1606
New Year's Day at Court--The royal tokens--A singular audience--A
proposition--Birth of the Princess Christine--Public festivities--A
ballet on horseback--The King resolves to humble the Duc de
Bouillon--Arguments of the Queen--Policy of Henry--The Court proceeds to
Torcy--Surrender of Bouillon--The sovereigns enter Sedan--Rejoicings of
the citizens--State entry into Paris--The High Court of Justice assigns
to the ex-Queen Marguerite the county of Auvergne--The "Te
Deum"--Marguerite makes a donation of her recovered estates to the
Dauphin--Inconsistencies of Marguerite--Jealousy of the Queen of Madame
de Moret--Increasing coldness of the King towards that lady--The frail
rivals--Princely beacons---Indignation of the Queen--Narrow escape of
the King and Queen--Gratitude of the Queen to her preserver--Insolent
pleasantry of the Marquise de Verneuil--A disappointment
compensated--Marriage of the Duc de Bar--The King invites the Duchess of
Mantua to become sponsor to the Dauphin, and the Duc de Lorraine to the
younger Princess--_The Mantuan suite_--Preparations at Notre-Dame--The
plague in Paris--The Court removes to Fontainebleau--The royal
christenings--Increase of the plague--Royal disappointments--The
Duchesse de Nevers--Discourtesy of the King--Dignity of the Duchess.
The description given by M. de Sully of his interview with their
Majesties on the morning of the 1st of January 1606 is so characteristic
of the time that we cannot conscientiously pass it over, although the
feeling of the present day compels us to exclude many of its details.
Early in the forenoon the Duke proceeded to the Louvre to pay his
respects to the august couple, and to present the customary offerings;
but on reaching the apartment of the King, he was informed by MM.
d'Armagnac and l'Oserai, the two valets-de-chambre on duty, that his
Majesty was in the chamber of the Queen, who had been seriously
indisposed during the night. He consequently proceeded to the ante-room
of his royal mistress, and as he found it vacant, advanced to the door
of the chamber itself, against which he scratched gently, in order to
attract the attention of Caterina Selvaggio or Mademoiselle de la
Renouillère, her favourite attendants, and to ascertain the state of her
health without awakening her. He had no sooner done so, however, than
several voices loudly inquired who was there, and among them the Duke
recognized those of Roquelaure, Frontenac, and Beringhen.
Having declared his identity, and been announced to the King, he was
immediately summoned in a cheerful voice by Henry himself: "Come in,
come in, Sully," cried the monarch; "you will think us very idle until
you learn what has kept us in bed so late. My wife has been ill all
night; but I will tell you all about it when there are not so many
people present, and meanwhile let us see what you have brought for us as
New Year's gifts, for I observe that your three secretaries are with you
laden each with a velvet bag."
"It is true, Sire," answered the Duke. "I remembered that the last
occasion upon which I had seen your Majesties together you were both in
excellent spirits, and trusting to find it the case today, when we are
all anticipating the birth of a second Prince, I have brought you some
offerings which are sure to please you, as they cannot fail to gratify
those to whom they are distributed in your name, a distribution which I
trust may take place this evening in your presence and that of
the Queen."
"Although she says nothing to you," laughed the King, "according to her
custom of pretending to be asleep, she is as thoroughly awake as myself,
but she is very angry with both of us. However, we will talk of that
some other time. And now let us see your presents."
"They are not perhaps, Sire," said the Grand Master, "such as might be
expected from the treasurer of a wealthy and powerful monarch; but such
as they are, I feel convinced that they will afford more real
gratification to those for whom they are intended, and excite more
gratitude towards your own person, than all the costly gifts which you
lavish upon individuals who, as I well know, only repay your profuse
liberality by ingratitude and murmurs."
"I understand you," exclaimed the King; "it is useless to explain
yourself further; rather show us what you have brought."
The Duke made a signal to his secretaries to approach the bed. "Here,
Sire," he said, "in my despatch-bag, are three purses filled with gold
tokens, with a device expressive of the love borne towards your Majesty
by your people. One of these I offer to yourself, another to the Queen,
and the third to Monseigneur le Dauphin, or rather I ought to say to
Mamanga,[312] if her Majesty does not retain it, as she has always done
on similar occasions. In the same bag are eight purses of silver tokens
with the same device--two for yourself, two for the Queen, and four for
La Renouillère, Caterina Selvaggio, and any other of the ladies who
sleep in the chamber of her Majesty. The second bag contains twenty-five
purses of tokens in silver, to be distributed among Monseigneur le
Dauphin, Madame de Montglat, Madame de Drou,[313] Mademoiselle de
Piolant,[314] the nurses and other attendants of Monseigneur and his
sister, and the waiting-maids of the Queen. In the third bag there are
thirty sacks, each containing a hundred crowns in half-franc pieces,
coined expressly for the purpose, and so large that they appear to be of
twice the value. These are intended for all the attendants of
subordinate rank attached to the household of her Majesty and the royal
children, according to your orders. I have left, moreover, in my
carriage below, in the charge of my people, two great bags, each
containing a hundred crowns in twelve sous pieces, making the sum of
twelve thousand sous, for division among the poor and sick upon the
quays of the river near the Louvre, which are, as I am told, already
crowded; and I have in consequence sent twelve citizens upon whom I can
rely to distribute the money conscientiously according to the
necessities of each applicant. All these poor people, and even the
waiting-women of her Majesty, exhibit more delight on receiving these
trifling coins, Sire, than you can well believe. They all say that it is
not so much for the value of the gift, as because it proves that you
remember and regard them; and, moreover, the attendants of the Queen
prize them in consequence of their being free to appropriate them as
they think fit, while they are compelled to employ their respective
salaries according to the instructions which they receive, as they thus
have a hundred crowns to expend in any finery for which they may take
a fancy."
"And do you bestow all this happiness upon them without being rewarded
even by a kiss?" asked Henry gaily.
"Truly, Sire," answered the Duke, "since the day when your Majesty
commanded them to recognize their obligation in that manner, I have
never found it necessary to remind them of your royal pleasure, for they
come voluntarily to tender their acknowledgments according to order;
while Madame de Drou, devout as she is, only laughs during the
performance of the ceremony."
"Come now, M. le Grand Maître," persisted the King, "tell me the truth;
which do you consider to be the handsomest, and consequently the most
welcome among them?"
"On my word, Sire," replied M. de Sully, "that is a question which I am
unable to answer, for I have other things to think of besides love and
beauty, and I firmly believe that they, each and all, pay as little
attention to my handsome nose as I do to theirs. I kiss them as we do
relics, when I am making my offering."
Henry laughed heartily. "How say you, gentlemen," he exclaimed,
addressing the courtiers who thronged the chamber; "have we not here a
prodigal treasurer, who makes such presents as these at the expense of
his master, and all for a kiss?"
Of course the royal hilarity found a general and an immediate echo,
which had no sooner subsided than the King exclaimed: "And now,
gentlemen, to your breakfasts, and leave us to discuss affairs of
greater importance."
