THE Pope's Supremacy DESTROYED BY THE FRENCH KING. As it was by King HENRY VIII. of ENGLAND. Communicated in a LETTER from PARIS, 25 MARCH 1682.  
SIR,  
BEing obliged upon all occasions to give you a testimony of my respects and service, I could not omit giving you a particular Relation of that extraordinary Piece of News, which at present is the general Discourse of the City; which take as follows:  
The Seventeenth of this Month the Clergy assembled according to their Usual Custom; where they heard the Report of the Commissioners named to examine the Six Propositions of Sorbon, presented to the King 1663. The Bishop of Tournay, Chief of the Commission, began the Report, which took up the Session of that day. The next day in the Evening the other Commissioners, which were the Bishop of Maux, the Bishop of St. Malo, the Bishop of Lavat, the Bishop Count De Chalons, and the Bishop d' Alet, expressed themselves upon the same Subject.  
The Nineteenth, in the Morning it was seriously discussed and deliberated by the Provinces, upon the Subject of the Commission; and in the Evening the Assembly met again, and approved by a General Consent and Declaration, the Propositions following.  

I. That neither the Pope, nor the Church itself, has any power directly nor indirectly, over the Temporalities of Kings: That they cannot be Deposed, and that their Subjects cannot be Absolved from their Oath of Allegiance and Fidelity, for any reason whatsoever.  
II. That a General Council is above the Pope, according to the Established Doctrine in the Fourth and Fifth Sessions of the Council of Constance, which the Assembly declares to have had all the Power and Approbation of the Church. That they do not approve the Erroneous Sense of those which say, That it has only place in Times of Schisms.  
III. That the Use of the Power of the Pope ought to be limited by the Canons; and that he can do nothing to the prejudice of the Ancient Customs and Liberties of the  Church.  
iv That the Pope hath Principal Authority in Matters pertaining to Faith: But that his Decisions or Judgements are not certain without the Consent of the Church.   
After this the Bishop of Tournay read to them the Contents of a Letter which he had been desired to prepare to be sent with this Declaration to all the Bishops of France, in the Name of the Assembly. He read also a Memoire in Conformity thereunto; whereupon the Clergy desired of the King a Declaration, whereby his Majesty should strictly Order all Professors in Divinity and Canon Law, to teach the Doctrine contained in these Four Articles, which is the Ancient Doctrine of the Kingdom, and shall prohibit all Communities Secular and Regular, to teach the contrary.  
The Archbishop of Paris proposed to the Assembly to nominate the Commissioners to examine the Matter of the Jurisdiction, which of long time rests undecided, and which should settle the Secular Power of the Magistracy, by Conformity to the Power of the Church, and of the Ordinations thereof: Which having been approved, he named Six Commissioners of the First Order, and as many of the Second Order, to Examine this Matter.  
The Twentieth the Archbishop of Paris, the Bishop of Rheims, and the Commissioners who had the Charge of the Examination of the Six Propositions of Sorbon, went to St. Germains. The Arch Bishop of Paris being Precedent of the Assembly, was the Speaker; who with much force of Argument and Eloquence, presented an Account to the King of what was done at the Assembly upon the Subject of that Commission. He gave to the King the Act containing the Four Propositions, signed by all the Assembly, the Letter which ought to be sent with the Act to all the Arch-Bishops, and Bishops of the Kingdom, and the Memoire; according to which he humbly implored his Majesty to cause an Edict to be made: which the King agreed to, according to the earnest desire of the Clergy, and the 23th of this Month it was Ratified and Passed in Parliament.  
The King Ordered by this Edict, That the Declarations of the Clergy of France shall be Registered in all the Courts of Parliament, Balliages, Universities, and Faculties of Theology and Canon Law of his Kingdom, Lands, and Dominions under his Obedience.  
The King prohibits all his Subjects and Strangers Secular and Regular, within his Kingdom, to teach any thing contrary to the Doctrine contained in this Declaration.  
He Ordains, That those which shall be chosen to teach Divinity in all the Colleges of each University, shall subscribe the same Declaration, and shall agree to teach the Doctrine therein contained.  
That in all the Colleges where there shall be several Professors Secular or Regular, one of them shall be bound every year to teach the Doctrine contained in the said Declaration; and where there shall be but one Professor, he shall be obliged to teach one the three years successively.  
That all the Classes of the Faculties of Divinity, shall every year present to the Prelate the Names of the Professors, who shall be obliged to Report them in Writing when it shall be required by the Prelates, or the Procurators, or Attorney-General.  
That no Bachelor, Secular or Regular, may be received as Licentiate or Doctor in Divinity or Canon Law, till he has maintained this Doctrine in one of his Thesis.  
That the Prelates shall employ their Authority to cause this Doctrine to be taught within the Extent of their several Dioceses.  
That the Dean and Classes of the Faculties of Divinity, shall Assist in Execution of this Edict, upon pain of Answering it Personally and in their own Names.  
Here Sir, you have the plain and true Sense and Judgements of our Clergy in that so Controverted Point of Supremacy: And by the way, be pleased to take Notice, how long our King (for 'twas Presented in 63.) has been endeavouring to free himself from that uneasy Yoke imposed on him by St. Peter's proud mistaken Successor; and no question our Warlike Master will quickly cast it off, unless the Man with the Triple Crown can prove his Doctrine of Infallibility to be grounded on better Reason than his (now no) Doctrine of Supremacy; which I'll promise you is very much questioned here, even by the Vulgar, whose Sentiments of the lewd Old Gentleman of late (since the Publishing of this Edict) differ but little from Tenets your English Protestant's hold of him: And I believe if they had him in their Clutches, they would hardly show his Holiness any more Mercy than yours have shown to his Effigies. Adieu Dear Sir,  
I am yours T. N.   

London, Printed for J. Wilkins. 1682.