THE REMONSTRANCE made by the Queen-mother of France, to the KING her Son, for remedy of such disorders and abuses as She pretendeth to be in the present Government and managing of affairs of State, in the Realm of FRANCE. Particularly manifesting the Authors thereof, with their supposed, ambitious practices and dangerous Designs, threatening Desolation and Ruin unto that KINGDOM.  
Faithfully translated out of French.  
LONDON: Imprinted by T. S. for nathanael Newberry, and are to be sold at the sign of the Star under S. Peter's Church in Cornhill, and in Popes-head Alley. 1619.   

An Advertisement to the READER.  
GEntle Reader: This Remonstrance is not presented to thy view, to the end to gain credit to the pretended reasons thereof, but that thou mightest see under what colours and disguises they revolt, to hide their own ambitious Designments, whose end is only to engarboyle the State, and whose counsels have always been under pretext of public good to obtrude their private discontents, by casting those aspersions on the State, and the public Ministers thereof, with which themselves have been chief tainted I had thought to have joined the answer to these reasons, which I shortly expect: But because I guess that to every indifferent man's understanding, they may answer themselves by their own insufficiency and nullity, I have adventured to proceed to publication, before the other party hath put in their answer.  
Vale & fruere.   

AN extract of the Reasons and Complaints made by the Queen-mother of France, to the KING her Son.  
THe Queen-mother is much grieved, and complaineth, that she being borne a Princess of one of the most Illustrious houses in Europe, & having had the honour to be the wife of one of the greatest Kings that ever reigned in France, and mother to the King at this present reigning; that after she hath with many perils, dangers & cares, during the minority of the King her Son, preserved and governed the Realm: In recompense of her so great pains, and motherly affection, she hath been shamefully driven from the Court, and from the presence and company of the King her Son, and the rest of her children, and restrained as a prisoner in Blois, with all sorts of indignities, without any respect of her birth, or of so many great Princes, to whom she hath the honour to be allied; and against the honour due to the memory of the late King her husband, and of the King her son: and that wholly by the advise and counsels of Luynes his brethren, & adherents, thereby the more easily, during the minority of the King, to usurp the authority Royal, and the management of the State.  
The Queen likewise complaineth, that the parties aforesaid, abusing the youth and favour of the King, have in such manner continued and proceeded in their mischievous disseigns, that not contented with the most barbarous cruelty that may or can be used against the most unworthy and abject person in the world, they have caused her best and most faithful household-servants to be separated from her, and divers others for her sake to be committed to Prison, without reason or justice; contrary to the ordinary proceed of the Realm.  
Prohibiting all persons of what estate soever to visit, and frequent or repair unto her, as if She had been guilty of high-treason, with commandment not to go or walk above a Mile out of the Town of Blois.  
And appointed Monsieur de Roissy to watch and have regard to her actions; suborned her Servants to betray her, sending a number of messengers one after the other within the space of two and twenty weeks, with a thousand false promises of procuring her access again unto his Majesty, the rather to mock her, and to increase the number of her afflictions.  
Marrying her Daughter to a strange Prince, without her knowledge or presence, that her disgrace might be the manifester to all Kings and Princes of Christendom, and to all the Realm of France. And for the full accomplishment of all their wickedness and tyranny, caused the King to resolve upon the confining of the rest of her days in the Castle of Amboise, or some other place, in their custodies.  
Whereof having faithful intelligence, by one of those whom they confidently trust in their most secret affairs, she was constrained by night to make her escape, and to retire to the Duke D'Espernon, to make her retreat sure in the Town of Angoulesme: That being there in safety out of her enemy's hands, she might with more liberty let his Majesty understand the cruel and inhuman dealings which she received from the persons abovenamed, and to give him advise of the disorders which such people cause and procure within the Realm; together with the remedies fit and convenient to stay them.  
And to begin with their bad behaviours. It is to be considered what sinister and artificial subtleties they used, to constrain the Court of Parliament to give sentence against the Marshal D'Ancre, by false accusations, to make a pray of him; whereof perceiving themselves to be assured, to get more absolute command, counseled the King to keep the Prince of Conde prisoner, with the Princess his wife, by whose means and her captivity together, she hath lost three children, for whose imprisonment, the Queen-mother truly confesseth, and protesteth before God, that she never was more grieved than that by evil counsel, and false intelligence, she had been induced thereunto, having since known the truth of his innocency, whereof she will assure the King, and most humbly beseech him, to set him at liberty, both for the good of this Realm, and of the said Prince.  
