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HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE; 



THE TIMES OF IIENKY IV. 




PUBLISHED BY THE 
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NA.S9iU-STIlEET, NEW YORK. 



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Act of Oonpesf 
!S Soutliotc Bisl 



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CONTENTS. 



CHArTEE I. 
Looking back - 5 

CHAPTER II. 
Tlie ri-otestant pastor - 12 

CHAPTER in. 
Jane D'Albret and Henry of Navarro 23 

CHAPTER IV. 
Clouds in the poliiaoal liorizon 33 

CHAPTER V. 
Adele de Briajicomt 45 

CILiPTER VL 
Horns of sunsMne 54 

CHAPTER VII. 
TliG HuguGHote invited to Paris-- 60 

CHAPTER VIII. 
The marriage of the Priiico - 74 



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OONTEKTS. 

CHAPTEE IX. 
of St. Bartholomew &6 

CHAPTEE X. 
A E.iiTow escape - 97 

CHAPTER XI. 
A day at St. Flovent - --- Ill 

CILUPTER Xn. 

Aim6e'3 Btory 126 

CHAPTEE XIII. 
Old friciijs under new oivounj stances - 130 

CHAPTEE XIV. 
A pleasant sm-piiao 15G 

CHAPTEE XV. 
My "visit to England, and its eons aquciiocs I7a 

CHAPTER XVT. 
Tiia aeKossion and (loftOi of Henry IV. 18j 



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IIUGUEJ^OTS OF FRANCE; 
TIMES OF HENUY FOURTH. 



CHAPTER 1. 

LOOKING BACK. 

You have often asked it of. me, my 
good and dutiful children, that I should 
recall some of the passages of my long 
and eventful career, in such a manner as to 
give them permanence as family records. 
Hitherto I have shrunk from the task, 
"For sorrow's memory is a sorrow still ;" 

and there were many things connected 
with the past so painful, that I could not 
choose voluntarily to recall them. 

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6 THE HUGUEKOTS OF FEAKCE. 

But lime has brought healiug on its 
wings; most of my contemporaries are 
dead, and to-day the past comes back to 
me so vividly, that I cannot turn away 
from it. Once more the silent and de- 
serted halls of memory are filled with 
fair women and brave men, and the old 
blood rushes through my veins with some- 
thing of the fire of youth'. I will take 
advantage of this unwonted mood, to 
bring back some of those scenes of long 
ago which attracted the attention of all 
Europe at tlie time, and whose effects 
are yet felt, thongh more than half a cen- 
tury has passed away. 

My own history derives its interest 
from being closely connected with that 
of the illustrious prince who forms the 
central figure in my historic tableau. 

My father, the Sieur de Beauvilliers, 
belonged to an ancient and distinguished 
family of Navarre, from whom he inher- 

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LOOKING BACK. 7 

ited the estate and chateau of St. Florout, 
situated near the ancient town of Pau, 
on a little tributary of the Adour. Wo 
were surrounded by mountains, having 
the wild Cevennes stretching far away 
on our right, and on the other side the 
Pyrenees, dimly visible in the distance, 
forming the southern boundary of French 
Navarre. 

In his early youth my father spent 
several years in Geneva, and there be- 
came acquainted with Oalvin, Beza, and 
other celebrated reformers, from whom 
he learned the doctrines of the new faith ; 
and before attaining his majority adopt- 
ed the Protestant belief, to which lie 
continued through life a firm adherent. 
My mother was descended from a branch 
of the family of Chatillon, and was relat- 
ed to Admiral Coligny and his brother 
D'Andelot, the, two celebrated leaders 
of the Huguenots in the early period of 

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S THE HUGUENOTS OF FitANOE, 

their long stmggle for religions and civil 
liberty.. 

That devotion to the cause of Prot- 
estantism which in my father was the 
result of a passionate love of freedom, 
rather than of deep religious feeling, was 
in my gentle mother a matter of fervent 
conviction ; and while her intellect adopt- 
ed the tenets of the Reformation as un- 
deniable truths, her heart received them 
into its deepest recesses as the thirsty 
earth drinks in the blessed dew of heav- 
en. On her lips was the law of kind- 
ness, and the most perfect exemplifica- 
tion of Christian character I ever saw or 
expect to sec on earth, was before my 
eyes from infancy, in the person of that 
lovely and beloved parent. One sister 
shared with me the love and tenderness 
which made our childhood so happy; a 
bright, joyous girl, with a sensitive na- 
ture, which responded like the wind-harp 



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LOOKI,KG BACK. 9 

to every breath of joy or sorrow, In 
those early days our mother was oul- 
only mstnietress, and the hours spent by 
Aim^e and myself in her pleasant dress- 
ing-room, learning our daily tasks, while 
she worked, or wrote, or read beside us, 
are among the most delightful of my 
childish recollections. 

When lessons were over for the day, 
we were permitted to wander at will in 
the vicinity of the chateau, under the 
care of Claudine, our faithful bonne, who 
loved us so dearly that, to gratify our 
lightest wish, she would willingly endure 
any amount of privation and fatigue. 
We climbed the neighboring mountains; 
visited the caves and waterfalls hid in 
their wildest recesses, and made friends 
of the shepherds who tended their flocks 
on the upland or in the valley, by the 
pleasure with which we listened to their 
simple ballads, and by our interest in 



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10 THE HUGUENOTS OF PIIASCE. 

the welfare of their fleecy charge. In 
this way we became hardy and adven- 
turous; so that when I was ten and 
Aimfie eight, few children, even in the 
mountainous districts of Beam and Na- 
varre, could excel us in speed or daring. 
It is certain, however, that Aim^e's cour- 
age was principally derived from her 
unselfish affection for her reckless broth- 
er. Where I went, she wished always 
to accompany me, and in her anxiety 
for ray safety, seemed utterly forgetful 
of her own. My sweet sister, I count it 
one of the greatest blessings of ray lot 
that, before being exposed to the seduc- 
tions of the most profligate court of Eu- 
rope, such models of female purity and 
excellence had been before me, that I 
could never doubt the reality of virtue, 
even in the midst of the most hideous 
forms of vice. Happy the son and broth- 
er who, when vanity and folly are knock- 

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LOOKING BACK. 11 

ing lit the door of his young heart, can 
bid them begone in the sacred name of 
the mother and sisters whose cherished 
images already fill the shrine. But alas 
for his safety if these household memo- 
ries are only a vanishing dream, desti- 
tute alike of tenderness and reality. 
Among my early friends many belonged 
to this latter class, and I know that, in 
their estimation, female virtue was but a 
marketable commodity, and female truth 
a myth, which no man in his senses would 
ever dream of believing. 




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THE HDGUENOTS OF fKAKCE. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE PEOTESTANT PASTOE, 

One afternoon in summer, just before 
my tenth birthday, Aim^e and myself 
had gone with Claudine to a chaumiere 
or hut among the hills, for the purpose 
of carrying something from my mother 
to the sick and poor peasant who occu- 
pied it. Our road was full of beauty: 
now leading through a ravine by the 
side of a rushing mountain torrent, over 
which we passed on a rude bridge thrown 
across by the peasantry ; at another time 
winding through some sheltered forest 
glade, where the tall trees arching over 
our heads, and the wild flowers bloom- 
ing beneath our feet, drew from us ex- 
clamations of pleasure at every step. 

We had reached a small opening in 



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THE TEOTESTANT PASTOE. 13 

the forest covered with verdure, and 
known to the country people by the 
name of "The Lady's Bower," from some 
ancient tradition, when we saw a man of 
venerable appearance, with hair and 
beard of snowy whiteness, leaning as he 
walked on a trusty staff, while a wallet 
slung over his shoulder marked him as a 
traveller. He approached as we came 
in sight, and with a manner peculiarly 
gentle, inquired if we could tell hira the 
way to the Castle of St. Florent. Clau- 
dine was some steps behind us, and I 
was hesitating what answer to return, 
when, contrary to her usual custom, for 
she was timid as a fawn in the presence 
of strangers, Aim6e exclaimed, 

"Oh yes, we can, for that is our home, 
and papa and mamma are there." 

"Are you then the daughter of the 
Sieur de Beauvilliers, my little maiden?" 
the.'stranger asked with a pleasant siuile. 

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li THE HDGUENOTS OF TliANCE. 

"Yes, I am his little Aim^e, find this 
is my big brother Henri, who is very 
rsrave, and always takes cai'e of me." 

"A good character yon give him, ray 
little friend, and I trust he may continue 
to deserve it. But if you are going to 
the chateau, will you permit me to ac- 
company you, for I was on my way there 
from Montauban when I lost myself on 
the mountain." 

Without speaking, Aim^e placed her 
little hand CAinfidingiy in that of the 
stranger, and I led the way, while Clau- 
diue followed in the rear of the little 
party. 

When we arrived at the chateau, and 
saw the respect and affection with which 
our companion was I'eceived by our par- 
ents, we congratulated ourselves on hav- 
ing brought home a guest so welcome; 
and our joy was increased on learning 
that our visitor was the excellent Victor 



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THE I'EOTESTANT PASTOR, 15 

Faiichefc, one of those devoted pastoi-s 
who in the darkest days of persecution 
refused to forsalie their flock, but went 
from place to place in constant jeopardy 
of life, strengthening the weak and com- 
forting tlie desponding. 

This was ray first introduction to M. 
Fauchet, a man to whom I afterwards 
owed so much, and my childish heart 
was drawn to him at once, for there was 
in his aspect a sweetness mingled with 
dignity which was singularly attractive, 
I was never happier than when attend- 
ing him in the long walks he was accus- 
tomed to take among the hills in search 
of the scattered members of his flock,. 

None but ,those who have belonged to 
a i^roscribed and persecuted church can 
imagine the joy with which those hunted 
disciples, hiding in dens and caves, greet- 
ed a spiritual guide so loved and trusted 
as M. Fauchet. They welcomed him 



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IG THE miGUEXOTS OF FIIAKCE. 

with tears of joy; they hung on hia 
words with breathless interest; and when 
he left tbem, thanked God that they had 
once more enjoyed the privilege of look- 
ing in his face, and, prayed for a thoi:- 
sand blessings on his head. The good 
pastor had not been long at St. Florent, 
when my father proposed to him to take 
charge of my education, which until then 
had been carried on in a very desultory 
manner. As Henry II. of France, urged 
on by the Cardinal Lorraine, was doing 
all in his power to destroy the Hugue- 
nots, M. Fanchet accepted the proposi- 
tion, on the condition that when a wider 
iield of usefulness might open, he should 
be at liberty to leave. 

My father was often absent from home, 
being entrusted by his sovereign, the 
aged king of Navarre, with various im- 
portant missions to the court of France, 
the Low Countries, and England, whose 



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THE PltOTESTANT PASTOll, I'J 

lion-hcartcd queen was looked upon as 
the hope and stay of Protestantism 
throughout Europe. 

On one of these occasions, when M. 
Fauchet and I had been absent for some 
hours, on our return we found the cha- 
teau in a state of unusual commotion. 
The courtyard was filled with men and 
horses, and as soon as my companion 
saw the badges worn by the former, with 
an exclamation of surprise he hastened 
into the house. Lights were gleaming 
in every apartment, servants were car- 
rying and obeying orders, and it was 
some time before I could find my mother 
or sister to inquire what had happened 
to turn our quiet abode into such a scene 
of confnsion. 

" "Why, Henri," said Aim^e with a lit- 
tle air of importance, "don't you know 
our mother has a cousin who is a brave 
soldier and such a great man, and his 



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18 THE HUGUEKOTS OF FKAKCE. 

name is D'Andelot, and he came here 
to-day with papa, and they are in the 
saloon ?" 

"Papa here, and I knew nothing of 
it!" I exclaimed as I ran into the saloon 
to see and welcome him. My father 
introduced me to the famous Huguenot 
leader, who received me with marked 
kindness, saying to my father, 

"Your boy, my good lord, is a genu- 
ine scion of the old Norman stock, and 
wiil, I am sure, do honor to the name. 
As for my fair coiisin here, she has trans- 
mitted the traits of her southern blood to 
this Mttle blossom," pointing to Aini^e, 
who was in her usual place of refuge, the 
arms of my good tutor. 

General D'Andelot gave to my, father 
and M. Fauchet the particulars of an in- 
terview between the king of France and 
himself; and though I was thought to be 
too young to take an interest in the con- 



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THE PROTESTANT PASTOR. 19 

versation, the incident made an indelible 
impression on ray mind. The two brolli- 
ers, Coligny and D'Audelot, had both 
embraced the reformed religion ; but the 
admiral, naturally calm and reserved, 
said little about his new faith, though he 
would have died for it cheerfully, while 
D'Andelot boldly avowed his principles 
on all occasions, and denounced the 
church of Rome as antichrist. Henry, 
whose first lessons in war were talien 
from the famous general, refused to be- 
lieve him a heretic, and would hear 
nothing against the stout old warrior, 
until he was induced by Cardinal Lor- 
raine to summon the accused to Paris to 
answer for himself. 

At the table of his royal master the 
brave Huguenot not only avowed his 
firm belief in the doctrines of the Refor- 
mation, but declared that he regarded 
the popish sacrifice of the mass as an act 



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20 THE HUGUENOTS OP EliANGE. 

of gross impiety. The monarch was both 
bigoted and irritable ; and this eonfessioii 
excited his wrath to such a degree, that 
he started from the table, and seizing a 
plate, was about to hurl it at the raaa 
who had ventured thus to brave his an- 
ger. He held it poised for a moment; 
then, like a child who dares not give full 
vent to his wrath, he threw it to the floor 
with SHcli violence that one of the frag- 
ments wounded the dauphin, afterwards 
Francis II., who was sitting by him at 
the table. D'Andelot retired from the 
presence of the king, but was arrested 
the same day and thrown into prison, 
where he remained for some months, 
until released through the influence of 
his uncle the Constable Montmorenci, 
while the church of Eome was urging 
the French king to have him burned as 
a heretic. The hero sternly refused to 
renounce, or even to conceal his faith : 



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THE PEOTESTANT PASTOR. 21 

still the offices of which he had been de- 
prived were restored to him one by one, 
and the Protestant cause seemed to have 
gained a triumph in the successful resist- 
ance of a man so renowned to the power 
of the Pope. 

While he remained at the chateau it 
was a scene of constant biistle and ex- 
citement. Messengers were coming and 
going from different quarters, the neigh- 
boring gentry who were friends to the 
Haguenot cause came together frequent- 
ly, and every thing indicated the pres- 
ence of a master-spirit in the province. 
My father entered heart and soul into 
the plans of the general ; but my mother, 
clasping AimSe in her arms, prayed fer- 
vently that the bloody strife, which she 
plainly foresaw, might, if possible, still be 
averted. 

" We have always prospered most as 
a church," she said to my father, "when 



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22 THE HUGUENOTS 0? FEAKCE. 

most obscure and depressed. I fear, my 
dear lord, lest in the heat of civil strife 
the pure precepts of our divine Master 
may bo forgotten or disregarded." 

."Thou art so nearly a saint, sweet 
wife," he replied, "that I almost fear to 
see thee unfold some hidden wings and 
float upward before mine eyes. But I 
and my brethren in arms, while we are 
ill the flesh, mast have some regard to 
the saving of our bodies as well as souls, 
and I warrant thee that to do this some- 
thing besides prayer is necessary.'' 

" It may be so ; but do not forget, dear 
husband and lord, that a religion of ex- 
ternals only is not worth fighting for, and 
only while we maintain the life of God in 
our hearts can we expect his blessing on 
our efforts even in his service." 



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(^OUET OF NAYAEKE. 



CHAPTER III. 



Soon after the departure of the Hu- 
guenot chief, my father was summoned 
on business to the castle of Pau, at that 
time the residence of the court of Na- 
varre, and for the first time in my life I 
was permitted to accompany him. The 
castle was a grand and imposing struc- 
ture, Ijuilt on a bold eminence on the 
Gave, a smali, sluggish stream which, 
after winding its way between low-lying 
banks through most of its course, falls at 
length into the Garonne. 

The numerous tapering and concave 
roofs of this old kingly residence, its sa- 
lient angles, its towers and curtains, em- 
brasures and loops, give it an appear- 



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24 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEAKCE, 

ancc of great antiquity as well as strcngtli, 
and render it venerable and grand, rather 
than picturesque, in its general appear- 
ance. Like most fevt3al castles, it is built 
round a wide courtyard in the centre, 
from whence you look up to irregular 
ranges of windows and carved masonry, 
even then worn and grey with time. The 
state apartments overlooked the river 
and valley, and just below them is a 
broad terrace on which a garden had 
been planted, with straight rows of plum 
and pear trees running through it at 
right angles. 

My father entered the chateau through 
the grand portal situated between two 
frowning and "impregnable towers, and 
was ushered at onee into the cabinet of 
the king, leaving me alone in the ante- 
chamber. I was examining the objects 
around me with childish curiosity, when 
a page touched ray arm, and bidding me 



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COUHT OF NAVAEKE. 2?; 

follow him, led tlic way into the garden 
of which I have spoken. I followed my 
guide up one alley and down another, 
until we came to a place where several 
persons were standing, among whom my 
boyish instinct at once selected the 
Duchess de Yeudome, only child of the 
king of Navarre, and heiress to the 
throne. Her dress was simple, even to 
severity, and she wore no insignia of 
rank, but there was an innate dignity in 
her ail" and manner which could not be 
mistaken. Without hesitation I ap- 
proached her, and kneeling, kissed the 
hand she extended to me, as I had been 
taught was the etiquette on such occa- 
sions. The duchess smiled graciously, 
and said to one of her attendants, 

"See, Justine, the varlefc knows where 
his homage is due. It would be well if 
his elders had equal sagacity." 

The young lady blushed at thiK re- 



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2G THE HUGUENOTS OF JTEANCE. 

mark, which she seemed to understand, 
and turning away, left me with the prin- 
cess, who questioned me concerning my 
parents, sister, and myself, to vrhich I 
returned answers as brief as possible, for 
I was far from feeling at ease in my pres- 
ent situation. Jane D'Albret, afterwards 
Queen of Navarre, and one of the nurs- 
ing-mothers of the Reformation in France, 
was a tall and finely formed woman, with 
a carriage full of grace and dignity, and 
an eye that pierced one like a flash of 
light. Her face was grave and almost 
sfcei'n when in repose, but her smile had 
a marvfiUous sweetness, and her voice 
was low and musical in its tones. She 
was more highly educated than most 
women of rank of that day, and under- 
stood thoroughly all the arts of diploma- 
cy, though she loathed the vile intrigues 
jti which her political rival Catharine de 
Medicis was constantly engased. 



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COUET OF NAVAllEE. 27 

But it is not to be supposed that all 
this was before my mind as I stood be- 
side the princess in tlie garden. On the 
contrary, my attention was absorbed in 
watching the movements of a boy appar- 
ently of my own age, who was coming 
slowly towards us, in obcdienco to the 
summons of a page. 

