The Tales Of The Heptameron, Vol. I. (of V.)
Page 4
III.
_The retirement of King Henry to Beam--Margaret's intercourse withher brother--The inscription at Chambord--Margaret's adventure withBonnivet--Margaret's relations with her husband--Her opinions upon loveand conjugal fidelity--Her confinements and her children--The Court inBeam and the refugee Reformers--Margaret's first poems--Her devices,pastorals, and mysteries--The embellishment of Pau--Margaret at tableand in her study--Reforms and improvements in Beam--Works of defence atNavarreinx--Scheme of refortifying Sauveterre._
Some historians have stated that in wedding his sister to Henryd'Albret, Francis pledged himself to compel Charles V. to surrender hisbrother-in-law's kingdom of Navarre. This, however, was but a politicalproject, of which no deed guaranteed the execution. Francis no doubtpromised Margaret to make every effort to further the restitution, andshe constantly reminded him of his promise, as is shown by severalof her letters. However, political exigencies prevented Francis fromcarrying out his plans, and in a diplomatic document concerning therelease of the children whom Charles held as hostages the followingclause occurs: "Item, the said Lord King promises not to help or favourthe King of Navarre (although he has married his only and dear belovedsister) in reconquering his kingdom." (1)
The indifference shown by Francis for the political fortunes of hisbrother-in-law, despite the numerous and signal services the latterhad rendered him, justly discontented Henry, who at last resolved towithdraw from the Court, where Montmorency, Brion, and several otherpersonages, his declared enemies, were in favour. Margaret apparentlyhad to follow her husband in his retirement, for Sainte-Marthe remarks:"When the King of Navarre, disgusted with the Court, and seeing none ofthe promises that his brother-in-law had made him realised, resolved towithdraw to Beam, Margaret, although the keen air of the mountainswas hurtful to her health, and her doctors had threatened her with apremature death if she persevered in braving the rigours of the climate,preferred to put her life in peril rather than to fail in her duty bynot accompanying her husband." (2)
1 Bibliotheque Nationale, MS. No. 8546 (Bethune), fol. 107.
2 _Oraison funebre_, &c, p. 70.
Various biographers express the opinion that this retirement took placein 1529, shortly after the Peace of Cambray, and others give 1530 as theprobable date. Margaret, we find, paid a flying visit to Beam with herhusband in 1527; on January 7th, 1528, she was confined of her firstchild, Jane, at Fontainebleau, and the following year she is found withher little daughter at Longray, near Alencon. In 1530 she is confined atBlois of a second child, John, Prince of Viana, who died at Alencon onChristmas Day in the same year, when but five and a half months old.Then in 1531 her letters show her with her mother at Fontainebleau; andLouise of Savoy being stricken with the plague, then raging inFrance, Margaret closes her eyes at Gretz, a little village betweenFontainebleau and Nemours, on September 22nd in that year.
It was after this event that the King and Queen of Navarre determinedto proceed to Beam, but so far as Margaret herself is concerned, it iscertain that retirement was never of long duration whilst her brotherlived. She is constantly to be found at Alencon, Fontainebleau, andParis, being frequently with the King, who did not like to remainseparated from her for any length of time. He was wont to initiate herinto his political intrigues in view of availing himself of her keenand subtle mind. Brantome, referring to this subject, remarks that herwisdom was such that the ambassadors who "spoke to her were greatlycharmed by it, and made great report of it to those of their nation ontheir return; in this respect she relieved the King her brother, forthey (the ambassadors) always sought her after delivering the chiefbusiness of their embassy, and often when there was important businessthe King handed it over to her, relying upon her for its definiteresolution. She understood very well how to entertain and satisfy theambassadors with fine speeches, of which she was very lavish, and alsovery clever at worming their secrets out of them, for which reason theKing often said that she helped him right well and relieved him of agreat deal." (1)
1 _OEuvres de Brantome_, 8vo, vol. v. p. 222.
Margaret's own letters supply proof of this. She is constantly to befound intervening in state affairs and exercising her influence. Shereceives the deputies from Basle, Berne, and Strasburg who came to Parisin 1537 to ask Francis I. for the release of the imprisoned Protestants.She joins the King at Valence when he is making preparations for afresh war against Charles V.; then she visits Montmorency at the camp ofAvignon, which she praises to her brother; next, hastening to Picardy,when the Flemish troops are invading it, she writes from Amiens andspeaks of Therouenne and Boulogne, which she has found well fortified.
