A DECLARATION OF THE DVKE OF ROHAN Peere of France c. CONTAINING THE iustnes of Reasons and Motiues which haue obliged him to implore the Assistance of the King of Great Britaine and to take armes for the defence of the Reformed Churches Translated according to the French Copie LONDON Printed for Nathanael Butter 1628. A DECLARATION of the Duke of ROHAN Peere of France c. Containing the iustnesse of reasons and motiues which haue obliged him to implore the assistance of the King of Great Britaine to take armes for the defence of the Reformed Churches I Might content my selfe to oppose the sinceritie of all mine actions against the blame which ignorant or malicious persons will vndertake to poure vpon mine innocencie and vpon the necessitie of my resolution It might satisfie me if I had no regard but to my selfe to indeauour to doe better and to leaue enuy and slander for a chastisement to the calumniators the equitable iudgement of good people is to me in stead of an honourable recompence and will alwayes giue mee more satisfaction then the blame of wicked people is able to doe me displeasure But for as much as at the ouerture of so great and extraordinarie things which happen among men euery one discourseth according to his fantasie and oft-times euill interpretations doe surmount aboue the most sound opinions and that aboue all silence is taken for a confession of the fact and that Spirits which are facile and easie to be perswaded if they bee not instructed in the truth doe readily suffer themselues to bee surprized and drawne to error from whence commeth such diuersitie of speech among vs and the deuision of hearts torne by contrarie apprehensions alwayes accompanied with weaknesse and followed with ruine and that the comming of strangers into the Kingdome which men beleeue and I doe not deny it to haue beene procured by the care of my brother and my selfe shall bee for a long time the subiect of all the good or of all the euill which shall be discoursed of either within or without this Kingdom I haue thought it my duty to put to light this small Discourse to iustifie this action to all the world to make it appeare euen vnto our enemies that it is grounded vpon an euident right and to our friends that wee haue beene thereunto constrained by the most powerfull lawes of necessity It is well knowne to all men by what reasons I was bound to conclude the peace in the treatie before Montpellier wherein I had thought all at once to procure deliuerance and respiration to the Church of God to my King the honour and glorie which hee could desire and peace and repose to the whole State which was thereunto so absolutely necessarie to arest the progresse of the King of Spaine who outragiously spurned with his feete the best and most faithfull Allies of this Crowne that hee might the better come with greater facility to the end of this Monarchie after the which hee hath long gaped and the more easily to attaine this peace wee haue yeelded our selues with a full confidence into his Maiesties hands that we might be indebted for our deliuerance next after God to his onely goodnesse hauing for a precious gage of our reestablishment and preseruation his sacred word I was perswaded thereunto besides the reasons aboue mentioned by the Letters of the King of Great Brittaine and of eminent men amongst vs which did giue testimonie to haue yet much zeale for the Church But I know not through what Councell the word which his Maiestie confirmed vnto me all the time till hee came to Lyons and afterwards by many letters was found so suddenly altered the publike faith violated and all our deere and most necessary liberties oppressed For in stead of re-establishing according to the Acts and Conditions of the Peace of Mountpelier in its first estate the Magistracy is changed and parted in two by violence a Citadell built as a publike monument erected to condemne or to kill our Conscience and a Garrison of foure thousand men maintained within the Towne to the insupportible vexation of all the Inhabitants In stead of demolishing the Fort of Rochell according to the same promises specified in his Maiesties acts they haue augmented and fortifyed it with all things necessary for a long and perpetuall establishment and from the same doe plot many enterprises against the Towne which being discouered were authorised not onely by impunitie but euen by recompences giuen to the vndertakers The exercise of our religion is not reestablished in the places from whence it was expelled during the warre but even during the peace many other Churches are intangled in the same persecution diuers Pastors imprisoned Edicts and Declarations made against the libertie of discipline as it appeareth by the presence of Commissaries in the Ecclesiasticall Assemblies And in hatred of the Religion many places are spoyled and razed in time of peace as Caumont Castillon Pont-Orson and others The Chamber of the Edict a Court of Iustice for those of both Religions within the Towne of Castres is not reestablished as it was promised but is transferred to Beziers a seditious towne and of a contrary religion They torture torment and send to the Gallies men that are innocent and of reputation vpon vngrounded suspitions and inuented accusations They diuide our Magistrates by a decree as at Pamies they confiscate the greatest part of our goods vnder title of reprisals To conclude they doe all things otherwise then was promised by the treatie I made vnto the