of my presence and let me see you no more After that the King taking the advice of his old servants ordained that as Luynes had plaid with great personages in his life time he would haue him serve to make them sport after his death and therefore appointed him to carrie fourmes every time that they ran at the Ring or with their Lances and to begin his prentiseship that he should be delivered into the hands of the Duke de Mayennes pages According to this decree he was presently laid hold on who then speaking to the Cardinall de Guise shewed him that he died without confession and receiving of the Sacrament praying him to give him absolution for his sins To whom do you speake said the Cardinall do you not know that I am no Priest Then he turned to the Bishop of Marselles to whom he made the like request And he made him the like answer that the Cardinall had done adding further saying Before you went out of the other world you should have caused your selfe to be absolved by the Cardinall de Rets your creature or rather by the Bishop of Lusson your kinsman hee would never have denied you his blessing notwithstanding that you put him beside the Cardinals hat so you had promised him upon the securitie of Marillac and le Seq to abstaine from making pernicious reports unto the King thereby to alienate the good will which his Maiestie beareth to the Queene his mother as for me I cannot helpe you save your selfe as well as you can With that the late Marshall de Rets went to Luynes and speaking unto him in his eare said Alas poore foole thou shouldst have pluckt the goose without crying like me if with humilitie thou hast honored the great personages they would have upholden thee and thou hadst enioyed thy fortunes with securitie Then turning his head here and there about him hee perceived the late Earle de Lude which three times he called his good maister of whom hee asked pardon for the ducale perfidiousnes which he offered unto him being in Touraine Then he said to the Bishop of Carcassone Monsieur my good benefactor if ever you tooke pitie on the affliction of a miserable person I coniure you to take the paines to advertise my brethren to take example by me that they may governe themselves more wisely then I have done if they desire to escape the shipwracke that I have endured and before all things that they suffer not my bodie to passe through Paris lest it should receive the same entertainment that the body of the Marquis d' Ancre had As he spake those last words Losieres Themines sonne came unto him and said Comfort your selfe in your misfortunes your brethren labour for their conservation they yeeld not themselves I bring you great store of news you are not the Keeper of the Seales Monsieur de Virg hath your place all shall go well it seemes that he his are in some sort bound to support your house but if the chance should turne I advise you in good time that I will be suretie no longer Further since your departure the King hath benignely entertained all his friends and looketh on his servants with a kinde countenance there is free accesse unto his Maiestie he goes every day to sit with the Councell I could tell you more but I must go to salute the King farewell and remember that for want of balme they have your body with long barks of trees The Pages that as then layd hold on the necke and breeches of their apprentice would suffer him to speake no more every one of them teaching him a lesson as they thought good The Parisians never tooke greater pleasure to see the Marquis d' Ancres body drawne about the citie then all the spirits in the Elizian fields had to see that brave Constable so instructed and taught by those good schoole-masters who in lesse then an houres space made him a martyr at least twentie times and yet kild him not To conclude du Bourdet brought him a writing to set vpon his backe containing these words Long be this apprentice lived Whose spirit hath not deceived The hope of our progenitors He is fit for a Porter without doubt And in short time it will fall out He will be capable to teach his brothers The iudgement given all the Lords tooke their leave of the King and as they returned with Zamet their guide the Marquis de Termes espied a man that sate writing vnder a great olive tree wherewith hee asked if in that country there were any Sollicitors or Attourneys that lived by pleading other mens causes None at all said Zamet What then said he doth this writer here And going neare unto him they knew it was Marshall de Beron who was so earnestly studying that he thought upon nothing else De Termes seeing him to be in that humour went softly behind him after the maner of great personages in the Court and laid his hand upon his shoulder Wherewith the Marshall in great choler said What is he that toucheth me and looking backe saw the Marquis Wherewith changing his choler into gladnesse he embraced him friendly asking him if he were one of those gentlemen of Montauban No said de Termes I am of Clerac What in Gods name make you here said the Marshall And what goodly passion said de Termes ravisheth you into such an extasie Cap de Bions said he I was in a deepe humour of Poetrie and was studying to make verses for an Epitaph to be set vpon your tombes What are you a Poet said de Termes No said Biron but there being no warre in this country sometimes I have a conceit to passe the time in Poetry like my Lady de Rosau I pray you then said de Termes let us see