THE COPY OF A LETTER Sent from Pope Vrban the 8. unto the King of France, Jan. 28. 1641.  
Brought unto the said King, by the Bishop of Salerno the Pope's Nuntio.  
Wherein he informs the King, that he understands by his Nuntio lately returned out of England. what and how great persecutions and pressures the Catholics suffer, since, the sitting of the Parliament there.  
Whence he taketh occasion to exhort and incite the King to the same measure towards his Huguenots in France.  
Also strongly persuading him to an Inclination unto peace with the Crown of Spain. And for the assisting of the Catholics in Ireland.  
Translated out of the Latin Copy, by J. S.  
London, Printed for john Thomas, 1641.   

Urban the eight, by the Divine Providence Pope of Rome, Bishop of Bishops, and servant of the servants of God. To the most Christian King LEWIS the 13. th', By the grace of God King of France, and Navarre, our thrice beloved Son in Jesus Christ, and the Faith Catholic; Greeting and Benediction Apostolic.  
WHereas we are given to understand jan. 13. by the relation of Count Russete Nuntio of our Sea Appostolique, unto MARIA HENNERETTA, dearest Sister unto your Majesty and Queen unto Charles, King of great Britain, what, and how great miseries our Catholics, living in England have endured since the Scottish Jnvasion, and convening of the Parliament there holden, how cruelly and barbarously persons in Order and sacred ecclesiastics, how opprobiously and unworthily the Layicks have been handled, their undergoing Racks, tortures, Gallows, Gibbers, quartering of their members (yea notwithstanding that some of them were eighttie years old, ruffering Jmprisonment, reproaches, loss of Honours, confiscation of Goods, bereaving of their Children, sequestration of Revenues, alienation of Lands, counted mere dung and the off-scowring of their Country, and that for no other reason but that they have testified to the World in the two late Northern expeditions, Fidelity not to be paralleled. Obedience not to be blamed towards their King, to the great impairing (at least) if not to the utter decay of their estates.  
And seeing that by things there already enacted as farther to be enacted, it may evidently appear how not only ominous, that contagious quag of Heritieks is unto the undoubted Catholic Roman Faith, but also to the established State and settled Government, of Haereditary Kings and Monarches, not only contrary but pestifferous, where once they have got the upper hand and gained the mastery, we would that your Christian Majesty should be most seriously admonished, that ye may with mature care and seasonable prevention foresee those distempers which are afoot with your neighbouring Prince, that King Charles and great Brittan's disasters, may prove unto your Majesty's instructions, and when it is likely that the nefarious deeds of the Heriticks which now carry all before, them in England, are known unto your Majesty then to us, as who are nigher, and that ye have the deformed notoriousness of them as it were drawn in a Table before you; hereupon we council your Majesty to consider what so nearly concerns you, that millions of Heretics lurk and harbour in your Dominions, we wish we knew not, who have the same mind, the same opinion of you and your belief, and had they but strength, what they approve in the English they would exploit themselves, let your Majesty take heed ye foster not a Viper in your bosom, whose feebleness is yet the cause it doth no mischief, not its disposition, when they shall find themselves able they do not domineer but rage, neither contemn they the Crown but trample it, we adjure your Majesty by all that is sacred, by the sweet cognomination of the most Christian King first granted to the Kings of France, for their famous defence of Catholic, and chastising Heriticks (and derived unto your Majesty, as in the same sense, so to be no other ways enjoyed) by all your rather to be admired, then credulous Heroic Acts, and glorious erterprises, with the which he that led Captivity Captive hath crowned you with Lilies, by the obedience you own unto St Peter, filial recognizance to us, diligence in advancing the Catholic faith, which your Majesty swore at your sacred Coronation and anointing, by all the foresaid, we beseech your Majesty, that not only ye would endeavour the suppression and abatement of the Heretics that nestle in your Realm, but their total ruin and extirpation, which thing we more earnestly request of your Majesty, by how much we desire the flourishing of your Monarchy, your