[34] The cause of this quarrel was in all probability the famous promise of marriage which Henri IV had given to Madame de Verneuil and the approaching arrival of Marie de’ Medici--“_la grosse financière_,” as Henriette disrespectfully called her--who was to become Queen of France. [35] Basing House, Hampshire. [36] William Pawlet, Marquis of Winchester. [37] Madame de Verneuil gave birth to a son a month later, and, in the pride of her motherhood, scoffed at “_la grosse financière_,” who, said she, had indeed got a son, but not the Dauphin. For the King was her husband--she had his written promise--and it was SHE who held the Dauphin in her arms. [38] Jacques de la Guesle, procurator-general to the Parlement. [39] The Comte d’Auvergne showed the most craven terror, and offered--king’s son though he was--to play the part of a spy and to continue to communicate with his confederates, in order to disclose their plans to the Government. [40] The Prince de Joinville, having become the lover of Madame de Villars, who had aspired to succeed Gabrielle d’Estrées in the affections of Henri IV, and was bitterly hostile in consequence to Madame de Verneuil, had been cajoled by that lady into handing over to her the love-letters which he had received from Henriette, some of which contained expressions of great tenderness and had been written at the very time when the King was paying the damsel his addresses. These letters Madame de Villars had the meanness to send to Henri IV, who was naturally furious at the discovery that his mistress had had two strings to her bow. Eventually, however, his Majesty allowed himself to be persuaded by Madame de Verneuil and her friends that the letters were forgeries, the work of one Bigot, whom Joinville had suborned; and Henriette was forgiven, while the prince received orders to leave France. [41] Rossworm had distinguished himself in 1601 at the capture of Stuhl-Weissemburg, and in 1602 had taken by assault the lower town of Buda and the town of Pesth. [42] Presumably, Ladislaus’s Hall, or the Hall of Homage, constructed towards the end of the fifteenth century by Rieth. [43] Lorraine, though its independence had been recognised in 1542, still contributed its share to the charges which had for their object the peace and security of the Empire; and, as the troops which Bassompierre proposed to raise were intended for service in Hungary against the Turks, it was on this fund, called the _landsfried_, that the order was drawn.