King most humble and reiterate remonstrances by letters and deputation but in the end they were offended with my complaints and imputed them as a crime the King by an expresse letter imposed Silence vpon mee and prohibited mee any more to releeue the interest of our Churches and proceeded so farre as to offer commissions to certaine neighbour Gentlemen of that place of my retreate with great promises to seize vpon my person either aliue or dead and for prooues of that they haue lately sent one to murther me which narrowly missing of his purpose shooting of a Pistoll at me burnt my Ruffe and kild one which stood next behind mee hauing before divulged among those of our religion by men waged and payed to that end that I had sould the libertie of our Churches and had receiued the damnable reward of their last infalliable destruction And to couer vnto strangers of our religion the designe which they had for our perdition they publish in brute onely warre against the Spanyard the league with other Princes and States interessed whilst that vnderhand by the intermission of a Legat peace is treated with him and finally was concluded as the time did make it appeare leauing for a prey vnto him those which they had animated and armed out of those hopes whilst they prepared vessels and all equipage necessary to blocke vp Rochell The affayres were reduced to such tearmes that Mountpelier was
houses without Letters Patents from the King countersigned by a Secretary of State and sealed with the great Seale To conclude they impose a yoak such as our fathers neuer heard of The Church of Roan hauing desired the Lord of Veilleux his Minister to come preach to them hee was forbidden to goe to the end to take away for the time to come the liberty of our Churches to prouide themselues of Pastours whose doctrine and piety should be for the edification of euery one and not to haue power to call others but onely such as shall be to the liking of the Ministers of the State vnto whom from henceforth wee must addresse our selues for the like affaires and so to destroy the authority of Assemblies and Synods and the order hitherto here maintained in our Churches The reprisall of our goods are alwayes in force vertue and if from the Chamber of the Edict some equitable sentence be obtained there is presently found an elusion by calling the matter into the Kings Counsel or by some contrary iudgement of the Parliament giuen at the request of a Procurator generall which doth make the former void and of none effect And they haue condemned diuers persons for cases aduowed by the Generall and abolished by the Edict and others are burthened with great fines for the like subiect and moreover there are more then 2000 warrants giuen in the Prouince of Languedoc to take prisoners in hatred of the precedent commotions which constraine a multitude of persons whose liues are without reproach to banish themselues from their ordinary habitations leauing their families desolate to goe seeke their liberty and the assurance of their liues The Townes which are yet left vs in diuers places doe serue no more for retreats for those which haue beene therein refuged in the former troubles mine owne house filled with people which are driuen from their owne habitations and exposed to all iniuries for the same subiect And in diuers places they haue detained in chaines adiudged to fines and threatned with more grieuous punishment diuers persons for speaking or writing according to our doctrine and against the opinion of the Church of Rome as at Lyons Aix Beziers and Montpelier At Nismes in hatred that I had there my retreat they haue there stirred vp all the persecutions that might be imagined They haue sent Commissaries to appoint Magistrates contrary to the priuiledge of the place And the Consuls created they haue interdicted them by Decrees and giuen out warrants for the attaching of their bodies and neuer yet in Kings Counsell could they haue any iustice and in hatred of that which Monsieur d'Aubais had done in accepting generously the charge of Consull they haue lodged in those places which belong vnto him certaine Companies of horse to eate them vp And was neuer any amongst vs who either for the generall or for the particular since the Peace suing in any request to the Counsell grounded vpon the Edict hath obtained ought but great expences vnprofitable sutes continuall mockes or brauadoes and most bitter temptations to bind him either through feare or hope to make shipwracke of his faith I doe not here set downe the persecutions which I suffer in mine owne particular as some hauing for hire sought my life and remaine vnpunished and the Auocates which plead my cause haue beene euill intreated and suspended from their charge in the Chamber at Agen and still they seeke by Diabolicall practices the meanes for to take away my life whereof I dare not complaine fearing thereby to procure some great aduantage and honour to those which make themselues instruments of such cowardly disloyall attempts And that those which haue forged the deceit by whom I was accused to haue made some enterprise vpon Somniers in the time of peace who being discouered haue receiued no kinde of punishment in such sort that the principall Officers who sate in iudgement acknowledging mine innocencie said notwithstanding that it was important for the seruice of the King not to haue it manifested And that my Lady my mother hauing sought her refuge within Rochell for her safety and