"Come hither, my son," said the 
duchess, holding out her hand lo the 
boy, "and let me present to you a play- 
fellow, and I hope a future friend, in 
Henri de Beauvilliers, the son of our 
dear and well-tried friends at St. Flo- 
rent." 

The boy kissed his mother's hancl with 
the easy grace of a much older courtier, 
and then turning to me, said with a frank 
courtesy which well became his open and 
joyous countenance, 

" I am glad to see a namesake who 
looks as if he would not disgrace the 



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28 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANCE. 

name. There are tliree Henries of us 
already : Henry of Anjon, Henry of 
Guise, and Henry of Navarre ; and now 
there Is a fourth, Henri de Beauvilliers." 

He laughed with boyish glee as he said 
this, and I joined heartily in the inerri- 
iijcnt, after which we soon found our- 
selves on terms of tolerable intimacy. 
He took me to see his splendid Spanish 
jennet, his falcons, and a mimic fortifi- 
cation of his own construction, and said 
to nie confidentially, 

"I don't live here, you must know, 
for my grandfather thinks a prince should 
never be trained up by women ; so I live 
at the Castle of Gourasse with my tutor 
M. Montfaugon, .and I assure you that 
the poorest peasant-boy in Bearn does 
not sleep or fare more hardly tban his 
prince. But I care not, for it will all 
make me more brave and bold, and my 
motto is, ' Conquer or die.' T mean to 



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COUET OF NAVAUEE. 29 

do it too, \?hen I am. old enough," he 
continaed, his fine face all in a glow, 
"for I have just been to the Court of 
France with my parents, and though I 
am only a boy, I could read that wicked 
queen as easy as my missal. She hates 
my mother and me, and would hate my 
father, only that she is not afraid of 
him. But never mind; I shall be a man 
some day, and then they shall fear, if 
they do not love me, or I am much mis- 
taken." 

I looked on my young companion with 
a feeling of awe as he uttered these words 
in a tone of stern determination so un- 
siiited to his years. A few moments 
since he was a laughing, happy boy ; now 
he stood there with all a man's firmness 
and decision written on his brow. Na- 
ture had evidently formed him for com- 
mand, and he seemed to me then, what 
I always afterwards considered him, the 

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30 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

very model of a princely leader of brave 
men. 

Sncb was my first interview with 
Henry of Kavarre, afterwards the cele- 
brated Henry Fourth of France — Henri 
Quatre ; and from that hour to the day of 
his early and lamented death,I loved him 
as a brother, and revered him as one of 
the noblest and bravest of men. 

In a few weeks after my visit to Pau, 
the old king died, and Anthony Dae de 
Tendome and his wife Jane D'Albret 
succeeded him as king and queen of Na- 
varre. They went to Paris soon after 
the accession, with the young prince, to 
be present at the marriage of the Dau- 
phin Francis to Mary Stuart the beauti- 
ful and unfortunate queen of Scotland. 
Henry of Navarre was even then greatly 
admired for his manly and engaging qual- 
ities ; and it was remarked of him by an 
old courtier, that he was more of a king 

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COURT OF NAVABEE. SI 

ill person and maimers than Ms father, 
or his cousin the king of France. 

After the retnrn of the king and queen 
to Navarre, the education of the young 
prince went on as usual, though he now 
resided with the court at Pau or Nerae, 
where the royal family spent several 
months of every year. He came often 
to St. Florent, and as my holidays were 
usually spent with him, we became in- 
separable. Aim^e sometimes complain- 
ed that she had lost her brother,; for as 
we grew older, our tastes and amuse- 
ments became more dissimilar, and when 
the young prince was with me, our sports 
were of a nature so daring, and as they 
now seem to me so foolhardy, that it was 
quite impossible for Aim^e to join ns. 
Still I almost worshipped my gentle and 
beautiful sister, and was never happier 
lliun when I could persuade the prince 
to join me in preparing for her some 



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3-2 THE IIUGUEHOTS OF FltANGE. 

little surprise on a festival or birthday. 
Henry was ineliaed to look down on the 
gentler sex from the height of a fancied 
superiority, and looked upon it as a con- 
descension on our part to seek to give 
pleasure to a young girl. But he was 
too good-natured to refuse, and the inno- 
cent delight manifested by Aim^e when 
she found us planning for her enjoymontj 
was a sufficient reward for all our toil. 




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POLXTICAI. HORIZON. 



CHAPTER IT. 

CLOUDS IN THE POLITICAL HOKIZON. 

Whilk in the quiet province of Na- 
varre we were amusing ourselves with 
the sports and recreations of youth, the 
most important changes were going on in 
other portions of the kingdom, of which 
we as yet knew nothing. 

Henry II. was dead, having been killed 
ill a mock tournament by a splinter from 
the lance of his antagonist passing through 
his eye into the brain. Francis II., the 
husband of Mary Stuart, was nominally 
king, though the queen mother Catharine 
de Medicis was in reality at the head of 
affairs. 

The kingdom was agitated to its centre 
by religious dissensions, and as a last re- 
sort, a conference was proposed between 



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Si THE HUCJUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

some of the leading refoi'mers on one side, 
and the Cardinal Lorraine on the other, 
m which all points of difference should 
be fully and freely discussed. All the 
great dignitaries of the kingdom were 
invited to be present, and though at lirst 
the plan was opposed by the Pope, he 
yielded at length, and the disputants 
met at a place called Poissy, whence the 
conference was called the "Colloquy of 
Poissy." 

Theodore Beza, Peter Martyr, and oth- 
ers less distinguished, were present, and 
for several days pleaded the cause of the 
Reformation with so much learning, mod- 
eration, and piety, that Queen Jane of 
Navarre, who was present, became a con- 
vert t^ the truth, which was ever after 
dearer to her than life. Her husband, 
on the other hand, weak and vacillating, 
though he had previously favored the 
new doctrines, went back to Romanism, 

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POLITICAL HORIZON, 35 

frightened, as he said, to see the wide 
difference between the two systems, 
which he had supposed very nearly con- 
nected. The yomig prince, however, 
was committed to the care of his mother, 
to be trained up in her faith, as Anthony 
was unwilling to burden himself with the 
care of his education. 

When the conference was ended the 
queen returned to Navarre, but the king 
remained in Paris, vainly hoping to ob- 
tain from the court a recognition of his 
rights as the first Peer of France and 
Governor of Guienne. This vfas denied ; 
and instead of solid advantages, the 
doubtful distinction was accorded him of 
escorting the young Princess Elizabeth, 
who had been recently betrothed to the 
king of Spain, to Bayoime, where her hus- 
band was to receive his bride. The royal 
party passed through Navarre, and spent 
a few days at Nerao, -where all was life 



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3t> THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

and gayety during their stay. Tlie young 
qaeen of Spain was charmecl with her boy 
coiTsin, and the attachment then formed, 
strengthened as it was by a subsequent 
interview, was the means of saving Henry 
and his mother from the dungeons of the 
Inquisition. A plot had been formed by 
the king of Spain, the Pope, and Catha- 
rine de Medicis, to seize Queen. Jane and 
her son, and convey them over the Pyi-e- 
nees into Spain, when the inquisitor-gen- 
eral was to relieve them of all further 
care in the disposal of the illnstrious vic- 
tims. Just before this nefarious plan was 
to have been carried out, it came to the 
knowledge of the queen through one of 
her gentlemen in waiting, to whom the 
chief agent had confessed it while dan- 
gerously sick in Madrid. Elizabeth sent 
instant warning to the queen of Navarre, 
who took measures to provide for her 
own safety and that of her son. She also 

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POLITICAL HORIZON. 37 

messenger to Paris, to in- 
form the queen mother of the base treach- 
ery contemplated by Philip and the Popo. 
Catharine, hoping that her share in the 
project was not suspected, instantly gave 
orders for the arrest of the agents, who 
were sacrificed to secure the safety of 
their perfidious mistress. 

Meanwhile the young Henry, the ob- 
ject of so many hopes and fears, plots 
and counterplots throughout the king- 
dom, was quietly pursuing a course of 
mental and physical training at the col- 
lege of Montauban. The four Henries- 
Henry of Anjou, afterwards Henry III. 
of France ; Henry of Guise, the bloody 
leader of St. Bartholomew ; Henry of 
Navarre, and Henri de Ecauvilliers — 
were all members of one class, and in- 
separable companions. The prince of 
Beai'n and myself were stouter and bet- 
ter grown than the others, and I may 

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US THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

say wiLboiit vanity that wc were far in 
advance of them in intellectual attain- 
ments, since in my own case it was all 
owing, under God, to ray excellent tntor 
and friend M. Fauchet. 

It has been said there is no royal road 
to learning ; but of him it was certainly 
trne, that he knew how to malse the path 
of knowledge so attractive, that it was a 
pleasure to walk therein. 

Henry of Anjou was vain, frivolous, 
and crafty, devoted to low pleasures, and 
incapable oF generous emotions. Henry 
of Guise, at that period of his life, seem- 
ed honest and constant in his attachment 
to his friends, but haughty, revengeful, 
and implacable to his enemies. My 
prince was then what he continued 
through life, frank, generous, and for- 
bearing almost to a fault, brave and 
chivalric as the Spanish Oid, but so fond 
of pleasure and amusement as sometimea 



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POLITICAL HOIilZOM, i!S) 

to sacrifice tlio most important interests 
ill tlieir pui'snit. But even while one 
blamed, it was impossible to avoid lov- 
ing him ; and never, since the days of 
Edward the Black Prince of England, 
had there been a leader more fitted in 
every way to awaken the enthusiastic 
devotion of his followers than Henry of 
Kavarre. 

I was fifteen, and the prince a few 
months older, when we were summoned 
fo Nerae, where the court then was, to 
meet the queen mother, who was on a 
progress through the kingdom, intending 
to visit her daughter the queen of Spain. 
She was accompanied by a bevy of beau- 
tiful young maidens, among whom her 
daughter Margaret of Valois, a girl of 
fourteen, shone conspicuous for grace 
and beauty. In conformity with her 
crafty plan of flattering the Huguenots, 
the more effectually to destroy them, 



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iO THE HUGUENOTS OF FRAKCfi. 

Catharine made a long stay at Nerae, 
where she exerted her utmost skill ia 
captivating the imagination of the young 
prince, in whom the crafty Italian al- 
ready saw a powerful ally, or a danger- 
ous enemy. She called hira her son, and 
spoke openly of the wish of the two kin^ 
of France and Navarre for a union be- 
tween Henry and Margaret. She threw 
the young people constantly together; 
but Margaret, who was at that early age 
a finished coquette, had taken a decided 
aversion to her cousin, and on his part 
be was totally indifferent to her charms. 
Absorbed as he was in higher pursuits, 
there were no symptoms at that age of 
the fatal subjection to female charms 
which exerted so unhappy an influence 
over him in after-life. 

When Catharine left Nerae, the qiiecn 
of Navarre, with a brilliant retinue, 
amoHg whom was my sweet sister Aimec, 



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POLITICAL IlOItlZOS. 41 

accompanied bcr to Bayonne, where we 
were met by the queen of Spain, with a 
numerous escort ■ of Spanish grandees. 
Among all this assembly, made up of the 
flower of the French and Spanish courts, 
Henry of Navarre was first in all manly 
graces and acquirements, insomuch that 
the Duke of Medina exclaimed, 

"It seems tome that this young prince 
is either an erapei'or in disguise, or de- 
serves to be one." 

Nature had made him every inch a 
king, and the teachings of his mother 
were well calculated to develop the re- 
sources of a singularly ardent and gifted 
mind. She kept constantly before him 
the fact that he had been solemnly dedi- 
cated to the defence of the Protestant 
faith ; and the year following the visit to 
Spain, when war was again raging be- 
tween the Catholics and Huguenots, she 
brought Henry to the camp at Tonnay 



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i2 THE HUGUEHOTS OP FEASOE. 

Charente, where tlie forces were assem- 
bled, and in an animated addi-ess pointed 
him out to the troops as the destined 
leader of the Protestant cause. 

"My son is still young," she said; 
"biit I, who have read him like an open 
book from infancy, tell you that if his 
life is spared,, you will know that God 
has raised him wp for this special pur- 
pose, endowing him with the very qual- 
ities necessary for it. Meantime you 
have in Admiral Ooligny a general who, 
from his wisdom, skill, and valor, ranks 
among the foremost captains of Eu- 
rope." 

The army received its young chief 
with the greatest enthusiasm, and could 
hardly be persuaded to suffer him to 
return to Navarre for the completion of 
his education. His father was killed 
soon after this at the siege of Rouen, and 
it became necessary for Jane and her 

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POLITICAL IIOEIZOlsr. 43 

son to visit the French court. Thcy 
were cordially received and treated with 
great kindness; but when the queen lell 
Paris, Henry was detained on some tri- 
fling pretence, and for more than a year 
remained in a kind of honorable captiv- 
ity in Paris. To the repeated messages 
of Jane, answers vfere returned which 
convinced her that Catharine-did not in- 
tend to suffer him to leave for Navarre. 
With her usual courage and decision, 
the queen went instantly to Paris, and 
after a week of waiting, during which 
her plans were formed, she succeeded in 
escaping with her son during a grand 
hunt in tlie forest of Fontainebleau. A 
few faithful followers were in waiting, 
and the little party travelled day and 
night until they reached a place of safety. 
The queen mother was excessively in- 
dignant, but with her usual skill at dis- 
sembliug, she sent friendly messages to 

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44 THE HUGUEKOTS OP FRANCE. 

Queen Jane, assuring her that Hemy 
had always been at liberty to depart, and 
that she desired nothing more fervently 
than a union between the two houses, 
which should insure the tranquillity of 
France. 




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ADELE DE BRIANCOURT. 



CHAPTER V, 

ADELE DE BRIANCOUET. 

After my return from the camp, 
whithei- I accompanied the queen and 
prince, T went back to Montauban to 
resume the course of study interrupted 
by that event. Of all the four Henries, 
only one besides myself, the young duke 
of Guise, remained ; and as we had never 
suited each other, I was quite alone. M. 
Fanchet came often to Montauban to visit 
a grandchild who was at school there, 
but I had never seen her, and was igno- 
rant even of her name. 

One summer evening — how well I re- 
member the time ! — when there had been 
a festival of some kind in the town, and 
the streets were unnsually full of noise 
and riot, I was returning from college to 



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46 THE HUGUENOTS OF PEANCE. 

my lodgings, when I saw before me two 
females walking hastily and evidently 
anxious to avoid observation. They 
were muffled in heavy cloaliS, which 
nearly concealed the face and form, but 
enough of both was visible to show that 
one of thefn was young and beantifnl. 
They had nearly reached the public 
square, when in a narrow alley leading 
to it they were rudely assailed by two 
ruffians, who attempted to pull the cloak 
away from the younger of the two, ex- 
claiming with an oath that they had 
found a prize, and would not let it go. 
Not a word was spoken by the lady, 
though she struggled bravely to release 
herself from the grasp of the villain, but 
the other female uttered shriek upon 
vshriek as she saw her companion in such 
peril. Without waiting to think of. the 
odds against me, I drew the short sword 
worn by young noblemen at that time, 



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ADELE DE UKIANCOTIBT. 47 

and rushing forwra'd, gave a sudden 
thrust at the taller of the two fellows, 
which compelled him to relinquish his 
hold. . .It was so dark that he could not 
at once distinguish his assailant, and as 
a crowd was collecting, called together 
by the screams of the woman, both the 
men fled; and though pursued by one or 
two officers, succeeded in making their 
escape. Meantime the young lady turned 
to me, and in a voice which seemed to 
me the most musical I had ever heard, 
thanked me for my timely assistance, 
and requested me to make way for them 
through the crowd, as they wished to 
escape as quickly as possible. Having 
done this, and escorted them in safety to 
the public square, the unknown turned 
to me, saying, 

" "We are near home and in perfecf 
security; here then we must part, but 
accept our thanks for your great kind- 



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48 THE HUGUENOTS OP FBANCE. 

iioss, and be assured wo shall never for- 
get it." 

"Ko thanks are due to me," I replied, 
" for a common act of humanity. I should 
be a degenerate Beauvilliers if I could 
be deaf to the call of insulted woman- 
hood." 

"Beauvilliers!" she repeated; "can 
this be Henri Beauvilliers of St. Flo- 
rent?" 

"It certainly is the same; but how 
am I so happy as to be known to yon ?" 

"Oh, that is easily explained," she 
replied with the charming frankness 
which marked her character; "I am 
Adele Brianconrt, the grandchild of 
your tutor M. Fauchet, and he has talk- 
ed of you so much that I seem to know 
you well. How strange that you should 
be the one to save me from those fearful 
inen;" and she shuddered as she spoke. 
The voice was music, the language iudi- 



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ADELE DE BEIANCOUKT. 4S) 

catecl culture and refmeraent, but the 
face — ah, that was concealed by the en- 
vious darkness that shrouded us in its 
mantle. 

"And now that you ktiow who I am, 
clear lady, will you not allow mc to ac- 
company you home ?" 

" Not to-night," she replied quickly, 
■' for I wish to get in as quietly as pos- 
sible ; bat at auy other time, if you 
choose to call on Madame Toulan my 
aunt, she will doubtless be glad to wel- 
come 3'ou, and I should be very ungrate- 
ful to be otherwise." 

I was obliged to content myself witli 
this admission, but as I retraced my steps 
towards home my thoughts were occu- 
pied with the adventure, and I resolved 
to follow out the acquaintance as speed- 
ily as possible. Two days afterwards I 
called at the house of Madame Toulan, 
and was formally introduced to her niece 



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50 THE HUGUENOTS OF niANCE. 

Mademoiselle Briancourt, She was Uyo 
years younger than I, "but fai" more ma- 
ture ill person and mind, 'though she had 
all the simplicity and joyous freshness of 
early youth. Her large hazel eyes were 
soft and pleading as those of the gazelle, 
though when flashing with deep emotion 
they were brilliant as stars ; and in that 
sweetest face one might read, as in a mir- 
ror, every feeling of the soul. She was 
taller than Aim4e and more eritii;ally 
beautiful, but the same dove-like inno- 
cence and purity beamed through every 
expressive feature of both these fair 
maidens. 

Adele, as an orphan, had been early 
thrown on her own resources, while 
Aim6e, tenderly sheltered and cherish- 
ed, was stroijg only through her aiFee- 
tions. To my great surprise no allusion, 
was made by Adele to the adventure of 
the Rue de Marais, and in the presence 

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ADELE DE BllIANCO tJRT. 51 

of her auiit she received me as a stran- 
ger. But when Madame Toulan was 
called from the room, her manner chang- 
ed, instantly as she said with a smile, 

" I mast waive ceremony, monsieur, 
while I explain to you in a few words 
the situation in which you found me the 
other night. It was absolutely necessary 
to get word to my grandfather and M. 
Beauvilliers of a plot formed by the Duke 
of Guise to gain possession of the young 
prince and carry him to Paris. There 
was no one but myself to act as messen- 
ger, since my auut, though good and true, 
is unfortnuately fond of talking, and can- 
not keep a secret. I was obliged there- 
fore to take a faithful servant, and go by 
stealth to find the young lad who carries 
letters from here to St. Florent, and from 
thence to Montauban. We were una- 
voidably delayed and you know tlie 
rest.'- 



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52 THE HUGUENOTS OF FIIANCE. 

