nificence, surrounded by terraced gardens and superbly
furnished, was occupied by Monseigneur Michel Poncet de La Riviere. He
was a man passionately devoted to pleasures of all kinds, especially to
music, women, and good cheer. There were always to be found in his house
good musicians, pretty women, and excellent wines. These latter suited
him so well that he never left the table without being in a pleasant
humour, and at such a moment if it came into his head that anyone in his
diocese was not as good a Christian as himself, he would sit down and
write to M. de Baville, urging that the delinquent ought to be sent into
exile. He often did this honour to my late father." M. d'Aygaliers goes
on to say that "on seeing such a great number of Huguenots in the court
who were all declaring that they were better servants of the king
than the Catholics, he almost fell from his balcony with vexation and
surprise. This vexation increased when he saw M. de Villars and M. de
Baville, who had apartments in the palace, come down into the court and
talk to these people. One hope still remained to him: it was that the
marechal and the intendant had come down to send them away; but this
last hope was cruelly disappointed when he heard M. de Villars say that
he accepted their service and expected them to obey d'Aygaliers in all
matters concerning the service of the king."

But this was not all that had to be accomplished arms were necessary
for the Protestants, and though their number was not great, there was a
difficulty in finding them weapons. The unfortunate Calvinists had been
disarmed so often that even their table-knives had been carried off, so
it was useless to search their houses for guns and sabres. D'Aygaliers
proposed that they should take the arms of the townspeople, but M. de
Villars considered that it would offend the Catholics to have their arms
taken from them and given to the Protestants. In the end, however, this
was the course that had to be adopted: M. de Paratte was ordered to give
fifty muskets and the same number of bayonets to M. d'Aygaliers, who
also received, as the reward of his long patience, from M. de Villars,
before the latter left for Nimes, the following commission:

"We, Marechal de Villars, general in the armies of the king, etc., etc.,
have given permission to M. d'Aygaliers, nobleman and Protestant of
the town of Uzes, and to fifty men chosen by him, to make war on the
Camisards.

"(Signed) VILLARS