of your ruine You are like the man that would holde a handfull of Ants in his fist perforce The redoubling of the late Kinges Guardes could not preuent the day of the Barricades The establishing of new Captains and Lieutenaunts made by my Lord your Brother could not for stall his ill happe when the time was come And touching the Spaniards if you hope to haue any ayde of them to resist the common hate of the people which I see altogether framed against you I doubt not but a while they will bridle thē yet at last scape It was a rule which neuer succeeded well to any Prince when he sayd Let them hate me yet they shall feare me because that it brings this comentary with it that there is nothing so long a depositaire as feare But let vs giue all fashions that wee may to our discourse for I desire nothing so much as that I may see you prosper There remaines one meanes which shall be more sweet and myld to haue recourse to Fryers which oftentimes tyrannise our consciences by places of the Scripture which they appropriate to their passions That had beene good at the fyrst when choller did transport and beare vs away for then they might haue made vs haue beleeued that you were enterd into some towne of Tours into the Suburbe of the which you were no sooner entred then you retired and as touching the battayle of Yuny sith victorie shoulde doubtedly haue been on your side and when they shold assure vs that in all the Townes of the Kings side there was publique Religion preached These were thinges which be beleeued and yet notwithstanding the tyme hath proued them false Then we were in a burning Ague which since is turned into a Tertian hauing certain dayes of respit and some hope that our Feuer will be gone The often letting of blood long dyeting which we haue kept hath now healed vs. VVee begin nowe all God be thanked to reknow our selues on al parts Euerie man is starued for want of peace and perhaps the Parisians worst starued then all the rest VVee see our great Suburbs turnd topsie turuy which before coulde compare with the greatest Townes and Citties of Fraunce VVe see our noble Colledges sometime Nurses of all nobilitie in Europe serue nowe for Milk-houses for wenches lodgings for Souldiours and stalls or Cattell That great house of Loure the auncient place of aboade of our Kings to haue serued for the pryson and execution place infinite Citties to be enoblised with the ruine of ours which now is now no more then a carkasse the greater part of the Lords of the Parliament Chamber of Accounts Generals of iustice to keepe prison in theyr houses yea and to carry their prisons with them although to please you they seeme not to doe so VVee see a multitude of Brothels Stewes almost at euery doore and that amongst the greater O the good and holy Religion If in the Courte of the King of Nauarre such a thing should be they should knowe and heare of it In this meane season the poore people die for hunger and thirst The gladdest of the Bourgesses is happy to become a Cow-heard to gette his lyuing other to liue by the sight of a little Rabbit as if this great and royall Cittie were become altogether Desert All the playne Countrie remains desolate and barren You haue promised euen from the beginning of these troubles vtterly to confounde the part of the professors and vnder these promises both you and my Lords your Brothers haue sette all Fraunce on fyre VVee see not so much as one poore Cottage where the religion was exercised which you haue brought vnder obedience to the Church It is nowe a yeere since you made vs promise to make vs Maisters of Saint Denis Pont de Gournay Corbeil and Melun vvhich stop the passage of our Conuoyes VVhere is the execution of your promise For consolation of all our ils you haue taken one poore Towne of Noyon and is not that a fayre peece of worke But what fruite haue we of it in Paris VVhat Towne haue you taken in which wee poore Catholicks haue not indured more ils then they of the Religion Haue wee not then great cause of discontentment against you that to maintain your greatnes the poore man hath neither foode nor peace VVhen I say your greatnes I most humbly beseech you my good L. to be pleased onely to open your eyes and but see what are the instruments thereof You are entituled Lieu-tenaunt generall of the Crowne of Fraunce that Crowne which without a King is but a thing imaginary You shyne outwardly but inwardly you conceiue a thousand sorrowes that oppresse your minde For notwithstanding all the Lieutenantshippe generall that you beare neither Mounsier de Nemoux your Brother nor Mounsier de Guyse your Nephew nor Mounsier de Mercliel your Cosin will scarce holde you for such in those places which they hold As concerning Townes hovv many are there which acknowledge not you but from the teeth outwarde and withall woulde neuer receiue garrison and at a neede are ready enough to deny you theyr gates These are populer estates in regarde of the King of Spayne you nourish the one against the other an inward malice among your selues He aydes