Who will govern the King and France?--The pretenders to the royal favour--Position of Bassompierre--The Cardinal de Retz and Schomberg join forces and secure for their ally De Vic the office of Keeper of the Seals--They propose to remove Bassompierre from the path of their ambition by separating him from the King--Bassompierre is offered the lieutenancy-general of Guienne and subsequently the government of Béarn, but declines both offices--He inflicts a sharp reverse upon Retz and Schomberg--Condé joins the Court--His designs--The rival parties: the party of the Ministers and the party of the marshals--_Monsieur le Prince_ decides to ally himself with that of the Ministers--Mortifying rebuff administered by the King to the Ministers at the instance of Bassompierre--Failure of an attempt of the Ministers to injure Bassompierre and Créquy with Louis XIII--Arrival of the King in Paris--Affectionate meeting between him and his mother--Accident to the Queen.....pp. 340-352 CHAPTER XXVII Question of the Huguenot War the principal subject of contention between the two parties--Condé and the Ministers demand its continuance--Marie de’ Medici, prompted by Richelieu, advocates peace--Secret negotiations of Louis XIII with the Huguenot leaders--Soubise’s offensive in the West obliges the King to continue the war--Louis XIII advances against the Huguenot chief, who has established himself in the Île de Rié--Condé accuses Bassompierre of “desiring to prevent him from acquiring glory”--Courage of the King--Passage of the Royal army from the Île du Perrier to the Île de Rié--Total defeat of Soubise--Siege of Royan--The King in the trenches--His remarkable coolness and intrepidity under fire--Capitulation of Royan--The Marquis de la Force created a marshal of France--Conversation between Louis XIII and Bassompierre--Diplomatic speech of the latter.....pp. 353-362 CHAPTER XXVIII