judgment, no less astonished those who were capable of appreciating the
more valuable gifts which had been lavished upon her by nature. A dark
shadow rested, however, upon the surface of this glorious picture.
Marguerite possessed no moral self-government; her passions were at once
the bane and the reproach of her existence; and while yet a mere girl
her levity had already afforded ample subject for the comments of the
courtiers.

[Illustration: HENRI DE LORRAINE. Paris Richard Bentley and Son 1890]

Fortunately, in the rapid sketch which we are compelled to give of her
career, it is unnecessary that we should do more than glance at the
licentiousness of her private conduct; our business is simply to trace
such an outline of her varying fortunes as may suffice to render
intelligible the position of Henri IV at the period of his
second marriage.

After the death of Francis II, when internal commotion had succeeded to
the feigned and hollow reconciliation which had taken place between
Charles IX and Henri de Lorraine, Duc de Guise,[2] Marguerite and her
younger brother, the Duc d'Alençon, were removed to the castle of
Amboise for greater security; and she remained in that palace-fortress
from her tenth year until 1564, when she returned to Court, and
thenceforward became one of the brightest ornaments of the royal circle.
Henri de Guise was not long ere he declared himself her ardent admirer,
and the manner in which the Princess received and encouraged his
attentions left no doubt that the affection was reciprocal. So
convinced, indeed, were those about her person of the fact, that M. du
Gast, the favourite of the King her brother, earnestly entreated His
Majesty no longer to confide to the Princess, as he had hitherto done,