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diff --git a/1854-h/1854-h.htm b/1854-h/1854-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..eea190f --- /dev/null +++ b/1854-h/1854-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,14384 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + Catherine De' Medici, by Honore de Balzac + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Catherine de' Medici, by Honore de Balzac + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Catherine de' Medici + +Author: Honore de Balzac + +Translator: Katharine Prescott Wormeley + +Release Date: March 3, 2010 [EBook #1854] +Last Updated: November 22, 2016 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CATHERINE DE' MEDICI *** + + + + +Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger + + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + CATHERINE DE’ MEDICI + </h1> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Honore de Balzac + </h2> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h3> + Translated by Katherine Prescott Wormeley + </h3> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + DEDICATION + + To Monsieur le Marquis de Pastoret, Member of the Academie des + Beaux-Arts. + + When we think of the enormous number of volumes that have been + published on the question as to where Hannibal crossed the Alps, + without our being able to decide to-day whether it was (according + to Whittaker and Rivaz) by Lyon, Geneva, the Great Saint-Bernard, + and the valley of Aosta; or (according to Letronne, Follard, + Saint-Simon and Fortia d’Urbano) by the Isere, Grenoble, + Saint-Bonnet, Monte Genevra, Fenestrella, and the Susa passage; + or (according to Larauza) by the Mont Cenis and the Susa; or + (according to Strabo, Polybius and Lucanus) by the Rhone, Vienne, + Yenne, and the Dent du Chat; or (according to some intelligent + minds) by Genoa, La Bochetta, and La Scrivia,—an opinion which I + share and which Napoleon adopted,—not to speak of the verjuice + with which the Alpine rocks have been bespattered by other learned + men,—is it surprising, Monsieur le marquis, to see modern history + so bemuddled that many important points are still obscure, and the + most odious calumnies still rest on names that ought to be + respected? + + And let me remark, in passing, that Hannibal’s crossing has been + made almost problematical by these very elucidations. For + instance, Pere Menestrier thinks that the Scoras mentioned by + Polybius is the Saona; Letronne, Larauza and Schweighauser think + it is the Isere; Cochard, a learned Lyonnais, calls it the Drome, + and for all who have eyes to see there are between Scoras and + Scrivia great geographical and linguistical resemblances,—to say + nothing of the probability, amounting almost to certainty, that + the Carthaginian fleet was moored in the Gulf of Spezzia or the + roadstead of Genoa. I could understand these patient researches if + there were any doubt as to the battle of Canna; but inasmuch as + the results of that great battle are known, why blacken paper with + all these suppositions (which are, as it were, the arabesques of + hypothesis) while the history most important to the present day, + that of the Reformation, is full of such obscurities that we are + ignorant of the real name of the man who navigated a vessel by + steam to Barcelona at the period when Luther and Calvin were + inaugurating the insurrection of thought.[*] + + You and I hold, I think, the same opinion, after having made, each + in his own way, close researches as to the grand and splendid + figure of Catherine de’ Medici. Consequently, I have thought that + my historical studies upon that queen might properly be dedicated + to an author who has written so much on the history of the + Reformation; while at the same time I offer to the character and + fidelity of a monarchical writer a public homage which may, + perhaps, be valuable on account of its rarity. + + [*] The name of the man who tried this experiment at Barcelona + should be given as Salomon de Caux, not Caus. That great man + has always been unfortunate; even after his death his name is + mangled. Salomon, whose portrait taken at the age of forty-six + was discovered by the author of the “Comedy of Human Life” at + Heidelberg, was born at Caux in Normandy. He was the author of + a book entitled “The Causes of Moving Forces,” in which he + gave the theory of the expansion and condensation of steam. + He died in 1635. +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + Contents + </h2> + <h3> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> <b>CATHERINE DE’ MEDICI</b> </a><br /><br /> <a + href="#link2H_INTR"> INTRODUCTION </a><br /> + </h3> + <h3> + </h3> + <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto"> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_PART1"> <b>PART I</b>. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE CALVINIST MARTYR + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> I. </a> + </td> + <td> + A HOUSE WHICH NO LONGER EXISTS + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0005"> II. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE BURGHERS + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0006"> III. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE CHATEAU DE BLOIS + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0007"> IV. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE QUEEN-MOTHER + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0008"> V. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE COURT + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0009"> VI. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE LITTLE LEVER OF FRANCOIS II. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0010"> VII. </a> + </td> + <td> + A DRAMA IN A SURCOAT + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0011"> VIII. </a> + </td> + <td> + MARTYRDOM + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0012"> IX. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE TUMULT AT AMBOISE + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0013"> X. </a> + </td> + <td> + COSMO RUGGIERO + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0014"> XI. </a> + </td> + <td> + AMBROISE PARE + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0015"> XII. </a> + </td> + <td> + DEATH OF FRANCOIS II + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0016"> XIII. </a> + </td> + <td> + CALVIN + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0017"> XIV. </a> + </td> + <td> + CATHERINE IN POWER + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0018"> XV. </a> + </td> + <td> + COMPENSATION + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_PART2"> <b>PART II</b>. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE SECRETS OF THE RUGGIERI + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0020"> I. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE COURT UNDER CHARLES IX. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0021"> II. </a> + </td> + <td> + SCHEMES AGAINST SCHEMES + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0022"> III. </a> + </td> + <td> + MARIE TOUCHET + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0023"> IV. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE KING’S TALE + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0024"> V. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE ALCHEMISTS + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + + </td> + <td> + + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_PART3"> <b>PART III</b>.</a> + </td> + <td> + + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_4_0026"> I. </a> + </td> + <td> + TWO DREAMS + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h1> + CATHERINE DE’ MEDICI + </h1> + <p> + <a name="link2H_INTR" id="link2H_INTR"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + INTRODUCTION + </h2> + <p> + There is a general cry of paradox when scholars, struck by some historical + error, attempt to correct it; but, for whoever studies modern history to + its depths, it is plain that historians are privileged liars, who lend + their pen to popular beliefs precisely as the newspapers of the day, or + most of them, express the opinions of their readers. + </p> + <p> + Historical independence has shown itself much less among lay writers than + among those of the Church. It is from the Benedictines, one of the glories + of France, that the purest light has come to us in the matter of history,—so + long, of course, as the interests of the order were not involved. About + the middle of the eighteenth century great and learned controversialists, + struck by the necessity of correcting popular errors endorsed by + historians, made and published to the world very remarkable works. Thus + Monsieur de Launoy, nicknamed the “Expeller of Saints,” made cruel war + upon the saints surreptitiously smuggled into the Church. Thus the + emulators of the Benedictines, the members (too little recognized) of the + Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres, began on many obscure + historical points a series of monographs, which are admirable for + patience, erudition, and logical consistency. Thus Voltaire, for a + mistaken purpose and with ill-judged passion, frequently cast the light of + his mind on historical prejudices. Diderot undertook in this direction a + book (much too long) on the era of imperial Rome. If it had not been for + the French Revolution, <i>criticism</i> applied to history might then have + prepared the elements of a good and true history of France, the proofs for + which had long been gathered by the Benedictines. Louis XVI., a just mind, + himself translated the English work in which Walpole endeavored to explain + Richard III.,—a work much talked of in the last century. + </p> + <p> + Why do personages so celebrated as kings and queens, so important as the + generals of armies, become objects of horror or derision? Half the world + hesitates between the famous song on Marlborough and the history of + England, and it also hesitates between history and popular tradition as to + Charles IX. At all epochs when great struggles take place between the + masses and authority, the populace creates for itself an <i>ogre-esque</i> + personage—if it is allowable to coin a word to convey a just idea. + Thus, to take an example in our own time, if it had not been for the + “Memorial of Saint Helena,” and the controversies between the Royalists + and the Bonapartists, there was every probability that the character of + Napoleon would have been misunderstood. A few more Abbe de Pradits, a few + more newspaper articles, and from being an emperor, Napoleon would have + turned into an ogre. + </p> + <p> + How does error propagate itself? The mystery is accomplished under our + very eyes without our perceiving it. No one suspects how much solidity the + art of printing has given both to the envy which pursues greatness, and to + the popular ridicule which fastens a contrary sense on a grand historical + act. Thus, the name of the Prince de Polignac is given throughout the + length and breadth of France to all bad horses that require whipping; and + who knows how that will affect the opinion of the future as to the <i>coup + d’Etat</i> of the Prince de Polignac himself? In consequence of a whim of + Shakespeare—or perhaps it may have been a revenge, like that of + Beaumarchais on Bergasse (Bergearss)—Falstaff is, in England, a type + of the ridiculous; his very name provokes laughter; he is the king of + clowns. Now, instead of being enormously pot-bellied, absurdly amorous, + vain, drunken, old, and corrupted, Falstaff was one of the most + distinguished men of his time, a Knight of the Garter, holding a high + command in the army. At the accession of Henry V. Sir John Falstaff was + only thirty-four years old. This general, who distinguished himself at the + battle of Agincourt, and there took prisoner the Duc d’Alencon, captured, + in 1420, the town of Montereau, which was vigorously defended. Moreover, + under Henry VI. he defeated ten thousand French troops with fifteen + hundred weary and famished men. + </p> + <p> + So much for war. Now let us pass to literature, and see our own Rabelais, + a sober man who drank nothing but water, but is held to be, nevertheless, + an extravagant lover of good cheer and a resolute drinker. A thousand + ridiculous stories are told about the author of one of the finest books in + French literature,—“Pantagruel.” Aretino, the friend of Titian, and + the Voltaire of his century, has, in our day, a reputation the exact + opposite of his works and of his character; a reputation which he owes to + a grossness of wit in keeping with the writings of his age, when broad + farce was held in honor, and queens and cardinals wrote tales which would + be called, in these days, licentious. One might go on multiplying such + instances indefinitely. + </p> + <p> + In France, and that, too, during the most serious epoch of modern history, + no woman, unless it be Brunehaut or Fredegonde, has suffered from popular + error so much as Catherine de’ Medici; whereas Marie de’ Medici, all of + whose actions were prejudicial to France, has escaped the shame which + ought to cover her name. Marie de’ Medici wasted the wealth amassed by + Henri IV.; she never purged herself of the charge of having known of the + king’s assassination; her <i>intimate</i> was d’Epernon, who did not ward + off Ravaillac’s blow, and who was proved to have known the murderer + personally for a long time. Marie’s conduct was such that she forced her + son to banish her from France, where she was encouraging her other son, + Gaston, to rebel; and the victory Richelieu at last won over her (on the + Day of the Dupes) was due solely to the discovery the cardinal made, and + imparted to Louis XIII., of secret documents relating to the death of + Henri IV. + </p> + <p> + Catherine de’ Medici, on the contrary, saved the crown of France; she + maintained the royal authority in the midst of circumstances under which + more than one great prince would have succumbed. Having to make head + against factions and ambitions like those of the Guises and the house of + Bourbon, against men such as the two Cardinals of Lorraine, the two + Balafres, and the two Condes, against the queen Jeanne d’Albret, Henri + IV., the Connetable de Montmorency, Calvin, the three Colignys, Theodore + de Beze, she needed to possess and to display the rare qualities and + precious gifts of a statesman under the mocking fire of the Calvinist + press. + </p> + <p> + Those facts are incontestable. Therefore, to whosoever burrows into the + history of the sixteenth century in France, the figure of Catherine de’ + Medici will seem like that of a great king. When calumny is once + dissipated by facts, recovered with difficulty from among the + contradictions of pamphlets and false anecdotes, all explains itself to + the fame of this extraordinary woman, who had none of the weaknesses of + her sex, who lived chaste amid the license of the most dissolute court in + Europe, and who, in spite of her lack of money, erected noble public + buildings, as if to repair the loss caused by the iconoclasms of the + Calvinists, who did as much harm to art as to the body politic. Hemmed in + between the Guises who claimed to be the heirs of Charlemagne and the + factious younger branch who sought to screen the treachery of the + Connetable de Bourbon behind the throne, Catherine, forced to combat + heresy which was seeking to annihilate the monarchy, without friends, + aware of treachery among the leaders of the Catholic party, foreseeing a + republic in the Calvinist party, Catherine employed the most dangerous but + the surest weapon of public policy,—craft. She resolved to trick and + so defeat, successively, the Guises who were seeking the ruin of the house + of Valois, the Bourbons who sought the crown, and the Reformers (the + Radicals of those days) who dreamed of an impossible republic—like + those of our time; who have, however, nothing to reform. Consequently, so + long as she lived, the Valois kept the throne of France. The great + historian of that time, de Thou, knew well the value of this woman when, + on hearing of her death, he exclaimed: “It is not a woman, it is monarchy + itself that has died!” + </p> + <p> + Catherine had, in the highest degree, the sense of royalty, and she + defended it with admirable courage and persistency. The reproaches which + Calvinist writers have cast upon her are to her glory; she incurred them + by reason only of her triumphs. Could she, placed as she was, triumph + otherwise than by craft? The whole question lies there. + </p> + <p> + As for violence, that means is one of the most disputed questions of + public policy; in our time it has been answered on the Place Louis XV., + where they have now set up an Egyptian stone, as if to obliterate regicide + and offer a symbol of the system of materialistic policy which governs us; + it was answered at the Carmes and at the Abbaye; answered on the steps of + Saint-Roch; answered once more by the people against the king before the + Louvre in 1830, as it has since been answered by Lafayette’s best of all + possible republics against the republican insurrection at Saint-Merri and + the rue Transnonnain. All power, legitimate or illegitimate, must defend + itself when attacked; but the strange thing is that where the people are + held heroic in their victory over the nobility, power is called murderous + in its duel with the people. If it succumbs after its appeal to force, + power is then called imbecile. The present government is attempting to + save itself by two laws from the same evil Charles X. tried to escape by + two ordinances; is it not a bitter derision? Is craft permissible in the + hands of power against craft? may it kill those who seek to kill it? The + massacres of the Revolution have replied to the massacres of + Saint-Bartholomew. The people, become king, have done against the king and + the nobility what the king and the nobility did against the insurgents of + the sixteenth century. Therefore the popular historians, who know very + well that in a like case the people will do the same thing over again, + have no excuse for blaming Catherine de’ Medici and Charles IX. + </p> + <p> + “All power,” said Casimir Perier, on learning what power ought to be, “is + a permanent conspiracy.” We admire the anti-social maxims put forth by + daring writers; why, then, this disapproval which, in France, attaches to + all social truths when boldly proclaimed? This question will explain, in + itself alone, historical errors. Apply the answer to the destructive + doctrines which flatter popular passions, and to the conservative + doctrines which repress the mad efforts of the people, and you will find + the reason of the unpopularity and also the popularity of certain + personages. Laubardemont and Laffemas were, like some men of to-day, + devoted to the defence of power in which they believed. Soldiers or + judges, they all obeyed royalty. In these days d’Orthez would be dismissed + for having misunderstood the orders of the ministry, but Charles X. left + him governor of a province. The power of the many is accountable to no + one; the power of one is compelled to render account to its subjects, to + the great as well as to the small. + </p> + <p> + Catherine, like Philip the Second and the Duke of Alba, like the Guises + and Cardinal Granvelle, saw plainly the future that the Reformation was + bringing upon Europe. She and they saw monarchies, religion, authority + shaken. Catherine wrote, from the cabinet of the kings of France, a + sentence of death to that spirit of inquiry which then began to threaten + modern society; a sentence which Louis XIV. ended by executing. The + revocation of the Edict of Nantes was an unfortunate measure only so far + as it caused the irritation of all Europe against Louis XIV. At another + period England, Holland, and the Holy Roman Empire would not have welcomed + banished Frenchmen and encouraged revolt in France. + </p> + <p> + Why refuse, in these days, to the majestic adversary of the most barren of + heresies the grandeur she derived from the struggle itself? Calvinists + have written much against the “craftiness” of Charles IX.; but travel + through France, see the ruins of noble churches, estimate the fearful + wounds given by the religionists to the social body, learn what vengeance + they inflicted, and you will ask yourself, as you deplore the evils of + individualism (the disease of our present France, the germ of which was in + the questions of liberty of conscience then agitated),—you will ask + yourself, I say, on which side were the executioners. There are, + unfortunately, as Catherine herself says in the third division of this + Study of her career, “in all ages hypocritical writers always ready to + weep over the fate of two hundred scoundrels killed necessarily.” Caesar, + who tried to move the senate to pity the attempt of Catiline, might + perhaps have got the better of Cicero could he have had an Opposition and + its newspapers at his command. + </p> + <p> + Another consideration explains the historical and popular disfavor in + which Catherine is held. The Opposition in France has always been + Protestant, because it has had no policy but that of <i>negation</i>; it + inherits the theories of Lutherans, Calvinists, and Protestants on the + terrible words “liberty,” “tolerance,” “progress,” and “philosophy.” Two + centuries have been employed by the opponents of power in establishing the + doubtful doctrine of the <i>libre arbitre</i>,—liberty of will. Two + other centuries were employed in developing the first corollary of liberty + of will, namely, liberty of conscience. Our century is endeavoring to + establish the second, namely, political liberty. + </p> + <p> + Placed between the ground already lost and the ground still to be + defended, Catherine and the Church proclaimed the salutary principle of + modern societies, <i>una fides, unus dominus</i>, using their power of + life and death upon the innovators. Though Catherine was vanquished, + succeeding centuries have proved her justification. The product of liberty + of will, religious liberty, and political liberty (not, observe this, to + be confounded with civil liberty) is the France of to-day. What is the + France of 1840? A country occupied exclusively with material interests,—without + patriotism, without conscience; where power has no vigor; where election, + the fruit of liberty of will and political liberty, lifts to the surface + none but commonplace men; where brute force has now become a necessity + against popular violence; where discussion, spreading into everything, + stifles the action of legislative bodies; where money rules all questions; + where individualism—the dreadful product of the division of property + <i>ad infinitum</i>—will suppress the family and devour all, even + the nation, which egoism will some day deliver over to invasion. Men will + say, “Why not the Czar?” just as they said, “Why not the Duc d’Orleans?” + We don’t cling to many things even now; but fifty years hence we shall + cling to nothing. + </p> + <p> + Thus, according to Catherine de’ Medici and according to all those who + believe in a well-ordered society, in <i>social man</i>, the subject + cannot have liberty of will, ought not to <i>teach</i> the dogma of + liberty of conscience, or demand political liberty. But, as no society can + exist without guarantees granted to the subject against the sovereign, + there results for the subject <i>liberties</i> subject to restriction. + Liberty, no; liberties, yes,—precise and well-defined liberties. + That is in harmony with the nature of things. + </p> + <p> + It is, assuredly, beyond the reach of human power to prevent the liberty + of thought; and no sovereign can interfere with money. The great statesmen + who were vanquished in the long struggle (it lasted five centuries) + recognized the right of subjects to great liberties; but they did not + admit their right to publish anti-social thoughts, nor did they admit the + indefinite liberty of the subject. To them the words “subject” and + “liberty” were terms that contradicted each other; just as the theory of + citizens being all equal constitutes an absurdity which nature contradicts + at every moment. To recognize the necessity of a religion, the necessity + of authority, and then to leave to subjects the right to deny religion, + attack its worship, oppose the exercise of power by public expression + communicable and communicated by thought, was an impossibility which the + Catholics of the sixteenth century would not hear of. + </p> + <p> + Alas! the victory of Calvinism will cost France more in the future than it + has yet cost her; for religious sects and humanitarian, equality-levelling + politics are, to-day, the tail of Calvinism; and, judging by the mistakes + of the present power, its contempt for intellect, its love for material + interests, in which it seeks the basis of its support (though material + interests are the most treacherous of all supports), we may predict that + unless some providence intervenes, the genius of destruction will again + carry the day over the genius of preservation. The assailants, who have + nothing to lose and all to gain, understand each other thoroughly; whereas + their rich adversaries will not make any sacrifice either of money or + self-love to draw to themselves supporters. + </p> + <p> + The art of printing came to the aid of the opposition begun by the Vaudois + and the Albigenses. As soon as human thought, instead of condensing + itself, as it was formerly forced to do to remain in communicable form, + took on a multitude of garments and became, as it were, the people itself, + instead of remaining a sort of axiomatic divinity, there were two + multitudes to combat,—the multitude of ideas, and the multitude of + men. The royal power succumbed in that warfare, and we are now assisting, + in France, at its last combination with elements which render its + existence difficult, not to say impossible. Power is action, and the + elective principle is discussion. There is no policy, no statesmanship + possible where discussion is permanent. + </p> + <p> + Therefore we ought to recognize the grandeur of the woman who had the eyes + to see this future and fought it bravely. That the house of Bourbon was + able to succeed to the house of Valois, that it found a crown preserved to + it, was due solely to Catherine de’ Medici. Suppose the second Balafre had + lived? No matter how strong the Bearnais was, it is doubtful whether he + could have seized the crown, seeing how dearly the Duc de Mayenne and the + remains of the Guise party sold it to him. The means employed by + Catherine, who certainly had to reproach herself with the deaths of + Francois II. and Charles IX., whose lives might have been saved in time, + were never, it is observable, made the subject of accusations by either + the Calvinists or modern historians. Though there was no poisoning, as + some grave writers have said, there was other conduct almost as criminal; + there is no doubt she hindered Pare from saving one, and allowed the other + to accomplish his own doom by moral assassination. But the sudden death of + Francois II., and that of Charles IX., were no injury to the Calvinists, + and therefore the causes of these two events remained in their secret + sphere, and were never suspected either by the writers of the people of + that day; they were not divined except by de Thou, l’Hopital, and minds of + that calibre, or by the leaders of the two parties who were coveting or + defending the throne, and believed such means necessary to their end. + </p> + <p> + Popular songs attacked, strangely enough, Catherine’s morals. Every one + knows the anecdote of the soldier who was roasting a goose in the + courtyard of the chateau de Tours during the conference between Catherine + and Henri IV., singing, as he did so, a song in which the queen was + grossly insulted. Henri IV. drew his sword to go out and kill the man; but + Catherine stopped him and contented herself with calling from the window + to her insulter:— + </p> + <p> + “Eh! but it was Catherine who gave you the goose.” + </p> + <p> + Though the executions at Amboise were attributed to Catherine, and though + the Calvinists made her responsible for all the inevitable evils of that + struggle, it was with her as it was, later, with Robespierre, who is still + waiting to be justly judged. Catherine was, moreover, rightly punished for + her preference for the Duc d’Anjou, to whose interests the two elder + brothers were sacrificed. Henri III., like all spoilt children, ended in + becoming absolutely indifferent to his mother, and he plunged voluntarily + into the life of debauchery which made of him what his mother had made of + Charles IX., a husband without sons, a king without heirs. Unhappily the + Duc d’Alencon, Catherine’s last male child, had already died, a natural + death. + </p> + <p> + The last words of the great queen were like a summing up of her lifelong + policy, which was, moreover, so plain in its common-sense that all + cabinets are seen under similar circumstances to put it in practice. + </p> + <p> + “Enough cut off, my son,” she said when Henri III. came to her death-bed + to tell her that the great enemy of the crown was dead, “<i>now piece + together</i>.” + </p> + <p> + By which she meant that the throne should at once reconcile itself with + the house of Lorraine and make use of it, as the only means of preventing + evil results from the hatred of the Guises,—by holding out to them + the hope of surrounding the king. But the persistent craft and + dissimulation of the woman and the Italian, which she had never failed to + employ, was incompatible with the debauched life of her son. Catherine de’ + Medici once dead, the policy of the Valois died also. + </p> + <p> + Before undertaking to write the history of the manners and morals of this + period in action, the author of this Study has patiently and minutely + examined the principal reigns in the history of France, the quarrel of the + Burgundians and the Armagnacs, that of the Guises and the Valois, each of + which covers a century. His first intention was to write a picturesque + history of France. Three women—Isabella of Bavaria, Catharine and + Marie de’ Medici—hold an enormous place in it, their sway reaching + from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century, ending in Louis XIV. Of + these three queens, Catherine is the finer and more interesting. Hers was + virile power, dishonored neither by the terrible amours of Isabella nor by + those, even more terrible, though less known, of Marie de’ Medici. + Isabella summoned the English into France against her son, and loved her + brother-in-law, the Duc d’Orleans. The record of Marie de’ Medici is + heavier still. Neither had political genius. + </p> + <p> + It was in the course of these studies that the writer acquired the + conviction of Catherine’s greatness; as he became initiated into the + constantly renewed difficulties of her position, he saw with what + injustice historians—all influenced by Protestants—had treated + this queen. Out of this conviction grew the three sketches which here + follow; in which some erroneous opinions formed upon Catherine, also upon + the persons who surrounded her, and on the events of her time, are + refuted. If this book is placed among the Philosophical Studies, it is + because it shows the Spirit of a Time, and because we may clearly see in + it the influence of thought. + </p> + <p> + But before entering the political arena, where Catherine will be seen + facing the two great difficulties of her career, it is necessary to give a + succinct account of her preceding life, from the point of view of + impartial criticism, in order to take in as much as possible of this vast + and regal existence up to the moment when the first part of the present + Study begins. + </p> + <p> + Never was there any period, in any land, in any sovereign family, a + greater contempt for legitimacy than in the famous house of the Medici. On + the subject of power they held the same doctrine now professed by Russia, + namely: to whichever head the crown goes, he is the true, the legitimate + sovereign. Mirabeau had reason to say: “There has been but one mesalliance + in my family,—that of the Medici”; for in spite of the paid efforts + of genealogists, it is certain that the Medici, before Everardo de’ + Medici, <i>gonfaloniero</i> of Florence in 1314, were simple Florentine + merchants who became very rich. The first personage in this family who + occupies an important place in the history of the famous Tuscan republic + is Silvestro de’ Medici, <i>gonfaloniero</i> in 1378. This Silvestro had + two sons, Cosmo and Lorenzo de’ Medici. + </p> + <p> + From Cosmo are descended Lorenzo the Magnificent, the Duc de Nemours, the + Duc d’Urbino, father of Catherine, Pope Leo X., Pope Clement VII., and + Alessandro, not Duke of Florence, as historians call him, but Duke <i>della + citta di Penna</i>, a title given by Pope Clement VII., as a half-way + station to that of Grand-duke of Tuscany. + </p> + <p> + From Lorenzo are descended the Florentine Brutus Lorenzino, who killed + Alessandro, Cosmo, the first grand-duke, and all the sovereigns of Tuscany + till 1737, at which period the house became extinct. + </p> + <p> + But neither of the two branches—the branch Cosmo and the branch + Lorenzo—reigned through their direct and legitimate lines until the + close of the sixteenth century, when the grand-dukes of Tuscany began to + succeed each other peacefully. Alessandro de’ Medici, he to whom the title + of Duke <i>della citta di Penna</i> was given, was the son of the Duke + d’Urbino, Catherine’s father, by a Moorish slave. For this reason + Lorenzino claimed a double right to kill Alessandro,—as a usurper in + his house, as well as an oppressor of the city. Some historians believe + that Alessandro was the son of Clement VII. The fact that led to the + recognition of this bastard as chief of the republic and head of the house + of the Medici was his marriage with Margaret of Austria, natural daughter + of Charles V. + </p> + <p> + Francesco de’ Medici, husband of Bianca Capello, accepted as his son a + child of poor parents bought by the celebrated Venetian; and, strange to + say, Ferdinando, on succeeding Francesco, maintained the substituted child + in all his rights. That child, called Antonio de’ Medici, was considered + during four reigns as belonging to the family; he won the affection of + everybody, rendered important services to the family, and died universally + regretted. + </p> + <p> + Nearly all the first Medici had natural children, whose careers were + invariably brilliant. For instance, the Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici, + afterwards Pope under the name of Clement VII., was the illegitimate son + of Giuliano I. Cardinal Ippolito de’ Medici was also a bastard, and came + very near being Pope and the head of the family. + </p> + <p> + Lorenzo II., the father of Catherine, married in 1518, for his second + wife, Madeleine de la Tour de Boulogne, in Auvergne, and died April 25, + 1519, a few days after his wife, who died in giving birth to Catherine. + Catherine was therefore orphaned of father and mother as soon as she drew + breath. Hence the strange adventures of her childhood, mixed up as they + were with the bloody efforts of the Florentines, then seeking to recover + their liberty from the Medici. The latter, desirous of continuing to reign + in Florence, behaved with such circumspection that Lorenzo, Catherine’s + father, had taken the name of Duke d’Urbino. + </p> + <p> + At Lorenzo’s death, the head of the house of the Medici was Pope Leo X., + who sent the illegitimate son of Giuliano, Giulio de’ Medici, then + cardinal, to govern Florence. Leo X. was great-uncle to Catherine, and + this Cardinal Giulio, afterward Clement VII., was her uncle by the left + hand. + </p> + <p> + It was during the siege of Florence, undertaken by the Medici to force + their return there, that the Republican party, not content with having + shut Catherine, then nine years old, into a convent, after robbing her of + all her property, actually proposed, on the suggestion of one named + Batista Cei, to expose her between two battlements on the walls to the + artillery of the Medici. Bernardo Castiglione went further in a council + held to determine how matters should be ended: he was of opinion that, so + far from returning her to the Pope as the latter requested, she ought to + be given to the soldiers for dishonor. This will show how all popular + revolutions resemble each other. Catherine’s subsequent policy, which + upheld so firmly the royal power, may well have been instigated in part by + such scenes, of which an Italian girl of nine years of age was assuredly + not ignorant. + </p> + <p> + The rise of Alessandro de’ Medici, to which the bastard Pope Clement VII. + powerfully contributed, was no doubt chiefly caused by the affection of + Charles V. for his famous illegitimate daughter Margaret. Thus Pope and + emperor were prompted by the same sentiment. At this epoch Venice had the + commerce of the world; Rome had its moral government; Italy still reigned + supreme through the poets, the generals, the statesmen born to her. At no + period of the world’s history, in any land, was there ever seen so + remarkable, so abundant a collection of men of genius. There were so many, + in fact, that even the lesser princes were superior men. Italy was crammed + with talent, enterprise, knowledge, science, poesy, wealth, and gallantry, + all the while torn by intestinal warfare and overrun with conquerors + struggling for possession of her finest provinces. When men are so strong, + they do not fear to admit their weaknesses. Hence, no doubt, this golden + age for bastards. We must, moreover, do the illegitimate children of the + house of the Medici the justice to say that they were ardently devoted to + the glory, power, and increase of wealth of that famous family. Thus as + soon as the <i>Duca della citta di Penna</i>, son of the Moorish woman, + was installed as tyrant of Florence, he espoused the interest of Pope + Clement VII., and gave a home to the daughter of Lorenzo II., then eleven + years of age. + </p> + <p> + When we study the march of events and that of men in this curious + sixteenth century, we ought never to forget that public policy had for its + element a perpetual craftiness and a dissimulation which destroyed, in all + characters, the straightforward, upright bearing our imaginations demand + of eminent personages. In this, above all, is Catherine’s absolution. It + disposes of the vulgar and foolish accusations of treachery launched + against her by the writers of the Reformation. This was the great age of + that statesmanship the code of which was written by Macchiavelli as well + as by Spinosa, by Hobbes as well as by Montesquieu,—for the dialogue + between Sylla and Eucrates contains Montesquieu’s true thought, which his + connection with the Encyclopedists did not permit him to develop otherwise + than as he did. + </p> + <p> + These principles are to-day the secret law of all cabinets in which plans + for the conquest and maintenance of great power are laid. In France we + blamed Napoleon when he made use of that Italian genius for craft which + was bred in his bone,—though in his case it did not always succeed. + But Charles V., Catherine, Philip II., and Pope Julius would not have + acted otherwise than as he did in the affair of Spain. History, in the + days when Catherine was born, if judged from the point of view of honesty, + would seem an impossible tale. Charles V., obliged to sustain Catholicism + against the attacks of Luther, who threatened the Throne in threatening + the Tiara, allowed the siege of Rome and held Pope Clement VII. in prison! + This same Clement, who had no bitterer enemy than Charles V., courted him + in order to make Alessandro de’ Medici ruler of Florence, and obtained his + favorite daughter for that bastard. No sooner was Alessandro established + than he, conjointly with Clement VII., endeavored to injure Charles V. by + allying himself with Francois I., king of France, by means of Catherine + de’ Medici; and both of them promised to assist Francois in reconquering + Italy. Lorenzino de’ Medici made himself the companion of Alessandro’s + debaucheries for the express purpose of finding an opportunity to kill + him. Filippo Strozzi, one of the great minds of that day, held this murder + in such respect that he swore that his sons should each marry a daughter + of the murderer; and each son religiously fulfilled his father’s oath when + they might all have made, under Catherine’s protection, brilliant + marriages; for one was the rival of Doria, the other a marshal of France. + Cosmo de’ Medici, successor of Alessandro, with whom he had no + relationship, avenged the death of that tyrant in the cruellest manner, + with a persistency lasting twelve years; during which time his hatred + continued keen against the persons who had, as a matter of fact, given him + the power. He was eighteen years old when called to the sovereignty; his + first act was to declare the rights of Alessandro’s legitimate sons null + and void,—all the while avenging their father’s death! Charles V. + confirmed the disinheriting of his grandsons, and recognized Cosmo instead + of the son of Alessandro and his daughter Margaret. Cosmo, placed on the + throne by Cardinal Cibo, instantly exiled the latter; and the cardinal + revenged himself by accusing Cosmo (who was the first grand-duke) of + murdering Alessandro’s son. Cosmo, as jealous of his power as Charles V. + was of his, abdicated in favor of his son Francesco, after causing the + death of his other son, Garcia, to avenge the death of Cardinal Giovanni + de’ Medici, whom Garcia had assassinated. Cosmo the First and his son + Francesco, who ought to have been devoted, body and soul, to the house of + France, the only power on which they might really have relied, made + themselves the lacqueys of Charles V. and Philip II., and were + consequently the secret, base, and perfidious enemies of Catherine de’ + Medici, one of the glories of their house. + </p> + <p> + Such were the leading contradictory and illogical traits, the treachery, + knavery, and black intrigues of a single house, that of the Medici. From + this sketch, we may judge of the other princes of Italy and Europe. All + the envoys of Cosmos I. to the court of France had, in their secret + instructions, an order to poison Strozzi, Catherine’s relation, when he + arrived. Charles V. had already assassinated three of the ambassadors of + Francois I. + </p> + <p> + It was early in the month of October, 1533, that the <i>Duca della citta + di Penna</i> started from Florence for Livorno, accompanied by the sole + heiress of Lorenzo II., namely, Catherine de’ Medici. The duke and the + Princess of Florence, for that was the title by which the young girl, then + fourteen years of age, was known, left the city surrounded by a large + retinue of servants, officers, and secretaries, preceded by armed men, and + followed by an escort of cavalry. The young princess knew nothing as yet + of what her fate was to be, except that the Pope was to have an interview + at Livorno with the Duke Alessandro; but her uncle, Filippo Strozzi, very + soon informed her of the future before her. + </p> + <p> + Filippo Strozzi had married Clarice de’ Medici, half-sister on the + father’s side of Lorenzo de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino, father of Catherine; + but this marriage, which was brought about as much to convert one of the + firmest supporters of the popular party to the cause of the Medici as to + facilitate the recall of that family, then banished from Florence, never + shook the stern champion from his course, though he was persecuted by his + own party for making it. In spite of all apparent changes in his conduct + (for this alliance naturally affected it somewhat) he remained faithful to + the popular party, and declared himself openly against the Medici as soon + as he foresaw their intention to enslave Florence. This great man even + refused the offer of a principality made to him by Leo X. + </p> + <p> + At the time of which we are now writing Filippo Strozzi was a victim to + the policy of the Medici, so vacillating in its means, so fixed and + inflexible in its object. After sharing the misfortunes and the captivity + of Clement VII. when the latter, surprised by the Colonna, took refuge in + the Castle of Saint-Angelo, Strozzi was delivered up by Clement as a + hostage and taken to Naples. As the Pope, when he got his liberty, turned + savagely on his enemies, Strozzi came very near losing his life, and was + forced to pay an enormous sum to be released from a prison where he was + closely confined. When he found himself at liberty he had, with an + instinct of kindness natural to an honest man, the simplicity to present + himself before Clement VII., who had perhaps congratulated himself on + being well rid of him. The Pope had such good cause to blush for his own + conduct that he received Strozzi extremely ill. + </p> + <p> + Strozzi thus began, early in life, his apprenticeship in the misfortunes + of an honest man in politics,—a man whose conscience cannot lend + itself to the capriciousness of events; whose actions are acceptable only + to the virtuous; and who is therefore persecuted by the world,—by + the people, for opposing their blind passions; by power for opposing its + usurpations. The life of such great citizens is a martyrdom, in which they + are sustained only by the voice of their conscience and an heroic sense of + social duty, which dictates their course in all things. There were many + such men in the republic of Florence, all as great as Strozzi, and as able + as their adversaries the Medici, though vanquished by the superior craft + and wiliness of the latter. What could be more worthy of admiration than + the conduct of the chief of the Pazzi at the time of the conspiracy of his + house, when, his commerce being at that time enormous, he settled all his + accounts with Asia, the Levant, and Europe before beginning that great + attempt; so that, if it failed, his correspondents should lose nothing. + </p> + <p> + The history of the establishment of the house of the Medici in the + fourteenth and fifteenth centuries is a magnificent tale which still + remains to be written, though men of genius have already put their hands + to it. It is not the history of a republic, nor of a society, nor of any + special civilization; it is the history of <i>statesmen</i>, the eternal + history of Politics,—that of usurpers, that of conquerors. + </p> + <p> + As soon as Filippo Strozzi returned to Florence he re-established the + preceding form of government and ousted Ippolito de’ Medici, another + bastard, and the very Alessandro with whom, at the later period of which + we are now writing, he was travelling to Livorno. Having completed this + change of government, he became alarmed at the evident inconstancy of the + people of Florence, and, fearing the vengeance of Clement VII., he went to + Lyon to superintend a vast house of business he owned there, which + corresponded with other banking-houses of his own in Venice, Rome, France, + and Spain. Here we find a strange thing. These men who bore the weight of + public affairs and of such a struggle as that with the Medici (not to + speak of contentions with their own party) found time and strength to bear + the burden of a vast business and all its speculations, also of banks and + their complications, which the multiplicity of coinages and their + falsification rendered even more difficult than it is in our day. The name + “banker” comes from the <i>banc</i> (Anglice, <i>bench</i>) upon which the + banker sat, and on which he rang the gold and silver pieces to try their + quality. After a time Filippo found in the death of his wife, whom he + adored, a pretext for renewing his relations with the Republican party, + whose secret police becomes the more terrible in all republics, because + every one makes himself a spy in the name of a liberty which justifies + everything. + </p> + <p> + Filippo returned to Florence at the very moment when that city was + compelled to adopt the yoke of Alessandro; but he had previously gone to + Rome and seen Pope Clement VII., whose affairs were now so prosperous that + his disposition toward Strozzi was much changed. In the hour of triumph + the Medici were so much in need of a man like Filippo—were it only + to smooth the return of Alessandro—that Clement urged him to take a + seat at the Council of the bastard who was about to oppress the city; and + Strozzi consented to accept the diploma of a senator. + </p> + <p> + But, for the last two years and more, he had seen, like Seneca and + Burrhus, the beginnings of tyranny in his Nero. He felt himself, at the + moment of which we write, an object of so much distrust on the part of the + people and so suspected by the Medici whom he was constantly resisting, + that he was confident of some impending catastrophe. Consequently, as soon + as he heard from Alessandro of the negotiation for Catherine’s marriage + with the son of Francois I., the final arrangements for which were to be + made at Livorno, where the negotiators had appointed to meet, he formed + the plan of going to France, and attaching himself to the fortunes of his + niece, who needed a guardian. + </p> + <p> + Alessandro, delighted to rid himself of a man so unaccommodating in the + affairs of Florence, furthered a plan which relieved him of one murder at + least, and advised Strozzi to put himself at the head of Catherine’s + household. In order to dazzle the eyes of France the Medici had selected a + brilliant suite for her whom they styled, very unwarrantably, the Princess + of Florence, and who also went by the name of the little Duchess d’Urbino. + The cortege, at the head of which rode Alessandro, Catherine, and Strozzi, + was composed of more than a thousand persons, not including the escort and + servants. When the last of it issued from the gates of Florence the head + had passed that first village beyond the city where they now braid the + Tuscan straw hats. It was beginning to be rumored among the people that + Catherine was to marry a son of Francois I.; but the rumor did not obtain + much belief until the Tuscans beheld with their own eyes this triumphal + procession from Florence to Livorno. + </p> + <p> + Catherine herself, judging by all the preparations she beheld, began to + suspect that her marriage was in question, and her uncle then revealed to + her the fact that the first ambitious project of his house had aborted, + and that the hand of the dauphin had been refused to her. Alessandro still + hoped that the Duke of Albany would succeed in changing this decision of + the king of France who, willing as he was to buy the support of the Medici + in Italy, would only grant them his second son, the Duc d’Orleans. This + petty blunder lost Italy to France, and did not prevent Catherine from + becoming queen. + </p> + <p> + The Duke of Albany, son of Alexander Stuart, brother of James III., king + of Scotland, had married Anne de la Tour de Boulogne, sister of Madeleine + de la Tour de Boulogne, Catherine’s mother; he was therefore her maternal + uncle. It was through her mother that Catherine was so rich and allied to + so many great families; for, strangely enough, her rival, Diane de + Poitiers, was also her cousin. Jean de Poitiers, father of Diane, was son + of Jeanne de Boulogne, aunt of the Duchess d’Urbino. Catherine was also a + cousin of Mary Stuart, her daughter-in-law. + </p> + <p> + Catherine now learned that her dowry in money was a hundred thousand + ducats. A ducat was a gold piece of the size of an old French louis, + though less thick. (The old louis was worth twenty-four francs—the + present one is worth twenty). The Comtes of Auvergne and Lauraguais were + also made a part of the dowry, and Pope Clement added one hundred thousand + ducats in jewels, precious stones, and other wedding gifts; to which + Alessandro likewise contributed his share. + </p> + <p> + On arriving at Livorno, Catherine, still so young, must have been + flattered by the extreme magnificence displayed by Pope Clement (“her + uncle in Notre-Dame,” then head of the house of the Medici), in order to + outdo the court of France. He had already arrived at Livorno in one of his + galleys, which was lined with crimson satin fringed with gold, and covered + with a tent-like awning in cloth of gold. This galley, the decoration of + which cost twenty thousand ducats, contained several apartments destined + for the bride of Henri of France, all of which were furnished with the + richest treasures of art the Medici could collect. The rowers, + magnificently apparelled, and the crew were under the command of a prior + of the order of the Knights of Rhodes. The household of the Pope were in + three other galleys. The galleys of the Duke of Albany, anchored near + those of Clement VII., added to the size and dignity of the flotilla. + </p> + <p> + Duke Alessandro presented the officers of Catherine’s household to the + Pope, with whom he had a secret conference, in which, it would appear, he + presented to his Holiness Count Sebastiano Montecuculi, who had just left, + somewhat abruptly, the service of Charles V. and that of his two generals, + Antonio di Leyva and Ferdinando di Gonzago. Was there between the two + bastards, Giulio and Alessandro, a premeditated intention of making the + Duc d’Orleans dauphin? What reward was promised to Sebastiano Montecuculi, + who, before entering the service of Charles V. had studied medicine? + History is silent on that point. We shall see presently what clouds hang + round that fact. The obscurity is so great that, quite recently, grave and + conscientious historians have admitted Montecuculi’s innocence. + </p> + <p> + Catherine then heard officially from the Pope’s own lips of the alliance + reserved for her. The Duke of Albany had been able to do no more than hold + the king of France, and that with difficulty, to his promise of giving + Catherine the hand of his second son, the Duc d’Orleans. The Pope’s + impatience was so great, and he was so afraid that his plans would be + thwarted either by some intrigue of the emperor, or by the refusal of + France, or by the grandees of the kingdom looking with evil eye upon the + marriage, that he gave orders to embark at once, and sailed for Marseille, + where he arrived toward the end of October, 1533. + </p> + <p> + Notwithstanding its wealth, the house of the Medici was eclipsed on this + occasion by the court of France. To show the lengths to which the Medici + pushed their magnificence, it is enough to say that the “dozen” put into + the bride’s purse by the Pope were twelve gold medals of priceless + historical value, which were then unique. But Francois I., who loved the + display of festivals, distinguished himself on this occasion. The wedding + festivities of Henri de Valois and Catherine de’ Medici lasted thirty-four + days. + </p> + <p> + It is useless to repeat the details, which have been given in all the + histories of Provence and Marseille, as to this celebrated interview + between the Pope and the king of France, which was opened by a jest of the + Duke of Albany as to the duty of keeping fasts,—a jest mentioned by + Brantome and much enjoyed by the court, which shows the tone of the + manners of that day. + </p> + <p> + Many conjectures have been made as to Catherine’s barrenness, which lasted + ten years. Strange calumnies still rest upon this queen, all of whose + actions were fated to be misjudged. It is sufficient to say that the cause + was solely in Henri II. After the difficulty was removed, Catherine had + ten children. The delay was, in one respect, fortunate for France. If + Henri II. had had children by Diane de Poitiers the politics of the + kingdom would have been dangerously complicated. When the difficulty was + removed the Duchesse de Valentinois had reached the period of a woman’s + second youth. This matter alone will show that the true life of Catherine + de’ Medici is still to be written, and also—as Napoleon said with + profound wisdom—that the history of France should be either in one + volume only, or one thousand. + </p> + <p> + Here is a contemporaneous and succinct account of the meeting of Clement + VII. and the king of France: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “His Holiness the Pope, having been conducted to the palace, which + was, as I have said, prepared beyond the port, every one retired + to their own quarters till the morrow, when his Holiness was to + make his entry; the which was made with great sumptuousness and + magnificence, he being seated in a chair carried on the shoulders + of two men and wearing his pontifical robes, but not the tiara. + Pacing before him was a white hackney, bearing the sacrament of + the altar,—the said hackney being led by reins of white silk held + by two footmen finely equipped. Next came all the cardinals in + their robes, on pontifical mules, and Madame la Duchesse d’Urbino + in great magnificence, accompanied by a vast number of ladies and + gentlemen, both French and Italian. + + “The Holy Father having arrived in the midst of this company at + the place appointed for his lodging, every one retired; and all + this, being well-ordered, took place without disorder or tumult. + While the Pope was thus making his entry, the king crossed the + water in a frigate and went to the lodging the Pope had just + quitted, in order to go the next day and make obeisance to the + Holy Father as a Most Christian king. + + “The next day the king being prepared set forth for the palace + where was the Pope, accompanied by the princes of the blood, such + as Monseigneur le Duc de Vendomois (father of the Vidame de + Chartres), the Comte de Sainct-Pol, Messieurs de Montpensier and + la Roche-sur-Yon, the Duc de Nemours (brother of the Duc de + Savoie) who died in this said place, the Duke of Albany, and many + others, whether counts, barons, or seigneurs; nearest to the king + was the Seigneur de Montmorency, his Grand-master. + + “The king, being arrived at the palace, was received by the Pope + and all the college of cardinals, assembled in consistory, most + civilly. This done, each retired to the place ordained for him, + the king taking with him several cardinals to feast them,—among + them Cardinal de’ Medici, nephew of the Pope, a very splendid man + with a fine retinue. + + “On the morrow those persons chosen by his Holiness and by the + king began to assemble to discuss the matters for which the + meeting was made. First, the matter of the Faith was treated of, + and a bull was put forth repressing heresy and preventing that + things come to greater combustion than they now are. + + “After this was concluded the marriage of the Duc d’Orleans, + second son of the king, with Catherine de’ Medici, Duchesse + d’Urbino, niece of his Holiness, under the conditions such, or + like to those, as were proposed formerly by the Duke of Albany. + The said espousals were celebrated with great magnificence, and + our Holy Father himself wedded the pair. The marriage thus + consummated, the Holy Father held a consistory at which he created + four cardinals and devoted them to the king,—to wit: Cardinal Le + Veneur, formerly bishop of Lisieux and grand almoner; the Cardinal + de Boulogne of the family of la Chambre, brother on the mother’s + side of the Duke of Albany; the Cardinal de Chatillon of the house + of Coligny, nephew of the Sire de Montmorency, and the Cardinal de + Givry.” + </pre> + <p> + When Strozzi delivered the dowry in presence of the court he noticed some + surprise on the part of the French seigneurs; they even said aloud that it + was little enough for such a mesalliance (what would they have said in + these days?). Cardinal Ippolito replied, saying:— + </p> + <p> + “You must be ill-informed as to the secrets of your king. His Holiness has + bound himself to give to France three pearls of inestimable value, namely: + Genoa, Milan, and Naples.” + </p> + <p> + The Pope left Sebastiano Montecuculi to present himself to the court of + France, to which the count offered his services, complaining of his + treatment by Antonio di Leyva and Ferdinando di Gonzago, for which reason + his services were accepted. Montecuculi was not made a part of Catherine’s + household, which was wholly composed of French men and women, for, by a + law of the monarchy, the execution of which the Pope saw with great + satisfaction, Catherine was naturalized by letters-patent as a Frenchwoman + before the marriage. Montecuculi was appointed in the first instance to + the household of the queen, the sister of Charles V. After a while he + passed into the service of the dauphin as cup-bearer. + </p> + <p> + The new Duchesse d’Orleans soon found herself a nullity at the court of + Francois I. Her young husband was in love with Diane de Poitiers, who + certainly, in the matter of birth, could rival Catherine, and was far more + of a great lady than the little Florentine. The daughter of the Medici was + also outdone by Queen Eleonore, sister of Charles V., and by Madame + d’Etampes, whose marriage with the head of the house of Brosse made her + one of the most powerful and best titled women in France. Catherine’s aunt + the Duchess of Albany, the Queen of Navarre, the Duchesse de Guise, the + Duchesse de Vendome, Madame la Connetable de Montmorency, and other women + of like importance, eclipsed by birth and by their rights, as well as by + their power at the most sumptuous court of France (not excepting that of + Louis XIV.), the daughter of the Florentine grocers, who was richer and + more illustrious through the house of the Tour de Boulogne than by her own + family of Medici. + </p> + <p> + The position of his niece was so bad and difficult that the republican + Filippo Strozzi, wholly incapable of guiding her in the midst of such + conflicting interests, left her after the first year, being recalled to + Italy by the death of Clement VII. Catherine’s conduct, when we remember + that she was scarcely fifteen years old, was a model of prudence. She + attached herself closely to the king, her father-in-law; she left him as + little as she could, following him on horseback both in hunting and in + war. Her idolatry for Francois I. saved the house of the Medici from all + suspicion when the dauphin was poisoned. Catherine was then, and so was + her husband, at the headquarters of the king in Provence; for Charles V. + had speedily invaded France and the late scene of the marriage festivities + had become the theatre of a cruel war. + </p> + <p> + At the moment when Charles V. was put to flight, leaving the bones of his + army in Provence, the dauphin was returning to Lyon by the Rhone. He + stopped to sleep at Tournon, and, by way of pastime, practised some + violent physical exercises,—which were nearly all the education his + brother and he, in consequence of their detention as hostages, had ever + received. The prince had the imprudence—it being the month of + August, and the weather very hot—to ask for a glass of water, which + Montecuculi, as his cup-bearer, gave to him, with ice in it. The dauphin + died almost immediately. Francois I. adored his son. The dauphin was, + according to all accounts, a charming young man. His father, in despair, + gave the utmost publicity to the proceedings against Montecuculi, which he + placed in the hands of the most able magistrates of that day. The count, + after heroically enduring the first tortures without confessing anything, + finally made admissions by which he implicated Charles V. and his two + generals, Antonio di Leyva and Ferdinando di Gonzago. No affair was ever + more solemnly debated. Here is what the king did, in the words of an + ocular witness:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “The king called an assembly at Lyon of all the princes of his + blood, all the knights of his order, and other great personages of + the kingdom; also the legal and papal nuncio, the cardinals who + were at his court, together with the ambassadors of England, + Scotland, Portugal, Venice, Ferrara, and others; also all the + princes and noble strangers, both Italian and German, who were + then residing at his court in great numbers. These all being + assembled, he caused to be read to them, in presence of each + other, from beginning to end, the trial of the unhappy man who + poisoned Monseigneur the late dauphin,—with all the + interrogatories, confessions, confrontings, and other ceremonies + usual in criminal trials; he, the king, not being willing that the + sentence should be executed until all present had given their + opinion on this heinous and miserable case.” + </pre> + <p> + The fidelity, devotion, and cautious skill of the Comte de Montecuculi may + seem extraordinary in our time, when all the world, even ministers of + State, tell everything about the least little event with which they have + to do; but in those days princes could find devoted servants, or knew how + to choose them. Monarchical Moreys existed because in those days there was + <i>faith</i>. Never ask devotion of <i>self-interest</i>, because such + interest may change; but expect all from sentiments, religious faith, + monarchical faith, patriotic faith. Those three beliefs produced such men + as the Berthereaus of Geneva, the Sydneys and Straffords of England, the + murderers of Thomas a Becket, the Jacques Coeurs, the Jeanne d’Arcs, the + Richelieus, Dantons, Bonchamps, Talmonts, and also the Clements, Chabots, + and others. + </p> + <p> + The dauphin was poisoned in the same manner, and possibly by the same drug + which afterwards served MADAME under Louis XIV. Pope Clement VII. had been + dead two years; Duke Alessandro, plunged in debauchery, seemed to have no + interest in the elevation of the Duc d’Orleans; Catherine, then seventeen, + and full of admiration for her father-in-law, was with him at the time; + Charles V. alone appeared to have an interest in his death, for Francois + I. was negotiating for his son an alliance which would assuredly have + aggrandized France. The count’s confession was therefore very skilfully + based on the passions and politics of the moment; Charles V. was then + flying from France, leaving his armies buried in Provence with his + happiness, his reputation, and his hopes of dominion. It is to be remarked + that if torture had forced admissions from an innocent man, Francois I. + gave Montecuculi full liberty to speak in presence of an imposing + assembly, and before persons in whose eyes innocence had some chance to + triumph. The king, who wanted the truth, sought it in good faith. + </p> + <p> + In spite of her now brilliant future, Catherine’s situation at court was + not changed by the death of the dauphin. Her barrenness gave reason to + fear a divorce in case her husband should ascend the throne. The dauphin + was under the spell of Diane de Poitiers, who assumed to rival Madame + d’Etampes, the king’s mistress. Catherine redoubled in care and cajolery + of her father-in-law, being well aware that her sole support was in him. + The first ten years of Catherine’s married life were years of ever-renewed + grief, caused by the failure, one by one, of her hopes of pregnancy, and + the vexations of her rivalry with Diane. Imagine what must have been the + life of a young princess, watched by a jealous mistress who was supported + by a powerful party,—the Catholic party,—and by the two + powerful alliances Diane had made in marrying one daughter to Robert de la + Mark, Duc de Bouillon, Prince of Sedan, and the other to Claude de + Lorraine, Duc d’Aumale. + </p> + <p> + Catherine, helpless between the party of Madame d’Etampes and the party of + the Senechale (such was Diane’s title during the reign of Francois I.), + which divided the court and politics into factions for these mortal + enemies, endeavored to make herself the friend of both Diane de Poitiers + and Madame d’Etampes. She, who was destined to become so great a queen, + played the part of a servant. Thus she served her apprenticeship in that + double-faced policy which was ever the secret motor of her life. Later, + the <i>queen</i> was to stand between Catholics and Calvinists, just as + the <i>woman</i> had stood for ten years between Madame d’Etampes and + Madame de Poitiers. She studied the contradictions of French politics; she + saw Francois I. sustaining Calvin and the Lutherans in order to embarrass + Charles V., and then, after secretly and patiently protecting the + Reformation in Germany, and tolerating the residence of Calvin at the + court of Navarre, he suddenly turned against it with excessive rigor. + Catherine beheld on the one hand the court, and the women of the court, + playing with the fire of heresy, and on the other, Diane at the head of + the Catholic party with the Guises, solely because the Duchesse d’Etampes + supported Calvin and the Protestants. + </p> + <p> + Such was the political education of this queen, who saw in the cabinet of + the king of France the same errors committed as in the house of the + Medici. The dauphin opposed his father in everything; he was a bad son. He + forgot the cruel but most vital maxim of royalty, namely, that thrones + need solidarity; and that a son who creates opposition during the lifetime + of his father must follow that father’s policy when he mounts the throne. + Spinosa, who was as great a statesman as he was a philosopher, said—in + the case of one king succeeding another by insurrection or crime,— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “If the new king desires to secure the safety of his throne and of + his own life he must show such ardor in avenging the death of his + predecessor that no one shall feel a desire to commit the same + crime. But to avenge it <i>worthily</i> it is not enough to shed the + blood of his subjects, he must approve the axioms of the king he + replaces, and take the same course in governing.” + </pre> + <p> + It was the application of this maxim which gave Florence to the Medici. + Cosmo I. caused to be assassinated at Venice, after eleven years’ sway, + the Florentine Brutus, and, as we have already said, persecuted the + Strozzi. It was forgetfulness of this maxim which ruined Louis XVI. That + king was false to every principle of royal government when he + re-established the parliaments suppressed by his grandfather. Louis XV. + saw the matter clearly. The parliaments, and notably that of Paris, + counted for fully half in the troubles which necessitated the convocation + of the States-general. The fault of Louis XV. was, that in breaking down + that barrier which separated the throne from the people he did not erect a + stronger; in other words, that he did not substitute for parliament a + strong constitution of the provinces. There lay the remedy for the evils + of the monarchy; thence should have come the voting on taxes, the + regulation of them, and a slow approval of reforms that were necessary to + the system of monarchy. + </p> + <p> + The first act of Henri II. was to give his confidence to the Connetable de + Montmorency, whom his father had enjoined him to leave in disgrace. The + Connetable de Montmorency was, with Diane de Poitiers, to whom he was + closely bound, the master of the State. Catherine was therefore less happy + and less powerful after she became queen of France than while she was + dauphiness. From 1543 she had a child every year for ten years, and was + occupied with maternal cares during the period covered by the last three + years of the reign of Francois I. and nearly the whole of the reign of + Henri II. We may see in this recurring fecundity the influence of a rival, + who was able thus to rid herself of the legitimate wife,—a barbarity + of feminine policy which must have been one of Catherine’s grievances + against Diane. + </p> + <p> + Thus set aside from public life, this superior woman passed her time in + observing the self-interests of the court people and of the various + parties which were formed about her. All the Italians who had followed her + were objects of violent suspicion. After the execution of Montecuculi the + Connetable de Montmorency, Diane, and many of the keenest politicians of + the court were filled with suspicion of the Medici; though Francois I. + always repelled it. Consequently, the Gondi, Strozzi, Ruggieri, Sardini, + etc.,—in short, all those who were called distinctively “the + Italians,”—were compelled to employ greater resources of mind, + shrewd policy, and courage, to maintain themselves at court against the + weight of disfavor which pressed upon them. + </p> + <p> + During her husband’s reign Catherine’s amiability to Diane de Poitiers + went to such great lengths that intelligent persons must regard it as + proof of that profound dissimulation which men, events, and the conduct of + Henri II. compelled Catherine de’ Medici to employ. But they go too far + when they declare that she never claimed her rights as wife and queen. In + the first place, the sense of dignity which Catherine possessed in the + highest degree forbade her claiming what historians call her rights as a + wife. The ten children of the marriage explain Henri’s conduct; and his + wife’s maternal occupations left him free to pass his time with Diane de + Poitiers. But the king was never lacking in anything that was due to + himself; and he gave Catherine an “entry” into Paris, to be crowned as + queen, which was worthy of all such pageants that had ever taken place. + The archives of the Parliament, and those of the Cour des Comptes, show + that those two great bodies went to meet her outside of Paris as far as + Saint Lazare. Here is an extract from du Tillet’s account of it:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “A platform had been erected at Saint-Lazare, on which was a + throne (du Tillet calls it a <i>chair de parement</i>). Catherine took + her seat upon it, wearing a surcoat, or species of ermine + short-cloak covered with precious stones, a bodice beneath it with + the royal mantle, and on her head a crown enriched with pearls and + diamonds, and held in place by the Marechale de la Mark, her lady + of honor. Around her <i>stood</i> the princes of the blood, and other + princes and seigneurs, richly apparelled, also the chancellor of + France in a robe of gold damask on a background of crimson-red. + Before the queen, and on the same platform, were seated, in two + rows, twelve duchesses or countesses, wearing ermine surcoats, + bodices, robes, and circlets,—that is to say, the coronets of + duchesses and countesses. These were the Duchesses d’Estouteville, + Montpensier (elder and younger); the Princesses de la + Roche-sur-Yon; the Duchesses de Guise, de Nivernois, d’Aumale, de + Valentinois (Diane de Poitiers), Mademoiselle la batarde legitimee + de France (the title of the king’s daughter, Diane, who was + Duchesse de Castro-Farnese and afterwards Duchesse de + Montmorency-Damville), Madame la Connetable, and Mademoiselle de + Nemours; without mentioning other demoiselles who were not seated. + The four presidents of the courts of justice, wearing their caps, + several other members of the court, and the clerk du Tillet, mounted + the platform, made reverent bows, and the chief judge, Lizet, + kneeling down, harangued the queen. The chancellor then knelt down + and answered. The queen made her entry at half-past three o’clock in + an open litter, having Madame Marguerite de France sitting + opposite to her, and on either side of the litter the Cardinals of + Amboise, Chatillon, Boulogne, and de Lenoncourt in their episcopal + robes. She left her litter at the church of Notre-Dame, where she + was received by the clergy. After offering her prayer, she was + conducted by the rue de la Calandre to the palace, where the royal + supper was served in the great hall. She there appeared, seated at + the middle of the marble table, beneath a velvet dais strewn with + golden fleur-de-lis.” + </pre> + <p> + We may here put an end to one of those popular beliefs which are repeated + in many writers from Sauval down. It has been said that Henri II. pushed + his neglect of the proprieties so far as to put the initials of his + mistress on the buildings which Catherine advised him to continue or to + begin with so much magnificence. But the double monogram which can be seen + at the Louvre offers a daily denial to those who are so little + clear-sighted as to believe in silly nonsense which gratuitously insults + our kings and queens. The H or Henri and the two C’s of Catherine which + back it, appear to represent the two D’s of Diane. The coincidence may + have pleased Henri II., but it is none the less true that the royal + monogram contained officially the initial of the king and that of the + queen. This is so true that the monogram can still be seen on the column + of the Halle au Ble, which was built by Catherine alone. It can also be + seen in the crypt of Saint-Denis, on the tomb which Catherine erected for + herself in her lifetime beside that of Henri II., where her figure is + modelled from nature by the sculptor to whom she sat for it. + </p> + <p> + On a solemn occasion, when he was starting, March 25, 1552, for his + expedition into Germany, Henri II. declared Catherine regent during his + absence, and also in case of his death. Catherine’s most cruel enemy, the + author of “Marvellous Discourses on Catherine the Second’s Behavior” + admits that she carried on the government with universal approval and that + the king was satisfied with her administration. Henri received both money + and men at the time he wanted them; and finally, after the fatal day of + Saint-Quentin, Catherine obtained considerable sums of money from the + people of Paris, which she sent to Compiegne, where the king then was. + </p> + <p> + In politics, Catherine made immense efforts to obtain a little influence. + She was clever enough to bring the Connetable de Montmorency, all-powerful + under Henri II., to her interests. We all know the terrible answer that + the king made, on being harassed by Montmorency in her favor. This answer + was the result of an attempt by Catherine to give the king good advice, in + the few moments she was ever alone with him, when she explained the + Florentine policy of pitting the grandees of the kingdom one against + another and establishing the royal authority on their ruins. But Henri + II., who saw things only through the eyes of Diane and the Connetable, was + a truly feudal king and the friend of all the great families of his + kingdom. + </p> + <p> + After the futile attempt of the Connetable in her favor, which must have + been made in the year 1556, Catherine began to cajole the Guises for the + purpose of detaching them from Diane and opposing them to the Connetable. + Unfortunately, Diane and Montmorency were as vehement against the + Protestants as the Guises. There was therefore not the same animosity in + their struggle as there might have been had the religious question entered + it. Moreover, Diane boldly entered the lists against the queen’s project + by coquetting with the Guises and giving her daughter to the Duc d’Aumale. + She even went so far that certain authors declared she gave more than mere + good-will to the gallant Cardinal de Lorraine; and the lampooners of the + time made the following quatrain on Henri II: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Sire, if you’re weak and let your will relax + Till Diane and Lorraine do govern you, + Pound, knead and mould, re-melt and model you, + Sire, you are nothing—nothing else than wax.” + </pre> + <p> + It is impossible to regard as sincere the signs of grief and the + ostentation of mourning which Catherine showed on the death of Henri II. + The fact that the king was attached by an unalterable passion to Diane de + Poitiers naturally made Catherine play the part of a neglected wife who + adores her husband; but, like all women who act by their head, she + persisted in this dissimulation and never ceased to speak tenderly of + Henri II. In like manner Diane, as we know, wore mourning all her life for + her husband the Senechal de Breze. Her colors were black and white, and + the king was wearing them at the tournament when he was killed. Catherine, + no doubt in imitation of her rival, wore mourning for Henri II. for the + rest of her life. She showed a consummate perfidy toward Diane de + Poitiers, to which historians have not given due attention. At the king’s + death the Duchesse de Valentinois was completely disgraced and shamefully + abandoned by the Connetable, a man who was always below his reputation. + Diane offered her estate and chateau of Chenonceaux to the queen. + Catherine then said, in presence of witnesses:— + </p> + <p> + “I can never forget that she made the happiness of my dear Henri. I am + ashamed to accept her gift; I wish to give her a domain in place of it, + and I shall offer her that of Chaumont-sur-Loire.” + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, the deed of exchange was signed at Blois in 1559. Diane, + whose sons-in-law were the Duc d’Aumale and the Duc de Bouillon (then a + sovereign prince), kept her wealth, and died in 1566 aged sixty-six. She + was therefore nineteen years older than Henri II. These dates, taken from + her epitaph which was copied from her tomb by the historian who concerned + himself so much about her at the close of the last century, clear up quite + a number of historical difficulties. Some historians have declared she was + forty, others that she was sixteen at the time of her father’s + condemnation in 1523; in point of fact she was then twenty-four. After + reading everything for and against her conduct towards Francois I. we are + unable to affirm or to deny anything. This is one of the passages of + history that will ever remain obscure. We may see by what happens in our + own day how history is falsified at the very moment when events happen. + </p> + <p> + Catherine, who had founded great hopes on the age of her rival, tried more + than once to overthrow her. It was a dumb, underhand, terrible struggle. + The day came when Catherine believed herself for a moment on the verge of + success. In 1554, Diane, who was ill, begged the king to go to + Saint-Germain and leave her for a short time until she recovered. This + stately coquette did not choose to be seen in the midst of medical + appliances and without the splendors of apparel. Catherine arranged, as a + welcome to her husband, a magnificent ballet, in which six beautiful young + girls were to recite a poem in his honor. She chose for this function Miss + Fleming, a relation of her uncle the Duke of Albany, the handsomest young + woman, some say, that was ever seen, white and very fair; also one of her + own relations, Clarice Strozzi, a magnificent Italian with superb black + hair, and hands that were of rare beauty; Miss Lewiston, maid of honor to + Mary Stuart; Mary Stuart herself; Madame Elizabeth of France (who was + afterwards that unfortunate Queen of Spain); and Madame Claude. Elizabeth + and Claude were eight and nine years old, Mary Stuart twelve; evidently + the queen intended to bring forward Miss Fleming and Clarice Strozzi and + present them without rivals to the king. The king fell in love with Miss + Fleming, by whom he had a natural son, Henri de Valois, Comte d’Angouleme, + grand-prior of France. But the power and influence of Diane were not + shaken. Like Madame de Pompadour with Louis XV., the Duchesse de + Valentinois forgave all. But what sort of love did this attempt show in + Catherine? Was it love to her husband or love of power? Women may decide. + </p> + <p> + A great deal is said in these days of the license of the press; but it is + difficult to imagine the lengths to which it went when printing was first + invented. We know that Aretino, the Voltaire of his time, made kings and + emperors tremble, more especially Charles V.; but the world does not know + so well the audacity and license of pamphlets. The chateau de Chenonceaux, + which we have just mentioned, was given to Diane, or rather not given, she + was implored to accept it to make her forget one of the most horrible + publications ever levelled against a woman, and which shows the violence + of the warfare between herself and Madame d’Etampes. In 1537, when she was + thirty-eight years of age, a rhymester of Champagne named Jean Voute, + published a collection of Latin verses in which were three epigrams upon + her. It is to be supposed that the poet was sure of protection in high + places, for the pamphlet has a preface in praise of itself, signed by + Salmon Macrin, first valet-de-chambre to the king. Only one passage is + quotable from these epigrams, which are entitled: IN PICTAVIAM, ANAM + AULIGAM. + </p> + <p> + “A painted trap catches no game,” says the poet, after telling Diane that + she painted her face and bought her teeth and hair. “You may buy all that + superficially makes a woman, but you can’t buy that your lover wants; for + he wants life, and you are dead.” + </p> + <p> + This collection, printed by Simon de Colines, is dedicated to a bishop!