he
Huguenots as an attempt upon the honor, and indeed even upon the personal
liberty and life of their Majesties. Might not Catharine and Charles be
tempted to retaliate by trying the effect of a surprise upon the Huguenots
themselves?

[Sidenote: Imprudence of the Huguenots.]

The Huguenots had certainly been grossly imprudent in putting themselves
at the mercy of a woman whom they had greatly offended, and whose natural
place, according to those mysterious sympathies which bind men of similar
natures, was with their adversaries. They had been warned by their secret
friends at court, some of them by Roman Catholic relatives.[513] But the
caution was little heeded. It was not long[514] before those who had been
the most strenuous advocates of peace began to admit that the draught they
had put to their own lips, and now must needs drink, was likely to prove
little to their taste.[515]

[Sidenote: Judicial murder of Rapin, at Toulouse.]

The parliaments made serious objections to the reception of the edict.
Toulouse was, as usual, pre-eminent for its intolerance. The king sent
Rapin, a Protestant gentleman who had served with distinction under Conde
in Languedoc, to carry the law to the parliament, and require its official
recognition. The choice was unfortunate, for it awakened all the hatred of
a court proverbial for its hostility to the Reformation. An accusation of
matters quite foreign to his mission was trumped up against Rapin, and,
contrary to all the principles of justice, and notwithstanding the
privileged character he bore as the king's envoy, he was arrested,
condemned to death, and executed. So atrocious a crime might perhaps have
been punished, had not the new commotions to which we shall soon be
obliged to pay attention, intervened and screened the culprits from their
righteous retribution.[516] Not content with murdering Rapin, the
Parliament of Toulouse still refused to register the edict, and not less
than four successive orders were sent by the king before his refractory
judges yielded an unwilling consent, even then annexing restrictive
clauses which they took care to insert in their secret records.[517]

[Sidenote: Seditious preachers and mobs.]

Again Roman Catholic pulpits resounded, as they did whenever any degree of
toleration was accorded the Protestants, with denunciations of Catharine,
of Charles, of all in the council who had advocated such pernicious views.
Again Ahab and Jezebel appear