made the Kyng peasibly to be obeyed in hys coūtrey hys edictes obserued and the innocency of the sayd Prynce and hys cōpany manifestli acknowleged And the sayd Prince declareth that although they whose authoritye and commaundemente hath caused him to begin this enterpryse shoulde nowe come and allege their contrarye aduyse and opynion yet though they chaūge their willes he can not chaūge his as also he can not slacken his duty towardes the Kyng nor forget the place which he holdeth in thys realme Therfore the sayd Prynce all hys company proteste before the maiestie of God and the Kyng and before all people and nations to whom the knowlege of thys facte hath come or shal come that they confesse and acknowlege thēselues most humble and obedient subiectes and seruauntes of the Kyng their soueraine Lord and Prynce and that their armes are not nor neuer shal be against hys maiestye but agaynste hys enemyes Whom they hold for rebelles setiouse and giltye of treason to God and man bicause they haue ouerthrowen the lawes and customes of thys realme haue broken the Edictes of the Kyng and violate the authoritie of the estates in thrusting themselues into the coūsel of hys maiestie frō whiche they were excluded by the aduise of the said estates and haue driuen out the faythfull and lawfull counselers of the Kyng Furthermore bicause they defende themselues with hys person enforce hys liberty abuse hys name to coloure their ambitiō and insaciable crueltie they haue made and dayly do make conspiracies factions and practises as wel to maintayne their vsurpation as to vndoo the moste parte of the Kynges faythfull subiectes And namely to banysh out of Fraunce the pure preaching of the Gospell to spoyle destroy those which make profession therof Agaynst those thē onely for these causes with the other that depend on thē the sayd Prynce hys cōpany protest to haue weapō in hād and that for great nede hauing none other meane to kepe the Kynges maiestie hys edictes hys hyghnesse the estate of hys croune the authoritie of hys estates the lyfe and goods of an infinite nūber of his poore subiectes and principally the pure seruice of god established in thys realme by the authoritie of the Kyng The importaunce of which thinges doth so touche the sayde Prynces heart and hys company that foreseing the horrible calamitie and desolation that myght happen to thys realme that all Fraūce shuld bathe in hys own bloud if their ennemies myght continue the murthers and cruelties which thei haue exercised these .v. monethes they all determine to let for no payne to establishe the quietnesse of thys realme but to vēter their lyues to assure the liues of so many good faythfull subiectes and seruauntes of the kyng And are not hindered but rather encouraged by that pernicious iudgement of rebellion the which they protest not to hold as iudgemēt but slaunder practyzed and sette foorth by theyr ennemyes So that withstanding it they meane not to wtstande the wyll of the Kyng or any iudgement geuen forth by a court of parliamente lawfully assembled but a violēce force oppression and inuading of their goods and lyues by the Kynges enemies and theirs The sayd Prince desireth not onely all those of thys realme whiche oughte to esteme the Kynges seruice but also all straunge Prynces which loue equitie and iustice to wtstande with hym so violent oppressiō made to a yong Kyng whose great vertues already shinīg in hym geue certayne hope that beyng come to age he wyl acknowlege the seruice and succour whych hath ben done to hym in hys great and vrgent necessitie And namely the sayd Prynce desireth al straūgers as well Almaines as Switsers that are come into thys realme and do ayde hys enemyes that they remember the title of equitie the memory wherof hath at all tymes honored their aunceters that they wyll not suffer suche reproche to lyght on them as that they haue fought for an euil cause against a good cause for the ennemyes of the kyng agaynste hys faythfull subiectes for Prynces the be but straūgers agaynst a Prince of the bloud of thys croune for the fauourers of the Pope and the Churche of Rome againste those whyche professe the Gospel of our lord Iesus Christ And herein the sayd Prince caleth before the iudgemēt seate of god the consciences of the sayd straungers which professe the gospel to tak hede that they be not cause that the said gospel be banished out of thys poore kyngdome and that all they which professe thesame be spoyled murthered He praieth them also to cōsider that hys ennemies whatsoeuer they speake of rebellion assayle hym neuerthelesse for none other cause but for that folowing the edict of the king he mayntayneth the pure preching of the worde of god So the sayd straūgers oughte to preuente that the ennemies of their religiō and of the Princes and hys companies shoulde think in mockage as they already do that they haue begiled thē haue brought to passe bi their practises that their own coūtry mē which maintaine the gospell are come to fyghte agaynst them in Fraunce Furthermore the sayd Prynce