to giue order for her affaires there they haue vsed all possible meanes to haue her forth telling the Inhabitants that she was the onely obstacle to the accomplishment of the promises made vnto them for their deliuerance And this instance was made after that her houses and my sisters were full of garisons who haue outragiously beaten her officers and committed all the most reproachable insolencies Which notwithstanding are things which I would hold hidden in my bosome if the persecutions which they haue made mee to suffer were not the reward of that which they think they owe me for the intire affection which I haue alwayes sincerely showne for the good and for the preseruation of all our Churches But in this cause I doe not desire that my interests should bee had in consideration if I were my selfe alone to suffer all these miseries my feeling thereof should neuer goe beyond the complaint if it might so please Almighty God only for me to be cast into the sea so the tempest might bee appeased I should alwaies bee well content to sacrifice my goods and my life for the tranquilitie of the state and for the preseruation of the Church of God more then the which I confesse that there is nothing which can be more deare and precious vnto me This is in Summe the matter of our griefe whereof euery piece might serue for the Subiect of a very long and deplorable History to those which suffer whereof notwithstanding resulteth that they will neither administer mercy nor iustice vnto vs nor no promises nor other no Edicts no Declarations nor Acts can couer vs from the persecution which vexeth Vs nor from greater calamities which threaten vs neither is there any faith how publike and eminent soeuer the breaking whereof for our destruction is not made a glory And it is more firmly resolued then euer to put in practise to our cost this sanguinarie Maxime that there is no faith to be kept with Heretickes for our enemies cannot lose the desire they haue for our perdition exepecting the opportunity and power sufficient to execute it and in the conclusion all the essentiall conditions of peace which was thought could not be denied vs without an euident iniustice and which imploreth vengeance to God and men are found in all the principall places to be infringed and violated And aboue all the euils so great and so sensible wee haue with all conuenient humilitie powred forth our complaints and Remonstrances at the Kings feete after that we had endured them with a patience without example but the practice of our enemies and the hatred which they beare vnto our Religion haue so preuailed ouer the iustnes of our Cause that the most humble supplications of our Churches both in general and particuler brought in the behalfe of a Nationall Synod and by the generall Deputies
although formed contrary to the Order granted by our Kings and according to the commandement and desire of his Maiestie haue beene sent away with ambiguous answeres or with words without effect or with sentences contrary to the most naturall iustice and most solemne Edicts the power of our enemies being come to this point that they haue call far off all hope of a generall assembly to draw an orderly forme of our complaints and then haue finally prohibited our generall Deputies to present their demands in any such forme but to produce them a part piece by piece that they might dissipate all coniunction of our affaires and by that meanes make our Causes to be particular and so to hinder vs that we shall not bee able by any authenticall Act to verifie the body of iniustices which they doe exercise against vs. Being taught by so many experiences that wee can no more hope for any iustice from those which are obliged to administer it and that our ruine was irreuocably resolued in the mindes of those vnto whom the gouernment of the State was committed and that our patience in stead of diminishing our afflictions did augment them and made them irremediable and that wee were in all places accused of too simple a credulity or of an insensible stupiditie in the end I resolued to seeke other courses then those which hitherto had beene so vnprofitably vsed and more solid and firme meanes for our re-establishment And forasmuch as the King of Great Brittaine was the Mediatour of the peace and by the Act of his Ambassadours it was cautioned that it should be inuiolably obserued I beleeued that it was not onely necessary but also most iust to haue recourse to him to informe him of the miserable estate of our condition and to let him know what care they haue taken to deceiue our facility to delude our hopes and to destroy all the apparant grounds of our liberty to vrge the performance of his word and to coniure him aswell in my name is in the name of all our Churches to interuent according to his promise and to intercede that the peace which he caused to be concluded might be faithfully executed This is an Action which I suppose cannot bee blamed euen by our enemies except they be without reason nor reproued by those of our party except they be without conscience For the first doe well know that the Lawes of necessity are the strongest and most naturall they know as well as we our selues the iniustices which they haue done vs the desolations wherewith they haue threatned vs the small estimation of the word which was giuen vs whereof they haue a thousand times very audatiously said that it was not in the Kings power to make vs to inioy it So far forth that the Parliaments