prevented my Life that of my Children and the preservation of my Kingdom are concerned in it I will leave it to the course of Justice you shall see what Judgement shall be given I will contribute what I can to his Innocency I give you leave to do the same till he be found guilty of high Treason for then the Father cannot intercede for the Son nor the Son for the Father the Wife for the Husband nor the Brother for the Brother Do not become odious to me for the love you bear him As for the note of Infamy there is none but himself Have the Constable of St. Paul from whom I derive my Pedigree and the Duke of Nemours of who I am Heir both beheaded left any note of Infamy upon their Posterity should not the Prince of Condé my Uncle have been beheaded the next day if King Francis the II. had not dyed Therefore ye that are Kinsmen to the Duke of Biron cannot be noted with Infamy if you continue in your faithfulness as I assure my self you will And I am so far from depriving you of your Offices that if any new one should fall I would bestow them upon you I am more sorry for his fault than you can be but to conspire against me that am his King and Benefactor is a crime that I cannot forgive without losing my self my Wife my Son and my Estate I know you to be so good French men that you would not have the last and shall take Patience for the first Thus the King dismissed him and sent his Commission to the Court of Parliament to decide the business The Process was framed in the Bastille by the Lords of Achilles de Harlay first President in the Court of Parliament of Paris Nicolas Potier second President Stephen Fleury and Philibert of Thurin Councellors in the same Court They asked him if he did not write in Cyphers he denyed it then were shewed unto him several Letters written and sealed with his own hand which did witness his Intelligences with the Spaniard and the Duke of Savoy and contained advices that he gave of the wants that were in the Kings Army How little Money he had to maintain the War and to satisfie the Switzers of the discontent of the French Nobility and how several French Troops might easily be defeated and that to divert the Kings forces it was necessary to invade Provence and did much press upon the 50000. Crowns and the 4000 men promised or else said all is lost Some of these things he confessed and did so intangle and contradict himself that the Commissioners had pity on his indiscretion He was asked what opinion he had of La Fin he said he took him for an honest Gentleman his Friend and Kinsman his Evidnces being read to him and himself brought face to face he did with the most horrid Imprecations and Blasphemies in the World deny them and charged La Fin with the most horrid Crimes that can be Imagined calling still God for a Witness of his Innocency La Fin stood firm in the confirming of his Evidence and did more particularly declare the whole conspiracy The Duke answered that if Renazé were there he would tell the contrary Renazé who had a little while before escaped his Prison in Piemont was brought before him and confirmed all what La Fin had said Next to that was brought one of the Kings waiting men who witnessed that having lyen in his Chamber by the Kings command the first night of his Imprisonment he had adjured him by several offers and promises of rewards to give notice to his secretaries to be out of the way for some days and to tell the Earl of Roussy his Brother in Law that he should send presently to Dijon to give the same advice to those that were left there and above all that if they were examined they should all constantly deny that ever he did write in Cyphers Thus the business having been thorowly examined it remained only to proceed unto Judgment but the Prisoner being a Peer of France the King having erected the Baroay of Biron into a Dukedom by the Laws the Prisoner could not be judged but by his Peers which being summoned and not appearing the Court of Parlament being authorised by the Kings Commission proceeded to Judgment The 23 of July 1602. the Chancellor with the Maisses and Pontcarré Privy Councellors went to the Parliament where all the Chambers were assembled together There he made known the Kings intention in a business wherein the good of the Kingdom was so much concerned and represented on one part the quality of a Person commendable for his services but on the other the soulness of the Crime for the Judgment of which the King did rely upon the integrity and prudence of the Court The Kings Attorney and Soliciter having represented to the Court that the Peers summoned gave no appearance and that the Prisoners petition who asked for Councel was not to be received The Court proceeded to examine the Evidences whereupon they sat three times after which the Prisoner was brought from the Bastile by Montigny Governour of Paris