straine their wine hippocras and by reason of their flegmatick féeding they are all rotten and leapers afore they come to halfe of their age they doo crawle with lice and taken with that sicknes which the ancients doo call Hydrokephalia that is a madnes procured by rotten flegme enflamed The reformed Bernardines are of the dyet of the asse which féedeth vpon grasse and thistles for they eate nothing but hearbs sod or rawe which thing doth cause them to haue dry and skiruy bodies and that diseaze which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but with all to haue asses wits they goe all in black hereby they doo represent to the world their melancholik humor The bare foote Friers doo shew what humor dooth trouble their braine imitating the frantick mad men which haue delight to goe bare foote winter and sommer for we account that man mad that will go bare foote when he may haue shooes to put on All these rakehels armed themselues vnder their lousie raggs doo march in battaile aray through the City mumbling their portuses and when they had giuen a sight of their prowesse vnto the Citizens they would also goe to sée what weather was out of the Towne and when they had marched a while the Kings gardes in the Suburbs tooke the alarum supposing to haue to deale with men but when they had the sight of this legion and perceauing that they were apes imitating men they turned their fury to â—aughter hooping shooting whereupon the apes returned with great speed into the City and this was the end of this skirmish They had for an ensigne a Crucifixe and our Lady carried before them to play the bulbegger About this time bread began to be scarse in Paris whereupon the masters of the Citie fearing the increasing of famine sought out all the poore within the Citie who came to thirty thousand and determined to haue turned them forth out of the City to take their fortune But some of the counsell of the Citie thought that it could not stand with the greatnes and honour of the Citie and therefore were stayed in which thing did greatly hasten the famine which shortly after followed In the middest of Iune the famine being very great there was little or nothing to eate the Souldiours had no pay neither was there money to pay them the Citizâ—ns refused any more to contribute aleaging the great and huge sommes of money which they had disboursed and for feare of some sedition in the Citie Frier Henrico Caietano Frier Goundj Byshop of Paris and the blinde Captaine Bernardino Mendoza consented to rob all the Gods which were in the Temples of Paris they take the golden cuppes of their Gods and all the shrines of golde and siluer which Demetrius his prentizes had made to Diana to Venus to Belona and to many Diuels of hell they turne their reliques old rotten bones of old Friers old dogges and horses which they had made the people worship for the bones of Apostles Martyrs and other Saints of God out of their coates of gold and siluer and make good money to pay the rebells to warre against their naturall and lawfull King contrary to Gods ordinance to that end that things most wickedly abused might remayne still in the same nature The blind Captaine Don Bernardino doth promise to bestow euery day in almes sixe score Crownes Frier Henrico Caietano said he would doo the like but that deuotion waxed as could as the weather was hot according to the Aphorisme of Hypocrates ventres hyeme calidiores estate frigidiores The King knowing well of the great extremity wherewith the Citie was distressed pittyed them and willed them to take some pitty of their distressed estate promised them mercy and fauour but the Friers Henrico Caietano and Goundi answered contrary to the meaning of the poore people that they had determined to dy all rather then to admit an hereticall King Vpon this answer of the Parisiens in the latter end of Iune many noble men and gentlemen began to mutter in the Kings army what great imminent danger was hanging ouer France the ruine of the nobility the decay of so great and noble a City as Paris was and the desolation of the whole realme which euills the King could redresse in making himselfe a Catholicke Of this faction tending to some enterprise was chiefest the prince of Soisson and went so farre as to speake openly that they will serue no longer vnder an hereticall King The King aduertized of this muttering called his nobles and Captaines shewed them what hee was what his right and cause was And whereas they willed him to become a Catholicke he put theÌ„ out of doubt that for to purchase many Kingdomes as great as the realme of France was hee would neuer so little depart from his religion which hee knewe was grounded vpon the infallible truth of God As for their seruice he made no great account knowing