The Death of Francis of Guise [pp. 254-269]

260 THE DEATH OF FRANCIS OF GUISE. [Nov.,
declared that, being ill-advised, he had followed Monsieur the
Prince of Cond6, but that, being moved by a just repentance, he
was come to surrender himself into his hands, with a firm purpose of doing good service to the king. Monsieur de Guise,
esteeming that these words came from the depths of his heart, did
receive the said Poltrot with a favorable eye, and even gave him
such access to his house that oftentimes they drank and ate at
the same table. They say that the gentleness of this prince had
such power that for the time Poltrot lost heart and returned
quite abruptly to the admiral, much less resolved than before, and
would have even abandoned the enterprise had he not been confirmed in his purpose by a minister full of understanding and persuasion."
The minister "full of understanding and persuasion" was
Beza. It was true that Poltrot felt for the moment the influence
that Guise's greatness of heart and soul exercised on every one
who came within its sphere, and surrendered to it. His heart
failed him and he returned three times to Coligny, begging to
be discharged from his task. The admiral was at a loss how to
;deal with the scruples that had suddenly sprung up in this tender conscience. What annoyed him most, he had to show his
hand too plainly. Here was a case where he would have some
difficulty in planning an assassination and afterwards discarding
his instrument. It was a case which he could not deal with alone.
He sent Poltrot to Beza. Beza was an adept in casuistry, and
such troubles of soul presented no difficulty to his keen spiritual
insight. He assured his young disciple that such scruples were
suggestions of the devil, and he could act with safety of conscience. "The angels would assist him, and if he died he would
go straight to paradise."
Poltrot was no match for the subtlety and persuasiveness of
the great Reformer. He returned to Coligny. What passed at
this interview we do not know. We do know that the admiral
gave the assassin one hundred crowns with which to buy a horse,
that he promised to reward his zeal and make him "the richest
man of his lineage" if he should succeed.
Meanwhile Guise was pressing the siege of Orleans. His
dread of the sufferings to which the inhabitants might be exposed
from a night assault led him to change his purpose of carrying
the city on the night of the I8th of February, and he deferred his
attack to the next day. It was the noble and womanly habit of
the Duchess of Guise, whenever she heard her husband was likely
to capture a city, to visit his camp with the object of moderating