contained, and I saw his head a little raised, and his eyes turned
quietly towards it while she was reading, as I have seen a cat regard
a mouse-hole towards which she was stealing upon tiptoes; and he
lingered long, and seem inclined to stay. The Queen, however, begged
him not to forget the orders she had given, but to execute them
instantly; and then he went away. When he was gone, the Queen again
read your Highness's letter, and replied at first, 'The Duke asks what
is not in my power. Tell my noble cousin of Guise that he has been
misinformed; that I hold none of his friends in my power--' Then,
after a moment, she bade me wait, and she would see what persuasion
would do?"
"She must not think to deceive me!" replied the Duke of Guise. "But
what more?"
"She went away," replied the gentleman, "and was absent for full two
hours, leaving me there alone, with nothing to amuse me but the pages
and serving women that came and looked at me from time to time as at a
tiger in a cage. At length she came back, and bade me tell your
Highness these exact words: 'My cousin has been misinformed. I have
none of his people in my hands, or in my power. The Count of Logeres,
however, shall be set free before eight and forty hours are over. He
may be set free to-morrow; but by leaving him for a few hours more
where he is, I trust to accomplish for the Duke that which he demands
concerning his ward, although I have no power whatever in the matter."
"There is nothing upon earth," said the Duke thoughtfully, "so
convenient as to have the reality without the name of power. We have
the pleasure without the reproach! Catharine de Medici has not the
power!--Who then has?--I may have the power also, it is true, to right
myself and those who attach themselves to me; and in this instance I
will use it. But still it were better to wait the time she states; for
I know her fair Majesty well, and she never yields any thing without a
delay, to make what she grants seem more important:--and yet, the day
after to-morrow--the day after to-morrow--who shall say what may be,
ere the day after to-morrow comes? This head may be lowly in the dust
ere then."
"Or circled with the crown of France," said the Count de St. Paul.
"God forbid!" exclaimed the Duke earnestly. If I thought that it would
ever produce a scheme to wrest the sceptre from the line that
rightfully holds it, I would bear it to-morrow to the foot of the
throne, myself, as my own accuser. No, no! bad kings may die or be
deposed: but there is still some one on whose brow the crown descends
by right. And let him have it.
"The Cardinal of Bourbon, your Highness," said an attendant entering,
"has just arrived from Soissons. His Eminence is upon the stairs coming
up."
A smile played over the lips of most of the persons present at such an
announcement at that moment, for every one well knew that it was to
the old Cardinal de Bourbon that the party of the League looked, as
the successor to the crown on the death of Henry III., to the
exclusion of the direct line of Navarre, held to be incapable of
succeeding on account of religion. The Duke, however, advanced
immediately with open arms to meet the Cardinal, and many hours were
passed in long conferences between them and the principal officers and
supporters of the League.
At the end of that time, however, towards seven o'clock, a message was
brought into the room where they were in consultation, from Monsieur
de Sainctyon, a well-known adherent of the League, begging earnestly
to speak with the Duke upon matters of deep importance. On the Duke
going out, he found the worthy Leaguer in a state of great excitement
and agitation.
"My Lord," he said, as soon as Guise appeared in the room where he had
been left alone, "I fear that they are busily labouring, at the
palace, for the destruction of your Highness and of the Holy League."
"How so, Monsieur de Sainctyon?" demanded the Duke, who entertained
doubts, it seems, of the Leaguer's sincerity, which were never wholly
removed. "Some of my friends have just returned from the palace, who
tell me that all is as still and quite as the inside of a vault."
"They told your Highness also, I hope," said the Leaguer, "that they
had trebled the guard, both Swiss and French."
"Yes, I was informed of that," replied the Duke. "But that shows fear,
not daring, Monsieur de Sainctyon."
"Perhaps so, my Lord," replied Sainctyon, who was one of the echevins,
or sheriffs of the town; "but perhaps not. However, what I have now to
tell, shows more daring than fear. We were summoned this afternoon at
five o'clock to the Hotel de Ville, where we found not only Pereuse,
the Prevot, and Le Comte, who is worse than a Politic, and half a
Huguenot, but the Marquis d'O----"
"Who is worse," said the Duke of Guise, "than minion, or Politic, or
Huguenot, or reiter, equally foul in his debaucheries and his
peculations; equally impudent in his vices and his follies; fit
son-in-law of Villequier; well-chosen master of the wardrobe to the
King of France! Who was there besides, Monsieur de Sainctyon? Some
expedient infamy was of course to be committed, otherwise d'O----
would not have been there."
"There were a number of captains and colonels of the different
quarters," replied Sainctyon, well pleased to see that the Duke now
felt the importance of his intelligence, "and the Prevot and Le Comte
began to speak what seemed to me at first simple nonsense, in a
confused way, saying, that it was necessary to keep guard in a very
different manner in Paris from that which we were accustomed to use,
for that your coming had excited the minds of the people, and that
there was hourly danger of a revolt, and that it would be better for
all the captains to meet with their companies together in some
particular place, in order to see to the matter. But I replied, that
nothing could be more dangerous than that which was proposed, for that
the companies of armed citizens would be much better as usual, each in
its separate quarter, taking care of that quarter, rather than meeting
altogether in one large body of armed men, which was likely to cause a
tumult immediately. A number of the other colonels cried out the same
thing; but then Monsieur d'O---- cut us all short, saying, 'Give me
none of your reasons, gentlemen. What the Prevot has stated to you is
the will of the King, and he _must_ be obeyed. The place of your
meeting is the Cemetery of the Innocents, and there you are all
expected to be with your companies at nine o'clock this evening.' Now,
my Lord, I have come to your Highness, by the authority of all the
other colonels in whom we can trust, for counsel and direction in this
business, assuring you that we have heard it is the intention of the
Court to pick out from amongst us thus assembled six or seven of your
most zealous friends and supporters, and execute them early to-morrow
in the Place de Greve."
