A LAMENTABLE DISCOURSE, UPON The parricide and bloody assasination: committed on the Person of HENRY the fourth (of famous memory) King of FRANCE and NAVARRE.  
Translated out of the French Copy, Printed at Roven by Peter Courant, and the Copy of Paris, Printed by FRANCIS HUBY, with permission.  PRO LEGE▪ REGE, ET GREGE LOVE keepeth THE LAW, OBEYETH THE KING AND IS GOOD TO THE COMMUN wealth · ❀ · 
LONDON Printed for Edward Blunt and William Barr●●… 16●●.   

A LAMENTABLE DISCOURSE UPON THE PARRICIDE AND BLOODY assasination committed on the person of H●●●● the fourth of famous memory, King of France and of Navarre.  
IT is not the property of greatest sorrows, to speak much, for tears & heartbreaking sighs are fittest demonstrations to declare the greatest passions; which maketh me express in few Words, the great grief, and public sorrow France at this time suffereth: now then, and 〈◊〉 posserity ever lament, that last Friday, the fourteenth day of May: the next day after the ●●c●ing, and coronation of the Queen out great Henry (or most famous memory) King of France and Navarre, being at Paris about three of the clock in the afternoon, intended to go to his Arsenal: took his Caroche, and as a Prince which lived without fear or suspicion of his people, passed through the City, accompanied with few of his Nobility; without taking for his better assurance, either Archers, or any of his usual Gard.  
But mischief, or rather our sins procured, that an accursed and execrable assasigne named Francis Rauaill●rt, borne in Angoulesme, approached his person, not far from S. Innocents'; where seeing his majesties Caroche stayed by a Cart, which met and stopped their passage; taking opportunity, assaulted with most hellish fury this good King, with a long knife, made of purpose; with which he gave him two wounds in the left side: the first was given nigh the shoulder, which entered not far; but only razed the skin: the second was mortal, the blow entering betwixt the fift and sixth rib, cut asunder the vein leading to the heart; and the wound was so deep, that it reached into the Cava Vena, which was pierced with the point of the knife. The Prince finding himself wounded to death, lost upon the instant his speech, by reason of the abundance of blood, which issued outo his mouth, therefore they turned the caroche to the Louu're, where he was no sooner arrived, but he rendered his soul into the hands of Almighty God; testifying with his eyes and hands lifted up to heaven, that he died a true Christian and good Catholic: My Lord the Archbishop of Ambrun, doing the last service of a Churchman, exhorted him in this last action.  
Is it not now a wonder to the Christian world, to see France a second Africa, breeding such detestable monsters? What shame doth this age breed to that of our forefathers? What disaster that a king of France should not escape the rage & fury of a cutthroat villain his own subject? Wicked villain, thou hast bereaved us of this great Prince, whom we lament with tears, & whose loss we shall ever feel. Thou thoughtest in thy damnable design to swallow us up in a gulf of misery and desolation. but God in his goodness hath relieved us, and otherwise disposed the hearts and affections of the French, than thou in thy frenzy didst imagine, or the hellish counsel of Satan suggest. The dark prison wherein thou art justly enclosed, where new torments are invented and prepared to chastise thy offence, will not let thee see, how that for all thy wicked act, all things remain constant in the same tranquillity they were before. It is to God's grace alone we own the thanks, yet deny not due praise to those instruments he hath vouchsafed to use: for the Lords Officers of the Crown, this famous Court of Parliament, the Magistrates of Paris, have all with one heart & common consent, succoured & assured the estate; so that there is not any show of commotion or sedition amongst this great people: Resolution and modesty, which maketh the Parisians much to be commended, and serveth as an example to all the other Provinces of the Realm.  
Thou (I say) canst not see how in the same hour of thy horrible attempt, all the Nobility ran to the Louu're offering, and protesting their fidelity; thou seest not though the father be taken away, the son is left us, to succeed in government, young though he be, yet shall he be strengthened with the sage advise of great Princes, & the Queen his mother, who a midst her great griefs will remember the common good; and hath vouchsafed for our comfort to accept the Regency, and government of the kingdom. In the presence of the Prince's Peers, the Constable, the Chancellor, the Cardinals, the Marshals of France, & other the great officers of the State, all assembled in the great Chamber of the Palace, with authority of the Court of Parliament, his lawful successor sitting in his throne, was solemnly acknowledged, and proclaimed king of France the fifteenth of May.  
