It would have been very easy to quiet the holy father by telling him that the treaty was a snare; but nothing of the kind was done; and, on the contrary, the king and his mother both represented to him the necessity of peace. Pius replied in angry tones, and the court made answer that the king was master in his own dominions to do as he pleased. In a somewhat similar manner, Spain tried to thwart the negotiations; Philip II. even offered to send Charles a force of 3000 horse and 6000 foot, provided he would engage never to make peace with the heretic rebels. But this attempt to prolong the war also failed, and we learn from Walsingham’s dispatches that a great coolness sprang up between the two courts. There is a letter written on the 10th December, four months after the signature of the treaty, which shows very plainly the feeling of the government. The clergy of Tours had complained of the licensed Protestant meeting-place at Maillé, and petitioned that it should be removed to Montdoubleau or elsewhere. Charles replied that he would willingly grant their prayer, could he do so without contravening the Edict, which he was determined “to keep and observe inviolably;” but he promised to consult with Navarre and Condé on the matter, and if possible, with their consent, the change should be made.[458] Two months later (13th February, 1571), Charles writes to Humières, governor of Peronne and an old friend, expressing his satisfaction at the peaceful state of the country and his intention to reduce the army.[459]