, in the following
year, the Duke of Rohan treated with the King of Spain, who promised to
allow him annually three hundred thousand ducats for the keep of his
troops and forty thousand for himself. In return the duke, who looked
forward to "the time when he and his might make themselves sufficiently
strong to canton themselves and form a separate state," promised, in that
state, freedom and enjoyment of their property to all Catholics. A piece
of strange and culpable blindness for which Rohan was to pay right
dearly.

It was in the midst of this cruel partisan war that the duke heard of the
fall of La Rochelle; he could not find fault "with folks so attenuated by
famine that the majority of them could not support themselves without a
stick, for having sought safety in capitulation;" but to the continual
anxiety felt by him for the fate of his mother and sister was added
disquietude as to the effect that this news might produce on his troops.
"The people, weary of and ruined by the war, and naturally disposed to be
very easily cast down by adversity; the tradesmen annoyed at having no
more chance of turning a penny; the burgesses seeing their possessions in
ruins and uncultivated; all were inclined for peace at any price
whatever." The Prince of Conde, whilst cruelly maltreating the
countries in revolt, had elsewhere had the prudence to observe some
gentle measures towards the peaceable Reformers in the hope of thus
producing submission. He made this quite clear himself when writing to
the Duke of Rohan: "Sir, the king's express commands to maintain them of
the religion styled Reformed in entire liberty of conscience have caused
me to hitherto preserve those who remain in due obedience to his Majesty
in all Catholic places, countries as well as towns, in entire liberty.
Justice has run its free course, the worship continues everywhere, save
in two or three spots where it served not for the exercise of religion,
but to pave the way for rebellion. The officers who came out of rebel
cities have kept their commissions; in a word, the treatment of so-styled
Reformers, when obedient, has been the same as that of Catholics faithful
to the king . . ." To which Henry de Rohan replied, "I confess to have
once taken up arms unadvisedly, in so far as it was not on behalf of the
affairs of our religion, but of those of yourself personally, who
promised to obtain us reparation for the infractions of our treaties,
and you did