He felt himself very hardly treated in that he had been allowed to destroy only four hundred villages and hamlets in the Upper Cevennes,--assuring de Villars with the confidence of a man who had studied the matter profoundly, that they should all have been demolished without exception, and all the peasants killed to the last man.
So it came to pass that M.de Villars arrived at Beaucaire placed like Don Juan between the spirits of good and evil, the one advising clemency and the other murder.

M.de Villars not being able to make up his mind, on reaching Nimes, d'Aygaliers assembled the principal Protestants of the town, told them of his plan, showing them its practicability, so that also joined in the good work, and drew up a document in which they asked the marechal to allow them to take up arms and march against the rebels, as they were determined either to bring them back into the good way by force of example or to fight them as a proof of their loyalty.
This petition, which was signed by several nobles and by almost all the lawyers and merchants of the city of Nimes, was presented to M.de Villars on Tuesday, 22nd April, 1704, by M.de Albenas, at the head of seven or eight hundred persons of the Reformed religion.

M.de Villars received the request kindly, thanked its bearer and those who accompanied him, assuring them that he had no doubt of the sincerity of their professions, and that if he were in want of help he would have recourse to them with as much confidence as if they were old Catholics.
He hoped, however, to win the rebels back by mildness, and he begged them to second his efforts in this direction by spreading abroad the fact that an amnesty was offered to all those who would lay down arms and return to their houses within a week.

The very next day but one, M.
de Villars set out from Nimes to visit all the principal towns, in order to make himself acquainted with men, things, and places.
Although the answer to the petition had been a delicate refusal, d'Aygaliers was not discouraged, but followed M.de Villars everywhere.
When the latter arrived at Alais, the new governor sent for MM.

de Lalande and de Baville, in order to consult them as to the best means of inducing the Camisards to lay down their arms.