"But was your errand successful?" I 
inquired, for I had a deep interest in tlie 
result. 

"I trast so, as the lad was found at 
last and instantly sent off to the chateau 
AVe have so many secret friends scat- 
tered over the country, that it is nearly 
Impossible for our enemies to keep their 
designs wholly concealed from us. But 
more than all, God is ou our side, and 
you know he can make one to chase a 
thousand, and two to put ten thousand 
to flight." 

The face of the young enthusiast was 
radiant with faith and hope, and in my 
admiration I had uncgnsciously drawn 
nearer to her than our supposed acquaint- 
ance warranted ; so as a step was heard 
approaching, I resumed my seat, and 
with it the formality which became me 
OS a stranger. My endeavor to please 
iiiadame was so far successful, that she 



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ADELE DE EEIANCOUET, 53 

gave me a cordial iavitatioit to renew 
my visit, a compliment which I need not 
say was thankfully accepted. 

I went again and again, and usually 
saw Adele oji these occasions, though 
once or twice I fancied, from the arch 
look on her sunny face, that she was not 
sorry to plead an engagement, which left 
me alone to play the agreeable to her 
aunt, a task so adroitly performed, that 
the good lady averred she had never met 
a young gentleman of so much good sense 
and judgment as M. Henri Beauvilliers. 

Her house, from which until now all 
young men, and especially members of 
the college, had been rigidly excluded, 
was always open to me, and for the first 
time since going to Montauban, I found 
the town so pleasant a place of residence, 
that the thought of change was unwel- 



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THE HUGUENOTS OF I'nANCE. 



CHAVTER VI. 

HOUKS OF SUNSniKE. 

If my vanity was ever fed by the 
good opinion of Madame Toulan, it ex- 
perienced a salutary drawback in the 
very different niaiiner of her young com- 
panion. One day when I had been so 
foolish as to address Adele in the strain 
of flattery and compliment in vogue at 
the French court, she turned to me sud- 
denlj'', saying, 

"Henri, my friend, you are doing 
strange injustice to yourself and inc. 
You are attempting to pass off false coin 
upon me for true. It is counterfeit, and 
you know it, so it is utterly worthless in 
my eyes. If we were both older, I should 
think it necessary to be indignant; but 
as we are little more than children, I tell 



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HOTJES OF SUNSHINE. 5ii 

you plainly I like you far better as your 
own honest self, than when you borrow 
French frippery and folly." 

I felt very much like the traveller in 
the fairy tale, who, on bringing forward 
his beads and trinkets to propitiate the 
favor of the inhabitants of a certain city, 
found them all transformed into rags and 
pebble-stories. Adele saw my niorLifica- 
tion, and laughed gayly. 

"You need not look so disconcerted, 
Henri; for if I cannot appreciate insin- 
cere compliments, I can understand kind 
deeds and noble sentiments, and these, 
I am sure, I may always expect from a 
Beauvilliers." 

How sweet were the hours spent in 
the society of this lovely and innocent 
maiden, whose thoughts and feelings had 
all the dewy freshness of life's early 
morn, combined with the maturity of 
riper years. Hitherto I had known the 



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r)Q THE HUGUENOTS OE latANCE. 

other sex. chiefly through my mother and 
sister, who were to me types of all that 
is lovely or estimable in woman. Dur- 
ing my short stay at the French court, I 
was shocked at the forwardness and dis- 
gusted with the frivolity of the beauties 
who fluttered about the queen mother, 
and boy as I was, turned away with a 
sick heart from all their fascinations. 
But here was a young girl who possessed 
beauty without vanity, wit without bit- 
terness, and a power of attraction I had 
never seen equalled, without the slight- 
est taint of coquetry. Still no thought 
of love came to trouble my dream of 
happiness. Adele was to me only an 
older and more charming Aira6e; and if 
we had been in reality children of the 
[;ame parents, our intercourse could not 
have been more strictly fratei'ual in its 
eiiaracter. 

In France, at that dny, pai-ents liad 



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HOURS OF SUNSHINE. 57 

the absolute disposal of their chilclren in 
marriage, and no consideratioa of mutual 
afceetion was ever suffered to iniluence 
them in forming the nuptial contract. 
This state of things prevented a health- 
ful development of the affections even in 
those rare instances in which any thing 
like intimacy existed between the seses. 
The higher nobility, it is true, cared 
little for the laws of Grod or man on this 
subject, but the influence of our good 
queen had thus far preserved Beam and 
Navarre from the moral contagion which 
overspread the other provinces of France. 
Our young prince had been so long at 
the court of Catharine, that his princi- 
ples were in some degree unsettled, and 
his manners had not wholly escaped the 
infection ; but the standard of morality 
among both classes, the lords and peas- 
antry, was far higher in the remote prov- 
inces than elsewhere. 



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58 THE HDGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

Allele de Briauconrt was the daughter 
of a Fiemiah nobleman who married the 
only child of M. Fauchet, taking her to 
Bruges, whither her father soon followed. 
M. Briancourt had been appointed by 
William of Orange governor of the im- 
portant town and fortress of Oourtrai, 
which place he gallantly defended for 
weeks against a large body of Spanish 
troops sent by Philip of Spain to reduce 
it. In a sortie made by the garrison, 
with the hope of compelling the enemy to 
raise the siege, the brave governor lost 
his life; and as no reinforcements were 
sent from William, Courtrai was forced 
to surrender, making the best terms pos- 
sible with a savage and infuriated foe. 
The town was given up to sack and pil- 
lage ; but by a providence almost mi- 
raculous, M. Fauchet, with his widowed 
daughter and her infant child, escaped 
over the frontier, and made their way 



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HOURS or SUKSHINE. 5D 

to Montauban, as M. Briancourt had a 
sister residing in that town. 

The fugitives were kindly received 
and sheltered by Madame Toulan, who 
was a widow in easy circumstances, and 
strongly attached to the Protestant faith, 
though her propensity to gossip made 
her an unsafe depositary of state secrets. 
After seeing his daughter comfortably 
settled, M. Fauchet resumed his former 
employment, that of visiting churches 
and individuals of the reformed faith, 
who were scattered throughout France. 
The father and child never met again. 
Before his return the youthful widow 
had gone where the wicked cease from 
troubling, and the weary are at rest, 
leaving the young Adele to the care of 
her grandfather and aunt, by both of 
whom she was cherished as the most 
precious thing on earth. Her education 
had been carefully conducted, and though 

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CO THE HUGUENOTS OF FKAKCE. 

she lived in strict retirement, the nativo 
refinement and grace of her manners fit- 
ted her for any society in the land. 

On my first visit at St. Florent after 
meeting Adele, I related the circumstan- 
ces to my mother and sister, begging the 
former to invite her to the chateau, as 
AiraSe had never enjoyed the pleasure 
of companionship with a young girl of 
her own age and rank. As I closed my 
earnest appeal, my dear mother replied 
with a smile, 

"You are askilfnl pleader, my Henri; 
bat even if I were to consent to your 
suit, which I am strongly inclined to do, 
you forget that there is another to be con- 
sulted, who might regard the subject in 
quite another light. From the fact that 
our friend M. Faiichet has never spoken 
to us of bringing his grandchild hither, 
I imagine yon would have some difflciilty 
in gaining his consent to the proposal.'' 

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HOUIIS OF SUNSHINE. Gl 

" Have I your permissLou to make the 
attempt now, my mother?" 

"You have it, my son, and my veiy 
best wishes for your success, for I see in 
my Aimfie's eyes that she is longing for 
a sight of this promised friend and cora- 
Ijanion." 

The pastor was absent with ray father, 
but I took the first opportunity after his 
return of addressing him ou the subject. 
He heard me patiently, and answered 
with his usual kindness, 

"I have not been ignorant, my ^'"oung 
friend, of the acquaintance between you 
and my grandchild, for every thing that 
concerns her is important to me. But 
for my perfect confidence in you both, 
the intercourse v/ould long since have 
been broken up, for there can be nothing 
in common between you and her. Nay, 
my son, you need not exonerate yourself. 
I know full well that no thoughts but 



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t>2 THE HUGUENOTS OP TRANCE. 

those of fi-iendship have entered j-oiu" 
heart; but I have long studied human 
nature, and I know too that friendship 
between two young persons like yourself 
and Adele, neither of whom are desti- 
tute of attractions, is not exactly safe for 
either. Bnt you have nearly reached 
manhood, and stirring times are com- 
ing — times which demand the best ener- 
gies of all who love the Protestant cause 
to save our threatened liberties. Your 
father is about to join Cond^, who is in 
arms, and will take you with him, that 
your first lessons in war may be taken 
under his eye and at his side. Then, if 
your mother wishes for the society of my 
child to enliven the solitude of your sis- 
ter, it will be my dnty and pleasure to 
bring her to the chateau." 

I was farfrom being satisfied with this 
concession; but the joy with which I 
found that I was to join my father at the 



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HOUnS OF SUNyillXE, 63 

camp of Cond^ ovcrciime every other 
feeling. la a few weeks I took leave of 
Montauban and of Adgle, who said to 
rae with glowing cheeks and sparkling 
eyes, as she gave me her hand, 

"Yoa are going, my friend, to fighf 
for that which is dearer to us both than, 
life itself; but do not forget that you 
leave a mother and two sisters, to whom 
your safety is very precious, and who 
will be constantly praying for your wel- 
fare and sLiceess." 

I eould oiily utter the word farewell; 
but as I turned away the secret vow was 
registered in heaven, that with God's 
help I would prove mj'self worthy the 
affection lavished on me by those belov- 
ed ones who were watching and praying 
for rae at home. 

I cannot go into the particulars of my 
first campaign. Marchings and counter- 
marchings, successes and defeats, all are 



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6-i THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANOE. 

mingled together ia my roraembraueo ot 
those months in camp. The glorious 
banner of Cond^, on which was inscribed, 
"It is sweet to brave danger for Christ 
and our country," was on one occasion 
near falling into the hands of the enemy. 
The standard-bearer was down, pierced 
with innumerable wounds,' bnt still, with 
hands stiffening in death, clinging to the 
broken staff, when it was my good for- 
tune to rescue and carry back the banner 
in safety. For this I received the thanks 
of the great leader, and as one of his aids 
was selected to be the bearer of de- 
spatches to the queen of Navarre. 

I spent a few delightful hours at St. 
Florent with my mother, sister, and 
Adele. How little I imagined they were 
the last peaceful ones I was ever to know 
in that endeared spot But I will not 
aiiticipate. 

Finding it impossible lo overcome 



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MOUliS OF SUNSHINE. 65 

Coiicl6 in open warfare, Oatiiariue con- 
trived, by means of false pretences and 
protestations, to draw the hero to Paris, 
where he was arrested and thrown into 
prison. After a mock trial be was sen- 
tenced to death, but at the last moment 
saved from the scaffold by the death of 
Francis II. After the accession of the 
next brother, Charles IX., Cond6 was 
released, and a treaty signed between the 
contending parties, which soon shared 
the fate of those which had gone before. 




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6G THE HUGUENOTS OF PRANCE. 



CHAPTER YIL 

THE HUGUENOTS INVITED TO PAKI8. 

I HAD been in the army nearly two 
years, when, in the blootiy battle of Jar- 
nae, our brave leader the Duke de Con- 
d^, was slain. "While the troops were 
forming for battle, he received a kick on 
the leg from the horse of the Count 
RochefoQcauld, who was standing near 
him ready to mount. So terrible -was 
the blow, that the bone instantly pro- 
truded through his military boot; but 
Cond^ would not leave the field for sur- 
gical attendance. 

"Behold," he said to those about him, 
"behold, ye true nobility of France, the 
moment we have so much desired. Let 
us go forward to iinish what is so well 
begun, and remember the state in which 



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HUGUENOTS INVITED TO PAIIIS. 67 

Louis of Bourbon entere the field for his 
country and. his Redeemer." 

With these words he gave the orders 
for a charge, and ponrcd his men like a 
torrent into the midst of the enemy. 
For a moment all gave way before him ; 
but soon the main body of the French, 
under Henry of Anjou, with the G-ermaii 
mercenaries, surrounded us on all sides. 
Every man of the Protestants fought 
with desperate valor, and twenty brave 
fellows cut their way through every 
thing, carrying with them the banner of 
Oond€. But that heroic prince had fought 
his last battle. With his leg fractured 
in two places, wounded in the arm, and 
his horse killed under him, he fell to the 
ground, and was stabbed to the heart by 
one who recognized the Huguenot leader 
in that terrible condition. Oond^ was a 
brave soldier and a far-seeing statesman, 
though far from being as single-hearted 



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68 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

ill hia devotion to the cause of rdigioua 
liberty as the aged Admiral Coligiiy, 
who after the death of Cond6 became the 
leader of the Huguenot armies. 

In the same battle of . Jarnac, my father 
received a wound, which, after a few 
days of intense suffering, put an end to 
his life, leaving me the sole protector of 
my mother and Aim^e, and the leader of 
the Beauvilliers troops, a body of nearly 
four hundred men. I had little leisure 
to mourn for him, for dangers surround- 
ed us on every side, and but for a special 
interposition of Providence, our little 
army must have been destroyed. But 
the G-od who turns the counsels of tht 
wise into foolishness, suffered our foes to 
fall into discussions among themselves, 
80 that we had time to reorganize oni- 
shattered forces, and to push the war 
with such vigor that Catharine began to 
tremble for the safety of the capital. 



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HUGUENOTS INVITED TO PAitlfi. (i9 

Henry of Navarre, who had reached 
the years and stature of manhood, and 
whose every look and word proclaimed 
him born to command, had joined the 
army with Connt Louis of Navarre, broth- 
er of the Prince of Orange, and the Count 
de Montgomery ; and with these illustri- 
ous personages were many- others of less 
note, but whose valor had been proved 
in a hundred well-fought fields. The 
Protestant array was so threatening, and 
the success of our enterprises so decided, 
that the queen mother despaired of sub- 
duing the heretics by force of arms, and 
prevailed upon her son to sign a treaty 
of peace at St. Germain in August, 1570, 
to the great joy of the moderate party 
on both sides. There can be little doubt 
that the crafty Florentine had even then 
conceived the Infamous project, whose 
execution, two years later, made all Eu- 
rope recoil with horror. She was will- 



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70 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEASCE. 

ing therefore to concede nearly all that 
the Huguenots desired, the better to col- 
lect them within the fatal grasp which 
was to crush them at one "blow. A 
proposal was formally made to Queen 
Jane, who with her son was in Eochelle 
during the winter of 1570-71, that a 
strong and lasting bond of union should 
be formed between the two parties, by 
the marriage of the Prince of Navarre to 
Margaret of Yalois, second daughter of 
Catharine. The proposal, for many rea- 
sons, was extremely distasteful to the 
Queen of Navarre, who distrusted the 
sincerity of Catharine, and felt that she 
was most to be feared when most she 
seemed to smile. But both parties were 
exhausted with civil war; peace and tol- 
eration were blessings inestimable, and 
reasons of state policy overpowered pri- 
vate feelings, and in an evil hour she 
consented to the ill-omened union. 

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HUGUENOTS INVITED TO PAKIS. 71 

As soon as spring should open, the 
queen was to proceed to Paris, followed 
by Admiral Coligny and all the princi- 
pal Huguenot leaders to whom special 
invitations had been sent by the king 
and queen mother, and early in the sum- 
mer Henry was to be in Paris, when the 
marriage would take i^lace. During the 
winter, the monotony of camp life was 
agreeably varied by a double wedding, 
which took place under rather peculiar 
circumstances. Jacqueline D'Entremont, 
a lady of large possessions in Savoy, had 
become so much interested in the noble 
character of Admiral Coligny, who was 
a widower, that through a mutual friend 
she made him an offer of her heart and 
hand. The proposal, coming as it did 
from one whom he knew to be worthy 
and estimable, was gratefully received 
by the admiral, who sent a messenger to 
express his pleasure and gratitude for 

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73 THE HUGUENOTS OE FBANCE. 

her favorable opinion. Bat the Duke of 
Savoy, who was nnwilling that the im- 
mense estates of the lady should, pass 
from Savoy into the hands of a heretic, 
opposed the plan violently, and forbade 
the marriage. The lady, however, was 
eqnally determined with himself; and in 
such a case the issue is seldom doubtful. 
She made her escape secretly, and fled 
to Itochelle, where she. was received by 
Ihe admiral with as much respect and 
affection as if she had come atfended'by 
(he whole court of Savoy. In a short 
time they were married ; and at the same 
time Louise, the daughter of the admiral, 
gave her hand to her father's tried friend 
and comrade, the Lord of Teligny. 

-These double nuptials were celebrated 
with all the splendor we could command 
in our narrow quarters, and gave univer- 
sal satisfaction to the Huguenot party. 
My mother and sister were in tho h'liiii 



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HUGUENOTS INVITED TO PARIS. 73 

of Queen Jauo, and I had tlie pleasure of 
seeing my sweet Aim^e an object of ad- 
miration to ail who had the privilege of 
being admitted to her society, not less 
for the truly feminine delicacy which 
characterized her, than for her rare and 
perfect loveliness. On the departure of 
the queen for Paris, these beloved ones 
returned to St. Florcnt, where Adelc and 
her grandfather awaited them. 

As I had command of the guards ap- 
pointed to attend the queen, I took leave 
of my friends at Rochelle, and the same 
day started on the journey which was to 
have so tragic a termination. 



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THE HUGUENOTS OF FEAKCE. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE MAERIAGE OP THE PllINCE. 

On" our arrival in Paris, tlie queen 
was received by Catliarice with lavish 
demonstrations of 'respect, and lodged 
suraptuously in the Louvre. All was 
mirth and gayety about the court; but 
the queen was ill at ease,- and regarded 
the splendid pageantry as only the cover 
of deep and dark designs, whose scope 
she was unable to fathom. 

One evening, a few weeks after our 
arrival, as I was about to leave her, after 
arranging the guards for the night, she 
called me to her, and laying her hand 
upon my shoulder, said earnestly, 

"My son, you are very dear to me, 
for your parents' sake as well as for your 



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MAERIAaE OF THE PEINCE. ^'^ 

own, and I tremble for you in this abode 
of sin and death. I know not why, but 
my heart is strangely heavy to-night, 
and misgives me sorely. I fear that we 
have been entrapped here, I and ray 
people, as silly sheep for the slaughter ; 
and but for the hope of jieace, would 
even now- warn the prince not to venture 
himself in Paris. But God is above all, 
and to him I commit myself; only remem- 
ber, Henri Beauvilliers, that Jane of 
Navarre trusts you as she trusted your 
noble father, and entreats you to be the 
same fearless, watchful friend to her im- 
petuous son that the Sieur de Beauvil- 
liers has always been to me." 

