САМЕО
XIX.

The Stone of

the Swede. 1632.

Swedes, after nine hours of terrific fighting, could hardly have withstood fresh men, but darkness was coming on, no one gave them orders, and they halted for the night, only saving Wallenstein's retreat to Leipsic.

The Swedes, heavy-hearted and exhausted, did not know in the darkness and fog how the day had ended, and Bernhard and Kniphausen deliberated whether to retreat to Weissenfels, but they finally determined to remain where they were till morning; and just then a prisoner was brought in, from whom they learnt that Wallenstein was in full retreat to Leipsic. At least they had this knowledge to console them on that terrible night, when the living lay down among the dead, worn out, grief stricken, exhausted and hungry, and a sharp frost killed many of the wounded.

Gustavus's corpse was found, and the poor young volunteer still alive beside him. The lad was carried to Naumburg, where he told his story to some kind friends, and died. The King's body was taken to Naumburg, and eventually to Stockholm. The King's equerry, Jacob Erichson, harnessed ten boors from Menchen to a huge rough boulder and placed it so as to mark the place of the hero's fall, carving on it the letters "G. A., 1632."

Up to the days when another battle of Lutzen somewhat effaced the memory of the first, the Saxon peasant never passed without baring his head in reverence to the Stone of the Swede, the great and good man who died in the defence of oppressed Germany.

The French
Court.

THE reign of Louis XIII. in France was neither more nor less than CAMEO XX. the reign of Armand du Plessis, Cardinal de Richelieu. The feeble, indolent spirit of the King recognised that no one else could so well conduct his affairs, and though occasional restlessness under the yoke tempted one person after another to endeavour to help him to shake it off, he always fell back on the Cardinal, and left them to be ruined by their attempts. And Richelieu was absolutely ruthless when an enemy to himself or to the Crown was to be overthrown.

One of his chief enemies was the Queen Mother, Marie de Medici. Having introduced him at Court as her almoner, she thought him bound to her service, and viewed all opposition from him as ingratitude. Moreover, she greatly disapproved of the alliance with the German Protestants against the House of Austria, and viewed the extirpation of heresy as her son's prime duty.

Equally discontented was her second son, Gaston, Duke of Orleans, a foolish, weak, and mischievous youth, no wiser than his brother, and with less of what passed for a conscience; but important to the kingdom, since the Queen continued childless, and he alone stood between the succession and the Prince of Condé. Gaston had lost his wife, the heiress of Montpensier, and had only an infant daughter, and his second marriage was the occasion of endless intrigues. After the taking of Rochelle, there was a sharp war in Savoy and Italy, which need not be entered on here; Richelieu moved to the south, taking the Court with him, and watched over the war, changing the generals in command so often and with such harsh strictures on their management, as to excite the greatest dislike in these high-spirited |

CAMEO XX.

Intrigue of
Marie de
Medici.

1630.

Soldiers, who could not but resent and chafe against such treatment from an ecclesiastic.

Meantime Louis fell into a state of utter ennui and depression, which became deep melancholy, and at Lyons culminated in a very severe illness, during which, for five days, his life was despaired of. His mother and wife nursed him so tenderly and showed him so much affection that his heart was warmed towards them, and he listened to their complaints of the Cardinal's keeping them at a distance from him, and maligning all their actions. Louis, who was jealous of his minister, and had no real affection, listened, and promised them that he would put an end to the war, and dismiss Richelieu on his return to Paris. As soon as he could move the journey was begun, going down the Loire in large barges. There was a game of dissimulation going on all the time, especially between Queen Marie and the Cardinal, who visited her in her boat, knelt by her bed, and showed her great attention, while she received him with apparent complacency and affection, calling him "Mio caro," and "Amico del cor mio." She and Anne of Austria had together with Monsieur settled their new ministry, intending Marillac, the Keeper of the Seals, for Prime Minister, brother of him who commanded in Italy, and would support Marie with the army; but Louis declared that the crisis must be deferred for six weeks, in order that the matters in hand might be finished.

Probably the Cardinal knew all perfectly well, though he made no sign. The Queen Mother came to take up her abode at the Luxemburg Palace, which she had just completed, and already ventured to show rudeness to the Cardinal, and his niece, Madame de Combalet, who was one of her ladies. On the morning of the 10th of November she gave orders that when the King came to see her, no one else should be admitted. Louis came, and was quickly followed by the Cardinal, but the door of the Queen's apartments was shut, and there was no answer to any summons. Richelieu, however, knew the place thoroughly, and going round the gallery, and through a little chapel, presented himself in the royal chamber.

"Here he is!" cried the King, like a boy caught in the fact. "Non faisions!" faltered the King.

"Confess, Madame!" severely said the Cardinal, with his keen, powerful eyes fixed sternly on her.

"Well, yes!" she passionately broke out, we were talking of the wickedest and most ungrateful of men," and half in French half in Italian she poured forth a perfect flood of feminine abuse, in the midst of which the King sneaked away, muttering that it was late, and he had to go to Versailles. Richelieu could not get away from the Queen so as to come up with the runaway before the carriage had driven off, and for the moment he thought all was lost, went home, and prepared to start for Havre de Grace, which belonged to him and whence escape uld be easy.

