XXV. protect the capital or defend the Loire.* From this CHAP. dilemma he was rescued by an officer of the name of Depau, who had been an agent of the King of Navarre, and who was in consequence trusted by the German leader. Guise suborned this man to persuade the Germans that Montargis would be easy of capture, the garrison being favourable and inclined to surrender it. The Germans were therefore induced to make unguarded approach; and in the marshes near it, at Vimori, they were surprised by Guise (October 26), losing what they most prized, a quantity of their baggage.† Repulsed at Montargis they advanced to Château Dun, took it, and then directed their march past Etampes, in order to join the prince. This aimless and dangerous march into the centre of France between the armies of Guise and the king, caused disgust amongst the Swiss, who sent privately to Henry to make terms. Guise, aware of this, prepared another ambuscade for the Germans at Auneau. The governor of its castle made with them an agreement of neutrality whilst he admitted the troops of Guise within its walls. No sooner had the Germans on occupying the town dispersed to seek provisions, than the Guisards rushed forth upon them, and in their efforts to extricate themselves from the streets, they lost 1500 of their body, and most of their horses and guns. The Swiss took the opportunity to conclude the treaty and go over to the king. After which there was nothing left but a precipitate retreat for the Germans. Pursued to the Loire by the king's army and intercepted by the Governor of Lyons, Mandelot, they capitulated on condition of being allowed to return home, promising never to enter France as invaders. The Duke of Bouillon escaped to Geneva.‡ The defeat of the Germans by the Duke of Guise Avis de Nevers. MSS. de Mesmes, 5, 8777. † Dutillet's letter from Montargis. MSS. Bethune, 8899. Davila, De Thou, Mém. de la XXV. CHAP. procured him as small immediate advantage as the victory of Coutras had brought Henry of Navarre. The king assumed all the credit of the campaign for himself or his favourite Epernon, to whom he transferred all the honours of Joyeuse, creating him admiral, and Governor of Normandy. Guise was forbidden to accompany Henry's triumphant entrance into the capital, during which the citizens saluted him with the biblical chorus of Saul having slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands. The Duke of Aumale was dismissed to his government of Picardy, and Mayenne to Burgundy, where he was soon after bidden to disband his regiment. This mode of frustrating the Guises of all which they might have expected from their recent reconciliation with the court, and from the services they had rendered in the campaign, could not but arouse their disaffection. They soon manifested it, Guise by attacking the Duke of Bouillon and by laying siege to Jametz, and by the Duc d'Aumale making an attempt upon Boulogne. They also summoned a meeting of the League at Nancy (January 1588), from whence they transmitted arrogant and imperative demands to court. They found there a new ally in Catherine, who had become jealous of the Duke of Epernon's influence with the king, and who blamed the rashness which was the consequence. Fully cognisant of the power and influence of the house of Lorraine, she did not think it could with impunity be set aside. She had moreover assurance from Guise that his purpose was not to dethrone or offer violence to Henry, but merely to force himself upon the monarch as his minister, who, like Montmorency under Henry the Second, should wield administrative and military power.* Catherine beheld her son the tool of every favourite or courtier, and she came to consider it more desirable that Guise * Archbishop of Lyons's advice to Guise on his return to Court. MSS. Colbert, tom. xvi. XXV. should exercise that power than Epernon. When the CHAP. latter therefore advised strong measures, such as the exile of the Duchess of Montpensier, and the introduction of the Swiss into the capital, Catherine opposed him and was seconded by Villequier, who also had weight with the king, and who was in understanding with Guise. Poulain, the provost-lieutenant, admitted at this time to all the councils of the League in Paris, betrayed them to the king, and pointed out to him several opportunities to seize the conspirators and crush them, found all his advice counteracted by Catherine and by Villequier. The ever-crafty queen, whose power it was the chief aim of the League to overthrow, first betrayed the Huguenots to them on the memorable night of St. Bartholomew, and now betrayed her son, the monarch for whose uncontrolled authority she had laboured and intrigued and perilled so much. Had Henry in all things followed the conciliatory counsels of his mother, it would have been better, for he might at least have mollified his foe. But he took precautions and made preparations