The perfidious treasons, practices, and imprisonments of Innocent persons, is also to be noted, wherewith they served their turns; to get the Prince of Conde into the custody of Monsieur de Vitry, & Monsieur de Peisan his brother in law, thereby to have him in their hands. And what boldness is in them, to make & appoint a new regiment, to keep him more assuredly, and to have the force and power of arms in their hands? whereunto must be added, the presumption and boldness by them used, to induce the Princess of Orange to such an extremity (that to deliver the said Prince her brother) she should marry Cadenet, to the end, that by the means of so strict a favour and alliance, they might under the protection thereof (to the great prejudice of the King) preserve their power and authority?  
And further to make their pernicious designs manifest and evident, every man seethe, how they have put from attending on the King's person, Monsieur de Breves, a man chosen and appointed by the late King, for his deserts, and one that worthily discharged his duty in that respect, to put him into the hands of one of their confident friends, whereof they were formerly glad, and thought themselves happy to be domestical servants. The Earl of Soissons, for his part, hath not been exempted from being observed, and they have not failed to have regard to his government, by persons that pry into his actions.  
Touching the Princes, Dukes, Peers, and Officers of the Crown, and other Lords of this Realm, they have been wholly deprived of the intelligence and government of the affairs of estate, to give the entire management thereof to Modene, Du Hagent, Colonel D'Othano, and Marsillai, persons altogether unworthy and incapable of their charges.  
The entertainment they have given to the Duke D'Espernon, after his long and faithful service done to this Crown, sufficiently witness, their insolence, having proceeded so far, as to make him the King's prisoner, and after, caused him to be sent to Metz, under pretence of imaginary affairs of Bohemia; to procure some credit to be given to their Designs, and to execute the functions of his charge of Colonel of the Infantry: Whereunto must be added the persecutions, which for his sake have been laid upon Martial de Roquelance, Monsieur de Tilladet, and la Dimoisselles du Tillet.  
Touching the Marshal de Bovillon, the great contempt that hath been made of his quality and power, using him with all sorts of indifferency, sufficiently showeth how they would cause the King to lose the affection of the greatest personages of the Realm, and those that are able to serve him worthily.  
The Duke de Montmorencie, hath also experimented and well tried their impudency, by the effects which they have given to Madam the Constable, his Mother in law, having taken her from the person of the Queen, to place Madame Luyne, and their Sister, in her stead, to the end, that no body may have access to their Majesties, but by their means. The said Duke the Montmorencie, in that which concerneth his charge and government, having received all sorts of discontentments, by the bad offices which they have done him about the King.  
It is well known, what great perfidiousness they have used towards Monsieur le Grand, for the affairs of the Duke d' Espernon, and of Monsieur de Vitry: And how that in the great sickness which he had in Paris the last year, thinking he would have died, they had obtained the reversion of his Offices, by that means frustrating the merits and deserts of the service of the Baron de Termes his brother.  
Of all the Offices that have been void since the time of their favour with the King, from the greatest to the least, none have escaped, which they have not retained for themselves, to be either sold or given to those that are of their fraternity; and every day do nothing but gape for the death of those that have good and great Offices, to make their profit of them, to the ruin and damage of such as for their virtues and services, are justly to be rewarded and recompensed.  
Touching the King's treasure, they have and boldly do dispose thereof at their pleasures, without any contradiction, and have drawn it so dry, that the King and his estate, are thereby greatly endamaged.  
Touching the form and dignity royal, to order all things, and to appoint and ordain all affairs, and times of audience, they only do it, playing the Kings; proposing, and resolving upon the great affairs of this Realm, without calling any other thereunto, but those whom they think good; themselves giving audience in open Counsel unto the greatest persons of the State, after that, resolving upon them in their Chambers, where every man must attend the definitions of their wills, upon all sorts of occurrences: Which to attain, the difficulty to approach and speak unto them, puts many worthy and honest men that are about the King, clean out of heart.  
And that which is most lamentable, while they in this manner effect their wills, to the great impoverishment of France, they busy the King, by the means of idle and vaine-fellowes, with Plays and Childlike exercises; things unworthy the age of so great a King, whose actions ought to serve for an example to all his subjects.  
The assembly of the Nobles made in Rouen, under a false pretence, to give contentment to France, touching the so necessary demands propounded to the general States, was made only to break the policy, to the ruin of all the affairs of the Realm: clean contrary to the intents and means that had been propounded at the assembly of the said State and Nobles, to the end, that they alone might dispose of the Offices that should be void, not only to draw unto themselves great sums of money, but also by that means to get creatures of their own making in all the Towns of this Realm, is a manifest proof, that they prefer their own particular profit before that of the State, and the public benefit: Since which time, such a number of Imposts raised by extraordinary means, have been imposed upon the people, that they are wholly oppressed.  
