Volume II Part 32 (1/2)

[597] Ibid., v. (Preuves) 217. The laborious author of the Hist. de Languedoc, v. 290, makes a singular mistake in saying ”that this bull is dated March 15th, of the year 1568, which proves that the project had been formed several months before its execution.” The date of the bull is, indeed, given as stated at the close of the doc.u.ment; but the addition, ”pontificatus nostri anno _quarto_,” furnishes the means for correcting it. Pius V. was not created Pope until January 7, 1566. See De Thou, iii.

(liv. x.x.xix.) 622.

[598] Memoires de Claude Haton, ii. 541, 542.

[599] Jehan de la Fosse, 99.

[600] Jean de Serres, iii. 249.

[601] Jean de Serres, iii. 255, 256; De Thou, iv. (liv. xlix.) 141. De Serres (iii. 256-266) gives interesting extracts of the letters which Jeanne wrote to Charles, to his mother, to the Duke of Anjou, and to her brother-in-law, the Cardinal of Bourbon. She urged the latter, by every consideration of blood and honor, to shake off his shameful servitude to the counsels of the Cardinal of Lorraine, whom she openly accused of having conspired to murder Bourbon, with Marshal Montmorency and Chancellor L'Hospital, during a recent illness of the queen.

[602] Jean de Serres, iii. 267-269; De Thou, iv. (liv. xliv.) 142, 143; D'Aubigne, liv. v., c. 2, 3 (i. 264-268).

[603] J. de Serres, _ubi supra_.

[604]

”C'est en Judee proprement Que Dieu s'est acquis un renom; C'est en Israel voirement Qu'on voit la force de son Nom: En Salem est son tabernacle, En Sion son sainct habitacle.”

I quote from an edition of the unaltered Huguenot psalter (1638).

[605] Jean de Serres, iii. 270; De Thou, iv. (liv. xliv.) 144, 145; Agrippa d'Aubigne, Hist. univ. liv. v., c. 4 (i. 269) states the circ.u.mstance that the river fell a foot and a half during the four hours consumed in the crossing, and then rose again as opportunely: ”Mais il s'en fust perdu la pluspart sans un heur nompareil; ce fut que la riviere s'estant diminuee d'un pied et demi durant le pa.s.sage de quatre heures, se r'enfla sur la fin;” adding in one of those nervous sentences which const.i.tute a princ.i.p.al charm of his writings: ”Nous dirions avec crainte _ces courtoisies de Loire_, si nous n'avions tous ceux qui ont escrit pour gariment.”

[606] Jean de Serres, iii. 270, 271; De Thou, iv. (liv. xliv.) 147; Agrippa d'Aubigne, i. 269.

[607] La Noue, c. xx.

[608] Ibid., _ubi supra_; De Thou, iv. (liv. xliv.) 150.

[609] Jacques de Crussol, Baron d'Acier (or, a.s.sier), afterwards Duke d'Uzes, lieutenant-general of the royal armies in Languedoc, etc.

According to the Abbe Le Laboureur (iii. 56-60), it was interest that induced him, a few years later, to become a Roman Catholic.

[610] Le Laboureur, Add. aux Mem. de Castelnau, ii. 588. The same author elsewhere (ii. 56-60) states the army as only 20,000. Jean de Serres, iii.

284, 285, and De Thou, iv. (liv. xliv.) 150-152, give an account of the difficulties encountered in bringing these troops to the place of rendezvous, and enumerate the leaders and contingents of the three provinces. According to the latter, the total was 23,000 men. See Agrippa d'Aubigne, liv. v., c. 5 (i. 271).

[611] Jean de Serres, iii. 286, 291, 292; De Thou, iv. (liv. xliv.), 153, 154; Agrippa d'Aubigne, _ubi supra_; Davila, bk. iv., p. 132, 133; Le Laboureur, ii. 588, 589. It is more than usually difficult to ascertain the loss of the Huguenots at Messignac. Jean de Serres, who states it at 600, and Davila, who says that it amounted to 2,000 foot and more than 4,000 horse, are the extremes. De Thou sets it down at more than 1,000; D'Aubigne at 1,000 or 1,200; Castelnau at 3,000 foot and 300 horse; and Le Laboureur, following him, at over 3,000 men.

[612] Hist. univ., liv. v., c. 6 (i. 273).

[613] ”Discours envoye de la Roch.e.l.le,” accompanying La Mothe Fenelon's despatch of January 20, 1569. Correspondance diplomatique, i. 137, 138.

Another letter of a later date gives even larger figures--30,000 foot (25,000 of them arquebusiers) and 7,000 or 8,000 horse, besides recruits expected from Montauban. Ibid., i. 147.

[614] Upwards of 23,000 horse and 200 ensigns of foot (which we may perhaps reckon at 40,000 men). Despatch of La Mothe Fenelon, Dec. 5, 1568, Corresp. diplomatique, i. 29.

[615] Memoires de Tavannes, iii. 38. De Thou, iv. 154, a.s.signs 18,000 foot and 3,000 horse to Conde; and 12,000 foot and 4,000 horse, exclusive of the Swiss (who, according to Tavannes, numbered 6,000), to Anjou.

[616] Jean de Serres, iii. 295, 296.

[617] ”Resolution qui sembloit la plus necessaire aux Reformez, pource que difficilement pouvoient-ils maintenir une telle troupe sans solde et sans magazins reglez.” Agrippa d'Aubigne, liv. v., c. 6 (i. 273).

[618] See ”Tableau des phenomenes meteorologiques, astronomiques, etc., mentionnes dans les Memoires de Claude Haton.”