The Memoirs

An Attempted Assassination

Sometime in the year 1597 the Sieur de Vernay, Lieutenant of the castle of Chinon, growing discontented, turned out the Lady de Chavigny, who acted as Governor of the town for her husband who was incapacitated by age and blindness, and made himself master in her stead. He agreed to hold the place under M. de la Tr^moille and to allow the practice of the reformed religion in exchange for M. de la Tremoille's support. But on being reproached with his treating with the protestants he next had recourse to M. d'Epernon, and even took money from him. M. du Plessis, by the King's command, saw him and made him promise to give up all bargaining with private people and to depend only on the King, who confirmed him in the governorship. Out of this affair arose the attempted assassination of M. du Plessis by the Sieur de St Phal • at Angers. This M. de St Phal had some project for reinstating Madame de Chavigny, who was his aunt, in the governorship of Chinon. He used as his go-between a certain Moncenis who was seized near Mirabeau by some soldiers and the letters he carried were sent to M. du Plessis. M. du Plessis opened some of them just to see whether the bearer was a proper seizure or no, but he decided to set him free and gave him back his letters as soon as he saw they were signed by St Phal. His suspicions had certainly been

1 Georges de Vaudray, Marquis de Saint Phal. His half-sister married Charles de Cosse, Marshal de Brissac. The family motto was " Y'ay valu, vaux et vaudray ". ' Un plaisant ajouta " rien " a l'occasion de l'indigne conduite de St Phal ' in regard to M. du Plessis. Lettres missives de Henri IV, iv, 875.

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aroused but as he could not see his way clearly he said nothing to the King on the subject.

M. du Plessis was afterwards employed in the negotiations for the surrender of Brittany by the Due de Mercceur. St Phal, who was brother-in-law to M. de Brissac, was in Angers when the treaty was arranged between Du Plessis, De Brissac and De Schomberg in that town.

The Marshal de Brissac, M. de Schomberg1 and M. du Plessis spent the morning of the 28th of Oct. 1597 in a conference and at its close they all went to dine together with M. de Rochefort, the Governor of Angers. When M. du Plessis left the Governor's house to return to his own lodgings about two hours after noon, doubting nothing and almost unaccompanied, for his men were scattered about the town amusing themselves, he met M. de St Phal at the entrance to the little street. M. de St Phal told him he had something to say to him. M. du Plessis replied that he was ready to listen, whereupon M. de St Phal demanded to know why his letters had been opened, as was mentioned above. This occurrence had happened five months before. M. du Plessis explained the circumstances exactly as they happened and M. de St Phal seemed to be satisfied, as indeed he had reason. Notwithstanding this he repeated his complaints more forcibly, which is a proof that the deed was premeditated, and M. du Plessis told him twice over that if his explanation did not please him he would give him satisfaction when and how he liked in the way usual between gentlemen, leaving all arrangements to him. On this M. de St Phal took a step backwards and with a stick which he held hidden behind him struck M. du Plessis a blow on his bare head, for they had been speaking together hat in hand. The blow, striking his temple brought M. du Plessis to the ground, staggering as he felt for his sword. St Phal immediately ran for his horse leaving his servants

1 Gaspard de Schomberg, b. 1540 in Saxony, but came young to France and was employed in important positions in the army by Henri III and in finance by Henri IV.

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to finish the job. They lunged at M. du Plessis but partly his fall and partly the help given him by one of his servants saved him. He quickly got to his feet, sword in hand, but by that time St Phal had escaped, leaving his men to form a hedge right across the road to cover his flight and thus he reached the horse in waiting for him. M. de St Phal had ten or twelve men paid to do the job, besides several others hidden in the shops who ran up when the blow was struck ; M. du Plessis had with him only Lugny, his squire, who was attacked from behind and knocked down, Brouard, his maitre d? hotel, who warded off several blows from his master before he fell himself, a clerk to a receiver of Saumur named Pilet and another young man named Drugeon, who chanced to be passing, both of whom set on St Phal's men and both of whom received sword cuts. The news immediately ran round the town that M. du Plessis was killed and the rumour even reached la Doutre, another certain proof that St Phal intended to assassinate him. But thanks to God he was but slightly hurt considering the blow, bv which it is manifest that men can fail to kill even when they intend to do so and would seem to have the power to carry out their intention.

