The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-07 00:00:00

LITBBATU BE.

The Life of Marguerite D'Angouleme, Queen s
Navarre. By Martha Walker Freer. 2 volt,
Hurst and Blackett.
It is somewhat singular that this should be the
first time that the life of Marguerite D'Angoulerne
should have formed the subject of a distinct bio.
graphy. The eventful period in which she lived,
the stirring scenes in which she took a part, and
her powerful influence at court, would seem to dis.
tinguish her life as one eminently calculated to at-
tract the special attention of the student of history
not less than her own talents, high principles, and
kindness of disposition. Brought up by her talented,
though violent and imperious mother, Louisa of
Savoy, the idol of all who surrounded her, looked
upon with more consideration at court than either
of the queens of France, in an age when one Church
was treated with neglect and contempt, and the
other struggling with the terrors of the stake, in a
capital the most depraved, if the most polished,
in Europe—it must, indeed, have been Margue-
rite's native virtue that preserved her piety, devo-
tion, and charity unshaken and unchanged. The
affection subsisting between Louisa of Savoy and her
two children, Francis I. and Marguerite, was SO
great that they were spoken of by contemporary
authority as the Trinity of France. Louisa of Savoy,
or Madame, as she was called after her son's acces-
sion, was a woman of great abilities and command-
ing mind. The two feelings which ruled her con-
duct were ambition and devotion to her children.
Her qualities for government were undoubted.
After the terrible defeat of " Pavia's fatal field,"
she became Regent, and conducted affairs with so
much diplomatic ability that she soon succeeded in
alienating Henry the Eighth from his ally the Em-
peror Charles V. In one instance, however, she
was the cause of great misfortune. It was owing
to a quarrel between her and the Constable de
Bourbon, in which she laid claim to some of his
estates, that that distinguished soldier became a
traitor to his country. His conduct cannot be de.
fended, but it met with signal punishment. Styled
by the haughty Castilian nobles "El traidor de
su reg," at war with his own countrymen, and look-
ing with distrust and suspicion on the promises of
Charles the Fifth, he seemed to have gained little
by the treason. His death affords a singular warn-
ing. Sforza was besieged in his citadel of Milan.
The troops of the Imperial army occupied
the city, extorting money by tortures from
the inhabitants, and spreading desolation around
them. Famine and murder reigned in the
flourishing town, till grass grew in the streets
and suicides were of daily occurrence. The gates
were guarded so that none might escape. In the
midst of this the Duke of Bourbon arrived. The
citizens threw themselves at his feet, and begged
for release. He replied with apparent sympathy,
and told them that it was the failure of the sup-
plies that had caused their misery, and that if they
would furnish him with 30,000 ducats—the army's
pay for a month—he would withdraw the troops
from the town and encamp without. " I know,"
said he " that you have often been deceived by
similar promises ; but if I deceive you in this, may
God, who now hears me, cause me to perish in the
first battle or assault I give, by the first shot fired
by the enemy." The citizens believing him, raised
the sum by great effort, when the duke withdrew
a few regiments from the city to its suburbs. In
vain the people pleaded.; they were driven from
his presence. But his broken oath was fulfilled.
The next " battle or assault" in which Bourbon
was engaged was the assault of Rome, when he,
the first to mount the breach, was killed by the
first shot. Though Madame had alienated this
powerful subject from France, she was of great as-
sistance to the king in his councils. But Margue-
rite was his companion in all his favourite pursuits ;
she sympathised in all his tastes, and he found in
her consistent and enthusiastic affection a constant
resource from the cares and factions that harassed
his reign. Marguerite did not inherit her mother's
disposition - she was of a more gentle and pious
nature. Her influence over the king was para-
mount to every other, and remained so till his
death. The deepest affection united them, and
though eacri was married twice, neither found a
companion capable of eclipsing the early love and
sympathy. Her love for her brother was evidently
the reason that held back the Queen of Navarre
from the confession of her sympathy with the doc-
trines of the Reformed Church. But though not
openly avowing her feelings, for fear of displeasing
and perhaps injuringher beloved brother, Margue-
rite afforded the Huguenots every assistance and
encouragement. Countless were the intercessions
for pardon, the withdrawal of prosecutions, and
the tolerance of individuals that may be traced to
her. It is suggested that one drawback to these
constant intercessions was the vacillation in the
king's conduct between his desire to conciliate the
people and his wish to please "sa Mignonne," as
he used to call her. This fluctuation between two
extremes encouraged controversy, but it moderated
the rigour and cruelty of the persecutions. In
her • own domains of Beam, Berry, &c., Mar-
guerite ever afforded an asylum for the suf-
ferers for their faith. She never openly re-
nounced the Church of Rome • but her neglect
of its ordinances and her well-known tolerance of
the Reformed tenets exposed her to much animad-
version. Marguerite was not very fortunate in
domestic life. Her first husband, the Duc d'Alen-
con, was a churlish and unintellectual man, who
utterly disgraced himself at the battle of Pavia.
