Memoirs of Henri/ the Great. 



60.3 



streets and public places, in lionour of 

 the approiicliins; entrance of Mary de 

 Medicis into Paris. Tliouglilful, and, 

 ns it were, collected within himself, the 

 king remained absorbed in the pro- 

 foundest reverie, when the carriage was 

 suddenly stopped at the end of the street 

 FerroHiierie, in consequence of two 

 waggons, the one loaded with wine and 

 the other with corn, which blocked 

 up the way. Numerous stalls, then 

 placed at the termination of that street, 

 rendered the passage very narrow ; and 

 Henry the Second, a \'evi days previous 

 to his death, had in consequence com- 

 manded their removal : this order, if 

 executed, would have allowed a free 

 passage to carts and waggons, iti which 

 case the regicide coidd not have per- 

 petrated hisdiabolical deed. The king's 

 tool pages (|i)ittcd tlie vehicle, in order 

 to see the way cleared, when Francis 

 Ravillao the most execrable of murder- 

 ers, who had followed the vehicle, placed 

 liis foot upon a spoke of one of the hind 

 wheels, on the side where the monarch 

 was seated and supporting himself with 

 one hand upon the door of the carriage, 

 he with the other struck the king with 

 a two-edged knife. The first blow thus 

 inflicted grazed the second and third 

 ribs, and would not have proved mortal ; 

 upon which the king exclaimed, " / 

 am wounded /" — at the same instant he 

 received a second stab, the weapon 

 piercing his heart, when the monarch 

 expired on tlie instant. So determined 

 was this execralile assassin, that he had 

 intended a third blow, which, however, 

 struck the sleeve of the duke de Mont- 

 Itazon, who had laised his arm to parry 

 ofl' the weapon. 



Francis Ravillac was a native of 

 Angouleme, where lie followed the 

 avocation of a school-master till the age 

 of 31 or 32. Mathieu surmises that he 

 was of unsound mind ; but, according 

 to the ideas usually conceived of 

 insanity, it does not appear from his 

 Conversations while in prison, and 

 during the period of his execution, that 

 such was the fact, (juy I'atin says, in 

 Letl<rl22, that Kavillac ha<l a brother 

 who ilied in Holland; and from a de- 

 claration made U|)on his dealh-bcd it 

 a|>peared, that in ease l''ra!icis Ravillac 

 had not succeeded, he would have 

 undertaken to perpetrate the deed. 



Of the seven individuals who were 

 unfortunately in the carriage with the 

 monarch, the iirm attachment of six 

 could not be busjiectcd, as the only 

 pci.vju |iu'&enl who had iiut unilurndy 



been upon good terms with Henry wa.* 

 the Duke d'Epernon. They were, no 

 doubt,* all occupied in observing the 

 embarrasment of the different vehicles 

 that obstructed tlie progress of his 

 majesty; in addition to which, the blows 

 were struck with the greatest rapidity. 

 Mathieu states, " that during the 

 morning Ravillac had continued a 

 great length of time at the Louvre, 

 seated upon the steps of the portal, 

 where the valets were waiting the 

 arrival of the king. He had intended 

 to strike the blow between the two 

 doors, but he found the Duke d'Epernon 

 on the spot where he had predetermined 

 to attach the monarch." This execrable 

 villain afterwards acknowledged that he 

 had followed Herrry in the morning to 

 church of the Feuillans, in order to 

 commit the murder; but that the Duke 

 of Vend6me, who arrived, forced him 

 to keep at a distance. 



Not one of the inmates of the carriage 

 saw the king struck ; and, if the 

 sanguinary villain had thrown away the 

 knife, it would not have been known 

 who had committed the infernal deed. 

 .Ml the personages in the vehicle 

 immediately got out to prevent the 

 people, who flocked from all quarters, 

 from tearing the assassin to pieces : 

 three of the noblemen stood at the 

 carriage door to succour their master; 

 and one, perceiving the blood gush 

 from his mouth, and that he was speech- 

 less, cried out " The king is dead !*' 

 This terrible exclamation created the 

 most dreadful tumult : the people who 

 were in the streets rushed into the sIio])s 

 and houses, apprehensive of becoming 

 the prey of some unknown enemie.% and 

 thai the oily w:is taken by assault. 

 Every one confusedly thought that he 

 was deprived of his only safeguard, 

 defender, and father; it appeared as if 

 every thing was gone in losing him ; 

 nothing was felt but dread, and the 

 most invincible terror. The Duke 

 d'Epi'rnim immediately cried aloud, 

 that the king was only wounded; and, 

 to persuade the populace that such Was 

 the truth, he demanded a goblet of wine : 

 <'very one at the instant rushed from the 

 houses, and the most afl'eeling <'xclama- 

 tions of joy resounded in all directions, 

 while tears flowed in abundance from 

 the anxious bystanders. The Diiko 

 d'E|)ernon continued crying incessantly 

 that tiie king was only hurt ; upon 

 which the people expressed a desire to 

 see their nuinareh ; and for this purpose 

 flocked round the vehicle, but were 



kept 



