place hereafter Howbeit if so be that such of the race of Guise as do remaine might obteine so much fauour of God as that it would please him to turne their hearts so that they would suffer our realme to be in quiet and that contenting them selues with that which is past and so through courteous and faithful behauiours would blot out the remembrance of their former mischiefes I would be glad to breake promise and would endeuour to be the first that should cast the remembrance thereof into the pit of obliuion but in continuing the race which hitherto they haue runne they shal find both braines hands enough to resist thē And although that through crafts and treason they and their semblables haue hitherto rather then by force of armes so highly aduāced them selues yet wil the trueth in the end ouercome and haue his course so that they shal get nothing by following the steppes of their auncesters saue onely they shal become so much the more odious both vnto God men Yea they shal builde their pinacle so high that finally it shal fall vpon their owne heads and ensnare them selues If therefore they wil preuent this danger and assubiect them selues vnto their duetie it is the thing whereof I should be verie glad neither can I denie but that the house of Guise conteining them selues within their limites might haue done good seruice to the crowne of France but of seruants seeking to become masters they haue marred all and ouerthrowne both themselues and others Thus loth to be in this matter ouer tedious I beseech you friendly readers to shew a good countenance vnto this first booke vntill the comming forth of the rest which shortly shal be presented vnto your view This do I assuredly trust that you wil do in case you be natural French men that is to say affectionate vnto the seruice of God the commoditie of your countrie and the conseruation of your auncient and noble libertie Fare wel THE LEGENDE of Charles Cardinal of Lorraine and of his brethren of the house of Guise IN the yere of our Lord 1362 after the deceasse of Iohn Duke of Lorraine succeeded his eldest sonne Charles the firste who by Margaret daughter vnto Robert of Bauieres Countye Palatine had issue three sonnes as many daughters The sonnes named Charles Robert and Federic dyed without issue But of the daughters the eldest named Marie was maryed vnto Enguerand Earle of Coucy who also died without heyres The seconde called Katherine was giuen to Iames Marquise of Baden with the dowrye of three preuostshipps namely S. Dier Arches and Bruettes besides a good summe of money in consideration whereof the said Marquise renounced his whole title vnto the succession in the Duchye of Lorraine The third daughter Isabell was maried vnto Rene of Anjou the sonne of Lewes of Anjou the seconde sonne to Iohn King of France This Rene the first succeeded his father in lawe Charles in the Duchye of Lorraine seeking also the possession of the Duchye of Bar in the right of his mother Yoland of Arragon wherein Anthony Earle of Vaudemont sonne of Ferry Duke Charles brother withstood him and chalenged the sayd Duchye whereunto he was assisted by Philippe Duke of Burgundye who was offended with the mariage of the said Rene of Anjou vnto Isabell of Lorraine Hereupon in a conflicte neere vnto Bulainuille the said Rene was taken prisoner and thence conueyed vnto Dijon vnder the custodie of the Duke of Burgundye aforesaid where he was deteined fifteene yeres at the petition of the Englishmen and Burgundions vnder whom at the same time Ferry of Vaudemont sonne to this Earle Anthony did serue howbeit finally it was agreed that Duke Rene the prisoner should giue his eldest daughter Yoland in mariage vnto this Ferry of Vaudemont with the summe of two hundred thousande crownes in the name of a ransome In the meane time Lewes of Anjou Duke Rene his eldest brother intending the conquest of Naples whereof Pope Clemente had crowned him Kinge dyed without issue whereof so soone as Duke Rene was aduertised he purposed the possession of the same Realme but notwithstanding the ayde of most states of Italie as Genes Milan and other Potentates he was by the Spanierdes finally expelled Naples and forced to retire into France vnto his brother in lawe King Charles the seuenth whereas after some warre against the citie of Metz hauing knowledge of the death of his wife Isabell he resigned the whole gouernement of Lorraine vnto his eldest sonne Iohn in full intente to liue the reste of his time quietly and peaceably within his dominions of Prouence and Anjou Iohn surnamed of Calabre after he had gouerned Lorraine eighteene yeres dyed leauing a sonne named Iohn of Anjou who in the time of his grandfather Rene aforesaid fianced Anne the daughter of King Lewes the eleuenth albeit afterwarde breaking of with his said father in law through the persuasions of the Duke of Burgundye and entending by repudiating the daughter of France to conclude a mariage with Marie the said Duke of Burgundyes daughter being euen at the very point so to doe he dyed By meanes whereof Rene the seconde of that name sonne of Ferrye of Vaudemont brother vnto Duke Rene of Anjou and of Yoland sister vnto Duke Iohn succeeded in the said Duchyes of Lorraine and Bar in the yere 1473. for want of other heyres during the life of his grandfather on the mothers side Rene of Anjou of his mother Yoland whome the inhabitantes of the countrie would not accept