Wherein the Queen-mother beseecheth his Majesty to take order, as also to stay the course of the tyrannies and vexations of Officers, Captains, and Archers of the gabelles, which they daily exercise upon all his Subjects, and particularly upon those of the Clergy, and of the Nobility; a thing that never was used in the time of the King deceased, nor in the regency of the said Queen, but only since the time that these men, participating with them therein, have given liberty and impunity to all sorts of pillages, confusions, murders and cruelties.  
The sale of Clark-ships so improperly made against the deceased King's project, whereby his Majesty hath been rob of more than six millions of franks, to enrich the parties aforesaid, with the treasure of the Crown, with the Pensions and money which they have upon all the parts, and Farms of this Realm, make a great mass of Treasure, which they assemble, to make themselves redoubted of the State, and by the means of this power, to withstand those that would oppose themselves against this tyranny.  
By all these means aforesaid, they have made themselves Masters, with licence of the Duke de Mombason, of the Citadel of Amiens, La Fair, Coussy, Chauny, and of the government of the Isle of France, & Veruveil in perch, with the lieutenancy of Normandy, the more easily to join Quillebeuf, thereby to hold Paris and Rouen in subjection.  
And not content to have the Castles of Amboise and Nantes, upon the River of Loire, have since sought to draw into their power the government of Britain, lieutenancy of the King, Blavet, Coucarraw, with Fougers, which josan Modere holds; to the end to join them all together, and by their authority make themselves so puissant, that when the King himself would pull them down, perceiving their too great power, so dangerous to his estate, he should not be able: And when he should chance to die, (which God forbidden) they might divide the Realm with his successors.  
Every man likewise knows, what means they have used, to have that little which resteth, which is the authority of Monsieur de Longeville in Picardy, having no obstacle but that, to hinder them from having the rest of the places in that Province.  
Their folly and ignorance, hath showed itself in the highest, degree, by shaking the body of the reformed Religion, by the innovation of the affairs of Beam, and the failing in the observations of Treaties of Peace made with them, by the precedent Kings, without considering the consequences, and foreseeing of the peril that such breaches may procure to this Realm.  
Touching foreign businesses, it is a most great shame, that all the Ambassadors of Kings and Princes throughout Christendom, are to make their Propositions, & to take their Resolutions from men so impertinent, and of so base condition; & that the knowledge thereof is taken from the principal officers of the Crown, and the state of the Land.  
From thence it proceedeth, that the good intelligence, and strict amity which hath so long time been contracted between the Crowns of England and France, hath been so badly continued, with so many differences, as if we had no need of so good and faithful friends. They have in like sort, proceeded with the States of Holland, causing the King to take Barnavelts part, in his Treasons against his Country, which are not to be approved by any good Christians, nor true French men.  
The means by them wrought to withdraw the Governor of Orange, from the obedience which he oweth to his Master and Lord, have no less stirred the courage of that great Captain, whose virtues and affection which he hath always borne to France, deserves not to be dealt withal in such manner, touching that which concerneth his patrimony, contrary to human right.  
To conclude, every man may judge, what misery, desolation, ruin and calamity, men of so base condition, void of all experience, capacity, and honesty, may produce and cause in the management of so great a Realm. And what shame it is to France to endure and suffer such infamy.  
In which disorders and abuses the Queen-mother having most great & notable interests, to have speedy remedy therein, not only in regard of the extreme affection that she beareth to the King, as his Mother, and the conservation of his estate, but also because of the great inconveniences that thereby may grow and ensue; She most humbly beseecheth his Majesty, to drive from his presence, such unworthy and uncapable persons, against whose insolency, rapine, and treasons, all France ought to cry vengeance; and to re-establish all the Princes, Dukes, Peers, and Officers of the Crown, Lords and Gentlemen, in the free liberties of their functions, offices and dignities. And to entertain and retain about his Person, and in his Counsel, men that are virtuous, and capable to serve the State well and sufficiently; that she may be in surety, near to his Majesty and her other Children, that she may not have cause of dislike, that men that have been the causes of her so unworthy entertainment, should so unjustly be maintained and upholden, against so many good affections which they bear unto him, and to his Realm. Which she expecteth and hopeth for at his good inclination, being persuaded that he will not compare the amity of so dangerous servants to hers, that hath had the honour to bring him into the world.  
If not, she protesteth to employ all those to whom she hath the honour to appertain, with her life, and those that honour the memory of the King deceased, against the persons aforesaid, to have reason and justice; with protestation, which she maketh before God, and men, not to have any pretence against his Majesty, whom she holdeth to be innocent of all the sensible displeasures which have been done unto her, but only against those that are the cause of all the mischiefs which she is forced to endure: In this proceeding having no other end nor intent, but only the increase and advancement of the greatness and prosperity of his Majesty, and his Realm.  
FINIS.