something of your doing as well as my Lady d'Entragues Pardions I am content said the Marshall I was but beginning see here is that which I have done I pray you tell me truly whether I have done it fitly or no and heare it without passion Here lieth a company of fooles in respect of warriers brave That in the middle of their foes did lose their lives While three cowards authors of the warre we have Meerly past the time in riding of their wives Truly said de Termes you use us unworthily Morbions said the Marshall what do I not say the truth Are you not great fooles that suffered your selves to be slaine for a companie of dastards that serve their owne turnes under pretence of religion to establish their future greatnesse at your costs and charges Cap de Bions what blowes with my sword would I have laid about their eares if I had bin in their places Monsieur d'Espernon is a subtill Catholik he besieged Rochell afarre off and upon Pont neuf there were more overthrowes given by him then by any other in France but tell me I pray you are not the Iesuites ashamed that they preacht against him during the league
Nuncius Bentivole resident in Paris is wholy for Luynes who hath made him Cardinall and Comprotector of the French nation in Rome to the prejudice of the Prince Cardinall of Savoy to whom the King had given that protection Thus Luynes is upholden on that side And to the end that the King of Spaine should not be offended to see the Queene his sister governed by Luynes and his wife he hath consented to let him lay hold upon the Grisons the Palatinate and Iuliers which is under the protection of France and which the Queene mother following your designe hath kept out of the Spaniards clawes whereas on the contrary that villaine suffers so important a country bordering upon the Realme to be lost He hath alienated 120000 crowns yearely rent of the Church whereof he hath imbursed 200000 crownes for his part of your sonnes revenues he and his brethren possesse at the least 500000 franks yearely rent without disbursing one penie for it How this discourse grieves me said the King I would you had neuer spoken to me thereof let us leave for this time here comes the Duke de Mayenne and a great number of Noblemen to visit me All these said the Marquis de Termes will confirme that which I have said unto your Majestie and you may know of them what hath past since I left them at Clerac The Duke de Mayenne coming neare with all his companie made humble obeysance to the King and his Majestie bowing his head welcomed them with teares in his eyes Cousin said the King and all you my faithfull servants it grieves me that you have bin deceived by three villaines who as I heare untill this time have abused the favour and bountie of my sonne and generally your free spirits The Duke speaking for them all said Sir I know not who hath made your Grace so wel acquainted with the pride of those three Falconers that have used all the meanes they can to put all men both great and meane out of the King your sonnes favour by their devices sold all France by their covetousnes and brought all the realm into disorder by their monstrous ambition All men know how litle cause I have to speake wel of the Marquis d' Ancre but I may well say that he was an Angell in respect of these three divels incarnate enemies both to men and all valour and such as never employed them but to their overthrow all they that have past over the river with me know what they are besides that for mine owne part I have every way tried and proved their divellish malice in that respect It is true that Marquis d' Ancre was wicked as wel as they but yet he had some humanitie in him he did good to many hee was a man of his word if hee crost some great persons he made much of others but these three plagiaries have bin a scourge to them all thinking it a glory by their dissembling salutations to deceive all the world with brazen faces I will not trouble your Majestie with the rehearsall of their detestable actions nor put you in minde of the rude dealing that they have shewed to the Queene your wife neither how they have scorned my Lord the Prince nor of their ingratitude against my Lady the Countesse nor what trickes they have played with all the Nobilitie it suffiseth Sir that you generally know their proud proceedings they have fully gotten the government of the King your son and of the authoritie royall into their hands making him beleeve that they three onely held the Crowne upon his head as if those of his blood had conspired the usurpation thereof For the space of foure yeares they have caused all the affaires of importance to passe under their hands they have made the King march with them in all places for their owne particular interest vpon the frontiers of the Realme Luynes hath bin so proud as to make his entrie into townes accompanied with a Prince of the blood and in rhe presence of the King his Soveraigne he sent his brother Cadnet into Flanders under pretence to go seeke his wife where he spake with Marquis Spinola and after that with a most incomparable pride covered with precious stones appertaining to the Crowne he hath bene in England not one of the Kings Councell knowing the secret of his embassage after that voyage he undertooke to make himselfe Duke of Britaigne and it is not knowne whether since he hath bin keeper of the Seales hee hath dispatched letters patents for the same In favour of Castille he hath neglected