Sceptre and Magnificence, the faith apostolics prehemenence; when did more lustre attend your Crown, then after the surprisal of the Rotchell Heretics Den, when your Authority greater or more enlarged, then upon the disabling those Rebels of Montauban, what stops the free current of Catholic faith, wholesome and fresh streams through France, but this chocking fen of Heresy: Let it be taken away therefore not only bow and twig: but both stock with strings be rooted up, least by their Commission the sincere flock of Catholics may be drawn into consent of the putrid and ulcered Cattles, and seeing that it may shame us, that those malevolent should labour more the devastation and laying waist of Christ's blessed body, than we its propagation, that your Majesty may the sooner not suppress or diminish, but wholly blot out and extinguish that Contagion, let your Majesty under most heavy pains strictly forbidden not only the public convent in Churches of that heretical Conspiracy, but all private exercise and use of this seditious Leaven, even within private walls, let fit Officers be set over that charge, and let them taste of their own sauce, as they use your Catholics, so you must handle them, your Majesty being a Member of that body they thus persecute, let them perceive that in the ancient Catholic Roman faith, distance of place, diversity of Nations lesseneth not our sympathy in the cause, nor affection to the afflicted, put the Ministers of your Huguenots to death when your Catholic Priests are hanged on Gibbers, what reason is there that their beardless impudent Babblers should range so unbridled throughout France, unpunished? when your poor Religious more ancient than able (a thing odious to Barbarians) have undergone the raking out of their bowels, let others undergo Fines of Crowns, confiscation of goods, loss of Office, banishment out of the Realm, depriving of their children, loss of Vote in Courts bands, imprisonment, that it may appear to all the world that your Majesty hath as much power over your Huguenots, what others have over their Catholics, and that your Majesty's esteem is nevertheless of them for other, notorious debasing of them, neither let your Majesty desist before you have either vanquished your own Huguenots, or purchased some ease for the English Catholics; Being certified by the Agent of the Irish, that they burdened with heavy pressures, threatened by the now sitting Parliament with heavier, as who are utterly debarred the free use of the Roman Catholic Religion, put out of their houses, Lands, Honours, and when they would have submitted, denied Pardon; we entreat your Majesty that you would by your Ambassador solicit the cause of the distressed Nation, with the King of great Britain, and that you would put that King in mind of the Rouchellers, whose notorious raising of Arms, and Rebellion, yea, pardoned at the intercession of that King, granting them also all their former Privileges and Liberties as your Majesty writ unto us by your Ambassador Mounsieur du Fresne. Anno Dom. 1628.  
But if your Majesty shall perceive, that you can prevail nothing by that Mediation: We exhort your Majesty, as is our duty to undertake the defence and Protection of that Nation in all Ages, so constantly obedient unto the Roman Catholic Religion, which defence will well become the Arms of the most Christian King; We farther desire so your Christian Majesty to send Grave and temperate Ambassadors unto us to Bononia, for the conclusion of that so much wished for, and hearty longed after peace betwixt the Christian, and the Catholic Crowns, let both your Majesties think on peace, do ye both desire it, let each in something departed from his right, give ye way on both parties, and the Spirit of peace shall accord you, and the happy agreement of these two Glorious Crowns, shall crown my old Age, and rejoice all Catholic Regions, When we shall see two great Princes having been so long at such Mortal dissension, at length to the unspeakable Joy of all, to fall at unity, and two the very  Sons of the Catholic faith professing betwixt themselves a Catholic consent to employ their Arms only against Heretics, and Ethnics.  
Which we cease not day and night to beg on our knees in the blessed Sacrifice of the Mass of God Almighty of our Blessed Mother of God, and of him that being God became man, of the Blessed Apostle of our faith St. Peter, and of all Saints.  
Given under the Seal of the Fisherman.  
jan. 28. Anno Salutis, 1641. And of our Popedom the nineteenth Subscribed, Rancone, S, R, E, P, S.  
FINIS.