impatience desirous to repulse the violence offered them being informed of the said Sieur de Reaux his charge by a yeoman of the Guard whom he had sent vnto him continued to stay our peoples commotion and as he expects more particular newes from the said Sieur de Reaux and of Monsieur de Montmorencies obedience to the command he brought Villeneufne de Berg hauing withstood two scaladoes and diuers assaults at the gate yeelding presently at the Kings name to the said Sieur de Reaux and submitting it selfe vnto his protection and keeping Monsieur de Montmorenci comming in establisheth there a garison which at the same instant committeth all kind of riots and outrages Hereupon our men being induced to aime themselue for feare of the like frauds and for the necessity of their owne defence Monsieur de Reaux comming to Monsieur de Chastillon and assuring him that Villeneufue de Berg should be restored and vnder hope that according to the articles agreed vpon betweene them all things should be reestablished in peace hauing obtained that he should vnarme whiles he was truly doing so Monsieur de Montmorenci in stead of performing couenants lodgeth fiue or sixe companies in Villeneufue de Berg and proclaimes with a drum Monsieur de Perant Gouernor thereof and more ouer hauing dispatched diuers new commissions dated the morow after Sieur de Reaux his ariuall there he assiegeth Vals another place of ours in Viuarets where euen the said Sieur de Reaux himselfe whiles Monsieur de Chastillon rested vpon his word that Monsieur de Montmorenci should performe couenants assisted in person and was spectator of the battery This little and weake place without any defence but the inhabitants hauing endured a hundred cannon shot yeelding vpon honorable composition directly contrary to the capitulation all manner of cruelties violences and barbarismes haue bin there practised vpon an infinite company of poore innocent persons cruelly murthered or rauished And againe contrary to the said articles the like hath bin done at Valons a place neare vnto the other These frauds and breaches of counterfeit contracts do manifest vnto the world that the Kings word and apparent command haue bin vsed but as a snare for our plaine meaning and vnder a secret approbation of all that Monsieur de Montmorenci should doe to the contrary to make vs lose those places Moreouer at the same time Monsieur de Poyane hauing fortified himself in Bearn to beate out Monsieur de la Force Monsieur de la Saladie is sent from the King to Monsieur de la Force to command him to dismisse those troupes that he kept by him for his owne safetie and to maintain the Kings authoritie in his charge of Gouernour of the country against the violent enterprises of the said Sieur de Poyane But the said Sieur de la Saladie in stead of carying backe Monsieur de la Forces answer to the King as he seemed went into Guyenne to Messieurs d'Espernon de Vignoles and diuers others to arme so that in an instant all Guyenne was filled with troupes besides those that were left there before On the other side at the same instant the troupes left in Poictou drew neare vnto this Citie and S. Iohn d'Angely And by order from the Councell all Courts of Audit for Receits were remoued from all our places of safetie where they were established a palpable argument that though the citie of Rochell onely was threatned yet all the rest were aimed at by a generall dessigne of warre against vs ready to be put in execution this remouall being to no other end then to take from vs the meanes of helping our selues with those profits in our owne defence when the persecution should come which by consequent they intended against vs. Now as by these new alterations of our peace by these menaces by the open oppression persecution in so many places we did foresee well enough the storme that hung ouer our heads and ready to fall knowing besides that our enemies puft vp with their successe in the rauage desolation of Bearn did stay for nothing but a fit season to continue our ruine by an open warre which was too easie to be learnd by their open talke vpon the returne from Bearn of the siege of Rochell of the meanes and facilitie of taking it By the discourse which the King was hourely entertained with of the ruine of Huguenots by the calumnies laid vpon vs for a pretext by the threats that followed and by the preparations visibly made for that purpose Neuerthelesse because there was some speech of the Kings good will towards his subiects of the Religion and the authoritie of his Edicts our Deputies Generall to whose charge the whole pursuite was referred presented vnto his Maiestie a bill of complaints requesting satisfaction for some of the most important grieuances with a speedier execution for the peace and safetie of our Churches But after many instances and delayes after diuers sollicitations and supplications of all the chiefest among vs euen of the Lord Duke de Lesdiguieres himself present at Court our Deputies generall could neuer obtaine any answer Onely Monsieur de Fabas one of them and a Gentleman that came vnto vs from the Lord Duke de Lesdiguieres hauing giuen vs to vnderstand according to a writing of the said Lord de Lesdiguieres vnder his owne hand That for all amends after so many complaints my Lord Duke de Lesdiguieres did perswade himselfe for the King howsoeuer our Churches were giuen to hope that he would maintaine his Edicts did not here so much as passe his word neither by mouth nor by any Officer of State that if we would first separate our selues we should obtaine the retraite of troupes from all places where we did mistrust them That the gouernment of the places in Dauphine should be searched and deliuered vs in six moneths if it could be found That order should be taken