that it was God who was his strength force and defender of his cause willed them to depart from his army when they would and that hee had rather haue their roome as their company he knew that GOD would giue him the meanes and power in time to represse his enemies he knew that GOD would raise him friends enough to assist him It is sayd before how the King all in one worke did besiege S. Denis which is a towne walled within foure miles of Paris In this Towne in an Abbey where the burials and monuments of the kings were this towne was so gretaly distressed that they had neither bread nor munition to defend themselues they had consumed all their prouision Horses Asses Dogges Cattes Rattes Mice Hearbes Rootes and whatsoeuer the belly could aduise them Euen to haue tryed to make bread with flower of Oates huske and all and dust of old rotten postes some tryed straw grownd to dust The sayd towne therfore considering how the famin within the sword without did threaten them proffered parly and at length concluded to deliuer the towne to the King with liues reserued vnto all maner of men the souldiers and all manner of men to retire with all thinges which they would carry away who of his great clemency gaue them Horses and Cartes for their carriage The same day the King entred into Saint Denis with great reioycing of all men who had proued his gracious fauour and clemency And beeing setled in his lodging he spyed in the chamber of presence three men walking in the habit of gentlemen whom hee knew not but he suspected that they were there for no good They vppon that suspition were apprehended and examined by certayne noble men appointed by the King vppon a sudden they faultered in their answeres and changing their countenance were sent to prison but afterward being narrowly examined they confessed that two of them were Fryers of Saint Francis order and the third to be a Priest and they three were of the 24. who had coÌ„spired vowed and sworn the
vttered to them as followeth The Queene my mother hath geuen me to vnderstand that you were all assembled and will repayre to me whereof I am well pleased being assured that you would not offend in such force being the first company of my Realme I haue promised to my selfe of you alwayes all faithfulnes and obedience such as you haue shewed heretofore to my predecessors Kings as vnto your lawfull and naturall Princes And I know that if it had beene in your power to let thinges there passed that you woulde haue done it I am sory for that which hath happened to the city of Paris notwithstanding I am not the first to whome such misfortune hath happenned And the more I am displeased that the spare of these foureteene yeares that I haue beene king I haue alwayes honoured it with my abode shewing all gentlenes and goodnes to the inhabitants and they haue alwayes found me a good king gratifiyng them in all that euer I could I know that in such a Citie as that is there be good and bad when they shall make their submissioÌ„ will acknowledge themselues I will be readie to receiue and imbrace them as a good father his children and as a good King his subiects Your dutie is to labour in the matter for therein consisteth the preseruation of the Citie of your selues your wiues and your familyes Furthermore continue in your charges as you haue accustomed the Queene my mother shall certifie you from time to time of my will In the after noone the King sent for them againe and vsed these speaches following I haue sent for you before you goe hence to let you vnderstand besides that which I tould you this morning that I was aduertised of certaine reportes giuen out that I would haue put Garisons in the Citie of Paris I doo greatly â—â—use that euer such a thing came in their mindes I knowe that Garisons are set either to vndoo a Citie or for the mistrust of the inhabitants They ought not to thinke that I would destroy a Citie to the which I haue shewed so many tokens and witnesse of my good will which I haue so much benefited by my long abiding therein for to haue remayned there more then ten of my predecessors before me had done which thing hath brought to the inhabitantes euen to the simplest sort of artifficers all the commodities which there doo appeare this day whereby ten or twelue other Cities might haue been made rich And when my officers or Marchants haue had neede of me I haue done them good and I may say that I haue shewed my selfe a good King towards them And therefore it was farre from me to conceaue any diffidence of them whome I haue so dearely loued and of whome I ought to assure my selfe for the friendship which I haue witnessed vnto them was enough to take away that opinion from them that I should bee willing to giue them Garisons neither can it in trueth bee said