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.”