and so desired her to go to Moulins which she refused to do and that she onely offered to go to Nevers while Monsieur was at Orleans to be nearer to his Person but had refused to do it when she heard that he was gone from thence That after her departure from Compeigne she had sent a Request to the Parliament of Paris full of false and injurious Invectives against Cardinal Richlieu and Written a Letter to His Majesty containing several Studied Pretences to Colour her withdrawing and many Complaints against the Cardinal which had no other foundation but those Calumnies and Falshoods which were suggested by the Ill-Counsellours of Monsieur That both the one and the other aimed by the same means to endeavour the Subversion of the Royal Authority and of the Kingdom That not being yet satisfied with the first Calumnies she had Written to His Majesty she was * See these Letters in the Collection of Aubery's Memoirs T. 1. P. 374. besides wrought upon to Write to the Parliament and to the Provost of the Merchants of Paris to perswade them to Revolt and to give an Ill Example to others That as he Confirmed all the preceding Declarations so he declared all those to be guilty of High-Treason and Disturbers of the Publick Peace who should be found to have any share in such Pernicious and Damnable Designs as to withdraw the Queen-Mother and the Duke of Orleans from their Allegiance and to induce them to go out of the Kingdom and likewise all those who had followed them and were with them That his Royal Pleasure and Will was that they should be proceeded against and that he strictly prohibited all Persons to keep any Correspondence either with the Queen-Mother or the Duke upon any pretence whatsoever and if any of their Letters should fall into the hands of his Subjects they should send them immediately to the Royal Judges of the Provinces or to the Keeper of the Seals That all the Mannors which they held of the Crown should be seized upon and re-united to the King 's Demesne themselves deprived of their Dignities and Offices and all their Estates forfeited to the King This last Article involved the Queen-Mother and Monsieur as well as those that followed them the Queen's Dowry and all the Revenues of the Duke being stopt and seized While the King dishonoured both his Mother and Brother with so rigorous a procedure and took from them all manner of Subsistance because they had been so daring as to desire that the Cardinal of Richlieu might be turned out he heaped new Honours and Favours upon this happy Minister His †By Letters given at Monceaux in the Month of August Land of Richlieu was erected into a Dukedom and Peerdom and there was afterwards a Contention amongst the Courts of Parliament which of them should receive this Prelate in the Quality of a Duke and Peer But at last it was agreed That the Great Chamber that of the Edict and that of the Tournelle being Assembled together should receive him †The 4th of September and he went to take the usual Oath and to sit in the Parliament attended by the Prince of Conde by the Dukes of Montmorency of Chevreuse of Montbazon of Rets of Ventadour and of Crequi by the Mareschals Vitry Etrees and Effiat and by many other Persons of Quality From that time he was call'd The Cardinal-Duke as Olivarez Chief Minister to the King of Spain was stiled the Count-Duke The King gave him besides the Government of Britany lately vacant by the death of the Mareschal de Themines This Government could not fall to any one more advantageously than to the Cardinal who being Superintendant both of Navigation and Trade could scarce exercise his Office without being Master of the Ports of Britany This was at the same time an assured Refuge in case the King should ever change his Affection towards him Thus what was a Capital Crime in the Huguenots who made a considerable part of the State and what would have driven out of the Kingdom the most considerable Persons next to the King unless they had chosen rather to be confined to a Prison was esteemed a just recompence for the great Services of Cardinal Richlieu The Prince of Conde who was sent from one Province to another to pacifie the Spirits of those who might be surprised at the excessive greatness of a Minister who caused him formerly to be put in Prison went basely publishing his Praises all over the Kingdom and yet was not able to get into the Favour of this Man who could bear with nothing that gave him any Jealousie * See Aubery Lib. 11. Cap. 17. He had made already in the Year 1628 a Panegyrick upon this Minister before the States of Languedoc with Expressions onely fit to come from a wretch that wanted Bread and had no other ways to subsist but this was nothing in comparison of what he said