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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11927	The three partes of commentaries containing the whole and perfect discourse of the ciuill warres of Fraunce, vnder the raignes of Henry the Second, Frances the Second, and of Charles the Ninth : with an addition of the cruell murther of the Admirall Chastilion, and diuers other nobles, committed the 24 daye of August, anno 1572 / translated out of Latine into English by Thomas Timme minister.; Commentariorum de statu religionis et reipublicae in regno Galliae. English. 1574	Serres, Jean de, 1540?-1598.; Hotman, François, 1524-1590. De furoribus gallicis.; Tymme, Thomas, d. 1620.; Ramus, Petrus, 1515-1572.	1574 (1574)	STC 22241.5; ESTC S4897	661,140	976

house and all the names of those of the Religion togither with the place of euery of their lodgings they put in bokes and wyth speede deliuered ouer the same bokes to those of whome they had receyued that commaundemente After noone the Quéene mother led out the King the Duke of Aniow Gonzague Tauaignes the Counte de Rhetz called Gondi●… into hir gardens called Tegliers This place bicause it was somewhat farre from resort she thought most fit for this their laste consultation There she shewed them howe those whome they hadde long bene in waite for were nowe sure in hold the Admirall lay in his bed maymed of both his armes and could not stir the King of Nauar and Prince of Conde were fast lodged in the Castle the gates were kept shut all nyghte and watches placed so as they were so snared that they coulde no way escape and the captaines thus taken it was not to be feared that any of the Religion woulde from thenceforth stir any more Now was a notable opportunitie saide she offred to dispatch the matter For all the chiefe Captaines were fast closed vp in Paris and the rest in other townes were all vnarmed and vnprepared and that there were scarcely to be found tenne enimies to a thousande Catholikes that the Parisians were in armour and were able to make thréescore thousande chosen fighting men and that within the space of one houre al the enimi●…s may be slayne and the whole name and race of those wicked mē be vtterly rooted out On the other side saith she if the King do not take the aduantage of the fitnesse of this time it is no doubt but that if the Admiral recouer his health al France will shortly be on fire with the fourth ciuill warre The Quéenes opinion was allowed Howbeit it was thought best partely for his age and partly for the affinities sake that the King of Nauars life should be saued As for the Prince of Conde it was doubted whether it were best to spare him for his age or to put him to death for hatred of his fathers name But herein the opinion of Gonzague toke place that he should with feare of death and torment be drawne from the Religion So that counsell brake vp with appoyntment that the matter should be put in execution the nexte night earely afore day and that the ordering and doing of all shoulde be committed to the Duke of Guise The Admirall being enformed of stirre and noyse of Armour and threatnings hearde euery where throughout the town and preparation of many things perteyning to tumult sent word thereof to the King who answered that there was no cause for the Admirall to feare for all was done by his cōmaundement and not euery where but in certayne places and that there were certayne appoynted by him to be in armour least the people shoulde rise and make any stirre in the towne When the Duke of Guise thought all things readie enough he called to him the abouesayde Marcell and charged him that he should a little after midnight assemble togither the masters of the streates whom they call Diziners into the townhouse for he had certaine strange and speciall matters in charge frō the King which his pleasure was to haue declared vnto them They all assembled bytime Carron the newe Prouost of merchauntes guarded with certaine Guisians and among the rest Entragne and Pnygallard made the declaration He sayde that the Kings meaning was to destroy all the Rebels whiche had in these late yeres borne armes against his Maiestie to roote out the race of those wicked men it was nowe very fitly hapned that the chieftaines and ringleaders of them were fast enclosed within the walles of the towne as in a pryson and that the same night they should first beginne with them and afterwarde for the rest assoone as possibly might be throughout all partes of the Realme the King would take order and the token to set vpon them should be giuen not with a trumpet but with tocksein or ringing of the great bel of the Palace which they knewe to be accustomed onely in great cases and the marke for them to be knowne from other should be a white linnen cloth hanged about their lefte arme and a white c●…osse pinned vppon their cappes In the meane time the Duke of Guise made priuie therevnto the captains of the Kings guard both Gascoignes Frenchmen and Switzers and bad them be ready to go to it with good courage Shortly after the Duke of Guise and the bastard sonne of King Henry commonly called the Cheua●…ier with a great band of