Chapter 13

[Page 132] À la première nouvelle qu'en eut Monsieur de Nemours, il sentit le poids de cette retraite, et il en vit l'importance. Il crut dans ce moment qu'il n'avoit plus rien à espérer. La perte de ses espérances ne l'empêcha pas de mettre tout en usage pour faire revenir Madame de Clèves; il fit écrire la 5 Reine, il fit écrire le Vidame, il l'y fit aller, mais tout fut inutile. Le Vidame la vit; elle ne lui dit point qu'elle eût pris de résolution; il jugea néanmoins qu'elle ne reviendroit jamais. Enfin, Monsieur de Nemours y alla lui-même sur le prétexte d'aller à des bains. Elle fut extrêmement troublée 10 et surprise d'apprendre sa venue. Elle lui fit dire par une personne de mérite qu'elle aimoit, et qu'elle avoit alors auprès d'elle, qu'elle le prioit de ne pas trouver étrange si elle ne s'exposoit point au péril de le voir, et de détruire par sa présence des sentiments qu'elle devoit conserver; 15 qu'elle vouloit bien qu'il sût qu'ayant trouvé que son devoir et son repos s'opposoient au penchant qu'elle avoit d'être à lui, les autres choses du monde lui avoient paru si indifférentes qu'elle y avoit renoncé pour jamais; qu'elle ne pensoit plus qu'à celles de l'autre vie, et qu'il ne lui restoit 20 aucun sentiment que le désir de le voir dans les mêmes dispositions où elle étoit.

Monsieur de Nemours pensa expirer de douleur en présence de celle qui lui parloit. Il la pria vingt fois de retourner à Madame de Clèves, afin de faire en sorte qu'il 25 la vît; mais cette personne lui dit que Madame de Clèves lui avoit non-seulement défendu de lui aller redire aucune chose de sa part, mais même de lui rendre compte de leur conversation. Il fallut enfin que ce prince repartît, aussi accablé de douleur que le pouvoit être un homme qui perdoit 30 toutes sortes d'espérances de revoir jamais une personne qu'il aimoit d'une passion la plus violente, la plus naturelle et la mieux fondée qui ait jamais été. Néanmoins il ne se rebuta point encore, et il fit tout ce qu'il put imaginer de [Page 133] capable de la faire changer de dessein. Enfin, des années entières s'étant passées, le temps et l'absence ralentirent sa douleur et éteignirent sa passion. Madame de Clèves vécut d'une sorte qui ne laissa pas d'apparence qu'elle pût jamais revenir; elle passoit une partie de l'année dans cette maison 5 religieuse, et l'autre chez elle, mais dans une retraite et dans des occupations plus saintes que celles des couvents les plus austères; et sa vie, qui fut assez courte, laissa des exemples de vertu inimitables.

NOTES.

FIRST PART.

PAGE 1.--1. HENRY II., son of Francis I. and Claude de France, was born at Saint Germain-en-Laye, March 31, 1519. Upon his accession to the throne of France in 1547, he filled the Court with favorites of his own, among whom the highest position was occupied by Diana of Poitiers (see page 8, note 1). Although he continued his father's persistent persecution of the French Protestants, he was, at the same time, at the head of the league of Protestant princes opposed to Charles V. In this conflict he was successful and took Toul, Metz, and Verdun from Germany in 1552. After the accession of Philip II. to the throne of Spain, the war against the French was carried on with varying success for seven years. In 1558, after the Battle of Gravelines, proposals of peace were made and the treaty was signed at Câteau-Cambrésis, April 3, 1559. Henry II. was shortly after wounded in a tournament, and died on July 10, 1559.

2. MADAME ELISABETH DE FRANCE (1543-1568) was the daughter of Henry II. and Catherine de Medici. She was promised in marriage to Edward VI. of England, but the latter died before attaining his majority. Philip II. of Spain sought her as a match for his son, Don Carlos; but in the meantime his wife, Mary of England, died, and he demanded and obtained the princess for himself. The romantic attachment of Don Carlos to her is vividly depicted in Schiller's drama, though it must be borne in mind that Schiller's picture is very far from being an accurate historical representation. Her death took place shortly after that of Don Carlos. "She was," says Brantôme, "the best princess of her time, and was loved by every one. She was extremely beautiful, and to this she joined a demeanor of incomparable majesty. She was endowed with a lively understanding and was a great lover of poetry and the arts."

