THE CASE OF THE Poor French Refugees.  
THEY humbly show, That they were graciously invited into this Kingdom, both by King Charles II's Declaration, bearing date July 28, 1681. and his present Majesty's Declaration of April 25, 1689. This last is hereunto annexed.  
The Circumstances of the Refugees being now much more deplorable than ever, their urgent Necessity's force them to implore the bountiful Help of this Honourable House, which is their last hope in their sad Extremity, having tried all other means imaginable.  
Their Number amounted, last year, to 3300 and upwards, among which there were many Gentlemen and Gentlewomen, Ministers and their poor Families, Widows and Orphans, whose Husbands and Fathers have lost their Lives in the King's Service, and other distressed People, through Age, Sickness and other Casualties: which Number is at this time much increased, by reason of other poor People, newly come from Switzerland and Germany, invited over by his Majesty, to be sent into Ireland, and that stay here through want of Money to send them over.  
These Distressed Protestants, and particularly the Ministers; whose Education and Attendance to their Ministry do render them unfit for any other Work, are so much more worthy of Compassion, that the Edict which broke that of Nants, did command them to departed the Kingdom of France within fifteen days, upon pain of being sent to the Galleys; so that many are come away naked and destitute of Support. Moreover, many Persons of very good Quality of both Sexes, born to fair Estates, and bred up accordingly without Trade or Profession, after having been ruined by the Dragoons were forced to come over, where they have been invited to take Refuge.  
These Poor Refugees, when they received his Majesty's Charitable Allowance of about 1000 l. per Month, it was sometimes given them in remote Tallies, which being exchanged for Money, yielded much less; so that if you take them one with another, each of them had not much above 3 l. per Annum to live upon, though their very Lodgings amounted to near as much.  
Being in that Condition, they have exhausted, long since the Charities of those of the French that were in any capacity to relieve them, and without which it is evident they had starved; and though the same Persons do, even now, all they can towards the Relief of these their poor Brethren, yet besides that, they have to assist both the Poor of their Nation-that were here, and those Refugees that came into England before the Revocation of the Edict aforesaid, and also to contribute to the Poor of the several Parishes they live in. The Number of those that came over since the said Revocation, is so great, and their Wants so extreme, that all the Maintenance they can afford them, bears no Proportion with the pressing Necessity they are groaning under.  
To evidence further the extreme Misery of this miserable People, they beg leave to say, That his Majesty hath not continued to them the former Allowance of 1000 l. per Month these twenty Months last passed, excepting only 2000 l. at the time he granted them the last Brief, which, together with the Sum of 1658 l. 16 s. given by several of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and other Noble and Charitable Persons, with the Sum collected upon the said Brief, amount to the Sum of 7305 l. 4 s. which cometh far short of yielding any tolerable Suppply to the Needs and Numbers of so many Poor People, that have suffered the Loss of their Estates for the Cause of the Gospel: a great part of whom have no Linen to keep them clean, no Beds to lie on, and no  to put on.  
This their deplorable Case hath been exposed so plain to the Commissioners of the Brief aforesaid, that they certify the same to be true. And as several Poor among the French Refugees are dead for want of Necessaries, so many others lived only upon credit; and now their Creditors, even of this Nation as well as of their own, shall suffer great Loss, if these Poor People should not be put into a Capacity to pay their Landlords, Bakers, Brewers, and others; so that they may expect the Hardship of a Prison, which hath been the Case of some already. And there being no body that would trust them for the future, they must needs beg their Bread in the Streets, and thereby lie under the Abuse of the English Beggars, or be forced to starve in their poor Lodgings, if they are not turned out of them by their Landlords.  
But after this short Account, which even Necessity, Hunger and Nakedness (overcoming Shame) draw out of sorrowful Hearts, they declare that none pray for Relief but such as are Superannuated, Sick, or Infants under the Age of ten Years, and such Widows as have had their Husbands killed in this present War, or actually uncapable of any Labour.  
All which is humbly offered to the Wisdom and Charitable Consideration of this Honourable House.  
WE whose Names are under-written, being called by the Lord Keeper and several Lords to assist in the Disposal of the Moneys collected upon the last Brief; do attest the Truth of what is above said concerning it, and that we do believe the Condition of the French Refugees to be as deplorable as is herein declared.  


Tho. Firmin,  
Charles Dubois,  
H. Reneu,  
P. Reneu,  
Will. Faukener.