Imprinted at London in Powles churchyard by richard jug printer to the queens majesty.  
Cum priuilegion Regiae Maiestatis.   

¶ An History briefly containing that which hath happened sens the departure of the house of Guise, the Constable, and other from the Court being at S. Germanis, until this present.  esay THE XLV. ¶ Cursed be he that resisteth his maker. 
1562.  
W. S.   

¶ An history briefelye containing that which hath happened sens the departure of the house of Guise the Constable, and others from the Court being at S. Germanis until this present.  esay THE XLV. ¶ Cursed be he that resisteth his maker. 
THe queen having according to her accustomend goodness) accept the charge of the government of this realm, offered unto her by the Estates, and by the consent & motion of the king of Nauarre, and my lords his brethren, & Cousins, the Princes of the blood: doing therein the office of a mother, as well towards the king, as towards her subiectes, hath well declared that she had nothing more to heart, then to give order touching the troubles and tumults rising by means of religion: Not having ceased to find out through her wisdom and carefulness, all the remedies and means, that haue been thought diuisable to this effect. After that she had known by examples past, that the rigor of laws, and streict execuiton could do no good, and contrariwise that thashes of one burned did reise by an infinite number of others, of the same opinion, and like constancye, and that also it was not sitting to the age nor disposition of a young Prince, to begin his reign by shedinge of blood, and having sithence likewise followed and executed the determinacions agreed upon, in the late time of king Fraunces the last at Fountainebarn which was to assemble all those which would come to make any demonstration touching the maner of religion, and to devise if that by any mean of conference, the said troubles and stirs might be brought to an end: and having lastly left nothing undone which might serve to the common quiet and tranquilitye, she hath been constrained in thende( to appease these uproars) to take the remedy of the Edict made in january last, in looking for the end of the general counsel, to satisfy by this means( at the lestwise in some party) the very earnest complainct and request of thestates of this realm.  
And albeit by means of the son, the queen had given all men great occasion of contentation, having followed therein thaduise of the most notable and picked company out of all the courts of Parlamente of this realm, and having therein observed all the solemnite, that could be wished, yet nevertheless some( of whom we will speak hereafter) perhaps not well pleased for some other cause( as indeed it is hard to please every man) they determined to hinder the execution of thedict, by al the means they could, together with this determination of the queen, having taken weapon in hand, came to be about the kings person and the queens, aucthorizing themselves with their Princes, and abusing the king of Nauarres authority, against my Lord the Prince of Condee, who desirous on the other side to maintain that which was granted to thestates, did also arm himself to stay their rage and fury, and to resist the same to his power. And forasmuch as many may be ignorant of the particular dyscourse of this tumult, and specially the causes and reasons that may haue moved and may move thone party and tother, I thought I should do a thing no less acceptable then profitable, to set them forth, & give them truly tunderstande to all men and specially to them which are minded to serve and fight on thone side or tother, to the end that the plain truth of the thing known to all men, every one may the better judge which side of the two, hath most reason with them, and is best grounded for the cause of their entry into arms.  
These shall be to let them understand, that the queen being ready to assemble a good & notable number of presidents and counsellors, out of all the parliaments of this realm, to consult upon some necessary remedy, for the ceasing of the troubles, and answering the request of the states, desiring very instantly to haue Churches appointed them. The house of Gwyse began to murmur and say, that they saw well, that the matter wolde come to and Interim, and by this means abolish the religion of the Church of room, and that this was not the means to slake and lay down the troubles, which( they said) proceaded not but of the sufferance of those who gave so easy entry to the heretics, to plant and sow heresies, and through the negligence and bearing of the magistrates and Ministers of Iustice, and so proceadinge further, began by coulorable terms, to blayme the queen for her overmuch softness, and openly to accuse the king of Nauarre( who truly hath been one that hath asmuch holpen to plant, and set forward the religion in this realm, as presently under his authority some do assay to reuoque and supplant the same) & my lords his brethren, and other princes of the blood, in blaminge their maner of government, and casting vpon them all the fault, even as though the troubles had not been stirred before this kings reign adding further, that if the ways to roote out heresies, holden by the kings heretofore, had been followed, that they should not haue fallen into these inconveniences, and that thonely remedy had been to reprove them, & to observe Thedict, made in july last before to drive away all the ministers, and not to permit any more assemblies, and that it should haue been easy by this means, to cause tholde religion, to be kept upright, & that therefore seing al things proceed contrary to their mindes, they had rather depart from the Court( as indeed they did,) about th'end of november last past giuing men clearly tunderstand their discontentacion, which within few dayes after increased somewhat more; by means of the process, made against the Duke de Nemours, stirred up by them, to go about the taking and conueyinge away with him by force, the Duke of Orleauns, and so having him at the devotion to make him the head of their enterprise whereof we will here no further entreat.  
And now that the Duke of Guise and his brethren were departed the court, they began even forthwith to practise by all the means they could, to bring their purposes to pass, which was to return with greater favour & aucthoriti, then( as they thought) they departed thence.  
