is. But should he decline to offer
his submission and to recognize my authority, I trust that God will
favour my arms. Above all things, during my absence, I entreat of you to
administer the strictest justice; and I leave in your hands the Dauphin,
my son, whom I have caused to be removed from St. Germain to Paris, in
order to place him under your protection; and I do so with the most
entire confidence, as next to myself he should be to you the most sacred
trust on earth." [324]

On the morrow, accordingly; the King and Queen set forth, accompanied
by a brilliant retinue, and closely followed by the Duc de Sully with
fifty pieces of ordnance and twenty-five thousand men; a fact which was
no sooner ascertained than the rebel Marshal despatched messengers to
Torcy, the frontier village of France, who were authorized to pledge
themselves that the Duke was willing to deliver up the citadel of Sedan
for the space of ten years, if at the termination of that period his
Majesty would consent to restore it, should he, in the interim, have
become satisfied of his loyalty and devotion. He, however, annexed
another condition to his surrender, which was that an act of oblivion
should be passed, and that he should never thenceforward be subjected to
any injury, either of property or person, for whatever acts of
disobedience to the royal authority he might have previously been
considered responsible, and should be left in untroubled possession of
all his honours, estates, and offices under the Crown.

Having carefully perused this treaty, the King at once consented to the
proposed terms, on the understanding that the Marshal should on the
following morning present himself at Donchery, where the Court were to
halt that night, before their Majesties should have risen. This he
accordingly did on the 21st, when upon his knees beside the royal couch
he repeated and ratified the pledges of fidelity contained in his appeal
for pardon, and had the honour of kissing hands with both sovereigns;
the King assuring him as he did so that he valued the citadel of Sedan
far less than the recovery of so valued a friend and subject.

Their Majesties then made a solemn entry into the city, attended by a
train of princes and nobles, and were received with loud and
long-continued shouts of "Long live the King!" "Long live the Queen and
the Dauphin!" Salvos of artillery were fired from the ramparts of the
town and the citadel, and the whole progress of t