the one and then with the other In the midst of all these a young King as weak in mind as in body exposed to the first occupier and the prize contended for the Government of the Kingdom As for the Guises they were Five Brothers the Duke the Cardinal de Lorraine the Duke d'Aumale the Cardinal de Guise and the Marquess d'Elbeuf we are not to make any reck'ning of the three last because they acted nothing but by the inspiration and motion of the other two The Duke drew his Party to him by the Reputation of his Valour his Liberality and his Affability the Cardinal de Lorraine by his Eloquence and his Learning They were notwithstanding of very different humors the Duke moderate just undaunted in dangers the Cardinal hot undertaking and vain puffed up with good success but trembling and faint-hearted at the least frowns of Fortune Amongst the Princes of the Blood there was Anthony King of Navarre Lewis Prince of Condé the Duke of Montpensier and the Prince de la Roche-sur-yon Anthony was a voluptuous and fearful Prince and more considerable for his Quality then his Power Lewis was Valiant Hardy and one the greatness of whose Courage and meanness of whose slender Fortune made him fit to undertake every thing Anthony did not stand firm but abandoned his younger Brother to his Year of our Lord 1559 very death he fluctuated in doubts of Religion and was neither a good Catholick nor right Lutheran His Brother followed the Opinions of Calvin The Guises seized upon the Kings Person because he had Married their Niece Mary Steward Queen of Scotland and upon the favourable pretence of the Catholick Religion The others made sure of the Male-contents the disbanded Souldiers and the protection of the Religionaries whose dispair was yet much greater and stronger then their numbers The Mareschal de Saint André a Lord as brave as witty and polite but very Luxurious and over-head and ears in debt devoted himself wholly to them and promised the Duke to bestow his Daughter upon which of his Sons he pleased with all the Estate belonging both to him and his Wife reserving only the clear revenue during their term of Life This he did fearing to be devoured by his Creditors should he ever happen to be expell'd the Court. The Constable a great temporiser and who had wont to be prime Minister of State could not stoop now to be Inferior He admitted the flatteries and caresses of both Parties but at length adhered to the Guisians in hatred to the novel opinions being perswaded by his Wife and second Son that the Title he bare of the first Christian Baron would not allow him to linck himself with those who did impugne the Catholick Religion The Duke of Montpensier and the Prince de la Roche Sur-Yon though both of the House of Bourbon were led by the same motives and did not so much respect the proximity of Blood as the name of the Ancient Church and the King from whom they would not start aside for any other Consideration whatsoever A motive directly contrary to the Constables cast the Admiral de Coligny and his Brother Dandelot Colonel of the French Infantry on the side of those Princes who favour'd the new Religion of which they were thoroughly convinced and perswaded besides that they had the Honour to be Allied to the Prince of Condé For he had Married Elenora de Roye Daughter of one Magdelain de Mailly who was their Sister by the Mothers side she and they being Born of Louisa de Montmorency who was first Married to Frederic du Mailly Then to the Mareschal de Chastillon Father of these two Lords When King Henry II. received his hurt the Queen Mother was in suspence a day or two whether to joyn with the Constable or the Guises She looked upon both the one and the other as her Enemies being all Allied to the Dutchess of Valentinois whom she hated mortally though in her Husbands Life-time she feigned to love her even to the height of confidence But she thought her self much more affronted by the Constable then the Guises because it was he that had last adventur'd to contract an Alliance with that Woman Besides the Guises utterly abandoned her notwithstanding the repugnance of the Duke d'Aumale who was her Son in Law and withal they promised this Queen so much Service and so great Submission that she resolved to stand by them To which me may add that being Uncles to the young King as they were it might perhaps have been out of the reach of her power or interest to have set them aside When the Constable perceived his Game was near lost he sent in all post hast to the King of Navarre to press him to come and take that Place and Authority his Birth justly claimed under the young King but that Prince who was slow and irresolute and who withal did not much confide in him because he had once advised the deceased King to seize upon the remainder of his petit Kingdom did not make much hast This signal fault and after this his strange irresolutions and the weakness of his Conduct during all this and the following Reign may be accounted indirectly amongst the principal and main causes of all the Troubles and Misfortunes that befel the Kingdom of France Wherefore the Guises having gained the Mastery at Court the King declared to the Parliaments Deputies when they came to wait on him That he had committed the direction of his Affairs to them that is to say the Intendance or Over-sight of all the Affairs of War to the Duke and that of the Finances or Treasury to the Cardinal Being thus establish'd they consider'd of removing out of the way all those that might be obnoxious They left the Constable and Mareschals of France no more Commission but to Bury the late King and sent the Princes of Condé and de la Roche Sur-Yon into Spain the first to carry the Coller of the Order to King Philip the other to get the Treaty of Peace confirmed They likewise banished the Dutchess of Valentinois from the Court but first obliged her to restore and deliver up the Jewels and the rich Furniture and Year of our Lord 1559 Goods the late King had bestowed upon her and took away her fair House of Chenonceaux to accommodate the Queen-Mother in exchange for the Castle of Chaumont upon the Banks of the River Loire Desiring by embellishing the face of their new Government with a shew of Goodness and Justice towards the publick to condemn the Government past they took the Seals from Bertrandi Cardinal and Archbishop of Sens whose reputation was not of the best and restored them to the Chancellor Ol vier a person really of a much more then ordinary merit and of great probity but who soon perceived they had recalled him to servitude rather then to a freedom of function in the highest Office of the Kingdom The Queen-Mother in the mean time
with a Sword on the Blade whereof were some Latin Verses engraved which invited him to that expedition Year of our Lord 1462 There was a rude War between Henry King of Castille and John King of Arragon This last had by a Treaty of accommodation given Catalogna to Charles Prince of Viana Son of his first Bed and therefore his principal Heir His Mother in Law harrass'd him so much that he once more fell out with his Father and took up Arms. He was again defeated and taken Prisoner The Catalonians making an insurrection in his favour forced his Father to set him at Liberty but the same day of his deliverance he Died of a Morsel which his Mother in Law had caused her own Physician to give him After his Death the Catalonians being revolted against John and having degraded him as the Murtherer of his Son Charles The King of Castille assisted them It was not the zeal of justice that led him to it but the desire of Siezing those places in Navarre which were for his purpose Mean while John that he mught have Men and Money in this pressing necessity had engaged the Counties of Roussillon and of Cerdagne to the King of France for 300000 Crowns Gaston de Foix Brother in Law to the Castillian and Son in Law to the Arragonian brought these two Princes to refer their differences to the judgement of the King who then was at Bourdeaux to treat of the Marriage of Magdelin his Sister with Gaston de Foix Count of Viana When he had heard the reasons of either party from the mouths of their Ambassadors he pronounced his Sentence of Arbitration but it satisfied neither the one nor the other any more then his enterview with Henry King of Castille satisfied either the French or Spaniards These scoffed at the Niggardlyness and mean and simple countenance of King Lewis who was cloathed only in coarse Cloth had a short and straight Garment on and wore a Madona of Lead in his Cap The others had an indignation at the Castillian Arrogance and the Pride of the Count de Lodesme Favourite of Henry But it is true that their King condescending as he ought to the Majesty of France passed over not only the River Bidasso which seperates the two Kingdoms to come to the King but likewise advanced two Leagues within his Dominions and came even to the Castle of Vterbia where they conferred together At his return from this Voyage Lewis found that the Lords de Crouy Father and Son had so well managed the mind of Philip Duke of Burgundy with whom they could do any thing that he consented to render up to him the Cities of the Somme for the 400000 Crowns The business was of importance and indeed for fear the Duke should find out some excuses to retract his word he caused the money to be immediately sent to Hesdin and went thither himself The surrender being executed he would shew himself in the Low-Countries where his Soveraignty was but little acknowledged He visited Arras was received at Tournay and went as far as l'Isle where the Duke came and saluted him The City of Tournay which had never owned any other Dominion but that of France sent three Thousand Citizens forth to meet him each of them having a Flower-de-Luce embroidred with Gold just upon his Heart Lewis Duke of Savoy waited for him at St. Cloud to make complaints of the disobedience of Philip his young Son who more sprightly then Amedea his elder Brother had gained the affections of the Nobility and was making his way to invade the Crown The King commanded Philip to come to him he