3. MARIE STUART (1542-1587) was born at Linlithgow, a small town not far from Edinburgh. She was the daughter of James V. of Scotland by his second wife, Mary of Lorraine. Henry VIII. desired her as a match for the Prince of Wales, but her mother favored a marriage with the Dauphin, afterwards Francis II. She accordingly set out for France in 1548 and the marriage took place on April 24, 1558. From this time until the death of Henry II., Francis and Mary Stuart were called _le Roi Dauphin_ and _la Reine Dauphine_ respectively. The young princess soon drew upon herself the enmity of her mother-in-law, Catherine de Medici, and shortly after her husband's death she left for Scotland (August 15, 1561). Her checkered career from this time on is well known.

$1s (afterwards Francis II.), son of Henry II., was born at Fontainebleau, January 19, 1543. He was married to Mary Stuart in 1558 and the next year ascended the throne of France. Owing to his weak health and mental incapacity the affairs of the kingdom fell into the hands of the Guises, uncles of Mary Stuart. This led to great discontent among the people, which was aggravated by the fierce religious factions of the times. The young ruler died on December 5, 1560. The agitation of the Court was so great that neither his mother nor any of his family paid him the last duties, and his body was borne to St. Denis accompanied only by two noblemen and the Bishop of Senlis.

5. LA REINE, Catherine de Medici (1519-1589), was born in the city of Florence. She was the daughter of Lorenzo de Medici and the niece of Pope Clement VII. Her marriage with Henry II. took place at Marseille, October 28, 1533. Her ambitious schemes were repressed during the reign of her husband and of Francis II.; but, as she had charge of affairs during the minority of Charles IX., she made good use of this opportunity to destroy her enemies both political and religious. She designed the massacre of St. Bartholomew and was continually fomenting strife among her sons. After the death of Charles IX. she again became regent for a short time till the return of Henry III. Never did Italian craftiness and cruelty wield such influence in France. At last, however, the people grew weary of the rule of the foreigner, and Catherine's later years were marked by the loss of all political power.

6. MADAME, SOEUR DU ROI, Marguerite de France, daughter of Francis I., was born in 1525 at Saint Germain-en-Laye. In 1559 she married the Duke of Savoy. She was a patron of literature and art, and drew many celebrated men to the University of Turin. Her kindly disposition won her the title of "Mother of the People." She died on the 14th of September, 1574.

7. FRANÇOIS IER (1494-1547), son of Charles, Comte d'Angoulême. At the age of twenty he married Claude, daughter of Louis XII., and succeeded his father-in-law, January 1, 1515. His first act was to undertake the conquest of the French possessions in Italy which had been lost during the reign of Louis XII. He was successful and regained Milan with Lombardy. Upon the death of the German Emperor Maximilian in 1519, he became the rival candidate of Charles V. for the imperial crown. Upon his loss of the latter, he attempted an alliance with Henry VIII. of England against the Emperor. Henry, however, soon afterwards united with the Emperor and the Papacy against Francis; the French troops in Italy were defeated and Francis was captured at Pavia and carried as prisoner to Madrid. He was released the next year. From this time almost till his death he was engaged in expeditions against the German Emperor, and on two occasions went so far as to make an alliance with the Turks. He was the first to give to the French Court that magnificence which afterwards made it the envy of all the Courts of Europe. In religion he pursued a double policy: while he severely persecuted the Protestants in France, he did all in his power to encourage the German Protestants and, in this way, to weaken the power of his old enemy, Charles V.

PAGE 2.--1. LE ROI DE NAVARRE. Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, was born April 22, 1518. He was the son of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, and Françoise d'Alençon. In 1548 he married Jeanne d'Albret, daughter of Henry II., King of Navarre. By this marriage he obtained the crown of Navarre and the Seniory of Béarn. His son, Henry of Navarre (Henry IV. of France), was born in 1553. During the first part of Antoine de Bourbon's political career he belonged to the Huguenots and was associated with them at the conspiracy of Amboise (see page 64, note 2), but after the death of Francis II. he passed over to the Catholic party, was appointed _lieutenant-général_ of the kingdom, and formed, with the Duke of Guise and the Constable of Montmorency, the union which was called "the Triumvirate." During the siege of Rouen he received a severe wound, from which he died thirty-five days after, on November 17, 1562.