for the paiment of such sums of mony as haue bin promised them of Bearn in lieu of their Ecclesiasticall reuenues That Monsieur de la Force and his sonnes should still hold their places And moreouer that he was promised assuredly that nothing should be attempted during the time that should be requisite for the returne of our resolutions But as we were about them we were informed by Monsieur de Chalas the other of our Deputies generall that the next day after contrary to the said promises our enemies had wrought the King to an absolute and open resolution of making warre against vs. That order was giuen for the leuying of an armie of one and forty thousand foote and six thousand horse And that the gouernment of Bearn was taken from Monsieur de la Force and giuen to Monsieur the Marshall de Themines and the office of Captaine of the Guard which his sonne Monsieur be Marquis de la Force had was giuen to the Marquis de Mauny and that Monsieur de Manpauillan another
demand redresse And is there in this any shadow of rebellion against our Prince We assembled our selues to demand iustice of him Had we not need and right to do so We haue already iustified it by the estate of our calamities and the condition of the promises made vs. Haue we passed the limits of complaint If being denied we often returned and diuers times endeuoured to lay downe our most humble petitions at our Kings feete alas who can distaste it or blame vs when we behaue our selues towards our King Gods image vpon earth euen as God him selfe hath commanded vs And because many Deputies out of all the Prouinces desirous to carry backe from the Kings bountie and grace the effect of his good will towards vs continued together is it not a malignant and iniurious pettifoggerie that to authorize a deniall of iustice we should be accused of shadowing the Kings authoritie And for a speciall president for the said deniall our enemies alledge that the Parliament after the presentation of their bils breakes vp and stayeth not for an answer But what proportion is there betweene vs and a Parliament All our demands are particular We demand not that such rules be prescribed vnto the State or such new lawes and orders wherein certainly the Monarchicall authoritie would be disparaged and quartered if the Parliament should do more then aduice But all that we demand is that our burnt Churches may be repaired that the exercise of our Religion let and hindered vs be re-established That Townes giuen vs by the King and taken from vs by violence be restored vs That officers may be admitted That children taken by force out of their fathers armes be giuen them againe and the like Wherein should the Kings authoritie be disparaged if he should command out of hand that in euery one of these points iustice should be done vs If a priuate man to whom an iniury is done may iustly complaine of it and expect iustice from the King why if the if the iniury be done out of hate to a generalitie may not a generalitie do the same Can there be then any greater iniustice then to accuse vs of rebellion and disobedience because we complained and demanded iustice in this sort any greater crueltie then to persecute vs for this cause and make warre vpon vs But this is sufficient to shew that the far fetcht pretexts of our enemies are but coloured subtilties to execute the old designe of making warre vpon our Religion and to plunge France in confusion and trouble Wherefore considering the iustice vrging need we had to haue recourse by our complaints vnto the Kings protection The right and permission granted vs to reassemble our selues to that end in such expresse and solemne termes the failing and breach of promises caused by the fraud of our enemies Their violence in hindring our accesse vnto our King and in causing all our suites to be reiected The iniustice of their accusation and the slanderous crime of rebellion that they impose vpon vs. The disloyaltie of their proceedings coÌ„sidered whiles they temporize vpon the refusall of doing vs iustice that they might take from vs three Townes at once in Viuarez by the fraud of a treatie and breaking their publike faith The inuasion of the whole country of Bearn contrary to such an expresse stipulation and so fully performed on our side And after that to commit such bloodie and inhumane acts of hostilitie And lastly this infamous perfidie considered that vnder the shadow of a Declaration authorized with the Kings sacred name confirmed in all the Courts of Parliament of France promising libertie and safetie by maintaining the Edicts vnto all such as should remaine in their obedience the Towne of Saumur was seized on where the gates were opened with so much obedience and respect vnder expresse and particular promises besides the publicke faith of the Declaration that nothing should be innouated That by a like fraud and trecherie the Towne of Iargeau was at the same time inuaded S. Iohn d'Angely assaulted and now is in expectation of a siege All Protestants disarmed throughout all the chiefe Townes of Normandie to prepare them alas for a more easie slaughter If all these things we say be rightly considered together we doubt not but it will easily appeare that we suffer this persecution for iustice sake and by the hatred of our Religion which a generall conspiracie throughout all Europe now threatneth to destroy Wherefore being forced for the libertie of our consciences and out of loue to our Country to seeke in our selues and towards the friends of our Religion and this State a iust and necessary defence we here yet againe present our selues with teares before our King beseeching him in all humilitie to consider and beleeue that the vowes and ardent desires that we continually powre forth vnto God in our prayers are for the