⧠An Aduertisement to the KJNG of NAVARRE to vnite him selfe with the KING and the Catholique Faithe Beeing in trueth a very slaunderous false and seditious Libell against the said KING oâ— NAVARRE and other Christian Princes made as an answere to his Book intituled Thâ— Declaration of the KING of NAVARRE aâ— touching the slaunders published against him c which is heer extant in English But this beeing subtilly conuayed vnder pretence of winning him to the Romish Religion is therefore the rather set downe in the same nature as it is written to showe a wicked minde against GOD the King and the sinceritie of true Religion Truely translated according to the Copy Printed in French To the Reader BEfore thou enter into this discourse Gentle Reader I am to admonish thee of certaine speciall poyntes whereof I would desire thee to haue some regarde First as concerning this Pamphlet it is made as an answere to a very modest and dutifull declaration written by the KING of NAVARRE to the King his soueraigne Lord as concerning the slaunders published against him c. And heerin by many needlesse shifts and palpable cauilles he laboreth to inueigh against the saide King because of his Christian Religion and for that he wil not stoup to the man of Roome In al which windlasses he dooth but waste time with high woordes and termes of disgrace against those who with all humilitie are content to beare the heauie yoke for their maisters sake which the aduerssenes of the time laieth vppon them and God hath appointed to make triall of his Children Secondly for the contempt he maketh of Religion and aduauncing of the inuentions and traditions of men flatly condemning the Christians who leane only to the woord of God contained in the olde and new Testament and who will beleeue no other doctrine though an Angell should reueale it from Heauen I doubt not but his childish grosse and absurd reasons will be very easely perceiued and specially of the learned who knowe that better wine neuer comes from such vessels nor greater reasons from such sencelesse cauillers therfore rather to be pitied for their folly then enuied because we will shewe more Christian charitie Lastly where he inuaieth against our Cuntry of ENGLAND and entreth into matters aboue my reach I must leaue them to the Iudgement of such who are better acquainted with such high poyntes albeit I beleeue them to be meere false and vttered vpon a mallicious stomack What els is in this lewd â—nd slaunderous Pamphelet of bad naâ—ure as it is all or hurtfull to any as I â—ould be loth I leaue it to the good consideration of such who dayly beholde the mallice of Sathan and his ministers against the godly and well inclined and therfore to ioyne with me in praier that God wil either soone amend them or end them FINIS ¶ An Aduertisement to the KJNG of NAVARRE to vnite him selfe with the KING and the Catholique Faythe SIR I doo not think that it were sufficient for you to flatter your own humour with the succession of a young Prince healthfull and welbeloued of his Subiects as our King is except considering the state wherin you now stand it were expedient and auailable for you to followe the councell which many take occasion to giue you vpon the chaunce which now of late hath drawne you néerer to this Crowne But because that God often sendes vs many likelyhoods of some prosperitie néere at hand not to the end that we should assure our selues of the end therof But the rather that vpon the doubt of the euent we may change the present condition of our life Therupon I hope that the King our Lord wil not mislike if I set before your eyes how néere you are to his succession to preuaile therwith so farre as it will extend towards you in the estate wherin you are and not as a thing to be hoped for of you neither to be wished for by any other Now it is credible enough that you being such a great Prince in a Realme where the people are séen to be deuided by the contrarietie in religion and beléef as God hath suffered this to be your Maiestie hath on both sides many seruants who are all desirous of your prosperity and doo imbrace by a common vowe the establishment of your good fortune But in respect of things present and those which may be iudged to happen héerafter it is not hard in deliberation to to knowe which of them beareth moste good will to your seruice Those Sir who moste of all haue respect to the welfare and benefit of their Cuntrie and euermore haue cléeued to the fourmes ancient institutions and faithful obedience to their Maister cannot be in any wise suspected to wish maliciously any mutation or chaunge in this estate wherin all things are to them peaceable and happy for so much as they knowe them selues to be in the fauour and good grace of their Prince respected and bearing the good will of the people and estéemed of them who vnder the Kings authoritie haue the gouernment of the Lawes and pollicy of the Realme Furthermore no more hope to be reposed in you then in any other cannot make them desirous to sée you weare this crowne for if you had vpon the chaunce of a Dye lost your parte their good behauiour past and the remembrance of their fidelitie will nothing deminish their hopes whosoeuer shal be lawfull King to finde all fauour and good countenance But if amongst those that haue taken in hand to giue you councell there be some which for the bringing in of nouelties wherby they haue made the estate their enemie haue not their owne estate in good assurance it is your part Sir to Iudge which of them you estéeme to giue you the soundest councel either of such as in danger of shipwrack holde you fast as it were to the Mast or some other sure holde yet deluding you with imagined hopes but beneficiall to their interest or of such who hauing no occasion of feare doo expect of your good Fortune no better condition then that they enioy at this present and make account of â—he same héerafter whosoeuer shall lawfulâ—y succéed in this estate As for the one we néed no better proofe to â—howe you that they giue you no other counâ—el but that which they think beneficiall for â—hem selues and not for you If you would consider and mark what they tel you that your return to the Catholique Religion should be but in vaine because it wil neither be acceptable to the King or profitable to the Catholiques therby they sufficiently discouer the consequence which they wil inferre which is that you ought not to haue any other consideratioÌ„ of what Religion you be sauing for the profit which you may bring vnto them that doo likewise imbrace the same This I will graunt them alwaies that neither the King nor the Catholiques his good Subiects are drawen by any other respect to call
