Page:A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country (1804).djvu/602

588 measures with respect to the finances, whilst the queen-mother strove to secure the attachment of the Huguenots: causing letters patent to be issued, whereby the king forbade all his subjects, under the severest penalties, to insult each other on matters of religion, and ordered all those to be released from prison, whose only crime was, having attended conventicles, exacting from them a promise to live catholiquement in future; if they would not make this promise, they were still to be released, on condition they left the kingdom in a given time. But the parliament were so far influenced by the spirit of bigotry, that they at the same time issued an arrêt, forbidding all persons, under pain of death, from holding conventicles, or unlawful assemblies; from buying and selling any book on religion, without the permission of the court. But the death of the king seemed to have suspended the power of the Guises, and the presence of the Prince of Condé turned the scale in favour of the Huguenots. It had ever been the policy of Catherine, to profit by the animosity of two parties, for the augmentation of her power; and so to hold the balance between them as to prevent either from securing a preponderance. Finding her authority questioned by the Huguenots, she thought it prudent to secure the attachment of their leaders: and accordingly applied to Coligni, who from his rank, station and principles, was justly considered as entitled to have great weight with his party. Unambitious of honours, and negligent of rewards, all the Admiral required was the promulgation of edicts favourable to the religion he professed; believing that those doctrines, which had made such rapid progress in the time of persecution, would thrive so fast under the influence of toleration, that the whole nation would in a few years be induced to adopt them, without bloodshed; that the immense riches of the Romish