Francis, however, did not value her society and counsel solelyfor political reasons; he was also fond of conversing with her onliterature, and at times they composed amatory verses together.According to an oft-repeated tradition, one day at the Chateau ofChambord, whilst Margaret was boasting to her brother of the superiorityof womankind in matters of love, the King took a diamond ring from hisfinger and wrote on one of the window panes this couplet:--
"Souvent femme varie, Bien fol est qui s'y fie." (1)
Brantome, who declares that he saw the inscription, adds, however, thatit consisted merely of three words, "Toute femme varie" (all women arefickle), inscribed in _large_ letters at the side of the window. (2) Hesays nothing of any pane of glass (all window panes were then extremely_small_) or of a diamond having been used; (3) and in all probabilityFrancis simply traced these words with a piece of chalk or charcoal onthe side of one of the deep embrasures, which are still to be seen inthe windows of the chateau.
1 "Woman is often fickle, Crazy indeed is he who trusts her."
2 _Vies des Dames galantes_, Disc. iv.
3 The practice of cutting glass with diamonds does not seem to have been resorted to until the close of the sixteenth century. See _Les Subtiles et Plaisantes Inventions de J. Prevost_, Lyons, 1584, part i. pp. 30, 31.
Margaret carried her complaisance for her brother so far as to excusehis illicit amours, and she was usually on the best of terms with hisfavourites. (1) It has been asserted that improper relations existedbetween the brother and sister, but this charge rests solely uponan undated letter from her to Francis, which may be interpreted in avariety of ways. Count de la Ferriere, in his introduction to Margaret'srecord of her expenditure, (2) expresses the opinion that it was pennedin 1525, prior to her hasty departure from Spain; while M. Le Roux deLincy assigns it to a later date, remarking that it was probably writtenduring one of the frequent quarrels which arose between Margaret'sbrother and her husband. However, they are both of opinion that theletter does not bear the interpretation which other writers have placedupon it. (3)
1 E. Fournier's _L'Esprit dans l'Histoire_, Paris, 1860, p. 132 _et seq_.
2 _Livre de Depenses de Marguerite d'Angouleme, &c_. (Introduction).
3 See _Lettres de Marguerite, &c._, p. 246.
The only really well-authenticated love intrigue in which Margaret wasconcerned--and in that she played a remarkably virtuous part--was heradventure with the Admiral de Bonnivet, upon which the fourth story ofthe _Heptameron_ is based. (1) She was certainly unfortunate in both hermarriages. Her life with the Duke of Alencon has already been spoken of;and as regards her second union, although contracted under apparentlyfavourable auspices, it failed to yield Margaret the happiness she hadhoped for. But four years after its celebration she wrote to the Marshalde Montmorency: "Since you are with the King of Navarre, I have no fearbut that all will go well, provided you can keep him from fallingin love with the Spanish ladies." (2) And again: "My nephew, I havereceived the letters you wrote to me, by which I have learnt that youare a much better relation than the King of Navarre is a good husband,for you alone have given me news of the King (Francis) and of him,without his being willing to give pleasure to a poor wife, big withchild, by writing a single word to her." (3)
1 Par
ticulars concerning this adventure will be found in the notes to Tale iv., and also in the Appendix to the present volume (C).
2 _Lettres de Marguerite, &c_., p. 246.
3 _Ibid._, p. 248.
In another letter written to the Marshal at the same period she says:"If you listen to the King of Navarre, he will make you commit so manydisorders that he will ruin you." (1) Perhaps these words should notbe taken literally; still they furnish cause for reflection when itis remembered that they were written by a woman just turned fortyconcerning her husband who was not yet thirty years old.
Margaret's views upon love and the affinity of souls were somewhatsingular, but they indicate an elevated and generous nature. In severalpassages of the _Heptameron_ she has expressed her opinion on thesematters, ardently defending the honour of her sex and condemningthose wives who show themselves indulgent as regards their husbands'infidelities. (2) She blames those who sow dissension between husbandsand wives, leading them on to blows; (3) and when some one asked herwhat she understood perfect love to be, she made answer, "I call perfectlovers those who seek some perfection in the object of their love, beit beauty, kindness, or good grace, tending to virtue, and who have suchhigh and honest hearts that they will not even for fear of death do basethings that honour and conscience blame."
1 _Lettres de Marguerite, &c_, p. 251.
