HUGUENOTS. 
this term owes its origin to the name of a 
supposed hobgoblin, called king Hugon, that 
was said to wander about the streets of 
Tours during the night-time, and that the 
reformed were the disciples of this noctur- 
nal monarch, But the most probable con- 
jecture seems to be, that this term owes its 
origin to an erroneous pronunciation by the 
French of the German word Eidgnossen, 
which signifies sworn-fellows, or confederates. 
This hail been originally the name of that 
part of the inhabitants of Geneva who en- 
tered into an alliance with the Swiss can- 
tons, in order to maintain their liberties 
against the tyrannical attempts of CharlesIII. 
Duke of Savoy. These valiant confederates 
were called Eignots, and from thence it is 
not at all unlikely was derived the word 
Huguenots. 
To whatever cause this term owes its 
origin, it is certain that the Christians of the 
French Protestant churches, which it was 
made to designate, suffered most severely 
from the persecutions which at that time, 
and after the revocation of the edict of 
Nantes, raged with desolating fury both in 
France and other countries. The counte- 
nance and support of many princes of the 
ioyal blood, and of several of the nobility, 
could not save the Huguenots from suffering 
the most unparalleled persecution. Peace 
itself, which had been granted them by 
Henry III. in the year 1576, proved the 
foundation of a most terrible civil war. The 
profligate House of Guise, urged by the 
wicked and cruel suggestions of the Roman 
Pontiffs, did whatever lay in its power to 
destroy the royal family, and totally ruin 
the Protestant reformation ; while the Hu- 
guenots, inspired with the spirit of loyalty, 
and a noble religious enthusiasm, fought in 
defence of their faith and their sovereigns 
with various success. The deeds of hofror, 
which jthese commotions produced, are 
scarcely exceeded by any thing we find re- 
corded in the annals of murder and perse- 
cution. The civil war to which we are here 
alluding raged nearly sixty years, during 
which there were destroyed, according to 
Puffendorf, a million of people : one hun- 
dred and fifty millions of money were spent : 
nine cities, four hundred villages, twenty 
thousand churches, two thousand monas- 
teries, and ten thousand houses, were burnt 
or laid level with the ground. These ter- 
rible devastations were at length stopped by 
the hand of Providence, which placed 
Henry IV. on the throne of France. This 
prince, who, though he had so many out- 
rages to avenge, so many crimes to punish, 
thought only of burying all animosity in 
oblivion, and of healing all wounds. Then 
absolute power was employed only in pro- 
moting prosperity in the state, and the feli- 
city of every individual. The Roman Ca- 
tholic religion remained dominant ; but the 
famous edict of Nantes effaced intolerance, 
and soothed the irritation of the conquered 
party, to whom liberty of conscience and a 
political existence were secured. 
The edict of Nantes confirmed to the 
Protestants all the favours that had ever 
been granted to them by Henry III. To 
these privileges others were also added; 
such as a free admission to all employ- 
ments of trust, honour, and profit. These 
wise and politic regulations were perfectly 
satisfactory to good sense and equity : they 
were, however, not enough for fanaticism : 
it made several attempts on the saviour of 
France, and at length succeeded in assassi- 
nating him. From this melancholy day 
(May 14, 1610) the troubles of the Hugue- 
nots began to be renewed. Alarmed at the 
intrigues that were perpetually working 
against their rights and liberties, they again 
took up arms, but were successfully opposed 
by Richelieu. The government succeeded 
in rendering its authority absolute ; and fac- 
tions and discontents agitated and disturbed 
the two parties in no small degree. These 
discontents continued to increase until 
the reign of Louis XIV. This ambitious, 
weak, and credulous prince was persuaded 
wholly to revoke the edict of Nantes, which 
had been long openly violated. This was a 
deplorable epocha for the Huguenots. They 
were not only expelled the parliament, and 
deprived of all their civil and religious li- 
berties ; but multitudes of the most indus- 
trious families in France were reduced to 
beggary. They were harassed in all manner 
of ways. Eight hundred thousand persons 
(Voltaire says five hundred thousand) left 
the kingdom, and fled into other countries, 
where their descendants are still to be met 
with, and where they have carried prospe- 
rity to the prejudice of their own unjust 
country. Such of these unfortunate people 
as remained in France lost all civil existence, 
were pursued without remission, without 
pity, and like wild beasts; their blood fre- 
quently streamed under the steel of the exe- 
cutioner or of the soldiery. This last ex- 
plosion, however, at length ceased. The 
unfortunate Louis the XVI. whatever were 
his weaknesses and failings in other respects, 
had not been rendered inhuman by a large 
