FRA 
fifty of the hugonots. When the tumult was over, the 
duke of Guife feverely reprehended the magiftrate for 
fullering thefe alfemblies ; and, on his pleading the late 
royal edict in favour of the Calvinifts, lie laid his hand 
on his (word, and angrily replied, “ This (hall foon cut 
the bond of that edict though never fo ftrong.” 
The prince of Conde, then with the court at the pa¬ 
lace of Monceaux, demanded inftant reparation for the 
m a (fa ere at Valfy ; and the queen-mother as readily pro- 
mifed the mod ample fatisfallion ; but the triumvirate, 
confident in their union, rejected her authority. The 
duke of Guife loon after arrived at Paris with twelve 
hundred liorfe; in his march to Fontainbleau his fqrces 
were fwelled to a prodigious multitude ; and Catharine, 
fearful of being deprived of the fupreme authority, fupi¬ 
nioned to her aflifiance the prince of Conde, then at his 
feat near Meaux ; her language, animated and pathetic, 
exhorted him ftrongiy to refeue her fon from captivity ; 
*nd this afforded him the pretence he wilhed for to arm 
his affociaies. With a chof'en band he palfed the Seine 
at St. Cldud, in his way to join her; but, however the 
the confederate lords might defpife his inferior numbers, 
they gladly embraced the occasion to fecure the king’s 
perfon, under the pretext of refeuing him from the dark 
defigns of the hugonots. Catharine, incapable of refin¬ 
ance, vainly lamented the confequence of her own wiles : 
nor could the tears of the royal youth change the policy 
of the confederates, who conduced him and his indignant 
mother to the capital. 
But thefe hafty meafures only ferved to inflame the 
native ardour of the prince of Conde ; accompanied by 
two thoufarid cavalry, he preffed forwards to Orleans, 
and made himfelf mailer of that city. He was there 
defied chief of the reformed brethren, and neglefled no 
precautions that could enfure fuccefs ; he difpatched 
mefiengers to' Germany, to lolicit the aid of the prote- 
ftants ; and he conciliated the minds of the loyal party 
by the declaration that he took up arms to relieve the 
king and his mother from the captivity in which they 
were held by the triumvirate. The operations of war 
were immediately commenced ; the royal party were fet 
free, and the army, animated by the prefence of the young 
king and his mother, after recovering and plundering 
Blois, Tours, and Bourges, inverted Rouen, which was 
defended by Montgomery, famed for his fatal tournament 
with Henry II. The inhabitants, encouraged by his ex¬ 
ample, refilled capitulation; fo that the city was taken 
by rtorm, and abandoned to the fury of the foldiers ; 
Montgomery efcaped with a few companions' in a boat; 
but Anthony king of Navarre received a wound in his 
flioulder, which foon proved mortal; and his expiring 
words, at the clofe of his life, evinced his attachment to 
the reformed religion. 
In the mean time the prince of Conde, with an army 
of twelve thoufand men, advanced towards the capital. 
After repeated attempts to force the gates of'Paris, he 
retired towards Normandy. In his retreat he was haraffed 
by the forces of the confederates; and at Dreux in Nor¬ 
mandy the rival armies engaged with mutual enmity. 
The impetuous charge of the hugonots at firrt trampled 
down all oppolition ; the conftable Montmorency, wound¬ 
ed in the iace, was taken prifoner; but the day was re- 
rtored by the intrepidity of the duke of Guife; he fud- 
denly rallied, and fell upon the hugonots difperled in the 
purfuit; the prince of Conde was taken prifoner ; while 
Coligni, under cover of the night, retreated towards br- 
leans ; and carried with him his captive Montmorency. 
After the difaftrous adiion of Dreux, in 1563, Coligni 
retired into Normandy, as mod convenient to receive fome 
fupplies from queen Elizabeth, who lent an Englilh army 
to lupport the proteftant caufe in France. The admiral 
in his retreat, confcious of the importance of Orleans, 
had left in that city his brother d’Andelot, with two 
thoufand ot his bell troops ; but neither the reputation 
cl the commander, nor the inclemency of the Teafon, 
Vou VII. No. 462. 