for gouernour This Duke waged continuall warre against the Duke of Burgundye whome finally he ouerthrewe before Nancy in whose time liued his great grandfather Rene of Anjou termed King of Sicill who rested his old bones within his Duchyes of Prouence and Anjou him did Kinge Lewes the eleuenth greatly cherish and quietly entertaine fearing his association with the Duke of Burgundye and the English men who greatly thereunto sollicited him This King Rene sent worde to his nephew Rene that in case he intended to be his heyre he should wholy take vpon him the full armes of Anjou which proffer he refused well was he content to quarter togither the armes of Anjou Sicill Prouence and Lorraine howbeit vpon his other refusall his grandfather King Rene instituted Charles Earle of Maine his nephew by his brother Charles also Earle of Maine for his inheritor whereof Rene being certifyed he hasted toward his grandfather but all being done and past he returned backe againe in a great heat and King Rene died in the yere 1482. Shortly after also dyed Charles of Maine his competitor whereby Lewes the eleuenth King of France remained lord of the countries of Prouence Anjou and Maine by the gifte of the last will of the said Charles who also left vnto him the Duchye of Bar. After the death of King Lewes the eleuenth Rene of Lorraine who through the persuasion of Pope Sixtus was gone into Italie to seeke the
of the crowne he should set forth an edict the contents whereof were that no man should from thence forth retaine in his hands two offices by meanes of the which they promised vnto them selues the spoyle of the noble men aforesaide besides that vnder colour therof they might haue free accesse vnto the handling of the whole estate and so in time atteine vnto their aspiring drifts purposes and that the rather because they perceiued none of the Princes of the blood ouer hastie to intrude them selues thereinto Howbeit now before we go any further we haue to cōsider two other notable chāces which happened presently at the death of King Francis afore named This King lying on his death bed called for his sonne the Dauphine to the end familiarly to talke with him In which communication like as the soule approching vnto his departure is for the most part more free and deuoyde of worldly cares earthly burdens and al other transitorie affaires and so consequently lesse tied vnto the bodie also that in maner al men in that extremitie time and place do entreat vpon more mystical and heauenly matter then before time they are wont yea diuers through a certaine prescience of things to come which surpasseth mans natural vnderstanding and reason do prognosticate of that that is most likely to happen euen so now among diuers other aduertisements and notable instructions which this King gaue vnto his sonne one was that he desired yea and charged him not to deale with the Children of Guise neither to permit them to haue any rule in the affayres of the estate For saith he I haue manifestly perceiued and am wel assured that the whole stock of thē is naught also that in case you transgresse this my precept they are to strip you into your doublet your subiectes into their shirtes This admonition deserued both to be marked put in excution but the simplicitie of the Dauphine being bewitched by this Seneschal together with Gods heauy displeasure against Frāce would not permit the childe to followe his fathers counsaile which in this case proued but ouer true for his affirming the whole race of them to be naught did shortlye after proue it selfe certaine The same day that this great King Francis let his life at Rambouillet whereas the Dauphine for very sorowe and griefe seeing his father lie in such extremitie and therewithal being in a maner ouercome was layed downe vpon his wiues bed who the whiles sat vpon the floore shewing great tokens of anguish and heauines the great Seneschal the Duke of Guise who yet was but Earle of Aumale walked there also although contraryly affected for she was very pleasant and ioyful seeing the time of her triumph drawe on and he stil from time to time walked to the doore to hearken after newes vsing alwayes at his returne this phrase Now the yonker goeth his waies but had not that yonker seing it pleased him so to tearme him bene both he and the rest of his whole familie had bene but simple vnderlings in Lorraine still But now to our former matter let vs marke the execution of the forenamed edict concerning retaining of sundrie offices The same being concluded vpon King Frācis dead was put in practise before it was eyther sene or published For presētly the Lord of Reims displaced the Cardinal of Tournon of his office of Chanceler of the order who in displeasure resigned to thē his mastership of the chappel also The Admiral d' Annebaut loste his office of Marshalship likewise nowe therfore I wil procede to the Great Mastership for the obteining whereof the Guisians were importunate mouing King Henry to write vnto the Constable that before his cōming to the court he should by proxy resigne one of his offices either the Cōstableship or els the great mastership for they supposed that he would stil kepe the Constableship as being of greate auctority credite But were it that the King was at that time determined to exempt his gossippe from their ambition or els that he sought through the others voluntarie resignation to cōferre the