Saint Bartholomew's Eve: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars

Оглавление

Henty George Alfred. Saint Bartholomew's Eve: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars

Preface

Chapter 1: Driven From Home

Chapter 2: An Important Decision

Chapter 3: In A French Chateau

Chapter 4: An Experiment

Chapter 5: Taking The Field

Chapter 6: The Battle Of Saint Denis

Chapter 7: A Rescue

Chapter 8: The Third Huguenot War

Chapter 9: An Important Mission

Chapter 10: The Queen Of Navarre

Chapter 11: Jeanne Of Navarre

Chapter 12: An Escape From Prison

Chapter 13: At Laville

Chapter 14: The Assault On The Chateau

Chapter 15: The Battle Of Jarnac

Chapter 16: A Huguenot Prayer Meeting

Chapter 17: The Battle Of Moncontor

Chapter 18: A Visit Home

Chapter 19: In A Net

Chapter 20: The Tocsin

Chapter 21: Escape

Chapter 22: Reunited

Отрывок из книги

In the year 1567 there were few towns in the southern counties of England that did not contain a colony, more or less large, of French Protestants. For thirty years the Huguenots had been exposed to constant and cruel persecutions; many thousands had been massacred by the soldiery, burned at the stake, or put to death with dreadful tortures. Fifty thousand, it was calculated, had, in spite of the most stringent measures of prevention, left their homes and made their escape across the frontiers. These had settled for the most part in the Protestant cantons of Switzerland, in Holland, or England. As many of those who reached our shores were but poorly provided with money, they naturally settled in or near the ports of landing.

Canterbury was a place in which many of the unfortunate emigrants found a home. Here one Gaspard Vaillant, his wife, and her sister, who had landed in the year 1547, had established themselves. They were among the first comers, but the French colony had grown, gradually, until it numbered several hundreds. The Huguenots were well liked in the town, being pitied for their misfortunes, and admired for the courage with which they bore their losses; setting to work, each man at his trade if he had one, or if not, taking to the first work that came to hand. They were quiet and God-fearing folk; very good towards each other, and to their poor countrymen on their way from the coast to London, entertaining them to the best of their power, and sending them forward on their way with letters to the Huguenot committee in London, and with sufficient money in their pockets to pay their expenses on the journey, and to maintain them for a while until some employment could be found for them.

.....

To those who look only at the progress made by England, during the reign of Elizabeth–thanks to her great ministers, her valiant sailors and soldiers, long years of peace at home, and the spirit and energy of her people–Elizabeth may appear a great monarch. To those who study her character from her relations with the struggling Protestants of Holland and France, it will appear that she was, although intellectually great, morally one of the meanest, falsest, and most despicable of women.

Rouen, although stoutly defended by the inhabitants, supported by Montgomery with eight hundred soldiers, and five hundred Englishmen under Killegrew of Pendennis, was at last forced to surrender. The terms granted to the garrison were basely violated, and many of the Protestants put to death. The King of Navarre, who had, since he joined the Catholic party, shown the greatest zeal in their cause, commanded the besiegers. He was wounded in one of the attacks upon the town, and died shortly afterwards.

.....