“We have an army in Paris which will be looked upon as the people so long as it continues within its walls.  Every councillor of inquest is inclined to believe his authority among the soldiers to be equal to that of the generals.  But the leaders of the people are not believed to be very powerful until they make their power known by its execution.  Pray do but consider the conduct of the Court upon this occasion.  Was there any minister or courtier but ridiculed all that could be said of the disposition of the people in favour of the Parliament even to the day of the barricades?  And yet it is as true that every man at Court saw infallible marks of the revolution beforehand.  One would have thought that the barricades should have convinced them; but have they been convinced?  Have they been hindered from besieging Paris on the slight supposition that, though the caprice of the people might run them into a mutiny, yet it would not break out into a civil war?  What we are now doing might undeceive them effectually; but are they yet cured of their infatuation?  Is not the Queen told every day that none are for the Parliament but hired mobs, and that all the wealthy burghers are in her Majesty’s interests?

“The Parliament is now as much infatuated as the Court was then.  This present disturbance among the people carries in it all the marks of power which, in a little time, they will feel the effects of, and which, as they cannot but foresee, they ought to prevent in time, because of the murmurs of the people against them and their redoubled affection for M. de Beaufort and me.  But far from it, the Parliament will never open its eyes until all its authority is quashed by a sudden blow.  If they see we have a design against them they will, perhaps, have so inconsiderable an opinion of it that they will take courage, and if we should but flinch, they will bear harder still upon us, till we shall be forced to crush them; but this would not turn to our account; on the contrary, it is our true interest to do them all the good we can, lest we divide our own party, and to behave in such a manner as may convince them that our interest and theirs are inseparable.  And the best way is to draw our army out of Paris, and to post it so as it may be ready to secure our convoys and be safe from the insults of the enemy; and I am for having this done at the request of the Parliament, to prevent their taking umbrage, till such time at least as we may find our account in it.  Such precautions will insensibly, as it were, necessitate the Parliament to act in concert with us, and our favour among the people, which is the only thing that can fix us in that situation, will appear to them no longer contemptible when they see it backed by an army which is no longer at their discretion.”

M. de Bouillon told me that M. de Turenne was upon the point of declaring for us, and that there were but two colonels in all his army who gave him any uneasiness, but that in a week’s time he would find some way or other to manage them, and that then he would march directly to our assistance.  “What do you think of that?” said the Duke.  “Are we not now masters both of the Court and Parliament?”