praieth them to consider what wil folowe of thys matter leaste if the ennemies ouercome the gospellers in this realme that their enterprise should stretch out beyond the Ryne so they themselues may be assailed in their houses according to the confederacy which they haue made wyth the Pope diuerse other straunge Prynces And though hitherto the said Prince hathe deferred to call anye straūges to the succour of the kyng of them which it hath pleased hym to permyt to liue according to the reformation of the gospel neuerthelesse seyng that hys ennemies haue begon to cal them in their euill cause he protesteth that herafter he wyll not let to vse their aid for the maintenaunce of hys ryght And so much the rather bicause he is assured that the conseruation of the kyng and of this realme is ioined with the conseruation of hys innocēcy Wherupō forasmuchas such warre which kyndleth dayly more and more can not but bryng great calamities with it the sayd Prynce hys cōpany protest before God man not to be giltie therein but they which haue been the mouers and authors therof To the end that the blame of al the euels inconueniēces of thys present warr may redoūde vpō their ennemies which are the beginning and cause therof Finally the sayd Prynce willeth and desireth that this presēt protestation may serue also to confirme the associatiō which is betwene hym and the Prīces Lordes gentlemē and other which folow hym and shall hereafter follow To whō the sayd Prynce promyseth that as he hath thys honor to be their head and seyng that all the reformed Churches of thys realme haue throwen themselues into hys armes to conserue thē according to the kynges edicte against their aduersaries and enemies of this croune he wil be the first that shal geue hys lyfe his goods that the seruice of god may be established in hys puritie those whiche professe it maintained the kyng set agayne at hys full libertie hys ennemies driuen away hys counsell restored according to the lawes customes of thys realme namely the laste requeste of the estates Likewise the sayd Prynce exhorteth prayeth al hys cōpany to march wyth him fote by fote in the executiō of so good holy an enterpryse hauing respect to the righteousnesse of the cause putting al their force in the strength of god so the being certaine that fighting for the aduauncement of hys glory the releuing of hys Churches the conseruatiō of their king and the quietnes of their coūtrey they shal fele the assistaunce succour of God Whom the sayd Prynce and hys cōpany most hartily besecheth to take in hande the defence of their cause and for thys effecte to sit in throne of hys iustice before the which they present the horryble blasphemies spued out by their ennemies againste hys maiestie the crueltie whiche they vse against his Churchs the bloud of so many innocēts which they haue spilt their bloudy cōspiracies and dānable enterpryses agaynste hys glory and the lyfe of hys childrē and seruauntes So that receauing into hys protection hys poore people and those whyche mayntayne them he maye place hys power iustice and wysdome againste the boldnesse iniquitie and subtyll deuises of suche as assaile them and that so by the delyueraunce of hys he make manifeste to all the worlde that he is the succoure of the oppressed the preseruer of hys Churche and the iudge of hys ennemies Geuen at Orleance the 8. of August Anno. 1562. Levves of Bourbon
A DECLAration of the Prince of Conde and his associates to the Queene vppon the Iudgement of rebellion set forth against thē by their enemies terming thēselues to be the Court of parlamente of Parys with a protestation of the euils and inconueniences which may thereof ensue Imprinted at London in Paules Churchyarde by Lucas Harryson ALthoughe that the wrytyngs heretofore published in the name of the Prince of Conde and al the Princes Lordes gentlemen and other which are of his company do sufficiently declare the equity of the cause whiche hath armed them as well for the seruice of the King and conseruation of hys authoritye as for the mayntayning of his edictes or proclamatyons concerning the holy liberty and quietnesse of conscience of the refourmed Churches within this realme neuerthelesse seeing that the enemies of the honour of God and publique quietnesse dayly set forth new sclaunders wherby they pretend to oppresse the innocēcye of the sayd Prince and hys associates it stādeth wyth good reasō that if the wicked ceasse not to assayle equitye and iustice the good also should not ceasse to defend it Now for bycause that the 27. day of Iuly last past iudgemēt was geuen in the Court of parlement of Parys whereby they pretende to declare them rebelles that haue taken armour for the seruice of the King the conseruation of the states authority and to resist the violence and tyranny of the Duke of Guyse and his adherentes it is necessary that the iniquity of this iudgemente shoulde be manifested as wel to those of this kingdome as to strangers namely that it should be represented to our posterytie by this declaration For