The French King's New Declaration  
An EDICT of the King, Declaring that the next of Kin and lawful Heirs of such Persons as are fled for their Religion, shall enter into Possession of the Estates and Goods which they have left behind in the Kingdom, yet without any Power to Sell or Alienate them, till after the Expiration of Five Years.  
Given at Versailles, in the Month of December 1689. registered in Parliament, Decemb. 9. 1689.  

licenced December 7. 1689. J. F.   
LEWIS by the Grace of God, King of France and Navarr, to all both Present and to Come, Greeting.  
After we had taken a Resolution to extirpate in our Kingdom the Exercise of the pretended Reformed Religion, which the Kings our Predecessors, and ourselves had only tolerated, we thought it our Duty to Consecrate to God, and to pious Uses, the Goods which belonged to the Consistory, and those which were appointed for the maintenance of the Ministers and Poor of the Pretended Reformed Religion; and afterwards we found ourselves obliged for the Causes contained in our Edict in the Month of January 1682. to dispose of the Goods and Estates left behind by those of our Subjects of the Pretended Reformed Religion, who are departed out of our Kingdom, contrary to our Edicts of July 1681. July 1682. and August 1685. and are not yet return'd according to the Acts of Grace which we granted in their behalf by our Edicts of October 1681. and July 1686. To that purpose by our said Edict of January 1688, We did Unite these Goods and Estates so left behind to our Demeans, not to augment our Revenues, but to the end they might be registered and preserved by our Officers, with the same care as our own, and that the Revenues thereby accrueing might be employed according as we had intended, but being informed of the great difficulties which oppose the Execution of our Design in regard of the differe●● pretensions and claims which several of our Subjects lay to the said Estates, and besides having a Regard to the Supplications and Petitions which have been made to Us, to preserve the said Goods and Estates to the lawful Heirs of those, who by their departure have left them behind, and being able by other means to provide for the settlement of what shall be judged necessary for the Advantage of the Religion in our Kingdom, without reducing these Estates into Mortmain, or depriving of the use thereof, those that help to support the Charges of our Kingdom. For those Reasons, with the Advice of our Privy-Council, and having seen the said Edicts and Declarations, and the Decree thereupon, both this Month, and the Month of March 1688. We have of Our certain knowledge, full Power, and Royal Authority by this present Edict, Perpetual, and Irrevocable, Said, Decreed, declared and ordained, and do Say, Decree, Declare, Ordain, Will and Please.  
1. That according to Our Edict of the Month of Jan. 1688. the Goods and Estates of the Consistories of the Pretended Reformed Religion, and those that were appointed for the maintenance of the Ministers and Poor of the said Religion, shall be employed to Pious Uses, or given to the Hospitals, and Regular secular Communities, which we shall make choice of next to the places where the said Estates lie, to have the Administration, and to employ one part of the Revenues as we shall direct for the benefit of the Religion, according to the Information that shall be given us to that purpose within Three Months by the Arch-Bishops, Bishops, Intendants and Commissaries, depu●ed in the Provinces for the Execution of our Order, at the expense of paying the Duties of Indemnity if any are due; the real encumbrances, and all the lawful Debts to which they are liable, to the Value only of the Stock and Revenues of the said Estates; and provided that the rest of the Goods that belong to the said Communities, shall not be charged, nor liable to the said Rights, Charges and Debts, we Will and Require that the Donations here before made by Us, of the Goods of the Consistories, and of those set a part for the maintenance of the Ministers and Poor of the pretended Reformed Religion, to th● day of this present Edict, to be employed in pious Uses, or upon the Hospitals, or regular or secular Communities, shall be Executed according to their Form and tenor, We having given them all necessary confirmation.  
2. Our Will and Pleasure is, That the Estates left behind by our Subjects that are departed, or may depart out of our Kingdom, contrary to the Prohibitions made by our Decrees, shall belong to those of their Paternal, or Maternal Kindred, to whom according to the Customs and Laws of the Provinces of the Kingdom they ought to have descended after the Natural Death of those who have so left the Kingdom, and that they shall share and enjoy them after the same manner, as if they had fallen to them by Succession; and with the same Charges of Debts, Dowries, Pensions for Life, or other Conditions, whether of Assignment Warranted or otherwise; revoking to that effect, all Gifts made by Writing, Decree or Letters Patents, till the date of our present Decree. Provided that the Donee's shall not be obliged to restore the Rents by them reserved in pursuance of the said Gifts, upon which they shall be only bound to pay the real Charges, proportionably to the time of their Possession.  