you vnder a sure purpose which he hath to impatronise himselfe of our Realme and to play you such a tricke as hee dyd the Duke De Horne and the Countie De Aeiguemont after that according to your authority and guiding the King of Nauarre shalbe expulst You on the other side call him to your succour esteeming that when you are come to the height of your work you shal haue meanes enough to frustrate him of his hopes Call you that raigning or rather to bee tyrannised in your selfe by your proper conscience And after all these things you think to haue the winde at your will If the King of Spayne liue he will be weary of that if hee die where are you If he be not wearie of it the people will be weary of him and his for there is nothing so incompetible as the nature of the French with the Spanish And to seperate the will of the people from you to speake in good and true English is to cast you away Consider you not the cheer and ioy that was generally conceiued whilst yet there was nothing but euen a litle speech of peace with what good will it hath gathered together the refuges vvhich vnder the publique faith of this conference are entred into this Towne Did you not see them at the first present themselues before our Deputies in whole swarmes beseeching them in all humblenesse to haue pittie on them to be Mediators for this so much desired peace You now hinder them by deafe means Did I say deafe nay rather most open and truely this ioy these sightes the prayers and vowes of the poore for peace are but euen so many instruments of the extraordinary proces of your fortune VVe mourne most hartilie for the breach of peace and are sorry for it in our soules you by your presence make vs shed our teares God graunt that the patience of the Parisians cease not euen as the headlong downfall of some Riuer which we would stop I feare I beleeue and see that by the same progression which the King vsed by the same you will cast away your selfe He assembled estates at Bloys to ruine our house that was his owne you assemble the Estates at Paris thinking to strike the last blow at the fortune of the King of Nauarre God graunt it may be the last to your selfe I hold opinion that the Parisians of force must accord to your pleasure indeed there wants but two or three Townes which should band themselues on your side to serue for example to all other euen so as when wee forsooke the late King of Fraunce VVel I make no doubt that if to oppose themselues against a King that was their lawful and vndoubted heyre they woulde make Barracades against him they ende not like your tragedy that gourmandize in deuouring them Against you I say who from henceforth shall be accounted a most notable vsurper of that greatnes you hold You haue beene the rod of God to chastice our Kings which I trust he wil at last throw into the fire of his indignation and if he doe it not the most excellent victory which euer you can obtaine is that against Sampson to remaine amidst all the ruines of Fraunce It is there where I will end my remonstrance which I most humbly beseech you my most excellent good Lord to read and examine in your selfe which hauing done I shall haue attained the furthest of my desires but if your leysure be not such yet at the least wise let them be imparted to the people Conditionally that if anie of ours think that I haue failed in any poynt I will not be sorry that they make me aunswere promising them to shew that I haue left more behind then I haue spoken FINIS
REMONSTRANCES TO THE DVKE DE MAYNE Lieu-tenaunt generall of the Estate and Crowne of Fraunce Wherein by way of information are discouered diuers priueties concerning the proceedings and affayres of that Duke and his Associates Trulie translated out of the French coppie printed at Paris by Ant Ch LONDON Printed by Iohn VVolfe Anno. 1593. Remonstrances to the Duke de Mayne Lieu-tenaunt generall of the Estate and Crowne of Fraunce Wherein by way of information are discouered diuers priueties concerning the proceedings and affayres of that Duke and his Associates MY Lorde the auncient dutie that I beare to your house the seruice which after none I haue vowed vnto you commaundeth mee to make you these remonstrances which in most humble manner I beseech you to reade with such affection as I present them vnto you withal from him which after the honor of GOD hath nothing in so much esteeme as the repose of this estate and in like manner of you al which is yours VVe all aspyre vnto peace and yet there is none that hopeth it great mis-fortune euery man diuines his owne ill knoweth and seeth the cause of it I must tell you freely my opinion of the matter I haue since these troubles alwaies excused your demeanure vntill this day I say expresly excused although it may seeme that this word may fal vnrespectiuely from my pen but in regard that the question was not of smal consequence VVhether it were standing with law that a Subiect might take Armes against his King yet notwithstanding the iust passion which you haue conceiued of the death of my