all ancient alliances of the Crown he hath suffered the Palatinate and the Grisons to be lost to make the Spaniard favourable to him The Queene mother preserved Iuliers under the protection of the King your sonnes forces and those three villaines have suffered it to be besieged by Spinola To the disgrace of your glorious memorie Branthe a meane fellow that never had 200 franks yearely rent hath bin so audacious as to ravish the heire of Luxeburg and to force that yong Princesse being but eleuen yeares old and at such a time when all France was in armes by their meanes and if the ravishing of a maide be punishable as it is her action in all circumstances is much more punishable Luynes hath exposed the King and the Prince his brother into the inconveniences of a long voyage and into the perils of the bad aire in the armie in such maner that the Prince was there sick and like to die and yet he would not suffer him to be carried out of the infections of the campe he hath resolved upon the warre against the Huguenots without taking yea and against the advice of your old Councellers hee hath bin so audacious as to keepe the Kings seales in his hands to promise them to many but gives them to no man busying himselfe during the dangers of the siege before Montauban with sealing expeditions in stead of going to the warre for which cause the souldiers made these foure verses of him What shall we of this valiant Warrier say That vseth vs like slaves both night and day He that in peace the Constables office hie And in warre doth the Chancellers place supplie In such maner that if there be any capitall crime that may be objected against a bad servant that is one of the most notorious and greatest All the mony appointed for paying of the souldiers in the armie he stayed in Blayes in such sort that more souldiers have died of want and necessitie then of wounds for want of reliefe To be short their covetousnes and villanies are the cause of all the bad successe hapned as wel during that siege as in other publicke affaires That which I finde to be most strange said Balagny is that not one of them hath bin hurt in any of the exploits of their conquests I will shew you a pertinent reason for that said the Duke it is because they neuer sought after
blowes and blowes never met with them and that is it which Luynes Surgeon wrote to his wife that was in doubt lest her husband was slaine in the armie Wife take no care for me but be quiet feare nothing for I incurre no danger my Lord Constable doth me that honour to affect me much and to keep still neare unto his person Thus you see how those gallants are miraculously preserved and kept out of the danger of blowes while they cause others to lose their lives Our posteritie said the King will hardly beleeue that men of no degree and voide of all valour should in so short a time lay hold upon the government of France Sir said Pluninel I did neuer so easily with bit and bridle manage your Graces great horses in the stable without comparison as I have seene them manage all the Princes of your Realme What said the Marshall de Brisac was not Cadnet so bold as to threaten the Prince that he should not go out of Bois de Vincennes if he did not consent to give him the Princesse of Orange to be his wife who died for griefe thereof You iest said the King He hath done more then that said he for he was so presumptuous as to presse the Earle de Soyssons to give over the office of high Steward unto him The late Earle taking the word out of his mouth said If my sonne had bin wise he should have caused him to be well beaten for his impudencie You haue reason said old Courtenay if he had Rambure or such another Knight as he for his governer but he hath a blocke to be his schoole-master that knowes not what belongs to honour and courage and therefore those companions know with whom they have to do Let us enter into some other discourse said the King as I remember one of you told me that during all these businesses Luynes and his brethren carried their wives with them unto the warre and that they were with them during the important siege of Montauban if it were so it is very likely that their intent was no other but onely to make their battery under curtains At that word M. William gave a nod and said to the King Indeed my Lord you have often bin told that they play the Kings and that I acknowledge they have heretofore sitting by the fire heard how you in times past rid upon the League and those gallants would imitate you and thinke by riding their wives to ride upon the Huguenots but those wicked heretickes have knavishly ridden upon them before Montauban Whereat all of them began to laugh But the King enquired of the miracle of the Spie and much desired to know it and speaking thereof askt why after he had escaped in such maner he was not sent into the Towne to convert the inhabitants Faith of a gentleman said de Loppe that had bin no safetie for him for so the people might have hangd him up in good earnest God is strong every where said the King and can defend those that are his at all times and in all places but tell me who sent father Dominicke de Iesus Maria into France what maner of man is he And it please your Majestie said the Earle de Fiefque he is a holy man I yet have a portatise cloake that he gave me your Majestie will not beleeve what honour the Parisians did unto him and yet know not wherefore every woman cut off a peece of his gowne and he