1609-10

Death of the Grand Duke of Tuscany--The Queen's ballet--Mademoiselle de Montmorency--Description of her person--She is betrothed to Bassompierre--Indignation of the Duc de Bouillon--Contrast between the rivals--The Duc de Bellegarde excites the curiosity of the King--The nymph of Diana--The rehearsal--Passion of the King for Mademoiselle de Montmorency--The royal gout--Interposition of the Duc de Roquelaure--Firmness of the Connétable--The ducal gout--Postponement of the marriage--Diplomacy of Henry--The sick-room--An obedient daughter--Henry resolves to prevent the marriage--The King and the courtier--Lip-deep loyalty--Henry offers the hand of Mademoiselle de Montmorency to the Prince de Condé--The regal pledge--The Prince de Condé consents to espouse Mademoiselle de Montmorency--Invites Bassompierre to his betrothal--Royal tyranny--A cruel pleasantry--The betrothal--Court festivities--Happiness of the Queen--Royal presents to the bride--The ex-Queen's ball--Jealousy of the Prince de Condé--Indignation of the Queen--Henry revenges himself upon M. de Condé--Madame de Condé retires from the Court--The King insists on her return--The Prince de Condé feigns compliance--The Prince and Princess escape to the Low Countries--The news of their flight reaches Fontainebleau--Birth of a Princess--Unpleasant surprise--Henry betrays his annoyance to the Queen--He assembles his ministers--He resolves to compel the return of the Princess to France--Conflicting counsels--M. de Praslin is despatched to Brussels--Embarrassment of the Archduke Albert--He refuses an asylum to M. de Condé, who proceeds to Milan--The Princess remains at Brussels--She is honourably entertained--Interference of the Queen--Philip of Spain promises his protection to the Prince de Condé--He is invited to return to Brussels--The Marquis de Coeuvres endeavours to effect the return of the Prince to France--His negotiation fails--Madame de Condé is placed under surveillance--Her weariness of the Court of Brussels--The Duc de Montmorency desires her return to Paris--M. de Coeuvres is authorized to effect her escape from Brussels--The plot prospers--Indiscretion of the King--The Queen informs the Spanish minister of the conspiracy--Madame de Condé is removed to the Archducal palace--Mortification of the King--The French envoys expostulate with the Archduke, who remains firm--Henry resolves to declare war against Spain and Flanders--Fresh negotiations--The King determines to head the army in person--Marie de Medicis becomes Regent of France--She is counselled by Concini to urge her coronation--Reluctance of the King to accede to her request--He finally consents--"The best husband in the world"--Fatal prognostics--Signs in the heavens--The Curé of Montargis--The Papal warning--The Cardinal Barberino--The Sultan's message--Suspicious circumstances--Supineness of the Austrian Cabinet--Prophecy of Anne de Comans--Her miserable fate--The astrologer Thomassin--The Béarnais noble--The Queen's dream--Royal presentiments--The hawthorn of the Louvre--Distress of Bassompierre--Expostulation of the King--Melancholy forebodings.

NOTE
A brief memoir, with a portrait on steel, of Miss Pardoe will be found prefixed to "The Court and Reign of Francis the First."