—to + Francois Bohier, the brother of the man who, to save his credit at court + and redeem his offence, offered to Diane, on the accession of Henri II., + the chateau de Chenonceaux, built by his father, Thomas Bohier, a + councillor of state under four kings: Louis XI., Charles VIII., Louis + XII., and Francois I. What were the pamphlets published against Madame de + Pompadour and against Marie-Antoinette compared to these verses, which + might have been written by Martial? Voute must have made a bad end. The + estate and chateau cost Diane nothing more than the forgiveness enjoined + by the gospel. After all, the penalties inflicted on the press, though not + decreed by juries, were somewhat more severe than those of to-day. + </p> + <p> + The queens of France, on becoming widows, were required to remain in the + king’s chamber forty days without other light than that of wax tapers; + they did not leave the room until after the burial of the king. This + inviolable custom was a great annoyance to Catherine, who feared cabals; + and, by chance, she found a means to evade it, thus: Cardinal de Lorraine, + leaving, very early in the morning, the house of the <i>belle Romaine</i>, + a celebrated courtesan of the period, who lived in the rue + Culture-Sainte-Catherine, was set upon and maltreated by a party of + libertines. “On which his holiness, being much astonished” (says Henri + Estienne), “gave out that the heretics were preparing ambushes against + him.” The court at once removed from Paris to Saint-Germain, and the + queen-mother, declaring that she would not abandon the king her son, went + with him. + </p> + <p> + The accession of Francois II., the period at which Catherine confidently + believed she could get possession of the regal power, was a moment of + cruel disappointment, after the twenty-six years of misery she had lived + through at the court of France. The Guises laid hands on power with + incredible audacity. The Duc de Guise was placed in command of the army; + the Connetable was dismissed; the cardinal took charge of the treasury and + the clergy. + </p> + <p> + Catherine now began her political career by a drama which, though it did + not have the dreadful fame of those of later years, was, nevertheless, + most horrible; and it must, undoubtedly, have accustomed her to the + terrible after emotions of her life. While appearing to be in harmony with + the Guises, she endeavored to pave the way for her ultimate triumph by + seeking a support in the house of Bourbon, and the means she took were as + follows: Whether it was that (before the death of Henri II.), and after + fruitlessly attempting violent measures, she wished to awaken jealousy in + order to bring the king back to her; or whether as she approached + middle-age it seemed to her cruel that she had never known love, certain + it is that she showed a strong interest in a seigneur of the royal blood, + Francois de Vendome, son of Louis de Vendome (the house from which that of + the Bourbons sprang), and Vidame de Chartres, the name under which he is + known in history. The secret hatred which Catherine bore to Diane was + revealed in many ways, to which historians, preoccupied by political + interests, have paid no attention. Catherine’s attachment to the vidame + proceeded from the fact that the young man had offered an insult to the + favorite. Diane’s greatest ambition was for the honor of an alliance with + the royal family of France. The hand of her second daughter (afterwards + Duchesse d’Aumale) was offered on her behalf to the Vidame de Chartres, + who was kept poor by the far-sighted policy of Francois I. In fact, when + the Vidame de Chartres and the Prince de Conde first came to court, + Francois I. gave them—what? The office of chamberlain, with a paltry + salary of twelve hundred crowns a year, the same that he gave to the + simplest gentlemen. Though Diane de Poitiers offered an immense dowry, a + fine office under the crown, and the favor of the king, the vidame + refused. After which, this Bourbon, already factious, married Jeanne, + daughter of the Baron d’Estissac, by whom he had no children. This act of + pride naturally commended him to Catherine, who greeted him after that + with marked favor and made a devoted friend of him. + </p> + <p> + Historians have compared the last Duc de Montmorency, beheaded at + Toulouse, to the Vidame de Chartres, in the art of pleasing, in + attainments, accomplishments, and talent. Henri II. showed no jealousy; he + seemed not even to suppose that a queen of France could fail in her duty, + or a Medici forget the honor done to her by a Valois. But during this time + when the queen was, it is said, coquetting with the Vidame de Chartres, + the king, after the birth of her last child, had virtually abandoned her. + This attempt at making him jealous was to no purpose, for Henri died + wearing the colors of Diane de Poitiers. + </p> + <p> + At the time of the king’s death Catherine was, therefore, on terms of + gallantry with the vidame,—a situation which was quite in conformity + with the manners and morals of a time when love was both so chivalrous and + so licentious that the noblest actions were as natural as the most + blamable; although historians, as usual, have committed the mistake in + this case of taking the exception for the rule. + </p> + <p> + The four sons of Henri II. of course rendered null the position of the + Bourbons, who were all extremely poor and were now crushed down by the + contempt which the Connetable de Montmorency’s treachery brought upon + them, in spite of the fact that the latter had thought best to fly the + kingdom. + </p> + <p> + The Vidame de Chartres—who was to the first Prince de Conde what + Richelieu was to Mazarin, his father in policy, his model, and, above all, + his master in gallantry—concealed the excessive ambition of his + house beneath an external appearance of light-hearted gaiety. Unable + during the reign of Henri II. to make head against the Guises, the + Montmorencys, the Scottish princes, the cardinals, and the Bouillons, he + distinguished himself by his graceful bearing, his manners, his wit, which + won him the favor of many charming women and the heart of some for whom he + cared nothing. He was one of those privileged beings whose seductions are + irresistible, and who owe to love the power of maintaining themselves + according to their rank. The Bourbons would not have resented, as did + Jarnac, the slander of la Chataigneraie; they were willing enough to + accept the lands and castles of their mistresses,—witness the Prince + de Conde, who accepted the estate of Saint-Valery from Madame la Marechale + de Saint-Andre. + </p> + <p> + During the first twenty days of mourning after the death of Henri II. the + situation of the vidame suddenly changed. As the object of the queen + mother’s regard, and permitted to pay his court to her as court is paid to + a queen, very secretly, he seemed destined to play an important role, and + Catherine did, in fact, resolve to use him. The vidame received letters + from her for the Prince de Conde, in which she pointed out to the latter + the necessity of an alliance against the Guises. Informed of this + intrigue, the Guises entered the queen’s chamber for the purpose of + compelling her to issue an order consigning the vidame to the Bastille, + and Catherine, to save herself, was under the hard necessity of obeying + them. After a captivity of some months, the vidame died on the very day he + left prison, which was shortly before the conspiracy of Amboise. Such was + the conclusion of the first and only amour of Catherine de’ Medici. + Protestant historians have said that the queen caused the vidame to be + poisoned, to lay the secret of her gallantries in a tomb! + </p> + <p> + We have now shown what was the apprenticeship of this woman for the + exercise of her royal power. + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_PART1" id="link2H_PART1"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h1> + PART I. THE CALVINIST MARTYR + </h1> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + I. A HOUSE WHICH NO LONGER EXISTS + </h2> + <p> + AT THE CORNER OF A STREET WHICH NO LONGER EXISTS IN A PARIS WHICH NO + LONGER EXISTS + </p> + <p> + Few persons in the present day know how plain and unpretentious were the + dwellings of the burghers of Paris in the sixteenth century, and how + simple their lives. Perhaps this simplicity of habits and of thought was + the cause of the grandeur of that old bourgeoisie which was certainly + grand, free, and noble,—more so, perhaps, than the bourgeoisie of + the present day. Its history is still to be written; it requires and it + awaits a man of genius. This reflection will doubtless rise to the lips of + every one after reading the almost unknown incident which forms the basis + of this Study and is one of the most remarkable facts in the history of + that bourgeoisie. It will not be the first time in history that conclusion + has preceded facts. + </p> + <p> + In 1560, the houses of the rue de la Vieille-Pelleterie skirted the left + bank of the Seine, between the pont Notre-Dame and the pont au Change. A + public footpath and the houses then occupied the space covered by the + present roadway. Each house, standing almost in the river, allowed its + dwellers to get down to the water by stone or wooden stairways, closed and + protected by strong iron railings or wooden gates, clamped with iron. The + houses, like those in Venice, had an entrance on <i>terra firma</i> and a + water entrance. At the moment when the present sketch is published, only + one of these houses remains to recall the old Paris of which we speak, and + that is soon to disappear; it stands at the corner of the Petit-Pont, + directly opposite to the guard-house of the Hotel-Dieu. + </p> + <p> + Formerly each dwelling presented on the river-side the fantastic + appearance given either by the trade of its occupant and his habits, or by + the originality of the exterior constructions invented by the proprietors + to use or abuse the Seine. The bridges being encumbered with more mills + than the necessities of navigation could allow, the Seine formed as many + enclosed basins as there were bridges. Some of these basins in the heart + of old Paris would have offered precious scenes and tones of color to + painters. What a forest of crossbeams supported the mills with their huge + sails and their wheels! What strange effects were produced by the piles or + props driven into the water to project the upper floors of the houses + above the stream! Unfortunately, the art of genre painting did not exist + in those days, and that of engraving was in its infancy. We have therefore + lost that curious spectacle, still offered, though in miniature, by + certain provincial towns, where the rivers are overhung with wooden + houses, and where, as at Vendome, the basins, full of water grasses, are + enclosed by immense iron railings, to isolate each proprietor’s share of + the stream, which extends from bank to bank. + </p> + <p> + The name of this street, which has now disappeared from the map, + sufficiently indicates the trade that was carried on in it. In those days + the merchants of each class of commerce, instead of dispersing themselves + about the city, kept together in the same neighborhood and protected + themselves mutually. Associated in corporations which limited their + number, they were still further united into guilds by the Church. In this + way prices were maintained. Also, the masters were not at the mercy of + their workmen, and did not obey their whims as they do to-day; on the + contrary, they made them their children, their apprentices, took care of + them, and taught them the intricacies of the trade. In order to become a + master, a workman had to produce a masterpiece, which was always dedicated + to the saint of his guild. Will any one dare to say that the absence of + competition destroyed the desire for perfection, or lessened the beauty of + products? What say you, you whose admiration for the masterpieces of past + ages has created the modern trade of the sellers of bric-a-brac? + </p> + <p> + In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the trade of the furrier was one + of the most flourishing industries. The difficulty of obtaining furs, + which, being all brought from the north, required long and perilous + journeys, gave a very high price and value to those products. Then, as + now, high prices led to consumption; for vanity likes to override + obstacles. In France, as in other kingdoms, not only did royal ordinances + restrict the use of furs to the nobility (proved by the part which ermine + plays in the old blazons), but also certain rare furs, such as <i>vair</i> + (which was undoubtedly Siberian sable), could not be worn by any but + kings, dukes, and certain lords clothed with official powers. A + distinction was made between the greater and lesser <i>vair</i>. The very + name has been so long disused, that in a vast number of editions of + Perrault’s famous tale, Cinderella’s slipper, which was no doubt of <i>vair</i> + (the fur), is said to have been made of <i>verre</i> (glass). Lately one + of our most distinguished poets was obliged to establish the true + orthography of the word for the instruction of his brother-feuilletonists + in giving an account of the opera of the “Cenerentola,” where the symbolic + slipper has been replaced by a ring, which symbolizes nothing at all. + </p> + <p> + Naturally the sumptuary laws about the wearing of fur were perpetually + infringed upon, to the great satisfaction of the furriers. The costliness + of stuffs and furs made a garment in those days a durable thing,—as + lasting as the furniture, the armor, and other items of that strong life + of the fifteenth century. A woman of rank, a seigneur, all rich men, also + all the burghers, possessed at the most two garments for each season, + which lasted their lifetime and beyond it. These garments were bequeathed + to their children. Consequently the clause in the marriage-contract + relating to arms and clothes, which in these days is almost a dead letter + because of the small value of wardrobes that need constant renewing, was + then of much importance. Great costs brought with them solidity. The + toilet of a woman constituted a large capital; it was reckoned among the + family possessions, and was kept in those enormous chests which threaten + to break through the floors of our modern houses. The jewels of a woman of + 1840 would have been the <i>undress</i> ornaments of a great lady in 1540. + </p> + <p> + To-day, the discovery of America, the facilities of transportation, the + ruin of social distinctions which has paved the way for the ruin of + apparent distinctions, has reduced the trade of the furrier to what it now + is,—next to nothing. The article which a furrier sells to-day, as in + former days, for twenty <i>livres</i> has followed the depreciation of + money: formerly the <i>livre</i>, which is now worth one franc and is + usually so called, was worth twenty francs. To-day, the lesser bourgeoisie + and the courtesans who edge their capes with sable, are ignorant than in + 1440 an ill-disposed police-officer would have incontinently arrested them + and marched them before the justice at the Chatelet. Englishwomen, who are + so fond of ermine, do not know that in former times none but queens, + duchesses, and chancellors were allowed to wear that royal fur. There are + to-day in France several ennobled families whose true name is Pelletier or + Lepelletier, the origin of which is evidently derived from some rich + furrier’s counter, for most of our burgher’s names began in some such way. + </p> + <p> + This digression will explain, not only the long feud as to precedence + which the guild of drapers maintained for two centuries against the guild + of furriers and also of mercers (each claiming the right to walk first, as + being the most important guild in Paris), but it will also serve to + explain the importance of the Sieur Lecamus, a furrier honored with the + custom of two queens, Catherine de’ Medici and Mary Stuart, also the + custom of the parliament,—a man who for twenty years was the syndic + of his corporation, and who lived in the street we have just described. + </p> + <p> + The house of Lecamus was one of three which formed the three angles of the + open space at the end of the pont au Change, where nothing now remains but + the tower of the Palais de Justice, which made the fourth angle. On the + corner of this house, which stood at the angle of the pont au Change and + the quai now called the quai aux Fleurs, the architect had constructed a + little shrine for a Madonna, which was always lighted by wax-tapers and + decked with real flowers in summer and artificial ones in winter. On the + side of the house toward the rue du Pont, as on the side toward the rue de + la Vieille-Pelleterie, the upper story of the house was supported by + wooden pillars. All the houses in this mercantile quarter had an arcade + behind these pillars, where the passers in the street walked under cover + on a ground of trodden mud which kept the place always dirty. In all + French towns these arcades or galleries are called <i>les piliers</i>, a + general term to which was added the name of the business transacted under + them,—as “piliers des Halles” (markets), “piliers de la Boucherie” + (butchers). + </p> + <p> + These galleries, a necessity in the Parisian climate, which is so + changeable and so rainy, gave this part of the city a peculiar character + of its own; but they have now disappeared. Not a single house in the river + bank remains, and not more than about a hundred feet of the old “piliers + des Halles,” the last that have resisted the action of time, are left; and + before long even that relic of the sombre labyrinth of old Paris will be + demolished. Certainly, the existence of such old ruins of the middle-ages + is incompatible with the grandeurs of modern Paris. These observations are + meant not so much to regret the destruction of the old town, as to + preserve in words, and by the history of those who lived there, the memory + of a place now turned to dust, and to excuse the following description, + which may be precious to a future age now treading on the heels of our + own. + </p> + <p> + The walls of this house were of wood covered with slate. The spaces + between the uprights had been filled in, as we may still see in some + provincial towns, with brick, so placed, by reversing their thickness, as + to make a pattern called “Hungarian point.” The window-casings and + lintels, also in wood, were richly carved, and so was the corner pillar + where it rose above the shrine of the Madonna, and all the other pillars + in front of the house. Each window, and each main beam which separated the + different storeys, was covered with arabesques of fantastic personages and + animals wreathed with conventional foliage. On the street side, as on the + river side, the house was capped with a roof looking as if two cards were + set up one against the other,—thus presenting a gable to the street + and a gable to the water. This roof, like the roof of a Swiss chalet, + overhung the building so far that on the second floor there was an outside + gallery with a balustrade, on which the owners of the house could walk + under cover and survey the street, also the river basin between the + bridges and the two lines of houses. + </p> + <p> + These houses on the river bank were very valuable. In those days a system + of drains and fountains was still to be invented; nothing of the kind as + yet existed except the circuit sewer, constructed by Aubriot, provost of + Paris under Charles the Wise, who also built the Bastille, the pont + Saint-Michel and other bridges, and was the first man of genius who ever + thought of the sanitary improvement of Paris. The houses situated like + that of Lecamus took from the river the water necessary for the purposes + of life, and also made the river serve as a natural drain for rain-water + and household refuse. The great works that the “merchants’ provosts” did + in this direction are fast disappearing. Middle-aged persons alone can + remember to have seen the great holes in the rue Montmartre, rue du + Temple, etc., down which the waters poured. Those terrible open jaws were + in the olden time of immense benefit to Paris. Their place will probably + be forever marked by the sudden rise of the paved roadways at the spots + where they opened,—another archaeological detail which will be quite + inexplicable to the historian two centuries hence. One day, about 1816, a + little girl who was carrying a case of diamonds to an actress at the + Ambigu, for her part as queen, was overtaken by a shower and so nearly + washed down the great drainhole in the rue du Temple that she would have + disappeared had it not been for a passer who heard her cries. Unluckily, + she had let go the diamonds, which were, however, recovered later at a + man-hole. This event made a great noise, and gave rise to many petitions + against these engulfers of water and little girls. They were singular + constructions about five feet high, furnished with iron railings, more or + less movable, which often caused the inundation of the neighboring + cellars, whenever the artificial river produced by sudden rains was + arrested in its course by the filth and refuse collected about these + railings, which the owners of the abutting houses sometimes forgot to + open. + </p> + <p> + The front of this shop of the Sieur Lecamus was all window, formed of + sashes of leaded panes, which made the interior very dark. The furs were + taken for selection to the houses of rich customers. As for those who came + to the shop to buy, the goods were shown to them outside, between the + pillars,—the arcade being, let us remark, encumbered during the + day-time with tables, and clerks sitting on stools, such as we all + remember seeing some fifteen years ago under the “piliers des Halles.” + From these outposts, the clerks and apprentices talked, questioned, + answered each other, and called to the passers,—customs which the + great Walter Scott has made use of in his “Fortunes of Nigel.” + </p> + <p> + The sign, which represented an ermine, hung outside, as we still see in + some village hostelries, from a rich bracket of gilded iron filagree. + Above the ermine, on one side of the sign, were the words:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + LECAMVS + + FURRIER +</pre> + <h3> + TO MADAME LA ROYNE ET DU ROY NOSTRE SIRE. + </h3> + <p> + On the other side of the sign were the words:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + TO MADAME LA ROYNE-MERE + + AND MESSIEURS DV PARLEMENT. +</pre> + <p> + The words “Madame la Royne-mere” had been lately added. The gilding was + fresh. This addition showed the recent changes produced by the sudden and + violent death of Henri II., which overturned many fortunes at court and + began that of the Guises. + </p> + <p> + The back-shop opened on the river. In this room usually sat the + respectable proprietor himself and Mademoiselle Lecamus. In those days the + wife of a man who was not noble had no right to the title of dame, + “madame”; but the wives of the burghers of Paris were allowed to use that + of “mademoiselle,” in virtue of privileges granted and confirmed to their + husbands by the several kings to whom they had done service. Between this + back-shop and the main shop was the well of a corkscrew-staircase which + gave access to the upper story, where were the great ware-room and the + dwelling-rooms of the old couple, and the garrets lighted by skylights, + where slept the children, the servant-woman, the apprentices, and the + clerks. + </p> + <p> + This crowding of families, servants, and apprentices, the little space + which each took up in the building where the apprentices all slept in one + large chamber under the roof, explains the enormous population of Paris + then agglomerated on one-tenth of the surface of the present city; also + the queer details of private life in the middle ages; also, the + contrivances of love which, with all due deference to historians, are + found only in the pages of the romance-writers, without whom they would be + lost to the world. At this period very great <i>seigneurs</i>, such, for + instance, as Admiral de Coligny, occupied three rooms, and their suites + lived at some neighboring inn. There were not, in those days, more than + fifty private mansions in Paris, and those were fifty palaces belonging to + sovereign princes, or to great vassals, whose way of living was superior + to that of the greatest German rulers, such as the Duke of Bavaria and the + Elector of Saxony. + </p> + <p> + The kitchen of the Lecamus family was beneath the back-shop and looked out + upon the river. It had a glass door opening upon a sort of iron balcony, + from which the cook drew up water in a bucket, and where the household + washing was done. The back-shop was made the dining-room, office, and + salon of the merchant. In this important room (in all such houses richly + panelled and adorned with some special work of art, and also a carved + chest) the life of the merchant was passed; there the joyous suppers after + the work of the day was over, there the secret conferences on the + political interests of the burghers and of royalty took place. The + formidable corporations of Paris were at that time able to arm a hundred + thousand men. Therefore the opinions of the merchants were backed by their + servants, their clerks, their apprentices, their workmen. The burghers had + a chief in the “provost of the merchants” who commanded them, and in the + Hotel de Ville, a palace where they possessed the right to assemble. In + the famous “burghers’ parlor” their solemn deliberations took place. Had + it not been for the continual sacrifices which by that time made war + intolerable to the corporations, who were weary of their losses and of the + famine, Henri IV., that factionist who became king, might never perhaps + have entered Paris. + </p> + <p> + Every one can now picture to himself the appearance of this corner of old + Paris, where the bridge and quai still are, where the trees of the quai + aux Fleurs now stand, but where no trace remains of the period of which we + write except the tall and famous tower of the Palais de Justice, from + which the signal was given for the Saint Bartholomew. Strange + circumstance! one of the houses standing at the foot of that tower then + surrounded by wooden shops, that, namely, of Lecamus, was about to witness + the birth of facts which were destined to prepare for that night of + massacre, which was, unhappily, more favorable than fatal to Calvinism. + </p> + <p> + At the moment when our history begins, the audacity of the new religious + doctrines was putting all Paris in a ferment. A Scotchman named Stuart had + just assassinated President Minard, the member of the Parliament to whom + public opinion attributed the largest share in the execution of Councillor + Anne du Bourg; who was burned on the place de Greve after the king’s + tailor—to whom Henri II. and Diane de Poitiers had caused the + torture of the “question” to be applied in their very presence. Paris was + so closely watched that the archers compelled all passers along the street + to pray before the shrines of the Madonna so as to discover heretics by + their unwillingness or even refusal to do an act contrary to their + beliefs. + </p> + <p> + The two archers who were stationed at the corner of the Lecamus house had + departed, and Cristophe, son of the furrier, vehemently suspected of + deserting Catholicism, was able to leave the shop without fear of being + made to adore the Virgin. By seven in the evening, in April, 1560, + darkness was already falling, and the apprentices, seeing no signs of + customers on either side of the arcade, were beginning to take in the + merchandise exposed as samples beneath the pillars, in order to close the + shop. Christophe Lecamus, an ardent young man about twenty-two years old, + was standing on the sill of the shop-door, apparently watching the + apprentices. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” said one of them, addressing Christophe and pointing to a man + who was walking to and fro under the gallery with an air of indecision, + “perhaps that’s a thief or a spy; anyhow, the shabby wretch can’t be an + honest man; if he wanted to speak to us he would come over frankly, + instead of sidling along as he does—and what a face!” continued the + apprentice, mimicking the man, “with his nose in his cloak, his yellow + eyes, and that famished look!” + </p> + <p> + When the stranger thus described caught sight of Christophe alone on the + door-sill, he suddenly left the opposite gallery where he was then + walking, crossed the street rapidly, and came under the arcade in front of + the Lecamus house. There he passed slowly along in front of the shop, and + before the apprentices returned to close the outer shutters he said to + Christophe in a low voice:— + </p> + <p> + “I am Chaudieu.” + </p> + <p> + Hearing the name of one of the most illustrious ministers and devoted + actors in the terrible drama called “The Reformation,” Christophe quivered + as a faithful peasant might have quivered on recognizing his disguised + king. + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps you would like to see some furs? Though it is almost dark I will + show you some myself,” said Christophe, wishing to throw the apprentices, + whom he heard behind him, off the scent. + </p> + <p> + With a wave of his hand he invited the minister to enter the shop, but the + latter replied that he preferred to converse outside. Christophe then + fetched his cap and followed the disciple of Calvin. + </p> + <p> + Though banished by an edict, Chaudieu, the secret envoy of Theodore de + Beze and Calvin (who were directing the French Reformation from Geneva), + went and came, risking the cruel punishment to which the Parliament, in + unison with the Church and Royalty, had condemned one of their number, the + celebrated Anne du Bourg, in order to make a terrible example. Chaudieu, + whose brother was a captain and one of Admiral Coligny’s best soldiers, + was a powerful auxiliary by whose arm Calvin shook France at the beginning + of the twenty two years of religious warfare now on the point of breaking + out. This minister was one of the hidden wheels whose movements can best + exhibit the wide-spread action of the Reform. + </p> + <p> + Chaudieu led Christophe to the water’s edge through an underground + passage, which was like that of the Marion tunnel filled up by the + authorities about ten years ago. This passage, which was situated between + the Lecamus house and the one adjoining it, ran under the rue de la + Vieille-Pelleterie, and was called the Pont-aux-Fourreurs. It was used by + the dyers of the City to go to the river and wash their flax and silks, + and other stuffs. A little boat was at the entrance of it, rowed by a + single sailor. In the bow was a man unknown to Christophe, a man of low + stature and very simply dressed. Chaudieu and Christophe entered the boat, + which in a moment was in the middle of the Seine; the sailor then directed + its course beneath one of the wooden arches of the pont au Change, where + he tied up quickly to an iron ring. As yet, no one had said a word. + </p> + <p> + “Here we can speak without fear; there are no traitors or spies here,” + said Chaudieu, looking at the two as yet unnamed men. Then, turning an + ardent face to Christophe, “Are you,” he said, “full of that devotion that + should animate a martyr? Are you ready to endure all for our sacred cause? + Do you fear the tortures applied to the Councillor du Bourg, to the king’s + tailor,—tortures which await the majority of us?” + </p> + <p> + “I shall confess the gospel,” replied Lecamus, simply, looking at the + windows of his father’s back-shop. + </p> + <p> + The family lamp, standing on the table where his father was making up his + books for the day, spoke to him, no doubt, of the joys of family and the + peaceful existence which he now renounced. The vision was rapid, but + complete. His mind took in, at a glance, the burgher quarter full of its + own harmonies, where his happy childhood had been spent, where lived his + promised bride, Babette Lallier, where all things promised him a sweet and + full existence; he saw the past; he saw the future, and he sacrificed it, + or, at any rate, he staked it all. Such were the men of that day. + </p> + <p> + “We need ask no more,” said the impetuous sailor; “we know him for one of + our <i>saints</i>. If the Scotchman had not done the deed he would kill us + that infamous Minard.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Lecamus, “my life belongs to the church; I shall give it with + joy for the triumph of the Reformation, on which I have seriously + reflected. I know that what we do is for the happiness of the peoples. In + two words: Popery drives to celibacy, the Reformation establishes the + family. It is time to rid France of her monks, to restore their lands to + the Crown, who will, sooner or later, sell them to the burghers. Let us + learn to die for our children, and make our families some day free and + prosperous.” + </p> + <p> + The face of the young enthusiast, that of Chaudieu, that of the sailor, + that of the stranger seated in the bow, lighted by the last gleams of the + twilight, formed a picture which ought the more to be described because + the description contains in itself the whole history of the times—if + it is, indeed, true that to certain men it is given to sum up in their own + persons the spirit of their age. + </p> + <p> + The religious reform undertaken by Luther in Germany, John Knox in + Scotland, Calvin in France, took hold especially of those minds in the + lower classes into which thought had penetrated. The great lords sustained + the movement only to serve interests that were foreign to the religious + cause. To these two classes were added adventurers, ruined noblemen, + younger sons, to whom all troubles were equally acceptable. But among the + artisan and merchant classes the new faith was sincere and based on + calculation. The masses of the poorer people adhered at once to a religion + which gave the ecclesiastical property to the State, and deprived the + dignitaries of the Church of their enormous revenues. Commerce everywhere + reckoned up the profits of this religious operation, and devoted itself + body, soul, and purse, to the cause. + </p> + <p> + But among the young men of the French bourgeoisie the Protestant movement + found that noble inclination to sacrifices of all kinds which inspires + youth, to which selfishness is, as yet, unknown. Eminent men, sagacious + minds, discerned the Republic in the Reformation; they desired to + establish throughout Europe the government of the United Provinces, which + ended by triumphing over the greatest Power of those times,—Spain, + under Philip the Second, represented in the Low Countries by the Duke of + Alba. Jean Hotoman was then meditating his famous book, in which this + project is put forth,—a book which spread throughout France the + leaven of these ideas, which were stirred up anew by the Ligue, repressed + by Richelieu, then by Louis XIV., always protected by the younger + branches, by the house of Orleans in 1789, as by the house of Bourbon in + 1589. Whoso says “Investigate” says “Revolt.” All revolt is either the + cloak that hides a prince, or the swaddling-clothes of a new mastery. The + house of Bourbon, the younger sons of the Valois, were at work beneath the + surface of the Reformation. + </p> + <p> + At the moment when the little boat floated beneath the arch of the pont au + Change the question was strangely complicated by the ambitions of the + Guises, who were rivalling the Bourbons. Thus the Crown, represented by + Catherine de’ Medici, was able to sustain the struggle for thirty years by + pitting the one house against the other house; whereas later, the Crown, + instead of standing between various jealous ambitions, found itself + without a barrier, face to face with the people: Richelieu and Louis XIV. + had broken down the barrier of the Nobility; Louis XV. had broken down + that of the Parliaments. Alone before the people, as Louis XVI. was, a + king must inevitably succumb. + </p> + <p> + Christophe Lecamus was a fine representative of the ardent and devoted + portion of the people. His wan face had the sharp hectic tones which + distinguish certain fair complexions; his hair was yellow, of a coppery + shade; his gray-blue eyes were sparkling. In them alone was his fine soul + visible; for his ill-proportioned face did not atone for its triangular + shape by the noble mien of an elevated mind, and his low forehead + indicated only extreme energy. Life seemed to centre in his chest, which + was rather hollow. More nervous than sanguine, Cristophe’s bodily + appearance was thin and threadlike, but wiry. His pointed noise expressed + the shrewdness of the people, and his countenance revealed an intelligence + capable of conducting itself well on a single point of the circumference, + without having the faculty of seeing all around it. His eyes, the arching + brows of which, scarcely covered with a whitish down, projected like an + awning, were strongly circled by a pale-blue band, the skin being white + and shining at the spring of the nose,—a sign which almost always + denotes excessive enthusiasm. Christophe was of the people,—the + people who devote themselves, who fight for their devotions, who let + themselves be inveigled and betrayed; intelligent enough to comprehend and + serve an idea, too upright to turn it to his own account, too noble to + sell himself. + </p> + <p> + Contrasting with this son of Lecamus, Chaudieu, the ardent minister, with + brown hair thinned by vigils, a yellow skin, an eloquent mouth, a militant + brow, with flaming brown eyes, and a short and prominent chin, embodied + well the Christian faith which brought to the Reformation so many sincere + and fanatical pastors, whose courage and spirit aroused the populations. + The aide-de-camp of Calvin and Theodore de Beze contrasted admirably with + the son of the furrier. He represented the fiery cause of which the effect + was seen in Christophe. + </p> + <p> + The sailor, an impetuous being, tanned by the open air, accustomed to dewy + nights and burning days, with closed lips, hasty gestures, orange eyes, + ravenous as those of a vulture, and black, frizzled hair, was the + embodiment of an adventurer who risks all in a venture, as a gambler + stakes all on a card. His whole appearance revealed terrific passions, and + an audacity that flinched at nothing. His vigorous muscles were made to be + quiescent as well as to act. His manner was more audacious than noble. His + nose, though thin, turned up and snuffed battle. He seemed agile and + capable. You would have known him in all ages for the leader of a party. + If he were not of the Reformation, he might have been Pizarro, Fernando + Cortez, or Morgan the Exterminator,—a man of violent action of some + kind. + </p> + <p> + The fourth man, sitting on a thwart wrapped in his cloak, belonged, + evidently, to the highest portion of society. The fineness of his linen, + its cut, the material and scent of his clothing, the style and skin of his + gloves, showed him to be a man of courts, just as his bearing, his + haughtiness, his composure and his all-embracing glance proved him to be a + man of war. The aspect of this personage made a spectator uneasy in the + first place, and then inclined him to respect. We respect a man who + respects himself. Though short and deformed, his manners instantly + redeemed the disadvantages of his figure. The ice once broken, he showed a + lively rapidity of decision, with an indefinable dash and fire which made + him seem affable and winning. He had the blue eyes and the curved nose of + the house of Navarre, and the Spanish cut of the marked features which + were in after days the type of the Bourbon kings. + </p> + <p> + In a word, the scene now assumed a startling interest. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Chaudieu, as young Lecamus ended his speech, “this boatman is + La Renaudie. And here is Monsiegneur the Prince de Conde,” he added, + motioning to the deformed little man. + </p> + <p> + Thus these four men represented the faith of the people, the spirit of the + Scriptures, the mailed hand of the soldier, and royalty itself hidden in + that dark shadow of the bridge. + </p> + <p> + “You shall now know what we expect of you,” resumed the minister, after + allowing a short pause for Christophe’s astonishment. “In order that you + may make no mistake, we feel obliged to initiate you into the most + important secrets of the Reformation.” + </p> + <p> + The prince and La Renaudie emphasized the minister’s speech by a gesture, + the latter having paused to allow the prince to speak, if he so wished. + Like all great men engaged in plotting, whose system it is to conceal + their hand until the decisive moment, the prince kept silence—but + not from cowardice. In these crises he was always the soul of the + conspiracy; recoiling from no danger and ready to risk his own head; but + from a sort of royal dignity he left the explanation of the enterprise to + his minister, and contented himself with studying the new instrument he + was about to use. + </p> + <p> + “My child,” said Chaudieu, in the Huguenot style of address, “we are about + to do battle for the first time with the Roman prostitute. In a few days + either our legions will be dying on the scaffold, or the Guises will be + dead. This is the first call to arms on behalf of our religion in France, + and France will not lay down those arms till they have conquered. The + question, mark you this, concerns the nation, not the kingdom. The + majority of the nobles of the kingdom see plainly what the Cardinal de + Lorraine and his brother are seeking. Under pretext of defending the + Catholic religion, the house of Lorraine means to claim the crown of + France as its patrimony. Relying on the Church, it has made the Church a + formidable ally; the monks are its support, its acolytes, its spies. It + has assumed the post of guardian to the throne it is seeking to usurp; it + protects the house of Valois which it means to destroy. We have decided to + take up arms because the liberties of the people and the interests of the + nobles are equally threatened. Let us smother at its birth a faction as + odious as that of the Burgundians who formerly put Paris and all France to + fire and sword. It required a Louis XI. to put a stop to the quarrel + between the Burgundians and the Crown; and to-day a prince de Conde is + needed to prevent the house of Lorraine from re-attempting that struggle. + This is not a civil war; it is a duel between the Guises and the + Reformation,—a duel to the death! We will make their heads fall, or + they shall have ours.” + </p> + <p> + “Well said!” cried the prince. + </p> + <p> + “In this crisis, Christophe,” said La Renaudie, “we mean to neglect + nothing which shall strengthen our party,—for there is a party in + the Reformation, the party of thwarted interests, of nobles sacrificed to + the Lorrains, of old captains shamefully treated at Fontainebleau, from + which the cardinal has banished them by setting up gibbets on which to + hang those who ask the king for the cost of their equipment and their + back-pay.” + </p> + <p> + “This, my child,” resumed Chaudieu, observing a sort of terror in + Christophe, “this it is which compels us to conquer by arms instead of + conquering by conviction and by martyrdom. The queen-mother is on the + point of entering into our views. Not that she means to abjure; she has + not reached that decision as yet; but she may be forced to it by our + triumph. However that may be, Queen Catherine, humiliated and in despair + at seeing the power she expected to wield on the death of the king passing + into the hands of the Guises, alarmed at the empire of the young queen, + Mary, niece of the Lorrains and their auxiliary, Queen Catherine is + doubtless inclined to lend her support to the princes and lords who are + now about to make an attempt which will deliver her from the Guises. At + this moment, devoted as she may seem to them, she hates them; she desires + their overthrow, and will try to make use of us against them; but + Monseigneur the Prince de Conde intends to make use of her against all. + The queen-mother will, undoubtedly, consent to all our plans. We shall + have the Connetable on our side; Monseigneur has just been to see him at + Chantilly; but he does not wish to move without an order from his masters. + Being the uncle of Monseigneur, he will not leave him in the lurch; and + this generous prince does not hesitate to fling himself into danger to + force Anne de Montmorency to a decision. All is prepared, and we have cast + our eyes on you as the means of communicating to Queen Catherine our + treaty of alliance, the drafts of edicts, and the bases of the new + government. The court is at Blois. Many of our friends are with it; but + they are to be our future chiefs, and, like Monseigneur,” he added, + motioning to the prince, “they must not be suspected. The queen-mother and + our friends are so closely watched that it is impossible to employ as + intermediary any known person of importance; they would instantly be + suspected and kept from communicating with Madame Catherine. God sends us + at this crisis the shepherd David and his sling to do battle with Goliath + of Guise. Your father, unfortunately for him a good Catholic, is furrier + to the two queens. He is constantly supplying them with garments. Get him + to send you on some errand to the court. You will excite no suspicion, and + you cannot compromise Queen Catherine in any way. All our leaders would + lose their heads if a single imprudent act allowed their connivance with + the queen-mother to be seen. Where a great lord, if discovered, would give + the alarm and destroy our chances, an insignificant man like you will pass + unnoticed. See! The Guises keep the town so full of spies that we have + only the river where we can talk without fear. You are now, my son, like a + sentinel who must die at his post. Remember this: if you are discovered, + we shall all abandon you; we shall even cast, if necessary, opprobrium and + infamy upon you. We shall say that you are a creature of the Guises, made + to play this part to ruin us. You see therefore that we ask of you a total + sacrifice.” + </p> + <p> + “If you perish,” said the Prince de Conde, “I pledge my honor as a noble + that your family shall be sacred for the house of Navarre; I will bear it + on my heart and serve it in all things.” + </p> + <p> + “Those words, my prince, suffice,” replied Christophe, without reflecting + that the conspirator was a Gascon. “We live in times when each man, prince + or burgher, must do his duty.” + </p> + <p> + “There speaks the true Huguenot. If all our men were like that,” said La + Renaudie, laying his hand on Christophe’s shoulder, “we should be + conquerors to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + “Young man,” resumed the prince, “I desire to show you that if Chaudieu + preaches, if the nobleman goes armed, the prince fights. Therefore, in + this hot game all stakes are played.” + </p> + <p> + “Now listen to me,” said La Renaudie. “I will not give you the papers + until you reach Beaugency; for they must not be risked during the whole of + your journey. You will find me waiting for you there on the wharf; my + face, voice, and clothes will be so changed you cannot recognize me, but I + shall say to you, ‘Are you a <i>guepin</i>?’ and you will answer, ‘Ready + to serve.’ As to the performance of your mission, these are the means: You + will find a horse at the ‘Pinte Fleurie,’ close to Saint-Germain + l’Auxerrois. You will there ask for Jean le Breton, who will take you to + the stable and give you one of my ponies which is known to do thirty + leagues in eight hours. Leave by the gate of Bussy. Breton has a pass for + me; use it yourself, and make your way by skirting the towns. You can thus + reach Orleans by daybreak.” + </p> + <p> + “But the horse?” said young Lecamus. + </p> + <p> + “He will not give out till you reach Orleans,” replied La Renaudie. “Leave + him at the entrance of the faubourg Bannier; for the gates are well + guarded, and you must not excite suspicion. It is for you, friend, to play + your part intelligently. You must invent whatever fable seems to you best + to reach the third house to the left on entering Orleans; it belongs to a + certain Tourillon, glove-maker. Strike three blows on the door, and call + out: ‘On service from Messieurs de Guise!’ The man will appear to be a + rabid Guisist; no one knows but our four selves that he is one of us. He + will give you a faithful boatman,—another Guisist of his own cut. Go + down at once to the wharf, and embark in a boat painted green and edged + with white. You will doubtless land at Beaugency to-morrow about mid-day. + There I will arrange to find you a boat which will take you to Blois + without running any risk. Our enemies the Guises do not watch the rivers, + only the landings. Thus you will be able to see the queen-mother to-morrow + or the day after.” + </p> + <p> + “Your words are written there,” said Christophe, touching his forehead. + </p> + <p> + Chaudieu embraced his child with singular religious effusion; he was proud + of him. + </p> + <p> + “God keep thee!” he said, pointing to the ruddy light of the sinking sun, + which was touching the old roofs covered with shingles and sending its + gleams slantwise through the forest of piles among which the water was + rippling. + </p> + <p> + “You belong to the race of the Jacques Bonhomme,” said La Renaudie, + pressing Christophe’s hand. + </p> + <p> + “We shall meet again, <i>monsieur</i>,” said the prince, with a gesture of + infinite grace, in which there was something that seemed almost + friendship. + </p> + <p> + With a stroke of his oars La Renaudie put the boat at the lower step of + the stairway which led to the house. Christophe landed, and the boat + disappeared instantly beneath the arches of the pont au Change. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + II. THE BURGHERS + </h2> + <p> + Christophe shook the iron railing which closed the stairway on the river, + and called. His mother heard him, opened one of the windows of the back + shop, and asked what he was doing there. Christophe answered that he was + cold and wanted to get in. + </p> + <p> + “Ha! my master,” said the Burgundian maid, “you went out by the + street-door, and you return by the water-gate. Your father will be fine + and angry.” + </p> + <p> + Christophe, bewildered by a confidence which had just brought him into + communication with the Prince de Conde, La Renaudie, and Chaudieu, and + still more moved at the prospect of impending civil war, made no answer; + he ran hastily up from the kitchen to the back shop; but his mother, a + rabid Catholic, could not control her anger. + </p> + <p> + “I’ll wager those three men I saw you talking with are Ref—” + </p> + <p> + “Hold your tongue, wife!” said the cautious old man with white hair who + was turning over a thick ledger. “You dawdling fellows,” he went on, + addressing three journeymen, who had long finished their suppers, “why + don’t you go to bed? It is eight o’clock, and you have to be up at five; + besides, you must carry home to-night President de Thou’s cap and mantle. + All three of you had better go, and take your sticks and rapiers; and + then, if you meet scamps like yourselves, at least you’ll be in force.” + </p> + <p> + “Are we going to take the ermine surcoat the young queen has ordered to be + sent to the hotel des Soissons? there’s an express going from there to + Blois for the queen-mother,” said one of the clerks. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said his master, “the queen-mother’s bill amounts to three thousand + crowns; it is time to get the money, and I am going to Blois myself very + soon.” + </p> + <p> + “Father, I do not think it right at your age and in these dangerous times + to expose yourself on the high-roads. I am twenty-two years old, and you + ought to employ me on such errands,” said Christophe, eyeing the box which + he supposed contained the surcoat. + </p> + <p> + “Are you glued to your seats?” cried the old man to his apprentices, who + at once jumped up and seized their rapiers, cloaks, and Monsieur de Thou’s + furs. + </p> + <p> + The next day the Parliament was to receive in state, as its president, + this illustrious judge, who, after signing the death warrant of Councillor + du Bourg, was destined before the close of the year to sit in judgment on + the Prince de Conde! + </p> + <p> + “Here!” said the old man, calling to the maid, “go and ask friend Lallier + if he will come and sup with us and bring the wine; we’ll furnish the + victuals. Tell him, above all, to bring his daughter.” + </p> + <p> + Lecamus, the syndic of the guild of furriers, was a handsome old man of + sixty, with white hair, and a broad, open brow. As court furrier for the + last forty years, he had witnessed all the revolutions of the reign of + Francois I. He had seen the arrival at the French court of the young girl + Catherine de’ Medici, then scarcely fifteen years of age. He had observed + her giving way before the Duchesse d’Etampes, her father-in-law’s + mistress; giving way before the Duchesse de Valentinois, the mistress of + her husband the late king. But the furrier had brought himself safely + through all the chances and changes by which court merchants were often + involved in the disgrace and overthrow of mistresses. His caution led to + his good luck. He maintained an attitude of extreme humility. Pride had + never caught him in its toils. He made himself so small, so gentle, so + compliant, of so little account at court and before the queens and + princesses and favorites, that this modesty, combined with good-humor, had + kept the royal sign above his door. + </p> + <p> + Such a policy was, of course, indicative of a shrewd and perspicacious + mind. Humble as Lecamus seemed to the outer world, he was despotic in his + own home; there he was an autocrat. Most respected and honored by his + brother craftsmen, he owed to his long possession of the first place in + the trade much of the consideration that was shown to him. He was, + besides, very willing to do kindnesses to others, and among the many + services he had rendered, none was more striking than the assistance he + had long given to the greatest surgeon of the sixteenth century, Ambroise + Pare, who owed to him the possibility of studying for his profession. In + all the difficulties which came up among the merchants Lecamus was always + conciliating. Thus a general good opinion of him consolidated his position + among his equals; while his borrowed characteristics kept him steadily in + favor with the court. + </p> + <p> + Not only this, but having intrigued for the honor of being on the vestry + of his parish church, he did what was necessary to bring him into the odor + of sanctity with the rector of Saint-Pierre aux Boeufs, who looked upon + him as one of the men most devoted to the Catholic religion in Paris. + Consequently, at the time of the convocation of the States-General he was + unanimously elected to represent the <i>tiers etat</i> through the + influence of the clergy of Paris,—an influence which at that period + was immense. This old man was, in short, one of those secretly ambitious + souls who will bend for fifty years before all the world, gliding from + office to office, no one exactly knowing how it came about that he was + found securely and peacefully seated at last where no man, even the + boldest, would have had the ambition at the beginning of life to fancy + himself; so great was the distance, so many the gulfs and the precipices + to cross! Lecamus, who had immense concealed wealth, would not run any + risks, and was silently preparing a brilliant future for his son. Instead + of having the personal ambition which sacrifices the future to the + present, he had family ambition,—a lost sentiment in our time, a + sentiment suppressed by the folly of our laws of inheritance. Lecamus saw + himself first president of the Parliament of Paris in the person of his + grandson. + </p> + <p> + Christophe, godson of the famous historian de Thou, was given a most solid + education; but it had led him to doubt and to the spirit of examination + which was then affecting both the Faculties and the students of the + universities. Christophe was, at the period of which we are now writing, + pursuing his studies for the bar, that first step toward the magistracy. + The old furrier was pretending to some hesitation as to his son. Sometimes + he seemed to wish to make Christophe his successor; then again he spoke of + him as a lawyer; but in his heart he was ambitious of a place for this son + as Councillor of the Parliament. He wanted to put the Lecamus family on a + level with those old and celebrated burgher families from which came the + Pasquiers, the Moles, the Mirons, the Seguiers, Lamoignon, du Tillet, + Lecoigneux, Lescalopier, Goix, Arnauld, those famous sheriffs and + grand-provosts of the merchants, among whom the throne found such strong + defenders. + </p> + <p> + Therefore, in order that Christophe might in due course of time maintain + his rank, he wished to marry him to the daughter of the richest jeweller + in the city, his friend Lallier, whose nephew was destined to present to + Henri IV. the keys of Paris. The strongest desire rooted in the heart of + the worthy burgher was to use half of his fortune and half of that of the + jeweller in the purchase of a large and beautiful seignorial estate, + which, in those days, was a long and very difficult affair. But his shrewd + mind knew the age in which he lived too well to be ignorant of the great + movements which were now in preparation. He saw clearly, and he saw + justly, and knew that the kingdom was about to be divided into two camps. + The useless executions in the Place de l’Estrapade, that of the king’s + tailor and the more recent one of the Councillor Anne du Bourg, the actual + connivance of the great lords, and that of the favorite of Francois I. + with the Reformers, were terrible indications. The furrier resolved to + remain, whatever happened, Catholic, royalist, and parliamentarian; but it + suited him, privately, that Christophe should belong to the Reformation. + He knew he was rich enough to ransom his son if Christophe was too much + compromised; and on the other hand if France became Calvinist his son + could save the family in the event of one of those furious Parisian riots, + the memory of which was ever-living with the bourgeoisie,—riots they + were destined to see renewed through four reigns. + </p> + <p> + But these thoughts the old furrier, like Louis XI., did not even say to + himself; his wariness went so far as to deceive his wife and son. This + grave personage had long been the chief man of the richest and most + populous quarter of Paris, that of the centre, under the title of <i>quartenier</i>,—the + title and office which became so celebrated some fifteen months later. + Clothed in cloth like all the prudent burghers who obeyed the sumptuary + laws, Sieur Lecamus (he was tenacious of that title which Charles V. + granted to the burghers of Paris, permitting them also to buy baronial + estates and call their wives by the fine name of <i>demoiselle</i>, but + not by that of madame) wore neither gold chains nor silk, but always a + good doublet with large tarnished silver buttons, cloth gaiters mounting + to the knee, and leather shoes with clasps. His shirt, of fine linen, + showed, according to the fashion of the time, in great puffs between his + half-opened jacket and his breeches. Though his large and handsome face + received the full light of the lamp standing on the table, Christophe had + no conception of the thoughts which lay buried beneath the rich and florid + Dutch skin of the old man; but he understood well enough the advantage he + himself had expected to obtain from his affection for pretty Babette + Lallier. So Christophe, with the air of a man who had come to a decision, + smiled bitterly as he heard of the invitation to his promised bride. + </p> + <p> + When the Burgundian cook and the apprentices had departed on their several + errands, old Lecamus looked at his wife with a glance which showed the + firmness and resolution of his character. + </p> + <p> + “You will not be satisfied till you have got that boy hanged with your + damned tongue,” he said, in a stern voice. + </p> + <p> + “I would rather see him hanged and saved than living and a Huguenot,” she + answered, gloomily. “To think that a child whom I carried nine months in + my womb should be a bad Catholic, and be doomed to hell for all eternity!” + </p> + <p> + She began to weep. + </p> + <p> + “Old silly,” said the furrier; “let him live, if only to convert him. You + said, before the apprentices, a word which may set fire to our house, and + roast us all, like fleas in a straw bed.” + </p> + <p> + The mother crossed herself, and sat down silently. + </p> + <p> + “Now, then, you,” said the old man, with a judicial glance at his son, + “explain to me what you were doing on the river with—come closer, + that I may speak to you,” he added, grasping his son by the arm, and + drawing him to him—“with the Prince de Conde,” he whispered. + Christophe trembled. “Do you suppose the court furrier does not know every + face that frequents the palace? Think you I am ignorant of what is going + on? Monseigneur the Grand Master has been giving orders to send troops to + Amboise. Withdrawing troops from Paris to send them to Amboise when the + king is at Blois, and making them march through Chartres and Vendome, + instead of going by Orleans—isn’t the meaning of that clear enough? + There’ll be troubles. If the queens want their surcoats, they must send + for them. The Prince de Conde has perhaps made up his mind to kill + Messieurs de Guise; who, on their side, expect to rid themselves of him. + The prince will use the Huguenots to protect himself. Why should the son + of a furrier get himself into that fray? When you are married, and when + you are councillor to the Parliament, you will be as prudent as your + father. Before belonging to the new religion, the son of a furrier ought + to wait until the rest of the world belongs to it. I don’t condemn the + Reformers; it is not my business to do so; but the court is Catholic, the + two queens are Catholic, the Parliament is Catholic; we must supply them + with furs, and therefore we must be Catholic ourselves. You shall not go + out from here, Christophe; if you do, I will send you to your godfather, + President de Thou, who will keep you night and day blackening paper, + instead of blackening your soul in company with those damned Genevese.” + </p> + <p> + “Father,” said Christophe, leaning upon the back of the old man’s chair, + “send me to Blois to carry that surcoat to Queen Mary and get our money + from the queen-mother. If you do not, I am lost; and you care for your + son.” + </p> + <p> + “Lost?” repeated the old man, without showing the least surprise. “If you + stay here you can’t be lost; I shall have my eye on you all the time.” + </p> + <p> + “They will kill me here.” + </p> + <p> + “Why?” + </p> + <p> + “The most powerful among the Huguenots have cast their eyes on me to serve + them in a certain matter; if I fail to do what I have just promised to do, + they will kill me in open day, here in the street, as they killed Minard. + But if you send me to court on your affairs, perhaps I can justify myself + equally well to both sides. Either I shall succeed without having run any + danger at all, and shall then win a fine position in the party; or, if the + danger turns out very great, I shall be there simply on your business.” + </p> + <p> + The father rose as if his chair was of red-hot iron. + </p> + <p> + “Wife,” he said, “leave us; and watch that we are left quite alone, + Christophe and I.” + </p> + <p> + When Mademoiselle Lecamus had left them the furrier took his son by a + button and led him to the corner of the room which made the angle of the + bridge. + </p> + <p> + “Christophe,” he said, whispering in his ear as he had done when he + mentioned the name of the Prince of Conde, “be a Huguenot, if you have + that vice; but be so cautiously, in the depths of your soul, and not in a + way to be pointed at as a heretic throughout the quarter. What you have + just confessed to me shows that the leaders have confidence in you. What + are you going to do for them at court?” + </p> + <p> + “I cannot tell you that,” replied Christophe; “for I do not know myself.” + </p> + <p> + “Hum! hum!” muttered the old man, looking at his son, “the scamp means to + hoodwink his father; he’ll go far. You are not going to court,” he went on + in a low tone, “to carry remittances to Messieurs de Guise or to the + little king our master, or to the little Queen Marie. All those hearts are + Catholic; but I would take my oath the Italian woman has some spite + against the Scotch girl and against the Lorrains. I know her. She has a + desperate desire to put her hand into the dough. The late king was so + afraid of her that he did as the jewellers do, he cut diamond by diamond, + he pitted one woman against another. That caused Queen Catherine’s hatred + to the poor Duchesse de Valentinois, from whom she took the beautiful + chateau of Chenonceaux. If it hadn’t been for the Connetable, the duchess + might have been strangled. Back, back, my son; don’t put yourself in the + hands of that Italian, who has no passion except in her brain; and that’s + a bad kind of woman! Yes, what they are sending you to do at court may + give you a very bad headache,” cried the father, seeing that Christophe + was about to reply. “My son, I have plans for your future which you will + not upset by making yourself useful to Queen Catherine; but, heavens and + earth! don’t risk your head. Messieurs de Guise would cut it off as easily + as the Burgundian cuts a turnip, and then those persons who are now + employing you will disown you utterly.” + </p> + <p> + “I know that, father,” said Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “What! are you really so strong, my son? You know it, and are willing to + risk all?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, father.” + </p> + <p> + “By the powers above us!” cried the father, pressing his son in his arms, + “we can understand each other; you are worthy of your father. My child, + you’ll be the honor of the family, and I see that your old father can + speak plainly with you. But do not be more Huguenot than Messieurs de + Coligny. Never draw your sword; be a pen man; keep to your future role of + lawyer. Now, then, tell me nothing until after you have succeeded. If I do + not hear from you by the fourth day after you reach Blois, that silence + will tell me that you are in some danger. The old man will go to save the + young one. I have not sold furs for thirty-two years without a good + knowledge of the wrong side of court robes. I have the means of making my + way through many doors.” + </p> + <p> + Christophe opened his eyes very wide as he heard his father talking thus; + but he thought there might be some parental trap in it, and he made no + reply further than to say:— + </p> + <p> + “Well, make out the bill, and write a letter to the queen; I must start at + once, or the greatest misfortunes may happen.” + </p> + <p> + “Start? How?” + </p> + <p> + “I shall buy a horse. Write at once, in God’s name.” + </p> + <p> + “Hey! mother! give your son some money,” cried the furrier to his wife. + </p> + <p> + The mother returned, went to her chest, took out a purse of gold, and gave + it to Christophe, who kissed her with emotion. + </p> + <p> + “The bill was all ready,” said his father; “here it is. I will write the + letter at once.” + </p> + <p> + Christophe took the bill and put it in his pocket. + </p> + <p> + “But you will sup with us, at any rate,” said the old man. “In such a + crisis you ought to exchange rings with Lallier’s daughter.” + </p> + <p> + “Very well, I will go and fetch her,” said Christophe. + </p> + <p> + The young man was distrustful of his father’s stability in the matter. The + old man’s character was not yet fully known to him. He ran up to his room, + dressed himself, took a valise, came downstairs softly and laid it on a + counter in the shop, together with his rapier and cloak. + </p> + <p> + “What the devil are you doing?” asked his father, hearing him. + </p> + <p> + Christophe came up to the old man and kissed him on both cheeks. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t want any one to see my preparations for departure, and I have put + them on a counter in the shop,” he whispered. + </p> + <p> + “Here is the letter,” said his father. + </p> + <p> + Christophe took the paper and went out as if to fetch his young neighbor. + </p> + <p> + A few moments after his departure the goodman Lallier and his daughter + arrived, preceded by a servant-woman, bearing three bottles of old wine. + </p> + <p> + “Well, where is Christophe?” said old Lecamus. + </p> + <p> + “Christophe!” exclaimed Babette. “We have not seen him.” + </p> + <p> + “Ha! ha! my son is a bold scamp! He tricks me as if I had no beard. My + dear crony, what think you he will turn out to be? We live in days when + the children have more sense than their fathers.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, the quarter has long been saying he is in some mischief,” said + Lallier. + </p> + <p> + “Excuse him on that point, crony,” said the furrier. “Youth is foolish; it + runs after new things; but Babette will keep him quiet; she is newer than + Calvin.” + </p> + <p> + Babette smiled; she loved Christophe, and was angry when anything was said + against him. She was one of those daughters of the old bourgeoisie brought + up under the eyes of a mother who never left her. Her bearing was gentle + and correct as her face; she always wore woollen stuffs of gray, + harmonious in tone; her chemisette, simply pleated, contrasted its + whiteness against the gown. Her cap of brown velvet was like an infant’s + coif, but it was trimmed with a ruche and lappets of tanned gauze, that + is, of a tan color, which came down on each side of her face. Though fair + and white as a true blonde, she seemed to be shrewd and roguish, all the + while trying to hide her roguishness under the air and manner of a + well-trained girl. While the two servant-women went and came, laying the + cloth and placing the jugs, the great pewter dishes, and the knives and + forks, the jeweller and his daughter, the furrier and his wife, sat before + the tall chimney-piece draped with lambrequins of red serge and black + fringes, and were talking of trifles. Babette asked once or twice where + Christophe could be, and the father and mother of the young Huguenot gave + evasive answers; but when the two families were seated at table, and the + two servants had retired to the kitchen, Lecamus said to his future + daughter-in-law:— + </p> + <p> + “Christophe has gone to court.” + </p> + <p> + “To Blois! Such a journey as that without bidding me good-bye!” she said. + </p> + <p> + “The matter was pressing,” said the old mother. + </p> + <p> + “Crony,” said the furrier, resuming a suspended conversation. “We are + going to have troublous times in France. The Reformers are bestirring + themselves.” + </p> + <p> + “If they triumph, it will only be after a long war, during which business + will be at a standstill,” said Lallier, incapable of rising higher than + the commercial sphere. + </p> + <p> + “My father, who saw the wars between the Burgundians and the Armagnacs + told me that our family would never have come out safely if one of his + grandfathers—his mother’s father—had not been a Goix, one of + those famous butchers in the Market who stood by the Burgundians; whereas + the other, the Lecamus, was for the Armagnacs; they seemed ready to flay + each other alive before the world, but they were excellent friends in the + family. So, let us both try to save Christophe; perhaps the time may come + when he will save us.” + </p> + <p> + “You are a shrewd one,” said the jeweller. + </p> + <p> + “No,” replied Lecamus. “The burghers ought to think of themselves; the + populace and the nobility are both against them. The Parisian bourgeoisie + alarms everybody except the king, who knows it is his friend.” + </p> + <p> + “You who are so wise and have seen so many things,” said Babette, timidly, + “explain to me what the Reformers really want.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, tell us that, crony,” cried the jeweller. “I knew the late king’s + tailor, and I held him to be a man of simple life, without great talent; + he was something like you; a man to whom they’d give the sacrament without + confession; and behold! he plunged to the depths of this new religion,—he! + a man whose two ears were worth all of a hundred thousand crowns apiece. + He must have had secrets to reveal to induce the king and the Duchesse de + Valentinois to be present at his torture.” + </p> + <p> + “And terrible secrets, too!” said the furrier. “The Reformation, my + friends,” he continued in a low voice, “will give back to the bourgeoisie + the estates of the Church. When the ecclesiastical privileges are + suppressed the Reformers intend to ask that the <i>vilain</i> shall be + imposed on nobles as well as on burghers, and they mean to insist that the + king alone shall be above others—if indeed, they allow the State to + have a king.” + </p> + <p> + “Suppress the Throne!” ejaculated Lallier. + </p> + <p> + “Hey! crony,” said Lecamus, “in the Low Countries the burghers govern + themselves with burgomasters of their own, who elect their own temporary + head.” + </p> + <p> + “God bless me, crony; we ought to do these fine things and yet stay + Catholics,” cried the jeweller. + </p> + <p> + “We are too old, you and I, to see the triumph of the Parisian + bourgeoisie, but it will triumph, I tell you, in times to come as it did + of yore. Ha! the king must rest upon it in order to resist, and we have + always sold him our help dear. The last time, all the burghers were + ennobled, and he gave them permission to buy seignorial estates and take + titles from the land without special letters from the king. You and I, + grandsons of the Goix through our mothers, are not we as good as any + lord?” + </p> + <p> + These words were so alarming to the jeweller and the two women that they + were followed by a dead silence. The ferments of 1789 were already + tingling in the veins of Lecamus, who was not yet so old but what he could + live to see the bold burghers of the Ligue. + </p> + <p> + “Are you selling well in spite of these troubles?” said Lallier to + Mademoiselle Lecamus. + </p> + <p> + “Troubles always do harm,” she replied. + </p> + <p> + “That’s one reason why I am so set on making my son a lawyer,” said + Lecamus; “for squabbles and law go on forever.” + </p> + <p> + The conversation then turned to commonplace topics, to the great + satisfaction of the jeweller, who was not fond of either political + troubles or audacity of thought. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0006" id="link2H_4_0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + III. THE CHATEAU DE BLOIS + </h2> + <p> + The banks of the Loire, from Blois to Angers, were the favorite resort of + the last two branches of the royal race which occupied the throne before + the house of Bourbon. That beautiful valley plain so well deserves the + honor bestowed upon it by kings that we must here repeat what was said of + it by one of our most eloquent writers:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “There is one province in France which is never sufficiently + admired. Fragrant as Italy, flowery as the banks of the + Guadalquivir, beautiful especially in its own characteristics, + wholly French, having always been French,—unlike in that respect + to our northern provinces, which have degenerated by contact with + Germany, and to our southern provinces, which have lived in + concubinage with Moors, Spaniards, and all other nationalities + that adjoined them. This pure, chaste, brave, and loyal province + is Touraine. Historic France is there! Auvergne is Auvergne, + Languedoc is only Languedoc; but Touraine is France; the most + national river for Frenchmen is the Loire, which waters Touraine. + For this reason we ought not to be surprised at the great number + of historically noble buildings possessed by those departments + which have taken the name, or derivations of the name, of the + Loire. At every step we take in this land of enchantment we + discover a new picture, bordered, it may be, by a river, or a + tranquil lake reflecting in its liquid depths a castle with + towers, and woods and sparkling waterfalls. It is quite natural + that in a region chosen by Royalty for its sojourn, where the + court was long established, great families and fortunes and + distinguished men should have settled and built palaces as grand + as themselves.” + </pre> + <p> + But is it not incomprehensible that Royalty did not follow the advice + indirectly given by Louis XI. to place the capital of the kingdom at + Tours? There, without great expense, the Loire might have been made + accessible for the merchant service, and also for vessels-of-war of light + draught. There, too, the seat of government would have been safe from the + dangers of invasion. Had this been done, the northern cities would not + have required such vast sums of money spent to fortify them,—sums as + vast as were those expended on the sumptuous glories of Versailles. If + Louis XIV. had listened to Vauban, who wished to build his great palace at + Mont Louis, between the Loire and the Cher, perhaps the revolution of 1789 + might never have taken place. + </p> + <p> + These beautiful shores still bear the marks of royal tenderness. The + chateaus of Chambord, Amboise, Blois, Chenonceaux, Chaumont, + Plessis-les-Tours, all those which the mistresses of kings, financiers, + and nobles built at Veretz, Azay-le-Rideau, Usse, Villandri, Valencay, + Chanteloup, Duretal, some of which have disappeared, though most of them + still remain, are admirable relics which remind us of the marvels of a + period that is little understood by the literary sect of the + Middle-agists. + </p> + <p> + Among all these chateaus, that of Blois, where the court was then staying, + is one on which the magnificence of the houses of Orleans and of Valois + has placed its brilliant sign-manual,—making it the most interesting + of all for historians, archaeologists, and Catholics. It was at the time + of which we write completely isolated. The town, enclosed by massive walls + supported by towers, lay below the fortress,—for the chateau served, + in fact, as fort and pleasure-house. Above the town, with its blue-tiled, + crowded roofs extending then, as now, from the river to the crest of the + hill which commands the right bank, lies a triangular plateau, bounded to + the west by a streamlet, which in these days is of no importance, for it + flows beneath the town; but in the fifteenth century, so say historians, + it formed quite a deep ravine, of which there still remains a sunken road, + almost an abyss, between the suburbs of the town and the chateau. + </p> + <p> + It was on this plateau, with a double exposure to the north and south, + that the counts of Blois built, in the architecture of the twelfth + century, a castle where the famous Thibault de Tircheur, Thibault le + Vieux, and others held a celebrated court. In those days of pure + fuedality, in which the king was merely <i>primus inter pares</i> (to use + the fine expression of a king of Poland), the counts of Champagne, the + counts of Blois, those of Anjou, the simple barons of Normandie, the dukes + of Bretagne, lived with the splendor of sovereign princes and gave kings + to the proudest kingdoms. The Plantagenets of Anjou, the Lusignans of + Poitou, the Roberts of Normandie, maintained with a bold hand the royal + races, and sometimes simple knights like du Glaicquin refused the purple, + preferring the sword of a connetable. + </p> + <p> + When the Crown annexed the county of Blois to its domain, Louis XII., who + had a liking for this residence (perhaps to escape Plessis of sinister + memory), built at the back of the first building another building, facing + east and west, which connected the chateau of the counts of Blois with the + rest of the old structures, of which nothing now remains but the vast hall + in which the States-general were held under Henri III. + </p> + <p> + Before he became enamoured of Chambord, Francois I. wished to complete the + chateau of Blois by adding two other wings, which would have made the + structure a perfect square. But Chambord weaned him from Blois, where he + built only one wing, which in his time and that of his grandchildren was + the only inhabited part of the chateau. This third building erected by + Francois I. is more vast and far more decorated than the Louvre, the + chateau of Henri II. It is in the style of architecture now called + Renaissance, and presents the most fantastic features of that style. + Therefore, at a period when a strict and jealous architecture ruled + construction, when the Middle Ages were not even considered, at a time + when literature was not as clearly welded to art as it is now, La Fontaine + said of the chateau de Blois, in his hearty, good-humored way: “The part + that Francois I. built, if looked at from the outside, pleased me better + than all the rest; there I saw numbers of little galleries, little + windows, little balconies, little ornamentations without order or + regularity, and they make up a grand whole which I like.” + </p> + <p> + The chateau of Blois had, therefore, the merit of representing three + orders of architecture, three epochs, three systems, three dominions. + Perhaps there is no other royal residence that can compare with it in that + respect. This immense structure presents to the eye in one enclosure, + round one courtyard, a complete and perfect image of that grand + presentation of the manners and customs and life of nations which is + called Architecture. At the moment when Christophe was to visit the court, + that part of the adjacent land which in our day is covered by a fourth + palace, built seventy years later (by Gaston, the rebellious brother of + Louis XIII., then exiled to Blois), was an open space containing + pleasure-grounds and hanging gardens, picturesquely placed among the + battlements and unfinished turrets of Francois I.‘s chateau. + </p> + <p> + These gardens communicated, by a bridge of a fine, bold construction + (which the old men of Blois may still remember to have seen demolished) + with a pleasure-ground on the other side of the chateau, which, by the lay + of the land, was on the same level. The nobles attached to the Court of + Anne de Bretagne, or those of that province who came to solicit favors, or + to confer with the queen as to the fate and condition of Brittany, awaited + in this pleasure-ground the opportunity for an audience, either at the + queen’s rising, or at her coming out to walk. Consequently, history has + given the name of “Perchoir aux Bretons” to this piece of ground, which, + in our day, is the fruit-garden of a worthy bourgeois, and forms a + projection into the place des Jesuites. The latter place was included in + the gardens of this beautiful royal residence, which had, as we have said, + its upper and its lower gardens. Not far from the place des Jesuites may + still be seen a pavilion built by Catherine de’ Medici, where, according + to the historians of Blois, warm mineral baths were placed for her to use. + This detail enables us to trace the very irregular disposition of the + gardens, which went up or down according to the undulations of the ground, + becoming extremely intricate around the chateau,—a fact which helped + to give it strength, and caused, as we shall see, the discomfiture of the + Duc de Guise. + </p> + <p> + The gardens were reached from the chateau through external and internal + galleries, the most important of which was called the “Galerie des Cerfs” + on account of its decoration. This gallery led to the magnificent + staircase which, no doubt, inspired the famous double staircase of + Chambord. It led, from floor to floor, to all the apartments of the + castle. + </p> + <p> + Though La Fontaine preferred the chateau of Francois I. to that of Louis + XII., perhaps the naivete of that of the good king will give true artists + more pleasure, while at the same time they admire the magnificent + structure of the knightly king. The elegance of the two staircases which + are placed at each end of the chateau of Louis XII., the delicate carving + and sculpture, so original in design, which abound everywhere, the remains + of which, though time has done its worst, still charm the antiquary, all, + even to the semi-cloistral distribution of the apartments, reveals a great + simplicity of manners. Evidently, the <i>court</i> did not yet exist; it + had not developed, as it did under Francois I. and Catherine de’ Medici, + to the great detriment of feudal customs. As we admire the galleries, or + most of them, the capitals of the columns, and certain figurines of + exquisite delicacy, it is impossible not to imagine that Michel Columb, + that great sculptor, the Michel-Angelo of Brittany, passed that way for + the pleasure of Queen Anne, whom he afterwards immortalized on the tomb of + her father, the last duke of Brittany. + </p> + <p> + Whatever La Fontaine may choose to say about the “little galleries” and + the “little ornamentations,” nothing can be more grandiose than the + dwelling of the splendid Francois. Thanks to I know not what indifference, + to forgetfulness perhaps, the apartments occupied by Catherine de’ Medici + and her son Francois II. present to us to-day the leading features of that + time. The historian can there restore the tragic scenes of the drama of + the Reformation,—a drama in which the dual struggle of the Guises + and of the Bourbons against the Valois was a series of most complicated + acts, the plot of which was here unravelled. + </p> + <p> + The chateau of Francois I. completely crushes the artless habitation of + Louis XII. by its imposing masses. On the side of the gardens, that is, + toward the modern place des Jesuites, the castle presents an elevation + nearly double that which it shows on the side of the courtyard. The + ground-floor on this side forms the second floor on the side of the + gardens, where are placed the celebrated galleries. Thus the first floor + above the ground-floor toward the courtyard (where Queen Catherine was + lodged) is the third floor on the garden side, and the king’s apartments + were four storeys above the garden, which at the time of which we write + was separated from the base of the castle by a deep moat. The chateau, + already colossal as viewed from the courtyard, appears gigantic when seen + from below, as La Fontaine saw it. He mentions particularly that he did + not enter either the courtyard or the apartments, and it is to be remarked + that from the place des Jesuites all the details seem small. The balconies + on which the courtiers promenaded; the galleries, marvellously executed; + the sculptured windows, whose embrasures are so deep as to form boudoirs—for + which indeed they served—resemble at that great height the fantastic + decorations which scene-painters give to a fairy palace at the opera. + </p> + <p> + But in the courtyard, although the three storeys above the ground-floor + rise as high as the clock-tower of the Tuileries, the infinite delicacy of + the architecture reveals itself to the rapture of our astonished eyes. + This wing of the great building, in which the two queens, Catherine de’ + Medici and Mary Stuart, held their sumptuous court, is divided in the + centre by a hexagon tower, in the empty well of which winds up a spiral + staircase,—a Moorish caprice, designed by giants, made by dwarfs, + which gives to this wonderful facade the effect of a dream. The baluster + of this staircase forms a spiral connecting itself by a square landing to + five of the six sides of the tower, requiring at each landing transversal + corbels which are decorated with arabesque carvings without and within. + This bewildering creation of ingenious and delicate details, of marvels + which give speech to stones, can be compared only to the deeply worked and + crowded carving of the Chinese ivories. Stone is made to look like + lace-work. The flowers, the figures of men and animals clinging to the + structure of the stairway, are multiplied, step by step, until they crown + the tower with a key-stone on which the chisels of the art of the + sixteenth century have contended against the naive cutters of images who + fifty years earlier had carved the key-stones of Louis XII.