immediately did so upon the Faith of a safe conduct which hindred not his being Arrested and then his sending him Prisoner to Loches He was detained two years to give his Father time to settle his affairs and authority and establish his eldest Son in the Succession The hatred betwixt the King and the Charolois was augmented more and more There are five or six principal causes taken notice of The surrender of the places in the Somme the kind reception the King made the Lords of Croüy whom the Charolois had driven from his Fathers Court and Country for that reason moreover the Kings endeavours to lay a Tax or Gabelle upon Burgundy contrary to the Articles of the Traty of Arras and the favour he manifested to the Count d'Estampes who was accused to have intended to poyson the Duke and his Son Year of our Lord 1463 At the same time the Chancellor de Morvilliers a Man vehement and bold went on the Kings behalf to forbid the Duke of Bretagne to Style himself any more Duke by the Grace of God to Coyn any money or to raise any Taxes in his Dutchy The Duke taken unprovided acted cooly and promised all but demanded time to Assemble the Estates of his Country and in the mean while he diligently negociated with the Burgundian by Romille and with all the Grandees of the Kingdom whom he knew to be highly discontented The Habits of Fryers Mendicatns especially of the Cordeliers served to make the Messengers of these intrigues pass securely up and down The Charolois had chosen Gorcum in Holland for his ordinary residence the Bastard de Rubempre slunk privately into that Port with a small Vessel being disguised like a Merchant to Sieze and carry away alive or dead this Romille the Engine of all these designs or perhaps the Count de Charolois himself However it were the Count having discover'd it caused him to be imprisoned and gave notice thereof to the Duke his Father who was going to Hesdin to Confer with the King Upon this intelligence the Duke retires in hast his People gave out that there had been a design to Sieze upon the Father and the Son both at the same time the Preachers entertained their Auditors with it and Oliver de la Marche Made mention of it in Terms which hugely offend the Kings Honour To justify himself against these reproaches the King sent Morvilliers his Chancellor and some Lords to make great complaints to the Duke and demand reparation The Chancellor did it in such high words and Soveraign expressions that he seemed to design rather to exasperate then to compose differences And indeed the Cound de Charolois said to one of the Ambassadors at their departure that before one year were past he would make the King repent it The King thought he had time to subdue the Breton before Philip whom Age render'd unwieldy could Dream of stirring He therefore called the Grandees of the State together at Tours to make them know what reasons he had to undertake it Charles Duke of Orleance first Prince of the Blood whould needs speak there of the disorders of the Kingdom as his Age his Reputation and his Rank obliged him to do but his Remonstrances grated the Ears of the King and were received with anger and contempt In so much as he died for grief within two
the Parliament of Provence which they durst never have undertaken had it not been upon an assurance of the support of those that govern'd and even by their instigation particularly the Connestable who thought to involve the Cardinal de Tournon as principal Author of that Massacre he being his Capital Enemy The business was first brought before the Kings Great Council then the King took it upon himself and afterwards referr'd it to the Grand Chamber of the Parliament of Paris The Cause was Pleaded at Fifty Audiences or Hearings with great heats and vehement sollicitations After all this noise there was none but Guerin the Kings Advocate in the Parliament of Provence who paid for all those that had contributed to this Massacre He was Beheaded in the place called the Greve at Paris The Historian of Provence relates how on the day he lost his head his Picture or Effigies appeared in the palm of his wives hand traced in lines of blood and was seen by great numbers of people during several days Lewis Adhemar Earl of Grignan and Governour of Provence who had given Commission to d'Oppede to Levy Forces in his absence was like to have lost his Lands D'Oppede was sent away absolv'd having done nothing but by good order from the King but he survived not long after it and the Huguenots were revenged on him by giving out that he died of an inward fire which cruelly burnt up all his Bowels Year of our Lord 1550 and 51. The abuse of the Banquiers and of the Datary of the Court of Rome touching the resignation of Benefices were come to that pass that all the Clergy of France complained of it The King redressed this by an Edict and Charles du Moulin the most resolute of all the French Lawyers wrote a most Learned Book against the Petites Dates but which being very vehement raised so great a Storm against him amongst the Catholique Zealots for the interests of the Pope that for fear of being Treated as an Heretique he retired into Germany where he kept himself private till the rupture which hap'ned between the King and Pope Julius III. The Pic's Lords of Mirandola being at variance amongst themselves for the possession of that County Paul III. had endeavour'd to reconcile and agree them and not able to compass it had sequestred it in the hands of King Francis That King had restored it to Lewis Pic. Galeot Pic his Nephew assassinated his Uncle and Usurped it then fearing his other Relations would revenge this parricide retired to King Henry II. and had admitted a French Garrison into the place and also as it was reported had agreed upon an exchange for some other Lands in France However it were the King used it as a City properly his own and made it his place of Arms and his Assemblies in that part of the World The King wanted some occasion to interrupt the Progress of the Emperor he was over-joy'd to meet with this which follows D'Aramon his Ambassador made use of all industry with Solyman who was returned from the Persian War to break the Truce of Hungary and he wanted not considerations and motives to incite him to it for the Emperor had in Barbary taken the Cities of Mahadia and Monester from the Corsair Dragut one of the Grand Seignior's Captains and King Ferdinand held secret intelligence with Frier Georges Monk of the Order of Saint Poll a Hermit who by the testamentary institution of John Year of our Lord 1551 the pretended King of Hungary governed the Affairs and Country of Isabella and Stephen her young Son Solyman had given orders to take that Monk dead or alive the Monk having notice of it retired had cantonniz'd himself in some strong Castles he had purchased and provided from whence he began to make War upon the Queen He was reconciled and fell out again with her two or three several times and as he apprehended the power of the Turk he privately made an agreement with Ferdinand and perswaded the Widdow to restore Transilvania to him upon conditions very advantageous both for him and the Pupil if they had been observ'd But soon after Ferdinand fearing this mans inconstancy or rather that he would force him to make good what he had promised sent word to John Baptist Castalda General of his Forces to make him away which he Executed by the hands of some Assassines who went and Murthered him in a House of Pleasure to which he was retired Solyman could not suffer that Transilvania for which John had rendred him Homage should be possessed by Ferdinand He powred a very numerous Army in upon that side and almost totally Invaded it The Imperailists did not fail to publish that the King of France had drawn him thither but we find by the Memoirs of those times that he did his utmost to disswade him from making War in Hungary because the common danger re-united all the German Princes with the Emperor and it was his interest to divide them And therefore he could rather have wished that Solyman would have made use of his Sea Forces and landed in Puglia to facilitate an enterprize the French then had upon Sicily All these things make it evident that the King had firmly resolv'd to concern himself in the business of Parma by other ways and means then mediation or accommodation and that it was not the Dutchess of Valentinois that made him enter upon that War that there might be occasion to bestow some employment upon Brissac whom she loved infinitely It is true that at that Ladies request or perhaps to keep him at distance and absent from her he made him Governour of Piedmont in the place of John Caracciol Prince of Melsy whom he recalled to Court and to make up the Complement of good fortune for Brissac it hap'ned that the said Prince returning into France died at Suza and left a vacancy for a Mareschal which the King immediately conferr'd on him It sufficed the King to assist his Allies without directly breaking with the Emperour wherefore he sent to Brissac to make use of some indirect means to that end Brissac therefore disbanded a part of the Forces in Piedmont who had order to File away towards Parma over the Milanois under favour of the Truce two by two sometimes three without any weapons and by easie Journeys Gonzague mistrusting the Craft and Contrivance set Guards upon the ways who Massacred the greatest part of them so that there came not above four or five hundred to Miranda who went over by the Mountains at Genoa During this assay the Pope strove to perswade the King to abandon the Duke of Parma and the King endeavour'd to gain the Popes good Will that he might take him into his Protection But as the first had sharply replied to the Kings Remonstrances threatning him with his Ecclesiastical Thunder the French Ambassador raising the Tone of his Voice declared that the King would for no consideration whatever relinquish his
