IT was a Lynceus ( but not the sonne of Aphareus ) one of a more cleere and penetrant sight , which obserued euen in the depth of the Kings noble heart , and in the secret thoughts of his faithfull subiects , the sighes that they daily poured forth , before his Diuine Maiesty , to bee deliuered , together with this whole poore Realme and Kingdome , from the tyrannie and oppression , whereinto they were reduced and brought , by the deepe subtilty , and insupportable pride of Cochino ; in whom questionlesse ( if Metempsycosis , or Pythagoricall transmigration could take place ) the diuellish soule of Aman , the sonne of Amadathi , the Agagean , resumed another bodie . But to the end euery one may be aduertised of the true cause of these sighes , you shall conceiue by this briefe recitall , that Cochino was borne in Florence , of poore and meane place ; and as such an one , grew to affect amorously a Ioyners daughter , who was called Leonora Galligaia , as men said ; she being placed at the first as an inferiour chamber-maid , with the Princesse Maria de Medices , whose close stoole shee oftentimes clensed and emptied : within a while her continued seruices , ioyned with some liberality of minde and spirit obserued in her , brought her to be raised and preferred to be in the said Princesse her chamber as an attendant gentlewoman ; which Princesse at last comming into France , to be ioyned in marriage with Henry the Great , the said Elenor came along with her , and she was also followed by Cochino ; when arriuing at Marcelles , a little boy of about twelue yeeres old , was able with all ease , to carry their whole luggage and furniture ; being a French youth , and a Parisian borne , who died not long since , of a dyssenterie , or bloody flux , in the street called de Beau-bourg : when the Princesse came to be Queene , out of a franke and most noble disposition , she aduanced all her followers , and peculiarly the said Elenor ; who humbly requested her , that shee would permit her to marrie the said Cochino , which at last she compassed , with the Kings pleasure and consent . Then either of them insinuating themselues more and more into the Queenes fauour , they grew to great fortunes and meanes , by commending vnto their Maiesties diuers mens sutes ; who hauing occasion to sue vnto them , were vrged by important occasions and businesses , of what nature or quality soeuer . God at last , for our own vnworthines , called the King to his mercy , depriuing vs of that glorious Sun ; leauing to succeed him , Lewis the thirteenth , ( whom God maintaine and prosper ) being then but ten yeeres old , who presently , by the generall voice and consent of all France , was inuested in the flowers de Luce , and acknowledged for King ; and the Queene his mother , a lamentable , desolate , and disconsolate Ladie , by the same generall consent was proclaimed Regent . The naturall benignitie , and noble inclination of this great Queene , suffered her not to feare , either deceit , or trecherie , but being her selfe of an vntainted and innocent soule , shee thought euery one had the like ; especially such as were so farre fauoured , to come freely into her Maiesties presence , and had the credit to speake to her in priuate . Now was the time , when this ambitious Cochino , began by the instrumentall offices of his wise , to depraue and detract from the Kings loyall and good seruants ; for presently hee then caused Syllery the Chancellor , and his brother , to be dismissed and driuen from his presence ; and vnder the cloke and colour of Iustice , to take from the Parliament of Prouince , their resplendant Sonne , vnder this colour to propagate his ambition ; and yet this presently not giuing him such full contentment , he must needes take from him the publicke Seales , for to conferre them vpon one of his owne creatures ; then hee must needes remoue from about the King , Mounsieur le Cheualier de Vandosme , his beloued Minion ; then his faithfull seruant Luynes ; forthwith his vigilant and carefull Physitian Erouard , and then his good Counsellors ; presently he gaue one office to one , another to another : to conclude , at one instant he cast al these Officers in a mould ; the Keeper of Seales ; the Secretarie of Estate , and the Controller generall of the Treasuries ; by little and little , contesting with the greatest , for the place of chiefe Gentleman of the Kings chamber , vsing all the power possible to marrie his daughter with Mounsieur the Duke of Longueuill : who no waies bending to this contract , was in great danger to haue lost his gouernment of Picardie , and all his credit at Court , being inforced to eclipse and retire himselfe . During these entercourses , that sage Prince , the Count de Soissons was called to heauen ; whose gouernment the Queene kept in her owne hands , to appease the great iealousies of those that were competitors for the same ; constituting therein Cochino , somtimes Marquesse d' Ancre , and Marshall of France , for her Lieutenant . Here then you see him Lieutenant of Normandy , being Master & Commander of the principall places in the same , which he fortified with Bastions , Ditches , and Cannon , which he conueied thither out of the Arsenall at Paris . But while these occurrents thus passed , he drained the Bastile of foureteene millions , bitterly checked that Imperiall Parliament , about the demonstrations of his disorders , preuenting the Princes and great Lords from conuenting and assembling therein . At last he found a meanes that the Princes forsooke the Court , and Mounsieur le Iay President of the said Parliament , the Kings most loyall and trustie seruant , was committed prisoner to the Castle of Ambois , vnder a colourable and counterfeit pretext : he procured that neither his Maiestie , nor his faithfull Counsell , gaue any eare neither to the manifestation of Mounsier the Prince , nor to the complaints and intimations of the other Princes . One of which , that is to say , Mounsier de Vandosme , he caused to be imprisoned ( but that he made a cunning and subtile escape ) ; so that by these meanes he laid the foundation of a dangerous warre , and of great leuies of souldiers , arming neere kinsmen one against another , as Mounsier de Guyse against Mounsier de Mayenne his cousine germaine , and thus ruinating the Kings poore subiects : so that at last , by the wise and discreete courses of my Lords the Dukes de Neuers , de Ventadour , Chancellor Syllery , and other ancient Officers of the Crowne , a good Treatie should haue been drawne , the King being then at Tours , and the said Lords Princes at Loudun . But because the said Cochino perceiued , that the power of these the Kings two faithfull seruants to his minde , crossed his ambitions , making rather vse of his owne ministers , and vpstarts , whom himselfe termed Agents of a thousand Frankes , of whom he had to the number of eight hundred ; and wonderfully abusing the Queenes exceeding clemencie and bountie , as also the feare and iealousie , that both by himselfe and others he possessed her withall , that she should be carefull of her selfe , and of the Kings minoritie and youth : he caused Mounsier the Prince to be taken prisoner on a thursday the first of September , anno 1616 : and so consequently all the rest , vpon this , dispersing themselues , not daring to returne , they were proclaimed Rebels , attainted of high Treason , all their goods confiscated , ( part of which came into his own hands ) and then three Armies were hereupon raised to take the spoile of them , and so bring them in aliue or dead . Mounsieur de Guyse went of the one part , to seaze on Mounsieur de Neuers , whom hee dispossessed of many places : on the other side Mounsieur de Montigny and Mounsieur the Count de Auuergne , went directly to Soissons with 40 Canons ; Cochino by an imprinted letter , promised to the King foorthwith an Armie of fiue thousand foote , and eight hundred horse , which he entertained for foure moneths at his owne charge ; sending out in the meane while three or foure hundred Spyes , or Intelligencers , ouer al the countrie , especially into Paris , that by this meanes he might discouer and know all such as ordinarily exclaimed against his Tyrannie , causing diuers gibbets to bee erected within the citie whereupon to hang his opposites , though they armed themselues but for the Kings true and faithfull seruice . While all this thus passed , the Kings loyall seruants , who saw their Masters captiuitie , and the vnworthie entreatie of his Maiestie , being now of yeers , of greater maturitie and ripenes , they conuented together , and began to enter into a sacred vnion , to shake off this yoke of Cochino , and all his assistants , which aimed at the destruction of all the Princes , and so to seaze on their goods ( I meane not only of those absent and withdrawne , as my Lords de Vandosme , de Neuers , de Longueuille , de Bouillon , and de Mayenne , but also of them present ) as my Lords the Count de Auuergne , de