and Vitry Captain of the Kings Guards in a close Barge covered with Tapistry and followed by two other Barges full of Souldiers and Switzers He entred into the Palace through the Garden of the first President and rested himself in one of the Chambers where he was offered a Breakfast The time being come he was to be heard the Recorder went and called him into the Guild-hall where when he saw one Hundred and twelve Judges before his face he was some thing daunted and was made to sit within the Bar upon a joint stool where he sat in such a posture as stretching forth his right foot and having his Cloak under his arm and his left hand upon his side he kept the right one free either to stretch it forth to Heaven or to smite his brest when occasion served The Chancellor did so frame his discourse that he never named him by his name nor that of his qualities Of many evidences there was five chiefly urged against him The first to have been conversant with one Picotée born in Orleans and refugied in Flanders to keep intelligence with the Arch-duke and to have give him 150. Crowns for two journeys to that end The second to have treated with the Duke of Savoy three days after his arrival to Paris without the Kings leave and to have offered him all assistance and service against any person whatsoever upon the hope or promiss of marrying his third daughter The third to have kept intelligence with the said Duke in taking of the City of Bourg and other places giving him advice how he might defeat the Kings Army and destroy his person with many other circumstances to that purpose The fourth to have sent by Renazée a note to the Governour of the Fort of Saint Catherine promising to bring the King before the said Fort so
years seen two such winds in London as I never saw the like any where else the first was that day that Olivier the Usurpator died the other was about six or seven years ago caused by the lightning that fell in Hereford-shire and did mix with a Western wind and came as far as London carrying the tops of houses and doing then for above 10000 pounds dammage XLIX French Gand Bruxelles marcheront contre Anvers Senat de Londres mettront a mort leur Roy Le Sel Vin luy seront a l'envers Pour eux avoir le Regne or desarroy English Gand and Bruxelles shall go against Antwerp The Senat of London shall put their King to death The Salt and Wine shall not be able to do him good That they may have the Kingdom into ruine ANNOT. This Prophecy taken with all its circumstances and the subject it treateth of is the most remarkable of all those that ever Nostradamus was Author of for here we see a concatenation of circumstances linked together to make it true to any bodies eyes for first the number of this Stanza being 49. signifieth the year wherein the King died for although by the English account who begin their year at the 25. of March it may be said it was in 48 because it did happen upon the 30th of January yet according to the general account of the most part of the World the year begin upon the first day of January so that the King dying on the 30th of January it may be said it was in the year 1649. The first Verse signifieth that at that time there was no good intelligence between the Cities of Flanders and Brabant as I remember very well that there was not but upon what score I have forgotten The second Verse is plain to any body that can either read or hear it The third Verse by the Salt and Wine understandeth France who was then in War with the Spaniard and in some divisions among themselves so that they could not take the Kings part as to relieve and free him by force but sent Embassadours to mediate a composure of the difference The fourth Verse intimateth that by reason of the said Wars that were in France the said murdering Parliament had liberty to do what they lifted for the bringing the Kingdom into ruine L. French Mensodus tost viendra a son ha 〈…〉 t Regne Mettant arriere un peu le Norlaris Le rouge blesme le masle a l'interregne Le jeune crainte frayeur Barbaris English Mensodus shall soon come to his high Government Putting a little aside the Norlaris The red pale the Male at the interreigne The young fear and dread barbarisme ANNOT. Mensodus is the Anagramme of Vendosme by which is meant Antony of Bourbon Duke of Vendosme brother to the then Prince of Condé and father to Henry IV. Norlaris is the Anagram of Lorrain now any body that understandeth any thing in History knoweth what dissention and seud there was between the House of Bourbon and that of Lorrain in the time of Francis the II. for the House of Bourbon though next to the Royal blood was the least in favour and those of the House of Lorrain did Govern all and had so far prevailed as to have got the Prince of Condé into their hands and had him condemned to have his head cut of which would have been executed