Protestantism in France From Death of Francis I to Edict of Nantes - James Aitken Wylie

carts, and driven away to be shot into the river. The
kennels were running with blood. Guise, Tavannes,
and D'Angoul~me--traversing the streets on
horseback, and raising their voices to their highest
pitch, to be audible above the tolling of the bells,
the yells of the murderers, and the cries and
moanings of the wounded and the dying--were
inciting to yet greater fury those whom hate and
blood had already transformed into demons. "It is
the king's orders!" cried Guise. "Blood, blood!"
shouted out Tavannes. Blood! every kennel was
full; the Seine as it rolled through Paris seemed but
a river of blood; and the corpses which it was
bearing to the ocean were so numerous that the
bridges had difficulty in giving them passage, and
were in some danger of becoming choked and
turning back the stream, and drowning Paris in the
blood of its own shedding. Such was the gigantic
horror on which the sun of that Sunday morning,
the 24th of August, 1572 --St. Bartholomew's Day-
-looked down.
We have seen how Charles IX stood
shuddering for some moments on the brink of his
341