Lordes your two Bretheren the people whom you founde voluntarily disposed and aboue all seeing he that pretends for the Crowne is diuers from our auncient Religion al that I say considered gaue you cause to take Armes after not to desist from the bearing of them So much as concernes the first poynt the true blood cannot lie none can say how pleasing that reuenge is but he that hath receiued iniury and withall what the fashion of their two endes hath procured may be the more a meane to good minds to extinguish the memory of it though doubtles they were of great importance As touching the second cause the people had a farre off confirmed themselues in an obstinate enuie to their King which euen died of ioy to heare the newes of Bloys And as concerning the last it is very hard to take from vs the feare which wee haue conceiued of the subuersion of our auncient Religion if we submit our selues vnto a King diuers from vs therein I desire not to impeach the famous memorie of the last King neyther that of my Lords your Bretheren neither yet the proceeding of the King of Nauarre and farre lesse your owne for it is my intent to proceede with few words not of sharp intention or ceremonies to the drift of my discourse for I call God to witnes I haue no intention to write in a partiall humor You represent at this time in the infortunate Theater of Fraunce a mighty Prince think not that your proceedings by howe much the more they are apparant may not but be so much the more exposed to adulation and bee subiect to slaunderous inuectiues and surelie it is hard to iudge which of these two is aptest to preiudice your fortune Those which adapt themselues to impeach it with slaunders say That neither reuenge nor disorder in affayres beseemes you to take Armes but that they were only pretexts to culler your desseignes And as touching the new religion of the King that it is apparant by your proceedings that you take holde of it as an opportunity or masque to shadow your pretence haue vsed the same as a mist to delude our eyes withall whilst meane while you couer in your heart an vnmeasured ambition intending the subuersion of the whole state That vntill nowe they remained as blinde in conceiued passion but now that time hath taught them to see cleerly euen as before they had their eares stopped against whatsoeuer proposition might be obiected to you and that contrariwise they haue both eyes eares too great to afflict your honor and reputation For first as touching the reuenge they all affirme vna voce that your own selfe was the first and last that condemned the progresse of my Lorde the deceassed Duke of Guyse your Brother his policies And firstly because that in the yeere 1585. beeing solicited by him to enter into that part of the holy League you were sixe whole weekes before you would condiscend Lastly for that fiue or sixe daies before his death you aduertised the King of an enterprise that he intended against his Maiestie And withal these fellowes can tell that you were not of such internety with him but that to infest or hasten his death you would sette fire in the midst euery corner of the kingdom for you complained your selfe most apparantly at Vimory that hee had layd waite to butcher you though against his expectation you had had good successe at the last adiewe of you two you failed to come to the enterprise If the same be true or not you best know sure it is that who so wold enter into the demeanure of your two Bretheren with the Estates of Bloys should necessarily be inforced to confesse that there was sufficient subiect to induce the King to a dispaire They had so wel grounded their desseignments that the three parts of the Deputies of which the fourth did all was at their will and deuotion the chiefe Presidents of euery order were theyr principall partakers There past not any Holy-daie in which our Ministers preach't not amongst the Iacobins and with a holy throate tore not in peeces the honour of the King his Seruaunts From day to day Embassages went betweene Paris and the two Bretheren we continued euery day in making prouisions not against the King of Nauarre but against the King our Soueraigne The Duke of Guyse made publique protestations that he would not bee disseuered from the confederacie betweene him and the King of Spayne and al this notwithstood the vnion by him sworne with the same King vpon the holy Sacrament of the Altar Nothing was concluded in the assembly which before was not at large debated on betweene the two Bretheren in secrete which tended not to the shame confusion of the King of all which there were made braues vauntings by litle litle men which els had not dared to haue lift vp theyr eyes vnlesse vnder the protection of these two Princes The King came to prayers as wel amongst the Deputies to be amongst them more acceptable as to the Duke of Guyse to mollefie him And to all this there will be no lystning It was not aboue foure or fiue dayes before theyr two endes that the Duke of Guyse himselfe iniured the King about the Towne of Orleance It cannot bee but that some of his seruaunts euen my Lady your Mother full