2 Epilogue of Tale xxxvii.
3 Epilogue of Tale xlvi.
In reference to this subject of conjugal fidelity a curious story istold of Margaret. One day at Mont-de-Marsan, upon seeing a young manconvicted of having murdered his father being led to execution, sheremarked to those about her that it was very wrong to put to death ayoung fellow who had not committed the crime imputed to him. Itwas pointed out to her that the judges had only condemned him uponconclusive proofs and the acknowledgments that he himself had made.Margaret, however, persisted in her remark, whereupon some of herintimates begged of her to justify it, for it seemed to them at leastsingular. "I do not doubt," she replied, "that this poor wretch killedhis mother's husband, but he certainly did not kill his own father." (1)
Besides being unfortunate as regards her husbands, Margaret was alsodenied a mother's privileges. She experienced great suffering at herconfinements, (2) and on two occasions she was delivered of still-borninfants of the female sex.
1 Gabriel de Minut's _De la Beaute, Discours divers, &c._, Lyons, 1587. p. 74.
2 _Nouvelles Lettres de Marguerite_, pp. 84 and 93.
She had centred many hopes upon her little boy, John, of whom she wasconfined without accident, but he died, as already stated, in infancy,and this misfortune was a great shock to her, though she tried toconceal it by having the Te Deum sung at the funeral in lieu of theordinary service, and by setting up in the streets of Alencon theinscription, "God gave him, God has taken him away." However, from thattime forward she never laid aside her black dress, though later onshe wore it trimmed with marten's fur. Her best known portrait (1)represents her attired in this style with the quaint Bearnese cap, whichshe had also adopted, set upon her head.
1 Bibliotheque Nationale, _Recueil de Portraits au crayon, &c._, fol. 46.
Not only did Margaret lose her son by death, but she was prevented fromenjoying the companionship of her daughter Jane. Francis, who never oncelost sight of his own interests, deemed it advisable to possess himselfof this child, who was the heiress to the throne of Navarre. Accordinglywhen Jane was but two years old she was sent by the King to the Chateauof Plessis-les-Tours, where she was carefully brought up in strictseclusion.
To the fact that Margaret was never really happy with either of herhusbands, and that she was precluded from discharging a mother's duties,one may ascribe, in part, her fondness for gathering round her a Courtin which divines, scholars, and wits prominently figured. The greatinterest which she took in religious matters, as is shown by so many ofher letters, (1) led her to shelter many of the persecuted Reformers inBeam; others she saved from the stake, and frequently in writing tothe King and Marshal de Montmorency she begs for the release of someimprisoned heretic.
1 One of these letters, written by her either to Philiberta of Savoy, Duchess of Nemours, or to Charlotte d'Orleans, Duchess of Nemours, both of whom were her aunts, may be thus rendered in English: "My aunt, on leaving Paris to escort the King, Monsieur de Meaux (Bishop Briconnet), sent me the Gospels in French, translated by Fabry, word for word, which he says we should read with as much reverence and as much preparation to receive the Spirit of God, such as He has left it us in His Holy Scriptures, as when we go to receive it in the form of Sacrament. And inasmuch as Monsieur de Villeroy has promised to deliver them to you, I have requested him to do so, for these words (the Gospels) must not fall into evil hands. I beg, my aunt, that if by their means God grants you some grace, you will not forget her who is above all else your good niece and sister, Margaret." Fabry's translation of the Gospels was made in 1523-24.
Margaret's religious views frequently caused dissension between her andher husband, in whose presence she abstained from giving expression tothem. Hilarion de Coste mentions that "King Henry having one day beeninformed that a form of prayer and instruction contrary to that ofhis fathers was held in the chamber of the Queen, his wife, entered itintending to chastise the minister, and finding that he had been hurriedaway, the remains of his anger fell upon his wife, who received a blowfrom him, he remarking, 'Madam, you want to know too much about it,' andhe at once sent word of the matter to King Francis."
It was at Nerac that most of the divines protected by Margaret found arefuge from the persecutions of the Sorbonne. Here she kept court ina castle of which there now only remains a vaulted fifteenth-centurygallery formerly belonging to the northern wing. Nerac has, however,retained intact a couple of quaint mediaeval bridges, which Margaretmust have ofttimes crossed in her many journeyings. Moreover, thetownsfolk still point out the so-called Palace of Marianne, said to havebeen built by Margaret's husband for one of his mistresses, and also theold royal baths, which the Queen no doubt frequented.
