But at the same time he declared that the Guises had acted at his command to punish those who had conspired against him and against the old religion.

In fact, he gave out a rapid series of contradictory accounts and orders, and in the meantime, from August 25 to October 3 terrible series of massacres took place in almost all the provinces.

[Sidenote: Other massacres] Two hundred Huguenots perished at Meaux, from 500 to 1000 at Orleans, a much larger number at Lyons.

It is difficult to estimate the total number of victims.

Sully, who narrowly escaped, says that 70,000 were slain.