nder the walls of Paris. It was, however, terribly
deficient in artillery, powder, and stores of all kinds and, the
military chest being empty and the soldiers without pay, it was
necessary, on the march, to exact contributions from the small
Catholic towns and villages through which the army marched and, in
spite of the orders of the Admiral, a certain amount of pillage was
carried on by the soldiers.

Having recruited the strength of his troops, by a short stay at
Orleans, the Admiral moved towards Paris. Since the commencement of
the war, negotiations had been going on fitfully. When the court
thought that the Huguenots were formidable, they pushed on the
negotiations in earnest. Whenever, upon the contrary, they believed
that the royal forces would be able to crush those of the Admiral,
the negotiations at once came to a standstill.

During the Admiral's long march to the east, they would grant no
terms whatever that could possibly be accepted; but as soon as the
junction was effected with Duke Casimir and his Germans, and the
Huguenot army again turned its face to Paris, the court became
eager to conclude peace. When the Prince of Conde's army arrived
before Chartres the negotiators met, and the king professed a
readiness to grant so many concessions, that it seemed as if the
objects of the Huguenots could be attained without further
fighting, and the Cardinal of Chatillon and some Huguenot nobles
went forward to have a personal conference with the royal
commissioners, at Lonjumeau.

After much discussion, the points most insisted upon by the
Huguenots were conceded, and the articles of a treaty drawn up,
copies of which were sent to Paris and Chartres. The Admiral and
Conde both perceived that, in the absence of any guarantees for the
observance of the conditions to which the other side bound
themselves, the treaty would be of little avail; as it could be
broken, as soon as the army now menacing Paris was scattered. The
feeling among the great portion of the nobles and their followers
was, however, strongly in favour of the conditions being accepted.

The nobles were becoming beggared by the continuance of the war,
the expenses of which had, for the most part, to be paid from their
private means. Their followers, indeed, received no pay; but they
had to be fed, and their estates were lying untilled for want of
hands. Their men were eager to return to their farms and families,
and so strong and general was th