, 1876-07-15

peasant children who, 1t waa thought, were lost
Or elac little children believed IN be abandoned
by their parents, thcrc was no complaint. But,
bUIdncss tncreahfng with immunity from pun
ishmcnt, tho rnnions OF I.aval ut last began to
cnt!ce away the children Of the towns. In the
great city, In Nantes itself, tho wife Of well.
known and respectable painter having cop1ded
people, who asked to make him 4 c,orua hoy III
The chapel Of tho castle, tho little one never ap-
The Dske Of brittany received tho accusation
sons, he was glad to he able TO atrtkc a blow At
the house Of Laval; while tho Bfshop was long
ng to revenge hitisclf upon the Sire for having
forced, at tho swords point, aud razed to tho
formed of the bishop, as Chancellor Of Brittany;
of the Vicar Of the tnquls'tion, and Of Pierre
dc rIiosp!lal, Grand Judge Of tue. Ductly.
ketz, who could doubtless have fed had he been
fear nuthng, and allowed himself tote arrested.
This Gl!lrs do itctx was very powerful Lord,
raclI both by inhcrtancc aud ly marriage. lic
was e iisafan Of SIC March Of Brittany. was be.
twscn two Jurisdictions, ibose o. Tic King aud
Duke, and wns, therefore, III effect, outside OF
a1l IuElsd!:slon. He seemed 10 he specially en-
dowcd w'ehthc gifts that win confidence. uewas,
The chronicles tell ~, Lord "of good under.
fashIoncd." Tie waa not unletaesed, like mast
Of his peers, but, on tie contrary, was said to
have highly esteemed these who could speak
with clcgancS the Lntfn language. lie lind
served tl,ss King well, who had made him Mar
slln1, and who, at the sackfng Of Rheims, from
ausong the savage Brctona who formed the
army, lad chotcn Giles dc Retz 10 carry the
sacr!ltnental service FROM tho cathedral TO
place OF safety.
Re.z, spite Of the unplensantness that had
arisen between himself and the Bishop, growing
out of tho formers cllurch-busntng pfoellvitcs,
passed. for very pf0us man. Now Il form Of
devotion At that time, much fu vogue, was to
attr n t1r r1tnrn} with ri rrtt Jt rnst
wto were educated at great texpcnse. Kctz pos
sesfcd, like the proudest Princes, great train
Of these chorus children, who followed HIN
cyerywllero. Hls pous nature a1ld personal
cause, but what more than cotntcrtalancc1 this
was tho TACT tl,at his judges were lds enemies.
lie denied a!t tue charges. But It was not
to- s ot poos
IN long lIc, weeping and s0bbinG, to recount III
detail low tlcir children had been kidnapped.
Nut ever. did the miserable bctngs who had pan
dered to hfs desires spare HIN wheu they saw his
Then lie ccascd denying, began to weep, and
made his confession. Those who listened to
tists confession, Judges and priests, accusto'ncd
tn receive ayowals of , crime, 'huddefed bud, a. atd
things. Not even the 1ccds Of Nero, or those
Of the llntcd tyrants Of Lombaydy, could be
compared In cruelty TO these.
In tho to'scr Of chantocc Was found q ion Of
charrcd bones, bones Of children, to the num-
bcr, IT IL believed, Of forty. Moro were found
in the cellar OF LII Suzc and f,l other places
whero he had spent his time. Wherever he
nnensd 9 &c sbosay t. s1y t y as RE rSs ssss s,
strnnglcd or othcr,slso t,llcd was estimated at
no. OF these, Ifcnrtut, the valet dc chambrc,
remembered to have delivered forty into hfs
masters hands.