armed men following thē went to the Admirals house which Cossin kept besieged with Harquebuziers placed in orde●… on both sides of the streat The Admirall aduertised of the stirre and the noyse of the armour although he had scarcely ten persons in his house able to beare harnesse and in his Chamber onely two Surgions one Preacher and one or two seruitors yet could not be made afrayde trusting as he oft rehearsed vpon the ●…ings good wil toward him approued by so many and so great meanes of assuraunce hauing also cōfidence that the c●…mmonaltie of Paris if they once vnderstode the King to mi●…ke of their mad furie how much soeuer they wer in ou●…rage yet so sone as they saw Cossin warding the gate they woulde be appeased He repeated also the othe for kéeping of the peace so oft openly sworne by the King and his brethren and their mother and entred in publike recordes the league lately made with the Quéene of Englande for the same cause the articles of treatie couenanted with the Prince of Aurenge the King●… faithe giuen to the Princes of Germanie some townes attempted and some takē in the lowe count●…ey by the Kings commaundement the mariage of the Kings sis●…er sol●…nized but sixe days before whiche it was not like that he would suffer to be defiled with bloude siually the iudgement of foraine nations and of pasteritie shame and the honor and constancie of a Prince publike faith and the sacred respecte of the lawe of nations all which it seemed monstrous and iucredible that the ●…ing could ass●…nt to be stained with so outrageous a crue●…l déede Cossin when he saw the noblemen drawe neare ▪ knocked at the gate which as is abouesaide he was commaunded by the Duke of Ani●w to kéepe Wherevpon many applyed the olde prouerbe A goodly guarde to make the Woolfe keeper of the shéepe When he was entred without in manner any difficultie he caried in with him a great companie of armed men and after those followed the great Lords Such as Cossin found at the entrie of and within the porch of the house he slewe with a partisan that he had in his hand ▪ Which when the Admiral vnderstoode he caused those that were about him to lifte him out of his b●d casting on a nightgown vpon him he rose vpright on his feete he bad his friendes and seruants to flee

the slaughter of the Admirall and his adherentes was done by the Kings commaundement for so was his maiesties expresse pleasure bicause they had conspired to kil him and his brethren and the Quéene his mother and the Kyng of Nauarre And farther that the King did forbid that from thenceforthe there should be no moe assemblies holden nor preachings vsed of the Religion After the Kinges oratiō ended Christopher Thuane Presidēt of that Parliamēt a man very notable for his light brain and his cruell heart did with very large wordes congratulate vnto the King that he had now with guile and subtiltie ouercom these his enimies whome he could neuer vanquishe by armes and battell saying that therein the King had most fully veryfied the olde saying of Lewes the eleuenth his progenitor King of Fraunce which was wont to say that he knew neuer a latine sentence but this one Qui nescit dissimulare nescit regnare He that can not skil to dissemble can not skil to be a King. But Pibrace the aduocate of the Fināces made a short oration the summe whereof was to this effecte that although the King hadde iust and great cause to be displeased yet he thought it more agréeable with his maiesties clemencie and goodnesse to make an ende of the slaughters and common spoyle and not to suffer such outrages to be any longer committed without iudiciall procéeding in the cause and besought his maiestie that from thenceforth it would please him to vse the lawe which is well knowne to be the onely stablishment of kingdomes and Empires and that there had bene already giuen to the commonaltie too perillous an example to followe An arrest of Parliamēt with the Kings royall assent being made to that effect there were immediately Haroldes and trumpeters sent roūd about all the towne and an Edict proclaimed in the Kings name that from thenceforth the slaughters and common butcherly murtherings should ceasse and that all persons should abstainc from pillage and robberie This being knowne there were diuers speaches vsed of this matter throughout the town and specially of learned mē The most part sayd that they had read many histories but in all memorie of all ages they neuer heard of any such thing as this They cōpared this case with the horrible doings of King Mithridates which with one messenger and with the aduertisement of one letter caused a hundreth and fiftie thousand Romaines to be slaine Some cōpared it with the doing of Peter of Arragone which slewe eight thousand Frenchmen in Sicile which Isle they had surprised in his absence But yet this difference appeared betwene those cases and this that those Kings had exercised their crueltie vpon foreins and strangers but this King had done his outrage vpon his owne subiectes being yelded not so much to his power as to his faith and credit Those Kings were bound by no promise but such as was giuen to the strangers themselues this