‘s two + stairways. + </p> + <p> + However dazzled we may be by these recurring forms of indefatigable labor, + we cannot fail to see that money was lacking to Francois I. for Blois, as + it was to Louis XIV. for Versailles. More than one figurine lifts its + delicate head from a block of rough stone behind it; more than one + fantastic flower is merely indicated by chiselled touches on the abandoned + stone, though dampness has since laid its blossoms of mouldy greenery upon + it. On the facade, side by side with the tracery of one window, another + window presents its masses of jagged stone carved only by the hand of + time. Here, to the least artistic and the least trained eye, is a + ravishing contrast between this frontage, where marvels throng, and the + interior frontage of the chateau of Louis XII., which is composed of a + ground-floor of arcades of fairy lightness supported by tiny columns + resting at their base on a graceful platform, and of two storeys above it, + the windows of which are carved with delightful sobriety. Beneath the + arcade is a gallery, the walls of which are painted in fresco, the ceiling + also being painted; traces can still be found of this magnificence, + derived from Italy, and testifying to the expeditions of our kings, to + which the principality of Milan then belonged. + </p> + <p> + Opposite to Francois I.‘s wing was the chapel of the counts of Blois, the + facade of which is almost in harmony with the architecture of the later + dwelling of Louis XII. No words can picture the majestic solidity of these + three distinct masses of building. In spite of their nonconformity of + style, Royalty, powerful and firm, demonstrating its dangers by the + greatness of its precautions, was a bond, uniting these three edifices, so + different in character, two of which rested against the vast hall of the + States-general, towering high like a church. + </p> + <p> + Certainly, neither the simplicity nor the strength of the burgher + existence (which were depicted at the beginning of this history) in which + Art was always represented, were lacking to this royal habitation. Blois + was the fruitful and brilliant example to which the Bourgeoisie and + Feudality, Wealth and Nobility, gave such splendid replies in the towns + and in the rural regions. Imagination could not desire any other sort of + dwelling for the prince who reigned over France in the sixteenth century. + The richness of seignorial garments, the luxury of female adornment, must + have harmonized delightfully with the lace-work of these stones so + wonderfully manipulated. From floor to floor, as the king of France went + up the marvellous staircase of his chateau of Blois, he could see the + broad expanse of the beautiful Loire, which brought him news of all his + kingdom as it lay on either side of the great river, two halves of a State + facing each other, and semi-rivals. If, instead of building Chambord in a + barren, gloomy plain two leagues away, Francois I. had placed it where, + seventy years later, Gaston built his palace, Versailles would never have + existed, and Blois would have become, necessarily, the capital of France. + </p> + <p> + Four Valois and Catherine de’ Medici lavished their wealth on the wing + built by Francois I. at Blois. Who can look at those massive + partition-walls, the spinal column of the castle, in which are sunken deep + alcoves, secret staircases, cabinets, while they themselves enclose halls + as vast as that great council-room, the guardroom, and the royal chambers, + in which, in our day, a regiment of infantry is comfortably lodged—who + can look at all this and not be aware of the prodigalities of Crown and + court? Even if a visitor does not at once understand how the splendor + within must have corresponded with the splendor without, the remaining + vestiges of Catherine de’ Medici’s cabinet, where Christophe was about to + be introduced, would bear sufficient testimony to the elegances of Art + which peopled these apartments with animated designs in which salamanders + sparkled among the wreaths, and the palette of the sixteenth century + illumined the darkest corners with its brilliant coloring. In this cabinet + an observer will still find traces of that taste for gilding which + Catherine brought with her from Italy; for the princesses of her house + loved, in the words of the author already quoted, to veneer the castles of + France with the gold earned by their ancestors in commerce, and to hang + out their wealth on the walls of their apartments. + </p> + <p> + The queen-mother occupied on the first upper floor of the apartments of + Queen Claude of France, wife of Francois I., in which may still be seen, + delicately carved, the double C accompanied by figures, purely white, of + swans and lilies, signifying <i>candidior candidis</i>—more white + than the whitest—the motto of the queen whose name began, like that + of Catherine, with a C, and which applied as well to the daughter of Louis + XII. as to the mother of the last Valois; for no suspicion, in spite of + the violence of Calvinist calumny, has tarnished the fidelity of Catherine + de’ Medici to Henri II. + </p> + <p> + The queen-mother, still charged with the care of two young children (him + who was afterward Duc d’Alencon, and Marguerite, the wife of Henri IV., + the sister whom Charles IX. called Margot), had need of the whole of the + first upper floor. + </p> + <p> + The king, Francois II., and the queen, Mary Stuart, occupied, on the + second floor, the royal apartments which had formerly been those of + Francois I. and were, subsequently, those of Henri III. This floor, like + that taken by the queen-mother, is divided in two parts throughout its + whole length by the famous partition-wall, which is more than four feet + thick, against which rests the enormous walls which separate the rooms + from each other. Thus, on both floors, the apartments are in two distinct + halves. One half, to the south, looking to the courtyard, served for + public receptions and for the transaction of business; whereas the private + apartments were placed, partly to escape the heat, to the north, + overlooking the gardens, on which side is the splendid facade with its + balconies and galleries looking out upon the open country of the + Vendomois, and down upon the “Perchoir des Bretons” and the moat, the only + side of which La Fontaine speaks. + </p> + <p> + The chateau of Francois I. was, in those days, terminated by an enormous + unfinished tower which was intended to mark the colossal angle of the + building when the succeeding wing was built. Later, Gaston took down one + side of it, in order to build his palace on to it; but he never finished + the work, and the tower remained in ruins. This royal stronghold served as + a prison or dungeon, according to popular tradition. + </p> + <p> + As we wander to-day through the halls of this matchless chateau, so + precious to art and to history, what poet would not be haunted by regrets, + and grieved for France, at seeing the arabesques of Catherine’s boudoir <i>whitewashed</i> + and almost obliterated, by order of the quartermaster of the barracks + (this royal residence is now a barrack) at the time of an outbreak of + cholera. The panels of Catherine’s boudoir, a room of which we are about + to speak, is the last remaining relic of the rich decorations accumulated + by five artistic kings. Making our way through the labyrinth of chambers, + halls, stairways, towers, we may say to ourselves with solemn certitude: + “Here Mary Stuart cajoled her husband on behalf of the Guises.” “There, + the Guises insulted Catherine.” “Later, at that very spot the second + Balafre fell beneath the daggers of the avengers of the Crown.” “A century + earlier, from this very window, Louis XII. made signs to his friend + Cardinal d’Amboise to come to him.” “Here, on this balcony, d’Epernon, the + accomplice of Ravaillac, met Marie de’ Medici, who knew, it was said, of + the proposed regicide, and allowed it to be committed.” + </p> + <p> + In the chapel, where the marriage of Henri IV. and Marguerite de Valois + took place, the sole remaining fragment of the chateau of the counts of + Blois, a regiment now makes it shoes. This wonderful structure, in which + so many styles may still be seen, so many great deeds have been performed, + is in a state of dilapidation which disgraces France. What grief for those + who love the great historic monuments of our country to know that soon + those eloquent stones will be lost to sight and knowledge, like others at + the corner of the rue de la Vieille-Pelleterie; possibly, they will exist + nowhere but in these pages. + </p> + <p> + It is necessary to remark that, in order to watch the royal court more + closely, the Guises, although they had a house of their own in the town, + which still exists, had obtained permission to occupy the upper floor + above the apartments of Louis XII., the same lodgings afterwards occupied + by the Duchesse de Nemours under the roof. + </p> + <p> + The young king, Francois II., and his bride Mary Stuart, in love with each + other like the girl and boy of sixteen which they were, had been abruptly + transferred, in the depth of winter, from the chateau de Saint-Germain, + which the Duc de Guise thought liable to attack, to the fortress which the + chateau of Blois then was, being isolated and protected on three sides by + precipices, and admirably defended as to its entrance. The Guises, uncles + of Mary Stuart, had powerful reasons for not residing in Paris and for + keeping the king and court in a castle the whole exterior surroundings of + which could easily be watched and defended. A struggle was now beginning + around the throne, between the house of Lorraine and the house of Valois, + which was destined to end in this very chateau, twenty-eight years later, + namely in 1588, when Henri III., under the very eyes of his mother, at + that moment deeply humiliated by the Lorrains, heard fall upon the floor + of his own cabinet, the head of the boldest of all the Guises, the second + Balafre, son of that first Balafre by whom Catherine de’ Medici was now + being tricked, watched, threatened, and virtually imprisoned. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0007" id="link2H_4_0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + IV. THE QUEEN-MOTHER + </h2> + <p> + This noble chateau of Blois was to Catherine de’ Medici the narrowest of + prisons. On the death of her husband, who had always held her in + subjection, she expected to reign; but, on the contrary, she found herself + crushed under the thraldom of strangers, whose polished manners were + really far more brutal than those of jailers. No action of hers could be + done secretly. The women who attended her either had lovers among the + Guises or were watched by Argus eyes. These were times when passions + notably exhibited the strange effects produced in all ages by the strong + antagonism of two powerful conflicting interests in the State. Gallantry, + which served Catherine so well, was also an auxiliary of the Guises. The + Prince de Conde, the first leader of the Reformation, was a lover of the + Marechale de Saint-Andre, whose husband was the tool of the Grand Master. + The cardinal, convinced by the affair of the Vidame de Chartres, that + Catherine was more unconquered than invulnerable as to love, was paying + court to her. The play of all these passions strangely complicated those + of politics,—making, as it were, a double game of chess, in which + both parties had to watch the head and heart of their opponent, in order + to know, when a crisis came, whether the one would betray the other. + </p> + <p> + Though she was constantly in presence of the Cardinal de Lorraine or of + Duc Francois de Guise, who both distrusted her, the closest and ablest + enemy of Catherine de’ Medici was her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary, a fair + little creature, malicious as a waiting-maid, proud as a Stuart wearing + three crowns, learned as an old pedant, giddy as a school-girl, as much in + love with her husband as a courtesan is with her lover, devoted to her + uncles whom she admired, and delighted to see the king share (at her + instigation) the regard she had for them. A mother-in-law is always a + person whom the daughter-in-law is inclined not to like; especially when + she wears the crown and wishes to retain it, which Catherine had + imprudently made but too well known. Her former position, when Diane de + Poitiers had ruled Henri II., was more tolerable than this; then at least + she received the external honors that were due to a queen, and the homage + of the court. But now the duke and the cardinal, who had none but their + own minions about them, seemed to take pleasure in abasing her. Catherine, + hemmed in on all sides by their courtiers, received, not only day by day + but from hour to hour, terrible blows to her pride and her self-love; for + the Guises were determined to treat her on the same system of repression + which the late king, her husband, had so long pursued. + </p> + <p> + The thirty-six years of anguish which were now about to desolate France + may, perhaps, be said to have begun by the scene in which the son of the + furrier of the two queens was sent on the perilous errand which makes him + the chief figure of our present Study. The danger into which this zealous + Reformer was about to fall became imminent the very morning on which he + started from the port of Beaugency for the chateau de Blois, bearing + precious documents which compromised the highest heads of the nobility, + placed in his hands by that wily partisan, the indefatigable La Renaudie, + who met him, as agreed upon, at Beaugency, having reached that port before + him. + </p> + <p> + While the tow-boat, in which Christophe now embarked floated, impelled by + a light east wind, down the river Loire the famous Cardinal de Lorraine, + and his brother the second Duc de Guise, one of the greatest warriors of + those days, were contemplating, like eagles perched on a rocky summit, + their present situation, and looking prudently about them before striking + the great blow by which they intended to kill the Reform in France at + Amboise,—an attempt renewed twelve years later in Paris, August 24, + 1572, on the feast of Saint-Bartholomew. + </p> + <p> + During the night three <i>seigneurs</i>, who each played a great part in + the twelve years’ drama which followed this double plot now laid by the + Guises and also by the Reformers, had arrived at Blois from different + directions, each riding at full speed, and leaving their horses half-dead + at the postern-gate of the chateau, which was guarded by captains and + soldiers absolutely devoted to the Duc de Guise, the idol of all warriors. + </p> + <p> + One word about that great man,—a word that must tell, in the first + instance, whence his fortunes took their rise. + </p> + <p> + His mother was Antoinette de Bourbon, great-aunt of Henri IV. Of what + avail is consanguinity? He was, at this moment, aiming at the head of his + cousin the Prince de Conde. His niece was Mary Stuart. His wife was Anne, + daughter of the Duke of Ferrara. The Grand Connetable de Montmorency + called the Duc de Guise “Monseigneur” as he would the king,—ending + his letter with “Your very humble servant.” Guise, Grand Master of the + king’s household, replied “Monsieur le connetable,” and signed, as he did + for the Parliament, “Your very good friend.” + </p> + <p> + As for the cardinal, called the transalpine pope, and his Holiness, by + Estienne, he had the whole monastic Church of France on his side, and + treated the Holy Father as an equal. Vain of his eloquence, and one of the + greatest theologians of his time, he kept incessant watch over France and + Italy by means of three religious orders who were absolutely devoted to + him, toiling day and night in his service and serving him as spies and + counsellors. + </p> + <p> + These few words will explain to what heights of power the duke and the + cardinal had attained. In spite of their wealth and the enormous revenues + of their several offices, they were so personally disinterested, so + eagerly carried away on the current of their statesmanship, and so + generous at heart, that they were always in debt, doubtless after the + manner of Caesar. When Henri III. caused the death of the second Balafre, + whose life was a menace to him, the house of Guise was necessarily ruined. + The costs of endeavoring to seize the crown during a whole century will + explain the lowered position of this great house during the reigns of + Louis XIII. and Louis XIV., when the sudden death of MADAME told all + Europe the infamous part which a Chevalier de Lorraine had debased himself + to play. + </p> + <p> + Calling themselves the heirs of the dispossessed Carolovingians, the duke + and cardinal acted with the utmost insolence towards Catherine de’ Medici, + the mother-in-law of their niece. The Duchesse de Guise spared her no + mortification. This duchesse was a d’Este, and Catherine was a Medici, the + daughter of upstart Florentine merchants, whom the sovereigns of Europe + had never yet admitted into their royal fraternity. Francois I. himself + has always considered his son’s marriage with a Medici as a mesalliance, + and only consented to it under the expectation that his second son would + never be dauphin. Hence his fury when his eldest son was poisoned by the + Florentine Montecuculi. The d’Estes refused to recognize the Medici as + Italian princes. Those former merchants were in fact trying to solve the + impossible problem of maintaining a throne in the midst of republican + institutions. The title of grand-duke was only granted very tardily by + Philip the Second, king of Spain, to reward those Medici who bought it by + betraying France their benefactress, and servilely attaching themselves to + the court of Spain, which was at the very time covertly counteracting them + in Italy. + </p> + <p> + “Flatter none but your enemies,” the famous saying of Catherine de’ + Medici, seems to have been the political rule of life with that family of + merchant princes, in which great men were never lacking until their + destinies became great, when they fell, before their time, into that + degeneracy in which royal races and noble families are wont to end. + </p> + <p> + For three generations there had been a great Lorrain warrior and a great + Lorrain churchman; and, what is more singular, the churchmen all bore a + strong resemblance in the face to Ximenes, as did Cardinal Richelieu in + after days. These five great cardinals all had sly, mean, and yet terrible + faces; while the warriors, on the other hand, were of that type of Basque + mountaineer which we see in Henri IV. The two Balafres, father and son, + wounded and scarred in the same manner, lost something of this type, but + not the grace and affability by which, as much as by their bravery, they + won the hearts of the soldiery. + </p> + <p> + It is not useless to relate how the present Grand Master received his + wound; for it was healed by the heroic measures of a personage of our + drama,—by Ambroise Pare, the man we have already mentioned as under + obligations to Lecamus, syndic of the guild of furriers. At the siege of + Calais the duke had his face pierced through and through by a lance, the + point of which, after entering the cheek just below the right eye, went + through to the neck, below the left eye, and remained, broken off, in the + face. The duke lay dying in his tent in the midst of universal distress, + and he would have died had it not been for the devotion and prompt courage + of Ambroise Pare. “The duke is not dead, gentlemen,” he said to the + weeping attendants, “but he soon will die if I dare not treat him as I + would a dead man; and I shall risk doing so, no matter what it may cost me + in the end. See!” And with that he put his left foot on the duke’s breast, + took the broken wooden end of the lance in his fingers, shook and loosened + it by degrees in the wound, and finally succeeded in drawing out the iron + head, as if he were handling a thing and not a man. Though he saved the + prince by this heroic treatment, he could not prevent the horrible scar + which gave the great soldier his nickname,—Le Balafre, the Scarred. + This name descended to the son, and for a similar reason. + </p> + <p> + Absolutely masters of Francois II., whom his wife ruled through their + mutual and excessive passion, these two great Lorrain princes, the duke + and the cardinal, were masters of France, and had no other enemy at court + than Catherine de’ Medici. No great statesmen ever played a closer or more + watchful game. + </p> + <p> + The mutual position of the ambitious widow of Henri II. and the ambitious + house of Lorraine was pictured, as it were, to the eye by a scene which + took place on the terrace of the chateau de Blois very early in the + morning of the day on which Christophe Lecamus was destined to arrive + there. The queen-mother, who feigned an extreme attachment to the Guises, + had asked to be informed of the news brought by the three <i>seigneurs</i> + coming from three different parts of the kingdom; but she had the + mortification of being courteously dismissed by the cardinal. She then + walked to the parterres which overhung the Loire, where she was building, + under the superintendence of her astrologer, Ruggieri, an observatory, + which is still standing, and from which the eye may range over the whole + landscape of that delightful valley. The two Lorrain princes were at the + other end of the terrace, facing the Vendomois, which overlooks the upper + part of the town, the perch of the Bretons, and the postern gate of the + chateau. + </p> + <p> + Catherine had deceived the two brothers by pretending to a slight + displeasure; for she was in reality very well pleased to have an + opportunity to speak to one of the three young men who had arrived in such + haste. This was a young nobleman named Chiverni, apparently a tool of the + cardinal, in reality a devoted servant of Catherine. Catherine also + counted among her devoted servants two Florentine nobles, the Gondi; but + they were so suspected by the Guises that she dared not send them on any + errand away from the court, where she kept them, watched, it is true, in + all their words and actions, but where at least they were able to watch + and study the Guises and counsel Catherine. These two Florentines + maintained in the interests of the queen-mother another Italian, Birago,—a + clever Piedmontese, who pretended, with Chiverni, to have abandoned their + mistress, and gone over to the Guises, who encouraged their enterprises + and employed them to watch Catherine. + </p> + <p> + Chiverni had come from Paris and Ecouen. The last to arrive was + Saint-Andre, who was marshal of France and became so important that the + Guises, whose creature he was, made him the third person in the + triumvirate they formed the following year against Catherine. The other <i>seigneur</i> + who had arrived during the night was Vieilleville, also a creature of the + Guises and a marshal of France, who was returning from a secret mission + known only to the Grand Master, who had entrusted it to him. As for + Saint-Andre, he was in charge of military measures taken with the object + of driving all Reformers under arms into Amboise; a scheme which now + formed the subject of a council held by the duke and cardinal, Birago, + Chiverni, Vieilleville, and Saint-Andre. As the two Lorrains employed + Birago, it is to be supposed that they relied upon their own powers; for + they knew of his attachment to the queen-mother. At this singular epoch + the double part played by many of the political men of the day was well + known to both parties; they were like cards in the hands of gamblers,—the + cleverest player won the game. During this council the two brothers + maintained the most impenetrable reserve. A conversation which now took + place between Catherine and certain of her friends will explain the object + of this council, held by the Guises in the open air, in the hanging + gardens, at break of day, as if they feared to speak within the walls of + the chateau de Blois. + </p> + <p> + The queen-mother, under pretence of examining the observatory then in + process of construction, walked in that direction accompanied by the two + Gondis, glancing with a suspicious and inquisitive eye at the group of + enemies who were still standing at the farther end of the terrace, and + from whom Chiverni now detached himself to join the queen-mother. She was + then at the corner of the terrace which looks down upon the Church of + Saint-Nicholas; there, at least, there could be no danger of the slightest + overhearing. The wall of the terrace is on a level with the towers of the + church, and the Guises invariably held their council at the farther corner + of the same terrace at the base of the great unfinished keep or dungeon,—going + and returning between the Perchoir des Bretons and the gallery by the + bridge which joined them to the gardens. No one was within sight. Chiverni + raised the hand of the queen-mother to kiss it, and as he did so he + slipped a little note from his hand to hers, without being observed by the + two Italians. Catherine turned to the angle of the parapet and read as + follows:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + You are powerful enough to hold the balance between the leaders + and to force them into a struggle as to who shall serve you; your + house is full of kings, and you have nothing to fear from the + Lorrains or the Bourbons provided you pit them one against the + other, for both are striving to snatch the crown from your + children. Be the mistress and not the servant of your counsellors; + support them, in turn, one against the other, or the kingdom will + go from bad to worse, and mighty wars may come of it. +</pre> + <p> + L’Hopital. + </p> + <p> + The queen put the letter in the hollow of her corset, resolving to burn it + as soon as she was alone. + </p> + <p> + “When did you see him?” she asked Chiverni. + </p> + <p> + “On my way back from visiting the Connetable, at Melun, where I met him + with the Duchesse de Berry, whom he was most impatient to convey to + Savoie, that he might return here and open the eyes of the chancellor + Olivier, who is now completely duped by the Lorrains. As soon as Monsieur + l’Hopital saw the true object of the Guises he determined to support your + interests. That is why he is so anxious to get here and give you his vote + at the councils.” + </p> + <p> + “Is he sincere?” asked Catherine. “You know very well that if the Lorrains + have put him in the council it is that he may help them to reign.” + </p> + <p> + “L’Hopital is a Frenchman who comes of too good a stock not to be honest + and sincere,” said Chiverni; “Besides, his note is a sufficiently strong + pledge.” + </p> + <p> + “What answer did the Connetable send to the Guises?” + </p> + <p> + “He replied that he was the servant of the king and would await his + orders. On receiving that answer the cardinal, to suppress all resistance, + determined to propose the appointment of his brother as lieutenant-general + of the kingdom.” + </p> + <p> + “Have they got as far as that?” exclaimed Catherine, alarmed. “Well, did + Monsieur l’Hopital send me no other message?” + </p> + <p> + “He told me to say to you, madame, that you alone could stand between the + Crown and the Guises.” + </p> + <p> + “Does he think that I ought to use the Huguenots as a weapon?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! madame,” cried Chiverni, surprised at such astuteness, “we never + dreamed of casting you into such difficulties.” + </p> + <p> + “Does he know the position I am in?” asked the queen, calmly. + </p> + <p> + “Very nearly. He thinks you were duped after the death of the king into + accepting that castle on Madame Diane’s overthrow. The Guises consider + themselves released toward the queen by having satisfied the woman.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the queen, looking at the two Gondi, “I made a blunder.” + </p> + <p> + “A blunder of the gods,” replied Charles de Gondi. + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen,” said Catherine, “if I go over openly to the Reformers I shall + become the slave of a party.” + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” said Chiverni, eagerly, “I approve entirely of your meaning. You + must use them, but not serve them.” + </p> + <p> + “Though your support does, undoubtedly, for the time being lie there,” + said Charles de Gondi, “we must not conceal from ourselves that success + and defeat are both equally perilous.” + </p> + <p> + “I know it,” said the queen; “a single false step would be a pretext on + which the Guises would seize at once to get rid of me.” + </p> + <p> + “The niece of a Pope, the mother of four Valois, a queen of France, the + widow of the most ardent persecutor of the Huguenots, an Italian Catholic, + the aunt of Leo X.,—can <i>she</i> ally herself with the + Reformation?” asked Charles de Gondi. + </p> + <p> + “But,” said his brother Albert, “if she seconds the Guises does she not + play into the hands of a usurpation? We have to do with men who see a + crown to seize in the coming struggle between Catholicism and Reform. It + is possible to support the Reformers without abjuring.” + </p> + <p> + “Reflect, madame, that your family, which ought to have been wholly + devoted to the king of France, is at this moment the servant of the king + of Spain; and to-morrow it will be that of the Reformation if the + Reformation could make a king of the Duke of Florence.” + </p> + <p> + “I am certainly disposed to lend a hand, for a time, to the Huguenots,” + said Catherine, “if only to revenge myself on that soldier and that priest + and that woman!” As she spoke, she called attention with her subtile + Italian glance to the duke and cardinal, and then to the second floor of + the chateau on which were the apartments of her son and Mary Stuart. “That + trio has taken from my hands the reins of State, for which I waited long + while the old woman filled my place,” she said gloomily, glancing toward + Chenonceaux, the chateau she had lately exchanged with Diane de Poitiers + against that of Chaumont. “<i>Ma</i>,” she added in Italian, “it seems + that these reforming gentry in Geneva have not the wit to address + themselves to me; and, on my conscience, I cannot go to them. Not one of + you would dare to risk carrying them a message!” She stamped her foot. “I + did hope you would have met the cripple at Ecouen—<i>he</i> has + sense,” she said to Chiverni. + </p> + <p> + “The Prince de Conde was there, madame,” said Chiverni, “but he could not + persuade the Connetable to join him. Monsieur de Montmorency wants to + overthrow the Guises, who have sent him into exile, but he will not + encourage heresy.” + </p> + <p> + “What will ever break these individual wills which are forever thwarting + royalty? God’s truth!” exclaimed the queen, “the great nobles must be made + to destroy each other, as Louis XI., the greatest of your kings, did with + those of his time. There are four or five parties now in this kingdom, and + the weakest of them is that of my children.” + </p> + <p> + “The Reformation is an <i>idea</i>,” said Charles de Gondi; “the parties + that Louis XI. crushed were moved by self-interests only.” + </p> + <p> + “Ideas are behind selfish interests,” replied Chiverni. “Under Louis XI. + the idea was the great Fiefs—” + </p> + <p> + “Make heresy an axe,” said Albert de Gondi, “and you will escape the odium + of executions.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” cried the queen, “but I am ignorant of the strength and also of the + plans of the Reformers; and I have no safe way of communicating with them. + If I were detected in any manoeuvre of that kind, either by the queen, who + watches me like an infant in a cradle, or by those two jailers over there, + I should be banished from France and sent back to Florence with a terrible + escort, commanded by Guise minions. Thank you, no, my daughter-in-law!—but + I wish <i>you</i> the fate of being a prisoner in your own home, that you + may know what you have made me suffer.” + </p> + <p> + “Their plans!” exclaimed Chiverni; “the duke and the cardinal know what + they are, but those two foxes will not divulge them. If you could induce + them to do so, madame, I would sacrifice myself for your sake and come to + an understanding with the Prince de Conde.” + </p> + <p> + “How much of the Guises’ own plans have they been forced to reveal to + you?” asked the queen, with a glance at the two brothers. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur de Vieilleville and Monsieur de Saint-Andre have just received + fresh orders, the nature of which is concealed from us; but I think the + duke is intending to concentrate his best troops on the left bank. Within + a few days you will all be moved to Amboise. The duke has been studying + the position from this terrace and decides that Blois is not a propitious + spot for his secret schemes. What can he want better?” added Chiverni, + pointing to the precipices which surrounded the chateau. “There is no + place in the world where the court is more secure from attack than it is + here.” + </p> + <p> + “Abdicate or reign,” said Albert in a low voice to the queen, who stood + motionless and thoughtful. + </p> + <p> + A terrible expression of inward rage passed over the fine ivory face of + Catherine de’ Medici, who was not yet forty years old, though she had + lived for twenty-six years at the court of France,—without power, + she, who from the moment of her arrival intended to play a leading part! + Then, in her native language, the language of Dante, these terrible words + came slowly from her lips:— + </p> + <p> + “Nothing so long as that son lives!—His little wife bewitches him,” + she added after a pause. + </p> + <p> + Catherine’s exclamation was inspired by a prophecy which had been made to + her a few days earlier at the chateau de Chaumont on the opposite bank of + the river; where she had been taken by Ruggieri, her astrologer, to obtain + information as to the lives of her four children from a celebrated female + seer, secretly brought there by Nostradamus (chief among the physicians of + that great sixteenth century) who practised, like the Ruggieri, the + Cardans, Paracelsus, and others, the occult sciences. This woman, whose + name and life have eluded history, foretold one year as the length of + Francois’s reign. + </p> + <p> + “Give me your opinion on all this,” said Catherine to Chiverni. + </p> + <p> + “We shall have a battle,” replied the prudent courtier. “The king of + Navarre—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! say the queen,” interrupted Catherine. + </p> + <p> + “True, the queen,” said Chiverni, smiling, “the queen has given the Prince + de Conde as leader to the Reformers, and he, in his position of younger + son, can venture all; consequently the cardinal talks of ordering him + here.” + </p> + <p> + “If he comes,” cried the queen, “I am saved!” + </p> + <p> + Thus the leaders of the great movement of the Reformation in France were + justified in hoping for an ally in Catherine de’ Medici. + </p> + <p> + “There is one thing to be considered,” said the queen. “The Bourbons may + fool the Huguenots and the Sieurs Calvin and de Beze may fool the + Bourbons, but are we strong enough to fool Huguenots, Bourbons, and + Guises? In presence of three such enemies it is allowable to feel one’s + pulse.” + </p> + <p> + “But they have not the king,” said Albert de Gondi. “You will always + triumph, having the king on your side.” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Maladetta Maria</i>!” muttered Catherine between her teeth. + </p> + <p> + “The Lorrains are, even now, endeavoring to turn the burghers against + you,” remarked Birago. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0008" id="link2H_4_0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + V. THE COURT + </h2> + <p> + The hope of gaining the crown was not the result of a premeditated plan in + the minds of the restless Guises. Nothing warranted such a hope or such a + plan. Circumstances alone inspired their audacity. The two cardinals and + the two Balafres were four ambitious minds, superior in talents to all the + other politicians who surrounded them. This family was never really + brought low except by Henri IV.; a factionist himself, trained in the + great school of which Catherine and the Guises were masters,—by + whose lessons he had profited but too well. + </p> + <p> + At this moment the two brothers, the duke and cardinal, were the arbiters + of the greatest revolution attempted in Europe since that of Henry VIII. + in England, which was the direct consequence of the invention of printing. + Adversaries to the Reformation, they meant to stifle it, power being in + their hands. But their opponent, Calvin, though less famous than Luther, + was far the stronger of the two. Calvin saw government where Luther saw + dogma only. While the stout beer-drinker and amorous German fought with + the devil and flung an inkbottle at his head, the man from Picardy, a + sickly celibate, made plans of campaign, directed battles, armed princes, + and roused whole peoples by sowing republican doctrines in the hearts of + the burghers—recouping his continual defeats in the field by fresh + progress in the mind of the nations. + </p> + <p> + The Cardinal de Lorraine and the Duc de Guise, like Philip the Second and + the Duke of Alba, knew where and when the monarchy was threatened, and how + close the alliance ought to be between Catholicism and Royalty. Charles + the Fifth, drunk with the wine of Charlemagne’s cup, believing too blindly + in the strength of his monarchy, and confident of sharing the world with + Suleiman, did not at first feel the blow at his head; but no sooner had + Cardinal Granvelle made him aware of the extent of the wound than he + abdicated. The Guises had but one scheme,—that of annihilating + heresy at a single blow. This blow they were now to attempt, for the first + time, to strike at Amboise; failing there they tried it again, twelve + years later, at the Saint-Bartholomew,—on the latter occasion in + conjunction with Catherine de’ Medici, enlightened by that time by the + flames of a twelve years’ war, enlightened above all by the significant + word “republic,” uttered later and printed by the writers of the + Reformation, but already foreseen (as we have said before) by Lecamus, + that type of the Parisian bourgeoisie. + </p> + <p> + The two Guises, now on the point of striking a murderous blow at the heart + of the French nobility, in order to separate it once for all from a + religious party whose triumph would be its ruin, still stood together on + the terrace, concerting as to the best means of revealing their + coup-d’Etat to the king, while Catherine was talking with her counsellors. + </p> + <p> + “Jeanne d’Albret knew what she was about when she declared herself + protectress of the Huguenots! She has a battering-ram in the Reformation, + and she knows how to use it,” said the duke, who fathomed the deep designs + of the Queen of Navarre, one of the great minds of the century. + </p> + <p> + “Theodore de Beze is now at Nerac,” remarked the cardinal, “after first + going to Geneva to take Calvin’s orders.” + </p> + <p> + “What men these burghers know how to find!” exclaimed the duke. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! we have none on our side of the quality of La Renaudie!” cried the + cardinal. “He is a true Catiline.” + </p> + <p> + “Such men always act for their own interests,” replied the duke. “Didn’t I + fathom La Renaudie? I loaded him with favors; I helped him to escape when + he was condemned by the parliament of Bourgogne; I brought him back from + exile by obtaining a revision of his sentence; I intended to do far more + for him; and all the while he was plotting a diabolical conspiracy against + us! That rascal has united the Protestants of Germany with the heretics of + France by reconciling the differences that grew up between the dogmas of + Luther and those of Calvin. He has brought the discontented great + seigneurs into the party of the Reformation without obliging them to + abjure Catholicism openly. For the last year he has had thirty captains + under him! He is everywhere at once,—at Lyon, in Languedoc, at + Nantes! It was he who drew up those minutes of a consultation which were + hawked about all Germany, in which the theologians declared that force + might be resorted to in order to withdraw the king from our rule and + tutelage; the paper is now being circulated from town to town. Wherever we + look for him we never find him! And yet I have never done him anything but + good! It comes to this, that we must now either thrash him like a dog, or + try to throw him a golden bridge by which he will cross into our camp.” + </p> + <p> + “Bretagne, Languedoc, in fact the whole kingdom is in league to deal us a + mortal blow,” said the cardinal. “After the fete was over yesterday I + spent the rest of the night in reading the reports sent me by the monks; + in which I found that the only persons who have compromised themselves are + poor gentlemen, artisans, as to whom it doesn’t signify whether you hang + them or let them live. The Colignys and Condes do not show their hand as + yet, though they hold the threads of the whole conspiracy.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” replied the duke, “and, therefore, as soon as that lawyer Avenelles + sold the secret of the plot, I told Braguelonne to let the conspirators + carry it out. They have no suspicion that we know it; they are so sure of + surprising us that the leaders may possibly show themselves then. My + advice is to allow ourselves to be beaten for forty-eight hours.” + </p> + <p> + “Half an hour would be too much,” cried the cardinal, alarmed. + </p> + <p> + “So this is your courage, is it?” retorted the Balafre. + </p> + <p> + The cardinal, quite unmoved, replied: “Whether the Prince de Conde is + compromised or not, if we are certain that he is the leader, we should + strike him down at once and secure tranquillity. We need judges rather + than soldiers for this business—and judges are never lacking. + Victory is always more certain in the parliament than on the field, and it + costs less.” + </p> + <p> + “I consent, willingly,” said the duke; “but do you think the Prince de + Conde is powerful enough to inspire, himself alone, the audacity of those + who are making this first attack upon us? Isn’t there, behind him—” + </p> + <p> + “The king of Navarre,” said the cardinal. + </p> + <p> + “Pooh! a fool who speaks to me cap in hand!” replied the duke. “The + coquetries of that Florentine woman seem to blind your eyes—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! as for that,” exclaimed the priest, “if I do play the gallant with + her it is only that I may read to the bottom of her heart.” + </p> + <p> + “She has no heart,” said the duke, sharply; “she is even more ambitious + than you and I.” + </p> + <p> + “You are a brave soldier,” said the cardinal; “but, believe me, I distance + you in this matter. I have had Catherine watched by Mary Stuart long + before you even suspected her. She has no more religion than my shoe; if + she is not the soul of this plot it is not for want of will. But we shall + now be able to test her on the scene itself, and find out then how she + stands by us. Up to this time, however, I am certain she has held no + communication whatever with the heretics.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, it is time now to reveal the whole plot to the king, and to the + queen-mother, who, you say, knows nothing of it,—that is the sole + proof of her innocence; perhaps the conspirators have waited till the last + moment, expecting to dazzle her with the probabilities of success. La + Renaudie must soon discover by my arrangements that we are warned. Last + night Nemours was to follow detachments of the Reformers who are pouring + in along the cross-roads, and the conspirators will be forced to attack us + at Amboise, which place I intend to let them enter. Here,” added the duke, + pointing to three sides of the rock on which the chateau de Blois is + built; “we should have an assault without any result; the Huguenots could + come and go at will. Blois is an open hall with four entrances; whereas + Amboise is a sack with a single mouth.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall not leave Catherine’s side,” said the cardinal. + </p> + <p> + “We have made a blunder,” remarked the duke, who was playing with his + dagger, tossing it into the air and catching it by the hilt. “We ought to + have treated her as we did the Reformers,—given her complete freedom + of action and caught her in the act.” + </p> + <p> + The cardinal looked at his brother for an instant and shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “What does Pardaillan want?” said the duke, observing the approach of the + young nobleman who was later to become celebrated by his encounter with La + Renaudie, in which they both lost their lives. + </p> + <p> + “Monseigneur, a man sent by the queen’s furrier is at the gate, and says + he has an ermine suit to convey to her. Am I to let him enter?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! yes,—the ermine coat she spoke of yesterday,” returned the + cardinal; “let the shop-fellow pass; she will want the garment for the + voyage down the Loire.” + </p> + <p> + “How did he get here without being stopped until he reached the gate?” + asked the duke. + </p> + <p> + “I do not know,” replied Pardaillan. + </p> + <p> + “I’ll ask to see him when he is with the queen,” thought the Balafre. “Let + him wait in the <i>salle des gardes</i>,” he said aloud. “Is he young, + Pardaillan?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, monseigneur; he says he is a son of Lecamus the furrier.” + </p> + <p> + “Lecamus is a good Catholic,” remarked the cardinal, who, like his brother + the duke, was endowed with Caesar’s memory. “The rector of + Saint-Pierre-aux-Boeufs relies upon him; he is the provost of that + quarter.” + </p> + <p> + “Nevertheless,” said the duke, “make the son talk with the captain of the + Scotch guard,” laying an emphasis on the verb which was readily + understood. “Ambroise is in the chateau; he can tell us whether the fellow + is really the son of Lecamus, for the old man did him good service in + times past. Send for Ambroise Pare.” + </p> + <p> + It was at this moment that Queen Catherine went, unattended, toward the + two brothers, who hastened to meet her with their accustomed show of + respect, in which the Italian princess detected constant irony. + </p> + <p> + “Messieurs,” she said, “will you deign to inform me of what is about to + take place? Is the widow of your former master of less importance in your + esteem than the Sieurs Vieilleville, Birago, and Chiverni?” + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” replied the cardinal, in a tone of gallantry, “our duty as men, + taking precedence of that of statecraft, forbids us to alarm the fair sex + by false reports. But this morning there is indeed good reason to confer + with you on the affairs of the country. You must excuse my brother for + having already given orders to the gentlemen you mention,—orders + which were purely military, and therefore did not concern you; the matters + of real importance are still to be decided. If you are willing, we will + now go the <i>lever</i> of the king and queen; it is nearly time.” + </p> + <p> + “But what is all this, Monsieur le duc?” cried Catherine, pretending + alarm. “Is anything the matter?” + </p> + <p> + “The Reformation, madame, is no longer a mere heresy; it is a party, which + has taken arms and is coming here to snatch the king away from you.” + </p> + <p> + Catherine, the cardinal, the duke, and the three gentlemen made their way + to the staircase through the gallery, which was crowded with courtiers + who, being off duty, no longer had the right of entrance to the royal + apartments, and stood in two hedges on either side. Gondi, who watched + them while the queen-mother talked with the Lorraine princes, whispered in + her ear, in good Tuscan, two words which afterwards became proverbs,—words + which are the keynote to one aspect of her regal character: “Odiate e + aspettate”—“Hate and wait.” + </p> + <p> + Pardaillan, who had gone to order the officer of the guard at the gate of + the chateau to let the clerk of the queen’s furrier enter, found + Christophe open-mouthed before the portal, staring at the facade built by + the good king Louis XII., on which there was at that time a much greater + number of grotesque carvings than we see there to-day,—grotesque, + that is to say, if we may judge by those that remain to us. For instance, + persons curious in such matters may remark the figurine of a woman carved + on the capital of one of the portal columns, with her robe caught up to + show to a stout monk crouching in the capital of the corresponding column + “that which Brunelle showed to Marphise”; while above this portal stood, + at the time of which we write, the statue of Louis XII. Several of the + window-casings of this facade, carved in the same style, and now, + unfortunately, destroyed, amused, or seemed to amuse Christophe, on whom + the arquebusiers of the guard were raining jests. + </p> + <p> + “He would like to live there,” said the sub-corporal, playing with the + cartridges of his weapon, which were prepared for use in the shape of + little sugar-loaves, and slung to the baldricks of the men. + </p> + <p> + “Hey, Parisian!” said another; “you never saw the like of that, did you?” + </p> + <p> + “He recognizes the good King Louis XII.,” said a third. + </p> + <p> + Christophe pretended not to hear, and tried to exaggerate his amazement, + the result being that his silly attitude and his behavior before the guard + proved an excellent passport to the eyes of Pardaillan. + </p> + <p> + “The queen has not yet risen,” said the young captain; “come and wait for + her in the <i>salle des gardes</i>.” + </p> + <p> + Christophe followed Pardaillan rather slowly. On the way he stopped to + admire the pretty gallery in the form of an arcade, where the courtiers of + Louis XII. awaited the reception-hour when it rained, and where, at the + present moment, were several seigneurs attached to the Guises; for the + staircase (so well preserved to the present day) which led to their + apartments is at the end of this gallery in a tower, the architecture of + which commends itself to the admiration of intelligent beholders. + </p> + <p> + “Well, well! did you come here to study the carving of images?” cried + Pardaillan, as Christophe stopped before the charming sculptures of the + balustrade which unites, or, if you prefer it, separates the columns of + each arcade. + </p> + <p> + Christophe followed the young officer to the grand staircase, not without + a glance of ecstasy at the semi-Moorish tower. The weather was fine, and + the court was crowded with staff-officers and seigneurs, talking together + in little groups,—their dazzling uniforms and court-dresses + brightening a spot which the marvels of architecture, then fresh and new, + had already made so brilliant. + </p> + <p> + “Come in here,” said Pardaillan, making Lecamus a sign to follow him + through a carved wooden door leading to the second floor, which the + door-keeper opened on recognizing the young officer. + </p> + <p> + It is easy to imagine Christophe’s amazement as he entered the great <i>salle + des gardes</i>, then so vast that military necessity has since divided it + by a partition into two chambers. It occupied on the second floor (that of + the king), as did the corresponding hall on the first floor (that of the + queen-mother), one third of the whole front of the chateau facing the + courtyard; and it was lighted by two windows to right and two to left of + the tower in which the famous staircase winds up. The young captain went + to the door of the royal chamber, which opened upon this vast hall, and + told one of the two pages on duty to inform Madame Dayelles, the queen’s + bedchamber woman, that the furrier was in the hall with her surcoat. + </p> + <p> + On a sign from Pardaillan Christophe placed himself near an officer, who + was seated on a stool at the corner of a fireplace as large as his + father’s whole shop, which was at the end of the great hall, opposite to a + precisely similar fireplace at the other end. While talking to this + officer, a lieutenant, he contrived to interest him with an account of the + stagnation of trade. Christophe seemed so thoroughly a shopkeeper that the + officer imparted that conviction to the captain of the Scotch guard, who + came in from the courtyard to question Lecamus, all the while watching him + covertly and narrowly. + </p> + <p> + However much Christophe Lecamus had been warned, it was impossible for him + to really apprehend the cold ferocity of the interests between which + Chaudieu had slipped him. To an observer of this scene, who had known the + secrets of it as the historian understands it in the light of to-day, + there was indeed cause to tremble for this young man,—the hope of + two families,—thrust between those powerful and pitiless machines, + Catherine and the Guises. But do courageous beings, as a rule, measure the + full extent of their dangers? By the way in which the port of Blois, the + chateau, and the town were guarded, Christophe was prepared to find spies + and traps everywhere; and he therefore resolved to conceal the importance + of his mission and the tension of his mind under the empty-headed and + shopkeeping appearance with which he presented himself to the eyes of + young Pardaillan, the officer of the guard, and the Scottish captain. + </p> + <p> + The agitation which, in a royal castle, always attends the hour of the + king’s rising, was beginning to show itself. The great lords, whose + horses, pages, or grooms remained in the outer courtyard,—for no + one, except the king and the queens, had the right to enter the inner + courtyard on horseback,—were mounting by groups the magnificent + staircase, and filling by degrees the vast hall, the beams of which are + now stripped of the decorations that then adorned them. Miserable little + red tiles have replaced the ingenious mosaics of the floors; and the thick + walls, then draped with the crown tapestries and glowing with all the arts + of that unique period of the splendors of humanity, are now denuded and + whitewashed! Reformers and Catholics were pressing in to hear the news and + to watch faces, quite as much as to pay their duty to the king. Francois + II.‘s excessive love for Mary Stuart, to which neither the queen-mother + nor the Guises made any opposition, and the politic compliance of Mary + Stuart herself, deprived the king of all regal power. At seventeen years + of age he knew nothing of royalty but its pleasures, or of marriage beyond + the indulgence of first passion. As a matter of fact, all present paid + their court to Queen Mary and to her uncles, the Cardinal de Lorraine and + the Duc de Guise, rather than to the king. + </p> + <p> + This stir took place before Christophe, who watched the arrival of each + new personage with natural eagerness. A magnificent portiere, on either + side of which stood two pages and two soldiers of the Scotch guard, then + on duty, showed him the entrance to the royal chamber,—the chamber + so fatal to the son of the present Duc de Guise, the second Balafre, who + fell at the foot of the bed now occupied by Mary Stuart and Francois II. + The queen’s maids of honor surrounded the fireplace opposite to that where + Christophe was being “talked with” by the captain of the guard. This + second fireplace was considered the <i>chimney of honor</i>. It was built + in the thick wall of the Salle de Conseil, between the door of the royal + chamber and that of the council-hall, so that the maids of honor and the + lords in waiting who had the right to be there were on the direct passage + of the king and queen. The courtiers were certain on this occasion of + seeing Catherine, for her maids of honor, dressed like the rest of the + court ladies, in black, came up the staircase from the queen-mother’s + apartment, and took their places, marshalled by the Comtesse de Fiesque, + on the side toward the council-hall and opposite to the maids of honor of + the young queen, led by the Duchesse de Guise, who occupied the other side + of the fireplace on the side of the royal bedroom. The courtiers left an + open space between the ranks of these young ladies (who all belonged to + the first families of the kingdom), which none but the greatest lords had + the right to enter. The Comtesse de Fiesque and the Duchesse de Guise + were, in virtue of their office, seated in the midst of these noble maids, + who were all standing. + </p> + <p> + The first gentleman who approached the dangerous ranks was the Duc + d’Orleans, the king’s brother, who had come down from his apartment on the + third floor, accompanied by Monsieur de Cypierre, his governor. This young + prince, destined before the end of the year to reign under the title of + Charles IX., was only ten years old and extremely timid. The Duc d’Anjou + and the Duc d’Alencon, his younger brothers, also the Princesse + Marguerite, afterwards the wife of Henri IV. (la Reine Margot), were too + young to come to court, and were therefore kept by their mother in her own + apartments. The Duc d’Orleans, richly dressed after the fashion of the + times, in silken trunk-hose, a close-fitting jacket of cloth of gold + embroidered with black flowers, and a little mantle of embroidered velvet, + all black, for he still wore mourning for his father, bowed to the two + ladies of honor and took his place beside his mother’s maids. Already full + of antipathy for the adherents of the house of Guise, he replied coldly to + the remarks of the duchess and leaned his arm on the back of the chair of + the Comtesse de Fiesque. His governor, Monsieur de Cypierre, one of the + noblest characters of that day, stood beside him like a shield. Amyot + (afterwards Bishop of Auxerre and translator of Plutarch), in the simple + soutane of an abbe, also accompanied the young prince, being his tutor, as + he was of the two other princes, whose affection became so profitable to + him. + </p> + <p> + Between the “chimney of honor” and the other chimney at the end of the + hall, around which were grouped the guards, their captain, a few + courtiers, and Christophe carrying his box of furs, the Chancellor + Olivier, protector and predecessor of l’Hopital, in the robes which the + chancellors of France have always worn, was walking up and down with the + Cardinal de Tournon, who had recently returned from Rome. The pair were + exchanging a few whispered sentences in the midst of great attention from + the lords of the court, massed against the wall which separated the <i>salle + des gardes</i> from the royal bedroom, like a living tapestry backed by + the rich tapestry of art crowded by a thousand personages. In spite of the + present grave events, the court presented the appearance of all courts in + all lands, at all epochs, and in the midst of the greatest dangers. The + courtiers talked of trivial matters, thinking of serious ones; they jested + as they studied faces, and apparently concerned themselves about love and + the marriage of rich heiresses amid the bloodiest catastrophes. + </p> + <p> + “What did you think of yesterday’s fete?” asked Bourdeilles, seigneur of + Brantome, approaching Mademoiselle de Piennes, one of the queen-mother’s + maids of honor. + </p> + <p> + “Messieurs du Baif et du Bellay were inspired with delightful ideas,” she + replied, indicating the organizers of the fete, who were standing near. “I + thought it all in the worst taste,” she added in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “You had no part to play in it, I think?” remarked Mademoiselle de + Lewiston from the opposite ranks of Queen Mary’s maids. + </p> + <p> + “What are you reading there, madame?” asked Amyot of the Comtesse de + Fiesque. + </p> + <p> + “‘Amadis de Gaule,’ by the Seigneur des Essarts, commissary in ordinary to + the king’s artillery,” she replied. + </p> + <p> + “A charming work,” remarked the beautiful girl who was afterwards so + celebrated under the name of Fosseuse when she was lady of honor to Queen + Marguerite of Navarre. + </p> + <p> + “The style is a novelty in form,” said Amyot. “Do you accept such + barbarisms?” he added, addressing Brantome. + </p> + <p> + “They please the ladies, you know,” said Brantome, crossing over to the + Duchesse de Guise, who held the “Decamerone” in her hand. “Some of the + women of your house must appear in the book, madame,” he said. “It is a + pity that the Sieur Boccaccio did not live in our day; he would have known + plenty of ladies to swell his volume—” + </p> + <p> + “How shrewd that Monsieur de Brantome is,” said the beautiful Mademoiselle + de Limueil to the Comtesse de Fiesque; “he came to us first, but he means + to remain in the Guise quarters.” + </p> + <p> + “Hush!” said Madame de Fiesque glancing at the beautiful Limueil. “Attend + to what concerns yourself.” + </p> + <p> + The young girl turned her eyes to the door. She was expecting Sardini, a + noble Italian, with whom the queen-mother, her relative, married her after + an “accident” which happened in the dressing-room of Catherine de’ Medici + herself; but which the young lady won the honor of having a queen as + midwife. + </p> + <p> + “By the holy Alipantin! Mademoiselle Davila seems to me prettier and + prettier every morning,” said Monsieur de Robertet, secretary of State, + bowing to the ladies of the queen-mother. + </p> + <p> + The arrival of the secretary of State made no commotion whatever, though + his office was precisely what that of a minister is in these days. + </p> + <p> + “If you really think so, monsieur,” said the beauty, “lend me the squib + which was written against the Messieurs de Guise; I know it was lent to + you.” + </p> + <p> + “It is no longer in my possession,” replied the secretary, turning round + to bow to the Duchesse de Guise. + </p> + <p> + “I have it,” said the Comte de Grammont to Mademoiselle Davila, “but I + will give it you on one condition only.” + </p> + <p> + “Condition! fie!” exclaimed Madame de Fiesque. + </p> + <p> + “You don’t know what it is,” replied Grammont. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! it is easy to guess,” remarked la Limueil. + </p> + <p> + The Italian custom of calling ladies, as peasants call their wives, “<i>la</i> + Such-a-one” was then the fashion at the court of France. + </p> + <p> + “You are mistaken,” said the count, hastily, “the matter is simply to give + a letter from my cousin de Jarnac to one of the maids on the other side, + Mademoiselle de Matha.” + </p> + <p> + “You must not compromise my young ladies,” said the Comtesse de Fiesque. + “I will deliver the letter myself.—Do you know what is happening in + Flanders?” she continued, turning to the Cardinal de Tournon. “It seems + that Monsieur d’Egmont is given to surprises.” + </p> + <p> + “He and the Prince of Orange,” remarked Cypierre, with a significant shrug + of his shoulders. + </p> + <p> + “The Duke of Alba and Cardinal Granvelle are going there, are they not, + monsieur?” said Amyot to the Cardinal de Tournon, who remained standing, + gloomy and anxious between the opposing groups after his conversation with + the chancellor. + </p> + <p> + “Happily we are at peace; we need only conquer heresy on the stage,” + remarked the young Duc d’Orleans, alluding to a part he had played the + night before,—that of a knight subduing a hydra which bore upon its + foreheads the word “Reformation.” + </p> + <p> + Catherine de’ Medici, agreeing in this with her daughter-in-law, had + allowed a theatre to be made of the great hall (afterwards arranged for + the Parliament of Blois), which, as we have already said, connected the + chateau of Francois I. with that of Louis XII. + </p> + <p> + The cardinal made no answer to Amyot’s question, but resumed his walk + through the centre of the hall, talking in low tones with Monsieur de + Robertet and the chancellor. Many persons are ignorant of the difficulties + which secretaries of State (subsequently called ministers) met with at the + first establishment of their office, and how much trouble the kings of + France had in creating it. At this epoch a secretary of State like + Robertet was purely and simply a writer; he counted for almost nothing + among the princes and grandees who decided the affairs of State. His + functions were little more than those of the superintendent of finances, + the chancellor, and the keeper of the seals. The kings granted seats at + the council by letters-patent to those of their subjects whose advice + seemed to them useful in the management of public affairs. Entrance to the + council was given in this way to a president of the Chamber of Parliament, + to a bishop, or to an untitled favorite. Once admitted to the council, the + subject strengthened his position there by obtaining various crown offices + on which devolved such prerogatives as the sword of a Constable, the + government of provinces, the grand-mastership of artillery, the baton of a + marshal, a leading rank in the army, or the admiralty, or a captaincy of + the galleys, often some office at court, like that of grand-master of the + household, now held, as we have already said, by the Duc de Guise. + </p> + <p> + “Do you think that the Duc de Nemours will marry Francoise?” said Madame + de Guise to the tutor of the Duc d’Orleans. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, madame,” he replied, “I know nothing but Latin.” + </p> + <p> + This answer made all who were within hearing of it smile. The seduction of + Francoise de Rohan by the Duc de Nemours was the topic of all + conversations; but, as the duke was cousin to Francois II., and doubly + allied to the house of Valois through his mother, the Guises regarded him + more as the seduced than the seducer. Nevertheless, the power of the house + of Rohan was such that the Duc de Nemours was obliged, after the death of + Francois II., to leave France on consequence of suits brought against him + by the Rohans; which suits the Guises settled. The duke’s marriage with + the Duchesse de Guise after Poltrot’s assassination of her husband in + 1563, may explain the question which she put to Amyot, by revealing the + rivalry which must have existed between Mademoiselle de Rohan and the + duchess. + </p> + <p> + “Do see that group of the discontented over there?” said the Comte de + Grammont, motioning toward the Messieurs de Coligny, the Cardinal de + Chatillon, Danville, Thore, Moret, and several other seigneurs suspected + of tampering with the Reformation, who were standing between two windows + on the other side of the fireplace. + </p> + <p> + “The Huguenots are bestirring themselves,” said Cypierre. “We know that + Theodore de Beze has gone to Nerac to induce the Queen of Navarre to + declare for the Reformers—by abjuring publicly,” he added, looking + at the <i>bailli</i> of Orleans, who held the office of chancellor to the + Queen of Navarre, and was watching the court attentively. + </p> + <p> + “She will do it!” said the <i>bailli</i>, dryly. + </p> + <p> + This personage, the Orleans Jacques Coeur, one of the richest burghers of + the day, was named Groslot, and had charge of Jeanne d’Albret’s business + with the court of France. + </p> + <p> + “Do you really think so?” said the chancellor of France, appreciating the + full importance of Groslot’s declaration. + </p> + <p> + “Are you not aware,” said the burgher, “that the Queen of Navarre has + nothing of the woman in her except sex? She is wholly for things virile; + her powerful mind turns to the great affairs of State; her heart is + invincible under adversity.” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur le cardinal,” whispered the Chancellor Olivier to Monsieur de + Tournon, who had overheard Groslot, “what do you think of that audacity?” + </p> + <p> + “The Queen of Navarre did well in choosing for her chancellor a man from + whom the house of Lorraine borrows money, and who offers his house to the + king, if his Majesty visits Orleans,” replied the cardinal. + </p> + <p> + The chancellor and the cardinal looked at each other, without venturing to + further communicate their thoughts; but Robertet expressed them, for he + thought it necessary to show more devotion to the Guises than these great + personages, inasmuch as he was smaller than they. + </p> + <p> + “It is a great misfortune that the house of Navarre, instead of abjuring + the religion of its fathers, does not abjure the spirit of vengeance and + rebellion which the Connetable de Bourbon breathed into it,” he said + aloud. “We shall see the quarrels of the Armagnacs and the Bourguignons + revive in our day.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Groslot, “there’s another Louis XI. in the Cardinal de + Lorraine.” + </p> + <p> + “And also in Queen Catherine,” replied Robertet. + </p> + <p> + At this moment Madame Dayelle, the favorite bedchamber woman of Queen Mary + Stuart, crossed the hall, and went toward the royal chamber. Her passage + caused a general commotion. + </p> + <p> + “We shall soon enter,” said Madame de Fisque. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t think so,” replied the Duchesse de Guise. “Their Majesties will + come out; a grand council is to be held.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0009" id="link2H_4_0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + VI. THE LITTLE LEVER OF FRANCOIS II. + </h2> + <p> + Madame Dayelle glided into the royal chamber after scratching on the door,—a + respectful custom, invented by Catherine de’ Medici and adopted by the + court of France. + </p> + <p> + “How is the weather, my dear Dayelle?” said Queen Mary, showing her fresh + young face out of the bed, and shaking the curtains. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! madame—” + </p> + <p> + “What’s the matter, my Dayelle? You look as if the archers of the guard + were after you.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! madame, is the king still asleep?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “We are to leave the chateau; Monsieur le cardinal requests me to tell you + so, and to ask you to make the king agree to it. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know why, my good Dayelle?” + </p> + <p> + “The Reformers want to seize you and carry you off.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! that new religion does not leave me a minute’s peace! I dreamed last + night that I was in prison,—I, who will some day unite the crowns of + the three noblest kingdoms in the world!” + </p> + <p> + “Therefore it could only be a dream, madame.” + </p> + <p> + “Carry me off! well, ‘twould be rather pleasant; but on account of + religion, and by heretics—oh, that would be horrid.” + </p> + <p> + The queen sprang from the bed and placed herself in a large arm-chair of + red velvet before the fireplace, after Dayelle had given her a + dressing-gown of black velvet, which she fastened loosely round her waist + by a silken cord. Dayelle lit the fire, for the mornings are cool on the + banks of the Loire in the month of May. + </p> + <p> + “My uncles must have received some news during the night?” said the queen, + inquiringly to Dayelle, whom she treated with great familiarity. + </p> + <p> + “Messieurs de Guise have been walking together from early morning on the + terrace, so as not to be overheard by any one; and there they received + messengers, who came in hot haste from all the different points of the + kingdom where the Reformers are stirring. Madame la reine mere was there + too, with her Italians, hoping she would be consulted; but no, she was not + admitted to the council.” + </p> + <p> + “She must have been furious.” + </p> + <p> + “All the more because she was so angry yesterday,” replied Dayelle. “They + say that when she saw your Majesty appear in that beautiful dress of woven + gold, with the charming veil of tan-colored crape, she was none too + pleased—” + </p> + <p> + “Leave us, my good Dayelle, the king is waking up. Let no one, even those + who have the little <i>entrees</i>, disturb us; an affair of State is in + hand, and my uncles will not disturb us.” + </p> + <p> + “Why! my dear Mary, already out of bed? Is it daylight?” said the young + king, waking up. + </p> + <p> + “My dear darling, while we were asleep the wicked waked, and now they are + forcing us to leave this delightful place.” + </p> + <p> + “What makes you think of wicked people, my treasure? I am sure we enjoyed + the prettiest fete in the world last night—if it were not for the + Latin words those gentlemen will put into our French.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said Mary, “your language is really in very good taste, and Rabelais + exhibits it finely.” + </p> + <p> + “You are such a learned woman! I am so vexed that I can’t sing your + praises in verse. If I were not the king, I would take my brother’s tutor, + Amyot, and let him make me as accomplished as Charles.” + </p> + <p> + “You need not envy your brother, who writes verses and shows them to me, + asking for mine in return. You are the best of the four, and will make as + good a king as you are the dearest of lovers. Perhaps that is why your + mother does not like you! But never mind! I, dear heart, will love you for + all the world.” + </p> + <p> + “I have no great merit in loving such a perfect queen,” said the little + king. “I don’t know what prevented me from kissing you before the whole + court when you danced the <i>branle</i> with the torches last night! I saw + plainly that all the other women were mere servants compared to you, my + beautiful Mary.” + </p> + <p> + “It may be only prose you speak, but it is ravishing speech, dear darling, + for it is love that says those words. And you—you know well, my + beloved, that were you only a poor little page, I should love you as much + as I do now. And yet, there is nothing so sweet as to whisper to one’s + self: ‘My lover is king!’” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! the pretty arm! Why must we dress ourselves? I love to pass my + fingers through your silky hair and tangle its blond curls. Ah ca! sweet + one, don’t let your women kiss that pretty throat and those white + shoulders any more; don’t allow it, I say. It is too much that the fogs of + Scotland ever touched them!” + </p> + <p> + “Won’t you come with me to see my dear country? The Scotch love you; there + are no rebellions <i>there</i>!” + </p> + <p> + “Who rebels in this our kingdom?” said Francois, crossing his + dressing-gown and taking Mary Stuart on his knee. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! ‘tis all very charming, I know that,” she said, withdrawing her cheek + from the king; “but it is your business to reign, if you please, my sweet + sire.” + </p> + <p> + “Why talk of reigning? This morning I wish—” + </p> + <p> + “Why say <i>wish</i> when you have only to will all? That’s not the speech + of a king, nor that of a lover.—But no more of love just now; let us + drop it! We have business more important to speak of.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” cried the king, “it is long since we have had any business. Is it + amusing?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Mary, “not at all; we are to move from Blois.” + </p> + <p> + “I’ll wager, darling, you have seen your uncles, who manage so well that + I, at seventeen years of age, am no better than a <i>roi faineant</i>. In + fact, I don’t know why I have attended any of the councils since the + first. They could manage matters just as well by putting the crown in my + chair; I see only through their eyes, and am forced to consent to things + blindly.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! monsieur,” said the queen, rising from the king’s knee with a little + air of indignation, “you said you would never worry me again on this + subject, and that my uncles used the royal power only for the good of your + people. Your people!—they are so nice! They would gobble you up like + a strawberry if you tried to rule them yourself. You want a warrior, a + rough master with mailed hands; whereas you—you are a darling whom I + love as you are; whom I should never love otherwise,—do you hear me, + monsieur?” she added, kissing the forehead of the lad, who seemed inclined + to rebel at her speech, but softened at her kisses. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! how I wish they were not your uncles!” cried Francois II. “I + particularly dislike the cardinal; and when he puts on his wheedling air + and his submissive manner and says to me, bowing: ‘Sire, the honor of the + crown and the faith of your fathers forbid your Majesty to—this and + that,’ I am sure he is working only for his cursed house of Lorraine.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, how well you mimicked him!” cried the queen. “But why don’t you make + the Guises inform you of what is going on, so that when you attain your + grand majority you may know how to reign yourself? I am your wife, and + your honor is mine. Trust me! we will reign together, my darling; but it + won’t be a bed of roses for us until the day comes when we have our own + wills. There is nothing so difficult for a king as to reign. Am I a queen, + for example? Don’t you know that your mother returns me evil for all the + good my uncles do to raise the splendor of your throne? Hey! what + difference between them! My uncles are great princes, nephews of + Charlemagne, filled with ardor and ready to die for you; whereas this + daughter of a doctor or a shopkeeper, queen of France by accident, scolds + like a burgher-woman who can’t manage her own household. She is + discontented because she can’t set every one by the ears; and then she + looks at me with a sour, pale face, and says from her pinched lips: ‘My + daughter, you are a queen; I am only the second woman in the kingdom’ (she + is really furious, you know, my darling), ‘but if I were in your place I + should not wear crimson velvet while all the court is in mourning; neither + should I appear in public with my own hair and no jewels, because what is + not becoming in a simple lady is still less becoming in a queen. Also I + should not dance myself, I should content myself with seeing others + dance.’—that is what she says to me—” + </p> + <p> + “Heavens!” cried the king, “I think I hear her coming. If she were to know—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, how you tremble before her. She worries you. Only say so, and we will + send her away. Faith, she’s Florentine and we can’t help her tricking you, + but when it comes to worrying—” + </p> + <p> + “For Heaven’s sake, Mary, hold your tongue!” said Francois, frightened and + also pleased; “I don’t want you to lose her good-will.” + </p> + <p> + “Don’t be afraid that she will ever break with <i>me</i>, who will some + day wear the three noblest crowns in the world, my dearest little king,” + cried Mary Stuart. “Though she hates me for a thousand reasons she is + always caressing me in the hope of turning me against my uncles.” + </p> + <p> + “Hates you!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, my angel; and if I had not proofs of that feeling such as women only + understand, for they alone know its malignity, I would forgive her + perpetual opposition to our dear love, my darling. Is it my fault that + your father could not endure Mademoiselle Medici or that his son loves me? + The truth is, she hates me so much that if you had not put yourself into a + rage, we should each have had our separate chamber at Saint-Germain, and + also here. She pretended it was the custom of the kings and queens of + France. Custom, indeed! it was your father’s custom, and that is easily + understood. As for your grandfather, Francois, the good man set up the + custom for the convenience of his loves. Therefore, I say, take care. And + if we have to leave this place, be sure that we are not separated.” + </p> + <p> + “Leave Blois! Mary, what do you mean? I don’t wish to leave this beautiful + chateau, where we can see the Loire and the country all round us, with a + town at our feet and all these pretty gardens. If I go away it will be to + Italy with you, to see St. Peter’s, and Raffaelle’s pictures.” + </p> + <p> + “And the orange-trees? Oh! my darling king, if you knew the longing your + Mary has to ramble among the orange-groves in fruit and flower!” + </p> + <p> + “Let us go, then!” cried the king. + </p> + <p> + “Go!” exclaimed the grand-master as he entered the room. “Yes, sire, you + must leave Blois. Pardon my boldness in entering your chamber; but + circumstances are stronger than etiquette, and I come to entreat you to + hold a council.” + </p> + <p> + Finding themselves thus surprised, Mary and Francois hastily separated, + and on their faces was the same expression of offended royal majesty. + </p> + <p> + “You are too much of a grand-master, Monsieur de Guise,” said the king, + though controlling his anger. + </p> + <p> + “The devil take lovers,” murmured the cardinal in Catherine’s ear. + </p> + <p> + “My son,” said the queen-mother, appearing behind the cardinal; “it is a + matter concerning your safety and that of your kingdom.” + </p> + <p> + “Heresy wakes while you have slept, sire,” said the cardinal. + </p> + <p> + “Withdraw into the hall,” cried the little king, “and then we will hold a + council.” + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” said the grand-master to the young queen; “the son of your + furrier has brought some furs, which was just in time for the journey, for + it is probable we shall sail down the Loire. But,” he added, turning to + the queen-mother, “he also wishes to speak to you, madame. While the king + dresses, you and Madame la reine had better see and dismiss him, so that + we may not be delayed and harassed by this trifle.” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly,” said Catherine, thinking to herself, “If he expects to get + rid of me by any such trick he little knows me.” + </p> + <p> + The cardinal and the duke withdrew, leaving the two queens and the king + alone together. As they crossed the <i>salle des gardes</i> to enter the + council-chamber, the grand-master told the usher to bring the queen’s + furrier to him. When Christophe saw the usher approaching from the farther + end of the great hall, he took him, on account of his uniform, for some + great personage, and his heart sank within him. But that sensation, + natural as it was at the approach of the critical moment, grew terrible + when the usher, whose movement had attracted the eyes of all that + brilliant assembly upon Christophe, his homely face and his bundles, said + to him:— + </p> + <p> + “Messeigneurs the Cardinal de Lorraine and the Grand-master wish to speak + to you in the council chamber.” + </p> + <p> + “Can I have been betrayed?” thought the helpless ambassador of the + Reformers. + </p> + <p> + Christophe followed the usher with lowered eyes, which he did not raise + till he stood in the great council-chamber, the size of which is almost + equal to that of the <i>salle des gardes</i>. The two Lorrain princes were + there alone, standing before the magnificent fireplace, which backs + against that in the <i>salle des gardes</i> around which the ladies of the + two queens were grouped. + </p> + <p> + “You have come from Paris; which route did you take?” said the cardinal. + </p> + <p> + “I came by water, monseigneur,” replied the reformer. + </p> + <p> + “How did you enter Blois?” asked the grand-master. + </p> + <p> + “By the docks, monseigneur.” + </p> + <p> + “Did no one question you?” exclaimed the duke, who was watching the young + man closely. + </p> + <p> + “No, monseigneur. To the first soldier who looked as if he meant to stop + me I said I came on duty to the two queens, to whom my father was + furrier.” + </p> + <p> + “What is happening in Paris?” asked the cardinal. + </p> + <p> + “They are still looking for the murderer of the President Minard.” + </p> + <p> + “Are you not the son of my surgeon’s greatest friend?” said the Duc de + Guise, misled by the candor of Christophe’s expression after his first + alarm had passed away. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, monseigneur.” + </p> + <p> + The Grand-master turned aside, abruptly raised the portiere which + concealed the double door of the council-chamber, and showed his face to + the whole assembly, among whom he was searching for the king’s surgeon. + Ambroise Pare, standing in a corner, caught a glance which the duke cast + upon him, and immediately advanced. Ambroise, who at this time was + inclined to the reformed religion, eventually adopted it; but the + friendship of the Guises and that of the kings of France guaranteed him + against the evils which overtook his co-religionists. The duke, who + considered himself under obligations for life to Ambroise Pare, had lately + caused him to be appointed chief-surgeon to the king. + </p> + <p> + “What is it, monseigneur?” said Ambroise. “Is the king ill? I think it + likely.” + </p> + <p> + “Likely? Why?” + </p> + <p> + “The queen is too pretty,” replied the surgeon. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” exclaimed the duke in astonishment. “However, that is not the matter + now,” he added after a pause. “Ambroise, I want you to see a friend of + yours.” So saying he drew him to the door of the council-room, and showed + him Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “Ha! true, monseigneur,” cried the surgeon, extending his hand to the + young furrier. “How is your father, my lad?” + </p> + <p> + “Very well, Maitre Ambroise,” replied Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “What are you doing at court?” asked the surgeon. “It is not your business + to carry parcels; your father intends you for the law. Do you want the + protection of these two great princes to make you a solicitor?” + </p> + <p> + “Indeed I do!” said Christophe; “but I am here only in the interests of my + father; and if you could intercede for us, please do so,” he added in a + piteous tone; “and ask the Grand Master for an order to pay certain sums + that are due to my father, for he is at his wit’s end just now for money.” + </p> + <p> + The cardinal and the duke glanced at each other and seemed satisfied. + </p> + <p> + “Now leave us,” said the duke to the surgeon, making him a sign. “And you + my friend,” turning to Christophe; “do your errand quickly and return to + Paris. My secretary will give you a pass, for it is not safe, <i>mordieu</i>, + to be travelling on the high-roads!” + </p> + <p> + Neither of the brothers formed the slightest suspicion of the grave + importance of Christophe’s errand, convinced, as they now were, that he + was really the son of the good Catholic Lecamus, the court furrier, sent + to collect payment for their wares. + </p> + <p> + “Take him close to the door of the queen’s chamber; she will probably ask + for him soon,” said the cardinal to the surgeon, motioning to Christophe. + </p> + <p> + While the son of the furrier was undergoing this brief examination in the + council-chamber, the king, leaving the queen in company with her + mother-in-law, had passed into his dressing-room, which was entered + through another small room next to the chamber. + </p> + <p> + Standing in the wide recess of an immense window, Catherine looked at the + gardens, her mind a prey to painful thoughts. She saw that in all + probability one of the greatest captains of the age would be foisted that + very day into the place and power of her son, the king of France, under + the formidable title of lieutenant-general of the kingdom. Before this + peril she stood alone, without power of action, without defence. She might + have been likened to a phantom, as she stood there in her mourning + garments (which she had not quitted since the death of Henri II.) so + motionless was her pallid face in the grasp of her bitter reflections. Her + black eyes floated in that species of indecision for which great statesmen + are so often blamed, though it comes from the vast extent of the glance + with which they embrace all difficulties,—setting one against the + other, and adding up, as it were, all chances before deciding on a course. + Her ears rang, her blood tingled, and yet she stood there calm and + dignified, all the while measuring in her soul the depths of the political + abyss which lay before her, like the natural depths which rolled away at + her feet. This day was the second of those terrible days (that of the + arrest of the Vidame of Chartres being the first) which she was destined + to meet in so great numbers throughout her regal life; it also witnessed + her last blunder in the school of power. Though the sceptre seemed + escaping from her hands, she wished to seize it; and she did seize it by a + flash of that power of will which was never relaxed by either the disdain + of her father-in-law, Francois I., and his court,—where, in spite of + her rank of dauphiness, she had been of no account,—or the constant + repulses of her husband, Henri II., and the terrible opposition of her + rival, Diane de Poitiers. A man would never have fathomed this thwarted + queen; but the fair-haired Mary—so subtle, so clever, so girlish, + and already so well-trained—examined her out of the corners of her + eyes as she hummed an Italian air and assumed a careless countenance. + Without being able to guess the storms of repressed ambition which sent + the dew of a cold sweat to the forehead of the Florentine, the pretty + Scotch girl, with her wilful, piquant face, knew very well that the + advancement of her uncle the Duc de Guise to the lieutenant-generalship of + the kingdom was filling the queen-mother with inward rage. Nothing amused + her more than to watch her mother-in-law, in whom she saw only an + intriguing woman of low birth, always ready to avenge herself. The face of + the one was grave and gloomy, and somewhat terrible, by reason of the + livid tones which transform the skin of Italian women to yellow ivory by + daylight, though it recovers its dazzling brilliancy under candlelight; + the face of the other was fair and fresh and gay. At sixteen, Mary + Stuart’s skin had that exquisite blond whiteness which made her beauty so + celebrated. Her fresh and piquant face, with its pure lines, shone with + the roguish mischief of childhood, expressed in the regular eyebrows, the + vivacious eyes, and the archness of the pretty mouth. Already she + displayed those feline graces which nothing, not even captivity nor the + sight of her dreadful scaffold, could lessen. The two queens—one at + the dawn, the other in the midsummer of life—presented at this + moment the utmost contrast. Catherine was an imposing queen, an + impenetrable widow, without other passion than that of power. Mary was a + light-hearted, careless bride, making playthings of her triple crowns. One + foreboded great evils,—foreseeing the assassination of the Guises as + the only means of suppressing enemies who were resolved to rise above the + Throne and the Parliament; foreseeing also the bloodshed of a long and + bitter struggle; while the other little anticipated her own judicial + murder. A sudden and strange reflection calmed the mind of the Italian. + </p> + <p> + “That sorceress and Ruggiero both declare this reign is coming to an end; + my difficulties will not last long,” she thought. + </p> + <p> + And so, strangely enough, an occult science forgotten in our day—that + of astrology—supported Catherine at this moment, as it did, in fact, + throughout her life; for, as she witnessed the minute fulfilment of the + prophecies of those who practised the art, her belief in it steadily + increased. + </p> + <p> + “You are very gloomy, madame,” said Mary Stuart, taking from the hands of + her waiting-woman, Dayelle, a little cap and placing the point of it on + the parting of her hair, while two wings of rich lace surrounded the tufts + of blond curls which clustered on her temples. + </p> + <p> + The pencil of many painters have so frequently represented this head-dress + that it is thought to have belonged exclusively to Mary Queen of Scots; + whereas it was really invented by Catherine de’ Medici, when she put on + mourning for Henri II. But she never knew how to wear it with the grace of + her daughter-in-law, to whom it was becoming. This annoyance was not the + least among the many which the queen-mother cherished against the young + queen. + </p> + <p> + “Is the queen reproving me?” said Catherine, turning to Mary. + </p> + <p> + “I owe you all respect, and should not dare to do so,” said the Scottish + queen, maliciously, glancing at Dayelle. + </p> + <p> + Placed between the rival queens, the favorite waiting-woman stood rigid as + an andiron; a smile of comprehension might have cost her her life. + </p> + <p> + “Can I be as gay as you, after losing the late king, and now beholding my + son’s kingdom about to burst into flames?” + </p> + <p> + “Public affairs do not concern women,” said Mary Stuart. “Besides, my + uncles are there.” + </p> + <p> + These words were, under the circumstances, like so many poisoned arrows. + </p> + <p> + “Let us look at our furs, madame,” replied the Italian, sarcastically; + “that will employ us on our legitimate female affairs while your uncles + decide those of the kingdom.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! but we will go the Council, madame; we shall be more useful than you + think.” + </p> + <p> + “We!” said Catherine, with an air of astonishment. “But I do not + understand Latin, myself.” + </p> + <p> + “You think me very learned,” cried Mary Stuart, laughing, “but I assure + you, madame, I study only to reach the level of the Medici, and learn how + to <i>cure</i> the wounds of the kingdom.” + </p> + <p> + Catherine was silenced by this sharp thrust, which referred to the origin + of the Medici, who were descended, some said, from a doctor of medicine, + others from a rich druggist. She made no direct answer. Dayelle colored as + her mistress looked at her, asking for the applause that even queens + demand from their inferiors if there are no other spectators. + </p> + <p> + “Your charming speeches, madame, will unfortunately cure the wounds of + neither Church nor State,” said Catherine at last, with her calm and cold + dignity. “The science of my fathers in that direction gave them thrones; + whereas if you continue to trifle in the midst of danger you are liable to + lose yours.” + </p> + <p> + It was at this moment that Ambroise Pare, the chief surgeon, scratched + softly on the door, and Madame Dayelle, opening it, admitted Christophe. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0010" id="link2H_4_0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + VII. A DRAMA IN A SURCOAT + </h2> + <p> + The young reformer intended to study Catherine’s face, all the while + affecting a natural embarrassment at finding himself in such a place; but + his proceedings were much hastened by the eagerness with which the younger + queen darted to the cartons to see her surcoat. + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” said Christophe, addressing Catherine. + </p> + <p> + He turned his back on the other queen and on Dayelle, instantly profiting + by the attention the two women were eager to bestow upon the furs to play + a bold stroke. + </p> + <p> + “What do you want of me?” said Catherine giving him a searching look. + </p> + <p> + Christophe had put the treaty proposed by the Prince de Conde, the plan of + the Reformers, and the detail of their forces in his bosom between his + shirt and his cloth jacket, folding them, however, within the bill which + Catherine owed to the furrier. + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” he said, “my father is in horrible need of money, and if you + will deign to cast your eyes over your bill,” here he unfolded the paper + and put the treaty on the top of it, “you will see that your Majesty owes + him six thousand crowns. Have the goodness to take pity on us. See, + madame!” and he held the treaty out to her. “Read it; the account dates + from the time the late king came to the throne.” + </p> + <p> + Catherine was bewildered by the preamble of the treaty which met her eye, + but she did not lose her head. She folded the paper quickly, admiring the + audacity and presence of mind of the youth, and feeling sure that after + performing such a masterly stroke he would not fail to understand her. She + therefore tapped him on the head with the folded paper, saying:— + </p> + <p> + “It is very clumsy of you, my little friend, to present your bill before + the furs. Learn to know women. You must never ask us to pay until the + moment when we are satisfied.” + </p> + <p> + “Is that traditional?” said the young queen, turning to her mother-in-law, + who made no reply. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, mesdames, pray excuse my father,” said Christophe. “If he had not had + such need of money you would not have had your furs at all. The country is + in arms, and there are so many dangers to run in getting here that nothing + but our great distress would have brought me. No one but me was willing to + risk them.” + </p> + <p> + “The lad is new to his business,” said Mary Stuart, smiling. + </p> + <p> + It may not be useless, for the understanding of this trifling, but very + important scene, to remark that a surcoat was, as the name implies (<i>sur + cotte</i>), a species of close-fitting spencer which women wore over their + bodies and down to their thighs, defining the figure. This garment + protected the back, chest, and throat from cold. These surcoats were lined + with fur, a band of which, wide or narrow as the case might be, bordered + the outer material. Mary Stuart, as she tried the garment on, looked at + herself in a large Venetian mirror to see the effect behind, thus leaving + her mother-in-law an opportunity to examine the papers, the bulk of which + might have excited the young queen’s suspicions had she noticed it. + </p> + <p> + “Never tell women of the dangers you have run when you have come out of + them safe and sound,” she said, turning to show herself to Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! madame, I have your bill, too,” he said, looking at her with + well-played simplicity. + </p> + <p> + The young queen eyed him, but did not take the paper; and she noticed, + though without at the moment drawing any conclusions, that he had taken + her bill from his pocket, whereas he had carried Queen Catherine’s in his + bosom. Neither did she find in the lad’s eyes that glance of admiration + which her presence invariably excited in all beholders. But she was so + engrossed by her surcoat that, for the moment, she did not ask herself the + meaning of such indifference. + </p> + <p> + “Take the bill, Dayelle,” she said to her waiting-woman; “give it to + Monsieur de Versailles (Lomenie) and tell him from me to pay it.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! madame,” said Christophe, “if you do not ask the king or monseigneur + the grand-master to sign me an order your gracious word will have no + effect.” + </p> + <p> + “You are rather more eager than becomes a subject, my friend,” said Mary + Stuart. “Do you not believe my royal word?” + </p> + <p> + The king now appeared, in silk stockings and trunk-hose (the breeches of + that period), but without his doublet and mantle; he had, however, a rich + loose coat of velvet edged with minever. + </p> + <p> + “Who is the wretch who dares to doubt your word?” he said, overhearing, in + spite of his distance, his wife’s last words. + </p> + <p> + The door of the dressing-room was hidden by the royal bed. This room was + afterwards called “the old cabinet,” to distinguish it from the fine + cabinet of pictures which Henri III. constructed at the farther end of the + same suite of rooms, next to the hall of the States-general. It was in the + old cabinet that Henri III. hid the murderers when he sent for the Duc de + Guise, while he himself remained hidden in the new cabinet during the + murder, only emerging in time to see the overbearing subject for whom + there were no longer prisons, tribunals, judges, nor even laws, draw his + last breath. Were it not for these terrible circumstances the historian of + to-day could hardly trace the former occupation of these cabinets, now + filled with soldiers. A quartermaster writes to his mistress on the very + spot where the pensive Catherine once decided on her course between the + parties. + </p> + <p> + “Come with me, my friend,” said the queen-mother, “and I will see that you + are paid. Commerce must live, and money is its backbone.” + </p> + <p> + “Go, my lad,” cried the young queen, laughing; “my august mother knows + more than I do about commerce.” + </p> + <p> + Catherine was about to leave the room without replying to this last taunt; + but she remembered that her indifference to it might provoke suspicion, + and she answered hastily:— + </p> + <p> + “But you, my dear, understand the business of love.” + </p> + <p> + Then she descended to her own apartments. + </p> + <p> + “Put away these furs, Dayelle, and let us go to the Council, monsieur,” + said Mary to the young king, enchanted with the opportunity of deciding in + the absence of the queen-mother so important a question as the + lieutenant-generalship of the kingdom. + </p> + <p> + Mary Stuart took the king’s arm. Dayelle went out before them, whispering + to the pages; one of whom (it was young Teligny, who afterwards perished + so miserably during the Saint-Bartholomew) cried out:— + </p> + <p> + “The king!” + </p> + <p> + Hearing the words, the two soldiers of the guard presented arms, and the + two pages went forward to the door of the Council-room through the lane of + courtiers and that of the maids of honor of the two queens. All the + members of the Council then grouped themselves about the door of their + chamber, which was not very far from the door to the staircase. The + grand-master, the cardinal, and the chancellor advanced to meet the young + sovereign, who smiled to several of the maids of honor and replied to the + remarks of a few courtiers more privileged than the rest. But the queen, + evidently impatient, drew Francois II. as quickly as possible toward the + Council-chamber. When the sound of arquebuses, dropping heavily on the + floor, had announced the entrance of the couple, the pages replaced their + caps upon their heads, and the private talk among the courtiers on the + gravity of the matters now about to be discussed began again. + </p> + <p> + “They sent Chiverni to fetch the Connetable, but he has not come,” said + one. + </p> + <p> + “There is not a single prince of the blood present,” said another. + </p> + <p> + “The chancellor and Monsieur de Tournon looked anxious,” remarked a third. + </p> + <p> + “The grand-master sent word to the keeper of the seals to be sure not to + miss this Council; therefore you may be certain they will issue + letters-patent.” + </p> + <p> + “Why does the queen-mother stay in her own apartments at such a time?” + </p> + <p> + “They’ll cut out plenty of work for us,” remarked Groslot to Cardinal de + Chatillon. + </p> + <p> + In short, everybody had a word to say. Some went and came, in and out of + the great hall; others hovered about the maids of honor of both queens, as + if it might be possible to catch a few words through a wall three feet + thick or through the double doors draped on each side with heavy curtains. + </p> + <p> + Seated at the upper end of a long table covered with blue velvet, which + stood in the middle of the room, the king, near to whom the young queen + was seated in an arm-chair, waited for his mother. Robertet, the + secretary, was mending pens. The two cardinals, the grand-master, the + chancellor, the keeper of the seals, and all the rest of the council + looked at the little king, wondering why he did not give them the usual + order to sit down. + </p> + <p> + The two Lorrain princes attributed the queen-mother’s absence to some + trick of their niece. Incited presently by a significant glance, the + audacious cardinal said to his Majesty:— + </p> + <p> + “Is it the king’s good pleasure to begin the council without waiting for + Madame la reine-mere?” + </p> + <p> + Francois II., without daring to answer directly, said: “Messieurs, be + seated.” + </p> + <p> + The cardinal then explained succinctly the dangers of the situation. This + great political character, who showed extraordinary ability under these + pressing circumstances, led up to the question of the lieutenancy of the + kingdom in the midst of the deepest silence. The young king doubtless felt + the tyranny that was being exercised over him; he knew that his mother had + a deep sense of the rights of the Crown and was fully aware of the danger + that threatened his power; he therefore replied to a positive question + addressed to him by the cardinal by saying:— + </p> + <p> + “We will wait for the queen, my mother.” + </p> + <p> + Suddenly enlightened by the queen-mother’s delay, Mary Stuart recalled, in + a flash of thought, three circumstances which now struck her vividly; + first, the bulk of the papers presented to her mother-in-law, which she + had noticed, absorbed as she was,—for a woman who seems to see + nothing is often a lynx; next, the place where Christophe had carried them + to keep them separate from hers: “Why so?” she thought to herself; and + thirdly, she remembered the cold, indifferent glance of the young man, + which she suddenly attributed to the hatred of the Reformers to a niece of + the Guises. A voice cried to her, “He may have been an emissary of the + Huguenots!” Obeying, like all excitable natures, her first impulse, she + exclaimed:— + </p> + <p> + “I will go and fetch my mother myself!” + </p> + <p> + Then she left the room hurriedly, ran down the staircase, to the amazement + of the courtiers and the ladies of honor, entered her mother-in-law’s + apartments, crossed the guard-room, opened the door of the chamber with + the caution of a thief, glided like a shadow over the carpet, saw no one, + and bethought her that she should surely surprise the queen-mother in that + magnificent dressing-room which comes between the bedroom and the oratory. + The arrangement of this oratory, to which the manners of that period gave + a role in private life like that of the boudoirs of our day, can still be + traced. + </p> + <p> + By an almost inexplicable chance, when we consider the state of + dilapidation into which the Crown has allowed the chateau of Blois to + fall, the admirable woodwork of Catherine’s cabinet still exists; and in + those delicately carved panels, persons interested in such things may + still see traces of Italian splendor, and discover the secret + hiding-places employed by the queen-mother. An exact description of these + curious arrangements is necessary in order to give a clear understanding + of what was now to happen. The woodwork of the oratory then consisted of + about a hundred and eighty oblong panels, one hundred of which still + exist, all presenting arabesques of different designs, evidently suggested + by the most beautiful arabesques of Italy. The wood is live-oak. The red + tones, seen through the layer of whitewash put on to avert cholera + (useless precaution!), shows very plainly that the ground of the panels + was formerly gilt. Certain portions of the design, visible where the wash + has fallen away, seem to show that they once detached themselves from the + gilded ground in colors, either blue, or red, or green. The multitude of + these panels shows an evident intention to foil a search; but even if this + could be doubted, the concierge of the chateau, while devoting the memory + of Catherine to the execration of the humanity of our day, shows at the + base of these panels and close to the floor a rather heavy foot-board, + which can be lifted, and beneath which still remain the ingenious springs + which move the panels. By pressing a knob thus hidden, the queen was able + to open certain panels known to her alone, behind which, sunk in the wall, + were hiding-places, oblong like the panels, and more or less deep. It is + difficult, even in these days of dilapidation, for the best-trained eye to + detect which of those panels is thus hinged; but when the eye was + distracted by colors and gilding, cleverly used to conceal the joints, we + can readily conceive that to find one or two such panels among two hundred + was almost an impossible thing. + </p> + <p> + At the moment when Mary Stuart laid her hand on the somewhat complicated + lock of the door of this oratory, the queen-mother, who had just become + convinced of the greatness of the Prince de Conde’s plans, had touched the + spring hidden beneath the foot-board, and one of the mysterious panels had + turned over on its hinges. Catherine was in the act of lifting the papers + from the table to hide them, intending after that to secure the safety of + the devoted messenger who had brought them to her, when, hearing the + sudden opening of the door, she at once knew that none but Queen Mary + herself would dare thus to enter without announcement. + </p> + <p> + “You are lost!” she said to Christophe, perceiving that she could no + longer put away the papers, nor close with sufficient rapidity the open + panel, the secret of which was now betrayed. + </p> + <p> + Christophe answered her with a glance that was sublime. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Povero mio</i>!” said Catherine, before she looked at her + daughter-in-law. “Treason, madame! I hold the traitors at last,” she + cried. “Send for the duke and the cardinal; and see that that man,” + pointing to Christophe, “does not escape.” + </p> + <p> + In an instant the able woman had seen the necessity of sacrificing the + poor youth. She could not hide him; it was impossible to save him. Eight + days earlier it might have been done; but the Guises now knew of the plot; + they must already possess the lists she held in her hand, and were + evidently drawing the Reformers into a trap. Thus, rejoiced to find in + these adversaries the very spirit she desired them to have, her policy now + led her to make a merit of the discovery of their plot. These horrible + calculations were made during the rapid moment while the young queen was + opening the door. Mary Stuart stood dumb for an instant; the gay look left + her eyes, which took on the acuteness that suspicion gives to the eyes of + all, and which, in hers, became terrible from the suddenness of the + change. She glanced from Christophe to the queen-mother and from the + queen-mother back to Christophe,—her face expressing malignant + doubt. Then she seized a bell, at the sound of which one of the + queen-mother’s maids of honor came running in. + </p> + <p> + “Mademoiselle du Rouet, send for the captain of the guard,” said Mary + Stuart to the maid of honor, contrary to all etiquette, which was + necessarily violated under the circumstances. + </p> + <p> + While the young queen gave this order, Catherine looked intently at + Christophe, as if saying to him, “Courage!” + </p> + <p> + The Reformer understood, and replied by another glance, which seemed to + say, “Sacrifice me, as <i>they</i> have sacrificed me!” + </p> + <p> + “Rely on me,” said Catherine by a gesture. Then she absorbed herself in + the documents as her daughter-in-law turned to him. + </p> + <p> + “You belong to the Reformed religion?” inquired Mary Stuart of Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, madame,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + “I was not mistaken,” she murmured as she again noticed in the eyes of the + young Reformer the same cold glance in which dislike was hidden beneath an + expression of humility. + </p> + <p> + Pardaillan suddenly appeared, sent by the two Lorrain princes and by the + king to escort the queens. The captain of the guard called for by Mary + Stuart followed the young officer, who was devoted to the Guises. + </p> + <p> + “Go and tell the king and the grand-master and the cardinal, from me, to + come here at once, and say that I should not take the liberty of sending + for them if something of the utmost importance had not occurred. Go, + Pardaillan.—As for you, Lewiston, keep guard over that traitor of a + Reformer,” she said to the Scotchman in his mother-tongue, pointing to + Christophe. + </p> + <p> + The young queen and queen-mother maintained a total silence until the + arrival of the king and princes. The moments that elapsed were terrible. + </p> + <p> + Mary Stuart had betrayed to her mother-in-law, in its fullest extent, the + part her uncles were inducing her to play; her constant and habitual + distrust and espionage were now revealed, and her young conscience told + her how dishonoring to a great queen was the work that she was doing. + Catherine, on the other hand, had yielded out of fear; she was still + afraid of being rightly understood, and she trembled for her future. Both + women, one ashamed and angry, the other filled with hatred and yet calm, + went to the embrasure of the window and leaned against the casing, one to + right, the other to left, silent; but their feelings were expressed in + such speaking glances that they averted their eyes and, with mutual + artfulness, gazed through the window at the sky. These two great and + superior women had, at this crisis, no greater art of behavior than the + vulgarest of their sex. Perhaps it is always thus when circumstances arise + which overwhelm the human being. There is, inevitably, a moment when + genius itself feels its littleness in presence of great catastrophes. + </p> + <p> + As for Christophe, he was like a man in the act of rolling down a + precipice. Lewiston, the Scotch captain, listened to this silence, + watching the son of the furrier and the two queens with soldierly + curiosity. The entrance of the king and Mary Stuart’s two uncles put an + end to the painful situation. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0011" id="link2H_4_0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + VIII. MARTYRDOM + </h2> + <p> + The cardinal went straight to the queen-mother. + </p> + <p> + “I hold the threads of the conspiracy of the heretics,” said Catherine. + “They have sent me this treaty and these documents by the hands of that + child,” she added. + </p> + <p> + During the time that Catherine was explaining matters to the cardinal, + Queen Mary whispered a few words to the grand-master. + </p> + <p> + “What is all this about?” asked the young king, who was left alone in the + midst of the violent clash of interests. + </p> + <p> + “The proofs of what I was telling to your Majesty have not been long in + reaching us,” said the cardinal, who had grasped the papers. + </p> + <p> + The Duc de Guise drew his brother aside without caring that he interrupted + him, and said in his ear, “This makes me lieutenant-general without + opposition.” + </p> + <p> + A shrewd glance was the cardinal’s only answer; showing his brother that + he fully understood the advantages to be gained from Catherine’s false + position. + </p> + <p> + “Who sent you here?” said the duke to Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “Chaudieu, the minister,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + “Young man, you lie!” said the soldier, sharply; “it was the Prince de + Conde.” + </p> + <p> + “The Prince de Conde, monseigneur!” replied Christophe, with a puzzled + look. “I never met him. I am studying law with Monsieur de Thou; I am his + secretary, and he does not know that I belong to the Reformed religion. I + yielded only to the entreaties of the minister.” + </p> + <p> + “Enough!” exclaimed the cardinal. “Call Monsieur de Robertet,” he said to + Lewiston, “for this young scamp is slyer than an old statesman; he has + managed to deceive my brother, and me too; an hour ago I would have given + him the sacrament without confession.” + </p> + <p> + “You are not a child, <i>morbleu</i>!” cried the duke, “and we’ll treat + you as a man.” + </p> + <p> + “The heretics have attempted to beguile your august mother,” said the + cardinal, addressing the king, and trying to draw him apart to win him + over to their ends. + </p> + <p> + “Alas!” said the queen-mother to her son, assuming a reproachful look and + stopping the king at the moment when the cardinal was leading him into the + oratory to subject him to his dangerous eloquence, “you see the result of + the situation in which I am; they think me irritated by the little + influence that I have in public affairs,—I, the mother of four + princes of the house of Valois!” + </p> + <p> + The young king listened attentively. Mary Stuart, seeing the frown upon + his brow, took his arm and led him away into the recess of the window, + where she cajoled him with sweet speeches in a low voice, no doubt like + those she had used that morning in their chamber. The two Guises read the + documents given up to them by Catherine. Finding that they contained + information which their spies, and Monsieur Braguelonne, the lieutenant of + the Chatelet, had not obtained, they were inclined to believe in the + sincerity of Catherine de’ Medici. Robertet came and received certain + secret orders relative to Christophe. The youthful instrument of the + leaders of the Reformation was then led away by four soldiers of the + Scottish guard, who took him down the stairs and delivered him to Monsieur + de Montresor, provost of the chateau. That terrible personage himself, + accompanied by six of his men, conducted Christophe to the prison in the + vaulted cellar of the tower, now in ruins, which the concierge of the + chateau de Blois shows you with the information that these were the + dungeons. + </p> + <p> + After such an event the Council could be only a formality. The king, the + young queen, the Grand-master, and the cardinal returned to it, taking + with them the vanquished Catherine, who said no word except to approve the + measures proposed by the Guises. In spite of a slight opposition from the + Chancelier Olivier (the only person present who said one word that + expressed the independence to which his office bound him), the Duc de + Guise was appointed lieutenant-general of the kingdom. Robertet brought + the required documents, showing a devotion which might be called + collusion. The king, giving his arm to his mother, recrossed the <i>salle + des gardes</i>, announcing to the court as he passed along that on the + following day he should leave Blois for the chateau of Amboise. The latter + residence had been abandoned since the time when Charles VIII. + accidentally killed himself by striking his head against the casing of a + door on which he had ordered carvings, supposing that he could enter + without stooping below the scaffolding. Catherine, to mask the plans of + the Guises, remarked aloud that they intended to complete the chateau of + Amboise for the Crown at the same time that her own chateau of Chemonceaux + was finished. But no one was the dupe of that pretext, and all present + awaited great events. + </p> + <p> + After spending about two hours endeavoring to see where he was in the + obscurity of the dungeon, Christophe ended by discovering that the place + was sheathed in rough woodwork, thick enough to make the square hole into + which he was put both healthy and habitable. The door, like that of a + pig-pen, was so low that he stooped almost double on entering it. Beside + this door was a heavy iron grating, opening upon a sort of corridor, which + gave a little light and a little air. This arrangement, in all respects + like that of the dungeons of Venice, showed plainly that the architecture + of the chateau of Blois belonged to the Venetian school, which during the + Middle Ages, sent so many builders into all parts of Europe. By tapping + this species of pit above the woodwork Christophe discovered that the + walls which separated his cell to right and left from the adjoining ones + were made of brick. Striking one of them to get an idea of its thickness, + he was somewhat surprised to hear return blows given on the other side. + </p> + <p> + “Who are you?” said his neighbor, speaking to him through the corridor. + </p> + <p> + “I am Christophe Lecamus.” + </p> + <p> + “I,” replied the voice, “am Captain Chaudieu, brother of the minister. I + was taken prisoner to-night at Beaugency; but, luckily, there is nothing + against me.” + </p> + <p> + “All is discovered,” said Christophe; “you are fortunate to be saved from + the fray.” + </p> + <p> + “We have three thousand men at this moment in the forests of the + Vendomois, all determined men, who mean to abduct the king and the + queen-mother during their journey. Happily La Renaudie was cleverer than + I; he managed to escape. You had only just left us when the Guise men + surprised us—” + </p> + <p> + “But I don’t know La Renaudie.” + </p> + <p> + “Pooh! my brother has told me all about it,” said the captain. + </p> + <p> + Hearing that, Christophe sat down upon his bench and made no further + answer to the pretended captain, for he knew enough of the police to be + aware how necessary it was to act with prudence in a prison. In the middle + of the night he saw the pale light of a lantern in the corridor, after + hearing the ponderous locks of the iron door which closed the cellar groan + as they were turned. The provost himself had come to fetch Christophe. + This attention to a prisoner who had been left in his dark dungeon for + hours without food, struck the poor lad as singular. One of the provost’s + men bound his hands with a rope and held him by the end of it until they + reached one of the lower halls of the chateau of Louis XII., which was + evidently the antechamber to the apartments of some important personage. + The provost and his men bade him sit upon a bench, and the man then bound + his feet as he had before bound his hands. On a sign from Monsieur de + Montresor the man left the room. + </p> + <p> + “Now listen to me, my friend,” said the provost-marshal, toying with the + collar of the Order; for, late as the hour was, he was in full uniform. + </p> + <p> + This little circumstance gave the young man several thoughts; he saw that + all was not over; on the contrary, it was evidently neither to hang nor + yet to condemn him that he was brought here. + </p> + <p> + “My friend, you may spare yourself cruel torture by telling me all you + know of the understanding between Monsieur le Prince de Conde and Queen + Catherine. Not only will no harm be done to you, but you shall enter the + service of Monseigneur the lieutenant-general of the kingdom, who likes + intelligent men and on whom your honest face has produced a good + impression. The queen-mother is about to be sent back to Florence, and + Monsieur de Conde will no doubt be brought to trial. Therefore, believe + me, humble folks ought to attach themselves to the great men who are in + power. Tell me all; and you will find your profit in it.” + </p> + <p> + “Alas, monsieur,” replied Christophe; “I have nothing to tell. I told all + I know to Messieurs de Guise in the queen’s chamber. Chaudieu persuaded me + to put those papers under the eyes of the queen-mother; assuring me that + they concerned the peace of the kingdom.” + </p> + <p> + “You have never seen the Prince de Conde?” + </p> + <p> + “Never.” + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Monsieur de Montresor left Christophe and went into the + adjoining room; but the youth was not left long alone. The door through + which he had been brought opened and gave entrance to several men, who did + not close it. Sounds that were far from reassuring were heard from the + courtyard; men were bringing wood and machinery, evidently intended for + the punishment of the Reformer’s messenger. Christophe’s anxiety soon had + matter for reflection in the preparations which were made in the hall + before his eyes. + </p> + <p> + Two coarse and ill-dressed serving-men obeyed the orders of a stout, + squat, vigorous man, who cast upon Christophe, as he entered, the glance + of a cannibal upon his victim; he looked him over and <i>estimated</i> + him,—measuring, like a connoisseur, the strength of his nerves, + their power and their endurance. The man was the executioner of Blois. + Coming and going, his assistants brought in a mattress, several mallets + and wooden wedges, also planks and other articles, the use of which was + not plain, nor their look comforting to the poor boy concerned in these + preparations, whose blood now curdled in his veins from a vague but most + terrible apprehension. Two personages entered the hall at the moment when + Monsieur de Montresor reappeared. + </p> + <p> + “Hey, nothing ready!” cried the provost-marshal, to whom the new-comers + bowed with great respect. “Don’t you know,” he said, addressing the stout + man and his two assistants, “that Monseigneur the cardinal thinks you + already at work? Doctor,” added the provost, turning to one of the + new-comers, “this is the man”; and he pointed to Christophe. + </p> + <p> + The doctor went straight to the prisoner, unbound his hands, and struck + him on the breast and back. Science now continued, in a serious manner, + the truculent examination of the executioner’s eye. During this time a + servant in the livery of the house of Guise brought in several arm-chairs, + a table, and writing-materials. + </p> + <p> + “Begin the <i>proces verbal</i>,” said Monsieur de Montresor, motioning to + the table the second personage, who was dressed in black, and was + evidently a clerk. Then the provost went up to Christophe, and said to him + in a very gentle way: “My friend, the chancellor, having learned that you + refuse to answer me in a satisfactory manner, decrees that you be put to + the question, ordinary and extraordinary.” + </p> + <p> + “Is he in good health, and can he bear it?” said the clerk to the doctor. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” replied the latter, who was one of the physicians of the house of + Lorraine. + </p> + <p> + “In that case, retire to the next room; we will send for you whenever we + require your advice.” + </p> + <p> + The physician left the hall. + </p> + <p> + His first terror having passed, Christophe rallied his courage; the hour + of his martyrdom had come. Thenceforth he looked with cold curiosity at + the arrangements that were made by the executioner and his men. After + hastily preparing a bed, the two assistants got ready certain appliances + called <i>boots</i>; which consisted of several planks, between which each + leg of the victim was placed. The legs thus placed were brought close + together. The apparatus used by binders to press their volumes between two + boards, which they fasten by cords, will give an exact idea of the manner + in which each leg of the prisoner was bound. We can imagine the effect + produced by the insertion of wooden wedges, driven in by hammers between + the planks of the two bound legs,—the two sets of planks of course + not yielding, being themselves bound together by ropes. These wedges were + driven in on a line with the knees and the ankles. The choice of these + places where there is little flesh, and where, consequently, the wedge + could only be forced in by crushing the bones, made this form of torture, + called the “question,” horribly painful. In the “ordinary question” four + wedges were driven in,—two at the knees, two at the ankles; but in + the “extraordinary question” the number was increased to eight, provided + the doctor certified that the prisoner’s vitality was not exhausted. At + the time of which we write the “boots” were also applied in the same + manner to the hands and wrists; but, being pressed for time, the cardinal, + the lieutenant-general, and the chancellor spared Christophe that + additional suffering. + </p> + <p> + The <i>proces verbal</i> was begun; the provost dictated a few sentences + as he walked up and down with a meditative air, asking Christophe his + name, baptismal name, age, and profession; then he inquired the name of + the person from whom he had received the papers he had given to the queen. + </p> + <p> + “From the minister Chaudieu,” answered Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “Where did he give them to you?” + </p> + <p> + “In Paris.” + </p> + <p> + “In giving them to you he must have told you whether the queen-mother + would receive you with pleasure?” + </p> + <p> + “He told me nothing of that kind,” said Christophe. “He merely asked me to + give them to Queen Catherine secretly.” + </p> + <p> + “You must have seen Chaudieu frequently, or he would not have known that + you were going to Blois.” + </p> + <p> + “The minister did not know from me that in carrying furs to the queen I + was also to ask on my father’s behalf for the money the queen-mother owes + him; and I did not have time to ask the minister who had told him of it.” + </p> + <p> + “But these papers, which were given to you without being sealed or + enveloped, contained a treaty between the rebels and Queen Catherine. You + must have seen that they exposed you to the punishment of all those who + assist in a rebellion.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “The persons who persuaded you to this act of high treason must have + promised you rewards and the protection of the queen-mother.” + </p> + <p> + “I did it out of attachment to Chaudieu, the only person whom I saw in the + matter.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you persist in saying you did not see the Prince de Conde?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “The Prince de Conde did not tell you that the queen-mother was inclined + to enter into his views against the Messieurs de Guise?” + </p> + <p> + “I did not see him.” + </p> + <p> + “Take care! one of your accomplices, La Renaudie, has been arrested. + Strong as he is, he was not able to bear the ‘question,’ which will now be + put to you; he confessed at last that both he and the Prince de Conde had + an interview with you. If you wish to escape the torture of the question, + I exhort you to tell me the simple truth. Perhaps you will thus obtain + your full pardon.” + </p> + <p> + Christophe answered that he could not state a thing of which he had no + knowledge, or give himself accomplices when he had none. Hearing these + words, the provost-marshal signed to the executioner and retired himself + to the inner room. At that fatal sign Christophe’s brows contracted, his + forehead worked with nervous convulsion, as he prepared himself to suffer. + His hands closed with such violence that the nails entered the flesh + without his feeling them. Three men seized him, took him to the camp bed + and laid him there, letting his legs hang down. While the executioner + fastened him to the rough bedstead with strong cords, the assistants bound + his legs into the “boots.” Presently the cords were tightened, by means of + a wrench, without the pressure causing much pain to the young Reformer. + When each leg was thus held as it were in a vice, the executioner grasped + his hammer and picked up the wedges, looking alternately at the victim and + at the clerk. + </p> + <p> + “Do you persist in your denial?” asked the clerk. + </p> + <p> + “I have told the truth,” replied Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “Very well. Go on,” said the clerk, closing his eyes. + </p> + <p> + The cords were tightened with great force. This was perhaps the most + painful moment of the torture; the flesh being suddenly compressed, the + blood rushed violently toward the breast. The poor boy could not restrain + a dreadful cry and seemed about to faint. The doctor was called in. After + feeling Christophe’s pulse, he told the executioner to wait a quarter of + an hour before driving the first wedge in, to let the action of the blood + subside and allow the victim to recover his full sensitiveness. The clerk + suggested, kindly, that if he could not bear this beginning of sufferings + which he could not escape, it would be better to reveal all at once; but + Christophe made no reply except to say, “The king’s tailor! the king’s + tailor!” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean by those words?” asked the clerk. + </p> + <p> + “Seeing what torture I must bear,” said Christophe, slowly, hoping to gain + time to rest, “I call up all my strength, and try to increase it by + thinking of the martyrdom borne by the king’s tailor for the holy cause of + the Reformation, when the question was applied to him in presence of + Madame la Duchesse de Valentinois and the king. I shall try to be worthy + of him.” + </p> + <p> + While the physician exhorted the unfortunate lad not to force them to have + recourse to more violent measures, the cardinal and the duke, impatient to + know the result of the interrogations, entered the hall and themselves + asked Christophe to speak the truth, immediately. The young man repeated + the only confession he had allowed himself to make, which implicated no + one but Chaudieu. The princes made a sign, on which the executioner and + his assistant seized their hammers, taking each a wedge, which then they + drove in between the joints, standing one to right, the other to left of + their victim; the executioner’s wedge was driven in at the knees, his + assistant’s at the ankles. + </p> + <p> + The eyes of all present fastened on those of Christophe, and he, no doubt + excited by the presence of those great personages, shot forth such burning + glances that they appeared to have all the brilliancy of flame. As the + third and fourth wedges were driven in, a dreadful groan escaped him. When + he saw the executioner take up the wedges for the “extraordinary question” + he said no word and made no sound, but his eyes took on so terrible a + fixity, and he cast upon the two great princes who were watching him a + glance so penetrating, that the duke and cardinal were forced to drop + their eyes. Philippe le Bel met with the same resistance when the torture + of the pendulum was applied in his presence to the Templars. That + punishment consisted in striking the victim on the breast with one arm of + the balance pole with which money is coined, its end being covered with a + pad of leather. One of the knights thus tortured, looked so intently at + the king that Philippe could not detach his eyes from him. At the third + blow the king left the chamber on hearing the knight summon him to appear + within a year before the judgment-seat of God,—as, in fact, he did. + At the fifth blow, the first of the “extraordinary question,” Christophe + said to the cardinal: “Monseigneur, put an end to my torture; it is + useless.” + </p> + <p> + The cardinal and the duke re-entered the adjoining hall, and Christophe + distinctly heard the following words said by Queen Catherine: “Go on; + after all, he is only a heretic.” + </p> + <p> + She judged it prudent to be more stern to her accomplice than the + executioners themselves. + </p> + <p> + The sixth and seventh wedges were driven in without a word of complaint + from Christophe. His face shone with extraordinary brilliancy, due, no + doubt, to the excess of strength which his fanatic devotion gave him. + Where else but in the feelings of the soul can we find the power necessary + to bear such sufferings? Finally, he smiled when he saw the executioner + lifting the eighth and last wedge. This horrible torture had lasted by + this time over an hour. + </p> + <p> + The clerk now went to call the physician that he might decide whether the + eighth wedge could be driven in without endangering the life of the + victim. During this delay the duke returned to look at Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Ventre-de-biche</i>! you are a fine fellow,” he said to him, bending + down to whisper the words. “I love brave men. Enter my service, and you + shall be rich and happy; my favors shall heal those wounded limbs. I do + not propose to you any baseness; I will not ask you to return to your + party and betray its plans,—there are always traitors enough for + that, and the proof is in the prisons of Blois; tell me only on what terms + are the queen-mother and the Prince de Conde?” + </p> + <p> + “I know nothing about it, monseigneur,” replied Christophe Lecamus. + </p> + <p> + The physician came, examined the victim, and said that he could bear the + eighth wedge. + </p> + <p> + “Then insert it,” said the cardinal. “After all, as the queen says, he is + only a heretic,” he added, looking at Christophe with a dreadful smile. + </p> + <p> + At this moment Catherine came with slow steps from the adjoining apartment + and stood before Christophe, coldly observing him. Instantly she was the + object of the closest attention on the part of the two brothers, who + watched alternately the queen and her accomplice. On this solemn test the + whole future of that ambitious woman depended; she felt the keenest + admiration for Christophe, yet she gazed sternly at him; she hated the + Guises, and she smiled upon them! + </p> + <p> + “Young man,” said the queen, “confess that you have seen the Prince de + Conde, and you will be richly rewarded.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! what a business this is for you, madame!” cried Christophe, pitying + her. + </p> + <p> + The queen quivered. + </p> + <p> + “He insults me!” she exclaimed. “Why do you not hang him?” she cried, + turning to the two brothers, who stood thoughtful. + </p> + <p> + “What a woman!” said the duke in a glance at his brother, consulting him + by his eye, and leading him to the window. + </p> + <p> + “I shall stay in France and be revenged upon them,” thought the queen. + “Come, make him confess, or let him die!” she said aloud, addressing + Montresor. + </p> + <p> + The provost-marshal turned away his eyes, the executioners were busy with + the wedges; Catherine was free to cast one glance upon the martyr, unseen + by others, which fell on Christophe like the dew. The eyes of the great + queen seemed to him moist; two tears were in them, but they did not fall. + The wedges were driven; a plank was broken by the blow. Christophe gave + one dreadful cry, after which he was silent; his face shone,—he + believed he was dying. + </p> + <p> + “Let him die?” said the cardinal, echoing the queen’s last words with a + sort of irony; “no, no! don’t break that thread,” he said to the provost. + </p> + <p> + The duke and the cardinal consulted together in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “What is to be done with him?” asked the executioner. + </p> + <p> + “Send him to the prison at Orleans,” said the duke, addressing Monsieur de + Montresor; “and don’t hang him without my order.” + </p> + <p> + The extreme sensitiveness to which Christophe’s internal organism had been + brought, increased by a resistance which called into play every power of + the human body, existed to the same degree, in his senses. He alone heard + the following words whispered by the Duc de Guise in the ear of his + brother the cardinal: + </p> + <p> + “I don’t give up all hope of getting the truth out of that little fellow + yet.” + </p> + <p> + When the princes had left the hall the executioners unbound the legs of + their victim roughly and without compassion. + </p> + <p> + “Did any one ever see a criminal with such strength?” said the chief + executioner to his aids. “The rascal bore that last wedge when he ought to + have died; I’ve lost the price of his body.” + </p> + <p> + “Unbind me gently; don’t make me suffer, friends,” said poor Christophe. + “Some day I will reward you—” + </p> + <p> + “Come, come, show some humanity,” said the physician. “Monseigneur esteems + the young man, and told me to look after him.” + </p> + <p> + “I am going to Amboise with my assistants,—take care of him + yourself,” said the executioner, brutally. “Besides, here comes the + jailer.” + </p> + <p> + The executioner departed, leaving Christophe in the hands of the + soft-spoken doctor, who by the aid of Christophe’s future jailer, carried + the poor boy to a bed, brought him some broth, helped him to swallow it, + sat down beside him, felt his pulse, and tried to comfort him. + </p> + <p> + “You won’t die of this,” he said. “You ought to feel great inward comfort, + knowing that you have done your duty.—The queen-mother bids me take + care of you,” he added in a whisper. + </p> + <p> + “The queen is very good,” said Christophe, whose terrible sufferings had + developed an extraordinary lucidity in his mind, and who, after enduring + such unspeakable sufferings, was determined not to compromise the results + of his devotion. “But she might have spared me much agony be telling my + persecutors herself the secrets that I know nothing about, instead of + urging them on.” + </p> + <p> + Hearing that reply, the doctor took his cap and cloak and left Christophe, + rightly judging that he could worm nothing out of a man of that stamp. The + jailer of Blois now ordered the poor lad to be carried away on a stretcher + by four men, who took him to the prison in the town, where Christophe + immediately fell into the deep sleep which, they say, comes to most + mothers after the terrible pangs of childbirth. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0012" id="link2H_4_0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + IX. THE TUMULT AT AMBOISE + </h2> + <p> + By moving the court to the chateau of Amboise, the two Lorrain princes + intended to set a trap for the leader of the party of the Reformation, the + Prince de Conde, whom they had made the king summon to his presence. As + vassal of the Crown and prince of the blood, Conde was bound to obey the + summons of his sovereign. Not to come to Amboise would constitute the + crime of treason; but if he came, he put himself in the power of the + Crown. Now, at this moment, as we have seen, the Crown, the council, the + court, and all their powers were solely in the hands of the Duc de Guise + and the Cardinal de Lorraine. The Prince de Conde showed, at this delicate + crisis, a presence of mind and a decision and willingness which made him + the worthy exponent of Jeanne d’Albret and the valorous general of the + Reformers. He travelled at the rear of the conspirators as far as Vendome, + intending to support them in case of their success. When the first + uprising ended by a brief skirmish, in which the flower of the nobility + beguiled by Calvin perished, the prince arrived, with fifty noblemen, at + the chateau of Amboise on the very day after that fight, which the politic + Guises termed “the Tumult of Amboise.” As soon as the duke and cardinal + heard of his coming they sent the Marechal de Saint-Andre with an escort + of a hundred men to meet him. When the prince and his own escort reached + the gates of the chateau the marechal refused entrance to the latter. + </p> + <p> + “You must enter alone, monseigneur,” said the Chancellor Olivier, the + Cardinal de Tournon, and Birago, who were stationed outside of the + portcullis. + </p> + <p> + “And why?” + </p> + <p> + “You are suspected of treason,” replied the chancellor. + </p> + <p> + The prince, who saw that his suite were already surrounded by the troop of + the Duc de Nemours, replied tranquilly: “If that is so, I will go alone to + my cousin, and prove to him my innocence.” + </p> + <p> + He dismounted, talked with perfect freedom of mind to Birago, the Cardinal + de Tournon, the chancellor, and the Duc de Nemours, from whom he asked for + particulars of the “tumult.” + </p> + <p> + “Monseigneur,” replied the duke, “the rebels had confederates in Amboise. + A captain, named Lanoue, had introduced armed men, who opened the gate to + them, through which they entered and made themselves masters of the town—” + </p> + <p> + “That is to say, you opened the mouth of a sack, and they ran into it,” + replied the prince, looking at Birago. + </p> + <p> + “If they had been supported by the attack which Captain Chaudieu, the + preacher’s brother, was expected to make before the gate of the + Bon-Hommes, they would have been completely successful,” replied the Duc + de Nemours. “But in consequence of the position which the Duc de Guise + ordered me to take up, Captain Chaudieu was obliged to turn my flank to + avoid a fight. So instead of arriving by night, like the rest, this rebel + and his men got there at daybreak, by which time the king’s troops had + crushed the invaders of the town.” + </p> + <p> + “And you had a reserve force to recover the gate which had been opened to + them?” said the prince. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur le Marechal de Saint-Andre was there with five hundred + men-at-arms.” + </p> + <p> + The prince gave the highest praise to these military arrangements. + </p> + <p> + “The lieutenant-general must have been fully aware of the plans of the + Reformers, to have acted as he did,” he said in conclusion. “They were no + doubt betrayed.” + </p> + <p> + The prince was treated with increasing harshness. After separating him + from his escort at the gates, the cardinal and the chancellor barred his + way when he reached the staircase which led to the apartments of the king. + </p> + <p> + “We are directed by his Majesty, monseigneur, to take you to your own + apartments,” they said. + </p> + <p> + “Am I, then, a prisoner?” + </p> + <p> + “If that were the king’s intention you would not be accompanied by a + prince of the Church, nor by me,” replied the chancellor. + </p> + <p> + These two personages escorted the prince to an apartment, where guards of + honor—so-called—were given him. There he remained, without + seeing any one, for some hours. From his window he looked down upon the + Loire and the meadows of the beautiful valley stretching from Amboise to + Tours. He was reflecting on the situation, and asking himself whether the + Guises would really dare anything against his person, when the door of his + chamber opened and Chicot, the king’s fool, formerly a dependent of his + own, entered the room. + </p> + <p> + “They told me you were in disgrace,” said the prince. + </p> + <p> + “You’d never believe how virtuous the court has become since the death of + Henri II.” + </p> + <p> + “But the king loves a laugh.” + </p> + <p> + “Which king,—Francois II., or Francois de Lorraine?” + </p> + <p> + “You are not afraid of the duke, if you talk in that way!” + </p> + <p> + “He wouldn’t punish me for it, monseigneur,” replied Chicot, laughing. + </p> + <p> + “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?” + </p> + <p> + “Hey! Isn’t it due to you on your return? I bring you my cap and bells.” + </p> + <p> + “Can I go out?” + </p> + <p> + “Try.” + </p> + <p> + “Suppose I do go out, what then?” + </p> + <p> + “I should say that you had won the game by playing against the rules.” + </p> + <p> + “Chicot, you alarm me. Are you sent here by some one who takes an interest + in me?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Chicot, nodding. He came nearer to the prince, and made him + understand that they were being watched and overheard. + </p> + <p> + “What have you to say to me?” asked the Prince de Conde, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “Boldness alone can pull you out of this scrape; the message comes from + the queen-mother,” replied the fool, slipping his words into the ear of + the prince. + </p> + <p> + “Tell those who sent you,” replied Conde, “that I should not have entered + this chateau if I had anything to reproach myself with, or to fear.” + </p> + <p> + “I rush to report that lofty answer!” cried the fool. + </p> + <p> + Two hours later, that is, about one o’clock in the afternoon, before the + king’s dinner, the chancellor and Cardinal de Tournon came to fetch the + prince and present him to Francois II. in the great gallery of the chateau + of Amboise, where the councils were held. There, before the whole court, + Conde pretended surprise at the coldness with which the little king + received him, and asked the reason of it. + </p> + <p> + “You are accused, cousin,” said the queen-mother, sternly, “of taking part + in the conspiracy of the Reformers; and you must prove yourself a faithful + subject and a good Catholic, if you do not desire to draw down upon your + house the anger of the king.” + </p> + <p> + Hearing these words said, in the midst of the most profound silence, by + Catherine de’ Medici, on whose right arm the king was leaning, the Duc + d’Orleans being on her left side, the Prince de Conde recoiled three + steps, laid his hand on his sword with a proud motion, and looked at all + the persons who surrounded him. + </p> + <p> + “Those who said that, madame,” he cried in an angry voice, “lied in their + throats!” + </p> + <p> + Then he flung his glove at the king’s feet, saying: “Let him who believes + that calumny come forward!” + </p> + <p> + The whole court trembled as the Duc de Guise was seen to leave his place; + but instead of picking up the glove, he advanced to the intrepid + hunchback. + </p> + <p> + “If you desire a second in that duel, monseigneur, do me the honor to + accept my services,” he said. “I will answer for you; I know that you will + show the Reformers how mistaken they are if they think to have you for + their leader.” + </p> + <p> + The prince was forced to take the hand of the lieutenant-general of the + kingdom. Chicot picked up the glove and returned it to Monsieur de Conde. + </p> + <p> + “Cousin,” said the little king, “you must draw your sword only for the + defence of the kingdom. Come and dine.” + </p> + <p> + The Cardinal de Lorraine, surprised at his brother’s action, drew him away + to his own apartments. The Prince de Conde, having escaped his apparent + danger, offered his hand to Mary Stuart to lead her to the dining hall; + but all the while that he made her flattering speeches he pondered in his + mind what trap the astute Balafre was setting for him. In vain he worked + his brains, for it was not until Queen Mary herself betrayed it that he + guessed the intention of the Guises. + </p> + <p> + “‘Twould have been a great pity,” she said laughing, “if so clever a head + had fallen; you must admit that my uncle has been generous.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, madame; for my head is only useful on my shoulders, though one of + them is notoriously higher than the other. But is this really your uncle’s + generosity? Is he not getting the credit of it rather cheaply? Do you + think it would be so easy to take off the head of a prince of the blood?” + </p> + <p> + “All is not over yet,” she said. “We shall see what your conduct will be + at the execution of the noblemen, your friends, at which the Council has + decided to make a great public display of severity.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall do,” said the prince, “whatever the king does.” + </p> + <p> + “The king, the queen-mother, and myself will be present at the execution, + together with the whole court and the ambassadors—” + </p> + <p> + “A fete!” said the prince, sarcastically. + </p> + <p> + “Better than that,” said the young queen, “an <i>act of faith</i>, an act + of the highest policy. ‘Tis a question of forcing the noblemen of France + to submit themselves to the Crown, and compelling them to give up their + tastes for plots and factions—” + </p> + <p> + “You will not break their belligerent tempers by the show of danger, + madame; you will risk the Crown itself in the attempt,” replied the + prince. + </p> + <p> + At the end of the dinner, which was gloomy enough, Queen Mary had the + cruel boldness to turn the conversation openly upon the trial of the + noblemen on the charge of being seized with arms in their hands, and to + speak of the necessity of making a great public show of their execution. + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” said Francois II., “is it not enough for the king of France to + know that so much brave blood is to flow? Must he make a triumph of it?” + </p> + <p> + “No, sire; but an example,” replied Catherine. + </p> + <p> + “It was the custom of your father and your grandfather to be present at + the burning of heretics,” said Mary Stuart. + </p> + <p> + “The kings who reigned before me did as they thought best, and I choose to + do as I please,” said the little king. + </p> + <p> + “Philip the Second,” remarked Catherine, “who is certainly a great king, + lately postponed an <i>auto da fe</i> until he could return from the Low + Countries to Valladolid.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you think, cousin?” said the king to Prince de Conde. + </p> + <p> + “Sire, you cannot avoid it, and the papal nuncio and all the ambassadors + should be present. I shall go willingly, as these ladies take part in the + fete.” + </p> + <p> + Thus the Prince de Conde, at a glance from Catherine de’ Medici, bravely + chose his course. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + At the moment when the Prince de Conde was entering the chateau d’Amboise, + Lecamus, the furrier of the two queens, was also arriving from Paris, + brought to Amboise by the anxiety into which the news of the tumult had + thrown both his family and that of Lallier. When the old man presented + himself at the gate of the chateau, the captain of the guard, on hearing + that he was the queens’ furrier, said:— + </p> + <p> + “My good man, if you want to be hanged you have only to set foot in this + courtyard.” + </p> + <p> + Hearing these words, the father, in despair, sat down on a stone at a + little distance and waited until some retainer of the two queens or some + servant-woman might pass who would give him news of his son. But he sat + there all day without seeing any one whom he knew, and was forced at last + to go down into the town, where he found, not without some difficulty, a + lodging in a hostelry on the public square where the executions took + place. He was obliged to pay a pound a day to obtain a room with a window + looking on the square. The next day he had the courage to watch, from his + window, the execution of all the abettors of the rebellion who were + condemned to be broken on the wheel or hanged, as persons of little + importance. He was happy indeed not to see his own son among the victims. + </p> + <p> + When the execution was over he went into the square and put himself in the + way of the clerk of the court. After giving his name, and slipping a purse + full of crowns into the man’s hand, he begged him to look on the records + and see if the name of Christophe Lecamus appeared in either of the three + preceding executions. The clerk, touched by the manner and the tones of + the despairing father, took him to his own house. After a careful search + he was able to give the old man an absolute assurance that Christophe was + not among the persons thus far executed, nor among those who were to be + put to death within a few days. + </p> + <p> + “My dear man,” said the clerk, “Parliament has taken charge of the trial + of the great lords implicated in the affair, and also that of the + principal leaders. Perhaps your son is detained in the prisons of the + chateau, and he may be brought forth for the magnificent execution which + their Excellencies the Duc de Guise and the Cardinal de Lorraine are now + preparing. The heads of twenty-seven barons, eleven counts, and seven + marquises,—in all, fifty noblemen or leaders of the Reformers,—are + to be cut off. As the justiciary of the county of Tourine is quite + distinct from that of the parliament of Paris, if you are determined to + know about your son, I advise you to go and see the Chancelier Olivier, + who has the management of this great trial under orders from the + lieutenant-general of the kingdom.” + </p> + <p> + The poor old man, acting on this advice, went three times to see the + chancellor, standing in a long queue of persons waiting to ask mercy for + their friends. But as the titled men were made to pass before the + burghers, he was obliged to give up the hope of speaking to the + chancellor, though he saw him several times leave the house to go either + to the chateau or to the committee appointed by the Parliament,—passing + each time between a double hedge of petitioners who were kept back by the + guards to allow him free passage. It was a horrible scene of anguish and + desolation; for among these petitioners were many women, wives, mothers, + daughters, whole families in distress. Old Lecamus gave much gold to the + footmen of the chateau, entreating them to put certain letters which he + wrote into the hand either of Dayelle, Queen Mary’s woman, or into that of + the queen-mother; but the footmen took the poor man’s money and carried + the letters, according to the general order of the cardinal, to the + provost-marshal. By displaying such unheard-of cruelty the Guises knew + that they incurred great dangers from revenge, and never did they take + such precautions for their safety as they did while the court was at + Amboise; consequently, neither the greatest of all corrupters, gold, nor + the incessant and active search which the old furrier instituted gave him + the slightest gleam of light on the fate of his son. He went about the + little town with a mournful air, watching the great preparations made by + order of the cardinal for the dreadful show at which the Prince de Conde + had agreed to be present. + </p> + <p> + Public curiosity was stimulated from Paris to Nantes by the means adopted + on this occasion. The execution was announced from all pulpits by the + rectors of the churches, while at the same time they gave thanks for the + victory of the king over the heretics. Three handsome balconies, the + middle one more sumptuous than the other two, were built against the + terrace of the chateau of Amboise, at the foot of which the executions + were appointed to take place. Around the open square, stagings were + erected, and these were filled with an immense crowd of people attracted + by the wide-spread notoriety given to this “act of faith.” Ten thousand + persons camped in the adjoining fields the night before the day on which + the horrible spectacle was appointed to take place. The roofs on the + houses were crowded with spectators, and windows were let at ten pounds + apiece,—an enormous sum in those days. The poor old father had + engaged, as we may well believe, one of the best places from which the eye + could take in the whole of the terrible scene, where so many men of noble + blood were to perish on a vast scaffold covered with black cloth, erected + in the middle of the open square. Thither, on the morning of the fatal + day, they brought the <i>chouquet</i>,—a name given to the block on + which the condemned man laid his head as he knelt before it. After this + they brought an arm-chair draped with black, for the clerk of the + Parliament, whose business it was to call up the condemned noblemen to + their death and read their sentences. The whole square was guarded from + early morning by the Scottish guard and the gendarmes of the king’s + household, in order to keep back the crowd which threatened to fill it + before the hour of the execution. + </p> + <p> + After a solemn mass said at the chateau and in the churches of the town, + the condemned lords, the last of the conspirators who were left alive, + were led out. These gentlemen, some of whom had been put to the torture, + were grouped at the foot of the scaffold and surrounded by monks, who + endeavored to make them abjure the doctrines of Calvin. But not a single + man listened to the words of the priests who had been appointed for this + duty by the Cardinal of Lorraine; among whom the gentlemen no doubt feared + to find spies of the Guises. In order to avoid the importunity of these + antagonists they chanted a psalm, put into French verse by Clement Marot. + Calvin, as we all know, had ordained that prayers to God should be in the + language of each country, as much from a principle of common sense as in + opposition to the Roman worship. To those in the crowd who pitied these + unfortunate gentlemen it was a moving incident to hear them chant the + following verse at the very moment when the king and court arrived and + took their places:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “God be merciful unto us, + And bless us! + And show us the light of his countenance, + And be merciful unto us.” + </pre> + <p> + The eyes of all the Reformers turned to their leader, the Prince de Conde, + who was placed intentionally between Queen Mary and the young Duc + d’Orleans. Catherine de’ Medici was beside the king, and the rest of the + court were on her left. The papal nuncio stood behind Queen Mary; the + lieutenant-general of the kingdom, the Duc de Guise, was on horseback + below the balcony, with two of the marshals of France and his staff + captains. When the Prince de Conde appeared all the condemned noblemen who + knew him bowed to him, and the brave hunchback returned their salutation. + </p> + <p> + “It would be hard,” he remarked to the Duc d’Orleans, “not to be civil to + those about to die.” + </p> + <p> + The two other balconies were filled by invited guests, courtiers, and + persons on duty about the court. In short, the whole company of the + chateau de Blois had come to Amboise to assist at this festival of death, + precisely as it passed, a little later, from the pleasures of a court to + the perils of war, with an easy facility, which will always seem to + foreigners one of the main supports of their policy toward France. + </p> + <p> + The poor syndic of the furriers of Paris was filled with the keenest joy + at not seeing his son among the fifty-seven gentlemen who were condemned + to die. + </p> + <p> + At a sign from the Duc de Guise, the clerk seated on the scaffold cried in + a loud voice:— + </p> + <p> + “Jean-Louis-Alberic, Baron de Raunay, guilty of heresy, of the crime of <i>lese-majeste</i>, + and assault with armed hand against the person of the king.” + </p> + <p> + A tall handsome man mounted the scaffold with a firm step, bowed to the + people and the court, and said: + </p> + <p> + “That sentence lies. I took arms to deliver the king from his enemies, the + Guises.” + </p> + <p> + He placed his head on the block, and it fell. The Reformers chanted:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Thou, O God! hast proved us; + Thou hast tried us; + As silver is tried in the fire, + So hast thou purified us.” + </pre> + <p> + “Robert-Jean-Rene Briquemart, Comte de Villemongis, guilty of the crime of + <i>lese-majeste</i>, and of attempts against the person of the king!” + called the clerk. + </p> + <p> + The count dipped his hands in the blood of the Baron de Raunay, and said:— + </p> + <p> + “May this blood recoil upon those who are really guilty of those crimes.” + </p> + <p> + The Reformers chanted:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Thou broughtest us into the snare; + Thou laidest afflictions upon our loins; + Thou hast suffered our enemies + To ride over us.” + </pre> + <p> + “You must admit, monseigneur,” said the Prince de Conde to the papal + nuncio, “that if these French gentlemen know how to conspire, they also + know how to die.” + </p> + <p> + “What hatreds, brother!” whispered the Duchesse de Guise to the Cardinal + de Lorraine, “you are drawing down upon the heads of our children!” + </p> + <p> + “The sight makes me sick,” said the young king, turning pale at the flow + of blood. + </p> + <p> + “Pooh! only rebels!” replied Catherine de’ Medici. + </p> + <p> + The chants went on; the axe still fell. The sublime spectacle of men + singing as they died, and, above all, the impression produced upon the + crowd by the progressive diminution of the chanting voices, superseded the + fear inspired by the Guises. + </p> + <p> + “Mercy!” cried the people with one voice, when they heard the solitary + chant of the last and most important of the great lords, who was saved to + be the final victim. He alone remained at the foot of the steps by which + the others had mounted the scaffold, and he chanted:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Thou, O God, be merciful unto us, + And bless us, + And cause thy face to shine upon us. + Amen!” + </pre> + <p> + “Come, Duc de Nemours,” said the Prince de Conde, weary of the part he was + playing; “you who have the credit of the skirmish, and who helped to make + these men prisoners, do you not feel under an obligation to ask mercy for + this one? It is Castelnau, who, they say, received your word of honor that + he should be courteously treated if he surrendered.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you think I waited till he was here before trying to save him?” said + the Duc de Nemours, stung by the stern reproach. + </p> + <p> + The clerk called slowly—no doubt he was intentionally slow:— + </p> + <p> + “Michel-Jean-Louis, Baron de Castelnau-Chalosse, accused and convicted of + the crime of <i>lese-majeste</i>, and of attempts against the person of + the king.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Castelnau, proudly, “it cannot be a crime to oppose the tyranny + and the projected usurpation of the Guises.” + </p> + <p> + The executioner, sick of his task, saw a movement in the king’s gallery, + and fumbled with his axe. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur le baron,” he said, “I do not want to execute you; a moment’s + delay may save you.” + </p> + <p> + All the people again cried, “Mercy!” + </p> + <p> + “Come!” said the king, “mercy for that poor Castelnau, who saved the life + of the Duc d’Orleans.” + </p> + <p> + The cardinal intentionally misunderstood the king’s speech. + </p> + <p> + “Go on,” he motioned to the executioner, and the head of Castelnau fell at + the very moment when the king had pronounced his pardon. + </p> + <p> + “That head, cardinal, goes to your account,” said Catherine de’ Medici. + </p> + <p> + The day after this dreadful execution the Prince de Conde returned to + Navarre. + </p> + <p> + The affair produced a great sensation in France and at all the foreign + courts. The torrents of noble blood then shed caused such anguish to the + chancellor Olivier that his honorable mind, perceiving at last the real + end and aim of the Guises disguised under a pretext of defending religion + and the monarchy, felt itself no longer able to make head against them. + Though he was their creature, he was not willing to sacrifice his duty and + the Throne to their ambition; and he withdrew from his post, suggesting + l’Hopital as his rightful successor. Catherine, hearing of Olivier’s + suggestion, immediately proposed Birago, and put much warmth into her + request. The cardinal, knowing nothing of the letter written by l’Hopital + to the queen-mother, and supposing him faithful to the house of Lorraine, + pressed his appointment in opposition to that of Birago, and Catherine + allowed herself to seem vanquished. From the moment that l’Hopital entered + upon his duties he took measures against the Inquisition, which the + Cardinal de Lorraine was desirous of introducing into France; and he + thwarted so successfully all the anti-gallican policy of the Guises, and + proved himself so true a Frenchmen, that in order to subdue him he was + exiled, within three months of his appointment, to his country-seat of + Vignay, near Etampes. + </p> + <p> + The worthy old Lecamus waited impatiently till the court left Amboise, + being unable to find an opportunity to speak to either of the queens, and + hoping to put himself in their way as the court advanced along the + river-bank on its return to Blois. He disguised himself as a pauper, at + the risk of being taken for a spy, and by means of this travesty, he + mingled with the crowd of beggars which lined the roadway. After the + departure of the Prince de Conde, and the execution of the leaders, the + duke and cardinal thought they had sufficiently silenced the Reformers to + allow the queen-mother a little more freedom. Lecamus knew that, instead + of travelling in a litter, Catherine intended to go on horseback, <i>a la + planchette</i>,—such was the name given to a sort of stirrup + invented for or by the queen-mother, who, having hurt her leg on some + occasion, ordered a velvet-covered saddle with a plank on which she could + place both feet by sitting sideways on the horse and passing one leg + through a depression in the saddle. As the queen-mother had very handsome + legs, she was accused of inventing this method of riding, in order to show + them. The old furrier fortunately found a moment when he could present + himself to her sight; but the instant that the queen recognized him she + gave signs of displeasure. + </p> + <p> + “Go away, my good man, and let no one see you speak to me,” she said with + anxiety. “Get yourself elected deputy to the States-general, by the guild + of your trade, and act for me when the Assembly convenes at Orleans; you + shall know whom to trust in the matter of your son.” + </p> + <p> + “Is he living?” asked the old man. + </p> + <p> + “Alas!” said the queen, “I hope so.” + </p> + <p> + Lecamus was obliged to return to Paris with nothing better than those + doubtful words and the secret of the approaching convocation of the + States-general, thus confided to him by the queen-mother. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0013" id="link2H_4_0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + X. COSMO RUGGIERO + </h2> + <p> + The Cardinal de Lorraine obtained, within a few days of the events just + related, certain revelations as to the culpability of the court of + Navarre. At Lyon, and at Mouvans in Dauphine, a body of Reformers, under + command of the most enterprising prince of the house of Bourbon had + endeavored to incite the populace to rise. Such audacity, after the bloody + executions at Amboise, astonished the Guises, who (no doubt to put an end + to heresy by means known only to themselves) proposed the convocation of + the States-general at Orleans. Catherine de’ Medici, seeing a chance of + support to her policy in a national representation, joyfully agreed to it. + The cardinal, bent on recovering his prey and degrading the house of + Bourbon, convoked the States for the sole purpose of bringing the Prince + de Conde and the king of Navarre (Antoine de Bourbon, father of Henri IV.) + to Orleans,—intending to make use of Christophe to convict the + prince of high treason if he succeeded in again getting him within the + power of the Crown. + </p> + <p> + After two months had passed in the prison at Blois, Christophe was removed + on a litter to a tow-boat, which sailed up the Loire to Orleans, helped by + a westerly wind. He arrived there in the evening and was taken at once to + the celebrated tower of Saint-Aignan. The poor lad, who did not know what + to think of his removal, had plenty of time to reflect on his conduct and + on his future. He remained there two months, lying on his pallet, unable + to move his legs. The bones of his joints were broken. When he asked for + the help of a surgeon of the town, the jailer replied that the orders were + so strict about him that he dared not allow any one but himself even to + bring him food. This severity, which placed him virtually in solitary + confinement, amazed Christophe. To his mind, he ought either to be hanged + or released; for he was, of course, entirely ignorant of the events at + Amboise. + </p> + <p> + In spite of certain secret advice sent to them by Catherine de’ Medici, + the two chiefs of the house of Bourbon resolved to be present at the + States-general, so completely did the autograph letters they received from + the king reassure them; and no sooner had the court established itself at + Orleans than it learned, not without amazement, from Groslot, chancellor + of Navarre, that the Bourbon princes had arrived. + </p> + <p> + Francois II. established himself in the house of the chancellor of + Navarre, who was also <i>bailli</i>, in other words, chief justice of the + law courts, at Orleans. This Groslot, whose dual position was one of the + singularities of this period—when Reformers themselves owned abbeys—Groslot, + the Jacques Coeur of Orleans, one of the richest burghers of the day, did + not bequeath his name to the house, for in after years it was called Le + Bailliage, having been, undoubtedly, purchased either by the heirs of the + Crown or by the provinces as the proper place in which to hold the legal + courts. This charming structure, built by the bourgeoisie of the sixteenth + century, which completes so admirably the history of a period in which + king, nobles, and burghers rivalled each other in the grace, elegance, and + richness of their dwellings (witness Varangeville, the splendid + manor-house of Ango, and the mansion, called that of Hercules, in Paris), + exists to this day, though in a state to fill archaeologists and lovers of + the Middle Ages with despair. It would be difficult, however, to go to + Orleans and not take notice of the Hotel-de-Ville which stands on the + place de l’Estape. This hotel-de-ville, or town-hall, is the former + Bailliage, the mansion of Groslot, the most illustrious house in Orleans, + and the most neglected. + </p> + <p> + The remains of this old building will still show, to the eyes of an + archaeologist, how magnificent it was at a period when the houses of the + burghers were commonly built of wood rather than stone, a period when + noblemen alone had the right to build <i>manors</i>,—a significant + word. Having served as the dwelling of the king at a period when the court + displayed much pomp and luxury, the hotel Groslot must have been the most + splendid house in Orleans. It was here, on the place de l’Estape, that the + Guises and the king reviewed the burgher guard, of which Monsieur de + Cypierre was made the commander during the sojourn of the king. At this + period the cathedral of Sainte-Croix, afterward completed by Henri IV.,—who + chose to give that proof of the sincerity of his conversion,—was in + process of erection, and its neighborhood, heaped with stones and cumbered + with piles of wood, was occupied by the Guises and their retainers, who + were quartered in the bishop’s palace, now destroyed. + </p> + <p> + The town was under military discipline, and the measures taken by the + Guises proved how little liberty they intended to leave to the + States-general, the members of which flocked into the town, raising the + rents of the poorest lodgings. The court, the burgher militia, the + nobility, and the burghers themselves were all in a state of expectation, + awaiting some <i>coup-d’Etat</i>; and they found themselves not mistaken + when the princes of the blood arrived. As the Bourbon princes entered the + king’s chamber, the court saw with terror the insolent bearing of Cardinal + de Lorraine. Determined to show his intentions openly, he remained + covered, while the king of Navarre stood before him bare-headed. Catherine + de’ Medici lowered her eyes, not to show the indignation that she felt. + Then followed a solemn explanation between the young king and the two + chiefs of the younger branch. It was short, for that the first words of + the Prince de Conde Francois II. interrupted him, with threatening looks: + </p> + <p> + “Messieurs, my cousins, I had supposed the affair of Amboise over; I find + it is not so, and you are compelling us to regret the indulgence which we + showed.” + </p> + <p> + “It is not the king so much as the Messieurs de Guise who now address us,” + replied the Prince de Conde. + </p> + <p> + “Adieu, monsieur,” cried the little king, crimson with anger. When he left + the king’s presence the prince found his way barred in the great hall by + two officers of the Scottish guard. As the captain of the French guard + advanced, the prince drew a letter from his doublet, and said to him in + presence of the whole court:— + </p> + <p> + “Can you read that paper aloud to me, Monsieur de Maille-Breze?” + </p> + <p> + “Willingly,” said the French captain:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “‘My cousin, come in all security; I give you my royal word that + you can do so. If you have need of a safe conduct, this letter + will serve as one.’” + </pre> + <p> + “Signed?” said the shrewd and courageous hunchback. + </p> + <p> + “Signed ‘Francois,’” said Maille. + </p> + <p> + “No, no!” exclaimed the prince, “it is signed: ‘Your good cousin and + friend, Francois,’—Messieurs,” he said to the Scotch guard, “I + follow you to the prison to which you are ordered, on behalf of the king, + to conduct me. There is enough nobility in this hall to understand the + matter!” + </p> + <p> + The profound silence which followed these words ought to have enlightened + the Guises, but silence is that to which all princes listen least. + </p> + <p> + “Monseigneur,” said the Cardinal de Tournon, who was following the prince, + “you know well that since the affair at Amboise you have made certain + attempts both at Lyon and at Mouvans in Dauphine against the royal + authority, of which the king had no knowledge when he wrote to you in + those terms.” + </p> + <p> + “Tricksters!” cried the prince, laughing. + </p> + <p> + “You have made a public declaration against the Mass and in favor of + heresy.” + </p> + <p> + “We are masters in Navarre,” said the prince. + </p> + <p> + “You mean to say in Bearn. But you owe homage to the Crown,” replied + President de Thou. + </p> + <p> + “Ha! you here, president?” cried the prince, sarcastically. “Is the whole + Parliament with you?” + </p> + <p> + So saying, he cast a look of contempt upon the cardinal and left the hall. + He saw plainly enough that they meant to have his head. The next day, when + Messieurs de Thou, de Viole, d’Espesse, the procureur-general Bourdin, and + the chief clerk of the court du Tillet, entered his presence, he kept them + standing, and expressed his regrets to see them charged with a duty which + did not belong to them. Then he said to the clerk, “Write down what I + say,” and dictated as follows:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “I, Louis de Bourbon, Prince de Conde, peer of the kingdom, + Marquis de Conti, Comte de Soissons, prince of the blood of + France, do declare that I formally refuse to recognize any + commission appointed to try me, because, in my quality and in + virtue of the privilege appertaining to all members of the royal + house, I can only be accused, tried, and judged by the Parliament + of peers, both Chambers assembled, the king being seated on his + bed of justice.” + </pre> + <p> + “You ought to know that, gentlemen, better than others,” he added; “and + this reply is all that you will get from me. For the rest, I trust in God + and my right.” + </p> + <p> + The magistrates continued to address him notwithstanding his obstinate + silence. The king of Navarre was left at liberty, but closely watched; his + prison was larger than that of the prince, and this was the only real + difference in the position of the two brothers,—the intention being + that their heads should fall together. + </p> + <p> + Christophe was therefore kept in the strictest solitary confinement by + order of the cardinal and the lieutenant-general of the kingdom, for no + other purpose than to give the judges proof of the culpability of the + Prince de Conde. The letters seized on Lasagne, the prince’s secretary, + though intelligible to statesmen, where not sufficiently plain proof for + judges. The cardinal intended to confront the prince and Christophe by + accident; and it was not without intention that the young Reformer was + placed in one of the lower rooms in the tower of Saint-Aignan, with a + window looking on the prison yard. Each time that Christophe was brought + before the magistrates, and subjected to a close examination, he sheltered + himself behind a total and complete denial, which prolonged his trial + until after the opening of the States-general. + </p> + <p> + Old Lecamus, who by that time had got himself elected deputy of the <i>tiers-etat</i> + by the burghers of Paris, arrived at Orleans a few days after the arrest + of the Prince de Conde. This news, which reached him at Etampes, redoubled + his anxiety; for he fully understood—he, who alone knew of + Christophe’s interview with the prince under the bridge near his own house—that + his son’s fate was closely bound up with that of the leader of the + Reformed party. He therefore determined to study the dark tangle of + interests which were struggling together at court in order to discover + some means of rescuing his son. It was useless to think of Queen + Catherine, who refused to see her furrier. No one about the court whom he + was able to address could give him any satisfactory information about + Christophe; and he fell at last into a state of such utter despair that he + was on the verge of appealing to the cardinal himself, when he learned + that Monsieur de Thou (and this was the great stain upon that good man’s + life) had consented to be one of the judges of the Prince de Conde. The + old furrier went at once to see him, and learned at last that Christophe + was still living, though a prisoner. + </p> + <p> + Tourillon, the glover (to whom La Renaudie sent Christophe on his way to + Blois), had offered a room in his house to the Sieur Lecamus for the whole + time of his stay in Orleans during the sittings of the States-general. The + glover believed the furrier to be, like himself, secretly attached to the + Reformed religion; but he soon saw that a father who fears for the life of + his child pays no heed to shades of religious opinion, but flings himself + prone upon the bosom of God without caring what insignia men give to Him. + The poor old man, repulsed in all his efforts, wandered like one + bewildered through the streets. Contrary to his expectations, his money + availed him nothing; Monsieur de Thou had warned him that if he bribed any + servant of the house of Guise he would merely lose his money, for the duke + and cardinal allowed nothing that related to Christophe to transpire. De + Thou, whose fame is somewhat tarnished by the part he played at this + crisis, endeavored to give some hope to the poor father; but he trembled + so much himself for the fate of his godson that his attempts at + consolation only alarmed the old man still more. Lecamus roamed the + streets; in three months he had shrunk visibly. His only hope now lay in + the warm friendship which for so many years had bound him to the + Hippocrates of the sixteenth century. Ambroise Pare tried to say a word to + Queen Mary on leaving the chamber of the king, who was then indisposed; + but no sooner had he named Christophe than the daughter of the Stuarts, + nervous at the prospect of her fate should any evil happen to the king, + and believing that the Reformers were attempting to poison him, cried out:— + </p> + <p> + “If my uncles had only listened to me, that fanatic would have been hanged + already.” + </p> + <p> + The evening on which this fatal answer was repeated to old Lecamus, by his + friend Pare on the place de l’Estape, he returned home half dead to his + own chamber, refusing to eat any supper. Tourillon, uneasy about him, went + up to his room and found him in tears; the aged eyes showed the inflamed + red lining of their lids, so that the glover fancied for a moment that he + was weeping tears of blood. + </p> + <p> + “Comfort yourself, father,” said the Reformer; “the burghers of Orleans + are furious to see their city treated as though it were taken by assault, + and guarded by the soldiers of Monsieur de Cypierre. If the life of the + Prince de Conde is in any real danger we will soon demolish the tower of + Saint-Aignan; the whole town is on the side of the Reformers, and it will + rise in rebellion; you may be sure of that!” + </p> + <p> + “But, even if they hang the Guises, it will not give me back my son,” said + the wretched father. + </p> + <p> + At that instant some one rapped cautiously on Tourillon’s outer door, and + the glover went downstairs to open it himself. The night was dark. In + these troublous times the masters of all households took minute + precautions. Tourillon looked through the peep-holes cut in the door, and + saw a stranger, whose accent indicated an Italian. The man, who was + dressed in black, asked to speak with Lecamus on matters of business, and + Tourillon admitted him. When the furrier caught sight of his visitor he + shuddered violently; but the stranger managed, unseen by Tourillon, to lay + his fingers on his lips. Lecamus, understanding the gesture, said + immediately:— + </p> + <p> + “You have come, I suppose, to offer furs?” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Si</i>,” said the Italian, discreetly. + </p> + <p> + This personage was no other than the famous Ruggiero, astrologer to the + queen-mother. Tourillon went below to his own apartment, feeling convinced + that he was one too many in that of his guest. + </p> + <p> + “Where can we talk without danger of being overheard?” said the cautious + Florentine. + </p> + <p> + “We ought to be in the open fields for that,” replied Lecamus. “But we are + not allowed to leave the town; you know the severity with which the gates + are guarded. No one can leave Orleans without a pass from Monsieur de + Cypierre,” he added,—“not even I, who am a member of the + States-general. Complaint is to be made at to-morrow’s session of this + restriction of liberty.” + </p> + <p> + “Work like a mole, but don’t let your paws be seen in anything, no matter + what,” said the wary Italian. “To-morrow will, no doubt, prove a decisive + day. Judging by my observations, you may, perhaps, recover your son + to-morrow, or the day after.” + </p> + <p> + “May God hear you—you who are thought to traffic with the devil!” + </p> + <p> + “Come to my place,” said the astrologer, smiling. “I live in the tower of + Sieur Touchet de Beauvais, the lieutenant of the Bailliage, whose daughter + the little Duc d’Orleans has taken such a fancy to; it is there that I + observe the planets. I have drawn the girl’s horoscope, and it says that + she will become a great lady and be beloved by a king. The lieutenant, her + father, is a clever man; he loves science, and the queen sent me to lodge + with him. He has had the sense to be a rabid Guisist while awaiting the + reign of Charles IX.” + </p> + <p> + The furrier and the astrologer reached the house of the Sieur de Beauvais + without being met or even seen; but, in case Lecamus’ visit should be + discovered, the Florentine intended to give a pretext of an astrological + consultation on his son’s fate. When they were safely at the top of the + tower, where the astrologer did his work, Lecamus said to him:— + </p> + <p> + “Is my son really living?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, he still lives,” replied Ruggiero; “and the question now is how to + save him. Remember this, seller of skins, I would not give two farthings + for yours if ever in all your life a single syllable should escape you of + what I am about to say.” + </p> + <p> + “That is a useless caution, my friend; I have been furrier to the court + since the time of the late Louis XII.; this is the fourth reign that I + have seen.” + </p> + <p> + “And you may soon see the fifth,” remarked Ruggiero. + </p> + <p> + “What do you know about my son?” + </p> + <p> + “He has been put to the question.” + </p> + <p> + “Poor boy!” said the old man, raising his eyes to heaven. + </p> + <p> + “His knees and ankles were a bit injured, but he has won a royal + protection which will extend over his whole life,” said the Florentine + hastily, seeing the terror of the poor father. “Your little Christophe has + done a service to our great queen, Catherine. If we manage to pull him out + of the claws of the Guises you will see him some day councillor to the + Parliament. Any man would gladly have his bones cracked three times over + to stand so high in the good graces of this dear sovereign,—a grand + and noble genius, who will triumph in the end over all obstacles. I have + drawn the horoscope of the Duc de Guise; he will be killed within a year. + Well, so Christophe saw the Prince de Conde—” + </p> + <p> + “You who read the future ought to know the past,” said the furrier. + </p> + <p> + “My good man, I am not questioning you, I am telling you a fact. Now, if + your son, who will to-morrow be placed in the prince’s way as he passes, + should recognize him, or if the prince should recognize your son, the head + of Monsieur de Conde will fall. God knows what will become of his + accomplice! However, don’t be alarmed. Neither your son nor the prince + will die; I have drawn their horoscope,—they will live; but I do not + know in what way they will get out of this affair. Without distrusting the + certainty of my calculations, we must do something to bring about results. + To-morrow the prince will receive, from sure hands, a prayer-book in which + we convey the information to him. God grant that your son be cautious, for + him we cannot warn. A single glance of recognition will cost the prince’s + life. Therefore, although the queen-mother has every reason to trust in + Christophe’s faithfulness—” + </p> + <p> + “They’ve put it to a cruel test!” cried the furrier. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t speak so! Do you think the queen-mother is on a bed of roses? She + is taking measures as if the Guises had already decided on the death of + the prince, and right she is, the wise and prudent queen! Now listen to + me; she counts on you to help her in all things. You have some influence + with the <i>tiers-etat</i>, where you represent the body of the guilds of + Paris, and though the Guisards may promise you to set your son at liberty, + try to fool them and maintain the independence of the guilds. Demand the + queen-mother as regent; the king of Navarre will publicly accept the + proposal at the session of the States-general.” + </p> + <p> + “But the king?” + </p> + <p> + “The king will die,” replied Ruggiero; “I have read his horoscope. What + the queen-mother requires you to do for her at the States-general is a + very simple thing; but there is a far greater service which she asks of + you. You helped Ambroise Pare in his studies, you are his friend—” + </p> + <p> + “Ambroise now loves the Duc de Guise more than he loves me; and he is + right, for he owes his place to him. Besides, he is faithful to the king. + Though he inclines to the Reformed religion, he will never do anything + against his duty.” + </p> + <p> + “Curse these honest men!” cried the Florentine. “Ambroise boasted this + evening that he could bring the little king safely through his present + illness (for he is really ill). If the king recovers his health, the + Guises triumph, the princes die, the house of Bourbon becomes extinct, we + shall return to Florence, your son will be hanged, and the Lorrains will + easily get the better of the other sons of France—” + </p> + <p> + “Great God!” exclaimed Lecamus. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t cry out in that way,—it is like a burgher who knows nothing + of the court,—but go at once to Ambroise and find out from him what + he intends to do to save the king’s life. If there is anything decided on, + come back to me at once, and tell me the treatment in which he has such + faith.” + </p> + <p> + “But—” said Lecamus. + </p> + <p> + “Obey blindly, my dear friend; otherwise you will get your mind + bewildered.” + </p> + <p> + “He is right,” thought the furrier. “I had better not know more”; and he + went at once in search of the king’s surgeon, who lived at a hostelry in + the place du Martroi. + </p> + <p> + Catherine de’ Medici was at this moment in a political extremity very much + like that in which poor Christophe had seen her at Blois. Though she had + been in a way trained by the struggle, though she had exercised her lofty + intellect by the lessons of that first defeat, her present situation, + while nearly the same, had become more critical, more perilous than it was + at Amboise. Events, like the woman herself, had magnified. Though she + seemed to be in full accordance with the Guises, Catherine held in her + hand the threads of a wisely planned conspiracy against her terrible + associates, and was only awaiting a propitious moment to throw off the + mask. The cardinal had just obtained the positive certainty that Catherine + was deceiving him. Her subtle Italian spirit felt that the Younger branch + was the best hindrance she could offer to the ambition of the duke and the + cardinal; and (in spite of the advice of the two Gondis, who urged her to + let the Guises wreak their vengeance on the Bourbons) she defeated the + scheme concocted by them with Spain to seize the province of Bearn, by + warning Jeanne d’Albret, queen of Navarre, of that threatened danger. As + this state secret was known only to them and to the queen-mother, the + Guises knew of course who had betrayed it, and resolved to send her back + to Florence. But in order to make themselves perfectly sure of what they + called her treason against the State (the State being the house of + Lorraine), the duke and cardinal confided to her their intention of + getting rid of the king of Navarre. The precautions instantly taken by + Antoine proved conclusively to the two brothers that the secrets known + only to them and the queen-mother had been divulged by the latter. The + cardinal instantly taxed her with treachery, in presence of Francois II.,—threatening + her with an edict of banishment in case of future indiscretion, which + might, as they said, put the kingdom in danger. + </p> + <p> + Catherine, who then felt herself in the utmost peril, acted in the spirit + of a great king, giving proof of her high capacity. It must be added, + however, that she was ably seconded by her friends. L’Hopital managed to + send her a note, written in the following terms:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Do not allow a prince of the blood to be put to death by a + committee; or you will yourself be carried off in some way.” + </pre> + <p> + Catherine sent Birago to Vignay to tell the chancellor (l’Hopital) to come + to Orleans at once, in spite of his being in disgrace. Birago returned the + very night of which we are writing, and was now a few miles from Orleans + with l’Hopital, who heartily avowed himself for the queen-mother. + Chiverni, whose fidelity was very justly suspected by the Guises, had + escaped from Orleans and reached Ecouen in ten hours, by a forced march + which almost cost him his life. There he told the Connetable de + Montmorency of the peril of his nephew, the Prince de Conde, and the + audacious hopes of the Guises. The Connetable, furious at the thought that + the prince’s life hung upon that of Francois II., started for Orleans at + once with a hundred noblemen and fifteen hundred cavalry. In order to take + the Messieurs de Guise by surprise he avoided Paris, and came direct from + Ecouen to Corbeil, and from Corbeil to Pithiviers by the valley of the + Essonne. + </p> + <p> + “Soldier against soldier, we must leave no chances,” he said on the + occasion of this bold march. + </p> + <p> + Anne de Montmorency, who had saved France at the time of the invasion of + Provence by Charles V., and the Duc de Guise, who had stopped the second + invasion by the emperor at Metz, were, in truth, the two great warriors of + France at this period. Catherine had awaited this precise moment to rouse + the inextinguishable hatred of the Connetable, whose disgrace and + banishment were the work of the Guises. The Marquis de Simeuse, however, + who commanded at Gien, being made aware of the large force approaching + under command of the Connetable, jumped on his horse hoping to reach + Orleans in time to warn the duke and cardinal. + </p> + <p> + Sure that the Connetable would come to the rescue of his nephew, and full + of confidence in the Chancelier l’Hopital’s devotion to the royal cause, + the queen-mother revived the hopes and the boldness of the Reformed party. + The Colignys and the friends of the house of Bourbon, aware of their + danger, now made common cause with the adherents of the queen-mother. A + coalition between these opposing interests, attacked by a common enemy, + formed itself silently in the States-general, where it soon became a + question of appointing Catherine as regent in case the king should die. + Catherine, whose faith in astrology was much greater than her faith in the + Church, now dared all against her oppressors, seeing that her son was ill + and apparently dying at the expiration of the time assigned to his life by + the famous sorceress, whom Nostradamus had brought to her at the chateau + of Chaumont. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0014" id="link2H_4_0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + XI. AMBROISE PARE + </h2> + <p> + Some days before the terrible end of the reign of Francois II., the king + insisted on sailing down the Loire, wishing not to be in the town of + Orleans on the day when the Prince de Conde was executed. Having yielded + the head of the prince to the Cardinal de Lorraine, he was equally in + dread of a rebellion among the townspeople and of the prayers and + supplications of the Princesse de Conde. At the moment of embarkation, one + of the cold winds which sweep along the Loire at the beginning of winter + gave him so sharp an ear-ache that he was obliged to return to his + apartments; there he took to his bed, not leaving it again until he died. + In contradiction of the doctors, who, with the exception of Chapelain, + were his enemies, Ambroise Pare insisted that an abscess was formed in the + king’s head, and that unless an issue were given to it, the danger of + death would increase daily. Notwithstanding the lateness of the hour, and + the curfew law, which was sternly enforced in Orleans, at this time + practically in a state of siege, Pare’s lamp shone from his window, and he + was deep in study, when Lecamus called to him from below. Recognizing the + voice of his old friend, Pare ordered that he should be admitted. + </p> + <p> + “You take no rest, Ambroise; while saving the lives of others you are + wasting your own,” said the furrier as he entered, looking at the surgeon, + who sat, with opened books and scattered instruments, before the head of a + dead man, lately buried and now disinterred, in which he had cut an + opening. + </p> + <p> + “It is a matter of saving the king’s life.” + </p> + <p> + “Are you sure of doing it, Ambroise?” cried the old man, trembling. + </p> + <p> + “As sure as I am of my own existence. The king, my old friend, has a + morbid ulcer pressing on his brain, which will presently suffice it if no + vent is given to it, and the danger is imminent. But by boring the skull I + expect to release the pus and clear the head. I have already performed + this operation three times. It was invented by a Piedmontese; but I have + had the honor to perfect it. The first operation I performed was at the + siege of Metz, on Monsieur de Pienne, whom I cured, who was afterwards all + the more intelligent in consequence. His was an abscess caused by the blow + of an arquebuse. The second was on the head of a pauper, on whom I wanted + to prove the value of the audacious operation Monsieur de Pienne had + allowed me to perform. The third I did in Paris on a gentleman who is now + entirely recovered. Trepanning—that is the name given to the + operation—is very little known. Patients refuse it, partly because + of the imperfection of the instruments; but I have at last improved them. + I am practising now on this skull, that I may be sure of not failing + to-morrow, when I operate on the head of the king.” + </p> + <p> + “You ought indeed to be very sure you are right, for your own head would + be in danger in case—” + </p> + <p> + “I’d wager my life I can cure him,” replied Ambroise, with the conviction + of a man of genius. “Ah! my old friend, where’s the danger of boring into + a skull with proper precautions? That is what soldiers do in battle every + day of their lives, without taking any precautions.” + </p> + <p> + “My son,” said the burgher, boldly, “do you know that to save the king is + to ruin France? Do you know that this instrument of yours will place the + crown of the Valois on the head of the Lorrain who calls himself the heir + of Charlemagne? Do you know that surgery and policy are at this moment + sternly opposed to each other? Yes, the triumph of your genius will be the + death of your religion. If the Guises gain the regency, the blood of the + Reformers will flow like water. Be a greater citizen than you are a + surgeon; oversleep yourself to-morrow morning and leave a free field to + the other doctors who if they cannot cure the king will cure France.” + </p> + <p> + “I!” exclaimed Pare. “I leave a man to die when I can cure him? No, no! + were I to hang as an abettor of Calvin I shall go early to court. Do you + not feel that the first and only reward I shall ask will be the life of + your Christophe? Surely at such a moment Queen Mary can deny me nothing.” + </p> + <p> + “Alas! my friend,” returned Lecamus, “the little king has refused the + pardon of the Prince de Conde to the princess. Do not kill your religion + by saving the life of a man who ought to die.” + </p> + <p> + “Do not you meddle with God’s ordering of the future!” cried Pare. “Honest + men can have but one motto: <i>Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra</i>!—do + thy duty, come what will. That is what I did at the siege of Calais when I + put my foot on the face of the Duc de Guise,—I ran the risk of being + strangled by his friends and his servants; but to-day I am surgeon to the + king; moreover I am of the Reformed religion; and yet the Guises are my + friends. I shall save the king,” cried the surgeon, with the sacred + enthusiasm of a conviction bestowed by genius, “and God will save France!” + </p> + <p> + A knock was heard on the street door and presently one of Pare’s servants + gave a paper to Lecamus, who read aloud these terrifying words:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “A scaffold is being erected at the convent of the Recollets: the + Prince de Conde will be beheaded there to-morrow.” + </pre> + <p> + Ambroise and Lecamus looked at each other with an expression of the + deepest horror. + </p> + <p> + “I will go and see it for myself,” said the furrier. + </p> + <p> + No sooner was he in the open street than Ruggiero took his arm and asked + by what means Ambroise Pare proposed to save the king. Fearing some + trickery, the old man, instead of answering, replied that he wished to go + and see the scaffold. The astrologer accompanied him to the place des + Recollets, and there, truly enough, they found the carpenters putting up + the horrible framework by torchlight. + </p> + <p> + “Hey, my friend,” said Lecamus to one of the men, “what are you doing here + at this time of night?” + </p> + <p> + “We are preparing for the hanging of heretics, as the blood-letting at + Amboise didn’t cure them,” said a young Recollet who was superintending + the work. + </p> + <p> + “Monseigneur the cardinal is very right,” said Ruggiero, prudently; “but + in my country we do better.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you do?” said the young priest. + </p> + <p> + “We burn them.” + </p> + <p> + Lecamus was forced to lean on the astrologer’s arm, for his legs gave way + beneath him; he thought it probable that on the morrow his son would hang + from one of those gibbets. The poor old man was thrust between two + sciences, astrology and surgery, both of which promised him the life of + his son, for whom in all probability that scaffold was now erecting. In + the trouble and distress of his mind, the Florentine was able to knead him + like dough. + </p> + <p> + “Well, my worthy dealer in minever, what do you say now to the Lorraine + jokes?” whispered Ruggiero. + </p> + <p> + “Alas! you know I would give my skin if that of my son were safe and + sound.” + </p> + <p> + “That is talking like your trade,” said the Italian; “but explain to me + the operation which Ambroise means to perform upon the king, and in return + I will promise you the life of your son.” + </p> + <p> + “Faithfully?” exclaimed the old furrier. + </p> + <p> + “Shall I swear it to you?” said Ruggiero. + </p> + <p> + Thereupon the poor old man repeated his conversation with Ambroise Pare to + the astrologer, who, the moment that the secret of the great surgeon was + divulged to him, left the poor father abruptly in the street in utter + despair. + </p> + <p> + “What the devil does he mean, that miscreant?” cried Lecamus, as he + watched Ruggiero hurrying with rapid steps to the place de l’Estape. + </p> + <p> + Lecamus was ignorant of the terrible scene that was taking place around + the royal bed, where the imminent danger of the king’s death and the + consequent loss of power to the Guises had caused the hasty erection of + the scaffold for the Prince de Conde, whose sentence had been pronounced, + as it were by default,—the execution of it being delayed by the + king’s illness. + </p> + <p> + Absolutely no one but the persons on duty were in the halls, staircases, + and courtyard of the royal residence, Le Bailliage. The crowd of courtiers + were flocking to the house of the king of Navarre, on whom the regency + would devolve on the death of the king, according to the laws of the + kingdom. The French nobility, alarmed by the audacity of the Guises, felt + the need of rallying around the chief of the younger branch, when, + ignorant of the queen-mother’s Italian policy, they saw her the apparent + slave of the duke and cardinal. Antoine de Bourbon, faithful to his secret + agreement with Catherine, was bound not to renounce the regency in her + favor until the States-general had declared for it. + </p> + <p> + The solitude in which the king’s house was left had a powerful effect on + the mind of the Duc de Guise when, on his return from an inspection, made + by way of precaution through the city, he found no one there but the + friends who were attached exclusively to his own fortunes. The chamber in + which was the king’s bed adjoined the great hall of the Bailliage. It was + at that period panelled in oak. The ceiling, composed of long, narrow + boards carefully joined and painted, was covered with blue arabesques on a + gold ground, a part of which being torn down about fifty years ago was + instantly purchased by a lover of antiquities. This room, hung with + tapestry, the floor being covered with a carpet, was so dark and gloomy + that the torches threw scarcely any light. The vast four-post bedstead + with its silken curtains was like a tomb. Beside her husband, close to his + pillow, sat Mary Stuart, and near her the Cardinal de Lorraine. Catherine + was seated in a chair at a little distance. The famous Jean Chapelain, the + physician on duty (who was afterwards chief physician to Charles IX.) was + standing before the fireplace. The deepest silence reigned. The young + king, pale and shrunken, lay as if buried in his sheets, his pinched + little face scarcely showing on the pillow. The Duchesse de Guise, sitting + on a stool, attended Queen Mary, while on the other side, near Catherine, + in the recess of a window, Madame de Fiesque stood watching the gestures + and looks of the queen-mother; for she knew the dangers of her position. + </p> + <p> + In the hall, notwithstanding the lateness of the hour, Monsieur de + Cypierre, governor of the Duc d’Orleans and now appointed governor of the + town, occupied one corner of the fireplace with the two Gondis. Cardinal + de Tournon, who in this crisis espoused the interests of the queen-mother + on finding himself treated as an inferior by the Cardinal de Lorraine, of + whom he was certainly the ecclesiastical equal, talked in a low voice to + the Gondis. The marshals de Vieilleville and Saint-Andre and the keeper of + the seals, who presided at the States-general, were talking together in a + whisper of the dangers to which the Guises were exposed. + </p> + <p> + The lieutenant-general of the kingdom crossed the room on his entrance, + casting a rapid glance about him, and bowed to the Duc d’Orleans whom he + saw there. + </p> + <p> + “Monseigneur,” he said, “this will teach you to know men. The Catholic + nobility of the kingdom have gone to pay court to a heretic prince, + believing that the States-general will give the regency to the heirs of a + traitor who long detained in prison your illustrious grandfather.” + </p> + <p> + Then having said these words, which were destined to plough a furrow in + the heart of the young prince, he passed into the bedroom, where the king + was not so much asleep as plunged in a heavy torpor. The Duc de Guise was + usually able to correct the sinister aspect of his scarred face by an + affable and pleasing manner, but on this occasion, when he saw the + instrument of his power breaking in his very hands, he was unable to force + a smile. The cardinal, whose civil courage was equal to his brother’s + military daring, advanced a few steps to meet him. + </p> + <p> + “Robertet thinks that little Pinard is sold to the queen-mother,” he + whispered, leading the duke into the hall; “they are using him to work + upon the members of the States-general.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, what does it signify if we are betrayed by a secretary when all + else betrays us?” cried the lieutenant-general. “The town is for the + Reformation, and we are on the eve of a revolt. Yes! the <i>Wasps</i> are + discontented”; he continued, giving the Orleans people their nickname; + “and if Pare does not save the king we shall have a terrible uprising. + Before long we shall be forced to besiege Orleans, which is nothing but a + bog of Huguenots.” + </p> + <p> + “I have been watching that Italian woman,” said the cardinal, “as she sits + there with absolute insensibility. She is watching and waiting, God + forgive her! for the death of her son; and I ask myself whether we should + not do a wise thing to arrest her at once, and also the king of Navarre.” + </p> + <p> + “It is already more than we want upon our hands to have the Prince de + Conde in prison,” replied the duke. + </p> + <p> + The sound of a horseman riding in haste to the gate of the Bailliage + echoed through the hall. The duke and cardinal went to the window, and by + the light of the torches which were in the portico the duke recognized on + the rider’s hat the famous Lorraine cross, which the cardinal had lately + ordered his partisans to wear. He sent an officer of the guard, who was + stationed in the antechamber, to give entrance to the new-comer; and went + himself, followed by his brother, to meet him on the landing. + </p> + <p> + “What is it, my dear Simeuse?” asked the duke, with that charm of manner + which he always displayed to military men, as soon as he recognized the + governor of Gien. + </p> + <p> + “The Connetable has reached Pithiviers; he left Ecouen with two thousand + cavalry and one hundred nobles.” + </p> + <p> + “With their suites?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, monseigneur,” replied Simeuse; “in all, two thousand six hundred + men. Some say that Thore is behind them with a body of infantry. If the + Connetable delays awhile, expecting his son, you still have time to + repulse him.” + </p> + <p> + “Is that all you know? Are the reasons of this sudden call to arms made + known?” + </p> + <p> + “Montmorency talks as little as he writes; go you and meet him, brother, + while I prepare to welcome him with the head of his nephew,” said the + cardinal, giving orders that Robertet be sent to him at once. + </p> + <p> + “Vieilleville!” cried the duke to the marechal, who came immediately. “The + Connetable has the audacity to come here under arms; if I go to meet him + will you be responsible to hold the town?” + </p> + <p> + “As soon as you leave it the burghers will fly to arms; and who can answer + for the result of an affair between cavalry and citizens in these narrow + streets?” replied the marechal. + </p> + <p> + “Monseigneur,” said Robertet, rushing hastily up the stairs, “the + Chancelier de l’Hopital is at the gate and asks to enter; are we to let + him in?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, open the gate,” answered the cardinal. “Connetable and chancelier + together would be dangerous; we must separate them. We have been boldly + tricked by the queen-mother into choosing l’Hopital as chancellor.” + </p> + <p> + Robertet nodded to a captain of the guard, who awaited an answer at the + foot of the staircase; then he turned round quickly to receive the orders + of the cardinal. + </p> + <p> + “Monseigneur, I take the liberty,” he said, making one last effort, “to + point out that the sentence should be approved by <i>the king in council</i>. + If you violate the law on a prince of the blood, it will not be respected + for either a cardinal or a Duc de Guise.” + </p> + <p> + “Pinard has upset your mind, Robertet,” said the cardinal, sternly. “Do + you not know that the king signed the order of execution the day he was + about to leave Orleans, in order that the sentence might be carried out in + his absence?” + </p> + <p> + The lieutenant-general listened to this discussion without a word, but he + took his brother by the arm and led him into a corner of the hall. + </p> + <p> + “Undoubtedly,” he said, “the heirs of Charlemagne have the right to + recover the crown which was usurped from their house by Hugh Capet; but + can they do it? The pear is not yet ripe. Our nephew is dying, and the + whole court has gone over to the king of Navarre.” + </p> + <p> + “The king’s heart failed him, or the Bearnais would have been stabbed + before now,” said the cardinal; “and we could easily have disposed of the + Valois children.” + </p> + <p> + “We are very ill-placed here,” said the duke; “the rebellion of the town + will be supported by the States-general. L’Hopital, whom we protected + while the queen-mother opposed his appointment, is to-day against us, and + yet it is all-important that we should have the justiciary with us. + Catherine has too many supporters at the present time; we cannot send her + back to Italy. Besides, there are still three Valois princes—” + </p> + <p> + “She is no longer a mother, she is all queen,” said the cardinal. “In my + opinion, this is the moment to make an end of her. Vigor, and more and + more vigor! that’s my prescription!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + So saying, the cardinal returned to the king’s chamber, followed by the + duke. The priest went straight to the queen-mother. + </p> + <p> + “The papers of Lasagne, the secretary of the Prince de Conde, have been + communicated to you, and you now know that the Bourbons are endeavoring to + dethrone your son.” + </p> + <p> + “I know all that,” said Catherine. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, will you give orders to arrest the king of Navarre?” + </p> + <p> + “There is,” she said with dignity, “a lieutenant-general of the kingdom.” + </p> + <p> + At this instant Francois II. groaned piteously, complaining aloud of the + terrible pains in his ear. The physician left the fireplace where he was + warming himself, and went to the bedside to examine the king’s head. + </p> + <p> + “Well, monsieur?” said the Duc de Guise, interrogatively. + </p> + <p> + “I dare not take upon myself to apply a blister to draw the abscess. + Maitre Ambroise has promised to save the king’s life by an operation, and + I might thwart it.” + </p> + <p> + “Let us postpone the treatment till to-morrow morning,” said Catherine, + coldly, “and order all the physicians to be present; for we all know the + calumnies to which the death of kings gives rise.” + </p> + <p> + She went to her son and kissed his hand; then she withdrew to her own + apartments. + </p> + <p> + “With what composure that audacious daughter of a shop-keeper alluded to + the death of the dauphin, poisoned by Montecuculi, one of her own Italian + followers!” said Mary Stuart. + </p> + <p> + “Mary!” cried the little king, “my grandfather never doubted her + innocence.” + </p> + <p> + “Can we prevent that woman from coming here to-morrow?” said the queen to + her uncles in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “What will become of us if the king dies?” returned the cardinal, in a + whisper. “Catherine will shovel us all into his grave.” + </p> + <p> + Thus the question was plainly put between Catherine de’ Medici and the + house of Lorraine during that fatal night. The arrival of the Connetable + de Montmorency and the Chancelier de l’Hopital were distinct indications + of rebellion; the morning of the next day would therefore be decisive. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0015" id="link2H_4_0015"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + XII. DEATH OF FRANCOIS II + </h2> + <p> + On the morrow the queen-mother was the first to enter the king’s chamber. + She found no one there but Mary Stuart, pale and weary, who had passed the + night in prayer beside the bed. The Duchesse de Guise had kept her + mistress company, and the maids of honor had taken turns in relieving one + another. The young king slept. Neither the duke nor the cardinal had yet + appeared. The priest, who was bolder than the soldier, had, it was + afterward said, put forth his utmost energy during the night to induce his + brother to make himself king. But, in face of the assembled + States-general, and threatened by a battle with Montmorency, the Balafre + declared the circumstances unfavorable; he refused, against his brother’s + utmost urgency, to arrest the king of Navarre, the queen-mother, + l’Hopital, the Cardinal de Tournon, the Gondis, Ruggiero, and Birago, + objecting that such violent measures would bring on a general rebellion. + He postponed the cardinal’s scheme until the fate of Francois II. should + be determined. + </p> + <p> + The deepest silence reigned in the king’s chamber. Catherine, accompanied + by Madame de Fiesque, went to the bedside and gazed at her son with a + semblance of grief that was admirably simulated. She put her handkerchief + to her eyes and walked to the window where Madame de Fiesque brought her a + seat. Thence she could see into the courtyard. + </p> + <p> + It had been agreed between Catherine and the Cardinal de Tournon that if + the Connetable should successfully enter the town the cardinal would come + to the king’s house with the two Gondis; if otherwise, he would come + alone. At nine in the morning the duke and cardinal, followed by their + gentlemen, who remained in the hall, entered the king’s bedroom,—the + captain on duty having informed them that Ambroise Pare had arrived, + together with Chapelain and three other physicians, who hated Pare and + were all in the queen-mother’s interests. + </p> + <p> + A few moments later and the great hall of the Bailliage presented much the + same aspect as that of the Salle des gardes at Blois on the day when + Christophe was put to the torture and the Duc de Guise was proclaimed + lieutenant-governor of the kingdom,—with the single exception that + whereas love and joy overflowed the royal chamber and the Guises + triumphed, death and mourning now reigned within that darkened room, and + the Guises felt that power was slipping through their fingers. The maids + of honor of the two queens were again in their separate camps on either + side of the fireplace, in which glowed a monstrous fire. The hall was + filled with courtiers. The news—spread about, no one knew how—of + some daring operation contemplated by Ambroise Pare to save the king’s + life, had brought back the lords and gentlemen who had deserted the house + the day before. The outer staircase and courtyard were filled by an + anxious crowd. The scaffold erected during the night for the Prince de + Conde opposite to the convent of the Recollets, had amazed and startled + the whole nobility. All present spoke in a low voice and the talk was the + same mixture as at Blois, of frivolous and serious, light and earnest + matters. The habit of expecting troubles, sudden revolutions, calls to + arms, rebellions, and great events, which marked the long period during + which the house of Valois was slowly being extinguished in spite of + Catherine de’ Medici’s great efforts to preserve it, took its rise at this + time. + </p> + <p> + A deep silence prevailed for a certain distance beyond the door of the + king’s chamber, which was guarded by two halberdiers, two pages, and by + the captain of the Scotch guard. Antoine de Bourbon, king of Navarre, held + a prisoner in his own house, learned by his present desertion the hopes of + the courtiers who had flocked to him the day before, and was horrified by + the news of the preparations made during the night for the execution of + his brother. + </p> + <p> + Standing before the fireplace in the great hall of the Bailliage was one + of the greatest and noblest figures of that day,—the Chancelier de + l’Hopital, wearing his crimson robe lined and edged with ermine, and his + cap on his head according to the privilege of his office. This courageous + man, seeing that his benefactors were traitorous and self-seeking, held + firmly to the cause of the kings, represented by the queen-mother; at the + risk of losing his head, he had gone to Rouen to consult with the + Connetable de Montmorency. No one ventured to draw him from the reverie in + which he was plunged. Robertet, the secretary of State, two marshals of + France, Vieilleville, and Saint-Andre, and the keeper of the seals, were + collected in a group before the chancellor. The courtiers present were not + precisely jesting; but their talk was malicious, especially among those + who were not for the Guises. + </p> + <p> + Presently voices were heard to rise in the king’s chamber. The two + marshals, Robertet, and the chancellor went nearer to the door; for not + only was the life of the king in question, but, as the whole court knew + well, the chancellor, the queen-mother, and her adherents were in the + utmost danger. A deep silence fell on the whole assembly. + </p> + <p> + Ambroise Pare had by this time examined the king’s head; he thought the + moment propitious for his operation; if it was not performed suffusion + would take place, and Francois II. might die at any moment. As soon as the + duke and cardinal entered the chamber he explained to all present that in + so urgent a case it was necessary to trepan the head, and he now waited + till the king’s physician ordered him to perform the operation. + </p> + <p> + “Cut the head of my son as though it were a plank!—with that + horrible instrument!” cried Catherine de’ Medici. “Maitre Ambroise, I will + not permit it.” + </p> + <p> + The physicians were consulting together; but Catherine spoke in so loud a + voice that her words reached, as she intended they should, beyond the + door. + </p> + <p> + “But, madame, if there is no other way to save him?” said Mary Stuart, + weeping. + </p> + <p> + “Ambroise,” cried Catherine; “remember that your head will answer for the + king’s life.” + </p> + <p> + “We are opposed to the treatment suggested by Maitre Ambroise,” said the + three physicians. “The king can be saved by injecting through the ear a + remedy which will draw the contents of the abscess through that passage.” + </p> + <p> + The Duc de Guise, who was watching Catherine’s face, suddenly went up to + her and drew her into the recess of the window. + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” he said, “you wish the death of your son; you are in league with + our enemies, and have been since Blois. This morning the Counsellor Viole + told the son of your furrier that the Prince de Conde’s head was about to + be cut off. That young man, who, when the question was applied, persisted + in denying all relations with the prince, made a sign of farewell to him + as he passed before the window of his dungeon. You saw your unhappy + accomplice tortured with royal insensibility. You are now endeavoring to + prevent the recovery of your eldest son. Your conduct forces us to believe + that the death of the dauphin, which placed the crown on your husband’s + head was not a natural one, and that Montecuculi was your—” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur le chancilier!” cried Catherine, at a sign from whom Madame de + Fiesque opened both sides of the bedroom door. + </p> + <p> + The company in the hall then saw the scene that was taking place in the + royal chamber: the livid little king, his face half dead, his eyes + sightless, his lips stammering the word “Mary,” as he held the hand of the + weeping queen; the Duchesse de Guise motionless, frightened by Catherine’s + daring act; the duke and cardinal, also alarmed, keeping close to the + queen-mother and resolving to have her arrested on the spot by + Maille-Breze; lastly, the tall Ambroise Pare, assisted by the king’s + physician, holding his instrument in his hand but not daring to begin the + operation, for which composure and total silence were as necessary as the + consent of the other surgeons. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur le chancelier,” said Catherine, “the Messieurs de Guise wish to + authorize a strange operation upon the person of the king; Ambroise Pare + is preparing to cut open his head. I, as the king’s mother and a member of + the council of the regency,—I protest against what appears to me a + crime of <i>lese-majeste</i>. The king’s physicians advise an injection + through the ear, which seems to me as efficacious and less dangerous than + the brutal operation proposed by Pare.” + </p> + <p> + When the company in the hall heard these words a smothered murmur rose + from their midst; the cardinal allowed the chancellor to enter the bedroom + and then he closed the door. + </p> + <p> + “I am lieutenant-general of the kingdom,” said the Duc de Guise; “and I + would have you know, Monsieur le chancelier, that Ambroise, the king’s + surgeon, answers for his life.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! if this be the turn that things are taking!” exclaimed Ambroise Pare. + “I know my rights and how I should proceed.” He stretched his arm over the + bed. “This bed and the king are mine. I claim to be sole master of this + case and solely responsible. I know the duties of my office; I shall + operate upon the king without the sanction of the physicians.” + </p> + <p> + “Save him!” said the cardinal, “and you shall be the richest man in + France.” + </p> + <p> + “Go on!” cried Mary Stuart, pressing the surgeon’s hand. + </p> + <p> + “I cannot prevent it,” said the chancellor; “but I shall record the + protest of the queen-mother.” + </p> + <p> + “Robertet!” called the Duc de Guise. + </p> + <p> + When Robertet entered, the lieutenant-general pointed to the chancellor. + </p> + <p> + “I appoint you chancellor of France in the place of that traitor,” he + said. “Monsieur de Maille, take Monsieur de l’Hopital and put him in the + prison of the Prince de Conde. As for you, madame,” he added, turning to + Catherine; “your protest will not be received; you ought to be aware that + any such protest must be supported by sufficient force. I act as the + faithful subject and loyal servant of king Francois II., my master. Go on, + Antoine,” he added, looking at the surgeon. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur de Guise,” said l’Hopital; “if you employ violence either upon + the king or upon the chancellor of France, remember that enough of the + nobility of France are in that hall to rise and arrest you as a traitor.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! my lords,” cried the great surgeon; “if you continue these arguments + you will soon proclaim Charles IX!—for king Francois is about to + die.” + </p> + <p> + Catherine de’ Medici, absolutely impassive, gazed from the window. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, we shall employ force to make ourselves masters of this + room,” said the cardinal, advancing to the door. + </p> + <p> + But when he opened it even he was terrified; the whole house was deserted! + The courtiers, certain now of the death of the king, had gone in a body to + the king of Navarre. + </p> + <p> + “Well, go on, perform your duty,” cried Mary Stuart, vehemently, to + Ambroise. “I—and you, duchess,” she said to Madame de Guise,—“will + protect you.” + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” said Ambroise; “my zeal was carrying me away. The doctors, with + the exception of my friend Chapelain, prefer an injection, and it is my + duty to submit to their wishes. If I had been chief surgeon and chief + physician, which I am not, the king’s life would probably have been saved. + Give that to me, gentlemen,” he said, stretching out his hand for the + syringe, which he proceeded to fill. + </p> + <p> + “Good God!” cried Mary Start, “but I order you to—” + </p> + <p> + “Alas! madame,” said Ambroise, “I am under the direction of these + gentlemen.” + </p> + <p> + The young queen placed herself between the surgeon, the doctors, and the + other persons present. The chief physician held the king’s head, and + Ambroise made the injection into the ear. The duke and the cardinal + watched the proceeding attentively. Robertet and Monsieur de Maille stood + motionless. Madame de Fiesque, at a sign from Catherine, glided + unperceived from the room. A moment later l’Hopital boldly opened the door + of the king’s chamber. + </p> + <p> + “I arrive in good time,” said the voice of a man whose hasty steps echoed + through the great hall, and who stood the next moment on the threshold of + the open door. “Ah, messieurs, so you meant to take off the head of my + good nephew, the Prince de Conde? Instead of that, you have forced the + lion from his lair and—here I am!” added the Connetable de + Montmorency. “Ambroise, you shall not plunge your knife into the head of + my king. The first prince of the blood, Antoine de Bourbon, the Prince de + Conde, the queen-mother, the Connetable, and the chancellor forbid the + operation.” + </p> + <p> + To Catherine’s great satisfaction, the king of Navarre and the Prince de + Conde now entered the room. + </p> + <p> + “What does this mean?” said the Duc de Guise, laying his hand on his + dagger. + </p> + <p> + “It means that in my capacity as Connetable, I have dismissed the + sentinels of all your posts. <i>Tete Dieu</i>! you are not in an enemy’s + country, methinks. The king, our master, is in the midst of his loyal + subjects, and the States-general must be suffered to deliberate at + liberty. I come, messieurs, from the States-general. I carried the protest + of my nephew de Conde before that assembly, and three hundred of those + gentlemen have released him. You wish to shed royal blood and to decimate + the nobility of the kingdom, do you? Ha! in future, I defy you, and all + your schemes, Messieurs de Lorraine. If you order the king’s head opened, + by this sword which saved France from Charles V., I say it shall not be + done—” + </p> + <p> + “All the more,” said Ambroise Pare; “because it is now too late; the + suffusion has begun.” + </p> + <p> + “Your reign is over, messieurs,” said Catherine to the Guises, seeing from + Pare’s face that there was no longer any hope. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! madame, you have killed your own son,” cried Mary Stuart as she + bounded like a lioness from the bed to the window and seized the + queen-mother by the arm, gripping it violently. + </p> + <p> + “My dear,” replied Catherine, giving her daughter-in-law a cold, keen + glance in which she allowed her hatred, repressed for the last six months, + to overflow; “you, to whose inordinate love we owe this death, you will + now go to reign in your Scotland, and you will start to-morrow. I am + regent <i>de facto</i>.” The three physicians having made her a sign, + “Messieurs,” she added, addressing the Guises, “it is agreed between + Monsieur de Bourbon, appointed lieutenant-general of the kingdom by the + States-general, and me that the conduct of the affairs of the State is our + business solely. Come, monsieur le chancelier.” + </p> + <p> + “The king is dead!” said the Duc de Guise, compelled to perform his duties + as Grand-master. + </p> + <p> + “Long live King Charles IX.!” cried all the noblemen who had come with the + king of Navarre, the Prince de Conde, and the Connetable. + </p> + <p> + The ceremonies which follow the death of a king of France were performed + in almost total solitude. When the king-at-arms proclaimed aloud three + times in the hall, “The king is dead!” there were very few persons present + to reply, “Vive le roi!” + </p> + <p> + The queen-mother, to whom the Comtesse de Fiesque had brought the Duc + d’Orleans, now Charles IX., left the chamber, leading her son by the hand, + and all the remaining courtiers followed her. No one was left in the house + where Francois II. had drawn his last breath, but the duke and the + cardinal, the Duchesse de Guise, Mary Stuart, and Dayelle, together with + the sentries at the door, the pages of the Grand-master, those of the + cardinal, and their private secretaries. + </p> + <p> + “Vive la France!” cried several Reformers in the street, sounding the + first cry of the opposition. + </p> + <p> + Robertet, who owed all he was to the duke and cardinal, terrified by their + scheme and its present failure, went over secretly to the queen-mother, + whom the ambassadors of Spain, England, the Empire, and Poland, hastened + to meet on the staircase, brought thither by Cardinal de Tournon, who had + gone to notify them as soon as he had made Queen Catherine a sign from the + courtyard at the moment when she protested against the operation of + Ambroise Pare. + </p> + <p> + “Well!” said the cardinal to the duke, “so the sons of Louis d’Outre-mer, + the heirs of Charles de Lorraine flinched and lacked courage.” + </p> + <p> + “We should have been exiled to Lorraine,” replied the duke. “I declare to + you, Charles, that if the crown lay there before me I would not stretch + out my hand to pick it up. That’s for my son to do.” + </p> + <p> + “Will he have, as you have had, the army and Church on his side?” + </p> + <p> + “He will have something better.” + </p> + <p> + “What?” + </p> + <p> + “The people!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” exclaimed Mary Stuart, clasping the stiffened hand of her first + husband, now dead, “there is none but me to weep for this poor boy who + loved me so!” + </p> + <p> + “How can we patch up matters with the queen-mother?” said the cardinal. + </p> + <p> + “Wait till she quarrels with the Huguenots,” replied the duchess. + </p> + <p> + The conflicting interests of the house of Bourbon, of Catherine, of the + Guises, and of the Reformed party produced such confusion in the town of + Orleans that, three days after the king’s death, his body, completely + forgotten in the Bailliage and put into a coffin by the menials of the + house, was taken to Saint-Denis in a covered waggon, accompanied only by + the Bishop of Senlis and two gentlemen. When the pitiable procession + reached the little town of Etampes, a servant of the Chancelier l’Hopital + fastened to the waggon this severe inscription, which history has + preserved: “Tanneguy de Chastel, where art thou? and yet thou wert a + Frenchman!”—a stern reproach, which fell with equal force on + Catherine de’ Medici, Mary Stuart, and the Guises. What Frenchman does not + know that Tanneguy de Chastel spent thirty thousand crowns of the coinage + of that day (one million of our francs) at the funeral of Charles VII., + the benefactor of his house? + </p> + <p> + No sooner did the tolling of the bells announce to the town of Orleans + that Francois II. was dead, and the rumor spread that the Connetable de + Montmorency had ordered the flinging open of the gates of the town, than + Tourillon, the glover, rushed up into the garret of his house and went to + a secret hiding-place. + </p> + <p> + “Good heavens! can he be dead?” he cried. + </p> + <p> + Hearing the words, a man rose to his feet and answered, “Ready to serve!”—the + password of the Reformers who belonged to Calvin. + </p> + <p> + This man was Chaudieu, to whom Tourillon now related the events of the + last eight days, during which time he had prudently left the minister + alone in his hiding-place with a twelve-pound loaf of bread for his sole + nourishment. + </p> + <p> + “Go instantly to the Prince de Conde, brother: ask him to give me a + safe-conduct; and find me a horse,” cried the minister. “I must start at + once.” + </p> + <p> + “Write me a line, or he will not receive me.” + </p> + <p> + “Here,” said Chaudieu, after writing a few words, “ask for a pass from the + king of Navarre, for I must go to Geneva without a moment’s loss of time.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0016" id="link2H_4_0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + XIII. CALVIN + </h2> + <p> + Two hours later all was ready, and the ardent minister was on his way to + Switzerland, accompanied by a nobleman in the service of the king of + Navarre (of whom Chaudieu pretended to be the secretary), carrying with + him despatches from the Reformers in the Dauphine. This sudden departure + was chiefly in the interests of Catherine de’ Medici, who, in order to + gain time to establish her power, had made a bold proposition to the + Reformers which was kept a profound secret. This strange proceeding + explains the understanding so suddenly apparent between herself and the + leaders of the Reform. The wily woman gave, as a pledge of her good faith, + an intimation of her desire to heal all differences between the two + churches by calling an assembly, which should be neither a council, nor a + conclave, nor a synod, but should be known by some new and distinctive + name, if Calvin consented to the project. When this secret was afterwards + divulged (be it remarked in passing) it led to an alliance between the Duc + de Guise and the Connetable de Montmorency against Catherine and the king + of Navarre,—a strange alliance! known in history as the Triumvirate, + the Marechal de Saint-Andre being the third personage in the purely + Catholic coalition to which this singular proposition for a “colloquy” + gave rise. The secret of Catherine’s wily policy was rightly understood by + the Guises; they felt certain that the queen cared nothing for this + mysterious assembly, and was only temporizing with her new allies in order + to secure a period of peace until the majority of Charles IX.; but none + the less did they deceive the Connetable into fearing a collusion of real + interests between the queen and the Bourbons,—whereas, in reality, + Catherine was playing them all one against another. + </p> + <p> + The queen had become, as the reader will perceive, extremely powerful in a + very short time. The spirit of discussion and controversy which now sprang + up was singularly favorable to her position. The Catholics and the + Reformers were equally pleased to exhibit their brilliancy one after + another in this tournament of words; for that is what it actually was, and + no more. It is extraordinary that historians have mistaken one of the + wiliest schemes of the great queen for uncertainty and hesitation! + Catherine never went more directly to her own ends than in just such + schemes which appeared to thwart them. The king of Navarre, quite + incapable of understanding her motives, fell into her plan in all + sincerity, and despatched Chaudieu to Calvin, as we have seen. The + minister had risked his life to be secretly in Orleans and watch events; + for he was, while there, in hourly peril of being discovered and hung as a + man under sentence of banishment. + </p> + <p> + According to the then fashion of travelling, Chaudieu could not reach + Geneva before the month of February, and the negotiations were not likely + to be concluded before the end of March; consequently the assembly could + certainly not take place before the month of May, 1561. Catherine, + meantime, intended to amuse the court and the various conflicting + interests by the coronation of the king, and the ceremonies of his first + “lit de justice,” at which l’Hopital and de Thou recorded the + letters-patent by which Charles IX. confided the administration to his + mother in common with the present lieutenant-general of the kingdom, + Antoine de Navarre, the weakest prince of those days. + </p> + <p> + Is it not a strange spectacle this of the great kingdom of France waiting + in suspense for the “yes” or “no” of a French burgher, hitherto an obscure + man, living for many years past in Geneva? The transalpine pope held in + check by the pontiff of Geneva! The two Lorrain princes, lately + all-powerful, now paralyzed by the momentary coalition of the queen-mother + and the first prince of the blood with Calvin! Is not this, I say, one of + the most instructive lessons ever given to kings by history,—a + lesson which should teach them to study men, to seek out genius, and + employ it, as did Louis XIV., wherever God has placed it? + </p> + <p> + Calvin, whose name was not Calvin but Cauvin, was the son of a cooper at + Noyon in Picardy. The region of his birth explains in some degree the + obstinacy combined with capricious eagerness which distinguished this + arbiter of the destinies of France in the sixteenth century. Nothing is + less known than the nature of this man, who gave birth to Geneva and to + the spirit that emanated from that city. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who had + very little historical knowledge, has completely ignored the influence of + Calvin on his republic. At first the embryo Reformer, who lived in one of + the humblest houses in the upper town, near the church of Saint-Pierre, + over a carpenter’s shop (first resemblance between him and Robespierre), + had no great authority in Geneva. In fact for a long time his power was + malevolently checked by the Genevese. The town was the residence in those + days of a citizen whose fame, like that of several others, remained + unknown to the world at large and for a time to Geneva itself. This man, + Farel, about the year 1537, detained Calvin in Geneva, pointing out to him + that the place could be made the safe centre of a reformation more active + and thorough than that of Luther. Farel and Calvin regarded Lutheranism as + an incomplete work,—insufficient in itself and without any real grip + upon France. Geneva, midway between France and Italy, and speaking the + French language, was admirably situated for ready communication with + Germany, France, and Italy. Calvin thereupon adopted Geneva as the site of + his moral fortunes; he made it thenceforth the citadel of his ideas. + </p> + <p> + The Council of Geneva, at Farel’s entreaty, authorized Calvin in + September, 1538, to give lectures on theology. Calvin left the duties of + the ministry to Farel, his first disciple, and gave himself up patiently + to the work of teaching his doctrine. His authority, which became so + absolute in the last years of his life, was obtained with difficulty and + very slowly. The great agitator met with such serious obstacles that he + was banished for a time from Geneva on account of the severity of his + reform. A party of honest citizens still clung to their old luxury and + their old customs. But, as usually happens, these good people, fearing + ridicule, would not admit the real object of their efforts, and kept up + their warfare against the new doctrines on points altogether foreign to + the real question. Calvin insisted that <i>leavened bread</i> should be + used for the communion, and that all feasts should be abolished except + Sundays. These innovations were disapproved of at Berne and at Lausanne. + Notice was served on the Genevese to conform to the ritual of Switzerland. + Calvin and Farel resisted; their political opponents used this + disobedience to drive them from Geneva, whence they were, in fact, + banished for several years. Later Calvin returned triumphantly at the + demand of his flock. Such persecutions always become in the end the + consecration of a moral power; and, in this case, Calvin’s return was the + beginning of his era as prophet. He then organized his religious Terror, + and the executions began. On his reappearance in the city he was admitted + into the ranks of the Genevese burghers; but even then, after fourteen + years’ residence, he was not made a member of the Council. At the time of + which we write, when Catherine sent her envoy to him, this king of ideas + had no other title than that of “pastor of the Church of Geneva.” + Moreover, Calvin never in his life received a salary of more than one + hundred and fifty francs in money yearly, fifteen hundred-weight of wheat, + and two barrels of wine. His brother, a tailor, kept a shop close to the + place Saint-Pierre, in a street now occupied by one of the large printing + establishments of Geneva. Such personal disinterestedness, which was + lacking in Voltaire, Newton, and Bacon, but eminent in the lives of + Rabelais, Spinosa, Loyola, Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, is indeed a + magnificent frame to those ardent and sublime figures. + </p> + <p> + The career of Robespierre can alone picture to the minds of the present + day that of Calvin, who, founding his power on the same bases, was as + despotic and as cruel as the lawyer of Arras. It is a noticeable fact that + Picardy (Arras and Noyon) furnished both these instruments of reformation! + Persons who wish to study the motives of the executions ordered by Calvin + will find, all relations considered, another 1793 in Geneva. Calvin cut + off the head of Jacques Gruet “for having written impious letters, + libertine verses, and for working to overthrow ecclesiastical ordinances.” + Reflect upon that sentence, and ask yourselves if the worst tyrants in + their saturnalias ever gave more horribly burlesque reasons for their + cruelties. Valentin Gentilis, condemned to death for “involuntary heresy,” + escaped execution only by making a submission far more ignominious than + was ever imposed by the Catholic Church. Seven years before the conference + which was now to take place in Calvin’s house on the proposals of the + queen-mother, Michel Servet, <i>a Frenchman</i>, travelling through + Switzerland, was arrested at Geneva, tried, condemned, and burned alive, + on Calvin’s accusation, for having “attacked the mystery of the Trinity,” + in a book which was neither written nor published in Geneva. Remember the + eloquent remonstrance of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose book, overthrowing + the Catholic religion, written in France and published in Holland, was + burned by the hangman, while the author, a foreigner, was merely banished + from the kingdom where he had endeavored to destroy the fundamental proofs + of religion and of authority. Compare the conduct of our Parliament with + that of the Genevese tyrant. Again: Bolsee was brought to trial for + “having other ideas than those of Calvin on predestination.” Consider + these things, and ask yourselves if Fourquier-Tinville did worse. The + savage religious intolerance of Calvin was, morally speaking, more + implacable than the savage political intolerance of Robespierre. On a + larger stage than that of Geneva, Calvin would have shed more blood than + did the terrible apostle of political equality as opposed to Catholic + equality. Three centuries earlier a monk of Picardy drove the whole West + upon the East. Peter the Hermit, Calvin, and Robespierre, each at an + interval of three hundred years and all three from the same region, were, + politically speaking, the Archimedean screws of their age,—at each + epoch a Thought which found its fulcrum in the self-interest of mankind. + </p> + <p> + Calvin was undoubtedly the maker of that melancholy town called Geneva, + where, only ten years ago, a man said, pointing to a porte-cochere in the + upper town, the first ever built there: “By that door luxury has invaded + Geneva.” Calvin gave birth, by the sternness of his doctrines and his + executions, to that form of hypocritical sentiment called “cant.”[*] + According to those who practice it, good morals consist in renouncing the + arts and the charms of life, in eating richly but without luxury, in + silently amassing money without enjoying it otherwise than as Calvin + enjoyed power—by thought. Calvin imposed on all the citizens of his + adopted town the same gloomy pall which he spread over his own life. He + created in the Consistory a Calvinistic inquisition, absolutely similar to + the revolutionary tribunal of Robespierre. The Consistory denounced the + persons to be condemned to the Council, and Calvin ruled the Council + through the Consistory, just as Robespierre ruled the Convention through + the Club of the Jacobins. In this way an eminent magistrate of Geneva was + condemned to two months’ imprisonment, the loss of all his offices, and + the right of ever obtaining others “because he led a disorderly life and + was intimate with Calvin’s enemies.” Calvin thus became a legislator. He + created the austere, sober, commonplace, and hideously sad, but + irreproachable manners and customs which characterize Geneva to the + present day,—customs preceding those of England called Puritanism, + which were due to the Cameronians, disciples of Cameron (a Frenchman + deriving his doctrine from Calvin), whom Sir Walter Scott depicts so + admirably. The poverty of a man, a sovereign master, who negotiated, power + to power, with kings, demanding armies and subsidies, and plunging both + hands into their savings laid aside for the unfortunate, proves that + thought, used solely as a means of domination, gives birth to political + misers,—men who enjoy by their brains only, and, like the Jesuits, + want power for power’s sake. Pitt, Luther, Calvin, Robespierre, all those + Harpagons of power, died without a penny. The inventory taken in Calvin’s + house after his death, which comprised all his property, even his books, + amounted in value, as history records, to two hundred and fifty francs. + That of Luther came to about the same sum; his widow, the famous Catherine + de Bora, was forced to petition for a pension of five hundred francs, + which as granted to her by an Elector of Germany. Potemkin, Richelieu, + Mazarin, those men of thought and action, all three of whom made or laid + the foundation of empires, each left over three hundred millions behind + them. They had hearts; they loved women and the arts; they built, they + conquered; whereas with the exception of the wife of Luther, the Helen of + that Iliad, all the others had no tenderness, no beating of the heart for + any woman with which to reproach themselves. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + [*] <i>Momerie</i>. +</pre> + <p> + This brief digression was necessary in order to explain Calvin’s position + in Geneva. + </p> + <p> + During the first days of the month of February in the year 1561, on a + soft, warm evening such as we may sometimes find at that season on Lake + Leman, two horsemen arrived at the Pre-l’Eveque,—thus called because + it was the former country-place of the Bishop of Geneva, driven from + Switzerland about thirty years earlier. These horsemen, who no doubt knew + the laws of Geneva about the closing of the gates (then a necessity and + now very ridiculous) rode in the direction of the Porte de Rive; but they + stopped their horses suddenly on catching sight of a man, about fifty + years of age, leaning on the arm of a servant-woman, and walking slowly + toward the town. This man, who was rather stout, walked with difficulty, + putting one foot after the other with pain apparently, for he wore round + shoes of black velvet, laced in front. + </p> + <p> + “It is he!” said Chaudieu to the other horseman, who immediately + dismounted, threw the reins to his companion, and went forward, opening + wide his arms to the man on foot. + </p> + <p> + The man, who was Jean Calvin, drew back to avoid the embrace, casting a + stern look at his disciple. At fifty years of age Calvin looked as though + he were sixty. Stout and stocky in figure, he seemed shorter still because + the horrible sufferings of stone in the bladder obliged him to bend almost + double as he walked. These pains were complicated by attacks of gout of + the worst kind. Every one trembled before that face, almost as broad as it + was long, on which, in spite of its roundness, there was as little + human-kindness as on that of Henry the Eighth, whom Calvin greatly + resembled. Sufferings which gave him no respite were manifest in the + deep-cut lines starting from each side of the nose and following the curve + of the moustache till they were lost in the thick gray beard. This face, + though red and inflamed like that of a heavy drinker, showed spots where + the skin was yellow. In spite of the velvet cap, which covered the huge + square head, a vast forehead of noble shape could be seen and admired; + beneath it shone two dark eyes, which must have flashed forth flame in + moments of anger. Whether by reason of his obesity, or because of his + thick, short neck, or in consequence of his vigils and his constant + labors, Calvin’s head was sunk between his broad shoulders, which obliged + him to wear a fluted ruff of very small dimensions, on which his face + seemed to lie like the head of John the Baptist on a charger. Between his + moustache and his beard could be seen, like a rose, his small and fresh + and eloquent little mouth, shaped in perfection. The face was divided by a + square nose, remarkable for the flexibility of its entire length, the tip + of which was significantly flat, seeming the more in harmony with the + prodigious power expressed by the form of that imperial head. Though it + might have been difficult to discover on his features any trace of the + weekly headaches which tormented Calvin in the intervals of the slow fever + that consumed him, suffering, ceaselessly resisted by study and by will, + gave to that mask, superficially so florid, a certain something that was + terrible. Perhaps this impression was explainable by the color of a sort + of greasy layer on the skin, due to the sedentary habits of the toiler, + showing evidence of the perpetual struggle which went on between that + valetudinarian temperament and one of the strongest wills ever known in + the history of the human mind. The mouth, though charming, had an + expression of cruelty. Chastity, necessitated by vast designs, exacted by + so many sickly conditions, was written upon that face. Regrets were there, + notwithstanding the serenity of that all-powerful brow, together with pain + in the glance of those eyes, the calmness of which was terrifying. + </p> + <p> + Calvin’s costume brought into full relief this powerful head. He wore the + well-known cassock of black cloth, fastened round his waist by a black + cloth belt with a brass buckle, which became thenceforth the distinctive + dress of all Calvinist ministers, and was so uninteresting to the eye that + it forced the spectator’s attention upon the wearer’s face. + </p> + <p> + “I suffer too much, Theodore, to embrace you,” said Calvin to the elegant + cavalier. + </p> + <p> + Theodore de Beze, then forty-two years of age and lately admitted, at + Calvin’s request, as a Genevese burgher, formed a violent contrast to the + terrible pastor whom he had chosen as his sovereign guide and ruler. + Calvin, like all burghers raised to moral sovereignty, and all inventors + of social systems, was eaten up with jealousy. He abhorred his disciples; + he wanted no equals; he could not bear the slightest contradiction. Yet + there was between him and this graceful cavalier so marked a difference, + Theodore de Beze was gifted with so charming a personality enhanced by a + politeness trained by court life, and Calvin felt him to be so unlike his + other surly janissaries, that the stern reformer departed in de Beze’s + case from his usual habits. He never loved him, for this harsh legislator + totally ignored all friendship, but, not fearing him in the light of a + successor, he liked to play with Theodore as Richelieu played with his + cat; he found him supple and agile. Seeing how admirably de Beze succeeded + in all his missions, he took a fancy to the polished instrument of which + he knew himself the mainspring and the manipulator; so true is it that the + sternest of men cannot do without some semblance of affection. Theodore + was Calvin’s spoilt child; the harsh reformer never scolded him; he + forgave him his dissipations, his amours, his fine clothes and his + elegance of language. Perhaps Calvin was not unwilling to show that the + Reformation had a few men of the world to compare with the men of the + court. Theodore de Beze was anxious to introduce a taste for the arts, for + literature, and for poesy into Geneva, and Calvin listened to his plans + without knitting his thick gray eyebrows. Thus the contrast of character + and person between these two celebrated men was as complete and marked as + the difference in their minds. + </p> + <p> + Calvin acknowledged Chaudieu’s very humble salutation by a slight + inclination of the head. Chaudieu slipped the bridles of both horses + through his arms and followed the two great men of the Reformation, + walking to the left, behind de Beze, who was on Calvin’s right. The + servant-woman hastened on in advance to prevent the closing of the Porte + de Rive, by informing the captain of the guard that Calvin had been seized + with sudden acute pains. + </p> + <p> + Theodore de Beze was a native of the canton of Vezelay, which was the + first to enter the Confederation, the curious history of which transaction + has been written by one of the Thierrys. The burgher spirit of resistance, + endemic at Vezelay, no doubt, played its part in the person of this man, + in the great revolt of the Reformers; for de Beze was undoubtedly one of + the most singular personalities of the Heresy. + </p> + <p> + “You suffer still?” said Theodore to Calvin. + </p> + <p> + “A Catholic would say, ‘like a lost soul,’” replied the Reformer, with the + bitterness he gave to his slightest remarks. “Ah! I shall not be here + long, my son. What will become of you without me?” + </p> + <p> + “We shall fight by the light of your books,” said Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + Calvin smiled; his red face changed to a pleased expression, and he looked + favorably at Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + “Well, have you brought me news? Have they massacred many of our people?” + he said smiling, and letting a sarcastic joy shine in his brown eyes. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Chaudieu, “all is peaceful.” + </p> + <p> + “So much the worse,” cried Calvin; “so much the worse! All pacification is + an evil, if indeed it is not a trap. Our strength lies in persecution. + Where should we be if the Church accepted Reform?” + </p> + <p> + “But,” said Theodore, “that is precisely what the queen-mother appears to + wish.” + </p> + <p> + “She is capable of it,” remarked Calvin. “I study that woman—” + </p> + <p> + “What, at this distance?” cried Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + “Is there any distance for the mind?” replied Calvin, sternly, for he + thought the interruption irreverent. “Catherine seeks power, and women + with that in their eye have neither honor nor faith. But what is she doing + now?” + </p> + <p> + “I bring you a proposal from her to call a species of council,” replied + Theodore de Beze. + </p> + <p> + “Near Paris?” asked Calvin, hastily. + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “Ha! so much the better!” exclaimed the Reformer. + </p> + <p> + “We are to try to understand each other and draw up some public agreement + which shall unite the two churches.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! if she would only have the courage to separate the French Church from + the court of Rome, and create a patriarch for France as they did in the + Greek Church!” cried Calvin, his eyes glistening at the idea thus + presented to his mind of a possible throne. “But, my son, can the niece of + a Pope be sincere? She is only trying to gain time.” + </p> + <p> + “She has sent away the Queen of Scots,” said Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + “One less!” remarked Calvin, as they passed through the Porte de Rive. + “Elizabeth of England will restrain that one for us. Two neighboring + queens will soon be at war with each other. One is handsome, the other + ugly,—a first cause for irritation; besides, there’s the question of + illegitimacy—” + </p> + <p> + He rubbed his hands, and the character of his joy was so evidently + ferocious that de Beze shuddered: he saw the sea of blood his master was + contemplating. + </p> + <p> + “The Guises have irritated the house of Bourbon,” said Theodore after a + pause. “They came to an open rupture at Orleans.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said Calvin, “you would not believe me, my son, when I told you the + last time you started for Nerac that we should end by stirring up war to + the death between the two branches of the house of France? I have, at + least, one court, one king and royal family on my side. My doctrine is + producing its effect upon the masses. The burghers, too, understand me; + they regard as idolators all who go to Mass, who paint the walls of their + churches, and put pictures and statues within them. Ha! it is far more + easy for a people to demolish churches and palaces than to argue the + question of justification by faith, or the real presence. Luther was an + argufier, but I,—I am an army! He was a reasoner, I am a system. In + short, my sons, he was merely a skirmisher, but I am Tarquin! Yes, <i>my</i> + faithful shall destroy pictures and pull down churches; they shall make + mill-stones of statues to grind the flour of the peoples. There are guilds + and corporations in the States-general—I will have nothing there but + individuals. Corporations resist; they see clear where the masses are + blind. We must join to our doctrine political interests which will + consolidate it, and keep together the <i>materiel</i> of my armies. I have + satisfied the logic of cautious souls and the minds of thinkers by this + bared and naked worship which carries religion into the world of ideas; I + have made the peoples understand the advantages of suppressing ceremony. + It is for you, Theodore, to enlist their interests; hold to that; go not + beyond it. All is said in the way of doctrine; let no one add one iota. + Why does Cameron, that little Gascon pastor, presume to write of it?” + </p> + <p> + Calvin, de Beze, and Chaudieu were mounting the steep steps of the upper + town in the midst of a crowd, but the crowd paid not the slightest + attention to the men who were unchaining the mobs of other cities and + preparing them to ravage France. + </p> + <p> + After this terrible tirade, the three marched on in silence till they + entered the little place Saint-Pierre and turned toward the pastor’s + house. On the second story of that house (never noted, and of which in + these days no one is ever told in Geneva, where, it may be remarked, + Calvin has no statue) his lodging consisted of three chambers with common + pine floors and wainscots, at the end of which were the kitchen and the + bedroom of his woman-servant. The entrance, as usually happened in most of + the burgher households of Geneva, was through the kitchen, which opened + into a little room with two windows, serving as parlor, salon, and + dining-room. Calvin’s study, where his thought had wrestled with suffering + for the last fourteen years, came next, with the bedroom beyond it. Four + oaken chairs covered with tapestry and placed around a square table were + the sole furniture of the parlor. A stove of white porcelain, standing in + one corner of the room, cast out a gentle heat. Panels and a wainscot of + pine wood left in its natural state without decoration covered the walls. + Thus the nakedness of the place was in keeping with the sober and simple + life of the Reformer. + </p> + <p> + “Well?” said de Beze as they entered, profiting by a few moments when + Chaudieu left them to put up the horse at a neighboring inn, “what am I to + do? Will you agree to the colloquy?” + </p> + <p> + “Of course,” replied Calvin. “And it is you, my son, who will fight for us + there. Be peremptory, be arbitrary. No one, neither the queen nor the + Guises nor I, wants a pacification; it would not suit us at all. I have + confidence in Duplessis-Mornay; let him play the leading part. Are we + alone?” he added, with a glance of distrust into the kitchen, where two + shirts and a few collars were stretched on a line to dry. “Go and shut all + the doors. Well,” he continued when Theodore had returned, “we must drive + the king of Navarre to join the Guises and the Connetable by advising him + to break with Queen Catherine de’ Medici. Let us all get the benefit of + that poor creature’s weakness. If he turns against the Italian she will, + when she sees herself deprived of that support, necessarily unite with the + Prince de Conde and Coligny. Perhaps this manoeuvre will so compromise her + that she will be forced to remain on our side.” + </p> + <p> + Theodore de Beze caught the hem of Calvin’s cassock and kissed it. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! my master,” he exclaimed, “how great you are!” + </p> + <p> + “Unfortunately, my dear Theodore, I am dying. If I die without seeing you + again,” he added, sinking his voice and speaking in the ear of his + minister of foreign affairs, “remember to strike a great blow by the hand + of some one of our martyrs.” + </p> + <p> + “Another Minard to be killed?” + </p> + <p> + “Something better than a mere lawyer.” + </p> + <p> + “A king?” + </p> + <p> + “Still better!—a man who wants to be a king.” + </p> + <p> + “The Duc de Guise!” exclaimed Theodore, with an involuntary gesture. + </p> + <p> + “Well?” cried Calvin, who thought he saw disappointment or resistance in + the gesture, and did not see at the same moment the entrance of Chaudieu. + “Have we not the right to strike as we are struck?—yes, to strike in + silence and in darkness. May we not return them wound for wound, and death + for death? Would the Catholics hesitate to lay traps for us and massacre + us? Assuredly not. Let us burn their churches! Forward, my children! And + if you have devoted youths—” + </p> + <p> + “I have,” said Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + “Use them as engines of war! our cause justifies all means. Le Balafre, + that horrible soldier, is, like me, more than a man; he is a dynasty, just + as I am a system. He is able to annihilate us; therefore, I say, Death to + the Guise!” + </p> + <p> + “I would rather have a peaceful victory, won by time and reason,” said de + Beze. + </p> + <p> + “Time!” exclaimed Calvin, dashing his chair to the ground, “reason! Are + you mad? Can reason achieve conquests? You know nothing of men, you who + deal with them, idiot! The thing that injures my doctrine, you triple + fool! is the reason that is in it. By the lightning of Saul, by the sword + of Vengeance, thou pumpkin-head, do you not see the vigor given to my + Reform by the massacre at Amboise? Ideas never grow till they are watered + with blood. The slaying of the Duc de Guise will lead to a horrible + persecution, and I pray for it with all my might. Our reverses are + preferable to success. The Reformation has an object to gain in being + attacked; do you hear me, dolt? It cannot hurt us to be defeated, whereas + Catholicism is at an end if we should win but a single battle. Ha! what + are my lieutenants?—rags, wet rags instead of men! white-haired + cravens! baptized apes! O God, grant me ten years more of life! If I die + too soon the cause of true religion is lost in the hands of such boobies! + You are as great a fool as Antoine de Navarre! Out of my sight! Leave me; + I want a better negotiator than you! You are an ass, a popinjay, a poet! + Go and make your elegies and your acrostics, you trifler! Hence!” + </p> + <p> + The pains of his body were absolutely overcome by the fire of his anger; + even the gout subsided under this horrible excitement of his mind. + Calvin’s face flushed purple, like the sky before a storm. His vast brow + shone. His eyes flamed. He was no longer himself. He gave way utterly to + the species of epileptic motion, full of passion, which was common with + him. But in the very midst of it he was struck by the attitude of the two + witnesses; then, as he caught the words of Chaudieu saying to de Beze, + “The Burning Bush!” he sat down, was silent, and covered his face with his + two hands, the knotted veins of which were throbbing in spite of their + coarse texture. + </p> + <p> + Some minutes later, still shaken by this storm raised within him by the + continence of his life, he said in a voice of emotion:— + </p> + <p> + “My sins, which are many, cost me less trouble to subdue, than my + impatience. Oh, savage beast! shall I never vanquish you?” he cried, + beating his breast. + </p> + <p> + “My dear master,” said de Beze, in a tender voice, taking Calvin’s hand + and kissing it, “Jupiter thunders, but he knows how to smile.” + </p> + <p> + Calvin looked at his disciple with a softened eye and said:— + </p> + <p> + “Understand me, my friends.” + </p> + <p> + “I understand that the pastors of peoples bear great burdens,” replied + Theodore. “You have a world upon your shoulders.” + </p> + <p> + “I have three martyrs,” said Chaudieu, whom the master’s outburst had + rendered thoughtful, “on whom we can rely. Stuart, who killed Minard, is + at liberty—” + </p> + <p> + “You are mistaken,” said Calvin, gently, smiling after the manner of great + men who bring fair weather into their faces as though they were ashamed of + the previous storm. “I know human nature; a man may kill one president, + but not two.” + </p> + <p> + “Is it absolutely necessary?” asked de Beze. + </p> + <p> + “Again!” exclaimed Calvin, his nostrils swelling. “Come, leave me, you + will drive me to fury. Take my decision to the queen. You, Chaudieu, go + your way, and hold your flock together in Paris. God guide you! Dinah, + light my friends to the door.” + </p> + <p> + “Will you not permit me to embrace you?” said Theodore, much moved. “Who + knows what may happen to us on the morrow? We may be seized in spite of + our safe-conduct.” + </p> + <p> + “And yet you want to spare them!” cried Calvin, embracing de Beze. Then he + took Chaudieu’s hand and said: “Above all, no Huguenots, no Reformers, but + <i>Calvinists</i>! Use no term but Calvinism. Alas! this is not ambition, + for I am dying,—but it is necessary to destroy the whole of Luther, + even to the name of Lutheran and Lutheranism.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! man divine,” cried Chaudieu, “you well deserve such honors.” + </p> + <p> + “Maintain the uniformity of the doctrine; let no one henceforth change or + remark it. We are lost if new sects issue from our bosom.” + </p> + <p> + We will here anticipate the events on which this Study is based, and close + the history of Theodore de Beze, who went to Paris with Chaudieu. It is to + be remarked that Poltrot, who fired at the Duc de Guise fifteen months + later, confessed under torture that he had been urged to the crime by + Theodore de Beze; though he retracted that avowal during subsequent + tortures; so that Bossuet, after weighing all historical considerations, + felt obliged to acquit Beze of instigating the crime. Since Bossuet’s + time, however, an apparently futile dissertation, apropos of a celebrated + song, has led a compiler of the eighteenth century to prove that the + verses on the death of the Duc de Guise, sung by the Huguenots from one + end of France to the other, was the work of Theodore de Beze; and it is + also proved that the famous song on the burial of Marlborough was a + plagiarism on it.[*] + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + [*] One of the most remarkable instances of the transmission + of songs is that of Marlborough. Written in the first + instance by a Huguenot on the death of the Duc de Guise in + 1563, it was preserved in the French army, and appears to + have been sung with variations, suppressions, and additions + at the death of all generals of importance. When the + intestine wars were over the song followed the soldiers into + civil life. It was never forgotten (though the habit of + singing it may have lessened), and in 1781, sixty years + after the death of Marlborough, the wet-nurse of the Dauphin + was heard to sing it as she suckled her nursling. When and + why the name of the Duke of Marlborough was substituted for + that of the Duc de Guise has never been ascertained. See + “Chansons Populaires,” par Charles Nisard: Paris, Dentu, + 1867.—Tr. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0017" id="link2H_4_0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + XIV. CATHERINE IN POWER + </h2> + <p> + The day on which Theodore de Beze and Chaudieu arrived in Paris, the court + returned from Rheims, where Charles IX. was crowned. This ceremony, which + Catherine made magnificent with splendid fetes, enabled her to gather + about her the leaders of the various parties. Having studied all interests + and all factions, she found herself with two alternatives from which to + choose; either to rally them all to the throne, or to pit them one against + the other. The Connetable de Montmorency, supremely Catholic, whose + nephew, the Prince de Conde, was leader of the Reformers, and whose sons + were inclined to the new religion, blamed the alliance of the queen-mother + with the Reformation. The Guises, on their side, were endeavoring to gain + over Antoine de Bourbon, king of Navarre, a weak prince; a manoeuvre which + his wife, Jeanne d’Albret, instructed by de Beze, allowed to succeed. The + difficulties were plain to Catherine, whose dawning power needed a period + of tranquillity. She therefore impatiently awaited Calvin’s reply to the + message which the Prince de Conde, the king of Navarre, Coligny, + d’Andelot, and the Cardinal de Chatillon had sent him through de Beze and + Chaudieu. Meantime, however, she was faithful to her promises as to the + Prince de Conde. The chancellor put an end to the proceedings in which + Christophe was involved by referring the affair to the Parliament of + Paris, which at once set aside the judgment of the committee, declaring it + without power to try a prince of the blood. The Parliament then reopened + the trial, at the request of the Guises and the queen-mother. Lasagne’s + papers had already been given to Catherine, who burned them. The giving up + of these papers was a first pledge, uselessly made by the Guises to the + queen-mother. The Parliament, no longer able to take cognizance of those + decisive proofs, reinstated the prince in all his rights, property, and + honors. Christophe, released during the tumult at Orleans on the death of + the king, was acquitted in the first instance, and appointed, in + compensation for his sufferings, solicitor to the Parliament, at the + request of his godfather Monsieur de Thou. + </p> + <p> + The Triumvirate, that coming coalition of self-interests threatened by + Catherine’s first acts, was now forming itself under her very eyes. Just + as in chemistry antagonistic substances separate at the first shock which + jars their enforced union, so in politics the alliance of opposing + interests never lasts. Catherine thoroughly understood that sooner or + later she should return to the Guises and combine with them and the + Connetable to do battle against the Huguenots. The proposed “colloquy” + which tempted the vanity of the orators of all parties, and offered an + imposing spectacle to succeed that of the coronation and enliven the + bloody ground of a religious war which, in point of fact, had already + begun, was as futile in the eyes of the Duc de Guise as in those of + Catherine. The Catholics would, in one sense be worsted; for the + Huguenots, under pretext of conferring, would be able to proclaim their + doctrine, with the sanction of the king and his mother, to the ears of all + France. The Cardinal de Lorraine, flattered by Catherine into the idea of + destroying the heresy by the eloquence of the Church, persuaded his + brother to consent; and thus the queen obtained what was all-essential to + her, six months of peace. + </p> + <p> + A slight event, occurring at this time, came near compromising the power + which Catherine had so painfully built up. The following scene, preserved + in history, took place, on the very day the envoys returned from Geneva, + in the hotel de Coligny near the Louvre. At his coronation, Charles IX., + who was greatly attached to his tutor Amyot, appointed him grand-almoner + of France. This affection was shared by his brother the Duc d’Anjou, + afterwards Henri III., another of Anjou’s pupils. Catherine heard the news + of this appointment from the two Gondis during the journey from Rheims to + Paris. She had counted on that office in the gift of the Crown to gain a + supporter in the Church with whom to oppose the Cardinal de Lorraine. Her + choice had fallen on the Cardinal de Tournon, in whom she expected to + find, as in l’Hopital, another <i>crutch</i>—the word is her own. As + soon as she reached the Louvre she sent for the tutor, and her anger was + such, on seeing the disaster to her policy caused by the ambition of this + son of a shoemaker, that she was betrayed into using the following + extraordinary language, which several memoirs of the day have handed down + to us:— + </p> + <p> + “What!” she cried, “am I, who compel the Guises, the Colignys, the + Connetables, the house of Navarre, the Prince de Conde, to serve my ends, + am I to be opposed by a priestling like you who are not satisfied to be + bishop of Auxerre?” + </p> + <p> + Amyot excused himself. He assured the queen that he had asked nothing; the + king of his own will had given him the office of which he, the son of a + poor tailor, felt himself quite unworthy. + </p> + <p> + “Be assured, <i>maitre</i>,” replied Catherine (that being the name which + the two kings, Charles IX. and Henri III., gave to the great writer) “that + you will not stand on your feet twenty-four hours hence, unless you make + your pupil change his mind.” + </p> + <p> + Between the death thus threatened and the resignation of the highest + ecclesiastical office in the gift of the crown, the son of the shoemaker, + who had lately become extremely eager after honors, and may even have + coveted a cardinal’s hat, thought it prudent to temporize. He left the + court and hid himself in the abbey of Saint-Germain. When Charles IX. did + not see him at his first dinner, he asked where he was. Some Guisard + doubtless told him of what had occurred between Amyot and the + queen-mother. + </p> + <p> + “Has he been forced to disappear because I made him grand-almoner?” cried + the king. + </p> + <p> + He thereupon rushed to his mother in the violent wrath of angry children + when their caprices are opposed. + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” he said on entering, “did I not kindly sign the letter you asked + me to send to Parliament, by means of which you govern my kingdom? Did you + not promise that if I did so my will should be yours? And here, the first + favor that I wish to bestow excites your jealousy! The chancellor talks of + declaring my majority at fourteen, three years from now, and you wish to + treat me as a child. By God, I will be king, and a king as my father and + grandfather were kings!” + </p> + <p> + The tone and manner in which these words were said gave Catherine a + revelation of her son’s true character; it was like a blow in the breast. + </p> + <p> + “He speaks to me thus, he whom I made a king!” she thought. “Monsieur,” + she said aloud, “the office of a king, in times like these, is a very + difficult one; you do not yet know the shrewd men with whom you have to + deal. You will never have a safer and more sincere friend than your + mother, or better servants than those who have been so long attached to + her person, without whose services you might perhaps not even exist + to-day. The Guises want both your life and your throne, be sure of that. + If they could sew me into a sack and fling me into the river,” she said, + pointing to the Seine, “it would be done to-night. They know that I am a + lioness defending her young, and that I alone prevent their daring hands + from seizing your crown. To whom—to whose party does your tutor + belong? Who are his allies? What authority has he? What services can he do + you? What weight do his words carry? Instead of finding a prop to sustain + your power, you have cut the ground from under it. The Cardinal de + Lorraine is a living threat to you; he plays the king; he keeps his hat on + his head before the princes of the blood; it was urgently necessary to + invest another cardinal with powers greater than his own. But what have + you done? Is Amyot, that shoemaker, fit only to tie the ribbons of his + shoes, is he capable of making head against the Guise ambition? However, + you love Amyot, you have appointed him; your will must now be done, + monsieur. But before you make such gifts again, I pray you to consult me + in affectionate good faith. Listen to reasons of state; and your own good + sense as a child may perhaps agree with my old experience, when you really + understand the difficulties that lie before you.” + </p> + <p> + “Then I can have my master back again?” cried the king, not listening to + his mother’s words, which he considered to be mere reproaches. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, you shall have him,” she replied. “But it is not here, nor that + brutal Cypierre who will teach you how to reign.” + </p> + <p> + “It is for you to do so, my dear mother,” said the boy, mollified by his + victory and relaxing the surly and threatening look stamped by nature upon + his countenance. + </p> + <p> + Catherine sent Gondi to recall the new grand-almoner. When the Italian + discovered the place of Amyot’s retreat, and the bishop heard that the + courtier was sent by the queen, he was seized with terror and refused to + leave the abbey. In this extremity Catherine was obliged to write to him + herself, in such terms that he returned to Paris and received from her own + lips the assurance of her protection,—on condition, however, that he + would blindly promote her wishes with Charles IX. + </p> + <p> + This little domestic tempest over, the queen, now re-established in the + Louvre after an absence of more than a year, held council with her closest + friends as to the proper conduct to pursue with the young king whom + Cypierre had complimented on his firmness. + </p> + <p> + “What is best to be done?” she said to the two Gondis, Ruggiero, Birago, + and Chiverni who had lately become governor and chancellor to the Duc + d’Anjou. + </p> + <p> + “Before all else,” replied Birago, “get rid of Cypierre. He is not a + courtier; he will never accommodate himself to your ideas, and will think + he does his duty in thwarting you.” + </p> + <p> + “Whom can I trust?” cried the queen. + </p> + <p> + “One of us,” said Birago. + </p> + <p> + “On my honor!” exclaimed Gondi, “I’ll promise you to make the king as + docile as the king of Navarre.” + </p> + <p> + “You allowed the late king to perish to save your other children,” said + Albert de Gondi. “Do, then, as the great signors of Constantinople do,—divert + the anger and amuse the caprices of the present king. He loves art and + poetry and hunting, also a little girl he saw at Orleans; <i>there’s</i> + occupation enough for him.” + </p> + <p> + “Will you really be the king’s governor?” said Catherine to the ablest of + the Gondis. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, if you will give me the necessary authority; you may even be obliged + to make me marshal of France and a duke. Cypierre is altogether too small + a man to hold the office. In future, the governor of a king of France + should be of some great dignity, like that of duke and marshal.” + </p> + <p> + “He is right,” said Birago. + </p> + <p> + “Poet and huntsman,” said Catherine in a dreamy tone. + </p> + <p> + “We will hunt and make love!” cried Gondi. + </p> + <p> + “Moreover,” remarked Chiverni, “you are sure of Amyot, who will always + fear poison in case of disobedience; so that you and he and Gondi can hold + the king in leading-strings.” + </p> + <p> + “Amyot has deeply offended me,” said Catherine. + </p> + <p> + “He does not know what he owes to you; if he did know, you would be in + danger,” replied Birago, gravely, emphasizing his words. + </p> + <p> + “Then, it is agreed,” exclaimed Catherine, on whom Birago’s reply made a + powerful impression, “that you, Gondi, are to be the king’s governor. My + son must consent to do for one of my friends a favor equal to the one I + have just permitted for his knave of a bishop. That fool has lost the hat; + for never, as long as I live, will I consent that the Pope shall give it + to him! How strong we might have been with Cardinal de Tournon! What a + trio with Tournon for grand-almoner, and l’Hopital, and de Thou! As for + the burghers of Paris, I intend to make my son cajole them; we will get a + support there.” + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, Albert de Gondi became a marshal of France and was created + Duc de Retz and governor of the king a few days later. + </p> + <p> + At the moment when this little private council ended, Cardinal de Tournon + announced to the queen the arrival of the emissaries sent to Calvin. + Admiral Coligny accompanied the party in order that his presence might + ensure them due respect at the Louvre. The queen gathered the formidable + phalanx of her maids of honor about her, and passed into the reception + hall, built by her husband, which no longer exists in the Louvre of + to-day. + </p> + <p> + At the period of which we write the staircase of the Louvre occupied the + clock tower. Catherine’s apartments were in the old buildings which still + exist in the court of the Musee. The present staircase of the museum was + built in what was formerly the <i>salle des ballets</i>. The ballet of + those days was a sort of dramatic entertainment performed by the whole + court. + </p> + <p> + Revolutionary passions gave rise to a most laughable error about Charles + IX., in connection with the Louvre. During the Revolution hostile opinions + as to this king, whose real character was masked, made a monster of him. + Joseph Cheniers tragedy was written under the influence of certain words + scratched on the window of the projecting wing of the Louvre, looking + toward the quay. The words were as follows: “It was from this window that + Charles IX., of execrable memory, fired upon French citizens.” It is well + to inform future historians and all sensible persons that this portion of + the Louvre—called to-day the old Louvre—which projects upon + the quay and is connected with the Louvre by the room called the Apollo + gallery (while the great halls of the Museum connect the Louvre with the + Tuileries) did not exist in the time of Charles IX. The greater part of + the space where the frontage on the quay now stands, and where the Garden + of the Infanta is laid out, was then occupied by the hotel de Bourbon, + which belonged to and was the residence of the house of Navarre. It was + absolutely impossible, therefore, for Charles IX. to fire from the Louvre + of Henri II. upon a boat full of Huguenots crossing the river, although <i>at + the present time</i> the Seine can be seen from its windows. Even if + learned men and libraries did not possess maps of the Louvre made in the + time of Charles IX., on which its then position is clearly indicated, the + building itself refutes the error. All the kings who co-operated in the + work of erecting this enormous mass of buildings never failed to put their + initials or some special monogram on the parts they had severally built. + Now the part we speak of, the venerable and now blackened wing of the + Louvre, projecting on the quay and overlooking the garden of the Infanta, + bears the monograms of Henri III. and Henri IV., which are totally + different from that of Henri II., who invariably joined his H to the two + C’s of Catherine, forming a D,—which, by the bye, has constantly + deceived superficial persons into fancying that the king put the initial + of his mistress, Diane, on great public buildings. Henri IV. united the + Louvre with his own hotel de Bourbon, its garden and dependencies. He was + the first to think of connecting Catherine de’ Medici’s palace of the + Tuileries with the Louvre by his unfinished galleries, the precious + sculptures of which have been so cruelly neglected. Even if the map of + Paris, and the monograms of Henri III. and Henri IV. did not exist, the + difference of architecture is refutation enough to the calumny. The + vermiculated stone copings of the hotel de la Force mark the transition + between what is called the architecture of the Renaissance and that of + Henri III., Henri IV., and Louis XIII. This archaeological digression + (continuing the sketches of old Paris with which we began this history) + enables us to picture to our minds the then appearance of this other + corner of the old city, of which nothing now remains but Henri IV.‘s + addition to the Louvre, with its admirable bas-reliefs, now being rapidly + annihilated. + </p> + <p> + When the court heard that the queen was about to give an audience to + Theodore de Beze and Chaudieu, presented by Admiral Coligny, all the + courtiers who had the right of entrance to the reception hall, hastened + thither to witness the interview. It was about six o’clock in the evening; + Coligny had just supped, and was using a toothpick as he came up the + staircase of the Louvre between the two Reformers. The practice of using a + toothpick was so inveterate a habit with the admiral that he was seen to + do it on the battle-field while planning a retreat. “Distrust the + admiral’s toothpick, the <i>No</i> of the Connetable, and Catherine’s <i>Yes</i>,” + was a court proverb of that day. After the Saint-Bartholomew the populace + made a horrible jest on the body of Coligny, which hung for three days at + Montfaucon, by putting a grotesque toothpick into his mouth. History has + recorded this atrocious levity. So petty an act done in the midst of that + great catastrophe pictures the Parisian populace, which deserves the + sarcastic jibe of Boileau: “Frenchmen, born <i>malin</i>, created the + guillotine.” The Parisian of all time cracks jokes and makes lampoons + before, during, and after the most horrible revolutions. + </p> + <p> + Theodore de Beze wore the dress of a courtier, black silk stockings, low + shoes with straps across the instep, tight breeches, a black silk doublet + with slashed sleeves, and a small black velvet mantle, over which lay an + elegant white fluted ruff. His beard was trimmed to a moustache and <i>virgule</i> + (now called imperial) and he carried a sword at his side and a cane in his + hand. Whosoever knows the galleries of Versailles or the collections of + Odieuvre, knows also his round, almost jovial face and lively eyes, + surmounted by the broad forehead which characterized the writers and poets + of that day. De Beze had, what served him admirably, an agreeable air and + manner. In this he was a great contrast to Coligny, of austere + countenance, and to the sour, bilious Chaudieu, who chose to wear on this + occasion the robe and bands of a Calvinist minister. + </p> + <p> + The scenes that happen in our day in the Chamber of Deputies, and which, + no doubt, happened in the Convention, will give an idea of how, at this + court, at this epoch, these men, who six months later were to fight to the + death in a war without quarter, could meet and talk to each other with + courtesy and even laughter. Birago, who was coldly to advise the + Saint-Bartholomew, and Cardinal de Lorraine, who charged his servant Besme + “not to miss the admiral,” now advanced to meet Coligny; Birago saying, + with a smile:— + </p> + <p> + “Well, my dear admiral, so you have really taken upon yourself to present + these gentlemen from Geneva?” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps you will call it a crime in <i>me</i>,” replied the admiral, + jesting, “whereas if you had done it yourself you would make a merit of + it.” + </p> + <p> + “They say that the Sieur Calvin is very ill,” remarked the Cardinal de + Lorraine to Theodore de Beze. “I hope no one suspects us of giving him his + broth.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! monseigneur; it would be too great a risk,” replied de Beze, + maliciously. + </p> + <p> + The Duc de Guise, who was watching Chaudieu, looked fixedly at his brother + and at Birago, who were both taken aback by de Beze’s answer. + </p> + <p> + “Good God!” remarked the cardinal, “heretics are not diplomatic!” + </p> + <p> + To avoid embarrassment, the queen, who was announced at this moment, had + arranged to remain standing during the audience. She began by speaking to + the Connetable, who had previously remonstrated with her vehemently on the + scandal of receiving messengers from Calvin. + </p> + <p> + “You see, my dear Connetable,” she said, “that I receive them without + ceremony.” + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” said the admiral, approaching the queen, “these are two teachers + of the new religion, who have come to an understanding with Calvin, and + who have his instructions as to a conference in which the churches of + France may be able to settle their differences.” + </p> + <p> + “This is Monsieur de Beze, to whom my wife is much attached,” said the + king of Navarre, coming forward and taking de Beze by the hand. + </p> + <p> + “And this is Chaudieu,” said the Prince de Conde. “<i>My friend</i> the + Duc de Guise knows the soldier,” he added, looking at Le Balafre, “perhaps + he will now like to know the minister.” + </p> + <p> + This gasconade made the whole court laugh, even Catherine. + </p> + <p> + “Faith!” replied the Duc de Guise, “I am enchanted to see a <i>gars</i> + who knows so well how to choose his men and to employ them in their right + sphere. One of your agents,” he said to Chaudieu, “actually endured the + extraordinary question without dying and without confessing a single + thing. I call myself brave; but I don’t know that I could have endured it + as he did.” + </p> + <p> + “Hum!” muttered Ambroise, “you did not say a word when I pulled the + javelin out of your face at Calais.” + </p> + <p> + Catherine, standing at the centre of a semicircle of the courtiers and + maids of honor, kept silence. She was observing the two Reformers, trying + to penetrate their minds as, with the shrewd, intelligent glance of her + black eyes, she studied them. + </p> + <p> + “One seems to be the scabbard, the other the blade,” whispered Albert de + Gondi in her ear. + </p> + <p> + “Well, gentlemen,” said Catherine at last, unable to restrain a smile, + “has your master given you permission to unite in a public conference, at + which you will be converted by the arguments of the Fathers of the Church + who are the glory of our State?” + </p> + <p> + “We have no master but the Lord,” said Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + “But surely you will allow some little authority to the king of France?” + said Catherine, smiling. + </p> + <p> + “And much to the queen,” said de Beze, bowing low. + </p> + <p> + “You will find,” continued the queen, “that our most submissive subjects + are heretics.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, madame!” cried Coligny, “we will indeed endeavor to make you a noble + and peaceful kingdom! Europe has profited, alas! by our internal + divisions. For the last fifty years she has had the advantage of one-half + of the French people being against the other half.” + </p> + <p> + “Are we here to sing anthems to the glory of heretics,” said the + Connetable, brutally. + </p> + <p> + “No, but to bring them to repentance,” whispered the Cardinal de Lorraine + in his ear; “we want to coax them by a little sugar.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you know what I should have done under the late king?” said the + Connetable, angrily. “I’d have called in the provost and hung those two + knaves, then and there, on the gallows of the Louvre.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, gentlemen, who are the learned men whom you have selected as our + opponents?” inquired the queen, imposing silence on the Connetable by a + look. + </p> + <p> + “Duplessis-Mornay and Theodore de Beze will speak on our side,” replied + Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + “The court will doubtless go to Saint-Germain, and as it would be improper + that this <i>colloquy</i> should take place in a royal residence, we will + have it in the little town of Poissy,” said Catherine. + </p> + <p> + “Shall we be safe there, madame?” asked Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” replied the queen, with a sort of naivete, “you will surely know how + to take precautions. The Admiral will arrange all that with my cousins the + Guises and de Montmorency.” + </p> + <p> + “The devil take them!” cried the Connetable, “I’ll have nothing to do with + it.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you contrive to give such strength of character to your converts?” + said the queen, leading Chaudieu apart. “The son of my furrier was + actually sublime.” + </p> + <p> + “We have faith,” replied Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + At this moment the hall presented a scene of animated groups, all + discussing the question of the proposed assembly, to which the few words + said by the queen had already given the name of the “Colloquy of Poissy.” + Catherine glanced at Chaudieu and was able to say to him unheard:— + </p> + <p> + “Yes, a new faith!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, madame, if you were not blinded by your alliance with the court of + Rome, you would see that we are returning to the true doctrines of Jesus + Christ, who, recognizing the equality of souls, bestows upon all men equal + rights on earth.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you think yourself the equal of Calvin?” asked the queen, shrewdly. + “No, no; we are equals only in church. What! would you unbind the tie of + the people to the throne?” she cried. “Then you are not only heretics, you + are revolutionists,—rebels against obedience to the king as you are + against that to the Pope!” So saying, she left Chaudieu abruptly and + returned to Theodore de Beze. “I count on you, monsieur,” she said, “to + conduct this colloquy in good faith. Take all the time you need.” + </p> + <p> + “I had supposed,” said Chaudieu to the Prince de Conde, the King of + Navarre, and Admiral Coligny, as they left the hall, “that a great State + matter would be treated more seriously.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! we know very well what you want,” exclaimed the Prince de Conde, + exchanging a sly look with Theodore de Beze. + </p> + <p> + The prince now left his adherents to attend a rendezvous. This great + leader of a party was also one of the most favored gallants of the court. + The two choice beauties of that day were even then striving with such + desperate eagerness for his affections that one of them, the Marechale de + Saint-Andre, the wife of the future triumvir, gave him her beautiful + estate of Saint-Valery, hoping to win him away from the Duchesse de Guise, + the wife of the man who had tried to take his head on the scaffold. The + duchess, not being able to detach the Duc de Nemours from Mademoiselle de + Rohan, fell in love, <i>en attendant</i>, with the leader of the + Reformers. + </p> + <p> + “What a contrast to Geneva!” said Chaudieu to Theodore de Beze, as they + crossed the little bridge of the Louvre. + </p> + <p> + “The people here are certainly gayer than the Genevese. I don’t see why + they should be so treacherous,” replied de Beze. + </p> + <p> + “To treachery oppose treachery,” replied Chaudieu, whispering the words in + his companion’s ear. “I have <i>saints</i> in Paris on whom I can rely, + and I intend to make Calvin a prophet. Christophe Lecamus shall deliver us + from our most dangerous enemy.” + </p> + <p> + “The queen-mother, for whom the poor devil endured his torture, has + already, with a high hand, caused him to be appointed solicitor to the + Parliament; and solicitors make better prosecutors than murderers. Don’t + you remember how Avenelles betrayed the secrets of our first uprising?” + </p> + <p> + “I know Christophe,” said Chaudieu, in a positive tone, as he turned to + leave the envoy from Geneva. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0018" id="link2H_4_0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + XV. COMPENSATION + </h2> + <p> + A few days after the reception of Calvin’s emissaries by the queen, that + is to say, toward the close of the year (for the year then began at Easter + and the present calendar was not adopted until later in the reign of + Charles IX.), Christophe reclined in an easy chair beside the fire in the + large brown hall, dedicated to family life, that overlooked the river in + his father’s house, where the present drama was begun. His feet rested on + a stool; his mother and Babette Lallier had just renewed the compresses, + saturated with a solution brought by Ambroise Pare, who was charged by + Catherine de’ Medici to take care of the young man. Once restored to his + family, Christophe became the object of the most devoted care. Babette, + authorized by her father, came very morning and only left the Lecamus + household at night. Christophe, the admiration of the apprentices, gave + rise throughout the quarter to various tales, which invested him with + mysterious poesy. He had borne the worst torture; the celebrated Ambroise + Pare was employing all his skill to cure him. What great deed had he done + to be thus treated? Neither Christophe nor his father said a word on the + subject. Catherine, then all-powerful, was concerned in their silence as + well as the Prince de Conde. The constant visits of Pare, now chief + surgeon of both the king and the house of Guise, whom the queen-mother and + the Lorrains allowed to treat a youth accused of heresy, strangely + complicated an affair through which no one saw clearly. Moreover, the + rector of Saint-Pierre-aux-Boeufs came several times to visit the son of + his church-warden, and these visits made the causes of Christophe’s + present condition still more unintelligible to his neighbors. + </p> + <p> + The old syndic, who had his plan, gave evasive answers to his + brother-furriers, the merchants of the neighborhood, and to all friends + who spoke to him of his son: “Yes, I am very thankful to have saved him.”—“Well, + you know, it won’t do to put your finger between the bark and the tree.”—“My + son touched fire and came near burning up my house.”—“They took + advantage of his youth; we burghers get nothing but shame and evil by + frequenting the grandees.”—“This affair decides me to make a lawyer + of Christophe; the practice of law will teach him to weigh his words and + his acts.”—“The young queen, who is now in Scotland, had a great + deal to do with it; but then, to be sure, my son may have been imprudent.”—“I + have had cruel anxieties.”—“All this may decide me to give up my + business; I do not wish ever to go to court again.”—“My son has had + enough of the Reformation; it has cracked all his joints. If it had not + been for Ambroise, I don’t know what would have become of me.” + </p> + <p> + Thanks to these ambiguous remarks and to the great discretion of such + conduct, it was generally averred in the neighborhood that Christophe had + seen the error of his ways; everybody thought it natural that the old + syndic should wish to get his son appointed to the Parliament, and the + rector’s visits no longer seemed extraordinary. As the neighbors reflected + on the old man’s anxieties they no longer thought, as they would otherwise + have done, that his ambition was inordinate. The young lawyer, who had + lain helpless for months on the bed which his family made up for him in + the old hall, was now, for the last week, able to rise and move about by + the aid of crutches. Babette’s love and his mother’s tenderness had deeply + touched his heart; and they, while they had him helpless in their hands, + lectured him severely on religion. President de Thou paid his godson a + visit during which he showed himself most fatherly. Christophe, being now + a solicitor of the Parliament, must of course, he said, be Catholic; his + oath would bind him to that; and the president, who assumed not to doubt + of his godson’s orthodoxy, ended his remarks by saying with great + earnestness: + </p> + <p> + “My son, you have been cruelly tried. I am myself ignorant of the reasons + which made the Messieurs de Guise treat you thus; but I advise you in + future to live peacefully, without entering into the troubles of the + times; for the favor of the king and queen will not be shown to the makers + of revolt. You are not important enough to play fast and loose with the + king as the Guises do. If you wish to be some day counsellor to the + Parliament remember that you cannot obtain that noble office unless by a + real and serious attachment to the royal cause.” + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, neither President de Thou’s visit, nor the seductions of + Babette, nor the urgency of his mother, were sufficient to shake the + constancy of the martyr of the Reformation. Christophe held to his + religion all the more because he had suffered for it. + </p> + <p> + “My father will never let me marry a heretic,” whispered Babette in his + ear. + </p> + <p> + Christophe answered only by tears, which made the young girl silent and + thoughtful. + </p> + <p> + Old Lecamus maintained his paternal and magisterial dignity; he observed + his son and said little. The stern old man, after recovering his dear + Christophe, was dissatisfied with himself; he repented the tenderness he + had shown for this only son; but he admired him secretly. At no period of + his life did the syndic pull more wires to reach his ends, for he saw the + field ripe for the harvest so painfully sown, and he wanted to gather the + whole of it. Some days before the morning of which we write, he had had, + being alone with Christophe, a long conversation with him in which he + endeavored to discover the secret reason of the young man’s resistance. + Christophe, who was not without ambition, betrayed his faith in the Prince + de Conde. The generous promise of the prince, who, of course, was only + exercising his profession of prince, remained graven on his heart; little + did he think that Conde had sent him, mentally, to the devil in Orleans, + muttering, “A Gascon would have understood me better,” when Christophe + called out a touching farewell as the prince passed the window of his + dungeon. + </p> + <p> + But besides this sentiment of admiration for the prince, Christophe had + also conceived a profound reverence for the great queen, who had explained + to him by a single look the necessity which compelled her to sacrifice + him; and who during his agony had given him an illimitable promise in a + single tear. During the silent months of his weakness, as he lay there + waiting for recovery, he thought over each event at Blois and at Orleans. + He weighed, one might almost say in spite of himself, the relative worth + of these two protections. He floated between the queen and the prince. He + had certainly served Catherine more than he had served the Reformation, + and in a young man both heart and mind would naturally incline toward the + queen; less because she was a queen than because she was a woman. Under + such circumstances a man will always hope more from a woman than from a + man. + </p> + <p> + “I sacrificed myself for her; what will she do for me?” + </p> + <p> + This question Christophe put to himself almost involuntarily as he + remembered the tone in which she had said the words, <i>Povero mio</i>! It + is difficult to believe how egotistical a man can become when he lies on a + bed of sickness. Everything, even the exclusive devotion of which he is + the object, drives him to think only of himself. By exaggerating in his + own mind the obligation which the Prince de Conde was under to him he had + come to expect that some office would be given to him at the court of + Navarre. Still new to the world of political life, he forgot its + contending interests and the rapid march of events which control and force + the hand of all leaders of parties; he forgot it the more because he was + practically a prisoner in solitary confinement on his bed in that old + brown room. Each party is, necessarily, ungrateful while the struggle + lasts; when it triumphs it has too many persons to reward not to be + ungrateful still. Soldiers submit to this ingratitude; but their leaders + turn against the new master at whose side they have acted and suffered + like equals for so long. Christophe, who alone remembered his sufferings, + felt himself already among the leaders of the Reformation by the fact of + his martyrdom. His father, that old fox of commerce, so shrewd, so + perspicacious, ended by divining the secret thought of his son; + consequently, all his manoeuvres were now based on the natural expectancy + to which Christophe had yielded himself. + </p> + <p> + “Wouldn’t it be a fine thing,” he had said to Babette, in presence of the + family a few days before his interview with his son, “to be the wife of a + counsellor of the Parliament? You would be called <i>madame</i>!” + </p> + <p> + “You are crazy, <i>compere</i>,” said Lallier. “Where would you get ten + thousand crowns’ income from landed property, which a counsellor must + have, according to law; and from whom could you buy the office? No one but + the queen-mother and regent could help your son into Parliament, and I’m + afraid he’s too tainted with the new opinions for that.” + </p> + <p> + “What would you pay to see your daughter the wife of a counsellor?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! you want to look into my purse, shrewd-head!” said Lallier. + </p> + <p> + Counsellor to the Parliament! The words worked powerfully in Christophe’s + brain. + </p> + <p> + Sometime after this conversation, one morning when Christophe was gazing + at the river and thinking of the scene which began this history, of the + Prince de Conde, Chaudieu, La Renaudie, of his journey to Blois,—in + short, the whole story of his hopes,—his father came and sat down + beside him, scarcely concealing a joyful thought beneath a serious manner. + </p> + <p> + “My son,” he said, “after what passed between you and the leaders of the + Tumult of Amboise, they owe you enough to make the care of your future + incumbent on the house of Navarre.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” replied Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” continued his father, “I have asked their permission to buy a + legal practice for you in the province of Bearn. Our good friend Pare + undertook to present the letters which I wrote on your behalf to the + Prince de Conde and the queen of Navarre. Here, read the answer of + Monsieur de Pibrac, vice-chancellor of Navarre:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + To the Sieur Lecamus, <i>syndic of the guild of furriers</i>: + + Monseigneur le Prince de Conde desires me to express his regret + that he cannot do what you ask for his late companion in the tower + of Saint-Aignan, whom he perfectly remembers, and to whom, + meanwhile, he offers the place of gendarme in his company; which + will put your son in the way of making his mark as a man of + courage, which he is. + + The queen of Navarre awaits an opportunity to reward the Sieur + Christophe, and will not fail to take advantage of it. + + Upon which, Monsieur le syndic, we pray God to have you in His + keeping. + + Pibrac, + + At Nerac. + Chancellor of Navarre.” + </pre> + <p> + “Nerac, Pibrac, crack!” cried Babette. “There’s no confidence to be placed + in Gascons; they think only of themselves.” + </p> + <p> + Old Lecamus looked at his son, smiling scornfully. + </p> + <p> + “They propose to put on horseback a poor boy whose knees and ankles were + shattered for their sakes!” cried the mother. “What a wicked jest!” + </p> + <p> + “I shall never see you a counsellor of Navarre,” said his father. + </p> + <p> + “I wish I knew what Queen Catherine would do for me, if I made a claim + upon her,” said Christophe, cast down by the prince’s answer. + </p> + <p> + “She made you no promise,” said the old man, “but I am certain that <i>she</i> + will never mock you like these others; she will remember your sufferings. + Still, how can the queen make a counsellor of the Parliament out of a + protestant burgher?” + </p> + <p> + “But Christophe has not abjured!” cried Babette. “He can very well keep + his private opinions secret.” + </p> + <p> + “The Prince de Conde would be less disdainful of a counsellor of the + Parliament,” said Lallier. + </p> + <p> + “Well, what say you, Christophe?” urged Babette. + </p> + <p> + “You are counting without the queen,” replied the young lawyer. + </p> + <p> + A few days after this rather bitter disillusion, an apprentice brought + Christophe the following laconic little missive:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Chaudieu wishes to see his son. +</pre> + <p> + “Let him come in!” cried Christophe. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! my sacred martyr!” said the minister, embracing him; “have you + recovered from your sufferings?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, thanks to Pare.” + </p> + <p> + “Thanks rather to God, who gave you the strength to endure the torture. + But what is this I hear? Have you allowed them to make you a solicitor? + Have you taken the oath of fidelity? Surely you will not recognize that + prostitute, the Roman, Catholic, and apostolic Church?” + </p> + <p> + “My father wished it.” + </p> + <p> + “But ought we not to leave fathers and mothers and wives and children, + all, all, for the sacred cause of Calvinism; nay, must we not suffer all + things? Ah! Christophe, Calvin, the great Calvin, the whole party, the + whole world, the Future counts upon your courage and the grandeur of your + soul. We want your life.” + </p> + <p> + It is a remarkable fact in the mind of man that the most devoted spirits, + even while devoting themselves, build romantic hopes upon their perilous + enterprises. When the prince, the soldier, and the minister had asked + Christophe, under the bridge, to convey to Catherine the treaty which, if + discovered, would in all probability cost him his life, the lad had relied + on his nerve, upon chance, upon the powers of his mind, and confident in + such hopes he bravely, nay, audaciously put himself between those terrible + adversaries, the Guises and Catherine. During the torture he still kept + saying to himself: “I shall come out of it! it is only pain!” But when + this second and brutal demand, “Die, we want your life,” was made upon a + boy who was still almost helpless, scarcely recovered from his late + torture, and clinging all the more to life because he had just seen death + so near, it was impossible for him to launch into further illusions. + </p> + <p> + Christophe answered quietly:— + </p> + <p> + “What is it now?” + </p> + <p> + “To fire a pistol courageously, as Stuart did on Minard.” + </p> + <p> + “On whom?” + </p> + <p> + “The Duc de Guise.” + </p> + <p> + “A murder?” + </p> + <p> + “A vengeance. Have you forgotten the hundred gentlemen massacred on the + scaffold at Amboise? A child who saw that butchery, the little d’Aubigne + cried out, ‘They have slaughtered France!’” + </p> + <p> + “You should receive the blows of others and give none; that is the + religion of the gospel,” said Christophe. “If you imitate the Catholics in + their cruelty, of what good is it to reform the Church?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Christophe, they have made you a lawyer, and now you argue!” said + Chaudieu. + </p> + <p> + “No, my friend,” replied the young man, “but parties are ungrateful; and + you will be, both you and yours, nothing more than puppets of the + Bourbons.” + </p> + <p> + “Christophe, if you could hear Calvin, you would know how we wear them + like gloves! The Bourbons are the gloves, we are the hand.” + </p> + <p> + “Read that,” said Christophe, giving Chaudieu Pibrac’s letter containing + the answer of the Prince de Conde. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! my son; you are ambitious, you can no longer make the sacrifice of + yourself!—I pity you!” + </p> + <p> + With those fine words Chaudieu turned and left him. + </p> + <p> + Some days after that scene, the Lallier family and the Lecamus family were + gathered together in honor of the formal betrothal of Christophe and + Babette, in the old brown hall, from which Christophe’s bed had been + removed; for he was now able to drag himself about and even mount the + stairs without his crutches. It was nine o’clock in the evening and the + company were awaiting Ambroise Pare. The family notary sat before a table + on which lay various contracts. The furrier was selling his house and + business to his head-clerk, who was to pay down forty thousand francs for + the house and then mortgage it as security for the payment of the goods, + for which, however, he paid twenty thousand francs on account. + </p> + <p> + Lecamus was also buying for his son a magnificent stone house, built by + Philibert de l’Orme in the rue Saint-Pierre-aux-Boeufs, which he gave to + Christophe as a marriage portion. He also took two hundred thousand francs + from his own fortune, and Lallier gave as much more, for the purchase of a + fine seignorial manor in Picardy, the price of which was five hundred + thousand francs. As this manor was a tenure from the Crown it was + necessary to obtain letters-patent (called <i>rescriptions</i>) granted by + the king, and also to make payment to the Crown of considerable feudal + dues. The marriage had been postponed until this royal favor was obtained. + Though the burghers of Paris had lately acquired the right to purchase + manors, the wisdom of the privy council had been exercised in putting + certain restrictions on the sale of those estates which were dependencies + of the Crown; and the one which old Lecamus had had in his eye for the + last dozen years was among them. Ambroise was pledged to bring the royal + ordinance that evening; and the old furrier went and came from the hall to + the door in a state of impatience which showed how great his + long-repressed ambition had been. Ambroise at last appeared. + </p> + <p> + “My old friend!” cried the surgeon, in an agitated manner, with a glance + at the supper table, “let me see your linen. Good. Oh! you must have wax + candles. Quick, quick! get out your best things!” + </p> + <p> + “Why? what is it all about?” asked the rector of Saint-Pierre-aux-Boeufs. + </p> + <p> + “The queen-mother and the young king are coming to sup with you,” replied + the surgeon. “They are only waiting for an old counsellor who agreed to + sell his place to Christophe, and with whom Monsieur de Thou has concluded + a bargain. Don’t appear to know anything; I have escaped from the Louvre + to warn you.” + </p> + <p> + In a second the whole family were astir; Christophe’s mother and Babette’s + aunt bustled about with the celerity of housekeepers suddenly surprised. + But in spite of the apparent confusion into which the news had thrown the + entire family, the precautions were promptly made, with an activity that + was nothing short of marvellous. Christophe, amazed and confounded by such + a favor, was speechless, gazing mechanically at what went on. + </p> + <p> + “The queen and king here in our house!” said the old mother. + </p> + <p> + “The queen!” repeated Babette. “What must we say and do?” + </p> + <p> + In less than an hour all was changed; the hall was decorated; the + supper-table sparkled. Presently the noise of horses sounded in the + street. The light of torches carried by the horsemen of the escort brought + all the burghers of the neighborhood to their windows. The noise soon + subsided and the escort rode away, leaving the queen-mother and her son, + King Charles IX., Charles de Gondi, now Grand-master of the wardrobe and + governor of the king, Monsieur de Thou, Pinard, secretary of State, the + old counsellor, and two pages, under the arcade before the door. + </p> + <p> + “My worthy people,” said the queen as she entered, “the king, my son, and + I have come to sign the marriage-contract of the son of my furrier,—but + only on condition that he remains a Catholic. A man must be a Catholic to + enter Parliament; he must be a Catholic to own land which derives from the + Crown; he must be a Catholic if he would sit at the king’s table. That is + so, is it not, Pinard?” + </p> + <p> + The secretary of State entered and showed the letters-patent. + </p> + <p> + “If we are not all Catholics,” said the little king, “Pinard will throw + those papers into the fire. But we are all Catholics here, I think,” he + continued, casting his somewhat haughty eyes over the company. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sire,” replied Christophe, bending his injured knees with + difficulty, and kissing the hand which the king held out to him. + </p> + <p> + Queen Catherine stretched out her hand to Christophe and, raising him + hastily, drew him aside into a corner, saying in a low voice:— + </p> + <p> + “Ah ca! my lad, no evasions here. Are you playing above-board now?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, madame,” he answered, won by the dazzling reward and the honor done + him by the grateful queen. + </p> + <p> + “Very good. Monsieur Lecamus, the king, my son, and I permit you to + purchase the office of the goodman Groslay, counsellor of the Parliament, + here present. Young man, you will follow, I hope, in the steps of your + predecessor.” + </p> + <p> + De Thou advanced and said: “I will answer for him, madame.” + </p> + <p> + “Very well; draw up the deed, notary,” said Pinard. + </p> + <p> + “Inasmuch as the king our master does us the favor to sign my daughter’s + marriage contract,” cried Lallier, “I will pay the whole price of the + manor.” + </p> + <p> + “The ladies may sit down,” said the young king, graciously: “As a wedding + present to the bride I remit, with my mother’s consent, all my dues and + rights in the manor.” + </p> + <p> + Old Lecamus and Lallier fell on their knees and kissed the king’s hand. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Mordieu</i>! sire, what quantities of money these burghers have!” + whispered de Gondi in his ear. + </p> + <p> + The young king laughed. + </p> + <p> + “As their Highnesses are so kind,” said old Lecamus, “will they permit me + to present to them my successor, and ask them to continue to him the royal + patent of furrier to their Majesties?” + </p> + <p> + “Let us see him,” said the king. + </p> + <p> + Lecamus led forward his successor, who was livid with fear. + </p> + <p> + “If my mother consents, we will now sit down to table,” said the little + king. + </p> + <p> + Old Lecamus had bethought himself of presenting to the king a silver + goblet which he had bought of Benvenuto Cellini when the latter stayed in + Paris at the hotel de Nesle. This treasure of art had cost the furrier no + less than two thousand crowns. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! my dear mother, see this beautiful work!” cried the young king, + lifting the goblet by its stem. + </p> + <p> + “It was made in Florence,” replied Catherine. + </p> + <p> + “Pardon me, madame,” said Lecamus, “it was made in Paris by a Florentine. + All that is made in Florence would belong to your Majesty; that which is + made in France is the king’s.” + </p> + <p> + “I accept it, my good man,” cried Charles IX.; “and it shall henceforth be + my particular drinking cup.” + </p> + <p> + “It is beautiful enough,” said the queen, examining the masterpiece, “to + be included among the crown-jewels. Well, Maitre Ambroise,” she whispered + in the surgeon’s ear, with a glance at Christophe, “have you taken good + care of him? Will he walk again?” + </p> + <p> + “He will run,” replied the surgeon, smiling. “Ah! you have cleverly made + him a renegade.” + </p> + <p> + “Ha!” said the queen, with the levity for which she has been blamed, + though it was only on the surface, “the Church won’t stand still for want + of one monk!” + </p> + <p> + The supper was gay; the queen thought Babette pretty, and, in the regal + manner which was natural to her, she slipped upon the girl’s finger a + diamond ring which compensated in value for the goblet bestowed upon the + king. Charles IX., who afterwards became rather too fond of these + invasions of burgher homes, supped with a good appetite. Then, at a word + from his new governor (who, it is said, was instructed to make him forget + the virtuous teachings of Cypierre), he obliged all the men present to + drink so deeply that the queen, observing that the gaiety was about to + become too noisy, rose to leave the room. As she rose, Christophe, his + father, and the two women took torches and accompanied her to the + shop-door. There Christophe ventured to touch the queen’s wide sleeve and + to make her a sign that he had something to say. Catherine stopped, made a + gesture to the father and the two women to leave her, and said, turning to + Christophe: + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” + </p> + <p> + “It may serve you to know, madame,” replied Christophe, whispering in her + ear, “that the Duc de Guise is being followed by assassins.” + </p> + <p> + “You are a loyal subject,” said Catherine, smiling, “and I shall never + forget you.” + </p> + <p> + She held out to him her hand, so celebrated for its beauty, first + ungloving it, which was indeed a mark of favor,—so much so that + Christophe, then and there, became altogether royalist as he kissed that + adorable hand. + </p> + <p> + “So they mean to rid me of that bully without my having a finger in it,” + thought she as she replaced her glove. + </p> + <p> + Then she mounted her mule and returned to the Louvre, attended by her two + pages. + </p> + <p> + Christophe went back to the supper-table, but was thoughtful and gloomy + even while he drank; the fine, austere face of Ambroise Pare seemed to + reproach him for his apostasy. But subsequent events justified the + manoeuvres of the old syndic. Christophe would certainly not have escaped + the massacre of Saint-Bartholomew; his wealth and his landed estates would + have made him a mark for the murderers. History has recorded the cruel + fate of the wife of Lallier’s successor, a beautiful woman, whose naked + body hung by the hair for three days from one of the buttresses of the + Pont au Change. Babette trembled as she thought that she, too, might have + endured the same treatment if Christophe had continued a Calvinist,—for + such became the name of the Reformers. Calvin’s personal ambition was thus + gratified, though not until after his death. + </p> + <p> + Such was the origin of the celebrated parliamentary house of Lecamus. + Tallemant des Reaux is in error when he states that they came originally + from Picardy. It is only true that the Lecamus family found it for their + interest in after days to date from the time the old furrier bought their + principal estate, which, as we have said, was situated in Picardy. + Christophe’s son, who succeeded him under Louis XIII., was the father of + the rich president Lecamus who built, in the reign of Louis XIV., that + magnificent mansion which shares with the hotel Lambert the admiration of + Parisians and foreigners, and was assuredly one of the finest buildings in + Paris. It may still be seen in the rue Thorigny, though at the beginning + of the Revolution it was pillaged as having belonged to Monsieur de + Juigne, the archbishop of Paris. All the decorations were then destroyed; + and the tenants who lodge there have greatly damaged it; nevertheless this + palace, which is reached through the old house in the rue de la + Pelleterie, still shows the noble results obtained in former days by the + spirit of family. It may be doubted whether modern individualism, brought + about by the equal division of inheritances, will ever raise such noble + buildings. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_PART2" id="link2H_PART2"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + PART II. THE SECRETS OF THE RUGGIERI + </h1> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0020" id="link2H_4_0020"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + I. THE COURT UNDER CHARLES IX. + </h2> + <p> + Between eleven o’clock and midnight toward the end of October, 1573, two + Italians, Florentines and brothers, Albert de Gondi, Duc de Retz and + marshal of France, and Charles de Gondi la Tour, Grand-master of the robes + of Charles IX., were sitting on the roof of a house in the rue + Saint-Honore, at the edge of a gutter. This gutter was one of those stone + channels which in former days were constructed below the roofs of houses + to receive the rain-water, discharging it at regular intervals through + those long gargoyles carved in the shape of fantastic animals with gaping + mouths. In spite of the zeal with which our present general pulls down and + demolishes venerable buildings, there still existed many of these + projecting gutters until, quite recently, an ordinance of the police as to + water-conduits compelled them to disappear. But even so, a few of these + carved gargoyles still remain, chiefly in the <i>quartier</i> + Saint-Antoine, where low rents and values hinder the building of new + storeys under the eaves of the roofs. + </p> + <p> + It certainly seems strange that two personages invested with such + important offices should be playing the part of cats. But whosoever will + burrow into the historic treasures of those days, when personal interests + jostled and thwarted each other around the throne till the whole political + centre of France was like a skein of tangled thread, will readily + understand that the two Florentines were cats indeed, and very much in + their places in a gutter. Their devotion to the person of the + queen-mother, Catherine de’ Medici—who had brought them to the court + of France and foisted them into their high offices—compelled them + not to recoil before any of the consequences of their intrusion. But to + explain how and why these courtiers were thus perched, it is necessary to + relate a scene which had taken place an hour earlier not far from this + very gutter, in that beautiful brown room of the Louvre, all that now + remains to us of the apartments of Henri II., in which after supper the + courtiers had been paying court to the two queens, Catherine de’ Medici + and Elizabeth of Austria, and to their son and husband King Charles IX. + </p> + <p> + In those days the majority of the burghers and great lords supped at six, + or at seven o’clock, but the more refined and elegant supped at eight or + even nine. This repast was the dinner of to-day. Many persons erroneously + believe that etiquette was invented by Louis XIV.; on the contrary it was + introduced into France by Catherine de’ Medici, who made it so severe that + the Connetable de Montmorency had more difficulty in obtaining permission + to enter the court of the Louvre on horseback than in winning his sword; + moreover, that unheard-of distinction was granted to him only on account + of his great age. Etiquette, which was, it is true, slightly relaxed under + the first two Bourbon kings, took an Oriental form under the Great + Monarch, for it was introduced from the Eastern Empire, which derived it + from Persia. In 1573 few persons had the right to enter the courtyard of + the Louvre with their servants and torches (under Louis XIV. the coaches + of none but dukes and peers were allowed to pass under the peristyle); + moreover, the cost of obtaining entrance after supper to the royal + apartments was very heavy. The Marechal de Retz, whom we have just seen, + perched on a gutter, offered on one occasion a thousand crowns of that + day, six thousand francs of our present money, to the usher of the king’s + cabinet to be allowed to speak to Henri III. on a day when he was not on + duty. To an historian who knows the truth, it is laughable to see the + well-known picture of the courtyard at Blois, in which the artist has + introduced a courtier on horseback! + </p> + <p> + On the present occasion, therefore, none but the most eminent personages + in the kingdom were in the royal apartments. The queen, Elizabeth of + Austria, and her mother-in-law, Catherine de’ Medici, were seated together + on the left of the fireplace. On the other side sat the king, buried in an + arm-chair, affecting a lethargy consequent on digestion,—for he had + just supped like a prince returned from hunting; possibly he was seeking + to avoid conversation in presence of so many persons who were spies upon + his thoughts. The courtiers stood erect and uncovered at the end of the + room. Some talked in a low voice; others watched the king, awaiting the + bestowal of a look or a word. Occasionally one was called up by the + queen-mother, who talked with him for a few moments; another risked saying + a word to the king, who replied with either a nod or a brief sentence. A + German nobleman, the Comte de Solern, stood at the corner of the fireplace + behind the young queen, the granddaughter of Charles V., whom he had + accompanied into France. Near to her on a stool sat her lady of honor, the + Comtesse de Fiesque, a Strozzi, and a relation of Catherine de’ Medici. + The beautiful Madame de Sauves, a descendant of Jacques Coeur, mistress of + the king of Navarre, then of the king of Poland, and lastly of the Duc + d’Alencon, had been invited to supper; but she stood like the rest of the + court, her husband’s rank (that of secretary of State) giving her no right + to be seated. Behind these two ladies stood the two Gondis, talking to + them. They alone of this dismal assembly were smiling. Albert Gondi, now + Duc de Retz, marshal of France, and gentleman of the bed-chamber, had been + deputed to marry the queen by proxy at Spire. In the first line of + courtiers nearest to the king stood the Marechal de Tavannes, who was + present on court business; Neufville de Villeroy, one of the ablest + bankers of the period, who laid the foundation of the great house of that + name; Birago and Chiverni, gentlemen of the queen-mother, who, knowing her + preference for her son Henri (the brother whom Charles IX. regarded as an + enemy), attached themselves especially to him; then Strozzi, Catherine’s + cousin; and finally, a number of great lords, among them the old Cardinal + de Lorraine and his nephew, the young Duc de Guise, who were held at a + distance by the king and his mother. These two leaders of the Holy + Alliance, and later of the League (founded in conjunction with Spain a few + years earlier), affected the submission of servants who are only waiting + an opportunity to make themselves masters. Catherine and Charles IX. + watched each other with close attention. + </p> + <p> + At this gloomy court, as gloomy as the room in which it was held, each + individual had his or her own reasons for being sad or thoughtful. The + young queen, Elizabeth, was a prey to the tortures of jealousy, and could + ill-disguise them, though she smiled upon her husband, whom she + passionately adored, good and pious woman that she was! Marie Touchet, the + only mistress Charles IX. ever had and to whom he was loyally faithful, + had lately returned from the chateau de Fayet in Dauphine, whither she had + gone to give birth to a child. She brought back to Charles IX. a son, his + only son, Charles de Valois, first Comte d’Auvergne, and afterward Duc + d’Angouleme. The poor queen, in addition to the mortification of her + abandonment, now endured the pang of knowing that her rival had borne a + son to her husband while she had brought him only a daughter. And these + were not her only troubles and disillusions, for Catherine de’ Medici, who + had seemed her friend in the first instance, now, out of policy, favored + her betrayal, preferring to serve the mistress rather than the wife of the + king,—for the following reason. + </p> + <p> + When Charles IX. openly avowed his passion for Marie Touchet, Catherine + showed favor to the girl in the interests of her own desire for + domination. Marie Touchet, who was very young when brought to court, came + at an age when all the noblest sentiments are predominant. She loved the + king for himself alone. Frightened at the fate to which ambition had led + the Duchesse de Valentinois (better known as Diane de Poitiers), she + dreaded the queen-mother, and greatly preferred her simple happiness to + grandeur. Perhaps she thought that lovers as young as the king and herself + could never struggle successfully against the queen-mother. As the + daughter of Jean Touchet, Sieur de Beauvais and Quillard, she was born + between the burgher class and the lower nobility; she had none of the + inborn ambitions of the Pisseleus and Saint-Valliers, girls of rank, who + battled for their families with the hidden weapons of love. Marie Touchet, + without family or friends, spared Catherine de’ Medici all antagonism with + her son’s mistress; the daughter of a great house would have been her + rival. Jean Touchet, the father, one of the finest wits of the time, a man + to whom poets dedicated their works, wanted nothing at court. Marie, a + young girl without connections, intelligent and well-educated, and also + simple and artless, whose desires would probably never be aggressive to + the royal power, suited the queen-mother admirably. In short, she made the + parliament recognize the son to whom Marie Touchet had just given birth in + the month of April, and she allowed him to take the title of Comte + d’Auvergne, assuring Charles IX. that she would leave the boy her personal + property, the counties of Auvergne and Laraguais. At a later period, + Marguerite de Valois, queen of Navarre, contested this legacy after she + was queen of France, and the parliament annulled it. But later still, + Louis XIII., out of respect for the Valois blood, indemnified the Comte + d’Auvergne by the gift of the duchy of Angouleme. + </p> + <p> + Catherine had already given Marie Touchet, who asked nothing, the manor of + Belleville, an estate close to Vincennes which carried no title; and + thither she went whenever the king hunted and spent the night at the + castle. It was in this gloomy fortress that Charles IX. passed the greater + part of his last years, ending his life there, according to some + historians, as Louis XII. had ended his. + </p> + <p> + The queen-mother kept close watch upon her son. All the occupations of his + personal life, outside of politics, were reported to her. The king had + begun to look upon his mother as an enemy, but the kind intentions she + expressed toward his son diverted his suspicions for a time. Catherine’s + motives in this matter were never understood by Queen Elizabeth, who, + according to Brantome, was one of the gentlest queens that ever reigned, + who never did harm or even gave pain to any one, “and was careful to read + her prayer-book secretly.” But this single-minded princess began at last + to see the precipices yawning around the throne,—a dreadful + discovery, which might indeed have made her quail; it was some such + remembrance, no doubt, that led her to say to one of her ladies, after the + death of the king, in reply to a condolence that she had no son, and could + not, therefore, be regent and queen-mother: + </p> + <p> + “Ah! I thank God that I have no son. I know well what would have happened. + My poor son would have been despoiled and wronged like the king, my + husband, and I should have been the cause of it. God had mercy on the + State; he has done all for the best.” + </p> + <p> + This princess, whose portrait Brantome thinks he draws by saying that her + complexion was as beautiful and delicate as the ladies of her suite were + charming and agreeable, and that her figure was fine though rather short, + was of little account at her own court. Suffering from a double grief, her + saddened attitude added another gloomy tone to a scene which most young + queens, less cruelly injured, might have enlivened. The pious Elizabeth + proved at this crisis that the qualities which are the shining glory of + women in the ordinary ways of life can be fatal to a sovereign. A princess + able to occupy herself with other things besides her prayer-book might + have been a useful helper to Charles IX., who found no prop to lean on, + either in his wife or in his mistress. + </p> + <p> + The queen-mother, as she sat there in that brown room, was closely + observing the king, who, during supper, had exhibited a boisterous + good-humor which she felt to be assumed in order to mask some intention + against her. This sudden gaiety contrasted too vividly with the struggle + of mind he endeavored to conceal by his eagerness in hunting, and by an + almost maniacal toil at his forge, where he spent many hours in hammering + iron; and Catherine was not deceived by it. Without being able even to + guess which of the statesmen about the king was employed to prepare or + negotiate it (for Charles IX. contrived to mislead his mother’s spies), + Catherine felt no doubt whatever that some scheme for her overthrow was + being planned. The unlooked-for presence of Tavannes, who arrived at the + same time as Strozzi, whom she herself had summoned, gave her food for + thought. Strong in the strength of her political combination, Catherine + was above the reach of circumstances; but she was powerless against some + hidden violence. As many persons are ignorant of the actual state of + public affairs then so complicated by the various parties that distracted + France, the leaders of which had each their private interests to carry + out, it is necessary to describe, in a few words, the perilous game in + which the queen-mother was now engaged. To show Catherine de’ Medici in a + new light is, in fact, the root and stock of our present history. + </p> + <p> + Two words explain this woman, so curiously interesting to study, a woman + whose influence has left such deep impressions upon France. Those words + are: Power and Astrology. Exclusively ambitious, Catherine de’ Medici had + no other passion than that of power. Superstitious and fatalistic, like so + many superior men, she had no sincere belief except in occult sciences. + Unless this double mainspring is known, the conduct of Catherine de’ + Medici will remain forever misunderstood. As we picture her faith in + judicial astrology, the light will fall upon two personages, who are, in + fact, the philosophical subjects of this Study. + </p> + <p> + There lived a man for whom Catherine cared more than for any of her + children; his name was Cosmo Ruggiero. He lived in a house belonging to + her, the hotel de Soissons; she made him her supreme adviser. It was his + duty to tell her whether the stars ratified the advice and judgment of her + ordinary counsellors. Certain remarkable antecedents warranted the power + which Cosmo Ruggiero retained over his mistress to her last hour. One of + the most learned men of the sixteenth century was physician to Lorenzo de’ + Medici, Duc d’Urbino, Catherine’s father. This physician was called + Ruggiero the Elder (Vecchio Ruggier and Roger l’Ancien in the French + authors who have written on alchemy), to distinguish him from his two + sons, Lorenzo Ruggiero, called the Great by cabalistic writers, and Cosmo + Ruggiero, Catherine’s astrologer, also called Roger by several French + historians. In France it was the custom to pronounce the name in general + as Ruggieri. Ruggiero the elder was so highly valued by the Medici that + the two dukes, Cosmo and Lorenzo, stood godfathers to his two sons. He + cast, in concert with the famous mathematician, Basilio, the horoscope of + Catherine’s nativity, in his official capacity as mathematicion, + astrologer, and physician to the house of Medici; three offices which are + often confounded. + </p> + <p> + At the period of which we write the occult sciences were studied with an + ardor that may surprise the incredulous minds of our own age, which is + supremely analytical. Perhaps such minds may find in this historical + sketch the dawn, or rather the germ, of the positive sciences which have + flowered in the nineteenth century, though without the poetic grandeur + given to them by the audacious Seekers of the sixteenth, who, instead of + using them solely for mechanical industries, magnified Art and fertilized + Thought by their means. The protection universally given to occult science + by the sovereigns of those days was justified by the noble creations of + many inventors, who, starting in quest of the Great Work (the so-called + philosophers’ stone), attained to astonishing results. At no period were + the sovereigns of the world more eager for the study of these mysteries. + The Fuggers of Augsburg, in whom all modern Luculluses will recognize + their princes, and all bankers their masters, were gifted with powers of + calculation it would be difficult to surpass. Well, those practical men, + who loaned the funds of all Europe to the sovereigns of the sixteenth + century (as deeply in debt as the kings of the present day), those + illustrious guests of Charles V. were sleeping partners in the crucibles + of Paracelsus. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Ruggiero the + elder was the head of that secret university from which issued the + Cardans, the Nostradamuses, and the Agrippas (all in their turn physicians + of the house of Valois); also the astronomers, astrologers, and alchemists + who surrounded the princes of Christendom and were more especially + welcomed and protected in France by Catherine de’ Medici. In the nativity + drawn by Basilio and Ruggiero the elder, the principal events of + Catherine’s life were foretold with a correctness which is quite + disheartening for those who deny the power of occult science. This + horoscope predicted the misfortunes which during the siege of Florence + imperilled the beginning of her life; also her marriage with a son of the + king of France, the unexpected succession of that son to his father’s + throne, the birth of her children, their number, and the fact that three + of her sons would be kings in succession, that two of her daughters would + be queens, and that all of them were destined to die without posterity. + This prediction was so fully realized that many historians have assumed + that it was written after the events. + </p> + <p> + It is well known that Nostradamus took to the chateau de Chaumont, whither + Catherine went after the conspiracy of La Renaudie, a woman who possessed + the faculty of reading the future. Now, during the reign of Francois II., + while the queen had with her her four sons, all young and in good health, + and before the marriage of her daughter Elizabeth with Philip II., king of + Spain, or that of her daughter Marguerite with Henri de Bourbon, king of + Navarre (afterward Henri IV.), Nostradamus and this woman reiterated the + circumstances formerly predicted in the famous nativity. This woman, who + was no doubt gifted with second sight, and who belonged to the great + school of Seekers of the Great Work, though the particulars of her life + and name are lost to history, stated that the last crowned child would be + assassinated. Having placed the queen-mother in front of a magic mirror, + in which was reflected a wheel on the several spokes of which were the + faces of her children, the sorceress set the wheel revolving, and + Catherine counted the number of revolutions which it made. Each revolution + was for each son one year of his reign. Henri IV. was also put upon the + wheel, which then made twenty-four rounds, and the woman (some historians + have said it was a man) told the frightened queen that Henri de Bourbon + would be king of France and reign that number of years. From that time + forth Catherine de’ Medici vowed a mortal hatred to the man whom she knew + would succeed the last of her Valois sons, who was to die assassinated. + Anxious to know what her own death would be, she was warned to beware of + Saint-Germain. Supposing, therefore, that she would be either put to death + or imprisoned in the chateau de Saint-Germain, she would never so much as + put her foot there, although that residence was far more convenient for + her political plans, owing to its proximity to Paris, than the other + castles to which she retreated with the king during the troubles. When she + was taken suddenly ill, a few days after the murder of the Duc de Guise at + Blois, she asked the name of the bishop who came to assist her. Being told + it was Saint-Germain, she cried out, “I am dead!” and did actually die on + the morrow,—having, moreover, lived the exact number of years given + to her by all her horoscopes. + </p> + <p> + These predictions, which were known to the Cardinal de Lorraine, who + regarded them as witchcraft, were now in process of realization. Francois + II. had reigned his two revolutions of the wheel, and Charles IX. was now + making his last turn. If Catherine said the strange words which history + has attributed to her when her son Henri started for Poland,—“You + will soon return,”—they must be set down to her faith in occult + science and not to the intention of poisoning Charles IX. + </p> + <p> + Many other circumstances corroborated Catherine’s faith in the occult + sciences. The night before the tournament at which Henri II. was killed, + Catherine saw the fatal blow in a dream. Her astrological council, then + composed of Nostradamus and the two Ruggieri, had already predicted to her + the death of the king. History has recorded the efforts made by Catherine + to persuade her husband not to enter the lists. The prognostic, and the + dream produced by the prognostic, were verified. The memoirs of the day + relate another fact that was no less singular. The courier who announced + the victory of Moncontour arrived in the night, after riding with such + speed that he killed three horses. The queen-mother was awakened to + receive the news, to which she replied, “I knew it already.” In fact, as + Brantome relates, she had told of her son’s triumph the evening before, + and narrated several circumstances of the battle. The astrologer of the + house of Bourbon predicted that the youngest of all the princes descended + from Saint-Louis (the son of Antoine de Bourbon) would ascend the throne + of France. This prediction, related by Sully, was accomplished in the + precise terms of the horoscope; which led Henri IV. to say that by dint of + lying these people sometimes hit the truth. However that may be, if most + of the great minds of that epoch believed in this vast science,—called + Magic by the masters of judicial astrology, and Sorcery by the public,—they + were justified in doing so by the fulfilment of horoscopes. + </p> + <p> + It was for the use of Cosmo Ruggiero, her mathematician, astronomer, and + astrologer, that Catherine de’ Medici erected the tower behind the Halle + aux Bles,—all that now remains of the hotel de Soissons. Cosmo + Ruggiero possessed, like confessors, a mysterious influence, the + possession of which, like them again, sufficed him. He cherished an + ambitious thought superior to all vulgar ambitions. This man, whom + dramatists and romance-writers depict as a juggler, owned the rich abbey + of Saint-Mahe in Lower Brittany, and refused many high ecclesiastical + dignities; the gold which the superstitious passions of the age poured + into his coffers sufficed for his secret enterprise; and the queen’s hand, + stretched above his head, preserved every hair of it from danger. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0021" id="link2H_4_0021"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + II. SCHEMES AGAINST SCHEMES + </h2> + <p> + The thirst for power which consumed the queen-mother, her desire for + dominion, was so great that in order to retain it she had, as we have + seen, allied herself to the Guises, those enemies of the throne; to keep + the reins of power, now obtained, within her hands, she was using every + means, even to the sacrifice of her friends and that of her children. This + woman, of whom one of her enemies said at her death, “It is more than a + queen, it is monarchy itself that has died,”—this woman could not + exist without the intrigues of government, as a gambler can live only by + the emotions of play. Although she was an Italian of the voluptuous race + of the Medici, the Calvinists who calumniated her never accused her of + having a lover. A great admirer of the maxim, “Divide to reign,” she had + learned the art of perpetually pitting one force against another. No + sooner had she grasped the reins of power than she was forced to keep up + dissensions in order to neutralize the strength of two rival houses, and + thus save the Crown. Catherine invented the game of political see-saw + (since imitated by all princes who find themselves in a like situation), + by instigating, first the Calvinists against the Guises, and then the + Guises against the Calvinists. Next, after pitting the two religions + against each other in the heart of the nation, Catherine instigated the + Duc d’Anjou against his brother Charles IX. After neutralizing events by + opposing them to one another, she neutralized men, by holding the thread + of all their interests in her hands. But so fearful a game, which needs + the head of a Louis XI. to play it, draws down inevitably the hatred of + all parties upon the player, who condemns himself forever to the necessity + of conquering; for one lost game will turn every selfish interest into an + enemy. + </p> + <p> + The greater part of the reign of Charles IX. witnessed the triumph of the + domestic policy of this astonishing woman. What adroit persuasion must + Catherine have employed to have obtained the command of the armies for the + Duc d’Anjou under a young and brave king, thirsting for glory, capable of + military achievement, generous, and in presence, too, of the Connetable de + Montmorency. In the eyes of the statesmen of Europe the Duc d’Anjou had + all the honors of the Saint-Bartholomew, and Charles IX. all the odium. + After inspiring the king with a false and secret jealousy of his brother, + she used that passion to wear out by the intrigues of fraternal jealousy + the really noble qualities of Charles IX. Cypierre, the king’s first + governor, and Amyot, his first tutor, had made him so great a man, they + had paved the way for so noble a reign, that the queen-mother began to + hate her son as soon as she found reason to fear the loss of the power she + had so slowly and so painfully obtained. On these general grounds most + historians have believed that Catherine de’ Medici felt a preference for + Henri III.; but her conduct at the period of which we are now writing, + proves the absolute indifference of her heart toward all her children. + </p> + <p> + When the Duc d’Anjou went to reign in Poland Catherine was deprived of the + instrument by which she had worked to keep the king’s passions occupied in + domestic intrigues, which neutralized his energy in other directions. She + then set up the conspiracy of La Mole and Coconnas, in which her youngest + son, the Duc d’Alencon (afterwards Duc d’Anjou, on the accession of Henri + III.) took part, lending himself very willingly to his mother’s wishes, + and displaying an ambition much encouraged by his sister Marguerite, then + queen of Navarre. This secret conspiracy had now reached the point to + which Catherine sought to bring it. Its object was to put the young duke + and his brother-in-law, the king of Navarre, at the head of the + Calvinists, to seize the person of Charles IX., and imprison that king + without an heir,—leaving the throne to the Duc d’Alencon, whose + intention it was to establish Calvinism as the religion of France. Calvin, + as we have already said, had obtained, a few days before his death, the + reward he had so deeply coveted,—the Reformation was now called + Calvinism in his honor. + </p> + <p> + If Le Laboureur and other sensible writers had not already proved that La + Mole and Coconnas,—arrested fifty nights after the day on which our + present history begins, and beheaded the following April,—even, we + say, if it had not been made historically clear that these men were the + victims of the queen-mother’s policy, the part which Cosmo Ruggiero took + in this affair would go far to show that she secretly directed their + enterprise. Ruggiero, against whom the king had suspicions, and for whom + he cherished a hatred the motives of which we are about to explain, was + included in the prosecution. He admitted having given to La Mole a wax + figure representing the king, which was pierced through the heart by two + needles. This method of casting spells constituted a crime, which, in + those days, was punished by death. It presents one of the most startling + and infernal images of hatred that humanity could invent; it pictures + admirably the magnetic and terrible working in the occult world of a + constant malevolent desire surrounding the person doomed to death; the + effects of which on the person are exhibited by the figure of wax. The law + in those days thought, and thought justly, that a desire to which an + actual form was given should be regarded as a crime of <i>lese majeste</i>. + Charles IX. demanded the death of Ruggiero; Catherine, more powerful than + her son, obtained from the Parliament, through the young counsellor, + Lecamus, a commutation of the sentence, and Cosmo was sent to the galleys. + The following year, on the death of the king, he was pardoned by a decree + of Henri III., who restored his pension, and received him at court. + </p> + <p> + But, to return now to the moment of which we are writing, Catherine had, + by this time, struck so many blows on the heart of her son that he was + eagerly desirous of casting off her yoke. During the absence of Marie + Touchet, Charles IX., deprived of his usual occupation, had taken to + observing everything about him. He cleverly set traps for the persons in + whom he trusted most, in order to test their fidelity. He spied on his + mother’s actions, concealing from her all knowledge of his own, employing + for this deception the evil qualities she had fostered in him. Consumed by + a desire to blot out the horror excited in France by the + Saint-Bartholomew, he busied himself actively in public affairs; he + presided at the Council, and tried to seize the reins of government by + well-laid schemes. Though the queen-mother endeavored to check these + attempts of her son by employing all the means of influence over his mind + which her maternal authority and a long habit of domineering gave her, his + rush into distrust was so vehement that he went too far at the first bound + ever to return from it. The day on which his mother’s speech to the king + of Poland was reported to him, Charles IX., conscious of his failing + health, conceived the most horrible suspicions, and when such thoughts + take possession of the mind of a son and a king nothing can remove them. + In fact, on his deathbed, at the moment when he confided his wife and + daughter to Henri IV., he began to put the latter on his guard against + Catherine, so that she cried out passionately, endeavoring to silence him, + “Do not say that, monsieur!” + </p> + <p> + Though Charles IX. never ceased to show her the outward respect of which + she was so tenacious that she would never call the kings her sons anything + but “Monsieur,” the queen-mother had detected in her son’s manner during + the last few months an ill-disguised purpose of vengeance. But clever + indeed must be the man who counted on taking Catherine unawares. She held + ready in her hand at this moment the conspiracy of the Duke d’Alencon and + La Mole, in order to counteract, by another fraternal struggle, the + efforts Charles IX. was making toward emancipation. But, before employing + this means, she wanted to remove his distrust of her, which would render + impossible their future reconciliation; for was he likely to restore power + to the hands of a mother whom he thought capable of poisoning him? She + felt herself at this moment in such serious danger that she had sent for + Strozzi, her relation and a soldier noted for his promptitude of action. + She took counsel in secret with Birago and the two Gondis, and never did + she so frequently consult her oracle, Cosmo Ruggiero, as at the present + crisis. + </p> + <p> + Though the habit of dissimulation, together with advancing age, had given + the queen-mother that well-known abbess face, with its haughty and + macerated mask, expressionless yet full of depth, inscrutable yet + vigilant, remarked by all who have studied her portrait, the courtiers now + observed some clouds on her icy countenance. No sovereign was ever so + imposing as this woman from the day when she succeeded in restraining the + Guises after the death of Francois II. Her black velvet cap, made with a + point upon the forehead (for she never relinquished her widow’s mourning) + seemed a species of feminine cowl around the cold, imperious face, to + which, however, she knew how to give, at the right moment, a seductive + Italian charm. Catherine de’ Medici was so well made that she was accused + of inventing side-saddles to show the shape of her legs, which were + absolutely perfect. Women followed her example in this respect throughout + Europe, which even then took its fashions from France. Those who desire to + bring this grand figure before their minds will find that the scene now + taking place in the brown hall of the Louvre presents it in a striking + aspect. + </p> + <p> + The two queens, different in spirit, in beauty, in dress, and now + estranged,—one naive and thoughtful, the other thoughtful and + gravely abstracted,—were far too preoccupied to think of giving the + order awaited by the courtiers for the amusements of the evening. The + carefully concealed drama, played for the last six months by the mother + and son was more than suspected by many of the courtiers; but the Italians + were watching it with special anxiety, for Catherine’s failure involved + their ruin. + </p> + <p> + During this evening Charles IX., weary with the day’s hunting, looked to + be forty years old. He had reached the last stages of the malady of which + he died, the symptoms of which were such that many reflecting persons were + justified in thinking that he was poisoned. According to de Thou (the + Tacitus of the Valois) the surgeons found suspicious spots—<i>ex + causa incognita reperti livores</i>—on his body. Moreover, his + funeral was even more neglected than that of Francois II. The body was + conducted from Saint-Lazare to Saint-Denis by Brantome and a few archers + of the guard under command of the Comte de Solern. This circumstances, + coupled with the supposed hatred of the mother to the son, may or may not + give color to de Thou’s supposition, but it proves how little affection + Catherine felt for any of her children,—a want of feeling which may + be explained by her implicit faith in the predictions of judicial + astrology. This woman was unable to feel affection for the instruments + which were destined to fail her. Henri III. was the last king under whom + her reign of power was to last; that was the sole consideration of her + heart and mind. + </p> + <p> + In these days, however, we can readily believe that Charles IX. died a + natural death. His excesses, his manner of life, the sudden development of + his faculties, his last spasmodic attempt to recover the reins of power, + his desire to live, the abuse of his vital strength, his final sufferings + and last pleasures, all prove to an impartial mind that he died of + consumption, a disease scarcely studied at that time, and very little + understood, the symptoms of which might, not unnaturally, lead Charles IX. + to believe himself poisoned. The real poison which his mother gave him was + in the fatal counsels of the courtiers whom she placed about him,—men + who led him to waste his intellectual as well as his physical vigor, thus + bringing on a malady which was purely fortuitous and not constitutional. + Under these harrowing circumstances, Charles IX. displayed a gloomy + majesty of demeanor which was not unbecoming to a king. The solemnity of + his secret thoughts was reflected on his face, the olive tones of which he + inherited from his mother. This ivory pallor, so fine by candlelight, so + suited to the expression of melancholy thought, brought out vigorously the + fire of the blue-black eyes, which gazed from their thick and heavy lids + with the keen perception our fancy lends to kings, their color being a + cloak for dissimulation. Those eyes were terrible,—especially from + the movement of their brows, which he could raise or lower at will on his + bald, high forehead. His nose was broad and long, thick at the end,—the + nose of a lion; his ears were large, his hair sandy, his lips blood-red, + like those of all consumptives, the upper lip thin and sarcastic, the + lower one firm, and full enough to give an impression of the noblest + qualities of the heart. The wrinkles of his brow, the youth of which was + killed by dreadful cares, inspired the strongest interest; remorse, caused + by the uselessness of the Saint-Bartholomew, accounted for some, but there + were two others on that face which would have been eloquent indeed to any + student whose premature genius had led him to divine the principles of + modern physiology. These wrinkles made a deeply indented furrow going from + each cheek-bone to each corner of the mouth, revealing the inward efforts + of an organization wearied by the toil of thought and the violent + excitements of the body. Charles IX. was worn-out. If policy did not + stifle remorse in the breasts of those who sit beneath the purple, the + queen-mother, looking at her own work, would surely have felt it. Had + Catherine foreseen the effect of her intrigues upon her son, would she + have recoiled from them? What a fearful spectacle was this! A king born + vigorous, and now so feeble; a mind powerfully tempered, shaken by + distrust; a man clothed with authority, conscious of no support; a firm + mind brought to the pass of having lost all confidence in itself! His + warlike valor had changed by degrees to ferocity; his discretion to + deceit; the refined and delicate love of a Valois was now a mere + quenchless thirst for pleasure. This perverted and misjudged great man, + with all the many facets of a noble soul worn-out,—a king without + power, a generous heart without a friend, dragged hither and thither by a + thousand conflicting intrigues,—presented the melancholy spectacle + of a youth, only twenty-four years old, disillusioned of life, distrusting + everybody and everything, now resolving to risk all, even his life, on a + last effort. For some time past he had fully understood his royal mission, + his power, his resources, and the obstacles which his mother opposed to + the pacification of the kingdom; but alas! this light now burned in a + shattered lantern. + </p> + <p> + Two men, whom Charles IX. loved sufficiently to protect under + circumstances of great danger,—Jean Chapelain, his physician, whom + he saved from the Saint-Bartholomew, and Ambroise Pare, with whom he went + to dine when Pare’s enemies were accusing him of intending to poison the + king,—had arrived this evening in haste from the provinces, recalled + by the queen-mother. Both were watching their master anxiously. A few + courtiers spoke to them in a low voice; but the men of science made + guarded answers, carefully concealing the fatal verdict which was in their + minds. Every now and then the king would raise his heavy eyelids and give + his mother a furtive look which he tried to conceal from those about him. + Suddenly he sprang up and stood before the fireplace. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur de Chiverni,” he said abruptly, “why do you keep the title of + chancellor of Anjou and Poland? Are you in our service, or in that of our + brother?” + </p> + <p> + “I am all yours, sire,” replied Chiverni, bowing low. + </p> + <p> + “Then come to me to-morrow; I intend to send you to Spain. Very strange + things are happening at the court of Madrid, gentlemen.” + </p> + <p> + The king looked at his wife and flung himself back into his chair. + </p> + <p> + “Strange things are happening everywhere,” said the Marechal de Tavannes, + one of the friends of the king’s youth, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + The king rose again and led this companion of his youthful pleasures apart + into the embrasure of the window at the corner of the room, saying, when + they were out of hearing:— + </p> + <p> + “I want you. Remain here when the others go. I shall know to-night whether + you are for me or against me. Don’t look astonished. I am about to burst + my bonds. My mother is the cause of all the evil about me. Three months + hence I shall be king indeed, or dead. Silence, if you value your life! + You will have my secret, you and Solern and Villeroy only. If it is + betrayed, it will be by one of you three. Don’t keep near me; go and pay + your court to my mother. Tell her I am dying, and that you don’t regret + it, for I am only a poor creature.” + </p> + <p> + The king was leaning on the shoulder of his old favorite, and pretending + to tell him of his ailments, in order to mislead the inquisitive eyes + about him; then, not wishing to make his aversion too visible, he went up + to his wife and mother and talked with them, calling Birago to their side. + </p> + <p> + Just then Pinard, one of the secretaries of State, glided like an eel + through the door and along the wall until he reached the queen-mother, in + whose ear he said a few words, to which she replied by an affirmative + sign. The king did not ask his mother the meaning of this conference, but + he returned to his seat and kept silence, darting terrible looks of anger + and suspicion all about him. + </p> + <p> + This little circumstance seemed of enormous consequence in the eyes of the + courtiers; and, in truth, so marked an exercise of power by the + queen-mother, without reference to the king, was like a drop of water + overflowing the cup. Queen Elizabeth and the Comtesse de Fiesque now + retired, but the king paid no attention to their movements, though the + queen-mother rose and attended her daughter-in-law to the door; after + which the courtiers, understanding that their presence was unwelcome, took + their leave. By ten o’clock no one remained in the hall but a few + intimates,—the two Gondis, Tavannes, Solern, Birago, the king, and + the queen-mother. + </p> + <p> + The king sat plunged in the blackest melancholy. The silence was + oppressive. Catherine seemed embarrassed. She wished to leave the room, + and waited for the king to escort her to the door; but he still continued + obstinately lost in thought. At last she rose to bid him good-night, and + Charles IX. was forced to do likewise. As she took his arm and made a few + steps toward the door, she bent to his ear and whispered:— + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur, I have important things to say to you.” + </p> + <p> + Passing a mirror on her way, she glanced into it and made a sign with her + eyes to the two Gondis, which escaped the king’s notice, for he was at the + moment exchanging looks of intelligence with the Comte de Solern and + Villeroy. Tavannes was thoughtful. + </p> + <p> + “Sire,” said the latter, coming out of his reverie, “I think you are + royally ennuyed; don’t you ever amuse yourself now? <i>Vive Dieu</i>! have + you forgotten the times when we used to vagabondize about the streets at + night?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! those were the good old times!” said the king, with a sigh. + </p> + <p> + “Why not bring them back?” said Birago, glancing significantly at the + Gondis as he took his leave. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I always think of those days with pleasure,” said Albert de Gondi, + Duc de Retz. + </p> + <p> + “I’d like to see you on the roofs once more, monsieur le duc,” remarked + Tavannes. “Damned Italian cat! I wish he might break his neck!” he added + in a whisper to the king. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know which of us two could climb the quickest in these days,” + replied de Gondi; “but one thing I do know, that neither of us fears to + die.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, sire, will you start upon a frolic in the streets to-night, as you + did in the days of your youth?” said the other Gondi, master of the + Wardrobe. + </p> + <p> + The days of his youth! so at twenty-four years of age the wretched king + seemed no longer young to any one, not even to his flatterers! + </p> + <p> + Tavannes and his master now reminded each other, like two school-boys, of + certain pranks they had played in Paris, and the evening’s amusement was + soon arranged. The two Italians, challenged to climb roofs, and jump from + one to another across alleys and streets, wagered that they would follow + the king wherever he went. They and Tavannes went off to change their + clothes. The Comte de Solern, left alone with the king, looked at him in + amazement. Though the worthy German, filled with compassion for the + hapless position of the king of France, was honor and fidelity itself, he + was certainly not quick of perception. Charles IX., surrounded by hostile + persons, unable to trust any one, not even his wife (who had been guilty + of some indiscretions, unaware as she was that his mother and his servants + were his enemies), had been fortunate enough to find in Monsieur de Solern + a faithful friend in whom he could place entire confidence. Tavannes and + Villeroy were trusted with only a part of the king’s secrets. The Comte de + Solern alone knew the whole of the plan which he was now about to carry + out. This devoted friend was also useful to his master, in possessing a + body of discreet and affectionate followers, who blindly obeyed his + orders. He commanded a detachment of the archers of the guards, and for + the last few days he had been sifting out the men who were faithfully + attached to the king, in order to make a company of tried men when the + need came. The king took thought of everything. + </p> + <p> + “Why are you surprised, Solern?” he said. “You know very well I need a + pretext to be out to-night. It is true, I have Madame de Belleville, but + this is better; for who knows whether my mother does not hear of all that + goes on at Marie’s?” + </p> + <p> + Monsieur de Solern, who was to follow the king, asked if he might not take + a few of his Germans to patrol the streets, and Charles consented. About + eleven o’clock the king, who was now very gay, set forth with his three + courtiers,—namely, Tavannes and the two Gondis. + </p> + <p> + “I’ll go and take my little Marie by surprise,” said Charles IX. to + Tavannes, “as we pass through the rue de l’Autruche.” That street being on + the way to the rue Saint-Honore, it would have been strange indeed for the + king to pass the house of his love without stopping. + </p> + <p> + Looking out for a chance of mischief,—a belated burgher to frighten, + or a watchman to thrash—the king went along with his nose in the + air, watching all the lighted windows to see what was happening, and + striving to hear the conversations. But alas! he found his good city of + Paris in a state of deplorable tranquillity. Suddenly, as he passed the + house of a perfumer named Rene, who supplied the court, the king, noticing + a strong light from a window in the roof, was seized by one of those + apparently hasty inspirations which, to some minds, suggest a previous + intention. + </p> + <p> + This perfumer was strongly suspected of curing rich uncles who thought + themselves ill. The court laid at his door the famous “Elixir of + Inheritance,” and even accused him of poisoning Jeanne d’Albret, mother of + Henri of Navarre, who was buried (in spite of Charles IX.‘s positive + order) without her head being opened. For the last two months the king had + sought some way of sending a spy into Rene’s laboratory, where, as he was + well aware, Cosmo Ruggiero spent much time. The king intended, if anything + suspicious were discovered, to proceed in the matter alone, without the + assistance of the police or law, with whom, as he well knew, his mother + would counteract him by means of either corruption or fear. + </p> + <p> + It is certain that during the sixteenth century, and the years that + preceded and followed it, poisoning was brought to a perfection unknown to + modern chemistry, as history itself will prove. Italy, the cradle of + modern science, was, at this period, the inventor and mistress of these + secrets, many of which are now lost. Hence the reputation for that crime + which weighed for the two following centuries on Italy. Romance-writers + have so greatly abused it that wherever they have introduced Italians into + their tales they have almost always made them play the part of assassins + and poisoners.[*] If Italy then had the traffic in subtle poisons which + some historians attribute to her, we should remember her supremacy in the + art of toxicology, as we do her pre-eminence in all other human knowledge + and art in which she took the lead in Europe. The crimes of that period + were not her crimes specially. She served the passions of the age, just as + she built magnificent edifices, commanded armies, painted noble frescos, + sang romances, loved queens, delighted kings, devised ballets and fetes, + and ruled all policies. The horrible art of poisoning reached to such a + pitch in Florence that a woman, dividing a peach with a duke, using a + golden fruit-knife with one side of its blade poisoned, ate one half of + the peach herself and killed the duke with the other half. A pair of + perfumed gloves were known to have infiltrated mortal illness through the + pores of the skin. Poison was instilled into bunches of natural roses, and + the fragrance, when inhaled, gave death. Don John of Austria was poisoned, + it was said, by a pair of boots. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + [*] Written sixty-six years ago.—Tr. +</pre> + <p> + Charles IX. had good reason to be curious in the matter; we know already + the dark suspicions and beliefs which now prompted him to surprise the + perfumer Rene at his work. + </p> + <p> + The old fountain at the corner of the rue de l’Arbre-See, which has since + been rebuilt, offered every facility for the royal vagabonds to climb upon + the roof of a house not far from that of Rene, which the king wished to + visit. Charles, followed by his companions, began to ramble over the + roofs, to the great terror of the burghers awakened by the tramp of these + false thieves, who called to them in saucy language, listened to their + talk, and even pretended to force an entrance. When the Italians saw the + king and Tavannes threading their way among the roofs of the house next to + that of Rene, Albert de Gondi sat down, declaring that he was tired, and + his brother followed his example. + </p> + <p> + “So much the better,” thought the king, glad to leave his spies behind + him. + </p> + <p> + Tavannes began to laugh at the two Florentines, left sitting alone in the + midst of deep silence, in a place where they had nought but the skies + above them, and the cats for auditors. But the brothers made use of their + position to exchange thoughts they would not dare to utter on any other + spot in the world,—thoughts inspired by the events of the evening. + </p> + <p> + “Albert,” said the Grand-master to the marechal, “the king will get the + better of the queen-mother; we are doing a foolish thing for our own + interests to stay by those of Catherine. If we go over to the king now, + when he is searching everywhere for support against her and for able men + to serve him, we shall not be driven away like wild beasts when the + queen-mother is banished, imprisoned, or killed.” + </p> + <p> + “You wouldn’t get far with such ideas, Charles,” replied the marechal, + gravely. “You’d follow the king into the grave, and he won’t live long; he + is ruined by excesses. Cosmo Ruggiero predicts his death within a year.” + </p> + <p> + “The dying boar has often killed the huntsman,” said Charles de Gondi. + “This conspiracy of the Duc d’Alencon, the king of Navarre, and the Prince + de Conde, with whom La Mole and Coconnas are negotiating, is more + dangerous than useful. In the first place, the king of Navarre, whom the + queen-mother hoped to catch in the very act, distrusts her, and declines + to run his head into the noose. He means to profit by the conspiracy + without taking any of its risks. Besides, the notion now is to put the + crown on the head of the Duc d’Alencon, who has turned Calvinist.” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Budelone</i>! but don’t you see that this conspiracy enables the + queen-mother to find out what the Huguenots can do with the Duc d’Alencon, + and what the king can do with the Huguenots?—for the king is even + now negotiating with them; but he’ll be finely pilloried to-morrow, when + Catherine reveals to him the counter-conspiracy which will neutralize all + his projects.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” exclaimed Charles de Gondi, “by dint of profiting by our advice + she’s clever and stronger than we! Well, that’s all right.” + </p> + <p> + “All right for the Duc d’Anjou, who prefers to be king of France rather + than king of Poland; I am going now to explain the matter to him.” + </p> + <p> + “When do you start, Albert?” + </p> + <p> + “To-morrow. I am ordered to accompany the king of Poland; and I expect to + join him in Venice, where the patricians have taken upon themselves to + amuse and delay him.” + </p> + <p> + “You are prudence itself!” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Che bestia</i>! I swear to you there is not the slightest danger for + either of us in remaining at court. If there were, do you think I would go + away? I should stay by the side of our kind mistress.” + </p> + <p> + “Kind!” exclaimed the Grand-master; “she is a woman to drop all her + instruments the moment she finds them heavy.” + </p> + <p> + “<i>O coglione</i>! you pretend to be a soldier, and you fear death! Every + business has its duties, and we have ours in making our fortune. By + attaching ourselves to kings, the source of all temporal power which + protects, elevates, and enriches families, we are forced to give them as + devoted a love as that which burns in the hearts of martyrs toward heaven. + We must suffer in their cause; when they sacrifice us to the interests of + their throne we may perish, for we die as much for ourselves as for them, + but our name and our families perish not. <i>Ecco</i>!” + </p> + <p> + “You are right as to yourself, Albert; for they have given you the ancient + title and duchy of de Retz.” + </p> + <p> + “Now listen to me,” replied his brother. “The queen hopes much from the + cleverness of the Ruggieri; she expects them to bring the king once more + under her control. When Charles refused to use Rene’s perfumes any longer + the wary woman knew at once on whom his suspicions really rested. But who + can tell the schemes that are in his mind? Perhaps he is only hesitating + as to what fate he shall give his mother; he hates her, you know. He said + a few words about it to his wife; she repeated them to Madame de Fiesque, + and Madame de Fiesque told the queen-mother. Since then the king has kept + away from his wife.” + </p> + <p> + “The time has come,” said Charles de Gondi. + </p> + <p> + “To do what?” asked the marechal. + </p> + <p> + “To lay hold of the king’s mind,” replied the Grand-master, who, if he was + not so much in the queen’s confidence as his brother, was by no means less + clear-sighted. + </p> + <p> + “Charles, I have opened a great career to you,” said his brother gravely. + “If you wish to be a duke also, be, as I am, the accomplice and cat’s-paw + of our mistress; she is the strongest here, and she will continue in + power. Madame de Sauves is on her side, and the king of Navarre and the + Duc d’Alencon are still for Madame de Sauves. Catherine holds the pair in + a leash under Charles IX., and she will hold them in future under Henri + III. God grant that Henri may not prove ungrateful.” + </p> + <p> + “How so?” + </p> + <p> + “His mother is doing too much for him.” + </p> + <p> + “Hush! what noise is that I hear in the rue Saint-Honore?” cried the + Grand-master. “Listen! there is some one at Rene’s door! Don’t you hear + the footsteps of many men. Can they have arrested the Ruggieri?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, <i>diavolo</i>! this is prudence indeed. The king has not shown his + usual impetuosity. But where will they imprison them? Let us go down into + the street and see.” + </p> + <p> + The two brothers reached the corner of the rue de l’Autruche just as the + king was entering the house of his mistress, Marie Touchet. By the light + of the torches which the concierge carried, they distinguished Tavannes + and the two Ruggieri. + </p> + <p> + “Hey, Tavannes!” cried the grand-master, running after the king’s + companion, who had turned and was making his way back to the Louvre, “What + happened to you?” + </p> + <p> + “We fell into a nest of sorcerers and arrested two, compatriots of yours, + who may perhaps be able to explain to the minds of French gentlemen how + you, who are not Frenchmen, have managed to lay hands on two of the chief + offices of the Crown,” replied Tavannes, half jesting, half in earnest. + </p> + <p> + “But the king?” inquired the Grand-master, who cared little for Tavanne’s + enmity. + </p> + <p> + “He stays with his mistress.” + </p> + <p> + “We reached our present distinction through an absolute devotion to our + masters,—a noble course, my dear Tavannes, which I see that you also + have adopted,” replied Albert de Gondi. + </p> + <p> + The three courtiers walked on in silence. At the moment when they parted, + on meeting their servants who then escorted them, two men glided swiftly + along the walls of the rue de l’Autruche. These men were the king and the + Comte de Solern, who soon reached the banks of the Seine, at a point where + a boat and two rowers, carefully selected by de Solern, awaited them. In a + very few moments they reached the other shore. + </p> + <p> + “My mother has not gone to bed,” cried the king. “She will see us; we + chose a bad place for the interview.” + </p> + <p> + “She will think it a duel,” replied Solern; “and she cannot possibly + distinguish who we are at this distance.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, let her see me!” exclaimed Charles IX. “I am resolved now!” + </p> + <p> + The king and his confidant sprang ashore and walked quickly in the + direction of the Pre-aux-Clercs. When they reached it the Comte de Solern, + preceding the king, met a man who was evidently on the watch, and with + whom he exchanged a few words; the man then retired to a distance. + Presently two other men, who seemed to be princes by the marks of respect + which the first man paid to them, left the place where they were evidently + hiding behind the broken fence of a field, and approached the king, to + whom they bent the knee. But Charles IX. raised them before they touched + the ground, saying:— + </p> + <p> + “No ceremony, we are all gentlemen here.” + </p> + <p> + A venerable old man, who might have been taken for the Chancelier de + l’Hopital, had the latter not died in the preceding year, now joined the + three gentlemen, all four walking rapidly so as to reach a spot where + their conference could not be overheard by their attendants. The Comte de + Solern followed at a slight distance to keep watch over the king. That + faithful servant was filled with a distrust not shared by Charles IX., a + man to whom life was now a burden. He was the only person on the king’s + side who witnessed this mysterious conference, which presently became + animated. + </p> + <p> + “Sire,” said one of the new-comers, “the Connetable de Montmorency, the + closest friend of the king your father, agreed with the Marechal de + Saint-Andre in declaring that Madame Catherine ought to be sewn up in a + sack and flung into the river. If that had been done then, many worthy + persons would still be alive.” + </p> + <p> + “I have enough executions on my conscience, monsieur,” replied the king. + </p> + <p> + “But, sire,” said the youngest of the four personages, “if you merely + banish her, from the depths of her exile Queen Catherine will continue to + stir up strife, and to find auxiliaries. We have everything to fear from + the Guises, who, for the last nine years, have schemed for a vast Catholic + alliance, in the secret of which your Majesty is not included; and it + threatens your throne. This alliance was invented by Spain, which will + never renounce its project of destroying the boundary of the Pyrenees. + Sire, Calvinism will save France by setting up a moral barrier between her + and a nation which covets the empire of the world. If the queen-mother is + exiled, she will turn for help to Spain and to the Guises.” + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen,” said the king, “know this, if by your help peace without + distrust is once established, I will take upon myself the duty of making + all subjects tremble. <i>Tete-Dieu</i>! it is time indeed for royalty to + assert itself. My mother is right in that, at any rate. You ought to know + that it is to your interest was well as mine, for your hands, your + fortunes depend upon our throne. If religion is overthrown, the hands you + allow to do it will be laid next upon the throne and then upon you. I no + longer care to fight ideas with weapons that cannot touch them. Let us see + now if Protestantism will make progress when left to itself; above all, I + would like to see with whom and what the spirit of that faction will + wrestle. The admiral, God rest his soul! was not my enemy; he swore to me + to restrain the revolt within spiritual limits, and to leave the ruling of + the kingdom to the monarch, his master, with submissive subjects. + Gentlemen, if the matter be still within your power, set that example now; + help your sovereign to put down a spirit of rebellion which takes + tranquillity from each and all of us. War is depriving us of revenue; it + is ruining the kingdom. I am weary of these constant troubles; so weary, + that if it is absolutely necessary I will sacrifice my mother. Nay, I will + go farther; I will keep an equal number of Protestants and Catholics about + me, and I will hold the axe of Louis XI. above their heads to force them + to be on good terms. If the Messieurs de Guise plot a Holy Alliance to + attack our crown, the executioner shall begin with their heads. I see the + miseries of my people, and I will make short work of the great lords who + care little for consciences,—let them hold what opinions they like; + what I want in future is submissive subjects, who will work, according to + my will, for the prosperity of the State. Gentlemen, I give you ten days + to negotiate with your friends, to break off your plots, and to return to + me who will be your father. If you refuse you will see great changes. I + shall use the mass of the people, who will rise at my voice against the + lords. I will make myself a king who pacificates his kingdom by striking + down those who are more powerful even than you, and who dare defy him. If + the troops fail me, I have my brother of Spain, on whom I shall call to + defend our menaced thrones, and if I lack a minister to carry out my will, + he can lend me the Duke of Alba.” + </p> + <p> + “But in that case, sire, we should have Germans to oppose to your + Spaniards,” said one of his hearers. + </p> + <p> + “Cousin,” replied Charles IX., coldly, “my wife’s name is Elizabeth of + Austria; support might fail you on the German side. But, for Heaven’s + sake, let us fight, if fight we must, alone, without the help of + foreigners. You are the object of my mother’s hatred, and you stand near + enough to me to be my second in the duel I am about to fight with her; + well then, listen to what I now say. You seem to me so worthy of + confidence that I offer you the post of <i>connetable</i>; <i>you</i> will + not betray me like the other.” + </p> + <p> + The prince to whom Charles IX. had addressed himself, struck his hand into + that of the king, exclaiming: + </p> + <p> + “<i>Ventre-saint-gris</i>! brother; this is enough to make me forget many + wrongs. But, sire, the head cannot march without the tail, and ours is a + long tail to drag. Give me more than ten days; we want at least a month to + make our friends hear reason. At the end of that time we shall be + masters.” + </p> + <p> + “A month, so be it! My only negotiator will be Villeroy; trust no one + else, no matter what is said to you.” + </p> + <p> + “One month,” echoed the other seigneurs, “that is sufficient.” + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen, we are five,” said the king,—“five men of honor. If any + betrayal takes place, we shall know on whom to avenge it.” + </p> + <p> + The three strangers kissed the hand of Charles IX. and took leave of him + with every mark of the utmost respect. As the king recrossed the Seine, + four o’clock was ringing from the clock-tower of the Louvre. Lights were + on in the queen-mother’s room; she had not yet gone to bed. + </p> + <p> + “My mother is still on the watch,” said Charles to the Comte de Solern. + </p> + <p> + “She has her forge as you have yours,” remarked the German. + </p> + <p> + “Dear count, what do you think of a king who is reduced to become a + conspirator?” said Charles IX., bitterly, after a pause. + </p> + <p> + “I think, sire, that if you would allow me to fling that woman into the + river, as your young cousin said, France would soon be at peace.” + </p> + <p> + “What! a parricide in addition to the Saint-Bartholomew, count?” cried the + king. “No, no! I will exile her. Once fallen, my mother will no longer + have either servants or partisans.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, sire,” replied the Comte de Solern, “give me the order to + arrest her at once and take her out of the kingdom; for to-morrow she will + have forced you to change your mind.” + </p> + <p> + “Come to my forge,” said the king, “no one can overhear us there; besides, + I don’t want my mother to suspect the capture of the Ruggieri. If she + knows I am in my work-shop she’ll suppose nothing, and we can consult + about the proper measures for her arrest.” + </p> + <p> + As the king entered a lower room of the palace, which he used for a + workshop, he called his companion’s attention to the forge and his + implements with a laugh. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t believe,” he said, “among all the kings that France will ever + have, there’ll be another to take pleasure in such work as that. But when + I am really king, I’ll forge no swords; they shall all go back into their + scabbards.” + </p> + <p> + “Sire,” said the Comte de Solern, “the fatigues of tennis and hunting, + your toil at this forge, and—if I may say it—love, are + chariots which the devil is offering you to get the faster to + Saint-Denis.” + </p> + <p> + “Solern,” said the king, in a piteous tone, “if you knew the fire they + have put into my soul and body! nothing can quench it. Are you sure of the + men who are guarding the Ruggieri?” + </p> + <p> + “As sure as of myself.” + </p> + <p> + “Very good; then, during this coming day I shall take my own course. Think + of the proper means of making the arrest, and I will give you my final + orders by five o’clock at Madame de Belleville’s.” + </p> + <p> + As the first rays of dawn were struggling with the lights of the workshop, + Charles IX., left alone by the departure of the Comte de Solern, heard the + door of the apartment turn on its hinges, and saw his mother standing + within it in the dim light like a phantom. Though very nervous and + impressible, the king did not quiver, albeit, under the circumstances in + which he then stood, this apparition had a certain air of mystery and + horror. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” she said, “you are killing yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “I am fulfilling my horoscope,” he replied with a bitter smile. “But you, + madame, you appear to be as early as I.” + </p> + <p> + “We have both been up all night, monsieur; but with very different + intentions. While you have been conferring with your worst enemies in the + open fields, concealing your acts from your mother, assisted by Tavannes + and the Gondis, with whom you have been scouring the town, I have been + reading despatches which contained the proofs of a terrible conspiracy in + which your brother, the Duc d’Alencon, your brother-in-law, the king of + Navarre, the Prince de Conde, and half the nobles of your kingdom are + taking part. Their purpose is nothing less than to take the crown from + your head and seize your person. Those gentlemen have already fifty + thousand good troops behind them.” + </p> + <p> + “Bah!” exclaimed the king, incredulously. + </p> + <p> + “Your brother has turned Huguenot,” she continued. + </p> + <p> + “My brother! gone over to the Huguenots!” cried Charles, brandishing the + piece of iron which he held in his hand. + </p> + <p> + “Yes; the Duc d’Alencon, Huguenot at heart, will soon be one before the + eyes of the world. Your sister, the queen of Navarre, has almost ceased to + love you; she cares more for the Duc d’Alencon; she cares of Bussy; and + she loves that little La Mole.” + </p> + <p> + “What a heart!” exclaimed the king. + </p> + <p> + “That little La Mole,” went on the queen, “wishes to make himself a great + man by giving France a king of his own stripe. He is promised, they say, + the place of connetable.” + </p> + <p> + “Curse that Margot!” cried the king. “This is what comes of her marriage + with a heretic.” + </p> + <p> + “Heretic or not is of no consequence; the trouble is that, in spite of my + advice, you have brought the head of the younger branch too near the + throne by that marriage, and Henri’s purpose is now to embroil you with + the rest and make you kill one another. The house of Bourbon is the enemy + of the house of Valois; remember that, monsieur. All younger branches + should be kept in a state of poverty, for they are born conspirators. It + is sheer folly to give them arms when they have none, or to leave them in + possession of arms when they seize them. Let every younger son be made + incapable of doing harm; that is the law of Crowns; the Sultans of Asia + follow it. The proofs of this conspiracy are in my room upstairs, where I + asked you to follow me last evening, when you bade me good-night; but + instead of doing so, it seems you had other plans. I therefore waited for + you. If we do not take the proper measures immediately you will meet the + fate of Charles the Simple within a month.” + </p> + <p> + “A month!” exclaimed the king, thunderstruck at the coincidence of that + period with the delay asked for by the princes themselves. “‘In a month we + shall be masters,’” he added to himself, quoting their words. “Madame,” he + said aloud, “what are your proofs?” + </p> + <p> + “They are unanswerable, monsieur; they come from my daughter Marguerite. + Alarmed herself at the possibilities of such a combination, her love for + the throne of the Valois has proved stronger, this time, than all her + other loves. She asks, as the price of her revelations that nothing shall + be done to La Mole; but the scoundrel seems to me a dangerous villain whom + we had better be rid of, as well as the Comte de Coconnas, your brother + d’Alencon’s right hand. As for the Prince de Conde, he consents to + everything, provided I am thrown into the sea; perhaps that is the wedding + present he gives me in return for the pretty wife I gave him! All this is + a serious matter, monsieur. You talk of horoscopes! I know of the + prediction which gives the throne of the Valois to the Bourbons, and if we + do not take care it will be fulfilled. Do not be angry with your sister; + she has behaved well in this affair. My son,” continued the queen, after a + pause, giving a tone of tenderness to her words, “evil persons on the side + of the Guises are trying to sow dissensions between you and me; and yet we + are the only ones in the kingdom whose interests are absolutely identical. + You blame me, I know, for the Saint-Bartholomew; you accuse me of having + forced you into it. Catholicism, monsieur, must be the bond between + France, Spain, and Italy, three countries which can, by skilful + management, secretly planned, be united in course of time, under the house + of Valois. Do not deprive yourself of such chances by loosing the cord + which binds the three kingdoms in the bonds of a common faith. Why should + not the Valois and the Medici carry out for their own glory the scheme of + Charles the Fifth, whose head failed him? Let us fling off that race of + Jeanne la Folle. The Medici, masters of Florence and of Rome, will force + Italy to support your interests; they will guarantee you advantages by + treaties of commerce and alliance which shall recognize your fiefs in + Piedmont, the Milanais, and Naples, where you have rights. These, + monsieur, are the reasons of the war to the death which we make against + the Huguenots. Why do you force me to repeat these things? Charlemagne was + wrong in advancing toward the north. France is a body whose heart is on + the Gulf of Lyons, and its two arms over Spain and Italy. Therefore, she + must rule the Mediterranean, that basket into which are poured all the + riches of the Orient, now turned to the profit of those seigneurs of + Venice, in the very teeth of Philip II. If the friendship of the Medici + and your rights justify you in hoping for Italy, force, alliances, or a + possible inheritance may give you Spain. Warn the house of Austria as to + this,—that ambitious house to which the Guelphs sold Italy, and + which is even now hankering after Spain. Though your wife is of that + house, humble it! Clasp it so closely that you will smother it! <i>There</i> + are the enemies of your kingdom; thence comes help to the Reformers. Do + not listen to those who find their profit in causing us to disagree, and + who torment your life by making you believe I am your secret enemy. Have + <i>I</i> prevented you from having heirs? Why has your mistress given you + a son, and your wife a daughter? Why have you not to-day three legitimate + heirs to root out the hopes of these seditious persons? Is it I, monsieur, + who am responsible for such failures? If you had an heir, would the Duc + d’Alencon be now conspiring?” + </p> + <p> + As she ended these words, Catherine fixed upon her son the magnetic glance + of a bird of prey upon its victim. The daughter of the Medici became + magnificent; her real self shone upon her face, which, like that of a + gambler over the green table, glittered with vast cupidities. Charles IX. + saw no longer the mother of one man, but (as was said of her) the mother + of armies and of empires,—<i>mater castrorum</i>. Catherine had now + spread wide the wings of her genius, and boldly flown to the heights of + the Medici and Valois policy, tracing once more the mighty plans which + terrified in earlier days her husband Henri II., and which, transmitted by + the genius of the Medici to Richelieu, remain in writing among the papers + of the house of Bourbon. But Charles IX., hearing the unusual persuasions + his mother was using, thought that there must be some necessity for them, + and he began to ask himself what could be her motive. He dropped his eyes; + he hesitated; his distrust was not lessened by her studied phrases. + Catherine was amazed at the depths of suspicion she now beheld in her + son’s heart. + </p> + <p> + “Well, monsieur,” she said, “do you not understand me? What are we, you + and I, in comparison with the eternity of royal crowns? Do you suppose me + to have other designs than those that ought to actuate all royal persons + who inhabit the sphere where empires are ruled?” + </p> + <p> + “Madame, I will follow you to your cabinet; we must act—” + </p> + <p> + “Act!” cried Catherine; “let our enemies alone; let <i>them</i> act; take + them red-handed, and law and justice will deliver you from their assaults. + For God’s sake, monsieur, show them good-will.” + </p> + <p> + The queen withdrew; the king remained alone for a few moments, for he was + utterly overwhelmed. + </p> + <p> + “On which side is the trap?” thought he. “Which of the two—she or + they—deceive me? What is my best policy? <i>Deus, discerne causam + meam</i>!” he muttered with tears in his eyes. “Life is a burden to me! I + prefer death, natural or violent, to these perpetual torments!” he cried + presently, bringing down his hammer upon the anvil with such force that + the vaults of the palace trembled. + </p> + <p> + “My God!” he said, as he went outside and looked up at the sky, “thou for + whose holy religion I struggle, give me the light of thy countenance that + I may penetrate the secrets of my mother’s heart while I question the + Ruggieri.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0022" id="link2H_4_0022"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + III. MARIE TOUCHET + </h2> + <p> + The little house of Madame de Belleville, where Charles IX. had deposited + his prisoners, was the last but one in the rue de l’Autruche on the side + of the rue Saint-Honore. The street gate, flanked by two little brick + pavilions, seemed very simple in those days, when gates and their + accessories were so elaborately treated. It had two pilasters of stone cut + in facets, and the coping represented a reclining woman holding a + cornucopia. The gate itself, closed by enormous locks, had a wicket + through which to examine those who asked admittance. In each pavilion + lived a porter; for the king’s extremely capricious pleasure required a + porter by day and by night. The house had a little courtyard, paved like + those of Venice. At this period, before carriages were invented, ladies + went about on horseback, or in litters, so that courtyards could be made + magnificent without fear of injury from horses or carriages. This fact is + always to be remembered as an explanation of the narrowness of streets, + the small size of courtyards, and certain other details of the private + dwellings of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. + </p> + <p> + The house, of one story only above the ground-floor, was capped by a + sculptured frieze, above which rose a roof with four sides, the peak being + flattened to form a platform. Dormer windows were cut in this roof, with + casings and pediments which the chisel of some great artist had covered + with arabesques and dentils; each of the three windows on the main floor + were equally beautiful in stone embroidery, which the brick of the walls + showed off to great advantage. On the ground-floor, a double portico, very + delicately decorated, led to the entrance door, which was covered with + bosses cut with facets in the Venetian manner,—a style of decoration + which was further carried on round the windows placed to right and left of + the door. + </p> + <p> + A garden, carefully laid out in the fashion of the times and filled with + choice flowers, occupied a space behind the house equal to that of the + courtyard in front. A grape-vine draped its walls. In the centre of a + grass plot rose a silver fir-tree. The flower-borders were separated from + the grass by meandering paths which led to an arbor of clipped yews at the + farther end of the little garden. The walls were covered with a mosaic of + variously colored pebbles, coarse in design, it is true, but pleasing to + the eye from the harmony of its tints with those of the flower-beds. The + house had a carved balcony on the garden side, above the door, and also on + the front toward the courtyard, and around the middle windows. On both + sides of the house the ornamentation of the principal window, which + projected some feet from the wall, rose to the frieze; so that it formed a + little pavilion, hung there like a lantern. The casings of the other + windows were inlaid on the stone with precious marbles. + </p> + <p> + In spite of the exquisite taste displayed in the little house, there was + an air of melancholy about it. It was darkened by the buildings that + surrounded it and by the roofs of the hotel d’Alencon which threw a heavy + shadow over both court and garden; moreover, a deep silence reigned there. + But this silence, these half-lights, this solitude, soothed a royal soul, + which could there surrender itself to a single emotion, as in a cloister + where men pray, or in some sheltered home wherein they love. + </p> + <p> + It is easy now to imagine the interior charm and choiceness of this haven, + the sole spot in his kingdom where this dying Valois could pour out his + soul, reveal his sufferings, exercise his taste for art, and give himself + up to the poesy he loved,—pleasures denied him by the cares of a + cruel royalty. Here, alone, were his great soul and his high intrinsic + worth appreciated; here he could give himself up, for a few brief months, + the last of his life, to the joys of fatherhood,—pleasures into + which he flung himself with the frenzy that a sense of his coming and + dreadful death impressed on all his actions. + </p> + <p> + In the afternoon of the day succeeding the night-scene we have just + described, Marie Touchet was finishing her toilet in the oratory, which + was the boudoir of those days. She was arranging the long curls of her + beautiful black hair, blending them with the velvet of a new coif, and + gazing intently into her mirror. + </p> + <p> + “It is nearly four o’clock; that interminable council must surely be + over,” she thought to herself. “Jacob has returned from the Louvre; he + says that everybody he saw was excited about the number of the councillors + summoned and the length of the session. What can have happened? Is it some + misfortune? Good God! surely <i>he</i> knows how suspense wears out the + soul! Perhaps he has gone a-hunting? If he is happy and amused, it is all + right. When I see him gay, I forget all I have suffered.” + </p> + <p> + She drew her hands round her slender waist as if to smooth some trifling + wrinkle in her gown, turning sideways to see if its folds fell properly, + and as she did so, she caught sight of the king on the couch behind her. + The carpet had so muffled the sound of his steps that he had slipped in + softly without being heard. + </p> + <p> + “You frightened me!” she said, with a cry of surprise, which was quickly + repressed. + </p> + <p> + “Were you thinking of me?” said the king. + </p> + <p> + “When do I not think of you?” she answered, sitting down beside him. + </p> + <p> + She took off his cap and cloak, passing her hands through his hair as + though she combed it with her fingers. Charles let her do as she pleased, + but made no answer. Surprised at this, Marie knelt down to study the pale + face of her royal master, and then saw the signs of a dreadful weariness + and a more consummate melancholy than any she had yet consoled. She + repressed her tears and kept silence, that she might not irritate by + mistaken words the sorrow which, as yet, she did not understand. In this + she did as tender women do under like circumstances. She kissed that + forehead, seamed with untimely wrinkles, and those livid cheeks, trying to + convey to the worn-out soul the freshness of hers,—pouring her + spirit into the sweet caresses which met with no response. Presently she + raised her head to the level of the king’s, clasping him softly in her + arms; then she lay still, her face hidden on that suffering breast, + watching for the opportune moment to question his dejected mind. + </p> + <p> + “My Charlot,” she said at last, “will you not tell your poor, distressed + Marie the troubles that cloud that precious brow, and whiten those + beautiful red lips?” + </p> + <p> + “Except Charlemagne,” he said in a hollow voice, “all the kings of France + named Charles have ended miserably.” + </p> + <p> + “Pooh!” she said, “look at Charles VIII.” + </p> + <p> + “That poor prince!” exclaimed the king. “In the flower of his age he + struck his head against a low door at the chateau of Amboise, which he was + having decorated, and died in horrible agony. It was his death which gave + the crown to our family.” + </p> + <p> + “Charles VII. reconquered his kingdom.” + </p> + <p> + “Darling, he died” (the king lowered his voice) “of hunger; for he feared + being poisoned by the dauphin, who had already caused the death of his + beautiful Agnes. The father feared his son; to-day the son dreads his + mother!” + </p> + <p> + “Why drag up the past?” she said hastily, remembering the dreadful life of + Charles VI. + </p> + <p> + “Ah! sweetest, kings have no need to go to sorcerers to discover their + coming fate; they need only turn to history. I am at this moment + endeavoring to escape the fate of Charles the Simple, who was robbed of + his crown, and died in prison after seven years’ captivity.” + </p> + <p> + “Charles V. conquered the English,” she cried triumphantly. + </p> + <p> + “No, not he, but du Guesclin. He himself, poisoned by Charles de Navarre, + dragged out a wretched existence.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, Charles IV., then?” + </p> + <p> + “He married three times to obtain an heir, in spite of the masculine + beauty of the children of Philippe le Bel. The first house of Valois ended + with him, and the second is about to end in the same way. The queen has + given me only a daughter, and I shall die without leaving her pregnant; + for a long minority would be the greatest curse I could bequeath to the + kingdom. Besides, if I had a son, would he live? The name of Charles is + fatal; Charlemagne exhausted the luck of it. If I left a son I would + tremble at the thought that he would be Charles X.” + </p> + <p> + “Who is it that wants to seize your crown?” + </p> + <p> + “My brother d’Alencon conspires against it. Enemies are all about me.” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” said Marie, with a charming little pout, “do tell me something + gayer.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my little jewel, my treasure, don’t call me ‘monsieur,’ even in jest; + you remind me of my mother, who stabs me incessantly with that title, by + which she seems to snatch away my crown. She says ‘my son’ to the Duc + d’Anjou—I mean the king of Poland.” + </p> + <p> + “Sire,” exclaimed Marie, clasping her hands as though she were praying, + “there is a kingdom where you are worshipped. Your Majesty fills it with + his glory, his power; and there the word ‘monsieur,’ means ‘my beloved + lord.’” + </p> + <p> + She unclasped her hands, and with a pretty gesture pointed to her heart. + The words were so <i>musiques</i> (to use a word of the times which + depicted the melodies of love) that Charles IX. caught her round the waist + with the nervous force that characterized him, and seated her on his knee, + rubbing his forehead gently against the pretty curls so coquettishly + arranged. Marie thought the moment favorable; she ventured a few kisses, + which Charles allowed rather than accepted, then she said softly:— + </p> + <p> + “If my servants were not mistaken you were out all night in the streets, + as in the days when you played the pranks of a younger son.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” replied the king, still lost in his own thoughts. + </p> + <p> + “Did you fight the watchman and frighten some of the burghers? Who are the + men you brought here and locked up? They must be very criminal, as you + won’t allow any communication with them. No girl was ever locked in as + carefully, and they have not had a mouthful to eat since they came. The + Germans whom Solern left to guard them won’t let any one go near the room. + Is it a joke you are playing; or is it something serious?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, you are right,” said the king, coming out of his reverie, “last + night I did scour the roofs with Tavannes and the Gondis. I wanted to try + my old follies with the old companions; but my legs were not what they + once were; I did not dare leap the streets; though we did jump two alleys + from one roof to the next. At the second, however, Tavannes and I, holding + on to a chimney, agreed that we couldn’t do it again. If either of us had + been alone we couldn’t have done it then.” + </p> + <p> + “I’ll wager that you sprang first.” The king smiled. “I know why you risk + your life in that way.” + </p> + <p> + “And why, you little witch?” + </p> + <p> + “You are tired of life.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, sorceress! But I am being hunted down by sorcery,” said the king, + resuming his anxious look. + </p> + <p> + “My sorcery is love,” she replied, smiling. “Since the happy day when you + first loved me, have I not always divined your thoughts? And—if you + will let me speak the truth—the thoughts which torture you to-day + are not worthy of a king.” + </p> + <p> + “Am I a king?” he said bitterly. + </p> + <p> + “Cannot you be one? What did Charles VII. do? He listened to his mistress, + monseigneur, and he reconquered his kingdom, invaded by the English as + yours is now by the enemies of our religion. Your last <i>coup d’Etat</i> + showed you the course you have to follow. Exterminate heresy.” + </p> + <p> + “You blamed the Saint-Bartholomew,” said Charles, “and now you—” + </p> + <p> + “That is over,” she said; “besides, I agree with Madame Catherine that it + was better to do it yourselves than let the Guises do it.” + </p> + <p> + “Charles VII. had only men to fight; I am face to face with ideas,” + resumed the king. “We can kill men, but we can’t kill words! The Emperor + Charles V. gave up the attempt; his son Philip has spent his strength upon + it; we shall all perish, we kings, in that struggle. On whom can I rely? + To right, among the Catholics, I find the Guises, who are my enemies; to + left, the Calvinists, who will never forgive me the death of my poor old + Coligny, nor that bloody day in August; besides, they want to suppress the + throne; and in front of me what have I?—my mother!” + </p> + <p> + “Arrest her; reign alone,” said Marie in a low voice, whispering in his + ear. + </p> + <p> + “I meant to do so yesterday; to-day I no longer intend it. You speak of it + rather coolly.” + </p> + <p> + “Between the daughter of an apothecary and that of a doctor there is no + great difference,” replied Touchet, always ready to laugh at the false + origin attributed to her. + </p> + <p> + The king frowned. + </p> + <p> + “Marie, don’t take such liberties. Catherine de’ Medici is my mother, and + you ought to tremble lest—” + </p> + <p> + “What is it you fear?” + </p> + <p> + “Poison!” cried the king, beside himself. + </p> + <p> + “Poor child!” cried Marie, restraining her tears; for the sight of such + strength united to such weakness touched her deeply. “Ah!” she continued, + “you make me hate Madame Catherine, who has been so good to me; her + kindness now seems perfidy. Why is she so kind to me, and bad to you? + During my stay in Dauphine I heard many things about the beginning of your + reign which you concealed from me; it seems to me that the queen, your + mother, is the real cause of all your troubles.” + </p> + <p> + “In what way?” cried the king, deeply interested. + </p> + <p> + “Women whose souls and whose intentions are pure use virtue wherewith to + rule the men they love; but women who do not seek good rule men through + their evil instincts. Now, the queen made vices out of certain of your + noblest qualities, and she taught you to believe that your worst + inclinations were virtues. Was that the part of a mother? Be a tyrant like + Louis XI.; inspire terror; imitate Philip II.; banish the Italians; drive + out the Guises; confiscate the lands of the Calvinists. Out of this + solitude you will rise a king; you will save the throne. The moment is + propitious; your brother is in Poland.” + </p> + <p> + “We are two children at statecraft,” said Charles, bitterly; “we know + nothing except how to love. Alas! my treasure, yesterday I, too, thought + all these things; I dreamed of accomplishing great deeds—bah! my + mother blew down my house of cards! From a distance we see great questions + outlined like the summits of mountains, and it is easy to say: ‘I’ll make + an end of Calvinism; I’ll bring those Guises to task; I’ll separate from + the Court of Rome; I’ll rely upon my people, upon the burghers—’ ah! + yes, from afar it all seems simple enough! but try to climb those + mountains and the higher you go the more the difficulties appear. + Calvinism, in itself, is the last thing the leaders of that party care + for; and the Guises, those rabid Catholics, would be sorry indeed to see + the Calvinists put down. Each side considers its own interests + exclusively, and religious opinions are but a cloak for insatiable + ambition. The party of Charles IX. is the feeblest of all. That of the + king of Navarre, that of the king of Poland, that of the Duc d’Alencon, + that of the Condes, that of the Guises, that of my mother, are all + intriguing one against another, but they take no account of me, not even + in my own council. My mother, in the midst of so many contending elements, + is, nevertheless, the strongest among them; she has just proved to me the + inanity of my plans. We are surrounded by rebellious subjects who defy the + law. The axe of Louis XI. of which you speak, is lacking to us. Parliament + would not condemn the Guises, nor the king of Navarre, nor the Condes, nor + my brother. No! the courage to assassinate is needed; the throne will be + forced to strike down those insolent men who suppress both law and + justice; but where can we find the faithful arm? The council I held this + morning has disgusted me with everything; treason everywhere; contending + interests all about me. I am tired with the burden of my crown. I only + want to die in peace.” + </p> + <p> + He dropped into a sort of gloomy somnolence. + </p> + <p> + “Disgusted with everything!” repeated Marie Touchet, sadly; but she did + not disturb the black torpor of her lover. + </p> + <p> + Charles was the victim of a complete prostration of mind and body, + produced by three things,—the exhaustion of all his faculties, + aggravated by the disheartenment of realizing the extent of an evil; the + recognized impossibility of surmounting his weakness; and the aspect of + difficulties so great that genius itself would dread them. The king’s + depression was in proportion to the courage and the loftiness of ideas to + which he had risen during the last few months. In addition to this, an + attack of nervous melancholy, caused by his malady, had seized him as he + left the protracted council which had taken place in his private cabinet. + Marie saw that he was in one of those crises when the least word, even of + love, would be importunate and painful; so she remained kneeling quietly + beside him, her head on his knee, the king’s hand buried in her hair, and + he himself motionless, without a word, without a sigh, as still as Marie + herself,—Charles IX. in the lethargy of impotence, Marie in the + stupor of despair which comes to a loving woman when she perceives the + boundaries at which love ends. + </p> + <p> + The lovers thus remained, in the deepest silence, during one of those + terrible hours when all reflection wounds, when the clouds of an inward + tempest veil even the memory of happiness. Marie believed that she herself + was partly the cause of this frightful dejection. She asked herself, not + without horror, if the excessive joys and the violent love which she had + never yet found strength to resist, did not contribute to weaken the mind + and body of the king. As she raised her eyes, bathed in tears, toward her + lover, she saw the slow tears rolling down his pallid cheeks. This mark of + the sympathy that united them so moved the king that he rushed from his + depression like a spurred horse. He took Marie in his arms and placed her + on the sofa. + </p> + <p> + “I will no longer be a king,” he cried. “I will be your lover, your lover + only, wholly given up to that happiness. I will die happy, and not + consumed by the cares and miseries of a throne.” + </p> + <p> + The tone of these words, the fire that shone in the half-extinct eyes of + the king, gave Marie a terrible shock instead of happiness; she blamed her + love as an accomplice in the malady of which the king was dying. + </p> + <p> + “Meanwhile you forget your prisoners,” she said, rising abruptly. + </p> + <p> + “Hey! what care I for them? I give them leave to kill me.” + </p> + <p> + “What! are they murderers?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, don’t be frightened, little one; we hold them fast. Don’t think of + them, but of me. Do you love me?” + </p> + <p> + “Sire!” she cried. + </p> + <p> + “Sire!” he repeated, sparks darting from his eyes, so violent was the rush + of his anger at the untimely respect of his mistress. “You are in league + with my mother.” + </p> + <p> + “O God!” cried Marie, looking at the picture above her <i>prie-dieu</i> + and turning toward it to say her prayer, “grant that he comprehend me!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said the king suspiciously, “you have some wrong to me upon your + conscience!” Then looking at her from between his arms, he plunged his + eyes into hers. “I have heard some talk of the mad passion of a certain + Entragues,” he went on wildly. “Ever since their grandfather, the soldier + Balzac, married a viscontessa at Milan that family hold their heads too + high.” + </p> + <p> + Marie looked at the king with so proud an air that he was ashamed. At that + instant the cries of little Charles de Valois, who had just awakened, were + heard in the next room. Marie ran to the door. + </p> + <p> + “Come in, Bourguignonne!” she said, taking the child from its nurse and + carrying it to the king. “You are more of a child than he,” she cried, + half angry, half appeased. + </p> + <p> + “He is beautiful!” said Charles IX., taking his son in his arms. + </p> + <p> + “I alone know how like he is to you,” said Marie; “already he has your + smile and your gestures.” + </p> + <p> + “So tiny as that!” said the king, laughing at her. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I know men don’t believe such things; but watch him, my Charlot, play + with him. Look there! See! Am I not right?” + </p> + <p> + “True!” exclaimed the king, astonished by a motion of the child which + seemed the very miniature of a gesture of his own. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, the pretty flower!” cried the mother. “Never shall he leave us! <i>He</i> + will never cause me grief.” + </p> + <p> + The king frolicked with his son; he tossed him in his arms, and kissed him + passionately, talking the foolish, unmeaning talk, the pretty, baby + language invented by nurses and mothers. His voice grew child-like. At + last his forehead cleared, joy returned to his saddened face, and then, as + Marie saw that he had forgotten his troubles, she laid her head upon his + shoulder and whispered in his ear:— + </p> + <p> + “Won’t you tell me, Charlot, why you have made me keep murderers in my + house? Who are these men, and what do you mean to do with them? In short, + I want to know what you were doing on the roofs. I hope there was no woman + in the business?” + </p> + <p> + “Then you love me as much as ever!” cried the king, meeting the clear, + interrogatory glance that women know so well how to cast upon occasion. + </p> + <p> + “You doubted <i>me</i>,” she replied, as a tear shone on her beautiful + eyelashes. + </p> + <p> + “There are women in my adventure,” said the king; “but they are + sorceresses. How far had I told you?” + </p> + <p> + “You were on the roofs near by—what street was it?” + </p> + <p> + “Rue Saint-Honore, sweetest,” said the king, who seemed to have recovered + himself. Collecting this thoughts, he began to explain to his mistress + what had happened, as if to prepare her for a scene that was presently to + take place in her presence. + </p> + <p> + “As I was passing through the street last night on a frolic,” he said, “I + chanced to see a bright light from the dormer window of the house occupied + by Rene, my mother’s glover and perfumer, and once yours. I have strong + doubts about that man and what goes on in his house. If I am poisoned, the + drug will come from there.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall dismiss him to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! so you kept him after I had given him up?” cried the king. “I thought + my life was safe with you,” he added gloomily; “but no doubt death is + following me even here.” + </p> + <p> + “But, my dearest, I have only just returned from Dauphine with our + dauphin,” she said, smiling, “and Rene has supplied me with nothing since + the death of the Queen of Navarre. Go on; you climbed to the roof of + Rene’s house?” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0023" id="link2H_4_0023"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + IV. THE KING’S TALE + </h2> + <p> + “Yes,” returned the king. “In a second I was there, followed by Tavannes, + and then we clambered to a spot where I could see without being seen the + interior of that devil’s kitchen, in which I beheld extraordinary things + which inspired me to take certain measures. Did you ever notice the end of + the roof of that cursed perfumer? The windows toward the street are always + closed and dark, except the last, from which can be seen the hotel de + Soissons and the observatory which my mother built for that astrologer, + Cosmo Ruggiero. Under the roof are lodging-rooms and a gallery which have + no windows except on the courtyard, so that in order to see what was going + on within, it was necessary to go where no man before ever dreamed of + climbing,—along the coping of a high wall which adjoins the roof of + Rene’s house. The men who set up in that house the furnaces by which they + distil death, reckoned on the cowardice of Parisians to save them from + being overlooked; but they little thought of Charles de Valois! I crept + along the coping until I came to a window, against the casing of which I + was able to stand up straight with my arm round a carved monkey which + ornamented it.” + </p> + <p> + “What did you see, dear heart?” said Marie, trembling. + </p> + <p> + “A den, where works of darkness were being done,” replied the king. “The + first object on which my eyes lighted was a tall old man seated in a + chair, with a magnificent white beard, like that of old l’Hopital, and + dressed like him in a black velvet robe. On his broad forehead furrowed + deep with wrinkles, on his crown of white hair, on his calm, attentive + face, pale with toil and vigils, fell the concentrated rays of a lamp from + which shone a vivid light. His attention was divided between an old + manuscript, the parchment of which must have been centuries old, and two + lighted furnaces on which heretical compounds were cooking. Neither the + floor nor the ceiling of the laboratory could be seen, because of the + myriads of hanging skeletons, bodies of animals, dried plants, minerals, + and articles of all kinds that masked the walls; while on the floor were + books, instruments for distilling, chests filled with utensils for magic + and astrology; in one place I saw horoscopes and nativities, phials, + wax-figures under spells, and possibly poisons. Tavannes and I were + fascinated, I do assure you, by the sight of this devil’s-arsenal. Only to + see it puts one under a spell, and if I had not been King of France, I + might have been awed by it. ‘You can tremble for both of us,’ I whispered + to Tavannes. But Tavannes’ eyes were already caught by the most mysterious + feature of the scene. On a couch, near the old man, lay a girl of + strangest beauty,—slender and long like a snake, white as ermine, + livid as death, motionless as a statue. Perhaps it was a woman just taken + from her grave, on whom they were trying experiments, for she seemed to + wear a shroud; her eyes were fixed, and I could not see that she breathed. + The old fellow paid no attention to her. I looked at him so intently that, + after a while, his soul seemed to pass into mine. By dint of studying him, + I ended by admiring the glance of his eye,—so keen, so profound, so + bold, in spite of the chilling power of age. I admired his mouth, mobile + with thoughts emanating from a desire which seemed to be the solitary + desire of his soul, and was stamped upon every line of the face. All + things in that man expressed a hope which nothing discouraged, and nothing + could check. His attitude,—a quivering immovability,—those + outlines so free, carved by a single passion as by the chisel of a + sculptor, that IDEA concentrated on some experiment criminal or + scientific, that seeking Mind in quest of Nature, thwarted by her, bending + but never broken under the weight of its own audacity, which it would not + renounce, threatening creation with the fire it derived from it,—ah! + all that held me in a spell for the time being. I saw before me an old man + who was more of a king than I, for his glance embraced the world and + mastered it. I will forge swords no longer; I will soar above the abysses + of existence, like that man; for his science, methinks, is true royalty! + Yes, I believe in occult science.” + </p> + <p> + “You, the eldest son, the defender of the Holy Catholic, Apostolic, and + Roman Church?” said Marie. + </p> + <h3> + “I.” + </h3> + <p> + “What happened to you? Go on, go on; I will fear for you, and you will + have courage for me.” + </p> + <p> + “Looking at a clock, the old man rose,” continued the king. “He went out, + I don’t know where; but I heard the window on the side toward the rue + Saint-Honore open. Soon a brilliant light gleamed out upon the darkness; + then I saw in the observatory of the hotel de Soissons another light + replying to that of the old man, and by it I beheld the figure of Cosmo + Ruggiero on the tower. ‘See, they communicate!’ I said to Tavannes, who + from that moment thought the matter frightfully suspicious, and agreed + with me that we ought to seize the two men and search, incontinently, + their accursed workshop. But before proceeding to do so, we wanted to see + what was going to happen. After about fifteen minutes the door opened, and + Cosmo Ruggiero, my mother’s counsellor,—the bottomless pit which + holds the secrets of the court, he from whom all women ask help against + their husbands and lovers, and all the men ask help against their + unfaithful wives and mistresses, he who traffics on the future as on the + past, receiving pay with both hands, who sells horoscopes and is supposed + to know all things,—that semi-devil came in, saying to the old man, + ‘Good-day to you, brother.’ With him he brought a hideous old woman,—toothless, + humpbacked, twisted, bent, like a Chinese image, only worse. She was + wrinkled as a withered apple; her skin was saffron-colored; her chin bit + her nose; her mouth was a mere line scarcely visible; her eyes were like + the black spots on a dice; her forehead emitted bitterness; her hair + escaped in straggling gray locks from a dirty coif; she walked with a + crutch; she smelt of heresy and witchcraft. The sight of her actually + frightened us, Tavannes and me! We didn’t think her a natural woman. God + never made a woman so fearful as that. She sat down on a stool near the + pretty snake with whom Tavannes was in love. The two brothers paid no + attention to the old woman nor to the young woman, who together made a + horrible couple,—on the one side life in death, on the other death + in life—” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! my sweet poet!” cried Marie, kissing the king. + </p> + <p> + “‘Good-day, Cosmo,’ replied the old alchemist. And they both looked into + the furnace. ‘What strength has the moon to-day?’ asked the elder. ‘But, + <i>caro Lorenzo</i>,’ replied my mother’s astrologer, ‘the September tides + are not yet over; we can learn nothing while that disorder lasts.’ ‘What + says the East to-night?’ ‘It discloses in the air a creative force which + returns to earth all that earth takes from it. The conclusion is that all + things here below are the product of a slow transformation, but that all + diversities are the forms of one and the same substance.’ ‘That is what my + predecessor thought,’ replied Lorenzo. ‘This morning Bernard Palissy told + me that metals were the result of compression, and that fire, which + divides all, also unites all; fire has the power to compress as well as to + separate. That man has genius.’ Though I was placed where it was + impossible for them to see me, Cosmo said, lifting the hand of the dead + girl: ‘Some one is near us! Who is it’ ‘The king,’ she answered. I at once + showed myself and rapped on the window. Ruggiero opened it, and I sprang + into that hellish kitchen, followed by Tavannes. ‘Yes, the king,’ I said + to the two Florentines, who seemed terrified. ‘In spite of your furnaces + and your books, your sciences and your sorceries, you did not foresee my + visit. I am very glad to meet the famous Lorenzo Ruggiero, of whom my + mother speaks mysteriously,’ I said, addressing the old man, who rose and + bowed. ‘You are in this kingdom without my consent, my good man. For whom + are you working here, you whose ancestors from father to son have been + devoted in heart to the house of Medici? Listen to me! You dive into so + many purses that by this time, if you are grasping men, you have piled up + gold. You are too shrewd and cautious to cast yourselves imprudently into + criminal actions; but, nevertheless, you are not here in this kitchen + without a purpose. Yes, you have some secret scheme, you who are satisfied + neither by gold nor power. Whom do you serve,—God or the devil? What + are you concocting here? I choose to know the whole truth; I am a man who + can hear it and keep silence about your enterprise, however blamable it + maybe. Therefore you will tell me all, without reserve. If you deceive me + you will be treated severely. Pagans or Christians, Calvinists or + Mohammedans, you have my royal word that you shall leave the kingdom in + safety if you have any misdemeanors to relate. I shall leave you for the + rest of the night and the forenoon of to-morrow to examine your thoughts; + for you are now my prisoners, and you will at once follow me to a place + where you will be guarded carefully.’ Before obeying me the two Italians + consulted each other by a subtle glance; then Lorenzo Ruggiero said I + might be assured that no torture could wring their secrets from them; that + in spite of their apparent feebleness neither pain nor human feelings had + any power of them; confidence alone could make their mouth say what their + mind contained. I must not, he said, be surprised if they treated as + equals with a king who recognized God only as above him, for their + thoughts came from God alone. They therefore claimed from me as much + confidence and trust as they should give to me. But before engaging + themselves to answer me without reserve they must request me to put my + left hand into that of the young girl lying there, and my right into that + of the old woman. Not wishing them to think I was afraid of their sorcery, + I held out my hands; Lorenzo took the right, Cosmo the left, and each + placed a hand in that of each woman, so that I was like Jesus Christ + between the two thieves. During the time that the two witches were + examining my hands Cosmo held a mirror before me and asked me to look into + it; his brother, meanwhile, was talking with the two women in a language + unknown to me. Neither Tavannes nor I could catch the meaning of a single + sentence. Before bringing the men here we put seals on all the outlets of + the laboratory, which Tavannes undertook to guard until such time as, by + my express orders, Bernard Palissy, and Chapelain, my physician, could be + brought there to examine thoroughly the drugs the place contained and + which were evidently made there. In order to keep the Ruggieri ignorant of + this search, and to prevent them from communicating with a single soul + outside, I put the two devils in your lower rooms in charge of Solern’s + Germans, who are better than the walls of a jail. Rene, the perfumer, is + kept under guard in his own house by Solern’s equerry, and so are the two + witches. Now, my sweetest, inasmuch as I hold the keys of the whole cabal,—the + kings of Thune, the chiefs of sorcery, the gypsy fortune-tellers, the + masters of the future, the heirs of all past soothsayers,—I intend + by their means to read <i>you</i>, to know your heart; and, together, we + will find out what is to happen to us.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall be glad if they can lay my heart bare before you,” said Marie, + without the slightest fear. + </p> + <p> + “I know why sorcerers don’t frighten you,—because you are a witch + yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “Will you have a peach?” she said, offering him some delicious fruit on a + gold plate. “See these grapes, these pears; I went to Vincennes myself and + gathered them for you.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I’ll eat them; there is no poison there except a philter from your + hands.” + </p> + <p> + “You ought to eat a great deal of fruit, Charles; it would cool your + blood, which you heat by such excitements.” + </p> + <p> + “Must I love you less?” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps so,” she said. “If the things you love injure you—and I + have feared it—I shall find strength in my heart to refuse them. I + adore Charles more than I love the king; I want the man to live, released + from the tortures that make him grieve.” + </p> + <p> + “Royalty has ruined me.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she replied. “If you were only a poor prince, like your + brother-in-law of Navarre, without a penny, possessing only a miserable + little kingdom in Spain where he never sets his foot, and Bearn in France + which doesn’t give him revenue enough to feed him, I should be happy, much + happier than if I were really Queen of France.” + </p> + <p> + “But you are more than the Queen of France. She has King Charles for the + sake of the kingdom only; royal marriages are only politics.” + </p> + <p> + Marie smiled and made a pretty little grimace as she said: “Yes, yes, I + know that, sire. And my sonnet, have you written it?” + </p> + <p> + “Dearest, verses are as difficult to write as treaties of peace; but you + shall have them soon. Ah, me! life is so easy here, I wish I might never + leave you. However, we must send for those Italians and question them. <i>Tete-Dieu</i>! + I thought one Ruggiero in the kingdom was one too many, but it seems there + are two. Now listen, my precious; you don’t lack sense, you would make an + excellent lieutenant of police, for you can penetrate things—” + </p> + <p> + “But, sire, we women suppose all we fear, and we turn what is probable + into truths; that is the whole of our art in a nutshell.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, help me to sound these men. Just now all my plans depend on the + result of their examination. Are they innocent? Are they guilty? My mother + is behind them.” + </p> + <p> + “I hear Jacob’s voice in the next room,” said Marie. + </p> + <p> + Jacob was the favorite valet of the king, and the one who accompanied him + on all his private excursions. He now came to ask if it was the king’s + good pleasure to speak to the two prisoners. The king made a sign in the + affirmative, and the mistress of the house gave her orders. + </p> + <p> + “Jacob,” she said, “clear the house of everybody, except the nurse and + Monsieur le Dauphin d’Auvergne, who may remain. As for you, stay in the + lower hall; but first, close the windows, draw the curtains of the salon, + and light the candles.” + </p> + <p> + The king’s impatience was so great that while these preparations were + being made he sat down upon a raised seat at the corner of a lofty + fireplace of white marble in which a bright fire was blazing, placing his + pretty mistress by his side. His portrait, framed in velvet, was over the + mantle in place of a mirror. Charles IX. rested his elbow on the arm of + the seat as if to watch the two Florentines the better under cover of his + hand. + </p> + <p> + The shutters closed, and the curtains drawn, Jacob lighted the wax tapers + in a tall candelabrum of chiselled silver, which he placed on the table + where the Florentines were to stand,—an object, by the bye, which + they would readily recognize as the work of their compatriot, Benvenuto + Cellini. The richness of the room, decorated in the taste of Charles IX., + now shone forth. The red-brown of the tapestries showed to better + advantage than by daylight. The various articles of furniture, delicately + made or carved, reflected in their ebony panels the glow of the fire and + the sparkle of the lights. Gilding, soberly applied, shone here and there + like eyes, brightening the brown color which prevailed in this nest of + love. + </p> + <p> + Jacob presently gave two knocks, and, receiving permission, ushered in the + Italians. Marie Touchet was instantly affected by the grandeur of + Lorenzo’s presence, which struck all those who met him, great and small + alike. The silvery whiteness of the old man’s beard was heightened by a + robe of black velvet; his brow was like a marble dome. His austere face, + illumined by two black eyes which cast a pointed flame, conveyed an + impression of genius issuing from solitude, and all the more effective + because its power had not been dulled by contact with men. It was like the + steel of a blade that had never been fleshed. + </p> + <p> + As for Cosmo Ruggiero, he wore the dress of a courtier of the time. Marie + made a sign to the king to assure him that he had not exaggerated his + description, and to thank him for having shown her these extraordinary + men. + </p> + <p> + “I would like to have seen the sorceresses, too,” she whispered in his + ear. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0024" id="link2H_4_0024"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + V. THE ALCHEMISTS + </h2> + <p> + Again absorbed in thought, Charles IX. made her no answer; he was idly + flicking crumbs of bread from his doublet and breeches. + </p> + <p> + “Your science cannot change the heavens or make the sun to shine, + messieurs,” he said at last, pointing to the curtains which the gray + atmosphere of Paris darkened. + </p> + <p> + “Our science can make the skies what we like, sire,” replied Lorenzo + Ruggiero. “The weather is always fine for those who work in a laboratory + by the light of a furnace.” + </p> + <p> + “That is true,” said the king. “Well, father,” he added, using an + expression familiar to him when addressing old men, “explain to us clearly + the object of your studies.” + </p> + <p> + “What will guarantee our safety?” + </p> + <p> + “The word of a king,” replied Charles IX., whose curiosity was keenly + excited by the question. + </p> + <p> + Lorenzo Ruggiero seemed to hesitate, and Charles IX. cried out: “What + hinders you? We are here alone.” + </p> + <p> + “But is the King of France here?” asked Lorenzo. + </p> + <p> + Charles reflected an instant, and then answered, “No.” + </p> + <p> + The imposing old man then took a chair, and seated himself. Cosmo, + astonished at this boldness, dared not imitate it. + </p> + <p> + Charles IX. remarked, with cutting sarcasm: “The king is not here, + monsieur, but a lady is, whose permission it was your duty to await.” + </p> + <p> + “He whom you see before you, madame,” said the old man, “is as far above + kings as kings are above their subjects; you will think me courteous when + you know my powers.” + </p> + <p> + Hearing these audacious words, with Italian emphasis, Charles and Marie + looked at each other, and also at Cosmo, who, with his eyes fixed on his + brother, seemed to be asking himself: “How does he intend to get us out of + the danger in which we are?” + </p> + <p> + In fact, there was but one person present who could understand the + boldness and the art of Lorenzo Ruggiero’s first step; and that person was + neither the king nor his young mistress, on whom that great seer had + already flung the spell of his audacity,—it was Cosmo Ruggiero, his + wily brother. Though superior himself to the ablest men at court, perhaps + even to Catherine de’ Medici herself, the astrologer always recognized his + brother Lorenzo as his master. + </p> + <p> + Buried in studious solitude, the old savant weighed and estimated + sovereigns, most of whom were worn out by the perpetual turmoil of + politics, the crises of which at this period came so suddenly and were so + keen, so intense, so unexpected. He knew their ennui, their lassitude, + their disgust with things about them; he knew the ardor with which they + sought what seemed to them new or strange or fantastic; above all, how + they loved to enter some unknown intellectual region to escape their + endless struggle with men and events. To those who have exhausted + statecraft, nothing remains but the realm of pure thought. Charles the + Fifth proved this by his abdication. Charles IX., who wrote sonnets and + forged blades to escape the exhausting cares of an age in which both + throne and king were threatened, to whom royalty had brought only cares + and never pleasures, was likely to be roused to a high pitch of interest + by the bold denial of his power thus uttered by Lorenzo. Religious doubt + was not surprising in an age when Catholicism was so violently arraigned; + but the upsetting of all religion, given as the basis of a strange, + mysterious art, would surely strike the king’s mind, and drag it from its + present preoccupations. The essential thing for the two brothers was to + make the king forget his suspicions by turning his mind to new ideas. + </p> + <p> + The Ruggieri were well aware that their stake in this game was their own + life, and the glances, so humble, and yet so proud, which they exchanged + with the searching, suspicious eyes of Marie and the king, were a scene in + themselves. + </p> + <p> + “Sire,” said Lorenzo Ruggiero, “you have asked me for the truth; but, to + show the truth in all her nakedness, I must also show you and make you + sound the depths of the well from which she comes. I appeal to the + gentleman and the poet to pardon words which the eldest son of the Church + might take for blasphemy,—I believe that God does not concern + himself with human affairs.” + </p> + <p> + Though determined to maintain a kingly composure, Charles IX. could not + repress a motion of surprise. + </p> + <p> + “Without that conviction I should have no faith whatever in the miraculous + work to which my life is devoted. To do that work I must have this belief; + and if the finger of God guides all things, then—I am a madman. + Therefore, let the king understand, once for all, that this work means a + victory to be won over the present course of Nature. I am an alchemist, + sire. But do not think, as the common-minded do, that I seek to make gold. + The making of gold is not the object but an incident of our researches; + otherwise our toil could not be called the GREAT WORK. The Great Work is + something far loftier than that. If, therefore, I were forced to admit the + presence of God in matter, my voice must logically command the extinction + of furnaces kept burning throughout the ages. But to deny the direct + action of God in the world is not to deny God; do not make that mistake. + We place the Creator of all things far higher than the sphere to which + religions have degraded Him. Do not accuse of atheism those who look for + immortality. Like Lucifer, we are jealous of our God; and jealousy means + love. Though the doctrine of which I speak is the basis of our work, all + our disciples are not imbued with it. Cosmo,” said the old man, pointing + to his brother, “Cosmo is devout; he pays for masses for the repose of our + father’s soul, and he goes to hear them. Your mother’s astrologer believes + in the divinity of Christ, in the Immaculate Conception, in + Transubstantiation; he believes also in the Pope’s indulgences and in + hell, and in a multitude of such things. His hour has not yet come. I have + drawn his horoscope; he will live to be almost a centenarian; he will live + through two more reigns, and he will see two kings of France + assassinated.” + </p> + <p> + “Who are they?” asked the king. + </p> + <p> + “The last of the Valois and the first of the Bourbons,” replied Lorenzo. + “But Cosmo shares my opinion. It is impossible to be an alchemist and a + Catholic, to have faith in the despotism of man over matter, and also in + the sovereignty of the divine.” + </p> + <p> + “Cosmo to die a centenarian!” exclaimed the king, with his terrible frown + of the eyebrows. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sire,” replied Lorenzo, with authority; “and he will die peaceably + in his bed.” + </p> + <p> + “If you have power to foresee the moment of your death, why are you + ignorant of the outcome of your researches?” asked the king. + </p> + <p> + Charles IX. smiled as he said this, looking triumphantly at Marie Touchet. + The brothers exchanged a rapid glance of satisfaction. + </p> + <p> + “He begins to be interested,” thought they. “We are saved!” + </p> + <p> + “Our prognostics depend on the immediate relations which exist at the time + between man and Nature; but our purpose itself is to change those + relations entirely,” replied Lorenzo. + </p> + <p> + The king was thoughtful. + </p> + <p> + “But, if you are certain of dying you are certain of defeat,” he said, at + last. + </p> + <p> + “Like our predecessors,” replied Lorenzo, raising his hand and letting it + fall again with an emphatic and solemn gesture, which presented visibly + the grandeur of his thought. “But your mind has bounded to the confines of + the matter, sire; we must return upon our steps. If you do not know the + ground on which our edifice is built, you may well think it doomed to + crumble with our lives, and so judge the Science cultivated from century + to century by the greatest among men, as the common herd judge of it.” + </p> + <p> + The king made a sign of assent. + </p> + <p> + “I think,” continued Lorenzo, “that this earth belongs to man; he is the + master of it, and he can appropriate to his use all forces and all + substances. Man is not a creation issuing directly from the hand of God; + but the development of a principle sown broadcast into the infinite of + ether, from which millions of creatures are produced,—differing + beings in different worlds, because the conditions surrounding life are + varied. Yes, sire, the subtle element which we call <i>life</i> takes its + rise beyond the visible worlds; creation divides that principle according + to the centres into which it flows; and all beings, even the lowest, share + it, taking so much as they can take of it at their own risk and peril. It + is for them to protect themselves from death,—the whole purpose of + alchemy lies there, sire. If man, the most perfect animal on this globe, + bore within himself a portion of the divine, he would not die; but he does + die. To solve this difficulty, Socrates and his school invented the Soul. + I, the successor of so many great and unknown kings, the rulers of this + science, I stand for the ancient theories, not the new. I believe in the + transformations of matter which I see, and not in the possible eternity of + a soul which I do not see. I do not recognize that world of the soul. If + such a world existed, the substances whose magnificent conjunction + produced your body, and are so dazzling in that of Madame, would not + resolve themselves after your death each into its own element, water to + water, fire to fire, metal to metal, just as the elements of my coal, when + burned, return to their primitive molecules. If you believe that a certain + part of us survives, <i>we</i> do not survive; for all that makes our + actual being perishes. Now, it is this actual being that I am striving to + continue beyond the limit assigned to life; it is our present + transformation to which I wish to give a greater duration. Why! the trees + live for centuries, but man lives only years, though the former are + passive, the others active; the first motionless and speechless, the + others gifted with language and motion. No created thing should be + superior in this world to man, either in power or in duration. Already we + are widening our perceptions, for we look into the stars; therefore we + ought to be able to lengthen the duration of our lives. I place life + before power. What good is power if life escapes us? A wise man should + have no other purpose than to seek, not whether he has some other life + within him, but the secret springs of his actual form, in order that he + may prolong its existence at his will. That is the desire which has + whitened my hair; but I walk boldly in the darkness, marshalling to the + search all those great intellects that share my faith. Life will some day + be ours,—ours to control.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! but how?” cried the king, rising hastily. + </p> + <p> + “The first condition of our faith being that the earth belongs to man, you + must grant me that point,” said Lorenzo. + </p> + <p> + “So be it!” said Charles de Valois, already under the spell. + </p> + <p> + “Then, sire, if we take God out of this world, what remains? Man. Let us + therefore examine our domain. The material world is composed of elements; + these elements are themselves principles; these principles resolve + themselves into an ultimate principle, endowed with motion. The number + THREE is the formula of creation: Matter, Motion, Product.” + </p> + <p> + “Stop!” cried the king, “what proof is there of this?” + </p> + <p> + “Do you not see the effects?” replied Lorenzo. “We have tried in our + crucibles the acorn which produces the oak, and the embryo from which + grows a man; from this tiny substance results a single principle, to which + some force, some movement must be given. Since there is no overruling + creator, this principle must give to itself the outward forms which + constitute our world—for this phenomenon of life is the same + everywhere. Yes, for metals as for human beings, for plants as for men, + life begins in an imperceptible embryo which develops itself. A primitive + principle exists; let us seize it at the point where it begins to act upon + itself, where it is a unit, where it is a principle before taking definite + form, a cause before being an effect; we must see it single, without form, + susceptible of clothing itself with all the outward forms we shall see it + take. When we are face to face with this atomic particle, when we shall + have caught its movement at the very instant of motion, <i>then</i> we + shall know the law; thenceforth we are the masters of life, masters who + can impose upon that principle the form we choose,—with gold to win + the world, and the power to make for ourselves centuries of life in which + to enjoy it! That is what my people and I are seeking. All our strength, + all our thoughts are strained in that direction; nothing distracts us from + it. One hour wasted on any other passion is a theft committed against our + true grandeur. Just as you have never found your hounds relinquishing the + hunted animal or failing to be in at the death, so I have never seen one + of my patient disciples diverted from this great quest by the love of + woman or a selfish thought. If an adept seeks power and wealth, the desire + is instigated by our needs; he grasps treasure as a thirsty dog laps water + while he swims a stream, because his crucibles are in need of a diamond to + melt or an ingot of gold to reduce to powder. To each his own work. One + seeks the secret of vegetable nature; he watches the slow life of plants; + he notes the parity of motion among all the species, and the parity of + their nutrition; he finds everywhere the need of sun and air and water, to + fecundate and nourish them. Another scrutinizes the blood of animals. A + third studies the laws of universal motion and its connection with + celestial revolutions. Nearly all are eager to struggle with the + intractable nature of metal, for while we find many principles in other + things, we find all metals like unto themselves in every particular. Hence + a common error as to our work. Behold these patient, indefatigable + athletes, ever vanquished, yet ever returning to the combat! Humanity, + sire, is behind us, as the huntsman is behind your hounds. She cries to + us: ‘Make haste! neglect nothing! sacrifice all, even a man, ye who + sacrifice yourselves! Hasten! hasten! Beat down the arms of DEATH, mine + enemy!’ Yes, sire, we are inspired by a hope which involves the happiness + of all coming generations. We have buried many men—and what men!—dying + of this Search. Setting foot in this career we cannot work for ourselves; + we may die without discovering the Secret; and our death is that of those + who do not believe in another life; it is this life that we have sought, + and failed to perpetuate. We are glorious martyrs; we have the welfare of + the race at heart; we have failed but we live again in our successors. As + we go through this existence we discover secrets with which we endow the + liberal and the mechanical arts. From our furnaces gleam lights which + illumine industrial enterprises, and perfect them. Gunpowder issued from + our alembics; nay, we have mastered the lightning. In our persistent + vigils lie political revolutions.” + </p> + <p> + “Can this be true?” cried the king, springing once more from his chair. + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” said the grand-master of the new Templars. “<i>Tradidit mundum + disputationibus</i>! God has given us the earth. Hear this once more: man + is master here below; matter is his; all forces, all means are at his + disposal. Who created us? Motion. What power maintains life in us? Motion. + Why cannot science seize the secret of that motion? Nothing is lost here + below; nothing escapes from our planet to go elsewhere,—otherwise + the stars would stumble over each other; the waters of the deluge are + still with us in their principle, and not a drop is lost. Around us, above + us, beneath us, are to be found the elements from which have come + innumerable hosts of men who have crowded the earth before and since the + deluge. What is the secret of our struggle? To discover the force that + disunites, and then, <i>then</i> we shall discover that which binds. We + are the product of a visible manufacture. When the waters covered the + globe men issued from them who found the elements of their life in the + crust of the earth, in the air, and in the nourishment derived from them. + Earth and air possess, therefore, the principle of human transformations; + those transformations take place under our eyes, by means of that which is + also under our eyes. We are able, therefore, to discover that secret,—not + limiting the effort of the search to one man or to one age, but devoting + humanity in its duration to it. We are engaged, hand to hand, in a + struggle with Matter, into whose secret, I, the grand-master of our order, + seek to penetrate. Christophe Columbus gave a world to the King of Spain; + I seek an ever-living people for the King of France. Standing on the + confines which separate us from a knowledge of material things, a patient + observer of atoms, I destroy forms, I dissolve the bonds of combinations; + I imitate death that I may learn how to imitate life. I strike incessantly + at the door of creation, and I shall continue so to strike until the day + of my death. When I am dead the knocker will pass into other hands equally + persistent with those of the mighty men who handed it to me. Fabulous and + uncomprehended beings, like Prometheus, Ixion, Adonis, Pan, and others, + who have entered into the religious beliefs of all countries and all ages, + prove to the world that the hopes we now embody were born with the human + races. Chaldea, India, Persia, Egypt, Greece, the Moors, have transmitted + from one to another Magic, the highest of all the occult sciences, which + holds within it, as a precious deposit the fruits of the studies of each + generation. In it lay the tie that bound the grand and majestic + institution of the Templars. Sire, when one of your predecessors burned + the Templars, he burned men only,—their Secret lived. The + reconstruction of the Temple is a vow of an unknown nation, a race of + daring seekers, whose faces are turned to the Orient of <i>life</i>,—all + brothers, all inseparable, all united by one idea, and stamped with the + mark of toil. I am the sovereign leader of that people, sovereign by + election, not by birth. I guide them onward to a knowledge of the essence + of life. Grand-master, Red-Cross-bearers, companions, adepts, we forever + follow the imperceptible molecule which still escapes our eyes. But soon + we shall make ourselves eyes more powerful than those which Nature has + given us; we shall attain to a sight of the primitive atom, the + corpuscular element so persistently sought by the wise and learned of all + ages who have preceded us in the glorious search. Sire, when a man is + astride of that abyss, when he commands bold divers like my disciples, all + other human interests are as nothing. Therefore we are not dangerous. + Religious disputes and political struggles are far away from us; we have + passed beyond and above them. No man takes others by the throat when his + whole strength is given to a struggle with Nature. Besides, in our science + results are perceivable; we can measure effects and predict them; whereas + all things are uncertain and vacillating in the struggles of men and their + selfish interests. We decompose the diamond in our crucibles, and we shall + make diamonds, we shall make gold! We shall impel vessels (as they have at + Barcelona) with fire and a little water! We test the wind, and we shall + make wind; we shall make light; we shall renew the face of empires with + new industries! But we shall never debase ourselves to mount a throne to + be crucified by the peoples!” + </p> + <p> + In spite of his strong determination not to be taken in by Italian wiles, + the king, together with his gentle mistress, was already caught and snared + by the ambiguous phrases and doublings of this pompous and humbugging + loquacity. The eyes of the two lovers showed how their minds were dazzled + by the mysterious riches of power thus displayed; they saw, as it were, a + series of subterranean caverns filled with gnomes at their toil. The + impatience of their curiosity put to flight all suspicion. + </p> + <p> + “But,” cried the king, “if this be so, you are great statesmen who can + enlighten us.” + </p> + <p> + “No, sire,” said Lorenzo, naively. + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” asked the king. + </p> + <p> + “Sire, it is not given to any man to foresee what will happen when + thousands of men are gathered together. We can tell what one man will do, + how long he will live, whether he will be happy or unhappy; but we cannot + tell what a collection of wills may do; and to calculate the oscillations + of their selfish interests is more difficult still, for interests are men + <i>plus</i> things. We can, in solitude, see the future as a whole, and + that is all. The Protestantism that now torments you will be destroyed in + turn by its material consequences, which will turn to theories in due + time. Europe is at the present moment getting the better of religion; + to-morrow it will attack royalty.” + </p> + <p> + “Then the Saint-Bartholomew was a great conception?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sire; for if the people triumph it will have a Saint-Bartholomew of + its own. When religion and royalty are destroyed the people will attack + the nobles; after the nobles, the rich. When Europe has become a mere + troop of men without consistence or stability, because without leaders, it + will fall a prey to brutal conquerors. Twenty times already has the world + seen that sight, and Europe is now preparing to renew it. Ideas consume + the ages as passions consume men. When man is cured, humanity may possibly + cure itself. Science is the essence of humanity, and we are its pontiffs; + whoso concerns himself about the essence cares little about the individual + life.” + </p> + <p> + “To what have you attained, so far?” asked the king. + </p> + <p> + “We advance slowly; but we lose nothing that we have won.” + </p> + <p> + “Then you are the king of sorcerers?” retorted the king, piqued at being + of no account in the presence of this man. + </p> + <p> + The majestic grand-master of the Rosicrucians cast a look on Charles IX. + which withered him. + </p> + <p> + “You are the king of men,” he said; “I am the king of ideas. If we were + sorcerers, you would already have burned us. We have had our martyrs.” + </p> + <p> + “But by what means are you able to cast nativities?” persisted the king. + “How did you know that the man who came to your window last night was King + of France? What power authorized one of you to tell my mother the fate of + her three sons? Can you, grand-master of an art which claims to mould the + world, can you tell me what my mother is planning at this moment?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sire.” + </p> + <p> + This answer was given before Cosmo could pull his brother’s robe to enjoin + silence. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know why my brother, the King of Poland, has returned?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sire.” + </p> + <p> + “Why?” + </p> + <p> + “To take your place.” + </p> + <p> + “Our most cruel enemies are our nearest in blood!” exclaimed the king, + violently, rising and walking about the room with hasty steps. “Kings have + neither brothers, nor sons, nor mothers. Coligny was right; my murderers + are not among the Huguenots, but in the Louvre. You are either imposters + or regicides!—Jacob, call Solern.” + </p> + <p> + “Sire,” said Marie Touchet, “the Ruggieri have your word as a gentleman. + You wanted to taste of the fruit of the tree of knowledge; do not complain + of its bitterness.” + </p> + <p> + The king smiled, with an expression of bitter self-contempt; he thought + his material royalty petty in presence of the august intellectual royalty + of Lorenzo Ruggiero. Charles IX. knew that he could scarcely govern + France, but this grand-master of Rosicrucians ruled a submissive and + intelligent world. + </p> + <p> + “Answer me truthfully; I pledge my word as a gentleman that your answer, + in case it confesses dreadful crimes, shall be as if it were never + uttered,” resumed the king. “Do you deal with poisons?” + </p> + <p> + “To discover that which gives life, we must also have full knowledge of + that which kills.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you possess the secret of many poisons?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sire,—in theory, but not in practice. We understand all + poisons, but do not use them.” + </p> + <p> + “Has my mother asked you for any?” said the king, breathlessly. + </p> + <p> + “Sire,” replied Lorenzo, “Queen Catherine is too able a woman to employ + such means. She knows that the sovereign who poisons dies by poison. The + Borgias, also Bianca Capello, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, are noted examples + of the dangers of that miserable resource. All things are known at courts; + there can be no concealment. It may be possible to kill a poor devil—and + what is the good of that?—but to aim at great men cannot be done + secretly. Who shot Coligny? It could only be you, or the queen-mother, or + the Guises. Not a soul is doubtful of that. Believe me, poison cannot be + twice used with impunity in statecraft. Princes have successors. As for + other men, if, like Luther, they are sovereigns through the power of + ideas, their doctrines are not killed by killing them. The queen is from + Florence; she knows that poison should never be used except as a weapon of + personal revenge. My brother, who has not been parted from her since her + arrival in France, knows the grief that Madame Diane caused your mother. + But she never thought of poisoning her, though she might easily have done + so. What could your father have said? Never had a woman a better right to + do it; and she could have done it with impunity; but Madame de Valentinois + still lives.” + </p> + <p> + “But what of those waxen images?” asked the king. + </p> + <p> + “Sire,” said Cosmo, “these things are so absolutely harmless that we lend + ourselves to the practice to satisfy blind passions, just as physicians + give bread pills to imaginary invalids. A disappointed woman fancies that + by stabbing the heart of a wax-figure she has brought misfortunes upon the + head of the man who has been unfaithful to her. What harm in that? + Besides, it is our revenue.” + </p> + <p> + “The Pope sells indulgences,” said Lorenzo Ruggiero, smiling. + </p> + <p> + “Has my mother practised these spells with waxen images?” + </p> + <p> + “What good would such harmless means be to one who has the actual power to + do all things?” + </p> + <p> + “Has Queen Catherine the power to save you at this moment?” inquired the + king, in a threatening manner. + </p> + <p> + “Sire, we are not in any danger,” replied Lorenzo, tranquilly. “I knew + before I came into this house that I should leave it safely, just as I + know that the king will be evilly disposed to my brother Cosmo a few weeks + hence. My brother may run some danger then, but he will escape it. If the + king reigns by the sword, he also reigns by justice,” added the old man, + alluding to the famous motto on a medal struck for Charles IX. + </p> + <p> + “You know all, and you know that I shall die soon, which is very well,” + said the king, hiding his anger under nervous impatience; “but how will my + brother die,—he whom you say is to be Henri III.?” + </p> + <p> + “By a violent death.” + </p> + <p> + “And the Duc d’Alencon?” + </p> + <p> + “He will not reign.” + </p> + <p> + “Then Henri de Bourbon will be king of France?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sire.” + </p> + <p> + “How will he die?” + </p> + <p> + “By a violent death.” + </p> + <p> + “When I am dead what will become of madame?” asked the king, motioning to + Marie Touchet. + </p> + <p> + “Madame de Belleville will marry, sire.” + </p> + <p> + “You are imposters!” cried Marie Touchet. “Send them away, sire.” + </p> + <p> + “Dearest, the Ruggieri have my word as a gentleman,” replied the king, + smiling. “Will madame have children?” he continued. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sire; and madame will live to be more than eighty years old.” + </p> + <p> + “Shall I order them to be hanged?” said the king to his mistress. “But + about my son, the Comte d’Auvergne?” he continued, going into the next + room to fetch the child. + </p> + <p> + “Why did you tell him I should marry?” said Marie to the two brothers, the + moment they were alone. + </p> + <p> + “Madame,” replied Lorenzo, with dignity, “the king bound us to tell the + truth, and we have told it.” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Is</i> that true?” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “As true as it is that the governor of the city of Orleans is madly in + love with you.” + </p> + <p> + “But I do not love him,” she cried. + </p> + <p> + “That is true, madame,” replied Lorenzo; “but your horoscope declares that + you will marry the man who is in love with you at the present time.” + </p> + <p> + “Can you not lie a little for my sake?” she said smiling; “for if the king + believes your predictions—” + </p> + <p> + “Is it not also necessary that he should believe our innocence?” + interrupted Cosmo, with a wily glance at the young favorite. “The + precautions taken against us by the king have made us think during the + time we have spent in your charming jail that the occult sciences have + been traduced to him.” + </p> + <p> + “Do not feel uneasy,” replied Marie. “I know him; his suspicions are at an + end.” + </p> + <p> + “We are innocent,” said the grand-master of the Rosicrucians, proudly. + </p> + <p> + “So much the better for you,” said Marie, “for your laboratory, and your + retorts and phials are now being searched by order of the king.” + </p> + <p> + The brothers looked at each other smiling. Marie Touchet took that smile + for one of innocence, though it really signified: “Poor fools! can they + suppose that if we brew poisons, we do not hide them?” + </p> + <p> + “Where are the king’s searchers?” + </p> + <p> + “In Rene’s laboratory,” replied Marie. + </p> + <p> + Again the brothers glanced at each other with a look which said: “The + hotel de Soissons is inviolable.” + </p> + <p> + The king had so completely forgotten his suspicions that when, as he took + his boy in his arms, Jacob gave him a note from Chapelain, he opened it + with the certainty of finding in his physician’s report that nothing had + been discovered in the laboratory but what related exclusively to alchemy. + </p> + <p> + “Will he live a happy man?” asked the king, presenting his son to the two + alchemists. + </p> + <p> + “That is a question which concerns Cosmo,” replied Lorenzo, signing his + brother. + </p> + <p> + Cosmo took the tiny hand of the child, and examined it carefully. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” said Charles IX. to the old man, “if you find it necessary to + deny the existence of the soul in order to believe in the possibility of + your enterprise, will you explain to my why you should doubt what your + power does? Thought, which you seek to nullify, is the certainty, the + torch which lights your researches. Ha! ha! is not that the motion of a + spirit within you, while you deny such motion?” cried the king, pleased + with his argument, and looking triumphantly at his mistress. + </p> + <p> + “Thought,” replied Lorenzo Ruggiero, “is the exercise of an inward sense; + just as the faculty of seeing several objects and noticing their size and + color is an effect of sight. It has no connection with what people choose + to call another life. Thought is a faculty which ceases, with the forces + which produced it, when we cease to breathe.” + </p> + <p> + “You are logical,” said the king, surprised. “But alchemy must therefore + be an atheistical science.’ + </p> + <p> + “A materialist science, sire, which is a very different thing. Materialism + is the outcome of Indian doctrines, transmitted through the mysteries of + Isis to Chaldea and Egypt, and brought to Greece by Pythagoras, one of the + demigods of humanity. His doctrine of re-incarnation is the mathematics of + materialism, the vital law of its phases. To each of the different + creations which form the terrestrial creation belongs the power of + retarding the movement which sweeps on the rest.” + </p> + <p> + “Alchemy is the science of sciences!” cried Charles IX., enthusiastically. + “I want to see you at work.” + </p> + <p> + “Whenever it pleases you, sire; you cannot be more interested than Madame + the Queen-mother.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! so this is why she cares for you?” exclaimed the king. + </p> + <p> + “The house of Medici has secretly protected our Search for more than a + century.” + </p> + <p> + “Sire,” said Cosmo, “this child will live nearly a hundred years; he will + have trials; nevertheless, he will be happy and honored, because he has in + his veins the blood of the Valois.” + </p> + <p> + “I will go and see you in your laboratory, messieurs,” said the king, his + good-humor quite restored. “You may now go.” + </p> + <p> + The brothers bowed to Marie and to the king and then withdrew. They went + down the steps of the portico gravely, without looking or speaking to each + other; neither did they turn their faces to the windows as they crossed + the courtyard, feeling sure that the king’s eye watched them. But as they + passed sideways out of the gate into the street they looked back and saw + Charles IX. gazing after them from a window. When the alchemist and the + astrologer were safely in the rue de l’Autruche, they cast their eyes + before and behind them, to see if they were followed or overheard; then + they continued their way to the moat of the Louvre without uttering a + word. Once there, however, feeling themselves securely alone, Lorenzo said + to Cosmo, in the Tuscan Italian of that day:— + </p> + <p> + “Affe d’Iddio! how we have fooled him!” + </p> + <p> + “Much good may it do him; let him make what he can of it!” said Cosmo. “We + have given him a helping hand,—whether the queen pays it back to us + or not.” + </p> + <p> + Some days after this scene, which struck the king’s mistress as forcibly + as it did the king, Marie suddenly exclaimed, in one of those moments when + the soul seems, as it were, disengaged from the body in the plenitude of + happiness:— + </p> + <p> + “Charles, I understand Lorenzo Ruggiero; but did you observe that Cosmo + said nothing?” + </p> + <p> + “True,” said the king, struck by that sudden light. “After all, there was + as much falsehood as truth in what they said. Those Italians are as supple + as the silk they weave.” + </p> + <p> + This suspicion explains the rancor which the king showed against Cosmo + when the trial of La Mole and Coconnas took place a few weeks later. + Finding him one of the agents of that conspiracy, he thought the Italians + had tricked him; for it was proved that his mother’s astrologer was not + exclusively concerned with stars, the powder of projection, and the + primitive atom. Lorenzo had by that time left the kingdom. + </p> + <p> + In spite of the incredulity which most persons show in these matters, the + events which followed the scene we have narrated confirmed the predictions + of the Ruggieri. + </p> + <p> + The king died within three months. + </p> + <p> + Charles de Gondi followed Charles IX. to the grave, as had been foretold + to him jestingly by his brother the Marechal de Retz, a friend of the + Ruggieri, who believed in their predictions. + </p> + <p> + Marie Touchet married Charles de Balzac, Marquis d’Entragues, the governor + of Orleans, by whom she had two daughters. The most celebrated of these + daughters, the half-sister of the Comte d’Auvergne, was the mistress of + Henri IV., and it was she who endeavored, at the time of Biron’s + conspiracy, to put her brother on the throne of France by driving out the + Bourbons. + </p> + <p> + The Comte d’Auvergne, who became the Duc d’Angouleme, lived into the reign + of Louis XIV. He coined money on his estates and altered the inscriptions; + but Louis XIV. let him do as he pleased, out of respect for the blood of + the Valois. + </p> + <p> + Cosmo Ruggiero lived till the middle of the reign of Louis XIII.; he + witnessed the fall of the house of the Medici in France, also that of the + Concini. History has taken pains to record that he died an atheist, that + is, a materialist. + </p> + <p> + The Marquise d’Entragues was over eighty when she died. + </p> + <p> + The famous Comte de Saint-Germain, who made so much noise under Louis + XIV., was a pupil of Lorenzo and Cosmo Ruggiero. This celebrated alchemist + lived to be one hundred and thirty years old,—an age which some + biographers give to Marion de Lorme. He must have heard from the Ruggieri + the various incidents of the Saint-Bartholomew and of the reigns of the + Valois kings, which he afterwards recounted in the first person singular, + as though he had played a part in them. The Comte de Saint-Germain was the + last of the alchemists who knew how to clearly explain their science; but + he left no writings. The cabalistic doctrine presented in this Study is + that taught by this mysterious personage. + </p> + <p> + And here, behold a strange thing! Three lives, that of the old man from + whom I have obtained these facts, that of the Comte de Saint-Germain, and + that of Cosmo Ruggiero, suffice to cover the whole of European history + from Francois I. to Napoleon! Only fifty such lives are needed to reach + back to the first known period of the world. “What are fifty generations + for the study of the mysteries of life?” said the Comte de Saint-Germain. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_PART3" id="link2H_PART3"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + PART III + </h1> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0026" id="link2H_4_0026"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + I. TWO DREAMS + </h2> + <p> + In 1786 Bodard de Saint-James, treasurer of the navy, excited more + attention and gossip as to his luxury than any other financier in Paris. + At this period he was building his famous “Folie” at Neuilly, and his wife + had just bought a set of feathers to crown the tester of her bed, the + price of which had been too great for even the queen to pay. + </p> + <p> + Bodard owned the magnificent mansion in the place Vendome, which the <i>fermier-general</i>, + Dange, had lately been forced to leave. That celebrated epicurean was now + dead, and on the day of his interment his intimate friend, Monsieur de + Bievre, raised a laugh by saying that he “could now pass through the place + Vendome without <i>danger</i>.” This allusion to the hellish gambling + which went on in the dead man’s house, was his only funeral oration. The + house is opposite to the Chancellerie. + </p> + <p> + To end in a few words the history of Bodard,—he became a poor man, + having failed for fourteen millions after the bankruptcy of the Prince de + Guemenee. The stupidity he showed in not anticipating that “serenissime + disaster,” to use the expression of Lebrun Pindare, was the reason why no + notice was taken of his misfortunes. He died, like Bourvalais, Bouret, and + so many others, in a garret. + </p> + <p> + Madame Bodard de Saint-James was ambitious, and professed to receive none + but persons of quality at her house,—an old absurdity which is ever + new. To her thinking, even the parliamentary judges were of small account; + she wished for titled persons in her salons, or at all events, those who + had the right of entrance at court. To say that many <i>cordons bleus</i> + were seen at her house would be false; but it is quite certain that she + managed to obtain the good-will and civilities of several members of the + house of Rohan, as was proved later in the affair of the too celebrated + diamond necklace. + </p> + <p> + One evening—it was, I think, in August, 1786—I was much + surprised to meet in the salons of this lady, so exacting in the matter of + gentility, two new faces which struck me as belonging to men of inferior + social position. She came to me presently in the embrasure of a window + where I had ensconced myself. + </p> + <p> + “Tell me,” I said to her, with a glance toward one of the new-comers, “who + and what is that queer species? Why do you have that kind of thing here?” + </p> + <p> + “He is charming.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you see him through a prism of love, or am I blind?” + </p> + <p> + “You are not blind,” she said, laughing. “The man is as ugly as a + caterpillar; but he has done me the most immense service a woman can + receive from a man.” + </p> + <p> + As I looked at her rather maliciously she hastened to add: “He’s a + physician, and he has completely cured me of those odious red blotches + which spoiled my complexion and made me look like a peasant woman.” + </p> + <p> + I shrugged my shoulders with disgust. + </p> + <p> + “He is a charlatan.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” she said, “he is the surgeon of the court pages. He has a fine + intellect, I assure you; in fact, he is a writer, and a very learned man.” + </p> + <p> + “Heavens! if his style resembles his face!” I said scoffingly. “But who is + the other?” + </p> + <p> + “What other?” + </p> + <p> + “That spruce, affected little popinjay over there, who looks as if he had + been drinking verjuice.” + </p> + <p> + “He is a rather well-born man,” she replied; “just arrived from some + province, I forget which—oh! from Artois. He is sent here to + conclude an affair in which the Cardinal de Rohan is interested, and his + Eminence in person had just presented him to Monsieur de Saint-James. It + seems they have both chosen my husband as arbitrator. The provincial + didn’t show his wisdom in that; but fancy what simpletons the people who + sent him here must be to trust a case to a man of his sort! He is as meek + as a sheep and as timid as a girl. His Eminence is very kind to him.” + </p> + <p> + “What is the nature of the affair?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! a question of three hundred thousand francs.” + </p> + <p> + “Then the man is a lawyer?” I said, with a slight shrug. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she replied. + </p> + <p> + Somewhat confused by this humiliating avowal, Madame Bodard returned to + her place at a faro-table. + </p> + <p> + All the tables were full. I had nothing to do, no one to speak to, and I + had just lost two thousand crowns to Monsieur de Laval. I flung myself on + a sofa near the fireplace. Presently, if there was ever a man on earth + most utterly astonished it was I, when, on looking up, I saw, seated on + another sofa on the opposite side of the fireplace, Monsieur de Calonne, + the comptroller-general. He seemed to be dozing, or else he was buried in + one of those deep meditations which overtake statesmen. When I pointed out + the famous minister to Beaumarchais, who happened to come near me at that + moment, the father of Figaro explained the mystery of his presence in that + house without uttering a word. He pointed first at my head, then at + Bodard’s with a malicious gesture which consisted in turning to each of us + two fingers of his hand while he kept the others doubled up. My first + impulse was to rise and say something rousing to Calonne; then I paused, + first, because I thought of a trick I could play the statesman, and + secondly, because Beaumarchais caught me familiarly by the hand. + </p> + <p> + “Why do you do that, monsieur?” I said. + </p> + <p> + He winked at the comptroller. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t wake him,” he said in a low voice. “A man is happy when asleep.” + </p> + <p> + “Pray, is sleep a financial scheme?” I whispered. + </p> + <p> + “Indeed, yes!” said Calonne, who had guessed our words from the mere + motion of our lips. “Would to God we could sleep long, and then the + awakening you are about to see would never happen.” + </p> + <p> + “Monseigneur,” said the dramatist, “I must thank you—” + </p> + <p> + “For what?” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur de Mirabeau has started for Berlin. I don’t know whether we + might not both have drowned ourselves in that affair of ‘les Eaux.’” + </p> + <p> + “You have too much memory, and too little gratitude,” replied the + minister, annoyed at having one of his secrets divulged in my presence. + </p> + <p> + “Possibly,” said Beaumarchais, cut to the quick; “but I have millions that + can balance many a score.” + </p> + <p> + Calonne pretended not to hear. + </p> + <p> + It was long past midnight when the play ceased. Supper was announced. + There were ten of us at table: Bodard and his wife, Calonne, Beaumarchais, + the two strange men, two pretty women, whose names I will not give here, a + <i>fermier-general</i>, Lavoisier, and myself. Out of thirty guests who + were in the salon when I entered it, only these ten remained. The two <i>queer + species</i> did not consent to stay until they were urged to do so by + Madame Bodard, who probably thought she was paying her obligations to the + surgeon by giving him something to eat, and pleasing her husband (with + whom she appeared, I don’t precisely know why, to be coquetting) by + inviting the lawyer. + </p> + <p> + The supper began by being frightfully dull. The two strangers and the <i>fermier-general</i> + oppressed us. I made a sign to Beaumarchais to intoxicate the son of + Esculapius, who sat on his right, giving him to understand that I would do + the same by the lawyer, who was next to me. As there seemed no other way + to amuse ourselves, and it offered a chance to draw out the two men, who + were already sufficiently singular, Monsieur de Calonne smiled at our + project. The ladies present also shared in the bacchanal conspiracy, and + the wine of Sillery crowned our glasses again and again with its silvery + foam. The surgeon was easily managed; but at the second glass which I + offered to my neighbor the lawyer, he told me with the frigid politeness + of a usurer that he should drink no more. + </p> + <p> + At this instant Madame de Saint-James chanced to introduce, I scarcely + know how, the topic of the marvellous suppers to the Comte de Cagliostro, + given by the Cardinal de Rohan. My mind was not very attentive to what the + mistress of the house was saying, because I was watching with extreme + curiosity the pinched and livid face of my little neighbor, whose + principal feature was a turned-up and at the same time pointed nose, which + made him, at times, look very like a weasel. Suddenly his cheeks flushed + as he caught the words of a dispute between Madame de Saint-James and + Monsieur de Calonne. + </p> + <p> + “But I assure you, monsieur,” she was saying, with an imperious air, “that + I <i>saw</i> Cleopatra, the queen.” + </p> + <p> + “I can believe it, madame,” said my neighbor, “for I myself have spoken to + Catherine de’ Medici.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! oh!” exclaimed Monsieur de Calonne. + </p> + <p> + The words uttered by the little provincial were said in a voice of strange + sonorousness, if I may be permitted to borrow that expression from the + science of physics. This sudden clearness of intonation, coming from a man + who had hitherto scarcely spoken, and then in a low and modulated tone, + surprised all present exceedingly. + </p> + <p> + “Why, he is talking!” said the surgeon, who was now in a satisfactory + state of drunkenness, addressing Beaumarchais. + </p> + <p> + “His neighbor must have pulled his wires,” replied the satirist. + </p> + <p> + My man flushed again as he overheard the words, though they were said in a + low voice. + </p> + <p> + “And pray, how was the late queen?” asked Calonne, jestingly. + </p> + <p> + “I will not swear that the person with whom I supped last night at the + house of the Cardinal de Rohan was Catherine de’ Medici in person. That + miracle would justly seem impossible to Christians as well as to + philosophers,” said the little lawyer, resting the tips of his fingers on + the table, and leaning back in his chair as if preparing to make a speech. + “Nevertheless, I do assert that the woman I saw resembled Catherine de’ + Medici as closely as though they were twin-sisters. She was dressed in a + black velvet gown, precisely like that of the queen in the well-known + portrait which belongs to the king; on her head was the pointed velvet + coif, which is characteristic of her; and she had the wan complexion, and + the features we all know well. I could not help betraying my surprise to + his Eminence. The suddenness of the evocation seemed to me all the more + amazing because Monsieur de Cagliostro had been unable to divine the name + of the person with whom I wished to communicate. I was confounded. The + magical spectacle of a supper, where one of the illustrious women of past + times presented herself, took from me my presence of mind. I listened + without daring to question. When I roused myself about midnight from the + spell of that magic, I was inclined to doubt my senses. But even this + great marvel seemed natural in comparison with the singular hallucination + to which I was presently subjected. I don’t know in what words I can + describe to you the state of my senses. But I declare, in the sincerity of + my heart, I no longer wonder that souls have been found weak enough, or + strong enough, to believe in the mysteries of magic and in the power of + demons. For myself, until I am better informed, I regard as possible the + apparitions which Cardan and other thaumaturgists describe.” + </p> + <p> + These words, said with indescribable eloquence of tone, were of a nature + to rouse the curiosity of all present. We looked at the speaker and kept + silence; our eyes alone betrayed our interest, their pupils reflecting the + light of the wax-candles in the sconces. By dint of observing this unknown + little man, I fancied I could see the pores of his skin, especially those + of his forehead, emitting an inward sentiment with which he was saturated. + This man, apparently so cold and formal, seemed to contain within him a + burning altar, the flames of which beat down upon us. + </p> + <p> + “I do not know,” he continued, “if the Figure evoked followed me + invisibly, but no sooner had my head touched the pillow in my own chamber + than I saw once more that grand Shade of Catherine rise before me. I felt + myself, instinctively, in a luminous sphere, and my eyes, fastened upon + the queen with intolerable fixity, saw naught but her. Suddenly, she bent + toward me.” + </p> + <p> + At these words the ladies present made a unanimous movement of curiosity. + </p> + <p> + “But,” continued the lawyer, “I am not sure that I ought to relate what + happened, for though I am inclined to believe it was all a dream, it + concerns grave matters. + </p> + <p> + “Of religion?” asked Beaumarchais. + </p> + <p> + “If there is any impropriety,” remarked Calonne, “these ladies will excuse + it.” + </p> + <p> + “It relates to the government,” replied the lawyer. + </p> + <p> + “Go on, then,” said the minister; “Voltaire, Diderot, and their fellows + have already begun to tutor us on that subject.” + </p> + <p> + Calonne became very attentive, and his neighbor, Madame de Genlis, rather + anxious. The little provincial still hesitated, and Beaumarchais said to + him somewhat roughly:— + </p> + <p> + “Go on, <i>maitre</i>, go on! Don’t you know that when the laws allow but + little liberty the people seek their freedom in their morals?” + </p> + <p> + Thus adjured, the small man told his tale:— + </p> + <p> + “Whether it was that certain ideas were fermenting in my brain, or that + some strange power impelled me, I said to her: ‘Ah! madame, you committed + a very great crime.’ ‘What crime?’ she asked in a grave voice. ‘The crime + for which the signal was given from the clock of the palace on the 24th of + August,’ I answered. She smiled disdainfully, and a few deep wrinkles + appeared on her pallid cheeks. ‘You call that a crime which was only a + misfortune,’ she said. ‘The enterprise, being ill-managed, failed; the + benefit we expected for France, for Europe, for the Catholic Church was + lost. Impossible to foresee that. Our orders were ill executed; we did not + find as many Montlucs as we needed. Posterity will not hold us responsible + for the failure of communications, which deprived our work of the unity of + movement which is essential to all great strokes of policy; that was our + misfortune! If on the 25th of August not the shadow of a Huguenot had been + left in France, I should go down to the uttermost posterity as a noble + image of Providence. How many, many times have the clear-sighted souls of + Sixtus the Fifth, Richelieu, Bossuet, reproached me secretly for having + failed in that enterprise after having the boldness to conceive it! How + many and deep regrets for that failure attended my deathbed! Thirty years + after the Saint-Bartholomew the evil it might have cured was still in + existence. That failure caused ten times more blood to flow in France than + if the massacre of August 24th had been completed on the 26th. The + revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in honor of which you have struck + medals, has cost more tears, more blood, more money, and killed the + prosperity of France far more than three Saint-Bartholomews. Letellier + with his pen gave effect to a decree which the throne had secretly + promulgated since my time; but, though the vast execution was necessary of + the 25th of August, 1572, on the 25th of August, 1685, it was useless. + Under the second son of Henri de Valois heresy had scarcely conceived an + offspring; under the second son of Henri de Bourbon that teeming mother + had cast her spawn over the whole universe. You accuse me of a crime, and + you put up statues to the son of Anne of Austria! Nevertheless, he and I + attempted the same thing; he succeeded, I failed; but Louis XIV. found the + Protestants without arms, whereas in my reign they had powerful armies, + statesmen, warriors, and all Germany on their side.’ At these words, + slowly uttered, I felt an inward shudder pass through me. I fancied I + breathed the fumes of blood from I know not what great mass of victims. + Catherine was magnified. She stood before me like an evil genius; she + sought, it seemed to me, to enter my consciousness and abide there.” + </p> + <p> + “He dreamed all that,” whispered Beaumarchais; “he certainly never + invented it.” + </p> + <p> + “‘My reason is bewildered,’ I said to the queen. ‘You praise yourself for + an act which three generations of men have condemned, stigmatized, and—’ + ‘Add,’ she rejoined, ‘that historians have been more unjust toward me than + my contemporaries. None have defended me. I, rich and all-powerful, am + accused of ambition! I am taxed with cruelty,—I who have but two + deaths upon my conscience. Even to impartial minds I am still a problem. + Do you believe that I was actuated by hatred, that vengeance and fury were + the breath of my nostrils?’ She smiled with pity. ‘No,’ she continued, ‘I + was cold and calm as reason itself. I condemned the Huguenots without + pity, but without passion; they were the rotten fruit in my basket and I + cast them out. Had I been Queen of England, I should have treated + seditious Catholics in the same way. The life of our power in those days + depended on their being but one God, one Faith, one Master in the State. + Happily for me, I uttered my justification in one sentence which history + is transmitting. When Birago falsely announced to me the loss of the + battle of Dreux, I answered: “Well then; we will go to the Protestant + churches.” Did I hate the reformers? No, I esteemed them much, and I knew + them little. If I felt any aversion to the politicians of my time, it was + to that base Cardinal de Lorraine, and to his brother the shrewd and + brutal soldier who spied upon my every act. They were the real enemies of + my children; they sought to snatch the crown; I saw them daily at work and + they wore me out. If <i>we</i> had not ordered the Saint-Bartholomew, the + Guises would have done the same thing by the help of Rome and the monks. + The League, which was powerful only in consequence of my old age, would + have begun in 1573.’ ‘But, madame, instead of ordering that horrible + murder (pardon my plainness) why not have employed the vast resources of + your political power in giving to the Reformers those wise institutions + which made the reign of Henri IV. so glorious and so peaceful?’ She smiled + again and shrugged her shoulders, the hollow wrinkles of her pallid face + giving her an expression of the bitterest sarcasm. ‘The peoples,’ she + said, ‘need periods of rest after savage feuds; there lies the secret of + that reign. But Henri IV. committed two irreparable blunders. He ought + neither to have abjured Protestantism, nor, after becoming a Catholic + himself, should he have left France Catholic. He, alone, was in a position + to have changed the whole of France without a jar. Either not a stole, or + not a conventicle—that should have been his motto. To leave two + bitter enemies, two antagonistic principles in a government with nothing + to balance them, that is the crime of kings; it is thus that they sow + revolutions. To God alone belongs the right to keep good and evil + perpetually together in his work. But it may be,’ she said reflectively, + ‘that that sentence was inscribed on the foundation of Henri IV.‘s policy, + and it may have caused his death. It is impossible that Sully did not cast + covetous eyes on the vast wealth of the clergy,—which the clergy did + not possess in peace, for the nobles robbed them of at least two-thirds of + their revenue. Sully, the Reformer, himself owned abbeys.’ She paused, and + appeared to reflect. ‘But,’ she resumed, ‘remember you are asking the + niece of a Pope to justify her Catholicism.’ She stopped again. ‘And yet, + after all,’ she added with a gesture of some levity, ‘I should have made a + good Calvinist! Do the wise men of your century still think that religion + had anything to do with that struggle, the greatest which Europe has ever + seen?—a vast revolution, retarded by little causes which, however, + will not be prevented from overwhelming the world because I failed to + smother it; a revolution,’ she said, giving me a solemn look, ‘which is + still advancing, and which you might consummate. Yes, <i>you</i>, who hear + me!’ I shuddered. ‘What! has no one yet understood that the old interests + and the new interests seized Rome and Luther as mere banners? What! do + they not know Louis IX., to escape just such a struggle, dragged a + population a hundredfold more in number than I destroyed from their homes + and left their bones on the sands of Egypt, for which he was made a saint? + while I—But I,’ she added, ‘<i>failed</i>.’ She bowed her head and + was silent for some moments. I no longer beheld a queen, but rather one of + those ancient druidesses to whom human lives are sacrificed; who unroll + the pages of the future and exhume the teachings of the past. But soon she + uplifted her regal and majestic form. ‘Luther and Calvin,’ she said, ‘by + calling the attention of the burghers to the abuses of the Roman Church, + gave birth in Europe to a spirit of investigation which was certain to + lead the peoples to examine all things. Examination leads to doubt. + Instead of faith, which is necessary to all societies, those two men drew + after them, in the far distance, a strange philosophy, armed with hammers, + hungry for destruction. Science sprang, sparkling with her specious + lights, from the bosom of heresy. It was far less a question of reforming + a Church than of winning indefinite liberty for man—which is the + death of power. I saw that. The consequence of the successes won by the + religionists in their struggle against the priesthood (already better + armed and more formidable than the Crown) was the destruction of the + monarchical power raised by Louis IX. at such vast cost upon the ruins of + feudality. It involved, in fact, nothing less than the annihilation of + religion and royalty, on the ruins of which the whole burgher class of + Europe meant to stand. The struggle was therefore war without quarter + between the new ideas and the law,—that is, the old beliefs. The + Catholics were the emblem of the material interests of royalty, of the + great lords, and of the clergy. It was a duel to the death between two + giants; unfortunately, the Saint-Bartholomew proved to be only a wound. + Remember this: because a few drops of blood were spared at that opportune + moment, torrents were compelled to flow at a later period. The intellect + which soars above a nation cannot escape a great misfortune; I mean the + misfortune of finding no equals capable of judging it when it succumbs + beneath the weight of untoward events. My equals are few; fools are in the + majority: that statement explains it all. If my name is execrated in + France, the fault lies with the commonplace minds who form the mass of all + generations. In the great crises through which I passed, the duty of + reigning was not the mere giving of audiences, reviewing of troops, + signing of decrees. I may have committed mistakes, for I was but a woman. + But why was there then no man who rose above his age? The Duke of Alba had + a soul of iron; Philip II. was stupefied by Catholic belief; Henri IV. was + a gambling soldier and a libertine; the Admiral, a stubborn mule. Louis + XI. lived too soon, Richelieu too late. Virtuous or criminal, guilty or + not in the Saint-Bartholomew, I accept the onus of it; I stand between + those two great men,—the visible link of an unseen chain. The day + will come when some paradoxical writer will ask if the peoples have not + bestowed the title of executioner among their victims. It will not be the + first time that humanity has preferred to immolate a god rather than admit + its own guilt. You are shedding upon two hundred clowns, sacrificed for a + purpose, the tears you refuse to a generation, a century, a world! You + forget that political liberty, the tranquillity of a nation, nay, + knowledge itself, are gifts on which destiny has laid a tax of blood!’ + ‘But,’ I exclaimed, with tears in my eyes, ‘will the nations never be + happy at less cost?’ ‘Truth never leaves her well but to bathe in the + blood which refreshes her,’ she replied. ‘Christianity, itself the essence + of all truth, since it comes from God, was fed by the blood of martyrs, + which flowed in torrents; and shall it not ever flow? You will learn this, + you who are destined to be one of the builders of the social edifice + founded by the Apostles. So long as you level heads you will be applauded, + but take your trowel in hand, begin to reconstruct, and your fellows will + kill you.’ Blood! blood! the word sounded in my ears like a knell. + ‘According to you,’ I cried, ‘Protestantism has the right to reason as you + do!’ But Catherine had disappeared, as if some puff of air had suddenly + extinguished the supernatural light which enabled my mind to see that + Figure whose proportions had gradually become gigantic. And then, without + warning, I found within me a portion of myself which adopted the monstrous + doctrine delivered by the Italian. I woke, weeping, bathed in sweat, at + the moment when my reason told me firmly, in a gentle voice, that neither + kings nor nations had the right to apply such principles, fit only for a + world of atheists.” + </p> + <p> + “How would you save a falling monarchy?” asked Beaumarchais. + </p> + <p> + “God is present,” replied the little lawyer. + </p> + <p> + “Therefore,” remarked Monsieur de Calonne, with the inconceivable levity + which characterized him, “we have the agreeable resource of believing + ourselves the instruments of God, according to the Gospel of Bossuet.” + </p> + <p> + As soon as the ladies discovered that the tale related only to a + conversation between the queen and the lawyer, they had begun to whisper + and to show signs of impatience,—interjecting, now and then, little + phrases through his speech. “How wearisome he is!” “My dear, when will he + finish?” were among those which reached my ear. + </p> + <p> + When the strange little man had ceased speaking the ladies too were + silent; Monsieur Bodard was sound asleep; the surgeon, half drunk; + Monsieur de Calonne was smiling at the lady next him. Lavoisier, + Beaumarchais, and I alone had listened to the lawyer’s dream. The silence + at this moment had something solemn about it. The gleam of the candles + seemed to me magical. A sentiment bound all three of us by some mysterious + tie to that singular little man, who made me, strange to say, conceive, + suddenly, the inexplicable influences of fanaticism. Nothing less than the + hollow, cavernous voice of Beaumarchais’s neighbor, the surgeon, could, I + think, have roused me. + </p> + <p> + “I, too, have dreamed,” he said. + </p> + <p> + I looked at him more attentively, and a feeling of some strange horror + came over me. His livid skin, his features, huge and yet ignoble, gave an + exact idea of what you must allow me to call the <i>scum</i> of the earth. + A few bluish-black spots were scattered over his face, like bits of mud, + and his eyes shot forth an evil gleam. The face seemed, perhaps, darker, + more lowering than it was, because of the white hair piled like hoarfrost + on his head. + </p> + <p> + “That man must have buried many a patient,” I whispered to my neighbor the + lawyer. + </p> + <p> + “I wouldn’t trust him with my dog,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + “I hate him involuntarily.” + </p> + <p> + “For my part, I despise him.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps we are unjust,” I remarked. + </p> + <p> + “Ha! to-morrow he may be as famous as Volange the actor.” + </p> + <p> + Monsieur de Calonne here motioned us to look at the surgeon, with a + gesture that seemed to say: “I think he’ll be very amusing.” + </p> + <p> + “Did you dream of a queen?” asked Beaumarchais. + </p> + <p> + “No, I dreamed of a People,” replied the surgeon, with an emphasis which + made us laugh. “I was then in charge of a patient whose leg I was to + amputate the next day—” + </p> + <p> + “Did you find the People in the leg of your patient?” asked Monsieur de + Calonne. + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” replied the surgeon. + </p> + <p> + “How amusing!” cried Madame de Genlis. + </p> + <p> + “I was somewhat surprised,” went on the speaker, without noticing the + interruption, and sticking his hands into the gussets of his breeches, “to + hear something talking to me within that leg. I then found I had the + singular faculty of entering the being of my patient. Once within his skin + I saw a marvellous number of little creatures which moved, and thought, + and reasoned. Some of them lived in the body of the man, others lived in + his mind. His ideas were things which were born, and grew, and died; they + were sick and well, and gay, and sad; they all had special countenances; + they fought with each other, or they embraced each other. Some ideas + sprang forth and went to live in the world of intellect. I began to see + that there were two worlds, two universes,—the visible universe, and + the invisible universe; that the earth had, like man, a body and a soul. + Nature illumined herself for me; I felt her immensity when I saw the + oceans of beings who, in masses and in species, spread everywhere, making + one sole and uniform animated Matter, from the stone of the earth to God. + Magnificent vision! In short, I found a universe within my patient. When I + inserted my knife into his gangrened leg I cut into a million of those + little beings. Oh! you laugh, madame; let me tell you that you are eaten + up by such creatures—” + </p> + <p> + “No personalities!” interposed Monsieur de Calonne. “Speak for yourself + and for your patient.” + </p> + <p> + “My patient, frightened by the cries of his animalcules, wanted to stop + the operation; but I went on regardless of his remonstrances; telling him + that those evil animals were already gnawing at his bones. He made a + sudden movement of resistance, not understanding that what I did was for + his good, and my knife slipped aside, entered my own body, and—” + </p> + <p> + “He is stupid,” said Lavoisier. + </p> + <p> + “No, he is drunk,” replied Beaumarchais. + </p> + <p> + “But, gentlemen, my dream has a meaning,” cried the surgeon. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! oh!” exclaimed Bodard, waking up; “my leg is asleep!” + </p> + <p> + “Your animalcules must be dead,” said his wife. + </p> + <p> + “That man has a vocation,” announced my little neighbor, who had stared + imperturbably at the surgeon while he was speaking. + </p> + <p> + “It is to yours,” said the ugly man, “what the action is to the word, the + body to the soul.” + </p> + <p> + But his tongue grew thick, his words were indistinct, and he said no more. + Fortunately for us the conversation took another turn. At the end of half + an hour we had forgotten the surgeon of the king’s pages, who was fast + asleep. Rain was falling in torrents as we left the supper-table. + </p> + <p> + “The lawyer is no fool,” I said to Beaumarchais. + </p> + <p> + “True, but he is cold and dull. You see, however, that the provinces are + still sending us worthy men who take a serious view of political theories + and the history of France. It is a leaven which will rise.” + </p> + <p> + “Is your carriage here?” asked Madame de Saint-James, addressing me. + </p> + <p> + “No,” I replied, “I did not think that I should need it to-night.” + </p> + <p> + Madame de Saint-James then rang the bell, ordered her own carriage to be + brought round, and said to the little lawyer in a low voice:— + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur de Robespierre, will you do me the kindness to drop Monsieur + Marat at his own door?—for he is not in a state to go alone.” + </p> + <p> + “With pleasure, madame,” replied Monsieur de Robespierre, with his finical + gallantry. “I only wish you had requested me to do something more + difficult.” + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg’s Catherine de’ Medici, by Honore de Balzac + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CATHERINE DE’ MEDICI *** + +***** This file should be named 1854-h.htm or 1854-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/8/5/1854/ + +Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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