Montgommery, rather than fall into the hands of his enemies alive, determined to fall upon his own sword; but Matignon sent him a flag of truce, the bearer of which swore in the name of his chief "that his life should be spared, and he should be allowed to depart."
Montgommery thereupon gave himself up, trusting to the oath. He should have remembered the fate of Castelnau.
On the same day he was sent to Paris in fetters. Catherine de Médicis at last had him in her power. It was by treachery, to be sure; but what mattered that? Charles IX. was dead; and pending the return of Henri III. from Poland she was queen-regent and omnipotent.
Montgommery was dragged before parliament, and condemned to death June 26, 1574.
For fourteen years he had been fighting against the wife and children of Henri II.
On the 27th of June, the Comte de Montgommery—to whom, in mere refinement of cruelty, the extraordinary torture had been applied—was carried to the scaffold and beheaded. His body was subsequently drawn and quartered.
Catherine de Médicis was present at the execution.
Thus closed the career of that extraordinary man,—one of the noblest and bravest souls that the sixteenth century had seen. He had never risen above the second rank, but had always shown himself worthy of a place in the first. His death fulfilled to the letter the predictions of Nostradamus,—
"Enfin, l'aimera, puis las! le tuera
Dame du roy."
Diane de Castro did not survive him. She had died the year before, abbess of the Benedictines of St. Quentin.