that Charles IX.
_constrained_ his sister to marry, as it would assist him in obtaining a
divorce for Henry IV. If, as D'Ossat affirms, the Cardinal of Alessandria
exclaimed, on hearing of the massacre, "God be praised! The King of France
has kept his word to me," this would agree equally well with the
supposition that Charles IX. had contented himself with general promises.

[879] "_The foolish cardinal_," wrote Sir Thomas Smith, English ambassador
at the French court during Walsingham's temporary absence (March 3,
1571/2), "went away as wise as he came; he neither brake the marriage with
Navarre, nor got no dismes of the Church of France, nor perswaded the King
to enter into the League with the Turk, nor to accept the Tridentine, or
to break off Treaty with us; and _the foolishest part of all, at his going
away, he refused a diamond which the King offered him of 600 crowns_, yet
he was here highly feasted. He and his train cost the King above 300
crowns a day, as they said." Digges, 193. Gabutius adds that after the
death of Pius V.--probably after the massacre--Charles IX. sent the ring
to the cardinal with this inscription upon the bezel: "Non minus haec
solida est pietas, ne pietas possit mea sanguine solvi." Vita Pii Quinti,
_ubi supra_, Sec. 246, p. 676. The inscription had doubtless been cut since
the first proffer of the ring. It appears to me most probable that the
ring was offered by Charles to the cardinal with the idea that its
acceptance would bind him to support the king in his suit for a
dispensation for the marriage of Henry and Margaret, and that the prudent
churchman declined it for the same reason. Subsequently, with the same
view, Charles sent it to his ambassador at Rome, M. de Ferralz,
instructing him to give it to the Cardinal of Alessandria. But Ferralz, on
consultation with the Cardinal of Ferrara and others in the French
interest, came to the conclusion that the gift would be useless, and so
retained it, at the same time notifying his master. The reason may have
been either that Alessandria had too little influence, since his uncle's
death, to effect what was desired, or that the matter was of less
consequence when once Charles had resolved to go on with the marriage
without waiting further for the dispensation. So I understand Charles's
words to Ferralz (Aug. 24, 1572): "J'ai aussi sceu par vostre dicte
memoire, que par l'avis de mon cousin le cardinal de Ferrare, _vous avez
retenu le diamant