2. LE DUC DE GUISE, François de Lorraine, second Duke of Guise (1519-1563), was the eldest son of Claude, first Duke of Guise. In his early life he showed a love of danger and thirst for renown. Having been placed in charge of the French troops in the "Three Bishoprics," he sustained against 100,000 imperial troops the memorable siege of Metz. In 1557 he had charge of the army sent into Italy at the request of Paul IV., to undertake the conquest of the kingdom of Naples. After the disastrous defeat of Saint-Quentin, he was placed in command of all the armies, both within and without the kingdom; then followed a series of brilliant victories for the French, resulting in the capture of Calais, Guines, and Thionville. A ghastly face-wound at the hands of the English at Boulogne got him the name of "Balafré." He wielded great influence at Court and was a chief promoter of the persecution of the Huguenots, figuring prominently in the Massacre of Vassy and the siege of Rouen. During his attack on Orleans he was shot by a Protestant named Poltrot de Méré.

3. LE CARDINAL DE LORRAINE, Charles, second cardinal of Lorraine (1524-1574), was the second son of Claude of Guise. He was by far the ablest of the Guises. At the age of twenty-three he was taken into the confidence of Henry II. and gained universal favor by his agreeable and flattering address. In early life he was appointed Archbishop of Rheims and not long after was made cardinal. At first he was inclined to favor the Protestants, but subsequently used his influence toward their extermination. During the reign of Francis II. he was, together with his brother, the Duke of Guise, in virtual control of the government.

4. LE CHEVALIER DE GUISE, François de Lorraine, was born in 1537; joined the order of Malta and became Grand Prior towards 1555, and about the same time was made General of the Galleys. He led an expedition from Malta to Rhodes, where he was wounded. He was one of the nobles who accompanied Mary Stuart to Scotland in 1561, and while returning visited the Court of England. He got overheated at the battle of Dreux (December 12, 1562) and died of pleurisy a few weeks later. He had already in 1562 waged successful war against the Huguenots in Normandy. Brantôme, his secretary, describes him at length in vol. v., pp. 62-77, Mérimée's edition, Paris, 1858.

5. LE PRINCE DE CONDÉ. Louis I. of Bourbon, Prince of Condé (1530-1569), was the son of Charles of Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme. During the wars of Francis I. he took part in the defence of Metz against Charles V., and was afterwards a vigorous leader of the Protestants against the Guises. He was implicated in the conspiracy of Amboise and sentenced to death, but was saved by the early death of Francis II. After the massacre at Vassy (1562) he was again in arms and was taken prisoner at Dreux, but regained his liberty by the peace of 1565. During the wars of religion he was relentlessly pursued by the Catholic powers and took refuge in La Rochelle. He was killed in the battle of Jarnac, March 13, 1569.

6. LE DUC DE NEVERS. Francis I. of Clèves, Duke of Nevers (1516-1562), was the son of Charles of Clèves. In 1539 he obtained the establishment of Nevers and in 1545 the government of Champagne. His first military expedition was in Piedmont under Marshall Montmorency. In 1551 he was entrusted with the protection of the frontier of Lorraine. He took part in all the campaigns against Charles V. and Philip II., and was one of the most valiant defenders of Metz. He was present at the defeat of Saint-Quentin, and by his skillful manoeuvres saved a great part of the French forces from destruction. In 1560 he revealed to Francis II. the conspiracy of Amboise. His death took place on February 13, 1562.

7. LE PRINCE DE CLÈVES, second son of Francis I. of Nevers. "Ce prince," says Brantôme, "qui s'appelloit Jacques de Clèves, bien qu'il fût de faible habitude, si promettoit-il beaucoup de soi, car il avoit en lui beaucoup de vertu." He died in 1564.

PAGE 3.--1. LE VIDAME DE CHARTRES (1522-1560). Francis of Vendôme, Vidame of Chartres, Prince of Chabanois, was one of the most distinguished courtiers of his time. "He was as great," says Brantôme, "in his lineage and his enormous wealth as in his valor and illustrious deeds, so that in his time men spoke only of the Vidame of Chartres; and if the people celebrated his prowess, they did not forget his magnificence and liberality." In Francis I.'s Italian campaign he furnished at his own cost a splendid company of a hundred noblemen. He was one of the hostages sent into England to confirm the treaty of peace between the two countries. In 1558 he was placed in command of the armies in Piedmont. After the battle of Gravelines, he was appointed _lieutenant-général_ of the kingdom, but soon relinquished this office in favor of the Prince of Condé. He was shortly after suspected of complicity in the conspiracy of Amboise, and was imprisoned in the Bastille by order of Francis II. During his life at Court he had been passionately loved by Catherine de Medici, but he showed only indifference toward her. She avenged herself later on by ill-treating him, and it is suspected that his death was caused by poison given to him by her order. He died on December 16, 1560, "aussi mal content de cette dame qu'elle de lui," says Brantôme naïvely. The title _Vidame_ is derived from _vice_ (Latin _vicem_) and _dame_ (Latin _dominus_), hence "vice-lord." The Low-Latin is _vice-dominus_.