parte In case say they you should fall into any disagréement with the King you should behold the support which hitherto hath maintained you against him or if any stranger should meddle with you you should hardly finde any where els such a faithful an assured force as you haue tried in them of the refourmed Religion What Sir will they inferre that whatsoeuer you doo you may at least be alwaies assured to be able to wadge warre with the King when you please Dare they well confesse that the Subiect hath no meane to rebell against his Prince except the Huguenots be the instrument for the same I leaue this talke because it is too proper for an Inuectiue But this I will say Sir that in respect of the quarrells which you might haue straÌ„gers you néed not doubt to become a Catholique for feare least your force would be diminished thereby the power of the King which is not much lesse then that of the Huguenots would be imployed for your defence for if you doo not refuse theÌ„ to straÌ„gers who haue put them selues vnder his protection what likelyhood is there that he wil deny them to you béeing a Prince of his blood his Subiect and his Brother in lawe For the resolution of this discourse Sir I doo say vnto you that you becomming a catholique you make your possest of the Kings fauour conuert to you the affection of the Nobilitie assure your selfe of the good will and force of the estate doo establish your authoritie and winne again the harts of al the people Contrarywise remaining and Huguenot you doo estrange your selfe from the King with the moste odious seperatioÌ„ of all doo cause that the whole estate doo not only mistrust you but also abhorre you which is not to be a little considered you prepare your selfe a continuall gréef for the remainder of your life after your death a perpetuall spot to your house that by imbracing an opinion and a new conceit of a Preacher you depriue your selfe of such a rich and an honourable inheritaunce as the Crowne of Fraunce How can you think that the posteritie will let passe in silence the reproches which they are to obiect against you when it shall be tolde them that Henry the Second King of Nauarre did rather imbrace the hope of habilitie to Kindle fire in this Realme and make it ruinate by warre then the councell wherby he might easly be a peacable successour therof though your perswaders haue like hope yet is their want of good councell and let your Maiestie pardone me for vsing these spéeches For it is not credible that continuing stil in this pretended Religion you can therby make greater sture for that Crown or assemble greater forces then those which you haue at this time but rather in so dooing you shall make them the lesser Now I leaue it to your Iudgement if in this preseÌ„t estate of your affaires it were expedient for you to enterprise warre against the Catholiques or if their were any occasion wherby you might estéeme that your enterprise should prosper the better As for me if I were on your side as God forbid I sée what better couÌ„cel on might giue you theÌ„ for al your Armour to haue a recourse to the vertue of patience and to comfort your self with the faire discourse of the contempt of the world and shortnes of this life a noble and Philosophicall resolution in déed whereinâ—o your Ministers labour to bring you Neâ—erthelesse I graunt them that to forsake God and chaunge religion for great riches â—nd high calling is a moste abiect and damâ—able thing but to whome may we better â—â—ue this reproche theÌ„ to such as are deparâ—â—d from the Catholique Church the Religiâ—â— of their forefathers and the faith wherin â—â—ey receiued their Baptisme Let al those of the pretended Religion examine their consciences and vtter in good sooth by what meanes eche of them hath béen induced to renounce the ancient beléefe and receiue the new if there be any one whom God by particuler communication hath inspired so to doo he hath very great reason to kéep him selfe firme and vnchangeable But if the ignorant people perceiue that they haue béen induced therunto only by the entisings of a swéet and eloquent language and by the inclinations which naturally all men haue to new inuentions which I caÌ„not tell what baite of libertie of their consciences by the means of a few learned meÌ„ who forsaking the great number and multitude of others haue gotten in amongst you to get a particuler fame to themselues while they beheld that the prosperous winde and fauour of the people did aptly serue their turne and that the Princes and great Lords were drawen heer to by other worldly considerations and not for Religion wherfore theÌ„ in knowing that this is through our weaknesse that we haue taken on that part doo we not come againe to him who hath béen our nourisher by the institution of our Auncesters and to whom God hath euidently declared that all things should be to vs happy and prosperous what sée we in this Religion héer which we haue not behelde in all other new