came thither onely to shew us that all the Spaniards are not Saracins and that there are some holy men among them If I had bin of the Kings Councell said the Abbot du Bois I would in counter-change have sent father Berule to Madril I am sure that the women of Castile would also have cut his fustian That were good said the Marshall de Fervaques if French cloth were as fine as Spanish cloth but if I were of the Councell as the Cardinall de Rets is and as forward as the Earle de Chomberg who is capable to redresse all Luynes faults so that he doth not joyne with forreine faction I would make the Spaniard know that he is not a better Catholik then I my selfe am and would keepe him from having secret intelligences with our Favorites to the great detriment of the Kings service and the Realme which goes to decay if remedy be not speedily had therein I confesse said the King that since I have heard of all the bad and perfidious practises which that gallant and his brethren have done and performed my son never knowing thereof my spirit hath bin in continuall perplexitie fearing lest they should destroy their good maister and great benefactor Sir said the Marquis de Villars the earth never bare more traiterous and ambitious villaines then they are they have bin so bold the last yeare to cause a Maske to be made in Burbon hall wherein they presented divers mysticall figures and among the rest a great Lady and divers Giants chained whom Luynes apparelled like Phebus drew after him whereof the greatest resembled the Duke de Mayenne upon whose head Luynes set his foote for a signe of servitude Truly said the Baron de Plancy he made another more impudent in the Castle of Piquerox for there perceiving the King to be grieved for the losse he had received by the death of the Duke de Mayenne he devised a litle Comedie to make his Majestie merrie wherein hee presented a great Moore making divers strange jestures and for that he resembled the Duke de Mayenne the King commanded them to leave and act no more Why said Luynes Because said the King that this man in all respects resembles the Duke de Mayenne I cannot endure to see it Truly Sir said he his death needs not minister cause of sadnesse to your Majestie for he was a turbulent fellow that troubled all your affaires you were no King as long as he lived we haue discovered and found out that he made a third partie and since his death we have found all his practises Thus this villaine alwayes sought to divert all the good opinion that his Majestie had of his servants and of all those of his blood He did another matter said the Secretarie of State for the Seales he was so impudent as to write vnto the Pope that the Queen mother was the cause that Montauban was not taken thereby thinking to cover his owne cowardlinesse from whence it may be conjectured how many false reports he hath made to the king your sonne seeing he was so bold to send such a message to his Holinesse You shall never have done Sir said the Earle de Lude if you will hearken unto all their arrogant actions who knowes them better then my selfe that brought them up as long as any of that race are neare about the King your sonne they will spoile all there being no kind of wickednes whereof they are not capable and aboue all things beleeve it
to arise and the better to disguise the action in stead of speaking openly against the heretickes because that would have savoured too much of the old league it was reported in all places that we were not good common wealths men and that we had called the virgin Marie la Guimbard thereby to move all the Catholicks vnder that pretence to seeke revenge against all those that aided you against the leaguers And in truth Sir your Majestie may well note and perceive and so may all good Frenchmen likewise that they have assailed and spoiled none but those Townes which in time past served your Majestie for a retraict in the time of your greatest troubles witnes S. Iohn Nerac Clerac and the Towne Burbon de Montauban which beares the name of your house to shew how much they that caused it to be built were affected to your blood This in few words Sir is the history of France and Spaine I haue heard you well said the King but who thrust Luynes forward to destroy that which I haue made A designe to make himselfe great by our ruines and the decay of your state said Hautefontaine There is a great apparence thereof said the King call Vair unto me said he let me heare his reasons Beaulide-ruze go you and seeke him out That 's to no end said the Marshall d' Ornano for I haue heard that he is out of his wits for griefe that he had to have bin so unfortunate that he could not be at the funerall of the Chancellor de Sillery Let that Stoick school-master to Veron alone you have all these Lords and Gentlemen here Sir who will truly and plainly tell you the truth of the desolations of France to morrow in the morning saluting your Grace they will let you know more then you would know You say true said the King The next day the Marquis de Termes was the first that shewed himselfe when the King came out of his chamber who with a smiling countenance bad him welcome and then asked him for Monsieur le Grand and what Lords and gentlemen had past over the river with the Duke de Mayenne as also how many men were slaine in those brave enterprises made by the bucklers of France Sir said the Marquis my brother hath alwayes bin a most humble servant to your Majestie and