upon the -first Prince of the Blood. - -Before setting out for the Bastille, Bassompierre had judged it -advisable to send a messenger to assure the Duc de Guise, whose hôtel -lay on their way[111] and who, he thought, might take alarm if he -learned that soldiers were approaching, that nothing was intended -against him. The messenger was only just in time, for Guise, warned by -a friend living near the Louvre that troops were assembling at the -palace, and persuaded that his arrest was their objective, had promptly -decided on flight; and he and some of his attendants were already -dressed and preparing to get to horse. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - - Serious illness of the young King, who, however, - recovers--Bassompierre and Mlle. d’Urfé--Gay winter in - Paris--Richelieu enters the Ministry as Secretary of State for - War--His foreign policy--His energetic measures to put down the - rebellion of the Princes--Return of Concini--His arrogance and - presumption--Singular conversation between Bassompierre and - Concini, after the death of the latter’s daughter--Policy pursued - by Marie de’ Medici and Concini towards Louis XIII--Humiliating - position of the young King--His favourite, Charles d’Albert, - Seigneur de Luynes--Bassompierre warns the Queen-Mother that the - King may be persuaded to revolt against her authority. - - -At the end of October, Louis XIII fell ill, and on All-Hallows’ Eve “had -a convulsion, which it was apprehended would develop into apoplexy.” His -physicians were of opinion that if he had a second attack it would -probably prove fatal; and Marie de’ Medici, on learning of this, sent -for Bassompierre and kept him at the Louvre all night, so as to be in -readiness to summon the Swiss to her support, in the event of the King’s -death. However, the young monarch passed a good night, and by the -morning all danger was over. - -On the following day, Bassompierre set out for Burgundy, at the head of -300 cavalry, to meet and take command of a new levy of two regiments of -Swiss, raised to assist the Government in dealing with the rebellious -Princes. He left Paris with no little reluctance, since he had just -embarked in a new love-affair with Mlle. d’Urfé, who is described by -Tallemant des Réaux as the flower of the Queen’s maids-of-honour; and it -was naturally most provoking to have to go campaigning at such a moment. -However, love had to give place to duty. - -Bassompierre’s orders were to hold the Swiss and his little force of -cavalry at the disposal of Bellegarde, Governor of Burgundy, who had -been sent into the Bresse to the assistance of Charles Emmanuel’s heir, -the Prince of Piedmont, who was defending Savoy against an army -commanded by his kinsman, the Duc de Nemours. This army had originally -been raised by Nemours to co-operate with the forces of Charles Emmanuel -in the war which had broken out between him and Spain; but the duke had -been persuaded, by the specious promises of the Governor of Milan, to -turn it against his relatives. However, on reaching Provins, -Bassompierre learned that, through the intervention of Bellegarde, a -treaty had been signed between the Prince of Piedmont and Nemours, and -that the latter had disbanded his army. - -At Saint-Jean de Losne, near Beaune, he met the Swiss, and, having -administered to them the usual oath of fidelity, led them to -Châtillon-sur-Seine, where he received orders to send one regiment into -the Nivernais and the other into Champagne, to be distributed amongst -different garrisons in those provinces. - -At the beginning of December, he returned to Paris, eager to sun himself -once more in the smiles of Mlle. d’Urfé; and his disgust may therefore -be imagined when, scarcely had he arrived, than he received a visit from -his kinsman, the wealthy Duc de Cröy,[112] who informed him that the -same lady’s charms had made so deep an impression upon him that he -proposed to lay, not only his heart, but his ancient title and all his -possessions at her feet. And, all unconscious that his relative had a -prior claim to Mlle. d’Urfé’s affections, he begged him to make, on his -behalf, a formal proposal for her hand to her parents. - -Dissimulating his mortification, Bassompierre accepted this commission; -but, as he is not ashamed to confess, with the intention of preventing -the marriage, if by any means that could be effected. However, “his -efforts were in vain, for the duke surmounted all the difficulties that -he put in his way,” and at the beginning of 1617 Mlle. d’Urfé became -Duchesse de Cröy. - -Bassompierre did not, as we may suppose, waste much time in regrets for -the loss of his inamorata, since, notwithstanding that a civil war was -in progress and that almost every day brought such cheerful intelligence -as that one gentleman’s château had been sacked or another’s unfortunate -tenants rendered homeless, the winter of 1617 in Paris was a very gay -one, and what with dancing, gambling and love-making, his days and -nights must have been pretty well occupied:-- - - “I won that year at the game of trictrac, from M. de Guise, M. de - Joinville and the Maréchal d’Ancre, 100,000 crowns. I was not out - of favour at the Court, nor with the ladies, and had a number of - beautiful mistresses.” - -To turn, however, from trivial to important matters. - - * * * * * - -At the end of 1616 Bassompierre writes in his journal: - - “During my journey to Burgundy, the Seals had been taken away from - M. du Vair and given to Mangot, and Mangot’s charge of Secretary of - State to M. de Lusson.” - -Now, the “M. de Lusson” of whom Bassompierre speaks was none other than -Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Bishop of Luçon, afterwards -Cardinal de Richelieu, who on November 30, 1616, had entered the -Ministry as Secretary of State for War. - -Scarcely had this great man touched public affairs than it was -recognised that a firmer and surer hand was guiding the helm; a new -spirit seemed to be infused into the Government. The tone of Henri IV -suddenly reappeared in French diplomacy, and the ambassadors at Courts -opposed to the pretensions of the House of Austria, justly alarmed by -the Spanish marriages, were instructed to inform the sovereigns to whom -they were accredited that these marriages were by no means to be -regarded as portending any intention on the part of the Very Christian -King to embrace the interests of Spain or the Holy See, to the detriment -of the old alliances of France or to the principle of religious -toleration in his realm. - -And, at the same time as he reassured the old allies of France, -Richelieu took energetic measures to put down rebellion at home. He -appealed to public opinion by the issue of pamphlets and proclamations, -in which he effectively combated the arguments advanced by the Princes -to justify their revolt, and pointed out that these same men who -complained of the disorder of the finances had themselves bled the State -to the tune of over fourteen million livres--he gave a schedule showing -the sums paid to each of them--not counting the emoluments of the -charges bestowed upon them and the pensions and _gratifications_ -accorded to their friends and servants. - -Nor did he confine himself to words. This time, the Government, inspired -by him, showed none of its accustomed pusillanimity. A royal declaration -was launched against Nevers, who, now that Condé was in prison, had -assumed the leadership of his party; a second against Mayenne, Vendôme, -and Bouillon; three armies were raised to take the field against them, -which one by one reduced their strongholds to submission; the estates of -many of their supporters were sequestrated; soldiers who had taken up -arms to join them were, if captured, hanged without mercy; and, finally, -a decree, duly registered by the Parlement, notwithstanding that it -struck at at least one of that body, provided for the confiscation of -the property of all the rebels. - -It was the misfortune of Richelieu and his colleagues that they passed -for the creatures of a foreign favourite detested by everyone. At the -beginning of December, 1616, Concini, who had remained in Normandy since -the scene at the Hôtel de Condé which had led to his compulsory -withdrawal from the capital, returned to Paris, more arrogant and more -presumptuous than ever, and burning to avenge the humiliations he had -suffered. To strike terror into the partisans of the Princes, he caused -gibbets to be erected in different parts of the town; he “caused -everyone to be watched and spied upon, even in the houses, to see who -entered or left Paris,” and “imprisoned those who gave him the smallest -umbrage, without any form of trial.” Already in possession of the -citadel of Caen, he occupied the Pont-de-l’Arche, the strongest fortress -in Normandy; proposed to rebuild the fort of Sainte-Catherine, above -Rouen, which had been destroyed during the Wars of Religion; acquired by -purchase the governments of Meulan, Pontoise, and Corbeil; offered -Bassompierre 600,000 livres for his post of Colonel-General of the -Swiss, and was credited with the intention of getting himself named -Constable of France. It was evident that he contemplated making himself -a sort of king in Normandy, and that, when the Princes were crushed, -there would be no limits to his ambition. He had, however, at the -beginning of 1617, a moment of alarm and despondency. The death of his -only daughter, Marie Concini, to whom he was tenderly attached and for -whom he had dreamed of some alliance which would unite his fortunes to -those of one of the great families of France, struck him with a -superstitious fear, as the precursor of the ruin of himself and his -wife. - - “The marshal’s daughter fell ill and died,” writes Bassompierre, - “at which both he and his wife were cruelly afflicted. I shall - relate a conversation which passed between him and myself on the - day of her death, by which one may see that he had a prevision of - what afterwards happened to him. - - “I went to visit him on the morning of that day, and again after - dinner, at that little house on the Quai du Louvre to which he and - his wife had retired. But he had given orders that I was to be - requested to defer our interview until some other time, and - afterwards he sent to ask me to come to see him at his house in the - evening. Finding him in sore distress, I endeavoured sometimes to - console, sometimes to divert, him; but his grief augmented the more - I spoke to him, and he answered nothing to all I said, save: - ‘Signor, I am undone! Signor, I am ruined! Signor, I am miserable!’ - At last, I bade him consider the character of a marshal of France, - which he represented, and which did not permit of him indulging in - lamentations, pardonable in his wife, but unworthy of him. And I - went on to say that assuredly he had lost a very amiable daughter - and one who would have been very useful to advance his fortunes, - but that he had four nieces to take his daughter’s place, who might - afford him as much consolation, if he brought them to live with - him, and much support to his fortunes, by means of alliances with - four of the great families of France, of which he would have the - choice. And I said several other things which God inspired me to - tell him. At length, after weeping for some time, he said to me:-- - - “‘Ah, Monsieur! I do truly regret my daughter, and shall regret her - so long as I live. Yet am I a man who could patiently endure such - an affliction; but the ruin of myself, my wife, my son,[113] and my - family which I see approaching before my eyes and which, owing to - the obstinacy of my wife, is inevitable, makes me lament and lose - all patience. I reveal this to you as to a true friend, from whom I - have all my life received assistance and friendship, and to whom, I - confess, I have not rendered the like, or acted as I should and - might have done. But, _basta!_ I will make amends, please God! - Know, Monsieur, that ever since I mingled with the world I have - learned to know it, and to see, not only the elevation of fortunes - but their decline and fall; and that a man attains to a certain - point of felicity, after which he descends or falls headlong, - according to the height which he has reached. If you did not know - the meanness of my origin, I should endeavour to disguise it from - you; but you saw me in Florence, debauched, dissolute; sometimes in - prison, sometimes banished, and always plunged in a disorderly and - evil course of life. I was born a gentleman and of good parentage; - but when I came to France, I had not a sou and owed 8,000 crowns. - My marriage and the favour of the Queen gave me great influence - during the lifetime of the late King, and brought me much wealth, - advancement, charges and honours during the regency of the Queen; - and I laboured to second and push on Fortune as much as any man - could have done, so long as I perceived that she was favourable. - But when I recognised that she was ceasing to favour me, and that - she was giving me warnings of her departure and her flight, I - resolved to make an honourable retreat and to enjoy in peace, with - my wife, the great riches which the liberality of the Queen had - bestowed upon us or our own industry had acquired. For which - reason, for some months past, I have importuned my wife in vain, - and at every blow I receive from Fortune I renew my entreaties. - When I saw that a powerful party had arisen in France which had - taken me for the pretext for its revolt, and had proclaimed me one - of the five tyrants whom it was seeking to destroy;[114] when M. - Dolet, who was my creature,[115] my counsellor, my trusted friend, - and, I may say, my servant, died; when an infamous shoemaker of - Paris put an affront upon me--upon me, a marshal of France!--when I - was forced to quit my establishments in Picardy and my citadel of - Amiens, and to leave Ancre as a prey to M. de Longueville, my - enemy; when I was compelled to retire, or rather to fly, into - Normandy, I represented to my wife that amongst the great - obligations we owed to God, that of warning us to retreat was not - the least. We have seen since then our house sacked, with the loss - of more than 200,000 crowns; and we have seen two of our people - hanged before our faces for having given, as we ordered them, a - beating to that scoundrel of a shoemaker. What had we to wait for - but the death of my daughter to warn us that our ruin is at hand, - but that there is yet the chance to escape, if we resolve promptly - to seek a retreat. For this I have provided by offering the Pope - 600,000 crowns for the usufruct during our lives of the duchy of - Ferrara, where we might have passed the remainder of our days in - peace and have still left two millions in gold to our children. And - this I will make apparent to you. We have real property to the - value of at least a million livres in France: in the marquisate of - Ancre, Lesigny, my house in the Faubourg (Saint-Germain) and this - one. I have redeemed our estate at Florence, which was mortgaged, - and my share in it is worth 100,000 crowns. I have a million livres - besides, even after the pillage of our house, in furniture, jewels, - plate and money. My wife and I have also appointments which will - sell for a million livres at a fair valuation, in those of - Normandy, First Gentleman of the Chamber, Intendant of the Queen’s - Household, and _dame d’atours_, retaining my office of marshal of - France. I have 600,000 crowns invested with Fedeau,[116] and more - than 100,000 pistoles in other concerns. Might we not, Monsieur, be - content with this? Have we anything further to wish for, if we do - not desire to offend God, Who is warning us by such evident signs - of our entire ruin? I have been all the afternoon with my wife - imploring her to retire; I have been on my knees before her, - seeking to persuade her the more effectively. But she is more - determined than ever to remain, and reproaches me with wishing to - abandon the Queen, who has given us, or enabled us to acquire, so - many honours and so much wealth. Monsieur, I see myself so - irremediably ruined that, if I were not, as everyone knows, under - such great obligations to my wife, I would leave her and go where - neither the nobles nor the people of France would come to seek me. - Judge, Monsieur, whether I have not reason for my distress, and - whether, apart from the loss of my daughter, the approach of this - second disaster ought not to torment me doubly.’ - - “I said what I could to console him and divert him from these - thoughts,” concludes Bassompierre, “and withdrew. I wish to show - from this discourse how men, especially those whom Fortune has - elevated, have inspirations and forebodings of disaster, without - possessing the resolution to prevent or escape it.” - -Concini’s despondency passed as quickly as it had come, and scarcely was -his daughter in her grave, than he was once more flaunting his wealth -and his power in the faces of Court and town. No Prince of the Blood had -ever gone abroad attended by a more numerous or more gorgeous retinue; -his pride was so great that he scarcely deigned to notice the existence -of any but the great nobles; while, as for the Ministers, he regarded -them as his servants, and not finding them sufficiently docile, planned -to replace them by creatures of his own. Marie de’ Medici herself began -to grow weary of the presumption of the husband and the ill-humour of -the wife, who appears to have been a martyr to neuralgia, and often -treated her mistress in a manner against which even the Queen-Mother’s -sluggish nature rebelled. At length, she suggested the advisability of -the precious pair returning to Florence with the spoil which they had -amassed; but Concini wished to tempt Fortune to the end. - -Fortune, however, might have smiled on him for some time longer, if only -he had possessed sufficient foresight to assure himself of the affection -of the young King. Unhappily for him, he had done just the contrary. On -his advice, the Queen-Mother had pursued towards Louis XIII much the -same policy which Catherine de’ Medici had adopted in the case of -Charles IX, and carefully kept at a distance from her son all those whom -she considered might attempt to inspire him with a thought of ambition. -But, less astute than Catherine, Marie had seen no reason to distrust a -Provençal gentleman, Charles Albert, Seigneur de Luynes, twenty-three -years older than the King, who excelled in the training of hawks and -falcons. Falconry was a sport in which Louis XIII delighted above all -others, and he soon became so much attached to Luynes that his -_gouverneur_ Souvré grew jealous and forbade the latter to enter the -King’s chamber. Héroard, Louis XIII’s first physician, relates in his -curious _Journal_ that the lad was overcome by grief and indignation on -learning of this; begged his mother to dismiss Souvré, and “from excess -of anger, had five days of fever.” From “Master of the birds of the -Cabinet” the young King made his favourite chief of his -gentlemen-in-ordinary, and in 1615 gave him the government of Amboise. - -Notwithstanding that her son had now, according to the laws of France, -attained his majority, Marie de’ Medici excluded him from Councils and -all discussion of State affairs, and forbade the Ministers and -Counsellors of State even to speak to him, on the ground that his -Majesty’s health was too delicate for him to be troubled with the cares -of his realm. As he grew older, the Queen-Mother and Concini watched him -more closely, and, fearing lest he might escape from them, no longer -allowed him to visit Saint-Germain or Fontainebleau, on the pretext -that, in the disturbed condition of the country, it was unsafe for the -King to leave Paris. For some months past, therefore, the unfortunate -youth, who was passionately fond of hunting, had been deprived of his -favourite amusement, and had found himself reduced to a walk in the -Tuileries, where he might often be seen watching the gardeners at their -work and sometimes helping them. - -Often the Maréchal d’Ancre, escorted by two or three hundred gentlemen, -passed through the courtyard of the Louvre, on his way to or from the -Queen-Mother’s apartments, before the eyes of his sovereign, who was -generally accompanied only by Luynes and a few valets; and the young -monarch, who was not without a sense of his kingly dignity, was shocked -that a subject should venture to parade his ill-gotten wealth in this -fashion in his own palace. For, thanks to Luynes, he was by this time -perfectly well-informed as to the source of Concini’s riches. He himself -was habitually kept short of money, and, on one occasion, was unable to -obtain a sum of 2,000 crowns from the Treasury, the Queen-Mother having -given orders that it was to be refused him. And, to complete his -humiliation, Concini offered to advance him the money. The parvenu -boasted of having raised at his own expense a force of 6,000 Liégeois -for service against the Princes, and wrote to the King begging him not -to trouble about the expense which he had incurred for his Majesty’s -service--as though his vast fortune was not entirely composed of the -money of him he was pretending to oblige.[117] - -It seems strange that Marie de’ Medici and Concini, so careful to keep -away from the King everyone whom they considered might encourage him to -assert his independence of his mother’s tutelage, should have for so -long entertained no suspicion of Luynes. At length, however, their eyes -began to be opened, and one day towards the end of January, 1617, Luynes -sent one of his servants to Bassompierre to inform him that the -Queen-Mother purposed to exile him (Luynes) from the Court, on the -ground that “he wished to carry off the King and take him out of Paris,” -and to ask for his good offices to disabuse her Majesty’s mind. These -were unnecessary, as it proved to be merely a rumour; but “Luynes made -the King believe that it was the Maréchal d’Ancre who had spread this -report, to see how the King would take it; whereby the King became more -and more incensed against the Maréchal d’Ancre, and high words passed -between Luynes and the said marshal.” - - “The same evening,” continues Bassompierre, “as the Queen was - speaking to me about this matter, I said to her: ‘Madame, it seems - to me that you do not think enough of yourself, and that, one of - these days, they will take away the King from under your wing. They - are inciting him against your creatures first, and afterwards they - will incite him against you. Your authority is only precarious, - which will cease from the moment that the King no longer desires - it, and they will harden him little by little until he does not - desire it any more. And it is easy to persuade young people to - emancipate themselves. If the King were to go, one of these days, - to Saint-Germain, and were to order M. d’Épernon and myself to come - there to him, and then told us that we were no longer to recognise - your authority, we are your very obliged servants, but we should be - unable to do any other thing than to come and bid you farewell, and - to beg you very humbly to excuse us, if, during your administration - of the State, we had not served you as well as we ought to have - done. Judge, Madame,” I continued, “whether the other officers - would be able to act otherwise, and whether you would not be left - with empty hands after such an administration.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - - Bassompierre joins the Royal army in Champagne as Grand Master of - the Artillery by commission--Surrender of - Château-Porcien--Bassompierre is wounded before Rethel--He sets out - for Paris in order to negotiate the sale of his office of - Colonel-General of the Swiss to Concini--He visits the Royal army - which is besieging Soissons--A foolhardy act--Singular conduct of - the garrison--The Président Chevret arrives in the Royal camp with - the news that Concini has been assassinated--Details of this - affair--Bassompierre continues his journey to Paris--His adventure - with the Liégeois cavalry of Concini. - - -About the middle of March, Bassompierre was sent as Grand Master of the -Artillery by commission to join the army of Champagne, commanded by the -Duc de Guise, who had as his second in command the Maréchal de Thémines, -while Praslin was also serving under him. He found the army laying siege -to Château-Porcien, situated on the right bank of the Aisne, two leagues -from Rethel. Nevers, who was Governor of Champagne and Brie and Duc de -Rethelois, occupied, in virtue of this double title, several places in -that part of the country, and their reduction was the chief object of -the campaign. - -Guise bombarded the citadel of Château-Porcien for some days with little -effect; but when he turned his guns on the town, it speedily -surrendered; and Bassompierre, with four companies of the French Guards -and as many of the Swiss, marched in and took possession. In the course -of the day the commandant of the citadel sent to ask for a parley, and -was conducted by Bassompierre to Guise’s quarters, where, after a lively -discussion as to whether or not the garrison were to be permitted to -march out with the honours of war, terms were arranged, and next morning -the citadel capitulated. - -After Guise, with a part of his cavalry, had made an unsuccessful -attempt to surprise an infantry regiment of the enemy quartered in a -village near Laon, and the Château of Wassigny had been taken, Thémines -was despatched to Rocroi to dismantle and bring up six of the guns from -that fortress; and on April 8 the army advanced to Rethel and laid siege -to it. - -Here Bassompierre’s troubles began; and artillery officers who served -during the late war in that part of France under similar climatic -conditions will appreciate the difficulties with which he had to -contend. - - “Rain fell continuously,” he says, “and, as the soil in the - Rethelois is clay, we encountered a thousand difficulties, chiefly - in moving our cannon, which sunk in it over the axle-trees. At last - we made ready a battery of eight pieces below the town, but when I - came on Friday morning, the 14th of April, to see if Lesines[118] - had kept his promise to have the eight pieces in position by - daybreak, I found that there were only two. A third was at thirty - paces from the battery, sunk so deeply in the ground that they had - been unable to move it; while a fourth was a hundred paces distant. - This last had been abandoned by the officers because, in bringing - it up, a driver and some of the horses had been killed, upon which - the other drivers had unyoked their horses and fled.” - -However, Bassompierre had his redoubtable mountaineers to fall back on. - - “Then,” he continues, “I took fifty Swiss, to whom I promised fifty - crowns, to bring those two pieces into position for me; and they - harnessed themselves to them in place of the horses, having first - dug a trench beneath the wheels of each piece and lined it with - stout planks, so as to prevent it from sinking deeper in the mud. - We drew the first into position without being fired upon from the - town; but, as we were occupying ourselves with the more distant - one, and had drawn it close to the battery, and I was lending them - a hand, the enemy fired a salvo at us, by which two Swiss were - killed and three wounded, and I myself hit by a musket-ball in the - right side of the abdomen. I thought that I was wounded to the - death, and the Maréchal de Thémines, who was in the battery, - thought so too. However, God willed that the quantity of clothes - which the ball encountered (for it pierced five folds of my cloak - and two folds of my furred _hongroline_, my sword-belt, and my - coat-skirt) caused it to stop on the peritoneum without penetrating - it, so that when the wound was probed the ball was found in the - thick flesh of the belly, where they made an incision, and out it - fell. I only kept my bed for one day, although my wound was a month - in healing, by reason of the cloth which was within.” - -The following day, Praslin, who had replaced Bassompierre in command of -the artillery, was also wounded by a musket-ball in the thigh, while -directing the fire of the battery. But the ball did not injure the bone, -and he was cured as quickly as his friend. - -Rethel surrendered a few days later, and Guise, after placing a garrison -there, resolved to lay siege to Mézières, where Nevers himself -commanded. But, before doing this, he decided to send for additional -siege-guns, and, as it would be at least ten days before they could -arrive, Bassompierre asked for leave to go to Paris, in order to -negotiate the sale of his office of Colonel-General of the Swiss to -Concini. The marshal, as we have mentioned, had offered him 600,000 -crowns for the post; but Bassompierre had asked for another 50,000, -which the other was not at the time inclined to give. However, he was -evidently so anxious to secure it that it was very probable that he -would be willing to reconsider his offer. - -The same evening he received very gracious letters from the King and -Queen-Mother, who appear to have been under the impression that he was -far more severely wounded than was the case, and another from the -Maréchal d’Ancre, “who wrote me,” says he, “that, if I were trying to -get myself killed, he would like to be my heir; and that, if I were -well enough to come to Paris to conclude the matter of the Swiss, he -would give me, instead of the 50,000 francs in dispute, 10,000 crowns’ -worth of jewels at a goldsmith’s valuation.” - -On April 21 he left Rethel, accompanied by the Marquis de Thémines, -eldest son of the marshal, the Comte de Fiesque, Zamet, and more than -fifty officers, who had also obtained leave, which appears to have been -granted with amazing liberality in those days. But, instead of making -straight for Paris, they decided to take a busman’s holiday by breaking -their journey at Soissons, to see what progress the Comte -d’Auvergne--now formally rehabilitated and therefore once more fit for -the society of gentlemen--was making with the siege of that town, in -which Mayenne commanded for the princes. On the 23rd they arrived in the -Royal camp, where they were met by the Duc de Rohan, La Rochefoucauld, -Saint-Géran and Saint-Luc, who conducted them to the general’s quarters. - -To their astonishment, they learned that, though Auvergne had been -blockading Soissons for more than ten days, the trenches had not yet -been opened; indeed, it appeared to be an open question whether he was -to be regarded as the besieger or the besieged, since they found him -engaged in giving instructions for the erection of formidable earthworks -to defend his troops against the perpetual sorties of the garrison, who -gave him no rest. Only the previous night, Mayenne, who possessed all -the dashing courage of his House, had sallied out, bringing with him two -field-pieces, attacked and practically destroyed the regiment of -Bussy-Lameth,[119] made its colonel prisoner and carried off its -colours, which were now mockingly displayed on the bastions of the town. -However, notwithstanding this unfortunate incident, Auvergne seemed -brimful of confidence, and assured them that within a fortnight he would -be master of Soissons. - -The next day, after making the round of the camp, under the guidance of -an officer, who pointed out to him the parts of the town which it was -proposed to bombard, Bassompierre agreed with La Rochefoucauld, who, -like himself, was a visitor to Auvergne’s army, to show their hosts what -fine fellows they were, and to do what at this epoch, when rashness so -often passed for valour, appears to have been regarded as a proof of the -highest courage. - - “As we were of a different army,” says he, “and wished to let them - see that we had no fear of musket-shots, we went out to draw the - enemy’s fire upon us. They, however, allowed us to approach without - firing, and, since we did not wish to return without seeing them - shoot, we walked right up to the edge of the moat. Still they did - not fire. When we noticed their silence, we broke ours and shouted - insults at them, which they returned, but never fired a shot. At - length, after talking together for rather a long time, just as if - we belonged to the same side, we retired; and they let us depart - without once firing at us.” - -The explanation of this singular conduct on the part of the besieged was -not long in coming. That evening, Bassompierre, with Auvergne and Rohan, -were supping with the Président Chevret, of the Chambre des Comptes, who -had come to visit the army in connection with some legal business, when -one of the president’s clerks arrived in all haste from Paris and -whispered something to his master, who appeared very astonished. Then -Chevret turned and spoke in a low voice to Auvergne, who sat next him, -and Bassompierre remarked that the prince seemed no less astonished than -the president. He begged them to let him know what news they had -received, upon which they told him that, at eleven o’clock that morning, -the Maréchal d’Ancre had been killed by the Marquis de Vitry, one of the -captains of the Guards, and that it had been done by the King’s orders! -Then Bassompierre remembered that when, a few hours before, he and La -Rochefoucauld were standing on the edge of the moat of Soissons, one of -the garrison had shouted to them: “Your master is dead, and ours has -killed him!”--words to which he had attached no importance at the -time--and marvelled that the enemy should have received so much earlier -information of the event than the Royal army. - -But let us see what had been happening in Paris since Bassompierre’s -departure for the army in the middle of March, which had culminated in -the tragedy of that morning. - - * * * * * - -We have related, in the last chapter, how Marie de’ Medici and Concini -had begun to grow suspicious of the influence that Louis XIII’s -favourite, Luynes, had acquired over the mind of the young King, and how -a rumour had spread that he was about to be banished from the Court. No -action, however, had been taken against him; nevertheless, Luynes felt -quite certain that his disgrace was only a question of time, and he -resolved to anticipate his enemies. Clever and crafty, greedy and -ambitious, and entirely without scruple, this Provençal was a dangerous -man, and, while seeking by a show of subservience to the Queen-Mother -and the marshal to disarm the suspicions they had formed of him and so -secure a respite to enable him to execute his projects, he worked -unceasingly to embitter the young King’s mind against them. He succeeded -so well that at length Louis was fully persuaded that his crown and even -his life were in peril, and that his mother and Concini contemplated -setting his younger brother on the throne, in order to have a new -minority to exploit. - -Having persuaded the King of his danger, Luynes spoke of the various -means of escaping it, and these were debated in midnight councils -between the King of France, his favourite, Déageant, Barbin’s chief -clerk, who had been gained over by Luynes,[120] an obscure priest, three -gentlemen, a soldier, a gardener from the Tuileries, and some valets. -The composition of this strange council, as Henri Martin observes, was -indeed a biting satire on the education which Marie de’ Medici had given -her son and the isolation in which she had left him. The King proposed -to make his escape from Paris and to retire to Amboise, of which place -Luynes was governor, or to join the army of the Princes. But Luynes, who -desired to render the mother and the son irreconcilable, rejected these -expedients in favour of one more easy and more sure: that of getting rid -of Concini by surprise. And this was decided upon. - -The Marquis de Montpouillan, one of the sons of the Maréchal de la -Force, and a playmate of Louis XIII in his boyhood, was admitted to -their confidence; and Montpouillan, a young man of a bold and violent -disposition, offered to poniard Concini in the King’s cabinet, if his -Majesty would but get him there. The marshal came; but, at the last -moment, Luynes’s courage failed him, and he would not allow the design -to be executed. - -The conspirators then addressed themselves to the Marquis de Vitry, one -of the captains of the Guards, who entered on his term of service at the -beginning of April. He was a son of that Vitry who had arrested Biron at -Fontainebleau fifteen years earlier, and one of the few men at the Court -who had refused to bow before the power of the favourite. Assured that -Vitry would be prepared to execute any orders that he might receive, -Louis XIII sent for him and directed him to arrest the Maréchal d’Ancre -as he was entering the Louvre to visit the Queen-Mother, which he did -every morning when he was in Paris. The bâton of a marshal of France -was to be his reward, if he succeeded. “But, if he defends himself?” -said Vitry. “Then,” cried Montpouillan, “the King intends you to kill -him!” “Sire, do you command me?” asked the officer, turning to the King. -“Yes, I command you to do it,” was the reply. - -About ten o’clock on April 24, Concini entered the Louvre by the great -gate on the side of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, accompanied by some fifty -gentlemen. The moment he passed the gate, a signal was given and it was -closed; and Vitry, followed by several of his men with pistols hidden -beneath their cloaks, advanced to meet him. He joined the marshal -between the drawbridge and the bridge which led to the inner court of -the palace, and laying his hand on his right arm, said: “The King -commands me to seize your person.” “_À moi!_” cried Concini; but -scarcely had he spoken, than several pistol-shots rang out, and he fell -dead on the parapet of the bridge. “It is by order of the King,” cried -Vitry, and the murdered favourite’s followers, who had laid their hands -on their swords, dispersed without attempting to avenge him. - -Louis XIII and Luynes were waiting anxiously in the King’s _cabinet des -armes_, prepared to fly if the blow miscarried, for which purpose a -coach was in readiness near the Tuileries. The cries of “_Vive le Roi!_” -told them that it had succeeded, and a moment later d’Ornano, the -colonel of the Corsicans, son of the marshal of that name, came knocking -at the door of the cabinet. “Sire,” cried he, “now you are King! The -Maréchal d’Ancre is dead!” Louis XIII hurried to the window, and -d’Ornano, seizing his young sovereign round the body, lifted him up to -show him to the cheering crowd of gentlemen and soldiers of the Guard -who had gathered in the courtyard below. “_Merci! Merci à vous!_” cried -Louis, and then repeated the words of d’Ornano: “Now I am King!” - -The King gave orders that the Parlement and the municipal authorities -should be informed of what had occurred, and announced his intention of -recalling “the old servants of his father.” Villeroy, Jeannin, and the -oldest of the Counsellors of State at once hurried to the Louvre, and -couriers were despatched to summon the Sillerys and the ex-Keeper of the -Seals, Du Vair, who had been banished from Paris. - -Meantime, tidings of the tragedy had been carried to the Queen-Mother. -Marie understood at once that it was the end of her power. “_Povretta de -mi!_” she exclaimed. “I have reigned for seven years; I have nothing -more to expect but a crown in heaven!” One of her attendants remarked -that they did not know how to break the terrible news to the Maréchale -d’Ancre, who was in her own apartments. But at such a moment the Queen -had no thought for anyone but herself. “I have many other things to -think about,” she exclaimed impatiently. “Do not speak to me any more -about those people.” And she refused to see her hapless favourite, who, -a few minutes later, was arrested and conducted to the Bastille. Marie -then sent one of her gentlemen to her son to request an interview. It -was curtly refused, and shortly afterwards her guards were removed from -the ante-chamber and replaced by soldiers of the Gardes du Corps, every -exit from her apartments, save one, blocked up, and she found herself a -prisoner. - -Marie’s Ministers fell with her. Mangot, the Keeper of the Seals, was at -the Louvre; Luynes took the Seals from his hands and bade him begone. -Barbin was arrested and sent to join the widow of Concini in the -Bastille. Richelieu attempted to make head against the storm and -repaired to the King’s apartments, where he found his Majesty receiving -the felicitations of a crowd of courtiers with the air of one who had -just gained a great battle. The King received him graciously enough, and -told him that he knew him to be a stranger to the evil designs of the -Maréchal d’Ancre and that “it was his intention to treat him well”; -while Luynes advised him to go to the Council, which was assembling. He -went and found Villeroy, Jeannin and Du Vair seated at the -council-table. Villeroy, with a triumphant air, demanded in what quality -M. de Luçon presented himself there; the others “continued to expedite -affairs without occupying themselves with him.” “And so,” he writes, -“after having been in that place long enough to say that I had entered -there, I softly withdrew.” - -While this revolution of the palace was proceeding, Paris resounded with -acclamations, and when evening fell, bonfires blazed at all the -crossways. The people went almost frantic with joy at their deliverance -from the arrogant foreign favourite whom they had come to regard as a -public enemy. The Parlement, which hastened to declare that “the King -was not bound to justify his action,” the municipality, all the public -bodies of the town, sent deputations to felicitate his Majesty, and -everyone applauded his _coup de main_ as if he had committed the finest -action in the world. “They gave him the name of ‘Just,’ for having -caused a man to be killed without trial!” observes Henri Martin. - -This explosion of public joy was followed by atrocious scenes. The -following morning some noblemen’s lackeys, followed by a rabble drawn -from the dregs of the populace, entered the Church of Saint-Germain -l’Auxerrois, where the body of Concini, “naked, in a wretched sheet,” -had been secretly buried the previous night, disinterred it, dragged it -through the streets with obscene cries, in which the name of the -Queen-Mother was mingled with that of the murdered marshal, and finished -by tearing it to pieces and burning the remains before the statue of -Henri IV on the Pont-Neuf. - - * * * * * - -At three o’clock in the morning of the 25th, the Comte de Tavannes, -grandson of the celebrated marshal of that name, arrived in Auvergne’s -camp with orders from the King to suspend hostilities against Soissons; -and, a few hours later, Bassompierre and his party set out for Paris. -Scarcely had they crossed the Aisne, than they encountered a regiment of -Liégeois cavalry, part of the force which had been raised by Concini for -service against the Princes. The Liégeois, who had just learned of the -marshal’s assassination, called upon them to halt, and their officers -held a sort of informal council of war. Bassompierre suspected that it -was their intention to take him and his friends along with them as -hostages for their safe return to their own country; and when presently -an officer detached himself from the rest and came towards them, he -assumed the air of a hunted fugitive and, before the other had time to -open his mouth, inquired anxiously whether, if his party joined them, -they would undertake not to surrender them if called upon to do so. The -officer, thinking from this that they must be some of the Maréchal -d’Ancre’s personal following, who were perhaps pursued, told him bluntly -the Liégeois had quite enough to do to provide for their own safety, and -that everyone must look to himself. Upon which he turned on his heel and -rejoined his comrades, and the whole regiment mounted their horses and -rode away. Bassompierre and his friends waited until they were out of -sight, and then resumed their journey to Paris. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - - Bassompierre arrives in Paris--Marie de’ Medici is exiled to - Blois--Bassompierre’s account of the parting between Louis XIII and - his mother--The rebellious princes return to Court and are - pardoned, but Condé remains in the Bastille--His wife solicits and - receives permission to join him there--Arrest of the Governor and - Lieutenant of the Bastille, on a charge of conniving at a secret - correspondence between Barbin and the Queen-Mother--Bassompierre is - placed temporarily in charge of the fortress--The Prince and - Princesse de Condé are transferred to the Château of - Vincennes--Bassompierre goes to Rouen to attend the assembly of the - Notables--A rapid journey. - - -On the following day--April 26--Bassompierre reached Paris and lost no -time in waiting upon Louis XIII, who received him very graciously and -“commanded him to love M. de Luynes, who was a good servant.” He -inquired if he might be permitted to pay his respects to the -Queen-Mother, who since the 24th had been kept a close prisoner in her -apartments. The King replied that he would consider the matter, which -meant that the request did not meet with his approval. Bassompierre, -however, was anxious not to appear to fail in respect to a princess who -had been so good a friend to him, and whose disgrace, besides, might -very well prove to be but a temporary one. And so, in default of being -able to convey them himself, he sent his compliments to her Majesty -every evening, through the medium of her dressmaker, the only person, -with the exception of her servants, who was permitted to enter her -apartments. - -Meanwhile, negotiations were in progress for the Queen-Mother’s -retirement from Paris and the Court, upon which Luynes had persuaded the -King to insist. It was Richelieu who negotiated the conditions on -Marie’s behalf. That astute personage, recognising that the victorious -party was not inclined to pardon him, had attached himself to Marie de’ -Medici, who had appointed him chief of her counsellors, hoping ere long -to succeed in reconciling her with Luynes and Louis XIII, or with Louis -XIII against Luynes, and, in either event, to recover the position he -had lost. He obtained, after considerable difficulty, permission for her -to reside no further off than Blois, for which she set out on May 3. - -Bassompierre has left us an interesting account of the parting between -Louis XIII and his mother, of which he was an eye-witness: - - “All the morning people seemed to be doing nothing but load carts - with the Queen’s baggage. The King, meantime, was at the Council, - where the things which the Queen was to say to the King on parting - from him, and the answers which the King was to make, were decided - upon and committed to writing. It was also agreed that nothing - further should be said on either side, and that when the Queen was - dressed for her journey, the princesses should see her, while the - men were to take leave of her after the King had done so. Neither - the Maréchal de Vitry[121] nor his brother, Du Hallier[122] were to - be amongst them. - - “Then the King descended to the Queen’s apartments; where the Queen - was awaiting him in the passage leading from her chamber, so as to - enter it at the same moment as he did. The three Luynes[123] walked - before the King, who held the eldest by the hand. M. de Joinville - and I followed the King and entered after him. The Queen kept a - good countenance until she saw the King approaching. Then she began - to weep bitterly and put her handkerchief to her eyes and her fan - before her face; and, when they met, she led him to the window - which overlooks the garden, and removing her handkerchief and her - fan, spoke as follows: ‘Monsieur, I am sorry that I have not - governed your State during my regency and my administration more to - your satisfaction than I have done. Nevertheless, I assure you that - it was neither from lack of care nor endeavour; and I beg you to - regard me always as your very obedient servant and mother.’ - ‘Madame,’ replied the King, ‘I thank you very humbly for the care - and pains you have taken in the administration of my kingdom, with - which I am content, and hold myself obliged to you; and I beg you - to believe that I shall always be your very humble son.’ - - “Upon this the King expected that she would stoop to kiss him and - take leave of him, as had been arranged. But she said to him: - ‘Monsieur, I am going to crave a parting favour of you, which I - wish you to promise that you will not refuse me. It is that you - will restore to me my intendant Barbin.’ The King, who was not - expecting this demand, looked at her without making any reply. She - said to him again: ‘Monsieur, do not refuse me this request that I - am now making you.’ But he continued to look at her without - answering. She added: ‘Perhaps it is the last I shall ever make - you.’ And then, seeing that he answered nothing, she said: - ‘_Orsu!_’ and then stooped and kissed him. The King made a - reverence and then turned his back. Upon that M. de Luynes advanced - to take leave of the Queen, and spoke to her some words which I - could not hear, nor yet those in which she answered him. But after - he had kissed the hem of her gown, she added that she had made a - request to the King to restore Barbin to her, and that he would be - doing her an agreeable service and a singular pleasure in - prevailing upon the King to grant her request, which was not so - important that he ought to refuse it. As M. de Luynes was about to - reply, the King cried five or six times: ‘Luynes, Luynes, Luynes!’ - And upon that M. de Luynes, making the Queen understand that he was - obliged to go after the King, followed him. Then the Queen leaned - against the wall between the two windows and wept bitterly. M. de - Chevreuse [Joinville] and I kissed the hem of her gown, weeping - likewise; but either she was unable to see us by reason of her - tears, or she did not wish to speak to or look at us. This caused - me to wait to take leave of her a second time, which I did as she - was returning to her chamber. But she did not see me, or wish to - see me, any more than on the first occasion. - - “Upon that the King placed himself on the balcony before the - chamber of the Queen, his wife, to see the departure of the Queen, - and, after she had left the Louvre, he hastened into his gallery to - see her again as she passed over the Pont-Neuf. Then he entered his - coach and went to the Bois de Vincennes.” - -On May 5, the rebellious princes Vendôme, Mayenne and Bouillon, who, on -learning of Concini’s death, had hastened to lay down their arms, open -the gates of their fortresses and disband their soldiers, as though they -had been fighting only against the favourite, came to Vincennes, -accompanied by a number of their principal followers, to salute the King -and assure him of their allegiance. Although Louis XIII must have known -very well that no reliance whatever could be placed in their professions -of loyalty, and that, unless he made it worth their while to keep the -peace, they would rise again on the first plausible pretext, they were -received as though they had taken up arms for, and not against, the -royal authority. On May 12 a declaration of the King reinstated them in -all their property, honours, and offices, and excused them having taken -up arms, “although unlawfully,” on the ground that they had done so in -order to defend themselves against the tyranny of the Maréchal d’Ancre. - -Logic would have demanded that the reconciliation should have gone -further, and that Condé, whose arrest had been the pretext for the -revolt, should have been released from the Bastille and reinstated as -chief of the Council. Nothing of the kind happened, however. Louis XIII -entertained a strong antipathy to his turbulent kinsman, which need -occasion no surprise; Luynes feared that he might attempt to dispute -his ascendancy over the young King; while the other princes, who were -bound to their chief neither by affection nor even by party-loyalty, did -not press for his liberation. And so he remained a prisoner. - -The King stayed at Vincennes for some days and then returned to Paris; -but, shortly afterwards, removed to Saint-Germain. After having been so -long confined to the capital and a sedentary life, he was revelling in -his new-found liberty, and the opportunity it afforded him of indulging -in his favourite sports of hawking and hunting. - -While the Court was at Saint-Germain, the Princess de Condé arrived -there to ask the King’s permission to share her husband’s captivity. -Although, for some time before Condé’s arrest, the relations between him -and his wife had been very cool, the princess, on learning of the -misfortune that had befallen him, had shown real magnanimity. Without a -moment’s delay, she set out for Paris--she was at Valery at the -time--sent the prince messages assuring him of her sympathy and -devotion, and begged the Queen-Mother to allow her to join him. Her -request, however, was refused, and she received orders to leave Paris at -once and return to Valery. - -Now, however, she did not plead in vain, and Louis XIII not only granted -her request, but gave her permission to take with her “one demoiselle -and her little dwarf, who had begged his Majesty to consent to his not -abandoning his mistress.” The same day (May 26) the princess entered the -Bastille, “where she was received by _Monsieur le Prince_ with every -demonstration of affection, nor did he leave her in repose until she had -said that she forgave him.”[124] - -In the following October, the authorities of the Bastille were -discovered to be conniving at a secret correspondence which Barbin was -carrying on with the Queen-Mother, and first Bournonville, the -Lieutenant of the fortress, and brother of the Governor, the Baron de -Persan, and subsequently Persan himself, were arrested.[125] -Bassompierre was then sent with sixty Swiss to take charge of the -Bastille, but he did not have the Prince and Princesse de Condé under -his supervision, as, about a month previously, they had been transferred -to the Château of Vincennes, where Condé was allowed a great deal more -liberty than had been permitted him in Paris. Bassompierre only remained -at the Bastille about ten days, at the end of which he received orders -to hand over the command to the new favourite’s youngest brother, -Brantes. - -In December Bassompierre went to Normandy to attend the assembly of the -Notables which Louis XIII was holding at Rouen. While he was there, news -arrived that the Princesse de Condé had given birth to a still-born -child and was in a critical condition; and the King being desirous of -sending some important personages to make inquiries on her behalf, or, -in the event of the princess being dead, to offer his condolences to -Condé, Bassompierre and the Duc de Guise offered to go. They set out in -a coach, a kind of conveyance which did not usually lend itself to rapid -travelling; but, by arranging for an unusual number of relays, reached -Paris the same day, and made the return journey with similar expedition. -Bassompierre assures us that never before had a journey by coach been -made in so short a time at that season of the year. - -The princess recovered, “though she was more than forty-eight hours -without movement or feeling,” and “never was a person in greater -extremity without dying.”[126] - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - - Luynes succeeds to the power and wealth of Concini--Trial and - execution of Concini’s widow, Leonora Galigaï--Luynes begins to - direct affairs of State--His marriage to Marie de Rohan--Conduct of - the Duc d’Epernon--His quarrel with Du Vair, the Keeper of the - Seals--His disgrace--He begins to intrigue with the - Queen-Mother--Escape of the latter from Blois--Treaty of - Angoulême--The Court at Tours--Arnauld d’Andilly’s account of - Bassompierre’s lavish hospitality--Favours bestowed by the King on - Bassompierre--Meeting between Louis XIII and the - Queen-Mother--Liberation of Condé--Bassompierre entertains the King - at Monceaux--He is admitted to the Ordre du Saint-Esprit. - - -The heir of the power of Concini was Luynes. He was, as we have -mentioned, a gentleman of Provence--a very unimportant gentleman the -Court had thought him before he had contrived to insinuate himself into -the good graces of the young King. His father, an officer of fortune, -the fruit, if we are to believe Richelieu, of a _liaison_ between one -d’Albert, a canon of Marseilles, and a chambermaid, was the owner of the -Château of Luynes, near Aix, the vineyard of Brantes, and the islet of -Cadenet in the middle of the Rhone, _seigneuries_, says Bassompierre, -which a hare could jump over, but which, in default of revenues, -furnished titles for his three sons. Charles Albert, the eldest, had -begun life as page to the Comte du Lude, and was afterwards placed by -Henri IV with the Dauphin. Both he and his younger brothers, Brantes and -Cadenet, were exceedingly good-looking men, skilled in all bodily -exercises, well-educated and possessed of ingratiating manners; but -there were no limits to their ambition or their greed, and they did not -intend to allow any little scruples to stand in the way of their -advancement. - -Despite the adage: - - “Devrait-on hériter de ceux qu’on assassine,” - -Luynes inherited, not only the power of Concini, but also the greater -part of his charges and possessions: lieutenancy-general of Normandy, -government of the Pont-de-l’Arche, domain of Ancre (the name of which -was changed to Albert), his post of First Gentleman of the Chamber, his -hôtel in Paris, his estate of Lesigny, and so forth. When people saw the -confiscated property of the Concini pass straight from the royal demesne -into the greedy hands of the new favourite, they began to ask themselves -whether the country was after all likely to gain much by the change that -had taken place. - -But the confiscation of the property of the Florentine couple, though it -might suffice, for the moment, the cupidity of Luynes, did not suffice -his policy. He desired to widen the gulf which he had opened between -Louis XIII and his mother,[127] by dragging the name of the latter -through the mire of a criminal court; and, at his instigation, the -Maréchale d’Ancre was brought to trial as a sorceress who had bewitched -the Queen-Mother by her arts,[128] and on July 8, 1617, condemned to be -burned alive in the Place de Grève for the crime of _lèse-majesté_ human -and divine. - -It was with great difficulty, however, that Luynes succeeded in -obtaining this verdict. The Advocate-General, Lebret, at first refused -to demand the death penalty, and it was only on Luynes giving him his -word that the prisoner would be pardoned after the decree that he -consented to do so. But the only clemency that the unfortunate woman was -able to obtain was that her head should be cut off before her body was -committed to the flames. She died with great courage and resignation. - - * * * * * - -The death of Villeroy, in November, 1617, enfeebled the group of old -counsellors who had been recalled to office after the assassination of -Concini; and Luynes, whose favour with the King was constantly -increasing, began to direct the State, although he was totally ignorant -of public affairs. His Government benefited for some time by the -unpopularity of the Maréchal d’Ancre; the grandees remained tranquil, -and Luynes, by his marriage with the beautiful Marie de Rohan, daughter -of the Duc de Montbazon, destined one day to become so celebrated under -the name of the Duchesse de Chevreuse, assured himself of the support of -the House of Rohan. - -Alone amongst the great nobles, d’Épernon did not hurry himself to come -and compliment the King on his assumption of the government of his realm -and to salute the man to whom he had delegated the royal authority. As -Colonel-General of the French Infantry, d’Épernon was a power in the -land, and when at last, towards the end of March, 1618, he condescended -to visit the Court, the colonels of all the regiments stationed in and -around Paris and in Picardy and Champagne went so far as Étampes to -meet him and escort him to the capital. Haughty and choleric and -excessively touchy on the question of his rights, this former _mignon_ -of Henri III was not long in mortally offending the King, already -incensed against him by his long delay in presenting himself at Court, -which Luynes had not failed to represent as a gross want of the respect -due to his sovereign. - -Finding that Du Vair, to whom the Seals had been restored after the -dismissal of Mangot, was in the habit of taking his seat at the Council -above all the nobles, even when the Chancellor was present, although the -Keeper of the Seals was not an officer of the Crown, his gorge rose at -once, and he went to the King to protest against so intolerable an -affront to his own dignity and that of his order. Du Vair happened to be -with the King, and, says Bassompierre, “as M. d’Épernon was a little -violent, he attacked the Keeper of the Seals, who answered him more -sharply than he should have done.” Three days later, Louis XIII summoned -the duke and Du Vair to his cabinet, and, in the presence of -Bassompierre and several other courtiers, ordered them to be reconciled. -By way of answer, d’Épernon shrugged his shoulders, upon which the young -monarch, who was seated, rose in great indignation, and severely -reprimanded him. Then, observing that he had affairs of importance to -attend to, he abruptly quitted the room. - -D’Épernon retired, followed by Bassompierre, but, to their astonishment, -they found all the doors of the ante-chamber closed and locked. It -looked “as though the King intended to have the duke arrested, and had -given orders for the doors to be secured, in order to allow time for an -officer of the Guards to be summoned.” However, it occurred to -Bassompierre that perhaps the door leading to the King’s private -staircase, which was opposite that of his chamber, might not be locked, -and, finding it unfastened, he fetched d’Épernon, and they descended -the stairs and made their way to the Salle Haute, where the old noble’s -attendants were awaiting him. - -As d’Épernon was leaving the Louvre, he asked his friend “to send him -warning if anything had been resolved against him.” Bassompierre -accordingly spoke to Luynes on the subject, and was informed that, as M. -d’Épernon intended going to his government of Metz, he would be well -advised to hasten his departure, since there were persons who might -incite the King against him. Bassompierre, of course, understood very -well who it was who was likely to incite the King. - -On being assured that his Majesty was prepared to treat him as though -nothing had happened when he went to ask permission to retire to Metz, -d’Épernon proceeded to the Louvre, where the King received him “with a -very good countenance,” and granted his request. Louis XIII was under -the impression that the duke intended to leave Paris the following day; -but, five days later, while the King was at Vanves, a village in the -environs of the capital, he learned that d’Épernon was still there and -that a great number of people were visiting him. His Majesty angrily -told Bassompierre that if, when he returned to Paris on the morrow, he -found M. d’Épernon there, it would be the worse for him; and Luynes -advised Bassompierre to go and tell him that “he would not remain much -longer, if he were wise.” This he did, and d’Épernon requested him to -inform the King that he would leave Paris before noon on the morrow. He -took his departure within the time specified, but, instead of proceeding -to Metz, he only went so far as Fontenay-en-Brie, near Coulommiers, -where he had a country-seat. Louis XIII was furious, and proposed to -send a detachment of the Guards to arrest him; but the Chancellor, -Sillery, who was a friend of d’Épernon, sent a messenger in all haste to -the duke to warn him of what was intended, and d’Épernon, recognising -that he had presumed too far on the young monarch’s forbearance, lost no -time in resuming his journey to Metz. - -Although d’Épernon had only himself to blame for his disgrace, he was -none the less bitterly incensed against the King and his favourite; and, -to avenge his outraged dignity, forthwith proceeded to establish a -secret correspondence with the Queen-Mother, whom he urged to protest by -force of arms against the treatment she was receiving, and promised to -support by every means in his power. - -Marie required little prompting: she had already resolved to make her -escape. Thanks to the enmity of Luynes, she found herself little better -than a prisoner in the Château of Blois; all correspondence with persons -at the Court was forbidden her; Richelieu, who had aroused the -suspicions of the favourite, had been banished to Avignon, and other -members of her entourage had also been removed. Nevertheless, she -dissimulated her resentment, and in April, 1619, consented, at the -instance of a Jesuit, Père Arnoux, whom Luynes sent to her, to sign a -declaration, in which she swore “before God and His angels,” to submit -in all things to the wishes of the King, and to warn him immediately of -“all communications and overtures contrary to his service.” - -Luynes, however, continued to offend her. At the end of 1618, an embassy -from Savoy came to Paris to demand the hand of her younger daughter, -Christine, for the Prince of Piedmont, eldest son of Charles Emmanuel. -Marie was not consulted, the King confining himself to informing her of -the betrothal; and on February 10, 1619, the marriage was celebrated -without her being invited. It was the last straw; she resolved to fly at -the first favourable opportunity. D’Épernon, anticipating her intention, -had left Metz, towards the end of January, without permission of the -King, and gone to await her in the Angoumois; and, in the night of -February 21-22, Marie made her escape to Blois and went to Angoulême, -whence she wrote to her son, demanding the redress of her grievances. - -Luynes was at first greatly alarmed, fearing that the Princes, already -beginning to show signs of irritation at the increasing power of the -favourite, might join the Queen-Mother; but they remained quiet. In -these circumstances, he might easily have crushed d’Épernon; but he -wished to avoid war, and accordingly sent the Cardinal de la -Rochefoucauld and Père Bérulle, the famous preacher of the Oratoire, to -propose peace to Marie, and recalled Richelieu from Avignon “to pacify -her mind.” In this task the prelate succeeded, and on April 30, 1619, he -signed with the Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld a treaty at Angoulême which -authorised the Queen-Mother to dispose of the offices of her Household -and to reside where she pleased, and gave her, in exchange for the -government of Normandy, that of Anjou, with the Château of Angers, the -Ponts-de-Cé and Chinon. D’Épernon, against whom the usual royal -declaration had been launched, recovered his charges and appointments, -and Richelieu was given to understand that he might hope for a -cardinal’s hat at no very distant date. - -However, Louis XIII, who had been on the point of setting out with the -Court for the Loire when the news that peace had been signed reached -him, determined to carry out his intention, Luynes no doubt thinking -that, in view of the possibility of further trouble with the -Queen-Mother, a visit of the young King to that part of his realm might -be productive of good results. After a short stay at different towns, -including Amboise, from which letters announcing the peace were sent to -the Parlement of Paris for registration, at the end of May the Court -arrived at Tours, where, says Bassompierre, “we remained three months -and passed our time very pleasantly.” - -Arnauld d’Andilly, in his _Mémoires_, has left us an interesting picture -of life at Tours and, more particularly, of the lavish hospitality -dispensed by Bassompierre:-- - - “While at Tours, I happened to be lodged near M. de Bassompierre, - who kept a table which you might say was worthy of one of the - greatest nobles of the Court, since it was always full. He did me - the honour to invite me to come every day and pressed me in such - fashion that, not being acquainted with any of these grandees so - intimately that I believed myself competent to say that there was - no one in France of my condition who lived so habitually or on such - familiar terms with them, I was unable to refuse a civility so - obliging. Those whom I met there were, apart from their rank, - persons of a merit so great, that some had filled already, and - others have filled since, the most important offices of State, and - commanded armies. Thus, there was much to learn from their - conversation, and nothing was more agreeable than the pleasant - familiarity with which they lived together. Ceremony, the - constraint of which is insupportable to those who are nourished in - the air of the great world, was unknown there. Each one seated - himself where he pleased. Those who came the latest never failed to - find a place at the table, although the others may already have - been there a long while. However great was the good cheer provided, - no one ever spoke about eating. People came without saying - good-day, and went away without saying adieu. And the conversation - ranged over all kinds of topics, and was, not only agreeable, but - instructive.” - -On leaving Tours, the Court paid short visits to Le Lude, in the Maine, -where the King was the guest of the Comte du Lude, whose page Luynes had -once been, La Flèche, and Durtal, where he was entertained by the Comte -de Schomberg. His Majesty was exceedingly gracious to Bassompierre about -this time. On the death of the old Swiss colonel Galatty he offered him -the choice of that veteran’s appointments; gave him the Abbey of -Honnecourt, in the diocese of Cambrai, for one of his ecclesiastical -friends, who appears to have contented himself with drawing the revenues -of the benefice and did not even take the trouble to get instituted -until twenty-five years later; and bestowed other favours upon him. - -At the beginning of September, the Court returned to Tours, the King -having decided that it would be advisable to placate his mother, who was -complaining that the terms of the treaty signed at Angoulême had not -been properly executed, by a personal interview. On September 4 Marie -de’ Medici arrived at Couzières, a country-house belonging to Luynes’s -father-in-law, the Duc de Montbazon, where she was received by the -favourite, who was accompanied by all the princes and great nobles. On -the following day she arrived at Tours, being met at some little -distance from the town by Anne of Austria and all the princesses. - -Marie remained with the King until the 19th, and then left for Chinon -_en route_ for Angers, while the Court proceeded to Amboise. - -Bassompierre does not give us any information about Louis XIII’s -attitude to his mother during these two weeks, but, if we are to believe -Richelieu, he showed towards her “an incredible tenderness.” Anyway, -Luynes appears to have become very uneasy, fearing lest the meeting at -Tours might lead to a more or less complete reconciliation between -mother and son; and one of his first acts when the Court returned to -Paris was to persuade the King to set Condé at liberty and restore him -to all his offices and dignities (October 20, 1619). He judged--and -rightly, as it proved--that the harsh treatment to which the first -Prince of the Blood had been subjected during the early months of his -imprisonment in the Bastille would have so embittered him against the -Queen-Mother, that he could be trusted to use all his influence to -prevent the _rapprochement_ which the favourite had so much cause to -dread. And, to nullify the effects of the “incredible tenderness” of -which Richelieu speaks, he caused to be inserted in the declaration of -Condé’s innocence, which was registered by the Parlement on November 26, -words which could not fail to be most offensive to Marie de’ Medici: -“Being informed,” said the King, “of the reasons by which his detention -has been excused, I have found that there was no cause, save the -machinations and evil designs of his enemies, who desired to join the -ruin of my State to that of my cousin.” - -In November, the King spent a fortnight at Monceaux, and Bassompierre, -who was captain of the château, entertained him most magnificently. At -the close of the year there was a large promotion to the Ordre du -Saint-Esprit, five prelates and fifty-nine nobles being admitted. -Bassompierre was amongst the latter, his name figuring twenty-fourth on -the list of the new knights. - -The promotions to the Ordre du Saint-Esprit furnished Marie de’ Medici -with yet another grievance, and she complained bitterly that they -comprised all her chief enemies, to the exclusion of the friends whom -she had recommended. Luynes seemed bent on exasperating her beyond -endurance, and on making her little Court at Angers, where she had now -established herself, a centre of disaffection. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - - The grandees, irritated by the increasing power and favour of - Luynes, decide to make common cause with the Queen-Mother against - him--Departure of Mayenne from the Court--He is followed by - Longueville, Nemours, Mayenne and Retz--Formidable character of the - insurrection--Bassompierre receives orders to mobilise a Royal army - in Champagne--He informs the King that the Comte de Soissons, his - mother, the Grand Prieur de Vendôme and the Comte de Saint-Aignan - intend to leave Paris to join the rebels--Alarm and indecision of - Luynes--Advice of Bassompierre--It is finally decided to allow them - to go--Success of Bassompierre in mobilising troops in Champagne - despite great difficulties--The Duc de Bouillon sends a gentleman - to him to endeavour to corrupt his loyalty--Reply of - Bassompierre--The town and château of Dreux surrender to him--He - joins the King near La Flèche with an army of 8,600 men--Combat of - the Ponts-des-Cé--Peace of Angers. - - -Luynes had contrived to exasperate many other important personages -besides Marie de’ Medici. The irritation of the grandees against him was -increasing, in proportion as they beheld the King accumulating new -favours on the head of his parvenu favourite. Luynes and his two -brothers, Cadenet and Brantès, “devoured everything.” Between them they -had acquired eighteen of the most important governments in the kingdom, -and had all three blossomed into dukes, the eldest brother having been -created Duc de Luynes, the second Duc de Chaulnes, while the youngest -had married the heiress of the duchy of Piney-Luxembourg, and had -secured the revival of that title in his favour. Cadenet had also been -provided with the hand of a wealthy heiress of an illustrious house, and -had become, not only a duke and peer, but a marshal of France. As for -Luynes, he appeared to consider the bâton of marshal unworthy of his -grandeur, and awaited a favourable opportunity of girding on the sword -of Constable. Nor, while the three brothers were thus enriched and -aggrandized, were their poor relations forgotten; they arrived “by -battalions” from Provence and had their share of the spoils. - -By family alliances Luynes had assured himself of the support of Condé, -Lesdiguières and of all the Guises, with the exception of the cardinal, -and he governed both the King and the State. The Ministers were only -consulted as a matter of form. The engagements to the Queen-Mother were -not kept; and, as the finances were in a state of indescribable -confusion, the pensions of the grandees, with the exception of those who -had the good fortune to be related by marriage to the favourite or his -brothers, remained unpaid. - -Before the winter was over the patience of the grandees was exhausted, -and they decided to make common cause with the Queen-Mother against this -new Concini. “In the middle of Lent,” writes Bassompierre, “M. de -Mayenne quitted the Court without taking leave of the King.”[129] - -Mayenne’s unceremonious departure sounded the first note of warning. -Others were not long in coming. At short intervals during the spring, -Vendôme, Longueville, Nemours and Retz followed the example of the -Lorraine prince, and when it became known that Vendôme, after going to -his country-seat in Normandy, had proceeded to join the Queen-Mother at -Angers, the Court could no longer doubt what was in the wind. The King -and Luynes, much alarmed, pressed Marie to return to Court; but she did -not wish to reappear there, “save with honour and safety,” and did not -consider the guarantees which were offered her sufficient. Richelieu -counselled her to take the risk, but the grandees who surrounded the -Queen-Mother opposed it, and civil war was decided upon. - -In appearance, this insurrection was the most formidable that had been -seen since the accession of Louis XIII. The malcontents believed -themselves to be masters of France from Dieppe to Bayonne, and -possessed, besides, in the East of France, the important position of -Metz, of which d’Épernon was governor, which would permit them to -introduce into the kingdom foreign mercenaries. Luynes was at first -greatly perturbed; but Condé, eager to be avenged on the Queen-Mother, -reassured him, and urged him to take vigorous measures to meet the -danger. The plan of campaign they decided upon was well conceived. They, -with the King, would march into Normandy with what troops could be -spared from the defence of the capital, while Bassompierre, who had been -appointed _maréchal de camp_--a rank corresponding to -brigadier-general--of the troops in garrison in Champagne and on the -frontier of Lorraine, went there to mobilise as large a force as -possible. Then, when the safety of Normandy had been assured, they would -turn southwards; Bassompierre would join them at some point north of the -Loire, and their united forces would march on Angers. - -On June 29 Bassompierre was entering the Louvre, to take leave of the -King, before setting out for Champagne, when a note in a woman’s -handwriting was slipped into his hand, informing him that the Comte de -Soissons[130] and his mother proposed to leave Paris that night to join -the Queen-Mother at Angers, and that the Grand Prieur de Vendôme, the -duke’s younger brother, and the Comte de Saint-Aignan were going with -them. Shortly afterwards, he happened to meet the Chevalier d’Épinay, -Commander of Malta, who was a friend of the Grand Prior, and questioned -him on the matter, when the chevalier said that he had been correctly -informed, and added that he himself was to be of the party. - -Bassompierre found the King in his cabinet with Luynes, and informed -them of what was intended. They both appeared very much disturbed at his -news, and the King, who was going that afternoon to the Château of -Madrid, in the Bois de Boulogne, said that he should remain in Paris, -and announced his intention of sending for the Comte de Soissons and -having him arrested. Luynes and Bassompierre, however, pointed out that -“to arrest so great a personage without certain proofs did not seem to -them to be expedient, and that the affair merited to be weighed and -debated before any resolution was arrived at.” And Luynes advised the -King not to postpone his journey, “for fear of frightening the game,” -and said that he himself would remain in Paris and keep Bassompierre -there that day, and that, so soon as they had come to a decision, they -would acquaint his Majesty with it. He also asked that the Light Cavalry -of the Guard, which his youngest brother now commanded, should be placed -at his disposal, in order that he might effect the arrest of the prince -and his friends, if that course were deemed advisable. - -Louis XIII accordingly set off for Madrid, and Bassompierre, Luynes, his -two brothers, and several of their friends met in solemn conclave at the -favourite’s hôtel in the Rue Saint-Thomas du Louvre to weigh and debate -this important matter. Luynes seemed in great perplexity, nor did his -relatives and friends appear able to help him to come to any definite -decision. At length, he turned to Bassompierre, who had hitherto -remained silent, and begged him to give them the benefit of his counsel. - -Bassompierre modestly disclaimed any desire to express an opinion upon -affairs of State, particularly upon a matter so intricate and delicate -as the one under discussion. However, said he, as M. de Luynes had done -him the honour to seek his counsel, he would give it for what it was -worth. - -He then said that, in this affair, he must speak like a - -[Illustration: CHARLES D’ALBERT, DUC DE LUYNES, CONSTABLE OF FRANCE. - -From a contemporary print.] - -shopkeeper, and say that there were only two alternatives: to take him -or to leave him. If they decided to let _Monsieur le Comte_ depart in -peace, they might either say nothing to him at all, or inform him that -his design was known, but that it was a matter of indifference to the -King whether he executed it or not. If, on the contrary, they decided to -arrest him, there were several ways in which it might be effected: they -might advise the King to summon him to Madrid, warn him that he was -informed of his design, and that, in the circumstances, he felt obliged -“to assure himself of his person”; or they might send the Light Cavalry -to invest his hôtel and arrest him there; or as he was leaving his -house, or at the gates of the town; or, finally, at Villapreux (three -leagues from Versailles), the rendezvous where Saint-Aignan and d’Épinay -were to join him. - -“It is now for you, Monsieur,” he concluded solemnly “to deliberate upon -and decide whether it be advisable to arrest him or let him go; and, -should you judge it necessary to arrest him, to make choice also of one -of the ways which I have proposed to you, and to execute it promptly and -surely.” - - “Upon that,” observes Bassompierre, “M. de Luynes was in greater - uncertainty than ever”--we can well believe it--“and I was - astonished to see the little aid and comfort which he received from - the other gentlemen present, who showed themselves as irresolute as - he was.” - -They continued their deliberations all the afternoon, and when evening -came they were as far off a decision as ever. Then Bassompierre, whose -patience was exhausted, said to Luynes: “Monsieur, you are wasting time -in resolving what course ought to be pursued. It grows late; the King -must be growing anxious at not hearing anything from you. Come to some -decision.” - -“It is very easy for you to talk,” answered the favourite petulantly; -“but if you held the handle of the frying-pan, as I do, you would be in -a like difficulty.” - -Bassompierre then suggested that perhaps, in the circumstances, it might -be as well to take the Ministers into his confidence. Now, as we have -mentioned already, M. de Luynes never condescended to consult these -unfortunate old gentlemen--“the dotards” as they were irreverently -called--except as a matter of form. Nevertheless, such was his -perplexity on this occasion, that he caught at the proposal as a -drowning man catches at a straw, and despatched a messenger in all haste -to summon the Ministers to assemble at the Chancellor’s house. Thither -the conference adjourned, and, after a good deal of further discussion, -it was resolved to let Soissons and his mother take their departure and -to say nothing to them about it. This decision was arrived at on the -advice of Jeannin, who pointed out that such vain and meddlesome persons -as these two were more likely to cause dissensions in the Queen-Mother’s -party than to strengthen it; that, when hostilities began, it would be -better to have them outside Paris than hatching mischief within its -walls; and, further, that it would be easy at any time to draw _Monsieur -le Comte_ away from his confederates by pecuniary inducements, in which -event he would very probably be followed by the other princes, since -these exalted personages were like a flock of sheep: when one took the -leap, the others followed him. - -And so, at eleven o’clock that night, the Soissons and their friends -left Paris by the Porte Saint-Jacques, and went off to join the -Queen-Mother at Angers, no man hindering them; and on the following -morning Bassompierre set out for Champagne. - -Bassompierre passed the first night of his journey at Château-Thierry, -where he received most alarming intelligence, to the effect that a -gentleman of the name of Loppes, who was in the service of the Duc de -Vendôme, was waiting with a troop of light horse between that town and -Châlons, with the intention of making him a prisoner and carrying him -off to Sedan. However, the rumour proved to be a false one, and he -arrived safely at Châlons without seeing anything of M. de Loppes or his -troop. Nevertheless, having ascertained that that gentleman was at his -country-house some few miles from Châlons, he considered it advisable to -pay him a visit, lest haply he should only have postponed the sinister -designs attributed to him to some more convenient season. - -A promise, in the King’s name, of the command of the troop in which he -was now only a lieutenant sufficed to draw the most fervid expressions -of loyalty from M. de Loppes; and he volunteered to escort Bassompierre -with thirty of his men to Vitry, where two companies of the regiment of -Champagne were in garrison. - -On the following morning, Bassompierre reviewed the garrison, which he -found pretty well up to strength, and sounded the officers, who appeared -loyal enough, though the lieutenant-colonel was under suspicion. -However, as he was away on furlough, and not likely to return for some -time, there was nothing to be feared from him. - -From Vitry Bassompierre proceeded to Verdun, where he arrived on July 6. -Here there was a different tale to tell. - -There were two regiments in garrison at Verdun: that of Picardy and that -of the Comte de Vaubecourt.[131] The latter had its full complement of -all grades, but the Regiment of Picardy could not muster a third of its -strength; and he was informed that part of the absentees had gone off to -serve as volunteers in Germany, where the Thirty Years’ War was just -beginning; while the rest had been seduced from their duty by the -Marquis de la Valette, d’Épernon’s second son, and had thrown themselves -into Metz with him. - -The following day, Bassompierre received a letter from Louis XIII, -informing him that he was proceeding at once into Normandy to save -Rouen, which Longueville was endeavouring to raise against him, and -ordering him to assemble all the forces he could muster at -Saint-Menehould, leaving Vaubecourt’s regiment to garrison what places -in Champagne he considered necessary, and then to march with all -possible speed to Montereau, where he would receive further orders. - -At Verdun Bassompierre received a visit from M. de Fresnel, Governor of -Clermont-en-Argonne, who was intimately acquainted with the military -resources of that part of France. Fresnel warned him that he would find -in every garrison-town the same condition of things as at Verdun, and -that, apart from Vaubecourt’s regiment, he doubted whether he would be -able to muster 2,000 men. The magazines, however, were full and capable -of equipping any number of men; and, if he were prepared to offer a -bounty to everyone who enlisted, he believed that plenty of recruits -would be forthcoming. - -Bassompierre readily agreed to give the bounty which Fresnel advised, -though he had to find the money out of his own pocket, and in a few days -Fresnel had raised 800 men on his estates in the Argonne, with whom and -another 120 furnished by the town of Verdun, he filled the ranks of the -Regiment of Picardy. The Bailiff of Bar, a personal friend of his, sent -him 300, whom he drafted into the Regiment of Champagne; another 300 -came from the Valley of Aillant, in the Yonne. The drum was beaten -vigorously at Vitry, Saint-Dizier, Châlons, Rheims, Sens and other -towns, and each of them furnished its contingent, with the result that -he soon found himself at the head of what, for those times, was quite a -formidable force, though, as the great majority of the men thus obtained -were raw recruits who had never been under fire, their fighting value -was not very great. However, he had the consolation of knowing that the -rebel forces would undoubtedly be at the same disadvantage. - -Bassompierre had the good fortune to have at his disposal a number of -experienced commissariat-officers, and the arrangements he was thus -enabled to make for the rapid march of his army westwards, -notwithstanding that it was then the height of a very hot summer, appear -to have left little to be desired, and to have shown a solicitude for -the soldier’s comfort and well-being most unusual at this epoch. - - “After deciding,” he says, “upon the routes which my troops were to - follow, I decided upon my marches, which I made longer than was - customary, to wit, nine or ten leagues per day. I gave orders that - each regiment should start at three or four in the morning and - march until nine o’clock, by which time it should have covered five - leagues. And I arranged that the halting-place should be near some - river or brook, where it would find a cart containing wine and - another filled with bread awaiting it, to refresh the soldiers. - Here they would rest until three of the afternoon, in order to - avoid marching during the heat of the day, and then take the road - again. And I further arranged that when they reached the village - where they were to pass the night, they should find the beasts that - were to provide their meal already slaughtered, for which I paid - one half of the cost, and the village the other. By this means, the - soldier, perceiving the care that I took that he should want for - nothing, performed without a murmur these long marches so far as - Montereau.” - -On July 13, towards evening, Bassompierre arrived at Poivre, where he -had arranged to pass the night. Shortly afterwards, he received a visit -from a Huguenot gentleman named Despence, with whom he had some slight -acquaintance, and whom he invited to sup with him. When they rose from -table, M. Despence led him into the garden adjoining the house, and -there inquired if he might speak to him frankly and “in all security”; -by which he meant that whatever the nature of the communication he -wished to make might be, Bassompierre would afterwards suffer him to -depart in peace. - -Bassompierre having given him the assurance he demanded, he informed him -that he came from Sedan, on behalf of the Duc de Bouillon, who had -charged him to say that while the duke, as a soldier himself, could not -help but commend the zeal and energy which M. de Bassompierre was -employing in raising and equipping troops and overcoming the -difficulties with which he had to contend, he wondered greatly what -could be the motive which prompted him to all this activity. Could it be -that he entertained some personal animosity against the Queen-Mother, to -whom, he had always understood, he was indebted for many benefits, or -had M. de Luynes placed him under some great obligation? The duke -desired to point out to M. de Bassompierre that the Queen-Mother and the -princes and nobles who supported her had not taken up arms to attack the -King or the State, but to decide whether both should be governed by her -who had ruled so well during his Majesty’s minority, or by three robbers -who had seized the authority and the person of the King. He praised M. -de Bassompierre’s resolution to “keep always to the trunk of the tree, -and to follow, not the best and most just party, but that which -possessed the person of the King and the seal and wax.” But to display -such fiery ardour, such boundless activity; to exceed even the orders of -the King in the rapidity with which he was pushing forward his troops; -to employ his own money so profusely as he was doing in the cause of -persons who had proved themselves so ungrateful to the Queen, their -first benefactress, and would prove no less ungrateful to their friends; -to be apparently intent on compassing the ruin of the party of the -Queen, the consort of the late King, who had been so much attached to -him; to assist “three pumpkins who had sprung up in a night”[132] to -trample upon her, and thus to compromise his reputation and his -honesty--for all this M. de Bouillon could see neither rhyme nor -reason. - -After this long-winded preamble, M. Despence came to the point. The -duke, he said, had no intention of suggesting to M. de Bassompierre that -he should do anything contrary to his honour and duty; nothing was -further from his thoughts. But, if he could see his way to delay for -three weeks the junction of the army under his command with that of the -King, which might be done without disobeying the orders he had received -from his Majesty, who did not anticipate that he would be able to join -him before then; if he would rest content with such troops as he found -in garrison, and cease to amuse himself by levying everywhere at his own -expense men to reinforce them, and, in short, abate a little of his -ardour and animosity towards the party of the Queen-Mother, M. de -Bouillon would without delay deposit the sum of 100,000 crowns in the -hands of any banker whom he might be pleased to name, and no one but -themselves would be the wiser. - -Bassompierre, with growing indignation, heard him to the end, and then -told him that he was astonished that he should have taken advantage of -the promise of safety he had received to make him so disgraceful a -proposition. “I did not think,” said he, “that M. de Bouillon knew me so -little as to imagine that money or any other advantage would make me -fail in my duty or honour. It is not animosity, but ardour and desire to -serve the King which has spurred me to these extraordinary exertions. -Next to his I am the most devoted servant of the Queen in the world; -but, when it is a question of the service of the King, I do not -recognise the Queen. I would that I could run or fly to whatever place -his service called me, and, as for my money, I would dispense that right -willingly to the last sol, provided that his affairs might be placed in -a good state. If you had not obtained an assurance of safety from me, I -should have had you arrested, and sent you to Châlons; but the promise I -have given you prevents me from doing that.” - -With which he turned on his heel and left M. Despence to return whence -he came, marvelling greatly that so shrewd a judge of men as the lord of -Sedan professed to be should have sent him on so bootless an errand. - -On the 18th, the army reached Montereau, and Bassompierre brought his -troops across the Seine and quartered them in and around Étampes. The -evening before he had received a letter from the King announcing that -Caen and Rouen had opened their gates to him; that Longueville had -retired to Dieppe and shut himself up there; while the Grand Prior, who -had been assisting him to stir up trouble, had fled to Angers, and that -his Majesty was about to begin his march to the Loire. - -On the 19th, Bassompierre went to Paris to make arrangements for the -provisioning of his army. On going to salute Anne of Austria, her -Majesty told him that “she did not know whether to receive him as -general of an army or as a courier, seeing the extreme activity he had -displayed,” while the Council “could not believe that the army was at -Étampes and in such strength as he assured them was the case.” - -As Bassompierre was so much ahead of his time, and there was no need for -him to begin his march to join the army of the King for some days, he -received orders to make an attempt to reduce Dreux, one of the few -places in Normandy still occupied by the rebels. He accordingly returned -to Étampes, and was about to set out for Dreux at the head of the -regiments of Champagne and Picardy and a detachment of cavalry, when he -received a letter from Anne of Austria informing him that she had -received intelligence that the Comte de Rochefort, husband of a lady to -whom Bassompierre had “offered his service” at the end of the previous -year, and who, we may presume, had been graciously pleased to accept it, -was in dire peril of his life. It appeared that Rochefort, who was -governor of the Château of Nantes, had been arrested at Angers by -orders of Marie de’ Medici, and that “M. de Vendôme intended to bring -him before the Château of Nantes, to force it to surrender; threatening, -in case of refusal, to cut off his head.” The only way to save M. de -Rochefort, wrote the Queen, was to seize Vendôme’s mother-in-law, Madame -de Mercœur, and his children, who were at the Château of Anet, near -Dreux, the palatial country-seat which Henri II had built for his -middle-aged inamorata Diane de Poitiers, and bring them as hostages to -Paris. “And she recommended to me this affair, which was very important -to the service of the King and which would afford infinite satisfaction -to Madame de Rochefort, of whom I was so much the servant.” - -Bassompierre accordingly detached the greater part of his cavalry and -sent them to Anet to secure Madame de Mercœur and the little -Vendômes, and with the rest of his force presented himself before the -gates of Dreux. They were opened to him at once, and the citizens -shouted, “_Vive le Roi!_” with all the strength of their lungs; but -Bassompierre informed them that, although he was very gratified to hear -such cries, he would prefer to have some practical proof of their -loyalty. And he ordered them to assist him in bringing M. d’Escluzelles, -the governor of the château, to reason. - -M. d’Escluzelles, however, refused to surrender, and, though -Bassompierre’s troops, with the assistance of the citizens, built a -formidable barricade which cut off all communication between the château -and the town, he appeared to regard their proceedings with indifference. -When, however, on the following day, Bassompierre caused him to be -informed that, unless he capitulated forthwith, he proposed to burn his -country-seat, which lay a few miles from Dreux, to the ground, cut down -every tree on his estate, and carry off his wife and children to Paris, -he “had pity upon his property and his family,” and sent to demand a -parley. Next morning (July 25), the château surrendered, and -Bassompierre having placed a garrison there and seen Madame de -Mercœur and her grandchildren, whom the cavalry had brought from -Anet, off to Paris, returned to Étampes and began his march towards the -Loire. On August 2 his army arrived at Connerré, not far from Le Mans, -where Louis XIII’s headquarters were, and Bassompierre went to pay his -respects to his Majesty, who gave him a most flattering reception and -“expressed himself very satisfied with the care and expedition which he -had shown.” - -Two days later, the King reviewed Bassompierre’s army in the plain of -Gros Chataigneraie, near La Flèche. It now consisted of 8,000 infantry -and 600 cavalry, and his Majesty pronounced it “very fine and very -complete, and beyond what he had expected to find.” The two armies were -then joined into one corps, and the King having given the command to -Condé, with Praslin as his second in command, and appointed four -brigadier-generals, of whom Bassompierre was one, the Royal forces -advanced on Angers. - -The rapid submission of Normandy had deceived all the expectations of -Marie de’ Medici, for d’Épernon was not yet ready to join her, nor had -Mayenne completed the formidable levies of troops which he was making in -Guienne. Towards the end of July, her troops had advanced so far as La -Flèche, but, on the news of the approach of the Royal army, had fallen -back rapidly on Angers. Richelieu endeavoured to stop the King by -opening negotiations, but Louis XIII, whose military instincts had been -awakened by the life of the camp, continued to advance. On August 6 the -Queen-Mother made new proposals, and, though Condé urged the King to -reject them, Luynes, who was still doubtful about the issue of the war, -persuaded Louis to return a favourable answer and to grant his mother an -armistice until the following morning. Deputies were then despatched to -Angers, but, owing to some misunderstanding, they had to wait several -hours before being admitted to the town. This delay was attended with -disastrous results to the insurgent forces. - -The troops of the Queen-Mother, which did not exceed 8,000 men, were -spread out along a front of about four miles from Angers to the -Ponts-des-Cé, an important position which assured to them the passage of -the Loire. Vendôme, who commanded under the youthful Comte de Soissons, -the nominal chief of the army, had conceived the fantastic idea of -connecting these two towns by a long line of entrenchments, which, -however, were not yet half-finished, and which, even if they had been -completed, would have required a much larger force than the one at his -disposal to defend effectively. The Royal army was encamped in the plain -of Trélazé, about a league from the Ponts-des-Cé. - -On the morning of the 7th, just about the time when the King’s -commissioners were entering Angers to conclude peace, Louis XIII was -persuaded by Condé, who was determined to do everything in his power to -prevent the termination of hostilities before a decisive defeat had been -inflicted on the Queen-Mother’s party, to consent to a reconnaissance in -force of the rebels’ position; and the Royal army accordingly advanced -to within sight of the unfinished entrenchments. Whether from cowardice -or from irritation at the neglect of his interests which Marie de’ -Medici had shown in the treaty which was about to be signed, the Duc de -Retz chose this moment to withdraw from the position assigned to him -with his own regiment and another which had been placed under his -command, and to retire across the Loire. The disorder consequent on this -movement, which was entirely unexpected, was taken by the Royal captains -for the beginning of a general retreat, and on their advice the King -ordered the bugles to sound the attack. - -Bassompierre’s troops, with those of the Marquis de Nerestang, formed -the left wing of the Royal army. Between them and the entrenchments lay -some fields, the hedges of which were lined with musketeers; but they -were speedily dislodged, and took refuge behind a body of cavalry, who -retreated, in their turn, without making any attempt to charge, so soon -as fire was opened upon them, and retired to what shelter the -entrenchments afforded. The cannon of the citadel now came into play, -but the gunners were quite unable to find the range, and not a man was -hit. As they neared the entrenchments, Bassompierre dismounted and, -taking a halberd from a sergeant, placed himself at the head of one of -the battalions of the Regiment of Champagne. On seeing this, Nerestang -rode up, exclaiming: “Monsieur, that is not the place for a -brigadier-general; you will be unable to make the other battalions fight -if you remain at the head of this one.” - - “I answered,” says Bassompierre, “that he was right; but that these - regiments, which were largely composed of new recruits, would fight - well if they saw me at their head, and badly if I remained behind; - and since I had raised and brought them to this army, I had an - interest in their conducting themselves well. Then he said: ‘I - shall not remain on horseback if you are on foot,’ and, - dismounting, placed himself on my left.” - -The entrenchments were carried with but little resistance, for the -defenders appear to have been demoralised by the desertion of Retz and -his troops and the suddenness of the attack, and fled in disorder -towards the town. A flanking-fire, however, from the roofs and windows -of some of the houses in the faubourgs caused a few casualties amongst -Bassompierre’s men; and, as they were crossing some open ground between -the trenches and the town, a squadron of cavalry emerged from a field, -deployed and seemed about to charge. - - “And now,” says Bassompierre, “I shall relate a strange thing. A - man from one of our storming-companies who had remained behind--I - never learned his name--and who was carrying a pike, addressed - himself to a chief who was riding some twenty paces in front of the - others and gave his horse a thrust in the stomach with his pike. - The horse reared, upon which the soldier gave him another thrust; - and the rider, fearing to be thrown, wheeled to the left and - galloped off. And, at the same moment, the squadron wheeled in the - same direction and passed under the arch of the bridge, where the - water was very shallow.” - -The Comte de Saint-Aignan, who, it will be remembered, had accompanied -the Comte de Soissons when he left Paris to join the Queen-Mother, was -with this squadron, having ridden up to order it to charge. He was on -its left flank and tried to rally the fugitives, but without success, -and was carried away with them for some little distance. Now, M. de -Saint-Aignan was a great dandy, and was wearing gilded armour and a hat -that was the _dernier cri_ in sumptuous headgear--a hat to marvel at, -adorned with great ostrich plumes fastened by diamond-buckles--and when -he at last succeeded in getting out of the press and pulling up his -horse, he found that his hat had been knocked off. He could not bring -himself to abandon it, and accordingly rode back to where it lay and -attempted to recover it with the point of his sword. Bassompierre, -passing near him, on his way into the town, did not attempt to make him -prisoner, and merely shouted: “Adieu, Saint-Aignan!” “Adieu, adieu!” -replied the count, without desisting from his efforts to recover his -hat. This was no easy matter, as his horse was very restive, but -eventually he succeeded and had just replaced it triumphantly on his -head, and was about to ride away, when he was stopped and taken prisoner -by two carabiniers. - -The Royal troops continued their advance through the faubourgs and into -the town, the enemy making no attempt to rally, though there was a good -deal of desultory firing from the houses, and Nerestang had his right -thigh broken by a musket-shot.[133] In less than an hour, however, the -town was cleared of the rebels, some of whom took refuge in the château, -which surrendered on the following day, while the rest fled towards -Angers. - -Bassompierre was then sent to report the result of the action to the -King and to take him the nobles who had been made prisoners. His -Majesty, whom he found in company with Condé, Luynes and Bellegarde, -“received him with extraordinary cordiality, and M. de Luynes spoke in -praise of him to _Monsieur le Grand_.” But when Louis XIII heard that -Saint-Aignan was amongst the prisoners, he looked very grave indeed, as -did the others, and they consulted together as to what was to be done -with him. Then the King informed Bassompierre that, as M. de -Saint-Aignan was, not only an officer of the regular army, but -Colonel-General of the Light Cavalry, and had been taken in arms against -his sovereign, it had been decided that he was to be tried at once by -the Keeper of the Seals, who was, with the army, and, in the event of -conviction, to be decapitated that very day. And so it seemed as though -poor Saint-Aignan had only succeeded in saving his hat at the cost of -his head. - -Happily for him, Bassompierre was determined to save him. - - “I firmly opposed this decision,” he writes, “and told the King and - _Monsieur le Prince_ that, if they treated him in this way, no man - of rank among the enemy would allow himself to be made prisoner, - from fear of dying by the hand of the executioner; that M. de - Créquy and I had received his surrender, and that he was a prisoner - of war; that the rank we held authorised us to give him our - assurance that he should be regarded as such, and that we were not - provost-marshals to cause our captives to be hanged. At the same - time, I sent to warn M. de Créquy, who sent word that he would - retire from the Ponts-des-Cé and would abandon everything,[134] if - he did not receive a promise that the execution would be suspended. - We obtained a respite until the morrow, when, the first indignation - against Saint-Aignan having spent itself, it was easy to persuade - them to abandon their resolution; and the peace which followed - accommodated his affair, by the surrender of his charge, which was - conferred upon La Curée.” - -The engagement of the Ponts-des-Cé was a terrible blow to the -Queen-Mother’s party; nevertheless, Marie was far from reduced to -extremities. If no longer able to make peace on favourable terms, two -courses were open to her. She might shut herself up in Angers with what -was left of her army, and hold out until Mayenne and d’Épernon were able -to come to her assistance, or she might ford the Loire with her cavalry, -only a part of which had been engaged at the Ponts-des-Cé, and make her -way to Angoulême, where d’Épernon’s headquarters were. Thus, although no -hope of success now remained, she might succeed in prolonging the war -for months. - -Luynes was aware of this, and aware too that a continuance of -hostilities could not fail to add to his unpopularity; while he was -beginning to fear Condé, with whom Louis XIII was now on quite -alarmingly friendly terms, almost as much as he feared the Queen-Mother. -The High Catholic party, too, were eager for peace, in order that the -King might have his hands free to deal with the Protestants of Béarn; -and their representations, joined to that of Luynes, decided Louis to -abandon any idea of imposing on his mother and her adherents the -stringent terms which their recent defeat would otherwise have -justified. The treaty, which was signed at Angers on August 10, was, to -all intents and purposes, a confirmation of that of the previous year, -save for a stipulation that the partisans of the Queen-Mother were not -to be restored to the offices and charges of which the King had disposed -during the rebellion. Three days later, Marie and her son met at -Brissac, and were, to all appearances, on the best of terms; and on the -16th a royal declaration proclaimed the innocence of the intentions of -the Queen-Mother and her adherents “during the late disturbances.” -Mayenne and d’Épernon thereupon laid down their arms, and the powerful -faction which for a moment had threatened to subvert the State melted -away. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - - Refusal of the Protestants of Béarn to restore the property of the - Catholic Church--Louis XIII and Luynes resolve on rigorous measures - and set out for the South--Visit of Bassompierre to La Rochelle--He - joins the King at Bordeaux--Arrest and execution of - d’Arsilemont--The Parlement of Pau declines to register the Royal - edict and Louis XIII determines to march into Béarn--Bassompierre - charged with the transport of the army across the Garonne, which is - accomplished in twenty-four hours--Béarn and Lower Navarre are - united to the Crown of France--Coldness of the King towards - Bassompierre--Bassompierre learns that this is due to the ill - offices of Luynes, who regards him as a rival in the royal - favour--He is informed that Luynes is “unable to suffer him to - remain at Court”--Bassompierre decides to come to terms with the - favourite, and it is arranged that he shall quit the Court so soon - as some honourable office can be found for him--The Valtellina - question--Bassompierre appointed Ambassador Extraordinary to the - Court of Spain--Birth of a son to Luynes. - - -No sooner had peace been signed than Louis XIII, urged on by Luynes, who -was above all things anxious to conciliate the High Catholic party, -determined to deal with the recalcitrant Protestants of Béarn. - -The re-establishment of the Catholic religion in Béarn had been one of -the conditions on which Clement VIII had consented to grant absolution -to Henri IV; but that monarch had only half kept his word, and had -limited himself to nominating bishops to the sees of Lescar and Oleron, -and paying them their salaries; re-establishing the Mass in a good many -places, and admitting Catholics to charges and dignities. The two new -bishops demanded the restoration of the ecclesiastical property formerly -attached to their offices;[135] but the Government turned a deaf ear to -their appeals, and it was not until Luynes rose to power that they had a -chance of being listened to. - -Besides his desire to gain the support of the _dévots_, Luynes saw in -the affair of Béarn an opportunity of ridding himself of the possible -rivalry of the young Marquis de Montpouillan with the King, as -Montpouillan’s father, the Marquis de la Force,[136] was governor of -Béarn and chief of the Protestants of that country. He thereupon pressed -Louis XIII to carry out the engagements which Henri IV had sought to -evade, and, by a decree of the Council of June 25, 1617, the King -ordered the restitution of Church property in Béarn. The Estates of -Béarn, supported by La Force, remonstrated vigorously; but in September -the King confirmed his decision of June. - -The Protestants of Languedoc and Guienne embraced the cause of the -Béarnais, and the Parlement of Pau, in which the Reformers were in a -great majority, refused to register the edict. The troubles with the -Queen-Mother prevented Louis XIII and Luynes from taking any rigorous -measures, but now that their hands were free, they were resolved to lose -no more time. - -Before Louis XIII began his march to the South, Bassompierre obtained -permission to pay a visit to his brother-in-law Saint-Luc at Brouage, of -which town the latter was governor, and to travel by way of La Rochelle. -He set out on September 13, accompanied by Créquy, La Rochefoucauld and -a great number of other gentlemen, who, in view of the possibility of a -renewal of the Wars of Religion in the near future, had gladly embraced -the opportunity of visiting the great Huguenot stronghold. - -The party stopped to dine at Surgères, a château belonging to La -Rochefoucauld, from which the count sent a letter to the mayor of La -Rochelle, “to warn him of the good company who were coming to see him, -in order that he might not be alarmed at the sudden arrival of so many -people.” He received a most cordial response, for the authorities of La -Rochelle were probably far from displeased to learn that the Colonel of -the French Guards and the Colonel-General of the Swiss were on their way -to visit their famous town, before whose stubborn walls, forty-six years -earlier, nearly 20,000 Catholics had laid down their lives, and all to -no purpose. Certainly, M. de Créquy, M. de Bassompierre and their -friends should be afforded every facility for seeing all that was worth -seeing, and particularly the defences; and when the King questioned them -about their visit, as, of course, he would do, they would probably tell -his Majesty that if, as seemed only too probable, he were determined to -drive his Protestant subjects to take up arms once more in defence of -their faith, he would do well to let La Rochelle severely alone. - -And so M. le Maire came to meet them at the gates of the town, and bade -them right welcome to La Rochelle, and took them to see the harbour, in -which, if the Rochellois were obliged to summon foreign aid, an English -fleet might one day be seen riding at anchor. - -And then, as the hour was late, he escorted them to the best inn in the -town, which for some hours past had been in a state of ferment, since it -was not often that preparations for the reception of so many -distinguished guests had to be made at such short notice, where, having -invited them, in the name of the Président, Jean Pascaut, to dine at the -Présidial next day, he took leave of them. - -Early on the morrow, the mayor returned and conducted the party round -the fortifications; after which he took them to visit the Tour de la -Chaîne, one of the two towers which defended the entrance to the -harbour. Then they all repaired to the Présidial, where, with appetites -sharpened by the sea air, they did full justice to “a magnificent -banquet, at which sixty covers were laid.” - -In the afternoon, Bassompierre and his friends left La Rochelle, little -imagining in what tragic circumstances they were to tread its streets -again, and proceeded to Brouage, where they were very hospitably -entertained by Saint-Luc. During their stay at Brouage they paid a visit -to the neighbouring château of Marennes, ostensibly to pay their -respects to the count of that name, but really to see his three -daughters, “who were very beautiful.” But, unfortunately, Bassompierre -does not give us any further information about these ladies. - -On leaving Brouage, they spent a night at the château of the Baron de -Pons, whose family claimed to be descended from the House of Albret, a -claim which was to cause an infinity of trouble at the Court during the -regency of Anne of Austria, and to lead to the affair known as “_la -guerre des tabourets_.” Next day, they dined with d’Épernon at Plassac, -a country-seat of his near Jonzac, and then set out for Bordeaux. - -On September 19, Louis XIII arrived at Bordeaux, where he met with a -great reception, and on the following day was entertained by Mayenne to -a great banquet at the Château-Trompette. An unpleasant incident, -however, cast a shadow over the rejoicings. - -A gentleman named d’Arsilemont, who commanded the Châteaux of Fronsac -and Caumont on behalf of the Comte de Saint-Paul, brother of -Longueville, and had taken advantage of his position to levy -unauthorised taxes on the people living along the Dordogne, and -committed other illegal acts in defiance of the decrees of the Parlement -of Bordeaux, had the imprudence to come and salute the King. The -Parlement, learning of d’Arsilemont’s arrival, sent to complain of him -to his Majesty, who caused him to be arrested forthwith; and within -forty-eight hours he was condemned to death and executed, -“notwithstanding the entreaties of MM. de Mayenne and de Saint-Paul.” - -On October 4, La Force, Governor of Béarn, and Cazaux, First President -of the Parlement of Pau, came to Bordeaux, bringing with them, not the -ratification of the edict re-establishing the Catholic clergy in -possession of their property, but a fresh remonstrance against it. The -King was extremely angry, but on La Force and Cazaux assuring him that -this remonstrance was intended to be the last one, and that, on their -return to Béarn, they would use every endeavour to persuade the -Parlement to ratify the edict without further delay, he decided to -postpone military action for the present, and sent them away, -accompanied by La Chesnaye, one of his gentlemen-in-ordinary and a -Huguenot himself, who was instructed to keep his Majesty informed of the -progress of the affair. At the same time, in order to show the Parlement -that he was determined that they should submit to his will, he left -Bordeaux with his army, and advanced to Preignac, on the left bank of -the Garonne. - -Some days later La Chesnaye returned, and informed the King that, -notwithstanding the efforts of La Force and Cazaux, the Parlement still -persisted in their refusal to ratify the edict, an action which -Bassompierre ascribes to their belief that Louis XIII would not care to -venture into so barren and difficult a country at that advanced season -of the year, and to a rumour which had reached them that a great part of -the baggage of the Court was already on its way back to Paris. - -The King, however, was determined to be obeyed, and, on this occasion at -any rate, showed none of the weakness and irresolution so conspicuous in -later years. “Since my Parlement,” said he, “wishes to give me the -trouble of going in person to ratify the decree, I will do it, and more -fully than they expect.” And he summoned the Ministers who were with him -and his chief officers to a council of war, for, says Bassompierre, -“though he was resolved to go, he, nevertheless, wished to ascertain -everyone’s opinion on the matter.” - -Mayenne sought to dissuade the King from advancing into Béarn, -representing that while his Majesty was engaged in imposing his will on -the Huguenots at one extremity of his realm, their co-religionists in -other parts of the country might seize the opportunity to rise in arms; -that twelve days would probably be required to transport the army across -the Garonne; that the difficulty of provisioning the troops in the -inhospitable Landes at that season of the year would be very great, and -so forth. The other members of the council, however, aware that the King -had made up his mind on the matter--or that Luynes, who was anxious to -secure the support of the High Catholic party, had made it up for -him--and that nothing was to be gained by opposing his resolution, urged -him to undertake the expedition, upon which he tinned to Mayenne and -said:-- - -“I do not trouble myself about the weather or the roads; I am not afraid -of those of the Religion, and, as for the passage of the river, which, -you say, will take my army twelve days, I have a means of having it -accomplished in eight. For I shall send Bassompierre here to conduct it, -who has already raised me an army, with which I have just defeated a -powerful party, in half the time that I had expected.” - - “I confess,” observes Bassompierre, “that I felt my heart elated by - such praise and by the good opinion that the King entertained of - me; and I replied that he might rest assured that the hope that he - had conceived of my diligence would not be vain, and that he would - shortly have news that would gratify him.” - -In those days, when the engineers were not yet organised as a distinct -branch of the army, and the difficulties of transport were very great, -pontoons were seldom carried, unless before the campaign opened it was -certain that they would be required; and the army which Bassompierre had -undertaken to pass across the Garonne was unprovided with any. -Consequently, he had either to wait until a sufficient number could be -constructed, which would, of course, entail a considerable delay, or to -obtain the best substitutes he could in the towns and villages along the -Garonne, and trust that his fortunate star would be in the ascendant -during the passage of the river to avert any disaster. He chose the -latter alternative, and having established himself at Langon, on the -left bank of the Garonne, sent parties of soldiers along both banks to -collect every boat of suitable size which they could find. - - “I caused two boats to be joined into one,” he says, “and laid - platforms over them, on which, on October 10, I placed two pieces - of artillery, and had two others joined together without platforms, - on which I placed the gun-carriages; and in four journeys I passed - all the artillery across. And, by the expenditure of a great deal - of money, I so contrived matters that in the course of the - following day the munitions and provisions were passed across, and - the whole army likewise; and we advanced to a town a league beyond - the river, where we halted for the night.” - -A two days’ march brought the army to Saint-Justin d’Armagnac, on the -borders of the Grandes Landes and Armagnac. Here Bassompierre received a -despatch from Louis XIII, who had left Preignac on the 10th and was now -at Roquefort, in which the King expressed himself “extremely pleased -with his diligence, by which he had reduced the twelve days allowed by -M. de Mayenne for the passage of the Garonne to twenty-four hours.” His -Majesty ordered him to send him the Regiment of Champagne and some other -troops, which he intended to place in garrison in Béarn, but not to -enter the country with the rest of the army, since he feared it would be -impossible to provision it. - -With the force which Bassompierre had sent him, Louis XIII marched -rapidly on Pau. At the news of his approach, the Parlement hastened to -ratify the edict; but it was too late. The King continued his march and -entered the town on the 15th. He re-established the Catholic bishops -and clergy in possession of their churches and property, disbanded the -national militia, and replaced the governor of Navarreins, the strongest -fortress in the country, by a Catholic. Finally, by letters-patent of -October 18, he united Béarn and Lower Navarre to the Crown of France, -and fused the sovereign courts of these two countries into one single -Parlement, sitting at Pau. Then, having sent the Maréchal de Praslin to -Bassompierre, with orders to distribute the troops under his command -amongst various garrisons and to rejoin him at Bordeaux, he took his -departure, to the profound relief of the Béarnais. - -Bassompierre reached Bordeaux on the 24th. The King arrived the -following day, and Bassompierre went at once to pay his respects and -compliment him on his victory over the Parlement of Pau. - - “I expected a good reception,” he says, “but, on the contrary, he - did not even look at me, at which I was a little astonished. - However, I approached him and said: ‘Sire, are you displeased with - me in good earnest, or are you making game of me?’ ‘I am not - looking at you,’ he answered coldly, and with that turned away. - - “I was unable to imagine what could be the reason for this - coldness, after the complimentary letters I had received from him. - I went to salute M. de Luynes, and was received so coldly by him, - that I saw plainly that my situation had undergone some great - change. I returned to the gallery of the archbishop’s palace, where - I found the Cardinal de Retz and MM. de Schomberg and de Roucelaï, - who drew me aside and told me that M. de Luynes complained - infinitely of me, saying that I had neglected his friendship and - believed that without it I could maintain myself in the good graces - of the King; and that he had declared that people should see which - of us two had the power to overthrow the other; that the favour of - the King could not be shared, and that, since I had offended him, - he could no longer suffer me at the Court.” - -Bassompierre, more and more astonished, begged his friends to tell him -“what wind could have developed into this tempest,” since he had never -had any quarrel with M. de Luynes, but, on the contrary, had been of -service to him on many occasions and had contributed not a little to his -advancement at Court, insomuch that the latter had “promised and sworn -to him the closest friendship.” He was therefore at a loss to comprehend -how M. de Luynes desired, not only to break with, but to persecute, nay, -even ruin, him, if it were in his power to do so. To this they replied -that M. de Luynes had given them to understand that he had no less than -five grievances against him:-- - -In the first place, when, at the Ponts-des-Cé, the King had shown M. de -Bassompierre the draft of the articles of peace which had been drawn up -by M. de Luynes, who was himself present, M. de Bassompierre had -expressed the opinion that they were far too lenient as regards the -rebels, and that it would be as well to make an example of one of these -gentlemen, in order to strike terror into the others and make them a -little less ready to take up arms against their sovereign in the future. -This was to cast a serious reflection upon M. de Luynes, and to suggest -that he had been negligent of his Majesty’s interests in drafting the -treaty. - -Secondly, when the King was at Poitiers, awaiting a visit from the -Queen-Mother, whose coming was unavoidably delayed, M. de Bassompierre -had suggested that this delay was “an artifice of her partisans to -prevent his Majesty’s journey to Guienne”; and this most uncalled for -observation had made so great an impression upon the King’s mind, that -M. de Luynes had experienced a thousand difficulties in persuading him -to remain at Poitiers until the Queen-Mother’s arrival. - -Thirdly, although, while the Court was at Bordeaux, M. de Luynes had on -several occasions invited M. de Bassompierre to dine with him, that -gentleman had always declined, thereby showing that he held his -friendship of but little account. - -Fourthly, when the King was at Preignac, awaiting the ratification of -his edict by the Parlement of Pau, M. de Bassompierre had remarked to -his Majesty that, if these gentlemen gave him the trouble of going to -Béarn, he counselled him to make them pay dearly for his journey. This -was to incite the King to cruelty, and was most reprehensible. - -And, finally, M. de Bassompierre had so preoccupied the mind of the -King, that his Majesty did not believe that anything could be done well -unless it were done by him, as was proved by the fact that, without even -troubling to consult his Council, he had “dethroned” the other -brigadier-generals and placed M. de Bassompierre in command of his army. -This M. de Luynes was unable to suffer, being aware that he had still -sufficient influence to put a stop to the progress which the other was -making daily, to his prejudice, in the good graces of the King. - -When Bassompierre heard this, he “judged well that M. de Luynes was -seeking pretexts to ruin him, and, since he could not find any -legitimate ones in his actions, he had maliciously perverted the sense -of his words.” His friends, on their side, “did not disguise from him -that it was nothing but pure jealousy of his favour which possessed that -gentleman, and that, being in the position he was, he kept always a -watchful eye on those who might divert from him the affection of the -King, and that, observing the great inclination of the King for him -(Bassompierre), he looked upon him as the dog who intended to bite him.” -They then begged Bassompierre to furnish them with his reply to the -charges brought against him by the jealous favourite, which they -promised to report faithfully to the latter, and endeavour by every -means in their power to bring about an amicable settlement. - -Bassompierre thereupon proceeded to deal in detail with the different -causes of complaint which Luynes had against him, and concluded by -requesting his friends to inform him that, if he would be pleased to -prescribe some rules of conduct for him, he would undertake to follow -them so exactly, that in future M. de Luynes should have no cause to -believe that he aspired in any fashion whatsoever to usurp the good -graces of the King, except by his services to the Crown; and to add that -“he esteemed so little, and feared so much, favours that were not the -reward of merit that, if they were lying on the ground at his feet, he -would not condescend to stoop and pick them up.” - -Next day, the Cardinal de Retz and his fellow-mediators came to -Bassompierre and told him that they had duly carried his answer to -Luynes, who had informed them that M. de Bassompierre had so deeply -offended him, that he could only repeat what he had said to them before, -namely, that he was unable to suffer him at the Court. If, however, M. -de Bassompierre were willing to withdraw with as little delay as -possible, he would see that the salaries of his various appointments -were promptly paid him during his absence, and that within a certain -period--which, however, he had refused to define--he would cause him to -be recalled with honour, when he would do all in his power to advance -his interests. - -On receiving this proposal, Bassompierre could not contain his -indignation, and requested his friends to return at once to Luynes and -inform him that “he (Bassompierre) was not the kind of man who could be -treated as a scoundrel and driven ignominiously away in this fashion”; -that, if his honesty or his loyalty were suspected, he could be -imprisoned and punished, if found guilty; but that to drive him from the -Court merely to gratify a caprice was outrageous, and he defied him to -do it. - -His friends, however, deprecated such strong language and begged him to -seek to compose, rather than to embitter, this most unfortunate affair. -They then suggested, if he were willing, that they should inform the -favourite that M. de Bassompierre desired them to say that he was -indeed astonished that M. de Luynes had treated his enemies with such -magnanimity after the action at the Ponts-des-Cé, when it was in his -power to punish them as they deserved and avenge himself upon them; -while for M. de Bassompierre, who had hazarded his life in his -service--since there could be no question that the object of the recent -rebellion was not to dispossess the King of his crown, but to separate -him from M. de Luynes--and, by his own admission, had acted so worthily -in these disturbances--he had nothing but ingratitude. He felt assured, -however, that if M. de Luynes would but reflect upon the obligations -under which he had placed him, he would decide that he was deserving of -reward, and not at all of such a punishment as to be driven with infamy -from the Court, to which M. de Bassompierre could never bring himself to -submit. - -Bassompierre, aware that he could trust his friends to do their best for -him in the very awkward predicament in which he was placed, told them -that he left the matter entirely to their discretion, and they went -away. - -From Bordeaux the Court proceeded to Blaye, where the King remained -three days, and was magnificently entertained by the new Duke of -Luxembourg-Piney, who was governor of that place. At table, Louis XIII, -who, before this trouble arose, had been in the habit of talking and -jesting incessantly with Bassompierre, did not speak a single word to -him, “which gave him pain.” However, on the evening before the King’s -departure for Saintes, where he was to pass the following night, he -ordered Bassompierre to precede him with the Swiss, who were to furnish -the guard at Saintes; and when the latter approached him to receive the -password, which was, of course, always given in a very low voice, his -Majesty said: “Bassompierre, my friend, do not worry, and do not appear -to notice anything.” “I made no reply,” writes Bassompierre, “from fear -lest someone might perceive something, but I was not sorry that the -source of the King’s kindness had not dried up, so far as I was -concerned.” - -After supper that night, he received a visit from Roucelaï, who said -that the Cardinal de Retz and Schomberg, who were then with Luynes, had -sent him to say that the favourite had pronounced his final decision, -which was that Bassompierre must leave the Court so soon as possible -after the King returned to Paris. At the same time, he desired to deal -honourably with him and that his departure should be free from any -appearance of disgrace, and if Bassompierre would suggest some way by -which this could be contrived, he would be prepared to give it his -favourable consideration. - -Bassompierre, recognising that the all-powerful favourite was determined -to drive him from the Court, and that the only course open to him was to -make the best terms he could, replied that if Luynes were willing to -procure for him a government, an important military post, or an embassy -extraordinary, which would enable him to quit the Court with honour, and -to render the King more useful service than he could by remaining there, -he would take his departure so soon as he pleased. Roucelaï then -returned to his friends with Bassompierre’s answer, which was duly -communicated to Luynes. The latter expressed his approval of it, and -told them that in the course of the next day’s journey he would come to -an arrangement with him on these conditions. - - “This he did with a good grace,” says Bassompierre, “and told me - frankly that the esteem which he perceived that the King - entertained for me gave him umbrage, and that he was like a man who - feared to be deceived by his wife, and who did not like to see even - a very honest man paying attention to her; that, apart from that, - he had a strong inclination for me, as he intended to show me, - provided that I did not cast loving glances at his mistress. And - that same evening he took me to speak to the King, who received me - very cordially and told me to make ready to travel post on the - morrow.” - -The King journeyed in this fashion from Saintes to Paris, accompanied -only by thirty or forty attendants. As they were nearing Châtellerault, -Bassompierre, learning that it was proposed to spend the night there, -warned Luynes that the town contained a large proportion of Huguenots, -and that if these, incensed by the King’s forcible re-establishment of -the Catholic faith in Béarn, were to summon their co-religionists from -La Rochelle to their aid, which they could easily do, and make an -attempt upon his Majesty’s person, he would be in great danger. On -hearing this, Luynes was much alarmed and begged the King not to stop at -Châtellerault; but Louis XIII, whose physical courage presented a -striking contrast to his moral flabbiness, refused to alter his -arrangements, and told him that he would answer for his own safety and -that of his attendants. - -On November 6, the King reached Paris, and his first act was to visit -the Queen-Mother, who had now been permitted to return to the capital. -On the following day he went to Saint-Germain, and subsequently visited -Luynes at Lesigny, returning to Paris towards the end of the month. -Bassompierre does not appear to have been in attendance on the King -during these visits, nor was he commanded to accompany him when, early -in December, he set out with Luynes to inspect the fortresses of -Picardy. It was evidently the favourite’s policy to keep his rival as -much as possible at a distance from the King, until some post away from -the Court could be found for him. - -An act of aggression on the part of Spain furnished Luynes with what he -was seeking. - -The Spaniards, masters of the Milanese, had long coveted the Valtellina, -or Upper Valley of the Adda, which had been ceded to the Grisons by the -last of the Sforza. The possession of this valley would be of immense -strategic importance to them, since it would link the Milanese with the -Tyrol and Austria, and, at the same time, intercept the communications -of the Venetians with the Grisons, the Swiss and France. Since France -had an exclusive treaty with the Grisons, the Valtellina was an open -door for her into Italy, and Spain desired to close this door at any -cost. Successive governors of Milan had industriously fomented the -religious quarrel between the Protestant Grisons and the Catholics of -the Valtellina, and these intrigues at length bore fruit. One Sunday in -July, 1620, the Valtellina Catholics rose, massacred all the Protestants -of their country, to the number of several hundred, and then appealed to -the Spaniards to defend them from the vengeance of the Grisons. The -response, as may be supposed, was prompt and effective; the Spaniards -immediately entered the valley and took possession of all the strong -places, and, though the cantons of Berne and Zurich came to the -assistance of the Grisons, their united efforts proved powerless to -dislodge them. - -This bold stroke of the Spaniards was a direct menace to Venice and -Savoy, and an indirect act of aggression against France; and the French -Government resolved to send an Ambassador Extraordinary to Madrid to -demand the evacuation of the Valtellina by Spain. Luynes had no -difficulty in deciding who that Ambassador Extraordinary ought to be, -and one day, towards the end of December, a courier from Picardy drew -rein before Bassompierre’s door and handed him a letter from the King, -informing him of his appointment, and directing him to be in readiness -to start for Madrid immediately after his Majesty returned to Paris. - - * * * * * - -A few days after Luynes had succeeded in finding so admirable a pretext -for ridding himself, for some months at least, of the only man whom he -considered capable of disputing with him the favour of the King, another -piece of good fortune befell him. On the night of Christmas Day, 1620, -the Duchesse de Luynes gave birth to a son.[137] - -No sooner was the news of this great event noised abroad than the bells -of every church in Paris rang out a joyous peal, and several couriers -started to carry the glad tidings to Calais, where the King and Luynes -had arrived a day or two before to inspect the fortifications of the -harbour, which had been greatly damaged by a recent gale. Louis XIII was -the first to receive the news, and so delighted was he that he gave the -bearer a present of 4,000 crowns and undertook to announce it himself to -his favourite. Before doing so, however, he ordered all the guns of the -citadel to be discharged, and when Luynes inquired the meaning of this, -embraced him and exclaimed: “My cousin, I am come to rejoice with you, -because you have a son!” - -Truly, as Contarini, the Venetian Ambassador, observed, in announcing -the event to his Government, “the Duc de Luynes seemed to have enchained -Fortune.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - - An alliance with Luynes’s niece, Mlle. de Combalet, proposed to - Bassompierre--His journey to Spain--His entry into Madrid--He is - visited by the Princess of the Asturias, the grandees and other - distinguished persons--His meeting with the Duke of Ossuña--His - audience of Philip III postponed owing to the King’s - illness--Commissioners are appointed to treat with Bassompierre - over the Valtellina question--Death of Philip III--His funeral - procession--An indiscreet observation of the Duke of Ossuña to one - of Bassompierre’s suite is overheard and leads to the arrest of - that nobleman. - - -Louis XIII and Luynes returned to Paris on January 12, 1621, and -Bassompierre was “extremely pressed to take his departure.” But, as may -be supposed, he was in no hurry to go, and, by raising all kinds of -difficulties in regard to his instructions, succeeded in gaining a -respite of three weeks; and it was not until the beginning of February -that his despatches were handed to him. Even then, on one pretext or -another, he contrived to postpone his departure for another week, though -his suite, which numbered no less than 140 persons, including forty -gentlemen whose expenses he had undertaken to defray himself, were sent -on ahead in batches to await him at Bordeaux. - -Just before he left Paris, what was regarded at the time as a most -advantageous marriage was proposed to him. - -It happened that, some weeks before, the Duc de Retz, the nobleman who -had played such a sorry part at the Ponts-des-Cé, had lost his wife, -upon which his uncle, the Cardinal de Retz, and his friend, the Comte de -Schomberg, decided to counsel him to demand the hand of Luynes’s niece, -Mlle. de Combalet. Condé and Guise, learning what was in the wind, and -fearing that this marriage might divert all the good things which were -in the favourite’s power to bestow from themselves and their relatives -to the Retz family, thereupon determined to put Bassompierre forward as -a rival candidate. For Bassompierre had no near relatives to provide -for--at least none who were French subjects, with the exception of his -natural son by Marie d’Entragues--and, so far as courtiers went, he was -neither ambitious nor greedy. They judged, too, that Luynes would -welcome the opportunity of attaching Bassompierre to his interests, -which he might serve in many ways. However, they were a little doubtful -as to how that gentleman himself might be inclined to regard the matter, -for, since the day when his matrimonial aspirations had been so rudely -dashed by the intervention of Henri IV, he had shown a most marked -disinclination to enter the “holy estate.” But since, notwithstanding -this, the ladies had great influence over him, Condé proposed that he -should depute his wife, and Guise his sister, the Princesse de Conti, -“to persuade him to embrace the match.” With the former Bassompierre had -always remained on the friendliest terms; for the latter he was known to -entertain a warmer feeling than friendship. - -On February 9--the day before he left Paris--Bassompierre attended a -grand ball given by Luynes, to which he had apparently gone with the -intention of taking leave of the Comtesse de Rochefort, of whom he was -still the very devoted servant. - - “As I was ascending the stairs,” he says, “_Madame la Princesse_ - and the Princesse de Conti, who were laughing very much, drew me - into a window, but, instead of speaking, came nigh to splitting - their sides with laughter. At last they told me that formerly I had - spoken of love to many fair ladies, but that never had ladies of - good family spoken to me of marriage, which now they were going to - require of me. I was a long time in deciphering the meaning of what - they said, but, finally, they told me that the husband of one and - the brother of the other had charged them to seduce me, but that it - was to enter into an honourable marriage; and that I must empower - _Monsieur le Prince_ and M. de Guise to negotiate and conclude the - affair of Mlle. de Combalet while I was Ambassador Extraordinary in - Spain.” - -To this proposal Bassompierre gave a not very cordial consent. Since a -man must marry some time or other, as well the niece of the favourite as -any other lady, and he did not quite see how otherwise he was to disarm -the jealousy of Luynes. - -On the following day Bassompierre set out on his long journey to Madrid, -and on the 17th arrived at Bordeaux, where he remained a couple of days -“for love of MM. d’Épernon and de Roquelaure.” On reaching Belin, nine -leagues from Bordeaux, on the evening of the 19th he found a courier -awaiting him with a letter from Du Fargis d’Angennes, the ordinary -French Ambassador at Madrid, begging him to delay his arrival there -until he heard from him again, as a most unpleasant incident had -occurred, in consequence of which the greater part of his staff and -servants were now in prison, while he himself had been obliged to leave -the city, as his life was no longer safe there. - -It appears that Du Fargis, whom Tallemant des Réaux describes as “a man -of courage, intelligence, and learning, but of a singular levity,” not -finding the French Embassy a sufficiently-commodious residence, desired -to remove to a larger one, and had cast his eye upon a very fine house -near by, which appeared in every way suited to his requirements. Now, in -those days, there were at Madrid certain State officials called -_aposentadores_, part of whose duty it was to find suitable -accommodation for ambassadors and other distinguished foreigners, and -who were empowered to requisition any house which these important -personages might desire to have. Du Fargis accordingly went to the -_aposentadores_ and informed them that he wished to remove to this -house, and the _aposentadores_ immediately assigned it to him. But just -as he was on the point of taking possession, the owner of the house -appeared upon the scene, and produced a document bearing the King’s -signature which expressly exempted his property from being requisitioned -for State purposes. The Ambassador angrily replied that the house had -been assigned to him by the _aposentadores_ and that he should insist on -having it, upon which the owner told him that he should appeal to the -Council of Castile. This he did, and the Council at once decided in his -favour. - -Meantime, however, Du Fargis, with the idea of stealing a march upon his -adversary, had sent two of his valets to the house with part of the -ambassadorial wardrobe, and when the decision of the Council was -communicated to him, he replied that, as some of his property was -already in the house, he was in possession, and could not be turned out. -And so resolved was he to have his way that he forthwith sent all his -staff and servants there, together with some of the people of the -Venetian Ambassador, who was a particular friend of his, with -instructions to resist by force any attempt to dislodge them. - -The exasperated owner went to complain to the Council, who sent orders -to the invaders to leave the house and take their master’s clothes with -them, and two _alguazils_ to see that they did so; because, never -dreaming that the Ambassador intended to resist the law--“a thing -unheard of in that country”--they did not think it necessary to send any -more. But the French and their Venetian allies fell upon the unfortunate -officers and killed them, after which, in derision, they hung their -_vares_, or wands of office, from the balcony of the house. - -The townsfolk, on learning of this outrage, were infuriated, and soon an -armed mob more than two thousand strong besieged the house and the -Ambassador, “who had gone in by a back door.” The garrison, on their -side, prepared for a desperate resistance, and a sanguinary affray -seemed inevitable, when, happily, an _alcalde_, Don Sebastian de -Carvajal, arrived on the scene, persuaded the mob to disperse and the -Ambassador and his people to evacuate their fortress, and carried off Du -Fargis in his carriage to the French Embassy. - -Although Du Fargis had only himself to blame for this affair, he had the -presumption to seek an audience of Philip III and “demand justice for -the outrage which had been committed against him, contrary to the Law of -Nations.” The King promised to give him every satisfaction and appointed -a commission to inquire into the matter. But when he was informed of -what had actually occurred, he was very angry, and gave orders that, -while the sacred persons of the Ambassadors of France and Venice were to -be scrupulously respected, every one of their people who could be found -outside the Embassies, unless he happened to be in attendance on his -master at the time, and therefore covered by the ægis of his presence, -was to be promptly arrested and hauled off to prison. The _alguazils_, -burning to avenge their murdered comrades, went to work with right good -will, and rounded up secretaries of legation, attachés, lackeys, and -chefs so effectively, that in a day or two their Excellencies could -hardly find anyone to copy their despatches or prepare their meals. “The -Ambassador himself,” says Bassompierre, “not feeling himself safe from -the fury of the people, withdrew from the town, and wrote to the King to -warn him of the situation to which he was reduced, and to me to delay my -arrival.” - -Bassompierre, however, had no desire to kick his heels about dirty -Spanish inns until Du Fargis could persuade Philip III to set his people -at liberty; besides which he knew that the affair of the Valtellina was -a pressing one and that he had already wasted a good deal of time. He -therefore decided to continue his journey, but wrote to the Duke of -Monteleone and Don Fernando Giron, two grandees of his acquaintance, -begging them to endeavour to accommodate the affair. These noblemen -spoke to the King and informed Bassompierre that his Majesty desired to -see him as soon as possible, and had promised that, on his arrival, he -would find everything settled to his satisfaction. - -On February 21 Bassompierre reached Bayonne, where he remained for four -days as the guest of the Comte de Gramont, who was governor and -hereditary mayor of the town, and then set out for Saint-Jean-de-Luz, -accompanied by the count. On the way he had the unusual experience for a -landsman of witnessing a whale-hunt:-- - - “As we were coming from Bayonne to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, we saw out at - sea more than fifty little sailing-boats giving chase to a whale, - which had been sighted going along the coast, accompanied by a - little whale. And at eleven o’clock that evening we had news that - the little whale had been captured, which we saw the next morning - lying on the beach, where it had been stranded during the high - tide.” - -While at Saint-Jean-de-Luz, some of the inhabitants danced a ballet for -the diversion of their distinguished guests, “which,” says Bassompierre, -“was, for the Basques, as fine as could be expected.” Before leaving the -town they learned of the death of Pope Paul V, which had occurred on -January 28, and of the election of his successor, Alessandro Ludovisio, -Cardinal Archbishop of Bologna, who took the name of Gregory XV. - -Gramont accompanied his friend so far as the Bidassoa, which divided -France from Spain, and then took leave of him; and Bassompierre and his -suite crossed the little river and entered Spain, under the guidance of -the _coreo mayor_, or post-master, of the province of Guipuzcoa, who -escorted the party to a _venta_ near Irun, where they passed the night. -The next day’s journey brought them to Segura, and on the 28th they -crossed the barren limestone heights of the Sierra de San Adrian, and -proceeded, by way of Vittoria and Miranda de Ebro, to Burgos, where they -arrived on March 3. - -At Burgos Bassompierre went to visit the cathedral, one of the marvels -of Gothic architecture in Spain, which he pronounces “_bien belle_,” and -saw “_el santo crucifisso_,” by which presumably he means the -much-revered image of Our Saviour known as the “Christo de Burgos.” - -The following day he arrived at Lerma, and went to see the magnificent -mansion which that old rascal the Cardinal Duke de Lerma had recently -built for himself with a portion of the immense sums of which he had -robbed his unfortunate country. He afterwards went to hear Mass at a -convent which had also been built by Lerma, where the music, he tells -us, was excellent. - -On the 8th, Bassompierre reached Alcovendas, a few miles to the north of -Madrid. Here he received a visit from Du Fargis, who came to inform him -of the arrangements for his entry into Madrid. Du Fargis’s staff and -servants, and those of his friend the Venetian Ambassador, were still in -prison, but they were to be set at liberty next day, in time to assist -at Bassompierre’s reception. - -On the following afternoon, Bassompierre made his entry into the capital -of Spain, and had no cause to complain of the way in which he was -received:-- - - “The Ambassador [Du Fargis] and all the families of the other - Ambassadors came to meet me. The Count of Barajas[138] came to - receive me with the carriages of the King, in one of which I seated - myself. He was accompanied by many of the nobility; and a very - great number of women in carriages came out of the town to see my - arrival. I alighted at the house of the Count of Barajas, which had - been sumptuously prepared for my accommodation. There I found the - Duke of Monteleone, Don Fernando Giron, Don Carlos Coloma and a - great number of other noblemen whom I had known in France or - elsewhere, waiting to greet me. I went to pay my respects to the - Countess of Barajas,[139] who had invited a number of ladies to - assist her in receiving me, and afterwards I supped at a table - where fifty covers were laid, which was kept for me all the time I - was at Madrid. In the course of the evening, the Duke of Uceda sent - one of his gentlemen to greet me on his behalf.” - -Bassompierre spent the following day in receiving the visits of a great -number of distinguished persons. An early arrival was the wife of the -heir to the throne (Élisabeth of France) who was accompanied by a large -party of ladies of the palace, “both old and young.” She was followed by -grandees and their wives, dignitaries of Church and State, members of -the Corps Diplomatique, and so forth, whom we need not particularise, -though Bassompierre’s account of the arrival of one of the chief -grandees in Spain at that time cannot be omitted:-- - - “The Duke of Ossuña[140] was the next who came to greet me, with - extraordinary pomp; for he was carried in a chair; he wore an - Hungarian robe furred with ermine and a number of jewels of great - value; and was followed by more than twenty carriages, filled with - Spanish nobles, his relations and friends, or Neapolitan nobles; - while his chair was surrounded by more than fifty - captain-lieutenants or _alferes reformados_, Spanish or Neapolitan. - He embraced me with great affection and cordiality, and, after - calling me Excellency three or four times, he reminded me that, at - a supper at Zamet’s, at which the King[141] was present, we had - made an alliance, and that I had promised to call him father and - that he should call me son; and he begged me to continue to do - this. So that we afterwards treated one another without any - ceremony. After this he was pleased to greet all who had - accompanied me from France, speaking to them in French and saying - so many extravagant things that I was not astonished at the - disgrace into which he shortly afterwards fell.” - -Next day came more grandees, more ladies, more prelates, and more -ambassadors, including those of England and the Emperor; and no sooner -had the unfortunate Bassompierre got rid of one batch, than another -appeared upon the scene, until by the time the last of his visitors had -taken his departure he was quite worn out. However, he was not to be -allowed much rest, for in the evening he received a visit from the -auditor of the Nuncio, who was conducting the affairs of the Holy See at -Madrid during the absence of his chief, who had gone to Rome to receive -a cardinal’s hat. This ecclesiastic came to talk politics, and showed -Bassompierre the copy of a brief which he had received from Gregory XV -on the subject of the Valtellina, in which his Holiness demanded the -restitution of the country, “for the sake of the freedom of Italy,” and -threatened his Catholic Majesty with the employment of both spiritual -and temporal weapons if the latter’s troops were not promptly withdrawn. -Altogether, it was quite a courageous letter for a new Pope to write to -a King of Spain, and pleased Bassompierre mightily; and he was still -more gratified to learn that the demands of France and the Vatican were -to be supported by the representatives of England, Venice, and Savoy. -However, when once the Spaniard of those days got his claws into -anything he coveted, it was no easy matter to induce him to release his -prey; and, though very ready to promise, he was exceedingly slow to -perform. - -The Papal representative was followed by Don Juan de Serica, one of the -Secretaries of State, who came to visit Bassompierre on behalf of Philip -III, and who informed him, “after several flattering observations, -touching the satisfaction that the King felt at his arrival and the good -opinion that he entertained of him,” that he would be accorded an -audience so soon as his Majesty’s health would permit. - - “He was indeed ill,” says Bassompierre, “though everyone believed - that he feigned to be so, in order to delay my audience and my - despatches.” - -And then he goes on to relate how the unfortunate monarch had fallen a -victim to those inexorable rules of Spanish Court etiquette, of which he -was the central object: - - “His illness began on the first Friday in Lent (February 26). He - was engaged on some despatches, and the day being cold, an - excessively hot brazier had been put in the room where he was - working. The reflection of this brazier fell so strongly on his - face, that drops of sweat poured from it; but, as he was of a - character never to find fault or complain of anything, he said - nothing. The Marquis of Povar,[142] from whom I heard this, told me - that, perceiving how the heat of the brazier was annoying him, he - told the Duke of Alba,[143] who, like himself, was one of the - Gentlemen of the Chamber, to take it away. But since they are very - punctilious about their functions, he replied that it was the duty - of the _sommeiller du corps_, the Duke of Uceda. Upon that the - Marquis de Povar sent for him; but, unhappily, he had gone to look - at a house which he was having built. And so, before the Duke of - Uceda could be brought, the poor King was so broiled, that on the - morrow he fell into a fever. The fever brought on an erysipelas, - and the erysipelas, sometimes subsiding and sometimes increasing, - at length ended in a petechial fever, which killed him.” - -During the next three days Bassompierre continued to receive visits from -distinguished persons of the Court, the most important of whom was the -old Duke del Infantado,[144] the mayor-domo mayor,[145] who came to see -him in great state, with the four mayor-domos walking before. This old -grandee, Bassompierre tells us, took a great fancy to him and rendered -him many services while he was at Madrid. - -If poor Philip III was too unwell to grant Bassompierre an audience, he -seemed anxious to make his stay in his capital as agreeable as possible. -For, not only did he obtain from the Patriarch of the Indies, “who was -like a Legate at the Court,” a Bull permitting him and one hundred -members of his suite to eat meat in Lent, but authorised him to have -plays performed at his house by the two companies of Royal players, -which were amalgamated, in order to secure a stronger cast. The King -paid the actors 300 reals for each performance, to which the munificent -Frenchman added 1,000 out of his own pocket. - -Theatrical representations in Lent had never been seen before in Spain, -and, though the more bigoted were doubtless very scandalised, and -thought that his Catholic Majesty’s illness must be of the brain rather -than of the body, the majority of people were delighted at the -innovation, and invitations were eagerly sought for. - - “The first performance,” says Bassompierre, “took place on March - 14, in a great gallery in my house, which was beautifully decorated - and illuminated, and a great number of ladies and nobles were - present. During the play I had sweetmeats and _aloja_ brought in - for the ladies who had come. The ladies were of two kinds: those - who had been invited by the Countess of Barajas, who remained on - the high dais and had their faces veiled; and those who sat on the - steps of the dais or in the _salle_. These last were covered by - their mantillas. The men also came, some covered and some not. All - the ambassadors were invited. After the play was over, I gave a - supper in private, prepared _à la Française_ by my people, at - which seven or eight of the grandees, or chief nobles, of Spain - were my guests.” - -After this, plays were performed almost every evening up to the time of -the King’s death. - -On the 15th, Don Juan de Serica was sent by Philip III to inform -Bassompierre that he feared that his illness would prevent him from -giving him audience for some days longer. Since, however, he had learned -that there was a rumour afloat to the effect that he was feigning -illness with the object of retarding the important affairs upon which -his Excellency had come to see him, he had decided, in order to give the -lie to this rumour, to nominate forthwith commissioners to treat with -his Excellency. Bassompierre begged Don Juan to convey his very humble -thanks to his Majesty for the favour which he was doing him; and next -day the King nominated four commissioners, one of whom was Don Balthazar -de Zuniga, who was to play a prominent part at the beginning of the next -reign. At Don Balthazar’s suggestion, Bassompierre consented to Giulio -de Medici, Archbishop of Pisa, the Ambassador of Tuscany, being -associated with them as mediator, “to make us agree and to readjust -matters, if there were any hitch or rupture in the negotiations.” - -A day or two later, Serica came to see Bassompierre and informed him -that the King was better, and had decided to give him audience on the -following Sunday (March 21). On the Sunday, however, while Bassompierre -was awaiting the arrival of the Duke of Gandia, who had been charged to -conduct him to the palace and present him to the King, he learned that, -as Philip III was dressing in order to receive him, he had been suddenly -taken ill and had been obliged to return to bed, and that the audience -must therefore be postponed to another day. - -In point of fact, it never took place at all, for the King grew rapidly -worse. Bassompierre has left us some details about his last days:-- - - “On the 23rd, the King had a great increase of fever, and they - began to fear the result. He was very melancholy from the - persuasion that he was going to die. - - “On the 27th, he told his physicians that they understood nothing - about his complaint, and that he felt he was dying. He commanded - processions and that public prayers should be offered for him. - - “On, Sunday, the 28th, the image of Nuestra Señora de Attoches was - carried in solemn procession to Las Descalzas reales.[146] All the - counsellors attended, with a great number of penitents, who whipped - themselves cruelly for the King’s recovery. The body of the blessed - St. Isidore was carried to the King’s chamber, and the Holy - Sacrament laid on the altars of all the churches. - - “On the 29th, the physicians despaired of his life, upon which he - sent to summon the President of Castile, and his confessor - Alliaga[147] to whom he spoke for a long time, and to the Duke of - Uceda, who sent for the Prince[148] and Don Carlos.[149] He gave - them his blessing, and begged the Prince to employ his old - servants, amongst whom he recommended the Duke of Uceda, his - confessor, and Don Bernabe de Vianco. Then he ordered the Infanta - Maria and the Cardinal Infant[150] to be admitted, to whom he also - gave his blessing. The Princess was unable to come, by reason of a - faintness which seized her as she was entering the King’s chamber. - The King next divided his relics amongst them, after which he - communicated. - - “On Tuesday, the 30th, at two o’clock in the morning, Extreme - Unction was administered to the King. He then signed a great number - of papers. About noon he had the body of St. Isidore brought and - placed against his bed, and he vowed to build a chapel to the - saint. He then sent to summon the Duke of Lerma, who was at - Valladolid. - - “On Wednesday, the 31st and last day of March, he yielded up his - soul. - - “The King’s death was officially communicated to the ambassadors at - noon, and we, at the same time, received permission to despatch - couriers at five o’clock to carry the news to our masters. - - “The Queen[151] went with the Infanta Maria to the Descalzas, and - the new King left in a closed carriage to go to San Geronimo.[152] - On the road he met the body of Our Lord, which was being carried to - a sick man, and, according to the ancient custom of the House of - Austria, wished to alight and accompany it. The Count of - Olivarez[153] said to him: ‘_Advierta V. Md. que anda tapado._’ - (‘Your Majesty should recollect that you ought to be covered.’) To - which he answered: ‘_No ayque taparse delante de Dios._’ (‘It is - never right to be covered before God.’) - - “This was thought a very good omen at Madrid.” - -On April 1 the body of Philip III lay in state at the palace, the face -being uncovered, and Bassompierre went with the other ambassadors to -sprinkle it with holy water. On the following day it was removed to the -Escurial for burial. - - “At five o’clock in the afternoon,” says Bassompierre, “they - removed the body of the late King from the palace to carry it to - the tomb of his fathers in the Escurial. I went to see it pass over - the Puente Segoviana, with nearly all the grandees and ladies of - Madrid. In my opinion, it was a rather sorry funeral procession for - so great a King. First came a hundred or a hundred and twenty - Hieronymite monks, wearing their surplices and mounted on fine - mules. They rode two and two, following their leader, who carried - the Cross. Then came thirty Guards, led by the Marquises de Povar - and de Falsas; and following them the King’s Household, the - _mayor-domos_ last, with the Duke del Infantado, _mayor-domo - mayor_, preceding the body of the King, which was borne on a litter - drawn by two mules, which were covered, as was the litter, with - cloth-of-gold. The Gentlemen of the Chamber walked behind the - litter, and twenty archers of the Burgundian Guard brought up the - rear. They halted for the night at Pinto, and rather early on the - morrow arrived at the Escurial, where the funeral service was - celebrated, after which the company returned to Madrid.” - -Bassompierre’s “father,” the Duke of Ossuña, was one of the grandees who -witnessed the procession from the Puente Segoviana; and he ascribes to -some injudicious remarks made by the duke on this occasion to two -gentlemen of his suite the fact that he was shortly afterwards arrested -and imprisoned:-- - - “The Duke of Ossuña was on the bridge to see the body of the King - pass by, and happening to stop opposite a carriage which contained - some of the gentlemen who had accompanied me to France, he inquired - if they knew when I was to have audience of the new King. M. de - Rothelin and the Marquis de Bussy d’Amboise[154] answered that I - had been informed that it would be on the following Sunday. ‘I am - rejoiced to hear that,’ said he, ‘for I am promised the next - audience, in which I propose to say to the King that there are now - three great princes who govern the world, of whom one is aged - sixteen, another seventeen, and the third eighteen; that they are - himself, the Grand Turk, and the King of France; that whichever of - the three will have the longest sword will be the bravest; and that - one must be my master.’ These words were reported by a person in - his coach, who had been charged to spy upon his discourse and - actions, and, together with his previous conduct, were the cause of - his being thrown into prison, where he ended his days.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - - Bassompierre’s audience of the new King, Philip IV--The Procession - of the Crosses--An old flame--Good Friday at Madrid--Anxiety of the - Queen’s ladies-in-waiting to see Bassompierre--His visit to - them--He is commissioned by Louis XIII to present his condolences - to Philip IV--He is informed that etiquette requires him to leave - Madrid as though to return to France and then to make another - formal entry--Revolution of the palace at Madrid: fall of the late - King’s Ministers--The Count of Saldagna ordered by Philip IV to - marry Doña Mariana de Cordoba, on pain of his severe - displeasure--Bassompierre offers to facilitate the escape of - Saldagna to France, but the latter’s courage fails him at the last - moment--Negotiations over the Valtellina--Treaty of - Madrid--Bassompierre’s pretended departure for France--He visits - the Escurial, returns to Madrid and makes a second ceremonious - entry--The audience of condolence--State entry of Philip IV into - Madrid--Termination of Bassompierre’s embassy--He returns to - France. - - -On Palm Sunday, April 4, Bassompierre had an audience of the new King at -the Convent of San Geronimo. - - “Twenty carriages were brought,” says he, “in which the Ambassador - [Du Fargis] and I and the whole of our respective suites placed - ourselves. We were conducted only by the Count of Barajas, because - it was not a solemn audience, but a private one, at San Geronimo, - to which the King had retired, and he was only admitting me as a - favour in order to pay honour to the King [of France] his - brother-in-law, and to show the promptitude with which he desired - to conclude the affair upon which I had come. We all wore mourning - according to the Spanish fashion, with the _loba_, the _caperuza_ - and _capirote_,[155] which I did for two reasons: first, because, - since all the grandees present at the audience, and the King - himself, were wearing it, I should have been uncovered, while they - were not, which would not have been seemly on my part; secondly, - because the sight of me wearing deep mourning for the death of - their late King was very agreeable to the Spaniards, who would not - have felt thus had I been dressed in our fashion. I made my - obeisance to the King and offered him the _pesame_, which is the - compliment of condolence upon the death of the King his father, - after which we offered him the _parabien_, which is the compliment - of felicitation upon his happy accession to the Crowns.[156] This - we did also in the name of the King [of France], while awaiting the - despatch by him of some prince or great noble expressly to pay this - compliment. I then spoke to the King about our affairs, to all of - which things he answered very pertinently; and, after having paid - my respects to the prince,[157] who was with him, I retired.” - -On the Wednesday in Holy Week, Bassompierre and Du Fargis witnessed the -Procession of the Crosses from the balcony of a house in the Calle -Mayor, which had been reserved for them: - - “There were,” says Bassompierre, “more than five hundred penitents, - who walked barefooted, drawing large crosses, like that of Our - Lord, and, at intervals, were movable theatres, on which divers - representations of the Passion were exhibited in a very lifelike - manner.” - -Bassompierre pronounces this spectacle “_très belle_”; nevertheless, he -soon appears to have had enough of it, and on being joined by the -Ambassador of Lucca and two Spanish nobles, he rose, protesting that he -could not remain seated and leave three such distinguished persons -standing--for there were only two chairs on the balcony--but would -resign his seat to one of them, leave M. du Fargis to represent France, -and go and beg of a party of ladies whom he perceived below the favour -of occupying one of their footstools. This he did, and the ladies were -most kind and did him the honour to allow him to sit at their feet, and, -we fear, paid more attention to his Excellency than to the procession. -Nor was this all; for Fortune willed it that he should discover amongst -them a flame of the days of his youth, a certain Doña Aña de Sanasara, -whom he had known twenty-five years before at Naples, and who was now -the wife of the Secretary of the Council of Finance. “They recognised -each other with joy,” and Doña Aña, who was very rich, sent her old -admirer handsome presents and invited him to her house, where she -entertained him most sumptuously. - -On the following day--Maundy Thursday--Bassompierre witnessed another -procession, that of the Penitents, “in which there were more than two -thousand men who belaboured themselves with whips.” Afterwards he went -to hear the _Tenebræ_ at Nuestra Señora de Constantinopoli and spent the -night in visiting different churches. - -On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Madrid was a city of mourning: - - “The bells of the churches were silent; the carriages ceased to - pass through the town; no one rode on horseback; no one carried a - sword; no one was accompanied by his servants; and all the women - were veiled.” - -On Easter Monday, Bassompierre went to pay his respects to the new Queen -at the Carmelite convent, where she was still in retreat. Her Majesty -told him that all her ladies-in-waiting were longing to make his -acquaintance--evidently, the fame of his successes amongst the fair had -preceded him to Madrid--and that he ought to have compassion upon them -and demand _lugar_[158] of every one of them. Bassompierre replied that, -if he were to do that, it would occupy more time than he would require -to conclude the affair of the Valtellina, and asked, as a favour, that -he might be allowed to interview the whole posse of them at the same -time, promising to do his best not to confound one lady with another. -The Queen said that such a proceeding would not be in accordance with -etiquette; but Bassompierre observed that whenever their Majesties -granted favours they authorised some breach of etiquette, and that he -did not see why they could not do so in this case. The Queen smiled and -said that she would be quite willing, but that she dared not take so -important a step without first consulting the King. However, she would -speak to his Majesty, and inform him of the result. - -A few days later, Bassompierre was informed that the King had been -graciously pleased to consent that the rules of etiquette should be -waived in his Excellency’s favour, for which his Excellency “rendered -very humble thanks to the King.” Then he wrote to demand audience of all -the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, and, this having been accorded, proceeded -to the Alcazar and was conducted to her Majesty’s ante-chamber, where he -was presently joined by a bevy of fair and intensely curious ladies, in -charge of a duenna, all eager to behold this redoubtable _vainqueur de -dames_. And when they found that, in addition to his good looks and -fascinating manners, he was able to pay them the most charming -compliments in irreproachable Castilian, their delight knew no bounds, -and it was more than two hours before they would allow him to depart. - - * * * * * - -On April 16, Bassompierre received a despatch from Louis XIII -commissioning him to present his condolences to the new King on the -death of his father. When, however, he informed Zuniga of this and -inquired when Philip IV could give him audience to enable him to acquit -himself of his new duty, that old gentleman shook his head and declared -that it was quite contrary to the etiquette of the Spanish Court for an -Ambassador Extraordinary charged with the duty of concluding a treaty to -represent his sovereign in a different matter, unless he were to absent -himself from the capital for some days and then make a second public -entry. He therefore advised his Excellency to say nothing about the -matter at present, but, on the conclusion of the treaty which he was -then negotiating, to take leave of the King as though he were returning -to France, and to go so far as Burgos on his homeward journey. From that -town he would send a courier to Madrid to announce that, having on the -way received a new commission from his sovereign, he was returning to -discharge it; and, on his arrival, he would, of course, be received with -the same ceremony as on the previous occasion. - -Bassompierre, though greatly annoyed at these exasperating formalities, -which would not only delay his return to France, but involve him in a -great deal of unnecessary expense and inconvenience, had no alternative -but to promise compliance. He succeeded, however, in obtaining the -concession that his fictitious departure for France need not be preceded -by fictitious farewells of anyone besides the King and the Royal family, -and that, so long as he left the capital with his whole suite and -remained away for two or three days, the Escorial might be the limit of -his journey. - -The death of Philip III was followed by a revolution of the palace -almost as sweeping as that which had succeeded the assassination of -Concini in France. The new King’s favourite, Olivares, who, with his -uncle Don Balthazar de Zuniga, now assumed the direction of affairs, -bore a bitter grudge against the Sandoval family, who, on more than one -occasion, had endeavoured to get rid of him by assassination, and he -proceeded to take vengeance both upon them and their creatures. The Duke -of Uceda was arrested and thrown into prison, where, like the Duke of -Ossuña, he ended his days. His father, the Duke of Lerma, who, in -obedience to the dying summons of Philip III, was hastening to Madrid, -was met on the road by an officer of the Guards and informed that he was -to return to Valladolid, on pain of immediate arrest; while, shortly -afterwards, the greater part of his ill-gotten wealth - -[Illustration: PHILIP IV., KING OF SPAIN. - -From the painting by Velasquez.] - -was confiscated, under a clause in the late King’s will by which he -revoked the immense gifts he had made during his lifetime. The confessor -Alliaga was deprived of his post of Grand Inquisitor and relegated to -the obscurity of the monastery from which he had emerged; and several -other highly-placed personages lost their charges and were banished from -Court. - -The Count of Saldagna,[159] Lerma’s younger son, thanks to his having -had the good fortune to marry a daughter of the old Duke del -Infantado,[160] who was held in general esteem, was more leniently dealt -with than his father and elder brother, and was merely deprived of his -office of _cavalerizzo mayor_ (Grand Equerry) and ordered to go and -fight the Dutch in the Netherlands. But, a day or two later, “one of the -Queen’s maids-of-honour, Doña Mariana de Cordoba, presented to the King -a promise of marriage which the Count of Saldagna had given her,[161] -and the King commanded the said count to prepare to accomplish it.” - -The royal command appears to have been accompanied by an intimation -that, in the event of the count’s refusal to do the lady justice, most -unpleasant things would happen to him. Anyway, Saldagna appears to have -been greatly alarmed, and promised the King to lead Doña Mariana to the -altar “on the first day after the octave of Easter” (April 21). - -Now, when Bassompierre was setting out for Spain, Anne of Austria, who -was much attached to the Sandoval family, “had pressingly recommended to -him all that concerned the Duke of Lerma”; and, aware of this, -Saldagna’s aunt the Countess of Lemos[162] and other relatives and -friends of his, who were in despair at the prospect of his contracting -a _mésalliance_, to which, in their opinion, death itself would almost -be preferable, went to the ambassador and besought him, with tears in -their eyes, “to aid in preventing this marriage by every means he was -able to devise.” The recollection of his own troubles with Marie -d’Entragues naturally inclined Bassompierre to view Saldagna’s with a -sympathetic eye, and, apart from this, he had a decided weakness for -meddling in other people’s affairs in a benevolent kind of way. He knew, -too, that, by helping the Sandovals, he would establish a claim upon the -gratitude of Anne of Austria, who, though she had little or no influence -at present, might one day possess a great deal. He accordingly promised -them to do what he could to deliver their relative from the sad fate -which threatened him, and proceeded to San Geronimo--where Saldagna had -gone into retreat on the plea of illness, to escape the remonstrances of -his friends and the mocking felicitations of his enemies--with the -resolution to screw that nobleman’s courage up to what Shakespeare calls -the sticking-place, and then to propose to smuggle him out of Spain, -disguised as one of his servants. - - “After we had exchanged compliments,” he says, “I told him that I - knew not whether to give him the _parabien_ or the _pesame_ on his - approaching marriage,[163] since, although it might be a great - satisfaction for him, nevertheless a gallant of the Court, such as - he was, could not without sorrow abandon the pleasant existence he - had led up to the present to accept a lonely life, full of anxiety - and care, as was marriage. - - “He answered that he must perforce obey the master, who commanded - him to execute what he had promised the mistress; and that, - although it was a hard condition which he was placing on his - shoulders, it was an ill for which there was no remedy. - - “It appeared to me, from his discourse, that the pack-saddle galled - him, and that he would be very willing to find some alleviation. - And this encouraged me to tell him that there were more remedies - than he thought of, if he desired to be cured, and that the express - command which I had received from the Infanta-Queen to assist in - every way I could the duke-cardinal his father, as her own person, - obliged me, when I perceived the palpable displeasure with which he - and all his family regarded this forced marriage, to offer him, on - this occasion, my aid and assistance to extricate him from it, if - he so desired. - - “‘And what aid and assistance can you bring me,’ said he, ‘when - neither I myself nor my relatives are capable of doing anything?’ - - “Then I told him that, if he were willing to believe me and to - trust himself to me, I would extricate him from this difficulty - with honour and glory; that the Duke of Alba, grandfather of the - present duke,[164] had preferred to commit the crime of rebellion, - in delivering his son Fadrigue de Toledo,[165] in the midst of - peace, by the use of petards, from a château in which he had been - shut up in order to force him to espouse a maid-of-honour, than to - allow him to espouse a very wealthy girl, of a family equal to his - own; and that I myself had been at law for eight years with a - powerful family, who had threatened me with certain death if I did - not espouse a maid-of-honour of the Queen [of France] by whom I had - had a child, and to whom I had given a promise of marriage to serve - her as a blind; that, in case his honour and that of his House was - dear to him, as I believed it to be, he ought without regret to - quit for a time the Court of Spain, in which he was out of favour, - since he had been deprived of the charge of _cavalerizzo mayor_, - while his relatives and friends were disgraced and persecuted; that - the remedy I offered him was to leave the town at nightfall by - post, and go to await me at Bayonne, where I would join him at a - month at furthest; that the Comte de Gramont would entertain him - there in the meantime in such fashion that his stay would not be - disagreeable; that, in case he had not the money at hand to take - him there, I would furnish him with 1,000 pistoles to defray his - expenses until my arrival; that I would answer that, when he - reached the Court, the Queen would give him--until, by her - intervention, his peace was made here--1,000 crowns a month, and - that, if she did not, I would do so out of my own purse and give - him the word of a _caballero_ for it. - - “He assured me that he was deeply grateful both to the Queen and to - myself, and then said: ‘But what means have I of leaving Spain - without being stopped? And, if I were stopped, they would - undoubtedly have my head struck off.’ - - “I answered that I never proposed impossible things to those whom I - desired to serve, and that I would be responsible for his - departure, his journey and his safety; that I had been given a - passport for a gentleman whom I was sending that same day to the - King, and that he was travelling with two attendants; that he would - serve him on the road as valet, although this gentleman ought to be - his; that he would not take his departure until an hour of the - night when he [Saldagna] might come to me unperceived, and that he - might leave the other arrangements to me. - - “He told me that he was resolved to do as I proposed, and would be - all his life under a profound obligation to me; that he wished to - speak first to two of his friends; and that he begged me to have - everything in readiness at the hour I had named.” - -Not a little elated with his success, Bassompierre left him and returned -to Madrid to finish the despatch which Saldagna’s supposed master was to -carry that night to France. This task accomplished, he placed the -thousand pistoles he had promised the count in two purses, summoned his -equerry Le Manny, whom he had decided to send, told him of the -distinguished personage who was to accompany him and gave him his -instructions what to do in the event of their being stopped, though of -that there was little or no danger, as he would indeed be a bold man -who, without authorisation, would venture to detain the couriers of an -Ambassador Extraordinary. - -The fateful hour arrived, but no Saldagna. Instead, there came a message -from that nobleman informing Bassompierre that, to his profound regret, -he found himself unable to carry out what they had decided upon -together, “for reasons which he would tell him when he had the happiness -of seeing him.” - - “I know not,” says Bassompierre, “whether the friends to whom he - had spoken had dissuaded him, if he lacked the resolution to - undertake it, or if the love which he bore this girl had decided - him to espouse her.” - -Anyway, espouse her he did on the day which he had promised the King. -The marriage took place in the church of the Carmelite convent, where -the Queen was still in retreat. The King led the bridegroom, and the -Queen the bride, to the nuptial Mass, and then brought them with the -same ceremony to the door of her Majesty’s ante-chamber. Here certain -officers of the Court appeared upon the scene, took charge of bride and -bridegroom, conducted them, “without even giving them time to dine,” to -the gates of the town, where a travelling-carriage was in waiting, told -them to step in and informed them that they were banished from Madrid. - -Meantime, the negotiations on the Valtellina question, which had been -interrupted by the death of Philip III, had been resumed. At first, the -Spaniards suggested that if France would guarantee the protection of -religion in the Valtellina, refuse to Venice the right of passage for -her troops, and compensate Spain for the expense to which she had been -put in occupying the country, she would withdraw. Bassompierre promptly -declined. They then offered to waive the question of compensation, in -return for the right of transit for Spanish troops, the very privilege -which they had just endeavoured to deny to France’s old ally Venice. -This proposition, as may be supposed, was likewise declined. It was -impossible for the Spanish commissioners to persist in such demands, as -the influence of Gregory XV, greatly alarmed by visions of Spain’s -supremacy throughout Italy, had been thrown into the French scale. And -so Zuniga proposed that the Grisons should receive compensation for the -Valtellina, and the district be ceded to the Pope. Bassompierre curtly -replied that he had been sent to Madrid to recover, not to sell, the -Valtellina. Zuniga and his colleagues brought forward other schemes: -that the Valtellina should be erected into a fourth League; that it -should be constituted into a fourteenth canton of the Swiss -Confederation, and so forth. But, finding that Bassompierre stood firmly -by his instructions, they at length gave way, and on April 26, 1621, the -Treaty of Madrid was signed. - -This treaty stipulated that Spain should withdraw her troops from the -Valtellina; that the Grisons should grant a general amnesty to the -Valtellinas; that “the novelties prejudicial to the Catholic religion -should be removed,” and that the Grisons should ratify the treaty, which -was to be guaranteed by the King of France and the Swiss Cantons. - -The Cabinet of Madrid hoped that, in the interval between the conclusion -and the execution of the treaty, some incident might arise which would -furnish them with a pretext for not keeping their word; and in this, as -we shall see, they were not disappointed. - -On April 28, Bassompierre, having taken leave of Philip IV, left Madrid, -accompanied by his whole suite, as though he were returning to France. -He spent the night at Torreladones, and on the following morning reached -the Escorial, “where he saw everything in this wonderful building and -all the rare things which it contained.” Early on the 30th, he left the -Escorial and proceeded to El Pardo, a pleasure-house belonging to the -King, where he dined, and then went on to Alcovendas. Here he passed the -night, and on May 1, dressed in deep mourning, as became one who had -been charged with an embassy of condolence, made his second ceremonious -entry into Madrid. - -On the 4th, he had an audience of the King to offer the _pesame_, and -appeared, according to his own account, before the bereaved monarch -“with a countenance which, apart from the absence of tears, presented -every indication of grief and sadness.”[166] Afterwards, by Philip IV’s -invitation, he accompanied him to the funeral service in honour of the -late King at San Geronimo. - -On the following day Bassompierre began to pay his farewell visits to -the grandees and other important persons whose acquaintance he had made -at Madrid, a task which was to occupy him several days, as there were so -many to visit and so many formalities to be observed. His adieux were -interrupted on May 9 by Philip IV’s solemn entry into Madrid, which he -witnessed from a balcony at the Puerta Guadalaxara, which the King had -ordered to be prepared for him: - - “The King,” he says, “set out from San Geronimo and came to his - palace by way of the Calle Mayor. Before him marched the - kettle-drummers; then came the gentlemen of the King’s table; then, - the _titulados_;[167] after them the mace-bearers; then the four - mayor-domos; then the grandees; and then the Duke del Infantado, - _cavalerizzo mayor_, bareheaded, and carrying a drawn sword. He - preceded the King, who followed under a canopy, supported on - thirty-two poles, which were borne by the thirty-two _regidores_ of - Madrid,[168] habited in cloth of silver and crimson. Then came the - _corregidor_,[169] surrounded by the King’s equerries, and the - Counsellors of State and Gentlemen of the Chamber closed the - procession.” - -In a despatch to Louis XIII, dated the following day, Bassompierre -describes the entry as “very magnificent for Madrid, but not equal to -the least of those which take place in France.” - -On the 12th, Bassompierre had his farewell audience of the King, who -gave him a letter in his own hand for Louis XIII and another for Anne of -Austria. He then took leave of Don Carlos, and, on leaving the Alcazar, -went to bid adieu to Olivares and Zuniga. - -In the afternoon “the executors of the late King’s will placed in his -hands a great reliquary, which must have been worth 500,000 crowns,” and -charged him to present it to the Queen of France, to whom Philip IV had -bequeathed it. - -On the 15th--the day he was to leave Madrid--Don Juan de Serica came to -present him, on behalf of Philip III, with “an ensign of diamonds worth -6,000 crowns.”[170] The Countess of Barajas sent him “a very beautiful -present of perfumes,” and he begged the countess’s acceptance of a -diamond chain worth 1,500 crowns. Shortly before his departure, he -received another gift from the King, in the shape of a very fine horse -from his Majesty’s stud. - -In the afternoon he left Madrid, “the King ordering him to be escorted -on his departure in the same fashion as when he had made his entry,” and -was accompanied so far as Alcovendas, where he was to pass the night, by -Du Fargis, the Prince of Eboli and a number of Spanish nobles. His -journey to the frontier was uneventful, and on May 24 he reached -Bayonne. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - - A new War of Religion breaks out in France--Luynes created - Constable--Louis XIII and Duplessis-Mornay--Bassompierre joins the - Royal army before Saint-Jean d’Angély--Capitulation of the - town--Bassompierre returns with Créquy to Paris--He is “in great - consideration” amongst the ladies--Apparent anxiety of Luynes for - the marriage of his niece to Bassompierre--The King and the - Constable resolve to lay siege to Montauban--Bassompierre decides - to rejoin the army without waiting for orders from the latter--He - arrives at the King’s quarters at the Château of - Picqueos--Dispositions of the besieging army--Narrow escape of - Bassompierre while reconnoitring the advanced-works of the town--A - gallant Swiss--Death of the Comte de Fiesque--Heavy casualties - amongst the besiegers--The Seigneur de Tréville--Bassompierre and - the women of Montauban--Death of Mayenne--The Spanish monk--An - amateur general--Disastrous results of carrying out his - orders--Furious sortie of the garrison--Bassompierre is wounded in - the face--An amusing incident--The Cévennes mountaineers endeavour - to throw reinforcements into Montauban--A midnight _mêlée_. - - -Bassompierre would probably have found the Spaniards more difficult to -deal with, had it not been that they were anxious to free Louis XIII, -for the moment, from foreign embarrassments in order that he might -commit himself fully to a war with his Protestant subjects, which could -not fail to weaken France and render it unlikely that she would be -willing to engage in hostilities beyond her borders. - -The drastic measures adopted by Louis XIII towards the Protestants of -Béarn had aroused bitter resentment amongst their co-religionists -throughout France; and towards the end of December, 1620, a general -assembly of the party was held at La Rochelle to decide upon the policy -to be adopted in view of this menace to their faith. Of the great -Huguenot chiefs, Bouillon, Sully, and Lesdiguières did not respond to -the summons or send anyone to represent them; but La Force, Châtillon, -La Trémoille and Rohan sent delegates. - -The Assembly authorised the raising of troops and a general levy on the -funds of the party; and then proceeded to divide France into eight -departments--veritable military districts on the model of the German -“circles”--each being placed under the command of a general-in-chief. -Although these measures were intended to be purely defensive, nothing -more calculated to provoke hostilities could have been devised; the -Protestants were at once accused by the Government of having established -a republic within the State, and in April a new War of Religion began. - -It differed from the old wars, however, inasmuch as neither the chiefs -nor the rank and file of the Huguenots were unanimous in supporting it. -Lesdiguières, who had been won over by the Court, deserted the common -cause, as did most of the Protestant nobles; Rohan, his younger brother -Soubise and La Force alone remained faithful. Outside the nobility, the -same division of opinion manifested itself; the great majority of the -warlike Calvinists of the South took up arms; but the rest of Protestant -France did not move. - -At the moment of entering upon the campaign against the Protestants, -Luynes demanded the sword of Constable of France, which Louis XIII -bestowed upon him with the utmost pomp, although he had already promised -it to Lesdiguières, on condition that he should abjure the Protestant -faith, which the marshal had engaged to do. That the sword which had -been borne by such warriors as Du Guesclin, Clisson, Buchan, Saint-Pol, -the Duc de Bourbon, and Anne de Montmorency should be conferred upon the -hero of an assassination, who could not drill a company of infantry, -aroused universal astonishment and disgust; and Luynes’s exchange of the -_rôle_ of statesman for that of general was, as one might anticipate, -attended with disastrous results for the forces under his command. - -However, the campaign opened auspiciously enough. The King and Luynes -advanced to Saumur, of which the latter succeeded in getting possession -by a characteristic act of bad faith. The Governor of Saumur was that -grand old veteran Du Plessis-Mornay, the companion-in-arms and -counsellor of Henri IV. Mornay had refused to support a rebellion which, -in his eyes, was unjustified, and when Luynes assured him that the King -had no intention of depriving him of a post which had been conferred -upon him by his father more than thirty years before, he opened the -gates of town and château to the royal troops. No sooner were they in -possession, than he was informed that prudence would not permit the King -to leave a Huguenot in charge of so important a link in his -communications. He was offered a bribe of money, and even a marshal’s -bâton, in return for the resignation of his government, which he -indignantly refused, but accepted the royal promise that in three -months’ time he should be reinstated. On various pretexts, however, -Louis XIII succeeded in evading this engagement until Mornay’s death, -two years later. - -At the end of May, the Royal army laid siege to Saint-Jean-d’Angély, -called the “bulwark of La Rochelle,” to the possession of which great -importance was attached; and it was here that Bassompierre, who, after -remaining a day at Bayonne, had hastened northwards, joined it. The -town, which was defended by Soubise, held out for nearly a month, and at -times there was some pretty sharp fighting in the faubourgs, in which -Bassompierre appears to have distinguished himself. But on June 23 it -capitulated, and d’Épernon and Bassompierre marched in with the French -and Swiss Guards. - -On the 26th, Bassompierre accompanied the King to Cognac, from which -town he was despatched to Paris, to ratify with the Chancellor and the -Spanish Ambassador Mirabello the treaty which he had made at Madrid. He -was accompanied by Créquy, who had received a musket-ball through the -cheek at the siege of Saint-Jean-d’Angély, and to whom Luynes had -suggested the advisability of a short sojourn in the capital for the -benefit of his health. About the same time, another brigadier-general, -Saint-Luc, was appointed lieutenant-general of the western seaboard of -France, and sent by Luynes to Brouage, “to make the King powerful at -sea.” The reason, however, why the new Constable felt able to dispense -simultaneously with the services of three of the most distinguished -officers in the army was not made apparent until some weeks later, as, -on taking leave of him, each was assured that he would be recalled so -soon as any important operations were contemplated. - -Bassompierre’s reception by his friends of both sexes in Paris left -nothing to be desired: - - “It is impossible to say,” he writes, “how I passed my time during - this visit. Everyone entertained us in turn. The ladies congregated - or came to the Tuileries. There were few gallants in Paris, and I - was in great consideration there, and in love in divers directions. - I had brought back from Spain rarities to the value of 20,000 - crowns, and these I distributed amongst the ladies, who gave me a - most cordial reception.” - -Bassompierre had not been long in Paris when he received a visit from -his friend Roucelaï, who came on behalf of Luynes to interview him on -the question of his marriage with the Constable’s niece, Mlle. de -Combalet, which had been proposed to the favourite by Condé and Guise -during Bassompierre’s absence in Spain. Luynes was anxious to conciliate -these two princes, who had been far from pleased at his assumption of -the office of Constable, and, aware that Bassompierre had strengthened -his position at Court by the success of his embassy to Madrid and his -services at Saint-Jean-d’Angély, he appears to have been anxious to -remove all difficulties in the way of the match. - - “He had sent Roucelaï,” says Bassompierre, “to ascertain what I - desired for my advantage and my fortune, if this marriage were - made. For he imagined that I should demand offices of the Crown, - dignities and governments, and that it was my intention to be - bought. But I answered Roucelaï that the honour of marrying into - the family of the Constable was so dear to me, that he would offend - me by giving me anything except his niece, and that I demanded - nothing beyond that, although afterwards I should not refuse the - benefits of which he might deem me worthy when I was his nephew. He - [Luynes] was delighted at my frankness, and caused me to be - informed that he would place me in the perfect confidence of the - King, who had a very strong inclination for me, of which in future - he would no longer be jealous, as he had been the previous year.” - -All this was no doubt very gratifying, but, at the same time, the -Constable, notwithstanding that active operations had long since been -resumed, showed no inclination to recall either Bassompierre, Créquy, or -Saint-Luc to the army; and presently they learned that he had appointed -three other brigadier-generals--creatures of his own--in their places, -having persuaded the King that, though they were very capable officers, -“they were not persons who would stick to their work or give the -necessary attention to it.” The real reason seems to have been the -favourite’s fear that “they might eclipse his glory and that of his -brothers,” and that they might be disinclined to carry out the orders of -one whom they knew to be entirely ignorant of military matters. - -Towards the middle of August, Bassompierre learned that the King and -Luynes, encouraged by the taking of the little town of Clairac and some -minor successes, had resolved to lay siege to Montauban, the great -citadel of the Huguenots of the South, and were marching towards that -town. About the same time, he received a letter from Marie de’ Medici, -who had returned to Tours, informing him that the Constable had demanded -of her Marillac, who was in her service,[171] as the only man capable -of reducing Montauban, “and had begged her to send him to the King at -once,” in order not to delay his Majesty’s conquest by his absence. - -Notwithstanding the formal reconciliation, Marie still hated the man who -had taken her son from her, and subjected her to so many humiliations, -as bitterly as ever; and her object in writing was, of course, to -animate Bassompierre against the Constable and put an end to the good -understanding at which they now seemed to have arrived. By this means -she would, so to speak, kill two birds with one stone, since she had -probably not forgiven Bassompierre for the activity which he had -displayed in the King’s cause during the last war, which had contributed -materially to the defeat of her party. Bassompierre, however, had no -intention of quarrelling with his prospective uncle to gratify the -Queen-Mother or anyone else. At the same time, he was deeply mortified -to learn that a mediocre officer like Marillac, who had nothing to -recommend him but his subservience to the favourite, was to be appointed -to a high command, while he himself was left unemployed; and he felt -that to remain inactive while such important operations were in progress -was impossible. He therefore decided to rejoin the army without waiting -for orders from the Constable, trusting, by the exercise of a little -tact, to succeed in disarming the annoyance which his return might -occasion that personage. - -The Royal army had encamped before Montauban on August 18. If the town -fell, all the South would fall with it; and Luynes, elated by recent -successes, believed that victory was assured. The most prudent officers -did not share the optimism of the favourite; to them the siege of -Montauban seemed a very difficult undertaking. La Force had retired into -the place with three of his sons, the Comte d’Orval, younger son of -Sully, and a number of Huguenot gentlemen; from 3,000 to 4,000 picked -soldiers, supported by more than 2,000 armed citizens, formed a truly -formidable garrison; the Duc de Rohan, still master of a great part of -the Albigeois and Rouergue, would, they knew, make every effort to -revictual the place and harass the siege operations; and he could -command the services of the Protestant mountaineers of the Cévennes. -Several generals and members of the Council had expressed the opinion -that they should begin by clearing Upper Guienne and Upper Languedoc of -the rebels, and postpone operations against Montauban until the spring. -But the King and Luynes had refused to listen to them. - -Bassompierre arrived in the Royal camp on the 21st, just as the trenches -were about to be opened, and at once proceeded to the Château of -Piquecos, to the north of the town, on the right bank of the Aveyron, -where Louis XIII had taken up his quarters. Having excused his return -without orders on the ground of his zeal for the service of the King, he -hastened to disclaim any desire to serve as brigadier-general and -declared that “he should content himself with being in this siege -Colonel-General of the Swiss.” Luynes thereupon became quite cordial, -and the King told Bassompierre that, when the siege was over, and he and -the Constable had returned to Paris, he would give him the command of -the army. - -Lesdiguières had advised Luynes to employ against Montauban all the -resources of the military art, and to enclose the town in lines of -circumvallation protected by forts. But the presumptuous Constable was -unwilling to waste time in what he was pleased to regard as superfluous -precautions; and the siege of this formidable stronghold, defended by -several thousand resolute men, prepared to die sword in hand in defence -of their religion rather than surrender, and with strong reinforcements -under an able general hovering in the background, was embarked upon as -lightly as if its reduction had presented no more than ordinary -difficulty. - -The besieging army was divided into three divisions. One division, -composed of the French and Swiss Guards, with the regiments of Piedmont -and Normandy, and commanded by the Maréchaux de Praslin and de Chaulnes, -under the orders of the Constable, was to assail the advanced works of -Montmirat and Saint-Antoine, to the west and north-west of the town, on -the right bank of the Tarn, in front of the faubourg of Ville-Nouvelle. -The second, of which Mayenne had the command, with the Maréchal de -Thémines under him, was to attack Ville-Bourbon, a faubourg situated on -the left bank of the Tarn,[172] and connected with the town by an old -brick bridge, dating from the early part of the fourteenth century. The -third, commanded by Joinville--or the Duc de Chevreuse, as he had now -become--who had Lesdiguières and Saint-Géran to assist him, was -entrusted with the attack on Le Moustier, a fortified suburb to the -south-west of the town. Two bridges which had been thrown across the -Tarn maintained communication between the three divisions, to the first -of which Bassompierre, as Colonel-General of the Swiss, was attached. - - * * * * * - -On leaving the King, Bassompierre returned to the camp, and he and -Praslin crossed the river to visit Mayenne. The Lorraine prince offered -to show them the fortifications of Ville-Bourbon, and took them as close -to the walls as he could persuade them to go, “with the intention of -drawing upon us some musket-shots.” This kind of bravado appears to have -been a favourite amusement of Mayenne, but, as we shall presently see, -he was to indulge in it once too often. - -On their return to the Guards’ camp, they began preparations for opening -the trenches, and Bassompierre, accompanied by an Italian engineer named -Gamorini, who had been sent to the army by Marie de’ Medici, in whose -service he was, went out to reconnoitre the advance-works of the town. -They succeeded in getting quite close to them without being observed; -but, as they were returning, they lost their way and were suddenly -confronted by an advanced guard-house of the enemy. The sentries fired -upon them point-blank, and one ball went through Bassompierre’s coat; -but both he and Gamorini succeeded in effecting their escape unharmed. -They brought back with them some useful information, and that evening -the first trench was opened, the work being entrusted to the Regiment of -Piedmont. - -On the following day, Luynes came to their camp and summoned -Bassompierre and the other leaders to a council of war. While this was -proceeding, the enemy brought one of their cannon to bear upon the men -working on the trench, the first shot blowing a captain of the Regiment -of Piedmont to pieces and mortally wounding two other officers, one of -whom, a lieutenant named Castiras, was in Bassompierre’s service. The -bombardment was followed by a furious sortie, and the Piedmonts were -obliged to abandon the unfinished trench and fall back. Bassompierre, -leaving the council, hurriedly collected reinforcements, and drove the -enemy back into the town; but the Piedmonts had suffered severely. - -Work proceeded without interruption during the next three days, and -considerable progress was made; but, during the night of August 26-27, -the enemy sallied out again, their attack on this occasion being -directed against a sunken road, which the Royal troops were fortifying, -with the intention of placing a battery there. They were again repulsed, -but not before they had succeeded in over-turning the gabions which had -been placed there. Some of these they carried off with them, but -abandoned between the road and the fortifications, well within -musket-shot of the latter. - - “The following night,” writes Bassompierre, “one of the Swiss named - Jacques told us that, if I were willing to give him a crown, he - would bring back the gabions which the enemy had removed from the - road; and what astonished us the more, was that this man brought - back the gabions on his back, so strong and robust was he. The - enemy fired two hundred arquebus-shots at him, without wounding - him. After he had brought back six, the captains of the Guards - begged me not to permit so brave a man to risk his life again for - the one that still remained. But he told them that he wished to - bring it back to complete his bargain; and this he did.” - -On the 27th, Lesdiguières and Saint-Géran attacked the counterscarp of -the bastion of Le Moustier, and carried it after a desperate struggle of -more than three hours. This success, which cost the besiegers some 600 -casualties, was not followed up, chiefly owing to the opposition of -Marillac, who was of opinion that, if they descended into the fosse to -attack the bastion, they would find themselves exposed to a murderous -flanking-fire from masked batteries. - -On the 29th, the Guards’ trenches had been sufficiently advanced to -allow of a battery of eight guns being established, and Schomberg, who -was acting as Grand Master of the Artillery, came to inspect it. -Bassompierre warned him that the park of powder was too near the battery -for safety, and that, with a high wind blowing in its direction, the -sparks from the cannon might be carried to the powder. The Sieur de -Lesine, the officer in charge of the munitions, however, protested that -there was no danger, and Schomberg did not order their removal. - -They continued to push forward their trenches, and on the 31st -Bassompierre, “to reconnoitre how far they had advanced, came to the -head of the trench and advanced eight or ten paces from it.” He got back -again in safety, the enemy not having had time to train their muskets -upon him. But when, shortly afterwards, his friend, the Comte de -Fiesque, attempted to do the same, they were ready for him, and he -received a musket-ball in the abdomen, from which he died two days -later. “He was a great loss to us,” writes Bassompierre, “and more -particularly to me, for he was greatly attached to me. He was a brave -noble, an honourable man and an excellent friend.” - -By the evening of that day they had got another battery of four guns -into position, and on the following morning a furious bombardment of the -enemy’s advanced works began, Schomberg and Praslin superintending the -work of the larger battery and Bassompierre of the smaller. - - “They both made a fine noise,” writes Bassompierre; “but, after - firing for an hour or more, what I had predicted two days before - happened: the sparks from the cannon were carried into the park of - powder and fired five tons of it, with the loss of Lesine and forty - men.” - -In the course of the afternoon, a similar disaster occurred in Mayenne’s -camp before Ville-Bourbon, amongst the killed being that prince’s uncle -the Marquis de Villars and a son of the Comte de Riberac, a young man of -great promise. Worse misfortunes, however, were in store for Mayenne’s -division. - -In the night of September 2-3, the Lorraine prince advanced to the -assault of a crescent-shaped outwork which had been constructed by La -Force, and was defended by his sons and other Huguenot nobles and some -of the best soldiers in the garrison. The attack failed; but on the -following afternoon the attempt was renewed. After a furious -hand-to-hand conflict, Mayenne was again repulsed, with heavy loss. On -that day died the gallant Marquis de Thémines, eldest son of the -marshal, La Frette, the governor of Chartres, “who yielded to no man of -his time in courage and ambition,” and more than fifty Catholic -gentlemen. The siege of Montauban, so lightly undertaken by Luynes, -seemed likely to cost France dear. - -On September 4, the King and the Constable called a council of war to -discuss the advisability of endeavouring to carry the bastion of Le -Moustier by assault. Bassompierre strongly urged that the attempt should -be made, and was supported by Lesdiguières; but the other generals -opposed it, and Marillac declared that to descend into the fosse meant -certain death. Luynes asked Bassompierre to step into his cabinet, where -the King presently joined them. Louis XIII informed them that Marillac -and the others had said to him that it was easy for M. de Bassompierre -to advocate this hazardous undertaking, as all the danger would be left -to them, and he would have no share in it; and had accused him of -wishing to expose them to butchery. Bassompierre, in high indignation, -thereupon declared that, if the King would give him leave, he himself -would lead the assault on the bastion, and pledged his word that, if he -did not fall, “in three weeks he would have three cannon in position -there against the town.” - - “The King, who always had a rather good opinion of me, said to the - Constable: ‘Take Bassompierre at his word and let him go; I will - answer for him. Send the three brigadier-generals from Le Moustier - to the camp of the Guards, and place him at Le Moustier. I am sure - that he will do as he promises us, and we shall be the gainers.” - -The Constable objected that the change would not be agreeable to either -division, and declared that the Guards would not obey the orders of the -brigadier-generals from Le Moustier. Finally, Luynes asked Bassompierre -to go and reconnoitre the bastion. This he did, in company with the -Italian engineer Gamorini and two other officers from his division, and -reported that an attack would not present more than ordinary difficulty. -Luynes thereupon proposed that it should be undertaken; but Marillac and -his colleagues persisted in their objections, and assured him that -Montauban would soon be theirs, without any need for such sacrifice of -life as this attack must entail. And they succeeded in bringing him -round to their opinion. - -On the 9th, the Guards, after some fierce fighting, succeeded in getting -a footing in the advanced-works of Ville-Nouvelle. In this attack a poor -gentleman of Béarn, Henri de Peyrac, Seigneur de Tréville, who had -served for four years as a private soldier, greatly distinguished -himself; and Bassompierre brought his gallantry to the notice of the -King, and recommended him for an ensigncy in the Regiment of Navarre. -This Louis XIII granted him, and Bassompierre told Tréville that he must -accompany him to Piquecos to thank his Majesty. Tréville, however, -refused the commission offered him, saying that he did not wish to leave -his regiment, and that he “intended to conduct himself so well in future -that the King would feel obliged to give him one in the Guards.” This he -not long afterwards obtained, and eventually rose to be captain of the -company of Musketeers of the Guard and to be governor of the district of -Foix. - -A few days later, 1,200 of the Cévennes mountaineers succeeded in -eluding the vigilance of the covering force and throwing themselves into -Saint-Antonin, a town eight leagues north-east of Montauban, obviously -with the intention of marching through the Forest of Gréseigne and -reinforcing the beleaguered garrison. The folly of Luynes in refusing to -listen to the advice of Lesdiguières to enclose the town within lines of -circumvallation was now apparent to all. The Constable’s ineptitude, -however, was already a by-word in the army; and “both he and his brother -the Maréchal de Chaulnes showed such ignorance of the military art, that -the King, who, at any rate, understood the rudiments, perceived it and -made game of them.” - -In consequence of this disconcerting move on the part of the enemy, it -was necessary to send out a strong force of cavalry every night to guard -the roads between the forest and Montauban, which Bassompierre and the -other generals commanded in turn. - -On the 13th, Mayenne delivered another assault on the outworks of -Ville-Bourbon, with the same result as had attended his previous -efforts. “This,” says Bassompierre, “put great heart into the enemy and -disheartened his troops. As for him, he was beside himself with rage.” - -A day or two later, there was a comic interlude in the siege, of which -Bassompierre was the hero. We shall allow him to describe it in his own -words:-- - - “It had been resolved some days before to break by cannon-shot the - bridge of Montauban,[173] in order to stop the reinforcements which - those in Montauban were sending to Ville-Bourbon. The Maréchal de - Chaulnes, who was newly returned from Toulouse, where he had been - lying ill, had charged me to bring a battery to bear upon the - bridge. But, since it was a great way off and five hundred shots - caused but little damage, which could easily be repaired with wood, - I remonstrated against the little utility and great expense of this - bombardment; and I was told not to persist in it. At the same time, - two hundred women who were in the habit of washing linen and - kitchen-utensils under or near this bridge, and who were incommoded - by the cannon-shot, aware that I was in command in the quarter from - which the firing came, and that I had always made war upon women in - kindly fashion, sent me a drummer to beg me, on their part, not to - incommode their washing. This request I granted them readily, since - I had already received an order to that effect; and so pleased were - they with me, that they demanded a truce in order to see me, and a - great number of the principal women of the town came on to the top - of the ramparts to look at me. And I, on that day alone, during the - whole of the siege, dressed myself with care and adorned myself, so - that I might go and talk with them.” - -All this was very charming, but, a few days later, Bassompierre was to -meet the women of Montauban in much less agreeable circumstances. - -On the 17th, Guise, who had arrived in the camp some days earlier, -accompanied by a great number of gentlemen from his government of -Provence, came to see Bassompierre and persuade him to go and dine with -Mayenne. Bassompierre, however, who had to attend a council of war which -Praslin had summoned, excused himself and, at the same time, warned the -duke to be on his guard against Mayenne, “who had no greater pleasure -than to make the enemy fire on him or on those whom he took to view his -works, and was burning his fingers in order to burn others.” - - “To my great regret,” he continues, “my prophecy was in a certain - fashion a true one, for, after dinner, as he [Mayenne] was showing - them his works, a ball from an arquebus, which had first pierced M. - de Schomberg’s hat, struck him in the eye and killed him.” - -Mayenne had possessed amiable qualities, and had enjoyed in Paris a -popularity which recalled that of the great Guises. The news of his -death caused a riot in the capital, where an infuriated mob fell upon -the Huguenots one day when they were returning from their temple at -Charenton. The Huguenots were armed, and several persons were killed on -both sides, while the temple was burned. - -The King and the Constable had recourse to a singular expedient to -avenge Mayenne and take the town. The famous Spanish Carmelite monk -Domingo de Jesu Maria, who had marched at the head of the Imperial army -on the day of the Battle of Prague, and to whom the devout attributed -the victory, was passing through France on his way from Germany. Luynes -sent for him to come to the camp, and asked him what he ought to do to -reduce this heretic stronghold, upon which the monk assured him that if -he caused four hundred cannon-shots to be fired into the town, the -terrified inhabitants would undoubtedly surrender. The King thereupon -sent for Bassompierre and ordered him to fire the four hundred shots, -which were to deliver Montauban into his hands. “This I did,” says -Bassompierre; “but the enemy did not surrender for all that.” - -Matters continued to go badly with the besiegers, which is scarcely -surprising, having regard to the gross ineptitude of the amateur -warriors who commanded them. At Ville-Nouvelle, where alone any real -progress had been made, a mine had been prepared which was intended to -demolish the inner face of the advanced-work of which the Guards had -carried the outer. On the day before it was to be fired, Ramsay, the -officer in charge of the mine, came to the Maréchal de Chaulnes to -inquire how he wished it to be charged. Chaulnes, who was entirely -ignorant of such matters, turned to the officers about him for -information; but he misunderstood what they said and ordered the charge -to be made four times as large as that which they had suggested. The -astonished engineer remonstrated, but was curtly told to carry out his -orders. On the following day, however, Chaulnes appears to have -discovered his mistake, and told Bassompierre to go and have the mine -charged as he judged best. It was too late; for, just as he reached the -entrance to the gallery, Ramsay came rushing out and shouted to him to -run for his life, as he had ignited the fuse and feared that the -explosion would be terrible. - - “I needed no second bidding,” writes Bassompierre, “and ran back - forty paces as fast as I could to get away. The mine exploded with - a greater violence than I have ever seen, and all the entrenchment - under which it was laid was carried into the air. It was a long - time in descending, when it came pouring down into the trench upon - us.” - -Bassompierre, who had had the presence of mind to thrust his head and -the upper portion of his body into an empty barrel which happened to be -lying near him, was fortunate enough to escape injury, though he had -considerable difficulty in extricating himself, as there were “more than -a thousand pounds of earth upon his loins, his thighs and his feet.” -When he at last succeeded, he found that the effect of the explosion had -been most disastrous, more than thirty men having been killed by the -falling débris, amongst them being the unfortunate engineer Ramsay. The -mine had also demolished a great part of their own defences, and placed -them in a most dangerous position. - -The enemy did not fail to seize their advantage, and, having discharged -a storm of grenades and fire-balls at them, sallied out and fell upon -two companies of the Guards on the left of the line. Bassompierre, with -a body of gentlemen-volunteers, hurried to their assistance, and the -assailants were repulsed. But, as he was returning, he met Praslin, who -begged him to go at once to their four-gun battery, which was being -heavily attacked. As he approached the battery, he saw that it was on -fire, and that while some of the fifty Swiss who guarded it were engaged -in extinguishing the flames, the rest were defending themselves with -their pikes and halberds against a large force of the enemy, who were -evidently determined to capture the battery at all costs. - - “I saw, for the first time in my life,” he says, “women in a fight, - throwing stones against us with far more strength and animosity - than I should have conceived possible, or handing them to the - soldiers to throw.” - -He arrived only just in time, for the Swiss, many of whom had already -been killed or wounded, were being desperately hard-pressed, and in a -few minutes the battery must have been taken. But he placed himself at -their head with his volunteers, and led a charge which drove the enemy -back a little distance. They continued, however, to assail them with -missiles of every description, and a large stone striking Bassompierre -in the face--let us hope it was not thrown by one of the ladies with -whom he had been conversing so amiably a few days before!--brought him -to the ground insensible. Some of the Swiss raised him up, and carried -him out of the _mêlée_, when he soon came to himself and returned to the -fight. Finally, Praslin came up with two companies and forced the enemy -to retire. - -Their troubles, however, were not yet over, for meantime the enemy had -made a sally in another quarter. Bassompierre and his noblesse again -went to the rescue, and taking the assailants in the rear, obliged them -to retreat, leaving several prisoners behind them.[174] - -Bassompierre was certainly a person of extraordinary energy, for after -this strenuous day he volunteered to take command of the force which was -detached each evening to watch for the approach of the enemy’s -reinforcements from Saint-Antonin, in place of Praslin, who was -suffering from the effects of a slight wound, and spent the whole night -in the saddle. - - “Next morning,” he says, “as I was returning with my thousand men - to camp, the King sent for me to come to him at Picqueos. I did not - alight from my horse, and, in the dirty and disordered condition in - which I was, after having been on the watch all night, and with the - clotted blood from the wound on my head spread all over my face and - round my eyes, I was unrecognisable. On my arrival, the King and - the Constable told me that M. de Luxembourg,[175] who had command - of 600 horse who went out every night to watch for the arrival of - the reinforcements, had fallen ill, and that I must take charge of - them, until the reinforcements had either made their way into the - town or had been defeated. This I accepted willingly. While I was - talking to them, the Queen arrived from Moissac.[176] The King - sent the Constable to receive her and remained talking to me. As - she entered, she asked who was that frightful man talking to the - King. He told her that it was a nobleman of that part of the - country called the Comte de Curton. ‘Jesus!’ she exclaimed, ‘how - ugly he is!’ The Constable said to the King as he approached the - Queen: ‘Sire, present M. de Bassompierre to the Queen, and tell her - that he is the Comte de Curton.’ And this the King did. I kissed - the hem of her gown, after which the Constable presented me to the - Princesse de Conti, Mlle. de Vendôme, Madame de Montmorency and - Madame la Connétable, his wife. I saluted them and heard them say: - ‘This is a strange-looking man, and very dirty; he does well to - stay in the country.’ Then I began to laugh, and, from my laugh and - my teeth, they knew me, and had great pity upon me, and still more - after dinner, when, on an alarm being raised that the enemy’s - reinforcements were coming, we went out to fight.” - -The alarm proved to be a false one; but in the night of September 26-27, -just as Bassompierre was looking forward to the enjoyment of the first -night’s rest he had had for more than a week, his equerry Le Manny came -in with the news that the reinforcements from Saint-Antonin were -approaching. There could be no doubt about the matter this time; the -officer who had arrived with the news had seen them marching through the -forest. - -Bassompierre awoke the Duc de Retz and Créquy’s son Canaples, who slept -in his room, and told them that the enemy were at hand; “but they -thought he was playing a jest on them, as they had been up ten -successive nights watching and waiting.” And they positively refused to -accompany him. Leaving them, he went into a gallery near his room, where -some thirty gentlemen slept, but could only persuade two of them to go -with him. “The cry of ‘Wolf!’ had been raised so often without any -justification that they vowed they would answer it no more.” But the -wolf from the Cévennes was really coming this time, and a very fierce -wolf he proved to be. - -Hurriedly getting together some 1,200 men, of whom 200 were Swiss, -Bassompierre marched away and took up his position in a sunken road -intersecting the plain of Ramiers, which lies between the Forest of -Gréseigne and Montauban, where it had been decided to await the enemy. -Learning that they were approaching in three bodies, he detached the -Baron d’Estissac with 400 men to his right; the Comte d’Ayen, who was in -command of the cavalry that night, was already in position on his left. - -It was a very dark night, and when presently the forms of men began to -loom out of the blackness ahead, he was uncertain whether they were the -enemy or a party of the Royal troops. But he shouted, “_Vive le Roi!_” -and the answering cry of “_Vive_ Rohan!” settled the question. - -His position was protected by a barricade, but the agile mountaineers -quickly swarmed over it and jumped down into the road, where a furious -struggle began. So intense was the darkness there that it was often -impossible to tell friend from foe, and not a few must have died by the -weapons of their comrades. Bassompierre, lunging with a halberd at one -of the enemy, stumbled and fell; the Huguenot, killed by the Swiss, fell -on top of him, as did two other men who had shared his fate; and he was -pinned down and unable to rise. At length, Le Manny and one of his -servants, hearing his cries for help, came and extricated him; but -scarcely was he on his feet again, than he narrowly escaped being run -through the body by a Swiss, who mistook him for an enemy. The _mêlée_ -continued for some time, but at length numbers prevailed, and -practically all the brave mountaineers were either killed or made -prisoners. The dead had not died in vain, however, for, though their -comrades on the right had been routed by d’Ayen, those on the left, to -the number of some 600 men, had contrived in the darkness to elude -d’Estissac, and throw themselves into Montauban. - -Among the prisoners taken by Bassompierre[177] was the Sieur de -Beaufort, the commander of the Cévennais. He was treated as a prisoner -of war and imprisoned in the Bastille, from which he was released on the -conclusion of peace. His humble comrades, however, were less fortunate, -and those who recovered from their wounds were sent to the galleys. - - END OF VOL. I. - - - PRINTED BY THE ANCHOR PRESS, LTD., TIPTREE, ESSEX, ENGLAND. - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [1] Most of the places of the German part of Lorraine had two names, - of which one was the approximate translation of the other. The future - marshal’s family would not appear to have adopted definitely the - French form of the name until the end of the sixteenth century; but, - for the sake of convenience, we propose to use it throughout this work. - - [2] Agrippa d’Aubigné, in his _Histoire universelle_, cites a letter - from Guise to Christophe de Bassompierre, dated May 21, 1588, which is - signed “l’amy de cœur.” - - [3] She was the daughter of George le Picart de Radeval and Louise de - la Motte-Bléquin. - - [4] Of Bassompierre’s two brothers, the elder, Jean, Seigneur de - Removille, after serving as a volunteer in Hungary against the Turks, - entered the service of France, and took part in the invasion of - Savoy, in 1600. In 1603, having quarrelled with Henri IV, he quitted - his service for that of Philip III of Spain, and died the following - year of a wound received at the siege of Ostend. The younger, George - African, was destined for Holy Orders, but renounced this intention - on learning of his brother’s death, and assumed the title of Seigneur - de Removille. He married in 1610 Henriette de Tornelle, daughter of - Charles Emmanuel, Comte de Tornelle, by whom he had six children. He - died in 1632, on his return from the campaign of Leipsic, on which he - had accompanied Charles IV of Lorraine. - - [5] See the author’s “The Brood of False Lorraine,” Vol. II., p. 545. - - [6] Don Cesare d’Este, grandson of Alphonso I and Laura Eustachia, had - caused himself to be proclaimed Duke of Ferrara on October 29, 1597. - Pope Clement VII claimed the duchy as devolving on the Holy See by the - extinction of the legitimate line of Este. - - [7] Pietro Aldobrandini, nephew of Clement VII. He had been created - cardinal in 1593 and subsequently became Archbishop of Ravenna. He - died in 1621. - - [8] By a capitulation, signed on January 13, 1598, Don Cesare - renounced the duchy of Ferrara in favour of Clement VIII and remained - only Duke of Modena and Reggio. - - [9] The Archduke Albert, who had taken Holy Orders and been created a - cardinal, had renounced that dignity in order to marry the Infanta. - - [10] Peter Ernest, Count von Mansfeld. He was subsequently created a - Prince of the Empire by Maximilian II. He died in 1604. - - [11] Daughter of René, Vicomte de Rohan, and Catherine de Parthenay, - Dame de Soubise. She married in 1604 Johann of Bavaria, Duke of - Zweibrücken. - - [12] Claude de Lorraine, younger son of Henri I de Lorraine, Duc de - Guise, and Catherine de Clèves. He bore at first the title of Prince - de Joinville, but in 1606 became Duc de Chevreuse, in consequence of - his elder brother having resigned that duchy to him. He died in 1657. - - [13] Charles, Comte d’Auvergne (1573-1650), natural son of Charles IX - and Marie Touchet. He was created Duc d’Angoulême in 1620; but before - this period Bassompierre, in his _Mémoires_, frequently speaks of him - as M. d’Angoulême. - - [14] The Grand Equerry, the Duc de Bellegarde. - - [15] Charles Auguste de Saint-Lary, brother of Bellegarde, whom he - succeeded in the post of Grand Equerry. - - [16] Annibal de Schomberg, second son of Gaspard de Schomberg. - - [17] In April, 1599, this boy was legitimated by letters-patent, which - were duly registered by the complaisant Parlement of Paris. - - [18] But she had, nevertheless, condescended to ask favours of “the - woman of impure life,” and to regard her as a sister. “I speak to you - freely,” she writes to Gabrielle, on February 24, 1597, “as to one - whom I wish to keep as a sister. I have placed so much confidence in - the assurance that you have given me that you love me, that I do not - desire to have any protector but you near the King; for nothing that - comes from your beautiful mouth can fail to be well received.” She had - also, shortly before signing the procuration, transferred to Gabrielle - her duchy of Étampes. - - [19] See the excellent work of Desclozeaux, _Gabrielle d’Éstrées, - Marquise de Monceaux_ (Paris: 1889). - - [20] Alphonse d’Ornano (1548-1610), son of the celebrated Corsican - patriot. He was colonel-general of the Corsicans in the service of - France, and had been created a marshal of France in 1596. - - [21] Gabrielle, as we have just stated, survived until the following - day (Saturday, April 10); but La Varenne, either to spare the King - the sight of his mistress, whom, Bassompierre tells us, he himself - had seen on the Thursday afternoon, “so changed that she was - unrecognisable,” or to prevent a scandal, had taken upon himself to - announce in advance the event which he knew to be inevitable and close - at hand. - - [22] The Parlement of Paris also sent a deputation to condole with the - grief-stricken monarch. - - [23] Bassompierre says “a few days”; Tallemant des Réaux “three - weeks.” In point of fact, it was not until the following June that - Henri IV., while on his way from Fontainebleau to Blois, broke his - journey at the Château of Malesherbes, where resided François de - Balsac d’Entragues, governor of Orléans, who had married as his second - wife Marie Touchet, mistress of Charles IX, and mother of Charles de - Valois, Comte d’Auvergne, and there saw Henriette, then a girl of - eighteen, for the first time. - - [24] Although so young, Mlle. de Entragues was very much alive to - her own interests, and, counselled by her parents, determined that - the brilliant destiny of which fate had deprived her predecessor in - the royal affections should be hers. The enamoured monarch loaded - her with costly gifts and employed every persuasion he could think - of to overcome her resistance; but the damsel was adamant, until, in - despair, he placed in her hands the following remarkable document, - which Henriette carried about in her pocket and triumphantly exhibited - to all her friends:-- - - “We, Henri, by the Grace of God, King of France and Navarre, promise - and swear by our faith and kingly word to Monsieur François de Balsac, - Sieur d’Entragues, etc., that he, giving us to be our consort (_pour - compagne_) demoiselle Henriette Catherine de Balsac, his daughter, - provided that within six months from the present date she becomes - pregnant and bear us a son, that forthwith we will take her to wife - and publicly espouse her in the face of Holy Church, in accordance - with the solemnities required in such cases.” - - Once more, however, the unexpected came to save the situation. - One night, the room in which the sultana--now become Marquise - de Verneuil--lay, was struck by lightning. The shock caused a - miscarriage, and the King, whose marriage with Marguerite de Valois - had been solemnly annulled, on December 29, 1599, by the commission - appointed by the Pope, holding himself released from his promise, - thereupon decided to send a formal demand to the Court of Tuscany for - the hand of Marie de’ Medici. - - [25] Charles de Lorraine, Duc d’Elbeuf (1566-1605). - - [26] The Prince de Joinville was, or had been, in love with Henriette - d’Entragues, who, until the King appeared upon the scene, had been - far from insensible to his admiration, and he believed that the Grand - Equerry was endeavouring to prejudice his Majesty’s mind against him - on that account. - - [27] Achille de Harlay. He was First President of the Parlement of - Paris from 1583 to 1611. - - [28] The brother, mother, and sister of the Prince de Joinville. - - [29] Henri, Duc and Maréchal de Montmorency (1534-1614). - - [30] Yolande de Livron, demoiselle de Bourbonne, daughter of Erard - de Livron, Baron de Bourbonne, and Yolande de Bassompierre, and - cousin-german of the future marshal, who tells us that he would - probably have married the young lady and “might not have lived - unhappily with her,” had it not been for the opposition of his mother, - whom he did not wish to displease. - - [31] Mlle. Quelin. She was the mother of Nicolas Quelin, counsellor to - the Grande Chambre of the Parlement of Paris, who claimed, wrongly it - is said, to be the son of Henri IV. - - [32] Marie Babou de la Bourdaisière, daughter of Georges Babou, - Seigneur de la Bon, Comte de Sagonne. She was one of Queen Louise’s - maids-of-honour. - - [33] La Côte-Saint-André, on the road from Vienne to Grenoble. - - [34] The cause of this quarrel was in all probability the famous - promise of marriage which Henri IV had given to Madame de Verneuil and - the approaching arrival of Marie de’ Medici--“_la grosse financière_,” - as Henriette disrespectfully called her--who was to become Queen of - France. - - [35] Basing House, Hampshire. - - [36] William Pawlet, Marquis of Winchester. - - [37] Madame de Verneuil gave birth to a son a month later, and, in - the pride of her motherhood, scoffed at “_la grosse financière_,” - who, said she, had indeed got a son, but not the Dauphin. For the - King was her husband--she had his written promise--and it was - SHE who held the Dauphin in her arms. - - [38] Jacques de la Guesle, procurator-general to the Parlement. - - [39] The Comte d’Auvergne showed the most craven terror, and - offered--king’s son though he was--to play the part of a spy and to - continue to communicate with his confederates, in order to disclose - their plans to the Government. - - [40] The Prince de Joinville, having become the lover of Madame - de Villars, who had aspired to succeed Gabrielle d’Estrées in the - affections of Henri IV, and was bitterly hostile in consequence to - Madame de Verneuil, had been cajoled by that lady into handing over - to her the love-letters which he had received from Henriette, some of - which contained expressions of great tenderness and had been written - at the very time when the King was paying the damsel his addresses. - These letters Madame de Villars had the meanness to send to Henri - IV, who was naturally furious at the discovery that his mistress had - had two strings to her bow. Eventually, however, his Majesty allowed - himself to be persuaded by Madame de Verneuil and her friends that - the letters were forgeries, the work of one Bigot, whom Joinville had - suborned; and Henriette was forgiven, while the prince received orders - to leave France. - - [41] Rossworm had distinguished himself in 1601 at the capture of - Stuhl-Weissemburg, and in 1602 had taken by assault the lower town of - Buda and the town of Pesth. - - [42] Presumably, Ladislaus’s Hall, or the Hall of Homage, constructed - towards the end of the fifteenth century by Rieth. - - [43] Lorraine, though its independence had been recognised in 1542, - still contributed its share to the charges which had for their object - the peace and security of the Empire; and, as the troops which - Bassompierre proposed to raise were intended for service in Hungary - against the Turks, it was on this fund, called the _landsfried_, that - the order was drawn. - - [44] Jacqueline de Bueil was an orphan who had been brought up by - Charlotte de la Trémoille, widow of Henri I, Prince de Condé. She was - a very astute young lady indeed, and demanded, as the price of her - surrender, a large sum of money, a pension, a title, and a husband, - all of which the amorous monarch conceded. The husband chosen for - her was a needy and complaisant noble, Philippe de Harlay, Comte de - Cess, a nephew of Queen Margaret’s old lover, Harlay de Chanvallon, - who raised no objection to his sovereign exercising _le droit de - seigneur_. Subsequently, the King created the lady Comtesse de Moret - in her own right. - - [45] Henri de Lorraine, Duc d’Aiguillon, eldest son of the Duc de - Mayenne, and brother of the Comte de Sommerive. - - [46] Among the members of Queen Marguerite’s suite, was a youth of - some twenty summers, the son of one Date, a carpenter of Arles, whom - her Majesty ennobled, “_avec six aunes d’étoffe_,” and who forthwith - blossomed into a Sieur de Saint-Julien. This Saint-Julien, if we are - to believe the chroniclers of the time, was passionately beloved by - his regal mistress, though perhaps, as a charitable biographer of - Marguerite suggests, her affection for him may have been “merely - platonic and maternal.” However that may be, he stood on the very - pinnacle of favour, and was regarded with envy and hatred by his - less fortunate rivals. One of these rivals, Vermont by name--not - Charmont, as Bassompierre calls him--either because he was jealous - of the privileges which Saint-Julien enjoyed, or, more probably, - because he believed that the favourite had used his influence with - the Queen to procure the disgrace of certain members of his family, - suspected of having aided the intrigues of the Comte d’Auvergne, swore - to be avenged. Nor was his vow an idle one, for one fine morning - in April, 1606, at the very moment when Saint-Julien was assisting - Marguerite to alight from her coach, on her return from hearing Mass - at the Célestines, he stepped forward, and, levelling a pistol, shot - him dead. The assassin endeavoured to escape, but was pursued and - captured; and the bereaved princess, beside herself with rage and - grief, vowed that she would neither eat nor drink until justice had - been done, and wrote to the King “begging his Majesty very humbly to - be pleased that the assassin should be punished.” The King sent orders - for Vermont to be brought to trial without an hour’s delay; and he - was condemned to death and executed the following morning in front - of Marguerite’s hôtel, “declaring aloud,” writes L’Estoile, “that he - cared not about dying, since he had accomplished his purpose.” - - [47] Although he had resumed his relations with Madame de Verneuil, - and seemed more infatuated with her than ever, his Majesty continued - his attentions to Madame de Moret, and had also fallen in love with a - certain Mlle. de la Haye, with whom he spent a honeymoon at Chantilly, - obligingly placed at his disposal by the Connétable de Montmorency, - under the pretext of enjoying the fine hunting which the neighbourhood - afforded. This affair, however, only lasted a short time. The young - lady, it appears, had persuaded his Majesty that he was the first who - had gained her heart, but, in point of fact, she had begun her career - of gallantry by a _liaison_ with M. de Beaumont, the late French - Ambassador in England, who, however, had soon broken off his relations - with her. Mlle. de la Haye had not forgiven him for this rupture, - and, believing herself more in favour than she was, she endeavoured - to prejudice the King’s mind against him. Beaumont, learning of this, - promptly sent his Majesty the letters which Mlle. de la Haye had - written him when she was his mistress; and Henri IV, indignant at - having been deceived, broke with her in his turn. - - [48] Tallemant des Réaux, in his _Historiettes_, gives some details - concerning this _liaison_ of Bassompierre and the part played therein - by Henri, who appears to have been made a fool of, as in several - analogous circumstances. “Bassompierre,” he writes, “had the honour to - have for some time the King as rival. Testu, Chevalier of the Watch, - assisted his Majesty in the affair. One day, when this man came to - speak to Mlle. d’Entragues, she hid Bassompierre behind a tapestry, - and said to Testu, who reproached her with being less cruel to - Bassompierre than to the King, that she cared no more for the former - than for the latter, at the same time striking with a switch which she - held in her hand the place where her gallant was concealed.” - - [49] Men whose duty it was to remove the bodies of persons who had - died of the plague or other contagious maladies. During several months - of that year Paris was ravaged by an epidemic, which was either plague - or a virulent form of typhus. - - [50] Nearly two centuries later, this adventure of Bassompierre so - impressed the romantic imagination of Chateaubriand, then a young - man of twenty, that he made a pilgrimage to the Rue Bourg-l’Abbé and - “the third door on the side of the Rue Saint-Martin.” But, to the - great disappointment of the future author of _René_, he found himself - confronted, not by the old gabled house which Bassompierre must have - entered and quitted so abruptly, but by a hopelessly modern residence, - the ground-floor of which was occupied by a hairdresser’s shop, with - “a variety of towers of hair behind the window-panes.” And “no frank, - disinterested, passionate young woman” was to be seen, but only “an - old crone, who might have been the aunt of the assignation.” - - “What a fine story, that story of Bassompierre!” he writes. “One of - the reasons which caused him to be so passionately loved ought to be - understood. At that time, France was divided into two classes, one - dominant, the other semi-servile. The sempstress clasped Bassompierre - in her arms as though he were a demi-god who had descended to the - bosom of a slave: he gave her the illusion of glory, and Frenchwomen - alone amongst women are capable of intoxicating themselves with - that illusion. But who will reveal to us the unknown causes of the - catastrophe? Was the body which lay upon the table by the side of - another body that of the pretty wench of the Two Angels? Whose was the - other body? Was it the husband or the man whose voice Bassompierre - had heard? Had the plague (for the plague was raging in Paris) or - jealousy reached the Rue Bourg-l’Abbé before love? The imagination can - easily find matter for exercise in such a subject as this. Mingle with - the poet’s inventions, the chorus of the populace, the approaching - grave-diggers, the ‘crows’ and Bassompierre’s sword, and a magnificent - melodrama springs from the adventure.”--_Mémoires d’Outre Tombe_, Vol. - I. - - [51] Louise Pot, second wife of Claude de l’Aubespine, Seigneur de - Verderonne. - - [52] Mlle. de la Patière, daughter of Georges l’Enfant, Seigneur de la - Patière, and of Françoise du Plessis-Richelieu. The La Patières were - friends and neighbours of Bassompierre. - - [53] Jean Louis de Nogaret de la Valette, born 1554; created Duc - d’Épernon, 1581; died 1642. - - [54] The Duc de Montpensier died on February 27, 1608; the ballet - appears to have been danced about the middle of January. - - [55] Charlotte de Montmorency, daughter of the Connétable Henri - de Montmorency, by his second wife, Louise de Budos. She was born - in 1594 and was at this time only fourteen. By his first wife, - Antoinette de la Marck, the Constable had two daughters: (1) - Charlotte de Montmorency, married in 1591 to Charles de Valois, Comte - d’Auvergne, died in 1636, at the age of sixty-three; (2) Marguerite de - Montmorency, married in 1593 to Anne de Lévis, Duc de Ventadour, died - December 3, 1660, aged eighty-three. - - [56] Jean du Fay, Baron de Pérault, lieutenant of the King in the - Bresse. He was married to Marie de Montmorency, a natural daughter of - the Constable. - - [57] See the author’s “The Fascinating Duc de Richelieu” (London, - Methuen; New York, Scribner, 1910). - - [58] The exception was Renée de Lorraine, Mlle. de Mayenne, daughter - of Charles, Duc de Mayenne. - - [59] Charles de Montmorency. He was at first known under the title of - Seigneur de Méru, then as Baron de Damville, and, in 1610, was created - Duc de Damville. He died in 1612, after having filled the offices of - Colonel-General of the Swiss troops in the French service and Admiral - of France. - - [60] Henri II, Duc de Montmorency and de Damville, only son of the - Constable by his second wife, Louise de Budos; born August 30, 1595; - beheaded for high treason at Toulouse, October 3, 1635. - - [61] Gabrielle Angélique, legitimated daughter of Henri IV and the - Marquise de Verneuil, married December 12, 1622, to Bernard de - Nogaret, Duc de la Valette; died December 24, 1627. - - [62] Diane de France, Duchesse de Montmorency and d’Angoulême, - legitimated daughter of Henri II by a Piedmontese girl called Filippa - Duc, whom he had met during the campaign of 1537 in Italy. Born in - 1538, she was brought up at the Court of France, and married in 1553 - to Orazio Farnese, Duke of Castro, who was killed a few months later, - whilst defending Hesdin against the troops of Charles V. In 1559 the - young widow married François, Duc and Maréchal de Montmorency, elder - brother of the Constable, who died in 1579. A beautiful, accomplished - and highly intelligent woman, and a singularly loyal friend, Diane - was greatly esteemed by the last Valois sovereigns and also by Henri - IV. Her half-brother, Henri III, gave her the duchies of Angoulême - and Châtellerault, the county of Ponthieu, and the government of the - Limousin; and it was she who in 1588 brought about the reconciliation - between that monarch and Henri of Navarre. She died in 1619, at the - age of eighty, having seen no less than seven kings on the throne of - France. - - [63] As son of Éleonor de Montmorency, a sister of the Connétable - Henri de Montmorency. - - [64] Henri II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, son of Henri I, Prince de - Condé, by his second wife, Catherine Charlotte de la Trémoille. He was - officially styled _Monsieur le Prince_, and as such is always referred - to in Bassompierre’s _Mémoires_. - - [65] Catherine Charlotte de la Trémoille, Princesse de Condé, was a - daughter of Jeanne de Montmorency, sister of the Constable, who was - therefore Condé’s great-uncle. - - [66] Anne de Lorraine, Duchesse d’Aumale, daughter and heiress - of Charles de Lorraine-Guise, Duc d’Aumale, and of Marie de - Lorraine-Elbeuf; married in 1618 to Henri de Savoie, Duc de Nemours; - died in 1638. - - [67] The favour which Henri IV was offering Bassompierre consisted, - strictly speaking, not in the re-establishment of the duchy of Aumale, - of which the title remained by right to Mlle. d’Aumale, but in uniting - once more the peerage to the duchy, the old peerage having become - extinct through the failure of male heirs. - - [68] Although the King always alluded to the Prince de Condé as his - nephew, he was really only a nephew _à la mode de Bretagne_, a first - cousin once removed. - - [69] Pierre de Beringhen, Seigneur d’Armainvilliers et de Grez, first - _valet de chambre_ to the King. - - [70] Jeanne de Scepeaux, Comtesse de Chemillé, Duchesse de Beaupréau, - only daughter and heiress of Guy de Scepeaux, Comte de Chemillé, Duc - de Beaupréau. She had married early in that year Henri de Montmorency - (Monsieur de Montmorency, as he was officially styled), only son of - the Constable; but Henri IV, being desirous of marrying the heir of - the Montmorencys to his daughter Mlle. de Vendôme, caused this union - to be declared null and void a few months later. In May, 1610, Mlle. - de Chemillé married Henri de Gondi, Duc de Retz. - - [71] On March 25, 1609, John William, Duke of Clèves, Juliers and - Berg, had died childless. The question of the succession to his - dominions was of vital importance, as they connected the bishoprics - of Münster, Paderborn, and Hildesheim, with the Spanish Netherlands, - and, during the reign of the late duke, who was a Catholic, had - interrupted the communications of the Protestants of Central Germany - with the Dutch. Their transference to a Protestant prince would be - a fatal blow to the North German Catholics and would threaten the - security of the Spanish Netherlands. A number of claimants appeared, - the most prominent of whom were two Protestant princes, the Elector of - Brandenburg and the Count Palatine of Neuberg, who claimed through the - two elder sisters of John William. They came to an agreement to occupy - part of the country and establish a provisional government; but the - Emperor maintained that the duchies were male fiefs which could only - descend in the direct male line, pronounced them sequestrated, and - called upon the two princes to submit their claims to him as “feudal - lord and sovereign judge.” On their refusal to do this, he placed them - under the ban of the Empire, and ordered the Archduke Leopold to take - possession of the territory as Imperial Commissioner (July, 1609). - Henri IV protested vigorously against the Emperor’s action, declaring - that he was determined not to permit any such addition to the power of - the House of Austria, and that, if it came to war, he would prosecute - it with all the resources of his kingdom. - - [72] Alexandre d’Elbène, gentleman of the chamber-in-ordinary to the - King, colonel of the Italian infantry in the service of France, and - first _maître d’hôtel_ to the Queen. It was he who, with the Captain - of the Watch, had been the first to break the news of the flight of - the Condés to Henri IV. - - [73] Damian de Montluc, Sieur de Balagny. He was governor of Marle. - - [74] Brulart de Sillery. - - [75] Henri IV had meanly stopped the payment of Condé’s pensions. - - [76] For a full account of this episode, see the author’s “The Love - Affairs of the Condés.” (London; Methuen. New York: Scribners. 