sects and opinions haue not the Albigeois in their time drawen so many of the people to their opinion that they could make a whole Army of them And it is not so easily put in proofe as with a simple people if one haue but only that meane to tickle them in the eares with swéet and pleasing woords Doo you not doubt but if the selfe same entrance were permitted to a Mahometane as hath béen giuen to a Huguenot it should not be long before he would put his Alcharon in credit and to cary sway thorowe all Fraunce You Sir to whome the consequence of this matter is of greater moment theÌ„ to any other ought to examine your owne selfe and to knowe what occasions haue induced you to it and whan dooth kéep you therin Hath God héerin extraordinarily inspired you or els the déep knowledge which you haue in Diuinitie hath it brought you to this newe â—ight of veritie If you acknowledge that it â—s neither of them how is it possible that you â—hould consent to departe from the vniuersal 〈◊〉 léefe to followe the fantasies and inuentiâ—ns of a Man borne in our age Are you so â—asily perswaded to such opinions as they â—lease will you suffer your selfe to be bewitched with woords Doo you think you shal not be iudged very weake and of slender resolution in all your other actions If you wil be miss-led on this fashion in matters which concerne your saluation and Religion what shal be said but thus That a Prince of high and noble vnderstanding leaft the lawe and faith of his Auncesters to take an opinion at the first sight without hauing in him selfe any other ground of reason wherfore he should doo so Those that doo followe the Religion and fourmes of their predecessours haue euermore reason so to doo For
you againe into the Church wherin you receiued the first mark of a christian but only by the cōmon compassion which euery honest and good natured man feeleth to haue in him self on such as either through errour in iudgement or by seducement and imposture of others doo forsake first the right way to their saluation and afterwarde doo depriue them selues of all the good and happy successe which might happen to them during this life Although the rigorous punishments which the Lawes of all Nations haue ordained against the Miscreants dooth render vs a cléere and sufficient testimony how naturall it is for men to abhorre such as they iudge to holde any peruerse opinion in that which concernes the beléef and the seruice of God So that if it be true that each one hath grounded and established in him selfe the same opinion which they suppose and iudge to be in al other it is to be thought and verily beléeued that he which estéemeth that so few people doo little care that others should be different in Religion to them except they haue some particuler interest therin that man may be said to be very little religious And to speak to you fréely of the desire which the King may haue that you were become Catholique it cannot be attributed to any cōmodity wherof he should liue in hope neither that he should think that your fauour and frendship might be to him of any importance God hath giuen him so great authoritie ouer you and your hability that whatsoeuer you were he knoweth very wel that since you be borne his subiect you neither ought nor can doo otherwise but that you should be obedient to his wil and commaundement As concerning if he doo not loue you it is for you to séek by humble seruice that he would admit you againe into his good grace and fauour You are too well brought vp Sir and you haue too much interest to knowe what is the greatnes and authority of a King of Fraunce to beléeue that he may desire that one of his owne Subiects should be of one self same opinion rather then of an other therby to make him his better fréend If he had no other consideration then this only in trueth he hath no néed greatly to care whether you were an Huguenot or a Catholique and if he should sée any incōuenience therin he should be but a beholder of the imminent danger to fall vpon your own head But in respect that he is a Prince who euen by nature is good and gratious it is not to be doubted but that he could wish that as well you as all other his Subiects were brought into such an order and condition of life wherin he might trust that God should finde your actions more confirmable but yours moste especially Sir you ought to perswade and assure your selfe more then any other may of his good and kinde affection towards you in that you are as things are now come to passe the very néerest successour vnto his Crowne and in that besides this you haue his only Sister to your espouse and wife To set before your eyes that he would take this your suddaine change in Religion for a demonstration of the desire which you haue that he might yéeld you his place quickly that is as much as to speak of a thing wherin there is no likelyhood at all For if he might be perswaded that such a vile or wicked intent could inter into your hart you must holde if for a certainty that he would beleue it would sooner créep into your minde being a Huguenot then a Catholique Furthermore who euer heard say that one to make him self woorthy to succéed into an estate should for that cause desire the death of him that is in possession therof It would followe by consequence that in all the degrées of Fortune the moste néerest kinsmen should be the moste mortal and deadly enemies one to another and that the Parents should neuer regarde their Children more respectiuely then whē by their behauiours they cause them to perceiue that they are indifferent whether they be their inheritours or no. Contrariwise the King wil attribute this your conuersion to a particuler and wonderfull grace of God showed vnto you by reducing you againe into the lappe of the Church and into the way of our saluation by a more méeke gentle