In a few minutes all had left the room save Sully himself and the two
waiting-women of the Queen, and he had no sooner ascertained that such
was the case than Henry said affectionately: "And now, sleeper, awake,
and do not scold any longer, for I have, on my part, resolved not to
think any more of what has passed, particularly at such a time as this.
You fancy that Sully blames you whenever we have a difference, but you
are quite wrong, as you would be aware could you only know how freely he
gives me his opinion on my own faults, and although I am occasionally
angry with him, I like him none the less; on the contrary, I believe
that if he ceased to love me, he would be more indifferent to all that
touches my welfare and honour, as well as the good of my people; for do
you see, _ma mie_, the best-intentioned among us require at times to be
supported by the wise advice of faithful and prudent friends, and he is
constantly reminding me of the expediency of indulgence towards
yourself, and of the necessity of keeping your mind at peace, in order
that neither you nor the Prince whom you are about to give to
France--for the Duke feels satisfied that it will be a Prince--may
suffer from contradiction, or annoyance of any kind."
"I thank M. le Grand Maître," said the Queen at length, in a voice of
great exhaustion; "but it is impossible for me to feel either calm or
happy while you persist in preferring the society of persons who are
obnoxious to me, to my own. My very dreams are embittered by this
consciousness, and doubly so because I have reason to know that while I
am their victim, they are false even to yourself and, moreover, detest
you in their hearts. You may doubt this," she added with greater energy,
"but I appeal to the Duke himself, and he will tell you if this is not
the case."
M. de Sully, however, felt no inclination to offer his testimony to the
truth of an assertion of this nature--the position involved too great a
responsibility to be agreeable even to the experienced statesman
himself; and he accordingly, with his accustomed prudence, generalized
the subject by declaring that he experienced a heartfelt satisfaction in
perceiving that their Majesties had at length yielded to a feeling of
mutual confidence, which could not fail to put an end to all their
domestic discomfort; adding that if he might presume to offer his
advice, he would suggest that should any new subject of difference arise
between them, they should immediately refer it to the arbitration of a
third person, upon whose probity and attachment they could severally
rely, and resolve to leave the whole affair totally in his hands,
without aggravating the evil by any personal interference, or even
considering themselves aggrieved by the remedy which he might suggest.
He then offered, should they place sufficient confidence in his own
judgment and affection, to become himself the arbitrator whom he
recommended; and he had no sooner done so than the King eagerly declared
himself ready to comply with his advice, and to sign a pledge to that
effect, but Marie de Medicis, who was as well aware as her royal consort
that the first step adopted by Sully would be the exile of her Italian
followers, was less willing to bind herself by such an engagement, and
she therefore merely remarked that the proposition had come upon her so
suddenly that she must have time to reflect before she thus placed
herself entirely in the hands of a third party. She then, as if anxious
to terminate the discussion, summoned her women, and the Duke, by no
means reluctantly, withdrew.[315]
At this period the King made a journey into Limousin, at the head of a
body of troops, in order to overawe the malcontents in that province;
and while at Orleans he withdrew the seals from Pomponne de Bellièvre,
in order to bestow them upon Sillery, the former, however, retaining the
empty title of Chief of the Privy Council. The pretext for this
substitution was the failing health of the Chancellor, but it was
generally attributed to the influence of Madame de Verneuil, in whose
fortunes M. de Sillery had always exhibited as lively an interest as he
had previously done in those of the Duchesse de Beaufort. Let it,
however, have arisen from whatever cause it might, it is certain that
the veteran statesman deeply felt the indignity which had been offered
to him. Thus Bassompierre asserts that when he shortly afterwards
visited M. de Bellièvre at Artenay, and that the indignant minister
commented with considerable bitterness upon his recent deprivation, he
vainly endeavoured to reconcile him to the affront by reminding him that
he was still in office, and would preside at all the councils as
chancellor, but Bellièvre immediately replied with emphasis: "My friend,
a chancellor without seals is an apothecary without sugar." [316]
On the 10th of February the Queen gave birth to a second daughter[317]
in the palace of the Louvre, to her extreme mortification, the
astrologers whom she had consulted having assured her that she was about
to become the mother of a Prince. The citizens of Paris were, however,
delighted, as no royal child had been born in the capital for a great
length of time;[318] while the princes and nobles, throughout the whole
of the following month, vied with each other in their efforts to
entertain their Majesties, and to cause them to forget their
disappointment. It would appear, indeed, that Marie herself soon became
reconciled to the sex of the infant Princess, as Bassompierre has left
it upon record that even before she was sufficiently recovered to leave
her room she used to send for him to play cards with her, an invitation
which was always welcome to the handsome and dissipated courtier.[319]
She no sooner appeared in public, however, than other and more brilliant
amusements were provided for her, consisting of jousts and banquets,
Italian comedies and Court balls; but all these were exceeded in
interest by a ballet that was performed on horseback in the great court
of the Louvre, which had been thickly strewn with sand and surrounded by
barriers, save at one opening opposite the seats prepared for their
Majesties, through which the four nobles by whom the entertainment had
been devised were to enter with their respective trains from the Hôtel
de Bourbon.
