mill near the
suburb of St. Marceau, the Prince of Conde, Coligny, Genlis, Grammont, and
Esternay met the queen mother, the Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon, the
constable, his son Marshal Montmorency, and Gonnor, at a later time known
as Marshal Cosse. On both sides there were professions of the most ardent
desire for peace, and "Huguenot" and "papist" embraced each other
cordially at parting. But the dangerous intimacy soon bore the bitter
fruit of open treachery. A _camisade_ had been secretly planned by the
Huguenots, and the attack was about to be made on the enemy's works, when
word was brought that one of the chiefs intrusted with the knowledge of
all their plans--the same Genlis, who had been the principal advocate of
the delays upon the route--had gone over to the enemy, and the enterprise
was consequently abandoned.[204]

The deliberations being set on foot by the one party, at least, only in
order to gain time, it is not surprising that they accomplished nothing.
The court would concede none of the important demands of the prince. It
was resolved to exclude Protestantism not only from Paris, but from Lyons,
from all the seats of parliaments, from frontier towns, and from cities
which had not enjoyed the right of having preaching according to the Edict
of January. The exercises of the reformed worship could not be tolerated
in any place where the court sojourned--a cunning provision which would
banish from the royal presence all the princes and high nobility, such as
Renee of France, Conde, and the Chatillons, since these could not consent
to live without the ordinances of their faith for themselves and their
families and retainers. The triumvirs would not agree to the recall of
those who had been exiled. They were willing to have all proceedings
against the partisans of Conde suspended; but they would neither consent
that all edicts, ordinances, and sentences framed against the Huguenots be
declared null and void, nor assent to the restoration of those dignities
which had been taken from them. In other words, as the prince remarked,
the Protestant lords were to put a halter about their own necks for their
enemies to tighten whenever the fancy should take them so to do.[205]

At last the Parisian defences were completed, and the Spanish and Gascon
troops, to the number of seven thousand men, arrived. Then the mask of
conciliation was promptly laid aside. Two weeks of precious time had been
lost, the capital was beyo