prosperitie of his person and State And that it would please him to remember that our fathers taught by their Religion the true obedience due vnto their King haue neglected the sefetie of their owne liues to further and aduance the labours of Henrie the Great in the recouery of his kingdome perfidiously sold and exposed to the enemie by the very same pretexts of hatred and persecution against our Religion and vs. And that he would vnderstand that we following our fathers steps as heires of their affections haue neuer forsaken the dutie we were borne to nor refused the true obedience and ready seruice that our Religion teacheth vs to yeeld him And would to God Sir that your Maiestie moued with the true interest of your greatnesse and out of your naturall generositie would for the setling of your Crowne and diginitie of your kingdome turne your armes vpon the enemies of your State and vse our fidelitie in the defence of such a cause We will boldly say for our selues that in so glorious an emulation betweene your best subiects we would cary away the prise from them all But we say now with teares of blood and in the bitternesse of grones that teare our intrals that the enemies of your Crowne and person Sir hauing induced you to draw your sword against vs and to bathe it in the blood of your loyallest subiects will vndo both your Crowne and person altogether They are your vndoubted enemies that kindle your hatred against vs to fire your Estate and burie you in the ruines Who hauing cruelly murthered the greatest King of the world your glorious father because he would not hate vs and that his goodnesse and iustice did protect vs as his trustie subiects do now induce your Maiestie to hate and destroy vs to ouerwhelme yourselfe with the fall of this Monarchie And if in this tempest which they haue already stirred vp and which we feele comming downe vpon vs we are constrained for our owne defence and preseruation to betake our selues vnto naturall remedies we here protest Sir before God before you and before all men that our purpose is euermore to preserue your authoritie and the respect of your obedience among vs and that we will do our best endeuours to saue your sacred person and kingdome from perishing God who is the God of mercie and reuenge and who according to the decrees of his counsell sometimes hath powred out his wrath with diuers examples of horror on the heads of Kings and nations risen against him Sometimes hath preserued and reconciled to himselfe the greatest persecutors of his Church grant according to our vowes that your Maiestie secure from all dangers may acknowledge the Religion and fidelitie of those persons whom you now hate and know not In the meane while we call here by our most humble supplications all Kings Princes and Estates interessed in the innocencie of good and faithfull subiects oppressed but especially bound in conscience before God to defend the cause of his truth And request them to prop with their helpe and succour the weake defence that of necessitie we oppose to the many and puissant forces of our enemies who hauing chosen this time of purpose now that they haue set on fire the greatest part of the Estates from whence they imagine we might haue expected succour hope to oppresse vs with greater facilitie But our chiefest trust is in the arme of the Almightie who ouerthroweth the dessignes of nations and blasts the enterprises of people conspiring against Israel And since that for the glorie of his Name we are hated and that to ouerthrow his truth our ruine is sought after we assure our selues that he will make vs feele the same deliuerance that our fathers haue proued by his succour which we call vpon from the bottome of our soules Keepe not thou silence O God hold not thy peace and be not still O God For lo thine enemies make a tumult and they that hate thee haue lift vp the head This is the Declaration of the Reformed Churches of France and Soueraigntie of Bearn by their Deputies assembled at Rochell And in the name of all Combort President Banage Assistant Rodil Secretarie Riffaut Secretarie COurteous Reader I pray thee amend these few faults of moment pag. 3. lin 17. we reade do lin 28. action r. affection pag. 4. lin 35. for r. euen pag. 7. li. 3. for r. on l. 32. thereof by r. of the. Act. 17. 7. The intent of our enemies and the meanes to attain therto What power the Iesuits haue now in France How hardly we are dealt withal Our proceeding by complaint which now is imputed vnto vs as a crime The Assembly of Loudun Promises made at Loudun with permission to meet againe within six moneths in case of â—â—performance The execution of the order of restitution in Bearn anticipated and an alteration made in the country of the suretie and libertie in Religion
haue also to our dammage felt the effects of it by a contrary vsage to that that we found vnder the late King For since they haue got this authoritie we might very well say since their reigne there is no more fauour nor accesse at Court for those of our Religion Many to whom their fathers seruices and their owne had thitherto preserued them the honour of some places neare the King haue bene put by them The greater part are constrained to rid themselues of them vnder this command Change your Religion or leaue your Office It is told them that the King cannot with a good eye see the Huguenots about his person In the Priuie Councel our greatest opposites are our Iudges and they whom we petition are our sworne enemies We are shut out of Offices in all Courts higher or lower against the freedome of the Statutes If any one that is now in place turnes of our Religion presently the Attourneys Generall or their substitutes oppose his sitting The Courts contest with him and repulse him And how many are there