in the Assembly of the States of Britany I shall relate his very words that thereby the Reader may judge both of the mean Condescensions of the Prince or of the Minister's great Authority †See Aubery Ibid. Lib. ◠Cap. 19. Amongst those infinite Obligations you have to the King saith he either for having preserved your Privileges or for the great Advantages favourably granted to your Province of Britany even almost to an impossibility in regard of the other Provinces of his Realm you have contracted a new one which is the greatest of all for His Majesty has given to you Monsieur the Cardinal of Richlieu for your Governour whose Learning and Piety preferr'd him in his younger years to a Bishoprick his Deserts to a Cardinal's Cap his Services and Capacity to the Ministry of State Affairs his Valour to the Generalship of several Armies his Fidelity and Love for the King's Person to the Cordial Affection of His Majesty and as a Token thereof and of his Trust to the High Places and Governments which he possesseth and holds from him All which things though very considerable and great yet we may say nevertheless of them that they onely make up the least part of those recompences which he justly deserves for having in his first Dignity confounded Heresie in the second maintained the Church in his Employments strengthened the State by his Counsels by his Valour pull'd down and defeated Rebellion and extended the Limits of France into Italy Lorraine and Germany and by his Fidelity with a continual care watched for the King's Preservation under whose Command he hath always acted as a second Cause in those great Affairs which His Majesty had and hath yet to restore the Kingdom to its first Splendour The Prince had better have said As a first cause since the King did nothing else but blindly follow the Motions of his Minister and then he had said at least one true thing in his Speech which was worthy of none but some Poor Hungry Priest and not of
any Confession and he had put himself in a posture to receive the Stroke they cryed out A Pardon As he was ready to come down one of the Judges perswaded him Since he had now tryed the King's Clemency to discover the Intrigues of Chateauneuf but he courageously answer'd That he very well saw that some People were willing to take hold of his present circumstances to make him say something disadvantageous to his Friend but that he ought to know That since the terrible Image of Death had not made him speak nothing was capable to extort from him the Secrets of his Friends or any thing that might do them the least Injury He was almost the onely Person of all those whom the Cardinal brought to the Scaffold that showed Resolution and Courage the greatest part of the rest making him as it were an Honourable amends before they were Executed under a pretence of dying like Christians Christianity indeed obliged them to forgive him but by no means to approve of his Arbitrary and Unjust Conduct which was full as contrary to the Gospel as a Spirit of Vengeance which they were afraid to betray But the truth is that after they had vainly endeavour'd to live like Freemen they lost their Sentiments with their Liberty and rather died like vile Slaves than good Christians When Chateauneuf was sent to Prison the Mareschal d' Estrees who was one of his best Friends having received the news of it at Treves where he Commanded the King's Army it so strangely astrighâ—ed him that he * The 15th of March Siri Mâ—m Râ—â— T. 7. p. â—95 quitted the Army without saying a word and retired to Vaudervange The example of the Mareschal de Marillac came into his Mind when he heard of the Disgrace of his Friend and saw a Courier bring Letters to the other Officers and never a one to himself He imagin'd that Saludie and Busse-Lamet to whom the Pacquet was directed had Orders to Apprehend him But discovering at last that his fear had been in vain he sent a Gentleman four days after to the King and Cardinal to beg their Pardon for going away so abruptly and ingenuously to confess how he had been imposed upon by his Fear This set the whole Court a Laughing and he received Orders to return to Treves At the same time the Dutchess of Chevreuse left the Court by the King's Order which made the World believe that the Cardinal's Jealousie was in great measure the cause of the disgrace of Chateauneuf The King came to Paris on the 11th of April and went next morning to the Parliament to suppress the Office of President which Coigneux had and that of Counsellour enjoy'd by Payen Chief Secretary to the Queen-Mother whom he afterwards restor'd in Compliment to the Two Masters of Accounts whom the Cardinal favour'd exceedingly Nevertheless the Law concerning Five years which are