great her political activity, she made
herself deeply felt in the social and moral worlds also. She taught
her husband the secret of being king; she introduced the _lever_
audience; in the afternoon of every day, she held a reunion of all the
ladies of the court, at which the king was to be found after dinner
and every lord entertained the lady he most loved; two hours were
spent in this pleasure which was continued after supper if there were
no balls; bitter railleries and anything that passed the restrictions
of good company were forbidden.

Her ladies of honor obeyed her as they would their God. Marguerite
of Valois said of her: "I did not dare to speak to her, and when
she looked at me I trembled for fear of having done something that
displeased her." Ladies who had been delinquent were stripped and
beaten with lashes; for correction--frequently for mere pastime--she
would have them undressed and slapped vigorously with the back of
the hand. Francoise of Rohan, cousin of Jeanne d'Albret, wrote the
following poem:

"Plus j'ai de toi souvent este battue,
Plus mon amour s'efforce et s'evertue
De regretter ceste main qui me bat;
Car ce mal-la m'estait plaisant esbat.
Or, adieu donc la main dont la rigueur
Je preferais a tout bien et honneur."

[The more often I have been struck by you, the more my love struggles
and strives to regret the hand that beats me; for that punishment
was a pleasant pastime for me. Now farewell to the hand whose rigor I
preferred to every fortune and honor.]

The following portrait and poetry, taken from M. Saint-Amand, does
the subject full justice: "Catherine de' Medici represented with a
sinister glance, deadly mien, mysterious and savage aspect--a spectre,
not a woman--is not true to nature. Her self-possession, cool cunning,
supreme elegance, imperturbable tranquillity, calmness, moderation,
noble serenity, and dignified poise, gave her an individuality such as
few women ever possessed. Gentle in crime and tragedy, polite like an
executioner toward his victim--this Machiavellianism which is equal
to every trial, which nothing alarms or surprises, and which
with tranquil dexterity makes sport of every law of morality and
humanity--this is the real character of Catherine de' Medici." The
following burlesque poetry was composed for her:

"La reine qui ci-git fut un diable et un ange,
Toute pleine de blame et pleine de louange,
Elle soutint l'Etat, et l'Etat mit a b