King was with newe made league bound to the kings and Princes his neighbors to kepe the peace that he had sworne Those kings vsed no guilefull meanes vnworthie for the maiestie of a King to deceyue this king for a baite and allurement abused the mariage of his owne sister and in a manner besprinkled hir wedding robe with bloud Which dishonor and indignitie no posteritie of all ages can forget Some againe discoursed that though this cruell aduise semed to many Courtiers to haue bene profitable yet not onely the honor of a King but also the estimation and good fame of the whole nation was against that shewe of profit They alleaged how Aristides did openly in the audience of all the people reiect the counsell of Themistocles cōcerning the burning of the Lacedemonians nauie although it must needes haue followed that the power of the Lacedemonians their enimies should therby haue bene vtterly weakened ▪ Fu●… Camillus receyued not the children of the chief Lords of the Phalice betrayed to him by their schoolemaister but stripped him naked and deliuered him to be whipped home with rods by the same children Pausanias hath left it reported that the posteritie of Philip of Macedon fell into most great calamities for this cause that he was wont to set light by the reuerend conscience of an oth and his faith giuen in leagues Some cited the lawe of the twelue tables Si patronus clienti fraudem facit sacer esto If the patrone or soueraigne defraude his client or vassall be he out of protection They disputed also that like faith as the vassal oweth to his Lord the Lord oweth also to his vassall and for what causes and for what fellonies the vassal loseth his tenancie for the same causes and fellonies the Lord loseth his seigniorie Some said that the right hand in auncient time was called the pledge of the faith of a King and that this if a King shall despise there is no communion of right with him and he is no more to be accounted a king neither of his owne subiects nor of straungers Kingly vertues in tymes past haue bene reported to be these iustice gentlenesse and clemencie but crueltie and outrage haue euer bene dispraised both in all persons and specially in princes Scipio hath in all ages bene praysed who was wont to say that he had rather saue one citizen than kill a thousand enimies whiche sentence Antoninus the Emperor surnamed Pius the kinde or vertuous did oft repeate It was a most shamefull byworde of yong Tyberius to be called clay tempered with bloud They sayd also that kings haue power of life and death ouer their subiects but not without hearing the cause and iudicial proccding that there cannot be alleaged a greater authoritie than the Dictators had at Rome in whome was the soueraigne power of peace and warre of life and death and without appeale yet was it not lawfull for them to execute a citizen his cause vnheard Only théeues and murderers take away mens liues without order of lawe and hearing their cause Who can doubt said they but that this so great outrage so great sheading of Christiā bloud is the frute of the curssed life of the courtiers For said they now throughout al Fraunce whoredom loose leudnesse of life are so frée vsual the now the most part of the women of Fraunce séeme to be in manner common and ▪ the wicked blasphemies and continuall execrations and dishonorings of Gods most holye name and maiestie are suche as God can not longer beare And true it is though incredible among forein Nations that the Catholikes of France haue prescribed themselues this for a special mark to be knowne from other men that at euery thirde word they blasphemously sweare by the head death bloud and bellie of God and wonderfull it is that the King himselfe is so muche delighted in this custome of swearing and blaspheming and this as it were a pestilent infection is spred abroade and common among the very plowmē and peysants so as none

beginnings of the Church of Fraunce béeing as yet but of tender yeares as it were and in the fire or at least wise euen now by little and little cōming out of the fire Let the causes of the hatred and debate ▪ by these very few things be considered with the which the Bishop of Romes men so outragiously vniustly are inflamed against the faith full against the cause of the faithfull We must not looke here to haue a description of the faithfull and professours of Christ in armes as our aduersaries doe nowe obiect vnto vs but rather of the vnarmed naked members of Christ most cruelly afflicted onely for this cause bicause they preferre the true and pure doctrin of the Gospell now a growing before the auncient customes traditions of men The naked Church in time past was vexed and the Gospell dyd run as it were through the sides of poore men and broughte them to death then Christians were accoūted as lyers called heretikes and by al maner of meanes vexed oppressed then were they cast in prisons and in bonds then were they whipped then suffered they proscriptions and banishmēts yea and cruell deathes without fauour But nowe when it pleased the omnipotent God to appoynte vnto his Church a more clears and beautiful estate and to qualifie and quenche those fierce