king charles, a prince of great prudence, always paying a particular deference to his mother, and being much attached to the catholic religion, now convinced of the intentions of the huguenots, adopted a sudden resolution of following his mother’s counsel, and putting himself under the safeguard of the catholics. it was not, however, without extreme regret that he found he had it not in his power to save teligny, la noue, and m. de la rochefoucauld.
he went to the apartments of the queen his mother, and sending for m. de guise and all the princes and catholic officers, the “massacre of st. bartholomew” was that night resolved upon.
immediately every hand was at work; chains were drawn across the streets, the alarm-bells were sounded, and every man repaired to his post, according to the orders he had received, whether it was to attack the admiral’s quarters, or those of the other huguenots. m. de guise hastened to the admiral’s, and besme, a gentleman in the service of the former, a german by birth, forced into his chamber, and having slain him with a dagger, threw his body out of a window to his master.
i was perfectly ignorant of what was going forward. i observed every one to be in motion: the huguenots, driven to despair by the attack upon the admiral’s life, and the guises, fearing they should not have justice done them, whispering all they met in the ear.
the huguenots were suspicious of me because i was a catholic, and the catholics because i was married to the king of navarre, who was a huguenot. this being the case, no one spoke a syllable of the matter to me.
at night, when i went into the bedchamber of the queen my mother, i placed myself on a coffer, next my sister lorraine, who, i could not but remark, appeared greatly cast down. the queen my mother was in conversation with some one, but, as soon as she espied me, she bade me go to bed. as i was taking leave, my sister seized me by the hand and stopped me, at the same time shedding a flood of tears: “for the love of god,” cried she, “do not stir out of this chamber!” i was greatly alarmed at this exclamation; perceiving which, the queen my mother called my sister to her, and chid her very severely. my sister replied it was sending me away to be sacrificed; for, if any discovery should be made, i should be the first victim of their revenge. the queen my mother made answer that, if it pleased god, i should receive no hurt, but it was necessary i should go, to prevent the suspicion that might arise from my staying.
i perceived there was something on foot which i was not to know, but what it was i could not make out from anything they said.
the queen again bade me go to bed in a peremptory tone. my sister wished me a good night, her tears flowing apace, but she did not dare to say a word more; and i left the bedchamber more dead than alive.
as soon as i reached my own closet, i threw myself upon my knees and prayed to god to take me into his protection and save me; but from whom or what, i was ignorant. hereupon the king my husband, who was already in bed, sent for me. i went to him, and found the bed surrounded by thirty or forty huguenots, who were entirely unknown to me; for i had been then but a very short time married. their whole discourse, during the night, was upon what had happened to the admiral, and they all came to a resolution of the next day demanding justice of the king against m. de guise; and, if it was refused, to take it themselves.
for my part, i was unable to sleep a wink the whole night, for thinking of my sister’s tears and distress, which had greatly alarmed me, although i had not the least knowledge of the real cause. as soon as day broke, the king my husband said he would rise and play at tennis until king charles was risen, when he would go to him immediately and demand justice. he left the bedchamber, and all his gentlemen followed.
as soon as i beheld it was broad day, i apprehended all the danger my sister had spoken of was over; and being inclined to sleep, i bade my nurse make the door fast, and i applied myself to take some repose. in about an hour i was awakened by a violent noise at the door, made with both hands and feet, and a voice calling out, “navarre! navarre!” my nurse, supposing the king my husband to be at the door, hastened to open it, when a gentleman, named m. de teian, ran in, and threw himself immediately upon my bed. he had received a wound in his arm from a sword, and another by a pike, and was then pursued by four archers, who followed him into the bedchamber. perceiving these last, i jumped out of bed, and the poor gentleman after me, holding me fast by the waist. i did not then know him; neither was i sure that he came to do me no harm, or whether the archers were in pursuit of him or me. in this situation i screamed aloud, and he cried out likewise, for our fright was mutual. at length, by god’s providence, m. de nangay, captain of the guard, came into the bed-chamber, and, seeing me thus surrounded, though he could not help pitying me, he was scarcely able to refrain from laughter. however, he reprimanded the archers very severely for their indiscretion, and drove them out of the chamber. at my request he granted the poor gentleman his life, and i had him put to bed in my closet, caused his wounds to be dressed, and did not suffer him to quit my apartment until he was perfectly cured. i changed my shift, because it was stained with the blood of this man, and, whilst i was doing so, de nangay gave me an account of the transactions of the foregoing night, assuring me that the king my husband was safe, and actually at that moment in the king’s bedchamber. he made me muffle myself up in a cloak, and conducted me to the apartment of my sister, madame de lorraine, whither i arrived more than half dead. as we passed through the antechamber, all the doors of which were wide open, a gentleman of the name of bourse, pursued by archers, was run through the body with a pike, and fell dead at my feet. as if i had been killed by the same stroke, i fell, and was caught by m. de nangay before i reached the ground. as soon as i recovered from this fainting-fit, i went into my sister’s bedchamber, and was immediately followed by m. de mioflano, first gentleman to the king my husband, and armagnac, his first valet de chambre, who both came to beg me to save their lives. i went and threw myself on my knees before the king and the queen my mother, and obtained the lives of both of them.
five or six days afterwards, those who were engaged in this plot, considering that it was incomplete whilst the king my husband and the prince de conde remained alive, as their design was not only to dispose of the huguenots, but of the princes of the blood likewise; and knowing that no attempt could be made on my husband whilst i continued to be his wife, devised a scheme which they suggested to the queen my mother for divorcing me from him. accordingly, one holiday, when i waited upon her to chapel, she charged me to declare to her, upon my oath, whether i believed my husband to be like other men. “because,” said she, “if he is not, i can easily procure you a divorce from him.” i begged her to believe that i was not sufficiently competent to answer such a question, and could only reply, as the roman lady did to her husband, when he chid her for not informing him of his stinking breath, that, never having approached any other man near enough to know a difference, she thought all men had been alike in that respect. “but,” said i, “madame, since you have put the question to me, i can only declare i am content to remain as i am;” and this i said because i suspected the design of separating me from my husband was in order to work some mischief against him.