Old and New Paris: Its History, Its People, and Its Places, v. 1Edwards, H. Sutherland (Henry Sutherland)
History
Old and New Paris: Its History, Its People, and Its Places, v. 1
Edwards, H. Sutherland (Henry Sutherland)
Paris (France) -- Description and travel; Paris (France) -- History
Some days later he happened to meet the king driving in a coach near St.
Innocents' Church. His desire to speak to him grew more ardent at the
prospect of success, and he ran up to the coach, exclaiming, "Sire, I
address you in the name of our Lord Jesus and of the Blessed Virgin."
But the king put him back with his stick, and would not hear him. After
this repulse, despairing of being able to influence his Majesty by
admonition, he determined to kill him. But he could come to no decision
as to the mode of executing his design, and after a time returned to
Angoulême.
[Illustration: THE PONT-NEUF AND THE MINT.]
He continued in a state of intense anxiety, sometimes considering his
project of assassination as praiseworthy, sometimes as unlawful. Shortly
afterwards he attended Mass in the monastery of the Franciscan Friars
at Angoulême, and going afterwards to confession, admitted, among other
things, an intention to murder, though without saying that Henri was the
proposed victim. Nor did the confessor inquire as to the details of the
crime. Still restless and disturbed, Ravaillac went back to Paris, and
on entering the city, found his desire to kill the king intensified. He
took lodgings close to the Louvre: but not liking his rooms, went to an
inn in the neighbourhood to see if accommodation could be had there. The
inn was full; but whilst Ravaillac conversed with the landlord, his eye
happened to be attracted by a knife, sharp-pointed and double-edged,
that lay on the table; and it occurred to him that here was a fit
instrument for his purpose. He accordingly took occasion to convey it
away under his doublet, and having had a new handle made for it, carried
it about in his pocket.
But he faltered in his resolution, and abandoning it once more, set out
on his way home. As he went along he somehow broke the point of his
knife. At an inn where he stopped for refreshment he heard some soldiers
talking about a design on the part of the king to make war against the
Pope, and to transfer the Holy See to Paris. On this, his determination
returned strong upon him and going out of the inn, he gave his knife
a fresh point by rubbing it against a stone, and then turned his face
towards Paris.
Arrived at the capital a third time, he felt an inclination to make a
full confession of his design to a priest; and would have done so had he
not been aware that the Church is obliged to divulge any secrets which
concern the State.
Henceforth he never once relinquished his purpose. But he still felt
such doubts as to whether it were not sinful that he would no longer
receive the Sacrament, lest, harbouring his project all the while, he
should unworthily eat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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