that prince in his expedition to Rocroi, which was attended with success, and by which Monsieur des Houlieres was raised in the army; but being led into extraordinary expences to support his newly-acquired honours, his affairs were thrown into the utmost embarrassment, and most, of his effects seized. To add to bis misfortunes, his pay was also stopped; upon which, Madame des Houlieres went in person to court, and presented a petition in behalf of her husband; but no notice being taken of it, she made loud complaints, which was looked upon as a crime, and for which she was arrested, and conducted a prisoner to the castle of Vilvorden, two leagues from Brussels.
As soon as M. des Houlieres was informed of his wife's confinement, he solicited her liberty; but finding there were little hopes of obtaining it, marched to Vilvorden with some soldiers, forced the fortress, and carried her off in triumph; but he would undoubtedly have suffered for this resolute action, had not a general pardon been at that very time proclaimed, of which he opportunely took advantage. He, however, obtained soon after employment in the king's service, and his wife pursued her poetical studies. The earliest of her works that remain are of the year 1658. She composed a number of elegies, epigrams, songs, madrigals, odes, sonnets, idyls, and tragedies, but her idyls and moral reflections are the most esteemed. For a long time she contented herself with shewing her works to friends, who spread their reputation abroad; but, on their solicitation, she printed a volume in 1688, which met with general applause from people of taste. She was preparing a second when she died in the beginning of the second year of her widowhood, aged 56.
In the pastoral stile of writing, Madame des Houlieres
