THE HUGUENOTS IN FRANCE 57 



some shipped themselves to England inside empty wine 

 casks ; noble ladies disguised themselves as peasants and 

 drove herds of cattle across the Dutch frontiers ; otliers 

 ventured out to sea in open boats to board some friendly 

 ship. 



One aristocratic lady secured a passport from a Swiss 

 servant and for weeks rubbed her face with nettles to pro- 

 duce the blotched appearance called for in the description. 



Roman Catholics in later times have tried in every way Efforts to 

 possible to minimize the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, ftll" *^^ 

 to deny that it was a Church measure, and to charge it 

 upon the Protestants themselves as breakers of the peace. 

 Roman Catholic historians have played fast and loose 

 with the facts of history regarding the entire period of 

 persecution. But the facts remain and cannot be wiped 

 out or evaded. 



There is no question that when the Massacre of St. Bar- 

 tholomew's day was announced to the world, the Romish 

 clergy of France rejoiced ; the King was hailed as the 

 destroyer of heresy ; and the Pope at Rome, as head of 

 the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world, ap- 

 proved the infamous deed ; going so far as by a special 

 medal, representing the slaughter of the Huguenots, to 

 make it a notable event in the history of the church. 

 The Parliament of Paris followed his example, and on 

 their medal engraved the words, '^ Piety aroused Jus- 

 tice." But within a hundred and fifty years, the great 

 Roman Catholic preacher, Massillon, when pronouncing 

 the eulogy of Louis XIV, and praising him for the Revo- 

 cation of the Edict of Nantes— an act not less infamous 

 than the massacre, thus speaks of the latter event: 

 ''Even by the recollection and injustice of that bloody 

 day, which ought to be effaced from our annals, which Bioodof 

 piety and humanity will always disown, which in the S o?the* 

 effort to crush heresy, under one of our late kings, gave '^'"^ ^^"'■'='' 

 to it new fire and fury, and fumed, if I may venture to 

 say it, from its blood the seed of new disciples." Thus 