by their vniust modifications haue cancelled and cut off the most important Articles for our subsistance neither doe they doubt either of the resolued designe soone or late of our perdition and to expell vs out of the Kingdome or of the preparatiues which they haue made to come to the execution in beginning with the subuersion or Rochell from the which by all kind of forces and plots they would race out the rest of our Churches so that they cannot deny but they haue reduced vs to the vttermost point of extreame necessity Moreouer they that haue craued and borrowed the forces of strangers and of a contrary Religion to their owne to oppresse vs cannot iudiciously complaine that we haue sought the succours of our Brethren to defend vs. And which is more our liues are in question which they plot to extinguish our goods whereof they haue violently bereft vs our liberties which they haue destroyed and the greatest of all our Religion and the consciences which wee haue towards Almighty God of the which they would for euer deface the memory whosoeuer will impute it a crime vnto vs to seeke all possible meanes to preserue the possession of things which are so deare and precious is bereft of all naturall sense neither hath hee any more part of man left him but his face and doth declare himselfe enemy to all Religion and conscience But forasmuch as the ministers of the State haue thought good that the Ambassadours of the King of Great Brittaine by a most authenticall Act signed and sealed in due forme making themselues in the name of their Master Mediators of the conclusion of the treaty and obliged his authority and his word to make vs inioy the effect of all those things which were promised and that the Act it selfe was consigned vnto vs I cannot perswade my selfe that they can be so farre vnreasonable or passionate after their consenting to so solemne a caution as to thinke it strange that wee should haue our recourse to the caution and to the pledge which they themselues haue chosen and approued of and that we intreat him to imploy himselfe towards the principall party to binde himselfe by the accustomed wayes betweene men of this condition to performe his Royall word to discharge him or his caution by the sincere and exact maintaining and obseruation of all the things which were agreed vpon and without the confession whereof the difference should still remaine and the things should be in as deplorable termes as they were before Concerning these among vs which would disappproue this proceeding I say that they cannot with a good conscience except therewithall they defame with odious and execrable titles the generous resistance of those which haue gone before vs and who with their bloods haue atchieued vs this holy and safe liberty for the preseruation whereof we doe together at this time contest by the same proceedings which haue passed the Sea to seeke the succours which we haue obtained and which went into the heart of Germanie to raise multitudes of people and to bring them into this Kingdome and by force to binde their enemies to giue them peace and the liberty which was denyed them and to performe the promise which they had broken And yet notwithstanding by the Edicts of our Kings they are stiled faithfull and obedient Subiects and Seruants and the memory of them shall euer be blessed in the middest of the Church And besides in that which concerneth me it seemeth vnto me that all kind of right and reason doth authorise me in this pursuit for hitherto in all our warres of Religion I haue had in these parts the charge of chiefe Generall of all those which in these Prouinces haue had their armes in their hands for their iust and necessary defence The first peace hath beene fully treated with me according to the power which was giuen me by the generall assembly And in the second my brother and my selfe alone haue sustained the charge of the warre and I haue been present as Generall for the defence of our Churches and in the treaty and conclusion of peace that cautionarie Act of the Ambassadors of strangers was
captiue Rochell vpon the point to bee the like all the Churches of this Kingdome threatned with bondage and for mine owne particular I was cruelly vlcered to see my selfe made so blacke with Calumnies as if I had by preuarication consented to the ruine and oppression of so many poore people the complaints whereof peirced my heart and made mee to feele a more insupportable dolour then all the rest of my sufferings Being pressed with such displeasures when all hopes of bettering our condition were taken away and that by expresse letters they gaue vs to vnderstand that the desire of changing our condition or to require it should bee for the time to come the greatest and the most vnpardonable of all our crimes and that if it wee not preuented by some bold and prompt resolution Rochell would be lost my brother protected the enterprise of Blauet from whence insued the precedent warre with such successe as is knowne to all men and which notwithstanding by the prouidence of Almighty God finished with greater aduantage for our Churches then wee should haue hoped for In regard that the King finding it conuenient that the peace should be cōcluded through the interuention of the Ambassadors of England who by vertue of their cōmissions bound their Master to the inuiolable obseruation of the treatie and that by writings and an authenticall act by them signed and sealed with their seales of Armes which were