lomew, contenting themselves with debarring the
Catholics from the open exercise of their religion, but leaving them
free to use all its rites and ceremonies in private. They even permitted
the procession of the Host through the streets in case of illness,
provided it took place at night. Of course death would not always wait
for darkness, and the Host was sometimes carried to the dying during the
day, not without danger to the priest, who, however, never let himself
be deterred thereby from the performance of his duty; indeed, it is of
the essence of religious devotion to be inflexible; and few soldiers,
however brave, have equalled the martyrs in courage.

During this time, taking advantage of the truce to hostilities and
the impartial protection meted out to all without distinction by the
Constable Damville, the Carmelites and Capuchins, the Jesuits and monks
of all orders and colours, began by degrees to return to Nines; without
any display, it is true, rather in a surreptitious manner, preferring
darkness to daylight; but however this may be, in the course of three
or four years they had all regained foothold in the town; only now they
were in the position in which the Protestants had been formerly, they
were without churches, as their enemies were in possession of all the
places of worship. It also happened that a Jesuit high in authority,
named Pere Coston, preached with such success that the Protestants, not
wishing to be beaten, but desirous of giving word for word, summoned
to their aid the Rev. Jeremie Ferrier, of Alais, who at the moment was
regarded as the most eloquent preacher they had. Needless to say, Alais
was situated in the mountains, that inexhaustible source of Huguenot
eloquence. At once the controversial spirit was aroused; it did not as
yet amount to war, but still less could it be called peace: people were
no longer assassinated, but they were anathematised; the body was safe,
but the soul was consigned to damnation: the days as they passed were
used by both sides to keep their hand in, in readiness for the moment
when the massacres should again begin.

CHAPTER II

The death of Henri IV led to new conflicts, in which although at first
success was on the side of the Protestants it by degrees went over to
the Catholics; for with the accession of Louis XIII Richelieu had taken
possession of the throne: beside the king sat the cardinal; under the
purple mantle gleamed the red robe. It was a