it shal serue for an example of remembraunce wherein may be seene how muche the enemies of God and persecutors of his Church are of corrupte vnderstanding and iudgemēt and farre from all righteousnesse We may I say perceue that men whiche prefer theyr lyes and errors to the sacred truth of God are so farre blinded that they iudge those seditious which go about to seke as much as in them lieth the publique vnion and tranquillity and condemne those for rebels which forsaking theyr cōmodities geuing ouer their goods do hazard their lyues to the end that the King may remaine obeyed and the authority of hys Edictes may be inuiolably kept And to the end that such declaration of rebellyon may be the better cōuinced of manifest iniustice and be holdē for the sclaūder of an enemy and not for the sentēce of a Iudge beholde what the Prince of Cōde and hys associats shal declare to this effect following theyr first protestations and writinges concerning the verification of their innocency First as concerning the exception of the person of the sayd Prince he is so much affected to the seruice of the King that he feeleth himselfe wounded burthened with that whiche they lay to other whome hee knoweth neuer meante anye such thing in takyng armour nor tended to none other end but to the conseruatiō of thys crowne And the sayd Prince is so farre from beyng pleased with thys exception that rather he is offēded in that they would separate him frō so many good and faythfull seruāts of the King and from as good and holy a company as euer was assēbled together in this realme For this cause being assured both before God and Man that their innocency is such that al the lyes and sclāders of the wicked cā not stayne wyth one onlye spot of disobedience and rebellion eyther the sayd Prince or his associates he desyreth to haue the same conditiō with them which are ioyned with hym in the same goodnes of cause thesame religion thesame wil to bestow their liues for the Kings welth conseruatiō of his estate and the establyshyng of the pure seruyce of God in hys Kingdome And euen as the sayd Prince cannot nor oughte not to be forsaken or denied of those at whose commaundemente he hath iustlye taken weapon in hand no more woulde he departe frō those which haue at his request takē armes with him and with whom he hath lyke entent and wil. Furthermore he hath sufficient experience in the crafty sleyghtes of hys enemies to perceaue what they brue vnder such color and pretence of exception as it is easy to be iudged by the lettres missiue sente through the prouinces wherein he is generally comprised wyth the others Now that it may appeare that the crime of rebelliō ought to light vpon those whiche of their own authoritie haue taken weapon to breake the Edicts of the kyng and to trouble the quietnesse of the whole realme not vpon any other which haue taken armoure to withstand so pernicious an ētrepryse we will brieflye rehearse that which wee haue amply discoursed in oure former writinges Ech mā knoweth that the Edict of Ianuary brought such quyetnesse throughout al Fraūce that it seemed that the estate of thys realme beynge before tossed with infinyte troubles and tempests was as it wer arriued at a happy and quiet porte At that tyme when the Duke of Guyse through the slaughter whiche he made at Vassy gaue openly to vnderstand that he had sworne war agaynst the estate of the King and the welth and quietnesse of his people The which with good right was thought very straunge by the sayd Prynce who for the place which he holdeth ought of duety to cōserue and mayntayne the authority hyghnesse of the King whō the sayd Guyse hath alwayes gone aboute to brynge to extreme ruine That I say was thought marueilous straūge that a subiecte durst so manyfestly breake an Edicte of hys Prynce yea such an Edict as was made by the delyberatiō of the estates authoryzed by the Kings Counsel with the most notable cōpany that could be gathered and chosen out of al the Courts of Parlemente of this realme And although the sayd Prince had of hys owne right occasion iust enough to withstand so manifeste a vyolēce and oppression to the King and hys Edictes yet he withheld him self to entreprise any thing to this effect vntill he receaued commaundement In consideration whereof the sayd Prince most humbly besecheth the Queenes Maiesty to remembre that beyng at S Germayne in Laye she was aduertised to what ende the Duke of Guyse tended which was to depose hyr frō hyr authority and to banysh from about hyr hir most faythfull louing seruaūts that they might the easlyer obtayne the gouernment of this realme Whereto they haue alwayes caste their eye and aspyred since the time that thei haue had any maneging of affayres in their handes Which being come to the Queenes knowledge lykewise the faction that by the meanes of the Embassadoure of Spayne they practized in fauor of theyr entrepryse shee conceiued such grefe therof as the great and eminent daunger required Which gaue hir occasion one euening to desyre the said Prince to gather together the greatest numbre of Gentlemen that hee could that the effecte of so daungerous an