2. LE DUC DE NEMOURS (1531-1585). Jacques de Savoie, Duke of Nemours, was born at the Abbey of Vaulinsant in Champagne. At the age of fifteen he was brought to the Court of Francis I. He served in the campaigns against Charles V., was present at the siege of Metz, and afterwards fought with great bravery in Flanders and in Italy. He was one of the _tenants_ in the tournament in which Henry II. lost his life. Having been branded with suspicion, he was compelled to leave the Court during the reign of Henry III., but was soon recalled. In 1562 he aided in the capture of Bourges from the Protestants and later succeeded the Marshall of St. André as Governor of Dauphiné. In 1566 he married Anne d'Este, widow of the Duke of Guise. His later years were spent in retirement from the Court. He died at Annecy, June 25, 1585. Brantôme says of him: "C'étoit un très-beau prince et de très-bonne grâce, brave et vaillant, aimable et accostable, bien disant, bien écrivant autant en rime qu'en prose; s'habillant des mieux. Il étoit pourvu d'un grand sens et d'esprit; il aimoit toutes sortes d'exercices et si y étoit si universel qu'il étoit parfait en tous, si bien que qui n'a vu Monsieur de Nemours, il n'a rien vu, et qui l'a vu le peut baptiser par tout le monde la fleur de toute la chevalerie."

3. SAINT-QUENTIN, a city in the Department of Aisne, about eighty miles northeast of Paris. It is the center of the French manufacture of linen, muslin, and gauze. The battle of Saint-Quentin took place on July 29, 1557; the French forces met with a great defeat at the hands of the Spaniards, who were reinforced by a body of English troops.

4. CHARLES-QUINT (Carolus Quintus). Charles V. (1500-1558) was the eldest son of Philip, Archduke of Austria, and Joanna, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. Upon the death of Ferdinand in 1516, Charles ascended the throne of Spain, and also became ruler of the Netherlands, Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia. By the death of his paternal grandfather, Emperor Maximilian, he obtained possession of Austria and was elected Emperor of Germany. The other candidates for the imperial crown were Henry VIII. of England and Francis I. of France. Charles soon became involved in a long struggle with the French, in which he was for the most part successful, and captured Francis I. (see page 1, note 7). The war was continued by Henry II. and a portion of Lorraine was taken from the Emperor. The latter, not long after, retired to the monastery of Yuste in Estremadura, where he died after two years.

5. METZ, formerly capital of the Department of Moselle, situated at the confluence of the Seille and the Moselle. During the war with Henry II. it was besieged by Charles V. and gallantly defended by the Duke of Guise. The siege lasted sixty-five days, and on December 26, 1552, the imperial troops left Metz as a permanent possession of the French. It remained one of their most important strongholds till its cession to Germany in 1870. Charles V.'s remark upon his defeat is well known: "I see that Fortune is just like a woman; she favors a young king more than an old emperor."

6. CERCAMP, a city in the Department of Pas-de-Calais (Artois). The chief industry of the place consists in its woolen factories. Here, on October 15, 1558, the plenipotentiaries appointed by the French met those of Spain, with whom were associated the ambassadors of Mary of England and of the Duke of Savoy. Stipulations for a peace were proposed; a truce of fifteen days was proclaimed, which was several times renewed; part of the troops were dismissed and the rest went into winter-quarters. However, before any definite arrangements could be made, Mary, Queen of England, died, and the meeting was dissolved.

