The Greatest Works of Charles Carleton Coffin. Charles Carleton Coffin
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Over in Paris is Francis Walsingham, who is beating the Jesuits at their own game. He has his spies everywhere. Servants who wait on tables, hair-dressers, chamber-maids, valets, coachmen — men in all stations — have their eyes and ears open day and night to see and hear what is going on, and Sir Francis pays them. He discovers that there is a plot to assassinate Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne. The conspirators in France and Spain are in correspondence with others in England. Mary knows what is going on. The conspirators in England are arrested and executed. What shall be done with Mary? The ministers appoint a court to try her.
"I am not a subject, to be tried ; I am a queen," is Mary's protest.
"You cannot try one who reigns by the command of God," say her friends.
"She has resigned her crown, and is no longer queen," the judges reply.
"She resigned because she was compelled to, and therefore it is not binding," her friends respond.
"The safety of the people is the highest law," say the judges, overthrowing at once the doctrine that kings and queens have rights so sacred that they cannot be dealt with. The judges have read George Buchanan's little pamphlet, and the world is beginning to understand that kings and queens are amenable to law as well as common people.
The court declares Mary guilty, and Parliament presents an address to Elizabeth asking her to sign a warrant for her execution, for no one can be executed unless the queen signs the warrant. Elizabeth hesitates. Mary is her cousin. Shall she put her to death? Parliament has declared her to be an enemy to the public peace — a conspirator. If Elizabeth were to die, Mary would claim the throne, and there would be no end of trouble. Henry III. of France sends a letter threatening Elizabeth with vengeance if Mary be put to death. Mary's son James sends commissioners to intercede for her; while Philip II. of Spain prepares to make war on England.
Elizabeth is moody and silent. Those who wait upon her hear her talking to herself.
"Strike, or be struck!"
A letter comes from Spain: "Philip is fitting out a great fleet and army to invade England."
Elizabeth appoints Earl Howard, a Catholic, as lord high admiral, to command her fleets, which gives great offence to some of her friends; but the earl is an Englishman, and his allegiance to his sovereign is his first duty. Elizabeth will trust him. She talks over Mary's case with him; what they say no one knows: but when the earl leaves her, he calls in Sir William Davison.
"The queen desires you to prepare a warrant for the execution of the Queen of Scots," he says.
Sir William writes it in secret, though quite likely his secretary, William Brewster, knows what he is doing, for Sir William places implicit confidence in him. When it is ready. Sir William enters the queen's apartment, and Elizabeth signs her name in a bold hand, as she is wont to do. A messenger hastens away with the document; and in the Castle of Fotheringay the Scottish queen, whose life has been one of so many vicissitudes, who has seen little happiness, but much sorrow, meets her sad and mournful fate. She has committed no crime; but while she lives, the liberties of England are in danger of being overthrown, and the people breathe more freely when they hear that she is dead.
CHAPTER XXVII
THE RETRIBUTION THAT FOLLOWED CRIME
THE Huguenots of France are not exterminated by the terrible massacre of St. Bartholomew; there are still one hundred thousand in the kingdom. Catherine de' Medici and the Duke of Guise are determined to root them out, and the young king, Henry III., is a pliant tool in their hands.
"I will have but one religion in the State," is the edict of the weak boy-king. The Huguenots must give up their religion, or fight for life, liberty, and property. Give up they will not. A terrible war begins. Henry of Navarre is the leader of the Huguenots. The whole country is disturbed. Amidst all the commotion, what is the young King of France doing? He is down in the city of Lyons, buying all the little dogs, parrots, and monkeys he can find — paying more than one hundred thousand crowns for them. With him are two hundred women, and as many men — ladies and gentlemen of the court, who have nothing to do but to eat and drink, dance and sing, and dawdle their time away; while the people, with no security of life or property, with no freedom of thought or action, are plundered by the tax-collectors of their hard earnings, to maintain the worthless, dissolute creatures in all their mock gentility.
We come to 1588. The Duke of Guise has been laying a plot to get rid of Henry III., and also Henry of Navarre, the leader of the Huguenots, who is heir to the throne. The duke is not content with being a duke; he must be king. But how shall he do it? He will summon the Jesuits. He will manage to have his own immediate friends appointed chief inquisitors. He consults with the Holy League. But the king is aware of what is going on. He sees through the plan of the wily man, who is on his way from Nancy, a town in Northern France, to Paris.
"You must not enter Paris without my consent," is the order which the king sends to him. What does the Duke of Guise care for that? Nothing.
"If you will break with the king, I will send you three hundred thousand crowns, and seven thousand soldiers," is the word which comes to the duke from Philip II.
The Leaguers are in Paris, secretly stirring up the people, distributing money to the rabble.
"What a noble, generous man the Duke of Guise must be! He does not spend his money buying poodles and monkeys!" So say the people, as the coins drop into their bands. They are ready to take up arms for such a man against the weak-minded Henry.
At noon, May 12th, a man in a white doublet, black cloak, tall, dignified, with a scar on his face, enters the Gate of St. Martin. All Paris is out to welcome him. "Hurrah for the Duke of Guise!" The shout runs along the streets. The people come out with their arms, and the king flies in terror to a place of safety. Then there are negotiations, and the weak, vacillating king comes to terms, accedes to all the duke's demands, publishes an edict against the Huguenots, and another declaring that Henry of Navarre has no right to the throne. the king appoints to office all whom the the duke says must be appointed — the duke himself being made lieutenant-general, commanding the army.
Christmas comes. The duke is master. The king feels his degradation.
"What shall I do?" He puts the question to one of his trusty friends.
"Arrest the duke, and have him tried."
"Strike him at once. He is planning your destruction. You never can try him for treason. Strike, and get rid of him," is the advice of another.
Walls have ears; and a servant, a spy of the duke's, hears it. The duke is sitting at dinner, when a servant hands him a note. Thus it reads: "The king intends to kill you."
The duke takes a pen and writes, "He does not dare to." the duke does not know, nor does he care, who sent the note, for he is conscious of his power. To-morrow morning he is to meet the king in council, and he will make new demands more humiliating to the king. Morning comes, and the duke enters the council-chamber. It is cold and chilly.
"Will you kindle a fire?"
A servant lights the wood upon the hearth, and the duke warms himself, eating, while doing it, some plums, which another servant brings him.
"The king would like to see you in his chamber." The Secretary of State brings the message. Now he will make his demands. Every Huguenot shall he exterminated. He pulls Up his cloak, and takes his hat. Some of the