In  representation  of  Alengon  come  Marshal  de  Cossd,  Marchaumont,
and  M.  de  Vray,  his  seTetary.  They  are  all  followed  by  trains  of
gentlemen,  to  the  number  in  all  of  500.  The  Queen  gave  them
audience  on  the  24th  and  received  them  with  great  ceremony.  On
the  following  day  she  invited  them  to  a  feast,  and  on  the  27th
some  of  her  councillors  went  to  visit  them,  namely,  the  Treasurer,
Leicester,  Sussex,  BedforJ,  Hattoa,  and  Walsingham,  these  being
the  men  whom  she  had  chosen  to  manage  the  business.  They  asked
the  Frenchmen  what  commission  they  brought,  and  the  Treasurer
made  them  a  long  speech,  in  which  he  said  that  he,  at  first,  had  not
been  an  advocate  of  the  marriage  ;  but,  at  the  present  time,  in
view  of  the  state  of  the  country  and  eventualities  that  might
occur,  he  thought  that  nothing  was  of  so  great  importance  for  the
preservation  of  the  Crown  as  that  the  marriage  should  take  place.
President  Brisson  answered  with  another  oration  to  the  same  eflect,
producing  the  commission,  which  was  in  French,  empowering  them
to  arrange  the  marriage,  and  nothing  else.  After  the  Englishmen
Lad  seen  this,  they  said  that  they  had  no  written  commission  from
the  Queen,  but  only  verbal  instructions,  as  they  thought  the
Frenchmen  were  only  going  to  bring  letters,  but  they  would  now
request  the  Queen  to  give  them  powers  corresponding  with  those  of
the  French.