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME

[Duc de Guise (Henri de Lorraine, Le Balafré).][Duchesse de Guise.]
[Prince de Condé (Henri I. de Bourbon).][Ambroise Paré.]
[Mlle. de Torigni.][Duchesse de Bar.]
[Duc de Joyeuse.][Le Père Ange.]
[Maréchal de Matignon.][Marquis de Canillac.]
[Comtesse de Guiche.][Gabrielle d'Estrées (Duchesse de Beaufort).]
[Duc de Bouillon.][Comte d'Aubigny.]
[Isabella, Infanta of Spain.][Princess Arabella Stuart.]
[Isabeau de Bavière.][Prince Maurice of Orange.]
[Marie de Medicis.][Mlle. de Guise.]
[Mlle. de Mayenne.][Mlle. d'Aumale.]
[Mlle. de Longueville.][Mlle. de Rohan.]
[Mlle. de Luxembourg.][Mlle. de Guéménée.]
[Cardinal de Marquemont.][Cardinal d'Ossat.]
[Cardinal Duperron.][Duc de Piney-Luxembourg.]
[M. de Sillery.][Duc de Bellegarde.]
[Duc de Lude.][M. de Thermes.]
[Marquis de Castelnau.][Marquis de Montglat.]
[M. de Frontenac.][Baron de Bassompierre.]
[Marquise de Verneuil.][Queen Louise.]
[Comte d'Auvergne.][M. de Villeroy.]
[Duke of Savoy.][Duc de Biron.]
[Sebastian Zamet.][M. du Terrail.]
[Marquis de Créquy.][Duc de Montmorency (Henri I.).]
[Duc de Nemours.][Duc de Ventadour.]
[M. du Vair.][Le Père Suarés.]
[M. Albert de Bellièvre.][M. de Roquelaure.]
[Cardinal de Joyeuse.][Cardinal de Gondy.]
[Cardinal de Sourdis.][Marquis de Gondy.]
[Duchesse de Nemours.][Leonora Galigaï (Marquise d'Ancre).]
[Madame de Richelieu.][Concini (Maréchal d'Ancre).]
[Charles I., Cardinal de Bourbon.][Charles II, Cardinal de Bourbon.]
[M. de la Rivière.][Duc de Verneuil.]
[Duc de Vendôme.][M. de Berthault.]
[Prince de Joinville.][Mademoiselle de Sourdis.]
[Caterina Selvaggio.][Duc de la Trémouille.]
[Duc d'Epernon.][Condé de Fuentes.]
[Baron de Luz.][M. de la Fin.]
[M. Descures.][M. Jeannin.]
[Comte de Soissons (Charles de Bourbon-Conti).][Marquis de Vitry.]
[Marquis de Praslin.][Maréchal de Montigny.]
[M. de Montbarot.][Baron de Fontenelles.]
[Duc de Mayenne.][Duc de Guise (Charles de Lorraine).]
[Madame Elisabeth de France.][Mademoiselle de Bourbon.]
[M. de Sobole.][M. d'Arquien.]
[Duc de Deux-Ponts.][Comte de Beaumont.]
[M. de Bellefonds.][Comte de St. Pol.]
[Bishop of Nevers.][M. de Barrault.]
[Comte de Rochepot.][Comte de Brienne.]
[M. d'Argouges.][M. de Maisse.]
[M. de Gêvres.][Mademoiselle de Bueil.]
[M. de la Houssaye.][M. Murat.]
[M. de Nérestan.][Comtesse d'Auvergne.]
[M. Defunctis.][Marquis de Spinola.]
[Comtesse d'Entragues.][M. de Chevillard.]
[M. de la Varenne.][M. du Plessis-Mornay.]
[M. Achille de Harlay.][M. Servin.]
[Mademoiselle d'Entragues.][Duc de Rohan.]
[Comte de Laval.][Baron de Thermes.]
[M. de Saint-Luc.][Comte de Sault.]
[Clement VIII.][Paul V.]
[Comte de Giury.][Princess of Orange.]
[Bishop of Bourges.][M. de Merargues.]
[Madame de Drou.][Mademoiselle de Piolant.]
[Madame Christine de France.][Comte de Sommerive.]
[Duc de Nevers.][Duc de Montpensier.]
[Baron de la Châtaigneraie.][Duchess of Mantua.]
[Leo XI.][Baron de la Châtre.]
[Comte de Liancourt.][Maréchal de Fervaques.]
[Marquis de Bois-Dauphin.][Marquis de Lavardin.]
[Duc de Montbazon.][Duchesse d'Angoulême.]
[Prince de Vaudemont.][Marquis de Rosny.]
[Duchesse de Montpensier.][Duchesse de Nevers.]
[Duc de Soubise.][Comte de Moret.]
[M. de Balagny.][Mademoiselle des Essarts.]
[Comte de Beaumont-Harlay.][Cardinal de Guise.]
[Cardinal de Lorraine.][Mademoiselle de Montpensier.]
[Gaston Jean Baptiste de France.][Mademoiselle de Mercoeur.]
[Don Pedro de Toledo.][Mademoiselle de Montmorency.]
[Seigneur de Montespan.][Comte d'Elbène.]
[Marquis de Coeuvres.][Marquis de Gêvres.]
[Duc de la Force.][Archduke of Austria.]
[M. de Châteauneuf.][Madame Henriette de France.]
[M. de Preau.]