and humaine meanes then those which men haue vsed héertofore to bring you to the same As touching the other Catholique Subiects of the King I rest in this minde that they desire not your returne to the 〈◊〉 Religion of your Auncesters for any aduantage they hope to haue therby wherby you may Iudge that they are better affectioned vnto you then those who for their gréedy hope of Couetousnes goe about to keep you in their pretended Religion And this should be Sir properly to deceiue you that you should perswade your selfe that the Catholiques are mooued by some kinde of feare least the Crowne should falle vpon the head of some Huguenot That man may be thought very weake in iudgement and that his sences are very much troubled who dooth not perfectly perswade himself that no other in this our age but a Catholique shall be admitted vnto the Crowne of Fraunce and we doo not think that any man did euer imagine the contrary As touching the rest they haue good reason to perswade you that the catholiques do not wish you to be on their side that by this mean it might be easier for thē to extinguish the Huguenots Religion for we are so fully satisfied of that which hetherto we haue doon vnto them vnder the commaundement of the King that hence forward we iudge them not to haue any hability of continuaunce except it be only through our méeknes and 〈◊〉 I cannot very well conceiue what these Catholiques should be which your discoursers and aduisers doo call pollitique but this I knowe that we are al indifferently affectioned for the defence of our Religion the conseruation of our Lawes and the rest and quietnes of our Country But if they giue that name to those which are amongst vs and which haue some particuler bond and deuotion to doo you seruice as it is not to be doubted but that there are many in this Realme Yet for all that they are greatly deceiued if they hope that these haue in smaller estimation the ancient fourmes of the estate the quietnes of their consciences and commodities of their liues then the other haue I am perswaded Sir that if you should appeale vpon your owne particuler interest they would aduenture their liues very willingly to doo you seruice but in this matter that concerneth Religion which is such a zeale and affection as nature hath imprinted in the harts of al men it passeth all bōds and duties which one man hath gotten ouer an other But that which we estéeme more necessary to doo is to pray to God that it would so please him to inspire you that you might
rather followe those meanes wherby 〈◊〉 the generall plauditie and reioycing of the people you may be receiued and honored rather then that by swoord and fire you should offer to make a conquest of that which God will haue obtained by iust and peaceable meanes And though you were lawfully annointed and Crowned King of Fraunce Sir truly we would graunt to the Huguenots that which they say that in opposing our selues against your will and ordinaunces were it for the mistrust of our Religion we would be disobedient and rebellious for since that we haue alwaies accused them to haue caried Armes against their Prince and laying vpon vs the like reproche they doo condemne them selues in that behalfe it is good reason that we suffer the selfe same lawe which we our selues haue made against others But there is too great a difference betwéen to be a King and to carry pretence to the royalty for the first true it is that we are forbidden to resist the King but not him that would make himselfe King against the Lawes of the Realme and it is to be noted that for to succéed in a royaltie the lawe is much more to be considered then nature pardon me sir if I speak somewhat liberally for I should 〈◊〉 betray you in vsing disguisings dissimulatiōs in affaires that are of such cōsequēce If we should haue regarde but to the néere alliance in blood those which within these fiftie yéeres are issued of the Daughters of Fraunce should be much more néer then you and if you answere that the Lawe dooth exclude the daughters from the succession of the Realme you are to consider that the selfe same law dooth likewise exclude those which are seperated from the Church And albeit that such exclusions are not there expressed the beléefe which at all times we haue reposed in God and the vsage and fourme of his seruice are vniuersall Lawes which God hath planted in the hartes of men against the which there néedeth not the Caueat of any particuler lawe for they haue force and authoritie sufficient for their part which the Salicque lawe cannot haue What Sir If God had permitted that the Prince which should next succéed in this Crown were a Iew or a Mahometan would you think that it were reasonable to admit him Now if we were driuen to showe that neither the Turk nor the Iewe are more odious and contrary to our Religion then the Huguenot is I would bring foorth no other proofe but the proper discourse of your Ministers at least we might auouch that there could be no greater wunder then to sée a Huguenot weare the Crowne of Fraunce Truely Sir those doo very much deceiue you who goe about to put in your head that you shal finde forces sufficient to such an vniust partaking for I wish you to consider that there are in Fraunce other princes of the blood beside you of the which the moste néerest to the Crowne which should be found to be a Catholique by the consent and approbation of all the Estates and of the Parliaments of this Realme should in this case be estéemed and taken for a lawfull successour and yet none should be able to say that any thing were chaunged in the lawful and auncient succession because neither you nor any other might be estéemed to be in the order of succession so long as they should iudge you vncapable for that calling What could you doo then with those imagined forces propounded vnto you but