ance. The allurements of
pleasure were powerful over the enthusiastic and impassioned
temperament of Henry; it was love that most frequently prevailed over
the claims of duty. The beautiful Gabrielle d'Estrees became the
absolute mistress of his heart; and he entertained hopes of obtaining
permission from Rome to divorce Margaret de Valois, from whom he had
long lived in a state of separation. Had he succeeded time enough, he
contemplated the dangerous project of marrying the favorite; but her
death saved him both from the hazard and disgrace. The sentence of
divorce, so long solicited, was at last granted, and the king married
Mary de Medici, who bore Louis XIII. to him in 1601. The match,
however, contributed little to his domestic happiness.

While France was flourishing under a vigilant and paternal
administration, while her strength was beginning to keep pace with her
internal happiness, new conspiracies were incessantly formed against
the king. Henriette d'Entragues, another favorite, not only
exasperated the Queen's peevish humor against him, but was ungrateful
enough to combine with her father, the Count d'Auvergne, and the
Spanish Court, in a plot which was timely discovered. Spite of the
many virtues and conciliatory manners of Henry, the fanatics could
never pardon his former attachment to the Protestant cause. He was
continually surrounded with traitors and assassins; almost every year
produced some attempt on his life, and he fell at last by the weapon
of a misguided enthusiast.

Shortly before his untimely end, Henry is said by some historians to
have disclosed a project for forming a Christian republic. The
proposal is stated to have been, to divide Europe into fifteen fixed
powers, none of which should be allowed to make any new acquisition,
but should together form an association for maintaining a mutual
balance, and preserving peace. This political reverie, impossible to
be realized, is not likely ever to have been actually divulged, even
if meditated by Henry, nor is there any trace of it to be found in the
history, or among the state-papers of England, Venice, or Holland, the
supposed co-operators in the scheme. His more rational design in
arming went no further than to set bounds to the ambition and power of
the house of Austria, both in Germany and Italy. Whatever may have
been the motive, his means of success were imposing. He was to march
into Germany at the head of forty thousand excellent tro