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594 most of the foreign protestant princes; and war was about to be declared against Spain. The king seemed to exert every effort to conciliate the affection of the protestants. Admiral Coligni, now the head of the party, was invited to court, that Charles might be assisted by his advice; and honour and profit was there heaped upon him; whilst the king was swift in avenging any insult committed against their party; and such was the deep laid plan of deception now practised by Catherine and her son, that Sully justly calls it "an almost incredible prodigy of dissimulation!" Such, indeed, it must have been, since it completely imposed on Coligni's penetrating and sagacious mind. A conversation that had passed between them being overheard, on the queen of Navarre's arrival at court, was treated by him with neglect. "Have I not," said Charles, "acted my part well?" "Admirably!"—replied his mother,—"you have begun; but you must continue." "I will not finish," said Charles, with horrid execrations, "until I bring them all into the toils." Henry of Navarre soon after married Margaret; and this was the crisis for perpetrating their dark designs. The scheme for drawing together the protestant leaders at the marriage of; Henry had succeeded beyond their hopes; above 700 of the nobility and gentry, the flower of the chieftains of that persuasion, were in the city and suburbs, unarmed and unprepared.

The death of Coligni was intended as the first stroke of vengeance inflicted by the merciless and perfidious junto; a fruitless attempt soon after made to assassinate him, by a creature of the duke of Guise, alarmed once more their fears: but Charles and Catherine expressed so much detestation of the deed, that they in a measure lulled