so much that rather than they wyll go home they will se his realme in daunger of ruyne which they saye is euident and not possible to be auoyded This is the loue whiche they beare to theyr countrey into the which they brynge foraine power to pylle and spoyle it and if god holde not his hande ouer it to subdue and vtterly destroy it ¶ Syth they require a decree which shal remayne for euer vpon thestate of relygion And where as wee required that that shoulde be obserued whiche is alredy made vntyll the kynge shoulde come to age they aunswered that it was an vnciuyle and an vnreasonable requeste for that it is in the kynges power and wyll to change lymitte enlarge and restrayn his decrees when so euer he thinketh good And that we in requyrynge that that whiche is alredye decreed by him and his counsel should be kept and obserued durynge his nonage desyre to kepe his maiestie in pryson captiuitie And yet this notwithstanding they will that the decre which thei thre haue made shal remaine in force vnchanged for euer But if the reason which they aledge againste vs are to be receaued we wyll also by the selfe same conclude that they them selues wil keepe the king prisoner both in his nonage and lawful age But by like they thinke they are able to master and keepe at commaundement not onely the kynges person but also the whole realme Seing that in a thinge of so greate weighte and whyche bringeth with it so many incōuenience they dar◠take vpon them to present a decree allowed onely by them thre what more did euer August Marke Antonius and Lepidus whan by their wicked shamful triumuirate they subuerted the lawes common wealthe of Rome If they had ben mooued with a good and peasible zeale as they say not sedicious with a zeale of religion and not of ambition they woulde neuer haue begon with rigorous punishement as they haue done they woulde haue cume vnarmed and presented them selues with all humility and reuerence They would haue declared the causes which moued them to mislike the decre of Ianuary They woulde haue humblye besoughte the kinge and Queene to consider with their counsel with the aduyse of the parlementes and of other estates If any other meane mighte be founde to remedie these troubles to the conseruation of Goddes honour with the sauegarde and encrease of the kinge and of this realme And in so speaking they shoulde haue shewed that they had ben ledde by none other affection but onely by the zele of their consciences But their maner of proceadinge sufficiently declareth that their religion serueth them to gette folowers and partakers and to so we strife and diuision amongest the kynges subiectes and with the one part hauing the straungers ther unto adioined to make thē selues lordes of the whole vnto whom I am constrained to say that the princes of the bloude royall vnto whom they haue euermore ben enemies and thrust them backe in al y t they might will in no wise suffer that strange nation and such as be not called to the gouernaunce shall take vppon them to make statutes and ordinaunces in this realme Moreouer they wyll and require that the churche of Rome which they call the catholicke and apostolicke Church be onely receaued and acknowledged in Fraunce and that they which professe the reformed religion be excluded from preaching receuing of the sacramentes It is a duke of Guise an out landishe prince a lorde of Montmorency and a lorde of S. Andre which make an ordinaunce contrary to the decre of Ianuarye which was agreed vpon by the king and the quene his mother the king of Nauarre the princes of the bloudd◠royal with the kinges counsel forty of the chiefe of all the parlementes They be three whiche make an ordinaunce againste the requeste presented by the estates that is to say the nobility and the third estate at Orleans firste and sith at S. Germaine The whiche two estates require that it wyll please the kynges maiestie to giue and appoyncte churches for them that professe the forsaid reformed religion They are three whiche make an ordinaunce that can not be executed with out ciuile warre and with out putting the realme in daunger of euident ruine And they them selues see it and confesse it Lo thus is the realme bounde vnto them and this fruit bringeth forth their konwledge and good zeale or that I may more trulye speake their practises their conueyaunces and ambition of rule and commaundemēt ¶ The Duke of Guise and hys bretherne takinge vpon theym this enterprise to banishe awaye the professours of the refourmed religion what good zele so euer they pretend to haue can not deny but that they willingly go aboute to trouble and bring into daunger this realme wher as they se that in the lyke enterprise their matters had so euyle successe in Scotlande In the which contrey the one parte and the other liued in peace vnder the obedience of that good and vertuouse princesse the queene dowagier vnto such time as it was by the aucthoritie of the forsayd Guise published and proclaymed that the kyng minded not to permit that any other religion wer receaued in the sayde contreye but onely the religion of the churche of Rome whyche was cause that a certayne smal number of people of the common sort rise and put thēselues in armes who were by the prudēce of the saide lady and the helpe of the nobilitie within short time dispersed This beginninge might haue serued for an admonition to the sayde Guise