of all goodnes and vnderstanding knowing that al these goades might sting the King to the hart and gyue hym cause to misdeeme counsailed him to retire to Orleance where his life shold quickly be disposed of for the conseruation of that of my Lord the Cardinal your brother which shoulde haue contained himselfe within Bloys your selfe can witnes all this And this is the reason why these fellowes that impeach your proceedings so slaunderously say that measuring the opinion and respect of the King by your owne you would neuer haue conceiued hard opinion of their ends for your selfe fell into the like desaster with Sacremore for some I know not what desire he had to attempt against the family of your wiues house and after those troubles in the person of the Marquis of Menelay murdered onely vpon a bare suspition that he would broach newe deuises against your selfe And more-ouer that you fel into dislike with ill gouernments of the deceased K. to the end therby to make your selfe Protector of the people the same contemplatiue Doctors play vpon you thus in that respect inferring that you haue borne a great sway in these matters withall for further confirmation produce diuers Edicts pretending their vtter subuersion which by often importuneties you haue obtained of the King As for example that of the particuler Lieuetenant of the chosen through all Citties Townes Borroughes and townshippes of Fraunce the most wicked infortunate that hath happened in our age and to confirme this desire no better witnesse then your selfe of Mounsier Ribault Treasurer generall of your reuenewes which then sollicited the pursuit of the verification as well in the Court of wardes as elswhere They persist and affirme that what countenaunce so euer either you or the Duke of Cuyse had sette vpon the beginning of these troubles you intended to be irreconcileable enemies to the Heretiques and to make that more apparant you had diuerse Preachers in pay vnder you which shold serue you for trumpets yet neuerthelesse I know there is no such meaning betweene GOD and your soule For that after the death of the Admirall Chastillon in the yeere 1572. the house of Guyse was a secure Sanctuary to the most parte of the Nobility that professed the religion and your selfe my Lord had neuer better meanes to reduce the Dalphinate vnder the obedience of the last King then by a truce wrought by your selfe twixt the Lord D' Ediguire and his partakers which you knewe so well to entertaine that from that time you were surnamed The Prince of the fayth by reason you had so faithfully kept your faith and promise Loe such be the discourses and reports which these slaunderous enemies of yours make to your disaduantage which I woulde desire might bee buried with the death of the deceassed King How then more-ouer will you fore-stall this if fortunately it shoulde be obiected that you onely intende to haue peace which most freely is profered by our enemies VVhy all the quarrel that we haue with the King of Nauarre is but for matter of Religion But take away that obstacle you cannot deny but that the Crowne is peculier to him notwithstanding al the declarations that the Duke of Feria would not long since haue preuented it with For if after the death of the deceassed King we should adiudge the Crowne to my Lord the Cardinall of Bourbon as next in degree notwithstanding the much distance of consanguinitie which there is between them I see no cause of sufficient argument why we should reiect this auncient and first of the bloode but onely for this that we hold him diuers from vs in regard of religion which might worthely be proued no obstacle at all if we respect his promise which hee hath made conditionally that he would be content to yeeld himselfe vppon the conuent of Estates and Prelats of his kingdom Now in respect of the peace treated on the last yeere between the Lordes of Villeroy and Plessis Mornay the first proposition that the first of these two made and I thinke that hee did it vppon the instructions from your own mouth was that we would acknowledge the King of Nauarre for our right and lawfull King and that wee had no desire to force his conscience but recommending the whole to God whom it might please to shyne forth the beames of all happines on him insomuch that all their conference was vpon the assuraunce required of you VVhich notwithstanding it was aunswered euen to your minde yet vppon the last gaspe you reuoked your Deputy shewing in kinde at that time that you neuer had such feare as that which then returned vnto you of parting with any thing that might detract from the maintayning of you in your wonted greatnesse In which if poore I may belieued you did most wisely For for to mooue dispute with the King of Nauarre touching matter of Religion it was asmuch to say silently an accord that you had beene instructed not to lay by Armes after the death of the deceassed King for other subiect then a singuler zeale and in so dooing