A True report of the taking of Marseilles by the favourers of the league together with the rescue thereof by the king's faithful subjects, Wherein may be seen the wonderful providence of Almighty God in the delivery of them that trust in him from the treacherous and bloody devices of their adversaries.  
Lately translated out of French.  
AT LONDON, Printed by john Windet for Edward Aggas.   

The true report of such occurrences as fell out at Marseiles the 8.9.10. days of April. Also an advertisement concerning the same.  
IF it be lawful for any man to pervert all order of justice & law, then must it necessarily be lawful in achieving a kingdom, said he who overthrew the estate of Rome, thereby evidently giving to understand that such as can brook no peace, neither be content with their own, do highly esteem the violation of laws and contempt of justice, also that there is nothing so holy or sacred but they will profane, neither any wickedness or treachery so great but they will commit, for the attaining to sovereignty, and after the attaining thereof, for the maintenance of the same, whereof himself soon after showed the experience, as had done also Silla and Marius before: for ambition and avarice are passions and even principal grounds of all mischief, procuring the transformation of men into all forms and colours, even as fear forceth the Chameleon, whereby the infernal furies do drive them to spare neither parents nor friends, no not God himself, whose name they do abuse to the end with greater facility to deceive, so as a man would suppose that being even consumed with zeal to God's house they were Helies which seek nothing but reformation in religion or that touched with the miseries of the people they be Moses who endeavoureth only to deliver them from this oppression: But entering into deeper consideration of their dealings, we find them to be rather Berchomanes or Noises of Candy as the success do show, though over late for the weal of those who with Aesop's horse having admitted the snaffle and saddle, must of force pass on in the carrier. The sheep saith Archidamus, ever singeth one song, but the ambitious person never leaveth altering of tunes until he hath achieved his purpose. Cratenus and Antigonas proclaimed nothing but liberty to the Athenians, but having once obtained the mastery, they fell into an other phrase. Those men that trouble this estate do proclaim only zeal to Catholic Religion, & affection to the reformation of the estate and relief of the people, yea if we will believe them, those are the only causes of their taking of arms: but if we look into their actions not only passed but also present, we shall find that under this so fair a pretence, they seek with Absalon to steal away the people's hearts, to the end so to usurp the estate, even already the most incredulous do begin to smell it out, yea and to feel it to their great damage, very well perceiving that the reunion which they speak of, is not meant of the Protestants to Romish Religion, but of their own estate to the house of Lorraine whereto they have long sought to persuade the world that it doth appertain: that it is not the reformation, but the usurpation of the Realm: neither the relief but oppression of the communality, and therefore do with one accord seeing their goods embeselled, their houses burned, their wives and daughters deflowered, and so many murders committed, exclaim of them, declaring that although their pretences were true, yet were the medicine more dangerous and intolerable than the disease, and that they are crafty Physicians that draw so much blood, and do so extremely purge their patients, to the end the same never recovering, they may become their heirs. But least any should suppose that I speak all this without cause, or of any particular passion, I will prove it by that which passed at Marseiles this present month of April, even in such manner as an honourable person hath set it down in a letter to a brother of his: as followeth.  