enterprise myghte be preuented Which he faythfully went about hauing respect to the commaundement of the Queene and of hys duety towardes the kynges maiestie and cōseruatiō of hys crown Now thys obedience was the beginning of all that whiche hath since continued in resisting those which the Queene iudged to be her enemies and of whō she would take hede And for greater witnesse of the doubt which she had of them it may please her to remēber the charge whiche she once gaue to the sayd Prynce touching the secretary Marseille Now when the sayd Guyses by theyr demeanours as well at Parys as elswher had brought openly to light that which before they had hiddē the Queene confirmed and repeted again to the sayd Prynce as well by letters as messangers the cōmaundemente which she had alredy made to resist the force violence whiche they determined to make agaynste hyr Maiesty Whō in this behalfe he most humbly besecheth so farre as the word of a Quene ought to remayne sure inuiolable to call to minde the thinges which she hath written with hir own hand the which he is now constrayned to set forthe to all mennes eyes that they may al read hys innocency in the very lettres of the Quene For he is assured that she hath not forgotten that whiche she wrote to him frō Foūtainebleau in the moneth of Marche last past recommending vnto hym the conseruation of the Kings person of hirs in these wordes I recōmend vnto you the mother and hyr children And consequently that which shee wrote with her hand by Monsieur de Bouchauannes when the force of the Guyses was in Parys that is that he should not dysarme himselfe vntill his enemies were disarmed and that it might be seene to what end their cōspiracy would tend And here vpon the sayd Prince desireth that it wil please hir Maiesty to remembre howe often she hath giuen him to vnderstād that she estemed that whiche he did for verye agreable seruice the which shee woulde so print in the Kings memorie that being come to age hee might gratefy him according to his desert Wherunto lykewise agreeth that which she said to the lord Admirall not longe before he departed from the court that she knewe hym so faythfull a seruaunt of the Kinges and also so louing toward her maiestie that if nede required he would not lette by al meanes possible to endeuor hymselfe to defend hir from the conspyracy of the Guyses As she also now laste writte vnto hym by Monsiur Rēbouillet that she estemed hym so good a seruaūt of the Kings and desirous of the conseruatiō of his estate that she would vse hys counsell for the pacifyīg of the troubles which were in those dayes And furthermore the talke whych she had besides Baugency with the sayd Prince the Lords which wer in his cōpany is so cleare wytnesse of hir consēt approuing therof that it shuld be to superfluous to allege infinyte other proues which myght be broght forth to this effect For then in the presence of .7 Knightes of the ordre certaine secretaries of the estate she largly thanked the sayde Prince hys company for the seruice and pleasure that she had receiued of them vsing these termes that she acknowleged that the Kings life hirs were conserued and kept through their meane These things being consydered as behoueth what reason may remayne to the ennemyes of the sayde Prynce and his associats yea so much as to gather a symple coniecture of rebellion much lesse of groūded iudgemēt By whose autority shall they be declared rebelles Shal it be by the King and Quenes autority which haue caused theym to take armes for the conseruatiō of their maiesties which hath had recourse to them in hir daūger whiche therein hath encouraged them by words letters and with thāks for their seruice hath approued accepted that whiche they haue done as a meane of the cōseruation of this whole realme Furthermore there is none but knoweth that the ennemies of the said Prince abuse the name of the King and Queene whose wyll they keepe forced and subiecte to they re wylles Whyche ys the cause why the sayd Prince and his associates haue protested hitherto and nowe agayne protest neyther to hold nor acknowledge any Edict statute or ordinaunce made vnder the name of the Kyng whileste hys libertye is taken from him by the vyolence and armes of their enemies And for that they take for proofe besides these thynges heretofore writtē that whych so oft the Queene hath sente them word of that is that she could not agre to the which they demaunded bicause that the contrary part was the stronger the people armed And although that since the moneth of Aprill the Kynges Maiesty hath ben forced and they haue begōne to abuse his name autority yet since that tyme the thing hath been more clerely knowen and manifested by that which is cōtained in a letter of the Queenes to Monsiur de Vieillevile and the Countye of Villars dated the 14. of Maye laste Where she wryte with her hand that she committed the kyng her sonn into the handes of the other meaning by the other