march against M. de Conde—­Marie endeavours to temporize—­The price of loyalty—­The Prince de Conde leaves Paris—­Christening of the Duc d’Anjou and the Princesse Henriette Marie—­A temporary calm—­The Ducs de Vendome and de Retz excite the Burgundians to revolt—­The Protestants refuse to join their faction—­They are compelled to lay down their arms—­The Prince de Conde marches upon Poitiers—­The Church “military”—­The prelate and the populace—­A governor superseded—­The Prince is compelled to withdraw to Chatellerault—­He burns down the episcopal palace—­The Court proceed to Poitou—­Their reception—­The Duc de Vendome makes his submission—­The States assemble at Nantes—­Enormities perpetrated by the troops of M. de Vendome—­Folly of that Prince—­Death of the Prince de Conti—­A bachelor-Benedict—­A nom de guerre—­Majority of Louis XIII—­The Bed of Justice—­The assembly of the States-General is deferred—­The King solicits his mother to retain her authority in the Government—­Meeting of the States—­The early years of Louis XIII—­Charles Albert de Luynes—­His antecedents—­His ambition—­His favour with the young King—­He is made Governor of Amboise.

The commencement of the year 1614 was productive of new anxieties to the Queen-Regent.  The Marechal de Bouillon, whose restless ambition was ever prompting him to some new enterprise, had warily, but not the less surely, possessed himself of the confidence of the Princes and the other dis-affected nobles, and had succeeded in aggravating their feelings against the Court party to such an extent that he experienced little difficulty in inducing them to abandon the capital and to retire to their several governments.  M. de Conde had never forgiven the refusal of Marie to bestow upon him the command of the citadel of Chateau Trompette, or the recall of the ministers; and he also deeply resented the desertion of the Marechal d’Ancre from his interests, as well as the wealth and honours to which he had attained; while the Ducs de Nevers, de Mayenne, de Vendome, de Longueville, and de Piney-Luxembourg, together with a host of others, considered themselves aggrieved by their exclusion from power, and were consequently ready to espouse his cause.  Thus Bouillon found it easy to induce them to retire simultaneously from the Court; and it was agreed that they should assemble in Champagne, and collectively demand a reform in the Government.

Accordingly the Prince de Conde took his leave of their Majesties on the 6th of January, and retired for a time to Chateauroux, whence he afterwards proceeded to Mezieres.  This example was shortly followed by the other chiefs of his faction.  The Duc de Nevers retired at once to Champagne, the Duc de Mayenne to the Isle of France, and M. de Longueville to Picardy.  In February the Duc de Vendome prepared in his turn to join his friends; but as their purpose had by this time become apparent to the Regent, she caused him to be confined in an apartment of the Louvre; whence, however, he succeeded a short time afterwards in escaping by a door that had long been unused, and which being covered by the tapestried hanging of the chamber had been at length forgotten.