of Turin, had opened their gates to them, and with the exception
of Susa, Carignano, Chivasso, Casale, and the citadel of Turin, the
whole country was lost to her. The French forces were, however,
too weak to take the offensive, and the ill health of La Valette
deprived him of his former energy and rendered him unwilling to
undertake any offensive movement. Nevertheless, Turenne's counsels
infused a new spirit into the army, and indeed the news that the
young general, whose name was already known throughout Europe,
had arrived, and the belief that his coming would be followed by
that of large reinforcements from France, at once reanimated the
remaining supporters of the duchess and dispirited the Piedmontese,
who began to fear that they had been too hasty in siding with
Spain.

But if, for the time, Turenne was not in a position to act in the
field, he began at once to take steps to prepare to meet the coming
storm. Early in October La Valette died. The general opinion was
that Turenne would have succeeded to the command, but his brother
the Duc de Bouillon had broken with Richelieu and joined the
party opposed to him. When in Paris, the duke had been on terms
of intimate friendship with the Count of Soissons and had invited
him to stay with him at Sedan. The invitation had been declined,
but the count, having been implicated in a plot against Richelieu,
had been obliged to fly and had taken refuge at Sedan, where he
had been most warmly received by the duke. Richelieu had at first
invited, and then in the name of the king commanded, Bouillon
to expel his guest. This the duke absolutely refused to do, and
becoming deeply offended at the manner in which he was pressed,
joined the party opposed to Richelieu.