to attempt in vaine against the right iustice and al the obseruations of this Monarchie therfore henceforward Sir you are to knowe that reason is a mighty and puissāt enemy I confesse and graunt to those pretended religeous men that the Switzers and the Venetians are auncient fréends and allyed with the Kings of Fraunce but whome to their Iudgements would these Nations holde for a King then the first Prince of the blood capable annoynted consecrated according to the ordinary customs and to whome all the Estates haue sworne their fidelitie and the commons their true obedience These Nations are sauing fews auncient Catholiques and your perswaders will make you beléeue that they will take Armes to put the Scepter of Fraunce into the handes of a Huguenot against the lawes of the Countrye and Christendome but contrarywise make your account that all the Nations allyed with this Crown would be against you as to him that fighteth in an euill cause and an vniust title But to bring this to passe Fraunce should haue no néed to make any leuey of forraine forces neither should Spaine nor Italy he sollicited to come to our aide what need we thē but keep our selues in our own estate what mean haue you thē wherby to enforce vs laing al vanity flattery aside let vs acknowledge our selues what we are What hope can you haue to bring to your bowe so many great townes so many strong holdes and a people so warlike as the Frenchmen are Doo you not think that though you had all England and Germany with you and we should stand but vpon your owne defence yet should not you be able in ten such ages as yours is to get the maistership of Guyenne only for what other men can you hope dooth fauour you but only the Germains and the Englishmen As for the Flemings besides that they are but of little account yet they haue woorke enough to doo at home Dooth it please you to consider a little what helpe you may expect of England It is a Nation in an Iland and which cannot come to you but by Sea where will you land all this Armie All the Hauens in Fraunce be against you If you trust Rochell you haue séen with your eyes héertofore that by the meanes of a defence made with Pales vpon the mouth of the Chanell and placing certaine vessells of Warre before we haue driuen back fiue and fifty English Sayle which came in sight and yet durst approche no néerer then the Cannon shot We haue yet the selfe meanes that we had then and you haue none at all wherby to let vs now to hazard a battell of Frenchmen to Frenchmen to open them the frée passage I am assured that no man will giue you such councel You haue séen hetherto that we néed but foure companies of men of Armes with the Catholique Footmen of the same cuntry where your greatest forces lye to kéep you enclosed within your own Garisons And although you might ioyne with the English Army how great doo you think it would be the Realm is little and peraduenture not to frée from partialitie and diuision so that they cannot forgoe any great number of their men without giuing a fitte occasion to the contrary parte to rise take their owne aduauntage You knowe how great the succour hath béen which they haue sent to the Flemings their neighbours though it was to fauour so great a Prince as Monsieur the only brother to the King who had as it
séemeth a greater and more particuler intelligence in that Cuntry thē you can haue in this Therfore you ought not look for any greater aide from that Cuntrie then he and with so smalle a number there is no great likelyhood that you should much preuaile in your affaires For if they could conuay into this Realme so great forces that they were sufficient to establish you in the Royaltie the taking of New Hauen hath giuen vs to vnderstand and it is to be presumed that they which doo vpholde the Crown of Fraunce both in their hartes and titles would not vse such Charitie towards you as to trauaile rather for you then for their owne proper selues I wil not héere discourse what woork we might giue them at home wherby we might withdraw them soone out of Fraunce and so driue them to regarde their own Cuntry for you know very well the greatnes and power of that Cuntry And as touching the Germaynes call to your remembrance Sir that when the Huguenots were in their best strength and as on might say in the very flower of their age and that all things séemed to smile on them and that many yéers before by the crop they made in Fraunce they had laid vp great tresures they called to their succour so many Ruitters as they could and yet for al this they cannot make any reckoning of any on victory on their side So that if the Ruitters remember themselues they ought to be more affraid to approche néere the Frenchmen then the Frenchmen should de discouraged to sée them in their Country But now at this time wherin the Huguenots are vpon theire deelining and as it were vpon their graues as commonly we sée that féeble things are of no long continuance and that their shoulders doo bowe with the blowes we haue giuen them yea that they haue not one teaster because they can finde nothing more to gleane in this Kingdome wherupon then can they ground this their imagination to cause the Germaynes to rush foorth into Fraunce to strengthē you If we should make any account of the affection which they doo beare to the cause doo you think Sir they wil be more pricked with deuotion to make you King then they were before to establish the Huguenot Religion As touching the generall grounding of ones Religion it séemeth that all men are prouoked therto by a naturall affection but what occasion haue they so to loue your person as in making you King they would forgoe their owne commodity and quietnes what manner of importance is it to them who were King of Fraunce If therfore you haue made triall that to cause thē mount on horseback you must