stint without preiudice to other former arreareages for the which there shall be order set downe as much to the ease of euery man as may be 12 That the accompts made at Paris during the troubles by any that were accomptable before the officers of accompts there resident shall not be subiect to the reuiew but onely in case of ordinance 13 We meane not notwithstanding in these presents to comprize any thing committed in forme of thefte or without aduowe In consideration whereof we haue permitted and doe permit vnto euery man all free libertie by course of law to seeke their remedie as they shall thinke good as also we doe except all such as shall be found guiltie of the horrible murder committed on the Parson of the late king our deere Lord brother or of any conspiracie against our life As also all trespasses and transgressions punishable betweene men of one selfe faction We doe therefore commaund our deare and trusty Chauncellor the officers of our Crowne all Dukes and Peeres of Fraunce and all the Lords of our Counsell and the ordinarie maisters of requests of our house to the same end by vs appointed and deputed to cause these presents to be read published and enrowled in the registers of our courte of Parliament in our Chamber of accompts in our courte of Aides in our generalls of Moneys and in all other places expedient Willing and commaunding that the contents of the same be inviolably kept and obserued and that notwithstanding whatsoeuer oppositions appellations edicts declarations arrests iudgements letters precepts prohibitions and other matters hereto contrarie to all which in respect hereof we haue and by these presents doe derogate together withall derogatories of derogatories thereunto contrarie For to the end the same may remaine firme and stedfast for euer we haue to these presents Signed with our hand set our Seale giuen at Paris in the Moneth of March the yeare of grace 1594. and of our Raigne the fifth Thus Signed HENRY And somewhat lower By the King RVZE And on the side VISA And Sealed with the great Seale vpon Lables of Silke in greene Waxe The King hath ordained and doth ordaine that vpon the fould of these letters shall bee set downe Read Published and Registred in the hearing and at the desire of his Attornie generall Geuen at Paris in the great Chamber of Parliament there sitting the Lord Chancelor with the officers of the Crowne the Dukes and Peeres of Fraunce The Counsellers of his Counsell of estate and some of the ordinarie maisters of requestes of his house the 28. day of March 1594. Signed LVILLIER The King hath ordained and doth ordaine that vppon the fould of these letters shall bee set downe Read Published and Registred Geuen at Paris in the Chamber of accompts the Lord Chaunceler ther sitting with the officers of the Crowne the Dukes and Peeres of Fraunce The Counsellers of his counsell of estate and some of the ordinarie maisters of requests of his house the 28. of March 1594. Signed LVILLIER The King hath ordained and doth ordaine that vppon the fould of these letters shall bee set downe Read and Published Registred in the hearing and at the desire of the Kings Attournie generall Geuen in the Chamber of Aides at Paris The Lorde Chaunceler there sitting with the officers of the Crowne the Dukes and Peeres of Fraunce the Counsellers of his counsel of estate and some of the ordinarie maisters of requestes of his house the 28. of March 1594. Signed LVILLIER It is ordained that vpon the fould of the said letters shall be set downe Read Published and Registred Geuen at Paris in the Chamber of Moneyes by the Lords of Riz and Pontcarre the Kings Counsellers in his counsell of estate and Commissaries thereunto by his Maiestie deputed the 28. of March 1594. Signed LVILLIER The Kinges Letters Patents for the reestablishment of the Court of Parliament of Paris Translated out of the French copie Printed at Paris by Frederick Morell by E. A. HEnry by the grace of God King of Fraunce and of Nauarre To all them to whome these present Letters shall come greetinge Whereas through the mishap of the dissention raysed and continued in this our Realme by the wicked driftes of some forreine Princes our enemies and other our rebellious subiectes as well in the time of the late King our most honourable Lord and brother as also since our comming to the crowne sondry townes haue beene withdrawen from the obedience due to our saide Lord and brother and to vs among the which our good towne of Paris hauing bene occupied by our ennemies and manifestly endaungered to the intollerable yoake and shamefull dominion of the Spanyard hath perpetrated many thinges contrary to the obedience due to their lawfull King where remayned an infinite number of Citizens some for feare of the losse of their goods others for that they could not abandon such persons to whose preseruation by nature they were bound others for want of meanes and ability to liue elsewhere and some vppon a desire to doe seruice to vs and to the whole common-wealth of this Realme Among whome sondry Officers of our Court of Parliament did there make their residence and continued the exercise of the Office to them committed which before the troubles they had executed in our saide Parliament for the which our saide Lord and brother hauing conceiued against them most iust indignation did inhibite them and therevpon made certaine declarations since published in