the Court of Requests
at Paris, and of Marie de la Fayette. His sponsors were the Due
d'Alencon (brother of Francis II) and the Duchesse d'Angouleme, the
natural sister of that Prince. He was a man of great learning and
talent, but cunning, ambitious, and unscrupulous, who had attached
himself to the fortunes of Richelieu, of whom he was the _ame damnee_,
and who endeavoured to cause him, in his turn, to be admitted to the
honours of the conclave. He died suddenly at Ruel on the 18th of
December 1638; and some years subsequently the Duchesse de Guise having,
at her own expense, repaved the choir of the Capuchin church, the tomb
of _la petite Eminence Grise_, as he was familiarly called by the
Parisians, was placed beneath that of Pere Ange (the Cardinal-Due de
Joyeuse), in front of the steps of the high altar. Richelieu had caused
an eulogistic and lengthy inscription on marble to be affixed to his
sepulchre; but the Parisians, who more truly estimated his merits, added
others considerably more pungent, among which the most successful was
the following:--

"Passant, n'est-ce pas chose etrange
Qu'un demon soit aupres d'un ange?"

[37] Le Vassor, vol. ii. pp. 118, 119. Siri, _Mem. Rec_. vol. v. pp.
49-51. Mezeray, vol. xi. pp. 184, 185.

[38] Henri de Gondy, Master of the King's Oratory, and subsequently
Archbishop of Paris, on the resignation of his uncle Pierre, Cardinal de
Gondy, who died in 1616.

[39] Matthieu, _Hist. des Derniers Troubles_, book iii. p. 639.

[40] Le Vassor, vol. ii. pp. 121, 122.

[41] Siri, _Mem. Rec_. vol. v. pp. 53-56.

[42] Sismondi, vol. xxii. pp. 453, 454. Mezeray, vol. xi. pp. 187, 188.
Bassompierre, _Mem_. p. 129. Brienne, _Mem_. vol. i. p. 339. Richelieu,
_Hist. de la Mere et du Fils_, vol. ii. pp. 306-309.

[43] _Mercure Francais_, 1619. Le Vassor, vol. ii. pp. 150, 151. Siri,
_Mem. Rec_. vol. v. pp. 59-63. Mezeray, vol. xi. pp. 188-191.

[44] Le Vassor, vol. ii. pp. 153, 154.

CHAPTER III

1620

Louis XIII creates numerous Knights of the Holy Ghost without reference
to the wishes of his mother--Indignation of Marie de Medicis--Policy of
De Luynes--Richelieu aspires to the cardinalate--A Court quarrel--The
Comtesse de Soissons conspires to strengthen the party of the
Queen-mother--Several of the great Princes proceed to Angers to urge
Marie to take up arms--Alarm of the favourite--He seeks to propitiate
the Duc de Guise--The double marriage--Caustic rep