Henry was master of his own will, and, had he desired to do so, could have overcome his evil tendencies; instead, he openly countenanced and even encouraged dissoluteness and elegant debauchery, as long as he himself was not deprived of the lady upon whom his capricious fancy happened to fall.  His advances were but seldom repulsed; but upon making his usual audacious proposals to the Marquise de Guercheville, he was informed that she was of too insignificant a house to be the king’s wife and of too good a race to be his mistress; and when the king, in spite of this rebuff, made her lady of honor to his wife, Marie de’ Medici, she continued to resist him and remained virtuous.  Such types of purity, honor, and moral courage were very exceptional during this reign.

The three principal mistresses of this sovereign represent three phases of influence and three periods of his life.  Corisande d’Andouins, Comtesse de Guiche and Duchesse de Gramont, fascinated him for eight years, while he was King of Navarre (1582-1590); to her he was deeply attached, and recompensed her for her devotion; this is called his chevaleresque period.  The beautiful Gabrielle d’Estrees, Duchesse de Beaufort, was called his mate after victory; “she refined, sharpened, softened, and tamed his customs; she made him king of the court instead of the field.”  It was she who ventured to meddle in his politics, she whom Marguerite of Valois, his wife, so detested that she refused to consent to a divorce as long as Gabrielle (by whom he had several children) remained his mistress.  The latter even went so far as to demand the baptism, as a child of France, of her son by the king.  Sully, in a rage, declared there were no “children of France,” and took the order to the king, who had it destroyed; he then asked his minister to go to his mistress and satisfy her, “in so far as you can.”  To his efforts she replied:  “I am aware of all, and do not care to hear any more; I am not made as the king is, whom you persuade that black is white.”  Upon receiving this report, the king said:  “Here, come with me; I will let you see that women have not the possession of me that certain malignant spirits say they have.”  Accompanied by Sully, he immediately went to the Duchesse de Beaufort, and, taking her by the hand, said:  “Now, madame, let us go into your room, and let nobody else enter except Rosny.  I want to speak to you both and teach you how to be good friends.”  Then, having closed the door, holding Gabrielle with one hand and Rosny with the other, he said:  “Good God, madame!  What is the meaning of this?  So you would vex me from sheer wantonness of heart in order to try my patience?  By God, I swear to you that, if you continue these fashions of going on, you will find yourself very much out in your expectations!  I see quite well that you have been put up to all this pleasantry in order to make me dismiss a servant whom I cannot do without, and who has served me loyally