Within  the  city  the  number  of  Evangelicals  increased
week  by  week.  Then  came  a  sensational  event  which
brought  about  the  ruin  of  the  Boman  Catholic  party.  A
woman,  Antoina  Yax,  cook  in  the  house  of  Claude  Bernard,
with  whom  the  three  pastors  dwelt,  attempted  to  poison
Viret,  Farel,  and  Froment.*     The  confession  of  the  prisoner,

^  The  poison  was  placed  in  some  spinach  sonp,  and  the  popular  story  was
that  Farel  escaped  because  he  did  not  like  the  food  ;  that  Froment  hail
seated  himself  at  table  to  take  his  share,  when  news  was  brought  to  him
that  his  wife  and  children  had  arrived  at  Geneva — he  rose  from  the  table  at
once  to  go  to  meet  them,  and  left  the  soup  untasted.  Poor  Viret  was  the
only  one  who  took  his  share,  and  became  very  ill  immediately  afterwards.
The  prisoner's  confession,  lately  exhumed  from  the  Geneva  archives,  tells


FAREL  IN  GENEVA  85

combined  with  other  circumstances,  created  the  impression
among  the  members  of  Council  and  the  people  of  Geneva
that  the  priests  of  the  town  had  instigated  the  attempt,  and
a  strong  feeling  in  favour  of  the  Protestant  pastors  swept
over  the  city.  The  Council  at  once  provided  lodging  for
Viret  and  Farel  in  the  Convent  of  the  Cordeliers.  When
the  guardian  of  that  convent  asked  leave  to  hold  public
discussions  on  religious  questions  in  the  great  church  belong-
ing to  the  convent,  it  was  at  once  granted.
