Series 3 > Foreign correspondence with Marie de Lorraine, Queen of Scotland, from the originals in the Balcarres papers > Volume 7

INTRODUCTION
xi
that she has ordered the bearer not to show himself, as
the Queen Dowager is surrounded by spies.
Testimony to the favour in which the members of the
House of Guise were held by the King was given by
De I’Aubespine,1 who informed the Queen of the credit
the Cardinal de Lorraine, her brother, enjoyed with the
King : the writer, who had shared in his labours, knew
how well deserved it was. He wrote again 2 in praise of
Francois, Duke of Guise, approved by every one for his
courage and boldness : so much even he could say without
being taken for ‘ un clerc d’armes.’ From him Marie de
Lorraine first learned of the capture of her brother Claude,
Duke d’Aumale, by the Marquis Albert of Brandenburg
outside Metz; he wrote reassuringly, though incorrectly,
that he was well—he had been wounded—and that he
could be ransomed.
Louis, Bishop of Troyes,3 supplied further details. They
had heard of the health of the prisoner and that the ransom
required was 100,000 ecus, in his opinion a preposterous
sum ; Madame de Valentinois, the Cardinal and himself
were doing all they could to raise money, so that, were the
amount reduced, they would be able to find it. D’Aumale
was bearing his imprisonment well, save for his grief at
being inactive; it was to be a captivity of considerable
length, for, prisoner in September 1552, he was not freed
till April 1554. A letter from the Dowager Duchess of
Guise 4 dwelt upon the imprisonment of her son ; he was
treated with some harshness, and refused a priest or the
permission to hear Mass. In connection with that subject,
she expressed her opinion that the Germans were too busy
fighting among themselves to be able to fight France.
The Duchess, in one of the latest of her letters 5 to her
daughter, wrote that D’Aumale had been set free and that
1 Letter XC. 2 Letter XCI. 2 Letter XCVII.
1 Letter CXVII. 5 Letter CXLUL