FRA 
the marchionefs of Verneuil, “that the king had made 
this match to fink the heart and to raife the head of the 
prince of Conde.” The paffion of Henry loon burft the 
bounds of all prudence. His looks, his words, his aftions, 
incelfantly betrayed the ardent emotions of his foul ; the 
fire that conflantly con fit med him could not be concealed 
from the prince, jealous of his own honour and the fide¬ 
lity of his wife. He defined leave to retire from court, 
and the peremptory refufal of the king ferved only to 
confirm the fufpicions already too well founded. His 
refpeft for his fovereign was overwhelmed by a lively 
fenfe of the injury intended; and after giving way to 
his indignation by the molt pointed reproaches, he fe- 
cretly prepared to efcape with the princefs beyond the 
limits of the kingdom, before the ungovernable pallion of 
Henry hud fealed his difhonour. 
This defign be executed with fuccefs; reluctantly 
accompanied by bis wife, and attended by a few domefiics, 
he eluded the vigilance of tliofe who had been directed 
to obferve hint, and reached in fafety Landrecy. The 
king received the intelligence of his flight with a tranfport 
of rage and grief that he was at no pains to conceal. He 
juftantly difpatched Prafiin, the captain of his guard, A& 
demand the fugitives from the archduke ; but Albert 
replied with becoming dignity, “ that he had never 
violated the laws of nations on any occafion what¬ 
ever ; and that he would not begin with a prince of the 
blood-roval of France.” He immediately fupplied the 
neceflities of the prince of Conde, appointed an efcort to 
conduCt him to Bruflels, and allured him of his conftant 
protection. 
The perfonal fecurity of the prince did not Ihield him 
from the effeCts of Henry’s refentment, which determined 
him for immediate war; and the armaments which had 
been fuggelted by ambition, were probably quickened by 
love. England, the independent princes of Germany, 
and the united provinces of the Netherlands, all a floriated 
in the defign of humbling the houfe of Aultria ; the duke 
of Savoy confented to relinquilh that country to France, 
on condition of receiving the duchy of Milan ; while the 
majority of the Italian ftates profcfTed their defite to ac¬ 
cede to a confederacy, from the fpoils of which they all 
hoped to obtain a Ihare. At length, the death of the 
duke of Cleves, in 1609, gave the lignal for aiftion ; his 
dominions, which had been formed of four or five great 
fiefs, were claimed by the emperor Rodolph, as fupreme 
fovereign ; and he inftantly bellowed the invefliture of 
them on the archduke Leopold, of Aultria. But this 
arbitrary ufurpation was difputed by the fillers of the late 
duke and their reprefentatives; the duke of Branden¬ 
burg and Prullia, the count palatine of New burg, the 
count palatine of Deux Pants, and the marquis of Bur- 
gavv, were aroufed by the fecret and friendly afluranccs 
of France, to afiert their lights by arms, and to implore 
the protection of Henry. 
The fupine indifference with which the houfe of Aultria 
affeCted to regard the combination of its enemies, has 
given rife to a fufpicion probably as dellitute of founda¬ 
tion, as it is injurious to the honour of that family ; and 
the fubfequent fate of Henry has, by more than one con¬ 
temporary hi dorian, been aferibed to the perfidious and 
fanguinary principles which have di(graced the councils 
of Spain, and which but a few years fince involved the 
deflruCtion of the prince of Orange. With more reafon 
the deadly Itroke may be imputed to that fanatical fury 
kindled by a long feries of religious commotion, and not 
extinguilhed by the fleeting years of tranquillity which 
had fucceeded the peace of Vervins. Whatever might 
be the fource of an event, which has been fo varioully 
related by the immediate fpedators, and which feems at 
the moment it happened to have eluded the refearches 
of the moll curious and interefled, it is our duty from 
the mafs to feleCt thofe circumftances only which can 
inform the mind and guide the judgment of the reader. 
Auiidft the preparations and flattering profpeCts of glory 
N C E: 710 
which the king had fo ardently panted after, his mind 
was vifibly impreffed with a deep and fettled melancholy. 