had not the King that very day fallen sick of the disease he died of Now this being understood our Author will have that Mensodus which is Vendosme shall lay aside the Norlaris that is Lorrein By the red pale is meant the Cardinal of Lorrain brother to the Duke of Guise who grew pale at this By the male at the interreigne is so obscure that we leave it to the judgement of the Reader LI French Contre les rouges Sectes se banderont Feu eau fer corde par paix se minera Au point mourir ceux qui machineront Fo rs un que monde sur tout ruinera English Against the red Sects shall gather themselves Fire water iron rope by peace it shall be destroyed Those that shall conspire shall not be put to death Except one who above all shall undo the World ANNOT. The name of red Sects may very well be applied to the Protestants of France against whom in those days it seemed that fire Water Iron and Rope had conspired for they were put to death by each one of those fatal instruments for their Religion sake This is a lively expression of the unhappy Massacre of the Protestants in France upon St. Batholomews day 1572. The two last Verses signifie that all the Contrivers of that Councel were of opinion at first to proceed some other way but only the Duke of Guise who was the principal actor in it and whom our Author saith did undo the world for he was the cause of mischief not only then but afterwards LII French La paix sapproche d'un costé la guerre Oncques ne fut la poursuite fi grande Plaindre homme femmene sang Innocent par Terre Et ce fera de France a toute bande English Peace is coming on one side and War on the other There was never so great a pursuing Man Woman shall bemoan Innocent blood shall be spilt It shall be in France on all sides ANNOT. This Prophecy was fulfilled in the Reign of Charles the IX in the year 1558. when the peace was treated of and concluded the year after 1559. the VVar on the other side begun to appear by the raising of the Protestants who begun publickly their opinion in the time of Francis the II. and Charles the IX There was never seen such a prosecution of VVar and of Peace together for there was never an estate more embroiled in VVars than that of Charles the IX was nor where Peace was more sought after for there was nothing but VVars and treaties of Peace Men and VVomen did complain on all sides for the wrong and dammages they received from both parties the Protestants believing to do God a good service in destroying Images and killing Priests and Monks And the Papists on the other side thinking to make a sweet Sacrifice unto God in practising the same cruelties upon the Protestants and so in all corners of France every one did set himself to do evil LIII French Le Neron jeune dans les trois Cheminées Fera de Pages vifs pour ardoir ietter Heureux qui loin sera de tels menées Trois de son sang le feront mort guetter English The young Nero in the three Chimneys Shall cause Pages to be thrown to be burnt alive Happy shall he be who shall be far from this doing Three of his own blood shall cause him to be put to death ANNOT. A young Tyrant called here Nero shall cause some Pages to be burnt alive in three Chimneys and afterwards himself shall be put to death by three of
him Jewels and he and his son shall be dealt with all as the Magi that is the Grandees of Persia used to do with their Kings whom they were wont to murder or depose XXII French Pour ne vouloir consentir au divorce Qui puis apres sera cogneu indigne Le Roy des Isles sera chassé par force Mis a son lien qui de Roy n'aura signe English For not consenting to the divorce Which afterwards shall be acknowledged unworthy The King of the Island shall be expelled by force And another subrogated who shall have no mark of a King ANNOT. This is plain concerning England and the late calamities thereof when our gracious King for not consenting to the wicked factions of the Parliament then and that have been acknowledged so since was expelled by force and an Usurpator that had not the least sign of a King sat in his place XXIII French Au peuple ingrat faites les remonstrances Par lors l'Armée se saisira d' Antibe Dans larc Monech feront les doleances Et a Freius l'un l'autre prendra ribe English The remonstrances being made to the ungrateful people At that time the Army shall seize upon Antibe In the River of Monaco they shall make their complaints And at Freius both of them shall take their share ANNOT. This signifieth that at the same time that the remonstrances shall be made to an ungrateful people the Army shall seize upon the Town of Antibe which is a Sea Town between France and Italy and that there shall be great complaints at Monaco which is another Sea-Town near it and at the place called Freius both parties shall either agree or divide their shares XXIV French Le captif Prince aux Itales vaincu