The Memoirs

At the Court of Navarre

We left Flanders in July 1582. M. du Plessis no sooner reached Paris than an express came from the King of Navarre bidding him go to Vitray, in Brittany, as his representative at the celebrated General Synod which was then sitting at that town, under the presidency of M. Merlin, a man of rare piety, prudence and sound doctrine. M. du Plessis shared in all the meetings to the satisfaction of the whole company, which did him the honour to consult him on every point that came up for discussion. They even said that if he had come with no official position they would still have begged him to do them the honour to sit with them. The Flemish Churches, through their ministers sent for this special purpose, agreed to unite with the churches in France in the same confession of faith. M. du Plessis proposed certain ways by which the kingdom of Christ might be advanced throughout the realm, which were agreed to. He was then asked if he would undertake to write a book, much needed at this time, in which he should treat of the origin, progress and growth of each and every abuse in the Church ; which book, owing to the wickedness of the times, he has not yet had leisure to begin.

The charge to the Synod which the King of Navarre had given M. du Plessis consisted in two points. The first, that they should elect in every province some person qualified to assist the Council in church matters. The second, that they should choose several ministers, learned and moderate men, to accompany an Embassy which the King intended to send into England, Germany,

186 A HUGUENOT FAMILY

Switzerland, etc., to exhort the different countries to meet in a General Synod where the differences between the various faiths could be adjusted by God's word, and thereby a greater unity of aims and objects be obtained. Unknown to M. du Plessis letters were written in the name of the Synod begging the King of Navarre to select him for this embassy. The King did not do so, however, because M. de Segur de Pardaillan, who was at this time very influential with the King, wanted to go himself. From Vitray M. du Plessis went to Gascony, where the King of Navarre was at that time, to give an account of the Synod. Throughout the whole of this journey M. de Buzenval1 accompanied him, a gentleman of great learning and the rarest quality, and his very good friend. He since managed the King's affairs, both as King of Navarre and afterwards as King of France, very successfully in England and the Low Countries.

I was pregnant at this time and was brought to bed at Plessis with a daughter. She was baptized Anne and her godfather was M. de Buhy, and his wife, Anne d'Anlezy,2 my sister-in-law, was her godmother. M. du Plessis had leave to come to Paris for a few days. Just as he was ready to start on his return to Gascony, hastened by several letters from the King of Navarre (for his leave was a very short one), the King of Navarre very pressingly suggested that he should accept the seals of Navarre, adding that he would not be required to don the lawyer's gown, as was often the case in England, Scotland, Poland and other important States, where the seals were frequently held by the great nobles of the country. M. du Plessis excused himself for refusing the King's offer not thinking it wise to change his way of life and his profession.

For some dissatisfaction with M. de Gratemx, the chancellor, the King of Navarre decided to give him as

1 Paul Choart de Buzenval, diplomat much employed by Henri IV, d. 1607.

1 Mile de Buhy, wife of Pierre de Mornay, M. de Buhy

AT THE COURT OF NAVARRE 187

a colleague M. Arnoul du Ferrier, a member of the Council, who had lately returned from Venice. M. du Ferrier accepted the post and on his acceptance made public profession of the true religion which he had long professed privately. He declined to do this in the way M. du Plessis wanted him to do as can be seen by his letters on the subject. M. du Plessis maintained that the conversion of M. du Ferrier was not like that of a private person and that he ought to declare publicly, in some well-known church and on a fixed day, his reasons for leaving the Church of Rome at the age of four score, and that he should then send a written statement of his reasons to the Princes and countries where he was known. A natural shyness made M. du Ferrier refuse although he was full of zeal in every other way. It was about this time that an attempt was made to publish the decrees of the Council of Trent. M. du Plessis wrote a remonstrance which was printed and very well received by all good Frenchmen.