1912.) - - [77] The Queen’s entry was to have taken place on May 16. - - [78] Bassompierre carried at the _Sacre_ the train of the Princesse de - Conti, who herself carried that of the Queen. - - [79] But, according to a contemporary account of the ceremony, Henri - IV was in an unusually sombre mood, and, on entering the church and - beholding the vast silent assemblage, observed: “It reminds me of the - great and last judgment. God give us grace to prepare well for that - day!” (_Cérémonial français_, Tome I., p. 570.) - - [80] Pierre Fougeu, Seigneur d’Escures, Quartermaster-General of the - camps and armies of the King. - - [81] Bernard Potier, Seigneur de Blérencourt. He was - Lieutenant-Colonel of the Light Horse of which Bassompierre was - Colonel. - - [82] Méry de Vic, Seigneur d’Ermenonville. He was appointed Keeper of - the Seals in 1621. - - [83] This was no idle threat, for Madame de Bassompierre’s will - contains a clause providing that, in the event of her son espousing - the demoiselle Marie Charlotte de Balsac, “she disinherited him and - deprived him of all her property, having expressly forbidden him to - contract a marriage with her.” - - [84] “Five giants took part in the procession, of the race of those - whom Hercules slew in the war which they waged against the gods, in - the valley of Phlegra, in Thessaly.”--Laugier de Porchères, _le Camp - de la Place-Royale_ (Paris, 1612). - - [85] “The five challengers styled themselves the Knights of Glory. - M. de Bassompierre made his entry among them under the name of - Lysander. He had for his device a lighted fuse, with these words: _Da - l’ardore l’ardire_ (_De l’ardour la hardiesse_), in allusion to a love - avowed.”--_le Camp de la Place-Royale._ - - [86] The Prince de Conti’s troupe called themselves the Knights of the - Sun; the Duc de Vendôme’s the Knights of the Lily. - - [87] François de Noailles, Comte d’Ayen (1584-1645). He was governor - of Rouergue, Auvergne and Roussillon. - - [88] Jacques du Blé, Baron, afterwards Marquis d’Huxelles. - Bassompierre, conforming without doubt to the pronunciation, writes - the name sometimes d’Ucelles and at others Du Sel. - - [89] Henri II, Duc de Longueville, Comte de Dunois (1595-1643). He - married in 1642, as his second wife, Anne Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, - who was the celebrated Duchesse de Longueville, of the Fronde. - - [90] Under the name of the Knight of the Phœnix. - - [91] The Nymphs were: the Comte de Schomberg, hamadryad; Colonel - d’Ornano, wood-nymph; Créquy, dryad; Saint-Luc, naiad; and the Marquis - de Rosny, oread. - - [92] Antoine Coeffier, called Ruzé, Marquis d’Effiat, who was created - a _maréchal_ de France in 1631. He was the father of the ill-fated - Cinq-Mars. - - [93] This entry is called, in _le Camp du Place-Royale_, that of - the illustrious Romans. According to this relation, there were but - seven of them: Trajan, Vespasian, Paulus Æmilius, Marcellus, Scipio, - Coriolanus and Marius. There also entered on this day a troupe of - Knights of the Air, which, however, was incomplete, owing to one of - the “Knights,” the Seigneur de Balagny, having been wounded in a duel. - - [94] The young Duc de Mayenne, son of the old chief of the League, who - had died in October, 1611. - - [95] Saint-Paul, a soldier of fortune, was one of the four marshals - created by the Duc de Mayenne in 1593. He was lieutenant of Charles, - Duc de Guise in his government of Champagne, and rendered himself - intensely unpopular with the inhabitants of Rheims by various acts - of oppression. Guise killed him with his own hand, in the Place - de la Cathédrale there, on April 25, 1597. For a full account of - this incident and also of the affair of the Chevalier de Guise and - the Baron de Luz, see the author’s “The Brood of False Lorraine” - (Hutchinson, 1919). - - [96] The Duc de Guise was Governor of Provence. - - [97] After the death of his elder brother, the Cardinal de Bourbon, - the Prince de Conti had been placed in possession of the Abbey - of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which had been one of the cardinal’s - benefices. The Queen was offering to the Princess de Conti, in the - event of her widowhood, the reversion of these revenues. - - [98] _Histoire de France jusqu’en 1789._ - - [99] They did not fail of their reward, Bassompierre tells us, for - one of them, Masurier, was presently appointed First President of the - Parlement of Toulouse, while the other, Mangot, became First President - of that of Bordeaux, and was afterwards made Keeper of the Seals. - - [100] “This dignity, formerly so respected, had been conferred - lavishly since the Wars of the League, but it had not been degraded - to this point. Concini having never borne arms, they were obliged to - renounce in his case the ancient custom of the new marshal of France - presenting himself to the Parlement, accompanied by an advocate, - who expounded his claims and his valiant deeds. There is a limit to - everything, even to the impudence of flatterers.”--Henri Martin. - - [101] Malherbe’s letters contain some interesting observations - concerning the Queen and Bassompierre: “20 October [1613]. I am told - that 51 [the Queen] has not spoken to him [Bassompierre] for a week. - It is believed that 65 [Concini] has done him a bad turn. The affair - is patched up to some extent, to which 59 [Guise] has contributed - much. I have seen him [Bassompierre] to-day in the cabinet, but much - less impudent than he usually is, and 51 [the Queen] never spoke to - him at all. It will pass. - - “27 October. The disfavour of 66 [Bassompierre] continues visibly; - the cause is the alliance of 55 [Concini] and 69 [Villeroy], who - have both told 51 [the Queen] that, when they were on bad terms, 66 - [Bassompierre] betrayed them both, and, besides, had given her to - understand that he boasts of her favour. - - “24 November 66 [Bassompierre] is in less disfavour; but I fear that - he will never be again as he has been. - - “27 November. I have seen 66 [Bassompierre], so that I believe the - disagreement is patched up, or will be patched up.” - - [102] The Duc de Rohan was not a prince, but he was descended on his - mother’s side from two sovereign houses, those of Navarre and Scotland. - - [103] Gaspard Gallaty had fought as a captain at Moncontour and as a - colonel at Arques and Ivry. He was ennobled in 1587. - - [104] The Duc de Guise and his brother the Prince de Joinville. - - [105] Gabriel de la Vallée-Fossez, Marquis d’Everly. He was governor - of Montpellier. - - [106] The Commandeur de Sillery, _chevalier d’honneur_ to Marie de’ - Medici, had been disgraced shortly before his brother, the Chancellor, - was dismissed. - - [107] Créquy was Colonel of the French Guards. - - [108] He was Captain-Lieutenant of the Gensdarmes of the King’s Guard. - - [109] La Curée was Captain-Lieutenant of the company of Light Cavalry - of the Guard instituted by Henri IV in 1593. - - [110] In response to the summons he had received from the - Queen-Mother, Condé was making his way along a narrow passage which - led from her Majesty’s chamber to her cabinet, when he was suddenly - confronted by Thémines, at the head of several of the King’s Guards - “Monseigneur,” said the old noble to the astonished prince, “the - King having been informed that you are giving ear to sundry counsels - contrary to his service, and that people intend to make you engage in - designs ruinous to the State, has charged me to secure your person, to - prevent you falling into this misfortune.” “What?” cried Condé, “do - you purpose to arrest me? Are you then captain of the Guards?” And he - laid his hand upon his sword. “No, Monseigneur,” rejoined Thémines, - “but I am a gentleman and obliged to obey the command of the King, - your master and mine.” His followers forthwith surrounded the prince - and led him into an adjoining room, where he found d’Elbène and a - party of soldiers, each of whom held a pistol in his hand. Never - remarkable for his courage, though in his youth he had once been - provoked into challenging the Duc de Nevers to a duel, Condé believed - that his last hour had come. “Alas,” cried he, “I am a dead man. Send - for a priest. Give me time at least to think of my conscience!” His - captors, however, assured him that his life was in no danger, and - conducted him to an upper apartment of the palace, where it had been - arranged that he should be confined, until it had been decided what - should be done with him. - - [111] In the Rue de Chaume, at the corner of the Rue de Paradis. - - [112] Charles Alexandre, Duc de Cröy, Marquis d’Havré. He was related - to Bassompierre through his mother, Diane de Dommartin. - - [113] Enrico Concini, who was at this time a boy of thirteen. Arrested - after the tragic end of his father, he remained five years in prison, - and then returned to Florence, where he lived until 1631, under the - name of the Count della Penna. - - [114] This refers to the manifesto issued by Condé in July, 1615, in - which he had stigmatised Concini, the Chancellor Sillery, his brother - the Commandeur de Sillery, and the Counsellors of State, Bullion and - Dolet, as the authors of the evils which afflicted the realm. - - [115] The word is, of course, here used in the sense of a man who owed - his fortune to him, and not in its vituperative sense. - - [116] Fedeau appears to have been a banker or usurer of the time, the - terms being often synonymous. - - [117] Lavisse, _Histoire de France_. - - [118] Probably Gilles de Souvré, Marquis de Courtenvaux, who was also - Baron de Lézines. - - [119] Charles de Lameth, Seigneur de Bussy. He was killed at the siege - of La Capelle in 1637. - - [120] Richelieu assures us that Luynes showed Louis XIII forged - letters purporting to have been written by Barbin, “full of designs - against the person of the King,” and, considering the position - occupied by Déageant, this appears very probable. - - [121] Vitry had been created a marshal of France the day after the - assassination of Concini. “Thémines had recently been given the bâton - of marshal for having adopted the trade of a bailiff; Vitry had it as - his reward for plying that of a bravo. Who would have thought that - this high dignity, after having been abased to Concini, would have - descended yet lower still?”--Henri Martin. - - [122] François de l’Hôpital, Seigneur du Hallier. He was created a - marshal of France in 1643, under the name of the Maréchal de l’Hôpital. - - [123] Luynes had two younger brothers: (1) Honor d’Albert, Seigneur de - Cadanet, afterwards Duc de Chaulnes and Marshal of France; (2) Léon - d’Albert, Seigneur de Brantes, afterwards Duc de Piney-Luxembourg. - - [124] _Journal historique et anecdotique de la Cour et de Paris._ - MSS. of Conrart, cited by Victor Cousin, _la Jeunesse de Madame - de Longueville_. The chronicler speaks frequently of the prince’s - ill-treatment of his wife, for which he appears to think there was no - justification. - - [125] Bournonville was brought to trial and condemned to death, - while Persan was sentenced to be banished from France; but both were - subsequently pardoned. - - [126] _Journal historique et anecdotique de la Cour et de Paris._ - - [127] It would appear, from an anecdote related by Bassompierre, in - March, 1618, that Luynes had not hesitated to falsify history in his - efforts to inspire the King with fear of his mother: - - “At that time, the King, who was very young, amused himself with many - little occupations of his age, making little fountains in imitation - of those of Saint-Germain, with pipes of quill, and little inventions - for hunting, and playing on the drum, in which he succeeded very - well. One day I told him that he was clever at everything which he - undertook, and that, although he had never been taught, he played the - drum better than the master of that instrument. ‘I must begin to blow - the hunting-horn again,’ said he, ‘which I do very well, and will blow - it for a whole day.’ ‘Sire,’ said I, ‘I do not advise your Majesty - to blow it too often, for it causes ruptures, and is very injurious - for the lungs; and I have heard that, through blowing the horn, the - late King Charles broke a blood-vessel in his lungs, and that caused - his death.’ ‘You are mistaken,’ he rejoined; ‘it was not blowing the - horn that killed him; it was because he quarrelled with the Queen - Catherine, his mother at Monceaux, and left her and went to Meaux. - But, if he had not been persuaded by the Maréchal de Retz to return to - the Queen-Mother at Monceaux, he would not have died so soon.’ As I - answered nothing to this, Montpouillan, who was present, said to me: - ‘You did not think, Monsieur, that the King knew so much about these - matters, but he does, and about many others besides.’ This convinced - me that he had been inspired with great apprehension of the Queen, his - mother, whom I took care never to mention to him in future, not even - in common discourse.” - - [128] Asked what spell she had employed to make herself mistress of - the Queen-Mother’s mind, the prisoner is said to have replied: “Only - those which a clever woman employs towards a dunce.” - - [129] The Duc de Mayenne quitted the Court, which was then at - Saint-Germain, on March 29, 1620, and went to Guienne, of which he was - lieutenant-general. - - [130] Louis de Bourbon, son of Charles de Bourbon, Comte de Soissons - and Anne de Montafié. Born May 4, 1604; killed at the battle of la - Marfée, on July 6, 1641. He was called _Monsieur le Comte_, as his - father had been. - - [131] There were two kinds of regiments in the French Army at - this period: permanent regiments, which usually bore territorial - designations, Champagne, Picardy, and so forth, and temporary - regiments, which might be disbanded in time of peace, and which bore - the names of their commanding officers. - - [132] Luynes and his two brothers. - - [133] Nerestang died some ten days later, a victim, if we are to - believe Bassompierre, to the professional jealousy of the surgeons:-- - - “The King went to visit M. de Nerestang, who, seeing how severely he - had been wounded, was not doing badly, and would have been cured if - they had left him in the hands of the surgeon Lion. But the other - executioners of surgeons importuned the King so much, when he was at - Brissac, that seven days after he was wounded, when he was going on - well, they took him out of Lion’s hands to place him in those of the - King’s surgeons; and he only lived two days longer.” - - [134] Créquy was colonel of the French Guards, and in this action was - in command of a brigade. - - [135] The property of the Catholic Church in Béarn and Lower Navarre - had been confiscated by Jeanne d’Albret in 1569, and applied to the - maintenance of pastors of the Reformed faith and works of public - utility. - - [136] Jacques Nomper de Caumont (1558-1652). He greatly distinguished - himself in the Thirty Years’ War, and was made a marshal of France and - subsequently duke and peer. - - [137] This son, who received the names of Louis Charles and to whom - Louis XIII stood godfather, became the second Duc de Luynes, and - enjoyed some celebrity in the latter part of the seventeenth century - through his connection with Port-Royal. He translated into French the - _Méditations_ of Descartes, wrote under a _nom de guerre_ several - books of devotion, and was the father of the pious Duc de Chevreuse, - the friend of Fénelon. - - [138] Don Diego Zapata. - - [139] Doña Maria Sidonia, second wife of the count. - - [140] Don Pedro Acunha y Tellez-Giron, third Duke of Ossuña - (1579-1624). He had been Viceroy of Naples, and one of the three - chiefs of the conspiracy against Venice which was to have delivered - the city into the power of Spain on Ascension Day, 1618. Suspected - of having aspired to make himself King of Naples, he was recalled in - 1620. He died in prison in 1624. - - [141] The late King, Henri IV. - - [142] Enrico de Avila y Guzman. - - [143] Antonio de Toledo, fifth duke of Alba, grandson of the - celebrated Duke of Alba. - - [144] Rodriguez de Mendoza, second son of Diego de Mendoza, Count of - Saldagna. He became sixth Duke del Infantado by his marriage with Anna - de Mendoza, Duchess del Infantado, daughter of his elder brother. - - [145] The office of mayor-domo mayor was equivalent to that of Grand - Master of the King’s Household in France. - - [146] A convent of the barefooted Carmelites in the centre of the town. - - [147] He was a Dominican monk and filled the office of Grand - Inquisitor. - - [148] Philip III’s eldest son, afterwards Philip IV. Born on April 8, - 1605, he had not yet completed his sixteenth year. - - [149] The King’s second son; born September 14, 1607; died in 1632. - - [150] Fernando, Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, third son of Philip - III; born May 17, 1609; died in 1641. - - [151] The new Queen, Élisabeth of France. - - [152] A convent of Hieronymite monks, situated a little way from - Madrid. - - [153] Gaspard de Guzman, third count, and afterwards Duke, of - Olivarez. Favourite of the new king, he shared power with his uncle, - Don Balthazar de Zuniga, until the latter’s death in 1623, from which - time up to 1643 he was Prime Minister. He died in 1645. - - [154] Charles de Clermont d’Amboise, Marquis de Bussy. He was killed - in a duel in the Place-Royale in Paris, in April, 1627. - - [155] The _loba_ was a long sleeveless robe; the _caperuza_ a hood; - and the _caperote_ a short cloak fitted with a hood. - - [156] The Crowns of Spain and Naples, etc. - - [157] Don Carlos. - - [158] To demand _lugar_ of a lady was to request permission to pay - one’s respects to her at a time and place to be named by her. - - [159] Diego de Sandoval y Rojas. - - [160] Aloysia de Mendoza. She was Countess of Saldagna in her own - right, and her husband assumed the title of Count of Saldagna. - - [161] Saldagna had been a widower since 1619. - - [162] Catherine de Zuniga y Sandoval, widow of Fernando de Portugal y - Castro, sixth Count of Lemos. - - [163] See p. 287, _supra_. - - [164] The celebrated Duke of Alba. - - [165] The fourth Duke of Alba. - - [166] “I have paid the compliment of condolence with which the King - charged me, so well, that, save that I did not weep, my countenance - presented every indication of grief and sadness. Now it lays aside - this false mask, since nothing can further retard my return to France, - whither I am going with infinite joy, and infinite desire to serve my - master well in war, or my mistress, if we have peace.”--Bassompierre - to Puisieux, May 10, 1621. - - [167] Titled persons; that is to say, noblemen who were not grandees - of Spain. - - [168] Municipal officials. - - [169] The principal magistrate of the town. - - [170] In July, 1639, during his captivity in the Bastille, - Bassompierre was obliged to part temporarily with Philip IV’s gift, - which is described as “the diamond of the King of Spain,” as security - for a loan of 6,300 livres. He redeemed it in May, 1641, but as, after - his death, it does not figure in the inventory of his jewels, he would - appear to have pledged it again, or perhaps have sold it. - - [171] Louis de Marillac, Comte de Beaumont-le-Roger. He was created a - marshal of France in 1629, and was executed for high treason on May - 10, 1632. - - [172] This faubourg had been called Ville-Bourbon, since Henri IV had - surrounded it with fortifications. - - [173] This was the old fourteenth-century bridge already mentioned. - - [174] Bassompierre received next day a letter from the King, - complimenting him on the courage and resource he had shown. - - [175] The Duc de Luxembourg, the Constable’s youngest brother. - - [176] The Queen had established herself at Moissac, on the right bank - of the Tarn, where she remained during the greater part of the siege. - - [177] Louis XIII., in a letter to Noailles, bears testimony to - Bassompierre’s services in this affair: “In this defeat and action we - may recognise, as I have told you, the Providence of God, Who has so - fortified the courage of my men that they have performed wonders, and - _notably the Sr. de Bassompierre_, the colonel, and the Swiss and the - Regiment of Normandy, who have boldly sustained the charge.” - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: they left -Lambrogiono=> they left Lambrogiano {pg 9} - -Pietro Aldrobrandini, nephew of Clement VII=> Pietro Aldobrandini, -nephew of Clement VII {pg 12 n.} - -and Gabrielle d’Estrêes=> and Gabrielle d’Estrées {pg 19} - -the affections of kinds=> the affections of kings {pg 26} - -Oct. 6, 1900, arrived at Lyons=> Oct. 6, 1600, arrived at Lyons {pg 34} - -preceeded to Harouel=> proceeded to Harouel {pg 59} - -Bassompiere took the road=> Bassompierre took the road {pg 76} - -he depatched Bassompierre=> he despatched Bassompierre {pg 77} - -Charles III of Loraine=> Charles III of Lorraine {pg 95} - -Diane de France, Duchessé de Montmorency=> Diane de France, Duchesse de -Montmorency {pg 104 n.} - -against the Emperor’ saction=> against the Emperor’s action {pg 124} - -along the Rue Saint-Honore=> along the Rue Saint-Honoré {pg 159} - -through it might suffice, for the moment=> though it might suffice, for -the moment {pg 226} - -_lèse-majeste_=> _lèse-majesté_ {pg 227} - -March 29, 1720, and went to Guienne=> March 29, 1620, and went to -Guienne {pg 236 n.} - -arrested and haled off to prison.=> arrested and hauled off to prison. -{pg 275} - -Nuestra Señora de Attoches=> {pg 283} - -Nuestra Senora de Constantinopoli=> Nuestra Señora de Constantinopoli -{pg 288} - -an done ball went=> and one ball went {pg 307} - -bastion of La Moustier=> bastion of Le Moustier {pg 310} - -the enemy and disheartend=> the enemy and disheartened {pg 312} - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Gallant of Lorraine; vol. 1 of 2, by -Hugh Noel Williams - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A GALLANT OF LORRAINE; VOL. 1 OF 2 *** - -***** This file should be named 52128-0.txt or 52128-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/1/2/52128/ - -Produced by MWS and Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: A Gallant of Lorraine; vol. 1 of 2 - François, Seigneur de Bassompierre, - Marquis d'Haronel, Maréchal de - France, 1579-1646 - -Author: Hugh Noel Williams - -Release Date: May 22, 2016 [EBook #52128] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A GALLANT OF LORRAINE; VOL. 1 OF 2 *** - - - - -Produced by MWS and Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/cover_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="328" height="500" alt="Image unavailable: cover"/></a> -</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="border: 2px black solid;margin:auto auto;max-width:50%; -padding:1%;"> -<tr><td> - -<p class="c"><a href="#CONTENTS">Contents.</a></p> -<p class="c">Some typographical errors have been corrected; -<a href="#transcrib">a list follows the text</a>.</p> - -<p class="c"><a href="#LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS">List of Illustrations</a><br /> <span class="nonvis">(In certain versions of this etext [in certain browsers] -clicking directly on the image, -will bring up a larger version.)</span></p> - -<p class="c">(etext transcriber's note)</p></td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="cb">A GALLANT OF LORRAINE<br /> -VOL. I.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_i" id="page_i"></a>{i}</span> </p> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p>“C’étoit un homme de grande qualité, beau, bien fait, quoique d’une -taille un peu épaisse. Il avoit bien de l’esprit et d’un caractère -fort galant. Il avoit du courage, de l’ambition et l’âme du grand -roi.”</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Bussy-Rabutin to Madame de Scudéry,<br /> -August 16, 1671.</span><br /> -</p></div> - -<p><a name="front" id="front"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/i_frontis_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_frontis_sml.jpg" width="300" height="430" alt="Image unavailable: FRANÇOIS, SEIGNEUR DE BASSOMPIERRE, MARQUIS D’HAROUEL, MARÉCHAL DE -FRANCE. -From an engraving by Lasne. -[Frontispiece" /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">FRANÇOIS, SEIGNEUR DE BASSOMPIERRE, MARQUIS D’HAROUEL, MARÉCHAL DE -FRANCE.<br /> -From an engraving by Lasne. -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 60%;">[Frontispiece</span> - -</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii" id="page_ii"></a>{ii}</span></p> - -<h1>A GALLANT<br /> -OF LORRAINE</h1> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iii" id="page_iii"></a>{iii}</span> <br /></p> - -<div class="poetry"><div class="poem2"> -<b>FRANÇOIS, SEIGNEUR DE BASSOMPIERRE,<br /> -MARQUIS D’HAROUEL, MARÉCHAL<br /> -DE FRANCE (1579-1646) :: ::</b><br /> -</div></div> - -<p class="cb"> <br /> <br /><small>BY</small><br /> -H. NOEL WILLIAMS<br /> -<small>AUTHOR OF “FIVE FAIR SISTERS,” “A PRINCESS OF INTRIGUE,”<br /> -“THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE,” ETC.</small><br /> -<br /> -<i>IN TWO VOLUMES</i><br /> -<br /> -<small><i>With 16 Illustrations</i></small><br /> -<br /> -VOL. I<br /> -<br /> -<i>LONDON : HURST & BLACKETT, LTD.<br /> -:: PATERNOSTER HOUSE, E.C. ::</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iv" id="page_iv"></a>{iv}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_v" id="page_v"></a>{v}</span> </p> - -<h2><a name="PREFATORY_NOTE" id="PREFATORY_NOTE"></a>PREFATORY NOTE</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Although</span> the <i>Mémoires</i> of the Maréchal de Bassompierre are acknowledged -to be one of the chief authorities for the history of France during the -early part of the seventeenth century, they have never been translated -into English, nor, if we except the charming but all too brief sketch of -the marshal by Comte Boudet de Puymaigre in his <i>Poètes et Romanciers de -la Lorraine</i> (Paris, 1848), has any biography of their author yet been -attempted. That such should be the case is certainly very surprising, -since seldom can a man have led so eventful a life, or played so many -different parts with distinction, as did François de Bassompierre. -Soldier, courtier, diplomatist, gallant and wit, he was to the Courts of -Henri IV and Louis XIII very much what the celebrated Maréchal de -Richelieu was to that of Louis XV, and when on that fatal February day -in 1631 the gates of the Bastille closed upon him, not to reopen for -twelve long years, one of the most interesting careers in French history -practically terminated. In my endeavour to give a full and authentic -account of this career, I have naturally found my chief source of -information in Bassompierre’s own <i>Mémoires</i>, which he wrote, or rather -arranged and revised, during his imprisonment in the Bastille; but I -have also consulted a large number of other works, both contemporary and -modern. Most of these are mentioned either in the text or the footnotes, -but I desire to take this opportunity of acknowledging my great -indebtedness to the admirable notes of the Marquis de Chantérac, who so -ably edited the edition of the marshal’s <i>Mémoires</i> published by the -Société de l’Histoire de France.</p> - -<p class="r"> -H. NOEL WILLIAMS.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">London</span>, <i>May</i>, 1921.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vi" id="page_vi"></a>{vi}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vii" id="page_vii"></a>{vii}</span> </p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS<br /> -VOL. I</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="margin:auto auto;max-width:80%;font-size:90%;"> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Birth of François de Bassompierre—Origin of the Bassompierre -family—A romantic legend—His grandfather—His father—His -early years—He and his younger brother Jean are sent to the -University of Pont-à-Mousson, and afterwards to that of Ingoldstadt—Their -studies at Ingoldstadt—Death of their father, -Christophe de Bassompierre—Journey of the two brothers through -Italy—Their return to Lorraine </p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_001">pp. 1-14</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2" class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Visit of the Bassompierre family to Paris—François dances in a ballet -before Henri IV at Monceaux—He is presented to the King, who -receives him very graciously—He decides to enter the service of -Henri IV—He escorts his Majesty’s mistress, Gabrielle d’Estrées, -Duchesse de Beaufort, to Paris—Sudden illness and death of the -duchess—Extravagant grief of Henri IV, who, however, soon finds -consolation in the society of Henriette d’Entragues—Affray -between the Prince de Joinville and the Grand Equerry Bellegarde -at Zamet’s house, where the King is staying—Visit of Bassompierre -to Lorraine—He returns to Paris</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_015">pp. 15-29</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Bassompierre accompanies Henri IV in his campaign against Charles -Emmanuel of Savoy—His narrow escape at the taking of Montmélian—He -goes with the King to visit Henriette d’Entragues, -Madame de Verneuil, at La Côte-Saint-André, and reconciles -Henri IV with his mistress—Marriage of the King to Marie de’ -Medici—Presentation of Madame de Verneuil to the Queen—Visit of -Bassompierre to Lorraine—He returns to find the royal <i>ménage</i> -in a very troubled state, owing to the jealousy of the wife and the -mistress—He assists at a conference, in which the Chancellor -recommends the King to get rid of Madame de Verneuil at any -cost—He accompanies the Maréchal de Biron on a visit to England—He -is present at the arrest of Biron at Fontainebleau, in June, -1602—Condemnation and execution of the marshal</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_030">pp. 30-37</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Bassompierre sets out for Hungary to serve as a volunteer in the -Imperial Army against the Turks—His journey to Vienna—He<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_viii" id="page_viii"></a>{viii}</span> -learns that the commander-in-chief of the army is General von -Rossworm, a mortal enemy of the Bassompierre family—He is -advised by his friends in Vienna to take service in the Army of -Transylvania, instead of in that of Hungary, but declines to -change his plans—He sups more well than wisely at Gran—His -arrival in the Imperialist camp before Buda—Position of the -hostile armies—Bassompierre is presented to Rossworm—He -narrowly escapes being killed or taken prisoner by the Turks—He -takes part in a fierce combat in the Isle of Adon, and has -another narrow escape—He is reconciled with Rossworm—Massacre -of eight hundred Turkish prisoners—Failure of a night-attack -planned by the Imperialist general—Gallant but foolhardy -enterprise of the Hungarians—The Turks bombard the Imperialist -headquarters—Termination of the campaign—Bassompierre -returns with Rossworm to Vienna</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_038">pp. 38-49</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Bassompierre goes to Prague, where the Imperial Court is in residence—He -is presented by Rossworm to the lords of the Council—He -dines at the house of Prestowitz, Burgrave of Karlstein, and falls -in love with his widowed daughter, “Madame Esther”—Bassompierre -and Rossworm engage in an amorous adventure, from -which they narrowly escape with their lives—Bassompierre plays -tennis with Wallenstein, with the Emperor Maximilian an interested -spectator—He is presented to the Emperor, who receives -him very graciously and commissions him to raise troops in -Lorraine for service against the Turks—Bassompierre, Rossworm -and other nobles parade the streets masked and have an affray -with the police—Singular sequel to this affair—Bassompierre -spends the Carnival with the Prestowitz family at Karlstein—Amorous -escapade with “Madame Esther”—Bassompierre sets -out for Lorraine—He engages in a drinking-bout with the canons -of Saverne which very nearly has a fatal termination—Death of -his brother Jean, Seigneur de Removille, at the siege of Ostend—Grievances -of Bassompierre against the French Government—Henri -IV promises that “justice shall be done him” and invites -him to return to his Court—Bassompierre renounces his intention -of entering the Imperial service and sets out for France</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_050">pp. 50-63</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Bassompierre arrives at Fontainebleau and is most graciously received -by Henri IV—He falls in love with Marie d’Entragues, sister of the -King’s mistress—The conspiracy of the d’Entragues—The Sieur -d’Entragues and the Comte d’Auvergne are arrested and conveyed -to the Bastille, and Madame de Verneuil kept a prisoner in -her own house—Jacqueline de Bueil temporarily replaces Madame -de Verneuil in the royal affections—The King, unable to do -without the latter, sets her and her father at liberty—Bassompierre -becomes the lover of Marie d’Entragues—He is dangerously -wounded by the Duc de Guise in a tournament, and his life is at -first despaired of—He recovers—Attentions which he receives -during his illness from the ladies of the Court<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ix" id="page_ix"></a>{ix}</span></p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_064">pp. 64-70</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Quarrel between Bassompierre and the Marquis de Cœuvres—Bassompierre -sends his cousin the Sieur de Créquy to challenge the marquis -to a duel—The King sends for the two nobles and orders them to -be reconciled in his presence—Bassompierre and Créquy are -forbidden to appear at Court, but are soon pardoned—Visit of -Bassompierre to Plombières—He returns to Paris, and “breaks -entirely” with Marie d’Entragues—The Chancellor, Pomponne -de Bellièvre, ordered to resign the Seals—His conversation with -Bassompierre at Artenay—Bassompierre wins more than 100,000 -francs at play—He is reconciled with Marie d’Entragues—He -joins Henri IV at Sedan—The adventure of the King’s love-letter—Henri -IV gives orders that a watch shall be kept on Marie -d’Entragues’s house to ascertain if Bassompierre is secretly visiting -that lady—A comedy of errors—Madame d’Entragues surprises -her daughter and Bassompierre</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_071">pp. 71-86</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">A strange adventure—Bassompierre sent as Ambassador Extraordinary -to Lorraine to represent Henri IV at the marriage of the Duke of -Bar and Margherita di Gonzaga—He returns to Paris and orders a -gorgeous suit, which is to cost fourteen thousand crowns, for the -baptism of the Dauphin and Madame Élisabeth, though he has -only seven hundred in his purse—He wins enough at play to pay -for it—Charles III of Lorraine writes to request his presence at -the Estates of Lorraine—Henri IV refuses him permission to leave -France, but he sets out notwithstanding this—He is arrested by the -King’s orders at Meaux, but set at liberty on his promising to return -to Court—He is allowed to leave for Lorraine a few days later—Affair -of the Prince de Joinville and Madame de Moret</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_087">pp. 87-94</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Amusements of Bassompierre during the winter of 1608—His gambling-parties—Embarrassment -which the fact of having several love-affairs -on his hands simultaneously sometimes occasions him—Death -of Charles III of Lorraine—Bassompierre goes to Nancy to -attend the Duke’s funeral—Gratifying testimony which he receives -during his absence of the esteem in which he is held by the -ladies of the Court of France—“The star of Venus is very much in -the ascendant over him”—Marriage arranged between Marie -d’Entragues and the Comte d’Aché, of Auvergne—The affair is -broken off—Frenzied gambling at the Court: gains of Bassompierre—Secret -visits paid by him and the Duc de Guise to Madame -de Verneuil and Marie d’Entragues at Conflans—Visit of the Duke -of Mantua to the Court of France</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_095">pp. 95-99</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Enviable position of Bassompierre at the Court of France—The -Connétable de Montmorency offers him the hand of his beautiful -daughter Charlotte, the greatest heiress in France—The marriage-articles<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_x" id="page_x"></a>{x}</span> -are drawn up—The consent of Henri IV is obtained—The -Duc de Bouillon, whom Bassompierre has offended, endeavours -to persuade the King to withdraw his sanction and to marry -Mlle. de Montmorency to the Prince de Condé (<i>Monsieur le Prince</i>)—Henri -IV falls madly in love with the young lady—Singular -conversation between the King and Bassompierre, in which his -Majesty orders the latter to renounce his pretensions to Mlle. de -Montmorency’s hand—Astonishment and mortification of Bassompierre, -who, however, yields with a good grace—Bassompierre -falls ill of chagrin and remains for two days “without sleeping, -eating or drinking”—He is persuaded by his friend Praslin to -return to the Louvre—Mlle. de Montmorency is betrothed to the -Prince de Condé—Bassompierre falls ill of tertian fever, but rises -from his sick-bed to fight a duel with a Gascon gentleman—The -combatants are separated by friends of the latter—Serious illness -of Bassompierre</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_100">pp. 100-118</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">The body of a man who has been assassinated opposite Marie d’Entragues’s -house mistaken for that of Bassompierre—Bassompierre -wins a wager of a thousand crowns from the King—Marriage of the -Prince de Condé and Mlle. de Montmorency—Henri IV informs -Bassompierre of his intention to send him on a secret mission to -Henri II, Duke of Lorraine, to propose an alliance between that -prince’s elder daughter and the Dauphin—Departure of Bassompierre—He -arrives at Nancy and challenges a gentleman to a duel, -but the affair is arranged—His first audience of Duke Henri II—Irresolution -of that prince, who desires to postpone his answer -until he has consulted his advisers—Negotiations of Bassompierre -with the Margrave of Baden-Durlach—He returns to Nancy—Continued -hesitation of the Duke of Lorraine—Memoir of Bassompierre: -his prediction of the advantages which Lorraine would -derive from being incorporated with France abundantly justified -by time—The Duke gives a qualified acceptance of Henri IV’s -propositions—Difficulty which Bassompierre experiences in -inducing him to commit his reply to writing</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_119">pp. 119-131</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Return of Bassompierre to the French Court—Frenzied passion of -Henri IV for the young Princesse de Condé—His extravagant -conduct—Condé flies with his wife to Flanders—Grief and -indignation of the King, who summons his most trusted counsellors -to deliberate upon the affair—Sage advice of Sully, which, -however, is not followed—The Archduke Albert refuses to surrender -the fugitives—Condé retires to Milan and places himself -under the protection of Spain—Failure of an attempt to abduct -the princess—Henri IV and his Ministers threaten war if the -lady is not given up—The “Great Design”—Bassompierre -appointed Colonel of the Light Cavalry and a Counsellor of State—His -account of the last days and assassination of Henri IV<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xi" id="page_xi"></a>{xi}</span></p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_132">pp. 132-145</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Incidents at the Court and in Paris after the assassination of Henri IV—Meeting -between Bassompierre and Sully—Marie de’ Medici -declared Regent—Her difficult position—Return of Condé—Greed -and arrogance of the grandees—Quarrel between the Comte -de Soissons and the Duc de Guise—Grievance of <i>Monsieur le Comte</i> -against Bassompierre—He persuades Madame d’Entragues to -endeavour to compel Bassompierre to marry her daughter Marie—Proceedings -instituted against that gentleman—Announcement -of the “Spanish marriages”—Magnificent fêtes in the Place-Royale—Intrigues -at the Court—The Princes and Concini in -power—Assassination of the Baron de Luz by the Chevalier de -Guise—Marie de’ Medici and the Princes—Conversation of the -Regent with Bassompierre—Bassompierre reconciles the Guises -with the Queen-Mother—The Chevalier de Guise kills the son of -the Baron de Luz in a duel—The Princes, on the advice of Concini, -retire from Court</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_146">pp. 146-164</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">The affair of Montferrato—Intrigues of Concini with Charles Emmanuel -of Savoy—Arrest of Concini’s agent Maignan—Bassompierre -warns the Italian favourite of his danger and advises him to throw -himself on the clemency of the Queen-Mother—Concini follows his -advice and is pardoned and shielded by Marie de’ Medici, while -his agent is executed—Bassompierre goes to Rouen, where the -d’Entragues’s action against him is to be heard—The Regent recommends -his cause to the judges—The d’Entragues object to the -constitution of the court, and the case is adjourned—Duplicity of -Concini—He intrigues to ruin Bassompierre with the Queen-Mother—Semi-disgrace -of Bassompierre—He is reconciled with -Marie de’ Medici—He is appointed Colonel-General of the Swiss—The -Princes surprise Mézières—Peace of Saint-Menehould—Bassompierre -accompanies Louis XIII and the Queen-Mother to -the West</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_165">pp. 165-176</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Bassompierre, during his absence in Lorraine, condemned by the -Archbishop of Aix to espouse Mlle. d’Entragues, on pain of excommunication—The -archbishop’s decision quashed by the -Parlement of Paris—Financial and amatory embarrassments of -Bassompierre—Death of his mother—The action which the -d’Entragues have brought against him finally decided in his -favour—Condé withdraws from Court and issues a manifesto -against the Government—Civil war begins—Marriage of Louis XIII -and Anne of Austria—Peace of Loudun—Fall of the old Ministers -of Henri IV—Concini and the shoemaker—Condé becomes all-powerful—He -obliges Concini to retire to Normandy—Arrogance -of Condé and his partisans, who are suspected of conspiracy to -change the form of government—The Queen-Mother sends for -Bassompierre at three o’clock in the morning and informs him -that she has decided upon the arrest of the Princes—Preparations<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xii" id="page_xii"></a>{xii}</span> -for this <i>coup d’état</i>—Arrest of Condé—Concini’s house sacked by -the mob—The Comte d’Auvergne and the Council of War—Bassompierre -conducts Condé from the Louvre to the Bastille</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_177">pp. 177-195</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Serious illness of the young King, who, however, recovers—Bassompierre -and Mlle. d’Urfé—Gay winter in Paris—Richelieu enters the -Ministry as Secretary of State for War—His foreign policy—His -energetic measures to put down the rebellion of the Princes—Return -of Concini—His arrogance and presumption—Singular -conversation between Bassompierre and Concini after the death -of the latter’s daughter—Policy pursued by Marie de’ Medici and -Concini towards Louis XIII—Humiliating position of the young -King—His favourite, Charles d’Albert, Seigneur de Luynes—Bassompierre -warns the Queen-Mother that the King may be -persuaded to revolt against her authority</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_196">pp. 196-207</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Bassompierre joins the Royal army in Champagne as Grand Master of -the Artillery by commission—Surrender of Château-Porcien—Bassompierre -is wounded before Rethel—He sets out for Paris in -order to negotiate the sale of his office of Colonel-General of the -Swiss to Concini—He visits the Royal army which is besieging -Soissons—A foolhardy act—Singular conduct of the garrison—The -Président Chevret arrives in the Royal camp with the news -that Concini has been assassinated—Details of this affair—Bassompierre -continues his journey to Paris—His adventure with -the Liègeois cavalry of Concini</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_208">pp. 208-218</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Bassompierre arrives in Paris—Marie de’ Medici is exiled to Blois—Bassompierre’s -account of the parting between Louis XIII and -his mother—The rebellious princes return to Court and are pardoned, -but Condé remains in the Bastille—His wife solicits and -receives permission to join him there—Arrest of the Governor -and Lieutenant of the Bastille, on a charge of conniving at a secret -correspondence between Barbin and the Queen-Mother—Bassompierre -is placed temporarily in charge of the fortress—The Prince -and Princesse de Condé are transferred to the Château of Vincennes—Bassompierre -goes to Rouen to attend the assembly of the -Notables—A rapid journey</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_219">pp. 219-224</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Luynes succeeds to the power and wealth of Concini—Trial and execution -of Concini’s widow, Leonora Galigaï—Luynes begins to direct -affairs of State—His marriage to Marie de Rohan—Conduct of the -Duc d’Épernon—His quarrel with Du Vair, the Keeper of the -Seals—His disgrace—He begins to intrigue with the Queen-Mother—Escape<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xiii" id="page_xiii"></a>{xiii}</span> -of the latter from Blois—Treaty of Angoulême—The -Court at Tours—Arnauld d’Andilly’s account of Bassompierre’s -lavish hospitality—Favours bestowed by the King on Bassompierre—Meeting -between Louis XIII and the Queen-Mother—Liberation -of Condé—Bassompierre entertains the King at Monceaux—He -is admitted to the Ordre du Saint-Esprit</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_225">pp. 225-234</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">The grandees, irritated by the increasing power and favour of Luynes, -decide to make common cause with the Queen-Mother against -him—Departure of Mayenne from the Court—He is followed by -Longueville, Nemours, Mayenne and Retz—Formidable character -of the insurrection—Bassompierre receives orders to mobilise -a Royal army in Champagne—He informs the King that the -Comte de Soissons, his mother, the Grand Prieur de Vendôme and -the Comte de Saint-Aignan intend to leave Paris to join the -rebels—Alarm and indecision of Luynes—Advice of Bassompierre—It -is finally decided to allow them to go—Success of Bassompierre -in mobilising troops in Champagne, despite great difficulties—The -Duc de Bouillon sends a gentleman to him to endeavour to -corrupt his loyalty—Reply of Bassompierre—The town and -château of Dreux surrender to him—He joins the King near La -Flèche with an army of 8,600 men—Combat of the Ponts-des-Cé—Peace -of Angers</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_235">pp. 235-254</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Refusal of the Protestants of Béarn to restore the property of the -Catholic Church—Louis XIII and Luynes resolve on rigorous -measures and set out for the South—Visit of Bassompierre to La -Rochelle—He joins the King at Bordeaux—Arrest and execution -of d’Arsilemont—The Parlement of Pau declines to register the -Royal edict, and Louis XIII determines to march into Béarn—Bassompierre -charged with the transport of the army across the -Garonne, which is accomplished in twenty-four hours—Béarn and -Lower Navarre are united to the Crown of France—Coldness of -the King towards Bassompierre—Bassompierre learns that this is -due to the ill offices of Luynes, who regards him as a rival in the -royal favour—He is informed that Luynes is “unable to suffer -him to remain at Court”—Bassompierre decides to come to terms -with the favourite, and it is arranged that he shall quit the Court -so soon as some honourable office can be found for him—The -Valtellina question—Bassompierre appointed Ambassador Extraordinary -to the Court of Spain—Birth of a son to Luynes</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_255">pp. 255-270</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">An alliance with Luynes’s niece, Mlle. de Combalet, proposed to Bassompierre—His -journey to Spain—His entry into Madrid—He is -visited by the Princess of the Asturias, the grandees and other -distinguished persons—His meeting with the Duke of Ossuña—His -audience of Philip III postponed owing to the King’s illness—Commissioners -are appointed to treat with Bassompierre over the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xiv" id="page_xiv"></a>{xiv}</span> -Valtellina question—Death of Philip III—His funeral procession—An -indiscreet observation of the Duke of Ossuña to one of -Bassompierre’s suite is overheard and leads to the arrest of that -nobleman</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_271">pp. 271-285</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">Bassompierre’s audience of the new King, Philip IV—The Procession -of the Crosses—An old flame—Good Friday at Madrid—Anxiety of -the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting to see Bassompierre—His visit to -them—He is commissioned by Louis XIII to present his condolences -to Philip IV—He is informed that etiquette requires him -to leave Madrid as though to return to France and then to make -another formal entry—Revolution of the palace at Madrid: fall -of the late King’s Ministers—The Count of Saldagna ordered by -Philip IV to marry Doña Mariana de Cordoba on pain of his -severe displeasure—Bassompierre offers to facilitate the escape of -Saldagna to France, but the latter’s courage fails him at the last -moment—Negotiations over the Valtellina—Treaty of Madrid—Bassompierre’s -pretended departure for France—He visits the -Escurial, returns to Madrid and makes a second ceremonious entry—The -audience of condolence—State entry of Philip IV into -Madrid—Termination of Bassompierre’s embassy—He returns to -France</p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_286">pp. 286-298</a></p></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><p class="hang">A new War of Religion breaks out in France—Luynes created Constable—Louis -XIII and Duplessis-Mornay—Bassompierre joins -the Royal army before Saint-Jean d’Angély—Capitulation of the -town—Bassompierre returns with Créquy to Paris—He is “in -great consideration” amongst the ladies—Apparent anxiety of -Luynes for the marriage of his niece to Bassompierre—The King -and the Constable resolve to lay siege to Montauban—Bassompierre -decides to rejoin the army without waiting for orders from -the latter—He arrives at the King’s quarters at the Château of -Picqueos—Dispositions of the besieging army—Narrow escape of -Bassompierre while reconnoitring the advanced-works of the -town—A gallant Swiss—Death of the Comte de Fiesque—Heavy -casualties amongst the besiegers—The Seigneur de Tréville—Bassompierre -and the women of Montauban—Death of Mayenne—The -Spanish monk—An amateur general—Disastrous results of -carrying out his orders—Furious sortie of the garrison—Bassompierre -is wounded in the face—An amusing incident—The -Cévennes mountaineers endeavour to throw reinforcements -into Montauban—A midnight <i>mêlée</i></p></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><p class="rt"><a href="#page_299">pp. 299-319</a></p></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xv" id="page_xv"></a>{xv}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS" id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS<br /><br /> -VOL. I</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="margin:auto auto;max-width:80%;"> -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang"><span class="smcap"><a href="#front">François, Seigneur de Bassompierre, Marquis D’Harouel, Maréchal de France</a></span></td><td class="rt"><a href="#front"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="sml" colspan="2">From an engraving by Lasne.</td></tr> - -<tr><td> </td><td class="rt"><small>FACING PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang"><span class="smcap"><a href="#GABRIELLE">Gabrielle D’Estrées, Duchesse de Beaufort</a></span></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_024">24</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang"><span class="smcap"><a href="#HENRIETTE">Henriette de Balsac D’Entragues, Marquise de Verneuil</a></span></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_078">78</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="sml" colspan="2">From an engraving by Aubert.</td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHARLOTTE">Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency, Princesse de Condé</a></span></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_104">104</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="sml" colspan="2">From an engraving by Barbant.</td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang"><span class="smcap"><a href="#HENRI">Henri IV, King of France</a></span></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_136">136</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CONCINO">Concino Concini, Maréchal D’Ancre</a></span></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_184">184</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="sml" colspan="2">From an engraving by Aubert.</td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHARLES">Charles D’Albert, Duc de Luynes, Constable of France</a></span></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_238">238</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="sml" colspan="2">From a contemporary print.</td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="hang"><span class="smcap"><a href="#PHILIP">Philip IV, King of Spain</a></span></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_290">290</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="sml" colspan="2">From the painting by Velasquez.</td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xvi" id="page_xvi"></a>{xvi}</span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_001" id="page_001"></a>{1}</span></p> - -<h1>A Gallant of Lorraine</h1> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Birth of François de Bassompierre—Origin of the Bassompierre -family—A romantic legend—His grandfather—His father—His early -years—He and his younger brother Jean are sent to the University -of Pont-à-Mousson, and afterwards to that of Ingoldstadt—Their -studies at Ingoldstadt—Death of their father, Christophe de -Bassompierre—Journey of the two brothers through Italy—Their -return to Lorraine.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">François de Bassompierre</span> was born at the Château of Harouel, in -Lorraine, on Palm Sunday, April 12, 1579, “at four o’clock in the -morning.” His family, which was one of the most ancient and illustrious -of Lorraine, appears to have owed its name to the village of Betstein, -or Bassompierre,[1] near Sancy, which formed part of its possessions -until 1793, when it was confiscated and sold by the Government of -Revolutionary France, with the rest of the Bassompierre property. If we -are to believe the very confusing documents which François de -Bassompierre collected about his family, it descended from the German -House of Ravensberg, but, according to the learned genealogist, Père -Anselme, its origin can be traced to the latter part of the thirteenth -century, to one Olry de Dompierre, who became possessed of the fief of -Bassompierre by marriage, and whose son, Simon, adopted the name, which -became that of his descendants.</p> - -<p>However that may be, it was undoubtedly a very old<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_002" id="page_002"></a>{2}</span> family indeed, as -well as a distinguished one, and, like most old families, had its -mysterious traditions; but, at any rate, the legend of the Bassompierres -had nothing sinister about it.</p> - -<p>The story goes that during the transitory reign of that Adolph of Nassau -who lost his Imperial crown and his life at the Battle of Spire, there -lived a certain Comte d’Angerveiller, or d’Orgeveiller. This nobleman, -as he was returning home one evening from hunting—it was a -Monday—stopped to rest at a summer-house situated in a wood a little -distance from his château. There, to his astonishment, he found a young -and beautiful woman—a fairy, it is said—(She must surely have been the -last of the race!)—apparently awaiting his arrival. And the pair were -so well pleased with one another at this first interview, that for two -whole years they failed not to meet every Monday at the same rendezvous, -“the count pretending to his wife that he had gone to shoot in the -wood.”</p> - -<p>However, as time went on, the countess began to conceive suspicions, -“and one morning entered the summer-house, where she found her husband -with a woman of perfect beauty, and both asleep. And being unwilling to -awaken them, she merely spread over their feet a kerchief which she was -wearing on her head, which, being perceived by the fairy, she uttered a -piercing cry and began to lament, saying that she must see her lover no -more, nor even be within a hundred leagues of him; and so left him, -having first bestowed upon him these three gifts—a spoon, a goblet and -a ring, for his three daughters, which, said she, they must carefully -preserve, as, if they did this, they would bring good fortune to their -families and descendants.”</p> - -<p>Well, a lord of Bassompierre, an ancestor of the marshal, married one of -the three daughters of the Comte Orgeveiller, who brought him as her -dowry, together with certain fat lands, the spoon; and, in memory of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_003" id="page_003"></a>{3}</span> -this tradition, the town of Épinal, of which he had been burgrave, was -obliged to offer to him and his descendants, on a certain day each year, -by way of quit-rent, a spoonful from every measure of corn sold within -its walls.</p> - -<p>The ancestors of Bassompierre had served in turn the Emperors and great -princes of Germany, the Dukes of Burgundy, the Kings of France and the -Dukes of Lorraine, and had ended by occupying the highest offices at the -Court of Nancy. To go no further back than two generations, we find the -marshal’s grandfather, François de Bassompierre, high in the favour of -the Emperor Charles V, to whom he was successively page of honour, -gentleman of the Chamber, and Captain of the German Guard. In 1556 he -accompanied his Imperial master to the gates of the Monastery of Yuste, -where he witnessed Charles’s last adieu to the world, and received from -his hand a valuable diamond ring, which was ever afterwards religiously -preserved in the Bassompierre family.</p> - -<p>In 1552 Henri II, King of France, invaded Lorraine and established a -protectorate over the duchy; and François de Bassompierre, who, some -years before, had been sent by Charles V as Ambassador Extraordinary to -Nancy to assist in the government of Lorraine, during the minority of -its youthful sovereign, Charles III, was required to send his youngest -son, Christophe, to the French Court, as a hostage for his good -behaviour. The little boy—then about five years old—was brought up -with the Duc d’Orléans, afterwards Charles IX, who “either on account of -the conformity in their ages or some other reason, conceived a great -affection for him,” and admitted him to the closest intimacy. In -consequence, when the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis left Christophe at -liberty to return to Lorraine, he preferred to remain in France, until, -in 1564, when barely seventeen, he set off for Hungary to serve under -one of his uncles, Colonel de Harouel, against the Turks. Here he made -the acquaintance of Henri de Lorraine, Duc de Guise, who had also<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_004" id="page_004"></a>{4}</span> gone -crusading on the Danube, and a warm friendship sprang up between the two -lads, which lasted until Guise’s tragic death in 1589. “My father,” -writes Bassompierre, “always preserved for him (Guise) his devotion and -his service, and the said Sieur de Guise esteemed him above all his -other servants and intimates, calling him ‘<i>l’amy du cœur</i>.’ ”<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<p>Returning to France, after two years’ service in Hungary, Christophe de -Bassompierre was entrusted by Charles IX with the command of 1,500 -<i>reiters</i>, at the head of whom he distinguished himself at the Battles -of Jarnac and Montcontour, in both of which he was wounded. In 1568 he -was sent by the King with a body of <i>reiters</i> to the Netherlands, to the -assistance of Alva, and took part in the Battle of Gemmingen, in which -Alva defeated the Duke of Nassau. On his return to the French Court -after the Peace of Saint-Germain, Charles IX proposed to reward his -military services by marrying him to one of the two daughters of the -late Maréchal de Brissac. Christophe, however, who was poor and a cadet -of his House, represented to his Majesty that these damsels, who had -little money and great pretensions, were ill suited to him who had none, -and who needed it; “but that if he would do him the favour of marrying -him to the niece of the said marshal Louise le Picart de Radeval,<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> who -was an heiress, and whose aunt, Madame de Moreuil, intended to give her -100,000 crowns, it would do him much more good and make his fortune. And -this the King did, in spite of her relations and in spite of the girl -herself, who did not like him, because he was poor, a foreigner and a -German.”</p> - -<p>Of this union, so inauspiciously begun, five children<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_005" id="page_005"></a>{5}</span> were born—three -sons, of whom François was the eldest, and two daughters.<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p> - -<p>Almost immediately after his marriage, Christophe was obliged to leave -his bride, to take part in the siege of La Rochelle, which was -interrupted by the news that the Duc d’Anjou (afterwards Henri III), who -commanded the Catholic army, had been elected to the throne of Poland. -Christophe was one of those chosen to accompany the prince to his -kingdom, and set out for Poland, “with a great and noble retinue”; but, -on reaching Vienna, he received orders from Charles IX to raise a levy -of <i>reiters</i> for service against the Huguenots and “<i>Politiques</i>” and -return to France with all speed. He performed a like service for Henri -III in 1575, at the time of the revolt of Alençon, but in 1585 resigned -his pensions and offices and threw in his lot with the Duc de Guise and -the League, to whom his skill in recruiting mercenaries from Germany and -Switzerland proved of great assistance.</p> - -<p>After the King’s surrender to the demands of the League, at the Peace of -Nemours, in July of that year, Christophe’s pensions and offices were -restored to him, and in 1587, when the great army of <i>reiters</i> under -Dohna and Bouillon invaded France, we find him commissioned by Henri III -to raise a new levy of 1,500 horse. These troops were stationed with the -main army, commanded by Henri III in person on the Loire, but Christophe -himself preferred to serve under Guise on the Lorraine frontier. Here he -was seized with a serious illness, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_006" id="page_006"></a>{6}</span> necessitated his return home -and prevented him taking part in Guise’s victories at Vimory and Auneau.</p> - -<p>Christophe was at Blois at the time of the assassination of Guise in -December, 1588, but, warned in time, he succeeded in effecting his -escape from the town before the principal adherents of the duke were -arrested, and, exasperated by the fate of his friend and patron, raised -large levies in Germany for the service of the Leaguer princes. He -fought under Mayenne against Henri IV at Arques and Ivry, in which -latter engagement he was twice wounded and obliged to return to -Lorraine. He returned to France in 1593, to assist, as representative of -Duke Charles III, at the Estates of the League, where he offered very -effective opposition to the proposal of the ultra-Catholic party to -confer the crown of France on the Infanta Clara Eugenia. The conversion -of Henri IV having caused him to abandon any projects which he might -have had in France, he now devoted himself to re-establishing the -affairs of the Duke of Lorraine, which were in sad disorder, and was -appointed by that prince Grand Master of his Household and -Superintendent of Finance. In July, 1534, he signed, on behalf of the -duke, in Henri IV’s camp before Laon, a treaty by which Charles III -undertook to observe complete neutrality between France and Spain.</p> - -<p>This gallant old warrior was an excellent father and spared no expense -to give his sons the most thorough education which it was possible for -them to obtain. François de Bassompierre’s early years were passed at -the Château of Harouel.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I was brought up in this house,” he writes, “until October, 1584, -when I first remember seeing Henri, Duc de Guise, who was concealed -at Harouel, for the purpose of treating with several colonels of -<i>landsknechts</i> and <i>reiters</i> for the levies of the League. At this -time I began to learn to read and write, and afterwards the -rudiments. My tutor was a Norman priest, named Nicolas Ciret.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_007" id="page_007"></a>{7}</span></p> - -<p>In the autumn of 1587, on the approach of the invading army of Dohna and -Bouillon, Madame de Bassompierre and her children had to leave Harouel -and take refuge at Nancy. The invaders burned the town of Harouel, but -appear to have left the château untouched.</p> - -<p>On the return of the family to Harouel, François and his younger brother -Jean, who now shared his studies, were given another tutor, named -Gravet, “and two young men, called Clinchamp and La Motte, the one to -teach us to write, the other to dance, play the lute and music.” They -passed the next four years partly at Harouel and partly at Nancy, where, -in the autumn of 1591, François saw for the first time Charles de -Lorraine, Duc de Guise, who had recently effected his romantic escape -from the Château of Blois,<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> and with whom he was to be on such -intimate terms in later years.</p> - -<p>In October, 1591, the two boys went, accompanied by their masters, to -study at Freiburg, but only remained there five months, “because Gravet, -our tutor, killed La Motte, who taught us to dance.” In consequence of -this unfortunate affair, they returned to Harouel, but towards the end -of 1592 were sent to continue their studies at the University of -Pont-à-Mousson, founded by Duke Charles III and his uncle the Cardinal -de Lorraine, and early in the following year reached the first class. -They passed the Carnival of 1593 at Nancy, where they took part in a -tournament, “dressed <i>à la Suisse</i>.” At its conclusion they returned to -Pont-à-Mousson, where, shortly afterwards, their father brought them a -German tutor, George von Springesfeld, in place of the homicidal Gravet. -At the Carnival of 1594 they again went to Nancy, to assist at the -marriage of William II, Duke of Bavaria, and Marie Élisabeth, younger -daughter of the Duke of Lorraine, when it was decided that they should -accompany the bridal pair back to Bavaria, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_008" id="page_008"></a>{8}</span> keep their terms at the -University of Ingoldstadt. They travelled in the duke’s suite by way of -Heidelberg, Spire, Neustadt, Donauworth and Landshut, the party being -splendidly entertained by the various nobles at whose houses they -stopped; but the journey did not end without a tragic incident, in which -François de Bassompierre had a narrow escape of his life.</p> - -<p>At Donauworth, where they were delayed for two or three days by the -swollen condition of the Danube, he went out in a boat with the duke and -some of his attendants, to reconnoitre the passage of the river. As they -were nearing the castle in which the duchess was lodged, William II -ordered one of his pages to load and fire a pistol, in order to announce -their approach to his consort. The pistol missed fire, and, while the -page was examining the priming, it suddenly went off and killed an old -nobleman of the prince’s suite, who was sitting close to Bassompierre.</p> - -<p>At Ingoldstadt the two brothers, and the elder in particular, would -certainly not appear to have wasted much time:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“We went on with rhetoric for a little while, and then proceeded to -logic, which we studied in an abridged form, and in three months -passed on to physics and occasionally studied the sphere. In the -month of August we went to Munich, whither the duke had invited us -to spend the stag-hunting season, which they call <i>Hirschfeiste</i>, -with him. At the end of the hunting-season, which lasted a month, -we returned to Ingoldstadt, and continued our studies until -October, when we quitted physics, having got to the books <i>De -Animâ</i>. And, as we had still seven months to remain, I set myself -to study the institutes of law, in which I employed an hour; -another hour I spent in cases of conscience; an hour in the -aphorisms of Hippocrates; and an hour in the ethics and politics of -Aristotle, upon which studies I was so intent that my tutor was -obliged, from time to time, to draw me away from them, in order to -divert my mind. I continued my studies during the rest of that year -and the early part of 1596.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_009" id="page_009"></a>{9}</span></p> - -<p>But what contributed a good deal more than this bizarre erudition to -give to the future marshal that perfect aplomb, those graceful -accomplishments and charming manners to which he owed his fortune, was -the journey through Italy which he and his brother undertook after they -had completed their course at Ingoldstadt and returned to Harouel, which -was then a house of mourning, as their father, Christophe de -Bassompierre, had died just before they left Bavaria.</p> - -<p>In the autumn of 1596 they set out for the South, accompanied by the -Sieur de Malleville, an old gentleman, who acted as their <i>gouverneur</i>, -Springesfeld, their German tutor, and one of their late father’s -gentlemen, and travelled by way of Strasbourg, Ulm, Augsburg, Munich, -Innsbrück and Trent to Verona, where they were the guests of the Counts -Ciro and Alberto Canossa, the latter of whom had once been page to -William II of Bavaria. From Verona they proceeded to Mantua and Bologna, -and then, crossing the Apennines, arrived at Florence.</p> - -<p>Here they received a gracious message from Ferdinand I, Grand Duke of -Tuscany, who had married Christine of Lorraine, daughter of Charles III, -inviting them to visit him at his country-seat at Lambrogiano, to which -one of the prince’s carriages would be sent to convey them. On the day -following their arrival at Lambrogiano, the Grand Duchess invited the -elder brother to walk with her in the gardens, where they met her niece -Marie de’ Medici, to whom she presented him. Bassompierre little -imagined as he made his reverence that the young princess whom he was -saluting was the future Queen of France. In the evening they left -Lambrogiano and returned to Florence, where they remained for a few days -and then set out for Rome, by way of Sienna and Viterbo.</p> - -<p>At Rome they stayed a week, in order to perform the various devotions -customary for good Catholics who visited the Eternal City, and waited -upon several<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_010" id="page_010"></a>{10}</span> of the cardinals to whom they had letters of introduction, -and also upon the Spanish Ambassador, the Duke of Sessa, who had been a -friend of their father, and whose acquaintance they had made some years -before when he passed through Lorraine on his way to France. The -Ambassador provided them with passports and with letters of -recommendation to the Viceroy of Naples, and they set out for that city, -stopping on the road at Gaëta, Capua, and Aversa.</p> - -<p>On their arrival at Naples, they lost no time in presenting the letters -which the Duke of Sessa had given them to the Viceroy, Don Henriques de -Guzman, Count of Olivares, “who, on opening them, inquired if we were -the sons of that M. de Bassompierre, colonel of <i>reiters</i>, who had come -to the succour of the Duke of Alva in Flanders, by orders of the late -King Charles. And when we told him that we were, he embraced us most -affectionately, assuring us that he had loved our father as his own -brother, and that he was the most noble and generous cavalier whom he -had ever known; adding that he would treat us, not only as persons of -quality, but as his own children, which, indeed, he did, giving us all -the proofs of affection and good-will possible to imagine.”</p> - -<p>At Naples, the brothers passed a considerable part of their time in -practising equitation, under the guidance of two celebrated Italian -riding-masters; but at the beginning of 1597 their course of instruction -was interrupted by an attack of small-pox. On their recovery, they -returned to Rome, where they remained until after Easter, the only -incident of importance which marked their second visit to the Papal city -being their rescue of a French gentleman named Saint-Offange, who had -killed another in a duel, from the pursuit of the law.</p> - -<p>From Rome they went to Florence, where they resumed the riding-lessons -which the small-pox had interrupted at Naples.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_011" id="page_011"></a>{11}</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“As for our other exercises,” writes Bassompierre, “we had Messire -Agostino for dancing, Messire Marquino for fencing, Guilio Parigi -for fortification, in which Bernardo della Girandolla also -sometimes assisted. We continued these lessons all the summer, and -also witnessed the festivities of Florence, such as the <i>calcio</i> -and the <i>palio</i>, the plays and some marriages within and without -the palace.”</p></div> - -<p>While at Florence, they paid short visits to Pisa, Lucca, and Leghorn, -and early in November left the Tuscan city and took the road to Bologna, -whence they travelled by way of Faenza, Forli, and Ancona to Loretto. At -Loretto, where they arrived on Christmas Eve, they were invited by -Cardinal Gallio to stay at the Palazzo Santa-Casa. They spent the night -in devotions in the chapel, and on Christmas Day the cardinal appointed -the elder Bassompierre one of the witnesses to the opening of the -alms-boxes, “which amounted to six thousand crowns for the last quarter -of the year.”</p> - -<p>At Loretto our young travellers, inspired doubtless by their visit to -that famous shrine with the desire to do and dare something for the sake -of Holy Church, embarked in a strange adventure:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“There were a great many other French gentlemen at Loretto, besides -ourselves, and we all took the resolution to go together into -Hungary to the wars before we returned home. Having mutually -promised this, on the day after Christmas we all set out in a body, -to wit: MM. de Bourlemont and d’Amolis, brothers; MM. de Foncaude -and de Chasneuil, brothers; the Baron de Crapados and my brother -and I. But, since the nature of Frenchmen is fickle, at the end of -three days’ journey some of us, who had not our purses sufficiently -well-lined for a long journey or who had a stronger desire to -return to our homes than the rest, began to say that it was useless -to go so far in search of fighting when we had it near at hand; -that we were in the midst of the Papal army, marching to the -conquest of Ferrara, which had devolved<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_012" id="page_012"></a>{12}</span> on the Pope by the death -of Duke Alphonso; that Don Cesare d’Este retained possession of it, -contrary to all right;<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> that this was not less just and holy a -war than that of Hungary, and that in a week we should be face to -face with the enemy; whereas, if we went to Hungary, the armies -would not take the field for four months.</p> - -<p>“These persuasions prevailed on our minds, and we resolved that we -would all go next day to Forli, to offer our services to Cardinal -Aldobrandini,<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> legate of the army, and that I should speak in the -name of us all, which I did, to the best of my ability. But the -legate received us so coolly, and gave us so poor a welcome, that -in the evening, at our lodging, we did not know how sufficiently to -express the resentment and anger with which his indifference had -inspired us.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“Then my brother began to say that in truth we had only got what we -deserved; that, not being subjects of the Pope, nor in any way -concerned in this war, we had gone inconsiderately to attack a -prince of the House of Este, to which France had so many -obligations, which had ever been so courteous to foreigners and -particularly to Frenchmen, and which was so nearly allied, not only -to the Kings of France, from whom that family was descended in the -female line, but also to the families of Nemours and Guise; and -that, if we were good for anything, we should go and offer our -services to this poor prince whom the Pope wanted unjustly to -despoil of a State possessed by so long a line of his ancestors.</p> - -<p>“So soon as he had said these words, all the company expressed, not -only their appreciation, but also their firm resolve to proceed on -the morrow straight to Ferrara, to throw themselves into the town. -I have related all this, first, to make known the volatile and -inconstant character of Frenchmen, and, secondly, to show that -Fortune is generally mistress and director of our actions, since -we, who had intended to bear arms against the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_013" id="page_013"></a>{13}</span> Turks, did, in point -of fact, take them up against the Pope.”</p></div> - -<p>Travelling by way of Bologna, where their company was reinforced by the -Comte de Sommerive, younger son of the famous Duc de Mayenne, of the -League, the Chevalier de Verdelli, a friend of the Bassompierres, and -several other adventurous young gentlemen, they arrived on January 3 at -Ferrara. The duke received them with great honours and cordiality, but -he was very irresolute on the question of the war, alleging that his -coffers were well-nigh empty; that the King of Spain had declared for -the Pope, and that the Venetians, who had encouraged him to resist the -Pontiff, refused to assist him openly, and that the support that they -were prepared to give him secretly was of very little account. In this -state of mind he went, on the Feast of Kings, to hear Mass at a church -near the palace, accompanied by a great retinue of lords and gentlemen, -when the priests immediately quitted the altars, without finishing the -masses they had begun, and retreated from them as excommunicated -persons. This incident decided Don Cesare to send the Duchess of Urbino, -sister of the late Duke Alphonso, to treat with the Legate;<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> and, -accordingly, next day the band of young Frenchmen who had come to offer -him their services took leave of him and went their several ways.</p> - -<p>The Bassompierres went to Rovigo and thence to Padua, when Johann -Tserclas, Count von Tilly, elder brother of the famous captain of the -Thirty Years’ War, who was then studying at the University of Padua, -invited them to dinner, and the following day accompanied them on a -visit to Venice, where they remained a week. On leaving Venice, they -returned to Padua, and, after a short stay there, set out for Genoa, -stopping on the way at Mantua. At Genoa they lodged at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_014" id="page_014"></a>{14}</span> house of the -German consul, and “my brother and I both fell in love with the consul’s -daughter, whose name was Philippina, to such a degree that for some days -we did not speak to one another.” Which of the two brothers Philippina -preferred, Bassompierre does not tell us.</p> - -<p>Among the distinguished persons whose acquaintance they made at Genoa -were the two brothers Ambrosio and Frederico Spinola, the former of -whom, afterwards Duke of San Severino and Marquis of los Balbazes, was -to earn such renown as a general in the service of Spain. Frederico, who -also entered the Spanish service, was killed in a naval combat off -Ostend in May, 1603.</p> - -<p>From Genoa our travellers proceeded to Tortona, and thence to Milan, -where they stayed for some days and were very hospitably entertained by -the Spanish governor at the citadel. They then set out on their homeward -journey, accompanied by the Chevalier de Verdelli and Don Alfonso -Casale, Spanish Ambassador to Switzerland. They travelled by way of the -St. Gotthard, stopping at Como, Lugano, Lucerne and Basle, and in the -early summer arrived safely at Harouel, after an absence of more than a -year and a half.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_015" id="page_015"></a>{15}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Visit of the Bassompierre family to Paris—François dances in a -ballet before Henri IV at Monceaux—He is presented to the King, -who receives him very graciously—He decides to enter the service -of Henri IV—He escorts his Majesty’s mistress, Gabrielle -d’Estrées, Duchesse de Beaufort, to Paris—Sudden illness and death -of the duchess—Extravagant grief of Henri IV, who, however, soon -finds consolation in the society of Henriette d’Entragues—Affray -between the Prince de Joinville and the Grand Equerry Bellegarde at -Zamet’s house, where the King is staying—Visit of Bassompierre to -Lorraine—He returns to Paris.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> September, 1598, the Archduke Albert, son of the Emperor Maximilian -II, passed through Lorraine on his way to Italy, there to take ship for -Spain to marry the Infanta Clara Eugenia, Philip II’s daughter, by -Élisabeth of France, and become through her the sovereign of the -Netherlands.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> The Comte de Vaudemont, younger son of Charles III of -Lorraine, went to meet the archduke at Vaudrevange, and invited the -brothers Bassompierre to accompany him. They were duly presented to the -prince, who received them very cordially and “told them their name was -very dear to all his House.”</p> - -<p>On their return from this little journey, the whole Bassompierre family -began to prepare for a visit to France, Madame de Bassompierre, like a -loyal Frenchwoman, being anxious that her sons should be presented to -Henri IV, in the hope that they might decide to enter his service. She -was, however, at pains to conceal the real object of her journey from -the Count von Mansfeld,<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> whom her late husband had associated with -her in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_016" id="page_016"></a>{16}</span> guardianship of his children, and whose consent was required -before they could leave Lorraine.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The Count von Mansfeld,” writes Bassompierre, “gave his consent -very unwillingly, because he wished us to enter the service of the -Catholic King [Philip III of Spain]; and it was only on condition -that, after we had been some time at the Court of France and in -Normandy (where my mother made him believe that we had some -business affairs to transact), we should proceed from there to the -Court of Spain, and should not commit ourselves until our return -from both. He made us promise further that, when we wished to make -our choice, we should follow the advice that might be given us in -the matter by our principal friends and relatives.”</p></div> - -<p>At the beginning of October, the Bassompierres left Harouel and on the -12th of that month arrived in Paris, where they took up their quarters -at the Hôtel de Montlor, in the Rue Saint-Thomas-du-Louvre.</p> - -<p>Henri IV was then lying ill at the Château of Monceaux, near Meaux, -which he had presented to his beloved Gabrielle d’Estrées, Duchesse de -Beaufort, in 1595, and reported to be in considerable danger. The only -courtier of Madame de Bassompierre’s acquaintance who was with him at -the time was Gaspard de Schomberg, father of the marshal, to whom she -wrote to inquire when her sons could be presented to his Majesty. -Schomberg replied that it was impossible to think of such matters as -presentations in the condition the King was in, and advised her to -remain in Paris until Henri IV was sufficiently recovered to return to -the capital. This she decided to do, and meantime sent her sons to pay -their court to Catherine de Bourbon, the King’s sister, who was about to -marry the Duke of Bar, eldest son of Charles III of Lorraine. The -princess was very gracious to the young men, and, says Bassompierre, -“had the intention of marrying me to Mlle. Catherine de Rohan,<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> in -order to keep her<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_017" id="page_017"></a>{17}</span> near her when she went to Lorraine, but I had at that -time no inclination towards marriage.”</p> - -<p>Several of Madame de Bassompierre’s relatives and friends of her late -husband came to visit the Bassompierres at the Hôtel de Montlor, amongst -them being Charles de Balsac, Seigneur de Dunes—“<i>le bel</i> -Entraguet”—the hero of the famous Duel of the Mignons; Jacques de -Harlay, Seigneur de Chanvallon, a former lover of Marguerite de Valois, -Queen of Navarre; Charles de Cossé, Maréchal de Brissac, and the Comte -(afterwards) Duc de Gramont. One day, when Henri IV’s health was -beginning to mend, the Duc de Bellegarde, First Gentleman of the Chamber -and Grand Equerry to the King—<i>Monsieur le Grand</i>, as he was commonly -styled—arrived in Paris on a short visit, and Gramont presented -François de Bassompierre to him. Bellegarde received the lad very -cordially, and pressed him to dine with him, saying that he had invited -some of the most brilliant gentlemen of the Court. During dinner a -suggestion was made to organise a ballet to amuse their convalescent -sovereign and to go to Monceaux to dance it, and was received with -acclamation.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“They said,” continues Bassompierre, “that I must be one of the -party, but, thought I declared that I should be most delighted, I -added that it appeared to me that, as I had not yet been presented -to the King, I ought not to take part in the ballet. M. de -Joinville<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> then said: ‘That need not stand in your way; for we -shall arrive at Monceaux early in the day, when you can be -presented to the King, and in the evening we shall dance the -ballet.’ So I learned it with the others, who were MM. -d’Auvergne,<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_018" id="page_018"></a>{18}</span> de Sommerive, <i>le Grand</i>,<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> de Gramont, de -Termes,<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> the young Schomberg,<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> Saint-Luc, Pompignan, -Messillac and Maugiron, whose names I have decided to set down, -since they represented a select band of persons so handsome and so -well-made that it was impossible to find their superiors. At my -suggestion, they made up as barbers, in order to poke fun at the -King, who had placed himself in the hands of persons of that trade -for the cure of a wart which he had.”</p></div> - -<p>After this aristocratic troupe had rehearsed the ballet to their -satisfaction, they set out for Monceaux, but were met on the way by a -messenger from the King, who expressed his regret that he was unable to -lodge them at the château, where at that time there was but little -accommodation, and desired them to stop at Meaux, to which he would send -coaches that evening to bring them and their “props” to Meaux. -Bassompierre was thus disappointed in his expectation of being presented -to the King before the ballet. However, it was decided that he should -take part in it all the same.</p> - -<p>The party accordingly proceeded to Meaux, where they dressed for the -ballet, and then bestowed themselves, with their pages, the musicians, -and all their paraphernalia in six of the royal coaches, and set off for -Monceaux, where they danced their ballet, which appears to have caused -the good-natured monarch, who took the jest at his expense in excellent -part, much amusement.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“After which,” says Bassompierre, “as we were removing our masks, -the King rose and came amongst us, and inquired where Bassompierre -was. Then all the princes and nobles presented me to him to embrace -his knees; and he received me most affectionately, and I should -never have believed that so great a King would have shown so much -kindness and familiarity towards a young man of my condition. -Afterwards, he took me<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_019" id="page_019"></a>{19}</span> by the hand and presented me to the -Duchesse de Beaufort, his mistress, whose gown I kissed; and the -King, in order to give me the opportunity of saluting and kissing -her, stepped aside.”</p></div> - -<p>Humility was certainly not a fault of this young gentleman from -Lorraine, who had a nice appreciation of his own attractions. And he -proceeds to relate with complacency how, a few days later, they danced -again the same ballet at the Tuileries, for the diversion of Catherine -de Bourbon and Gabrielle d’Estrées, who, by permission of her royal -lover, had come to Paris expressly to witness it again, and that “when -the twenty-four men and women came forward to perform the dances, all -the spectators were delighted to behold a selection of such handsome -persons. So that, when the dances were over, they insisted on their -being performed again, an incident which I have never seen happen -since.”</p> - -<p>Undoubtedly, if we are to judge from his portraits, which belong, -however, to the time of Louis XIII, that is to say, to a period when he -had already passed the brilliant years of his youth, Bassompierre may be -pardoned his satisfaction at his personal appearance. These depict him -as of middle height and very well made, though his figure is a little -inclined to <i>embonpoint</i>. The face is of an almost perfect oval, framed -in long blond curls which descend to the richly-embroidered lace which -covers his shoulders. The nose, which sinks a little in joining the -forehead, dominates two small moustaches, separated above the mouth and -ending in carefully-pomaded points. A “<i>royale</i>”—or, as it has been -called since the time of the Second Empire, an “<i>impériale</i>”—extends -from immediately under the lower lip to the extremity of the chin, and -imparts to the whole physiognomy that intelligent expression which is to -be observed in all the portraits of the time of Louis XIII. However, if -Bassompierre had arranged his beard in quite a different manner, his -features would not have been less intelligent or less<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_020" id="page_020"></a>{20}</span> pleasing; his -agreeable smile and bright brown eyes would have always sufficed to -animate his countenance and to denote a man made for successes of all -kinds.</p> - -<p>In December, Henri IV, being sufficiently recovered to leave Monceaux, -removed for change of air to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where he lodged at -the Deanery, as did Gabrielle, and where he had his last natural son by -the duchess—Alexandre de Vendôme, afterwards Grand Prior of -France—baptised.<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> In the evening there was a grand ballet, in which -Bassompierre took part, “dressed as an Indian.”</p> - -<p>The Court remained at Saint-Germain until after the marriage of -Catherine de Bourbon with the Duke of Bar, which was celebrated on -January 30, 1599, when it returned to Paris; but at the beginning of -Lent the King set out for Fontainebleau. Bassompierre, however, remained -for a few days longer in Paris, and was the last to bid farewell to that -singular personage the Maréchal de Joyeuse, whom Voltaire has so well -described in these two lines:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Vicieux, pénitent, courtisan, solitaire,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Il prit, quitta, reprit la cuirasse et la haire,”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">before he finally quitted the world for the convent.</p> - -<p>“My cousin,” Henri IV had remarked to Joyeuse a little while before, as -they were standing one day on a balcony, beneath which a crowd had -gathered, “those people down there do not appear very well pleased at -seeing an apostate King and an unfrocked monk together.” This pleasantry -struck Joyeuse to the quick and this time he resumed the hair-shirt, not -to put it off again. And as in those days people obeyed their religious -convictions without deeming it necessary to advertise the fact to the -public, Joyeuse, having spent the evening in the midst of the gayest -company in Paris,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_021" id="page_021"></a>{21}</span> withdrew to the convent where he had resolved to -spend the remainder of his days, without saying a word of his intention -to anyone.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“After we had supped together at the Hôtel de Retz,” writes -Bassompierre, “at midnight I bade him good night at the -postern-door of his lodging, the threshold of which he merely -crossed, and then repaired to the Capuchins, where he ended his -days piously.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre was by this time firmly established in the good graces of -the King, for whom he had already conceived so warm an admiration and -affection that he had decided to enter his service. We will allow him to -speak himself on this occasion, inasmuch as he does so with a -sensibility and gratitude very unusual with him, and which one does not -find in his <i>Mémoires</i>, except when Henri IV is in question:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Two days later I went to Fontainebleau, and, one day, as someone -had told the King that I had some beautiful Portuguese pieces and -other gold coins, he asked me if I would play for them against his -mistress. On my agreeing to do this, he made me stay and play with -her while he was at the chase, and in the evening he played too. -This put me on terms of great familiarity with the King and the -duchess, and when we were talking one day about the reason which -led me to come to France, I told him [the King] frankly that I did -not come with any intention of engaging in his service, but merely -to pass some time there, and then to do the same at the Court of -Spain, before I came to any determination as to the conduct of my -future life; but that he had so charmed me, that, if he would -accept my service, I would go no further to seek a master, but -would devote myself to him until death. He embraced me and assured -me that I should not find a better master than he would be to me, -or one who would love me more or contribute more to my fortune or -advancement. This was on a Tuesday, March 12 [1599]. Henceforth, I -looked upon myself as a Frenchman; and I can say that, from that -time, I experienced from him so much kindness, so much affability,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_022" id="page_022"></a>{22}</span> -and such proofs of good-will, that his memory will be deeply graven -in my heart during the remainder of my days.”</p></div> - -<p>On the approach of Holy Week, Bassompierre requested the King’s -permission to go to Paris to perform his Easter devotions, when Henri IV -informed him that he should go with him on the Tuesday to Melun, whither -he proposed to escort the Duchesse de Beaufort, who also wished to -perform her devotions in the capital, and next day continue his journey -to Paris.</p> - -<p>We must here explain that it had been for some months generally known -that the Very Christian King, notwithstanding the strenuous opposition -of his great Minister Sully and his faithful adviser Duplessis-Mornay, -fully intended to marry his Gabrielle, as soon as he could obtain the -dissolution of his marriage with Marguerite de Valois. Such a resolution -aroused universal alarm. The duchess had many friends and few enemies, -but not even her most devoted partisans could maintain that her birth -and previous life fitted her to be the Queen of France, while it was -obvious that the claims of her legitimated sons, and of those who might -be born in wedlock, would add another element of discord to those -already existing. After considerable difficulty, on February 7, 1599, -Marguerite, who had declared that it was “repugnant to her to put in her -place a woman of such low extraction, and of so impure a life as the one -about whom rumour speaks,”<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> was at length persuaded to sign the -necessary procuration, which Henri IV lost no time in sending to Rome. -But Clement VIII disapproved of his Majesty’s choice,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_023" id="page_023"></a>{23}</span> less probably on -account of Gabrielle’s obvious unsuitability to share a throne than -because she was the intimate friend of Catherine de Bourbon, Duchess of -Bar, and Louise de Coligny, Princess of Orange. These two ladies were -amongst the most stubborn heretics in Europe, and his Holiness did not -doubt that, urged by them, Gabrielle would use all her influence with -the King in favour of their co-religionists. He, therefore, refused to -dissolve the marriage, sheltering himself behind the difficulties -regarding the succession in which the new union which the King was -contemplating would involve France. This paternal solicitude for his -kingdom did not deceive Henri IV, who, impatient at the delay, -instructed his representative at the Vatican to hint that, if the Holy -Father continued contumacious, the eldest son of the Church might be -tempted to behave in an exceedingly unfilial manner, and follow the -example of his last namesake on the throne of England. Whether, with -this threat hanging over him, Clement would eventually have yielded is a -matter of opinion; but an unexpected event came to relieve the tension.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre duly accompanied the King and the duchess to Melun, -Gabrielle, who was in an advanced state of pregnancy, being carried in a -litter. At supper Henri IV said to him: “Bassompierre, my mistress -wishes to take you with her in her barge to-morrow to Paris. You will -play cards together by the way.” That night they slept at Savigny, about -midway between Fontainebleau and the capital, and the following morning -(April 6) the King accompanied the duchess to the bank of the Seine, -where her barge was awaiting her, in which she embarked with -Bassompierre, the Duc de Montbazon, Captain of the Guards, the Marquis -de la Varenne and her waiting-women.</p> - -<p>At the moment of parting from her royal lover, Gabrielle broke down and -began to sob bitterly, declaring that she had a presentiment that she -should never see<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_024" id="page_024"></a>{24}</span> him again. The King, after vainly endeavouring to -console her, was on the point of yielding and taking her back to -Fontainebleau. But, in view of their intended marriage, he attached -great importance to the duchess performing her Easter devotions in the -capital, and, after repeated embraces, he freed himself from her -detaining arms and gave the signal for the barge to start.</p> - -<p>About three o’clock in the afternoon, Gabrielle reached Paris, and -disembarked on the quay near the Arsenal, where her brother-in-law, the -Maréchal de Balagny, her brother the Marquis de Cœuvres, Madame de -Retz, and the duchesse and Mlle. de Guise were awaiting her. She rested -for a while at her sister’s house, where a number of distinguished -persons called upon her, and then went to sup at the house of Sebastian -Zamet,—“the lord of the 1,800,000 crowns”—an Italian financier, who -had risen from a very humble position to great wealth and the personal -friendship of Henri IV. After supper she attended the <i>Tenebræ</i> at the -Couvent du Petit Saint-Antoine, then renowned for its fine music. During -the service she was taken ill and was carried to Zamet’s house, where -she recovered sufficiently to go to the apartments of her aunt Madame de -Sourdes, at the Deanery of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, where she always -stayed when paying a short visit to Paris, as she did not make use of -her own house in the Rue Fromenteau, which communicated with the Louvre, -except when the Court happened to be in residence. Next day, though -still feeling far from well, she attended Mass at her parish church, -Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois. She was borne in a litter, by the side of -which walked the Duc de Montbazon, in virtue of his position as Captain -of the Guards, and escorted by archers; while the Lorraine princesses -and a number of ladies of high rank followed in coaches. In the church -she was again taken ill, and, on returning to the deanery, fell into -violent convulsions. On the 9th—Good Friday—she gave birth to a -still-born child, after which the surgeons who attended<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_025" id="page_025"></a>{25}</span></p> - -<p><a name="GABRIELLE" id="GABRIELLE"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/i_024fp_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_024fp_sml.jpg" width="297" height="296" alt="Image unavailable: GABRIELLE D’ESTRÉES, DUCHESSE DE BEAUFORT." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">GABRIELLE D’ESTRÉES, DUCHESSE DE BEAUFORT.</span> -</div> - -<p class="nind">her proceeded to bleed the unfortunate woman four times. The consequence -was that poor Gabrielle died the following morning (April 10); the only -wonder is that she did not die before! The public, learning that she had -been taken ill shortly after supping with Zamet, persisted in the belief -that she had been poisoned—Italians bore a sinister reputation in those -days, and, indeed, down to a much later period—but this theory is now -generally discredited.<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“On Good Friday,” writes Bassompierre, “while we were at the sermon -on the Passion at Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, La Varenne came to -tell the Maréchal d’Ornano<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> that the duchess had just died,<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> -and that we ought to prevent the King, who was travelling post to -Paris, from coming there; and he begged him to go and meet him, in -order to stop him. I was with the marshal at the sermon, and he -asked me to accompany him, which I did. We met the King beyond La -Saussaye, near Villejuif, travelling at the top speed of his -horses. When he saw the marshal, he suspected that he was the -bearer of bad news, which caused him to weep bitterly. Finally, -they made him alight at the Abbey of La Saussaye, where they laid -him on a bed. He gave vent to every excess of grief which it is -possible to describe. At length, a coach having arrived from Paris, -they placed him in it to return to Fontainebleau, whither all the -princes and nobles had hastened to find him. We went with him to -Fontainebleau, and when he had mounted to the great Salle de la -Cheminée, he begged all the company to return to Paris to pray God -for his consolation. He kept with him <i>Monsieur le Grand</i>, the -Comte du Lude, Termes,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_026" id="page_026"></a>{26}</span> Castelnau de Charosse, Montglat, and -Frontenac; and, as I was taking my leave with all those whom he had -dismissed, he said to me: ‘Bassompierre, you were the last who was -with my mistress; stay with me to talk to me of her.’ So I remained -also, and we were eight or ten days without the company being -augmented, if one excepts certain of the Ambassadors, who came to -condole with him<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> and then returned to Paris immediately.”</p></div> - -<p>During this time the King remained prostrated with grief. “My -affliction,” he wrote to his sister Catherine, “is incomparable, like -the person who is the cause of it. Regrets and tears will accompany me -to the tomb. The root of my love is dead and will never put forth -another branch.”</p> - -<p>But alas! how changeable are the affections of kings! Scarcely two -months had passed<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> before his Majesty had embarked in a new -love-affair, with Henriette d’Entragues, whom he created Marquise de -Verneuil, that ambitious, greedy, intriguing woman, who, later, was to -conspire with the enemies of France against her royal lover. Nor did -this attachment prevent him from seeking amusement in other directions -and honouring with his fugitive attentions, not only divers beauties of -the Court, whose names Bassompierre does not hesitate to hand down to -fame, but even that vulgar class which the chronicler qualifies with a -word so explicit that we dare not repeat it.</p> - -<p>The following scene described by Bassompierre is too typical of the life -of Henri IV and his immediate entourage to be omitted. It occurred -during a flying visit<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_027" id="page_027"></a>{27}</span> to Paris which the King and a few of his -favourites paid in July, 1599, while the Court was in residence at -Blois:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The King had no retinue on this journey, and dined with a -president and supped with a prince or noble as the humour took him. -Mlle. d’Entragues was not yet his mistress,<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a> and he used -sometimes to pass the night with a pretty wench called la Glaude. -It happened one evening that, after he had been supping with M. -d’Elbeuf<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a>, the King came to pass the night with this girl at -Zamet’s house, and when, after we had undressed him, we were about -to enter the King’s coach, which was to take us back to our -lodging, M. de Joinville and <i>Monsieur le Grand</i> quarrelled, -touching something which the former pretended that <i>Monsieur le -Grand</i> had told the King about him and Mlle. d’Entragues.<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> In -consequence, <i>Monsieur le Grand</i> was wounded in the buttock, the -Vidame de Mans received a thrust through the body, and La Rivière -one<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_028" id="page_028"></a>{28}</span> in the stomach. After M. de Praslin had caused the doors of -the house to be shut, and M. de Chevreuse [Joinville] had taken his -departure, they asked me to go to the King and tell him what had -occurred. The King rose, put on his dressing-gown and, taking up -his sword, came on to the stairs, where the others were standing, -while I preceded him, carrying a taper. He was intensely annoyed, -and sent the same night to the First President<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> to command him -to come to him on the morrow with the Court of the Parlement, when -he directed them to investigate the affair and to show no favour to -anyone. This they did, and proceeded to summon before them the -Comte de Cramail, Chasseron, and myself to give evidence. And the -King bade us go and answer the questions which the commissioners -might put to us, which we did; and proceedings were instituted -against the offender. But, by reason of the pressing entreaties -which Monsieur, Madame, and Mlle. de Guise<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> addressed to the -King, the affair went no further, and two months later the -Constable<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> brought about a reconciliation at Conflans.”</p></div> - -<p>In November, Bassompierre obtained permission from the King to go to -Lorraine, to persuade Charles IV to free him from the security which his -late father had given for some 50,000 crowns which the duke had borrowed -at the time of the marriage of his elder daughter to the Grand Duke of -Tuscany, an obligation which had been causing him considerable -uneasiness. In Lorraine he remained for some six weeks, “more for the -love which I bore Mlle. de Bourbonne<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> than for the other affair.”</p> - -<p>Early in the New Year he returned to Paris, where the charms of Mlle. de -Bourbonne were soon forgotten for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_029" id="page_029"></a>{29}</span> those of a lady whom he calls la -Raverie and who was presumably a star of the <i>demi-monde</i>. The courtiers -of Henri IV were, however, quite capable of losing their hearts to two -or more ladies at the same time, following the example of their royal -master, who “fell in love that winter with Madame de Boinville and Mlle. -Clin.”<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> In addition to love-making, he danced in several ballets, one -of which was appropriately called <i>le Ballet des Amoureux</i>.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_030" id="page_030"></a>{30}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Bassompierre accompanies Henri IV in his campaign against Charles -Emmanuel of Savoy—His narrow escape at the taking of -Montmélian—He goes with the King to visit Henriette d’Entragues, -Madame de Verneuil, at La Côte-Saint-André, and reconciles Henri IV -with his mistress—Marriage of the King to Marie de’ -Medici—Presentation of Madame de Verneuil to the Queen—Visit of -Bassompierre to Lorraine—He returns to find the royal <i>ménage</i> in -a very troubled state, owing to the jealousy of the wife and the -mistress—He assists at a conference, in which the Chancellor -recommends the King to get rid of Madame de Verneuil at any -cost—He accompanies the Maréchal de Biron on a visit to -England—He is present at the arrest of Biron at Fontainebleau, in -June, 1602—Condemnation and execution of the marshal.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> February, 1600, Charles Emmanuel of Savoy paid a visit to the Court -to negotiate personally with the King about the matter of the marquisate -of Saluzzo, which, in 1588, the Duke, taking advantage of the internal -troubles of France, had invaded and annexed, and the restoration of -which Henri IV was now demanding. Charles Emmanuel offered to enter into -an alliance with France against Spain, and assist her to conquer the -Milanese, if only Henri IV would forgo his claims on Saluzzo, and -lavished costly gifts and large sums of money upon the Ministers and the -mistress in order to gain their support. But the King was adamant on the -question of Saluzzo, and on February 27 the Duke was obliged to sign a -treaty, whereby he engaged within three months either to surrender the -marquisate, or, as compensation, the county of Bresse, the valley of -Barcellonnette, the valley of the Stura, Pérousse, and Pinerolo.</p> - -<p>Towards the middle of May, as Charles Emmanuel had as yet taken no steps -to carry out his engagements, Henri IV began moving troops towards the -frontier of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_031" id="page_031"></a>{31}</span> Savoy, and he himself, accompanied by a few of his -intimates, amongst whom was Bassompierre, set out for Lyons, having sent -the rest of the Court on in advance to await him at Moulins. At Moulins, -where he was the guest of Queen Louise, widow of the late King, he -stayed for some little time “principally on account of la Bourdaisière, -with whom he was in love”<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a>; and it was not until the beginning of -July that he arrived at Lyons. Here he remained three weeks, to see what -action Charles Emmanuel proposed to take. That prince, however, had -signed the treaty of February merely for the purpose of gaining time; -and the promises of Spain, which feared, above all things, to see France -once more in possession of Saluzzo, decided him to break his word. At -the expiration of the three months he solicited a further delay or an -amelioration of the conditions of the treaty, hoping that the expected -rebellion of the Maréchal de Biron and the Comte d’Auvergne, whom, by -specious promises, he had succeeded in seducing from their allegiance to -their sovereign, would break out before Henri IV was ready to take the -field.</p> - -<p>Henri IV, however, was not deceived, and summoned the Duke to declare -immediately what his intentions were. The latter, after many -tergiversations, announced that he was prepared to surrender Saluzzo. -But when the King despatched officers to take possession of the chief -places in the marquisate, he refused to surrender them; and on August -11, Henri IV, at the end of his patience, declared war at Lyons.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre has left us an interesting account of the campaign which -followed—a campaign of invasion undertaken by an army scarcely more -numerous than a brigade to-day; but which, thanks to the improvements in -the artillery which Sully had introduced and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_032" id="page_032"></a>{32}</span> valour of the troops, -proved entirely successful. He himself underwent his “baptism of fire” -at the taking of the town of Montmélian, where he served with the -regiment of the Sire (afterwards the Maréchal) de Créquy. His military -career came very near to ending as well as beginning at Montmélian, for, -in the darkness, he lost his way and was cut off from his comrades, “so -that I was for more than an hour at the mercy of the fire from the -citadel, at twenty paces from the ditch.” By what seems like a miracle, -however, he was not hit, and, at length a sergeant, whom Créquy had sent -to find him, arrived and guided him to a place of safety.</p> - -<p>Charles Emmanuel, for once entirely wrong in his calculations, was -unable to offer any effective resistance to the invaders of his realm; -France remained tranquil; Biron, traitor though he was, in spite of -himself, mastered Bresse; Chambéry, the capital of Savoy, surrendered to -Henri IV after but a show of resistance; the citadel of Montmélian, -fondly deemed impregnable, fell before Sully’s new siege-guns; and the -Duke, seeing himself beaten, sued for peace, and, on New Year’s Day, -1601, signed a treaty with France, by which he retained Saluzzo, in -exchange for the cession of Bresse, Bugey, Valromey and Gex.</p> - -<p>Whilst engaged in the conquest of Savoy, Henri IV went to visit Madame -de Verneuil at Grenoble, as he had hastened at the peril of his life to -throw himself at the feet of the Comtesse de Gramont (“<i>la belle</i> -Corisande”) after the Battle of Coutras. The years had not changed him -and he made these journeys as eagerly as a gallant of half his age.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I had intended,” writes Bassompierre, “to go with M. Lesdiguières -to the valley of Marenne, which he was going to subdue, but the -King ordered me to follow him. He went to sleep at La Rochette, and -on the morrow dined at Grenoble. And having there learned that -Madame de Verneuil was about to arrive at Saint-André de la<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_033" id="page_033"></a>{33}</span> -Costé,<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a> he set out to go to her and lent me one of his own -horses to follow him. I rode the whole way at a trot, and was so -tired that, when I arrived, I could scarcely stand. The King and -Madame de Verneuil had a quarrel on meeting,<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> so that the King -was going back in anger, and said to me: ‘Bassompierre, order our -horses to be saddled for us to return.’ I told him that I would -willingly order his to be saddled, but that, as for mine, I should -declare myself on Madame de Verneuil’s side and should stay with -her. And, after going to and fro several times, in order to -reconcile two persons who were well inclined to it, I made peace -between them and we slept at Saint-André. The next day the King -went to Grenoble and took Madame de Verneuil with him.”</p></div> - -<p>“No one,” writes Boudet de Puymaigre, “makes us understand better than -does Bassompierre the character of Henri IV, that extraordinary man, -great on the field of battle, where his inspired language, in accord -with his deeds, elevates him often to the sublimity of the epopee; -skilful and even adroit in the government of his realm, causing at need -acts which were merely the outcome of political necessity to be -attributed to his clemency; in his private life, despotic and -good-humoured at the same time, often duped by his mistresses and -blinded by his passions. Such as he was, he remains the type of the -popular king, and posterity has done honour even to his faults, for it -has enshrined the name of ‘<i>la belle</i> Gabrielle’ amidst the trophies of -the Battle of Ivry. ‘His tragic end,’ remarks Chateaubriand, ‘has -contributed not a little to his renown; to disappear appropriately from -life is a condition of glory.’ ”</p> - -<p>Just a month before peace was signed with the Duke of Savoy, Marie de’ -Medici, whom the Duc de Bellegarde, acting as proxy for his master, had -married at Florence<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_034" id="page_034"></a>{34}</span> on Oct. 6, 1600, arrived at Lyons. Henri IV joined -her there a few days later, and on December 17 the marriage was -celebrated with great splendour. On the arrival of the royal bride at -Nemours, the King caused Madame de Verneuil to be presented to her. As -the sultana came forward, he explained who she was: “This young lady is -my mistress; she will be your obedient and humble servant!” Then, as the -scant curtsey which was all the salutation which Henriette vouchsafed -the Queen appeared to hold out little hope of the fulfilment of this -promise, he placed his hand on her head and bent it down, until she -kissed the hem of her rival’s dress.</p> - -<p>It must be acknowledged that his Majesty could hardly have contrived an -introduction better calculated to exasperate the temper of both women. -Nevertheless, on this occasion, the Queen contrived to dissimulate her -feelings, and, according to Bassompierre, gave Madame de Verneuil a very -good reception—“<i>bonne chère</i>,” as they said then.</p> - -<p>In January, 1601, Bassompierre again went to Lorraine, to visit his -mother, who was ill, and remained there three months. He returned in -company with the Duchess of Bar and her father-in-law, Charles III of -Lorraine, who were on their way to pay a visit to the Court, which was -then in residence at Monceaux. The Château of Monceaux, so closely -associated with memories of “<i>la belle</i> Gabrielle,” had just been -presented to the Queen by Henri IV, and Marie de’ Medici entertained her -distinguished guests with lavish hospitality. The royal ménage was, -however, in a very troubled state, for the wife and the mistress were -already at daggers drawn, and between them the Very Christian King was -having a decidedly unpleasant time of it. Matters, indeed, had come to -such a pass that Henri IV was contemplating the advisability of marrying -Madame de Verneuil, with a rich dowry, to some needy foreign prince, and -thus removing her from his Court; and Bassompierre was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_035" id="page_035"></a>{35}</span> called upon to -assist at a sort of council between the King, Sully, and the Chancellor, -Pomponne de Bellièvre, the last of whom strongly urged his Majesty to -get rid of the lady at any cost:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The King inquired if he should give something to Madame de -Verneuil in order to marry her to a prince, who she declared, was -willing to espouse her, if she had 100,000 crowns. M. de Bellièvre -(the Chancellor) said: ‘Sire, I am of opinion that you should give -100,000 crowns to this young lady to procure a suitable husband.’ -And when M. de Sully made answer that it was very easy to speak of -100,000 crowns, but very difficult to find them, the Chancellor, -without looking at him, rejoined: ‘Sire, I am of opinion that you -should take 200,000 crowns and give it to this young lady to marry -her, and even 300,000, if you cannot do it for less. And that is my -advice.’ The King repented afterwards of not having approved and -followed this counsel.”</p></div> - -<p>In September, 1601, Henri IV was at Calais, and Queen Elizabeth came to -Dover, partly in the hope that her old ally would visit her to discuss -the advisability of joint action against Spain. The King, however, was -unwilling to alarm the Catholics or to do anything which might -precipitate a renewal of the war with Spain, and he also perhaps feared -that Elizabeth might seize the opportunity to demand the repayment of -certain advances of money which she had made him during his struggle -against the League, and which it would be highly inconvenient to refund -just then. Accordingly, he dispatched the Maréchal de Biron to offer his -excuses and regrets to the Queen; and Biron persuaded Bassompierre, who -had just arrived at Calais from a journey to Verneuil upon which the -King had sent him, to accompany him to England.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“We did not find the Queen in London,” writes Bassompierre. “She -was making a progress, and was at a country-house called Basin,<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a> -forty leagues distant, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_036" id="page_036"></a>{36}</span> belonged to the Marquis of -Vincester.<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> The Queen notified her intention of receiving us at -another country-house, called The Vine, a league from Basin, -whither M. de Biron was conducted. He was very honourably received -by the Queen, who went a-hunting next day with fifty ladies on -hackneys and sent for M. de Biron to join the hunt. On the morrow, -he took leave of the Queen and returned to London, where, after -remaining three days, he repassed the sea.”</p></div> - -<p>The first news which greeted Bassompierre and the marshal on their -arrival at Boulogne, near which contrary winds had obliged them to land, -was the birth of the Dauphin (afterwards Louis XIII), which had taken -place on September 27, 1601.<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a></p> - -<p>Bassompierre was present at Fontainebleau that evening in the following -June, when Biron, after refusing Henri IV’s magnanimous offer of pardon -on condition that he would confess the truth concerning his treasonable -dealings with the Duke of Savoy, was arrested by the Marquis de Vitry, -Captain of the Château of Fontainebleau, as he was passing from the -King’s cabinet into the Chambre de Saint-Louis, and requested to give up -his sword.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I was in the Chamber,” he writes, “having withdrawn to the window -with M. de Montbazon and La Guesle.<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a> We approached the marshal, -who asked M. de Montbazon to go and beg the King that he might be -allowed to retain his sword, adding: ‘What treatment, Messieurs, -for a man who has served as I have!’ M. de Montbazon went to the -King and returned to say that the King desired him to give up his -sword, upon which he permitted them to take it away.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_037" id="page_037"></a>{37}</span></p> - -<p>Biron was conducted to the Bastille, where his captivity was shared by -the Comte d’Auvergne, who had been arrested at the same time.<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a> Later -that evening, Henri IV sent for Bassompierre and other nobles, and -placed before them the letters which La Fin, the instigator of the -conspiracy, who had subsequently turned informer, had given him. They -were all written in Biron’s own hand.</p> - -<p>The marshal was arraigned for high treason before the Parlement of -Paris, the peers of the realm being summoned to take their places -amongst the judges, as was the custom when one of their number was on -his trial. The evidence of the accused’s guilt was overwhelming, and he -was unanimously sentenced to death. On July 31, 1602, he was beheaded in -the courtyard of the Bastille, it having been decided to spare him the -ignominy of a public execution in the Place de Grève. The pusillanimous -Comte d’Auvergne was pardoned and set at liberty in the following -October, thanks to the intercession of his half-sister, Madame de -Verneuil.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_038" id="page_038"></a>{38}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Bassompierre sets out for Hungary to serve as a volunteer in the -Imperial Army against the Turks—His journey to Vienna—He learns -that the commander-in-chief of the army is General von Rossworm, a -mortal enemy of the Bassompierre family—He is advised by his -friends in Vienna to take service in the Army of Transylvania, -instead of in that of Hungary, but declines to change his plans—He -sups more well than wisely at Gran—His arrival at the Imperialist -camp before Buda—Position of the hostile armies—Bassompierre is -presented to Rossworm—He narrowly escapes being killed or taken -prisoner by the Turks—He takes part in a fierce combat in the Isle -of Adon, and has another narrow escape—He is reconciled with -Rossworm—Massacre of eight hundred Turkish prisoners—Failure of a -night-attack planned by the Imperialist general—Gallant but -foolhardy enterprise of the Hungarians—The Turks bombard the -Imperialist headquarters—Termination of the campaign—Bassompierre -returns with Rossworm to Vienna.