M. de Brissac,1 M. de la Rochepot and M. d'Avaugour, all relatives of St Phal came that same evening to see M. du Plessis, all expressing their detestation of the villain and offering to punish him in whatever way M. du Plessis wished. He replied that the affair was too fresh for any decision to be made and that he must take counsel with his friends on the best course for him to pursue. The King's officials also came to see him to whom he said that they did not need to be told the duties of their charge ; in truth his only wish was to get away from a place where he felt he was very unsafe. That same evening he sent Lenteuille and Pilet with a letter to me which he wrote with his own hand as soon as he knew

1 Charles de Cosse, Due and Marechal de Brissac, Governor of Paris for the League, which city he sold to Henri IV 1594, m. Judith, sister of St Phal.

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he was out of danger. They found me at Gien, still extremely weak with the palpitations brought on by the baths and the waters I had been taking. I was there to / meet our son just home from his travels. The joy of meeting him was dimmed by this sad news. After giving God thanks I decided, in spite of my weakness, to get to Saumur as fast as possible so as to rejoin M. du Plessis while my son rode on before me. When my husband and I came together it seemed like being born again, he ' escaping, out of all likelihood, from assassination and I, contrary to all hope, from the tomb.

On the way from Angers to Saumur M. de Schomberg sent M. de la Bastide, Governor of Pont de Ce* and the King's maitre d'botel ordinaire, to His Majesty and he told the whole story of the attempt on M. du Plessis' life to the King. The King took the matter very much to heart and at once sent M. de la Bastide back to M. du Plessis with a letter written by himself in these very words : " that the injury was done to himself and that as his friend he would stake his life and his sword as freely as any other friend of his, but that as his King he would see that justice was done to his full satisfaction," and so forth. His Majesty told M. de Brissac to hand his prisoner over to M. Dauphin, exempt of his guard, so that he might be safely lodged in the Castle of Angers ; for on the representations of M. de Schomberg M. de Brissac had arrested M. de St Phal, though rather to protect him from vengeance than to further the cause of justice. M. de Brissac shuffled out of complying with the King's orders, assuring His Majesty at the same time that he would answer for St Phal with his honour and his life. But instead of guarding him properly he lent him his house at la Guerche for a prison, whence he soon after escaped into Anjou to his own castle of Beaupreau, in the Mauges country.

This event rallied a number of good friends to M. du Plessis' side. The greater number of the chief nobles and all men of honour who were with His Majesty were

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moved to horror by the infamy of the deed ; the Cour de Parlement expressed a wish that the criminal should be handed over to them to be made an example of ; and the King's own special servants in the Court, Messrs Servain and Mariou, were ready personally to beg the King to allow them to demand justice in his name. The members of the Assembly at Chatellerault,1 both as a body and as representatives of their individual provinces, sent M. de Cases specially to condole with him and to offer him everything that lay in their power or in that of their provinces. They even sent important members of their body to the King to put their procedure before him in the right light. M. du Plessis contented himself with thanking them for their goodwill but declined their offers for fear of arousing jealousy. The principal protestant churches and towns did the same as the Assembly, especially the people of Rochelle, who offered to send a company of citizens with guns and ammunition to help him in anything he might choose to undertake. The Duke of Bouillon,2 a Marshal of France, and M. de la Tremoille both of whom spoke of having the honour to be related to M. du Plessis, laid him under the deepest obligation by their offers of their own persons, of their friends and even of the troops they had in the field. M. de Chatillon, young as he was, did the same and the obligation was as great to his mother as to him ; neither were M. de Rohan and M. de Soubise 3 more backward, for M. de Rohan even proposed to go to the King and demand justice in the name of all the kinsmen, for they recognized that M. du Plessis had the honour to be connected with their house both through his father and his mother. They were strengthened in their friendly offers by the affection which Mme de Rohan, their mother,

1 An Assembly of delegates from the huguenot churches.

2 Henri de la Tour, Vicomte de Turenne, Due de Bouillon 1591.

3 Henri de Rohan, afterwards 1st Due de Rohan, 1579-1638, Benjamin de Rohan, seigneur de Soubise, 1583-1642, sons of Rene de Rohan and Catherine de Parthenay, daughter and heiress of J. de Parthenay de Soubise. Catherine de Parthenay was an ardent calvinist.