In sum, this young Prince is so worthily brought up, in the love, and fear of God with all other virtues; which serve to the ornament of a great king, that treading in the footsteps of the late king his father he will cherish Religion, love justice, be generous, meek, affable, gracious, and shine in a full lustre as a fair sun over all France. All things shall flourish under his reign, his people shall bless him, etc. with fixed eyes to heaven, shall pray God for his happy preservation.  
Thus now we see, this Prince happily established, so well maintained, with force of arms, advise of Council, and love of his subjects: that it shall be in vain, for any to dare to stir without receiving condign chastisement: since then the entry to his kingdom is so blessed, and seconded with the favours of heaven, let us not provoke the anger of God, by out evil demeanours; let us so behave ourselves, that amongst all the French, only this assasine be detested, and held in abomination amongst strangers, let us remember that as there is nothing that raiseth tempests at Sea, but contrary winds, so nothing that troubleth a state but disunion if our own judgement and capacity cannot instruct us, yet let the school of reason reach us, let us consider that in a human body, there is an head, and under that head many noble parts, that the member that is destined to one service, dareth not exercise another office, the legs will not be the arms nor the lungs the heart; likewise in a well ordered estate, one is acknowledged for head, & gi' giveth life to all the other members, which work nor move but under his authority, so that every one acquitting himself of his duty. by a good union and correspondence, kingdoms are conserved & of small ones become great: whereas contrariwise by disunion and ●ars, great ones have been ruinated, and come to nothing.  
Remember you French men: that it is above 1200. years, since ●he kingdom of France, hath been reverenced for one of the greatest Monarchies in the world, take heed that posterity do not reproach us, that the mine of it happened in our age▪ And that by our rage we have demolished, that which our ancestors have raised by their wisdoms and valours: and if the public interest money on not let every one at least be 〈…〉 high … of his ow●● particular we are all embarked in one vessel, if it perish, it will be ●●●g … 〈…〉 ell if any of us escape: we are all in one 〈…〉, if that fall weshall all be overwhelmed in the ●●●●…er Let us not forget, that we are yet wet with our last ship wrack, that it is not many years, since we we●e freed from civil wars▪ the desolation whereof never comes alone, but is always attended with plague, famine, and all oath sort of calamity, as the loss of our goods, and estates, the imprisonment and ransoming of our bodies, the sack and spoil of our Cities, the ravishing of our wives & daughters, & the bloody death of our children▪ Let us know that experience is the mistress of fools, let us not wait to repent of the mischief, after we have felt the smart by our folly: We are now in peace, let us continue preserved, and seek to maintain it by the help of God. Let us not be like sorcerers, and Magicians, which cause rain, and thunder by their charms, contrary to the course of Nature mischiefs, and miseries come but too soon, let us not provoke them, or go to meet them.  
You great ones which have the charge and government of the kingdom, in the name of God, have no other object before your eyes, but the good and service of your King, above all fly disunion, which like a wicked counsellor seeking to ruin others, overthrows itself, assure yourselves, the greatness of the estate, is the greatness of your own, her tranquillity and establishment, is the base and foundation of your own families. Study not who shall overthrow his companion, but who shall best & most faithful serve his Country; it is only the property of weak and shallow men, to flesh themselves with envy, rancour, and dissimulation; carry you all your hearts in your faces. love one an●●her that you may the better serve one Master▪ It shall be your prosperity, and doubt not but that in a state there are more good than wicked, and that there was never any mutinous or factious, but in the end was kerbed by the authority of his Sovereign.  
You have at this day a king redoubtable, over whose person the eye of the divine providence doth so wateh, that though he be yet young, he shall not be the less obeyed or feared throughout all his kingdom: the Edicts of the late king his father, shall be observed as his own: you shall have him a common father over his people.  
It is said that Alexander, made no distinction betwixt Greek and Barbarian, but only by their virtues', not resting upon the difference of their habit. So our king shall judge who are good and bad French men, only by the mark of their obedience, and fidelity: every one shall have part of his grace and favour, as he shall make himself worthy by his service.  
In such sort, that all things being so firmly established within the Realm, we shall not have cause to fear any danger from without the king is in peace with his neighbours, and we assure ourselves there is none of them, but is so good and generous, that he doth deplore this sinister accident, happened to the late king, & though he had, before the death of this Prince, designs & means to endamage France, he doth now turn his hate into love, moved only by commiseration of this disaster: And if we may now hope for this tenderness of heart from Princes, which be strangers, what ought we to expect from those who are naturally borne French? God for his mercy inspire France with so much of his grace, that not wanting counsel, true and lawful command, we may render that obedience and submission, which good and loyal subjects, own unto their Sovereign. Pelletier.  
FINIS.