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1559.

Pope

During the first year of the Reign of Fran- FrancisII. cis II. fhe had alfo very little to do in the Government. The King, it feems, had no Eyes Paul IV. nor Ears but for Mary Queen of Scots his Confort; and confequently for the Cardinal of Lorrain, and the Duke of Guise her Uncles. Nay, the young Queen treated the Queen-Mother with the greatest scorn, fince (if the Cardinal de Santa Cruce may be credited) fhe upbraided her with her Birth, telling her, that he would never be any thing better than a Merchant's Daughter. Thefe words, it is faid, were uttered at the inftigation of the Cardinal of Lorrain, and the Queen-Mother never forgot them (a).

As to her Religion, it cannot be denied, that fhe was inclined to the Reformed Doctrine, even in the times, when fhe could be but a Lofer by it, if the King her Husband had suspected her.

After the King's death, fhe difcovered more plainly her real Sentiments, and though she was overpower'd by the Guifes during Francis IId's Reign, nevertheless, fhe had a great hand in the Edict of Fontainebleau in Auguft 1560, and two others before, which leffened the Penalties against the Reformed. After the King's Death, and in the two first years of the Reign of Charles IX. she did many things, which certainly she would not have done, if the had not been convinced in her heart of the Truth of the Reformed Religion.

I do verily confefs, that the confideration of the welfare of the Kingdom, might have engaged her to procure an Abatement of the cruel Edicts made against the Reformed, particularly during a Minority, and at a time, when the Reformed

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(a) Lettres du Card. de St. Croix, 40° Lettre au mẹmoire fecret.

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1559.

Pope Paul IV.

Francis II. formed were no more a defpicable Set of People, but had at their Head feveral of the prime Nobility, a vast number of Gentry, many Prelates, and fome of the greatest Officers of the Crown and of the Parliament, befides the two firft Princes of the Blood. But fhe went further, fhe gave leave to preach at Court after the Reformed way, and before a numerous Audience; fhe wrote to Pope Paul IV. a Letter, which I fhall infert in its proper Place, by which the required of his Holinefs the Reformation of many important Articles; a Reformation, which if he had granted, would, in all probability, have reunited all the Subjects. She gave Inftructions to the King's Embaffadors at Rome and at Trent, tending to the fame effect; the granted the Conference of Poiffy, at which fhe was pleafed to be prefent, during the firft Seffions; and fhewed a great kindness and regard for the Ministers deputed by the Churches; and it was not her fault, if the Catholick Party came not to an Agreement with them; at laft fhe granted to the Reformed the Edict of January. In fhort, fhe behaved herself in fuch a manner, that the Catholicks, and even the Court of Rome was at a stand to know what to think of her. Let us hear upon that fubject the Cardinal of Santa Cruce, at that time Nuncio at the Court of France,

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It is not poffible, fays he, to judge with ,, any certainty of the State of this Country, without having fome better Light, because all lies on the Queen's Conduct, who, notwith,, standing all that fhe could do for the worfe, in endeavouring to introduce that new Religion, will have for all that, as I think, a ,, great regard to the Satisfaction of the Catho

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licks of this Realm, and confider the danger Francis II. ,, to which fhe would expofe it and herself (b).

1559.

Pope

After the Battle of Dreux, a Rumour having Paul IV. reached to Paris that the King's Army had loft the day, the Queen-Mother faid very coldly, Then, we fhall be obliged to pray to God in French; but the next day, being thoroughly acquainted of the Truth, fhe ordered Bonfires, but with regret, fays M. Mezeray (c).

I will believe with M. Bayle (d), that though fhe had tafted of the good Word of God, and received the Seed of the Gofpel in her heart, yet it happened to her what J. C. fays in his Parable of the Seed, the Love of the World, Ambition, the Pomps of the Riches, choaked the Lights of Grace in her heart, in fo much that the Word of God could not fhoot up in it. We must believe, that she did not turn Hugonot for fear of lofing her Authority; for fhe was fo feverely handled by the Triumvirate, fo foon as fhe appeared inclined to our fide, that fhe plainly faw that we could not do her Bufinefs in this World. But as I have faid, and as M. Bayle obferves rightly, by all that she did for the Reformation, it is evident that the Opinion fhe entertained for that Doctrine, could not proceed from any bad Principle.