The balconies and windows of the palace were crowded with splendidly
dressed nobles and courtiers of both sexes, while a dense mass of people
occupied every available spot of ground beyond the enclosure, where
platforms had also been erected for the more respectable of the citizens
and their families. The King and Queen were seated in the balcony of
the centre window, which was draped with crimson velvet, having on their
right and left several of the Princes of the Blood and ladies of the
highest rank, while immediately behind them were placed the great
officers of the Crown and the captains of the bodyguard. The hour
selected for this novel and extraordinary exhibition was ten at night,
and hundreds of lamps and double the number of torches were affixed to
the _façade_ of the palace, towards which every eye was upturned from
the compact crowd below. The ballet was designed to represent the four
primary Elements, and the appointed moment had no sooner arrived than a
flourish of trumpets announced the approach of the Duc de Bellegarde,
who with his party were to personate Water. The procession was opened by
twenty-four pages habited in cloth of silver, each attended by two
torch-bearers; these were followed by twelve Syrens playing on hautboys,
who were in their turn succeeded by a pyramid whose summit was crowned
by a gigantic figure of Neptune, surrounded by water-gods and marine
divinities and insignia of every description. This stupendous machine
paused for a moment beneath the window of their Majesties, and the
aquatic deities having made their obeisance, it passed on, and gave
place to twenty-four other pages, habited and attended like the former
ones. These preceded the Duke himself at the head of twelve young and
brilliant nobles, all clad in cloth of silver, with plumes of white
feathers in their jewelled caps, and their horses richly caparisoned in
white and silver. Having made the tour of the court, the whole party
drew closely together in one angle of the enclosure, in order to make
way for the second troop, but not before they had exhibited their
equestrian skill, and elicited not only the approving comments of the
courtly groups who contemplated them from above, but also the vociferous
acclamations of the admiring thousands by whom they were hemmed in. The
Duc de Bellegarde and his train had no sooner taken up their station
than a second _fanfare_ greeted the approach of the powers of Fire, who
were ushered in by twenty-four pages dressed in scarlet, closely
followed by four blacksmiths dragging an anvil, upon which, when they
reached the centre of the court, they began to strike with great
violence, and at every blow discharged such a shower of rockets into the
air that many a fair dame crouched behind her neighbour for protection
from the falling sparks; while the lamps and torches which lit up the
palace walls were momentarily eclipsed. As the last rush of rockets
burst, and fell back in a Danaëan shower, a train of salamanders,
phoenix, and other anti-inflammable creatures appeared in their turn,
and were followed by the Duc de Rohan, attired as Vulcan, with his
twelve companions in the garb of Parthians, all similarly dressed, and
armed with lances, swords, and shields, on which their arms were
splendidly emblazoned. Renewed feats of dexterous horsemanship were
exhibited by this brilliant band, after which, as their predecessors
had previously done, they established themselves in an angle of the
lists, and made way for the representatives of Air. First came the
pages, forming an escort to the goddess Juno, with her attendant eagle
and a multitude of other birds, all skilfully imitated and grouped; and
when the feathered pageant had passed on, appeared the Comte de
Sommerive[320] and his noble band, all wearing the same costume and
bearing the same arms. Lastly came Earth, in which the pages were
succeeded by two enormous elephants, artistically constructed, and
bearing upon their backs small towers filled with musicians, who, as
they advanced, poured out a volume of sweet sound, to which several
horses, draped with cloth of gold and led by Moors, moved in cadence
like the grooms by whom they were conducted. Then followed more pages,
and a band of trumpeters whose occasional flourishes overpowered the
softer instruments of those who marched in front; and finally, twelve
Moorish knights, led by the Duc de Nevers,[321] all resplendent with
gold and jewels, closed the procession, and fell back to the remaining
extremity of the enclosure. A combat then commenced between the knights
of Earth and those of Water, first single-handed, then in couples, and
finally troop against troop, and so soon as this had terminated, the
cavaliers of Air and Fire went through the same evolutions; when each
having exhibited his dexterity in the _manège_ and his skill in arms,
the whole of the four bands joined in the _mêlée_, shivering their
lances, their arrows, and their shields, and then each of the combatants
seized a torch which had been prepared for him, and after having ridden
round and round each other, making the wandering lights assume the
appearance of meteors, the entire company formed once more into order
and returned to the Hôtel de Bourbon like a long line of fire.[322]
These were precisely the entertainments that Henri IV was eager to
encourage, as they involved an expenditure which frequently crippled the
means of those by whom they were exhibited for several years; and he was
accustomed to declare that it was frequently to the poverty of his
nobles that he was indebted for their fidelity, as they no sooner found
themselves in a position to arm a few retainers and assume the
offensive, than they forthwith began to organize a cabal.
The King having, in the month of March of this year, determined upon
proceeding in person to quell the disturbances in the provinces, and to
compel the Duc de Bouillon, who was known as the instigator of these
disorders, to obedience, made preparations on an extensive scale for
this purpose, and raised a powerful army in order to prove his
resolution to terminate all similar attempts. In this project he was
warmly encouraged by the Queen, who was to accompany him in his journey,
the Duc de Sully having urged her with the most earnest arguments to
suggest to his Majesty that although he was able personally, from his
prowess and authority, to resist the insidious aggressions of M. de
Bouillon, the case would be widely different were the infant Prince, by
any sudden dispensation of Providence, to be called upon to supply his
place. "The rebel Duke, Madame," said the prudent and upright minister,
"would prove a formidable enemy to a woman and a child; and this should
be looked to while your royal consort is still in the plenitude of
health and strength."
Marie de Medicis at once felt the force of this reasoning; and although
the caution might probably appear to her as somewhat premature, she
nevertheless lost no time in entreating the King to make such an example
of the restless and ambitious Bouillon as might deter others from
following in his track.
"You are at once right and wrong, _ma mie_" replied Henry with his usual
promptitude. "There can be no doubt that the temper and projects of this
man tend to disturb the peace of the kingdom, and that were he to lose
his head a great peril would be escaped; but we must not forget that he
is a Prince of the Blood, and that he may be severely punished through
his pride. I have resolved to take Sedan out of his hands, and to humble
him upon the very threshold of his power; and this vengeance upon his
rebellion will be ample, as he has taught himself to believe that I dare
not attack him in his stronghold. Once subdued he will be undeceived,
and I shall then be enabled to pardon him without having my clemency
mistaken for fear, and I will take such measures as shall ensure his
future submission." [323]
On the 15th of the month, the Court of Parliament, on a summons from the
sovereign, proceeded to the Louvre, where Henry explained to them his
reasons for besieging the Maréchal de Bouillon in Sedan, and possessing
himself of the town and citadel. "A failure," he concluded, "is
impossible; and as an earnest of success the Queen will accompany me.
To-morrow we commence our journey; but do not conceive that I set forth
against the Duke with any preconceived design of vengeance. My arms will
be open to him should he acknowledge his error, for I have been his
benefactor, and have made him what he is. But should he decline to offer
his submission and to recognize my authority, I trust that God will
favour my arms. Above all things, during my absence, I entreat of you to
administer the strictest justice; and I leave in your hands the Dauphin,
my son, whom I have caused to be removed from St. Germain to Paris, in
order to place him under your protection; and I do so with the most
entire confidence, as next to myself he should be to you the most sacred
trust on earth." [324]
On the morrow, accordingly; the King and Queen set forth, accompanied
by a brilliant retinue, and closely followed by the Duc de Sully with
fifty pieces of ordnance and twenty-five thousand men; a fact which was
no sooner ascertained than the rebel Marshal despatched messengers to
Torcy, the frontier village of France, who were authorized to pledge
themselves that the Duke was willing to deliver up the citadel of Sedan
for the space of ten years, if at the termination of that period his
Majesty would consent to restore it, should he, in the interim, have
become satisfied of his loyalty and devotion. He, however, annexed
another condition to his surrender, which was that an act of oblivion
should be passed, and that he should never thenceforward be subjected to
any injury, either of property or person, for whatever acts of
disobedience to the royal authority he might have previously been
considered responsible, and should be left in untroubled possession of
all his honours, estates, and offices under the Crown.
Having carefully perused this treaty, the King at once consented to the
proposed terms, on the understanding that the Marshal should on the
following morning present himself at Donchéry, where the Court were to
halt that night, before their Majesties should have risen. This he
accordingly did on the 21st, when upon his knees beside the royal couch
he repeated and ratified the pledges of fidelity contained in his appeal
for pardon, and had the honour of kissing hands with both sovereigns;
the King assuring him as he did so that he valued the citadel of Sedan
far less than the recovery of so valued a friend and subject.
Their Majesties then made a solemn entry into the city, attended by a
train of princes and nobles, and were received with loud and
long-continued shouts of "Long live the King!" "Long live the Queen and
the Dauphin!" Salvos of artillery were fired from the ramparts of the
town and the citadel, and the whole progress of the royal _cortège_
through the streets resembled a triumphal procession. In the evening the
entire city was illuminated; and the vociferous cheering of the excited
people testified their delight at the bloodless and peaceful termination
of an expedition from which they had anticipated for themselves only
danger and distress.