There was a solemnity in her Uiauncr 
which filled me with a vague alarm. 

"You are sad, to-night, dear and hon- 
ored lady," I said; "permit rae to re- 
main within call, that I may watch over 
your safety while you sleep. Believe 



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70 THE HUGUENOTS OF FBANGE. 

me, ray royal mistress, this precanticn 
may be necessary." 

"Not so, mj'" son," slie replied with a 
smile; "if danger menaces me, it will 
not come in a form so palpable that hu- 
man care could meet or avert it. The 
ruling spirit in this fearful abode knows 
how to summon earth and air to aid her 
in securing her revenge. Something 
seems to tell roe that my days are num- 
bered; but I know in whom I Lave be- 
lieved, and do not fear to die. I only 
mourn to leave my son and friends in 
the trap which has been set for them. 
But it .is late, and your young eyes re- 
quire sleep. Good-night, my son. May 
God afld all good angels watch over and 
protect you." 

With this solemn blessing she dis- 
missed me, and the next morning, when 
I returned to the wing of the palace in 
which ,tho Quoen of Navarre and Iier 



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MAEEIAGE OF THE TKINGE. TT 

suite were lodged, I found her so ill as 
to be insensible to every thing about hor. 
In this state she languished for nine days, 
and then expired, without one interval 
of consciousness. I believed then, and 
believe still, that she died a victim to 
the hatred of Catharine de Medicis. Her 
illness was so brief there was no time 
to send for the prince, who did not ar- 
rive until some time after the burial. 
His grief and indignation were excessive, 
and his suspicions so strongly aroused, 
that for a while the deeply laid schemes 
of the queen mother were in danger of 
being thwarted by one whom she consid- 
ered a mere boy. But her pretended 
sympathy, her flatteries, and cajoling 
words, together with the representations 
of Admiral Coligny, whose confidence in 
Charles and his mother amounted to in- 
fatuation, at length overcame his resent- 
ment. He yielded, though with evident 



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78 THE HUGUENOTS OF FlUKCE. 

bitterness of heart, and the preparations 
fot the marriage, which was deferred on 
account of the death of Queen Jane, went 
forward. 

Margaret of Valois was eighteen, beau- 
tiful, witty, and graceful, but so utterly 
destitute of moral principle, that she 
scorned to wear even the semblance of 
propriety. She heartily detested her 
intended bridegroom, and looked on the 
court of Navarre as a purgatory, into 
which she was to be banished, and from 
which she prayed speedily to be deliv- 
ered. On the other hand, the young 
king of Kavarre, as he had become on 
the death of his mother, regarded the 
princess with too much indifference to 
feel even hatred, though there were times 
when his flashing eye, as he saw the 
gross indelicacy of her manners, told 
what his tongue would never utter. 

My duties as captain of the king's 



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MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCE. 79 

guard took nic often to the apartments 
of the queen mother, and the princess, 
whose appetite for admiration was esces- 
fiive, condescended to play off all the 
artillery of her smiles and graces on an 
individual so humble as myself. But il 
I had really been, what she one day pet- 
ulantly declared me, blind and deaf, I 
could not have been more insensible to 
her charms. The images of Adele and 
Aim^e stood at the door of my heart, to 
guard it against the entrance of evil ; and 
never, until they were forgotten, could a 
character like that of Margaret of France 
have seemed any thing but detestable 
to me. 

For the first time since our boyhood 
there was restraint and formality be- 
tween Henry of Navarre and myself, 
for neither of- us dared speak of what 
was in our hearts; and the constant 
effort to avoid forbidden subjects made 



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60 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANCE. 

our interviews painful rather than pleas- 
ant. 

Though rairth and feasting and merri- 
ment seemed to occupy the attention of 
every one about the court, from the queen 
mother down to her youngest page, I felt 
certain that we were standing on a vol- 
cano, whose uncapping might hurl us all 
to destruction: and from several slight 
indications, I could not doubt that the 
catastrophe was at hand . 

Meanwhile Admiral Coligny, always 
calm and collected, seemed wholly un- 
conscious of danger, and refusing to enter 
into the amusements of, the court, spent 
his time in dictating to his secretary let- 
ters to the various Protestant princes 
and leaders, or in conversing with the 
young king, who visitejl him daily, and 
regarded him with equal respect and 
affection. 

On the 17th of August, 1572, tS:c wed- 



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MARKIAGK OF THE TSINCE. 81 

cling, deferred so long, at length took 
place. A platform had been erected be- 
fore the great gate of the church of Notre 
Dame: and there, in the presence of a 
crowd of French and Navarrois nobility, 
Margaret gave her hand to Henry of 
Navarre. I was stationed near the plat- 
form during this inauspicious ceremony, 
and saw the glances of defiance and hate 
which deformed the beautiful face of the 
bride. When she was asked if she will- 
ingly took Henry of Navarre for her 
husband, she would not answer a word. 
Her brother Charles, who gave her 
away, whispered fiercely, 

"Bow your head in assent;" but the 
proud head remained haughtily erect, 
and the face spoke scorn and determina- 
tion. 

"By the bones of ray father, but you 
shall obey, proud minx," said the angry 
king in a low tone as he placed his hand 



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82 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANCE. 

on the back of her head, bending it for- 
cibly down in token of assent. The Car- 
dinal Bourbon, who performed the cere- 
mony, understood the state of .things, and 
affecting to be satisfied with this forced 
consent, the ceremony proceeded. At 
its close, Margaret retired into the body 
of the church with her family, to partici- 
pate in the service of the mass, but Henry 
and the Protestant nobles of his train 
remained outside until the service was 
ended. At tirst the young bride did not 
hesitate to say to every one who ap- 
proached her, that she hated the husband 
they had forced upon her ; but his good- 
humored courtesy and forbearance evi- 
dently won upon her, and induced her 
to treat him with politeness, though of 
wifely duty, and affection she made no 
pretence. Few females of her age could 
have resisted the attractions of Henry of 
Navarre, with all his graces of mind and 



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MAEllIAGE OF THE I'BINCE. 83 

person, and the reputation as a daunt- 
less warrior and- wise statesman which 
he had already acquired. But whatever 
heart the princess had to bestow, was 
already given to the yoimg Count de 
Gruiche ; and she was alienated still more 
from her husband by her bigoted attach- 
ment to the church of Rome. 

"I can see nothing in your religion," 
she said to me not long after her mar- 
riage, "but gloom and austerity. You 
can buy no indulgences, you can obtain 
no absolution; of what use are your 
priests only to show how hopeless your 
case is, without any possibility on their 
part of helping you ? For me," she add- 
ed, shrugging her shoulders, "I must 
have a religion that will give me peace 
of mind, if I am willing to pay for it." 

In vain I attempted to make her un- 
derstand that Protestants sought for par- 
don and peace alone from the Saviour of 



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Si THE IIUGUEKOTS OF FEANCE. 

mankincl, the only being who has power 
to dispense them. 

"I see," she said, "you are not only 
a heretic, but a mystic as well, uttering 
the senseless babble of the schoolmen, 
which sounds strangely enough on the 
lips of a young nobleman, and a soldier 
to boot. Our French gentlemen have 
quite another method of entertaining 
young ladies, let me assure you." 

"I am sorry ray sentiments are not 
acceptable to your highness," I replied, 
"since it is out of my power to change 
them." 

"Ah, barbarian," she exclaimed, play- 
fully tapping me with her fan, "were it 
not that you came from the half-sayage 
country of N'avarre, I should despair of 
you entirely. But I trust we shall 
yet be able to civilize you iu la belle 
Prance." 

A bitter retort rose to my lips, but it 



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MAEEIAGE OF THE PRINCE. 83 

was repressed out of respect to the wife 
of my sovereign, and soon after I left 
the room. The next time I saw her, she 
was in her husband's court of Navarro, 
and it seemed to me that a lifetime of 
bitter memories and an ocean of blood 
rolled between us. 




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THE HUGUEKOTS OF FRAKCE. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE MASSAGEE OP ST. ISAETIIOLOMEW. 

The newly married ivife of Admiriil 
Coligny did not accompany him to Paris, 
but remained on an estate near Angers, 
on the Loire, where she was beloved alilce 
by Catholics and Protestants, for her 
active benevolence and the Christian vir- 
tues of her character. The admiral made 
frequent visits to his family and home, 
and on these occasions received repeated 
warning from various sources not to trnst 
himself longer in the power of his ene- 
mies. 

When leaving home for the last time, 
his fond wife urged him, by every argu- 
ment she could employ, to relinquish the 
journey to Paris ; but he believed duty 
called him back, and was completely de- 



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MA.SSA.CEE OF ST. EAETilOLOMEW. S7 

ceived by the flattering attentions of the 
French monarch, though their very ex- 
cess ought to have warned him of danger. 
At one time, after his last return to Paris, 
the Iting of France said to him, as he 
embraced him foiidlj, 

"I have got you now, my good lord, 
and do not imagine I shall let 3'Ou go 
■again so easily." 

" Have I not acted my part well, 
mother ?" the same treacherous monarch 
inquired of Catharine after the departure 
of his victim. 

"Yes, my son," was her reply, "you 
have done very well ; but you must con- 
tinue to play it for some time longer, 
until all is ready for the blow." 

LigneroUe, a friend of the admiral, 
who was about to leave for the country, 
replied, when asked by Coiigny to re- 
main with him, 

"iSTo, my friend, they caress you too 

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88 THE HUGUENOTS OF FKAKCE. 

much; it cannot all be real, and I had 
ratlier save myself with fools than perish 
with sages." 

Had not the doomed Huguenota been 
fatal!}'- blinded, they could not have con- 
tinued insensible to the premonitions of 
danger which surrounded them. The 
air was thick with portents of the com- 
ing storm. Low mutterings of distant 
thunder should have warned them that 
even now it was on the way. For mj^- 
self, I had been certain, since the death 
of my queen, that evil-was determined 
against the hated heretics, but loyal- 
ty to my king forbade the thought of 
flight. 

My two dear friends, the Counts Mont^ 
goraery and Rochefoucauld, had intended 
to leave Paris immediately after the mar- 
riage of Henry ; but on various pretences 
they were detained by the king and his 
mother, who had formed their plan so as 



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MA8SACEE OF ST. liAltTHOLOlIEW. S9 

to include, if possible, all the leading 
Huguenols throughout the kingdom. The 
Duke of Montmorenci, wiser than his 
brethren, retired to Chantilly; and no 
entreaties could persuade him to trust 
himself near the court. Admiral Oolig- 
uj was thoroughly weary of the levity 
and profligacy which reigned on every 
side, and which suited neither his years 
nor his deep religious convictions. ITe 
waited, only till the close of the marriage 
festivities to ask leave to quit the capi- 
tal, and at last obtained what he thought 
was a final audience. On his way from 
the Louvre to his lodgings, he was fu'cd 
upon by an assassin hired by the Duke 
of Guise, and wounded in the left arm 
and the right hand, rendering the ampu- 
tation of a finger necessary. 

The young king of Navarre was deep- 
ly touched by the situation of his friend 
and almost father, and hastened to his 



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00 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

bedside, aceompanied by most of tlio 
Huguenot nobles of his suite. The de- 
meanor of the noble old man was just 
what one would have expected from his 
characler— firm, composed, and full of 
trust iu God. In company with the 
Prince de Condi, son of the hero who 
fell at Jarnac, Henry went directly to 
the Lonvre from the bedside of Cpligny, 
and in tlie boldest and most indignant 
terms accused the king, in the presence 
of his mother, of being privy to the at- 
tempt on the life of the admiral, and 
declaring that neither himself nor his 
friends wei"e safe in Paris, demanded 
immediate permission to depart. 

Charles in reply expressed the most 
intense sorrow and detestation of the 
deed, declaring his resolution to inflict 
the severest punishment on its authors 
wherever they might be found. The 
queen mother acted her part perfectly. 



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MASSACRE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW. iU 

allii'miiig with her usual duplicitj^, that 
if such a man as Colignj was thus as- 
sailed, neither herself, nor the king, nor 
the Duke of Anjou were safe. She 
assured Henry that the city should be 
searched, and no one permitted to leave 
it who could in any way be implicated 
in the crime. Charles went himself to 
wait "upon the wounded hero, with every 
appearance of respect and affection; but 
he was never suffered to see him unat- 
tended by his mother, who took care 
that no private conversation should ever 
pass between them. She perhaps feared 
that the calm demeanor and noble for- 
bearance of the old man under an injury 
so terrible, might shake the resolution of 
Charles, who felt as much veneration for 
Coligny as it was possible for his frivo- 
lous nature to entertain. 

The extreme irritation of the French 
king, the instant search for the mnrder- 



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92 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEAKCE. 

era, and the visit of the court to Coligny, 
with many minor indications of liind feel- 
ing towards the Huguenot party, served 
to quiet the apprehensions of Heni'y and 
Gond^, who gave up the intention of 
imniediately quitting Paris. Never was 
smiling treachery carried to a greater 
extent, never were victims more com- 
pletely hoodwinked and befooled. In 
vain I told Henry my suspicions, in vain 
1 urged him to draw off his friends in a 
body from the capital, carrying Coligny 
with us ; the king replied gayly, 

" Why, my good friend, 3''ou are in a 
ver}'' fever of suspicion and distrust. I 
do not believe implicitly all that is said 
to me here; but my new mother-in-law 
is not an ogress, nor my brother Charles 
a second Nero. Depend upon it, the 
devil is not as black as he is painted; 
besides, the admiral himself would never 
consent to steal away : he has entire con- 



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HASSACEE or ST. BARTHOLOMEW. '.V.i 

fideuce in the friendship of the king ;uid 
queen mothei'." 

Under pretence of apprehending an- 
other attempt oa the life of Coligny, 
Charles set a guard over his house, and 
gathered all the Protestant nobility into 
the same quarter, saying they could in 
that way better defend themselves from 
any hostile movement on the part of the 
Duke of Guise. But the guard over Co- 
ligny's house was commanded by one of 
his bitter enemies, a quantity of arms 
were collected in the palace, and a large 
number of troops stationed in the neigh- 
boi"hood, while measures were taken to 
prevent any defensive weapons being 
conveyed into the Protestant quarter. 

Thug the net was being drawn every 
moment more closely about us, while 
most were utterly unconscious of dan- 
ger, though a few Huguenot gentlemen 
withdrew from the perilous position in 



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9i THE HUGUENOTS OF FKANCE. 

■which they IiEid been placed, and retired 
either to the country or to a distant 
quarter of the city. 

On Saturday, the 23d of August, 
Henry took his young bride to visit the 
admiral; and though Margaret soon re- 
turned to the Louvre, the king remain- 
ed with his friend till evening, when he 
too went back to the palace. How lit- 
tle he imagined that during liis ab- 
sence the question had been discussed 
in council whether his life should be 
spared or taken in the approaching mas- 
sacre. 

"He is bnt a young bridegroom," said 
Catharine with a bitter smile ; " it were 
a pity to make Margaret so soon a wid- 
ow ; and when his fangs are drawn by 
the death of his friends, his bite will bo 
harmless." 

It was finally decided to spare the 
Prince of CondS and the King of Na- 



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aiASSACEE OF ST. UAETnOLOJIEW. 05 

Viirre, but steps were takeu to cany, into 
immediate effect their sanguinary de- 
signs against all the other Huguenots in 
the capital: Badges were distributed by 
which the esecutioners might be known, 
and the signal agreed upon was the toll- 
ing of the great bell of the palace of jus- 
tice, at midnight of St. Bartholomew's 
day, August 29th. 

That terrible night stands out beforo 
my memory as distinctly as though its 
events occurred but yesterday. The air 
of the palace seemed tainted with the 
infection of the meditated crime. An 
ominous silence brooded over that quar- 
ter of the city surrounding the Louvre, 
in which the Huguenots were assembled 
as sheep for the slaughter, like that 
which precedes the bursting of the hur- 
ricane or an eruption of mount Vesuvius. 
All faces literally gathered blackness, 
for. they seemed to grow dark with the. 



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96 THE HUGUENOTS OF TRANCE. 

vagLic terror and anxiety that pervaded 
every breast. 

An attempt had been made by Catha- 
rine and Charles during the evening to 
avert suspicion by an excess of merri- 
ment; but even the craft and duplicity 
of the queen mother were unequal to this 
crisis. She would start and hesitate in 
the midst of a sentence, change color, 
and seem to listen anxiously; then she 
would recollect herself, and endeavor by 
a forced gayety to do away the impres- 
sion made by her momentary forgetful- 
ness. Charles, who was greatly attached 
to the Count Rochefoucauld, made a last 
attempt to save him by inviting him ear- 
nestly to remain and sleep at the Louvre. 
The invitation was declined, and the 
count left the palace to return no more. 



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A NAUllOW ESCAPE. y? 

CIIA.PTP]R X. 

A NAEliOW ESCAPE. 

When my friends had left the palace, 
I was so terribly oppressed, that, after 
posting the guards about the chamber of 
the king, in ■which nearly thirty Hugue- 
not gentlemen had assembled to talk over 
the attack on the admiral and the posi- 
tion of affairs, instead of going as usual 
to my lodgings, I went to those of the 
admiral, intending to pass the night at 
his bedside. Short as the distance was, 
I saw many indications that something 
unusual was going forward. Individuals 
strangely attired were hastening stealth- 
ily through the streets, and when" they 
met, stopped only to exchange a word 
or sign, and then glided away into the 
darkness, like ghosts revisiting the earth 
on some unhallowed errand. 



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98 THE HUGUEKOTS OF FKANCE. 

I bad reached the dwelling of Coligiiy, 
and was ascending the steps leading to 
his room, when suddenly the deep tones 
of the bell of St. G-ermain L'Auserrois 
fell on my ears, and instantly the whole 
vicinity seemed transformed into a Pan- 
demonium. The discharge of large and 
small arms, the shouts of savage fury, 
and screams of mortal terror, all were 
mingled in one unearthly sound, the like 
of which never saluted mortal ears. The 
Duke of Guise hastened to the house of 
the admiral, and was instantly admitted 
by the captain of the guard, who had 
every thing in readiness for the assas- 
sins. Six of the Swiss guards, stationed 
by Henry for the defence of his friend, 
were cut down while attempting to de- 
fend the passage against the ruffians, who 
made their way to the chamber of Co- 
ligny over their dead bodies. The old 
man was at prayer, perfectly aware of 

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A NARROW ESCAPE. 99 

the fate tliat awaited liim, and resigned 
to it. Rapid as the movements of the 
murderers were, I reached the chamber 
before them. I had armed myself, in 
addition to the sword and dagger, the 
only weapons the Huguenots were al- 
lowed to wear, with a sabre and pistols; 
and stationing myself near the door, suc- 
ceeded in driving back a few of the as- 
sassins, but they pressed on in such num- 
bers that I was s^^eedily overpowered, 
and they rushed forward to the bedside 
of the. hero, when one of them, holding 
his sword to the breast of the victim, in- 
quired, 

" Art thou the Admiral Coligny!" 
"I am," lie replied with perfect seren- 
ity. "Young man, thon shoald'st respect 
my grey hairs ; nevertheless, thou canst 
abridge my life but little." 