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had always shown us. The Princess of Orange * also took up his cause in memory of the good service M. du Plessis had always vowed to her late husband, and the friendship between them. She assured the King that every honourable man, without as well as within the realm was watching to see that justice was done. Among the nobles and gentry of the protestant religion, who showed their friendly feelings, were the Marquis of Gallerande, the Vidame de Chartres, Messrs de la Force,2 de Parabere, de Montglat * and a dozen more. Of the Catholic nobility M. de Montpensier did him the honour to offer his services, addressing him as a kinsman ; Mme de Fontevrault,4 agreeably to her sex, showed the liveliest sympathy ; the Constable wrote to him assuring him that he would see that justice was done, lost no opportunity of pressing the matter and followed it up to its conclusion. The Comte de Chiverny,6 the Chancellor, sent most friendly letters all the way to Saumur ; M. d'Elbceuf,* mindful of certain good turns which M. du Plessis had done him, took his revenge with such kindness as cannot be told ; M. de Villeroi, Secretary of State, specially made the affair his own and omitted nothing friendship could demand. M. du Plessis had also good reason to feel obliged to Marshal Boisdauphin,7 and to the Governors of Poitou, Touraine, Rennes, de la Marche and Angers, to the Bishop of Bayeux and to many more catholic nobles and gentry of importance, one and all offering to do anything in their power. In especial

1 Louise de Coligny, 4th wife of William, Prince of Orange, d. of Admiral Coligny.

a Jacques Nonpar de Caumont, Marquis de la Force, afterwards Duke, and Marshal of France, 1558-1652.

1 Robert de Harlay, baron de Montglat. His wife was afterwards ' gouvernante ' to the children of Henri IV.

* Eleanor de Bourbon, aunt to Henri IV, Abbess of Fontevrault.

6 Philippe Hurault, 1528-1599, Chancellor of France under Henri III and Henri IV.

6 Charles de Lorraine, Due d'Elbceuf, son of Rene, 7th son of Claude, 1st Due de Guise, d. 1609.

7 Urbain de Laval, marquis de Sable, Marshal of France under the title of Marechal de Boisdauphin. Fought for the League but later supported Henri IV.

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M. de Malicorne, Governor of Poitou, who was seventyyears old, offered to come with five hundred gentlemen, all friends of his. I tell all these things not from vanity but because our son ought to know to whom we are under obligation so that he may return the kindness to them and theirs. Nor ought I to forget Mme d'Avaugour, St Phal's aunt. She sent a gentleman for the express purpose of telling M. du Plessis how much she detested the deed and to protest that she preferred his friendship and his kindredship above the near relationship of his opponent, and that if her sex allowed she would like to be in at the vengeance. Among our near relatives those who took the matter most to heart were M. de Buhy, M. du Plessis' elder brother (whom God took to Himself before the cause was settled) ; the Archbishop of Rheims,1 his uncle, the Bishop of St Malo 2 and M. de Vardes, his first cousins, M. de Mouy, although he served under St Phal, and many others of our kindred. So far as men of Law were concerned there were Forget de Blancmesnil and de Thou,3 presidents of the court, du Bouchet, president of the Chambre des Comptes and Messrs de Fresne and de Guere, secretaries of State. His kinswoman, the Mar6chale de Retz,4 promised her husband's friendship and the personal help of her son.

M. du Plessis was bewildered between the varied advice and his own honour and conscience, but resolved to do nothing to satisfy the first to the prejudice of the second. So as to do everything with ripe consideration after hearing the advice of his nearest kinsmen he begged M. de Pierrefitte first to go to His Majesty with his humble thanks for the honour he had done him and then to summon a family council to determine on the proper course to pursue. Those who followed the profession of

1 Philippe de Bee, Archbishop of Rheims, 1598-1608. He was appointed to the see by Henri IV in 1594 but could not take possession till 1598.

2 Jean de Bee, Bishop of St Malo, 1599-1610. He was made Bishop of Nantes in 1594 and exchanged it for St Malo.

3 Jacques Auguste de Thou, 3rd son of Christophe de Thou, the historian. * Catherine de Clermont Tonnerre, m. Albert de Gondi, Marechal de

Retz.