each for himself the Duke of Mayenne for his eldest Son and sometimes when he found any difficulty he thought of proposing the Cardinal de Bourbon then after divers agitations of mind he found there could be no better Resolution taken then that which in effect was worst of all and that was to take none at all Whilst he floated amidst these Uncertainties the Parliament of Paris being Assembled upon the Rumour then on wing of the Election of the Infanta made it appear they are infallible when concerned for the Fundamental Laws of the Monarchy of which they have ever had a tender and useful care For they made a grand Decree Ordaining that Remonstrances should be made to the Duke of Mayenne that he would look to the maintaining of those Laws and hinder the Crown from being transferr'd to Strangers and declared null and illegal all Treaties that had already been or might hereafter be made for that purpose as being contrary to the Salique Law Conformably to this Decree John le Maistre who held the place of First President went and deliver'd the Message boldly and shewed him how the Government of Women in France even that of Regents had never produced any thing but ✚ Seditions and Civil Wars whereof he instanced in ten or twelve examples most remarkable amongst which he did not omit Blanche de Castille and that of Catharine de Medicis the principal and almost the only cause of these last Troubles During these Transactions the King causes Dreux to be besieged he took the Year of our Lord 1593 Town upon the first Assault and the Castle afterwards upon Composition but not month June and July without much trouble and time The Spaniards finding by the Decree of Parliament and the loss of this City that the Affairs of the League were beginning to decline did the more press them for the Election of a King and at last in a Council they held with the Duke of Mayenne named the Duke of Guise Never was any Mans astonishment like to that of the Duke of Mayennes the trouble of his Soul appeared thorough all the coverings of dissimulation His Wives indignation was greater yet then his she would have overturned all rather then obey that meer Boy as she called the Duke of Guise In this pressing occasion when he knew not what to reply Bassompierre found out an Expedient for him which putting the business off for a while did in the end dash it utterly in pieces and that was to demand eight days time to give notice of it to the Duke of Lorrain his Master During this delay the Duke of Mayenne set all his Engines at work sometimes with the Duke of Guise to dissuade him from accepting this nomination as a thing ruinous both to him and all the House of Lorrain sometimes with the Spaniards to let them know it was not yet the Season for it and in fine with the Estates to incline them to his Sentiments His attempts proved altogether ineffectual upon the two first especially the Spaniards of whom it was reported they had endeavour'd to persuade the Duke of Guise his Nephew to kill him as being the only Remora to his Advancement But as to the Estates he plaid his part so successfully amongst them that they consented to the drawing up an Answer the Twentieth day of July By which the Duke and the Lorrain Princes most humbly thanked the Catholick King for the honour he did their House protesting they would ever persevere in their acknowledgments and a willingness to serve him and declared they were ready to promise before the Legat to persuade the Estates of the Kingdom to approve the said Election when there should be Forces sufficient to maintain it and when they should have agreed to such Conditions as were reasonable to be secured to the Chiefs of the Party Hereupon great Contests arose between the Partisans of the Duke and those of Spain these requiring they should go on with the Election the others that it should be deferr'd The Spaniards heard all without once opening their Mouths in the end finding their Votaries were fewer by a third part then the other they let go their hold And which was more the Duke without any regard to their Requests concluded month July to Treat for a Truce with the King and named his Deputies for that purpose Many Prelats some Doctors and even three Curats of Paris of whom one was he of St. Eustache named Rene Benoist being sent for to St. Denis the Two and twentieth of July the King came thither the next day and entred into Conference with them to satisfie himself as it were of certain scruples yet remaining touching Year of our Lord 1593 month July some points of Religion He was soon convinced but the Cardinal de Bourbon was not so that any other Bishop besides the Pope had right to give him Absolution the contrary notwithstanding was allowed maugre his under-hand dealings and vehement Remonstrances The formulary of his Confession of Faith was drawn up and the day appointed to make it the following Sunday Some Prelats out of an ignorant Zeal had thrust in certain trifling things which were not very necessary the King whose judgment was solid could not relish such trash wherefore they pared away all that was not essential to Faith and yet they sent it as it was first drawn up to the Pope the better to persuade his Holiness of his entire Conversion The Ceremony was performed in St. Denis Church by the Archbishop of Bourges as may be seen in the Memoirs of those times seven or eight Bishops being present and all the Grandees of his Court even Gabriela d'Estree who had not a little contributed to the Conversion of the King having already conceived great hopes he would Marry her The same night all the Fields from Montmartre whither he went after Vespers to visit the Church of the Holy Martyrs to Pontoise were enlightned by great numbers of Bon-fires which was soon after imitated by the Cities of the Royal Party and accompanied with Feastings Dancings and all other Tokens and Expressions of publick Rejoycing From that very day the People of Paris shewed plainly it was purely their aversion to Huguenotisin had engaged them to reject this Prince for they ran forth in multitudes to this Ceremony notwithstanding the prohibition of the Duke of Mayenne and on a suddain changing that hatred they had for him into a real affection began to call him their King and not the Bearnois as they had hitherto done scoffing at all the declamations of their Preachers who strove to make them persevere in their former Sentiments The Duke of Mayenne rejoycing also or pretending to rejoyce at his Conversion Treated with him about a Truce for three Months and both of them agreed to send to the Pope to get his Absolution without which the Duke would by no means hearken to a Peace His intentions an◠interests as he protested being no other but to preserve the
Armies beyond the Alpes his noble Exploits and glorious Death 550 Francis I. King of France heretofore Duke of Valois 556 Seeks the Alliance and Amity of his Neighbour Princes 527 Passes the Mountains for recovering the Milanois his happy Progress 558 c. Renews the Alliance with Charles of Austria 562 Birth of a Daufin ib. Renews the Alliance also with the English 563 Aspires to the Empire after the Death of Maximilian ib. Is hurt with Jeasting and Sporting 566 Sends an Army into Italy 569 Spaniards enter upon Guienne the English into Picardy 572 575 Drives the Imperialists out of Provence pursues them into Italy and lays Siege to Pavia 578 Is made Prisoner of War before Pavia and transferr'd to Spain 579 Is set at Liberty 582 Unites Bretagne to the Crown 594 Makes an Alliance with Solyman against the Emperour and the Venetians 606 Gives passage thorow France to the Emperour Charles V. to go into Flanders and does him all the Honour imaginable 608 Demands reparation of him for the Murther of two of his Ambassadors declares War against him and does attaque him in five several places 612 Carries his greatest Forces towards the Low-Countries and makes a considerable Progress there 614 Attaques the English in his own Country 619 Joyns in league with the Protestant Princes of Germany 620 His Death his Elogie his Wives and his Children 620 621 G GAbelle taken off from Guienne 640 Galeas John his Death 518 Gaunt Revolt and rising the Gantois 465 Gaston Phebus Earl of Foix makes the King his Heir 373 His Death 413 Gaucourt Lewis Prisoner of War 448 Governor of Daufiné beats the Duke of Savoy and the Prince of Savoy 452 Gentdarmerie reduced all into Companies d'Ordonance 457 Genoa puts its self under the Obedience of the King of France 416 Falls under the Dominion of Fregosa 460 Revolts against the King of France who brings them to reason 543 Is surprized by the Italians 572 Brought again to obey the King 587 Restored to Liberty 590 Geneva Revolt drives out their Bishop and changes their Government and Religion 599 Besieged in vain by the Duke of Savoy ib. Genoese relieved by the French against the Barbarians of Tunis 412 Revolt against France 551 Restored to obedience of the King 552 Gentlemen Pensioners of the King 501 Gonsalvo Ferdinand Great Captain 523 Federic de Gonzague first Duke of Mantoua 580 Ferdinand de Gonzague Governor of Milan 623 Gravelle Chancellour of the Empire 600 Gregory XI Pope restored to the See of Rome 394 His Death 396 Gregory XII Pope of Rome 422 Grignan Governor of Provence 618 The M. du Guast Governor of the Milanese for the Emperour 604 Defeated in Battle makes his Escape to Milan 616 Causes two Ambassadors of France to be killed 612 Guerin Kings Attorney in the Parliament of Provence 629 Gueschin Bertrand defeats the Navarrois 384 Made Prisoner in the Battle of Auroy 385 Brings from Spain the Bastard Henry de Castille against King Peter the Cruel his Brother 387 After is vanquish'd and taken Prisoner ibid. Is recalled from Spain by K. Charles 390 Is made Connestable of France his happy Progress 391 Secures all Bretagne for the King of France 392 His Death 397 c. Guienne is all regained by the French from the English 463 Gueldres Adolf Chief of the Gantois Forces 500 501 Guise the Duke Commands the King's Army in Italy 643 c. Guise Claude Duke at the Battle of Marignan 558 The C. de Guise Governor of Champagne repels the Germans 575 The D. of Guise refreshes with Men and Ammunition the City of Peronne 604 de Gyac 437 Beheaded 450 H. HAbits and their Reformation 386 Hangest de Hugueville 427 Harcourt Geffrey calls the