that any man of my gardes or Garisons hath put his foote in any house or taken from any man a loafe of bread or any thing else but contrariwise haue at my prouision been furnished of all needful things neither should they haue stayed there aboue foure and twentie houres but the morrow after without lying in any other place should haue been appointed to their charge as if they had been in the campe I intended to haue made exactly a search of many strangers who were within my Citie of Paris and desirous to offend no man I sent euen to the Lord of Guize and other Lords to that end they should giue me a booke of the names of their houshold seruants and to cause the residue to auoyde Whereof I was aduertised that there was a great number no lesse then fifteene thousand men which thing I did for the preseruation of the Citie and safetie of my subiects This is the cause that I will haue them to acknowledge their fault with sorrow and displeasure I knowe well that they are made beleeue that hauing offended me in such a sort as they haue done mine indignation is irreconsiliable I will you to let them knowe that I haue not that humor nor will to vndoo them and that as God as whose Image I am here vpon the earth though vnworthie desireth not the death of a sinner so doo I not desire their vndooing I will alwaies prooue the peaceable way and when they shall shew their duetie and confesse their fault and testifie in deede the sorrow which they haue of their offence I will receaue and imbrace them as my subiects in shewing my selfe as a father toward his children I will haue them to acknowledge me as their King and Master if they doo it not but delay the matter in drawing my hand as I may doo I will make them feele their offence so that the marke thereof shall remaine for euer For being the first and principallest Citie honored with the first and suprem court of my Kingdome and other courtes priuiledges honors and vniuersitie I can as you know reuoake and remoue thence all my courtes and vniuersitie which would turne to their great displeasure for these things ceasing all other commodities and traffick will diminish as it fellout in the yeare 1579. during the great plague by reason of my absence and ceasing of the Parliament a great number of my officers being retyred thence young Children were seene that yeare to play at the nine pinnes in the streates I knowe that there is a great number of good men in my Citie of Paris and that of foure parts three are of that number who are very sory of that which hath happened Let them therefore so deale that I may be content let them not inforce me to shew them what I may doo more to doo that which I am able and will not You knowe that patiency prouoked doo turne into furie and you knowe also what a King offended may do if I list to employe all my power and meanes to bee reuenged And although I bee not of a vindicatiue spirit yet I would that they should know that I haue courage as much as any of my predecessors I haue not yet since the time that I came to the Crowne by the death of my brother vsed any rigour toward any man yet will not I that they should abuse my clemency I am not an vsurper I am a lawfull King by succession and of a race which hath alwaies commaunded with clemencie It is a tale to speake of religion they must take another way there is not a Prince in this world more Catholicke which desireth more the rooting out of heresie then I my actions and my life haue giuen sufficient witnes in that behalfe to my people I would that it had cost me an arme that the last heretick were in picture in this chamber Goe home to your charges and bee of good courage you ought not to feare any thing while you
the said congregation confessed that for feare of death he had consented to the abominations of Poperie and with many teares very feruently prayed to God to forgiue him exhorted the Church to take heede not to followe his frailtie willing them not to be offended with his fall and with an earnest inuocation of Gods most holy spirit promised euer hereafter by Gods grace constancie and stedfastnes in the confession of the trueth After a long and wofull warre the particular accidents whereof I here omit as hastening to my purpose and referre the reader in that respect to such treatises as are of purpose written concerning those matters at length a peace was concluded about the 27. of Iuly 1576. which was sworne vpon by the King by the King of Nauarre Monsieur the Kings onely brother the Prince of Conde and Casimire other Nobles with the lifting vp of their hands The King to wit Henry the 3. to shew how well pleased he was with this peace willed and commanded that it should bee called his peace because he had graunted it with his owne will and proper motion The King of