of the daunger whiche mighte ensue of greater troubles if they geue not ouer theyr enterprise of whiche thinge yet not withstandinge they would take no regarde at all but contrarywise beinge in greater heate than euer they were theretofore writ vnto the sayde lady verye sharpe letters blaminge her for that she had vsed to much gentlenes especially in the quarell of religion And that for the amēdes of her faultes passed it was needeful that she shoulde bluddie her handes vpon them especially whiche were the chefe And for this purpose they sente vnto her the bishoppe of Amiens and M. de la Brosse whoo to declare theym selues at their firste cumminge good catholickes of the Romishe secte they woulde haue constrained euery man to cum to masse They obiected oftentimes to the said lady and to M. de Oysel that thei had marred al. They proclaymed their purpose which was that they would vse force and constraint in the matter The bishoppe of Amiens as the popes legate lokynge for the bulles of his legacie promised that he would refourme the most parte of them which he said were out of the way M. de la Brosse promised within the space of one moneth to banysh them which woulde not be refourmed And for so much as couetousenes is euermore the companion of crueltie they cast a pleasant eye vpon the landes and possessions of the nobilitie They
saide courte may presently adioyne herevnto ¶ These thinges being doone and wholly performed accordinge as we haue before declared without the whiche wee take this realme to be vtterly cast away and ruined we are ready euerye one of vs to go not onely home to oure houses if we be so cōmaunded and appoynted but also if nede shulde so require to the ende of the worlde into perpetual exile After that our mindes shall be satisfyed with perfect cōtentacion in that we shal haue gyuen vnto God our kynge oure countrey and to our owne consciences the honour seruice loue charitie and all other faithfull duetie which we owe vnto them in so great and euident soo important and notable daunger and necessitie To the remedy and resistaunce wherof we are ready to offer in vowe sacrifice our liues all oure goodes and suche thinges as we most esteme in this worlde The which thinges we declare vnto your maiesties vnto the kynge of Nauarre as wel to thende you may be witnesse iudges vnto vs therin as also to set forth vnto you against the incōueniences which you se the remedies before rehersed the whiche wee take to be moste necessary and onely in this case to be vsed to thintent it maye please youe to declare therin your wyl and determination Protesting vnto god and youre maiesties that this our aduise before declared meanethe nothinge elles but the wealth and sauegarde of the kynge and of his realme and that we verely think that who so euer earnestly tendreth the same can in no wise dissent frō the thinges before mentioned declared in this writinge the whiche we haue subscrybed with our owne handes for the dyscharge of oure consciences and oure selues towardes God towardes your maiesties and the whole worlde hereafter Concluded at Paris the fourth of May. Anno. 1562. Subscribed Frauncis of Lorrayne De Montmorency S. Andre ¶ An other request presented vnto the Queene the same daye by the saide estate of the three Triumuirate MAdame besides the contētes of the writyng the which we haue this present daye presented vnto your maiestie the whiche also we purpose and trust with your fauour and licence to cause to be set forthe and publisshed throughout whole Christendome to thende we may gyue more occasion to your maiesties to be assured y t we desyre to submyt our opinions to the iudgemente of your maiestie and of the kyng of Nauarre and that we seke onely the quietnes of this realme Sithe it hath pleased you to declare vnto vs that neyther the kynge nor you woulde euer commaund vs to depart frō your court ¶ If so be that they whiche be at Orleans wil disarme thē selues the countreys townes and places of this realme geue due obedience to your maiesties that euery one wil sweare that they wil be obedient to the kynge as to their soueraigne and naturall lorde and to all the statutes and ordinaunces the which eyther be alreadye or shall hereafter be made by his maiestie by the aduise of his counsel and publyshed by his court of Parlement at Paris The power of men of warre remaining stil in the handes of the kinge of Nauarre who is the kynges lieutenaunt general and representeth his person in such nomber qualitie and so long as shall seme necessary without and before the performance of whiche thinges wee iudge as in oure faythe and consciences consideryng our estates charges that we maye not neoughte not to departe from your courte and traine but if we so do we shal purchase parpetuall shame and reproche vnto our selues our posteritie as vnfaithfull seruauntes and officers who haue abandoned the honour wealth sauegarde of our kynge and of his realme of our cuntrey and the peace and quietnes of all thestates therof the whiche we se in daunger of euident and ineuitable ruine if prouision be not out of hande and without delaye made therefore ¶ Wee offer that we wyll withdrawe our selues euery one of vs to one of our houses there to obey the kynge of Nauarre in al that we shalbe commaunded to doo Durynge the whiche absence of ours so moche lacketh Madame that we wyll desyre or require the lyke departure of