HENUY OF NAVARRE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXII, Issue 3466, 23 October 1896, Page 3

HENUY OF NAVARRE

Being once desired to punish an author who had written some free satires on the Court, Henry of Navarre said, 'It would l>e against my conscience to trouble mi honest man for having told the truth ;'_ adding that < all the forests in France could not furnish gibbets enough to hang all those on who had written or preached against him.'

One day at Fontainebleau his gardener complained that the soil was so poor there tbat he could not get anything to grow. l Plant it with Gascons,' said he, eying the Duke of Epernon (a Gascon! as he spoke ; ' they will thrive anywhere.'

He had a barred of long speeches and pompous orations L'Etoile has preserved some oi his cutting repartees to officious bumbledom. Worn out at some provincial town by a civic reception at which he had to listen to a long recapitulation of all hi titles and attributes of most high most mighty, most merciful, mos gracious, and so forth—' and add. he interrupted, « most weary.' On another occasion a would-be orator, availing himself of tbr opportunity of displaying his historic knowledge, said, « Sire, Agesilaus, King of Lacedemon ' j — — ' Hold there, friend,' said Henry. < I have heard of this Agesilaus before ; but he had dined, and I have not.'

After tho capture of Chartres, the mayor made its captor, the sing, a long harangue, amongst other things saying that he was compelled to admit that the town had become his majesty's both by human law and by divine law. • Yes,' said Henry, cutting him short, « and add, by cannon law.' Obliged to besiege Paris, it was at last betrayed to him by Brissac, the governor for the League, for a large sum of money. The day of his entry was celebrated by a dinner, at which the late governor was present. His secretary, Nicholas, bespattering the king with fulsome compliments, Henry a^ked what he thought of his getting into Paris in the way he had. ' I say, siro,' responded Brissac's secretary, ' that they have rendered unto Ccesar that which is Ciesar's.' ' Ventre St Oris ." interrupted the king, ' they have not treated me as they did Ctesar, because they have not rendered it — they have sold it to me.'

On the 26th December, 1591, he had a reception in his apartments in the Louvre, and whilst bending to embrace a knight who knelt before him. he received a

blow in the mouth from a knife. The culprit being discovered, proved to be a Jesuit nemed Chatel. - Although severely wounded, the king, when he heard the assassin confess that he came from the College of Jesuits, assumed an air of gaiety, and remarked ' he had heard from the mouths of many men that the society never loved him, but now he had proof of it from his oivnA