allowed to those that were Condemned for Contumacy was suffer'd to stay in full force in respect of others because it wou'd have given them too much trouble to make any Alterations in it The King Censur'd the Company very severely for presuming to send their Deputies a few days before to S. Germans to desire him to re-call the President de Memes whom the Cardinal had Banished The King told them That he wou'd take care to Chastise those that refused to obey him and that if the Parliament wou'd not suffer the Magistrates that were subordinate to it to be remiss in the execution of its Orders it was not just that a Soveraign should bear the disobedience of His Subjects He added That he wou'd be obey'd that very instant and that for the future when he came to the Parliament he expected the Four Presidents should come and receive him upon their knees without the door of the Chamber as the Custom had been formerly As for the President de Memes instead of being set at liberty and called home he was Imprison'd in the Cittadel of Anger 's Thus the King hindred them from making any Remonstrances to him upon any occasion whatever and striving to Reign more Absolutely than any of His Pedecessors he resigned himself entirely to all the Passions of his Minister though they were never so unjust so that it was not possible to open his eyes and undeceive him Soon after the King * The 14th of May Aubery 's Life of the Card. Lib. 4.0.36 held a General Chapter of the Knights of the Holy Ghost and gave the Ribbon to the Cardinals of Richlieu and La Valette They received the Blew Ribbon standing whereas the other Commandeurs even Bishops used to receive it kneeling The King â—id the Cardinal a particular Favour and asked him Whether he desired to be Promoted before or after Vespers and the next day when His Majesty made the New Knights he sent him two or three Dishes from his own Table at every Service and towards the end a Rock of Sweet-meats out of which sprung an Artificial Fountain of Water While these things happened within the Kingdom the Cardinal used his endeavours to keep the House of Austria so well employ'd without that it cou'd make no advantage of the Broils of the Queen-Mother and Monsieur The Marquiss de Feuquiers renew'd with Chancellour †By a Treaty sign'd the 9th of April Siri Mem. Rec. Tom. 7. p. 67. Oxenstiern at Hailbron the League which the Crown of France had made with the King of Sweden and promis'd that his Daughter Christina should receive the yearly sum of a Million of Livres to continue the War in Germany The two Crowns oblig'd themselves to make no Treaty but with Common Consent and to support all their Allies I shall not stop at the particulars of this League nor at the other Negotiations which the Ministers of France managed in Germany to Embarass the Emperour and at the same time to lay hold of any fair opportunity to extend the Frontiers of France on that side At the same time the Cardinal set his Engines at work to break off the * Siri Ibid. p. 655. Negotiation that was on foot at the Hague between the States-General of the Vnited-Provinces and the Envoys of the Spanish-Netherlands concerning a second Truce between the King of Spain and the States-General As there were abundance of great difficulties in the thing it self it seem'd an easie matter so to order Affairs that the War might continue Besides this some of the Nobility of the Spanish Low-Countries who were discontented at the Government offer'd to deliver up to the King Bouchain Quesnoi Avenes and Landreci places of great importance upon the Frontiers of Artois and to make a general Insurrection in the Country The Malecontents represented to the King that if he lost so fair an opportunity he might perhaps be never able to recover it and that those persons that were now disposed to throw themselves under his Protection cou'd not be supposed to be able to live in a perpetual inquietuâ—e
good intentions of his Sister but desired her not to interpose in this Affair that he intended on his Side to give his Mother all reasonable Satisfaction but that she had ingag'd her Self in so many Cabals against him that he cou'd come to no other Resolution about her till a Peace was concluded that as for the Maintenance they demanded for her he was afraid she was abused by her own Evil Councellors as if there was no Medium between granting her all and refusing his Mother a Dowry which lawfully belonged to her and yet Lewis the Just refus'd it her Thus my Lord Jermyn's Negotiation came to nothing and though he offer'd in the Name of the King and Queen of England to ingage for the good Conduct of the Queen-Mother and promised every thing which cou'd in reason be expected yet they would talk of nothing