you layd an especiall ground of your reputation in euery place but aboue all in Rome And there is the principall drift of all your affayres Since which time of treaty you haue assembled the Estates of Prouinces and Citties with intent to chuse vnto vs a King but before ouerture to this matter you made a protestation full of all piety importing most expresse significations that you neuer had vndertaken thys quarrel but only in this regard that the King of Nauarre was an Hereticke and that when he should be reconciled to the Church you would be most content to holde him for your King Protestations which awake both the one the other vppon which since that time we are entred into conference with an vnspeakeable ioy euen of those which before helde nothing in like feare with peace and in thys conference we haue vtterly derogated from that of the last yeere For first wee sticke at this that it is questionable whether the King of Nauarre woulde make himselfe Catholicke or no declaring that where he woulde not be such that there this conference was to no effect But in case that he were found conformable we should afterward bethinke vs of assurance I haue neuer hearde a matter proceeded on with lesse simplicitie vnlesse by our enemies for euen from the first motion they embraced thys proposition and commended two Lordes of theyr part to communicate it to the King which not by anie intreatie of his owne people but of his proper motion pronounced his wil not to be of himselfe but to insist in that of his own Bishops Prelats This worde was no sooner spoke but through all the Townes vnder him general Processions were made to giue God thanks that he had inspired so holy a desire into their Prince VVe alone haue sung the Requiem as feareful that through this desperate passage issue might be found for the
which thing was continued vnder the 3. line witnesse the great counsell of Cleremont in Auuergne In briefe I see not any one Pope which hath so much forgot himselfe but only good-face or Boneface the 8. against Phillip the faire but God would that with open signes he shold confesse the repentance of such sin to serue as an example vnto his successors how to enterprise any thing against any king When the Emperor Theodosius had caused the generall massacre of the Thessalonians to be made what stopt the doore of the Church against him S. Ambrose Archbishoppe of Mylan who opened it vnto him after penitence Went the Emperor to Rome No it was the selfe same Ambrose And are wee better Christians then S. Ambrose or S. Remy Shal we cōdemne the actions of al our auncient Prelats of Fraunce It shall folow that they were hereticks if the Maxime which we propounde to the king of Nauarre be true yet there is no doubt made but that they were all most holy and sanctified men But what religion is this of ours VVee haue taken Armes against our most dread Soueraigne and indoubtable king without any licence from the See we haue made a Saint or canonized brother Fryer Iacques Clement his murtherer without going to Rome treading vnder feete the example of Dauid toward Saul VVe are commanded to obey our kings notwithstanding they be euen Pagans Now after all this our King will be Catholick do penance worthy his fault euen in the midst of the French-church yet we wil indent with him turn him ouer to Rome Good God what neede haue we of further ceremony then that which wee woulde vse if willingly we would submit our selues to his obedience Tis true but you wil tel me that you suspect deceits Call you thē deceits when in the face of the church before all our Bishops and Prelats he wil make confession of his fayth in the presence of the Princes and the Officers of the Crowne which shall be there called to witnesse If he hyde any deceipt in his heade he will be the first that shall be deceiued for GOD often-times deceiues the deceiuer It cannot be thought but that all good Catholiques which haue made generall professions onelie on his bare declaration will be prompt enough to forsake him if he againe forsakes God It woulde be the greatest and easiest victory which you could obtaine of him if he be so obstinate as not to yeeld after a faith plighted of all his owne Friendes And as touching you my Lord whom I honour and reuerence aboue all other thinking that there could be nothing but a holy zeale that did accompany your holie actions thinke not but God will confounde all those counsels and deceits what masque soeuer of authority you passe them vnder if it fortune so that the King of Nauarre should but onely satis-fie hys fayth You shal be neither the first nor the last of yours which shalbe fallen into this desaster I will acknowledge freely that to increase your greatnes in ful perfection you haue not forgotten any one poynt First seeing the fury of the people to haue all authority you made your selfe altogether popular leauing the Controwlershippe generall of the Towne of Paris to sixteene persons of most lowe condition which the lycence of time gaue reason to suspect and to one counsell of forty