English into Normandy 374 Harcourt Lewis Count Beheaded ib. Harfleur taken by Assault and Sacked by the English 418 Henry of Castille rises against King Henry his Brother to his Confusion 386 Denies his Brother in his turn and seizes on the Crown 387 Defeated again in Battle retires into France ib. He returns into Spain and remains King of Castille by the Death of his Brother 388 Henry of Castille defeats the English in a Sea Fight 391 Henry IV. King of England his Death 431 Henry V. King of England he Besieges and takes Rouen and Masters all Normandy 435 c. Marries Catherine of France 439 His Entry and his Coronation in Paris 440. ib. His Death ib. Henry VI. is Proclaimed and Crowned King of France 454 Marries the Daughter of Renee of Anjou 459 Causes Humphrey Earl of Glocester to be put to Death 460 Is vanquish'd by the Duke of York saves himself in Scotland 467 Is set at Liberty 492 Henry VII King of England His Death 547 Henry VIII King of England sees King Francis I. and they make a League betwixt them 594 Causes his Marriage with Catherine of Arragon to be dissolved and Espouses Anne of Boulen 595 Withdraws himself wholly from the obedience of the Pope and declares himself Head of the Church of England 596 Sollicites the French in vain to break with the Pope 597 His Cruelties draw the hatred of his Subjects upon him 611 Henry II. King of France 622 Seeks the Preservation of the Alliance with the Turks 625 Visits the Provinces of his Kingdom 626 Rupture between his Majesty and Pope Julius III. 630 c. Sollicites Solyman to break the Truce in Hungary ib. Quarrels openly with the Emperor 631 Makes a League with the Princes of Germany 632 Makes divers Edicts to procure and raise Money even on the Churches 632 Seizes upon Lorrain and gets the Cities of Mets Toul and Verdun ib. Takes divers places in Luxemburgh 633 Design against Naples miscarries 634 Great arming to small purpose 636 Ravages Brabant Hainault Cambresis the Country of Namur and Artois 638 Makes Peace with the Spaniard 651 Pursues the Religionaries most curelly 653 His Death and his Children 654 Heresies which appeared during the Fourteenth Age. 445 And infected France in the Fifteenth 527 Hesdin forced demolished and razed by the Imperialists 637 Hesse Landgrave takes the quarrel of the Dukes of Wittemburgh Hungary attaqued and desolated by the Turks 597 Humbert Daufin of Viennois makes a Donation of his Seignory of Daufiné to the King of France 369 Humieres Governor for the King beyond the Mountains 606 John Huss burnt alive 435 I JAcqueline Countess of Hainault Holland Zealand and Frizeland is carried away by the English 440 La Jacquerie 378 La Jaille beaten in Artois 642 Jane Queen of Sicily causes her Husband to be Strangled 368 Jane of Burgundy Queen of France her Death 369 Jane or Joan Queen of Naples dethroned by Charles de Duraz. 404 Her Death ibid. Jane or Joan II. Queen of Naples 431 Jane or Joan the Pucelle Chaces the English from before Orleans 451 Carries the King to Reims to be Crowned 451 Her other Exploits 452 c. She is taken Prisoner of War at the Siege of Compiegne by the English her Death
convey'd to the Abbey of Fleury upon the Loire which from thence was named St. Bennets but it was to oppose the endeavours of the Pope and countermine his Designs in those Undertakings In effect the Monk pleaded the Cause of Astolphus so stoutly in the Parliament of Crecy that it was agreed some Ambassadors should be dispatched to Astolphus to endeavour an accommodation The Lombard received and treated them as coming from a Great and Potent State He was willing to lay aside his pretences to the Soveraignty of the City of Rome and its dependences but would reserve the Exarchat he had conquered by the Sword The Pope on the contrary maintained that it belonged to him aâ— being the spoiles of an heretick and he sollicited Pepin so effectually that that King promised to assist him in the conquering of it Year of our Lord 754 Mean time Carloman for having espoused the Interest of the Lombard too far brought himself to an ill pass for the King and the Pope consulting and contriving together shut him up in a Monastery at Vienne where he dyed the same Year and his Sons were shaved for fear they should one day claim the Estate their Father had once possessed Year of our Lord 755 The great Preparations for War and a second Embassy being not sufficient to remove Astolphus from his firm resolution of detaining the Exarchat and the Pentapole Pepin caused his Army to march that way His Van-Guard having seized the Cluses or the Passages of the Alps and beaten off those Lombards that thought to defend them Astolphus retires into Pavia where presently afterwards he was shut up by Pepin The havock the ruine and firings the French made use of round about that City could not draw him into the Field The Pope in the mean while grew weary and melancholy at the desolation of Italy and he also feared lest Pepin should make himself absolute Master if he took that Place by force He therefore condescends to an Accommodation at the earnest intreaty of the Lombard and it was easily obtained for he then promised him to give up the Exarchat and the Justices of Saint Peter which in my apprehension were certain Lands within the Bishoprick of Rome Year of our Lord 756 So soon as the French-mens backs were turned the Lombard instead of performing those hard Conditions resolves to revenge himself upon the Pope and the following Year went and laid Siege to Rome where he made such spoil as declared his cruel resentment This infraction obliged Pepin to repass the Mountains Upon the noise of his March he decamps from before Rome which he had much straitned and retreats the second time to Pavia Pepin besieges him and presses on so close that having no other means to save his Life and Crown he is compell'd to take himself for Judge and Arbitrator of the differences between him and the Pope It was not possible but Pepin must judge in favour of the last And indeed he would grant no Peace to Astolphus but upon condition he should make good his former Years agreement and moreover give up Comachio This was treated and negotiated in the presence of the Emperour's Ambassadours who being come to that Siege to demand those Countries for their Master the Lombards had taken suffered the displeasure and shame of a refusal The Exarchat comprehended Ravenna Bologna Imola Faenza Forly Cesenna Bobia Ferrara and Adria The Pentapole held Rimini Pesaro Conca Fano Senigalia Anconna and some other lesser places Year of our Lord 756 A Chaplain of King Pepin's received all these Towns brought away Hostages and laid the Keys upon the Altar of St. Peter and St. Paul at Rome with the draught of the Treaty to signify that Pepin made a donative thereof to those Holy Apostles Some do imagine he did it in the Name of the Emperour Constantine Copronimus who indeed would not consent to it and they believe that it is upon the equivocation of this name that the Popes have founded their fabulous donation of Constantine the Great Astolphus dyed the Year following by a Fall from his Horse Didier his Constable had a Party strong enough to Elect him King But those for the Monk Rachis Brother to King Luitprand who had left his Cloister puzled him very much He betakes himself to Pope Stephanus promising him to make good the restitution Astolphus had agreed to Pepin's Ambassadours were of Opinion that he should assist him in it so that he constrained Rachis to return and betake himself agen to his Monastery Stephanus dyes some Months after Paul I. succeeded him Didier and he lived well enough with each other Year of our Lord 757 The Emperour Constantine had not yet lost all hopes of recovering the Exarchate by means of the French and he endeavoured to regain it by the force of Presents and fair Words Amongst other things he sent a pair of Organs to the King who was then at Compiegne These were the first that had been seen in France Tassillon Duke of Bavaria Son of Duke Vtilon or Odillon came to the same place to take his Oath of Fidelity to King Pepin rendring Homage to him his hands within the Kings and promising him such Service as a Vassal oweth to his Lord which he confirmed by Swearing on the Bodies of St. Denis Saint German of Paris and Saint Martin at Tours Year of our Lord 758 This Year they changed the time of the General Assembly which was held in March and was now put off till May. And so it was no longer called the Field of Mars but the Field of May. Pepin thought to take some rest this Year when Intelligence was brought him that the Saxons were revolted Though they were embodied in an Army and had made Retrenchments upon all the Passages into their Country he gained them all at the first attempt and forced them to give him their Oaths and to pay Tribute The Kings of this Second Race Celebrated the Festivals of Christmass and Easter with great Solemnity cloatbed in their Royal Ornaments the Crown upon their heads and keeping open Court and for this reason the Authors of those times never fail to put down every Year the place where they solemnized those holy Feasts Year of our Lord 759 The City of Narbonna was yet held by the Saracens This Year Pepin having besieged it the Citizens who were Visigoths and Christians slew the Infidel Garrison and delivered the place up to him upon condition that he should suffer them to live according to their own Laws that is to say the Roman Law which had ever been observed by the People of Septimania and is yet to this day Year of our Lord 760 There remained of all the Countries that had been subject to the Kingdom of France none but Aquitain that was not brought to their duty Their Duke Gaifre did not acknowledg Pepin and moreover he or the Lords of his Country retained what belonged to those Churches the French had in Aquitain
