LETTER XX.

Queen Marguerite Permitted to Go to the King Her Husband.—­Is Accompanied by the Queenmother.—­Marguerite Insulted by Her Husband’s Secretary.—­She Harbours Jealousy.—­Her Attention to the King Her Husband during an Indisposition.—­Their Reconciliation.—­The War Breaks Out Afresh.—­Affront Received from Marechal de Biron.

I now renewed my application for leave to go to the King my husband, which I continued to press on every opportunity.  The King, perceiving that he could not refuse my leave any longer, was willing I should depart satisfied.  He had this further view in complying with my wishes, that by this means he should withdraw me from my attachment to my brother.  He therefore strove to oblige me in every way he could think of, and, to fulfil the promise made by the Queen my mother at the Peace of Sens, he gave me an assignment of my portion in territory, with the power of nomination to all vacant benefices and all offices; and, over and above the customary pension to the daughters of France, he gave another out of his privy purse.

He daily paid me a visit in my apartment, in which he took occasion to represent to me how useful his friendship would be to me; whereas that of my brother could be only injurious,—­with arguments of the like kind.

However, all he could say was insufficient to prevail on me to swerve from the fidelity I had vowed to observe to my brother.  The King was able to draw from me no other declaration than this:  that it ever was, and should be, my earnest wish to see my brother firmly established in his gracious favour, which he had never appeared to me to have forfeited; that I was well assured he would exert himself to the utmost to regain it by every act of duty and meritorious service; that, with respect to myself, I thought I was so much obliged to him for the great honour he did me by repeated acts of generosity, that he might be assured, when I was with the King my husband I should consider myself bound in duty to obey all such commands as he should be pleased to give me; and that it would be my whole study to maintain the King my husband in a submission to his pleasure.

My brother was now on the point of leaving Alencon to go to Flanders; the Queen my mother was desirous to see him before his departure.  I begged the King to permit me to take the opportunity of accompanying her to take leave of my brother, which he granted; but, as it seemed, with great unwillingness.  When we returned from Alencon, I solicited the King to permit me to take leave of himself, as I had everything prepared for my journey.  The Queen my mother being desirous to go to Gascony, where her presence was necessary for the King’s service, was unwilling that I should depart without her.  When we left Paris, the King accompanied us on the way as far as his palace of Dolinville.  There we stayed with him a few days, and there we took our leave, and in a little time reached Guienne, which belonging to, and being under the government of the King my husband, I was everywhere received as Queen.  My husband gave the Queen my mother a meeting at Wolle, which was held by the Huguenots as a cautionary town; and the country not being sufficiently quieted, she was permitted to go no further.