the enemies of the said Lord Prince Wherby it appeareth that the iudgement of rebellion and al other things made vnder the name and authority of the king against the sayd Prynce and hys company ought to be estemed to be made by their enemies seeyng that the kyng is vnder their handes as it appeareth euen by the witnesse of the Queene Now then I leaue to be cōsidered of what weighte that iudgement of cōdemnatiō is which is geuen by the parties enemies of the cōdemned but yet let vs see what that great cryme is which they cal rebellion wherupon they groūde that which they lay to the sayde Princes charge and his company It is say they bicause they wyll not geue ouer theyr armour If it be so I demaūd what shal they be caled which comming to the courte in armoure though they had none enemies armed against them wold not neuerthelesse geue ouer their armoure although they receiued cōmaūdemente from the kynge and which yet hold them with the same boldnesse that they toke them at the beginning Now who is he that would gyue ouer his armour at the request instāce of hys enemy which hath the sworde ready in hys hand to fight wyth him what other thing is it to demaūd that the said Prince shuld disarme himself his aduersaries remaining armed but only to wyll that his enemies shuld be hys masters that hys goods shuld be subiecte to their greedye couetousnesse that hys lyfe should be giuen ouer to their cruelty To be short that he shuld receiue the law of those which hauing none ought to receiue thesame of others And furthermore is it not to breake the wall which it hath pleased God to set aboute hys poore Church of Fraūce afterwardes to gyue it ouer
to the rage fury of those which can not be satisfied wyth suckyng of Innocentes bloud Furthermore it is not vnknowē that the sayd Prince hath always offred to vnarme hym self if hys enemies would vnarme them first wythdrawing them selues frō the Kyng would leaue him in his fyrst liberty Now is it not reason that they which first toke armor with out cōmaūdemēt wtout autority agaynst the Kinges wil against the Edicts agaynst the expresse cōmaūdemēt of the kīg shuld lay down their armour before the other which were armed after thē armed I say by cōmādemēt authority knowlege of the king Quene for the conseruation of their Maiestyes and of they re Edictes against the oppressiō and violence of the other To be short let al that the sayd Prynce hath done be examined and it shal be founde that hys answeres and protestations hys offers all hys doinges are sufficiente witnesses of hys innocency For hath he not gone about by al meanes to set this realme at quiet to deliuer it frō the perill which semeth to threaten it with an extreme and vtter ruine What cōdition of peace being any thyng reasonable was euer refused or not rather sought by the said Prince and hys company How oft hath he gone about to let the entry of straungers into thys realme fearing the inconueniences that myghte thereof ensue Hath he not geuen to vnderstande the desert of hys cause to straunge Prynces namely to the confederates of this crown beseching thē to take vp the matter to be meane of the quietnesse and tranquilitie of this realme With what modesty hath he behaued him selfe in the townes wherin he myght conserue the liberty of their consciences and the exercising of their religion folowing the permission and ordinaunce of the kyng Hath he vsed any one poynt of violēce or iniustice Whē his enemies forcing townes not beeing content to bereue them of the benefite and liberalitie of the kyng touching religion haue committed so many murthers and spoyles that the streates haue bene paued with deade corpses and the earth stained with the bloud of the Innocētes which they haue shed Let men thē iudge without affectiō who thei be which by their workes and effectes haue deserued to be declared rebelles eyther the Prynce and his cōpany which haue armed thē selues to maintaine the Edictes of the King made according to the aduyse of the estates which ought to take place during the minority of his sayd Maiesty his liberty the Quenes liberty and the quietnesse of the common welth or their ēnemies which takīg armes without authority of the King haue broken hys Edictes sacked his townes murdred hys subiects set forth ordināces quite contrary to the Kings namly to the Edict of Ianuary made so solēnely as we haue said receued with whole consent throughout the realme lykewyse gretly cōmēded of straūgers If then with indifferēt eye al the partes of this cause bee marked it shal be found that the sayd Prīce his cōpany haue been falsly called rebelles by those which are very rebelles thēselues they haue bene declared sedicious by those which since the death of the late King Henry haue ben cause of all the troubles which haue happened in thys realme and haue ben declared gilty of treson by those which oppresse the Kings maiesty abolish his ordināces abuse his name authoryty to magnify thēselues to his ouerthrow Those yea those ar gilty of diuine treason whose works haue alwayes shewed