And taking the title of religion, they assay, to win and draw to their party( by thelp of the Popes legate( madam de Guise uncle) the King of Nauarre & the Constable. Which they in th'end easily brought to pass, that is to say, the king of Nauarre, by inducinge of him into a vain hope, to be again invested in his kingdom of Nauarre. And that the Pope should recompense the king of spain, so that the said king of Nauarre would maintain the Church of Rome, and the said Constable, by the means of a matter in compremise touching a controversy between them concerning the lands of the Lordeship of Dampmartyn to whom also it was proponed, that if this religion( which is called new) took place, that the same should be a plank to step right vpon, to the request made by thestates, which was to thende that the said house of Guise, he himself, and the Marshal S. Andre, and others should be called vpon to give account of the exceeding large gifts received by thē of the treasure of the realm thereby to help to discharge the king of his deptes, which matter also served to purpose to bring in to them the marshal S. Andre, being otherwise drawn thereto by the cardinal of Turnon, which also was a pertye, besides other matters which the time may discover.  
having thus devised their plate, they ceased not to solicit the king of Nauarre, to declare himself to bee for the pope. The king of Nauarre, began even forthwith openly and before all the world, to show that he would maintain the romish religion, he drove away from about him the Ministers, he goth to mass to the most notable Churches of Paris, goeth about to constrain by all means the queen of Nauarre, and my Lord the Prince, his son, to go thither also: and to be short, there is nothing that he doth not.  
And albeit that he was preuye at the making of the Edict set forth in Ianuarie, and likewise allowed the same, notwithstanding he was so solicited & practised, that the matter being moved to be spoken of in the Court of parliament, for the intimating therof he being arrived at Paris for this purpose, did in dede nothing in it at al. And on tother side the bishop of Auxerre his household servant, did so much under hand by procuring of fautors and secret handling, by giving secret intelligence to the presidents, and some of the counsellors of the said parliament, of the determinations of the D. of Guise, that Thedict by this means was stayed, from being verified. The provost of the merchants at Paris, on tother side stirred by the same mean, together with certain factions deceipts, did so much by oppositions, wise, and going to and fro one in an others neck, that the second time he stayed the said verification( whereunto the number of Church men hopes much) which made the third parte of the said Court of parlamente & was framed in a maner altogether for the Popes appetite so as in th'end the Edict could not be suffered to be verified, but by means of assistance given by my lord the Prince of la Roche Sur yond, sent by the king to this end to the said Court, whose presence & reverence made the said oueropen partiality, being in the said Court ashamed, which then was dissevered, and banished away to the great confusion of thefactions party.  
In this mean time the Duke of Guise ceased not on tother part to use his practise in Sauarne a town of almain where he was, and pressed men of war, to haue them ready at need. seeing perfectly that this enterprise could not be brought to pass, without force of arms, so as the said house of Guise, the Constable, and the Marshall S. Andre, perceiving this Edict to be thus verified, to their great grief, and displeasure, he determined further besides their first intents and purposes, to come strong & armed into the town of Paris, and from thence to the kings Court, to thintent they being first seized of the town, together with the persons of the king and queen, they might then more easily execute their enterprise: and the Duke of Guise to give a more honest colour of his return, procured that he should be sent so by the king of Nauarre, and that without the queens knowledge. The said Constable at the same time willing to take occasion, to depart from the Court discontented, having within a few dayes gone twice out of the Court, at the last time entred in to so earnest a standing in words with the queen, that she bare good witness of the small respect he had to the honor and reverence he bare towards her. And as for the marshall S. Andre not satisfying himself with tharrogante refusuall made by him to go to his government and charge, vpon the trust he reposed in his faction,( by whom he perceived himself upholden) he stood in terms before the counsel with the said Lady, with such countenance and words as declared small obedience.  
having then brought forth their enterprises thus far forward, the Duke of Guise returning from his journey into Almain, to give knowledge first of all others, the hostile enemite that he bare towards religion, which he minded to persecute, and all them also which would favour the same, took his way of a set purpose through a town of champaign called Wassy, being informed that there was in the same a reformed Church: and being there arrived and accompanied with certain men of war he made there such and so cruel a bochery & slaughter of poor people the kings subiectes, that there were no fewer thē four score personnes killed, and as many or more hurt, amongs whom ther were women and little children altogether assembled without any weapons, to hear the Sermon, and to pray unto god after their accustomend fashion.  
The fear hereof being brought to paris, all men of one side and other were greatly troubled, looking verily, that this was not but the beginning of a great mischief, and streight ways the rumour was spread abroad every where, that the D. of Guise came in arms with a great company, with determination utterly to supppresse all the reformed Churches. The which also for their partes, in consideration, that it seemed the kings Edict could not defend them against the violence & fury of their enemies, stood vpon their gard, having first sent to the queen certain personages of al sorts, to require justice at her hands, for the murders committed at the sayds place of Wassy. The queen being then come to Monceaux with the king in a maner alone. The king of Nauarre, the marshal S. Andre, the marshal Brisac, and others being at Paris, whither sone after came the Constable: Who coming from his house thither, with the hoole heires and of his friends and servants, met( nere unto S. Denis) the king and the queen, going to Monceaux, and without doing of any duty to them, hastening to win Paris, passed by them as though he had costed by a company of unknown people, notwithstanding that Le Seigneur de Sansac, warned him to stay, telling him, Sir yonder is the king, the Constable answering that he knew it well enough.  
about this time, my lord the prince of Condee having taken leave of the king and the queen to go home to his house and being arrived at Paris, desiring to provide for the dangers which threatened the town, departed thence, upon the Quens sending for him, to meet with the king and her at Monceaux where he toulde them that which he feared, and that to avoid the troubles it should be well done, that the said D. of Guise( who was reported to come with great power and strong hand, in contraryinge the kings ordinances) at the lest might not pass through the town of Paris, which advice was well allowed by the queen and the king of Nauarre, and according to the same, the said Lady wrote very expressly to the Duke of Guise being then at his house of Nantueil, praying him to come and meet the king at Monceaur, declaring unto him, the desire she had to se him, and to feast him in her house. The said Duke of Guise sent word unto her, for answer, that he could not come to her for that he was busied and letted in banqueting of his friends which were come to se him. After ward the queen having again written to the said Duke of Guise letters of the sentens, received no answers at all from him. But after he had entertained his friends,( in following the determination of thenterprise) took his way to Paris, though it were further of from him, then to go meet the king and the queen at Monceaux, which was nearer hand.  
