ABSTRACT
In London and Madrid the foreigners were watching for the moment to intervene. The impotent wisdom of Madame Catherine can be clearly seen during the second fortnight of March 1562. She had been advised to leave Fontainebleau for Orleans. A Catherine de Medici always has enough wisdom to refuse to fight a battle lost in advance. In this case she was absolutely right; she knew that she was alone and could only manoeuvre between the fanatics confronting one another. The schemers had united with the fanatics to wreck the wisdom of the Governess of France. Conde refused Catherine de Medici’s conditions, ‘contrary to the glory of God’. Robertet, whom she had entrusted with a last but useless mission to endeavour at least to postpone the rupture, returned to tell her that the Protestants refused to strike camp, ‘and that more than paper would be needed to turn them out’.