haue your pursse to be heard Iyngle not speak deafly that since the declining of the Huguenots forces they would not stirre being neuer so often called by them by what reason doo you hope that they would come to you gratis to rule an Estate wherin they haue nothing to doo Put the case that these things were so desperate as they must be called vnder the condition to vse Fraunce as a Cuntry allready gotten should this be any other thing then héertofore hath béen offered them when the likelyhoods did promise some successe to the enterprise and besides this they knowe that the accomplishment of this condition dependeth not on the conuention made but on the victory And if you take them for such as in déed they are that is hirelings and seruing them that offer moste what greater assurance can you giue them now for their pay when you shall finde your selfe in like termes of dispute for the Crowne of Fraunce as in times past Where are your new treasurs where are your demeanes in Fraunce would you not then seaze vpon them what if they would no more to your commaundement then than they doo now As for that you might recouer by way of borowing in England you would be but little the richer therby For when you haue gotten fiftie thousand Crownes vpon Iewels of the value of two hundreth thousād as the Quéene your mother did that would be the vttermoste in all the world yet this suffizeth not to make thrée musters of the two leaste Garrisons which you haue I leaue aside the small commoditie you should finde to send forces to méet the Ruitters to back them when they enter the Realme if in case you had made leuey of them But admit that all things should fall out according as you doo hope for doo you not think that he which shall be consecrated and proclaimed king of Fraunce who should haue in his hand all the Townes and forces of the Realme who shall dispose of the treasure and riches of the same at his owne pleasure and who shall maintaine the ancient alliances of this Crowne doo you not think I say that for a hundred of your Ruitters he will cause that ten thousand shall come Then since you knowe Sir that this nation is accustomed to let out to him their hardines and blood why doo not you perswade your selfe that he which giueth moste shall haue moste of them Haue we not séene that the King hath had more of them and more often then the Huguenots haue and such haue taken the Kings parte against them who first were with them against the King Furthermore are we not able to breake your determinations with the Germains in giuing them more money to tarry at home then you can giue them to come hether to haue their heads broken Are not we able to sowe maintain such diuisions amongst thē which are already partly brought to effect which will bridle them so short and 〈◊〉 them so néerly at home that they shall haue no leisure to think vpon their neighbours affaires Beholde héer Sir the great effects which by all discourse of reason you may expect aswell of England as off Germanye They tell you to put you in comfort that the Huguenots make the third part of Fraunce If you haue registred in the book of your housholde such Calculators for your instructions in Arithmatique that betime you wil crosse them out againe otherwise I forsée that you are in dāger to become a very bad Arithmaticion But to the end you should not rely on such rediculous and fantasticall presumptions what doo it auaile to you how great soeuer the number of Huguenots are in this Realme séeing when it coms to handiblows they are not on your side neither wil strengthen your cause And where vpon can you ground this opiniō that if you were in that poynt euen to striue for the Kingdome that they will showe them selues rather to be on your side then they haue doon héertofore whē you stroue for Religion can one possibly beléeue that they will be more hardly to make you King then they haue béen to authorise their own beléefe surely it should not séeme true Now I come to the inconuenience wherunto you may runne as they alleadge if you forsake the Huguenots
we wil hold it for certaine that God béeing come for the redemption of the world did ordaine by his owne mouth to such men as then were those things which he would that they should beléeue and obserue and we doo trye euery day that it is naturall for vs to teache and deliuer to our successours the same things which we haue receiued of our Auncestors But to reproue and condemne the ancient traditioÌ„s by the impression and opinion of others and not to haue in our owne selues some inward knowledge wherfore they ought so to doo this séemeth to me of all other vnexcusable in the continuance of so many ages by vniuersall obseruation Haue we nothing wherwithal to confirm our beléefe against a new sence or meaning which some Scholler desirous to showe his skil wil apply to the holy scripture hath it béen errour which men haue beléeued hithertoo and when God hath seÌ„t vs moste of his blessiÌ„gs hath it béen a signe that our seruice hath béen lesse acceptable to him Or els are we so blinde that we will not acknowledge how God gaue vs all things more prosperously when without any trouble the Catholique faith was moste religiously obserued The Kings your predecessors Sir who haue left so many faire foundations so many and holy ordinances and illustrious Conquests haue they euer béen any other then Catholiques If the Kingdomes haue had any splendour and increase hath it béen at any other time but when the people continued stedfast in the beléefe which they would now cause you to reiect And if they haue had any decay or ruine hath it béen at any other time then when nouelties haue caryed authoritie Eache one knowes that Clouis the first Christian King of Fraunce reigned fiue hundred yéers or there about after the death of our Sauiour at which time the primitiue