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Peace</span> having been concluded between France and Savoy, tranquillity -reigned for the moment in Europe, except in Hungary, where the eternal -conflict between the Cross and the Crescent continued to be waged as -bitterly as ever. In those days, war, with very few exceptions, was the -only road which led to honour and renown, and when Christians were at -peace with one another, the Turks became the objective of all -adventurous spirits, who went to fight the Infidel in Hungary, Crete, or -Malta as their ancestors flocked to the Crusades. Moreover, it was not -without mortification that the German relatives of Bassompierre, who had -seen all his family entirely devoted to the profession of arms, beheld -him passing his youth at the Court of France in voluptuous idleness, -and, to wean him from it, they obtained for him the offer of the command -of a regiment of 3,000 men which the Circle of Bavaria had agreed to -contribute to the Imperial Army in Hungary for the campaign of 1603. -Bassompierre,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_039" id="page_039"></a>{39}</span> however, though willing enough to go to Hungary, had the -good sense to decline this post, “not deeming it fitting,” he writes, -“that, without any knowledge of the country, I should straightway take -command of 3,000 men,” and decided to serve as a simple volunteer.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, about the middle of August, 1603, having obtained leave of -absence from the King, he left Paris, and travelled by way of Nancy and -Strasbourg to Ulm, where his attendants, whom he had sent on in advance, -had procured two large boats for his passage down the Danube. In these -he and his suite, which appears to have been quite an imposing one, as -befitted a gentleman of such ancient lineage and one of the favourites -of the King of France, embarked and proceeded to Neuburg, where he was -very hospitably entertained by Duke William II, who, a few years before, -had abdicated his throne in favour of his son, now Maximilian I. -Continuing his journey, with stoppages at Ingoldstadt, Ratisbon, and -Linz, at the beginning of the second week in September he arrived in -Vienna, where he found the Prince de Joinville, who had been temporarily -banished from France,<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> Frederick, Count von Salm, and several other -gentlemen of his acquaintance, both French and German, most of whom -were, like himself, on their way to win honour and glory, or -peradventure to find a soldier’s grave, on the plains of Hungary.</p> - -<p>Some of these modern Crusaders came to dine with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_040" id="page_040"></a>{40}</span> Bassompierre on the -day following his arrival in Vienna, and from them he learned a most -unwelcome piece of intelligence, namely, that the commander-in-chief of -the Imperial forces in Hungary under whom he was about to take service -was none other than General von Rossworm, a mortal enemy of the -Bassompierre family.</p> - -<p>It appears that some fifteen years before, in the time of the League, -Rossworm had served in France under Bassompierre’s father, by whom he -had been placed in charge of the town of Blancmesnil. Rossworm had taken -advantage of his position to abduct a young lady of noble birth who had -taken refuge at Blancmesnil with her mother, and whom he promised to -marry, but subsequently discarded, after subjecting the poor girl to the -most abominable treatment. On ascertaining the facts of the case, -Christophe de Bassompierre, burning with righteous indignation, vowed -that the German should pay for his villainy with his head; but the -latter, warned in time, fled from Blancmesnil and for some little while -succeeded in evading pursuit. Eventually, however, he was run to earth -at Amiens, and would undoubtedly have been executed, had not the Sieur -de Vitry, who commanded the light cavalry of the League, and who -happened to be under some personal obligation to Rossworm, found means -to enable him to escape. Rossworm subsequently returned to Germany and -entered the Imperial service, and being, though a pretty bad scoundrel, -even for a German soldier of fortune of those times, a very brave man -and a most capable officer, rose step by step, until at length he was -appointed to the command of the Imperial army in Hungary.<a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> He had -cherished the most implacable resentment against Christophe de -Bassompierre, and while the two young Bassompierres were studying at -Ingoldstadt, they received<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_041" id="page_041"></a>{41}</span> warning that Rossworm, in order to avenge -himself upon the father, had actually planned to have the sons -assassinated. On being informed of this, Christophe complained to the -Duke of Bavaria, who had just appointed Rossworm to the command of the -regiment of foot which Bavaria was about to send to Hungary. The Duke -promptly deprived Rossworm of that post, a step which had served to -incense that worthy still further against the Bassompierres.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre’s friends in Vienna, on being informed by him how matters -stood, did not fail to represent to him the danger of placing himself in -the power of so unscrupulous and vindictive a man as Rossworm had proved -himself to be, and endeavoured to persuade him to renounce his intention -of going to Hungary and take service instead in the Army of -Transylvania, under its distinguished leader, George Basta. Finding, -however, that the young Lorrainer, though he quite appreciated the risk -he would be incurring, was indisposed to change his plans, they invited -to meet him at dinner Siegfried Colowitz, an Hungarian colonel, who had -just arrived in Vienna on a brief furlough, and laid the matter before -him.</p> - -<p>Colowitz, who had taken so great a fancy to Bassompierre that he had -insisted on making <i>brudershaft</i> with him, expressed the opinion that -Rossworm was too unpopular in the army to attempt any open violence -against his new friend, and that, if he were so imprudent as to do so, -he himself had 1,200 Hungarian cavalry under his command, and his -brother Ferdinand 1,500 <i>landsknechts</i>, who would obey their orders -without question. However, as it was possible that Rossworm might have -recourse to some other means of injuring Bassompierre, he proposed that -the latter should take up his quarters in his own part of the camp, -where he would guarantee his safety.</p> - -<p>Towards the end of September, Bassompierre having spent the interval in -purchasing the tents, carts,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_042" id="page_042"></a>{42}</span> horses, and other things which he -required, left Vienna, in company with the Prince de Joinville, and -continued his journey down the Danube. At Gran, the governor, Count -Althann, came to meet them, bringing with him horses for them to ride to -the citadel, where he informed them that he was expecting two other -distinguished guests, in the persons of the Bishop of Erlau and Count -Illischezki, one of the chief nobles of Hungary, whom the Emperor had -appointed as deputies to treat, in conjunction with himself, for peace. -At the citadel, the two young gentlemen appear to have supped more well -than wisely:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“He [Count Althann],” writes Bassompierre, “entertained M. de -Joinville and myself to a most excellent supper, at which we drank -in moderation. But, unhappily, the deputies having arrived, orders -were given to serve it up again, and we remained at table until -midnight; by which time we were so drunk that we lost all -consciousness and had to be carried back to our boats.”</p></div> - -<p>On September 27th they arrived at Waitzen, on the left bank of the -Danube, where they were met by Ferdinand Colowitz, who handed -Bassompierre a letter from his brother Siegfried, in which he informed -him that, at his request, the Count von Tilly, who, in his younger days, -had served under Christophe de Bassompierre and was now a major-general -in the Imperial Army, had broken the news of the coming of Christophe’s -son to the commander-in-chief, who had emphatically disclaimed any evil -intentions towards the young man, although he would prefer to have no -intercourse with him. Colowitz added that should Rossworm, despite what -he had said, attempt any violence, half the army would rise against him.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre was naturally much relieved at this news, and that -afternoon he went with Joinville to Rossworm’s head-quarters, where he -was duly presented to the general and courteously, if somewhat coldly, -received. Afterwards, he proceeded to the Isle of Adon, where Siegfried -Colowitz’s cavalry were posted, and where<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_043" id="page_043"></a>{43}</span> his servants had already put -up his tent at a little distance from that of the Hungarian colonel.</p> - -<p>It may be as well here to explain the situation of affairs at the moment -when Bassompierre joined the army.</p> - -<p>In the campaign of the preceding year, the Christians had captured Pesth -and the lower town of Buda, situated on the opposite bank of the Danube. -This year their army, which was composed of some 30,000 infantry and -10,000 cavalry, to which, as in the time of the Crusades, almost every -country in Europe had contributed its quota, was encamped on the left -bank of the Danube, covering Pesth and threatening Buda. The Turks were -encamped on the right bank of the river, and their objective was the -revictualling of Buda and the recovery of Pesth or Gran. Rossworm had -strongly occupied the Isle of Adon, situated between the hostile camps, -and it was in this island that most of the fighting took place. The -Turks had occupied a small island, about 1,500 paces in circumference, -which lay between the Isle of Adon and their own camp, and had built a -bridge of boats from this island to the right bank. They had also made -several attempts to construct another bridge from the little island to -the left bank, but this was constantly broken by the fire of the -Imperialist artillery. They, however, occasionally succeeding in -crossing over to the Isle of Adon, and even to the Imperialists’ side of -the river, in caiques and on rafts, under cover of darkness, but had -never yet succeeded in securing a footing there.</p> - -<p>Hardly had Bassompierre finished supper that evening than a message -arrived from Siegfried Colowitz to inform him that a reconnoitring party -of the enemy had just landed on the island, and to request him, if he -were in the mood for a little fighting, to put on his armour and have a -horse saddled, as he was about to attack them. Shortly afterwards, -Colowitz himself rode up, accompanied by a hundred or so of his -Hungarians, one of whom he ordered to dismount and give his horse to -Bassompierre, whose<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_044" id="page_044"></a>{44}</span> own charger he considered too heavy an animal for -the work before them. They then galloped away, and, having come upon the -Turks, charged them vigorously and forced them to beat a hasty retreat -to their caiques and return to their own side of the river.</p> - -<p>The following night, however, the Turks succeeded in landing on the -island in considerable force from caiques and pontoons, on the same spot -which they had just reconnoitred and began hurriedly constructing -entrenchments, with the object of holding the Imperialists at bay long -enough to enable the rest of the Ottoman army to be brought across. They -were so fiercely attacked, however, that they were soon obliged to -retreat.</p> - -<p>A few days later, Bassompierre had a narrow escape of being killed or -taken prisoner.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“At daybreak on September 29,” he writes, “we issued from our great -entrenchment with 200 Hungarian horse to reconnoitre the enemy; but -we had not gone three hundred paces, when we perceived some hundred -horsemen in front of us. The Hungarians, according to their custom, -were dispersed in all directions, and we had not more than thirty -with us, all of whom took to flight so soon as the enemy appeared. -But I, who could not imagine that the Turks had advanced so far, -and who could not distinguish them from the Hungarians, thought -that they belonged to us, until an Hungarian fugitive called out to -me: ‘<i>Heu, domine, adsunt Turcae!</i>’ which caused me to retreat -also.”</p></div> - -<p>At the beginning of October the Turks resolved upon a great effort to -drive the Imperialists from the Isle of Adon. Rossworm, however, had -received warning of the enemy’s intention, and of the day and hour when -the attempt would be made; and, though he might easily have prevented -the Turks from reaching the island, he decided to allow them to pass the -river and then to fall suddenly upon them. With this purpose, he -brought, under cover of night, the greater part of his army over<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_045" id="page_045"></a>{45}</span> to the -island, and placed in ambush a body of 4,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, -the latter including the regiment of Siegfried Colowitz, to which -Bassompierre and Joinville were attached. These troops swooped down upon -the Turks before they had had time to form in order of battle after -effecting their landing, and routed them with terrible slaughter, great -numbers being cut down, while many more were drowned in the Danube, into -which they had thrown themselves to escape the lances and sabres of the -pursuing cavalry.</p> - -<p>In this engagement Bassompierre again had a narrow escape. He was -mounted that day on a magnificent Spanish stallion, for which he had -given a thousand crowns; but he was a very mettlesome animal and by no -means easy to ride, and, having been wounded below the eye by a javelin -in the first charge, while, at the same time, his curb-chain broke, he -became quite unmanageable and bolted after the flying enemy at breakneck -speed. Bassompierre endeavoured in vain to stop him, and then, seeing -that he had far outstripped his comrades and was alone in the midst of -the fugitives, he bore hard on the left rein and succeeded in turning -him in that direction. But he had only diverted the maddened animal’s -course, without checking his speed, and found himself being carried -towards a body of some thousand Turks who had not yet been engaged and -were retreating in good order. A few seconds more and he would have been -in the middle of them, when, happily for him, his equerry Des Essans, -who had been riding hard to overtake his master, came up and, seizing -the runaway’s bridle, managed to hold him long enough to enable -Bassompierre to throw himself out of the saddle, within twenty paces of -the Turks. The latter, though very reluctant to forgo the chance of -killing and despoiling so magnificent a cavalier—for Bassompierre tells -us that he was arrayed that day “in a suit of gilded armour, very -beautifully chased, with a number of plumes and scarves upon himself and -his <span class="pagenum"><a name="page_046" id="page_046"></a>{46}</span>horse”—were too hard pressed by their pursuers to turn aside, and -continued their retreat, leaving him and Des Essans unmolested. The -faithful equerry had, however, not escaped unscathed, as, in seizing the -bridle of his master’s horse, he had been somewhat badly wounded in the -leg by Bassompierre’s sword, which was suspended from his wrist.</p> - -<p>Having procured another horse, Bassompierre continued the pursuit of the -enemy to the bank of the river, and then, accompanied by Joinville, made -his way to the spot where Rossworm and his staff were gathered, “seated -on some dead Turks.” On seeing Bassompierre, the general rose and -announced that he wished to say a few words.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“And, after having praised me for what he had just seen me do, and -observed that I should not be a member of the family to which I -belonged if I were not valiant, he continued: ‘The late M. de -Bassompierre, your father, was my master, but he wished to put me -to death unjustly. I desire to forget that outrage and to remember -only the obligations under which he had previously placed me, and -to be henceforth, if you wish it, your friend and your servant.’ -Then I dismounted from my horse and advanced to salute him and -thank him in the most suitable terms that I could think of. Upon -which, turning towards the two princes, the Prince de Joinville and -the Landgrave of Hesse, and the colonels and other officers who -were with him, he said: ‘Gentlemen, I could not effect this -reconciliation or offer these assurances of friendship to M. de -Bassompierre in a better place, after a better action, or before -more noble witnesses. I invite you to dine with me to-morrow, and -him also, to confirm again what has just occurred.’ And this we all -promised to do.”</p></div> - -<p>After this victory the Imperialists returned to their camp on the left -bank of the river, where Rossworm ordered all the Turkish prisoners -taken in the battle to be put to death, “because they embarrassed the -army.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_047" id="page_047"></a>{47}</span> “It was a very cruel thing,” adds Bassompierre, “to see more -than 800 men who had surrendered slaughtered in cold blood.” -Nevertheless, the butchery of prisoners appears to have been an only too -common practice in the wars between the Cross and the Crescent, which -were conducted on both sides with the most pitiless ferocity.</p> - -<p>Next day Bassompierre dined with the commander-in-chief and his staff, -when they confirmed “with the bottle and a thousand protestations of -friendship, the reconciliation which had been effected on the field of -battle.” To do Rossworm justice, he was perfectly sincere in his desire -to terminate his feud with the Bassompierre family, and he and the young -volunteer soon became firm friends.</p> - -<p>The Turks still held the little island, and had preserved intact the -bridge of boats by which communication with their army on the right bank -of the Danube was maintained. They had mounted on this island six pieces -of cannon, which completely commanded the approach from the left bank of -the river, so that any attempt to capture it by day would have been out -of the question, even if the bridge of boats had not enabled the enemy -to hurry reinforcements across at the first alarm. Rossworm, however, -considered that, if the communications of the garrison of the island -with their army could be temporarily interrupted by the destruction of -this bridge, a night attack might very well prove successful.</p> - -<p>On the night of October 8-9 he determined to make the attempt, and -accordingly dispatched engineers to blow up the bridge, while a large -force was brought into the Isle of Adon, and boats and rafts collected -to ferry them across. The engineers duly succeeded in destroying the -bridge, but the Hungarians, who formed the advance-guard of the -attacking force, remained inactive in their boats in the middle of the -river, awaiting the arrival of a body of pikemen whom they had demanded -as supports, in case there should be cavalry on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_048" id="page_048"></a>{48}</span> island. The -consequence was that the Turks were given time to send over -reinforcements, and the opportunity was lost.</p> - -<p>Rossworm returned to his camp in great wrath, anathematizing the -Hungarians, whom he accused of cowardice. The Hungarian chiefs -indignantly repudiated such an aspersion, and, to redeem their -reputation, volunteered to cross the river and construct a fort in the -plain between Buda and the Turkish camp. Rossworm accepted this offer, -though it is difficult to understand how he could have countenanced an -undertaking which could have no other result than the useless sacrifice -of gallant lives; and on the night of October 10-11, some 1,300 -Hungarians landed on the right bank, unperceived by the enemy, and began -to entrench themselves.</p> - -<p>They worked desperately all night, but when morning dawned, a Turkish -flotilla appeared upon the scene, and bombarded their -hastily-constructed fort from the river; while the enemy in great force -assailed it from the land side. After an heroic resistance, the -Hungarians were obliged to abandon it, with the loss of some 300 men, -and retreat to the caiques which were waiting to take them off. So -fierce was the pursuit that some of the Turkish cavalry spurred their -horses into the water to attack the caiques, and two were made prisoners -with their steeds.</p> - -<p>Rossworm had placed a number of cannon in the Isle of Adon to cover the -retreat of the Hungarians, but only two of these pieces appear to have -come into action, which Bassompierre tells us the general ascribed to -the fact that, the day being a Sunday, most of the artillerymen were -drunk.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this, the Turks brought up some twenty guns to a height -overlooking the Imperialist headquarters, which they bombarded heavily -and persistently. One day, whilst Bassompierre was playing cards with -the general and two other officers, a shot passed right<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_049" id="page_049"></a>{49}</span> through the -tent, whilst on another, when visiting Annibal de Schomberg, a shot -struck the tent-pole and brought the whole tent down upon the heads of -its occupants. Finally, after this unpleasant state of things had lasted -for five days, Rossworm decided to remove his headquarters to a valley -where cannon-shot could not reach him, upon which the bombardment -ceased.</p> - -<p>Towards the middle of November, the Turks, having succeeded in their -main objective, that of revictualling Buda, struck their camp and -marched back to Belgrade, where their army was disbanded. Rossworm, -after leading a flying column along the river and capturing one or two -not very important places, with the idea of showing that the campaign -had not been wholly without results on the Imperialists’ side, disbanded -his troops likewise, and set out for Vienna, accompanied by -Bassompierre.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_050" id="page_050"></a>{50}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Bassompierre goes to Prague, where the Imperial Court is in -residence—He is presented by Rossworm to the lords of the -Council—He dines at the house of Prestowitz, Burgrave of -Karlstein, and falls in love with his widowed daughter, “Madame -Esther”—Bassompierre and Rossworm engage in an amorous adventure, -from which they narrowly escape with their lives—Bassompierre -plays tennis with Wallenstein, with the Emperor Maximilian an -interested spectator—He is presented to the Emperor, who receives -him very graciously and commissions him to raise troops in Lorraine -for service against the Turks. Bassompierre, Rossworm and other -nobles parade the streets masked and have an affray with the -police—Singular sequel to this affair—Bassompierre spends the -Carnival with the Prestowitz family at Karlstein—Amorous escapade -with “Madame Esther”—Bassompierre sets out for Lorraine—He -engages in a drinking-bout with the canons of Saverne, which very -nearly has a fatal termination—Death of his brother Jean, Seigneur -de Removille, at the siege of Ostend—Grievances of Bassompierre -against the French Government—Henri IV promises that “justice -shall be done him” and invites him to return to his -Court—Bassompierre renounces his intention of entering the -Imperial service and sets out for France.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> Vienna, Bassompierre remained for six weeks, where he “passed his -time extremely well,” and about the middle of January, 1604, set out for -Prague, where the Imperial Court was then in residence.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“At Prague,” he writes, “I found Rossworm, who since our -reconciliation had been on terms of the closest friendship with me. -He came, the following morning, to my lodging in his coach to take -me to the hall of the Palace of Prague,<a name="FNanchor_42_42" id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a> where we walked up and -down until the Council rose, when the lords of the Council came to -salute Rossworm, whom they held in great respect, on account of his -being commander-in-chief of the Army. He then presented me to them, -begging them to honour me with their friendship and saying many -kind things concerning me.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_051" id="page_051"></a>{51}</span></p> - -<p>On leaving the Palace, Rossworm took Bassompierre to dine with an old -Bohemian noble named Prestowitz, who occupied the post of burgrave of -Karlstein, the fortress in which the Imperial regalia and all the -charters of Bohemia were preserved. The burgrave had two sons, the elder -of whom was Grand Falconer of the Empire, while the younger, Wolf von -Prestowitz, had served with Bassompierre in the recent campaign, and -aspired to the command of the cavalry regiment which Bohemia was to send -to Hungary that year. For which reason the family were exceedingly civil -to the great Rossworm, who could do much to obtain this post for the -young man. The burgrave also possessed four young and pretty daughters. -Rossworm, it appeared, was in love with the youngest girl, Sibylla; -while Bassompierre promptly lost his heart to the third daughter, named -Esther, “a young lady of excellent beauty, eighteen years of age, widow -since six months of a gentleman called Briczner, to whom she had been -married a year.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“We were nobly received and entertained at Prestowitz’s house,” he -continues, “and after dinner there was dancing, when I began to -fall in love with Madame Esther, who made me understand that she -was not displeased with my design, which I revealed to her as I was -leaving the house. For she responded in such a way as to afford me -the means to write to her, and to tell me the places which she -visited, so that I might go there. I went also to see her sometimes -at her house, under cover of the friendship which had sprung up -between her younger brother and myself, when we were in Hungary.”</p></div> - -<p>His new-born passion for “Madame Esther” did not, however, prevent our -gentleman from indulging in other amorous adventures of a much less -excusable character:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“On our return from dining with the Prestowitz family, Rossworm, -thinking to oblige me, engaged me in a rather unfortunate affair. -He had bargained with an innkeeper of the New Town that, for two -hundred ducats, he should<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_052" id="page_052"></a>{52}</span> surrender to him his two daughters, who -were very beautiful. I am of opinion, as will appear from the -sequel, that he had taken advantage of this poor man when he was -drunk to obtain such a promise from him. When we had arrived within -some two hundred paces of this inn, we alighted from our coach, -which we ordered to turn round and await our return; and Rossworm -and I, with a page of his, who was to act as interpreter, went the -rest of the way on foot.</p> - -<p>“We found the father in the room where the stove stood, and with -him his two daughters, who were going about their work. He was very -astonished to see us, and still more so when Rossworm made him -understand that each of us had brought him a hundred ducats for -what the innkeeper had promised him. Thereupon the man cried out -that he had never promised any such thing, and, opening the window, -shouted twice: ‘<i>Mortriau! Mortriau!</i>’ that is to say, ‘Murder!’ -Then Rossworm held his poniard to the innkeeper’s throat, and -directed the page to tell him that if he spoke to the neighbours or -did not order his daughters to do our will, he was a dead man, and -told me to take away one of the girls.... But I, who had been at -first under the impression that I was engaged in an affair in which -all the parties were in accord, answered that I did not intend to -touch the girls. Rossworm then said that, if I did not wish to do -so, I must come and hold my poniard to the father’s throat, and -that he would take one of the girls away.... This I did very -reluctantly; and the poor girls wept.”</p></div> - -<p>The odious Rossworm had already seized upon one of the unfortunate girls -to drag her away, when a great shouting reached their ears, and looking -out of the window, he saw a large and threatening crowd, which had come -in response to the innkeeper’s cries for help, gathered before the -house. Thereupon he let his intended victim go, and told Bassompierre -that they were in grave danger, and would need all their courage and -presence of mind if they wanted to leave that house alive. Then, turning -to the innkeeper, he told him—or rather made the page do so—that he -would kill him, if he did not contrive their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_053" id="page_053"></a>{53}</span> escape from the mob. Now, -the innkeeper was wearing a long smock, under which Rossworm placed his -poniard, pressing the point against the man’s flesh, and told -Bassompierre to give his dagger to the page, that he might do likewise. -In this fashion they went out of the room and along the passage to the -door of the inn, where the trembling Boniface gave some apparently -satisfactory explanation to his neighbours, for the latter, who, of -course, could not see the poniards pressed against his back, began to -disperse.</p> - -<p>Then Rossworm and the page, imagining that the danger was over, sheathed -their poniards, and they and Bassompierre began to walk away in the -direction of their coach. But they had gone but a few paces, when the -innkeeper, recovering from his alarm, began to shout: “Murder! Murder!” -again with all the strength of his lungs. They took to their heels and -ran for their lives, pursued by an infuriated mob, who pelted them with -volleys of stones, which they had apparently collected at the first -alarm.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Then Rossworm cried out to me: ‘Brother, <i>sauve qui peut!</i> If you -fall, do not expect me to pick you up, for each of us must look to -his own safety.’ We ran pretty fast, but the rain of stones -incommoded us greatly, and one of them, striking Rossworm in the -back, brought him to the ground. I, who did not wish to treat him -in the manner in which he had just announced his intention of -treating me, raised him up and helped him along for some twenty -paces, when, happily, we reached our coach. Into this we threw -ourselves, and were soon in safety in the Old Town, having escaped -from the paws of more than four hundred people.”</p></div> - -<p>Next day, Rossworm, presumably out of gratitude to Bassompierre for -having saved his life at the risk of his own, secured for him the high -privilege of admission to the Emperor’s ante-chamber, which was usually -only accorded to princes and very great nobles. Here he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_054" id="page_054"></a>{54}</span> appears to have -met the Count von Wallenstein, the great captain of the Thirty Years’ -War, then a youth of twenty, who, a few days later, challenged him to a -match at tennis. During the game the Emperor appeared at a window of the -palace which overlooked the tennis-court, and remained there for some -time, an interested spectator. The following morning his Majesty gave -orders that Bassompierre should be presented to him, and received him -very graciously indeed, observing that his family had always been -faithful servants of the Imperial House, and that he had heard that he -had conducted himself very well in Hungary. He added that, if he wished -to enter his service and would inform him of what post he desired, he -would be very pleased to appoint him to it. Maximilian spoke in Spanish -and requested Bassompierre to reply in the same language.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this, the Emperor sent the Count von Fürstenberg to inform -Bassompierre that he proposed making certain changes in the cavalry of -the Imperial Army, and that if he were willing to go to Lorraine and -raise three new companies of light horse and three of musketeers for -service in Hungary, he would appoint him colonel of a thousand horse. -This offer Bassompierre accepted, “foreseeing,” says he, “that France -would remain at peace for a long while, and urged thereto by the intense -love with which Madame Esther had inspired me.”</p> - -<p>His attachment to this young lady, however, made him far from anxious to -hasten his departure for Lorraine, and he therefore decided to postpone -it until after the Carnival, which “Madame Esther,” who had returned to -Karlstein, intended to pass at Prague. But, to his great disappointment, -her father, the burgrave, fell ill and she was obliged to remain at -Karlstein. However, notwithstanding the absence of his inamorata, he -contrived to spend a very pleasant time, “with continual feasts and -festivities and very high play at prime between five or six of us, to -wit, Count von Stahrenberg, President<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_055" id="page_055"></a>{55}</span> of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Adam -Galpopel, Grand Prior of Bohemia, Kinsky, Rossworm and myself. And there -was not an evening in which I did not win or lose two or three thousand -thalers.”</p> - -<p>On the occasion of the marriage of the Emperor’s Grand Equerry, which -took place during the Carnival, and the festivities in connection with -which lasted several days, Bassompierre arranged with Rossworm and six -other nobles to parade the town on horseback, masked and splendidly -dressed. As they were passing the Town Hall, some constables came up to -Bassompierre and Rossworm, who, preceded by their pages bearing their -swords aloft, were riding at the head of the party, and informed them -that the Emperor had forbidden anyone to pass through the town masked. -They, however, pretended that they did not understand Sclavonic, and -rode on. No attempt was made to stop them, but, on their return, they -found chains stretched across all the streets leading to the square in -which the Town Hall stood, except the one by which they entered, and, so -soon as they had passed, chains were stretched across that also. Then a -whole company of constables appeared upon the scene, and, beginning with -the hindmost of the party, seized their companions, who, not having -brought their swords with them, were unable to offer any resistance, and -haled them off to prison. Meanwhile, Bassompierre and Rossworm had taken -their swords from their pages, but they did not draw them. However, when -one of the constables attempted to seize the bridle of Bassompierre’s -horse, Rossworm struck him on the hand with his sheathed sword, and, the -blade, breaking through the scabbard, wounded the man somewhat severely. -They were immediately surrounded by more than two hundred police, but, -drawing their swords, they contrived to prevent them from closing with -them and dragging them off their horses, though not without receiving a -volley of blows on their backs and arms.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_056" id="page_056"></a>{56}</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“This went on for some time,” continues Bassompierre, “until a -chief justice came out of the Town Hall and raised his bâton (which -they call <i>regimentstock</i>). Upon this, all the constables laid -their halberds on the ground; and Rossworm (who knew the custom) -threw down his sword and called out to me to do the same instantly. -I did so, otherwise I should have been declared a rebel to the -Emperor and punished as such. Rossworm asked me to answer when the -judge began to question us, as he did not wish to be recognised. -The judge inquired who I was, and I told him without disguising -anything. He then asked the name of my companion, and I answered -that it was Rossworm, whereupon he offered us the most profuse -apologies. Rossworm, annoyed that I had given his name, when he saw -that it was useless to deny it, fell into a rage and threatened the -judge and the constables that he would complain to the Emperor and -the Chancellor and have them severely punished. They tried every -means to appease him, but he, as well as myself, had been too well -beaten to be satisfied with words. They delivered up to us our six -companions, who were more fortunate than ourselves, since they had -suffered nothing worse than a fright, and we rode away. In the -evening we attended the wedding festivities as though nothing had -happened. But, next morning, Rossworm went to the Chancellor, to -whom he spoke very arrogantly, and the Chancellor, to satisfy us, -threw more than 150 constables into prison. Their wives were every -day at my door to obtain a pardon for them, and I solicited -Rossworm very earnestly to grant it. But he was inexorable, and -made them lie a fortnight in prison during the rigour of winter, -from the effects of which two of them died. Finally, with great -difficulty, I contrived to get the rest set at liberty.”</p></div> - -<p>The imprisonment of these unfortunate constables, who had only done -their duty, was indeed a singular way for a Government to encourage the -faithful execution of its orders!</p> - -<p>In the town of Prague the New Calendar was in use, but among the -Hussites, in the country districts of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_057" id="page_057"></a>{57}</span> Bohemia, it was not observed. In -consequence, after the Carnival was over at Prague, it lasted another -ten days in the country, and the Burgrave Prestowitz invited -Bassompierre, Rossworm, and two Bohemian nobles named Stavata and -Colwrat to come and spend a second Carnival at Karlstein, at which a -large party of nobles and ladies were to assemble. Colwrat was a great -admirer of the Countess Millessimo, the eldest sister of Bassompierre’s -inamorata, while Stavata was just embarking in a romance with her second -sister, the not-too-devoted wife of a gentleman named Colowitz; and “on -Ash Wednesday the four lovers of the four daughters of the burgrave -travelled to Karlstein in the same coach.”</p> - -<p>At Karlstein Bassompierre appears to have spent an even more agreeable -time than during the Carnival at Prague:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“We found there more than twenty ladies, including several who were -very beautiful, and it is needless to say we were made welcome by -the daughters of the house, but principally by my lady, who was -enraptured to see me, as I was to see her. For I was desperately in -love with her, and I can say that never in my life did I pass ten -days more agreeably or better employed than those I passed there, -being always at table, at the ball, in the sleigh, or engaged in -another and better occupation. At length, the Carnival being over, -we returned to Prague, with great regret on their part and ours, -but very satisfied with our little journey.”</p></div> - -<p>Before leaving Karlstein, Bassompierre had extracted a promise from -“Madame Esther” that she would take an early opportunity of coming to -Prague; but, as the worthy burgrave fell ill again, very probably in -consequence of the quantity of rich food and strong wine which he had -consumed during the Carnival, she was unable to do this. However, she -hastened to atone to her lover for his disappointment, for “she made him -come in disguise to Karlstein, where he spent five days and six nights -concealed in a chamber near her own.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_058" id="page_058"></a>{58}</span></p> - -<p>On his return from this amorous escapade, Bassompierre prepared to set -out for Lorraine, and, having received his despatches and an order on -the Lorraine treasury for the payment of the troops which he had -undertaken to raise in the duchy,<a name="FNanchor_43_43" id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a> he left Prague on Palm Sunday, -accompanied alone by Cominges-Guitaut, Seigneur de Fléac, a French -gentleman who had served with him in Hungary, and a German <i>valet de -chambre</i>.</p> - -<p>He spent the first night of his journey at Karlstein, ostensibly to bid -adieu to the burgrave and his family, but, in reality, to take farewell -of “Madame Esther,” who was, of course, very disconsolate at the -departure of her lover, though Bassompierre promised that, so soon as he -had raised his levy, he would return to her side for a little while, -before leading his horsemen into Hungary. As he was still “<i>éperdument -amoureux</i>,” and to such a degree that he assures us that the charms of -some very beautiful ladies whom he met at a country-house at which he -stopped on the following day, and where, sad to relate, both he and his -friend Guitaut got very drunk, were powerless to make the smallest -impression upon him, he no doubt fully intended to keep his word; but, -as events turned out, poor “Madame Esther” was never to see him again.</p> - -<p>Travelling by way of Pilsen and Ratisbon, he arrived at Munich, where -his friend William II. of Bavaria entertained him very hospitably and -“offered him the command of the regiment of foot which Bavaria -maintained in Hungary, in any year that he cared to accept it, provided -he would notify him before Easter.” The Duke also lent him one of his -own coaches, which brought him to Augsburg, where he took horse to -Strasbourg, and a few days after Easter<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_059" id="page_059"></a>{59}</span> reached Saverne, and put up at -an inn, with the intention of continuing his journey early on the -morrow.</p> - -<p>At Saverne an adventure befell him which might very well have had a -fatal termination:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I sat down to table to sup, before going to visit the canons at -the castle; but, as I was about to begin, they arrived to take me -to the château and lodge me there. They were the Dean of the -Chapter, François de Crehange, the Count von Kayl, and the two -brothers von Salm-Reifferscheid. They had already supped and were -half-drunk. I begged them, since they had found me at table, to sit -down with me, instead of taking me to sup at the castle. This they -did, and in a short time Guitaut and I had contrived to make them -so drunk, that we were obliged to have them carried back to the -castle. I remained at my inn, and, at daybreak on the morrow, I -mounted my horse, thinking to depart; but they had, the previous -night, given orders that I was not to be allowed to pass, for they -wished to have their revenge on me for having made them drunk. I -was, therefore, compelled to remain and dine with them, which I had -great cause to regret. For, in order to intoxicate me, they put -brandy in my wine; at least, that is my opinion, though they -afterwards assured me that they had not done so, and that it was -only a wine of Leiperg, very strong and heady. Anyway, I had -scarcely drunk ten or twelve glasses before I lost all -consciousness and fell into such a lethargy that it was necessary -to bleed me several times, to cup me and to bind my arms and legs -with garters. I remained at Saverne five days in this condition, -and lost to such a degree the taste for wine, that for two years I -was not only unable to drink it, but even to smell it, without -disgust.”</p></div> - -<p>So perhaps, after all, this very painful experience may have proved to -be a blessing in disguise.</p> - -<p>On his recovery, Bassompierre proceeded to Harouel, but learning that -his mother was at Toul, set out thither, stopping for a few days on his -way at the Abbey of Épinal, of which an aunt of his, Yolande de -Bassompierre,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_060" id="page_060"></a>{60}</span> was the Superior. Here he met again his cousin Yolande de -Livron, with whom he had fallen in love two years before, and who -happened also to be a guest of the abbess. This damsel had lately -married the Comte des Cars, but this did not prevent her from being -exceedingly agreeable to her handsome kinsman, and “the fires of their -old passion blazed up again.” However, perhaps fortunately for the young -countess, Bassompierre was soon obliged to continue his journey to Toul, -whence he returned with his mother to Harouel.</p> - -<p>Their home-coming was a sad one, for, while at Toul, Madame de -Bassompierre had learned that her second son, Jean, Seigneur de -Removille, who towards the end of the previous year had quitted the -service of France for that of Spain, had died from the effects of a -wound which he had received at the siege of Ostend, and, the day after -their arrival at Harouel, the poor young man’s body was brought there -for burial. Bassompierre was genuinely grieved at the death of his -brother, to whom he had been much attached, and whom he describes as “a -man of high courage and good sense, which, joined to a handsome -presence, would have assured his fortune”; and he was greatly incensed -against Henri IV, or, rather, against Sully, whom he regarded as -indirectly responsible for the sad event.</p> - -<p>This requires some explanation.</p> - -<p>It appears that, during the Wars of Religion, the French Government had -become indebted to Christophe de Bassompierre for various large sums, -amounting in all to about 140,000 crowns, which Christophe had paid the -troops whom he had raised for their service. As it was not convenient -for the Treasury to discharge the debt, it was decided that certain -estates belonging to the Crown in Normandy—Saint Sauveur-le-Vicomte, -Saint-Sauveur-Landelin, and the barony of Nehou, should be mortgaged to -Christophe, the estates to be administered by persons appointed by him. -It was anticipated that the revenues<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_061" id="page_061"></a>{61}</span> of these lands would be sufficient -to pay the interest on the money which he had advanced; but this did not -prove to be the case, and the arrears of interest continued to mount up, -until at the time of his death they had reached a very large sum. -However, being on the whole satisfied with the arrangement which had -been made, Christophe does not appear to have taken any steps to press -his claims upon the French Government, nor did his family do so after -his death. But, in the autumn of 1601, Sully, seeing an opportunity of -mortgaging these lands on more favourable terms, persuaded Henri IV to -issue a decree which provided that the money advanced by Christophe -should be refunded to his heirs, with the addition of a sum which -represented less than half of the accumulated interest due to them. The -King—or rather his Minister—defended this decision on the ground that -of late years the Saint-Sauveur lands had become much more valuable, and -had—or ought to have—produced a revenue in excess of the interest due.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre protested warmly to the King against the injustice of this -decree, and asked that it should be annulled; and Henri IV, a little -ashamed of the shabby manner in which he had allowed his favourite to be -treated, promised him, shortly before Bassompierre’s departure for -Hungary, that “within two months he should be satisfied.”</p> - -<p>However, as time went on, without anything being done, Removille, with -whom his brother had left full authority to settle the matter with the -Government, took upon himself to remind the King of his promise. Henri -IV returned an evasive answer, upon which Removille, who was far less -tactful than his elder brother, spoke to his Majesty “without that -respect or restraint that he ought to have employed.” This brought upon -him a severe reprimand from the King, and, burning with resentment, the -young man promptly quitted Henri IV’s service and entered that of Spain, -in which he met an untimely death.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_062" id="page_062"></a>{62}</span></p> - -<p>Nor was this all, for, shortly before Removille’s death, Henri IV, -learning that he had been raising a regiment of foot in Lorraine to -serve in Flanders, and that Bassompierre was raising a body of horse, -concluded, not unnaturally, that the troops which the latter was -recruiting were also destined for Flanders, and that he too had quitted -his service for that of Philip III. Thereupon he seized the Château of -Saint-Sauveur and ejected Bassompierre’s servants.</p> - -<p>This news, which reached him almost simultaneously with that of his -brother’s death, served to incense Bassompierre still further against -Henri IV and his advisers, and it is very probable that the Court of -France would have seen him no more, had not the King, ascertaining that -the elder brother’s levy was intended for service against the Turks in -Hungary and that the younger was dead, hastened to make amends for his -high-handed action, and directed Zamet to write Bassompierre a letter of -explanation. In this letter Bassompierre was informed that his Majesty -was greatly surprised and pained that he should desire to quit his -service without cause; that he had not yet allowed the decree of the -Council to be executed, and had only taken possession of the Château of -Saint-Sauveur because Removille had become a Spanish subject and the -château was Crown property; and that he fully intended to make an -arrangement which would be satisfactory to him.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre replied that nothing was further from his desire than to -leave the King’s service, but, unless the decree were annulled, he would -be so impoverished that it would be no longer possible to live as -befitted his rank at his Majesty’s Court. This letter had the desired -effect, for Henri IV was really much attached to the gay and lively -Lorrainer, who was a man after his own heart; and, shortly afterwards, -Bassompierre received a letter in the King’s own hand inviting him to -return to the Court, when “he would soon see how good a master he was.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_063" id="page_063"></a>{63}</span></p> - -<p>Bassompierre, feeling sure that the King would keep his word, however -much Sully might protest, decided to return to France forthwith, and -accordingly sent a messenger to Vienna to inform the Emperor that he was -summoned to France by private affairs of the highest importance, and -that it would therefore be impossible for him to raise the troops which -he had intended to recruit for his Imperial Majesty’s service. At the -same time, he returned in full the money which he had received for that -purpose, although he had already disbursed a portion of it. This very -honourable action served to mollify any resentment which the Emperor -might otherwise have felt; and he replied, through Rossworm, that he -should not appoint a colonel of his foreign cavalry for the present, but -would keep the post open for Bassompierre, in case he desired to return -to Hungary the following year.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_064" id="page_064"></a>{64}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Bassompierre arrives at Fontainebleau and is most graciously -received by Henri IV—He falls in love with Marie d’Entragues, -sister of the King’s mistress—The conspiracy of the -d’Entragues—The Sieur d’Entragues and the Comte d’Auvergne are -arrested and conveyed to the Bastille, and Madame de Verneuil kept -a prisoner in her own house—Jacqueline de Bueil temporarily -replaces Madame de Verneuil in the royal affections—The King, -unable to do without the latter, sets her and her father at -liberty—Bassompierre becomes the lover of Marie d’Entragues—He is -dangerously wounded by the Duc de Guise in a tournament, and his -life is at first despaired of—He recovers—Attentions which he -receives during his illness from the ladies of the Court.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Towards</span> the end of August, 1604, Bassompierre arrived in Paris, where -his numerous friends, he tells us, were so delighted to see him that it -was three days before they would permit him to continue his journey to -Fontainebleau, whither the Court had recently removed; and when he at -last contrived to get away, so many of them desired to accompany him, -that it required no less than forty post-horses to convey them.</p> - -<p>At Fontainebleau he met with so warm a welcome both from the King and -the ladies of the Court, that he thought no more of returning to -Germany:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The King was on the great terrace before the Cour du Cheval Blanc -when we arrived, and awaited us there, receiving me with a thousand -embraces. He then led me into the apartment of the Queen, his wife, -who lodged in the apartment above his own, and I was well received -by the ladies, who thought me not ill-looking for an inveterate -German who had spent a year in his own country. On the morrow the -King lent me his own horses to hunt the stag. It was St. -Bartholomew’s Day, August 24; and he himself would not hunt on a -day whereon he had once been in such great danger. On my return -from the chase I joined him in the Salle des Étuves, where we -played lansquenet.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_065" id="page_065"></a>{65}</span></p> - -<p>Henri IV lost no time in annulling the obnoxious decree concerning the -Saint-Sauveur property and restoring it to Bassompierre, who was thus -enabled to live “a most delightful life” at the Court, and indulge to -the full his inclination for lavish display, gambling, and love-making:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I then fell in love with Antragues, and was also in love with -another handsome woman. I was in the flower of my youth, rather -well-made and very gay.”</p></div> - -<p>The lady whom Bassompierre invariably refers to in his <i>Memoirs</i> as -“Antragues,” without any prefix, was Marie de Balsac d’Entragues, -younger sister of Madame de Verneuil. Marie was quite as pretty as -Henriette—indeed, by not a few she was considered the prettiest woman -at the Court—and if she lacked something of the wit and vivacity which -made the reigning sultana so attractive, she was not without -intelligence. As one might expect in a child of Marie Touchet, she was -wholly devoid of moral sense. But she was neither mercenary nor -ambitious, or, at any rate, far less so than her sister; and several -exalted personages appear to have sighed for her in vain, including -Henri IV, who, like Louis XV, in later times, had not the smallest -objection to the presence of two or more members of the same family in -his seraglio.</p> - -<p>At the time, however, when his Majesty appears to have made advances to -the younger sister, his relations with the elder had been temporarily -interrupted by the episode which is known as the Conspiracy of the -d’Entragues.</p> - -<p>In the summer of 1604, acting upon a warning received from James I of -England, the French Government had caused one Morgan, an agent of Spain, -to be arrested in Paris, and documents found upon this person indicated -that he had relations of a highly suspicious character with François -d’Entragues, his daughter, Madame de Verneuil, and his stepson, the -Comte d’Auvergne. One fine morning, a party of the King’s guards arrived -at the Château of Malesherbes, where three moats and draw-bridges<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_066" id="page_066"></a>{66}</span> -always raised protected its lord, as he fondly imagined, from surprise. -Four of the soldiers, however, succeeded in gaining admission to the -château, disguised as peasant-women with butter and eggs to dispose of, -overpowered the sentries and admitted their comrades. D’Entragues was -arrested and carried off to the Bastille, and with him a voluminous -correspondence between the conspirators and the Court of Madrid, -containing proposals for the assassination of Henri IV, and a promise -signed by Philip III to recognise Henriette’s son as heir to the French -throne, in the event of the King’s death. The Comte d’Auvergne once more -found himself in the Bastille, while Madame de Verneuil was confined to -her own house and strictly guarded. D’Entragues and his step-son were -arraigned for high treason, convicted and sentenced to death; and -Henriette was remanded until further evidence could be procured. The -King’s advisers were urgent that the law should be allowed to take its -course; but Henri IV, though he had made a valiant attempt to overcome -his infatuation for Madame de Verneuil, and with the idea of driving out -fire by fire, had taken unto himself a new sultana, in the person of -Jacqueline de Bueil,<a name="FNanchor_44_44" id="FNanchor_44_44"></a><a href="#Footnote_44_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> felt that he must have his Henriette back, and -all the more because she affected to scorn him and refused to sue for -his pardon. Dead though he might be to all sense of decency where his -passions were concerned, he felt that, if he cut off her father’s head, -he could scarcely again be her lover, and that d’Entragues’ life must -therefore be spared. And if d’Entragues were spared, he could not well -send his fellow-conspirator—the last<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_067" id="page_067"></a>{67}</span> scion of the House of Valois—to -the scaffold, though, as this was Auvergne’s second experiment in high -treason, he was even more deserving of death. And so d’Entragues and his -daughter were set at liberty; while Auvergne remained in the Bastille, -nor did he emerge from it until more than ten years later.</p> - -<p>Early in 1605 we find the King again in amorous correspondence with the -woman who had been conspiring against him, entreating her to love him to -whom all the rest of this world compared with her was as nothing; and, -after keeping him at a distance for a little while, Henriette graciously -consented to accord him her favours once more. Henceforth, Jacqueline de -Beuil was merely retained as a refuge when the marchioness happened to -be spiteful and the Queen sulky.</p> - -<p>In those days rough horseplay was much in vogue, and during the Carnival -of 1605, bands of young nobles rode through the streets of Paris, masked -and arrayed in glittering armour. When two of these bands met, they -charged vigorously and strove to unhorse one another, and though the -points of the lances they carried were carefully padded, and they -wielded heavy cudgels gaily decorated with crimson ribbons, instead of -swords, very shrewd blows and thrusts were exchanged. On one occasion, -Bassompierre, who was accompanied by his brother-in-law Saint-Luc, and -two of their friends, met another party, headed by the Duc de Nemours -and the Comte de Sommerive, who challenged him to a mimic combat later -in the day in the Place de Cimetière Saint-Jean, it being agreed that -both sides might bring as many supporters as they could get together. -Both parties repaired to the field of battle in considerable force, but -that of Nemours and Sommerive had the advantage in numbers. -Nevertheless, victory rested with Bassompierre and his friends, who -drove their opponents through the streets in disorder, and “he had the -satisfaction of seeing one of his rivals in the affections of Mlle. -d’Entragues<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_068" id="page_068"></a>{68}</span> soundly beaten before the eyes of that lady, who was -watching them from one of the windows of her house.” Nor was this all, -for a day or two later Mlle. d’Entragues gave the victor a rendezvous.</p> - -<p>This <i>bonne fortune</i> of Bassompierre, however, came very near to costing -him his life:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The Tuesday following, which was the first day of March, in the -morning, the King being at the Tuileries, said to M. de Guise: ‘Ah! -Guisard, d’Entragues despises us all and dotes on Bassompierre. I -don’t speak without certainty.’ ‘Sire,’ replied M. de Guise, ‘you -have means enough to avenge yourself. As for me, I have none other -than that of a knight-errant. I will therefore break three lances -with him this afternoon in open field, in whatever place you shall -be pleased to appoint.’ The King gave us permission, and said that -it should be in the Louvre, and that he would have the court -sanded. He [Guise] chose his brother M. de Joinville for his second -and M. de Termes for third; while I chose M. de Saint-Luc and the -Comte de Sault. We all six went to dine and arm ourselves at -Saint-Luc’s lodging; and, as we always kept armour and caparisons -ready for all occasions, my friends and I wore silver armour, with -silver and white plumes and silk stockings of the same colours. M. -de Guise and his supporters wore black and gold, on account of the -imprisonment of the Marquise de Verneuil, with whom he was at that -time secretly in love. Then we repaired to the Louvre, preceded by -our horses and attendants.</p> - -<p>“My friends and I, who were the first to enter the lists, placed -ourselves by the side of the old building; M. de Guise and his -seconds took up their station beneath the windows of the Queen’s -apartment. Our course was the length of the Salle des Suisses. It -happened that M. de Guise was mounted on a little horse called -Lesparne, while I was riding a big charger which the Comte de -Fiesque had given me. He took the lower ground, while I was on the -wall side, so that I towered over him, and, instead of breaking his -lance while raising it, he broke it while lowering it, in such a -way that, after splintering<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_069" id="page_069"></a>{69}</span> it for the first time against my -casque, he splintered it the second against my tasset; and the -lance penetrated my stomach and lodged in that great bone which -connects the hip and the loins. And there the lance broke again, -and a stump longer than a man’s arm remained attached to the thigh -bone. I broke my lance against his breastplate, and, though I felt -that I was mortally wounded, I finished my course, and they helped -me to dismount near the King’s private staircase, and <i>Monsieur le -Grand</i> and the elder Guitaut aided me to ascend to M. de Vendôme’s -apartment, below the King’s chamber.”</p></div> - -<p>Here someone, without awaiting the arrival of the surgeons, was so -ill-advised as to pull the broken stump of the lance from the wound, -with the result that part of the entrails came out with it; and, though -the surgeons when they came contrived to replace them, Bassompierre -seemed in desperate case:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The King, the Constable, and all the chief personages of the Court -stood around, many weeping, as they thought that I should not live -an hour. Nevertheless, I did not appear cast down, nor did I think -I should die. Many ladies were there and helped to dress my wound, -and, as I insisted on returning to my lodging, the Queen sent me -the chair in which she was carried about, for she was then -pregnant. The people followed me with many marks of sorrow. When I -arrived at my lodging, I lost my sight, which made me think I was -very ill, so that they made me confess and bled me at the same -time. Yet I did not believe I should die, and laughed all the time.</p> - -<p>“So soon as I received my wound, the King ordered the tournament to -stop, and never permitted one afterwards. This was the only one in -open field which had taken place in France for one hundred years, -and they were never renewed.”</p></div> - -<p>Youth and a splendid constitution saved him, and the attentions he -received from the ladies of the Court appear to have consoled him for -the pain which he had to endure:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_070" id="page_070"></a>{70}</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I cannot say how much I was visited during my illness, and -particularly by ladies. All the princesses were there, and the -Queen sent on three occasions her maids-of-honour, who were brought -by Mlle. de Guise to pass whole afternoons. This lady, who -considered herself obliged to assist in nursing me, as it was her -brother who had given me my wound, was there most of the time. My -sister, Madame de Saint-Luc, who, so long as I was in danger, -always slept at the foot of my bed, received the ladies, and, with -the exception of the day after I was wounded, the King came every -afternoon to see me, and partly also to see my pretty companions.”</p></div> - -<p>After being obliged to keep his bed for about a fortnight, he was -allowed to get up and take the air in a chair, an object of sympathetic -interest to all the ladies of the Court and town. His wound healed -rapidly, and by Easter, though still somewhat lame, he felt sufficiently -recovered to challenge the Marquis de Cœuvres, brother of Gabrielle -d’Estrées, to a duel.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_071" id="page_071"></a>{71}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Quarrel between Bassompierre and the Marquis de -Cœuvres—Bassompierre sends his cousin the Sieur de Créquy to -challenge the marquis to a duel—The King sends for the two nobles -and orders them to be reconciled in his presence—Bassompierre and -Créquy are forbidden to appear at Court, but are soon -pardoned—Visit of Bassompierre to Plombières—He returns to Paris, -and “breaks entirely” with Marie d’Entragues—The Chancellor, -Pomponne de Bellièvre, ordered to resign the Seals—His -conversation with Bassompierre at Artenay—Bassompierre wins more -than 100,000 francs at play—He is reconciled with Marie -d’Entragues—He joins Henri IV at Sedan—The adventure of the -King’s love-letter—Henri IV gives orders that a watch shall be -kept on Marie d’Entragues’s house to ascertain if Bassompierre is -secretly visiting that lady—A comedy of errors—Madame d’Entragues -surprises her daughter and Bassompierre.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">One</span> day, in the King’s cabinet, Bassompierre, in taking his handkerchief -from his pocket, drew out with it a <i>billet-doux</i> he had just received -from Marie d’Entragues, which fell to the ground and lay there -unperceived by him. An Italian banker named Sardini picked it up, and -the Marquis de Cœuvres having told him that it was his, he gave it -him. Cœuvres read the letter and then sent a message to Bassompierre, -asking him to meet him that night before the Hôtel de Soissons and to -come alone, as he had something of importance to communicate to him. -Bassompierre, not a little surprised, since he and the marquis were on -far from good terms with one another, kept the appointment and found -Cœuvres awaiting him, in company with a friend of his, the Comte de -Cramail, although in his letter he had given him to understand that -there was to be no witness to their meeting.</p> - -<p>The marquis began by reproaching Bassompierre with “certain bad offices -which he asserted that he had rendered him,” and then went on to say -that, notwithstanding this, he esteemed him too much not to desire his -friendship, and aspired to serve, rather than injure, him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_072" id="page_072"></a>{72}</span> in proof of -which, although that morning a letter written to him by Mlle. -d’Entragues had fallen into his hands, he had made no use of it, but -sent it at once to the fair writer by the hand of Sardini. Bassompierre, -believing that he was speaking the truth, “made him a thousand -protestations of service and affection,” after which Cœuvres informed -him that the King was aware that he had found a letter written by some -lady to him and had demanded to see it, and asked Bassompierre to send -him as soon as possible one which he had received from another woman, to -enable him to satisfy his Majesty’s curiosity. Bassompierre complied -with this request, which was an easy matter enough, as, like his royal -master, he generally had more than one love-affair on hand, and, -besides, was in the habit of carefully preserving all the epistles which -he received from the fair. At the same time, he sent a message to Mlle. -d’Entragues to apprise her of the mishap which had befallen her letter -and to inquire if she had received it from Cœuvres.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“But, as she wrote that she had seen no one sent by the marquis, -furious with anger and transported with resentment, I went straight -to the marquis’s house to recover the letter, or to punish him. On -the way, however, I met M. d’Aiguillon<a name="FNanchor_45_45" id="FNanchor_45_45"></a><a href="#Footnote_45_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a> and M. de Créquy, who -stopped me to inquire whither I was bound. ‘I am going,’ I replied, -‘to the Marquis de Cœuvres’ house, to get back from him a letter -which Antragues wrote me and which he has found. And, if he does -not give it up, I am resolved to kill him!’ They remonstrated with -me, pointing out that, in going to kill a man in his own house, -amongst all his servants, I was running a great danger, without the -means of escaping it; that he [Cœuvres] would be very cowardly -if he surrendered the letter to me when I went to him in this -manner; and that it would be better to send one of my friends. And -Créquy offered to go.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_073" id="page_073"></a>{73}</span></p> - -<p>Bassompierre reluctantly consented, and Créquy accordingly proceeded to -Cœuvres’s house. The marquis, at first, flatly refused to give up the -letter, declaring that Fortune had brought it to him to enable him to -avenge himself on Bassompierre for the ill that he had done him. Créquy -pointed out that, if he were so imprudent as to do this, Bassompierre -would certainly call him out, in which case one of them would probably -be killed, while the victor would be sure to incur the severe -displeasure of the King. Cœuvres thereupon began to waver, and -finally told him to come back early on the following morning, when he -would let him know his decision. When Créquy returned, the marquis, who, -Bassompierre believes, had, in the meantime, sent La Varenne with the -letter to the King and received it back again, told him that he would -himself take the letter to Mlle. d’Entragues, if this would satisfy the -lady’s admirer.</p> - -<p>“To this I agreed,” writes Bassompierre, “resolved, nevertheless, to -fight with this trickster, though I was anxious first to get Antragues -out of the affair.”</p> - -<p>The marquis took the letter to the lady, and, shortly afterwards, -Bassompierre received a message from his mistress, informing him that it -was her good pleasure that he should be reconciled to Cœuvres, for -which purpose he was to come to her house that afternoon at five -o’clock, where he would find the marquis waiting to embrace him. Much -against his will, he obeyed, and a formal reconciliation took place -between the two gentlemen, who then separated, secretly hating one -another more bitterly than ever. In the evening, as Bassompierre was -leaving his lodging to go to the Louvre, the Grand Equerry, the Duc de -Bellegarde, arrived and told him that the King, having learned that he -had quarrelled with the Marquis de Cœuvres, forbade him, on pain of -death, to call the latter out. Bassompierre replied, laughing, that it -would be easy to obey his Majesty, as he and the marquis were now the -best of friends.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_074" id="page_074"></a>{74}</span></p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the royal command, Bassompierre was determined to fight -the purloiner of his love-letter, though, as he did not wish Mlle. -d’Entragues’s name to be mixed up in the affair, he had decided to allow -two or three days to pass and then to quarrel with him on some other -matter. A pretext was easily found, and Créquy, who, now that the letter -had been recovered, had altered his views on the question of a duel -between them, repaired to Cœuvres’s house as the bearer of a formal -challenge. The marquis, however, had no desire to oblige the fire-eating -Lorrainer; possibly, he thought that he might get the worst of the -encounter, but, more probably, since he appears to have been brave -enough, he feared the displeasure of the King. Anyway, he refused to see -Créquy, although the latter called on two or three occasions; and, -meanwhile, Henri IV, having been warned of Bassompierre’s bellicose -intentions, again interfered, and, sending for him and Cœuvres, -ordered them to be reconciled in his presence. He then told Bassompierre -that he had gravely offended him by daring to call out the marquis in -the face of his express command, and forbade him to come to the Louvre -or to any place where the Court might be. His anger extended to Créquy, -and, not only did he forbid him the Court, but even talked of depriving -him of the command of the regiment of guards to which he had just been -appointed. However, thanks to the solicitations of the ladies of the -Court, the Queen interceded with the King on behalf of the offenders, -and Henri IV, who had reasons of his own for wishing to keep his consort -in a good humour, relented so far as to allow them to return. For some -little time he pretended to ignore their presence, but he soon grew -tired of this, and admitted them once more to his favour.</p> - -<p>In May, Bassompierre went to Plombières, the baths of which had been -recommended by the doctor, as his thigh was still causing him a good -deal of pain. He travelled thither accompanied by several of his -friends<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_075" id="page_075"></a>{75}</span> from the Court, and an imposing suite, which included a band of -musicians whose services he had engaged, and remained there three -months, enjoying “all the amusements which a young man, rich, debauched, -and extravagant, could desire.” His mother, his sister, Madame de -Saint-Luc, his younger brother, who had assumed Jean de Bassompierre’s -title of Seigneur de Removille, and a number of friends from Lorraine -joined him there, and he appears to have passed a very agreeable time, -to which a love-affair with a Burgundian lady, named Madame de Fussé, -contributed not a little.</p> - -<p>About the middle of August, by which time he was completely cured, -learning that Henri IV had set out at the head of a small army for the -Limousin, where the friends of that incorrigible intriguer the Duc de -Bouillon were threatening to cause trouble, and that there was a chance -of seeing a little fighting, he returned to Paris to prepare to follow -the King. On his arrival, he had a violent quarrel with Marie -d’Entragues, and “broke with her entirely.” What was the cause of the -rupture he does not tell us; possibly, the lady may have been seeking -consolation for his absence in the devotion of some rival admirer; -possibly, she may have heard of the attentions which he had been paying -to Madame de Fussé at Plombières and had taken umbrage. Anyway, complete -as it may have been at the time, it was soon healed.</p> - -<p>After spending a couple of days with a merry party at the Comtesse de -Sault’s château at Savigny, amongst whom he doubtless contrived to -dissipate any inclination to melancholy which his breach with Mlle. -d’Entragues may have caused him, Bassompierre set out for the South. At -Artenay, he met the aged Chancellor, Bellièvre, who, to his profound -mortification, had just been directed by the King to surrender the Seals -to Nicolas Brulart, afterwards Marquis de Sillery, though Bellièvre was -to remain Chancellor and head of the Council.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_076" id="page_076"></a>{76}</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I found him,” writes Bassompierre, “walking in a garden with -certain <i>maîtres des requêtes</i>, who were returning with him to -Paris. He said to me: ‘Monsieur, you behold in me a man who goes to -seek a grave in Paris. I have served the Kings to the best of my -ability, and when they saw that I was no longer capable, they sent -me to take repose and to attend to the safety of my soul, of which -their affairs had prevented me from thinking.’ And when, a little -later, I told him that he would continue to serve them and to -preside at the Council as Chancellor, he replied: ‘My friend, a -Chancellor without seals is an apothecary without sugar.”</p></div> - -<p>Leaving the mortified Chancellor to continue his journey to Paris, where -he died a year later, Bassompierre took the road to Orléans, where he -found the Queen, whose pregnancy had prevented her following her husband -to the Limousin, and Mlle. de Guise, who, while he was at Plombières, -had married the Prince de Conti. From Orléans he proceeded to Limoges, -which Henri IV had made his headquarters, and, though he was -disappointed in his hope of seeing some fighting, since the rebels -submitted without any attempt at resistance, he had no reason to regret -his journey to the South, as he won at play more than 100,000 francs.</p> - -<p>In November, he returned with the King to Fontainebleau, whither the -Queen and the ladies of the Court had proceeded, and, shortly -afterwards, followed their Majesties to Paris, where he and Mlle. -d’Entragues appear to have taken an early opportunity of making up their -quarrel.</p> - -<p>In the early spring, Henri IV, with a small army and a powerful -battering-train, set out for Sedan, to teach the Duc de Bouillon a -much-needed lesson. That troublesome nobleman, however, finding that -neither the French Protestants nor Spain were disposed to move a finger -to assist him, prudently decided to sue for pardon, and surrendered his -impregnable fortress before a shot had been fired against it. The terms -he obtained from the sovereign whose authority he had so long defied -were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_077" id="page_077"></a>{77}</span> favourable in the extreme, no punishment being inflicted upon him -beyond the occupation of Sedan for five years by a body of the royal -troops under a Huguenot commander.</p> - -<p>Having settled with the Duc de Bouillon, Henri IV wrote to Bassompierre, -Guise, and Bellegarde, ordering them to join him. On their arrival they -found the King making preparations for his formal entry into Sedan, -which took place the following day. In the morning Bouillon presented -himself before his Majesty, who read to him his <i>abolition</i>, to which -the duke listened with becoming humility. But the moment it was handed -to him his manner changed, and he became as haughty and arrogant as -ever, and even had the presumption to alter the order in which the King -had marshalled his troops for the procession through the town.</p> - -<p>After remaining a few days longer at Sedan, Henri IV went to Busancy, -whence he despatched Bassompierre to Paris, to inquire, on his behalf, -after the health of his former consort, Queen Margot, “who had lost -Saint-Julian Date, her gallant, slain by a gentleman named Charmont -[<i>sic</i>], whose head the King had caused to be cut off in -consequence,”<a name="FNanchor_46_46" id="FNanchor_46_46"></a><a href="#Footnote_46_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a> and to carry letters to his two<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_078" id="page_078"></a>{78}</span> chief sultanas, -Madame de Verneuil and the Comtesse de Moret.<a name="FNanchor_47_47" id="FNanchor_47_47"></a><a href="#Footnote_47_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a></p> - -<p>Bassompierre, impatient to see Marie d’Entragues, went first to the -house of her sister, Madame de Verneuil, where he hoped to find her, and -was not disappointed. Having saluted the ladies and executed his -commission, he had the imprudence to mention that he was going to call -upon Madame de Moret, for whom he had also a letter from the King. That -was quite enough to pique the curiosity of the marchioness, who at once -determined to see the correspondence which the Béarnais was carrying on -with her rival, and asked Bassompierre to give her the letter. That -gentleman naturally objected, but Marie d’Entragues joined her commands -to the request of her sister, and he weakly allowed himself to be -persuaded. Madame de Verneuil broke the seal, and having read the -amorous epistle, handed it back to Bassompierre—presumably, it -contained nothing of much importance, otherwise, she would have been -quite capable of retaining<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_079" id="page_079"></a>{79}</span></p> - -<p><a name="HENRIETTE" id="HENRIETTE"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/i_078fp_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_078fp_sml.jpg" width="303" height="416" alt="Image unavailable: HENRIETTE DE BALSAC D’ENTRAGUES, MARQUISE DE VERNEUIL. - -From an engraving by Aubert." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">HENRIETTE DE BALSAC D’ENTRAGUES, MARQUISE DE VERNEUIL. -<br /> -From an engraving by Aubert.</span> -</div> - -<p class="nind">or destroying it—observing that in an hour he could get a seal made -similar to that with which the letter was fastened, and that, when he -had sealed it again, no one would suspect that it had ever been tampered -with. Bassompierre, relying on this assurance, sent his <i>valet de -chambre</i> with the letter into the town to get a replica of the seal -made; but, as ill luck would have it, the man went to an engraver named -Turpin, who happened to be the very same person who had made the -original for the King. Turpin, recognising his handiwork and suspecting -that something was wrong, seized the valet by the collar, with the -intention of handing him over to the police. But the latter, who was a -strong and active fellow, contrived to wrench himself free and hurried -off to warn his master, leaving his hat and cloak, together with the -King’s letter, in the hands of the engraver.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre, much disturbed by this misadventure, hid his valet, who, -he tells us, would have been hanged within two hours if he had been -caught, and then went to call on Madame de Moret. Having decided that -his best plan was to brazen it out, he told the countess that having -been entrusted by the King with a letter for her, he had unfortunately -opened it, in mistake for a <i>poulet</i> which a lady had sent him; that, -through fear of being suspected of having acted intentionally, he had, -instead of coming to her at once to offer his apologies, as he, of -course, should have done, been so imprudent as to try and get a similar -seal made, and that his servant, having by ill chance gone to the King’s -engraver, the latter, his suspicions aroused, had retained the letter. -If Madame de Moret wished to have it, she had only to send someone to -explain the matter to Turpin, and no doubt the engraver would give it -up. The countess believed, or pretended to believe, this not very -probable story, and sent one of her servants to Turpin to claim her -letter; but was informed that it was no longer in his hands, but in -those of Séguier, President of the Tournelle, or criminal<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_080" id="page_080"></a>{80}</span> court of the -Parlement of Paris, to whom the honest engraver had deemed it his duty -to transmit it without delay.</p> - -<p>Here was a fresh complication and one which caused Bassompierre no -little disquietude, as he did not know Séguier personally, and the -latter had the reputation of being a most austere magistrate, who would -be certain to sift the matter to the very bottom. Resourceful though he -was, he was for the moment at a loss how to act, but, finally, resolved -to go and see Madame de Loménie, wife of Antoine de Loménie, one of the -Secretaries of State, with whom he was on very friendly terms, and beg -her to intervene in order to hush up this unfortunate affair, either by -persuading Séguier to surrender the letter, or by writing to her -husband, who was on his way to Paris with the King, to ask him to give -some plausible explanation to his Majesty.</p> - -<p>This time Fortune was on his side. He found the Minister’s wife seated -at her writing-desk and apparently very busy. She was engaged, she told -him, in drafting a very important letter to her husband concerning a -singular adventure. Bassompierre, having an idea that this singular -adventure might well have some relation to his own, pressed her to tell -him more, upon which the lady explained that an attempt had been made -that morning to counterfeit the King’s seal; that the man who had been -sent to the engraver had unfortunately succeeded in effecting his -escape, but that the letter of which he was the bearer had been seized, -and that the President Séguier had just sent it to her, with the request -that she would forward it to her husband, in order that he might lay it -before the King, when perhaps they would be able to get to the bottom of -the matter. And Madame de Loménie added that she would willingly give -2,000 crowns to solve this imbroglio.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre, with a sigh of relief, offered to enlighten her for -nothing, and proceeded to furnish her with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_081" id="page_081"></a>{81}</span> same explanation of the -affair which he had already given Madame de Moret. Madame de Loménie -accepted it, and, after having given him a good lecture, promised to -smooth things over for him, on condition that he would go on the morrow -to Villers-Cotterets, where the King and her husband had just arrived, -and take with him a report of the matter which she would draw up. -Bassompierre agreed readily enough, as may be imagined, and, having -called again upon Madame de Verneuil to obtain her answer to the King’s -letter, and also upon Madame de Moret, who wrote likewise to thank his -Majesty, although she had not received the one intended for her, set out -for Villers-Cotterets, where Henri IV laughed heartily over the -adventure, of which he does not appear to have suspected the true -explanation.</p> - -<p>A few days later, Henri IV, in celebration of his bloodless victory over -the Duc de Bouillon, made a sort of triumphal entry into Paris, where he -was received with salvoes of artillery and loud acclamations from the -populace. The effect of this ceremony, however, appears to have been -somewhat spoiled by the extraordinary attitude assumed by the rebellious -vassal whom he had just brought to heel, and who rode along bowing and -smiling to the people who thronged the streets and the windows and roofs -of the houses, for all the world as if he himself were the hero of the -day and the object of all the acclamations.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“He [the King],” writes Bassompierre, “desired M. de Bouillon to -march immediately before him, and this he did, but with such -assurance and audacity, that it was impossible to decide whether it -was the King who was leading him in triumph or he the King.”</p></div> - -<p>Henri IV only remained a few days in Paris, and then went to -Fontainebleau; but Bassompierre did not accompany him, being desirous of -enjoying the society of Marie d’Entragues, of whom, since their -reconciliation, he was more enamoured than ever.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_082" id="page_082"></a>{82}</span></p> - -<p>Bassompierre’s conquest of Mlle. d’Entragues had naturally aroused a -good deal of jealousy amongst the less fortunate admirers of that young -lady, who were numerous and distinguished, and included both the King -and the Duc de Guise. As yet, however, they had no actual proof of his -<i>bonne fortune</i>, as the intrigue was conducted with unusual discretion. -It was his habit, he tells us, to enter the house in the Rue de la -Coutellière, where Marie lived with her mother, late at night, by a back -entrance, “whereby I ascended to the third floor, which Madame -d’Entragues had not furnished, and her daughter, by a secret staircase -leading from her wardrobe, came to join me there, when her mother had -fallen asleep.”</p> - -<p>Henri IV, piqued by the assurances of several of Bassompierre’s rivals, -and principally by Guise, that Marie d’Entragues made game of them all -and preferred the handsome Lorrainer, gave orders, just before his -departure for Fontainebleau, to have the house watched.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“As he was in love with Antragues, M. de Guise and several others -also, who were all jealous of me, because they believed me to be on -better terms with her than themselves, plotted together to have me -spied upon, in order to discover if I entered her house, and if I -saw her privately; and the King commanded those whom he had charged -to watch it, to take their orders from M. de Guise and to report to -him if they saw anything.”</p></div> - -<p>The sequel was a most amusing comedy of errors.</p> - -<p>A day or two later, Bassompierre, who had an assignation with his -inamorata that night, happened to sup with the Grand Equerry, the Duc de -Bellegarde. During the meal it came on to rain heavily, and, as he had -come unprovided with a cloak, he borrowed one from his host, and, -wrapped in this, made his way, at about eleven o’clock, to the Rue de la -Coutellière, without noticing that the Cross of the Ordre du -Saint-Esprit, of which none but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_083" id="page_083"></a>{83}</span> Princes of the Blood, very great -nobles, and Ministers of State, were members, was attached to the cloak. -The spies posted around Madame d’Entragues’s house were more observant, -and one of them at once hurried off to inform the Duc de Guise that they -had just seen a young Knight of the Ordre du Saint-Esprit enter the -house by a back door. Guise immediately sent two of his <i>valets de -chambre</i> to identify the gentleman when he left, which did not happen -until four o’clock in the morning. But Bassompierre caught sight of them -before they saw him, and, recognising them as the duke’s servants, -pulled his cloak over his face, though he had little hope of escaping -detection, since he was well known to them both. The valets, however, -deceived by the Cross of the Saint-Esprit, reported to their master that -Mlle. d’Entragues’ midnight visitor was the Grand Equerry, since they -were aware that there was no other Knight of the Order in Paris at the -time in the least likely to have such a <i>bonne fortune</i>.</p> - -<p>In the morning, Bassompierre wrote to Mlle. d’Entragues to inform her of -the espionage of which he had been the object, and to urge her to be on -her guard. On his side, the Duc de Guise went between nine and ten -o’clock to the Grand Equerry’s house, but was told that Bellegarde had -given directions that he could see no one until the evening, as he had -been kept awake all night by violent toothache. This seemed to confirm -his suspicions in regard to the Grand Equerry, since a man who had not -returned from an assignation until four o’clock in the morning would -naturally desire to sleep until late in the day; and chuckling at the -thought of Bassompierre’s mortification when he learned that he had a -successful rival, he made his way to that gentleman’s lodging.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre, like Bellegarde, was still in bed when the duke arrived, -but, having told the servants that he had come to see their master on a -matter of urgency, he was conducted to his room.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_084" id="page_084"></a>{84}</span></p> - -<p>“I beg you to put on your dressing-gown,” said he so soon as he entered; -“I have a word to say to you.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I felt quite sure,” writes Bassompierre, “that he intended to tell -me that I had been seen leaving Antragues’s house, and determined -to deny it positively. But, on the contrary, he continued: ‘What -would you say if the Grand Equerry were preferred by Antragues to -you and everyone, and she were in the habit of receiving him at -night?’ I told him that I should decline to believe it, as neither -he nor she had any inclination for the other. ‘<i>Mon Dieu</i>,’ said -he, ‘how easy to deceive are lovers! I thought as you do; -nevertheless, it is true that he went to her house last night, and -did not leave until four o’clock this morning. He was seen to go -in, and my <i>valets de chambre</i> themselves saw him come out, with so -little care that he had not even troubled to wear a cloak without -the cross of the Order, to disguise himself.’</p> - -<p>“Thereupon, he called one of the valets, D’Urbal by name, and -inquired whether he had not seen <i>Monsieur le Grand</i> leave -Antragues’s house. ‘Yes, Monseigneur,’ the man answered, ‘as -plainly as I see M. de Bassompierre there.’ I dared not look in the -face of this valet, who had seen me that same morning leaving the -house, and believed that it was a trick to make game of me; but, as -I turned away, I perceived on a chair <i>Monsieur le Grand’s</i> cloak, -which my valet had folded in such a way that the cross of the Order -was visible, and ought to have been easily seen by M. de Guise, if -he had not been so much occupied just then. I sat down upon it, -fearing lest M. de Guise should catch sight of the cross, and -pretending to be disconsolate as he was, I complained bitterly of -the fickleness of Antragues. I refused to rise from my seat on the -cloak, although M. de Guise invited me to go for a walk with him, -until I had told my valet to take it away, when M. de Guise should -be looking in another direction, and hide it in a wardrobe.”</p></div> - -<p>So soon as the duke had taken his departure, Bassompierre wrote to his -mistress to inform her of this new<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_085" id="page_085"></a>{85}</span> incident. Marie d’Entragues had the -caustic spirit of her family, and it pleased her, in order to perpetuate -this comedy of errors and avert suspicion from Bassompierre, to show -herself exceedingly gracious to the Grand Equerry when she met him that -afternoon, so that Bellegarde, who was not without vanity, was himself -deceived, and began to think he had made an impression upon the lady. -The consequence was that when, on the morrow, Guise, who could not keep -silent, although he and Bassompierre had agreed to say nothing to the -Grand Equerry about it, began to rally that gentleman upon his supposed -<i>bonne fortune</i>, the latter defended himself so feebly, that all the -jealousy of Guise and of the King, when he heard of the affair, was -turned in his direction, and the real gallant was able to continue his -nocturnal visits to the Rue de la Coutillière with but few precautions.</p> - -<p>However, they had warned Madame d’Entragues to take better care of her -daughter—it was certainly high time that she did—and one fine June -morning, happening to awake very early, she drew aside the curtain of -her bed, and saw, to her astonishment, that that of Marie, who slept in -the same room, was empty. She rose at once and went into her wardrobe, -where she found the door leading to the secret staircase, which was -always kept locked, open.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“She began to scream,” relates Bassompierre, “and, at the sound of -her voice, her daughter rose in haste and went to her. I, -meanwhile, shut the door and took my departure, very troubled about -what might come of this affair, which was that her mother chastised -her, and caused the door of the room where we were that night to be -broken open, so that she might enter, and was very amazed to find -this apartment furnished with splendid furniture purchased from -Zamet. Then all intercourse was broken off; but I made my peace -with the mother through the intervention of Mlle. d’Asy, at whose -house I saw her, when I asked her pardon so many times, coupled -with the assurance that we had not gone beyond kissing,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_086" id="page_086"></a>{86}</span> that she -pretended to believe me. She went to Fontainebleau, and I went -also, but I did not venture to speak to Antragues except secretly, -because the King did not approve of it.<a name="FNanchor_48_48" id="FNanchor_48_48"></a><a href="#Footnote_48_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a> However, lovers are -resourceful enough to find opportunities for occasional meetings.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_087" id="page_087"></a>{87}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">A strange adventure—Bassompierre sent as Ambassador Extraordinary -to Lorraine to represent Henri IV at the marriage of the Duke of -Bar and Margherita di Gonzaga—He returns to Paris and orders a -gorgeous suit, which is to cost fourteen thousand crowns, for the -baptism of the Dauphin and Madame Élisabeth, though he has only -seven hundred in his purse—He wins enough at play to pay for -it—Charles III of Lorraine writes to request his presence at the -Estates of Lorraine—Henri IV refuses him permission to leave -France, but he sets out notwithstanding this—He is arrested by the -King’s orders at Meaux, but set at liberty on his promising to -return to Court—He is allowed to leave for Lorraine a few days -later—Affair of the Prince de Joinville and Madame de Moret.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">About</span> the middle of June of that year, Henri IV despatched Bassompierre -as Ambassador Extraordinary to Lorraine, to represent him at the -marriage of the Duke of Bar (whose first wife, Catherine de Bourbon, had -died in 1604) to Margherita di Gonzaga, daughter of Vincenzo I, Duke of -Mantua, and Eleanor de’ Medici, sister of the Queen; and, at the same -time to request the Duchess of Mantua to become godmother to the -dauphin, and the Duke of Lorraine godfather to Madame Élisabeth, eldest -daughter of the King.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre accordingly left Fontainebleau for Paris, where he met with -another love-adventure, which delayed his departure for Lorraine for -several days, and which we shall allow him to relate himself, since—to -borrow his own words—“though it was not of great consequence, it was, -nevertheless, extravagant”:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“For the past four or five months, every time I passed over the -Petit-Pont—for in those days the Pont-Neuf was not built—a -handsome woman, a sempstress at the sign of the Two Angels, made me -deep courtesies and followed me with her eyes so far as she could. -And, when I remarked her behaviour, I looked at her also and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_088" id="page_088"></a>{88}</span> -saluted her with greater care. It happened that, when I arrived in -Paris from Fontainebleau, and was crossing the Petit-Pont, so soon -as she saw me approaching, she placed herself at the door of her -shop, and said to me as I passed: ‘Monsieur, I am your very humble -servant.’ I returned her greeting and, turning round from time to -time, I perceived that she followed me with her eyes so long as she -was able. I had travelled post from Fontainebleau, and had brought -one of my lackeys with me, intending to send him back to -Fontainebleau the same evening with letters for Antragues and for -another lady there. I made him alight and give his horse to the -postilion to lead, and sent him to tell the young woman that, -perceiving the care that she had to see me and salute me, if she -desired a more private view of me, I was willing to meet her in -whatever place she might choose to appoint. She told the lackey -that this was the best news that one could have brought her and -that she would go wherever I wished.</p> - -<p>“I accepted this proposal and asked my lackey if he knew of some -place to take her, which he did, saying that he knew a woman named -Noiret, to whose house he would conduct her.... And in the evening -I went there, and found a very beautiful woman, twenty years of -age, who had her head dressed for the night, wearing naught but a -very fine shift, and a short petticoat of green flannel and a -<i>peignoir</i> over her. She pleased me mightily, and I can say that -never had I seen a prettier woman....</p> - -<p>“I asked her if I could not see her again, and said that I should -not leave Paris until Sunday, this being Thursday night. She -answered that she desired it more ardently than I did, but that it -would not be possible, unless I stayed the whole of Sunday, in -which case she would see me on Sunday night.... I was easy to -persuade, and told her that I would remain all Sunday and meet her -at night in the same place. Then she rejoined: ‘Monsieur, I know -well that I am in a house of ill-fame, to which, however, I came -willingly, in order to see you, with whom I am so deeply in -love.... Well, once is not habit, and though, urged by passion, I -have come once to this house, I should be a public wanton if I were -to return a second time. I have never<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_089" id="page_089"></a>{89}</span> surrendered myself to any -man but my husband and yourself—may I die in misery if I speak not -the truth!—and I have no intention of surrendering myself to -another. But what would one not do for a man whom one loves, and -for a Bassompierre? That is why I came to this house, but it was to -be with a man who has rendered it honourable by his presence. If -you wish to see me again, it must be at the house of one of my -aunts, who lives in the Rue du Bourg-l’Abbé, next to the Rue aux -Ours, the third door on the side of the Rue Saint-Martin. I will -await you there from ten o’clock until midnight, and later still, -and will leave the door open. At the entrance there is a little -passage, through which you must go quickly, for the door of my -aunt’s room opens on to it, and you will find a stair, which will -bring you to the second floor.’</p> - -<p>“I agreed to this proposal, and, having despatched the rest of my -suite on their journey towards Lorraine, I came at ten o’clock to -the door which she had indicated, and saw a great light, not only -on the second floor, but on the third and first as well; but the -door was closed. I knocked to announce my arrival, but I heard a -man’s voice asking who I was. I went back to the Rue aux Ours, and -having returned for the second time, finding the door open, I -entered and mounted to the second floor, where I found that the -light which I had seen proceeded from the straw of the beds which -they were burning, and two naked bodies lying upon the table in the -room. Thereupon, I withdrew, greatly amazed, and, in going out, I -met some ‘crows,’<a name="FNanchor_49_49" id="FNanchor_49_49"></a><a href="#Footnote_49_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> who asked me what I sought, and I, to make -them give way, drew my sword, and so passed out and returned to my -lodging, somewhat disturbed by the unexpected sight which I had -beheld. I drank three or four glasses of neat wine, which is a -German remedy against the plague, and then went to bed, as I -intended to leave for Lorraine the following morning, which I did. -And, although I afterwards sought as diligently as possible to -learn what had become of this woman, I was never able to discover -anything. I even<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_090" id="page_090"></a>{90}</span> went to the Two Angels, where she lodged, to -inquire who she was, but the tenants of the house told me nothing, -save that they knew that she was the former tenant. I have decided -to relate this adventure, because, although she was a person of -humble condition, she was so pretty that I have regretted her, and -would have given much to see her again.”<a name="FNanchor_50_50" id="FNanchor_50_50"></a><a href="#Footnote_50_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a></p></div> - -<p>At Nancy, Bassompierre, as the representative of the King of France and -a personal friend of Charles III of Lorraine, was received with great -honour and very sumptuously lodged and entertained. At the marriage -ceremony and the <i>fêtes</i> which followed it he appeared in great -magnificence, and this, in conjunction with his handsome face and -ingratiating manners, without doubt made a deep impression upon the -ladies of the Court. However, owing presumably to the official position -which he occupied, he appears to have refrained from making any fresh -conquests—at any rate, he does not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_091" id="page_091"></a>{91}</span> record any; and, after having -obtained the consent of the Duchess of Mantua and the Duke of Lorraine -to stand godmother and godfather to Henri IV’s children, he set out for -Paris.</p> - -<p>On his arrival, he found himself in sore distress of mind. The baptism -of the Dauphin and Madame Élisabeth was fast approaching, and having -imprudently worn all the new suits which he possessed at the marriage -<i>fêtes</i> at Nancy, he had none in which to appear at it, or, at least, -none which he considered worthy of so great an event. To appear in one -which he had donned on some previous occasion was not to be thought of -for a moment; his reputation as the most elegant and most recklessly -extravagant gentleman of the Court would infallibly be lost. As well ask -a modern professional beauty to wear the same toilette twice in a -season! To add to his distress, he had spent so much money on his -mission to Lorraine, for the post of Ambassador Extraordinary, in those -days, though very gratifying to the vanity, was ruinously expensive to -the pocket, that he had only a few hundred crowns in his purse, and the -acolytes of Fashion were so overwhelmed with orders for the ceremony -that they were actually impertinent enough to insist upon money down. -Finally, they were reported to be so busy that, even if the financial -difficulty were overcome, it was very improbable that he could get a -costume of sufficient magnificence completed in time. Was ever so -splendid a gallant in so sad a case?</p> - -<p>However, Fortune once more came to his aid.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Just as my sister (Madame de Saint-Luc), Madame de Verderonne,<a name="FNanchor_51_51" id="FNanchor_51_51"></a><a href="#Footnote_51_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a> -and la Patière,<a name="FNanchor_52_52" id="FNanchor_52_52"></a><a href="#Footnote_52_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a> who had come to greet me on my arrival, had -informed me that all the tailors<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_092" id="page_092"></a>{92}</span> and embroiderers were so busy -that it was impossible to get a suit made, in came my own tailor, -Tallot by name, and my embroiderer with him, to tell me that, on -the rumours of the magnificence of the baptism, a merchant of -Antwerp had brought a horse-load of pearls that are sold by weight, -and that with these they could make me a suit which would surpass -anything at the baptism; and my embroiderer offered to undertake -it, if I paid him six hundred crowns for his work alone. The ladies -and I fixed upon the suit, which required not less than fifty -pounds’ weight of pearls; and I decided that it should be of violet -cloth-of-gold, with palm-branches interlacing. In short, before the -tailor and embroiderer withdrew, I, who had only seven hundred -crowns in my purse, had ordered them to undertake a suit which was -to cost me fourteen thousand. At the same time, I sent for the -merchant, who brought me samples of his pearls, and with whom I -settled the price by weight. He demanded four thousand crowns -earnest money, but for this I put him off till the morrow. M. -d’Épernon<a name="FNanchor_53_53" id="FNanchor_53_53"></a><a href="#Footnote_53_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a> passed before my lodging, and, knowing that I had -arrived, came to see me and told me that he had some good company -coming to sup at his house and play afterwards, and asked me to be -of the party. I took my seven hundred crowns and with them won five -thousand. The next day the merchant came, and I paid him his four -thousand crowns earnest money. I also gave something to the -embroiderer, and went on to win at play, not only enough to pay for -the suit and a diamond sword, which cost five thousand crowns, but -had five or six thousand left wherewith to amuse myself.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre accompanied the King to Villers-Cotterets to meet the Duke -of Lorraine and the Duchess of Mantua. On the way the King turned aside -to pay a visit to his former mistress, Charlotte de Essars, Comtesse de -Romorantin, who was staying at the Abbey of Sainte-Perrinne, the -superior of which was her aunt. Time seems to have dealt leniently with -the fair Charlotte, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_093" id="page_093"></a>{93}</span> appeared, according to Bassompierre, more -beautiful than ever.</p> - -<p>The King conducted his distinguished guests to Paris, where they were -magnificently entertained. But, as the plague was increasing in the -capital, it was decided that the baptism should take place at -Fontainebleau. So the Parisians were deprived of the opportunity of -admiring Bassompierre’s fourteen-thousand-crown suit and diamond -scabbard, and he had to rest content with the sensation which they -doubtless created at the Court.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>In February, 1607, Charles III of Lorraine wrote to Bassompierre begging -him, as a personal favour, to assist at the approaching meeting of the -Estates of Lorraine, where his influence with the nobility of the duchy -might serve to remove some of the difficulties which he feared that he -might have with that body. Bassompierre, accordingly, requested leave of -absence of Henri IV, but his Majesty was unwilling to let him go, -because, he explains, he had been winning his money at play and he -wanted to have his revenge, and put him off on two or three occasions. -At last, in despair of obtaining permission, he determined to go without -it, and one day, when the Court was at Chantilly, he slipped away -unperceived and set out for Paris. On the road he met the Ducs -d’Aiguillon and de Bouillon, and begged them not to tell the King that -they had seen him; but the two dukes, probably supposing that he was -bound on some amorous adventure which he wished to keep from his -Majesty’s knowledge, denounced him so soon as they arrived at Chantilly. -The consequence was that when Bassompierre reached Meaux, he found the -provost of that town and two exempts of the King’s guards, whom his -Majesty had sent to head him off, waiting to arrest him. In great -indignation, he despatched one of his suite to Chantilly, with letters -for the King and Villeroy, one of the Secretaries of State, protesting -against the indignity to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_094" id="page_094"></a>{94}</span> which he was being subjected; and the -following day the provost came to inform him that he had received orders -to set him at liberty, provided he would give his word to return to the -Court. On his arrival at Chantilly he was sent for by the King, who -laughed heartily at his crestfallen demeanour, telling him that he had -now had an opportunity of seeing the good order that he maintained in -his realm, which no one could leave without his consent; but that he -only wanted him to remain ten days longer, when he would give him -permission to go to Lorraine. He added that his stay would not be -unprofitable; and he was as good as his word, for during this time the -vexed question of the Saint-Sauveur lands was finally settled, to -Bassompierre’s entire satisfaction.</p> - -<p>Before leaving for Lorraine, Bassompierre endeavoured to do a good turn -to his friend the Prince de Joinville and Madame de Moret, who had been -so imprudent as to fall in love with one another, and warned them that -the King intended to surprise them together, in which event he had vowed -to make a public example both of the presumptuous noble who had dared to -violate the sanctity of the royal seraglio and of his faithless sultana. -The lovers, however, did not profit by his warnings, and, while on his -way to Nancy, he learned that, though the King had not succeeded in -surprising them, he had discovered enough to confirm his suspicions, and -had banished Joinville from the Court for the second time. Bassompierre -at once turned back and came to Paris incognito, “in order to see Madame -de Moret and offer to serve her in her affliction”; but his presence was -discovered and reported to Madame d’Entragues, who, suspecting that he -had returned with the object of paying surreptitious visits to her -daughter, promptly locked that flighty young lady up until he had taken -his departure.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_095" id="page_095"></a>{95}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Amusements of Bassompierre during the winter of 1608—His -gambling-parties—Embarrassment which the fact of having several -love-affairs on his hands simultaneously sometimes occasions -him—Death of Charles III of Lorraine—Bassompierre goes to Nancy -to attend the Duke’s funeral—Gratifying testimony which he -receives during his absence of the esteem in which he is held by -the ladies of the Court of France—“The star of Venus is very much -in the ascendant over him”—Marriage arranged between Marie -d’Entragues and the Comte d’Aché, of Auvergne—The affair is broken -off—Frenzied gambling at the Court: gains of Bassompierre—Secret -visits paid by him and the Duc de Guise to Madame de Verneuil and -Marie d’Entragues at Conflans—Visit of the Duke of Mantua to the -Court of France.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Bassompierre</span> begins his journal for the year 1608 in the following -strain:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“In the year 1608 I embarked in an affair with a blonde lady. I won -a great deal at play that year, and gave away much at the Foire. We -danced a number of ballets.... I had more mistresses at the Court, -and was on excellent terms with Antragues. M. de Vendôme also -danced a ballet, in which the King would have Cramail, Termes, and -myself, who were called <i>les dangereux</i>, assist. We went to dance -it at M. de Montpensier’s, who rose to see it, though he was -dying.”<a name="FNanchor_54_54" id="FNanchor_54_54"></a><a href="#Footnote_54_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a></p></div> - -<p>After Easter the King went to Fontainebleau, where on April 25 the Queen -gave birth to her third son, Gaston, Duc d’Anjou, afterwards Duc -d’Orléans. Bassompierre, however, excused himself from accompanying his -Majesty, apparently on the plea of illness, and remained in Paris, -where, he tells us, he passed his time very agreeably.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_096" id="page_096"></a>{96}</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I pretended to be suffering from a weakness of the lungs, so that -no one saw me until midday, when all the Court came to my lodging -to pass the time until nine o’clock in the evening, when I made -believe to retire, on account of my delicate state of health; but -it was to pass the night in good company.”</p></div> - -<p>The “good company” he speaks of was a little coterie of gamblers, “eight -or ten worthy men of the town, and of the Court, M. de Guise, Créquy, -and myself,” who played for tremendously high stakes, since Bassompierre -had considerately introduced amongst them a Portuguese merchant named -Fernandez, who came prepared to make good the losses of those upon whom -Fortune happened to frown, in return for approved security. This kind of -arrangement was so convenient that, when the King returned from -Fontainebleau, he wished to be of the party, which met every day either -at the Louvre, Zamet’s, or the Marquis de Roquelaure’s; and doubtless -the organiser of these <i>séances</i>, who appears to have been one of the -luckiest gamblers who ever turned a card or rattled a dice-box, and the -accommodating Fernandez, derived substantial benefits from them.</p> - -<p>In July, Queen Marguerite gave a grand <i>fête</i> at the Arsenal, the -principal feature of which was the then fashionable pastime of tilting -at the ring. Bassompierre, of course, attended it, very splendidly -arrayed, but also very reluctantly, since, as he naïvely explains, those -gentlemen who, like himself, had several love-affairs on their hands -simultaneously were often sadly embarrassed at these great assemblies, -since all the ladies whom they professed to adore were sure to be -present, and it was practically impossible to pay sufficient attention -to one without giving umbrage to the others.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I thought,” he continues, “that I should experience great -difficulty there; but Fortune came to my aid in such fashion that, -without neglecting anyone, I contented all. For, in short, having -stationed myself unintentionally<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_097" id="page_097"></a>{97}</span> beneath the Queen’s stand, where -Mlle. de Montmorency<a name="FNanchor_55_55" id="FNanchor_55_55"></a><a href="#Footnote_55_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a> was sitting, Pérault,<a name="FNanchor_56_56" id="FNanchor_56_56"></a><a href="#Footnote_56_56" class="fnanchor">[56]</a> who had served -with me in Hungary, insisted on my taking his place; and then, for -the first time, I spoke to her and strove to insinuate myself into -her good graces, little imagining what was to happen later. After -the <i>fête</i> was over, I was delighted to see that I had contented -all the ladies with whom I was on good terms, and that not one of -them had had reason to be jealous of another, a thing which very -rarely happened on such occasions.”</p></div> - -<p>On May 14, 1608, Charles III of Lorraine, who had been in bad health for -some time past, died. Bassompierre went to Nancy to attend his funeral, -and was away three weeks, during which, he tells us, he received the -most gratifying testimony to the esteem in which he was held by the -ladies of the Court of France:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It is impossible to describe how much care the ladies took to send -me frequently news of themselves and to despatch couriers to me -with letters and presents. The star of Venus was very much in the -ascendant over me. I returned to Paris, and four ladies in a coach -came beyond Pantin to meet me, making believe that they were merely -taking a drive. They placed me in their coach and brought me to the -Porte de Saint-Honoré, where I remounted my horse to enter Paris.”</p></div> - -<p>On his arrival in the capital, he learned that Marie d’Entragues had -gone, with her mother and Madame de Verneuil, to Malesherbes, to marry a -certain Comte d’Aché, of Auvergne; but, as may be supposed, his other<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_098" id="page_098"></a>{98}</span> -lady-loves made every effort to console him for his loss, which, in -point of fact, proved to be only a temporary one, since the parties were -unable to agree about the marriage-articles, and the affair was broken -off. In after years Bassompierre had good reason to regret that the -projected marriage had not taken place, in which event he would have -been spared great trouble and expense.</p> - -<p>The King, learning that he had returned, wrote telling him to come at -once to Fontainebleau, where the Court was then in residence, and -informing him that, although he had until then been the greatest gambler -in his circle of friends, since his absence in Lorraine a Portuguese -gentleman named Pimentel had appeared upon the scene, who played much -higher than even he did. He must lose no time in redeeming his lost -reputation.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre hastened to obey, and plunged once more into this ruinous -amusement—ruinous, that is to say, to others, for, as we know, he was -well able to take care of himself—with all the zest begotten of a three -weeks’ abstinence from the card-table. For, though he had probably -gambled at Nancy, the stakes in vogue there must have seemed a mere -bagatelle compared with those for which Henri IV and his intimates -played.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“We remained some days at Fontainebleau,” he says, “playing the -most frenzied game that I have ever heard of. Not a day passed on -which there were not gains or losses of 20,000 pistoles. The -counters of the least value which were used were for 50 pistoles. -The highest were worth 500 pistoles; so that it was possible to -hold in one’s hand at one time counters to the value of 50,000 -pistoles. I won that year there more than 500,000 francs at play, -notwithstanding that I was distracted by a thousand follies of -youth and love. The King returned to Paris, and from there went to -Saint-Germain. Play on the same scale continued, and Pimentel won -more than 200,000 crowns.”</p></div> - -<p>In July, Madame d’Entragues and her two daughters<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_099" id="page_099"></a>{99}</span> returned from -Malesherbes, and went to stay at Conflans, Madame de Verneuil in one -house, and Madame d’Entragues and Marie in another. Marie, however, -frequently found a pretext for spending the night with her elder sister, -and on these occasions, says Bassompierre, “M. de Guise and I played the -part of knights-errant and went to visit them.” After a short stay at -Conflans, the d’Entragues returned to Paris, where Marie and -Bassompierre had another quarrel—for what reason he does not tell -us—and “he broke entirely with her.” Like the last, however, it would -not appear to have been of long duration.</p> - -<p>At the beginning of August, the Duke of Mantua came to the French Court, -where, as the husband of the Queen’s sister, he was magnificently -entertained. His Highness, however, seems to have spent a considerable -part of his visit at the card-tables, for, “being a great gambler, he -was delighted to take part in the high play which went on, which was to -him extraordinary.” When the Duke took his departure, Bassompierre, who -spoke Italian fluently, was deputed to accompany him on his homeward -journey so far as Montargis.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100"></a>{100}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Enviable position of Bassompierre at the Court of France—The -Connétable de Montmorency offers him the hand of his beautiful -daughter Charlotte, the greatest heiress in France—The -marriage-articles are drawn up—The consent of Henri IV is -obtained—The Duc de Bouillon, whom Bassompierre has offended, -endeavours to persuade the King to withdraw his sanction and to -marry Mlle. de Montmorency to the Prince de Condé (<i>Monsieur le -Prince</i>)—Henri IV falls madly in love with the young -lady—Singular conversation between the King and Bassompierre, in -which his Majesty orders the latter to renounce his pretensions to -Mlle. de Montmorency’s hand—Astonishment and mortification of -Bassompierre, who, however, yields with a good grace—Bassompierre -falls ill of chagrin and remains for two days “without sleeping, -eating or drinking”—He is persuaded by his friend Praslin to -return to the Louvre—Mlle. de Montmorency is betrothed to the -Prince de Condé—Bassompierre falls ill of tertian fever, but rises -from his sick-bed to fight a duel with a Gascon gentleman—The -combatants are separated by friends of the latter—Serious illness -of Bassompierre.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Bassompierre</span> had now fairly established his claim to be regarded as “the -most amiable and elegant gentleman of the Court,” and his position was -in every way an enviable one. He was idolised by the ladies to a degree -that no gallant has ever been either before or since his time, with the -possible exception of the too-celebrated Maréchal de Richelieu, in the -days of Louis XV;<a name="FNanchor_57_57" id="FNanchor_57_57"></a><a href="#Footnote_57_57" class="fnanchor">[57]</a> liked and admired by the men, who looked upon him -as “the glass of fashion and the mould of form;” so great a favourite of -the King that his Majesty grumbled whenever he absented himself from -Court, and there seemed no rank or office, however high, to which he -might not ultimately aspire; and, though not wealthy, as wealth was -accounted in those days at the Court of France, enabled, thanks to his -extraordinary good fortune at play, to vie<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101"></a>{101}</span> with the greatest in the -land in luxury and extravagance. “It would have been well,” says a -writer of the time, Tallemant des Réaux, “if there had always been at -the Court someone like him; he did the honours and received and -entertained foreigners. I used to remark that he was at the Court what -<i>Bon Accueil</i> was in the romance of <i>la Rose</i>. People everywhere used to -call a man a Bassompierre, if he excelled in good looks and the elegance -of his appearance and manners.”</p> - -<p>But Bassompierre possessed more solid claims to the universal popularity -which he enjoyed than these. He was not only an adept at all manly -exercises, but a good musician, a sound classical scholar, and a master -of four languages: French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Despite his -follies, his innumerable gallantries, his gambling, and his prodigality, -he possessed a vein of sound common-sense, which caused him to be -consulted frequently by those who were in pecuniary or other -embarrassments; and he was a kindly, good-natured man, who held aloof -from the intrigues of the Court, never spoke ill of anyone, and was -always ready to do a service to a friend who needed it. And he was now -about to receive the most flattering tribute to his better qualities -possible to imagine—one, indeed, which he could not have hoped for even -in his fondest dreams—namely, the offer of a bride who was at once the -most beautiful girl at the Court, the greatest heiress in France, and, -with a single exception,<a name="FNanchor_58_58" id="FNanchor_58_58"></a><a href="#Footnote_58_58" class="fnanchor">[58]</a> the young lady of the highest rank in the -land after the daughters of the Princes of the Blood.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>One day, in October, 1608, the old Connétable de Montmorency, with whom -Bassompierre had always been a great favourite, invited him to dine with -him on the morrow, at the same time impressing upon him the importance -of not failing to be there, which was no doubt<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102"></a>{102}</span> a very necessary -precaution, in view of the frequency with which that young gentleman’s -love-affairs and gambling-parties must have necessitated the breaking of -other social engagements. On his arrival at Montmorency’s hôtel, he -found that the Duc d’Epernon, the Marquis de Roquelaure, Zamet, and a -<i>maître des requêtes</i> named La Cave, had also been invited, all four -being intimate friends of both the Constable and himself; and from their -presence he divined that some important matter which must concern him -very closely was in the wind.</p> - -<p>After dinner, Montmorency conducted his guests into his chamber, where -they were joined by Du Tillet-Girard, his confidential secretary, and -his physician Rancin, the latter of whom the Constable directed to -station himself at the door and on no account to allow their privacy to -be interrupted. Then, in a solemn speech, the old nobleman proceeded to -inform them of the reason which had led him to invite them there that -day.