fyres Sathan not forgetting hys olde subtilties and sleightes deuiseth a new accusatiō whispering into the eares of kings that the Gospell will plucke their Scepters out of their handes and bycause the faithfull throughout the whole kingdom of France defende their libertie graunted vnto them by the Kings Edictes and by all lawfull causes with force of armes a new crime is nowe layde to their charge namely Sedition rebellion and treason to the king and country these crimes are obiected agaynste the godly by those which abusing the Kings name and authoritie to exercise their own tirannie ●…éeke moste of all the destruction of the Kings maiestie and bicause they haue bene let of their purpose by the faithfull therfore do they spewe out all the poyson of their hatred against them By these beginnings it shall euidently appéere how obedient the Faithful haue bene alwayes to their Princes and Magistrates that this thing béeyng layde as it were the foundation it may plainly be séene who they be which are the true authours of so many troubles as haue flowed thorough this whole kingdome God truely hath armed and fortified his Churche at thys daye with many externall helpes and fortresses yet for all that the cause is not chaunged Christe is the selfe same Christe still the Gospell is not chaunged but it is the selfe same Gospell whiche was vnreuerently handled and dealt withall in the persons of the Faithfull by the sharpe punishementes of the wicked The Faithfull are the same men still in obeying their Magistrates and in reuerencing their Princes that they were before But they are rebells whiche abusing the name and authoritie of Princes and disloyally violating all Lawe persecute the Churche go about to extinguish the Gospel and as if they were Giants furiously fight with God. And by the reading of these Commentaries the Faythfull shall finde many things which they maye applye vnto themselues to stay and comfort themselues in the middest of these troubles In these lamentable tymes manye daungers of moste greuous calamities do compasse vs on euery side many difficulties and newe troubles do dayly burst forth also But if we consider weigh the times paste we shall in very déede haue a gesse nowe what wil come to passe hereafter in our tyme For séeing God hath afore time sette and placed hys Churche in a straunge and wonderfull order We maye gather that the same God being a perpetuall keper and defender of his seruauntes will applie his power and prouidence to dispatche vs out of these our troubles the whiche is a most firme and inuincible argument Let vs call to remembrance the thicke mistes and darke cloudes of the former night let vs sette before oure eyes in what state the Church was in the dayes of Francis the first Henry the second and Francis the second All thinges were then full of feare Infinite kindes of punnishmentes and paynes were layde vppon the Church as banishmentes proscriptions and burninges Then no man durst so much as name the Gospell without he would be counted a manifest heritike Fewe men or none and that of the meaner sort when they were in their secret corners durst not once mutter of the Gospell men coulde not then enioy the libertie of the Gospell except they woulde willinglye banishe themselues their countrey and wander into foreine Nations But who will not merueile herevppon at the issue and end of those afflictions Looke what thinges were then harde of a fewe did openly ringe in the eares of all men Looke what things were reiected in some places and greatly punished were publikely receiued of the greatest part of men yea there were many of the Nobles which sealed that doctrine with their bloud By the deathes of Kyngs the Gospell had passage victorie was gotten Triumphe was made and within fewe dayes the Gospell went through the greatest parte of the Kyngdome by open sermons by publique Disputations where most men were assembled together so that the Gospell had gotten many and singular witnesses The places which had séene the tormenting fyres and ashes of the Faithfull before sawe now great assemblies and multitudes of the Faythfull gathered together to heare the worde of God and the Kynges Edictes which were altogether made for the hurt and destruction of the faythfull were at the last for all that the aduersaries could doe made to preserue the faithfull To be short these Commentaries did bring to our remembraunce and consideration such wonderfull and straunge matters the like wherof wée our selues haue not safely séene that by the prosperous and happye issue and ende of these perturbations we oughte to conceyue a sure and vndoubted hope The matter was then tryed by fyre but now by force of armes he which quenched the flamyng fires by the death and destruction of those whiche were fully purposed vtterly to ouerthrow and destroy the Churche the same Lord of hostes graund Captain of battailes shall direct and order these warres to the libertie and peace of his seruants Therfore the examples of those things which wer done in time past do plentifully shew that whatsoeuer shall happen at the length which in déede is not to be measured by humane reason shall fall out for our health and welfare and that bicause God will not leaue his worke vnperfected Wherefore I truste it is euident by the consideration of the things which are set foorth in this Booke what great profite shal come to those whom the boisterous waues of these tempests haue touched And bicause this is not a priuate matter neither appertaineth to euery one man but common to the whole Church of God dispersed throughout the whole world

