destruction of their
influence if Charles were longer permitted to have intercourse with
Coligny. In that case a Flemish war would be almost inevitable. Charles's
anger against the Spaniards had kindled anew when he heard of Alva's
inhumanity to Genlis and his fellow-prisoners. But, when he was informed
that Alva had put French soldiers to the torture, in order to extract the
admission of their monarch's complicity in the enterprise, his passion was
almost ungovernable, as he asked his attendants again and again: "Do you
know that the Duke of Alva is putting me on trial?"[937] It seems to have
been at this juncture that Catharine and her favorite son came to the
definite determination to put the great Huguenot out of the way. Henry of
Anjou is here his own accuser. In that strange confession which he made to
his physician, Miron,[938] shortly after his arrival in Cracow--a
confession made under the influence, not so much of remorse, as of the
annoyance occasioned by the continual reminders of the massacre which were
thrown in his way as he travelled to assume the throne of Poland--he gives
us a partial view of the development of the murderous plot.

[Sidenote: Jealousy of Catharine and Anjou.]

[Sidenote: The Duchess of Nemours and Henry of Guise.]

Several times had Anjou and Catharine perceived that, whenever Charles had
conversed in private with the admiral, his demeanor was visibly changed
toward them. He no longer exhibited his accustomed respect for his mother
or his wonted kindness for his brother. Once, in particular--and it was,
so Anjou tells us, only a few days before St. Bartholomew's Day--Henry
happened to enter the room just after Coligny had gone out. Instantly the
king's countenance betrayed extreme anger. He began to walk furiously to
and fro, taking great strides, and keeping his eyes fixed upon his brother
with an expression that boded no good, but without uttering a word. Again
and again he placed his hand on his dagger, and Anjou expected nothing
less than that his brother would attack him. At last, taking advantage of
an opportunity when Charles's back was turned, he hastily retreated from
the room. This circumstance led Catharine and Anjou to compare their
observations and their plans. "Both of us," says Henry, "were easily
persuaded, and became, as it were, certain that it was the admiral who had
impressed some evil and sinister opinion of us upon the king. We resolved
from that moment to rid o