Passera Gennes par Mer jusque a Marseille Par grand effort des forens survaincu Sauf coup de feu barril liqueur d'Abeille English The captive Prince vanquished in Italy Shall pass by Sea through Genoa to Marseilles By great endeavours of forrain forces overcome But that a Barrel of Honey shall save him from the fire ANNOT. A Prince vanquished in Italy and taken Prisoner shall come through Genoa to Marseilles where he shall be once more overcome by strangers but that a Barrel of Honey shall save him from being burnt This is the sense of the words as near as I can judge the judicious Reader may make what construction he pleaseth upon them XXV French Par Nebro ouvrir de Brisanne passage Bien esloignez el tago faramuestra Dans Pelligouxe sera commis l'outrage De la grand Dame assise sur l' Orchestra English By Nebro to open the passage of Brisanne A great way off el tago fara muestra In Pelligouxe the wrong shall be done Of the great Lady sitting in the Orchestra ANNOT. Here once more I lost my Spectacles and could not see through therefore I had rather be silent then coin lies I shall only tell you that Orchestra in Latine is the seat wherein noble Personages sit at the beholding of Stage-plays XXVI French Le successeur vengera son Beau frere Occuper Regne soubs ombre de vengeance Occis obstacle son sang mort vitupere Long temps Bretagne tiendra avec la France English The Successour shall avenge his Brother in Law Shall hold by force the Kingdom upon pretence of revenge That hinderance shall be killed his dead blood ashamed A long time shall Brittany hold with France ANNOT. This is plain enough of it self without any interpretation XXVII French Charle cinquiesme un grand Hercules Viendront le Temple ouvrir de main bellique Une Colonne Jules Ascan reculez L' Espagne clef Aigle neurent onc si grand pique English Charles the Fifth and one great Hercules Shall open the Temple with a Warlike hand One Colonne Julius and Ascan put back Spain the Key Eagle were never at such variance ANNOT. Charles the V. was the Emperour and that great Hercules was Henry the II. King of France whom he calleth Hercules because he was King of France and the Author nameth often in his Stanza's the Kings of France Hercules or Ogmions because that great Captain of the Antiquity left his name glorious in the Gaules whence the ancient Historians have given him the name of Hercules Gallicus Henry the II. also was not only an Hercules by being King of France but also a great Hercules because of his Warlike humour and for his great feats in Arms. To open the Temple signifieth to make War because the Romans in ancient time were wont to shut the Temple of Janus in time of Peace and kept it open during the War Caesar Augustus did shut that Temple once in his time which was never done before but twice the first under Numa Pompilius the second after the overcoming of Charthage XXVIII French Second tiers qui font prime Musique Sera par Roy en honneur sublimée Par grasse maigre presque a deny etique Rapport de Venus faux rendra deprimée English Second and third that make prime Musick Shall by the King be exalted to honour By a fat one and a lean one one in consumption A false report of Venus shall pull her down ANNOT. Notwithstanding the obscurity of this sense and the bad connexion of the words we may perceive that by this Stanza is meant that a King having two Mistresses shall exalt them in great honour till by a report made by a fat woman and a lean one that is in a consumption that the said Ladies prove unfaithful to the King he will depress them as low as they were before XXIX French De Pol Mansol dans Caverne caprine Caché pris extrait hors par la barbe Captif mené comme beste mastine Par Begourdans amenée pres de Tarbe English From Pol Mansol in a Goats Den Hidden and taken drawn out by the beard Prisoner led as a Mastiff By Begourdans shall be brought near to Tarbe ANNOT. Here and in some other places of this work is to be observed that the Author doth sometimes put two Towns instead of one that he may distinguish it from others of the same name as here he calleth Pol Mansol to distinguish the Town of St. Paul which is three Leagues from the Rhosne over against the Town of Pont St. Esprit from that which is in the lower parts of Provence The sense therefore of this Stanza is that this Begourdans a proper name of a man shall pull out another by the beard that was hidden in a Goats Den and shall lead him captive as far as Tarbe which is another Town of Provence XXX French Nepveu sang du St. nouveau venu Par le surnom soustient arcs couvert Seront chassez mis a mort chassez nu En rouge noir convertiront leur vert English Nephew and blood of the Saint newly come By the surname upholdeth Vaults and Covering They shall be driven put to