PAGE 4.--1. DON CARLOS, son of Philip II. of Spain and of his first wife, Doña Maria of Portugal, was born at Valladolid on July 8, 1545, and died at Madrid on July 14, 1568. In 1559, at the Treaty of Câteau-Cambrésis, Philip negotiated a marriage between his son and Elisabeth, daughter of Henry II., but he afterwards married the princess himself. The loss of his chosen bride in this manner appeared to have a deep effect upon Don Carlos, and the sympathy shown him by Elisabeth and the gratitude thus awakened in the heart of the young prince aroused a feeling of jealousy in the mind of the Spanish King. In 1560 Don Carlos was proclaimed heir to the throne of Spain, but not long after was removed from Court and sent away from the capital. In 1562 he was wounded in the head by a fall, and it is thought by many that his reason was thereby impaired. His father's treatment of him became harsher, and the important positions at the Court were occupied by his enemies; he made two vain attempts to escape from Spain, and intelligence was brought to the King that his son was forming designs against his life. On January 18, 1568, Don Carlos was seized and placed in close confinement. The Council of State condemned him to death, but before the sentence could be executed the prince died in an unknown manner. (See Gachard: _Don Carlos et Philippe II._, Bruxelles, 1863.)

2. MONSIEUR DE SAVOIE. Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, was born at Chambéry, July 8, 1528. He was an officer in the army of Charles V., and in 1557 won the battle of Saint-Quentin. He died August 30, 1580.

3. MARIE, REINE D'ANGLETERRE (1516-1558), was the daughter of Henry VIII. by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She became Queen of England in 1553. On July 25, 1554, she married Philip II. of Spain, and from this time on her energies were directed to the destruction of Protestantism in England. Her death took place on November 17, 1558.

4. ELISABETH (1533-1603), daughter of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn. She ascended the English throne in 1558.

5. De La Ferrière, in his _Projets de Mariage de la Reine Elisabeth_, says: "Elisabeth was very desirous of making the acquaintance of the Duke of Nemours. She received the Count of Randan and directed the conversation upon the Duke. Randan drew so flattering a picture of the latter that he soon awakened in her a spark of love which could easily be perceived in the face and manner of the Queen. It was a matter of no difficulty for him to obtain her request for a meeting. On his return to France he announced this to Nemours. The Duke sent Lignerolles, his most trusted servant, to London; the response brought back by Lignerolles was encouraging. Nemours then lavished money on his apparel, arms, and horses; the King also aided him with his purse, and the flower of the young nobility contended for the honor of following him to England; but at the last moment the expedition 'se rompit et demeura court,' for, continues the chronicler, 'd'autres amours serroient le coeur du duc et le tenoient captif.'"

PAGE 8.--1. MADAME DE VALENTINOIS, Diana of Poitiers, eldest daughter of Jean de Poitiers, was born September 3, 1499. At the age of thirteen she married Louis de Brézé, Comte de Maulevrier, who died in 1531. She became the mistress of Francis I., and afterwards of his son, Henry II. Her influence over Henry was boundless; even the beauty and wit of Catherine de Medici could not weaken the King's attachment to her. He loaded her with favors, and in 1548 donated to her for life the Duchy of Valentinois. Upon the death of Henry, Madame de Valentinois was banished from the Court by Catherine. Abandoned by all her friends, she retreated to Anet, where she died in 1566.

PAGE 10.--1. CHEZ LES REINES, in the apartments of Catherine de Medici and of Mary Stuart.

2. AUX ASSEMBLÉES, "in company."

PAGE 11.--1. AVOIT LE COEUR TRÈS-NOBLE ET TRÈS-BIEN FAIT, "had a very noble and generous disposition."

PAGE 12.--1. LOUVRE, one of the most famous buildings of Paris, situated in the western part of the city, on the right bank of the Seine. It was at first designed as a fortress for the protection of the river. In 1204 Philip Augustus erected in the center of the court of the Louvre a tower to serve as a state prison. Later on, several of the kings of France placed their libraries there. Charles V. selected this palace as his residence in 1347, and it served as the abode of the royal family till the reign of Louis XIV., who preferred Versailles. Since the days of the Empire it has been used as a museum.

PAGE 13.--1. LE DUC DE NEVERS, Francis II. of Nevers, elder brother of the Prince of Clèves (see page 2, note 7).

2. LE DUC DE LORRAINE, Charles III., called "the Great," was the son of Francis I., Duke of Lorraine, and of Christina of Denmark, niece of the Emperor Charles V. He was born at Nancy, February 15, 1543. After the death of his father in 1546, his mother ruled over the Duchy during the minority of her son. He was sent to Paris and in 1559 married Claude, daughter of Henry II. He subsequently took charge of the affairs of his state, and ruled long and peacefully, dying at Nancy, May 14, 1608.