the prince of Conde to any of his houses that we wishe to se him present nere vnto your maiesties and do beseke you to procure the same to cause hym to depart out of the place and companye where he is where as we neyther canne wyll loke for at the hande of suche a prynce any other thing but suche as becommeth the bloud and stocke whereof be is come and descended At Paris the fourthe of Maye Anno. 1562. Subscribed as afore ¶ An aunswere made by the prince of Conde to the request presented by the thre Triumuirat ALthough by sundry writinges which haue ben published and by other meanes also I haue largely declared the causes which moued me to put on armoure and there wythall vnder what condycions I was ready to lay of the same to wythdrawe my selfe vnto my house yet could I neuer get of theim whiche haue the kynge and queene in their power and custodye other language then threatning words and such as were full of reproch and me nasing And especially at my first being at Orleans before they had vnderstandinge what my meaning was they sente hether letters and so straite commaunde mentes and in so outragious termes as if they had had a do with robbers by the highe waye or common theeues But whan they perceaued that I set at naught their vndiscrete behauiour and that neyther theyr anger ne craftes coulde tourne me from the way which I had already taken whiche was to continue in my iuste and reasonable request grounded not vppon myne owne affectyon or profite nor vppon mine ambicion but vppon the zeale that I haue and oughte to haue vnto the libertie of the king and queene and vnto the wealthe and quietnesse of their subiectes they deuysed to presente vnto theyr maiesties a certayne writing the whych they call a requeste with all humilitie and reuerence but except a man loke wel on it and he do but lightly passe ouer it a man woulde take it rather for a decree then a request that is to say a determination concluded and decreed by the thre peticioners which ar the duke of Guise the Constable and the Marshall S. Andre with the legate the Popes messagier and the embassadour of the straungers But they which by the space of these sixe monthes passed haue marked their practises and conueiaunces can beare wytnesse and that according to the truth that this conclusion was groūded not vpon any zeale towardes the faith or religion but rather vpō the crafte subtiltie and ambicion of the foresayde three peticioners who seinge them selues out of the court not for any displeasure whiche they had there receaued but bicause they could neuer in any time endure that a prynce of the bloudde royall shoulde remayne nere aboute the kynge and
also for that they sawe well that the Queene wente about rather the kinges profyte and the comforte of hys people than to please them or that I may more truely speake to satisfy their couetousenesse already knowen abhorred of euery man they laid their heades together and sought awaye howe they might be restored to their power and recouer their aucthoritie to commaunde euerye man in more ample wyse then eeuer they had done theretofore And for that they wel vnderstode that they could loke for noo helpe at all neyther of the people nor yet of the nobylitie and that all honeste pretence all meanes all fauour and assistence of the kinges subiectes woulde faile them so well haue they behaued theÌ„ selues syth the time of their gouernaunce they grounded theyr purpose and enterprise vpon religion trustinge that the prestes suche as depende vpon them and haue gayne by theyr order woulde aide them with men and money And to assure theym selues the rather of the victorye they cauled vnto theÌ„ straungers to be partakers of their practises whyche thynge shall one daye be scene and iudged to the ende they which come after vs may take example therof and so being prepared and trusting vpon folishe and vain hopes they determined to call vnto theym all theyr frendes as they haue sythe doone from all partes of this realme howe bee it the number of theim was not verye greate They appoyncted to visyte the kynge and queene beinge so furnished and accompanied as that no manne durste be bolde to wythstande what so euer it shoulde please theÌ„ they shoulde commaunde And for the more assuraunce of their longe raygne they made a rowle of all suche as should suffer deathe and of them whych should be banyshed and of an infinite number of others whiche they purposed to putte oute of theyr offyces and estates and depryue them of theyr goodes Emongste the firste number was the Chauncelour and diuers good men of the priuy counsell and other which were in honorable place and estymation nere aboute theyr maiesties The men were alredy chosen and appoincted which should supply the rowme of them whych they purposed to murther or exile And it pleased god that they should shewe their good iudgement by the sixe whiche they chose to be of the pryuye counsell in place of other syre whych they purposed to put oute of the same The comparison of the one parts vnto the other is suche that children are compelled to make songes of them The queene shoulde haue ben sente vnto Chenonceau there to haue occupyed her selfe in makyng of gardeynes My lorde the prynce de la Roche Surion a prynce of the bloude royall a man wyse and of greate vertue shoulde haue bene remoued from the kynge and the place which he hath ben geuen and appoincted to