Military or even from Marriage that it might be the more humble and perfect S. Leo the Pope had only advised it his Successors made it a Law and the Councils of Toledo reduced it into practise towards their very Kings witness Vamba one of the most illustrious and most renowned of their Monarchs who being ordained Pennance while he was in the agonies of death not with his consent for he was deprived of all understanding but according to the custome of those times was yet obliged upon his recovery to renounce his Kingly Office Observe if you please that these Councils of Spain furnished the Popes with great advantages and presidents to bring other Sovereigns under their Command and Disposal For the Visigoth Kings being elective the Bishops had a great share in their Election and their Councils were as so many Assemblies where the Grandees and the Kings themselves were present There they corrected all the disorders of the Crown and imposed Laws upon them under the penalty of Anathema or Deposition if they infringed them The Bishops of France undertook the same thing by deposing Louis the Debonnaire and though it were a perfect Faction that Prince however did not resume the Crown but by the authority of another Assembly of Bishops Foulk Arch-Bishop of Rheims threatned Charles the Simple he would withdraw his Subjects from their Obedience if he made any Alliance with the Normans who were then Barbarians and Unbelievers Now the Popes believed it as an Article of Faith that their power was much greater then that of all the Bishops and that it had no other limitation then was express'd in the Canons of the Councils and the Decrees of the Apostolique See which never had forbid them to Depose Kings because it cannot be imagined the thoughts of such a thing could ever enter into their brains Gregory II. in Anno 730. having thundered his Anathema against Leo Isaurian suspended at least the payment of all Tribute and Obedience of his Subjects or perhaps wholly Absolved them as some pretended Moreover taking upon them as they did the Authority of creating Kings which was allowed by the ambition of such as desired that Title they imagined they might well take away the Crown from those that were unworthy since they could bestow one upon such as did deserve it There were besides all this many occasions which served not a little to confirm this opinion Amongst others the Prohibition of contracting Marriage between Kindred even to the Seventh Degree and betwixt Allies to the fourth and fifth The cognisance they took of all great Causes not only amongst the Ecclesiasticks but Temporal Princes and the Croisado's For as to the first they could easily find enough of Parentage or Alliance to dissolve a Princes Marriage and by this means made themselves formidable And for the second they were not less considerable for the power they had to judge of all Causes because all Parties have naturally a fear and a respect for their Judges and they having by this incredible affluence of Business an opportunity to employ great numbers of People it drew to their Court all those that had an ambition to be made use of by them or such as had the curiosity to be fashion'd or instructed in that most famous School of the whole Universe In effect all the greatest Wits of Europe flock'd thither to gain Employments and as we have still an Affection for those by whom we are advanced when they went from thence after they had done their Business or made their Fortune they proclaimed the Grandeur of the Popes in every Country with an ardent desire to set up their Maxims The Crusado's or Holy War made them likewise very powerful For in all the Expeditions to the Holy-Land they enjoyned Princes to list themselves they held the Soveraign Command of those Armies by their Legats and in a manner made themselves Lords of all those Adventurers not only because they exacted obedience from them but which was more because they took them under their Protection till their return which was as it were an Order of State to stop all Proceedings both Civil and Criminal In other Crusado's which were undertaken against Schismaticks and Hereticks they made it a Law That whoever were convicted of those Crimes should forfeit all their Goods Honours and Dignities In pursuance whereof they deprived those that were guilty or caused them to be deprived by Councils assembled by their Legats then gave the Spoil to such as had served well in those Expeditions without consulting the Soveraign Lords of whom they held those Estates because they durst not refuse Investiture to those whom so holy a Power had provided in that manner for But their greatest Power or Force consisted in that of the Clergy and Religious Orders Those great Bodies being in those times very firmly united for the maintenance of his Franchises and Liberties which they positively believed to be Jure Divino looking upon the Pope as a Chief Head and Potentate that would never fail them at need Indeed his absolute Authority lay heavily upon the Bishops Shoulders but when it pressed too hard they had recourse to that of the Prince as Protector of the Goods and Liberties of the Clergy Reciprocally they made use of the Power of the Pope to shield them from the Attempts of their Princes and governing themselves thus between the Power of both they endeavoured to moderate and qualifie the one by the other However they had cause to complain that the Popes took from them a good part of that Authority belonging to them as Successors to the Apostles as by drawing immediately to their Tribunal the Cognisance of all Causes not leaving them any thing almost to judge of Primarily or Originally By obliging them to give them their Oaths according to a certain Form to which Gregory VII had added some Terms which amounted to Fealty and Hommage By imposing the necessity for their going to Rome By arrogating to themselves the Right of Consecrating Metropolitans By granting Dispensations for not observing the holy Canons as if the whole Ecclesiastical Discipline depended only upon their absolute Authority By allowing Exemptions to Inferiors to withdraw them from their Obedience to their Superiors They complained moreover of their having reserved to themselves alone the power of receiving Caodjutories and that of dissolving the Spiritual Marriages of Bishops that is of separating them or putting them away from their Churches by Cession or Translation or Deposition and their taking upon themselves the disposing of most Benefices Let us say something more particular upon the chiefest of these points The differences between particular People were handled only in the Court of Rome in the Twelfth Age however when the Cause was very important or concerned the whole Church or a whole Kingdom they referr'd it to the Judgment of a Council Thus Gregory VII when the Quarrel betwixt him and the Emperor Henry V. came to be renew'd promised he would
last by a Decree of the Twenty eighth of December maintained them in their possession protesting it was his hearty desire to augment the Rights and Priviledges of the Church rather then any way dimish or infringe them for which reason they gave him the Surname of the Good Catholick Notwithstanding after this shock the Authority of that Body hath been so much weakned especially by Appeals in all Cases that now they really believe they have more just cause of Complaints against the Secular Judges then the Seculars had in those times against them Year of our Lord 1330 France being in Peace King Philip following the foot-steps of his Predecessors had conceived a desire of undertaking an Expedition into the Holy-Land To this purpose upon his return from a Pilgrimage he made to Marseilles with a very small Attendance in performance of a Vow he had made to St. Lewis Bishop of Toulouze he visited the Pope in Avignon and discoursed in particular with him about his design Towards the end of the year he summon'd the Estates of his Kingdom and laid before them the passion he had for the Holy War By their advice he sent to demand permission of the Pope to levy the Tenths of all the Clergy in Christendom and many other things but so extraordinary that he could obtain no favourable Answer Year of our Lord 1331 The English could not well digest that Edward had so easily renounced to the Crown of France They ceased not from spurring him on opportunity seeming to present it self favourably because Scotland which France was wont to make a counterpoise to England was extreamly embroil'd For Edward the Son of John Baliol who for a long time led a private Life at his House in Normandy with a small Force had recover'd that Crown and driven out King David who was retired to the Court of France together with his Wife and Children After the death of Mahaut the Earldom of Artois sell Jane of Burgundy Wife of Philip the Long and according to the Articles of Marriage was given to Blancb her Daughter the Wife of Eudes Duke of Burgundy Robert d'Artois who could not yet forbear his pretentions to that Earldom renewed the Process and produced certain Grants under the great Seal which he said he had found by Miracle He believed the King being his Brother-in-Law and owing him so great obligation would not search too deep after the truth of it But the King because it concerned the interest of his Daughter who was much nearer to him then his Sister caused these Letters Patents to be examin'd so exactly that they were found to be false and a Gentlewoman of Artois that had counterfeited them was burnt alive for it they having accused her as being a Sorceress Robert enraged for the loss of his Process and of his Honour slew to reproaches against the King so much the more injurious as they were true and so exasperated his anger that he was pushed on to the utmost extremity against him They seized upon his Confessor whom they obliged by force or promises to bear Witness against him his Wiâ—e was laid hold on though she were the Kings own Sister and after some delay for want of appearing he was Banished by sound of Trumpet and Proclamation through all the Suburbs of Paris and his Estate was declared to be Confiscate He then knew there was no more quarter for him and would have taken Sanctuary at the Earl of Hainaults but the Kings wrath did not suffer him to be so near he excited the Duke of Brabant to make War upon the Hanuyer Robert not to be a Cause of the ruine of his Friend went out of those Countries