Chapter XXV

Offer of Schomberg, Saint-Géran and Marillac to take Montauban within twelve days--Advice of Père Arnoux--Diplomacy of Bassompierre--A humiliating fiasco--A second attempt meets with no better success--Bassompierre counsels the King to raise the siege, and it is decided to follow his advice--General exasperation against Luynes--Louis XIII begins to grow weary of his favourite--Conversation of the King with Bassompierre--The latter warns Luynes that he “does not sufficiently cultivate the good graces of the King”--Reply of the Constable--Louis XIII twits Luynes with the love of the Duc de Chevreuse for his wife--Puisieux, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Père Arnoux, the King’s Jesuit confessor, conspire against the Constable--Disgrace of the latter--Bassompierre, at the head of the bulk of the Royal forces, lays siege to Monheurt--A perilous situation--Bassompierre falls ill of fever--He leaves the army and sets out for La Réole--He is taken seriously ill at Marmande--His three doctors--Approach of the enemy--Refusal of the townsfolk to admit him and his suite into the town--A terrible night--He recovers and proceeds to Bordeaux--Death of the Constable before Monheurt.....pp. 321-339

CHAPTER XXVI

Who will govern the King and France?--The pretenders to the royal favour--Position of Bassompierre--The Cardinal de Retz and Schomberg join forces and secure for their ally De Vic the office of Keeper of the Seals--They propose to remove Bassompierre from the path of their ambition by separating him from the King--Bassompierre is offered the lieutenancy-general of Guienne and subsequently the government of Béarn, but declines both offices--He inflicts a sharp reverse upon Retz and Schomberg--Condé joins the Court--His designs--The rival parties: the party of the Ministers and the party of the marshals--_Monsieur le Prince_ decides to ally himself with that of the Ministers--Mortifying rebuff administered by the King to the Ministers at the instance of Bassompierre--Failure of an attempt of the Ministers to injure Bassompierre and Créquy with Louis XIII--Arrival of the King in Paris--Affectionate meeting between him and his mother--Accident to the Queen.....pp. 340-352

CHAPTER XXVII

Question of the Huguenot War the principal subject of contention between the two parties--Condé and the Ministers demand its continuance--Marie de’ Medici, prompted by Richelieu, advocates peace--Secret negotiations of Louis XIII with the Huguenot leaders--Soubise’s offensive in the West obliges the King to continue the war--Louis XIII advances against the Huguenot chief, who has established himself in the Île de Rié--Condé accuses Bassompierre of “desiring to prevent him from acquiring glory”--Courage of the King--Passage of the Royal army from the Île du Perrier to the Île de Rié--Total defeat of Soubise--Siege of Royan--The King in the trenches--His remarkable coolness and intrepidity under fire--Capitulation of Royan--The Marquis de la Force created a marshal of France--Conversation between Louis XIII and Bassompierre--Diplomatic speech of the latter.....pp. 353-362