you commended almost all the affayres of estate in retayning them from you and then dyd you scarce knowe the way of Paris Not long after you broke of this counsell of fortie approching it neere to your person The necessity after the siedge was raised taught vs for our owne security not to refuse a garison of Spaniards From that time forward you fought betweene two extremities between the King of Spayne and the Comminaltie For notwithstanding you make fayre wether with the King of Spayne yet you would be right sorry that he shoulde haue attained the drift of all his inuentions And in like case although he aydes you for the defray of thys warre yet he would be sorrie too that you shoulde haue your wish The Duke of Parma the interpositus in these affayres hath shewed it wel as often as euer he came to our succours well he is dead and that makes you more assured of your hope The Sixteene by a desperate fury haue lost the deceased Mounsier the President Brisson and Arcter counseller in the Parliament This iniustice inuites a publique choller of all in generall and moueth you by these means to make the boldest trait of estate that euer was since these troubles because you caused foure of these 16. to be hanged and that at one instant you brought to beggery that little Tyrant of Paris Bussy le Cleere chasing him from the Bastillion the sanctuary of all his robberies and thefts And since you haue much more familiarisde your selfe with our Towne of Paris then erst such be the meanes by the which you haue made your selfe Maister of the people beeing assisted of the Spanish garrison and hauing swallowed downe the whole authoritie of those 16. now you haue to combat with the king of Spayne which feedes on the wind of the Crowne of Fraunce But to keepe him in breath betwixt hope and feare you enter into dyuerse motions of peace which euen withall you breake as soone as you make them and that after fayre proffers These you break I say to shew that you haue both peace and warre in your hands and that you haue meanes to bring all these Spanish vanities to nought if he still aydes you not with men and money by this meanes stretching the very quintescence of euen halfe halfe a farthing to make thereof the principall stay of your greatnes And since wee are nowe in some path toward peace let Mounsier the Spanish Legate be ridde till his backe be gauld O but you haue erected Marshals of the vnion to the intent that if a peace should fortune these woulde be a singuler peece of good to you and that beeing nowe in war the peace may confirme them Is it possible to haue acted with more wittie endeuours then you haue doone euen to the end and yet I despayre to for I iudge it fatall to your house to worke ruine to that of Burbon to be as circumspect as may be yet neuerthelesse at length all vanisheth to idle smokes and that euen then when you thinke your selfe neerest the perfection of your will Euen so did it befall my Lord your Father in Orleance the yeere 1560. when vnder the authority of Frauncis the second whom he was possessed of intending to spoyle both of lands goods and life the deceassed King of Nauarre and the Prince of Conde God tooke away the king euen when he thought that he could not chuse but haue his full will euery way Euen so of latest memory fortuned it to your Brothers which neuer endeuoured anie thing so much as to declare the vnhability of the King
of Nauarre and hovv incapable he was of the Crown Such fatall discent is there betvveene your two houses bee it that the quarrell of the house of Bourbon is more iust in regarde of hys blood royall or that the desaster of your house is such I am not that Nostradamus that by an interlaced coppie of words obscure in 1553. wold by his fore-smellings diuine the mishaps in which we are novv plunged Sure it is that seeing the late Kings dissolute liuing had ingendered in the harts of his subiects a generall discontentment I held it for sure that he should liue to see the vtter ruine of his estate himselfe for in his actions there was such a flowing of particularities as the very least was sufficient to ouerthrowe a Prince But when on the otherside I considered the demeanures of the Duke of Guyse his arriuall vnexpected in Paris the shameful and yet happy retreate of the King the election of Prouosts made of Merchants and chiefe men of that Towne in all poast the Brauadoes that they gaue the King demaunding theyr confirmation assignments and pryces of Townes to his teeth whilst a treaty of peace was concluding the stay of the verification of the Proclamation of vnitie to disapoynt entertaining the auncient Captaines of the Towne and their Lieu-tenaunts and to suborne other to his deuotion and al that which since that time he enterprised in Bloys by me heere-to-fore particularised I promised vnto my selfe no lesse matter and man of him then the king the one by growing too loose in his actions toward his Subiects the other too ambitiously familiar towards hys King insomuch that the ouer-crowing of the people towardes their