A LETTER FROM Rochel in France, To Mr. Demeuare, one of the French Ministers at the French Church in the Savoy; showing the intolerable Persecutions that are there exercised against them.  
WHEREAS there is found upon Inquiry, That in the City of Westminster, and other Parishes of the County of Middlesex, that there are now upwards of 3000 French Papists, which use several Handicraft Trades and Arts, as Taylors both for Men and Women, chirurgeons, Apothecaries, shoemakers, periwig makers, Imbroiderers, Cooks, and other Trades, and several Serving Men, who by their Artifices and Contrivances have, and do their utmost endeavours to persuade People that there was no late Conspiracy against His Majesty and Protestant Religion, and Government of this Kingdom; and being not content therewith, also endeavour to maintain that there was no Powder Plot, nor any Massacre at Paris, Ireland, or any other places, of the Protestants, rendering the same ridiculous. And whereas there is now and hath been very great Cruelties and Persecutions in several parts of France, against those of the Reformed Religion, whereby several of them, to avoid the same, have deserted all their Concerns and Estates there, and for Refuge and Protection have retired themselves into England, under the Protection of his Majesty, and notwithstanding that it appears that the horrid Cruelties used in France against them are true, yet the Malice of those French Papists residing here do give out and maintain that there are no such Persecutions, but that those Persons who come over with their Wives and Children, are Criminals and Vagabonds, and such as are Bankrupts, and prosecuted for their Debts in France, and who come over merely to cheat their Creditors, and not for their Religion, as they pretend; Now to disabuse all good People, let them Consider, that in case such Persecutions had not been true, His most Excellent Majesty, and His most Honourable Privy Council( after due Examinations and Certificates proving the Truth thereof) would not have published His Royal Order, of the 28th of July 1681, in the behalf of all Persecuted Protestants abroad, nor incited such to come here for protection, nor recommended them to the good People of this Kingdom for a Charitable Collection for them, as by the said Order is at large Expressed: And for further Demonstration of the Rigour and barbarous Usage, now used against the Protestants at Rochel in France, I who am one of the Ministers of the French Church in the Savoy, have caused this ensuing Letter to be Published, the Original whereof shall be produced if need requires.   

The said Letter is Dated at Rochel, the 14th of December, 1681, New style, and is as followeth.  
SIR,  
IT is now Eight days since that I writ to you, and  told you that I should say nothing further concerning the Persecution in Poitou, having too great a subject of that which is now exercised in this Town, where the Prisons and Towers are filled with Men, Women, and Children, for, and by reason of their Religion, who are kept very close; where they allow them but Bread and Water, and not one moiety of so much as is sufficient for their subsistence: And besides, there is a constant Guard of Souldiers kept over them, who do hinder their Friends from giving them Assistance.  
There is an intention to make our Protestant Inhabitants of this Town to be responsible for the persecuted People who have deserted the Province of Poitou, and which have taken Shipping at this Sea-Cost, and gone out of this Kingdom; they have already Imprisoned Sixteen, and made Decrees against a quantity of the most considerable Persons, which have been obliged to absent themselves for to avoid Imprisonment. monsieur de Bompierre is one of the number; they pretend that he suffered some of those Persons who are gone to foreign Parts to lie two Nights in the Out-Court of his House, which is near the Sea-Cost, until they had opportunity to Ship themselves. They have Apprehended and carried Prisoners to Trumpet Castle at Bourdeaux, or to the Castle of Engoulesme( it is not yet known to which of the two) monsieur la Foretz of Mauze, monsieur de Boisatran of Nyort, monsieur Pain de Fontenay, and monsieur Locquet of Marennes, all of them Ministers; and their Crime is, because they have Preached and Exhorted their Congregations to a perseverance in the Protestant Religion. We are now at that pass, that we know not what will become of us, being under the last Consternation, and upon the moment to be Massacred, if our Great God doth not avert that Blow; The Rabble being so annimated against us, in following the Example of the Lieutenant of these Parts, who hath now left off his Mask, that they are in a readiness to abandon themselves to all manner of Violence for to destroy us. We would willingly withdraw ourselves as our Neighbours have done, but it is now too late; for the Sea-Costs are Guarded by Souldiers, who have Orders to kill and destroy all such Persons as they shall surprise in the Shipping of themselves: Fifteen days since they begun to put in Execution their Orders, and shot a Volley of Musquetoons upon several poor People that were Rowing in a Shallop, to go on Board an English Vessel, as Passengers for London: There was a Seaman killed, and three Passengers wounded; my Prayers are to God, that I may not be obliged to tell you more by the next Post.  

This is a True Translation out of the Original French.    
FINIS.  

LONDON, Printed for R. Bentley, 1681.