undress who had nursed
the Queen in illness. Both were extravagant, costing the Crown
enormous sums of money--Leonora had a pretty taste in jewels as well as
clothes, and Marie de Medici even plundered the Bastille of her
husband's hoards because she could deny her favourites nothing.

Richelieu rose to eminence in the gay, luxurious court where the weak,
vain Florentine presided. He had ousted other men, and feared for his
own safety when the Concini were attacked by their exasperated
opponents. Concini himself was shot, and his wife was lodged in the
Bastille on a charge of sorcery. Paris rejoiced in the fall of these
Italian parasites, and Marie de Medici shed no tears for them. She
turned to her secretary, Richelieu, when she was driven from the court
and implored him to mediate for her with Louis XIII and his favourite
sportsman-adventurer, de Luynes, who had originally been employed to
teach the young King falconry.

Richelieu went to the chateau of Blois where Marie de Medici had fled,
a royal exile, but he received orders from Luynes, who was in power, to
proceed to Lucon and guide his flock "to observe the commandments of
God and the King." The Bishop was exceedingly provoked by the taunt,
but he was obliged to wait for better fortunes. Marie was plotting
after the manner of the Florentines, but her plans were generally
fruitless. She managed to escape from Blois with Epernon, the general
of Henry IV, and despite a solemn oath that she would live "in entire
resignation to the King's will," she would have had civil war against
the King and his adviser.

Richelieu managed to make peace and brought about the marriage of his
beautiful young kinswoman {120} to the Marquis of Cambalet, who was de
Luynes' nephew. He did not, however, receive the Cardinal's Hat, which
had become the chief object of his personal ambition.

The minister, de Luynes, became so unpopular, at length, that his
enemies found it possible to retaliate. He favoured the Spanish
alliance, whereas many wished to help the Protestants of Germany in
their struggle to uphold Frederick, the Elector Palatine, against
Ferdinand of Bohemia. The Huguenots rose in the south, and Luynes took
the field desperately, for he knew that anything but victory would be
fatal to his own fortunes. Songs were shouted in the Paris taverns,
satirizing his weak government. Richelieu had bought the service of a
host of scribblers in the mean streets near the