Brother I writ unto you at large eight days ago, since which time we have had wonderful occurrences in this town of Marseiles, whereof although you may have heard before the receipt of these presents, yet I thought good to write unto you the particularities & truth of all, to the end you may with us praise God for the favour he hath showed us. Know you therefore that the first Consul of this town, being gone to the Court about two months since where he yet remaineth, the second Consul named jews de la Motte de Aries took the government upon him in the absence of the Lord great Prior, which Consul hearing of the late troubles of this realm, and in this country prosecuted by the Lord of Vins, he cast with himself how to prepare a way whereby he might usurp the sovereignty of Marseiles and to that intent he secretly practised the said Lord of Vins to join with him, as assuring himself that the pretence of war and league against the contemners of Romish religion, whereto these people are wonderfully addicted, would cause them to like of whatsoever his attempts. And for the achieving of his purpose he also practised two of the captains of this town, as good as himself, who easily condescended to his advise, especially the one called Captain Boniface, who conditioned with him that first he should make away his brother named General Boniface, a man accounted worth threescore thousand Crowns: further, for the better compassing of his enterprise he purposed to seize upon the foretresse called Our lady of the guard before he did innovate any other matter, and therefore the 8. of this present month he went to the said foretresse under colour of seeing whether it were sufficiently fortified, the captain thereof, although he held nothing of the town, yet seeing it was the Consul, permitted him and three more to come in: he being entered took the said Captain by the collar offering the dagger to his throat, in case he once stirred against him, and so caused the gate to be opened and brought in soldiers to his behoof, neither would he suffer the said Captain to go down into the town lest the people should have notice of his proceedings. Thus finding himself master of the said foretresse he purposed the next night to put his practice in execution, and to the end not to fail of his promise to the said Boniface, he caused the aforesaid general Boniface (who the same morning was riding to Aix to the Lord great Prior) to stay at the gate and so procured him to tarry until the next morning under pretence of sending by him a letter of very great importance for the king's service, to the said Lord great Prior, The poor general not suspecting any harm, & the rather because he had lately Christened his child, did willingly alight and stay his journey until the next day, but before the morning travailed an other way than he thought for: for the same evening about eight of the clock, the said Consul together with 4. of his confederates came and knocked at the said general's gate, demanding to speak with his gossip, who immediately came down to the gate, where after usual salutations he delivered him the said supposed letter to the L. great Prior, saying to them that were with him do your office, which was the watch word, and so presently they fell upon the said general and gave him four or five blows with their daggers, who being so wounded got up into the haul where presently he fell down dead, this done his said brother not being far off entered the house merely, and as inheritor began to rifle and seize upon what he list, while the Consul for his part was not idle, for straightway with a troop of 25. Hargabuziers he rapped at the Protestants doors, and all that he found he imprisoned in Saint john's Tower, that done with all expedition he wrote a letter to the Lord of Vins, the tenure whereof ensueth.  
My Lord these presents may be to assure you that without dissimulation the town of Marseiles hath openly embraced the party of God and the estate to the end to make full profession of the Catholic faith, where every one is resolved with whatsoever their means, to cleave to the league of the Christian and Catholic Princes, also to you, whom to the same effect we beseech to come unto us, and if you take the way of Aix, you may come to Porneux or Fumeau, but if you take any other, take the way to S. jaquaries or Gemenes, for we do send to all the villages to assist you with victuals aid and favour, and in case they do otherwise we will rote them out, yea if need be, we will bring the Canon denouncing your enemies to be ours, and those to be our friends that be yours, or shall assist you, taking you into our protection, like as also we commit ourselves to the protection of all Christian & Catholic princes & to yours. This day was the fort of Our lady of the guard taken and subdued unto your and our devotion: Thus beseeching God the King of Kings to have you in his holy keeping:  
From Marseiles this eight of April. Your affectionate friends and servants: 

Nicolas Roque,  
Consul de Aries,  
Consul Gorgone,  
Captain antony Cornich,  
Captain Charles of Casane,  
Captain Boniface,  
Captain Taron,  
Cap. Tanse.    
