large/12344/historyoffrance_1807_librivox_64kb_mp3/historyoffrance_05_yonge_64kb_67
large/12344/historyoffrance_1807_librivox_64kb_mp3/historyoffrance_05_yonge_64kb
English
12344
Catherine tried in vain to bend her will or discover her secrets, and her death, early in 1572, while still at court, was attributed to the queen mother. CATHERINE TRIED IN VAIN TO BEND HER WILL OR DISCOVER HER SECRETS AND HER DEATH EARLY IN FIFTEEN SEVENTY TWO WHILE STILL AT COURT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE QUEEN MOTHER
 studiously brilliant. Catherine surrounded herself with a bevy of ladies, called the Queen-Mother's Squadron, whose amusements were found for the whole day. The ladies sat at their tapestry frames, while Italian poetry and romance was read or love-songs sung by the gentlemen; they had garden games and hunting-parties, with every opening for the ladies to act as sirens to any whom the queen wished to detach from the principles of honour and virtue, and bind to her service. Balls, pageants, and theatricals followed in the evening, and there was hardly a prince or noble in France who was not carried away by these seductions into darker habits of profligacy. Jeanne of Navarre dreaded them for her son Henry, whom she kept as long as possible under training in religion, learning, and hardy habits, in the mountains of Béarn; and when Catherine tried to draw him to court by proposing a marriage between him and her youngest daughter Margaret, Jeanne left him at home, and went herself to court. E OF DUTY THE COURT WAS STUDIOUSLY BRILLIANT CATHERINE SURROUNDED HERSELF WITH A BEVY OF LADIES CALLED THE QUEEN MOTHER'S SQUADRON WHOSE AMUSEMENTS WERE FOUND FOR THE WHOLE DAY THE LADIES SAT AT THEIR TAPESTRY FRAMES WHILE ITALIAN POETRY AND ROMANCE WAS READ OR LOVE SONGS SUNG BY THE GENTLEMEN THEY HAD GARDEN GAMES AND HUNTING PARTIES WITH EVERY OPENING FOR THE LADIES TO ACT AS SIRENS TO ANY WHOM THE QUEEN WISHED TO DETACH FROM THE PRINCIPLES OF HONOR AND VIRTUE AND BIND TO HER SERVICE BALLS PAGEANTS AND THEATRICALS FOLLOWED IN THE EVENING AND THERE WAS HARDLY A PRINCE OR NOBLE IN FRANCE WHO WAS NOT CARRIED AWAY BY THESE SEDUCTIONS INTO DARKER HABITS OF PROFLIGACY JEANNE OF NAVARRE DREADED THEM FOR HER SON HENRY WHOM SHE KEPT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE UNDER TRAINING IN RELIGION LEARNING AND HARDY HABITS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF BIEN AND WHEN CATHERINE TRIED TO DRAW HIM TO COURT BY PROPOSING A MARRIAGE BETWEEN HIM AND HER YOUNGEST DAUGHTER MARGARET JEANNE LEFT HIM AT HOME AND WENT HERSELF TO COURT
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