On the other hand the King had more than one stormy interview with Don Inigo de Cardenas in Paris.  That ambassador declared that his master would never abandon his only sister the most serene Infanta, such was the affection he born her, whose dominions were obviously threatened by these French armies about to move to the frontiers.  Henry replied that the friends for whom he was arming had great need of his assistance; that his Catholic Majesty was quite right to love his sister, whom he also loved; but that he did not choose that his own relatives should be so much beloved in Spain as they were.  “What relatives?” asked Don Inigo.  “The Prince of Conde,” replied the King, in a rage, “who has been debauched by the Spaniards just as Marshal Biron was, and the Marchioness Verneuil, and so many others.  There are none left for them to debauch now but the Dauphin and his brothers.”  The Ambassador replied that, if the King had consulted him about the affair of Conde, he could have devised a happy issue from it.  Henry rejoined that he had sent messages on the subject to his Catholic Majesty, who had not deigned a response, but that the Duke of Lerma had given a very indiscreet one to his ambassador.  Don Inigo professed ignorance of any such reply.  The King said it was a mockery to affect ignorance of such matters.  Thereupon both grew excited and very violent in their discourses; the more so as Henry knowing but little Spanish and the Envoy less French they could only understand from tone and gesture that each was using exceedingly unpleasant language.  At last Don Inigo asked what he should write to his sovereign.  “Whatever you like,” replied the King, and so the audience terminated, each remaining in a towering passion.

Subsequently Villeroy assured the Archduke’s ambassador that the King considered the reception given to the Prince in the Spanish dominions as one of the greatest insults and injuries that could be done to him.  Nothing could excuse it, said the Secretary of State, and for this reason it was very difficult for the two kings to remain at peace with each other, and that it would be wiser to prevent at once the evil designs of his Catholic Majesty than to leave leisure for the plans to be put into execution, and the claims of the Dauphin to his father’s crown to be disputed at a convenient season.

He added that war would not be made for the Princess, but for the Prince, and that even the war in Germany, although Spain took the Emperor’s side and France that of the possessory princes, would not necessarily produce a rupture between the two kings if it were not for this affair of the Prince—­true cause of the disaster now hanging over Christianity.  Pecquius replied by smooth commonplaces in favour of peace with which Villeroy warmly concurred; both sadly expressing the conviction however that the wrath divine had descended on them all on account of their sins.

A few days later, however, the Secretary changed his tone.