THe next morning he delivered two protestants to the people to be murdered whom the children dragged up and down the town while the honester persons remained shut up in their houses, aswell to eschew the view of such cruelties, as for fear lest such Catholics as had any thing to lose, might have the like entertainment, besides their doubt the the Lord of Vins had already brought his power into the town, & their opinion that whatsoever this Consul had done, was without any commandment from the king: for even his familiar friends before knew not of it, thus he reigned all that day and the next night. The next day the people knowing that the Lord of Vins his power was not yet entered the town took heart & together with the chiefest among them determined to talk with the consul, & to inquire by whose authority & commandment he wrought these broils: others began to report throughout the town that the Consul did all of his own head, in purpose to bring in the Lord of Vins & to make him master of the town, so that the people, not used to such subjection, & minding to maintain their liberty, began to quail in that good opinion which before they had conceived of the Consul, which he perceived or at the least greatly feared, & therefore for a remedy answered such as demanded the reason of his doings, that it was because he had notice of some intelligence which the Protestants had practised in the town, for the preventing whereof, he had proceeded to the shutting of them up in S Ihons' tower, which he could not so well perform, but that the commons had gotten those that were slain out of his hands: Furthermore, that he thought good there should be after dinner a meeting of the most honourable in the town house, there to determine thereof, also that the same should be general & so it was at the last concluded. Howbeit seeing the people begin to quail, to the end still to flesh them on he delivered them an other prisoner whom he procured to be slain and dragged all about the town, thereby weening to encourage the people to prosecute their cruelties, and desired them still to continue in their affection to the Catholic faith, having before made proclamation that all men should wear crosses in their hats: when he perceived that every one resolved to appear at the said assembly, he & his confederates hoped the same to be the ready way to become the strongest, and thereupon concluded among themselves to cut the throats of all that came, & to that purpose to place 60. Harquebuziers in the town house, also to strengthen the body of the guard that was beneath. The heads of famelies not fearing any such matter went boldly to the town house, the whole assembly consisting at the least of 500 persons all in one haul easy to have been enclosed & made away. The Consul oftentimes ran in & out as one uncertain what to do, but in the end resolved to propound to the whole assembly his justification, whereupon by their countenances gathering that they misliked his proposition he thought it expedient to go forth & then to murder them all, howbeit god, as it may be said, not permitting the execution of such cruelty, so alienated the senses and took away the wits of all the assembly that in lieu of reproving his doings they made no answer to his motion, as seeming to them that he had reason in all that he had done, and so they broke up and departed without other resolution, nevertheless being out of the house, gathering their wits together, they began to fear the coming of the Lord of Vins and therefore resolved among themselves at night to join with the watch, notwithstanding they had no such commandment, & so to become the stronger: on the otherside the said Consul knowing that the Lord of Vins could not that night bring in his power, & fearing to be over reached commanded the M. of the great Prior's galley of Tholouze to prepare the said galley, purposing if matters went amiss, together with his associates to enter the said galley & so to departed: he also sent to the Duke of Florence 4. galley which as that voice went stayed in the Isles to conduct the Duke of Nevers to Luke, willing them to send him 200. soldiers for the king's service, & augmentation of the Cath. faith, which they granted him in consideration of his travel taken the day before against the protestāns, but god so quickened the minds of good men that they taking arms displaced the body of the guard & set others in the room, & yet without violence, so to see what the captains of the town would do of whom two were partakers in the conspiracy, but they seeing so many new men which would not obey them began to quail, as did also the Consul aforesaid, because wheresoever they became they still found such as would resist them, which caused the said Consul to get into the watch of Canaillon turning & tossing all night like a moth about a candle, and so coming within the view of the Tower of S. john he drew thitherward and so to the chain where he purposed to receive the 200. Harquebuzieres which the forenamed 4. Galleys of Florence brought thither at the break of day, but in that place he found five hundred arquebusiers, whom when he beheld he purposed to embark himself in a Squiffe & so to have fled to the said Galleys, but he was by them stayed, and word sent to the guard of the Lodge of his being at S. john's, whereupon thither resorted a band of men, who demanded of him by whose authority he committed these murders, but he seeing himself thus cast away could make no answer and so was conveyed to the town house, where at the same instant even before his face they chose 24. of the chief men of the town to order their affairs together with the youngest Consul who was but an idiot, and they so chosen did immediately appoint new Captains, who had quickly assembled five or six thousand Harquebuziers in the town, and the same once armed and the town assured to the king they presently dispatched a messenger to the Lord great Prior then lying at Aix very sorrowful for the loss of a town of such importance, whom they desired speedily to come to them, and in the mean time they seized upon the fort of our Lady of the guard, which was soon yielded when they that kept it perceived the town to be lost, & so Claud. Boniface was also brought to the town house, the rest saved themselves. The Consul being degraded from his hood & office, was committed to the king's prison with the said Boniface. The Lord great Prior arrived about a leaven of the clock at night, & immediately they began to prosecute the process of the Consul and his adherents, which was not perfected before ten of clock the next night and within one hour after, the said Consul and Captain Boniface were both hanged before the gate of the late general Boniface, the people having continued in arms from the time they were apprehended until their execution, This was the end of these two Traitors, who were punished according to their deserts, and reigned but 48. hours: The said Consuls practise tended to become Lord of the town, and not to use the Lord of Vins' power except upon necessity, being also determined to sack the same, and he had chosen for himself and his chief adherents threescore houses the rest should have fallen to his soldiers: but God would not permit such mischief, who as we may say, wrought mightily, and saving us preserved also the Protestants, whom the Lord great Prior did set at liberty the same night that he arrived.  