here Censuarts to rime with the word Soldats in the foregoing Verse III. French La Ville sans dessus dessoubs Renversée de mille coups De Canons forts dessous Terre Cinq ans tiendra le tout remis Et lasché a ses ennemis L'eau leur fera apres la guerre English The Town shall be upside down Overthrown by a thousands shot Of Canons and Forts under ground Shall hold five years all shall be returned And surrendred to the enemies Water after that shall make War against them ANNOT. This Stanza is as well as the former concerning the Town of Ostend which after three years Siege instead of five which is falsly printed here was surrendred to the Arch-Duke and presently after like to be drowned by the Sea IV. French Du rond d'un Lis naistra un si grand Prince Bien tost tard venu dans sa Province Saturne en Libra en exaltation Maison de Venus en descroissante force Dame en apres masculin soubs l'Escorce Pour maintenir l'heureux sang de Bourbon English From the round of a Lilly shall be born a great Prince Soon and late come into his Province Saturn in Libra being in exaltation The House of Venus in a decreasing strength A Woman afterwards and a Male under the Bark To maintain the happy blood of Bourbon ANNOT. This Prophecy was concerning Lewis the XIII King of France son of Henry the IV. who was born under the Sign of Libra and therefore called the Just the rest is easie V. French Celuy qui la Principauté Tiendra par grande cruanté A la fin verra grand Phalange Par coup de feu tresdangereux Par accord pourroit faire mieux Autrement boira suc d'Orenge English He that the Principality Shall keep by great cruelty At last shall see a great Army By a fire blow most dangerous He should do better by agreement Otherways he shall drink juyce of Orenge ANNOT. This is concerning a Governour of the Principality of Orenge under the authority of a Prince which Governour having been long in possession of that Government and the Prince being busie in the Wars of the Netherlands the said Governour plaid Rex in his absence so that the Prince was forced to have him made away privately VI. French Quand de Robin la traistreuse entreprise Mettra Seigneurs en peine un grand Prince Sceu par la Fin chef on luy tranchera La Plume au vent amye dans Espagne Poste attrapé estant en la Campagne Et l'Escrivain dans l'eau se jettera English When the treacherous plot of Robin Shall put many Lords and a great Prince in trouble Being known by la Fin his head shall be cut off The Feather in the Wind friend to Spain Post overtaken in the Countrey And the Scrivener shall cast himself into the Water ANNOT. Two notable Histories are contained in this Stanza the first is of the Marshal of Biron the second is of Nicolas High Secretary to the Lord Villeroy who himself was chief Secretary of State to Henry the IV. and because they are curious ones and not to be met every where we shall set them down The first four Verses are concerning the Duke of Biron who by transposition of letters is called here Robin this man by his Military Valour and experience had from a private Gentleman ascended to the highest degrees of honour and preferment that his condition was capable of for though he were not forty years old he had attained unto the greatest dignities of the Kingdom being fourteen years old he was made Colonel of the Switzers in Flanders a little while after he was made Marshal of Camp and after Marshal General he was admitted Admiral of France in the Parliament of Tours and then Mareshal of France in that of Paris at the Siege of Amiens he was sole Lieutenant of his Majesty though there were many Princes of the Blood in the Army and to compleat his greatness he was made Peer of France and the Barony of Biron erected into a Dukedom not contented with all that he said he would not go to the retaking of the rest of the Towns in Picardy unless his Statue were erected in Brass before the Louvre and in conclusion that he had rather die upon a Scaffold undertaking some great matters then to live idle in his own House and always among these Bravadoes he did mix some bold and dangerous words which he would have every body to approve of When he saw that after the Siege of Amiens the War was at an end that Britany was reduced and that all the Swords were sheathed for a good while he thought that having no more occasion to exercise his valour he should grow out of credit and that he should have no more that power by which he plaised the King and do without fear all what he did without Justice The fire of that great courage finding no work without began to work within that burning desire of being always the first did fill his head with flames and smoak of a great design he complained of the King and of the unequal reward of his deserts and services did publish his discontents adding threatnings to his complaints and spoke of the King with little respect that his most intimate friends did judge his words