The Duke paused and thought for a moment ere he replied; but he then
said, "I thank you most sincerely, Monsieur de Sainctyon, for the
intelligence you have brought me. You are mistaken, however, with
regard to what are the intentions of the Court, as you will see in one
moment. The large body of men in arms which you will have with you
when all assembled together, trebles the number of any force in Paris,
so that the least attempt to do you wrong at that moment would be a
signal for the overthrow of the monarchy. On the contrary, Monsieur de
Sainctyon, I believe the thus calling you together in one place has
solely for its object to remove you from the quarters where your
presence would be useful in opposition to the iniquitous proceedings
of your enemies. To arrest somebody--perhaps myself--is doubtless the
object of these persons; and if you would follow my advice, the course
you pursue would be this,--to meet as you have been ordered by the
King, having first communicated all the facts to the persons under
your command whom you can trust. Some one will come to bring you
farther orders, depend upon it; find out what those orders are, and
let them instantly be communicated to me; but on no account or
consideration suffer yourselves to be kept together in one place. On
the contrary, as soon as you have discovered as far as possible what
the designs of your enemies are, lead your companies to their
different quarters, or wherever you may think best to station them. If
you want any farther assistance, send hither; and I will dispatch
experienced officers to take counsel with you as to what is to be
done. I hope your opinion coincides with mine, Monsieur de Sainctyon."
"Your words always carry conviction with them, my Lord," replied the
sheriff; "and I will instantly proceed to obey you."
Thus saying he took his leave, and quitted the Duke, hastening with
the rest of the officers of the city to arm himself cap-a-pie, and
present himself with the burgher guard in the Cemetery of the
Innocents at the appointed hour. When that hour arrived, every thing
through the rest of the city was dark and silent, and but little light
shone from the dim lanterns round the Cemetery upon the dark masses of
armed men that now surrounded it. The officers commanding them looked
in each other's faces, as if expecting that some one amongst them had
orders in regard to what they were farther to do, but for several
minutes no one announced himself as empowered to direct them, and they
had even proposed to separate, when the sheriff Le Comte arrived on
horseback at great haste from the side of the Louvre. Having called
the colonels of the quarters together he said, "The King, having been
informed that this night an enterprise is to be undertaken against his
authority by his enemies, trusts entirely to his citizens of Paris for
the defence of the capital, and consequently commands you, in order to
have a strong point of resistance, to occupy this Cemetery, of which I
have here the keys, till to-morrow morning. All the gates will be shut
except one wicket, and in a very short time the Marquis de Beauvais
Nangis, an experienced officer, will be sent down by the King to
command you."[8]
---------------------
[Footnote 8: This most absurd and impudent proposal would scarcely be
credited, were it not to be found in the _Histoire tres veritable,
&c_., written by Sainctyon himself, and published by Michel Jouin in
the very year 1588.]
---------------------
A murmur ran through the officers and through the men, who, as Le
Comte spoke loud, heard every word that passed; but an old captain of
one of the quarters burst forth, a moment after, exclaiming, "What,
shut myself up there, as if in a prison? They must think me mad! Not
I, indeed, for any of them! I have nothing to do with you, Monsieur le
Comte, nor with any of you, except with the inhabitants of my own
quarter, and there I shall go directly. Those may go and shut
themselves up with you that like. Come, my men; march! Who gave
Beauvais Nangis a right to command me, I should like to know? Not the
citizens of Paris, I'm sure: so those may obey him that like him." And
putting himself at the head of his men, he marched out, followed by
almost all the other companies except one or two, who suffered
themselves to be persuaded to enter into the Cemetery, where they were
locked up by Le Compte, to await whatever fate might befall them.
In the mean time the other officers of the burgher guard held a
consultation together, and determined, instead of proceeding
immediately to their different quarters to occupy the principal points
of the city, where they fancied that attempts might be made upon the
life or liberty of the chiefs of the League. The avenues to the Hotel
de Guise were strongly guarded, the Rue St. Denis was patrolled by a
large party, two companies occupied the Rue St. Honore, and the
utility of these precautions was strongly demonstrated ere they had
been long taken.
Before midnight the sound of horses was heard by the two companies in
the Rue St. Honore, and in a moment after appeared the Marquis
d'O----, with as many horse arquebusiers as could be spared from the
palace. The citizens stood to their arms and barred the way, and
d'O----, never very famous for his courage, demanded, in evident
trepidation and surprise, what they did there, when they had been
ordered to be in the Cemetery of the Innocents?
"We came here to do our duty to our fellow-citizens," replied the same
old captain who had spoken before, "and to guard our houses and our
property, for which purpose we are enrolled."
"Well, well, you are right," replied the Marquis, evidently confounded
and undecided; and turning his horse's rein he rode back by the same
way he came, showing evidently that he had been bound upon some
attempt which had been frustrated.
About the same time the party in the Rue St. Denis had been drawn
towards the further end by the noise of horses and the light of
torches; and on advancing they found a number of men on horseback, and
a vacant carriage, with two lights before it, just halting at the
Convent of the Black Penitents. The good citizens, however, were in an
active and interfering mood, and they determined to inquire into an
occurrence which otherwise would have passed over without the
slightest notice. The horsemen, however, did not wait for many
questions; but, evidently as much surprised and embarrassed as the
Marquis d'O----, turned their horses' heads, and made the best of
their way out of the street.
END OF THE SECOND VOLUME.
London:
Printed by A. Spottiswoode,
New-Street-Square.