said office vnto the Marshal of S. Andrewes to whome he had already broken his minde to the end by such ordinary meanes to suppresse some part of the furious attemptes of the Earle of Aumale and his brother or what other occasion soeuer there were yet certain it is that he wrote to the said Cōstable with al speed to repaire to him but not to resigne any of his estates referring that vnto their owne priuate communication at their next meeting After his cōming the King who before euen burned with earnest zeale desire to see the said Constable who so long had bene absent out of his sight was now so farre frō taking from him any of his estates that contrariwise at their first embrasings he professed him self to be ashamed that he had in his hands no office worthy his person therefore in respect of such default the more to honour his welcōming he yelded and presented vnto his said gossip his owne person Now the Lord of Reims had gotten the great seale and the Earle of Aumale had seased vpon the keies of the castle as a seasine fallen to him euen by succession But hearing the King call to the one to render the keyes and command the other to carry the seale vnto the great master whereby they should be driuen necessarily to slepe vnder the locke of the said great Master walke at the cōmandement of the Constable not in any wise to deale in matters of estate without the said gossips permission it may be easy for eche man to comprehende into what part the affections of these brethren were bent Seeing also at the same instant an other estate of Marshal of France erected to the behoofe of Iames of Albon lorde of S. Andrews which was euen the last office that remained in the Kinges hands vpon the which as vpon his last refuge the Earle of Aumale had fixed his whole hope and truste This therfore hath bene one of the foūdations rootes of their quarell against the Constable and his progenie wherein besides their manifest iniurie offered vnto their owne persons in this respecte they haue also shewed them selues verye vnthankful toward the said Constable For it is not vnknowen vnto all those who duringe the reigne of the great King Francis had anie dealings in matters of estate that as wel the father as also the vncles of the said Lords of Guise had neuer any more assured or faithful friend in France then the said Constable who long before their comming into that country was alreadie in great creditte and estimation with his Prince and afterward with incredible fauour did succeede two great masters of France the one the Lord of Boisy his cousin germaine the other the Duke of Sauoy his Father in Law and finally atteined vnto the hiest degree next vnder the Princes of the kings blood that
his iudgements whereof the Guisians toke occasion the more to trouble the estate For King Henry dyed sodenly being one of the chalengers at the tilt with the Duke of Guise who followed him at the stripe wherof he receiued his deathes wound We haue already plainely perceiued how by the warres of Picardie and Italie the Guisians emfeblished the estate of King Henry Now let vs therefore marke their dealings toward this princes person as wel in his life time as also at his death This Prince naturally was milde courteous as al men do knowe but in briefe they marueilously altered his nature so that had he liued any longer the peace with the King of Spaine would haue hatched terrible tragedies in this kingdom Before his comming to the crowne he was committed to the gouernmēt of the Cardinal who sought only to corrupt and spoyle him becomming his baude and minister of amorous behauiours The very stones cabbins and hangings of the house of Reims wherein infinite whooredomes haue bene committed doe yet speake of the same yea not content to entertaine about his person the Duchesse of Valentinois to the Queenes great griefe and spite they did through other inferiour seruants entise other ladies gentlewomē on al sides to the end through such accursed meanes to winne the fauour of this prince through the losse of his soule We wil not here speake of the filthie and foule adultery which they procured him to commit at his returne out of Piedmont while he was yet Dauphine neither of that that they haue brought vnto him such as belonged very neere vnto them selues to the end he might take his pleasure with them that is pollute him selfe in sundry and strange wise How oft hath the Cardinal fretting at his brother the Duke of Guise said vnto him that neuer uckold sung faire song Let others weye with them selues whom he touched Peraduenture Henry had companions but he was the first lost in these filthinesses through the dealing of these men Hereof it came that for the destruction both of his body and soule soone after his comming to the crowne they inuented a thousand meanes to entertaine him in wantonnes and turning his minde from God in succession of time to set al in trouble whereby themselues might fish the better We must therefore view some particularities Queene Katherine de Medicis remained barrein sundry yeres wherof King Henry being yet Dauphine was very sorowful These our lords hereupon hauing brought in the Seneschal endeuoured to procure Henry to send home his wife into Italie Yea once at Rossillon vpon Rosne they helde a great parliament in ful determination to send home this Queene who afterward was wel assisted by the Cardinal of Chastillon in the same matter