insolent and dangerous It is true it was the vice of his nature but there were also some of Fortune for finding himself filled with all the prosperities that a moderate man might wish for in his condition he found that men loose themselves by too much happiness He began then to lend his Ears unto flatterers and when they told him that he was the greatest Captain in France he answered that he would die upon a scaffold or he would go beyond the condition of a single Gentleman that the goodness of his sword should give him what Fortune had denied and the Astrologers to whom he gave great credit had foretold him in ambiguous terms that nothing could hinder him from being a Sovereign but the blow of a sword given by a Bargundian and though all his life time he had shewed but little Devotion and Zeal to Religion yet from that time that he prepared his soul to the motion of his ambition he fained himself very devout and zealous and began to wear beads that the Baron of Lux had given him in a Tennis-Court and to declare himself an irreconcilsable enemy to the Protestants seeking every where some discontented Spirits whom he did encourage with the hopes of a profitable change La Nocle Lord of la Fin was then for the troubles of Prevence and for the quarrel he had with 〈◊〉 Esdigvieres retired into his House threatned of ill usage by the King enemy to some great ones loaded with debts and Sutes in Law The discontented meet always either by design or by chance The Duke of Biron who knew that he had been deeply engaged in the business
to me with a daughter of Savoy that the King would receive me with all Kindness What then the goings to and fro of many the reasons of those who advised me to come and the Kings Letters were they all baits to catch me I am well served to have trusted to much upon his Word I could have sought and got other securities if I had not trusted to my Innocency I am come upon the confidence of my integrity since his pardon Ah! doth he not know that he hath forgiven me I have hâ—d some evil designs I have hearkened I have written I have spoken I confessed them all at Lyon he did assure me never to remember it and did exhort me that from hence forwards I should commit nothing that might compel me to have recourse to his clemency Nevertheless I am now accused of things that are blotted out by his pardon I have not offended him since unless it be in that I desired War rather than Peace because my humour is not peaceable had not the King at that time reason to approve of it if this Crime deserveth death I fly to his clemency I implore his Mercy The Queen of England told me that if the Earl of Essex would have humbled himself and asked forgiveness he should have obtained it I do being Innocent what he would not do being guilty Ah! shall all Mercy be put out for me those that have done worse have found Grace and Mercy I perceive what it is I am not the more guilty but the most unhappy and the King who hath been so sparing of his Subjâ—cts lives hath a mind to be prodigal of mine To conclude he forgot nother of what might be said by a Soul pierced with grief spite anger and violent threatning in exclamations and revilings against the King and his Parliament in reproaches against the Chancellor that he had more contributed to his condemnation than to his absolution in words that are not fit to be spoken nor related His words ran so falt that the Chancellor could not stop them Nevertheless he took occasion to tell him his passion suggested him many things without appearance of reason and against his own jadgment that no body had known his deserts better than he and that he could have wished his faults had been as unknown as dissembled that the knowledge of them had been so visible and apparent that his Judges had more ado to moderate his punishment than to inflict it That Sâ—ntence was given upon the proofs of several attemps he had made against the Kings Person and his Estate and for having kept intelligence and correspondency with the Enemies of the Kingdom of which he had been found guilty that if he had concealed the truth in the answers to his accusations he should now reveal it being so near to his end and that for these causes the King did ask his Order of Knighthood and his staff oâ— Marshal of France with which he had formerly honoured him He pulled the Order out of his Pocket and put it into the Chancellors hands Protesting and Swearing upon the Salvation of his Soul that he never had broken the Oath he made in receiving it that it is true he had desired War more than Peace because he could not preserve in Peace the reputation he had got in War as for the Staff he never carryed it Nevertheless by the Oath that the Knights of the Holy Ghost take they are bound to take no Pension Wages nor Money from forrain Princes and to engage themselves in no bodies