Thefe Qualities were the faireft fide of that Princefs, which I muft confefs, have been overwhelmed under a heap of bad ones; I do not fpeak either of her Inclination for Aftrologers, Conjurers, Sorcerers, Wizards, Poisoners, &c.

because that was in fashion at the Court of France long before fhe was married to King Henry; or of her way of living too loofe for a Widow, M 4 be

(c) Mezeray Abr, (d) Bayle Critique Generale

(b) Id. Lettre 38. Memoire Secret. Chron. liv. Tom. v. p. 72. de l'Hift. du Calvin. Lettre 17.

Francis II. because, I do not take her to be guilty of having 1559. introduced into the Court thofe monftrous Vices Pope Paul IV. which prevailed fo far under Henry II. and had begun even in Lewis XIIth's times. But Catharine left the Court as the found it, her Circumstances difabling her to undertake a Reform, to which, may be, fhe had no great Inclination; fhe helped, as much as fhe could, to gratify the Vices of the Courtiers, and other great Men, whose Intereft was neceffary to her, that the might find in them the help the stood in need of to compass the Views of her own Ambition, and to fucceed in all the methods which she made use of to obtain her ends.

An unbounded Ambition was her over-ruling Principle, fhe would reign, command, be abfolute at any rate; for that end fhe spared neither Faith, Honour, or Modefty; any method that could be useful to her, though ever fo bad and wicked in itself, fhe took to be honeft enough, if fhe could compass her ends. She was cruel and blood-thirfty, as it is evident by the inhuman Butchery of Amboife, and on many other occafions, but efpecially in the Maffacre of St. Bartholomew's Day, which was perpetrated by her Advice and her Order.

She was fufpected of having poisoned her two Sons, Francis II. and Charles IX. but fuch a fufpicion being grounded only upon meer Conjecture, I do not think, that we fhould give any credit to fuch a monstrous Report, which might be only the Fruit of hatred and revenge.

Such was the famous Catharine of Medicis, the Mother of Kings, as fhe was pleased to ftyle herself; more memorable, if I may fay fo, by the Misfortunes fhe brought upon her Sons, and the Miseries wherein the involved the Kingdom during the 28 years fhe governed, or had any

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share in the Government, than by any other in- FrancisII. dowment of the body or mind; though they 1559. Pope have been fo confpicuous in that Princess.

Paul IV.

IÍ.

II.

The fecond Perfon, of whom I would have fpoken, if I had had any thing to say of him, is Francis II. His Servants gave him the Title of a of Francis King without Vice, which Encomium would certainly be very great and glorious, if, as M. Mezeray obferves, it was grounded not upon Imbecility, but upon Wisdom and Virtue (e). It may be, that he would have been forgotten in Hiftory, if his fhort Reign had not given birth to thofe Evils, which put the Kingdom on the very brink of its utter ruin.

The next Perfon is the Cardinal of Lorrain; I have reprefented him already at the beginning of the laft Reign, as a proud, haughty Man, ambitious to the laft degree; cruel, perfidious, treacherous, voluptuous, and yet timorous, and coward to the laft degree: That is the Character which the Hiftorians of that Age gave of him.

M. de Thou gives us an inftance of that Prelate's Injuftice and Cruelty, when he advised the young King Francis to fet up a Gallows, and publish an Ordinance that any Person, of whatsoever Quality, that was come to Court to petition the King for Arrears or Rewards, fhould depart from it in 24 hours under the penalty of being hanged *.

According to Brantome, he infifted warmly with the Duke of Guife his Brother, to engage him to shut up in a Cloyfter Charles IX. and his two Brothers, after the death of Francis II. and to deftroy the Princes of the Blood, to make himself Master of the Crown of France (ƒ).

() Mezeray ibid. p. 33.

697.

The

Thuani Hift. lib. xxiii.

(f) Brantome Eloge du Duc de Guife. Tom. iii,

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