Bishop of St. Lisieux
:
Humanity.
The massacre of St. Bartholomew was not confined to
Paris; orders were sent to the most distant provinces to commence the work
of destruction. When the governor of the province brought the order to
Hennuyer, Bishop of Lisieux, he opposed it with all his power, and caused a
formal act of his opposition to be entered on the registers of the
province. Charles IX., when remorse had taken place of cruelty, was so far
from disappro
ing of what this excellent prelate had done, that he gave him
the greatest praise for his humanity; and Protestants flocked in numbers to
adjure their religion at the feet of this good and kind shepherd, whose
gentleness affected them more than either the commands of the sovereign,
or the violence of the soldiery.
On the same occasion, Viscount d'Orthe had the courage to write from
Bayonne to Charles IX., that he found many good soldiers in his garrison,
but not one executioner; and begged him to command their lives in any
service that was possible to men of honor.
Baron Von Stackelberg, in going from Athens to Thessalonica in an armed
vessel, was taken by some Albanian pirates, who immediately sent the
captain of the vessel to the former place, demanding 60,000 piastres for
the baron's ransom, and threatening that if it was not paid, they would
tear his body to pieces. They obliged him, at the same time, to write to
Baron Haller and another friend, to acquaint them with the demand. The time
fixed by the pirates had elapsed, and Baron Stackelberg, who had become
extremely ill, was expecting a cruel death, when the humane and generous
Haller, who had borrowed 14,500 Turkish piastres, at 30 per cent.,
appeared. The pirates refused to take less than the sum demanded. Haller
offered himself as a hostage instead of his friend, if they would prolong
his life, and suffer him to recover from his sickness. This noble deed
contributed to convince the pirates, that no larger sum could be obtained;
they accepted it, and Haller returned to Athens with the friend whom his
humanity had preserved.