others which shoulde haue taught the youth of his maiestie neuer to here speake of god nor of any suche thing as might nourishe his wytte whiche of it selfe is enclined to all goodnes and godlinesse And yet muche lesse shoulde he haue ben taught to vnderstand his own affaires and how he should vse his men as his ministers and not as his masters to geue audience to euery one to honour his Nobilitie to leue armes because of necessitie to mainteine Iustice to comforte his people and to fauour the pore especially and to defende theim from all oppressions and vyolence and aboue al other thinges not to suffer any Idole to remaine nere about him that is to say a man whiche maketh the kynge and who vnder pretence of frendshippe or longe seruice vsurpeth his auctoritie ouer his subiectes Suche is the bringynge vp whiche the queene hath bestowed vpon the kinge and whiche offendeth these gentil men verye muche who desire rather to frame him for their owne toothe and to make a kinge of him whiche can daunse well ryde a horse beare his staffe wel make loue loue as they say his neighboures wyfe better then his owne and in the rest to be all together ignorante For it is not syttynge for a kynge saye they to haue knowledge in any thynge at all Let hym kepe his reputatioÌ„ with vsinge a certaine notable grauitie towardes pore people who haue to do with hym Let him auaunce his seruantes commytte vnto theym his affaires and the whole gouernemente of his realme let him neuer giue audience to any man let hym neuer looke vppon any letters neyther subscribe theym with his owne hande to thentent he neuer vnderstand the deceptes whiche be vsed and passe vnder his owne seale Lette him esteme onely twoo or three whiche he shall him selfe chuse whoo shall be at debate one with an other for the pryncypall place of hys fauour or for the especial meane and aucthoritie to robbe and polle Let hym be prodigall towardes those whom â—e fauoureth but nygardely and myserable towardes all others Lette him be cruell towardes hys people and spoyle theym of all theyr goodes Lette the estates of iudgemente be solde for readye money into the handes of ignoraunte men couetouse and ennemies of iustice And fynallye lette the kynges house be tryumphant in vanitie and superfluitie of garmentes and other ornamentes a receptacle of men of euyll lyfe and behauyoure I speake not these thynges without cause but euery man may wel vnderstande what I meane the queene alredy knoweth the newes These lordes therefore who presente this request haue made this goodly faction more hurtefull and noysome vnto this realme and therewithal more blud dye than euer were the factions of Sylla or Cesar or the TriuÌ„uirat of Rome whiche sithe chaunced the whiche they had erecuted before this time if god had not geuen me the grace to withstaÌ„d theÌ„ And surely I maruaile greatlye at their boldnes with what face thei dare speke in presence of the quene such thinges as they do speke But more I woÌ„der at the pacieÌ„ce of the forsaid lady who caÌ„ endure to here theÌ„ especially where as from the time that they first beganne their prac 〈…〉 ses she hath ben aduertised and had intelligence day by day of that which they haue done and purposed to doo And at this present she receiueth their glosingâ— wordes euen so as though she had neuer ben made priuie of theyr purposes wherin she declareth euidentlye that she is a prisoner in dede and more then a prisoner For she taketh vpon her as though she neuer eyther vnderstode or suspected so wicked an acte and suche one as deserueth publike reueÌ„ge wherof she hath ben fully informed And if she had not ben afraide lest she should haue ben straÌ„gled in her bedde as she hath ben many tymes thretened wherein I reporte me to her othe she wolde not haue missed to haue denied their requeste and to cast in their teethe that they haue ben the causers of al this trouble by their couâ—tousnesse and ambicion And sithe the danger wherein presently she remayneth is cause that she can not eyther dare not as
knowledge the facte as it is in dede and aunswere vnto theym who with fayre and flatteringe wordes cloke these matters I am constrained for the mayntenaunce of the kinges aucthoritie hirs to make aunswere vnto their request in the name of theyr maiesties of whose liberties I haue taken vpon me to be a defendour emongst others Trustynge that if the foresaide peticioners wyl not acknowledge theyr faulte God wyl assist me and fauour the good minde and purpose which he hath geuen me that all the kynges good subiectes wil ioyne with me to delyuer this pore realme out of the handes of theym who woulde becomme tyrantes ouer it ¶ In the beginning of their writing to giue therby the more glosse and auctoritie vnto their woordes they declare their qualities they make mencion verye honourablye of their greate and faithfull seruices and wil that according to their deedes hearetofore men shall presentlye geue iudgemente of their myndes and purposes ¶ But they neded not to haue made soo goodlye a beginning according to theyr owne iudgement to bring to passe therof so euyll an ende For if they were yet greater than they are and their seruices worthye more commendation than they speake of yet shoulde it not folowe that their fault which is present and so great and euydent should therfore be coucred much lesse alowed as a good and reasonable work And though some