"This cause," says De Thou, "was pleaded with much warmth, and occupied fifty audiences, with a large concourse of people, but the judgment took all the world by surprise.

Guerin alone, advocate-general in 1545, having no support at court, was condemned to death, and was scape-goat for all the rest.

D'Oppede defended himself with fanatical pride, saying that he only executed the king's orders, like Saul, whom God commanded to exterminate the Amalekites.

He had the Duke of Guise to protect him; and he was sent back to discharge the duties of his office.

Such was the prejudice of the Parliament of Paris against the Reformers that it interdicted the hedge-schools (_ecoles buissonnieres_), schools which the Protestants held out in the country to escape from the jurisdiction of the precentor of Notre-Dame de Paris, who had the sole supervision of primary schools.