how For if we beholde the same in the representation of a certain general Councell first it is not likely that all the force and vertue which the holy Ghost hath powred out vpon the Church is restrained to a certaine number of prelates which are oftentimes neuer the more learned nor any whit the better although they represent all those of whō they are sent For how oftētimes may it come to passe that some one man altogether vnlearned shall haue more wisedome thā all the learned of the whole cōpany beside Ane therfore is it writtē in the Glose Thou hast declared concerning elections that one priuate faithfull mā which bringeth better reasons ought rather to be beleued than the whole coūcel the Pope But rather in the great Nicene coūcell who did let that law of chastitie which from that time brought so manie corruptions into the Church that it might not be established One onely Paphnutius not greatly learned as the storie maketh mention Furthermore at what time was there euer so generall a Councell gathered together but that not onely the greatest part of learned men and of godly men but also of Prelates was left behind And who will denie but that they which are absent haue oftentimes had the more sound and better iudgement thā those that were present Beside these things ye also my Lordes doe know what great confusion raigneth in the Church and specially in the greatest offices of the Prelacie in so much that we may say The greatest corruption hath bene in that part which ought to haue béen more per●…ect and sounde Of late we had many examples and the holy Bishoppes haue fet suche déepe sighes for these things that the sounde of them is hearde as yet And truely the saying of S. Bernard is no lesse knowne than true when he sayth Oh Lord they which loue the hyest romes and desire principallitie are the first which persecute thee they haue taken mount Sion they haue taken the arke of the couenant and by force haue set fire on the whole Citie But let this be spoken my Lordes not that I touche or meane any of you but onely to declare that seyng the principall vocations in the Churche are so fowly corrupted it cannot be that the generall Councels after so long time established by a multitude of such wicked men should be so gouerned by the holy Ghost that it cannot erre A certaine ancient Priest prophecied also although he were vngodly and wicked but it was the holy Ghost that prophecied in him being ignorant what he sayd being driuen to speake by the contrarie spirit that is to say by the spirit of the Deuill in appointing to kill an innocent namely Christ Iesus the sonne of God. Furthermore if a general Councell haue this priuiledge that it cannot erre neither in the rule of doctrine nor in the forme of maners we demaunde when and at what time it obtained this priuiledge For there was neuer at any time but one faith one Church And the Prophetes do plainly declare and the histories doe euidently confirme the same that the ancient Church in the tyme of the olde Testament hath erred All the beholders thereof are blinde sayth the Prophet they knowe nothing they are dumbe dogges And the Prophet Ieremie sayth From the Prophet to the Priest all haue gone astray And least this should be restrained to the life of singular men it is expressely sayde in the fourtene chapter of the same Prophet They prophecie lyes and set forthe a false vision Also the Prophet Esay sayth The wisedome of the wyse shall perishe and the intelligence of those that vnderstand God shall put out the eyes of the prophetes Moreouer in Ezechiel it is sayde The lawe shall departe from the Priest. But who slewe the Prophetes who put the sonne of God to death who cōdemned the Apostles but onely the Prelates and hie Priestes of the Iewes If any man obiect and say that these things happened in the time of the olde Testamente we reply that this is no answere for bicause it shal be alwayes a strong conclusion that the congregation of the Prelates or Papistes of the Church although it be vniuersal at the last is gouerned rather by the spirite of error than by the holye Ghoste Secondly if we come to the newe Testament hath not the Apostle Paule plainely admonished the Churche in the person of the Ephesians that wolues shall come forthe from among the shepeherdes and also that the sonne of perdition shall sit in the Temple of God And certainely yf the councels be compared one with another manye contrarieties shall be found in them in so much that we must néedes confesse that they were not alwayes led and ruled by the holy Ghost but rather that Sathan hath transfigured himselfe into the lighte of the generall Councels to couer and hide his lye and error There is also another place of S. Augustine