The blameable indulgence of the queen to her Italian at¬ 
tendants had been often the fubjeCt of open difeontent, 
and he had more than once meditated the defign of com¬ 
pelling the molt obnoxious to repafs the Alps. From 
this intention he was diverted by his confidential minifter 
the duke of Sully ; and in conformity to the advice of 
that ftatefman, he endeavoured to gain on the cold and 
referved temper of the queen by afts of kindnefs and at¬ 
tention. That princefs had exprefled her defire to be 
crowned before the king took the field; and Henry, 
though he regarded wfith dilguft all pageantry and often- 
tation, had confented to gratify her willies. The cere¬ 
mony was performed on Thurfday the thirteenth of May 
1610, witli the utmoft magnificence ; the next Sunday was 
fixed for the public entry of the queen, and on the Wcd- 
nefday following Henry had determined to quit Paris, and 
to put himfelf at the head of his army. 
But the final period of his life and greatnefs now ra¬ 
pidly approached; and, while he meditated enterprifes 
the moil fplendid and important, his own death was plan¬ 
ned and executed by Francis Ravaillac, a native of An. 
gouleme. From that province the unhappy wretch had 
direried his footfteps to the capital ; and, after endea¬ 
vouring to obtain a miferable fubfifience as an obfeure 
retainer to the law, he had attempted to procure admif- 
fion among the order of Feuillants ; but tliefe rejected 
him as a wild and frantic vifionary ; and his diftrefs had 
already reduced him to feek fupport by imploring alms, 
when he conceived the dark and defperate defign of ming¬ 
ling the naileries of a nation with his own, by arming his 
hand againll the fovereign of France. The morning that 
fucceeded the coronation of the queen, had been deftined 
for a vifit to the arfenal; but the indifpofition of the 
duke of Sully induced the king to poftpone his intention ; 
lie had already palled a lleeplefs night, and with the re¬ 
turn of light his inquietude feemed every moment to in- 
creafe. He attended mafs, and prayed with unuftlal fer¬ 
vour ; the pleafures of the table dilTipated not the melan¬ 
choly of his mind ; and after a vain effort to compofe 
himfelf to reft, he ordered his coach, and accompanied by 
the dukes of Epernon and Mor.tbazon, the marefchals 
Lavardin and Roquelaure, the marquiffes de la Force and 
Mirabeau, and du Pleflis Liancourt, lie determined to 
proceed to the arfenal ; Vitry, the captain of his guard, 
was by his order difpatched to the palace to haften the 
preparations for the queen’s entry ; and the carriage was 
only attended by a fmall number of gentlemen on horfe- 
back, and a few of the royal footmen. The curtains on 
every fide were drawn up that the king might witnefs the 
zeal of his Subjects in the various decorations they had 
prepared. In a narrow' ftreet the coach was (lopped by 
the accidental meeting of two carts; the majority of the 
attendants inftantly took a nearer way, and two footmen 
only were left; one went before to clear the paffage, the 
other (laid behind to tie up his garter. At this inftant, 
as the king turned to read a letter to the duke of Epernon, 
he received a ftroke from a knife ; he had fcarcely time 
to exclaim, “ ! am wounded, - ” before a fecond mdre 
violent, and more fatally directed, pierced his heart, and 
breathing only a deep figh, he funk back in the coach a 
lifelefs corpfe. 
Though the confufion of the nobles who accompanied 
Henry allowed them not to ward the fatal blow, yet the 
moment their prefence of mind returned, it was difplayed 
in feizing the aflaftin, who dill fupported himfelf 011 *he 
wheel of the coach, with the bloody inftrument reeking 
in his hand, as if glorying in the atrocious deed. The 
prudence of the duke of Epernon preferved him from the 
immediate fury of the royal attendants, to fuller by the 
hand of public juftice, and in a manner fuitable to the 
nfagnitude of the horrid deed. 
Thus periftied, in the fifty-eighth year of his age, and 
the twenty-firli of his reign, Henry IV. vv hofe virtues and 
talents 
