English.
When the great Ship, the Prow, and Rudder,
Of the French Countrey, and her vital Spirit,
Being tossed by Baks and Waves,
Six hundred and seven, and ten, a heart beset,
And by the ebbing of his body afflicted,
Her life being upon this, evil knotted again.
ANNOT.
This Stanza signifieth the great troubles that were in France from the year 1610 in which Henry the IV. died, to the year 1617. in which the Marshal d’Ancre was killed.
This man was named Concino Concini a Florentine born, who in a little time was grown very great, and from a base extraction had ascended to the dignity of Marshal of France, by the favour of the Queen Regent Mary of Medicis, and grew so rich, that he offered to the King to maintain at his own charge 6000. foot, and 800. Horses for four Months together; he had made himself Master of many strong Places in Picardy and Normandy, went about to buy the Government of several Provinces, did dispose of the Kings Exchequer at his pleasure, and spent vast sums of money at his Masters charge. His insolencies were the cause of his ruine, when he thought least of it; for he threatned every one with words and deeds, so far as to say, that he would cause them to eat up their fingers, that should oppose his Will, and so caused many Officers and Souldiers of the contrary party to be put to death. The King Lewis the XIII. was particularly informed of the unsufferable pride and misdemeanors of this Marshal, and that his design was to keep up the War in France, to continue his Authority and Power; therefore the King commanded Vitry, the Captain of his Guards, to apprehend him. This was a difficult thing, because that the Marshal (besides his Menial servants) had always twelve Guards wearing his Livery, that were desperate fellows; there was also another difficulty, because no body could tell, when or at what time he would come to the Louvre; nevertheless at last he came to it, upon the 24. of April 1617. attended with a great Train and his Guards; the great Gate was opened to him, and presently shut again, Vitry drew near to him, and holding his staff to him, said, I arrest you in the Kings name, upon these words the Marshal stept back, as if it were to make resistance, saying, Me? whereupon those that were with Vitry shot three Pistols at him, one did hit him in the Heart, the other in the Head, and the third in the Belly, so that he fell down dead immediately upon his left side, a certain Lord that was on his right hand speaking with him, fell down also without any hurt, but his followers seeing him dead run away.