in the which he hath these words The Epistles of particular Bishoppes are corrected by prouinciall Councels and the Epistles of prouinciall Councels by generall Councelles when as by experience that which was before hidden is now manifest and knowne This place I alledged before in my firste oration to the which my lord Cardinal made answere that it ought to be vnderstoode of external matters which might ought to be altered as necessitie shuld require But y who le matter being more diligently considered it shal appéere that the worde corrected which Austine vseth doth presuppose some error which was afterward amended And S. Austine in that place dothe not intreate of externall discipline but of one speciall point of doctrine namely of the sentence of Ciprian and of the councell of Africa which concerned Rebaptizing If also this place be obiected against vs as where our sauiour Christ saith that He will be in the middest of two or three that are gathered togither in his name hereby to proue that this promise doth appertaine rather to a general councell than to a fewe men We answere that we may thus thinke of this promise but there is great difference betwéen our imagination a most certaine knowledge For seyng the wickednesse of men is growne to that passe that it abuseth the name of God to a lie there may be some which hauing the name of God in their mouth carry his aduersarie the Deuill in their heartes we do affirme that in so great infirmitie of humane wit amidst so many troublesome desires he is in gret daūger to be deceiued which only leaneth to mēs iudgements and to the external shew of a councell What thē shal we say that the doctrine of the Church seing the Church may erre is vncertaine Nothing lesse For we confesse that although we sée in part as S. Paule saith and so error may be ioyned with the truth yet notwithstāding God wil not suffer the knowledge of the principal groūdes of our saluatiō

of the Catholiques and priests whom we will and commaunde to be restoared from this tyme forwarde to the full enioyinge of all their Goods Houses Landes Possessions and Profytes whatsoeuer that they may enioye the same as they did before these troubles were begon that they maye vse their diuine seruice in those places where they were wont without interruption or trouble of any man VVe will also and commaunde that the citie and Court of Paris bee free from the whole vse of that Religion Notwithstanding whatsoeuer he be of the reformed Religion that hath any house or reuenewe in the citie of Paris or within any part of the same may freely come and goe therevnto and shal be in no perill of harme for any thing past or to come concerninge Religion All Cities shal be brought agayne to their former and wonted entercourse of bying and selling and al Straungers shall forthwith be sent out of the Realme And to the end we may the better quiet and stay the mindes of our subiectes we will and commaund that all men be vnder our protection patrociny and defence that thei be restored to their offices and reuenewes what state degree or condition soeuer they bee of notwithstanding the statutes ordinaunces and decrees made since the discease of our deare Father Henry of happie memory for Religion or for the Armour which our welbeloued Cosen the Prince of Conde hath borne or any other at his commaundement The which statutes and decrees we commaund to be voyde and of none effecte least through them they their children executors heyres or assignes should be stayed hereafter from the vse and possession of their goodes and dignities Bee it therfore sufficiently prouided by these our letters and let all men be out of doubt that we set and restore them to the possessions of all their goodes and landes which they now haue or had heretofore AND least any man should stand in doubt of the faith and true meaning of our cosen the Prince of Conde we say and affirme that we do take and accompt him for our welbeloued cosen and for a louing subiect and faithfull seruant in all our affayres In the which nomber of faithfull subiects wee esteeme and accompt al the Peeres Lordes and Nobles and all the inhabitants of the Cities Townes and Villages within this Realmes which haue taken part with our said cosen and haue serued in these tumultes of Ciuill warre in any maner of place within this Realme Thinking that those things which our subiects haue done haue proceeded frō good intent meaning and for their dutie and obedience sake Furthermore wee will and commaund that the Prince of Conde our welbeloued cosen be fully discharged of all accompts for such sommes of money as he hath himself or any other at his commaundement taken out of the Treasury and to be free also from making an accompt of such money as he hath taken out of Cities or corporat Townes or from Ecclesiasticall persons or for the coyning of money the casting of great Goonnes the making of Goonpoulder the fortefying of Cities or for the pulling downe of Edifices or buildings at the Prince of Condes cōmaundement to build vp any fort or hold Of all which thinges we discharge and fully acquite both him and all others at that time vnder his seruice by these our