The whole population was in a state of delirium; the royal equipages as
they traversed the streets were followed by admiring crowds; the gay and
gaudy nobles were watched by bright eyes, and welcomed by rosy lips; the
civic authorities dreamt only of balls and banquets; and, in short, the
rock-seated city, bristling as it was with cannon, and frowning with
fortifications, appeared to have become suddenly transformed into the
chosen abode of the Loves and Graces.
Having remained five days at Sedan, the King appointed a new governor
and returned to Paris, whither he was accompanied by the whole of the
royal party, which was moreover augmented by the presence of the Duc de
Bouillon, who, according to Bassompierre, was as much at his ease, and
as arrogant in his deportment, as though he had never incurred the risk
of the headsman as a rebel and a traitor. The Court dined at La
Roquette, and it was near dusk when they reached the Barrière St.
Antoine, where they were met by the corporate bodies. Henry himself rode
on horseback, preceded by eight hundred nobles in full dress, and
followed by four Princes of the Blood, in whose train came other
princes, dukes, and officers of the Court, among whom were the Maréchal
de Bouillon and Prince Juan de Medicis. The Queen occupied her state
coach, having beside her the Duchesses de Guise and de Nevers, and the
Princesse de Conti. As the royal party halted at the barrier, the Civil
Lieutenant, M. de Miron, provost of the merchants, delivered a
congratulatory address to the King in the name of the city; but this
loyal effusion was rendered inaudible by the booming of the cannon from
the Bastille, and the crashing and whizzing of the rockets and other
fireworks, which, by order of the Duc de Sully, were let off immediately
that the monarch had passed the gates.[325] So soon as the address was
terminated, the gorgeous procession resumed its march, Sully riding on
the left hand of the King, by whom this enthusiastic reception had been
deeply felt; nor did his gratification suffer any decrease on observing
as he passed on that every window upon his way was crowded with fair and
animated faces. As he glanced towards the Bastille, the minister
attracted his attention to the Comtesse d'Auvergne, who had latterly
been permitted to visit her husband, and who was gazing wistfully from
one of the narrow casements. As Henry recognized her, he withdrew his
plumed cap, and bent his head with a courtesy and kindness which was
remarked and commented upon by those around him; but his most gracious
recognition was vouchsafed to the Comtesse de Moret, who was seated at a
window in the Rue St. Antoine, surrounded by a bevy of beauties, who
only served to render her own loveliness the more conspicuous.[326]
Thus, amid the deafening report of the artillery and the enthusiastic
plaudits of the people, Henry and his Queen at length reached the
Louvre, and terminated their bloodless campaign.
On the 30th of May the law courts, after three long and patient
sittings, declared the ex-Queen Marguerite to be the lawful heir to the
counties of Auvergne and Clermont, the barony of La Tour, and other
estates which had appertained to the late Queen Catherine de Medicis;
asserting that they had hitherto been unjustly possessed by Charles de
Valois, who had also wrongfully derived his title of Comte d'Auvergne
from one of them; and directed that the said territories should
forthwith be transferred to the ex-Queen Marguerite, to whom they
rightfully belonged. When this decision was pronounced, the Princess was
assisting at the celebration of mass in the church of St. Saviour,
whither M. Drieux, her chancellor, at once proceeded with the glad
tidings, which he had no sooner imparted, than, overjoyed by the
intelligence, she rose from her knees before the service was concluded,
and leaving the church, hastened to the monastery of the Cordeliers,
where she caused a "Te Deum" to be chanted in gratitude for her success.
A few days subsequently, while at the Louvre, the ex-Queen, in the
presence of Marie de Medicis, made a donation of the recovered estates
to the Dauphin, on condition that they should be annexed to the Crown,
and never under any consideration, or upon any pretext, alienated.
Marguerite, however, reserved to herself the income derivable from these
possessions during her life; and she no sooner found her means adequate
to the undertaking than she commenced the enlargement of the hotel which
she had previously purchased in the Faubourg St. Germain, near the Pré
aux Clercs, and the embellishment of the spacious gardens which swept
down to the bank of the river opposite the Louvre.
Here it was, under the very shadow of the palace which should have been
her home, that Marguerite held her little court; passing from her
oratory to scenes of vice and voluptuousness which, happily, are
unparalleled in these times; one day doing penance with bare feet and a
robe of serge, and the next reposing upon velvet cushions and pillowed
on down--now fasting like an anchorite, and now feasting like a
bacchante; one hour dispensing charity so lavishly as to call down the
blessings of hundreds on her head, and the next causing her lacqueys to
chase with ignominious words and blows from beneath her roof the honest
creditors who claimed their hard-earned gains. Extreme in everything,
she gave a tithe of all that she possessed to the monks, although she
did not shrink from confessing that her favourites cost her a still
larger annual sum; and while she encouraged and appreciated the society
of men of letters, and profited largely by their companionship, she
condescended to the most frivolous follies, and abandoned herself to the
most licentious pleasures.[327]
The insipidity of Madame de Moret soon counteracted the spell of her
beauty; and although on his return from Sedan the King had appeared to
be more fascinated by her extraordinary loveliness than even at the
first period of their acquaintance, it was not long ere he listened with
a patience very unusual to him to the indignant remonstrances of the
Queen on this new infidelity, and even assured her that her reproaches
were misplaced. Marie, who perceived the prodigality with which the King
lavished upon the frail fair one the most costly gifts, and who saw her,
through the mock marriage which she had contracted, assume a place at
Court which occasionally even brought her into contact with herself,
could not so readily lay aside her suspicions; and although she had at
first rejoiced to find that the fancy of the monarch could be diverted
from Madame de Verneuil, she had never anticipated that the _liaison_
would have endured so long. Henry, however, profited by this mistake;
and while the Queen was still jealously watching the proceedings of
Madame de Moret, he renewed with less secrecy his commerce with the
witty and seductive Marquise, unconscious that she was at that period
encouraging the addresses of the Duc de Guise. Nor did this partial
desertion tend to wound the vanity of Madame de Moret, or to excite her
ire against her rival; for once more the Prince de Joinville, who
appeared to take a reckless pleasure in braving the anger of the
monarch, had found favour in the eyes of one of his mistresses, and was
established as the admitted lover of the facile Countess. Thus deceived
on both sides, Henry had no annoyance to apprehend from either of the
frail rivals; but such could not long remain the case with the Queen.
There were too many eyes and ears about her ever open to discover and to
retain the gossipry of the Court, and too many tongues ready to reveal
all which might at the moment appear acceptable to her wounded feelings
and insatiable desire to dwell upon the details of her unhappiness.
Princes should pause before they err, for they are a world's beacon.
Every eye turns towards them for example and for support; and thus,
where the one is evil, and the other wanting, the results of the failure
may prove incalculable. The flaw in the diamond, the alloy in the gold,
the stain in the purple, the blot upon the ermine--all these are
detected upon the instant; the value of the jewel is decreased, the
price of the metal is deteriorated, the glory of the hue is tarnished,
the purity of the mantle is sullied; and where minor imperfections may
pass unperceived, a mighty social lens is for ever bearing upon
the great.
