description of queen marguerite’s equipage.—her journey to liege described.—she enters with success upon her mission.—striking instance of maternal duty and affection in a great lady.—disasters near the close of the journey.

the cavalcade that attended me excited great curiosity as it passed through the several towns in the course of my journey, and reflected no small degree of credit on france, as it was splendidly set out, and made a handsome appearance. i travelled in a litter raised with pillars. the lining of it was spanish velvet, of a crimson colour, embroidered in various devices with gold and different coloured silk thread.

the windows were of glass, painted in devices. the lining and windows had, in the whole, forty devices, all different and alluding to the sun and its effects. each device had its motto, either in the spanish or italian language. my litter was followed by two others; in the one was the princesse de roche-sur-yon, and in the other madame de tournon, my lady of the bedchamber. after them followed ten maids of honour, on horseback, with their governess; and, last of all, six coaches and chariots, with the rest of the ladies and all our female attendants.

i took the road of picardy, the towns in which province had received the king’s orders to pay me all due honours. being arrived at le catelet, a strong place, about three leagues distant from the frontier of the cambresis, the bishop of cambray (an ecclesiastical state acknowledging the king of spain only as a guarantee) sent a gentleman to inquire of me at what hour i should leave the place, as he intended to meet me on the borders of his territory.

accordingly i found him there, attended by a number of his people, who appeared to be true flemings, and to have all the rusticity and unpolished manners of their country. the bishop was of the house of barlemont, one of the principal families in flanders. all of this house have shown themselves spaniards at heart, and at that time were firmly attached to don john. the bishop received me with great politeness and not a little of the spanish ceremony.

although the city of cambray is not so well built as some of our towns in france, i thought it, notwithstanding, far more pleasant than many of these, as the streets and squares are larger and better disposed. the churches are grand and highly ornamented, which is, indeed, common to france; but what i admired, above all, was the citadel, which is the finest and best constructed in christendom.

the spaniards experienced it to be strong whilst my brother had it in his possession. the governor of the citadel at this time was a worthy gentleman named m. d’ainsi, who was, in every respect, a polite and well-accomplished man, having the carriage and behaviour of one of our most perfect courtiers, very different from the rude incivility which appears to be the characteristic of a fleming.

the bishop gave us a grand supper, and after supper a ball, to which he had invited all the ladies of the city. as soon as the ball was opened he withdrew, in accordance with the spanish ceremony; but m. d’ainsi did the honours for him, and kept me company during the ball, conducting me afterwards to a collation, which, considering his command at the citadel, was, i thought, imprudent. i speak from experience, having been taught, to my cost, and contrary to my desire, the caution and vigilance necessary to be observed in keeping such places. as my regard for my brother was always predominant in me, i continually had his instructions in mind, and now thought i had a fair opportunity to open my commission and forward his views in flanders, this town of cambray, and especially the citadel, being, as it were, a key to that country. accordingly i employed all the talents god had given me to make m. d’ainsi a friend to france, and attach him to my brother’s interest. through god’s assistance i succeeded with him, and so much was m. d’ainsi pleased with my conversation that he came to the resolution of soliciting the bishop, his master, to grant him leave to accompany me as, far as namur, where don john of austria was in waiting to receive me, observing that he had a great desire to witness so splendid an interview. this spanish fleming, the bishop, had the weakness to grant m. d’ainsi’s request, who continued following in my train for ten or twelve days. during this time he took every opportunity of discoursing with me, and showed that, in his heart, he was well disposed to embrace the service of france, wishing no better master than the prince my brother, and declaring that he heartily despised being under the command of his bishop, who, though his sovereign, was not his superior by birth, being born a private gentleman like himself, and, in every other respect, greatly his inferior.

leaving cambray, i set out to sleep at valenciennes, the chief city of a part of flanders called by the same name. where this country is divided from cambresis (as far as which i was conducted by the bishop of cambray), the comte de lalain, m. de montigny his brother, and a number of gentlemen, to the amount of two or three hundred, came to meet me.

valenciennes is a town inferior to cambray in point of strength, but equal to it for the beauty of its squares, and churches,—the former ornamented with fountains, as the latter are with curious clocks. the ingenuity of the germans in the construction of their clocks was a matter of great surprise to all my attendants, few amongst whom had ever before seen clocks exhibiting a number of moving figures, and playing a variety of tunes in the most agreeable manner.

the comte de lalain, the governor of the city, invited the lords and gentlemen of my train to a banquet, reserving himself to give an entertainment to the ladies on our arrival at mons, where we should find the countess his wife, his sister-in-law madame d’aurec, and other ladies of distinction. accordingly the count, with his attendants, conducted us thither the next day. he claimed a relationship with the king my husband, and was, in reality, a person who carried great weight and authority. he was much dissatisfied with the spanish government, and had conceived a great dislike for it since the execution of count egmont, who was his near kinsman.