</p> - -<p>Having, he said, arrived at the close of life, he had deemed it his duty -to look around him for a man to whom he might give his youngest daughter -in marriage—one who might be agreeable both to himself and to her; and, -although he might choose amongst all the princes in France, he preferred -his daughter’s happiness to her elevation, and to see her, during the -rest of his days, living in joy and contentment. For which reason, the -esteem which he had so long entertained for the person and family of M. -de Bassompierre had decided him to offer him what others of far higher -rank would most gladly accept. And he had wished to do this in the -presence of his best friends, who were likewise M. de Bassompierre’s, -and to tell him that, having loved him as dearly as if he were his son, -he desired to make him so by marrying him to his daughter, being assured -that she would be happy with him, knowing as he did his good qualities; -and that M. de Bassompierre, on his part, would hold himself honoured in -marrying the daughter and grand-daughter of Constables of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103"></a>{103}</span> France; while -he (Montmorency) would be happy the rest of his days if he saw them both -living happily and contentedly together. He added that it was his -intention to give his daughter a dowry of 100,000 crowns, while she -would receive another 50,000 on the death of his younger brother;<a name="FNanchor_59_59" id="FNanchor_59_59"></a><a href="#Footnote_59_59" class="fnanchor">[59]</a> -and if nothing prevented M. de Bassompierre from accepting the offer -which he now made him, he would instruct Du Tillet-Girard to draw up, in -conjunction with whatever person he might choose to appoint, the -marriage-articles.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“There were tears of joy in his eyes when he finished speaking,” -writes Bassompierre, “and, as for me, I was so overcome by an -honour as unhoped for as it was dear to me, that words failed me to -express what I felt. At length, I told him that this honour so -great and so unexpected which he, in his generosity, designed for -me deprived me of the power of speech; that I could only marvel at -my good fortune; that it was above all my expectations, as it was -above my deserts; that it could only be repaid by very humble -service and infinite submission; that my life would be too short to -requite it, and that I could only offer him entire devotion to his -will; that it was not a husband whom he would give his daughter, -but a being by whom she would be incessantly adored like a goddess -and respected like a queen, and that he had not chosen a son-in-law -so much as a domestic servant of his House, whose every action -would be guided by his intentions and wishes alone; and that if -anything abated the excess of my joy, it was the apprehension that -Mlle. de Montmorency, who could choose from all the marriageable -princes in France, might regret renouncing the quality of princess, -of which she ought with reason to be assured, to occupy that of a -simple lady; and that I would prefer to die and lose the honour -which Monsieur le Connétable designed for me than occasion<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104"></a>{104}</span> her the -least regret or discontent. And upon that, as I occupied a rather -low seat close to his own, I placed a knee to the ground, and, -taking his hand, kissed it, while he held me in a long embrace. -After which, he told me not to entertain any fear of that, as, -before speaking to me, he had consulted his daughter, and found her -perfectly disposed to fulfil all the wishes of her father, and -particularly in that which was not disagreeable to her.</p> - -<p>“MM. d’Épernon and de Roquelaure approved the choice which the -Constable had made of my person, and said more kind things -concerning me than I merited; as did also Zamet, La Cave, and Du -Tillet-Girard; and they then all embraced me, praising the -Constable’s choice and felicitating me on my good fortune. After -this, the Constable told them that it was not opportune to reveal -this affair, and that he entrusted it to their discretion until the -time came to divulge it; because he was not just then in the good -graces of the King, since he had refused his consent to the -marriage which the King had desired to bring about between M. de -Montmorency<a name="FNanchor_60_60" id="FNanchor_60_60"></a><a href="#Footnote_60_60" class="fnanchor">[60]</a> and Mlle. de Verneuil,<a name="FNanchor_61_61" id="FNanchor_61_61"></a><a href="#Footnote_61_61" class="fnanchor">[61]</a> his daughter. This they -promised him, and I likewise.</p> - -<p>“The Constable requested me to come to him again in the evening, -when Madame d’Angoulême, his sister-in-law<a name="FNanchor_62_62" id="FNanchor_62_62"></a><a href="#Footnote_62_62" class="fnanchor">[62]</a> would be there, -saying that he intended to speak before her</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105"></a>{105}</span></p> - -<p><a name="CHARLOTTE" id="CHARLOTTE"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/i_104fp_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_104fp_sml.jpg" width="292" height="393" alt="Image unavailable: CHARLOTTE MARGUERITE DE MONTMORENCY, PRINCESSE DE CONDÉ. - -From an engraving by Barbant." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">CHARLOTTE MARGUERITE DE MONTMORENCY, PRINCESSE DE CONDÉ. -<br /> -From an engraving by Barbant.</span> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="nind">and his daughter of his decision to give the latter to me in -marriage. On my arrival, he said to me before her: ‘My son, here is -a wife whom I am keeping for you; salute her.’ This I did, and -kissed her. Then he spoke to her and to Madame d’Angoulême, who -seemed very content with the choice which her brother-in-law had -made of me for her niece.”</p></div> - -<p>The following day, the Princess de Conti, who had been let into the -secret, took Madame de Bassompierre to the Constable’s hotel and -presented her to the Duchesse d’Angoulême, who received her very -graciously, observing: “We shall be the two mothers of our newly-married -pair, and I know not whether you or I, Madame, will be the most -rejoiced.” Madame de Bassompierre then had an interview with the -Constable, who impressed upon her the importance of keeping the affair -secret for the present, and proposed that, meanwhile, their respective -men of business should meet and draw up the marriage-articles. This was -accordingly done, Du Tillet-Girard acting for the one side, and -Bauvillier, Procurator-General of the Cour des Monnaies, for the other; -and a draft was submitted to the Constable and Madame de Bassompierre, -and duly approved by them.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this, the Constable, who, Bassompierre tells us, did not -seem able to see enough of his prospective son-in-law or to think of -anything but advancing his interests, proposed to give him at once -50,000 crowns out of his daughter’s promised dowry, to enable him to -purchase the post of Colonel-General of the Light Cavalry, whose -occupant, the Comte d’Auvergne, was then in the Bastille and likely to -remain there indefinitely, though his wife, the Constable’s eldest -daughter, had been allowed to receive the salary attached to it. Madame -de Bassompierre, however, offered to find this sum, and suggested that, -in lieu of the dowry of 100,000 crowns, Montmorency should give her son -the estate of La Fère-en-Tardenois, near Château-Thierry, with remainder -to his daughter<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106"></a>{106}</span> and any children which might be born of the marriage. -To this the Constable readily agreed, and, at the same time, told -Bassompierre to make ready to come secretly to Chantilly, where he -intended that the marriage should be celebrated so soon as possible, in -the presence of none but members of his family and a few intimate -friends. However, their common friend Roquelaure, who was making great -efforts to reconcile the King to Montmorency, sought to dissuade the -latter from this step, pointing out that, if he gave his daughter in -marriage without previously informing his Majesty and obtaining his -approval, he would offend him still more; while the King would certainly -be seriously annoyed if so great a favourite of his as Bassompierre were -to marry without consulting him.</p> - -<p>Now, Henri IV had, some time before this, expressed a desire that -Bassompierre should become one of his First Gentlemen of the Chamber, in -place of the Duc de Bouillon, whose haughty airs displeased his Majesty, -and had promised to give him 20,000 crowns to assist him to purchase -this coveted office from the duke. He had also sent a gentleman of his -Household to Bouillon to sound him upon the matter, and the latter had -intimated his willingness to resign his post, in consideration of -receiving the sum of 50,000 crowns, though it was believed that he would -accept a smaller sum. Anyway, he was coming to the Court almost -immediately, for the purpose of settling the matter. Roquelaure, who was -much attached to Bassompierre, and had himself suggested to Henri IV -that he should aid him to purchase the post, told the Constable that the -announcement of his approaching marriage would be an excellent -opportunity for Bassompierre to obtain from the King the 20,000 écus he -had been promised, for which otherwise he might have to wait long, -since, where money was concerned, the Béarnais was far more ready to -promise than to perform.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre was of the same opinion, and, since the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107"></a>{107}</span> Constable was not -just then on visiting terms with his sovereign, it was decided that he -and Roquelaure should wait upon Henri IV that evening, and that, after -the former had acquainted the King with his matrimonial intentions, the -latter should inform him that he came on behalf of the Constable to -demand his Majesty’s consent to his daughter’s marriage. This they did, -and the King, not only expressed his warm approval of the marriage, but -declared that, in view of such a happy event, he felt that he could no -longer remain on bad terms with the Constable, and sent Bassompierre to -tell the old nobleman to come and see him on the morrow, when he might -rest assured that he would be well received.</p> - -<p>The following day, after receiving the Constable, whom he treated very -graciously, Henri IV, at Bassompierre’s request, paid a visit to the -Duchesse d’Angoulême, and told her that he had come, not as the King, -but as Bassompierre’s personal friend, to see the young lady whom he was -about to marry and to rejoice with her that so admirable a husband had -been chosen for her. And he said all manner of kind things about -Bassompierre, and spoke much of the affection which he entertained for -him.</p> - -<p>So far everything had gone smoothly, but now an obstacle arose.</p> - -<p>That same evening the Duc de Bouillon arrived at Court. The King at once -spoke to him about the proposed purchase of his post of First Gentleman -of the Chamber by Bassompierre, and he answered that he had come to -arrange the matter. Bassompierre, who was present, with several other -nobles and gentlemen, exchanged a few words with the duke, as did the -rest of the company; but he forgot to pay him a visit on the morrow, as -he most certainly ought to have done, seeing that Bouillon was the -Constable’s nephew,<a name="FNanchor_63_63" id="FNanchor_63_63"></a><a href="#Footnote_63_63" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> and “for all manner of other reasons.” His -unfortunate omission<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108"></a>{108}</span> appears to have wounded the pride of this most -haughty of nobles, who was already none too well disposed towards the -projected marriage, since he believed that it was the work of the Duc -d’Épernon, of whom, Bassompierre tells us, he had been all his life -intensely jealous. He therefore resolved to do what he could to prevent -it, and that evening, when he was talking to the King, who had just -returned from the Queen’s apartments, “where he had seen Mlle. de -Montmorency, whom he and everyone had found perfect in beauty,” he told -him that he was greatly astonished that his Majesty should have given -his consent to the marriage, since the Prince de Condé, the first Prince -of the Blood,<a name="FNanchor_64_64" id="FNanchor_64_64"></a><a href="#Footnote_64_64" class="fnanchor">[64]</a> was of an age to marry, and that, while it was -inexpedient that he should marry a foreign princess, there were no young -ladies of sufficiently high rank for him to wed in France, with the -exception of Mlle. de Mayenne and Mlle. de Montmorency. Well, no one who -had his sovereign’s interests at heart could possibly counsel his union -with Mlle. de Mayenne, since the remnant of the League was still too -powerful for it to be prudent to strengthen it by a marriage between the -daughter of its former chief and the first Prince of the Blood. On the -other hand, there could be no such objection to his marriage with Mlle. -de Montmorency, which would give him no new connections, since he was -already related to the Montmorencys on his mother’s side.<a name="FNanchor_65_65" id="FNanchor_65_65"></a><a href="#Footnote_65_65" class="fnanchor">[65]</a> And he -besought his Majesty very humbly to weigh the counsel which he had had -the honour to give him and to reflect well upon it. This the King -promised to do, and the interview ended.</p> - -<p>It happened that the next day had been appointed by the Queen for the -rehearsal of a grand ballet entitled <i>les<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109"></a>{109}</span> Nymphes de Diane</i>, which some -of the ladies of the Court, carefully chosen for their grace and beauty, -were to dance during the approaching Carnival, Mlle. de Montmorency -being amongst the number. The rehearsal took place in the great hall of -the Louvre, from which all the masculine portion of the Court, with the -exception of the King, the Grand Equerry, the Duc de Bellegarde, and -Montespan, the Captain of the Guards, were rigorously excluded. The -sight of Mlle. de Montmorency, who, according to Mézeray, had been cast -for the part of Diana, in the costume of ancient Greece, proved -altogether too much for the susceptible monarch, and inspired him with -sentiments very different from those which that chaste goddess was -supposed to implant in the hearts of men. In a word, he straightway fell -madly in love with her. “<i>Monsieur le Grand</i>,” writes Bassompierre, -“faithful to his habit of praising to excess anything new, and -particularly Mlle. de Montmorency, infused into the excitable mind of -the King that love which afterwards caused him to commit so many -extravagances.”</p> - -<p>The same evening the King was attacked by his old enemy, the gout, in so -severe a form that he was obliged to keep his bed for a fortnight; and, -most unfortunately as it was to prove for Bassompierre, the Constable -also fell ill of the same malady, so that the wedding, which it had been -decided was to take place almost immediately at Chantilly, had to be -postponed until the old gentleman was well enough to leave Paris.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Bassompierre had learned that the Duc de Bouillon was -endeavouring to prevent the marriage. That nobleman, it appears, had -told Roquelaure, who lost no time in informing his friend, that “M. de -Bassompierre wanted to have his office of First Gentleman of the -Chamber, and said nothing to him about it; that he wanted to marry his -niece, and said not a word to him upon the matter; but that he would -burn his books if he had either his office or his niece.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110"></a>{110}</span></p> - -<p>Having already represented to the King the advisability of reserving the -hand of Mlle. de Montmorency for the Prince de Condé, the duke sought an -interview with Condé himself and proposed the match to him, pointing out -that this alliance would give him for relatives all the grandees of -France, who would become the very humble servants of a personage of his -exalted rank, and that, if he did not marry Mlle. de Montmorency, he -would probably have to spend the remainder of his days in single -blessedness, because the King would not allow him to wed a foreign -princess, and there was no other young lady in France of suitable rank, -with the exception of Mlle. de Mayenne, and the King would never consent -to his marrying her. These arguments were not without effect, and -eventually Condé authorised him to approach the Constable on his behalf.</p> - -<p>The Constable, warned by Bassompierre of his nephew’s machinations, told -him not to allow them to disquiet him, since whatever match was proposed -to him he should refuse it, adding that he knew M. de Bouillon’s ways -far too well to be persuaded by him. He was as good as his word, and -when Bouillon spoke to him on the subject, he met with a sharp rebuff, -the Constable telling him that he had no need to seek a husband for his -daughter, as he had found one, and that he already had the honour of -being <i>Monsieur le Prince’s</i> great-uncle, which was enough for him.</p> - -<p>During the illness of Henri IV, Bellegarde, Gramont, and Bassompierre -took it in turn to sit up with him at night, the long hours being passed -in reading to him d’Urfé’s sentimental romance <i>Astrée</i>, which was then -enjoying a great vogue, or in conversation, for the King suffered so -much pain that sometimes he was unable to sleep at all. It was the -custom of the Princesses of the Blood to visit the sick-room daily; and -the Duchesse d’Angoulême on more than one occasion brought her niece -with her. One day, while the duchess was talking<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111"></a>{111}</span> to one of his -gentlemen, Henri IV, who did not disguise the pleasure which Mlle. de -Montmorency’s visits gave him, called the girl to his bedside, told her -that he intended to love her as if she were his own daughter, and that -she should be lodged in the Louvre when Bassompierre was on duty as -First Gentleman of the Chamber. He then desired her to tell him frankly -whether she were pleased with the marriage which had been arranged for -her, because, if it were not to her liking, he would soon find means to -break it, and marry her to his nephew, the Prince de Condé. The damsel -replied demurely that, since it was her father’s wish, she would esteem -herself very happy with M. de Bassompierre. And, writes that gentleman, -“he [the King] told me afterwards that these words made him resolve to -break my marriage, from fear lest, if I married her, she should love me -too much to be agreeable to him.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“M. de Gramont,” continues Bassompierre, “sat up with the King that -night, during which he slept but little, for love and the gout keep -those whom they attack very much awake. At eight o’clock the -following morning he sent a page of the Chamber to fetch me, and, -when I came, inquired why I had not sat up with him the previous -night. I answered that it was M. de Gramont’s night, and that the -next was mine. He told me that he had not closed an eye, and that -he had often thought of me. Then he made me place myself on a -hassock by his bedside (as was customary for those who entertained -him when he was in bed), and went on to tell me that he had been -thinking of me and of a marriage for me. I, who suspected nothing -so little as what he was going to say, replied that, but for the -Constable’s attack of gout, my marriage would already have been -concluded. ‘No,’ said he, ‘I thought of marrying you to Mlle. -d’Aumale,<a name="FNanchor_66_66" id="FNanchor_66_66"></a><a href="#Footnote_66_66" class="fnanchor">[66]</a> and, in consideration of this marriage, of renewing -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112"></a>{112}</span> duchy of Aumale in your person.’<a name="FNanchor_67_67" id="FNanchor_67_67"></a><a href="#Footnote_67_67" class="fnanchor">[67]</a> I asked him if he wished -to give me two wives, upon which, after a deep sigh, he replied:</p> - -<p>“ ‘Bassompierre, I wish to speak to you as a friend. I am not only -in love, but madly and desperately in love, with Mlle. de -Montmorency. If she marries you, and loves you, I shall hate you; -if she loves me, you will hate me. It is better that this should -not be the cause of interrupting our friendly intercourse, for I -have much affection for you. I am resolved to marry her to my -nephew the Prince de Condé,<a name="FNanchor_68_68" id="FNanchor_68_68"></a><a href="#Footnote_68_68" class="fnanchor">[68]</a> and to retain her about the person -of my wife. She will be the consolation and support of the old age -upon which I am about to enter. I shall give my nephew, who is -young and cares more for the chase than for ladies, a hundred -thousand francs a year, wherewith to amuse himself, and I do not -desire any other favour from her than her affection, without -pretending to anything further.’ ”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre’s astonishment and dismay at this announcement can well be -imagined. But he was above all things a courtier, and, aware that -opposition to the infatuated monarch’s will would be worse than futile, -he resolved to make a virtue of necessity, and proceeded to assure the -King of his joy at being afforded an opportunity of showing his devotion -to his Majesty, by cheerfully resigning to him what he valued more than -his own life.</p> - -<p>But let us allow him to continue his narrative of this singular -interview:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“While he was telling me this, I was reflecting that, were I to -reply that I refused to abandon my suit, it would be but a useless -impertinence, because he was all-powerful; and, having decided to -yield with a good grace, I said:—<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113"></a>{113}</span></p> - -<p>“ ‘Sire, I have always ardently desired a thing which has happened -to me when I was least anticipating it, which was the opportunity -of showing your Majesty, by some signal proof, the extreme and -ardent devotion which I cherish for you, and how truly I love you. -Assuredly, I could not have met with one more suitable than -this—of abandoning without pain and without regret an alliance so -illustrious, and a lady so perfect and so passionately beloved by -me, since by this resignation which I am making I please in some -way your Majesty. Yes, Sire, I renounce it for ever, and trust that -this new love may bring you as much joy as the loss of it would -occasion me distress, were it not that the consideration of your -Majesty prevents me feeling it.’</p> - -<p>“Then the King embraced me and wept, assuring me that he would make -my fortune as if I were one of his natural children, and that he -loved me dearly, of which I should be assured, and that he would -recompense my honesty and my friendship. The arrival of the princes -and nobles made me rise, and, when the King recalled me and told me -again that he intended me to marry his cousin d’Aumale, I answered -that he had the power to prevent my marriage, but, as for marrying -elsewhere, ‘that is a thing which I will never do.’ And with that -our conversation terminated.”</p></div> - -<p>That day Bassompierre dined with the Duc d’Épernon, to whom he related -what the King had said to him. D’Épernon was disposed to make light of -the matter. “It is merely a caprice of the King,” said he, “which will -pass as quickly as it came. Do not be alarmed about it; for when -<i>Monsieur le Prince</i> understands what the King’s intentions are, he will -not commit himself.” Bassompierre tried to persuade himself that such -was the case, and, on the duke’s advice, said nothing to anyone else -about the matter.</p> - -<p>In the evening, as he and two or three other gentlemen were playing at -dice with the King at a table placed beside his bed, the Duchesse -d’Angoulême entered the room with her niece, whom she had brought, it -appeared, in response<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114"></a>{114}</span> to a message from his Majesty. The King -immediately ceased playing and had a long and earnest conversation with -the duchess on the further side of the bed. Then he called Mlle. de -Montmorency and spoke to her also for a long time. It was evident that -he informed her that Bassompierre had renounced his pretensions to her -hand, and that he intended to bestow it upon the Prince de Condé, for -when the conversation came to an end and the girl turned away, she -glanced in her unfortunate suitor’s direction and shrugged her pretty -shoulders.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“This simple action,” writes Bassompierre, “pierced me to the heart -and affected me to such a degree that, feeling quite unequal to -continuing the game, I simulated a bleeding of the nose and left -the first cabinet and the second. On the stairs the <i>valets de -chambre</i> brought me my cloak and hat. My money I had left to take -care of itself, but Beringhen<a name="FNanchor_69_69" id="FNanchor_69_69"></a><a href="#Footnote_69_69" class="fnanchor">[69]</a> gathered it up. At the bottom of -the staircase I found M. d’Épernon’s coach, and, entering it, I -told the coachman to drive me to my lodging. I met my <i>valet de -chambre</i> and went up with him to my room, where I instructed him to -say that I was not at my lodging; and I remained there two days, -tormented like one possessed, without sleeping, eating, or -drinking. People believed that I had gone into the country, as I -was in the habit of playing such pranks. At length, my valet, -fearing that I should die or lose my reason, acquainted M. de -Praslin, who was much attached to me, of the state in which I was, -and he came to see me, in order to divert my mind.”</p></div> - -<p>M. de Praslin succeeded in persuading Bassompierre that there was still -something to live for, and brought him that evening to the Louvre, where -“everyone was at first astonished to see that in the space of two days -he had become so thin, pale and changed as to be unrecognisable.”</p> - -<p>A few days later, the Prince de Condé announced his intention of -marrying Mlle. de Montmorency. The prince,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115"></a>{115}</span> who was by no means an -amiable young man, had taken a dislike to Bassompierre, whose -pretensions to the young heiress’s hand would, but for the intervention -of the King, have most certainly been preferred to his own; and -happening to meet his discomfited rival, said to him with obvious -malice: “M. de Bassompierre, I beg you to come to my hôtel this -afternoon and accompany me to Madame d’Angoulême’s, whither I propose -going to pay my respects to Mlle. de Montmorency.”</p> - -<p>“I made him a low bow,” says Bassompierre, “but I did not go there.”</p> - -<p>It is probable that the loss of Mlle. de Montmorency’s dowry and all the -advantages which his alliance with so illustrious a family would have -brought him distressed Bassompierre a good deal more than the loss of -the young lady herself.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It is true,” says he, “that there was not at that time under -Heaven a being more beautiful than Mlle. de Montmorency, nor one -more graceful or perfect in every respect. She had made a deep -impression upon my heart; but, as it was a love which was to be -regulated by marriage, I did not feel my disappointment so much as -I should otherwise have done.”</p></div> - -<p>Nor had he far to look for consolation, and “in order not to remain idle -and to console myself for my loss, I sought diversion in making my peace -with three ladies, with whom I had totally broken in expectation of -marrying—one of them being Antragues.”</p> - -<p>If, however, like a true courtier, he had been ready to bow to the -caprice of his sovereign, and to make the best of the situation, his -vanity had been wounded far too deeply for him to allow himself “to be -led in triumph”—as he expresses it—by Condé, when that prince’s formal -betrothal to Mlle. de Montmorency took place:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I was that morning in the King’s apartments, when <i>Monsieur le -Prince</i>, after speaking to several others,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116"></a>{116}</span> approached me and said: -‘M. de Bassompierre, I beg you to come this afternoon to my hôtel -and accompany me to my betrothal at the Louvre.’ The King, seeing -him speak to me, inquired what he had said. ‘He has asked of me, -Sire,’ I replied, ‘a thing which I am unable to do.’ ‘And why?’ -said he. ‘It is to accompany him to his betrothal. Is he not -sufficiently great to go alone, and can he not be betrothed without -me being present? I answer that, if there is no one to accompany -him but myself, he will be very badly escorted.’ The King said that -it was his wish that I should go, to which I replied that I begged -his Majesty not to command me, for go I would not; that his Majesty -ought to be content that I had renounced my passion at the first -expression of his desires and wishes, without desiring to force me -to be led in triumph, after having ravished away my wife and all my -happiness.’ The King, who was the best of men, said to me: ‘I see -well, Bassompierre, that you are angry, but I assure you that you -will fail not to go when you have reflected that he who has asked -you is my nephew, first prince of my blood.’ Upon which he left me -and, taking MM. de Praslin and Termes aside, ordered them to go and -dine with me and persuade me to go, since duty and decorum demanded -it of me. And this I did, after a little remonstrance, but in such -fashion that I did not set out until the princesses were conducting -the <i>fiancée</i> to the Louvre, and were passing before my lodging, -which obliged me to accompany her with the gentlemen who had dined -with me. And then, from the gate of the Louvre, we returned to find -<i>Monsieur le Prince</i>, whom we met as he was leaving the Pont-Neuf -to come thither. The betrothal took place in the gallery of the -Louvre, and the King maliciously leant upon my shoulder and kept me -close to the affianced couple during the whole ceremony.”</p></div> - -<p>Two days afterwards, Bassompierre fell ill of tertian fever, and one -morning, while he lay in bed, he received a visit from a Gascon -gentleman named Noé, who had, or imagined he had, some grievance against -him, and who had come to inquire whether he might have the honour of -fighting a duel with him, so soon as his strength would<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117"></a>{117}</span> permit. -Bassompierre replied that he had enough and to spare whenever it was a -question of giving another gentleman satisfaction, and, rising -forthwith, ordered a horse to be saddled, dressed, and rode off to the -“field of honour,” which M. de Noé had appointed at Bicêtre. It was -hardly the kind of day which even a hale man would have chosen to -indulge in one of these little affairs, as there was a thick fog, and -the ground was two feet deep in snow. But he scorned to turn back, and -at length reached the rendezvous, where he found his adversary awaiting -him.</p> - -<p>It had been agreed that, as Bassompierre was in no condition to fight on -foot, the combat should take place on horseback; but just as it was -about to begin, two Gascons, named La Gaulas and Carbon, with a third -man called Le Fay, all of whom were apparently friends of Noé, came -galloping up, with the intention of preventing the duel, and called out -to that fire-eating gentleman: “You can meet some other time.”</p> - -<p>Bassompierre, however, having put himself to so much inconvenience just -to oblige M. de Noé, was highly indignant at the interruption, and, -resolved not to return to Paris without striking at least one blow, -shouted to his adversary to mount his horse, and rode towards him. Noé, -who was as anxious to get at Bassompierre as the latter was to get at -him, threw himself into the saddle, and though his friends endeavoured -to intercept him, he contrived to evade them; and he and Bassompierre -were about to cross swords when Carbon urged his horse against the flank -of Noé’s with such force that he bore both the animal and its rider to -the ground. Noé was soon in the saddle again, but the fog was now so -thick that it was quite impossible for one man to recognise another, -with the consequence that Bassompierre came near to killing La Gaulas, -whom he mistook for Noé. This mishap put an end to the combat, and -Bassompierre, who was feeling so ill that he could scarcely sit his -horse,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118"></a>{118}</span> made his way to Gentilly, where fortunately he found some -friends of his, who assisted him back to Paris.</p> - -<p>One might suppose that, after this adventure, our gentleman would have -been content to remain in bed for a day or two; but, since there -happened to be a grand ballet at the Arsenal that evening, at which all -the Court was to be present, and which he was particularly anxious to -attend, he must needs array himself in all his bravery and go out into -the snow and fog again. The result of this imprudence was that he fell -dangerously ill and was at one time at death’s door; and the spring had -come before he was about again.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119"></a>{119}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">The body of a man who has been assassinated opposite Marie -d’Entragues’s house mistaken for that of Bassompierre—Bassompierre -wins a wager of a thousand crowns from the King—Marriage of the -Prince de Condé and Mlle. de Montmorency—Henri IV informs -Bassompierre of his intention to send him on a secret mission to -Henri II, Duke of Lorraine, to propose an alliance between that -prince’s elder daughter and the Dauphin—Departure of -Bassompierre—He arrives at Nancy and challenges a gentleman to a -duel, but the affair is arranged—His first audience of Duke Henri -II—Irresolution of that prince, who desires to postpone his answer -until he has consulted his advisers—Negotiations of Bassompierre -with the Margrave of Baden-Durlach—He returns to Nancy—Continued -hesitation of the Duke of Lorraine—Memoir of Bassompierre: his -prediction of the advantages which Lorraine would derive from being -incorporated with France abundantly justified by time—The Duke -gives a qualified acceptance of Henri IV’s propositions—Difficulty -which Bassompierre experiences in inducing him to commit his reply -to writing.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Soon</span> after Bassompierre’s recovery an incident occurred which brought -him and his love-affairs rather more prominently before the public than -he altogether cared about.</p> - -<p>In the same street in which Madame d’Entragues and her younger daughter -were then living, there lodged an Italian equerry of the Queen, named -Camille Sanconi. This Sanconi was in love with his landlady, and finding -her one fine night in the company of a rival admirer, he or his servants -gave the latter several sword-thrusts, and then threw him into the -street in his night-attire. The unfortunate man’s wounds were mortal, -and he had scarcely managed to drag himself along for fifty paces, when -he fell down dead, directly beneath the window of the room occupied by -Marie d’Entragues.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Some passer-by,” writes Bassompierre, “seeing the dead body, -believed that it was I, on account of the spot<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120"></a>{120}</span> where it lay, and -came battering at the door of my lodging, saying that I had been -assassinated at Madame d’Entragues’s house, and then thrown out of -the window, and that my servants ought to go to succour me -promptly, if I were still alive, or to bring me back, if I were -dead. As chance would have it, I had left my lodging, in disguise, -to visit a lady, a circumstance which seemed to my servants to -afford such strong confirmation of this story, that they -thoughtlessly rushed off to where the body which had been taken for -mine was lying, and the more impetuous ones having thrown -themselves upon it, prevented the more prudent from examining it -closely; and all bore it away to my lodging. On the way thither -they were met by other servants of mine who carried torches, by the -light of which they perceived that the corpse was that of another -man, upon which they carried it to the house of a surgeon, where -the officers of the law soon came to take possession of it. This -affair occasioned a rather great scandal, and my servants to become -the laughing-stock of the town.”</p></div> - -<p>Early in May, the Court went to Fontainebleau, and Bassompierre followed -it shortly afterwards. On his arrival, he found that the engineers had -just begun to let the water into the canal which had recently been -constructed there; and the King offered to wager a thousand crowns that -in two days it would be quite full. Bassompierre took the bet and won it -easily, as it was more than a week before the canal was full.</p> - -<p>On May 17, the Prince de Condé and Charlotte de Montmorency were married -at Chantilly, the wedding having been delayed until then owing to the -necessity of awaiting the Papal dispensation for the marriage of blood -relations. Shortly afterwards, the bridal pair joined the Court at -Fontainebleau, but the young princess only remained there a week, and -then went with her mother-in-law to the Château of Valery, near Sens, -one of Condé’s country-houses.</p> - -<p>One day, while the Court was at Fontainebleau, the King sent for -Bassompierre and announced that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121"></a>{121}</span> proposed to send him on a secret -mission of the highest importance to his Majesty’s brother-in-law, Henri -II, Duke of Lorraine. By his first marriage with Catherine de Bourbon, -the Duke had had no children; but by his second marriage with Margherita -di Gonzaga, at which, it will be remembered, Bassompierre had assisted -in the quality of Ambassador Extraordinary, he had two daughters, the -Princesses Nicole and Claude; and the chief object of the mission which -he was now to undertake was to propose, on behalf of the King, an -alliance between the elder princess and the Dauphin, and to employ all -his powers of persuasion to induce the Duke to consent to it. These -would be needed, for the Lorrainers, like the people of all small -countries, were always exceedingly suspicious about the designs of their -powerful neighbours; and, though the prospect of one of his daughters -sharing the throne of France might flatter the pride of Henri II, his -subjects would probably regard the affair in a very different light. -However, the advantages to be derived from such an alliance were so -great that the King was determined to spare no expense to bring it -about, and, with the idea that corruption might succeed where other -means might fail, he authorised Bassompierre “to offer pensions up to -the value of 12,000 crowns to any private persons whom he should judge -capable of assisting him in this affair.” Finally, “in order to -encourage him to serve him the more zealously on this occasion, he -offered to marry him to Mlle. de Chemillé<a name="FNanchor_70_70" id="FNanchor_70_70"></a><a href="#Footnote_70_70" class="fnanchor">[70]</a> and to re-establish in his -favour the estate of Beaupreau into a duchy and peerage.” “But,” -continues Bassompierre, “I was so over head and ears in love just then, -that I told him that,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122"></a>{122}</span> if he desired to do me any favour, I begged that -it might not be by way of marriage, since by marriage he had done me so -much injury.”</p> - -<p>Henri IV was most anxious that Bassompierre should set out at once for -Lorraine, and this the latter promised to do. But, on reaching Paris, he -reflected that the marriage of the Duc de Vendôme, the King’s son by -Gabrielle d’Estrées, which was to be a very splendid affair indeed, was -to take place at Fontainebleau in ten days’ time, and that it would be a -thousand pities to miss it, even if he had to go there in disguise. He -therefore decided to postpone his departure until after the wedding and -to spend the interval in Paris, confining himself, we may suppose, to -the company of such of his friends as might be trusted not to reveal his -presence there to the King, who, of course, imagined him to be well on -his way to Lorraine. He soon had reason to regret having disobeyed his -sovereign’s commands, for, during the ten days he spent in the capital, -his usual extraordinary good fortune at play for once entirely deserted -him, and he contrived to lose no less a sum than 25,000 crowns, which -seems a somewhat exorbitant price to pay for the pleasure of attending -even the most magnificent of weddings.</p> - -<p>Having witnessed the ceremony, so carefully disguised that his identity -would not appear to have been even suspected, he returned to Paris and -started the same day for Lorraine, from which, after his mission had -been accomplished, he had orders to proceed to Germany, to sound the -Margrave of Baden-Durlach as to the attitude he was likely to assume in -the event of a war between France and the House of Austria, for which -Henri IV had long been making preparations.</p> - -<p>The King had not failed to impress upon his emissary the importance of -not allowing it to be suspected that he had come to Lorraine with any -diplomatic object in view, and, faithful to these instructions, -Bassompierre, instead<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123"></a>{123}</span> of going at once to Nancy, proceeded to Harouel, -where, in honour of his arrival, his mother kept open house, and he was -visited by a great many of the nobles of Lorraine. At Harouel he -remained for some days and then proceeded to Nancy, “just as if he had -no other business there than to pay his respects to the princes and pass -the time.”</p> - -<p>On the morrow of his arrival, one of his servants came to complain to -him that he had been chastised by a gentleman named Du Ludre, whom he -had in some way offended. Bassompierre at once sent that gentleman a -challenge to mortal combat, apparently forgetting, in his indignation at -the affront which had been offered him in the person of his servant, -that if Du Ludre happened to be an expert swordsman and were to kill or -even wound him seriously, there would be an end to the mission with -which the King had charged him. Happily, however, the gentleman in -question turned out to be a pacifist, who, though ready enough to cane -insolent lackeys, had no desire to cross swords with their masters; and, -calling upon Bassompierre, he offered him so many excuses and apologies -that, instead of fighting, the latter ended by embracing him.</p> - -<p>This incident, trivial in itself, had, nevertheless, an important -consequence, since no one was now likely to suspect a gentleman so ready -to seek the “field of honour” of having come to Nancy on an important -diplomatic mission.</p> - -<p>However, in order to leave nothing to chance, he waited nearly a week, -and then asked for an audience of the Duke, who was greatly surprised -when he presented his credentials, and still more when he learned the -object of his mission. Henri II was a timid and irresolute prince, -always profoundly suspicious of the great Powers on either side of him, -and his first question to Bassompierre was whether he were to understand -that the troops which the King of France had lately assembled on the -Lorraine frontier were intended to act against him, in the event of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124"></a>{124}</span> his -being unable to comply with the wishes of his Majesty. Bassompierre -hastened to assure him that they were assembled for a very different -purpose, namely, to prevent the annexation of the duchy of Clèves by the -House of Austria, a step which would be so detrimental to the interests -of France that the King was determined not to permit it.<a name="FNanchor_71_71" id="FNanchor_71_71"></a><a href="#Footnote_71_71" class="fnanchor">[71]</a> The prince, -evidently much relieved, then said that the proposition which had just -been made him was of such importance that he must have time to consider -it and to consult his advisers, and inquired how long Bassompierre could -give him. The latter replied that his Highness might take so long as he -pleased, and said that he would go and visit some of his relatives in -Germany and return for his answer in a fortnight’s time. He begged him, -however, to refrain from admitting anyone to his confidence upon whose -discretion he could not implicitly rely, as it was of the utmost -importance that the matter should be kept secret. The Duke said that he -proposed to consult Bouvet, President of Lorraine, to which -Bassompierre, who was on friendly terms with the President, readily -agreed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125"></a>{125}</span></p> - -<p>In the course of the day, Bouvet came to visit Bassompierre and told him -that he had never seen the duke in such perplexity before. He himself -seemed not unfavourably disposed to the French alliance, and -Bassompierre seized the occasion to hint that, if he could persuade his -Highness to consent to it, he would not find the Very Christian King -ungrateful. But the President, who was an honest man, indignantly -repudiated such a suggestion, observing that “he was a good servant of -his master, who was able to make him and all his family wealthier than -they had any desire to be.” Bassompierre hastened to offer his -apologies, and they parted very amicably.</p> - -<p>Next day Bassompierre set out for Germany, accompanied by an old friend, -the Count von Salm, whose sister was married to the Margrave of -Baden-Durlach, to whom, as we have mentioned, he was also accredited. He -was at pains, however, not to allow the count to suspect that his -intended visit to the latter’s brother-in-law was other than a friendly -one.</p> - -<p>With this object he travelled leisurely, stopping at Strasbourg, Saverne -and other places, to visit people whom he knew. At Saverne, where he had -such a painful experience five years earlier, he was again entertained -by the canons of the Chapter, but on this occasion appears to have risen -from table in a condition to which no one could take exception. He made -up for this moderation, however, a day or two later, at a supper-party -to which he was invited by the Count and Countess von Hanau, relatives -of Salm, where all the company, including apparently the hostess, got -“terribly drunk.”</p> - -<p>Having ascertained that the Margrave of Baden-Durlach was at one of his -country-houses near Lichtentau, he and Salm proceeded thither and were -very hospitably entertained. He refrained from saying anything about the -object of his visit until the day of his departure, when, as the company -rose from the dinner-table, he said, in a low voice, to the Margrave -that he had a message<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126"></a>{126}</span> of importance to deliver to him, at the same time -giving him a significant look. The Margrave thereupon inquired, in a -loud tone, whether M. de Bassompierre were proceeding direct to France -after his return to Nancy, and, on being told that such was his -intention, asked him to step into his cabinet, since, if he were -disposed to do him a kindness, he had a little commission for him to -execute there.</p> - -<p>So soon as they were alone, Bassompierre showed the Margrave his -credentials and informed him that he had been sent by his master to -ascertain if he could reckon upon his support, in the event of a war -between France and the House of Austria. The Margrave replied that the -King could certainly count upon him, adding, however, that he by himself -could do but little. If his Majesty would do him the honour of following -his counsel, he would at once enter into communication with his -relatives, the Duke of Würtemberg, the Margrave of Anspach, and the -Landgraves of Hesse and Darmstadt, all of whom he would find very -disposed to serve him.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre now had an opportunity of showing that he had in him -something of the stuff whereof successful diplomatists are made, and he -did not fail to seize it. Although he had received no instructions -whatever from Henri IV in regard to any of the princes mentioned, whose -attitude the King had probably considered far too doubtful to justify -him in disclosing to them his plans, he did not hesitate to assure the -Margrave that he had been charged to visit them all, as well as the -Elector Palatine, provided he could do so without exciting suspicion. -Unfortunately, however, this condition could not be fulfilled, as the -Duke of Würtemberg, whom he had intended to visit at Stuttgart, had gone -to Anspach to attend the wedding of its ruler, and to follow him there -would be too risky a proceeding; the Elector Palatine had gone to the -Upper Palatinate to hunt, and he could find no pretext sufficiently -plausible for approaching the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127"></a>{127}</span> Landgraves of Hesse and Darmstadt. He -had, therefore, he continued, written to the King to explain the -difficulties with which he had to contend and to ask for fresh -instructions, and had received orders to confine himself to visiting the -Margrave, and, if he found him as well-disposed towards the cause of his -Majesty as the latter hoped and believed him to be, to request him to -undertake the chief direction of his negotiations with the princes of -Germany, and to advise him as to which of them would be most inclined to -aid him, by what means they ought to be approached, what letters ought -to be written to them, which of their Ministers it would be advisable to -gain over to his interests, and so forth.</p> - -<p>The Margrave, little suspecting that the young diplomatist before him -was acting entirely on his own responsibility, and highly flattered by -such a tribute to his importance, readily promised to undertake what was -required of him, and proposed that his private secretary, Huart, who -possessed his entire confidence, should accompany Bassompierre back to -France, on the pretext of attending to some business affairs of his -master there, and act as a means of communication between the Margrave -and the French Government.</p> - -<p>Very satisfied with the result of his visit to the Margrave, -Bassompierre returned to Nancy, where he found despatches from Henri IV -awaiting him, in which he was instructed to sound the Duke of Lorraine -in regard to the Clèves affair. He had no difficulty in obtaining from -the Duke an assurance that he would preserve the strictest neutrality; -but on the question of the proposed marriage between his elder daughter -and the Dauphin, the poor prince appeared quite unable to come to a -decision. At length, after keeping Bassompierre waiting for nearly three -weeks, he sent him, through the President Bouvet, a very flattering -message, in which he informed him that the remembrance of the great -services which his family had rendered the House of Lorraine, and the -esteem which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128"></a>{128}</span> he entertained for M. de Bassompierre personally, had -decided him that he could not do better than ask his advice as to the -answer he should make to the King.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre replied that it was impossible for him to act as the -counsellor of a sovereign to whom he was accredited; but, at the same -time, he would be very willing to submit to his Highness the different -answers which it would be possible for him to make to his master’s -proposition, and leave him to choose between them.</p> - -<p>He then proceeded to draft a long and elaborate memoir, which occupies -many pages of his <i>Journal</i>, wherein, notwithstanding that he had just -expressly declined the honour of advising the Duke of Lorraine, he -proceeded to give that prince some very sound counsel indeed. Space -forbids us to attempt even a summary of this document, but, in the light -of subsequent events, one portion of it is of real interest.</p> - -<p>Combating the objection that the marriage of the Duke’s elder daughter -to the Dauphin might lead, in the event of the extinction of the male -line of the House of Lorraine, to the duchy being incorporated with -France, Bassompierre, as a loyal son of Lorraine, boldly declared his -opinion that such an occurrence would be wholly to the advantage of his -compatriots, whose national customs and institutions would be respected -by France as she had respected those of Brittany, while, like the -Bretons, able and ambitious Lorrainers would find in the service of -France opportunities for advancement which they could never hope to meet -with in their own little country. If, on the contrary, the Duke were to -reject the French alliance and give his daughter to a prince of the -House of Austria, which, in a like eventuality, would regard Lorraine -merely as a new province to be exploited for the benefit of the Spanish -or Imperial Exchequer, or to some German or Italian sovereign of the -second rank, whose descendants, brought up in a distant country, would -have<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129"></a>{129}</span> nothing in common with the people of Lorraine and would be -powerless to protect them from the aggression of their powerful -neighbours, their lot would be very different.</p> - -<p>Time has abundantly justified what Bassompierre wrote, and it is not a -little unusual to find so much sagacity and good sense concealed beneath -so frivolous an exterior.</p> - -<p>In conclusion, Bassompierre pointed out that there were four answers -which the Duke of Lorraine might make to the proposal which he had -received from Henri IV: (1) An absolute refusal, which the writer, of -course, strongly deprecated; (2) A refusal based on the ground that the -parties were not yet of marriageable age, accompanied by a promise not -to entertain a proposal for his daughter’s hand from any other quarter, -so long as the King of France continued in the same mind; (3) An -acceptance, accompanied by a stipulation that the affair should be kept -secret, until he had had time to gain the approval of his subjects and -of his relatives, which he would undertake to do as soon as possible; -(4) An unqualified acceptance.</p> - -<p>This memoir was duly submitted to the duke, and, the following day, the -President Bouvet came to see Bassompierre, and told him that his -unfortunate master was in a pitiable state of uncertainty, now inclining -to one decision and now to another. “I think,” said he, “that what you -have proposed to his Highness has given him the means to decide, but you -have more embarrassed him than ever; and I believe that, if you had -given him one counsel, he would have followed it, because he wishes to -follow all four, not knowing which to choose.” He was, however, of -opinion that he would eventually choose the third, and anyway he had -promised to let Bassompierre have his answer in two days’ time.</p> - -<p>Bouvet added that whatever answer Bassompierre carried back to the King -it would be a verbal one, since the proposal had been made verbally; -besides which the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130"></a>{130}</span> duke entertained the strongest objection to -committing his reply to writing.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre then said that he had received express orders from the King -that, in the event of the Duke giving an absolute or qualified -acceptance, he was to hand him a written offer, signed by him on behalf -of his Majesty; that the King had also instructed him to bring back a -reply signed by the Duke; and that he could take no other message. “The -affair is of importance,” he continued, “subject to disavowal; I am -young and a new Minister, and, apart from that, a vassal of his -Highness. I might easily be suspected of having added or taken away, -suppressed or invented, something in the affair. For which reasons I -desire that his letter and his seal should speak, and that I should be -the bearer only.”</p> - -<p>Bouvet replied that he feared that it would be very difficult indeed to -persuade the timorous prince to consent to what was required of him. To -which Bassompierre rejoined that, if the Duke persisted in his refusal -to give him a written answer, the only alternative was for him to send -Bouvet, or some other duly accredited agent, to Henri IV to acquaint him -with his decision.</p> - -<p>The next morning the Duke invited Bassompierre to play tennis with him -that afternoon, and, on his arrival at the palace, led him into the -gallery of the tennis-court and told him that he was “fully resolved to -conform to the wishes of the King and accept the honour which he wished -to do him”; stipulating, however, that he should be allowed time to -dispose his subjects favourably to the idea of such an alliance and to -overcome the objections of his relatives. And he requested Bassompierre -to beg the King very humbly on his behalf to observe the most absolute -secrecy in regard to the affair, until the time should come to reveal -it.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre had, however, all the difficulty in the world to get this -decision committed to writing and signed by the Duke. The poor prince -appeared convinced<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131"></a>{131}</span> that, if this were done, some unauthorised use would -be made of the document. He feared his subjects; he feared his -relatives; above all, he feared the ill-will of the Courts of Vienna and -Madrid; and he protested that he would prefer to die rather than the -affair should become known. At last, however, he yielded, and at the -beginning of September Bassompierre returned to France with his answer -duly signed and sealed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132"></a>{132}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Return of Bassompierre to the French Court—Frenzied passion of -Henri IV for the young Princesse de Condé—His extravagant -conduct—Condé flies with his wife to Flanders—Grief and -indignation of the King, who summons his most trusted counsellors -to deliberate upon the affair—Sage advice of Sully, which, -however, is not followed—The Archduke Albert refuses to surrender -the fugitives—Condé retires to Milan and places himself under the -protection of Spain—Failure of an attempt to abduct the -princess—Henri IV and his Ministers threaten war if the lady is -not given up—The “Great Design”—Bassompierre appointed Colonel of -the Light Cavalry and a Counsellor of State—His account of the -last days and assassination of Henri IV.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">On</span> Bassompierre’s return to Court, Henri IV expressed himself highly -satisfied with the results of his mission and “gave him very great -proofs of his good-will.” Scarcely, however, had he concluded his -account of his diplomatic activities than the King “requested an -audience of <i>him</i>, in order to tell him of his passion for <i>Madame la -Princesse</i> and of the unhappy life that he was leading separated from -her.” “And assuredly,” adds Bassompierre, “this love of his was a -frenzied one, which could not be contained within the bounds of -decorum.”</p> - -<p>We must here explain that this interesting little affair had not been -developing at all in accordance with his Majesty’s anticipations. Condé -had accepted with becoming gratitude the handsome pension which the King -had bestowed upon him and appeared far more interested in his wife’s -dowry than in her person; while the fair Charlotte, on her side, -scarcely troubled to conceal her indifference to a husband who was shy, -awkward, and close-fisted, and lacking in all those qualities calculated -to appeal to the imagination of a young girl. Indeed, there can be no -doubt that she preferred the company of the King, despite his grey hairs -and his wrinkled visage,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133"></a>{133}</span> and she appears to have given the amorous -monarch no little encouragement, though perhaps innocently enough.</p> - -<p>But Condé, with all his faults, was an honourable man, and when he -clearly understood the odious part which his royal “uncle” intended -should be his; when he saw the King, usually so painfully neglectful of -his person, powdered and scented and bedecked like the youngest gallant -of his Court; when he learned that he was bombarding his wife with -passionate sonnets, obligingly composed for him by Malherbe and other -facile rhymesters; when he heard that the princess had stepped one night -on to the balcony of her apartments and there unbound her hair and -allowed it to fall about her shoulders to gratify a whim of her elderly -admirer, who stood beneath “transported with admiration”; when, in -short, he found that the King’s infatuation was the talk of Court and -town, he began, as his Majesty expressed it, “to play the devil.” And, -after several angry scenes, in which Henri IV entirely lost his temper, -and all sense of dignity and decorum along with it, and Condé appears to -have forgotten the respect which he owed to his sovereign in his -resentment against the man who wished to dishonour him, the prince -carried off his wife to the Château of Muret, in Picardy, not far from -the Flemish frontier.</p> - -<p>The lovelorn King followed his inamorata, and, dressed as one of his own -huntsmen, and with a patch over his eye, stood by the roadside to see -her pass; and, in the same disguise, penetrated into a house where she -was dining, and when she appeared at a window, kissed one hand to her, -while he pressed the other to his heart.</p> - -<p>A few days later, Condé received a letter from the King, written in a -strain half-coaxing, half-menacing, summoning him to Court, to be -present at the approaching accouchement of the Queen. Etiquette required -that the first Prince of the Blood should be in attendance on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134"></a>{134}</span> these -auspicious occasions, and it was impossible for him to refuse. But he -came alone. Henri IV was furious, and his anger rendered him so -insupportable to those about him, that Marie de’ Medici herself begged -Condé to send for his wife, promising to keep strict watch over her. -Such was the King’s wrath that he could not trust himself to interview -his kinsman personally, but sent for his secretary, Virey, and bade him -tell his master that, if he declined to bow to his will, or attempted -any violence against his wife, he would give him cause to rue it. He -added that, if he had been still only King of Navarre, he would have -challenged the prince to a duel.</p> - -<p>After receiving this message, Condé decided to feign submission, and -accordingly begged his Majesty’s permission to fetch his wife. This -request, as we may suppose, was readily granted, and on November 25—the -day on which the ill-starred Henrietta Maria was born—he set out for -Picardy.</p> - -<p>On the evening of the 29th, while Henri IV was playing cards with the -Comte de Soissons—<i>Monsieur le Comte</i>, as he was styled—Bassompierre, -Guise, d’Épernon, and Créquy in his private cabinet, word was brought -him that a messenger had arrived from Picardy, with intelligence that -<i>Monsieur le Prince</i> had early that morning left Muret in a coach with -his wife, accompanied by his equerry the Baron de Rochefort, Virey, and -two of the princess’s ladies. Condé had given out that he was bound on a -hunting-expedition; but the messenger—an archer of the Guard named -Laperrière—had ascertained from his father, who was in the prince’s -service, that the party had taken the road to Flanders.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I sat nearest to the King,” writes Bassompierre, “and he whispered -in my ear: ‘Bassompierre, my friend, I am lost. That man is taking -his wife into a wood. I know not if it is to kill her or to take -her out of France. Take care of my money and continue the game,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135"></a>{135}</span> -while I go to learn further particulars.’ Then he went with -d’Elbène<a name="FNanchor_72_72" id="FNanchor_72_72"></a><a href="#Footnote_72_72" class="fnanchor">[72]</a> into the Queen’s apartments.</p> - -<p>“After the King had gone, <i>Monsieur le Comte</i> begged me to tell him -what had happened. I replied that his nephew and niece had fled. -MM. de Guise, d’Épernon and de Créquy asked me the same question, -and I gave them the same answer. Upon this they all withdrew from -the game, and I, taking the opportunity of returning to the King -the money which he had left on the table, entered the room where he -was.</p> - -<p>“Never did I see a man so distressed or so frantic. The Marquis de -Cœuvres, the Comte de Cramail, d’Elbène, and Loménie were with -him, and to each suggestion that one of them made he forthwith -assented: such as to send the Captain of the Watch after <i>Monsieur -le Prince</i> with his archers; to send Balagny<a name="FNanchor_73_73" id="FNanchor_73_73"></a><a href="#Footnote_73_73" class="fnanchor">[73]</a> to Bouchain to try -and catch him; to send Vaubecourt [governor of the county of -Beaulieu-en-Argonne], who was then in Paris, to the frontier of -Verdun to prevent his passage in that direction; and other -ridiculous things.”</p></div> - -<p>Meanwhile, the distracted monarch had sent to summon his most trusted -counsellors, as though for an affair of State of the first importance; -and, as each one arrived, he hurried up to him to inform him of what had -occurred and to ask his advice.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The Chancellor<a name="FNanchor_74_74" id="FNanchor_74_74"></a><a href="#Footnote_74_74" class="fnanchor">[74]</a> was the first to arrive, and the King, having -acquainted him with the matter, demanded of him what ought to be -done. He answered gravely that this prince was taking the wrong -road; that it was to be regretted that he had not been better -counselled; and that he ought to have moderated his impetuosity. -‘That is not what I am asking you, <i>Monsieur le Chancelier</i>,’ cried -the King angrily. ‘What I desire is your advice.’ The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136"></a>{136}</span> Chancellor -then said that severe proclamations ought to be issued against him -and against all who should follow him or render him aid, whether by -money or counsels.</p> - -<p>“As he said this, M. de Villeroy entered, and the King impatiently -demanded his advice. He shrugged his shoulders and appeared to be -very astonished at the news; and then said that letters ought to be -written to all the King’s Ambassadors at foreign Courts to acquaint -them with <i>Monsieur le Prince’s</i> departure without permission of -the King and contrary to his orders, and to instruct them to take -such steps with the princes to whom they were accredited as would -cause them to refuse him an asylum in their dominions, or to send -him back to his Majesty.”</p></div> - -<p>The Président Jeannin had arrived at the same time as Villeroy, and the -King demanded his advice also. The President was for strong measures, -and said without hesitation that his Majesty ought immediately to send -one of the captains of his Guards after <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> to -endeavour to bring him back. If that could not be effected, then an -envoy ought to be despatched to the sovereign in whose dominions he had -taken refuge to demand that he should be surrendered, and, in case that -was refused, to threaten war. In his opinion, there could be little -doubt that he had gone to Flanders, to demand an asylum of the Archduke -Albert, Sovereign of the Netherlands; but, since Condé was not -personally acquainted with that prince, he did not suppose that the -latter was privy to his flight, and, unless he were to receive express -orders from Madrid to protect him, he would in all probability prefer to -send him back, or, at any rate, order him to leave Flanders, rather than -risk trouble with France.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The King,” continues Bassompierre, “approved of this expedient, -but he did not wish to decide until he had heard what M. de Sully -had to say about the matter. The latter entered some time after the -others, in a rough,</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137"></a>{137}</span></p> - -<p><a name="HENRI" id="HENRI"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/i_136fp_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_136fp_sml.jpg" width="304" height="456" alt="Image unavailable: HENRI IV., KING OF FRANCE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">HENRI IV., KING OF FRANCE.</span> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="nind">abrupt manner. The King went up to him and said: ‘M. de Sully, -<i>Monsieur le Prince</i> has fled and has taken his wife with him.’ -‘Sire,’ answered he, ‘I am not surprised; and, if you had followed -the counsel I gave you a fortnight since, when he left to go to -Muret, you would have put him in the Bastille, and I should have -kept him safe for you.’ ‘Well,’ said the King, ‘the thing is done; -it is useless to say more about it; but tell me what I ought to do -now.’ ‘By God, Sire! I know not,’ he replied; ‘but let me go back -to the Arsenal, where I shall sup and sleep, and in the night I -shall think of some good counsel, which I will bring you in the -morning.’ ‘No,’ said the King, ‘I wish you to give it me at once.’ -‘I must think,’ said he, and with that he turned to the window -which looked into the courtyard, and for a little time drummed upon -it with his fingers. Then he came back to the King, who said: -‘Well, have you thought of something?’ ‘Yes, Sire,’ said he. ‘And -what ought I to do?’ ‘Nothing, Sire.’ ‘What! Nothing?’ cried the -King. ‘Yes, nothing,’ said M. de Sully. ‘If you do nothing at all, -and show that you do not care about him, people will despise him; -no one will assist him, not even the friends and servants whom he -has here; and in three months, urged by necessity,<a name="FNanchor_75_75" id="FNanchor_75_75"></a><a href="#Footnote_75_75" class="fnanchor">[75]</a> and by the -little account that one takes of him, you will get him back on -whatever conditions you please. But if you show that you are uneasy -and are anxious to have him back, they will regard him as a -personage of importance; he will be assisted with money by those -without the realm; and divers persons, thinking to do you a -despite, will protect him, although they would have left him alone -if you had not troubled about him.’ ”</p></div> - -<p>The King, however, was in no mood to follow this sage counsel, and -preferred the strong measures proposed by Jeannin. He accordingly -launched the Captain of the Watch in pursuit of the fugitives, and, when -that officer returned empty-handed, sent Praslin to Brussels, where, as -was generally expected, Condé had taken refuge, to demand his surrender -from the Archduke Albert. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138"></a>{138}</span> Archduke felt that he could not without -shame deliver up a prince who came to seek an asylum against an -all-powerful monarch who was endeavouring to dishonour his wife. On the -other hand, he did not wish to offend Henri IV and afford him a pretext, -which he might be only too ready to seize, for breaking the peace. He -therefore tendered his good offices and made every effort to bring about -an accommodation. But the King insisted on Condé’s unconditional -submission and immediate return; while the prince demanded a place of -surety on the frontier, with a convenient back-door, to enable him, at -the first alarm, to leave the kingdom again.</p> - -<p>The attitude assumed by Henri IV was so threatening, that Condé, judging -it to be unsafe to remain in Flanders, confided his wife to the care of -the Archduchess and took refuge at Milan, the governor of which, the -Count de Fuentes, was a declared enemy of Henri IV and France. He had -already appealed to Spain for protection; and Philip III instructed his -Ambassador at the French Court, Don Inigo de Cardenas, to inform Henri -IV that “he had taken the Prince de Condé under his protection, with the -object of acting as a mediator in the matter and contributing by all -means in his power to the repose and happiness of the Very Christian -King.” The remainder of the despatch, however, shows that Philip was -actuated by very different motives.</p> - -<p>Condé’s departure from Brussels did not leave the Archduke in a less -difficult position. It was not the prince, but the princess, whose -return Henri IV most eagerly desired. He endeavoured to have her carried -off, but the attempt failed.<a name="FNanchor_76_76" id="FNanchor_76_76"></a><a href="#Footnote_76_76" class="fnanchor">[76]</a> He obliged the Constable to demand that -she should be sent back to the paternal roof. The Archduke replied that -he could not do so, except by her husband’s desire.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139"></a>{139}</span></p> - -<p>The King was the more exasperated by the resistance of the Archduke, as -he had reason to believe that his ridiculous passion was returned. The -princess, this child of sixteen, who had no affection for her husband -and resented the inconvenience to which he had subjected her in order to -save her honour, weary of her exile, far from her relatives and the -Court of France, did not refuse the letters and presents of the King. -Her entourage and Madame de Berny, the wife of the French Ambassador at -Brussels, chanted continually the praises of her crowned adorer. She -received verses in which Malherbe depicted in touching terms the grief -of the great Alcandre. But Henri IV himself, in a letter to one of his -agents, is not less pathetic:—</p> - -<p>“I am writing to my beautiful angel: I am so worn out by these pangs -that I am nothing but skin and bone. Everything disgusts me. I avoid -company, and if, to observe the usage of society, I allow myself to be -drawn into some assemblies, my wretchedness is complete.”</p> - -<p>The princess, in her turn, appealed to “his heart,” and besought him, as -“her knight,” to effect her deliverance.</p> - -<p>For his “pangs” Henri IV regarded the Archduke and the Spaniards as -responsible. Already on December 9, 1609, he had caused the Pope to be -informed that “if the Spaniards contemplated employing the person of -<i>Monsieur le Prince</i> to stir up trouble in his realm, he had the means -and the courage to resent it, and to avenge the injuries and the -offences which they might be able to do him.” The conduct of the -Archduke was irreproachable; he had merely safeguarded his own dignity, -and it was certainly not his fault that Condé was not reconciled to the -King. But Philip III and his Government, although they had neither -foreseen nor aided the prince’s flight, were now asking themselves what -advantage they might derive from it. In the event of war with France, -the first Prince of the Blood would be a valuable<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140"></a>{140}</span> ally, and it is not -improbable that a most imprudent manifesto which Condé issued at Milan, -wherein, after detailing his grievances against Henri IV, he claimed to -be the rightful heir to the throne of France, on the ground that the -King’s first marriage had not been truly annulled, was inspired by -Spain, with the idea of still further widening the breach between him -and his sovereign.</p> - -<p>Henri IV and his Ministers, finding persuasion of no avail with the -Court of Brussels, had recourse to threats, representing that, unless -the fair Charlotte were surrendered, war would follow. “Peace and war -depend on whether the princess is or is not given up,” said Jeannin to -Pecquius, the Archduke’s Ambassador in Paris; and the King himself -reminded him that Troy fell because Priam would not surrender Helen.</p> - -<p>The gravity of the situation was enhanced by the warlike preparations -which were going on all over France for the execution of the “Great -Design”: the scheme of liberating Europe from the domination of the -House of Austria and of giving France her rightful place in the world -which Henri IV had cherished ever since his accession to the throne. It -was, however, believed by many that these formidable preparations had no -other object that the forcible recovery of the Princesse de Condé, and -Malherbe wrote:—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Deux beaux yeaux sont l’empire<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Pour que je soupire.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The question of how far the course of events was influenced by Henri -IV’s infatuation for the Princesse de Condé has been much discussed. The -probability is that the affair did little more than determine the King -to hasten by a few weeks the war so long resolved upon, and that this -was due rather to his irritation against the Spaniards for their support -of Condé than to the refusal of the Court of Brussels to surrender the -princess. Henri had not scrupled to use the large forces assembled for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141"></a>{141}</span> -quite a different purpose as a bugbear to frighten the Archduke. But -when the latter refused to purchase security by a compliance -inconsistent with his honour, it was not on Brussels that the French -armies prepared to march. On the contrary, a few days before his death, -the King in the most friendly terms requested the Archduke’s permission -to lead his troops across his territory to the assistance of his German -allies, a permission granted by the Archduke, notwithstanding the -opposition of the Spanish party in his Council.</p> - -<p>By the end of April France was ready to strike. Châlons, Mezières and -Metz were the chief rendezvous. The King hoped to have 30,000 men on -foot, to join them on May 15, and to march at their head into the -duchies. A second army under Lesdiguières was to enter Piedmont, where -it would effect a junction with the forces of the Duke of Savoy, and -then proceed to invade the Milanese. A third army was to observe the -Pyrenees. Maurice of Nassau, with 30,000 Dutch, was to join Henri IV in -Clèves.</p> - -<p>Never had Bassompierre stood higher in the royal favour than on the eve -of the outbreak of war. Henri, anxious to make amends to him for the -loss of Charlotte de Montmorency and her dowry, and to recompense him -for the zeal and ability which he had shown in his mission to Lorraine -and Germany in the previous year, overwhelmed him with benefits. He -appointed him, quite unsolicited, Colonel of the Light Cavalry, made him -a Counsellor of State, gave him 50 guards, and a pension of 4,000 -crowns, and again proposed to marry him to the heiress of Beaupréau and -revive in her favour the duchy of that name. “But,” says Bassompierre -ingenuously, “I was then in the high follies of my youth, in love in so -many quarters, and well received in most, that I had not the leisure to -think of my advancement.”</p> - -<p>But the sun which shone upon him with such warmth and splendour was now -about to be clouded for ever. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142"></a>{142}</span> tragic end of the first Bourbon King -has been so often told that we have no intention of narrating it; but -there are circumstances recorded by Bassompierre which are not to be -found in the memoirs and correspondence of his contemporaries, and which -afford a curious insight into the state of Henri IV’s mind just before -his assassination:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“We now entered that unhappy month of May, fatal to France, by the -loss sustained therein of our good King.</p> - -<p>“I shall relate many things touching the presentiment which the -King had before his death, and which gave warning of that event. A -little while before, he said to me: ‘I know not how it is, -Bassompierre, but I cannot persuade myself that I am going into -Germany; neither does my heart tell me that you are going into -Italy.’ Several times he said to me, and to others also: ‘I believe -that I shall die soon.’ And on the first day of May he returned -from the Tuileries by way of the grand gallery, leaning upon M. de -Guise on one side, and upon me on the other (for he always leaned -on someone), and, on leaving us to enter the Queen’s cabinet, said: -‘Don’t go away; I am going to tell my wife to dress, that she may -not keep me waiting for dinner.’ For he usually dined with her. -While we waited, leaning on the iron balustrade overlooking the -courtyard of the Louvre, the maypole which had been planted in the -middle of the courtyard fell down, without being disturbed by the -wind or for any apparent cause, and tumbled in the direction of the -little staircase leading to the King’s chamber. Upon which I said -to M. de Guise: ‘I would have given a great deal rather than this -should have happened. It is a very bad omen. May God preserve the -King, who is the May of the Louvre!’ ‘How can you be so foolish as -to think seriously of such a thing?’ he replied. ‘In Italy and -Germany,’ I rejoined, ‘they would take much more account of such an -omen than we do here. May God preserve the King and all belonging -to him!’</p> - -<p>“The King, who had but stepped into the Queen’s cabinet and out -again, here came up very softly to listen to us, for he imagined -that we spoke of some woman;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143"></a>{143}</span> and, hearing all that I said, broke -in upon our talk, saying: ‘You are fools to amuse yourselves with -such prognostications. For the last thirty years all the -astrologers and charlatans who pretend to be wise have predicted to -me every year that I was fated to die; and in that year wherein I -shall actually die, all the omens which have occurred in the course -of it will be remarked and thought a great deal of, while nothing -will be said of those which happened in preceding years.’</p> - -<p>“The Queen had a peculiar and ardent desire to be crowned before -the King’s departure for Germany. The King did not wish it, both by -reason of the expense and because he did not like these grand -festivals. Yet, since he was the kindest husband in the world, he -consented and delayed his departure until she should make her entry -into Paris.<a name="FNanchor_77_77" id="FNanchor_77_77"></a><a href="#Footnote_77_77" class="fnanchor">[77]</a> He commanded me to stay also, which I did because -of his desire, and also because the Princesse de Conti had asked me -to be her cavalier at the ceremony of the <i>Sacre</i> and the -entry.<a name="FNanchor_78_78" id="FNanchor_78_78"></a><a href="#Footnote_78_78" class="fnanchor">[78]</a></p> - -<p>“The Court went on May 12 to stay at Saint-Denis, to be in -readiness for the morrow, the day of the Queen’s <i>Sacre</i>, which was -celebrated with the greatest possible magnificence. The King, on -this occasion, was extraordinarily gay.<a name="FNanchor_79_79" id="FNanchor_79_79"></a><a href="#Footnote_79_79" class="fnanchor">[79]</a> In the evening everyone -returned to Paris.</p> - -<p>“The following morning, the 14th of the said month, M. de Guise -passed by my lodging and took me to go and meet the King, who had -gone to hear Mass at the Feuillants. On the way we were told that -he was returning by the Tuileries, upon which we went to intercept -him and found him talking to M. de Villeroy. He left him, and -taking M. de Guise and myself, one on either side of him, said: ‘I -come from the Feuillants, where I saw the chapel which Bassompierre -is having built there, and on the door he has had placed this -inscription: <i>Quid retribuam.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144"></a>{144}</span> Domino pro omnibus que retribuit -mihi?</i> And I said that, since he was German, he should have put: -<i>Calicem salutaris accipiam.</i>’ M. de Guise laughed heartily and -said to him: ‘You are, to my mind, one of the most agreeable men in -the world, and our destiny created us for one another. For, had you -been a man of middling station, I would have had you in my service, -cost what it might; but, since God has made you a great king, it -could not be otherwise than that I must belong to you.’ The King -embraced him, and me also, and said: ‘You don’t know me now; but I -shall die one of these days; and, when you have lost me, you will -know my worth and the difference there is between me and other -men.’ Upon this I said to him: ‘<i>Mon Dieu</i>, Sire, why do you never -cease afflicting us by saying that you will soon die? These are not -good words to utter; you will live, if it please God, long and -happy years. There is no felicity in the world equal to yours; you -are but in the flower of your age, in perfect strength and health -of body, full of honours beyond any other mortal, in the tranquil -enjoyment of the most flourishing country in the world; loved and -adored by your subjects; possessed of property, of money, of -beautiful residences, a beautiful wife, beautiful mistresses and -beautiful children, who are growing up. What more could you have or -desire to have?’ Then he sighed and said: ‘My friend, all this I -must leave.’ ”</p></div> - -<p>Before parting from the King, Bassompierre informed him that he had -received a complaint from the captains of the Light Cavalry, of which he -had recently been appointed Colonel, that their companies were -insufficiently armed and that they were unable to obtain the weapons -which they required, and begged his Majesty to give orders that these -should be supplied to them. Henri IV told him to come to him that -afternoon at the Arsenal, where he proposed to go to visit Sully, who -was ill, and he would direct the Minister to let him have the arms he -wanted. And, upon Bassompierre observing that he would very willingly -give Sully at the same time the money which they were worth, to enable -him to replace them, he laughingly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145"></a>{145}</span> replied by quoting two verses from a -well-known song, which ran:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Que je n’offre à personne,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Mais à vous je les donne.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Bassompierre thanked his Majesty, kissed his hand and withdrew, little -imagining that he was never to see him alive again.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“After dinner,” he says, “I went to visit Descures<a name="FNanchor_80_80" id="FNanchor_80_80"></a><a href="#Footnote_80_80" class="fnanchor">[80]</a> in the -Place-Royale, to inquire about the routes which the different -companies [of the Light Horse] were to follow; and then I proceeded -to the Arsenal, to await the King, as he had told me to do. But -alas! it was in vain, for, shortly afterwards, came people crying -out that the King had been wounded, and that he was being carried -back to the Louvre. I ran like a madman, seized the first horse I -could find, and rode full gallop towards the Louvre. Opposite the -Hôtel de Longueville I met M. de Blérencourt,<a name="FNanchor_81_81" id="FNanchor_81_81"></a><a href="#Footnote_81_81" class="fnanchor">[81]</a> who was returning -from the Louvre, and he whispered to me: ‘He is dead!’ I ran up to -the barriers which the French Guards and the Swiss had occupied, -with lowered pikes, and <i>Monsieur le Grand</i> and I passed under the -barriers and ran to the King’s cabinet, where we saw him stretched -on his bed, and M. de Vic,<a name="FNanchor_82_82" id="FNanchor_82_82"></a><a href="#Footnote_82_82" class="fnanchor">[82]</a> Counsellor of State, seated on the -same bed. He had put his cross of the Order to the King’s lips, and -was bidding him think of God. Melon, his chief physician, was in -the <i>ruelle</i>, and some surgeons, who wanted to dress his wounds; -but he was already gone.... Then the chief physician cried: ‘Ah! it -is all over; he has gone!’ <i>Monsieur le Grand</i>, on arriving, went -down on his knees in the <i>ruelle</i> of the bed, and took one of the -King’s hands and kissed it. As for myself, I had thrown myself at -his feet, which I embraced, weeping bitterly....”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146"></a>{146}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Incidents at the Court and in Paris after the assassination of -Henri IV—Meeting between Bassompierre and Sully—Marie de’ Medici -declared Regent—Her difficult position—Return of Condé—Greed and -arrogance of the grandees—Quarrel between the Comte de Soissons -and the Duc de Guise—Grievance of <i>Monsieur le Comte</i> against -Bassompierre—He persuades Madame d’Entragues to endeavour to -compel Bassompierre to marry her daughter, Marie—Proceedings -instituted against that gentleman—Announcement of the “Spanish -marriages”—Magnificent fêtes in the Place-Royale—Intrigues at the -Court—The Princes and Concini in power—Assassination of the Baron -de Luz by the Chevalier de Guise—Marie de’ Medici and the -Princes—Conversation of the Regent with Bassompierre—Bassompierre -reconciles the Guises with the Queen-Mother—The Chevalier de Guise -kills the son of the Baron de Luz in a duel—The Princes, on the -advice of Concini, return from Court.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">On</span> that fatal day, when the knife of Ravaillac changed the destinies of -France and of Europe, Louis XIII, the successor of the murdered King, -was not yet nine years old. The fear of troubles within the realm and of -complications without exacted the immediate institution of a regency, -and Villeroy and the Chancellor, Brulart de Sillery, exhorted Marie de’ -Medici, who was lying upon her bed prostrated with grief, to act “as man -and as King.”</p> - -<p>The great nobles, out of pity or the desire to assert their own -importance, were zealous in the Queen’s cause; and some who had scarcely -been on bowing terms with each other for years were seen to embrace and -vow to die together sword in hand if the necessity should arise.</p> - -<p>D’Épernon, Colonel-General of the French infantry, caused the approaches -to the Louvre and the Pont-Neuf to be occupied by the French Guards; -Guise, with part of a force of some 300 horse which he and Bassompierre -had mustered, proceeded to the Hôtel de Ville to obtain<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147"></a>{147}</span> from the -Corporation a formal recognition of the new King and Regent; while -Bassompierre, with the remainder, paraded the streets “to appease -tumults and seditions.” Sully alone showed himself undecided, feeble and -timorous. At the news of the King’s assassination, ill though he was, he -had mounted his horse and set out for the Louvre, accompanied by some -forty of his guards and attendants. Near the Place Saint-Jean he met -Bassompierre and his cavalcade, the sight of whom appears to have filled -him with misgivings.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“He began,” writes Bassompierre, “to say to us in lachrymose tones: -‘Gentlemen, if the service which you have vowed to the King, whom, -to our great misfortune, we have just lost, is also imprinted in -your souls, as it ought to be in those of all good Frenchmen, swear -now at once to preserve the same fidelity to the King his son and -successor, and that you will employ your blood and your life to -avenge his death.’</p> - -<p>“ ‘Monsieur,’ I replied, ‘it is we who are making others take this -oath, and we have no need of anyone to exhort us to do a thing to -which we are already so committed.’</p> - -<p>“I know not whether my answer surprised him, or whether he repented -of having come so far from his fortress; but he turned back -forthwith, and went to shut himself up in the Bastille, sending at -the same time to seize all the bread that could be found in the -markets and the bakers’ shops. He sent orders also to M. de Rohan, -his son-in-law, to face about with 6,000 Swiss who were in -Champagne, and of whom he was Colonel General, and to march -straight on Paris.... MM. de Praslin and de Créquy went to invite -him to present himself before the King, like all the other -grandees; but he did not come until the morrow, when M. de Guise -brought him with difficulty, after which he countermanded his -orders to his son-in-law and the Swiss, who had already advanced a -day’s march towards Paris.”</p></div> - -<p>Of the Princes of the Blood who might have been able to aspire to the -regency, one, Condé, was a voluntary exile in the dominions of the King -of Spain; the other,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148"></a>{148}</span> the Comte de Soissons, had left Paris in high -dudgeon before the coronation of the Queen, because Henri IV had refused -to permit <i>Madame la Comtesse</i> to wear on her ceremonial mantle a row of -<i>fleurs de lys</i> more than the wife of his legitimated son the Duc de -Vendôme. As for the Prince de Conti, he was deaf, afflicted with an -impediment in his speech, and almost imbecile. Outside the Princes of -the Blood, and in the absence of the States-General, there was only one -power recognised by all—the Parlement of Paris. And to this body Marie -de’ Medici at once addressed herself.</p> - -<p>In her name, the Procurator-General demanded that “now and without -adjourning, the Parliament should provide, as it had been accustomed to -do, for the regency and the government of the realm.” The Parlement was -too convinced of its right and too flattered by the part it was asked to -play to hesitate. But, as a matter of form, it was proceeding to -deliberate upon the matter, when d’Épernon, in his doublet, with his -drawn sword in his hand, swaggered into the chamber, and, having begged -the assembly to excuse his discourtesy, invited it to hasten. As he -left, Guise entered in the same costume, took his seat and protested his -devotion to the Crown. The First President, Achille de Harlay, solemnly -ordered the duke’s words to be recorded; and the Court unanimously -declared the Queen Mother Regent, “to have the administration of the -affairs of the realm during the minority of the said lord her son, -together with all power and authority.” It was quick work: Henri IV had -not been dead two hours.</p> - -<p>It was much, without doubt, to have settled so expeditiously the future -government of France. But what a task for a woman, for a foreigner, for -one, too, who bore a name little calculated to reassure the bulk of the -nation, which remembered only too well the troubles in which the rule of -another Medici had involved it, to be called upon to exercise supreme -power in circumstances so<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149"></a>{149}</span> difficult! Without, a war on the point of -breaking out; within, princes affecting an entire independence and even -negotiating with the foreigner; a turbulent nobility whom even the -strong hand of Henri IV had not always been able to keep in check; the -Protestant party entrenched in the West and South of France, with its -own organisation, its privileges, its places of surety; finally, the -governors of the different provinces, possessed of the most extensive -powers and strong enough to renounce practically all obedience to the -Crown. Marie de’ Medici has often been reproached with weakness, and -weak in many ways she certainly was; but it would have required the -energy and the resolution of an Elizabeth or a Catherine the Great to -have steered the ship of State uninjured through the shoals and -quicksands which beset its course.</p> - -<p>The Regent retained the Ministers of the late King, Villeroy, Jeannin, -Sillery, and Sully, and, to calm the apprehensions of the Protestants, -lost no time in confirming the Edict of Nantes. But the war so long -meditated against the House of Austria was promptly abandoned, though a -small army under Le Châtre and Rohan was sent to co-operate with Maurice -of Nassau in recovering Juliers, which was handed over to the Electors -of Brandenburg and Neuburg, on their undertaking not to interfere with -the exercise of the Catholic religion in that duchy.</p> - -<p>It was a wise decision, since there were embarrassments enough within -half-a-mile of the Louvre. The Princes of the Blood had returned; -Soissons, three days after the death of Henri IV; Condé, in the middle -of July. The former complained that the regency had been settled in his -absence, and demanded the post of Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom. To -appease him, Marie de’ Medici gave him the post of governor of Normandy -and a <i>gratification</i> of 200,000 crowns. Condé, to the Regent’s great -relief, was apparently well-disposed towards the new government, and, to -confirm him in his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150"></a>{150}</span> peaceable intentions, she purchased for 400,000 -crowns the Hôtel de Gondi, in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, and presented -it to him, together with furniture to the value of 40,000 crowns; -confirmed him in all his offices and appointments; increased his pension -to 200,000 crowns, and gave him a large sum to pay his debts. The Regent -hoped, by setting a price upon them, to keep within bounds all the -ambitions of the grandees; it was her system of government. She paid -Guise’s debts, and authorised him to marry the immensely wealthy widow -of the Duc de Montpensier, a union to which, for political reasons, -Henri IV would never have consented; she promised to pay the debts of -the Duc de Nevers; she accorded to all the governors the right of -appointing their successors.</p> - -<p>“The grandees did not weary of receiving, and said to one another: ‘The -time of kings has passed, and that of great nobles and princes has come; -we must take every advantage of it.’ ” Their arrogance and ostentation -knew no bounds. They seldom left their houses unless accompanied by -numerous and brilliant escorts. Fifteen hundred cavaliers went to meet -Condé on the day of his arrival in Paris; the Duc de Guise had a suite -of five or six hundred horse. The young King remained almost alone in -the Louvre, and Marie de’ Medici was obliged to reconstitute the two -hundred gentlemen halberdiers, disbanded by Henri IV, from motives of -economy.</p> - -<p>Happily for the Crown, the grandees were divided, and such parties as -did exist were merely associations of a few covetous nobles, animated by -no common motive except that of filling their pockets. The Guises, -flattered and lavishly paid, boasted of their loyalty to the Regent. -Bouillon was at enmity with Sully, like himself a chief of the -Protestants. The Prince de Conti had for some years been on bad terms -with his brother, the Comte de Soissons, and at the beginning of 1611 -their antipathy to one another found vent in a violent quarrel, in which -Guise, whose sister, it will be remembered, Conti had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151"></a>{151}</span> married, found -himself involved, and which threatened for a moment to develop into a -sort of civil war.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It happened,” writes Bassompierre, “that, three days after these -nuptials [the marriage of Guise to the Duchesse de Montpensier], -the Prince de Conti quarrelled with the Comte de Soissons, his -brother, because their coaches had collided in passing one another, -and their coachmen had fought. M. de Guise, whom the Queen had -desired, that same evening, to go to M. de Conti to compose this -quarrel, set out the following morning from the Hôtel de -Montpensier, where he had passed the night, to go to the Abbey of -Saint-Germain, where the Prince de Conti was lodging, and was -accompanied by twenty-five or thirty horse. He happened to pass the -Hôtel de Soissons, which was on his way, and this gave offence to -<i>Monsieur le Comte</i>, who summoned his friends and told them that M. -de Guise had come to defy him. Thereupon M. de Guise’s friends -flocked to the Hôtel de Guise in such numbers that there were more -than a thousand gentlemen assembled there. <i>Monsieur le Comte</i> sent -to beg <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> to come to him, and together they -proceeded to the Louvre to demand of the Queen that she should call -M. de Guise to account for his insolence. Nevertheless, <i>Monsieur -le Prince</i> was playing in this affair the part of the friendly -arbitrator, and said that he should take neither side, and only -desired to reconcile the parties and to prevent disorder.</p> - -<p>“This tumult lasted all that day and the following one, upon which -the Queen, apprehending graver disturbances, gave directions that -the chains should be made ready to be put up at the first order, -and that, in every quarter, the citizens should be prepared to take -up arms on the instant that the command to do so was sent them.</p> - -<p>“However, all the day following was employed in seeking means to -accommodate the affair, each of the Princes having a captain of the -Gardes du Corps near his person to protect him. In the evening, -<i>Monsieur le Prince</i> sent to ask M. de Guise to send him one of his -confidential friends; and M. de Guise, having taken counsel with -the princes and nobles who supported him, as to whom they<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152"></a>{152}</span> should -choose to act as envoy, finally, on their advice, asked me to go.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre then goes on to relate at great length his interview with -Condé, to whom he pointed out that Guise could have had no intention of -“defying” <i>Monsieur le Comte</i>, since, if such had been his object, he -would have sallied forth with a much more imposing retinue than a mere -score or so of attendants, and would have passed before the front -entrance of the Hôtel de Soissons, whereas he had only passed the corner -of the house. The prince appears to have been greatly impressed by this -argument, and, after Bassompierre had been backwards and forwards -several times between Condé’s house and the Hôtel de Guise, the -momentous affair was satisfactorily settled.</p> - -<p>But it did not end here, so far as he himself was concerned. For -“<i>Monsieur le Comte</i> was mortally offended with those who had assisted -M. de Guise in his quarrel, and particularly with me, who had formerly -professed to be his servant; and, to revenge himself upon me, he -determined that I should see Antragues no more.”</p> - -<p>The prince accordingly sought an interview with Madame d’Entragues, whom -he reproached with allowing her family to be dishonoured by the -notorious intimacy between Bassompierre and her younger daughter, adding -that, as he was distantly related to the d’Entragues, he felt that his -own honour was concerned in the matter.</p> - -<p>Now, it had happened that, in the previous August, Marie d’Entragues had -given birth to a son, of whom Bassompierre did not deny the paternity; -indeed, on the lady informing him that she proposed to present him with -a pledge of her affection, he had, following the famous example of Henri -IV with her elder sister, given his inamorata a letter containing a -promise of marriage in the event of her bearing him a son. But this -letter was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153"></a>{153}</span> written merely for the purpose of appeasing the wrath of -Madame d’Entragues, who was threatening to turn her erring daughter out -of the house. For Bassompierre had not the least intention of -regularising his connection with this too-celebrated beauty, of whom, if -he were the most favoured, he was far from being the only successful -admirer; indeed, to do so would mean the loss of a considerable fortune, -since his mother had threatened to disinherit him if he married the -lady.<a name="FNanchor_83_83" id="FNanchor_83_83"></a><a href="#Footnote_83_83" class="fnanchor">[83]</a> He had, therefore, at the same time, demanded and obtained -from Marie d’Entragues a letter which purported to be an answer to his -own, in which she expressly disclaimed any intention of taking advantage -of his offer. This, in the opinion of “three famous advocates” whom he -had taken the precaution to consult, effectually discharged him from his -obligation.</p> - -<p>Well, Bassompierre’s letter was in the possession of Madame d’Entragues, -who, however, of course, knew nothing of the one which her daughter had -given that gentleman; and when the Comte de Soissons reproached her with -her indifference to Mlle. Marie’s indiscretions, she informed him that -she was not so careless a mother as he appeared to imagine, and could -easily prove it. The prince pressed her to do so, upon which she -triumphantly showed him the promise of marriage.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“<i>Monsieur le Comte</i>,” says Bassompierre, “very pleased to have -found an opportunity of injuring me, assured her of his protection -and begged her to follow his counsel in this affair, in which he -promised to secure for her a favourable result. This foolish woman, -to satisfy the malignity of <i>Monsieur le Comte</i>, placed herself -entirely in his hands, and he counselled her to press me to execute -this promise, and, in case of my refusal, to cause me to be -summoned before the diocesan court.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154"></a>{154}</span></p> - -<p>Madame d’Entragues did not fail to follow this advice and, on meeting -with a flat refusal from Bassompierre, promptly instituted proceedings -against him.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I soon recognised the hand which had cast this stone at me, and -<i>Monsieur le Comte</i> boasted publicly that he was in a position to -ruin me in fortune or honour. I assembled a council of my advocates -to learn how I was to comport myself in this situation. They were -unanimously of opinion that, in strict justice, I had nothing to -fear, but that <i>Monsieur le Comte</i> was a redoubtable enemy, and -advised me to drag the affair out until a favourable time arrived.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre endeavoured to persuade the Regent to intervene in his -behalf, but, though Marie de’ Medici, with whom he was a favourite, -since he was one of the few nobles whose loyalty to the Crown admitted -of no question, was very sympathetic and promised him every assistance -in her power, her position was far too precarious just then to admit of -her offending a Prince of the Blood. All he could do, therefore, was to -act upon the advice of the legal luminaries whom he had consulted; and, -on various pretexts, he succeeded in deferring his appearance before the -diocesan court for some months, at the end of which he appealed to the -jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Sens, who was the metropolitan of the -Bishop of Paris. This insured him a further respite, and, before the -case came on for trial, he appealed to the Parlement of Paris, and was -beginning to plume himself on his astuteness, when the Comte de Soissons -interposed and got the affair transferred to the Parlement of Rouen, to -the great consternation of Bassompierre, who knew that Soissons would -not scruple to use all his influence as Governor of Normandy to -prejudice that body against him.</p> - -<p>The annoyance and expense which this affair was occasioning him, and for -which, it must be admitted, he is hardly entitled to much sympathy, did -not prevent Bassompierre from continuing his life of pleasure, and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155"></a>{155}</span> -took a prominent part in the splendid fêtes in honour of the double -betrothal of Louis XIII to Anne of Austria, and of the Infant Philip, -afterwards Philip IV of Spain, to Élisabeth of France, eldest daughter -of Henri IV. For Marie de’ Medici had completely reversed the foreign -policy of her husband, and Spanish influence was once more in the -ascendant at the Court of France.</p> - -<p>These fêtes, originally fixed to begin on March 25, 1612, the day on -which the formal announcement of the approaching marriage was made at -the Louvre, in the presence of the Spanish Ambassador and the officers -of the Crown of France, had been postponed until April 5, owing to the -death of the Queen’s brother, Vincenzo I, Duke of Mantua. Their -principal feature was a carousal in the Place-Royale on a scale of -unprecedented magnificence, in which Bassompierre appeared as one of the -challengers.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“At three o’clock in the afternoon, the Queens, princesses and -ladies took their places on the stands which had been prepared for -them, besides which there were all round the Place-Royale, rising -from the pavement to the level of the first floor of the houses, -other stands holding 200,000 people. Then the cannon placed on the -bastion fired a salvo, after which the thousand Musketeers who -lined the barriers fired another, a very beautiful one. This -finished, M. de Praslin, marshal of the camp of the challengers, -emerged from the Palace of Felicity, from which came the sound of -all kinds of musical instruments. He was splendidly mounted and -attired, and was followed by twelve lackeys habited in black velvet -bordered with gold lace. He came, on our behalf, to demand from the -Constable (who occupied a private stand with the Maréchal de -Bouillon, de la Châtre, de Brissac, and de Souvré) the camp which -he had promised us. The Constable and the marshal descended from -their stand and advanced to that of the King and Queen; and the -Constable said: ‘Madame, the challengers demand the camp which I -have promised them by your Majesty’s order.’ The Queen answered: -‘Monsieur, grant it them.’ Upon which the Constable said to M. de -Praslin: ‘Take<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156"></a>{156}</span> it; the King and the Queen accord it you.’ Then he -returned to us, and the great door of the palace, which was -opposite that of the Minims, was flung open, and we entered the -camp, preceded by all our retinue, war-chariots, giants,<a name="FNanchor_84_84" id="FNanchor_84_84"></a><a href="#Footnote_84_84" class="fnanchor">[84]</a> and -other things so beautiful that it is impossible to describe them in -writing; and I shall only say that nearly five hundred persons and -two hundred horses took part in our entry alone, all habited and -caparisoned in crimson velvet and white cloth-of-silver, and our -costumes were so richly embroidered that nothing could exceed them -in magnificence. Our entry cost the five challengers 50,000 -écus.<a name="FNanchor_85_85" id="FNanchor_85_85"></a><a href="#Footnote_85_85" class="fnanchor">[85]</a> The troupe of the Prince de Conti entered after ours, -followed by that of M. de Vendôme, who danced a very beautiful -ballet on horseback.<a name="FNanchor_86_86" id="FNanchor_86_86"></a><a href="#Footnote_86_86" class="fnanchor">[86]</a> Then came M. de Montmorency, who entered -alone, and the Comte d’Ayen<a name="FNanchor_87_87" id="FNanchor_87_87"></a><a href="#Footnote_87_87" class="fnanchor">[87]</a> and the Baron d’Ucelles,<a name="FNanchor_88_88" id="FNanchor_88_88"></a><a href="#Footnote_88_88" class="fnanchor">[88]</a> under -the names of Amadis and Galaor.</p> - -<p>“We [the challengers] kept the lists against all these opponents, -and when the night drew near, the fête was concluded by a new salvo -of cannon, followed by that of the thousand Musketeers; and, when -darkness fell, there was the most beautiful display of fireworks -over the Château of Felicity that was ever seen in France.</p> - -<p>“On the morrow, at two o’clock in the afternoon, we returned to the -camp in the same order as on the first day, together with the -troupe of M. de Longueville,<a name="FNanchor_89_89" id="FNanchor_89_89"></a><a href="#Footnote_89_89" class="fnanchor">[89]</a> who made<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157"></a>{157}</span> his entry alone,<a name="FNanchor_90_90" id="FNanchor_90_90"></a><a href="#Footnote_90_90" class="fnanchor">[90]</a> of -the Nymphs,<a name="FNanchor_91_91" id="FNanchor_91_91"></a><a href="#Footnote_91_91" class="fnanchor">[91]</a> of the Knights of Felicity, that of d’Effiat and -Arnaut,<a name="FNanchor_92_92" id="FNanchor_92_92"></a><a href="#Footnote_92_92" class="fnanchor">[92]</a> and, the last, that of the twelve Roman emperors,<a name="FNanchor_93_93" id="FNanchor_93_93"></a><a href="#Footnote_93_93" class="fnanchor">[93]</a> -all of whom ran against us, and the fête was terminated by the same -salvoes and another display of fireworks.”</p></div> - -<p>On the following day, “because all the innumerable people of Paris had -not been able to witness this fête,” the various troupes passed in -procession through the town, that of the challengers, resplendent in -their crimson velvet and cloth-of-silver, bringing up the rear.</p> - -<p>The fête concluded with a grand tilting-match in the Place-Royale, the -prize being a ring of great value given by <i>Madame Royale</i>, the future -Queen of Spain, which was won by the Marquis de Rouillac, a nephew of -d’Épernon.</p> - -<p>At night there was another display of fireworks, a salvo fired by two -hundred cannon, a bonfire at the Hôtel de Ville, and an illumination of -Paris with “lanterns made of coloured paper, in such great profusion in -every window that the whole town seemed on fire.”</p> - -<p>In November the old Connétable de Montmorency took leave of the Regent -and the young King and retired from Court to spend his last days in -retirement on his estates of Languedoc. “We escorted him to Moret,” -writes Bassompierre, “where he feasted us, and afterwards bade farewell -to his chief friends, with so many tears that we thought that he would -die in that place. He was a good and noble lord, who loved me as though -I were his own<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158"></a>{158}</span> son; I am under a great obligation to honour his -memory.”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>The fêtes in honour of the betrothal of the young King and his eldest -sister were but a brief interlude in the sordid struggle for place and -power between the ambitious and greedy princes and nobles which had -begun before Henri IV was in his grave. Marie de’ Medici distributed -honours and emoluments with a lavish hand, increased the pensions of the -grandees and made serious inroads into the millions accumulated in the -coffers of the Bastille by the prudent Sully, who in January, 1611, had -resigned his post of Comptroller of the Finances, on finding that he was -no longer listened to, and that he could not maintain his position -“without offending the Princes.” But the appetites she strove to satisfy -were insatiable, and the more she gave, the more she was expected to -give.</p> - -<p>After the death of the Comte de Soissons, the most restless of the -Bourbons, at the beginning of November, 1612, the Regent forsook Guise -and d’Épernon, who had until then enjoyed a large measure of her favour, -and, at the instigation of Concini, that singular Italian adventurer who -governed her through his wife Leonora Galigaï, the Queen’s <i>dame -d’atours</i> and confidante, and for whom she had purchased the marquisate -of Ancre, allied herself with Condé and his friends Bouillon, Nevers, -and Mayenne.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“At this time,” says Bassompierre, “the aspect of the Court -entirely changed; for a close alliance was formed by <i>Monsieur le -Prince</i>, MM. de Nevers, Mayenne,<a name="FNanchor_94_94" id="FNanchor_94_94"></a><a href="#Footnote_94_94" class="fnanchor">[94]</a> Bouillon, and the Marquis -d’Ancre; and the Queen threw herself entirely on that side. The -Ministers were discredited, and no longer had any power, and -everything was done according to the desire of these five persons<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159"></a>{159}</span> -... MM. de Guise, d’Épernon, de Joinville, and the Grand Equerry -were very much out of favour.”</p></div> - -<p>In December, Guise and d’Épernon sent for Bellegarde, who was in his -government of Burgundy, to come to Court, “in order to strengthen their -tottering party”; but on his way thither he was met by a messenger from -Marie de’ Medici, with orders forbidding him to come to Paris, and he -was obliged to return to his government.</p> - -<p>The chief agent in Concini’s intrigues was the old Baron de Luz, who had -formerly been an adherent of the Guises, but had been persuaded by the -favourite to enter the service of the Queen, or rather his own. The -Guises avenged themselves for what they were pleased to call his treason -in characteristic fashion. About midday on January 5, 1613, the -Chevalier de Guise, the youngest of the brothers, stopped Luz as he was -driving in his coach along the Rue Saint-Honoré, challenged him to fight -him there and then, and, without giving the old man time to draw his -sword, ran him through the body and killed him.</p> - -<p>This affair created an immense sensation.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The Queen was extremely exasperated,” writes Bassompierre. “I -went, just at this time, to the Louvre, and found her in tears, and -that she had sent for the Princes and Ministers to hold a council -on the affair. She said to me as soon as I entered: ‘You see, -Bassompierre, how I am treated, and what a brave action it was to -kill an old man without defence and without warning. But these are -the tricks of the family. It is a repetition of the Saint-Paul -affair.’<a name="FNanchor_95_95" id="FNanchor_95_95"></a><a href="#Footnote_95_95" class="fnanchor">[95]</a> There was a great murmur against this action, and -everyone was scandalised to learn that a great crowd of the -nobility had assembled at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160"></a>{160}</span> the Hôtel de Guise, and that M. de Guise -was coming accompanied by a large retinue to speak to the Queen. -Upon this, the Queen was advised to send M. de Châteauvieux to see -the said Sieur de Guise and forbid him to approach the Queen until -she sent for him, and to command, in her Majesty’s name, all those -who had gone to his hôtel to disperse.”</p></div> - -<p>Châteauvieux returned and reported that Guise had advised his adherents -to obey the Queen’s command, but that three or four of them, including -the Comte de la Rochefoucauld, Master of the Wardrobe to the King, had -shown marked reluctance to do so. It was thereupon resolved that La -Rochefoucauld should be exiled to his estates, and that the Parlement -should be directed to hold an inquiry into the affair and bring the -Chevalier de Guise to trial.</p> - -<p>The Parlement, however, seemed in no hurry to do what was required of -it, for the Guises still retained much of their traditional popularity -with all classes of the Parisians, and before many days had passed, an -event occurred which obliged the Queen to abandon all idea of punishing -the assassin.</p> - -<p>For some little time Marie de’ Medici had been chafing beneath the -domination of the Princes, who set altogether too high a price upon -their loyalty. Condé, indeed, appeared to consider that, now that his -brother Soissons was dead, he was entitled to receive double wages; and -one fine morning Nevers, Mayenne, and Concini waited upon the Queen and -demanded, on his behalf, the government of Château-Trompette, the -citadel of Bordeaux, pointing out that, since <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> was -Governor of Guienne, it was only fitting that the citadel of the chief -town in his government should be entrusted to him also. Now, Marie had -heard the late King say that if, in the time of Henri III, this fortress -had been in his hands, he would have made himself Duke of Guienne, and -she knew that its governor had always been one in whose<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161"></a>{161}</span> loyalty to the -Crown the most implicit confidence could be placed. She determined to -resist and to be reconciled with the Guises and the Ministers.</p> - -<p>Dissembling her indignation, she informed Nevers and his friends that -she would think the matter over, upon which they pressed her for a -speedy answer, saying that <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> was impatient to know -her decision. This she promised, and then, changing the subject, -informed them that she had just discovered a love-affair in which -Bassompierre was engaged and which she knew he was very anxious should -not be discovered. What ought she to do? “You should tell him about it, -Madame,” answered Nevers. Upon which she turned to Bassompierre, and, -beckoning him to follow her, moved to one of the windows.</p> - -<p>Here, standing with her back to the room, so that none might see her -face, she told him that the matter upon which she desired to speak to -him was very different from the one she had mentioned. She then asked -him if Guise had spoken to him about the exile of his friend La -Rochefoucauld. Bassompierre answered that the duke had done so, and -begged him to make intercession with the Queen for his recall, and that -he had added that, if he were not successful, he must persuade Condé to -use his influence, and make La Rochefoucauld’s recall the price of his -reconciliation with that prince and his friends. The Queen was silent -for a moment, while “four or five tears welled up in her eyes.” Then, -recovering herself, she said: “These wicked men have made me leave those -princes [the Guises] and despise them, and have made me also abandon and -neglect the Ministers; and then, seeing me deprived of support, they -wish to usurp my authority and ruin me. See how they have come to demand -insolently for <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> the Château-Trompette, and they will -not remain content with that. But, if I am able, I will surely prevent -them obtaining it.”</p> - -<p>“Madame,” answered Bassompierre, “do not distress<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162"></a>{162}</span> yourself; when you -will, I am sure that these princes and Ministers will be at your -disposal; at least, we must find some way to bring them back.”</p> - -<p>The Regent then told him to come to her when she had finished dinner, -and that, meanwhile, she would think of some way to effect this.</p> - -<p>At the hour when her Majesty usually rose from table Bassompierre -returned, and followed her into her cabinet, pretending that he had some -favour to ask of her.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“As I entered, she said to me, ‘I have eaten nothing but fish, to -such a degree is my stomach weakened and turned. If this continues -long, I believe that I shall lose my reason. In one word, -Bassompierre, you must endeavour to bring M. de Guise back to me. -Offer him a hundred thousand crowns in cash, which I will arrange -to give him.’ ‘Madame,’ I replied, ‘I will serve you well and -faithfully.’ ‘Offer him,’ said she, ‘the post of -lieutenant-governor of Provence for his brother, the Chevalier.<a name="FNanchor_96_96" id="FNanchor_96_96"></a><a href="#Footnote_96_96" class="fnanchor">[96]</a> -Offer his sister the reversion of the Abbey of Saint-Germain,<a name="FNanchor_97_97" id="FNanchor_97_97"></a><a href="#Footnote_97_97" class="fnanchor">[97]</a> -and assure him that La Rochefoucauld shall be recalled. In short, -provided that I can withdraw him from this cabal and that I am -assured of his support, I give you <i>carte blanche</i>.’ ”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre assured her that, as she had empowered him to make the -Guises such a generous bid for their support, he had no fear that he -should return to her “without having completed the purchase.” And, in -point of fact, on the following day he returned triumphant, pluming -himself not a little on having succeeded without the necessity of -promising the post of lieutenant-governor of Provence to the Chevalier -de Guise, “having endeavoured,” said he to Marie de’ Medici, “to act -like those prudent valets who bring back at the bottom of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163"></a>{163}</span> purse a -part of the money which their masters give them to settle their bills.”</p> - -<p>The Queen, however, was so pleased at the success of his negotiations -that she, nevertheless, determined to offer the post in question to the -chevalier, in order that the reconciliation between her and his family -might be the more complete, and directed Bassompierre to inform the -Princesse de Conti of her gracious intentions.</p> - -<p>A few days after these humiliating concessions to the rapacity of the -House of Guise, the Chevalier killed the son of the Baron de Luz in a -duel at Charenton, though it is only fair to the former to observe that -the other had called him out, and that the combat had been conducted in -strict accordance with the rules governing these “affairs of honour.”</p> - -<p>On this occasion, Bassompierre, experienced courtier though he was, is -unable to conceal his astonishment:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“And here I saw a strange instance of the changes of the Court; -that when the Chevalier de Guise killed the father, the Queen -commanded the Parlement to take cognizance of it, to institute -proceedings against him and to try him; but when, in less than a -week afterwards, he killed the son, so soon as he returned from the -combat, the Queen sent to visit and to inquire how his wounds -were.”</p></div> - -<p>Guise being thus reconciled with the Queen, no difficulty was -experienced in persuading d’Épernon to follow his example, after which -Bassompierre addressed himself to the Ministers, who, tired of being -mere cyphers, were only too ready to forgive and forget; and, in an -interview between Marie de’ Medici and Jeannin at the Luxembourg, an -understanding was arrived at.</p> - -<p>The Princes and Concini were outwitted. In any case, the latter -pretended to be. Hearing the Queen give directions that seats were to be -reserved for d’Épernon, and his friend Zamet also, at a play which was -to be performed in her apartments, he remarked to Bassompierre in that -strange mixture of Italian and bad French<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164"></a>{164}</span> which he affected in moments -of excitement: “<i>Par Dio, Mousu, je me ride moy della chose deste monde. -La roine a soin d’un siège pour Zamet, et n’en a point pour M. du Maine -[Mayenne]; fiez-vous à l’amore dei principi.</i>”</p> - -<p>He advised Condé and his friends to accept the situation and withdraw -from Court, predicting that the Regent would soon grow weary of the -exigencies of the Guises, and promising to watch over their common -interests. And this the Princes decided to do.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165"></a>{165}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">The affair of Montferrato—Intrigues of Concini with Charles -Emmanuel of Savoy—Arrest of Concini’s agent Maignan—Bassompierre -warns the Italian favourite of his danger and advises him to throw -himself on the clemency of the Queen-Mother—Concini follows his -advice, and is pardoned and shielded by Marie de’ Medici, while his -agent is executed—Bassompierre goes to Rouen, where the -d’Entragues’ action against him is to be heard—The Regent -recommends his cause to the judges—The d’Entragues object to the -constitution of the court, and the case is adjourned—Duplicity of -Concini—He intrigues to ruin Bassompierre with the -Queen-Mother—Semi-disgrace of Bassompierre—He is reconciled with -Marie de’ Medici—He is appointed Colonel-General of the Swiss—The -Princes surprise Mézières—Peace of Saint-Menehould—Bassompierre -accompanies Louis XIII and the Queen-Mother to the West.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the spring trouble arose with Charles Emmanuel of Savoy, who was -disputing the claim of Ferdinando di Gonzaga to the throne of Mantua, -and had invaded Montferrato. The French Government, judging it dangerous -to allow the Duke of Savoy, an uncertain friend and a possible enemy, to -get possession of Casale, one of the strongest places in Italy, -announced its intention of supporting Ferdinando, and Concini, on the -pretext that it was desirable that France should present a united front -in the event of hostilities breaking out, persuaded Marie de’ Medici to -summon the Princes to Court. Spain, however, in order to prevent French -intervention in Italy, hastened to send orders to the Governor of the -Milanese to compel Charles Emmanuel to abandon his prey, and that -prince, recognising the impossibility of resistance, evacuated -Montferrato.