Church did yet floorish If the Church then had some holy and sincere obseruations doo you think she did hide or spare them at the consecration of that King of Fraunce who of a Pagan became a ChristiaÌ„ Oh what a likely thing is it to beléeue that the fourmes at this present day obserued at the Coronation of our Kings are not the selfe same that were instituted for the Crowning of the saide Clouis If I should admit that in the common Cerimonies and which are indifferently vsed of eche one there might some abuse créep in what then As for the Cerimonies vsed at the consecration of our Kings an act wherto all the world at all times haue born like reuerence and an act both singuler and religious wherof since Clouis but thréescore persoÌ„s haue béen partakers successiuely one after an other who wil beléeue that in them there hath béen any alteration or chaunge And if it be so that the Cerimonies vsed at the Coronation of the Kinges of Fraunce be the institutions of the primitiue Churche how can one giue eare to the Ministers of the pretended Religion séeing those thinges which they iudge woorst in the Catholique Church are therin intirely obserued Let vs knowe a little by what prooues they can showe vs that the institutions and Ecclesiasticall orders which at this day are vsed amongst the Catholiques be other then they were in the primitiue Church it must followe necessarily as I beleeue that they shal be the books and writings of the Bishops of the same Church But without entring into dispute of the depth of this matter where it is moste certaine that they are abused what will they answere if they were demaunded how they knowe that such Books and writings are auncient and not supposed What other answere could they make but that since the time they were made the Church hath euermore held them for the true writings of the Authors of whome they beare the name and that from hand to hand she hath conuaied them vnto vs for such If then to proue the trueth of a writing they think that the vniuersall and continuall allowaÌ„ce for many yéers is an argumeÌ„t which no one ought to gainsay why doo they not holde the self same allowance and vniuersall approbation for a moste certaine proofe of the verity of the ancient obseruations and institutions of the Church Where haue we found that men wil admit lesse abuse and corruption to enter then into their beleef and the lawes wheron they â—udge dependeth their saluation hath the Huguenot found the Catholique Church so ready to receiue those nouelties which he weÌ„t about to bring in doo they think that although a Pope would cause vs as it were to morowe to chaunge our beléefe that we would therfore beléeue him and those things which we our selues will not doo is it to be presuposed that our predecessours haue doone them they were more religious and better obseruers of godlines then we are Doo they not sée that in the fourmes which only concerne the pollicye and gouernment amongst men and the Lawes made for their contracts and particuler affaires the successours doo not lightly change that which hath béen established at the first foundation of the estate by their predecessours as it is easy to be noted in all pollitique estates but chéefly our Fraunce which at this present day is the moste auncient Monarchie of all If then it be apparant that the people haue alwaies béen constaÌ„t in obseruing the ciuill and humaine lawes what ought they to haue doon in the conseruation of those which haue béen giuen theÌ„ for their dutie to God and to the Church Is it not known how long time the Iewes haue kept without any change the fourmes and cerimonies of the olde lawe Why shall we not say that the Christians haue doon the like The Huguenots Doo think that they haue giuen a faire showe and precious title to their Religeon when they say they will admit nothing els but the simple and pure woord of God as it is contained in the books of the olde and new Testament and from thence driue out and exclude all humaine traditions Permit me Sir to demaunde of them héere if their scope be not to maintain all kinde of men in the knowledge and beléefe of God and if in conscience they think that this may be alwaies doone by the only hearing of the woord As for those that haue béen so happy as to heare the liuely voice of God or of his Disciples I wil graunt that they néeded no other instruction But as humaine kinde hath béen farre distant from that liuely and speaking light which did rauish the people with their brightnes and piercing speach so vndoubtedly there hath béen a great decay in zeale and beléef for there is great reason betwéen the woords pronounced by the mouth of God and those vttered by the mouth of a man Not long after wheÌ„ this woord was but written some were found who would enterpret the same according to their sence and meaning which was an euident testimony that the only preaching of these men was not a band stroÌ„g enough wherby to
restrain the braines of men in godlines the Churche therfore perceiuing this want brought in the remedy framing her selfe to the weaknesse of men set foorth in time which she thought néedfull by visible and ordinary things that which the Christians ought to obserue and beléeue as in a painted table to the end that the sight and exercise therof might fortefie and represent to them at eache time that which might easely slide from their soule béeing receiued but by hearing only From thence sprang the originall of the fourmes Cerimonies of our Catholique Religion It may be that in one time or other there haue béen more or lesse For as at the first establishing and foundation of common wealths men made but few lawes and afterwarde the mallice and fraud of men increasing it was necessary that many other lawes should be made as obstacles and lets to many vices peruerse qualities of men