less than sending this unfortunate Princess to Florence where they promised to settle an Appointment upon her which perhaps they wou'd have stopt afterwards No one durst speak a word to the King upon this occasion and the good Prince could not bethink himself of any middle Expedient between treating his Mother with this excessive Rigour only to please the Cardinal and restoring her to her first Authority He cou'd without jealousie behold his chief Minister assume a Power infinitely greater than the Queen-Mother had ever pretended to and abuse it in a more notorious manner and yet it never disturbed him but the Cardinal had gain'd that absolute Ascendant over him and had so far possessed him that without him both he and his Kingdom wou'd be intirely ruin'd and that none but he had honest intentions towards him that he perceived nothing of the Cardinal's Designs However to secure himself in some measure from the Inhumanity which the World wou'd be apt to charge him with in refusing to let the Queen-Mother return since she desir'd it with so much Submission he wou'd not declare his own Opinion in the Council upon this Affair But he ingag'd the other Ministers to give their Sentiments in Writing which he drew up for them himself and they afterwards sign'd They are still to be seen in the Memoirs of * Page 340. Montresor and they take two things for granted first that it was impossible for the Queen-Mother to come back without embroiling the Kingdom and that there was no other way to preserve it in Tranquility but by suffering her to want even Necessaries out of France unless she wou'd go to Tuscany Secondly that as Princes are design'd more for their State than for themselves so they are also more nearly related to that than to their Father or Mother and are not obliged to show them any marks of the respect they owe them but as far as they agree with a more publick and noble Duty According to these Slaves of the Cardinal France wou'd be undone if the King made any Provision for his Mother and this Action of the King resembled the Separation of Jesus Christ from the Virgin-Mary They gave this Advice to his Majesty in the Month of March and their Names that sign'd are as follow Leguier Bullion Bouthillier Chavigny and Sablet At the same time the Cardinal-Duke order'd a Process against the Duke de la Valette who had been received very honourably in England * Siri Mem. Rec. T. 8. p. 781. According to the usual Forms it belonged to the Parliament of Paris to judge of it but according to a custom establish'd by this Minister the King nominated some Commissioners of Parliament and of the Privy-Council although the Parliament had remonstrated to him that it was an Infraction of their Privileges and that these Causes belonged to them The Duke de la Valette was accused of Cowardice and Treason besides that he had left France without Permission which he cou'd not do as being Colonel-General of the French Infantry Governour of Guienne and Duke and Peer of France The King order'd the Judges to come before him at St. Germains and commanding them to give their Opinions the chief President humbly begg'd of his Majesty to dispense with him from giving his Opinion in that place being obliged to give it in Parliament if the King wou'd be pleased to send back the Cause to be there tried conformable to the Laws as he was going to prove But the King took him up short and told him That the Councellors of Parliament started difficulties of their own making and had a mind to keep him in Tutelage but he wou'd have them know that he was their Master He addâ—d That it was a great mistake to say that he cou'd not order a process against a Peer of France after what Manner he saw most convenient and forbad them to speak of it The * So they call those Judges in France that make a Report of the Case to the Parliament Rapporteurs de la Posterie and Machaut concluded after a long reasoning that his Body was to be apprehended and then the King spoke to the rest to give their Opinion Pinon began his Harangue with observing that in all the Fifty Years he had been a Councellour of Parliament he never remembred a thing of so vast an importance to have come before them that he consider'd the Duke de la Valette as a Person that had the Honour to be married to the King 's Natural Sister and as a Duke and a Peer and that therefore his Judgment was That this Cause ought to be brought before the Parliament The King told him that this was not giving his Opinion and that he did not take it as such But Pinon answer'd That in the Order of Justice a Reference was a lawful Vote The King reply'd in great Anger That he wou'd have them give their opinion of the Merits of the Cause and Pinon made answer That