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arms advised a recourse to arms, not by a challenge of which they all agreed St Phal had rendered himself unworthy, but by some act of violence which his conduct had made permissible. Those who followed the profession of justice preferred a recourse to justice for an act in which honour had no part, being in fact an attempt at assassination and therefore to be judged as a crime, a course which would certainly make a striking example of the culprit. But although the path of justice could not be followed without renouncing the path of honour it was decided to choose the former, provided that the King would consent to be made a party to the cause ; and to secure His Majesty's consent the whole family were to petition him for justice with the exception of M. du Plessis, who would thus be left free to follow the other path should God furnish an opportunity. It was M. du Plessis' intention to seize St Phal by any possible means either in his own house or wherever else he might be, and having got hold of him to hand him over unhurt to the King since His Majesty had made the quarrel his own ; and M. du Plessis was ready to declare himself satisfied if once St Phal's life and honour were in his hands without doing him any hurt at all. The family council decided that M. de Rosny1 was to present its petition to the King, backed by all the kinsmen, but M. de Rosny and M. de Fresne, although they agreed with the rest, thought it would be better to ascertain the King's wishes first. These two gentlemen therefore promised to speak with His Majesty. The King's opinion was not favourable for he replied that the deed itself and the high merit of the victim touched him too nearly for any petition to be needed, and he would see such justice done as would content the whole clan.

At this date M. du Plessis had three regiments under him commanded by three of his friends. Besides these

a Maximilien de Bethune, Marquis de Rosny, afterwards Due de Sully, 1560-1641, in. in 1592 Rachel de Vaucelas, daughter of Mile du Plessis' sister. Her first husband was Fr. Hurault de Chateaupers.

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troops numbers of the nobility offered help and the Dukes of Bouillon and la Tremoille asked for nothing better than to come to his assistance. Artillery and ammunition were not lacking and he could easily have invested St Phal in his house of Beaupr^au and have done what justice he pleased on him. One consideration only restrained him. A great deal of bad feeling had been stirred up between people of both religions by the Assembly at Chatellerault. If he were to take the field, supported by all the principal lords of the religion to which he belonged, all those of the contrary religion would believe, or at least pretend to believe, that there was a general uprising and they would at once seize their arms too. Thus the State would be disturbed on his private account and he would have no certainty of being able to pacify it again. The fact that his troops would eat the country bare if he were to fight for his own private ends also weighed with him. He did, however, consent that our son should try to capture St Phal's house by petard or assault but he made him and the captains who went with him swear to do St Phal no hurt, but to bring him back prisoner if they possibly could. After all St Phal got a warning from Saumur in time to escape, for he had already arranged to take a long journey as a cloak for his real purpose. There is no great difficulty in guessing who gave him the warning.

In the month of January 1598 M. de Buhy, M. du Plessis' elder brother, died in his own house. He was seized with a violent attack of apoplexy while out hunting and had already had two similar attacks. We felt his loss even in the state we were in. The King wrote a letter of condolence to M. du Plessis saying that his own loss was not less than ours. M. de Buhy had been promised the governorship of either Calais or Nantes, whichever town was the first to acknowledge obedience to the King and His Majesty confirmed this promise with warm expressions of regret when he passed through Saumur. Unhappily it was not found possible to secure

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either his existing appointments nor his future preferment for his twelve-year-old son.

[After peace was made with Spain the Duke of Mercceur surrendered the Duchy of Brittany and agreed to give his only child in marriage to the King's natural son Csesar.]

On the marriage of Caesar, the son of the King and the Duchess of Beaufort, His Majesty gave him the Duchy of Vendome as a wedding present with the consent of Mme Catherine, Duchess of Bar. Now it should be noted that this Duchy was the principal possession of the house of Navarre, of which M. du Plessis was the surintendant ; nevertheless he was never consulted on the gift nor had anything whatever to do with it. No doubt His Majesty feared that he would make, because of his very fidelity, some remonstrance on the subject. So he was only summoned with the rest of the Council when everything had been settled by the President Jeanin1 and two notaries simply to hear the deed read aloud before the parties, and again when it was presented to Madame, the King's sister, for her agreement.