The Queen Mother thought her triumph secure. She dismissed all the kinsfolk of Richelieu from her suite, and even every one whom he had recommended, and she held court at the Luxemburg, receiving the congratulations of her party; while Marillac went to his house in the neighbourhood of Versailles to be ready for a summons to the King in the morning. When the King had gone his favourite Saint Simon, who was strongly in the interests of Richelieu, contrived to speak to the Cardinal de la Valette, and tell him to go and advise Richelieu not to relinquish the field, but to be at hand at Versailles, without showing himself.

Louis wandered about the Castle at Versailles, which was still a very small place, grumbling at everything, but especially at his mother's hastiness in bursting out too soon, and at all the trouble that the change would entail on him. He stood at last drumming on the window-panes with his fingers, and saying to Saint Simon

"What do you think of all this?"

"Sire, I think I am in another world, but you are still master." "So I am," said the King, "and I will make it felt."

Then Saint Simon told him that the Cardinal was at hand, and Louis, weary of the struggle, answered, "M. le Cardinal was a good master. Give him my compliments, and desire him to come to me immediately.”

Martinmas, the 11th of November, 1630, was the next day, and it received the title of the Day of Dupes.

Marillac was awakened by the intelligence that the King had the Cardinal at Versailles, and demanded the seals from him; and at the same time a courier was sent to Foglizzo in Piedmont with these words in the King's own hand :

"COUSIN,

"Do not fail to arrest Marshal de Marillac. It concerns my service and your character. "LOUIS.

Schomberg opened it, and was greatly amazed as well as embarrassed, for a large portion of the army was much attached to the Marshal. He decided then on showing the note to him whom it concerned.

'Monsieur," said Marillac, "a subject may not so murmur against his master as to say that the things he alleges are false; but I can with truth protest that I have done nothing contrary to his service. The truth is that my brother and I have always been servants of the Queen Mother. She must have failed, and M. le Cardinal de Richelieu have won the day against her and her friends."

He gave up his sword, and was taken from the midst of the army which he commanded to the Castle of Sainte Méné, where he remained during the next year. He was a brave and loyal man, and his brother, Michel, the Keeper of the Seals, a most religious one, who translated Thomas à Kempis's Imitation of Christ into French. But Richelieu hated them both, and believed that while the King was ill at Lyons they

CAMEO XX. The Dupes. 1630.

Departure of Gaston. 1631.

CAMEO XX. had advised Marie de Medici to have him arrested at once in the event of Louis's death. Richelieu had triumphed, and he endeavoured to secure himself further by giving the Marshal's staff to the Duke of Montmorency and the Count of Toiras. He also promised promotion to the two chief favourites of Gaston of Orleans, but he hesitated to perform his promise; and this was probably the real reason that the Duke one day burst upon the Cardinal, with a large suite of attendants, to declare that he came to recall all his pledges of protection and affection to Richelieu, as a man who broke promises and was no friend to the Queen his mother. He should go off to the appanage of Orleans and defend himself there. And he immediately got into his carriage and drove off to Orleans.

The Queen Mother must have known his plans, for she had given him back all his late wife's jewels, which had been in her keeping, but she pretended to the King that she had been so much shocked at his departure as to be nearly fainting. The struggle for influence continued between the two Queens and the Cardinal. All the Court went to Compiègne, where Louis was again very ill, and as his death would have placed Gaston on the throne, everything remained in suspense till he began to amend, and then Richelieu let him know of the schemes that had been prepared in case of his death. His jealousy was excited, and he was resolved on their disgrace; but as he could hardly order his mother away, the Cardinal suggested that he had better leave her. So, on the 21st of February, 1631, the King and Cardinal set off for Paris very quietly, so early in the morning that neither his mother nor his wife were awake. When they had had a good start, Marshal d'Estrées was instructed to have Queen Anne wakened, tell her what had happened, and inform her that her husband was waiting at the Capuchin Convent at Senlis for her to join him; but before dressing, Anne hurried to see her mother-in-law, and tell her of the catastrophe.

Presently d'Estrées followed, and told the Queen Mother that the King requested her to await intelligence from him at Compiègne. Marshal Bassompierre and others, enemies of the Cardinal, were sent to the Bastile, and on the following day the King sent a requisition to his mother to take up her residence at Moulins, promising her the government of the province. She fell into one of her furies, and declared she would never leave Compiègne unless they snatched her undressed out of her bed. The Count d'Estrées was therefore left to keep guard over her. Richelieu tried to gain over Monsieur, but not succeeding, caused the King to march with an army towards Orleans. On this Gaston fled, with a hundred horsemen and the Count de Moret, one of his illegitimate half-brothers, and went from place to place till he finally took refuge in Lorraine, where he fell in love with Marguerite, the Duke's sister.

In July, Marie de Medici set forth with a carriage drawn by six horses, but with no more escort than a private gentlewoman. She