They came to a handsome house, which had been appointed for the Prince’s gentleman, took great care of them, though the two Dukes remained outside with their little army.  The next day the Princess, attended of course by Madame d’Aubepine, and a whole train of noblesse and influential people, went to the Parliament of Bordeaux with her petition for aid.  She personally addressed each counsellor in the passage to the great hall, and represented to them the cruelty and ingratitude of Mazarin towards her husband, while her little son kissed and embraced and begged them for his father’s liberty.

When all had assembled in the great chamber, and they had begun to deliberate, the Princess burst in on them, threw herself on her knees, and began a speech.  When she broke off, choked by tears, her little son fell on his knees and exclaimed:  ’Gentlemen, be instead of a father to me; Cardinal Mazarin has taken away mine!’

Then there was a general weeping, and the Parliament promised the Princess their protection.  There was more hesitation about admitting the two Dukes, but at last it was done.  There were the headquarters of the army that resisted the Crown.  At least this was the principle on which the Duke of Bouillon acted.  His family had from the first tried to maintain the privileges which the old feudal vassals attributed to themselves, and he was following up their traditions, as well as fighting for the deliverance of his wife from her captivity.

The Duke of Rochefoucauld was throughout more the lover of Madame de Longueville then anything else, and the Princess of Conde simply thought of obtaining her husband’s release, and nothing else.  She had no notions of State policy nor anything else of the kind, any more than had Madame d’Aubepine, who assisted daily at her little agitated court.  They were the two gentlest, simplest, weakest conspirators who ever rebelled against the Crown, and it was all out of pure loyalty to the two husbands who had never shown a spark of affection, scarcely of courtesy, to either of them.

Well, the Queen herself and her son and all the Court came to reduce Bordeaux, Mademoiselle and all, for she had been for the time detached from the adoration of the Prince, by, of all things in the world, hopes given her of marrying her little cousin, the King, though he was only twelve and she was double that age.  So Bordeaux was besieged, and held out against the royal troops for some days, being encouraged by the resolute demeanour of the Princess; but at last, when on the faubourgs had been taken, the Parliament, uneasy in conscience at resisting the Crown, decided on capitulating, and, to the bitter disappointment and indignation of the ladies, made no stipulations as to the liberty of the husband.

No attempt was made on the liberty of the lady herself, and she was ordered to depart to Chantilly.  Though unwell, she had visited every counsellor in his own house, and done her utmost to prepare for the renewal of the resistance in case her husband was not released; and she was almost exhausted with fatigue when she went on board a vessel which was to take her to Larmont, whence she meant to go to Coutras, where she was to be permitted to stay for three days.