Nauarre then had not onely a iust cause but also opportunitie to complaine of diuers iniuries done vnto him at and after the murther of Paris and also to demaund amends for his great losses yet he neuer mooued one word least by any priuate commodities of his owne the peace should haue béen hindered By that conclusion of peace the King graunted eight Townes beside them which they held before vnto them of the reformed religion to bee gouerned vnder his obedience by the King of Nauarre for the space of sixe yeares It was agreed also at the request of the reformed religion that the King should call the States of the Realme to confirme this peace and to restore the ancient dignitie of that kingdome These States were so cunningly handled that it did almost fall to the vtter vndoing of them of the religion For the Guizes with the collusion of the King made such meanes as none other might be admitted to the same States than the professed enemies of the Gospell For they caused conuocations to bee assembled in the seuerall Prouinces who appoynted such as were farre from peace with secret instructions to bee presented at the saide States without making the Townes Cities or Commonalties priuie to the same They also caused infamous Libels to be printed and proposed in their seuerall conuocations denouncing open warre vnto them of the reformed religion and vnto all that would not consent to the vndoing of them Furthermore they deuised also the meanes to interrupt that peace which of late concluded by their consent and yet so politickly that the causes should not bee founde in themselues but in the professors of the Gospell For they procured infinite iniuries and violences to be done vnto them of the Religion by their partakers hoping that through dispaire and impatiencie they would breake the peace and so the King would arme the Duke of Guize against them that in the meane time hauing the Kings power in hand he might growe in authoritie and the King decrease Immediatly after the conclusion of peace made the Guizes perceiuing that these three noble Princes had auoyded their clawes for the King of Nauarre was gone into his kingdome the Prince of Conde had auoided into Germanie Monsieur had bin set at libertie without any hope to bring them againe within their reach and that not onely they were a terror but also would be great lets to their drifts and that they were able to cut them out more worke than they would be able to patch as long as they should liue considering the name roome authoritie and power that they were of both in France and with forraine Nations To the ende that at the States appoynted they might oppresse these Princes with the rest of the Nobilitie which would not take part with them to ground a sure foundation vpon a strong Councell then sent they their agent the Bishop of Paris and the aduocate Dauid a worse man did not liue then vpon the earth to Rome the holy Citie to take good aduise and spiritual counsell of their ghostly father The Bishop of Paris and Dauid with him came to Rome the Schoole of all murthers treasons poysonings and slaughters against all the Princes and States of Christendome There assembled all the schoolemasters and teachers of the Sciences aboue saide I meane the Cardinalls among whome Sir Hugh bon companion Vicar of Rome for so was his right name afore he was Pope was the forman There was great complaints framed against the King Monsieur his brother the King of Nauarre the Prince of Conde against all the house of Burbon and the Nobilitie of France The King of Nauarre and the Prince of Conde were heretickes and relapse The King and his brother with a great number of the Nobilitie if they were not heretickes yet were they fauourers of heretickes they caused heresies to grow and to take roote by making peace with heretickes to the vtter ouerthrowe of holy Church of Rome And that it was high time that Sir Hugh Vicar of Rome should prouide for some speedie remedie to preuent the mischiefe There it was shewed to render the King and all the Princes odious how the house of Capet had alwaies withstood the holy Church of Rome and that they had supported in old time the Valdenses and Albigeoys and now that either they are ioyned with the Hugonets or els are fauourers of them But on the contrary side the house of Charles the great which was wrongfully dispossessed of the Crowne by the Papall blessing had a speciall grace giuen them to helpe holy Church and had left yet some lustie buds which are they of the house of Guize in whom is all the hope of holy Church to roote out the hereticks and to restore all things The fable of this Popish blessing heere aboue mentioned is in the Chronicles of Rhegimon a Monke of S. Benet In the time of Pipin father to Charles the great Stephen Pope