About this time the Vicomte de Chaux Navarrois and his brother-in-law, Undiano, arrived in Bdarn on behalf of the King of Spain. The King of Navarre, who was at Nerac, sent M. du Plessis to see what they wanted. What their proposals came to was this : that if the King of Navarre would make war on the King of France, the King of Spain would give him 300,000 crowns down and 100,000 a month to defray the cost, and would make no difficulties on the score of religion. The King of Spain warned the King of Navarre that if the guarantee towns were not given up the King of France intended himself to renew the war, while if they were given up the persecutions would begin at once, and that a plot to assassinate the King of Navarre was afoot. The Vicomte further said that if the King of Navarre would change his religion the King of Spain would give him his daughter in marriage and would himself marry the King of Navarre's sister.1 The reasons for all these mighty fine offers were first the 1 Catherine de Bourbon, 1558-1604, m. Due de Bar 1599.

1 88 A HUGUENOT FAMILY

King of Spain's longing for vengeance for all the ill-deeds the French had done in Flanders, and secondly his desire, in his old age, to secure some safe alliance for his son's youth. The King of Navarre would neither listen, nor was he advised to listen, to any of these proposals for it was perfectly plain that their sole object was the ruin of France. And as to the double marriage to follow the King of Navarre's conversion the answer sent to the King of Spain was, that the King of Navarre would give way to him so far as kingly power went, but never in conscience or honour. However, so as to avoid a complete rupture the King of Navarre offered to pledge all the property he had in the Low Countries to the King of Spain for 100,000 crowns, so long as the loan should not carry an obligation to go to war, which might not prove necessary although the times certainly seemed very threatening. The Spanish envoys came back a second time, but failing to induce the King of Navarre to declare war on the King of France, they departed with these words : " You do not know what you are doing, for our merchants are waiting to buy," meaning that if the King of Navarre refused the Guises were ready to treat.

The King of Spain had offered a sum of 30,000 crowns if the King of Navarre would undertake to bring about a reconciliation between him and his subjects in the Low Countries. He also was ready to grant the King of Navarre a safe conduct into Spain and back so that he might explain his wishes by word of mouth, and he was even ready to concede something in the way of religious liberty ; and all because of his extreme desire to rid Flanders of the Duke of Alencon. The King of Navarre would have nothing to do with this proposition either and this for several reasons. The Duke of Alencon at this very moment had let himself be persuaded by wicked councillors to make himself master of Antwerp l by force, thereby ruining his prospects and his reputation

1 The " French Fury," 1583. Anjou attempted to seize Antwerp by treachery, but was defeated by the citizens and most of his troops killed.

AT THE COURT OF NAVARRE 189

alike. I have often heard M. du Plessis say, when the betrayal of Antwerp was spoken of in his hearing, that he had never felt a profounder joy than when he heard of the vengeance taken for that deed of treachery. The Prince of Orange confessed that he had often heard M. du Plessis predict what would happen, and that his words had come true in every particular save one ; to wit, his good opinion of the Prince's cousin, the Comte de Saint Aignan, who was among the first concerned in the attempt on the city.

At this same time the King of Navarre sent M. de Segur de Pardaillan to Germany, to discuss a union of all protestant religions and an association for its protection by the Queen of England, the King of Denmark and the German Princes. His memoranda and instructions were drawn up by M. du Plessis. This was done mainly because it was clear that those in France, who have since caused such confusion and turmoil, aimed at subverting the State under the pretence of defeating the protestants. M. de Segur was chief of the household business and finances of Navarre, and it was necessary to fill his office during his absence. The King of Navarre appointed M. de Clervant and M. du Plessis, although M. du Plessis protested vigorously, on the grounds that he was a stranger, new to his service, unpractised in finance, and above all of a temper which shrank from displeasing anyone, whereas in a business position of this sort it might be his duty to vex his best friends. At last he accepted it conjointly with M. de Clervant, and I have often heard him say that the companionship of a man of such quality and worth had weighed more than any other circumstance in his acceptance. He was a man of the highest honour, of an illustrious house in Vienne, full of integrity, and they worked together like two brothers. They were both filled with fine plans of re-establishing the House of Navarre in splendour, impoverished as it was by bad management and waste through the troubles, which plans have so far been prevented by the continua-

