MALIGNANTS Remember Rochell: OR A Warning to the Protestants OF ENGLAND.  
 printer's or publisher's device  
LONDON Printed by J. M. and are to be sold by M. S. June 20th 1645.   

Remember Rochel.  
NOt long after our Kings Match with France, there was a design in that realm to extirpate the Protestants, and surprise all their fortified towns in that kingdom, whereof Rochell was the principal; which being a maritaine town, furnished with a good Fleet of Ships, able to make good their Harbour, and furnish themselves with provisions and supplies from all their Protestant friends, maugre all the Sea-forces of the French King; thereupon the French cardinal Richelieu and his confederates taking the advantage of their new interest in the King of England, by reason of this marriage; importuned him to lend his Brother of France the Vaunt-guard, one of the Vessels of his royal Navy, and seven Merchant-men of war, to be employed in his service by sea: which the King condescending to, sent the said Ships under the command of captain Pennington into France, to be employed as the French King and his counsel should prescribe. Who designing them for service against Rochell, to surprise their Ships, blocked up their Haven, and intercept their trade and relief, contrary to their expectation; the Captaines, Masters and Mariners of the Ships were so much discontented, that they were designed against the Rochelers, who were not onely their friends, but the chief professors and maintainers of the Protestant Religion in those parts, and that they should be made the instruments of their ruin, and draw the guilt of their innocent Protestant blood upon their souls, that they all unanimously resolved, they would rather die, sink, or be hanged up at the Masts of their Ships, then stir one jot, or weigh anchor for such an unchristian detestable employment. captain Pennington their admiral, and the French used all the rhetoric and persuasions they could to alter this their heroic and most Christian resolution but they continued inflexible, and would neither by allurements, rewards, nor threats be drawn to such an unworthy action, resolving rather to sink then stir therein. Whereupon captain Pennington acquainted his Majesty and the Duke of Buckingham by Letters with this their peremptory resolution, and desires their direction herein? the King( I know not by whose ill advice) returns him this answer both by word of mouth and this ensuing Warrant.  

CHARLES. R. 
 Pennington,  
THese are to charge & require you upon sight hereof; that without all difficulty and delay, you put our former Commandement in execution for the consigning of the ship under your charge, called the Vauntguard, into the hands of the marquis de Effort, with all her Equipage, Artillery, and Ammunition, assuring the Officers of the said Ship whom it may concern, that we will provide for their indemnity; and We further charge and command you that you also require the seven merchants ships in Our Name, to put themselves into the service of Our dear Brother the French King, according to the promise made unto him: and in case of back-wardnesse or refusal, We command you to use all forcible means in your power to compel them thereto, even to their sinking; and in these several charges see you fail not, as you will answer the contrary at your utmost peril; and this shall be your sufficient Warrant.  
Given at Our Court at Richmond, the 28. of July 1625.  
To Our Trusty and well-beloved, John Pennington, Captain of Our Ship called the Vaunt-guard.   
UPon receipt of this Warrant Captain Pennington( as we have been certainly informed from very credible persons of note, privy to the transactions of this business) threatened to shoot and sink the Ships, and hang up the Mariners that refused to yield obedience, and serve against Rochell; but they all unanimously declined the service, bidding him do his pleasure with them; for go against the Rochelers they would never; but if they were commanded upon any other service not against the Protestants, they would obey: Whereupon those who refused to serve in this expedition, were commanded to quit the Ships and return into England; which all did but two,( who soon after came to desperate ends, the one being blown up with Gun-powder, the other drowned or slain.) Upon this, the English Ships were according to this direction, delivered to the French, manned with French-men & other foreigners, and joining with some more Vessels of the French King, destroyed the Rochell Fleet, blocked up their Haven, & ruined that famous Protestant City, with most of the Protestants in it; which after a long and sharp siege by sea and land, was through famine surrendered into the Papist hands; the loss whereof was generally, if not justly imputed to our ill counsellors; who after they had been instruments to destroy their Ships, the principal means of their safety, support, and preservation, by an unfortunate voyage of the Duke of Buckingham to the isle of Ree( to what end but to ruin Rochell and the Protestant party in France, or to revenge the disappointment of his lust, as many muttered, is yet unknown to the world) exhausted their Ammunition, Victuals, provisions, men, to supply our necessities at Ree, and after our departure thence, left our sick and maimed souldiers there to help devour the residue of their empty stores, and then suffered them to be blocked up at Sea: when we had thus engaged them on our behalf, neglecting to sand them timely supplies of victual, ammunition, shipping, men( which was strangely delayed from time to time contrary to promise) and when our ships went at last, they gave over the design of relieving it as desperate, before ever they assayed whether it was feasible( as Master Henry now Lord jermin, and some others in that unfortunate expedition informed me) & then making onely a Bravado towards the Barracado, as if they meant to force it with their fireships, and engines made with great stones( brought to London to repair Pauls & so unlikely to do any good service for Rochell) they discharged their Ordnance very valiantly above a league or two from the works they were to force, and with-out adventuring nearer or attempting to force the bar, returned prefently with infinite dishonour for England, leaving all their fireships and Engines in them to the French in a most unwarlike manner: but in their return homeward many of these Ships were wrecked, drowned in a tempest, who would not adventure sinking in a fight, and the whole Navy shattered. soon after which, poor Rochell( thus deserted and betrayed, was surrendered into the French Kings & Cardinals possession, and all the Protestant towns in France surprised, yielded, pillage,, dismantled; so as they have since no Town or Fort of strength to retire unto, to preserve themselves from the force or massacres of their bloody Adversaries, to whose merciless cruelties they are now wholly exposed upon all occasions by our means. I pray God this treachery against them, and the blood of those many thousand Protestants then  shed in France by our occasion, be not one principal cause why God( by way of retaliation) hath permitted the Papists in Ireland and England to  shed so much Protestant blood in these Realms as they have done of late, for our refusing or neglecting to avenge their blood upon those romanized Conspirators, who were the occasion of this their irreparable loss and bloodshed.   
FJNJS.