At this answer the ruffian plunged his 
dagger repeatedly into the heart of the 



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100 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

admiral, while the others smote and stab- 
bed him alternately. The Duke of Guise, 
who was stationed in the courtyard be- 
low, called out to inquire if the deed was 
done ; and on being answered in the af- 
firmative, ordered them to throw down 
the body through the window. When 
this was done, lie spurned the bloody 
corpse with his foot, little thinking that 
his own senseless remains would be 
spurned in the same manner a few years 
later by the Duke of Anjou. 

While this dreadful scene was going 
forward, T gradually recovered from the 
effects of the blow which prostrated me, 
and staggering to my feet, was about to 
euter the chamber, when a m.an envel- 
oped in a large cloak came up to me, 
and seizing ray arm, drew me through 
tlie corridor into the courtyard by a 
back passage which was quite deserted. 

"You need not go farther; your vic- 



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A NARROW ESCAPE. 101 

tory will be easy,'' I said to him, open- 
ing the collar of my coat. 

He made no reply, but requesting me 
to mount a powerful horse which stood 
near, followed my example, and led the 
■way through a labyrinth of lanes and 
alleys into an open street at sonic dis- 
tance from the Louvre. 

"Whither are you taking me?" I in- 
quired at length. "I have no desire to 
escape; I only wish to die with my king 
and friends." 

"Henry is in no danger," the unknown 
replied; "his life will be spared, but 
yours is not worth a moment's purchase 
if you go back to the Louvre." 

"And why should I be spared, when 
all my brethren in arms are taken? If 
you are indeed desirous to do me a favor, 
give me my weapons, and suffer me to 
.return and sell my life as dearly as pos- 
sible." 



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102 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

"And have yoa tlien none to whom 
your life is of importance; no mother or 
sister who look to you as their only pro- 
tector? Remember, the scenes of this' 
night are to be acted over again in the 
provinces ; and if report speaks truly, 
there are those at St. Florent who will 
need your protection." 

These words recalled me to myself, for 
hitherto the blow I had received, and the 
loss of blood from a flesh wound in my 
arm, made me faint aucl bewildered. 

"Whoever yon are, whether mortal or 
angel," I exclaimed, "your words remind 
me of what I had nearly forgotten, that 
there arc still duties which bind me to 
life, and I owe you more for recalling 
them at this moment than for the exist- 
ence you have been the means of pro- 
longing. But may I not know the name 
of my generous preserver!" 

"It is of little consequence," replied 

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A KAEKOW ESCAPE, 103 

the unknown; "I have only repaid a 
debt owing to you since the battle of 
Clermont. Do you_not remember sav- 
ing a French officer from the hands of an 
infuriated rabble, who had sworn to put 
to death every Catholic prisoner? I am 
the man ; so yon see it is only a life for 
a life, and no great matter of gratitude." 

By this time we had reached the for- 
est of Fontaineblean,_and here my com- 
panion turned to me, saying, 

"I can go no further, for I shall be 
missed in the morning, and may besides 
do some good in the city. You can now 
make your way wherever duty or incli- 
nation call yon. But stay ; you must be 
unprepai'ed for such a journey ; here is 
a purse which may be of service to you." 

Without waiting a reply, he turned 
his horse's-head, and was out of sight in 
a moment, while, like one in a dream, I 
pursued my way towards the south. 



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104 THE HUGUENOTS QF TEANGE. 

Meantime, in the streets of the capi- 
tal the work of death went steadily on. 
The tiger spirit of a Parisian mob was 
unchained, the streets were filled with 
armed executioners athirst for blood, the 
marked houses of the Protestants were 
forcibly entered, and the inhabitants 
dragged from their beds and murdered 
without resistance. Neither age nor sex 
was spared, and all the worst passions 
of depraved nature, let loose in the hor- 
rible anarchy, sated themselves with 
crimes too fearful to be told. The shouts 
:ind oaths of the murderers were minglc<5 
with the groans and cries of their vie 
lims, while above all the deep bells toll 
va\ aloud, "More blood, more blood!'' 
The gutters of Paris literally ran with 
the sanguinary current, drawn from the 
veins of the noblest and most virtuous 
men of France. 

The scenes at the palace were, if pos- 



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A NAEBOW ESCAPE. 105 

sible, even more revolting than those of 
the streets. Charles IX., who with his 
mother and the Duke of Aiyou waited in 
gloomy expectation in tlie halls of the 
Louvre, showed so many symptoms of 
wavering and indecision, that Catharine 
prevailed on him to hasten the concerted 
signal by ordering the bell of St. Ger- 
main to be sounded, instead of that of 
the Palace of Justice, as agreed upon. 
The party of royal assassins then pro- 
ceeded to a balcony, from whence they 
could look out upon the streets, and while 
there the sound of a pistil was heard. 
The sound seemed to freeze the blood of 
the criminals, and Charles was about to 
issue an order to suspend the execution. 
But at that moment the tocsin sounded, 
flauibeaus and lanterns flashed out from 
the windows of the papists, and the exe- 
cutioners, with the Duko of Guise at 
their head, began the work of dcnth. 



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106 Tim HUGUENOTS OF FEANCE. 

From that moment the fierce and san- 
guinary nature of Charles broke forth ia 
all its frightful excess. He seized an 
arquebuss, and taking aini at the flying 
Huguenots, fired repeatedly, exclaiming 
as if mad, "Kill them, kill them!" to 
the butchers who filled the streets. 

But where was Henry of Navarre 
while his dearest friends and.faithful sub- 
jects were thus barbarously murdered ? 
He had passed a sleepless night, and left 
his. room in company with a few friends 
just before the break of day. In that 
wing of the palace the sounds of death 
were comparatively unheard ; and though 
they were aware of some disturbance in 
the streets, they had no idea of its nature 
and extent. But almost immediately on 
leaving his room he was arrested with 
his relative the Prince de Cond^, and 
brouglit unarmed before the blood-stain- 
ed monarch, witnessing, as they j 



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A NARROW ESCAPE. 107 

on, the mardcr of some of their faithful 
friends and followers. Charles received 
them with a wrathful countenance, blas- 
phemous lips, and with corses which 
froze the blood of the listeners com- 
manded them to abjure their Protestant 
faith, or take the alternative. "Death, 
)r the mass!" he exclaimed in the most 
violent manner; "death, or the mass!" 

Henry answered briefly, but firmly, 
entreating the monarch to grant them 
life and liberty of conscience ; but Condi 
firmly assured Charles that he would 
sooner die than do violence to his con- 
science. 

"I am not so fond of life," he said, 
"as to peril honor and soul both to pre- 
serve it; and what I have seen this day 
has not served to recommend the Catho- 
lic faith to rae." 

In the first paroxysm of anger, Charles 
wished, notwithstanding the decision of 



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108 TEE HUGUENOTS OF FliANCE. 

the council, to add Llie two young princes 
to the number of his victims ; but Cath- 
arine feared tliis extreme measure as 
impolitic, and prevailed upon him to 
grant them three- days to consider, assur- 
ing them that, if at the end of that time 
they were not prepared to renounce their 
heretical opinions, they should be instant- 
ly put to death. They were then sent 
away under a strong escort, and Charles 
returned to his work of blood. The car- 
nage continued all that day, and was 
renewed on Monday, and it was not until 
the third day that orders were given to 
stop the massacre. 

The numbei" of Huguenots who were 
slain oa this occasion has been different- 
ly estimated, but I doubt not it exceeded 
seventy thousand. The inhuman orders 
of the king were but too faithfully obeyed 
in the provinces. The Rhone, Seine, 
and Loire ran with blood ; carnage spread 



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A KABROW ESCAPE. 109 

over all France, and crimes enough were 
committed in the space of a few weeks to 
blacken the history of a century. But 
in this midnight darkness I ought not to 
lose, sight of the few illustrious exam- 
ples of moral heroism and virtue which 
shine like stars amid the surrounding 
gloom. 

The Catholic bishop of Lisieux con- 
trived to save all the Protestants of that 
town. St. Heran, governor of Auvergtie, 
replied to the king's letter in these noble 
words : 

"Sire, I have received an order under 
your hand and seal, to put all the Prot- 
estants of this province to death. I 
respect your majesty too much not to 
believe that the letter is a forgery; and 
if, which God forbid, the oTder is genu- 
ine, I still respect your majesty too much 
to obey you." 

The Viscount Orthcy, lieulenant of 



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110 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

the king at Bayonne, answered in the 
following words : 

"Sire, I have communicated the com- 
mands of your majesty to the inhabitants 
of the town and the soldiers of the gar- 
rison. I have found good citizens and 
brave soldiers in Bayonne, but not one 
executioner ; on which account, both they 
and I humbly beg you to employ our 
arms and our lives in things we can effect. 
However perilous they may be, we will 
willingly spend therein the last drop of 
bur blood." 

Both these noble men died soon after 
Laving ventured to disobey the com- 
mands of the king, under circumstances 
which made it probable that they had 
perished by some of the means common- 
ly used by Catharine de Medicis to rid 
herself of troublesome friends and dan- 
gerous enemies. 



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A HAY AT HT. I'LOKENT. 



CHAPTEK XI. 

A DAY AT ST. FLOREKT. 

After my preserver left me, I con- 
tinued my journey, faint, stunned, and 
bleeding, in a half-unconsclous state, and 
must liave kept a southerly direction 
almost by instinct, as I have no remem- 
brance of the route. Some time during 
the day, on that terrible 24th, I arrived 
at St. Yalerie, where an old and valued 
friend of my parents resided. How I 
reached the house I know not, for imme- 
diately afterwards all consciousness of 
pain and suffering was lost in insensibil- 
ity. In this state I remained for many 
days, parched with fever, and uncon- 
scious of all that passed around me. 
Pi'ovidence had kindly directed me to 
the house of a good Samaritan, and I 



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112 THE HUGUENOTS OF FKANCE. 

waiiied for nothing which the utmost 
care and kindness could b.estow. 

Two weeks passed away befoi'6 I could 
continue my Journey, and in that time 
what might not have happened! Life 
and death seemed hanging on my speed 
when I left Paris, and two weeks had 
fled, while I was lying helpless as infan- 
cy. It was with a sad and foreboding 
heart that I bade farewell t*> my kind 
friends, and pursued my solitary journey 
to Navarre. The horse provided by my 
unknown friend possessed a speed and 
strength I had never seen equalled, and 
bore me easily and rapidly forward, until 
the snow-capped summits of the Ccvcnncs 
greeted my sight. 

Passing through Montauban, I called 
at the house of Madame Toulan, but it 
was shut up, and she had removed no 
one knew whither. I could learn noth- 
ing of my family, only that there had 



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A DAY AT ST. FLuilENT, 113 

been disturbances in the country, and 
terrible excesses had been committed by 
the Catholics wherever they were found 
in considerable numbers. This news 
was not encouraging; and though my 
heart refused to admit the .possibility 
that any thing had happened to those 
beloved ones, still I rode forward with 
feverish speed, watching eagerly for 
every indication of civil strife in the 
country through which I passed. 

Before noon of the second day I came 
in sight of the towers of St. Florent, and 
soon after rode up to the door of the 
lodge at the entrance of the grounds. 
To my surprise and dismay, the cottage 
was vacant and deserted, forsaken by 
its inmates and stripped of all its simple 
furniture. Shocked at the sight, I hur- 
ried forward, only to find the shrubbery 
about the chateau cut down, the flower- 
beds trampled under foot, and the trees 



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Hi THE HUGUENOTS OF ITHANGE. 

in the avenue, tliose forest monarchs 
girdled and defaced by the ruthless bani i 
of man. 

Not a servant was visible about the 
dwelling, the court-yard was empty, the 
rooms dismantled and stripped of every 
thing movable, and the heavy articles 
of furniture so cut and defaced as to be 
utterly valueless. The picture-gallery 
had been visited, and the pictures -were 
hanging in strips from their broken 
frames. The tapestry was torn from the 
walls of the state apartments ; in a word, 
the destruction was complete. 

Old as I am, I cannot recur to the 
unspeakable agony of that hour without 
tasting again the bitterness of the cup so 
suddenly presented to roy lips. In my 
despair I called- aloud on the names of 
my mother and Aira^e. I ran from room 
to room, demanding some tidings of those 
dear ones from the senseless walls, whose 

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A DAY AT ST. I'LOBENT. 115 

lonely echo mocked my grief. At length 
I reentered my mother's room, a de- 
lightful apartment, with a southern ex- 
posure looking out on a terrace filled 
with flowers, and shaded by fruit-trees 
of various kinds. In the panelled walls 
was a secret closet, the favorite hiding- 
place of my sister and myself in child- 
hood, and from whose recesses we were 
accustomed to receive good things when 
our behavior had given satisfaction. 

Guided, as I believe, by the hand of 
God, I went to this closet with no dis- 
tinct purpose, opening it in the restless- 
ness of sorrow. The first object on which 
my eye rested was a note addressed to 
me in the well-known hand of Aimee. 
For an instant I gazed upon it, fearing 
that my senses deceived me; the next, I 
seized it eagerly, and in the delirium of 
joy pressed it to ray lips, bedewing it 
with tears. As soon as I regained com- 



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llti THE HTJGUEKOTH OF TRANCE. 

maud over my feelings, I opened ihc 
note and read the following words : 

" I am writing this note to you, my 
beloved Henri, becanse I hope and be- 
lieve tliat, if you are spared to return to 
our desolated home, you will not fail to 
visit this dear hiding-place of our infan- 
cy; and thus you will learn that our 
God has mercifully preserved us from 
the wrath of our enemies. If you will 
go to old Ambrose, the miller at the 
castle of Pau, he will give you sure tid- 
ings of lis, and direct you to our place of 
refuge. I dare not tell you in this, lest 
by some chance it should fall into tbe 
hands of the wretches who are about to 
visit us for the second time since you left 
St. Florent. But I must close, for we 
have only a few moments left for escape. 
Adieu. May the blessing of our Father 
above ever rest upon you, my own dear 
brother." 



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A DAY AT ST. FLOEENT. 117 

After thanking Grod from the depths 
of a grateful heart, I turned away with 
renewed strength aiidcoiirage fi'om the 
desecrated home of ray boyhood, for 
since they \yere safe who had made it 
home to my heart, I could give up every 
thing else without a murmur. 

At the further end of the bridge which 
connects the castle of Pan with the ham- 
let lying on the other side of the stream, 
is, or rather was, a mill, which supplied 
the inhabitants of the castle, and was 
called the mill of Jane d'Albret. Old 
Ambrose Pinel was the miller, a sfancli 
Huguenot, and one of the best of men. 
A large apartment above the mill had 
been the scene of various interesting 
meetings between the early reformers 
and different illustrious individuals of 
Europe. There Marguerite of Savoy, 
the beloved sister of Francis I., and a 
firm patroness of the Bcformation, held 



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118 THE HUGUENOTS OF PEANCE. 

a conference with Ctilvin, Peter Martyn, 
and Erasmus, wlio came from Geneva 
for that purpose. 

To this spot I hastened in search of 
Ambrose, and to my great joy found him 
at home, though just about to start on a 
long jouriioy through the southern part 
of France on important business. Had 
I been one day later, al! hope of seeing 
my mother and sister would have van- 
ished, at least for many weeks. It was 
one of those events in my life, and they 
have been many, in which the hand of 
an almighty Fz'iend was distinctly visi- 
ble, directing my path, and ordering 
events which were utterly beyond my 
control.. My children, I belie\'€ in a 
special providence, so special that it 
takes cognizance of those minute details 
which go to make up the sum total of 
human happiness or misery. From my 
soul I pity the materialist who sees in 



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A DAT AT ST. 1?L0KENX, !!» 

all that occut's only the result of blind 
chance ; and the equally wretched Chris- 
tian, who believes that his Father is too 
far beyond and above him to take note 
of his every-day cares and trials. Sure- 
ly He who numbers the hairs of our 
head, and watches over the sparrow in 
its search for daily food, must be inter- 
ested in all that concerns the welfare of 
his children, and nothing but unbelief 
can deprive us of the infinite blessedness 
of such a care. But I am digressing. 

Ambix)se Pinel received me with sur- 
prise and joy unbounded, for the details 
of the massacre had reached hira, and he 
beJieved me among the victims. 

"Your friends," he said, "mourn for 
you as among the dead, and this last 
blow has crushed them to the earth. 
How great will be their joy and grati- 
tude to find you given back to them, as 
it were, from the grave." 



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120 THE HUGUENOTB OP FEANCE. 

"But where am I lo fmd tliuni, good 
Ambrose? Every moment is au age 
until we meet." 

"They are hidden in one of the wild' 
est gorges of the Cevennes," he replied, 
"in the house of a forester who is true as 
steel to his friends and his faith. I will 
myself guide you to the spot, for I have 
intrnstcd the secret to no one. My 
motto is, 'If you would make sure of 
the safety of a secret, keep it to your- 
self;' and I have always found it work 
well." 

We were soon on the way, and as we 
journeyed, I related to the good man all 
the events of that fearful night in Paris, 
so far as they were then known to me. 
He looked upon my escape as miracu- 
lous, and was inclined to believe my 
preserver an angelic messenger sent by 
God for that special purpose. 

I was too anxious and too weak to 



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A DAY AT ST. TLOEENT. 121 

combat the propositiou, and we pressed 
forward, unmindful in the excitement of 
the hour of the symptoms of fatigue ex- 
hibited by the noble animal which had 
borne me so far and so well. All night 
we made our way through the wild and 
desolate passes of the Cevennes, and in 
the morning came in sight of the cabin of 
Pierre, in which those dearest to me had 
found shelter. 

That meeting I shall not attempt to 
describe. There are moments in life to 
which words are utterly incapable of 
doing justice, and this was one of them. 
When the first transports had subsided, 
so that we could look in each other's 
faces, I was shocked to see the change 
in that dear countenance which had made 
the sunshine of my life from infancy to 
the present hour. It was very pale and 
thin, and the smile it had formerly worn 
was now seldom visible; still the spirit's 



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122 THE HUGUEKOTS OF FRANCE. 

peace shone through it, lighting it up 
with a radiance indescribably beautiful. 

"I am not ill, my dear son," she said 
it! answer to my look of anxiety; "I 
have not been even seriously indisposed 
through all this fearful time ; but we 
suffered much at the chateau; and then 
the horrible news from Paris must have 
crushed me, but for the supporting hand 
of G-od . But you are spared, my own 
dear Henri. . I am permitted to see 
your face once more, and all other causes 
of sorrow seem as nothiug." 