King the day of the Barracades vvas euen the same of the King ouer the Duke of Guyse the third of December following You perhaps will tell mee that I doe nothing but recapitulate things as they haue fortuned I pray God they may most happily liue and ioy eternall felicity to whom I haue afore-hande diuiningly imparted them There be some matters of estates as infallible as the rules running according to the Mathematiques It is the very same that made me feare some I know not vvhat mis-fortune of you I doubt not but the Baise les mains euidences vvhich you receiue now of a troupe of such as are slaues to your fortune hath caused you to fore-see asmuch to theyr promotions vvhich fortune proueth as improuedently to them as improuedently dooth that of you to your selfe They furnish you vvith sophisticall memoratiues to make this effect of conference and agreement vtterlie voyde doubting that if such a peace shoulde fortune theyr fine knacks vvoulde haue no longer induraunce none of them are capable of the auncient modestie of a Romane Cincinatus My Lorde I most humbly beseech you hold not your selfe scandelisde if I terme those sophistical memoratiues the returne which you commend to the King of Nauarre vnto the See of Rome whom we ought to esteeme for our most dread Soueraigne vvhensoeuer he shall be made a true Catholick for before that time I shall neuer agree vpon that poynt or Article For our auncient decrees Canons of Fraunce cannot neither doe accord vpon this sending of the king to Rome Yet neuerthelesse if this See of the Pope vvere implacable if in our Popes there were not found a thousand angry intractable passions tovvards those Princes which prosterne themselues euen at his feete in briefe if they were not disturbers of all estates politique when soeuer we suffer them to raigne ouer vs. VVell say vvee that wee may lawfully sende hym to Rome yet euen in this we trouble the estate of Fraunce and that of the holy Church thereof which is the especiall sinew and dependant of the Romish Church but are not all histories full of the miserable spectacles It is no heresie to reade them since we read them in one Platin which by reason they haue altogether beene nourished in the Court of Rome doe what they may for the aduauncement thereof More-ouer I say that if the case were put that such a thing might be tollerated let vs speake with a true hart the Pope which now is hath he not beene and is he not a creature of the King of Spayne before but Cardinall Cremone a Towne at his deuotion and brother to one of the greatest fauorites It is well known what bribes King Phillip gaue to haue him preferd how much of his purse was bestowed in effecting that complot what supporters he hath in Rome whilst obstacles are layd before any that is friend to the French-king It is well knowne how that most wise and right Catholique Marquis of Pisam hath beene intreated All knowe that the Pope is content to sende vs into a Fraunce a Legate altogether Spanish and yet to second him he would haue sent another Cardinall de Pelce a Norman espaniolised a man which neuer did good but when he intended worst esteemed for such almost in euery Consistory wheresoeuer Pope Sixtus the fift had to doe I hold that by hazard and not by any good policie he sent these vnto vs. Thinke you that he dare incounter with the King of Spayne his neighbour beeing so ambicious as hee is in regard of Naples and Sicelie which holdes so many intelligences with Rome Hath not my Lord the Legate with reuerence be it spoken spend out all the venim which he had hid in his breast when hee sawe that the King of Nauarre was fully bent to become a Catholique and that the matter of peace was not spoken of vvyth small likelihoode And at his departing is there any man any honest man I meane that beares but the least zeale to the peace that would find the sending of the King of Nauarre to the See of Rome eyther honest or profitable of which if so we would gratefie the King of Spayne we should find eternall matter of perpetuall troubles My Lord I desire to be held and would that al shold know I humble my selfe as most obedient and desire to be held most aunswerable in all seruice to you to that intent I haue vndertooke thus much Sure I am that diuers about you ambitious of promotions and that feede themselues fatte with your ruine will say that I am a turne-coate which would make semblance to be of your side notwithstanding that otherwise I nourish no such intentment in my mind Be not wondered at my name let it suffice that I am onely a poore Cittizen of Fraunce without charge or publique office farre from ambition that know not what the meaning is of riches or auarice but onely so farre as the necessities of my house do commaund but happily auare and couetous of the quiet of the VVeale-publique Otherwise such a man as thinks he can haue no other treasure thē an honest liberty with which I accompany my actions a liberty which causeth me to tell you the trueth plainly The Chirurgion which flatters the wound spoiles it and you