190 A HUGUENOT FAMILY

tion of the misery of the times. The Queen of Navarre at this time began to bargain with the King, her husband, for her return to him, and the King, her brother, was on account of her behaviour by no means anxious to keep her at his Court. Matters, indeed, came to such a pass that in the end King Henri III sent her away, rudely enough, and two leagues out of Paris he had her coaches searched and three of her ladies taken out of them and sent prisoners to the Abbey of Ferrieres. There they had to submit to a very close interrogation, even in matters concerning the Queen's honour. The King of Navarre heard all about this while he was at Nerac and he thought it a hard matter to take back his wife after such a public affront. So he decided to send someone to the King, as being the head of the family, to assure him that he would do the Queen no dishonour unless she were herself guilty of dishonour. If she were really guilty he begged the King to punish her, but if she were innocent then he demanded that those who were authors of the slanders should be brought to justice. M. du Plessis was entrusted with this message to the King who was at Lyons and he found it a thorny embassy enough, acting as intermediary between husband and wife and brother and sister in such a ticklish affair. However, the King of Navarre was satisfied and the King (of France) was not offended although M. du Plessis spoke very plainly. There was a good deal of going to and fro between the Kings till things were settled but the whole discussion can be read in M. du Plessis' own notes. The King (of France) took it into his head, after M. du Plessis had delivered his message, to question him upon his religion. M. du Plessis said very frankly that if he had listened to his carnal desires he would have preferred peace and happiness, and if he had listened to his worldly wisdom he would have sought after wealth and honours, and perhaps not unsuccessfully, for he well knew that the party to which he belonged had none of these things to offer ; but he had obeyed his conscience which bade him

AT THE COURT OF NAVARRE 191

hold cheap what he would naturally have valued highly. His Majesty took it in good part and praised him for his sentiments. A warning reached the King of Navarre whilst M. du Plessis was absent that there was a plot to attack him on the highway, and so the King sent a courier, post-haste, to bid him be on his guard. And in truth he ran into great danger between Paris and Lyons from an attempt made on his life by some of the Queen of Navarre's special friends. But God had him in His care. I went to join him in Paris where he only stayed one day. Although I was very near my time I took him in my coach as far as Orleans, whence he took the road to Limoges. I believe this journey over paved roads did me harm, because some time later I was delivered at Rouen of twin sons, both still-born. I ran the greatest danger of my life and was in the deepest trouble because M. du Plessis could not be with me. I was so sure of death that I made my testamenf. My chief aim in so doing was to put into it my confession of faith, leaving all other things for M. du Plessis to settle according to his own wishes. But I also wrote him a letter to bid him farewell and to beg him to care for our children. I wrote it all with my own hand, as can be seen among our papers, and I never thought I should have the happiness to see him again. God helped me through all, using as His instrument M. de l'Aigle, one of the foremost men in the medical profession.

At the beginning of the year 1584 another occasion arose for sending M. du Plessis into France,1 for all this long time I only saw him now and again by chance, and then often at great risk to himself because the times were so very evil. Information more than once reached the King of Navarre on the plots of the King of Spain and the Duke of Savoy 2 against France by means of the House of Lorraine. At one time a certain Captain Beauregard

1 Mile du Plessis here uses the wocfc ' France ' to signify the country north of the Loire. IV

* Charles Emanuel succeeded his father 1580, d. 1530.

A HUGUENOT FAMILY

came to him with an account of all the enterprises in which the Duke of Savoy had employed him in Dauphine" and Provence, and in particular he told him about a great design to seize Aries, which a Captain Espiard had undertaken. Another time he was told of the plans made to seize Orleans and Chalons sur Saone. From Spain he learnt what were the pensions that the King of that country was scattering about France, and finally news reached him from someone in the Viceroy of Valencia's household that war with France was to be declared. These last items of news recalled what the Spanish envoys had said on leaving, " That their merchants were waiting and ready." So he sent for M. de Chatillon and M. du Plessis, just these two and no others, to discuss the whole matter with him. They were all agreed that they must not let France be lost and that an effort must be made to convince the King (of France) where his duty lay.1 So M. du Plessis was dispatched to the King to place all the facts before him so that he might do what was right and proper. M. du Plessis travelled post and on the way fell in with M. de Lausac, the King of Spain's chief agent in France. M. de Lausac has since confessed that he was very near doing him an ill-turn. When M. du Plessis reached his journey's end the King listened to him privately and very patiently. He prefaced his statement by saying that he knew that information coming from huguenot sources would be suspect, but he implored the King to believe that a man might be both a good huguenot and a good Frenchman. The King was certainly much moved by these disclosures, even to saying that M. du Plessis was the first person who had given him any insight as to what was really happening in the kingdom. He did, in fact, send out orders in a thousand directions in an attempt to remedy things ; he seized the siege material prepared for the attack on Aries ; changed the governor of Briancon in Dauphine" ; and

