It came to the ears of Louvois that Madame de Brinvilliers was in hiding at Liége. He at once despatched Desgrez, the captain of police, a man of tried ability. Desgrez was instructed to make all speed, for the French troops then in possession of Liége were on the point of handing over the town to the Spaniards. Michelet and the majority of historians have woven the arrest of the marchioness into a romance. Desgrez, a handsome fellow, disguises himself as a courtly abbé, and wins a warm welcome from the lady, always eager for gallant adventures: at the rendezvous, the lover appears as a police officer, accompanied by a number of archers. As a matter of fact, the arrest was managed in the simplest manner, 'on the last day,' writes La Reynie, 'that the king's authority was recognised in the town of Liége.' It was not even Desgrez who carried it through, but a French political agent in the Netherlands, a former clerk of Fouquet's named Bruant, otherwise Descarrières. 'The burgomasters,' wrote the latter to Louvois on March 25, 'have behaved so well that they confided to me their master-key to go and arrest this lady, without wanting to know why it was to be done.' Next day, March 26, Descarrières wrote again to Louvois: 'I arranged that the detective (Desgrez) should be present as privy to the capture'; he informed him also that a small box was seized on the lady's person, at which 'she appeared much agitated, and at first told mayor Goffin that her confession was in the casket,' begging him to have it restored to her. Descarrières sealed the box with his own seal and that of Desgrez. La Reynie says upon this subject: 'It was God who ordained that this wretched woman, who fled from kingdom to kingdom, should be careful to write and carry with her the proofs necessary to her condemnation.' This confession, in which the marchioness recalls in a few pages all the crimes of her life, was published by Armand Fouquier; but its flavour is so strong that the editor was not able to reproduce the original text, but had to translate the principal passages into Latin.