The Huguenots in France

ed by Louis XIV. of France, on the 18th of Oct

was nevertheless a popular measure, approved by the Catholic

most industrious, enterprising, and loyal of his subjects. But the advocacy of the King's then Catholic mistress, Madame de Maintenon, and

the great seal of France to the deed, he exclaimed, in the words of Simeon, "Lord,

Louis. Let our acclamations ascend to heaven, and let us say to this new Constantine, this new Theodosius, this new Marcian, this new Charlemagne, what the thirty-six fathers formerly said in the Council of Chalcedon: 'You have affirmed the faith, you have extermina

gy, rejoice at the victory of Madame de Maintenon." Madame enjoyed the surname of Director of the Affairs of the Clergy; and it was said by the l

e with the King; and that the two were privately united by the Archbishop of Paris at Versailles, a few days after, in the presence of Père la Chaise and two more wit

uenots. "Killing them off" was a matter of badinage with the courtiers. Madame de Maintenon wrote to the D

en residing in Low Brittany during a revolt against the Gabelle, a friend wrote to her, "How dull you must be!" "No," replied Madame de Sévigné, "

never has any King done, or ever will do, a more memorable act." Bussy replied to her: "I immensely admire the conduct of the King in destroying the Huguenots. The wars which have been waged against them, and the St.

y which her son-in-law M. de Grignan had made in the mountains of Dauphiny, to pursue and punish th

s letters, he said, "I have this morning condemned seventy-six of these wretches (Hugu

els against the Huguenots; and the authority which he has employed to unite them to the Church will be most salutary to themselves

the mob, "Happy ruins, the finest trophy France ever beheld!" La Fontaine described heresy as now "reduced to the last gasp." Thomas Corneille also eulogized the zeal of the King in "throttling the Reformation." Barbier D'Aucourt heedlessly, but truly, c

felt inspired to sing "The Destruction of Heresy." The Abbé de Rancé spoke of the whole affair as a prodigy: "The Temple of Charenton dest

ound them evading or breaking the Edict of Revocation; thus earning the praises of the Church and the fines offered by the King for their apprehension. The provosts and sheriffs

s were then very badly paid, they were thereby enabled to live at free quarters. They treated everything in the houses they occupied as if it were their own, and a

seigneurs who wished to increase their estates, were constantly on the look-out for good bargains. Even before the Revocation, when the Huguenots were selling their land in order to leave the country, Madame de Maintenon wrote to her nephew, for whom she had obtained

enots. Pope Innocent XI. sent a brief to Louis XIV., in which he promised him the unanimous praises of the Church, "Amongst all the proofs," said he, "which your Majesty has given of natura

were compelled by law to pay for their education by Jesuit priests. To furnish the required accommodation, nearly the whole of the Protestant temples that had not been pulled down were made over to the Jesuits, to be converted into monastic schools and nunneries. Even Bossuet,

e kingdom that the Huguenots were becoming converted by thousands, there was nothing but a clear c

ersecution which then drove some of the members of Port Royal into exile, and eventually destroyed them. But even the Jansenists approved the persecution of the Protestants. The great Arnault,

it is true, was tolerated, but then Atheism was not a religion. The Atheists did not, like the Protestants, set up rival churches, or appoint rival ministers, and seek to draw

tically related that Louis XIV. on one occasion objected to the appointment of a representative on a foreign mission on account of the perso

ever seemed so powerful in France. It had a strong hold upon the minds of the people. It was powerful in its leaders and its great preachers;

ndred years after the Revocation, the Church had lost its influence over the people, and was despised. The Deists and Atheists, sprung from the Church's boso

eplored the force practised on the Huguenots; but they were greatly in the minority, and had no power to make their opposition felt. Some of them considered it an impious sacrilege to compel the Protestants to take the Catholic sacrament-to force them

ject remained for a long time unknown, and was only first published in 1825. The Duc de Saint-Simon, also a Jansenist, took the same view,

The King was flattered by the perpetual conversions reported to be going on throughout the country-five thousand per

ed the days of the preaching of the Apostles, and attributed to himself all the honour. The Bishops wrote panegyri

the results of the policy he had pursued. He died in the hands of the Jesuits, his body covered with relics of the true cross. Madam

licting penance on the backs of others. He loaded his kingdom with debt, and overwhelmed his people with taxes. He destroyed the industry of France, which had been mainly supported by the Huguenots. Towards the

ate! In vain did you oppose to Louis the timid views of human wisdom, the body of the monarchy enfeebled by the flight of so many citizens, the course of trade slackened, either by the deprivation of their industry, or by the furtive removal of their wealth! Dangers fortify his zeal. The work of God fears not man. He believes even that he strengthens his throne by overthrowing that

h them something far more valuable than rage. They carried with them their virtue, piety, industry, and valour, which proved the source of w

ccasion for entertaining the "rage" which the gre