with her paramour, a Gascon page, named Belcastel. The present prince
had been born several months after his reputed father's death. Henry,
out of good nature, or perhaps for less creditable reasons, had come to
the rescue of the accused princess, and had caused the process to be
stopped, further enquiry to be quashed, and the son to be recognized as
legitimate Prince of Conde. The Dowager had subsequently done her best
to further the King's suit to her son's wife, for which the Prince
bitterly reproached her to her face, heaping on her epithets which she
well deserved.

Henry at once began to threaten a revival of the criminal suit, with a
view of bastardizing him again, although the Dowager had acted on all
occasions with great docility in Henry's interests.

The flight of the Prince and Princess was thus not only an incident of
great importance to the internal politics of trance, but had a direct and
important bearing on the impending hostilities. Its intimate connection
with the affairs of the Netherland commonwealth was obvious. It was
probable that the fugitives would make their way towards the Archdukes'
territory, and that afterwards their first point of destination would be
Breda, of which Philip William of Orange, eldest brother of Prince
Maurice, was the titular proprietor. Since the truce recently concluded
the brothers, divided so entirely by politics and religion, could meet
on fraternal and friendly terms, and Breda, although a city of the
Commonwealth, received its feudal lord. The Princess of Orange was the
sister of Conde. The morning after the flight the King, before daybreak,
sent for the Dutch ambassador. He directed him to despatch a courier
forthwith to Barneveld, notifying him that the Prince had left the
kingdom without the permission or knowledge of his sovereign, and stating
the King's belief that he had fled to the territory of the Archdukes. If