so he is still unto the King your sonne and to all the blood Royall Luynes hath put him backe from deling with the affaires of the State and therefore he meddles not therewith Touching those that came with the Duke de Mayenne they are 400 gentlemen of good qualitie and about 2000 souldiers Shew me particularly the originall of so many mischiefes Sir said he the pride of three Falconers whom you placed about your sonne upon the recommendation of Varenne who stands there behind you are and will be the cause of the dissipation of your Crowne they haue won the King your sonnes fauour they do not tell him of the affaires of his Realmes but cleane contrary and as they would have him know it they have cleane altered the whole Court the Court is filled with their brethren brothers and sisters in law nephewes nieces cousins and allies and all sorts of rascals having driven out all your old servitors and those of the Queene mother it being most true that no man what or whosoeuer can haue accesse to his Maiestie but onely by their meanes they keepe the Prince brother to the King your sonne as their servant they haue laid hold upon the forces of the State drawne the treasures thereof cleane drie and in a word they governe all What said the King doe not the Councell speake against those disorders In truth Sir said de Termes they have changed both the Councel and the Counsellors Doth my wife endure that why doth she not oppose her selfe against it said the King Oppose against it said the Marquis if she should but once opē her mouth to speake against it they would presently clap her up in hold like the Descomans You iest said the King if I were she I would let them know that I am the Queene-mother Alas Sir said the Marquis if you knew how they have used her within these foure yeares and a halfe there is no slave but wold rather enjoy his condition then hers they have driven her shamefully out of Paris they limited her two yeares together to stay in the castle of Blois they pursued her by force of armes they haue made her follow their armie like a Lanceknights wife to conclude they haue in such maner made her subiect to their dominion that she dares not once complain of the rigor which they vse against her Doth the King my sonne know that said the King No Sir said the Marquis they are warie enough to let him know it on the contrary they seeke all the meanes they can to divert from her all the good affection that the King beares unto her still whispering him in the eare that she hates him that she seekes to make his brother King that she is an Italian and other diabolicall inventions to feare him without once putting him in minde that she is his mother or what love she doth beare unto him in that respect Those are three villanies said the King I would that Rapin had them under his hands in the place of execution but I wonder why the Pope doth not take on him to stop the courses of such sowers of diuision betweene the mother and the sonne it would be a great good for Christendome and an honour unto him It is hard said the Marquis to make an answer thereunto Sir yet I wil shew you what I have heard from father Raude a Charterux Monke a great friend to our house your Maiestie shall understand if it please you that at such time as those three brethren usurped upon the authoritie Royall they also ioyned with the body of the Societie of the name of Iesus for two causes and the Iesuites for two causes entred into league with them Luynes useth their helpe to get in the mony belonging to the Marquis d' Ancre which was in the Mount de Prete in Rome and in requitall thereof he promised to reestablish them in their colledge in Paris in despight of the Court of Parliament as he hath done and further he hath sent the Marquis de Quemere Ambassadour to Rome in the Kings name to solicite their reestablishment in Venice The Iesuites in recompence promised him that they would aide him in all things and in every place and that they would in such sort obtaine his Holinesse good will towards them that hee should be favourable unto them during their usurpation and that neither the Pope nor they would exclame in any sort against the bad dealing which they should offer unto the Queene mother and it is certaine that his Holinesse never wrote any thing thereof neither makes any complant against the insolencies of those Favorites On the contrary the
much but onely to make my great patience my exceeding bountie the force of my spirit and the gentlenesse of my courage apparent Who but my selfe except the Duke de Vzes would not haue sunke under the burthen of the continual watchings and paines which I endured in the conduction of this warre Like another Atlas I was forced to beare all the burthen of the Realme vpon my shoulders ordaine all provide for all resolve upon all and besides that was charged not onely with the affaires of the Realme but also with Gods cause which particularly was to be respected in that holy enterprise as father Arnoux assured me and the holy Earle of Fiasque that stands there who oftentimes told me in my eares that it was revealed unto him when hee was a Capucin which was the cause that made him leave the habit once againe to employ his sword and weare temporal apparell and for my particuler that was the cause that made me imbarke my selfe therein with so much more zeale as I saw the successe to be easie the conquest glorious and the spoiles profitable for my glorie What better