although he had hitherto abstained from entering into the league with the prince of orange and the huguenots, being himself a steady catholic, yet he had not admitted of an interview with don john, neither would he suffer him, nor any one in the interest of spain, to enter upon his territories. don john was unwilling to give the count any umbrage, lest he should force him to unite the catholic league of flanders, called the league of the states, to that of the prince of orange and the huguenots, well foreseeing that such a union would prove fatal to the spanish interest, as other governors have since experienced. with this disposition of mind, the comte de lalain thought he could not give me sufficient demonstrations of the joy he felt by my presence; and he could not have shown more honour to his natural prince, nor displayed greater marks of zeal and affection.

on our arrival at mons, i was lodged in his house, and found there the countess his wife, and a court consisting of eighty or a hundred ladies of the city and country. my reception was rather that of their sovereign lady than of a foreign princess. the flemish ladies are naturally lively, affable, and engaging. the comtesse de lalain is remarkably so, and is, moreover, a woman of great sense and elevation of mind, in which particular, as well as in air and countenance, she carries a striking resemblance to the lady your cousin. we became immediately intimate, and commenced a firm friendship at our first meeting. when the supper hour came, we sat down to a banquet, which was succeeded by a ball; and this rule the count observed as long as i stayed at mons, which was, indeed, longer than i intended. it had been my intention to stay at mons one night only, but the count’s obliging lady prevailed on me to pass a whole week there. i strove to excuse myself from so long a stay, imagining it might be inconvenient to them; but whatever i could say availed nothing with the count and his lady, and i was under the necessity of remaining with them eight days. the countess and i were on so familiar a footing that she stayed in my bedchamber till a late hour, and would not have left me then had she not imposed upon herself a task very rarely performed by persons of her rank, which, however, placed the goodness of her disposition in the most amiable light. in fact, she gave suck to her infant son; and one day at table, sitting next me, whose whole attention was absorbed in the promotion of my brother’s interest,—the table being the place where, according to the custom of the country, all are familiar and ceremony is laid aside,—she, dressed out in the richest manner and blazing with diamonds, gave the breast to her child without rising from her seat, the infant being brought to the table as superbly habited as its nurse, the mother. she performed this maternal duty with so much good humour, and with a gracefulness peculiar to herself, that this charitable office—which would have appeared disgusting and been considered as an affront if done by some others of equal rank—gave pleasure to all who sat at table, and, accordingly, they signified their approbation by their applause.

the tables being removed, the dances commenced in the same room wherein we had supped, which was magnificent and large. the countess and i sitting side by side, i expressed the pleasure i received from her conversation, and that i should place this meeting amongst the happiest events of my life. “indeed,” said i, “i shall have cause to regret that it ever did take place, as i shall depart hence so unwillingly, there being so little probability, of our meeting again soon. why did heaven deny, our being born in the same country!”

this was said in order to introduce my brother’s business. she replied: “this country did, indeed, formerly belong to france, and our lawyers now plead their causes in the french language. the greater part of the people here still retain an affection for the french nation. for my part,” added the countess, “i have had a strong attachment to your country ever since i have had the honour of seeing you. this country has been long in the possession of the house of austria, but the regard of the people for that house has been greatly, weakened by the death of count egmont, m. de horne, m. de montigny, and others of the same party, some of them our near relations, and all of the best families of the country. we entertain the utmost dislike for the spanish government, and wish for nothing so much as to throw off the yoke of their tyranny; but, as the country is divided betwixt different religions, we are at a loss how to effect it if we could unite, we should soon drive out the spaniards; but this division amongst ourselves renders us weak. would to god the king your brother would come to a resolution of reconquering this country, to which he has an ancient claim! we should all receive him with open arms.”

this was a frank declaration, made by the countess without premeditation, but it had been long agitated in the minds of the people, who considered that it was from france they were to hope for redress from the evils with which they were afflicted. i now found i had as favourable an opening as i could wish for to declare my errand. i told her that the king of france my brother was averse to engaging in foreign war, and the more so as the huguenots in his kingdom were too strong to admit of his sending any large force out of it. “my brother alencon,” said i, “has sufficient means, and might be induced to undertake it. he has equal valour, prudence, and benevolence with the king my brother or any of his ancestors. he has been bred to arms, and is esteemed one of the bravest generals of these times. he has the command of the king’s army against the huguenots, and has lately taken a well-fortified town, called issoire, and some other places that were in their possession. you could not invite to your assistance a prince who has it so much in his power to give it; being not only a neighbour, but having a kingdom like france at his devotion, whence he may expect to derive the necessary aid and succour. the count your husband may be assured that if he do my brother this good office he will not find him ungrateful, but may set what price he pleases upon his meritorious service. my brother is of a noble and generous disposition, and ready to requite those who do him favours. he is, moreover, an admirer of men of honour and gallantry, and accordingly is followed by the bravest and best men france has to boast of. i am in hopes that a peace will soon be reestablished with the huguenots, and expect to find it so on my return to france. if the count your husband think as you do, and will permit me to speak to him on the subject, i will engage to bring my brother over to the proposal, and, in that case, your country in general, and your house in particular, will be well satisfied with him. if, through your means, my brother should establish himself here, you may depend on seeing me often, there being no brother or sister who has a stronger affection for each other.”