and resolved to all the extremities whereunto dispair does usually hurry Men of courage he goes to the King of England and by force of blowing the Coals kindled the Flame that set all France on Fire Year of our Lord 1332 In the mean time the King of England strenghned himself with Alliances Moneys and all sorts of Ammunitions for some great Enterprize He had in his Party the Earl of Haynault the Emperor Lewis his Brother-in-Law several German Princes with the Cities of Flanders and to have the greater power in the Low-Countries and over the Princes along the Rhine he purchased at a dear rate the Quality of Vicar of the Empire The King was secure of the Earl of Flanders the Duke of Lorrain the Earl of Bar the Kings of Castille of Scotland and of Bohemia but especially of this last whom he had made fast by many several ties For besides that he had Married a Sister of his and his Son Charles born of that Wedlock had been bred in the Court of France he also Married his Daughter Bonne to John Duke of Normandy The Nuptials were compleated at Melun The Designs of the English being not yet formed gave Philip no apprehension so Year of our Lord 1332 that he was taking up the Cross for the Holy Land and with him three other Kings Charles of Bohemia Philip of Navarre and Peter of Arragon with a great number of Dukes Earls and Knights The Clergy took but small joy in it so mightily were they oppressed with extraordinary Exactions as if they had a design to ruine the Churches of France to go and restore those in Palestine Year of our Lord 1333 Upon the design of this War Philip endeavour'd to make Peace between all his Neighbour Princes he brought the Duke of Brabant to an agreement with the Earl of Flanders and the Earl of Savoy with the Dauphin de Viennois The difference betwixt the first was for the City of Malines It belonged to the Bishop of Liege and to the Earl of Guelders the Bishop had sold his part to the Earl of Flanders the Duke of Brabant claimed it saying he was the Lord of the Fief It was concluded it should remain to the Flemming unless the Duke would rather chuse to reimburse him 85000 Crowns With that was agreed the Marriage of three Daughters of the Brabanders with Lewis eldest Son of the Flemming William Earl of Holland and Renauld Earl of Guelders Year of our Lord 1333 Pope John XXII had publickly preached at Avignon That the Vision or Joyes of the Blessed Souls and the Pains or Torments of the Damned were imperfect till the final day of Judgment and endeavour'd to make this opinion pass current for the Doctrine of the Church The Faculty of Theology of Paris courageously opposed it He tried to get them to own it by two Nuncios whom he sent to them the one was the General of the Cordeliers the other a famous Jacobin Doctor The most Christian King did not judge the Pope to be infallible but order'd the question to be discuss'd by Thirty Doctors or the Faculty of Theology who confounded the Cordelier Nuncio whereupon a Decree was made and Sealed with their Thirty Seals which he sent to the Holy Father exhorting him to believe those who
Montmorency being suspected by them When the Parisians had recover'd their Armes again the Prince of Condé was the weaker and durst not Challenge the upper hand or dispute the Wall with the Triumvirs but to salve these sores a Composition was made by means of the Cardinal his Brother That the Heads of both Parties should leave the Town at the same time He therefore retired to his House de la Ferté-Aucou near Mâ—aux and the Duke of Guise went to Fountainbleau where the King was carrying so great a Convoy along with him that he made the Queen quickly sensible his Forces were much more numerous then the Princes She was gone thither amidst her irresolution which she ought to chuse either to cast her self into the Arms of the Prince and follow him to Orleans for he was to be there upon her first notice or to suffer her self to be carried to Paris by the Confederates Either of these made her a Captive the first was the more odious because of the great peril she would have put the Catholick Religion into and the latter appeared to her the more dangerous month March She would willingly have been in a Capacity of keeping them in equal balance on both hands and for that purpose had sent for the Prince who having gotten his friends together was Travelling towards her and had passed over the River at Saint Cloud His approach put the Parisians in Arms as if they might have been besieged by a handful of Men and gave occasion to the Confederates to let the Queen know it was necessary to remove the King to Paris lest he should fall into the Huguenots hands The King of Navarre carried her this unwelcome Message and she seeming to hesitate he told her plainly that if she were not pleased to go along with them she might stay behind She had not leasure to consider upon it but must follow or else loose the Party for at the same moment they carried the weeping King to Melun the next day to Bois de Vincennes and then to Paris Thus were all Addresses from that Queen fruitless and all the prudent Counsels of the Chancellor de l'Hospital which tended but to prevent a Civil War that he foresaw would be inevitable as soon as ever the King was in the hands of either Party Year of our Lord 1562. April In effect the Prince of Condé partly out of spight and revenge for having been deluded by a Woman for so he guessed it partly anger to see his Enemies Masters of the Kings Person and fear likewise of being left to their Mercy or suffer the zeal of his Friends and the Huguenot Party to grow cold ran post hast with two thousand Horse to Orleans where Dandelot had slily seized upon one of the Gates the day before which was the first of April This was as it were the place of Armes and Capital Seat of all his Party Now to keep them in Unity and under good Discipline the only bonds necessary to all establishments he took an Oath from all that were there That they would remain united for the defence of the Kings Person and of the Queens for the reformation and the benefit of the State That they should lead a Life without reproach and Christian-like observe the Laws of the Land and Military Year of our Lord 1562 Rules and should take care to provide Ministers to Preach the word of God to them That they should own him for their Head should obey all his Orders serve him with their Persons and should furnish him with Armes and Money He afterwards wrote to all the German Princes setting forth the cause of his taking up Arms and then sent the Queen Mothers Original Letters to perswade them thereby to send him some Assistance and lend a friendly and helping hand to redeem both the King and her from their Captivity At the same time he published a Manifesto to all the Kingdom to the same purpose and some dayes after sent after it the Copy whether real or supposed of a League made between the Pope the King of Spain and the Guises to exterminate all the Sectaries of the new Religion month April This was a strong motive to draw those Princes to his side who made profession of it and to retain and bind fast to him the Huguenots of France for the Kings Council thinking to dis-unite or lull them asleep by a deceitful security put out a Declaration upon the very same day directed only to their Bailiffs and their Lieutenants which confirmed the Edict of January granted Indemnity for all that was past forbid the molesting or doing them any injury for matters of Religion and gave them the Liberty of exercising the same in all places excepting within the City and Suburbs of Paris When the Prince had declar'd himself the Officers that took his part and the Huguenots of themselves seized upon several Cities as Mans Anger 's Vendosme la Charité upon the Loire Angoulesme Lyons Valence Romans and almost all those in Daufiné a great number of those in Guyenne and Languedoc In Normandy upon Rouen Caen Dieppe Havre de Grace Bayeux Saint Lo Vire Falaise and many others Matignon the Kings Lieutenant in that Province under the Duke of Bouillon who was Governor saved Granville and Cherbourg This was a signal Service for those Ports would have given an easie entrance to the English Wherever the Huguenots were Masters they utterly abolished the exercise of the Catholick Religion overturn'd the Altars broke the Images in pieces burned the Reliques and cast the ashes into the Air Tormented and Massacred the Monks and Priests not observing that equality and moderation herein which they expected should be measured to themselves but rendring their Party execrable to the People by the horrible profanation of all things Sacred The Prince neither by Intreaties nor by Remonstrances nor even by punishment had power to stop their fury which he knew must be very prejudicial to his cause And indeed they were even with them in many Cities where they Massacred huge numbers as particularly at Cahors Sens Amiens and at Beauvais and their pulling down and plundering continuing the Parliament by a Decree of the last of June enjoyned all persons to fall upon them and destroy and slay them in all places wherever they should find them as People that were mad and declared Enemies both to God and Man Though all the Kingdom were in a flame the Chancellor a right good Frenchman endeavour'd to remedy that evil he could not prevent and sought wayes for an Accommodation which did not seem impossible to him since their Forces had not yet engaged nor any Blood as yet been drawn but what was spilt in Tumults and Seditions The Queen consider'd likewise finding the Huguenots Masters of so many places that the Triumvirs might seize upon the rest and so both her Son the King and she might be wholly stripped of all and therefore she sent the Baron de la Garde to find