At the beginning Of his career, Dc Rctz used
to offer up these children ns sacrifices to the
Devil. lie invoked demons, aud prayed them
to accord him "goldt know ledge, mud power"
he had as aids young 1talfan priest and MI
blood Of q child, Ills hand, his eyes, and his
| hcnrt. Little by little what few huu,nn nttrL-
hutea rcnained In ilis ctIarnctc were destroyed; !;
| liz literally changed his nAtttre and became d
| first doubtless with repugnancc, he killed fur
himself with pleasure aid delight,
4 pure love of cruelty for it's own sake, such
/ as We know las animated Inany before and
since, took possession Of him. He enjoyed
death, hut. still tnorc, pain. 1lo made a
| pastfsuc, farce, Of a tihng 80 serious. The
| heart-reilding cries and prayers Of Ills Victims
were T,asis to l!s M Msars, and grimaees Of agony
cournlsons OF the little children whom he tor
tused, this vampire would scI. himself on their
| Ialpitat!ng bodlcs.
Even to t|!c last he did not doubt his own
| salvation. He llnd been prodtgai In offerings To
tic Churcll, hnti pAid for nuIuterlcsG r,usscs,
and It Is characteristic Of thr r6npcretituus rellg-
| Ion Of the time that fe believed TINT these
would more thnn atonc for nny indIscretion. lie
firm ul.lt!,ll tliut ls COURSE Ind bcan such ns u
cuncilLltc tnsh God and thc Devil. When he
partcsi for ti.r lust time with his magician, HI
satd: "AtlEea', Francois, my friend; prnJ
be ccrtafts t:.at, provided ynu trust atni believe
II God, We shall meet again In the great Joy o1
Pnrallse."
lie Wus condemned to be burned, was taken
}o In ~ tntSu 1,,1t ~
penalty. Out Of consideration for his powerful
family and fur the nobility In general. he waa
stranEed befurc the flames rcauhcd him. Neither
,ston wss lis ny ay ssIssy sy bafsd sss % ~ wa' @ ts
estate sought II OH the open hctd Of Nantes,
where the stake was erected, bore 1t away
'"witl1 their own noblc llaIds," aud buried 1t
| hunorably IN The Church Of Carti,ss.
| The rrimca of Giles do ltctz were such na to
| stupefy With horror even tho proplc Of those
miserable days. The period In which they oe-
Cured, towards the middle OF the hftcenth ec!l-
tury, was one OF the !nost wrctched IN the whole
| History OF FrlHcc. It WIS transttfon time be-
twrcn the age OF chiyalry aud TINT Of modern
Etlcas and pOssussel all Of tue bad qualities oi
both agcs, With few OF the redeenilng features
| OF either. AfteT the successes Of Horny v. most
| OF the country WIS occupied by the English.
The lnws were powerlcss; all tic ties OF love
and affection were lovscnel, stu strange tusto
for bioo1 seemed to he developed nuiUng all
| classes. -
brothers. We read Of Count wl,o held his a.
tter prisoner ILL lis death; of Countess who
poisoned har slater; Naron Ills vile; OF tho
Duke Of brittany l!lnsclf, who publicly starved
Ills own brother to dcutl, the passyrs-by hearing
his lanen,inE voice making III charity bit Of
| bread, Il certai1 Count OF uucldtcs, 0uu night
in midw!ntcr, suatchcd Ills old father from lis
he'd! dragged hin, s. miles, almost naked,
through tho snow, and finally put him into q
sack and drowned hin III Ml0at. The son put
In I.x hIs lefrnse that pa1ficle was family GUS
tom!
Tile utter laYvlcasncss of tho times Is indicated
by the immunity from arrest which De Ketx en-
juyed for fourteen years. He wuutd not hnye
lcen punished ut all hut for the unusual creunl-
stance that three Ereat powers-the Duke, thu
ltstiop, and tho Klug-wcrd equally bent upon
his destruction. Thu Duke looked unwiIlIngly
upon Dc lsotzs occupation Of ! number Of The
atrongcst fortrcsses Ia brittany; the Biaiop
was his pcraonnl enumy; willie the King, whom
he lad rcndGrod many services, and upon whom
he doubtless counted for aid, wns determined
TO defend no longer the hrigands who had
brought SO much d!scredit upon tho French
CAu8e-
RI NV MnTlCp