receiving a volley of blows from their pike staves, on the back and arms.

"This lasted," says he, "some time, until a chief justice coming out of the town hall, lifted up his baton, which they called Regiment stoct. On this, all the officers of justice immediately laid down their halberds, and Rosworm, who knew the custom, threw down his sword, and called out to me to do the same instantly. This I did; I should otherwise have been declared a rebel to the emperor, and punished as such. Rosworm begged me to speak when the judge interrogated us, so that he might not be recognized. The judge asked me who I was, which I told him without disguise; he then asked me who was my companion; I told him it was Rosworm, upon which he made great apologies to us. Rosworm, vexed that I had named him, when he saw he could not deny it, broke out into a rage, threatening the judge and the serjeants that he would complain to the emperor, and to the chancellor. They tried every means to appease him, but he, as well as I, had been too well beaten to be satisfied with words. They delivered up to us our six companions, who were luckier than we, as they had only a fright, and we retired. In the evening, we went to the wedding, as if nothing had happened. But, the next morning, Rosworm went to the chancellor of the kingdom, to whom he spoke very arrogantly; and the chancellor, to satisfy us, threw more than a hundred and fifty noblemen into prison. Their wives were every day at my door, to obtain a pardon for them; and I solicited Rosworm very earnestly to grant it but he was inexorable, and made them lie a fortnight in prison, during the rigours of winter, of which two died.”

This, it must be acknowledged, is singular encouragement afforded by a government for the faithful execution of its orders.

One instance of Teutonic hospitality had like to cost him dear. Having given the coup-de-grace to two half-drunken German counts, and sent them home senseless, he found himself compelled to give them their revenge next day.

"I was forced, then," says he, " to stay that day to dinner, for which I suffered severely. For, to make me drunk, they put brandy in my wine, as I believe, though they declared they had not, and that it was only a wine of Leiperg, which was very strong and heady. I had no sooner drunk ten or twelve glasses, than I lost all consciousness, and fell into such a lethargy, that they were obliged to bleed me several times, and to cup me, and to tie garters tight round my legs and arms. I remained five days in this state, and lost the taste for wine so completely, that I was more than two years, not only without being able to drink any, but even without being able to smell it, without shuddering."

Taking an honourable leave of the emperor's service, he returned to France, where the king received him, "with a thousand embraces."

"He then led me into the apartment of the queen, his wife, and I was well received by the ladies, who thought me not ill-looking, for an inveterate German, who had spent a whole year in his country. The king lent me his horses to hunt the stag the next day, which was St. Bartholomew, 24th of August; he would not hunt on a day in which he had formerly run so narrow a risk. I now fell in love with d'Entragues, and was also in love with another handsome woman. I was in the flower of my youth, and well made, and lively."

Early in the following year he had another very narrow escape.

"On the 27th of February, the king, being at the Tuilleries, said to M. de Guise, 'd'Entragues despises us all, and idolizes Bassompierre; I don't speak without certainty. How?' replied M. de Guise; You, sire, have means enough of avenging yourself; as for me, I have no other than those of a knight errant; I will therefore break three lances with him this afternoon, in open field, wherever your majesty shall be pleased to appoint.' The king consented, and told us it should be in the Louvre, and that he would have the court sanded. M. de Guise was accompanied by his brother, M. de Joinville, and Monsieur de Termes; and I, by M. de St. Luc, and the Count de Sault. We all six went to dine, and to arm ourselves at St. Luc's; and as we always kept armour and caparison ready for all occasions, we wore silver armour, with carnation and white plumes, and silk stockings of the same colours. Monsieur de Guise, on account of the imprisonment of the Marchioness de Verneuil, with whom he was at that time in love, was armed and dressed in black and gold. We then all proceeded to the Louvre."

In consequence of an accident, M. de Guise wounded Bassompierre dangerously.

