with Halberts fell at her Feet, and the was all covered with their Blood.

There was a young Nobleman very much in the King's favour, for his comely Air, his Honefty, and a certain peculiar Happiness in the Turn of his Converfation.

'Twas the Earl of la Rechefoucault, Great-grandfather to the prefent Marquis of Montendre, who came over into England during another Perfecution, lefs cruel but not lefs unjuft. La Rochefoucault had spent the Evening till Eleven a-clock with the King in a pleasant Familiarity, and had given a Loofe to the Sallies of his Imagination with the utmoft Mirth and Alacrity.

The King felt a Remorfe, and was ftruck with a ftart of Compaffion towards him; he bid him two or three times not to go home, but to lie in his Chamber. La Rochefoucault anfwered, he fhould go to his Wife. The King preffed him no further, and faid, Let him go, I fee God has decreed his Death. The young Man was maffacred two hours after.

Few efcaped in the general Slaughter; among these, the Deliverance of the young la Force, is a ftrange Inftance of what Men call Deftiny. He was a Boy of Ten years old. His Father, his Elder Brother, and he were feized together by the Soldiers of the Duke d'Anjou. Thefe

TAYLOR

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Murderers fell upon all three promifcuoufly, and ftruck them at random; the Father and the Sons, covered with Blood, fell and lay upon one another. The youngest received not one Blow, counterfeited to be dead, and made his escape the next day; his Life fo wonderfully preferved, lafted Fourfcore and Five Years. He was the fame famous Marshal de la Force, Uncle to the Dutchefs of la Force who is now in England.

Mean while many of thofe miferable Victims fled to the River-fide; fome were fwimming over to the Fauxbourg St. Germain. The King faw them from his Window, which look'd upon the River, and (what is almost incredible, but too true) he fired upon them with a Carbine. Catherine de Medicis, undisturbed and ferene in the midst of the Slaughter, look'd down from a Balcony fituated towards the City, encouraged the Affaffins, and laugh'd at the dying Groans of the Murdered; her Maids of Honour and fome Ladies of the Court went down into the Street, and with an impudent Curiofity, tallying with the Abominations of that Age, observed the naked Body of one Soubife, who had been fufpected of Impotency, and was juft then killed under the Queen's Windows.

The

The Court reeking with the Blood of the Nation, tryed fome Days after to palliate fuch a Crime with Forms of Law. They juftified the Maffacres with a Calumny; they imputed to the Admiral, a Confpiracy which no body believed. The Parliament was ordered to proceed against the Memory of Coligny, his dead Body was hanged in Chains at the Gallows of Montfaucon. The King himself went to fee that loathfome Spectacle, and as one of his Courtiers advifed him to retire, and complain'd of the ftench of the Corps, the King anfwered, A dead Enemy Smells Sweet.

That the Head of the Admiral was fent afterwards to the Pope, is a Thing which cannot be proved. Certain it is, that the Maffacres of St. Bartholomew's Day are painted at Rome in the Royal Hall of the Vatican, with thefe Words under the Picture, Pontifex Colignii necem probat.

Young Henry of Navarre was fpared rather by the Policy than by the Pity of Catherine, who detained him a Prifoner, till the King's Death, in order to make him a Security and a Pledge for the fubmiffion of the Proteftants who fhould efcape.

As to Jeanne d'Albret, fhe died fuddenly two or three Days before; and tho'

perhaps her Death was natural, 'twas not a rafh Opinion to believe her to have been poifon'd.

However, the Execution was not confined alone to the City of Paris, the fame Orders were fent from the Court to the Governors of/ail the Provinces of France; fo that in a Week's time, more than a hundred thousand Proteltants were mafiacred all over the Kingdom.

Two or three Governors only refused to comply with the King's Orders; one among others, called Montmorrin, Governor of Auvergne, wrote to the King the following Letter, which deferves to be tranfmitted to Pofterity:

SIR,

"I have received an Order under your Majefty's Seal to put to death all the "Proteftants in my Province. I have too much Refpect for your Majefty not to "believe the Letter is counterfeited; but, "if (what God forbid) the Order is truly yours, I have too much Refpect for your Majefty to obey it."

Thofe Maffacres wrought in the Proteftants who efcaped, Rage inftead of Terror; their irreconcileable Hatred against the Court feem'd to fupply them with new Vigour, and the Spirit of Revenge increas'd their Strength.

Not

Not long after, the King was taken with a ftrange Sicknefs, which carried him off in two Years. His Blood was daily ftealing out, and gufhing through the Pores of his Skin: Such an unaccountable Diftemper, which was fo much above the Knowledge and the Skill of Phyficians, was look'd upon as a Divine Vengeance, as if the Blood of a Prince could attone for the Blood of fo many thousand innocent Men.

During the Sicknefs of Charles, his Brother Anjou had been elected King of Poland, on account of the great Reputation which he had happily obtain'd when he was a General, and which he loft when a King.

As foon as he knew of his Brother's Death, he ftole away from Poland, and ran into France, to enjoy the dangerous Inheritance of a Kingdom fhattered by Factions, fatal to its Sovereigns, and ftained with the Blood of its Inhabitants. He found at his Arrival nothing but Parties and Calamities, which he increased to the last degree.

Henry, then King of Navarre, headed the Proteftants, and gave new Life to their Party. On the other fide, the young Duke of Guife began to dazzle the Eyes of the World with his great and dangerous Qualities; he had a Genius more enterB 2

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