} Now as,
according to Knox elsewhere, "Satan stirreth his terrible tail," so did
one of Mary's uncles, the Duc de Guise, "stir his tail" against one of
the towns appointed to pay Mary's jointure, namely Vassy, in Champagne.
Here, on March 1, 1562, a massacre of Huguenots, by the Guise's
retainers, began the war of religion afresh. {215d}

Now, in the first place, this could not be joyful news to set Mary
dancing; as it was apt to prevent what she had most at heart, her
personal interview with Elizabeth. She understood this perfectly well,
and, in conversation with Randolph, after her return to Edinburgh,
lamented the deeds of her uncles, as calculated "to bring them in hate
and disdain of many princes," and also to chill Elizabeth's amity for
herself--on which her whole policy now depended (May 29). {216a} She
wept when Randolph said that, in the state of France, Elizabeth was not
likely to move far from London for their interview. In this mood how
could Mary give a dance to celebrate an event which threatened ruin to
her hopes?

Moreover, if Knox, when he speaks of "persecution begun again," refers to
the slaughter of Huguenots by Guise's retinue, at Vassy, that untoward
event occurred on March 1, and Mary cannot have been celebrating it by a
ball at Holyrood as late as May 14, at earliest. {216b} Knox, however,
preached against her dancing, if she danced "for pleasure at the
displeasure of God's people"; so he states the case. Her reward, in that
case, would he "drink in hell." In his "History" he declares that Mary
did dance for the evil reason attributed to her, a reason which must have
been mere matter of inference on his part, and that inference wrong,
judging by dates, if the reference is to the affair of Vassy. In April
both French parties were committing brutalities, but these were all
contrary to Mary's policy and hopes.

If Knox heard a rumour against any one, his business, according to the
"Book of Discipline," was not to go and preach against that person, even
by way of insinuation. {216c} Mary's offence, if any existed, was not
"public," and was based on mere suspicion, or on tattle. Dr. M'Crie,
indeed, says that on hearing of the affair of Vassy, the Queen
"immediately after gave a splendid ball to her foreign servants." Ten
weeks after the Vassy affair is not "immediately"; and Knox mentions
neither foreign servants nor Vassy. {216d}

The Queen sent for Knox, and made "a long harangue," o