that they holde Ambicion for their God Couetousnesse for their religion the pleasures of this worlde for their paradise greatest felicitie whiche haue sworne warre againste the sonne of God against hys worde and those which maintaine it which shew the workes of Anabaptistry in baptizing againe those children whiche be already baptized according to the institution ordinaūce of oure Lorde Iesus Christe which haue their houses ful of spoyles and their handes embrued with bloudy crueltie They also are giltie of humane treason whiche haue brokē the Edictes of the kyng haue approched and seazed vpon hys persō with armes against hys commaundement which are great frendes and haue made those to be their instruments in thys feat which would violently haue taken awaye the seconde person of Fraunce and haue oppressed the kyng and brought hys estate to confusion and ruyne And to speake further I saye that they are giltie of treason whiche made of late that cursed cōspiracy in Prouince by the handes of Lauris presidente in the court of parlemente at Aix and conioyned with Fabrice Cerbelome Gouernoure of Auignon for the Pope which tended to assemble xv M. mē which should marche as they were sworen at the cōmaundement of the sayd Guise Wherof the sayd Fabritius furnished a thousand footemen and CC. horsmē Which conspiracy being come to knowlege veryfied by the court of parlament of Prouince Entrages Laidet two prīcipal captaines of this factiō wer behedded by iudgement giuen in the same court And if thys suffyce not I will adde more that the sayd Guyses haue made the lyke cōspyracy in Dauphine by the captaine Mantill hoping by this meane to make Dauphine to take armes with Prouince to martche together at their pleasure In so much that these cōspiracies made to abolishe the preaching of the Gospell these takings vp of men these othes taking to martch at the cōmaudemēt of the Guyse cry out that as wel the sayd Guyse as his cōspiratours are rebelles and gilty of treasō both to God and man And contrarywise that those are true faythfull seruantes of the King which haue withstāded stoutly do withstande theyr rebelliōs seditions attēpts against the Kinges Maiestie and estate of all thys realme And besydes this that I haue spoken let the ouerwhelming of the gouernment iustice of this realme be witnesse and namely that courte of Parliamēt of Paris which thei haue made theyr instrumēt in thys false pernitious iudgement of rebelliō bicause they could not finde any other cōpany so corrupt depraued so bōde slaue to their wils appetites as that As in effecte all those that remayne there at thys daye doe eyther holde theyr estates through the fauor of the sayd Guyses and their adherentes or els hope to haue some other by their meane And euen the principal amongest them are plainly comprysed in the conspiracy and faction made by the sayd Guyse and hys adherentes wherof we at this day fele the lamentable and miserable effectes And we must in dede truly confesse that amongest al the plagues that God long hath scourged thys poore and afflicted realme withall thys ought to be accompted the greatest that such a court of parlement whiche oughte to be the seate of Iustice the refuge of the oppressed the brydle and punishmēt of al vice shuld be so farre from hys ryght and naturall vse that it should open the gate to al iniustice and oppression
to al impunitie and licēce of euil doing Wherby is come to passe that the principal head of the gouernement of Fraūce being so sicke hath spread her disease vpon al the parts and members of thys kyngdome And for profe herof marke not only the particular wronges done by the sayd court to infinite persōs the cryes the plaints the bloud of so many poore innocents as it hath oppressed condemned and murthered But principally marke thys false and peruerse iudgement of rebellion which is a generall wrong done to infinite persons whose lyfe and conuersation hath made proofe of the moste humble obedience which they beare to the kynges maiesty Now to the end that these corrupt iudges shoulde leaue behynde no one poynte of iniustice they haue pronoūced thys iudgement the cause not being heard the reasons not debated the proues of iustifying and innocēcy not vnderstande And although they were refused by the sayd Prince and hys company which was duely notified vnto them they neuerthelesse left not to attribute vnto thēselues the knowlege of thys fact to geue al mē to vnderstāde that in the seates of the courte of parlemente of Paris there are now none other iudges but corruptions hatreds and priuate affections and there is now none other law but contemning and abolishing of the kynges lawes customes of thys realme Wherupon my masters you which are called Iudges I demaund what iniustice and manifest corruption is if thys whych you haue done in thys iudgement be not For where is the forme of iustice obserued Where are the reasons wyth which the condemned haue bene ouercome Where is that auncient and righteous law that ye cā not both be iudges and particular enemies Why haue you