Bassompierre’s audience of the new King, Philip IV--The Procession of the Crosses--An old flame--Good Friday at Madrid--Anxiety of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting to see Bassompierre--His visit to them--He is commissioned by Louis XIII to present his condolences to Philip IV--He is informed that etiquette requires him to leave Madrid as though to return to France and then to make another formal entry--Revolution of the palace at Madrid: fall of the late King’s Ministers--The Count of Saldagna ordered by Philip IV to marry Doña Mariana de Cordoba, on pain of his severe displeasure--Bassompierre offers to facilitate the escape of Saldagna to France, but the latter’s courage fails him at the last moment--Negotiations over the Valtellina--Treaty of Madrid--Bassompierre’s pretended departure for France--He visits the Escurial, returns to Madrid and makes a second ceremonious entry--The audience of condolence--State entry of Philip IV into Madrid--Termination of Bassompierre’s embassy--He returns to France. On Palm Sunday, April 4, Bassompierre had an audience of the new King at the Convent of San Geronimo. “Twenty carriages were brought,” says he, “in which the Ambassador [Du Fargis] and I and the whole of our respective suites placed ourselves. We were conducted only by the Count of Barajas, because it was not a solemn audience, but a private one, at San Geronimo, to which the King had retired, and he was only admitting me as a favour in order to pay honour to the King [of France] his brother-in-law, and to show the promptitude with which he desired to conclude the affair upon which I had come. We all wore mourning according to the Spanish fashion, with the _loba_, the _caperuza_ and _capirote_,[155] which I did for two reasons: first, because, since all the grandees present at the audience, and the King himself, were wearing it, I should have been uncovered, while they were not, which would not have been seemly on my part; secondly, because the sight of me wearing deep mourning for the death of their late King was very agreeable to the Spaniards, who would not have felt thus had I been dressed in our fashion. I made my obeisance to the King and offered him the _pesame_, which is the compliment of condolence upon the death of the King his father, after which we offered him the _parabien_, which is the compliment of felicitation upon his happy accession to the Crowns.[156] This we did also in the name of the King [of France], while awaiting the despatch by him of some prince or great noble expressly to pay this compliment. I then spoke to the King about our affairs, to all of which things he answered very pertinently; and, after having paid my respects to the prince,[157] who was with him, I retired.”