of Rome being a factious and turbulent man through his ambition did trouble Italy And when Arstulphe King of the Lombards a nation not vsed to bee controulled by Priests went about to chastize him fled into France to stirre Pipin which a fewe yeares before had vsurped the Crowne of France by the helpe of Pope Zachary against the sayd Arstulphe This Pope being at S. Denis nigh Paris fell brainsicke and in his sicknes the diuell deluded him with an entusiasme making him to see in a vision Peter and Paule before the high Altar in their Surplesses by the which as he sayd he knewe them Then came in S. Denis with a leane face hauing a Censor in his hand whom Peter and Paule sent to the sayd Stephen to heale him who charged him to hallowe the sayd Church Pope Stephen could this vision to them which were present there and being about to rise out of his
vicar of Rome against the King of Nauarre the Prince of Conde therewithall and with the sedicious inuaighing of the Iesuits and Friers to make them odious vnto the people whose liues they could not touch neither by violence nor by any haynous act It is sayd also how the Senat of Paris gaue their iudgement by the way of admonition to the King against the sayd excommunication the Pope himselfe and the procurers of the same The sixt day of Nouember the King of Nauarre answereth to the said excommunication of that beggerly Frier Sixtus and caused the same answere to bee set and fixed vpon the corners of the streates in Rome where publique writings are wont to be set First he doth hold the sayd excommunication false wrongfull voyd and doth appeale from him as no Iudge vnto the Senat of the Péeres of France whereof he is the first Secondly whereas the sayd franticke Sixtus dooth lay heresie to his charge and presumptuously calleth him hereticke the sayd King in one word doth answere that he maliciously and most impudently with reuetence of his goose cap be it spoken doth lye Thirdly the sayd King doth charge the beggerly Frier Sixtus to be an hereticke himselfe and doth proffer to prooue him so in a generall Counsell lawfully assembled Fourthly he doth declare him Antichrist and as vnto such a one he doth denounce a perpetuall and irreconciliable warre vntill that the miurie done to the house of France be satisfied Fiftly he assureth himselfe in God that as he hath assisted his predecessors and made them able to chastize such sawcie companions as he is when they haue forgotten their duetie and passed the bounds of their vocation confounding the ecclesiasticall power with the ciuill So he trusteth in God that being nothing inferiour vnto them God will make him able to reuenge the iniurie offered to the King Crowne State and Parliaments of France Last of all hee dooth implore all Christian Kings and Potentates all States alied and confederated with the Crowne of France to assist him to represse the raging tyrannie and damnable vsurpation of the sayd Frier Sixtus and of all Leaguers and conspirators agaynst the Crowne of France So much also doth protest Henry of Bourbon Prince of Conde This answere of the King of Nauarre being fixed as is sayd in the ordinary places of Rome where such writinges are wont to be set did not moue Frier Sixtus to repentance but as being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did cast him into feare so deeply that he sendeth not long after a Coriero to the Duke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is one that putteth me together by the cares then runneth his way Momorencye to excuse the matter and to remoue the fault from himselfe and to lay it vpon the Leaguers who as he sayth had deceitfully induced him to do what hee had done praying him to smooth the matter with the King of Nauarre and to pacify his displeasure About the 11. of Nouember the King sendeth forth an iniunction to all his officers to seaze vpon the persons and goods of al them that haue born armes with the Prince of Conde who after the breaking of the army at Saloune had returned to theyr houses or returned to their friends and to proceede agaynst them according to the edict of Iulye and the declaration thereof vearing date the 6. of October Also that such as will be reduced to Popery he is willing to pardon to giue them his patents for the same conditionally that they shal be without armes and horse and also that they shall put in good suretyes to persist in the profession of Popery The 19. of Nouember the Shauelinges Cardinals and Bishops made a long exhortation to the King by Sir Emare Henekin Bishop of Saynt Bryen a citye in Britayne In the same long and tedious oration Sir Henekin first did shew him the duty of Kinges toward the holy Church to wit to magnify it to the vttermost of his power Marke this Christian Reader that by the name