The Portland daily press., 1890-02-18
THREE QUEENS or FRANCE.
Mr.. Fobes's Lecture In the
Mechanics Course.

Mr.. Charles s. Fobes's lecture in the
Mechanics course last evening, on "Three
Queens Of France was listened to with
great pleasure by most appreciative
audience. Mr.. Fobes said:
The modern epoch began with the opening
of the sixteenth century. Ignorance and
superstition rendered the people an easy
prey to a designing priesthood, but repres-
sion. ended In revolution. France was
touched by countries which had heard the
call OF the reformation. Francis, at the be-
ginning OF his reign apparently favored the
new religion, willie Margaret, his sister.
was its pronounced defender. During the
first half of the sixteenth century three
women exerted powerful influence on the
affairs of the French people. These were,
n maagaret 81 valois Jeanne dAioret. d tne
During the captivity of Francis, Margaret
governed as regent. Studious and reflective
she favored the reformers, and on the return
of her brother. she retired to the Kingdom
the titular King of Navarro. Easy of access
and charitable she set In order the affairs of
the Bearnese, and was the known protector
OF the preachers OF the new religion. With
her retirement from the court Of Francis per-
secution began. On the side Of the Roman
church were the Kings, and Catherine, who
as Queen of Henry ii, and regent for
Francis ii and Charles TX, used all her
power and deceit to entrap the Huguenots.
houses Of Snd Of he
greatest of which was Coligny. But with
the greatest of the defenders of the new
faith must be classed Jeanne d'Albret, the
wife of Anthony Bourbon, the Queen of
wonderful woman combines all the bril-
liancy of her mother with strong mascu-
line character. While Anthony was grovel.
ing before Phillip sbegging back kingdom
he lacked the courage to demand she was
teachings. There Is said to be at Limoges
window In which she is represented as
preaching to eight Huguen0ts, on which
appears this legend, Evil is that doctrine
OF which women are the preachers"
After the dramatic presentation by Colig-
ny Of the petition of the Huguenots for the
right to hold religious services publicly,
disaster threatened the reformers, but
was averted by the death of the King.
Then wa, the opportunity of the Bourbon,
had he possessed one small part OF the
courage, capacity and principle of his
Queen. Weak and corrupt he allowed him.
self to be assigned to lesser duties in the
kindom, while he left his wife to busy her.
self with the affairs Of ,Bearn. and there
learn tne lessons by which the cause Of the
reformers was to be helped later on.
When Anthony finally deserted to the cause
Of the King, Condo and Coligny retired from
the court Phillip the Pious, noting the
turn Of affairs, determined to steal from
Jeanne her kingdom In the same manner
that FERDINAND mad robbed her grandfather
of Navarro. This attempt Jeanne resisted
successfully by an appeal to every sovereign
OF Europe. claiming that an insult had been
offered her which reflected upon every one
Of them. Baffied In this, Phillip conspires
with her enemies in France, and plots with
them for the Duke of Alva to seize her and
her children and deliver them into the hands
of the lDquisition.
From this danger she was delivered by the
warning of maid in attendance upon the
wife of Phillip. The short peace following
the second civil war was full of treachey to-
ward the Huguenots Most active In these
deceltful measures was Catherine, whose
history Is we'll known. She had been sue
cessful In her batteries of Condo, but Colig-
traps set for them they retired to Rochelle,
and calling the faithful to their side, they
began the third civil war. In this war the
Queen Of Navarro displayed. courage, ener-
gy and sagacity as never before. When
Condo fell at the battle Of Jarnac, it was she
who aroused the army to new effort by her
words OF encouragement and cheer, but it
was after the battle of M0ncontour that she
displayed her greatest powers. Condo and
d'Andelot were dead and Coligny was re-
treating wounded and respondent. Jeanne
started for Rochelle, met Coligny at Mort,
was again successful in rousing the failing
spirits Of the soldiers and their officers, SO
that Coligny again sets his shattered army In
motion, and marches VIGOROUSLY to the gates
Of Paris, a march which can we'll be COM
pared with Shnrman's march to the sea.
The lecture followed the fortunes of the
Queen Of Navarro to the time of her.death q
few years later, lust previous to the marriage
OF her son Henry, afterwards Henry V, to
the daughter of her enemy Catherine, on
whose honeymoon shone the lights of the
massacre of st. Bartholomew.