"The king, the constable, and all the chief courtiers, stood around me, many weeping, not thinking that I should live an hour; nevertheless, I did not appear cast down, nor did I think I should die. Many ladies were there, and helped to dress my wound; and as I insisted on returning to my own house, the queen sent me the chair in which she was carried, being pregnant. The people followed me with many marks of sorrow. When I reached home, I lost my sight, which made them think I was very ill, so that they made me confess, and bled me at the same time. Yet I did not believe I should die, and laughed all the time. As soon as I received this wound, the king ordered that all tournaments should cease, and never permitted one after. This was the only one in open field that had taken place in France for a hundred years, and they never were renewed. I cannot say how much I was visited during my illness, and particularly by ladies. All the princesses came, and the queen sent her daughters three times, with Mademoiselle de Guise, to pass whole afternoons. This lady, who thought herself obliged to nurse me, as it was her brother who had wounded me, was there the greatest

part of her time. The king came every afternoon, after the first day, to see me, and in part, also, to see my good company."

The doctrine with which he sets out, that fortune governs our affairs, seems to have had no small practical influence on his actions. At the marriage of the Duke of Bar and the Duchess of Mantua, and the christening of the king's children, which took place at the same time, he was in great distress for new dresses, having worn all he had at the former of these ceremonies.

"But just as my sister had come to tell me, that all the tailors and embroiderers were so busy that one could not be had for any money, in came my tailor and embroiderer, to say that on the rumour of the magnificencies of the christening, a merchant of Antwerp had brought a horse load of pearls of an ounce weight, and that with these they could make me a suit, which would surpass any at the christening; and my embroiderer said he would undertake it if I would give him six hundred crowns for his work alone. The ladies and I fixed upon the dress, which required fifty pounds weight of pearls. I chose it of violet cloth of gold, with palm branches interlacing. In short, 1, who had only seven hundred crowns in my pocket, ordered, on the spot, a suit which was to cost me fourteen thousand; and, at the same time, sent for the merchant; who brought the samples of his pearls, and I settled with him the price by the ounce. He demanded four thousand crowns earnest money, for which I put him off till the morrow. M. d' Epernon passed before my house, and knowing that I was there, he came in and told me that he should have some good company to sup and play at his house, and that he wished I would be of the party. I took my seven hundred crowns, and with them won five thousand. The next day the merchant came, and I paid him his four thousand crowns down. I also gave something to the embroiderer, and went on to win at play not only enough to pay for my suit, and for a diamond sword of five thousand crowns, but had five or six thousand left to amuse myself with."

The year 1608 begins in the following serious strain.

"In the year 1608, I embarked in an affair with a blonde lady. I won a great deal at play this year, and gave away a great deal at the Foire. We danced a number of ballets; I had many mistresses at court, and I was on good terms with d'Entragues. Monsieur de Vendome also danced a ballet, in which the king would have Carmail Termes and me, who were called les Dangereux, assist. We went to dance it at M. Monpensier's, who rose to see it, though he was dying."

Bassompierre's devotion to the king was now put to the test by the most extraordinary instance of Henry's pitiable infirmity. The story is rather long, but worth telling. The Constable, Montmorenci, who had always given him the

;

strongest proofs of affection, one day invited him to dinner. He went, and found four other persons. After dinner, M. de Montmorenci took them into his chamber, and having ordered that they might be private, he proceeded in a solemn speech to tell them, that being arrived at the close of his life, he had looked around for a man to whom to give his youngest daughter, now marriageable, who might be agreeable both to himself and her that he thought he might choose among all the princes of France, but that having regard rather to content than high rank, he had fixed his eyes on M. de Bassompierre, and had offered to him what others of higher quality than he would seek; that he wished to do this in the presence of his best friends, who were also M. de Bassompierre's, and to tell him, that having loved him as dearly as if he were his son, he wished to make him so, by marrying him to his daughter, thinking that he would hold himself honoured in marrying the grand-daughter and daughter of Constables of France. He concluded his speech with certain pecuniary stipulations.

