Charles IX not because he was Mafter of the Palace, but as 1561.

Pope High Conftable of France, to whom that Right Pius IV. did belong. The Difpute was carried on with fuch heat, that the King of Navarr was upon the point of going from Court; and the very next day he fent before his Baggage to Melun, and was ready to fet out with the Princes of the Blood, the Conftable and his Sons, the Admiral and his Brothers, and feveral other Lords; fo that the Guises remained alone at Court. It was reported, that they were going no farther than Paris, and they intended there to have the King of Navarr declared Regent of the Kingdom.

XXVII. Proceed

ings of the

private

States of

the Provinces.

The Queen-Mother having got notice of this, was very much troubled, knowing not how to ward off the Blow; at laft, by the means of Cardinal de Tournon, fhe bethought her felf of an Expedient to break their Measures: She fent for the Constable in the King's Name; and when he was come, his Majefty commanded him to ftay near his Perfon, and not to forfake him in fuch a Circumstance, wherein his good Counfels were neceffary to him. The Conftable, furprized at this, thought his beft way was to obey the King's Command; fo notwithstanding the preffing Inftances of the King of Navarr, and other Princes and Lords, he could not be prevailed upon to perform the Word he had given them; and the Constable remaining, the King of Navarr was forced to alter his Course, and to ftay at Court for it was his Intereft, that the Publick should believe that nothing was done at Court but by his Confent and Authority *.

The Rumour of the Misunderstanding between the Queen-Mother and the King of Navarr, and that he had a mind to fide with the Duke of Guife, being spread, they refolved at Paris to haften the Meeting of the private States of the * Thuan. ubi fupra. Provin

Provinces, wherein, though it had been enacted Charles IX 1561. in the States of Orleans, that they should not Pope concern themselves about the Government, ne- Pius IV. vertheless they took into their Confideration, the prefent Administration of the State; they talk'd of removing fome from the Helm, and of fubftituting others in their ftead; of obliging the Guifes to give an Account of the King's Treafure, which had been ill adminiftred by them under Francis II. and Henry II. his Father; of repeating the extravagant Gratifications bestowed upon them, the Marshal of St. Andrew, the Duchefs of Valentinois, her Sons-in-law, and others, by these two Princes; that as long as their Examination lasted, they should be denied admittance in the King's Council. The Conftable Montmorency was involved in the fame Caufe, though with this Restriction, If he was fo required. They pretended, that the Cognizance of fuch things belonged of right to the States; therefore they regarded not the Prohibition made at Orleans, and faid, that the Princes of the Blood had no right to transfer to others the Adminiftration of the Government, which they had renounced. Thofe that were affembled at Paris, pursued that Business with so much the more eagernefs, that they were in hopes that their Example fhould be followed by the Provinces.

The Queen could find no other remedy to XXVIII. that Evil, than to reconcile herself to the King of The QueenNavarr. Therefore, by the Conftable's media- Mother's new Agreetion, she came to this agreement with him, that ment with he fhould be declared Lieutenant-General, or the King of Vice-Roy throughout all the King's Dominions; Navarr. that she should do nothing without his Advice and Confent; fome other Terms were ftipulated and agreed upon, and fet down in writing by the Secretaries, which were fubfcribed by the Princes

of

Pope

Pius IV.

Charles IX of the Blood, and the Prince of Condé who had 1561. been fent for to Paris for that purpose. Then the Duke of Montmorency Governor of the Isle of France received an order, to fee that none but honeft and fober Men fhould be admitted to the States of Paris, who by their prudence fhould amend what others had done amifs in the queftion about the Government of the Kingdom. The Duke discharged this Commiffion with fuch a fkill, that though he endeavoured to please the Queen, he caufed no jealoufy to the King of Navarr.

XXIX.

dors Con

ference with the King of

Navarr.

