The Life of John of Barneveld, 1609-15, Volume I.

or Margaret de Montmor

eir Departure for the

of the King-Intrigues

ess of Conde by the

ts by Spinola-Attempt

ssion of De Coeuvres

blic-Vast but secret

had the Prince of Conde, his comings and h

of most fantastic passion which runs th

e was to be a splendid fancy ball at the Louvre in the course of which several

against his policy and his life; on still worse terms with his latest mistress in chief, the Marquise de Verneuil, who hated him and revenged herself for enduring his caresse

as she went by turned and aimed her gilded javelin at his heart. Henry looked and saw the most beautiful young creature, so he thought, that mortal eye had ever gaze

situation seemed poetical and pathetic. After this first interview he never missed a single rehearsal. In the intervals he called perpetually for the se

lar fascination of look and gesture, and a winning, almost childlike, simplicity of manner. Without feminine artifice or commonplace coquetry, she seemed to bewitch and subdue at a glance men of all ranks, ages, and pursuits; kings and cardinals, great generals, ambassadors and statesmen, as well as humbler mortals whether Spanish, Ita

d to his bed with the gout, sent for the

u would hate me. 'Tis better that this should not be the cause of breaking up our good intelligence, for I love you with affection and inclination. I am resolved to marry her to my nephew the Prince of Conde, and to keep her near my family. She will be the consolati

he tears as he spoke ran down the cheeks of the hero of

of the beautiful Margaret, and came daily to play at dice w

d tragic clouds which were gradually closing around that eventful and heroic existence there would be something almost comic in the spectacle of the suff

erre shrugged her shoulders with a scornful glance. Stung by this expression of contempt, the lover who had renounced her spran

long before he could recover sufficient equanimity to face his lost Margaret and resume his place at the King's dicing table. When

f her royal adorer, while her vanity at least, if not her affection, was really touched, and there was one great round of court festivities in her honour, at which the King and herself were ever the central figures. But Conde was not at all amused. Not liking the part assigned to him in the comedy thus skilfully arranged by his cousin king, never much enamoured of his bride, while highly appreciating the 100,000 livres of pension, he remonstrated violently with his wife, bitterly reproached the King, and made him

ith the refractory Conde. Mary de' Medici replied that there were already thirty

r and happiness, suddenly carried off his wife to t

cess, and the Dowager-Princess to a banquet at his chateau not far from the Abbey. On their road thither they passed a group of huntsmen and grooms in the royal livery. Am

l never forgive you;" but as she confessed many years a

an was this travesty of the great Henry. After dinner Madame de Traigny led her fair guest about the castle to sho

r: "My God! it is the King himself," she cried to her hostess. The princess with this exclamation rushed from the window, feeling or affecting much indignation, ordered horses to her carriage instantly, and o

eau at once, both

t into bed at past eleven o'clock when he received a visit from Captain de Praslin, who walk

ired to be completed with all possible haste. "The King said you would be very angry," replied Praslin; "but there is no help for it. Come y

only four days before to an infant, Henrietta Maria, future queen of Charles I. of England. The room was crowded with ministers and courtiers; Villeroy, the Chancellor, Bassompierre, and others, being stuck against the wal

ered, "our man has gone off and carried eve

d that night to offer advice. He insisted on sleeping on it. The manner in which the proceedings of the King at this juncture would be regarded by the Archdukes Albert and Isabella-for the

de a private communication to him. "Bassompierre, my friend," whispered the King immediately in that courtier's ear, "I am lost. This man has

ds and brought him his money. He said that he h

arrative how absurd is the legend often believed in even to our own days that war was made by Fra

er own Menelaus was not the cause of the impending, Iliad, there is no doubt whatever that the incident had much to do with the crisis, was the turning point in a great tragedy, and that but for the vehement passion of the King for this youthful princess events might have developed themselves o

rophe to the comedy which has been long enacting. 'Ti

Had Henry no sons, he would have succeeded him on the throne. It was a favourite scheme of the Spanish party to invalidate Henry's

f France not only after Henry's death but in his life-time. Conde's character was frivolous, unstable, excitable, weak, easy

by public declaration to assign that as the motive of his flight. Henry had protested in reply that he had never bee

s after his reputed father's death. Henry, out of good nature, or perhaps for less creditable reasons, had come to the rescue of the accused princess, and had caused the process to be stopped, further enquiry to be quashed, and the son to

with a view of bastardizing him again, although the Dowager had

proprietor. Since the truce recently concluded the brothers, divided so entirely by politics and religion, could meet on fraternal and friendly terms, and Breda, although a city of the Commonwealth, received its feudal lord. The Princess of Orange was the sister of Conde. The morning after the flight the King, before daybreak, sent for the Dutch ambassador. He directed him to despatch a courier forthwith to Barneveld, notifying him that the Prince had left the kingdom without the permission or knowledge of his sove