for energetic measures, which, though he hesitated to proceed with then, still alarmed the Parisian League. He had a sufficient number of troops, upwards of 6000, partly Swiss, whom he stationed in the vicinity of Paris, bringing them at times into the suburbs, and even detachments of them into the Louvre and the strongholds of the city. Whenever he took the latter step, for the sake of defeating some plot of the leaguers, or of the Duchess of Montpensier, they feared and exclaimed that he was going to take vengeance upon them, and secretly importuned Guise to come, in order to protect and lead them. The duke did not wish to precipitate a breach, hoping that the king's fears and Catherine's prudence would induce them to submit to his authority. To provide for the worst, however, he sent officers to Paris, directed the citizens to reduce the sixteen districts to the number of seven, to appoint CHAP. a colonel for each, to keep up their organisation and be ready for resistance. The king, made fully aware of the preparations of his enemies, expostulated with Guise, and supplicated the Pope to use his influence to prevent a catastrophe, which would inevitably occasion a civil war between the Catholics. But Guise had gone too far to retreat. His partisans in Paris, menaced by the king and his Swiss, clamoured for his presence; and Spain, through his ambassador, urged him to act. Hence, notwithstanding large offers of favour and consideration from the king, and injunctions that he should not repair to the capital, Guise made his appearance there on the 9th of May, 1588. He brought but scant escort; the concourse and the acclamations of the people fully supplying the absence of troops. His demeanour was humble, however; for, although the Parisian leaguers aimed at nothing less than dethroning and tonsuring the king, Guise, who knew that the capital alone could not confer a crown, and that he would awaken more jealousy than acquire strength by open usurpation, restricted his ambition to the reality of power, rather than to its dignity or title. But the age was not ripe for a Richelieu to govern in the name of a Louis, and King Henry the Third, however effeminate, could not reconcile himself to play the part of a roi fainéant, especially in the hands of a chief like Guise, whom no scruple arrested and no murder appalled. Guise at first repaired to the residence of the queen mother, and went with her to the Louvre. Henry, *Henry's letter to his envoy in Rome, of April and May,1588. Lucas de Montigny's collection. See also St. Goard's letters. MSS. de St. Germains' Harlay, 288, 9. † Michelet supposes that Spain not only impelled Guise, but precipitated the insurrection of the barri cades, through its agents, independent of and even against the will of Guise, in order to prevent French parties from interfering with the Spanish expedition against England. See MSS. de Mesmes, Mem. de la Ligue, t. iii. MS. Fontanieu, 377, 8, and MSS. Bethune. XXV. alarmed and irritated by the intrusion, is said to have CHAP. at first meditated making away with his audacious visitor. He was induced at least to postpone the design. "What brings you ?" was the monarch's first and natural demand. "To offer to your majesty my service," said Guise, "in calming the emotion of the city, and in entreating your confidence in my fidelity." "I charged you not to come to Paris at a time of such disturbance and danger." "I did not understand that my coming would be disagreeable to your majesty," answered Guise. Henry observed, that the result would test the sincerity of these professions.* The duke evidently failed in his design of intimidating the king, who, he also saw, was prepared to proceed to all lengths against him rather than succumb. Whilst the monarch, therefore, summoned troops to him, and arranged the means to seize the chief malcontents, these, rallying around Guise at his hotel, concocted their plans of resistance. Meetings and conversations between the king and duke led to no result. On the morning of the 12th, Henry, having mustered during the night such of the civic guard as he considered faithful to him, ordered back into Paris† the Swiss and other troops, who took up positions in the square of the Hotel de Ville, of Notre Dame, and the Marché des Innocents, as well as on the bridges. It was some citizens and magistrates favourable to him whom he named in command of the civic guard, and posted in the Marché des Innocents. Having assumed this imposing attitude, he sent injunctions to Guise to quit the capital. The duke replied to the queen mother, and to Secretary Bellievre charged with the message, in such a way as to gain time. His emissaries were * Cayet, Chronologie Novenaire, and accounts published in Cimber and Danjou. Archives curieuses, vol. ii. †They had already entered on the 8th, but had been withdrawn. Henry's letter of the 8th to M. de Rambouillet. |