Concerning this scheme, there have been various ideas. To some it appears so romantic, that they cannot believe that it ever actually engaged the attention, or excited the hopes of such men as Henry and Sully ; but that a plan was really formed, which was known by the appellation of the grand design, there can be no doubt. According to it, Europe was to be divided into fifteen states, so arranged with respect to situation, and so poised with respect to strength and resources, that there would either be no grounds for war, or no probability of any state carrying it on with success. In order to compose these 15 states, the smaller ones were to be united with the greater, and all of them were to be bound together by a well-digested system, such as would render it the interest of all to preserve peace. When we seriously reflect on the romantic nature of this plan, it is scarcely possible to conceive it could have been entertained by Henry or Sully ; and we are compell ed to believe, that its object was at the same time more practicable, and less disinterested. In fact, if we consider the knowledge of mankind, which they both possessed ; the experience they had of the difficulties attending even the arrangement of petty concerns, where different states were interested, and the little probability that any object not connected with the interest of France, would rouse their attention, or excite their wishes ; we shall be in duced to believe, that the aggrandizement of their own country, was the final end at which they aimed in their grand design. Or, ir this conclusion cannot be admitted, there seems no doubt, that the fifteen associated states in to which Europe was to be divided, were to be formed solely by means of compulsion ; and that the wishes and the interests of those concerned, at least of the inferior states, were not to be consulted.
That the object, whatever it was, which Henry had in view, was to be reached by force of arms, is evident by the great preparations which he made at this time. Besides the armies which his allies promised to bring into the field, he himself had 40,000 men, chiefly veteran and well disciplined troops. Sully assured him there were forty millions in the treasury ; and added, " If you do not in crease your army beyond 40,000, I will engage to supply you with money sufficient for the prosecution of the war, without being under the necessity of imposing any new taxes." Henry resolved to command his army in person, and ac cordingly made preparations for setting out from his capi tal. lie appointed the Queen regent ; but she insisting on being crowned before his departure, his stay in the capital was necessarily prolonged. In the mean time, as his route lay through Flanders, he demanded permission from the Archduke Charles to march through his territories ; though the court of Austria must have entertained suspicions of the real object of so great an armament, and such immense preparations, yet, as the Archduke was not prepared for resistance, he answered in terms of respectful acquies cence. Nothing now retarded his departure, but the coro nation of the queen. Sully informs us, the thoughts of this ceremony disquieted him greatly, and that he felt an inward, unaccountable, and obscure dread of some ap proaching misfortune. It is probable that the greatness of the object which he had in view, might have impressed his manners and countenance with unusual gravity ; and that this afterwards was attributed to a presentiment of his fate. At the same time, it must be admitted, that the recollec tion of the narrow escapes which he had often made, and of the opportunity which a crowd afforded of attacking his life, could hardly fail to arise in his mind ; and if it did occur, must have rendered him unquiet and melancholy. Besides, he 'bad often been displeased with the attention and indulgence which the queen displayed to her Italian favourites ; and lie might apprehend that, during his ab sence, they would conduct themselves with more than their usual audacity, and excite the murmurs of the peo ple. Notwithstanding these apprehensions, however, and
the dislike which he uniformly expressed, and sincerely felt, for pageantry and ostentation, he agreed that the co ronation should take place, and even to be present at it. The ceremony was accordingly performed on Thursday, the 13th May, 1610, with the utmost magnificence. The next Sunday was fixed for the public entry of the queen, and on the Wednesday following, Henry had resolved to quit Paris, and to put himself at the head of his army.
But the termination of the life of this really great king was near at hand. Francis Ravilliac had travelled front Angoulerne, his native province, to Paris, in order to pro cure a livelihood ; but being disappointed, reduced to extreme poverty and wretchedness, he conceived the de sign of arming his hand against the King of France. Soon after he arrived in the capital, he conducted himself in such a manner as plainly proved him to be a wild and frantic visionary ; and this frame of mind must have been render ed still more predominating by the distress under which he laboured. Being a bigotted Catholic, he regarded Hen ry, as he was going to assist the Protestants, as still a here tic at heart. Thus maddened by enthusiasm, distress, and bigotry, he watched an opportunity of striking the fatal blow. Henry had proposed to visit the arsenal on the morning of the day after the coronation ; but he postponed his intention, in consequence of the indisposition of Sully, till the afternuon, when, finding himself disquieted and rest less, he ordered his coach ; and, accompanied by the Dukes of Epernon and Montbazon, the Marshals Lavardin and Roquelaire, the Marquises de la Force and Mirabeau, and Du Plessis, Liancourt, his master of the horse, he de termined to proceed to the arsenal. The captain of the guards was ordered to the palace to hasten the prepara tions for the queen's entry ; and the carriage was escorted only by a small number of gentlemen on horseback and the royal footmen. That the king might have a full and un obstructed view of the various ornaments and devices which the citizens had prepared on the occasion, the cur tains of the carriage were drawn up on every side. No in terruption took place till they came to a narrow street, where the coach was stopped by the accidental meeting of two carts. Most part of the attendants, on this, took a nearer way, and only two footmen were left, one of whom went forward to clear the passage, and the other was accidental ly detained behind. Ravilliac, who had been watching a fit opportunity to execute his purpose, instantly stept for ward, mounted the wheel of the carriage, and, as the king turned to read a letter to the Duke of Epernon, he stabbed him over the Duke's shoulder. Henry had scarcely time to exclaim, " I am wounded !" before a second blow, more fatally directed, pierced his heart ; and, breathing only a deep sigh, he sunk down lifeless. The assassin did not attempt to escape, but remained supporting himself on the wheel of the coach, with the bloody knife in his hand, till he was seized. He would immediately have been torn in pieces by the king's attendants, had not the Duke of Eper non interfered. The same nobleman quieted the appre hensions of the multitude, by assuring them that the king was merely wounded, and that they were carrying him to the Louvre, in order to have his wounds dressed. The crowd instantly gave way ; and the body being conveyed to the palace, was laid upon a bed ; but it is said, that it was soon deserted by most of thosel%ho so lately had court ed the protection and favour of their sovereign.