service but the Kings and faithfully to reveal what they shall know to be for or against the Kings service Aâ—ter that the Chancellor exhorted him to lift up his thoughts from Earth to Heaven to call upon God and to hear patiently his Sentence My Lord said he I beseech you do not use me as other men I know what my Sentence beareth my accusations are false I wonder the Court would Condemn me upon the Evidence of the most wicked and detestable man that is alive he never came near me without Witchcraft nor never went from me till he had bewitched me he did bite my left ear off and made me drink inchanted waters and when he said that the King had a mind to rid himself of me he called me his King his Benefactor his Prince his Lord he hath communication with the Devils and hath shewed me a Wax Image speaking these words in Latine Rex impie morieris ungodly King thou shalt die If he hath had so much power by his Magick as to make an inanimate body to speak it is no wonder that he should make my Will conformable to his Here the Chancellor stopt him and told him that the Court had well considered his answers and his Letters that he ought not to find fault with his Sentence that it had done him the same Justice as a Father should do to his son if he had offended in the like manner He had scarce spoken these words when the other answered what Judgment I have been heard but once and had no time to tell the fiftieth part of my justification if I had been heard at large I could have made it clearly appear that la Fin is such a one as I say what Judgment upon the Evidence of a Bougerer of a Rogue that hath forsaken his Wife of a treacherous and perfidious man that had Sworn so many times upon the Holy Sacrament never to reveal what was between us of a Knave that hath so often counterfeited my Hand and Seal It is true I have written some of those Letters that were shewed me but I never intended to put them in Execution and the rest are falsified Is there not many that can counterfeit so well the Hand and Seal of others that themselves can scarce distinguish them It is well known that the Lady Marchioness of Vernevil hath lately acknowledged that to be her own hand which she had never written My Heart and my Actions have sufficiently countervailed the faults of my Hand and of my Tongue Besides the King hath forgiven me I do implore his Memory for a Witness You say I have been found guilty to have attempted upon the Kings Person that is false that never came into my mind and I knew nothing of it till that la Fin did propose it to me before St. Katherines Fort six or seven days after the Siege if I had been thus minded I could have easily brought it to pass I was the only man that hindred the King to go before the Fort If my services had been taken into consideration I should not have been thus condemned I believe that if you had not been present the Parliament would not have judged me so rigorously I wonder that you whom I thought to be prudent and wise have used me so cruelly it would have been more honourable for your quality and old age to implore for me the Kings Mercy than his Justice There is Dungeons here
where I might have been kept bound hand and foot I should have at last that comfort to pray for those who should have got me that favour from the King If I had been but a single Souldier I should have been sent to the Galleys but because I am a Marshal of France I am thought to be as dangerous a man to the State as I have been useful heretofore My life is sought after I see there is no Mercy for me the King hath often forgiven those who not only intended to do evil but had done it this Vertue is now forgotten he giveth occasion now to the World to believe that he never used clemency or forgiveness but when he was afraid I was of opinion that if I had killed one of his Children he would have forgiven me Is it not pity that my Father should have run so many dangers and at last died in the field to keep the Crown upon his Head and that now he should take my head off my Shoulders is it possible he should forget the services I have done him doth he not remember the conspiracy of Mantes and the dangers he should have been in if I had taken the Conspirators part Hath he forgotten the Siege of Amiens where I have been so often among the fire and Bullets neglecting my own life to preserve his I have not a Vein but hath been open to preserve his own Blood I have received five and thirty wounds to save his life he sheweth now that he never loved me but when he had need of me he taketh away my head but let him beware that the Justice of God doth not fall upon his My Blood shall cry for revenge for the wrong that is done me to day I call the King of Spain and the Duke of Savoy to Witness if I know any thing what is laid to my charge La Fin himself did shew me sometimes a Catholick List of