nother departure of a foreign garrison from Paris, took place in
1594, and this time in peaceable array, by the Rue St Denis. When
Henry IV. had obtained possession of his capital, there remained in it
a considerable body of Spanish troops, who had been sent into France
to aid the chiefs of the League, and they were under the command of
the Duke de Feria. The reaction in the minds of the Parisians, after
the misery of their siege, had been too sudden and too complete, to
give the Spaniards any hope of holding out against the king; a
capitulation was therefore agreed upon, the foreign forces were
allowed to march out with the honours of war, and they were escorted
with their baggage as far as the frontier. The king and his principal
officers took post within the rooms over the Porte St Denis--then a
square turreted building, with a pointed and portcullised gate and
drawbridge beneath--to see the troops march out, and he stationed
himself at the window looking down the street. First came some
companies of Neapolitan infantry, with drums beating, standards
flying, arms on their shoulders, but without having their matches
lighted. Then came the Spanish Guards, in the midst of whom were the
Duke de Feria, Don Diego d'Ibara, and Don Juan Baptista Taxis, all
mounted on spirited Spanish chargers; while behind them marched the
battalions of the Lansquenets, and the Walloons. As each company came
up to the gateway, the soldiers, marching by fours, raised their eyes
to the king, took off their headpieces, and bowed; the officers did
the same, and Henry returned the salutation with the greatest
courtesy. He was particular in showing this politeness, in the most
marked manner, to the Duke de Feria and his noble companions, and when
they were within hearing, cried out aloud, "Recommend me to your
master, but never show your faces here again!" Some of the more
obnoxious members of the League were allowed to retire with the
Spaniards; and in the evening, bonfires were lighted in all the
streets, and the _Te Deum_ was sung on all the public places. The
mediaeval glory of the Porte St Denis vanished in the time of Louis
XIV., where he unfortified the city, which one of his successors has
taken such pains again to imprison within stone walls, and the present
triumphal arch was erected upon its site. This modern edifice, it is
well known, served for the entrance of Charles X. from Rheims, and,
shortly after, for a post whence the trumpery p