ment with the princes
and members of the council, that, by their advice, some permanent and
proper settlement of this vexed question might be reached.[1042]
Catharine, who, in the publication of the letters-patent of April, had
followed the advice of Chancellor L'Hospital, and seemed to lean to the
side of toleration, now yielded to the cardinal's persuasions--whether
from a belief that the mixed assembly which he proposed to convene would
pursue the path of conciliation already pointed out by the government,
or from a fear of alienating a powerful party in the state.

[Sidenote: The "Mercuriale" of 1561.]

On the twenty-third of June, Charles, accompanied by his mother, by the
King of Navarre, and the other princes of the blood, and by the council
of state, came to the chamber of parliament, and the chancellor
announced to the assembled members the object of this extraordinary
visit. It was to obtain advice not respecting religion itself--_that_
was reserved for the deliberation of the national council, and its
merits could not be discussed here--but respecting the best method of
appeasing the commotions daily on the increase, caused by a diversity of
religious tenets. He therefore begged all present to express in brief
terms their opinions on this important topic. It is not surprising that
the answers given should have been of the most varied import. Ever since
the time of Henry the Second, the Parliament of Paris had contained a
considerable number of friends, more or less open, of Protestantism, and
among the princes and noblemen who came to join in the deliberation, the
number of its warm advocates was proportionately still greater. At the
same time, the Roman Catholic party was largely represented in the ranks
of the members of the parliament proper, as recent events had indicated;
while, among the high nobility and the dignitaries of the church, the
weight of the constable and the Duke of Guise, the cardinals of Bourbon,
Tournon, Lorraine, and Guise, and the Bishop of Paris, counterbalanced
the influence of the King of Navarre, the Prince of Conde, the
Chatillons, and the chancellor. Five or six different opinions were
announced by the successive speakers;[1043] but they could all be
reduced to three. The more tolerant advocated the suspension of all
punishments until the determination of the questions in dispute by a
council. A second class, on the contrary, maintained the propriety and
expediency of enforcing