3. We ordain that the Heirs by virtue of the Orders decreed shall be put into possession of the said Estates, by the Lieutenants of our Baylywicks Seneschals, or other our Judges, within whose Jurisdiction the said Estates shall lie, upon Petitions concerning the degrees of their Kindred, which shall be communicated to our Procurators. In pursuance of which Orders our Will and Pleasure is, that they shall enter into possession of their Estates, the first day of Jan. next. To this effect declaring Null and voided upon the same day, all the Releases both General and Particular, that have been made of the said Estates by our Orders. Our further pleasure is, that they who have enjoyed any Estates by Lease, or otherwise, shall be bound by the first of March next to give an account before our Intendants and Commissary's in our Provinces of the Receipts and disbursements which have been made out of the Lands, and what money remains in the hands of the Farmers and others who have had the looking after the said Land, by verbal answer with the Information of the Intendants and Commissaries, to be sent to our well beloved and Trusty chancellor, for us to order thereupon what shall be proper.  
4. Our Judges shall take Cognizance of all suits commenced or to be commenced by reason of the Propriety of the said Lands, either for Debts, assignments, Rent-Charges, or other encumbrances, which the Lands shall be pre ended to be charged with, being willing that such suits may go on by Instruction and judgement upon the said suits, according to the Usual Manner, as they might have done, before the Donations, and Grants which we had made of any of the said Lands, and the decree made in our Council of State the 31 of March. 1638.  
5. We grant to our Subjects full power before the Judges, in whose Jurisdiction the said Lands lie to make Returns of the Condition wherein they found them before their taking possession of them, and in Case of Wasts Committed by those that had the oversight of the Lands before possession given, they shall exhibit their complaints to the said Judges against those that had Committed the said Wasts, even against the Donee's themselves, if they have Committed any Wast.  
6. Our pleasure is, that such as are Creditors of any of our Subjects who are departed our Kingdom may bring their suits for the payment of their debts against those who have declared themselves the next of Kin and lawful Heirs, and may sue out executions upon the said Lands before the Judges to whom the Cognizance of those things belongs. And as to the Lands which those Heirs shall peaceably enjoy, we ordain that they shall neither Sell nor Mortgage them, till after five years enjoyment, to begin from the first day of January next ensuing; Provided nevertheless that this shall be no obstruction during the term of five years aforesaid, of the discharge of such payments as they are obliged to make of the Debts and encumbrances aforesaid, as they shall be judged lawful by the Judges aforesaid.  
7. We ordain, that the Lands and Estates of our Subjects of the Pretended Reformed Religion departed out of our Kingdom, by our permission may be preserved for their elder Children if they have any left behind within our Kingdom, or for the Guardians of the younger; and in case they have no Children left behind within our Kingdom, for the persons who shall be commissioned and entrusted by us with the Administration of the Estates, which the Creditors may cause to be seized, and enter process before our Judges, prosecuting all the necessary and formal ways of proceedings, by the validity of the decrees imported by our Ordinances, against the said Elder Children, tutors or Guardians of the younger, or against those who are by us entrusted in case there be no Children.  
8. Our Pleasure is that the Revenues of the said Estates shall be distributed during the Lives of our Subjects, as shall be directed by us, and that the propriety and profits of the Estates shall belong after their Deaths to the lawful Heirs which shall be within our Kingdom according to the disposal of the Second Article of this our present Edict.  
So we give Command to our Friends and Faithful counsellors, holding our Courts of Parliament, Chamber of accounts, and Court of Ardes at Paris, that they cause this present Edict to be red, Published, and registered, and Executed point by point; according to its Form and tenor. For such is our Will and Pleasure, and to the End that this may be a Thing firm and stable to perpetuity, We have caused our Seal to be affixed to these Presents.  
Given at Versailles, in the Month of December, in the year of Grace 1689. and of our Reign the 47th. signed LEWIS, and a little Lower By the King, COLBERT.  
registered: And requiring the Kings Procurators General, that it be put in Execution, according to the Form and tenor of it.  
At Paris in the Parliament the 9. of December 1689. signed TILLET.   

LONDON, Printed for Ben. Griffin, at the Sign of the Griffin in the Old-Bayly. 1689.