Thus the Duke of Guise accompanied with the Constable, the D. Dammale, the Marshal S. Andre, & others of counsel in their enterprise came into Paris by S. Denys gate,( though his right way were to haue entred by S. Martyns gate,) making his entry in open armour, which was the state he kept continually, since his dayes work at Wassy. And there assisted him likewise at this entry the provost of the merchants, and three of them Escheuing against al custom, who( as he is a light and a factious person) went to receive him, with a very great company and with great acclamations made by people suborned thereunto, as if the king himself were entred in person, in so much as they cried aloud, God save the Duke of Guise without that,( notwithstanstanding the said Duke or others of his company made any demonstration that the same did at all mislike them: And immediately after the said D. of Guise was thus arrived & received into the town of Paris, the said Constable, the Marshal S. Andre & the Marshall Brisac, began to bold daily a private counsel amongs themselves, forbearinge to call to them the Prince of Condee, being there present with them. while these things were in hand, the king, the queen, and the king of Nauarre remaining as yet at Monceaux. The queen( having had aduertisemente from three places, that is to say, from Portugall, spain, and savoy, of enterprise of the house of Guise, minding to seize then of the persons of the king and her, & of all those things which she findeth true at this day: she determined to hasten her departure, & to retire her self to some place of safety. And having imparted her letters to the king of Navarre, they departed from the said place & came to Melun, pourposyng to haue attained to Orleans: and suddenly there arrived the provost of merchants suborned for the nones, crying vpon the queen, that if she retired from Paris al was lost, saying that the Prince of Condee was ther with a great number of men, protesting, that al the evil which might happen should be turned vpon her, & not vpon him, with many other like foolish and rash devises set forth then by him: So as though the said Lady be a lady of singular virtue and constancye, being nevertheless put in fear of all sides, agreed to go to Fontaniebleau: And the provost of merchants having thus far won her, began to tell her, that the Cytyzens of the town of Paris were unarmed, and that the Prince of Condee was then armed, that the said Citizens were in great danger, and he did so much with her that he obtained, that their armour should be restored unto them, which in deed were before taken from them, & put within the town house, to prevent troubles & stirs which were before in the said town, and began again after they were restored. And furthermore the means of the said provost of merchants was non other, but to strengthen the Duke of Guise always in the town, knowing well that he would retire himself thither being ones feased of the persons of the king and queen. The Prince of Condee was in this mean time within the town of Paris, with some which then were about him, being kept there at the request of diverse of the reformed religion, who feared much the armed violence of the Duke of Guise and in deed his presence did stay much, that there was no trouble and that the vulgar people, which already began to be puffed up, with a vain hope, upon the D. of Guises coming, durst not execute or begin any foolish enterprise. The town having been during his abode there in great quiet and rest, they that came thither evil disposed, and durst not as then to utter themselves, as in dede they did afterwards, when they saw they were alone and no more kept back with this bridle & seing that by means thereof they could not execute their purpose neither at Paris nor elsewhere, they did so much in th'end, that they caused the king of Nauarre to come unto them, using still the means of their provost of merchants, which went to call vpon him, that his presence was needful at Paris for the danger of uproars.  
The king of Nauarre being then arrived, the Duke of Guise and all his train were very glad, and beginning to keep their counsel as they did before, and causing the kings ministers, presidents, counsellors & officers of the town to come unto them, they made them tunderstande that this was in dede the kings counsel, as kept by the chief officers of the realm, and so they made their consultacions together without calling the said lord the prince of Condee unto them, no more then they did before. Al which consultacions were greatly suspected, specially to men of honour and quality, who could not be persuaded, that it was needful or lawful to keep the same thus apart, and severed from the counsel remaininge about the king and the queen, and namely seing the said lord Prince was present there, and yet nothing was com●●●●icated unto him. Al those which had never so little know ledge of the affairs judged verily, that this was nothing elles, but a continuaunte of a practise, which was framed a great while before, & that which didde the more confirm this opinion, was the discontentacion which was well known to be in them of the house of guise the Constable, & the Marshal S. Audre, whereof we haue spoken here before.  
The chief end of all these counsels was, to make themselves well assured of the town of Paris, and to drive the Prince of Condee out of the same, as he which much hindered their enterprise: To go and seize themselves of the personnes of the king and the queen, and after to bring them into the said town, whereby having thone and tother at their commandment, they might there the better bring to pass therecution of their enterprise. And forasmuch as the presence of the said lord the Prince, did greatly offend the Duke of Guise, not willing to go out of the town so long as the Prince should be there, notwithstanding that in coming to Paris he caused it to bee bruited that he would not lie there but one night, he devised to cause a report to go, that the said Prince was at Parys accompanied with a great number of gentlemen, & that the town fearing to be sacked had prayed him to tarry for the defence of it. Which the Prince understanding, to take away all occasion of malicious suspicion falsely devised, offered incontinently to the cardinal of bourbon deputed as then governor of the town of Paris, that he was ready to go forth of one of the gates, when the D. of Guise should go out at an other. The Marshal montmoremcy the right governor of the town then being discharged, at the instigacyon of the provost of merchants, as one whom he thought to wise & considerate for to endure his factions, and suborned seditions.  
