The evidence is much more conflicting with regard to the sinceeity of Charles in the affair of the peace of 1570, and the events that fol lowed it, with regard to his share in devising the Bartholomew. Against the supposition of his having been perhaps the most profound dissembler that the world has over seen, there is, in the first place, a strong objection derived from his extreme youth, and his fickle, restless, vehement, and childishly ungovernable character. He was only twenty four when he died, and though nominally a king from the tenth year of his age, the government was so completely iu the hands of his mother, and such was the ascendancy of that remarkable and wicked woman over his mind, that it is hardly possible to speak with certainty as to his genuine disposition, or to affirm on what occasions be was a mere puppet, and when a free agent. His vacillation of purpose has been remarked by those who have stigmatised him as a master of the arts of simulation; while the cruelty of his sports, and the ferocious violence of his temper when under the influ ence of passion, have been justly referred to as an argument to show that an heretical enemy once in his toils would have little to hope from his humanity. "His education," says Mr. Allen, who has sketched his character with no friendly hand, "had been neglected by his mother, who desired to retain the conduct of affairs, and brought him forward on those occasions only when she wished to inspire terror by his furious passious. Active, or rather restless, from temperament, ho was never tranquil for an instant, but was continually occupied with some violent exercise or other ; and when he had nothing better to do, he would amuse himself with shoeing a bore", or working at a forge." But this was not the temperament of a deep dissembler. Adopting Mamon's character of him as the true one, that he was impatient, pessienate, Mee, and Wallowa, is it possible that he 'timid have played the part of simulator and dissimulator to such perfection, that a scrutinising and suapicious observer like Waleiogham, during three years that he was ambassador at the French court, in almost daily personal hitervourse with him, never for a moment doubted Ida sincerity I Then, as we have seen, the admiral to the last moment placed the most undoubting confidence in the king's professions of frioodship. Facts however are stubborn things, and we have uo favourite hypothesis to support When the marriage of the king's Mater with the Prince of Navarre was under discussion, lope Pin. V. sent his nephew, the Cardinal .Aleaandrino, to the court of France to prevent it. Charles took the cardinal by the hand, and said (we quote from the ' Lettrea d'Oseet,' referred to by Mr. Allen in his con troversy with Dr. Liogard), "I entirely agree with what you say, and am thankful to you and the pope for your advice: if I bad any other means than this marriage of taking vengeance on my enemies, I would not persist in it ; but I have not. Cardinal Alexandriuo was hardly gone from court, when the Queen of Navarre, the mother of Henri, arrived at Blois to conclude the marriage. Charles received her with every demonstration of affection and cordiality ; boasted to her that he had treated the monk who came to break off the marriage as his impudence deserved; adding that he "would give his sister, not to the Prince of Navarre, but to the Huguenots, iu order to remove all doubts on their minds as to the peace." "And again, my Aunt," said he, " I honour you more than the pope, and I love my slater more than I fear him. I am no Huguenot, neither am I a fool; and if Mr. Pops does not mend his manner., I will myself give away Margery in full conventicle." (Mathieu; ' 3lemoires de l'Etat.') It was on this occasion, according to De Thou, Sully, and other authorities, that Charles is said to have exultingly asked his mother Have I not played my part well I" said she ; "but to commence is nothing, unless you go through." "Leave it to ho replied with an oath. " 1 will net them for you, every one." postpone the Taunting of his dissimulation till after the massacre; and a manuscript in the ' Bibliotheque du Rol,' quoted by Mr. Allen,
adds, "That he complained of the hardship of being obliged to die simulate so long." There is one other trait of perfidy, among many told of him, which we shall quote, and leave to speak for itself.
On the evening of St. Bartholomew, and after he had given his orders for the massacre, he redoubled his kindness to the King of Navarre, and desired him to introduce some of his best officers into the Louvre, that they might be at band in case of any disturbances from the Guises. These officers were butchered next morning in his presence.
That the peace of 1570 was, so far as Catherine de' Medici and her party was concerned, a piece of treachery, got up for the sole purpose of luring the Huguenot chiefs to their destruction, is the universal opinion of historians, and is admitted by those who deny that Charles had any guilty share in the transaction ; De Thou alone hesitates to admit that long-meditated treachery. Opinions are more divided with respect to the closeness of the connection between the triaracrs and the general design to cut off the leader (the "tote do satunon " of Alen) of the Protestant party. Ono great difficulty prevent. itself. The attempt upon the life of the admiral was made at the instigation of Catherine and her son Anjou, the great devisers of the massacre. If they really designed from the first a general measure, why did they run the very great risk of defeating their purpose by cutting off the admiral alone without the other leaders I If the admiral had fallen at the instant by the hand of the assassin, is it not highly probable that his friends would have fled from Paris to a place of safety I—at all events, they would not have been butchered unreeietingly and in cold blood. On the other hand, if the death of the admiral was the sole or chief object of the machinations of the court, why did they defer it so long or attempt it in so bungling a way I The Italian writer Dula has furnished a refined and subtle explanation of this difficulty, charge teriatio of the dark plotting and wily policy of his country. According to this hypothesis (which is in some degree adopted by De Thou), the plan of Catherine and her secret council was, that Coligoy should be smasainsted under such circumstances as to fix the guilt upon the Guises, in the hope that the Huguenot. would immediately rise in arms and wreak their vengeance upon the Guises; and that object having been obtained, that they would in turn be themselves overpowered and massacred by the royal forces. By this means Catherine would extinguish at one stroke the rival houses of Guise and CLatillon, both equally obnoxious to the court. But we agree with Mr. Allen that this hypothesis is too refined and uncertain a speculation even for Catherine, and that the difficulty is not explained by it To our minds the difficulty is best explained by the supposition that Charles was not only not privy to the original design of the masasere; but that its plotters were doubtful of obtaining his consent. His occasional ferocity daring and after the massacre, and the inconsistencies of his publio declarations with respect to its origin, are by no means con tradictory to this supposition, which moreover receives considerable support from what Sully tells us of hie subsequent remorse. While the massacre was going on, Charles seemed like ono possessed. A few days after, ho said to the celebrated Ambrose Per6, his surgeon and a Huguenot, "I know not how it Is, but for the last few days I feel like one in a fever; my mind and body are both disturbed. Every moment, whether I am asleep or awake, visious of murdered corpses covered with blood and hideous to the eight, haunt me. Oh, I wish they had spared the inuocept and the imbecile I " Charles died iu less thou two years after the massacre, in agony mental and physical. "In this state," says Sully, "the miserable day of St Bartholomew was, without ceasing, Presentto his mind ; and he showed by his transports of regret, and by his fears, how much he repented of it."