the Court of Parliament transferred to Tours The like whereof and vpon the like cause and occasion our selues continued as declaring whatsoeuer their decrees iudgements and ordinances to bee voyde and of none effect Howbeit in respect of the causes contayned in our Edict which we caused to be published in our great Chamber of Parliament we of our especiall grace full power and authority royall haue extinguished and abolished all matters committed in our saide good towne of Paris during and by occasion of the troubles As also wee haue thought it requisite and necessary for the benefite of our seruice and common quiet to the end so good a towne should not remaine destitute of the exercise of iustice royall for the preseruation of the good and punishment of the wicked vntill wee may reassemble the whole body of that our said Court by the returne of our trusty and welbeloued the members of our said Court of Parliament transferred to Tours Also the Chamber erected at Chalais for the exercise of Iustice whome to that end wee haue sent for that the Counsellors and other Officers of the said Court who haue had their prouisions from the kinges our predecessors haue made their residence in this said towne before the saide troubles should be restored and reintegrated in the exercise of their functions as hauing deemed the said Counsellers worthy this our fauour and grace in respect of the vertue and constancy by them shewed in sundry matters namely in the resolution
taken to make the Decree which they published and vertuously mainetained in the moneth of Iune last past against such as endeuored to alter and infringe the orders of the lawfull succession of this Realme In consideration whereof we haue taken away and disanulled and do take away and disanull the interdiction made as well by the said King as by vs against the saide Counsellers and other officers at this present in good number resident in this saide towne who after they shall haue taken the oath herein requisite in the handes of our trusty and deere Chauncelor shalbe reestablished and restored to the exercise of their Offices as by these presents we haue restored and reestablished and doe restore and reestablish them to the end after the said oath they may enioy the like honors prerogatiues rightes authorities priuileges and preeminences which afore time they had and did enioy before the said interdictions so as the said Counsellers may do and performe all actes and exercises of iurisdiction and soueraigne Iustice that appertayneth to our Parliament in as ample maner as they did or might haue done in case the saide Interdictions had neuer bene against them declared proceeding to the publication of Edictes admission of Officers soueraigne iudgements and all other expeditions and orders heretofore made in our saide Parliament Wee doe therefore commaund our most trusty and welbeloued Chauncelor the Officers of the Crowne the Dukes and Pieres of France the other Lords of our Counsell and the ordinary Masters of Requestes by vs committed and deputed that they cause these presents to be read published and registred to the ende the contentes of the same may be kept obserued and put in execution according to their forme and tenure For such is our pleasure In witnesse whereof wee haue signed these presentes with our hand and to the same affixed our seale Giuen at Paris the 28. of March the yeare of grace 1594. and of our raigne the fifth Thus signed HENRY And vpon the fould By the King RVZE And sealed with a great seale in yellow waxe The King hath ordained and doth ordaine that vppon the fould of these Letters shalbe set downe Red published and registred in the hearing and at the desire of his Atturney Generall Giuen at Paris in the great Chamber of Parliament the Lord Chauncelor there sitting with the Officers of the Crowne the Dukes and Pieres of Fraunce The Counsellers of his Counsell of Estate and some of the ordinary Masters of Requests of his house the 20. of March 1594 Signed LVILLIER The Decree of the Court of Parliament of Paris of the 30. day of March 1594. Gathered out of the Registers of Parliament THe Court hauing from the xii day of the moneth of Ianuary last sollicited the Duke of Mayenne to acknowledge that King whome God the lawes haue giuen to this Realme and to procure the Peace wherevnto he would neuer condiscend as being inuegled by the pollicies of the Spanyardes and their adherents and God hauing sithence of his infinite goodnesse deliuered this Towne of Paris out of the hands of straungers and reduced the same into the obedience of her naturall and lawfull King Hauing yeelded solemne thankes to God for this happy successe desirous to imploy the authority of the Soueraigne Iustice of this Realme to the end that by preseruing the Romane Religion we might hinder strangers vnder the false pretence thereof from seasing vppon the Estate and call agayne all Princes Prelates Lordes Gentlemen and other Subiectes to the grace and clemency of the King and to a generall reconciliation and to repaire whatsoeuer the licence of the Ciuill warres hath altered in the authority of the Lawes and foundation of the Estate Rights and Honours of the Crowne the matter deliberated vppon in the saide Court all the Chambers assembled Hath declared and doeth declare all Arrestes Decrees Ordinances and Oathes giuen made and taken sithence the nine and twentieth of December Anno 