François de Lorraine, Duke of Guise, drawing by Ecole de Clouet.
Prior to his assassination by a Protestant fanatic in 1563, the duke of Guise was the target of a previous attempt to kill him.
Upon being interrogated, the criminal stated that religious sentiment was his sole motive in trying to kill the duke.
The leader of the Catholic League set him free, but warned him:
— “If your religion obliges you to snuff out the life of someone who never gave you offense, as you have just affirmed, then mine commands me to forgive you. Now you judge as to which is the better faith.”
Vicente Vega, Diccionario ilustrado de frases célebres y citas literárias (Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1955), 111. (Nobility.org translation.)
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 421