"Ah, Henri, brother, can there be in 
all the world such 'happiness as ours?" 
exclaimed Aim^Oj her blue eyes spark- 
ling through tears, and her sweet face 
eloquent with emotion. The months that 
had passed since my departure from home 
had changed my sister from a lovely and 
loving child to a devoted, high-souled 
woman. She seemed to have no thought 



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A DAY AT ST. laORENT. 123 

for herself, but in her watchful care of 
others, was constantly developing some 
new and beautiful trait of character, 
whose existence we had never suspected. 
Heretofore I had loved her as a charm- 
ing pet; now I learned to revere her as 
far superior to myself in all the higher 
qualities of human nature. 

"How is this, dearest?" I inquired; 
" you are talking of happiness, when I 
find you driven from home, stripped of 
every thing, and dependent for shelter 
on the hospitality of a peasant. From 
whence comes the happiness of which 
you speali ?" 

"From the mercy of G-od, who has 
spared to me my mother and brother," 
she replied with a fond smile ; "and hav- 
ing them, I seem to possess all things. 
This hut is a home with those I love, 
and St. Florent would bo a desert with- 
out them. But, dear Henri, we know 



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124 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

notliiug of your liistoiy; we have only 
the blessed consciousness that you are 
with us. Now we wish to know how it 
has all happened." 

I then told the story, and as I ended, 
Aini^e exclaimed, 

"If that unknown preserver was not 
an angel in disguise, I would willingly 
travel on foot to Paris to find him and 
express rny gratitude. I will ask God 
every day to permit me some time to 
know and thank him." 

"I trust your prayers will be an- 
swered, dearest," I replied, "for I would 
gladly do something to render my debfc 
of gratitude less oppressive. But you 
forget that I too am ignorant of all that 
has happened at St. Florent, and must 
know every thing, painful as it is to think 
you have suffered while I was away, un- 
able to comfort or assist you." 

" The fact of your absence, my son, so 



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A DAY AT ST. FLOKENT. 12.) 

far from being au aggravation of our sor- 
rows, was a blessiug, foj* which we were 
devoutly thankful, little dreaming that 
you were in still greater danger in- that 
terrible city. Had you been with us, 
your young life would have been thrown 
away in vain; for what could you have 
done against a band of infuriated ruf&ans, 
led on by men who have, grown old in 
wars? Eather let us bless God, who in 
his own way hath preserved us from our 
peculiar perils, and given us this blessed 
meeting, in a time of universal terror and 
distress. But the recital of the past is 
too painful for me voluntarily to go over 
it, though Aim^e will relate to you all 
you wish to know. At your happy age, 
sorrow does not make an Impression so 
deep as to render it painful to look back 
upon it. On the contrary, the joys of 
to-day are rather enhanced by a remem- 
brance of the sufferings of yesterday." 



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12G inE- HUGUENOTS OF F11A.NCE. 



CHAPTER Xn. 
Aijvi::fiE'a stoey. 

"If I. am to make tlie recital," said 
Aim6e, "I sliali commence by telling 
yon, dear Henri, how much we all ad- 
mired and loved your charming Adele. 
I was every day finding some new beaaty 
or grace in her, and I could never have 
imagined that one so young could be so 
wise and good." 

"How long was she with you at St. 
Florent?" 

"She stayed nearly a year, then her 
grandfather took her away, and contin- 
ued absent some months, after which 
they came back for a short time; but 
when we had learned to feel her neces- 
sary to our happiness, they left «s for 



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AIMiiE'S STOEY. 127 

some distant province, where JI. Faucliet 
has many friends. 

"For some weeks after tlieir depart- 
ure we were very quiet, though rumors 
of war filled the air on every side. 

"But one day last spring our good 
butler Antoine had been at Pau, and 
heard somewhere on the road that bands 
of Catholics wei'e organizing in Beam and 
Navarre, for the purpose of sacking the 
castles of the nobility and inflicting every 
possible injury on the Huguenots. We 
were alarmed, of course, but for two daj's 
heard nothing more of the marauders, 
and trusted we were to escape. But just 
at sunset on the third day, I saw through 
the window an armed troop coming up 
the avenue, led by Victor Bourdon, whom 
you may remember as the son of the 
Catholic advocate in Montauban. He 
left his men stationed round the house, 
and entering alone, toM us with great 



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128 THE HUGUENOTS 01' FEANCB. 

civility tliat it was necessary for him to 
search the house for a heretic who was 
supposed to be concealed there. In vain 
we assured him M. Fauchet had been 
gone for months; he was polite but de- 
termined, and the search was made. He 
accompanied the men himself, carefully 
restrained them from insult and plunder, 
though the contents of the wine-cellar 
and larder were at their disposal. 

"For several days he remained at St. 
Florent, as he said, for the purpose of 
protecting us from injury, and then de- 
parted, leaving us' more frightened than 
hurt, though very thankful for our de- 
liverance." 

"Victor Bourdon, do you sa}^? I lit- 
tle thought in Montauban tliat I should 
ever owe him so much. I hope some 
time to raeet him, that I may prove my 
sense of obligation fur his kindness and 
forbearance." 



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AiJIfiE'S STOKY. 129 

"It is hardly right, my son," said iriy 
motlier, "to permit ydii to lie under the 
weight of an imaginary obligation. M. 
Bourdon was undoubtedly lenient in his 
treatment of us, but the reward he pro- 
posed to himself, and seemed fully to 
expect, was nothing less than the heart 
and hand of my ijrecious child." 

" What \" I exclaimed. "How dared 
he, the minion of a tyrant lilse Charles, 
the leader of a band of ruffians and mur- 
derers, to raise his eyes to a noble Prot- 
estant maiden? Such effrontery does 
indeed cancel all sense of obligation." 

"Nay, Henri," said Alm^e, laughing 
gaiiy, though her cheeks would have 
shamed the blush rose, "you take it too 
seriously. M . Bourdon probably though t 
himself condescending greatly, in the 
flush of his new honors, to stoop to an 
obscure country maiden, and a Hugue- 
not to boot. He would not understand 



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130 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANGE. 

you if you were to speak of presumption 
ou his part. But we will not talk of btui 
OQ this happy day. If he deceived" him- 
self when he came to the chateau, he 
certainly could not have done .so when 
he went away." 

" But you have said nothitig of the 
final scene of destruction. Tell me how 
you managed to escape from the wretches 
who have laid our dear home in ruins." 

"I can teli you but little' of that ter- 
rible day, Henri; it seems to mo like a 
confused and fearful dream. Keports 
from Paris had reached us which were 
so dreadful as to be wholly incredible, 
for it did not seem possible that a being 
in the form of woman could be so cruel 
and wicked as Queen Catharine. There 
were disturbances all around us, and the 
servants of the chateau had been for days 
almost paralyzed with fear. Still our 
dear mother was calm, for she trusted in 



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AIM^E'S STOKY. 131 

Grod; and besides, wo were so lonely 
and defenceless, that our very weakness 
seemed to guarantee us from harm. But 
we learned our mistake only too soon. 
Good Ambrose Pinel, the miller at Pau, 
came to St. Florent early on the morn- 
iog of Sept. 2d, and gathering all the ser- 
vants together, begged my mother to dis- 
miss them at once, that they might seek 
safety elsewhere. The plate, and such 
other valuables as could be collected, 
were hastily secreted in the garden, our 
jewelry and the money in the house dis- 
posed of about our persons, and then 
with our faithful Claudine, who refused 
to leave us, we took a last lingering look 
at the pleasant and beloved home to 
which we were bound by so many fond 
recollections, and were ready' to follow 
our friend and guide. 

"'I shall take you,' he said, 'by a 
secret and subterranean passa^je, known 



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13ii THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANOE. 

oo]y to myself and one other since the 
death of the Sieur cle Beauvilliers. So 
mach time has already been spent, that 
SouKer and his band are undoubtedly 
near the chateau, expecting an easy vic- 
tory. But God knows how to deliver 
his children. The secret passage wii! 
bring us out beyond their outposts, and 
we can then make our way to a hiding- 
place in the Cevennes, where you wilt 
find safety if not comfort.' 

"While he was speaking, the sound of 
a trumpet aad the tramp of horses was 
heard, and looking out, we saw the cha- 
teau surrounded by a savage band, with 
a fierce-looking warrior at their head, 
whose very face seemed to freeze my 
blood. The servants had fled, and the 
chateau was firmly secured, so we had 
sufQeient time, before our enemies could 
effect an entrance, to escape from the 
house. But before leaving I wrote a hi\r- 



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AIMfiE'S STOET. IfiH 

ried note to you, my brother; and recol- 
lecting our childish fondness for the se- 
cret closet, placed it there, feeling sure 
that when you returned to St. Florent 
and found us absent, that would be the 
first place to which your steps would bo 
turned." 

"It was so, sweet sister; and I owe 
you more for this thoughtful kindness 
than words can express. Until I re- 
ceived it my heart seemed to stand still 
with terror; but your precious note was 
like life from the dead. But what prog- 
ress did you make in the subterranean 
passage ? I remember hearing my father 
speak of it in my childhood, but had for- 
gotten its existence until now." 

"We made our way slowly and with 
difficulty. In some parts the passage 
was high and wide enough to permit us 
to walk easily, but in other places the 
stones and loose earth had filled up the 



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134 THE HDGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

way, SO tbat we were obliged to creep 
on our bauds and knees. At length we 
came out into an opening or cave, in 
which we rested for a while, and then 
for the first time we learned from Am- 
brose the circnmstances which had led 
him to our rescue. One of the band had 
been in the habit of visiting the female 
servant at the mill, and knowing her to 
be a good Catholic, ventured to intrust 
her with the secret of their intended at- 
tack on St. Florent and other places in 
the vicinity. Andrea, thongh a bigoted 
papist, felt kindly towards us, and be- 
lieving that her master could in some 
way avert the threatened evil, went to 
him with the tidings. Ambrose imme- 
diately formed his plans' and hastened to 
the chateau, where he arrived, as I have 
told you, just in time to save the whole 
household from death, or a fate worse 
than death 



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AIMEE'S story. 135 

" When ho had finished his recital, we 
moved forward again, and passing up a 
steep and narrow stairway cut in the 
rock, soon found ourselves in the open 
air in the forest of Bondy near the ruined 
chapel of La Fere. From thence a path, 
beaten by the shepherds and their flocks, 
leads to the heart of the Cevennes, and 
travelling all night, we reached this 
hospitable dwelling the following day. 
Pierre is a friend of Ambrose, and re- 
ceived us joyfully, and here we found 
what was of the first importance to us — 
rest and safety. Onr dear mother was 
completely exhausted with fatigue and 
care, and for several days after our arri- 
val here could not leave her bed. 

" Then came that terrible time of which 
I can never think without a shudder, 
when the news of the massacre of Paris 
reached us through Pierre, and we be- 
lieved you, my brother, among the vic- 



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13G THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

tims. I will not cloiid this bappy day of 
reunion by dwelling on our agony. It 
seems to me that you have been restored 
to us by angelle agency ; for if your pre- 
server were a mortal like ourselves, he 
was surely sent by God to save a life so 
precious to many." 

I remained at the cottage of Pierre a 
week to recruit the strength which my 
journey, had exhausted, intending then 
to join the Hnguenot forces ■which were 
assembling at various points under lead- 
ers who had escaped the general destruc- 
tion. But what was to become of my 
mother and Aim^e? St. Florent was 
now in ruins; the chateau a mere shell, 
having been revisited and fired by the 
ruffians since I saw it on my way to Pan. 

While we were debating this point, a 
messenger came to us from the widow of 
Admiral Coligny, begging my mother to 
come to her at her chateau near Augers 



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AIMEE'S STOEY. 137 

on the Loire, where she had fixed hor 
permanent residence. 

"I am sad and lonely," she wrote, 
" and as the valued relatives of my mar- 
tyred husband my heart clings to you, 
and nothing could now make me so happy 
as 3'onr society. We are a community 
of Protestants, and the few Catholics in 
the neighborhood are under the spiritual 
direction of a truly good and tolerant 
bishop, so that we have hitherto escaped 
the horrors which have convulsed the 
other provinces of unhappy France. Do 
not wait to write, but come to me at once 
with the messenger who takes this. He 
is shrewd and faithful, and will guide you 
safely to Auvergne." 

This letter removed every obstacle 
from our path. It provided a safe and 
honorable asylum for 'those dearest to 
me, and left me free to devote myself to 
the cause which, hallowed by the blood 



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138 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE 

of SO many martyrs, seemed more sacred 
and -precious than ever before. "W*e 
left the abode of the kind peasant with 
many thanks and such recompense as 
our means would allow, and made our 
way towards Angers. It was a most 
charming country in which Madame Co- 
ligny had chosen her abode, and the 
chateau seemed the home of order, com- 
fort, and peace. 

In this pleasant retreat, and under the 
care of one who would love and cherish 
thom as they deserved, I left my friends 
and retraced ray steps towards Nerae, 
hoping to obtain some intelligence from 
the King of ISTavarre. But nothing had 
been heard from him since his fatal mar- 
riage, and I employed myself in collect- 
ing my scattered troops and enlisting 
others, that when the day for action 
should come we might not be wholly 
unprepared. 



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OLD FEIENDS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Henry of Navarre and. his young 
relative the Dake de Cond^ were de- 
tained in Paris as state prisoners for 
many months after the massacre of St. 
Bartholomew. The thrill of horror which 
pervaded all Europe on hearing of that 
dreadful criQie, warned Charles and his 
mother that they might go too far ; and 
though the heretic husband of Margaret 
was an object of fear and hatred to them 
both, they judged it best to dissimulate, 
and wait a more favorable time for the 
Carrying out of their plans. But though 
the young lion had been caught in the 
toils, he was far from being a safe or 
quiet captive. No arguments or threats 



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140 THE nUGUENOTS OF FEANCE. 

could win from him ouG word of conces- 
sion in regard to his fa;ith, and he made 
no attempt to conceal the horror with 
which he regarded the queen mother and 
her son as the murderers of his best and 
dearest friends. 

From time to time wo found means to 
communicate with him through a trusty 
messenger; and when every thing was 
in readiness for his return, he contrived, 
with the tact and ready wit which dis- 
tinguished him above most other men, to 
make bis escape from Paris with Cond6 
and a small retinue of faithful followers. 
Every step of the way was full of dan- 
gers, but a power higher than that of 
man guided him through them all, and 
with a joy too deep for noisy demonstra- 
tions we welcomed our prince and leader 
to the camp near Nerae, where a few 
thousand veteran troops awaited his or- 
ders. As he rode through the long lines. 



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OLD FRIENDS. I'll 

ami marked the upturned faces full of a 
devotion which knew no bounds, his own 
countenance glowed with enthusiasm, 
and turning to Cond6, who was at his 
side, he exclaimed, 

"To-day I rejoice that I am a Bour- 
bon, privileged by blood and birth to 
command such men as these." 

Then turning towards the troops, who 
had been formed into a hollow square, 
he addressed them in the following 
words : 

"Men, brethren, and fathers, I went 
away from you last year a careless, 
happy boy : I come back to you now an 
earnest, determined man, ready to do 
and dare all that can Be done or borne 
in defence of the sacred cause of civil 
and religious liberty. By the precious 
blood which flowed like water in the 
streets of Paris, by the memory of that 
martvred mother whom we all revered 



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142 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEAK 

and loved, I solemnly vow never to 
sheathe this sword until I and my breth- 
ren are free to worship God according 
to the dictates of our own conscience. 
If your leader is youthful, he is at least 
deeply in earnest ; and if older generals 
may excel him in ability, you shall see 
that he knows as well as they how to die 
for his country and his faith. If in the 
battle you follow the white plume of 
Henry of Navarre, I promise you it shall 
always be found in the path of honor and 
glory." 

This address, delivered with all the 
fire and ardor of his nature, was received 
with loud bursts of enthusiastic applause. 
As the voice of one man came up the 
shout from the army, 

"We will live or die with our leader 
and king, Henry of Navarre. "We swear 
It." 

From motives of policy, rather than 



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OLD FEIENDS. 143 

affection, Henry resolved on cleiuanding 
Ills bride at the hands of her mother and 
brother, who had hitherto refused to give 
her up. After a time, however, the crafty 
Florentine thought it advisable to have a 
spy in the camp of the enemy, and Mar- 
garet was sent, greatly against her will, 
with a aamerous train of high-born beau- 
ties, to piay the part of queen in her ]ais- 
band's court of Navarre. 

Those who remembered the noble and 
virtuous Jane D'Albret, whose simple 
dignity marked her born to. command, 
while her kindness made her the mother 
of her subjects, sighed as they looked on 
the painted and gilded puppet who occu- 
pied her place. Destitute of the sem- 
blance of principle, Margaret disdained 
to throw over her profligacy even the 
thin veil of conventional propriety ; and 
the daily and nightly orgies of the French 
portion of the court disgusted the Hugue- 



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144 Till: HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

nots to sucli a degree, that most of them 
left the court, while Henry, disguising as 
far as possible the indignation excited by 
his wife's unblushing vices, made 'active 
preparations for taking the field. 

■For more than two years our little 
army was constantly on the move in va- 
rious parts of France, meeting the. enemy 
in skirmishes and engagements with va- 
rious results, sometimes gaining an im- 
portant advantage, then sustaining a dis- 
.astrous defeat, and always preserved 
from destruction by means little less than 
miraculous. 

At the battle of Coutras, where, by the 
military skill and dauntless bravery of 
Henry, a threatened defeat was turned 
into a glorious victory, we first taught 
the French monarch that the Huguenots 
were a foe not to be despised ; and from 
that time the young king of Navarre took 
his place among the princes of Europe as 

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OLD PKIENDS. 145 

an object of love tmd pi-idc to the frieiuls 
of the new faith, and of fear and dread 
to its enemies. 

Towards the close of the battle, as I 
was leading on a corps of reserves, I re- 
ceived a sabre wound in my right side 
and shoulder, which rendei'ed me insen- 
sible. After what seemed to me a long 
sleep, during which I had a multitude of 
harassing dreams, I awoke one afternoon 
wondering greatly where I was and what 
had happened to me. I attempted to 
raise my head, and found to my surprise 
that it was no longer under the control 
of my will, but remained a lifeless weight 
upon the pillow. The right arm was 
equally immovable ; but after repeated 
attempts, I succeeded in drawing apart 
the curtains of serge which surrounded 
the low pallet on which I lay. 

I saw a neat and comfortable room, 
belonging, it would seem, to the better 



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146 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANCE. 

sort of fiirui-houses which are so comnioa 
in Bretagne, simply furnishetl, and light- 
ed by two small windows with diamond- 
shaped panes, over which shades of dark 
paper had been placed to esclnde the 
light. On a bench by the fire sat an 
old woman busily engaged in preparing 
sojnething over the coals, and croning to 
herself an ancient provengal ditty. As 
I dropped the curtain from inability to 
hold it, I heard the door open and some 
one enter, who inquired of the nurse in 
a low tone, 

"Is there any change in jom- pa- 
tient?" 

That Toicc thrilled through every 
nerve of my body, and it seemed to me 
would li0,ve had power to recall my soul 
from the very gates of death, "for it was 
the voice of my friend and tutor M. 
Fauchet. An involuntary exclamation 
brought him to my bedside with sur- 

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OLD TRIENDS, 147 

prise and ploasuro speaking through 
every feature of his well-known counte- 
nance. 