since his Majesty commanded him he was of the same Opinion with the former The Presidents Nesmond and Leguier said the same thing seeing the King positively bent to have it so The President de Bailleal who had heard at his coming into the Hall that the Cardinal shou'd say That the King wou'd make the Duke de la Valette taste of his Mercy once more said that he approved of the Overture which the Cardinal had made but the latter reply'd That he needed only to cover himself with his Robe to give his Opinion so he was constrain'd by the King's Command to do as those before him had done The President de Meme thought of his Bonnet without saying a Word The President de Novion after a long Discourse wherein he remark'd that no mention was made neither of the Name nor Age of the Witnesses that swore against the Duke and that the process was against the usual Forms as the King himself confess'd declar'd that he thought the Duke ought personally to appear and besides that he cou'd not in Conscience give his Opinion in the place where he was He added that if
had been now too long together to think of parting which he desired all the world should know This Billet was sufficient to remove all his suspicions but the indiscreet conduct of the Master of the Horse who neither knew how to conceal his design nor to preserve himself in the Kings favour gave him a greater security Thus while Monsieur and the Master of the Horse were deliberating upon what they had to do without coming to any resolution the Cardinal receiv'd a Pacquet wherein he found a Copy of the Treaty of Madrid Some people say it was the Nuncio in Spain that sent it to him Others name other persons If the Spaniards were so unwise as to let a Copy be taken of it they committed an unpardonable Solecism and if this Copy came from the Conspirators the fault was still the greater However it came about the Cardinal no sooner procured it but he sent Chavigny to the King to show it him and to desire him to cause Cinq-Mars to be apprehended Chavigny had all the trouble in the world to make his Majesty resolve to deliver this Criminal into the hands of Justice He fell down upon his knees and pray'd to God to inspire him with the best resolution and sent for F. Sirmond a Jesuite and his Confessor to ask his advice The Father Confessor was not backward to tell him that after so enormous a crime as this was the King need not scruple to order his Favourite to be apprehended According to the custom of Lewis XIII to apprehend any one for a crime against the State and to put him to death was in a manner the same thing as if it had been unlawful once in his life to have shown mercy to some of the Cardinals Enemies As it was a nice and difficult matter to apprehend the Master of the Horse in the Army where he was extremely beloved the King was resolved to go to Narbonne under a pretence that he had an Ague altho he could never be perswaded to go to that City while the Cardinal was there At that time he desired to confer with him about the affairs of Picardy which seem'd to be in danger after the defeat of the Mareschal de Guiche Being therefore arrived at Narbonne while the Cardinal was at Tarascon the Master of the Horse whose place would not give him leave to be from the King follow'd him thither altho he was before-hand inform'd that his designs were discovered Thus he was apprehended on the 14th of June altho he hid himself and the houses were once search'd to no purpose the King having given orders before that the City gates should be shut De Thou was likewise apprehended the night before with one Chavignac a Hugonot and some of their Servants These two last were afterwards carried under a strong Guard to Tarascon and the other to the Cittadel of Montpellier In the mean time Ossonville Lieutenant of the Guards to the Duke of Bouillon who sent him to attend upon the Master of the Horse being inform'd that he was apprehended took post to carry this news to the Duke that so he might take his measures accordingly He past through Monfrin a Town of Languedoc over against Tarascon on the other side of the Rhine where the Vicount de Turenne was to whom he thought he was oblig'd to tell this news The Vicount who knew nothing of the whole intrigue and who thought the Cardinal knew no more of it than himself believ'd he would take it kindly to be inform'd of it so he sent to acquaint him at the same time that he receiv'd this news from Ossonville who was going into Italy The Cardinal no sooner understood it but he immediately dispatch'd a man with necessary orders to stop Ossonville whom he apprehended at Valence and there imprison'd him * Dated from the Camp before Perpignan the 12 of June Aub. Mem. T. 2. p. 759. Orders had been