Catherine, having so often been foiled in her attempts to crush the Protestants, both by open and secret measures, was resolved that her present plan should not be frustrated by precipitation for two years she permitted France to enjoy the blessings of tranquillity : and during the whole of this period, the conduct both of herself and of the king, continued such, as effectually lulled the suspicions of the most timid and apprehensive Protestants. At last having succeeded in persuading the admiral to come to Paris, along with the most considerable men of the Protestant party, in order to assist at the celebration of the marriage of Margaret and Henry, Catherine and the king resolved to hasten the catastrophe.
The marriage was celebrated on the 17th of August 1572 ; and, on the 22nd of that month, Coligny was wound ed by a shot from a window, as he was going to his house. Upon learning this, the king paid him a visit, promised to find out and punish the assassin, and to all appearance was filled with indignation and sorrow for the accident. Two days after this, on the 24th of August, the massacre of St Bartholomew took place. When the king gave his direc tions respecting it, he added, with his customary oaths, " Since it is to be clone, take care that no one escapes to reproach me." The direction of the massacre was en trusted more especially to the Duke of Guise ; and the signal for its commencement was to be given by striking the great bell of the palace. Coligny, regular in his habits, and still weak with his wounds, had retired to rest on the eve of St Bartholomew very early ; but he was roused by the noise of the assassins, who had surrounded his house. A German, of the name of Besme, entered his chamber ; and the admiral, suspicious of his designs, prepared to meet his fate with calm and firm resignation. Scarcely had he tattered the words, " Young man, respect these grey hairs, nor stain them with blood," when the German plunged his sword into his bosom, and afterwards threw the corpse into the court. The Duke of Guise beheld it in silence ; but Henry, Count of Angouleme, natural bro ther to the • king, spurned it with his foot, exclaiming, " Courage, my friends ; we have begun well, let us also finish well." For five days did the massacre continue. The Catholic citizens, who had been secretly prepared, by their leaders, for such a scene, zealously seconded the execution of the soldiery, and imbued their hands, without remorse, in the blood of their neighbours, their companions, and even their nearest relations. Among the most illustrious victims,
beside Coligny, were the Count de Rochefoucalt and Te ligni, who had married the daughter of the admiral. The Count de Montgomery, and the Vidame of Chartres, with near a hundred others, who lodged on the south of the Seine, escaped on horseback, half naked ; but they were pursued and overtaken by the Duke of Guise, who cut in pieces nearly the whole of them.
The young King of Navarre and the Prince of Conde, exempted from the general destruction, were brought before Charles, and commanded to abjure their religion. The King of Navarre consented ; but the Prince hesitating, Charles, in a transport of rage, exclaimed," Death, mass, or'the bastile !" The violence of this threat intimidated the Prince ; and recanting his heresy, he received absolu tion from the Cardinal of Bourbon.
During the greater part of the massacre, Charles posted himself at one of the windows of his palace, from which he not only saw and encouraged the assassins, by frequently calling out, " Kill, Kill !" but even repeatedly fired upon the miserable fugitives.
The same barbarous orders were sent to all the provin ces of the kingdom ; and they were faithfully obeyed in Lyons, Orleans, Rouen, Bourges, Angers, and Toulouse, In Provence, Dauphine, and some other parts, the Protes tants were protected. The Viscount Orthes, who com manded in Bayonne, in reply to the order which he receiv ed, wrote back to the king, that Bayonne contained loyal citizens and brave soldiers, but that among them he was not able to find one executioner. The Bishop of Liseux, on this occasion, conducted himself in a manner becoming the religion of which he was the minister; for when the commandant of that place communicated to him the orders of the court, he answered, " You must not execute them ; those whom you are commanded to destroy are my flock ; it is true they have gone astray, but I shall use my endea vours to bring them back to the right fold. The gospel does not say, that the shepherd should spill the blood of his flock ; on the contrary, I read in it, that 1 ought, if ne cessary, to spill my blood for them." These instances of humanity were, however, few ; and it is supposed that, throughout France, 25,000 Protestants perished, and in Paris alone 10,000.