But the Duke of Guise having refused to accept this office, the said Lord Prince, being advertised that the queen desired that they should depart of thone side and that her, & that for this cause, the king of Nauarre was come to Paris, was so ready & so willing tobey this commandment, that albeit he had been sick in his bed two dayes together, he stayed not for al that readily to withdraw himself with all his company, drawing streight home to his house of La feat, with mind to send away al his company, if the Duke of Guise had done the like. But the Duke of Guise having that he required went in such furniture of armour as he was, to meet with our young king, and the queen his mother at Fontainbleau, where seeing her self, on al sides, compassed about to arms and force against her will, & express commandment, she found herself in great fear.  
In this mean season the provost of merchants, desirous too make the town of Paris well assured to the devotion of the house of guise, leued immediately the number of xv hundreth men for the guard therof, without any assenble of the townsmen, or determination of thē, thereupon first made. whereas before he had( as farrefoorth as he could) refused to receive onely three hundreth men, appointed by the king to the said Marshall montmoremcy, being governor. And the same refusal made, after many assemblies of the town called to this end, alledginge as then that it was against the privileges and franchises of the same, not having been accustomend to haue any other guard then the guard of the burgesses, and with the number of fifteen hundreth men, thus established by him, he gave fre liberty too the citiezens to furnish themself, and use those weapons which had ben restored unto them, which thing was executed with such and insolency by the vulgar people, as it seemed too bee a frontiere town in the time of hostilita, seing that there was nothing sene nor heard of all sides, but weapons and artillery together with many robberies and outrages, specially done vpon them, which were of the religion( which they call new) going or coming from thassemblies, too serve God and to hear his word, in such sort as the Marshal de Leemes, willing one day to stay such force, was there himself in great hazard of his person, and could not so provide, but that ther were forth within his presence five or six murders committed, his own folkes injured, without that any iustice hath therof ben done, no more thē was of other violences perpetrated through the fury of the people. For the duke of Guise and the Constable them selfs, who came after to Paris, sent for the provost of the said lord Marshal, and afterward for the Lieutenant crimines of the same town, to whom( with sore threatenings, and casting of them in fear) they gave very express commandment, too suppress thinformations of the cause which they had before them, and to set those at liberty, whom they had enprisonned.  
It happened that the said lord prince having ben at his house, took his way for to return to the court as he had promised to do immediately after the feast of Easter, which the house of Guise having understood, send word forth with to the provost of the merchants, to stand upon his guard, and specially to let, that the said Prince should not entre into the town. Wherein such diligence was used by the said provost, that immediately, and without further assemble of the town( as he is wont to do) he signified to all the quartermaisters of the town, to go & warn all the houses of the same, that every man should be in a readiness, and afterwards having caused all the bar chains of the town to be drawn( which hath not been accustomend nor sene too bee done, but in time of hostility and great danger, and win the enemy approacheth) he armeth himself: and & accompanied with all the archers and harquebousiers, and many merchants of the town of Paris, he made his muster in the same: and as the said lord Prince passed by, nere Paris, with those which accompanied him, going to lodge that night at saint Cloud, and thinking nothing less then to desire too entre into the said town, the provost of 〈◇〉 merchants caused ordinance to be continually shot of, in such sort as there is no remembrance, that there hath such a stir ben sene in the said town these hundreth yeares & more, what danger of war soever hath happened in this realm.  
as soon as the said house of Guise understood, that the said lord the Prince drew streight towards the court, well considering that his presence in that place should not be for their furtherance, and would let them to bring away the king and the queen to the town of Paris, to haue thone and tother in their power, according too their first devise: even suddenly abusing the king of Nauarres authority, whom they had & yet haue altogether on their side, did so much as he came streight to tell the queen, that she must depart from Fontainebleau, for the surety of the kings person, layng maliciously too the Princes charge that he would come to seize of the kings person. which the queen straight hereupon would haue dissuaded unto the king of Nauarre declaring unto him that it was no means credible, being greatly amazed with this matter: The king also saying that he would not go from Fontainbleau. But the said king of Nauarre, thrust forward by the said house of guise, who saw that otherwise their purpose was brooken, spake again too the said lady, saying that she must needs depart, and that he went to take the king, and that she should follow after if she would. Approchinge then in this sort to the person of the king, who was wepinge with the queen his mother. they hastened him forward so well, as w in a little while, they brought him into the town of Melun, where they lodged him within the Castle, in the which no king had lodged these hundreth years, nor any others, but such as haue ben wont too bee sent thither prisoners.  
My lord the prince understanding this news, perceiving that the meaning of the said lord of Guise, was plainly enough, declared too the world( though before many doubted thereof) wayinge that he was a prince of the blood, and that by the lawe of nature it apertayned unto him to defend the kings subiectes, and namely to resist such as would oppress them by force and violence: thought best for his sauety to return himself to Orleans, and from thence to give all the kings subiects to understand his meaning & desire, to prevent the Imminent danger, which hanged over them all, to thintent they would assist him to restore the person of the king, the queen, & the duke of Orleans too liberty, and to maintain the kings edicts in their force and strength.  