While the King was at Angers as St Phal refused to appear, and his brother-in-law, the Marshal de Brissac, pretended that he was unable to hand him over to the King as was his duty, a commission was sent to the court of Parliament directing that he should be brought to trial, with orders to the procureurs and the avocats generals to see that justice was done. The crime was described as lying in ambush. The Court of Parliament sent the commission on to the Lieutenant General of Tours for further information. Whereupon the members of our family bestirred themselves, more especially M. de Mouy, who was related to both parties but who was M. du Plessis' particular friend. He felt it a hard thing to have his arms and his house dishonoured in the

1 Pierre Jeanin, 1540-1622. celebrated statesman, employed first by the League and afterwards frequently employed by Henri IV in important affairs of State.

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person of St Phal. He sounded M. du Plessis in every possible way, first at Angers and then at Nantes, but as he could not find that he was in any way in fault the King commanded the Marshals of France to meet. As the result of their deliberations some sort of agreement was reached on the proper reparation to be made by St Phal to M. du Plessis. While this conference of the Marshals was being held M. du Plessis begged His Majesty to give him leave of absence, which was granted in a very friendly way. He went to Saumur whither the Mardchal de Bouillon,1 his very particular friend, followed him to see if he were willing to agree to the terms drawn up by the aforesaid conference. But on reading it he asked M. de Pierrefitte to go to the King at Rennes and lay before him his objections to it. The Lieutenant General of Tours, roused by the infamy of the deed, made very careful inquiries and examined several witnesses. Others were examined at Rennes and all the evidence was sent to the record office of the Cours de Parlement of Paris, where it can be seen and is more than enough to prove the assassination and send the culprit to the scaffold. All this was done without any interference on the part of M. du Plessis. These proceedings were postponed on the King's return to Paris on the assurance of St Phal's family that he would give himself up to justice if they were allowed to drop entirely, but only on condition that they would be pursued if he failed to obey within a limited time.

On the 15th of April in this same year 1598, at two o'clock in the afternoon Philippe de la Verrie was born at Saumur, whither my daughter,2 his mother, had come to be near me, for she and her husband wanted our help in certain business matters. M. du Plessis followed the King, on his return from Rennes, as far as Bourdaisieres near Tours. Here, by the King's desire he and M. de

1 Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Due and Marechal de Bouillon.

2 Susanne de Pas, d. of Mile du Plessis' first husband, ra. M. de la Verrie 1597-

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Villeroi, the Secretary of State, examined the treaty with Spain, which was ratified on their report.

He soon returned to Saumur, promising the King to rejoin him whenever he was sent for. A long time went by before any summons came, partly because St Phal would not move until he was assured that he would not be brought to trial, and partly because, when the assurance was given, St Phal abused it and went about Paris quite openly. It was only when M. du Plessis sent a serious complaint to the King that the culprit was at last sent as a prisoner to his own house of St Phal in Champagne, in the charge of two officers of justice. M. du Plessis had told the King through M. de Chesnaye, a gentleman-in-waiting who had been sent to summon him to court, that he could expect no good result from such a beginning, since his opponent was allowed to go about Paris armed, a sure argument that he could expect no real satisfaction if even the mere decencies of conduct were not insisted on. The King took this complaint to heart and the officer in charge of St Phal was nearly cashiered. Soon after the King was ordered a course of treatment and the whole affair was postponed till the winter. All these comings and goings occupied the whole time between June and the end of October.

M. du Plessis was most unwilling to rejoin His Majesty before St Phal was sent to the Bastille. The King promised that he should be sent there but not before M. du Plessis had arrived at Court, for fear lest the prisoner should be left to languish too long. And things being in this position M. du Plessis was advised by his kinsmen not to set out. At length they counselled him to come, but strictly on the King's business and not on his own, for he was wanted on account of certain difficulties which had arisen in the affairs of the Religion and also to conclude the marriage-contract of Madame, the King's sister. So he came to St Germain en Laye where the Court was, accompanied only by M. de Villarnoul to whom our eldest daughter was contracted, the Sieur de