By this little may we evidently see that the words and writings of these men are no perfit images of their events, and therefore that we must rather have recourse to their actions, which do more lively express them, and as effects do necessarily plead their cause. The dog and the Wolf are very like, but their deeds do bewray the difference, the one being by them known for a keeper, the other for a murderer of the flock, and saith great Alexander, oftentimes, such as outwardly are clothed in white do underneath wear purple garments, so many times these preachers of religion, and reformation of the estate do inwardly hatch Atheism and destruction of the country: and herein we see, that it is not religion, but ambition neither the wealth, but subversion of the estate that causeth them to take arms. This Consul's zeal was tyranny over Marselles, and the religion of Captain Boniface was successor to his brother, the rest of these zealous people together tended to the spoil of their town and destruction of their country.  
But now to enter into consideration of this hypocritical Consul's pretence. The Protestants, saith he, had intelligence in the town The like speech useth the Cardinal of Vaudemount in the discourse of the taking of Verdun which he hath procured to be printed, & Antragues useth the same language to exclude the duke of Montpensier out of Orleans whether is majesty sent him. Neither is it to be marveled that they all agree in one phrase, as being wholly possessed with one & the same spirit who hath been a liar from the beginning: But lest they should be daunted at over straight examination of matters, I would ask them what intelligence the protestants had in Chaalon, Diion, Rheins, Maisiers and Argenteau? It is all as true as the league of Magdeburge in Germany lately concluded by the Lord of Segur, as they say, with the County Palatine, who died 8. years before Segar ever set foot in Germany, also with the protector of Scotland, who deceased 5. years before: yea & as true as that the protestants broke the cross of S martin's in the field near to Paris, when within few nights after, the Captain of that quarter surprised one that was making an end of the breaking thereof, thereby to provoke the people to sedition. They must use some better colours in their affairs, for God by his just judgement hath undoubtedly given them over to a spirit of astonishment, and therefore O poor nation beware, lest they under the like pretence, abuse thee in the same manner. Consider in what predicamét this zealous reformer doth constitute the king, the princes of his blood, and generally all that follow not his faction, when he depriveth them of their titles of Catholic & Christian & appropriateth the same to his like. This is the honour that he yieldeth to his majesty for his so often adventuring his life in such a quarrel. Thou shall not slander the law, the Prince, or the people and yet these great zelators do not only in words, but also in writing continually slander the king, yea so far forth that the Cardinal of Vaudemont endenoreth to persuade the king that he mindeth to use the help of the protestants & Turks for the subversion of Catholic religion: let us therefore enter into the view of this Consul's conscience who for the establishing of his tyranny & renting this flower from the crown of France, purposeth to use the weapons of the Lord of Vins, though but as a scafolde which builders use, and which when the building is done they pull down again, and these treacheries do they learn of that evil spirit that directeth all their actions. We may therefore hereby see what may be looked for from them. Even you ministers of the Clergy, Nobility & third estate who have embarked you selves which them They use you, but if God should so far affect this realm as to permit them to attain to their purposes you should be entreated after the Marsilian manner. We see what Antragues hath already done, how he first imprisoned, then banished those captains that established his tyranny. Know you not those whom you follow to be such as are of an unsatiable ambition, whom all the wealth in the world cannot content? They will resemble this Consul, who for himself and his associates reserveth all the best houses, appointing to his soldiers those wherein nothing is to be had: but what stand I here upon, when the whole house is shared out, what can be left for you? They use your help in hunting for their prey, but in dividing the spoil they will imitate the lion. The shares laid out they will seize upon one, but if you reach toward the other, the lions claws will cool you: for men have no fixed term in their desire of attaining to