in their behalfe sent vnto vs by Monsieur de Montmartin at the time when I had conuocated the Assembly at Nismes for the acceptation of the peace in two Originals whereof the one is at Rochell and the other with me which containe in expresse tearmes as followeth That they giue vs such assurance that the King of great Britaine will labour by his intercessions ioyned to our most humble supplications to abridge the time for the demolishing of the Fort Lewis for the which they as Ambassadours gaue vs all such Royall words and promises as we could desire And the said Monsieur de Montmartin did assure mee from him in that behalfe that they being returned into England would cause to bee deliuered vnto my brother another Act signed with the Kings owne hand which should containe in expresse termes viz. That if the King should refuse or too long deferre the razing of the said Fort and the intire obseruation of the treaty of the peace the said King of Great Britaine would employ all the forces which God hath giuen him to maintaine his word and to make vs fully to inioy those things which haue beene promised by the answers and declarations of his Maiestie and by the act of the interuention of his Ambassadors Which gaue vs hope that either the conditions of this peace should be more exactly obserued then those of the former or in case of new oppressions we should haue for our warrant to sustaine vs him who made himselfe the Mediator of the treaty interpreter of words giuen and pledges for the inuiolable obseruation thereof But we haue beene so vnhappy that although it seemed vnto vs that this peace built vpon so weake foundations should continue many ages yet notwithstanding it was worse obserued then all those which haue beene violated with more licence and lesse consideration For after that the Kings Counsell had reuoked all promises which they had made to all strangers which are allied to the Crowne to signe and conclude the league against the Spanyard they made a shamefull peace with him and haue equally contemned all the the Edicts which were giuen vs to moue vs to lay downe the armes wee had then taken vp for our necessary defence For the Edict was not verified in the Parliaments but with modifications which destroyed them neither could we with all our suits euer obtaine to haue the said modification to bee read And in stead of razing the Fort of Rochell and to deliuer the gouernment thereof from souldierss according to the promises They haue on the contrary filled the Fort with new munitions giuen the keeping of it to a fauorite and multiplied the souldiers within the Isles They haue drawne and built mighty Forts to hold them in a perpetuall seruitude and to take frō Rochell all hope of liberty for the time to come they haue with impunity made enterprizes vpon the towne They would exile the Pastours which were affectionate to the conseruation thereof they haue filled the coast with shippes of warre and by land they haue hindered them frō gathering their fruits at Sea they haue arrested the ships which brought corne for their prouision They haue oppressed their merchandise with new subsidies and by this meanes doe spoile their commerce To conclude they haue made them vnder the name of peace to feele the hardest conditions which they might suffer during the calamity of the warre and for the height of all euil they maintaine within the inclosure of the walls Commissaries being armed with emiment authority who insolently doe labour to oppresse the rest of their liberties and to subuert all the foundations of their subsistance In the meane time the generality of our Churches hath not beene more fauourably vsed for the Commissaries who though they were alwayes promised neuer came within the prouinces for the execution of the Edict nor the exercise of our Religion was neuer re-established in the places where it was ordained by the declaration that it should be replanted by meanes whereof there are more then forty Churches of great importance destitute of this consolation Our Temples are by the same iniustice and violence alwaies detained from vs as they were before And euen since the peace in diuers places they haue committed new barbarous insolencies vpon this subiect among others the Cardinall of Sourdis and the Baron of Peraut all which remaine without reparation and without punishment And by an Edict of fresh date the 14. of Aprill in this yeare 1627. they tearme the liberty of our Religion a simple toleration vntill as they say that we be reunited vnder one Pastour that is to say the Pope to make vs know that wee deceiue our selues in beleeuing that the most iust liberties which haue beene granted vs should be perpetuall and inuiolable And in the same Declaration they doe intirely ouerturne all the discipline of our Churches for they doe absolutely interdict all the Pastours to make any politicke assemblies although they bee but onely for the liberty of our consciences and the assurance which is giuen vnto vs to maintaine them And by a like draught of the pen they blast all the Pastours which are not borne within the Kingdome taking away their liberty to come into the Ecclesiasticall assemblies Prouinciall or Nationall And they prohibit vs to giue or lend Pastours to strange Churches or Vniuersities or to receiue any from them without expresse permission from the King They command them that are without to returne without delay and yet notwithstanding they say that they may not re-enter into their