reg beeen 
His disho 
nourable at. 
tachinen' 
Charlotte de pepe 
Monune- 
rency. 
FRAN GE. 
588 
hieself on the royal mercy, and, however unworthy, ob- 
ul, 
about this period, experienced a greater share 
of domestic unhappiness than ever. The temper and ha- 
bits of the Queen were utrerly st, variance with his, She 
was cold, indifferent, and reserved ; blindly attached. to 
her Italian favourites, and regardless of the wishes or in- 
terests of the King. Such a temper and conduct were ill 
calculated to draw him from those amours, to which he 
was so much adlicted, The Queen complained of them, 
at the very time when she was rendering her own society 
repelling and disagreeable to her husband. Hence the 
inmost recesses of the palace were disturbed by their mu- 
tual and incessant complaints; and Sully, whose good 
offices were always required on these occasions, often 
found the utmost difficulty in accommodating these quar- 
rels. The King, wearied out with the arrogance of the 
Marchioness of Verneuil, sought a new mistress ; and was 
captivated by the wit and apres of the daughter of 
the constable, Charlotte de Montmorency. — So ardent 
- was his passion for this lady, and so completely did it ob- 
good. sense, and pollute the purity and honour 
that he formed the disgraceful resolution of 
marrying her to the Prince of Condé, that thus he might 
introduce her into his own family. The Prince, soon af- 
ter his , diseovered that Henry was still attached 
to his wife, and he desired leave to quit the court. This 
the King positively refused, and thus. confirmed the sus- 
picions of the Prince, who immediately formed the plan 
of secretly escaping with his wife band the limits of the 
kingdom. He reached Landrecy in safety, when ithe 
King, bearing of his flight, and transported with rage and 
ief, dispatched the captain of his guards to demand the 
itives from the Archduke ; but Albert replied,’ « that 
he had never violated the laws of nations on any occa- 
sion whatever, and that he could not begin. with a prince 
of the blood royal of France.” _ The. Prince and_his wife 
_ afterwards took up their, abode at Brussels ; but Henry, 
instead of being saa to a sense of duty and respect 
for his own character by the. reply of the Archduke, first 
ineffectually attempted to carry off the Princess, and then 
commanded the parliament to pass an arret against the 
Prince, and to condemn him to suffer whatever punish- 
ment he might chuse to inflict. 
In 1609, a dispute arose concerning the succession to 
wean he the duchies of Cleves and Juliers, which afforded Henry a 
f D.1609. 
pretext for taking up arms, and with the real view of hum- 
the House of Austria, and circumscribing its power 
in Italy and Germany. On. the death of Jobn William, 
— of Cleves, a number of competitors arose ; and it 
to two of them, who were Protestant princes, 
mperor meant. to of the vacant 
po 2 dh they applied first to ae Evangelical Union, a 
confederacy of Protestants, which had been recently form- 
ed in Germany, and, as the Emperor was in alliance with 
the Pope and the King of Spain, afterwards to France. 
Henry now had a sufficient excuse for breaking openly 
with the.House of Austria ; seal $8 tatoos) of the neko 
iteore ane the Prince and Princess of Condé 
at the same time, private re united with 
public policy in inducing him to poms Protestant 
envoys most favourably for their wishes. He therefore 
renewed his ancient alliance with the United Provinces, 
and cultivated the friendship of England ; while the Pro- 
testant princes of Germany readily united. with him. in 
his plan for humbling the House of Austria. Even the 
Duke of Sayoy, in expectation of acquiring ; 
the duchy of Milan, gpa Rpm ius m Austria, 
agreed to join the con » and to give up Savoy to. 
France ; and the Italian states, Jong worn out by ‘conti- 
nued warfare, and constantly exposed to irruptions from 
Germany, Spain, and Frio associated in the design, 
in the hope. of possessing undisturbed wr quill pand na- 
D ed 
than 
tional independence for the future, itis. 
bable, that the design of Henry went much 
merely to pruis the Labry Puss renee ier the peas 
and strength e House o tria, s might ha 
been the immediate and primary object, but there ipod 
reason to believe, that the plan of a Christian commons 
wealth, as it is exhibited in Sully’s Memoirs, was serious- , 
ly entertained by Henry, 
Concerning this scheme, there have been various ‘ideas, His grand 
To some it appears so romantic, that they cannot believe design. 
that it ever actually engaged the attention, or excited the 
hopes of such men as Henry and Sully ; but that a plan 
was really formed, which was known by the appellation, of 
the grand design, there can be no doubt, According to it, 
Europe was to.be divided into fifteen states, so” 
with respect to situation, and so. poised with yaa 
strength and resources, that there would either beno 
for war, or no probability of any state carrying it on 
success. In. order to compose sen tesa 
ones were to be united with the Biba me 
were to be bound bya such 
as would render it the interest of all to p 
een e sponte on. Sa aaeane rare 
plan, it.is scarcel le to conceive it could 
entertained -by..Henry or Sully ; and epegss! 294 
to believe, that its object was at the same time more 
practicable, and less disinterested. In fact, meer 
der the knowledge of mankind, which they both 
sed.; the experience they ‘had of the. difficulties attend= 
ing even the arrangement of petty concerns, where dif- 
ferent states were interested, and the little i 
shat any ehines phennactes sitiethe inseeretarts ‘rance, 
would rouse their attention, or excite their wishes; we 
shall be induced to believe, that the t of 
their own country was the final end at which they 2s 
ed in their grand design, Or if thi tha te Bean net 
be admitted, there seems no doubt, 
ciated states into Siig eeepc on 
to be formed solely by: means of compulsion ; a yond 
the wishes and) the interests of those at east 
of the inferior states, were not to be consulted. 
_ That the object, whatever it was, which Henry had in 
reached Reps OherEe is evident bid 
~« 
the field, he pepself had Pig en huciagn ah vn 
well-disciplined troops. Sully assured him eon 
forty millions in the treasury ; and added, « If 
not increase your army beyond 40,000, I np ay 
supply you with money sufficient for the prosecution of 
the war, without being under the perm of imposing 
any new, taxes.” pine Leable Sarge 
ae, resolved to command his 2 n oy agp 
made preparations . etting out from his go to the 
capital, cepital “Be Appointed the he oem but she in- “"™y- 
sisting on being crowned before his stay in 
the capital wap nerserer garam mean time, 
as his route lay through Flanders, 
sion from ,the Archduke Charles to march 