Angered and disappointed, the Queen, who had passed a short time in
comparative tranquillity, once more found herself a prey to
mortification and neglect; and so greatly did she resent the renewed
intercourse between Henry and his favourite, that for upwards of a
fortnight not a word was exchanged between the royal pair.[328] At
length, however, through the intervention of Sully, Sillery, and the
other ministers, a sort of hollow peace was effected, and the Court
removed to St. Germain, where the royal children constantly resided.
Here they remained until the 9th of June, on which day, notwithstanding
the unfavourable state of the weather, they set forth on their return to
the capital. Their Majesties occupied a coach, in which, together with
themselves, were the Princesse de Conti and the Dues de Vendôme and de
Montpensier;[329] other carriages followed with the ladies of the
Queen's retinue; and a numerous train of nobles and attendants on
horseback preceded the bodyguard. At that period no bridge existed at
Neuilly, where the river was crossed in a ferry-boat which was waiting
to receive the royal party, who, in consequence of the heavy rain, were
driven on board; but unfortunately the beating of the water against the
side of the frail bark, occasioned by the swollen state of the stream
and the violence of the wind, so terrified the leaders of the royal
coach, that it had no sooner left the land than they swerved so
violently as to destroy the equilibrium of the boat, which instantly
capsized, when the carriage was upset into the water, and immediately
filled. The King, who was an excellent swimmer, was soon rescued by the
attendants, a score of whom threw themselves from their horses into the
river to afford assistance; but he no sooner reached the bank than he
once more swam back to the rescue of the Queen and her companions.
Marie, however, was already in safety, having been with considerable
difficulty carried to land by the Baron de la Châtaigneraie,[330] who
was compelled to seize her by her hair, to prevent her from being
carried down by the current, and who, having placed her under the care
of her ladies, returned to the assistance of the Duc de Vendôme, whom he
also succeeded in saving. The Princesse de Conti and M. de Montpensier,
having been immersed on the landward side of the carriage, were rescued
with comparative ease; but the peril had nevertheless been great, and
the consternation general. Marie de Medicis, when brought on shore, was
in a state of insensibility, and it was a considerable time before she
recovered consciousness; nor had she yet opened her eyes when she
gasped out an agitated inquiry for the King.[331] Finally, however, all
the party were enabled to take possession of one of the carriages of the
suite, and to pursue their journey; but not before the Queen had desired
that the person by whom she had been saved should be requested to attend
her; upon which M. de la Châtaigneraie presented himself, with the water
pouring from his embroidered mantle; and it was with no little surprise
and gratification that their Majesties ascertained that not only the
gallant La Châtaigneraie, but also several other members of the royal
escort, had flung themselves into the river without waiting to throw off
either their cloaks or swords.[332] Marie made her acknowledgments to
the gallant young noble with an earnest courtesy which would in itself
have been a sufficient recompense for his exertions; but while speaking,
she also detached from her dress a magnificent diamond cluster, valued
at four thousand crowns, which she tendered to him with the intelligence
that he was from that moment the captain of her bodyguard, and that she
should thenceforward further his fortunes.
"And now, gentlemen," said the King gaily, as the agitated and grateful
young courtier knelt to kiss the hand which was extended towards him,
"let us resume our journey. When we left St. Germain I was, as you all
know, suffering agonies from toothache, which is now cured; this bath
has been the best remedy I have ever applied; and if any of us dined too
heartily upon salt provisions, we have at least the satisfaction of
feeling that we have been enabled to drink freely since." [333]
A few hours after his arrival in the capital, the King paid a visit to
the Marquise de Verneuil, to whom he related the escape of himself and
his companions;[334] but even on so serious an occasion as this, and one
which had threatened such tragical consequences to the Queen, the
insolent favourite could not comment without indulging in the sarcastic
and bitter pleasantry which she always affected in making any allusion
to her royal mistress. After feeling or feigning great anxiety on the
subject of Henry's own escape, she said with malicious gaiety: "Had I
been there, when once I had seen you safe, I should have exclaimed with
great composure, 'The Queen drinks.'" [335]
Unfortunately the King, taken by surprise, laughed heartily at this
sally, a circumstance which was duly reported to Marie de Medicis, and
which greatly increased her irritation. This new cause of offence was so
grave that she could not forgive the levity of the King more readily
than the heartless insolence of his mistress; and she carried her
resentment to so extreme a pitch that she refused to receive him in her
apartments. Such a determination was naturally productive of serious
confusion in the palace, as it infringed upon all the accustomed
etiquette of the Court, and created great perplexity among the officers
of state; but remonstrances were vain. Marie, stung to the soul by the
insult to which she had been subjected, and which her royal consort had
not only suffered to pass unrebuked, but to which he had in some degree
contributed, would not rescind her resolution; while the King was, in
his turn, equally violent. In vain did the Duc de Villeroy, Sully, and
others of the great nobles, endeavour to mediate between them: reason
was lost in passion on both sides; and once more Henry declared his
determination to exile the Queen to one of his palaces. From this
extreme measure he was, however, dissuaded by his ministers; and at
length, after the estrangement between the royal couple had lasted
nearly three weeks, a partial reconciliation was effected; but Marie,
although she was induced by the representations of her advisers to
restrain her indignation, was from that hour alienated in heart from her
husband, by whom she felt that her dignity had been compromised both as
a Queen and as a wife.
Profiting, however, by this partial calm, several of the nobility
proposed to add to the amusements of the Carnival, in commemoration of
the recent escape of their Majesties, a ballet in which the Queen
consented to appear; and the preparations were already far advanced when
the King solicited her permission to include Madame de Moret among the
performers, but Marie, who had previously condescended to associate
herself in a similar exhibition with the Marquise de Verneuil, had been
rendered less amenable by recent circumstances, and she peremptorily
refused to appear in such intimate association with another of her
husband's mistresses. The concession was not one upon which Henry could
insist with any propriety, a fact of which the Queen was so well aware,
that in order to terminate the affair as gracefully as possible she
declined altogether either to assist in the entertainment or even to
witness it, a decision which caused it to be abandoned altogether.[336]
This mortification was, however, compensated to the Countess by a
donation from the King of eighty-five thousand five hundred
francs.[337]
At the commencement of July the King had accredited the Maréchal de
Bassompierre as his ambassador-extraordinary to Lorraine, to be present
at the marriage of the Duc de Bar, his brother-in-law, with the daughter
of the Duke of Mantua, the Queen's niece; and had also furnished him
with instructions to invite the Duchess of Mantua[338] to become the
godmother of the Dauphin, and the Duc de Lorraine to act as sponsor to
the younger Princess. The marriage took place at Nancy, where M. de
Bassompierre, as the representative of his sovereign, was magnificently
and gratuitously entertained.[339] Numerous balls were given, and a
joust concluded the festivities; which were no sooner terminated than
the courtly envoy communicated the royal invitation, which was received
"with proper respect and honour"; and he then hastened his return to
Paris in order to prepare the gorgeous dress already alluded to
elsewhere as having been defrayed by his gains at play.
