Nothing remained but to send to Rome for the purpose of obtaining the dispensation.

The ordinary ambassador, Count de Bethune, did not suffice for so delicate a negotiation; Richelieu sent Father Berulle.

Father Berulle, founder of the brotherhood of the Oratory, patron of the Carmelites, and the intimate friend of Francis de Sales, though devoid of personal ambition, had, been clever enough to keep himself on good terms with Cardinal Richelieu, whose political views he did not share, and with the court of Rome, whose most faithful allies, the Jesuits, he had often thwarted.

He was devoted to Queen Mary de' Medici, and willingly promoted her desires in the matter of her daughter's marriage.

He found the court of Rome in confusion, and much exercised by Spanish intrigue.