The Emperour and Infanta promise to protect the Duke of Lorrain.

THe enemies of France were much afflicted at the news of the Treaty between the King and Duke of Lorrain. The Emperour sent Montecuculli unto the Duke, to animate and assure him of a potent Army when-ever he was in a conditi∣on to defend himself from the King of S•ede. The Baron de ••e•de came to him from the Infanta, to give him the like assurance, and to beseech him to believe, that the King of Spain's Forces and Treasure should ever be at his disposal, when the Emperour should think it proper to attempt the recovery of his Towns; Nay the Queen-Mother too, though tyed by all sorts of Reason to embrace the King's Interests, resolved by perswasion of Cha•teloupe, to send a Letter unto the Parlia∣ment of Paris, to engage them (if possible) in a Revolt, which undoubtedly would have been seconded by that of Paris it self, with divers other Cities of the King∣dom, and all to force the King to withdraw his Army from Lorrain, that he might extinguish the fire nearer home. That Enemy of the publike Peace, took occasi∣on from the Parliaments discontents, for that the King had sent some of the chief Officers of Mets, to give them a check for their disorderly behaviour in the con∣firmation of those letters whereof we discoursed the fore-going year. There need no other indicium to prove the letter to be his, then the bare reading of it: Not a person who had the honour to be near her Majesty, could ever be perswaded that it proceeded from her inclination, though signed with her hand, but that it was by the wicked insinuations and devices of that seditious conspirator, who in peace be∣ing inconsiderable, would needs make himself famous and remarkable by raising war and troubles. He well knew how to work upon this great Princesses weakness, who being extreamly exasperated against the Cardinal, would easily be perswaded unto any thing which might disadvantage him. Hereupon he made her believe, that this propitious Genius of France, was upon the point of breaking the Peace with Spain; That he had carried on the King to fall upon the Low Countries, and that in fine, the Spaniards and Emperours Forces would joyntly strike into France, seize upon the Cities over-run the whole Champaigne country, pillage the Towns, rob the people, pull down the Churches; That Religion would be laid aside, the Nobility ruined, The Royal Houses errazed, and the French Nation exposed unto death, or such miseries as were a terror to her very thoughts. This was the purport of the letter, and these were the considerations which obliged her to signe it. Strange it is to look upon the many disguisements tending to engage that ho∣nourable company in a revolt, which hath ever been the main support of this State, It was only desired that they would oppose the Cardinal's designes, although all the enterprises wherein he ingaged the King, were indeed so many additions to his and the Kingdoms glory, as was apparent in the relief of Casal, and Treaty of Pignerol. They were sollicited to ruine this great Minister of State, whose pru∣dent conduct was the chiefest sword which his Majesty employed in defence of his Kingdom, and whose every action did like a Thunderbolt, annihilate the ambiti∣ous designs of the House of Austria: But especially were they wooed to induce his Majesty to make a peace with Germany, though it was sufficiently apparent, how that that concluded in the year 1622. had been the cause of all those misfortunes whereunto our Allies have been exposed; that relaxation having afforded oppor∣tunity unto the Emperour, to take those advantages which he obtained in the Pala∣tinate, and upon divers other Princes.

I cannot omit one strange piece of Indiscretion which Chanteloupe committed in this letter, viz. his oversight in letting the Queen-Mother publikely profess her Page  458giving credit to the predictions of those Astrologers who assured her that the Cardinal should not hold out above three or four moneths, and in not considering how that one included another much more sad for France, and which could not but beget her the hatred of all those who had any sense of a good Frenchman, or loyal Subject. But the blame of this defect, as likewise of the whole Letter, was laid upon him as the true Author thereof, who had been so sollicitous in procuring her to signe it, whose goodness (like that of the Sun) cannot do any hurt, unlesse when in conjunction with some other Star of a malignant quality; Neither had the Parliament any regard thereunto, but reputed it as an aspersion animated by the Spaniards, who then finding themselves reduced to an exigency, were appre∣hensive of those Forces which his Majesty was dispatching into Germany, and be∣gan to look about them; when they saw the King imploying the courage of his Subjects in assisting his Allies, and also a likelyhood of Breach between the two Crowns, whereunto indeed his Majesty was invited by divers, although he would never be induced so to do, having alwaies thought it more glorious to preserve Trea∣ties of peace with integrity, then to conquer the Countries of his Neighbours.