Prevost des Marchands and the Eschevins went a good way into the Fauxbourg to receive him and made him a Harangue the Governess replied to it In the Month of April a difference arose which was like to have embroiled all month April Provence between the Archbishop of Aix Paul Huraud de l'Hospital and the Parliament A Priest had forced a little Boy of Six or Seven years old the Parents giving information the Arch-bishops Official or Chancellor order'd that the Parties should proceed before him but upon the Parents appeal the Parliament ordained one of the King's Judges should have the hearing of it In fine month April the Priest by Sentence was Condemned to such Death as his Abomination deserved Before Execution the Parliament summon'd the Archbishop to degrade him but as in Provence the Ecclesiasticks were wont to enjoy the same Privileges and Franchises as those of Italy enjoy'd the Archbishop complaining they had infringed the Liberties of the Church excommunicated all such Councellors as had been assisting in this Prosecution forbid any within his Diocess to administer the Sacrament to them and sent a Brief to all the Churches containing their several Names This Scandal was the greater as hapning to be near the time of Easter The Parliament offended with this proceeding cited the Archbishop and upon default of Appearance declared his Brief calumnuous and his Excommunication null and abusive ordained he should take it off and enter the same in the Court Register or upon Record within three days in default whereof he should pay Ten thousand Crowns fine In the mean time the Archbishop was obstinate to persist and the Parliament to compel him the People were divided into two Parties and grew hot even to the danger of some great Commotion Nevertheless the Parliament having order'd a seizure of the Archbishop's Temporal Estate the only Bridle for the Clergy when they more value their Revenues than either their Duty or their Dignity he soon complied took off his Excommunication month May. purely and simply and sent to his Diocesans to receive those Judges to the Communion whom he had deprived Year of our Lord 1602 The following year in the Month of March almost the like Scandal hapned at month March Bourdeaux The Archbishop who was the Cardinal de Sourdis a hot-brained man had demolished an Altar in the Church Saint André his Cathedral without communicating it to the Chapter The Canons endeavouring to Rebuild it were drove away somewhat too rudely by his People The Parliament took the Cause in hand and upon their Complaint put the Mason in Prison who had pull'd down the Altar The Cardinal breaks the Prison doors and takes him thence Some days after the Parliament assisted by the Jurats who came with a strong hand caused the Altar to be Rebuilt The Cardinal was so enraged that the Sunday following being informed the first President by Name Godfrey Malloüin Sessac and the President Verdun were hearing Mass in the Church of Sainct Project he went thither with his Archiepiscopal Crosier and the Holy Sacrament and there Excommunicated them by Bell Book and Candle The Parliament in great wrath for the injury done to all their Body by this affront to their Head made a Decree which enjoyned him to revoke his Censures and to cause the same to be published in the same Church upon the Penalty of Four thousand Crowns Fine forbidding all Bishops to use the like for the future to any Judges for doing their Office upon Pain of Ten thousand Crowns The King having received the Complaints of either Parties brought the Business before himself and there kept it to allay the heats on either hand There were divers Reglements published this year necessary to discharge the King's Debts and make the Money circulate Amongst others the Suppression of the Triennals created upon necessity of the Siege of Amiens and their Reimbursement by the Ancient and Alternatives They did however reserve those of the Espargne Parties Casuelles Extraordinaries for War and some others The Prohibition against Transporting Gold or Silver out of the Kingdom or exposing any more Foreign Coin except Pistols and Reals of Spain Another forbidding the wearing of Gold or Silver upon their Cloaths or to squander away that precious Metal in guilding The King authorized this last by his own Example and look'd very sowrely upon a Prince who presumed to appear before him with that Gawdry This Reformation did much discountenance the Gossips and Year of our Lord 1601 Gallants and was reckoned one of the Publick Grievances by that sort of Cattle who have no other Perfections but what they borrow from the Lace-man ✚ and the Taylor The most Universal cause of all the Disorders and Corruptions sprang from Luxury the extraordinary Taxes first brought forth and Nursed this proud and dainty Monster tho'to say truth both of them were as yet but in the Cradle The Contractors and Exchequer-men having abundance of Money which for the most part cost them but the dash of a Pen did lay it out in all manner of Vanity And most of the Gentlemen who were picked to equal those foolish Expences did by over-swelling and strutting burst themselves like the Frog in the Fable Then when they were so ruined and had nothing left to sell but their Honour they Married with those Fellows Daughters to get great Portions which they could not have met with in Houses of Repute or Quality not considering that from such corrupted Blood nothing but a corrupt and vicious generation ☜ could proceed It was therefore become most necessary to repress the insolency of these Robbers and their Pillage or unlawful Gains that caused it The King for that purpose establish'd a Royal Chamber composed of Judges of known and approved integrity selected from amongst the Masters of Requests belonging to his Parliament and the Cour des Aides of Paris The People who are easily fed with vain hopes imagined that the Gallows would soon do them Justice upon those Robbers under the specious title of Officers and that their Spoil would be restored at least in part to such as had been fleeced by them but by vertue of great Presents and Intrigues they found out able Mediators for some of the greatest Lords many fair Ladies together with the Ministers of the King's Pleasures attaqu'd the Clemency of that good Prince with so many Engines and Importunities that he admitted those Rascals to Composition after the Chamber or Court had sat till the year 1604. and so punish'd them only in their Purses and that but very lightly Thus the Publick far from receiving that Satisfaction they so justly expected had the displeasure to find this Inspection served only to secure that booty to them who had so unmercifully rifled the Kingdom Nor could they distinguish the Innocent few as they were from the Guilty since not the most wicked but the more weak were the most roughly handled The Adventures of a Man who said he was Sebastian King of Portugal
decimations for Leo did grant them so easily to the King that ever since the Pope his Successors have made no difficulty to do the same and have suffer'd them to become very common and frequent Such was the State and disposition of things when Luthers Schisme began first to appear The great noise it made soon stifled all the lesser disputes particularly that between the Orders of Saint Francis and Saint Dominique about the Conception of the Virgin-Mary which hath been since revived by the Dominicans stiff adherence to the Doctrine of Saint Thomas It likewise put an end to those which some Monks of Colen had raised against John Reuchlin who called himself Capnion Occasioned thus A certain Pseffercorn Renegado Jew had advised the Emperour Maximilian to cause all the Hebrew Books of the Rabins to be burnt not with design this counsel should be put in execution but to oblige the Jews to redeem the Writings of their learned Doctors with great Sums of Money of which he pretended to have his share Reuchlin very Skilful in the Hebrew Tongue having been consulted with by the Emperour upon this Subject was of a contrary Sentiment and put down his Reasons in Writing Pseffercorn mad he should hinder him of his Prey wounded his Reputation with biting Satyrs and some Monks of Colen taking up the cause and quarrel of this Fourbe because he had been Baptized in that City caused his Adversarie's Book to be burnt It is sufficiently known what Martin Luther was an Augustine Monk Native of Islebe in the County of Mansfeild Professor in Theology in the new University of Wittemberg Founded by Frederic Elector and Duke of Saxony who loved and valued him for the volubility of his Wit and his Eloquence He was a chearful Man and of very gay humour but too vehement and too intemperate in Speech extremely Confident who never retracted and delighted too much in the Musick of his own Commendations and Applause The occasion that brought him into the Lists is known likewise and that he was not excited to it but by the interest of the Wallet because the Preaching of the Croisade had been committed in Germany to the Jacobins against the ancient Custom which ever allotted it to the Augustins in those Countries In the beginning he Preached only against the abuse of those Indulgences by that means to ruin the Trade of the Jacobins who vended them but being pusht onward from Dispute to Dispute he was transported so far that he declared himself wholly against the Roman Church Anno 1520. 