The house of Guise this mean time, perceiuinge the said Prince to be retired from them, but not too such a place, as they would haue wished, too haue better enjoyed his company, began more ouertly to execute their enterprise, causing the king of Nauarre to tel the queen that she must go to Paris, albeit the king spake of nothing elles but of his return to Fontainebleau, & cessed not to weep with the queen his mother, seeing evidently their captivity, & specially the queen who saw that happen, which was declared unto her, too the great grief of his obedient subiects and seruaunts. And so much was done by the help of the provost of merchants, who eftsoons persisted to send word, that the presence of the king was needful at Paris, so as being resolved in the morning to go to Fontainebleau, after dinner immediately the purpose was altered to go to Paris.  
The Constable having knowledge of this resolution, took vpon him to be one of the first at Paris, to begin to execute their enterprisement to be done, throughout al the towns of this realm, as sithence theffects which haue followed, haue given men tunderstande, & that with the greatest terror and strikinge of a fear in to men that he could in such sort, as departing from Melun at one of the clock at after noon, accompanied with two hundreth horses or more, al furnished with ii. or. iii. pistolets, entred into the said town about eight of the clock at night, and the next morning very early he went without any charge or commission to apprehend monsieur de Ruze, an advocate in the court of parliament, who asking him by what authority, he maid him prisoner, & for what cause, he had no answer but these words: Content yourself, that I am Constable: for in dede he doth pretend, that without other commission or commandment, he hath power to command in thabsence of the king, and the king of Nauarre, whatsoever he should think good, as he spake aloude too all the world: doing all things in such rage, as is incredible to many.  
The said Ruze, having been thus taken and sent prisoner to the Bastille, within a very straict prison, for what cause no man as yet knoweth( oneles it be for that he is one of them, which did most frequent and favour openly the reformed religion) he went forth with one of the town to a house name the Temple of jerusalem, nere S. james gate( in which place the assembly and preaching was made) where he caused to be plucked down, and thrown to thearth the Pulpit wherein they preached, and certain seats and stools which were there, and the same heaped altogether, caused it to be set on fire, being assisted with a very great number of the Vulgar people, which blessed him, and praised him very highly, to see him do so virtuous, and so worthy a dede, for a Constable of france, the said Constable saying openly, that there must be no more such assemblies within this Realm, & that the preachers must needs retire themselves thence, and that there should be an Edict published to that end. From thence he went to do asmuch after dinner, in an other house when also thassemblies were made name Popincourt, which is without S. Anthonyes gate: and there waited upon, yea more then before, by the vulgar sort, after he had caused the pulpit to be thrown down, and the seats and it to be laid together he did the like of that he did, at the other house, so as the people seeing themselves so much made of by a Constable of france, even as thought he had been in a maner their fellow; they were so well kindled, as not satisfied to haue set on fire the Pulpits and seats, they took boldness forthwith( the said Constable being present and consenting) to set on fire the house which was great and wide, so as now it is razed to the very ground.  
And this vulgar people foolish and mad by means of the familiaritys shewed them by the Constable, not yet satisfied, through the general liberty given to all men to wear weapons at the beck and commandment of the provost of deceipts: that .iiii. or .v. days together ther was nothing hard and spoken of but murders, robberies, pillages, and open injuries used by the people vpon the next unto thē, of what quality soever they were, if they had been in never so little suspicion of religion, & there was not so honest a man, that in passing by the streets( if he were in the least suspicion that could be true or false for the same religion) that was not injured & outraged, every man having full liberty to carry pistolets in the streets, insomuch as of all sides there was nothing heard but continual noise of shot.  
Sone after the coming of the Constable, the king and the queen were brought to Boys de Vincennes, and even after the next morrow the said house of Guise, because that place was not strong enough for their purpose, caused the king to hasten his entry, because they would lodge him in the castle of the Louure as the place which they took to be most safe for them. such an entry being made after a ●aci●on not accustomend & with the diminishing of the kings greatness, even amongs strange nations; which was done, for that they supposed hereby to hid the knowledge of the kings fowle captivity, wherein they do miserably retain his majesty: And to keep him in a place more assured for their devotion, fourthwyth hereupon they began to devise to make open war vpon the said Lord Prince, & meaning to take counsel therein together, the Constable said to the L. chancellor, who was there present in the kings chamber, that this business belonged not but to such as be exercised u● arms, to whom the said lord chancellor said, that albeit he and those of his coore were not skilled in handling of weapons, yet for all that they could tell well enough, when they are to be used, and not to be used, nevertheless forasmuch as then( as also it is presently) all was done with force, and open violence, he was kept from them alofe, as he hath been always sythens, and to be the more assured of themselves in all things, namely to haue the kings counsel at their commandment, they made therof by their own authority, those of whom they thought they might make sore account as le seigneur de Boily master of the horse, the Court villars, being kinsmen, and allied with the said Constable, le seigneur de Sen●a●, a very affectionate servant to the said house of Guise and the Constable, le seigneur Descars, and the Bishop of Auxerre household servants to the king of Nauarre, and whose means the said house of Guise do use, specially to go about at their secret practices, and put out those whom they saw prefar●e the common wealth, before their: own private passion.  
But to return to their counsels and executyons of the same, the house of Guise having vnderstanded the protestacyon and declaratyon made on the said L. the Princes behalf, and sent to the king, the effect whereof was, that he not stirred with any partyculer affection, but rather with the duty and onely love which he particularlye bare to the crown, under the government of the queen, he had been constrained to enter into arms, to restore the person of the king and the queen, to their full liberty, and to maintain thobseruacion of the kings majesties edicts and ordinances, and namely the last touching the cause of religion, offering to return to his house, if the D. of Guise would do the like.  
they having then perceived this declaration, and seing there were two points which they must finely cloak and cover, that is to wit, the kings captivity, and the countermandinge of the diet of january they procured in all hast thexpedicion of a letter theight of april last paste, whereby the king declared, that the bru●t of his captiuitye is a false and● an untrue sklaunder, invented by the said lord the Prince thereby to excuse himself of his doings, declaring that the queen and he were in such liberty as they haue ever been, & as they could wish, and that he and the said lady came of their own mindes, into the said town of Paris to provide for and to remedy the troubles happened.  
