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

and he kept pursuing this imaginary princedom. It
was a mere lure to draw him over to their side; and
his life ended without his ever attaining the power
he was as eager to grasp as he was unable to wield.
He died fighting in the ranks of the Romanists
before the walls of Rouen; and, true to his
character for inconsistency to the last, he is said to
have requested in his dying moments to be readmitted
into the Protestant Church.
His brother, the Prince of Conde, was a person
of greater talent, and more manly character. He had
a somewhat diminutive figure, but this defect was
counterbalanced by the graces of his manner, the
wit of his discourse, and the gallantry of his
spirit.[5] He shone equally among the ladies of the
court and the soldiers of the camp. He could be
oozy with the one, and unaffectedly frank and open
with the other. The Prince of Conde attached
himself to the Protestant side, from a sincere
conviction that the doctrines of the Reformation
were true, that they were favorable to liberty, and
that their triumph would contribute to the greatness
of France. But the Prince of Conde was not a great
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