TO THEODORE BEZA.
f101TROUBLES IN FRANCE — FAULTS COMMITTED BY THE CHIEFS OF THE REFORMED PARTY — SLUGGISHNESS OF
THE KING OF NAVARRE.
GENEVA, 10th September, 1560.
As I suppose that my letter has miscarried in which I signified to you what I am about to write, I am obliged now to repeat it. Our Hotspur f102 had been informed in time of the change in their purpose, and I had previously informed him that, for important reasons, nothing ought to be attempted by him, till something had been accomplished by you. Thus by his rash haste he has been guilty of a grave fault. Another untoward accident kept your letter of the 25th August nearly four days on the road, through the negligence of I know not what muleteer, who had engaged to deliver it foul: hours after it was put into his hands. Exhausted by a sorrow of eight days’ duration I had thrown myself into bed, after my return from a very melancholy expedition, for I had accompanied the funeral procession of our most excellent brother. f103 I got up immediately and wrote to beseech Hotspur, to take care to have transmitted to the place indicated in my letter, an account of whatever preparations had been made, or to be the bearer of it himself. In the mean time, to make some apology for his excessive precipitancy, he has sent this person with a letter whence it is permitted to conclude that he would not suffer himself to be guided by any sober counsels, and for that reason the messenger himself who then coincided with him in opinion will give a much better account of the whole affair. I have selected him from among all, chiefly because no one was better fitted for surmounting obstacles. How
disgracefully that foolhardy man came off who would listen to no advice, I forbear for the moment to tell you. You shall hear it all when we meet. But now for fear this adverse stroke should take by surprise our chief and our standard-bearer, I determined immediately to dispatch some. one to acquaint them with what had happened. There was another motive for
after those things, which we had promised to manage. I will begin with this last consideration. Our neighbors had either broken faith, or given way to cowardice, unless I had most energetically recalled them to their duty.
Their spirits seemed revived by the presence of the person who to my reproaches added both prayers and threats. Three days after, we heard that they had again lost all heart. Another person succeeded to the first.
The sum had already been completed, but only because we became sureties for it. Whether any adverse blast shall drive us from this course also, I cart not tell. Certainly the transaction was managed with good faith.
You may assure the chief and the standard-bearer of this, that we were abundantly sedulous to accelerate matters, but that some delay was occasioned by the sluggishness of others. Then when your arrival was the most efficacious remedy for all those evils, to have no word from you was productive of much mischief. For hence it happened that the individual usurped a greater degree of license, whose vain impetuosity was so suddenly checked, and the others who believed themselves undone wavered in their duty. f104 Hence the disaster which nevertheless ought rather to whet than blunt people’s courage.
From other quarters I conceive better hopes, because active collectors with instructions from me having gone to Macon, the neighboring towns, and the whole of the maritime coast, for the sake of transacting business, will not spare their pains. What then remains to be done but that our chief should by his promptitude recruit his forces, which he will never do by sitting still and inactive. If he complains that he is unprovided with funds, he will find many persons, each of whom will stretch their own resources to furnish them. Something should have been attempted, already. He would have experienced how much depends on confidence and activity.
And it is to no purpose that he deliberates while his adversary executes, and is bringing forward with all zeal, machines to crush him. A rumor indeed has gone abroad that attempts have been made to cajole him by deceitful blandishments, in order that he may be gained over.
This does seem very probable to me, since the cause which he has
embraced is so far advanced that there is no room for reconciliation. But if our chief should prove credulous beyond what is conceivable, how much I fear that he will soon discover, and yet too late, that these caresses are
poison bedaubed over with honey. And should we admit that he could in safety abandon our cause, which it is folly to expect, yet what more ignoble than this cowardice to yield to these savage monsters, nay, to present his face for them to spit on and thus remain branded with an indelible mark of disgrace! And even should an enemy, of unbounded insolence, however, refrain from insults, yet such a deserter would be covered with everlasting contempt, and had better suffer a thousand deaths. But it is clear that should they be victorious, they will not confine themselves to insults, but will trample on their victim even unto death.
Now if he does not shrink from holding’ out his neck to the executioner, yet should respect for the cause weigh with him — a cause which he knows to be approved of God and recommended by the suffrages of all good men. As we are unacquainted with your situation, I dare not advance any further remarks, unless that it is necessary for you to press on him this point, and to keep dinning it into his ears — that it is, not only, neither expedient, nor honorable, nor safe, nor in one word lawful to abate any portion of diligence; but that on the contrary the most manifest and inevitable danger, both of death and infamy, is impending over his head, should he loiter even for a moment. Before matters came to a crisis, I did not spare our neighbors; at the same time I made it my business that their warlike demonstrations should be put down. I saw what might result from them. I carefully examined the subjects of their complaints. I said to our friends among whom was at that time he of whom death has bereaved us,
“that it would be on my part an act of the highest cruelty, f105 to expose men so wantonly to destruction, because the auxiliary troops being removed from thence, I should be leading them forth as it were to the butcher.” I turned a deaf ear to all remonstrances that I might faithfully discharge my duty.
Now when I see them exposed to so many injuries, a feeling of
compassion rises up in my breast, nor can I help feeling all the bitterness of sorrow if I see them abandoned. Wherefore it is your duty
importunately to assail those ears that shall be too slow to hear, or stopped by unworthy obstacles. I wish I could join you to play a
secondary part, but even the task of stimulating the sluggish, by writing to them, is taken out of my hands. Do you then not only give publicity to the contents of this letter, but borrow from our school sharp arguments to
animated when necessity demands it. It has seemed to us better, moreover, to make you the interpreter of our wishes than to charge the present messenger with letters which, might perchance create discontent. Salute then most respectfully — you know whom, and farewell, most upright brother. May the Lord stand by you all, govern, sustain, and protect you.
[Lat. Copy. — Library of Geneva. Volume 107 b.]