"He had the tears in his eyes," says Bassompierre, "when he finished speaking; and I was so overcome by an honour so dear and so unexpected, that I knew not what words to employ worthy of what I felt. I told him so, and that I could only wonder at my good fortune; that it was above my expectation or my deserts; that my life would be too short to requite it, and that I could only offer him a heart devoted to his will; that it was not a husband he would give to his daughter, but a being by whom she would be incessantly adored like a princess, and served like a queen; that if any thing abated the excess of my joy, it was the thought that Mademoiselle de Montmorenci might regret quitting her quality of princess, to take that of a lady only; and that I had rather die than cause her the least regret. Saying this, I knelt down, and, taking his hand, kissed it, while he held me long embraced. He told me not to have any fear of that, for that, before he spoke to me, he had consulted his daughter, and found her perfectly disposed to acquiesce in his designs. In the evening the Constable presented me to his daughter, and said to me, in her presence, 'my son, here is a wife I am keeping for you.' He likewise presented me to his sister, the Duchess d'Angoulême, the Princess de Conti, and others, who all expressed their satisfaction."

Thus far all promised well; but no ties were sacred, and no inclinations to be thought of, when the monarch's fancy interfered. The king was, of course, consulted on this marriage, and talking of it to M. de Grand, who, he says, according to his custom of telling wonders of any thing new, (and particularly of Mademoiselle de Montmorenci, who was, indeed, worthy of all admiration,) infused into the excitable mind of the king, that passion which led him into so many extravagancies.

"Having asked the Duchess d' Angoulême, whether the marriage was agreeable to her niece, and that, if it was not, he would break it off, and marry her to the Prince of Condé !* she replied, that since it was the will of Mademoiselle de Montmorenci's father, she would esteem herself very happy with me. He has since told me, that this expression made him resolve to break off my marriage, fearing that she would love me too well if I married her. That night he did not sleep at all. The next morning, at eight o'clock, he sent for me; and, when I went in, he asked me why I did not sit up with him the night before. (He had the gout.) He told me, that he had not been able to close his eyes, and had been thinking of a marriage for me. I, who thought of nothing so little, as of what he was going to say to me, replied, that if the Constable had not the gout, the affair would be already concluded. No,' said he, I was thinking of marrying you to Mademoiselle d'Aumale, and of restoring the Dutchy of Aumale in your person.' I asked him, if he meant to give me two wives. Then, after a deep sigh, he answered, 'Bassompierre, I will speak to you like a friend. I was not only in love, but madly and desperately in love with Mademoiselle de Montmorenci. If you marry her, and she loves you, I shall hate you; if she loves me, you will hate me. It would be better not to allow this to destroy the good understanding between us, for I have a great affection for you. I am determined to marry her to my nephew, the Prince de Condé, and to keep her in my family. She will be the consolation and support of my old age, which will soon come upon me. I will give my nephew 100,000 livres a year to amuse himself with, and I shall ask for no other favour from her than her affection.""

Knowing that the monarch was all powerful, and that it would be madness in him to oppose his will, Bassompierre made a virtue of necessity, and assured the king of his joy at having an opportunity of shewing his devotion, by cheerfully resigning what he valued more than his life e; an assurance which the king received with tears and embraces. Bassompierre, however, did not extend his obedience so far as to marry Mademoiselle de Aumale. He seems to have acquiesced in his disappointment with tolerable ease.

"It is true," says he, "that as there was not at that time under Heaven, any thing more beautiful than Mademoiselle de Montmorenci, nor more graceful or perfect in every respect, she had made a great impression on my heart; but as it was a love which was to end in marriage, I did not feel it as otherwise I should. Two or three days afterwards, the prince announced, that he was going to marry Mademoiselle de Montmorenci, and asked me to go with him to pay his respects to her. I made him a low bow, but did not go. In order, however, not to remain idle, and to comfort myself for my loss, I