Towards the close of the month, the two illustrious sponsors reached
Villers-Cotterets, where they were met by the King and Queen, with the
whole Court, and thence conducted to Paris. The Duchess arrived in a
state coach of such extreme magnificence as to attract immediate notice,
but with so slender a retinue as to provoke the sarcasms of the
courtiers, who declared that they recognized her rank only by the
carriage in which she rode; and _the Mantuan suite_ accordingly became a
favourite topic with the idle and the censorious. Great preparations
were made at Notre-Dame for the ceremony, which was to take place on the
14th of September, and meanwhile nothing was thought of save pleasure
and preparation. Bassompierre gives an amusing account of the distress
of the tailors and embroiderers of the capital, who were unable to
comply with the demands of their employers, and many of whom were
kidnapped and carried off by persons of the highest rank in order to
secure themselves against disappointment. All Paris was in turmoil; the
great were busy in devising costumes which were to transcend all that
had previously been seen at the French Court, and the operatives were
equally occupied in executing the orders which they received.
In the midst of this excitement, however, the plague, which had long
existed in the capital, declared itself more fatally; several officers
of Queen Marguerite's household died under her roof, and the alarm
became so great that the King removed his Court to Fontainebleau, where
the baptismal ceremonies were performed with great magnificence on the
day previously appointed.
These ceremonies were so curious and characteristic that we shall offer
no apology to our readers for giving them in detail.
Each of the royal children had been privately baptized a few days after
its birth, but the public christening had been hitherto deferred in
order that it might be celebrated with becoming splendour. The desire of
the King had always been that the Sovereign-Pontiff should act as
sponsor to the Dauphin, the eldest son of France being, as he declared,
the eldest son of the Church, and the successive deaths of Clement
VIII[340] and Leo XI[341] had accordingly delayed the celebration of the
ceremony. Paul V was, however, no sooner apprised of the wishes of the
French monarch than he despatched a brief to the Cardinal de Joyeuse for
registration in the Court of Parliament, by which that prelate was
constituted Papal Legate and representative, and instructed in all
things to support the holiness and dignity of the Apostolical See.
The turret-court at Fontainebleau was selected as the most appropriate
spot for the construction of the temporary chapel, the great hall of the
palace being totally inadequate to contain the thousands who had
collected from every part of the country to witness the ceremony.
This immense area was completely enclosed by the costly gold-woven
tapestry of which the manufacture had been, as we have stated,
introduced and encouraged by the King, and had in its centre a square
space, thirty feet in extent, surrounded by barriers, and similarly hung
and carpeted with tapestry. In the front of this enclosure stood an
altar magnificently ornamented with the symbols of the Order of the Holy
Ghost, and a table gorgeously draped, both being surmounted by canopies.
Behind the table stood a platform raised three steps from the floor, and
in the midst of this was placed a column covered with cloth of silver,
upon which rested the font, protected by a superb christening-cloth and
a lofty canopy. On each side of the altar a gallery had been erected
which was filled with musicians, and beneath that upon the right hand
was a tapestried bench for the archbishops, bishops, and members of the
Council, while immediately in front of the shrine were placed the seats
of the Cardinal de Gondy, who was to perform the baptismal ceremonies,
and the almoners and chaplains of his suite. The whole of the court was
lined by the Swiss Guards, each holding a lighted torch, whose rays were
reflected by the myriad jewels that adorned the persons of the courtly
spectators. All the Princes of the Blood and great nobles wore their
mantles clasped and embroidered with precious stones, their plumed caps
looped with diamonds, and their sword-hilts encrusted with gems. That of
the Duc d'Epernon was estimated at more than thirty thousand crowns, and
several others were of almost equal value. The attire of the Princesses
and ladies of the Court was, however, still more splendid, many of them
standing with difficulty under the weight of the closely-jewelled
brocade of which their dresses were composed, and wearing upon their
heads masses of brilliants which might have ransomed a province. The
Queen, whose dowry, as we have elsewhere shown, in a great measure
consisted of costly ornaments, appeared on this occasion with a
magnificence almost fabulous, her robe of cloth of gold and velvet being
studded with no less than thirty-two thousand pearls and three
thousand diamonds.
While their Majesties and their illustrious guests took possession of
their respective seats, the prescribed ceremonial of preparation was in
progress with the royal children, who had all been placed in state beds
covered with ermined draperies under canopies of crimson velvet. Madame
Elisabeth, the elder Princess, being surrounded by the ladies who were
privileged to assist at her levée, the outer coverlet of her bed was
withdrawn by the Comtesse de Sault and the Comtesse de Guissen; she was
then lifted from it by Madame de Lavardin, undressed by Madame de
Randan, and robed in her state costume by the Marquise de Montlor.
Madame Christine, the younger Princess, was meanwhile uncovered by the
Duchesse de Guise and Mademoiselle de Mayenne, lifted in the arms of
Mademoiselle de Vendôme, undressed by the Duchesse de Rohan, and robed
by the Duchesse de Sully.
The Dauphin underwent the same ceremonies, but he was attended only by
Princesses of the Blood. It was the Princesses de Conti and de Soissons
who drew off the ermined quilt, the Princesse de Condé and the Duchesse
de Montpensier by whom he was undressed, and Mademoiselle de Bourbon who
adjusted his state robes.
When all the royal children were attired, the procession was formed. The
Swiss Guards moved first, each carrying a lighted torch, and on arriving
within the court they defiled, and, as before mentioned, lined the
walls; the hundred gentlemen on duty in the palace followed, and these
were succeeded by the ordinary members of the household and the
gentlemen of the bedchamber all carrying tapers of white wax. After them
came the drums, fifes, hautboys, and trumpets, together with nine
heralds, behind whom walked the Grand Provost of the palace, the Knights
of the Holy Ghost, and finally, the Children of France with their
respective retinues. The first group consisted of the train of the
younger Princess, in which the Baron de la Châtre[342] bore the vase, M.
de Montigny[343] the basin, the Comte de la Rochepot the cushion, M. de
Chemerault the taper, M. de Liancourt[344] the christening-cap, and the
Maréchal de Fervaques[345] the salt-cellar. The Marquis de
Bois-Dauphin[346] carried the infant in his arms, and Madame de
Chemerault bore her train. She was followed by a suite of twelve nobles,
each bearing a flambeau in his hand; and after these came the Duc de
Lorraine as godfather, with Don Juan de Medicis, son of the Grand Duke
Ferdinand of Tuscany, as proxy for the Grand Duchess of Florence, the
other sponsor, the ladies who had assisted at the Princess's levée
closing the train.
This party had no sooner taken possession of the place assigned to them
than the second group began to enter the enclosure. First came the
Maréchal de Lavardin[347] with the ewer, then the Duc de Sully with the
cushion, next the Duc de Montbazon[348] with the taper, then the Duc
d'Epernon with the christening-cap, and finally, the Duc d'Aiguillon
with the salt-cellar. The Prince de Joinville carried the Princess,
whose ermine train was borne by Mademoiselle de Rohan. There was no
godfather, and the Duchesse d'Angoulême[349] walked alone as the proxy
of the Archduchess Elisabeth of Flanders, immediately behind _Madame_,
followed by Mademoiselle de Montmorency as her train-bearer, and the
ladies who had assisted at the levée.