the countess appeared to listen to what i said with great pleasure, and acknowledged that she had not entered upon this discourse without design. she observed that, having perceived i did her the honour to have some regard for her, she had resolved within herself not to let me depart out of the country without explaining to me the situation of it, and begging me to procure the aid of france to relieve them from the apprehensions of living in a state of perpetual war or of submitting to spanish tyranny. she thereupon entreated me to allow her to relate our present conversation to her husband, and permit them both to confer with me on the subject the next day. to this i readily gave my consent.

thus we passed the evening in discourse upon the object of my mission, and i observed that she took a singular pleasure in talking upon it in all our succeeding conferences when i thought proper to introduce it. the ball being ended, we went to hear vespers at the church of the canonesses, an order of nuns of which we have none in france. these are young ladies who are entered in these communities at a tender age, in order to improve their fortunes till they are of an age to be married. they do not all sleep under the same roof, but in detached houses within an enclosure. in each of these houses are three, four, or perhaps six young girls, under the care of an old woman. these governesses, together with the abbess, are of the number of such as have never been married. these girls never wear the habit of the order but in church; and the service there ended, they dress like others, pay visits, frequent balls, and go where they please. they were constant visitors at the count’s entertainments, and danced at his balls.

the countess thought the time long until the night, when she had an opportunity of relating to the count the conversation she had with me, and the opening of the business. the next morning she came to me, and brought her husband with her. he entered into a detail of the grievances the country laboured under, and the just reasons he had for ridding it of the tyranny of spain. in doing this, he said, he should not consider himself as acting against his natural sovereign, because he well knew he ought to look for him in the person of the king of france. he explained to me the means whereby my brother might establish himself in flanders, having possession of hainault, which extended as far as brussels. he said the difficulty lay in securing the cambresis, which is situated betwixt hainault and flanders. it would, therefore, be necessary to engage m. d’ainsi in the business. to this i replied that, as he was his neighbour and friend, it might be better that he should open the matter to him; and i begged he would do so. i next assured him that he might have the most perfect reliance on the gratitude and friendship of my brother, and be certain of receiving as large a share of power and authority as such a service done by a person of his rank merited. lastly, we agreed upon an interview betwixt my brother and m. de montigny, the brother of the count, which was to take place at la fere, upon my return, when this business should be arranged. during the time i stayed at mons, i said all i could to confirm the count in this resolution, in which i found myself seconded by the countess.

the day of my departure was now arrived, to the great regret of the ladies of mons, as well as myself. the countess expressed herself in terms which showed she had conceived the warmest friendship for me, and made me promise to return by way of that city. i presented the countess with a diamond bracelet, and to the count i gave a riband and diamond star of considerable value. but these presents, valuable as they were, became more so, in their estimation, as i was the donor.

of the ladies, none accompanied me from this place, except madame d’aurec. she went with me to namur, where i slept that night, and where she expected to find her husband and the duc d’arscot, her brother-in-law, who had been there since the peace betwixt the king of spain and the states of flanders. for though they were both of the party of the states, yet the duc d’arscot, being an old courtier and having attended king philip in flanders and england, could not withdraw himself from court and the society of the great. the comte de lalain, with all his nobles, conducted me two leagues beyond his government, and until he saw don john’s company in the distance advancing to meet me. he then took his leave of me, being unwilling to meet don john; but m. d’ainsi stayed with me, as his master, the bishop of cambray, was in the spanish interest.

this gallant company having left me, i was soon after met by don john of austria, preceded by a great number of running footmen, and escorted by only twenty or thirty horsemen. he was attended by a number of noblemen, and amongst the rest the duc d’arscot, m. d’aurec, the marquis de varenbon, and the younger balencon, governor, for the king of spain, of the county of burgundy. these last two, who are brothers, had ridden post to meet me. of don john’s household there was only louis de gonzago of any rank. he called himself a relation of the duke of mantua; the others were mean-looking people, and of no consideration. don john alighted from his horse to salute me in my litter, which was opened for the purpose. i returned the salute after the french fashion to him, the duc d’arscot, and m. d’aurec. after an exchange of compliments, he mounted his horse, but continued in discourse with me until we reached the city, which was not before it grew dark, as i set off late, the ladies of mons keeping me as long as they could, amusing themselves with viewing my litter, and requiring an explanation of the different mottoes and devices. however, as the spaniards excel in preserving good order, namur appeared with particular advantage, for the streets were well lighted, every house being illuminated, so that the blaze exceeded that of daylight.