</p> - -<p>It was believed, for a moment, that the affair of Montferrato would -bring about the ruin of the Concini. The Duke of Savoy, to assure the -neutrality of France, had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166"></a>{166}</span> succeeded in corrupting the Italian -favourites of the Queen and several other prominent persons, and had -kept up an active correspondence with Concini, the agent employed by the -latter being a priest named Maignan. An intercepted letter caused the -arrest of this man, who, in the admissions that were extorted from him, -comprised Concini, his creature the advocate Dolet, and the Marquis de -Cœuvres.</p> - -<p>On the day Maignan was arrested, Bassompierre, who was with the Court at -Fontainebleau, happened to sup with Zamet, where he met Loménie, the -Secretary of State. It had been Loménie’s duty to be present at the -first examination of the prisoner, and he told Bassompierre of the -serious admissions that the man had made and the names he had mentioned. -He added that he was to be examined further on the following morning, -when doubtless still more interesting revelations would be forthcoming.</p> - -<p>Now, Bassompierre was on intimate terms with Concini, for, though he -would appear to have despised him heartily, the Italian’s influence with -the Queen made him a valuable friend, besides which he was in the habit -of winning large sums from him at play. He accordingly decided to warn -him of the danger which threatened him, and went that same night to his -house, but was told that he was in bed and could not be disturbed. He -had therefore to wait until the following day, when he stopped him as he -was about to enter the chapel to hear the Whit-Sunday sermon, invited -him to take a turn in the cloisters, and, so soon as they were alone, -inquired bluntly: “Who is Maignay?”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“At these words, utterly astounded, he said to me: ‘<i>Pourquoi, -Mousou, de Masnay? Que sol dir Magnat? Che cosa e Maignat?</i>’ ‘You -are deceiving me,’ I rejoined. ‘You know him better than I do, and -you pretend to know nothing about him.’ ‘<i>Per Dio, Mousou!</i>’ he -exclaimed, ‘I do not know Magnat; I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167"></a>{167}</span> do not understand what you -mean; I do not know who he is.’ ‘Monsieur, Monsieur,’ said I, ‘I -speak to you as your servant and friend, not as a judge or a -commissioner. Maignan was arrested yesterday and examined -forthwith, again in the evening, and this morning for the third -time. He was arrested in the act of posting a packet of letters, -which speaks of many things and mentions persons by their names. If -you are aware of it already, I have only lost time in telling you; -but, if you are not, I think that, as your servant, I gain much by -warning you of it, in order that you may extricate M. Dolet from -this affair, in which people will endeavour to involve him.’ He -said to me, very confused: ‘I, Mousou, I do not think that M. Dolet -knows who Magnat is. It is no concern of mine.’ ‘Monsieur,’ I -replied, ‘I shall only take in this affair the part which you wish -to give me in order to serve you; that is my sole object and -intention.’ He thanked me and left me abruptly.”</p></div> - -<p>That afternoon the Queen went for a drive in the park, and Bassompierre -accompanied her, occupying a seat in the Grand Equerry’s coach. As they -were driving by the side of the canal, one of Concini’s gentlemen came -galloping up and informed Bassompierre that his master wished to see him -immediately, and he sprang from his horse and offered it him. “Ah! he -wants to win my money,” remarked Bassompierre, as he prepared to mount; -and when the Queen inquired where he was going, he replied that he was -going to play cards with the Marquis d’Ancre. He rode back to the -palace, and found Concini awaiting him in the Cour Ovale.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“He led me,” he writes, “into the Queen’s gallery, shut the door -upon us and walked to the end of it without speaking a word. At -length, drawing himself up, he said: ‘M. <i>Bassompier</i>, my good -friend, I am undone; my enemies have gained the ascendancy over the -Queen’s mind, in order to ruin me.’ Thereupon he began to utter -strange blasphemies and wept bitterly. I allowed him to rave a -little, and then said to him: ‘Monsieur, it is no time to swear and -to weep when affairs press; you<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168"></a>{168}</span> must open your heart and reveal -the wound to the friend to whom you desire to entrust its cure. I -imagine that you sent for me to tell me of the evil, not to bewail -it.’ ‘The Ministers have reduced me to extremities,’ he replied; -‘they desire to ruin me and M. Dolet likewise.’ ”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre told him that he had many remedies against the enmity of -the Ministers, of which the most efficacious were the good graces of the -Queen, which he would undoubtedly possess when he returned to his duty -and abandoned all practices which were not agreeable to her Majesty. He -had also, he continued, his innocence to plead for him, and, if that -were not as complete as might be desired, it would be advisable to -interview, and come to some arrangement with, the commissioners who had -the examination of Maignan in hand (for he did not doubt that that was -his present difficulty), and “to have recourse to the kindness and -compassion of the Queen, who would receive him, he felt assured, with -open arms, provided he spoke to her with sincerity of heart and an -entire resignation to her will.”</p> - -<p>Concini followed his advice and proceeded to throw himself upon the -clemency of the Queen, “in whom he found all kinds of gentleness and -kindness.” Marie de’ Medici, indeed, was unable to dispense with either -the husband or the wife. “The one,” observes Henri Martin, “dominated -her by habit and by the superiority of an active and restless mind over -a mind indolent and dull; the other probably by a warmer feeling.”<a name="FNanchor_98_98" id="FNanchor_98_98"></a><a href="#Footnote_98_98" class="fnanchor">[98]</a> -She accepted all their excuses; the two commissioners by whom Maignan -was tried suppressed everything which might compromise Concini and his -accomplices;<a name="FNanchor_99_99" id="FNanchor_99_99"></a><a href="#Footnote_99_99" class="fnanchor">[99]</a> and while the unfortunate agent was condemned to death<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169"></a>{169}</span> -and broken on the wheel, the man who had employed him—this precious -rascal who had sought to betray the country upon which he had so long -been battening—was raised to new honours. The Queen only exacted from -him that he should be reconciled with the Ministers and definitely -abandon the party of the Princes. And, as the price of his obedience, -she gave him, in the following November, the bâton of a marshal of -France!<a name="FNanchor_100_100" id="FNanchor_100_100"></a><a href="#Footnote_100_100" class="fnanchor">[100]</a></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>Towards the end of May, Bassompierre went to Rouen to make arrangements -for the conduct of his case in the action which the d’Entragues were -bringing against him, and which, on various pretexts, he had succeeded -in delaying until now. He found, to his disgust, however, that the -plaintiff had stolen a march upon him, for, though he applied in turn to -all the chief advocates of the Parlement of Rouen, not one of them would -undertake the case, the reason being that they had all been consulted by -the other side, which, of course, rendered it impossible for them to -hold a brief for the defence.</p> - -<p>He returned to Paris and complained bitterly to Marie de’ Medici of the -sharp practice of which the d’Entragues had been guilty. Upon which she -said: “<i>Mon Dieu!</i> Bassompierre, the Procurator of the Estates of -Nantes, who is so eloquent, is eligible to plead your cause, for he was -formerly an advocate of Rouen. He is here now.” And she sent for him and -ordered him to undertake the case, which he did very ably.</p> - -<p>At the beginning of June, Bassompierre returned to Rouen, “accompanied -or followed by over 200 gentlemen,” and accompanied, too, by the good -wishes of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170"></a>{170}</span> Queen, who did not confine her good offices to providing -him with an advocate. She wrote to the Maréchal de Fervacques, the -Governor of Rouen, “to assist him in all that he might demand of him”; -she ordered her own company of light horse, which was in garrison at -Évreux, to come to meet him and escort him to Rouen; she sent one of her -gentlemen with letters recommending his cause to all the presidents and -counsellors of the Parlement; and every other day she despatched a -courier to ascertain how the case was proceeding.</p> - -<p>All Normandy appears to have flocked to Rouen to attend this <i>cause -célèbre</i>, and seldom had the old city been so gay.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Numbers of ladies who were there, many strangers who came, and the -band of nobles whom I had brought, made all the time I spent at -Rouen, where I remained a month, pass like the Carnival, with -continual banquets, balls and assemblies.”</p></div> - -<p>There can be little doubt that, in this breach of promise, popular -sympathy was with the faithless gallant rather than the injured lady. -But Bassompierre’s friends were denied the pleasure of applauding his -victory at the Palais de Justice, for, after the case had been in -progress for some time, the d’Entragues, seeing that the day was likely -to go against them, succeeded in obtaining an adjournment for six -months, to enable the King’s Council to decide whether the Court was -impartially constituted; their contention being that some of the judges -were related to the defendant on his mother’s side.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>Not long after Bassompierre’s return to Court, the post of -lieutenant-governor of Poitou became vacant, and, as he was anxious to -secure this office for his brother-in-law Saint-Luc, he solicited -Concini’s good offices with the Queen, thinking, not unnaturally, that, -after the service he had lately rendered him, the Italian would be only -too<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171"></a>{171}</span> ready to oblige him. Concini assured both Bassompierre and his -brother-in-law that he would do everything in his power for them, and -appeared delighted at the opportunity of discharging the obligation -under which the former had placed him. Nevertheless, the post was given -to Condé’s favourite, the Baron de Rochefort, at Concini’s earnest -entreaty, the Queen told Bassompierre, as she herself preferred -Saint-Luc.</p> - -<p>So much for the favourite’s sense of gratitude! But this was not all:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The Marquis d’Ancre told me the same day that he was in despair -that the Queen had given that place to Rochefort, and he begged me -to assure M. de Saint-Luc that he had done all he could in his -favour, but that the authority of <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> had -prevailed. I, who knew what the Queen had told me, replied that, -when he wanted me to impose upon some indifferent third person, I -was very much at his service; but that, when it was a question of -deceiving my own brother-in-law, I begged him to employ someone -else, since we were too nearly related.”</p></div> - -<p>After this, Saint-Luc, as was only to be expected, was somewhat cold in -his manner towards Concini, whereupon that worthy, persuaded that this -was due to his brother-in-law’s influence, determined to be avenged and, -says Bassompierre, “assisted by his wife, began to instill into the -Queen’s mind the belief that I boasted of the kindness which she showed -me, and that people were talking about it; and they told her that I was -estranging her servants from her, and that I was turning everyone -against her.”</p> - -<p>This intrigue was only too successful, and on Bassompierre’s return to -Fontainebleau from a visit to Paris, whither he had been sent by the -Queen to settle a quarrel between the Duc de Montbazon and the Maréchal -de Brissac, he perceived a change in her Majesty’s manner towards him, -which seemed rather less cordial than<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172"></a>{172}</span> usual. This continued for some -days and was succeeded by an “entire coldness.”<a name="FNanchor_101_101" id="FNanchor_101_101"></a><a href="#Footnote_101_101" class="fnanchor">[101]</a></p> - -<p>Bassompierre remained in this state of semi-disgrace for about a month, -when, his patience exhausted, he “resolved to quit the Court of France -and the service of the King and Queen, although several beautiful ladies -performed the impossible to turn him from this design.” He accordingly -asked Sauveterre, the usher of the Queen’s cabinet, to obtain for him an -audience of her Majesty, in order that he might request her permission -to retire from the Court and France, which Sauveterre did. But, no -sooner was he in the royal presence than, to his astonishment and -relief, the Queen, addressing him with all her old cordiality, said: -“Bassompierre, I am going to-morrow to Paris. [She was going to visit -her younger son, the Duc d’Orléans—<i>Monsieur</i>, as he was called—who -was lying ill at the Louvre.] I have ordered everyone to remain here; -but, as for you, if you wish to come, I give you permission. But do not -go by the same road, so that they may not say that I have made an -exception to the general rule.”</p> - -<p>Next day, Bassompierre went to Paris, accompanied by Créquy and -Saint-Luc, and awaited the Queen’s arrival at the Louvre, where he -assisted her to alight from her coach and escorted her to <i>Monsieur’s</i> -apartments. “The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173"></a>{173}</span> others then retired,” says he, “and I remained until -she was in her cabinet, when I had full leisure to speak to her, and -left her with the assurance that she did not believe any of the things -which they had tried to persuade her to believe against me, concerning -which I gave her a complete explanation.”</p> - -<p>Early in 1614, Condé and the other Princes who, in the preceding year, -had been allied with Concini, indignant at the latter’s reconciliation -with the Ministers and jealous of his increasing favour, retired from -Court and assumed so threatening an attitude that Marie de’ Medici -decided to raise an army without delay, and applied to the Swiss Cantons -for a levy of 6,000 men, who were intended to form the nucleus of this -force. Now, the Colonel-General of the Swiss in the French service, who -would, of course, take command of the new levy, was the Duc de Rohan, a -nobleman of whose loyalty the Regent was exceedingly suspicious, and -with good reason, since, when hostilities broke out, he entered into an -alliance with the Princes. She therefore resolved to purchase this post -from him and to appoint in his place someone in whom she had absolute -confidence.</p> - -<p>At a meeting of the Council called to decide the question of Rohan’s -successor, Villeroy suggested that the post should be given to the Duc -de Longueville, by which means, he assured the Queen, she would -certainly draw him away from the party of the Princes, which he seemed -more than half-inclined to join. Her Majesty, however, very sensibly -preferred to bestow it on someone who would not regard his appointment -as in the nature of a bribe to do his duty, and proposed that -Bassompierre should be the new Colonel-General, “both on account of the -German tongue, which he had in common with the Swiss, and because he was -their neighbour.” Upon this, Villeroy pointed out that, by the ancient -conventions of the Kings of France with the Swiss Cantons, it was -expressly provided that the Colonel-General should be a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174"></a>{174}</span> prince of the -Blood Royal of France or, at any rate, a prince of some other royal -house.<a name="FNanchor_102_102" id="FNanchor_102_102"></a><a href="#Footnote_102_102" class="fnanchor">[102]</a> The Queen then proposed the Chevalier de Guise, who was a -prince of the House of Lorraine; but to this Villeroy objected, on the -ground that the Guises had already been overwhelmed with benefits and -that to add to them would be bound to create a great deal of jealousy. -And the Council rose without any decision having been arrived at.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“As she returned to her cabinet,” writes Bassompierre, “she said to -me: ‘Bassompierre, if you had been a prince, I would have given you -to-day a fine appointment.’ ‘Madame,’ I replied, ‘if I am not a -prince, it is not because I should not have been very glad to be -one. Nevertheless, I can assure you that there are princes who are -greater fools than myself.’ ‘I should have been very pleased if you -had been one,’ said she, ‘because that would have saved me from -seeking for a suitable person for the post I speak of.’ ‘Madame, -may I ask what it is?’ ‘To appoint a Colonel-General of the Swiss,’ -said she. ‘And why, Madame, can I not be Colonel-General, if it is -your wish?’ On which she told me that the Swiss had a convention -with the King according to which no one but a prince could be their -Colonel-General.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre saluted her Majesty and withdrew, anathematizing the -wretched convention which stood between him and one of the highest -offices under the Crown, and wondering whether by any possibility the -obstacle could be overcome. Of that there seemed but little chance, as -time pressed, and perhaps by the morrow the post would have been filled. -Fortune favoured him, however, for, as he was on his way to dinner, he -happened to meet Colonel Gaspard Gallaty, a veteran Swiss officer in the -service of France,<a name="FNanchor_103_103" id="FNanchor_103_103"></a><a href="#Footnote_103_103" class="fnanchor">[103]</a> with whom he was on very friendly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175"></a>{175}</span> terms. To him -he related what the Queen had just told him, when Gallaty said that he -believed he possessed sufficient influence with his countrymen to -persuade them to accept him as their Colonel-General, notwithstanding -the convention. And he offered to set out at once for Switzerland to -obtain their consent, and begged Bassompierre to return to the Queen and -tell her that, if she wished to give him the post, the Swiss would -consent.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“She [the Queen] said to me, ‘I give you a fortnight; nay, I will -give you three weeks, for this; and if you can obtain the consent -of the Swiss, I will give you the post. Then I spoke to Gallaty, -who asked me to obtain permission for him to go to his own country, -saying that he would set out in two days’ time. And this he did, -and, within the time that he had promised me he sent me a letter -from the Cantons, who were assembled at Soleure, to authorise the -levy which the King was demanding from them, by which they informed -the King that, if it pleased him to honour me with this charge, -they would accept me as willingly as any prince whom he might give -them.”</p></div> - -<p>By the Queen’s orders, Bassompierre then communicated with Rohan, who -was in Poitou, and, as he feared that it might be some little time -before the Treasury saw its way to pay the large sum demanded by that -nobleman for the surrender of his post, he himself offered to advance -it; and on March 12, 1614, he took the oath as Colonel-General of the -Swiss.</p> - -<p>Two days later, news arrived that the Princes had surprised Mézières, -from which place Condé despatched a lengthy memorial to the Queen, -setting forth the grievances of himself and his party, protesting -against the Spanish marriage and demanding the convocation of the -States-General. The seizure of Mézières was followed by that of -Sainte-Menehould, but the arrival of the Swiss, in two regiments, each -3,000 strong, of whom Bassompierre at once went to take the command, -greatly perturbed the rebels, and there can be no doubt that at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176"></a>{176}</span> -cost of a little bloodshed the Regent could easily have crushed the -insurrection. Instead of doing so, she preferred to treat, and the -result of the negotiations which ensued was the Peace of -Sainte-Menehould (May 15, 1614), which stipulated that the -States-General should be convoked; that Condé should hold Amboise, as a -place of surety, until the meeting of the States, and receive a sum of -450,000 livres; that Mayenne, who was already Governor of the -Île-de-France, should have the reversion of the government of Paris, -together with 300,000 livres; Longueville 100,000 livres, and Bouillon -“the doubling of his gendarmes.” It was a direct incentive to the -Princes to take up arms again on the first convenient opportunity.</p> - -<p>As the Duc de Vendôme, who had retired into his government of Brittany, -showed himself discontented with the peace and had, not only refused to -dismantle the fortifications of Lamballe and Quimper, as he was required -to do by the treaty, but had even seized upon Vannes, Marie de’ Medici, -on the advice of Villeroy, decided to show the young King to his people, -and to “go in person to pacify the western provinces.” Bassompierre -accompanied her, with one of the two regiments of Swiss, the other -having been disbanded on the signing of peace, and was employed in -superintending the razing of the fortifications which Vendôme had -erected. The appearance of the young King aroused great enthusiasm in -the West, and Vendôme soon decided to make his submission.</p> - -<p>Louis XIII returned to Paris, and on October 2 proceeded in great state -to the Parlement to declare his majority. He thanked his mother “for -having taken so many pains on his behalf, and begged her to continue to -govern and command as heretofore.” “I desire and I order,” he added, -“that you be obeyed in everything and everywhere, and that you be after -me the chief of my Council.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177"></a>{177}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Bassompierre, during his absence in Lorraine, condemned by the -Archbishop of Aix to espouse Mlle. d’Entragues, on pain of -excommunication—The archbishop’s decision quashed by the Parlement -of Paris—Financial and amatory embarrassments of -Bassompierre—Death of his mother—The action which the d’Entragues -have brought against him finally decided in his favour—Condé -withdraws from Court and issues a manifesto against the -Government—Civil war begins—Marriage of Louis XIII and Anne of -Austria—Peace of Loudun—Fall of the old Ministers of Henri -IV—Concini and the shoemaker—Condé becomes all-powerful—He -obliges Concini to retire to Normandy—Arrogance of Condé and his -partisans, who are suspected of conspiracy to change the form of -government—The Queen-Mother sends for Bassompierre at three -o’clock in the morning and informs him that she has decided upon -the arrest of the Princes—Preparations for this <i>coup -d’état</i>—Arrest of Condé—Concini’s house sacked by the mob—The -Comte d’Auvergne and the Council of War—Bassompierre conducts -Condé from the Louvre to the Bastille.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> January, 1615, Bassompierre set out for Lorraine, to visit his -mother, who was lying dangerously ill at Nancy. “The joy of seeing me,” -says he, “restored her to some degree of health,” and, after remaining -with her a fortnight, he went to visit some of his friends in Germany. -About Easter he returned to Nancy, and was about to set out for France -when he received a most astonishing piece of intelligence.</p> - -<p>It appears that the d’Entragues, aware that their plea that the court at -Rouen was improperly constituted was certain to be overruled by the -King’s Council and the case sent back to Rouen for trial, in which event -their chance of obtaining a verdict would be a very remote one, had -decided to appeal to Rome, and proceeded to petition the Pope to direct -that the affair should be adjudicated upon by ecclesiastical -commissioners appointed by his Holiness. The petition was granted, -though it would appear to have been very unusual for the Vatican to do<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178"></a>{178}</span> -so, unless it had first been ascertained whether the other party were -willing for the case to be submitted to a Papal tribunal; and one of the -commissioners appointed was the Bishop of Dax. But, by some error, due -no doubt to the similarity of names, the Papal authority to try the case -was sent, not to this prelate, but to the Archbishop of Aix. Now, the -Archbishop of Aix, if we are to believe Bassompierre, was “a needy -rogue, and generally regarded as mad”; and when the Bishop of Beauvais, -at whose suggestion the appeal to Rome had been made, and whom the -writer accuses of being in love with Marie d’Entragues, offered him a -bribe of 1,200 crowns to defeat the ends of justice, he promptly -accepted it. Thereupon, without condescending to consult his -fellow-commissioners he sent a citation to Bassompierre’s house, -summoning him to appear before him; and, after waiting three days, -without troubling to ascertain whether that gentleman had ever received -the citation, and without hearing any evidence, pronounced, on his own -authority, the promise of marriage—which he had not even seen, as it -was, with the other documents connected with the case, at Rome—good and -valid, and condemned Bassompierre to execute it within fifteen days -after Easter, on pain of excommunication.</p> - -<p>On learning of these extraordinary proceedings, Bassompierre returned to -Paris in all haste, and appealed to the Parlement; and that body, always -very jealous of Papal interference with matters which it considered -within its own jurisdiction, promptly quashed the archbishop’s decision. -He then went to the Queen-Mother, who, “indignant, like everyone else, -at the infamy of this man,” issued an order for the prelate’s arrest, -which Bassompierre set out to execute, at the head of 200 stalwart -Swiss. The archbishop, however, had prudently gone into hiding, where he -remained until the Nuncio and the other bishops, fearing a scandal, -succeeded in pacifying the infuriated Bassompierre, “the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179"></a>{179}</span> Nuncio giving -him his word that within three months at latest his Holiness would -quash, as the Parlement had already done, all the proceedings of this -fool. And this he did.”</p> - -<p>This new development of the d’Entragues affair was only one of many -difficulties which beset Bassompierre on his return to Paris:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I found myself on my return in very great perplexity; not only in -consequence of this affair, but also on account of six hundred -thousand livres which I owed in Paris, without any means of paying -them; and my creditors, who, on seeing me set out to visit my -mother, who was dangerously ill, entertained some hope that, with -the property I should inherit from her, I should be able to satisfy -them, now that I was returned and my mother recovered, lost all -hope of settling their affairs with me, and were consequently very -mutinous. There was a quarrel in a certain house between a husband -and wife on my account, which gave me pain; and, worst of all, -there was a girl for whom I daily feared a discovery attended with -a great scandal and evil consequences for me.”</p></div> - -<p>However, his fortunate star prevailed over these complicated effects of -his extravagant and amorous propensities:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It happened that, within a few days, I heard of the quashing of -the proceedings of this precious Archbishop of Aix, and of the -death of my mother, which brought me fifty thousand crowns in money -and saleable property to the value of a hundred thousand, so that I -paid seven hundred thousand livres of debts, which placed me -greatly at my ease; the quarrel between the husband and wife was -made up (August); the girl was happily brought to bed without -anyone knowing of it (August 5); and I went to Rouen, where I -gained my case against Antragues finally and completely. So that at -the same, or within a little, time I was delivered from all these -divers and distressing inconveniences.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_180" id="page_180"></a>{180}</span></p> - -<p>Towards the end of March, Condé, who for weeks past had been secretly -fomenting opposition to the Court, left Paris, followed, at intervals, -by his chief adherents, and issued a manifesto protesting against the -Ultramontane tendencies of the Government and the Spanish marriage. -Marie de’ Medici, who intended shortly to set out for the Spanish -frontier to make the exchange of the princesses and conclude the -marriage of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, and naturally feared to -leave Condé behind her, sent him a letter from the King commanding the -prince to accompany him. But Condé excused himself from following his -Majesty until he had remedied the evils of the State, of which he -designed the Maréchal d’Ancre as the principal author.</p> - -<p>The Queen-Mother, in consequence, was obliged to raise two armies: one -to escort the King and herself to Bordeaux, the other to watch the -princes. The latter force was placed under the command of the Maréchal -de Bois-Dauphin, with Praslin as his chief of staff; and to this -Bassompierre and the Swiss were attached.</p> - -<p>The King and his mother left Paris on August 17, Bassompierre and the -Swiss accompanying them so far as Bernis, not far from Sceaux, where -they received orders to return and join Bois-Dauphin’s army. Before -doing so, however, Bassompierre went to Rouen, where on September 4 the -Parlement pronounced judgment in his favour; and this unedifying affair, -which had dragged on for nearly four years and must have involved both -sides in enormous expense, finally terminated. He then returned in -triumph to Paris, whence he proceeded to Meaux, where Bois-Dauphin had -established his headquarters.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre gives a long and detailed account of the operations which -ensued, through which, however, we do not propose to follow him, since -they are of little interest, consisting mainly of unimportant skirmishes -and the reduction of such places as had declared for the Princes<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_181" id="page_181"></a>{181}</span> or had -been seized by them. In what fighting took place he appears to have -displayed both courage and activity; while he endeavoured, though -without success, to impart some of his own energy to the old Maréchal de -Bois-Dauphin, who, in his youth, had been one of the most dashing -officers in the armies of the League, but with age had grown slow and -cautious. Happily for the marshal, Condé was equally incapable; -otherwise, he would no doubt have taken advantage of his opponent’s -inaction to march upon Paris.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the Court had reached Bordeaux in safety, from which town the -greater part of the Royal army was despatched to the frontier to fetch -the Infanta Anne of Austria, whom Philip III, undisturbed on his side by -war’s alarms, had brought from Madrid. The exchange of the princesses -took place at Andaye, on the Bidassoa, after which Anne of Austria, -escorted by the Royal troops, set out for Bordeaux, where her marriage -with Louis XIII was celebrated on November 28.</p> - -<p>Her object accomplished, Marie de’ Medici became anxious for peace at -any price, while Condé and his friends, now deprived of their chief -pretext for rebellion and aware that the Queen would be prepared to pay -them handsomely to return to their allegiance, had no desire to prolong -the war. A suspension of arms having been agreed upon, a congress met at -Loudun to negotiate peace, which was signed on May 3, 1616.</p> - -<p>Its terms were another triumph for the party of the Princes, and -particularly for their leader, who, in exchange for his government of -Guienne, received that of Berry and of the citadel and town of Bourges, -the right of signing all the decrees of the Council, and 1,500,000 -livres, to compensate him for the inconvenience and expense to which he -had been put in being obliged to take up arms against his sovereign. He -was certainly finding rebellion a most profitable occupation. The other -grandees, his accomplices, received altogether 6,000,000 livres.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_182" id="page_182"></a>{182}</span></p> - -<p>The Peace of Loudun brought about the downfall of the Ministers of Henri -IV. In both peace and war they had shown only weakness, which is -scarcely surprising, considering that the Chancellor, the youngest of -the three, was seventy-two. He was obliged to surrender the Seals to Du -Vair, First President of the Parlement of Toulouse; while Villeroy and -Jeannin were also dismissed, and replaced by Mangot, First President of -the Parlement of Bordeaux, and the Queen-Mother’s intendant Barbin, an -intelligent and energetic man, who was devoted to Concini and Marie de’ -Medici.</p> - -<p>As for Concini, he was more in favour at Court than ever; nevertheless, -his position was not altogether an enviable one, since, though he was -temporarily reconciled with Condé, Mayenne and Bouillon were breathing -fire and slaughter against him and were quite capable of putting their -threats into execution should a favourable occasion present itself; -while he had rendered himself odious to the Parisians by an act of -intolerable insolence.</p> - -<p>It happened that, one night during the war, Concini had wished to leave -Paris by the Porte de Bussy, in order to go to Saint-Germain. But, as he -had neglected to provide himself with the necessary passport—such -trifles being, of course, beneath the notice of so great a man—the -officer of the citizen militia in charge of the gate, who, when not -girded with a sword, followed the peaceful occupation of a shoemaker, -had refused to let him out. The shoemaker was only doing his duty, but -Concini was furious, and, so soon as peace was signed, determined to be -revenged, and accordingly sent two of his lackeys to chastise the -impertinent fellow who had dared to put such an affront upon a marshal -of France. The sequel was a tragedy, for the shoemaker shouted for help -with all the strength of his lungs; the people came running from all -directions to his assistance, seized the unfortunate lackeys, and, after -keeping them locked up for some days, hanged them in front of the -shoemaker’s shop, vowing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_183" id="page_183"></a>{183}</span> that they would serve their master in the same -way when they could lay their hands on him.</p> - -<p>All things considered, it is not surprising that the marshal should have -decided that the air of Paris was just then unsuited to his health and -remained at his country seat at Lesigny, though even there he appears to -have been far from safe from his enemies, since Bassompierre tells us -that “MM. de Mayenne and de Bouillon made an attempt to blow him up with -a petard, but did not succeed.”</p> - -<p>However, on July 20 Condé returned to Paris, to be received with -enthusiasm by the people, though surely no one was ever less deserving -of popular acclamations than this vain, greedy, and meddlesome young -man, who had not scrupled to plunge his country into the miseries of -civil war to serve his own selfish ends! Unwilling to offend the prince -by failing to pay him his respects, Concini thereupon decided to go to -Paris, even at the risk of his life, and wrote to Bassompierre, who had -apparently quite forgiven him for the shabby way he had behaved two -years before, asking him to meet him at the Porte Saint-Antoine at three -o’clock on the following afternoon, with as many friends as he could -muster.</p> - -<p>At the appointed hour Bassompierre proceeded to the Porte Saint-Antoine, -accompanied by thirty horse, passing on the way the Hôtel de Mayenne, -which stood at the corner of the Rue Saint-Antoine and the Rue du -Petit-Musc. Presently, Concini appeared, riding in his gilded coach, -which was surrounded by forty mounted retainers, all, of course, armed -to the teeth. The marshal alighted, and mounted a horse which -Bassompierre had brought for him, and the two cavalcades joined forces -and proceeded through the streets to the Louvre. Here they waited while -Concini entered to salute the Queen, and then made their way to the -Hôtel de Condé, in the Faubourg Saint-Germain. By this time the -marshal’s escort, swollen by the accession of friends of his own and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_184" id="page_184"></a>{184}</span> -Bassompierre’s, amounted to over one hundred horse; but it seemed as -though even this force might be insufficient to protect him, as the -first person whom they saw on entering the courtyard of the Hôtel de -Condé was Concini’s enemy the shoemaker. His presence in that -aristocratic mansion was no doubt accounted for by the fact that it was -part of <i>Monsieur le Prince’s</i> policy to court the leaders of the -populace, as the Guises had done so effectively in days gone by.</p> - -<p>No sooner did the shoemaker catch sight of Concini, than he hurried -away, shouting out that he was going to raise the people of his quarter -against the Italian. The latter, greatly alarmed, paid his respects to -Condé as briefly as etiquette would permit, and then he and his escort -turned their horses’ heads towards the river. On this occasion, -Bassompierre and his followers rode some two hundred paces ahead of -Concini, as it had been decided that if, as was fully expected, they -found the Pont-Neuf occupied by an armed mob too numerous to allow of -them cutting their way through, the vanguard should hold the enemy in -check, while the marshal, under the protection of the rest, retreated to -the shelter of the Hôtel de Condé. To their relief, however, the bridge -was unoccupied—apparently the shoemaker had not had sufficient time to -mobilise his quarter—and they reached the Porte Saint-Antoine in -safety, where Concini reentered his coach and returned to Lesigny.</p> - -<p>After Condé’s return to Paris, the management of affairs fell almost -entirely into his hands, and his hôtel was besieged at all hours by -petitioners and sycophants. “Almost all the grandees,” says -Bassompierre, “were of his party and his cabal, and even MM. de -Guise<a name="FNanchor_104_104" id="FNanchor_104_104"></a><a href="#Footnote_104_104" class="fnanchor">[104]</a> joined him, under pretext of dissatisfaction with the -Maréchal d’Ancre and his wife.”</p> - -<p>At the beginning of August, Concini returned to his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_185" id="page_185"></a>{185}</span></p> - -<p><a name="CONCINO" id="CONCINO"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/i_184fp_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_184fp_sml.jpg" width="298" height="413" alt="Image unavailable: CONCINO CONCINI, MARÉCHAL D’ANCRE. - -From an engraving by Aubert." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">CONCINO CONCINI, MARÉCHAL D’ANCRE. -<br /> -From an engraving by Aubert.</span> -</div> - -<p class="nind">house in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, emboldened apparently by a promise -of his protection which Condé had given him. A few days later, having -some business with the prince, he had the hardihood to go to the Hôtel -de Condé, attended by a suite of thirty gentlemen, at a time when Condé -was giving a sumptuous fête in honour of Lord Hay, the British -Ambassador Extraordinary, to which all the princes and great nobles had -been invited. The company were at table when he arrived, but he went -into the banquet-hall, in which he found Bouillon, Mayenne and other -sworn enemies of his, spoke with Condé for some time, and then took his -departure, “all these gentlemen glaring at him and he at them.”</p> - -<p>Next morning, the prince sent for Concini and told him that he had had -great difficulty on the previous day in restraining his friends from -falling upon him and killing him as he was leaving his hôtel, and that -they all threatened to abandon him if he did not withdraw his protection -from the marshal. In consequence, he was unable to protect him any -longer, and he counselled him strongly to retire to Normandy, of which -province he had recently been appointed lieutenant-general, in exchange -for the surrender of a similar office in Picardy. Concini followed the -prince’s advice—or rather his orders—went to the Louvre to take leave -of the King and the Queen-Mother, and left Paris the next day (August -15). “It is impossible to say,” adds Bassompierre, “how much his -departure discredited the Queen-Mother, when it was seen that a servant -of hers could not live in safety in Paris, save so long as <i>Monsieur le -Prince</i> pleased; while it augmented the reputation and authority of -<i>Monsieur le Prince</i>.”</p> - -<p>Chief of the grandees and also chief of the King’s counsellors, Condé -might perhaps have been content to live on good terms with the -Queen-Mother and to use with moderation the large share of power which -she had abandoned to him. “But his partisans were unable to suffer their -reunion.” Longueville surprised Péronne;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_186" id="page_186"></a>{186}</span> Bouillon, the “demon of -rebellion,” the turbulent Mayenne, the restless Vendôme, urged him to -seize the supreme power, on pain of abandoning him. He is said to have -avowed to Barbin that “it was plain that nothing more remained for him -but to remove the King from his throne and put himself in his place.” If -he had really entertained any such intention, he would hardly have made -a confidant of one of the most devoted of the Queen-Mother’s adherents; -but, any way, the Court believed that he was secretly stirring up the -people and the clergy and tampering with the officers of the Guards and -the captains of the citizen militia, and was plotting to change the form -of government. On the advice probably of the new Ministers Barbin and -Mangot, and of Concini’s wife, Marie de’ Medici resolved to forestall -Condé by arresting him, together with Bouillon, Mayenne, and Vendôme. -Fearing that the officers of the Guards might refuse to lay hands on the -first Prince of the Blood, she decided to dispense with their services -and to entrust the task to the Marquis de Thémines, a brave old Gascon -noble who had served with distinction in the Wars of Religion, assisted -by d’Elbène, a captain of light cavalry.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“On Thursday, the first day of September, at three o’clock in the -morning,” says Bassompierre, “I was awakened by a gentleman-servant -of the Queen named La Motte, who came to tell me, on her behalf, to -come to the Louvre, disguised and alone, which I did. On entering -the Louvre, I found one of the Gardes du Corps of the King named La -Barre, who happened to be on guard that night. La Barre was -Quartermaster of the Swiss, and I told him to come with me into the -Queen’s ante-chamber and wait at the door while I entered her -chamber, as I did not doubt that it was some matter relating to the -Swiss which was the cause of my being sent for.</p> - -<p>“I found the Queen in deshabille, with MM. Mangot and Barbin on -either side of her, while M. de Fossé<a name="FNanchor_105_105" id="FNanchor_105_105"></a><a href="#Footnote_105_105" class="fnanchor">[105]</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_187" id="page_187"></a>{187}</span> was standing a little -way behind them. As I entered, she said to me: ‘You do not know why -I have sent for you so early, Bassompierre.’ ‘Madame,’ I answered, -‘I do not know the reason.’ ‘I will tell you anon,’ said she, and -then began to walk about, and so continued for near half-an-hour; -while I spoke to M. de Fossé, whom I was very astonished to see -there, as the Queen had dismissed him for having accompanied the -Commandeur de Sillery when he was exiled from the Court.<a name="FNanchor_106_106" id="FNanchor_106_106"></a><a href="#Footnote_106_106" class="fnanchor">[106]</a></p> - -<p>“At length, the Queen entered her cabinet, bidding us follow her, -and said to me: ‘I intend to make prisoners of <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> -and MM. de Vendôme, Mayenne, and Bouillon. I desire that the Swiss -be here at eleven o’clock this morning, that is to say, about the -Tuileries, for, if I am forced by the people to leave Paris, I -shall retire with them to Mantes. I have my jewels packed up and -40,000 crowns in gold—they are here—and I shall take my children -with me, if I am forced to go, though I pray that God may forbid -it, and I do not think it will be necessary. But I am fully -resolved to submit to any peril and inconvenience that I may -encounter rather than lose my authority and suffer that of the King -to perish. I desire also that, when the time arrives, you will go, -with your Swiss, to the gate [of the Louvre], to resist an attack, -if one should be made, and to die there for the service of the -King, as I promise myself that you will be ready to do.’ ‘Madame,’ -I replied, ‘I shall not deceive the good opinion that you entertain -of me, as you will know to-day, if such should be the case. -Meantime, Madame, be pleased to permit me to go and summon the -Swiss from their quarters.’ ‘No,’ said she, ‘you shall not go out.’ -‘It is strange of you, Madame,’ said I, ‘to distrust a man to whom -you are confiding the person of the King, your own, and those of -your children. However, I have at this door a man whom I can trust, -and I will send him to the quarters of the Swiss. Rely on me, -Madame, and rest assured that the fête will not be spoiled by me.’ -She permitted me to go out, and I sent La Barre to fetch the Swiss. -I asked her what she intended to do with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_188" id="page_188"></a>{188}</span> French Guards, when -she said that she feared that M. de Créquy<a name="FNanchor_107_107" id="FNanchor_107_107"></a><a href="#Footnote_107_107" class="fnanchor">[107]</a> had been won over -by <i>Monsieur le Prince</i>. ‘Not against the King, Madame,’ said I, -‘for I know that for the King he would die a thousand deaths, if -that were possible.’ Upon that she said: ‘I must send for him, and -neither of you must go out until <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> has entered.’ -She sent also for M. de Saint-Géran<a name="FNanchor_108_108" id="FNanchor_108_108"></a><a href="#Footnote_108_108" class="fnanchor">[108]</a>; while La Curée<a name="FNanchor_109_109" id="FNanchor_109_109"></a><a href="#Footnote_109_109" class="fnanchor">[109]</a> came -with the King when he descended to the Queen-Mother’s apartments at -nine o’clock. The Queen spoke to these gentlemen, and when I asked -her by whom <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> was to be arrested, she answered: -‘I have provided for that.’</p> - -<p>“<i>Monsieur le Prince</i> came at eight o’clock to attend the Council, -and the Queen-Mother, looking at him as everyone came to hand him -petitions, said: ‘There is the King of France, but his royalty will -be like that of the Twelfth Night King; it will not last long.’</p> - -<p>“Upon that, she despatched Créquy and myself to the gate of the -Louvre to place the Guards under arms, and meantime she sent to -summon <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> to her presence. Afterwards she sent to -tell us that if <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> came to the gate, we should -arrest him. We sent back word that this was so important an order -that we ought to have it from her own lips, and that she should -have given it us while we were in her chamber; but that, if it -pleased her to send a lieutenant of the Guards du Corps to arrest -him, we would render him every assistance, and, meantime, I would -give orders that no one was to pass out of the gate. And I placed -thirty Swiss halberdiers there, while Créquy gave a like order to -the French Guards.</p> - -<p>“A moment later, there came a <i>valet de chambre</i> of the Queen to -tell us that <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> had been arrested.”<a name="FNanchor_110_110" id="FNanchor_110_110"></a><a href="#Footnote_110_110" class="fnanchor">[110]</a></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_189" id="page_189"></a>{189}</span></p> - -<p>So soon as the arrest of Condé had been effected, Saint-Géran and La -Curée, with detachments of the Gensdarmes and Light Cavalry of the -Guard, were sent to apprehend Bouillon, Mayenne, and Vendôme; but all -three princes had prudently taken to flight.</p> - -<p>Much to the relief of Marie de’ Medici, the bulk of the populace -remained unmoved, though the Dowager-Princesse de Condé drove about the -streets, crying out: “To arms, good people! The Maréchal d’Ancre has -caused <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> to be assassinated!” A crowd, however, -collected before Concini’s house in the Faubourg-Saint-Germain, broke in -the door and sacked it from basement to attic, after which they were -proceeding to demolish it, when the French Guards arrived and dispersed -them.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“A little while after the arrest of <i>Monsieur le Prince</i>,” says -Bassompierre, “some rioters, or some members of the said prince’s -household, began to throw stones against the windows of the -Maréchal d’Ancre’s house. Then, others joining them with the hope -of plunder, took the pieces of timber from beyond the Luxembourg, -which was then being built, to break open the door of the said -house. Eight or ten men and women who were within escaped, -terror-stricken, by a back door; and a number of masons from the -Luxembourg having joined the mob, they<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_190" id="page_190"></a>{190}</span> entered and pillaged this -rich house, in which they found furniture worth more than 200,000 -crowns. So soon as the Queen-Mother heard of it, she ordered M. de -Liancourt, Governor of Paris, to go and put a stop to the tumult. -He went with the archers of the Watch, but, perceiving that it was -no place for him, returned; and the people continued to pillage all -day, and were not interfered with.... The next day the King -commanded M. de Créquy to take the companies of the French Guards -just relieved from duty and drive away the people, who were -continuing, not to plunder—for that was already accomplished—but -to demolish the Maréchal d’Ancre’s house. This M. de Créquy did, -and placed soldiers there to guard it.”</p></div> - -<p>The same day that Condé was arrested, the King, at his mother’s request, -created Thémines a marshal of France. His appointment, Bassompierre -tells us, aroused great indignation amongst a number of gentlemen who -considered that their own military services gave them a better claim to -that dignity, and they complained loudly, the loudest of all being M. de -Montigny, formerly Governor of Paris, who, while travelling to the -capital that morning, had met Vendôme flying for his life, and had -obligingly lent him his own post-horses, which were fresh, as the -prince’s were exhausted. To pacify Montigny, the King created him a -marshal likewise. Then Saint-Géran, “perceiving that it was only -necessary to complain to get what one wanted,” extorted from his Majesty -a written promise that he too should be made a marshal, while Créquy -obtained a brevet of duke and peer. The Queen-Mother said to -Bassompierre that evening: “Bassompierre, you have not asked for -anything like the others.” “Madame,” was the diplomatic answer, “an -occasion on which we have only performed our simple duty is not one on -which to ask for recompense. But I hope that when, by great services, I -shall have merited them, the King will bestow upon me honours and -emoluments without my asking him.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_191" id="page_191"></a>{191}</span></p> - -<p>On September 5, Marie de’ Medici instituted a Council of War, to which -she summoned the Maréchal de Brissac, Praslin, Saint-Luc, Saint-Géran, -and Bassompierre, and also the recently dismissed Ministers Villeroy and -Jeannin, to discuss the means of raising an army to combat the fugitive -princes, who had established themselves at Soissons, where their -adherents were gathering round them. This Council, however, had only -held one or two meetings, under the presidency of the Maréchal de -Brissac, when a most embarrassing incident caused its sittings to be -suspended.</p> - -<p>It will be remembered that, in 1605, the Comte d’Auvergne, Charles IX’s -son by Marie Touchet, now Madame d’Entragues, had been condemned to -death for high treason, a sentence subsequently commuted by Henri IV to -perpetual imprisonment in the Bastille. This commutation, however, had -not been a formal one, so that the death-sentence remained nominally -suspended over the captive’s head. At the end of the previous June, the -Queen-Mother had set Auvergne at liberty, with the object of opposing -him to the cabal of the Princes; and when, a few weeks later, the news -arrived that Longueville had seized Péronne, she sent him, at the head -of two companies of the French Guards and a detachment of cavalry, to -invest the place. But, by some extraordinary oversight, she had omitted -to furnish Auvergne with the usual letters of <i>abolition</i>, and, in the -absence of his sovereign’s formal pardon for his offences, he occupied a -position somewhat analogous to that of a convict on ticket-of-leave.</p> - -<p>A day or two after the Council of War had been appointed, Auvergne -returned from Péronne, and asked Barbin whether he were expected to -attend its sessions. Barbin gave him to understand that he was; and at -the next meeting of the Council the prince entered the room and coolly -took his seat at the head of the table. Brissac was so overcome with -astonishment and indignation that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_192" id="page_192"></a>{192}</span> he was quite unable to utter any -protest; but Bassompierre, boiling with rage at the sight of a man who -had twice conspired against the life of his beloved master, and was -still technically a traitor under sentence of death, presuming to -attend, much less to preside, over their counsels, rose at once and -moved to one of the windows, beckoning Saint-Géran and Créquy to follow -him. His friends shared his indignation, and, having consulted together, -they called Brissac and told him that it would be “a reproach and a -shame to him” if he suffered the Comte d’Auvergne to take his place. The -marshal thereupon declared that, provided that they and La Curée would -support him—for these four with their troops were masters of the -Louvre—he would kill the count with his own hand, if he returned for -the afternoon session and again took his place at the head of the -council-board. The others applauded this decision, but, happily, Praslin -joined them, and, on learning of what was intended, pointed out that the -wisest course would be to request the Queen-Mother to order the Comte -d’Auvergne not to attend the Council or to suspend its sessions, whereby -they would escape the “inconvenience” which might arise were a marshal -of France to kill a Prince of the Blood at the council-board.</p> - -<p>It was decided to follow his advice, and to delegate to him the duty of -informing the Queen-Mother that they would not permit the count to -preside over the Council or even attend it. Marie de’ Medici, we are -told, took their remonstrances in very good part, and, since she did not -care to offend Auvergne by excluding him from the Council, decided that -that body should not meet again.</p> - -<p>On September 25, Guise and his brother Joinville, who had followed the -other princes to Soissons, with the apparent intention of throwing in -their lot with them, returned to Paris and came to the Louvre to pay -their respects to the Queen-Mother and assure her of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_193" id="page_193"></a>{193}</span> unalterable -fidelity. Her Majesty received them very graciously; nevertheless, she -appears to have entertained a strong suspicion that they had other -motives in returning to the capital. For that evening, when the -courtiers were retiring from her apartments, she desired Bassompierre to -remain, as she wished to speak to him, and said: “Bassompierre, I have -resolved to transfer <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> from here, and intend to -entrust his removal to you. Here is the Maréchal de Thémines, who -arrested him, and who has guarded him in the Louvre with difficulty. But -it is to be feared that, if I keep him here any longer, some attempt may -be made to rescue him, which could easily be done.... Besides, if he -remains here, the King and I are prevented from leaving, should we -desire to go to Saint-Germain or some other place, since, in that event, -he would no longer be in security. In consequence, I have resolved to -place him in the Bastille, and desire that you should take charge of his -removal.”</p> - -<p>“She then told me,” says Bassompierre, “that it was the King’s intention -that I should not wait for <i>li honori, li bieni, li carichi</i>. These were -her words.”</p> - -<p>Bassompierre replied that the honour of her Majesty’s confidence was in -itself sufficient recompense for the slight service which she was -demanding of him, and that he would readily undertake to conduct the -prince safely to the Bastille. About this she need have no fear, since, -even if Condé’s adherents were to get wind of what was intended, long -before they had had time to gather in sufficient numbers to attempt a -rescue, he would have the prisoner under lock and key again.</p> - -<p>He then inquired if the Queen-Mother had any orders to give as to the -manner of the prince’s removal, and, on being told that she left all the -arrangements entirely to his discretion, proceeded to form the escort, -which was composed of 200 of the French Guards and 100 Swiss, chosen -from those who were posted before and behind the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_194" id="page_194"></a>{194}</span> Louvre—for the palace -was guarded night and day, like a beleaguered fortress upon which an -assault might at any moment be delivered—another body of 50 Swiss, whom -he summoned from their quarters in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, a few of -his own and the Queen’s gentlemen, on horseback, a dozen men of the -Gardes du Corps, and six of the Swiss of the Guard (the <i>Cent-Suisses</i>). -The French Guards were posted opposite the gate of the Louvre; the rest -were drawn up in the courtyard, where a coach was in waiting to convey -the prisoner and Thémines, who was to ride with him, to the Bastille.</p> - -<p>His preparations completed, Bassompierre, accompanied by Thémines, -ascended to the room where Condé was confined, and awakened the prince, -“who was in great apprehension,” being evidently under the impression -that they had come to conduct him to execution. Thémines having -reassured him on this score, he went with the marshal down to the -courtyard and entered the coach; Bassompierre mounted his horse, and the -cortège moved off. Bassompierre, with the mounted gentlemen and fifty of -the Swiss, led the way; then came the coach, guarded on either side by -the Gardes du Corps and the Swiss of the Guard, with their partizans and -halberds; while the French Guards and the rest of the Swiss brought up -the rear. Thus they wended their way through the dark, silent streets -towards the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, no one being encountered on their -march save a few belated pedestrians, and, in less than an hour after -they left the Louvre, the gates of the Bastille had closed upon the -first Prince of the Blood.</p> - -<p>Before setting out for the Bastille, Bassompierre had judged it -advisable to send a messenger to assure the Duc de Guise, whose hôtel -lay on their way<a name="FNanchor_111_111" id="FNanchor_111_111"></a><a href="#Footnote_111_111" class="fnanchor">[111]</a> and who, he thought, might take alarm if he -learned that soldiers were approaching, that nothing was intended -against him. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_195" id="page_195"></a>{195}</span> messenger was only just in time, for Guise, warned by -a friend living near the Louvre that troops were assembling at the -palace, and persuaded that his arrest was their objective, had promptly -decided on flight; and he and some of his attendants were already -dressed and preparing to get to horse.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_196" id="page_196"></a>{196}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Serious illness of the young King, who, however, -recovers—Bassompierre and Mlle. d’Urfé—Gay winter in -Paris—Richelieu enters the Ministry as Secretary of State for -War—His foreign policy—His energetic measures to put down the -rebellion of the Princes—Return of Concini—His arrogance and -presumption—Singular conversation between Bassompierre and -Concini, after the death of the latter’s daughter—Policy pursued -by Marie de’ Medici and Concini towards Louis XIII—Humiliating -position of the young King—His favourite, Charles d’Albert, -Seigneur de Luynes—Bassompierre warns the Queen-Mother that the -King may be persuaded to revolt against her authority.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">At</span> the end of October, Louis XIII fell ill, and on All-Hallows’ Eve “had -a convulsion, which it was apprehended would develop into apoplexy.” His -physicians were of opinion that if he had a second attack it would -probably prove fatal; and Marie de’ Medici, on learning of this, sent -for Bassompierre and kept him at the Louvre all night, so as to be in -readiness to summon the Swiss to her support, in the event of the King’s -death. However, the young monarch passed a good night, and by the -morning all danger was over.</p> - -<p>On the following day, Bassompierre set out for Burgundy, at the head of -300 cavalry, to meet and take command of a new levy of two regiments of -Swiss, raised to assist the Government in dealing with the rebellious -Princes. He left Paris with no little reluctance, since he had just -embarked in a new love-affair with Mlle. d’Urfé, who is described by -Tallemant des Réaux as the flower of the Queen’s maids-of-honour; and it -was naturally most provoking to have to go campaigning at such a moment. -However, love had to give place to duty.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre’s orders were to hold the Swiss and his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_197" id="page_197"></a>{197}</span> little force of -cavalry at the disposal of Bellegarde, Governor of Burgundy, who had -been sent into the Bresse to the assistance of Charles Emmanuel’s heir, -the Prince of Piedmont, who was defending Savoy against an army -commanded by his kinsman, the Duc de Nemours. This army had originally -been raised by Nemours to co-operate with the forces of Charles Emmanuel -in the war which had broken out between him and Spain; but the duke had -been persuaded, by the specious promises of the Governor of Milan, to -turn it against his relatives. However, on reaching Provins, -Bassompierre learned that, through the intervention of Bellegarde, a -treaty had been signed between the Prince of Piedmont and Nemours, and -that the latter had disbanded his army.</p> - -<p>At Saint-Jean de Losne, near Beaune, he met the Swiss, and, having -administered to them the usual oath of fidelity, led them to -Châtillon-sur-Seine, where he received orders to send one regiment into -the Nivernais and the other into Champagne, to be distributed amongst -different garrisons in those provinces.</p> - -<p>At the beginning of December, he returned to Paris, eager to sun himself -once more in the smiles of Mlle. d’Urfé; and his disgust may therefore -be imagined when, scarcely had he arrived, than he received a visit from -his kinsman, the wealthy Duc de Cröy,<a name="FNanchor_112_112" id="FNanchor_112_112"></a><a href="#Footnote_112_112" class="fnanchor">[112]</a> who informed him that the -same lady’s charms had made so deep an impression upon him that he -proposed to lay, not only his heart, but his ancient title and all his -possessions at her feet. And, all unconscious that his relative had a -prior claim to Mlle. d’Urfé’s affections, he begged him to make, on his -behalf, a formal proposal for her hand to her parents.</p> - -<p>Dissimulating his mortification, Bassompierre accepted this commission; -but, as he is not ashamed to confess, with the intention of preventing -the marriage, if by any<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_198" id="page_198"></a>{198}</span> means that could be effected. However, “his -efforts were in vain, for the duke surmounted all the difficulties that -he put in his way,” and at the beginning of 1617 Mlle. d’Urfé became -Duchesse de Cröy.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre did not, as we may suppose, waste much time in regrets for -the loss of his inamorata, since, notwithstanding that a civil war was -in progress and that almost every day brought such cheerful intelligence -as that one gentleman’s château had been sacked or another’s unfortunate -tenants rendered homeless, the winter of 1617 in Paris was a very gay -one, and what with dancing, gambling and love-making, his days and -nights must have been pretty well occupied:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I won that year at the game of trictrac, from M. de Guise, M. de -Joinville and the Maréchal d’Ancre, 100,000 crowns. I was not out -of favour at the Court, nor with the ladies, and had a number of -beautiful mistresses.”</p></div> - -<p>To turn, however, from trivial to important matters.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>At the end of 1616 Bassompierre writes in his journal:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“During my journey to Burgundy, the Seals had been taken away from -M. du Vair and given to Mangot, and Mangot’s charge of Secretary of -State to M. de Lusson.”</p></div> - -<p>Now, the “M. de Lusson” of whom Bassompierre speaks was none other than -Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Bishop of Luçon, afterwards -Cardinal de Richelieu, who on November 30, 1616, had entered the -Ministry as Secretary of State for War.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had this great man touched public affairs than it was -recognised that a firmer and surer hand was guiding the helm; a new -spirit seemed to be infused into the Government. The tone of Henri IV -suddenly reappeared in French diplomacy, and the ambassadors at Courts -opposed to the pretensions of the House of Austria,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_199" id="page_199"></a>{199}</span> justly alarmed by -the Spanish marriages, were instructed to inform the sovereigns to whom -they were accredited that these marriages were by no means to be -regarded as portending any intention on the part of the Very Christian -King to embrace the interests of Spain or the Holy See, to the detriment -of the old alliances of France or to the principle of religious -toleration in his realm.</p> - -<p>And, at the same time as he reassured the old allies of France, -Richelieu took energetic measures to put down rebellion at home. He -appealed to public opinion by the issue of pamphlets and proclamations, -in which he effectively combated the arguments advanced by the Princes -to justify their revolt, and pointed out that these same men who -complained of the disorder of the finances had themselves bled the State -to the tune of over fourteen million livres—he gave a schedule showing -the sums paid to each of them—not counting the emoluments of the -charges bestowed upon them and the pensions and <i>gratifications</i> -accorded to their friends and servants.</p> - -<p>Nor did he confine himself to words. This time, the Government, inspired -by him, showed none of its accustomed pusillanimity. A royal declaration -was launched against Nevers, who, now that Condé was in prison, had -assumed the leadership of his party; a second against Mayenne, Vendôme, -and Bouillon; three armies were raised to take the field against them, -which one by one reduced their strongholds to submission; the estates of -many of their supporters were sequestrated; soldiers who had taken up -arms to join them were, if captured, hanged without mercy; and, finally, -a decree, duly registered by the Parlement, notwithstanding that it -struck at at least one of that body, provided for the confiscation of -the property of all the rebels.</p> - -<p>It was the misfortune of Richelieu and his colleagues that they passed -for the creatures of a foreign favourite detested by everyone. At the -beginning of December, 1616, Concini, who had remained in Normandy since -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_200" id="page_200"></a>{200}</span> scene at the Hôtel de Condé which had led to his compulsory -withdrawal from the capital, returned to Paris, more arrogant and more -presumptuous than ever, and burning to avenge the humiliations he had -suffered. To strike terror into the partisans of the Princes, he caused -gibbets to be erected in different parts of the town; he “caused -everyone to be watched and spied upon, even in the houses, to see who -entered or left Paris,” and “imprisoned those who gave him the smallest -umbrage, without any form of trial.” Already in possession of the -citadel of Caen, he occupied the Pont-de-l’Arche, the strongest fortress -in Normandy; proposed to rebuild the fort of Sainte-Catherine, above -Rouen, which had been destroyed during the Wars of Religion; acquired by -purchase the governments of Meulan, Pontoise, and Corbeil; offered -Bassompierre 600,000 livres for his post of Colonel-General of the -Swiss, and was credited with the intention of getting himself named -Constable of France. It was evident that he contemplated making himself -a sort of king in Normandy, and that, when the Princes were crushed, -there would be no limits to his ambition. He had, however, at the -beginning of 1617, a moment of alarm and despondency. The death of his -only daughter, Marie Concini, to whom he was tenderly attached and for -whom he had dreamed of some alliance which would unite his fortunes to -those of one of the great families of France, struck him with a -superstitious fear, as the precursor of the ruin of himself and his -wife.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The marshal’s daughter fell ill and died,” writes Bassompierre, -“at which both he and his wife were cruelly afflicted. I shall -relate a conversation which passed between him and myself on the -day of her death, by which one may see that he had a prevision of -what afterwards happened to him.</p> - -<p>“I went to visit him on the morning of that day, and again after -dinner, at that little house on the Quai du Louvre to which he and -his wife had retired. But he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_201" id="page_201"></a>{201}</span> given orders that I was to be -requested to defer our interview until some other time, and -afterwards he sent to ask me to come to see him at his house in the -evening. Finding him in sore distress, I endeavoured sometimes to -console, sometimes to divert, him; but his grief augmented the more -I spoke to him, and he answered nothing to all I said, save: -‘Signor, I am undone! Signor, I am ruined! Signor, I am miserable!’ -At last, I bade him consider the character of a marshal of France, -which he represented, and which did not permit of him indulging in -lamentations, pardonable in his wife, but unworthy of him. And I -went on to say that assuredly he had lost a very amiable daughter -and one who would have been very useful to advance his fortunes, -but that he had four nieces to take his daughter’s place, who might -afford him as much consolation, if he brought them to live with -him, and much support to his fortunes, by means of alliances with -four of the great families of France, of which he would have the -choice. And I said several other things which God inspired me to -tell him. At length, after weeping for some time, he said to me:—</p> - -<p>“ ‘Ah, Monsieur! I do truly regret my daughter, and shall regret her -so long as I live. Yet am I a man who could patiently endure such -an affliction; but the ruin of myself, my wife, my son,<a name="FNanchor_113_113" id="FNanchor_113_113"></a><a href="#Footnote_113_113" class="fnanchor">[113]</a> and my -family which I see approaching before my eyes and which, owing to -the obstinacy of my wife, is inevitable, makes me lament and lose -all patience. I reveal this to you as to a true friend, from whom I -have all my life received assistance and friendship, and to whom, I -confess, I have not rendered the like, or acted as I should and -might have done. But, <i>basta!</i> I will make amends, please God! -Know, Monsieur, that ever since I mingled with the world I have -learned to know it, and to see, not only the elevation of fortunes -but their decline and fall; and that a man attains to a certain -point of felicity, after which he descends or falls headlong, -according to the height which he has reached. If you did not know -the meanness of my origin, I should<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_202" id="page_202"></a>{202}</span> endeavour to disguise it from -you; but you saw me in Florence, debauched, dissolute; sometimes in -prison, sometimes banished, and always plunged in a disorderly and -evil course of life. I was born a gentleman and of good parentage; -but when I came to France, I had not a sou and owed 8,000 crowns. -My marriage and the favour of the Queen gave me great influence -during the lifetime of the late King, and brought me much wealth, -advancement, charges and honours during the regency of the Queen; -and I laboured to second and push on Fortune as much as any man -could have done, so long as I perceived that she was favourable. -But when I recognised that she was ceasing to favour me, and that -she was giving me warnings of her departure and her flight, I -resolved to make an honourable retreat and to enjoy in peace, with -my wife, the great riches which the liberality of the Queen had -bestowed upon us or our own industry had acquired. For which -reason, for some months past, I have importuned my wife in vain, -and at every blow I receive from Fortune I renew my entreaties. -When I saw that a powerful party had arisen in France which had -taken me for the pretext for its revolt, and had proclaimed me one -of the five tyrants whom it was seeking to destroy;<a name="FNanchor_114_114" id="FNanchor_114_114"></a><a href="#Footnote_114_114" class="fnanchor">[114]</a> when M. -Dolet, who was my creature,<a name="FNanchor_115_115" id="FNanchor_115_115"></a><a href="#Footnote_115_115" class="fnanchor">[115]</a> my counsellor, my trusted friend, -and, I may say, my servant, died; when an infamous shoemaker of -Paris put an affront upon me—upon me, a marshal of France!—when I -was forced to quit my establishments in Picardy and my citadel of -Amiens, and to leave Ancre as a prey to M. de Longueville, my -enemy; when I was compelled to retire, or rather to fly, into -Normandy, I represented to my wife that amongst the great -obligations we owed to God, that of warning us to retreat was not -the least. We have seen since then our house sacked, with the loss -of more than 200,000 crowns; and we have seen two of our people -hanged before our faces for having given, as we ordered them, a -beating to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_203" id="page_203"></a>{203}</span> that scoundrel of a shoemaker. What had we to wait for -but the death of my daughter to warn us that our ruin is at hand, -but that there is yet the chance to escape, if we resolve promptly -to seek a retreat. For this I have provided by offering the Pope -600,000 crowns for the usufruct during our lives of the duchy of -Ferrara, where we might have passed the remainder of our days in -peace and have still left two millions in gold to our children. And -this I will make apparent to you. We have real property to the -value of at least a million livres in France: in the marquisate of -Ancre, Lesigny, my house in the Faubourg (Saint-Germain) and this -one. I have redeemed our estate at Florence, which was mortgaged, -and my share in it is worth 100,000 crowns. I have a million livres -besides, even after the pillage of our house, in furniture, jewels, -plate and money. My wife and I have also appointments which will -sell for a million livres at a fair valuation, in those of -Normandy, First Gentleman of the Chamber, Intendant of the Queen’s -Household, and <i>dame d’atours</i>, retaining my office of marshal of -France. I have 600,000 crowns invested with Fedeau,<a name="FNanchor_116_116" id="FNanchor_116_116"></a><a href="#Footnote_116_116" class="fnanchor">[116]</a> and more -than 100,000 pistoles in other concerns. Might we not, Monsieur, be -content with this? Have we anything further to wish for, if we do -not desire to offend God, Who is warning us by such evident signs -of our entire ruin? I have been all the afternoon with my wife -imploring her to retire; I have been on my knees before her, -seeking to persuade her the more effectively. But she is more -determined than ever to remain, and reproaches me with wishing to -abandon the Queen, who has given us, or enabled us to acquire, so -many honours and so much wealth. Monsieur, I see myself so -irremediably ruined that, if I were not, as everyone knows, under -such great obligations to my wife, I would leave her and go where -neither the nobles nor the people of France would come to seek me. -Judge, Monsieur, whether I have not reason for my distress, and -whether, apart from the loss of my daughter, the approach of this -second disaster ought not to torment me doubly.’<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_204" id="page_204"></a>{204}</span></p> - -<p>“I said what I could to console him and divert him from these -thoughts,” concludes Bassompierre, “and withdrew. I wish to show -from this discourse how men, especially those whom Fortune has -elevated, have inspirations and forebodings of disaster, without -possessing the resolution to prevent or escape it.”</p></div> - -<p>Concini’s despondency passed as quickly as it had come, and scarcely was -his daughter in her grave, than he was once more flaunting his wealth -and his power in the faces of Court and town. No Prince of the Blood had -ever gone abroad attended by a more numerous or more gorgeous retinue; -his pride was so great that he scarcely deigned to notice the existence -of any but the great nobles; while, as for the Ministers, he regarded -them as his servants, and not finding them sufficiently docile, planned -to replace them by creatures of his own. Marie de’ Medici herself began -to grow weary of the presumption of the husband and the ill-humour of -the wife, who appears to have been a martyr to neuralgia, and often -treated her mistress in a manner against which even the Queen-Mother’s -sluggish nature rebelled. At length, she suggested the advisability of -the precious pair returning to Florence with the spoil which they had -amassed; but Concini wished to tempt Fortune to the end.</p> - -<p>Fortune, however, might have smiled on him for some time longer, if only -he had possessed sufficient foresight to assure himself of the affection -of the young King. Unhappily for him, he had done just the contrary. On -his advice, the Queen-Mother had pursued towards Louis XIII much the -same policy which Catherine de’ Medici had adopted in the case of -Charles IX, and carefully kept at a distance from her son all those whom -she considered might attempt to inspire him with a thought of ambition. -But, less astute than Catherine, Marie had seen no reason to distrust a -Provençal gentleman, Charles Albert, Seigneur de Luynes, twenty-three -years older than the King, who excelled in the training of hawks and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_205" id="page_205"></a>{205}</span> -falcons. Falconry was a sport in which Louis XIII delighted above all -others, and he soon became so much attached to Luynes that his -<i>gouverneur</i> Souvré grew jealous and forbade the latter to enter the -King’s chamber. Héroard, Louis XIII’s first physician, relates in his -curious <i>Journal</i> that the lad was overcome by grief and indignation on -learning of this; begged his mother to dismiss Souvré, and “from excess -of anger, had five days of fever.” From “Master of the birds of the -Cabinet” the young King made his favourite chief of his -gentlemen-in-ordinary, and in 1615 gave him the government of Amboise.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding that her son had now, according to the laws of France, -attained his majority, Marie de’ Medici excluded him from Councils and -all discussion of State affairs, and forbade the Ministers and -Counsellors of State even to speak to him, on the ground that his -Majesty’s health was too delicate for him to be troubled with the cares -of his realm. As he grew older, the Queen-Mother and Concini watched him -more closely, and, fearing lest he might escape from them, no longer -allowed him to visit Saint-Germain or Fontainebleau, on the pretext -that, in the disturbed condition of the country, it was unsafe for the -King to leave Paris. For some months past, therefore, the unfortunate -youth, who was passionately fond of hunting, had been deprived of his -favourite amusement, and had found himself reduced to a walk in the -Tuileries, where he might often be seen watching the gardeners at their -work and sometimes helping them.</p> - -<p>Often the Maréchal d’Ancre, escorted by two or three hundred gentlemen, -passed through the courtyard of the Louvre, on his way to or from the -Queen-Mother’s apartments, before the eyes of his sovereign, who was -generally accompanied only by Luynes and a few valets; and the young -monarch, who was not without a sense of his kingly dignity, was shocked -that a subject should<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_206" id="page_206"></a>{206}</span> venture to parade his ill-gotten wealth in this -fashion in his own palace. For, thanks to Luynes, he was by this time -perfectly well-informed as to the source of Concini’s riches. He himself -was habitually kept short of money, and, on one occasion, was unable to -obtain a sum of 2,000 crowns from the Treasury, the Queen-Mother having -given orders that it was to be refused him. And, to complete his -humiliation, Concini offered to advance him the money. The parvenu -boasted of having raised at his own expense a force of 6,000 Liégeois -for service against the Princes, and wrote to the King begging him not -to trouble about the expense which he had incurred for his Majesty’s -service—as though his vast fortune was not entirely composed of the -money of him he was pretending to oblige.<a name="FNanchor_117_117" id="FNanchor_117_117"></a><a href="#Footnote_117_117" class="fnanchor">[117]</a></p> - -<p>It seems strange that Marie de’ Medici and Concini, so careful to keep -away from the King everyone whom they considered might encourage him to -assert his independence of his mother’s tutelage, should have for so -long entertained no suspicion of Luynes. At length, however, their eyes -began to be opened, and one day towards the end of January, 1617, Luynes -sent one of his servants to Bassompierre to inform him that the -Queen-Mother purposed to exile him (Luynes) from the Court, on the -ground that “he wished to carry off the King and take him out of Paris,” -and to ask for his good offices to disabuse her Majesty’s mind. These -were unnecessary, as it proved to be merely a rumour; but “Luynes made -the King believe that it was the Maréchal d’Ancre who had spread this -report, to see how the King would take it; whereby the King became more -and more incensed against the Maréchal d’Ancre, and high words passed -between Luynes and the said marshal.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The same evening,” continues Bassompierre, “as the Queen was -speaking to me about this matter, I said to her: ‘Madame, it seems -to me that you do not think<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_207" id="page_207"></a>{207}</span> enough of yourself, and that, one of -these days, they will take away the King from under your wing. They -are inciting him against your creatures first, and afterwards they -will incite him against you. Your authority is only precarious, -which will cease from the moment that the King no longer desires -it, and they will harden him little by little until he does not -desire it any more. And it is easy to persuade young people to -emancipate themselves. If the King were to go, one of these days, -to Saint-Germain, and were to order M. d’Épernon and myself to come -there to him, and then told us that we were no longer to recognise -your authority, we are your very obliged servants, but we should be -unable to do any other thing than to come and bid you farewell, and -to beg you very humbly to excuse us, if, during your administration -of the State, we had not served you as well as we ought to have -done. Judge, Madame,” I continued, “whether the other officers -would be able to act otherwise, and whether you would not be left -with empty hands after such an administration.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_208" id="page_208"></a>{208}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Bassompierre joins the Royal army in Champagne as Grand Master of -the Artillery by commission—Surrender of -Château-Porcien—Bassompierre is wounded before Rethel—He sets out -for Paris in order to negotiate the sale of his office of -Colonel-General of the Swiss to Concini—He visits the Royal army -which is besieging Soissons—A foolhardy act—Singular conduct of -the garrison—The Président Chevret arrives in the Royal camp with -the news that Concini has been assassinated—Details of this -affair—Bassompierre continues his journey to Paris—His adventure -with the Liégeois cavalry of Concini.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">About</span> the middle of March, Bassompierre was sent as Grand Master of the -Artillery by commission to join the army of Champagne, commanded by the -Duc de Guise, who had as his second in command the Maréchal de Thémines, -while Praslin was also serving under him. He found the army laying siege -to Château-Porcien, situated on the right bank of the Aisne, two leagues -from Rethel. Nevers, who was Governor of Champagne and Brie and Duc de -Rethelois, occupied, in virtue of this double title, several places in -that part of the country, and their reduction was the chief object of -the campaign.</p> - -<p>Guise bombarded the citadel of Château-Porcien for some days with little -effect; but when he turned his guns on the town, it speedily -surrendered; and Bassompierre, with four companies of the French Guards -and as many of the Swiss, marched in and took possession. In the course -of the day the commandant of the citadel sent to ask for a parley, and -was conducted by Bassompierre to Guise’s quarters, where, after a lively -discussion as to whether or not the garrison were to be permitted to -march out with the honours of war, terms were arranged, and next morning -the citadel capitulated.</p> - -<p>After Guise, with a part of his cavalry, had made an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_209" id="page_209"></a>{209}</span> unsuccessful -attempt to surprise an infantry regiment of the enemy quartered in a -village near Laon, and the Château of Wassigny had been taken, Thémines -was despatched to Rocroi to dismantle and bring up six of the guns from -that fortress; and on April 8 the army advanced to Rethel and laid siege -to it.</p> - -<p>Here Bassompierre’s troubles began; and artillery officers who served -during the late war in that part of France under similar climatic -conditions will appreciate the difficulties with which he had to -contend.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Rain fell continuously,” he says, “and, as the soil in the -Rethelois is clay, we encountered a thousand difficulties, chiefly -in moving our cannon, which sunk in it over the axle-trees. At last -we made ready a battery of eight pieces below the town, but when I -came on Friday morning, the 14th of April, to see if Lesines<a name="FNanchor_118_118" id="FNanchor_118_118"></a><a href="#Footnote_118_118" class="fnanchor">[118]</a> -had kept his promise to have the eight pieces in position by -daybreak, I found that there were only two. A third was at thirty -paces from the battery, sunk so deeply in the ground that they had -been unable to move it; while a fourth was a hundred paces distant. -This last had been abandoned by the officers because, in bringing -it up, a driver and some of the horses had been killed, upon which -the other drivers had unyoked their horses and fled.”</p></div> - -<p>However, Bassompierre had his redoubtable mountaineers to fall back on.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Then,” he continues, “I took fifty Swiss, to whom I promised fifty -crowns, to bring those two pieces into position for me; and they -harnessed themselves to them in place of the horses, having first -dug a trench beneath the wheels of each piece and lined it with -stout planks, so as to prevent it from sinking deeper in the mud. -We drew the first into position without being fired upon from the -town; but, as we were occupying ourselves with the more distant -one, and had drawn it close to the battery, and I was lending them -a hand, the enemy fired a salvo<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_210" id="page_210"></a>{210}</span> at us, by which two Swiss were -killed and three wounded, and I myself hit by a musket-ball in the -right side of the abdomen. I thought that I was wounded to the -death, and the Maréchal de Thémines, who was in the battery, -thought so too. However, God willed that the quantity of clothes -which the ball encountered (for it pierced five folds of my cloak -and two folds of my furred <i>hongroline</i>, my sword-belt, and my -coat-skirt) caused it to stop on the peritoneum without penetrating -it, so that when the wound was probed the ball was found in the -thick flesh of the belly, where they made an incision, and out it -fell. I only kept my bed for one day, although my wound was a month -in healing, by reason of the cloth which was within.”</p></div> - -<p>The following day, Praslin, who had replaced Bassompierre in command of -the artillery, was also wounded by a musket-ball in the thigh, while -directing the fire of the battery. But the ball did not injure the bone, -and he was cured as quickly as his friend.</p> - -<p>Rethel surrendered a few days later, and Guise, after placing a garrison -there, resolved to lay siege to Mézières, where Nevers himself -commanded. But, before doing this, he decided to send for additional -siege-guns, and, as it would be at least ten days before they could -arrive, Bassompierre asked for leave to go to Paris, in order to -negotiate the sale of his office of Colonel-General of the Swiss to -Concini. The marshal, as we have mentioned, had offered him 600,000 -crowns for the post; but Bassompierre had asked for another 50,000, -which the other was not at the time inclined to give. However, he was -evidently so anxious to secure it that it was very probable that he -would be willing to reconsider his offer.</p> - -<p>The same evening he received very gracious letters from the King and -Queen-Mother, who appear to have been under the impression that he was -far more severely wounded than was the case, and another from the -Maréchal d’Ancre, “who wrote me,” says he, “that, if I were trying to -get myself killed, he would like to be my heir; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_211" id="page_211"></a>{211}</span> that, if I were -well enough to come to Paris to conclude the matter of the Swiss, he -would give me, instead of the 50,000 francs in dispute, 10,000 crowns’ -worth of jewels at a goldsmith’s valuation.”</p> - -<p>On April 21 he left Rethel, accompanied by the Marquis de Thémines, -eldest son of the marshal, the Comte de Fiesque, Zamet, and more than -fifty officers, who had also obtained leave, which appears to have been -granted with amazing liberality in those days. But, instead of making -straight for Paris, they decided to take a busman’s holiday by breaking -their journey at Soissons, to see what progress the Comte -d’Auvergne—now formally rehabilitated and therefore once more fit for -the society of gentlemen—was making with the siege of that town, in -which Mayenne commanded for the princes. On the 23rd they arrived in the -Royal camp, where they were met by the Duc de Rohan, La Rochefoucauld, -Saint-Géran and Saint-Luc, who conducted them to the general’s quarters.</p> - -<p>To their astonishment, they learned that, though Auvergne had been -blockading Soissons for more than ten days, the trenches had not yet -been opened; indeed, it appeared to be an open question whether he was -to be regarded as the besieger or the besieged, since they found him -engaged in giving instructions for the erection of formidable earthworks -to defend his troops against the perpetual sorties of the garrison, who -gave him no rest. Only the previous night, Mayenne, who possessed all -the dashing courage of his House, had sallied out, bringing with him two -field-pieces, attacked and practically destroyed the regiment of -Bussy-Lameth,<a name="FNanchor_119_119" id="FNanchor_119_119"></a><a href="#Footnote_119_119" class="fnanchor">[119]</a> made its colonel prisoner and carried off its -colours, which were now mockingly displayed on the bastions of the town. -However, notwithstanding this unfortunate incident,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_212" id="page_212"></a>{212}</span> Auvergne seemed -brimful of confidence, and assured them that within a fortnight he would -be master of Soissons.</p> - -<p>The next day, after making the round of the camp, under the guidance of -an officer, who pointed out to him the parts of the town which it was -proposed to bombard, Bassompierre agreed with La Rochefoucauld, who, -like himself, was a visitor to Auvergne’s army, to show their hosts what -fine fellows they were, and to do what at this epoch, when rashness so -often passed for valour, appears to have been regarded as a proof of the -highest courage.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“As we were of a different army,” says he, “and wished to let them -see that we had no fear of musket-shots, we went out to draw the -enemy’s fire upon us. They, however, allowed us to approach without -firing, and, since we did not wish to return without seeing them -shoot, we walked right up to the edge of the moat. Still they did -not fire. When we noticed their silence, we broke ours and shouted -insults at them, which they returned, but never fired a shot. At -length, after talking together for rather a long time, just as if -we belonged to the same side, we retired; and they let us depart -without once firing at us.”</p></div> - -<p>The explanation of this singular conduct on the part of the besieged was -not long in coming. That evening, Bassompierre, with Auvergne and Rohan, -were supping with the Président Chevret, of the Chambre des Comptes, who -had come to visit the army in connection with some legal business, when -one of the president’s clerks arrived in all haste from Paris and -whispered something to his master, who appeared very astonished. Then -Chevret turned and spoke in a low voice to Auvergne, who sat next him, -and Bassompierre remarked that the prince seemed no less astonished than -the president. He begged them to let him know what news they had -received, upon which they told him that, at eleven o’clock that morning, -the Maréchal d’Ancre had been killed by the Marquis de Vitry, one of the -captains of the Guards, and that it had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_213" id="page_213"></a>{213}</span> been done by the King’s orders! -Then Bassompierre remembered that when, a few hours before, he and La -Rochefoucauld were standing on the edge of the moat of Soissons, one of -the garrison had shouted to them: “Your master is dead, and ours has -killed him!”—words to which he had attached no importance at the -time—and marvelled that the enemy should have received so much earlier -information of the event than the Royal army.</p> - -<p>But let us see what had been happening in Paris since Bassompierre’s -departure for the army in the middle of March, which had culminated in -the tragedy of that morning.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>We have related, in the last chapter, how Marie de’ Medici and Concini -had begun to grow suspicious of the influence that Louis XIII’s -favourite, Luynes, had acquired over the mind of the young King, and how -a rumour had spread that he was about to be banished from the Court. No -action, however, had been taken against him; nevertheless, Luynes felt -quite certain that his disgrace was only a question of time, and he -resolved to anticipate his enemies. Clever and crafty, greedy and -ambitious, and entirely without scruple, this Provençal was a dangerous -man, and, while seeking by a show of subservience to the Queen-Mother -and the marshal to disarm the suspicions they had formed of him and so -secure a respite to enable him to execute his projects, he worked -unceasingly to embitter the young King’s mind against them. He succeeded -so well that at length Louis was fully persuaded that his crown and even -his life were in peril, and that his mother and Concini contemplated -setting his younger brother on the throne, in order to have a new -minority to exploit.</p> - -<p>Having persuaded the King of his danger, Luynes spoke of the various -means of escaping it, and these were debated in midnight councils -between the King of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_214" id="page_214"></a>{214}</span> France, his favourite, Déageant, Barbin’s chief -clerk, who had been gained over by Luynes,<a name="FNanchor_120_120" id="FNanchor_120_120"></a><a href="#Footnote_120_120" class="fnanchor">[120]</a> an obscure priest, three -gentlemen, a soldier, a gardener from the Tuileries, and some valets. -The composition of this strange council, as Henri Martin observes, was -indeed a biting satire on the education which Marie de’ Medici had given -her son and the isolation in which she had left him. The King proposed -to make his escape from Paris and to retire to Amboise, of which place -Luynes was governor, or to join the army of the Princes. But Luynes, who -desired to render the mother and the son irreconcilable, rejected these -expedients in favour of one more easy and more sure: that of getting rid -of Concini by surprise. And this was decided upon.</p> - -<p>The Marquis de Montpouillan, one of the sons of the Maréchal de la -Force, and a playmate of Louis XIII in his boyhood, was admitted to -their confidence; and Montpouillan, a young man of a bold and violent -disposition, offered to poniard Concini in the King’s cabinet, if his -Majesty would but get him there. The marshal came; but, at the last -moment, Luynes’s courage failed him, and he would not allow the design -to be executed.</p> - -<p>The conspirators then addressed themselves to the Marquis de Vitry, one -of the captains of the Guards, who entered on his term of service at the -beginning of April. He was a son of that Vitry who had arrested Biron at -Fontainebleau fifteen years earlier, and one of the few men at the Court -who had refused to bow before the power of the favourite. Assured that -Vitry would be prepared to execute any orders that he might receive, -Louis XIII sent for him and directed him to arrest the Maréchal d’Ancre -as he was entering the Louvre to visit the Queen-Mother, which he did -every morning when he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_215" id="page_215"></a>{215}</span> was in Paris. The bâton of a marshal of France -was to be his reward, if he succeeded. “But, if he defends himself?” -said Vitry. “Then,” cried Montpouillan, “the King intends you to kill -him!” “Sire, do you command me?” asked the officer, turning to the King. -“Yes, I command you to do it,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>About ten o’clock on April 24, Concini entered the Louvre by the great -gate on the side of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, accompanied by some fifty -gentlemen. The moment he passed the gate, a signal was given and it was -closed; and Vitry, followed by several of his men with pistols hidden -beneath their cloaks, advanced to meet him. He joined the marshal -between the drawbridge and the bridge which led to the inner court of -the palace, and laying his hand on his right arm, said: “The King -commands me to seize your person.” “<i>À moi!</i>” cried Concini; but -scarcely had he spoken, than several pistol-shots rang out, and he fell -dead on the parapet of the bridge. “It is by order of the King,” cried -Vitry, and the murdered favourite’s followers, who had laid their hands -on their swords, dispersed without attempting to avenge him.</p> - -<p>Louis XIII and Luynes were waiting anxiously in the King’s <i>cabinet des -armes</i>, prepared to fly if the blow miscarried, for which purpose a -coach was in readiness near the Tuileries. The cries of “<i>Vive le Roi!</i>” -told them that it had succeeded, and a moment later d’Ornano, the -colonel of the Corsicans, son of the marshal of that name, came knocking -at the door of the cabinet. “Sire,” cried he, “now you are King! The -Maréchal d’Ancre is dead!” Louis XIII hurried to the window, and -d’Ornano, seizing his young sovereign round the body, lifted him up to -show him to the cheering crowd of gentlemen and soldiers of the Guard -who had gathered in the courtyard below. “<i>Merci! Merci à vous!</i>” cried -Louis, and then repeated the words of d’Ornano: “Now I am King!”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_216" id="page_216"></a>{216}</span></p> - -<p>The King gave orders that the Parlement and the municipal authorities -should be informed of what had occurred, and announced his intention of -recalling “the old servants of his father.” Villeroy, Jeannin, and the -oldest of the Counsellors of State at once hurried to the Louvre, and -couriers were despatched to summon the Sillerys and the ex-Keeper of the -Seals, Du Vair, who had been banished from Paris.</p> - -<p>Meantime, tidings of the tragedy had been carried to the Queen-Mother. -Marie understood at once that it was the end of her power. “<i>Povretta de -mi!</i>” she exclaimed. “I have reigned for seven years; I have nothing -more to expect but a crown in heaven!” One of her attendants remarked -that they did not know how to break the terrible news to the Maréchale -d’Ancre, who was in her own apartments. But at such a moment the Queen -had no thought for anyone but herself. “I have many other things to -think about,” she exclaimed impatiently. “Do not speak to me any more -about those people.” And she refused to see her hapless favourite, who, -a few minutes later, was arrested and conducted to the Bastille. Marie -then sent one of her gentlemen to her son to request an interview. It -was curtly refused, and shortly afterwards her guards were removed from -the ante-chamber and replaced by soldiers of the Gardes du Corps, every -exit from her apartments, save one, blocked up, and she found herself a -prisoner.</p> - -<p>Marie’s Ministers fell with her. Mangot, the Keeper of the Seals, was at -the Louvre; Luynes took the Seals from his hands and bade him begone. -Barbin was arrested and sent to join the widow of Concini in the -Bastille. Richelieu attempted to make head against the storm and -repaired to the King’s apartments, where he found his Majesty receiving -the felicitations of a crowd of courtiers with the air of one who had -just gained a great battle. The King received him graciously enough, and -told him that he knew him to be a stranger to the evil<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_217" id="page_217"></a>{217}</span> designs of the -Maréchal d’Ancre and that “it was his intention to treat him well”; -while Luynes advised him to go to the Council, which was assembling. He -went and found Villeroy, Jeannin and Du Vair seated at the -council-table. Villeroy, with a triumphant air, demanded in what quality -M. de Luçon presented himself there; the others “continued to expedite -affairs without occupying themselves with him.” “And so,” he writes, -“after having been in that place long enough to say that I had entered -there, I softly withdrew.”</p> - -<p>While this revolution of the palace was proceeding, Paris resounded with -acclamations, and when evening fell, bonfires blazed at all the -crossways. The people went almost frantic with joy at their deliverance -from the arrogant foreign favourite whom they had come to regard as a -public enemy. The Parlement, which hastened to declare that “the King -was not bound to justify his action,” the municipality, all the public -bodies of the town, sent deputations to felicitate his Majesty, and -everyone applauded his <i>coup de main</i> as if he had committed the finest -action in the world. “They gave him the name of ‘Just,’ for having -caused a man to be killed without trial!” observes Henri Martin.</p> - -<p>This explosion of public joy was followed by atrocious scenes. The -following morning some noblemen’s lackeys, followed by a rabble drawn -from the dregs of the populace, entered the Church of Saint-Germain -l’Auxerrois, where the body of Concini, “naked, in a wretched sheet,” -had been secretly buried the previous night, disinterred it, dragged it -through the streets with obscene cries, in which the name of the -Queen-Mother was mingled with that of the murdered marshal, and finished -by tearing it to pieces and burning the remains before the statue of -Henri IV on the Pont-Neuf.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>At three o’clock in the morning of the 25th, the Comte de Tavannes, -grandson of the celebrated marshal<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_218" id="page_218"></a>{218}</span> of that name, arrived in Auvergne’s -camp with orders from the King to suspend hostilities against Soissons; -and, a few hours later, Bassompierre and his party set out for Paris. -Scarcely had they crossed the Aisne, than they encountered a regiment of -Liégeois cavalry, part of the force which had been raised by Concini for -service against the Princes. The Liégeois, who had just learned of the -marshal’s assassination, called upon them to halt, and their officers -held a sort of informal council of war. Bassompierre suspected that it -was their intention to take him and his friends along with them as -hostages for their safe return to their own country; and when presently -an officer detached himself from the rest and came towards them, he -assumed the air of a hunted fugitive and, before the other had time to -open his mouth, inquired anxiously whether, if his party joined them, -they would undertake not to surrender them if called upon to do so. The -officer, thinking from this that they must be some of the Maréchal -d’Ancre’s personal following, who were perhaps pursued, told him bluntly -the Liégeois had quite enough to do to provide for their own safety, and -that everyone must look to himself. Upon which he turned on his heel and -rejoined his comrades, and the whole regiment mounted their horses and -rode away. Bassompierre and his friends waited until they were out of -sight, and then resumed their journey to Paris.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_219" id="page_219"></a>{219}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Bassompierre arrives in Paris—Marie de’ Medici is exiled to -Blois—Bassompierre’s account of the parting between Louis XIII and -his mother—The rebellious princes return to Court and are -pardoned, but Condé remains in the Bastille—His wife solicits and -receives permission to join him there—Arrest of the Governor and -Lieutenant of the Bastille, on a charge of conniving at a secret -correspondence between Barbin and the Queen-Mother—Bassompierre is -placed temporarily in charge of the fortress—The Prince and -Princesse de Condé are transferred to the Château of -Vincennes—Bassompierre goes to Rouen to attend the assembly of the -Notables—A rapid journey.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">On</span> the following day—April 26—Bassompierre reached Paris and lost no -time in waiting upon Louis XIII, who received him very graciously and -“commanded him to love M. de Luynes, who was a good servant.” He -inquired if he might be permitted to pay his respects to the -Queen-Mother, who since the 24th had been kept a close prisoner in her -apartments. The King replied that he would consider the matter, which -meant that the request did not meet with his approval. Bassompierre, -however, was anxious not to appear to fail in respect to a princess who -had been so good a friend to him, and whose disgrace, besides, might -very well prove to be but a temporary one. And so, in default of being -able to convey them himself, he sent his compliments to her Majesty -every evening, through the medium of her dressmaker, the only person, -with the exception of her servants, who was permitted to enter her -apartments.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, negotiations were in progress for the Queen-Mother’s -retirement from Paris and the Court, upon which Luynes had persuaded the -King to insist. It was Richelieu who negotiated the conditions on -Marie’s behalf. That astute personage, recognising that the victorious -party was not inclined to pardon him, had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_220" id="page_220"></a>{220}</span> attached himself to Marie de’ -Medici, who had appointed him chief of her counsellors, hoping ere long -to succeed in reconciling her with Luynes and Louis XIII, or with Louis -XIII against Luynes, and, in either event, to recover the position he -had lost. He obtained, after considerable difficulty, permission for her -to reside no further off than Blois, for which she set out on May 3.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre has left us an interesting account of the parting between -Louis XIII and his mother, of which he was an eye-witness:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“All the morning people seemed to be doing nothing but load carts -with the Queen’s baggage. The King, meantime, was at the Council, -where the things which the Queen was to say to the King on parting -from him, and the answers which the King was to make, were decided -upon and committed to writing. It was also agreed that nothing -further should be said on either side, and that when the Queen was -dressed for her journey, the princesses should see her, while the -men were to take leave of her after the King had done so. Neither -the Maréchal de Vitry<a name="FNanchor_121_121" id="FNanchor_121_121"></a><a href="#Footnote_121_121" class="fnanchor">[121]</a> nor his brother, Du Hallier<a name="FNanchor_122_122" id="FNanchor_122_122"></a><a href="#Footnote_122_122" class="fnanchor">[122]</a> were to -be amongst them.</p> - -<p>“Then the King descended to the Queen’s apartments; where the Queen -was awaiting him in the passage leading from her chamber, so as to -enter it at the same moment as he did. The three Luynes<a name="FNanchor_123_123" id="FNanchor_123_123"></a><a href="#Footnote_123_123" class="fnanchor">[123]</a> walked -before the King, who held the eldest by the hand. M. de Joinville -and I followed the King and entered after him. The Queen kept a -good countenance until she saw the King approaching. Then she began -to weep bitterly and put<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_221" id="page_221"></a>{221}</span> her handkerchief to her eyes and her fan -before her face; and, when they met, she led him to the window -which overlooks the garden, and removing her handkerchief and her -fan, spoke as follows: ‘Monsieur, I am sorry that I have not -governed your State during my regency and my administration more to -your satisfaction than I have done. Nevertheless, I assure you that -it was neither from lack of care nor endeavour; and I beg you to -regard me always as your very obedient servant and mother.’ -‘Madame,’ replied the King, ‘I thank you very humbly for the care -and pains you have taken in the administration of my kingdom, with -which I am content, and hold myself obliged to you; and I beg you -to believe that I shall always be your very humble son.’</p> - -<p>“Upon this the King expected that she would stoop to kiss him and -take leave of him, as had been arranged. But she said to him: -‘Monsieur, I am going to crave a parting favour of you, which I -wish you to promise that you will not refuse me. It is that you -will restore to me my intendant Barbin.’ The King, who was not -expecting this demand, looked at her without making any reply. She -said to him again: ‘Monsieur, do not refuse me this request that I -am now making you.’ But he continued to look at her without -answering. She added: ‘Perhaps it is the last I shall ever make -you.’ And then, seeing that he answered nothing, she said: -‘<i>Orsu!</i>’ and then stooped and kissed him. The King made a -reverence and then turned his back. Upon that M. de Luynes advanced -to take leave of the Queen, and spoke to her some words which I -could not hear, nor yet those in which she answered him. But after -he had kissed the hem of her gown, she added that she had made a -request to the King to restore Barbin to her, and that he would be -doing her an agreeable service and a singular pleasure in -prevailing upon the King to grant her request, which was not so -important that he ought to refuse it. As M. de Luynes was about to -reply, the King cried five or six times: ‘Luynes, Luynes, Luynes!’ -And upon that M. de Luynes, making the Queen understand that he was -obliged to go after the King, followed him. Then the Queen leaned -against the wall between the two windows and wept bitterly. M. de -Chevreuse [Joinville] and I kissed the hem of her gown,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_222" id="page_222"></a>{222}</span> weeping -likewise; but either she was unable to see us by reason of her -tears, or she did not wish to speak to or look at us. This caused -me to wait to take leave of her a second time, which I did as she -was returning to her chamber. But she did not see me, or wish to -see me, any more than on the first occasion.</p> - -<p>“Upon that the King placed himself on the balcony before the -chamber of the Queen, his wife, to see the departure of the Queen, -and, after she had left the Louvre, he hastened into his gallery to -see her again as she passed over the Pont-Neuf. Then he entered his -coach and went to the Bois de Vincennes.”</p></div> - -<p>On May 5, the rebellious princes Vendôme, Mayenne and Bouillon, who, on -learning of Concini’s death, had hastened to lay down their arms, open -the gates of their fortresses and disband their soldiers, as though they -had been fighting only against the favourite, came to Vincennes, -accompanied by a number of their principal followers, to salute the King -and assure him of their allegiance. Although Louis XIII must have known -very well that no reliance whatever could be placed in their professions -of loyalty, and that, unless he made it worth their while to keep the -peace, they would rise again on the first plausible pretext, they were -received as though they had taken up arms for, and not against, the -royal authority. On May 12 a declaration of the King reinstated them in -all their property, honours, and offices, and excused them having taken -up arms, “although unlawfully,” on the ground that they had done so in -order to defend themselves against the tyranny of the Maréchal d’Ancre.</p> - -<p>Logic would have demanded that the reconciliation should have gone -further, and that Condé, whose arrest had been the pretext for the -revolt, should have been released from the Bastille and reinstated as -chief of the Council. Nothing of the kind happened, however. Louis XIII -entertained a strong antipathy to his turbulent kinsman, which need -occasion no surprise; Luynes<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_223" id="page_223"></a>{223}</span> feared that he might attempt to dispute -his ascendancy over the young King; while the other princes, who were -bound to their chief neither by affection nor even by party-loyalty, did -not press for his liberation. And so he remained a prisoner.</p> - -<p>The King stayed at Vincennes for some days and then returned to Paris; -but, shortly afterwards, removed to Saint-Germain. After having been so -long confined to the capital and a sedentary life, he was revelling in -his new-found liberty, and the opportunity it afforded him of indulging -in his favourite sports of hawking and hunting.</p> - -<p>While the Court was at Saint-Germain, the Princess de Condé arrived -there to ask the King’s permission to share her husband’s captivity. -Although, for some time before Condé’s arrest, the relations between him -and his wife had been very cool, the princess, on learning of the -misfortune that had befallen him, had shown real magnanimity. Without a -moment’s delay, she set out for Paris—she was at Valery at the -time—sent the prince messages assuring him of her sympathy and -devotion, and begged the Queen-Mother to allow her to join him. Her -request, however, was refused, and she received orders to leave Paris at -once and return to Valery.</p> - -<p>Now, however, she did not plead in vain, and Louis XIII not only granted -her request, but gave her permission to take with her “one demoiselle -and her little dwarf, who had begged his Majesty to consent to his not -abandoning his mistress.” The same day (May 26) the princess entered the -Bastille, “where she was received by <i>Monsieur le Prince</i> with every -demonstration of affection, nor did he leave her in repose until she had -said that she forgave him.”<a name="FNanchor_124_124" id="FNanchor_124_124"></a><a href="#Footnote_124_124" class="fnanchor">[124]</a></p> - -<p>In the following October, the authorities of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_224" id="page_224"></a>{224}</span> Bastille were -discovered to be conniving at a secret correspondence which Barbin was -carrying on with the Queen-Mother, and first Bournonville, the -Lieutenant of the fortress, and brother of the Governor, the Baron de -Persan, and subsequently Persan himself, were arrested.<a name="FNanchor_125_125" id="FNanchor_125_125"></a><a href="#Footnote_125_125" class="fnanchor">[125]</a> -Bassompierre was then sent with sixty Swiss to take charge of the -Bastille, but he did not have the Prince and Princesse de Condé under -his supervision, as, about a month previously, they had been transferred -to the Château of Vincennes, where Condé was allowed a great deal more -liberty than had been permitted him in Paris. Bassompierre only remained -at the Bastille about ten days, at the end of which he received orders -to hand over the command to the new favourite’s youngest brother, -Brantes.</p> - -<p>In December Bassompierre went to Normandy to attend the assembly of the -Notables which Louis XIII was holding at Rouen. While he was there, news -arrived that the Princesse de Condé had given birth to a still-born -child and was in a critical condition; and the King being desirous of -sending some important personages to make inquiries on her behalf, or, -in the event of the princess being dead, to offer his condolences to -Condé, Bassompierre and the Duc de Guise offered to go. They set out in -a coach, a kind of conveyance which did not usually lend itself to rapid -travelling; but, by arranging for an unusual number of relays, reached -Paris the same day, and made the return journey with similar expedition. -Bassompierre assures us that never before had a journey by coach been -made in so short a time at that season of the year.</p> - -<p>The princess recovered, “though she was more than forty-eight hours -without movement or feeling,” and “never was a person in greater -extremity without dying.”<a name="FNanchor_126_126" id="FNanchor_126_126"></a><a href="#Footnote_126_126" class="fnanchor">[126]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_225" id="page_225"></a>{225}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Luynes succeeds to the power and wealth of Concini—Trial and -execution of Concini’s widow, Leonora Galigaï—Luynes begins to -direct affairs of State—His marriage to Marie de Rohan—Conduct of -the Duc d’Epernon—His quarrel with Du Vair, the Keeper of the -Seals—His disgrace—He begins to intrigue with the -Queen-Mother—Escape of the latter from Blois—Treaty of -Angoulême—The Court at Tours—Arnauld d’Andilly’s account of -Bassompierre’s lavish hospitality—Favours bestowed by the King on -Bassompierre—Meeting between Louis XIII and the -Queen-Mother—Liberation of Condé—Bassompierre entertains the King -at Monceaux—He is admitted to the Ordre du Saint-Esprit.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> heir of the power of Concini was Luynes. He was, as we have -mentioned, a gentleman of Provence—a very unimportant gentleman the -Court had thought him before he had contrived to insinuate himself into -the good graces of the young King. His father, an officer of fortune, -the fruit, if we are to believe Richelieu, of a <i>liaison</i> between one -d’Albert, a canon of Marseilles, and a chambermaid, was the owner of the -Château of Luynes, near Aix, the vineyard of Brantes, and the islet of -Cadenet in the middle of the Rhone, <i>seigneuries</i>, says Bassompierre, -which a hare could jump over, but which, in default of revenues, -furnished titles for his three sons. Charles Albert, the eldest, had -begun life as page to the Comte du Lude, and was afterwards placed by -Henri IV with the Dauphin. Both he and his younger brothers, Brantes and -Cadenet, were exceedingly good-looking men, skilled in all bodily -exercises, well-educated and possessed of ingratiating manners; but -there were no limits to their ambition or their greed, and they did not -intend to allow any little scruples to stand in the way of their -advancement.</p> - -<p>Despite the adage:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Devrait-on hériter de ceux qu’on assassine,”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_226" id="page_226"></a>{226}</span></p> - -<p>Luynes inherited, not only the power of Concini, but also the greater -part of his charges and possessions: lieutenancy-general of Normandy, -government of the Pont-de-l’Arche, domain of Ancre (the name of which -was changed to Albert), his post of First Gentleman of the Chamber, his -hôtel in Paris, his estate of Lesigny, and so forth. When people saw the -confiscated property of the Concini pass straight from the royal demesne -into the greedy hands of the new favourite, they began to ask themselves -whether the country was after all likely to gain much by the change that -had taken place.</p> - -<p>But the confiscation of the property of the Florentine couple, though it -might suffice, for the moment, the cupidity of Luynes, did not suffice -his policy. He desired to widen the gulf which he had opened between -Louis XIII and his mother,<a name="FNanchor_127_127" id="FNanchor_127_127"></a><a href="#Footnote_127_127" class="fnanchor">[127]</a> by dragging the name of the latter -through the mire of a criminal court; and, at his instigation, the -Maréchale d’Ancre was brought to trial as a sorceress who had bewitched -the Queen-Mother by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_227" id="page_227"></a>{227}</span> her arts,<a name="FNanchor_128_128" id="FNanchor_128_128"></a><a href="#Footnote_128_128" class="fnanchor">[128]</a> and on July 8, 1617, condemned to be -burned alive in the Place de Grève for the crime of <i>lèse-majesté</i> human -and divine.</p> - -<p>It was with great difficulty, however, that Luynes succeeded in -obtaining this verdict. The Advocate-General, Lebret, at first refused -to demand the death penalty, and it was only on Luynes giving him his -word that the prisoner would be pardoned after the decree that he -consented to do so. But the only clemency that the unfortunate woman was -able to obtain was that her head should be cut off before her body was -committed to the flames. She died with great courage and resignation.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>The death of Villeroy, in November, 1617, enfeebled the group of old -counsellors who had been recalled to office after the assassination of -Concini; and Luynes, whose favour with the King was constantly -increasing, began to direct the State, although he was totally ignorant -of public affairs. His Government benefited for some time by the -unpopularity of the Maréchal d’Ancre; the grandees remained tranquil, -and Luynes, by his marriage with the beautiful Marie de Rohan, daughter -of the Duc de Montbazon, destined one day to become so celebrated under -the name of the Duchesse de Chevreuse, assured himself of the support of -the House of Rohan.</p> - -<p>Alone amongst the great nobles, d’Épernon did not hurry himself to come -and compliment the King on his assumption of the government of his realm -and to salute the man to whom he had delegated the royal authority. As -Colonel-General of the French Infantry, d’Épernon was a power in the -land, and when at last, towards the end of March, 1618, he condescended -to visit the Court, the colonels of all the regiments stationed in and -around Paris and in Picardy and Champagne went so far as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_228" id="page_228"></a>{228}</span> Étampes to -meet him and escort him to the capital. Haughty and choleric and -excessively touchy on the question of his rights, this former <i>mignon</i> -of Henri III was not long in mortally offending the King, already -incensed against him by his long delay in presenting himself at Court, -which Luynes had not failed to represent as a gross want of the respect -due to his sovereign.</p> - -<p>Finding that Du Vair, to whom the Seals had been restored after the -dismissal of Mangot, was in the habit of taking his seat at the Council -above all the nobles, even when the Chancellor was present, although the -Keeper of the Seals was not an officer of the Crown, his gorge rose at -once, and he went to the King to protest against so intolerable an -affront to his own dignity and that of his order. Du Vair happened to be -with the King, and, says Bassompierre, “as M. d’Épernon was a little -violent, he attacked the Keeper of the Seals, who answered him more -sharply than he should have done.” Three days later, Louis XIII summoned -the duke and Du Vair to his cabinet, and, in the presence of -Bassompierre and several other courtiers, ordered them to be reconciled. -By way of answer, d’Épernon shrugged his shoulders, upon which the young -monarch, who was seated, rose in great indignation, and severely -reprimanded him. Then, observing that he had affairs of importance to -attend to, he abruptly quitted the room.</p> - -<p>D’Épernon retired, followed by Bassompierre, but, to their astonishment, -they found all the doors of the ante-chamber closed and locked. It -looked “as though the King intended to have the duke arrested, and had -given orders for the doors to be secured, in order to allow time for an -officer of the Guards to be summoned.” However, it occurred to -Bassompierre that perhaps the door leading to the King’s private -staircase, which was opposite that of his chamber, might not be locked, -and, finding it unfastened, he fetched d’Épernon, and they descended -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_229" id="page_229"></a>{229}</span> stairs and made their way to the Salle Haute, where the old noble’s -attendants were awaiting him.