Henri de Guise, subsequent to
his desertion of his first love, Anne de Gonzagua.

The Duke de Guise, after playing a conspicuous part in the first
dissensions of the Regency, and after having killed Coligny, had married
at Brussels the widow of the Count de Bossut, with whom he became
quickly disgusted, and whose fortune he squandered. A violent passion
next possessed him for the charming and witty Mademoiselle de Pons, maid
of honour to the Queen. He took it into his head to espouse her, and
"the marriage was spoken of as though he had never been married before."
That phantasy, however, did not hinder him from taking part, as a
volunteer, in the campaigns of 1644 and 1645. Whilst at Rome in 1647,
endeavouring to obtain a dispensation to enable him to secure the hand
of Mademoiselle de Pons, the Neapolitans, having revolted against the
Spaniards under Masaniello, elected him as their leader, and gave him
the title of generalissimo of their army. Brave, enterprising, and born
for adventure, able, moreover, to render available ancient pretensions
to that kingdom, through Rene d'Anjou, who in 1420 had espoused Isabelle
de Lorraine, encouraged in short, if not supported, by the French Court,
where it was deemed politic to keep at a distance from it a man bearing
the great name of Guise, so formidable some sixty years before, the
young prince embarked in a simple felucca, sailed boldly through the
naval armament of Don Juan, seized the reins of government, defeated the
Spanish troops, and made himself master of the country. He won all
hearts by his address, his gentleness, and his affability. But want of
circumspection in his gallantries, the objects of which were not always
of a rank equal to his own, caused jealousies and discontent among the
nobles. His enemies, profiting by a sortie which he made for the purpose
of getting a convoy into Naples, delivered up the city to the Spaniards.
His repeated efforts to re-enter the place proved futile. After having
defended himself like a lion, he was nevertheless carried prisoner to
Madrid. The great Conde, who was then serving the enemies of his
country, demanded that Guise should be set at liberty, in the hope that
he might foment troubles in France. But the ill-treatment which the Duke
had experienced at the hands of the Spaniards left impressions upon his
mind which made him regardless of a promise that had been extorted from
him. He attempted again in 1654 to reconquer the king