sent before to Aigucbonne Du Plessis Pralain and Castelan Mareschals de Camp of the Armies in Italy to apprehend the Duke of Bouillon * Tve 23 of June This order was executed at Casal altho the Duke upon the first notice conceal'd himself at the time when Conoonges Governour of the place was gone to fetch the Kings order to shew it him Thus the Duke and the Master of the Horse were taken without any prospect of escaping partly through their own imprudence and partly through that peculiar good fortune of the Minister from whom very few of his Enemies escaped while he luckily withdrew himself from the most eminent dangers The Duke was for some time kept under a Guard in the Cittadel of Casal but was removed in August to Lyons and lodged in the Prison of Pierre-Ancise The Duke of Orleans receiving advice that the Master of the Horse was apprehended instead of finding out means to save and retrieve his friends relapsed into his usual weakness and thinking himself discover'd sent the Abbot of la Riviere from Moulins where he then was to the King to confess his fault and beg his pardon He writ at the same time Letters * See them in the Mem. of Montr. p. 162. dated the 25th of June to the King to the Cardinals of Richlieu and Mazarine and to De Noyers and Chavigny Secretaries of Estate full of mean submissions and lyes either to beg mercy or to desire Cardinal Mazarine and the two Secretaries to assist him to obtain it However the Duke burnt the Original of the Treaty which Fontrailles had brought him from Spain and only kept one Copy of it which he might likewise have burnt had he so pleased so that if he had been master of any resolution it had been impossible to have convicted him of any thing The King pardoned him after this indiscreet discovery upon condition that he would go to Nisy in Savoy a House of the Duke of Nemours where he was to reside with a pension of 200000 Livres the rest of his Revenues being stopt to satisfie his Creditors Monsieur desir'd to see the King before he went thither but the King refused him that favour and the Marquis de Villeroy had orders to accompany him * Ib. 171 175 195. At first they had some designs to send him to Venice as it appears by several Letters but at last they changed their resolution Neither did he go to Nisy so that 't is probable the true reason why they pretended to make him leave the Kingdom was only to oblige him to discover all he knew In the mean time the Secretaries of State were not wanting to incense his Majesty against the Prisoners and the Abbots d' Effiat and de Thou expressing a design to intercede for their Brothers he sent them word that he would not see them The King still continuing to be indispos'd and being now resolved to return to Paris the Cardinal prevail'd with him to order himself to be carried to Monfrin within a league of Tarascon that he might there
obliged to bestow that Post upon Monsieur which he desired for himself Although they were now in a condition to beat the Enemies out of Picardy so soon as they pleased yet the Danger they had been in and the Affairs of Italy and Burgundy threw the King into so deep a Melancholy that he was displeased at every thing He was concerned that his Brother had the Command of the Army and that he lived in a good Understanding with the Count de Soissons He express'd a great Coldness towards the Cardinal for daring to censure his ill Humour and his want of Resolution He wou'd scarce be brought to see him and he contradicted him whenever he spake of any thing so that the Cardinal lost in a manner all his Courage and neglected to give the necessary Orders It was observed that contrary to his custom he shew'd a great deal of Civility to those people whom he had formerly slighted One day he publickly asked * Siri Mem. Rec. Tom. â— p. 441. St. Yval whom he hated extreamly because he was deeply engaged in the Party of the Count de Soissons what his Opinion was about an Affair of great consequence He invited him besides to sup with him and St. Yval was ravished with joy to see this haughty Spirit so humbled by his fear that the progress of the Enemy wou'd be the cause of his ruine †Siri Mem. Rec. Tom. 8. p. 439. At last he found himself so weakned in Body and Mind that if Father Joseph to whom he discovered his most secret Infirmities had not encouraged him he was ready to throw up the Ministry and by that means to hasten his own Destruction which his Enemies had so long desired But this Capuchin having inspired him with fresh Resolution by his Discourses he determined to apply himself more than ever to Publick Affairs The first Thing he advised His Majesty in this Conjuncture was to perswade the States-General to make some Attempts upon the Territories