'T was the Protection of Frederic Duke of Saxony then esteemed the wisest of the German Princes and the Applause of the Nobless of Franconia that emboldned him to set up the Standard of Rebellion So long as Frederic lived he durst make no change in the outward form of Religion nor quit his habit of a Year of our Lord 1524 Monk but after his Death which hapned in the year 1524. Duke John his Successor being absolutely intoxicated with his Eloquence permitted him every thing He therefore cast off his Froe and Three years afterwards Married an un-vailed Nun. Then cutting at large as we may say in the whole piece he shaped a Religion after his own Mode which he changed added to or retrenched so long as he lived So that one may say he had no steady or certain belief and those Articles he framed were rather dubious than Dogmatical although he published them as Oracles He died at Islebe Anno 1546. the Six and twentieth of February revered of all those who followed his Doctrine as a great Apostle and on the contrary detested by the Catholicks as an Hereslarque and the publick Incendiary of Christendom Some time before he thus Un-masqued himself there had appeared several Preachers who fell foul upon the Vices of the Prelates and the Court of Rome threatning them with Divine Punishment as horrible as sudden and near at hand A Constitution of Leo X. made in the year 1516. which forbids them Preaching the like things of the farcing their Sermons with Tales Prophecies Revelations and Miracles is an evident proof thereof Luther's Credit drew after him one Party of the Augustins startled many more and rendred all of them so suspected that the Pope was like to have abolish'd the whole Order This pretended Evangelical Liberty open'd the Cloister Gates to many other Monks especially in Germany un-vailed great numbers of Nuns let loose the People against the Church-men and push'd on the Nobility to seize upon their rich Possessions But Luther did not remain long sole Head of this Revolt for whether it were he gave rise to these Motions or whether some malign influence disposed mens Minds thus to Brouilleries and Contention there arose in a short time a Prodigious quantity of new Doctors and of novel Sects who destroyed the one the other yet notwithstanding agreed all in these Six points The first That they directly shock'd the Superiority of the Pope The second That they would admit no other Judges of the Articles of Faith but the Holy Scriptures only The third That they rejected certain Books of it some more others fewer which they said were not Canonical The Fourth That they retrenched several Sacraments The Fifth That they held several Novelties concerning Grace and free Will And the Sixth That they denied Purgatory Indulgences Images Prayers to Saints and many Ceremonies of the Church After his Death the Confusion was incomparably greater It would be endless to enumerate all the Authors the Names and the Whimseys of these different Sects there were some that received the Errors of Ebion of Manes of Year of our Lord 1547. c. Paulus Samosatenus of Sabellius of Arius of Eutyches and other ancient Hereticks There were such who finding no firm footing or foundation any where did only acknowledge there was one God the Creator of all things these were called Deists Others going farther and making a last effort of Impiety denied there was any other Divinity besides Nature alone The furious Irruptions of the Turks into Hungary and the fatal Discords amongst the three greatest Princes of Christendom Charles V. Francis I. and Henry VIII were very favorable to these Sowers of new Seeds For whil'st Christendom was affrighted at the Ravages of the Infidels and every where in Divisions they had not the leisure to consider of these disputes And then Charles V. standing in need of the Princes of Germany to resist Francis I. and to get the Empire to be settled upon his Son which he could never obtain would not prosecute them to the utmost or totally destroy them as he might have done after the gaining of the Battel of Mulberg On the other hand Francis I. his Rival openly supported them and entred into League with them though at the same time he burnt the Sacramentaries in his own Kingdom Add thereto the difficulties the Popes made for the holding of an Oecumenical Council whose Authority perhaps
might have stifled this Monster in it's Birth On the opposite there were other Causes and other Conjunctures which obstructed the speedier encrease of it First The great Credit of the Faculty of Theology at Paris the Learning of some Zealous Doctors though but few in number who made Head both against Luther and the other Sectaries then the diversity and variety of Opinions and Pride of other Novators who all contending to be Heads of Parties became fiercer Enemies amongst themselves than against the Church of Rome Luther imagined the University of Paris being offended as she was for the Abolition of the Pragmatique would embrace the opportunity to be revenged of the Pope and upon that Surmise he submitted to their decision the Dispute he had against John Eckius the first Catholick Doctor that durst bid him Battel but they condemned him in harsh and rude terms and thus by their Authority retained the Clergy and People who were running in Crowds after him As to the other Point in a short time the Sect of Zuinglius and that of Calvin were found to be as prevalent and powerful as his both the one and the other notwithstanding shewing ever a great deal of respect for all he said and acknowledging he was the first that had unveiled the Evangelical Truths tried often with profound Submissions to reconcile themselves with him but he would never yield to it in the least unless they would first confess the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist to which they would not yield and to this very day his true Disciples are less compatible with theirs than with the Catholicks the Princes and the Cities of their Opinion have labour'd in vain to unite them and the many Conferences which were held for that purpose have served to no other end but to make it manifest it is an impossible thing Besides these I find a fourth cause which was the too sudden and too great Change that Zuinglius and Calvin would have made as well in the Exteriour face of the Church as in the Essential points of Faith Luther had retrenched but very little or nothing of what the People were accustomed to he left their Ornaments Bells Organs Tapers and had not altered the manner of Saying Mass and Divine Service only he added some Prayers in the Vulgar Tongue So that the most part looked at first upon him as a Reformer only of the Abuses of the Church-men but when his work was so advanced as in a probability to have made a general Revolution comes Zuinglius cross his way who began to Preach in Swisserland Anno 1520. and then Calvin Fourteen years after dogmatized in France who instead of following the same footsteps set themselves upon Preaching against the reality of the Body of Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacrament taking away the Ceremonies and Ornaments casting out the Reliques breaking down the Altars and Images and over-turning the whole Hierarchical Order in fine stripping Religion of all that does most take and fix the imagination by the Eye in so much as almost all the People had them in aversion as Impious and Sacrilegious Persons and became but the more zealous for that worship they had seen practised by their Fore-fathers There is some reason to doubt whether we ought to place the Riches and vast Incomes of the Church either amongst the Causes that advanced these Errors or that impeded their Progress for as it is most certain it was a Bait that allured the avarice of Princes and the Nobility and drew them to favour the pretended Reformation that they might have an opportunity to seize upon that infinite Treasure so on the other side it is as certain that many Prelates and people richly Beneficed had leap'd o're the Church pale had they not been retained by the apprehensions of losing those Means without which they could not ☞ well live in that delicacy and plenty as they were wont We shall not need to particularize after what manner the Princes of Germany as Saxony Brandenbourg the Palatine of the Rhâ—â—e Brunswich Wittemberg and Hesse the Swiss and the Grisons the Kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden Prussia Transilvania and other Countries abandoned the ancient Faith who were their first Evangelists for what reason the Religionaries of Germany took up the name of Protestants which is communicated to all that are separated from the Roman Church and all what passed in those Countries upon the score of Religion it is foreign to our Subject and may be seen at large in their several Histories Come we therefore to what does more particularly concern France and the Gallican Church There were yet some remainders left of the ancient Vaudois or Poor of Lyons in the Valeys of Daufine who had their Pastors and held their Assemblies a part in some Forts they had Built for their Security so that they made as it were a little Independent Republique as well for Matters of Religion as for Government Pope Innocent IV. with the consent of King Charles VIII delegated one Albert Catanea Archdeacon of Cremona who having by force of Arms destroyed their Redoubts and slain or taken Prisoners the most mutinous did the more easily convert the rest by the Sword of the Word or else drove them out of those Valeys But they soon after herded together again and re-establish'd themselves In the year 1501. the Gentry of the Country Prosecuting them for the Crime of Heresie rather with design of getting their Estates than to Convert them King Lewis XII being then at Lyons understanding they were innocent People or irreproachable Manners and Conversation in all things else obtained Bulls of Alexander VI. that they might be Visited and committed the Care to Laurence Buceau Bishop of Cisteron his Confessor and to Thomas Pascal Doctor in Divinity and Regent of the University of Orleans to take Cognizance of the same and make Report in Council The Bishop knowing how agreeable acts of Benignity and Clemency were to that good Prince ordered all the Informations which had been made against these poor simple Creatures in the Parliament of Grenoble and the Spiritual Courts of Gap and Embrun should be brought to him and having called them together divers times exhorted them first with great Charity and then propounded the Articles of Faith to them distinctly To which having with one voice answered Credo and Vowed to die in that Belief he left them in Peace and stealing suddenly away from Grenoble carried all these Criminal Proceedings to Guy de Rochefort Chancellour Some years after the News of Luther's Predication being come to them they fancied a new Sun was arisen and sent to him to have the Communication of his pretended Gospel Light notwithstanding soon after their Belief and Opinions being less conformable to his then to that of the Sacramentaries they quitted him to joyn with them About the End of the Fifteenth Age and in the beginning of the Sixteenth there were some Seeds of their