Aubigne, ii. 27. Lagebaston was "first president"
of the Bordalese parliament, but, so far from being able to prevent the
massacre, received information that his own name was on Montferrand's
list, and fled to the castle of Ha, whence he wrote to the king. His
remonstrances against a butchery based upon a pretended order which was
not exhibited, his delineation of the impolitic and disgraceful work, and
his reasons why an execution, that might have been necessary to crush a
secret conspiracy at Paris, was altogether unnecessary in a city "six or
seven score leagues distant," where there could be no thought of a
conspiracy, render his letter very interesting.

[1135] Registres du Parlement, Boscheron des Portes, i. 246, 247.

[1136] Boscheron des Portes, _ubi supra_.

[1137] Claude Haton waxes facetious when describing the sudden popularity
acquired by the sign of the cross, and the numbers of rosaries that could
be seen in the hands, or tied to the belt, of fugitive Huguenot ladies.

[1138] Tocsain contre les massacreurs, 156. See _ante_, chapter xviii., p.
491.

[1139] De Felice, Hist. of the Protestants of France (New York, 1859),
214, and Henry White, 455, from Maimbourg, Histoire du Calvinisme, 486. I
refer the reader to Mr. L. D. Paumier's exhaustive discussion of the story
in his paper, "La Saint-Barthelemy en Normandie," Bulletin de la Soc. de
l'hist. du prot. francais, vi. (1858), 466-470. Mr. Paumier has also
completely demolished the scanty foundation on which rested the similar
story told of Sigognes, Governor of Dieppe, pp. 470-474. See also M. C.
Osmont de Courtisigny's monograph, "Jean Le Hennuyer et les Huguenots de
Lisieux en 1572," in the Bulletin, xxvi. (1877) 145, etc.

[1140] Tocsain contre les massacreurs, 156; Odolant Desnos, Memoires
historiques sur la ville d'Alencon, ii. 285, _apud_ Bulletin de la Soc. de
l'hist. du prot. francais, viii. (1859), 68. The truth of the story as to
Alencon seems to be proved by the circumstance that when, in February,
1575, Matignon marched against Alencon, in order to suppress the
conspiracy which the duke, Charles's youngest brother, had entered into to
prevent Henry of Anjou from succeeding peaceably to the throne of France,
the grateful Protestants at once opened their gates to him. Ibid., 305,
Bulletin, _ubi supra_.

[1141] Tocsain, 156.

[1142] "Par lesquelles vous me mandez n'avoir receu aucun commandement
verbal de moy, ains seulement mes lettres du