Guyse , Ioinuille , the Cardinall of Rhemes ; then of my Lords the Prince of Conde prisoner , and Count de Soissons very young , but endued with an excellent spirit , and a noble impe of great expectation and hopes , for his Prince and al France ; then of the most eminent Officers of the Crowne , then of Sieur Erouard chiefe Physition , one most loyall to his King ; of Sieur de Luynes , and at last of the King himselfe . All this effected , Mounsier should haue been seated in the Throne very young , the Queene-Mother Regent , himselfe Maior of the Palace , which dignitie he meant againe to re-erect ; and then in a little time , hauing all the authoritie in his owne hands , no body opposing nor contradicting him , ( al the race of Bourbon cleane extinguished , through the sudden death of Mounsier the King ) Cochino should then haue been mounted vpon the Throane , and then his wife being made away by some priuie practice of his owne , he might haue married whom he would at his pleasure . Here you may see a well wouen web , for the amputation whereof , God , who alwaies preserueth this kingdome , put into the heart of Lewis ( beloued of God ) the spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding , as he did sometimes into Salomon ; and so strengthening the arme of Sieur de Vitry , his faithfull Gardian and Captaine , caused it to discharge his iust choller , vpon the head of this Salmonéas , which being too fauourably dealt withall , according to the opinion and iudgement of the people , when he was buried secretly in the night , they dis-interred at high noone day , and thinking him vnworthie of buriall , they dragged his corps to the foot of Pont neuf ; there hung vp by the feete , on a gibbet he had lately erected : then they cut off his nose , and his eares , pluckt out his eyes , couched his head , cut off likewise his armes , and shamefull parts : this being done , it was trailed againe through the streetes of the Citie , beaten , and laid vpon with cudgels , part of it burnt before his owne house , and some of it once againe retrailed and burnt the second time , and what remained was at last throwne into the water . Now , the longer they had been mute , no man daring to speake against him , the more they talked , sung , and writ so loudly , and publikely , that all the streetes re-echoed with the exulting ioyes and outcries of the inhabitants . The blow was no sooner giuen , but a miraculous change and alteration was obserued ouer all France , especially in Paris ; for euery one assumed to himself a new forme , through such an admirable pleasure and contentment . The Armie before Soissons , was presently by the Kings commandement dissolued ; the Lords de Vandosme , de Neuers , de Mayenne , de Longueuille , fell downe incontinently at his Maiesties feete , who receiued them with a free and royall heart , to the confusion and shame of all Cochinoes creatures ; who ( at the arriuall of that graue and prudent Chancellor , whom his Maiestie sent for , and reconfirmed him of his Counsell ; of the Lords , de Vair , restored to the keeping of the publike Seales , President Ianin , and Villeroy , together with others , who had been formerly dismissed and chased away by this Haman ) vanished , and were dissipated , like mists or fogges at the arising of the Suns cleere beames . Cochinoes life ( sometimes Marquis de Ancre , and Marshall of France ) requires a great and entire volume , to expresse and relate it at large , the which , attending and expecting from the learned penne of Piere Matthew in his Historie , I haue here abridged in as briefe a forme as possibly I could , for a note and marke vnto those , which may peraduenture heare talke but of a parcell of his infernall ambition : and to be a iust terror to all such Nimrodes , from attempting to scale the heauens , and to bandy against lawfull Kings , who are the annoynted of the Lord , principally against such spirits and mindes , voide of all gall or bitternes , but clement and tractable , being of the same yeeres that our King Lewis the 13 ( beloued of God ) is : for whom all France ought daily to pray , that he may be preserued , and blessed , with a most long and happie life . God through his omnipotent holy fauour and grace , daily guard and defend him , for vs , together with al the faithful Princes , and Officers of his Crown ; guiding and instructing his heart , for the maintenance and propagation of his holy Church , and the benefit and comfort of his poore people , Amen .