THE FRENCH JUBILEE: OR, THE JOY AND THANKSGIVING of all France, to God and their King, for the death of the Marquis d'Ancre.  
Translated out of the French Copy printed at Paris.  BY WISDOM PEACE BY PEACE PLENTY.  printer's or publisher's device 
LONDON Printed by Felix Kyngston for Nathanael Newberry, and are to be sold at his shop under S. Peter's Church in Cornhill, and in Popes-head Alley. 1617.   

TO THE READER.  
HOnest and well affected Reader, for thy greater contentment, I am bold to present thee with this jubilee of the whole French Nation upon the death of the Marquis de'Ancre: this joy hath been manifested on all hands, by all sorts and degrees. The King to show how acceptable the service of monsieur de Vitry was to him in this execution, hath made him thereupon Marshal of France, in the place of the Marquis d'Ancre: And monsieur d'Hailler, who accompanied d'Vitry in that action, hath he caused to be sworn Captain of his Guard; and many other of the ancient Officers of the Crown hath he restored to their places, absolutely taking the government to himself: and leaving (as he saith) all childish sports to his brother, he hath caused to be set at liberty those little Birds, wherein he formerly delighted, that so they may have their liberty as well as himself. The Princes (upon it) are some of them returned to Court, and others expected daily, every one laying down Arms presently, and amongst others the Duke d'Mayen presented the King with the keys of Soysons, a town which he had fortified.  
The general and extraordinary rejoicing of the common people cannot be sufficiently expressed; but because I list not to trouble thee (good Reader) with uncertain and slender reports, I refer thee for the full manifestation of their general joy to the discourse following; entreating thee to be persuaded of my honest fidelity and care in these publications, for I assure thee I am not desirous to show myself both false and foolish in Print. Farewell.   

THE FRENCH JUBILEE: OR, THE JOY AND THANKSGIVING of all France, to God and their King, for the death of the Marquis d'Ancre.  
SIR:  
Amongst many conformities, between your Majesty, and Alexander the Great, these are the most evident: first, that he was the son (as you are) of a famous Captain, and a great King; then, he succeeded him very young, as your Majesty did to great Henry; and after his death the most part of his subjects revolted, as yours did. And yet above all the rest, this is the most particular observation, that in his youth some Grecians (and Demosthenes amongst the rest) not understanding him well, called him an infant: even as some Frenchmen conceiving less of your Majesty, have been so impudent to say as much: yea though he showed himself to be a man, and the greatest man of the world, even as your Majesty gives evident testimony that you are no less.  
Sir: It is true, there is this difference, that Alexander made his greatness appear to the Grecians, to their loss and prejudice; but you manifest yours to the French, for their benefit and preservation.  
Alexander made it known by the loss of their liberty; but you display your greatness, by the supplantation of a Tyranny established in your State, by the most insolent, outrageous, and insupportable stranger that ever was known. Sir: in conclusion, Alexander employed his first arms against the Grecians, who then were enemies to the Barbarians; and you have applied yours, against a barbarous enemy to your royal authority: who trampled under his feet, the fairest flowers of your Crown, and did so mastive-like tear France in pieces, as she can never sufficiently enough express the Tyranny.  
Sir: I will not exclaim upon a dead body; but so true it is, I never loved him when he was alive, & yet I hated him but as a mere French man, interessed only in the general oppression of your subjects: I grieved together with them to see a man of small worth, one of little reputation in any respect, not commended for any virtue; a man of no esteem or reckoning in the world, especially in France (into which he came without any quality or place) to rise in a moment, to such a redoubted power and greatness, that there was not a gentleman in your Court who adored him not; nor a knee, which did not idolatrously bend not only to himself, but to his meanest creatures: there was no Officer of your Crown, that trembled not before him; no Court nor Council that feared him not, no places which he sold not, no royal revenues that he did not poll; no Seals nor Keepers of Seals, which he did not deprive or confer; nor no Territory within your Estate, which he was not able to raze, and tumultuate at his own will and pleasure.  
I have read the History of our Kings from Faramond, and observed the Mayors of the Royal Palace, which in the end dispossessed their Masters: the Grecians, and Romans have had but few Tyrants, of whose lives, and histories, I have not a reasonable understanding and knowledge: but neither in them, nor elsewhere, did I ever read, or hear of such a like Tyranny as this: for these were contented to tyrannize over the people, whom they had wickedly subdued; but this man being a stranger and less than a subject in France, did rule, and sway over the King, and the people. He was full gorged with abundance in your necessities, he would have an hundred men at his heels, when you should have but ten; and that in your presence, and before the very beams of your Majesty, where no other lustre should appear: even as no star, nor light appears in the firmament before the Sun. Briefly, he so beleaguered your Majesty, as there was no entertainment into your service, but by his means; neither had you a servant in your house, whom you almost durst receive, from any other, than his recommendation.  
