Year: 1865

On the fourteenth oil May, l6lO, Henry
~, King of France, was riding in the


streets of Paris, in huge royal coach,


with seven noblemen of his court. The


vehicle was a modern omnibus, and not


unlike one in shape, the occupants being


seated with their backs towards the


wheels, and exposed to view from the


waist upward. The King, who was


about to leave Paris for the seat of war,


in which he had taken the side of the


Protestant power against the Catholic,


was going to take leave of the Duke of


Sully, the Grand Master of Artillery.


He was in the fourteenth year of his


reign and the ffty~seventh of bis age


A warrior from his yonth up, his beard


was grizzled and his hair whitening; but


his natural force was unabated, and he


was still abundantly capable of sustaining


the fatigues of a campaign. BY his


valor and wise clemency, France, from


being torn and impoverished BY civil war,


had become united and tranquil, had at


taiEed in Europe a commanding emin.


ence, and was able to oppose with fair


prospect OF success the enormous power


of Spain and Austria combined. FrcEch~


men, to this day, esteem him the greatest


and best Of their kings. They style him


the Father Of his Country. As a gene


raj, he was the bravest uf the brave-ac-


tive, skilful, patient under reverses, mod>


crate and just in the hour Of triumph
. A rnOnurnh he al, 81.


and profoundly sagacious. 1t was he


who established in France a degree of re-


ligious liberty. 1t was he who conceiv-
ed, century and a half in advance of
his time, that system of general politics


which is called the Balance of Power


with a view to prevent wars and to pro-
tect the rights of feeble states.


In one of the narrow streets of the
city, the numbering coach was stopped by
an obstruction. AT that moment, very
tall man, mufiled in a cloak, with a vide
brimmed hat drawn down over his fore
head, stepped upon one of the wheels,
dashed his arm through the window, and +
struck at the breast of the King with a /
dagger. He stabbed him second time,
and the King fell dead. Both wounds
had pierced his heart.


The assassin jumped from the wheel
to the ground, and remained standing
near it with the bloody knife in his hand


In the horror OF the moment he might
have escaped but he stood erect and
moiionless near the carriage. One Of
the Kings attendants was about to run
him through with his sword but a no.
bleman parried the blow, and he was
saved and secured. He avowed on the
spot that he had done the deed, and
added, "If it were still to be done, |
would do it again. Being told that the
King was still breathing and might re-
cover, he replied, mo; l struck home
| am sure he is dead" Nothing could
exceed the calmness of his demenor.-
He had the air of a man who had nerved
himself to do solemn duty, of which he
had counted the cost, and the conse-
quences of which be was prepared to
abide.


1t was at once surmised that the as
sassin was but the tool of the Catholic
powers against whom the king had de-
clared war. 1t was a natural thought,
but it was erroneous. The morning after
the murder the man was examined, and
the particulars of bis life and the motive
of his fell deed were so fully ascerained
that nothing additiona! was ever obtained
He declared then and always that he had
no accomplces and no confdant. The ,
act was wholly bis own


Francois Ravaillac was his name-his
age thirty son of an obscure
pettiiogger, to which calling he hsd him
self been bred; but was afterwards a {
teacher of school Of eighty pupils. He
had been always very poor, aud was
naturally of a gloomy disposition, ,unsocial, I
morose, but not vicious or inclined to
violence. He was religious even 10 fan.
aticism, observing with the utmost rigor
all the fasts and other requirements OF
the church, exceedingly devout at all /
times. When asked what had induced q
him TO assassinate the king, he constantly 7
replied, that he had believed it to be his a
duty to kill king who was about to make c
war upon the pope, Gods image and a
vice-gerent upon earth. He said that
to war upon the pope was the same as S
fighting against God, and that he had |
thought to render a service to God in d
killing his enemy. He said be had c
had dreams and revelations melting him {
to the deed, but that no human voice t
had suggested it and no one had known v
his intention. He added that be had 5
long labored under the impression that il Q
was bis mission to kill the king but
that, at first, he bad deemed it tempta. r
tion of the devil, and as such had resisted q
it, and had on one occasion abstained 1
from taking the communion because he I
felt that such thoughts rendered him un. e
worthy TO receive it. But at length he a
had become fully convinced that it was b
his duty, and had attended the mass on d
the morning of the day of the murder to
consecrate himself anew to the work. D
He added, afterwards, that now the deed h
was done, he saw that be had committed K
a horrible crime, but be hoped by true a
repentance to obtain absolution. Moth. 1
ing appeared to astonish him so much as ]
the universal horror which the murder a
excited. He had evidently felt that
France desired the death of the king. s
onI ,hat e ,..,, L a. a