It was at the castle of Nerac that Margaret's favourite protege, thevenerable Lefevre d'Etaples, died at the age of one hundred and one, inthe presence of his patroness, to whom before expiring he declared thathe had never known a woman carnally in his life. However, he regretfullyadded that in his estimation he had been guilty of a greater sin, forhe had neglected to lay down his life for his faith. Another partisan ofthe Reform, Gerard Roussel, whom Margaret had almost snatched from thestake and appointed Bishop of Oloron, had no occasion to express anysuch regret. His own flock speedily espoused the doctrines of theReformation, but when he proceeded to Mauleon and tried to preach there,the Basques refused to listen to him, and hacked the pulpit to pieces,the Bishop being precipitated upon the flagstones, and so grievouslyinjured that he died.
Beside the divines who sought an asylum at Nerac, there were variousnoted men of letters, foremost among whom we may class the Queen's twosecretaries, Clement Marot, the poet, and Peter Le Macon, the translatorof Boccaccio's _Decameron_. This translation was undertaken at theQueen's request, as Le Macon states in his dedication to her, and ithas always been considered one of the most able literary works of theperiod. With Marot and Le Macon, but in the more humble capacity ofvalet, at the yearly wages of one hundred and ten livres, there came thegay Bonaventure Desperiers, the author of _Les Joyeux Devis_; (1) otherwriters, such as John Frotte, John de la Haye and Gabriel Chapuis, werealso among Margaret's retainers.
1 _Livre de Depenses de Marguerite d'Angouleme_.
She herself had long practised the writing of verses. It was in 1531,and at Alencon, that she issued her first volume of poems, the _Miroirde l'Ame Pecheresse_, (1) which created a great stir at the time, forwhen it was re-issued in Paris by Augereau in 1533 (2) the Sorbonnedenounced it as unorthodox, and Margaret would have been branded asa heretic
if Francis had not intervened and ordered the Rector of theSorbonne to withdraw the decree censuring his sister's work. Nor didthat content the King, for he caused Noel Beda, the syndic of theFaculty of Theology, to be arrested and confined in a dungeon at MontSt. Michel, where he perished miserably.
1 Brunet's _Manual_, 4th ed., vol. iii. p. 275.
2 A second edition also appeared at Alencon in the same year.
Margaret thus gained the day, but the annoyance she had been subjectedto doubtless taught her to be prudent, for although she steadily wenton writing, sixteen years elapsed before any more of her poems werepublished. In the meantime various manuscript copies, some of which arestill in existence, were made of them, notably one of the poem called"Debat d'Amour" by Margaret, and re-christened "La Coche" by hersecretary, John de la Haye, when he subsequently published it in the_Marguerites de la Marguerite_. This manuscript is enriched with elevencurious miniatures, the last of which represents the Queen handingthe volume bound in white velvet (1) to the Duchess of Etampes, herbrother's mistress, whose qualities the poem extols. The Queen ofNavarre was on the best of terms with this favourite, to whom in one ofher letters she recommends certain servants.
Margaret was not only given to versifying, but was fond of' framingdevices, which she inscribed upon her books and furniture. At one timeshe adopted as her device a marigold turning towards the sun's rays,with the motto, "Non inferiora secutus," implying that she turned"all her acts, thoughts, will, and affections towards the great Sun ofJustice, God Almighty." (2)
1 From the Queen's _Livre de Depenses_, published by M. de la Ferriere, we learn that this MS., with the miniatures and binding, cost Margaret fifty golden crowns. It was formerly in the possession of M. Jerome Pichon, and was afterwards acquired by M. Didot, at the sale of whose library it realised L804. The MS. was recently in the possession of M. de La Roche-la-Carelle.
2 Claude Paradin's _Devises heroiques_, Lyons, 1557, p. 41.
In her _Miroir de l'Ame Pecheresse_, previously referred to, therefigures another device composed merely of the three words "Ung pourtout;" and in the manuscript of "La Coche" presented to the Duchess ofEtampes, the motto "Plus vous que moys" is inscribed beneath each of theminiatures. Margaret also composed a series of devices for some jewelswhich her brother presented to his favourite, Madame de Chateaubriant.Respecting these Brantome tells the following curious anecdote:--
"I have heard say, and hold on good authority, that when King Francis I.had left Madame de Chateaubriant, his favourite mistress, to take Madamed'Etampes, as one nail drives out another, Madame d'Etampes begged theKing to take back from the said Madame de Chateaubriant all the finestjewels that he had given her, not on account of their cost and value,for pearls and precious stones were not then so fashionable as they havebeen since, but for the love of the fine devices that were engraved andimpressed upon them; which devices the Queen of Navarre, his sister, hadmade and composed, for she was a mistress in such matters.