</p> - -<p>As d’Épernon was leaving the Louvre, he asked his friend “to send him -warning if anything had been resolved against him.” Bassompierre -accordingly spoke to Luynes on the subject, and was informed that, as M. -d’Épernon intended going to his government of Metz, he would be well -advised to hasten his departure, since there were persons who might -incite the King against him. Bassompierre, of course, understood very -well who it was who was likely to incite the King.</p> - -<p>On being assured that his Majesty was prepared to treat him as though -nothing had happened when he went to ask permission to retire to Metz, -d’Épernon proceeded to the Louvre, where the King received him “with a -very good countenance,” and granted his request. Louis XIII was under -the impression that the duke intended to leave Paris the following day; -but, five days later, while the King was at Vanves, a village in the -environs of the capital, he learned that d’Épernon was still there and -that a great number of people were visiting him. His Majesty angrily -told Bassompierre that if, when he returned to Paris on the morrow, he -found M. d’Épernon there, it would be the worse for him; and Luynes -advised Bassompierre to go and tell him that “he would not remain much -longer, if he were wise.” This he did, and d’Épernon requested him to -inform the King that he would leave Paris before noon on the morrow. He -took his departure within the time specified, but, instead of proceeding -to Metz, he only went so far as Fontenay-en-Brie, near Coulommiers, -where he had a country-seat. Louis XIII was furious, and proposed to -send a detachment of the Guards to arrest him; but the Chancellor, -Sillery, who was a friend of d’Épernon, sent a messenger in all haste to -the duke to warn him of what was intended, and d’Épernon, recognising -that he had presumed too far on the young monarch’s forbearance, lost no -time in resuming his journey to Metz.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_230" id="page_230"></a>{230}</span></p> - -<p>Although d’Épernon had only himself to blame for his disgrace, he was -none the less bitterly incensed against the King and his favourite; and, -to avenge his outraged dignity, forthwith proceeded to establish a -secret correspondence with the Queen-Mother, whom he urged to protest by -force of arms against the treatment she was receiving, and promised to -support by every means in his power.</p> - -<p>Marie required little prompting: she had already resolved to make her -escape. Thanks to the enmity of Luynes, she found herself little better -than a prisoner in the Château of Blois; all correspondence with persons -at the Court was forbidden her; Richelieu, who had aroused the -suspicions of the favourite, had been banished to Avignon, and other -members of her entourage had also been removed. Nevertheless, she -dissimulated her resentment, and in April, 1619, consented, at the -instance of a Jesuit, Père Arnoux, whom Luynes sent to her, to sign a -declaration, in which she swore “before God and His angels,” to submit -in all things to the wishes of the King, and to warn him immediately of -“all communications and overtures contrary to his service.”</p> - -<p>Luynes, however, continued to offend her. At the end of 1618, an embassy -from Savoy came to Paris to demand the hand of her younger daughter, -Christine, for the Prince of Piedmont, eldest son of Charles Emmanuel. -Marie was not consulted, the King confining himself to informing her of -the betrothal; and on February 10, 1619, the marriage was celebrated -without her being invited. It was the last straw; she resolved to fly at -the first favourable opportunity. D’Épernon, anticipating her intention, -had left Metz, towards the end of January, without permission of the -King, and gone to await her in the Angoumois; and, in the night of -February 21-22, Marie made her escape to Blois and went to Angoulême, -whence she wrote to her son, demanding the redress of her grievances.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_231" id="page_231"></a>{231}</span></p> - -<p>Luynes was at first greatly alarmed, fearing that the Princes, already -beginning to show signs of irritation at the increasing power of the -favourite, might join the Queen-Mother; but they remained quiet. In -these circumstances, he might easily have crushed d’Épernon; but he -wished to avoid war, and accordingly sent the Cardinal de la -Rochefoucauld and Père Bérulle, the famous preacher of the Oratoire, to -propose peace to Marie, and recalled Richelieu from Avignon “to pacify -her mind.” In this task the prelate succeeded, and on April 30, 1619, he -signed with the Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld a treaty at Angoulême which -authorised the Queen-Mother to dispose of the offices of her Household -and to reside where she pleased, and gave her, in exchange for the -government of Normandy, that of Anjou, with the Château of Angers, the -Ponts-de-Cé and Chinon. D’Épernon, against whom the usual royal -declaration had been launched, recovered his charges and appointments, -and Richelieu was given to understand that he might hope for a -cardinal’s hat at no very distant date.</p> - -<p>However, Louis XIII, who had been on the point of setting out with the -Court for the Loire when the news that peace had been signed reached -him, determined to carry out his intention, Luynes no doubt thinking -that, in view of the possibility of further trouble with the -Queen-Mother, a visit of the young King to that part of his realm might -be productive of good results. After a short stay at different towns, -including Amboise, from which letters announcing the peace were sent to -the Parlement of Paris for registration, at the end of May the Court -arrived at Tours, where, says Bassompierre, “we remained three months -and passed our time very pleasantly.”</p> - -<p>Arnauld d’Andilly, in his <i>Mémoires</i>, has left us an interesting picture -of life at Tours and, more particularly, of the lavish hospitality -dispensed by Bassompierre:—<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_232" id="page_232"></a>{232}</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“While at Tours, I happened to be lodged near M. de Bassompierre, -who kept a table which you might say was worthy of one of the -greatest nobles of the Court, since it was always full. He did me -the honour to invite me to come every day and pressed me in such -fashion that, not being acquainted with any of these grandees so -intimately that I believed myself competent to say that there was -no one in France of my condition who lived so habitually or on such -familiar terms with them, I was unable to refuse a civility so -obliging. Those whom I met there were, apart from their rank, -persons of a merit so great, that some had filled already, and -others have filled since, the most important offices of State, and -commanded armies. Thus, there was much to learn from their -conversation, and nothing was more agreeable than the pleasant -familiarity with which they lived together. Ceremony, the -constraint of which is insupportable to those who are nourished in -the air of the great world, was unknown there. Each one seated -himself where he pleased. Those who came the latest never failed to -find a place at the table, although the others may already have -been there a long while. However great was the good cheer provided, -no one ever spoke about eating. People came without saying -good-day, and went away without saying adieu. And the conversation -ranged over all kinds of topics, and was, not only agreeable, but -instructive.”</p></div> - -<p>On leaving Tours, the Court paid short visits to Le Lude, in the Maine, -where the King was the guest of the Comte du Lude, whose page Luynes had -once been, La Flèche, and Durtal, where he was entertained by the Comte -de Schomberg. His Majesty was exceedingly gracious to Bassompierre about -this time. On the death of the old Swiss colonel Galatty he offered him -the choice of that veteran’s appointments; gave him the Abbey of -Honnecourt, in the diocese of Cambrai, for one of his ecclesiastical -friends, who appears to have contented himself with drawing the revenues -of the benefice and did not even take the trouble to get instituted -until twenty-five years later; and bestowed other favours upon him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_233" id="page_233"></a>{233}</span></p> - -<p>At the beginning of September, the Court returned to Tours, the King -having decided that it would be advisable to placate his mother, who was -complaining that the terms of the treaty signed at Angoulême had not -been properly executed, by a personal interview. On September 4 Marie -de’ Medici arrived at Couzières, a country-house belonging to Luynes’s -father-in-law, the Duc de Montbazon, where she was received by the -favourite, who was accompanied by all the princes and great nobles. On -the following day she arrived at Tours, being met at some little -distance from the town by Anne of Austria and all the princesses.</p> - -<p>Marie remained with the King until the 19th, and then left for Chinon -<i>en route</i> for Angers, while the Court proceeded to Amboise.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre does not give us any information about Louis XIII’s -attitude to his mother during these two weeks, but, if we are to believe -Richelieu, he showed towards her “an incredible tenderness.” Anyway, -Luynes appears to have become very uneasy, fearing lest the meeting at -Tours might lead to a more or less complete reconciliation between -mother and son; and one of his first acts when the Court returned to -Paris was to persuade the King to set Condé at liberty and restore him -to all his offices and dignities (October 20, 1619). He judged—and -rightly, as it proved—that the harsh treatment to which the first -Prince of the Blood had been subjected during the early months of his -imprisonment in the Bastille would have so embittered him against the -Queen-Mother, that he could be trusted to use all his influence to -prevent the <i>rapprochement</i> which the favourite had so much cause to -dread. And, to nullify the effects of the “incredible tenderness” of -which Richelieu speaks, he caused to be inserted in the declaration of -Condé’s innocence, which was registered by the Parlement on November 26, -words which could not fail to be most offensive to Marie de’ Medici: -“Being informed,” said the King, “of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_234" id="page_234"></a>{234}</span> reasons by which his detention -has been excused, I have found that there was no cause, save the -machinations and evil designs of his enemies, who desired to join the -ruin of my State to that of my cousin.”</p> - -<p>In November, the King spent a fortnight at Monceaux, and Bassompierre, -who was captain of the château, entertained him most magnificently. At -the close of the year there was a large promotion to the Ordre du -Saint-Esprit, five prelates and fifty-nine nobles being admitted. -Bassompierre was amongst the latter, his name figuring twenty-fourth on -the list of the new knights.</p> - -<p>The promotions to the Ordre du Saint-Esprit furnished Marie de’ Medici -with yet another grievance, and she complained bitterly that they -comprised all her chief enemies, to the exclusion of the friends whom -she had recommended. Luynes seemed bent on exasperating her beyond -endurance, and on making her little Court at Angers, where she had now -established herself, a centre of disaffection.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_235" id="page_235"></a>{235}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">The grandees, irritated by the increasing power and favour of -Luynes, decide to make common cause with the Queen-Mother against -him—Departure of Mayenne from the Court—He is followed by -Longueville, Nemours, Mayenne and Retz—Formidable character of the -insurrection—Bassompierre receives orders to mobilise a Royal army -in Champagne—He informs the King that the Comte de Soissons, his -mother, the Grand Prieur de Vendôme and the Comte de Saint-Aignan -intend to leave Paris to join the rebels—Alarm and indecision of -Luynes—Advice of Bassompierre—It is finally decided to allow them -to go—Success of Bassompierre in mobilising troops in Champagne -despite great difficulties—The Duc de Bouillon sends a gentleman -to him to endeavour to corrupt his loyalty—Reply of -Bassompierre—The town and château of Dreux surrender to him—He -joins the King near La Flèche with an army of 8,600 men—Combat of -the Ponts-des-Cé—Peace of Angers.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Luynes</span> had contrived to exasperate many other important personages -besides Marie de’ Medici. The irritation of the grandees against him was -increasing, in proportion as they beheld the King accumulating new -favours on the head of his parvenu favourite. Luynes and his two -brothers, Cadenet and Brantès, “devoured everything.” Between them they -had acquired eighteen of the most important governments in the kingdom, -and had all three blossomed into dukes, the eldest brother having been -created Duc de Luynes, the second Duc de Chaulnes, while the youngest -had married the heiress of the duchy of Piney-Luxembourg, and had -secured the revival of that title in his favour. Cadenet had also been -provided with the hand of a wealthy heiress of an illustrious house, and -had become, not only a duke and peer, but a marshal of France. As for -Luynes, he appeared to consider the bâton of marshal unworthy of his -grandeur, and awaited a favourable opportunity of girding on the sword -of Constable. Nor, while the three brothers were thus enriched and -aggrandized, were their poor relations<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_236" id="page_236"></a>{236}</span> forgotten; they arrived “by -battalions” from Provence and had their share of the spoils.</p> - -<p>By family alliances Luynes had assured himself of the support of Condé, -Lesdiguières and of all the Guises, with the exception of the cardinal, -and he governed both the King and the State. The Ministers were only -consulted as a matter of form. The engagements to the Queen-Mother were -not kept; and, as the finances were in a state of indescribable -confusion, the pensions of the grandees, with the exception of those who -had the good fortune to be related by marriage to the favourite or his -brothers, remained unpaid.</p> - -<p>Before the winter was over the patience of the grandees was exhausted, -and they decided to make common cause with the Queen-Mother against this -new Concini. “In the middle of Lent,” writes Bassompierre, “M. de -Mayenne quitted the Court without taking leave of the King.”<a name="FNanchor_129_129" id="FNanchor_129_129"></a><a href="#Footnote_129_129" class="fnanchor">[129]</a></p> - -<p>Mayenne’s unceremonious departure sounded the first note of warning. -Others were not long in coming. At short intervals during the spring, -Vendôme, Longueville, Nemours and Retz followed the example of the -Lorraine prince, and when it became known that Vendôme, after going to -his country-seat in Normandy, had proceeded to join the Queen-Mother at -Angers, the Court could no longer doubt what was in the wind. The King -and Luynes, much alarmed, pressed Marie to return to Court; but she did -not wish to reappear there, “save with honour and safety,” and did not -consider the guarantees which were offered her sufficient. Richelieu -counselled her to take the risk, but the grandees who surrounded the -Queen-Mother opposed it, and civil war was decided upon.</p> - -<p>In appearance, this insurrection was the most formidable that had been -seen since the accession of Louis XIII.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_237" id="page_237"></a>{237}</span> The malcontents believed -themselves to be masters of France from Dieppe to Bayonne, and -possessed, besides, in the East of France, the important position of -Metz, of which d’Épernon was governor, which would permit them to -introduce into the kingdom foreign mercenaries. Luynes was at first -greatly perturbed; but Condé, eager to be avenged on the Queen-Mother, -reassured him, and urged him to take vigorous measures to meet the -danger. The plan of campaign they decided upon was well conceived. They, -with the King, would march into Normandy with what troops could be -spared from the defence of the capital, while Bassompierre, who had been -appointed <i>maréchal de camp</i>—a rank corresponding to -brigadier-general—of the troops in garrison in Champagne and on the -frontier of Lorraine, went there to mobilise as large a force as -possible. Then, when the safety of Normandy had been assured, they would -turn southwards; Bassompierre would join them at some point north of the -Loire, and their united forces would march on Angers.</p> - -<p>On June 29 Bassompierre was entering the Louvre, to take leave of the -King, before setting out for Champagne, when a note in a woman’s -handwriting was slipped into his hand, informing him that the Comte de -Soissons<a name="FNanchor_130_130" id="FNanchor_130_130"></a><a href="#Footnote_130_130" class="fnanchor">[130]</a> and his mother proposed to leave Paris that night to join -the Queen-Mother at Angers, and that the Grand Prieur de Vendôme, the -duke’s younger brother, and the Comte de Saint-Aignan were going with -them. Shortly afterwards, he happened to meet the Chevalier d’Épinay, -Commander of Malta, who was a friend of the Grand Prior, and questioned -him on the matter, when the chevalier said that he had been correctly -informed, and added that he himself was to be of the party.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre found the King in his cabinet with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_238" id="page_238"></a>{238}</span> Luynes, and informed -them of what was intended. They both appeared very much disturbed at his -news, and the King, who was going that afternoon to the Château of -Madrid, in the Bois de Boulogne, said that he should remain in Paris, -and announced his intention of sending for the Comte de Soissons and -having him arrested. Luynes and Bassompierre, however, pointed out that -“to arrest so great a personage without certain proofs did not seem to -them to be expedient, and that the affair merited to be weighed and -debated before any resolution was arrived at.” And Luynes advised the -King not to postpone his journey, “for fear of frightening the game,” -and said that he himself would remain in Paris and keep Bassompierre -there that day, and that, so soon as they had come to a decision, they -would acquaint his Majesty with it. He also asked that the Light Cavalry -of the Guard, which his youngest brother now commanded, should be placed -at his disposal, in order that he might effect the arrest of the prince -and his friends, if that course were deemed advisable.</p> - -<p>Louis XIII accordingly set off for Madrid, and Bassompierre, Luynes, his -two brothers, and several of their friends met in solemn conclave at the -favourite’s hôtel in the Rue Saint-Thomas du Louvre to weigh and debate -this important matter. Luynes seemed in great perplexity, nor did his -relatives and friends appear able to help him to come to any definite -decision. At length, he turned to Bassompierre, who had hitherto -remained silent, and begged him to give them the benefit of his counsel.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre modestly disclaimed any desire to express an opinion upon -affairs of State, particularly upon a matter so intricate and delicate -as the one under discussion. However, said he, as M. de Luynes had done -him the honour to seek his counsel, he would give it for what it was -worth.</p> - -<p>He then said that, in this affair, he must speak like a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_239" id="page_239"></a>{239}</span></p> - -<p><a name="CHARLES" id="CHARLES"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/i_238fp_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_238fp_sml.jpg" width="301" height="410" alt="Image unavailable: CHARLES D’ALBERT, DUC DE LUYNES, CONSTABLE OF FRANCE. - -From a contemporary print." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">CHARLES D’ALBERT, DUC DE LUYNES, CONSTABLE OF FRANCE. -<br /> -From a contemporary print.</span> -</div> - -<p class="nind">shopkeeper, and say that there were only two alternatives: to take him -or to leave him. If they decided to let <i>Monsieur le Comte</i> depart in -peace, they might either say nothing to him at all, or inform him that -his design was known, but that it was a matter of indifference to the -King whether he executed it or not. If, on the contrary, they decided to -arrest him, there were several ways in which it might be effected: they -might advise the King to summon him to Madrid, warn him that he was -informed of his design, and that, in the circumstances, he felt obliged -“to assure himself of his person”; or they might send the Light Cavalry -to invest his hôtel and arrest him there; or as he was leaving his -house, or at the gates of the town; or, finally, at Villapreux (three -leagues from Versailles), the rendezvous where Saint-Aignan and d’Épinay -were to join him.</p> - -<p>“It is now for you, Monsieur,” he concluded solemnly “to deliberate upon -and decide whether it be advisable to arrest him or let him go; and, -should you judge it necessary to arrest him, to make choice also of one -of the ways which I have proposed to you, and to execute it promptly and -surely.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Upon that,” observes Bassompierre, “M. de Luynes was in greater -uncertainty than ever”—we can well believe it—“and I was -astonished to see the little aid and comfort which he received from -the other gentlemen present, who showed themselves as irresolute as -he was.”</p></div> - -<p>They continued their deliberations all the afternoon, and when evening -came they were as far off a decision as ever. Then Bassompierre, whose -patience was exhausted, said to Luynes: “Monsieur, you are wasting time -in resolving what course ought to be pursued. It grows late; the King -must be growing anxious at not hearing anything from you. Come to some -decision.”</p> - -<p>“It is very easy for you to talk,” answered the favourite petulantly; -“but if you held the handle of the frying-pan, as I do, you would be in -a like difficulty.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_240" id="page_240"></a>{240}</span></p> - -<p>Bassompierre then suggested that perhaps, in the circumstances, it might -be as well to take the Ministers into his confidence. Now, as we have -mentioned already, M. de Luynes never condescended to consult these -unfortunate old gentlemen—“the dotards” as they were irreverently -called—except as a matter of form. Nevertheless, such was his -perplexity on this occasion, that he caught at the proposal as a -drowning man catches at a straw, and despatched a messenger in all haste -to summon the Ministers to assemble at the Chancellor’s house. Thither -the conference adjourned, and, after a good deal of further discussion, -it was resolved to let Soissons and his mother take their departure and -to say nothing to them about it. This decision was arrived at on the -advice of Jeannin, who pointed out that such vain and meddlesome persons -as these two were more likely to cause dissensions in the Queen-Mother’s -party than to strengthen it; that, when hostilities began, it would be -better to have them outside Paris than hatching mischief within its -walls; and, further, that it would be easy at any time to draw <i>Monsieur -le Comte</i> away from his confederates by pecuniary inducements, in which -event he would very probably be followed by the other princes, since -these exalted personages were like a flock of sheep: when one took the -leap, the others followed him.</p> - -<p>And so, at eleven o’clock that night, the Soissons and their friends -left Paris by the Porte Saint-Jacques, and went off to join the -Queen-Mother at Angers, no man hindering them; and on the following -morning Bassompierre set out for Champagne.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre passed the first night of his journey at Château-Thierry, -where he received most alarming intelligence, to the effect that a -gentleman of the name of Loppes, who was in the service of the Duc de -Vendôme, was waiting with a troop of light horse between that town and -Châlons, with the intention of making him a prisoner and carrying him -off to Sedan. However, the rumour<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_241" id="page_241"></a>{241}</span> proved to be a false one, and he -arrived safely at Châlons without seeing anything of M. de Loppes or his -troop. Nevertheless, having ascertained that that gentleman was at his -country-house some few miles from Châlons, he considered it advisable to -pay him a visit, lest haply he should only have postponed the sinister -designs attributed to him to some more convenient season.</p> - -<p>A promise, in the King’s name, of the command of the troop in which he -was now only a lieutenant sufficed to draw the most fervid expressions -of loyalty from M. de Loppes; and he volunteered to escort Bassompierre -with thirty of his men to Vitry, where two companies of the regiment of -Champagne were in garrison.</p> - -<p>On the following morning, Bassompierre reviewed the garrison, which he -found pretty well up to strength, and sounded the officers, who appeared -loyal enough, though the lieutenant-colonel was under suspicion. -However, as he was away on furlough, and not likely to return for some -time, there was nothing to be feared from him.</p> - -<p>From Vitry Bassompierre proceeded to Verdun, where he arrived on July 6. -Here there was a different tale to tell.</p> - -<p>There were two regiments in garrison at Verdun: that of Picardy and that -of the Comte de Vaubecourt.<a name="FNanchor_131_131" id="FNanchor_131_131"></a><a href="#Footnote_131_131" class="fnanchor">[131]</a> The latter had its full complement of -all grades, but the Regiment of Picardy could not muster a third of its -strength; and he was informed that part of the absentees had gone off to -serve as volunteers in Germany, where the Thirty Years’ War was just -beginning; while the rest had been seduced from their duty by the -Marquis de la Valette, d’Épernon’s second son, and had thrown themselves -into Metz with him.</p> - -<p>The following day, Bassompierre received a letter from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_242" id="page_242"></a>{242}</span> Louis XIII, -informing him that he was proceeding at once into Normandy to save -Rouen, which Longueville was endeavouring to raise against him, and -ordering him to assemble all the forces he could muster at -Saint-Menehould, leaving Vaubecourt’s regiment to garrison what places -in Champagne he considered necessary, and then to march with all -possible speed to Montereau, where he would receive further orders.</p> - -<p>At Verdun Bassompierre received a visit from M. de Fresnel, Governor of -Clermont-en-Argonne, who was intimately acquainted with the military -resources of that part of France. Fresnel warned him that he would find -in every garrison-town the same condition of things as at Verdun, and -that, apart from Vaubecourt’s regiment, he doubted whether he would be -able to muster 2,000 men. The magazines, however, were full and capable -of equipping any number of men; and, if he were prepared to offer a -bounty to everyone who enlisted, he believed that plenty of recruits -would be forthcoming.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre readily agreed to give the bounty which Fresnel advised, -though he had to find the money out of his own pocket, and in a few days -Fresnel had raised 800 men on his estates in the Argonne, with whom and -another 120 furnished by the town of Verdun, he filled the ranks of the -Regiment of Picardy. The Bailiff of Bar, a personal friend of his, sent -him 300, whom he drafted into the Regiment of Champagne; another 300 -came from the Valley of Aillant, in the Yonne. The drum was beaten -vigorously at Vitry, Saint-Dizier, Châlons, Rheims, Sens and other -towns, and each of them furnished its contingent, with the result that -he soon found himself at the head of what, for those times, was quite a -formidable force, though, as the great majority of the men thus obtained -were raw recruits who had never been under fire, their fighting value -was not very great. However, he had the consolation of knowing that the -rebel forces would undoubtedly be at the same disadvantage.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_243" id="page_243"></a>{243}</span></p> - -<p>Bassompierre had the good fortune to have at his disposal a number of -experienced commissariat-officers, and the arrangements he was thus -enabled to make for the rapid march of his army westwards, -notwithstanding that it was then the height of a very hot summer, appear -to have left little to be desired, and to have shown a solicitude for -the soldier’s comfort and well-being most unusual at this epoch.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“After deciding,” he says, “upon the routes which my troops were to -follow, I decided upon my marches, which I made longer than was -customary, to wit, nine or ten leagues per day. I gave orders that -each regiment should start at three or four in the morning and -march until nine o’clock, by which time it should have covered five -leagues. And I arranged that the halting-place should be near some -river or brook, where it would find a cart containing wine and -another filled with bread awaiting it, to refresh the soldiers. -Here they would rest until three of the afternoon, in order to -avoid marching during the heat of the day, and then take the road -again. And I further arranged that when they reached the village -where they were to pass the night, they should find the beasts that -were to provide their meal already slaughtered, for which I paid -one half of the cost, and the village the other. By this means, the -soldier, perceiving the care that I took that he should want for -nothing, performed without a murmur these long marches so far as -Montereau.”</p></div> - -<p>On July 13, towards evening, Bassompierre arrived at Poivre, where he -had arranged to pass the night. Shortly afterwards, he received a visit -from a Huguenot gentleman named Despence, with whom he had some slight -acquaintance, and whom he invited to sup with him. When they rose from -table, M. Despence led him into the garden adjoining the house, and -there inquired if he might speak to him frankly and “in all security”; -by which he meant that whatever the nature of the communication he -wished to make might be, Bassompierre would afterwards suffer him to -depart in peace.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_244" id="page_244"></a>{244}</span></p> - -<p>Bassompierre having given him the assurance he demanded, he informed him -that he came from Sedan, on behalf of the Duc de Bouillon, who had -charged him to say that while the duke, as a soldier himself, could not -help but commend the zeal and energy which M. de Bassompierre was -employing in raising and equipping troops and overcoming the -difficulties with which he had to contend, he wondered greatly what -could be the motive which prompted him to all this activity. Could it be -that he entertained some personal animosity against the Queen-Mother, to -whom, he had always understood, he was indebted for many benefits, or -had M. de Luynes placed him under some great obligation? The duke -desired to point out to M. de Bassompierre that the Queen-Mother and the -princes and nobles who supported her had not taken up arms to attack the -King or the State, but to decide whether both should be governed by her -who had ruled so well during his Majesty’s minority, or by three robbers -who had seized the authority and the person of the King. He praised M. -de Bassompierre’s resolution to “keep always to the trunk of the tree, -and to follow, not the best and most just party, but that which -possessed the person of the King and the seal and wax.” But to display -such fiery ardour, such boundless activity; to exceed even the orders of -the King in the rapidity with which he was pushing forward his troops; -to employ his own money so profusely as he was doing in the cause of -persons who had proved themselves so ungrateful to the Queen, their -first benefactress, and would prove no less ungrateful to their friends; -to be apparently intent on compassing the ruin of the party of the -Queen, the consort of the late King, who had been so much attached to -him; to assist “three pumpkins who had sprung up in a night”<a name="FNanchor_132_132" id="FNanchor_132_132"></a><a href="#Footnote_132_132" class="fnanchor">[132]</a> to -trample upon her, and thus to compromise his reputation and his -honesty—for all this M. de Bouillon could see neither rhyme nor -reason.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_245" id="page_245"></a>{245}</span></p> - -<p>After this long-winded preamble, M. Despence came to the point. The -duke, he said, had no intention of suggesting to M. de Bassompierre that -he should do anything contrary to his honour and duty; nothing was -further from his thoughts. But, if he could see his way to delay for -three weeks the junction of the army under his command with that of the -King, which might be done without disobeying the orders he had received -from his Majesty, who did not anticipate that he would be able to join -him before then; if he would rest content with such troops as he found -in garrison, and cease to amuse himself by levying everywhere at his own -expense men to reinforce them, and, in short, abate a little of his -ardour and animosity towards the party of the Queen-Mother, M. de -Bouillon would without delay deposit the sum of 100,000 crowns in the -hands of any banker whom he might be pleased to name, and no one but -themselves would be the wiser.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre, with growing indignation, heard him to the end, and then -told him that he was astonished that he should have taken advantage of -the promise of safety he had received to make him so disgraceful a -proposition. “I did not think,” said he, “that M. de Bouillon knew me so -little as to imagine that money or any other advantage would make me -fail in my duty or honour. It is not animosity, but ardour and desire to -serve the King which has spurred me to these extraordinary exertions. -Next to his I am the most devoted servant of the Queen in the world; -but, when it is a question of the service of the King, I do not -recognise the Queen. I would that I could run or fly to whatever place -his service called me, and, as for my money, I would dispense that right -willingly to the last sol, provided that his affairs might be placed in -a good state. If you had not obtained an assurance of safety from me, I -should have had you arrested, and sent you to Châlons; but the promise I -have given you prevents me from doing that.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_246" id="page_246"></a>{246}</span></p> - -<p>With which he turned on his heel and left M. Despence to return whence -he came, marvelling greatly that so shrewd a judge of men as the lord of -Sedan professed to be should have sent him on so bootless an errand.</p> - -<p>On the 18th, the army reached Montereau, and Bassompierre brought his -troops across the Seine and quartered them in and around Étampes. The -evening before he had received a letter from the King announcing that -Caen and Rouen had opened their gates to him; that Longueville had -retired to Dieppe and shut himself up there; while the Grand Prior, who -had been assisting him to stir up trouble, had fled to Angers, and that -his Majesty was about to begin his march to the Loire.</p> - -<p>On the 19th, Bassompierre went to Paris to make arrangements for the -provisioning of his army. On going to salute Anne of Austria, her -Majesty told him that “she did not know whether to receive him as -general of an army or as a courier, seeing the extreme activity he had -displayed,” while the Council “could not believe that the army was at -Étampes and in such strength as he assured them was the case.”</p> - -<p>As Bassompierre was so much ahead of his time, and there was no need for -him to begin his march to join the army of the King for some days, he -received orders to make an attempt to reduce Dreux, one of the few -places in Normandy still occupied by the rebels. He accordingly returned -to Étampes, and was about to set out for Dreux at the head of the -regiments of Champagne and Picardy and a detachment of cavalry, when he -received a letter from Anne of Austria informing him that she had -received intelligence that the Comte de Rochefort, husband of a lady to -whom Bassompierre had “offered his service” at the end of the previous -year, and who, we may presume, had been graciously pleased to accept it, -was in dire peril of his life. It appeared that Rochefort, who was -governor of the Château of Nantes, had been arrested at Angers by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_247" id="page_247"></a>{247}</span> -orders of Marie de’ Medici, and that “M. de Vendôme intended to bring -him before the Château of Nantes, to force it to surrender; threatening, -in case of refusal, to cut off his head.” The only way to save M. de -Rochefort, wrote the Queen, was to seize Vendôme’s mother-in-law, Madame -de Mercœur, and his children, who were at the Château of Anet, near -Dreux, the palatial country-seat which Henri II had built for his -middle-aged inamorata Diane de Poitiers, and bring them as hostages to -Paris. “And she recommended to me this affair, which was very important -to the service of the King and which would afford infinite satisfaction -to Madame de Rochefort, of whom I was so much the servant.”</p> - -<p>Bassompierre accordingly detached the greater part of his cavalry and -sent them to Anet to secure Madame de Mercœur and the little -Vendômes, and with the rest of his force presented himself before the -gates of Dreux. They were opened to him at once, and the citizens -shouted, “<i>Vive le Roi!</i>” with all the strength of their lungs; but -Bassompierre informed them that, although he was very gratified to hear -such cries, he would prefer to have some practical proof of their -loyalty. And he ordered them to assist him in bringing M. d’Escluzelles, -the governor of the château, to reason.</p> - -<p>M. d’Escluzelles, however, refused to surrender, and, though -Bassompierre’s troops, with the assistance of the citizens, built a -formidable barricade which cut off all communication between the château -and the town, he appeared to regard their proceedings with indifference. -When, however, on the following day, Bassompierre caused him to be -informed that, unless he capitulated forthwith, he proposed to burn his -country-seat, which lay a few miles from Dreux, to the ground, cut down -every tree on his estate, and carry off his wife and children to Paris, -he “had pity upon his property and his family,” and sent to demand a -parley. Next morning (July 25), the château surrendered, and -Bassompierre having placed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_248" id="page_248"></a>{248}</span> a garrison there and seen Madame de -Mercœur and her grandchildren, whom the cavalry had brought from -Anet, off to Paris, returned to Étampes and began his march towards the -Loire. On August 2 his army arrived at Connerré, not far from Le Mans, -where Louis XIII’s headquarters were, and Bassompierre went to pay his -respects to his Majesty, who gave him a most flattering reception and -“expressed himself very satisfied with the care and expedition which he -had shown.”</p> - -<p>Two days later, the King reviewed Bassompierre’s army in the plain of -Gros Chataigneraie, near La Flèche. It now consisted of 8,000 infantry -and 600 cavalry, and his Majesty pronounced it “very fine and very -complete, and beyond what he had expected to find.” The two armies were -then joined into one corps, and the King having given the command to -Condé, with Praslin as his second in command, and appointed four -brigadier-generals, of whom Bassompierre was one, the Royal forces -advanced on Angers.</p> - -<p>The rapid submission of Normandy had deceived all the expectations of -Marie de’ Medici, for d’Épernon was not yet ready to join her, nor had -Mayenne completed the formidable levies of troops which he was making in -Guienne. Towards the end of July, her troops had advanced so far as La -Flèche, but, on the news of the approach of the Royal army, had fallen -back rapidly on Angers. Richelieu endeavoured to stop the King by -opening negotiations, but Louis XIII, whose military instincts had been -awakened by the life of the camp, continued to advance. On August 6 the -Queen-Mother made new proposals, and, though Condé urged the King to -reject them, Luynes, who was still doubtful about the issue of the war, -persuaded Louis to return a favourable answer and to grant his mother an -armistice until the following morning. Deputies were then despatched to -Angers, but, owing to some misunderstanding, they had to wait several -hours before being admitted to the town<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_249" id="page_249"></a>{249}</span>. This delay was attended with -disastrous results to the insurgent forces.</p> - -<p>The troops of the Queen-Mother, which did not exceed 8,000 men, were -spread out along a front of about four miles from Angers to the -Ponts-des-Cé, an important position which assured to them the passage of -the Loire. Vendôme, who commanded under the youthful Comte de Soissons, -the nominal chief of the army, had conceived the fantastic idea of -connecting these two towns by a long line of entrenchments, which, -however, were not yet half-finished, and which, even if they had been -completed, would have required a much larger force than the one at his -disposal to defend effectively. The Royal army was encamped in the plain -of Trélazé, about a league from the Ponts-des-Cé.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the 7th, just about the time when the King’s -commissioners were entering Angers to conclude peace, Louis XIII was -persuaded by Condé, who was determined to do everything in his power to -prevent the termination of hostilities before a decisive defeat had been -inflicted on the Queen-Mother’s party, to consent to a reconnaissance in -force of the rebels’ position; and the Royal army accordingly advanced -to within sight of the unfinished entrenchments. Whether from cowardice -or from irritation at the neglect of his interests which Marie de’ -Medici had shown in the treaty which was about to be signed, the Duc de -Retz chose this moment to withdraw from the position assigned to him -with his own regiment and another which had been placed under his -command, and to retire across the Loire. The disorder consequent on this -movement, which was entirely unexpected, was taken by the Royal captains -for the beginning of a general retreat, and on their advice the King -ordered the bugles to sound the attack.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre’s troops, with those of the Marquis de Nerestang, formed -the left wing of the Royal army. Between them and the entrenchments lay -some fields,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_250" id="page_250"></a>{250}</span> the hedges of which were lined with musketeers; but they -were speedily dislodged, and took refuge behind a body of cavalry, who -retreated, in their turn, without making any attempt to charge, so soon -as fire was opened upon them, and retired to what shelter the -entrenchments afforded. The cannon of the citadel now came into play, -but the gunners were quite unable to find the range, and not a man was -hit. As they neared the entrenchments, Bassompierre dismounted and, -taking a halberd from a sergeant, placed himself at the head of one of -the battalions of the Regiment of Champagne. On seeing this, Nerestang -rode up, exclaiming: “Monsieur, that is not the place for a -brigadier-general; you will be unable to make the other battalions fight -if you remain at the head of this one.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I answered,” says Bassompierre, “that he was right; but that these -regiments, which were largely composed of new recruits, would fight -well if they saw me at their head, and badly if I remained behind; -and since I had raised and brought them to this army, I had an -interest in their conducting themselves well. Then he said: ‘I -shall not remain on horseback if you are on foot,’ and, -dismounting, placed himself on my left.”</p></div> - -<p>The entrenchments were carried with but little resistance, for the -defenders appear to have been demoralised by the desertion of Retz and -his troops and the suddenness of the attack, and fled in disorder -towards the town. A flanking-fire, however, from the roofs and windows -of some of the houses in the faubourgs caused a few casualties amongst -Bassompierre’s men; and, as they were crossing some open ground between -the trenches and the town, a squadron of cavalry emerged from a field, -deployed and seemed about to charge.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“And now,” says Bassompierre, “I shall relate a strange thing. A -man from one of our storming-companies who had remained behind—I -never learned his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_251" id="page_251"></a>{251}</span> name—and who was carrying a pike, addressed -himself to a chief who was riding some twenty paces in front of the -others and gave his horse a thrust in the stomach with his pike. -The horse reared, upon which the soldier gave him another thrust; -and the rider, fearing to be thrown, wheeled to the left and -galloped off. And, at the same moment, the squadron wheeled in the -same direction and passed under the arch of the bridge, where the -water was very shallow.”</p></div> - -<p>The Comte de Saint-Aignan, who, it will be remembered, had accompanied -the Comte de Soissons when he left Paris to join the Queen-Mother, was -with this squadron, having ridden up to order it to charge. He was on -its left flank and tried to rally the fugitives, but without success, -and was carried away with them for some little distance. Now, M. de -Saint-Aignan was a great dandy, and was wearing gilded armour and a hat -that was the <i>dernier cri</i> in sumptuous headgear—a hat to marvel at, -adorned with great ostrich plumes fastened by diamond-buckles—and when -he at last succeeded in getting out of the press and pulling up his -horse, he found that his hat had been knocked off. He could not bring -himself to abandon it, and accordingly rode back to where it lay and -attempted to recover it with the point of his sword. Bassompierre, -passing near him, on his way into the town, did not attempt to make him -prisoner, and merely shouted: “Adieu, Saint-Aignan!” “Adieu, adieu!” -replied the count, without desisting from his efforts to recover his -hat. This was no easy matter, as his horse was very restive, but -eventually he succeeded and had just replaced it triumphantly on his -head, and was about to ride away, when he was stopped and taken prisoner -by two carabiniers.</p> - -<p>The Royal troops continued their advance through the faubourgs and into -the town, the enemy making no attempt to rally, though there was a good -deal of desultory firing from the houses, and Nerestang had his right -thigh<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_252" id="page_252"></a>{252}</span> broken by a musket-shot.<a name="FNanchor_133_133" id="FNanchor_133_133"></a><a href="#Footnote_133_133" class="fnanchor">[133]</a> In less than an hour, however, the -town was cleared of the rebels, some of whom took refuge in the château, -which surrendered on the following day, while the rest fled towards -Angers.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre was then sent to report the result of the action to the -King and to take him the nobles who had been made prisoners. His -Majesty, whom he found in company with Condé, Luynes and Bellegarde, -“received him with extraordinary cordiality, and M. de Luynes spoke in -praise of him to <i>Monsieur le Grand</i>.” But when Louis XIII heard that -Saint-Aignan was amongst the prisoners, he looked very grave indeed, as -did the others, and they consulted together as to what was to be done -with him. Then the King informed Bassompierre that, as M. de -Saint-Aignan was, not only an officer of the regular army, but -Colonel-General of the Light Cavalry, and had been taken in arms against -his sovereign, it had been decided that he was to be tried at once by -the Keeper of the Seals, who was, with the army, and, in the event of -conviction, to be decapitated that very day. And so it seemed as though -poor Saint-Aignan had only succeeded in saving his hat at the cost of -his head.</p> - -<p>Happily for him, Bassompierre was determined to save him.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I firmly opposed this decision,” he writes, “and told the King and -<i>Monsieur le Prince</i> that, if they treated him in this way, no man -of rank among the enemy would allow himself to be made prisoner, -from fear of dying by the hand of the executioner; that M. de -Créquy and I had received his surrender, and that he was a prisoner -of war;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_253" id="page_253"></a>{253}</span> that the rank we held authorised us to give him our -assurance that he should be regarded as such, and that we were not -provost-marshals to cause our captives to be hanged. At the same -time, I sent to warn M. de Créquy, who sent word that he would -retire from the Ponts-des-Cé and would abandon everything,<a name="FNanchor_134_134" id="FNanchor_134_134"></a><a href="#Footnote_134_134" class="fnanchor">[134]</a> if -he did not receive a promise that the execution would be suspended. -We obtained a respite until the morrow, when, the first indignation -against Saint-Aignan having spent itself, it was easy to persuade -them to abandon their resolution; and the peace which followed -accommodated his affair, by the surrender of his charge, which was -conferred upon La Curée.”</p></div> - -<p>The engagement of the Ponts-des-Cé was a terrible blow to the -Queen-Mother’s party; nevertheless, Marie was far from reduced to -extremities. If no longer able to make peace on favourable terms, two -courses were open to her. She might shut herself up in Angers with what -was left of her army, and hold out until Mayenne and d’Épernon were able -to come to her assistance, or she might ford the Loire with her cavalry, -only a part of which had been engaged at the Ponts-des-Cé, and make her -way to Angoulême, where d’Épernon’s headquarters were. Thus, although no -hope of success now remained, she might succeed in prolonging the war -for months.</p> - -<p>Luynes was aware of this, and aware too that a continuance of -hostilities could not fail to add to his unpopularity; while he was -beginning to fear Condé, with whom Louis XIII was now on quite -alarmingly friendly terms, almost as much as he feared the Queen-Mother. -The High Catholic party, too, were eager for peace, in order that the -King might have his hands free to deal with the Protestants of Béarn; -and their representations, joined to that of Luynes, decided Louis to -abandon any idea of imposing on his mother and her<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_254" id="page_254"></a>{254}</span> adherents the -stringent terms which their recent defeat would otherwise have -justified. The treaty, which was signed at Angers on August 10, was, to -all intents and purposes, a confirmation of that of the previous year, -save for a stipulation that the partisans of the Queen-Mother were not -to be restored to the offices and charges of which the King had disposed -during the rebellion. Three days later, Marie and her son met at -Brissac, and were, to all appearances, on the best of terms; and on the -16th a royal declaration proclaimed the innocence of the intentions of -the Queen-Mother and her adherents “during the late disturbances.” -Mayenne and d’Épernon thereupon laid down their arms, and the powerful -faction which for a moment had threatened to subvert the State melted -away.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_255" id="page_255"></a>{255}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Refusal of the Protestants of Béarn to restore the property of the -Catholic Church—Louis XIII and Luynes resolve on rigorous measures -and set out for the South—Visit of Bassompierre to La Rochelle—He -joins the King at Bordeaux—Arrest and execution of -d’Arsilemont—The Parlement of Pau declines to register the Royal -edict and Louis XIII determines to march into Béarn—Bassompierre -charged with the transport of the army across the Garonne, which is -accomplished in twenty-four hours—Béarn and Lower Navarre are -united to the Crown of France—Coldness of the King towards -Bassompierre—Bassompierre learns that this is due to the ill -offices of Luynes, who regards him as a rival in the royal -favour—He is informed that Luynes is “unable to suffer him to -remain at Court”—Bassompierre decides to come to terms with the -favourite, and it is arranged that he shall quit the Court so soon -as some honourable office can be found for him—The Valtellina -question—Bassompierre appointed Ambassador Extraordinary to the -Court of Spain—Birth of a son to Luynes.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">No</span> sooner had peace been signed than Louis XIII, urged on by Luynes, who -was above all things anxious to conciliate the High Catholic party, -determined to deal with the recalcitrant Protestants of Béarn.</p> - -<p>The re-establishment of the Catholic religion in Béarn had been one of -the conditions on which Clement VIII had consented to grant absolution -to Henri IV; but that monarch had only half kept his word, and had -limited himself to nominating bishops to the sees of Lescar and Oleron, -and paying them their salaries; re-establishing the Mass in a good many -places, and admitting Catholics to charges and dignities. The two new -bishops demanded the restoration of the ecclesiastical property formerly -attached to their offices;<a name="FNanchor_135_135" id="FNanchor_135_135"></a><a href="#Footnote_135_135" class="fnanchor">[135]</a> but the Government turned a deaf ear to -their appeals, and it was not until Luynes rose to power that they had a -chance of being listened to.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_256" id="page_256"></a>{256}</span></p> - -<p>Besides his desire to gain the support of the <i>dévots</i>, Luynes saw in -the affair of Béarn an opportunity of ridding himself of the possible -rivalry of the young Marquis de Montpouillan with the King, as -Montpouillan’s father, the Marquis de la Force,<a name="FNanchor_136_136" id="FNanchor_136_136"></a><a href="#Footnote_136_136" class="fnanchor">[136]</a> was governor of -Béarn and chief of the Protestants of that country. He thereupon pressed -Louis XIII to carry out the engagements which Henri IV had sought to -evade, and, by a decree of the Council of June 25, 1617, the King -ordered the restitution of Church property in Béarn. The Estates of -Béarn, supported by La Force, remonstrated vigorously; but in September -the King confirmed his decision of June.</p> - -<p>The Protestants of Languedoc and Guienne embraced the cause of the -Béarnais, and the Parlement of Pau, in which the Reformers were in a -great majority, refused to register the edict. The troubles with the -Queen-Mother prevented Louis XIII and Luynes from taking any rigorous -measures, but now that their hands were free, they were resolved to lose -no more time.</p> - -<p>Before Louis XIII began his march to the South, Bassompierre obtained -permission to pay a visit to his brother-in-law Saint-Luc at Brouage, of -which town the latter was governor, and to travel by way of La Rochelle. -He set out on September 13, accompanied by Créquy, La Rochefoucauld and -a great number of other gentlemen, who, in view of the possibility of a -renewal of the Wars of Religion in the near future, had gladly embraced -the opportunity of visiting the great Huguenot stronghold.</p> - -<p>The party stopped to dine at Surgères, a château belonging to La -Rochefoucauld, from which the count sent a letter to the mayor of La -Rochelle, “to warn him of the good company who were coming to see him, -in order that he might not be alarmed at the sudden arrival<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_257" id="page_257"></a>{257}</span> of so many -people.” He received a most cordial response, for the authorities of La -Rochelle were probably far from displeased to learn that the Colonel of -the French Guards and the Colonel-General of the Swiss were on their way -to visit their famous town, before whose stubborn walls, forty-six years -earlier, nearly 20,000 Catholics had laid down their lives, and all to -no purpose. Certainly, M. de Créquy, M. de Bassompierre and their -friends should be afforded every facility for seeing all that was worth -seeing, and particularly the defences; and when the King questioned them -about their visit, as, of course, he would do, they would probably tell -his Majesty that if, as seemed only too probable, he were determined to -drive his Protestant subjects to take up arms once more in defence of -their faith, he would do well to let La Rochelle severely alone.</p> - -<p>And so M. le Maire came to meet them at the gates of the town, and bade -them right welcome to La Rochelle, and took them to see the harbour, in -which, if the Rochellois were obliged to summon foreign aid, an English -fleet might one day be seen riding at anchor.</p> - -<p>And then, as the hour was late, he escorted them to the best inn in the -town, which for some hours past had been in a state of ferment, since it -was not often that preparations for the reception of so many -distinguished guests had to be made at such short notice, where, having -invited them, in the name of the Président, Jean Pascaut, to dine at the -Présidial next day, he took leave of them.</p> - -<p>Early on the morrow, the mayor returned and conducted the party round -the fortifications; after which he took them to visit the Tour de la -Chaîne, one of the two towers which defended the entrance to the -harbour. Then they all repaired to the Présidial, where, with appetites -sharpened by the sea air, they did full justice to “a magnificent -banquet, at which sixty covers were laid.”</p> - -<p>In the afternoon, Bassompierre and his friends left La<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_258" id="page_258"></a>{258}</span> Rochelle, little -imagining in what tragic circumstances they were to tread its streets -again, and proceeded to Brouage, where they were very hospitably -entertained by Saint-Luc. During their stay at Brouage they paid a visit -to the neighbouring château of Marennes, ostensibly to pay their -respects to the count of that name, but really to see his three -daughters, “who were very beautiful.” But, unfortunately, Bassompierre -does not give us any further information about these ladies.</p> - -<p>On leaving Brouage, they spent a night at the château of the Baron de -Pons, whose family claimed to be descended from the House of Albret, a -claim which was to cause an infinity of trouble at the Court during the -regency of Anne of Austria, and to lead to the affair known as “<i>la -guerre des tabourets</i>.” Next day, they dined with d’Épernon at Plassac, -a country-seat of his near Jonzac, and then set out for Bordeaux.</p> - -<p>On September 19, Louis XIII arrived at Bordeaux, where he met with a -great reception, and on the following day was entertained by Mayenne to -a great banquet at the Château-Trompette. An unpleasant incident, -however, cast a shadow over the rejoicings.</p> - -<p>A gentleman named d’Arsilemont, who commanded the Châteaux of Fronsac -and Caumont on behalf of the Comte de Saint-Paul, brother of -Longueville, and had taken advantage of his position to levy -unauthorised taxes on the people living along the Dordogne, and -committed other illegal acts in defiance of the decrees of the Parlement -of Bordeaux, had the imprudence to come and salute the King. The -Parlement, learning of d’Arsilemont’s arrival, sent to complain of him -to his Majesty, who caused him to be arrested forthwith; and within -forty-eight hours he was condemned to death and executed, -“notwithstanding the entreaties of MM. de Mayenne and de Saint-Paul.”</p> - -<p>On October 4, La Force, Governor of Béarn, and Cazaux, First President -of the Parlement of Pau, came to Bordeaux, bringing with them, not the -ratification of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_259" id="page_259"></a>{259}</span> the edict re-establishing the Catholic clergy in -possession of their property, but a fresh remonstrance against it. The -King was extremely angry, but on La Force and Cazaux assuring him that -this remonstrance was intended to be the last one, and that, on their -return to Béarn, they would use every endeavour to persuade the -Parlement to ratify the edict without further delay, he decided to -postpone military action for the present, and sent them away, -accompanied by La Chesnaye, one of his gentlemen-in-ordinary and a -Huguenot himself, who was instructed to keep his Majesty informed of the -progress of the affair. At the same time, in order to show the Parlement -that he was determined that they should submit to his will, he left -Bordeaux with his army, and advanced to Preignac, on the left bank of -the Garonne.</p> - -<p>Some days later La Chesnaye returned, and informed the King that, -notwithstanding the efforts of La Force and Cazaux, the Parlement still -persisted in their refusal to ratify the edict, an action which -Bassompierre ascribes to their belief that Louis XIII would not care to -venture into so barren and difficult a country at that advanced season -of the year, and to a rumour which had reached them that a great part of -the baggage of the Court was already on its way back to Paris.</p> - -<p>The King, however, was determined to be obeyed, and, on this occasion at -any rate, showed none of the weakness and irresolution so conspicuous in -later years. “Since my Parlement,” said he, “wishes to give me the -trouble of going in person to ratify the decree, I will do it, and more -fully than they expect.” And he summoned the Ministers who were with him -and his chief officers to a council of war, for, says Bassompierre, -“though he was resolved to go, he, nevertheless, wished to ascertain -everyone’s opinion on the matter.”</p> - -<p>Mayenne sought to dissuade the King from advancing into Béarn, -representing that while his Majesty was engaged in imposing his will on -the Huguenots at one<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_260" id="page_260"></a>{260}</span> extremity of his realm, their co-religionists in -other parts of the country might seize the opportunity to rise in arms; -that twelve days would probably be required to transport the army across -the Garonne; that the difficulty of provisioning the troops in the -inhospitable Landes at that season of the year would be very great, and -so forth. The other members of the council, however, aware that the King -had made up his mind on the matter—or that Luynes, who was anxious to -secure the support of the High Catholic party, had made it up for -him—and that nothing was to be gained by opposing his resolution, urged -him to undertake the expedition, upon which he tinned to Mayenne and -said:—</p> - -<p>“I do not trouble myself about the weather or the roads; I am not afraid -of those of the Religion, and, as for the passage of the river, which, -you say, will take my army twelve days, I have a means of having it -accomplished in eight. For I shall send Bassompierre here to conduct it, -who has already raised me an army, with which I have just defeated a -powerful party, in half the time that I had expected.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I confess,” observes Bassompierre, “that I felt my heart elated by -such praise and by the good opinion that the King entertained of -me; and I replied that he might rest assured that the hope that he -had conceived of my diligence would not be vain, and that he would -shortly have news that would gratify him.”</p></div> - -<p>In those days, when the engineers were not yet organised as a distinct -branch of the army, and the difficulties of transport were very great, -pontoons were seldom carried, unless before the campaign opened it was -certain that they would be required; and the army which Bassompierre had -undertaken to pass across the Garonne was unprovided with any. -Consequently, he had either to wait until a sufficient number could be -constructed, which would, of course, entail a considerable<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_261" id="page_261"></a>{261}</span> delay, or to -obtain the best substitutes he could in the towns and villages along the -Garonne, and trust that his fortunate star would be in the ascendant -during the passage of the river to avert any disaster. He chose the -latter alternative, and having established himself at Langon, on the -left bank of the Garonne, sent parties of soldiers along both banks to -collect every boat of suitable size which they could find.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I caused two boats to be joined into one,” he says, “and laid -platforms over them, on which, on October 10, I placed two pieces -of artillery, and had two others joined together without platforms, -on which I placed the gun-carriages; and in four journeys I passed -all the artillery across. And, by the expenditure of a great deal -of money, I so contrived matters that in the course of the -following day the munitions and provisions were passed across, and -the whole army likewise; and we advanced to a town a league beyond -the river, where we halted for the night.”</p></div> - -<p>A two days’ march brought the army to Saint-Justin d’Armagnac, on the -borders of the Grandes Landes and Armagnac. Here Bassompierre received a -despatch from Louis XIII, who had left Preignac on the 10th and was now -at Roquefort, in which the King expressed himself “extremely pleased -with his diligence, by which he had reduced the twelve days allowed by -M. de Mayenne for the passage of the Garonne to twenty-four hours.” His -Majesty ordered him to send him the Regiment of Champagne and some other -troops, which he intended to place in garrison in Béarn, but not to -enter the country with the rest of the army, since he feared it would be -impossible to provision it.</p> - -<p>With the force which Bassompierre had sent him, Louis XIII marched -rapidly on Pau. At the news of his approach, the Parlement hastened to -ratify the edict; but it was too late. The King continued his march and -entered the town on the 15th. He re-established the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_262" id="page_262"></a>{262}</span> Catholic bishops -and clergy in possession of their churches and property, disbanded the -national militia, and replaced the governor of Navarreins, the strongest -fortress in the country, by a Catholic. Finally, by letters-patent of -October 18, he united Béarn and Lower Navarre to the Crown of France, -and fused the sovereign courts of these two countries into one single -Parlement, sitting at Pau. Then, having sent the Maréchal de Praslin to -Bassompierre, with orders to distribute the troops under his command -amongst various garrisons and to rejoin him at Bordeaux, he took his -departure, to the profound relief of the Béarnais.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre reached Bordeaux on the 24th. The King arrived the -following day, and Bassompierre went at once to pay his respects and -compliment him on his victory over the Parlement of Pau.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I expected a good reception,” he says, “but, on the contrary, he -did not even look at me, at which I was a little astonished. -However, I approached him and said: ‘Sire, are you displeased with -me in good earnest, or are you making game of me?’ ‘I am not -looking at you,’ he answered coldly, and with that turned away.</p> - -<p>“I was unable to imagine what could be the reason for this -coldness, after the complimentary letters I had received from him. -I went to salute M. de Luynes, and was received so coldly by him, -that I saw plainly that my situation had undergone some great -change. I returned to the gallery of the archbishop’s palace, where -I found the Cardinal de Retz and MM. de Schomberg and de Roucelaï, -who drew me aside and told me that M. de Luynes complained -infinitely of me, saying that I had neglected his friendship and -believed that without it I could maintain myself in the good graces -of the King; and that he had declared that people should see which -of us two had the power to overthrow the other; that the favour of -the King could not be shared, and that, since I had offended him, -he could no longer suffer me at the Court.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre, more and more astonished, begged his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_263" id="page_263"></a>{263}</span> friends to tell him -“what wind could have developed into this tempest,” since he had never -had any quarrel with M. de Luynes, but, on the contrary, had been of -service to him on many occasions and had contributed not a little to his -advancement at Court, insomuch that the latter had “promised and sworn -to him the closest friendship.” He was therefore at a loss to comprehend -how M. de Luynes desired, not only to break with, but to persecute, nay, -even ruin, him, if it were in his power to do so. To this they replied -that M. de Luynes had given them to understand that he had no less than -five grievances against him:—</p> - -<p>In the first place, when, at the Ponts-des-Cé, the King had shown M. de -Bassompierre the draft of the articles of peace which had been drawn up -by M. de Luynes, who was himself present, M. de Bassompierre had -expressed the opinion that they were far too lenient as regards the -rebels, and that it would be as well to make an example of one of these -gentlemen, in order to strike terror into the others and make them a -little less ready to take up arms against their sovereign in the future. -This was to cast a serious reflection upon M. de Luynes, and to suggest -that he had been negligent of his Majesty’s interests in drafting the -treaty.</p> - -<p>Secondly, when the King was at Poitiers, awaiting a visit from the -Queen-Mother, whose coming was unavoidably delayed, M. de Bassompierre -had suggested that this delay was “an artifice of her partisans to -prevent his Majesty’s journey to Guienne”; and this most uncalled for -observation had made so great an impression upon the King’s mind, that -M. de Luynes had experienced a thousand difficulties in persuading him -to remain at Poitiers until the Queen-Mother’s arrival.</p> - -<p>Thirdly, although, while the Court was at Bordeaux, M. de Luynes had on -several occasions invited M. de Bassompierre to dine with him, that -gentleman had always declined, thereby showing that he held his -friendship of but little account.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_264" id="page_264"></a>{264}</span></p> - -<p>Fourthly, when the King was at Preignac, awaiting the ratification of -his edict by the Parlement of Pau, M. de Bassompierre had remarked to -his Majesty that, if these gentlemen gave him the trouble of going to -Béarn, he counselled him to make them pay dearly for his journey. This -was to incite the King to cruelty, and was most reprehensible.</p> - -<p>And, finally, M. de Bassompierre had so preoccupied the mind of the -King, that his Majesty did not believe that anything could be done well -unless it were done by him, as was proved by the fact that, without even -troubling to consult his Council, he had “dethroned” the other -brigadier-generals and placed M. de Bassompierre in command of his army. -This M. de Luynes was unable to suffer, being aware that he had still -sufficient influence to put a stop to the progress which the other was -making daily, to his prejudice, in the good graces of the King.</p> - -<p>When Bassompierre heard this, he “judged well that M. de Luynes was -seeking pretexts to ruin him, and, since he could not find any -legitimate ones in his actions, he had maliciously perverted the sense -of his words.” His friends, on their side, “did not disguise from him -that it was nothing but pure jealousy of his favour which possessed that -gentleman, and that, being in the position he was, he kept always a -watchful eye on those who might divert from him the affection of the -King, and that, observing the great inclination of the King for him -(Bassompierre), he looked upon him as the dog who intended to bite him.” -They then begged Bassompierre to furnish them with his reply to the -charges brought against him by the jealous favourite, which they -promised to report faithfully to the latter, and endeavour by every -means in their power to bring about an amicable settlement.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre thereupon proceeded to deal in detail with the different -causes of complaint which Luynes had against him, and concluded by -requesting his friends<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_265" id="page_265"></a>{265}</span> to inform him that, if he would be pleased to -prescribe some rules of conduct for him, he would undertake to follow -them so exactly, that in future M. de Luynes should have no cause to -believe that he aspired in any fashion whatsoever to usurp the good -graces of the King, except by his services to the Crown; and to add that -“he esteemed so little, and feared so much, favours that were not the -reward of merit that, if they were lying on the ground at his feet, he -would not condescend to stoop and pick them up.”</p> - -<p>Next day, the Cardinal de Retz and his fellow-mediators came to -Bassompierre and told him that they had duly carried his answer to -Luynes, who had informed them that M. de Bassompierre had so deeply -offended him, that he could only repeat what he had said to them before, -namely, that he was unable to suffer him at the Court. If, however, M. -de Bassompierre were willing to withdraw with as little delay as -possible, he would see that the salaries of his various appointments -were promptly paid him during his absence, and that within a certain -period—which, however, he had refused to define—he would cause him to -be recalled with honour, when he would do all in his power to advance -his interests.</p> - -<p>On receiving this proposal, Bassompierre could not contain his -indignation, and requested his friends to return at once to Luynes and -inform him that “he (Bassompierre) was not the kind of man who could be -treated as a scoundrel and driven ignominiously away in this fashion”; -that, if his honesty or his loyalty were suspected, he could be -imprisoned and punished, if found guilty; but that to drive him from the -Court merely to gratify a caprice was outrageous, and he defied him to -do it.</p> - -<p>His friends, however, deprecated such strong language and begged him to -seek to compose, rather than to embitter, this most unfortunate affair. -They then suggested, if he were willing, that they should inform the -favourite that M. de Bassompierre desired them to say that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_266" id="page_266"></a>{266}</span> was -indeed astonished that M. de Luynes had treated his enemies with such -magnanimity after the action at the Ponts-des-Cé, when it was in his -power to punish them as they deserved and avenge himself upon them; -while for M. de Bassompierre, who had hazarded his life in his -service—since there could be no question that the object of the recent -rebellion was not to dispossess the King of his crown, but to separate -him from M. de Luynes—and, by his own admission, had acted so worthily -in these disturbances—he had nothing but ingratitude. He felt assured, -however, that if M. de Luynes would but reflect upon the obligations -under which he had placed him, he would decide that he was deserving of -reward, and not at all of such a punishment as to be driven with infamy -from the Court, to which M. de Bassompierre could never bring himself to -submit.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre, aware that he could trust his friends to do their best for -him in the very awkward predicament in which he was placed, told them -that he left the matter entirely to their discretion, and they went -away.</p> - -<p>From Bordeaux the Court proceeded to Blaye, where the King remained -three days, and was magnificently entertained by the new Duke of -Luxembourg-Piney, who was governor of that place. At table, Louis XIII, -who, before this trouble arose, had been in the habit of talking and -jesting incessantly with Bassompierre, did not speak a single word to -him, “which gave him pain.” However, on the evening before the King’s -departure for Saintes, where he was to pass the following night, he -ordered Bassompierre to precede him with the Swiss, who were to furnish -the guard at Saintes; and when the latter approached him to receive the -password, which was, of course, always given in a very low voice, his -Majesty said: “Bassompierre, my friend, do not worry, and do not appear -to notice anything.” “I made no reply,” writes Bassompierre, “from fear -lest someone might<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_267" id="page_267"></a>{267}</span> perceive something, but I was not sorry that the -source of the King’s kindness had not dried up, so far as I was -concerned.”</p> - -<p>After supper that night, he received a visit from Roucelaï, who said -that the Cardinal de Retz and Schomberg, who were then with Luynes, had -sent him to say that the favourite had pronounced his final decision, -which was that Bassompierre must leave the Court so soon as possible -after the King returned to Paris. At the same time, he desired to deal -honourably with him and that his departure should be free from any -appearance of disgrace, and if Bassompierre would suggest some way by -which this could be contrived, he would be prepared to give it his -favourable consideration.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre, recognising that the all-powerful favourite was determined -to drive him from the Court, and that the only course open to him was to -make the best terms he could, replied that if Luynes were willing to -procure for him a government, an important military post, or an embassy -extraordinary, which would enable him to quit the Court with honour, and -to render the King more useful service than he could by remaining there, -he would take his departure so soon as he pleased. Roucelaï then -returned to his friends with Bassompierre’s answer, which was duly -communicated to Luynes. The latter expressed his approval of it, and -told them that in the course of the next day’s journey he would come to -an arrangement with him on these conditions.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“This he did with a good grace,” says Bassompierre, “and told me -frankly that the esteem which he perceived that the King -entertained for me gave him umbrage, and that he was like a man who -feared to be deceived by his wife, and who did not like to see even -a very honest man paying attention to her; that, apart from that, -he had a strong inclination for me, as he intended to show me, -provided that I did not cast loving glances at his mistress. And -that same evening he took me to speak to the King,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_268" id="page_268"></a>{268}</span> who received me -very cordially and told me to make ready to travel post on the -morrow.”</p></div> - -<p>The King journeyed in this fashion from Saintes to Paris, accompanied -only by thirty or forty attendants. As they were nearing Châtellerault, -Bassompierre, learning that it was proposed to spend the night there, -warned Luynes that the town contained a large proportion of Huguenots, -and that if these, incensed by the King’s forcible re-establishment of -the Catholic faith in Béarn, were to summon their co-religionists from -La Rochelle to their aid, which they could easily do, and make an -attempt upon his Majesty’s person, he would be in great danger. On -hearing this, Luynes was much alarmed and begged the King not to stop at -Châtellerault; but Louis XIII, whose physical courage presented a -striking contrast to his moral flabbiness, refused to alter his -arrangements, and told him that he would answer for his own safety and -that of his attendants.</p> - -<p>On November 6, the King reached Paris, and his first act was to visit -the Queen-Mother, who had now been permitted to return to the capital. -On the following day he went to Saint-Germain, and subsequently visited -Luynes at Lesigny, returning to Paris towards the end of the month. -Bassompierre does not appear to have been in attendance on the King -during these visits, nor was he commanded to accompany him when, early -in December, he set out with Luynes to inspect the fortresses of -Picardy. It was evidently the favourite’s policy to keep his rival as -much as possible at a distance from the King, until some post away from -the Court could be found for him.</p> - -<p>An act of aggression on the part of Spain furnished Luynes with what he -was seeking.</p> - -<p>The Spaniards, masters of the Milanese, had long coveted the Valtellina, -or Upper Valley of the Adda, which had been ceded to the Grisons by the -last of the Sforza. The possession of this valley would be of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_269" id="page_269"></a>{269}</span> immense -strategic importance to them, since it would link the Milanese with the -Tyrol and Austria, and, at the same time, intercept the communications -of the Venetians with the Grisons, the Swiss and France. Since France -had an exclusive treaty with the Grisons, the Valtellina was an open -door for her into Italy, and Spain desired to close this door at any -cost. Successive governors of Milan had industriously fomented the -religious quarrel between the Protestant Grisons and the Catholics of -the Valtellina, and these intrigues at length bore fruit. One Sunday in -July, 1620, the Valtellina Catholics rose, massacred all the Protestants -of their country, to the number of several hundred, and then appealed to -the Spaniards to defend them from the vengeance of the Grisons. The -response, as may be supposed, was prompt and effective; the Spaniards -immediately entered the valley and took possession of all the strong -places, and, though the cantons of Berne and Zurich came to the -assistance of the Grisons, their united efforts proved powerless to -dislodge them.</p> - -<p>This bold stroke of the Spaniards was a direct menace to Venice and -Savoy, and an indirect act of aggression against France; and the French -Government resolved to send an Ambassador Extraordinary to Madrid to -demand the evacuation of the Valtellina by Spain. Luynes had no -difficulty in deciding who that Ambassador Extraordinary ought to be, -and one day, towards the end of December, a courier from Picardy drew -rein before Bassompierre’s door and handed him a letter from the King, -informing him of his appointment, and directing him to be in readiness -to start for Madrid immediately after his Majesty returned to Paris.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>A few days after Luynes had succeeded in finding so admirable a pretext -for ridding himself, for some months at least, of the only man whom he -considered capable of disputing with him the favour of the King, another -piece<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_270" id="page_270"></a>{270}</span> of good fortune befell him. On the night of Christmas Day, 1620, -the Duchesse de Luynes gave birth to a son.<a name="FNanchor_137_137" id="FNanchor_137_137"></a><a href="#Footnote_137_137" class="fnanchor">[137]</a></p> - -<p>No sooner was the news of this great event noised abroad than the bells -of every church in Paris rang out a joyous peal, and several couriers -started to carry the glad tidings to Calais, where the King and Luynes -had arrived a day or two before to inspect the fortifications of the -harbour, which had been greatly damaged by a recent gale. Louis XIII was -the first to receive the news, and so delighted was he that he gave the -bearer a present of 4,000 crowns and undertook to announce it himself to -his favourite. Before doing so, however, he ordered all the guns of the -citadel to be discharged, and when Luynes inquired the meaning of this, -embraced him and exclaimed: “My cousin, I am come to rejoice with you, -because you have a son!”</p> - -<p>Truly, as Contarini, the Venetian Ambassador, observed, in announcing -the event to his Government, “the Duc de Luynes seemed to have enchained -Fortune.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_271" id="page_271"></a>{271}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">An alliance with Luynes’s niece, Mlle. de Combalet, proposed to -Bassompierre—His journey to Spain—His entry into Madrid—He is -visited by the Princess of the Asturias, the grandees and other -distinguished persons—His meeting with the Duke of Ossuña—His -audience of Philip III postponed owing to the King’s -illness—Commissioners are appointed to treat with Bassompierre -over the Valtellina question—Death of Philip III—His funeral -procession—An indiscreet observation of the Duke of Ossuña to one -of Bassompierre’s suite is overheard and leads to the arrest of -that nobleman.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Louis</span> XIII and Luynes returned to Paris on January 12, 1621, and -Bassompierre was “extremely pressed to take his departure.” But, as may -be supposed, he was in no hurry to go, and, by raising all kinds of -difficulties in regard to his instructions, succeeded in gaining a -respite of three weeks; and it was not until the beginning of February -that his despatches were handed to him. Even then, on one pretext or -another, he contrived to postpone his departure for another week, though -his suite, which numbered no less than 140 persons, including forty -gentlemen whose expenses he had undertaken to defray himself, were sent -on ahead in batches to await him at Bordeaux.</p> - -<p>Just before he left Paris, what was regarded at the time as a most -advantageous marriage was proposed to him.</p> - -<p>It happened that, some weeks before, the Duc de Retz, the nobleman who -had played such a sorry part at the Ponts-des-Cé, had lost his wife, -upon which his uncle, the Cardinal de Retz, and his friend, the Comte de -Schomberg, decided to counsel him to demand the hand of Luynes’s niece, -Mlle. de Combalet. Condé and Guise, learning what was in the wind, and -fearing that this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_272" id="page_272"></a>{272}</span> marriage might divert all the good things which were -in the favourite’s power to bestow from themselves and their relatives -to the Retz family, thereupon determined to put Bassompierre forward as -a rival candidate. For Bassompierre had no near relatives to provide -for—at least none who were French subjects, with the exception of his -natural son by Marie d’Entragues—and, so far as courtiers went, he was -neither ambitious nor greedy. They judged, too, that Luynes would -welcome the opportunity of attaching Bassompierre to his interests, -which he might serve in many ways. However, they were a little doubtful -as to how that gentleman himself might be inclined to regard the matter, -for, since the day when his matrimonial aspirations had been so rudely -dashed by the intervention of Henri IV, he had shown a most marked -disinclination to enter the “holy estate.” But since, notwithstanding -this, the ladies had great influence over him, Condé proposed that he -should depute his wife, and Guise his sister, the Princesse de Conti, -“to persuade him to embrace the match.” With the former Bassompierre had -always remained on the friendliest terms; for the latter he was known to -entertain a warmer feeling than friendship.</p> - -<p>On February 9—the day before he left Paris—Bassompierre attended a -grand ball given by Luynes, to which he had apparently gone with the -intention of taking leave of the Comtesse de Rochefort, of whom he was -still the very devoted servant.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“As I was ascending the stairs,” he says, “<i>Madame la Princesse</i> -and the Princesse de Conti, who were laughing very much, drew me -into a window, but, instead of speaking, came nigh to splitting -their sides with laughter. At last they told me that formerly I had -spoken of love to many fair ladies, but that never had ladies of -good family spoken to me of marriage, which now they were going to -require of me. I was a long time in deciphering the meaning of what -they said, but, finally, they told me<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_273" id="page_273"></a>{273}</span> that the husband of one and -the brother of the other had charged them to seduce me, but that it -was to enter into an honourable marriage; and that I must empower -<i>Monsieur le Prince</i> and M. de Guise to negotiate and conclude the -affair of Mlle. de Combalet while I was Ambassador Extraordinary in -Spain.”</p></div> - -<p>To this proposal Bassompierre gave a not very cordial consent. Since a -man must marry some time or other, as well the niece of the favourite as -any other lady, and he did not quite see how otherwise he was to disarm -the jealousy of Luynes.</p> - -<p>On the following day Bassompierre set out on his long journey to Madrid, -and on the 17th arrived at Bordeaux, where he remained a couple of days -“for love of MM. d’Épernon and de Roquelaure.” On reaching Belin, nine -leagues from Bordeaux, on the evening of the 19th he found a courier -awaiting him with a letter from Du Fargis d’Angennes, the ordinary -French Ambassador at Madrid, begging him to delay his arrival there -until he heard from him again, as a most unpleasant incident had -occurred, in consequence of which the greater part of his staff and -servants were now in prison, while he himself had been obliged to leave -the city, as his life was no longer safe there.</p> - -<p>It appears that Du Fargis, whom Tallemant des Réaux describes as “a man -of courage, intelligence, and learning, but of a singular levity,” not -finding the French Embassy a sufficiently-commodious residence, desired -to remove to a larger one, and had cast his eye upon a very fine house -near by, which appeared in every way suited to his requirements. Now, in -those days, there were at Madrid certain State officials called -<i>aposentadores</i>, part of whose duty it was to find suitable -accommodation for ambassadors and other distinguished foreigners, and -who were empowered to requisition any house which these important -personages might desire to have. Du Fargis accordingly went to the -<i>aposentadores</i> and informed them<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_274" id="page_274"></a>{274}</span> that he wished to remove to this -house, and the <i>aposentadores</i> immediately assigned it to him. But just -as he was on the point of taking possession, the owner of the house -appeared upon the scene, and produced a document bearing the King’s -signature which expressly exempted his property from being requisitioned -for State purposes. The Ambassador angrily replied that the house had -been assigned to him by the <i>aposentadores</i> and that he should insist on -having it, upon which the owner told him that he should appeal to the -Council of Castile. This he did, and the Council at once decided in his -favour.</p> - -<p>Meantime, however, Du Fargis, with the idea of stealing a march upon his -adversary, had sent two of his valets to the house with part of the -ambassadorial wardrobe, and when the decision of the Council was -communicated to him, he replied that, as some of his property was -already in the house, he was in possession, and could not be turned out. -And so resolved was he to have his way that he forthwith sent all his -staff and servants there, together with some of the people of the -Venetian Ambassador, who was a particular friend of his, with -instructions to resist by force any attempt to dislodge them.</p> - -<p>The exasperated owner went to complain to the Council, who sent orders -to the invaders to leave the house and take their master’s clothes with -them, and two <i>alguazils</i> to see that they did so; because, never -dreaming that the Ambassador intended to resist the law—“a thing -unheard of in that country”—they did not think it necessary to send any -more. But the French and their Venetian allies fell upon the unfortunate -officers and killed them, after which, in derision, they hung their -<i>vares</i>, or wands of office, from the balcony of the house.</p> - -<p>The townsfolk, on learning of this outrage, were infuriated, and soon an -armed mob more than two thousand strong besieged the house and the -Ambassador, “who had gone in by a back door.” The garrison, on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_275" id="page_275"></a>{275}</span> their -side, prepared for a desperate resistance, and a sanguinary affray -seemed inevitable, when, happily, an <i>alcalde</i>, Don Sebastian de -Carvajal, arrived on the scene, persuaded the mob to disperse and the -Ambassador and his people to evacuate their fortress, and carried off Du -Fargis in his carriage to the French Embassy.</p> - -<p>Although Du Fargis had only himself to blame for this affair, he had the -presumption to seek an audience of Philip III and “demand justice for -the outrage which had been committed against him, contrary to the Law of -Nations.” The King promised to give him every satisfaction and appointed -a commission to inquire into the matter. But when he was informed of -what had actually occurred, he was very angry, and gave orders that, -while the sacred persons of the Ambassadors of France and Venice were to -be scrupulously respected, every one of their people who could be found -outside the Embassies, unless he happened to be in attendance on his -master at the time, and therefore covered by the ægis of his presence, -was to be promptly arrested and hauled off to prison. The <i>alguazils</i>, -burning to avenge their murdered comrades, went to work with right good -will, and rounded up secretaries of legation, attachés, lackeys, and -chefs so effectively, that in a day or two their Excellencies could -hardly find anyone to copy their despatches or prepare their meals. “The -Ambassador himself,” says Bassompierre, “not feeling himself safe from -the fury of the people, withdrew from the town, and wrote to the King to -warn him of the situation to which he was reduced, and to me to delay my -arrival.”</p> - -<p>Bassompierre, however, had no desire to kick his heels about dirty -Spanish inns until Du Fargis could persuade Philip III to set his people -at liberty; besides which he knew that the affair of the Valtellina was -a pressing one and that he had already wasted a good deal of time. He -therefore decided to continue his journey, but wrote to the Duke of -Monteleone and Don Fernando Giron, two<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_276" id="page_276"></a>{276}</span> grandees of his acquaintance, -begging them to endeavour to accommodate the affair. These noblemen -spoke to the King and informed Bassompierre that his Majesty desired to -see him as soon as possible, and had promised that, on his arrival, he -would find everything settled to his satisfaction.</p> - -<p>On February 21 Bassompierre reached Bayonne, where he remained for four -days as the guest of the Comte de Gramont, who was governor and -hereditary mayor of the town, and then set out for Saint-Jean-de-Luz, -accompanied by the count. On the way he had the unusual experience for a -landsman of witnessing a whale-hunt:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“As we were coming from Bayonne to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, we saw out at -sea more than fifty little sailing-boats giving chase to a whale, -which had been sighted going along the coast, accompanied by a -little whale. And at eleven o’clock that evening we had news that -the little whale had been captured, which we saw the next morning -lying on the beach, where it had been stranded during the high -tide.”</p></div> - -<p>While at Saint-Jean-de-Luz, some of the inhabitants danced a ballet for -the diversion of their distinguished guests, “which,” says Bassompierre, -“was, for the Basques, as fine as could be expected.” Before leaving the -town they learned of the death of Pope Paul V, which had occurred on -January 28, and of the election of his successor, Alessandro Ludovisio, -Cardinal Archbishop of Bologna, who took the name of Gregory XV.</p> - -<p>Gramont accompanied his friend so far as the Bidassoa, which divided -France from Spain, and then took leave of him; and Bassompierre and his -suite crossed the little river and entered Spain, under the guidance of -the <i>coreo mayor</i>, or post-master, of the province of Guipuzcoa, who -escorted the party to a <i>venta</i> near Irun, where they passed the night. -The next day’s journey brought them to Segura, and on the 28th they -crossed the barren limestone heights of the Sierra de San Adrian, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_277" id="page_277"></a>{277}</span> -proceeded, by way of Vittoria and Miranda de Ebro, to Burgos, where they -arrived on March 3.</p> - -<p>At Burgos Bassompierre went to visit the cathedral, one of the marvels -of Gothic architecture in Spain, which he pronounces “<i>bien belle</i>,” and -saw “<i>el santo crucifisso</i>,” by which presumably he means the -much-revered image of Our Saviour known as the “Christo de Burgos.”</p> - -<p>The following day he arrived at Lerma, and went to see the magnificent -mansion which that old rascal the Cardinal Duke de Lerma had recently -built for himself with a portion of the immense sums of which he had -robbed his unfortunate country. He afterwards went to hear Mass at a -convent which had also been built by Lerma, where the music, he tells -us, was excellent.</p> - -<p>On the 8th, Bassompierre reached Alcovendas, a few miles to the north of -Madrid. Here he received a visit from Du Fargis, who came to inform him -of the arrangements for his entry into Madrid. Du Fargis’s staff and -servants, and those of his friend the Venetian Ambassador, were still in -prison, but they were to be set at liberty next day, in time to assist -at Bassompierre’s reception.</p> - -<p>On the following afternoon, Bassompierre made his entry into the capital -of Spain, and had no cause to complain of the way in which he was -received:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The Ambassador [Du Fargis] and all the families of the other -Ambassadors came to meet me. The Count of Barajas<a name="FNanchor_138_138" id="FNanchor_138_138"></a><a href="#Footnote_138_138" class="fnanchor">[138]</a> came to -receive me with the carriages of the King, in one of which I seated -myself. He was accompanied by many of the nobility; and a very -great number of women in carriages came out of the town to see my -arrival. I alighted at the house of the Count of Barajas, which had -been sumptuously prepared for my accommodation. There I found the -Duke of Monteleone, Don Fernando Giron, Don Carlos Coloma and a -great number of other noblemen whom I had known in France or -elsewhere, waiting to greet me. I went to pay my<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_278" id="page_278"></a>{278}</span> respects to the -Countess of Barajas,<a name="FNanchor_139_139" id="FNanchor_139_139"></a><a href="#Footnote_139_139" class="fnanchor">[139]</a> who had invited a number of ladies to -assist her in receiving me, and afterwards I supped at a table -where fifty covers were laid, which was kept for me all the time I -was at Madrid. In the course of the evening, the Duke of Uceda sent -one of his gentlemen to greet me on his behalf.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre spent the following day in receiving the visits of a great -number of distinguished persons. An early arrival was the wife of the -heir to the throne (Élisabeth of France) who was accompanied by a large -party of ladies of the palace, “both old and young.” She was followed by -grandees and their wives, dignitaries of Church and State, members of -the Corps Diplomatique, and so forth, whom we need not particularise, -though Bassompierre’s account of the arrival of one of the chief -grandees in Spain at that time cannot be omitted:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The Duke of Ossuña<a name="FNanchor_140_140" id="FNanchor_140_140"></a><a href="#Footnote_140_140" class="fnanchor">[140]</a> was the next who came to greet me, with -extraordinary pomp; for he was carried in a chair; he wore an -Hungarian robe furred with ermine and a number of jewels of great -value; and was followed by more than twenty carriages, filled with -Spanish nobles, his relations and friends, or Neapolitan nobles; -while his chair was surrounded by more than fifty -captain-lieutenants or <i>alferes reformados</i>, Spanish or Neapolitan. -He embraced me with great affection and cordiality, and, after -calling me Excellency three or four times, he reminded me that, at -a supper at Zamet’s, at which the King<a name="FNanchor_141_141" id="FNanchor_141_141"></a><a href="#Footnote_141_141" class="fnanchor">[141]</a> was present, we had -made an alliance, and that I had promised to call him father and -that he should call me son; and he begged me to continue to do -this. So that we afterwards treated one another without any -ceremony. After this he was pleased to greet all<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_279" id="page_279"></a>{279}</span> who had -accompanied me from France, speaking to them in French and saying -so many extravagant things that I was not astonished at the -disgrace into which he shortly afterwards fell.”</p></div> - -<p>Next day came more grandees, more ladies, more prelates, and more -ambassadors, including those of England and the Emperor; and no sooner -had the unfortunate Bassompierre got rid of one batch, than another -appeared upon the scene, until by the time the last of his visitors had -taken his departure he was quite worn out. However, he was not to be -allowed much rest, for in the evening he received a visit from the -auditor of the Nuncio, who was conducting the affairs of the Holy See at -Madrid during the absence of his chief, who had gone to Rome to receive -a cardinal’s hat. This ecclesiastic came to talk politics, and showed -Bassompierre the copy of a brief which he had received from Gregory XV -on the subject of the Valtellina, in which his Holiness demanded the -restitution of the country, “for the sake of the freedom of Italy,” and -threatened his Catholic Majesty with the employment of both spiritual -and temporal weapons if the latter’s troops were not promptly withdrawn. -Altogether, it was quite a courageous letter for a new Pope to write to -a King of Spain, and pleased Bassompierre mightily; and he was still -more gratified to learn that the demands of France and the Vatican were -to be supported by the representatives of England, Venice, and Savoy. -However, when once the Spaniard of those days got his claws into -anything he coveted, it was no easy matter to induce him to release his -prey; and, though very ready to promise, he was exceedingly slow to -perform.</p> - -<p>The Papal representative was followed by Don Juan de Serica, one of the -Secretaries of State, who came to visit Bassompierre on behalf of Philip -III, and who informed him, “after several flattering observations, -touching the satisfaction that the King felt at his arrival and the good -opinion that he entertained of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_280" id="page_280"></a>{280}</span> him,” that he would be accorded an -audience so soon as his Majesty’s health would permit.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“He was indeed ill,” says Bassompierre, “though everyone believed -that he feigned to be so, in order to delay my audience and my -despatches.”</p></div> - -<p>And then he goes on to relate how the unfortunate monarch had fallen a -victim to those inexorable rules of Spanish Court etiquette, of which he -was the central object:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“His illness began on the first Friday in Lent (February 26). He -was engaged on some despatches, and the day being cold, an -excessively hot brazier had been put in the room where he was -working. The reflection of this brazier fell so strongly on his -face, that drops of sweat poured from it; but, as he was of a -character never to find fault or complain of anything, he said -nothing. The Marquis of Povar,<a name="FNanchor_142_142" id="FNanchor_142_142"></a><a href="#Footnote_142_142" class="fnanchor">[142]</a> from whom I heard this, told me -that, perceiving how the heat of the brazier was annoying him, he -told the Duke of Alba,<a name="FNanchor_143_143" id="FNanchor_143_143"></a><a href="#Footnote_143_143" class="fnanchor">[143]</a> who, like himself, was one of the -Gentlemen of the Chamber, to take it away. But since they are very -punctilious about their functions, he replied that it was the duty -of the <i>sommeiller du corps</i>, the Duke of Uceda. Upon that the -Marquis de Povar sent for him; but, unhappily, he had gone to look -at a house which he was having built. And so, before the Duke of -Uceda could be brought, the poor King was so broiled, that on the -morrow he fell into a fever. The fever brought on an erysipelas, -and the erysipelas, sometimes subsiding and sometimes increasing, -at length ended in a petechial fever, which killed him.”</p></div> - -<p>During the next three days Bassompierre continued to receive visits from -distinguished persons of the Court, the most important of whom was the -old Duke del Infantado,<a name="FNanchor_144_144" id="FNanchor_144_144"></a><a href="#Footnote_144_144" class="fnanchor">[144]</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_281" id="page_281"></a>{281}</span> the mayor-domo mayor,<a name="FNanchor_145_145" id="FNanchor_145_145"></a><a href="#Footnote_145_145" class="fnanchor">[145]</a> who came to see -him in great state, with the four mayor-domos walking before. This old -grandee, Bassompierre tells us, took a great fancy to him and rendered -him many services while he was at Madrid.</p> - -<p>If poor Philip III was too unwell to grant Bassompierre an audience, he -seemed anxious to make his stay in his capital as agreeable as possible. -For, not only did he obtain from the Patriarch of the Indies, “who was -like a Legate at the Court,” a Bull permitting him and one hundred -members of his suite to eat meat in Lent, but authorised him to have -plays performed at his house by the two companies of Royal players, -which were amalgamated, in order to secure a stronger cast. The King -paid the actors 300 reals for each performance, to which the munificent -Frenchman added 1,000 out of his own pocket.</p> - -<p>Theatrical representations in Lent had never been seen before in Spain, -and, though the more bigoted were doubtless very scandalised, and -thought that his Catholic Majesty’s illness must be of the brain rather -than of the body, the majority of people were delighted at the -innovation, and invitations were eagerly sought for.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The first performance,” says Bassompierre, “took place on March -14, in a great gallery in my house, which was beautifully decorated -and illuminated, and a great number of ladies and nobles were -present. During the play I had sweetmeats and <i>aloja</i> brought in -for the ladies who had come. The ladies were of two kinds: those -who had been invited by the Countess of Barajas, who remained on -the high dais and had their faces veiled; and those who sat on the -steps of the dais or in the <i>salle</i>. These last were covered by -their mantillas. The men also came, some covered and some not. All -the ambassadors were invited. After the play was over, I gave a -supper in private, prepared <i>à la Française</i> by my<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_282" id="page_282"></a>{282}</span> people, at -which seven or eight of the grandees, or chief nobles, of Spain -were my guests.”</p></div> - -<p>After this, plays were performed almost every evening up to the time of -the King’s death.</p> - -<p>On the 15th, Don Juan de Serica was sent by Philip III to inform -Bassompierre that he feared that his illness would prevent him from -giving him audience for some days longer. Since, however, he had learned -that there was a rumour afloat to the effect that he was feigning -illness with the object of retarding the important affairs upon which -his Excellency had come to see him, he had decided, in order to give the -lie to this rumour, to nominate forthwith commissioners to treat with -his Excellency. Bassompierre begged Don Juan to convey his very humble -thanks to his Majesty for the favour which he was doing him; and next -day the King nominated four commissioners, one of whom was Don Balthazar -de Zuniga, who was to play a prominent part at the beginning of the next -reign. At Don Balthazar’s suggestion, Bassompierre consented to Giulio -de Medici, Archbishop of Pisa, the Ambassador of Tuscany, being -associated with them as mediator, “to make us agree and to readjust -matters, if there were any hitch or rupture in the negotiations.”</p> - -<p>A day or two later, Serica came to see Bassompierre and informed him -that the King was better, and had decided to give him audience on the -following Sunday (March 21). On the Sunday, however, while Bassompierre -was awaiting the arrival of the Duke of Gandia, who had been charged to -conduct him to the palace and present him to the King, he learned that, -as Philip III was dressing in order to receive him, he had been suddenly -taken ill and had been obliged to return to bed, and that the audience -must therefore be postponed to another day.</p> - -<p>In point of fact, it never took place at all, for the King<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_283" id="page_283"></a>{283}</span> grew rapidly -worse. Bassompierre has left us some details about his last days:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“On the 23rd, the King had a great increase of fever, and they -began to fear the result. He was very melancholy from the -persuasion that he was going to die.</p> - -<p>“On the 27th, he told his physicians that they understood nothing -about his complaint, and that he felt he was dying. He commanded -processions and that public prayers should be offered for him.</p> - -<p>“On, Sunday, the 28th, the image of Nuestra Señora de Attoches was -carried in solemn procession to Las Descalzas reales.<a name="FNanchor_146_146" id="FNanchor_146_146"></a><a href="#Footnote_146_146" class="fnanchor">[146]</a> All the -counsellors attended, with a great number of penitents, who whipped -themselves cruelly for the King’s recovery. The body of the blessed -St. Isidore was carried to the King’s chamber, and the Holy -Sacrament laid on the altars of all the churches.</p> - -<p>“On the 29th, the physicians despaired of his life, upon which he -sent to summon the President of Castile, and his confessor -Alliaga<a name="FNanchor_147_147" id="FNanchor_147_147"></a><a href="#Footnote_147_147" class="fnanchor">[147]</a> to whom he spoke for a long time, and to the Duke of -Uceda, who sent for the Prince<a name="FNanchor_148_148" id="FNanchor_148_148"></a><a href="#Footnote_148_148" class="fnanchor">[148]</a> and Don Carlos.<a name="FNanchor_149_149" id="FNanchor_149_149"></a><a href="#Footnote_149_149" class="fnanchor">[149]</a> He gave -them his blessing, and begged the Prince to employ his old -servants, amongst whom he recommended the Duke of Uceda, his -confessor, and Don Bernabe de Vianco. Then he ordered the Infanta -Maria and the Cardinal Infant<a name="FNanchor_150_150" id="FNanchor_150_150"></a><a href="#Footnote_150_150" class="fnanchor">[150]</a> to be admitted, to whom he also -gave his blessing. The Princess was unable to come, by reason of a -faintness which seized her as she was entering the King’s chamber. -The King next divided his relics amongst them, after which he -communicated.</p> - -<p>“On Tuesday, the 30th, at two o’clock in the morning, Extreme -Unction was administered to the King. He then signed a great number -of papers. About noon he had the body of St. Isidore brought and -placed against his bed, and he vowed to build a chapel to the -saint. He then<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_284" id="page_284"></a>{284}</span> sent to summon the Duke of Lerma, who was at -Valladolid.</p> - -<p>“On Wednesday, the 31st and last day of March, he yielded up his -soul.</p> - -<p>“The King’s death was officially communicated to the ambassadors at -noon, and we, at the same time, received permission to despatch -couriers at five o’clock to carry the news to our masters.</p> - -<p>“The Queen<a name="FNanchor_151_151" id="FNanchor_151_151"></a><a href="#Footnote_151_151" class="fnanchor">[151]</a> went with the Infanta Maria to the Descalzas, and -the new King left in a closed carriage to go to San Geronimo.<a name="FNanchor_152_152" id="FNanchor_152_152"></a><a href="#Footnote_152_152" class="fnanchor">[152]</a> -On the road he met the body of Our Lord, which was being carried to -a sick man, and, according to the ancient custom of the House of -Austria, wished to alight and accompany it. The Count of -Olivarez<a name="FNanchor_153_153" id="FNanchor_153_153"></a><a href="#Footnote_153_153" class="fnanchor">[153]</a> said to him: ‘<i>Advierta V. Md. que anda tapado.</i>’ -(‘Your Majesty should recollect that you ought to be covered.’) To -which he answered: ‘<i>No ayque taparse delante de Dios.</i>’ (‘It is -never right to be covered before God.’)</p> - -<p>“This was thought a very good omen at Madrid.”</p></div> - -<p>On April 1 the body of Philip III lay in state at the palace, the face -being uncovered, and Bassompierre went with the other ambassadors to -sprinkle it with holy water. On the following day it was removed to the -Escurial for burial.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“At five o’clock in the afternoon,” says Bassompierre, “they -removed the body of the late King from the palace to carry it to -the tomb of his fathers in the Escurial. I went to see it pass over -the Puente Segoviana, with nearly all the grandees and ladies of -Madrid. In my opinion, it was a rather sorry funeral procession for -so great a King. First came a hundred or a hundred and twenty -Hieronymite monks, wearing their surplices and mounted on fine -mules. They rode two and two, following their leader, who carried -the Cross. Then came thirty Guards, led by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_285" id="page_285"></a>{285}</span> the Marquises de Povar -and de Falsas; and following them the King’s Household, the -<i>mayor-domos</i> last, with the Duke del Infantado, <i>mayor-domo -mayor</i>, preceding the body of the King, which was borne on a litter -drawn by two mules, which were covered, as was the litter, with -cloth-of-gold. The Gentlemen of the Chamber walked behind the -litter, and twenty archers of the Burgundian Guard brought up the -rear. They halted for the night at Pinto, and rather early on the -morrow arrived at the Escurial, where the funeral service was -celebrated, after which the company returned to Madrid.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre’s “father,” the Duke of Ossuña, was one of the grandees who -witnessed the procession from the Puente Segoviana; and he ascribes to -some injudicious remarks made by the duke on this occasion to two -gentlemen of his suite the fact that he was shortly afterwards arrested -and imprisoned:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The Duke of Ossuña was on the bridge to see the body of the King -pass by, and happening to stop opposite a carriage which contained -some of the gentlemen who had accompanied me to France, he inquired -if they knew when I was to have audience of the new King. M. de -Rothelin and the Marquis de Bussy d’Amboise<a name="FNanchor_154_154" id="FNanchor_154_154"></a><a href="#Footnote_154_154" class="fnanchor">[154]</a> answered that I -had been informed that it would be on the following Sunday. ‘I am -rejoiced to hear that,’ said he, ‘for I am promised the next -audience, in which I propose to say to the King that there are now -three great princes who govern the world, of whom one is aged -sixteen, another seventeen, and the third eighteen; that they are -himself, the Grand Turk, and the King of France; that whichever of -the three will have the longest sword will be the bravest; and that -one must be my master.’ These words were reported by a person in -his coach, who had been charged to spy upon his discourse and -actions, and, together with his previous conduct, were the cause of -his being thrown into prison, where he ended his days.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_286" id="page_286"></a>{286}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">Bassompierre’s audience of the new King, Philip IV—The Procession -of the Crosses—An old flame—Good Friday at Madrid—Anxiety of the -Queen’s ladies-in-waiting to see Bassompierre—His visit to -them—He is commissioned by Louis XIII to present his condolences -to Philip IV—He is informed that etiquette requires him to leave -Madrid as though to return to France and then to make another -formal entry—Revolution of the palace at Madrid: fall of the late -King’s Ministers—The Count of Saldagna ordered by Philip IV to -marry Doña Mariana de Cordoba, on pain of his severe -displeasure—Bassompierre offers to facilitate the escape of -Saldagna to France, but the latter’s courage fails him at the last -moment—Negotiations over the Valtellina—Treaty of -Madrid—Bassompierre’s pretended departure for France—He visits -the Escurial, returns to Madrid and makes a second ceremonious -entry—The audience of condolence—State entry of Philip IV into -Madrid—Termination of Bassompierre’s embassy—He returns to -France.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">On</span> Palm Sunday, April 4, Bassompierre had an audience of the new King at -the Convent of San Geronimo.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Twenty carriages were brought,” says he, “in which the Ambassador -[Du Fargis] and I and the whole of our respective suites placed -ourselves. We were conducted only by the Count of Barajas, because -it was not a solemn audience, but a private one, at San Geronimo, -to which the King had retired, and he was only admitting me as a -favour in order to pay honour to the King [of France] his -brother-in-law, and to show the promptitude with which he desired -to conclude the affair upon which I had come. We all wore mourning -according to the Spanish fashion, with the <i>loba</i>, the <i>caperuza</i> -and <i>capirote</i>,<a name="FNanchor_155_155" id="FNanchor_155_155"></a><a href="#Footnote_155_155" class="fnanchor">[155]</a> which I did for two reasons: first, because, -since all the grandees present at the audience, and the King -himself, were wearing it, I should have been uncovered, while they -were not, which would not have been seemly on my part; secondly, -because the sight of me wearing deep mourning<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_287" id="page_287"></a>{287}</span> for the death of -their late King was very agreeable to the Spaniards, who would not -have felt thus had I been dressed in our fashion. I made my -obeisance to the King and offered him the <i>pesame</i>, which is the -compliment of condolence upon the death of the King his father, -after which we offered him the <i>parabien</i>, which is the compliment -of felicitation upon his happy accession to the Crowns.<a name="FNanchor_156_156" id="FNanchor_156_156"></a><a href="#Footnote_156_156" class="fnanchor">[156]</a> This -we did also in the name of the King [of France], while awaiting the -despatch by him of some prince or great noble expressly to pay this -compliment. I then spoke to the King about our affairs, to all of -which things he answered very pertinently; and, after having paid -my respects to the prince,<a name="FNanchor_157_157" id="FNanchor_157_157"></a><a href="#Footnote_157_157" class="fnanchor">[157]</a> who was with him, I retired.”</p></div> - -<p>On the Wednesday in Holy Week, Bassompierre and Du Fargis witnessed the -Procession of the Crosses from the balcony of a house in the Calle -Mayor, which had been reserved for them:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“There were,” says Bassompierre, “more than five hundred penitents, -who walked barefooted, drawing large crosses, like that of Our -Lord, and, at intervals, were movable theatres, on which divers -representations of the Passion were exhibited in a very lifelike -manner.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre pronounces this spectacle “<i>très belle</i>”; nevertheless, he -soon appears to have had enough of it, and on being joined by the -Ambassador of Lucca and two Spanish nobles, he rose, protesting that he -could not remain seated and leave three such distinguished persons -standing—for there were only two chairs on the balcony—but would -resign his seat to one of them, leave M. du Fargis to represent France, -and go and beg of a party of ladies whom he perceived below the favour -of occupying one of their footstools. This he did, and the ladies were -most kind and did him the honour to allow him to sit at their feet, and, -we fear, paid more attention to his Excellency than to the procession. -Nor was this all; for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_288" id="page_288"></a>{288}</span> Fortune willed it that he should discover amongst -them a flame of the days of his youth, a certain Doña Aña de Sanasara, -whom he had known twenty-five years before at Naples, and who was now -the wife of the Secretary of the Council of Finance. “They recognised -each other with joy,” and Doña Aña, who was very rich, sent her old -admirer handsome presents and invited him to her house, where she -entertained him most sumptuously.</p> - -<p>On the following day—Maundy Thursday—Bassompierre witnessed another -procession, that of the Penitents, “in which there were more than two -thousand men who belaboured themselves with whips.” Afterwards he went -to hear the <i>Tenebræ</i> at Nuestra Señora de Constantinopoli and spent the -night in visiting different churches.</p> - -<p>On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Madrid was a city of mourning:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The bells of the churches were silent; the carriages ceased to -pass through the town; no one rode on horseback; no one carried a -sword; no one was accompanied by his servants; and all the women -were veiled.”</p></div> - -<p>On Easter Monday, Bassompierre went to pay his respects to the new Queen -at the Carmelite convent, where she was still in retreat. Her Majesty -told him that all her ladies-in-waiting were longing to make his -acquaintance—evidently, the fame of his successes amongst the fair had -preceded him to Madrid—and that he ought to have compassion upon them -and demand <i>lugar</i><a name="FNanchor_158_158" id="FNanchor_158_158"></a><a href="#Footnote_158_158" class="fnanchor">[158]</a> of every one of them. Bassompierre replied that, -if he were to do that, it would occupy more time than he would require -to conclude the affair of the Valtellina, and asked, as a favour, that -he might be allowed to interview the whole posse of them at the same -time, promising to do his best not to confound one lady with another. -The Queen said that such a proceeding would not be in accordance with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_289" id="page_289"></a>{289}</span> -etiquette; but Bassompierre observed that whenever their Majesties -granted favours they authorised some breach of etiquette, and that he -did not see why they could not do so in this case. The Queen smiled and -said that she would be quite willing, but that she dared not take so -important a step without first consulting the King. However, she would -speak to his Majesty, and inform him of the result.</p> - -<p>A few days later, Bassompierre was informed that the King had been -graciously pleased to consent that the rules of etiquette should be -waived in his Excellency’s favour, for which his Excellency “rendered -very humble thanks to the King.” Then he wrote to demand audience of all -the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, and, this having been accorded, proceeded -to the Alcazar and was conducted to her Majesty’s ante-chamber, where he -was presently joined by a bevy of fair and intensely curious ladies, in -charge of a duenna, all eager to behold this redoubtable <i>vainqueur de -dames</i>. And when they found that, in addition to his good looks and -fascinating manners, he was able to pay them the most charming -compliments in irreproachable Castilian, their delight knew no bounds, -and it was more than two hours before they would allow him to depart.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>On April 16, Bassompierre received a despatch from Louis XIII -commissioning him to present his condolences to the new King on the -death of his father. When, however, he informed Zuniga of this and -inquired when Philip IV could give him audience to enable him to acquit -himself of his new duty, that old gentleman shook his head and declared -that it was quite contrary to the etiquette of the Spanish Court for an -Ambassador Extraordinary charged with the duty of concluding a treaty to -represent his sovereign in a different matter, unless he were to absent -himself from the capital for some days and then make a second public -entry. He therefore advised<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_290" id="page_290"></a>{290}</span> his Excellency to say nothing about the -matter at present, but, on the conclusion of the treaty which he was -then negotiating, to take leave of the King as though he were returning -to France, and to go so far as Burgos on his homeward journey. From that -town he would send a courier to Madrid to announce that, having on the -way received a new commission from his sovereign, he was returning to -discharge it; and, on his arrival, he would, of course, be received with -the same ceremony as on the previous occasion.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre, though greatly annoyed at these exasperating formalities, -which would not only delay his return to France, but involve him in a -great deal of unnecessary expense and inconvenience, had no alternative -but to promise compliance. He succeeded, however, in obtaining the -concession that his fictitious departure for France need not be preceded -by fictitious farewells of anyone besides the King and the Royal family, -and that, so long as he left the capital with his whole suite and -remained away for two or three days, the Escorial might be the limit of -his journey.</p> - -<p>The death of Philip III was followed by a revolution of the palace -almost as sweeping as that which had succeeded the assassination of -Concini in France. The new King’s favourite, Olivares, who, with his -uncle Don Balthazar de Zuniga, now assumed the direction of affairs, -bore a bitter grudge against the Sandoval family, who, on more than one -occasion, had endeavoured to get rid of him by assassination, and he -proceeded to take vengeance both upon them and their creatures. The Duke -of Uceda was arrested and thrown into prison, where, like the Duke of -Ossuña, he ended his days. His father, the Duke of Lerma, who, in -obedience to the dying summons of Philip III, was hastening to Madrid, -was met on the road by an officer of the Guards and informed that he was -to return to Valladolid, on pain of immediate arrest; while, shortly -afterwards, the greater part of his ill-gotten wealth<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_291" id="page_291"></a>{291}</span></p> - -<p><a name="PHILIP" id="PHILIP"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/i_290fp_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_290fp_sml.jpg" width="362" height="302" alt="Image unavailable: PHILIP IV., KING OF SPAIN. - -From the painting by Velasquez." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">PHILIP IV., KING OF SPAIN. -<br /> -From the painting by Velasquez.</span> -</div> - -<p class="nind">was confiscated, under a clause in the late King’s will by which he -revoked the immense gifts he had made during his lifetime. The confessor -Alliaga was deprived of his post of Grand Inquisitor and relegated to -the obscurity of the monastery from which he had emerged; and several -other highly-placed personages lost their charges and were banished from -Court.</p> - -<p>The Count of Saldagna,<a name="FNanchor_159_159" id="FNanchor_159_159"></a><a href="#Footnote_159_159" class="fnanchor">[159]</a> Lerma’s younger son, thanks to his having -had the good fortune to marry a daughter of the old Duke del -Infantado,<a name="FNanchor_160_160" id="FNanchor_160_160"></a><a href="#Footnote_160_160" class="fnanchor">[160]</a> who was held in general esteem, was more leniently dealt -with than his father and elder brother, and was merely deprived of his -office of <i>cavalerizzo mayor</i> (Grand Equerry) and ordered to go and -fight the Dutch in the Netherlands. But, a day or two later, “one of the -Queen’s maids-of-honour, Doña Mariana de Cordoba, presented to the King -a promise of marriage which the Count of Saldagna had given her,<a name="FNanchor_161_161" id="FNanchor_161_161"></a><a href="#Footnote_161_161" class="fnanchor">[161]</a> -and the King commanded the said count to prepare to accomplish it.”</p> - -<p>The royal command appears to have been accompanied by an intimation -that, in the event of the count’s refusal to do the lady justice, most -unpleasant things would happen to him. Anyway, Saldagna appears to have -been greatly alarmed, and promised the King to lead Doña Mariana to the -altar “on the first day after the octave of Easter” (April 21).</p> - -<p>Now, when Bassompierre was setting out for Spain, Anne of Austria, who -was much attached to the Sandoval family, “had pressingly recommended to -him all that concerned the Duke of Lerma”; and, aware of this, -Saldagna’s aunt the Countess of Lemos<a name="FNanchor_162_162" id="FNanchor_162_162"></a><a href="#Footnote_162_162" class="fnanchor">[162]</a> and other relatives and -friends of his, who were in despair at the prospect of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_292" id="page_292"></a>{292}</span> contracting -a <i>mésalliance</i>, to which, in their opinion, death itself would almost -be preferable, went to the ambassador and besought him, with tears in -their eyes, “to aid in preventing this marriage by every means he was -able to devise.” The recollection of his own troubles with Marie -d’Entragues naturally inclined Bassompierre to view Saldagna’s with a -sympathetic eye, and, apart from this, he had a decided weakness for -meddling in other people’s affairs in a benevolent kind of way. He knew, -too, that, by helping the Sandovals, he would establish a claim upon the -gratitude of Anne of Austria, who, though she had little or no influence -at present, might one day possess a great deal. He accordingly promised -them to do what he could to deliver their relative from the sad fate -which threatened him, and proceeded to San Geronimo—where Saldagna had -gone into retreat on the plea of illness, to escape the remonstrances of -his friends and the mocking felicitations of his enemies—with the -resolution to screw that nobleman’s courage up to what Shakespeare calls -the sticking-place, and then to propose to smuggle him out of Spain, -disguised as one of his servants.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“After we had exchanged compliments,” he says, “I told him that I -knew not whether to give him the <i>parabien</i> or the <i>pesame</i> on his -approaching marriage,<a name="FNanchor_163_163" id="FNanchor_163_163"></a><a href="#Footnote_163_163" class="fnanchor">[163]</a> since, although it might be a great -satisfaction for him, nevertheless a gallant of the Court, such as -he was, could not without sorrow abandon the pleasant existence he -had led up to the present to accept a lonely life, full of anxiety -and care, as was marriage.</p> - -<p>“He answered that he must perforce obey the master, who commanded -him to execute what he had promised the mistress; and that, -although it was a hard condition which he was placing on his -shoulders, it was an ill for which there was no remedy.</p> - -<p>“It appeared to me, from his discourse, that the pack-saddle galled -him, and that he would be very willing to find some alleviation. -And this encouraged me to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_293" id="page_293"></a>{293}</span> tell him that there were more remedies -than he thought of, if he desired to be cured, and that the express -command which I had received from the Infanta-Queen to assist in -every way I could the duke-cardinal his father, as her own person, -obliged me, when I perceived the palpable displeasure with which he -and all his family regarded this forced marriage, to offer him, on -this occasion, my aid and assistance to extricate him from it, if -he so desired.</p> - -<p>“ ‘And what aid and assistance can you bring me,’ said he, ‘when -neither I myself nor my relatives are capable of doing anything?’</p> - -<p>“Then I told him that, if he were willing to believe me and to -trust himself to me, I would extricate him from this difficulty -with honour and glory; that the Duke of Alba, grandfather of the -present duke,<a name="FNanchor_164_164" id="FNanchor_164_164"></a><a href="#Footnote_164_164" class="fnanchor">[164]</a> had preferred to commit the crime of rebellion, -in delivering his son Fadrigue de Toledo,<a name="FNanchor_165_165" id="FNanchor_165_165"></a><a href="#Footnote_165_165" class="fnanchor">[165]</a> in the midst of -peace, by the use of petards, from a château in which he had been -shut up in order to force him to espouse a maid-of-honour, than to -allow him to espouse a very wealthy girl, of a family equal to his -own; and that I myself had been at law for eight years with a -powerful family, who had threatened me with certain death if I did -not espouse a maid-of-honour of the Queen [of France] by whom I had -had a child, and to whom I had given a promise of marriage to serve -her as a blind; that, in case his honour and that of his House was -dear to him, as I believed it to be, he ought without regret to -quit for a time the Court of Spain, in which he was out of favour, -since he had been deprived of the charge of <i>cavalerizzo mayor</i>, -while his relatives and friends were disgraced and persecuted; that -the remedy I offered him was to leave the town at nightfall by -post, and go to await me at Bayonne, where I would join him at a -month at furthest; that the Comte de Gramont would entertain him -there in the meantime in such fashion that his stay would not be -disagreeable; that, in case he had not the money at hand to take -him there, I would furnish him with 1,000 pistoles to defray his -expenses until my arrival; that I would answer that, when he -reached the Court, the Queen would<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_294" id="page_294"></a>{294}</span> give him—until, by her -intervention, his peace was made here—1,000 crowns a month, and -that, if she did not, I would do so out of my own purse and give -him the word of a <i>caballero</i> for it.</p> - -<p>“He assured me that he was deeply grateful both to the Queen and to -myself, and then said: ‘But what means have I of leaving Spain -without being stopped? And, if I were stopped, they would -undoubtedly have my head struck off.’</p> - -<p>“I answered that I never proposed impossible things to those whom I -desired to serve, and that I would be responsible for his -departure, his journey and his safety; that I had been given a -passport for a gentleman whom I was sending that same day to the -King, and that he was travelling with two attendants; that he would -serve him on the road as valet, although this gentleman ought to be -his; that he would not take his departure until an hour of the -night when he [Saldagna] might come to me unperceived, and that he -might leave the other arrangements to me.</p> - -<p>“He told me that he was resolved to do as I proposed, and would be -all his life under a profound obligation to me; that he wished to -speak first to two of his friends; and that he begged me to have -everything in readiness at the hour I had named.”</p></div> - -<p>Not a little elated with his success, Bassompierre left him and returned -to Madrid to finish the despatch which Saldagna’s supposed master was to -carry that night to France. This task accomplished, he placed the -thousand pistoles he had promised the count in two purses, summoned his -equerry Le Manny, whom he had decided to send, told him of the -distinguished personage who was to accompany him and gave him his -instructions what to do in the event of their being stopped, though of -that there was little or no danger, as he would indeed be a bold man -who, without authorisation, would venture to detain the couriers of an -Ambassador Extraordinary.</p> - -<p>The fateful hour arrived, but no Saldagna. Instead, there came a message -from that nobleman informing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_295" id="page_295"></a>{295}</span> Bassompierre that, to his profound regret, -he found himself unable to carry out what they had decided upon -together, “for reasons which he would tell him when he had the happiness -of seeing him.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I know not,” says Bassompierre, “whether the friends to whom he -had spoken had dissuaded him, if he lacked the resolution to -undertake it, or if the love which he bore this girl had decided -him to espouse her.”</p></div> - -<p>Anyway, espouse her he did on the day which he had promised the King. -The marriage took place in the church of the Carmelite convent, where -the Queen was still in retreat. The King led the bridegroom, and the -Queen the bride, to the nuptial Mass, and then brought them with the -same ceremony to the door of her Majesty’s ante-chamber. Here certain -officers of the Court appeared upon the scene, took charge of bride and -bridegroom, conducted them, “without even giving them time to dine,” to -the gates of the town, where a travelling-carriage was in waiting, told -them to step in and informed them that they were banished from Madrid.</p> - -<p>Meantime, the negotiations on the Valtellina question, which had been -interrupted by the death of Philip III, had been resumed. At first, the -Spaniards suggested that if France would guarantee the protection of -religion in the Valtellina, refuse to Venice the right of passage for -her troops, and compensate Spain for the expense to which she had been -put in occupying the country, she would withdraw. Bassompierre promptly -declined. They then offered to waive the question of compensation, in -return for the right of transit for Spanish troops, the very privilege -which they had just endeavoured to deny to France’s old ally Venice. -This proposition, as may be supposed, was likewise declined. It was -impossible for the Spanish commissioners to persist in such demands, as -the influence of Gregory XV, greatly alarmed by visions of Spain’s -supremacy throughout Italy, had been thrown<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_296" id="page_296"></a>{296}</span> into the French scale. And -so Zuniga proposed that the Grisons should receive compensation for the -Valtellina, and the district be ceded to the Pope. Bassompierre curtly -replied that he had been sent to Madrid to recover, not to sell, the -Valtellina. Zuniga and his colleagues brought forward other schemes: -that the Valtellina should be erected into a fourth League; that it -should be constituted into a fourteenth canton of the Swiss -Confederation, and so forth. But, finding that Bassompierre stood firmly -by his instructions, they at length gave way, and on April 26, 1621, the -Treaty of Madrid was signed.</p> - -<p>This treaty stipulated that Spain should withdraw her troops from the -Valtellina; that the Grisons should grant a general amnesty to the -Valtellinas; that “the novelties prejudicial to the Catholic religion -should be removed,” and that the Grisons should ratify the treaty, which -was to be guaranteed by the King of France and the Swiss Cantons.</p> - -<p>The Cabinet of Madrid hoped that, in the interval between the conclusion -and the execution of the treaty, some incident might arise which would -furnish them with a pretext for not keeping their word; and in this, as -we shall see, they were not disappointed.</p> - -<p>On April 28, Bassompierre, having taken leave of Philip IV, left Madrid, -accompanied by his whole suite, as though he were returning to France. -He spent the night at Torreladones, and on the following morning reached -the Escorial, “where he saw everything in this wonderful building and -all the rare things which it contained.” Early on the 30th, he left the -Escorial and proceeded to El Pardo, a pleasure-house belonging to the -King, where he dined, and then went on to Alcovendas. Here he passed the -night, and on May 1, dressed in deep mourning, as became one who had -been charged with an embassy of condolence, made his second ceremonious -entry into Madrid.</p> - -<p>On the 4th, he had an audience of the King to offer the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_297" id="page_297"></a>{297}</span> <i>pesame</i>, and -appeared, according to his own account, before the bereaved monarch -“with a countenance which, apart from the absence of tears, presented -every indication of grief and sadness.”<a name="FNanchor_166_166" id="FNanchor_166_166"></a><a href="#Footnote_166_166" class="fnanchor">[166]</a> Afterwards, by Philip IV’s -invitation, he accompanied him to the funeral service in honour of the -late King at San Geronimo.</p> - -<p>On the following day Bassompierre began to pay his farewell visits to -the grandees and other important persons whose acquaintance he had made -at Madrid, a task which was to occupy him several days, as there were so -many to visit and so many formalities to be observed. His adieux were -interrupted on May 9 by Philip IV’s solemn entry into Madrid, which he -witnessed from a balcony at the Puerta Guadalaxara, which the King had -ordered to be prepared for him:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The King,” he says, “set out from San Geronimo and came to his -palace by way of the Calle Mayor. Before him marched the -kettle-drummers; then came the gentlemen of the King’s table; then, -the <i>titulados</i>;<a name="FNanchor_167_167" id="FNanchor_167_167"></a><a href="#Footnote_167_167" class="fnanchor">[167]</a> after them the mace-bearers; then the four -mayor-domos; then the grandees; and then the Duke del Infantado, -<i>cavalerizzo mayor</i>, bareheaded, and carrying a drawn sword. He -preceded the King, who followed under a canopy, supported on -thirty-two poles, which were borne by the thirty-two <i>regidores</i> of -Madrid,<a name="FNanchor_168_168" id="FNanchor_168_168"></a><a href="#Footnote_168_168" class="fnanchor">[168]</a> habited in cloth of silver and crimson. Then came the -<i>corregidor</i>,<a name="FNanchor_169_169" id="FNanchor_169_169"></a><a href="#Footnote_169_169" class="fnanchor">[169]</a> surrounded by the King’s equerries, and the -Counsellors of State and Gentlemen of the Chamber closed the -procession.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_298" id="page_298"></a>{298}</span></p> - -<p>In a despatch to Louis XIII, dated the following day, Bassompierre -describes the entry as “very magnificent for Madrid, but not equal to -the least of those which take place in France.”</p> - -<p>On the 12th, Bassompierre had his farewell audience of the King, who -gave him a letter in his own hand for Louis XIII and another for Anne of -Austria. He then took leave of Don Carlos, and, on leaving the Alcazar, -went to bid adieu to Olivares and Zuniga.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon “the executors of the late King’s will placed in his -hands a great reliquary, which must have been worth 500,000 crowns,” and -charged him to present it to the Queen of France, to whom Philip IV had -bequeathed it.</p> - -<p>On the 15th—the day he was to leave Madrid—Don Juan de Serica came to -present him, on behalf of Philip III, with “an ensign of diamonds worth -6,000 crowns.”<a name="FNanchor_170_170" id="FNanchor_170_170"></a><a href="#Footnote_170_170" class="fnanchor">[170]</a> The Countess of Barajas sent him “a very beautiful -present of perfumes,” and he begged the countess’s acceptance of a -diamond chain worth 1,500 crowns. Shortly before his departure, he -received another gift from the King, in the shape of a very fine horse -from his Majesty’s stud.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon he left Madrid, “the King ordering him to be escorted -on his departure in the same fashion as when he had made his entry,” and -was accompanied so far as Alcovendas, where he was to pass the night, by -Du Fargis, the Prince of Eboli and a number of Spanish nobles. His -journey to the frontier was uneventful, and on May 24 he reached -Bayonne.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_299" id="page_299"></a>{299}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hangbq">A new War of Religion breaks out in France—Luynes created -Constable—Louis XIII and Duplessis-Mornay—Bassompierre joins the -Royal army before Saint-Jean d’Angély—Capitulation of the -town—Bassompierre returns with Créquy to Paris—He is “in great -consideration” amongst the ladies—Apparent anxiety of Luynes for -the marriage of his niece to Bassompierre—The King and the -Constable resolve to lay siege to Montauban—Bassompierre decides -to rejoin the army without waiting for orders from the latter—He -arrives at the King’s quarters at the Château of -Picqueos—Dispositions of the besieging army—Narrow escape of -Bassompierre while reconnoitring the advanced-works of the town—A -gallant Swiss—Death of the Comte de Fiesque—Heavy casualties -amongst the besiegers—The Seigneur de Tréville—Bassompierre and -the women of Montauban—Death of Mayenne—The Spanish monk—An -amateur general—Disastrous results of carrying out his -orders—Furious sortie of the garrison—Bassompierre is wounded in -the face—An amusing incident—The Cévennes mountaineers endeavour -to throw reinforcements into Montauban—A midnight <i>mêlée</i>.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Bassompierre</span> would probably have found the Spaniards more difficult to -deal with, had it not been that they were anxious to free Louis XIII, -for the moment, from foreign embarrassments in order that he might -commit himself fully to a war with his Protestant subjects, which could -not fail to weaken France and render it unlikely that she would be -willing to engage in hostilities beyond her borders.</p> - -<p>The drastic measures adopted by Louis XIII towards the Protestants of -Béarn had aroused bitter resentment amongst their co-religionists -throughout France; and towards the end of December, 1620, a general -assembly of the party was held at La Rochelle to decide upon the policy -to be adopted in view of this menace to their faith. Of the great -Huguenot chiefs, Bouillon, Sully, and Lesdiguières did not respond to -the summons or send anyone to represent them; but La Force, Châtillon, -La Trémoille and Rohan sent delegates.</p> - -<p>The Assembly authorised the raising of troops and a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_300" id="page_300"></a>{300}</span> general levy on the -funds of the party; and then proceeded to divide France into eight -departments—veritable military districts on the model of the German -“circles”—each being placed under the command of a general-in-chief. -Although these measures were intended to be purely defensive, nothing -more calculated to provoke hostilities could have been devised; the -Protestants were at once accused by the Government of having established -a republic within the State, and in April a new War of Religion began.</p> - -<p>It differed from the old wars, however, inasmuch as neither the chiefs -nor the rank and file of the Huguenots were unanimous in supporting it. -Lesdiguières, who had been won over by the Court, deserted the common -cause, as did most of the Protestant nobles; Rohan, his younger brother -Soubise and La Force alone remained faithful. Outside the nobility, the -same division of opinion manifested itself; the great majority of the -warlike Calvinists of the South took up arms; but the rest of Protestant -France did not move.</p> - -<p>At the moment of entering upon the campaign against the Protestants, -Luynes demanded the sword of Constable of France, which Louis XIII -bestowed upon him with the utmost pomp, although he had already promised -it to Lesdiguières, on condition that he should abjure the Protestant -faith, which the marshal had engaged to do. That the sword which had -been borne by such warriors as Du Guesclin, Clisson, Buchan, Saint-Pol, -the Duc de Bourbon, and Anne de Montmorency should be conferred upon the -hero of an assassination, who could not drill a company of infantry, -aroused universal astonishment and disgust; and Luynes’s exchange of the -<i>rôle</i> of statesman for that of general was, as one might anticipate, -attended with disastrous results for the forces under his command.</p> - -<p>However, the campaign opened auspiciously enough. The King and Luynes -advanced to Saumur, of which the latter succeeded in getting possession -by a characteristic<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_301" id="page_301"></a>{301}</span> act of bad faith. The Governor of Saumur was that -grand old veteran Du Plessis-Mornay, the companion-in-arms and -counsellor of Henri IV. Mornay had refused to support a rebellion which, -in his eyes, was unjustified, and when Luynes assured him that the King -had no intention of depriving him of a post which had been conferred -upon him by his father more than thirty years before, he opened the -gates of town and château to the royal troops. No sooner were they in -possession, than he was informed that prudence would not permit the King -to leave a Huguenot in charge of so important a link in his -communications. He was offered a bribe of money, and even a marshal’s -bâton, in return for the resignation of his government, which he -indignantly refused, but accepted the royal promise that in three -months’ time he should be reinstated. On various pretexts, however, -Louis XIII succeeded in evading this engagement until Mornay’s death, -two years later.</p> - -<p>At the end of May, the Royal army laid siege to Saint-Jean-d’Angély, -called the “bulwark of La Rochelle,” to the possession of which great -importance was attached; and it was here that Bassompierre, who, after -remaining a day at Bayonne, had hastened northwards, joined it. The -town, which was defended by Soubise, held out for nearly a month, and at -times there was some pretty sharp fighting in the faubourgs, in which -Bassompierre appears to have distinguished himself. But on June 23 it -capitulated, and d’Épernon and Bassompierre marched in with the French -and Swiss Guards.</p> - -<p>On the 26th, Bassompierre accompanied the King to Cognac, from which -town he was despatched to Paris, to ratify with the Chancellor and the -Spanish Ambassador Mirabello the treaty which he had made at Madrid. He -was accompanied by Créquy, who had received a musket-ball through the -cheek at the siege of Saint-Jean-d’Angély, and to whom Luynes had -suggested the advisability of a short sojourn in the capital for the -benefit of his health.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_302" id="page_302"></a>{302}</span> About the same time, another brigadier-general, -Saint-Luc, was appointed lieutenant-general of the western seaboard of -France, and sent by Luynes to Brouage, “to make the King powerful at -sea.” The reason, however, why the new Constable felt able to dispense -simultaneously with the services of three of the most distinguished -officers in the army was not made apparent until some weeks later, as, -on taking leave of him, each was assured that he would be recalled so -soon as any important operations were contemplated.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre’s reception by his friends of both sexes in Paris left -nothing to be desired:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It is impossible to say,” he writes, “how I passed my time during -this visit. Everyone entertained us in turn. The ladies congregated -or came to the Tuileries. There were few gallants in Paris, and I -was in great consideration there, and in love in divers directions. -I had brought back from Spain rarities to the value of 20,000 -crowns, and these I distributed amongst the ladies, who gave me a -most cordial reception.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre had not been long in Paris when he received a visit from -his friend Roucelaï, who came on behalf of Luynes to interview him on -the question of his marriage with the Constable’s niece, Mlle. de -Combalet, which had been proposed to the favourite by Condé and Guise -during Bassompierre’s absence in Spain. Luynes was anxious to conciliate -these two princes, who had been far from pleased at his assumption of -the office of Constable, and, aware that Bassompierre had strengthened -his position at Court by the success of his embassy to Madrid and his -services at Saint-Jean-d’Angély, he appears to have been anxious to -remove all difficulties in the way of the match.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“He had sent Roucelaï,” says Bassompierre, “to ascertain what I -desired for my advantage and my fortune, if this marriage were -made. For he imagined that I should demand offices of the Crown, -dignities and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_303" id="page_303"></a>{303}</span> governments, and that it was my intention to be -bought. But I answered Roucelaï that the honour of marrying into -the family of the Constable was so dear to me, that he would offend -me by giving me anything except his niece, and that I demanded -nothing beyond that, although afterwards I should not refuse the -benefits of which he might deem me worthy when I was his nephew. He -[Luynes] was delighted at my frankness, and caused me to be -informed that he would place me in the perfect confidence of the -King, who had a very strong inclination for me, of which in future -he would no longer be jealous, as he had been the previous year.”</p></div> - -<p>All this was no doubt very gratifying, but, at the same time, the -Constable, notwithstanding that active operations had long since been -resumed, showed no inclination to recall either Bassompierre, Créquy, or -Saint-Luc to the army; and presently they learned that he had appointed -three other brigadier-generals—creatures of his own—in their places, -having persuaded the King that, though they were very capable officers, -“they were not persons who would stick to their work or give the -necessary attention to it.” The real reason seems to have been the -favourite’s fear that “they might eclipse his glory and that of his -brothers,” and that they might be disinclined to carry out the orders of -one whom they knew to be entirely ignorant of military matters.</p> - -<p>Towards the middle of August, Bassompierre learned that the King and -Luynes, encouraged by the taking of the little town of Clairac and some -minor successes, had resolved to lay siege to Montauban, the great -citadel of the Huguenots of the South, and were marching towards that -town. About the same time, he received a letter from Marie de’ Medici, -who had returned to Tours, informing him that the Constable had demanded -of her Marillac, who was in her service,<a name="FNanchor_171_171" id="FNanchor_171_171"></a><a href="#Footnote_171_171" class="fnanchor">[171]</a> as the only man capable<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_304" id="page_304"></a>{304}</span> -of reducing Montauban, “and had begged her to send him to the King at -once,” in order not to delay his Majesty’s conquest by his absence.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the formal reconciliation, Marie still hated the man who -had taken her son from her, and subjected her to so many humiliations, -as bitterly as ever; and her object in writing was, of course, to -animate Bassompierre against the Constable and put an end to the good -understanding at which they now seemed to have arrived. By this means -she would, so to speak, kill two birds with one stone, since she had -probably not forgiven Bassompierre for the activity which he had -displayed in the King’s cause during the last war, which had contributed -materially to the defeat of her party. Bassompierre, however, had no -intention of quarrelling with his prospective uncle to gratify the -Queen-Mother or anyone else. At the same time, he was deeply mortified -to learn that a mediocre officer like Marillac, who had nothing to -recommend him but his subservience to the favourite, was to be appointed -to a high command, while he himself was left unemployed; and he felt -that to remain inactive while such important operations were in progress -was impossible. He therefore decided to rejoin the army without waiting -for orders from the Constable, trusting, by the exercise of a little -tact, to succeed in disarming the annoyance which his return might -occasion that personage.</p> - -<p>The Royal army had encamped before Montauban on August 18. If the town -fell, all the South would fall with it; and Luynes, elated by recent -successes, believed that victory was assured. The most prudent officers -did not share the optimism of the favourite; to them the siege of -Montauban seemed a very difficult undertaking. La Force had retired into -the place with three of his sons, the Comte d’Orval, younger son of -Sully, and a number of Huguenot gentlemen; from 3,000 to 4,000 picked -soldiers, supported by more than 2,000 armed citizens,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_305" id="page_305"></a>{305}</span> formed a truly -formidable garrison; the Duc de Rohan, still master of a great part of -the Albigeois and Rouergue, would, they knew, make every effort to -revictual the place and harass the siege operations; and he could -command the services of the Protestant mountaineers of the Cévennes. -Several generals and members of the Council had expressed the opinion -that they should begin by clearing Upper Guienne and Upper Languedoc of -the rebels, and postpone operations against Montauban until the spring. -But the King and Luynes had refused to listen to them.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre arrived in the Royal camp on the 21st, just as the trenches -were about to be opened, and at once proceeded to the Château of -Piquecos, to the north of the town, on the right bank of the Aveyron, -where Louis XIII had taken up his quarters. Having excused his return -without orders on the ground of his zeal for the service of the King, he -hastened to disclaim any desire to serve as brigadier-general and -declared that “he should content himself with being in this siege -Colonel-General of the Swiss.” Luynes thereupon became quite cordial, -and the King told Bassompierre that, when the siege was over, and he and -the Constable had returned to Paris, he would give him the command of -the army.</p> - -<p>Lesdiguières had advised Luynes to employ against Montauban all the -resources of the military art, and to enclose the town in lines of -circumvallation protected by forts. But the presumptuous Constable was -unwilling to waste time in what he was pleased to regard as superfluous -precautions; and the siege of this formidable stronghold, defended by -several thousand resolute men, prepared to die sword in hand in defence -of their religion rather than surrender, and with strong reinforcements -under an able general hovering in the background, was embarked upon as -lightly as if its reduction had presented no more than ordinary -difficulty.</p> - -<p>The besieging army was divided into three divisions.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_306" id="page_306"></a>{306}</span> One division, -composed of the French and Swiss Guards, with the regiments of Piedmont -and Normandy, and commanded by the Maréchaux de Praslin and de Chaulnes, -under the orders of the Constable, was to assail the advanced works of -Montmirat and Saint-Antoine, to the west and north-west of the town, on -the right bank of the Tarn, in front of the faubourg of Ville-Nouvelle. -The second, of which Mayenne had the command, with the Maréchal de -Thémines under him, was to attack Ville-Bourbon, a faubourg situated on -the left bank of the Tarn,<a name="FNanchor_172_172" id="FNanchor_172_172"></a><a href="#Footnote_172_172" class="fnanchor">[172]</a> and connected with the town by an old -brick bridge, dating from the early part of the fourteenth century. The -third, commanded by Joinville—or the Duc de Chevreuse, as he had now -become—who had Lesdiguières and Saint-Géran to assist him, was -entrusted with the attack on Le Moustier, a fortified suburb to the -south-west of the town. Two bridges which had been thrown across the -Tarn maintained communication between the three divisions, to the first -of which Bassompierre, as Colonel-General of the Swiss, was attached.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>On leaving the King, Bassompierre returned to the camp, and he and -Praslin crossed the river to visit Mayenne. The Lorraine prince offered -to show them the fortifications of Ville-Bourbon, and took them as close -to the walls as he could persuade them to go, “with the intention of -drawing upon us some musket-shots.” This kind of bravado appears to have -been a favourite amusement of Mayenne, but, as we shall presently see, -he was to indulge in it once too often.</p> - -<p>On their return to the Guards’ camp, they began preparations for opening -the trenches, and Bassompierre, accompanied by an Italian engineer named -Gamorini, who had been sent to the army by Marie de’ Medici, in whose -service he was, went out to reconnoitre the advance-works<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_307" id="page_307"></a>{307}</span> of the town. -They succeeded in getting quite close to them without being observed; -but, as they were returning, they lost their way and were suddenly -confronted by an advanced guard-house of the enemy. The sentries fired -upon them point-blank, and one ball went through Bassompierre’s coat; -but both he and Gamorini succeeded in effecting their escape unharmed. -They brought back with them some useful information, and that evening -the first trench was opened, the work being entrusted to the Regiment of -Piedmont.</p> - -<p>On the following day, Luynes came to their camp and summoned -Bassompierre and the other leaders to a council of war. While this was -proceeding, the enemy brought one of their cannon to bear upon the men -working on the trench, the first shot blowing a captain of the Regiment -of Piedmont to pieces and mortally wounding two other officers, one of -whom, a lieutenant named Castiras, was in Bassompierre’s service. The -bombardment was followed by a furious sortie, and the Piedmonts were -obliged to abandon the unfinished trench and fall back. Bassompierre, -leaving the council, hurriedly collected reinforcements, and drove the -enemy back into the town; but the Piedmonts had suffered severely.</p> - -<p>Work proceeded without interruption during the next three days, and -considerable progress was made; but, during the night of August 26-27, -the enemy sallied out again, their attack on this occasion being -directed against a sunken road, which the Royal troops were fortifying, -with the intention of placing a battery there. They were again repulsed, -but not before they had succeeded in over-turning the gabions which had -been placed there. Some of these they carried off with them, but -abandoned between the road and the fortifications, well within -musket-shot of the latter.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The following night,” writes Bassompierre, “one of the Swiss named -Jacques told us that, if I were willing to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_308" id="page_308"></a>{308}</span> give him a crown, he -would bring back the gabions which the enemy had removed from the -road; and what astonished us the more, was that this man brought -back the gabions on his back, so strong and robust was he. The -enemy fired two hundred arquebus-shots at him, without wounding -him. After he had brought back six, the captains of the Guards -begged me not to permit so brave a man to risk his life again for -the one that still remained. But he told them that he wished to -bring it back to complete his bargain; and this he did.”</p></div> - -<p>On the 27th, Lesdiguières and Saint-Géran attacked the counterscarp of -the bastion of Le Moustier, and carried it after a desperate struggle of -more than three hours. This success, which cost the besiegers some 600 -casualties, was not followed up, chiefly owing to the opposition of -Marillac, who was of opinion that, if they descended into the fosse to -attack the bastion, they would find themselves exposed to a murderous -flanking-fire from masked batteries.</p> - -<p>On the 29th, the Guards’ trenches had been sufficiently advanced to -allow of a battery of eight guns being established, and Schomberg, who -was acting as Grand Master of the Artillery, came to inspect it. -Bassompierre warned him that the park of powder was too near the battery -for safety, and that, with a high wind blowing in its direction, the -sparks from the cannon might be carried to the powder. The Sieur de -Lesine, the officer in charge of the munitions, however, protested that -there was no danger, and Schomberg did not order their removal.</p> - -<p>They continued to push forward their trenches, and on the 31st -Bassompierre, “to reconnoitre how far they had advanced, came to the -head of the trench and advanced eight or ten paces from it.” He got back -again in safety, the enemy not having had time to train their muskets -upon him. But when, shortly afterwards, his friend, the Comte de -Fiesque, attempted to do the same, they were ready for him, and he -received a musket-ball in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_309" id="page_309"></a>{309}</span> the abdomen, from which he died two days -later. “He was a great loss to us,” writes Bassompierre, “and more -particularly to me, for he was greatly attached to me. He was a brave -noble, an honourable man and an excellent friend.”</p> - -<p>By the evening of that day they had got another battery of four guns -into position, and on the following morning a furious bombardment of the -enemy’s advanced works began, Schomberg and Praslin superintending the -work of the larger battery and Bassompierre of the smaller.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“They both made a fine noise,” writes Bassompierre; “but, after -firing for an hour or more, what I had predicted two days before -happened: the sparks from the cannon were carried into the park of -powder and fired five tons of it, with the loss of Lesine and forty -men.”</p></div> - -<p>In the course of the afternoon, a similar disaster occurred in Mayenne’s -camp before Ville-Bourbon, amongst the killed being that prince’s uncle -the Marquis de Villars and a son of the Comte de Riberac, a young man of -great promise. Worse misfortunes, however, were in store for Mayenne’s -division.</p> - -<p>In the night of September 2-3, the Lorraine prince advanced to the -assault of a crescent-shaped outwork which had been constructed by La -Force, and was defended by his sons and other Huguenot nobles and some -of the best soldiers in the garrison. The attack failed; but on the -following afternoon the attempt was renewed. After a furious -hand-to-hand conflict, Mayenne was again repulsed, with heavy loss. On -that day died the gallant Marquis de Thémines, eldest son of the -marshal, La Frette, the governor of Chartres, “who yielded to no man of -his time in courage and ambition,” and more than fifty Catholic -gentlemen. The siege of Montauban, so lightly undertaken by Luynes, -seemed likely to cost France dear.</p> - -<p>On September 4, the King and the Constable called a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_310" id="page_310"></a>{310}</span> council of war to -discuss the advisability of endeavouring to carry the bastion of Le -Moustier by assault. Bassompierre strongly urged that the attempt should -be made, and was supported by Lesdiguières; but the other generals -opposed it, and Marillac declared that to descend into the fosse meant -certain death. Luynes asked Bassompierre to step into his cabinet, where -the King presently joined them. Louis XIII informed them that Marillac -and the others had said to him that it was easy for M. de Bassompierre -to advocate this hazardous undertaking, as all the danger would be left -to them, and he would have no share in it; and had accused him of -wishing to expose them to butchery. Bassompierre, in high indignation, -thereupon declared that, if the King would give him leave, he himself -would lead the assault on the bastion, and pledged his word that, if he -did not fall, “in three weeks he would have three cannon in position -there against the town.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The King, who always had a rather good opinion of me, said to the -Constable: ‘Take Bassompierre at his word and let him go; I will -answer for him. Send the three brigadier-generals from Le Moustier -to the camp of the Guards, and place him at Le Moustier. I am sure -that he will do as he promises us, and we shall be the gainers.”</p></div> - -<p>The Constable objected that the change would not be agreeable to either -division, and declared that the Guards would not obey the orders of the -brigadier-generals from Le Moustier. Finally, Luynes asked Bassompierre -to go and reconnoitre the bastion. This he did, in company with the -Italian engineer Gamorini and two other officers from his division, and -reported that an attack would not present more than ordinary difficulty. -Luynes thereupon proposed that it should be undertaken; but Marillac and -his colleagues persisted in their objections, and assured him that -Montauban would soon be theirs, without any need for such sacrifice of -life as this attack<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_311" id="page_311"></a>{311}</span> must entail. And they succeeded in bringing him -round to their opinion.</p> - -<p>On the 9th, the Guards, after some fierce fighting, succeeded in getting -a footing in the advanced-works of Ville-Nouvelle. In this attack a poor -gentleman of Béarn, Henri de Peyrac, Seigneur de Tréville, who had -served for four years as a private soldier, greatly distinguished -himself; and Bassompierre brought his gallantry to the notice of the -King, and recommended him for an ensigncy in the Regiment of Navarre. -This Louis XIII granted him, and Bassompierre told Tréville that he must -accompany him to Piquecos to thank his Majesty. Tréville, however, -refused the commission offered him, saying that he did not wish to leave -his regiment, and that he “intended to conduct himself so well in future -that the King would feel obliged to give him one in the Guards.” This he -not long afterwards obtained, and eventually rose to be captain of the -company of Musketeers of the Guard and to be governor of the district of -Foix.</p> - -<p>A few days later, 1,200 of the Cévennes mountaineers succeeded in -eluding the vigilance of the covering force and throwing themselves into -Saint-Antonin, a town eight leagues north-east of Montauban, obviously -with the intention of marching through the Forest of Gréseigne and -reinforcing the beleaguered garrison. The folly of Luynes in refusing to -listen to the advice of Lesdiguières to enclose the town within lines of -circumvallation was now apparent to all. The Constable’s ineptitude, -however, was already a by-word in the army; and “both he and his brother -the Maréchal de Chaulnes showed such ignorance of the military art, that -the King, who, at any rate, understood the rudiments, perceived it and -made game of them.”</p> - -<p>In consequence of this disconcerting move on the part of the enemy, it -was necessary to send out a strong force of cavalry every night to guard -the roads between the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_312" id="page_312"></a>{312}</span> forest and Montauban, which Bassompierre and the -other generals commanded in turn.</p> - -<p>On the 13th, Mayenne delivered another assault on the outworks of -Ville-Bourbon, with the same result as had attended his previous -efforts. “This,” says Bassompierre, “put great heart into the enemy and -disheartened his troops. As for him, he was beside himself with rage.”</p> - -<p>A day or two later, there was a comic interlude in the siege, of which -Bassompierre was the hero. We shall allow him to describe it in his own -words:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It had been resolved some days before to break by cannon-shot the -bridge of Montauban,<a name="FNanchor_173_173" id="FNanchor_173_173"></a><a href="#Footnote_173_173" class="fnanchor">[173]</a> in order to stop the reinforcements which -those in Montauban were sending to Ville-Bourbon. The Maréchal de -Chaulnes, who was newly returned from Toulouse, where he had been -lying ill, had charged me to bring a battery to bear upon the -bridge. But, since it was a great way off and five hundred shots -caused but little damage, which could easily be repaired with wood, -I remonstrated against the little utility and great expense of this -bombardment; and I was told not to persist in it. At the same time, -two hundred women who were in the habit of washing linen and -kitchen-utensils under or near this bridge, and who were incommoded -by the cannon-shot, aware that I was in command in the quarter from -which the firing came, and that I had always made war upon women in -kindly fashion, sent me a drummer to beg me, on their part, not to -incommode their washing. This request I granted them readily, since -I had already received an order to that effect; and so pleased were -they with me, that they demanded a truce in order to see me, and a -great number of the principal women of the town came on to the top -of the ramparts to look at me. And I, on that day alone, during the -whole of the siege, dressed myself with care and adorned myself, so -that I might go and talk with them.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_313" id="page_313"></a>{313}</span></p> - -<p>All this was very charming, but, a few days later, Bassompierre was to -meet the women of Montauban in much less agreeable circumstances.</p> - -<p>On the 17th, Guise, who had arrived in the camp some days earlier, -accompanied by a great number of gentlemen from his government of -Provence, came to see Bassompierre and persuade him to go and dine with -Mayenne. Bassompierre, however, who had to attend a council of war which -Praslin had summoned, excused himself and, at the same time, warned the -duke to be on his guard against Mayenne, “who had no greater pleasure -than to make the enemy fire on him or on those whom he took to view his -works, and was burning his fingers in order to burn others.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“To my great regret,” he continues, “my prophecy was in a certain -fashion a true one, for, after dinner, as he [Mayenne] was showing -them his works, a ball from an arquebus, which had first pierced M. -de Schomberg’s hat, struck him in the eye and killed him.”</p></div> - -<p>Mayenne had possessed amiable qualities, and had enjoyed in Paris a -popularity which recalled that of the great Guises. The news of his -death caused a riot in the capital, where an infuriated mob fell upon -the Huguenots one day when they were returning from their temple at -Charenton. The Huguenots were armed, and several persons were killed on -both sides, while the temple was burned.</p> - -<p>The King and the Constable had recourse to a singular expedient to -avenge Mayenne and take the town. The famous Spanish Carmelite monk -Domingo de Jesu Maria, who had marched at the head of the Imperial army -on the day of the Battle of Prague, and to whom the devout attributed -the victory, was passing through France on his way from Germany. Luynes -sent for him to come to the camp, and asked him what he ought to do to -reduce this heretic stronghold, upon which the monk assured him<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_314" id="page_314"></a>{314}</span> that if -he caused four hundred cannon-shots to be fired into the town, the -terrified inhabitants would undoubtedly surrender. The King thereupon -sent for Bassompierre and ordered him to fire the four hundred shots, -which were to deliver Montauban into his hands. “This I did,” says -Bassompierre; “but the enemy did not surrender for all that.”</p> - -<p>Matters continued to go badly with the besiegers, which is scarcely -surprising, having regard to the gross ineptitude of the amateur -warriors who commanded them. At Ville-Nouvelle, where alone any real -progress had been made, a mine had been prepared which was intended to -demolish the inner face of the advanced-work of which the Guards had -carried the outer. On the day before it was to be fired, Ramsay, the -officer in charge of the mine, came to the Maréchal de Chaulnes to -inquire how he wished it to be charged. Chaulnes, who was entirely -ignorant of such matters, turned to the officers about him for -information; but he misunderstood what they said and ordered the charge -to be made four times as large as that which they had suggested. The -astonished engineer remonstrated, but was curtly told to carry out his -orders. On the following day, however, Chaulnes appears to have -discovered his mistake, and told Bassompierre to go and have the mine -charged as he judged best. It was too late; for, just as he reached the -entrance to the gallery, Ramsay came rushing out and shouted to him to -run for his life, as he had ignited the fuse and feared that the -explosion would be terrible.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I needed no second bidding,” writes Bassompierre, “and ran back -forty paces as fast as I could to get away. The mine exploded with -a greater violence than I have ever seen, and all the entrenchment -under which it was laid was carried into the air. It was a long -time in descending, when it came pouring down into the trench upon -us.”</p></div> - -<p>Bassompierre, who had had the presence of mind to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_315" id="page_315"></a>{315}</span> thrust his head and -the upper portion of his body into an empty barrel which happened to be -lying near him, was fortunate enough to escape injury, though he had -considerable difficulty in extricating himself, as there were “more than -a thousand pounds of earth upon his loins, his thighs and his feet.” -When he at last succeeded, he found that the effect of the explosion had -been most disastrous, more than thirty men having been killed by the -falling débris, amongst them being the unfortunate engineer Ramsay. The -mine had also demolished a great part of their own defences, and placed -them in a most dangerous position.</p> - -<p>The enemy did not fail to seize their advantage, and, having discharged -a storm of grenades and fire-balls at them, sallied out and fell upon -two companies of the Guards on the left of the line. Bassompierre, with -a body of gentlemen-volunteers, hurried to their assistance, and the -assailants were repulsed. But, as he was returning, he met Praslin, who -begged him to go at once to their four-gun battery, which was being -heavily attacked. As he approached the battery, he saw that it was on -fire, and that while some of the fifty Swiss who guarded it were engaged -in extinguishing the flames, the rest were defending themselves with -their pikes and halberds against a large force of the enemy, who were -evidently determined to capture the battery at all costs.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I saw, for the first time in my life,” he says, “women in a fight, -throwing stones against us with far more strength and animosity -than I should have conceived possible, or handing them to the -soldiers to throw.”</p></div> - -<p>He arrived only just in time, for the Swiss, many of whom had already -been killed or wounded, were being desperately hard-pressed, and in a -few minutes the battery must have been taken. But he placed himself at -their head with his volunteers, and led a charge which drove the enemy -back a little distance. They continued,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_316" id="page_316"></a>{316}</span> however, to assail them with -missiles of every description, and a large stone striking Bassompierre -in the face—let us hope it was not thrown by one of the ladies with -whom he had been conversing so amiably a few days before!—brought him -to the ground insensible. Some of the Swiss raised him up, and carried -him out of the <i>mêlée</i>, when he soon came to himself and returned to the -fight. Finally, Praslin came up with two companies and forced the enemy -to retire.</p> - -<p>Their troubles, however, were not yet over, for meantime the enemy had -made a sally in another quarter. Bassompierre and his noblesse again -went to the rescue, and taking the assailants in the rear, obliged them -to retreat, leaving several prisoners behind them.<a name="FNanchor_174_174" id="FNanchor_174_174"></a><a href="#Footnote_174_174" class="fnanchor">[174]</a></p> - -<p>Bassompierre was certainly a person of extraordinary energy, for after -this strenuous day he volunteered to take command of the force which was -detached each evening to watch for the approach of the enemy’s -reinforcements from Saint-Antonin, in place of Praslin, who was -suffering from the effects of a slight wound, and spent the whole night -in the saddle.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Next morning,” he says, “as I was returning with my thousand men -to camp, the King sent for me to come to him at Picqueos. I did not -alight from my horse, and, in the dirty and disordered condition in -which I was, after having been on the watch all night, and with the -clotted blood from the wound on my head spread all over my face and -round my eyes, I was unrecognisable. On my arrival, the King and -the Constable told me that M. de Luxembourg,<a name="FNanchor_175_175" id="FNanchor_175_175"></a><a href="#Footnote_175_175" class="fnanchor">[175]</a> who had command -of 600 horse who went out every night to watch for the arrival of -the reinforcements, had fallen ill, and that I must take charge of -them, until the reinforcements had either made their way into the -town or had been defeated. This I accepted willingly. While I was -talking to them, the Queen arrived<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_317" id="page_317"></a>{317}</span> from Moissac.<a name="FNanchor_176_176" id="FNanchor_176_176"></a><a href="#Footnote_176_176" class="fnanchor">[176]</a> The King -sent the Constable to receive her and remained talking to me. As -she entered, she asked who was that frightful man talking to the -King. He told her that it was a nobleman of that part of the -country called the Comte de Curton. ‘Jesus!’ she exclaimed, ‘how -ugly he is!’ The Constable said to the King as he approached the -Queen: ‘Sire, present M. de Bassompierre to the Queen, and tell her -that he is the Comte de Curton.’ And this the King did. I kissed -the hem of her gown, after which the Constable presented me to the -Princesse de Conti, Mlle. de Vendôme, Madame de Montmorency and -Madame la Connétable, his wife. I saluted them and heard them say: -‘This is a strange-looking man, and very dirty; he does well to -stay in the country.’ Then I began to laugh, and, from my laugh and -my teeth, they knew me, and had great pity upon me, and still more -after dinner, when, on an alarm being raised that the enemy’s -reinforcements were coming, we went out to fight.”</p></div> - -<p>The alarm proved to be a false one; but in the night of September 26-27, -just as Bassompierre was looking forward to the enjoyment of the first -night’s rest he had had for more than a week, his equerry Le Manny came -in with the news that the reinforcements from Saint-Antonin were -approaching. There could be no doubt about the matter this time; the -officer who had arrived with the news had seen them marching through the -forest.</p> - -<p>Bassompierre awoke the Duc de Retz and Créquy’s son Canaples, who slept -in his room, and told them that the enemy were at hand; “but they -thought he was playing a jest on them, as they had been up ten -successive nights watching and waiting.” And they positively refused to -accompany him. Leaving them, he went into a gallery near his room, where -some thirty gentlemen slept, but could only persuade two of them to go -with him. “The cry of ‘Wolf!’ had been raised so often<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_318" id="page_318"></a>{318}</span> without any -justification that they vowed they would answer it no more.” But the -wolf from the Cévennes was really coming this time, and a very fierce -wolf he proved to be.</p> - -<p>Hurriedly getting together some 1,200 men, of whom 200 were Swiss, -Bassompierre marched away and took up his position in a sunken road -intersecting the plain of Ramiers, which lies between the Forest of -Gréseigne and Montauban, where it had been decided to await the enemy. -Learning that they were approaching in three bodies, he detached the -Baron d’Estissac with 400 men to his right; the Comte d’Ayen, who was in -command of the cavalry that night, was already in position on his left.</p> - -<p>It was a very dark night, and when presently the forms of men began to -loom out of the blackness ahead, he was uncertain whether they were the -enemy or a party of the Royal troops. But he shouted, “<i>Vive le Roi!</i>” -and the answering cry of “<i>Vive</i> Rohan!” settled the question.</p> - -<p>His position was protected by a barricade, but the agile mountaineers -quickly swarmed over it and jumped down into the road, where a furious -struggle began. So intense was the darkness there that it was often -impossible to tell friend from foe, and not a few must have died by the -weapons of their comrades. Bassompierre, lunging with a halberd at one -of the enemy, stumbled and fell; the Huguenot, killed by the Swiss, fell -on top of him, as did two other men who had shared his fate; and he was -pinned down and unable to rise. At length, Le Manny and one of his -servants, hearing his cries for help, came and extricated him; but -scarcely was he on his feet again, than he narrowly escaped being run -through the body by a Swiss, who mistook him for an enemy. The <i>mêlée</i> -continued for some time, but at length numbers prevailed, and -practically all the brave mountaineers were either killed or made -prisoners. The dead had not died in vain, however, for, though their -comrades on the right had been routed by d’Ayen, those on the left, to -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_319" id="page_319"></a>{319}</span> number of some 600 men, had contrived in the darkness to elude -d’Estissac, and throw themselves into Montauban.</p> - -<p>Among the prisoners taken by Bassompierre<a name="FNanchor_177_177" id="FNanchor_177_177"></a><a href="#Footnote_177_177" class="fnanchor">[177]</a> was the Sieur de -Beaufort, the commander of the Cévennais. He was treated as a prisoner -of war and imprisoned in the Bastille, from which he was released on the -conclusion of peace. His humble comrades, however, were less fortunate, -and those who recovered from their wounds were sent to the galleys.</p> - -<p class="c"> <br /> <br /> -END OF VOL. I.<br /> -<br /> -<br /> -<small>PRINTED BY THE ANCHOR PRESS, LTD., TIPTREE, ESSEX, ENGLAND.</small> -</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="cb">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Most of the places of the German part of Lorraine had two -names, of which one was the approximate translation of the other. The -future marshal’s family would not appear to have adopted definitely the -French form of the name until the end of the sixteenth century; but, for -the sake of convenience, we propose to use it throughout this work.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Agrippa d’Aubigné, in his <i>Histoire universelle</i>, cites a -letter from Guise to Christophe de Bassompierre, dated May 21, 1588, -which is signed “l’amy de cœur.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> She was the daughter of George le Picart de Radeval and -Louise de la Motte-Bléquin.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> Of Bassompierre’s two brothers, the elder, Jean, Seigneur -de Removille, after serving as a volunteer in Hungary against the Turks, -entered the service of France, and took part in the invasion of Savoy, -in 1600. In 1603, having quarrelled with Henri IV, he quitted his -service for that of Philip III of Spain, and died the following year of -a wound received at the siege of Ostend. The younger, George African, -was destined for Holy Orders, but renounced this intention on learning -of his brother’s death, and assumed the title of Seigneur de Removille. -He married in 1610 Henriette de Tornelle, daughter of Charles Emmanuel, -Comte de Tornelle, by whom he had six children. He died in 1632, on his -return from the campaign of Leipsic, on which he had accompanied Charles -IV of Lorraine.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> See the author’s “The Brood of False Lorraine,” Vol. II., -p. 545.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> Don Cesare d’Este, grandson of Alphonso I and Laura -Eustachia, had caused himself to be proclaimed Duke of Ferrara on -October 29, 1597. Pope Clement VII claimed the duchy as devolving on the -Holy See by the extinction of the legitimate line of Este.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> Pietro Aldobrandini, nephew of Clement VII. He had been -created cardinal in 1593 and subsequently became Archbishop of Ravenna. -He died in 1621.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> By a capitulation, signed on January 13, 1598, Don Cesare -renounced the duchy of Ferrara in favour of Clement VIII and remained -only Duke of Modena and Reggio.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> The Archduke Albert, who had taken Holy Orders and been -created a cardinal, had renounced that dignity in order to marry the -Infanta.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> Peter Ernest, Count von Mansfeld. He was subsequently -created a Prince of the Empire by Maximilian II. He died in 1604.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> Daughter of René, Vicomte de Rohan, and Catherine de -Parthenay, Dame de Soubise. She married in 1604 Johann of Bavaria, Duke -of Zweibrücken.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> Claude de Lorraine, younger son of Henri I de Lorraine, -Duc de Guise, and Catherine de Clèves. He bore at first the title of -Prince de Joinville, but in 1606 became Duc de Chevreuse, in consequence -of his elder brother having resigned that duchy to him. He died in -1657.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Charles, Comte d’Auvergne (1573-1650), natural son of -Charles IX and Marie Touchet. He was created Duc d’Angoulême in 1620; -but before this period Bassompierre, in his <i>Mémoires</i>, frequently -speaks of him as M. d’Angoulême.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> The Grand Equerry, the Duc de Bellegarde.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> Charles Auguste de Saint-Lary, brother of Bellegarde, whom -he succeeded in the post of Grand Equerry.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> Annibal de Schomberg, second son of Gaspard de Schomberg.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> In April, 1599, this boy was legitimated by -letters-patent, which were duly registered by the complaisant Parlement -of Paris.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> But she had, nevertheless, condescended to ask favours of -“the woman of impure life,” and to regard her as a sister. “I speak to -you freely,” she writes to Gabrielle, on February 24, 1597, “as to one -whom I wish to keep as a sister. I have placed so much confidence in the -assurance that you have given me that you love me, that I do not desire -to have any protector but you near the King; for nothing that comes from -your beautiful mouth can fail to be well received.” She had also, -shortly before signing the procuration, transferred to Gabrielle her -duchy of Étampes.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> See the excellent work of Desclozeaux, <i>Gabrielle -d’Éstrées, Marquise de Monceaux</i> (Paris: 1889).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> Alphonse d’Ornano (1548-1610), son of the celebrated -Corsican patriot. He was colonel-general of the Corsicans in the service -of France, and had been created a marshal of France in 1596.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> Gabrielle, as we have just stated, survived until the -following day (Saturday, April 10); but La Varenne, either to spare the -King the sight of his mistress, whom, Bassompierre tells us, he himself -had seen on the Thursday afternoon, “so changed that she was -unrecognisable,” or to prevent a scandal, had taken upon himself to -announce in advance the event which he knew to be inevitable and close -at hand.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> The Parlement of Paris also sent a deputation to condole -with the grief-stricken monarch.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> Bassompierre says “a few days”; Tallemant des Réaux “three -weeks.” In point of fact, it was not until the following June that Henri -IV., while on his way from Fontainebleau to Blois, broke his journey at -the Château of Malesherbes, where resided François de Balsac -d’Entragues, governor of Orléans, who had married as his second wife -Marie Touchet, mistress of Charles IX, and mother of Charles de Valois, -Comte d’Auvergne, and there saw Henriette, then a girl of eighteen, for -the first time.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> Although so young, Mlle. de Entragues was very much alive -to her own interests, and, counselled by her parents, determined that -the brilliant destiny of which fate had deprived her predecessor in the -royal affections should be hers. The enamoured monarch loaded her with -costly gifts and employed every persuasion he could think of to overcome -her resistance; but the damsel was adamant, until, in despair, he placed -in her hands the following remarkable document, which Henriette carried -about in her pocket and triumphantly exhibited to all her friends:— -</p><p> -“We, Henri, by the Grace of God, King of France and Navarre, promise and -swear by our faith and kingly word to Monsieur François de Balsac, Sieur -d’Entragues, etc., that he, giving us to be our consort (<i>pour -compagne</i>) demoiselle Henriette Catherine de Balsac, his daughter, -provided that within six months from the present date she becomes -pregnant and bear us a son, that forthwith we will take her to wife and -publicly espouse her in the face of Holy Church, in accordance with the -solemnities required in such cases.” -</p><p> -Once more, however, the unexpected came to save the situation. One -night, the room in which the sultana—now become Marquise de -Verneuil—lay, was struck by lightning. The shock caused a miscarriage, -and the King, whose marriage with Marguerite de Valois had been solemnly -annulled, on December 29, 1599, by the commission appointed by the Pope, -holding himself released from his promise, thereupon decided to send a -formal demand to the Court of Tuscany for the hand of Marie de’ Medici.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> Charles de Lorraine, Duc d’Elbeuf (1566-1605).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> The Prince de Joinville was, or had been, in love with -Henriette d’Entragues, who, until the King appeared upon the scene, had -been far from insensible to his admiration, and he believed that the -Grand Equerry was endeavouring to prejudice his Majesty’s mind against -him on that account.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> Achille de Harlay. He was First President of the Parlement -of Paris from 1583 to 1611.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> The brother, mother, and sister of the Prince de -Joinville.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> Henri, Duc and Maréchal de Montmorency (1534-1614).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> Yolande de Livron, demoiselle de Bourbonne, daughter of -Erard de Livron, Baron de Bourbonne, and Yolande de Bassompierre, and -cousin-german of the future marshal, who tells us that he would probably -have married the young lady and “might not have lived unhappily with -her,” had it not been for the opposition of his mother, whom he did not -wish to displease.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> Mlle. Quelin. She was the mother of Nicolas Quelin, -counsellor to the Grande Chambre of the Parlement of Paris, who claimed, -wrongly it is said, to be the son of Henri IV.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> Marie Babou de la Bourdaisière, daughter of Georges Babou, -Seigneur de la Bon, Comte de Sagonne. She was one of Queen Louise’s -maids-of-honour.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> La Côte-Saint-André, on the road from Vienne to Grenoble.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> The cause of this quarrel was in all probability the -famous promise of marriage which Henri IV had given to Madame de -Verneuil and the approaching arrival of Marie de’ Medici—“<i>la grosse -financière</i>,” as Henriette disrespectfully called her—who was to become -Queen of France.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> Basing House, Hampshire.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> William Pawlet, Marquis of Winchester.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> Madame de Verneuil gave birth to a son a month later, and, -in the pride of her motherhood, scoffed at “<i>la grosse financière</i>,” -who, said she, had indeed got a son, but not the Dauphin. For the King -was her husband—she had his written promise—and it was <small>SHE</small> who held -the Dauphin in her arms.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> Jacques de la Guesle, procurator-general to the -Parlement.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> The Comte d’Auvergne showed the most craven terror, and -offered—king’s son though he was—to play the part of a spy and to -continue to communicate with his confederates, in order to disclose -their plans to the Government.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> The Prince de Joinville, having become the lover of Madame -de Villars, who had aspired to succeed Gabrielle d’Estrées in the -affections of Henri IV, and was bitterly hostile in consequence to -Madame de Verneuil, had been cajoled by that lady into handing over to -her the love-letters which he had received from Henriette, some of which -contained expressions of great tenderness and had been written at the -very time when the King was paying the damsel his addresses. These -letters Madame de Villars had the meanness to send to Henri IV, who was -naturally furious at the discovery that his mistress had had two strings -to her bow. Eventually, however, his Majesty allowed himself to be -persuaded by Madame de Verneuil and her friends that the letters were -forgeries, the work of one Bigot, whom Joinville had suborned; and -Henriette was forgiven, while the prince received orders to leave -France.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span class="label">[41]</span></a> Rossworm had distinguished himself in 1601 at the capture -of Stuhl-Weissemburg, and in 1602 had taken by assault the lower town of -Buda and the town of Pesth.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span class="label">[42]</span></a> Presumably, Ladislaus’s Hall, or the Hall of Homage, -constructed towards the end of the fifteenth century by Rieth.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span class="label">[43]</span></a> Lorraine, though its independence had been recognised in -1542, still contributed its share to the charges which had for their -object the peace and security of the Empire; and, as the troops which -Bassompierre proposed to raise were intended for service in Hungary -against the Turks, it was on this fund, called the <i>landsfried</i>, that -the order was drawn.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_44_44" id="Footnote_44_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor_44_44"><span class="label">[44]</span></a> Jacqueline de Bueil was an orphan who had been brought up -by Charlotte de la Trémoille, widow of Henri I, Prince de Condé. She was -a very astute young lady indeed, and demanded, as the price of her -surrender, a large sum of money, a pension, a title, and a husband, all -of which the amorous monarch conceded. The husband chosen for her was a -needy and complaisant noble, Philippe de Harlay, Comte de Cess, a nephew -of Queen Margaret’s old lover, Harlay de Chanvallon, who raised no -objection to his sovereign exercising <i>le droit de seigneur</i>. -Subsequently, the King created the lady Comtesse de Moret in her own -right.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_45_45" id="Footnote_45_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor_45_45"><span class="label">[45]</span></a> Henri de Lorraine, Duc d’Aiguillon, eldest son of the Duc -de Mayenne, and brother of the Comte de Sommerive.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_46_46" id="Footnote_46_46"></a><a href="#FNanchor_46_46"><span class="label">[46]</span></a> Among the members of Queen Marguerite’s suite, was a youth -of some twenty summers, the son of one Date, a carpenter of Arles, whom -her Majesty ennobled, “<i>avec six aunes d’étoffe</i>,” and who forthwith -blossomed into a Sieur de Saint-Julien. This Saint-Julien, if we are to -believe the chroniclers of the time, was passionately beloved by his -regal mistress, though perhaps, as a charitable biographer of Marguerite -suggests, her affection for him may have been “merely platonic and -maternal.” However that may be, he stood on the very pinnacle of favour, -and was regarded with envy and hatred by his less fortunate rivals. One -of these rivals, Vermont by name—not Charmont, as Bassompierre calls -him—either because he was jealous of the privileges which Saint-Julien -enjoyed, or, more probably, because he believed that the favourite had -used his influence with the Queen to procure the disgrace of certain -members of his family, suspected of having aided the intrigues of the -Comte d’Auvergne, swore to be avenged. Nor was his vow an idle one, for -one fine morning in April, 1606, at the very moment when Saint-Julien -was assisting Marguerite to alight from her coach, on her return from -hearing Mass at the Célestines, he stepped forward, and, levelling a -pistol, shot him dead. The assassin endeavoured to escape, but was -pursued and captured; and the bereaved princess, beside herself with -rage and grief, vowed that she would neither eat nor drink until justice -had been done, and wrote to the King “begging his Majesty very humbly to -be pleased that the assassin should be punished.” The King sent orders -for Vermont to be brought to trial without an hour’s delay; and he was -condemned to death and executed the following morning in front of -Marguerite’s hôtel, “declaring aloud,” writes L’Estoile, “that he cared -not about dying, since he had accomplished his purpose.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_47_47" id="Footnote_47_47"></a><a href="#FNanchor_47_47"><span class="label">[47]</span></a> Although he had resumed his relations with Madame de -Verneuil, and seemed more infatuated with her than ever, his Majesty -continued his attentions to Madame de Moret, and had also fallen in love -with a certain Mlle. de la Haye, with whom he spent a honeymoon at -Chantilly, obligingly placed at his disposal by the Connétable de -Montmorency, under the pretext of enjoying the fine hunting which the -neighbourhood afforded. This affair, however, only lasted a short time. -The young lady, it appears, had persuaded his Majesty that he was the -first who had gained her heart, but, in point of fact, she had begun her -career of gallantry by a <i>liaison</i> with M. de Beaumont, the late French -Ambassador in England, who, however, had soon broken off his relations -with her. Mlle. de la Haye had not forgiven him for this rupture, and, -believing herself more in favour than she was, she endeavoured to -prejudice the King’s mind against him. Beaumont, learning of this, -promptly sent his Majesty the letters which Mlle. de la Haye had written -him when she was his mistress; and Henri IV, indignant at having been -deceived, broke with her in his turn.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_48_48" id="Footnote_48_48"></a><a href="#FNanchor_48_48"><span class="label">[48]</span></a> Tallemant des Réaux, in his <i>Historiettes</i>, gives some -details concerning this <i>liaison</i> of Bassompierre and the part played -therein by Henri, who appears to have been made a fool of, as in several -analogous circumstances. “Bassompierre,” he writes, “had the honour to -have for some time the King as rival. Testu, Chevalier of the Watch, -assisted his Majesty in the affair. One day, when this man came to speak -to Mlle. d’Entragues, she hid Bassompierre behind a tapestry, and said -to Testu, who reproached her with being less cruel to Bassompierre than -to the King, that she cared no more for the former than for the latter, -at the same time striking with a switch which she held in her hand the -place where her gallant was concealed.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_49_49" id="Footnote_49_49"></a><a href="#FNanchor_49_49"><span class="label">[49]</span></a> Men whose duty it was to remove the bodies of persons who -had died of the plague or other contagious maladies. During several -months of that year Paris was ravaged by an epidemic, which was either -plague or a virulent form of typhus.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_50_50" id="Footnote_50_50"></a><a href="#FNanchor_50_50"><span class="label">[50]</span></a> Nearly two centuries later, this adventure of Bassompierre -so impressed the romantic imagination of Chateaubriand, then a young man -of twenty, that he made a pilgrimage to the Rue Bourg-l’Abbé and “the -third door on the side of the Rue Saint-Martin.” But, to the great -disappointment of the future author of <i>René</i>, he found himself -confronted, not by the old gabled house which Bassompierre must have -entered and quitted so abruptly, but by a hopelessly modern residence, -the ground-floor of which was occupied by a hairdresser’s shop, with “a -variety of towers of hair behind the window-panes.” And “no frank, -disinterested, passionate young woman” was to be seen, but only “an old -crone, who might have been the aunt of the assignation.” -</p><p> -“What a fine story, that story of Bassompierre!” he writes. “One of the -reasons which caused him to be so passionately loved ought to be -understood. At that time, France was divided into two classes, one -dominant, the other semi-servile. The sempstress clasped Bassompierre in -her arms as though he were a demi-god who had descended to the bosom of -a slave: he gave her the illusion of glory, and Frenchwomen alone -amongst women are capable of intoxicating themselves with that illusion. -But who will reveal to us the unknown causes of the catastrophe? Was the -body which lay upon the table by the side of another body that of the -pretty wench of the Two Angels? Whose was the other body? Was it the -husband or the man whose voice Bassompierre had heard? Had the plague -(for the plague was raging in Paris) or jealousy reached the Rue -Bourg-l’Abbé before love? The imagination can easily find matter for -exercise in such a subject as this. Mingle with the poet’s inventions, -the chorus of the populace, the approaching grave-diggers, the ‘crows’ -and Bassompierre’s sword, and a magnificent melodrama springs from the -adventure.”—<i>Mémoires d’Outre Tombe</i>, Vol. I.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_51_51" id="Footnote_51_51"></a><a href="#FNanchor_51_51"><span class="label">[51]</span></a> Louise Pot, second wife of Claude de l’Aubespine, Seigneur -de Verderonne.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_52_52" id="Footnote_52_52"></a><a href="#FNanchor_52_52"><span class="label">[52]</span></a> Mlle. de la Patière, daughter of Georges l’Enfant, -Seigneur de la Patière, and of Françoise du Plessis-Richelieu. The La -Patières were friends and neighbours of Bassompierre.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_53_53" id="Footnote_53_53"></a><a href="#FNanchor_53_53"><span class="label">[53]</span></a> Jean Louis de Nogaret de la Valette, born 1554; created -Duc d’Épernon, 1581; died 1642.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_54_54" id="Footnote_54_54"></a><a href="#FNanchor_54_54"><span class="label">[54]</span></a> The Duc de Montpensier died on February 27, 1608; the -ballet appears to have been danced about the middle of January.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_55_55" id="Footnote_55_55"></a><a href="#FNanchor_55_55"><span class="label">[55]</span></a> Charlotte de Montmorency, daughter of the Connétable Henri -de Montmorency, by his second wife, Louise de Budos. She was born in -1594 and was at this time only fourteen. By his first wife, Antoinette -de la Marck, the Constable had two daughters: (1) Charlotte de -Montmorency, married in 1591 to Charles de Valois, Comte d’Auvergne, -died in 1636, at the age of sixty-three; (2) Marguerite de Montmorency, -married in 1593 to Anne de Lévis, Duc de Ventadour, died December 3, -1660, aged eighty-three.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_56_56" id="Footnote_56_56"></a><a href="#FNanchor_56_56"><span class="label">[56]</span></a> Jean du Fay, Baron de Pérault, lieutenant of the King in -the Bresse. He was married to Marie de Montmorency, a natural daughter -of the Constable.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_57_57" id="Footnote_57_57"></a><a href="#FNanchor_57_57"><span class="label">[57]</span></a> See the author’s “The Fascinating Duc de Richelieu” -(London, Methuen; New York, Scribner, 1910).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_58_58" id="Footnote_58_58"></a><a href="#FNanchor_58_58"><span class="label">[58]</span></a> The exception was Renée de Lorraine, Mlle. de Mayenne, -daughter of Charles, Duc de Mayenne.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_59_59" id="Footnote_59_59"></a><a href="#FNanchor_59_59"><span class="label">[59]</span></a> Charles de Montmorency. He was at first known under the -title of Seigneur de Méru, then as Baron de Damville, and, in 1610, was -created Duc de Damville. He died in 1612, after having filled the -offices of Colonel-General of the Swiss troops in the French service and -Admiral of France.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_60_60" id="Footnote_60_60"></a><a href="#FNanchor_60_60"><span class="label">[60]</span></a> Henri II, Duc de Montmorency and de Damville, only son of -the Constable by his second wife, Louise de Budos; born August 30, 1595; -beheaded for high treason at Toulouse, October 3, 1635.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_61_61" id="Footnote_61_61"></a><a href="#FNanchor_61_61"><span class="label">[61]</span></a> Gabrielle Angélique, legitimated daughter of Henri IV and -the Marquise de Verneuil, married December 12, 1622, to Bernard de -Nogaret, Duc de la Valette; died December 24, 1627.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_62_62" id="Footnote_62_62"></a><a href="#FNanchor_62_62"><span class="label">[62]</span></a> Diane de France, Duchesse de Montmorency and d’Angoulême, -legitimated daughter of Henri II by a Piedmontese girl called Filippa -Duc, whom he had met during the campaign of 1537 in Italy. Born in 1538, -she was brought up at the Court of France, and married in 1553 to Orazio -Farnese, Duke of Castro, who was killed a few months later, whilst -defending Hesdin against the troops of Charles V. In 1559 the young -widow married François, Duc and Maréchal de Montmorency, elder brother -of the Constable, who died in 1579. A beautiful, accomplished and highly -intelligent woman, and a singularly loyal friend, Diane was greatly -esteemed by the last Valois sovereigns and also by Henri IV. Her -half-brother, Henri III, gave her the duchies of Angoulême and -Châtellerault, the county of Ponthieu, and the government of the -Limousin; and it was she who in 1588 brought about the reconciliation -between that monarch and Henri of Navarre. She died in 1619, at the age -of eighty, having seen no less than seven kings on the throne of -France.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_63_63" id="Footnote_63_63"></a><a href="#FNanchor_63_63"><span class="label">[63]</span></a> As son of Éleonor de Montmorency, a sister of the -Connétable Henri de Montmorency.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_64_64" id="Footnote_64_64"></a><a href="#FNanchor_64_64"><span class="label">[64]</span></a> Henri II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, son of Henri I, -Prince de Condé, by his second wife, Catherine Charlotte de la -Trémoille. He was officially styled <i>Monsieur le Prince</i>, and as such is -always referred to in Bassompierre’s <i>Mémoires</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_65_65" id="Footnote_65_65"></a><a href="#FNanchor_65_65"><span class="label">[65]</span></a> Catherine Charlotte de la Trémoille, Princesse de Condé, -was a daughter of Jeanne de Montmorency, sister of the Constable, who -was therefore Condé’s great-uncle.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_66_66" id="Footnote_66_66"></a><a href="#FNanchor_66_66"><span class="label">[66]</span></a> Anne de Lorraine, Duchesse d’Aumale, daughter and heiress -of Charles de Lorraine-Guise, Duc d’Aumale, and of Marie de -Lorraine-Elbeuf; married in 1618 to Henri de Savoie, Duc de Nemours; -died in 1638.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_67_67" id="Footnote_67_67"></a><a href="#FNanchor_67_67"><span class="label">[67]</span></a> The favour which Henri IV was offering Bassompierre -consisted, strictly speaking, not in the re-establishment of the duchy -of Aumale, of which the title remained by right to Mlle. d’Aumale, but -in uniting once more the peerage to the duchy, the old peerage having -become extinct through the failure of male heirs.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_68_68" id="Footnote_68_68"></a><a href="#FNanchor_68_68"><span class="label">[68]</span></a> Although the King always alluded to the Prince de Condé as -his nephew, he was really only a nephew <i>à la mode de Bretagne</i>, a first -cousin once removed.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_69_69" id="Footnote_69_69"></a><a href="#FNanchor_69_69"><span class="label">[69]</span></a> Pierre de Beringhen, Seigneur d’Armainvilliers et de Grez, -first <i>valet de chambre</i> to the King.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_70_70" id="Footnote_70_70"></a><a href="#FNanchor_70_70"><span class="label">[70]</span></a> Jeanne de Scepeaux, Comtesse de Chemillé, Duchesse de -Beaupréau, only daughter and heiress of Guy de Scepeaux, Comte de -Chemillé, Duc de Beaupréau. She had married early in that year Henri de -Montmorency (Monsieur de Montmorency, as he was officially styled), only -son of the Constable; but Henri IV, being desirous of marrying the heir -of the Montmorencys to his daughter Mlle. de Vendôme, caused this union -to be declared null and void a few months later. In May, 1610, Mlle. de -Chemillé married Henri de Gondi, Duc de Retz.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_71_71" id="Footnote_71_71"></a><a href="#FNanchor_71_71"><span class="label">[71]</span></a> On March 25, 1609, John William, Duke of Clèves, Juliers -and Berg, had died childless. The question of the succession to his -dominions was of vital importance, as they connected the bishoprics of -Münster, Paderborn, and Hildesheim, with the Spanish Netherlands, and, -during the reign of the late duke, who was a Catholic, had interrupted -the communications of the Protestants of Central Germany with the Dutch. -Their transference to a Protestant prince would be a fatal blow to the -North German Catholics and would threaten the security of the Spanish -Netherlands. A number of claimants appeared, the most prominent of whom -were two Protestant princes, the Elector of Brandenburg and the Count -Palatine of Neuberg, who claimed through the two elder sisters of John -William. They came to an agreement to occupy part of the country and -establish a provisional government; but the Emperor maintained that the -duchies were male fiefs which could only descend in the direct male -line, pronounced them sequestrated, and called upon the two princes to -submit their claims to him as “feudal lord and sovereign judge.” On -their refusal to do this, he placed them under the ban of the Empire, -and ordered the Archduke Leopold to take possession of the territory as -Imperial Commissioner (July, 1609). Henri IV protested vigorously -against the Emperor’s action, declaring that he was determined not to -permit any such addition to the power of the House of Austria, and that, -if it came to war, he would prosecute it with all the resources of his -kingdom.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_72_72" id="Footnote_72_72"></a><a href="#FNanchor_72_72"><span class="label">[72]</span></a> Alexandre d’Elbène, gentleman of the chamber-in-ordinary -to the King, colonel of the Italian infantry in the service of France, -and first <i>maître d’hôtel</i> to the Queen. It was he who, with the Captain -of the Watch, had been the first to break the news of the flight of the -Condés to Henri IV.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_73_73" id="Footnote_73_73"></a><a href="#FNanchor_73_73"><span class="label">[73]</span></a> Damian de Montluc, Sieur de Balagny. He was governor of -Marle.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_74_74" id="Footnote_74_74"></a><a href="#FNanchor_74_74"><span class="label">[74]</span></a> Brulart de Sillery.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_75_75" id="Footnote_75_75"></a><a href="#FNanchor_75_75"><span class="label">[75]</span></a> Henri IV had meanly stopped the payment of Condé’s -pensions.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_76_76" id="Footnote_76_76"></a><a href="#FNanchor_76_76"><span class="label">[76]</span></a> For a full account of this episode, see the author’s “The -Love Affairs of the Condés.” (London; Methuen. New York: Scribners. -1912.)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_77_77" id="Footnote_77_77"></a><a href="#FNanchor_77_77"><span class="label">[77]</span></a> The Queen’s entry was to have taken place on May 16.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_78_78" id="Footnote_78_78"></a><a href="#FNanchor_78_78"><span class="label">[78]</span></a> Bassompierre carried at the <i>Sacre</i> the train of the -Princesse de Conti, who herself carried that of the Queen.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_79_79" id="Footnote_79_79"></a><a href="#FNanchor_79_79"><span class="label">[79]</span></a> But, according to a contemporary account of the ceremony, -Henri IV was in an unusually sombre mood, and, on entering the church -and beholding the vast silent assemblage, observed: “It reminds me of -the great and last judgment. God give us grace to prepare well for that -day!” (<i>Cérémonial français</i>, Tome I., p. 570.)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_80_80" id="Footnote_80_80"></a><a href="#FNanchor_80_80"><span class="label">[80]</span></a> Pierre Fougeu, Seigneur d’Escures, Quartermaster-General -of the camps and armies of the King.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_81_81" id="Footnote_81_81"></a><a href="#FNanchor_81_81"><span class="label">[81]</span></a> Bernard Potier, Seigneur de Blérencourt. He was -Lieutenant-Colonel of the Light Horse of which Bassompierre was -Colonel.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_82_82" id="Footnote_82_82"></a><a href="#FNanchor_82_82"><span class="label">[82]</span></a> Méry de Vic, Seigneur d’Ermenonville. He was appointed -Keeper of the Seals in 1621.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_83_83" id="Footnote_83_83"></a><a href="#FNanchor_83_83"><span class="label">[83]</span></a> This was no idle threat, for Madame de Bassompierre’s will -contains a clause providing that, in the event of her son espousing the -demoiselle Marie Charlotte de Balsac, “she disinherited him and deprived -him of all her property, having expressly forbidden him to contract a -marriage with her.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_84_84" id="Footnote_84_84"></a><a href="#FNanchor_84_84"><span class="label">[84]</span></a> “Five giants took part in the procession, of the race of -those whom Hercules slew in the war which they waged against the gods, -in the valley of Phlegra, in Thessaly.”—Laugier de Porchères, <i>le Camp -de la Place-Royale</i> (Paris, 1612).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_85_85" id="Footnote_85_85"></a><a href="#FNanchor_85_85"><span class="label">[85]</span></a> “The five challengers styled themselves the Knights of -Glory. M. de Bassompierre made his entry among them under the name of -Lysander. He had for his device a lighted fuse, with these words: <i>Da -l’ardore l’ardire</i> (<i>De l’ardour la hardiesse</i>), in allusion to a love -avowed.”—<i>le Camp de la Place-Royale.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_86_86" id="Footnote_86_86"></a><a href="#FNanchor_86_86"><span class="label">[86]</span></a> The Prince de Conti’s troupe called themselves the Knights -of the Sun; the Duc de Vendôme’s the Knights of the Lily.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_87_87" id="Footnote_87_87"></a><a href="#FNanchor_87_87"><span class="label">[87]</span></a> François de Noailles, Comte d’Ayen (1584-1645). He was -governor of Rouergue, Auvergne and Roussillon.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_88_88" id="Footnote_88_88"></a><a href="#FNanchor_88_88"><span class="label">[88]</span></a> Jacques du Blé, Baron, afterwards Marquis d’Huxelles. -Bassompierre, conforming without doubt to the pronunciation, writes the -name sometimes d’Ucelles and at others Du Sel.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_89_89" id="Footnote_89_89"></a><a href="#FNanchor_89_89"><span class="label">[89]</span></a> Henri II, Duc de Longueville, Comte de Dunois (1595-1643). -He married in 1642, as his second wife, Anne Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, -who was the celebrated Duchesse de Longueville, of the Fronde.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_90_90" id="Footnote_90_90"></a><a href="#FNanchor_90_90"><span class="label">[90]</span></a> Under the name of the Knight of the Phœnix.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_91_91" id="Footnote_91_91"></a><a href="#FNanchor_91_91"><span class="label">[91]</span></a> The Nymphs were: the Comte de Schomberg, hamadryad; -Colonel d’Ornano, wood-nymph; Créquy, dryad; Saint-Luc, naiad; and the -Marquis de Rosny, oread.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_92_92" id="Footnote_92_92"></a><a href="#FNanchor_92_92"><span class="label">[92]</span></a> Antoine Coeffier, called Ruzé, Marquis d’Effiat, who was -created a <i>maréchal</i> de France in 1631. He was the father of the -ill-fated Cinq-Mars.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_93_93" id="Footnote_93_93"></a><a href="#FNanchor_93_93"><span class="label">[93]</span></a> This entry is called, in <i>le Camp du Place-Royale</i>, that -of the illustrious Romans. According to this relation, there were but -seven of them: Trajan, Vespasian, Paulus Æmilius, Marcellus, Scipio, -Coriolanus and Marius. There also entered on this day a troupe of -Knights of the Air, which, however, was incomplete, owing to one of the -“Knights,” the Seigneur de Balagny, having been wounded in a duel.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_94_94" id="Footnote_94_94"></a><a href="#FNanchor_94_94"><span class="label">[94]</span></a> The young Duc de Mayenne, son of the old chief of the -League, who had died in October, 1611.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_95_95" id="Footnote_95_95"></a><a href="#FNanchor_95_95"><span class="label">[95]</span></a> Saint-Paul, a soldier of fortune, was one of the four -marshals created by the Duc de Mayenne in 1593. He was lieutenant of -Charles, Duc de Guise in his government of Champagne, and rendered -himself intensely unpopular with the inhabitants of Rheims by various -acts of oppression. Guise killed him with his own hand, in the Place de -la Cathédrale there, on April 25, 1597. For a full account of this -incident and also of the affair of the Chevalier de Guise and the Baron -de Luz, see the author’s “The Brood of False Lorraine” (Hutchinson, -1919).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_96_96" id="Footnote_96_96"></a><a href="#FNanchor_96_96"><span class="label">[96]</span></a> The Duc de Guise was Governor of Provence.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_97_97" id="Footnote_97_97"></a><a href="#FNanchor_97_97"><span class="label">[97]</span></a> After the death of his elder brother, the Cardinal de -Bourbon, the Prince de Conti had been placed in possession of the Abbey -of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which had been one of the cardinal’s -benefices. The Queen was offering to the Princess de Conti, in the event -of her widowhood, the reversion of these revenues.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_98_98" id="Footnote_98_98"></a><a href="#FNanchor_98_98"><span class="label">[98]</span></a> <i>Histoire de France jusqu’en 1789.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_99_99" id="Footnote_99_99"></a><a href="#FNanchor_99_99"><span class="label">[99]</span></a> They did not fail of their reward, Bassompierre tells us, -for one of them, Masurier, was presently appointed First President of -the Parlement of Toulouse, while the other, Mangot, became First -President of that of Bordeaux, and was afterwards made Keeper of the -Seals.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_100_100" id="Footnote_100_100"></a><a href="#FNanchor_100_100"><span class="label">[100]</span></a> “This dignity, formerly so respected, had been conferred -lavishly since the Wars of the League, but it had not been degraded to -this point. Concini having never borne arms, they were obliged to -renounce in his case the ancient custom of the new marshal of France -presenting himself to the Parlement, accompanied by an advocate, who -expounded his claims and his valiant deeds. There is a limit to -everything, even to the impudence of flatterers.”—Henri Martin.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_101_101" id="Footnote_101_101"></a><a href="#FNanchor_101_101"><span class="label">[101]</span></a> Malherbe’s letters contain some interesting observations -concerning the Queen and Bassompierre: “20 October [1613]. I am told -that 51 [the Queen] has not spoken to him [Bassompierre] for a week. It -is believed that 65 [Concini] has done him a bad turn. The affair is -patched up to some extent, to which 59 [Guise] has contributed much. I -have seen him [Bassompierre] to-day in the cabinet, but much less -impudent than he usually is, and 51 [the Queen] never spoke to him at -all. It will pass. -</p><p> -“27 October. The disfavour of 66 [Bassompierre] continues visibly; the -cause is the alliance of 55 [Concini] and 69 [Villeroy], who have both -told 51 [the Queen] that, when they were on bad terms, 66 [Bassompierre] -betrayed them both, and, besides, had given her to understand that he -boasts of her favour. -</p><p> -“24 November 66 [Bassompierre] is in less disfavour; but I fear that he -will never be again as he has been. -</p><p> -“27 November. I have seen 66 [Bassompierre], so that I believe the -disagreement is patched up, or will be patched up.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_102_102" id="Footnote_102_102"></a><a href="#FNanchor_102_102"><span class="label">[102]</span></a> The Duc de Rohan was not a prince, but he was descended -on his mother’s side from two sovereign houses, those of Navarre and -Scotland.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_103_103" id="Footnote_103_103"></a><a href="#FNanchor_103_103"><span class="label">[103]</span></a> Gaspard Gallaty had fought as a captain at Moncontour and -as a colonel at Arques and Ivry. He was ennobled in 1587.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_104_104" id="Footnote_104_104"></a><a href="#FNanchor_104_104"><span class="label">[104]</span></a> The Duc de Guise and his brother the Prince de -Joinville.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_105_105" id="Footnote_105_105"></a><a href="#FNanchor_105_105"><span class="label">[105]</span></a> Gabriel de la Vallée-Fossez, Marquis d’Everly. He was -governor of Montpellier.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_106_106" id="Footnote_106_106"></a><a href="#FNanchor_106_106"><span class="label">[106]</span></a> The Commandeur de Sillery, <i>chevalier d’honneur</i> to Marie -de’ Medici, had been disgraced shortly before his brother, the -Chancellor, was dismissed.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_107_107" id="Footnote_107_107"></a><a href="#FNanchor_107_107"><span class="label">[107]</span></a> Créquy was Colonel of the French Guards.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_108_108" id="Footnote_108_108"></a><a href="#FNanchor_108_108"><span class="label">[108]</span></a> He was Captain-Lieutenant of the Gensdarmes of the King’s -Guard.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_109_109" id="Footnote_109_109"></a><a href="#FNanchor_109_109"><span class="label">[109]</span></a> La Curée was Captain-Lieutenant of the company of Light -Cavalry of the Guard instituted by Henri IV in 1593.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_110_110" id="Footnote_110_110"></a><a href="#FNanchor_110_110"><span class="label">[110]</span></a> In response to the summons he had received from the -Queen-Mother, Condé was making his way along a narrow passage which led -from her Majesty’s chamber to her cabinet, when he was suddenly -confronted by Thémines, at the head of several of the King’s Guards -“Monseigneur,” said the old noble to the astonished prince, “the King -having been informed that you are giving ear to sundry counsels contrary -to his service, and that people intend to make you engage in designs -ruinous to the State, has charged me to secure your person, to prevent -you falling into this misfortune.” “What?” cried Condé, “do you purpose -to arrest me? Are you then captain of the Guards?” And he laid his hand -upon his sword. “No, Monseigneur,” rejoined Thémines, “but I am a -gentleman and obliged to obey the command of the King, your master and -mine.” His followers forthwith surrounded the prince and led him into an -adjoining room, where he found d’Elbène and a party of soldiers, each of -whom held a pistol in his hand. Never remarkable for his courage, though -in his youth he had once been provoked into challenging the Duc de -Nevers to a duel, Condé believed that his last hour had come. “Alas,” -cried he, “I am a dead man. Send for a priest. Give me time at least to -think of my conscience!” His captors, however, assured him that his life -was in no danger, and conducted him to an upper apartment of the palace, -where it had been arranged that he should be confined, until it had been -decided what should be done with him.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_111_111" id="Footnote_111_111"></a><a href="#FNanchor_111_111"><span class="label">[111]</span></a> In the Rue de Chaume, at the corner of the Rue de -Paradis.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_112_112" id="Footnote_112_112"></a><a href="#FNanchor_112_112"><span class="label">[112]</span></a> Charles Alexandre, Duc de Cröy, Marquis d’Havré. He was -related to Bassompierre through his mother, Diane de Dommartin.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_113_113" id="Footnote_113_113"></a><a href="#FNanchor_113_113"><span class="label">[113]</span></a> Enrico Concini, who was at this time a boy of thirteen. -Arrested after the tragic end of his father, he remained five years in -prison, and then returned to Florence, where he lived until 1631, under -the name of the Count della Penna.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_114_114" id="Footnote_114_114"></a><a href="#FNanchor_114_114"><span class="label">[114]</span></a> This refers to the manifesto issued by Condé in July, -1615, in which he had stigmatised Concini, the Chancellor Sillery, his -brother the Commandeur de Sillery, and the Counsellors of State, Bullion -and Dolet, as the authors of the evils which afflicted the realm.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_115_115" id="Footnote_115_115"></a><a href="#FNanchor_115_115"><span class="label">[115]</span></a> The word is, of course, here used in the sense of a man -who owed his fortune to him, and not in its vituperative sense.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_116_116" id="Footnote_116_116"></a><a href="#FNanchor_116_116"><span class="label">[116]</span></a> Fedeau appears to have been a banker or usurer of the -time, the terms being often synonymous.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_117_117" id="Footnote_117_117"></a><a href="#FNanchor_117_117"><span class="label">[117]</span></a> Lavisse, <i>Histoire de France</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_118_118" id="Footnote_118_118"></a><a href="#FNanchor_118_118"><span class="label">[118]</span></a> Probably Gilles de Souvré, Marquis de Courtenvaux, who -was also Baron de Lézines.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_119_119" id="Footnote_119_119"></a><a href="#FNanchor_119_119"><span class="label">[119]</span></a> Charles de Lameth, Seigneur de Bussy. He was killed at -the siege of La Capelle in 1637.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_120_120" id="Footnote_120_120"></a><a href="#FNanchor_120_120"><span class="label">[120]</span></a> Richelieu assures us that Luynes showed Louis XIII forged -letters purporting to have been written by Barbin, “full of designs -against the person of the King,” and, considering the position occupied -by Déageant, this appears very probable.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_121_121" id="Footnote_121_121"></a><a href="#FNanchor_121_121"><span class="label">[121]</span></a> Vitry had been created a marshal of France the day after -the assassination of Concini. “Thémines had recently been given the -bâton of marshal for having adopted the trade of a bailiff; Vitry had it -as his reward for plying that of a bravo. Who would have thought that -this high dignity, after having been abased to Concini, would have -descended yet lower still?”—Henri Martin.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_122_122" id="Footnote_122_122"></a><a href="#FNanchor_122_122"><span class="label">[122]</span></a> François de l’Hôpital, Seigneur du Hallier. He was -created a marshal of France in 1643, under the name of the Maréchal de -l’Hôpital.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_123_123" id="Footnote_123_123"></a><a href="#FNanchor_123_123"><span class="label">[123]</span></a> Luynes had two younger brothers: (1) Honor d’Albert, -Seigneur de Cadanet, afterwards Duc de Chaulnes and Marshal of France; -(2) Léon d’Albert, Seigneur de Brantes, afterwards Duc de -Piney-Luxembourg.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_124_124" id="Footnote_124_124"></a><a href="#FNanchor_124_124"><span class="label">[124]</span></a> <i>Journal historique et anecdotique de la Cour et de -Paris.</i> MSS. of Conrart, cited by Victor Cousin, <i>la Jeunesse de Madame -de Longueville</i>. The chronicler speaks frequently of the prince’s -ill-treatment of his wife, for which he appears to think there was no -justification.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_125_125" id="Footnote_125_125"></a><a href="#FNanchor_125_125"><span class="label">[125]</span></a> Bournonville was brought to trial and condemned to death, -while Persan was sentenced to be banished from France; but both were -subsequently pardoned.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_126_126" id="Footnote_126_126"></a><a href="#FNanchor_126_126"><span class="label">[126]</span></a> <i>Journal historique et anecdotique de la Cour et de -Paris.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_127_127" id="Footnote_127_127"></a><a href="#FNanchor_127_127"><span class="label">[127]</span></a> It would appear, from an anecdote related by -Bassompierre, in March, 1618, that Luynes had not hesitated to falsify -history in his efforts to inspire the King with fear of his mother: -</p><p> -“At that time, the King, who was very young, amused himself with many -little occupations of his age, making little fountains in imitation of -those of Saint-Germain, with pipes of quill, and little inventions for -hunting, and playing on the drum, in which he succeeded very well. One -day I told him that he was clever at everything which he undertook, and -that, although he had never been taught, he played the drum better than -the master of that instrument. ‘I must begin to blow the hunting-horn -again,’ said he, ‘which I do very well, and will blow it for a whole -day.’ ‘Sire,’ said I, ‘I do not advise your Majesty to blow it too -often, for it causes ruptures, and is very injurious for the lungs; and -I have heard that, through blowing the horn, the late King Charles broke -a blood-vessel in his lungs, and that caused his death.’ ‘You are -mistaken,’ he rejoined; ‘it was not blowing the horn that killed him; it -was because he quarrelled with the Queen Catherine, his mother at -Monceaux, and left her and went to Meaux. But, if he had not been -persuaded by the Maréchal de Retz to return to the Queen-Mother at -Monceaux, he would not have died so soon.’ As I answered nothing to -this, Montpouillan, who was present, said to me: ‘You did not think, -Monsieur, that the King knew so much about these matters, but he does, -and about many others besides.’ This convinced me that he had been -inspired with great apprehension of the Queen, his mother, whom I took -care never to mention to him in future, not even in common discourse.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_128_128" id="Footnote_128_128"></a><a href="#FNanchor_128_128"><span class="label">[128]</span></a> Asked what spell she had employed to make herself -mistress of the Queen-Mother’s mind, the prisoner is said to have -replied: “Only those which a clever woman employs towards a dunce.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_129_129" id="Footnote_129_129"></a><a href="#FNanchor_129_129"><span class="label">[129]</span></a> The Duc de Mayenne quitted the Court, which was then at -Saint-Germain, on March 29, 1620, and went to Guienne, of which he was -lieutenant-general.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_130_130" id="Footnote_130_130"></a><a href="#FNanchor_130_130"><span class="label">[130]</span></a> Louis de Bourbon, son of Charles de Bourbon, Comte de -Soissons and Anne de Montafié. Born May 4, 1604; killed at the battle of -la Marfée, on July 6, 1641. He was called <i>Monsieur le Comte</i>, as his -father had been.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_131_131" id="Footnote_131_131"></a><a href="#FNanchor_131_131"><span class="label">[131]</span></a> There were two kinds of regiments in the French Army at -this period: permanent regiments, which usually bore territorial -designations, Champagne, Picardy, and so forth, and temporary regiments, -which might be disbanded in time of peace, and which bore the names of -their commanding officers.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_132_132" id="Footnote_132_132"></a><a href="#FNanchor_132_132"><span class="label">[132]</span></a> Luynes and his two brothers.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_133_133" id="Footnote_133_133"></a><a href="#FNanchor_133_133"><span class="label">[133]</span></a> Nerestang died some ten days later, a victim, if we are -to believe Bassompierre, to the professional jealousy of the surgeons:— -</p><p> -“The King went to visit M. de Nerestang, who, seeing how severely he had -been wounded, was not doing badly, and would have been cured if they had -left him in the hands of the surgeon Lion. But the other executioners of -surgeons importuned the King so much, when he was at Brissac, that seven -days after he was wounded, when he was going on well, they took him out -of Lion’s hands to place him in those of the King’s surgeons; and he -only lived two days longer.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_134_134" id="Footnote_134_134"></a><a href="#FNanchor_134_134"><span class="label">[134]</span></a> Créquy was colonel of the French Guards, and in this -action was in command of a brigade.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_135_135" id="Footnote_135_135"></a><a href="#FNanchor_135_135"><span class="label">[135]</span></a> The property of the Catholic Church in Béarn and Lower -Navarre had been confiscated by Jeanne d’Albret in 1569, and applied to -the maintenance of pastors of the Reformed faith and works of public -utility.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_136_136" id="Footnote_136_136"></a><a href="#FNanchor_136_136"><span class="label">[136]</span></a> Jacques Nomper de Caumont (1558-1652). He greatly -distinguished himself in the Thirty Years’ War, and was made a marshal -of France and subsequently duke and peer.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_137_137" id="Footnote_137_137"></a><a href="#FNanchor_137_137"><span class="label">[137]</span></a> This son, who received the names of Louis Charles and to -whom Louis XIII stood godfather, became the second Duc de Luynes, and -enjoyed some celebrity in the latter part of the seventeenth century -through his connection with Port-Royal. He translated into French the -<i>Méditations</i> of Descartes, wrote under a <i>nom de guerre</i> several books -of devotion, and was the father of the pious Duc de Chevreuse, the -friend of Fénelon.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_138_138" id="Footnote_138_138"></a><a href="#FNanchor_138_138"><span class="label">[138]</span></a> Don Diego Zapata.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_139_139" id="Footnote_139_139"></a><a href="#FNanchor_139_139"><span class="label">[139]</span></a> Doña Maria Sidonia, second wife of the count.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_140_140" id="Footnote_140_140"></a><a href="#FNanchor_140_140"><span class="label">[140]</span></a> Don Pedro Acunha y Tellez-Giron, third Duke of Ossuña -(1579-1624). He had been Viceroy of Naples, and one of the three chiefs -of the conspiracy against Venice which was to have delivered the city -into the power of Spain on Ascension Day, 1618. Suspected of having -aspired to make himself King of Naples, he was recalled in 1620. He died -in prison in 1624.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_141_141" id="Footnote_141_141"></a><a href="#FNanchor_141_141"><span class="label">[141]</span></a> The late King, Henri IV.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_142_142" id="Footnote_142_142"></a><a href="#FNanchor_142_142"><span class="label">[142]</span></a> Enrico de Avila y Guzman.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_143_143" id="Footnote_143_143"></a><a href="#FNanchor_143_143"><span class="label">[143]</span></a> Antonio de Toledo, fifth duke of Alba, grandson of the -celebrated Duke of Alba.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_144_144" id="Footnote_144_144"></a><a href="#FNanchor_144_144"><span class="label">[144]</span></a> Rodriguez de Mendoza, second son of Diego de Mendoza, -Count of Saldagna. He became sixth Duke del Infantado by his marriage -with Anna de Mendoza, Duchess del Infantado, daughter of his elder -brother.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_145_145" id="Footnote_145_145"></a><a href="#FNanchor_145_145"><span class="label">[145]</span></a> The office of mayor-domo mayor was equivalent to that of -Grand Master of the King’s Household in France.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_146_146" id="Footnote_146_146"></a><a href="#FNanchor_146_146"><span class="label">[146]</span></a> A convent of the barefooted Carmelites in the centre of -the town.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_147_147" id="Footnote_147_147"></a><a href="#FNanchor_147_147"><span class="label">[147]</span></a> He was a Dominican monk and filled the office of Grand -Inquisitor.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_148_148" id="Footnote_148_148"></a><a href="#FNanchor_148_148"><span class="label">[148]</span></a> Philip III’s eldest son, afterwards Philip IV. Born on -April 8, 1605, he had not yet completed his sixteenth year.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_149_149" id="Footnote_149_149"></a><a href="#FNanchor_149_149"><span class="label">[149]</span></a> The King’s second son; born September 14, 1607; died in -1632.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_150_150" id="Footnote_150_150"></a><a href="#FNanchor_150_150"><span class="label">[150]</span></a> Fernando, Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, third son of -Philip III; born May 17, 1609; died in 1641.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_151_151" id="Footnote_151_151"></a><a href="#FNanchor_151_151"><span class="label">[151]</span></a> The new Queen, Élisabeth of France.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_152_152" id="Footnote_152_152"></a><a href="#FNanchor_152_152"><span class="label">[152]</span></a> A convent of Hieronymite monks, situated a little way -from Madrid.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_153_153" id="Footnote_153_153"></a><a href="#FNanchor_153_153"><span class="label">[153]</span></a> Gaspard de Guzman, third count, and afterwards Duke, of -Olivarez. Favourite of the new king, he shared power with his uncle, Don -Balthazar de Zuniga, until the latter’s death in 1623, from which time -up to 1643 he was Prime Minister. He died in 1645.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_154_154" id="Footnote_154_154"></a><a href="#FNanchor_154_154"><span class="label">[154]</span></a> Charles de Clermont d’Amboise, Marquis de Bussy. He was -killed in a duel in the Place-Royale in Paris, in April, 1627.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_155_155" id="Footnote_155_155"></a><a href="#FNanchor_155_155"><span class="label">[155]</span></a> The <i>loba</i> was a long sleeveless robe; the <i>caperuza</i> a -hood; and the <i>caperote</i> a short cloak fitted with a hood.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_156_156" id="Footnote_156_156"></a><a href="#FNanchor_156_156"><span class="label">[156]</span></a> The Crowns of Spain and Naples, etc.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_157_157" id="Footnote_157_157"></a><a href="#FNanchor_157_157"><span class="label">[157]</span></a> Don Carlos.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_158_158" id="Footnote_158_158"></a><a href="#FNanchor_158_158"><span class="label">[158]</span></a> To demand <i>lugar</i> of a lady was to request permission to -pay one’s respects to her at a time and place to be named by her.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_159_159" id="Footnote_159_159"></a><a href="#FNanchor_159_159"><span class="label">[159]</span></a> Diego de Sandoval y Rojas.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_160_160" id="Footnote_160_160"></a><a href="#FNanchor_160_160"><span class="label">[160]</span></a> Aloysia de Mendoza. She was Countess of Saldagna in her -own right, and her husband assumed the title of Count of Saldagna.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_161_161" id="Footnote_161_161"></a><a href="#FNanchor_161_161"><span class="label">[161]</span></a> Saldagna had been a widower since 1619.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_162_162" id="Footnote_162_162"></a><a href="#FNanchor_162_162"><span class="label">[162]</span></a> Catherine de Zuniga y Sandoval, widow of Fernando de -Portugal y Castro, sixth Count of Lemos.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_163_163" id="Footnote_163_163"></a><a href="#FNanchor_163_163"><span class="label">[163]</span></a> See p. 287, <i>supra</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_164_164" id="Footnote_164_164"></a><a href="#FNanchor_164_164"><span class="label">[164]</span></a> The celebrated Duke of Alba.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_165_165" id="Footnote_165_165"></a><a href="#FNanchor_165_165"><span class="label">[165]</span></a> The fourth Duke of Alba.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_166_166" id="Footnote_166_166"></a><a href="#FNanchor_166_166"><span class="label">[166]</span></a> “I have paid the compliment of condolence with which the -King charged me, so well, that, save that I did not weep, my countenance -presented every indication of grief and sadness. Now it lays aside this -false mask, since nothing can further retard my return to France, -whither I am going with infinite joy, and infinite desire to serve my -master well in war, or my mistress, if we have peace.”—Bassompierre to -Puisieux, May 10, 1621.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_167_167" id="Footnote_167_167"></a><a href="#FNanchor_167_167"><span class="label">[167]</span></a> Titled persons; that is to say, noblemen who were not -grandees of Spain.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_168_168" id="Footnote_168_168"></a><a href="#FNanchor_168_168"><span class="label">[168]</span></a> Municipal officials.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_169_169" id="Footnote_169_169"></a><a href="#FNanchor_169_169"><span class="label">[169]</span></a> The principal magistrate of the town.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_170_170" id="Footnote_170_170"></a><a href="#FNanchor_170_170"><span class="label">[170]</span></a> In July, 1639, during his captivity in the Bastille, -Bassompierre was obliged to part temporarily with Philip IV’s gift, -which is described as “the diamond of the King of Spain,” as security -for a loan of 6,300 livres. He redeemed it in May, 1641, but as, after -his death, it does not figure in the inventory of his jewels, he would -appear to have pledged it again, or perhaps have sold it.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_171_171" id="Footnote_171_171"></a><a href="#FNanchor_171_171"><span class="label">[171]</span></a> Louis de Marillac, Comte de Beaumont-le-Roger. He was -created a marshal of France in 1629, and was executed for high treason -on May 10, 1632.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_172_172" id="Footnote_172_172"></a><a href="#FNanchor_172_172"><span class="label">[172]</span></a> This faubourg had been called Ville-Bourbon, since Henri -IV had surrounded it with fortifications.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_173_173" id="Footnote_173_173"></a><a href="#FNanchor_173_173"><span class="label">[173]</span></a> This was the old fourteenth-century bridge already -mentioned.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_174_174" id="Footnote_174_174"></a><a href="#FNanchor_174_174"><span class="label">[174]</span></a> Bassompierre received next day a letter from the King, -complimenting him on the courage and resource he had shown.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_175_175" id="Footnote_175_175"></a><a href="#FNanchor_175_175"><span class="label">[175]</span></a> The Duc de Luxembourg, the Constable’s youngest brother.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_176_176" id="Footnote_176_176"></a><a href="#FNanchor_176_176"><span class="label">[176]</span></a> The Queen had established herself at Moissac, on the -right bank of the Tarn, where she remained during the greater part of -the siege.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_177_177" id="Footnote_177_177"></a><a href="#FNanchor_177_177"><span class="label">[177]</span></a> Louis XIII., in a letter to Noailles, bears testimony to -Bassompierre’s services in this affair: “In this defeat and action we -may recognise, as I have told you, the Providence of God, Who has so -fortified the courage of my men that they have performed wonders, and -<i>notably the Sr. de Bassompierre</i>, the colonel, and the Swiss and the -Regiment of Normandy, who have boldly sustained the charge.”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><a name="transcrib" id="transcrib"></a></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="padding:2%;border:3px dotted gray;"> -<tr><th align="center">Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:</th></tr> -<tr><td class="c">they left Lambrogiono=> they left Lambrogiano {pg 9}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">Pietro Aldrobrandini, nephew of Clement VII=> Pietro Aldobrandini, nephew of Clement VII {pg 12 n.}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">and Gabrielle d’Estrêes=> and Gabrielle d’Estrées {pg 19}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">the affections of kinds=> the affections of kings {pg 26}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">Oct. 6, 1900, arrived at Lyons=> Oct. 6, 1600, arrived at Lyons {pg 34}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">preceeded to Harouel=> proceeded to Harouel {pg 59}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">Bassompiere took the road=> Bassompierre took the road {pg 76}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">he depatched Bassompierre=> he despatched Bassompierre {pg 77}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">Charles III of Loraine=> Charles III of Lorraine {pg 95}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">Diane de France, Duchessé de Montmorency=> Diane de France, Duchesse de Montmorency {pg 104 n.}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">against the Emperor’ saction=> against the Emperor’s action {pg 124}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">along the Rue Saint-Honore=> along the Rue Saint-Honoré {pg 159}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">through it might suffice, for the moment=> though it might suffice, for the moment {pg 226}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c"><i>lèse-majeste</i>=> <i>lèse-majesté</i> {pg 227}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">March 29, 1720, and went to Guienne=> March 29, 1620, and went to Guienne {pg 236 n.}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">arrested and haled off to prison.=> arrested and hauled off to prison. {pg 275}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">Nuestra Señora de Attoches=> {pg 283}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">Nuestra Senora de Constantinopoli=> Nuestra Señora de Constantinopoli {pg 288}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">an done ball went=> and one ball went {pg 307}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">bastion of La Moustier=> bastion of Le Moustier {pg 310}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">the enemy and disheartend=> the enemy and disheartened {pg 312}</td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Gallant of Lorraine; 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