And the Court of parliament was sent unto, to read and publysh the said letters, which was done so readilye or rather all hedlonge, and against all custom, that( being brought to the Chamber of pleas, and whiles that men were playdinge of matters, they were incontynentlye delivered to the kings ministers and the publication therof required at their hands) even in one instant, it was ordered that they should be red, published, and inregistred▪ Streight after, calling to remembrance vpon a sudden a more subtle wile and craft, in causing other letters of the xii. day following to be couched, whereby it is declared that the said lord Prince, under a false and counterfeit colour of religion, was seized in his person, by some seditious persons, which kept him in their hands.  
And to meet with tother, and second point purported by the declaratyon made by the said lord Prince, touching the matter of religion, they cause other letters of the xi. of the same month to be dispatched, whereby the king giveth tunderstande, that he is informed, that diverse haue retired themselves to Orleauns( assembled in great numbers) and to other places, under colour of a fear which they say they haue, that their consciences shalbe preached, and that they shalbe ovid from the using of Thedyctes and ordinances made by him, namely in the last month of january, touching the matter of religion, and to vex and trouble them for the opinion which they hold. He declareth by the same, that to take away all fear and doubt, he hath not ment to call the said Edyct to question, neither that any should be touching the cause of religion molested, except the town of Paris, Faulxbourges, and Baylywike of the same, wherein the said king declareth, that he will not haue any public or private assemblies made, nor any administration of Sacramentes in other sort, then as hath been received and observed in the Church of room. Which letters being presented in the said Court by the said Duke of Guise and the Constable, albeit they were altogether contrary to Thedict of January, which is general for all the towns, yet are they red, publysshed, and enrolled, whereunto the said Court added, that the said reading and publication made by the same, is, in respect of the present necessytye of the time, and as it were only by way of a provision, & until such time as it be otherwise provided which discovereth sufficiently that the meaning of the said Court, and the D. of Guise is all one, that is, to make frustrate the last Edict of january, in keeping too their use the chief town, like as the said D. of Guise did at that time euedently declare in the said Court: So as yet further, the matter was made more apparent by other letters depeched at the same time: By the which the king declareth, that he meaneth not that the said Edict take place, but in the towns, where the preachers were already established, and not in the rest. which were in this sort sent forth, partly too serve for an occasion, to make the cruel and horrible slaughter, which followed soon after in the town of Sens, where against all huminite a great number of people were killed, besides great robberies and sackinge of houses, which continued two days together, and not without great suspicion, against the cardinal of Guise, archbishop there, and of his ministers and servants. Which is the sum of all that I haue ben able too gather of that which hath happened hitherto, covering the present trouble and controversy, being in this realm, and for which every man in the same is in arms.  
It resteth now to give tunderstand by degrees all the reasons wherewt thone side & tother may help them selfs, to cause al men more perfectly know which of the two is better grounded, & may be said to haue entred into arms with best right of their side. We haue now sene howe the house of Guise, the constable & Marshal s. Andre, withdrew themselves from the court one after another, & the small regard they haue had to the queen, sithence they haue felt themself backed with the king of Nauarre & how their best & chief pretext hath always ben, that they do arm them selfs to maintain the catholic religion. taking occasion to find fault with the gouermente of the realm: charginge the queen much for her own great lenite and softness, the kings counsel, for winkinge at things, and the magistrates for their negligence, and above all things complaining of the last Edict of january. We haue also sene the beginning, proceeding, and end of their entreprice, always guided by violence and strong hand, by murders and shedding of blood, & by disobeinge the queens express commandments: & next their counsel divided from the king. The solicitations, stirs, & tumults raised in the town of Paris, by such as were suborned, & by making much of the people, serving much to their purpose. And lastly the seasinge of the king and queens persons, the pressinge of the kings counsel & to his officers of iustice, having eve violently extorted, and in dede verified one letter in an others neck, contrary to custom and the Edicts.  
On the prince of Condee his side, we see too the contrary, his going from the court with the queens favour, and with promiss too return thither foorthwyth.  
We see his abode at Parys too haue been quiet, and requisite to stay the stirs, which were there towards. And next his ready obeing of the queens commandments, although it had ben more fet for the D. of Guise first to haue obeied the same. The outrage and injury done to the said lord by the provost of the merchants, as if it had ben to an enemy of the crown, born nevertheless patiently by the said prince. His returning to Orleans for the sauety of his person, and of his, after that the king & queens captivity, was very openly discovered. And lastly the declaration of the cause that moved him too entre into arms, sent by him too the king, with offer to retire himself, and to lay down his force, so as the house of Guise would do the like, the kings Edicts remaining in their force.  
So as there is none, that seeth not clearly on the one part all obedience to the queen, and on tother side disobedience towards the same.  
