exercising a pressure on its deliberations, Francis now
commissioned his uncle, the Bastard of Savoy, to be present at the
sessions. Against this unprecedented breach of privilege parliament sent
a deputation humbly to remonstrate; but all to no purpose. The irritated
prince, who entertained the most extravagant views of the royal
prerogative, declared his intention to satisfy himself concerning the
real disposition of his judges, and assured the deputies that he had
firmly resolved to despatch the disobedient to the inferior parliaments
of Bordeaux and Toulouse, and fill their places with "men of worth." "I
am your king," was his constant exclamation, and this passed with him
for an unanswerable argument in support of his views. But the members of
parliament were not easily moved. Undoubtedly the success attending
their previous resistance to the repeal of the Pragmatic Sanction, on
at least three occasions in the reign of Louis the Eleventh, emboldened
them in the present instance. Unawed by the presence of the Bastard of
Savoy, they refused to concede the registration of the concordat, and
declared that they must continue to observe the Pragmatic Sanction,
endorsed, as that ordinance had been, by the representatives of the
entire nation. Not only did they protest against suffering the Sanction
to be annulled, but they insisted upon the convocation of the clergy in
a body similar to that assembled by Charles the Seventh, as an
indispensable preliminary to the investigation of the matter.

[Sidenote: Haughty demeanor of the king.]

Francis, who happened to be at his castle of Amboise, on the Loire, now
sent word that parliament should appoint a deputation to convey to him
the reasons of its refusal. But when the delegates reached the
castle-gate, an entire month elapsed before Francis would condescend to
grant them audience. They were at length admitted, only to be treated
with studied contempt. "There can be but one king in France," was the
arrogant language of the young prince to the judges who had grown gray
in the service of Charles the Eighth and the good King Louis. "You speak
as if you were not my subjects, and as if I dared not try you and
sentence you to lose your heads." And when the indignity of his words
awakened the spirited remonstrance of the deputies, Francis rejoined: "I
am king: I can dispose of my parliament at my pleasure. Begone, and
return to Paris at break of day."

A formal command was now add