The Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois, vol 2 | Page 6

rather to
conquer than to keep what he conquered. Mondoucet's proposition was
the more pleasing to him as it was not unjust, it being, in fact, to
recover to France what had been usurped by Spain.
Mondoucet had now engaged himself in my brother's service, and was
to return to Flanders' under a pretence of accompanying the Princesse
de Roche-sur-Yon in her journey to Spa; and as this agent perceived
my counsellers to be at a loss for some pretence for my leaving Court
and quitting France during the war, and that at first Savoy was
proposed for my retreat, then Lorraine, and then Our Lady of Loretto,
he suggested to my brother that I might be of great use to him in
Flanders, if, under the colour of any complaint, I should be
recommended to drink the Spa waters, and go with the Princesse de
Roche-sur-Yon. My brother acquiesced in this opinion, and came up to
me, saying: "Oh, Queen! you need be no longer at a loss for a place to
go to. I have observed that you have frequently an erysipelas on your
arm, and you must accompany the Princess to Spa. You must say, your
physicians had ordered those waters for the complaint; but when they,

did so, it was not the season to take them. That season is now
approaching, and you hope to have the King's leave to go there."
My brother did not deliver all he wished to say at that time, because the
Cardinal de Bourbon was present, whom he knew to be a friend to the
Guises and to Spain. However, I saw through his real design, and that
he wished me to promote his views in Flanders.
The company approved of my brother's advice, and the Princesse de
Roche- sur-Yon heard the proposal with great joy, having a great
regard for me. She promised to attend me to the Queen my mother
when I should ask her consent.
The next day I found the Queen alone, and represented to her the
extreme regret I experienced in finding that a war was inevitable
betwixt the King my husband and his Majesty, and that I must continue
in a state of separation from my husband; that, as long as the war lasted,
it was neither decent nor honourable for me to stay at Court, where I
must be in one or other, or both, of these cruel situations either that the
King my husband should believe that I continued in it out of inclination,
and think me deficient in the duty I owed him; or that his Majesty
should entertain suspicions of my giving intelligence to the King my
husband. Either of these cases, I observed, could not but prove
injurious to me. I therefore prayed her not to take it amiss if I desired to
remove myself from Court, and from becoming so unpleasantly
situated; adding that my physicians had for some time recommended
me to take the Spa waters for an erysipelas--to which I had been long
subject--on my arm; the season for taking these waters was now
approaching, and that if she approved of it, I would use the present
opportunity, by which means I should be at a distance from Court, and
show my husband that, as I could not be with him, I was unwilling to
remain amongst his enemies. I further expressed my hopes that,
through her prudence, a peace might be effected in a short time betwixt
the King my husband and his Majesty, and that my husband might be
restored to the favour he formerly enjoyed; that whenever I learned the
news of so joyful an event, I would renew my solicitations to be
permitted to go to my husband. In the meantime, I should hope for her
permission to have the honour of accompanying the Princesse de
Roche-sur- Yon, there present, in her journey to Spa.
She approved of what I proposed, and expressed her satisfaction that I

had taken so prudent a resolution. She observed how much she was
chagrined when she found that the King, through the evil persuasions
of the bishops, had resolved to break through the conditions of the last
peace, which she had concluded in his name. She saw already the ill
effects of this hasty proceeding, as it had removed from the King's
Council many of his ablest and best servants. This gave her, she said,
much concern, as it did likewise to think I could not remain at Court
without offending my husband, or creating jealousy and suspicion in
the King's mind. This being certainly what was likely to be the
consequence of my staying, she would advise the King to give me
leave to set out on this journey.
She was as good as her word, and