[127] Anne d'Este, Duchesse de Nemours, was the mother of the Duc de Mayenne, and grandmother of the young Duc de Guise who aspired to the throne. She was first married to François de Lorraine, Duc de Guise, and subsequently to Jacques de Savoie, Duc de Nemours, whose son, after his decease, also pretended to the crown.
[128] One historian (Sauval., Gallerie des Rois de France, vol. i.) asserts that the King himself presented his mistress to his wife; but he is unsupported in this statement save by Bassompierre, who also says: "The King presented Madame de Verneuil to her, who was graciously received" (Mémoires, p. 25). Every other authority, however, contradicts this assertion, which is indeed too monstrous to be credible.
[129] L'Etoile, vol. i. p. 550.
[130] This residence, which was situated near the Bastille, and subsequently known as the Hôtel de Lesdiguières, was the same in which la belle Gabrielle had breathed her last.
[131] Bassompierre, Mém. p. 25.
[132] Wraxall, History of France, vol. vi. p. 187.
[133] L'Etoile, vol. ii. pp. 550, 551.
[134] Bassompierre, Mém. p. 25.
[135] Bassompierre, Mém. p. 50.
[136] L'Etoile, vol. iii. pp. 505, 506.