of Spain The Prince of Orange was willing enough but those that promoted the Treaty hinder'd him from acting with necessary vigour However he gain'd his point of them at last and forbad the State 's Agent at Vienna to talk any more of a Truce He took the field with a considerable Army and was ready to make a Diversion in the Spanish Netherlands in case the Count de Feria approached the Frontiers of France 'T was at this time that Frederick-Henry received the Title of Highness which the Cardinal gave him instead of that of Excellence which he had till then enjoy'd The King concluded a new Treaty with the States by which he promised them a Million and half of Livers to be paid at Three several Payments in a year upon condition that all this Money should be employed in carrying on the War against Spain To encourage the Army by his Presence the King arrived there as I have already said at the beginning of September and having advanced as far as Senlis from whence he beheld one night the Flame of some Villages which the Croatians had set on fire before they left them he fell a Weeping at the Losses and Calamities of his People But the Spanish Army being utterly unable to oppose the progress of the Royal Forces thought of nothing now but retiring into the Low-Countries because they had not time enough to secure their Conquests Thus the Army of France came before Roye and after this Place had been Batter'd for a few days by Twelve Pieces of Canon they surrendred to Monsieur by Composition Afterwards it Marched to Block up Corbie for there was no hopes of taking it by force To effect this they undertook to environ it with Forts and Retrenchments for fear least the Spaniards should Relieve it but they were informed soon after that the Besieged wanted Corn and other Provisions This made the Cardinal resolve to propose the Attacking of the place hoping that the Garrison weakned by want and scarcity would be obliged to Capitulate The Mareschal de Chatillon was the first that proposed it in a Council and this Advice supported by the Authority of the Cardinal carried it from that of the Count de Soissons who believed it would be impossible to reduce this place by force at that time of the year They made Three Attacks and the Garrison finding themselves destitute of Victuals and no hopes of a Relief Capitulated on the 19th of November This good success made the Cardinal as courageous as ever and retrieved his Reputation which had suffer'd mightily by the progress the Spaniards made in Picardy However * Siri Mem. Râ—c T. 8. P. 442. People censured his Conduct for uniting the Duke of Orleans and the Count de Soissons in the Command of the same Army because as they were both his sworn Enemies so they might lay their heads together to destroy him The Minister was of opinion that the Count de Soissons who was of an imperious haughty temper would fall out with Monsieur and that their Domesticks whose Interests were different would take care to incense them one against another But it fell out quite contrary for these two Princes who had been Enemies of a long standing to his Eminence re-united more than ever to ruine him They were made to believe that if they still continued in their designs against the Minister they would draw to their party the Houses of Guise of Vendome of Bouillon of Espernon and of Rets whom he had scurvily used and who appeared to be very much dissatisfy'd with him So Monsieur and the Count being at Peronne they advised together about the properest ways to destroy the Cardinal Some were of opinion That His Majesty should be made acquainted with the Ill-conduct of this Minister who was the cause of all the Calamities the Nation groaned under and that he had engaged him in a War which he vainly imagined he was able to manage of himself though he was much fitter to raise a Cruel War in the State than to repel Foreigners Others advised to dispatch him out of the way for that would soon put an end to all these disorders This last expedient seemed the best and the two Princes being resolved to put it in execution trusted the Secret with four persons one of whom was a Domestick of Monsieur and the other three belonged to the Count de Soissons During the Siege of Corbie the King Lodged in a Castle near Amiens and never came to the City where the Cardinal lay but when he held a Council there after which he returned to this Castle So Monsieur and the Count resolved one day when they came to Council to carry a great number of the Officers of the Army along with them and that so soon as the King was returned to his Quarters to find some pretence or other to stop the Cardinal and cause him to be Murder'd by the Four Men who knew of the Affair With this design they