1588. in preiudice of the authority of our kings and Lawes of the Realme to be voyde and wrested by force and violence and as such hath reuoked cancelled and annihilated them and ordayned that they shall remayne abolished and suppreued And especially hath declared and doeth declare whatsoeuer hath bene done contrary to the Honor of the late King Henry the third aswell during his life as sithens his decease to bee voyde Doeth prohibite all persons to speake of his memory otherwise then with honor and reuerence And moreouer ordayneth that information shall be taken of the detestable parricide committed on his person and extraordinarily proceeded against those that shall be found guilty thereof The sayd Court hath reuoked and doeth reuoke the power heeretofore giuen to the Duke of Mayenne vnder the quallity of Lieftenaunt Generall of the Estate and Crowne of Fraunce It prohibiteth all persons of what estate or condition soeuer to acknowledge him in this calling To yeeld him any obedience fauour comfort or ayde vpon paine to be punished as offendors guilty of high Treason And vppon like payne hath enioyned the sayd Duke of Mayenne and other Princes of the house of Lorrayne to acknowledge King Henry the fourth of that name Kinge of Fraunce for their Kinge and Soueraigne Lord and to yeeld vnto him the obedience and seruice to hym due And to all other Princes Prelates Lordes Gentlemen Townes Comminalties and particular persons to forsake the pretended partye of the Vnion Whereof the Duke of Mayenne hath made himselfe head and to yeeld vnto the Kinge seruice obedience and fidelitie Vppon payne that the sayde Princes Lordes and Gentlemen bee degraded from theyr Nobilitie and declared Peasantes both they and their posteritie with confiscation of body and goods razing and ruinatinge of Townes Castells and places which shall bee infringers of the commandemente and ordinaunce of the Kinge Hath cancelled and reuoked doth cancell and reuoke whatsoeuer hath beene doone decreed and ordayned by the pretended Deputies of the assembly holden in this Towne of Paris vnder the name of the Generall Estates of this Realme as voide and done by priuate persons chosen and wrought for the most parte by the Factious of thys Realme and partakers with the Spanyarde and hauinge no lawfull power at all Doeth prohibite the sayd pretended Deputies to take vppon them this qualitie or to assemble themselues any more in thys Towne or else-where vppon payne to bee punished as disturbers of the common rest and Traytors And doeth enioyne those of the sayd pretended Deputies which yet at this present are in this Towne of Paris to withdraw themselues euery of them in hys house there to lyue vnder the obedience of the King and to take the Oath of fidelitie before the Iudges of the places Hath also ordayned and doeth ordayne that all processions and solemnities ordayned during the troubles and by reason thereof shall cease and in steed thereof the two and twentieth day of March shallbe for euer kept holy and vpon the same day shal be a generall procession according to the accustomed manner Whereat shallbe assistant the sayd Court in red Robes in remembrance and for to giue thankes to God for the happy deliuery and reduction of the sayd Towne to the Kinges obedience And to the end no person pretend cause of ignorance of this present decree hath ordayned and doth ordayne that it shall bee read and published by sound of Trumpet and publike crye throughout all the chiefe quarters of thys Towne of Paris and in all the Courtes of this Iurisdiction and to this end the same shall bee printed and at the diligence of the Kinges Atturney Generall shall be sent to all his Substitutes Whome it enioyneth to see the same executed and thereof to certifie the sayd Courte Done in Parliament the thirtith day of March 1594. Read and Published by sound of Trumpet and Proclamation throughout the principall quarters of this Towne of Paris the next day being the last of the sayd moneth Subscribed De Villoutreys FINIS
THE French Kings Edict vpon the reducing of the Citie of PARIS vnder his obedience Published the 28. of March 1594. VVhereto is adioyned The said Kinges Letters Patents for the reestablishment of the Court of Parliament at Paris Also a Decree of the saide Court of Parliament of the 30. of March concerning a reuocation of whatsoeuer hath bene committed in preiudice of the kinges authoritie and the lawes of the land All faithfully translated out of the French copies printed at Paris by Frederick Morell by E.A. LONDON Imprinted by Iohn Windet and are to be sold by Samueâ—â— Shorter at the great North doore of Paules 1594. The Kings edict or declaration HEnry by the grace of God King of Fraunce and Nauarre to all men present and to come greeting Whereas since it pleased God to call vs to this Crowne our principall desire and intent whereat we haue leuelled all our actions hath tended only to the establishment of a good and assured peace within this our Realme to the end that all disorders violence and miseries of warre ceasing God might bee serued according to his holy commandements and the authoritie of our lawes and iustice restored vnder the protection whereof the three estates of our Kingdome might quietly and peaceably enioy such thinges as iustly vnto them doe appertaine For the compassing whereof we haue as it is well knowne imployed whatsoeuer our habilities our bloud yea