THE MILLENNIAL CITY 



467 



guished guest had made love to the ac- 

 cuser's wife. This bit of gallantry on the 

 part of Marot had been prompted by a 

 spirit of retaliation for his host's insist- 

 ence that the poet ask a blessing before 

 every meal. 



Of course, the indelible blot upon this 

 period of Geneva's history and upon the 

 careers of her men of authority was the 

 infliction of the death penalty upon here- 

 tics. The two most notable martyrs were 

 Jacques Gruet and Michael Servetus. 



The former, convicted of having an 

 heretical document in his possession, was 

 subjected to the torture of the corde. 

 The victim's wrists were bound tightly 

 behind him with a cord, to which was 

 then attached a rope thrown over a pul- 

 ley, and by this means the sufferer was 

 suspended in the air. Gruet underwent 

 this intermittent torture for three weeks 

 before "confessing." When he finally 

 admitted his heresy he was taken to 

 Champel, about two miles from the town 

 hall, and there put to death. 



Dr. Servetus, an eminent Spanish phy- 

 sician, while on a visit to Geneva, was 

 burned at the stake following a doctrinal 

 controversy with Calvin. 



But the blackness of such tragedies 

 was mitigated, in so far as such crimes 

 can be atoned, by the generosity and so- 

 licitude of the Genevese for the perse- 

 cuted of their own faith who took refuge 

 here from many lands. 



OPEN ARMS FOR HUGUENOT FUGITIVES 



There is no more beautiful picture of 

 Christian charity than the scene in this 

 city when, on August 30, 1572, merchants 

 of Lyons brought news of the massacre 

 of the Huguenots on St. Bartholomew's 

 Day. Pastors were dispatched to the 

 frontiers to meet the fugitives who were 

 reported to be on their way to this asy- 

 lum, and the venerable Theodore de Beze, 

 who had succeeded Calvin as the spiritual 

 head of the Council, directed the whole 

 population to fast and pray for the suf- 

 ferers. 



Two days after the receipt of the news 

 of the massacre the first fugitives began 

 to arrive. In all, more than 2,300 refu- 

 gees were housed and fed in this com- 

 munity, which at that time boasted of 



only 1,200 households. Although almost 

 bankrupt herself, Geneva shared her all 

 with the panic-stricken hundreds who 

 arrived empty-handed. 



A final episode remains to be related of 

 the period antedating the advent of Rous- 

 seau. For a quarter of a century, begin- 

 ning in 1578, the Genevese had succeeded 

 in resisting the revived attacks of their 

 hereditary enemy, the House of Savoy. 

 At last the Council, after resolving "to 

 ask the advice of God and M. de Beze," 

 declared war. 



The citizen army numbered scarcely 

 more than 2,000, as opposed to 18.000 

 Savoyards. Many Hun-like atrocities 

 were committed. One prisoner is said to 

 have been skinned alive, and peasants 

 were hung up and roasted before their 

 own fireplaces. The Genevese attempted 

 to retaliate, but de Beze, actuated by a 

 spirit far in advance of his age, convinced 

 them that by such acts they would be dis- 

 honoring their own city. 



THE NIGHT OF THE ESCALADE 



The closing act in the long drama oc- 

 curred on the night of December 11, 1602, 

 when the Duke's men, under General 

 d'Albigni, made a treacherous assault 

 upon the city. 



There were 4,000 troops comprising 

 the main body of d'Albigni's forces. 

 These were preceded by a storming party 

 of 200, which succeeded in gaining the 

 ramparts unobserved, a single sentry be- 

 ing surprised and slain in silence. Un- 

 fortunately for the assailants, however, 

 they decided to await the coming of dawn 

 before launching the main attack. In the 

 meantime a company of the Genevese 

 guard stumbled upon the storming party. 



In the melee a gun went off and one 

 man of the guard, the drummer, escaped. 

 He sounded the alarm. 



It was now impossible to wait for day- 

 light. The storming party gave their 

 battle-cry and hurled themselves upon the 

 town, expecting d'Albigni's 4,000 men to 

 follow immediately ; but the drummer's 

 work had been done. An intrepid band 

 of defenders at the Porte Neuve loaded 

 a cannon to the muzzle with scraps of 

 metal and old chains. Training the piece 

 along the ramparts, the charge swept the 