About this time came the Embaffadors of the The Danish Kings and others Princes of Europe, who were Emballa fent to condole with the King upon Francis the fecond's death, and to congratulate his Majefty on his Acceffion to the Crown. Amongst them was George Gluck from Frederick King of Denmark, who had been often in France. The King of Navarr having invited him to Dinner, it is faid, that the Queen his Confort engaged him to put the faid Embaffador in hopes, that before a year, he would cause the pure Word of God to be publickly preached throughout all the Kingdom; and defired him to acquaint the King his Master with it. The Embaffador having given thanks to God, praised that Defign and good Intention, but exhorted his Majefty withall not to receive John Calvin's Doctrine, but to introduce in France the Auguftan Confeffion, extracted out of Martin Luther's Doctrine; that, in doing fo, he would extreamly oblige the Kings of Denmark, Swedeland, and other Proteftant Princes of Germany, whofe Dominions were of no less extent than of those Princes who acknowledged the Pope. To this the King replied, that Luther and Calvin difagreed with the Roman Church in forty Articles, and agreed between themselves

1561.

Pope.

Mother's

in thirty eight; therefore he thought that it Charles IX would be very proper for them to join together to fubdue their common Enemy; which done, it Pius IV. would be an eafy matter to reconcile themselves upon these two points, and to restore the Church of God to its primitive purity and fplendor. The Queen-Mother having in fome measure ap- XXX. peafed the K. of Navarr by a vain fhow of Honour, The Queen pretended to countenance the Reformed; mean Policywith while fhe brought by little and little the Conftable to the Reher Intereft, and opened to him her Views and formed. the Reasons of her Conduct; fhe told him, that fhe connived at prefent at the Reformed's defires, to fruftrate the King of Navarr's defigns, who did not keep two days together in the fame mind; that it belonged to the Lords of the Court, efpecially of him who was the first Magistrate of the Kingdom, to oppofe him publickly, and to exclaim against the open violation of their Anceftors Religion. The Queen-Mother behaved herself with fuch double dealing, to create uneasiness to her Antagonist by others, and to alienate from him the great Lords; for had the done it herself, it was to be feared the King of Navarr would renew his Pretenfions to the Regency (k).

From this time the Conftable murmured pub- XXXI. lickly that the ancient Religion was fallen into Complaints of the Con contempt; that new Rites and a new Worship table. were fettled in its ftead; that Men intruded themselves without any Approbation into the Holy Ministry; that Flefh was publickly fold on forbidden days, even in Lent; that, in short, every thing was done contrary to the ancient Conftitutions of the Church. At that time they preached publickly at Court, in the Apartments of the Prince of Condé and of the Admiral De VOL. I. Ff Co

(k) Thuani Hift. lib. xxvii.

1561. Pope Pius IV.

Charles IX Coligni; and the Queen-Mother feemed defirous that the King, and the Great Lords of the Court fhould hear John Monluc Bishop of Valence, who was not at all averfe from the Proteftant Doctrine, and who preached in the great Hall of the Palace to a numerous Audience ().

XXXII. The Duke of Guife and the Conftable affifted He leagues himself once at his Sermon, the Conftable was fo angry with the and provoked against him, that he faid, that it Duke of was enough for him, to have made once fuch an Guife, &c. ill use of his time as to fpend it in hearing him, but

that he should never do fo any more. The Bifhop replied, that he wifhed with all his heart, that the Word of God fhould improve every where. He was then in great favour with the Queen, and the Conftable fufpected that whatever fhe faid to excufe her diffembling, fhe agreed with the King of Navarr in matters of Faith, and that it was done by the interpofition of Monluc. Therefore he began to grow cold towards her, as well as to the King of Navarr, and leagued himself with the Duke of Guife, and Marshal of St. Andrew. The Duchefs of Valentinois managed this new Agreement; for though fhe had had a fad Experience of the Knavery of the Guifes under the laft Reign, nevertheless, at the inftances of the Duke of Aumale her Son-in-law, she had forgiven all paft Injuries.

Mag

(1) De Thou ubi fuprà. Queen Margaret in her Memoirs, reckons amongit the praife-worthy Actions of her Childhood, her refiftance to the preffing inftances of several Lords and Ladies of the Court to oblige her to become a Hugonot, and the Perfecutions of her Brother the Duke of Anjou, (afterwards Henry III.) who threw her Prayer-Book into the Fire, and threatned her, that the Queen-Mother would have her whipt, if she was obftinate, &c. Mem. De la Reine Marguerite, liv. 1. p. 9, 10, 11. Edit. Paris, 1628.