1829. | Lhe Massacre of Saint Bartholomew. : 459 
_ La Force and his two sons lodged in the Faubourg St. Germain, as 
well as many Calvinists. There was not then any bridge which joined 
this Faubourg to the city. All the boats had been seized by 
order of the court to carry over the assassins. The horse-dealer plunged 
in, swam across, and informed M. de la Force of his danger. La Force 
was out of his house, and had time enough to save himself; but seeing 
his children did not follow him, he returned to fetch them. He had 
scarcely entered again when the assassins arrived. One Martin at their 
head entered his room, disarmed him and his two children, and told 
him, with dreadful oaths, that he must die. La Force: offered him a 
ransom of two thousand crowns. The captain accepted it. La Force 
swore to pay it to him in two days, and immediately the assassius, after 
having stripped the house, told La Force and his children to put their 
handkerchiefs to their hats in the form of a cross, and made them tuck 
up their right sleeves on their shoulder; that was the token for the 
murderers. In this state they made them pass the river, and conducted 
them into the city. The Marshal de la Force declares that he saw the 
riyer covered with dead hodies. His father, his brother, and he, landed 
before the Louvre. There they saw several of their friends murdered ; 
and among others the brave De Piles, father of him who killed in a duel 
the son of Malherbe. From thence Captain Martin took his prisoners to 
his house, Rue des Petits Champs, made La Force and his sons swear 
that they would not go out thence before they had paid the two thousand 
crowns, and went in search of other Calvinists to massacre in the city. 
One of the Swiss, touched with compassion, offered the prisoners to 
let them escape. La Force would do nothing of the kind. He answered, 
that he had pledged his word, and that he would rather die than forfeit 
it. An aunt of his had procured him the two thousand crowns, and they 
were going to be delivered to Captain Martin, when the Count de 
Coconas (the same who was afterwards beheaded) came to tell La Force 
that the Duke of Anjou wished to speak to him. Immediately he made 
the father and the children go down stairs, bareheaded and without their 
cloaks. La Force plainly saw that they were leading him to death; he 
followed Coconas, praying him to spare his two innocent children. The 
younger (aged thirteen years, the writer of this, and who was called 
James Nompar) raised his voice, and reproached the murderers with 
their crimes, telling them they would be punished for them by God. In 
the meantime the two children were led with their father to the end of 
the Rue des Petits Champs. ‘They first gave the elder several stabs. 
He cried out, “Ah! my father! Oh! my God, I am dead.” At the 
same instant the father fell upon his son’s body covered with wounds. 
The younger, covered with their blood, but who, by an astonishing 
miracle, had received no stab, had the prudence to cry out also, “ I am 
tn He then threw himself down between his father and his brother, 
d received their last sighs. 'The murderers, believing them all dead, 
ent away, saying, “ There they are all three.” Some wretches after- 
wards came to strip the bodies. The young La Force had one stocking 
A marker of Verdelet’s tennis-court wished to have it: in taking 
it off, he mused on the body of the young child. “ Alas!” said he, 
“ what a pity! Thisis but a child: what can he have done?” These words 
of compassion obliged the little La Force to raise his head gently, and say 
in a low voice, “1 am not yet dead.” The poor man answered, “ Do not 
stir, child, have patience.” In the evening, he came to fetch him. “ Get 
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