N C E. 709 
could deter the duke of Guife from afpiring to the con- 
queft of Orleans, and he inverted the citv on all tides. 
Thus the fate of Orleans appeared inevitable, when one 
moment fuddenly extinguilhed the life of the duke of 
Guife, and revived the drooping fpirits of the hugonots. 
He had juft parted the Loire in a little boat, when John 
Poltrot de Mere, a hugonot of Angoumois, difeharged 
three balls from a pillol into his left (boulder, and efcaped 
on a fivift liorfe to the neighbouring woods. The duke 
of Guife was conveyed bleeding to bis own quarters, and 
the magnanimity of his lalt moments correfponded with 
the heroifm of his life. With the mod perfect compofure 
he breathed his laft; the body, followed by immenfe 
crowds of citizens, was borne to the Chartretix in Paris, 
and finally depofited with his anceftors at Joinville in 
Lprrain. 
On the death of the duke of Guife, the marefchal Bri- 
fac was appointed to the command of the royal army, and 
entrufted with the fiege of Orleans; but Catharine, era- 
bamtffed in her affairs, made immediate overtures for 
peace. The terms were fettled by the conftable and the 
prince of Conde. The proleftants were to renounce their 
treaty with England, to lay down their arms, teftore the 
places they had occupied, and in return to receive a ge¬ 
neral pardon, and the free exercife of the reformed reli¬ 
gion. Thefe articles of peace were iiaftily formed by 
Conde, who was emulous of fignalizing himfelf againll 
the Englilh, the natural enemies of his country : under 
his command the united forces of the catholics and hugo¬ 
nots preffed the fiege of Havre de Grace, then in poffefiion 
of Elizabeth. The earl of Warwick commanded a gar- 
rifon of (ix thoufand men ; but his numbers, which pro- 
mifed a vigorous reft fiance, were thinned by a peftilential 
difeafe, and he was obliged to capitulate on the condition 
of retiring to England with the remnant of his forces. A 
final accommodation took place between the two king¬ 
doms in 1563; the hoftages which had been given for the 
reftitution of Calais were releafed by the Englilh for the 
fum of two hundred and twenty thojafand crowns, and 
each party was allowed to referve their further claims to 
a more favourable opportunity. 
Charles IX. having now reached his fourteenth year, 
affumed the reins of government. As the charadter of 
the youthful monarch began to unfold itfelf, he difplayed 
an ardent third of glory, a mind bold and penetrating, and 
a munificence truly royal: but thele noble qualities were 
obfeured by an education vicious and corrupt. The 
marefchal de Retz had taught him to intermingle his 
converfation with the moll blafphemous imprecations ; 
and Catharine had early trained him in the arts of difii- 
mulation, fo fatal to his honour and repofe. The enmity 
on the fcore of religion, which had flept during the uni¬ 
ted efforts of the contending parties to expel the Englilh 
from Havre de Grace, burlt forth, in 1369, with redou¬ 
bled fury. The royal forces rapidly advanced to prevent 
the prince of Conde from effecting a junction with fome 
reinforcements that he expeiSled from Germany ; and in 
the province of Angoumois, on the banks of the Cha- 
rente, the proteftants were overtaken by the fuperior 
numbers of their enemies. The prince of Conde in a 
moment arranged the field of battle for his tioops. From 
a former woujid his arm was in a fcal f; and, as he marched 
up to the attack, the horfe of his brother-in-law the count 
of Rocheroucault reared and broke his leg; yet, fupe¬ 
rior to this painful accident, with an undaunted counte¬ 
nance, he tlius addreffed his followers : “ Nobility of 
France, know, that the prince of Conde, with an arm in 
a fcarf, and a leg broke, fears not to give battle fince you 
attend him.” The village of Jarnac has been rendered 
memorable by the courage and conftancy with which the 
hugonots difputed the day ; Coligni and d’Andelot, Mont¬ 
gomery and RochefoucauL, tranfpierced the thickeft 
ranks, and vied with each ether in perfonal prowefs; but 
they were at length compelled to quit the field with a 
figh of indignation aqd defpair. The prince of Conde, 
I S incapable 
