Coligny afterwards rose again, and in plain and manly language advocated the cause which he had conscientiously embraced. He then adverted to the guard which had re cently been placed around the king, reminding his majesty, that in the affection and loyalty of his subjects he would always find the most faithful and brave defence ; that no thing could be more prejudicial to his real interests, as well as to the interests of the nation at large, than that he should either be dreaded by his subjects, or the object of dread to them. He concluded, by repeating his opinion, that the king's guard should be discharged. The States general assembled, and methods contrived to root out, not only speculative, but practical errors from the church. If these things were done sincerely and effectually, the king would regain the affections of his subjects, the nation would be peaceable and happy, and real religion would flourish and influence the conduct of all. This speech of the ad miral, so much in character, called up the Duke of Guise, who purposely misrepresented the advice and wishes of Coligtty, declaring, with much warmth, that no council should force or influence him to change his religion. The Cardinal of Lorraine followed and supported his brother, denying the imputations which Cagily had cast on the opinions and practices of the church, strongly insisting on the necessity and sacred obligation of extirpating error by the secular power, and branding as seditious the advice which Coligny had given. The opinions of the Guises would probably have been carried into full effect, had not Catherine of Medicis considered it as her best policy to check their violence, and to use her influence with the king to countenance, at least, the advice of Coligny and his party. Francis therefore declared his intention of convok ing the states in the ensuing December, and thus breathing time was given to the Protestants.
It was evidently their policy to keep well with Catherine of Medicis ; and this they could only effect by not alarming either her ambition or her religious prejudices ; but unfor tunately they conducted themselves in such a manner as to excite her hatred, and to induce her again to unite her self with the Guises : For the King of Navarre and the Prince of Conde concerted measures to deprive the Guises of their power and influence before the states assembled ; and even laid a plan for surprising the city of Lyons. This plan reached Catherine, who, regarding it as proceeding from a spirit which looked farther than the mere over throw of the Guises, took the alarm, and, by the intercep tion of some letters, completely defeated the execution of it.
In the mean time, the period for the assembly of the states drew near. It had been originally appointed to be held at Meaux, but it was afterwards transferred to Or leans. Hither the king, now in a very dangerous state of health, proceeded, with a guard of 1000 cavalry. The King of Navarre, and his brother the Prince of Conde, were in vited to attend, with the strongest assurances, not only that they should be safe, but that such measures would be adopted at this assembly as would satisfy them, and please the protestants. At first, they were suspicious of the ma chinations of the Guises, but at last they resolved to obey the summons. In the course of their journey, they were darkly and mysteriously informed of some danger that threatened them ; but justly concluding, that if they disco vered suspicion or alarm, or if they returned instead of pro ceeding, they might probably expose themselves to still greater risk, they resolved to go on to Orleans. Indeed,
they beheld before, behind, and on all sides of them, par ties of men stationed there under various pretexts, but whom they had just reason to apprehend were instructed to intercept their retreat or flight.
When they arrived at Orleans, the king at first treated them with great coldness and indifference ; but this beha viour was soon changed, and succeeded by the most violent reproaches, and such accusations, as left them no doubt that they had acted imprudently in attending the assembly. Be tween the Duke of Guise and the Cardinal of Lorraine the king was seated ; around him were the captains of his guards. On the Prince of Conde he fixed a look as full of determination and meaning as he could well call up, and accused him of having attempted to seize on the principal cities in France, and even of having plotted to take away his life and that of his brother's. This accusation, so unex pected, and brought forward at a time and in a place which bespoke a determination to throw aside all regard to jus tice and innocence, by no means daunted the intrepid Conde. He protested that lie was guiltless of the crime laid to his charge, and he offered to prove his innocence. To this offer Francis replied, that it would be necessary to proceed by the usual modes of justice. On this, the King of Navarre was conducted to an adjoining apartment, where, however, he was allowed the liberty of conversa tion ; but the Prince of Conde was strictly confined, and with such precautions as plainly indicated that it was re solved to take away his life. The Protestants immediately took the alarm ; but the Guises were afraid to proceed to extremities too suddenly ; and the admiral, though he re mained at Orleans, was unmolested. His brother D'Andi lot, some time before, suspicious of the treachery of the Guises, had withdrawn into Brittany.
The chancellor and five judges were appointed to inter rogate the Prince of Conde in prison ; but he refused to an swer to their questions, and boldly demanded to be tried in the most public manner. This, he said, he claimed as due to his dignity and rank, not less than to his innocence. Ca therine of Medic's, by whose advice, or at least with whose concurrence, the king had taken these steps, and who, at first, with her characteristic duplicity, affected to deplore the violence which she herself had consented to, soon dis covered the error she had committed, in uniting herself too closely with the Princes of Lorraine, and in destroying that balance of parties most favourable to the success of her own intrigues, and to her own views and interest : But she had gone too far to recede ; and the fate of Conde seemed inevitable, when he was preserved by the death of the king. Francis, on his return from the chase, was seized with a violent pain in his car ; in a short time an lavas flume was formed, and the surgeons declared that nothing could save him. The Duke of Guise and the Cardinal of Lorraine thus beholding their power, in all probability, drawing to a conclusion, while the very same cause must preserve the life of their rival, hurried on the process in a most shameful and indecent manner, neglecting even the forms of justice. As the judges were entirely under their influence, they found him guilty without the slightest hesi tation ; and he was condemned to have his head struck off on a scaffold before the apartment of the king.