Charles. At first
their words irritated him, and, without convincing, drove him into a
frenzy of excitement. A little later, giving credit to the oft-repeated
assertions of his false advisers, and his imagination becoming inflamed by
the picture of the dangers surrounding him which they so skilfully
painted, he would, nevertheless, hear nothing of the crime to which he was
urged, but began anxiously to consult those who were present whether there
were no other means of escape. Each man gave his opinion in succession;
and each supported Catharine's views, until it came to the turn of Retz,
who, contrary to the expectation of the conspirators, gave expression to
more noble sentiments.[964] If any one were justified in hating Coligny
and his faction, he said, it was himself, maligned, as he had been, both
in France and abroad; but he was unwilling, in avenging private wrongs, to
involve France and its royal family in dishonor. The king would justly be
taxed with perfidy, and all confidence in his word or in public faith
would be lost. Henceforth it would be impossible to treat for terms of
peace in those new civil wars in which the French must be involved, and of
which their children would not see the end.

[Sidenote: The king consents reluctantly.]

These wholesome words at first struck speechless the advocates of murder.
Then they undertook, by repeating their arguments, to destroy the effect
of the prophetic warning to which the king had just listened. They
succeeded but too well. "That instant," says Henry of Anjou, "we perceived
a sudden change, a strange and wonderful metamorphosis in the king. He
placed himself on our side, and adopted our opinion, going much beyond us
and to more criminal lengths; since, whereas before it was difficult to
persuade him, now we had to restrain him. For, rising and addressing us,
while imposing silence upon us, he told us in anger and fury, swearing by
God's death that, 'since we thought it good that the admiral should be
killed, he would have it so; but that with him all the Huguenots of France
must be killed, in order that not one might remain to reproach him
hereafter; and that we should promptly see to it.' And going out
furiously, he left us in his room, where we deliberated the rest of the
day, during the evening, and for a good part of the night, and decided
upon that which seemed advisable for the execution of such an
enterprise."[965]

This is the strange record of the cha