That thone side took weapon in hand to offend, and tother to defend. The violence of thone, and the withstanding therof in tother. Thone meaning to subvert the kings law by force, & of his own authority. tother as a prince of the blood, & one of the Protectors of the laws of france, minded to maintain the same: and consequently the one continuinge his duty, and tother settled in the doing of wrong. For what great matter is it, that the house of Guise can pretend, to touch then, by retiring of themselves, and to lay down their force, seeing that my lord the Prince is contended so to do? What reason can they allege for them selfs, to mind of them selfs, to disannul that which the Estates haue so earnestly required, and the king by such depart of counsel hath granted? If they say, they will defend the church of Rome, who is it that hindereth them to do it?  
doth any man se the Bishops and Curates, driven from their Churches, doth any see them ovid from preaching, and too do that which good and faithful ministers ought to do? Or elles is it not, than they bear malice to them of the religion( which they call new) to see them do so well, as to be driven out of the towns, as men infected with leper or pestilence, setfoorthe to the rain and wind, and in the contempt of every man? Are there so many Christen people, which abide the Iewes in their towns, & namely the Popes holiness, doth suffer them in his chief town, and else where: and shall not those which confess the name of Iesu christ, as he in whom they believe is onely their salvation, do believe & suffer for his gospel sake, find a place in france too retire themselves to?  
Yea, but forsooth( say they) Is this a dede of a good religion, to take possession of the kings towns & places, too entre into arms, without his leave and licence, and too keep back the money groynge of his revenue? I would willingly ask the question, before I answer them, Is it a token of good religion, too possess them selfs of the king & queens persons, and of the chief town of his realm, of all his force, authority, and substance, too employ the same, to the thinfringing of his Edicts, too oppress his subiectes, and subvert his estate, and too this end too use the aid of strangers, seing the subiectes will not consent to so manifest a tyranny? See then I prai you, how quick witted we are in other mens cases, and blinded in our own. now I say then to answer them, that is falleth for my lord the Prince, as a Prince of the blood, a counsellor born, and one of the Protectors of the crown, even to whom by lawe of nature appertaineth the defence of the subiectes, when some would by violence oppress them, to resist thereto by dynt of sword, which God too this end hath put in his hands, and consequently to maintain the laws and edicts of the realm. And touching the towns & places, whereof they complain, that the said lord Prince is s●ased: hath the king found himself any worse served & obeied, then he hath been heretofore, and hath there ben any alteration perceived, but onely that they do arm themselves, not myndinge to submit themselves to the violent oppression of the house of Guise, And touching the money detained, I desire too know, wherein a man should blayme him, who hath taken a knife out of a mad mannes hands, If then my lord the Prince, mente to stay that the house of Guise do not abuse the kings treasure, too cause strangers too entre into his realm, and oppress his subiectes, wherein is he to be reproved?  
But to dilate yet somewhat further, and by degrees their reasons, not willing to omit any one of them, if it were possible, I would willingly ask them, by what means it is, that they mind to defend the Romish religion; for the which they declare themselves so well minded? It is by force, say they, in driuinge away the ministers out of the realm, in taking away thassemblies, and putting to death the chiefest of the contrary religion; according to the example of the sedition of Xantonge and of Bourdeaux, without any searching of mens consciences, so that they contain them selfs within their houses, and make no show thereof abroad. I can not enough marvel of such a counsel, and devise, altogether contrary, too that which they them selfs, even the very house of Guise itself, I say( having at that time in their hands, in the time of the last king Fraunces the hoole government of the realm) caused to be published by letters and edicts: and at such time as the number of them whom they persecute, and persecuted before was a great deal fewer, and much more easy to oppress by force then they be now.  
For they were of opinion, that all rigor should cease,( as a thing unfit for the age of a young king, and unseemly, whereupon his coming to the crown of france, should be noted to his posterity to haue been bloody) & that troubles and divisions should be ended, by convocations of the clergy of the realm, & thither to call and admit al sorts of people that would come to propone any things for the matter of religion, which purpose having ben broken by the death of the late last king was executed in this kings reign, in continuing of that which by themselves was thought good, and sythens confirmed by thaduyse of all the princes of the blood, Cardinalles and others of the privy counsel assembled in the court of Parliament.  
The house of Guise they having sene that this way could do no good( and some know wherefore) and having themselves perceived made and so often repeated by thestates, to th'end to haue Temples, and being known, that the queen left nothing undone to find some good remedy, was in thende driven to the remedy of thedict made in january last, by the aduise of the most able and sufficient men of this realm, as the best and most commodious means, it is a marvelous matter to see that they are nevertheless eftsoons come to set forward the means of force, and in dede they haue taken the same in hand: as though they had already forgotten what good it did them, when they went from Paris to Orleans, environed with men of war, even like as if they had been in thenemies country and under colour of a conspiracy made against the late last king, who by reason of his youth and good nature had never done any man displeasure.  
And if it so be that thexamples of the time paste, and specially of the Arrians, Nouatins, and Macedoniens( to whom for the self same reasons Temples were given, sometimes without and sometimes within the towns) cannot serve at al to move us, to tolerate the like, that yet at the least they whom we haue sene before our eyes, may haue this power given them, to make us wiser for the time to come? haue we not sene in almain as much troubled for the same matter of religion and more then we be? and could one wish more carefulness, wisdom, and force then was in Themperour Charles the fifth, worthy indeed to be placed amongst the greatest, & yet there is none of us who hath not seen before his eyes, that all that could do no good to appease the troubles for religion, till that he was at last contented to grant an Interim, since the which the country of Almayne was never seen in greater peace and quietness hath the way of force & rigor served to any great purpose in the realm of england? and too proceed to the realm of Scotland in what danger haue we seen it, some thinking by the self same house of Guise reigning then in france, to do those things then which presently they haue eftsoons begun here: What reason is it then to say, that it is by force that we must mainetain the catholic religion, in driving away the ministers( say they) out of the realm, as if that there were not a millyon even amongs them that hear them( if a man may thus call them sufficient) to execute thoffice and charge of a minister.  