Nay, if he had stayed here, it might have been tolerable: but to replunge us into our intestine wars, to open the gates of janus Temple, which you shut, to kindle again those furious civil flames, which at first were set on fire by his means, and by your Majesty happily extinguished: and after the raising up of a dangerous storm among the French, racking of their substance, and purloining of your own treasure, in the view and knowledge of all the world, he further coveted to glut himself with their blood; and yet to vaunt and brag impudently, how he spent his own goods in your service, he that in your Father's days was but a base companion. And what Frenchman was there, whose heart did not bleed to see these opprobies? Yet nevertheless, Sir, both great and small, though they were his capital enemies, and besides the common apprehension of a public injury, daily either in general or particular wronged, yet they swallowed these indignities; Heaven reserving the glory, and revenge thereof only to your Majesty.  
But thanks be given to God Sir; who hath made you look so circumspectly into your people, and cleared your sight in so misty a season; causing us also plainly to discern, that the hearts of Kings are in his hands, and that he hath touched yours, causing your Majesty to understand, that your bear not the hand of justice in vain, seeing you now begin to yield unto your subjects so good a testimony thereof; when Sir, it was impossible, but that the wishes and prayers of so many good men should at last be heard: and ascribe not the principal hereof to yourself, but let God have his part and hand therein: And his exceeding great, long, and slow justice being now weary, with the patiented enduring of so odious a reproach to all France, meant to employ your Majesty, for the restitution of his own honour; and to make this Tyrant, together with his own blood, to discharge the general substance of your subjects, which he hath before so greedily devoured. But who ever saw so vast a gulf? what profundity can be imagined, which might not have been filled with his rapines? Or what insatiable and monstrous famine might not be satisfied with the things that he did devour?  
So that (after God) Sir, your Majesty in one blow hath remedied all these disorders, with so much justice, happiness, and prudence, as can no more be desired: You have made all the world see, that you are truly a King, and that you will reign and execute justice: you have removed all pretext and colour of discord from amongst the French, who will now knit and unite themselves to serve your Majesty, converting the sword they had drawn one against another, to the augmentation of your Crown and Sceptre. We hope, Sir, that under so valiant, and so just a King, who is so dear to his subjects, and his subjects to him, we shall display the ensigns of your glorious arms over all the world; that in stead of murdering one another in Civil wars, whereof can ensue no other but Cadmean victories, and your Majesty in winning but lose and beweakened, we shall make strangers to acknowledge, that the Flowers de-luce having been buried in oblivion for a time amongst them, shall flourish again under the felicities and fortunes of your Majesty, more fragrantly, then ever they did under the Kings your royal Progenitors, who planted them with the sword in the remotest parts of the earth: that under an invincible Prince we shall also be victorious: and that the French generosity resuming new vigour and force under such a King, shall make you greater than Henry the great; more holy than Saint Lewis; more Imperial than Philip; and more victorious and conquering than Charlemagne: your Realm shall be greater, and more redoubtable than ever was his Empire; your Sceptre then his sword, and your reputation, than his name.  
And because Sir, you have first satisfied herein the justice of God, who not content with the blood and life only of this common enemy of all your subjects, and your royal self, but persecuting him further after his death, hath deprived him of his funeral rites, which your Majesty granted unto him: who put into the people's minds (without any warrant, or order given, nay contrary to a prohibition) to take his carcase out of the grave, whereof it was unworthy, and out of the earth, which but yesterday he thought unworthy to bear him; and to trail it ignominiously along the streets, and hanging it upon the same Gibbet himself had formerly caused to be erected, to burn the miserable remainder of his body, with all the madness and fury, that an enraged people could use upon an infamous Carrion.  
And besides this, you have herein given good satisfaction to men, in revenging the honour of the French Nation; and in his own blood quenching so many firebrands, as he meant to kindle in France. That by the death of such a criminal party, you have saved the lives of so many innocents', stopped the course of so many evils, appeased so many commotions, secured so many towns, brought peace to your Kingdom, and repose to your people, security to the Clergy, contentment to the Nobility, and authority and reputation to justice; purchasing by this only means, more love amongst your subjects, and reputation with strangers, than the victory of ten fought fields could have gotten you.  
We most humbly acknowledge, that this was truly the Lord's day, wherein he did, and doth continually great things: and we beseech him, that as it hath pleased him so sacredly to inspire your Majesty, he may vouchsafe to continue ever the same favours towards you, to preserve him, who hath preserved us, and to multiply upon your life, all the benedictions of true happiness. And Sir, we most sincerely protest, that as you have in this action preserved the Frenchmens blood; so they shall never be more desirous of any thing, then to shed the same in your majesties service: that seeing your are their Prince as well in effect, as name, and title, no more violent passion shall ever possess them, then to make it evidently appear that they are your loyal subjects; that they will never brook any other Sovereign, nor never serve from the fidelity they have sworn to you. That the Nobility will ever recognise you for their head, the people for their Father; the Church for her eldest Son, justice for her protector; and all of them jointly together, for the best King that this day lives.  
They wish, that your fair destinies may spin as long a thread of your life, and glory of your Conquests, as there be ages in the continuance, or climates in the world's large extent. That your Majesty being a new Alcides amongst the French, may purge the earth of all monsters, restore the honours of arms, augment the estimation of learning, punish your enemies, and cherish your subjects. That your prosperities may surmount our wishes, and your own desires: that you may not only obtain victory, but possess the States of those that would enjoy yours.  
FINIS.