thrust your selues in to the iudgemēt of those which haue refused you for iudges hauing as much reason to do it as there are faultes of apparaunte wronges in you And to be short were you not ryghtly refused which haue driuen out of your companye al those which you perceaued not to be of your faction You which by the decree the last of Iune now passed put weapō in the hande of the furious people against both GOD and mannes lawes yea againste your own lawes againste the common wealth and vniuersal quietnesse of thys realme You which haue proclamed the mynysters of the reformed Churches giltie of treason whom neuerthelesse the kyng by hys proclamation hath receaued to hys protection and who for thys effect haue takē the othe at your handes You which durst declare to the kyng yea wyth threatninges by Monsieur Chambon and Monsieur Fay youre deputyes that ye thought straunge and would not suffer the agreement which he would haue made betwene the sayd Prynce and hys contraries By thys meane takyng away all doubt that ye are the sworen enemies of the sayd Prynce and hys cōpany and consequently shuttyng your owne mouthes that ye might not pronounce any sentēce against them And what nedeth any more Loke vppon the head citie of this realme where your abiding is and marke the extreame cruelties which are dayly committed by the people and that before youre eyes to your knowlege wyll prouoking Let men consider the refuse that you made to the Lord of Brissac to make any ordonaunce to represse these tumultes of the people Let it be weyghed as appertayneth that the most part of you the better to shew that they wyl no lōger vse iustice but force ar of Presidentes counselers become menne of warre haue chaunged their pennes into swords and their longe gounes into corcelets they thēselues play the captaines go publiquely armed with other such insolenties as vnworthy of their estate as very mete to the corruption of their lyfe Let all these thynges I say be considered and if it be so that rebelles can not iudge of rebellion that the troublers of the cōmō quietnesse can not knowe of seditiō and that the breakers of the Kynges Edictes are not able to iudge of giltinesse of treasō if so be I say that those which deserue to be cōdēned ought not to condēne others Ye cā not deny but they which ye haue condēned haue sufficiēt reason not only to refuse you but also to cause you to be punyshed in tyme place according to the desert of your iniustice Which thyng the most part of thys realme greatly desireth beyng assured that god wyll shewe vs hys mercyfull face when he rayseth vp in Fraūce good faithful iudges which shal cōdemne rightly punishe those which vniustly haue cōdēned other executīg vpon your persons the sentence whiche you haue pronounced agaynst the innocentes All these thinges thā beyng equally weyghed shal plainly shew to al those which in this cause shal geue iudgemēt free from all particular affection that although there bee nothing set forth for the defence of the sayd Prynce and hys cōpany against the intollerable iniustice the vnworthynesse which hath ben shewed thē by thys iudgement yet neuerthelesse their innocency is so apparaunt that it is able to speake it selfe and beelye the false shamelesse slaunders of their ennemie iudges Now I leaue to thynk how iust grief it is to the said Prince whan he hath faythfully obeyed all thynges whych wer cōmaunded hym for the tuition of the Kyng and Queene and whan he had done the duetye of that place which he holdeth in thys realme as behoued a most faythfull and louing seruaunt of the Kyng and necessary for the wealth and profit of al thys realme that hys desert should be payde wyth so great vnthankfulnesse that the duety whych he hath shewed to the Kyng should be turned to cryme and that hys obedyence should be called rebelliō Thys certainly is with good right not only greuous vnto hym but also intollerable And although this vile spot wherewith they woulde haue burdened hym can not in any wyse fasten vppon hym but returneth to those whyche brought it neuerthelesse he feleth hymself so boūde in duty not only to hys honor but to hys cōpany that he is resolued to bestow all the meanes which God hath put and hereafter shal put in his hādes to cause the innocency of them al to be knowē not only to the people of Fraunce but to straunge nations and to leaue the memory to our posterity And forasmuch as by the wycked and corrupt iudgement geuen agaynst hym and those of hys company and by the maner that they haue vsed in the sayde iudgement and namely the ouerwhelming of the iustice of Fraūce done by his enemies he wel ynough knoweth that the way of iustice beyng shutt vp from him he can not thereby cause the edictes of the Kyng to be obserued consequētly shewe foorth hys innocencie for thys cause he is constrayned to haue recourse to the laste remedy of armes Which hauyng in hys hande at the Queenes commaundement and lykewyse for hys own office and duty considering the place which he holdeth in this realme he wil neuer leaue of tyll he hath