l defended himself and his charge with desperate
courage, fighting from street to street, and house to house for five
nights and as many days. While he lived Henry's destiny and the fate
of France trembled in the balance. But he fell at length, his brain
pierced by the ball of an arquebuse, and died an hour before sunset on
the 22nd of June. The garrison immediately surrendered.

Marie and I were present in this action on the side of the King of
Navarre, and at the request of that prince hastened to pay such honours
to the body of the Vidame as were due to his renown and might serve to
evince our gratitude. A year later his remains were removed from
Cahors, and laid where they now rest in his own Abbey Church of Bezers,
under a monument which very briefly tells of his stormy life and his
valour. No matter. He has small need of a monument whose name lives
in the history of his country, and whose epitaph is written in the
lives of men.

NOTE.--THE CHARACTER AND CONDUCT OF VIDAME DE BEZERS, AS THEY APPEAR IN
THE ABOVE MEMOIR FIND A PARALLEL IN AN ACCOUNT GIVEN BY DE THOU OF ONE
OF THE MOST REMARKABLE INCIDENTS IN THE MASSACRE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW:
"AMID SUCH EXAMPLES," HE WRITES, "OF THE FEROCITY OF THE CITY, A THING
HAPPENED WORTHY TO BE RELATED, AND WHICH MAY PERHAPS IN SOME DEGREE
WEIGH AGAINST THESE ATROCITIES. THERE WAS A DEADLY HATRED, WHICH UP TO
THIS TIME THE INTERVENTION OF THEIR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS HAD FAILED
TO APPEASE, BETWEEN TWO MEN--VEZINS, THE LIEUTENANT OF HONORATUS OF
SAVOY, MARSHAL VILLARS, A MAN NOTABLE AMONG THE NOBILITY OF THE
PROVINCE FOR HIS VALOUR, BUT OBNOXIOUS TO MANY OWING TO HIS BRUTAL
DISPOSITION (ferina natura), AND REGNIER, A YOUNG MAN OF LIKE RANK AND
VIGOUR, BUT OF MILDER CHARACTER. WHEN REGNIER THEN, IN THE MIDDLE OF
THAT GREAT UPROAR, DEATH MEETING HIS EYE EVERYWHERE, WAS MAKING UP HIS
MIND TO THE WORST, HIS DOOR WAS SUDDENLY BURST OPEN, AND VEZINS, WITH
TWO OTHER MEN, STOOD BEFORE HIM SWORD IN HAND. UPON THIS REGNIER,
ASSURED OF DEATH, KNELT DOWN AND ASKED MERCY OF HEAVEN: BUT VEZINS IN
A HARSH VOICE BID HIM RISE FROM HIS PRAYERS AND MOUNT A PALFREY ALREADY
STANDING READY IN THE STREET FOR HIM. SO HE LED REGNIER--UNCERTAIN FOR
THE TIME WHITHER HE WAS BEING TAKEN--OUT OF THE CITY, AND PUT HIM ON
HIS HONOUR TO GO WITH HIM WITHOUT TRYING TO ESCAPE. AND TOGETHER,
WITHOUT PAUSING IN THEIR JOURNEY, THE TWO TRAVELLED ALL THE WAY TO
GUIENNE. DURING THIS TIME VEZINS HONOURED REGNIER