LANCASTER COUNTY. 515 



tlieir freedom of government as men and the rights of conscience as Cliris^ 

 Hans. Hence in its popular usage, this term conveyed the primary idea of 

 freemen, in contradistinction to mameiu/;es, seijs or slaves by which name 

 the party of the Duke was better known ; and also the secondary idea of a 

 religious reformation, in the mind of the adliercnts to the Romish faith. For 

 the city of Geneva, having embraced the Reformed doctrines, and immedi- 

 ately thereafter, tin-own olf their allegiance, under the circumstances already 

 given, the term Eiyrtnosstn became identiried among the [)apists with the 

 notion of rebels, or apostoies from the church, and was therefore consequent- 

 ly used as a term of reproach. 



From Geneva, where he had taught with so much success that instead of 

 Zurich, it became the metropolis of the Reformed Churches, Calvin, ardent 

 in the discharge of what he conceived his duty, pushed hi^ doctrines with 

 eminent success into his native kingdom of France. They were readily em- 

 braced by the learned and the pious, without regard to caste or standing in 

 society. The admiral Gaspar de Coligni, D' Andelot, Mornay, Duplessis, 

 Jja Rcnandie, the Prince de Conde Ann Dubourg, Theodore Beza, and a 

 host of others equally worthy and eminent for ti.eir virtues, were among the 

 firmest supporters o!" the Reformation, and the teachers of its doctrines. Sus- 

 tained by such men even against the power of the court; in the midst of 

 persecutions and civil wars — the f)rofessors of the Reformed religion were 

 spoken of vidth respect; and althouuh the term Eidgenoss, or Eedgenot, was 

 known in France at that time, slid no ellbrt was made to bring them into 

 disrepute by the application of this or any other term of ridicule except when 

 they were occasionally called ^'the preknded rt formed''^ or "seditious rehg- 

 ionists" in the state papers. Thus they remained, until on the accession of 

 Francis, II. to the throne and his early marriage with Mary, Queen of 5>cot- 

 land. Being very young in years, and devotedly attached to his young 

 Queen, he readily transfered the care of his kingdom to his wife's uncle, the 

 Dukes of Guise and Lorraine. This berat discontent among the protcstants 

 who only wanted a leader to organize tliem into a formidable body. Calvin 

 like Thomas Cranmer, the celebrated reformer, had taught that the king was 

 supreme, and acting upon this principle, the French Calvinists m.aintained 

 that the King being yet in his minority was to be protected by his subjects 

 from the tyranny of his uncles; to this end a plan was concerted known as 

 the conspiracy of Amboise, for their overthrow of which the Prince deCondc 

 was unanimously chosen leader; but without his knowledge, nor was he to 

 ho considered as a p;irticipator, until the time of action arrived. J.iim De 

 Bari, and the Sieur La Renandi, in the meantime were to direct all their 

 jnovemenln. In coid'ormity with this phn they convened a meeting of the 

 protestar.t leaders at .\'antes,in the darkness of the night in a ruined building 

 on the outskirts of the town. Before tliey proceeded to develope their 

 schemes, La Ranandi, administered solemn oaths that 'nothing be done or 

 attempted against the King and Qaeen-m..ther, or princes, his brothers.' To 

 tnis agreement tliey all swore ; and after praying for success, they parted 

 with fraternal embraces and in tears. I'he time and place of carrying their 

 plot into execution, was to be at Blois, on the L5th March, 1550. By some 

 means the plot was discovered to the Count and therefore, the Duke of Guise 

 was appointed Lieutenant General of the Kingdom, with supreme power in 

 .nil cases, civil and military. Armed with this authority he adopted the most 

 energetic measures to suppress the protestants, and although succeeded in 

 defsating and killing La Renandi and a few of his companions, yet the 

 43irect was not produced which the Count anticipated ; but on the contrar}^. 