about fourscore Gentlemen who received Pension from the King of Spain I had never so much curiosity as to read it let him be put to the rack he shall tell many particularities of it the King within a litttle while shall perceive what he getteth by my death I sshall at last die a good Catholick and constant in my Religion I believe that 's the cause of my death The Chancellor seeing that all his discourses were full of passion vanity and repetitions and void of reason and were like an impetuous Torrent that cannot be stopt and that all his words were nothing but reproaches against the King and the Court of Parliament blasphemies against God and execrations against his Accusers said that his business called him away and that in his absence he would leave him two Divines to comfort him and to dispose his soul to leave quietly this World for the enjoying of a better As the Chancellor was going out the Prisoner begged of him that he might have the liberty to make his Will because he did owe much and much was owing to him and he desired to satisfie every body The Chancellor answered that the Recorder Voisin should stay with him to write his Will under the Kings good pleasure And as the Chancellor spoke to Voisin the Prisoner turning to Roissy Master of Requests asked him if he were one of those that had condemned him my Father hath loved you so much that though you were one yet should I forgive you Roissy answered my Lord I pray God Almighty to comfort you They went out and he with a quiet mind and free from passion did dictate his Will in what form he would with the same Garbe as if he had been making a Speech at the head of an Army he remembred his friends and servants and did not forget the Baron of Lux whom he loved above all the rest He left eight hundred Livers a year to a Bastard of his whom he begot of a woman that he left with Child of another to which child he left a Mannor near Dijon that had cost him six thousand Crowns he disposed all the rest of his Debts and answered modestly and without confusion to all the Notes and Bills that were brought him about his affairs Took three Rings off his fingers and intreated Baranton to give them to his Sisters two to the Countess of Roussy and the other to that of Saint Blancard desiring they would wear them for his sake he distributed in Alms about 200. Crowns that he had in his Pocket fifty to the Capuchines fifty to the Fâ—eillants fifty to the Minimes and the rest to several poor people The Will being made the Recorder put him in mind how my Lord Chancellor had told him he was condemned to death and that according to the ordinary forms of the Law he must have his Sentence read to him that this action required humility therefore willed him to kneel before the Altar leaving off hence forth all thoughts of this World to think upon the Father of Mercies he kneeled with the right knee upon the first step of the Altar and heard it read as followeth Seen by the Court the Chambers being assembled together the Process extraordinarily made by the Presidents and Councellors appointed by the King under his Letters Patents dated the 18 and 19 of June at the request of the Kings Sollicitor General against the Lord Charles of Gontault of Biron Knight of both Orders Duke of Biron Peer and Marshal of France Governour of Burgundy Prisoner in the Castle of Bastille accused of high Treason Informations Interrogations Confessions and denials Confrontations and Witnesses Letters Advices and Instructions given to the Enemies and acknowledged by him and all what the Solliciter General hath produced Sentence of the 22 of this Month by which it was ordered that in the absence of the Peers of France summoned it should be further proceeded to Judgment Conclusions of the Kings Sollicitor the accuser being heard and interrogated all things being duly considered hath been concluded that the said Court hath declared and declareth the said Duke of Biron attainted and convicted of high Treason for the conspiracies by him made against the Kings Person and Estates Proditions and Treaties with his Enemies when he was Marshal of the Army of the said King for reparation of which Crime the said Court hath deprived and depriveth him of all his Estates Honours and Dignities and hath condemned and condemneth him to be beheaded upon a Scaffold which for that purpose shall be erected in the place of Greve hath declared and declareth all and every one of his Goods moveable or unmoveable in whatsoever places scituated and seated to be acquired and conâ—iscated to the King the Manner of Biron deprived for ever of the Title and Dukedom and Peerage and altogether all his other Goods immediately holden from the King reunited to the Crown again Done in Parliament the last day of July 1602. Signed in the Original by de Belieure Chancellor of France Councellor in the Court