sted that she should endeavour to conciliate her royal consort by
some concession, which he would exert all his ability to enhance in the
eyes of his master, and in every way endeavour to advance her interests
as he had already done on several previous occasions.

Marie, eager to possess herself of the large sum thus proffered for her
acceptance, consented to follow his advice; and decided upon addressing
a letter to the King, expressive of her regret at the coldness which
existed between them, and of her willingness to meet his wishes should
he condescend to explain them.

This letter having been read and approved by the finance minister was
forthwith forwarded from Fontainebleau, where Marie de Medicis was then
residing, to the King at Paris; but it was not without a struggle that
the Queen had compelled herself to such an act of self-abnegation, and
her courier was no sooner despatched than she complained in bitter terms
to M. de Sully of the humiliations to which she was subjected by the
infatuation of the monarch for Madame de Verneuil; declaring that she
could never submit to look with favour or indulgence upon a woman who
had the presumption to institute comparisons between herself and her
sovereign; who was rearing her children with all the pretensions of
Princes of the Blood Royal, and encouraging them in demonstrations of
disrespect towards her own person; and who was, moreover, fomenting
sedition, by encouraging the discontented nobles to manifestations of
disloyalty to their monarch; while the King, blinded by his passion,
made no effort to rebuke, or even to restrain, her impertinence.

The minister listened calmly and respectfully to these outpourings of
her indignation, but assured her in reply that it only depended upon
herself to annihilate the influence of the favourite, by a system of
consideration for the feelings of her royal consort of which she had not
hitherto condescended to test the efficacy. He, moreover, implored her
to make the trial; and represented so forcibly the benefit which must
accrue to herself by a restoration of domestic peace, that she at length
admitted the justice of his arguments, and pledged herself to
accelerate, by every means in her power, a full and perfect
reconciliation.

Gratified by this almost unhoped-for success, Sully shortly afterwards
withdrew; and the reply of the King to the letter which she had
addressed to him was delivered to Marie when she was surrounded