"Ah, Henri," he exclaimed, "ray 
dear, dear young friend, God has heard 
our prayers, and given you back a sec- 
ond time to Ks from the very grave. 
Blessed be his holy name." 

I attempted to speak, but my tongue 
was strangely stiff, and I could only mur- 
mur, 

" "What is it ? "Where am I V 

"You are in the house of a good and 
true man near Ooutras, and have lain 
here in a state of unconsciousness for 
weeks. You were badly wounded at the 
battle of Coutras, and a violent fever was 
the consequence. The king, who loves 
you, and has mourned over your danger, 
sent his own physician to attend you, 
and to his skill, I Ihink, under God, you 
owe your life." 



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148 THE HUGUENOTS OF PEANCE. 

"And yon?'' I inquired, nnable to say 
more. 

"I was on my waj to England," be 
replied, "and learning that some of the 
sufferers had been brought here, I stop- 
ped to inquire into their situation.. When 
i saw you, my pupil, my own dear son, 
t^ink you I could have gone forward, 
leaving you perhaps to die ? But I am 
disobeying the commands of the leech in 
talking to you at all. You must now 
take a composing draught, and sleep 
again, and to-morrow I will see you, and 
answer all your questions as far as I am 
able." 

Too weak to question or contend, I 
obeyed his orders, and soon sank into a 
dreamless sleep. The nest morning I 
awoke faint and feeble indeed, but free 
from fever and with a calm and collected 
brain, and full consciousness of all that 
was passing around me. I had not long 

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OLD FRIENDS. 149 

to wait for 11. Fauchet. When lie en- 
tered tlie room, I saw with pain the rav- 
ages ■which time and sorrow had made in 
his face and form. His once erect figure 
was bent, his face pale and thin, and he 
walked slowly, like one oppressed with 
years or care. He greeted me with all 
the affection of former years, but to m^ 
first question, 

"Where is Adelc?" 

He replied with a hesitation I never 
before saw in him, 

"My child has been for some time past 
with an old and trusted friend in An- 
vergne ; but we are now on our way to 
England, where Madame Touian has 
gone, and offers us a home for the little 
time that may still remain to me in the 
flesh." 

"Is Adele then in this house?" I ea- 
gerly inquired, forgetting all besides in 
my interest in that fact. 



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150 THE HUGUENOTS OF I-'kA^hCE. 

"She is here," be auswered slowly; 
' ' but why should it concern yon, my son ?" 

"Why does it concern me? How can 
you ask me such a question ? It concerns 
me because she is my adopted sister- 
next to my mother and Aim^e, the dear- 
est thing on earth to me ; because we 
have been separated for years, and my 
heart yearns to see her once more. Why 
should you seek to keep us asunder? 
Have you less confidence in us now, than 
when we were comparative children V 

In my eagerness I had forgotten pain 
and debility, but M. Fauchet said with a 
smile as he rose to leave the room, 

"Your cheeks are flushed, Henri, and 
your whole frame agitated; calm your- 
self, I entreat you, and to-morrow yoa 
shall see Adele." 

That was a long, long day, but the 
morrow came at length, and with it an 
increase of strength, which, to those ig- 



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OLD riUENDS, 151. 

norant of the power of mind over matter, 
must have seemed marveilotis indeed. 
Every time the door opened to admit 
the old Breton nurse, my heart beat al- 
most audibly; and when at length M. 
Fauchet appeared, followed by his grand- 
child, my agitation deprived me at first 
of the power of utterance. 

It was the Adele of Montauban, The 
very same ; and yet how changed ! Time 
had not stolen away one lovely trait ; it 
had only heightened and perfected them. 
There was the same union of simplicity 
and dignity, of childlike sweetness with 
womanly maturity, of ingenuous frank- 
ness and maidenly reserve. I am sure 
my soul must have spoken through my 
eyes as I gazed upon her, though at first 
my tongue was utterly powerless. By 
degrees however, as she sat by my side, 
and in her own charming way went over 
the past and related her own story since 



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1(J2 THE HUGUENOTS OP FEANCE. 

we met, my senses camo back to me, iiiid 
we were once raoi'e the Heiiri and Adeic 
of other years. 

"I little thought in those ■days," she 
said playfully, "that my brother Henvi 
would become the famous Huguenot sol- 
dier and wise leader which report speaks 
him, though my heart predicted a brill- 
iant career for yon. How glad and 
proud it has made me in my solitude to 
hear of you as the trusted friend of your 
king, and the brave commander of men 
fighting for the noblest of all causes, re- 
ligious liberty." 

Could any thing be sweeter or more 
welcome than such praise from such lips? 
I listened like one entranced, but M. 
Fauchet said gravely, 

"Do not forget, my child, that our 
good Henri is still in the ficsh, and 
praise, however pleasaut to human na- 
ture, is still dangerous." 



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OLD FEIENDS. 153 

"Forgive me, my fallier," she replied 
with a blush which heightened every 
charm, "but I have not often of late 
been tempted to forgetfulness by any 
wish to go over the happy past. Mon- 
sieur Beauvilliers on this sick-bed is to 
me only the Henri of Montauban, in 
whose presence I was always accustomed 
to think aloud." 

"From my soul I Uiaak you, dear 
Adele, for your favorable opinion ; but it 
will never render me vain, while I know 
myself to be so far below the ideal we 
both formed in our youth, and which is 
constantly before me as an incentive to 
exertion." 

"I am glad you do not consider your- 
self quite perfect," she said with an arch 
smile, "for in that ease I should soon 
lose sight of you entirely. Bat we have 
overstaid the time allowed us by the 
nurse, and shall be held accountable if 



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154 THE HUGUENOTS OF TKAKCE. 

your symptoms arc worse after tliis 
visit." 

In vain I assured her that her pres- 
ence was the best medicine in the world 
for me, that I felt myself every moment 
growing stronger. M. Fauchet was firm, 
and liurried lier away, leaving the room, 
as it seemed to me, in total darkness. 

I saw her twice again, but those inter 
views I shall not attempt to describe. 
As I look back upon them from this dis- 
tance, they seem to have less of earth in 
them than heaven ; for though our hearts 
ran together like drops of water mingled 
into one, no word of love escaped my 
lips. Adelc was to me country and re- 
ligion impersonated ; and in the delicious 
languor of convalescence it was inexpres- 
sibly sweet to lie and watch her graceful 
movements, to hear her burning words, 
and to feel her devotion stealing into my 
heart, filling it with the determination to 



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OLD FRIENDS. 155 

live or die for the sacred cause of lib- 
erty. 

M. Faucliet liad delayed bis departure 
on my account; but when I became able 
to sit up and walk with the aid of a staff, 
he felt it necessary to join Madame Ton- 
Ian, who was impatient at his long de- 
lay. There was iio leave-taking between 
Adele and myself; in my weakness I 
could not have borne it. We parted as 
usual with a simple "good-night," and 
the next morning before I awoke she 
was far away, leaving only a sweet and 
precious memory to console rae for her 



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158 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANCE. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

A PLEASAXT SUKPEISE. 

A FEW clays after the deparUire of M. 
Fauchet and Adele, my nurse entered 
the room, and in her Breton dialect at- 
tempted to cheer my loneliness, but her 
homely proverbs fell on unheeding ears 
until she exclaimed, 

"After all, there 's nothing so bad but 
it might be worse. Now in the other 
part of the house there 's a poor young 
officer worse off than yon are, and not a 
soul but his servant who ever saw him 
before." 

"A sick officer! And why have I 
never heard of this until now ?" 

"Because you had enough to do to 
think of yourself, and because the young 
lady, God bless her sweet face, said you 



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A PLEASANT SUEPEISE. 157 

were not to hear of it until you were 
mucli better ; and I trow she 's one of 
those who can lead people by a silk 
thread just where she pleases." 

" But who is this wounded officer; and 
what is his name V 

"He was on our side in the battle, so 
they say, and he is a born gentleman, 
that is easy enough to see ; but as to his 
name, I never heai'd it." 

"Is he getting better, so that he can 
see me ! If so, I think I could, with 
your help, manage to reach his room." 

"I have no care of him, but I will ask 
his servant, who watches him day and 
night, and bring you word, though you 're 
not fit yourself to be visiting the sick, 
and you a mere shadow." 

Word was soon brought that the sick 
man would see me on the morrow, and I 
spent several hours of the intervening 
time in trying to imagine which of the 

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153 THE HUGUENOTS OF PItANCE. 

officers of our army it could be who was 
thus sharing my sufferiugs and inactiv- 
ity. Most of the Hugaeuot leaders were 
known to ine, for oui- common cause and 
common perils had bound us closely to 
each other. After wearying myself with 
this fruitless endeavor, I wisely resolved 
to dismiss the subject until the next day, 
certain that whoever he might be, every 
thing had been done for him that care 
and skill could accomplish. 

The next morning, leaning on a staff 
and the ai'm of my nurse, I proceeded 
through the large kitchen floored with 
brick, to the apartment of the wounded 
officer on the opposite side of the bouse. 
He was sitting in a large chair supported 
by pillows, and the pale, worn face was 
wholly unknown to me. But as I ap- 
proached, the first words he spoke in 
answer to my greeting startled me to 
such a degree that I had hardly strength 



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A PLEASANT SUEPEISE. 15D 

to seat myself in the chair by his side. 
It was the very same voice which had 
spoken to me on the night of the twenty- 
fourth in Paris; I should have known it 
among ten thousand. The stranger saw 
my agitation, and said with a smile, 

"Am I then an object so frightful as 
to alarm a brave man like the Sicur 
Beauvilliers ?" 

" Do not speak of it," I replied vehe- 
mently; "you know well the cause of 
my emotion. You know when and where 
we met before ; but how is it that I find 
you here, ray friend, my preserver ?" and 
as I held his hand, I am not ashamed to 
own that my tears fell freely over it. 

"You know me, then V he said, strug- 
gling to conceal the emotion which nearly 
overcame him ; " I should not have be- 
lieved it possible, under the circumstan- 
ces of that horrible night, that my voice 
alone would be so long remembered." 



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IGO THE HUGUENOIS OF FEAKCE. 

' ' The most minute details of that night 
are burned into my soul," I replied, 
"and can never be effaced; how then 
could I fail to recognize my generous 
protector, the man to whom I owe more 
than life, the power of protecting those 
dearest to me? But why do I find you 
here, suffering in the cause of the perse- 
cuted Huguenots ?" 

"Yon find me here because the crimes 
of an infamous king and queen mother 
have opened my eyes to the abomina- 
tions of the accursed system v/hich has 
helped to make them what they are ; 
because I could not draw a free breath 
in that den of robbers and murderers 
called the French court. 

""When I left you that night, I went 
back to Paris, not to assist in the work 
of death, but if possible to save some of 
the unfortunates whose cries pierced my 
heart. But when I found the streets 



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A PLEASANT BUKPBISE. IGl 

filled with incarnate demons thiiBtiiig 
ibr blood, and urged on by the anointed 
assassins at the Lonvre, I tnrned and 
fled, feeling as though the earth must 
open and swallow up the actors in that 
fearful tragedy. 

" My father the Count de Yiomenil, 
recently dead, possessed a chateau near 
Rheims, and to that place I directed my 
steps. An aged aunt inhabited the cha- 
teau, and had long been known as a 
friend and protector of the Huguenots, 
whose faith she was suspected of sharing, 
though such was the benevolence and 
purity of her life, that by all the coun- 
try people she was regarded as a saint. 
To her I opened my heart with all its 
doubts and misgivings, and her sympa- 
thy and wise counsels were like balm to 
my troubled spirit. She placed the word 
of God in my hands, and though at first 
I read it in deference to her wishes, I 

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162 THE HUGUEKOTS OF FEANCE. 

soon became interested in it as a mes- 
sage from God to my guilty, darkened 
soul. I Tvill not dwell on that time ; it 
is sufficient to say, I left Rheims deter- 
mined to seek Chaa-les to acquaint him 
with the change in my belief, and then 
cither renounce the military profession 
and retire to my estates, or join my 
brethren who were fighting under Henry 
and Cond^.'' 

"But Iiow dared you," I inquired, 
" thus to beard the lion in his den? The 
risk was fearful." 

"For myself I had no fear," he replied 
with a calm smiie. "I have never val- 
ued life so highly as to hesitate about 
risking it when any thing valuable was 
at stake. Besides, strange as it may 
seem to you, I loved Charles not as the 
monarch, but the man, and my affection 
was returned by him. We were play- 
fellows in childhood, and whatever might 



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A PLEASANT SURPRISE. I(i3 

be his treatment of others, to me he was 
Hniformly kind. It was a painful and 
dangerous taslc to tell hini that my ser- 
vices were no longer at his command — 
that my allegiance was to be withdrawn 
and sworn to another; but it must be 
done." 

" Did you indeed seek Charles of Va- 
lois with such a purpose, and yet live to 
tell the story ?" 

"Listen, and you shall hear. I has- 
tened to Paris and to the Louvre, but 
found the king confined to his couch with 
a disease which baffled the utmost skill 
of the physicians. The unhappy man 
was racked with intense pain, and cov- 
ered with a bloody sweat which seldom 
left him. ' Blood, blood ; it is all around 
rae,' was his continual cry; it seemed as 
though the righteous retribution of Grod 
had already commenced, and was slowly 
consuming its victim. He was evidently 



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llS-i THE HUGUENOTS OE i'liANCE. 

dying, but my presence seemed to give 
him satisfaction, and he begged me to 
stay by him to the last. I could not 
leave him, guilty as he was, for he seem- 
ed forsaken of God and man ; but I ob- 
tained from him a written permission, 
when all was over, to retire to my es- 
tates in Guieiine, assuring him that since 
the 24th of August I could never again 
fight under the banner of the Dnke of 
Guise. 

"The day before his death the iiing 
lay in an insensible state, and fearing 
treachery from Henry of Anjou if I 
awaited his accession, I left Paris se- 
cretly, and made my way at once to the 
Huguenot camp. Concealing myself 
under the name of my mother's family, 
I have fought as a private, and made ray 
way up to my present position unknown 
to all save my faithful valet and friend 
Btienne, who at the battle of Coutras 

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A PLEASANT SUEPEI8E. Ifio 

bore rae insensible from the field, jind 
brought me here, where his care and 
skill have nursed me back to life again." 

"Did you kuovr the name of your fel- 
low-sufferer?" I inquired. 

"Yes; M. Fauchefc, who visited me 
often, once mentioned you incidentally, 
and I made inquiries which satisfied me 
who you were. I have waited impa- 
tiently, I assure you, for this hour." 

I stayed with him until increasing fa- 
tigue warned us both that we were far 
from strong, and then went back to my 
room, thankful to God wlio had tlius un- 
expectedly raised me up a friend in my 
solitude. After this we met every day, 
and each succeeding interview only ce- 
mented more closely the bond of friend- 
ship which united oar hearts. 

For myself, I gained strength hourly, 
and Etienne declared with a broad smile 
that Monsieur Beauvilliers had done his 



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i6G THE HUGUENOTS OP PRANCE. 

master more good than all the medicines 
given him by the leech. As my wound, 
though doing well, would not for many 
weeks admit of my going into active ser- 
vice, I resolved to visit my mothei" and 
sister at the hospitable abode of Madame 
Coligny, and invited M. Yiomenil to ac- 
company me. After some hesitation, he 
accepted the invitation gladly, and we 
began at once to prepare for the journey, 
which we intended making dn horseback, 
and which would occupy nearly three 
days. My servant had been wounded 
at Coutras, and was now in Navarre ; 
but the valet of M. Viomenil was a host 
in himself. He was quick-witted, active, 
and faithful, and possessed an infinite 
variety of resources, so that wo wanted 
for no comfort which his skill could pro- 
cure. 

It was a lovely afternoon in autumn 
wlien wc first caught sight of the beauti- 



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A PLEASANT SUEPRISE. 1C7 

ful Loire, yiiining like a belt of silver 
beneath our feet, while in the distance 
the blue mountains of Auvergne, with 
their rocky sunmiitp rising like gigantic 
barriers, seemed to guard the lovely val- 
ley beneath. The town of Angers, built 
in the form of a crescent, occupies the 
slope of a hill, and descends down to the 
very margin of the river. Its streets are 
steep, narrow, and, dark, and we rode 
through them as rapidly as possible, on 
our way to the chateau, which was situ- 
ated on the left bank of the Loire, at the 
distance of a league from Angers. 

As we entered the grounds of the cha- 
teau, the deep verdure and refreshing 
shade were so grateful, that we lingered 
in the avenue, admiring every thing 
about us, when suddenly the sound of 
voices fell upon our ears ; then light foot- 
stops were 'heard, and soon, emerging 
from a side path, I saw my sister AimSe, 



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168 THE HUGUENOTS OP FEA.NCE. 

her checks glowing, her eyes shining 
like stars, and her straw hat thrown 
back, come flying towards me. 

"It is my brother, my Henri," she 
exclaimed as she threw her arms about 
my neck, for I had dismounted on seeing 
her approach. "Oh, thank God that 
you are able to come to ns once more." 
Ih her joy at seeing rae, she had not no- 
ticed that any one was with me; but 
now, as she saw my companion gazing 
upon her, she blushed, drew back, and 
whispered, " I thought you were alone." 

"I am not alone, dear sister," I re- 
plied; "but you will not regard my 
friend as a stranger, when I tell you he 
is M. Tiomenil, my preserver on the 
night of St. Bartholomew, in Paris." 

"Is it possible!" she exclaimed, her 
whole face bright as a sunbeami. "Tlien 
heaven has heard my prayers in permit- 
ting us to know and thank him. Oh, 



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A PLEASANT SUEPEISE, IGi) 

sir," slie said, giving liirn her hand, "if 
you could see ray heart, you would know 
how fervently I thank you for saving a 
life so precious to ns and to all who know 
him." 

"I am already rewarded a thousand- 
fold for a simple act of humanity, made- 
moiselle," he said, bowing over the hand 
she had extended ; "but your thanks are 
very precious, and I accept them with 
joy and pride." 

" How delighted mamma will be," said 
Aimfe. "I hardly know which of you 
will receive the warmest welcome, we 
have so longed to know the preserver of 
our Henri ; but let us hasten to the house, 
that mamma and Madame Coligny may 
partake the happiness." 

