Volume II Part 16 (2/2)

[274] Ibid., ii. 548.

[275] The father of Agrippa d'Aubigne was, as his son informs us, one of the commissioners sent on this occasion to Guyenne. Memoires d'A.

d'Aubigne, ed. Buchon, 474.

[276] What else can be said, in view of such well authenticated statements as the following? On his progress through France, to which reference will soon be made, Charles the Ninth stopped with his court at Troyes, where no expense was spared in providing tournaments and games for his amus.e.m.e.nt.

Just as he was about to leave the city, and was already booted for his journey, he was detained for a little while that he might witness a novel entertainment. He was taken to a garden where a number of young girls, selected for their extraordinary beauty and entirely nude, executed in his presence the most obscene dances. It was two churchmen that are said to have provided the boy-king with this infamous diversion--Cardinal Charles of Bourbon and Cardinal Louis of Guise. Recordon, 143.

[277] ”Il est notoire qu'au temps du colloque de Poissy la doctrine evangelique y fut proposee en liberte; ce qui causa que plusieurs, tans grands que pet.i.ts, prindrent goust a icelle. Mais, tout ainsi qu'un feu de paille fait grand' flamme, et puis s'esteint incontinent d'autant que la matiere defaut, apres que ce qu'ils avoient receu comme une nouveaute se fut un peu envieilly en leur coeur, les affections s'amortirent, et la pluspart retourna a l'ancienne cabale de la cour, qui est bien plus propre pour faire rire et piaffer, et pour s'enrichir.” Mem. de Franc. de la Noue, c. ii. (Ed. Mich, et Pouj., 591).

[278] ”Quelque chose qu'il sut dire avec blasphemes horribles--moyen ordinaire a telles gens pour prouver leur religion.” Hist. eccles. des eglises reformees, ii. 458. To stuff leaves torn from French Bibles into the mouths or wounds of dying or dead Huguenots, as we have seen, was a diversion not unknown to their opponents. Of course, there is nothing astonis.h.i.+ng in the circ.u.mstance that the invocation of Calvin's liturgy--”Notre aide soit au nom de Dieu qui a fait le ciel et la terre”--should have been a favorite formula for the beginning of a game of chance, or that the doxology--”Louange a Dieu de tous ses biens”--[”Praise G.o.d from whom all blessings flow.”]--should have been esteemed a fitting e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n for the winner. Ibid., ii. 310, 431.

[279] ”'Double mort Dieu' a vaincu 'Certes'; entendant par ce dernier mot ceux de la religion qui cond.a.m.nent ces juremens et blasphemes.” Hist.

eccles. des egl. ref., ii. 507.

[280] De Thou, iii. (liv. x.x.xv.) 409.

[281] Declaration dated Chatillon-sur-Loing, May 5, 1563. Mem. de Conde, iv. 339-349; and Jean de Serres, iii. 15-29.

[282] Martin, Hist. de France, x. 164.

[283] De Thou, iii. (liv. x.x.xv.), 415, 416. Catharine had been the involuntary instrument of renewing the old friends.h.i.+p between the constable and his nephews, when, on Guise's death, she conferred the office of grand master upon his young son, instead of restoring it to Anne de Montmorency, to whom the dignity had formerly belonged. Three months later (Aug. 30, 1563) Conde drew up another paper, a.s.suming the entire responsibility for all the acts of the Chatillon brothers during the war: ”Acte par lequel M. le prince de Conde declare que tout ce que M. l'amiral de Coligny et M. D'Andelot son frere ont fait pendant les troubles, ils ont fait a sa requisition et par ses ordres.” Mem. de Conde, iv. 651.

[284] See Martin, x. 174, 175.

[285] Davila, bk. iii. 92, and D'Aubigne, liv. iv., c. iii. (i. 201), both of whom mistake the place of the occurrence, supposing it to have been Paris.

[286] Copie de la requeste presentee au Roy tres-chrestien par ceulx de la mayson de Guyse, etc. Mem. de Conde, iv. 667, 668.

[287] Ibid., iv. 668.

[288] ”C'est un vray moyen pour destruire et gaster en une heure tout le fondement de ce qu'elle a prins grand' peine de bastir depuis six mois.”

Memoire presente a la Reine-mere, pour empecher que la maison de Guyse n'allat demander justice au parlement de Paris, de l'a.s.sa.s.sinat de Francois duc de Guise. Mem. de Conde, iv. 493-495.

[289] Arret du conseil du Roy, par lequel il evoque a sa personne le proces meu entre les maisons de Guyse et de Chastillon, etc. Mem. de Conde, iv. 495.

[290] ”Ne parlez encore a personne,” writes Catharine to M. de Gonnor (March 12, 1563), ”des conditions, car j'ay toujours peur qu'ils ne nous trompent; encore que le Prince de Conde leur a declare que s'ils n'acceptent ces conditions et s'ils ne veulent la paix, qu'il s'en viendra avec le Roy mon fils, et se declarera leur ennemy, chose que je trouve tres-bonne.” Le Laboureur, ii. 241.

[291] Not September 15th, as Davila states, nor September 24th, as D'Aubigne seems to a.s.sert; but his narrative is confused.

[292] The two doc.u.ments--address and edict--in Mem. de Conde, iv. 574-581.

[293] Floquet, Hist. du parlement de Normandie, ii. 584. The entire scene is very vividly portrayed, ibid., ii. 561-586. Bruslart, Mem. de Conde, i.

132; De Thou, iii. (liv. x.x.xv.) 421-424; Jean de Serres, iii. 32; Mem. de Castelnau, liv. v., c. iv., etc.; Agrippa d'Aubigne, Hist. univ., liv.

iv., c. iii. (i. 200-202); Davila, bk. iii. 90.

[294] ”Les Parisiens furent fort presses qu'ils eussent a mettres les armes bas,” says the metropolitan curate, Jean de la Fosse, under date of May, 1563, ”mais ils n'en volurent jamais rien faire.” Mem. d'un cure ligueur, 63, 64.

[295] A town on the left bank of the Seine, four leagues beyond Meulan.

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