in the Court of Parliament at Paris and elsewhere who are detained from comming to vs by the oppression of this libertie But when should we haue reckoned vp all the kindes of iniuries done vnto vs The seditious insolencies dayly committed to hinder the free exercise of our Religion in those places where we are tollerated The attempts and enterprises against such places as haue bin giuen vs in custody for our securitie The secret practises to debauch the Gouernours of them as it is newly confirmed in the Gouernours of Clermont Ledeue and Argenton The refusall of prouiding for the restitution of those places The riots and outrages that those of our Religion suffer in citie and country by the fury of the people prouoked by their Preachers The rauages and firing of our Churches and Church-yards The inhumanities exercised in digging vp our dead and hindring their buriall The violence offered sick-folkes consciences euen in the agony of death thereby to force them to renounce their Religion The crueltie exercised on our poore and sicke who are cast out of Hospitals The vniust force practised in robbing vs of our children to bring them vp in the Roman Religion against their fathers intent and last will To be short all maner of wrongs and violences are done vs against the Kings authoritie and publik peace and tranquillitie In all these mischiefes we haue no other recourse then to our complaints which we continually direct to the Magistrates either of the Prouinces or of the high Courts But there alas in stead of remedies we finde poison For not onely they send vs backe and doe vs no right but the iniustice wherewith they aggrauate the former iniury augments their boldnesse that did vs the wrong encouraged by their impunitie and by the law that they gather from the Iudges themselues Our last refuge is to the Kings iustice and Officers of State whither forced by the hard vsage we finde euery where we flie as to our sanctuary and there our enemies oppose our accesse with their vtmost violence They perceiue that the Kings protection would defend vs against all their iniuries They know that our course by complaints which nature opens vnto euery one would shroud vs vnder the couert of his iustice where both our rest and the publike tranquillitie should be preserued And therefore we finde their conspiracie to be the more malicious For not onely they stop his Maiesties eare and barre vs from all passage thereunto but when we offer to approach it by our most humble petitions and requests they lay for vs by a more then diuellish subriltie the snare of their calumnie to make vs fall into the blame of a pretended disobedience They turne our complaints into crimes they terme vs seditious and rebels This is the accusation for the which they pursue vs criminally This is the accusation for the which they now persecute vs. We here call heauen and earth to witnesse betweene our enemies and vs desiring that the procedure of our complaints to his Maiestie which we wil here truly and fully lay open being knowne to all men may iudge of our innocencie and of the calumnie of their accusation and finally of the vniust warre and persecution which our aduersaries vnder this pretext haue raised against vs. For the maintaining of the Edict of peace and reparation of the breaches thereof the late King did establish according to his equitie an order among vs by the which we might from time to time with his permission and grant assemble our selues by Deputies out of all the Prouinces to tender him our complaints of all such grieuances as might be done vs and receiue from his bountie reasonable answers and such as should be necessary for the keeping of his Edicts According to this order feeling a more vrgent necessitie then euer we addressed our selues vnto his Maiestie by our Deputies generall in the yeare 1619 and it pleased his Maiestie to grant vs according to our most humble request a Briefe by the which we were permitted to assemble ourselues in the Citie of Loudun the 25 of September Where being met together out of all the Prouinces of the kingdome and Soueraigntie of Bearn our bils of complaints being drawne we presented them in all humilitie to his Maiestie beseeching him that by a fauourable answer to the principall articles and most important grieuances they might carry backe into all the Prouinces by the testimonials of his good will towards our protection some assurance to his subiects of the Religion against so many threats and feares as doe apparently inuiron them There would neuer be an end if we should here display the seuerall heads of all those complaints We will onely touch some of them to shew their importance and the necessitie of obtaining speedie iustice vpon them We complaine that Leytoure a place of suretie hath bin wrested out of our hands That two of our Religion prouided of offices of Counsellours in the Court of Parliament of Paris could not obtaine their admission in three whole yeares pursuite That the exercise of our Religion being ba 〈…〉 shed Clermont of Lodeue a place of suretie vpon the reestablishing of the same sued by vs the execution of an order from the Kings Counsell was opposed vi armis That our Churches haue bene burned or demolished at Bourg in Bresse at Moulins in Bourbonnois and at Lauall neare Guise That at Beaux in Prouince Monsieur de Vere Captaine of the Castle after many threats and outrages to prohibite and hinder those of the Religion from their exercise did at last driue them out violently by force of armes the eight of Februarie 1620. That iustice could not be obtained for the excessiue outrages done to some of the Religion at Baugenci and for ringing the Allarum bell against them and that the Offenders that threw two men out of a garret and ran one of them through