In a few moments we reached the 
house, and were received by my beloved 
mother and her friend with a welcome 
which even now warms my heart as I 



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170 THE HUGUENOTS OF FllANOE. 

recall it. To M. Viomeuil the chateau 
of Angers was a new world. He had 
never known mother or sisters, and hia 
knowledge of female character had been 
chiefly acquired at the Frenek court. 
To him therefore the dignity and intelli- 
gence of Madame Coligny, the matronly 
grace and sweetness of my mother^ and 
the sparkling loveliness of Aim^e, had 
all the charm of novelty; while his heart 
owned for the first time the power of 
female excellence and virtue. A few 
weeks after our arrival at the chateau he 
came to me, saying, 

" My good friend, you brought rae to 
this house well knowing what it contain- 
ed, and how impossible it would be for 
me to associate with your lovely sister 
without yielding my heart to her attrac- 
tions. You cannot therefore be wholly 
unprepared for what I have to tell. you. 
I love Aim^e BeauvilUers, not with a 



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A PLEASANT 8TJEPBISE. 171 

light or transient passion, but as man 
should love the partner of his being for 
time and eternity. Have I yoar per- 
mission, as her guardian and protector, 
to tell her this ? And if I am so happy 
as to gain her consent and that of your 
mother, will you, ray friend, trust me 
with the chai'ge of her happiness ?" 

Nothing could have given me greater 
pleasure than this declaration, and I 
frankly told him so. I knew him to be 
honorable' and high-minded naturally; 
and no one could associate with him, as 
I had for many weeks, without feeling 
the influence of his genuine piety. "You 
have not only my full consent," I said to 
him, "but my best wishes for your suc- 
cess. Aim^e's love will be a.- rich treas- 
ure; but I am sure you deserve and will 
appreciate it as you ought.'' 

The suit of M. Viomenil was success- 
ful ; aud when, with renewed health and 



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172 THE HUGUENOTS OP FUAHGE. 

vigor, we left Angers to join Henry at 
Nerac. we were not only brothers in 
arms and in heart, but joined by a dear- 
er, sweeter tie, the love of our precious 
Aim^e. My mother could not consent 
to part with her child immediately ; but 
in one year M. Viomenil was to claim 
his bride, and until that time both my 
mother and sister would remain at An- 
gers under the powerful protection of 
Madame Coligny. 



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JIY visit: to EiXGLAND. 



CHATTER XV. 

MY VISIT TO ENGLAND, AND ITS CON- 
SEQUENCES. 

Hbney of Navarre and Margaret of 
Prance had parted, after dragging on a 
miserable existence together for two or 
three years, during which time the con- 
duct of Margaret became constantly more 
shameless and abandoned. 

In compliance with the wish of the 
king, I attached myself to his suite, and 
was constantly with him in court or camp. 
Aim^e had become the Countess Vio- 
menil, and had gone with my mother to 
reside on an estate of the count's in Grui- 
enne ; so I was quite alone, and was often 
employed by Henry on various raissiong 
to the different courts of Europe. At 
length matters of state rendered it iieces- 



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3.7i THE HUaUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

sary that an ambassador sliould be sent 
to England, to counteract, if possible, the 
influence which Henry III. was supposed 
to be exerting over Queen Elizabeth. I 
was selected for this purpose ; and after 
a hurried visit to Gruienne, where I found 
my sister the happiest of the happy, I 
embarked at Calais and landed at Dover, 
from whence I went immediately to Lon- 
don. To me, all England held but two 
pei'sons, my tutor and Adele, and I found 
myself scanning every strange face I saw, 
in the vague hope that those dear coun- 
tenances might by some chance bless my 
sight; but I could learn nothing of them. 
There were many French emigres in Lon- 
don and its environs, but no one knew 
aught of M. Fauchet. 

The week after my arrival I had an 
audience at Whitehall, and there for the 
iirst time saw England's Elizabeth, the 
hope and stay of the Protestant cause 



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MY YISIT TO ENGLAND. 175 

througliout Europe. The audience cham- 
ber was a grand and imposing apartment, 
the assembly splendid beyond descrip- 
tion"; but amid it all I had eyes only for 
the, queen, whose look and air, and in- 
deed her every gesture, proclaimed the 
brave and undaunted spirit of her race. 
She received me graciously, saying, in 
the hearing of.all her courtiers, 

"So highly do I prize the friendship 
of my brother Henry of Navarre, that I 
would gladly do him a pleasure even by 
the sacrifice of my own interests ; and I 
rejoice to know from the lips of his friend 
and ambassador, that hitherto God hath 
preserved him from his enemies, and 
given him assurance of ultimate success." 

She then presented me to her princi- 
pal nobility, and placed me Under the 
charge of Lord Hunsdon, her chief lord 
In waiting and her maternal uncle' with 
the direction that nothing should be 



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170 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANCE. 

wanting to make my stay in England as 
agreeable as possible. 

TberG was so mucli ceremony and eti- 
quette in the conrt of Elizabeth, that I 
found it rather tedious, until the young 
Lord Essex, with soldierly frankness, 
offered me his friendship, declaring he 
admired so much the bravery of the 
Huguenots that, next to his own sover- 
eign, he would rather serve under Henry 
of Navarre than any other monarch of 
Europe. With this gifted but unfortu- 
nate nobleman I spent many happy 
hours, and to him I owe the happiest 
hour of my life, that in which I found 
again the companion of my yonth and 
the friend of ripei* years, my own dear 
Adele. 

We had been riding into the country 
at some little distance from London, 
when, passing a low house almost buried 
in shrubbery, Lord Essex remarked. 



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MY VISIT TO ENGLAND. 177 

"Two years ago that house, which 
now looks so desolate, was full of life 
and cheerfulness, and Lady Essex and 
her mother loved better to visit there 
than at any other house about London ; 
and now I think of it, Beauvilliers, they 
were countryworaea of your own who 
lived there, an elderly lady, an old man, 
and a beautiful young girl, now all gone." 

"What was the nai^e?" I inquired, 
my heart beating almost to suffocation. 

"The name of the old lady I have 
forgotten, but that of the young girl was 
Adeie Briancourt I have remembered 
it because both my wife and myself ad- 
mired her so much." 

"Did you say they were gone? Do 
you know where tbey went?" 

" You know them then, since you 
manifest an interest so deep in their 
movements. Well, I can tell yon but 
little, and that little, I fear, far from 



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178 THE HUGUENOTS OF FKANCE. 

satisfactory. The old grandfather died 
first, then the aunt took a fever and fol- 
lowed him, leaving the young girl alone, 
but for a servant, old Madeleine, who 
had come with them from France." 

Poor Adele, how my heart ached for 
her in her loneliness and sorrow, and 
how ardently I longed to shelter her in 
that heart from all the storms of life ; for 
I had learned within the last few mo- 
ments that Adele Brianconrt was dearer 
to me than any other being on earth. 

" Can you tell me where Mademoiselle 
Brianconrt is to be found?" I inquired 
in a tone of forced calmness, though my 
whole soul was convulsed with emotion. 

"I am sorry to say, I do not know," 
he replied; "for though Lady Essex en- 
treated her to come to us after the death 
of her aunt, she declined with many 
thanks, and I heard afterwards accepted 
a situation as French governess In the 



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MY VISIT TO ENGLAND. 179 

country ; but where, we Lave never been 
able to discover." 

" The secret shall not baffle me long," 
was my inward resolution as I parted 
with Lord Essex at Whitehall, and re- 
tired at once to my own lodgings. I 
arranged my affairs, and obtained leave 
of absence for a fortnight; then taking 
my faithful valet with me, -I left London 
with the determination of finding Adele 
before seeing it again. I had formed no 
definite plan of proceeding; it seemed to 
me that my heart would guide me to 
Adele ; and every morning I rose with 
renewed strength and courage, only to 
retire at evening weary and almost dis- 
heartened. There were many families 
who had French governesses, but none 
of them resembled the image stamped 
on my memorj'; none of tbera was the 
grandchild of M. Fauehet. 

At length, when the fortnight had 



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180 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

nearly expired, and I must either neglect 
my doty or return to London, a violent 
storm came on without warning, drench- 
ing me to the skin, exposed as I was on 
horseback, with no adequate protection. 
At that moment my servant pointed out 
a dwelling at hand, in which -we might 
hope for shelter and hospitality. 

It was a long low building, irregularly 
constructed, with a view to comfort rath- 
er than beauty, and surrounded with ex- 
tensive pleasure-grounds, laid out with 
equal taste and skill. A carriage-drive 
bordered with noble trees led up to the 
house, and the park was stocked with 
deer, who turned to look at us as we 
rode through the avenue, then darted 
away through the forest glades with the 
swiftness of thought. Why do I dwell 
on these details? Because every thing 
connected with that spot is of interest to 
me ; because, as I look back, every mi- 



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MY VISIT TO ENGLAND. 181 

nute detail comes np before me with the 
vividness of a picture on which I gazed 
but yesterday. 

We rode round to the courtyard at 
the rear of the house, and dismounting, 
gave our horses to a servant who came 
out and invited us to enter. I requested 
the privilege of going into the kitchen to 
dry my wet garments; but as I entered, 
what was my astonishment to hear the 
exclamation in my own language, 

"It is Monsieur Henri!" and as I 
looked hastily up, I saw before me the 
well-known features of Madame Toulan's 
Montauban servant, Madeleine. 

" "Where is your young mistress ?"- was 
my first inquiry; "where is Ma'amselle 
Adele V 

"Not far away, you may be sure, 
when you see my good Madeleine," said 
a sweet voice at my side ; and turning, 
Adele Briancourt stood before me, a lit- 



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182 THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCK. 

tie thinner and paler than when I saw 
her last, but otherwise unchanged. Time 
and sorrow seemed to have no power 
over her spiritual beauty ; in loneliness 
and dependence she was the same cheer- 
ful, happy being, shedding the sunshine 
of her own heart over all around her. 

"We are fortunately alone," she said, 
when the first joyous greetings were 
over, "as the family are all absent to- 
day at a fair in the next town. They 
ai'e good and worthy people; but I am 
selfish enough to wish to have you all to 
myself for one day, before sharing your 
visit with others." 

"Ah, dear Adele," I replied, "I have 
sought you sorrowing for many days, 
and when I was ready to despair, God 
has given you to me ; my heart is too 
full of happiness to care for aught else." 

"I heard of you in England, my friend, 
and there were times when my heart 



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MY VISIT TO ENGLAND. 183 

almost broke with longing to see you 
once more; but pride forbade the ob- 
scure governess to make herself known 
to the courted, flattered ambassador." 

My answer to this remark I shall not 
attempt to give. It. is enough to say that 
we were very happy; and as my time 
was short, I had made such good use of 
it, that before the return of the family at 
evening, I had won the consent of Adele 
to go back to France with me, never 
more to be separated on earth. 

The next day I returned to London 
with a glad heart, to finish my business 
there, and to make preparations for 
claiming the lovely and beloved compan- 
ion who was to share my return to oiir 
native country. To my great surprise, 
on my first audience Queen Elizabeth 
condescended to interest herself in my 
little story, which she had heard from 
Essex, and complimented me on what 

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184 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANOE. 

she was pleased to term the reward of 
constancy. She graciously expressed a 
wish to see the lady of my choice ; and 
accordingly, when I brought Adele to 
London as my wife, she was presented to 
the queen, and though perhaps I ought 
not to say it, not one among the beauti- 
ful women who surrounded their sover- 
eign outshone my charming bride. 

On our return to France, our first visit 
was to Guienne, that the new daughter 
and sister might be welcomed there as 
she deserved. At the urgent request of 
my mother and sister, I left her with 
them during the campaigns which ended 
with the glorious battle of Ivr}-; after 
which I took her to a chateau I had pur- 
chased near Angers, where several hap- 
py years were spent, until the aeeession 
of Henry IV. to the throne of France ; 
after which we removed in his train to 
Paris. 



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ACCESSION or HENRY IV. 



CHAPTER XYI. 



Henry IH. of France, who Eisccnded 
the throne after the death of Charles IX., 
bad been at school and college with the 
king of Navarre, and was inclined to look 
upon- him with more favor than any other 
member of his family had ever been. 
Catharine de Medieis was dead, gone to 
her last account with all her innumera- 
ble sins upon her head; and thus Henry 
was saved from the domestic inilucnce 
ever at hand to lead the unhappy Ciiarles 
into public and private crimes. But the 
reign of Henry was far from being peace- 
ful or happy. 

The Duke of Mayenne, a powerful no- 
bleman, formed a league of all the dis- 
contented spirits in the realm, and took 



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18G THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

possession of the capital, driving out the 
king and court. Henry III. then formed 
an alliance with Heni-y of Navarre, and 
together they laid siege to Paris. While 
in camp there, Henry was assassinated. 
by an agent of the League, brought for 
that purpose from the monastery of 
Troyes. He lived a few days, and then 
expired, leaving his crown to the king 
of Navarre, if he had strength and skill 
sufficient to seize and retain it. 

Paris was in a state of open rebellion 
against its legitimate sovereign. Many 
of the large towns were held by a small 
minority of turbulent nobles ; the small 
towns were either wavering or disaf- 
fected, and the rural districts presented 
every shade of opinion within a few 
leagues. One province was nearly all 
Catholic, another all Protestant, and 
still another equally divided. All re- 
spect for the law had long since disap- 



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ACCESSION OF HENRY IV. 187 

peared, for tlio vices of the court li;id 
banished all notiongi.of morality. In fact 
the whole fabric of French society was 
disorganized, and no common principle 
of action was strong enough to bind to- 
gether the members of any great party. 

Immediately after the death of the 
king of France, Henry of Navarre en- 
tered the room, and declared that by the 
laws of the realm and the will of the late 
king, he, as his lawful successor, assumed 
the crown: A few of those present sa- 
luted him and shouted, "Vive Henri 
Quatre!" but many stood aloof, unwill- 
ing to commit themselves at that mo- 
ment to any course of action. 

Just then the Duke of Longucville, at 
the head of a large body of nobles, en- 
tered, and coming up to the new king, 
in a long oration pointed out to him the 
dangers of his situation, and besought 
him to embrace at once the Ca.tholic re- 



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188 THE HUGUEHOTS OF FRANCE. 

ligioii as the only means of securing the 
nobility on his side. I was standing by 
the king, and saw the strong effort made 
by him to control his indignation while 
the duke was speaking. He was very 
pale, but perfectly calm as he replied in 
burning words which arc indelibly im- 
pressed on my memory. 

"Among the many wonders, gentle- 
men, with which Grod has been pleased to 
visit us during the last twenty-four hours, 
thatwhich is caused by your proceeding is 
what I should least have expected. Your 
tears, are theyalready dried? The mem- 
ory of your loss and the entreaties of 
your king, not three hours dead, have 
they so soon vanished ? It is impossible 
that all here can have agreed on. all 
points of what I have just heard uttered, 
to take me by the throat at the first mo- 
ment of my accession, at'so dangerous a 
moment to think to drag me to thatwhicli 



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ACCESSION OF HENRY IV. 189 

men have been unable to force so many 
humble persons to do, beeanse they knew 
how to die. And from whom can you 
expect such a change of faith, except 
from a man who has none at all ? Would 
it be more agreeable to you to have a 
king who is an atheist? And in.the day 
of battle, would you follow with confi- 
dence the will and guidance of a perjured 
apostate ? Yes, it is as you say, the King 
of Navarre has suffered great disasters 
without being shaken, by them. Can he 
cast off spirit .and strength on the steps 
of the throne ? However, that you may 
not call my firmness obstinacy, nor my 
prudence cowardice, I reply to yon that 
I appeal from the judgment of this com- 
pany to yourselves, when you have had 
time to think, and when there are more 
peers of France and officers of the crown 
present than I see here on this occasion. 
Those who cannot wait for riper deliber- 



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190 THE HUGUENOTS OF FltANCE. 

atioii, and wlio yield to the brief and 
vain success of the enemies of the state, 
have my full leave to seek their wages 
under insolent masters ; I shall yet have 
all those among the Catholics who love 
France and their honoi\" 

This address, poured out with the im- 
petuosity of his fiery nature, carried con- 
viction to all hearts, and as soon as it 
was ended, the brave Givry came in, 
and throwing himself at the feet of the 
king, exclaimed, 

"I have just seen the flower of your 
brave nobility, sire, who reserve, till 
tliey have taken vengeance, their tears 
for their dead king, and wait with impa- 
tience for the- commands of their living 
monarch. You are the king of the brave, 
sire, and none but cowards will abandon 
yon:' 

But though the nominal king of France, 
the sovereignty existed for years but in 

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ACCESSIOK OP HEHEY IV. 191 

name. Henry was constantly in camp, 
reducing strong fortresses held by parti- 
sans of the League, and endeavoring, as 
far as possible, to arrange measures ot 
finance, in order to replenisli the ex- 
hausted treasury. His bravery, gener- 
osity, and the wise statesmanship that 
distinguished all his movements, pro- 
duced their natural effects, and won to 
his cause thousands who at first hated 
and opposed him. In a few years after 
his accession he entered Paris in tri- 
umph, not only as a conqueror, but as 
the acknowledged and venerated father 
of his subjects. He had contended with 
the arms and intrigues of the whole Cath- 
olic world, and foiled them all; he had 
overcome the hatred of his people, van- 
quished his enemies, subdued his rebel- 
lious subjects, and turned coldness, indif- 
ference, and even prejudice into love, 
reverence, and admiration 



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192 THE IIDGUENOTS OF FRANCE. 

I confess, as I looked upon him in the 
Louvre, the centre of a brilliant throng 
of the highest nobility of France, tlie 
first gentleman, as he was the first mon- 
arch of Europe, and remembered his 
childish words in the garden of Pau, I 
felt 'proud of him as a countryman, a 
friend, and a sovereign, under whom one 
might gladly live, and for whom one 
might willingly die. He was now in the 
zenith of his power and fame, and had 
just obtained a divorce from Margaret of 
Valois, which left him free to contract 
any marriage which inclination or state 
policy might dictate. The proudest 
houses in Europe would gladly have 
opened to receive his addresses. The 
choice fell upon Mary de Medicis, a 
member of the same Florentine family 
whose alliance had already been so dis- 
astrous to France. If the new queen ol 
Henry IT. had less craft and cunning 



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DEATH OF HENEY IV, 193 

than her kiuswoman, she proved to be 
equally uascrtipulous and destitute of 
principle. During a long life she never 
made one faithful friend, and died at 
last in a garret in Cologne, the wife and 
mother of kings, dependent on the char- 
ity of a domestic for the daily bread 
which sustained her miserable existence. 

The office conferred upon me by the 
king, that of superintendent of finance, 
rendered it necessary for me to reside in 
Paris; and as the Count de Viomenil, 
now commandant of the king's guards, 
also took a house in the capital, we were 
all very happy in our reunion. My 
mother found her youth renewed in the 
children of her beloved Aim^e and Adele, 
while the young and still lovely mothers 
were among the brightest ornaments of 
the court. 

But a terrible reverse awaited us. In 
the midst of power, prosperity, andsplen- 



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108 THE HUGUENOTS OF FEANCE. 

the thrift and mechanical skill of France 
was being emptied into the lap of Eng- 
gland by this process of expatriation. 

And now, niy children, my pleasaat 
task is ended, for I need not recall scenes 
with which you are even more familiar 
than myself. Yon know how I loved 
your excellent mother, how deeply I 
monrned her loss; but you cannot know 
the joy with which I look forward to a 
reunion with her in that blessed land, of 
which the Lord God and the Lamb are 
the light, and where they go no more out 
for ever. 



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