Then seemed she an earnest Christian on the one side the Bible was stil vpon the table wherein sometime her selfe read sometime she caused others to reade On the other side it chanced that vpon the commandement of the great King Francis Clement Marot had translated thirtie psalmes into French which were set in musicke by sundry good musitions for both the King and the Emperour Charles the fifth had allowed of this translation as appeared both in their wordes and rewards But whosoeuer loued or feruently embraced them ordinarily either singing or causing them to be soung this yong Prince Henry then Dauphine was nothing behind wherupon the Godly praised God and his minions yea the Seneschal her selfe counterfeited a loue of them would say to him My lord Shal not I haue this you shal giue me that if it please you Wherby sometimes he had enough to do to satisfie both his own fancy and theirs also Howbeit he especially kept for him selfe the hundred eight and twentieth Psalme beginning thus Blessed art thou that fearest God c. Whereto himselfe set a tune both verie pleasant and correspondent vnto the wordes The same did he so often sing and cause to be sung that euery man might thereby perceiue howe desirous he was to be blessed in stocke as that psalme doeth importe Shortly hereafter the Dauphine multiplied in children but her husband Henrie in steade of acknowledging such a benefite began to followe the abominations of this villanous Seneschal doing worse then before so that I may as I suppose say this blessing was turned into a curse wherevnto the Cardinal of Lorraine was a fit instrument For he perceiuing that Henrie delited in these holie songs which are the bulworkes of chastitie and capital enemies vnto al filthines fearing lest thereby with the time he might be wonne the better to loue his wife and to send away his harlot and so consequently the credite of my Lords of Guise being builded vpon so filthie a foundation shoulde fall downe began first to reproue the translation and then the Psalmes them selues substituting in their steades the lasciuious verses of Horace together with other foolishe songs and abominable loue matters of our French Poets whome he brought into credit Then began Ronsarde Iodelle Baife and other vile Poets to come into estimation And God no longer permitted his Name to be so prophaned but plucked away his praises to the end to commit them to the mouthes of infants and babes The Psalmes and Marot him selfe were together banished Al kinde of vile songs and lasciuious musike tooke place through the especial fauour of the Cardinal the Mecenas to al these villanous inuenters And the better to end al their labour they through the Seneschal tooke from the King al godly musike and depriued the Queene of her chaplaine Boteyler who in those daies preached the word syncerely giuing vnto King Henrie a Sorbonical doctor of their owne a man both ignorant and wicked euen to the end and so plucked out of his heart that litle sparke of godlines which peraduenture was entred therinto Afterward they became King Henries companions especially after he was King yea in more wise then honestie could endure Here therefore to rehearse and stirre vp such villanies it were but to much to trouble the readers Let such therefore as can call to minde all the time passed since the yere 1550. euen vnto death with me reduce before their eies the wicked practises which the Guisians haue practised vpon this poore Prince First in the destructiō of his soule maintaining a harlot in his bosome and behauing them selues so vnworthilie in his seruice as that willingly I wold to God I had neuer heard speaking thereof The verie tablets made and presented vnto the Cardinal him selfe together with his countenances and maners of behauiour haue sufficiently shewed it Againe what goodnes haue they done to the Queene Nay what euil haue they not committed against her Henrie left foure sonnes aliue First how they dealt with Francis we shal presently perceiue What confusions haue we through their meanes bene tossed withal during the raigne of Charles Or if the Cardinal liued how would he handle Henry the third through the meanes of Queene Louyse
of the renewing of the offices of the whole realme which summe if all at once it should be disboursed would surpasse the prodigalitie of al Princes that euer were hoping after her to enioye the same them selues During these matters the Lord of Reims gaping after more promotions whereby he might the better order his intents through the meanes of the aforesaid Seneschall obteyned fauourable letters from King Henry to Pope Paul the thirde who in that time curryed fauour with all Christian princes to the end through their ayde to be reuenged of the Emperour Charles the fifth for the death of his abominable sonne Peter Lewes whereby also the Lord of Reims whome the Seneschal called but master Charles filled his own bagges with the sale of his masters fauour By meanes therefore of these letters about the end of Iulie in the yeare 1547 he was created Cardinal vpon occasion whereof vnder pretence as wel of the Council of Boulogne as also of many other affaires which him selfe deuised he vndertooke a voiage into Italie through other two principal motions The first was for the concluding of the mariage aforesaid of his brother vnto the Duke of Ferara his daughter The other to the end to shew his persō and so be