Likewise the Church in her first age wherin impietie had lesse power had no néed at her beginning of so many ordinances But as new yéers brought vs new vices by her institutions she met with the prograce of our frailtie to stop his passage Yet for all this she hath béene one self same Churche though the occasions to ordaine more or lesse ordinances haue been diuers The lawes and statutes which she was driuen to commaund to let our negligence or carelessenes of holy things or our vnbeléefe are those which the Huguenots will fight a-against Dooth it not séeme Sir that they haue reason They say that there are abuses that may be but what is it likely that the Lawe should be reiected because peraduenture it hath some rust ouer it Will it please you Sir a little to consider the birth and forwardnes of this pretended Religion mark wel these things which they that haue brought in this demaund to be cut off from our Religion and you shall finde that they would annihilate those fourms wherby the people are holden in the feare of God or the deminishing of the credence we haue in his omnipotency or els they would induce vs to the disobeying of our superiours or condemne the orders and pollicye of the Church or make vs lesse deuout and lesse charitable one to an other or els they would pluck out of our harts the affection and memorye of our Auncesters and the honor and reuerence of those whome we iudge that God ought to haue better accepted their liues And afterward regarde what they will haue those men to study whome they would send into the world to preach their doctrine you sée that it is nothing appertaining to diuinitie but a pleasing language affected entising and inuecting because that science is contrary to their artificiall determinations but elloquence is proper to withdrawe and seduce Consider also what Nations haue imbraced this and you shal finde that they are such who are noted of the people to be prompt inconsiderate and loouers of new fāgled things as are the Germaines Flemings and Englishmen and we also that are of the North parte And in the natiōs more stayed and iudiciall as are the Italians Spanyards it could neuer finde an entraunce there where it behooueth now a little to iudge without affection of the manners of the moste parte of them haue receiued it and doo followe it Consider withall the suddaine decrease or rather annihillating of this Religion scarsely is she born but she is destroyed in the beginnīg she makes a faire showe of her forces and al at once behold she is fallen and brought downe to the ground and to showe vs her pride in the fall wherin she is she boasteth that she is victorious al that remaines with her and she hath not lost she counteth for a gaine and victory What say they there are but few yéeres that we were kept prisoners and persecuted but now notwithstanding all the battailes you haue gotten against vs it is neuerthelesse frée for vs to praise publiquely our God and to reprehend aloud and openly in your eares the abuses of your Church is not this to haue vanquished But what els is the argument of the Iewes when they doo vpholde that the Prophecies of the comming of Christ is not as yet accomplished and that the Scepter is not as yet taken away from the Tribe of Iuda They doo not cōsider that now a daies it is no more their Religion that standeth but their factions in her leagues so we were driuen to agrée with them as with people that defend their parte with Armes Their Religion is condemned for such as neuer was but the desire to pacifie the estate and take away the miseries which diuisions dooth bring is the cause that those doo liue in libertie whom we leaue not to holde as guiltie If with only patience they had ouercome those afflictions laide vpon them there were found some likelyhood of that which they say that their faith hath béen victorious but since it is by Armes that little libertie which they haue is due not to their godlynes but to their swoords because in an estate deuided in two factions it is hard that one should so soone get the victorie ouer the other This must goe by degree and foot by foot and then they may perceiue what decay their owne hath had hetherto Since then Sir that they haue tried how our Kings neither can nor wil forbeare and maintaine them neither giue them the libertie which they could wish in this Catholique Realme because in so dooing he cānot be King of Fraunce it séemeth vnto me Sir that they auaile nothing for thēselues and doo you but very ill seruice to disswade you from reuniting to the Catholique church considering that if it should so happen that God would call you to this Crowne they ought with better reason expect more gentle vsage at your handes then of any other As touching vs the examples which we sée in those places where the Hugenotes haue the soueraigne authoritie and force what can we els expect at their hands but our whole ruine if we haue a King who will suffer him selfe to be perswaded by the Ministers I will conclude with this woord Sir that it is peraduenture tollerable to al other persons when the féeblenesse of their soules causeth them to goe astray from their dutie to God by the meanes of men but this can in no wise be to you who haue this particuler fauour to be issued of the blood of the moste Christian Kings who holde such a great and high place in Christendōe by the highnesse they haue gotten you being Catholiques you are at least for this bound to their memory not to reiect the Religion which they haue euer followed Set before your eyes the deceassed King your Father and call into remembrance that he alwaies hath béene the moste assured stay faithful protectour of this crown doo you think then that it shal be honorable for you to maintaine and fight on that partye against whom so willingly hée imployed him selfe and lost his life FINIS