Finally appeared the third and last division of the procession, headed
by the Prince de Vaudemont,[350] carrying the taper; and then followed
in succession the Chevalier de Vendôme with the christening-cap, the Duc
de Vendôme with the salt-cellar, the Duc de Montpensier with the ewer,
the Comte de Soissons with the basin, and the Prince de Conti with the
cushion; the Sieur Gilles de Souvry carried the Dauphin, whose right
hand was held by the Prince de Conti, while the train of his velvet
mantle, edged with ermine, was borne by the Duc de Guise, behind whom
followed twenty great nobles holding lighted flambeaux. These were
succeeded by the Cardinal-Legate de Joyeuse, who represented Paul V as
sponsor, and the Duchess of Mantua, the godmother, the Princesses of the
Blood who had assisted at the levée closing the procession.
The Dauphin having been placed upon the table, the Cardinal approached
him and demanded: "Sir, what do you ask?"
"The sacramental ceremonies of baptism," replied the little Prince,
according to the instructions which he had received from the Almoner
of Boulogne.
"Have you already been baptized?" again inquired the prelate.
"Yes, thank God," said the Dauphin firmly. To all the other
interrogations of the Cardinal he simply answered, "_Ab renuncio_"
After the unction, when questioned on his belief according to the
ordinary form, the little Prince responded audibly, "_Credo_"; and
finally, he recited without error or hesitation the Lord's Prayer, the
Hail Mary, and the Creed.
The Princesses were then successively placed upon the table, when the
elder was named Elisabeth, after her illustrious godmother the
Archduchess of Flanders, and the younger Christine.
The baptismal ceremonies were followed by a grand banquet served upon
four different tables. The attendants at that of the King were the
Princes de Condé, de Conti, and de Montpensier; while the Queen was
waited on by the Dues de Vendôme, de Guise, and de Vaudemont; the Legate
by the Comte de Candale and the Marquis de Rosny;[351] and the Duchess
of Mantua by the Baron de Bassompierre and the Comte de Sault.
On the following day the morning was occupied by the courtiers in
tilting at the ring, the prizes being distributed by the Queen and the
Duchess of Mantua; and at dusk the whole of the royal party proceeded to
the wide plain which lies to the east of Fontainebleau, in the centre of
which the Duc de Sully had caused a castellated building to be erected,
which was filled with rockets and other artificial fireworks, and which
was besieged, stormed, and taken by an army of satyrs and savages. This
spectacle greatly delighted the Court, while not the least interesting
feature of the exhibition was presented by the immense concourse of
people (estimated at upwards of twelve thousand) who had collected to
witness the magnificent pyrotechnic display, and who rent the air with
their acclamations of loyalty.[352]
All further rejoicings were, however, rendered unseasonable by the rapid
increase of the plague, which having declared itself with great
virulence at Fontainebleau, induced the hasty departure of the Court;
and the illustrious guests having taken leave of the King and Queen
laden with rich presents, their Majesties, with a limited retinue,
repaired for a time to Montargis.
These baptismal festivities had not, meanwhile, been without alloy to
the dissipated monarch. Despite the fascination of the wily Marquise,
and the charms of the Comtesse de Moret, Henry was by no means
insensible to the attractions of the many beautiful women who followed
in the suite of the Queen at the august ceremony just described; and,
among others, he especially honoured with his notice the Duchesses de
Montpensier[353] and de Nevers.
In neither case, however, was he destined to be successful, both these
ladies possessing too much self-respect to accord any attention to his
illicit gallantries; and this failure, especially with the latter, of
whom he had become seriously enamoured, only tended to re-engage him
with Madame de Verneuil. Throughout all the period occupied by the
christening festivities, Madame de Nevers[354] had been the object of
his special pursuit; but so carefully did she avoid all occasions of
private conversation, that the King, unaccustomed to so decided a
resistance, became irritated to a degree which induced her to escape
from the Court as soon as the found it practicable; and accordingly, on
the very day after the festivities, she left Fontainebleau without any
previous intimation of such a design, resisting all the efforts made by
the sovereign to detain her. Nor did she yield to his subsequent
endeavours for her recall, but on the appointment of her husband during
the following year to the embassy at Rome, she accompanied him thither;
and several months elapsed ere she reappeared in France, where her duty
having compelled her to pay her respects to the Queen on her return,
Henry was so little master of himself as to display his mortification
by inquiring who she was, and on her name being announced, to exclaim
loud enough for her to hear his reply: "Ha! Madame la Duchesse de
Nevers! She is terribly altered."
The shaft fell harmless. The lady evinced the most perfect composure
under the royal criticism, and having fulfilled her duties as a subject
towards her sovereigns, she once more withdrew from the Court, and
terminated her life as she had commenced it, without scandal or
reproach.[355]
FOOTNOTES:
[312] Mamanga was the name given in playfulness by the Dauphin to Madame
de Montglat.
[313] Madame de Drou was the governess of the infant Princess.
[314] Mademoiselle de Piolant, femme-de-chambre to the royal children.
[315] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vi. pp. 151-161.
[316] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 45.
[317] Madame Christine de France, who subsequently became Duchess of
Savoy.
[318] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 36;
[319] _Mémoires_, p. 46.
[320] Charles Emmanuel de Lorraine, Comte de Sommerive, second son of
the Duc de Mayenne, who restored the city of Laon to the King in 1594,
and died at Naples in 1609.
[321] Charles de Gonzaga de Clèves, Duc de Nevers, was the son of Louis
de Gonzaga, Prince of Mantua, Duc de Nevers, and Governor of Champagne
(who died in 1601, and to whose title he succeeded), and of Henriette de
Clèves, Duchesse de Nevers et de Réthel.
[322] _Mercure Français_, 1606, pp. 100, 101.
[323] Richelieu, _La Mère et le Fils_, vol. i. p. 14.
[324] _Mercure Français_, 1606, p. 102.
[325] _Mercure Français,_ 1606, p. 106.
[326] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 358.
[327] Mézeray, vol. x. p. 282.
[328] Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. pp. 102, 103.
[329] Henri de Bourbon, Duc de Montpensier, Governor of Normandy, peer
of France, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon, Dauphin d'Auvergne, etc., was
born in Touraine in 1573. During the lifetime of his father he bore the
title of Prince de Dombes. The King confided to him the command of the
army which he despatched to Brittany against the Duc de Mercoeur. He
subsequently became Governor of Normandy, and reduced that revolted
province, which still held out for the League, to obedience. He was
present at the memorable siege of Amiens in 1597, where he led the
vanguard of the army, and accompanied Henry on his expedition against
Savoy and Brescia. He was a knight of all the King's Orders, and
presided at the assembly of the nobles of Rouen. He died in Paris, of
lingering consumption, in 1608.
[330] The Baron de la Châtaigneraie was an officer of the Queen's guard.
[331] Richelieu, _La Mère et le Fils_ vol. i. p. 18. _Mercure Français_
1606, p. 107. L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 370 _note_.
[332] _Mercure Français_, 1606, p. 107.
[333] L'Etoile, vol. iii. p. 370.