of Church he meaneth Note the shauelings and by the duty of Kings toward the Church he although in other wordes goeth about to perswade the King to yeeld himselfe prisoner to their willes and affections and to make it short to let them haue what they would haue and to approoue whatsoeuer they would doe Secondly he teacheth the King that it is the holy Ghost who hath inspired him to make the edict of vnion To make the edict of vnion was to replenish his kingdome with bloud Note murther and desolation and to yeeld his authority into the handes of traiterous conspiratours of the League this is a worke of inspiration of the holy ghost by Sir Henekyn his diuinity Well sayd Sir Henekyn goe too this is good stuffe Thirdly hee blameth the King that heretofore he hath not shewed cruelty ynough agaynst them of the reformed but hath suffered them to haue the liberty of theyr religion by his edictes of peace but now he trusteth that hauing reuoked the edict of peace he would play Pyrgopolynices in Plautus Here Sir Henekyn sheweth whose sonne hee is breathing nothing Note but murther and whose scholler to wit Antichrist of Rome which is the trompeter of all mischieues in Christendome Fourthly after breach of the edict of peace Henekyn hopeth that the King will play the man and that all thinges shall goe well Here Sir Henekyn dooth suppose that all thinges shall goe well Note when the King hath throwen himselfe his Nobility his Kingdome and Subiectes into a heape of miseryes and hath opened the dore to desolation and desperation most miserable this is to haue a new heauen and earth to Sir Henekyn Fifthly he assureth the King that he shall haue power ynough to breake the forces of the Heretikes Here Sir Henekyn knowing not that there is neither counsell Note nor power against God to resist his will warranteth the King like a good diuine that he shall performe what Sir Henekyn wisheth Sixtly hee willeth the King to vse such discipline among his Souldiers as that the Priestes be not molested by them Here Sir Henekyn foreseeing what euilles the breach of the edict of peace would breede is well content that other men perish so that hee Note and his fellowes may liue in all pleasures and voluptuousnes without any molestation Sir Henekyn is a good reasonable and kindly fellow Seuenthly hee willeth the King to publish the counsell of Trente and to reforme the Priestes and to cause them to be good and vertuous The King hath resigned into the handes of the Leaguers a great part of his roiall authority Now Sir Henekyn will haue him to publish Note the counsell of Trente that is to resigne the rest of his royall authority to Fryer Sixtus I thinke that his minde is in plaine tearmes the King to become a begging Frier and to goe to Fryer Sixtus to haue a dispensation to forsake his wife and to
others who were taken prisoners And because the night drew neere apace the Prince thought good with all speede to assault the other companies of rebels who were at Commeaux who were about a thousand or twelue hundred men conducted by the Lord Beaulieu This company had trenched and fortified themselues and therefore the most part of thē were y e cannons priests monks fryers Iesuites of the Citie of Sees and many persons of the countrey round about who would shewe some proofe of their valour and how they could fight better with a Caliuer then with their Portisse but at length it was found that they had more skill in iugling a Masse and making of Gods then in handling their weapons among them was the Parson of Vimonstier a desperate and sedicious Priest The Lord Beaulieu was their captain who at the first onset the sayd Lord Beaulieu was taken among the first in the forcing of the Fort who being carried away by the Captaine Chauuayne before the Prince sayd that there were within that Fort at the least seauen hundred well armed and appoynted The Prince vnderstanding that commanded the Lords Bakqueuile Archand to get into the Fort and for that purpose he left them the Culuering and went that night to Escouche where he arriued about eleuen of the clocke in the night And assoone as he was gone the rebels of Comeaux vnderstanding how their fellowes had sped yéelded with their liues onely saued who were immediatly disarmed and brought to Escouche to the Prince There the Duke soiourned all the next day being the 21. of Aprill to take the view of the prisoners who were in great number of all qualities of persons The same day the Lords Hallot Bakqueuile Beuil Bellefontayn and Archand went abroad with their companies to see if they could méet with any ranging Rebells where they mist not much to haue taken the Baron Vernier The sayd Baron and Brissake with the rest of their complices retyred in great speede to Argenton fearing to be as kindly