knowen in Rome whereby he might in time to come the better order his driftes and deuises Being there he tooke vpon him the title of Cardinal of Anjou but into what peril through that presumptuous folly he brought him selfe most men do knowe For had not the great Seneschal stood his friend he neuer durst haue shewed his face in France any more albeit howsoeuer it came to passe he was compelled to leaue his title of Anjou beyond the Alpes and at his returne to accept the surname of his ancestours and country whereupon we shal hereafter cal him as him selfe hath especially after his vncles deceasse done the Cardinal of Lorraine At his cōming home to the court he so laboured king Henry that the Earledome of Aumale was erected into a Duchie therby to hasten the marriage of his brother Francis vnto the aforenamed Duke of Ferraras daughter which shortly after was consummate After this time began they to procure their owne aduancements and to lay the foundation of their tyrannie ouer al men both riche and poore in France We wil therefore begin with their vncle Cardinal Iohn who was the instrument to translate master Charles from the College of Nauarre vnto the Courte Not forbearing vntil that through his decease he might enriche them with his benefices they neuer left especially master Charles to pluck frō vnder his elbow al that possibly they could through a kinde of importunatenes not farre different frō meere violence This good nephue found meanes to make his vncle desirous to forsake the courte procuring vnto him such seruants as pleased him and frustrating him of those which were the most faithful vnder whatsoeuer colour he thought best and delt with him in such maner as that to his power he stripped him euen into his shirt in so much that shortly a soden death for he liued ouer long for his nephues commoditie caried him away at his returne from the election of Pope Iulius the third in the yere 1550. At that time did his nephue become famous in Rome procuring a Cardinals hat for his brother the Cardinal of Guise the ouerliuer of al the six brethren at which time also was ended consummate the aforesaid marriage of the eldest brother vnto the daughter of Ferrara Hauing thus vnclothed their vncle before he were ready to goe to bed let vs consider how they handled him after his death This man dyed indetted vnto many marchants but especially of Paris leauing such welth in moueable goods as was great yea and more then sufficient to haue discharged al. After his deceasse his creditors drew toward his nephue the Cardinal of Lorrain who together with the Cardinal of Guise had raked vp al his liuings but himselfe alone had seased vpon al the moueables to whom he answered that he was not his heire For such men doe neuer accompt him heire who seaseth vpon the goods as the practitioners do tearme it do medle with the inheritance but him onely who saith I am he But now no man spake that word for the Cardinal of Lorraine ment to haue the goods of free cost and as for his brethren they would not pay because they had not the goods Againe it is not vnknowen that benefices by a certain rigour of Law are not chargeable with the dettes If therefore the said Cardinal of Lorraine had at the first willed most of them to looke for nothing yet in losing of their dettes they should haue bene good gainers for then should they haue saued both their time and cost which they wasted in wayting almost two whole yeres to know the end of this fetch which he caused one of his men to playe to whome he gaue cōmission to peruse the dettes of the party deceased and the same to verifie and set in order as he tearmed it with other such like tearmes of practise which stil were in this commissioners mouth In the meane time they do make an inuentory saith one a description saith an other a remembrance sayth another but whatsoeuer it were among al the dead mans mouables was to be found in the end nothing by the report and conscience of his nephue saue a few olde stooles and settles with a litle rotten tapestrye good to make sport with al which to be briefe was the whole inuētory of al that that the Cardinal would not haue But the sport was to heare his talke hereupon Whensoeuer the merchants of Paris came in his presence Me thinketh would he say these fleas do bite me an other time Tush they be Englishmen Saluters or giuers of good morowes Againe comming to the particulars To one he is an vserer of Paris to an other he hath not yet deliuered his wares to an other he sould it for six times more then it was worth to another he hath receiued some money in part of payment to another Nothing is dewe signifying you get nothing which title comprehended the greatest nomber But vnto those to whome he shewed greatest fauour he vsed to say Help to paye your selues not meaning Hold forth your hands and take but giue and acquite For when a man had forgiuen halfe or two third partes yea three quarters and more yet looking vpon his booke he should finde no more receiued then that which he had acquitted and forgiuen And for the rest Aske would he say some composition some right or priuiledge or some other thing of the King and I wil healpe you vnto it which was as good as if he should haue sayd to the merchāts Go euery one of you kil one or two and I wil procure your pardons for the sale of the settels stooles and tapestry was put of vntil the day after domes day Wherevpon two notable