1 Philip II, of Spain, signed a treaty with the leaders of the League in Dec. 1584.

AT THE COURT OF NAVARRE 193

imagined that he had provided for the safety of Orleans and other places. He even did M. du Plessis the honour to consult him on the right measures to take in matters of such moment. Whereupon M. du Plessis had the boldness to reply that in former times Marshals of France had been arrested who had had less chance to do mischief and who deserved it less than those of the house of Lorraine. But he had small hope of any good coming from his mission because the King told him to repeat all that he had said to the Queen mother, and when he demurred the King himself took him to her. The Duke of Alencon also arrived at Court and the King talked to him too, and finally all the King's dispatches were drawn up by M. de Villeroi,1 the Secretary of State. Of course, everything came to the ears of M. de Guise, who was at Court, and who immediately sent his own hired assassin, Captain Johannes, to lodge at the sign of the Bitted Gosling, rue de Bussy, opposite M. du Plessis' lodging, with orders to catch him going in or out. A warning reached M. du Plessis, and so, furnished with a passport from the King, he left Paris by way of Montargis, thence to Gien and so by water to Tours, and thus reached Gascony in safety. In consideration of the service he had done him the King offered him a hundred thousand francs. M. du Plessis refused the offer, although he might very properly have taken a present from his King had he not been afraid it would stir up ill will. Instead of this gift to himself he begged the King to recompense the King of Navarre, his master, whereupon the King granted him fifty thousand crowns, payable from the salt dues of Pecaiz, and out of this grant the King of Navarre made M. du Plessis a present of 500 crowns. His Majesty (Henri III), tried his hardest to make M. du Plessis say that M. de Montmorenci had a share in all these plots, but M. du Plessis steadily denied

1 Nicholas de Neufville, Seigneur de Villeroi, Secretary of State ; joined the League, but after Henri Ill's death attached himself to Henri IV, 1542- 1617.

N

i94 A HUGUENOT FAMILY

it. Another result of this mission was to make the King think more kindly of M. de Chatillon.

It was during this journey to Paris that M. de Buhy and M. du Plessis divided their paternal inheritance. They set a very notable example of brotherly concord for they both submitted to their mother's decision, and, although it was not easy for several reasons, the business was successfully settled without recourse to a notary. It was just at this time that I began to write these memoirs.

The movements of the House of Lorraine, the near approach of the date on which the guarantee towns ought to be given up, M. d'Alen con's perpetual desire for something new, and other such reasons, convinced M. du Plessis that France could not long remain at peace. So, as he longed for us to be as much together as the misery of the age allowed, he decided that I must come

/to Gascony. We settled our private affairs as best we could so that I could follow him as soon as I was ready. He wanted me to bring our son with us because the boy ought not to lose time and also because it was better for him to be out of the reach of enemies. I had all the work in the world to get him away from his grandmother, Mile de Buhy. I had never been afraid to follow M. du Plessis to England, to Flanders or anywhere else, but now the thought of Gascony filled me with horror. I would gladly have given up going because of a vision I had had ten years before this, and two years before we were married, and which now constantly returned to my mind. The vision was this, that the Kingdom would be split up and that to save myself from the disaster I fled to Gascony, which was a thing I should never have thought of doing at that date. I started with a small train and while on the road I heard of the Duke of Alencon's death. When I reached Sainte Foi, M. du Plessis came to meet me and escort me to Montauban, the town he had chosen for my usual place of residence. He was influenced in his choice by the fact that a General Assembly of the Churches was being held there, by the

AT THE COURT OF NAVARRE 195

King's permission, to discuss what could be done to secure peace and what reply should be made to the King's demand by the mouth of M. de Believre, His Majesty's Councillor of State, for the surrender of the guarantee towns.

