FRANCE. 
the principal nobility of (he province; on thefe he be¬ 
llowed the title of Hates of Languedoc ; in an eloquent 
and fpirited manifefto, he arraigned the pride, the info- 
Jence, and the oppreflive adminiftration, of the cardinal ; 
and, to funport his declarations by action, at the head of 
ten thoufand men, he prefled forwards to attack maref- 
chal Schomberg, who had poflefled himfelf of a ftrong 
camp near Caftelnaudari. The impetuous courage of 
Montmorency, with his cavalry alone, attacked the en¬ 
trenchments of that general. His example infpired his 
folio'wers with the moft heroic refolution ; the works of 
the royalifts were pierced by their daring efforts ; but 
wh.ile their leader difplayed the valour of a foldier, he 
neglefted the duties of a commander; his martial train, 
as they rufhed on to improve their.advantage, were be¬ 
trayed into an am.bufcade and overwhelmed by fuperior 
numbers ; the duke of Montmorency, wounded in feveral 
places, and his horfe killed under him, was taken prifo- 
ner ; and the duke of Orleans, informed of his fate, in- 
Head of endeavouring to retrieve the day, retreated with 
his fcattered and dilheartened troops. Louis fuffered not 
the duke of Montmorency to languid) in confinement; 
his procefs was immediately formed before the parlia¬ 
ment ; he was fentenced to lofe his head; and, in 1632, 
he expired on the fcaffold with calm and becoming forti¬ 
tude. Inferior only to his ancefiors in fortune, in him 
were extinguifiied the male defeendants of the houfe of 
Montmorency ; and while the jealoufy of Louis refufed 
to fpare his life, his liberality enriched with his eflates 
the prince of Condo, who had married his fifier. 
While Richelieu counteradled with iuccefs his domefiic 
enemies, he was alarmed by the progrefs of the foreign 
foes of France, and particularly by the houfe of Aufiria. 
At Nordlingen the victories of Gufiavus were effaced by 
the total defeat of the Swedes: and the Imperialifis be¬ 
held twenty thoufand of their adverfaries lifelefs on the 
field. The policy of the cardinal revived ttoir drooping 
courage with liberal and confiant pecuniary fupplies: 
but at the fame time he flipulated for the immediate pof- 
feflion of Philiplbourg and Spires in Germany ; and the 
ceflion of Alface on the frontiers of Lorrain, as toon as he 
declared war againfl Spain. Though averfe to plunge 
his country into an open contefi with the houfe of Aufiria, 
the fituation of his allies allowed Louis no alternative. 
The forces of the emperor had already occupied Philipf- 
burg; and the cardinal concluded a fecret treaty with 
the united provinces of Holland. On the intelligence of 
this hofvile negociation, the court of Spain, in 1634, de¬ 
termined by aftivity and vigour to anticipate the defigns 
of her enemies ; (lie poured her forces into Treves, fur- 
prized the capital, and feized the elector, who had ac¬ 
ceded to the league with France. This bold and fucceff- 
ful enterprife was refented by France by an open declara¬ 
tion of war. The marefchals Chatillon and Breze were 
commanded to march to the topport of the prince of 
Orange, then in the neighbourhood of Maefiricht ; in 
their progrefs they encountered and defeated with cruel 
Slaughter the forces of Spain, commanded by prince Tho¬ 
mas of Savoy. Animated by toccefs, and joined by the 
prince of Orange, they forced open the gates of Tille- 
mont, and invefied Louvain; but the diflenfions of the 
commanders compelled them to abandon this enterprife 
with di(grace ; and by their ill-timed quarrels an army 
which threatened to fubvert the authority of Philip 
throughout Flanders, was eventually confuvned by fa¬ 
tigue and dif’eafe. But Richelieu endeavoured to com- 
penfate this misfortune by the arts of negociation. He 
detached from the court of Spain the dukes of Savoy and 
Parma; aud marefchal Crequi was inftritoted, in concert 
with thofe princes, to affert the liberties of Italy. Mean¬ 
while the dnkc of Lorrain had efcaped from confinement, 
and his appearance in that duchy again revived the zeal 
of histobjefcts; feveral important places opened their 
gates to him ; but his career was checked by the Hidden 
prefence of Louis, who, at the head of a (mail army, re- 
Vo l. VII. No.463. 
