ergne having declared that he
would run all risks in order to revenge the dishonour brought upon his
family by the King; but in reality the Comte only sought to benefit
himself in a struggle where he had little to lose, and might, as he
believed, become a gainer.

The madness of the Duc de Biron in betraying the interests of a
sovereign who had constantly treated him with honour and distinction,
can only find its solution in his overweening vanity, as he was already
wealthy, powerful, and popular; and had, moreover, acquired the
reputation of being one of the first soldiers in France. He had been
appointed admiral, and subsequently marshal; and had even been entrusted
with the command of the King's armies at the siege of Amiens, where he
bore the title of marshal-general, although several Princes of the Blood
and the Connetable himself were present. He was decorated with all the
Royal Orders; was a duke and peer of the realm, and Governor of
Bordeaux; and, in fine, every attainable dignity had been lavished upon
him; while he yielded precedence only to royalty, and to the Duc de
Montmorency, to whose office it was vain to aspire during his
lifetime.[177]

Such was the Marechal de Biron, when, in the vainglorious hope of one
day becoming the sovereign of certain of the French provinces, he
voluntarily trampled under foot every obligation of loyalty and
gratitude, and leagued himself with the enemies of his royal master, to
wrest from him the sceptre which he so firmly wielded. The first
intelligence of the Duke's defection which reached the monarch--to whom,
however, his conduct had long appeared problematical--was obtained
through the treachery of the Marechal's most trusted agent; a man whom
Biron had constantly employed in all his intrigues, and from whom he had
no secrets. This individual, who from certain circumstances saw reason
to believe that the plans of the Duke must ultimately fail from their
very immensity, and who feared for his own safety in the event of his
patron's disgrace, resolved to save himself by communicating the whole
conspiracy to the King; for which purpose he solicited an audience,
declaring that he had important matters to reveal, which involved not
only the throne of the sovereign, but even his life; and he so
confidently insisted upon this fact, that an interview was at length
accorded to him at Fontainebleau; where, in the presence of Henry and
the Duc de Sully, he confessed that conceivi