viir.] POWER OF THE CROWN. 145 ledgecl openly. Unhappily, the effect of the quickening of Lewis's religious impressions made him think toleration a worldly weakness. The Huguenots had been powerless since the taking of Rochelle. Many had become Catholics, and the king was told that a little pressure would make the rest follow, and that to root out heresy would be his crowning glory. The crushing of all power of remon- strance in the provincial parliaments had left the Hugue- nots entirely at his mercy. One ordinance after another made life bitter to them, and deprived them of their rights of human beings. Every excuse was found for taking away their children and bringing them up as Catholics. The greatest misery was caused by quartering on them dra- goons, who misused them in every manner that a lawless soldier's fancy could conceive, in order that wretchedness might drive them to conform. Such conversions were counted up, till the king and his statesmen were convinced that the time was come for purifying the kingdom from false doctrine. On the 22nd of October, 1685, the Edict of Nantes was repealed. All public exercise of Calvinistic worship was forbidden. The ministers were banished, under pain of death ; but the people were forbidden to emigrate, under pain of being sent to row in the galleys and labour in hulks among the lowest criminals. All children of Huguenots under seven were to be taken from their parents and bred up as Catholics. The commands were carried out pitilessly ; but the Reformers were more numerous and more staunch than had been expected, and it was impossible to execute them thoroughly. No less than 100,000 of all ranks made their escape in the course of the next five years, chiefly to England, Holland, and Prussia, carrying away with them much of the in- dustry that Colbert had so carefully encouraged. A large body, under a young man named Cavalier., whose followers were called Camisards, defended themselves in the moun- tains of the Cevennes, and wrung forth favourable terms ; and in the south of France, especially at Nimes, Mon- tauban, and Montpellier, a considerable number struggled on through distress and persecution for the next hundred years. 19. The War of the Palatinate, 1685. — Henrietta of England, the first wife of Philip, Duke of Orleans, had died young, leaving only two daughters. He had then married Elizabeth Charlotte, sister to the Elector Palatine. The Elector died childless in 16S7, and his inheritance was
