The times were favorable for peace. The Duke of Guise dead and the constable a prisoner, there was no one to take the command of the royal army. “I was obliged to command it myself,” said Catherine, “for Brissac was so ill that he could not leave his bed.” On the other hand, the Prince of Condé, with all his desire for liberty, was unwilling to change “the soft air of the court and the smiles of the ladies” for the austerities of the Huguenot camp. His offer to become the channel of negotiations between the two religions was accepted, though not without opposition from the embassadors of Philip II. and the pope, who were for continuing the war. The Duke of Tuscany expressed his dissatisfaction at the negotiations; and the queen-regent, to quiet them, seems to have hinted that the pacification would be only a trap. Santa Croce writes: “If any opportunity is found of infringing the articles of this treaty, they will not be kept.... Should the queen do as she promises, means will be found of punishing these people when they are disarmed and dispersed.” But the peace party was too strong, and the terms of a treaty were soon agreed upon. Before finally accepting them, the Prince of Condé consulted the synod then assembled at Orleans; but that impracticable body, while claiming absolute liberty for themselves, would have denied it to those whom they called “atheists, libertines, and anabaptists.” As it would have been useless to attempt to reconcile the extreme fanatics on both sides, the Pacification of Amboise was signed on the 19th March, 1563. The right of public worship conceded by the Edict of January was greatly restricted, the Huguenots being no longer permitted to assemble outside the walls of the cities, but only in a single place within every bailliage inhabited by Protestant nobles and their retainers. On the other hand, one clause expressly bore that “every man should live at liberty in his own house, without search or molestation, and without being vexed or constrained for conscience’ sake.” Although the treaty was acceptable to the majority of the Huguenot party, who were growing tired of the war, all were not equally pleased. The admiral, who had protested against it, characterized it by a single phrase: “That stroke of the pen throws down more churches than the enemy’s soldiers could have destroyed in ten years.”