Letters and Edict by vs subscribed and sealed And so many as were taken either in warre or for Religions sake or which are kept in durance for any other cause wee dismisse and set at libertie by these presents Such notwithstanding excepted as are theeues and murtherers to whom the benefit of this Edict shall not appertaine AND because wee specially and aboue all thinges wish that all these causes of these troubles may be cut of and all mens mindes truely reconciled and pacified that by this consent and agreement the obedience due vnto vs may be confirmed wee will and commaund also these thinges following First that all iniuries and offences which haue growne by iniquitie of the time and by the occasions comming therof and that all othes thinges sprong vp by these tumultes may be extinguished forgotten and buried vnder foote euen as if they had neuer bene VVe denie and forbid also vppon payne of death all our subiects what state condition or degree so euer they be of to prouoke one another with contumelious woordes and to stirre vp anger by enuie of thinges past but do exhort them rather to behaue them selues louing ly one towardes another as bretherne and fellowe Citizens him that shall otherwise do wee will and commaund too bee executed forthwith without any further examination or iudgement according to the seueritie of our Edict For the which cause to the end all scruple maye bee quite taken away those our subiects shall shake of and reiect the making of any manner of Leagues or partakinges eyther within this Realme or without neither shall they make hereafter any conuocatiōs moysterings of men nor collections of money otherwise than they are permitted to do by this our Edict and that without Armour The which we straitely forbid them to do vnlesse they will incurre the punishment for breaking this Edict And we will and commaund that this our Edict be sollemnely proclaimed throughout the whole realme and that it be also put downe in the Court Roolles and diligently obserued and kept of all men THIS we commaund by our authoritie to abide firme and irreuocable for euer THE XIII day of the same Moneth Poltrot Merae the same whom we sayd before had killed the Duke of Guise was examined and after examination confessed him selfe to be giltie of the death of the Guise and for the same was by the iudgement of the Senate of Paris con demned to be drawne in peeces with fower horses This is a most cruell kind of death which hath bene euer of olde time vsed vppon Traytors The maner of the death was this They tied to the wrest of ech arme a strong rope and likewise to the small of both his legges and then the other endes of the same roopes being fastened to foure great horses the horses wers made to drawe two of them against the other two til they had rent his lims one frō another This kind of death Poltrot suffered After this his deathe there was a Libell set out concerninge his examination and published and reported also among the Germanes in the Admiralles Campe that Merae appealed the Admirall to bee the author of his wicked déede and Theodore Beza and a cer taine other Minister which he named not to be prouokers of him thereunto and the Countie Rochefoucaut as accessary to the same To this accusation the Admirall answered and affirmed the same to bee false saying that either Maerae had made no such accusation at all or els if he had made it that then he did it falsely being prouoked thereunto eyther for feare or for hope For probation wherof he alleaged the rash and

possessed by the Protestantes and so was Rochell In al partes of the realm tho●…e was some number or other of Protestantes but they were banished out of the Cities whiche made the army of the Prince of Conde to be the greater The misdemeanour and cruelty of the inhabitantes of Lions made the protestants in other places that wer more mighty in power to aryse Therfore diuers murthers were committed in diuers places and because the Catholiques had burned the churches of the protestants they in lyke manner burned their Churches to requite their crueltie In so much that in all those cities which the protestantes possessed there was not almost a church to be found which thei had not burned spoyled and beaten down to the ground the people crying that all the remnaunts of superstition must bee so taken away that afterward there may be no remembrance or signe thereof to be found While this businesse and garboyle was abroade in diuers places at Paris the papists were very extréeme and cruell agaynst such as they could but suspecte to bée fauourers of the reformed religion All men therefore were set vpon warre and tumult In the meane tyme the prince of Conde wayted for his souldiours at Sandionyse and waxed dayly more strong with new ayde The Constable being verily persuaded that he should oppresse ouercome the prince of Conde marched with all the power he was able to make from Paris takinge with him great gonnes bragging boastinge that the prince of Conde had none such to put him in perill withall but his bragges and boastes had euill successe For after that the Parisians had discharged their great shot and that the battayle began