MARRIAGE OF HENRY IV. AND BIRTH OF LOUIS XIII.

N the year 1600, the king married Mary de Medicis; and on the 11th of August, in the same year, he declared war against the Duke of Savoy. The pope was relieved from the task of arbitrating

on the question which had been referred to him by the treaty of Vervins, on the subject of the Marquisate of Saluces; and the Duke Emanuel had appeared in person at the French court, to open negotiations, in order to terminate all differences. After two months, passed at Fontainebleau in splendid fêtes and varied entertainments, the

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duke took his departure, without having accomplished any thing, or submitted any proposition to the king, but one to form a league to expel the Spaniards from Italy. He had, however, tampered secretly with the Marshal Biron, by promising him the hand of his daughter, with the duchy of Burgundy. At his departure, Henry had offered him Le Bresse 'n exchange for the marquisate, giving him three months to consider of the offer. At the expiration of that period, and after new delays being granted, which led to no satisfactory adjustment of the existing differences, the king, tired of the subterfuges of the duke, repaired to Lyons. La Bresse was attacked; Duterrail seized on Bourg; Crequi entered Savoy, and took Montmélian. Henry himself marched on Chambérg, and took the Chateaux of Conflans and La Charbonnière, which commanded the entrance of the Tarentaise, and of La Maurienne. The Duke of Savoy, abandoned by the Spaniards, considered himself fortunate that the pope sent his nephew, the Cardinal Aldobrandini, to negotiate a peace. On the 17th of January, 1601, a treaty was signed at Lyons, under which Emanuel çeded La Bresse, Le Bugey, Le Valromey, and the whole line of the Rhone, and also the bailiwick and the barony of Gex. These concessions made, the king gave up to him the Marquisate of Saluces, and restored to him the several conquests which he had made.

On the 27th of September, in the same year, the queen was delivered of a son at Fontainebleau. The king gave to this new born infant the name of Louis, in honour of St. Louis, the founder of his race, and of Louis XII., the father of his people. He invoked on him the blessing of Heaven, gave him his own, and placed his sword in his hand, praying to God that he would give him grace only to use it for his glory, and the defence of his people.

DEATH OF HENRY IV.

HE king wished to leave the regency to Mary de Medicis, assisted by a council of fifteen persons, chosen from among the most competent in the kingdom. Concini and his wife counselled him to cause the queen to be anointed and crowned before his departure. He con

sented to it with regret, notwithstanding the sad presentiments which came over him. " My friend," he often said to Sully, "they will kill me. For my enemies there is no remedy but my death.”

The coronation took place on the 13th of January, 1610; the queen was to make her entry into Paris on the 16th of the same month. Already had the troops assembled on the frontier of Champagne, and the king only waited for the entry which had been arranged, to put himself at their head. We shall here relate what followed in the quaint language of L'Etoile. Like Julius Cæsar, Henry appears to have been warned of his coming fate, but in vain. "On Friday, the 14th of May, 1610, a day sad and fatal for France, the king, at ten in the morning, heard mass at the Feuillants. On his return, he withdrew to his cabinet, where the Duke de Vendome, his natural son, for whom he had a great affection, sought him, to tell him that an individual named La Brosse, a professor of astrology, had told him that the constellation under which his majesty was born, threatened him with great danger on that very day, and therefore he advised him to be especially on his guard. La Brosse is a cunning old trickster,' said he, laughing, to the Duke de Vendome, who wishes to have some of your money; and you are a young fool to believe him. Our days are all numbered before God.' The duke, upon that, went to report what had passed to the

queen, who entreated the king not to leave the Louvre for the rest of the day. He gave the same reply to her which he had given to the duke.

"After dinner, the king threw himself on his bed to rest; but not being able to sleep, he arose, sad, uneasy and thoughtful, and walked backwards and forwards in his chamber for some time, and then again laid down on the bed. Still unable to sleep, he arose, and asked the exempt of the guards what time it was? The exempt replied that 'it was four o'clock;' and said, Sire, I see your majesty is sad and pensive; it would be better that you should take a little air. That will refresh your spirits.'- Well said,' replied the king; order my carriage to be brought. I will go to the arsenal to see the Duke of Sully, who is indisposed, and who takes a bath to-day.'

"The carriage was made ready, and he left the Louvre, accompanied by the Duke de Montbazon, the Duke d'Epernon, Marshal de Lavardin, Roquelaure, La Force, Mirabeau, and Liancourt, his first gentleman. At the same time, he ordered the sieur de Vitry, captain of his guards, to go to the palace to hasten the preparations which were making for the entry of the queen, and directed that his guards should remain at the Louvre. Such being the arrangements, the king was followed but by a small party of gentlemen on horseback, and a few valets on foot. The carriage was unfortunately open at each door, as the weather was fine, and the king wished to see, as he passed along, the preparations which were making in the city. His carriage was entering the rue St. Honoré, from that of Ferronneire, when it encountered on one side a vehicle laden with wine, and on the other a wagon filled with hay, which caused some obstruction, and he was forced to halt, as the street was very narrow, from the shops coming forward, which were built against the wall of the cemetery of the Innocents.

"Being thus impeded, a great portion of the valets passed on foot into the cemetery, to run more at their ease, and to get before the carriage to the end of the street. Of two va

lets, who alone followed the coach, one went forward to remove the obstruction, and the other was stooping to tie his garter, when a miscreant from hell, called Francis Ravaillac, a native of Angoulême, who had had time during the pause which had taken place to note on which side the king was seated, mounted on the wheel of the carriage, and, with a two-edged knife, struck the king a blow between the second and third ribs, a little above the heart, which caused the king to exclaim, 'I am wounded!' The villain, without being frightened, repeated the assault, and struck a second blow on the heart, from which the king, having breathed one deep sigh, immediately expired. This second blow was followed by a third, so fierce was the regicide against the king; but this only struck the sleeve of the Duke de Montbazon.

"Most surprising to relate, none of the lords who were seated in the carriage with the king had seen him struck; and if the hellish monster had thrown away his knife, it had not been known from what quarter the violence had proceeded. He, however, remained fixed, as if to make himself seen, and to glory in the greatest of assassinations."

Henry was of middle stature, active, inured to fatigue and pain. His temperament was robust, his health excellent, with the exception of some occasional attacks of the gout, which, however, passed away speedily, leaving no infirmity behind. His forehead was bold, his eye lively and assured, his nose aquiline, his complexion vermilion, his countenance altogether mild and dignified. His beard was broad, and his hair short. They became gray at an early period. "It is the wind of my adversity," said he, "that has blanched them," to those who marked astonishment at the change of colour which has been mentioned.