euen our life nothing regarding death in respect of such reproch and infamie as iustly wee might be charged withall in case we should endure the wrongful vsurpation and dissipation which some men doe presume to make in this our Crowne of Fraunce To the end therfore not to omit any thing coÌ„sisting in the power of a good Prince that may tend to the restoring of the so long expected so necessarie desired vnion peace and tranquilitie among our Subiects we haue with much patience supported and in respect of common commoditie pardoned the offences and rash enterprises of diuers who were it not for this respect haue deserued to be chastised and repressed with most grieuous rigorous and exemplarie punishments In consideration hereof after all our victories we haue pardoned giuen life to those that leuelled at ours And in regard of the great compassion that wee haue taken of the capitall Cittie of our Realme and to the end to eschew the sacke thereof and to saue the bloud of many good Citizens who were no partakers in the cursed driftes of the fauourers of this rebellion wee haue chosen rather to frustrate our selues of that obedience that vnto vs is due then to see the innocent inhabitantes the women and yong children together with so many beautifull buildinges exposed to the violence rage and fury of fire and sworde Wee haue therefore vppon the causes and considerations aforesaid in the moneth of Iuly last agreed and condiscended to a generall truce for three monethes during which time the Deputies of the Faction of our disobedient Subiectes haue giuen vs to vnderstand and assured vs that speedely they would sende to the Pope to haue his good aduice vppon such resolution as they were to take for the conclusion of a good and stedfast Peace and reconciliation of vs who are their King and naturall Prince Wherein also for their partes they haue most expresly promised to imploy themselues with all loyalty and affection for the restoring of the Peace of this Land which made vs the more ready to yeeld to the said Truce albeit wee were sufficiently enformed of such disaduantages as otherwise vnto them might arise also that in matter of armes wee had them farre on the hippe yea and that during the said conference wee had perforce taken the Towne and Castell of Dreux euen in the face of the principall Leaders of their Faction Notwithstanding the assistaunce of the Spanish Protectors as also that we wanted no meanes so to oppresse the saide Cittie of Paris that the want of victuals should in the end haue counselled them to shake off the yoke of those who for many yeares had tyrannized and insolently abused their miserable patience To all the which notwithstanding wee of our authoritie did yeeld the rather in respect of the Pope whome wee wished to be euery way satisfied to be truely enformed of our actions and behauiour to whome also we purposed to haue recourse to lay open our greuances and to craue his aide fauour and assistance and to the same effect had chosen our deere and well beloued Cosen the Duke of Neuers a Prince accomplished with all vertues endewed with wisedome pietie and good desertes who preferring the seruice of God and benefite of this Estate before the discommodities of his health and the daungers and tediousnesse of the way hath cheerefully vndertaken the voyage toward him But as for the Deputies of the said Faction who so assuredly promised with all diligence to send we haue not perceiued that during the saide three monethes of Truce they euer made any accompt to depart Further albeit that since the conclusion of the said Truce of three monethes we haue in all their actions founde in manner no desire to reestablish the publike Peace of this Realme of the spoyle whereof they purpose to clothe themselues and to grow ritch with the goods and bloud of all good and loyall Frenchmen with all that there is come to our handes a certaine Oath taken by the principal of that Faction almost at the very time that they signed the saide Truce and had promised faithfully to deale and to consider of the meanes how to conclude a good Peace and to reconcile themselues vnto vs and to that end to send to Rome for the good and wise aduise of the Pope the saide Oath importing that they should neuer treate of any Peace or agreement with vs wherein they suffered themselues to bee so farre carried away with the passions of the King of Spaynes agents that they reserued not so much as the Popes authoritie to whome they promised to send we were therewith grieued and prouoked accordinge to the exigence of the case All which notwithstanding vpon their desire to prolong the Truce for twoo monethes more vz. to the ende of the moneth of December last shewing vs that it was vnpossible vppon our refusall of this delay for their Deputies to come to Rome time inough to be at y e resolution which might be there taken for the revnion of our Subiectes to our obedience we vpon a desire to iustifie whatsoeuer our actions in the presence of the Pope preferring our purposed respect vnto him before our owne profite and the suretie of our affaires which we much hindered and prolonged by reason of the said delayes and prolonginges of the Truce wee yet graunted them the same for the monethes of Nouember and December Howbeit gathering by the small desire that they had to see an ende of the miseries of this Realme together with the authoritie that vniustly they haue