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Nesde, maitre de camp, and the Sieur de la Ferriere, standard-bearer of his troop and commandant of Veziens. He would bring no more followers for he had no wish to come attended by a crowd while his opponent was a prisoner in the hands of justice. His Majesty did him the honour to send his private secretary, M. du Morier, to meet him at Meulan with a letter saying how glad the King was that he was on his way and promising him all he could ask from a good master. So he saw the King at St Germain on Dec. 20, 1598 and was very well received by him and all the lords at court and his own friends. Several days passed without mention of his own private affairs but plenty was said about the King's business. In particular he was employed with the Duke of Bouillon to soothe the opposition of the clergy to the Edict given to the protestants (Edict of Nantes), as well as the objections raised by the legal officers of the Crown to its verification, and finally to arrange with the Court of Parliament the modifications which that body wished to introduce into it. In spite of all these obstacles by dint of the King's prudence and dexterity, and especially by the excellent alternatives to certain expressions which were suggested to him, the Edict was simply verified without having recourse to the authority of the King's personal presence, which might have been construed as the use of force on his part ; for His Majesty was convinced that it was better to gain his end step by step, through argument, than by the use of authority, a procedure which would have been prejudicial to the Edict and would have rendered its acceptance more difficult. It is undoubtedly true that the Edict as verified is weaker than when it was drawn up at Nantes, but not much nor in matters of importance. The two chief differences are these : the first, that the six protestant councillors who ought to form part of the Chambre de V Edict at Paris were scattered among the other Chambres (and it should be noted that this point had been conceded before M. du Plessis left Saumur) ; the second, that the national synods could

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only be held with His Majesty's permission. The King was pleased to write to M. du Plessis, when he remonstrated on the point, that he would see that the protestants were satisfied. And if the meeting at Chatellerault could have believed it, no special article was needed, because the general article, allowing the exercise and discipline of the protestant Church, would have covered all they required.

At last St Phal was brought prisoner to Paris and immediately lodged in the Bastille, his sword being taken from him by M. de la Force, Captain of the Guard. This was on the 12th January 1599. At the same time a courier was sent to Buhy, where M. du Plessis was, commanding his attendance. In the meantime the Constable,1 the Marshals of France and the most notable among the Chevaliers had met to arrange the business, watched over by M. de Vardes, our first cousin, to see that nothing was done to M. du Plessis' prejudice. As he saw that things were all as they should be (and he was very punctilious not only for himself but for his friends no less), he wrote to tell M. du Plessis that he need not hesitate to come to Paris. As soon as M. du Plessis arrived he invited all his chief friends and his nearest relatives who were in the city at the time to his lodgings. When they were assembled he asked them to give their opinion, with due regard to his honour and their own, on the form of reconciliation which had been proposed to him. They one and all approved of it, declaring that in a like case they would none of them refuse a similar form and that were a Prince the offended party he could ask for no fuller a satisfaction. The said form of procedure and apology was couched in the following terms :

" The Constable and the Marshals of France are to present themselves before the King and to inform him that they have examined into everything that passed between M. du Plessis and M. de St Phal ; that they find that M. de St Phal has deeply offended His Majesty,

1 See introduction.

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and deserves punishment ; and that he cannot meet M. du Plessis in combat because the nature of his crime disqualifies him. Furthermore, since M. de St Phal's family has already implored His Majesty for pardon, the Constable is to say that this prayer has been repeated over again to him, and that he joins his own supplication to those of M. de St Phal's family for His Majesty's permission to present M. de St Phal to him so that the culprit may implore pardon on his knees for his offence.

" When St Phal presents himself before His Majesty he is to kneel on the ground and humbly beg pardon for the fault he has committed. He will beg to be allowed to apologise to M. du Plessis in the King's presence. Then he is to rise and say to M. du Plessis the following words : ' Sir, I have reason to believe that you have reported certain facts to His Majesty, which might make him doubt the loyalty which I owe him as his very faithful servant. These facts are as follows : that when you were at Angers, after having dined together at M. de Rochepot's lodgings, I saw you leave attended by only four men, and that I followed you a few minutes later better accompanied than you were and was joined by more of my men in the street outside ; having caught you up I asked you to clear up a question between us. You answered courteously and offered to give me the satisfaction usual between men of honour, which offer should have contented me. But the belief that you had wronged me had such power over me that it clouded my mind, and drove me to do you the injury which I had already planned to do you. Seizing a stick, which I had hidden behind me out of your sight, I gave you a blow which felled you to the ground. I ran immediately for my horse while my servants, sword in hand, attacked yours who were endeavouring to defend you. I confess that I deliberately attacked you and with such advantage on my side as no man of honour could think of employing. For all which things I beg your forgiveness and will submit to receive a like blow to the one I gave you.