But their ignorance and rashness doth yet declare itself further by tother point which they set forth, making comparison of a trouble in religion with a matter of a popular sedition. In the which they that rebel and be armed against the Prince at the very time that they are most seditious, they acknoweledge their fault in their conscience. And those which do stir for the matter of religion, they are so far of from thought of evil doing, that they would for nothing hurt any man, nor thereby to contrary the duty of good and faithful subiectes toward their king and liege lord: So as it appeareth that this is a foolish and unadvised opinion, to think that when the heads be dispatched, that it should be easy to bring thothers back again, which oftentimes show them as steadfast & constant, & their heads and conductor. And yet is it less wit and reason, to say that which they add further, as it were with great prudence intermingled with lenitye, that is that they will not search mens conscyences so that every one will keep himself at home. For besides that it is impossible to do it, as they do better understand it, then thothers know it: there should not be a better mean to take away al discipline, and reverence of God from amongst men, and in thende to abundance them to all liberty of vice, being necessary that every mans religion be ordered and witnessed publicly.  
Yea but( say they) our realm can not endure two religions. We see the contrary in the most parte of Europe, this being no particular disease of this realm. Wherefore then may not they well suffer the like? There is not one of either of the religions, but would wish there were but one of them.  
But seeing it is thus happened, yet must the best means be devised and we become wise at the least by thexample of others, yea but( say they again) yf that take place, the new religion will daily increase, & in th'end will come to destroy ours. See here a good beginning of the distrust they haue of the goodness of their religion: For if it be of God, we must not doubt, but it will surmount tother, and that it shal continue.  
But that which causeth them to say so, is thexample they haue before their eyes, of the force of this religion( which they call new) which though it be but poor, abject and neglected of all men, hath not let notwithstanding in a few yeares, to embrace almost al Europe, and to overcome and haue the vpperhande of armour, for●e, and violence of Emperours, and kings, the pomp, riches, pride, & the height of Popes, Cardynalles, and al their followers. I desire to know for this purpose, if the Iuishe religion though it haue been suffered in Chrystendome more then a thousand yeares, hath therfore destroyed and hyndered the Christian religion.  
Thus the whole being well discoursed, and ripely weighed, there is great apparance, that it is not zeal of conscience, which pusheth them forward, who declare themself so well affencted to the romish religion, having specially this mark to shoot at before their eyes, to possess themselves of the government of the realm, and if they could of the crown itself and all under the idolator and cloak of the king of Nauarre, by using him to serve their turn, afterwards to oppress him, and enter into his place, and( to comme to this end) they aid themselves with a cloak of religion, meaning too maintain the Popes authority, which serveth their turns so well under the colour therof, and nothing less, then to haue an eye too the peace of consciences, and quiet of the subiectes: In such sort, as he that would say at one word, that this is the Popes war, should not perhaps bee very far from the truth.  
This having ben always the form and maner of his holiness, proceeding in matter of religion, and of al his ministres suborned by him to raise up warres, thereby to constrain men by force, to range them selfs to his church, like as contrariwise, the way of the gospel hath ben, to bring men of their own accord, through preaching the word of God unto them.  
And we shall see in thende, which of the two ways shalbe found the best. They shal perceive, how much they, with whom they haue to do, are bound, joined, & united together, and steadfast and constant in their opinion. How many thousand amongs them, do make no difficulty to lose their goods, and rather to die then to change, and refuse the doctrine, which they haue received. And they shall again know, that to gain them by force, they must cause them all to die, for that otherwise, he that shall remain or live, with the ashes of them that shall die, will cause others to be raised. judge you whether it be not a fair and goodly entreprice, to haue called in strangers, utterly too extinguish the floure of france, & to set the realm in a pray. O monstrous unfaithfulness, worthy to be assailed by all men, as a wild beast. To call( I say) strangers to settle our controversies, & to give unto them the places of thē, which shal be overcomen, and to keep him underfoot, to whom there shal remain but the name of a victor.  
And now too make an end, it needeth not( as I take it) too excuse my lord the Prince of that, that his aduersaries would maliciouslye impute unto him, judging his meaning, according too their own. saying: that this is not( as it is not in dede for their parte) the zeal of religion that moved him. And that his grief is in an other place, proceeding of some affection of hatred, reuenge or ambition. If the said lord the Prince had not already given me sufficiently tunderstande, that he is nothing less then vindicatif, and that according to the profession, which he maketh of the Gospel, he hath remitted all reuenge to God, he would not deny but that the house of guise hath given him sufficient occasion, to enter into this desire of reuenge. And as touching the matter of ambition, they themselves know better howe he hath lived heretofore, and howe he is increased in substance, and that if he were altogether distempered( as they be) with this thirsting after goods, authority, and greatness, that it is long of none, but of himself that the same is not quenched.  
And( to make an end) you haue here the discourse by degrees, of the controversy happened in this realm and the causes and reasons, that may be alleged of thone side and tother, too haue moved either of the parties, too haue entred into arms. now resteth it in every subiectes choice, or any other, having desire to stir, to the partaking with thone or tother, too judge sincerelye, and without passion, to which of the two parties he shall do best to ioyn himself.  
¶ FINIS.