of the Prince—­Cunning of Concini—­Bouillon returns to Court—­He offers his services to the Regent at the General Assembly—­He proceeds to Saumur—­He desires to be appointed President of the Assembly—­He is rejected in favour of M. du Plessis-Mornay—­He attributes his defeat to Sully—­He resolves to conciliate the ex-Minister of Finance—­Meeting of the Assembly—­The Court determines to dissolve the meeting—­Prudence of Du Plessis-Mornay —­Death of M. de Crequy—­The Marquis d’Ancre succeeds to the government of Amiens—­His insolent disregard of the royal prerogative—­Indignation of the ministers—­The Regent resents his impertinence—­She refuses to receive Madame d’Ancre—­Intrigues of the Princesse de Conti—­The favourites forgiven—­Marie de Medicis issues several salutary edicts—­Court festivities—­The Duchesse de Lorraine arrives at Fontainebleau—­Death of the Duc de Mayenne—­Death of the Queen of Spain—­The Duchesse de Lorraine claims the hand of Louis XIII for her daughter—­Death of the Duc d’Orleans—­Departure of the Duchesse de Lorraine—­Rival claims—­M. de Breves appointed preceptor to the Duc d’Anjou—­The Comte de Soissons applies for the duchy of Alencon—­Rebuke of the Regent—­A hunting-party—­A new cabal—­Recall of the Marechal de Lesdiguieres—­Marie de Medicis purchases the Hotel de Luxembourg.

The first political event worthy of record which occurred in France at the commencement of the year 1611 was the retirement of the Duc de Sully; who, on the 24th of January, received the reply of the Regent to the letter in which he had solicited her permission to withdraw from the Government.  It contained a faintly-expressed regret at the resolution he had taken; “but that,” as he himself says, “was merely for form’s sake;” [98] and the accuracy of his judgment is evidenced by the fact that only two days after he had again written to declare that his determination was unalterable, the Duc de Bouillon delivered to him the official warrants by which he was discharged from his duties of Superintendent of Finance, and Captain of the Bastille.  These were worded in the most flattering terms; and he was guaranteed against all inquiry or annoyance upon either subject from the day in which he resigned his tenure of office.  A third warrant was, moreover, added, by which, in consideration of his past services, the Queen bestowed upon him the sum of three hundred thousand livres; and a few days subsequently he received letters from the King and the Regent authorizing him to transfer the command of the Bastille to M. de Chateauvieux;[99] which he had no sooner done than he turned all his attention to the final arrangement of his public accounts, in order that he might, with as little delay as possible, be enabled to quit the capital.[100]

The transfer of the Bastille was shortly afterwards followed by that of the ministry of finance, which was placed under the joint direction of M. de Chateauneuf[101] and the Presidents de Thou and de Jeannin; the latter of whom was, however, invested with the rank of Comptroller-General, which gave him the entire management of the public funds, to the exclusion of his colleagues, who were in consequence only eligible to assist in the official distribution of the public monies.  The charge of Grand Master of the Artillery, which was resigned with the command of the Bastille by Sully, the Regent retained in her own hands.[102]