riches. These are subtle Foxes, such as with the smoke of fair promises do spoil you of all that you have, that themselves may seize thereupon. They be Mermaids, who to the end to procure your shipwreck do with their pleasant songs seek to full you on sleep, but with Ulysses stop your ears, and with the Trojans close your eyes against this Helein whom they bring into this country to bury us up in the ruins thereof. Let us in this discourse consider the fruits of covetousness and ambition, the one proceeding so far ●oh horrible among Christians) as to murder his own brother, how Catholic so ever, the other to infringe his vowed faith to his prince and to embrew his hands in the blood of his fellow citizens, and both together to enrich themselves with the spoil of their country. By this example let us judge what else we may hope for of these reformers, saving that having begun with the protestants they will end with ourselves, or rather that as this Consul began with the wealthiest catholics, so will they proceed with such as among us shallbe of best ability: yea, who shallbe safe when the one brother spareth not the other: and sith they begin with the Catholics, yea with the king himself, whose towns & treasure they daily seize upon, whether shall we hope for better? The Protestants goods are not sufficient to fill the broken bags or quench the insatiable thirst of these cormorants and this do not the chiefest among them conceal, who do account of this realm as of a booty, to the end after the example of Silla to exhibit our goods to the most giver. If at the beginning of this banquet where to these crafty victioners do invite us, they set before us such wine, what shall we look for in the midst, or at the end? Let the rich men at the beginning account themselves protestants, for their fair houses, goods, and lands are so already, & by this tyrant's letters we see what the poor country men are to look for. Tyrant's saith Diogenes do use their favourites as bottles, they hang up the full and cast of the empty. If then they spare not those, what will they do with the rest? Doth not Antragues begin to expel the richest Catholics out of Orleans to the end to seize upon their goods? Antisthenes' did very truly accounted tyrants worse than torments, for these put only offenders to death, the others spare not that innocent. How happy therefore are those whom other men's harms can make to beware. Finally I pray you a little with me to stay upon the diligent consideration of the wonderful delivery of this poor town, together with many good people in the same. The tyrant hath the fortress: the protestants are chained up in dungeons, the rest sometime shut up in their houses, sometime besieged in the town house, and sometime naked among his weapons: he hath his power upon both sea and land. All this notwithstanding, God who showeth his strength in our weakness, & preserveth the weak from the lions jaws, and in the fiery furnace, hath freed all good men, and kept this place being of so great importance to his majesty. The tyrant's heart faileth him at his most need: the Lord depriveth him of his senses, and he bandoneth his tyranny without any stroke strooken. None is more coward than a tyrant. God the establisher of kings doth preserve them and their estates, and although sometimes he afflicteth them with the rebellions of their nearest friends as he did David, so that he bringeth them low as he did Manasses and Nabuchadonozer, yet doth he afterward deliver and raise them up again. We see the small continuance of this tyranny, which lasted but 48. hours: hardly did this tyrant give his subjects time to eat or drink, so short was this bloody tragedy. These were violent storms, and soon overblown. This conspiracy was no sooner sprung up but it withered again: This is an example of gods judgements, for saith the Apostle, Who so resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and who so resisteth God's ordinance do draw his curse upon them. These be the tyrants which war against God, and against whom he shooteth the darts of his wrath: David shall never want power and courage to pursue such Absalon's, neither doth France want trees to hang them upon, as was this Consul. France is yet sufficiently stored of true and natural frenchmen, both willing and able to deliver her from those that have sworn her destruction. To conclude, those that have been seduced will reclaim themselves & such good and honourable personages, as hitherto have kept their houses, not for fear, but expecting his majesties commandment will take the fields to the end altogether under his banners to follow the example of the Marsilians.  
FINIS.