"The king was tacitly the head of this conspiracy," says Madame de Motteville: "the grand equerry was the soul of it; the name made use of was that of the Duke of Orleans, the king's only brother; and their counsel was the Duke of Bouillon, who joined with them because, having belonged to the party of M.de Soissons, he was in very ill odor at court.

They all formed fine projects touching the change that was to take place to the advantage of their aggrandizement and fortunes, persuading themselves that the cardinal could not live above a few days, during which he would not be able to set himself right with the king." Such were their projects and their hopes when the Gazette de France, on the 21st of June, 1642, gave these two pieces of news both together.

"The cardinal-duke, after remaining two days at Arles, embarked on the 11th of this month for Tarascon, his health becoming better and better.

The king has ordered under arrest Marquis de Cinq- Mars, grand equerry of France." Great was the surprise, and still greater was the dismay, amongst the friends of Cinq-Mars.

"Your grand designs are as well known at Paris as that the Seine flows under the Pont Neuf," wrote Mary di Gonzaga to him a few days previously.
Those grand designs so imprudently divulged caused a presentiment of great peril.