"King Francis granted the request, and promised that he would do it.Having with this intent sent a gentleman to Madame de Chateaubriant toask for the jewels, she at once feigned illness, and put the gentlemanoff for three days, when he was to have what he asked for. However, outof spite, she sent for a goldsmith, and made him melt down all thesejewels without exception, and without having any respect for thehandsome devices engraved upon them. And afterwards, when the saidgentleman returned, she gave him all the jewels converted into goldingots.
"'Go,' said she, 'and take these to the King, and tell him that sincehe has been pleased to take back from me that which he had given meso freely, I restore it and send it back in golden ingots. As for thedevices, I have impressed them so firmly on my mind and hold themso dear in it, that I could not let any one have and enjoy them savemyself.'
"When the King had received all this, the ingots and the lady's remark,he only said, 'Take her back all. What I did was not for the value, forI would have restored her that twofold, but for the love of the devices,and since she has thus destroyed them, I do not want the gold, and sendit back. She has shown in this matter more courage and generosity thanit would have been thought could come from a woman.'" (1)
Besides writing verses and framing devices, Margaret, as Brantome tellsus, "often composed comedies and moralities, which were in those daysstyled pastorals, and which she had played by the young ladies of herCourt." (2)
1 _OEuvres de Brantome_, 8vo, vol. vii. p. 567.
2 _Ibid._, 8vo, vol. v. p. 219.
Hilarion de Coste states, moreover, that "she composed a tragi-comictranslation of almost the whole of the New Testament, which she causedto be played before the King, her husband, having assembled with thisobject some of the best actors of Italy; and as these buffoons are onlyborn to give pleasure and make time pass away, in order to amuse thecompany they invariably introduced _rondeaux_ and _virelais_ against theecclesiastics, especially the monks and village priests." (1)
1 M. Le Roux de Lincy points out that this statement is exaggerated, for Margaret, instead of turning the whole of the New Testament into verse, merely wrote four Mysteries which mainly dealt with the childhood of Christ.
These performances took place at the Chateau of Pau, which Margaret andher husband seem to have preferred to that of Nerac, though politicalreasons often compelled them to fix their abode at the latter. Pau,however, possessed the advantage of a mild climate, necessary forMargaret's health, besides being delightfully situated on the BearneseGave, the view from the chateau extending over a fertile valley limitedby the snow-capped Pyrenees. There had been a chateau at Pau as earlyas the tenth century, but the oldest portions of the structure nowsubsisting date from the time of Edward III., when Pau was the capitalof the celebrated Gaston-Phoebus. The chateau was considerably enlargedand embellished in the fifteenth century, but it was not until afterMargaret's marriage with Henry d'Albret that the more remarkabledecorative work was executed. Upon leaving Nerac to reside at Pau,Margaret summoned a number of Italian artists and confided theembellishment of the chateau to them.(1)
It was not, however, merely the chateau which Margaret beautifiedat Pau. Already at Alencon she had laid out a charming park, which acontemporary poet called a terrestrial paradise,(2) and upon comingto reside at Pau she transformed the surrounding woods into delightfulgardens, pronounced to be the finest then existing in Europe.(3)
1 Some of the doors and windows of the chateau are elaborately ornamented in the best style of the Renaissance, whilst the grand staircase, although dating from Margaret's time, has vaulted arches, sometimes in the Romanesque and at others in the Gothic style. Entwined on the friezes are the initials H and M (Henry and Margaret), occasionally accompanied by the letter R, implying _Rex_ or _Regina_. On the first floor of the chateau is the bedroom occupied by Margaret's husband, remarkable for its Renaissance chimney- piece, and also a grand reception hall, now adorned with tapestry made for Francis I. in Flanders. It was in this latter room that the Count of Montgomery--the same who had thrust out the eye of Henry II. at a tournament, and thereby caused that monarch's death--acting at the instigation of Margaret's daughter Jane, assembled the Catholic noblemen of Beam on August 24, 1569, and, after entertaining them with a banquet, had them treacherously massacred. Bascle de Lagreze's _Chateau de Pau_, Paris, 1854.
