A GENTLEMAN OF FRANCE BEING THE MEMOIRS OF GASTON DE BONNE SIEUR DE MARSAC By Stanley Weyman Transcriber’s Note: In this Etext, text in italics has been written in capital letters. Many French words in the text have accents, etc. which have been omitted. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. THE SPORT OF FOOLS CHAPTER II. THE KING OF NAVARRE CHAPTER III. BOOT AND SADDLE CHAPTER IV. MADEMOISELLE DE LA VIRE CHAPTER V. THE ROAD TO BLOIS CHAPTER VI. MY MOTHER’S LODGING CHAPTER VII. SIMON FLEIX CHAPTER VIII. AN EMPTY ROOM CHAPTER IX. THE HOUSE IN THE RUELLE D’ARCY CHAPTER X. THE FIGHT ON THE STAIRS CHAPTER XI. THE MAN AT THE DOOR CHAPTER XII. MAXIMILIAN DE BETHUNE, BARON DE ROSNY CHAPTER XIII. AT ROSNY CHAPTER XIV. M. DE RAMBOUILLET CHAPTER XV. VILAIN HERODES CHAPTER XVI. IN THE KING’S CHAMBER CHAPTER XVII. THE JACOBIN MONK CHAPTER XVIII. THE OFFER OF THE LEAGUE CHAPTER XIX. MEN CALL IT CHANCE CHAPTER XX. THE KING’S FACE CHAPTER XXI. TWO WOMEN CHAPTER XXII. ‘LA FEMME DISPOSE’ CHAPTER XXIII. THE LAST VALOIS CHAPTER XXIV. A ROYAL PERIL CHAPTER XXV. TERMS OF SURRENDER CHAPTER XXVI. MEDITATIONS CHAPTER XXVII. TO ME, MY FRIENDS! CHAPTER XXVIII. THE CASTLE ON THE HILL CHAPTER XXIX. PESTILENCE AND FAMINE CHAPTER XXX. STRICKEN CHAPTER XXXI. UNDER THE GREENWOOD CHAPTER XXXII. A TAVERN BRAWL CHAPTER XXXIII. AT MEUDON CHAPTER XXXIV. ‘’TIS AN ILL WIND’ CHAPTER XXXV. ‘LE ROI EST MORT’ CHAPTER XXXVI. ‘VIVE LE ROI!’ A GENTLEMAN OF FRANCE. CHAPTER I. THE SPORT OF FOOLS. The death of the Prince of Conde, which occurred in the spring of 1588, by depriving me of my only patron, reduced me to such straits that the winter of that year, which saw the King of Navarre come to spend his Christmas at St. Jean d’Angely, saw also the nadir of my fortunes. I did not know at this time--I may confess it to-day without shame--wither to turn for a gold crown or a new scabbard, and neither had nor discerned any hope of employment. The peace lately patched up at Blois between the King of France and the League persuaded many of the Huguenots that their final ruin was at hand; but it could not fill their exhausted treasury or enable them to put fresh troops into the field.