beginning could your Maiestie have wished then the first progresse of our victories Blinde Morney at our first arrivall did obedience unto us we did rigorously punish the rebellion of those of S. Iohn we powred our curse upon Pons we cast the arrowes of our anger upon Clerac where we had that good lucke to rid our selves of that brave Marquis de Termes upon which subiect father Arnoux and I wrote two comfortable letters to Monsieur le Grand in most eloquent maner In every place they brought us the keyes of the townes They of Toulonze came in great haste to offer us their armes and their lives with a good summe of money to move us in all haste to besiege that execrable towne of Montauban which at my first arivall I thought to take with a lure like a hungrie sparrow-hawke and I wil confidently tell your Maiestie that I had determined to have erected it in a Duchie for my sonne as to seale the letters patents my selfe with an addition of the Earledomes of Armagnac and Albert that was the cause that I could not consent to the ruine of the brave fortifications of that place desiring to make use of them for my selfe And to minister some comfort to those of Toulouse for their mony which I had sent to the Castle of Blaye I and my brethren had devised to take the Hugonet throne out of their feete and to place another Catholicke therein which we had happily done if those of Montauban would have beleeved us or at least have suffered us to do as la Faydeau To conclude Sir what have I not done to have an honorable issue of that miserable siege all the inventions in the world were there put in practise What have I not promised to the third and fourth What can men reproch me of but onely that I was not at the trenches Alas it was my onely desire not to stirre but these gentlemen here present know that it ws impossible for me in respect of the continuall employments that I had about the Seales I trusted touching the warre to the generositie of this valiant Duke de Mayenne whom we have thereby caused to see the ioyes of Paradise and in recompence thereof he hath made us heires of that hee left in the camp It is true that to lure the world like a hawke we caused the government of Guyenne to fall into the Prince the Kings brothers hands but I would never seale his letters patents for the same that he might still be like Lent and my brother Branthe like Shrovetide that is Lent taking her beginning Thus we made our profit a thousand ways by the hurt and disgrace of others If we had a care of our owne lives we had no lesse of the soldiers having sought as much as possibly we might all gentle meanes and practises to overcome those rebels before we would proceed unto extremities Did not I with great care and diligence cause father Dominicke de Iesus Maria to come into the armie beleeving that his holy prayers would make the taking of that place the more easie and that he would make a second S. Bartholmewes day of the Huguenots in Paris And if he hath thought much to doe as much for France before Montauban as he did for Spaine before Prague I could not do withall I did the best I could to keep him there that his presence might animate the souldiers and convert those headstrong heretickes which father Arnoux a true spirituall mirror did not well like of alledging that it was sufficient to have one Charlatan in the Court in the meane time all is laid upon me although I am innocent of the unfortunate successe of the siege What shall I say more did I not invent a subtill stratageme therewith to mollifie the hearts of those rebels that is the miraculous hanging of that villanous spie that brake the rope three times upon the gallowes nevertheles they within the towne as also a great part of the armie would not beleeve that miracle because he rather commended himselfe to our Lady of Monferrat in Spaine then to the good Lady de Liesse in France Further my brethren and I made provision of a great number of invisible regiments but it was reported that we would put them into our owne purses whereas our designe was to serve our turnes with them to cast them invisibly into the towne thereby to take it the easier And if we failed therein I am no more the cause thereof then of the raine and sicknesse which continually troubled the soldiers and which made an end of setting us forth No Sir I cannot warrant men against the works of God no more then I can from those which are imputed unto me by meanes of my ambition and villanie but if I had lived a litle longer I would haue made all the world see and perceiue that I intended to be a souldier I confesse that I was but a new beginner in the Art when I made my selfe Constable and that I had never seene siege nor battell but I was resolved this Winter to learne the military Art with all perfection in stead of practising to dance The Baron de Caban otherwise called de Maine having promised me in three moneths space to make me as good a Captain as himself who of a Musition in two yeares became a great warrier whatsoever the Marshall de Roquelauere said who in despight that I employed him in the siege of Monheur sware cap de Bions that he would not go to the warre with a Musition and being taught by so good a maister this Spring time I wold have paid those of Montauban but God did prevent me in all my designes Truly said the King your discourses are notable but your actions are not much worth such men as you are alwayes punished by the hand of God get you away out