Pressed, it is said, by the Guises, and by the duchess of Valentinois, his mistress, the latter of whom was looking forward to the benefit she might expect from confiscations, Henry the second unwisely resolved to carry to the full extent the persecution of the protestants. Hitherto, only the humbler classes had been marked out for punishment; but, as nothing more than the mere pleasure of tormenting could be derived from pursuing them, it was now determined that men of higher rank should suffer in their turn. This was at least impartial injustice. It was believed that the reformed doctrines had many partisans among the magistracy; and the members of the parliament of Paris were therefore selected, as the subjects upon whom the new experiment of rigour should be first tried. This step was taken at the suggestion of le Maître, the chief president, who had the baseness to deliver privately to the king a list of his protestant colleagues, and also a tempting statement of the property which they possessed. It was a custom of the heads of the parliament to meet at stated periods, for the purpose, among other things, of inquiring into any alleged neglect or violation of duty on the part of the members. These meetings, which were established by an edict of Charles VIII., were called the Mercuriales, from the circumstance of their taking place on a Wednesday. To one of these assemblies, while it was in the midst of a debate, on the measures which ought to be adopted with respect to heretics, the king suddenly came, without any previous notice, accompanied by the Guises, and other rigidly catholic nobles, and guarded by a formidable escort. Previously to his arrival, the balance of opinion had inclined to the side of a lenient administration of the law, until the discipline of the church had been reformed by a new œcumenical council. Though the monarch affected to be calm, it was easy to perceive that he was under the influence of passion. He made a vehement harangue, in which he dwelt on the disturbances caused by sectaries, and on the necessity of defending the church, and then ordered the members to resume the debate, and promised them freedom of speech. The promise was meant only as a snare. The manner in which the king had come to the sitting, in open contempt of usage and even of decorum, plainly showed that his intention was to intimidate. But, by pretending to guarantee the privilege of freely speaking, he hoped to do away the impression which his abrupt coming had made, and delude the speakers into a disclosure of their real sentiments. There were some, perhaps, who confided in his word; there were others who, doubtless, were aware that no reliance was to be placed on it, but who, nevertheless, thought they were called upon to maintain, at all hazards, what they deemed to be the cause of religion and truth. Of the latter class were Anne du Bourg and Louis du Faur.