2 _Le Recueil de l'Antique pre-excellence de Gaule, &c._, by G. Le Roville, Paris, 1551 (fol. 74).
3 Hilarion de Coste's _Vies et Eloges des Dames illustres, &c._, vol. ii. p. 272.
Some idea of their appearance may be gained from a couple of theminiatures adorning a curious manuscript catechism composed for Margaretand now in the Arsenal Library at Paris.(1)
1 _Manuscrits theologiques francais_, No. 60, _Initiatoire Instruction en la Religion chretienne, &c_. In one of these miniatures the Saviour is represented c
arrying the cross, followed by Henry of Navarre, his brother Charles d'Albret, Margaret, and other personages, all of whom bear crosses, whilst in the background are some pleasure-grounds with a castle, a little waterfall, and a lake. Another miniature in the same manuscript shows King Henry of Navarre with a flower in his hand, which he seems to be offering to the Queen, who stands in the background among a party of courtiers. The King wears a surtout of cloth of gold, edged with ermine, over a blue jerkin, and a red cap with a white feather. Margaret is also arrayed in cloth of gold, but with a black cap and wimple. She is standing in a garden enclosed by a railing, and adorned with a fountain in the form of a temple which rises among groves and arbours. Beyond a white crenellated wall is a castle which has been identified with that of Pau. On fol. 1 of the same MS. the artist has depicted Queen Margaret's escutcheon, by which we find that she quartered the arms of France with those of Navarre, Aragon, Castile, Leon, Beam, Bigorre, Evreux, and Albret.
The Court which Margaret kept in turns at Alencon, Nerac, and Pau doesnot appear to have been so sumptuous and gay as some of her biographersassert. Brantome mentions that the Queen's two tables were always servedwith frugality, and Sainte-Marthe states that "she talked at dinner andsupper now of medicine, of food wholesome or unwholesome for the humanbody, and of objects of nature with Masters Schyron, Cormier, andEsterpin, her expert and learned doctors, who carefully watched her eatand drink, as is done with princes; now she would speak of history or ofthe precepts of philosophy with other very erudite personages, with whomher house was never unfurnished; at another time she would enter intoconversation on her faith and the Christian religion with MonsieurGerard, Bishop of Oloron. Altogether there was not a single momentthat was not employed by her in honest, pleasant, and usefulconversation." (1)
The same panegyrist tells us of Margaret's favourite occupations,mentioning that when she was alone in her room she more often held abook in her hand than a distaff, a pen than a spindle, and the ivory ofher tablets than a needle. He then adds: "And if she applied herself totapestry or other needlework, such as was to her a pleasant occupation,she had beside her some one who read to her, either from a historian ora poet, or some other notable and useful author; or else she dictatedsome meditation which was written down." (2)
1 _Oraison funebre, &c._, p. 60.
2 _Ibid._, p. 68.
Margaret's time was far from being wholly occupied in this manner,for she actively assisted her husband in carrying out improvements andreforms in Beam. The result was that the country, naturally good andfertile, but left in bad condition, uncultivated and sterile through thecarelessness of its inhabitants, soon changed its appearance owing tothe efforts of Henry and his wife. From all the provinces of Francelabourers were attracted who settled there and improved and fertilisedthe fields.(1)
1 _Vies el Eloges des Dames illustres_, vol. ii. p. 272.
Henry d'Albret also devoted himself to the placing of the country in aproper state of defence, and fortified several of the towns. Navarreinx,commanding the valley of the Gave of Oloron, was virtually rebuilt byhim and transformed into a perfect stronghold, as was evidenced duringthe religious wars, when it successfully withstood the artilleryof Terrade, the Catholic commander. Long afterwards, when Vaubaninaugurated his new system of fortification, he came to Navarreinx, andon seeing the ramparts raised by Margaret's husband was so favourablyimpressed, that instead of levelling them to the ground he contentedhimself with adding to them and making various improvements. Henryd'Albret was also anxious to refortify Sauveterre, which the Prince ofOrange, with one of the Imperial armies, had captured in 1523, when hehalf-demolished the old castle of Montreal, then the most formidablecitadel in Beam. However, as time and money were lacking, Henry had toabandon his plans, and the ruins left by the Imperialists, the ivy-cladkeep, and mutilated bridge over the Gave soon fell into irremediabledecay.(1)
1 M. Paul Perret's _Pyrenees francaises_, vol. ii. p. 303.