[334] It had frequently been foretold to the King that he would die in a
carriage, and the prophecy had made so great an impression upon his
mind, that he always endeavoured to conceal it under a show of gaiety,
particularly when any accident occurred by which it appeared likely to
be verified. In the year 1597, while he was travelling near Mouy, in
Picardy, the coach in which he rode was tumbled down a precipice; while
the danger incurred at Neuilly was scarcely less great; and the
prediction was fatally accomplished in 1610.--_Lettres de Nicolas
Pasquier_, book i. letter i.
[335] In order to render this impertinence intelligible, it is necessary
to explain that anciently, when the sovereigns of France were about to
swallow their first draught at table, the cup-bearer announced in a loud
voice, "The King drinks"; upon which a flourish of trumpets, at a given
signal, announced the important fact to those who were not present.
[336] Saint-Edmé, vol. ii. pp. 237, 238.
[337] Sully, _Mém_. vol. vi. p. 233.
[338] Eleonora de Medicis, wife of Vincent I, Duke of Mantua, and sister
to the French Queen.
[339] Bassompierre, _Mém_. p. 50.
[340] Ippolito Aldobrandini, subsequently Pope Clement VIII, was born at
Fano. He was created a cardinal in 1585, and in 1592 succeeded Innocent
IX. He reconciled Henri IV to the Church of Rome, attached the duchy of
Ferrara to the Holy See, organized the famous congregations _de
auxiliis_ on grace and free-will, and contributed to the Peace of
Vervins. He died in 1605.
[341] Alessandro de Medicis, who succeeded Clement VIII in 1605, and
died the same year.
[342] Claude de la Châtre, Marshal of France, was the son of Claude de
la Châtre, Baron de Nancy, Besigny, and Baune de la Maisonfort. He was
created Knight of St. Michael and of the Holy Ghost by Henri III in
1588, and was Governor of Berry and Orleans. He distinguished himself in
several engagements; and his own valour, combined with the protection of
the Connétable de Montmorency, of whom he had been a page in his youth,
rapidly acquired for him both fortune and renown. After the death of
Henri III, M. de la Châtre embraced the cause of the League, when the
Duc de Mayenne, at the solicitation of M. de Guise, created him Marshal
of France, in which character he assisted at what were called by the
Leaguers the States of Paris.
[343] François de la Grange, Seigneur de Montigny and de Sery, was a
member of the Court of Henri III, and was one of his _mignons_. He was,
under that monarch, successively gentleman of the bedchamber, captain of
the palace-guard, head-steward of the household, and Governor of Berry,
Blois, etc. He acquired great distinction by his bravery at the battle
of Coutras, and at the sieges of Aubigny, Rouen, and Fontaine-Française,
and was admitted a knight of the King's Orders the same year (1595).
Finally, in 1616, he was created Marshal of France.
[344] Nicolas du Plessis, Comte de Liancourt, Comte de Beaumont, first
equerry to the King, and Governor of Paris. He married Antoinette de
Pons, Marquise de Guercheville, the widow of Henri de Silly, Comte de la
Rocheguyon, a lady of extraordinary beauty who had been reared in the
Court of Henri III.
[345] Guillaume de Hautemer, Comte de Grancy, Seigneur de Fervaques,
knight of the King's Orders, and Marshal of France.
[346] Urbain de Laval, Marquis de Bois-Dauphin, Comte de Bresteau,
Seigneur de Persigny, etc., was the son of Réné de Laval, second of the
name, Seigneur de Bois-Dauphin, and of Jeanne de Lénoncourt-Monteuil,
his second wife. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Ivry, and was
created Marshal of France by the Duc de Mayenne. Henri IV confirmed him
in this dignity, and restored to him his estates of Sably and
Château-Gontier.
[347] Jean de Beaumanoir, Marquis de Lavardin, was the son of Charles de
Beaumanoir, who was killed at the massacre of St. Bartholomew. He had
been brought up a Protestant at the Court of Henri IV, when that monarch
was King of Navarre; but after the death of his father he embraced the
Catholic religion, and at the age of eighteen commenced the career of
arms, in which profession he acquired so much celebrity that he
commanded the armies of the King during the absence of the Duc de
Joyeuse. In 1595 he was honoured with the cordon of St. Michael, was
created a Marshal of France, and his estate of Lavardin was erected into
a marquisate. At the coronation of Louis XIII he officiated as Grand
Master, was subsequently ambassador-extraordinary in England, and died
at Paris in 1614.
[348] Hercule de Rohan, Duc de Montbazon, and Prince de Guémenée, was
born in 1568, and was the father, by his first marriage, of Marie de
Rohan, who married Louis Charles d'Albert, Duc de Luynes, from whom she
was divorced in 1621, and who subsequently became the wife of Claude de
Lorraine, Duc de Chevreuse. The Duc de Montbazon had issue by his second
marriage with Marie d'Avaugour of Brittany in 1628, François, a branch
of the house of Soubise, which became extinct in 1787; Marie Eléonore,
abbess of the convent of the Trinity at Caen; and Anne, who became the
second wife of Louis Charles d'Albert, Duc de Luynes. M. de Montbazon
died in 1654.
[349] Diane de France, Duchesse d'Angoulême, born in 1538, was the
legitimated daughter of Henri II and Philippa Duco, a Piedmontese lady.
She was first married (in 1553)to Horatio Farnese, Duc de Castro, who
only survived their union six months; and subsequently to the Maréchal
de Montmorency, the son of the Connétable, in 1557, of whom she became
the widow in 1579. Her firmness and prudence were conspicuous during the
civil wars, and it was through her exertions that the reconciliation was
effected between Henri III and Henri IV, when the latter was King of
Navarre. She died in 1619.
[350] The Prince de Vaudemont was the brother of the Duc de Lorraine.
[351] Maximilien de Béthune, Marquis de Rosny, was the elder son of the
Duc de Sully and of Anne de Courtenay, his first wife. He was
Superintendent of Fortifications, Governor of Mantes and Gergeau, and
was destined to succeed his father as Grand Master had he survived him.
He died in 1634.
[352] _Mercure Français_, 1606, pp. 110-113.
[353] Henriette Catherine, Duchesse de Joyeuse, daughter and heiress of
Henri de Joyeuse, Comte de Bouchage, Marshal of France, who died a
Capuchin under the name of Père Ange, and of Catherine de la Valette.
She had, in 1597, become the wife of Henri de Bourbon, Duc de
Montpensier, etc., the last Prince of his line, who dying in 1608 left
her a widow. After the death of Henri IV (1611), she re-married with
Charles de Lorraine, Duc de Guise, and died in 1656, at the age of
seventy-one years.
[354] Catherine de Lorraine, daughter of Charles, Duc de Mayenne, and
niece of Guise _le Balafré_. She married (in 1599) Charles de Gonzaga,
Duc de Nevers, who subsequently became, by the death of Vincent I, Duke
of Mantua. She died on the 8th of March 1618, at the early age of
thirty-three years.
[355] _Amours du Grand Alcandre_, p. 48. Dreux du Radier, vol. vi. pp.
88-90.