holesome blood-letting. Fortunately, however, the messenger had not been
so careful in his conversation but that he disclosed to one of Isabella's
French servants all that was essential in his commission. The momentous
secret soon found its way to the Spanish queen's almoner, and finally to
the queen herself. The blow impending over her cousin's head terrified
Isabella, and melted her compassionate heart. She disclosed to the
ambassador of Charles the Ninth the astounding fact that some of the
Spanish troops then at Barcelona, on their way to the campaign in Barbary,
were to be quietly sent back from the coast to the interior. Thence,
passing through defiles in the Pyrenees, under experienced guides, they
were to fall upon the unsuspecting court of the Queen of Navarre at Pau.
In such a case, to be forewarned was to be forearmed. The private
secretary of the French envoy was despatched to inform Jeanne d'Albret of
her peril, and to notify Catharine de' Medici of the intended incursion
into the French territories. The premature disclosure occasioned the
abandonment of the plan; but it is said that Philip the Second never
forgave his unfortunate wife her part in frustrating its execution.[325]

[Sidenote: The Council of Trent closes its sessions.]

The month of December, 1563, witnessed the close of that celebrated
convocation, the Council of Trent. This is not the place for the
discussion of its extraordinary history, yet it is worth while to note the
conclusion of an assembly which exerted so weighty an influence in
establishing the dogmas of the papal church. Resumed after its long
suspension, on the eighteenth of January, 1562, the council from whose
deliberations such magnificent results of harmony had been expected, began
its work by rendering the breach between the Roman Catholic and the
Protestant worlds incurable. Fortunately for the Roman See, all the
leading courts in Christendom, although agreed in pronouncing for the
necessity of reform, were at variance with one another in respect to the
particular objects to be aimed at. It was by a skilful use of this
circumstance that the Pope was enabled to extricate himself creditably
from an embarrassing situation, and to secure every essential advantage.
At the reopening of the council, the French and German bishops were not
present, and the great majority of the members being poor Italian prelates
dependent almost for their daily bread upon the good pleasure of the
p