In this Assembly, which included the King of Navarre, the Prince of Conde, M. de Laval, M. de Turenne, M. de Chatillon and many lords, gentlemen and persons nominated by all the Churches throughout the kingdom, a petition to the King was drawn up. In it His Majesty was humbly implored to correct the manifold ways in which his Edicts of Pacification were either ignored or contravened whether in matters of religion, justice or of the promised securities and pledges. M. du Plessis was unanimously elected to draw up this petition in accordance with the instructions of the provinces represented in the Assembly. It was also resolved to ask His Majesty to leave the guarantee towns in the hands of the protestants for several years longer, and for the same reasons that they were conceded in the first instance, to wit : the bitter ill-feeling and distrust arising from the nonexecution of the aforesaid Edicts. The Assembly also unanimously selected M. de Laval and M. du Plessis to carry this petition as well as their many complaints and requests to His Majesty. M. du Plessis declined on the grounds that he could not be spared from the management of the King of Navarre's household and also that his own family had only just arrived in a town which was entirely strange to them. In spite of this the King of Navarre declared that go he must, and all the more because M. de Laval said he would not go unless M. du Plessis went too. In truth this journey was very hard for me to bear after coming so far in the hope of securing a little comfort in life. But the public good must come first. After the King (of France) had spent several days discussing the petition with the Chancellor, M. de Birague, and Messrs Villequier1 and Believre, by God's

1 Rene de Villequier, Baron de Clairvaux, favourite of Henri III.

196 A HUGUENOT FAMILY

grace he gave his assent to the greater part of the requests expressed in it so far as they concerned religion ; certain regulations in the Chambres de Justice * were also made, in agreement with the Presidents of the Court, after a two-days' conference between Messrs de Laval and du Plessis and the King's representatives in the Chambre St Louis ; but the greatest concession of all, after a flat refusal at first, was the King's consent that the protestants should keep the guarantee towns in their hands for two years longer. By this concession those of the religion could plead a justification of their conduct when the League started a fresh war soon after, because otherwise the Leaguers would have had an excellent pretext in the fact that the guarantee towns had not been surrendered. All the papers relating to this affair are still in our hands. It is worth remarking that when M. du Plessis went to bid the Cardinal de Bourbon farewell, the Cardinal closely questioned him on what the King had said, and that when M. du Plessis told him that the towns were not to be given up for two years he looked greatly taken aback, thereby showing his ill will. Nor did the Cardinal's other actions contradict the impression he then gave, although only a few days previously he had bade M. du Plessis to assure the King of Navarre that as he had the honour to be his uncle he should always be his very good servant, and recognize him as the Head of his House. On his return M. du Plessis very plainly told the King of Navarre what he thought of the Cardinal. During the five months which M. du Plessis spent at the French Court the King often asked him what he heard about the Guises and their plots, about which he could tell him plenty, and His Majesty sometimes sent for him to come alone and see him privately on this matter. This annoyed M. du Plessis because he was afraid that M. de Laval would be jealous. However, this was no bar to their becoming such friends over this negotiation that

1 Local temporary courts of inquiry into irregularities in the finances of various provinces.

AT THE COURT OF NAVARRE 197

when, some time later, M. de Laval died, the King of Navarre would not let the news be sent to M. du Plessis, knowing how great his sorrow would be. Indeed, when the sad news did reach him he nearly fell ill with grief. He has never failed to show his affection to M. de Laval's children, as he had promised their father.

The death of the Duke of Alencon set people a-thinking. The King of Navarre, in the belief that the Queen Mother would be glad of his support should any changes (in the succession to the throne) be attempted, sent M. du Plessis to her with an offer of his services. Her daughter, the Queen of Navarre, who at this date was on good terms with her husband, also wrote to her but the Queen Mother sent back such a chilly reply that the King of Navarre, after thinking the matter over very carefully, came to the conclusion that she had already taken sides with the House of Lorraine and the late Cardinal de Bourbon. That she had done so became very apparent a few months later on.