amongst them haue done seruice as surely I wil alwaies confesse that they haue haue neuer receaued any recompence for the same yet must they not presently seeke it by the vndoynge of the kynge and the ruyne of his whole realme But thankes be to god they be so good husbandes all three and so muche euermore regarded their own profite that they haue not taryed so longe before they asked and obteined their rewarde My witnesses bere in are two hundreth and fyfty thousand liures in rentes and a Million of golde in mouables whiche at this daye ouer aboue that whiche their fathers left thē besides three hundreth thousande liures in rent which their kinsemen possesse of the goodes of the church And if they be not content with the goodes honours which they haue receiued at the hādes of our kings hertofore but for the ful aunswere of their naturall disposition wee must moreouer accompt emongst the rightes of reward certaine particular reuenges in this behalf also they haue bē satisfied to the ful Let them cal to their remembrance a number of good and notable men whiche onely at their request without charge or informatiō haue ben committed to prison a number of houses decayed and of honourable famelyes empouerished during the raines of king Frauncis the first Henry and Frauncis the seconde So that they haue vsed the fauours of their maiesties not onely in aduauncing and enrichinge them selues but also in enpouerishing of others and reuenging their priuate quarelles And if they wyll as they say that their purpose be knowē by theyr doinges here tofore it may be easely iudged that their enterprise is such as all the kinges good subiectes and seruauntes oughte to oppose them selues vnto and withstande in all that they are hable ¶ Afterwarde they saye that an euident and ineuitable ruine is greatly to be feared if it be not by thē spedely preuented and remedied And to this ende they present certaine articles with all humilitie and reuerence But if a man shoulde aske them whoo were the cause of their ruine and who it is that hathe soughte and procured it If they would saye the trueth they shoulde be compelled to lay the blame therof vpon them selues For after the publication of the statute concluded in Ianuary there was an vniuersall peace and quietnes throughoute all this realme And a twoo coople of you that is to say the Constable of Fraūce and the Marshall S. Andre can not denye but that so longe as they thoughte that those whiche were of the reformed religion would not be content with the order taken so long they toke vpon them to be pleased with it and to alowe it and swore betwixt the Dueenes handes as did also the king of Nauarre and all the reste of the counsayle that they woulde cause it to be mainteyned in the countreys appointed to their gouernaunce that they wolde neuer speake for dispensation or abrogation of the same for eyther the one parte or the other But soo sone as they sawe and perceued that the professours of the relygion aforesayde obeyed readely the kynges commaundement they went about to exasperate the contrary faction Howebeit they had so fewe to folowe theym that they coulde fynde no man fytte to be their mynister but onely the Prouost of the marchauntes Marcel and. x. or xii porters so that the Duke of Guise hym selfe was faine to take the matter in hand at Uassy and there to cutte in peeces the poore people as they were at their prayers The Constable because he could not entrappe the churche of Paris wreaked his anger vpon the pulpittes of the prechours and vppon the houses where the assemblies were made whiche he caused to be sette on fyer and certayne houses of suche as professed the foresaide relygion to be spoyled And it is not to be marueyled that the reuenge hath benne made vpon Images in diuerse partes of this realme wherefore if they thyncke that the diuision of the people be the ruyne which they say is euydent they thē selues are the authours therof so they ought to be taken and blamed therfore And as for the humilitie and reuerence whiche they vse towardes the kyng and Queene hitherto I haue not seene that they haue obeyed any commaundement geuen them by the saide lady But well I wotte they haue al three refused to go vnto the countreis commytted to theyr charge and gouernaunce and I knowe also well that they woulde not come to Monceaux as I my selfe dyd at the quenes commaundement ¶ They cam to Paris in armes against her commaundement and thence wolde they not depart for any prayer y t mighte be made vnto them where as I came away from thence obeyinge the willes of their maiesties They went to the king and queene beinge accompanyed with a bande of men in armes althoughe they had expressely ben forbede the same They brought them frō Fontaineblean to Melun and from Melun to Paris that wholly per force In whiche thing I reporte my self vnto the conscience of the queenes maiestie and to her othe or word at such time as she shalbe at libertie so that she may safely say the trueth They had rather see ciuil warre within this realme yea so farre forth that they brynge forainers into the same than be content to withdrawe them selues home to theyr howses without deminishing of their goodes or estates Loe this is the reuerence and humilitie of them whiche presente the foresaid requestes This is the eale whiche they beare to the saue-garde of the kinge as they saye whome they loue honoure