hit on the hips as their fellowes had béen The 22. day the Prince leauing the Lords of Harcourt of Saint Mary Venoix and Sassay at Escouche went to Courcy where hee vnderstoode that the Lord Pierrecourt was lodged with some Launciers not farre of he mounted straight on horsebacke and went to finde them out but he had dislodged a little before they came to the place Here Christian Reader marke the presence of God in the assisting of a good cause and handled by persons of lawfull calling First thou seest how the King heretofore in the warres against the K. of Nauarre had not prospered but all things haue fallen to his owne charges dishonour and shame because he persecuted him without a cause and such persons were put in trust of his affayres and aduanced themselues forward intending vnder that colour to supplant their master Now when the King hath a iust cause in hand and put men in trust that are lawfully called bearing a true and vnfayned heart to the King kingdome Crowne and Countrey such as bee the Princes of his bloud and other of the true Nobilitie of France the Lord also is of his side and fighteth for him maketh him victorious and restoreth to him his authoritie by steps as it shall appeare hereafter Secondly here is a notable thing happened which neuer did happen vnto any Captaine that euer I haue read saue vnto that noble Athenian Conon that a Captaine had obtayned three noble victories in one day but vnto this noble Prince of ancient and noble rase Thus the Prince Montpencier by these victories gaue a tast vnto the rebels of the cup of their treasons and so did driue them into Townes and Holds that afterward it was rare to see any rebels abroade except it were when they had neede priuilie to steale out to robb their nigh neighbours of their goods Hauing done this exployt he purposed to bring the artillerie from Courcy and returne to the Citie of Caen intending shortly after to be in the field agayne and to carrie by it vntill he had subdued the countrey to the Kings obedience agayne By a pertinent digression I haue shewed what noble and profitable exployts the Prince Montpencier hath done in Normandy against the Rebels now we will returne to continuance of the narration interrupted It is sayd before how the King seeing himselfe in extreame danger made truces with the King of Nauarre and deliuered him the Towne of Saumour for his safe passage and repassage ouer the riuer of Loyre which he committed to the Lord of Plessis Marline Few dayes being expired after the deliuering of the town of Saumour the King of Nauarre went thether to the great contentation and reioysing of all the inhabitants and of all the Nobility round about well affected to the Kings seruice and good of the realme Liberty was geuen by the K. of Nauarre to all the inhabitants concerning religion indifferently as hée had done in other places The King of Nauarre hauing ordered all things at Saumour about the 17. day of Aprill went foorth and besieged the Castell of Brissak the Lord thereof beeing a traitour and a rebellious Leaguer and tooke it by composition The 18. the King of Nauarre passed all his Forces beyond the riuer of Loyre ouer the bridg of Saumour and within few dayes ioyned with other forces which stayed for him gathered out of Normandy Mayne Anjou Perche Beausse and other countries beeing betweene Loyre and Seyne intending shortly to see face to face the army of the rebels conducted by the Duke de Mayne Thus the King of Nauarre greatly iniuried and offended so often and at the request and for the pleasure of the Duke of Guyze assaulted now commeth to rescue out of danger captiuity and death him that had persecuted him so long with all the forces of a mighty kingdome he commeth I say with a chosen army not onely great in number but also in valour so that euery common souldier might haue supplyed the roome of an Officer Goe on O great King put on the armor of God follow his calling this day thou hast obtayned a greater and more famous victory then at the day of Coutras in ouercomming the desire of reuengement which vpon diuers occasions might haue risen by the frailty of mans nature The 21 the King of Nauarre hauing passed ouer the riuer Loyre and ioyned with his forces gathered out of the Countreys abouesayd setteth forth a declaration shewing the causes of this passage First hee sheweth that hee is called to enter into this action by God by nature by the lawe and by the iust approbation of his Prince which causes do moue him to determine to imploy his lyfe his meanes power for the reestablishing of y e Kings authority restoring of the realm and for the defence of good Subiects within the same decayed and oppressed by the treasons of the Leaguers vnder the colour of godlines and iustice Secondly he protesteth