themselves and France from the tyranny of Henry IV. The King insisted peremptorily, despite of any objections from Aerssens, that the thing must be done and his instructions carried out to the letter. So much he expected of the States, and they should care no more for ulterior conseq

fair," wrote Aerssens to Barneveld,

his flight was a mystery to none, but as it was immediately followed by an intrigue with Spain, it see

erssens suggested to Barneveld that if Conde was not within their territory it would be well to assure the King that, had he been there, he would have been delivered up at once. "By this means," said the Ambassador, "you will give no cause of offence to the Prince, and will at the same time

oops there to assist the King in the Cleve expedition. Some people said that Henry had invented this plot against his throne and life. The Amba

erteau and a lady's maid named Philippote. She had no clothes but those on her back, not even a change of linen. Thus the young and delicate lady made the wintry journey through the forests. They crossed the frontier at Landre

med that Albert would not prevent his passing through his territories, but should object to his making a fi

else than his very humble and faithful cousin, subject, and servant. He would do nothing against his service, he said, unless forced thereto, and he begged the King

se on finding that the Prince was out of his reach was to march to Brussels at once and take possession of him and t

a or entering any part of their jurisdiction. The result of Conde's application to the King of Spain was an ultimate offer of assistance and asylum

satisfaction with the States for having prohibited the Prince from entering their territory. He would have preferred, he said, if they had allowed him entrance and forbidden his departure, but on the who

ver to return to France during the lifetime of Henry. They made no statement of the cause of his flight, except

ncible reasons for his departure growing out of the King's pursuit of the Princess, he refused all credence to the pretended violence against Conde himself. Conde informed de Praslin that he would not consent to return to France. Subsequently he imposed as conditions of return that the King should assign to him certain cities and strongholds in Guienne, of which province he was governor, far from Paris and very near the Spanish frontier; a measure dictated by Spain and which inflamed Henry's wrath almost to madness. The King insisted on his inst

, coldest and chastest of mankind, scarcely lifted his eyes to gaze on the wondrous beauty of the Princess, yet assured her after he had led her through a

ange seated themselves, the Nuncius Bentivoglio to his delight being placed next the beautiful Margaret. After reposing for a little while they were led to the ball-room, brilliantly lighted with innumerable torches of perfumed wax and hung with tapestry of gold and silk, representing in fourteen embroidered designs the chief military exploits of Spinola. Here the banquet, a cold collation, was already spread on a table decked and lighted with regal splendour. As soon as the guests were seated, an admirable concert of instrumental music began. Spinola walked up and down providing for the comforts of his company, the Duke of Aumale stood behind the two princesses to entertain them with conversation, Don Luis Velasco served the Princess of Conde with plates, handed her the dishes, the wine, the napkins, while Bucquoy and Visconti in like manner waited upon the Princess of Orange; other nobles attending to the other ladies. Forty-eight pages in white, yellow, and red scarves brought and removed the dishes. The dinner, of courses innumerable, lasted two hours and a half, and the ladies, being thus fortified for the more serious business of the evening, were led to the tiring-rooms while the hall was made ready for dancing. The ball was op

reign whom he could crush at one vigorous bound was protecting the lady for whose love he was dying. He had secured Conde's exclusion from Holland, but here were the fugitives splendidly established in Brussels; the Pri

f revenge. Aided by Spanish money and Spanish troops he would show one day who wa

his position of first prince of the blood which he had been permitted to usurp. He likewise procured a decree accusing him of high-treason and ordering him to be punished at his Majesty's pleasure,

ent mission to Brussels. He was to propose that Conde and his wife should return with the Prince and Princess of Orange to Breda, the King pledging himself that for three or four months nothing should

Angouleme, did their best to assist their sovereign in his f

imploring him not to "suffer that his daughter, since the Prince refused to return to France, should leav

ns on three inexorable conditions:-firstly, that the Prince should ask for pardon without any stipulations, the King refusing to listen to any treaty or to assign him towns or places of security as had been vaguely suggested, and holding it utterly unreasonable that a man sueing for pardon should, instead of deserved punishment, talk of terms and acquisitions; secondly, that, if Conde should reject the pro

egged that he would abstain from any farther attempt to effect a reconci

ile demurring to the third, as it would probably not seem honourable to him to separate

r he had been sent to confer with the Governor, Count Fuentes. He said farther that he doubted whether the Princess would go to Breda, which he should now like, but which Conde would not now permit. This he imputed in part to the Princess of Orange, who had written a letter full of i

in Madrid, arrived in Paris, confirming the King's suspicions that Conde's flight had been concerted with Don Inigo de Cardenas, and was part of a general plot of Spain against the peace of the kingdom. The Duc d'Epernon, one of the most dangerous plotters at the court, and deep in the intimacy of the Queen