our supper was served to us in our respective apartments, don john being unwilling, after the fatigue of so long a journey, to incommode us with a banquet. the house in which i was lodged had been newly furnished for the purpose of receiving me. it consisted of a magnificent large salon, with a private apartment, consisting of lodging rooms and closets, furnished in the most costly manner, with furniture of every kind, and hung with the richest tapestry of velvet and satin, divided into compartments by columns of silver embroidery, with knobs of gold, all wrought in the most superb manner. within these compartments were figures in antique habits, embroidered in gold and silver.

the cardinal de lenoncourt, a man of taste and curiosity, being one day in these apartments with the duc d’arscot, who, as i have before observed, was an ornament to don john’s court, remarked to him that this furniture seemed more proper for a great king than a young unmarried prince like don john. to which the duc d’arscot replied that it came to him as a present, having been sent to him by a bashaw belonging to the grand seignior, whose son she had made prisoners in a signal victory obtained over the turks. don john having sent the bashaw’s sons back without ransom, the father, in return, made him a present of a large quantity of gold, silver, and silk stuffs, which he caused to be wrought into tapestry at milan, where there are curious workmen in this way; and he had the queen’s bedchamber hung with tapestry representing the battle in which he had so gloriously defeated the turks.

the next morning don john conducted us to chapel, where we heard mass celebrated after the spanish manner, with all kinds of music, after which we partook of a banquet prepared by don john. he and i were seated at a separate table, at a distance of three yards from which stood the great one, of which the honours were done by madame d’aurec. at this table the ladies and principal lords took their seats. don john was served with drink by louis de gonzago, kneeling. the tables being removed, the ball was opened, and the dancing continued the whole afternoon. the evening was spent in conversation betwixt don john and me, who told me i greatly resembled the queen his mistress, by whom he meant the late queen my sister, and for whom he professed to have entertained a very high esteem. in short, don john manifested, by every mark of attention and politeness, as well to me as to my attendants, the very great pleasure he had in receiving me.

the boats which were to convey me upon the meuse to liege not all being ready, i was under the necessity of staying another day. the morning was passed as that of the day before. after dinner, we embarked on the river in a very beautiful boat, surrounded by others having on board musicians playing on hautboys, horns, and violins, and landed at an island where don john had caused a collation to be prepared in a large bower formed with branches of ivy, in which the musicians were placed in small recesses, playing on their instruments during the time of supper. the tables being removed, the dances began, and lasted till it was time to return, which i did in the same boat that conveyed me thither, and which was that provided for my voyage.

the next morning don john conducted me to the boat, and there took a most polite and courteous leave, charging m. and madame d’aurec to see me safe to huy, the first town belonging to the bishop of liege, where i was to sleep. as soon as don john had gone on shore, m. d’ainsi, who remained in the boat, and who had the bishop of cambray’s permission to go to namur only, took leave of me with many protestations of fidelity and attachment to my brother and myself.

but fortune, envious of my hitherto prosperous journey, gave me two omens of the sinister events of my return.

the first was the sudden illness which attacked mademoiselle de tournon, the daughter of the lady of my bedchamber, a young person, accomplished, with every grace and virtue, and for whom i had the most perfect regard. no sooner had the boat left the shore than this young lady was seized with an alarming disorder, which, from the great pain attending it, caused her to scream in the most doleful manner. the physicians attributed the cause to spasms of the heart, which, notwithstanding the utmost exertions of their skill, carried her off a few days after my arrival at liege. as the history of this young lady is remarkable, i shall relate it in my next letter.

the other omen was what happened to us at huy, immediately upon our arrival there. this town is built on the declivity of a mountain, at the foot of which runs the river meuse. as we were about to land, there fell a torrent of rain, which, coming down the steep sides of the mountain, swelled the river instantly to such a degree that we had only time to leap out of the boat and run to the top, the flood reaching the very highest street, next to where i was to lodge. there we were forced to put up with such accommodation as could be procured in the house, as it was impossible to remove the smallest article of our baggage from the boats, or even to stir out of the house we were in, the whole city being under water. however, the town was as suddenly relieved from this calamity as it had been afflicted with it, for, on the next morning, the whole inundation had ceased, the waters having run off, and the river being confined within its usual channel.

leaving huy, m. and madame d’aurec returned to don john at namur, and i proceeded, in the boat, to sleep that night at liege.