he visited their city, they repeated in honour of Madame de
Verneuil, whose entrance within their gates was rather that of a crowned
queen than a fallen woman; and this triumph was shortly afterwards
augmented by her reception of the standards taken by the King at
Charbonnieres, which he caused to be conveyed to her as a proof of his
devotion, and which she, with ostentatious pomp, transferred to the
church of St. Just.

From Lyons, Henry proceeded to Grenoble, still accompanied by Madame de
Verneuil, the Duke of Savoy having at length declared that rather than
submit to the conditions which had been proposed to him, he would incur
the hazard of a war. In consequence of this decision, immediate
measures were taken by the French generals to march upon Saluzzo; and
the Marechal de Biron, although already strongly suspected of
disaffection to his sovereign, having collected a body of troops,
possessed himself of the whole territory of Brescia. The town of Bourg
was stormed by Du Terrail,[94] and taken, with the exception of the
citadel; while M. de Crequy[95] entered Savoy, and made himself master
of the city of Montmelian, although the castle still held out.

Henry then resolved to enter Savoy in person; and having once more taken
leave of the Marquise, who returned to Lyons, he marched upon Chambery,
which immediately capitulated; and thence he proceeded to possess
himself of the citadels of Conflans and Charbonnieres, which had
hitherto been deemed impregnable. M. de Savoie, who had confided in the
strength of his fortresses of Montmelian and Bourg, and who had
continued to affect the most perfect indifference to the approach of the
French troops, now became seriously alarmed, and made instant
preparations to relieve the Marquis de Brandis, the governor of the
former fortress, for which purpose he applied to Spain for assistance.
This was, however, refused; and both places fell into the hands of the
French monarch, who then successively took Chablais and Faussigny; after
which he sat down before the fortress of St. Catherine, which the
Savoyards had erected to overawe the Genevese.[96]

During the siege of Fort St. Catherine, intelligence reached the King of
the arrival of the young Queen at Marseilles; and meanwhile the
gratification of the Pope at an alliance so flattering to his pride had
been of essential benefit to the French interest, as he had, in
consequence, made no demonstration in favour of the Duke of Savo