He had command of one of the wings of the army;
and, though not attacked, when he saw the other
wing and centre routed, instead of hurrying to the
rescue, to the indignation of his officers he hastily
retreated. Marguerite, overcome with grief at her
brother's defeat and capture, refused to see him.
The Parliament threatened him with impeachment.
He was soon after taken ill, when Marguerite, with
her accustomed gentleness, visited him and im-
plored her brother's pardon. He soon after died ;
and after some years Marguerite became the wife
of Henry of Navarre, Prince of Beam, &c. He
possessed nothing of Navarre but the title of King,
as Charles V. was monarch of all Spain. It was
peculiarly fortunate for Marguerite that in neither
of her marriages did she quit France ; for though
a great attachment existed between her and the
King of Navarre, he was eleven years her junior,
and sympathised very little with her love of art
and literary tastes. No one ever equalled her
brother in her affections ; her devotion to him was
the great object of her life. For himslier. forestr
him
restrained
the confession of her religious opinions ,
she undertook her journey to Spain when he was
prisoner, to negotiate for his releasmies.fortNnone tosac
sacrifice
seemed too great. She had the
sur-
vive both him and her mother, to see the close of
his reign involved in warfare and turmoil, to see
the faith she secretly believed persecuted and re-
viled, and the friends of her early days scattered
and changed, so that her course did not close so
brightly as it commenced. Her literary talents
were considerable. She and her brother were con-
stantlythe habit of corresponding in poetry.
published many works, some extracts of which
She
and some short poems are given in these vo-
lumes. They possess considerable merit ; and when
we consider the length of time that has passed since
they have been written, we shall feel inclined to
rank them very high. A great number of original
letters are given, which are full of interest. They
show the queen's character just as she is described
in the biography. It was one of her favourite em-
ployments to solicit forgiveness for offenders, or
favours for those who wanted them. It gives a
strong impression of Marguerite's unbounded influ-
ence over the king, to find that all these petitions
were granted, notwithstanding their number and
variety. Contrary to the usual custom, it was her
fate to rule supreme over the court of her native
country. The author of these volumes has derived
much assistance in the toilsome research necessary
for her materials from the publication of manu-
scripts connected with the history of France by
command of the late Louis Philippe. The work
reflects on the writer the highest credit. The vast
amount of study requisite, the wide and varied in-
formation necessary, the tedious and laborious col-
lection of the authorities, are sufficient to appal
any any but the boldest from undertaking afirs
wtosri ht
history. The life of a queen may not a.tt
had beeng
seem to require all this ; and truly, if. it
hardly
either of the queens of Francis 1., it
remember
rhtihseadt
have been necessary. But wemulsatnrs:Nrinsyem
Marguerite shared all the king's
phis sorrows, gave
with his triumphs, grieved
overand even went as
her counsel in difficult questions,
lin his. cause.
. A.
ing the domestic virtues of
a careerm b as ssaod r
prominentesst o a h oisdnt.i
so eventful countryeventfu a reign is very
little •gn of whom is remem-
The authoress has acquitted
sdoilliffeeremnetdiforeorme
sorevceorrei
ander .
undertaking ; the
bulyame.h arduous
hbeersreedlfbmutostthae
f'of characters alluded to in the
attention is never wearied.
pTinrhtoeemrgelrnseteannttenveuevrmenfibtsaegrohsave each a little memoir intro-
duced, and they are so skilfully woven together—.
we are shown so plainly how the conduct of one
influenced the other, that the volumes have more
relation to a standard work of history than the
biography of an individual. We may hope for
more historical narratives from the same writer,
who has judiciously selected a most brilliant and
eventful epoch to employ her powers. To all who
wish for varied information, strict impartiality,
clearness of style, and vigour of description, we
can cordially recommend these interesting volumes.