command that he had left the kingdom in order to preserve his quality of first prince of the blood

in disputing the primogeniture of the Dauphin were fast driving th

e desire more," wrote Aerssens to Barneveld, "than open war between France a

the means of accommodation, refused, to his honour, to wink at any violation of the law of nations, gave a secret promise, in which the Infanta joined, that the Princess should not be allowed to leave Brussels without her husband's permission, and resolutely declined separating the pair except with the full consent of both. In order to protect himself from

ly replied that the King would make no terms with his vassal nor allow Conde to prescribe conditions to him. To leave him in Germany or Italy, he said, was to leave him in the dependence of Spain. The King would not have this constant apprehension of her intrigues while, living, nor leave such matter in dying for turbulence in his kingdom. If it appeared that the Spaniards wished to make use of the Prince for such purposes, he would be beforehand with them, and show them how much more injury he could inflict on Spain than t

ently renounced all hopes of a reconciliation, however painfully his host the Archduke might intercede for it. He meant to go to Spain. Spinola was urging this daily and hourly,

en, that the arrangements were making, and that Spinola had been shut up with Conde six hours long

an and the other on the English coast. These ships were to receive their instructions from Admiral de Vicq, who would be well informed of all the movements of the Prince and give warning to the captains of the Dutch vessels by a preconcerted signal. The King

herlands and beyond seas and mountains. Yet strange to say, those most conversant with the state of affairs could not yet quite persuade themselves that matters were serious, and that the King's mind was fixed. Should Conde return, renounce his Spanish stratag

ch filled the air. So well had the secrets been kept which the reader has seen discussed in confidential conversations-the record of which has always remained unpublished-between the King and those admitted to his intimacy that very late in the winter Pecquius, while sadly admitting to his masters that th

gues, for they furnish one of the most curious and instructive lessons of history; there being not

d meantime to draw his annual pension of 100,000 livres. Henry ridiculed the idea of Conde's drawing money from him while occupying his time abroad with intrigues against his throne and his children's succession. He scoffed at the Envoy's pretences that Conde

cause to leave, and, turning suddenly on Pecquius, demanded why, the subject of reconciliation havi

the air of one amazed, asking how and whe

s de Coeuvres,

ed him, and if the King had really said t

d and confirm

received no such intelligence from the Archduk

; but did you not say yourself that I might be assured that there

d been no answer received, nor time for one, as the hope of reconciliation had not yet been renounced. He

no wish to give me pleasure, and that these are nothing but tricks that you have bee

trap him into the avowal of a promise which he had never made. Henry remaine

he wrote to Secretary of State Praets. "But the force of truth is suc

erview by saying that he could have his pardon o

ing his demonstrations of wishing a treaty of compromise, was taking towns by s

ns to make their own arrangements among themselves, adding that neither h

out of it, as they like," said Henry, "

marvellously

ion that he would be on the road early in Lent. The Minister replied that this would depend on the will of the Archduke, and upon various circumstances. The answer seemed to

igest, he said, his infinite displeasure at the obstinacy of the Prince; but they must nevertheless strive for a reconciliation. The King was quick in word

given in his own adhesion to the project, it is refreshing to observe the candour with which he assured t

ernoon, warmly uniting with Sully, Lesdiguieres, and the C

in which he had become convinced that Conde would never return. He took the Queen with him,

it an Italian prince to grow so great on her frontier. He therefore thoroughly disapproved the plan, and explained to the Dutch ambassador that all this urgency to carry on the war in the south came from hatred to the United Provinces, jealousy of their aggrandizement, detestation of the Reformed religion, and hope to engage Henry in a campaign which he could not carry on successfully. But he a

gdom where he had but too good reason to suppose that neither was safe. The Prince, with infinite want of tact, had played into the King's hands. He had bragged of his connection with Spain and o

eady the subject of divorce between the two had been broached, and it being obvious that the Prince would immediatel

nce. But Mary de' Medici assured her husband that she had no intention of becoming his assistant, using, to express her thought, th

pect to their advanced age, went to the Constable's residence. Here both the Duchess and Constable, with tears in their eyes, b

she should have espoused any honest gentleman with 2000 crowns a year than this first prince of th

ility towards her; that but a few days past he had fired off pistols in her apartment where she was sitting alone with the Princess of Orange, exclaiming that this was the way he would treat anyone who interfered with the commands of his master, Conde; that the Prince was incessantl

he had, and he would rather see her

w her to be torn away against her will. The Constable spoke with great gravity and simplicity, and with all the signs of genuine emotion, and Peter Pecquius was much moved. He assured the aged pair that he would do his best to comply with their wishes, and should immediately apprise the Archdukes of the interview which had just taken place. Most certainly they were entirely disposed to gratify the Constable and the Duchess as well as t

Pecquius deeply affected the Constable. He fell upon the Env