“God has shown that He did not scorn to send the spirit of victory upon his Levites, for the Duc de Weimar did not more powerfully aid in the conquest of Lorraine than did this pious Cardinal, and never was a naval army better commanded than by our Archbishop of Bordeaux at Rochelle.”

It was well known that at this very time the minister was incensed against this prelate, whose haughtiness was so overbearing, and whose impertinent ebullitions were so frequent as to have involved him in two very disagreeable affairs at Bordeaux.  Four years before, the Duc d’Epernon, then governor of Guyenne, followed by all his train and by his troops, meeting him among his clergy in a procession, had called him an insolent fellow, and given him two smart blows with his cane; whereupon the Archbishop had excommunicated him.  And again, recently, despite this lesson, he had quarrelled with the Marechal de Vitry, from whom he had received “twenty blows with a cane or stick, which you please,” wrote the Cardinal Duke to the Cardinal de la Vallette, “and I think he would like to excommunicate all France.”  In fact, he did excommunicate the Marechal’s baton, remembering that in the former case the Pope had obliged the Duc d’Epernon to ask his pardon; but M. Vitry, who had caused the Marechal d’Ancre to be assassinated, stood too high at court for that, and the Archbishop, in addition to his beating, got well scolded by the minister.

M. d’Estrees thought, therefore, sagely that there might be some irony in the Cardinal’s manner of referring to the warlike talents of the Archbishop, and he answered, with perfect sang-froid: 

“It is true, my lord, no one can say that it was upon the sea he was beaten.”

His Eminence could not restrain a smile at this; but seeing that the electrical effect of that smile had created others in the hall, as well as whisperings and conjectures, he immediately resumed his gravity, and familiarly taking the Marechal’s arm, said: 

“Come, Monsieur l’Ambassadeur, you are ready at repartee.  With you I should not fear Cardinal Albornos, or all the Borgias in the world—­no, nor all the efforts of their Spain with the Holy Father.”

Then, raising his voice, and looking around, as if addressing himself to the silent, and, so to speak, captive assembly, he continued: 

“I hope that we shall no more be reproached, as formerly, for having formed an alliance with one of the greatest men of our day; but as Gustavus Adolphus is dead, the Catholic King will no longer have any pretext for soliciting the excommunication of the most Christian King.  How say you, my dear lord?” addressing himself to the Cardinal de la Vallette, who now approached, fortunately without having heard the late allusion to himself.  “Monsieur d’Estrees, remain near our chair; we have still many things to say to you, and you are not one too many in our conversations, for we have no secrets.  Our policy is frank and open to all men; the interest of his Majesty and of the State—­nothing more.”