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At the same time I implore you to intercede for me to the King so that he may stay the course of justice and avert the punishment I deserve for having so unworthily injured a gentleman of your quality, a Councillor of State who was in the exercise of a commission of the highest importance. In return I shall for ever be your friend and servant, assuring you that had a like chance happened to me I should feel I had received full satisfaction.'

" M. du Plessis shall thereupon humbly implore the King to pardon M. de St Phal and shall declare that, so far as he himself was concerned, he would have gladly secured satisfaction by a different way. The King shall then do M. du Plessis the honour to say that he had always held that M. St Phal's conduct neither could nor ought to be avenged by a recourse to arms ; and this being so he considered that M. de St Phal's submission was sufficient reparation for the wrong he had done and that M. du Plessis ought to be satisfied with it. He felt this all the more strongly because it was most essential that all quarrels between his servants should be settled, especially between those of so much importance. As for the crime against himself he would consider what should be done about that later on.

" M. du Plessis shall thereupon say to M. St Phal that since it was the King's pleasure and also since the Constable and the Marshals of France were all agreed that proper satisfaction had been given him, he pardoned him at His Majesty's command. The King shall then do M. St Phal the honour to say that he also pardoned him at M. du Plessis' request, at the same time blaming his conduct and bidding him take care not to offend again in a like manner."

Everything being thus arranged on the following day M. de la Force, the Captain of the Guard, brought M. St Phal, unarmed, into the King's presence. Throwing himself upon his knees at the King's feet before all the Princes and nobles then at Court M. St Phal read aloud

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the above apology. Most of those who had formed M. du Plessis' family council were present. They did not accompany M. du Plessis however, but each arrived by himself because M. du Plessis would not come to meet a bound man escorted by his friends. It should be noted that when the question was raised as to whether M. St Phal should wear his sword whilst making his apologies, His Majesty ordered that he should appear before him unarmed, but that having begged for pardon and for leave to apologise to M. du Plessis his sword should be restored. The reason for this was that His Majesty was of opinion that it was more in accordance with M. du Plessis' honour for apologies to be made by an armed rather than by an unarmed man. It was enough that, by appearing unarmed before the King, the prisoner acknowledged himself unworthy to bear arms until his right to them was restored by the King's clemency. A legal document was drawn up and signed by His Majesty and countersigned by M. de Villeroi, Secretary of State, which expressly stated that " St Phal was granted a pardon for the crime of lying in ambush," etc. It should not be forgotten that the sentence as described above having been carried out in every particular, His Majesty rebuked St Phal in the following terms. I repeat his very words.

" That he, an inexperienced man ought to be ashamed to attack an old Knight, one who had distinguished himself in many fights and in four pitched battles, who had won fame in the service of his King, who had filled some of the first positions of command, and who, nevertheless, had offered to meet him as a man of honour. However, he (the King) would pardon him on account of his youth and at M. du Plessis' own request, but that if anyone behaved in a like manner in the future he (the King) would make a signal example of the culprit."

As this attack on M. du Plessis had been much noised abroad, both within and without the realm, M. du Plessis sent a copy of the apology to all his friends and

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especially to the deputies from the Churches at that time sitting at Chatellerault. The ambassadors also all asked to see it and he received congratulations on every side. It should be noted that the apology was signed by the Constable and all the Marshals who had sat in judgment, especially by the Marshal de Brissac, St Phal's brother-in-law, who has since done everything in his power to be friendly with M. du Plessis. M. du Plessis also felt much indebted to M. de la Force for his behaviour in the last scene. But after all it was the Constable and the Duke of Bouillon who really carried the matter through. The King proved his good will the whole time by saying a word in favour of the wronged party whenever he thought it useful, although he had steadily refused to allow St Phal to be proceeded against by law, an action which would have covered him with disgrace.