to waxe whote they being not able to abyde the charge of the Prince of Conde and his souldiours though they were the smaller number began at the first to retire and afterwards when their araye was brokē to quayle and to flée séeking to recouer the gates of the Citie so fast as they could In this battayle the Constable was sore wounded with a shot his horse also and falling to the grounde was wounded agayne and then was spéedely caryed away by certayn horsmen to Paris after the which within certayn dayes after he dyed This man had liued fiue kinges raignes being of great authoritie in Fraunce many yeres ye●… he was the second person in the realme he was also a faythfull and trusty seruaunt to the King being wyse circumspect to auoyde the daunger of his enemies vntill such time as he ioyned himselfe vnto them for the hatred of Religion Concerning the calamitie of the churches of Belgio we spake before After therefore that the people were in good hope by reason of the authoritie and promises of the Noble men that were of the Confederacy they receyued notwithstanding at length the aunswere of the Noble men which séemed to bee of greatest power in these matters That it séemed good vnto them to commit the whole matter to Maximilian the Emperour and the Princes of the Empyre whereby they should be sure to enioye the libertie of the confession of Ausburg But Valence being left destitute of ayde and therefore cruelly spoyled and the whole countrey being desolat that their purpose was frustrate For the protestantes fledd out from all places of the borders of Belgio by heapes also the Ministers chiefe Gouerners of the church of Antwerp yea and the Prince of Orange himselfe leauing his sonne at Louayne fled out of the countrey and that in good tyme as the pitiefull deathes of Counte Egmond and Horne afterwarde declared of the which we will speake anon A great parte of the Protestantes of the low Countrey fled into Englande and part into Germany and into Cleueland the Quene of Enland the princes of Germany but specially the Countye Palatyne graunting vnto them Cities to dwell in God thus prouided for his people who is always a continuall preseruer and vphoulder of his Church the whiche when horrible destruction cōmeth he buildeth vp with out the helpe of man. The Duke of Alba therefore came into Belgio otherwyse called the Lowe Countrey where he placed in diuers Cities garrisons of Spayniardes and then proclaimed the Kings Edicte concerninge the establishing of the Inquisition by whiche hée willed and commaunded the reformed religion to be altered and ordered Then also he ordeyned a new senate consisting of twelue men comonly called the Bloudy Counsaile which should sit vppon all matters concerning lyfe and death He displaced also dyuers Magistrates and set others in their roome After this he tooke a great number and cast them into prison hauing no regard or consideration of them what Religion soeuer they professed to such as were fled the countrey he appointed a day for their return and before the day was fully expired he adiudged their goodes to be confiscate Howbeit in the beginning he dissembled this cruelty and made the people beléeue that whatsoeuer had bin done before tyme for religion should be pardoned by the Kings Edict And thus were County Egmond Horne Noble men brought caught in the snare And when sharp lawes wer made concerning the inquisition the inquisitoures were not idle but played their part and cast a great number into pryson Infantes whych had bin baptised before in the reformed Churches were constrained to be rebaptised Women whose husbandes were fled for religion were constrained to be maried agayn to new husbandes and at the commaundement of the Duke de Alba many of them were forced to mary with his soulders Now the Spanish souldier began to pray and spoile in euery City Also when the dissembled clemency of Duke de Alba shewed at the first had drawen a great many home to their houses againe the Bloudy Senate was set a worke some were beheaded some hanged and some had their tungues first of all cutte out of their heades and then a bodkin thrust through their lippes these lamentable sightes were dayly to be sene but specially at Brusselles and at Antwerp Diuers Noblemen also were partakers of these punishmentes as the Battemburges which were Bretheren of a noble house and were cruelly put to death but these had more cōpany for heapes were brought at once to the place of execution And at the same time County Egmond and County Horne noble men and such as afore time had borne great offices and done to their King and Countrey good seruice wer also with this bitter reward of cruel tyranny requited and after they were beheaded their heades were set vp on forkes County Horne all the tyme of his imprisonment and euen in death shewed a singuler zeale of religion It was reported that the Duke of Alba bare towardes both of these an olde grudge but specially towardes the County Egmond for that which he had done in the affaires of France not for religions sake which neyther of them at any tyme had professed These thinges were done in the yeare of our Lord 1568 the which we haue