725 
took St. Mihel, and returned triumphant to Paris; while 
the duke of Rohan emulated in the Valtcline the glory 
of his tovereign, and in two bloody and tocceftive en¬ 
gagements broke in that country the firength of the Im¬ 
perialifis and Spaniards. Metz was indeed reduced by 
the forces of the emperor, but the Germans were com¬ 
pelled to raife the fiege of Colmar by the cardinal V«- 
lette ; who, defpifing the tranquil duties of the church, 
in imitation of Richelieu, afpired to military glory. The 
Spaniards on their fide poflefled themfelves of St. John 
de Luz ; but in Italy they were defeated by the (kill and 
valour of the duke of Savoy; yet this misfortune was 
toon repaired, and Spain, after ravaging the territories of 
the duke of Parma, began to meditate a more important 
enterprife. 
To topport the war in to many different quarters, 
France had dripped of troops the frontier of Picardy. 
The Spaniflt army, under prince Thomas of Savoy, and 
reinforced by the celebrated Picolomini, entered Picardy, 
occupied Capelle and Catelet, paffed the Somme in de¬ 
fiance of the French troops under the count of Soilfons, 
and in lefs than a w eek reduced the ftrong town of Corbie, 
The Parifians heard with confternation the rapid approach 
of their toes ; the capital was filled with terror and con- 
fufion; the tovereign involved himfelf in a filent and 
gloomy defpondency ; but the cardinal difplaved a forti¬ 
tude and magnanimity worthy of his elevated fortunes. 
He threw himfelf on the confidence of the public ; he 
difmifl'ed thofe guards which the partiality of the king 
had afTigned him ; and ever fruitful in expedients, called 
forth on this emergency the refources of the Hate. The 
horfes and domeftics of the wealthy, and (lie perfonal 
fervice of the poor, were demanded to encounter the im¬ 
pending danger. The fcattered bands of France were 
toon fwelled to an hoft of fifty thoufand men. Richelieu 
would willingly have affumed the command himfelf, but 
the count of Soilfons refufed to ferve under him ; and 
the cardinal entrufled the fate of France to that general, 
and the duke of Orleans ; whole jealoufy of each oilier 
he imagined would prevent them from combining in any 
intrigues dangerous to his authority. But the difeern- 
ment of the cardinal on this occafion deferted him ; the 
two generals afted with perfect unanimity, compelled the 
Spaniards to repafs the Somme, and retook Corbie ; but 
at the fame time they concerted the deftrmftion of Riche¬ 
lieu, and Amiens, in 1636, was fixed upon as the feene 
of his affafiination. At the moment when the eonfpira- 
tors expeCted the fignal from the duke of Orleans, the 
refolution of that prince forfook him, and lie declared 
that his coqtoience would not permit him to fhed the 
blood of a cardinal, an archbifliop, and a prieft. The 
niinifterwas not apprized of his danger till it was paft. 
The duke of Orleans haftily retired to Blois, and the 
count of Soilfons fought fhelter in Sedan ; but the car¬ 
dinal prevailed on Louis to treat them botli with lenity ; 
the duke of Orleans was toon reconciled ; and the count 
of Soilfons was permitted to enjoy the income of his 
eftates in exile. 
The campaign of 1637 opened at firft with events the 
mod inaufpicious to France ; the duke of Parma, befieged 
in Placentia, was compelled to renounce the alliance of 
that crown. The duke of Rohan, negleCted by cardinal 
Richelieu, who Hill regarded him with jealoufy, after 
exhuufting his private credit, was eonftrained to evacuate 
the Valteline. But thefe difalters were followed by a ie- 
ries of fplendid victories: the count of Harcourt reco¬ 
vered in Provence the iflands of St Margaret and St. Ho- 
noret; the duke of Valette reduced feveral forts which 
the Spaniards had feized in Guienne; marefchal Scliam- 
berg raifed the fiege of Lucur, and defeated Serbellon the 
Spanifh general ; cardinal de la Valette again planted the 
ftandard of France on the walls of Capelle; the mare- 
fchal de Chatillon fuccefsfully invefied Damvilliers in 
Luxemberg ; and the duke of Longueville extended hiS 
conquefts in Franche-Compte. In Italy, the duke of Sa- 
8 Y voy, 
