Place Royale, and these
were virulent in verse and pamphlet, according to the dictates of their
master.

Fever carried off de Luynes, and the valets who played cards on his
coffin were hardly more indecent in their callousness than de Luynes'
enemies. The Cardinal's Hat arrived with many gracious compliments to
the Bishop of Lucon, who then gave up his diocese. Soon he rustled in
flame-coloured taffeta at fetes and receptions, for wealth and all the
rewards of office came to him. As a Prince of the Church, he claimed
precedence of princes of the blood, and was hardly astonished when the
King requested him to form a ministry. In that ministry the power of
the Cardinal was supreme, and he had friends in all posts of
importance. With a show of reluctance he entered on his life-work. It
was a great and patriotic task--no less than the aggrandisement of
France in Europe.

France must be united if she were to present a solid front against the
Spanish vengeance that would threaten any change of policy. The
Queen-Regent had intended {121} to support Rome, Austria and Spain
against the Protestant forces of the northern countries. Richelieu
determined to change that plan, but he knew that the time was not yet
ripe, since he had neither a fleet nor an army to defeat such
adversaries.

The Huguenot faction must be ruined in order that France might not be
torn by internal struggles. The new French army was sent to surround
La Rochelle, the Protestant fort, which expected help from England.
The English fleet tried for fourteen days to relieve the garrison, but
had to sail away defeated. The sailors of the town elected one of
their number to be Mayor, a rough pirate who was unwilling to assume
the office. "I don't want to be Mayor," he cried, flinging his knife
upon the Council-Table, "but, since you want it, there is my knife for
the first man who talks of surrender." The spirit of resistance within
the walls of La Rochelle rose after this declaration. The citizens
continued to defy the besiegers until a bushel of corn cost 1,000
livres and an ordinary household cat could be sold for forty-five!

It was Richelieu's intention to starve the inhabitants of La Rochelle
into surrender. He had his will, being a man of iron, and held Mass in
the Protestant stronghold. He treated the people well, allowing them
freedom of religion, but he razed both the fort and the walls to the
ground and took away all their political pri